Can Technology Solve our Big Problems of 2023?
This week you will be writing a cultural topic response paper after watching a TED talk with Jason Pontin entitled, “Can Technology Solve our Big Problems?”
After watching this video, I would like you to envision how technology can solve our biggest problems today? How has technology assisted or not assisted in some of our most significant global issues? Can technology have anything to do with the change in our cultural relations, our difference in beliefs, our diverse cultural perspectives? Do you think technology has a way of helping to change (good or bad) of those things?
Using any outside research or textbook readings along with your reflection, combine it all into a Culturally Responsive Research paper with a minimum of 1000 words. Give it your selected title. Include a source citation at the end of the article. The report must be written in MLA format. https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_formatting_and_style_guide/mla_formatting_and_style_guide.html
Within the paper, these multicultural points must be discussed or able to be recognized in your research. Please do not break these points out into sections; the intent is to locate them within the writings. See the rubric for guidance.
- Knowledge of cultural, economic, social, political, or racial diversities in the United States or worldwide.
- Methods of inquiry of the natural sciences, social sciences, or the arts and humanities to understand cultural, economic, social, or racial diversity.
- Show an understanding of contemporary social or ethical issues related to diversity.
- Relate skills required to engage in an informed and respectful way with diverse people, cultures, and histories.
| Item | Mastery 25 | Partial Mastery 20 | Progressing 15 | Emerging 10 |
| Cultural self- awareness | Articulates insights into own cultural rules and biases (e.g. seeking complexity; aware of how her/his experiences have shaped these rules, and how to recognize and respond to cultural biases, resulting in a shift in self-description.) | Recognizes new perspectives about own cultural rules and biases (e.g. not looking for sameness; comfortable with the complexities that new perspectives offer.) | Identifies own cultural rules and biases (e.g. with a strong preference for those rules shared with own cultural group and seeks the same in others.) | Shows minimal awareness of own cultural rules and biases (even those shared with own cultural group(s)) (e.g. uncomfortable with identifying possible cultural differences with others.) |
| Knowledge of cultural worldview frameworks | Demonstrates sophisticated understanding of the complexity of elements important to members of another culture in relation to its history, values, politics, communication styles, economy, or beliefs and practices. | Demonstrates adequate understanding of the complexity of elements important to members of another culture in relation to its history, values, politics, communication styles, economy, or beliefs and practices. | Demonstrates partial understanding of the complexity of elements important to members of another culture in relation to its history, values, politics, communication styles, economy, or beliefs and practices. | Demonstrates surface understanding of the complexity of elements important to members of another culture in relation to its history, values, politics, communication styles, economy, or beliefs and practices. |
| Empathy | Interprets intercultural experience from the perspectives of own and more than one worldview and demonstrates ability to act in a supportive manner that recognizes the feelings of another cultural group. | Recognizes intellectual and emotional dimensions of more than one worldview and sometimes uses more than one worldview in interactions. | Identifies components of other cultural perspectives but responds in all situations with own worldview. | Views the experience of others but does so through own cultural worldview. |
| Verbal and nonverbal communication | Articulates a complex understanding of cultural differences in verbal and nonverbal communication (e.g., demonstrates understanding of the degree to which people use physical contact while communicating in different cultures or use direct/indirect and explicit/implicit meanings) and is able to skillfully negotiate a shared understanding based on those differences. | Recognizes and participates in cultural differences in verbal and nonverbal communication and begins to negotiate a shared understanding based on those differences. | Identifies some cultural differences in verbal and nonverbal communication and is aware that misunderstandings can occur based on those differences but is still unable to negotiate a shared understanding. | Has a minimal level of understanding of cultural differences in verbal and nonverbal communication; is unable to negotiate a shared understanding. |
| Curiosity | Asks complex questions about other cultures, seeks out and articulates answers to these questions that reflect multiple cultural perspectives. | Asks deeper questions about other cultures and seeks out answers to these questions. | Asks simple or surface questions about other cultures. | States minimal interest in learning more about other cultures. |
| Openness | Initiates and develops interactions with culturally different others. Suspends judgment in valuing her/his interactions with culturally different others. | Begins to initiate and develop interactions with culturally different others. Begins to suspend judgment in valuing her/his interactions with culturally different others. | Expresses openness to most, if not all, interactions with culturally different others. Has difficulty suspending any judgment in her/his interactions with culturally different others, and is aware of own judgment and expresses a willingness to change. | Receptive to interacting with culturally different others. Has difficulty suspending any judgment in her/his interactions with culturally different others, but is unaware of own judgment. |
| Item | Mastery 25 | Partial Mastery 20 | Progressing 15 | Emerging 10 |
| Depth of reflection | Demonstrates a conscious and thorough understanding of the subject matter. This reflection could be used as an example for other students. | Demonstrates a basic understanding of the subject matter. | Demonstrates a limited understanding of the subject matter. | Demonstrates little or no understanding of the subject matter. |
| Language Use | Use language that is precise and engaging, with notable sense of voice, awareness of audience and purpose, and varied | Use language that is fluent and original, with a sense of voice, awareness of audience and purpose, and the ability to vary sentence structure. | Use basic but appropriate language, with a basic sense of voice, some awareness of audience and purpose and some attempt to vary sentence structure. | Use language that is unsuitable for the audience and purpose, with little or no awareness of sentence structure. |
| Conventions | Demonstrate control of the conventions with essentially no errors, even with sophisticated language. Meets required 1000 word count. | Demonstrate control of the conventions, exhibiting occasional errors only when using sophisticated language. | Demonstrate limited control of the conventions, exhibiting frequent errors that make comprehension difficult. | Demonstrate limited or no control of the conventions, making comprehension almost impossible. |
| Source Citation | All sources are accurately documented in the desired format. (MLA or APA) | All sources are accurately documented, but a few are not in the desired format. (MLA or APA) | Some sources are documented accurately and there is somewhat a formal used format. | Too many sources are not documented accurately and there is not a formal used format. |
