Month: October 2024
Name: Tamiria Dixon
Source Analysis
Title: Sustainable World: Approaches to Analyzing and Resolving Wicked Problems
Author: Sonya Remington- Doucette
Source Date:
Source Type: Textbook
Context (what is important to note about the creator, when it was created, its audience, or its format?):
The author’s purpose is to influence readers to critically think about the possible solutions regarding a systematic issue. Sonya Remington provides terms, process for defining a framework and using real-world examples for a deeper understanding.
Summary (what important facts about the source’s content should we note for our discussion):
In summary the source has taught us about how factors can influence the causation of a problem. The author defines systems in effect that readers understand the basis of the issue. Furthermore, Sonya explains the true context of an issue by diving deep into the context. Ultimately, this chapter focuses on the design of a solution and explains the depth of a problem.
Direct Drivers- Influence the behavior of a system
Indirect Drivers- Drivers that influence the behavior of a system/ altering one or more direct drivers
Casual Chain Analysis-
- Socioecological systems are open systems and look beyond/ within a system’s boundaries
- Drivers operate across many temporal scales (ecosystems, government policies economic activity, cultural factors)
- Correlation does not equal causation
Two variables could be correlated, but it does not have to equal correlation
Analysis (what should we take away to better understand our problem and its stakeholders?):
One of the main takeaways was that individuals play a huge role in the systems. This chapter includes many takeaways that has helped me realize the true extent of a problem. Introducing terms such as the causal chain analysis, indirect and direct drivers allowed me to further understand the factors behind a problem. TSR Framework was another element that allowed the audience to visually gage a reference of what the process of a solution would like. The author even provides leading questions such as “where are we headed” to best exemplify what brainstorming would look like. My question is how effective the TSR framework would be in the case that a problem is heavily saturated.
Defining A Wicked Problem
One of the main problems in the Quad Cities is Climate Change. In a nutshell, climate change can be defined as the long-term shifts in temperature and weather patterns which can be mainly accredited to human activities. Sources, such as the United Nations have expressed their concerns about human activities and their correlation with climate change. Moreover, the United Nations state “but since the 1800s, human activities have been the main driver of climate change, primarily due to the burning of fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas (United Nations 1)”. It could be said that greenhouse gasses like carbon dioxide (CO2), methane and nitrous oxide are all causes of climate change since they trap heat within the earth’s atmosphere. Ultimately, these gasses are being produced by burning fossil fuels. Specifically, activities like deforestation, oil, gas, coal and the industrial processes all contribute to the burning of fossil fuels.
The Quad City area, which includes Davenport, Bettendorf, Rock Island, East Moline, and Moline battle severely with climate change everyday. Increased flooding and extreme weather events have led to many concerns. Excessive rain periods have caused delays in corn and soy-bean harvesting seasons. With this being said, farmers are more worried about the effect that climate variability has on their soil health.
Temperature is one of the many concerns farmers and pedestrians living in the Quad Cities have regarding agriculture. It should be noted that warmer temperatures can expedite the growing process for crops as they are developing. Heat Stress is another factor that contributes to the reduced production of crops. Prolonged periods of heat can result in lower crop yields and are proven to shorten the process of pollination. Not only this, but, higher temperatures can aggravate air pollution, which can increase the health risks for people who deal with asthma or lung conditions. Vector-Borne diseases are also a huge concern for citizens living in the Quad Cities. It can be said that warmer conditions permit bugs like mosquitos and ticks to surface for longer periods of time, which could possibly spread Lyme disease and the West Nile virus. Ultimately, extreme heat exposure puts pressure on plants by slowing the process of their development and introduces the risks of many diseases. With this being said, farmers are finding that increases in temperatures result in reduced production quality.
Increased flooding is another concern that pedestrians and farmers have. Due to climate change, the Quad Cities have been experiencing more rainfall compared to the last couple of years. In 2019 floods along the Mississippi River caused huge delays in planting, and extensive damage to homes. Since the river borders the area, floodwaters cause soil erosion and nutrient loss for plants. Soil Erosion is one of the leading problems when explaining the correlation it has with increased flooding. Many scholars define soil erosion as a process in which the top layer of soil is removed from its original location by natural forces. In conjunction, it can lead to reduced production, nutrience loss, and soil degradation. Commonalities such as water saturation make it difficult to plant crops and often correlate to diseases in crops.
