Monday, September 30, 2019

A Day No Pigs Would Die by Robert Newton Peck

Ani Aivazova Ms. Gharibian Literacy for Success 7 December, 2009 A Day No Pigs Would Die The book A Day No Pigs Would Die, by Robert Newton Peck, is a classic novel for young adults that signifies the importance of life, family, and traditions. The author of the book, Robert Peck, who is also the main character in the story, wrote about the hardships and happiness of his life. The book has a lot of lessons and advises from Roberts life experience. Even thought he is just a thirteen year old teenager, he has gone through a lot.The book A Day No Pigs Would Die, by Robert Newton Peck, should not be banned from school because it complements the age of the reader, has important lessons, and is age appropriate. A Day No Pigs Would Die should not be banned from school because it complements the age of the reader. Robert is a thirteen year old teenager who is going through hardships of teenage years. Since the readers of the book are also high school students, it is most likely that they wil l relate to Robs situation. Some of the students may also be going through the same or similar situations.The way Robert takes out of his problems will help the students resolve their own problems. As well as complementing the reader, the book also gives lessons in life. The book A Day No Pigs Would Die should not be banned because it teaches important lessons. Robert has a lot of challenging situations in life. By solving his problems, he gives other teenagers ideas about resolving their problems. For example, when Robert kills pinky he sets and example for every boy out there. Even though Pinky was the only beloved thing he owned, he sacrificed it for his family’s need.Robert did what was necessary, not what he wanted to do. In addition to setting examples, the book should also be kept because it is age appropriate. A Day No Pigs Would Die should not be banned from school because its content is appropriate for any high school student. Some say that the book has too much vio lence, especially in the birth and death of animals. However, that can be interpreted as natural events that happen in everyday life. There is nothing wrong in knowing the surrounding world and how life happens.In the book, the main character Robert tells the story of his life. He shares the happy and the challenging times that he had to go though as a teenager. The book A Day No Pigs Would Die, by Robert Newton Peck, should not be banned from school because it complements the age of the reader, has important lessons, and is age appropriate. The book should not be banned because it does not have a bad influence on the reader. Furthermore reading the book helps some students cope with their own life situations.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Creativity in Critical Thinking Essay

In the health care profession, the skills, and abilities to think critically are an essential component of professional accountability and quality care. In order to manage the complexity of the work environment, and patient care issues, critical thinking will enable nurses think more effectively, and work through challenges to achieve the best possible results. There are many ways critical thinking can be used in nursing profession. Critical thinkers in nursing, demonstrate habits of the mind include flexibility, creativity, inquisitiveness, intellectual integrity, intuition, open-mindedness, perseverance, and reflection to manage complex matters in the health care arena (Rubenfeld, Scheffer, 2010). Nurses use creativity, one of the habits of mind in critical thinking to educate their patients. Example of Creative Thinking in Patient Education To provide safe care to the patients, nurses must utilize critical thinking abilities in the assessment of patient issues, the planning of care, and the implementation of care. Careful examination of all the aspects of patient care helps the nurse to reach a better outcome imparting education for the patient. When providing education or information to a patient, the nurses apply creative thinking, by using the counseling dialogues help the patient raise questions of why, how, and who. The nurses guide patients through identifying, and exploring the problem, consider the patient’s choices, choose a plan of action, and evaluate the results (Ranklin, 2005). For example, reducing falls in the inpatient unit. Fall risk assessment is a key safety issue in many inpatients. Identifying the risk for fall on patient admission, and implementing measures and reevaluate the patient is essential to prevent falls on the unit. Moreover educating the patient and families is a necessary step in preventing patient falls. Evaluation of an Example of Creative Thinking The presented example is a way of creative thinking to impart education to the patients. Firstly, visual observation of the at-risk patients helps the staff, patients, and families to prevent falls. Identification tools on the doors, at the bedside, yellow socks, and falls band on the arms enable the health care professionals to target implementation of fall prevention to the patients. The sign at the bedside which says, â€Å"Please call, do not fall†, and the bed alarm reminds the patients and their families that, they are at risk for falling. Participating communication with other health care personals regarding fall risk in a regular shift report, and creating visual cues in the patients’ rooms, alarm the nurses and other health care professionals to prevent patients getting harm from falling. Justification of Creativity in Critical Thinking Creative thinking helps the nursing professionals identify biological, behavioral and environmental risk factors. Patient fall is preventable by implementing effective, and creative fall prevention programs, and thus help the patients live better. Creative thinkers must have knowledge of the clinical problem. They should have the ability of assessing the present problem, and be knowledgeable about the underlying cause, and be able to overcome the situation. Creativity in critical thinking boosts the nurse’s ability to modify, and expand the existing knowledge in patient related situations. In creative thinking, health care professionals take initiative, examine strategies to use, and recognize the consequences of strategies, and make the decision. Creative thinking remains a key ingredient for individualized client care. In that nurse identifies the specific need of each patient, and makes interventions specific to those needs. Without creative thinking, nursing care would become consistent and routine. There is a strong relationship between critical and creative thinking. In order to provide education to the needy clients, nurses’ needs to utilize critical intelligence and to be a critical thinker (Daniels, 2004). Hence, hospitalized patients need an individual assessment when educating them. It is important that, nurse must learn to utilize critical thinking skills natural way when providing care to the patients.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Fairytales May Convey a Hidden Message

As innocent as they seem, from the cute fairytales of Cinderella and her submissive character to the passionate story of Beauty and the Beast, a maiden who falls in love with a beast, the true meaning that lies beneath the pretty shell delivers a different message to children. The idea of the â€Å"traditional† role of women is constantly portrayed in many fairytales. Fairytales, although fantasy-like, still resemble aspects of the world and throughout history, women were considered inferior to men. †¦it is a fair assumption that in a world dominated by men, the fairy tale reflects the world as defined and organized by men†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Oliver 86). Stories such as The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Anderson, Cinderella and Snow White by the Grimm’s Brothers, and Beauty and the Beast (La Belle et la Bete) by Madame Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbet de Villeneuve, emphasize the different inequalities between men and women. â€Å"Girls in Fairyland do not triumph over male s; they obey. † (Oliver 86). An envious step-mother, a mistreated heroine, and a granted wish to go to the ball may not be the only meanings presented in the fairytale of Cinderella. A dangerous message sent to children, especially for young girls, is to be passive till a rescuer (in this case, Cinderella’s mother) to arrive and grant their wishes. Although obedience is a valuable lesson to be learned, Cinderella continues to be submissive to the extent which she is relentlessly abused by her step- mother. Yet, eventually, her passive role is rewarded and as a result, she lives happily ever after with her noble prince. †¦toying with the Cinderella motif, Gardner explodes the notion that every woman is simply waiting for a prince to come along and save her. † (Zipes A32). However, this message taught can be subconsciously embedded into children’s minds and during the periods of maturation, children will have the thought that suffering quietly will ultimately be rewarded. â€Å"While it m ay be true that fairytales offer metaphors for the unconscious (an argument as difficult to prove as to disprove) it is clear that they can affect cognition and belief. As the child absorbs environmental data, learns language, and develops cognition, she begins to say something to herself and about the world and her place in it. † (Oliver 86). Cinderella not only presents the idea of passiveness and femininity, but a message that step – mothers are evil. Throughout many fairytales, step – mothers, old, wise women are wicked and are meant to be overthrown or be rid of. â€Å"â€Å"Cinderella† is the supreme statement of the devastating nature of a parent’s [mother’s] unresolved and destructively acted out oedipal jealousy of a child. (Bettelheim 307). The oedipal mother acts out to destroy the daughter, but later, the daughter is rescued by a man from the evil. Everywhere in â€Å"Fairyland†, the domineering mother is set out to demolish the offspring. Eventually, the step-mother loses her power when trying to intimidate and becomes â€Å"silly†. (Bettelheim 307). Although many fairytales, inclu ding Cinderella, portray the mother in charge as tyrannical, it’s also common to see children having good relationships with their fathers as in Beauty and the Beast. Belle, the main character, has a close bond with her father unlike Cinderella, who poses as a threat to her step-mother. Not only does Belle share a good relationship with her father, but there is no mother figure in the fairytale. (Bettelheim 307). â€Å"†¦the girl’s oedipal father is the gentle, protective, loving man who hands her over to an acceptable suitor at the appropriate time. † (Oliver 87). Many fairytales other than Beauty and the Beast show the father as a caring man, while, on the other hand, mothers tend to have jealous, destructive feelings towards their children. Oliver 87). With the â€Å"loving father† and the â€Å"envious mother†, the message sent to children can be misleading and one-sided. Another example of the â€Å"wicked step-mother† is illustrated in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The innocent beauty, Snow White, and her feminine charms are similar to the common house wife by doing chores around the house while mai ntaining a certain image of perfection and beauty. Her step-mother is in â€Å"competition† with Snow White; activeness and power versus submissiveness and obedience. The competition between Snow white and the queen turns into a struggle for survival between two halves of a single personality: passivity and tractability as opposed to inventive and subversive activism. † (Barzilai 520). Once again, another fairytale shows the rivalry which the mother figure is set to destroy the daughter. The over-assertive woman (in this case, the queen) is represented as an envious monster. â€Å"The queen is characterized throughout in unremittingly negative terms: she is most often deemed â€Å"wicked†, but she is also proud, overbearing, and envious. (Barzilai 520). There are many examples in â€Å"Fairyland† which give a bad reputation towards the step-mother or the mother figure. Beauty and the Beast is a popular fairytale about a girl who falls in love with a beast and in return the beast becomes her prince. Luckily, for Belle, the beast’s true nature was a compassionate, kind- hearted man. However, it may not be the situation in the average lives of women who are constantly abused by their spouses. Young girls receive from this romantic love story that love will eventually change their partners. (Mangan 10). Beauty and the Beast, for example, is said to foster the notion that love can alter the nature of a man and make early absorbers of the information more inclined to stay with a violent partner in the hope that she can change his behaviour. † (Mangan 10). Fairytales deliver unrealistic ideas to young children, which send false hopes that can be hazardous. Little Mermaid, a young mermaid who risks all for her prince but suffers tragically in the end, conveys a message to young girls that in order to gain the love of a prince, one must sacrifice all and expect love in return. Still, any cursory sweep through childhood stories w ill reveal further examples of submissive women who were implicitly or explicitly offered up as role models during our formative years†¦The little mermaid who sacrifices her home, family and fishy tail for a crack at the oxygen-breathing prince. † (Mangan 10). In the fairytale, the young mermaid’s tail was traded for a pair of legs, but whenever she would walk, it struck her pain. She suffers throughout the story whenever she was asked to dance for the prince. Although the prince did not love her in return, the little mermaid continued to love him and was granted a soul. However, consequently, she became one with the sea or sea foam as punishment for not wedding the prince on time. Another example of inequality between the genders, why must the heroine suffer for the one she loves. There are many examples in â€Å"Fairyland† that convey the inequalities between genders. The step – mothers and the old witches are viewed as evil, overly- jealous women seeking destruction while the fathers and wise men are caring and compassionate. Cinderella, Snow White and Beauty and the Beast illustrate the different relationships between the heroine and her parents. Not only were women â€Å"evil† but the good ones were meant to be submissive and obedient. Cinderella’s passive example is later on rewarded which can deliver a misleading message to young girls. The Little Mermaid clearly points that she had to sacrifice all for her love. Beauty and the Beast is very dangerous for young girls that love will change their spouses. The innocent story which children for ages grew up to may not be innocent after all. Works Cited Barzilai, Shuli. Reading â€Å"Snow White†: The Mother’s Story. † Signs 15. 3 (1977): 274-300. Bettelheim, Bruno. The Uses of Enchantment: The Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales. New York: Random House, Inc. 1976. Mangan, Lucy. â€Å"G2: Women: Happily never after: Comatose princesses, submissive floor-scrubbers and evil stepmothers may not be the best of role models. à ¢â‚¬  The Guardian 2 May 2005: 10. Oliver, Rose. â€Å"Whatever Became of Goldilocks? † Frontiers: A Journal of Women Studies 2. 3 (1977): 85-93. Zipes, Jack. â€Å"Children’s Books; Kissing Off Snow White. † The New York Times 22 Mar. 1987: A32. ———————– 1 2

