FORUM TOPICS AND TOWN HALL MEETINGS
"Through our scientific genius, we made of the world a neighborhood, and now through our moral and ethical commitment, we must make of it a brotherhood. We must all learn to live together as brothers or we will all perish together as fools."
- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr
TOPIC: (The Case for) Localism in Business, Media, Culture and Economy
TOPIC: (Serious Implications of) Cultural Domination and Loss of Independence
TOPIC: Impact of Globalization on Distinctive Cultures
TOPIC: Proaction and Reaction at Universities
TOPIC: (The State of) Cultural Literacy
CLASS: A Cultural and Historical Perspective on Globalization
I. Defining Processes (Globalization, Nationalization, Localization, Colonization, Privatization, Militarization)
Examples
Colonization (historic) - government driven
Privatization - business driven
Militarization - government and business driven
Localization - consumer driven
Nationalization - government, business and consumer
Corporatization - government (infrastructure and insentives), business and consumer
Modern Economic Globalization - business driven (government supported)
Nationalization - Government, Laws
Some things that became national - Transportation, Media, Business
II. Historical Context
What Influences Globalization?
Trade, Industry, Technology
III. Technology and Infrastructure
Investment and Profit
Marketing (Limited Interests) v. Diversity in the Marketplace
Mass Marketing, Limited Suppliers, Limited Manufacturing, Limited Ownership
IV. Economic Imbalance
U.S. Deficit: Working Poor, Consumer Debt
Consumer Confidence
Economic Segregation
The Drain: Why do U.S. companies seek to globalize?
Opportunity for Equality or Widening Economic Gap (lowest possible wage)?
Burden on the Public (Salary Disparity) - Product v. Service
Burden on the Nonprofit Sector, Politics, Independent Media, Arts Communities and Academic World (Absence of Local Media, High Cost of National Media, High Cost of Operating)
V. Government Civic Dilemma
Competitiveness and the Big Picture
Concerns with Globalization:
Privatization of Municipal Resources
Issues of Sovreignty in the Trade Agreements
Issues of Regional Identity Products in the WTO
VI. Benefits of Localism (Media, Business, Culture, Economy)
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