SOC 783 Transnational Studies – SPRING 2016

                       B. Nadya Jaworsky, jaworsky@fss.muni.cz, Office 3.59

                     Office Hours: Tuesdays: 14.00 – 15.00; or by appointment

In recent years, 'transnationalism' has become a common reference across the social sciences.
Moving beyond theoretical approaches to the study of global social phenomena that have
traditionally centered on the nation state as the central conceptual unit of analysis,
transnational studies considers social life as the constantly evolving product of multiple
economic, political, cultural and historical factors that manifest across ‘social fields.’

This course charts the evolution of transnational studies from a sociological standpoint, taking
into account multiple forms of regional, international and local scales, identities and scopes of
inquiry. We will compare and contrast transnational dynamics in various social spheres – the state,
the economy, the family, education, religion and civil society – to rethink assumptions about
identity, sovereignty, citizenship and the political economy.

Utilizing theoretical work and empirical research from sociology, history, politics, economics,
anthropology and cultural studies, we explore the ways that transnational practices and processes
manifest, relate to, and inform each other in different domains, and at different levels of social
interaction, affecting the organization of social life during different historical periods.

Course objectives: By the end of the semester, students should be able to:


·         Define and discuss the concept of transnationalism

·         Review and analyze its historical evolution

·         Compare and contrast transnational practices in different domains and at different levels
of social interaction

·         Apply a sociological lens for analysis of transnational phenomena in various social
spheres, including the state, the economy, the family, education, religion and civil society

·         Assess and apply transnational research methods

Assessment methods

Conditions for passing the course:


1.            Regular Attendance and active participation in seminar discussions (“Even to have
expressed a false thought boldly and clearly is already to have gained a great deal.” Ludwig
Wittgenstein)


2.            Short (1-page) weekly discussion papers (The papers should be a reaction/critical
engagement rather than a simple summary of the readings assigned for the week. You should focus on
the questions you want to ask in the class, or point to gaps and conflicts in one or more
readings.)


3.            Being a presenter/discussant for one assigned reading (A presenter/discussant will be
responsible for presenting and leading a discussion about one of the assigned readings.)


4.            Written final exam (6 essay questions to be answered outside of class)


5.            Final essay (topic of student’s choice in consultation with instructor; 3,000-5,000
words; 10-12 pages)

Particular activities of students will be evaluated as follows:

25% - reading, discussion papers and class participation

15% - discussion/presenter performance
25% - written exam

35% - academic research paper

Evaluation is assessed as follows:
90-100 = A
80-89 = B
70-79 = C
66-69 = D
60-65 = E
0-59 =   F

Academic Honesty

The Faculty of Social Studies at MU expects students to know the study rules and maintain academic
honesty by refraining from plagiarism and from cheating during exams. Plagiarism means that one
presents other peoples’ ideas as one’s own and does not credit the author. Plagiarism is one of the
most serious breaches of ethical standards in the academic environment, for it denies the mission
of the university and the meaning of studying. From a legal perspective, plagiarism is the stealing
of intellectual property. The official FSS policy on academic honesty is available in the course’s
interactive syllabus in IS. Academic dishonesty is not tolerated under any circumstances at FSS.
The minimum penalty for academic dishonesty is expulsion from the course, a grade of F for the
semester, and referral to the Faculty disciplinary committee.

Literature

·         The transnational studies reader: intersections and innovations, Sanjeev Khagram and
Peggy Levitt, Routledge, 2007.

·         Transnational Villagers, Peggy Levitt, University of California Press, 2001.

Optional:

·         Nations Unbound: Transnational Projects, Postcolonial Predicaments and Deterritorialized
Nation-States, Linda Basch, Nina Glick Schiller, Cristina Szanton Blanc, Routledge, 1993.

·         God Needs No Passport, Peggy Levitt, New York: New Press, 2007.


Weekly Timetable:  Below you will find the proposed readings for each week of the semester.
However, and this is very IMPORTANT: You must check the Interactive Syllabus and the Study
Materials pages for specific reading assignments and any last-minute changes. Please make is a
habit to check these weekly, as this is where I will communicate with you!




REQUIRED READINGS:

1st Seminar-Feb. 25:   What is Transnationalism?