Friday, September 27, 2019

Shipping Industry Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Shipping Industry - Case Study Example Once this is approved by the commission, the bookbuilding process begins, in which the company is introduced to potential investors, who then explicitly express their interest in the venture. At this point, the investment bank proposes a price to the company, and later the trading begins (Ljungqvist, 2005). This process is often very complicated and very costly. The costs are generated by auditing and underwriting, plus legal fees. Ongoing costs are also associated with public offerings, such as those connected with supplying information and dividends to investors (Ritter, 1998, p. 1). Another cost related to going public may come from underpricing, which is a risk that grants initial investors less than the market value of the securities through offering it at too low a price (Clementi, 2005; Ljungqvist 2005; Ritter, 1998). The theories that explain why a firm might do this are several. They include the desire of entrepreneurs and/or investors to lower capital cost and to broaden the firm's ownership base (Brau et al., 2005, p. 5). Other theories suggest that firms decide to go public for reasons of legitimacy and growth (Cohen, 2002). Still others posit the theory that initial public offerings usually occur as a normal stage in a firm's lifecycle (Brau et al., 2005, p. 13; Maug, 2001, p. 1; Ritter, 1998, p. 18). Small firms are usually run by a limited amount of capital. ... argue that the rationale for choosing this is strengthened by the fact that the benefits of liquidity is more desirable for entrepreneurs than compensating investors for the non-liquidity that usually exists in privately owned firms (Ritter, 1998, p. 1). This might be viewed in terms of the desire to reduce a firm's capital costs. A major part of capital costs comes from debt. This is concretised roughly by the interest rate payable on the amount of debt incurred in the financing of the firm. When liquidity is necessary, rather than incur this (or additional) debt, firms might choose to raise capital by selling is equity in the form of securities to the public (Ritter, 1998, p. 1). The same might be done to its debt via an initial public debt offering (Ritter, 1998, p. 1). The life-cycle theory has been propounded by several financial theorists. It states that the IPO occurs within the normal process of a firm's evolution and maturity (Ritter, 1998, p. 1; Brau, 2005, p. 13). The small business is usually at first financed by the owners' limited capital. When growth beyond this capacity is necessary, and all other private avenues (friends and family) have been exhausted, capital is sought from non-affiliated financial sources, such as banks and venture capitalists. However, entrepreneurs and investors will likely not agree on all decisions to be made within the firm. At this point firms consider it desirable to offer its securities to a highly diversified public (Ritter, 1998, p. 18; Boehmer & Ljungqvist, 2004, p. 28). Firms are interested obtaining financing at the cheapest cost. The cost of capital theory can be invoked here as well, since equity does generate a cost (though one much more difficult to calculate than that of debt). When a firm offers i ts shares to

Thursday, September 26, 2019

The british education system and it's effects on british business Essay

The british education system and it's effects on british business culture - Essay Example raditional forms of education while the development of technology and science have led to the need for the reform of the curriculum throughout the country. In accordance with the study of Koshy et al. (1998, 253) ‘over the past half-century, the British education system has undergone three major changes: an extension of opportunity for very able working class children to attend selective, state-funded grammar schools; a leveling out of opportunities within state-funded schools by abolishing the 11-plus examination and the introduction of a National Curriculum’. Extensive efforts have been made by the British government in order to align the country’s educational system with the relevant systems of other countries around the world at the level that such a decision could support the improvement of the British educational system in the long term. Of course, the educational system of Britain should be primarily based on the local social and cultural ethics as well as on the country’s educational facilities and the funds available for the realization of the relevant projects. Most important, the curriculum deliver ed in the country’s school should represent the British social values and ethics targeting mostly at the personal development of pupils/ students rather than their preparation for the workplace (a target that is included in any case among the priorities of the British government). Under these terms the British educational system is normally expected to affect the business culture within the specific country. The particular relationship between the British educational system and the British business culture will be clearer through the issues developed below. British business culture is based on a series of principles. Most of them are common among all entrepreneurial activities; there are also others that can be observed only in enterprises operating within a specific industrial sector (as an example, financial institutions are expected to have

United States History - Great Depression Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6750 words

United States History - Great Depression - Essay Example This essay focuses on the Great Depression that mostly unnerved African Americans in south. Faced with the double burden of racism and Depression - induced poverty, black people struggled to survive. Because blacks were disproportionately employed in the service sector, they were particularly vulnerable to the economic crisis that forced even well-to-do residents to scale back on luxuries like keeping servants, dining out, and traveling by rail. Blacks dared to hope for progress not perfection and the intermixture of symbolic and substantive assistance, of rhetoric and recognition, swelled further hope in the formerly disheartened. Despite the fact that little had changed for the better in the concrete aspects of life for most black southerners, a belief that "we are on our way" took root. Blacks associated the New Deal with it, and idolized Franklin D. Roosevelt for it. Given the heritage of racism they credited the New Deal with establishing government precedents favorable to black s, with making civil rights a part of the national liberal agenda, with generating reform and, as never before in our nation's history, propounding the federal government's responsibility in race relations. These changes that were analyzed in the essay did little to ameliorate the continuity of racism staining the New Deal, but they would help transform the despair, the discouragement, the dreadful apathy of black southerners into a fighting conviction of a better world that could soon and surely be achieved.

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Critique Of The Last Health Assessment Paper Essay

Critique Of The Last Health Assessment Paper - Essay Example Miss Susan is a 40 years old woman. She is suffering from high blood pressure and is seeking a proper health and diet plan to recover from this medical problem. Last week, she went to see a doctor for health assessment. The doctor/health service provider welcomed her and asked her to tell him every thing about her lifestyle and diet. He wanted to know the type of diet that she takes, as well as the information about her lifestyle. Medical science links both mental state and lifestyle of a person with high/low blood pressure. This can be the reason why the health provider asked Susan about her lifestyle. As Reddin (2012) states, â€Å"stress reduction techniques can help lower high blood pressure† (p. 1). The provider told her some stress reduction techniques to help her control her blood pressure. Diet is also an important factor in determining the cause of high blood factor. Susan told the provider about the diet that she usually takes in breakfast, lunch, and dinner. However , the provider did not ask Susan to tell him whether she does physical exercises or not. After getting the details of Susan’s diet and lifestyle, the provider prescribed her some medicines to her which she had to use within the period of two months. The provider asked her to visit the clinic again after two months for her checkup. As far as the side effects of the medicines are concerned, the provider did not tell her about any of the side effects. He told her to take the medicines regularly. He also prescribed a particular diet to Susan which she had to take before and after the intake of medicines. As far as agreement on the plan of acre is concerned, there was an agreement to some extent as the provider asked Susan to take a particular diet during the period of medication. The provider made her clear that her treatment can be affected if she will not follow the prescribed plan of diet and medication. The provided also told her that if she wants to control her blood pressure, she will have to keep herself cool and calm. The overall environment of the clinic was welcoming and clean. Susan felt very comfortable all the time she spent in the clinic. There was a lady who was welcoming every patient at the entrance of the clinic. There was a very light music being played in the waiting area that was creating a healing environment in the clinic. All of that was done to provide a relaxed and peaceful environment to patients. Today, many hospitals and clinics are focusing on creating therapeutic environment to promote healing and reduce stress (Zborowsky & Kreitzer, 2008). The provider was very good at listening to the concerns of patients. Susan liked the way he communicated with her. For example, he listened to Susan properly before prescribing her the required plan of treatment. Susan asked various questions to him about the causes of high blood pressure, as well as about the ways to keep the blood pressure normal and the provider responded to every question in a friendly manner. The provider asked Susan to wear a patient gown. The physical as sessment was not very appropriate as the provider was a male doctor and he was asking Susan to open the buttons of her shirt to let him hear the sounds of her lungs properly. It was not an appropriate action as there should be some physical distance between a male healthcare provider and a female patient. The provider could have hired a female assistant to check female patients. However, as

