Globalization and Leveling the Playing field.

The Genie out of the Box Lesson Plan Class/Subject: Current World Issues for Juniors and Seniors Student Objectives/Student Outcomes: 1) Explain and elaborate upon the definition of globalization, and identify the benefits and pitfalls of dialogue between nations in a worldwide economy. 2) Discuss how multiple media outlets, such as videos and music, portray the effects of globalization. 3) Critique the current trend of globalization in relationship to the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Deduce whether or not our world, particularly the United States, has abided by this legislation in modern times. Content Standards (ILS) 16. C. 5b Describe how historical trends in population, urbanization, economic development and technological advancements have caused change in world economic systems. 16. B. 5a Describe how modern political positions are affected by differences in ideologies and viewpoints that have developed over time. Content Standards (Common Core): 1) CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.11-12.2 Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary that makes clear the relationships among the key details and ideas. 2) CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.11-12.7 Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g., visually, quantitatively, as well as in words) in order to address a question or solve a problem. 3) CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.11-12.9 Integrate information from diverse sources, both primary and secondary, into a coherent understanding of an idea or event, noting discrepancies among sources. Materials/Resources/Technology: 1) Computer 2) Smartboard and/or Whiteboard 3) 28 copies of the Declaration of Human Rights 4) 28 copies of Chris Columbus lyrics 5) Chris Columbus by Head-Roc http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFwZBuD862o 6) Han Roslings 200 Countries, 200 Years, 4 Minutes- The Joy of Stats- BBC Four http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbkSRLYSojo Teachers Goals:

This lesson challenges students to think critically about whether or not globalization has truly produced positive results benefitting the whole of international society. It may be true that most nations have experienced overall economic growth over the last few decades. Moreover, technological innovations such as the Internet and social networking have allowed us to connect with other civilizations in ways that were previously unimaginable. However, globalization has also sparked conflict between nations, including imperialistic relationships dating back to Christopher Columbus first encounter with North American natives. These contradictions present a question of whether or not globalization actually enhances the freedom and economic conditions of one nation at the expense of another. Time Day 1 10 minutes Start of Class: 1) Since globalization can be a somewhat ambiguous term, we will begin the class by first defining its meaning as the following: A movement establishing communication, setting up trade, creating financial interactions, and establishing a common culture between nations across the world. 2) Using this definition, we will ask the class to present examples of globalization in a whole-group discussion. Students will create a t-chart on the board, and list some positive and negative consequences of globalization. 2a) Possible responses in the positive may include: social networking (Facebook, Twitter, etc.), transportation (airplanes), mass media (television, music, etc.), foreign aid, and political institutions and legislation (the United Nations/Universal Declaration of Human Rights) 2b) Possible responses in the negative may include: the creation of homogenous populations (in terms of interests, consumer culture, food, etc.), an increased likelihood of conflict and war (U.S. military involvement in Iraq), and exploitation of one nation by another (imperialism) Day 1 5 minutes Introduction of Lesson: 1) The resulting content on the students t-chart will help us assess their prior knowledge and personal ideas about the impact of globalization. Most likely, we predict that most students will believe that international interactions are a good thing, especially in regards to communicative technology. 2) While acknowledging that globalization has benefitted our society, we will also play the role of devils advocate and make the argument that globalization actually has placed limits on nations freedom. We will show how self-proclaimed free nations, such as the United States, have actually ignored the UNUDHR and disenfranchised other countries for their own gain. 3) Over the next two lessons, we will challenge our students to determine whether or not globalization really has leveled the playing field among

nations. Day 1 35 minutes Lesson Instruction: 1) We will start off our instruction by viewing Han Roslings 200 Countries, 200 Years, 4 Minutes- The Joy of Stats. In this video, Rosling shows how countries wealth relative to their peoples lifespan has increased across all parts of the world from 1810 to 2010. 1a) Notably, most Western countries grew more prosperous, and their people lived far longer, than Asian or African countries until about 1948. 1b) However, the last sixty years have seen these previously poor countries close the economic gap. 1c) Rosling optimistically believes that the current trend points to all countries reaching high levels of wealth. 2) Afterword, students will be split into pairs and share their feelings about the video. The following questions will be posted on the SmartBoard for consideration: a) What is your initial reaction to the video? b) What factors may have caused Western countries to advance economically while other regions remained poor during the 19th and early 20th century? -answers could include the Industrial Revolution, type of political institution (authoritarian vs. democracy), and imperialism. c) What factors may have contributed to closing the gap between rich and poor nations? -students should make a connection to globalization here d) Do you agree with Roslings statement that all countries can achieve greater wealth and life expectancy? Why or why not? The class will then come back together and we will ask some pairs to share their perceptions in a brief whole-group discussion. 3) We will comment that the Rosling video offers an optimistic view about the world eventually achieving economic equality and stability, if the students did not bring up this point. However, he does not account for how financial equity heavily depends on the quality of relationships between nations. 4) We want to stress to students that globalization is not just about the exchange of goods and media among nations. Relationships between countries usually involve a power struggle; both parties attempt to come away with the most rewards, which often results in one nation exploiting the other. 5) In order to exemplify the prevalence of exploitation in a globalized context, we will have students listen to the song, Chris Columbus by Head-Roc. The song elaborates upon Columbus abuse of indigenous populations while improving his own and Spains economic standing. Each student will have a copy of the song while listening, in order to improve comprehension for both

visual and auditory learners. 6) Students will break back into their pair groups (we will have prearranged to have one strong reader in each group) and discuss their interpretations of the song. Possible points to address include: -Citing lyrics from the song, what can we say about globalization? -Does globalization create a system of winners and losers? If so, how? - Does imperialism exist in a global context today? In what forms? We will walk around to monitor student discussion, ask and answer questions, and keep the focus on the lesson.