Saturday, September 7, 2019
People Have Become More Overly Dependent On Technology Essay
People Have Become More Overly Dependent On Technology - Essay Example â€Å"The technologies that started out as aides to our existence have become vital to our everyday lives†(Digitaltrends, 20003). The use of technology has become an integral part of a person’s life. It all starts in the morning. A lot of working adults rely on the use of an alarm clock to get up in the morning. A house needs electricity to run the different electrical devices that people have in their homes. Electricity and water are the two most utilities. Other important technological services that people rely on as part of their everyday lives are cable or satellite television, telephones, and the internet. Television has been engrained into American society since its introduction in the U.S. marketplace. Today there are approximately 115 million households that view television programming which account for 292 million people above the age of two (Nielsen, 2009). Technology has been ingrained deeply into our society. The most important technology that transformed the lives of people in the 20th century was access to reliable electricity. Electricity is needed to run most electrical appliances and gadgets. The majority of electricity in the United States comes from fossil fuels. The demand for crude oil has been on the rise during the last couple of decades which has spiral its price upward. Access to electricity is extremely important for our everyday lives. Most kitchen appliances such as ovens, microwaves, stoves, and can openers are run by either electricity or propane gas. The use of technology is imperative for people to able to cook food. A technological advancement that changed the behavior of businesses and people was the computer. The first home computer was introduced into the marketplace in 1975 by Ed Roberts (Computerhope, 2012). The computer became extremely popular during the 1990s, an era often referred to as the computer age. The reason that the
Friday, September 6, 2019
Tuesdays with Morrie Paper Essay Example for Free
Tuesdays with Morrie Paper Essay Tuesdays with Morrie is a classic piece of literature that depicts an atypical student-teacher relationship. An unusual twist of fate takes the student and this book’s author, Mitch Albom, to once again cross the path of his college professor, whose terminal illness brings both of them to compose their final thesis.            Morrie Schwartz started out as Mitch’s sociology professor back in Brandeis University, Massachusetts. Mitch could be described as the typical college student who hid beneath his tough impression in order to compensate for his being a year younger to be a freshman. Mitch was a good student and in the long run, despite his initial impression of Morrie, took to the professor’s classes and belief that educating was experience over theory. With their classroom and one-on-one discussions coupled with the number of sociology classes that Mitch took under Morrie, the professor finally encouraged Mitch to write an honors thesis, a year-long task which Mitch proudly submitted to is teacher by spring of that year.            Sixteen years after, life has drastically changed for both of them. Mitch became the career-chasing sports journalist, a job he had traded for his dream to become a piano player. Morrie, on the other hand, had been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a brutal illness of the neurological system. It was a typical night in the life of Mitch, as he was changing channels when he heard the once familiar Morrie Schwartz named in one of the popular nighttime shows on television. It featured his old professor, now stricken with the illness, and all their memories back in college came rolling back to him, including the promise he made during graduation that he would keep in touch with his once favored teacher, one that he never fulfilled.            Back on campus, the relationship of Morrie and Mitch’s as professor and student proved promising. One was a very dedicated teacher, the other, a willing student. Their initial acquaintance was concluded with Morrie hoping that one day, Mitch, as many of his friends called him, would also be his friend.            With most of our generation being in school at one time or another, it would be a truthful observation to say that the relationship between Morrie and Mitch is not the typical teacher-student relationship that we know of. In this time and day, students come and go, and seldom do teachers have the steadfast dedication that Morrie maintained to leave a lasting impression on his students. Although their relationship started out in academics, it eventually developed into a friendship where the old professor became a mentor of life to the young student. They sometimes sat together to eat, had lively discussions about human relationships, and through all these Mitch had agreed to become the player of Morrie, whom he started to call â€Å"Coach.†Despite the need to make up for lost time, the time they met once again, and the Tuesdays after that defined a relationship that was unquestionably one that naturally became a continuation of the friendship they once had.  That reunion after 16 years marked a renewed beginning of a deeper relationship between the two. Both had agreed to meet on Tuesdays immediately after making the pact that the remaining days of Morrie would be devoted to the composition of the â€Å"literature of death.†This would discuss what Mitch pertained to as the issues of his generation such as death, fear, aging, greed, marriage, family, society, forgiveness and a meaningful life.            The tape recorded topics of the â€Å"Tuesday people†started with a discussion about the world. Morrie described it as a world where dreams were traded for bigger paychecks, something which Mitch was very guilty of. The culture that the world has generally does not make people feel good about themselves. Morrie suggests that if this is what culture sells you, then you don’t have to buy it. But because of the daily exposure of people to these ads and their promises of beauty, fame, or fortune, they are lured to thinking that being themselves is not enough. As such, each day they fall prey to this very culture that promulgates that what is trendy is equivalent to â€Å"normal.