Course Name Year Term Period Faculty / Graduate School All Instructors Credits
16692:IR-ECS301 Historical Sociology of Globalization (RB) 2024 Fall Wed3 College　Of　International　Relations MATSUI NOBUYUKI 2

Campus

KIC

Class Venue

KOSHINKAN　KS204

Language

English

Course Outline and Method

We live in a "network society," even though the COVID-19 pandemic once disrupted the global flow of people and things. But how does the network society work and how does it form our social life?
This course focuses on these questions and provides a view of the "mobility turn" in global sociology to explore and understand them. The view of the mobility turn indicates not only that the current global society is composed of complicated connections made by mobile actors, materials, and information but also that these connections have multiple historical contexts: the history of transportation, the history of technology, the history of tourism, the history of intimate relationships and so on. It is pretty self-evident today that human actors, materials, products, viruses, and information move and travel worldwide. It is unclear how these flows are formed, what exactly causes the system of mobility, and how we are made by the system of mobility.

This lecture will explore the historical nature of contemporary globalization based on reading John Urry's book, Mobilities (2007, Cambridge: Polity Press). Although this text was written over ten years ago, his argument has become more and more relevant to our time. Instead, this textbook can give us highly insightful viewpoints to understand globalization today. For each session, students must read specific parts of his text as an assignment (The lecturer will quiz students on the text). While the lecturer will use chapters from Urry's work, they will also include additional content in each session.

The historical period focused on by this course mainly ranges from the eighteenth century to the twenty-first century. We will try to understand what kind of mobile tools appeared, how they spread to societies, and how they changed social relationships and ways of our social cognition. We are not exempt from this process. Additionally, when the term "historical" is used in this course title, it does not merely mean historical facts. Of course, we will visit some historical facts regarding the history of mobility. More importantly, students are required to grasp the historical process with the conceptual and philosophical frameworks. In other words, students are expected to understand and use some concepts to develop their interest in the research proposal, presentation, and final essay.

In Session 12-15, students will make research proposals and presentations. Based on this process, students are required to write a final essay.

Student Attainment Objectives

After taking this course, students will have the ability to:

1) comprehend the historical context of current globalization.
2) comprehend globalization in terms of multiple mobilities.
3) examine and relate current events to the broader societal and historical framework.

Recommended Preparatory Course

Course Schedule

Lecture/Instructor（When there are multiple instructors) Theme
Keyword, References and Supplementary Information
1

 - Introduction to the course (syllabus, assessment, and assignment)
 - Globalization and Mobilization: A Brief Introduction

Reading
Urry, John. (2007). "Mobilizing Social Life," in Mobilities (pp.3-16), Cambridge: Polity Press.

2

What is the Mobility Turn? : Capturing Global Connectivity through Mobility

Reading
Urry, John. (2007). "Mobile Theories and Methods," in Mobilities (pp.17-43), Cambridge: Polity Press.

Urry, John. (2007). "The Mobilities Paradigm," in Mobilities (pp.44-60), Cambridge: Polity Press.

3

History of Transportation and the Making of Modern Society

Reading
Urry, John. (2007). "Pavements and Paths," in Mobilities (pp.63-89), Cambridge: Polity Press.

4

Transformations in Spatiotemporal Imagination: Trains and Tourism

Reading
Urry, John. (2007). "'Public' Trains," in Mobilities (pp.90-111), Cambridge: Polity Press.

5

The Transformation of Social Order by Automobile Possessions

Reading
Urry, John. (2007). " Inhabiting Cars and Roads," in Mobilities (pp.112-134), Cambridge: Polity Press.

6

The Airplane, Airports, and the Emergence of the Current Global Society

Reading
Urry, John. (2007). "Flying Around," in Mobilities (pp.135-156), Cambridge: Polity Press.

7

Digital Technologies and Changing the Face-to-face Space

Reading
Urry, John. (2007). "Connecting and Imagining," in Mobilities (pp.157-182), Cambridge: Polity Press.

8

Social Inequalities in the World of Mobilities: Understanding "Network Capital"

Reading
Urry, John. (2007). "Gates to Heaven and Hell," in Mobilities (pp.183-210), Cambridge: Polity Press.