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Combahee River Collective Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Combahee River Collective - Essay Example Furthermore, they were committed to working on issues such as abortion rights, rape, sterilization abuse, rape and battered women. Pertaining to Black Nationalism, the collective affirmed its involvement in movements that were involved in the liberation for the Blacks. However, the black feminists asserted that they were disillusioned by the tactics employed by such movements in attaining their goals. Evidently, the collective noted that the politics in such movements were mainly racist and anti-sexist in nature. In relation to socialism, the collective asserts their belief in work being organized for the collective benefit of the workers and not solely for profit for the bosses. Moreover, the collective reiterates the equal distribution of material resources among those who create them. The collective was strongly in opposition to lesbian separatism as advocated by white females. On the contrary, it called for unity among all black feminist irrespective of sexual

Monday, September 23, 2019

What did i learned from this class Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

What did i learned from this class - Essay Example It is important to note that different people have different forms and styles of leadership which are based on unique aspects. These help them to address the immediate or contemporary society and to ensure that the organization they are in is able to achieve its set objectives. Dealing with the junior staff or the employees in an organization is never an easy task if the leader who is bestowed with the responsibility of overlooking their activities is not competent. Many leaders result to intimidation as a way of passing their ideologies to the juniors. On the other hand great leaders engage the people they are administrating and get to learn their characters. Having done that it is increasingly easy to know the best way to approach different situations without causing much anticipation or havoc in the organization. Another thing that many leaders fail in handling is change. When one is transferred to a new environment and give a leadership position, it is important to survey the environment and know how they live before imposing new rules that may face much unimportant resistance that could have been avoided in the first place. This work will therefore look at the aspects of leadership learnt in this course and how one can develop his leadership skills to become a good leader in the future. In this course I have learnt the following leadership traits that a good leader should have. Some leadership are born with some traits while other develop them in the course of their lives. The best thing is to be ready to learn and be corrected whether in power or not. A leader should be aware of the environment he is working in. When one assumes the leadership position in a given organization, the first thing is to understand his roles. There his roles to the management and his roles to the employees who will be looking up to him. The responsibility and task of ensuring that things run well in the

Sunday, September 22, 2019

How consumers are protected in contracts for the sale Essay Example for Free

How consumers are protected in contracts for the sale Essay Goods are any form of products that are supplied to consumers for their convenience. They are generally modelled as having diminishing marginal utility. Ultimately, whether an object is a good or a bad depends on each individual consumer and therefore, it is important to realize that not all goods are good all the time and not all goods are goods to all people. Sourced: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_(economics) Role of the Sales of Goods Act 1979: The Sales of Goods Act 1979 gives consumers the opportunity of returning or exchanging products which do not fit the description for example, if a consumer has joined a new contract with the O2 and have been told that with the new contract they get a contract phone in black, however on the day when the phone arrives its white then the consumer can take their problem straight back to O2 and they would have to change the product straight away as it doesn’t look like what it is said to. Also if the contract clearly states that it will be a particular phone and turns out to be a different make then O2 would have to make sure the exchange the products and supply the customer with the one they have stated. Express Terms of the Sales of Goods Act 1979: An express term of a contract is a declaration which is made by two or more organisations; and has agreed upon what is stated in the contract, the contracts can be made through verbal methods or by word of mouth. Once the contract has been agreed upon both the organisations have to make sure the follow the deal. Conditions: A condition is a term which has to be followed within the agreement, For example, if O2 are selling their phone contract to customers, whereas supply customers with a different phone contract then it shows that  O2 did there bit of providing the customer with a mobile phone contract however didn’t provide them with the right one. A breach of contract will entitle O2 to follow the correct law of the contract and provide the consumer with the right one. Warranties: A warranty is a term that does not fully follow all agreements, so For example, carrying on from the O2 phone contract issue , when the customers buys the phone contract and is assured by the company that they will receive a special tariff with the contract. Therefore, when the phone contract arrives on the day there is no extra tariff, when the party doesn’t stick to its word then this is seen as a warranty. The customer is able to sue the supplier however it doesn’t mean that the agreement will end. Implied terms of the Sales of Goods Act 1979: There are sequence of conditions which are automatically prepared in every contract by the sales of goods act; and they would be dealing with the following which include: title, description, fitness for purpose and satisfactory quality. I have stated these factors below and explained what each and every one of them means: Title: this is when there is an implied condition which allows the sellers to have the right to sell the goods for example, O2 impliedly confirms that the phone contract it sells actually belong to it and also that it can legally pass on the ownership to another telecommunications company, however if O2 are not able to pass on the title to the buyers then it will mean that O2 will be liable for breach for the contract. Description: the contract must fully explain how the product has been described, when there is a contract for the sales of goods by description then there will be an implied condition that the goods will correspond with that description. However the slightest removal from the description will then enable the buyer into rejecting the goods for breach of condition of the contract made. Fitness for purpose: A fitness for purpose is where a seller who in this case  is O2 plans to sell its goods in the good courses of their business, for example if O2 was to sell their contract to the consumers for the business to be better and make more sales. There is an implied condition for this was they are fit for the particular purpose, this means that the buyer (consumer) has expressly or impliedly known to the seller. Satisfactory quality: The satisfactory quality is where the sellers sell goods for the good of their business; there is an implied term that the goods that is supplied are of the right satisfactory quality. However except to the extent of defects which are brought straight to the buyer’s attention, this will be done before the contract is made meaning that T-Mobile will need to sell satisfactory quality to their consumers. Conclusion: Overall in the briefing sheet I have made sure that all evidence is provided, also that a clear explanation is made of how a contract protects the consumer and what happens if that contract is breached. Mainly information is suggested on the different conditions made by the sales of goods act such as title, description, fitness for purpose and also satisfactory quality. Factors that invalidate contracts: There are many factors that can make a contract invalidated, which means that the contracts cannot be used anymore, such as the following: Misrepresentation: Misrepresentation is where there is a false statement in the contract which is made by one of the parties to the other before the contract is agreed on. There is no general duty to disclose facts, and silence will not normally amount to a misrepresentation. But gestures, smiles or a course of conduct may amount to a representation. Duress: Duress is where a party enters into a contract against their will for example, if O2 is forced into a contract by either violence or treat of violence to themselves or to their family then it means that the contract that is being made may become invalid. In this case the affected party can avoid the contract on the ground of duress; this is because all parties who are entering a contract must enter freely. Mistake: In general terms a mistake  is when a contract is being made however one of the party members may have made a mistake in knowing what they are agreeing to or a contract can be made which turns out to be wrong, this i s down to a mistake occurring, sometimes when there is a mistake in a contract it can make it invalidated.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Durkheims Study Of Suicide

