Successful completion of this course will provide students with 
the following learning outcomes:

A basic understanding of how the global economy functions and 
how it came to be.

A clear grasp of the concept of globalization and contending 
definitions of it.

An appreciation of the diversity of economic systems and 
practices in different parts of the planet.

An awareness of the dynamic nature of economies, with emphasis 
on how political, social, cultural, and historical factors and 
processes shape their form and how they operate.

An ability to think critically about globalization as a 
political, economic, and geographical process.

This course meets the following General Education Abilities by 
accomplishing the specific learning objectives listed below:

Communicate effectively through writing.  This is met by exams 
and the writing of a term paper.

Communicate effectively through speech.  This is met by oral 
presentations, leading discussion, and classroom participation.

Critical Thinking is central to the learning objectives of this 
class, and is developed through homework assignments, lecture, 
classroom discussion, and inquiry-based learning efforts.

Moral Reasoning (Ethics) is an important element of this course, 
as it explores linkages among human behaviors, economic 
development, differential cultural norms, and globalizing 
forces.  Moral reasoning is developed through lectures, writing 
assignments, classroom discussion, and inquiry-based learning 
activities.

Introduction
-What do we mean by “globalization”?
-How can we think of globalization as being a geographical 
process linking the world together?
-Is there a difference between economic internationalization and 
economic globalization?
-The hyperglobalists vs. the globalization skeptics – what’s at 
stake in the debate?  Well, everything!

 Precursors to the Global Economy
-How did imperialism link the world together in new and 
different ways?
-How did the policies of the imperial age transform the world 
economy?
-What has been the legacy of imperialism for understanding the 
geography of uneven development across the planet?
 
Restructuring the global economy and the world of the 
transnational corporation
-Imperialism and the birth of the modern TNC.
-How have TNCs connected different parts of the world together 
through their activities?
-What is the relationship between TNCs and the nation-state in a 
globalizing world?
-How has globalization impacted the U.S. economy?