UNIVERSITY OF CAGAYAN VALLEY

Tuguegarao City, Cagayan

SCHOOL OF LIBERAL ARTS & TEACHER EDUCATION

Department of Social & Behavioral Sciences

MIDTERM COVERAGE

Name of Student: __________________________ Year& Section:_______________

Subject: The Contemporary World Instructor: ____________________

Module Number: 01
Topic: Asian Regionalism: Context and Scope
Introduction/Overview: Asia is Earth's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in
the Eastern and Northern Hemispheres. It covers an area of 44,579,000
square kilometres (17,212,000 sq mi), about 30% of Earth's total land area
and 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area. The continent, which has long
been home to the majority of the human population, was the site of many of
the first civilizations.
Etymology
The idea of a place called "Asia" was originally a concept of Greek
civilization.
Greeks assumed that Asia was named after the wife of Prometheus,
Hesione, but that the Lydians say it was named after Asies, son of Cotys,
who passed the name on to a tribe at Sardis. In Greek mythology, "Asia"
(Ἀσία) or "Asie" (Ἀσίη) was the name of a "Nymph or Titan goddess of
Lydia".
Latin Asia and Greek “Ἀσία” appear to be the same word. Roman authors
translated Ἀσία as Asia. The Romans named a province Asia, located in
Western Anatolia (in modern-day Turkey). There was an Asia Minor and an
Asia Major located in modern-day Iraq.
Learning Outcomes: At the end of the lesson, the students will be able to:
A. Differentiate regionalization and globalization
B. Identify the factors leading to a greater integration of the
Asian region

Learning Objectives: At the end of the lesson, the students will be able to:
A. Familiarize oneself about Asia and its importance;
B. Explain the emergence and characteristics of Asian Regionalism; and
C. Value the importance of Regionalism by creating a poem about its
impact to both Asia and the world.

Discussion/Analysis:
Importance of knowing Asia
 Asia is the most important region of our world for achieving global well-being. One reason is
simply the region we call Asia is where most of us live. That has implications for both
consumption and creativity.
 It is important to know Asia because it is the seat of great civilizations: like those of India, China
and Japan which have made great contributions to the world civilization. Asia is also the home of
several major religions in the world:
 Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Shintoism, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Jainism, Taoism,
Christianity, Islam, Sikhism and as well as many other religions.
 Asia: The World’s Largest Continent
 Asia is notable for not only its overall large size and population, but also dense and large
settlements, as well as vast barely populated regions.
 Its 4.5 billion people (as of 2019) constitute roughly 60% of the world's population.
 Physical Features

