GLOS 3900 is also offered in Spring 2024
GLOS 3900 is also offered in Fall 2023
GLOS 3900 is also offered in Spring 2023
GLOS 3900 is also offered in Fall 2022
GLOS 3900 is also offered in Spring 2022
Fall 2019 | GLOS 3900 Section 001: Topics in Global Studies -- Disposable People? Surplus Value/Surplus Humanity (33867)
- Instructor(s)
- Class Component:
- Lecture
- Credits:
- 3 Credits
- Repeat Credit Limit:
- 5 Credits
- Grading Basis:
- A-F only
- Instructor Consent:
- No Special Consent Required
- Instruction Mode:
- In Person Term Based
- Class Attributes:
Topics Course
- Times and Locations:
Regular Academic Session
Mon,
Wed 02:30PM - 03:45PM
UMTC, West Bank
Blegen Hall 115
- Enrollment Status:
Open (22 of 30 seats filled)
- Also Offered:
- Course Catalog Description:
- Topics vary each semester. See Class Schedule.
- Class Description:
- How do economic, social, and technological arrangements generate marginalized populations that are considered "surplus"? What is distinctive about "surplus populations" in the present global age? Have certain segments of humanity--remaindered lives, as it were--become "disposable" within the existing order of things? In what ways does capitalism's drive for productivity and profit contribute to the rise of superfluous populations? How are structural upheavals in the global economy driven by technological progress and automation transforming the future of work and employment? How do states attempt to "manage" surplus populations, whether through mechanisms of consent and/or coercion? What kinds of political and ethical questions does the existence of "surplus humanity" force us to confront as citizens of a country and (relatively privileged) inhabitants of the planet? Is the upsurge of (left-wing and right-wing) populism in various parts of the world, including movements like Black Lives Matter, the Native American-led DAPL protest, and white nationalism in the United States, symptomatic of the perceived ills and injuries of neoliberal globalization or are the explanations more complex? Our course will address these sorts of urgent issues and others. Classes will be a combination of lectures, discussions, debates, and audio-visual clips. Some books will have to be purchased. Other readings and assignments will be posted on Moodle.
- Grading:
- There are no exams. The class operates on the premise that instructor and students collaboratively produce an outcome that is rewarding for all. In short, no free riders please! Be prepared to take a genuine stake in the course and invest in it as you might in a common-property resource. Think of it as collective pedagogical experiment in which we each teach and learn from the other (with the caveat that the instructor's role is to judiciously guide discussions, provide structure, and consolidate understanding over the course of the semester). Grades will be based on the following: a) regular class attendance and participation (10%), b) willingness to lead class discussion with careful forethought and preparation at least once during the semester (10%), c) a total of 10 weekly commentaries (of varying formats, as per instructor's guidelines) on assigned readings over the course of the semester (25%); d) work cooperatively in groups of two to three on a high quality end-of-semester research presentation on a contemporary event, problem or phenomenon with the instructor's prior approval (25%); d) write a 10-page (2,500-3,000 word, excluding bibliography) research essay on a topic relevant to course themes with the instructor's prior approval (30%).
- Exam Format:
- Not applicable
- Class Format:
- Lecture and discussion
- Workload:
- 40-60 pages (very occasionally more) of reading per week (i.e. approximately 20-30 pages per class), and intermittently audio-visual materials to animate and supplement understanding.
- Textbooks:
- https://bookstores.umn.edu/course-lookup/33867/1199
- Instructor Supplied Information Last Updated:
- 22 November 2016
ClassInfo Links - Fall 2019 Global Studies Classes