Droughts are another underlying issue of climate change. Normally, the Quad Cities don’t encounter droughts, however this community has been experiencing an influx of droughts recently. Dry spells occurring within these cities reduce availability for water irrigation and put more stress on crops by taking their natural resources away. Highly water dependent crops, such as corn and soy-beans become the most affected agriculturally. Both of these crops depend solely on water to produce high yield. An influx of droughts has caused a reduced production in all crops and has created inconsistency for the growing seasons. It can be concluded that droughts have a huge impact on the community’s agriculture.
Climate change also has a huge impact on businesses in the Quad Cities. Floods have been proven to damage the infrastructures of many buildings in areas such as Moline and Davenport. Small businesses located on the border of the river are struggling to operate and stay open to the public due to floods. Nevertheless, flooding has disrupted the work for companies such as the John Deere plant located in Moline. More specifically, flooding makes it hard for the community to receive goods and services internationally. Climate change also raises the price of essential agricultural products. It can be said that climate variability has resulted in lower crop yield, which has made the prices of crops higher. Commonalities such as livestock, have also stressed the challenge of heat stress which is currently affecting the health conditions of animals.
In conclusion, climate change has presented many challenges for the Quad Cities region. Agricultural conditions, infrastructure damages, reduced crop yield, and health concerns are all problems associated with climate change. However, capitalizing on innovative ideas to build stronger sustainability when combating climate change is influential.
Reflection 4#
When I think of the audience, it reminds me of a group of people eating popcorn at a local movie theater. Audience can be defined as a group of people who are targeted to receive a shared message. It can be said that it is important to consider your audience, regarding a digital project. Some factors to consider would be the demographics, race, religion, and socio-economic elements of the audience. Also using inclusive language is just as important when wanting to engage your audience. It can allow viewers to understand the objectives that you have for the video, but also gain a further sense of the topic. Ultimately, considering the factors while utilizing inclusive language will help engage the audience.
Considering your audience has many benefits regarding the understanding of one’s project. I think that researching commonalities can distinguish factors that might affect the overall understanding of a topic. Including social media references, is something that anyone could add in order to engage with gen-z. An example like this, allows an individual to build their content while identifying the audience within the project.
There are many benefits to utilizing inclusive language. Inclusive language demonstrates a sense of respectfulness on behalf of the creator. It let the viewers know that the creator was being thoughtful and intentional regarding the message. Also, it can be noted that inclusive language allows the audience to actively engage within the topic without feeling uneducated.
In summary, knowing the basis of your audience. Specifically, this means considering the factors and utlizing inclusive language to help comprehend one’s message.
Critical Analysis of Article
In the article Why The Super Rich Are Inevitable by Alvin Chang, the author uses logical fallacies to inform the audience that the ratio of wealthy people is unavoidable. Logical fallacies can refer to invalid conclusions and deceptive thinking when errors in reasoning subvert the logic of an argument. Alvin Chang includes the following logical fallacies, begging the question, faulty causality, and hasty generalization to effectively support his claim. The author’s usage of these fallacies strengthen the claim regarding Why The Super Rich Are Inevitable.
Begging the Question or circular reasoning refers to an argument’s claim being assumed without evidence. Alvin Chang effectively introduces the fallacy “begging the question”, as he explains the correlation between our economic system and rich people. With this, Chang states “what if the economy-our economy-is designed to create a few super rich people (Chang 1)”? Framing a question in this way allows us to assume that our economy is pre-destined to create only a small amount of rich people.
Faulty Causality or Post can be defined when the author assumes that the chronology of events causes another event to happen. The author successfully incorporates his version of this fallacy when he explains policy-decisions and the yard sale model. He then writes that “they’ve said the government should just get out of the way to let the wealthy create jobs for the rest of us. This ideology has led to the massive tax cuts for the rich, from Ronald Reagan’s tax cut in 1981 to Donald Trump’s 2017 tax cut (Chang 1)”. Inciting that this ideology has led to the decision-making process during the terms of the listed president’s could be subjective. I say this because the president can’t make the decision to pass tax cuts and bills by himself. Our government’s check and balance system allows us to go through the house of representatives to get certain initiatives such as this one passed. Despite this, the author utilized this fallacy well in efforts to support his own claim.