Durkheims Study Of Suicide Durkheim was a sociologist of French origin born in year 1958 and died on the November of 1917. He instituted various academic disciplines and is considered as the current social science principal architect. He actually maintained dominancy in the field of social sciences until the time of his death. Durkheim also presented several sociological knowledge papers alongside religion. His studies such as the suicide study have actually picked a popular discourse. Most of Durkheims work involved social facts study, term which he developed so as to depict phenomena that is self-existent and which cannot be affected by individuals actions (Lukes, 1985). Durkheim considered social facts to possess sui generis, which is a self-sufficient existence which is greater as well as more objective when compared to the individuals actions which make up the society (Martin Lee, 1994). Contrary to the facts covered under natural sciences, social facts thereby refer to particular phenomena category and they as well exist independently, free from individual manifestations (Durkheim, 1951). Social facts of this kind are actually endowed with coercion power due to their capability to take control of personal behaviors (Martin Lee, 1994). In accordance to Durkheim, these types of phenomena should neither be condensed to psychological nor biological grounds (Martin Lee, 1994). Therefore, the phenomena which is considered as most individualistic, for instance suicide, would end up been classified as a fact which is socially objective. Durkheim further argued that the persons who compose the society do not cause suicide directly (Ritzer, 1992). He ba sed his argument on the fact that suicide being a social fact, its presence in the society is independent in spite of the prevailing desires of the individuals forming the society (Ritzer, 1992). Consequently, the departure of any individual from the society will have no effect on the suicide fact as the society which the individual leaves behind still contains suicide. Sociological tasks entail the discovery of various social facts characteristics which can only be revealed by the means of either experimental or quantitative approach (Hassard, 1995). For the case of the suicide study conducted by Durkheim, he particularly depended on statistics (Bellah, 1973). Durkheim is considered to be amongst the initial structural functionalism founders. In general, Durkheim discarded reductionist arguments (Durkheim, 1951). Instead, he focused on the cultural values and norms, social structures alongside social facts; which he considered as being external to every human being. Durkheims study classified suicide into four categories and provided evidence to one of his theories which states that suicide rate differences are as a resultant of changes in the immaterial social facts (Thompson, 2002). Durkheim is famous due to his social reality macro-level views and its relationship at individual level. Actually, Durkheim managed to make major contribution on the structural functionalism development alongside sociology in general (Durkheim, 1951). Basically, Durkheim explored the various suicide rates amongst different religious groups and specifically between the Catholics alongside the Protestants. He discovered that the suicide rates were lower amongst the Catholics when compared to the Protestants (Stark William, 1996). Durkheim believed that the low rates of suicide among the Catholic were a result of the religions vibrant social control mechanisms (Stark William, 1996). Consequently, he attributed the escalated suicide frequencies among the Protestants to the regions big freedom space. In Durkheims perspective, the catholic society integration level was normal but the Protestants integration levels were low (Stark William, 1996). However, this interpretation was faced by two major problems. First, Durkheim had relied on earlier researchers data, specifically Wagner, A. and Morselli, H (Stark William, 1996) who had basically generalized their individual data. Secondly, succeeding researchers discovered that the suicide r ates differences amongst the Protestants and Catholics tended to be prominent in the German-Speaking European part and thereby may only have been other factors spurious reflection (Pope Danigelis, 1981). In spite of its limitations, Durkheims suicide study has really influenced the control theory proponents (Pope Danigelis, 1981). Durkheim came up with four categories of suicide which included Egoist suicide, Fatalistic suicides, Altruist suicide alongside Anomic suicide (Thompson, 2002). Durkheim considered Egoistic suicides as those that result from the weakening of individual bonds that naturally integrate collectivity (Thompson, 2002). In different words, Egoistic suicides are caused by the social integration breakdown or even decrease. Durkheim associated this suicide type to excessive individuation implying that most victims initially become more detached from the other community members (Thompson, 2002). Generally, the individuals who are insufficiently committed to specific social groups: end up with minimal social support and hence the likelihood of them committing suicide is high (Thompson, 2002). For instance, Durkheim revealed that the unmarried people, specifically males, committed suicide more often than their married counterparts due to their less bondage with the established social norms goals . Apparently, similar problems affected the widows. Among 1Million widows aged 65 years, 628 of them committed suicide while amongst I million men aged 65 years, only 461 did commit suicide (Lukes, 1985). The sample composition was appropriate as the age bracket comprised of married men to the large extend (Almost 90%) (Lukes, 1985). Durkheims analysis however indicated that despite the fact that the widows had a higher likelihood of committing suicide than married persons, their suicide rate was lower when compared to that of single individuals (Ritzer, 1992). Durkheim linked the figures to the family factor as he was of the view that a simpler conclusion would turn out as problematic (Ritzer, 1992). It would be problematic due to the changes in the marriages numbers that occurred during this period as the suicide rates tripled. Significantly, Durkheim was quick to note that the factor was not simply marriage but a marriage that had children (Ritzer, 1992). This is because marriage s with children had lower suicide rates when compared to infertile families (Thompson, 2002). Thus, the main factor was considering family like a basic social unit but not marriage. Additionally, Durkheim further studied the wars and crises roles on suicide rates. He discovered during the course of social crises (for instance, revolutions) alongside wars; the suicide rates dropped remarkably (Bellah, 1973). In overall, he found out a more religious society had lower suicide rates and also the strength of family relationships determined the magnitude of suicide rate (Thompson, 2002). Moreover, the society integration greatly affected the suicide rate. On the other hand, Durkheim classified Altruistic suicides as those which occur in highly integrated societies in which the whole societys needs are more prioritized than individual needs (Thompson, 2002). Altruistic suicides therefore come about on a integration scale which is contrary to that of egoistic suicide (Thompson, 2002). Durkheim stated that the suicide rate in altruistic societies was generally low as personal interests were not viewed as important (Thompson, 2002). Durkheim viewed the armed forces with this perspective and was really surprising to find out that suicide rates occurred at a high rate within the military service (Thompson, 2002). It was startling due to the fact that the military, just like religions as well as cohesive societies should exhibit strong solidarity and moreover the people in the military are usually the most physically fit in the society (Durkheim, 1951).Besides, it was not right to attribute the suicide causes to either the military service h atred or even the failure to get used to military service routines (Durkheim, 1951).This was because it was evident that suicide rates were directly proportional to the military service length (Durkheim, 1951). Additionally, senior officers committed suicide at a higher rate than their juniors (Bellah, 1973). Moreover, the elite units were affected by higher suicide rates than the normal units (Bellah, 1973). Finally, the suicide rate was low in the units which demonstrated weaker military spirit (Bellah, 1973). Therefore, Durkheim stated that the senior military officers had to abandon the personal individuality to cope with the service requirements as it increased their risk of committing suicide (Lukes, 1985). Durkheim classified Anomic suicides as those which arise due to moral deregulation alongside the absence of legitimate aspirations definition through restrictive social ethic, which has the potential of imposing a different individual conscience meaning as well as order (Ritzer, 1992). This is indicative of economic development failure as well as the labor division to result to the organic solidarity of Durkheim (Ritzer, 1992). In this situation, people fail to recognize their appropriate positions in the society. Durkheim explained this moral disorder state as that which the desires of the individuals are limitless, thereby resulting to personal infinite disappointments (Ritzer, 1992). Lastly, Durkheim suggested that Fatalistic suicides mainly occur in the exceedingly oppressive societies which make people to opt for death other than continue living in such societies (Durkheim, 1951). Generally, this is one of the rarest reasons which can push an individual to committing suicide (Durkheim, 1951). However, fatalistic suicides are common features in prisons as individuals choose to die other than going on with the abusive, excessively regulated prison life which denies them the opportunity to fulfill their desires (Durkheim, 1951). The Durkheims suicide types had their basis on the twin social forces imbalance degrees which are the moral regulation alongside the social integration. Durkheim revealed how impacts on the social aggregate aspects such as; war can lead to increased altruism, booms in economy or catastrophe contribute to anomie. Durkheims suicide analysis indicates the way in which social facts on the contrary to biological as well as psychological facts can be stressed upon, and bring about constructive methods of examining individuals actions. Besides, suicide rates are considered as social facts as they express social currents that affect people and the society as whole. Despite the fact that psychology study is also essential in resolving individual motives and the process through which certain circumstances push people to committing suicide; it is equally important to undertake circumstances analysis within the prevailing individuals social currents (Durkheim, 1951). Durkheim as a matter of fact established that the suicide rates in males were higher than in females; the singles had a higher rate of committing suicide than the married; suicide rates were also higher in the infertile couples than the fertile ones; protestants committed more suicide incidences as compared to the Catholics alongside Jews; Soldiers were more vulnerable to suicide than Civilians; there were more suicide incidences in the peaceful times than in war periods; Scandinavian countries exhibited higher suicide rates and lastly the people who had accomplished higher education level were at a higher risk of committing suicide. However, the Durkheim suicide study has received a wide range of criticism from various sources. It has actually been criticized as the perfect example of logical error which is commonly termed as ecological fallacy (Freedman, 2002). Durkheims conclusions on personal behavior on the basis of aggregate statistics have been termed as misleading (Freedman, 2002). This is because the Simpsons (1987) paradox has revealed how erroneous it is to analyze micro events in macro properties terms. Nevertheless, diverging views have arisen on whether Durkheims work should actually be classified as ecological fallacy. Researchers such as Van Poppel (1996) alongside Day (1996) have proposed that suicide rates differences between different religious groups (such as the Catholics alongside the Protestants) could be entirely explained in terms of how the social groups categorized deaths. For example, while the protestants recorded sudden deaths alongside deaths resulting from unspecified causes as sui cides, this was not the case on the Catholics side (Thompson, 2002). Thereby, Durkheim error would be considered as empirical other than logical. Other researchers such as Gibbs, Inkeles, alongside Johnson have alleged that the main intention of Durkheim was to socially analyze suicide on the holistic perspective with the intention of expounding social environments variation within suicide incidences but not specific individuals suicides. In addition, researchers of the recent times like Berk (2006) have also queried the Durkheims work micro-macro linkages. Berk (2006) particularly noted that Durkheim spoke of collective current reflecting the joint inclination going down the social organization channels (Freedman, 2002). However, the current intensity is the determinant factor of the suicides volume thereby bringing about psychological variables like depression which could be viewed as independent or non-social suicide cause (Freedman, 2002). This thereby, ignores Durkheims concept ion of considering these variables as the mostly influenced by the wider social forces and the notion that suicide can not affect such individuals in the absence of these forces (Martin Lee, 1994). Apparently, Durkheim brings out issues that affect people directly. In addition, he tends to possess vibrant structural society view, as well as the mode in which everyone within the society is affected by various social facts and how it is a must for each to comply with them. Durkheim indeed tried to have the situation where the social roles are distinguished from psychological, economical alongside biological roles. This is actually be observed within his social influences view on the rate of suicides, in which he studies several factors and determines their effect on the propensity to commit suicide (Ritzer, 1992).

