Transcript Case Study on the Marshall Islands

TELL THEM WE DON’T WANT TO LEAVE…
THE MARSHALL ISLANDS AND THE RISING SEA
A CASE STUDY IN SOCIAL-ENVIRONMENTAL SYNTHESIS
DR. ZOLA K. MOON AND DR. DONNA S. DAVIS
UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS
SUST 1103, SPRING 2015
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS – THIS WORK WAS SUPPORTED BY THE NATIONAL SOCIO-ENVIRONMENTAL
SYNTHESIS CENTER (SESYNC) UNDER FUNDING RECEIVED FROM THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
DBI-1052875.
The airport on
Majuro – the
main
transportation
link to the rest
of the world
MID-TIDE
Photo Copyright 2014 Donna S. Davis
To Hawaii:
2,400 miles
To
Springdale,
AR: 8,600
miles
The Republic
of the
Marshall
Islands
http://www.artofanderson.com/pacific-centered-world-map-worksheet/
CASE STUDY GENESIS
• Marshall Islands (among other island nations) are
threatened by rising sea levels
• Largest population of Marshallese outside the islands
is now found in Springdale, AR (just surpassed Hawaii)
• Includes different geographical and temporal scales
• Linked social-environmental systems at both ends of
migration stream – Marshall Islands and Springdale
ACTIVITIES INCLUDED
• Concept mapping
• Climate change science and sea-level rise knowledge
• Socio-demographic data analysis and interpretation
• Timeline to compare temporal scales of impacts
• Wordle created from issues identified for Marshall
Islands and Springdale communities
• Final reflective essay
WORDLE
FOR
MARSHALL
ISLANDS
WORDLE
FOR
SPRINGDALE
What would I say to Kathy JetnilKijiner if I had the chance?
• Sorry but you cannot stay, you have to face facts, maybe we can help
• Come here, it’s not so bad, you can make a new life
• I am (African-American, Brazilian, Native-American, displaced
Michiganer, migrant from Minnesota, displaced from Tennessee) and I
understand how you feel, but you have to move and adjust to a new
life; it won’t be the same but it will be okay
• The world is the way it is, sorry; I can’t change it.
What would I say to Kathy JetnilKijiner if I had the chance?
• I am sorry; I hear you
• I didn’t know about climate change/didn’t realize it was now
impacting real people
• Thank you (for your story, courage, inspiration, leadership, lifechanging poetry, voice)
• I am one of “them” and I will tell other “thems” about you and the
Marshall Islands
• We can change, there is hope, we can make a difference
• Tell her that we must stand together hand in hand to turn the tide
HOMEWORK EVALUATION
• Homework 1
•
•
•
•
Materials on climate change were (1 easy, 4 way too hard)
Materials on sea-level rise were (1 easy, 4 way too hard)
Homework was (1 easy, 4 way too hard)
Homework took approximately how long (minutes)
2.49
2.63
2.06
31.61
• Homework 2
• Materials on atomic testing and
Marshall islands were (1 easy, 4 way too hard)
• Materials on Springdale and
the Marshallese were (1 easy, 4 way too hard)
• Homework was (1 easy, 4 way too hard)
• Homework took approximately how long (minutes)
2.77
2.78
2.06
27.53
Overall experience with
mean
(4 = outstanding, 1 = poor) total
females males pr>f
ANOVA
Case study
3.14
3.24
3.07 0.030
Time line exercise
2.87
2.90
2.88 0.967
Concept mapping
2.76
2.85
2.73 0.002
Essay
2.81
3.06
2.67 0.001
Handouts on blackboard
2.90
2.96
2.89 0.000
Classroom presentations
3.37
3.44
3.34 0.084
Overall experience with
mean
(4 =greatly improved, 1 = worse)
total
My ability to describe an SES
3.05
3.09 3.04 0.000
My ability to synthesize SES data
2.93
2.91 2.99 0.000
My ability to consider the importance of
scale and context in SES
3.05
3.07 3.07 0.262
(4 = absolutely, 1 = no way)
Use case study again
3.15 2.92 0.076
N
2.99
172
ANOVA
females males
68 97
pr>f
OTHER NOTES FROM STUDENT EVALUATIONS
• Number of comments (12) about more time needed, felt
rushed
• Concept mapping was difficult, interesting, too hard,
confusing, new, and educational
• Essay was fulfilling, confusing, too hard, too vague, really
challenging, and the best or the worst part of the study
NOTES FROM MY EVALUATION
• Conducted over four 50-minute classes – not enough time
• Concept map should be kept, but needs 2-3 class periods
• Timeline was not very effective – I think it was circumstantial,
not the exercise; might work better as a take-home assignment
• Did not do the 5-minute reflective in-class writing exercise
because of time constraints
• Essay is essential – most students took seriously and some
wrote amazing essays; clearly essay was challenging and
synthesizing
RESOURCES
• Case study may be found at SESYNC repository
http://sesync.org/tell-them-we-dont-want-to-leave-themarshallese-and-sea-level-rise-2014-10
• Kathy Jetnil-Kijiner, “Tell Them”:
http://jkijiner.Wordpress.Com/2011/04/13/tell-them/
• Video about Nuclear Remembrance Day
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_2agislva0