PSCI 307-G: TOPICS IN POLITICAL SCIENCE
Globalization and “Third
World” Politics: Argentina, Vietnam, El Salvador, and South Africa
Fall 2001 Dr.
Leaman’s Office: CLS 2050
Tuesday and Thursday,
5:40-6:55 PM Office
Hours: TR 8:50-9:20 AM &
Room: SCI S-111 4:15-5:30
PM; W 1:30-3:00 PM; Telephone: 773-442-5657 or by
appointment with Dr. Leaman
Website:
www.neiu.edu/~dleaman E-mail: d-leaman@neiu.edu
DESCRIPTION: A major topic in
political science at the beginning of the twenty-first century is the impact of
the global economy on politics and society.
While “globalization” is at least as old as Columbus (and probably as
old as Islam), the late twentieth century expansion of transnational business
and organization; the collapse of state socialist and nationalist-capitalist
systems; and the current hegemony of neoliberal ideology pose crucial
contemporary questions: How much do (or should) national governments control
the directions of their own economies and polities? What are the alternatives for domestic policymakers and for
“people’s power” movements in this neoliberal age? How, particularly, have global trends affected the politics of
nations and peoples that have traditionally been considered part of the “Third
World?”
To
address these questions, this course begins with core questions, concepts, and
themes. What is globalization, and to
what extent is it new? Is the “Third
World” still a useful category? How has
the international division of labor changed over time? What are the roles of migration,
regionalism, and resistance? Does the
current free market capitalist trend complement or conflict with the parallel
trend of democratization? Does globalization
advance or diminish human rights? We
will explore these questions in four nations in the South -- Argentina,
Vietnam, El Salvador, and South Africa -- with distinctive histories and
interactions with the global system.
Argentina gained its political independence in the early 19th century,
and then launched a major attempt at a “second independence” through
nationalist-capitalism after WWII.
Vietnam’s leaders tried to implement a state-socialist model after their
anti-imperial military victories in 1954 and 1975. In the early 1990s, both El Salvador and South Africa embarked on
negotiated processes of democratization made possible by sustained popular
insurgencies battling against entrenched oligarchies. Alongside numerous variations, these four countries share a
history of Western colonialism and neo-colonialism; anti-colonial independence
struggles; entanglements in global Cold War competition; experimentation with a
range of political economy alternatives, including “authoritarian,”
“democratic,” “capitalist,” and “socialist” models; recent periods of
post-civil war reconstruction; and current accommodations to global market
capitalism. This comparative politics
course will explore both the similarities and the differences in how these four
nations have historically responded to the changing forces of
globalization. We will end with
scholars from the South assessing the current effects of globalization on their
nations.
COURSE TEXTS: Please purchase
these four paperback books at the campus bookstore.
Mittelman, James H., The
Globalization Syndrome: Transformation and Resistance (2000).
SarDesai, D. R., Vietnam:
Past and Present, 3rd ed. (1998).
Wood, Elisabeth Jean, Forging Democracy from Below:
Insurgent Transitions in South Africa and El Salvador (2000).
Anderson, Sarah, editor, Views from the South: The
Effects of Globalization and the WTO on Third World Countries (2000).
REQUIREMENTS: In addition to
the substantial reading assignments listed below, this course features two
written essay exams; a research paper; and discussion leadership and
participation. Due dates are listed on
the course calendar. The penalty for
lateness on any assignment or exam is one letter grade PER DAY of
lateness. In addition, perfect class
attendance and on time arrival are required; more than three absences and/or
frequent tardiness will automatically result in a zero for the participation
portion of your final grade. If you
cannot make it to a class for some unavoidable reason, you must inform me by
voice mail or e-mail BEFORE that class.
This is an upper-level university course. As such, you should think of this class as a ten hours/week job
-- three hours in class and at least seven hours working outside of
class every week. Please keep this
syllabus and “job description” in mind throughout the course as we participate
together in this learning adventure. By
course’s end, I hope that we can be proud of all that we have learned.
GRADING: The various
components of your grade have the “weights” listed below. Your final grade is calculated according to
the standard percentages listed in the college catalogue (A = 90-100%; B =
80-89%; C = 70=79%; D = 60-69%; F = Below 60%).
