CONTEMPORARY WORLD REVIEWER

MODULE 1 – GLOBALIZATION
 Globalization constitutes integration of national economies into the international
economy through trade, direct foreign investment (by corporations and
multinationals), short term capital flows, international flows of workers and
humanity generally, and flows of technology.
 Globalization is a reality that now affects every part of the globe and every
person on it, even though in widely differing local contexts.
 Globalization refers to the expansion and intensification of social relations and
consciousness across world time and world space.
HISTORY OF GLOBALIZATION
 The term “Globalization” was popularized by Theodore Levitt in 1983
SILK ROADS (1ST CENTURY BC – 5TH CENTURY AD, & 13TH-14TH CENTURIES AD)
 People have engaged in trade for as long they have been around However, with
the creation of the Silk Road, trade stopped being a local or regional activity and
became a global affair.
 Global trade links were established and those who were involved in it massively
benefitted from it.
SPICE ROUTES (7TH-15TH CENTURIES)
 Global trade came from trading spices.
 Islamic merchants were the biggest contributors from this era.
 Islam was a new religion during the 7th century but quickly spread to different
territories.
 As this religion spread, so did trade.
 Like the Silk Road, the spice trade happened but it was not the same magnitude
as in later periods.
AGE OF DISCOVERY (15TH – 18TH CENTURIES)
 The Age of Discovery was when global trade truly grew in scale.
 Aided by the discoveries and innovations of the Scientific Revolution, European
explorers were able to connect East and West.
GLOBALIZATION 1.0 (19TH CENTURY - 1914)

 First wave of globalization took place during First Industrial Revolution.

 The British Empire led the world into this new era.
  Introduced technologies that allowed massive amounts of goods to be
transported to long distances.
 its industrialization allowed it to make products that were in demand all over the
world
 Countries benefitted from these new technologies and was now easier for them
to export their own goods.
 Trade grew steadily during this era.
THE WORLD WARS (1914 -1918 1939-1945)

 This is a period that some scholars refer to as a period of de globalization or the

collapse of globalization.
 World War I in 1914 -1918 disrupted trade heavily
 By the end of the World Wars, trade was at an all-time low.
GLOBALIZATION 20 (1945-1989) AND 3.0 (1989-2008)

 Despite hitting an all-time low, globalization went through a resurgence.

 This was aided by the Second Industrial Revolution which saw the invention of
the car, the airplane, and many other technologies that took trade to an entirely
different level
 The United States and the Soviet Union were the leading nations in Globalization
2.0
 The collapse of the Soviet Union left the US as the sole leading nation in
Globalization 3.0
 Organizations like European Union and World Trade Organization were
established and encouraged international cooperation.
 Countries were also encouraged to participate in free trade which opened more
territories in this globalized environment
 The world entered the Third Industrial Revolution, which saw the invention of the
internet, which was the most significant event during this period.
GLOBALIZATION 4.0 (2008 – PRESENT)
 The United States and China are the leading nations of the global economy
 The new frontier of globalization in this era is the cyber world.
 New technologies have made the world an even smaller place Every individual
person’s reach has been expanded and the things that they can do with the
technologies available has been intensified
DIMENSIONS OF GLOBALIZATION
JOHN LEVIN’S 4 DOMAIN OF GLOBALIZATION
- Economic
- Political
- Cultural
- Information

MODULE 2 – RELIGION
DEFINITION AND PURPOSE OF RELIGION
 Objectively, religion denotes a set of common beliefs and practices pertaining to
the supernatural (and its relationship to humanity and the cosmos).
 These beliefs and practices are often codified into prayer, ritual, scriptures and
religious law.
TWO CATEGORIES OF RELIGION
 Spiritual – becoming an ideal person based on definitions set by one’s religion.
 Practical – provides social stability to large populations; provides a perspective
for understanding the world around us better
THE THREE POINT MODEL OF RELIGION
Pluralism – the state of being where every individual in a religiously diverse society has
the rights, freedoms, and safety to worship, or not, according to their conscience.
  All our religions are true and equally valid in their communication of the truth
about God, the world, and salvation.
Inclusivism – the belief that, although only one belief system is true, aspects of its truth
can be found in other religions.
 My religion holds the key to salvation but God would still save you even if you
don’t practice my religion.
Exclusivism – the doctrine or belief that only one particular religion or belief system is
true. This is in contrast to religious pluralism.
 Only my religion grants salvation.
PROSELYTISM