Friday, September 20, 2019

Importance of Group Work in the ESL Classroom

Importance of Group Work in the ESL Classroom Introduction The field of Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) is a rapidly expanding area within UK settings, in state-funded and in private educational arenas, and because of the changing nature of immigration, ESOL teachers are challenged with meeting the demands of diverse and complicated ethnic/linguistic groups (Chan, 1998). Learning English is seen as a necessity for immigrants or long term visitors to the UK, although the field is complicated by political debates and social discussions around funding, socialisation, naturalisation and the erosion of traditional cultures and languages. However, it does seem that language fluency in English is key to proper integration into British society, and is supported by the â€Å"UK Government’s policy response to refugees and asylum seekers [as] outlines in the White Paper Secure Borders, Safe Haven: Integration and Diversity in Modern Britain (Home Office, 2002) [which] set out proposals for a curriculum of English languag e, IT and citizenship classes for refugees and asylum seekers† (Morrice (2007) p 156). While the Therefore, it is essential that ESOL provision is not only provided, but is designed in ways which can encourage learners to acquire real proficiency and fluency, without disempowering people or undermining their nationality (Halliday, 2005). The literature on the pedagogies of ESOL teaching is diverse and outlines ways in which second language acquisition can be facilitated effectively, with teachers having their own take on pedagogy and on the ways in which students work, alone or with each other, in learning English (Dagenais et al, 2008; Burns, 2006). While linguistics studies directly address issues of grammar, syntax, construction, coherence and cohesion, the more practical aspects of developing practical fluency in English for speakers of other languages relate to classroom strategies that can support this. This essay will explore two aspects of ESOL teaching, that of group work, in which ESOL students are encouraged to work together on key tasks, with the aim of improving fluency (Haneda, 2005), and the provision of feedback, either peer feedback or tutor feedback, to enhance fluency. Both are contentious issues, because they can spell difficulties in the management of learning experiences (Holliday, 2005), and co uld be seen positively or negatively. This essay will look at some of the literature on this subject, and attempt to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of group or collaborative work, and of different types of feedback. The author will then draw conclusions from the literature to inform ESOL teaching practice. Discussion Group work is a popular means of building on constructivist theories and pedagogies by supporting students to apply new knowledge in given situations. In ESOL teaching, it provides opportunities to practice new words, conversations, sentence constructions, and functional elements of communication, such as making a particular type of telephone call or initiating a conversation. However, group work in this context can be viewed negatively as well, partly because of a fear that groups with the same first language will simply lapse into their own tongue rather than always speaking English, and that as learners they will not recognise each other’s mistakes. The latter point will be dealt with in some more detail below, in the exploration of types of feedback. But in relation to group work, types of collaborative or group learning or practice have been shown to be of great benefit to students of English. Some authors have found that pair work or small group work in this context does help improve language fluency and competence (Long, 1996; Pica et al, 1996), perhaps because these activities provide different opportunities and options for ESOL learners which are not possible during teacher-led activities. These students may find themselves able to become more confident in a setting which is not only smaller, but comprises only peers who are also ESOL students. Johnson 91995) argues that learners who interact and engage with each other in these ways feel more self-efficacy and control over their own learning. However, others argue that small group work in peer-only groups does not necessarily help with issues such as pronunciation (Morley, 1991) and proper grammar (Widodo, 2006; Widdowson, 1978). Another particular issue for group work is that of English intonation, which can be particularly difficult and may represent for some the last hurdle of English fluency and comprehension (Atoy e, 2005; Morgan, 1997). McDonough (2004) carried out a small-scale research study which â€Å"explored instructors and learners perceptions about the use of pair and small group activities in a Thai EFL context, and examined whether the learning opportunities theoretically attributed to pair and small group activities occurred in an intact classroom† (p 207). The study also looked at whether the learners showed improved outcomes (McDonough, 2004). McDonough (2004) found that â€Å"learners who had more participation during the pair and small group activities demonstrated improved production of the target forms, even though they did not perceive the activities as useful for learning language† (p 207). This would suggest that these activities might improve elements of fluency and skill, but this study does not demonstrate how this occurs, nor does it look in detail at language fluency, which is our concern here. Li and Campbell (2008) carried out a study in New Zealand which  examined â€Å"Asian students perceptions of the much-promulgated cooperative learning concepts in the form of group work and group assignments†, and â€Å"found that Asian students valued highly the significance of classroom group discussions where they could interact with students from other cultures and backgrounds, improve their English-language skills, enhance their cultural understanding and provide them with opportunities to make friends† (P 203). Again, this underlines social elements of group working in ESOL learning which may be important in developing true fluency, because the elements of language skills and enhancing cultural understanding can be related to development of deeper-level fluency. Not all the outcomes of this study were positive, however, and LI and Campbell (2008) also found that these Asian students â€Å"held intensely negative views about group assignments that required stud ents to complete a project as a group with shared marks determined by the performance of the group† (p 207). This may have something to do with the learner orientations of these students, or it may have to do with other factors. Li and Campbell (2008) found that â€Å"contributing factors affecting group dynamics included members attitudes and willingness to cooperate and contribute as a team, the composition of the group, students competing demands on students time and attention, heterogeneity from the natural abilities of students, and the varying cultural values and beliefs held by group members† (p 207). Because Li and Campbell (2008) found that group assignments that were assessed seemed to disempower the students in their study, it would suggest that group activities which are collaborative have a different meaning than group activities which are assessed, and this should be taken into account when applying group working to ESOL classrooms. However, the study does suggest the group learning itself enhanced competency level (Li and Campbell, 2008). The negative responses to the group assessment activities may have had something to do with students’ preconceptions or expectations about their ESOL learning (Bordia et al, 2006). Expectations which are not fulfilled might negatively affect responses to and evaluations of these learning activities (Bordia et al, 2006). These expectations, of course, may originate in the background, culture and previous experiences of the learner, which would suggest that teachers need to take into account these kinds of expectations and find ways to address them. Ewal (2004) describes a study which focuses on the student perspective on group work, in which â€Å"21 students and their teachers participated in a collaborative forum in which they explored the use of small group work in their L2 classroom.† (p 163). This study found that by engaging students, in an almost metacognitive way, in learning about how the group work affected their learning and behaviour, the students were able to discover the benefits of group work for themselves, in improving their literacy and fluency, and in supporting peer bonding, confidence and self-efficacy (Ewal, 2004). In this study, small group behaviours changed as the students became aware of these behaviours and of the functions of the group and the class as a whole (Ewal, 2004). This demonstrates that while group work is still viewed along pedagogical lines as a requisite of proper learning, through application and testing of knowledge, the dynamics of group work require some attention, and may act as militating or mediating factors in the effectiveness of group activities. Ewal (2004) concludes that â€Å"teachers should be attentive to opportunities to discuss language learning and classroom-related issues with their students† (p 175). This adds an extra dimension to the concept of group work, as functioning for students on many levels, not simply on a praxis/practice level. Of course, the discussion of group work leads us neatly into the concept of peer feedback, which is connected to the theories on group activities and just as contentious, it seems. Rollinson (2005) shows how although peer feedback has been supported in ESL classrooms, teachers and students are less than convinced of its efficacy and usefulness. Rollinson (2005) argues that proper training and procedures for peer feedback in ESOL classrooms is the key to making such feedback effective. Hu (2005) seems to echo this, that peer feedback can enhance learning, but does acknowledge that these activities need monitoring and that peer review situations can be problematic. Feedback and review of English language proficiency can be formalised into learning activities in the classroom context. Al-Hazmi and Scholfield (2007) describe an action research study which was aimed at improving English language writing proficiency in Saudi Arabian university students. This study involved â€Å"a regime of enforced draft revision, using a checklist† in which two groups were involved, one trained in peer revision, the other doing their own revision (Al-Hazmi and Scholfield, 2007 p 237). These authors found that â€Å"there were clear draft improvements in quality, especially in mechanics, despite only modest amounts of meaning-changing an d multisentential revisions being recorded† Al-Hazmi and Scholfield, 2007 p 237). The most significant finding from this study demonstrated that the students enjoyed and responded positively to peer review (Al-Hazmi and Scholfield, 2007). This may simply underline the fact that language learning is as much a social as an individual process (Dagenais et al, 2008; Roberts and Baynham, 2006; Schellekens, 2007) Formal tutor feedback is also an essential component of developing fluency, although again, the form that this takes can affect its value. Hyland and Hyland (2006), for example, agree that feedback is vital in terms of encouraging learning and consolidating that learning, and demonstrate that it is used in process-based classrooms and in genre-orientated learning environments. It may seem obvious to some that tutor feedback is important, but teachers and learners should be aware that feedback has different purposes, as well as different forms, and while it can be difficult for some students to assimilate feedback and correction, it is through signposting mistakes as well as successes that students can learn how much they have learned. Feedback itself has expanded to encompass not only written comments from the teacher, but language workshops, conferences and even electronic feedback (Hyland and Hyland, 2006). Lyster and Mori (2006) examined the effects of explicit correction, recasts, and prompts on learner uptake and repair, and found that â€Å"instructional activities and interactional feedback that act as a counterbalance to a classrooms predominant communicative orientation are likely to prove more effective than instructional activities and interactional feedback that are congruent with its predominant communicative orientation† (p 269). This suggests that feedback must be specific to the task and to the context, and also that there is a need for a deeper understanding of the pedagogical dimensions of formal tutor feedback, and the purpose that this feedback serves. This also shows that the emergence of the communicative classroom is not necessarily the final evolution of the ESOL context (Campbell an d Duncan, 2007). However, there are those who have argued strongly against written feedback, and the trends in ESOL teaching in recent years has been to avoid this (Bitchener, 2008). However, research by Bitchener (2008) shows that in some cases, written feedback enhances learning: The study found that the accuracy of students who received written corrective feedback in the immediate post-test outperformed those in the control group and that this level of performance was retained 2 months later. Bitchener 2008 p 102. This would seem to suggest that there is value in providing written tutor feedback. Lochtman (2002) also shows the value of oral or verbal feedback, but underlines the need to give different kinds of feedback depending on the language learning context, the task, and the learner, suggesting that while this feedback is beneficial, it is only so if it meets the needs of the individual learner. One of the issues with fluency is also related to currency (Taylor, 2006), and it could be that the provision of both types of feedback is central to understanding the current use of various idiomatic forms as well as of slang and vernacular. While many ESOL teaching contexts shy away from teaching ‘common’ spoken forms and focus on formal, correct English, feedback from a tutor, for example, can help to draw comparisons between the two forms and allow students to develop awareness of when it is appropriate to use the different types of English expression (Taylor, 2006; Wallace, 2006). This ability to speak fluently is much more complex than simply learning linguistic form, it is about attaining a degree of comfort and ease with using the language, and using it appropriately and ‘naturally’. All of these approaches to supporting language learning could be said to be fostering this development, but only if they are properly planned, and managed, and it seems that quality ‘teaching’ and facilitation is still required. Conclusion This essay demonstrates that there is a range of literature to support the development of language fluency in ESOL classrooms through group work and through interactive processes of learning, and through the provision of tutor feedback and peer feedback. There are issues and challenges with ESOL learning in relation to developing verbal skills, because verbal language requires real-time interaction and the ability to respond to different cues and situations. It would seem from the literature cited above that the use of group work in ESOL learning needs to be planned carefully and designed to ensure that learning is not impeded by individual differences or by the negative aspects of group work, including frustration between learners with different levels of competency, and difficulties in group work which is assessed formally. Collaborative learning may be a strength in developing fluency, and this could be incorporated with peer feedback, but it would seem that this is only truly effective if the students are ‘trained’ and supported in giving feedback to ensure it is fair and an constructive, and given in the appropriate spirit. Similarly, it would seem that feedback may assist in developing fluency, but the literature cited does not provide strong or conclusive evidence that formal feedback is good for this, despite its value in developing written and verbal language skills. More research is required in looking at different kinds of feedback in supporting fluency. However, the literature does indicate that feedback must be individualised and meet the needs of the learner. References Al-Hazmi, S.H. and Scholfield, P. (2007) Enforced revision with checklist and peer feedback in EFL writing: the example of Saudi university students. Scientific Journal of King Faisal University (Humanities and Management Sciences 18 (2)237-267. Atoye, R.O. (2005) Non-native perception of English intonation. Nordic Journal of African Studies14 (1) 26-42. Bitchener, J. (2008) Evidence in support of written corrective feedback Journal of Second Language Writing 17 (2) 102-118. Brillinger, K. (2003) From Theory to Practice: Creating Intermediate ESL Reading Materials Based on Current SLA Research and Theories, Newsletter of the Association of Teachers of English as a Second Language of Ontario, 29(3), 1-6 Burns, A. (2006) Surveying landscapes in adult ESOL research, Linguistics and Education, 17, 97–105 Campbell, C. and Duncan, G. (2007) From Theory to Practice: General Trends in Foreign Language Teaching Methodology and Their Influence on Language Assessment. Language and Linguistics Compass 1 (6) 592-611 Chan, M..M. (1998) What We Already Know about Teaching ESL Writers (Research in the Classroom). English Journal 77 (6) 84-85 Chen, R. and Hird, B. (2006) Group Work in the Efl Classroom in China: A Closer Look. RELC Journal, 37 (10) 91-103. Dagenais, D. Beynon, J. and Mathis, N. (2008) Intersections of Social Cohesion, Education, and Identity in Teachers, Discourses, and Practices Pedagogies: An International Journal 3 (2) 85 – 108. Ewald, J.D. (2004) A classroom forum on small group work: L2 learners see, and change, themselves. Language Awareness 13 (3) 163-179. Ferris, D.R. (1994) Lexical and syntactic features of ESL writing by students at different levels of L2 proficiency. TESOL Quarterly 28 (2) 414-420. Haneda,. M. (2005) Some Functions of Triadic Dialogue in the Classroom: Examples from L2 Research Canadian Modern Language Review 62 (2) 313-333 Hyland, K. and Hyland, F (2006). Feedback on second language students writing. Language Teaching, 39 83-101. Holliday, A. (2005) The Struggle to Teach English as an International Language New York: Oxford University Press. Hu, G. (2005) Using peer review with Chinese ESL student writers. Language Teaching Research 9 (3) 321-342. Johnson,K.E. (1995) Understanding communication in second language classrooms New York: Cambridge University Press. Lochtman, K. (2002) Oral corrective feedback in the foreign language classroom: how it affects interaction in analytic foreign language teaching International Journal of Educational Research 37 (3-4) 271-283. Long, M. (1996) The role of the linguistic environment in second language acquisition. In Ritchie, W. and Bhatia, T. (eds) Handbook of Second Language Acquisition (413-468) San Diego, CA: Academic Press. Lyster, R. and Mori, H. (2006). Interactional Feedback And Instructional Counterbalance. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 28 , 269-300 McDonough, K. (2004) Learner-learner interaction during pair and small group activities in a Thai EFL context System 32 (2) 207-224 Morgan, B. (1997) Identity and intonation: linking dynamic processes in an ESL classroom. TESOL Quarterly 31 (3) 431-450. Morley, J. (1991) The pronunciation component in teaching English to speaker sof other languages. TESOL Quarterly Morrice, L. (2007) Lifelong learning and the social integration of refugees in the UK: the significance of social capital, International Journal of Lifelong Education, 26(2), 155-172 Olivo, W. (2003) Quit Talking and Learn English!: Conflicting Language Ideologies in an ESL Classroom Anthropology Education Quarterly  34 (1) 50-71 Pica, T., Lincoln-Porter, F., Paninos, D. and Linnell, J. (1996) Language learners’ interaction: how does it address the input, output and feedback needs of L2 learners? TESOL Quarterly 30 59-84. Roberts, C. Baynham, M. (2006) Introduction to the special issue: Research in adult ESOL, Linguistics and Education, 17, 1-5 Rollinson, P. (2005) Using peer feedback in the ESL writing class ELT Journal Volume 59/1 ELT Journal 59 (1) . Schellekens, P. (2007) The Oxford ESOL Handbook Oxford: Oxford University Press. Seedhouse, P. (2005) Conversation Analysis and language learning. Language Teaching (2005), 38: 165-187 Cambridge University Press Shin, H. (2006) Rethinking TESOL From a SOLs Perspective: Indigenous Epistemology and Decolonizing Praxis in TESOL Critical Inquiry in Language Studies 3 (23) 147 – 167. Taylor, L. (2006) The changing landscape of English: implications for language assessment ELT Journal 60(1):51-60 Wallace, C. (2006) The text, dead or alive: Expanding textual repertoires in the adult ESOL classroom, Linguistics and Education, 17, 74-90 Widdowson, H.G. (1978) Teaching language as communication Oxford: Oxford University Press. Widodo, H.P. (2006) Approaches and procedures for teaching grammar. English Teaching: Practice and Critique. 5 (1) 122-141. Zamel, V. and Spack, R. (2006) Teaching Multilingual Learners across the Curriculum: Beyond the ESOL Classroom and Back Again. Journal of Basic Writing (CUNY), 25 (2) 126-152.

