A Broader Perspective

I remember from my Open University teaching that the claims of those who argue that the world has been transformed by globalisation can be somewhat dented when the empirical facts are examined. Take the media for instance. The ‘globalisers’ claim that the world has shrunk and we no longer slavishly follow just our national press and media. Well, the OU sources I read, pointed out that in the UK, in fact, most people consume media products which are made in the UK. I don’t know for sure, but I suspect that is still broadly the case. But that seems a pity to me: I’m a keen believer that the social sciences should broaden students minds and we can’t do that if we don’t look at other parts of the world. So why not make use of this resource from the NewYorkTimes? The NY Times has a section called the Learning Network and there you can find some potentially useful lesson ideas. Look under ‘Social Studies’. I particularly liked the look of some lesson plans I saw on age and on gender representations in the media.