Talking Points on Global Issues

Book excerpt: Talking Points on Global Issues: A Reader is designed to promote discussion and thought on global issues that have a direct bearing on our everyday lives. The twenty-nine readings vary from brief newspaper articles, to studies on global economic conditions, to excerpts from books. In some cases, sets of readings have been selected to present different perspectives on the issues. For example, are human beings "naturally materialistic" or do they have to be taught to consume? Other sets of readings highlight specific problems. For instance, how does one define terrorism? Each set of reading is accompanied by exercises and study questions that can be used as class discussion topics or as guides to the readings. The reader, which can be used independently, is organized into thirteen problems that correspond to the chapters in Global Problems and the Culture of Capitalism, Third Edition by Richard H. Robbins.