GAIC: Syllabus

Syllabus

Course:	Globalization and its Challenges
Code:	PH3021
Semester:	August-December 2016
Professor:	Francisco García González
E-mail:	fgarciagonzalez@itesm.mx (Asesorías: Wednesday, 6:30 AM, Media Luna, or on demand if you e-mail me.)
Website:	http://fgg23.blogspot.com (Go to the tag for the class)

A. General Objective

This mid-level international relations course seeks to give students an international context for current global issues, as well as strengthen their ability to evaluate sources and begin the construction of sound arguments.

B. Specific Objectives

The course will cover four units:

1.     Peace and conflict in an interdependent world

2.     Growth versus development

3.     Equity and democracy

4.     Building global democracies

C. Work Methodology

-       The class will be based around class discussions and teamwork.

-       Content will be made available to students before each session through the professor’s blog (fgg23.blogspot.com) in the class’s tag. Reading or watching the content is not mandatory, but it is highly recommended before each session, as it will make each class quicker and allow for more time to be dedicated to activities outside of listening to lectures.

-       Class trips and discussions with visitors will be scheduled in advance.

-       Weekend Update: Every Friday, a team will be in charge of giving a 15-minute presentation about current news events. The list will be posted on the professor’s blog.

-       Case Studies: In every case study, at least two teams will be in charge of presenting the issue and leading a discussion.

D. Class Instructions

In order for the class to flow smoothly, some specific rules will apply:

1.     Be honest. Using information without a proper citation in written assignments, presentations, projects, or exams will be penalized as Academic Dishonesty (D.A.) according to Article 33 of Tecnológico de Monterrey’s General Rules and Regulations for Students. The professor will comply strictly with school procedures.

2.     Be responsible. The professor reserves the right to refuse late assignments and schedule late exams. While it is true that certain unexpected situations make deadline extensions acceptable and necessary, this is generally not the case, and deadlines are scheduled for specific reasons. Please consider this before asking for extensions or late exams. Respect the professor’s time and your own by planning accordingly when possible. Regarding absences, the class policy is that while SAPPA will be taken after the 5-minute mark, students are allowed to enter the class at any time. Absences are non-negotiable, and any request for them to be justified should be taken directly to the department.

3.     Be respectful. While cellphones and electronic tablets are a staple of contemporary life, texting and taking calls while someone else is speaking in a discussion and teamwork-oriented class is impolite and counterproductive. Only answer text messages or phone calls in the event of an emergency and please leave the classroom briefly to do so. Also, please raise your hand and wait for your turn to talk during class discussions, debates and lectures. If a student is unable to pay attention or participate respectfully, they will be asked to leave the class.

4.     Be present. As each class is only 1-hour long and activities are fast-paced, any absence (even to go to the bathroom) is distracting and probably unnecessary. This also applies to the usage of computers, tablets and phones for things that are unrelated to the class. You already made it to class, so you might as well make the most of it.

