In this week of the course, you will be looking at the 
diversity of global experiences that have made up the process 
of modernization.  This is a difficult word/concept/process to define, 
but in general, it means to make modern.  The modern world is taken to 
be, and we could argue at length about each of these:
in respect to government, secular (not based on religion), 
republican (no kings or dictators), democratic (popular participation); 
in respect to the economy, capitalistic (not central state-directed), 
technological, industrial (mass production); 
in respect to society, individualistic (rights and responsibilities), 
nuclear (not clan or extended family), literate;
in respect to religion, areligous; 
in respect to intellectual and cultural developments, literate, scientific 
basis of action (breeding of plants, development of medicines, vaccines, 
etc.)

This is not to assign value judgements to this process of modernization or 
these characteristics.

The challenge for societies/countries has been to undertake the process of 
modernization while at the same time retaining unique characteristics 
of the society.  For example, in China retaining the importance of ancestor
veneration while diminishing the size/importance of the extended family.
Some countries have been more successful at modernization than others.