Essay
exam #1 25%
- 100 points
Essay
exam #2 25%
- 100
Research
paper 25% -
100
Discussion
leadership 10% - 40
Attendance/Participation 15%
- 60
TOTAL 100%-
400 points
ESSAY EXAMS: Each essay exam
will feature questions that deal with broad themes that are based on the
readings up to that point in the course.
The first exam will be in-class.
The second will be take-home, completed during the final exam week. In each case, you will receive a list of
possible essay questions one week in advance of the exam.
DISCUSSION LEADERSHIP:
Participation in discussion of readings is an important part of this
course. To help build oral
communication and teamwork skills, each of you will also have one
opportunity during the term to help lead class discussion. A sign-up sheet with topics and weeks will
be distributed early in the term so that nearly every week at least two of you
will have the chance to lead class discussion of that week’s required
readings. To assist discussion, you and
your partner will be expected to prepare questions on your week’s readings for
your classmates.
RESEARCH PAPER: Your research
paper will focus on one aspect of “globalization and Third World politics” in
one of the four countries on which we are concentrating in this course. Your research will thus require you to
explore a very specific, theoretically relevant question in a particular
country. A list of possible research
topics drawn from themes in course readings will be provided early in the
semester. Your project will proceed
through four steps. First, you will write
a research topic question. Your second
step will be an outline and preliminary bibliography for your paper. You should use at least one of the course
texts in your paper along with three outside sources. Third, you will write the first draft of the paper itself -- 4-6
pages, typed and double-spaced. After
each of these steps you will receive comments from me. This feedback should make the process of
writing a research paper less intimidating, more productive, and more
rewarding. Finally, you will hand in
the final revised draft of your research paper.
******************
COURSE CALENDAR AND TOPICS
Week 1 Introduction: The Global Division of Labor and Power
August 28 and 30
READ: Mittelman, 3-57
Week 2 Transnational Migrations, Global
Poverty and Gender, and Regionalism
September 4 and 6
READ: Mittelman, 58-67, 74-89, 111-130
Week 3 Global Hegemony, Subregional
Responses, and Forms of Resistance
September 11 and 13
READ: Mittelman, 131-178
Topic Question due on
September 20
Week 4 Argentina: Nation-State Building in the Changing Global System
September 18 and 20
READ: Skidmore and Smith, Modern Latin America, 5th ed.,
42-62, 68-106
Week 5 Argentina: From Populist Nationalism
to “Populist” Neoliberalism
September 25 and 27
READ: David E. Leaman, “Populist Liberalism as Dominant Ideology:
Competing Ideas and Democracy in Post-Authoritarian
Argentina, 1989-1995, Studies in Comparative International Development, 98-118
SarDesai,
1-30
Week 6 Vietnam: Asian and European Colonialism and Wars of Independence
October 2 and 4
READ: SarDesai, 31-80
Essay Exam #1 on October 9
Week 7 Vietnam: The Global Cold War, U.S. Intervention, and State Socialism
October 9 and 11
READ: SarDesai, 81-131
Outline and Preliminary
Bibliography due October 16
Week 8 Domestic, Regional, and
International Politics of the “New Vietnam”
October 16 and 18
READ: SarDesai, 132-178
Week 9 El Salvador: Colonialism,
Agro-Export Oligarchy, and Popular Revolution
October 23 and 25
READ: Wood, Preface, 3-51
Week 10 El Salvador: The Global Cold War, Multilateral
Negotiations, and Accords
October 30 and November 1
READ: Wood, 52-107
First Draft of Paper due
November 8
Week 11 South Africa: Dual Colonialisms,
Racist Oligarchy, and Popular Rebellion
November 6 and 8
READ: Wood, 111-168
Week 12 Global and Domestic Forces, Apartheid’s
End, and the New South Africa
November 13 and 15
READ: Wood, 169-212
Anderson,
ed., 1-10
Week 13 The Many Faces of Globalization:
Predatory versus Grassroots Globalization
November 20 and Thanksgiving
holiday
READ: Anderson, ed., 11-64
Final Draft of Paper due
November 27
Week 14 Views from the South: Critical
Responses to Global Financial Institutions
November 27 and 29
READ: Anderson, ed., 65-90; 126-154
Week 15 Globalization and “Third World”
Politics: Comparisons and Conclusions
December 4 and 6
READ: Anderson, ed., 164-176
Mittelman,
223-249
Take-home Essay Exam #2 due
at beginning of final exam period:
Tuesday, December 11, 6 PM