Topic
Introduction to Global Studies Part III-Essay Questions
Instructions
Part III – Essay Questions (2 essays x 5 points each – 10 points total)
I will select three of the following five possible questions for the essay section of the exam. You will respond to two of
those three questions. Full credit for an essay requires (a) answering the question in a clear, identifiable thesis statement; and (b) supporting the thesis with examples grounded in the course readings. Responses should be 2-3 paragraphs long and include 5 key points. (In all cases, you should draw on 2-4 texts.)
(1) Drawing on Campbell et al (2010), Steger (2013), and Kokas (2016), analyze the following news article: “U.S. and
China Struggle over Film Quotas”: http://variety.com/2017/biz/asia/u-s-and-china-struggle-over-film-quotas-1201979720/
In what way might you connect this example to debates around cultural imperialism? How might you relate this article to our readings and discussions of soft power?
(2) Kaplan (1994) and Huntington (1993) each outline their concerns regarding culture and globalization in a post Cold War era. What key points does each author make and what examples do they use to support these claims? How do Besteman (2004) and Gusterson (2004) challenge these claims?
(3) Relate this recent article to course readings from Campbell et al (2010) and Steger (2013) regarding both cultural
globalization and economic globalization: “Counting on the Trendy to Revive Kava, a Traditional Drink”:
https://tinyurl.com/zus32lh. Draw on course readings and lectures to describe how global interest in this Fijian product provides both an opportunity and a challenge.
(4) Drawing on Campbell et al (2010) and Steger (2013), describe the importance of the Bretton Woods conference. How would you characterize the economic system that was put in place? According to these authors, in what ways did the economic institutions that emerged from this conference alter their policies in the 1980s? Using Moberg and Lyon (2010) explain why contemporary fair trade programs are compatible with these policy changes.
(5) Using course readings and discussions, analyze the following news story: “Desperate Refugees Sell their Own Organs to Survive”: http://www.vocativ.com/404068/desperate-refugees-organs-black-market/ In what ways does Scheper-Hughes argue that the body and/or its parts can be treated as a commodity? How might her argument echo concerns raised by Wallerstein (1974) and Nordstrom (2004)? How does she argue that an understanding of context complicates notions of “consent”?
Answer preview
According to the article, China appears to have deserted its stern foreign movie import quotas in the recent past so as to strengthen sagging yearly box office growth numbers. In recent days, Hollywood films releases have been announced in China that exceeds the number normally permitted by the China’s guarded film industry. It is clear from the article that the United States and China have started to renegotiate the formal talks that will determine associations between the two nation’s film industries. For decades, there have been many debates revolving around cultural imperialism. The news article is connected to some of the debates revolving around cultural imperialism because some debates about cultural imperialism believed that media flows of cultural items as well as international flows of communication technology, created in accordance with and promoted the objectives of the main country’s or political economic creations of the capitalist framework, and were expressions of their ideological characteristics.
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