 Proselytism is a practice in some religions where their followers are compelled to

convert other people to adopt their faith This is a major driving force in the
globalization of religion
Proselytizing – Baha’i Faith, Christianity, Islam
Non-proselytizing – Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism
Mixed – Judaism
IMPACT OF GLOBALIZATION ON RELIGION
Globalization has diverse, even paradoxical implications for religion. Globalization may
have implied on faith in the following three possible impacts:
 Religion is being eroded
 Religion is being strengthened
 Religion is declining but it has developed new identities of hybridity.
CONFLICT VS. COOPERATION
 Internal and external conflicts – multipolar world.
- A multipolar world is one where power is distributed among several
states rather than being dominated by one or two states
 Religious fundamentalism – Potentially leads to resurgence of conservative-
traditionalist religious movements.
 It is a religious phenomenon that views religion as very essential, as an
ideology, ethos, goal; fundamentalist leadership is founded and built on
religious beliefs and practices.
 It is a reaction to cultural changes which are experienced as a dramatic
crisis.
  It is a defensive reaction which attempts to preserve or restore an
idealized or imagines formal social order which is characterized by a strict
patriarchal order and moralism.
 All religions teach these shared principles of love, patience, peace, justice, and
equality.
 The phenomenon of globalization of religion has made it easier to transfer the all-
embracing message of any religion all over the world as a result, societies are
becoming less exclusive and more multi religious.
 Social reality forces world religious communities to get rid of their exclusive
attitudes and to develop some universal orientations, which should be more
accommodating to the other.
SECULARIZATION
 Globalization leads to an increase of industrialization, urbanization,
rationalization, and many other things that potentially decrease the relevance of
religious faith within societal consciousness This results in secularization
 Secularization - is the disassociation or separation from religious or spiritual
concerns
CONTEMPORARY ISSUES IN RELIGION
Religious Extremism
 Some terrorist factions use the name of their religion as a justification for their
extremist activities
 This leads to a lot of misunderstandings and misconceptions The actions may
have been perpetrated in the name of religion (in the view of the extremists) but
their actions do not necessarily represent their religion
 Islam is one of those religions commonly abused by terrorist factions and gets a
lot of attention from the media as well.
 There are other forms of religious extremism that do not get a lot of attention or
sensationalism from the media
 Radical Buddhism in Myanmar:
 90% of the Myanmar population are Buddhists
 Radical Myanmar Buddhists regards Muslims as threats.
 Ashin Wirathu, a Burmese Buddhist who is the leader of the anti-
Muslim movement in Myanmar, regularly conducts hate speeches
that incite some of their followers to commit violent acts against
Muslims
A POSSIBLE RELIGIOUS RESURGENCE?
 Mark Juergensmeyer argues that:
 Nation states provided a secure sense of identity, accountability, and
security for a stable society. However, nation states have lost this role
 The idea of a homogenous national cultural identity became a relic of the
past
 People started to regard that religious communities can provide identity,
accountability, and security.

