Students:2009/2010 student themes

Please write your introductory paragraph directly under your name.

Your work (collaborative in later stages ) will be focused on the Globalisation process and risks associated with it (not only global risks, but also those that you face in your everyday life). So the introductory paragraph should introduce the theme of Global risk society somehow; it could anticipate your future theme if you have already decided what it will be. Please keep in mind that you should coordinate your work so that the final product is homogenous; those who will take the lead in choosing the theme will have an advantage!

After you have decided on the title of your essay, you can write it in brackets: ]] [[ in reverse order (My new theme XY). Thus, you will start a new page - and you can continue on with it.

• Jule Kathinka Plawitzki

There are lots of, more or less theoretical, definitions of globalization, for example: “Globalization (…) can be thought of as the widening, intensifying, speeding up, and growing impact of world-wide interconnectedness.” (Held, McGrew, Goldblatt & Perrat, 2008, p. 2). This phenomenon is accompanied by a wide range of positive as well as negative consequences for humanity in general, society and the environment. One example of an abstract description of the consequences for society was mainly coined by the socialist Ulrich Beck in the mid eighties: The risk-society. When the past was characterized by difficulties of a just distribution of wealth, today in this “second, reflexive modernity” (Gane, 2001, p. 83) the production of wealth comes with the production of risks: It is no longer only a distribution of wealth, as well as a distribution of risks (cf. Gane, 2001, p. 83). A second change related to the distribution of risks is the decreasing of the importance of borders: On the one hand the result of an event takes place in another part of the world and on the other hand a small local event can cause a global reaction (cf. Held et. al., 2008, p. 2). There are lots of economical, social and cultural examples for these phenomena. Because the following text will mainly focus on the enviromental issue, the given example is the climate change, facing Copenhagen, probably the most popular one right now. This risk is caused by the production of wealth and will, at least in the beginning, mainly effect the “undeveloped countries”, but furthermore as well the globalization in general (cf. Curtis, 2007). Further examples are decreasing biodiversity, pollution of atmosphere, oceans, soil etc. Facing these complex environmental problems national states and multilateral contracts are important- but obviously not powerful enough. Held et. al. point out that there is no institution “able to amass sufficient political power, domestic support or international authority to do more than limit the worst excesses of some of these enviromental threats” (Held et. al., 2008, p. 9). That is why there is the discussion about a World Environment Organization. The following text will discuss the potential of such a global environmental governance, facing global environmental problems. Therefore first the idea of such an organization especially related to the UNEP will be presented, second arguments for and against this approach will be described and in the end a prospect of the future will be given.

• Marta Potenza
• Corinna Lohrengel
• Henning Strate
• Marenka Krasomil
• Jonas Schier
• Simon Dress
• Josef Nový
• Julia Wolter
• Svea Marie Wehling

Globalisation is a concept nowadays every single one of us has heard of. However, not many people deal with the subject of globalisation. Hence, misunderstandings and information of dubious origin lead to hasty conclusions. Therefore it seems to be of the utmost importance to clear the meaning and definition of certain terms before starting to analyse the content matters. First of all, a clear determination is necessary between chances and risks and hopes and concerns in regards to the issues of globalisation. The Oxford Dictionary claims quite plainly that concern is “a feeling of worry, especially one that is shared by many people“ (Oxford Advanced Learner‘s Dictionary, 2000, p. 253), while hope is “a belief that something you want will happen“ (Oxford Advanced Learner‘s Dictionary, 2000, p. 627). Chance on the other hand is defined as “a possibility of something happening“ (Oxford Advanced Learner‘s Dictionary, 2000, p. 193), while risk means “the possibility of something bad happening at sometime in the future“ or “a situation that could be bad or have a dangerous result“ (Oxford Advanced Learner‘s Dictionary, 2000, p. 1105). As a result of the definition the difference between potential and realistic prognoses, especially in regards to the globalisation process, becomes evident. In addition, another important difference between the terms hopes and concerns and accordingly chances and risks is, that the latter is rather characterised by the opportunity of active shaping, while hope and concerns are if anything passive attributes. There are two more aspect in regards to the discussion of globalisation which often tend to be forgotten. First of all, people often seem to search for a reset-button to stop this so anonymous appearing and therefore frightening process. However, this process which we experience and its consequences we feel right now, is dialectic but not in the least reversible. One reason for this irreversibility is the necessary awareness, that globalisation is not a phenomenon of this new century but of a long history. While some literature refers to globalisation as “a fundamental change of human institutions in the contemporary era“ (Does Globalization affect Human Well-Being?, 2006, p. 104), we actually have to define the start of this process with the very beginning of human civilisation and trade ([1], last visit: 8th November, 2009). Naturally, our today‘s world implicates increasing complexity, there are analogies existing, though. In the following, this article will deal with these terms as to the development of globalisation and as to the societies it is affecting.

• Ilknur Yilmaz
• Lina Samoske
• Fabian Siggemann
• Helena Radoňová
• Irmawan Rahyadi

Please use the following format further on (use the Writing manual whenever you need):

• Introduction

Branstorming on Globalisation and Risk society - try to concentrate on specific risks that you are interested in and want to write about more comprehensively.

• Research Question

???

• Thesis Statement

 ???

• Outline

etc.