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Fall 2008 There will be three times during the semester when students
in this online section must come to campus: on Sep 19 and on Oct 31 at 10:00 a.m. for midterm exams and on Dec 19 for the final
exam; attendance on those test days is mandatory.
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Prof. R. Stross |
Mon and Wed, 9:15-10:00 am,1:45-2:15 pm, and by appt. Email: |
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We lay a foundation with a review of
the history of the corporation and its impact on society around the globe. We
then look at selected business-and-society issues in the
present: the impact of Wal-Mart upon society; the plight of minimum-wage
workers; the influence of business on our food choices; and the relationship of the wealthiest stratum of society to the less wealthy.
We will also regularly discuss
business-and-society stories that appear online in The New York Times. Students will learn how to interpret news stories and
form judgments about the problems that are exposed in the stories and about possible
solutions.
The class offers an opportunity to
nurture curiosity about issues that are not addressed in other
business classes because they do not fall within any single business
discipline.
The podcasts are in WMA format, which all Windows PCs play. Mac users will find a link on the course web site to download a player for WMA files.
Workload
Because students will be expected to
invest more time in reading than perhaps some are accustomed to, this point
bears repeating so that there is no misunderstanding: successful
completion of this course will demand a significant and steady investment of
time.
Please Introduce Yourself The course web site is password-protected (your password, at least initially, consists of the last four digits of your student ID). You can change your password, put in a preferred nickname, and optionally put in (or not put in) information about yourself----work experience, languages, interests.
I will use email intensively to communicate with students.It
makes possible adjustments to the class schedule and course requirements, and
it is e-mail, not the syllabus, that will be the final word.
Initially, I will use whatever email address is on file as the preferred address in each student's MySJSU records. You may change this at any time by logging on to the course Web site and inserting a different email address as your preferred address. Students have the option of receiving an SMS text alert sent to their cell phone whenever I send out an email. You can supply your cell phone number on the course web site, so you can receive alerts. This will be completely optional, of course. (Note about email attachments: Due to the threat of viruses, no emailed attachments will be accepted under any circumstances for any assignment.) Textbooks and Supplies Students who wish to buy their textbooks online can check prices on the free price-comparison book site www.isbn.nu
Grading
Exams will be multiple-choice in format. Each exam offers a fresh start. The final exam will cover the last third of the semester and will not be comprehensive in scope.
Essay (optional) The essay is optional and brings no risk of a lowered grade. It will be evaluated on a 0-3 point scale and will improve the lowest grade earned in the two midterm exams, raising the grade of one exam by one-third of a letter grade for each point. For example, if the lowest midterm was originally a C+, an essay that earns a 1 would improve the grade of that midterm by one-third step, or to a B-. A score of 2 would change that C+ two steps, to a B. A 3 would change the C+ to a B+. (The ceiling for the top grade is A.) This opportunity is extended to any student who has the discipline and motivation to meet three separate deadlines. First deadline: 10:00 a.m. on Nov 14 (to be submitted online only). Submission of topic and specific proposal addressing the problem. Submission will be via a link displayed on the course web page. Students who fail to meet this deadline cannot submit the paper later. Second deadline: 10:00 a.m. on Nov 26. Submission of sources and outline of paper. Submission will be via a link displayed on the course web page and will be available only to those who met the Nov 12 deadline. Students who fail to meet this deadline cannot submit the paper later. Third deadline. 10:00 a.m. on Dec 10. Submission of the paper, via a link displayed on the course web page. Submission of topic, proposal, sources and outline by the prior two deadlines is a prerequisite for submitting the paper, but a student who had met the earlier deadlines can choose without penalty not to submit a paper. Guidelines for selecting a topic and preparing the paper will be provided separately.
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Exams will be multiple-choice in format. Each exam offers a fresh start. The final exam will cover the last third of the semester and will not be comprehensive in scope.
