The 21st Century World

Welcome back. Welcome, as well, to the second year of a pretty new course at MPA. We'll spend a good deal of time today talking about just what you hope/expect this course to be. I figure that you are all about to step out into this rapidly changing world, so we should figure out what we can about where we are and where we are going.

We'll do all the usual stuff about expectations, guidelines, etc. today. In case you hadn't heard yet, the text we will use this quarter is Thomas Friedman's The World is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century. I'd strongly prefer that you were using "Version 3.0," the paperback version that just came out. It is significantly different from the first edition, and there is some new material not contained in the hardcover version originally recommended. (If you don't have the right one, some of the readings will not match up, and it may be more difficult to do some of the assignments.) We'll also read from a wide variety of other current sources.

Today, we'll do a couple of overview exercises together. One will involve making some "wishes," one will involve testing memory and predicting skills, and the third and fourth will involve some drawing...

READING ASSIGNMENT: Please have chapter 1, "While I Was Sleeping," read for class on Tuesday. That's pages 3 through 50. You'll be required to make blog entries related to the readings on occasion, and the first of those will be posted by the end of the day on Thursday and due before class on next Tuesday.

Today, we'll try and make some sense of the "big picture" that is most commonly known as "globalization." There's a lot of disagreement over just what is happening and just what it means, but there's no doubt that SOMETHING is going on. We'll begin our semester-long examination of this and related issues today.

READING: Remember to get through Chapter 1, "While I was Sleeping," from The World is Flat for Tuesday's class.

Conversation starters - No more than ten minutes on any one of these for today.

#1 - Conscious attempts to spread American values and culture are beneficial to the world community.

#2 - "Sweatshops" should not be protested; they should be recognized as a necessary and positive step in economic development.

#3 - Wal-Mart is an American success story.

#4 - Our government needs to protect American jobs at risk of moving overseas.

Defining globalization: Here are some of the many attempts to define or characterize this "big thing." Let's try some of them on for size.

Thomas Friedman - "...the one big thing, the defining theory of the post-Cold War era"

TF - "the cluster of trends and technologies -- the Internet, fiber optics, digitalization, satellite communications -- that have increased productivity and cranked up the speed of international business since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989."

TF - "the 'democratization' of finance, information and technology"

Wikipedia - "Globalization is an umbrella term for a complex series of economic, social, technological, cultural and political changes seen as increasing interdependence, integration and interaction between people and companies in disparate locations."

anonymous - "the shrinking of time and space"

International Monetary Fund - "the growing economic interdependence of countries worldwide through increasing volume and variety of cross-border transactions in goods and services, free international capital flows, and more rapid and widespread diffusion of technology"

The World Bank - "Freedom and ability of individuals and firms to initiate voluntary economic transactions with residents of other countries"

Arjun Appadurai identified five types of global connectivity:

* Ethnoscapes: movements of people, including tourists, immigrants, refugees, and business travelers.
* Financescapes: global flows of money, often driven by interconnected currency markets, stock exchanges, and commodity markets.
* Ideoscapes: the global spread of ideas and political ideologies. For example, Green Peace has become a worldwide environmental movement.
* Mediascapes: the global distribution of media images that appear on our computer screens, in newspapers, television, and radio.
* Technoscapes: the movement of technologies around the globe. For example, the Green Revolution in rice cultivation introduced western farming practices into many developing countries.

Globalization: The Effects - We'll do a brainstorming activity here.

MPA Globalization Forum - We'll spend the bulk of Tuesday discussing globalization and its effects "in character." No, you don't need to dress up, but you will draw a role today that you will represent. Be prepared to "introduce" yourself to the rest of the class in a "speech" of 2 minutes that let's us know who you are and that previews your position on globalization. Following those introductions, we'll talk about the issues...

Here's how we'll do this. I'll post several questions by the time a chapter is "due" to have been read. Each of you will be expected to post a comment here before the deadline. You may respond to one or more of the questions, and you can also react to comments posted by others. I'll expect a comment of one good paragraph or more. (To me, that means 5-6 sentences at a minimum.) You do not need to worry about perfect grammar, spelling and punctuation, but they should be understandable. Remember that this is a public site, and you are responsible for the content of your postings.

I will credit people for their posts. Assume that each comment is worth 5 points. (5 points for solid or better comments, 4 for comments somewhat short of expectations, 3 or fewer for last-minute, little to no effort postings, and no points for those who have not posted by the deadline.)

So, let's get started... By Tuesday's class, you are supposed to have read Chapter 1, "While I was Sleeping." You should post a response of at least one good paragraph to one or more of these questions. (You can also react to other posts.)

YOUR COMMENT SHOULD BE POSTED BY 8:30 AM ON THURSDAY (9/6) IN ORDER TO GET FULL CREDIT.

A. "I think the world is flat." (page 5) After reading this chapter, what do you think of Friedman's choice of title and controlling idea for this book? If you agree, tell me why. If you don't, tell me why and suggest another theme or slogan that you think might have been more appropriate.

B. On pages 9 through 11, Friedman characterizes "three great eras of globalization." I'm curious as to what you think about his categorization of these eras. Draw upon what you've learned in other classes or on your own to assess the validity of his depiction of "three eras."

C. I found this book to be full of lines, facts or examples that made me think, "Wow!" I want you to identify the three most surprising, interesting or memorable things that you learned in this chapter. (In other words, what three things are you most likely to share at the dinner table when you're asked, "So, what have you learned lately at MPA?")

D. This is your chance to do some prognosticating (look it up...). Imagine that, ten years from now, you win a trip to Bangalore and Dalian. How do you think things will have changed? From a provincial perspective, will these changes have strengthened or weakened the United States of America?

E. What do you think of Friedman as a writer? Use specific examples to support your assessment of his style and/or his effectiveness as an author so far in The World is Flat.