Overview

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

An introduction to the political economy and culture of capitalism in relation to global problems. Case studies may focus on issues of population, famine, disease, poverty, environmental destruction, social inequality, and nation-state violence. Resistance, rebellion and social movements in response to these problems also will be addressed. Students who took SA 294 in 03-1, 04-1 and 04-2 may not take SA 302 for further credit. Writing/Breadth-Social Sci.

COURSE DETAILS:

“Our thesis is that the idea of a self-adjusting market implied a stark utopia. Such an institution could not exist for any length of time without annihilating the human and natural substance of society; it would have physically destroyed man [sic] and transformed his [sic] surroundings into a wilderness. Inevitably, society took measures to protect itself, but whatever measures it took impaired the self-regulation of the market, disorganized industrial life, and thus endangered society in yet another way. It was this dilemma which forced the development of the market system into a definite groove and finally disrupted the social organization based upon it.” 
                                                                                                                                                                                              --Karl Polanyi, The Great Transformation (1944)

In this course, we will explore global problems in relation to the culture of capitalism. We will focus on how capitalism has been developed over centuries, the social, economic, political and ecological contradictions of capitalism, the distinctive social/cultural life that have emerged simultaneously with its development, and its destructive impacts on us and our planet. We will also discuss the ways to challenge capitalism, and the courses of action to solve or overcome global problems. At the end of this course, you will have a thorough understanding of the major global issues and expand your perspective on the culture of capitalism that shapes our world(s), institutions, relationships, and daily practices. This is a writing intensive course. We will use writing as a way of learning and appreciating course content. A central element of this course is to help you develop strong analytical writing skills. Lectures, discussions, group work, extensive feedback on writing assignments along with excerpts from cinema and documentaries will facilitate your learning.

In the first part of this course, we will develop a foundational theoretical basis to understand capitalism, its culture and contradictions, and we will look at the historical context within which the “capitalist world-economy” emerged. In the second part, we will explore the impacts of global capitalism and discuss how the culture of capitalism creates, exacerbates and deepens global problems we face today. We will focus on population growth, migration, urbanization, hunger, poverty, economic development, underdevelopment, global environmental change, global health issues, and Indigenous struggles. As Karl Marx wrote in 1845, “[p]hilosophers have hitherto only interpreted the world in various ways; the point is to change it.” We will conclude with a discussion on the possibility of a different world and a different culture.

Grading

Materials

REQUIRED READING: