How is this dependence on potatoes seen as a possible parallel to the events of the early twenty-first century and our dependence on computer technology?

Electromagnetic Pulse

Write your answers to the following questions in Short Essay Format. Be sure to explain your viewpoints completely. Total length of response for this assignment needs to be a minimum of 2 full pages total for all three (3) parts; maximumresponse is 4 pages total for all three (3) parts Use MS Word or its equivalent and convert to Adobe Acrobat (pdf) and submit it via Canvas.

Background:

Computers seem to be everywhere: at work, at play and in all sorts of places in between. There are perhaps a million large computers, tens of millions of personal computers, hundreds of millions of programmable calculators, and billions of dedicated micro-processors built into other machines of every description in use in America today. The changes these machines are bringing to society are profound, if not revolutionary. However, our dependence upon technology is nothing new; numerous previous societies have also depended upon technology in different ways for their survival and existence.

In Ireland in the nineteenth century, the predominance and dependence of mono-cropping potatoes led to massive starvation and one of the largest migrations of that time, all because of a blight (disease) that wiped out the crop over a series of years. Much as we have become dependent on computers for our economy, the Irish had become dependent on the potato for their agriculture and to feed their families. The entire system of villages and tenant farming was centered in this one product. Its failure created untold hardship, both in the crop failure itself and in the political and economic upheavals that followed.

Conditions:

For the purpose of this assignment, you are to use the scenario that the world has just suffered a global EMP-based war. Everything that is connected to networks of wire, or uses transistor circuitry and newer electronics is now unusable and un-repairable. If you are unfamiliar with the Irish potato famine, you are encouraged to do research to gain a better understanding of what happened.

Assignment:

Answer the following 3-part question in your own words.

1. How is this dependence on potatoes seen as a possible parallel to the events of the early twenty-first century and our dependence on computer technology?
2. What would society do if all computers and all other equipment that uses processors suddenly stopped working?
3. What lessons can we draw from these two examples?

Formatting:

Text Size: All of the text in this assignment needs to be set in 12-point size.

Double Spacing: For this class select all of your text and set it for double spacing. This includes the name block, title and body of your work.

Margins: One-inch margins mean one (1”) on all sides. The only text that ends up on the outside of the one-inch margin is the page number.

Name Block: Place the name block in the upper right corner of the page. In this class, the name block only needs to be on the first page. Put your name first, then the class title and then the date. Example:

Title: All homework assignments have a title. Please place the title just below the name block with centered justification. The title for this assignment is “Project 4”. You may make the title a bit more descriptive if you wish.

Spelling/Grammar Checking: Remember to do your spelling and grammar checking before turning your assignments in. Proofread your work. When doing the spelling/grammar checking keep in mind that some words such as mush and must, woods and words, or there and their, will not be caught by either check. To correct these problems, you will need to proofread your work. I proofread a hardcopy as my last step.

Paragraphs: The first word of the first sentence in a paragraph needs to be indented since the paper is double spaced. At the end of a paragraph, do not insert an extra blank line. The indentation serves as the visual clue that there is a new paragraph.

Page Numbers: Any homework that has more than one page, needs to have page numbers on it. Please place your page numbers on the bottom of the page.

Opinion: When a question asks for your opinion, its answer is exactly that – your opinion. It is not a researched answer. Feel free to use your own opinion.

Stating the Question before Answering It: While some reports require that you state the question before your answer, in this class this is not required. If you place the question before your answer, the space that it takes up will not count towards the minimum of 2 pages worth of writing.

Short Essay Format

Short essay format is a format that requires at least 2 paragraphs for each answer. Please remember that a paragraph is not just one, two, or three sentences in length.