Globalization 101

A seminar on the topics, issues and players that are globalizing our world

 

Our world is globalizing.  By this we mean that there are a number of processes, issues, and players through whose interaction, aided by the extremely important catalysts of modern science and technology, the world is becoming inter-connected in an increasingly divergent number of ways. For good or ill this is what is happening in the world and it shows no signs of abating.  If we wish to have any control over this process to benefit ourselves and our nation, we must understand what is happening.

 

Reading The World is Flat gave us an introduction to this topic - now it is time to go into more depth in examining the concepts and the players.  To do this we will all attend Globalization Seminar 101.

 

The Seminars

The seminars will consist of student group presentations on one of our two Global Seminar days (October 27 and 28).  Your group will develop a presentation that will creatively discuss and explain one of the issues, topics, or players prominently at work in today’s global world.  This could include topics from, or associated with, The World is Flat or ideas generated from your reading of Cradle to Cradle.  Ideas from Friedman must go deeper than those in the book (teach us something we do not know) and ideas from Cradle must be fully fleshed out. Besides making a presentation you will be able to attend seminars given by other student groups.

 

In a 15 minute presentation, each group will explain the background of their topic but will spend the bulk of their time explaining its present situation, problems, and most important, its likely future direction.

 

To do this, each group will create an oral presentation including a Powerpoint and other visuals as needed.  In order to develop good presentation skills, you should consider the following factors:

  1. Think of the many presentations you have seen in school.  What are the qualities of the ones that best kept your attention and still informed you?  They were probably creative; presenters knew their subject, talked to you rather than read to you, were animated and interested in their topic, used presentation aids well and had rehearsed their presentation.

 

  1. Since a good presentation depends upon each group member knowing his or her material, each member will be allowed to use no more than one 3x5 card for notes.

 

  1. The Power Point must be lean and mean.  Weak Powerpoints are cluttered with distracting bells and whistles or too much text.  Your Power Point must contribute substantially to the presentation and must be easy to read (at least 32 point type) - it must add to the presentation, not be the presentation.

 

  1. Rehearse, rehearse, and rehearse.  Presenters should not be a line up of talking heads.  Convey energy and interest in the topic.  Vary speakers, style and presentation format to maintain maximum audience interest.  You may have the best information in the world but if it is not creatively presented in a way that holds the audience’s attention, you will not get your message across.

 

  1. Presentations will be made in a professional manner with students dressed in appropriate business attire (not casual Friday).

 

6.   Each group will write a 100-125 word introductory abstract about their project, due

on Oct. 20.  Those abstracts will be published in a program for the Globalization 101

Seminars.  To attract your audience, make the abstract both factual and inviting. 

 

7.  Each group will turn in an annotated bibliography on Monday October 27.

 

 

 

 

 

POSSIBLE SOURCES

  • Database searches
  • Interviews with expert analysts in the area or embassy staff
  • Journals such as Foreign Affairs
  • Magazines such as The Economist
  • Institutional or university websites such as csis.org
  • Books on globalization

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TOPIC SUGGESTIONS

World Trade Organization

Americanization

Glocalization

New advances in technology          

Dangers of globalization

Benefits of globalization

Companies going global

Free Trade Area of Am.’s

Education gap 

Digital divide

Horizontalization

Geo-greenism

United Nations

Microfinance

GATT

NAFTA

Open sourcing

Outsourcing

Off-shoring

Non-Governmental Organizations

U.S. funding for science and tech research

Gates Foundation

Ambition gap

Changes in Finance

Changes in information

    sharing

Software

Microchip I.D.S.

Dell Theory of Conflict

     Prevention

Internet and globalization

Currency exchange

Resource use

Compassionate flatism

Changes in world politics

Supply chaining

World Bank

IMF/ IBRD

Free trade

Fair Trade

Capitalism

G-8

International finance

Central Asia Institute

Environment

Reform retail

 

 

Due Dates

Research dates by team beginning Sept. 29

Oct 20- Abstracts due

Oct. 27 – Annotated bibliography

Oct. 27/28(and 30 if needed)- Presentations                            

 

“[Kids], finish your homework- people in China and India are starving for your jobs!”

 Tom Friedman in

The World is Flat