Technology, Globalization, and Culture

ME/WLC 484/584

Fall 2007

This course provides a cross-disciplinary examination of the present and future impact of globalization with a focus on preparing students for leadership roles in diverse professional, social, and cultural contexts. We will examine the threats and opportunities inherent in the globalization process as they are perceived by practicing professionals and articulated in debates on globalization. Students will be expected to contribute critical analyses and debate through threaded discussions and will work collaboratively on final projects.
The course will call for the students to read widely on the topic of globalization and to keep up with related current events. The course will meet twice weekly to interact with on- and off-campus experts concerning various facets of globalization.

Learning Goals

During the course of the semester student learning will be facilitated through a variety of interactions, including: presentations by leading professionals from business, industry, cultural institutions, and academia who confront the challenges of globalization in both theory and practice, readings and research on global issues, threaded discussions on a thematic focus (weekly), critical analysis of presentations and readings, and student project teams which will identify, research, develop, and present a course project. As a result of these activities, students will:

- Demonstrate an understanding of key issues and debates concerning globalization as they shape and are shaped by institutions and professions.

- Develop an awareness of the complexity and interrelatedness of global issues.

- Identify issues that directly relate to their profession and how their profession participates in process of globalizing.

- Develop a critical perspective of how globalization is approached by experts inside and outside of their profession as well as an awareness of multiple approaches to key issues within their profession.

- Demonstrate their ability to identify, develop, and present a global project by working cooperatively in project teams.

- Enhance their leadership skills by working collaboratively with students from diverse backgrounds and professions.

- Refine their communication skills by contributing concise focused analyses presentations and readings, and providing thoughtful, focused commentary to threaded discussions.

Required Textbooks
 

For undergraduate and graduate students:

1. Friedman, T. The World Is Flat. A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century. 1st edition (2005), ISBN: 078627722X. Amazon

2. Margonelli, L. Oil on the Brain: Adventures from the Pump to the Pipeline. 1st edition (2007), ISBN: 0385511450. Amazon

3. Reich, R. The Work of Nations. 1st edition (1992), ISBN: 0679736158. Amazon

4. Stiglitz, J. E. Making Globalization Work. 1st edition (2006), ISBN: 0393061221. Amazon

Additional text for graduate students:

5. Lechner, F. & Boli,J. The Globalization Reader. 2nd edition (2003), ISBN: 1405102802. Amazon.

Additional Readings/Recommended Readings from speakers will be available on WebCT.

Lecturers for the course will include on- and off-campus experts on various facets of globalization
(Please click on speaker's name for biography, click on title of the lecture for Power Point,  click on QuickTime icon for class video)
 

