Republic of the Philippines Course Code: GE3

LUGAIT COLLEGE
UPPER TALACOGON, LUGAIT, MISAMIS ORIENTAL Course Title: The Contemporary World

2nd Semester SY 2021 – 2022 Unit: 3 (lecture)

Instructor: EL M. DELA CRUZ, PhD Subject Schedule:

Mobile Number:09556518777 TM (5:00 - 6:30 PM) Friday

(7:30 - 9:00 AM) Saturday
FOR: BSPEd Students
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Module 1

Topic: Desired Learning Outcomes:

1. Introduction to Globalization • Distinguish different interpretations of and approaches to

a. Defining Globalization globalization
Duration: 3 hours

Conceptualizing Globalization:

Globalization is now a buzzword in twenty-first-century politics. This interconnection and

interdependency has equally long lists of pros and cons. What does globalization mean and when did
it begin?
Globalization is the process by which the world, previously isolated through physical and technological
distance, becomes increasingly interconnected. It is manifested by the increase in interaction between
peoples around the world that involves the sharing of ideas, cultures, goods, services and investment.
In the later decades of the twentieth century, people found they needed a term to describe the dizzying
amount of changes going on around them. The businesses that people worked for were buying and selling
more goods in distant places. International organizations were increasingly bringing together representatives
from many different communities. People were exchanging ideas rapidly as technology made travel and
communications easier. These networks were not only getting bigger and covering more ground, but also
their activity had become more intense. It was now possible to send and receive information or visit other
places much more rapidly than ever before. Some observers even noted that people could have closer
relationships with others living thousands of miles away, than with their own neighbors.
After the Industrial Revolution, the world became even more interconnected, and some scholars say that
globalization really began in this period. In this sense, globalization is about people around the world
becoming so connected that local life is shaped by what is happening in other parts of the world. This
challenges our definition of community in some ways. Through the Industrial Revolution, local-global
connections like this began to be established. Transportation and communication advancements led to an
increase in travel and the sharing of ideas (collective learning). Imperialist nations exerted control over other
areas of the world. The legacy of this colonization was, of course, negative in many ways when you consider
slavery, destruction of traditional cultures, and the depletion of resources. But there were some effects most
think of as positive, including the new technologies like railways and telegraph lines that connected more
people and ideas around the world.
Globalization’s effect on communities and economies:

Globalization has touched all aspects of human existence. In the modern era, voluntary migration as well
as forced migration has resulted in a diverse human population in many parts of the world. America, which is
often called a "melting pot", is a prime example of how the mass movement of people has shaped the modern
world. Today's Americans come from all corners of the globe. But equally diverse populations can be found in
parts of Mexico, South Africa, Indonesia, and many other places. And as people move, they bring with them
their language, culture, food, and customs. These become interwoven within an existing society and create
diversity, which should be celebrated.

Similarly, the world economy today is so intertwined that if one nation struggles financially, the effects are
felt in global markets. The 2008 global recession, for example, caused several banking crises in Europe and
Asia, but really began with a "bubble" of bad loans in the United States. On an everyday basis, globalization
is represented by multinational corporations that employ people around the world. These companies often
make a single product from resources and labor in many different countries.

The pros and cons of globalization:

 This kind of intense globalization brings together people from around the world. But—and there are some
buts—what are the side-effects? Technological innovations now let people around the world communicate
and share ideas in real time, when messages sent across continents used to take months. But not everybody
has the same access to computing or the Internet. Governments can work together to trade and solve
problems. But that means some people are affected by laws or policies made in other countries. Beliefs are
shared, which results in millions of people practicing the same faith in various parts of the world. But these
shared beliefs also increase tensions with disagreements between people of different faiths, and even within
faiths.

Economies have become intertwined through international trade and aid. But, globalization has also led
to an increase in inequality. In some nations the wealthy have become far richer while the poor have stayed
stagnant economically. Some areas of the world have become extremely powerful and wealthy while others
are still trying to overcome the negative effects of colonialism. In perhaps the biggest but of them all, the use
of fossil fuels in industrialized nations has led to pollution that spreads around the world. As a result, one
nation's pollution becomes the problem of other nations, as wind and water currents carry these toxic fumes
and chemicals. Wealthy nations have also exported their waste to poorer nations including toxic waste and
garbage from landfills.

Interconnection and interdependency, therefore, can be a double-edged sword, as you will learn in this
unit's lessons. However, with all of the twenty-first century's technology, medical innovations, and
multinational corporations, it's impossible to think that we can ever retreat from the modern world to focus
only on ourselves. As humans, we have the ability and consciousness to improve not only our own lives but
also the lives of all humans as well as other species by working together. Globalization isn't reversible, so
how can we eliminate some of the negatives as we move forward and continue to reap the rewards of
working together and exchanging ideas?

Types of Globalization:

1. Economic globalization - refers to the increasing interdependence of world economies as a result

of the growing scale of cross-border trade of commodities and services, flow of international capital
and wide and rapid spread of technologies.

