COURSE MODULE

s 1st Semester
of A.Y. Don Carlos Polytechnic College
2022-2023 P-2, Poblacion Norte, Don Carlos, Bukidnon
College of Teacher Education
Module 1 - Week 1

GE3-The Contemporary World

Introduction Intended Learning Outcome
This module will introduce you the definition of the a. Agree on a working definition of globalization for
globalization which could be familiar or unfamiliar to you. the course
b. Differentiate the competing conceptions of
globalization
c. Narrate a personal experiences of globalization
What is Globalization?
Activity

How Globalized is Your Home?

Go to your room and do an inventory of everything you have in your possession. You will find out that the most
essential among the “things” in your room are footwear, clothes, computers (if any), cell phones, television (if possible),
and maybe a radio. You may also notice books, newspapers, news magazines, not to mention school supplies and
equipment.

Organize your inventory in two types: first, “things” that are made in the Philippines and second, those that are of
foreign brands. List the countries of origin of your foreign-brand items.

Do the same thing for the kitchen and the living room. These should include appliances.

Activity

A Story: Gio, Latif, and the 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, Austrilia. At the height of the competition,
Gio made plenty of new friends and became particularly close to Latif asked Gio where he was from. Upon discovering
that the 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 Promise”). The show had aired on Malaysian TV a few years back, and its 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 metioned 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 the British
reorganized Malaysian society during the colonial times. The British did little to change the way of lifr 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 a 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 which can be found in the
various ‘hawker centers” across the nation’s cities and towns. These food stands are located in outdoor 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!” replied 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 Malaysian students moved to Sydney to study, Malaysian restaurants followed suit.
Soon after, they were catering not only to these students, but to Australia-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 similar to latte, which
is usually served in cafes in Australia and New Zealand. Both knew what flat whites were since there were Australian-
inspired cafes in Both Kuala Lumpur and Cebu.

The new friends promised to stay 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
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food in his home.

A few years after graduation, Gio moved to Singapore, joining many other overseas Filipino workers (OFW’S) 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 postwar independent Federation of Malaysia. Singapore, however,
seperated from the Federation of Malaysia. Singapore, however, seperated from the Federation in August 1965 and
became a nation-state. Today, they may be two distinct countries in this part of the world, 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 Newton 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 man
commercial road-he noticed that Latif had just posted something 5 minutes earlier. It was a picture from Orchard Road.
Surprised bu also excited, Gio sent Latif a private message. Latif replied immediately saying thet he too had moved to
Singapore and was, at that moment, standing in front 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 frienship… by ordering a pair of flat whites.

Global Experiences
Gio and Latif’s story is a fictional but very plausible since it is, in fact, based on the real-life experience of one of the
authors. It was through such friendships that one was able to appreciate the meaning and impact of globalization

We begin our definition of globalization with this narrative to illustrate how concrete the phenomenon is. The story
shows how globalization operates at multiple, intersecting levels. The spread of Filipino TV into Malaysia suggests how
fast this popular culture has proliferated and crisis-crossed all over Asia. The Model UN activity that Gio and Latif
participated in is an international competition about international politics. Gio met Latif (a Malaysian involved in the
model UN) in Sydney, a global city that derives its wealth and influence from the global capital that flows through it.
Sydney is also a metropolis of families of international immigrations or foreigners working in the industries that also sell
their products abroad. After the two had gone back to their home countries, Gio and Latif kept in touch through Facebook,
a global social networking site that provides instantaneous communication across countries and continents. They preserved
their friendship online and then rekindled this face-to-face in Singapore, another hub for global commerce, with 40 percent
of the population being classified as “foreign talents”.

What other hints of globalization did you find in the story?

Some Description
Gio’s story is a very privileged way of experiencing global flows, but for other people, the shrinking of the world
may not be as exciting and edifying. For example, it is very common for young women in developing countries to be
recruited in the internet as “mail-order brides” for foreign men living in other countries. After being promised a good life
once married to a kind husband in a rich city, they end up becoming sexual and domestic servants in foreign lands. Some
were even sold off by their “husbands” to gangs which run prostitute rings in these cities. Like Gio, they too have
experienced the shrinking of the world, albeit negativity.

