Fall 2007 - Kessler
The exam will cover assigned pages from the introduction and chapters 1 & 2 (McMichael); Chapter 1 (Sernau); Guns, Germs, & Steel: The Conquest; and all lecture and discussion through 9/20. Chapter 2 (Sernau) will be covered on the second exam. The exam format will be essay and short definition.
Regarding definitions: please keep in mind that an example is not synonymous with a definition. Examples are good support material for, but do not replace, definitions. Also, be careful not to define a word with another form of itself – example of what not to do: “Anger is what people feel when they get angry”
Global Problems (Sernau)
Chapter One: A World of Rich and Poor
This chapter introduces us to the concepts of national and global inequality. Be able to explain Adam Smith’s and Karl Marx’s positions on inequality and their formulas for social and economic prosperity. In what ways to we see evidence of both Smith’s and Marx’s POVs in today’s societies? In what ways is US society similar, economically, to other advanced industrialized nations? In what ways is it unique? Be sure you have a clear understanding of the Modernization and Dependency theories, as discussed in lecture and in your text. You should be able to compare and contrast the two.
Introduction
In the Introduction, McMichael challenges us to think about development in today’s world as a “process of globally organized economic growth.” Understand why this process is qualitatively different from earlier discourse on development. Be able to talk about the principal contributory factors to/consequences of globalization as we have come to understand it over the past decade or so, and be able to explain the consequences of increased interconnectedness between societies.
Chapter One: Instituting the Development Project
This chapter presents an overview of the historical context in which development has evolved. Be able to explain how the events of the past 500 years led up to the post-WWII Development Project; in particular, be familiar with pre-colonial and post-colonial society in the Americas and the social, economic and cultural consequences of interaction between the indigenous populations and the European conquerors, and the gendered nature of such consequences. Understand how the Western model of development was operationalized on a national level in Third World countries. Be able to discuss the strategy of ISI for economic growth, its intended advantages, and its operational flaws.
Chapter Two: The Development Project: International Dimensions
This chapter talks about the international environment in which the postwar development project unfolded. Be familiar with the international institutions, initiatives, and policies that provided the framework for national development, along with their drawbacks and biases. Be able to identify and discuss the “ingredients” of the development project. Be prepared to discuss the Postwar Food Order and its consequences as an example of the internationalization of the Development Project; this includes the post-war US food aid program, its components, its goals, and its outcomes.
Be able to define these terms and concepts:
Colonialism (definition given in class)
Colonies of Settlement & Colonies of Rule
Colonial Division of Labor
The Development Project
Rostow’s formula for growth
Import Substitution Industrialization (ISI)
Public Law 480 (PL 480)
The Marshall Plan
Bretton Woods system and its “twin sisters”
Neoliberalism
The Green Revolution