Thursday, September 19, 2019

jfk assassination Essay -- essays research papers fc

The John F. Kennedy Assassination On November 22,1963,President Kennedy was in attendance at a Dallas parade.One of the biggest tragic moments happened in U.S. history before the naked eye.President John F. Kennedy was assassinated around 12:34 p.m.as he celebrated with the Dallas crowd to show admiration towards them and their city(Mintaglio 60).The suspected assassin Robert L. Oswald,a former U.S. marine,was afterward caught not long following the assassination in a near by theatre(Newman 56).Later to discover he himself was assassinated by Jack Ruby while he was being escorted publicly to the court room.A study of the John F.Kennedy assassination would include the conspiracy theories, the plans of the assassination ,and the alleged suspects‘ connections. First of all, the Kennedy assassination dealt with numerous conspiracies in diverse ways. President Kennedy’s Excoriation of the parade still raises questions because of the sluggish speed of the President’s car when he was parting the parade to the Dallas freeway. Furthermore,the driver of the Kennedy’s car decided to amend the route he was supposed to take(Marcus 187). The alleged assassin Robert L. Oswald was also a assassinated in his uncommon public excoriation to his testimony.Despite the heavy security of 63 officers around Oswald before he was shot.Ruby was able to get through reporters in the environs of Oswald and get a point blank shot at Oswald’s gut critically wounding him and later died because of the wounds(Sneed 339).Oswald had told officials he fired the Italian rifle three times and hit the President twice at an unfeasible range for the inaccurate rifle.To add a bigger twist to the investigations,witnesses near the shooting of the President told officials that as many as six shots where heard shot.Even more arcane Cody Kennedy’s number was found in Oswald’s address book officials had obtained(Minutaglio 159). The killing of Oswald by Jack Ruby made the mafia get in the picture with alleged connections to the Kennedy assassination(Bryce 69). Secondly, the planning of the assassination of President Kennedy was exceptionally one of the most well-planned killings ever witnessed.Every thing had to be in the right place at the right time and almost impossible for one person to pull it off all alone.Oswald decided to keep cover in the Texas School of Book Depository on the sixt... ...y assassination would include the conspiracy theories,plans of the assassination,and connections with the alleged suspects. 1.Consiracy of the Assassinations A.unusual escort of president B.Osawald’s public escortation 2.Well-planned Assassination A.clear shots B.suspects killed 3.Suspects connections A.Mexico meetings B.C.I.A. photographs C.Mob rumors Works Cited JFK Assassination Homepage.Online.Internet.13 Jan.2003. Available HTTP:mcadams.posc.edu/home.html. Bryce,Warren.†The Assassination of President Kennedy.†The New York Times.28 Sept.1964. Marcus,Stanley.The Day JFK Died.Kansas City:A universal Press Syndicate Company,1993. Mcmillan,George.The Making of an Assassin.Canada:Little ,Brown and Company,1976. Minutaglio,Bill,Barry Boesch,and Bill Deener.The Day Remembered.:Taylor Publishing Company,1990. Newman,John.Osawald and the C.I.A.New York:Caroll and Graf Publishers,Inc,1995. JFK The Kennedy Assassination Homepage.Online.Internet. 13.Jan.2003.Available HTTP:JFK-info.com/index2.html. Sneed,Larry.No More Silence.Denton:University of North Texas Press,1998.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Cival War Weapons :: essays research papers fc