MODULE 3 – MEDIA AND COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY

GLOBAL MEDIA CULTURES DEFINED
- Global media cultures pertain to the globalization of cultures through various forms of
media.
Media has impact on cultural globalization in two mutually independent ways:
1. Media provides and extensive transitional transmission of cultural products’; and
2. Media contributes to the formation of communicative networks and social structures.
MEDIA AND COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY

 Tehri Rantanen claims that no globalization can happen without media and
communications technologies.
 There are two major types of media:
Personal Media
 Any form of media designed for use by a specific person.
  Can also denote person to person communications, such as speech,
gestures, mail, and telephony.
 The earliest forms of personal media, speech, and gestures had the
benefit of being easy to use and not needing technology.
Mass Media
 Any form of media designed for use by large sets of people.
 Broadcast media and print media are very common examples.
 Involves the use of relatively complex technologies.
 Advancements in technology have bridged the gap between content creators of
personal and mass media The average person can now reach a wide audience
with the advent of blogging, vlogging, podcasting, live streaming, etc
 Media production has become accessible and universalized.
CULTURAL PRODUCTS
 The biggest element in the globalization of culture is the spread of cultural
products.
 Media and communications technologies facilitate the spread of these products.
 Cultural products are goods and services that include the arts (performing arts,
visual arts, architecture), heritage conservation (galleries, libraries), the cultural
industries (written media, broadcasting, film, recording), and festivals
CULTURAL GLOBALIZATION
Cultural globalization refers to the transmission of ideas, meanings, and values around
the world in such a way as to extend and intensify social relations.
 This process is marked by the common consumption of cultures (through cultural
products) that have been diffused by the Internet, popular culture media, and
international travel
 Social changes can occur whereby traditional societies become modern
societies:
 Change in attitudes and norms
 Adoption of innovation
 Urbanization
PHASES OF CULTURAL GLOBALIZATION: PRE-MODERN PHASE
 Early human migration
 Emergence of world religions
 Development of trans-regional trade networks
PHASES OF CULTURAL GLOBALIZATION: MODERN PHASE
 European Imperialism
 Emerging international economy
 International migration and developments outside the west
  Spread of modernity
 Rise of the nation-state
 Industrialization
PHASES OF CULTURAL GLOBALIZATION: CONTEMPORARY PHASE
 Era of global cultural interconnectedness, which saw major developments in
transport and transport infrastructures such as jet airlines, construction of road
and rail networks. This allowed for more tourism and shifting patterns of global
migration.
EFFECTS AND ISSUES
CREATION OF A GLOBAL VILLAGE

 A global village is one world composed of many different but interconnected parts
and this interconnection is the result of the propagation of media technologies
throughout the world.

 Cultural Homogenization - refers to the reduction in cultural diversity through

the popularization and diffusion of a wide array of cultural symbols—not only
physical objects but customs, ideas, and values.
 Cultural Hybridization - The process by which a cultural element blends into
another culture by modifying the element to fit cultural norms.
 Cultural Preservation – The act of using deliberate and well-designed
methodologies to maintain cultural heritage from the past for the benefit of the
present and future generations.
CULTURAL IMPERIALISM
 Cultural globalization potentially contributes to cultural imperialism
 Imperialism is extending a country’s power or influence commonly through
colonization or military force.
 It creates an unequal relationship between colony and colonizer
 Shifting international political climates made colonization unpopular in today’s
world.
 Imperialism can still be practiced through culture imperialism.
 Promoting or imposing one country’s culture over another.
 Usually, the one imposing a culture is a powerful country and the being imposed
on is a less powerful country.
 Cultural products are used for cultural imperialism through trade and commerce
as well as media technologies.
 Cultural products change the consumption patterns of societies which, in turn,
affects local economies.
 Popular terms used in relation: Americanization and McDonaldization.
Colonialism - through physical force or military force
- Colonialism is where one country physically exerts complete control over
another country.
- Colonialism can be thought of as the practice of domination
Imperialism - through economic force
- Imperialism is formal or informal economic and political domination of one
country over the other.
- Imperialism as an idea behind the practice.
MISUSE OF MEDIA TECHNOLOGIES

 The accessibility of communications and media technologies has led to certain

concerns like the spread of false information.

MODULE 4 – CITIES – FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES

WHAT IS A CITY?

