Economic Development (Lecture), Fall 2012

 

 

ECON 3351-01 LEC 12898

Day/time: TuTh 2:30 PM – 4:00 PM

August 27, 2012 – December 20, 2012

Room: M 115

Instructor:

Dr. Thomas R. DeGregori

Ph. (713) 743-3838

(I prefer to receive emails)
Email: trdegreg@uh.edu
Homepage:
http://www.uh.edu/~trdegreg

Office: 209D McElhinney Hall

Office hours: TBA

 

 

THERE WILL BE NO EXAMS OR QUIZZES

THERE WILL BE NO FINAL EXAM

 

 

Teaching Assistant:

Senay Topal

E-mail: sdtopal@uh.edu

Office: 248 McElhinney Hall

 

 

Course objective:

 

The objective of this course is to provide reading material and lectures which facilitate a better understanding of the world, its politics, its geography, its conflicts and resolutions, the changing global economy in which we live, the diversity of different cultures and peoples and those who have experienced a dramatic transformation and improvement in the conditions of their life and those that have not. The diversity of the reading matter and topic assignment is considerably greater than can be achieved in a three hour course in one semester. The boundaries for the course are wide allowing the students to fashion a course that responds to their particular needs and interests as long as they in some way cover the main themes of development presented in the course and in the reading - science and technology for development, agriculture, and globalization and that they use all of the assigned sources and write largely within the course boundaries.

 

 

Required reading:

 

o    Science and Innovation for Development by Gordon Conway, Jeff Waage and Sara Delaney, The Wellcome Trust; First Edition edition (September 2009)

or

o    The Globalization Paradox: Democracy and the Future of the World Economy by Dani Rodrik, W. W. Norton & Company

and either

o    The Marketing of Rebellion: Insurgents, Media, and International Activism (Cambridge Studies in Contentious Politics) by Clifford Bob, 2005

or

o    Game Changer: Animal Rights and the Fate of Africa's Wildlife  by Glen Martin, University of California Press 2012

and either

o    Smallpox- the Death of a Disease: The Inside Story of Eradicating a Worldwide Killer by Donald Ainslie Henderson, Prometheus Books; 2009

or

o    House on Fire: The Fight to Eradicate Smallpox (California/Mil bank Books on Health and the Public) by William H. Foege, University of California Press 2011

and either – one of the three

o    DDT and the American Century: Global Health, Environmental Politics, and the Pesticide That Changed the World by David Kinkela The University of North Carolina Press

or

o    Parasites, Pathogens, and Progress: Diseases and Economic Development by Robert A. McGuire, The MIT Press

or

o    Africa in the Time of Cholera: A History of Pandemics from 1817 to the Present (African Studies)  by Myron Echenberg ,  Cambridge University Press; 2011)

 

 

Course Calendar:

 

First day of classes – Monday, August 27, 2012

Labor Day holiday – Monday, September 3, 2012

Last day to add a class – Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Last day to drop a course or withdraw without receiving a grade – Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Last day to drop a course without hours counting towards the Enrollment Cap for Texas Residents –  Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Last day to drop a course or withdraw with a 'W' – Friday, November 2, 2012

Thanksgiving holiday - Wednesday-Saturday, November 21-24, 2012

DUE DATE FOR ALL PAPERS - before 4 PM, Tuesday, December 4, 2012

(Guaranteed to be graded in time for the posting of final grades.  If papers are turned in later, they might not be graded in time for posting resulting in an F for the course. If graded in time, late papers still face a late paper penalty)

Last day of class – Saturday, December 8, 2012

Official closing of the semester - Thursday, December 20, 2012

 

Except for the final due date, in previous semesters, there were no firm dates for turning in your papers. Students have often requested due dates for papers so I am providing them below along with the penalties for late papers.

There is the possibility if earning 1, 2 or 3 hours extra credit. Students will have to enroll for these hours (ECON 4398-1, ECON 4398-2, ECON 4398-3, Independent Study – see posted instructions for these course) at the beginning of the Semester. In addition to filling out the form there will be an exchange of emails between me and each student taking these specifying the requirements. A copy of these emails must be submitted along with any final written work.

 Project Topics for 3351 are:

·         Trends in Global Food Production since 1960

·         Trends in Global Poverty and Hunger since 1950.

·         Trends in Global Life Expectancy since 1950.

·         Trends in Global Population scince 1950.

·         Trends in Global Infant and Child Mortality Since 1960.

·         Neglected Tropical Diseases (there is an online journal covering that topic among other sources).

 

 

General guidelines:

 

I am offering Econ 4198 and Econ 4398 for Fall 2012 only for those taking either Econ 3351 or Econ 4389 and who are participating in a class project. It is mainly for students intending to graduate in December 2012 who need the hours to graduate in December or who will be unable to complete their fall graduation in May 2013 without the extra hours. I will rely on the judgment of Marion Foley for the latter determination. Econ 4298 will be offered only in very strict compliance with the foregoing rules. Students will not be allowed to take all three courses - Econ 4198, 4298 and 4398.

