Global Studies (GLST) 655

Introduction

This course examines globalization by means of a virtual archaeology of Ground Zero—that is, the sixteen acres on which stood the Twin Towers of the World Trade Centre, which were destroyed during the attacks we have come to know as "9/11."

"9/11," then, is a point of entry into "globalization."

The course explores exactly what stood on that five-by-four-blocks plot of land since colonization, in the context of three forms of capital: fictitious, industrial, and merchant.

This "archaeology" uses a particular type of abstraction: the whole from the part, the global from the local. Finally, having descended to the origins of merchant capital in North America, we return to the surface, the present day, and consider globalization as a dialectic of opposites—a dialectic evident in 9/11 itself.

The course itself embodies the latest instruments of time/space compression at the heart of globalization. It exists almost entirely in the hyperreality of cyberspace and teaches by showing how to navigate that reality.

Course Structure

The course consists of the following units:

1. The Argument
2. The Manhattan Disaster Movie
3. Apocalypse Now
4. Towers of Power
5. Building Modernism
6. Merchant Capital Discovers "America"
7. Globalization: A Dialectic of Opposites

Evaluation

You should be prepared to devote the time necessary to complete the various activities in this course: reading actively and critically; writing succinct commentaries and posing insightful questions; researching and writing academic projects and papers that are critical and integrative. In order to assist you, your course professor will provide feedback on each activity. You are expected to demonstrate a willingness to work.

You will be assessed on the following activities and assignments:

1. online participation in group discussion
2. two group assignments
3. three individual assignments

To receive credit for this course, you must participate in the online activities, successfully complete the assignments, and achieve a final mark of at least 60 per cent. The Master of Arts—Integrated Studies grading system is available online at the MAIS home page. Please note that it is students’ responsibility to maintain their program status. Any student who receives a grade of “F” in one course, or a grade of “C” in more than one course, may be required to withdraw from the program.

The following table summarizes the evaluation activities and the credit weights associated with them.

Course Activity	Weighting
Assignment 1 (groupwork)	15%
Assignment 2 (groupwork)	15%
Assignment 3	20%
Assignment 4	20%
Assignment 5	20%
Total	100%