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Political Economy and Social Change: From Colonization to Globalization

Fall Requirements and Expectations

Thirty-two credits (sixteen at the end of each quarter) will be awarded to all students who successfully fulfill the program expectations.  As the material and assignments are tightly integrated, ordinarily no partial credit will be awarded.  Only under exceptional cases and with the agreement of the faculty team will partial credit be awarded.  Students receiving less than full fall credit cannot continue into the winter quarter.

In order to receive fall quarter credit, students will be expected to:

• Regularly attend all program meetings
• Prepare for and participate in seminar, group discussions, and group work
• Write three seminar questions for each week’s reading
• Write two synthetic analytical essays drawing on the program materials and read and comment on one essay written by a colleague
• Complete the Preliminary Statement and Research Prospectus for your collaborative research project
• Maintain a program Journal
• Participate in an end-of-quarter evaluation conference and submit written self and faculty evaluations.

The faculty have chosen and arranged the texts (books, articles, and videos) very carefully and expect that both those enrolled in and those teaching the program will read them very closely.  A major program goal is not only to know what has happened historically and in the world of political economy (historical facts) but also to know why it has happened and/or is occurring (political theory).  Therefore, a major part of the seminars will be focused on understanding events and becoming empowered to act on events now and in the future.  It is thus very important that we all become close and careful readers of all the assigned material.   We consider Howard Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States to be important background reading for the weeks it is assigned, but the major focus of the seminar discussions will be the other readings assigned for the week.

As we will not be dealing with settled questions and as the various authors will not always be in agreement or use the same theoretical frameworks, seminar attendance, preparation, and participation are considered very important to your individual success as well as to the collective success of the group.  We will be considering topics of immense relevance to the lives of each and every one of us as well as to the larger society.  The faculty anticipate lively discussion, differences, and controversy.  The seminar will be a collaborative, exploratory undertaking and is the place where most of the integration, insights, and intellectual breakthroughs will be made.  We are looking forward to an engaged and vital group.

In order to help facilitate careful and critical reading, each student will write three short questions and/or discussable comments for the week’s reading that will be turned in on Tuesday, beginning in week II.  Each student should keep a copy for him or herself to use in seminar.  These comments will be useful for beginning the Tuesday seminar and provide a framework for the Friday seminar.

Seminars, as well as all program work, require collaborative and cooperative efforts from both faculty and students.  Students should familiarize themselves with the Evergreen Social Contract and the Student Code of Conduct regarding issues such as plagiarism and disruptive behavior.  Normal adult behavior, of course, is expected and disruptive behavior will be grounds for being asked to leave the program.  Also, in all program activities, please make sure your cell phones are turned off.