Slide 1What is a system?How do we study systems and apply what we learn?Why do we study systems?How is language a system?What are the humanities?Why a humanities perspective on language?World of SystemsFrom a Humanities PerspectiveSources: Pegasus Communications, Wikipedia, Thinking in Systems (Meadows, 2008)What is a system? A system is a group of interacting, interrelated, and interdependent components that form a complex and unified wholeEvery system has a purpose within a larger systemAll of a system's parts must be present for the system to carryout its purpose optimallyA system's parts must be arranged in a specific way for the system to carry out its purposeSystems change in response to feedbackSystems maintain their stability by making adjustments based on feedback.How do we study systems and apply what we learn?systems thinking (YouTube clip)a way of understanding reality via the relationships among a system's parts, rather than the parts, emphasizing wholes & circular feedback (as opposed to linear cause and effect)system dynamicsthe rigorous field of study that gave rise to systems thinkingfocuses on the flow of feedback (information that is transmitted and returned) that occurs throughout the parts of a system and the system behaviors that resultfrom those flows.uses computer simulation modeling to figure out how a system’s behavior might play out over time if you implement certain changescausal loops diagrams (a)behavior over time graphs (b)stock and flow diagrams (c)(a)(b)(c)Why do we study systems?helps us see the events and patterns in our lives in a new light—and respond to them in higher leverage wayscan help you design smart, enduring solutions to problemsgives you a more accurate & dynamic picture of realityencourages you to think about problems and solutions with an eye toward the long viewsystems thinking is founded on some basic, universal principles that you will begin to detect in all arenas of life once you learn to recognize themHow is language a system?comprises interacting, interrelated & interdependent componentssounds wordsmeaningsphrasessocial usessoundsphrasessocial usesmeaningswordsWhat are the humanities?the humanities perspective considers what it means to be human;seeks an understanding of the human experience by analyzing expressions of language, image, text, and culture; andemphasizes descriptions and interpretations of human values, beliefs, and behaviors in the context of historical and contemporary cultural institutions.Why a humanities perspective on language?language is distinctly, uniquely humanlanguage is used to create, reinforce, challenge, and describe identities, values, beliefs it’s the most common means of expressing the human experience, through (to list just a few):songnarrativeliteraturedrama