Introduction

January 22

 

 

The military-industrial complex

January 29

Mills, The Power Elite.

 

 

The powers of big business

February 5

Porter, The Rise of Big Business, 1860-1920.

Scott, Power, chaps. 1-2.

 

 

Capital vs. community

February 12

Cowie, Capital Moves.

 

 

February 19

Class cancelled.

 

 

Inner circles of corporate power

February 26

Benoit, The Best-Kept Secret.

Scott, Power, chaps. 3, 5, and pp. 135-148.

 

 

Investor capitalism

March 5

Scott, Power, pp. 71-79.

Gerald F. Davis, "The New Financial Capitalism" and "Financial Markets and Corporate Governance." Chaps. 1-2 in Managed by the Markets (Oxford University Press, 2009).

Michael Useem, "When Investors Challenge Company Performance." Chap. 2 in Investor Capitalism (Basic, 1996).

 

 

Neoliberalism

March 26

Harvey, A Brief History of Neoliberalism.

Scott, Power, pp. 79-91.

 

 

Corporate philanthropy

April 2

Due: 1-page term-paper proposals.

Himmelstein, Looking Good and Doing Good.

 

 

Corporate social responsibility

April 9

Holliday et al., Walking the Talk: all chapters plus Case Studies sections for:
"The business case for sustainable development" (pp. 32-38),
"Corporate social responsibility" (pp. 115-124),
and two other chapters of your choice.

 

 

Historical fabrics of corporate power

April 16

Widick, Trouble in the Forest.

 

 

What is to be done?

April 23

Rushkoff, Life, Inc.

 

 

April 30

Presentations of term-paper case studies.
Class will be extended past 12:30, and lunch will be provided.

 

 

May 11

Term papers due.