Global Social Problems (410715)

Exam, European Studies, Bachelor 2. April 8, 13:30-17:00, SP2 Coordinator: dr. P.W.A. Scholten Multiple choice questions: (20pt) 1. What is not an example of McDonaldization? (2pt) a. The standardization of university programs across the globe. b. The spread of neo-liberal market ideology across the globe. c. The imposition of goal-rationality on traditional tribes of inner Africa d. All these answers (a,b and c) are examples of McDonaldization. 2. Which statement does not fit the historical-materialist perspective on globalization? (2pt) a. In spite of development programs, so-called developing countries are being exploited rather than helped by most countries that provide development aid. b. The forces of the global market are stronger than the sovereignty of nation-states. c. Globalization is a process in which only the elites take part, but which affects rich and poor across the globe. d. Countries that do not find themselves in the core or periphery of the world system, but in the semi-periphery, will eventually play a key role in the collapse of capitalism. 3. What do Meyer a.o. see as the main logic behind globalization? (2pt) a. The evolution of global institutions that stimulate nations to work together b. Processes of mimicking between countries across the globe. c. Hegemonic powers that force other nations to adopt to their modes of politics. d. The evolution of global citizenship 4. What does Stiglitz understand as globalism? (2pt) a. The fact that globalization has uneven social consequences on a global scale. b. The belief of the global capitalist elite that liberalization of the global market will eventually also benefit poor countries. c. The division between global elite and local poor. d. The global spread of consumer culture. 5. Glocalization means that (2pt): a. Cultures across the globe are becoming increasingly similar, causing the rise of one global consumer culture. b. Cultures across the globe are becoming more and more dissimilar, polarizing into McWorld versus Jihad. c. The spread of global culture has highly uneven local consequences, advantaging the global rich and disadvantaging the local poor. d. Cultures are globally dis-embedding and locally re-embedding, creating a hybrid mix of cultures. 6. What does not apply to Castells global informational economy? (2pt) a. Rich countries are monopolizing science and technology for their capitalist purposes. b. Information systems create networks across the globe for the flow of capital, contributing to a global network society. c. Governments are effectively trying to control the global informational economy

d. Value is concentrated in specific locations that are connected to the global informational economy. 7. What is meant with Giddens statement that globalization is not just an out there but also an in here phenomenon? (2pt) a. That Globalization is not just affecting development countries, but also Western countries. b. That Globalization is not just taking place in institutes as the United Nations, but is also affecting the way many people live around the world. c. That Globalization is not just an economic process, but also affects political and cultural developments across the world. d. That Globalization is not just making the world more similar, but also involves the blending of local cultures. 8. In his movie An inconvenient truth, Al Gore discusses the effects of human behaviour on global climate change. His claim that climate changed in mainly triggered by human behaviour shows that he considered climage change a: (2pt) a. External risk b. Danger c. Manufactured risk d. All these answers (a, b, and c) are correct. 9. What does not apply to the world risk society: a. National governments are loosing control over various social (and natural) problems. b. Science and technology are gaining power to control various social (and natural) problems. c. Government is more and more confronted with manufactured risks on a global scale. d. Global risks defy the national order that characterized (first) Modernity. 10. What is, according to Benjamin Barber, an important similarity between Mc World and Jihad? a. They both take specific ethnic, cultural and religious traits as the main organizing principles of world society. b. They both reject Modernity in terms of not accepting scientific and technological solutions to global problems. c. They are both undermining democracy by ignoring citizenship and submitting individuals across the global to either the forces of the global market or the forces of ethnic/cultural/religious purity. d. They both accept that cultures will inevitable mix and become more hybrid due to the process of cultural globalization. Open questions: (55pt) 1. An often-heard argument in public discourse is that the European Union is challenging the position of the nation-state. For instance, state sovereignty would be undermined by the delegation of competencies to EU institutes in policy fields as immigration. Discuss why it may be functional to European states to cooperate in the field of immigration. (5pt) 2. At a family party youre explaining to a relative that youve just taken a very interesting course on global social problems. This relative, whos from the poor working class and just

got unemployed, makes a cynical statement like why dont you study something that is more relevant and that you can really earn a living with. Explain to this relative why globalization may in fact be very relevant to his situation, and reflect (for yourself) about why globalization may seemingly appear less interesting to people from the poor working class. (5pt) 3. Giddens claims that nation-states are loosing legitimacy in an era of globalization. Hence, there would be a need for new institutions on a scale that matches the new global issues a. Discuss why Giddens believes that national democracies are loosing their legitimacy and how he thinks that democracies can be democratized in a global era. (5pt) b. Turner discusses the prospects of the rise of cosmopolitan citizenship. Discuss how cosmopolitan citizenship differs from national citizenship. (5pt) c. In spite of the rise of cosmopolitan citizenship, Turner still believes that there will be a loss of organic solidarity in globalizing societies. (5pt) 4. When doing your master thesis about immigrant integration policies in France and Germany, youre exploring the literature about the French and German citizenship regime (stress on ethno-cultural bonding in society) to find explanations for the similarities and differences that youve found between both countries. Yet, youre warned by your supervisor, who is well familiar with the sociology of globalization literature, for what he/she calls methodological nationalism a. Discuss what is meant with methodological nationalism, and how it may apply to your master thesis. (5pt) b. Bryan Turner has argued that sociology can avoid such methodological nationalism by focusing on the social. Discuss what is meant by the social. (5pt) c. Try to reformulate the topic of your master thesis in such manner that it focuses on the social in French and German integration policies and avoids the trap of methodological nationalism. (5pt) 5. Terrorism is one of the most debated global social problems of this era. Yet, there are sharp disagreements about the root causes of terrorism, and about possible solutions. a. Discuss, from a functionalist perspective, how terrorism can be conceived as a threat to global democracy and the rise of global citizenship. (5pt) b. Discuss, from a historical materialist perspective, why terrorism that is driven by religious, ethnic or racial beliefs is actually a form of false class-consciousness. (5pt) c. Discuss, from an interpretivist perspective, how terrorism could be related to the McDonaldization of global culture. (5pt)

Individual assignments + seminar presentations: 25 pt.