For Activity
#4, we are going to analyze an event using a tool called the Iceberg
Model – a model that identifies
the economic, political
and cultural forces that drive events, how events are connected to each
other in terms of their underlying causes and the structural causes of many
negative world events.
The Iceberg Model is based on a systems thinking approach to
problem solving, which looks at issues from a holistic, dynamic,
interconnected, systemic perspective.
BACKGROUND
What we read about most often
in the news are
events
— the newsworthy, exciting and dramatic things that happen in the world.
Events
in the news are like
the tip of an iceberg. The visible part of an iceberg is only about 10% of
its total mass ... the remaining 90% is underwater
and never seen. However, it
is this hidden 90% that the ocean currents act on and that determine the
behavior of the iceberg’s tip. Likewise, events “at the tip of the iceberg”
may be things such as war in the Middle East, crime in our community or a
massive flood in China. On the news, these events are dramatic, isolated
incidents … the forces that create and shape them (what happens
“underwater”) are not often
revealed.
When we notice the occurrence
of similar events (wars or terrorist attacks in other parts of the world, or
similar economic events in several countries), we are seeing
the emergence of a
pattern. It may be that more of these events are happening or it may
be that the media is reporting these events more often. For example, we
might read a news article in the paper today about a local robbery (an
event). Over the course of a year we may notice that there are several
articles about robberies and other crimes committed in the same area of town
(a pattern). Does this indicate that crime is up or that we are only hearing
about it more frequently? Patterns underlie and act upon events … they are
just below the tip in the iceberg model.
Finally, deep beneath the
surface are the
underlying structures (root causes)
that drive the patterns — just as the underlying ice mass drives the tip of the iceberg.
These underlying structures or causes can be physical, cultural,
population-driven, political or economic. (Those are the 5 themes we’ve
studied this semester.) For example, the underlying cause of the robberies
and other crimes may have to do with the economics of the area. Perhaps
schools in that area are unable to offer quality education or unemployment
may be high. Underlying structural causes may be the growing gap between the
rich and poor or a lack of education, job opportunities or other forces that
preclude sustainable livelihoods. Underlying structural causes such as these
are not typically revealed in news stories. That omission has an effect on
how we understand an event and how we perceive the people who are involved
in the event.
STEPS
A. Find
a news article about an important current event, such as a cultural clash or protest, economic situation or etc. You may
choose any news article you wish as long as it fits the following
criteria.
1. The
event must have occurred during the current semester.
2. The
event may be from any region except North
America.
3. The
event must be a fairly major cultural, demographic, political or
economic (NOT physical) conflict. A clash between half a dozen soldiers, a protest by a dozen
dissidents, a minor business closing, a government announcement … these are not major events.
4. The
article must cover the conflict in sufficient detail to give you a thorough
understanding of what happened. It doesn’t have to addresses causes,
motivations or etc … that will be your job.
5. The
article must be publically accessible from a mainstream print or
online newspaper. You may not use an article from a blog, TV/radio
site, think tank, organization, chat room, magazine, a small /
obscure / countercultural newspaper, a site which requires readers to login,
etc.
6. You
must be able to provide a citation sufficient for me to find the
article easily – for print media that includes the publication name, date,
article title and page; for online media that includes the publication name,
date, article title and the exact URL leading to the article. (Check the URL
you send me before you send it.) Do NOT send me a copy of your article ... just the
citation.
B.
Paraphrase the conflict (event) depicted in the article.
C. Use the iceberg model
to analyze the conflict in terms of emerging
global patterns and underlying
structures (root causes).
1. You may need information from additional sources to
sufficiently analyze your conflict. If so, do not use direct quotes and do not
cite those sources in the analysis you send me. (NOTE: The REGIONS
optional download link above contains information that may help.)
2. As you analyze the conflict, consider the following.
a. Think of the conflict
as the local problem and have a clear
idea of exactly what that problem is.
b. Is it a recurring type of conflict, a global pattern?
c. If so, can you identify
what is driving these conflicts, the possible underlying structures of
the global pattern? For
example, is it related to poverty, lack of education and/or health care,
development practices that are not environmentally sound, a colonial past,
arbitrary boundaries, population growth, the AIDS epidemic, environmental
destruction, limited resources or etc?
d. Does
the article discuss any of these root causes?
e. When
considering the underlying structures, look at
the relationship between the
pattern and the five themes of human geography – physical, cultural,
population, political and economic.
f. Are there structural solutions we
could implement to address the
underlying structures
of this
pattern? In other words, what (if anything) can we do to
address the root causes of the global pattern?
D. Write an analysis
of the event that includes the following items.
1. a citation for your article (See above
for details … I don't have time to hunt for your article so if I cannot
access it using the citation you send, I’ll send your analysis back to you
unread.)
2. a description of the conflict
(Use the
paraphrase you wrote. Do not copy-and-paste a description.)
3. whether or not this conflict
is part of a
global pattern and why you think so (If you chose an event that fits the
criteria, it will almost always be one event in a global pattern.)
4. possible
underlying structures (root causes) of this global pattern and why you think so
5. possible
solutions to the underlying structures of the global pattern
6. whether
or not the iceberg model worked as an analysis tool (Did it help you
understand the event and its connections? Are there events that would not
fit the model?)
7. specific and detailed connections to course content (either at the end of your analysis
or (preferably) throughout your analysis) - remember the physical, cultural,
population, political and economic aspects
8. correct spelling and grammar
E.
By the deadline shown in the Course Schedule
on the main page of the syllabus:
-
Send your analysis containing the eight items requested in the body of a
new email to
dramyglenn@earthlink.net.
-
Put only your name and Activity #4 at the beginning of your email.
-
Be careful to use the correct subject line.
-
Late
summaries will lose one point per day late, including weekends and
holidays. (Although I do take
late assignments, I do not take assignments past the end of the
semester. Check the Course Schedule on the main page of your
syllabus for the final date I will accept assignments.)
READ THE FOLLOWING SECTIONS FROM THE MARGIN NOTES.
