COMM 22400 - Globalization & Identity

Course Credit: 1
Globalization and Identity What is globalization? How has it transformed our world? How has it shaped our cultural identities. This course explores several answers to these questions by focusing cultural identity formations and performances in the context of globalization. We will explore the diverse economic origins of global capitalism, investigate the relationship between early modern trade and imperial power, explore the cultural forces that underlay the movement of early global goods, and study how globalization processes have been shaping cultural identity. Therefore, this course is a theoretical exploration of identity performances across and in/between cultures in the context of globalization. The course draws mainly upon cultural studies, postcolonial theory, literary theory, critical globalization theory, and intercultural communication theory to provide a multidisciplinary understanding of how cultural identities are constructed, negotiated, and performed in different cultural contexts. Finally, in this course we will explore the ways in which these ideas regarding the connections between globalization and cultural identity are enacted and embodied in areas that might include gender identity, generational identity, citizenship, sexuality, online communities, disability, family roles, identity politics, and more. [AH, GE]