Governments that decide to welcome the foreign investments on the belief that they provide jobs and capital for the
country offer public lands as factory or industrial sites. In the process, poor people living in these lands, also called “urban
poor communities”, are being evicted by the government. The irony is that these people forcibly removed from their
“slums” are also the labor force sought by foreign companies. They had to be kicked out of their homes, and then told that
they could take an hour or two of bus travel from their relocated communities back to the “old home” for minimum-wage
work.

Because different people encounter globalization in a variety of ways, it is deemed useful to ask simple questions
like: “Is globalization good or bad? Is it beneficial or detrimental?” The discussion begins with two premises. First
globalization is a complex phenomenon that occurs at multiple levels. Second, it is an uneven process that affects people
differently.

Globalization: A Working Definition

Most accounts view globalization as primarily an economic process. When a newspaper reports that nationalists are
resisting “globalization”, it usually refers to the integration of the national markets to a wider global market signified by
the increased free trade. When activists refer to the “anti-globalization” movement of the 1990s, they mean resisting the
trade deals among countries facilitated and promoted by global organizations like the World Trade Organization.

Globalization scholars do not necessarily disagree with people who criticize unfair international trade deals or global
economic organizations. In fact, many are sympathetic to the critique of economic globalization. Academics differ from
journalists and political activists, however, because they see globalization in much broader terms. They view the process
through various lenses that consider multiple theories and perspectives. Academics call this an interdisciplinary approach,
and it is this approach used by the general education (GE) courses that you will be taking alongside this one.

The best scholarly description of globalization is provided by Manfred Steger who described the process as “the
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expansion and intensification of social relations and consciousness across world-time and across world-space.” 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.” These various connections occur at different levels. Social
media, for example, establish new global connections between people, while international groups of non-governmental
organizations (NGOs) are networks that connect a more specific group- social workers and activist- from different corners
of the globe. In the story, Gio was able to join a Model UN competition because his university was part of an international
network.

Intensification refers to the expansion, stretching, and acceleration of these networks. Not only are global
connections multiplying, but they are also becoming more closely-knit and expanding their reach. For example, there has
always been a strong financial market connecting London and New York. With the advent of electronic trading, however,
the volume of that trade increases exponentially, since traders can now trade more at higher speeds. The connection is thus
accelerating. Apart from this acceleration, however, as the world becomes more financially integrated, the intensified
trading network between London and New York may expand and stretch to cover more and more cities. After China
committed itself to the global economy in the 1980s, for example, Shanghai steadily returned to its old role as a major
trading post.

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 it laid out, 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.

The final attribute of this definition relates to the way people perceive time and space. Steger notes that “globalization
process do not occur merely at an objective, material level but they also involve the subjective plane of human
consciousness.” In other words, 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. One can now e-mail a friend in another country and get a reply
instantaneously, and as a result, begins to perceive their distance as less consequential. Cable TV and the internet has also
exposed one to news from across the globe, so now, he/she has this greater sense of what is happening in other places.

Steger posits that his definition of globalization must be differentiated with an ideology he calls globalism. If
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. It is a common belief forwarded in media and policy
circles. In the next lesson, you will realize why it is problematic.

For now, what is crucial to note is that when activists and journalist criticize “globalization,” they are, more often than
not, criticizing some manifestations of globalism. Often, these criticisms are warranted. Nevertheless, it is crucial to insist
that “globalization” as a process refers to a larger phenomenon that cannot simply be reduced to the ways in which global
markets have been integrated.

Conclusion: Globalization from the Ground Up

Indeed, it may be hard to assess globalization or comment on it because it is so diffuse and almost fleeting. Some
scholars have, therefore, found it simpler to avoid talking about globalization as a whole. Instead, they want to discuss
“multiple globalizations”, instead of just one process.

For anthropologist Arjun Appadurai, different kinds of globalization occur on multiple and intersecting dimensions of
integration that he calls ‘scapes”. An “ethnoscape”, for example refers to the global movement of people, while a
“mediascape” is about the flow of culture. A “technoscape” refers to the circulation of mechanical goods and software; a
“financescape” denotes the global circulation of money; and an “ideoscape” is the realm where political ideas move
around. Although they intersect, these various scapes have differing logics. They are thus distinct windows into the
broader phenomenon of globalization.

