World Issues An Introduction. An Introduction to World Issues Imagine you are a first-class...
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Transcript of World Issues An Introduction. An Introduction to World Issues Imagine you are a first-class...
An Introduction to World Issues
Imagine you are a first-class passenger on a spaceship hurling through space
Poisonous gases are leaking into certain sections of the craft and several passengers are dying from the fumes
The water supply has been contaminated due to a breakdown in the ship's waste expulsion system
An Introduction to World Issues
Many passengers crowded into the economy section of the craft are seriously ill, and only a few of them are getting proper medical attention
Food supplies are running low and a large number of passengers are chronically undernourished
An Introduction to World Issues
The spaceship has an overall destruct system and increasing numbers of technologists - some mentally unstable - have gained access to the controls of the destruct system
What would you do?
Uhhh… Issues?
A question, concern, or problem that has reached the stage of dialogue
There are often multiple points of view on a given issue
Studying issues helps one to understand the rationale for these various perspectivesYou should be able to debate for any side of an
issue
Examples of types of issues
Environmental –those that impact both the natural environment as well as urban environments
Political – often fundamentally about power and control – who has it, how they got it, and what they do with it
Social/Cultural – how people relate to one another and the differencing characteristics of various groups
Economic – related to the financial well-being people of people, countries, and regions of the world
Example: Poverty
Global poverty seems like an economic issue, but also relates to… Health (the poor can’t afford proper food, water, sanitation,
medical care) Environment (the poor don’t have access to green technologies,
have to resort to resource exploitation – like deforestation – to meet needs)
There are many perspectives on how to solve this issue Trade and regulations Debt Outside help vs. helping themselves
Example: Gender Inequality
The widespread oppression of women seems like a social/cultural issue, but has implications on… Economy (50% of the workforce) Health (women are usually primary caregivers)
But in many parts of the world gender inequality is deeply culturally ingrained (while many people see the oppression of women as immoral, many other see women’s rights as immoral)