GE 113 THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD

INTRODUCTION:
The 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.

Lesson 1: OVERVIEW ON THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD

Learning Outcomes:
Agree on a working definition of globalization for the course
Differentiate the competing conceptions of globalization
Narrate a personal experience of globalization

⧐Derived from the word “globalize” which refers to emergence of an international network
of economic systems
⧐The process of interaction and integration among the people, companies, and
governments of different nations, aided by information technology
⧐Aims to expand business operations on a worldwide level
⧐ In general, Globalization is a kind of process which every nation interacts with each other
inorder to achieve global unity
A HISTORICAL VIEW

Globalization is not new. Since the start of civilization, people have traded goods with their
neighbors. As cultures advanced, they were able to travel farther afield to trade their own
goods for desirable products found elsewhere. The Silk Road, an ancient network of trade
routes used between Europe, North Africa, East Africa, Central Asia, South Asia, and the Far
East, is an example of early globalization. For more than 1,500 years, Europeans traded glass
and manufactured goods for Chinese silk and spices, contributing to a global economy in
which both Europe and Asia became accustomed to goods from far away. Following the
European exploration of the New World, globalization occurred on a grand scale; the
widespread transfer of plants, animals, foods, cultures and ideas became known as the
Columbian Exchange. The Triangular Trade network in which ships carried manufactured
goods from Europe to Africa, enslaved Africans to the Americas, and sent raw materials back
to Europe is another example of globalization. The resulting spread of slavery demonstrates
that globalization can hurt people just as easily as it can connect people.

Prepared by: MAUREEN B. NADIAHAN

Instructor
GE 113 THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD

The rate of globalization has increased in recent years, a result of rapid advancements in
communication and transportation. Advances in communication enable businesses to
identify opportunities for investment. At the same time, innovations in information
technology enable immediate communication and the rapid transfer of financial assets across
national borders. Improved fiscal policies within countries and international trade agreements
between them also facilitate globalization. Political and economic stability facilitate
globalization as well. The relative instability of many African nations is cited by experts as one
of the reasons why Africa has not benefited from globalization as much as countries in Asia
and Latin America.

7 FACTORS AFFECTING 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.
Through globalization, the available resources of each country will not just be limited on
what their country can produce, but it will also be dependent on other countries.
The products that are only available on a certain country will be also available to other
countries which do not have the materials to produce it through an international trading
system.
The most visible impacts of globalization are definitely the ones affecting the economic
world. Globalization has led to a sharp increase in trade and economic exchanges, but also to
a multiplication of financial exchanges.
In the 1970s world economies opened up and the development of free trade policies
accelerated the globalization phenomenon. Between 1950 and 2010, world exports
increased 33-fold. This significantly contributed to increasing the interactions between
different regions of the world.
Example:
The garment industry in Bangladesh makes clothes that are then shipped out across the
world. It employs as many as four million people, but the average worker earns less in a
month than a U.S. worker earns in a day.
2. Globalization and Militarism
Based on article published by Stephen Staples (2000), chair of the International Network on
Disarmament and Globalization, he said that “Globalization and Militarism” should be seen as
two sides of the same coin.
On one side, globalization promotes the conditions that lead to unrest, inequality, conflict
and ultimately, war.

Prepared by: MAUREEN B. NADIAHAN

Instructor
GE 113 THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD

Globalizations fuels the means to wage war by protecting and promoting the military
industries needed to produce sophisticated weaponry. Its use is threatened – to protect the
investments of transnational corporations and their shareholders.
According to David Held, military globalization is “ the process which embodies the growing
extensity and intensity of military relations among the political units of the world system.
However, in deeper studies, the globalization actually promotes a global war economy which
results in many deaths and loss of human life.
Example:
China
Military spending in China was $19 and $161billion (2% of GDP) in 1990 and 2012,
respectively. Military spending often reflects economic growth and this is especially true in
China where military spending has increased in the past decades roughly in line with
economic growth. Military expenditure grew 7.4% in 2013 alone, far more than any other
country in the region, and among the larger annual growth worldwide. A combination of
increased Chinese military spending and rising regional tensions have led to higher military
expenditures among neighboring countries like Vietnam, Philippines, and Japan.
Russia
While total military spending in Russia remains a fraction of what it was in the late 1980s, it
has been on the rise in recent years as a result of Russia´s involvement in regional conflicts,
such as Ukraine crisis. The country´s military expenditure was roughly $81 billion in 2012
compared to just $64.5 billion in 2009. Russia now spends 4% of its GDP on its military. The
rather high increase is likely due in part to Russia´s stated plans to invest more than $700
billion to modernize its weapons systems by 2020.
North Korea
The North Korean military is one of the biggest in the world, its defense budget would grow
markedly over the next five years amid a growing perception of threats from North Korea. In
1990 and 2012, the military spending was $15 and $31 billion (2.6% of GDP), respectively.
The annual rate of increase will be roughly 7% according to the Defense Ministry. Although
the North Korean threat still justifies high military spending, other rationales have played a
significant role in this development as well such as perception of weakening US security
commitment, unspecified threats or insecurity in the region, the technological requirements
of the Revolution in military affairs, and more importantly, arguing that growing the military
and localizing production is good for the economy during the period of global economic
crisis.