Appadurai’s argument is simple: there are multiple globalizations. Hence, even if one does not agree that globalization
can be divided into the five “scapes”, it is hard to deny Appadurai’s central thrust of viewing globalization through various
lenses.

Depending on what is being globalized, a different dynamic (or dynamics) may emerge. So, while it is important to ask
“What is globalization? it is likewise important to ask “What is/are being globalized?” Depending on what is being
globalized, the vista and conclusions change.

The structure of the lessons that follow will reflect this multidimensional understanding of globalization. Each of the
lessons will focus on a particular kind of globalization. Every one of them will about differently networks and connections
that are expanding and intensifying in the contemporary world.

Treat each lesson not as an end in itself but as window to the broader phenomenon of globalization.
Exercise

Collaborate and Create.

Collect old magazines/newspapers/brochures/books. Cut out pictures or headlines which you

think reflect your ideas and experience of globalization. Create a collage by mounting this cutouts in
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your activity notebook.

Assessment

Guide Questions:

1. How are you connected with the world? Write it in essay form (Two paragraphs).

Resources and Additional Resources

 Claudio, L. & Abinales, P. (2018). The contemporary world. C & E Publishing,

Inc.

1st Semester
of A.Y. Don Carlos Polytechnic College
2022-2023 P-2, Poblacion Norte, Don Carlos, Bukidnon
College of Teacher Education
Module 2 – Week 2

GE3-The Contemporary World

Introduction
This lesson aims to trace how economic
globalization came about. It will also assess
this globalization system, and examine who
benefits from it and who is left out.
Intended Learning Outcome
a. Define economic globalization
b. Identify the actors that facilitate economic
globalization
c. Narrate a short history of global market
integration in the twentieth century
d. Articulate your stance on global economic
integration

The Globalization of World Economics

Activity

Accomplish the task:

a. Look for the origin and history of a company/business organization/institution
b. Map the international connections it has created
c. Identify the major country-leaders of this company/business organization/institution
d. Locate the Philippines in this map of interconnections

Discussion
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) regards “economic globalization” as a historical process representing the result of
human innowation and technological progress. It is characterized by the increasing integration of economies around the
world through the movement of goods, services, and capital across borders. These changes are the products of people,
organizations, institutions, and technologies. As with all other processes of globalization, there is a qualitative and
subjective element to this definition. How does one definite “increasing integration”? When is it considered that trade has
increased? Is there a particular threshold?
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International Trading System
International trading system are not new. The oldest known international trade route was the Silk Road- a network of
pathways in the ancient world that spanned from China to what is now the Middle East and to Europe. It was called as
such because one of the most profitable products traded through this network was silk, which was highly prized especially
in the area that is now the Middle East as well as in the West (today’s Europe). Traders used the Sillk Road regularly from
130 BCE when the Chinese Han dynasty opened trade to the West until 1453 BCE when the Ottoman Empire closed it.

However, while the Silk Road was international, it was not truly “global” because it had no ocean routes that could
reach the American continent. So when did full economic globalization begin? According to historians Dennis O. Flynn
and Arturo Giraldez, the age of globalization began when “all important populated continents began to exchange products
continously- both with each other directly and indirectly via other conntinents- and in values sufficient to generate crucial
impacts on all trading partners”. Flynn and Giraldez trace this back to 1571 with the establishment of the galleon trade that
connected Manila in the Philippines and Acapulco in Mexico. This was the first time that the Americas were directly
connected to Asian trading routes. For Filipinos, it is crucial to note that economic globalization began on the country’s
shores.

The galleon trade was part of the age of mercantilism. From the 16 th century to the 18th century, countries, primarily in
Europe, competed with one another to sell more goods as a means to boost their country’s income (called monetary
reserves later on). To defend their products from competitors who sold goods more cheaply, these regimes (mainly
monarchies) imposed high tariffs, forbade colonies to trade with other nations, restricted trade routes, and subsidized its
exports. Mercantilism was thus also a system of global trade with multiple restrictions.

