Lesson 17 Recording

You can download the audio recording and transcript from today’s class session by following the link below:

• ECON 320 Lesson 19 Recording

And, here’s a picture of me all dressed up for class today.

Lesson 17: Mining in South America and the Lithium Triangle

Announcement:

• Go to uberconference.com/jh2020 to attend class at 11:15!
• For audio only you can dial 719-299-2578
• COVID-19 data

Review:

• Midterm
• Hydropower on the Amazon
• The Mountain that Eats Men (BBC)

Presentation:

• Mining is a major part of Latin America’s economy
  • Copper Mining in Chile
    • Codelco – largest producer of Copper in the world
    • 2010 Copper Mine Accident and Rescue: Buried Alive
  • World Silver Production
    • #1 Mexico, #3 Peru, #5 Chile, #7 Bolivia
    • Mining in Cerro Rico (Bolivia): Devil’s Miner
• Lithium Triangle
  • Lithium
    • Metal used in batteries
      • Consumer electronics
      • Electric vehicles
      • Lithium – the future of transportation energy?
  • Chile, Argentina, Bolivia
    
  • International investment in the Lithium Triangle (18 min)
  • How can Latin America benefit from the Lithium “boom”?
    • Nationalize or Privatize
    • Foreign Investment
    • Value-add industry

Assignment:

• Watch Crude

Coronavirus Announcement

Good morning, ECON 320 students. We will NOT meet in HSB 110 today. Instead we will move our course activities online until further notice.

In lieu of lecture today please watch/read the following materials. I will post more info Monday, or sooner, with instructions for next week.

• Video:
  • The Mountain that Eats Men
  • Devil’s Miner
  • Buried Alive or The 33
  • International investment in the Lithium Triangle
• Reading:
  • The White Gold Rush (Economist)
  • Mining in South America (NY Times)
  • Mining in Latin America (Economist)
  • Finding balance between economic development and environmental protection (World Bank)

Stay safe out there, folks.

Lesson 16: Hydropower on the Amazon

Review:

• Midterm Exam results

• Guest speaker on Thu, Mar 19
  • Scott Kenyon, CEO of Applaudo Studios
  • El Salvador
• Econ/Finance Club
  • Beginning this semester
  • Contact Professor Kevin Duncan for details
• Oil Prices (George Friedman, Geopolitical Future)

Presentation:

• Geography of South America
• Map Quiz (13 countries)
• Natural Resource Extraction in South America
  • Historical Theme
    • Resource Extraction
    • Conquistadors to Chevron
  • Damming, Drilling and Mining
  • Negative impacts on indigenous communities and environment

• Economy of Brazil
  • In “BRICS”, B=Brazil
• Hydropower on the Amazon
  • Hydropower Basics
  • Belo Monte Dam

• Damocracy (start at 9:15, end at 27:30)

Assignment:

• Watch The Mountain that Eats Men (BBC)

Lesson 15: Review for Midterm Exam

Review:

• Midterm Exam on Thu, Mar 5

Presentation:

• The midterm exam will cover material from Lessons 1-14.

Review Topics:

• Middle East
  • Oil and Conflict – a brief history
  • US in Iraq
  • Arab Spring
  • War in Syria
  • Refugee Crisis
  • Iran vs. Saudi Arabia
• Europe
  • WWII + post-war order
    • Marshall Plan
    • Small/Midsize Family Owned Manufacturing Companies in Germany
  • European Union
    • Sovereign Debt Crisis
• Russia
  • Vladimir Putin
  • Oligarchy
• Asia
  • Asian Century
    • TPP
    • US-China Trade War
  • Major Economies
    • India
      • Population growth
      • Economic prospects and challenges
    • China
      • 20th Century (1949-)
      • Dramatic Rise (past 30 years)
      • “Commonwealth” economies
    • Japan
      • Natural disasters – 2011 Earthquake and Tsunami
      • Lost decades
      • Advanced civilization

Lesson 14: Asia’s Rise and the US-China Trade War

Review:

• Next week
  • Review on Tue
  • Midterm Exam on Thu
• Coronavirus
  • Interactive Dashboard (Johns Hopkins University)
  • Animated dispersion map (NBC News)
  • How to protect yourself (CBC News)

Presentation:

• Asia’s Rise (TED talk by Hans Rosling)
• US-China Trade War
  • Realities of Trump’s Trade War (VICE on HBO; 01:00-14:00)

Activity:

• Discussion
  • How should we regulate international trade?

