Saint Joseph College

COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTS

Maasin City, Southern Leyte

Module II
GE 6 – The Contemporary
World
1st Semester, AY 2020-2021

Prepared by
Kim S. Dedicatoria
Instructor
 Saint Joseph College

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 peoples 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.

Grading System

Each student shall be assessed on the following:

Quizzes 25%

Recitation / Activities 15%

Pre-Midterm / Pre-Final Examination 30%

Midterm / Final Examination 30%

Total 100%

Learning Outcomes

At the end of the semester, the students must be able to:

1. Distinguish different interpretations of and approaches to globalization

2. Describe the emergence of global economic, political, social, and cultural systems
3. Analyze contemporary news events in the context of globalization
4. Articulate personal positions on various global issues
5. Identify the ethical implications of global citizenship

Module 2

Topics:

A. Global Divides: The North and the South, First and Third Worlds
B. Confronting the Challenges of Globalization
C. Global Media
 GE 6 – The Contemporary World

Lesson 1

I. Objectives

At the end of the lesson, you should be able to:

1. Reflect on the global divide caused by globalization;

2. Explain the wealth gap between the poorest and the richest in observable
regions;
3. Enumerate the Top 10 countries in the 2019 Human Development Index
(HDI); and
4. Illustrate the economic dependency of a chosen Latin American country.

II. Introduction

As economic globalization – free trade – is essentially a zero-sum game, global

divides are observable under the current setup where one side wins at the expense
of another; a country’s gains (for example, increased exports) is another nation’s
loss (such as in the form of increased imports). Indeed, globalization failed to
drastically bridge the gap between and within countries. The promise of shared
prosperity remains unfulfilled for hundreds of millions of citizens in Third World
Countries.

Engage

Listen to the song “Troubled Times” by the Grammy-winning punk-rock band, Green
Day. Relate the message of the song to the global divide caused by globalization. Cite
lyrics that highlight this.

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You can listen to the song here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cVJr3eQfXc.

Explore

As of 2013, the number of poor citizens (people who live on less than USD 1.90 a
day) worldwide reached 767 million. In the Human Development Index (HDI) for
2015 – UN’s ranking of countries based on levels of holistic human development
that encompasses data on health, education and income – Norway is ranked first
with an almost perfect score of 0.949 (1.0 is the highest possible score), compared
with the last among 188 countries, the Central African Republic, with a measly score
of 0.682

Research about the Human Development Index for 2019, list down the Top 10
countries with their respective scores and answer the following questions:

1. How will you describe the Top 10 countries?

2. What is the ranking of the Philippines? What does this tell about our
country?

Explain

Globally, most of the developed countries are in North America and Europe, while
the developing countries are mostly in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. At the outset,
it seems that these economic divides are parallel with geographical groupings, but a
closer look makes it a little bit more complicated in reality.
 GE 6 – The Contemporary World

The photo above is an example of the what we can see in some of the major cities in
the Philippines. What message can you gather from this?

Elaborate
● Among development studies researchers, the term Global North and Global
South are commonly used to refer to the two halves of the current global
system.

● The Global North countries such as the US, Canada, Europe, Japan, Singapore,
South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand; while the Global South refers to
Africa, Latin America, and developing countries of Asia (including Southwest
Asia or Middle East).

● Hence, economically, the Global North refers to the rich and developed parts
of the world, while the Global South covers the poor and developing half of it.

● The terms Global North and Global South, and First World and Third World
are used interchangeably in common conversation. Though these two sets of
concepts are related, they are actually different.

● The labels First World and Third World came into popular use during the
Cold War between the capitalist camp led by the US, UK, and their allies
(mostly Western European countries); and the socialist side led by the Soviet
Union (otherwise known as the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics or USSR)
and its allies (mostly Eastern European countries).

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● The capitalist camp was dubbed as the First World, while the socialist side
was labeled as the Second World. The other countries of the world
comprising of Asia, Africa, and Latin America were called as the Third World.
These countries were mostly former colonies of Western powers, but were
nevertheless reluctant to be overtly included in either camp. Whatever labels
are used, it is clear that the existence of considerable gaps between the
developing countries and the developed countries is undeniable.

● Despite the promises of a so-called borderless world under globalization,

significant gaps between the Global North and the Global South are still
observable, especially on technological diffusion or the spread of
technological innovation through research and development and debts.
Present and future innovations that improve production and promote
efficiency do little to change the status quo where the Global South is
condemned to economic dependency because the Global North still
monopolizes such technological advances which give the latter enormous
advantages over the former.

● Partly because of their inability to catch up with the Global North’s twin
policies of innovation and industrialization, the Philippines and most
countries in Latin America and other regions formerly colonized by Western
powers are still relatively poorer than the countries that colonized them.
Hence, these countries are still labeled as Third World nations. Wealth gaps
between the poorest and the richest are also observable in these regions.

● Such disparities can be explained by the Dependency Theory school of

thought (Teoria de la independencia) which originated in Latin America.
Dependency can be defined as a situation in which the economy of certain
countries is conditioned by the development and expansion of another
economy to which the former is subjected. Simply put, Dependency Theory
scholars assert that industrialized countries exploit poor countries through
economic and political neocolonialism which perpetuate the latter’s pre-
industrial or semi-industrial status – majority of which are former colonies of
developed countries

● The Philippine economy is composed of atoms of industries of semi-

manufactured goods and service-oriented businesses (malls, fast-food chains,
call centers) that trap it into being one of the world’s repositories of cheap
labor, and subject it to other forms of exploitation.
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● The Philippines remains poor or underdeveloped because its imports remain

high while the government fails to strengthen the domestic market through
industrialization, especially when remittances from citizens working
overseas provide enough dollars to help keep the national economy afloat.
Under this economic setup, capital, debt, machinery/technology, and high-
value products form bulk of Philippine imports; while
workers/professionals, raw materials, semi-manufactured goods, and profits
are among the Philippines’ exports.

● The Philippine situation under globalization (which is very similar to the

collective experiences of other Third World countries today) can be best
visualized through the following conceptual framework based on the
Dependency Theory:

Evaluate

Instructions: Choose a country in Latin America and illustrate its economic

dependency using the conceptual framework above. Highlight its main exports &
imports and provide a brief description of the illustration. Don’t forget to cite your
sources.

Criteria:

Content 10

Organization 5

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Explanation 5

Citation 5

Total 25

Submit your answers on Google Classroom or PM me on Messenger. This is due on

October 31, 2020 (Saturday) at 11:59 P.M.

Prayer before Study

by St. Thomas Aquinas

reator of all things, true Source of light and wisdom, lofty origin of all being,
graciously let a ray of Your brilliance penetrate into the darkness of my
understanding and take from me the double darkness in which I have been born, an
obscurity of both sin and ignorance.

Give me a sharp sense of understanding, a retentive memory, and the ability to

grasp things correctly and fundamentally.

Grant me the talent of being exact in my explanations, and the ability to express
myself with thoroughness and charm.

Point out the beginning, direct the progress, and help in completion; through Christ
our Lord. Amen.

Prayer after Study

 GE 6 – The Contemporary World

hank You, Lord God, for opening my eyes to the light of Your wisdom. You have
delighted my heart with the knowledge of truth. I ask You, Lord, help me always to
do Your will.

Bless my soul and body, my words and actions.

Grant that I may grow in grace, wisdom and virtue, that Your name may always be
glorified, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, now and forever. Amen.