I have frequently used this kind of exercise, usually in a course I taught (I am now retired) called International Environmental Problems, and sometimes in Environmental Ethics. I think it works quite well. I also did it a couple of years ago in association with an award-winning set of stories in the Sacramento Bee that asked the same sort of question about oil, fish, and timber sold in Sacramento. I had the students read these stories and then pick a commodity to do on their own for classroom presentation. On the whole, with and without the help of the initial articles, I think this works very well. It came rather naturally to me because my graduate work in the sixties and early seventies was on the history of coffee, cacao, and plantation economies more generally in Latin America.
Much of this kind of thing has now been done by Richard Tucker in his excellent book, Insatiable Appetite, a prime source for your students. I rather liked assigning objects that were associated with the environmentally "virtuous"--one of the best was an aluminum frame nylon backpack. It brings in a lot of nasty and interesting questions. Another item that worked well was an automobile tire, which is more complicated than you might think. I think the object itself is best chosen if it is not too obviously a combination of many elements--say a dishwasher--that gets way too complicated in a hurry. Of course, because of my own work on pesticide use in the export vegetable industry of Mexico, I sometimes suggested a tomato grown in Mexico, or grapes in Chile, etc. I am of the general opinion that students find this more fun and more rewarding if you are not too forthcoming with websites and other sources--it is more satifying and revealing and instructive to them if they have to do the majority of the work. I have been surprised at how much they come up with fairly quickly, given the right encouragement. I regard it as best done in teamwork. I think your are right to conclude that you can really do an amazing amount of history and analysis through this window. It all goes back to the technique of Huxley's lecture "On a Piece of Chalk," as a way of explaining evolutionary theory. The best result is when students really come to appreciate how much is wrapped up in each object they see and touch. Angus Wright Professor Emeritus of Environmental Studies California State University, Sacramento -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] on behalf of [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Tue 7/10/2007 2:39 PM To: Robert Darst; GEP-Ed Subject: Re: "The Global Politics of Everyday Things" There's a great documentary about the beads used in Mardi Gras and the Chinese sweatshops where they're manufactured. Sorry I don't remember the name. Judy Shapiro American University -------------- Original message ---------------------- From: "Robert Darst" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Hi all, > > At the suggestion of a colleague in the English Department, I foolishly > agreed > earlier this year to develop a new course for our embryonic Sustainability > Studies minor, "The Global Politics of Everyday Things." The basic idea is to > present the students with innocuous items that they use every day, and then > to > trace the commodity chains backwards and forwards to illustrate various > aspects > of global politics, such as human/children's/women's/labor rights, trade and > outsourcing, violent conflict, property rights, environmental protection, > functional cooperation, etc. I doubt that there is any aspect of > international > relations that cannot be approached in this way. Now I only have to prep the > course, which brings me to you! > > Questions: > > (1) Have any of you ever taught a course along these lines, and if so could > you > share your syllabus and lessons learned? > > (2) Do any of you know of good websites where my students (and their > instructor) > could trace the commodity chains of multiple products? > > (3) Any suggestions for really surprising "everyday things"--that is, items > that > no one would ever associate with global politics, but which in fact have > quite > striking connections? > > Many thanks! I will certainly share the syllabus when I'm ready to roll. > > Best, > Rob > Associate Professor of Political Science > Associate Director of the Honors Program > University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
