World Issues

An Introduction

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?

An Introduction to World Issues

List your 5 top priorities in order of importance

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

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

An Introduction to World Issues

Most world issues are:Complex InterrelatedControversial

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)

How “world issues literate” are you?

Acronyms

UN NATO WTO IMF WHO UNICEF WFP NAFTA

FTAA APEC G8 NGO OPEC MNC OECD DRC GMO

Who are these people?

Where would I find…

Ankara Damascus Darfur Dhaka Mogadishu Pyongyang

Finally….

List as many African countries as you can