Lesson Report:
### Title: **Globalization: Investigating Research Questions, Hypotheses, and Political Impacts**
**Synopsis:**
This session focused on expanding students’ understanding of globalization as a process studied in political science, emphasizing how to construct and analyze research questions, factors, and hypotheses. Central objectives included exploring research methods, engaging in applied analysis of two scholarly articles (Kumar and Milner), and clarifying the relationship between globalization and its implications for policy, economy, and society. Attention was also drawn to final exam preparation and essay-writing techniques, providing support for students’ upcoming assessments.
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### Attendance:
– No explicit mention of absences. It is presumed that the class was fully present, as students worked in groups and participated actively.
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### Topics Covered:
#### **1. Final Exam Overview and Logistics**
– **Key Information Provided:**
– The final exam will take place on **Tuesday, December 17th**, during the full class period.
– Exam format: one essay question, with no multiple-choice or short-answer sections. Minimum word length: four paragraphs of five sentences each. No maximum limit established.
– Grading criteria will assess primarily **students’ ability to connect ideas**.
– Raw midterm files and digitized essay grades have been shared with students to facilitate self-review and preparation.
#### **2. Essay-Writing Best Practices**
– Handwritten essays from the midterm were digitized and provided with comments, emphasizing how typed feedback helps students analyze their work more effectively.
– Instructor encouraged students to review their graded essays and highlighted the importance of understanding **logical progressions** in their writing.
– Office hours and email availability were promoted for additional feedback or clarification.
#### **3. Globalization as a Subject of Political Investigation**
– Instructor revisited the concept of globalization, introduced during the previous session:
– Definition: The increasing interconnectedness of the world, with notable disparities in how countries benefit.
– **Key Analytical Frameworks:**
– **Puzzles vs. Problems:** Puzzles are unexplained phenomena (e.g., How does globalization occur?), while problems are morally pressing issues requiring solutions (e.g., Why do some countries benefit more from globalization than others?).
– Distinction serves as a foundation for research formulation.
– Example:
– **Puzzle:** What leads to benefits of globalization being unequally distributed?
– **Problem:** Economic inequality driven by globalization.
#### **4. Analysis of Scholarly Articles (Group Work)**
– **Setup:** Students were divided into four groups, with each set analyzing one of two articles: Kumar or Milner. Groups identified the puzzle/problem statements, research questions, and hypotheses presented by the authors.
##### **Kumar Article (Groups 1 & 2):**
– **Puzzle Identified:**
– The multiplicity of globalization definitions across disciplines (sociology, economics, political science, etc.).
– Challenge posed by conflicting or ambiguous definitions to scholarly research.
– **Problem Identified:**
– Difficulty in addressing the causes and effects of globalization due to its conceptual ambiguity.
– **Research Question:**
– Is there a relationship between differing definitions of globalization and the approaches used to mitigate its impacts?
– **Brief Summary of Kumar’s Hypothesis:**
– Definitions of globalization are intrinsically tied to the strategies for addressing its effects. Ambiguity in definitions obstructs effective policy-making and analysis.
##### **Milner Article (Groups 3 & 4):**
– **Puzzle Identified:**
– The interplay between globalization and the rise of right-wing populism/anti-globalization attitudes.
– **Problem Identified:**
– Globalization exacerbates societal class splits, disproportionately harming the working class, thereby fueling anti-globalization sentiments.
– **Research Question:**
– How does globalization shape political parties’ positions, specifically their adoption of nationalist and populist platforms?
– **Brief Summary of Milner’s Hypothesis:**
– Globalization pressures lead political parties, particularly those on the right, to adopt anti-internationalist, populist stances, reflecting shifts in voter bases and societal divisions.
#### **5. Understanding Research Elements: Hypotheses and Variables**
– **Lecture Focus:**
– How hypotheses structure research by connecting variables and predicting relationships.
– Emphasis on forming testable, measurable, and operational hypotheses grounded in research questions.
– **Example:**
– Hypothesis: Countries with higher GDPs benefit more from globalization because their economies are stronger.
– Null hypothesis: There is no measurable correlation between GDP and benefits from globalization.
– Guided students to extract hypotheses from Kumar and Milner, ensuring clarity, specificity, and operational terms like GDP and benefits.
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### Actionable Items:
#### **For Final Exam Preparation:**
– **Urgent (Exam Preparation):**
– Share outstanding digitized essay grades by **this evening**, tomorrow, or Saturday. Ensure timely communication about grading updates. (Instructor noted this was in-progress and reiterated deadlines to students.)
– Encourage students to review prior exam materials and digitized essays with comments for feedback.
– **Ongoing:**
– Provide feedback during office hours or via email for students seeking clarification on assignments and areas for improvement.
#### **For Classroom Learning on Globalization:**
– Continue scaffolding discussions on **puzzles, problems, factors, and hypotheses**:
– Highlight measurable variables in upcoming lessons (e.g., trade policies, political trends, cultural impacts in globalization).
– Encourage connections between academic research and real-world applications relevant to globalization.
– Consider follow-up small group discussions or individual assignments for students to construct their own research questions and hypotheses.
#### **Operational Issues:**
– Ensure classroom equipment (e.g., markers) is functional for clear visual aids in future lessons.
– Monitor classroom comfort (e.g., ventilation due to smoky conditions) to maintain student engagement.
Homework Instructions:
NO HOMEWORK
Justification: The transcript provided does not include any explicit homework assignment for students. The class primarily focused on discussing the upcoming final exam, reviewing material, and engaging in in-class exercises (e.g., group activities regarding research questions, hypotheses, and analyzing readings). No specific task or assignment was directed to be completed outside of class.