Globalization, Identity and Network Aesthetics

Globalization, a much debated issue has no single definition and remains a highly contested concept. This course, explore the dynamics, debates, and process of globalization through a cultural lens. The course is divided in three sections;

1. section one deals with concepts and theories of globalization,

2. section two address how the local and global are engaged in continuous exchange and negotiations of the self and identity discourse.  Using the languages of modern contemporary music we will try to understand the aesthetics of crossover, the aesthetics of the hybrid, and the aesthetics of diaspora. 

3. section three will address issues of digital communication and new media technologies in  the globalization process and the creation of a networked society.

The attempt is to find answers to a number of unresolved questions i.e. has it lead to the death of distance, the compression of time and space and is there agency for the individual in globalization? Is globalization reducing or increasing ethnic conflict? Can poor countries “catch up”? This course is designed to set up these debates and allow students to arrive at their own critical conclusions about globalization. Our goals in this course are to challenge students to think about the many controversies surrounding “globalization” and to promote an understanding of some of the dilemmas and problems associated with it.

1. Is globalization a new development, a single trend or multiple, closely related phenomena?

2. What drives the process of ‘globalization’? Does it have single, or multiple causes?

3. Is the world becoming more homogenous or more diverse as a result of  'globalization’?

4. What is the role of media in the globalization process, is it making the world “flat”?

Learning Outcomes:

1. Recognize and understand the basic concepts of globalization and its interaction with the world we live in.

2.  Students will demonstrate the ability to describe the cultural phenomenon of “globalization” in the 21^st. century, including more dense cultural and critical connections between nations.

3.  Students will demonstrate the ability to describe the relationship between media, communication technology and globalization in which “greater interconnectedness” occurs.

4. Students will demonstrate an understanding of the cultural and political aspects of identity formation and how some cultures are resisting the effects of globalization.

Required Texts:

1. Jan Nederveen Pietrese, (2009), “Globalization and Culture: Global Mélange,” Rowman and Littlefield Publishers.

2. Steger, Manfred, (2013), “ Globalization: A Very Short Introduction, Oxford University Press.

3. All other readings are on line.