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It should be about 1000 words in length and be prepared in APA style.  This paper is the first step in the development of your individual research paper for the class.  In that paper, your task is to identify one of the key “great challenges” facing humanity and human society over the coming century, explain its nature and why it is difficult to address, and consider some potential approaches we can take to overcoming that challenge.   In this short paper, your assignment is to begin the process of developing this analysis.  More specifically, in this paper your task is to:

• Identify the challenge that will be the subject of their research paper
• Explain the nature and origins of this problem – What kind of challenge does it present?

Consider why addressing this challenge is so important for the future of humanity and human society.Your analysis should be based on research that includes scholarly and professional sources.  It is important to note that this is your first step in grappling with the challenge.  You may adjust or change your analysis by the time you get to the final paper…that is fine.  The goal here is to get you started on the larger project.What counts as a “great challenge”?  There is no complete or final list, and you are free to suggest topics for my approval.  Two good places to look are the course description on the Canvas home page, and the themes in the course modules.  With that in mind, here are some suggestions…many of which can be narrowed down for your paper:-

The challenge(s) of Environmental Sustainability, including but not limited to climate change – population, agriculture, and food supply, rising sea levels, adapting to a warmer climate, the move away from carbon to renewable energy technologies, etc.  How do these challenges impact individuals, communities, business, politics, religion, etc.?

• The challenges of Adapting and Managing Emerging Technologies.  How do these – digital technologies, the internet, smartphones, etc.    – change psychological and social dynamics?
• How to we limit the possibilities they present for surveillance and control of human behavior?  Can we remain free, and/or preserve any notion of privacy, in a world of digital surveillance?
• What political dangers and opportunities do these technologies present?
• What dangers and opportunities to they present for business?
• What will be the future of Globalization and the Global Economy and how will that impact different societies?
• Will we have more inequality or move towards a more equitable and just world?

Will we see the fragmentation of the global economy into different spheres/regions, and what will be the implications for business, politics, etc.”? – What is the future of Human Migration, and how will it shape economics, politics, culture, and social cohesion?   [This topic can be approached a number of ways – vis climate change, economics, political conflict, cultural change, etc.]- Will humanity Survive future Global Pandemics?  What are the sources of these pandemics and why are they likely to be more common?  What resources to we have – as individuals, communities, businesses, and states – to try to manage and reduce this threat?  Even if we have the resources to control pandemics, are we likely to do so?- Is the organization of the world in separate Nation-States outdated?  Does such a structure doom humanity to failure in its dealing with key “great challenges,” most of which do not respect national borders?- How is Human Culture evolving?  Will science continue to play a central role in the way we interact with the world, or will it be displaced by religion?  Will national and ethnic culturessurvive or will the forces of migration, communication, and economics gradually create one multicultural global society?  [Key areas can be used as examples – music, food, fashion, family life, the “culture” of work, etc.]These are just some examples.  I am happy to help you develop a paper topic and to review drafts of your paper.