3. Globalization and Culture

Prepared by: MAUREEN B. NADIAHAN

Instructor
GE 113 THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD

Cultural globalization refers to the rapid movement of ideas, attitudes, meanings, values and
cultural products across national borders. It refers specifically to idea that there is now a
global and common mono-culture – transmitted and reinforced by the internet, popular
entertainment transnational marketing of particular brands and international tourism – that
transcends local cultural traditions and lifestyles, and that shapes the perceptions,
aspirations, tastes and everyday activities of people wherever they may live in the world.
Through globalization, cultures on a specific country can be shared or spread with other
countries. The downside of this is some cultures that are exclusive on a certain country are
slowly vanishing.
Migration is an important aspect of cultural globalization, and in this sense, this process has
been going on for several centuries, with languages, religious beliefs, and values being spread
by military conquest, missionary work, and trade. However, in the last 30 years, the process
of cultural globalization has dramatically intensified due technological advances in both
transportation and communications technology.
Example:
The globalization of food is one of the most obvious examples of cultural globalization – food
consumption is an important aspect of culture and most societies around the world have
diets that are unique to them, however the cultural globalization of food has been promoted
by fast food giants such as McDonald’s, Coca-Cola and Starbucks. The spread of these global
food corporations has arguably led to the decline of local diets and eating traditions.
The globalization of sport is another fairly obvious example of cultural globalization – think of
all the international sporting events that take place – most notably the World Cup and The
Olympics, and Formula 1, which bind millions together in a shared, truly global, ‘leisure
experience’.
4. Ecological Globalization
Globalization has had far-reaching effects on our lifestyle. It has led to faster access to
technology, improved communication and innovation. Apart from playing an important role
in bringing people of different cultures together, it has ushered a new era in the economic
prosperity and has opened up vast channels of development. However, globalization has also
created some areas of concern, and prominent among these is the impact that it has had on
the environment. Globalization has featured extensively in the debates on environmentalism,
and green activists have highlighted its far-reaching effects. Let us know about the impact of
globalization on our environment.
Many critics have also pointed out that globalization has negative effects on the
environment. Thus, the massive development of transport that has been the basis of
globalization is also responsible for serious environmental problems such as greenhouse gas
emissions, global warming or air pollution.
Due to globalization and industrialization, various chemicals have been thrown into the soil
which have resulted into the growth of many noxious weeds and plants. This toxic waste has

Prepared by: MAUREEN B. NADIAHAN

Instructor
GE 113 THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD

caused a lot of damage to plants by interfering in their genetic makeup. It has put pressure
on the available land resources. In various parts of the world, mountains are being cut to
make way for a passing tunnel or a highway. Vast barren lands have been encroached upon to
pave way for new buildings. While humans may rejoice on the glimmer with these
innovations, these can have long-term effects on the environment. Various studies over the
years, have found that plastic is one of the major toxic pollutants, as it is a non-biodegradable
product. However, plastic is of immense use when it comes to packaging and preserving
goods that are to be exported. This has led to increased use of plastic, causing widespread
environmental pollution.
5. Globalization and the Politics
Political globalization refers to the growth of the worldwide political system, both in size
and complexity. 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. The
creation and existence of the United Nations is called one of the classic examples of political
globalization.
⧐ Through globalization, political issues such as the rights of women and children are now
currently often discussed.
⧐ Also through globalization, many laws are now already imlemented regarding the issues on
the rights of women and children.
“Globalization has also brought to the fore issues such as the rights of women and
children...these aspects promote globally certain common values such as equality, human
rights, justice, democracy and moral values.”
-document written by Mohammad Abo Gazleh
⧐ Globalization has also a negative effect in politics. In fact, “Globalization has
internationalized crimes. Drug Trafficking and the trafficking of women and children have
become much more difficult to control because of their international character. Not only
crimes are globalized, but also disease.”
6. Globalization with Technology
Technological progress is a key driver of improvements in incomes and standards of living.
But new knowledge and technologies do not necessarily develop everywhere and at the same
time. Therefore, the way technology spreads across countries is central to how global growth
is generated and shared across countries.
Indeed, during 1995–2014, the United States, Japan, Germany, France, and the United
Kingdom (the G5) produced three-fourths of all patented innovations globally. Other large
countries—notably China and Korea—have started to make significant contributions to the
global stock of knowledge in recent years, joining the top five leaders in a number of sectors.

