Systems Thinking
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Assignment 1 – Hometown Analysis
Read more: Assignment 1 – Hometown AnalysisA critical part of creating policy is the data gathering process. What data can you find quickly and analyze? What do the data mean? What story can you tell using reliable data? What data do you need?
Using your hometown as the subject of your investigation, assume that you are a policy analyst and you work for the new mayor or the new town or city council.
What data can you use to tell a story about your hometown? Where is it located? How many people live there? What does it provide in terms of resources to the state?
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Sector Paper
Read more: Sector PaperWrite a five-page paper (double-spaced, not including figures, tables or pictures) describing the current state of affairs in your country in one of the sectors that we have studied in class:
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Final Project: Essay & Digital Communications Project
Read more: Final Project: Essay & Digital Communications Project- Choose a problem that is useful to show what you have learned in this class. Nexus approach? Social or political dimensions of technology? Social histories of institutions, policy entrepreneurs, or bilateral activists? socioecological impacts of production/consumption systems?
- Pay attention to what problem/theme/topic might be professionally useful for you in the future. Something that you can show you have researched in the past? Something that could serve as the first exploration for a future research or project?
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Paper 2: Providing Expert Advice
Read more: Paper 2: Providing Expert AdviceWakanda's president recently created an interagency commission to address the challenges and opportunities in developing a policy framework of this nature. The interagency commission has called for a group of experts including: industrial leaders, worker's unions, local communities, scientists, social scientists, policy scholars, and foreign experts on comparative environmental governance.
You are one of the members of this last group. Your job is to advise how to better discuss, design, and implement a policy framework considering ecological, social, economic, and political aspects.
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Paper 1
Read more: Paper 1Please write an essay addressing ONE of the following questions. Your essay should be between 1000 and 1500 words. Please also consider:
- For this essay, you should use (discuss, reference, quote) at least 5 of the readings from session 1–5.
- While developing your argument include the analysis of 2–3 case studies (countries/environmental conflicts/regions).
- You should bring a draft (printed copy of at least 700 words) to session 6.
- A complete draft (100-1500 words) should be submitted (printed copy) on session 7. This draft is part of your final grade.
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National Environmental Policy-making
Read more: National Environmental Policy-makingGiven what you have read in Unit 1 and what we have discussed in class, provide the simplest model you can of national environmental policy-making for any country you choose.
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Poster & Presentation
Read more: Poster & PresentationCreate a poster about your project. Your poster should speak to the planning issue(s) in New Orleans that you are researching and writing about. What question can you ask that will pull a reader into your poster and get him/her thinking about your project? What issues are you working on? What data have you gathered? What story can you tell about your planning issue in New Orleans?
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Alternatively, create a poster for your client's needs. This poster could inform neighborhood groups about a particular planning issue. This poster could graphically showcase how citizens can understand design standards easily and efficiently, and/or this poster could help citizens understand the importance of using public transportation. In other words, it could be used as part of a community campaign to bring attention to a planning issue in New Orleans. Posters will be made part of an exhibit that showcases the work of our students working in New Orleans. Posters should be 20”x30”, either direction.
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Field Research and Report
Read more: Field Research and ReportIn this second phase, student teams will undertake in-depth research, analysis and design in project areas in Valparaíso. Once on the ground, students need to understand the requirements needed to realize goals and opportunities of the projects by assessing existing resources and assets, identifying critical obstacles and resources gaps to address, and defining other factors that shape effective strategies and interventions to generate the client’s desired revitalization goals for the district.
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Disaster Mitigation Plans, Planners & Policies
Read more: Disaster Mitigation Plans, Planners & PoliciesStudents will explore and analyze a mitigation plan in a U.S. city or town.
What is your town’s Mitigation Plan?
Decide on a town to research. We prefer that you use your hometown, if possible. As someone from the town, you will better understand town dynamics, town threats, town government, and maybe even town politics.
Find a copy of your town’s mitigation plan, if there is one, and analyze the plan.
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Partnerships/Enterprises
Read more: Partnerships/EnterprisesThird Reflection
Subject: Waste Management Partnership / Enterprise / ActorThe third paper is a chance to select either a:
- Specific actor (for example: Waste Management, Save that Stuff, Wecyclers, Sanergy, Enevo, etc.)
- Specific partnership (for example: Casella and the City of Cambridge)
Notice something that doesn’t seem right? Want to make a suggestion or provide feedback about how something is classified?
Please reach out to esi [at] mit.edu and include SCALES Website in the subject of your email.
Feedback and any actions taken with regards to the feedback, will be shared as they are addressed.