Questions and Topics We Can Help You To Answer:
Paper Instructions:
The aim of this assignment is to get you thinking about the role stories have played in creating the world of the past and, importantly, in terms of this course, the role they will play in creating the world of the future. The research you undertake for this assignment will help you understand the dominant stories that have shaped/created the Western world. This assignment is purposefully focused on Western stories as these are the stories that have had the most profound impact globally on shaping the world you inhabit as an individual and the world you have the potential to change as a future leader in business and society.
As you will discover, the world does not simply 'exist'; it does not just happen by accident. It is a product of the way we think, the values we have, the relationships we form, the ways in which we try to create a 'good' life and our hopes and fears for the future - the stories we create, and tell, about the world. Importantly, this assignment will show you that all of the grand challenges we face as a species are the result of the stories we live by. In addition, this assignment will help you understand that if you want to create a new world, then you need to start telling new stories - new stories will create new futures.
This assignment requires you to create an annotated Mind Map which identifies a maximum of ten stories that have been instrumental in creating today's world. You can make your Mind Map specific to a country or to the world as a whole. You can also focus on those stories that have directly impacted your life. Please make sure you explain the context of your Mind Map either on the Mind Map itself or in the addendum. By context, I mean explain if you are focusing on a specific country or on stories that have affected you personally.
Obviously, there are countless stories to choose from and it is your job to identify stories that you think have been most instrumental in creating the world of today. A very good Mind Map will attempt to draw links between the different stories. Importantly, in addition to identifying the stories, you will be expected to provide a short written statement of why you consider the stories you have chosen to be important. You can include these reasons as annotations on your Mind Map, or as an addendum to your Mind Map.
Methods for creating Mind Maps will be explained in class. Some of the possible stories that could be included, will also be explored.
A useful book to consult when undertaking this assignment is: Noah Harari, Y. (2011) Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind (London: Vintage Books). Chapter 2 is particularly relevant.
In this assignment, the word stories is used to refer to the common myths that we live by - those myths that large numbers of people believe in common. According to Noah Harari:
Any large-scale human cooperation - whether a medieval church, an ancient city or an archaic tribe is rooted in people's collective imagination. Churches are rooted in common religious myths...States are rooted in common national myths...Judicial systems are rooted in common legal myths...Yet none of these things exist outside the stories that people invent and tell one another. There are no gods in the universe, no nations, no money, no human rights, no laws and no justice outside the common imaginations of human beings. Over the years, people have woven an incredibly complex network of stories...The kinds of things that people create through this network of stories are known in academic circles as 'fictions', 'social constructs' or 'imagined realities'...An imagined reality is something that everyone believes in, and as long as this communal belief persists, the imagined reality exerts force in the world...Most millionaires believe in the existence of money and limited liability companies. Most human-rights activists sincerely believe in the existence of human rights...Ever since the Cognitive Revolution, Sapiens have thus been living in a dual reality. On the one hand, the objective reality of rivers, trees and lions; and on the other hand, the imagined reality of gods, nations and corporations. As time went by, the imagined reality became ever more powerful, so that today the very survival of rivers, trees and lions depends on the grace of imagined entities such as the United States and Google. (Hoah Harari, 2011:30-6)
Whether or not you believe/agree with all aspects of this statement is not important. The point that is being made is that the stories we believe in collectively have shaped the world of the past and will shape the world of the future. Capitalism, for example, is a story that is based on the belief that the means of production should be in private ownership and should operate for profit. Religious beliefs are stories shared by those who believe in the same god or deity. As we know, religion has had a huge impact on the world of yesterday and today. The stories we tell ourselves about our superiority over the more-than-human world (nature) has allowed us to exploit Earth's resources with impunity and has resulted in climate change and the sixth mass extinction. The poor treatment of indigenous peoples around the world is a result of stories we have told about their lives being outdated and archaic and of little relevance or importance to modern, Western notions of progress. The human belief in progress is perhaps the most important story of all; it dictates much of human behaviour and drives our economic and political systems. It is important to remember that everything we see happening in the world is the result of a story. These stories have shaped the world and these are the types of stories I'd like you to explore in this assignment.
Grading Criteria (what constitutes a good assignment?): A good assignment will:
- be highly creative in presentation;
- show evidence of engaged and creative thought;
- demonstrate clear, analytical and critical thinking around complex issues;
- demonstrate a clear understanding of the dominant stories that have shaped the past;
- demonstrate that research has been undertaken in order to identify the dominant stories;
- be clearly expressed; and
demonstrate rational and independent analysis.
