PACIFIC SOUTHBAY COLLEGE, INC

Purok Carmenville, Calumpang, General Santos City

BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN CRIMINOLOGY
MODULE NO. 1
1ST Term, 1ST Semester, SY 2020-2021

Course Code : GE 1
Descriptive Title : The Contemporary World
Course Credit : 3 units
Class Schedule : Monday-Friday (8:45 AM-10:00AM)
Room : P2 (thru Google Classroom) ; Class Code: plbhyxi
Instructor : RICHARD M. FLORENTINO, RL
Contact Details : [email protected] / 0930 379 6026

TOPIC: Defining Globalization

OBJECTIVES:
1. Define globalization;
2. Explore the task defining globalization;
3. Understand the different globalization theories.

LESSON PROPER:

I. Introduction | Defining Globalization

1. So many things have changes since days becomes more modern and ideas,
concepts presented to us has changed how we see our lives today.
2. Human beings have encountered many changes over the last century especially in
their social relationships and social structures. One of these changes, one can say,
that globalization is a very important change, if not, “the most important”.
3. The reality and omnipresence of globalization makes us see ourselves as part of
what we refer to as the “global age”.
4. A very known example that is available today is the “internet”. It allows a person
from one place to know what is happening around the world simply by browsing
search engines for example “Google”.
5. The mass media allows us also for connections among people, communities, and
countries all over the globe.

II. What is globalization?

1. It cannot be contained within a specific time frame, all people, and al situations.
2. It encompasses a multitude of process that involves the economy, political systems,
and culture.
3. Therefore, social structures are directly affected by globalization.
4. Swedish journalist Thomas Larsson saw globalization as “the process of world
shrinkage, of distances getting shorter, things moving closer. It pertains to the
increasing ease with which somebody on one side of the world can interact, to
mutual benefit with somebody on the other side of the world”.
5. It is an occurring through and with regression, colonialism and destabilization.

III. Task defining Globalization

1. The word globalization appears on Webster’s Dictionary in 1961, and many

opinions about this term have been flourished.
a. Globalizations could be classified as either:
i. Broad and inclusive;
ii. Narrow and exclusive

2. Ohmae in 1992 states that “…globalization means the onset of the borderless
world”, based on his statement it makes the definition of globalization to be broad
and inclusive.
3. How it becomes broad and inclusive? If one uses such, it can include a variety of
issue that deal with overcoming traditional boundaries. However, it does not shed
light on implications of globalization due to its vagueness.
4. Narrow and exclusive definition are better justified but can be limiting, in the
sense that their application adhere to only particular definitions.
 5. Such example is the statement of Robert Cox about globalization he said “…the
characteristics of globalization trend include the internationalizing of
production, the new international division of labor, new migratory movements
from South to North, the new competitive environment that accelerates these
processes, and the internationalizing of the state… making states into agencies of
the globalizing world” (cited in RAWOO Netherlands Development Assistance
Research Council, 2000).
6. The definition of globalization is complex and multifaceted as the definitions deal
not only one concept or idea, it can be directly related to economy, politics, and or
social dimensions.
7. Ritzer in 2015 defines globalization as “a transplanetary process or a set of
processes involving increasing liquidity and the growing multidirectional flow of
people, objects, places, and information as well as the structures they encounter
and create that are barriers to, or expedite, those flows…”

IV. Why we spend studying Globalization?

1. The perspective of a person who defines globalization shapes its definition.

2. The overview of definitions implies that globalization is many things to many
different people.
3. In 1996, Arjun Appadurai said that globalization is a world of things that have
different speeds, axes, points of origin and termination, and varied relationships
to institutional structures in different regions, nations, or societies.
4. Also from Al-Rhodan, he said that definition of globalization from the different
people is affected by the geopolitical implications.
5. In effect, one’s definition and perspective could determine concrete steps in
addressing the issues globalization.
6. Sociologist Cesare Poppi said that globalization is the debate and the debate is
globalization.
7. Globalization is reality.
8. It is changing as human society develops. It has happened before and is still
happening today, and we should expect it to continue to happen in the future.
9. Overall, globalization is a concept that is not easy to define because in reality,
globalization has shifting nature.
10. It is complex, multifaceted, and can be influenced by the people who define it.

V. Metaphors of Globalization

1. In order for us to better understand the concept of globalization, we will utilize

metaphors. Metaphors makes use of one term to help us better understand another
term.
2. Solid and Liquid
a. Solid – The social relationships and objects remained where they were
created. Solidity refers to barriers that prevent or make difficult the
movement of things. Examples are the Great Wall of China; Nine-dash line
which is an imaginary line used by China on claims of the South China Sea.
b. Liquidity – Liquid as a state of matter, takes the shape of its container.
Liquids are not fixed. Therefore, liquidity refers to the increasing ease of
movement of people, things, information, and places in the contemporary
world

3. Solidity and liquidity are in constant interaction. However, liquidity is the one
increasing and proliferating today. Therefore we can say that the metaphor that
could best describe globalization is liquidity.
4. Flows
a. Flows are the movement of people, things, places, and information brought
by the growing “porosity” of global limitations. An example of this
metaphor is our love and patronization of foreign foods introduced to us by
foreign cultures. A concrete example is the Filipino communities abroad
and the Chinese communities in the Philippines.