No reading

2nd Seminar-Mar. 3:  Historical Perspectives

Section 3 (Chapters 13-16), pp. 179-216 in TS Reader.

OPTIONAL READING: Chapter 1, pp. 1-18 in TS Reader.

3rd Seminar-Mar. 10:   Arts and Culture

Aoyama, Yuko. 2007. “The Role of Consumption and Globalization in a Cultural Industry: The Case of
Flamenco.” Geoforum (2007): 103-13.

Levitt, Peggy. 2012. “The Bog and the Beast.” Ethnologia Scandinavia, 42:29-49.

Dekel, Tal. 2009. "Body, Gender and Transnationalism: Art and Cultural Criticism in a Changing
Europe." Studies in Ethnicity and Nationalism 9:175-197.

4th Seminar-Mar. 17:   The Diffusion of Values, Norms and Meanings

Section 8 (Chapters 33-34 & 36+37), pp. 359-371 & 377-410 in TS Reader

5th Seminar-Mar. 24: Transnationalism and the Digital Age

Nedelcu, Michaela. 2012. “Migrants’ New Transnational Habitus: Rethinking Migration Through a
Cosmopolitan Lens in the Digital Age.” Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies 38(9): 1139-1356.

Schrooten, Mieke. “Moving Ethnography Online: Researching Brazilian migrants’ online togetherness.”
Ethnic and Racial Studies 35(10):1794-1809.

Carpenter, R. Charli and Betcy Jose, “Transnational Issue Networks in Real and Virtual Space: The
Case of Women, Peace and Security.” Global Networks 12(4):525-543.

6th Seminar-Mar. 31:   No class – reading period


7th Seminar-Apr. 7:   Migration

pp. 1- 124 in Transnational Villagers, Peggy Levitt, University of California Press, 2001.

Presentation of Research Essay Topics

8th Seminar-Apr. 14:   Religious Life across Borders and Transnational Islam

Section 6 (Chapter 28), pp. 315-332 in TS Reader.

Grillo, Ralph. 2004. "Islam and Transnationalism." Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies
30:861-878.

van der Veer, Peter. 2004. “Transnational Religion: Hindu and Muslim Movements.” Journal for the
Study of Religions and Ideologies 3(7):4-18.

9th Seminar-Apr. 21:   The Case of Refugees

Koser, Khalid. 2007. “Refugees, Transnationalism and the State.” Journal of Ethnic and Migration
Studies 33(2): 233-54.

Wall, Melissa, Campbell, Madeline Otis, and Dana Janbek. 2015. “Syrian Refugees and Information
Precarity.” New Media & Society. Published online before print July 2, 2015, doi:
10.1177/1461444815591967.

10th Seminar-Apr. 28: Corporations, Classes and Capitalism

Mirchandani, Kiran, 2004, “Practices of global capital: gaps, cracks and

     ironies in transnational call centres in India,” Global Networks 4(4):

     355–373.

Leslie Sklair, 2000, “The transnational capitalist class and the discourse of

     globalization,” Cambridge Review of International Affairs 14(1): 67-85

11th Seminar-May 5: Security, Crime and Violence (focus on terrorism)

Beck, Ulrich, 2002, “The Terrorist Threat: World Risk Society Revisited,”

     Theory, Culture & Society 19(4): 39–55.

Asal, Victor, Nussbaum, Brian, and D. William Harrington. 2007. “Terrorism as Transnational
Advocacy: An Organizational and Tactical Examination.” Studies in Conflict and Terrorism 20:15-39

12th Seminar-May 12: Methodological Practices – what does it mean to use a ‘transnational lens’ to
study social phenomena?

Mazzucato, Valentina, 2008, “Simultaneity and Networks in Transnational            Migration:
Lessons Learned from an SMS Methodology,” In DeWind, Josh and Holdaway, Jennifer (eds) Migration
and development within and across borders: Research and policy perspectives on internal and
international migration, Geneva: International Organization for Migration, p. 69-100.

Olesen, Thomas, 2007, “The Porous Public and the Transnational Dialectic: The Muhammed Cartoons
Conflict,” Acta Sociologica 50(3): 295–308.

13th Seminar-May 19: Research Essay Presentations

No reading – In-class Presentation (3-4 minutes) of Research Essay Progress