Civil War Weapons One weapon used in the Civil War is a Sharps Carbine. It was developed primarily for Calvary, because of the shorter barrel. They were much easier to handle on horse back than their longer brother the Breech-Loader. Sharps were preferred because they could be loaded on a moving horse, something virtually impossible with a Muzzle-Loader. Also, Breech-Loaders carbine which fired moisture proof metallic cartridges, where more reliable than rifles that fired paper cartridges. As I said be fore it is easier to load a Sharps than a Muzzle-Loader. A Muzzle-Loader took 9 long hard steps just to fire one shot. Even the most skilled solder could only get three rounds off in a minute on the old Civil War Muzzle-Loader. And No wonder. After each shot you have to (1) steady the gun on the ground take out a new cartridge out of a belt pouch. (2) Tear open a piece of paper with your teeth. (3) Empty the powder in the barrel and insert a bullet in to the muzzle. (4) Draw the long â€Å"rummer† out of its carrying groove under the barrel. (5) ram the bullet all the way down. (6) Return the rod back to its groove. (7) Lift the weapon half-cocked the hammer. (8) Fully cock the hammer, aim, and finally,(9) fire. At the beginning of the war Southern Calvary was armed as well, if not better than the Northern counterpart. Carbines were in short supply in both armies. The rebels favorite weapon was a sawed off shotgun loaded with Buckshot. A farmland weapon. Saber a sword was only the Calvary and generally in the beginning of the war were used regularly and to their full extent Saber became marks of ranking later years and were abandoned in favor of efficient weapons. Canister is the weapon that killed the most soldiers in the war. Canister rounds are a artillery, fired from a canon, are a thinned walled metal cylinder packed with musket balls, or large lead or iron balls, and sawdust, some canisters that were found were packed with nails, pieces of hinges, and other scrap metal.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Dmi Field Service Case

Synopsis/purpose Field Service Divisions are important parts of organizations operating in manufacturing industries. As technology becomes more and more involved in the production process and the after sales services, it is crucial for companies to develop their Field Service business processes. In the DMI Field Service Case, the company has troubles meeting the customer demands in a timely manner. The quality of the service remains as an important task to improve for the DMI Company and we will be analyzing the issues related with the reengineering process of the FSD. . DMI should measure field service performance because the process needs a level of consistency. Even though every service call may be different, the processes that are not variable need to be controlled on a consistent level. Performance should be measured by customer feedback, number of service calls per day, and response time. 6. The division needs to make a process map to create a value stream and ensure that each step on the process there is value being added.If there is not value being added then that process needs to be cut. A process map will also show inefficiencies of the process as a whole. 7. This organization can become more of a learning organization if they were able to develop a team strictly made for continuous improvement. If this whole process seems to have all these inefficiencies then I believe it would be very worth is to create a continuous improvement team to exploit all these problems and create solutions and figure out the right path for their process map. 8.New Technologies – DMI should be able to open their horizons with some new technology especially because it’s management consists of mostly engineers. They need to be more proficient in technology management to gain trust and loyalty to customers. Call taker system – DMI’s service center receives an average of 3,500 calls per day. About 2,000 of those calls are related to emergency mainten ance. All of the calls are taken by approximately 40 call takers who earn â€Å" modest† wages and work staggered shifts to cover the workday for both oasts. This is causing low efficient rating and many people being put on hold. If they were to implement a customer code in the service center they would be much more efficient and timely with the calls. They could also hire more â€Å"call takers†. Dispatching center- There is an obvious lack of communication between the dispatchers and the techs. This migh be because there are 24 dispatchers in only 5 regional dispatch centers. Bringing these dispatch centers together could help communication and reduce delays.Performance Measurement – There system seems to be flawed due to the fact that they base their performance on target response time. This is a flaw because service tech may only go on 1 field work a day which doesn’t correctly show performance throughout the whole organization. Communication between the call centers and the techs are also no good because sometimes they don’t even call because they think they will have to wait on hold. So a new measurement system is definitely in need.

Monday, September 16, 2019

Philippines Annexation Essay

Although controversial to some, the Americans made the right decision to annex the Philippines after successfully freeing them from Spanish tyranny and rule. Without American rule and support, the Philippines would have been an easy target to be taken over by Germany, England or Japan who all would have savaged the land and further suppressed the people. The Filipinos were weak, inexperienced and not ready to establish their own government and self rule themselves. During the time of the annexation, the Americans needed a strategic place in that part of the world to protect their interests, expand their trading partners and show the world they were a power to be reckoned with in spreading democracy. So even though the annexation of the Philippines was views by some as doing the same things as some of the other major countries, the Americans always viewed it as a short term solution to educate the people, help them establish themselves to self rule and to allow them time to prepare to protect themselves from other enemies. At the time the decision to annex the Philippines was made, there were other countries waiting and ready to attack and takeover the control that Spain had lost to the Americans. American rule allowed human rights, freedoms and quality of life that would not have been possible had America walked away and allowed the fledgling country try and rule itself. Germany, England, Japan and even Spain would have jumped at the opportunity to take over control of the Philippines and its many resources. Many important and profitable trade routes utilized the Philippines as a gateway to trade their goods and wares. Although it was profitable for the Americans to control this area and have access to the trade routes and resources, they were helping prepare the Filipinos to one day self rule and govern themselves as a free and independent country. Definitely not an opportunity they would have gained under rule of one of the other dominant and brutal governments. As Albert Beveridge so eloquently stated in â€Å"The March of the Flag† speech, â€Å"We can not retreat from any soil where Providence has unfurled our banner, it is ours to save†¦ for liberty and civilization. Having been brutalized  and controlled for so many years under the tyranny control of Spain and its leaders, the Filipinos were ill prepared and ready to set up their own government and rule for themselves. There would not have been any experienced and supported leader that would have gained the support of most Filipinos. This would have led to fractions fighting, internal battles and weakness within the country. These conditions would have made the Philippines an easy target to be retaken and lose their path to independence they had by being annexed by the Americans. The Americans trained their leaders, helped establish an internal military as well as set up a military base that helped to protect their people from outside attacks and takeovers from other coun tries. Even though others like Abraham Lincoln stated â€Å"that no man is good enough to govern another man without that other’s consent,† leaving the Philippines to be savaged by others would have been much worse for the Filipinos than the temporary annexation by the Americans. During the time the Americans defeated the Spaniards and gained control over Cuba and the Philippines, the world was in constant battle. Many of the powerful countries were trying to expand, conquer and takeover weaker countries and lands. The Americans who believe in democracy and freedom for people knew that they had to show their strength and protect others in the process. The part of the world where the Philippines lies was one of the most volatile and dangerous in the world. That being said, it also had some of the most profitable trade routes, richest resources and was a vital part of the world to have a stronghold. By following through with the annexation of the Philippines, the Americans were able to gain a stronghold on the other side of the world, enrich themselves by gaining access to the valuable resources that were so plentiful and to take the time to help spread freedom and democracy. William McKinley clearly believed and stated that â€Å" we could not turn them over to France and Germany – our commercial rivals in the Orient – that would be bad business and discreditable.† There were many arguments as to the merits of annexing the Philippines or to walk away and grant them their immediate freedom. The Filipinos had been tormented, had their land savaged and destroyed by Spain for so long, there was truly only one humane and correct decision and that was to annex the Philippines. The Americans although financially gained from the decision, never waivered from their long-term commitment to help to train, educate and prepare the Filipinos to  self-rule and govern. Establishing a stronghold in that part of the world helped the Americans establish themselves as a world power and leader in personal freedoms and spreading of democratic governments. With America and its military located on the Philippines they were able to protect the Filipinos from attacks from others with bad intentions such as Germany, England, Japan and Spain. During the time of American annexation, the Filipinos united together, learned the skills necessary to survive and protect themselves from others and over time gained the long-term independence and freedom they never would have secured if not for the annexation of the Americans.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Culture and Civilization

