Issues in Science & Technology Outcomes Schedule Assignments Resources Grading Florida Gulf Coast University
  
Societal (Non-Scientific)  Aspects
Be sure you also consider the following regarding the non-scientific and non-technological aspects of your issue as you prepare your presentation.

Recognize that none of these aspects of the issue can be considered in isolation. It is your responsibility to prepare a presentation that shows the diversity of opinion surrounding the issues selected, how it has developed, and what an engaged community should be doing to address the issue.

Politics:

Webster's definition of politics is the art and science of the government of a state or the opinions principles or policies by which a person orders his participation in such affairs and finally scheming and maneuvering within a group.

For your topic consider the political ramifications of the issue.

What state, local, or federal laws deal with the issue selected?

Is there a clearly Democratic, Republican, or Independent view on the issue?

If so, what is it?

Economics:

the study of the way in which natural resources are used and how the wealth they produce is divided and of the application of the underlying principles to the needs and prosperity of society

What are the economics of your issue?

How much money has been invested in the development of the technology regarding the issue?

Who invested this money?

What Federal agencies?

What corporations?

What individuals?

What return is expected?

Here are some specific examples of the types of information that will help put your issue in context. 
  • How many dollars have been spent on the issue in comparison to this year's national defense budget?
  • How many dollars have been spent in comparison to monies invested for education this year at the state, federal and local level?
  • How much has been spent in comparison to the FGCU total annual annual budget?

In order to show the complexity of economics and the variety of resources we use to finance our projects, I've looked up some comparative budget items to get the conversation started:

Item Cost Source
United States Total budget Fiscal Year (FY) 2007 projected

U.S. Dept of Defense FY 2007 (base projection)

U.S. Dept of Education FY 2007 (projected)

 

U.S. Dept of Health and Human Services FY 2007 (projected)

 

 

U.S. Consumer spending on Pets in 2005

$2,582 billion ($2,582,000,000)

 

$47 billion

 

$54 million

 

$70.6 million

 

 

 

 

$36.3 Billion (according to a News-Press Jan 6, 2007 story)

GPO Summary tables 

Dept. of Defense budget page

 

Dept. of Education budget page

 

Dept. of Health & Human Services budget page

 

 

American Pet Products Manufacturers Association

     
State of Florida (proposed FY 2007)

Education 

 

Health

$70.8 billion

 

$23.8 billion

 

$2.36 billion

Bush/Jennings Policy and Budget Recommendations

Bush Jennings Recommendations table

     
Lee County Budget* (FY 2005-2006)

Education (School board is separate from Lee County)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Health and Human services (of Lee County Budget)

*  budgets for the cities of Sanibel, Cape Coral, Fort Myers, Fort Myers Beach, or Bonita Springs are also separate entities .

$585.6 million (operating budget- does not include >$400 million in capital improvements)

 

$1.57 billion total (includes General, capital, Debt, Food and Internal services.

$710 million General Fund)

($410 million from local- rest Federal and State)

Lee County Public schools cost about $2.9 million per day to run.

 

 

$20.6 million 

Lee County Budget FY 2005-1006 

 

Lee County School Final Budget 2006-2007

 

 

 

News-Press story Dec 27, 2006

 

 

Lee County Budget FY 2005-1006 

 

     
FGCU operating budget (2005-2006)

Salary and benefits

athletics

$97,047,313

 

$48,459,396

$2,872,000

FGCU Trustees Agenda item #6 Sept 2006 
     
Video game software sales in the U.S. in 2005 $7 billion Entertainment Software Association
     

Religious:

man's expression of his acknowledgment of the divine a system of the beliefs and practices relating to the sacred and uniting its appearance in the community.

Are there particular religious groups that are opposed to or in support of the issues in your group?

Which?

Why?

What grounds do these groups use for their claims?

What is the evidence in support of their position?

Cultural:

relating to culture the training and development of the mind, the refinement of taste in matters acquired by such training. The social and religious structures and intellectual and artistic manifestations that characterizes society.

What is our society's opinion of these issues?

Are there different cultures within our society that have a different opinions of the issue? Consider another society outside of the United States; do they have a different opinion about this issue?

What is it?

Why might their opinion be different?

 

What do YOU use to help you decide what to do, believe and support or oppose?

When you compose your presentation consider specifically how you might appeal to our emotional mind  to take the same and opposing stance as you do on the issue.

 

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Last updated June 19, 2012