 A city is a large human settlement which serves as a center of population,

commerce, and culture.
 Cities typically have extensive systems for housing, transportation, sanitation,
utilities, land use, and communication
 Each country has their own set of qualifications
CITY CLASSIFICATIONS
Alpha Cities - Alpha level cities are linked to major economic states and regions into
the world economy, and are classified into four sections, Alpha ++, Alpha +, Alpha, and
Alpha − cities.
Beta Cities - Beta level cities are cities that link moderate economic regions to the
world economy and are classified in three sections, Beta +, Beta, and Beta − cities.
Gamma Cities – Gamma level cities are cities that link smaller economic regions into
the world economy, and are classified into three sections, Gamma +, Gamma, and
Gamma − cities.

 Global cities are usually those that belong to the Alpha category.
GLOBAL CITIES
 It plays a significant role in the global economic system.
 It serves as a center for economic activity in a network of interconnected cities.
 Global cities are places where multiple globalization processes take concrete and
localized forms.
 It provides a network that connects different cities to each other.
 It has emerged as a strategic site for a wide range of interconnected operations –
economic, political, cultural, and so on.
SASSEN’S GLOBAL CITY MODEL HYPOTHESES
1. Economic activities are dispersed from global cities to other territories. But
these dispersed economic activities are closely integrated and facilitated by a corporate
center despite the geographical separation Global cities house these corporate centers
2. Because the functions of corporate centers become so complex, they may
resort to outsourcing. This creates another link between global cities and other global
cities or even global cities and smaller cities and towns
3. Within global cities exist specialized service firms. Due to the complexity of the
services they provide, these firms may resort to agglomeration. Agglomeration (or
business clustering) is where businesses group together for purpose of
increasing each other’s productivity making them more competitive at a global
and national level
4. The more headquarters outsource their most complex, unstandardized functions,
particularly those subject to uncertain and changing markets, the freer they are to opt
for any location
5. The specialized service firms existing in global cities need to provide a global service
which translates to a global network of affiliates. This strengthens cross border city
to city transactions and networks This creates a series of transnational network
of cities.
6. An increasing number of high-level professionals and specialized service firms result
to an increase in the degree of spatial and socio-economic inequality seen in
cities
7. An increase in the number of high-level professionals and specialized service firms
may lead to the informalization of many economic activities which find their
demand within global cities.
CHARACTERISTICS CHECKLIST
Although criteria are variable and fluid, typical characteristics of global cities are:
A variety of international financial services, notably in finance, insurance, real estate,
banking, accountancy, and marketing
Headquarters of several multinational corporations
The existence of financial headquarters, a stock exchange, and major financial
institutions
Domination of the trade and economy of a large surrounding area
Major manufacturing centers with port and container facilities
Considerable decision-making power on a daily basis and at a global level
Centers of new ideas and innovation in business, economics, culture, and politics
Centers of media and communications for global networks
Dominance of the national region with great international significance
High percentage of residents employed in the services sector and information sector
High-quality educational institutions, including renowned universities, international
student attendance, and research facilities
Multi-functional infrastructure offering some of the best legal, medical, and
entertainment facilities in the country
High diversity in language, culture, religion, and ideologies.
MODULE 5 – BASIC DEMOGRAPHY
DEMOGRAPHY DEFINED
- Demography is the statistical study of human populations, especially with
reference to size and density, distribution, and vital statistics.
MAIN COMPONENTS OF DEMOGRAPHY
Birth
Important Concepts:
- Natural Change - Induced abortion – pregnancy that terminated early
- Fecundity – reproductive value - Contraception
- Fertility - Sterilization
- Spontaneous abortion - miscarriage
Death
Important Concepts:
- Epidemiologic transition - changing patterns of population distributions in
relation to changing patterns of mortality, fertility, life expectancy, and leading
causes of death.
- Infant mortality
- Infanticide - is a general term for the murder of a child aged less than 1 year
- Morality among the elderly
- Widowhood
Migration
Important Concepts:
- Early human migrations - are the earliest migrations and expansions of archaic
and modern humans across continents
- Modern mass migrations - the migration of large groups of people from one
geographical area to another
- Forced migrations - that refers to the movements of refugees and internally
displaced people
- Internal migrations - is the movement of people between usual residences
within national states
- Population growth
GLOBAL DEMOGRAPHY
The distribution of populations can be defined at multiple levels (regional, national,
global) and with different types of boundaries (economic, geographic).
  Carrying capacity refers to the number of people, other living organisms, or crops
that a region can support without environmental degradation.
 The Earth has carrying capacity for 9-10 billion human beings.
FIVE STAGES OF DEMOGRAPHIC TRANSITION

