University of Minnesota, Morris

 

FIRST-YEAR SEMINAR

[IS 1001-14 (26929)]

Hegemony and Homogenization in Contemporary Societies

 

FALL 2001

T, TH: 9:00 a.m. – 9:50 a.m.

ROOM: SS 238

 

 

 

Dr. Cyrus Bina

Office: Camden 206

Phone: 589-6193

Mailbox: Camden 109

Fax: 589-6117

E-mail: binac

Office Hours: T, TH 12:30 – 2:00 p.m. and/or by appointment

 

 

TEXTBOOKS:

 

          FIRST YEAR SEMINAR READER, 3rd Edition, University of Minnesota, Morris, Fall 2001.

           

            Eric Schlosser, FAST FOOD NATION: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal, Boston/New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2001.

 

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

 

            The focus of this First-Year Seminar will be on the relationship of universal human diversity and the hegemonic attempts of (socioeconomic) institutions of modern capitalism at homogenization of the society, and the implicit as well as explicit challenges that brought to bear against these homogenizing forces by the various popular movements.  In other words, we hope to study the dynamics of social change and human diversity in general within the regulating constraints of contemporary societies—by focusing on the U.S. fast-food industry.   It will be shown that the rise of the fast-food industry—from the standpoint of both consumption and production of it—and its impact on our everyday life.  This includes the unconscious modification of our behavior, i.e. our impulse eating and obesity, through the bleak circumstances of our existence in terms of dangerous and dead-end jobs. 

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

 

1.     What do the notions of hegemony and homogenization mean?

2.     Where is a multifaceted world of diversity coming from?

3.     How do the imposing societal structures stand against the universal freedoms?

4.     How does the conventional wisdom find its power base or vice-versa? 

5.     Homogeneity of structure vs. heterogeneity of thought: what is the nature of challenge in our society?

6.     Aren’t we all the citizen of the world?

 

 

COURSE FORMAT:

 

          As the title of the course reseals the lion share of the materials will be discussed in seminar format, with ample time for class interaction.  In some case, where the new abstract concepts are being introduced, the format may take the form of a mini lecture, with ample examples and illustrations.   Therefore, all the participants in this seminar are encouraged to fulfill their responsibility in the class discussions and interactions. 

 

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:

 

             The seminar participants will be evaluated on three fundamental elements:

 

  • Class Participation (25%)
  • Journal Entries (25%)
  • Participation in the lectures series and campus events conducted by the Student Activities (10%)
  • Research Project (40%)

 

            The grading scale is as follows:

 

                        A:        93 – 100          A-:       90 – 92            B+:      87 – 89

                        B:        83 – 86            B-:       80 – 82            C+:      76 – 79

                        C:        72 – 75            C:        68 – 71            D+:      64 – 67

                        D:        60 – 63            F:         60 and below.

                       

 

Class Participation:

 

            Participation will be evaluated both by the quantity and quality of contributions to discussions via regular class attendance.  Contributions must demonstrate familiarity with assigned readings, recognition and understanding of the questions, and the mutual respect and recognition of your peers in our common pursuit of knowledge.  Critical thinking and forthright analysis prove to be an important asset here.  Yet, our conversations are intended to be friendly, open, intelligent, supportive, and respectful of others.  Derisive remarks and other forms of offensive and inappropriate conduct have no room in this seminar. 

 

 

 

Journal Entries:

 

          Your journal is intended to be an intimate companion, reflecting all your thought and activities in this course.  It intends to be a compendium of all your notes, impressions, reflections, and informal assignments.  Keeping this journal is also serves the purpose of communicating with me and reflecting the class discussions, assignments, readings, etc.  Students are responsible to bring the journal to class.  Journals will be collected several times during the semester for evaluation.  Evaluation of the content of journals is based upon both quantity and quality of entries and how they are leading to adequate level of learning in this course.  Instructions on the preparation of journal entries will be provided throughout the semester.  