ASIA
- It is the largest continent on Earth. It covers 9% of the Earth's total surface area (or 30% of its land
area), and has the largest coastline, at 62,800 kilometres (39,022 mi).
- It is subdivided into 48 countries, three of them (Russia, Kazakhstan and Turkey) having part of
their land in Europe.
-
- Main regions
 Western Asia
o Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Cyprus, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Iraq,
Iran, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia.
 Southeast Asia
o Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor
Lester, Vietnam, Christmas Island, Cocos Islands.
 South Asia
o -Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, India, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bhutan, Nepal, the Maldives.
 East Asia
o China, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Macau.
 Central Asia
o Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan.
 Character traits among Asians
People classified as Asians are physically different in some ways than people of European descent.
 In almost all cases Asians have straight, black hair and dark eyes. They also tend to have less body
hair, less facial hair, flatter faces, smaller noses, wider cheekbones, and "shovel-shaped" incisor
teeth (slightly scooped out shape of back side of the front teeth).
 Asian Regionalism
Asian regionalism is the product of economic interaction, not political planning.
As a result of successful, outward-oriented growth strategies, Asian economies have grown not
only richer, but also closer together.
In recent years, new technological trends have further strengthened ties among them, as have the
rise of the PRC and India and the region’s growing weight in the global economy.
But adversity also played a role. The 1997/98 financial crisis dealt a severe setback to much of
the region, highlighting Asia’s shared interests and common vulnerabilities and providing an
impetus for regional cooperation. In the early stages of Asia’s economic take off, regional
integration proceeded slowly. East Asian economies, in particular, focused on exporting to
developed country markets rather than selling to each other.
 Initially, they specialized in simple, labour-intensive manufactures. As the more advanced among
them graduated to more sophisticated products, less developed economies filled the gap that they
left behind
 The Japanese economist Akamatsu (1962) famously compared this pattern of development to
flying geese. In this model, economies moved in formation not because they were directly linked
to each other, but because they followed similar paths.
 Asian regionalism is emerging against the backdrop of a remarkable half century of economic
development. In the four decades from 1956 to 1996, East Asian living standards—as measured
by real (inflation adjusted) output per person—rose at a rate faster than has ever been sustained
anywhere else.
 How Regionalism Benefit Asia
Regionalism is multidimensional—it encompasses deepening interdependence in various spheres
of economic activity, widening cooperative efforts, and a growing commitment to international
collaboration.
The evolution of Asian regionalism can be assessed on a wide range of measures, but each
confirms a remarkable coming together of diverse economies.
 Asia is at the center of the development of such production networks because it has efficient
transport and communication links, as well as policies geared to supporting trade. As these new
production patterns tie Asian economies closer together, they also boost the international
competitiveness of the region’s firms.
 The Economics of Asian Regionalism
Asian economies are becoming closely intertwined. This is not because the region’s development
strategy has changed; it remains predominantly non- discriminatory and outward-oriented.
Rather, interdependence is deepening because Asia’s economies have grown large and
prosperous enough to become important to each other, and because their patterns of production
increasingly depend on networks that span several Asian economies and involve wide ranging
exchanges of parts and components among them.
Regional integration in Asia is partly a result of the region’s rapid growth and increasing weight
in the world economy. But, as we have seen, regional relationships are also becoming more
intense than growth by itself would explain.
 Asia is not alone in displaying such an increasing regional bias; technology and policy seem to
be generating new opportunities for regional integration, even in the context of a rapidly
globalizing world economy.

Desired Activities:
Activity 01
Instruction: Answer the following questions briefly
1. What is the importance of Regionalism
2. Give at least five issues about the nature and function Asian regional institutions like ASEAN and APEC.

Activity No.2: I’m an Asian

Create a poem (4 lines & 4 stanzas) about the importance of Regionalism and its impact to Asia and to
the world.
Criteria
Content - 15pts.
Creativity/Relevance – 10pts.
Originality -10pts.
______________
35pts.

Include E-Resources/Links:https://aric.adb.org/emergingasianregionalism/pdfs/Final_ear_chapters/
chapter%202.pdf
 UNIVERSITY OF CAGAYAN VALLEY
Tuguegarao City, Cagayan

SCHOOL OF LIBERAL ARTS & TEACHER EDUCATION

Department of Social & Behavioral Sciences

MIDTERM COVERAGE

Name of Student: __________________________ Year& Section:_______________

Subject: The Contemporary World Instructor: ____________________

Module Number: 02
Topic: Global Media Culture
Introduction/Overview: Media culture refers to the current Western capitalist society that emerged
and developed from the 20th century, under the influence of mass media.
The term alludes to the overall impact and intellectual guidance exerted by
the media (primarily TV, but also the press, radio and cinema), not only on
public opinion but also on tastes and values.

Learning Outcomes: At the end of the lesson, the students will be able to:
A. Analyze how various media drive various forms of global integration
B. Explain the dynamic between local and global cultural production
Learning Objectives: At the end of the lesson, the students will be able to:
A. Examine the role of Global media culture;
B. Recognize the influence of American culture in the film industry; and
C.Make a comparison between American and Filipino films.
Discussion/Analysis:

