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Frames in Unit 9
Frames in Unit 9
What does globalization mean when viewed through the production and distribution, communities, and networks frames?
As this video progresses, key ideas will be introduced to invoke discussion.
Think about the following questions as you watch the video
In what ways are we all connected as part of a global network?
How can we view globalization through the lens of the production and distribution frame?
In what ways are we members of global communities?
What are some problems with globalization raised by this video?
: (music playing)
: We are told that over the course of the last century,
: the world has become increasingly
: "globalized."
: Now, this term is confusing
: and is often used in different ways.
: But it tells a story that connects
: all the frames in this course.
: In fact, one way to get
: a working definition of globalization
: is to look at recent events
: through each of our three frames.
: We can begin to define globalization
: by noticing how we are all increasingly tied together
: in one "global" network.
: For the first time, it's become possible
: to speak and interact in real time
: with people on the other side of the world.
: We can rapidly send information to each other.
: We share ideas and concepts with great efficiency.
: Some people have even argued
: that we are increasingly sharing one global culture.
: They believe our differences are being flattened
: and we have more of the same experiences as people far away.
: Globalization also means that our production and distribution
: has increasingly become connected
: in one giant, worldwide economic system.
: Products we use are made from many raw materials
: dug up, cut down, or grown in different parts of the world.
: Those resources are then shipped to other places
: to be processed into parts.
: Those parts are moved yet again to another place,
: where they are assembled.
: Finally, the assembled product
: is transported to a market somewhere in the world for sale.
: The profits from the sale
: may then be shared by investors and business owners
: living in yet more parts of the world.
: Production and distribution of goods and services
: has become truly global.
: Our communities are also becoming globalized.
: Once, the nation-state seemed to be
: the ultimate, largest possible community.
: But today, we can become members
: of digital communities that connect people
: living in different nations or parts of the world.
: These communities of people share common work,
: hobbies, interests, or beliefs.
: But within the context of the frames,
: globalization raises as many questions as it resolves:
: Who benefits from this global network?
: Who can contribute?
: Who runs the network and whose ideas can move freely?
: And what happens to privacy
: when we are all connected all the time?
: Similarly, who profits
: from this global production and distribution?
: Who makes things, who gets paid,
: and who gets to use the things we make?
: And what's the impact of this rapidly expanding economy
: on our world and on our environment?
: Finally, if we are moving towards a global community,
: why is there still violence, and even genocide,
: between groups?
: Why, recently, do we see a resurgence in nationalism
: in ethnic identity, and, in some cases, in religion?
: Is it because people are lost in this vast global system?
: Are they seeking some smaller, closer community
: to anchor themselves to something solid?
: These are among the many questions
: that make studying the past meaningful to us
: as we look to understand the present.
: You are already participants
: in making the communities, networks, and products
: of the future.
: How will you use what you know of the global past
: to do it better?
: These are the questions that make world history
: meaningful, useful, and usable.