UoPeople Online Syllabus Repository (OSR)

General Studies

POLS 1503 Globalization

Uopeople

POLS 1503: Globalization

Syllabus

Prerequisites: None

Course Description:

This course examines changes in national economies over the past half-century. Special attention is given to the ways that globalization impacts citizenship, ethnic and religious issues, migration, public health, poverty, and wealth. The course’s cross-cultural context affords the opportunity to address issues of a global nature, which may profoundly influence the conditions under which people live and work.

Required Textbook and Materials:

All course readings can be accessed through web links, which will be provided within each Unit’s Learning Guide.

Software Requirements/Installation:

No special requirements.

Learning Objectives and Outcomes:

By the end of this course students will be able to:

Explain the basic concepts and debates over economic globalization.
Identify and explain the impacts of globalization across various aspects of life.
Analyze the complexity of globalization and the many perspectives and positions of its supporters and critics cross-culturally, as well as develop your own perspective on the issue.
Suggest strategies and methods for reducing harms and negative impacts of the globalization process.

Course Schedule and Topics:

This course will cover the following topics in eight learning sessions, with one Unit per week. The Final Exam will take place during Week/Unit 9 (UoPeople time).

Week 1: Unit 1 – Introduction to Globalization

Week 2: Unit 2 – Global Economic Development

Week 3: Unit 3 – Globalization for Human Rights

Week 4: Unit 4 – Technology and Globalization

Week 5: Unit 5 – Development and Globalization

Week 6: Unit 6 – Culture and Globalization

Week 7: Unit 7 – Health and Globalization

Week 8: Unit 8 – Poverty and Inequality

Week 9: Unit 9 – Course Review and Final Exam

Learning Guide :

The following is an outline of how this course will be conducted, with suggested best practices for students.

This course does not have an assigned textbook. Instead, the readings will be found through web links within each Unit’s Learning Guide. Each week will include a Reading Assignment, and one or more of the following: a Learning Journal, a Discussion Assignment, and/or a Written Assignment. Some Units will also include an ungraded Self-Quiz. In other units, there will be a Graded Quiz. During Week/Unit 9, there will be a Final Exam.

When posting in the Discussion Forum in response to your Discussion Assignment, you should write posts that are at least 100 words in length. You should also respond to at least 3 of your classmates’ posts in each of the Discussion Forums, and remember to rate their answers to the question. Your posts and your responses should be thoughtful and demonstrative of your understanding of the topics being discussed in this course.

Unit 1: Introduction to Globalization

Tasks:

Introduce yourself to the class on the Course Forum
Read the Learning Guide and the Reading Assignment
Participate in the Discussion Assignment
Respond to at least three Discussion Forum posts written by your fellow classmates
Make entries to the Learning Journal
Take the Self-Quiz

Unit 2: Global Economic Development

Tasks:

Read the Learning Guide and the Reading Assignment
Complete the Discussion Assignment by posting in the Discussion Forum
Respond to three of your fellow classmates’ posts in the Discussion Forum
Complete and submit the Written Assignment
Make entries to the Learning Journal
Take the Self-Quiz
Participate in the Poll

Unit 3: Globalization for Human Rights

Tasks:

Peer-assess Unit 2 Written Assignment
Read the Learning Guide and the Reading Assignment
Participate in the Discussion Assignment
Respond to at least three Discussion Forum posts written by your fellow classmates
Make entries to the Learning Journal
Take the Self-Quiz
Take the Graded Quiz

Unit 4: Technology and Globalization

Tasks:

Read through the Learning Guide and the Reading Assignment
Complete the Discussion Assignment by posting in the Discussion Forum
Respond to three of your fellow classmates’ posts in the Discussion Forum
Complete and submit the Written Assignment
Make entries to the Learning Journal
Take the Self Quiz

Unit 5: Development and Globalization

Tasks:

Peer-assess the Unit 4 Written Assignment
Read the Learning Guide and Reading Assignments
Participate in the Discussion Assignment
Respond to at least three Discussion Forum posts written by your fellow students.
Complete and submit the Written Assignment
Make entries to the Learning Journal
Take the Self-Quiz

Unit 6: Culture and Globalization

Tasks:

Read the Learning Guide and the Reading Assignment
Participate in the Discussion Assignment
Respond to at least three Discussion Forum posts written by your fellow classmates
Make entries in the Learning Journal
Take the Self-Quiz
Take the Graded Quiz

Unit 7: Health and Globalization

Tasks:

Read the Learning Guide and the Reading Assignment
Complete the Discussion Assignment by posting in the Discussion Forum
Respond to three of your fellow classmates’ posts in the Discussion Forum
Complete and submit the Written Assignment
Make entries to the Learning Journal
Take the Self-Quiz

Unit 8: Poverty and Inequality

Tasks:

Peer-assess Unit 7 Written Assignment
Read the Learning Guide and the Reading Assignment
Complete the Discussion Assignment
Respond to at least three Discussion Forum posts written by your fellow students
Make entries to the Learning Journal
Take the Self-Quiz
Read Unit 9 information about the Final Exam
Take the Review Exam
Complete the Course Evaluation

Unit 9: Course Review and Final Exam

Tasks:

Prepare for, take, and submit the Final Exam
The Final Exam will take place during Week/Unit 9 (UoPeople Time); exact dates, times, and other details will be provided accordingly by your instructor

Course Requirements

Written Assignments
In most units, you will be required to complete a Written Assignment. You are required to submit your assignments by the indicated deadlines and in addition, to peer-assess three of your classmates’ assignments according to provided instructions. During this peer-assessment, you are expected to provide details in the feedback section of the assignment’s Specimen Assessment Form, indicating why you awarded the grade that you did to your peer. Failure to submit assignments and/or peer-assessments may result in failure of the course.