Culture and Civilization According to anthropologists of 19th century, Culture is earlier and Civilization is later. Everything created by man is culture, civilization is an advanced state of cultural development. Culture developed in three stages: Savagery >> Barbarianism >> Civilization (Acts of cruel and violent behavior) (Extremely cruel and unpleasant behavior) Alfred Louis Kroeber said Culture is super organic, he has given three forms of culture namely Social Culture (Status and Role), Value Culture (Philosophy, Morals) and Reality Culture (Science and Technology, etc).According to Kroeber civilization is a part of reality culture. Robert Redfield said culture is a totality of traditions and civilization is a totality of great and little traditions. Culture: The collective appearance of customs, faith, art, language, way of thinking and way of living of a particular group of people. And civilization is the developed part, when different cultures meet. Difference between Cultur e and Civilization, Sociologists View Culture| Civilization| Culture includes religion, art philosophy, literature, music, dance, etc. hich brings satisfaction and pleasure to many. It is the expression of final aspects of life. | Civilization includes all those things by means of which some other objective is attained. Type writers, motors, etc. come under this category. Civilization consists of technology or the authority of man over natural phenomenon as well as social technology which control man's behavior. | Culture is what we are. | Civilization is what we have. | Culture has no standard of measurement because it is an end in itself. Civilization has a precised standard of measurement. The universal standard of civilization is utility because civilization is a means. | Culture cannot be said to be advancing. It cannot be asserted that the art, literature, thoughts are ideals of today’s and superior to those of past. | Civilization is always advancing. The various const ituents of civilizations namely machines, means of transportation, communication, etc. are constantly progressive. | Culture is internal and an end. It is related to internal thoughts, feelings, ideals, values, etc.It is like the soul of an individual. | Civilization is external and a means. It is the means for the expression and manifestation of the grandness, it is like the body of an individual. | Difference between Culture and Civilization, Anthropologists View Culture| Civilization| All societies have culture. | Only a few societies have civilization. | Culture is earlier. | Civilization is later. | Culture is pre-condition for civilization to develop. | Civilization represents a stage of cultural advancement. | Culture is super organic. Civilization is a part of reality culture. | Culture is a totality of traditions. | Civilization is a totality of great and little traditions. | Culture Vs Civilization Firstly, civilization in theory is bigger than culture in which an entire c ivilization can encompass one single unit of culture. Civilization is a bigger unit than culture because it is a complex aggregate of the society that dwells within a certain area, along with its forms of government, norms, and even culture. Thus, culture is just a spec or a portion of an entire civilization.For example, the Egyptian civilization has an Egyptian culture in the same way as the Greek civilization has their Greek culture. A culture ordinarily exists within a civilization. In this regard, each civilization can contain not only one but several cultures. Comparing culture and civilization is like showing the difference between language and the country to which it is being used. Culture can exist in itself whereas civilization cannot be called a civilization if it does not possess a certain culture.It’s just like asking how a nation can exist on its own without the use of a medium of communication. Hence, a civilization will become empty if it does not have its cult ure, no matter how little it is. Culture can be something that is tangible and it can also be something that isn’t. Culture can become a physical material if it is a product of the beliefs, customs and practices of a certain people with a definite culture. But a civilization is something that can be seen as a whole and it is more or less tangible although its basic components, like culture, can be mmaterial. Culture can be learned and in the same manner it can also be transmitted from one generation to the next. Using a medium of speech and communication, it is possible for a certain type of culture to evolve and even be inherited by another group of people. On the other hand, civilization cannot be transferred by mere language alone. Because of its complexity and magnitude, you need to transfer all of the raw aggregates of a civilization for it to be entirely passed on. It just grows, degrades and may eventually end if all its subunits will fail.Summary: 1. Culture is by def inition smaller than a civilization. 2. Culture can grow and exist without residing in a formal civilization whereas a civilization will never grow and exist without the element of culture. 3. Culture can be tangible or intangible whereas civilization is something that is more tangible because it is what you see as a whole 4. Culture can be transmitted through symbols in the form of language whereas an entire civilization cannot be transmitted by mere language alone.

Saturday, September 14, 2019

How far is Odysseus’s status Essay

Throughout the Odyssey, Odysseus is portrayed as a Greek hero. However this can be contradicted. In many events Odysseus can be perceived as un-heroic at times. Therefore the above statement can be argued. Throughout this piece of work I will be discussing this statement and I will gradually draw closer to a conclusion. Odysseus shows leadership as he produces very clever ideas and performs quick-thinking actions. Throughout the narrative he has planned strategies, for example, every time Odysseus and his men reach an island he always sends his men first to investigate the surroundings. This quality can be seen as cunning and therefore he can be seen as a hero. His personality can be seen as caring and scheming. In many periods of the book this can be proved. He stays calm in situations and when his men die he thinks of them, and when in trouble he does his best to help them says quote, â€Å"we travelled with heavy hearts, grieving for the loss of our dear friends†¦.. † (Book 10 Line 133) Odysseus can be seen as resourceful, for example, he tool the undiluted wine with him when going into the Cyclops’s cave, which then later came into use as it saved his men and himself escape to safety. He is seen as shrewd as he uses a false name when speaking with the Cyclops which again later on takes its effect when the men are absconding from the dangers of the Cyclops. Even though Odysseus can be seen as a hero, in some cases he cannot be depicted as cunning. For example, he decided to ignore his crew’s suggestion to escape with the food in the Cyclops’s cave. Even though he was right to do the hospitable and respectable thing to do, by staying in the cave to greet their ‘host’, he made the wrong decision as the by staying he risked the lives of his men. Odysseus can be thought of as violent as he blinded Polyphemus with a stake. This could be looked at as un-heroic and wrong, but it can also be seen as him being vengeful for his killed crew. Therefore these different situations can be looked at from two perspectives. He could be seen as hospitable and vengeful, which are true qualities of a hero, or he can be looked at as a violent person who has bad judgement. It all depends on the reader’s standpoint. Odysseus has a very strong relationship with the Gods, especially with Athenes and Hermes. For example Hermes helped Odysseus by giving him the moly flower. This can be looked at from two angles. Odysseus might seem not so heroic as he needs help from the powers that be, and he might be seen as dependent on the Gods. But this can be argued as only some people would think that only a hero can receive such gifts from the gods and that there has to be something special about him, and also Athene was known for helping heroes which could prove that he was one. Therefore, again, this line of reasoning could be argued. Odysseus and his men have lack trust and confidence in their relationships. This reflects badly upon Odysseus as it shows he is not leadership material. For example When Odysseus and his men sailed away from the Island of Aelia, Odysseus had received the gift of the winds. His crew did not trust Odysseus and opened the bag, thinking it was gold, and released the winds. This shows a lack of trust. Another example that shows a requirement of confidence in their relationship is when one of Odysseus’s men, Eurylochus, says â€Å"You will never come back yourself and won’t rescue a single man of your crew. I am certain of it. Let you get away quickly with those that are left here. â€Å"(Book 10 Line 268). This shows that his men think that their destiny with Odysseus will lead to death. They feel as if his leadership is endangering them which shows that they do not think of him as a hero and influences the reader to think the same, even though Odysseus tries his best and up most to rescue his men In my opinion, I think that Odysseus is a heroic figure. This is because in the book he is proved to be cunning, caring and an important figure. There are many events in the book that contradict this, but they can be argued to whether Odysseus was really in the wrong. For example, he wanted to stay in Polyphemus’s cave because he wanted to be hospitable (which is the right thing to do), and he was not aware of the dangers that were at hand. He can be seen as violent, but revenge was his only motivation, when he blinded the Cyclops. Therefore, I think that Odysseus can be categorised under ‘hero’, and I think that Odysseus’s status throughout the Odyssey all depends on how the reader interprets the events that take place as they always have two aspects to look at.

Friday, September 13, 2019

Chuck Close And Photorealism Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Chuck Close And Photorealism - Research Paper Example A graduate of the Yale University School of Art and once a teacher of arts in University of Massachusetts, Chuck Close became a significant figure in artistic society of the latter half of the twentieth century known for his remarkable style of painting large-scale portraits. â€Å"Close learned to paint like an Abstract Expressionist when he was a student at Yale† . Yet, while the painter’s preferences in his tuition years centered mainly on abstract impressionism, training in Europe and the MFA program have added a pinch of more modern trends including minimalism and pop art. However, the artists managed to choose the domain for his work rather early: human faces and their versatile portrayals in photography and paint became the major course for the artist’s development, while the painterly style and instruments changed for several times. During his teaching career in Amherst, the painter experimented with pop-inspired elements in portraiture, engaging photogra phic images for the first time in his work: those were the daring and large realistic pictures of nude models including Bid Nude of 1967. However, it was his Big Self-Portrait that served as an important milestone in development of his style, for this painting literally opened the series of the famous photorealistic ‘heads’ on a larger-than-life scale and with exaggerated and unflattering manner of depiction, his friends and family as models, first in grayscale and then in color. Later period of Close’ work was marked by domination of pointillism.

Thursday, September 12, 2019

Theorising Art, Media and Design Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Theorising Art, Media and Design - Essay Example It advocates their independence and their role in the society – a role which is more than that inside the household (Chodorow). This paper will discuss feminism in the context of visual culture and the means by which this particular movement was theorized and historicized in the past three centuries. Before delving into the discussion of the historiography of the femininity in the context of visual arts, it is appropriate to explain the projection of women in contemporary art by citing varying texts published by feminist writers. In particular, this research will use Amelia Jones’ book, The Feminism and Visual Culture Reader, as its primary basis for said study. Jones’ work focuses on the collates different accounts and writings concerning art, film, architecture, popular culture, new media, and other visual fields in the point of view of feminist thinkers and writers. The author describes feminism as, â€Å"... in most of its forms, proposes and demands a polit ical and/or ethical stance towards cultural experience...† (Jones 2). She also argues that the presence of visual culture, â€Å"... is a rubric and a model of critical thinking about the world of images saturating contemporary life.† (Jones 2). ... of critical models of reading visual imagery in visual culture and its related disciplines of art history, film theory, television studies, and the visually oriented arm of media, new media and culture studies.† (Jones 3). There is no need to explain what had been cited from the work of the author. She directly applies the leading role of such movement in contemporary forms of art and media. However well established feminism is as a major movement that advocates the emphasis of the female gender in a patriarchal society, the depiction of femininity and its degradation in some visual arts has had a lengthy discourse. According to Judith Butler in the book, Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity, â€Å"The notion of an original or primary gender identity is often parodied within the cultural practices of drag, cross-dressing and the sexual stylization of butch/femme identities. Within the feminist theory, such parodic identities have been understood to be either degrading to women...† (187). Butler makes clear that not all contemporary art can be beneficial to the cause of women empowerment. The example that she had presented gives light to the misuse of the feminist movement which had inevitably resulted to the lampooning of the feminine gender. Indeed when the ideological basis of feminism is used but the medium of expression is deformed, the outcome may cause harm to the ultimate goal of uplifting femininity as gender in the arts. If Jones depicts feminism as the major player in the context of contemporary visual arts and Butler argues that the proper expression of feminism in the mentioned media is a must, other feminist writers regard that feminism in visual arts can create liberal and complex image of the female subject. Judith Williamson