The Globalization of American Culture

 American Culture
- It is primarily of Western culture (European) origin and form, but is influenced by
a multicultural ethos that includes African, Native American, Asian, Polynesian,
and Latin American people and their cultures.
- It also has its own social and cultural characteristics, such as dialect, music, arts, social
habits, sports, fashion, literature, architecture cuisine, and folklore.
 Hollywood Hegemony
- It is described as 'Hollywoodization' of the world where the American Film industry is
used to establish a world-wide acceptance of American values, way of life and
ideologies- be it political, cultural or socio-economic-as the ideal or ideal situations.
 Hegemony - leadership or dominance, especially by one country or social group over others.
 Hollywood Films
Cinema of the United States
 Refers to as Hollywood, has had a large effect on the film industry in general since the early 20th
century.
- The dominant style of American cinema is classical Hollywood cinema, which developed
from 1917 to 1960 and characterizes most films made there to this day.
- American cinema came to be a dominant force in the industry as it emerged. It produces
 the third largest number of films of any single-language national cinema, with more than
600 English-language films released on average every year.
Desired Activities:
Activity No. 01
Instruction: Answer the following questions briefly
1. How does media affect socio-cultural globalization?
2. Give five advantages and dis advantages of Hollywood hegemony.

Activity No. 02: Venn diagram

Using a Venn diagram, compare and contrast comparison the following subject.
A. Your favorite American Movie
B. Your favorite Filipino Movie

A. (Title of the movie) B. (Title of the movie)

A&B

References:
Include E-Resources/Links:https://www.academia.edu/4589471/Lecture_06_-_Media_and_Globalization
 UNIVERSITY OF CAGAYAN VALLEY
Tuguegarao City, Cagayan

SCHOOL OF LIBERAL ARTS & TEACHER EDUCATION

Department of Social & Behavioral Sciences

MIDTERM COVERAGE

Name of Student: __________________________ Year& Section:_______________

Subject: The Contemporary World Instructor: ____________________

Module Number: 03
Topic: Cultural Diversity
Introduction/Overview: Culture is the beliefs, behaviors, objects, and other characteristics shared by
groups of people.
Cultural diversity is the quality of diverse or different cultures, as opposed
to monoculture, the global monoculture, or a homogenization of cultures,
akin to cultural decay.
Learning Outcomes: At the end of the lesson, the students will be able to:
A. Explain the importance of Culture
B. Appreciate their own unique culture, heritage and values
Learning Objectives: At the end of the lesson, the students will be able to:
A. Critically analyze the essence of culture in our diverse world;
B. Enhance appreciation of various cultures in their respective community
and in the rest of the world; and
C. Develop a sense of pride in their own cultural heritage.
Discussion/Analysis:

Cultural Relativism
Have you ever seen or eaten food from another country, such as fried scorpion or fried spider and
think of it as weird and gross?
This is an example of ethnocentrism. That means you use your own culture as the center and
evaluate other cultures based on it. You are judging, or making assumptions about the food of
other countries based on your own norms, values, or beliefs.
Thinking “fried scorpion is inedible” or “people shouldn’t eat insects” are examples
of ethnocentrism in societies where people may not eat fried scorpion or insects.
To avoid judging the cultural practices of groups that are different to yours, we can use
the cultural relativism approach.
Cultural relativism refers to not judging a culture to our own standards of what is right or
wrong, strange or normal. Instead, we should try to understand cultural practices of other groups
in its own cultural context.
 It is the idea that a person's beliefs, values, and practices should be understood based on that
person's own culture, rather than be judged against the criteria of another.
English: The Language of the Globe
English as a global language
People often talk about English as a global language or lingua franca.
 With more than 350 million people around the world speaking English as a first language and
more than 430 million speaking it as a second language, there are English speakers in most
countries around the world.
 English became the lingua franca in the 20th century and it was largely due to American
influence.
 Regionalization, Localization, and Glocalization
Regionalization is the tendency to form decentralized regions.
It is also known as land classification and it can be observed in various disciplines.
 Localization
The process of making something local in character or restricting it to a particular place.It is the
process of adapting a product or content to a specific locale or market.
 Glocalization
It is the practice of conducting business according to both local and global considerations.
It is a combination of the words "globalization" and "localization", used to describe a product or
service that is developed and distributed globally, but is also adjusted to accommodate the user or
consumer in a local market.

