This course surveys a range of major global social trends over the last few centuries in order to better understand contemporary globalization processes. We will draw on large-scale historical transformations from the past and compare their similarities and differences to current global transitions. Specifically, we examine the rise of bureaucracy, industrial capitalism, and national social movements/revolutions to assist us in comprehending current world trends such as the network society, neo-liberal economic restructuring, international social movements, and global conflict. The course is divided into the following nine themes:
Basic Concepts and Theories of Social Change
- The Global Diffusion of Bureaucratic and Network Organizational Structures
- The Historical Rise of Capitalist Society
- The Transition from Fordism to Neo-Liberal Globalization
- The Debt Crisis in the Developing World
- Democratization as a Global Pattern
- Cultural Explanations of Change and International Conflict in the Post-Cold War Era
- Social Movements in International Perspective
- Environmental Issues and Urbanization in a Globalizing World