 

Under current University policy, your email address given in People Soft is considered the official method of notification making you responsible for any information sent to that address. The best advice is to check it regularly. Not having checked it will not be an acceptable excuse for failing to comply with the instructions given there.

If you turn in your papers for my class in the main economics office - 204 M - as I often request that you do, please do not call or email me asking if I received them. And do not ask what grade that you received. I do not mean to be rude but your calls or emails will not likely be answered. Keep digital copies of all of your papers in the very unlikely event that they are somehow lost. After the - DUE DATE FOR ALL PAPERS - before 4 PM, Tuesday, December 4, 2012 (in class or in the Economics office, 204 M), emails and calls will not be taken and returned. There are NO EXCEPTIONS except one. If you have an acceptable, verifiable reason beyond your control why you were unable to complete papers such as hospitalization, then you may either bring or send the documentation to me and receive an "I." Please no elaborate excuses, only documented cases can be accepted. Since we have to fill out a form for the "I" with your signature, send the documentation only if you are physically unable to bring it.

It also has to be approved by the department. Needless to say, without adequate documentation to support the form, an "I" cannot be given. Unlike an "I," a grade of "F" can no longer be removed except in the most extreme set of circumstances. If towards the end of the semester, it becomes obvious to you that you will not be able to complete your work, you might consider dropping the course by the last day to drop a course or withdraw without hours counting towards the <<
http://www.uh.edu/provost/stu/stu_enrollcapqs.html>  Enrollment Cap for Texas Residents (Wednesday, September 12, 2012) or the last day to drop a course or withdraw (Friday, November 2, 2012). You will not be given a failing grade for withdrawing since I have not given any exams.

If you drop the course using People Soft and for some reason the system fails to record your drop, contact the Registrar's Office in order to correct the problem. Do not contact me or my T.A. or the Economics Department about this matter. If you receive an "F," I will gladly change it to a "W" if notified to do so by the Administration. I am not allowed to do it on my own nor am I allowed to give you a "W" for a final grade unless the final role sheet shows that you have dropped.

Every semester, a large number of students take my courses as independent study without attending class. I have always sought to make my courses available to those who could not attend for whatever reasons. This option remains open (only with permission for this class this semester - see above) but it is no longer encouraged except for those who have absolutely no other options since past experience shows that those who attended class regularly were vastly more likely to finish the course on time and not need an "I."

 

 

Assignments:
 
You are to write two papers of (very) roughly 8 to 10 pages each and participate in a class project – details for the projects will be announced in class.. No paper is to be less than seven pages. You have considerable latitude as to the length of each paper as long as the total for all four is about 30 to 40 pages. For any deviation from the syllabus, an exchange of emails is required - verbal authorization is not sufficient - with the email granting permission being attached to your papers. I may give you permission orally for a different topic – a simple email exchange with an OK from me is necessary to confirm it. Given the large choice of topics, no deviation should be necessary unless there is a topic of specific interest to you! I will be offering the same range of topics to both my classes this semester even though some topics are vastly more relevant to one course than another. Those taking both courses are required to select different topics for each course.

Students not regularly attending class will be required to write three papers for a total of 25 to 30 pages and participate in a class project. Students who receive permission to not participate in a class project must do four papers.

ALL PAPERS HAVE TO INCLUDE CITED MATERIAL (source, date and pages cited) FROM THE ASSIGNED READINGS. Each paper must include at least one of the assigned sources though you may use as many as you wish on any paper. All papers taken together must show that all assigned sources have been read and used.  Every paragraph in your papers must have at least one cited source unless it is either drawn from your own experience or is a concluding paragraph. Each paper should have a separate reference page that does not count towards your page requirements. You will lose one letter grade for each assigned source that is not "substantially" used (in other words, used in a way that indicates an understanding of what the book is saying). This may seem like a rigid requirement but since there are no exams or quizzes, it is the only way that I know (or think that I know) that you have done the reading and that the paper is yours and not found on the web. ALL GRADES ARE FINAL UNLESS THE STUDENT CAN DEMONSTRATE THAT AN ERROR WAS MADE IN THE GRADING. FINAL MEANS FINAL. DO NOT ASK TO BE ABLE TO RE-DO YOUR PAPERS IF YOUR GRADE WAS LOWERED BECAUSE YOU FAILED TO FOLLOW THE CLEARLY POSTED RULES. PLEASE DO NOT HESITATE TO ASK SHOULD YOU NOT UNDERSTAND THEM. Ruining a 4.0 grade point average or preventing you from graduating are not acceptable reasons for allowing you to re-do your papers. Neither is the claim that a book or books did not fit your chosen topics acceptably. You have a wide choice of topics so pick topics in which you can use all of the assigned sources in doing them.  To be forewarned is to be forearmed.