Discussion Assignments
All units require that you develop and post a substantive response to the Discussion Assignment in the Discussion Forum. A substantive response is one that fully answers the question that has been posed by the instructor, and is a minimum of 100 words in length.

In addition, you must extend the discussion by responding to at least three of your peers’ postings in the Discussion Forum. These response posts should each be at least 50 words in length.

Discussion Forums are only active for each current and relevant learning week, so it is not possible to contribute to the forum once the learning week has come to an end. Failure to participate in the Discussion Assignment by posting in the Discussion Forum as required may result in failure of the course.

Learning Journals
Most units contain a Learning Journal. The Learning Journal is an important component of your learning in this course and is also a tool for self-reflection on the learning process. The Learning Journal should be completed on time and they will be assessed by your instructor as part of your final grade. Only you and your instructor have access to the Learning Journal.

Quizzes
This course will contain two types of quizzes – the Self-Quiz and the Graded Quiz. These quizzes may contain multiple choice, true/false, or short answer questions.

The results of the Self-Quiz will not count towards your final grade. However, it is highly recommended that you complete the Self-Quiz each week to ensure that you have adequately understood the course materials. Along with the Reading Assignments, the results of the Self-Quiz should be used as part of an iterative learning process, to thoroughly cover and test your understanding of course material. You should use the results of your Self-Quiz each week as a guide to go back and review relevant sections of the Reading Assignments again.

The results of the Graded Quiz will count towards your final grade.

Final Exam
The Final Exam will take place during the Thursday and Sunday of Week/Unit 9, following the completion of eight units of work. The format of the Final Exam is similar to that of the quizzes and may contain a combination of different question types. You will have one attempt to take the exam, and it will be graded electronically. Specific instructions on how to prepare for and take the Final Exam will be provided during Week 8 (located inside the Unit 9 Learning Guide). Final Exams must be taken without the use of course learning materials (both those inside and outside the course). If particular materials are allowed for use during the exam, these will be noted in the exam’s instructions.

Course Forum
The Course Forum is the place to raise issues and questions relating to the course. It is regularly monitored by the instructors and is a good place to meet fellow students taking the same course. While it is not required to participate in the Course Forum, it is highly recommended.

Policies

Grading
This course will follow the standard 100-point grading scale defined by the University of the People, as indicated here:

Letter Grade	Grade Scale	Grade Points
A+	98-100	4.00
A	93-97	4.00
A-	90-92	3.67
B+	88-89	3.33
B	83-87	3.00
B-	80-82	2.67
C+	78-79	2.33
C	73-77	2.00
C-	70-72	1.67
D+	68-69	1.33
D	63-67	1.00
D-	60-62	0.67
F	Under 60	0.00

Grading Components and Weights
Each graded component of the course will contribute some percentage to the final grading scale, as indicated here:

Learning Journals	20%
Graded Quizzes	30%
Discussion Assignments	5%
Written Assignments	5%
Final Exam	40%

Grade Appeal
If you believe that the final grade you received for a course is erroneous, unjust, or unfair, please contact your course instructor. This must be done within seven days of the posted final grade. For more information on this topic, please review the Grade Appeal Procedure in the University Catalog.

Participation
Non-participation is characterized by lack of any assignment submissions, inadequate contributions to the Discussion Forums, and/or lack of peer feedback to Discussion/Written Assignments. Also, please note the following important points about course participation:

Assignments must be submitted on or before the specified deadline. A course timeline is provided in the course schedule, and the instructor will specify deadlines for each assignment.
Any student showing non-participation for two weeks (consecutive or non-consecutive) is likely to automatically fail the course.
Occasionally there may be a legitimate reason for submitting an assignment late. Most of the time, late assignments will not be accepted and there will be no make-up assignments.
All students are obligated to inform their instructor in advance of any known absences which may result in their non-participation.

Academic Honesty and Integrity
If and when you submit any work that requires research and writing, it is essential to cite and reference all source material. Failure to properly acknowledge your sources is known as “plagiarism” – which is effectively passing off an individual’s words or ideas as your own. University of the People adheres to a strict policy of academic honesty and integrity. Failure to comply with these guidelines may result in sanctions by the University, including dismissal from the University or course failure. For more information on this topic, please review the Academic Integrity Policy in the University Catalog.

Unless otherwise stated, any materials cited in this course should be referenced using the style guidelines established by the American Psychological Association (APA). The APA format is widely used in colleges and universities across the world and is required for publication in most professional and academic journals. Purdue University’s Online Writing Lab (OWL) is a free website that provides excellent information and resources for understanding and using the APA format and style. The OWL website can be accessed here: https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/purdue_owl.html

Code of Conduct
University of the People expects that students conduct themselves in a respectful, collaborative, and honest manner at all times. Harassment, threatening behavior, or deliberate embarrassment of others will not be permitted.

Any conduct that interferes with the quality of the educational experience is not allowed and may result in disciplinary action, such as course failure, probation, suspension, or dismissal. For more information on this topic, please review the Code of Conduct Policy in the University Catalog.