Hasty Generalization is another fallacy that Alvin Chang effectively utilizes. Moreover, this fallacy occurs when someone makes an educational guess based on limited evidence. In Why The Super Rich Are Inevitable, Chang explains the correlation between the coin flip and millionaires. He states that “some of the wealthy players would inevitably argue that they deserve to be because they’re better at guessing the result of a coin flip”. This statement demonstrates an opinion more so than a fact. More specifically, there is no testimonials or credibility associated that would make readers believe this reasoning.
The following logical fallacies, begging the question, faulty causality, and hasty generalization were intentional when introducing rhetorical logic. I can said it has allowed me to critically think about the author’s true position regarding the claim.
Exploring Photo Essays
Photos Essays are some of the most creative forms of journalism because they capture a story. These visual elements help the audience further understand the topic of a subject without the usage of words and paragraphs. It can be said that the New York Times, effectively presents photo essays by being conveying emotion, capturing authenticity and editing with a purpose. These ideas have allowed for the readers to understand social issues, personal stories and cultural exploration on a deeper level. Creating Photo Essays About Community: A Guide to Our Where We Are Contest impressively demonstrates the step-by step process in making photo essays. By introducing young adult and teenagers to this form of journalism may influence more immersive forms of activism or speech.
- The New York Times illustrates many photos that feature the zoom in and out function. Specifically, articles like Where the Band Kids and The Magic of Your First Car, both highlight the hidden objects within their photos. For instance, in Where the Band Kids, the students are performing different tasks. As the reader, these different tasks draw my attention to each student and allow me to foreshadow the theme of the article. Whereas, with The Magic of Your First Car, the photo shows drawings on the window a figure dancing in the right-hand corners. We can infer that possibly that these articles are about the struggles that adolescents go through. Whether it is more detailed such as small-town struggles or the importance of sharing experiences with friends. Although, it should still be noted that the following photo essays In This Nigerian Market, Young Women Find a Place of Their Own and For Black Debutantes in Detroit, Coalition is More than A Ball also connect with the centralize of adolescent and identify. Even though their photos don’t’ show hidden meanings, they emphasize the women in the visual. Therefore, highlight the subjects of the photo draws in emotion and allows readers to match the story with the person.
- Connections in person are healthier since, they create shared experience and harbor a greater sense of empathy. Whereas online interactions can often cause miscommunication and build relationships that are superficial. One of the pieces that conveyed this idea best was the phot captured The Magic of Your First Car. At first glance this picture reminds me of myself. April 2022 was the month I got my first car. I remember this month solely because of the experiences I shared with friends and family at the time. The New York Times further compels readers by explaining the importance of ones’ first car, the article further states “For these young people in Los, Angles, a car is a portal to possibilities, a means to escape monotony and a gathering space where they can let it all go (Schell)”. Ultimately, this photo proves why in person connections are healthier, since they create safe spaces and allows us to share experiences with our peers.
One of the images that I decided to look more closely is titled In This Nigerian Market, Young Women Find a Place of Their Own. There were many things about this photo that grabbed my attention, but the caption proves to be one of the most compelling elements of this picture. Words such as, L.G.BT.Q, skateboarding collective, Nigerian all help readers identify the cultural aspects of the picture. Specifically, it further describes the social group in which the article is writing about. The top image allows the audience to visually see the social group being described in the caption. With this, we can understand the certain words mentioned before, but also feel more emotionally drawn.
The black and white filter is something that jumps out to me the most when I look at this picture. I say this because, the filter makes the photo stand out apart from the other photos. Lines such as the following, demonstrate the action that this group is taking to create a community. Furthermore, the text states that, “Density have carved out a space of freedom, safety and community in Lagos (Tayo)”. It can be said that this image correlates with the theme of the caption since the photo depicts a group of outsiders that manage to promote and emphasize a safe space.
Looking back at the phot essay, one of the items that grabbed my attention was the angle of the picture. After analyzing the photo a couple of times, I noticed that almost everyone in the picture was looking at the camera. Impressively, the photographer’s angle captured the emotion behind their storytelling. More importantly, it allowed readers to approach the caption with a sense of seriousness and empathy for the individuals inside the photo.