 

 

Participation in Campus Lecture Series:

 

            There will be many campus-wide academic events, lectures, etc. during the Fall (2001) Semester.  It is worthwhile to actively participate in these events and accordingly reflect your experience in a separate journal.  At least participation in 8 of these university-wide events must be reflected in your JOURNAL.  This seminar values these participations. 

 

 

Research Project:

 

            This is a major assignment that is relying on your creativity, collective wisdom, and application of what you may have obtained from the total experience of participating in this seminar.  This entails a series of steps, from researching your material, surveying the literature, organizing your concepts, examining the field, to demonstrating your results.   There will be appropriate brainstorming sessions for a desirable topic within the subject of this seminar before we all get to work.  Remember; if you really love your proposal the rest is easy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TENTATIVE COURSE OULINE

 

 

Week One: Introduction of the materials, orientation and purpose of the various

component parts, rationale for the topic, and building a consensus about the direction and focus of the seminar.  Brainstorming on the issues of interest and attempting to approach the collective class project. 

 

Week Two: Introducing the concepts of hegemony ( ala Antonio Gramsci) and

Homogenization and exploring the ideas of structure and behavior associated

with modern capitalism. Discussing the notion of human struggle and preparation for application of dialectical method in analyzing the significance of human action within the dynamics of contemporary society, thus revealing the underlying ideological content and contradictory elements of our social, political, educational, and cultural institutions. 

 

Assignment: Read [FRSR] “Sonny’s Blues” by James Baldwin (write a two-page summary in your JOURNAL).

 

Week Three: Fast Food Nation, “Introduction”, PART I. The American Way: Ch. 1,

 “The Founding Fathers.” 

 

Assignment: Read [FRSR] “Indian Education and Bureaucracy: The School of

Morris, 1887-1909” by Wilbert H. Ahern (write a two-page summary in your JOURNAL).

 

 

Week Four:  Brainstorming on the class project and division of labor: division of class

into functional groupings. 

 

Roundtable Discussion: Commentary and Analysis of the September 11th Terrorist Attack.            

 

Assignment:

Read [FRSR] “Theme for English B” by Langston Hughes (write a page of summary in your JOURNAL in preparation for class discussion). 

 

Get together informally and discuss in groups of three (or four) and plan about what you would like to do for your seminar project. 

 

Week Five: Fast Food Nation, PART I. The American Way: Chapters 2, and 3, “Your

Trusted Friends” and “Behind the Counter.”

 

Assignment: Read [FRSR] “Bashert” by Irena Klepfisz (write a page of summary

in your JOURNAL in preparation for the class discussion).

 

Write up a one-page summary of Introduction to Fast Food Nation and a two-page informal summary of Chapters 2 and 3, each, in your JOURNAL).

 

Week Six: Fast Food Nation, Chapters 4 and 5: “Success” and “Why the Fries Taste

Good.” 

           

            Assignment:

Development of Thesis and Preparation of a series of relevant questions before formalizing your project’s questionnaire; write up a two-page informal summary of Fast Food Nation, Chapters 4 and 5

 

Week Seven:  Discussing “Bashert” and “Theme for English B.”

Scheduling the LIBRARY SESSIONS.

Finalizing the seminar project.

 

Week Eight: Attending the LIBRARY SESSIONS.

 

Week Nine:  Fast Food Nation, Chapters 6, 7 and 8: “On the Range,” “Cogs in the Great

Machine,” and “The Most Dangerous Job.”

           

            Assignment:

Writing a two-page informal summary for each of the above chapters in your JOURNAL.

                                               

Week Ten: Fast Food Nation, Chapters 9 and 10: “What’s in the Meat” and “Global

Realization.”  

 

Assignment:

            Roundtable Discussion.          

 

Week Eleven: Roundtable Discussion on Hegemony, Homogenization, and Diversity in

Our Era of Conformity, Conflict, and Globalization.

 

Week Twelve: Research Reports; Peer Review; Roundtable Discussion.

 

Week Thirteen: Poster Preparation.

 

Week Fourteen: Poster Preparation.

 

Week Fifteen: Exhibition Week (and the TGIF time).

 

Week Sixteen: Final Report of the Project Due.