FEASS GE440 Interdisciplinary Senior Project Course Studies Globalization
Recently, students in the GE440 Interdisciplinary Senior Project course in the Faculty of Economics, Administrative and Social Sciences had not one but two unique opportunities to learn about globalization, as two prominent figures, Prof. Soli Özel from Kadir Has University and Dr. Uygar Özesmi, executive director of Greenpeace Mediterranean, shared their enlightening arguments concerning this topic.
"All That Is Solid Melts into the Air" was the title of Prof. Özel's lecture on March 8. According to his premise, the principal problem in examining the globalizing world is the incongruity between the units of analysis, as we tend to look at the "globe" when analyzing the economy, while focusing on the "nation-state" when investigating politics. Unless the units of analysis overlap -- which can be accomplished only through adoption of an interdisciplinary approach -- we cannot understand globalization entirely, concluded Prof. Özel.
On the following day, Dr. Özesmi's lecture began with a Greenpeace video, which was actually more of a wake-up call. Following his commentary on the video came a discussion of how globalization removes differences, standardizing all aspects of life, and how this has led in turn to detrimental climate change. At the end of the lecture, Dr. Özesmi had a session with student teams who are working on projects concerning environmental change in the globalizing world.
GE440 was launched in the spring semester of 2012 as a six-credit elective course for senior students in the Departments of Economics, International Relations and Political Science. As part of this course, FEASS students are working in interdisciplinary teams on specific projects relating to the course's theme of globalization. Lectures by visiting experts such as Prof. Özel and Dr. Özesmi help FEASS students become acquainted with key aspects of this theme. Students will present their projects to panel of experts on May 11, 2012.
For more information about GE440, visit http://www.facebook.com /BilkentGE440.