WordPress.com



MODULE 3

GLOBALIZATION

UNIT 1

AN OVERVIEW

SKILLS

At the end of this unit you will be able to:

a) define globalization

b) identify some of the most important worldwide issues

c) discuss the pros and cons of globalization

IMMAGINE

Mappamondo o cartina del globo con linee che indicano interconnessione

TASK 1 - ICE BREAKER

Where does the word ‘globalization’ come from?

How does globalization affect your life? Can you give some examples?

READING 1 - What is globalization?

Globalization is a process of interaction and integration among the people, companies, and governments of different nations, a process driven by international trade and investment and aided by information technology. This process has effects on the environment, on culture, on political systems, on economic development and prosperity, and on human physical well-being in societies around the world.

Globalization is not new, though. For thousands of years, people -and, later, corporations - have been buying from and selling to each other in lands at great distances.

The current wave of globalization has been driven by policies that have opened economies domestically and internationally. In the years since the Second World War, and especially during the past two decades, many governments have adopted free-market economic systems, vastly increasing their own productive potential and creating myriad new opportunities for international trade and investment. Governments  have also negotiated dramatic reductions in barriers to commerce and have established international agreements to promote trade in goods, services and investment. Taking advantage of new opportunities in foreign markets, corporations have built foreign factories and established production and marketing arrangements with foreign partners. A defining feature of globalization, therefore, is an international industrial and financial business structure.

Technology has been the other principal driver of globalization. Advances in information technology, in particular, have dramatically transformed economic life. Information technologies have given all sorts of individual economic actors—consumers, investors, businesses—valuable new tools for identifying and pursuing economic opportunities, including faster and more informed analyses of economic trends around the world, easy transfers of assets, and collaboration with far-flung partners.

Globalization is deeply controversial, however. Proponents of globalization argue that it allows poor countries and their citizens to develop economically and raise their standards of living, while opponents of globalization claim that the creation of an unfettered international free market has benefited multinational corporations in the Western world at the expense of local enterprises, local cultures, and common people.

(Adapted from by The Levin Institute - The State University of New York )

GLOSSARY

free-market: based on supply and demand with little or no government control

tools: instruments

assets: all the property of a person/company

far-flung: distributed over a great distance

claim: maintain as a fact

unfettered: not limited

TASK 2 – COMPREHENSION

Answer these questions about Reading 1.

1.List some of the effects of globalization.

2.What was the first type of globalization?

3.When did governments start using free-market economic systems?

4.What has happened to barriers that block trade?

5.What actions have companies taken outside their own country?

6.What can companies now do because of information technology?

7.Explain the different points of view of people who are in favour of/against globalization.

TASK 3 - FILL IN THE GAPS

First read through the whole text for general understanding, then use the following words to fill the gaps in the text:

migration, boundaries, world, beings, human, political, distances, challenges.

Globalization is undoubtedly one of the most powerful forces that has shaped and will continue to shape the …… we live in. Technological advancement and political changes have removed or shrunk the …… between historically separated places on earth. As a result, geographical distances and political …… no longer matter in many aspects of human life, enabling dramatically increased speed, volume, and intensity of movement of people, goods, and information across national borders. Physical distances no longer determine …… interactions. The earth has become a ‘global village’, in which all human …… , despite their physical locations, cultural beliefs, and …… ideology, are interconnected and interdependent. Globalization presents many new challenges and intensifies some existing ones. Massive human ……, large scale offshoring of jobs, trade disputes, human conflicts and international terrorism, energy crisis, environmental degradation, increasing inequality in living conditions, human exploitation, and disappearances of indigenous cultures are but a few of the ……. we must face in the age of globalization.

(From )

GLOSSARY

shrunk: made smaller

matter: are important

challenges: something that is difficult to do

massive: very big

offshoring: the practice of moving a company's operations to another country where workers are paid less

exploitation: using something for profit

IMMAGINI: inondazione, persone migranti per mare su un barcone, torri gemelle che crollano, immagine del movimento ‘Occupy wall street’

TASK 4 - MATCHING

What are the most pressing issues facing global politics today? In a globalized world the capacity for people, organizations, and nations to co-operate in search of solutions to today's pressing problems is very important. Match the global issues listed with their definitions.

|GLOBAL ISSUES |DEFINITION |

|1. Need for greater democracy at the international level |A. The ever more unfair distribution of wealth across the various |

| |participants in developed and developing countries alike. It is often |

| |presented as the percentage of income to a percentage of population. For |

| |example, a statistic may indicate that 80% of a country's income is |

| |controlled by 20% of that country's residents. |

|2. International migration |B. Advocacy for more truly democratic forms of representation in |

| |international decision making processes. |

|3. Terrorism as a threat to world peace |C. Major consequence of climate change: tornadoes, extreme droughts, |

| |massive floods. |

|4. Increasing occurrence of severe weather events |D. The use of violence to create fear for political, religious, or |

| |ideological reasons aimed at non-combatant targets (i.e. civilians or |

| |iconic symbols). Its objective is to achieve the greatest attainable |

| |publicity for a group, cause, or individual. |

|5. Deepening income inequality |E. People moving for various reasons to a country other than that of their|

| |usual residence, for a period of at least twelve months, so that the |

| |country of destination effectively becomes the new country of usual |

| |residence. It is generally consensual, although it also includes movements|

| |prompted by a force of socio-economic or political circumstance. |

|6. Weakening of representative democracy at the international level |F. Disconnect between citizens and their representatives at international |

| |level. |

| |Erosion of trust in international political institutions and processes: |

| |citizen protest has grown in many countries around the globe. |

|GLOBAL ISSUES |DEFINITION |

|1 | |

|2 | |

|3 | |

|4 | |

|5 | |

|6 | |

TASK 5 – WEB SEARCH/CLASS DISCUSSION

Work in two groups, search online and prepare the arguments for and against globalization. Remember to include aspects such as: how companies treat their workers, paying tax/tax evasion and the effect on the environment (both climate change and overuse of resources).

Firstly work with a partner and present the point of view (for or against globalization) that your teacher gives you. Try to persuade your partner that you are right. Next work with a different partner and support the other point of view.

Now discuss the question giving your real opinion.

IMMAGINI SUL CAMBIAMENTO CLIMATICO (CLIMATE CHANGE)

AD ES:



Acqua alta a Venezia

TASK 6 - CLASS DISCUSSION

Climate change and depletion of natural resources are some of the most controversial issues linked to globalization. Read the quotation and discuss it with a partner, then with the whole class.

‘We usually say there is always a ‘Plan B’, but there is no ‘Planet B’.

(Jan Eliasson, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations)

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download