Past Courses

Graduate Course Descriptions: Fall 2003

Globalization: Political Economy of a Changing World Order
Sociology 84600
Professor Mauricio A. Font (mfont@gc.cuny.edu)

Mondays, 6:30 - 8:30 3 credits

This course provides an approach to the study of globalization from a political economy perspective. It probes the main approaches, dimensions/components, actors, and dilemmas of globalization. To put the social transformations of the current age of globalization in perspective, twenty-first century political economy is contrasted with earlier approaches and paradigms. This perspective establishes the broader historical and theoretical context of reforms, transitions, and new development strategies. The seminar studies increasingly globalized networks of actors, including business, labor, women, environmentalists, advocates/critics of new trade regimes, urbanites and agrarian/rural groups.

Globalization challenges state and society-centered models of social change and development. It has been seen as the causal agent of transitions and reforms (structural, political, economic, and social) at the heart of the political economy of the new world order. Still, reforms, transitions, and other transformations take place within the framework of nation states, even if there is increasing evidence of the role of transnational processes, actors, networks, institutions, and ideas. Resistance to globalization and liberalizing reforms has come not only from traditional communities, but also from advocates of alternative views on social change-often operating themselves as transnational actors.

This seminar explores the relative role of global and national factors in the sociology of reform, transitions, and social transformation. Liberalizing reforms – their characteristics, sources, context, impact, and responses – have attracted and continue to attract intellectual and academic attention comparable to previous great transformations in human society. As we overview this field, the course pays particular attention to social policy reform and social development, state reform, democratization and the expansion of human rights, economic and trade liberalization, state reform and privatization, sustainable development, agrarian reform, integration, the new civil society, and the role of ideas and intellectuals. The readings emphasize the Western Hemisphere, but other regions will be considered.