†In the long run, people walk around leading meaningless lives, busy doing things they believe to be important. In their desperation to put meaning in their lives, they chase the wrong things. After chasing these wrong things and end up finding out that they too, are empty, they keep running. And unfortunately this goes on until the day they leave this world.            Each morning that Morrie wakes up and feels sorry for himself, he cries for a few minutes and then moves on, deciding that wallowing in self-pity would not be the way he wanted to live his remaining days. This is what he calls detachment, learning to let go after feeling the moment. Dying is about accepting it as a natural phenomenon in this world. Humans should not be thinking that they are above nature but rather, a part of it. As one of Morrie’s favorite stories said, the wave is not going to crash into the shore and die. Instead, it had to remind itself that it was part of the ocean.            When asked about the regrets he had in life, Morrie simply said that it is about vanity and pride. He regretted losing a friendship because of pride. This is where the topic on forgiveness comes in learning to forgive yourself, and then forgiving others before you die. Most important of all, despite his impending death, Morrie faced it with the acceptance of a child. Instead of letting the terminal illness disintegrate his spirit, he enjoyed his dependency on other people as a baby would on a nurturing mother. Ironically, awaiting his death ultimately served as their biggest lesson about living. As Morrie put it, â€Å"once you learn how to die, you learn how to live.†           Topics in their Tuesday sessions dwelled on the importance of love, spirituality, responsibility and awareness. Morrie pointed out that the most important thing in life is learning how to give out love and letting it come in. Quoting his favorite poet, Auden, Morrie frequently told Mitch, love each other or perish. Over and over throughout the book, Morrie emphasized the importance of love and that it would be the only way for your memory to be alive when you’re gone. If the people you leave will remember that feeling, even if you die, you will never really go away. Although death puts an end to life, it doesn’t end a relationship. The only reason people wished to stay young, as the professor said, was because they never had satisfied and fulfilled lives. It is only when one was able to find meaning in life that they were able to move forward and look forward to their destiny.            What Morrie wanted Mitch to learn was to live a life that was devoted to loving others, the community around you, and being able to create something that gave you meaning and purpose. After loving others, one needs to be able to love the community they live in. Even if every society has its own problems, Morrie proposes that the answer is not about running away but about creating your own culture and embracing your community like your own family. Morrie taught about investing in the human family, in people, by building a community of those you love and those who love you. Showing off to people above you is futile because they will always be looking down on you while showing off to those in the bottom will only cause them to envy you. Status, according to Morrie, gets you nowhere. As the professor once exclaimed, there was nothing wrong with being number two. Who cares?            Other important values during the final days of Morrie were about being compassionate and taking responsibility for each other. He rationalized that the world would be a better place if people had learned these basic lessons in life: regrets, acceptance of death as part of nature, the importance of family, showing emotions, love, and forgiveness. In fact, when Mitch asked Morrie how he wanted to spend his â€Å"last day†on earth, it was neither about being able to experience the exotic nor being a VIP. Surprisingly, it was just about getting in touch with nature, with the people he loved, and enjoying the simple things that truly mattered in life.            Among all the things that Mitch has learned from Morrie during his final days, it is the importance of love that proved very essential for me. Even if one had all the riches in the world, clichà © as it may sound, material satisfaction is never enough. Morrie in his final days, as he was stripped of his independence, had learned to be more alive in giving himself, his ideas, to those who wished to hear him outâ€â€family, meditation teachers, discussion groups, old students, and friends. He had found more meaning in being able to listen to the problems of other people and contributing in whatever way he can to its solution. He had achieved what he had aspired for in life by having his loved ones surround him in death, rather than hearing of praises when he was on the grave. Morrie imparted the basic idea that indeed, death was not the end of a relationship.  Death was just a phenomenon of nature that we had to understand, that life was not about what society dictated. Life was about living in the moment, being happy with the simple things in life. Not running after the next job, or the next big thing. Paycheck was never in Morrie’s equation of living a happy life. A meaningful life was more about being in touch with those you love, and manifesting that love through affection and uninhibited communication.            As life comes to an end, you only cared about the legacy you leave in this world. How far has your influence gone? Have you told people you cared about that you loved them? Do you want to leave with regrets? Seemingly mediocre to many, these are questions that Morrie challenges us with. As we are posed with these questions, Morrie leaves us the inspiration that we ought to deal with life as if we were dancing with it. Dance with all your heart, with all your might, as if nobody’s looking. If Morrie Schwartz only had the chance, he would have danced his life away, until his last step, until his final breath.
