Sean M. Gorman
This unit will consider the social implications of the theoretical economic concepts that interconnect the modern world by analyzing the outcomes it has in women’s lives. The focus will be balanced in two parts—between the opportunities afforded to American women in the expanding service sector and the women in developing nations breaking traditions by leaving the household for manufacturing jobs. These case studies will not only highlight the positive economic opportunities globalization has afforded women, but also inject nuance into class discussions by noting the challenges that women still face participating in their respective societies. By the conclusion of this unit, students will launch their own investigative research projects profiling the changing positionality of women within an economy we have not discussed in class; in this assessment, students will be required to apply key terms introduced as vocabulary in this unit and cite real-world evidence in preparation for an in-class debate activity. The focus on women throughout this unit will, ideally, serve to drive home the dynamic, border-transcending societal implications of globalization as women find themselves uniquely propelled and stunted by these economic developments that have taken place in such a relatively short amount of time.
(Developed for International Issues, grade 10; recommended for Economics and Contemporary Issues, grades 10-12)