STAGE 1 (HIGH STATIONARY)

 Both birth rates and death rates are high.

 Population size remains fairly constant but can have major swings with events
such as wars and pandemic.
STAGE 2 (EARLY EXPANDING)
 The introduction of modern medicine lowers death rates, especially among
children, while birth rates remain high.
 Rapid population growth
STAGE 3 (LATE EXPANDING)

 Birth rates gradually decrease, usually as a result of improved economic

conditions, an increase in women’s statues, and access to contraception.
 Lower rate of population growth.
STAGE 4 (LOW STATIONARY)
 Birth and death rates are both low, stabilizing the population.
 These countries tend to have stronger economies, higher levels of education,
better healthcare, a higher proportion of working women, and a fertility rate
hovering around two children per woman.
STAGE 5 (DECLINING)
 A possible Stage 5 would include countries in which fertility rates have fallen
significantly below replacement level 2 children) and the elderly population is
greater than the youthful population.
 Birth rate is now lower than death rate.
GLOBAL MIGRATION

MIGRATION DEFINED
Human migration is the movement of people from one place to another with the
intention of setting, permanently, or temporarily at a new location.
 It involves two interrelated concepts: immigration and emigration.
 Emigration happens when people leave a country in order to settle in another.
 Immigration happens when people enter into a country in order to settle in it.
 Migration can be temporary or permanent.
 It can be international (between countries) or it can be local (between towns
and cities of the same country)
THEORIES OF MIGRATION
Neoclassical New Economics
Migration Systems and Networks Institutional
Dual or Segmented Labor Market World System
Mobility Transition Policy

DRIVING FORCES OF MIGRATION

Push Factors – are the dynamics within the country of origin which force people to
emigrate such as war, famine, political oppression, or population pressures (ex.
Refugees).
Pull Factors – are characteristics of destination countries that attract immigrants
wishing to find better living and working conditions.

Macro level processes – are overcharging issues such as political situations, laws and
regulations between the countries to control migration Changes in global economy can
be counted as a macro factor for example.
Micro level processes – are resources knowledge and understandings that migrant
populations possess and utilize.
GLOBAL DIASPORAS
Diaspora - is the dispersal of an ethnic population from an original homeland into
foreign areas by force because of traumatic reasons.
CHARACTERISTICS OF DIASPORAS

 Sharing the same history and ancestors

 Sharing a common reserved ethnic identity
 Sharing a collective memory of original homeland
 A degree of tension towards the host country
 Sharing the belief in return
 Sharing a sense of solidarity
 A potential to contribute to the host culture
HISTORICAL DIASPORAS
1. Victim (Jewish)
2. Imperial (British)
3. Slavery (African)
4. Trade (Chinese)
REFUGEES AND ASYLUM SEEKERS
Refugees - persons who were forced to leave their place of origin in order to escape
war, persecution, or natural disaster Countries differ in their policy towards welcoming
refugees
Asylum Seekers - are persons who apply for refuge in a foreign country due to a fear
of religious or political persecution in his or her country of origin. Seeking asylum
(especially political) is an internationally recognized legal right but asylum seekers are
sometimes treated like criminals in host countries.
OVERSEAS FILIPINO WORKERS (OFWS)
OFW – It refers to the many Filipinos who have left their homes in the Philippines in
order to work abroad and provide for their families.