The 21st Century World

Today, we’ll begin with the MPA Globalization Forum. Remember, we’re asking each of you to give a brief “speech” of somewhere between 1 and 2 minutes. You can decide how much you want to get “in character, ” but remember to avoid doing anything offensive… Basically, we want to know who you are and a little bit about how you are being affected by this whole globalization process. After we meet everyone, we’ll throw out some questions for the group to ponder as well.

If time permits, I’d like to get back to that brainstorming activity where we look for the “winners” and “losers” in our globalizing world. We’ll derive a couple lists on the white board.

READING ASSIGNMENT: Chapter 2, “The Ten Forces That Flattened the World,” is a big one. (150 pages, to be more specific.) Yes, I think it’s worth reading (or at least skimming) sometime in the near future. However, I don’t want to take the week or whatever to assign the whole thing. Instead, we’ll divide it up. You’ll each be asked to sign up to “claim” one of the ten forces. I’d like you to read about that “flattener” by Friday. Those of you that read the same one will be responsible as a group for sending me a blog entry of 300-400 words that summarizes that “flattener” for the rest of the group. (It can be sent in the body of an email or as an attachment.) I’d like the write-up by Tuesday morning’s class at the latest so that I can post them to the blog for everyone to see.

Thanks for doing a good job with the speeches yesterday. I hope we were able to put a “human face” on the truly massive and complex set of issues related to globalization.

REMINDERS: Your blog entry #1 is due by 5 PM on Friday, and your “group” needs to submit its write-up for your “flattener” from Chapter 2 in The World Is Flat by class time on Tuesday. (I want to get them posted on the blog for Wednesday morning’s class.)

Today, I’d like to start with that brainstorming activity I’ve had up there for three days now. Let’s make the assumption that something is happening in terms of the world becoming increasingly globalized. Here are my questions: What is “won” or gained in such a world? What is “lost” in that world? (Try to step outside of our perspective as Americans to look at the issue from a holistic perspective.)

Next, we’ll take a look at the numbers… This is for those of you who wish you were in AP Stats and Probability right now. Actually, we’ll use the most recent data I can find for something called the Globalization Index. Click on this link to download the report that appeared in the May/June 2005 issue of Foreign Policy: Measuring Globalization [This link is also publically available through the A.T. Kearney website.]

We’ll have you break up into 5 groups to examine the report. When we come back together, each group should turn in a page containing your names and the following:

#1 – Present 3 conclusions or inferences that your group has drawn from the data. (Don’t just parrot back the ones in the article.)

#2 – Ask 2 questions that you know have as a result of the data and writing. (Note that you don’t have to know the answers to the question.)

#3 – Make 1 foreign policy recommendation for the United States to undertake.

We’ll spend some time talking about the report and what you’ve found.