9

Mobilizing Social Network: Family, Colleagues, and Friends

Reading
Urry, John. (2007). "Networks," in Mobilities (pp.211-229), Cambridge: Polity Press.

Urry, John. (2007). "Meetings," in Mobilities (pp.230-252), Cambridge: Polity Press.

10

Places in Flow: How Were Our Gazes Made?

Reading
Urry, John. (2007). "Places," in Mobilities (pp.253-270), Cambridge: Polity Press.

11

Challenges and Future of Mobile Society: Digitalization, Climate Change, and War

Reading
Urry, John. (2007). "Systems and Dark Futures," in Mobilities (pp.271-290), Cambridge: Polity Press.

12

Preparation for Research Presentations and Essays

In this lecture, the lecturer will provide instructions for the research presentation and writing a research proposal.

Throughout reading John Urry's text in this course, students are required to prepare research topics concerning mobility and globalization. After Session 12, students will have to submit the research proposal on the manaba＋R.

Within the scope of this course, students can select a research topic. The research proposal, short presentation, and final essay must consistently develop the same topic. Changing the topic during this process is not allowed.

13

Peer Review of Students' Research Proposals

During this session, students will have the opportunity to discuss their research proposals with both other students and the lecturer.

14

Presentation

Students are required to make their presentations based on the research proposals.

A 10-minute presentation will be followed by feedback from participants. Also, other students are expected to learn helpful views, data, and academic manners from this session.

15

Presentation

Same as the Session 14

Final Essay

The essay must be based on your research proposal and presentation.

Length: up to 2500 words (±10%)

Essay Template: uploaded on manaba+R

Submission mode: Word/PDF

Plagiarism: Please ensure that you properly cite any sources used in your essay, as NOT doing so will be strictly sanctioned.

Class Format

The class is scheduled to take place in a physical classroom. Students are required to be physically present on-site except for those who need special considerations. For the case of special considerations, please refer to the official university guidelines.

Officially Approved Absence/Special Considerations on Classes due to other cases ineligible for official absence: https://www.ritsumei.ac.jp/pathways-future/eng/course/absence.html/

Recommendations for Private Study

Please read the assigned part of the text beforehand for each lecture session.

Grade Evaluation Method

Kind Percentage Grading Criteria etc.
Final Examination (Written)

Report Examination
(A report to be submitted by the unified deadline)

Exams and/or Reports other than those stated above, and Continuous Assessment　
(Evaluation of Everyday Performance in Class)		 100

1. Class participation: 20%
2. Project Proposal: 25%
3. Presentation: 25%
4. Final Essay: 30%

Grade Evaluation Method （Note）

1. "Class participation" comprises attendance, active engagement, and submission of a reflection paper on in-class activities. Class attendance is recorded. If a student misses more than 3 classes without providing official certification or a valid reason, they will not be granted a passing grade.

2. The "Project Proposal" will be evaluated based on the criteria listed below:
a. A feasible project with a clear research question and title
b. A clear abstract
c. Adequate survey of literature on the topic you have chosen
d. Grasping a map of literatures
e. A logically well-structured argument

3. The "Presentation" will be evaluated based on the criteria listed below:
a. Time management
b. A clear research background
c. Clear questions
d. Clear methods and a well-structured question to answer the questions
e. Ability to respond to questions in Q&A time

3. The "Final Essay" will be evaluated based on the criteria listed below:
a. A clear background and research question
b. Well-organized mapping of surveyed literatures
c. Placing the chosen topic in a historical context
d. Using theoretical concepts with an adequate understanding of them
e. The consistency of the argument

Advice to Students on Study and Research Methods

It's recommended that you conduct a brief survey of key terms such as "spatial turn" and "mobility turn" on a website to better understand the course content.

Textbooks

Title Author Publisher ISBN Code Comment
Mobilities John Urry Polity Press 9780745634180

Textbooks （Frequency of Use, Note）

Reference Books

Reference Books （Frequency of Use, Note）

Web Pages for Reference

How to Communicate with the Instructor In and Out of Class(Including Instructor Contact Information)

Other (Separate instructions will be provided)

Other Comments

【科目ナンバリング・カリキュラムマップはこちらから/Click here to see the Curriculum-Map and Course-Numbering】
URL:http://www.ritsumei.ac.jp//students/pathways-future/course/curriculum.html