Globalization: Case Studies

Learning Objectives

  • Students will analyze how technological advancements have led to increased globalization.
  • Students will create presentations that inform about ways in which globalization impacts daily life.
Length
One 45-minute period
Grade Level
High School

Homework

  • Students will complete Parts 1 and 2 of the guided reading handout.

Class One

  1. (5 Minutes) Debrief Homework: Ask students to share key takeaways from homework. Highlight that 1) technological advances have increased globalization and 2) globalization has a direct impact on their daily lives in the food they eat. This sets the stage for a deeper look at the impact of globalization through case studies.
  2. (15 Minutes) Reading - The Impact of Globalization: Divide the class into three groups and assign each a case study on globalization. They will complete the corresponding part of the Guided Reading Handout:
    • Group 1: A Global Semiconductor Shortage 
    • Group 2: Big in China: The Global Market for Hollywood Movies 
    • Group 3: Human Trafficking in the Global Era
  3. (25 Minutes) Jigsaw Infographic Prep - The Impact of Globalization
    1. Using the same reading groups, students should create an infographic about how globalization impacts daily life, using visualizations of key information from their reading. Students can use physical arts materials or graphic software such as: Google Drawings (or Slides/ Docs), Canva, Piktochart, or Venngage. All three readings include data or references to evidence that can be visually represented. Note: encourage students to develop their own graphics with their purpose and audience in mind, rather than identically reproducing graphics in the reading. For example:
      • A Global Semiconductor Shortage = data related to backorders, map of supply chain, chips used in a car visual, bullet points of what CHIPS Act does
      • Big in China = data on box office sales, images related to censored movies, etc.
      • Human Trafficking = data about numbers of people affected, visuals of common industries where trafficking is common, visuals about products tied to human trafficking.

Homework

Students should complete the Impact of Globalization Infographic/ Presentation. They will share at the beginning of the next class meeting. If possible, their infographics should be displayed or shared with the larger school audience (i.e: submitted to the school newspaper).

Vocabulary

censorship

withholding of information, typically by a government or an authoritative body.

fiber optic cable

cable, made out of strands of glass as thin as hair, used to quickly transmit large volumes of internet traffic between locations all over the globe.

pandemic

disease outbreak that has reached at least several countries, affecting a large group of people.

sovereignty

supreme or absolute authority over a territory.

supply chain

a network—consisting of individual producers, companies, transportation, information, and more—that extracts a raw material, transforms it into a finished product, and delivers it to a consumer.

World Trade Organization (WTO)

an international institution created in 1995 that regulates trade between nations. A replacement for the 1947 General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), the WTO manages the rules of international trade and attempts to ensure fair and equitable treatment for its 164 members. It does this by conducting negotiations, lowering trade barriers, and settling disputes. As of 2018, the WTO had 164 members.