Prof started the interactive class by introducing us to the different dominant players involved in the wide variety of fields. Prof pointed out USA- one of the superpower nations. Meaning to say, one of the dominant players around (on the global scale). Widely known for their steady political system, advanced military, largest economy, strong internal security, and law & order- it comes as no shock. US also influence the global economic climate through world organisations : WTO, NATO, UN, and IMF. However, prof pointed out that this global dominance result in the unfair distribution of standard of living and quality of life worldwide. Take the Israel-Palestine case as an ideal example. Israel take advantage of their military dominance and economic power to assert dominance over their counterpart, who is not as advanced. Taking advantage of their bilateral relation with US, Israel continue to hold the upperhand in this situation. Due to America's influence as a member of UN, the UN are unable to stop Israel. Personally, I find it depressing to knowing that this is occurring despite the massive advancement in the implementation of human rights. (I found an enriching video, through the eyes of a human rights activist if you're interested in the Israel-Palestein case: Staying Human)
However, as mentioned in lesson one, where change is the only constant, as the world move from one era to the next, the power and status of a country does not remain. Prof shared the model he generated observing the characteristics which influence the development of the country. Basically, there are three players involved- namely the rising star, the dominant player and the falling star. For example the rising star are optimistic keen learners, meaning to say they are very receptive to learn from others. On the other end of the spectrum, the falling star, hold a closed perspective- meaning to say, they are pessimistic and not open to new ideas.One question which struck me was when Prof asked the class which player does Singapore fall under? When the class answered in unison: A rising star. Prof asked, "Really? During the last election, many people complained about the influx of migrants. Isn't this a sign of a Falling Star? Not being receptive to foreigners." I did not manage to raise my arguement in class due to the limited time, but I would say that largely depends on the kind of migrants being accepted as Singaporeans. It is undeniably frustrating knowing some "imported Singaporeans" are taking advantage of Singapore's passport to go elsewhere- treating Singapore, our home, as a mere stepping stone. (You can read this forum I found addressing this situation: Why are Singaporeans migrating?)
We also had a brief discussion on the Human Development Index (HDI) - which measure the different level of development of the various countries. However, HDI fail to point out the level of development within the country itself. Also, they fail to include a couple of essential factors to better measure the development of a country. This undermines the usefulness and credibility of HDI when making comparisons. Prof then showed the class a video on the Millimenium Goals which address the different goals set to further distribute equality worldwide. Honestly, the video touched my heart and overwhelmed me emotionally. The statistics pointing at the low standard of living in the developing countries comes to me as a shock. I feel so blessed and thankful, but at the same time, I feel so helpless- knowing that they are facing such situations. As an average Singaporean teenage girl, I feel like I cant do much to help them out of it, other than spreading awareness.
Other than that, five of my classmates presented- covering the various issues related to technology. It is apparent that they took the presentation seriously as comprehensive presentation is made. One question which struck me during one of the presentations was if Internet attracts lonely people or does it make people even lonelier? I personally feel that the term "Internet" is a broad and vague term- allowing room for various discussions. Internet does not solely refer to social networking sites, however also involve the various websites which faciltate communication such as MSN and yahoo messenger. I would say the Internet does make people lonelier as we become more reliant on other people. The ease of communication causes loneliness to be felt, as communication becomes as important to us as food or even oxygen- whats with the amalgamation of internet with our mobile devices. I find this drastic increase in reliance a worrying issue.
At the end of the day, the class exceeded by 15 minutes- having to cut down on discussions.
I would rate this class 9/10. An enjoyable and definitely enriching lesson.
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