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Week of |
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Reading assignment that
should be completed in advance of podcast; date of podcast; other assignments
or exams |
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Aug 29 |
Introduction; The Corporation's Rise To Dominance |
The Corporation, ch 1 ; podcasts: Aug 25, Aug 27 |
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Sep 5 |
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The Corporation, ch 2, 3: podcast: Sep 3 |
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Sep 12 |
Democracy, Ltd. & Corporations Unlimited Watch "A Dangerous Business Revisited" |
The Corporation, ch 4, 5: podcast Sep 8 ("A Dangerous Business Revisited"), Sept 10 |
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Sep 19 |
Reckoning |
The Corporation, ch 6: listen to Sep 15 |
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Sep 19 10:00-11:15 |
Midterm Exam I |
Friday Sep 19 10:00: First midterm exam, on-campus
BBC 220; mandatory
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| Sep 26 | Watch Charlie Chaplin's "Modern Times" (black-and-white, 1936)
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The video is not available online, unfortunately. Here are your choices: 1. Come to campus and watch it any time: Instructional Resource Center, on east side of Dudley Moorhead Hall. It comes in two parts. request video code TB0304A, then TB0305A 2. Rent it from Netflix, Blockbuster, or check out from local public library 3. Purchase new (Amazon has a 2-disc DVD that is $24.99) or used (Amazon lists used versions that start at around $15) (Podcasts: will depend upon announcement that week) |
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| Oct 3 | The Wal-Mart Effect
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Wal-Mart Effect, ch 1-6; podcasts Sep 29, Oct 1
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Oct 10 |
The Wal-Mart Effect Video: "Sick Around the World" |
Wal-Mart Effect, ch 7-9, Epilogue, Afterword. ((Only the paperback edition has the Afterword); podcasts Oct 6 ("Sick Around the World"), Oct 8 |
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Oct 17 |
Nickel and Dimed |
Nickel and Dimed, 1-119; podcasts Oct 13, 15 |
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| Oct 25 | Extreme Poverty Watch the classic 1940 adaptation of Steinbeck’s novel The Grapes of Wrath (2 hours, 10 minutes): http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-9022016584178907197 (also available for rental from Netflix, Blockbuster, and other rental services) |
Podcast Oct 22 | |
| Oct 31 | Nickel and Dimed | Nickel and Dimed, 121-221; podcasts Oct 27 | |
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Oct 31 10:00-11:15 |
Midterm Exam II |
Friday Oct 31 10:00: Second midterm exam, on-campus BBC 220; mandatory |
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Nov 7
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Briefing on Optional Paper; In Defense of Food |
Podcast Nov 3; In Defense of Food, 1-81; Podcast Nov 5 |
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Nov 14 |
In Defense of Food Video: Michael Pollan on "The Omnivore's Dilemma" [talk delivered at UC Davis in November 2006] |
In Defense of Food, 83-136; Podcast Nov 10 ("The Omnivore's Dilemma"), Nov 12
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| Nov 14 | Deadline at 10:00 a.m., Friday, Nov 14, for online submission of topic and proposal for optional essay |
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Nov 21 |
In Defense of Food
Video: Super Size Me
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Nov 26 |
(Thanksgiving week)
Philanthropy
in the 19th Century; Modern Philanthropy
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Andrew
Carnegie, “Wealth” in the North American Review, vol. 148, no. 391,
June 1889. http://alpha.furman.edu/~benson/docs/carnegie.htm (The
version at the above link is much easier to read than the photographic
reproduction of the original, which is available below, at Cornell’s “Making
of America” Web site: http://cdl.library.cornell.edu/cgi-bin/moa/moa-cgi?notisid=ABQ7578-0148-88
Podcasts Nov 24, Nov 26
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| Nov 26 | Deadline at 10:00 a.m. Nov 26 for online submission of outline and sources for optional essay (form provided only to those who met prior deadline satisfactorily)
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| Dec 5 | Modern Philanthropy Video: "Born Rich" |
The Billionaire Who Wasn't, 160-194, skip Part 3, jump to 233-285; Podcasts Dec 1("Born Rich"), Dec 3 | |
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Dec 10 |
Modern Philanthropy |
The Billionaire Who Wasn't, 286-329; Podcasts Dec 8, Dec 10 |
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| Dec 10 | Deadline at 10:00 a.m. for submission of optional essay (via online form provided to those who met two prior deadlines satisfactorily) | ||
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Dec 15 (Monday) |
Option to take final exam early in BBC 102, space permitting: 9:45 am-12:00 noon |
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Dec 18 (Thursday) |
Option to take final exam early in BBC 102, space permitting: 9:45 am-12:00 noon |
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Dec 19 (Friday)
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Final exam: 9:45-12:00
noon; on-campus, BBC 220 (this is
on exam make-up day; sorry---it’s the only day available for online courses)
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