GLS 101 Assignments
all assignments are to be typed; most will be 1-2 pages
I take late papers, but you lose points every day they are late

11/13
Summarize Article 11 (The Impact of Asia's Giants).  How do the points the author makes reflect the class discussion on pollution and energy needs in China? What does Walsh mean when he says that "Every step forward... risks being swamped by growth..."?  

10/28: read article 18 (no written work for this article)

Due 10/30
Read article 10: Water is running out.   Discuss's Lamonge's point about water and conflict and give at least three examples from the reading.  How do you think countries should resolve conflicts over water?

Due 10/14
 Discuss article 20 (Where the Money..) and summarize Henry's argument.  What do you think of the argument Henry makes?  How does it fit with other material (articles or clips) we've covered in class?
Due 10/21
Read the handouts "Is Chile..." by Cypher and "Sell the Lexus..." by Palast.  Explain Cypher's main point.   How does Palast's argument that the IMF has the same 4-step prescription for every country fit with Cypher (and other readings from the class)?


Due 8/28
Compare health care in three other countries based on the T.R. Reid clip and the article "Paying More, Living Less."   Be sure to look at the "statistics columns" from the WHO's pages: http://www.who.int/countries/usa/en/ and http://www.who.int/countries/can/en/ .  Which approach makes the most sense to you?  Why?

 Due 9/9:
Briefly summarize article 9 ("Deflating...") OR the handout ("Britain...").  Compare the article with the points that Gore makes in An Inconvenient Truth. Why do you think Americans are so resistant to the notion that humans are a major contributor to global warming?

Due 9/16
Read articles 25 (Nuclear) & 26 (Looking into).  According to the authors, what are the benefits of each type of energy explored in the two articles?  Are there any drawbacks to either? What approach would you take towards energy policy?

 Due 9/23
 Read "Lifting the Veil: Understanding the Roots of Islamic Militancy"  by Munson.  Munson examines two hypotheses on why Muslims hate the US.  Explain them.  What does Munson argue is the reason for hostility towards us?  Explain his reasoning.  Do you agree? (You might also mention the previous lecture on "The Truth about Islam")

Due 9/30:
Read and discuss Article 15: Social Justice.  Summarize the main points of the author (be sure to give examples from the article).   What does Stiglitz mean when he states that "liberalization discrimiates against developing countries."  Do you think the US and other countries should create a system that is fair to developing countries?  Do you think it realistic to think that countries will give up their advantages to help developing countries?


Assignments after Midterm will be tweaked later....



 Due 11/26
Article 11: "The Impact of Asia's Giants" & Article 22: "The Great Wal-Mart of China"

Due 12/3
Article 27: "Our Greatest Threat"
 
 Due 11/5
Read "Blowback Revisited" by Bergen & Reynolds and explain "blowback."  How do the authors compare Afghanistan with Iraq?  Give specific examples.  Zbigniew Brzezenski once asked "What is most important to the history of the world?  The Taliban or the collapse of the Soviet empire?"  How does that compare with our arguments in Iraq?  Do you agree with the authors?

Essay assignments for midterm -- you will chose 1; be specific and give examples!!!!
  1. Highlight Al Gore's main points in the film "An Inconvenient Truth."   Contrast that with Bjorn Lomborg's point in the "Cool It" clip.  What's the drawback if we follow Gore's recommendations but it turns out he was wrong?  What's the drawback if follow Lomborg's ideas but he is wrong?   What steps would you recommend that the US takes regarding global warming (don't forget the articles on "green" sources of energy)?
  2. Differentiate between Modernization Theory & Dependency Theory regarding underdevelopment.  In other words, what do they see as the "reason" for underdevelopment & what are their prescriptions for fixing it?   Based on the in-class films and the articles we've read, what factors affect underdevelopment?  Some of the relevant material  include the Cypher article on Chile, the Social Justice article (Stiglitz), the Life & Debt clip on Jamaica and the Economic Hitman clip.

10/3:  Read and discuss Article 10: Water is Running Out.  Summarize the main points of the author (be sure to give examples from the article).   What do you think of the argument the author makes?  How do you think countries should share water resources?
Due 9/5: 
Read Islam, Islamic Law... by Abdullahi Ahmed An-Na'im.  
Sumarize the article.  Specifically, explain the human rights paradox and the legitimacy dilemna.  Would you limit national sovereignty to acheive human rights goals?
  

Due  -- Write a 2-3 page essay on ONE of the following two essays
1. Read articles 2, 3 & 4 in Annual Editions and the Huntington Article on Reserve and answer the following:
Are you optimistic or pessimistic about the future?  Is the 'clash of civilizations' theory an astute look at the near future or a culturally ignorant gimmick which lessens "understanding of the bewildering interdependence of our time?"

2. Discuss the future of sovereigntly.  Cusimano Love identifies three possibilities for sovereignty.  Outline the premise  for each and explain which seems the most likely to you.