The Contemporary

World
3 U N I TS
Course Description
• This course introduces students to the contemporary world by
examining the multifaceted phenomenon of globalization. Using
the various disciplines of the social sciences, it examines the
economic, social, political, technological, and other
transformations that have created an increasing awareness of
the interconnectedness of peoples and places around the
globe. To this end, the course provides an overview of the
various debates in global governance, development, and
sustainability. Beyond exposing the student to the world outside
the Philippines, it seeks to inculcate a sense of global citizenship
and global ethical responsibility.
• This course includes mandatory topics on population education
in the context of population and demography.
Learning Outcomes:
At the end of the course the students should be able to:
A. Competencies
1. Distinguish different interpretations of and approaches to
globalization
2. Describe the emergence of global economic, political, social,
and cultural systems
3. Analyze the various contemporary drivers of globalization
4. Understand the issues confronting the nation-state
5. Assess the effects of globalization on different social units and
their responses
B. Skills
1. Analyze contemporary news events in the context of globalization
2. Analyze global issues in relation to Filipinos and the Philippines
3. Write a research paper with proper citations on a topic related to globalization

C. Values
1. Articulate personal positions on various global issues
2. Identify the ethical implications of global citizenship

Number of Hours: 3 hours every week for 18 weeks or 54 hours in a semester

Course Outline:
• Weeks 1-2 Introduction to Globalization - Defining
globalization
• Weeks 3-5: The Structures of Globalization - The Global
Economy - Market Integration - The Global Interstate
System - Contemporary Global Governance
• Weeks 6-8: A World of Regions - Global Divides: The North
and the South - Asian Regionalism
• Week 9: Midterm
• Weeks 10-11: A World of Ideas
Assessment
• Class Standing - 60%
• (Attendance, Active Participation, Written works, Performance Tasks)

• Major Examinations – 40%

• Averaging
• (Prelim grade + Midterm grade + Final grade)/3

• Attendance and behavior will be observed STRICTLY

INTRODUCTION – What is Globalization?

GLOBALIZATION
Exercise:
See the actual application of globalization
on the different aspects of your daily life.
• Personal hygiene and grooming
• Choice of music
• Foods
• Gadgets
• Furniture and fixtures
• Sources of Information
GLOBALIZATION
(broad and exclusive)
“…the onset of the borderless world..”(Ohmae, 1992)

(narrow and exclusive)

“…includes internationalizing of production, the new
international division of labor, new migratory movements,
new competitive environment, and internationalizing of the
state..” (Cox, 2000)
GLOBALIZATION…
…is many things to many different people

…is the debate

…is REALITY
Metaphors of Globalization
• Solid and Liquid
• Solidity are barriers that prevent or make difficult the movement of
things.
• Liquidity is the increasing ease of movement of people, things,
information, and places in the contemporary world.

• Flows – the movement of people, things, places, and

information brought by the growing “porosity” of global
limitations
Globalization increases…
• Homogeneity – the increasing sameness in the world as
cultural inputs, economic factors, and political orientations
of societies expand to create common practices, same
economies, and similar forms of government.
• Cultural imperialism
• Media imperialism

• Heterogeneity – creation of various cultural practices, new

economies, and political groups because of the
interaction of elements from different societies in the world.
• Cultural hybridization
• Glocalization
Dynamics of Local and Global Culture
Perspectives on global cultural flows:
• Cultural differentialism - cultures are essentially different
and are only superficially affected by global flows.
• Cultural hybridization – integration of local and global
cultures.
• Cultural convergence – homogeneity introduced by
globalization
Globalization of Religion
Globalization transforms the generic “religion”
into a world system of competing and
conflicting religions. This process of
institutional specialization has transformed
local, diverse and fragmented cultural
practices into recognizable systems of religion.
Globalization has, therefore, had the
paradoxical effect of making religions more
self-conscious of themselves as being “world
religions”
SYNTHESIS
• How globalization transforms societies?

• What are its advantages and

disadvantages?

• What is your personal view about it?

ACTIVITY
•From the Op-Eds you read, write a
short summary on how the authors
describe globalization. Do state
their claims and point of view.
Then have your personal reaction
about it.
ORIGINS AND
HISTORY OF
GLOBALIZATION
S U B TI TLE
Hardwired
• Our basic human need to make our lives
better made globalization possible (Nayan
Chanda, 2007)
• Urges: commerce, religion, politics and warfare
• Aspects: trade, missionary work, adventures and
conquest
• A journey in the late Ice Age of our
ancestors in Africa roughly after 50,000
years
Cycles
• Globalization is a long-term cyclical
process and thus, finding its origin will
be a daunting task.
• Global ages ideas have appeared.
• This point of globalization will appear
and disappear.
Epoch (waves)
1. Globalization of religion (4th to 7th centuries)
2. European colonial conquests (late 15th century)
3. Intra-European wars (late 18th century to early 19th
century)
4. Heyday of European imperialism (mid-19th century to
1918)
5. Post-World War II
6. Post-Cold War period
Events
• Roman conquests centuries before Christ (Gibbon, 1998)
• Rampage of the armies of Genghis Khan into Eastern Europe in
13th century (Economist, January 6, 2012)
• Columbus’s discovery of America, Vasco da Gama’s discovery
of Cape of Good Hope and Magellan’s discovery of the
Philippines and (Rosenthal, 2007)
• First transatlantic telephone cable (1956)
• First transatlantic television broadcasts (1962)
• Founding of modern internet (1988)
• Terrorists attacks on the Twin Towers in New York (2001)
Broader, More Recent Changes
1. The emergence of the United States
as the global power
2. The emergence of multinational
companies
3. The demise of the Soviet Union and
the end of the Cold War
 Global Demography
• Demographic Transition – a singular historical period during
which mortality and fertility rates decline from high to low
levels in a particular country or region.
Global Migration
• Vagabonds – on the move because “ they have to be”
• Tourists – on the move because “they want to be and because they can
afford it”
ACTIVITY:
ANG MUNDO SA MATA NG OFW
1. Find a former/current OFW to be interviewed.
2. Guide questions for interview (can be added)
1. How long have you stayed abroad?
2. What are the purposes of your stay there?
3. What were your unforgettable experiences there? How will you
describe them, good or bad?
4. How will you compare the Philippines with other countries?
5. Do you want to back abroad or to other countries in the future? Why
or why not?

3. Share to the class the results of your interview and your

personal insights about your respondent’s experience.