This research seminar will focus on the forces reshaping the global political economy, and the resulting national choices. After an introduction to the themes, students will select a research topic;
The themes in the course will be: 1) The information technology enabled transformation of the service sector of the economy that is radically altering how value is created and the character of competition; 2) The transformation of the energy system and the challenge of climate change; 3) The radical changes in the global market place as production is decomposed, recomposed, and distributed across international borders; 4) The financial debacle which in many ways is the first economic crisis of the information age; and 5) The emergence of an array of new national players and the changing balance of economic and political power brought about by the rise of new economic titans.
There will be graded course assignments: 1) A review of the course themes to provide students the background for selecting a research topic. This will consist of a short essay and an exam on the reading; 2) A statement of the research problem and paper outline to launch the research; 3) The final paper.
There will be several other “deadlines” to make certain students are moving through the research process.
Interested students should submit a statement, no longer than 300 words, describing (1) their previous research-related work, (2) their interest in these topics, and (3) a list of related courses. Some preference will be given to students who already have a defined research interest. All letters of statement should be sent to Juliana Mandell, Juliana.brie@gmail.com, with PS 191 in the email's subject line.
Students on the “short-list” will be interviewed, and we will consider students as they apply. Final admittance decisions may not be made until the first day of classes.
Preference will be given to upper-division political science, economics, and political economy majors with a 3.3 GPA.