Globalisation and Culture ACOM 465 Fall 2003

© Terrell Neuage

 

Week 2 September  8-13

Week two notes Tuesday/Thursday

Globalisation and Culture ACOM 465 Terrell Neuage

 Updated 9/11/2003 10:29 AM

 

Today’s class will discuss

 

What’s the Culture in Multiculturalism 

What’s the Difference of Identities?

Are we contesting the Future of Equality, Secularism, and National Solidarity

Is there a move toward global homogenization?

What makes a multicultural aspiration relevant at all?

What is egalitarian and does it matter?

 

Journal

This is the first week of your journal entries. Your journal entry for this week is an article that has been in the media regarding globalisation during the time of last Tuesday’s class (9th September) and this week’s class (September 11th).

 

Find an article in any printable media (including online) and print it and staple it to your report. Write a report about it of approximately 300 words. In your report discuss whether there is an equalitarian view being taken such as we discussed in class today. Be sure to label your paper and article Journal 1 Week 1.

 

Online reading and viewing for this week

Readings:

A paper is to be handed up at the beginning of the class on Thursday, 12th, with the answer to the FOLLOWING FOUR questions (and your name at the top of the page). Hebdige's basic idea of hegemony is that as a society we are told what is normal
and we assume that it is right.Who is it that tells us what is normal? TYPE YOUR ANSWERS AND HAVE IT READY TO HANDUP AT THE BEGINNING OF CLASS  3-possible marks. Course Guide pp 8.

 

1.      From the reading, Kellner,Douglas. Theorizing Globalization. http://www.gseis.ucla.edu/faculty/kellner/papers/theoryglob.htm  

There are no questions for this reading but read it for a background in globalisation for our Tuesday discussion.

2.      Mosa, Ali A. Why Globalisation? King Saud University, Abha, Saudi Arabia http://www.edfac.usyd.edu.au/projects/wcces96/papers/mosaa.pdf.

There are no questions for this reading but read it for a background in globalisation

3.      Global Village of the Damned by Kevin Ridofli.  http://www.renaissancemag.com/columnists/ridolfi/current.asp 

Question week 2/1.  Do you agree with the author’s assessment of website communication?  Why?   

4.      GLOBAL INSIGHTS 4 PROGRAM

Look at the site of ‘accessnews’ from Melbourne, Australia and click on the global insights link at the top of the page. We will be viewing segments of these videos in class and discussing globalisation and culture from an activist’s view. A COPY OF THIS VIDEO IS AVAILABLE AT THE REFERENCE DESK AT THE LIBRARY FOR 1-2 HOUR VIEWING IN THE LIBRARY.

http://www.accessnews.skatv.org.au/

                        

Question week 2/2.  List two of the listings from the Insights 4 program and write a couple of sentences what you think the video clip will be about. IT IS NOT NECESSARY TO VIEW THE CLIPS AS WE WILL VIEW THEM IN CLASS

5. CULTURAL  COLLABORATORY: The Dynamics of Cultural Globalization. The myths of cultural globalization. Joana Breidenbach / Ina Zukrigl (Berlin) http://www.inst.at/studies/collab/breidenb.htm

Question week 2/3.                 Using the sentence in this article, ‘Over the last 20 years a "culture of cultures" (Marshall Sahlins) has emerged’ name two cultures that you see on the Albany University campus.

6. Hebdige's basic idea of hegemony is that as a society we are told what is normal
and we assume that it is right.Who is it that tells us what is normal?   http://www-personal.umd.umich.edu/~aquail/page1.html

Question week 2/4.  What is it about globalisation that makes this article valid?

 

 

(Thursday) Group discussion: what communities do you belong to? (i.e. Sports, Social, Groups…)

Week Two Group worksheet. This week’s topic is multiculturalism.

The word ‘culture’ has its roots in the ancient Latin word cultura, "cultivation" or "tending." The 1960 Webster's a definition of culture is: 1. The cultivation of soil. 2. The raising, improvement, or development of some plant, animal or product" (Friend and Guralnik 1958). By the 1970s culture was coming to mean "the training, development, and refinement of mind, tastes, and manners" (Oxford English Dictionary). Now it is meant more to be. The totality of socially transmitted behavior patterns, arts, beliefs, institutions, and all other products of human work and thought that are embraced by a group of people. 

 

I.                     What makes an American an American?

i.e. birth, Greencard, parents, acceptance of views/products, immigration…?

 

II.                   Can a person be an American and never have lived in the States? ___________________________________________________

III.                  Is someone from Canada or Central America or South America an American? ___________________________________________________

IV.               What are some groups you belong to?  Social, religion, sports, ethnicity, peers… ___________________________________________________

What are some of the rules of the group? ________________________________________________________

 

Who determines the rules ________________________________________________________

Is there a caste system or class system in the States? Like being middle-class, old-money, new-money, sexual behaviours, political – divisions of others sorts…. Are these the basis for sub-culture?How do several subgroups become a larger group? For example what are four subgroups that make up what would be considered the youth movement (world-wide) ________________________________________________________