Assignment:

• Study for Midterm in 1 week.

Lesson 13: Natural Disasters, Lost Decades and Advanced Society in Japan

Review:

• Quiz 6
• Asian Century
• Midterm Exam on Thu Mar 5

Presentation:

Japan

1. Natural Disasters
2. Lost Decades
3. Advanced Civilization

1. Natural Disasters – National Geographic

• Japan Tsunami (National Geographic)

Supply Chain Impacts:

• NY Times Article
• Harvard Business School
• Supply Chain Digest

2. Lost Decades

3. Advanced Civilization

• Infrastructure/Technology
  • Public Transportation
  • Internet
• Life Expectancy
  • Health Care
• Living Standards
  • http://www.oecdbetterlifeindex.org/countries/japan/
  • Myth of Japan’s Failure (NYTimes)

Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) 

• TPP Explained

Assignment:

• Reading (required)
  • What on earth is the CPTPP (The Economist)
  • The looming global trade war – A tariffically bad idea (The Economist)
• Viewing (recommended)
  • Hiro Dreams of Sushi (trailer)
  • The Cove (trailer)

Lesson 12: Understanding China and the Asian Century

Review:

• Quiz 05 Results
• 20th Century China

Presentation:

• Geography of East Asia and Southeast Asia
• Map Quiz Game

• Understanding the Rise of China (TED Talk by Martin Jacques)
• Asian Century
  • British Imperial Century (19th)
  • American Century (20th)
  • Asian Century (21st)
• Asian Economies
  • The “Chinese Commonwealth”
    • Tigers: Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, South Korea
    • Tiger Cubs: Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam
    • Viet Nam’s economic miracle
  • Other major economies: India, Japan
• Contemporary China
  • Urbanization on a massive scale
  • Energy intensive growth
  • China investing in Africa, Latin America
    • to secure trade/geopolitical relationships
    • to ensure sources of food, raw materials

• Asia’s Rise (TED talk by Hans Rosling)

Assignment:

• Study for Quiz 06 covering China and East Asian geography
• Vietnam
  • Recommended: The Vietnam War (Ken Burns documentary)
  • Recommended movies about the Vietnam War: Apocalypse Now, Platoon, The Deer Hunter.

Lesson 11: China’s Dramatic Rise

Review:

• Quiz 05
• South Asia geography
• Population dynamics
• India and Pakistan – Nightly Business Report

Presentation:

• China – Key Events in the 20th Century
  • 1949 Mao Tse-tung’s Chinese Communist Party (CCP) takes power.
    • Kuo-min Tang (KMT), led by Chiang Kai-shek, retreats to Taiwan
  • 1958-1959 Great Leap Forward
    • Industrialization campaign
    • Widespread famine kills up to 30 million
  • 1966-1970 Cultural Revolution
    • Red Guards purge “revisionism” (Soviet) and “capitalism” (American) ideals
  • 1978-1987 One Child Policy
    • Population Pyramid
  • 1989 Tiananmen Square
    • Timeline
    • Tank Man
  • 1978- 1992 Deng Xioping
    • Architect of new policy combining Socialism with Market Economics
    • Open Door policy allowed Foreign Direct Investment
    • Special Economic Zones were designated
    • Investment from Chinese immigrants living in Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia and originally from South/Southeast Coastal China (many relocated during Cultural Revolution)
    • Rapid GDP growth
    • FDI 1980-2013

• Video: China: Rise of an Asian Giant (CNA – Singapore)

Assignment:

• Watch the rest of China: Rise of an Asian Giant (CNA – Singapore)
• Watch China: Power and Prosperity (PBS Newshour)
• Watch To Live (recommended, not required)

Lesson 10: Offshoring in India

Review:

• Quiz 04 Results
• Population
• India
• News sources

Presentation:

• Offshoring
  • India Is Becoming Its Own Silicon Valley (VICE)
  • Profit vs Productivity

Activity:

• Read Offshoring Work Is Taking a Toll on the U.S. Economy (Center for American Progress)
• Discussion
  • How will offshoring change in the coming 10-20 years
  • What impact will offshoring have on the US economy

Assignment:

• Study for Quiz 05
• Watch India’s sacred but polluted Ganga River (PBS Newshour)
• Read (not required): Getting Offshoring Right (Harvard Business Review)