The fourth week finally began and we started our "Working in the Global Economy" class with Dr. Dale Wimberley, a sociology professor at Virginia Tech. The objective of the course was to sociologically understand the nature of people's work in the Dominican
Republic and other countries of the "Global South," in the context of a global division of labor.
The order in which the class was taught:
I. The sociological perspective
II. Globalization
III. Class, race, and gender inequalities in the global division of labor
IV. The sociological study of work
V. Export manufacturing in the Global South
VI. The Global South's tourism industry
VII. Farming for export to the rich countries
VIII. Conclusion: Alternatives to globalization as we know it
I found this class to be quite interesting. I really found a passion in studying labor and the international labor solidarity movement. We traveled to Santo Domingo to see sugar cane plantations, sweat shops, and also to talk to some sweat shop workers. Dale really focused on getting a "hands on" education while we were ther, so he really wanted us to talk to workers and see what is really going on in the world.
It's an amazing experience to actually talk to the workers and see how globalization is affecting everyone. I have learned more on this trip by seeing and interacting with the people of the global economy, instead of just watching from the States or reading some random text book.
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