Prof. Noémi GiszpencMontclair State University

Globalization 101 Users’ ConferenceLevin Institute, New York, May 18, 2009

Framing “Global Civilization”

Intro to class: “Global Civilization”Not necessarily a course on “globalization”Freshman honors program seminar on

contemporary issuesTwice-weekly 75-minute class meetingsAbout 15 students per class, from all majorsMulti-disciplinaryTaught by various professors: each designs own

courseBackgrounds include political science, sociology,

anthropology, history, literature, economicsStudents choose section based on interest, but also

schedule…

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What’s your first instinct?Quick! Teach “Global Civilization” to a class of

freshmen.

What do you put in? What do you leave out? What do you want students to know? How will they learn it?Do you need a “hook”? Should you narrow the topic down to a smaller

slice?Can you enlist students’ passions?

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Some answers from MSU profs“Learn how to inquire about politics, how to

understand politics in different parts of the world, and how to generate and test hypotheses to explain politics.” Using graphic novels!Tony Spanakos, political science professor

“Consider the 21st century from the perspective of East Asia. The experiences of China, Japan, and Korea provide the lenses through which our contemporary age is viewed.”Ken Olenik, history professor

Students write a report “conceived as a stimulative work-in-progress to facilitate discussion – and to promote action – concerning the new forces of Globalization shaping and altering the planet’s present and future course.”Glenn Alcalay, anthropology professor

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My take: economic developmentHealthy respect for laws of economics

What is possible/impossible; probable/improbable

Healthy skepticism of current predominant institutions, given the evident problems facing worldTempered by appreciation for ambiguity,

distaste for revolutionDue consideration to social factors, politics,

history, etc.

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My starting goals for the courseFocus on big, important issues that cross or

transcend borders, occur between countriesE.g. trade, war, environment, health

Don’t take an overly U.S.-centric viewGive basic facts about the global landscapeLearn durable concepts from contemporary

events

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Process for gathering class materialBrainstorm: What shapes my understanding of what is

going on? What tools help me to understand? What’s important?

Ask all my friends and family for advice and opinionsBrowse Globalization 101 siteBrowse Amazon.com—starting from a book like

Fareed Zakaria’s The Post-American World, what are related books?

Go to the libraryFound Reinventing the Bazaar by John McMillan,

Illicit by Moisés Naím, The Economics of War by Paul Poast

Subscribe to YaleGlobal Online (yaleglobal.yale.edu) and other site feeds for current events and latest research

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Topics that I settled onIntro to Global landscape: countries, institutions,

historyForces at Work: Microeconomics & MacroeconomicsTrade: Supply Chains, Agreements, Potential BenefitsFinance: General and current crisisDevelopment: What is it? How is it promoted?

Sustained?Environment: Climate Change, WaterWar & Peace, & Money, & Arms SmugglingInternational Crime: Situation & ResponseWomen, Demographics, Health, and EducationCulture, Identity, Language & Religion

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Pros and Cons of Topic ListProsHits most of the big

topics on the news and affecting global civilization

Somewhat coherent: all the topics relate to one another

All of them interest me (passion can be infectious)

If a student doesn’t like one topic, quickly move to next

ConsAny one of these topics

could be a whole course/book/dissertation

Hard to design assignments and lessons that convey gist without being too simple or overwhelming

No simple answers (but that’s part of the point)

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Knowledge

Major global issues from many perspectives

Basic economic principles

World bodies now, historical roots

Skills Reading and understanding journalism, essays, and primary sources

Finding relevant information and summarizing salient points

Thinking of opposing viewpoints and how to address them, constructing cohesive arguments

Attitudes Role as citizen in society; responsibility to be active, informed participant

Acceptance of complexity versus simplicity

Appreciation for non-U.S. / non-parochial interests and points of view

My goals for student learning

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What students say they learned

“I learned that what happens around the world DOES affect me, and I need to become more politically aware of these issues so that I can make informed decisions as a citizen of the United States.”“Everything has a good side, a bad side, and a gray side. Our world is constantly changing and all of our choices can have a multitude of effects, good, bad, and anything in between.”“I feel as if I became more knowledgeable about how much of a say other countries have on the global stage. Prior to this class, my mindset was that the United States pretty much controlled everything that happened in the world, but through this class, I learned that other countries, such as the country I was assigned, China, have their own share of the vote regarding global issues.”

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Most successful class componentsHomework:

Weekly news summaries on class topic in assigned country

Lessons:Interactive class participation or visual aids, e.g. the

“iPod class”Resources:

Students especially appreciated “The Crisis of Credit Visualized” by Jonathan Jarvis, www.crisisofcredit.com

Readings:Global Trends 2025: A Transformed World

by the National Intelligence Council

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PrinciplesStart from where the students are

E.g. “How am I globalized?”In tension with presenting unknown material

Students learn most from doing; next from seeing; least from hearingSmall-group discussions of 2-4 students most

effectiveEnergy level increases if students get a chance

to moveSpecific, concrete examples more interesting

than abstract theories

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Discussion is key. How to do it?Insufficiently structured discussions can be “hijacked”

by a few particularly talkative people“Covering” too many topics leads to shallow, if any,

learningHard to get students to interact outside of class, onlineChallenging to bring students just out of their comfort

zoneE.g., some students complained about economics content,

but many also reported that although they found the topics difficult, they appreciated having a better handle on current events and being able to discuss issues more intelligently

With such complex topics and few “packaged” lessons, preparation time can grow to unbearable proportions

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Recommendations for framingDo’sFocus on what interests

you within global civilization

Pick small, manageable slices students can grasp

Keep up-to-date on current developments

Give students continuity

Share your work with the world!

Don’tsTry to teach

everything you know about it

Be afraid to tackle complex subjects

Get side-tracked too much by today’s news

Limit variety of sources

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Thank you. Questions?Noémi Giszpenc

www.giszpenc.com/globalciv

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