1 Introduction Lesson 1 GEC 3 1st 2024 2025

Welcome
GEC 3 -The Contemporary World
University of Antique
Sibalom, Antique
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 the people 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.
Finland Sweden
China
USA South Korea
Philippines
Taiwan
USA
Huawei
China Guandong, China
Motorola
China
China
Chapter 1 – Introduction to Globalization
“Let me begin with globalization. [...] Narrowly defined, it is meant to mean
. Its larger connotations, however, are less

innocent, encompassing as
pre-eminence of Western culture and

economy; Americanization of the developed and developing world
through the penetration of US culture into others as well as the marketing
of third-world cultures to the West as fashion, film setting, and cuisine…
.
• We speculate with horror on what could be the irrevocable,
enfeebling alteration of major languages, major cultures in its
sweep.
• “One day there will be no borders, no boundaries, no flags
and no countries and the only passport will be the heart.” ―
Carlos Santan
• The most important challenges facing the world in the 21st
century are associated with “
.
Lesson 1: Globalization
In This Lesson
Develop a nuanced definition of globalization in order to begin to understand the processes of
globalization.
View a video and develop their own definition of globalization.
Understand the key features of globalization.
Identify the pros and cons of globalization.
The Meaning of Globalization
• Globalization was first used in 1959. The noun appears in the
Oxford English dictionary in 1962. But three decades passed
before globalization was developed in social sciences as a
paradigm or example.
Every day we hear the term globalization on the

news, read it in the papers, and overhear people talking about
it.
• What does this term mean?
• Shalmali Guttal (2007) defined globalization as
―the process of interaction and integration
among people, companies, and governments
worldwide.
• As a complex and multifaceted phenomenon,
globalization is considered by some as a form of
capitalist expansion which entails the integration
of local and national economies into a global
unregulated market economy.
Globalization as multi-faceted phenomenon
Geographical Economic
Technological Military
Globalization
Political Cultural
Ecological
Other definitions:
• “Globalization as the process of world
shrinkage, of distances getting shorter, things
moving closer. It pertains to the increasing
ease with which somebody on the one side of
the world can interact, to mutual benefit with
somebody on the other side of the world.”
Thomas Larsson, Swedish Journalist
• “Globalization as Colonization”
Martin Khor, former President of Third World Network in
Malaysia
Organization for Economic Cooperation and
Development
• [Globalization] is ―the word used to describe
.
Peterson Institute for International Economics
• [Globalization] is ―
.
Peter Jay
: the
opening of international borders to increasingly fast flows of
goods, services, finance, people and ideas; and the changes in
institutions and policies at national and international levels
that facilitate or promote such flows. Globalization has the
potential for both positive and negative effects on
development and health.
World Health Organization
.
Thomas Friedman
.
Robert J. Carbaugh
• [Globalization] is ―…
Rudd Lubber
• [Globalization] can thus be defined “
This is a dialectical process because such

local happenings may move in an obverse direction
from the very distanciated relations that shape them.
Local transformation is as much part of globalization
as the lateral extension of social connections across
time and space.
Anthony Giddens
• Globalization is the expansion and intensification of social
relations and consciousness across world-time and across
world-space. Manfred Steger
“Expansion refers to ― both the creation of new social
networks and the multiplication of existing connections that cut
across traditional political, economic, cultural, and geographic
boundaries.”
Example: Social media – Establish new global connections
between people.
• International groups of non-governmental organizations (NGOs)
are networks that connect a more specific group (social workers
and activists) from different corners of the globe.
• Intensification refers to the expansion, stretching, and

acceleration of these networks.
Example: London and New York have strong financial market
connection and with the advent of electronic trading, the volume of
that trade increases rapidly since traders can now trade more at
higher speeds. Thus, the connection is accelerating.
BUT
It is not only in financial matters that you can find these

