World Issues Terms & Definitions

Unit #1: Intro to Current World Events

1. Issues vs. Problems
   
   

   • Issues: Big problems that need a solution, affecting many people and with many sides to consider.

   • Problems: Specific, smaller challenges or difficulties that need to be solved.

2. 4 categories of World Issues
   
   

   • Social, political, economic, and environmental issues that affect countries or the whole world.

3. Framing any issue
   
   

   • How an issue is presented to people, influencing how they think about it.

4. Stakeholders
   
   

   • People or groups that are affected by or have an interest in an issue.

5. Types of Bias
   
   

   • Confirmation Bias: Focusing on information that supports what you already believe.

   • Media Bias: When media presents news in a way that favors a particular point of view.

6. Types of Media
   
   

   • Mainstream Media: Large, well-known media outlets (TV, newspapers).

   • Alternative Media: Smaller or independent outlets that offer different views.

7. Setting the Agenda & Manufacturing Consent
   
   

   • Setting the Agenda: Deciding which issues are most important for the public to focus on.

   • Manufacturing Consent: Influencing people to accept a particular point of view, usually by controlling the information they receive.

8. Noam Chomsky
   
   

   • A thinker who analyzed how governments and media control public opinion, especially in politics.

9. Propaganda
   
   

   • Information that is spread to influence people's opinions or behavior, often in a misleading way.

10. Fake News
    
    

• False or misleading information presented as news to trick or confuse people.

11. Censorship

• Controlling or limiting what information is allowed to be seen or heard, often by governments.

12. Wag the Dog

• A situation where a government distracts the public from a real issue by focusing attention on a fake or made-up issue.

13. Jargon

• Special words or phrases used by a specific group of people, which can be difficult for others to understand.

14. Doublespeak

• Language used to make something bad seem less bad or to hide the true meaning of something.

15. Alternative Media

• Media that gives different perspectives from mainstream outlets, often from smaller or independent sources.

16. Map Projections

• Ways to represent the Earth on a flat map, which can distort shapes, sizes, and distances.

17. Eurocentric View of the World

• Viewing the world from a European perspective, often ignoring or downplaying other cultures.

18. Mercator vs. Gall-Peters

• Mercator: A map projection that distorts sizes near the poles.

• Gall-Peters: A map projection that tries to show countries' true sizes, but distorts shapes.

19. Classifying Countries in the World Today

• Core: Rich and powerful countries.

• Periphery: Poorer, less developed countries.

• Semi-Periphery: Countries that are in between, with some wealth and power but not as much as core countries.

20. Globalization

• The process of countries becoming more connected through trade, communication, and culture.

21. Indicators of Global Involvement

• Measures that show how much a country is involved in global issues, such as trade, politics, or technology.

22. HDI

• Human Development Index: A measure of how well people in a country live, including factors like education, income, and health.

23. The UN

• The United Nations: An international organization that works on issues like peace, security, and human rights.

24. Security Council

• A part of the UN that deals with international peace and security.

25. Revolution Documentary – Main Message of the Film

• Focused on the role of revolution in changing political systems and empowering people to create social change.

Unit #2: Geopolitics/Conflicts & The State of the World

1. Geopolitics
   
   

   • The study of how geography and politics affect global relations.

2. Nation
   
   

   • A group of people who share common history, culture, or language.

3. State
   
   

   • A political entity or country with its own government and borders.

4. Nation-State
   
   

   • A country where the boundaries of the state match the boundaries of the nation.

5. Ideology
   
   

   • A system of beliefs or ideas that guide political or economic actions.

6. Authoritarian Regime
   
   

   • A government where power is held by one leader or a small group, with little or no participation from the people.

7. Sovereignty
   
   

   • The right of a state to govern itself without outside interference.

8. Issues Related to Sovereignty
   
   

   • Disagreements over who has control over certain land or resources (e.g., border disputes).

9. Empires
   
   

   • Large political units that control many different territories and people, usually by force.

10. Leagues vs. Confederations
    
    

• Leagues: Loose groups of countries working together for mutual benefit.

• Confederations: A group of states with a weak central government, where each state keeps its independence.