In summary, the authors and photographers demonstrate many way they incorporate their visuals with storytelling. Personally, I’m inspired to see diverse ideas being advertised to tell the audience a story. My takeaway from viewing the photo essay would be to incorporate a photo that illustrates an idea that I have.
Light On The Other Side of the Tunnel
Boom, whack, thud, bang! I was in my room unaware of the fact that my dad had shattered our window. As my mom, sister, and I conspired about what we
Understanding what my dad was going through had to be another obstacle. Before my parents explained to my sister and I the mental health condition my dad had, we were surprised. We weren’t sure how to react to the news or to help my dad reduce the negative feelings he had. Since we were his only support system, it was vital that we were equipped with the knowledge to help him through his episodes and anything else he needed, even if it was to talk about his feelings. At times, I felt as if my dad’s mental health condition put strain on our family. In many instances, my mom has had to fill in the void for when my dad couldn’t be at his best. It has made me respect my mother more, for being resilient through it all.
It could be restated that my dad, a retired veteran of 15 years, had been dealing with his mental diagnosis throughout my entire childhood. He would go through the day acting as if everything was alright, but deep down he was suffering. My dad would go days without saying a word, it felt as if he disconnected from the world itself. I’d come home to him sitting in the dark. I always attempted to cheer him up, but it almost never worked. Anyways, I won’t bore you with all the details, but the fact here is that my dad’s mental illness affected me growing up. While some may look at it as bad, these experiences challenged me to become the best version of myself.
For as long as I can remember my dad has always given time, money, or kindness to his community and his family. As a kid, I was always inspired by that side of him. It started from packing bags of food at our local church. The way my dad smiled was genuine when he was helping others. He was happy! It looked as if he forgot about his traumatic childhood, he forgot about the guilt that was eating him up inside, and he forgot about being sad.
My dad, a Detroit native felt obligated to give back to his community even if it meant he had to go without. My father always realized that Detroit had been struggling as a city, so he volunteered with an organization that served food to the homeless. I was astonished and even inspired seeing him persevere through his battle of mental health. I was so astonished that I had to ask myself, “What can I do?” Suddenly it became clear. I had to volunteer, someway, somehow! There was one problem, I didn’t know where to start. After scrolling Google for five minutes, I ran across the Quad City Community Foundation. I found out that I could help fund organizations through grant-making. Quickly, I put in my application, waiting eagerly for a return email. About a month later, I received the letter! “ It came! It finally came,” I screamed walking up the stairs. My mom was so proud. She was practically glowing from hearing the news.
Later that day I told my dad about my acceptance. “Hey dad, I was accepted into this volunteer program.”
“Yea, I’m moving out of Moline, I can’t deal with these people at work, and there’s nothing to do here…”
Irrelevant. My good news was shunned away. It wasn’t deemed important. Sometimes, it felt as if my dad didn’t hear me. He was being consumed by his depressive thoughts and negative outlooks on life. The hardest thing that I realized was that I can’t make him want a better life for himself. I choose to put it behind me.
Volunteer work made me feel enlightened. I became educated about the issues in my community regarding food insecurity, homelessness, and immigration support. Visiting the organizations was the best part of this experience, it filled my soul! I lit up inside, and it reminded me of my dad! Last year I was called to make a decision on where $30, 000 would go. My job as a Teens for Tomorrow volunteer was to gather data and visit organizations in the Quad Cities that focused on food insecurity, immigration support, mental health, and affordable resources. After doing the previous task we then come up with a decision on how the money was to be divided. Our $30, 000 would go to 12 organizations for operational or project support focused in one of our target areas. We ended up having to choose from 48 organizations that applied and, out of those, only 12 were chosen.
The hardest decision was to stay true to myself. Because I was a second-year member, I had more experience. I’d seen this process in action was familiar with the organizations to
After debating the factors about each decision, it was time to vote. The majority of my peers voted to donate more money to the organization that we had previously donated to for 3 years in a row. Essentially, I had to be satisfied with my own opinion. Even though it wasn’t chosen and many didn’t agree, I still advocated for what was right. Questioning whether to stay true to myself or conform to the group decision was a hard one. However, through my dad’s inspiration to make a difference by sticking to my morals, made me feel good about myself.
In spite of my dad’s situation I learned that there is light on the other side of the tunnel. My dad’s struggle to find his way through life has motivated me to give back.
