1. A Potential paradigm for Emergency Management
Jessica Jensen
North Dakota State University
Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Emergency Management
701(231)-5762

2. Inspiration for presentation
Ritzer (1979) Integrated Sociological Paradigm
Problem he addressed
What was included
Why it failed
Why inspiring
Ritzer and Goodman, 2004, p. 487

3. EM theory Current state of affairs: For example… Lack of As a whole
Direction, focus, and clarity
Means of synthesis and integration
Framework
As a whole
Rudderless, no walking legs
Stunted development
For example…

4. Theoretical issues
General theoretical issues confronting the area of study
Purview
Key concepts
Central questions
Identification/ownership of existing theory
Methods
Criteria for the establishment of new knowledge
Specifically,
Boundaries
Central concepts and questions
Approach to teaching and research

5. What can help? The obvious The not-so-obvious but not-so-simple
but simpler
Not-so-simple…let nature take its course, evolve over long time, take hits/waste time in the meantime
Simpler…define em as area of study, create framework, discuss and debate, develop from there
Purpose of presentation:
Offer defintion of em as area of study
Suggest potential framework
Discuss how could be used and benefit

6. Paradigms Key authors and definitions Simply What it is not
Philosophical or theoretical framework
“Way of seeing the world”
What it is not
A theory
Causal model
Everything to all people
Key authors and their definitions:
Kuhn (1962) The Structure of Scientific Revolution—paradigm I to normal science to anomalies to crisis to revolution to paradigm II
Ritzer “A paradigm is a fundamental image of the subject matter within a science. It serves to define what should be studied, what questions should be asked, how they should be asked, and what rules should be followed in interpreting the answers obstained. The paradigm is the broadest unit of consensus within a science and serves to differentiate one scientific community (or subcommunity) from another. It subsumes, defines, and interrelates the exemplars, theories, and methods and instruments that exist within it” (p. 7)

7. Paradigm building Step One: Step Two: Step Three: Step Four:
Determine what EM studies and tries to explain
Step Two:
Determine how to study and explain EM phenomena
Step Three:
Visualize
Step Four:
Use, refine and debate, discuss
And repeat

8. What does EM study?
Area of study that examines how human beings, organizations, and government create, interact, and cope with hazards, risk, vulnerabilities, and associated events
Vis a Vis profession(s) of emergency management
EM phenomena
Examples of emergency management phenomena:
Phases
Activities within phases
Emergency managers
“Learning” after hazard events
Technology
Etcetera
Phases: questions of quality, effectiveness, amount, and/or efficiency in a given location, at a given level, within a certain stakeholder group or specific organization
Emergency managers: role, status, professionalization, nature of the job

9. Second Step: How to study and explain EM phenomena
Key concepts
Context
Macro and micro
Objective and subjective
Time and space bound
Dynamic nature
What must be reflected represents ASSUMPTIONS

10. Third Step: Possible visualization
Attention to handout

11. Potential application in teaching
Help students
Generally
More specifically
Key concepts
Other factors
Change
Interdependence
Relationships
Help faculty
Broadly:
The way the emergency management world works
More specifically:
Identify and flesh out key concepts and their relationship to emergency management phenomena
Identify relationship of emergency management phenomena to other factors that matter
Understand patterns of and influences on change
Understand interdependence within emergency management context
Understand that relationships are not necessarily linear (i.e., if this, then)
Help faculty:
Where to begin teaching: key concepts and their characteristics, the relationship of key concepts to one another, the relationship of key concepts to understanding emergency management phenomena
Where to take students over time: the rest of the paradigm

12. Potential application in research
Conceptualization
Research design
Questions related to:
Any one aspect
Synthesis, integration
Dynamism
Change over time
Effectiveness and efficiency
Synthesis, integration: literature review and findings
Dynamism: feedback and interrelationships

13. Analysis Methods: Beyond single case study approach Longitudinal
Historical analysis
Analysis

14. Broader implications for discipline
Focus
A rudder
Purpose
Development
Breadth as opposed to depth
Relationship to other disciplines

15. Next steps
Use, refine
Debate, discuss
Repeat