Social sciences through a globalized Social sciences through a globalized perspectiveperspective

Creating a global curriculumCreating a global curriculum

ByBy

Athena Smith, Ph.D.Athena Smith, Ph.D.

Photos from www.burningwell.org (repository for public domain )Photos from www.burningwell.org (repository for public domain )

What are social sciences?What are social sciences?

Academic Academic disciplines dealing disciplines dealing with the study of with the study of the social life of the social life of groups and groups and individualsindividuals

AnthropologyAnthropology CommunicationsCommunications Economics/BusinessEconomics/Business HistoryHistory Political Sciences Political Sciences International RelationsInternational Relations PsychologyPsychology SociologySociology

What is a global curriculum?What is a global curriculum?

Two meanings:Two meanings: 1.National curriculums 1.National curriculums

adopt a global adopt a global dimensiondimension

2. Common courses, 2. Common courses, with common content with common content taught in various taught in various countries.countries.

Global ethics curriculum

Why do we need a global Why do we need a global curriculum?curriculum?

To become world To become world citizens.citizens.

To reduce conflict.To reduce conflict. To improve by To improve by

learning through learning through watching otherswatching others

The need is urgent because conflict The need is urgent because conflict also spreads through globalizationalso spreads through globalization

Europeans think Islam is dangerous

BBC NEWS | UK | Survey reveals Muslim attitudes

The Pew Global AttitudesThe Pew Global Attitudes ( (IHT, IHT, 6/29/06)6/29/06)

Westerners and Muslims around the world have radically different Westerners and Muslims around the world have radically different views of world events, and each group tends to view the other as views of world events, and each group tends to view the other as violent, intolerant, and lacking respect for womenviolent, intolerant, and lacking respect for women

Exceptions: Two-thirds of the French public expressed positive Exceptions: Two-thirds of the French public expressed positive views of Muslims, and even larger majorities of French Muslims felt views of Muslims, and even larger majorities of French Muslims felt favorable to Christians and Jews.favorable to Christians and Jews.

Majorities in every country except Pakistan expressed pessimism Majorities in every country except Pakistan expressed pessimism about Muslim-Western relations (Germany 70%, France 66%, about Muslim-Western relations (Germany 70%, France 66%, Turkey 64%, Spain and Britain 61% and Egypt 58%.)Turkey 64%, Spain and Britain 61% and Egypt 58%.)

How Indonesians stereotype the How Indonesians stereotype the ChineseChinese

Chinese are richChinese are rich Chinese keep to Chinese keep to

themselves themselves Chinese are Chinese are

arrogantarrogant Chinese think that Chinese think that

money can buy money can buy anything anything

How we stereotype ArabsHow we stereotype Arabs

The three B syndrome: The three B syndrome: bombers, belly dancers, bombers, belly dancers, or billionaires.or billionaires.

21 major movies in the 21 major movies in the last ten years show our last ten years show our military killing Arabs. military killing Arabs.

Russell Baker: "Arabs Russell Baker: "Arabs are the last people are the last people except Episcopalians except Episcopalians whom Hollywood feels whom Hollywood feels free to offend en free to offend en masse."masse."

Three stepsThree steps

Overcome the “who Overcome the “who cares” attitudecares” attitude

What to do and how to What to do and how to do itdo it

Choose whom you can Choose whom you can reachreach

First step: Overcome the “who cares” First step: Overcome the “who cares” attitudeattitude

Environmental degradation

The story of a pencil

The Second Auto Industry

Security concerns

Global interdependenciesGlobal interdependencies

12 million American 12 million American jobs depend on trade, jobs depend on trade, including 1 in 5 including 1 in 5 factory jobs. factory jobs.

One in 3 acres of U.S. One in 3 acres of U.S. farmland is planted for farmland is planted for exportexport

Many of the nation's Many of the nation's biggest corporations, biggest corporations, from Coca-Cola to from Coca-Cola to Microsoft and Google, Microsoft and Google, depend on substantial depend on substantial revenues from revenues from overseas. overseas.

Second Step (What to do and how to do it)Second Step (What to do and how to do it) Different perspectives of the worldDifferent perspectives of the world

We have entered a new global We have entered a new global order based on cultural order based on cultural comparative advantage. comparative advantage.

Japanese social discipline.Japanese social discipline. Indian intellectual rigorIndian intellectual rigor Korean loyalty to superiors Korean loyalty to superiors Cantonese Cantonese

entrepreneurshipentrepreneurship YouTube - Traffic Chaos Ind

ia

Enhance the courses Enhance the courses with online materials with online materials from sources like from sources like Globalization 101 or Globalization 101 or international news international news sitessites

Advantages of Globalization 101 materials

Encompassing social Encompassing social sciencessciences

Frequently updatedFrequently updated Free (Can reach the Free (Can reach the

poorest)poorest)

Specifically…Specifically…

Add the global Add the global dimension to your dimension to your coursescourses

Enrich the text with Enrich the text with current eventscurrent events

Assign projects to Assign projects to investigate which investigate which global forces global forces shaped the shaped the particular eventparticular event

From primary school to college: Social From primary school to college: Social developmentdevelopment

