Study Guide for the Second Ethics/Global Studies Exam
Fall 2009
The philosophy part of the exam will consist of a number of short essay questions. For each of the philosophers that we have covered, you should be able to do the following:
1. Give an account of the basic claims and the arguments that support these claims.
2. You should be able to apply the theories to a concrete situation.
3. You should also know some major criticisms that can be offered of each philosopher and each theoretical perspective.
4. You should be able to compare the claims and arguments of the philosophers that we have studied.
4. You should be able to explain the meaning of quotations from the philosophers that we have studied. You should also be able to identify who wrote the quoted passage.
1. The philosophy part of the exam is cumulative. Be sure to review the material on the first study guide.
2. Be
able to define negative rights, positive rights, collective rights, and
distributive justice.
3. Understand the libertarian conservative theory of Nozick. Here are some
basic concepts to review:
a. Liberty (negative rights) with an emphasis on property rights
b. No taxation to support social welfare or positive rights
c. The entitlement theory of justice suggests that a distribution is just
if everyone is historically entitled to the portion he or she has and there has
been no violation of negative rights
d. It is not appropriate to evaluation of the justice of the end-state
rather than the historical process.
4.
Understand the liberal theory of John Rawls. Here are some basic concepts to
review:
a. Rawls’ methodology is based on asking what conception of justice would
be chosen by a rational person behind a veil of ignorance.
b. The first principle of justice is the liberty principle.
c. The second principle of justice is the fairness principle that says
inequalities in distribution are just as long as they work out to the advantage
of all and everyone has an equal opportunity to compete.
d. The second principle of justice is implemented through government
regulation, government economic intervention particularly during capitalist
crisis, and the provision of positive rights.
5. Understand the implications of the ideas of Nozick and Rawls for the current
debate over healthcare. Be able to comment on Obama’s proposals and their
philosophical basis.
6. Chapters 1, 3, and 4 of Scweickart’s After Capitalism will also be on the exam. Be sure that you understand the following:
a. The nature of the counter-project
b. The critique of the Soviet Union
c. The alternative model for revolution
d. The basic 3-part model of economic democracy and why each part
is crucial.
e. Why the Mondragon example supports Schweickart’s thesis
f. Schweickart’s proposal for fair trade
g. Schweickart’s view on what’s wrong with capitalism
The Social Science portion will also cover material from the previous exam as well. For example, you should be able to discuss:
-How world systems theorists would describe the current global economy (which nation(s) are core(s) and which are peripheries and how they are intertwined
-How the core nation today compares to core nations of the past. How do US practices/policies in the world compare to that of the British in the 19th century?
-Be able to describe what institutions were created by the United States at the end of World War II in order to steer the global system in the direction that US foreign policy makers sought guide it. Make sure you can explain what the World Bank is and does, what the IMF is and does, the GATT agreements and the WTO as well the national security apparatus (CIA and NSC) and how they operate.
You should also be able to describe what goals or economic development policies leaders of newly decolonized nations were seeking to follow in order to aid their development. Know what dependency theorists argued and what import-substitution and nationalization mean.
You should also be able to describe the 3 schools of thought regarding the functioning of capitalism as well as describing the major proponents of each theory
Classical Liberalism, Adam Smith, when it was dominant among the elite, and what proponents of this view argue should be the role of government in an economy.
Liberalism, John Maynard Keynes, when it was dominant in the world, what liberals argue should be the role of government and why they think this should be the case, and what kinds of programs and policies were implemented under the dominance of liberals.
Neoliberalism. Milton Friedman, the time period of dominance in the global system, and policies and goals of neoliberals.
You should also be able to match up the philosophical positions with the economic theorists and ideas we have covered in the social science portion of the class. For example, make the connections between Rawls and Keynes, Nozick and Friedman, and of course, Adam Smith.
In terms of Stiglitz’s book and the film, The Corporation:
Describe and provide examples of what economists call “externalities.”
What does “Structural Adjustment” mean? What are examples of this?
What does “Comparative advantage” mean?
What is “limited liability” and how does it impact the operation of corporations?
What is the “Japanese Model” of development? Where and when was it or some version of it implemented? What impact did it have? How does it compare to the Washington Consensus?
Who are the “Oligarchs?”
What are TRIPS?
What has been the general trends in countries and regions that have adopted neoliberal policies:
-East Asia, the adoption of greater market openings in the 1980s die to IMF pressures, and the crash of 1997
-the Lost Decade and economic maldistribution in Latin America and the long-term US involvement in Latin America in the 20th century, provide an example of the goals and results in a country like Guatemala, for example
-The former communist bloc countries, the Shock Therapy they were coerced to adopt and the long-term consequences of these policies
Explain what NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) is and the impacts it has had on the United States and Mexico.
Problems and unfairness that Stiglitz points out in trade agreements of past 30-40 years – subsidies and government assistance in the US and Europe while 3rd world nations (developing countries) are forced to open borders and remove all controls.
Describe what Stiglitz sees wrong with the current international patent laws and how he argues against those who claim that patents are necessary to reimburse companies for all of the research funding they put into a new product and that patents spur innovation.
What are subsidies and how do they impact the trade of commodities to other countries? Who provides subsidies?
What is biopiracy?
What does Stiglitz mean by the “resource curse?” Why, in his view, are countries that are rich in natural resources, poor economically? How do corporations influence what happens in resource rich countries? How do agreements between companies and governments give companies the advantage?
Be able to describe 3 solutions that Stglitz proposes to reverse the resource curse.
How are multinational corporations able to influence government policy in the United States? Describe how lobbyists and campaign contributions contribute to this.
What
re some of the consequences of debt? To whom is international debt owed? How is
the debt generally amassed? Describe what happened in Argentina as a case
study.
There will be extra credit questions on current events as well as a map. Make sure you can identify countries on the map that we have discussed or mentioned, including, Malaysia, Thailand, Japan, Argentina, Russia, Poland, South Africa, Bolivia, Nigeria, and Brazil.