connections. In 2012, when the monsoon rains flooded
much of Bangkok, the Honda plant making some of the
critical car parts temporarily ceased production. This had
a strong negative effect on Honda-USA which relied
heavily on the parts being imported from Thailand. Not
only was it unable to reach the sales targets but the
ability of the service centers nationwide to assist Honda
owners also suffered. As a result, the Japanese car
company‘s global profits also fell.
• Relates to how people perceive time and space.
People begin to feel that the world has become a
smaller place and distance has collapsed from
thousands of miles to just a mouse-click away.
Example: E-mail, cable-TV, internet
• GLOBALIZATION represents the many processes that
allow for the expansion and intensification of global
connections;
• GLOBALISM is a widespread belief among powerful
people that the global integration of economic
markets is beneficial for everyone, since it spreads
freedom and democracy across the world.
Converging Currents of Globalization
Significant component of globalization is the economic
reorganization of the world. The characteristics of this new world
arrangement are: (as agreed by most scholars)
1. Global communication systems that link all regions of the
planet instantaneously and global transportation systems
capable of moving goods quickly by air, sea, and land;
2. Transnational conglomerate corporate strategies that have
created global corporations more economically powerful than
many nation-states;
3. International financial institutions that make possible 24-hour
trading with new and more flexible forms of monetary flow;
Converging Currents of Globalization
4. Global agreements that promote free trade;
5. Market economies that have replaced state-controlled
economies, and privatized firms and services, like water
delivery, formerly operated by governments;
6. An abundance of planetary goods and services that have
arisen to fulfill consumer demand (real or imaginary);
7. An army of international workers, managers, executives
who give this powerful economic force, a human
dimension.
(Rowntree, Lewis, Price & Wyckoff, 2008)
Factors That Have Contributed to Globalization
• There are a variety of factors which have contributed to the
process of globalization. Some of the most important
globalization drivers are numbered below.
1. The price of transporting goods has fallen significantly, enabling
good to be imported and exported more cheaply due to
containerization and bulk shipping;
2. The development of the internet to organize trade on a global
scale;
3. TNCs have taken advantage of the reduction or lowering of
trade barriers;
Factors That Have Contributed to Globalization
4. The desire of TNCs to profit from lower unit labor costs
and other favorable production factors abroad has
encouraged countries to regulate their tax systems to
draw in foreign direct investment (FDI);
5. Transnational and multinational companies have
invested significantly in expanding internationally;
6. The collapse of communism in the Soviet Union;
7. The opening of China to world trade.
• Globalization is one of the most controversial issues of our times.
.
• Critics think that it will largely benefit those who are already
rich, leaving most of the world poorer than before.
• Economic globalization is generally applauded by corporate
leaders and economists. But
Globalization
Advantages Disadvantages
• Productivity increases faster • Millions of workers have lost
when countries produce goods their jobs because of imports or
and services in which they have shifts in production abroad.
a comparative advantage. Living Most find new jobs that pay less.
standards can increase more
rapidly.
• Millions of workers fear of
getting laid off, especially at
those firms in import-competing
, so inflation is less likely industries
to disrupt economic growth.
Globalization (cont…)
• An open economy promotes • Workers face demands of wage
technological development and concessions from their
innovation, with fresh ideas employers, which often threaten
from abroad. to export jobs abroad if wage
• Jobs in export industries tend to concessions are not accepted.
pay about 15 percent more than • Besides blue-collar jobs, service
jobs in import - competing and white - collar jobs are
industries. increasingly vulnerable to
operations being sent overseas.
Globalization (cont..)
• Unfettered capital movements • Workers can lose their
provide workers access to competitiveness when
foreign investment and maintain companies build state-of-the-art
low interest rates factories in low wage countries,
making them as productive as
those in the developed
countries.
(Business Week ―Backlash Behind the Anxiety over Globalization, 2000)

• A number of experts argue that both the anti-globalization and
the pro-globalization stances are exaggerated.
• Those in the middle ground tend to argue that economic
globalization is indeed unavoidable. They point out that even the
anti-globalization movement is made possible by the Internet and
is, therefore, itself an expression of globalization.
• Further contend that
• Such scholars
s (such as the UN, World Bank, and
IMF), along with networks of watchdog environmental, labor, and
human rights groups.
(Rowntree, Lewis, Price & Wyckoff, 2008

Enrichment videos
• Crash Course World History #41: Globalization I - The Upside
hosted by John Green
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SnR-e0S6Ic
• Crash Course World History #42: Globalization II – Good or

Bad? hosted by John Green
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_iwrt7D5OA
Assignment:
1. Discuss the history of globalization? (10pts)
2. Give one theory of Globalization, and explain why did
you choose it. (10pts)
3. Why globalization considered as an ideology? Give
the reasons and explain your answer.(10pts)

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Welcome

GEC 3 -The Contemporary World

USA South Korea

. Its larger connotations, however, are less

pre-eminence of Western culture and

Every day we hear the term globalization on the

This is a dialectical process because such

• Intensification refers to the expansion, stretching, and

It is not only in financial matters that you can find these

(Business Week ―Backlash Behind the Anxiety over Globalization, 2000)

(Rowntree, Lewis, Price & Wyckoff, 2008

• Crash Course World History #42: Globalization II – Good or

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