YOU MAY USE OTHER RESEARCH MATERIAL AS WELL. IF YOU USE INFORMATION FROM THE WWW, PLEASE GIVE AS COMPLETE A CITATION AS POSSIBLE INCLUDING THE URL. I have posted supplementary instructions on my webpage; please consult it and follow the instructions. You are not allowed to have two paragraphs in a row that use only non-assigned sources. As a rough rule of thumb, use only sources published this century unless there is a compelling reason to use an older source. All material that is not original to you must have a citation. Quotation marks are required only when you are using someone else's wording. If you are using their ideas and facts that are put in your own words, you still need to cite the source but quotation marks would be inappropriate. Please do not start a sentence with "I feel." Instead use phrases such as "I conclude" or "it is my judgment based upon the evidence" etc. If you present solid evidence on an issue and then follow with a rational argument to reach a conclusion, I will assume that this is not only your conclusion but it is also how you "feel."

 

Attendance will be taken. Those who attend regularly – three or fewer absences – will need to do only two papers and be part of a class project. Being part of a class project is the default position. Students have to obtain permission to substitute a paper for participation in a project.

 

 

Assignment due dates (with some flexibility):

 

September 25 - A ten page paper that makes substantial use of at least two of the assigned sources.

October 2 - Students who have exams or other academic commitments that make the September 25 due date difficult, may turn in a fifteen page paper that makes substantial use of at least three of the assigned sources without penalty. Ten page papers by this date will lose one to two thirds of a grade on it - for example A- to either a B+ or a B. After this date, any ten page paper will lose a full letter grade.

October 9 - Students turning in their first paper of fifteen pages which makes substantial use of at least three of the assigned sources by this date will lose one to two thirds of a grade on it - for example A- to either a B+ or a B. After this date, any paper of any length will lose a full letter grade.

October 23 - Second paper due in Economics office before it closes (circa 3 PM)

October 23 option - students who made a B+ or better on their first paper have the option of combing two topics in a ten to fifteen page paper (bringing the total to 25 to 30 pages) using three previously not used assigned sources completing use of all assigned sources. They will turn in a three to five page draft or outline indicating the topics and how they will be combined. This will be returned OK written on it and will be turned back in along with the complete paper on the due date for the third paper.

October 30 - Second paper due in Economics office before it closes (circa 3 PM) with a penalty of one to two thirds of a grade on it - for example A- to either a B+ or a B. After this date, any paper will lose a full letter grade.

November 13 - Third paper due in Economics office before it closes (circa 3 PM)

November 20 - Third paper due in Economics office before it closes (circa 3 PM) with a penalty of one to two thirds of a grade on it - for example A- to either a B+ or a B. After this date, any paper will
lose a full letter grade.

December 4 - as stated above - DUE DATE FOR ALL PAPERS  - before 4 PM, Tuesday, December 4, 2012 (in class or in the Economics office, 204 M) - guaranteed to be graded in time for the posting of final grades. As often happens, I am able to grade late papers in time for them to be recorded. However, after the due date, there will be a grade penalty that increases the later the paper is turned. I will consider removing the one third grade penalty for students who turn in two of the three papers (including the final paper) by the due dates. Full letter grade penalties will not be removed.

 

The due date for the fourth paper, if you are required to write one, is before 4 PM, Tuesday, December 4, 2012 (in class or in the Economics office, 204 M).

 

 

Suggested topics:

Below is a list of suggested topics that may (or may not) be relevant.  If another topic that interests you is not mentioned below, you may email me asking for permission to write on it.  If I respond that your chosen topic is acceptable, please include the email conversation (including my response) along with your turned in paper.


1)       African history, culture and geography as basis for understanding Africa today
2)       Global Agricultural Development since 1950 - including the Green Revolution Why was Africa left out?
3)       Global Economic Development since 1950 Everywhere but Africa? Why
4)       Poverty and inequality, global, regional or in a particular country and what can be done about it
5)       Major issues in Development: IMF such as Debt.
6)       The Asian Development model: What is it and what is its future benefit for Africa if any?
7)       The role of technological/scientific diffusion from Asia and the Arab world in European development
8)       Sources for Economic development in the developed world - 19th and 20th century technology and science
9)       Sources of opposition to the use of technology/science for economic development
10)     Health, nutrition and population in the 21st Century
11)     Trade and African development
12)     The role of "globalization" in economic development
13)     Genetic Modification of Food
14)     Globalization of Food Production - Implications for Africa and the World
15)     Feeding 9 Billion in 2040
16)     Water for 9 Billion People
17)     Trends in World Population - 1950-2040
18)     Population - Issues of Child and Maternal Mortality
19)     Environmental Implications and Potential of Biotechnology
20)     Technology and the Future (with the past as a guide)
21)     Global Environmental Issues such as global warming and its implications for economic development
22)     Clean, Safe, and Environmentally Friendly Food Production: Meaning? Organic what is it?
23)     AIDS and Development

 

 

BACK TO CLASSES