Despite facilitating simpler trade, the gold standard was still a very restrictive system, as it compelled countries to back
their currencies with fixed gold reserves. During World War I, when countries depleted their gold reserves to fund their
armies, many were forced to abandone the gold standard. Since Europen countries had low gold reserves, they adopted
floating currencies that were no longer redeemable in gold.

Returning to a pure standard became more difficult as the global economic crisis called the Great Depression started
during the 1920s and extended up to the 1930s, further emptying governement coffers. This depression was the worst and
longest recession ever experienced by the Western world. Some economics argued that it was largely caused by the gold
standard, since it limited the amount of circulating monet and, therefore, reduced demand and consumption. If
governments could only spend money that was equivalent to gold, its capacity to pring money and increase the money
supply was severely curtailed.

Though more indirect versions of the gold standard were used until as late as the 1970s, the world never returned to the
gold standard of the early 20th century. Today, the world economy operates based on what are called fiat currencies-
currencies that are not backed by precious metals and whose value is determined by their cost relative to other currencies.
This system allows governments to freely and actively manage their economies by increasing or decreasing the amount of
money in circulation as they see fit.

The Bretton Woods System

After the two world wars, world leaders sought to create a global economic system that would ensure a longer- lasting
global peace. They believed that one of the ways to achieve this goal was to set up a network of global financial
institutions that would promote economic interdependence and prosperity. The Bretton Woods system was inaugurated in
1994 during the United Nations Monetary and Financial Conference to prevent the catastrophes of the early decades of the
century from reoccurring and affecting international ties.

The Bretton Woods system was largely influenced by the ideas of British economist John Maynard Keynes who
believed that economic crises occur not when a country does not have enough money, but when money is not being spent
and, thereby, not moving. When economies slow down, according to Keynes, governments have to reinvigorate markets
with infusions of capital. This active role of governments in managing spending served as the anchor for what would be
called a system of global Keynesianism.

Delegates at Bretton Woods agreed to create two financial institutions. The first was the International Bank for
Reconstruction and Development (IBRD, or World Bank) to be responsible for funding postwar reconstruction projects. It
was a critical institution at a time when many of the world’s cities had been destroyed by the war. The second institution
was the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which was to be the global lender of last resort to prevent individual countries
from spiralling into credit crises. If economic growth in a country slowed down because there was not enough money to
stimulate the economy, the IMF would step in. To this day, both institutions remain key players in economic globalization.

Shortly after Bretton Woods, various countries also committed themselves to further global economic integration
through the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) in 1947. GATT’s main purpose was to reduce tariffs and
other hindrances to free trade.
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Assessment

Elaboration.
Elaborate the following topics in paragraph form (minimum of 2 paragraphs) using CERA (Content,
Experience, Reflection, Application).

1. International Trading System

2. The Bretton Woods System
3. The Global Financial Crisis
4. Economic Globalization Today

Resources and Additional Resources

Claudio, L. & Abinales, P. (2018). The contemporary world. C & E Publishing, Inc.

1st Semester
of A.Y. Don Carlos Polytechnic College
2022-2023 P-2, Poblacion Norte, Don Carlos, Bukidnon
College of Teacher Education
Module 3-Week 3
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GE3-The Contemporary World
Introduction Intended Learning Outcome
This lesson will begin with identifying the major attributes of On completion of this module, the student is
contemporary global politics and then proceed to ask: How did expected to have
this system emerge? In doing so, you will have a solid foundation a. Identify key events in the development of
to understand the major issues of global governance in the next international relations
lesson. b. Differentiate internationalization from
globalization
c. Define the state and the nation
d. Discuss the historical evolution of
international politics

The History of Global Politics: Creating an International Order

Activity

Watch the video clip on YouTube, please relay to the link given below:

https://youtu.be/CO0eahBQp9U

https://youtu.be/nmmPSTxV9r4

Discussion
A History of Global Politics:
Creating an International Order
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Assessment
General Instruction: Elucidate the following briefly.

1. What is the difference between Nation and State?

2. What are the elements of a State?
3. Discuss internationalism
4. Discuss the historical evolution of international politics.
5. Discuss the interstate system.

Reflection Resources and Additional Resources

Lesson learned: “The Contemporary World” by Lisandro E. Claudio

and Patricio N. Abinales
What can you say about the topic?