Thursday, September 5, 2019
Analysing the Concept of and Impact of Culture
Analysing the Concept of and Impact of Culture More than a half century ago noted American poet T. S. Eliot eloquently expressed the complexity of the term culture, a term that is used so freely and with so little aforethought today. As Eliot learned, culture is quite difficult to define. He succeeded in describing the term, as Lord Evans (2001) noted, but a definition eluded even someone with Eliots gift for words. But Eliot was not alone in wrestling with defining culture; experts in a variety of disciplines have yet to agree on a consensus definition and some even contest the concept of culture itself. As this essay will demonstrate, controversy surrounding the concept of culture can be attributed, to a large degree, to the failure by those who study the topic to adopt a widely-accepted definition that adequately captures the complexity of the term. After presenting the results of a literature review on various definitions of culture and the topic of culture as a contested concept, the focus of the essay turns to the significance of culture in conflict resolution, demonstrating that culture is a critical factor in successfully resolving conflicts and, further, that a consensus definition for culture that reflects the realities of modern society would facilitate the conflict resolution process. Culture Defined Experts may not be able to agree on a definition for culture, but they apparently experience no difficulty in agreeing that culture is a difficult term to define (Edensor 2002; Hall 1980, cited in Park 2005). Susan Wright (1998) reports the existence of at least 164 definitions for culture. Noted sociologist and anthropologist Clyde Kluckhohn (1949) defined culture eleven different ways in his book Mirror for Man, and he and his colleagues (1952) catalogued more than 160 definitions for culture into six categories – descriptive, historical, normative, psychological, generic, and incomplete. Raymond Williams writes that, in the term culture, history has bestowed â€Å"one of the two or three most complicated words in the English language†, adding that culture can be used to refer to a wide range of phenomena and that the concept of culture has produced major political and philosophical disagreement (Williams 1983, cited in Chay 1990). Kluckhohn (1954) developed one of the most often cited definitions for culture in writing that it â€Å"consists in patterned ways of thinking, feeling and reacting, acquired and transmitted mainly by symbols, constituting the distinctive achievements of human groups, including their embodiments in artifacts†. Culture has also been defined as â€Å"that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, law, morals, custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society†(Tylor 1871, cited in Kluckhohn 1952); â€Å"the human-made part of the environment†(Herskovits 1955, cited in Earley and Randal 1997); â€Å"shared meaning systems†(Shweder and LeVine 1984, cited in Earley and Randal 1997); â€Å"the sum total and organization of the social heritages which have acquired a social meaning because of racial temperament and of the historical life of the group†(Park and Burgess 1921, cited in Kluckhohn 1952); â€Å"th e mode of life followed by the community or the tribe [including] all standardized social procedures†(Wissler 1929, cited in Kluckhohn 1952); â€Å"the sum of mens adjustments to their life-conditions†¦attained only through the combined action of variation, selection, and transmission†(Sumner and Keller 1927, cited in Kluckhohn 1952); and â€Å"a product of human association†(Groves 1928, cited in Kluckhohn 1952). In the aggregate, the various definitions just presented express the theme of shared meanings acquired then passed from generation to generation. They also describe culture at group and societal levels. Other experts describe the term from the perspective of the individual or otherwise provide for differences in cultural attributes within a group or society. Hofstede (1980, cited in Earley and Randel 1997) defines culture as â€Å"a set of mental programs that control an individuals responses in a given context†. Park (2005) describes culture as a â€Å"marker for difference†in society. And Rohner (1984, cited in Earley and Randel 1997) defines the term as â€Å"the totality of equivalent and complementary learned meanings maintained by a human population, or by identifiable segments of a population, and transmitted from one generation to the next†. The phrase â€Å"equivalent and complementary learned meanings†is critical to an understanding of Rohners definition, according to Earley and Randel, because it provides for individual variances in interpretations of â€Å"learned meanings†within a culture. Although these definitions represent only a small portion