During the group activities when we were grouped based on similar HCP topics, I was in a group where it was only me and another one of my peers; the interesting thing though, was that we were making opposite arguments. I was arguing the issue of overpopulation while he was arguing the issue of underpopulation, although he was focusing on underpopulation in the context of Japan while I was focusing on overpopulation in the context of the whole world. It was interesting seeing the perspective of someone who was literally going against what I was trying to argue, and it was also helpful for writing my HCP and my AP because it allowed me to see the counter argument to my argument.

     In the HCP, I argued about how overpopulation is an issue, but in the AP, I will be attempting to advocate solutions to it, and by being exposed to the opposing viewpoint, I was able to learn about some causes of underpopulation which I will hopefully be able to incorporate into my AP. One of the main issues my peer brought up was how culture played a part in Japan's underpopulation. I was planning on incorporating technology as a solution to overpopulation, but I had not thought about culture as a potential solution to the issue. Some specifics he mentioned were gender roles and employment.

     Some of my research had pointed to women's equality as being one of the factors leading to overpopulation. In many developing countries where women are mostly unemployed, population growth rates were higher. In his research, in Japan, women are more equal to men and have more chances to employment. This leads to some women prioritizing work over relationships and family, and it is not uncommon for couples to have families in their later years as opposed to their younger years. This is one of the few points I have taken from his HCP that I will incorporate into my AP.