Unit 2 - Area of Study 1: Global links

Outcome 1

Identify and analyse the social, political and economic interconnections created by globalisation and evaluate Australia’s participation in the global community.

Examples of learning activities

• Provide a presentation on a global political movement. As part of your presentation you must include the aims of the movement, how it started and why it transcended national borders; as well as the methods it uses to communicate to its members and build support.
• Brainstorm as a class, the social impact of globalisation concentrating on the students own experiences. In what ways do students now depend on technology and its global interconnectedness?
• Watch the documentary ‘How Facebook Changed the World’ a BBC Documentary about how technology played a part in the Arab Spring. (Warning: is it quite graphic in its content).
• Research a TNC and the positive and negative impacts it has on the global commerce, trade and investment.
• Go to the Good On You website and download the app. This app allows you to see how ethical the major clothes brands are and the most ethical brands available. Have students browse the app and then discuss whether knowing this information will impact on what clothes they buy.
• Go to the Amnesty International website and find the latest annual report at the bottom of the homepage. Here is the year in review. Watch the video as a class and have the students browse the page. Students should consider how much they knew of what is included here. What does this say about global connectedness and human rights? Has it helped expose human rights abuses? Begin with a classroom discussion and then conduct a class debate: ‘the impact of global connectedness is the increased awareness of human rights’.
• Watch ‘McAmerica: The Success Secrets of Brand USA’ an Al-Jazeera Documentary. Afterwards, students reflect on what this documentary was claiming about the global interconnectedness of culture. Do the students agree? This documentary also introduces the idea of ‘soft power’ which is crucial in Unit 3: Global Politics.
• Research how global interconnectedness has impacted on the environment. Link this to economic impacts of globalisation and trade. The Greenpeace website is a useful tool.
• Conduct a debate on the topic: ‘a state’s primary obligation is to the global community’. Prepare the debate by introducing the concepts of realism and cosmopolitanism.
• 

  Assign each group of students one of the following:

  • environment
  • terrorism
    
  • people movement
  • free/fair trade
  • international law
  • aid.

  In their groups, students research and determine whether Australia has cooperated with or opposed the global community in that area. Once research is completed, students share their findings and evaluate the effectiveness of Australia’s participation.

 

Detailed example

Australia’s role as a global citizen

Students research whether Australia has cooperated or opposed the global community.

Divide the students into the following groups (it is up to your discretion whether you let them choose which area they are to research):

• environment
• terrorism
• people movement
• free/fair trade
• international law
• aid.

Students must collect at least five different pieces of evidence (such as news articles) on how Australia has responded to the particular area. The ABC and Guardian websites will be useful for finding this information.

Based on this evidence students should decide whether Australia has cooperated or opposed the global community.

Each group chooses a spokesperson to share their research and findings on whether Australia has cooperated or opposed the global community. Students not in the group sharing should be allowed to ask questions at the end to clarify each group’s position.

While each group is sharing, the other students fill in a table, listing the evidence for each area and whether Australia has cooperated or opposed the global community.

Once the research has been shared, each group reconvenes and evaluates whether Australia’s participation overall is cooperative or against the global community.

Once this decision is made, there is a whole class discussion evaluating Australia’s participation.