Desired Activities:
Activity No. 01: Essay

Construct your thoughts through an essay with at least 150 words. List down some of your
attributes/characteristics/cultures that you think that can only be found in your respective community and
relate these to other societies. In conclusion, compare all of these and make your own standpoint about
culture.

References:
Include E-Resources/Links:https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/social-sciences/cultural-relativism
 UNIVERSITY OF CAGAYAN VALLEY
Tuguegarao City, Cagayan

SCHOOL OF LIBERAL ARTS & TEACHER EDUCATION

Department of Social & Behavioral Sciences

MIDTERM COVERAGE

Name of Student: __________________________ Year& Section:_______________

Subject: The Contemporary World Instructor: ____________________

Module Number: 04
Topic: Globalization and Religion
Introduction/Overview: Globalization is the networking and expansion of once local products,
beliefs, and practices into universal products, beliefs and practices often
through technology
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and world views
that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and to moral
values
Learning Outcomes: At the end of the lesson, the students will be able to:
A. Explain how globalization affects religious practices and beliefs
B. Analyze the relationship between religion and global conflict and
conversely, global peace

Learning Objectives: At the end of the lesson, the students will be able to:
A. Differentiate the four most prominent religions in the world;
B. Appraise the role of religion in globalization
Discussion/Analysis:

 Religious Perspective on Globalization

Religion has entered the “information age” and has globalized at accelerating rates, in the
methods religions use for teaching and in belief systems.
Tools of uniting people all over the world on religious basis books, movies, smart phone apps,
social networks, charity funds, special internet sites and religious schools.
 Four Most Prominent Religions in the World
 Christianity
The most known religions across the world are Christianity its deity is Jesus 2.2 billion
adherents Holy Bible
 Islam
The God is Allah
Quran (Bible)
1.57 billion adherents
 Hinduism
Many Gods
811 million
 Three main gods:Brahma (the Creator), Vishnu (the Preserver), Shiva (the Destroyer)
 Buddhism
380 million adherents
Buddha (Siddhartha Gautama)
 Religion as Transnational Institution
Pilgrimage and tourism is a major force in the globalization of culture.
Christians often go on a pilgrimage to visit holy sites e.g. Jerusalem.
Muslims should travel to Mecca to undertake the haji at least once in their life, connecting also to
the Islamic communes around the world.
Cultural exchange, missionary activity and pilgrimages are important sectors, which promoted
the process of globalization.
 Religious actors
individuals or groups, who act on consistent messages regarding the relationship between
religion, politics and society
religious actors are among the oldest of transnationals – carrying words and praxis across vast
spaces
 Religion as Cultural Resource
Religion can affect more than a particular person's habits. These beliefs and practices can
influence an entire community, nation, or region. Religious practices shape, and are shaped by,
the culture around them.
 Religion as Political Resource
Politics and Religion play important roles in the way people live and societies operate.
Politics is meant to regulate social behaviour so that man can coexist peacefully and gainfully,
while Religion regulates individual behaviour and the belief of a higher power.
 The Role of Religion
Religion and politics must be kept separate.
Religion is meant to unite people with similar beliefs into a ‘moral community’. Politics, on the
other hand, is meant to unite all people of a region into a single community, regardless of
personal beliefs and practices. Thus, when the two are mixed, the results are bound to be
disastrous.
 Religion as Globalizing System
Religion epitomizes the definition of globalization due to the fact that it can be spread more
efficiently than ever before through the use of different technological tools
It is now possible for any religion to spread beyond national borders, allowing even small new
religious movements to engage in overseas activities and leading to new unseen religious
developments
Desired Activities:
Activity No. 01: Song Analysis
Listen and ponder to the song “Still by: Hill song United”. And choose three lines from the song that
touches you, explain it, and relate it to our present life especially during this time of crisis-Covid-19

References:
Include E-Resources/Links:https://www.britannica.com/topic/religion

Prepared by:
THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD INSTRUCTORS