OVERVIEW OF THE COURSE
. . .what difference it would make to our understanding if we looked at the world as a
whole, a totality, a system, instead of as a sum of self-contained societies and cultures;
if we understand better how this totality developed over time; if we took seriously the
admonition to think of human aggregates as "inextricably involved with other
aggregates, near and far, in weblike, netlike, connections." Eric Wolf
How can one deny the fascinating creativity of [capitalism] which in a few centuries
has passed from mechanical looms powered by running water or steam to industrial robots
capable of carrying out a series of complex operations; from printing to
teletransmissions; from the discovery of America to the exploration of space? And how can
one not be haunted by the destructive capacity of this dynamic at work? Michel Beaud
The basic theme of this course can be summed up briefly as follows: there has emerged
over the past five to six centuries a distinctive culture or way of life dominated by a
belief in commodity consumption as the source of well-being. This culture flowered in
Western Europe, reached fruition in the United States and spread to encompass much of the
rest of the world, creating what some anthropologists, sociologists, and historians call
the world system. People disagree on the critical factor in the development of this
system, and whether or not it was even historically unique, although most agree on certain
basic ideas. Among the most important are the assumptions that the driving force behind
the spread of the contemporary world system was industrial and corporate capitalism, and
that the spread of the world system is related in some way to the resulting division of
the world into wealthy nations and poor nations, or into wealthy core, developed, or
industrialized areas, and dependent peripheral, undeveloped, or non-industrialized areas.
The emergent culture of consumer capitalism left little in our lives untouched--it
affected our material and intellectual life; it reshaped our values, and, as we shall see,
largely dictated the direction of every institution in our society. It has produced wave
after wave of consumer goods, revolutionized food production, and prompted previously
unimagined developments in technology, communication, and medicine.
More importantly, at least from the anthropological point of view, the feeding of the
consumer has required a level of global integration unmatched in human history. The
clothes we wear more often than not were produced in whole or part by some person in
Malaysia, Hong Kong, or El Salvador; someone in Brazil probably cut the sugarcane that
became the sugar we add to our soft drinks; our morning coffee began with the picking of
coffee beans in the highlands of Columbia; the orange we eat may have been grown in Spain
and packed in cardboard boxes made of Canadian pulpwood, wrapped in plastic produced in
New Jersey and transported on a truck made in France with Italian, Japanese, and American
parts. Our radio, television, or VCR was likely assembled in whole or part by a worker in
Mexico, Haiti, or Indonesia; and our automobiles, of course, may have been produced in
whole or part in Japan, Taiwan, or Korea.
Our task in this course will be to trace the "weblike, netlike, connections"
that link people and societies around the world, and appreciate and come to terms with the
effects of global integration. We want to examine the legacies of capitalism,
particularly, in the words of Michael Baud above, "the destructive capacity of this
dynamic at work." While our foundation discipline will be anthropology, we will need,
also, to draw, particularly, on the disciplines of economics and history, as well as
sociology, political science, and geography. Very briefly, we will proceed as follows:
We will explore specific problems and issues: these include (in order): (1) Why is the
world divided into poor nations and rich nations? (2) How is the so-called problem of
population growth related to economic development and global integration? (3) Why are
close to one billion people hungry? (4) Why does much of the world face environmental
devastation? (5) Why, in spite of the dramatic developments in health care and medical
technology, do some medical researchers predict that we are on the verge of a medical
disaster? (6) Why does ethnic conflict and war affect so many countries? (7) Why have
indigenous cultures been virtually exterminated? And, finally, (8) Why has there been a
surge in religious protest in the form of so-called fundamentalist religious movements?
The details of how we will proceed to answer these questions are available in the course syllabus. However to sum up very briefly, each participant
in the course will be assigned a country. Through readings (most, of which will be
available online) each person will examine how each of these questions relates to his or
her country, and will be responsible for preparing a paper on each problem. Each paper
will be devoted to challenging or defending a thesis statement
related to the problem. Each paper will be due and sent to Ms. Gloria Bobbie on specific
dates. (see Schedule). More importantly, each participant will
be responsible for sharing with other participants the results of her or his inquiries and
offering ideas and suggestions that advance the discussion. Your participation in
discussion in critical, not only for your grade, but for the depth of insight reached by
all.
Since we will be assuming that many of the problems we will examine relate in some way
to global economic activity, and since the major economic unit in capitalist society is
the corporation, each participant will also be assigned a specific corporation to invest
in (as capitalists must), and will prepare a report on the economic, social, political,
and environmental impact of that corporation. More details on the corporate assignment are
available in the syllabus, and in the area on corporate projects.
We have prepared a list of relevant web sites where you can obtain information on
countries, corporations, and all other issues relevant to the course (see Selected Internet Resources).
All your online communications to other participants will go through Gloria Bobbie,
unless specifically directed to others. Ms. Bobbie will then distribute your comments,
suggestions, ideas, etc. to everyone else participating in the course. There are, however,
instances when you may wish to communicate directly with someone else in the course. For
example, since more than one person will be assigned a given country, you will probably
want to discuss your countries problems and development with your fellow
"countryperson (s)."
How often participants at each site get together to discuss issues in the course is up
to the discretion of instructors, participants or coordinators. In addition, while the
papers and projects are obligatory for all, how grades are assigned is also up to the
discretion of instructors or coordinators.
We hope for an exciting semester. However, please remember that this is a first-time
effort, and we probably can expect some bugs along the way (e.g. a vital web link
disappears, servers go down, required readings unavailable, etc.). However try to bear
with us, and let either Gloria Bobbie (BOBB9199@splava.cc.plattsburgh.edu) or Richard
Robbins (ROBBINRH@splava.cc.plattsburgh.edu) know of any problems you're having.
