The program description is also available as a PDF: World Cultures Day 2016 Flier
For All High School Students!
Friday, November 18, 2016
9:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
- Presentations
- Discussions
Teachers, Earn Professional Development Hours
Global Connections: A Tangled Skein
Whether as individuals or families, or as members of the larger units of village, town, and nation, we are all increasingly connected — like the threads in a skein of yarn or the filaments in a spider’s web — with people we may not know and who live a world away! At Montclair State’s World Cultures Day 2016, an anthropologist, a fashion theory specialist, two sociologists, and two political scientists will attempt to untangle some of these
global interconnections. They will also discuss the impact globalization has had, and continues to exert, on our daily lives!
Presentations
“Fashioning the Modern Wardrobe”
Dr. Abby Lillethun, Associate Professor, Art & Design, Fashion Studies
Fashioning an appearance is a universal a creative act; we all do it! Yet, recently our looks are very similar. How did this similarity develop and who is resisting homogenization of appearance in dress? This session explains how the dress of the West came to serve as the modern dress prototype around the world. Selected historical encounters of western dress with those of the “Rest” will be untangled to present a continuous thread leading toward the homogenous “world dress” observed today. Strategies to maintain localized fashions based in tradition are explored and serve as counterpoints to the apparent shift to western style.
“Superheroes Go Global and America Goes …. Local?”
Dr. Tony Spanakos, Associate Professor, Political Science & Law
Superhero movies are everywhere, especially since September 11 when an unprecedented number of major and minor comic book characters have made their way to major box office success. What is interesting is how superheroes and American myths have increasingly gone global in their activities and membership in their groups. The shift towards a more globalized superhero fits within broader trends towards globalization, a process led by the United States. And yet, the long presidential campaign has suggested that the American public’s support for globalization is far less robust than that of its superheroes and government. Why? What do superheroes know that the American public does not? Or what do American voters know that their superheroes do not? And what does it mean when a country and its heroes are out of step?
“Green is the New Color of Desire: The Role of Consumerism in the Rise of Global Environmentalism”
Dr. Neeraj Vedwan, Associate Professor, Anthropology
Environmentalism has emerged as an important global phenomenon in recent years. Increasingly, concerns about health and fear of contamination have led to increased demand for green products and services. This talk will explore the role of consumerism in the spread of pro-environmental values and behaviors around the world, and conclude with a discussion of the strengths and limitations of this particular brand of environmentalism.
“Gender and Globalization”
Dr. Yasemin Besen-Cassino, Associate Professor, Sociology
This talk explores the changes in gender relations, roles, and identity as a result of globalization. Dr. Besen-Cassino will be discussing the changes in attitudes toward gender in the United States and other countries as a result of globalization, looking at the specific experiences of both men and women.
“Globalization, Technology, and the ‘Reshoring’ or Redundancy of Work: New Patterns of Economic Inequality?”
Dr. Sangeeta Parashar, Associate Professor, Sociology
The proliferation of technology and information to the most remote parts of the world, increased availability of cheaper consumer goods through offshoring, assembly lines, and a global labor force, as well as generally rising standards of living provoked ebullient cheers for globalization. But, just as technology has stimulated the current form of globalization, will advances in automation, robotics, and software usher in a new era of globalization that may led to jobs getting “reshored,” becoming redundant, or just disappearing? Will this paradoxical process of integration, yet division, generate new patterns of economic inequality, not just between poor and advanced countries, but also within countries including the United States?
“Social Media and Globalization: Likes, Tweets, and Pokemons, Oh My!”
Dr. Antoinette Pole, Associate Professor, Political Science
Social media allows us to connect with anyone with internet access. What role does social media play in business, education, and politics? Why should we care about the role of social media? This presentation explore social media in an age of globalization.