The Contemporary World. Globalization and its impact on individuals, societies and communities, challenges and responses. 3 units.
The course aims to introduce students to the state of the world today and the new global order. What does "globalization" mean both theoretically and from the perspective of individuals and societies affected by global firms, processes, and movements? The phenomenon of globalization is thus examined from a variety of perspectives as well as its effects on traditional cultures and communities, nations and political institutions, and local, national and regional economies.
Students will be asked to identify the challenges posed by globalization and consider responses to these challenges as demonstrated by experiences on the ground. For this purpose, students will produce case studies of communities (in the Philippines and other countries) experiencing the impact of globalization and their respective responses to issues that arise. There are global civil societies engaged in advocacies relating to climate and environmental protection, for example, human trafficking across borders, the application of advances in science and technology to serve some of the world's poorest communities, and so on. There are, too, communities that have managed, in varying degrees of success, to deal with the effects, good and bad, of globalization.
The course will focus on contemporary global conditions from a Filipino perspective primarily and also as a member of the global community. Though a combination of readings, class discussions, writing and group presentations, the students are expected to formulate an understanding of globalization that is theoretically informed and rooted in the experiences of communities and nations.