of those revealed from a review of the literature, they provide some insight into the range of thought on the topic of culture, especially perspectives on assessing culture at various levels – societal, group, and individual. As will be suggested, the difficulty experts have experienced in defining culture helps to explain why culture is a contested concept and why a solution to the definitional problem is important to resolving the debate about the role of culture in conflict resolution and, ultimately, to facilitating the conflict resolution process. Culture as a Contested Concept Fantasia and Hirsch (1995, cited in Ellis and Thompson, 1997) write, with a hint of sarcasm, that cultural theorists can take pride in their creation of a â€Å"contested terrain†in the study of culture. The literature review indicated that most experts who contest the concept of culture base their disputes on the belief that, in the modern world, there is no all-embracing culture in which everyone in a given society blindly holds precisely the same shared meanings, which is suggested by most traditional definitions of culture. The concept of culture has long been contested (Cooper and Denner 1998; Mathews 2000). Bhabha (1993) writes that, as people have increasingly migrated to other lands in modern times, they have only taken part of their total culture with them. The culture of these migrants becomes a mixture of the cultures from their native societies and those found in the society in which they entered. Heath (1997) writes that experts no longer consider culture to be a viable concept â€Å"in a world of volatile, situated, and overlapping social identities†, contending that various disciplines have taken issue with culture as a concept for various reasons. She writes that educators protest the concept on the basis of â€Å"its transmission of connotations of objectivity, discreteness, essentialism, and ahistoricism†; sociologists challenge the concept on the grounds of â€Å"production, mass consumerism, and popular entertainment†; and experts from the human sciences contest the â€Å"totalizing universalizing perspectives†of culture, replacing these â€Å"arbitrary constructions†with â€Å"permeable membranes†that are not â€Å"predictable or deterministic†. Heath (1997) also points to the â€Å"fuzzy boundaries†of culture, arguing that specific cultures are hard to isolate and claiming that variations are becoming apparent within groups that have been traditionally viewed as possessing unique cultures. Edensor (2002) writes that popular culture is having a major cross-cultural effect on traditional cultures. Childs and Storry (1999) claim that cultures are changing so quickly that â€Å"a snapshot of current cultural practices is inevitably going to be blurred†. Mathews (2000), in noting that even anthropologists are increasingly avoiding the term culture, poses the question as to whether â€Å"in todays world of global flows and interactions†cultural â€Å"labels†are appropriate and claims tha t individuals personally select which elements of a given culture to apply in their behavioural decisions. Brightman (1995, cited in Mathews 2000) notes that some experts are enclosing culture in quotation marks to indicate their â€Å"ambivalence, self-consciousness or censure†about the term. In closing, perhaps Earley and Randel (1997) offer the one of the more revealing insights into the controversy over the term culture: â€Å"We suggest that while the romance of culture as a grand concept capturing the complexity of society and life is tempting, this conceptualization is both limiting and misleading†. The Significance of Culture in Conflict Resolution Conflict resolution and culture are intrinsically intertwined. Rubin and colleagues (1994, cited in Bjà ¶rkqvist and Fry 1997) define conflict as â€Å"perceived divergence of interest, or a belief that parties current aspirations cannot be achieved simultaneously†. Hopmann (1998) contends that, in a complex world, conflict is unavoidable. Conflict is an inevitable consequence of the interdependence inherent in human interaction (Bjà ¶rkqvist and Fry 1997). Processes used to resolve conflicts must be considered within a larger cultural context (Just 1991). Conflicts are cultural events in every sense of the word, according to Lederach (1991). Bjà ¶rkqvist and Fry (1997) write that â€Å"conflict resolution is a cultural phenomenon†. Avruch (1991) refers to conflicts and conflict resolution approaches as â€Å"cultural events†. Various studies have confirmed that conflict resolution processes are culture-specific (Avruch and Black 1991; Avurch, Black and Scimec ca 1991, cited in Bjà ¶rkqvist and Fry 1997). Ross (1993, cited in Bjà ¶rkqvist and Fry 1997) originated the term culture of conflict to describe the norms and institutions that a society applies in conflicts. Beliefs, attitudes, and