Benefits:

Globalization provides businesses with a competitive advantage by allowing them to source raw
materials where they are inexpensive. Globalization also gives organizations the opportunity to take
advantage of lower labor costs in developing countries, while leveraging the technical expertise and
experience of more developed economies.With globalization, different parts of a product may be made in
different regions of the world. Globalization has long been used by the automotive industry, for instance,
where different parts of a car may be manufactured in different countries. Businesses in several different
countries may be involved in producing even seemingly simple products such as cotton T-shirts.

Globalization affects services too. Many businesses located in the United States have outsourced their
call centers or information technology services to companies in India. As part of the North American Free
Trade Agreement (NAFTA), U.S. automobile companies relocated their operations to Mexico, where labor
costs are lower. The result is more jobs in countries where jobs are needed, which can have a positive effect
on the national economy and result in a higher standard of living. China is a prime example of a country that
has benefited immensely from globalization. Another example is Vietnam, where globalization has contributed
to an increase in the prices for rice, lifting many poor rice farmers out of poverty. As the standard of living
increased, more children of poor families left work and attended school.

Consumers benefit too. In general, globalization decreases the cost of manufacturing. This means that
companies can offer goods at a lower price to consumers. The average cost of goods is a key aspect that
contributes to increases in the standard of living. Consumers also have access to a wider variety of goods. In
some cases, this may contribute to improved health by enabling a more varied and healthier diet; in others, it
is blamed for increases in unhealthy food consumption and diabetes.

Downsides
Not everything about globalization is beneficial. Any change has winners and losers, and the people
living in communities that had been dependent on jobs outsourced elsewhere often suffer. Effectively, this
means that workers in the developed world must compete with lower-cost markets for jobs; unions and
workers may be unable to defend against the threat of corporations that offer the alternative between lower
pay or losing jobs to a supplier in a less-expensive labor market.
The situation is more complex in the developing world, where economies are undergoing rapid change.
Indeed, the working conditions of people at some points in the supply chain are deplorable. The garment
industry in Bangladesh, for instance, employs an estimated four million people, but the average worker earns
less in a month than a U.S. worker earns in a day. In 2013, a textile factory building collapsed, killing more
than 1,100 workers. Critics also suggest that employment opportunities for children in poor countries may
increase the negative impacts of child labor and lure children of poor families away from school. In general,
critics blame the pressures of globalization for encouraging an environment that exploits workers in countries
that do not offer sufficient protections.

Studies also suggest that globalization may contribute to income disparity and inequality between the
more-educated and less-educated members of a society. This means that unskilled workers may be affected
by declining wages, which are under constant pressure from globalization.

2. Political Globalization - refers to the absence of the absolute sovereignty of a state's political
borders over a certain area as well as increased interaction between the systems of government
and increased external intervention and interaction on the basis of democracy, non-governmental
organizations, human rights and freedom.

That system includes national governments, their governmental and intergovernmental organizations as
well as government-independent elements of global civil society such as international non-governmental
organizations and social movement organizations. One of the key aspects of the political globalization is the
declining importance of the nation-state and the rise of other actors on the political scene.
Political globalization has been on the rise since the end of the Cold War. Our nation’s leaders have been
trying to develop a system, which extend national functions to help expedite international discussion. Through
political globalization we can easily contact and talk to other countries’ leaders in times of crisis or concern. We
are able to resolve issues, and help spread democracy through the use of globalization, which has helped
lower boundaries and borders as a result of war. Traditionally, different governments and politics were viewed
as nation-wide, but with the help of globalization, our politics are now connected and easily accessible
throughout the world.

3. Cultural globalization - phenomenon by which the experience of everyday life, as influenced by

the diffusion of commodities and ideas, reflects a standardization of cultural expressions around
the world.

Globalization of culture contributes to the exchange of cultural values of different countries, the
convergence of traditions. For cultural globalization characterized convergence of business and consumer
culture between the different countries of the world and the growth of international communication. It also
provides populations around the world with better interconnectedness; it increases the exchange of values
and ideas. It boosts the political activities of nations toward a global level through coordination with
intergovernmental organizations.
ASSESSMENT TASK:
Answer the following questions briefly and concisely. Write your answer in a separate sheet of paper and
submit it in the office or to me at Lugait SHS.
1. What late twentieth-century trends led people to create the term “globalization”?

2. What are some historical trends that accelerated globalization before the late twentieth century?
3. Discuss some positive and negative impacts of globalization.
4. What are some historical trends that accelerated globalization before the late twentieth century?
5. What does globalization look like from your perspective? How does it affect your family and community?
Do you think it has been a good thing for you? Why or why not?

Hello my online/modular students:

I welcome you all in our amazing class this second semester.
I hope you will excel in your studies and make us proud with
your best efforts and results.” Good luck!
Dr. El M. dela Cruz
Instructor