Essential Business MOOCs For August

The Age of Globalization

School: University of Texas (Austin)

Platform: EdX

Start Date: August 27 (15 Weeks)

Workload: Not Specified

Instructor: John Hoberman

Credentials: A true renaissance man, Hoberman teaches courses on athletics, Scandinavian culture and literature, and globalization at the University of Texas. After earning his Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley, Hoberman taught at Harvard University and the University of Wisconsin at Madison. He has written seven books and over 100 articles on the science and politics behind global athletics.

Graded: Students can earn a Certificate of Achievement by completing all coursework. However, they can also audit the course to access to all course materials.

Description: In this course, students will examine the ways in which nations are increasingly interconnected. After examining the historical underpinnings for globalization, students will examine how our politics, economics, trade and transportation systems, communications infrastructure, and education systems require increased cooperation. Acknowledging that the basic principle of globalization is competition for influence and resources, Hoberman shares how globalization is re-shaping our cultural identities, business practices, and potentially accelerating climate change.

Review: “This course was extremely informative. I do not agree with the other student who claimed the course was “far left propaganda.” Dr. Hoberman, the professor for this course, focused on the facts surrounding how the world became globalized. He critiqued the ways in which this came about. This is appropriate, I think, considering the colonization, imperialism, and genocide that comes from an increasingly globalized world. However, the course’s entire purpose is to illustrate the good things we can achieve as humans given the right circumstances. I would have been disappointed in the course if Dr. Hoberman had focused only on the positives of globalization. I think he did justice to both sides of the issue and designed a thought-provoking, enlightening, comprehensive course on the subject of globalization. Sign up for the course; you won’t regret it!” For additional reviews, click here.