Unit 2: Global connections
This unit introduces students to the global community and the global actors that are part of this community. In Area of Study 1 students explore the myriad ways lives have been affected by the increased interconnectedness – the global links – of the world through the process of globalisation. In Area of Study 2, students consider the extent to which global actors cooperate and share visions and goals as part of the global community. They investigate the ability of the global community to manage areas of global cooperation and to respond to issues of global conflict and instability. This unit is contemporary in focus and students must use examples and case studies from within the last 10 years. However, contemporary issues and events may need to be contextualised for students and this may require some investigation prior to this timeframe.
How are citizens of the 21st century linked – politically, socially and economically? How have peoples’ lives been affected by globalisation? Do citizens and states have global responsibilities? Can the global community meet the challenges of the 21st century or will the interests of individual global actors compromise the needs of this global community? In this area of study students consider how citizens and global actors in the 21st century interact and connect with the world. Increased global interconnectedness has transformed lives and created global links, and in so doing, raised the debate over whether or not citizens’ responsibilities exist beyond national borders. Students investigate key political, economic and social links throughout the global community. Political links are illustrated by the increased role of international non-government organisations (NGOs) such as Amnesty International and the prominence of global political movements such as Avaaz. Economic links have changed the way in which commerce, trade and investment occur as seen through the rise of e-Bay and online shopping. This has facilitated the growing power of transnational corporations (TNCs) to shape global trading patterns and political agendas, as seen through the global reach of corporations such as Apple, Toyota and Shell. Social links – the way citizens communicate, network and travel – have been transformed by Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and the increased accessibility of air travel. Students examine the impact of these global links on the state, human rights, culture and the environment. Students explore and apply two key theories about global politics: realism and cosmopolitanism. Realism involves states (and other global actors) prioritising their specific interests and needs over those of the global community. Cosmopolitanism reflects a desire among global actors to cooperate to reach common goals and outcomes to meet challenges that are presented to the global community. Students also investigate Australia’s involvement in an issue affecting the global community, and assess the response. Students consider whether or not citizens have civic, social, economic and political global responsibilities that may transcend obligations to the state. Do states and citizens have an obligation to pursue cosmopolitanism or should their decisions be always based on realism?
How does the global community work in the 21st century and what are its responsibilities? How effective is the global community in managing cooperation and conflict? What challenges do key global actors such as the United Nations and NGOs face in resolving issues such as war, conflict, environmental challenges, people movement and international crime? In this area of study students investigate the concept of a global community through considering contemporary case studies of global cooperation and conflict. The theory of cosmopolitanism advocates a global community with a common humanity and a shared vision of goals, beyond cultural, social, political and ethnic divides, through which global actors work to achieve common aims. The global community is composed of citizens, states, Intergovernmental Organisations (IGOs) such as the United Nations and the World Trade Organization, NGOs, TNCs and other non-state actors. Students consider the extent to which this notion of a cosmopolitan global community can effectively deal with global challenges posed by the realist perspective of some global actors.