Use picturesUse pictures to show people’s to show people’s

happiness and happiness and sorrow-role playingsorrow-role playing

To show common To show common needs and needs and practicespractices

To exchange travel To exchange travel experiencesexperiences

Communication and language

Discuss stories with Discuss stories with common justice messages common justice messages ((Indian Fairy Tales ))

Learn anti-discriminatory Learn anti-discriminatory languagelanguage

Role-playing teaches Role-playing teaches respectrespect

Different religionsDifferent religions Different foodsDifferent foods Different family settingsDifferent family settings Different customs and art Different customs and art

(dances, theatre, music, (dances, theatre, music, humor)humor)

One story may apply to a multitude of One story may apply to a multitude of disciplines (history/business/economics)disciplines (history/business/economics)

From Dan Griswold’s From Dan Griswold’s Trading Tyranny for Trading Tyranny for Freedom: How Open Freedom: How Open Markets Till the Soil for Markets Till the Soil for DemocracyDemocracy. “Economic . “Economic integration promotes civil integration promotes civil and political freedoms and political freedoms directly by opening a directly by opening a society to new technology, society to new technology, communications, and communications, and democratic ideas... By democratic ideas... By promoting faster growth, promoting faster growth, free trade promotes free trade promotes political freedom indirectly political freedom indirectly by creating an by creating an economically independent economically independent and politically aware and politically aware middle class." middle class."

College sample lectures: A globalized College sample lectures: A globalized approachapproach

Life in Rural China NPR: Rural China in Tr

ansition

Job Losses Explode in Rural America

India's Farming 'Revolution' Heading For Collapse

Similarities in rural development among Similarities in rural development among countriescountries

1960’s-1980’s r1960’s-1980’s rapid industrialization

Companies found cheaper land, cheaper labor and less regulation

Industrial recruitment shifted local populations from the primary to secondary sectors

Commonalities: Use of short Commonalities: Use of short multimediamultimedia

Building a Prison Economy in Rural America

Cities sell garbage to rural areas

Playing with waste in India

From 1980’s to nowFrom 1980’s to now

Spread of biotechnology

Revised GATT and NAFTA EU-India: Free Trade A

greement

Globalized approach to world historyGlobalized approach to world history

1. Help students to 1. Help students to understand that their understand that their country never existed country never existed in a vacuum and that in a vacuum and that events occurring events occurring within their borders within their borders affect other peoples. affect other peoples.

2. Help students to 2. Help students to recognize that recognize that historical historical interpretations are interpretations are colored by national colored by national interests. interests.

Re-writing textsRe-writing texts

Cyprus history book rewrites spark outcry

To avoid 'us vs. To avoid 'us vs. them' in Balkans, them' in Balkans, rewrite history rewrite history

Include the positive….Include the positive….

Grameen Bank Grameen Bank Credit is treated as a Credit is treated as a

human right and a cost-human right and a cost-effective weapon to fight effective weapon to fight povertypoverty

In Bangladesh 80% of poor In Bangladesh 80% of poor families have been families have been reached through reached through microcreditmicrocredit

The idea has become The idea has become global and includesglobal and includes

LendingLending InvestmentInvestment Social Guarantees of LoansSocial Guarantees of Loans

and the negative…and the negative…

Human trafficking is Human trafficking is facilitated by increased facilitated by increased international mobility,international mobility, transparent borders, transparent borders, broadband communication, broadband communication, and political and economic and political and economic upheaval.upheaval.

The displaced persons, the The displaced persons, the war victims, the poor, and war victims, the poor, and those seeking the those seeking the opportunities of the West, opportunities of the West, turned trafficking into a turned trafficking into a booming business.booming business.

Not For Sale: Slavery mapNot For Sale: Slavery map

Third step: Choose whom you can Third step: Choose whom you can reachreach

International International collaborationcollaboration– Educational Educational

tourismtourism– Global classroomGlobal classroom– Reaching the Reaching the

poorpoor

Sierra LeoneSierra Leone

Pupils from Dorton Pupils from Dorton House in Kent, and House in Kent, and Milton Margai School Milton Margai School for the blind in war-for the blind in war-torn Freetown, Sierra torn Freetown, Sierra Leone, have visited Leone, have visited each other and each other and worked together on worked together on disability rights and disability rights and conflict resolution conflict resolution projects. projects.

Here is the story from Here is the story from BBC NEWS BBC NEWS

Possible set-ups for a global Possible set-ups for a global classroom among countriesclassroom among countries

Synchronous Synchronous distance learningdistance learning

Asynchronous Asynchronous distance learningdistance learning

Correspondence Correspondence coursescourses

Exchange programsExchange programs

One Laptop per Child One Laptop per Child

Donate oneDonate one Participating countries: Participating countries: Uganda, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Uganda, Rwanda, Ethiopia,

Colombia, Haiti, Mexico, Colombia, Haiti, Mexico, Peru, Uruguay, Peru, Uruguay, Afghanistan, Cambodia, Afghanistan, Cambodia, Mongolia, Kiribati, Nauru, Mongolia, Kiribati, Nauru, New Caledonia, Niue, New Caledonia, Niue, Papua New Guinea, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Vanuatu.Vanuatu.