Welcome to  Online Global Problems Reader.

The staggering growth of information on the Internet is a windfall for educators.  The problem is how do we access and organize it?  This collection of Online readings and exercises represents one solution to that problem.  Its purpose is to provide educators, students, public policy analysts, among others, with a body of Internet material on global problems, such as hunger, poverty, disease, environmental devastation, and social unrest.  The organization of this reader follows that of the book, Global Problems and the Culture of Capitalism by Richard H. Robbins, and is, in part, designed to complement the book and courses in which it is used.  However the Online Global Problems Reader can be used for any university or secondary school course, or as a source of information for interested readers.  Best yet, it’s free!

The articles and exercises included in  the reader are all freely available on the Internet; we have reviewed thousands and selected those that allow some degree of continuity from selection to selection.  We have not limited ourselves in the kind of material you will find in the reader.  There are articles from Online journals, newspapers, magazines, symposia, and courses; position papers and press releases from NGOs and think tanks, excerpts from Online books, and presentations from museums.  Some of the selections are virtual tours, while others contain data relevant to specific topics.   There are even Online quizzes and simulations of various sorts.  The selections also represent a range of difficulty, although we have provided introductions to the readings that we hope will make even the more difficult accessible to all students and general readers.   We will continue to review and update the selections, and we would greatly appreciate suggestions for items to include; the Internet and projects such as this provide a wonderful opportunity for collaboration.

We plan to periodically check to ensure that links included in the reader work.  However, since the selections exist on other Web Sites, we have no control over their maintenance. Consequently some may be removed, URLs may change, or sites may be temporarily down.   We would appreciate knowing when you have difficulties accessing any of the selections. Just email Richard Robbins at richard.robbins@plattsburgh.edu or Gloria Bobbie at bobbiegj@plattsburgh.edu