Seminar Reflection

1. What did you learn in this class that you believe will be most directly applicable to understanding how the world works?
           I would say that researching another country in depth helped me understand how other countries operate. Sometimes it can be hard to see other methods besides the one you're used to. In this class, I realized that the way the US operates is not how the entire world operates, and this should prove helpful in my future. I think that it is beneficial to study the different ways in which countries work, and how this all comes together on a global scale, because it's important to see people all over the world working together in cooperation.

2. What topics are you interested in learning more about, after this class ends?
            I would be interested to learn more about Scandinavian culture now that I have an idea of what life is like in Sweden. I have always wanted to visit, but this class really inspired me to try hard to make that happen. I have an increased interest in experiencing Sweden (and the rest of Scandinavia) firsthand, and I can't wait to see how my experiences will differ from the research I've done.

3. What do you think will be the most challenging for you next year, whether you're studying abroad, studying away, or studying at K?
                 The most challenging aspect, in my opinion, will be functioning in my life at K while all of my friends are gone. The majority of the junior class will be studying abroad/away, and I only have a couple of friends who are staying. Additionally, many of my other friends are seniors who will be graduating next week. Losing this support network will surely be a challenge for me.

City Analysis: Gothenburg

1.          Gothenburg is the second largest city in Sweden, the first being Stockholm. Gothenburg is the largest of all of Sweden's non-capital cities and is home to 533,260 inhabitants, not including the surrounding metropolitan area. While Stockholm is more globally acknowledged, Gothenburg is still widely known throughout Scandinavia and Europe as being a hub for business, education, social & cultural importance, and technology. The city was rated by Forbes as the 12th most inventive city in the world in 2013. Following Stockholm and Gothenburg, the other Swedish cities are much smaller and more rural.

2.           Gothenburg is smaller than Stockholm but still offers almost everything you could find in the capital city, except for specific tourist attractions. Gothenburg has nearly all of the same goods and services available as Stockholm does, but does not have the same sightseeing opportunities, museums, historic sites, etc. These types of things are only found in one location.
              Since Gothenburg is the second largest city in Sweden, it offers many items and services that would be unavailable in most of the smaller towns in the central/northern parts of the country. People living in the more rural towns do not have access to many big-name chain stores, or specialty shops. They often need to commute to one of the two big cities when making large purchases, or when they need to find a specific item that cannot be bought in a generic department store.

Current Happenings in Sweden: 20 May 2014

        Throughout the past two years, a program called Blackshades has been spread throughout the cyber world, being used to search and control computers remotely. Among some 100 suspects for this malware spread, the creator and owner has been identified. The 24-year-old's identity has remained anonymous thus far, but it is known that he resides in Stockholm, Sweden. The suspect is currently under house arrest, but further action is wanted by the United States' FBI. It has been said that over 500,000 computers in 19 countries have been compromised by the Blackshades program. Sweden is the world's leading country in computer science, heading much development in technology worldwide. However, this also means that "hacker" cases such as this are bound to occur in the future.

Source: TheLocal.SE

"The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the Economy Bigger" Discussion

1. Identify a selection from this chapter that you found particularly interesting and explain why you selected it.
            I enjoyed the section of the passage in which the author describes the process of shipping goods, both before and after the development of shipping containers. I liked this part best because I've never worked in (or seen up-close) a facility which transports goods, and I was unaware of the difficult processes involved with loading, unloading, sorting, and other tasks. This section made it easier for me to understand what exactly is necessary in shipping and global transportation; this led to a better understanding of the difference that shipping containers make.

2. How does the author see the development of the shipping container contributing to globalization?
            The author describes the importance and impact of innovation, citing examples of past innovations such as railroads, steamships, and the refrigerated railcar. He then goes on to discuss how the container is similar to these innovations in that it is something we take for granted nowadays, but long ago it was a very important transition. He claims that with the container came the ability to move many objects all at once, making loading and unloading less daunting of a task. Containers also allowed a way to store goods all in one place; this helped with keeping track of many goods at one time. For example, rather than labeling each individual gear in a shipment of machinery, all of the gears could be packaged together and labeled. This would cut down on time searching for and counting up all of the gears at the unloading site. Because of these efficiencies, the author says that globalization of trading goods became overall an easier process, allowing the global market for these goods to expand.

3. Who do you see gaining and losing from this transformation of global transportation?
              The companies which buy and sell transported goods would benefit from he saved time and energy which came with the development of shipping containers. However, at the same time, there would be a significant decrease in need for workers who used to carry out the tasks that are no longer needed, such as loading and unloading many items (now it is possible to load or unload one box containing all of these items) or labeling, sorting, finding, and gathering items (which are now all kept neatly together). Although global transportation's new efficiency is expanding the global market, there are many losses where these tedious tasks used to provide jobs.

Current Happenings in Sweden: 6 May 2014

Over the past several weeks, Swedish officials have released statements concerning trade between the US and EU. Although trade deals with the US could be very beneficial, economically, for both parties, Sweden fears that the US's environmental standards are too low. Mikael Karlsson, spokesperson for the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation, spoke recently at a seminar in Stockholm for US/EU trade talk. Karlsson expressed his concerns, and it seems that many Swedish citizens agree with him that "the proposed trade deal could have a 'devastating chill' on EU environmental ambitions." It would seem that the US is rather behind in the global movement to "go green," and this is beginning to affect our international affairs. This controversy could be the start of a change in green policies for the US.

