SPRING 2001
This information effective for Spring 2001.
Check with instructor the first day of class for any changes..
Spring 2001
Instructor: Ronnie Lipschutz
TTh 10 - 11:45 AM, 171 Soc Sci 2
In October, 1999, the world's population passed six billion. Of those, about 80% are considered to be "poor"; that is, they have an annual income of less than $500-$1,000 per year. Each year millions of people die from treatable diseases; each day millions of people go to sleep without adequate food or access to clean water; each hour billions of dollars flow among the financial centers of the world. According to the World Watch Institute, the income of the world's 225 richest individuals is equal to that of the 2.5 billion poorest: $1 trillion. That gap is only likely to get larger during the 21st century. Are such disparities fair and just? Why do they exist?
Our objective in this seminar is not to solve the world's problems, but to understand how some of them have come into being. We begin with the question: What is justice? Does it involve equal access to opportunity or equitable distribution of resources? Should we seek it within communities, countries, or the planet? We next ask: How is it that the distribution of wealth across the planet is so uneven? Is it a result of "natural" processes, or is it somehow inherent in our social and economic systems? Finally, we consider: What is to be done? Can capitalism provide the answers, or do we need to find political ones?
There are several required texts for the course, plus a number of copied excerpts from various books and journals. Students will be expected to have completed the reading assigned for each week and to have written a two-page, 500-word essay in answer to the questions posed on the course schedule below, for the first class meeting of the week in which it is assigned. This is meant to be a writing-intensive course and you may be asked to revise a poorly-written or argued essay (be sure to read the Writing/Reading/Speaking handout). You are also expected to attend every class; missing more than two meetings during the quarter without a valid excuse is grounds for an "NP."
Spring 2001
Instructor: Bruce Larkin
Go to: http://www.learnworld.com/COURSES/P161/P161.Syllabus.html
Instructor: Ronnie Lipschutz
Spring 2001
TTH 2 - 3:45 PM, 110 Soc Sci I
Graduate section, TH 7-9, Crown 105
This is an upper division course (with an additional required graduate section) focused on the global environmental "problematique" and the ways in which it is being played out in a variety of political and policy arenas. The course is intended to provide students with insights into:
Course requirements include one take home mid-term and one take-home final and a two 5-page research papers. Students will organize into groups for the purposes of reading and discussing course materials. Course evaluations will be based on the exams, research papers, participation, and attendance. No background in the technical aspects of environmental issues is assumed, but students should be prepared to do "catch-up" reading where necessary.
Graduate students will be expected to attend the Thursday night section and to write an extended research paper in lieu of exams and shorter papers.