patterns of behaviours about conflict are internalised by people in their cultural settings and, in turn, strengthened by cultural norms and institutions. And, because conflict is a cultural phenomenon, the methods used to perceive and respond to conflict are typically transparent to those involved because these methods are based on assumptions that they do not question. (Bjà ¶rkqvist and Fry 1997) Bjà ¶rkqvist and Fry (1997) urge caution in applying conflict resolution approaches across cultural lines. For instance, they recommend that generic manuals prescribing conflict resolution procedures to be used in all cultural settings should be avoided (Avruch 1991). People involved in conflict resolution should be flexible and sensitive to cultural differences, according to Lederach (1991, cited in Bjà ¶rkqvist) and Benvenisti (1986, cited in Avruch 1991). Benvenisti chastises conflict resolvers â€Å"who believe that communal conflicts are like a chessboard where one can think up the best arrangement of chess pieces and move them all at once†. Cultures vary in the mechanisms they use in resolving conflict with some applying formal mechanisms such as court systems and others using informal approaches such as gossip, teasing, and exclusion (Black 1993; Fry 1992, 1994; Hollan 1988; White 1991, cited in Bjà ¶rkqvist and Fry 1997). Versi (2002) suggests that â€Å"if you know where the other person is coming from culturally†, you can develop a more effective approach to resolving conflict. Rubin (1994, cited in Bjà ¶rkqvist and Fry 1997), articulates four generic strategies used in conflict resolution: (1) contending, which involves a high level of concern for ones own results and a low level of concern for the others results; (2) problem solving, which involves high levels of concern for ones own results and those of the other party; (3) yielding, which involves a low level of concern for ones own results and a high level of concern for the others results; and (4) avoiding, which involves low levels of concern for ones own results and those of the other party. Of these, the authors argue that problem solving is the most effective strategy because it permits both contenders to win. Fortunately, the problem solving strategy is effective across a broad spectrum of cultures. In problem solving, the use of a non-partisan third-party facilitator has also been found to be effective across cultures (Black 1993, cited in Bjà ¶rkqvist and Fry 1997). The Culture Definition Dilemma and Its Effects on Optimal Conflict Resolution Outcomes The debate about culture, specifically the controversy surrounding the validity of culture as a concept, is important to the field of conflict resolution because cultural factors are so inexorably linked to conflicts and their effective resolutions. Results of the literature review of definitions for the term culture and the review of literature on culture as a contested concept suggest that definitions describing culture as a group or societal phenomenon without allowing for variance within the group or society may be at the root of the cultural concept validity dispute. As Bhabha (1993), Childs and Storry (1999), Edensor (2002), Heath (1997), and Mathews (2000) proffer, modern societies are increasingly integrating and, as this occurs, their members are mixing their unique cultural attributes with one another thereby blurring the distinctions that once defined individual cultures. But does this mean that the concept of culture is invalid? The answer to that question lies in the definitions of culture that allow for individual variance in cultural attributes. For instance, the definition offered by Rohner (1984, cited in Earley and Randel 1997), who defines the term as â€Å"the totality of equivalent and complementary learned meanings maintained by a human population, or by identifiable segments of a population, and transmitted from one generation to the next†, provides for individual variances in interpretations of â€Å"learned meanings†within a culture. This definition seems offer the flexibility to adequately define culture within the context of modern intermingled societies, thus revalidating the concept of culture. How, then, would a definition for culture that provides for individual variance relate to conflict resolution? Although a definition that considers everyone within a particular culture to share precisely the same cultural attributes would help to make conflict resolution a much more predictable process, such a definition does not reflect the realities of modern societies. However, knowing that members of a culture share â€Å"equivalent and complementary learned meanings†, as proposed by Rohner, permits a certain degree of predictability whilst simultaneously providing needed flexibility to accommodate individual variance. There may even