Lesson 1.1

Section 1 Inquiry

Who am I in a globalizing world?

Inquiry into the Issue

Your individual identity can be easy to describe or it may be very complex. Who you are can be connected to your community, your language, your values and beliefs—even to how you dress and the activities you prefer. Often people think of their individual identity as a matter of personal choice. When the influences of globalization in the twenty-first century are examined, you may find that global contact and connections can also influence your personal choices about who you are. Understanding the forces of globalization and how they shape who you are, both individually and collectively, is the focus of this section.

Key Terms:

individual: related to one person

identity: characteristics that distinguish the uniqueness of an individual or group

value: an idea or belief that is held as important

belief: a fundamental view associated with religion, spirituality, or an understanding of the world that is held as truth

forces of globalization: action or influence that drives the process of global contact and interdependence

Notebook

This is a required activity to support your inquiry but is not graded.

In your Notebook record key ideas from the inquiry. Reflect on the following questions to guide your creation of a visual.

• To what extent are these identities a reflection of who you are?
• What is similar and what is different between your own identity and those portrayed in these shows?
• In your view, which similarities are due to global contact and connections between different countries and diverse peoples?

Assignment

This is the graded activity for the inquiry. See Challenge: Identifying Yourself assignment in the assignment file.