Globalization is one of the most comprehensive topics of our time, and also one of the most controversial. This course assesses the current state of globalization, considering it in terms of economic, political, and cultural change, and follows its progress through the semester. The class will be led through the main topics and debates, introduced to conceptual and empirical tools for framing academic discussion and research about its dynamics, how and when it began, and (most particularly) how it differs from earlier episodes of historical change.