Module Code and Title:         ASC201 Anthropology of Globalization

Programme:                          BA in Anthropology

Credit:                                   12

Module Tutor:                       New Tutor #2

General objective: This module examines the social and cultural dynamics of globalization by drawing on anthropological theory and ethnographic studies from societies across the world. By drawing on ethnographic case studies, this module will study local manifestations and discuss, more broadly, the relationships between the local and the global.

Learning outcomes – On completion of this module, students will be able to:

1. Define globalization.
2. Define key terms in the study of globalization.
3. Summarize the history of globalization.
4. Explain various anthropological approaches to understanding local and global forces of globalization.
5. Discuss key research in the field of globalization.
6. Evaluate the case for and against globalization.
7. Discuss the effects and responses to globalization in Bhutan.

Learning and Teaching Approach:

Assessment Approach:

A. Biography of a Bhutanese Commodity: Portion of Final Mark: 25%

Using the anthropological approach to studying commodity chains, students will write an analytical biography of a commodity commonly found Bhutan. During their research they will explore how their object of study is produced, distributed, and consumed as well as in what sense their object is local and in what sense it is global. Students must use ethnographic methods for at least one part of their commodity chain. Students will present their findings in their paper and use class concepts to analyse their object of study. Students will submit a proposed topic with research plan to the tutor for feedback. The biographies will be 750-1000 words long.

5%       Proposal (completeness, thoughtfulness, feasibility)

7%       Description of the object and ethnographic account

10%     Quality of analysis (includes well stated, thoughtful and original analysis, uses relevant and adequate support for all claims made, ties analysis to relevant module concepts)

1%       Language

1%       Organization

1%       Referencing

B. Lead a class discussion: Portion of Final Mark: 10%

Students will be responsible for working with one or two partners to lead a class discussion about a particular academic reading. The discussion will be expected to last most of a class period or at least 40 min. The tutor may take up the last ten minutes of class (or spend time in the next class) going over doubts, confusions or inaccuracies but will be a silent observer during the discussion. During the discussion students will be responsible for (1) summarizing the reading in their own words, including identifying and explaining key terms and concepts, (2) preparing discussion questions to stimulate class discussion (3) helping the class understand how the reading links to class concepts and (4) facilitating a clear and helpful discussion that will help them class as a whole to both understand the reading and engage more critically with its main arguments and ideas. Before the discussion, each pair will meet with the tutor to discuss the reading, clarify any doubts or questions they have about the reading and share their strategy for leading the discussion including potential discussion questions.

2%       Pre-discussion meeting (attendance and preparedness)

2%       Quality and accuracy of summary (focus should be on arguments)

3%       Thoughtfulness and effectiveness of discussion questions  

2%       Quality and effectiveness of facilitation of discussion (including balance between facilitator and class participation)

1%       Teamwork (including meaningfulness of each member’s participation)

C. Class participation and preparedness: Portion of Final Mark: 10%

Students will be expected to participate substantially in class discussions, with contributions reflecting adequate preparation for topics under discussion. 5% of class participation and preparedness will be assessed before midterm, and the remaining 5% post midterm.

D. Midterm Examination: Portion of Final Mark: 15%

Students will take a written exam of 1.5 hr duration covering topics up to the mid-point of the semester.

Pre-requisites: AFD101 Introduction to Anthropology

Subject matter:

1. Unit I: Defining Globalization
   • Anthropological definitions of “local” and “global”
   • Shifts in thinking about culture and place in anthropology
   • Defining cultural hybridity, “scapes”, and other key terms
   • Defining multi-sited ethnography and other new methods
   • Critiquing the “clash of civilizations” approach to globalization
2. Unit II: History of Globalization
   • World systems theory and the argument for globalization as beginning with capitalism
   • The evidence for pre-modern world systems
   • Cultural exchange in the colonial world system
   • “People without history” and the world system
   • Arguments for qualitative shifts in globalization in the 20^th and 21^st centuries
3. Unit III: The Social Life of Things
   • Defining commodities
   • Using commodity chains as a method
   • Examples of anthropological approaches to the production of commodities
   • Examples of anthropological approaches to the distribution of commodities
   • Examples of anthropological approaches to the consumption of commodities
4. Unit IV: The Movement of People and Ideas
   • Definitions and examples of immigration, emigration, and diaspora cultures
   • The motivations for and effects of rural-urban migration
   • How people maintain links to “home” after leaving it
   • Examining how global cultural forms are adapted to local contexts
   • The cultural effects of pilgrimage
   • The origins and cultural effects of tourism
5. Unit V: Bhutanese Responses to Globalization
   • Bhutan’s pre-modern regional connections
   • Bhutan’s links to the colonial world system
   • Discussions of cultural loss and the rise of new cultures in Bhutan

Reading List:

1. Essential Reading
   • Lechner, F. J., & Boli, J. (Eds.). (2014). The globalization reader. Malden, MA: John Wiley & Sons.
   • Marcus, G. (1995). Ethnography in/of the world system: The emergence of multi-sited ethnography. Annual Review of Anthropology 24, 95-117
   • Redmon, D. (2008). Mardi Gras: Made in China [Motion Picture]. Brooklyn, NY: Calley Media.
   • Ueda, A. (2003). Culture and modernization from the perspectives of young people in Bhutan. Thimphu: Centre for Bhutan Studies.
2. Additional Reading
   • Abu-Lughod, J. (1987). The shape of the world system in the thirteenth century. Studies in Comparative International Development (SCID), 22(4), 3-25.
   • Appadurai, A. (1988).The social life of things: Commodities in cultural perspective. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
   • Appiah, K. (1998). Cosmopolitan patriots. Critical Inquiry, 23(3), 617-639.
   • Bhabha, H. (1996). Unsatisfied: Notes on vernacular cosmopolitanism. In L. Garcia-Moreno & P.C. Pfeiffer (Eds.), Text and Nation: Cross-Disciplinary Essays on Cultural and National Identities (pp 191–207). Columbia, SC: Camden House.
   • Clifford, J. (1988). The predicament of culture. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
   • Diehl, K. (2002). Echoes from Dharamsala: Music in the life of a Tibetan refugee communit Berkeley: University of California Press.
   • Gaonkar, D. P. (2001). Alternative modernities (Vol. 1). Durham: Duke University Press.
   • Gurung, D. B., & Seeland, K. (2008). Ecotourism in Bhutan: Extending its benefits to rural communities. Annals of Tourism Research, 35(2), 489-508.
   • Miller, D. (1995). Worlds apart: modernity through the prism of the local. London: Routledge.
   • Mills, M. B. (1999). Thai women in the global labor force: Consuming desires, contested selves. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press.
   • Mintz, S. W. (1985). Sweetness and power. New York: Viking.
   • Nash, J. C. (2001).Mayan visions: The quest for autonomy in an age of globalization. London: Routledge.
   • Schicklgruber, C., & Pommaret, F. (Eds). (1998). Bhutan: Mountain fortress of the gods. London: Serindia Publications.
   • Tsing, A. L. (2011). Friction: An ethnography of global connection. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
   • Turino, T. (2000). Nationalists, cosmopolitans, and popular music in Zimbabwe. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
   • Wolf, E. R. (2010). Europe and the people without history. Berkeley: University of California Press. (Original work published 1982).

Date: March 15, 2018