Date	Presenter		Location
Tuesday, Aug 21 6:30 - 8:30PM	Course Introduction		Alliant Energy-Lee Liu Auditorium in Howe Hall
Wednesday, Aug 22 6:00 - 7:00PM	Mark Rectanus, Professor of German Studies, World Languages and Cultures (ISU) "Retrofuturism: Technology, Art, and Culture"		Alliant Energy-Lee Liu Auditorium in Howe Hall
Tuesday, Aug 28 6:30 - 8:30PM	Bob John, VP of Sales at TIAX; Former Consultant of IBM Global Financing in Central and Eastern Europe "Global Technology Sales:  Lessons from the Field"		Alliant Energy-Lee Liu Auditorium in Howe Hall
Wednesday, Aug 29 6:00 - 7:00PM	James D. Waters, Jr. Vice President, Caterpillar, Inc. "Globalization and Culture"	N/A	Alliant Energy-Lee Liu Auditorium in Howe Hall
Tuesday, Sept 4 6:30 - 7:30PM	Jim Bernard, Anson Marston Distinguished Professor of Engineering, Mechanical Engineering (ISU) "Technology and Globalization"		Alliant Energy-Lee Liu Auditorium in Howe Hall
Wednesday, Sept 5 6:00 - 7:30PM	Jeffrey Cole, Director, Center for the Digital Future, USC Annenberg School for Communication "The Impact of the Internet"		Alliant Energy-Lee Liu Auditorium in Howe Hall
Tuesday, Sept 11 6:30 - 8:30PM	Kirk Thompson, Global Product Development Leader, Dow Chemical Company "Why Do I Need to Think Globally to be Effective in My Job?"		Alliant Energy-Lee Liu Auditorium in Howe Hall
Wednesday, Sept 12 6:00 - 7:00PM	Barry Hughes, Professor at the Graduate School of International Studies, University of Denver "Globalization and Sustainability"		Alliant Energy-Lee Liu Auditorium in Howe Hall
Tuesday, Sept 18 6:30 - 8:30PM	George Strawn, Chief Information Officer, National Science Foundation "Globalization: Looking Back and Looking Forward"		Alliant Energy-Lee Liu Auditorium in Howe Hall
Wednesday, Sept 19 6:00 - 7:00PM	Christian Sinclair, Director of Middle Eastern Studies at the School for International Training Study Abroad, World Learning "Popular Culture and Globalization in the Arab World: A Look at the Sultanate of Oman"		Alliant Energy-Lee Liu Auditorium in Howe Hall
Tuesday, Sept 25 6:30 - 8:30PM	Ambassador David Gross, Ambassador, U.S. Coordinator for International Communications and Information Policy "Global Communications and U.S. Foreign Policy"		Alliant Energy-Lee Liu Auditorium in Howe Hall
Wednesday, Sept 26 6:00 - 7:00PM	Chris Clover, Chief Executive Officer, Mechdyne Corporation "Entrepreneurial Considerations in a Global Economy - Competition, Culture, and Currency"		Alliant Energy-Lee Liu Auditorium in Howe Hall
Tuesday, Oct 2 6:30 - 7:45PM	Greg Churchill, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Rockwell Collins Government Systems "10 Realities of Doing Business Globally"		Alliant Energy-Lee Liu Auditorium in Howe Hall
Wednesday, Oct 3 6:00 - 7:00PM	Adrian Sannier, University Technology Officer, Arizona State University "Its the end of the world as we know it.... "		Alliant Energy-Lee Liu Auditorium in Howe Hall
Tuesday, Oct 9 6:30 - 8:30PM	Robert Brown, Bergles Professor in Thermal Science, and Director of Center for Sustainable Environmental Technologies, ISU; Iowa Farm Bureau Director, Office of Biorenewables Programs "The Emergence of the Bioeconomy"		Alliant Energy-Lee Liu Auditorium in Howe Hall
Wednesday, Oct 10 6:00 - 7:00PM	Michael Curtin, Professor of Media & Cultural Studies, Director of Global Studies, University of Wisconsin, Madison "Global Screen Industries"		Alliant Energy-Lee Liu Auditorium in Howe Hall
Tuesday, Oct 16 6:30 - 8:30PM	Governor Tom Vilsack "Globalization - Threats and Opportunities"	N/A	Alliant Energy-Lee Liu Auditorium in Howe Hall
Wednesday, Oct 17 6:00 - 7:00PM	Lisa Margonelli, Author of Oil on the Brain "The village at the other end of the pipeline: imagining the future of the global energy economy"		Alliant Energy-Lee Liu Auditorium in Howe Hall
Wednesday, Oct 24 6:00 - 7:00PM	Gene Takle, Professor of Agricultural Meteorology (ISU) “Global Environmental Change: Technology and the Future of Planet Earth”		Alliant Energy-Lee Liu Auditorium in Howe Hall
Friday, Oct 26 12:10 - 1:00PM	Newt Gingrich, Author of Winning the Future: A 21st-Century Contract with America "The coming revolution in science"		Alliant Energy-Lee Liu Auditorium in Howe Hall
Tuesday, Oct 30 6:30 - 8:30PM	Tony Smith, Professor and Chair, Philosophy, ISU “Technology in the Global Economy Today: A New Stage in World History?"		Alliant Energy-Lee Liu Auditorium in Howe Hall
Wednesday, Oct 31 6:00 - 7:00PM	James A. Leach, John L. Weinberg Professor of Public and International Affairs Woodrow Wilson School, Princeton University "Leadership and American Politics Today" (Remote)		Alliant Energy-Lee Liu Auditorium in Howe Hall
Tuesday, Nov 6 6:30 - 8:30PM	Christine Romans, Host of In the Money, CNN's weekend business roundtable program, and a featured reporter and substitute anchor for Lou Dobbs Tonight "Globalization Backlash: How Politics, Culture and Sovereignty Complicate Real Globalization"		Alliant Energy-Lee Liu Auditorium in Howe Hall
Wednesday, Nov 7 6:00 - 7:30PM	James Bernard Jr., General Manager, Marketwatch.com Jamie Thingelstad, Chief Technology Officer, Vice President at Dow Jones Online "Open Sesame: How the evolution of outsourcing is changing business."		Alliant Energy-Lee Liu Auditorium in Howe Hall
Tuesday, Nov 13 6:30 - 8:30PM	Jim Duderstadt, President Emeritus and University Professor of Science and Engineering at the University of Michigan "The Globalization of Higher Education" (Remote)		Alliant Energy-Lee Liu Auditorium in Howe Hall
Wednesday, Nov 14 6:00 - 7:00PM	Oded Shenkar, Ford Motor Company Chair, Global Business Management, Ohio State University "China's Innovation Challenge" (Remote)	N/A	Alliant Energy-Lee Liu Auditorium in Howe Hall
Tuesday, Nov 27 6:30 - 8:30PM	Jon Grannis, President of Logical Performance, Ankeny Iowa "Global Entrepreneurism: Secrets Even the KGB Don't Know"		Alliant Energy-Lee Liu Auditorium in Howe Hall
Wednesday, Dec 5 6:00 - 7:00PM	Klaus Hoehn, Vice President, Advanced Technology and Engineering, Deere and Company "Globalization and Technology - Challenge and Opportunity for Future Engineers"		Alliant Energy-Lee Liu Auditorium in Howe Hall

