ICT-ED INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY INC.

143 ME C. Harina Street, Poblacion, San Antonio, Quezon

(043) 703-2273 0908-985-7492

COLLEGE DEPARTMENT

Learning Module In
CONTEMPORARY WORLD

(S.Y 2021-2022)

Prepared by:
Adrian J. Andal

Checked and Approved by:

Nordyl L. Bianzon Jojie R. De Ramos

Instructional Development Committee

Noted by:

Vina N. Mendoza
Directress for Academic Affairs
 ICT-ED INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY INC.
143 ME C. Harina Street, Poblacion, San Antonio, Quezon
(043) 703-2273 0908-985-7492

WEEK 1

INTRODUCTION TO CONTEMPORARY WORLD

Learning outcome (s):

 List expectations for the course

 Identify the relevance of this course

 Write a personal definition of globalization based on a concept map.

INTRODUCTION
Why do you need to study the world? At first glance, the world as a concept,
is abstract. After all, your daily experiences are considered interactions with
your country. When you read the news, you read about the Philippines. When
you engage in an official transaction like paying taxes, you deal with the
Philippine Government. Almost all of your classmates and teachers are
Filipino.
However, you need to step back a little bit to see that the world “out there” is
already here. For example, you likely have relatives who are overseas Filipino
workers (OFWs). Every time these relatives visit or send something home,
they are bringing part of the world with them. Even if you have not travelled
outside the Philippines, you have likely heard stories about foreign countries
from these family members. Some relatives might have told you about the
wonders of Rome. Others may have shown you pictures of San Francisco
Golden Gate Bridge. Others may have described the lights and towering
buildings of Shinjuku.
Needless to say, the media and the internet are your windows to the
contemporary world. You watch American movies and can probably sing at
least one K-pop song. If a major political event occurs, you don’t need to go to
CNN.com to find out more details. Your friends are already posting articles on
Facebook.
 ICT-ED INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY INC.
143 ME C. Harina Street, Poblacion, San Antonio, Quezon
(043) 703-2273 0908-985-7492

Finally, your consumption habits are global. You have dined in Mcdonald’s,
ridden in a Japanese car, maybe owned a Korean Mobile phone and eaten
Australian Beef. You are already a citizen of the world whether you are aware
of it or not. Just by living your life, you automatically think about the
contemporary world.

Relevance of this course

The succeeding lessons for Contemporary world will introduce you to the
major themes in the study of the world while providing opportunities for you to
connect this knowledge with your experiences as a Filipino Student.

Why Study this course?

1. Studying the outside world is a cure to parochialism or
an outlook that is limited to one’s immediate community.
A person that is only concerned with his/her family,
village, or even country is parochial. The parochial
person is, thus, close – minded. This course aims to
stretch the limits of your imagination and outlook. With
this course, we will share with you unfamiliar ideas and
cultures that may spark new interests and concerns. You
may have discovered new intellectual interests that you
might continue to pursue.

2. It is important to study the world because it can teach

you more about yourself. Knowing about other
countries allows you to compare your society with
others. The experiences of communities outside the
Philippines may provide solutions to many of the
country’s current problems. They may also provide
warnings about what not to do. Everyone, for example, desires economic
growth. Isn’t it beneficial if
 ICT-ED INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY INC.
143 ME C. Harina Street, Poblacion, San Antonio, Quezon
(043) 703-2273 0908-985-7492

policy makers know what economic models and policies have worked for
other countries and what have not? Philippine National Hero Jose Rizal said
that anyone who has learned about the world will be haunted by the “ghost of
comparisons.” Once you know about their societies, he says, you will not be
able to look at your own in same ways. You will start comparing and asking
various questions.

3. Lastly, you need to study the world because

you will be interacting with it. In 2009, an
average of 4,018 Filipinos per day left to
become OFWs. In 2015, that number
increased to 6, 092. An as of 2019, there was
an estimate number of 2.2 million OFWs
across the world. More and more Filipinos are
living and working abroad. Nevertheless, even
those who chose to remain in the Philippines
must confront the phenomenon of Globalization. Many of you will work for
foreign companies operating in the country, especially because of the growth
of call centers and business process outsourcing (BPO) industries. Due to
internet, cheaper travel costs, and larger trade of goods and services, the
world has grown more interdependent. Filipinos are becoming aware of this
interdependence. You cannot avoid globalization.

This course will not give you a country-to-country tour of the world but we will
focus on themes, problems and issues. Central study of the world is the
concept of globalization – the deepening global interconnectedness of places,
ideas, economies, cultures and people. At the end of this semester, you will
answer the question, “What does it mean to be the citizen of the world?”
 ICT-ED INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY INC.
143 ME C. Harina Street, Poblacion, San Antonio, Quezon
(043) 703-2273 0908-985-7492

LESSON 1
WHAT IS GLOBALIZATION?
Learning objective (s):

 Agree on a working definition of globalization

 Differentiate the competing sections of globalization

 Narrate a personal experience of globalization

A Story: Gio, Latif, and Laksa

When Gio was a second-year international affairs student in a

University in Cebu City, he obtained funding to join the school team
participating in an international Model UN competition in Sydney, Australia. At
the height of the competition, Gio made plenty of new firneds and became
particularly close to Latif from the Malaysian team. The two first started talking
when Latif Gio where he was from. Upon discovering that Gio was from the
Philippines, Latif lit up and declared that he was a big fan of Filipino actors
Jericho Rosales and Kristine Hermosa. Gio was pleasantly surprised to learn
that Latif had seen every episode of the ABS CBN telenovela Pangako Sa’yo.
The show had aired on Malaysian TV a few years back, and it’s two stars had
developed a modest following.