be an additional benefit in this condition for practitioners in conflict resolution. Individual variance may actually serve to weaken strong cultural barriers that have, in the past, obstructed successful conflict resolution. For instance, as cultures integrate more fully, their members typically become more understanding of each others cultur al attributes. This understanding should provide an enhanced common basis for resolving conflicts and may even reduce the incidence of conflicts themselves. Conclusion In the modern global village, as opportunities increase for people and their cultures to interact, the need for effective conflict resolution has never been more critical or more difficult, yet experts in a variety of disciplines are engaged in seemingly endless philosophical arguments about the validity of culture as a concept, diverting their energies from what seem to be more productive endeavours such as developing new techniques for conflict resolution that could lead to a more peaceful world. Adopting a more flexible definition for culture – one that recognises individual variances and the realities of the modern world – would be a first step in achieving this worthy goal. References Avruch, K. (1991) Introduction: Culture and conflict-resolution, in K. Avruch, P. W. Black, and J. A. Scimecca, eds., Conflict Resolution: Cross Cultural Perspectives, Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood. Avruch, K., and Black, P. W. (1991) The culture question and conflict resolution, Peace and Change 16. Cited in Bjà ¶rkqvist and Fry (1997). Avruch, K., Black, P. W., and Scimecca, J. A., (1991) Conflict Resolution: Cross-Cultural Perspectives, Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press. Cited in Bjà ¶rkqvist and Fry (1997). Benvenisti, Meron (1986) Conflicts and Contradictions, New York: Villard Books/Random House. Cited in Avruch (1991). Bhabha, Homi K. (1993) Cultures in between, Artforum International 32:1, September 1993. Bjà ¶rkqvist, Kaj, and Fry, Douglas P. (1997) Cultural Variation in Conflict Resolution: Alternatives to Violence, Mahwah, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Black, D. (1993) The Social Structure of Right and Wrong, San Diego, California: Academic Press. Cited in Bjà ¶rkqvist and Fry (1997). Brightman, R. (1995) Forget culture: Replacement, transcendence, relexification, Cultural Anthropology 10:4. Cited in Mathews (2000). Chay, Jongsuk (1990) Culture and International Relations, New York: Praeger. Childs, Peter, and Storry, Mike (1999) Encyclopedia of Contemporary British Culture, London: Routledge. Cooper, Catherine R., and Denner, Jill (1998) Theories linking culture and psychology: Universal and community-specific processes, Annual Review of Psychology 49. Earley, P. Christopher, and Randel, Amy E. (1997) Culture without borders: An individual-level approach to cross-cultural research in organizational behavior, in Cary L. Cooper and Susan E. Jackson, eds., Creating Tomorrows Organizations: A Handbook for Future Research in Organizational Behavior, Chichester: John Wiley Sons. Edensor, Tim (2002) National Identity, Popular Culture and Everyday Life, Oxford: Berg. Eliot, T. S. (1949) Notes Towards the Definition of Culture, New York: Harcourt Brace and Company, 62. Ellis, Richard J., and Thompson, Michael (1997) Culture Matters: Essays in Honor of Aaron Wildavsky, Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press. Evans, Lord (2001) The economy of the imagination, New Statesman 130:4544, July 2, 2001. Fantasia, Rick, and Hirsch, Eric L. (1995), Culture and rebellion: the appropriation and transformation of the veil in the Algerian Revolution, in Hank Johnston and Bert Klandermans, eds., Social Movements and Culture, Minneapolis, Minnesota: University of Minnesota Press. Cited in Ellis and Thompson (1997). Fry, D. P. (1992) Female aggression among the Zapotec of Oaxaca, Mexico, in K. Bjà ¶rkqvist and P. Niemelà ¤, eds., Of Mice and Women: Aspects of Female Aggression, San Diego, California: Academic Press. Cited in Bjà ¶rkqvist and Fry (1997). Fry, D. P. (1994) Maintaining social tranquillity: Internal and external loci of aggression control, in L. E. Sponsel and T. Gregor, eds., The Anthropology of Peace and Nonviolence, Boulder, Colorado: Lynne Rienner. Cited in Bjà ¶rkqvist and Fry (1997). Groves, E. R. (1928) An Introduction to Sociology, New York. Cited in Kluckhohn (1952). Hall, S. (1980) Cultural studies: Two paradigms, in F. E. N. B. Dirk and S. B. Ortner, eds., A Reader in Contemporary Social Theory, Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press. Cited in Park (2005). Heath, Shirley Brice (1997) Culture: Contested realm in research on children and youth, Personality and Social Psychology Review 1:3. Herskovits, M. J. (1955) Cultural Anthropology, New York: Knopf. Cited in Earley