Semester at sea course syllabus discipline

TOPICAL OUTLINE OF COURSE 
 
Class Topic
Chapter 
1 
Introduction and Overview 
1 
2 
Geographical Approach to the Economy 
1 
3 
A World of Differences 
1 
4 
What Is The Economy? 
2 
5 
Why Is Economic Growth and Development So Uneven? 3 
6 
Marx Versus Capitalism 
3 
7 
Commodity Chains: Where Does Breakfast Come From? 4 
8 
Does Technology Eradicate Distance? 
5 
9 
Can Nature Be A Commodity? 
6 
10 
Is The Population Bomb Ticking Louder? 
6 
11 
Who Controls The Economy?
7 
12 
The End of the Nation State?
7
13 
How Does A Global Firm Keep It Together?
8 
14 
Labor Power: Can Workers Shape Economic Geographies? 9 
15 
Terrorism and the Economy 
16 
Is The Customer Always Right? 
10 
17 
Culture and the Economy 
11 
18 
Remember the Culture Or Forget The Money 
11 
19 
Does Gender Shape Economic Lives? 
12 
20 
Ethnic Economies 
13 
21 
Ethnic Businesses 
13 
22 
The Economic Geographies of Transnationalism 
13 
23 
Review and Wrap-up
All 
 
FIELD COMPONENT 
 
Twenty percent of the contact hours for this course consist of field work. Each student 
will prepare a report on his/her observations of economic geography during our time in 
port. These observations are not limited to field visits to businesses, but also include the 
observations from the ship and while traveling on tours. 
 
Suggested Port Excursions/FDPs: 
 
HAWAII:
City Orientation 
HAWAII: 
Full City Hilo Orientation 
HAWAII: 
Honolulu City Tour 
JAPAN: Yokohama 
City 
Tour 
JAPAN: Modern 
Tokyo 
CHINA: 
Shanghai City Orientation 
CHINA: 
Shanghai Stock Exchange 
VIETNAM: City 
Orientation 
VIETNAM: Nike 
Plant 
Visit 

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VIETNAM: Family Business in Ho Chi Minh 
INDIA: 
Tata Consulting Services (FDP) 
INDIA: City 
Orientation 
INDIA: Working 
Women’s 
Forum 
INDIA: 
American Consulate Visit 
MAURITIUS: Port Louis City Orientation 
S. AFRICA: Capetown City Orientation 
S. AFRICA: Wine Production and Marketing (FDP) 
BRAZIL: 
City Orientation Salvador