Prepared by: MAUREEN B. NADIAHAN

Instructor
GE 113 THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD

While this suggests that in the future they too will be important sources of new technology,
during the period under study, the G5 constituted the bulk of the technology frontier.
Technological globalization is speeded in large part by technological diffusion, the spread of
technology across borders. In the last two decades, there has been rapid improvement in the
spread of technology to peripheral and semi-peripheral nations, and a 2008 World Bank
report discusses both the benefits and ongoing challenges of this diffusion. In general, the
report found that technological progress and economic growth rates were linked, and that
the rise in technological progress has helped improve the situations of many living in absolute
poverty (World Bank 2008). The report recognizes that rural and low-tech products such as
corn can benefit from new technological innovations, and that, conversely, technologies like
mobile banking can aid those whose rural existence consists of low-tech market vending. In
addition, technological advances in areas like mobile phones can lead to competition,
lowered prices, and concurrent improvements in related areas such as mobile banking and
information sharing.
Nowadays, technology really plays a huge part in the life of every individual. Also through the
advancement of technology we can now already communicate with others despite the
distance that separates us. Through our technology today, the process of globalization is
now taking place much faster.
Example:
The social media, “Facebook”, through it, we can communicate with other people of other
coutries and give feedbacks on many social issues all around the world
Global Travel, “Global travel used to be a major concern for people for many reasons. One
reason is the inconvenience of passengers taking long hours before reaching their
destination. But with modern technologies such as the modern airplane, global travel would
be possible” – (Ghaderi, 2015)
7. Globalization and Geography
It refers to intensified geographical movements across national borders of commodities.
People seeking employment, money, and capital investment, knowledge, cultural values, and
environmental pollutants.
As an example, migration to major cities and first world countries has increased during the
period of Globalization. Family structures in places such as Ecuador have changed, where
community members and relatives have begun helping with childcare as male adults have
often migrated to North America and other regions for city-based jobs.
Cultures are also becoming heterogeneously mixed or hybridized. While Western ideas and
concepts, including music and films, are pervasive, they are also intermixed with local
elements. Examples of movies from India, such as Mississippi Masala or the Reluctant
Fundamentalist, reflect Indian-Pakistani migrants’ experiences in the United States, where the
titles and tongue-in-cheek portrayal are American in style, but the presentation and themes
discussed are more understood and relevant for Indian-Pakistani communities. In China,

Prepared by: MAUREEN B. NADIAHAN

Instructor
GE 113 THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD

Globalization has benefited its industry, but it has also resulted in China’s citizens having
more Western style expectations, such as in relation to consumption, status, and expectation
for social reforms. Increasingly, what were once considered Western ideals have spread to
other societies and they have become increasingly seen as more universal ideals. Societies
where polygamy, purdah, and genital mutilation were once more common have increasingly
seen these actions as less acceptable, particularly by the educated classes. NGO groups and
governments are increasingly seeing their role as global citizens who can bring their services
and, at times, their ideals as a way to influence societies.

Reference/s:

Lisandro E. Claudio and Patricio N. Abinales. 2018. The Contemporary World

Battersby, and Joseph M. Siracusa, eds. 2014. The SAGE Handbook of Globalization. Two vols.
Thousand Oaks: SAGE (Chapter 2)
Chapman et al (2016) Sociology AQA Year 2.
Giddens (2009) Sociology.

Prepared by: MAUREEN B. NADIAHAN

Instructor