11. Superimposed Borders

• Borders drawn by outside powers, often without regard for local ethnic or cultural groups.

12. Antecedent Borders

• Borders that were drawn before people settled in the area, like historical borders.

13. Border Regions

• Areas near the border between two or more countries, often where different cultures meet.

14. Problems Associated with Theoretical Borders

• Disagreements over borders that aren't clear or are based on outdated maps.

15. Globalization

• The increasing interconnectedness of the world, often affecting borders and countries' relationships.

16. Cultural Sub-nationalism

• People in a region or group identifying more with their own culture than with the larger national identity.

17. Tribalism

• Loyalty to a tribe or group over the larger nation or state.

18. Colonialism

• When a country takes control over another territory, often exploiting its resources and people.

19. Post-Colonialism

• The period after countries gained independence from colonial powers, dealing with the lasting effects of colonialism.

20. Neo-Nationalism

• A modern form of nationalism that emphasizes the importance of a nation's culture and identity.

21. The Development Gap

• The difference in wealth and development between rich and poor countries.

22. Economic Legacy of Colonialism

• The long-lasting economic effects that colonialism had on colonized countries, often leaving them with weak economies.

23. Hard vs. Soft Power

• Hard Power: Using military or economic force to get what you want.

• Soft Power: Using persuasion, culture, or diplomacy to influence others.

24. Clash of Civilizations

• The idea that future conflicts will be between different cultural or religious groups.

25. The Heartland Theory

• The idea that the country that controls the center of Eurasia (the "Heartland") will control the world.

26. Role of the UN in Global Conflicts

• The UN works to prevent or solve conflicts and protect human rights.

Unit #3: Human Migration and Global Population Issues

1. Demography
   
   

   • The study of populations, including their size, structure, and distribution.

2. Population Growth
   
   

   • The increase in the number of people in an area over time.

3. Birth Rate
   
   

   • The number of births per 1,000 people in a given year.

4. Death Rate
   
   

   • The number of deaths per 1,000 people in a given year.

5. Natural Increase
   
   

   • The difference between birth rate and death rate, showing population growth.

6. Net Migration
   
   

   • The difference between the number of people moving into and out of a country.

7. Population Pyramids
   
   

   • Graphs that show the age and sex distribution of a population.

8. Impacts of Baby Boom on Population Dynamics
   
   

   • The large increase in births after World War II, which impacts current population structures.

9. Malthus Theory
   
   

   • A theory that population grows faster than food supply, leading to poverty and famine.

10. Positive Checks on Population
    
    

• Things like disease, famine, and war that reduce population growth.

11. Karl Marx

• A philosopher who believed that population growth depends on social and economic factors.

12. Dependency Load

• The number of people who are too young or old to work and depend on others for support.

13. Rule of 70

• A way to estimate how long it takes for a population to double by dividing 70 by the growth rate.

14. Agricultural Revolution

• A period when farming methods improved, allowing populations to grow.

15. Industrial Revolution

• A time when new machines and factories made production faster, leading to population growth.

16. Life Expectancy

• The average age people are expected to live, which differs between men and women, and between developed and developing countries.

17. Carrying Capacity

• The maximum population size that an area can support without damaging the environment.

18. Population Implosion (‘Birth Dearth’)

• A situation where a country’s population is shrinking due to low birth rates.

19. Pronatalist Strategies

• Policies that encourage people to have more children, such as financial incentives.

20. Problems Associated with Overpopulation

• Issues like resource depletion, environmental damage, and poverty due to too many people.

21. Population Control Methods

• Measures like family planning or government policies to reduce population growth.

22. China’s One-Child Policy

• A policy that limited families to having only one child, which had long-term effects on China’s population.

23. Family Planning

• Methods and education used to help families plan how many children to have.

24. UN Projections for Future Population Growth

• The UN’s predictions for how the world population will change in the future.

25. Countries with the Largest Population Concerns

• Countries with large populations or rapid population growth, which can affect the environment.

26. Refugees in a Globalized World

• People forced to leave their home countries due to war, persecution, or environmental factors.