Country Profile Part 5: Transportation

Water Transportation
          Since Sweden is bordered by a large amount of water, numerous ports and harbors can be found along the coastline. These ships are mainly used for carrying shipments of goods into or out of the country, but there are a number of ferries which transport visitors around Sweden and the surrounding countries. Ferry tickets can be bought as a round-trip tour, or as a one-way ticket to get from a city to, say, a small fishing village. It is also common to use the ferries to travel to/from Norway, Finland, Denmark, and other areas.

Land Transportation 
            Sweden has a rather extensive and well-maintained railway system. SInce public transportation is encouraged, most cities can be reached by train. In the far north, it is sometimes necessary to take a bus or car in addition to the train because of the many small villages. In Sweden's second largest city, Gothenburg, the tram (streetcar) system is very well-known and frequented by both residents and visitors. The Gothenburg tram is the most extensive tram network in Northern Europe. Stockholm, the capital city, replaced its tram system with the Metro (train/subway network) although this is just as successful. Sweden puts a large emphasis on public transportation in order to stay environmentally-friendly. When a train or tram is not an option, there are still buses, taxi-cabs, and locations where you may rent a car.
                Sweden also has good roadways, with high-speed motorways (similar to out expressways) which eliminate excessive traffic congestion. It is not uncommon to own a car in Sweden, or to rent one, but with all of the available public transportation many people choose not to do so.

Air transportation
              The two largest and most well-known airports in Sweden are in Stockholm and Gothenburg. When flying internationally, these are typically the airports used. The Stockholm-Arlanda airport is a "hub" for most domestic flights, and there are dozens of smaller regional airports as well. Though domestic flights are an enjoyable way to get around the country, many people find it easiest to take a train when oving from city to city.

Country Profile Part 4: International Trade

International trade in Sweden

Sweden trades mainly with other Northern and Western European countries. A very small amount of trade occurs with non-European countries (mostly China, Russia, and the U.S.). Sweden's top trade partners are Norway and Germany.

Imports: machinery, petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, motor vehicles, iron and steel; foodstuffs, clothing
Exports: machinery, motor vehicles, paper products, pulp and wood, iron and steel products, chemicals

Exchange rate: 6.58 Swedish kronor (SEK) per U.S. dollar (2013 est.)

Immigration and emigration: Most of the immigration to Sweden is due to refugees from the Middle East and Somalia. Refugees from other parts of the world, as well as immigration due to family reunification, have made up several "peaks" of immigration rates in Sweden for the past several decades. Other immigrants from other parts of Europe are not uncommon, but are not very significant. Emigration from Sweden is less common than immigration, and most emigrants move to other countries in the European Union, or to the United States.

International Relations: Sweden currently has no disputes with other countries, nor significant allies. Sweden's political strategy is to avoid making allies with any other country in peaceful times; this keeps them neutral. Aside from being part of the UN, EU, and other peacekeeping organizations, Sweden prefers to remain neutral in political situations and stay out of international conflict.

A Fez of the Heart Discussion Questions

a. Choose one passage from the reading that you found particularly interesting. Why was this interesting?

The passage which I found the most interesting was on page 3, in which Seal describes the census that is meant to take place in Pomegranate. I found this part interesting because of Seal's subtle wittiness. I did not understand this paragraph until I re-read it a couple of times. In the passage, Seal talks about the confusion when everyone was told to stay indoors, and how the census was a failure because the only thing which came out of it was a large number of babies born nine months later with the newly-popular first name meaning  "census."




b. Use examples from this reading to illustrate the interaction between economics and culture.

In the reading, the most notable event taking place which Seal describes in Pomegranate is the overpowering of economics over culture. The traditional culture of the Turkish people is rapidly lost as the presence of tourism becomes more abundant. Seal describes how the traditional clothing style becomes less modest until it is completely lax (which goes against traditional Turkish custom and most religion in the area). Additionally, the foods and activities which used to make up the cultural scene in Pomegranate all disintegrated into whatever the tourists wanted and were willing to pay for. Restaurants and shops did away with the cuisine and items that people from the area used to buy/enjoy, and replaced them with American goods (spelled horribly wrong) such as hamburgers and baseball caps and sunglasses. The music became almost completely Euro-pop, and even the language began to change as most people were expected to know English so that they could communicate with the American and European tourists. These examples and more in the reading show that the interaction between economics and culture is close: a shift in one often causes a shift in the other.




c. Beyond the specific example of this town in Turkey, what connections or conflicts do you see between tourism and economics or tourism and culture?

In other areas of the world it is easily noticeable that tourism usually dominates culture when the two go up against each other. From what I have seen in Italy, the landmarks which meant so much to Italian history are often places of worship: The Vatican, St. Francis' cathedral, St. Peter's Basilica, etc. (Of course there are other non-religion-affiliated historical sites as well). In these places, it is considered disrespectful to enter while wearing revealing clothing (such as shorts or skirts that do not cover the knees, blouses which expose the shoulders and collarbone, etc.) however at this point in time, the rules regarding this have become very relaxed because it is extremely difficult to get visiting American tourists to follow this dress code, and if they are asked to dress more modestly before entering a church, they are known to pitch a fit. In other places, there are similar issues in that tourism brings a country so much revenue that people abandon their old occupations (agriculture, crafting, smithing, etc) and slowly all of these specialized jobs are lost in favor of working at tourism sites. People who used to make a place unique because of their work have disappeared among the workers at souvenir shops, restaurants, amusement parks and tour guides.