Competency Name: Social Systems
Competency Statement: Using a social systems perspective, investigate global problems and develop possible solutions. Summative Assessment Submission Title: Social Systems/Global Issue Analysis Presentation
Competency Objectives:
Present an integrated social systems perspective/model that can be used to study global issues.
Investigate global economic problems, focusing on globalization and develop possible solutions.
Identify political and social issues created by contemporary globalization and develop possible solutions.
Identify ecological challenges related to globalization and develop possible solutions.
Program Learning Outcomes: N/A Institutional Learning Outcomes: N/A
Purpose of this Assessment
In this assessment, you are expected to present your own conceptual framework, integrate ideas from alternative perspectives, and use innovative thinking strategies to create solutions based on your analysis.
Items Required for Submission
The item required for this assessment is a 22- to 25-slide Social Systems/Global Issue Analysis Presentation.
Step ONE: Preparation
Topic Identification
● From the list provided, select a broad topic category for your global issue.
Social Systems is a holistic-based competency that teaches students how to approach solving real-world problems using a social systems
perspective.
Social Systems Summative Assessment: Outline & Rubric
Global Issue Categories
Arms control
Drugs/Human trafficking
Free trade
Surveillance/Information access
Climate change
Refugees
Natural disasters
Profound political and social instability
Terrorism
Population
Unfair labor practices
Health care
● You will need to provide a fairly succinct description of the issue, explain why it is important to study, and describe who would benefit and/or care about the results of solving such a problem. As a part of this process, you want to employ some big picture thinking and identify the overarching main concepts of the global issue.
● Go to the Brandman.edu Library (http://www.brandman.edu/current-students/resources/library) and review articles on the topic from The
Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and the Harvard Business Review.
● Search the web for news articles on your topic of interest. These articles will give you a sense of the various components of your
environmental issue or problem.
● Search the web for reputable data on your topic. You should always be careful when considering data found on the web; review government
websites (those ending in .gov) or nonprofit websites (ending in .org) as a part of this process.
Boundaries and the Environment
● You could pick a country, county, state, or other suitable geographic region. Note: Your problem may exist in multiple places, but it is suggested to focus on one or two locations where you can collect information specific to your problem or issue. For example, if you are focused on a health care issue, you might choose to focus on a country or state that is particularly hard hit by issues related to health care.
● Think about how you are going to define the boundaries of your problem. Will it be by country, state, or region? For example, “the American Southwest that consists of X, Y, and Z states” or “the area in the Middle East that consists of X, Y, and Z countries.”
Social Systems Summative Assessment: Outline & Rubric
Step TWO: Create Your Presentation
The presentation must include the following sections. However, each question presented below may not apply to your issue.
Title slide (one slide): Include the title of your presentation, your name, the date, and the competency name
Topic identification (two slides): Begin by introducing the topic in a broad sense, explaining why it is relevant and the state of the specific social systems/global issue that you will be addressing
• You must cite a minimum of two sources for this section. 2. Boundaries and environment (four to five slides):
• Describe, geographically, where your problem or issue exists.
• Include a description of the physical environment: Does your problem or issue occur in an urban or rural environment? What is the
topography of your study area?
• Describe where the majority of people live: Do they inhabit cities or more rural areas? Are there places where people typically do not
live, such as the desert?
• You must cite a minimum of two sources for this section.
3. Describe the society/people (four to five slides): Present information to describe the people using photographs, charts, graphs, and maps (make sure to cite your sources.)
• What kind of ethnic groups live there?
In this section, you are going to describe the various types of people who are a part of your topic or issue
and various aspects of that society including:
• How are the people organized? Into tribes? Into counties?
• Do these groups get along?
• How would you describe the religion of the people? Are there certain beliefs and values that guide their actions?
• How would you describe the politics and general society of the region? Is it an open society, like a democratic society, or is it some
other form of government?
• Is there conflict in the region? Is the region experiencing political turmoil, such as a war or a coup?
• You must cite three sources for this section.
4. Describe the economics of the issue (four to five slides): Present your results using at least five graphical representations (charts, graphs, tables, maps, and figures.) In this section, you will address the following:
• What is the economic system that currently governs your area of study?
• What are the major industries in the region?
Social Systems Summative Assessment: Outline & Rubric
• Is your area of study dependent upon participation in the global economic system for its survival? If so, please explain.
• What is the gross domestic product (GDP) of your area of study/country?
• You must cite three sources for this section.
Create and apply a Conceptual Framework (two slides): Illustrate the three to four components of your problem and how they relate to one another—slide 1 will present the diagram and slide 2 will present a bulleted list and explanation of how the concepts relate to one another. Create a diagram (labeled as a figure) that includes three to four geometric shapes to represent these various concepts. The diagram will illustrate, using arrows, how each concept influences and relates to one another. For example, if you were considering a health care issue, your diagram might look like this:
Health Care Issue
Identify at least three challenges to the global issue/problem (two to three slides)
In describing the challenges, you might explain the context associated with your study area to highlight why these problems exist.
Collect graphics, including photos, charts, graphs, and maps that can help illustrate the challenges associated with your global issue or
problem.
Present at least two solutions (two to three slides)
Your solutions should focus on crafting creative ideas to help solve the problem.
Detail the agencies, organizations, and/or groups that are going to be involved in implementing these solutions.
References slide(s) (one to two slides): Present the full citation for the references that you used to create your presentation, using correct APA formatting.