VI. Globalization Theories

1. Now that we know the issues defining globalization and use metaphors to
understand the term, we will discuss and analyze globalization culturally,
economically, and politically.
 2. Homogeneity – refers to the increasing sameness in the world as cultural inputs,
economic factors, and political orientations of the societies expand to create
common practices, same economies, and similar forms of government.
3. Homogeneity in culture is often linked to cultural imperialism – a given culture
influences other cultures. An example is Christianity the dominant religion which
was brought to us by Spaniards.
4. In economy, there is recognition on the spread of neoliberalism, capitalism, and
the market economy in the world. In the end, rich countries become advantageous
in the world economy at the expense of poor countries, which leads to increased
quality among nations.
5. In politics, the realm in political aspects suffers homogenization if one takes into
account the emerging similar models of governance in the world.
6. Heterogeneity – pertains to the creation of various cultural practices, new
economies, and political groups because of the interaction of the elements from
different societies in the world.
7. Heterogeneity refers to the differences because of either lasting differences or of
the hybrids or combinations of cultures that can be produced through the different
transplanetary processes.
8. In culture, it is associated with cultural hybridization.
9. In economy, the commodification of cultures and “glocal” markets are examples of
differentiation happening in many economies around the world.
10. In politics, refers the heterogenization of politics as McWorld which means
“intensification of nationalism and that leads to greater political heterogeneity
throughout the world”.

VII. Dynamics of Local and Global Culture

1. Cultural differentialism – emphasizes the fact that cultures are essentially different
and are only one superficially affected by global flows. The interaction of cultures
is deemed to contain the potential for “catastrophic collision”. Samuel
Huntington’s theory best exemplifies this concept, in which he says that after Cold
War, political economic differences were overshadowed by new fault lines, which
were primarily cultural in nature. Increasing interaction among the different
civilizations would lead to intense clashes, especially the economic conflict
between the Western and Sinic civilizations and bloody political conflict between
the Western and Islamic civilizations. This theory has been critiqued for its
portrayal of Muslims as being “prone to violence”.
2. Cultural hybridization – emphasizes the integration of local and global cultures.
They key concept is “glocalization” or the interpenetration of the global and local
resulting in unique outcomes in different geographic areas. Arjun Appadurai’s
“scapes” in 1996, where global flows involve people, technology, finance, political
images, and media and the disjunctures between them, which lead to the creation
of cultural hybrids.
3. Cultural convergence – it stresses homogeneity that is introduced by globalization.
Cultures are deemed to be radically altered by strong flows, while cultural
imperialism happens when one culture imposes itself on and tends to destroy at
least parts of another culture. Deterriorilization idea of John Tomlinson means in
culture means that is much more difficult to tie culture to a specific geographic
point of origin.

VIII. Views on the Origins and History of Globalization

1. Hardwired – According to Nayan Chanda, it is because of our basic human need to

make our lives better that made globalization possible. Therefore, one can trace
the beginning of globalization from our ancestors in Africa who walked out from
the said continent in the late Ice Age. This long journey finally led them to all
known continents today, roughly after 50,000 years.
2. Cycles – Globalization is a long-term cyclical process, and thus finding its origin
will be a daunting task. What is important is the cycles that globalization has gone
through. Subscribing to this view will suggest adherence to the idea that other
global ages have appeared. There is also notion to suspect that this point of
globalization will soon disappear and reappear.
3. Epoch – There are 6 Great Epochs by Therborn of Globalization. These are also
called “waves” and each has its own origin. The following are the sequential
occurrence of the epochs:
a. Globalization of religion (4th – 7th Centuries)
b. European colonial conquests (Late 15th Century)
c. Intra-European wars (Late 18th – Early 19th Centuries)
 d. Heyday of European imperialism (Mid-19th Century - 1918)
e. Post-World War II period
f. Post-Cold War period.

4. Events – Specific events are also considered as part of the forth view in explaining
the origin of globalization. Gibbon says that it started during Roman conquests
centuries before Christ. In an issue of magazine of the Economist considered that
it starts during the rampage of the armies of Genghis Khan into Eastern Europe in
the 13th century.
5. The recent years could also be regarded as the beginnings of globalization with
reference to specific technological advances in transportation and communication.

IX. Summary

1. It encompasses a multitude of process that involves the economy, political systems,

and culture.
2. The word globalization appears on Webster’s Dictionary in 1961, and many
opinions about this term have been flourished.
a. Globalizations could be classified as either:
i. Broad and inclusive;
ii. Narrow and exclusive
3. The perspective of a person who defines globalization shapes its definition.
4. The overview of definitions implies that globalization is many things to many
different people.
5. Solid and Liquid
a. Solid – The social relationships and objects remained where they were
created. Solidity refers to barriers that prevent or make difficult the
movement of things. Examples are the Great Wall of China; Nine-dash line
which is an imaginary line used by China on claims of the South China Sea.
b. Liquidity – Liquid as a state of matter, takes the shape of its container.
Liquids are not fixed. Therefore, liquidity refers to the increasing ease of
movement of people, things, information, and places in the contemporary
world

6. Flows
a. Flows are the movement of people, things, places, and information brought
by the growing “porosity” of global limitations. An example of this
metaphor is our love and patronization of foreign foods introduced to us by
foreign cultures. A concrete example is the Filipino communities abroad
and the Chinese communities in the Philippines.
7. Homogeneity – refers to the increasing sameness in the world as cultural inputs,
economic factors, and political orientations of the societies expand to create
common practices, same economies, and similar forms of government.
8. Heterogeneity – pertains to the creation of various cultural practices, new
economies, and political groups because of the interaction of the elements from
different societies in the world.
9. There are different views on how globalization started.
10. The most important thing is globalization has different definitions. This variations
of definitions makes it more complex and easily relate our daily lives and depends
on how we perceive different concepts and ideas around us.

X. References

Aldama, P, R. (2018). The Contemporary world. Quezon: Rex Book Store.

OTHER INFORMATION

• Submit all assignments or project to:

[email protected]

• You may contact your professor to his FB Account:

richard.florentino11 / Richard Manalo Florentino

• Contact Nos: 0930 379 6026

Prepared by:

RICHARD M. FLORENTINO, RL
Instructor