Ashamed that he did not know as much about Malaysia as Latif knew
about the Philippines, Gio asked Latif what his country was like. Latif, he
discovered, was from a Muslim university in Kuala Lumpur. Gio asked him
what he liked best about living in “KL”, and Latif immediately mentioned the
food. Latif explained that in Kuala Lumpur, one can find Chinese, Indian, and
Malay cuisines. He told Gio that this assortment of foodways was the result of
how British reorganized Malaysian society during the colonial times. The
 ICT-ED INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY INC.
143 ME C. Harina Street, Poblacion, San Antonio, Quezon
(043) 703-2273 0908-985-7492
British did little to change the way of life of the Malays who were the original
residents, but brought in Chinese laborers to work in the rubber plantations
and tin mines, and Indians to help manage the bureaucracy and serve as the
initial professional

core of the potential middle class. One of the ways that these ethnic groups
were identified was through their foodways.

According to Latif, Malaysia eventually became famous for these

cuisines which can be found in the various “hawker centers” across the
nation’s cities and towns. These food stands are located in outdorr food parks
where locals and tourists taste the best of Malaysia, from nasi lemak to laksa.
Gio interrupted Latif and asked, “What is Laksa?” He felt more ashamed at his
lack of knowledge. “Ahh.. let me show you what it is and how it is prepared!”,
replield Latif.

The next day, Latif took Gio to a Malaysian restaurant a few blocks
away from the university. Gio was surprised to discover that Malaysian food
was readily available in Sydney. Having noticed this, Latif explained to his
Filipino friend that, over the years, as more and more students from Malaysia
moved to Sydney to study, Malaysian restaurant’s followed suit. Soon after,
they were catering not only to these students, but Australian born
“Sydneysiders” as well, whose culinary tastes were becoming more and more
diverse.

Gio finally had his first taste of laksa—a rice

noodle soup in spicy coconut curry sauce. He
found the flavors intense since, like most Filipinos,
he was not used to spicy food. However, in
deference to his friend, he persisted and
eventually found himself enjoying the hot dish.
After the meal, Gio and Latif went to a nearby café
and ordered “flat whites”—an espresso drink
 ICT-ED INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY INC.
143 ME C. Harina Street, Poblacion, San Antonio, Quezon
(043) 703-2273 0908-985-7492
similar to latte, which is usually served in cafés in Australia and New Zealand.
Both knew what flat whites were since there were Australian-inspired cafés in
Malaysia and Cebu.

The new friends promised to keep in touch after the competition, and
added each other on Facebook and Instagram. Over the next two years, they

exchanged e-mails and posts, congratulated each other for their

achievements and commented on and liked each other’s photos. Latif sent his
mother’s recipe to Gio and the latter began cooking Malaysian food in his
home.

A few years after graduation, Gio moved to Singapore, joining many

other Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) in the city-state. The culture was new
to him, but one thing was familiar, the food served in Singapore was no
different from the Malaysian food he had discovered through Latif. He would
later learn from Singaporean colleagues that the island country was once part
of the British colony of Malay and the post-war independent Federation of
Malaysia. Singapore, however, separated from the Federation in August
1965, and became a nation-state. Today, they may be two distinct countries,
but Singapore and Malaysia still share the same cuisine.

After he settled down in his

apartment, Gio sought out and found a
favorite laksa stall in Newtown Hawker
Center. He would spend his weekends
there with friends eating laksa and other
dishes.

One Saturday, while Gio was

checking his Facebook feed along the
very busy Orchard Road – Singapore’s main commercial road—he noticed
that Latif just posted something 5 minutes earlier. It was a picture from
 ICT-ED INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY INC.
143 ME C. Harina Street, Poblacion, San Antonio, Quezon
(043) 703-2273 0908-985-7492
Orchard Road. Surprised but also excited, Gio sent Latif a private message.
Latif replied immediately saying that he too had moved in Singapore and was,
at that moment, standing in front of a department store just a few blocks away
from where Gio was. The two friends met up, and after a long hug and quick
questions as to what each was up to, they ducked into a café and renewed
their international friendship by ordering a pair of flat whites.

Reference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0AS65cI0pJA

ACTIVITY: Based on the story stated below, how will you define
globalization? State how globalization was shown in the story. Write it in a
form of essay.

ASSIGNMENT:
1. How have you experienced globalization?
2. What is the difference between globalization and globalism?