Schedule: The course is taught in a block format of 2 x 90 minute units per day from June 8th through June19th, 2015. Classes take place from 8.15 – 9.45 am and 10.15 – 11.45 am. The course will include a one day excursion on Friday 12th of June.
This course is a good opportunity for those who would like to refresh their English. Often students are afraid that their English won't be good enough, but once we have started they find out that it works quite well. If there is something that students cannot express well in English I will translate. Written course assignments can be done in German. Thus, if you are interested in the topic and you have basic English skills sign up!
The course offers students interested in"Arbeit, Organisation und Beschäftigung" an introduction to the social problems created by multinational companies and the forms in which non-governmental actors and social movements organize to improve working and environmental conditions in developing countries.
Description of course:
Globalization is often seen as undermining social regulation. In this course, we will examine a number of recently emerged transnational initiatives that address social and ecological problems arising from globalization.
The aim of the course is to introduce students to the contemporary landscape of transnational governance organizations and key challenges that these organizations face in their attempts to regulate beyond national borders. A specific focus will be on initiatives in the fields of environmental protection, labour rights and access to knowledge.
We will discuss questions such as: Why do consumers mobilize for better working conditions in global supply chains producing their sweatshirts? How effective are certification schemes to protect the Amazon forest? What is at stake in the worldwide internet protests against the Stop Piracy Act (SOPA) and Protect IP Act (PIPA) proposed by the US government? How are such internet-based campaigns organized?
New concepts and discussions arising from recent research on transnational social movements will be introduced and students will be asked to mobilize their knowledge for in-class analysis of data on local and regional patterns of implementation.
Students wishing to receive credits are expected to attend all sessions (or in case of illness, to write one-page summaries of any readings covered in the missed sessions). Evaluation for course credit is based on in-class participation and a case study covering a transnational governance initiative and its impact in a selected country or region (explained in the first session). The case study will be based in part on individual and group work and presentations of this work during class meetings. Students should expect to spend an additional 1 - 2 hours preparation (reading time, depending on English fluency) for the daily meetings.
All readings and assignments will be made available on the moodle2 platform. Once per week, consultation will be provided in-class for extra support needed in reading or following the class. Outside of class, students are advised to make appointments, or to come to one of the fixed consultation hours.
Selected Readings:
Beck, Ulrich. 2007. World at Risk. Cambridge: Polity Press, 6-12.
Bartley, Tim. 2007. “Institutional Emergence in an Era of Globalization: The Rise of Transnational Private Regulation of Labour and Environmental Conditions”. American Journal of Sociology 111 (2): 297-351.
Castells, M. (2008). The New Public Sphere: Global Civil Society, Communication Networks, and Global Governance. The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 616(1), 78-93
Guillén, Mauro F. 2001. “Is Globalization Civilizing, Destructive or Feeble? A Critique of Five Key Debates in the Social Science Literature.“ Annual Review of Sociology 27: 235-260.
Dobusch, Leonhard and Quack, Sigrid. 2013. "Framing Standards, Mobilizing Users: Copyright versus Fair Use in Transnational Regulation." Review of International Political Economy 20 (1): 52-88.
Sell, Susan and Prakash, Aseem. 2004. “Using Ideas Strategically: The Contest between Business and NGO Networks in Intellectual Property Rights”. International Studies Quarterly 48 (1): 143-75. |