Acknowledgements

Instructor Contact Information

Instructor Biographies

Jim Bernard received his PhD from the University of Michigan in 1971. He developed vehicle simulations at the University of Michigan's Highway Safety Research Institute until 1976 when he joined the mechanical engineering faculty at Michigan State University and directed MSU's Case Center for Computer Aided Design. He joined the mechanical engineering faculty at Iowa State University in 1983. He was chair of the mechanical engineering department until 1990, director of the Virtual Reality Applications Center from 1990 to 2003, and interim director of ISU’s computing center from 1995 to 1997. In 2000, he was named Anson Marston Distinguished Professor of Engineering. He has been active in engineering accreditation for many years, including serving on ABET’s Engineering Accreditation Commission from 1999 to 2004 and on its executive committee since 2005. He was one of the founders of Engineering Animation, a computer-based communications company subsequently purchased by Unigraphics and then EDS. He is a fellow of the ASME. His research interests are real time applications of computer modeling and simulation, particularly vehicle dynamics applications.

Mark W. Rectanus (Ph.D., Washington University in St. Louis) studied at the University of Tübingen and completed his dissertation research (Literary Series in the Federal Republic of Germany from 1960 to 1980) as a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Munich. Professor Rectanus was a visiting professor at The Ohio State University and an Alexander von Humboldt Foundation Research Fellow at the University of Munich. His research focuses on print culture and media in Germany and the USA, in particular the role of the publishing industry and international literary reception, which was the focus of his book on German Literature in the United States. In addition, he publishes research on corporate sponsorships, cultural politics, museums, and contemporary conceptual art. Professor Rectanus is presently conducting research on the interrelationships between print, visual, and performance art through an examination of literary editing and the work of conceptual artists (“Editing as Intervention in Social Space” Performance Research: On Editing 7: 1 (2002). 103-120). His most recent book is Culture Incorporated: Museums, Artists, and Corporate Sponsorships (University of Minnesota Press, 2002). In addition to his research interests, Professor Rectanus also instructs courses on German Film and Media Studies, German for Business and Professions, Germany Today, and is the author of two textbooks for German culture (Deutschland und Amerika unter der Lupe and Prisma).

Graduate Assistants Biographies and Contact Information

Li-Shan (Eva) Tao is a Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) Ph.D. Student in Hospitality Management at Iowa State University. Eva's interests lie in exploring creative potential through Web design and analyzing customers' decision behavior on click stream. At present Eva is working on an interdisciplinary project to develop and evaluate a web-based learning environment in Second Life.

evatao@iastate.edu

1620 Howe Hall

Phone: 515-294-4855

Pete Hunsinger is a Ph.D. student in Iowa State’s Rhetoric and Professional Communication program. His research interests include cultural studies, intercultural business communication, and the impacts of globalization on cross-cultural communication. He also works as a technical editor for Iowa State’s Center for Transportation Research and Education.

rpeterh@iastate.edu

455 Ross Hall

Phone: 515-294-3233

Michelle Rusch has a MS in HCI from DePaul University and is seeking a PhD in HCI from Iowa State.  This fall will be the the second semester for Rusch to 
work with Bernard and Rectanus in the Globalization course.  In other work, she collaborates with the U.S. Census Bureau where she has investigated usability 
issues with decennial census software, explored the influence of spatial ability on computer performance, used cognitive modeling to test software 
interfaces for map-based applications, and worked on a project that involved usability for children.  Her dissertation research involves continued 
investigation in the areas of spatial ability and using cognitive models.

mlrusch@iastate.edu
204 Snedecor Hall  
Phone: 515-294-7786

Globalization Web Sites

Yale Global Online
Good point of departure for research on many aspects of globalization,
http://yaleglobal.yale.edu/society/

Globalization Guide
Provides a range of web sites both pro- and anti-globalization, including academic sites with working papers
http://www.globalisationguide.org/sb02.html

Global Policy Forum
http://www.globalpolicy.org/globaliz/websites.htm