F. Course Topics

Unit	Date	Lesson
	8-Aug	Introduction
	9-Aug	Presentation
Peace and conflict in an interdependent world	10-Aug	Thinking theoretically
	11-Aug	Realism
	12-Aug	Liberalism
	15-Aug	Radicalism
	16-Aug	Constructivism
	17-Aug	Levels of analysis
	18-Aug	INTEGRATION
	19-Aug	Individuals & States
	22-Aug	International System
	23-Aug	Security and Insecurity
	24-Aug	Human and collective security
	25-Aug	War: Causes and law
	26-Aug	Religion and War
	29-Aug	Economics and War
	30-Aug	Peace & Pacifism
	31-Aug	Case study: The African World War
	1-Sep	Case study: The Syrian Civil War / PARTIAL PROJECT 1
	2-Sep	INTEGRATION
	5-Sep	REVIEW
Growth versus development	6-Sep	PARTIAL EXAM
	7-Sep	EXAM REVIEW
	8-Sep	Economics as a tool for social science: Macroeconomic indicators
	9-Sep	International trade: Free trade vs. Fair trade
	12-Sep	Economic integration
	13-Sep	International economic institutions
	14-Sep	Case study: Brexit
	15-Sep	INTEGRATION
	16-Sep
	19-Sep	Health: Life and death
	20-Sep	Types of poverty
	21-Sep	Wealth: Material wellbeing
	22-Sep	How to help those left behind
	23-Sep	Case study: Programa Oportunidades
Equity and democracy	26-Sep	INTEGRATION
	27-Sep	Demographics as a tool of social science
	28-Sep	Ethnicity and race
	29-Sep	Racism
	30-Sep	Nation, State, and Nation-State
	3-Oct	Immigration
	4-Oct	Nationalism
	5-Oct	Gender and gender inequality
	6-Oct	LGBT rights
	7-Oct	Language and Religion
	10-Oct	Human Geography
	11-Oct	Case study: Ukraine
	12-Oct	Case study: Bathroom Bills in the USA
	13-Oct	INTEGRATION
	14-Oct	What is neoliberalism? / PARTIAL PROJECT 2
	17-Oct	How did neoliberalism happen?
Building global democracies	18-Oct	REVIEW
	19-Oct	PARTIAL EXAM
	20-Oct	EXAM REVIEW
	21-Oct	The neoliberal state
	24-Oct	Winners and losers
	25-Oct	Privatization, marketization, financialization
	26-Oct	Managing economic crises
	27-Oct	Environmental and social consequences
	28-Oct	Case study: NAFTA
	31-Oct	INTEGRATION
	1-Nov	Globalization as a historical process
	2-Nov	Globalization as a policy choice
	3-Nov	Actors in globalization
	4-Nov	Case study: Chinese involvement in Latin America
	7-Nov	INTEGRATION
	8-Nov	What is corruption?
	9-Nov	Understanding corruption control and measurement
	10-Nov	Determining control of corruption
	11-Nov	The role of domestic institutions
	14-Nov	The role of international agencies
	15-Nov	Understanding contemporary achievers
	16-Nov	Policy conclusions
	17-Nov	Case study: The road to Denmark
	18-Nov	INTEGRATION
	21-Nov
	22-Nov	Final review
	23-Nov	Feedback session

G. Course Evaluation

Partial 1
	Points towards the final grade	Points towards the partial grade
Activity 1	2	7.0
Activity 2	2.5	8.8
Activity 3	2.5	8.8
Activity 4	2.5	8.8
Activity 5	2.5	8.8
Partial Project 1 (Sept. 1)	6.6	23.2
Parial Exam 1 (Sept. 6)	9.9	34.7
TOTAL	28.5	100

Partial 2
	Points towards the final grade	Points towards the partial grade
Activity 6	2.5	8.6
Activity 7	2.5	8.6
Activity 8	2.5	8.6
Activity 9	2.5	8.6
Activity 10	2.5	8.6
Partial Project 2 (Oct. 14)	6.6	22.8
Partial Exam 2 (Oct. 19)	9.9	34.1
TOTAL	29	100

Final Grade
Partial 1	28.5
Partial 2	29
Activity 11	2.5
Activity 12	2.5
Activity 13	2.5
Final Project	15
Final Exam	20
TOTAL	100

H. Professor’s Profile

Francisco García González holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations from Tecnológico de Monterrey, Campus Ciudad de México, and a Master of Arts in Public Administration and Public Policy from Tecnológico de Monterrey’s School of Government and Public Transformation. His areas of specialization have included corruption, conflicts of interest, security, and globalization.

He has also studied at Georgetown University’s School of Continuing Studies in the International Relations and Conflict Resolution track of their “Semester in Washington” program, as well as Universidad Católica del Uruguay’s Winter School of Research Methods and Data Analysis.  He has worked for the Mexican federal government, the National Defense University’s William J. Perry Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies in Washington, DC, and Yale University’s Center for the Study of Globalization.