Linkages and Contradictions of Global Processes
Abstract:
The collaborative project we propose involves the creation of an interdisciplinary course that would be taught across three institutions: Denison University, Kenyon College and the University of Nairobi in Kenya. The current state of information technologies on two of the campuses, Denison and Kenyon, and the development of internet capabilities at the University of Nairobi present us with a unique opportunity to have students in very different global locations engage in discussions about the multiple global processes that are too often left unspecified with the use of the term “globalization.” The course would utilize multiple forms of technology to link students on the three campuses including video conferencing, email communication and a website. Funds requested for this project will be used to support planning activities for the course that will be taught initially during the 2003-2004 academic year and, we hope, during subsequent academic years.
Course Description:
Interdisciplinary courses are central, not only to the liberal arts, but also to pedagogical approaches that address the multiple and interconnected dimensions of globalization. Viewed in both historical and contemporary terms, globalization involves linkages and interdependencies that transcend the traditional disciplinary boundaries of academic institutions. Moreover, during the past two decades of the twentieth century, the volume and speed of global interactions increased exponentially, primarily as a result of new information technologies. Yet, many university curricula lag far behind this trend in developing courses that help students to think analytically about global processes and the pedagogical tools which they use to study and interact in a globalized world.
The course that we are proposing, “Linkages and Contradictions of Global Processes” will be based on using information technology to engage students on our three campuses in a joint pedagogical exercise related to some dimension of globalization. At Denison and Kenyon, this will take the form of a single new course taught jointly on both campuses; while at the University of Nairobi, where the curriculum is less flexible, the course will be taught jointly with an existing course through the Institute of African Studies. The specific focus of the course will change from each year depending on the faculty involved, with the first version in fall 2003 focusing on the proliferation, uses social impact(s) of information technologies. Other topics that could be pursued in subsequent years might include migration, poverty, economic liberalization, debates about global culture/mass media, and public health issues.
The course would be taught simultaneously on the three campuses using a set of common readings. Students will be linked through the email, blackboard and, video-conferencing. [We envision regular video-conferencing links between Kenyon and Denison and hope to be able to establish periodic video links with the University of Nairobi.] We will also explore possibilities of creating a website that contains resources for the course and highlights student work. Students will “discuss” common readings and work together on one or several research projects. The course will directly address the kinds of inequalities inherent in globalization while, at the same time, allowing students to share information about their own circumstances, including their access to and use of technology. For example, in the research the projects students at Kenyon and Denison would take advantage of their greater access to online materials and database research, while students in Nairobi could share direct information about particular initiatives undertaken to “integrate Kenya into the global economy.” Tufts University, the University of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania and Makerere University in Uganda are involved in a similar curricular initiative focused on politics and sociology in Africa. According to Pearl Robinson, professor of political science at Tufts and initiator of the project, “the connections between cultures yielded revelations for students on both sides of the ocean” (The Chronicle of Higher Education, 2/27/02). We wish to create similar conversations though with special emphasis on technology and globalization.
This course would be geared toward advanced undergraduate students at all of the institutions involved. It will fulfill one of the core requirements for the International Studies major at Denison. This course will allow us to develop an innovative pedagogical approach to interdisciplinary, global (cross-cultural) education in a cost effective manner. Our hope is that through a year-long planning process involving faculty from all three institutions, we can develop a template for a course that can be revised to meet the diverse interests of faculty, the changing needs of students and the dynamics of global processes. Once the course is developed we could imagine adding a May-term component that involves taking Denison and Kenyon students to Kenya to work collaboratively with their African counterparts.
Sita Ranchod-Nilsson (Denison) and Clifton Crais (Kenyon)