and Randel (1997). Hofstede, G. (1980) Cultures Consequences: International Differences in Work-Related Values, Newbury Park, California: Sage. Cited in Earley and Randel (1997). Hollan, D. (1988) Staying cool in Toraja: Informal strategies for the management of anger and hostility in a non-violent society, Ethos 16. Cited in Bjà ¶rkqvist and Fry (1997). Hopmann, Terrence (1998) The Negotiation Process and the Resolution of International Conflicts, Columbia, South Carolina: Columbia South Carolina Press. Just, Peter (1991) Conflict resolution and moral community among the Dou Donggo, in Kevin Avruch, Peter W. Black, and Joseph A. Scimecca, eds., Conflict Resolution: Cross-Cultural Perspectives, Westport, Connecticut: Praeger. Kluckhohn, C. (1949) Mirror for Man, New York: Wittlesey House. Kluckhohn, Clyde (1954) Culture and Behavior, New York: Free Press. Kluckhohn, Clyde et al. (1952) Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions, Cambridge, Massachusetts: Peabody Museum. Lederach, John Paul (1991) Of nets, nails, and problems: The folk language of conflict resolution in a Central American settting, in Kevin Avruch, Peter W. Black, and Joseph A. Scimecca, eds., Conflict Resolution: Cross-Cultural Perspectives, Westport, Connecticut: Praeger. Mathews, Gordon (2000) Searching for Home in the Cultural Supermarket, London: Routledge. Park, R. E., and Burgess, E. W. (1921) Introduction to the Science of Sociology, Chicago. Cited in Kluckhohn (1952). Park, Yoosun (2005) Culture as deficit: A critical discourse analysis of the concept of culture in contemporary social work discourse, Journal of Sociology Social Work 32:3. Rohner, R. R. (1984) Toward a conception of culture for cross-cultural psychology, Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology 15:2. Cited in Earley and Randel (1997). Ross, M. H. (1993) The Management of Conflict, New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University Press. Cited in Bjà ¶rkqvist and Fry (1997). Rubin, J. Z., Pruitt, D. G., and Kim, S. H. (1994) Social Conflict: Escalation, Stalemate and Settlement, New York: McGraw-Hill. Cited in Bjà ¶rkqvist and Fry (1997). Shweder, R. A. and LeVine, R. A. (1984) Culture Theory: Essays on Mind, Self, and Emotion, New York: Cambridge University Press. Cited in Earley and Randel (1997). Sumner, W. G., and Keller, A. G. (1927) The Science of Society, New Haven, Connecticut. Cited in Kluckhohn (1952). Tylor, E. B. (1871) Primitive Culture, Boston. Cited in Kluckhohn (1952). Versi, Anver (2002) Coping with culture clash, African Business, May 2002. White, G. M. (1991) Rhetoric, reality, and resolving conflicts: Disentangling in a Solomon Islands society, in K. Avruch, P. W. Black, and J. A. Schimecca, eds., Conflict Resolution: Cross-Cultural Perspectives, Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood. Cited in Bjà ¶rkqvist and Fry (1997). Wissler, C. (1929) An Introduction to Social Anthropology, New York. Cited in Kluckhohn (1952). Williams, Raymond (1983) Keywords, London: Fontana. Cited in Chay (1990). Wright, Susan (1998) The politicization of culture, Anthropology Today 14:1.
Wednesday, September 4, 2019
Is Cloning Really Worth It? :: essays research papers
Cloning: Is it Really Worth It?      There is much controversy over the issue of cloning. Is it really worth it? Scientists say yes, but I think not. There are a lot of questions to be answered before we continue the process of cloning such as the animals’ safety, humans feelings, and the costs, both financially and emotionally.      First of all, we must think of the poor, defenseless animals scientists are experimenting with. It is one thing to kill them for survival, but it is totally wrong for them to die just to â€Å"experiment†. That is just as wrong as murdering an animal to make a few coats. Out of the many animals that the scientists have tried to clone, very few have survived and the ones that have are dependent on the scientists for everything down to oxygen.      Let’s think about humans for a second. Say your son, daughter, relative, or friend has passed away. Would you want his or her body cloned? A lot of people might say yes but I give that a huge no. Even though the body of the loved one you lost is there, there is no way to really have them back. A clone is just another person that looks like them. A person’s character is built by experiences he went through and people he has met. I think many people would be disappointed at the fact that it’s just not the same person.      Another thing to think about is money. The taxpayers are paying out millions of dollars on this idea that has no guarantee. What about the taxpayers who oppose cloning? I know I do not want my hard earned money invested against my will into something that I feel is wrong and unjust.      I think that people should be informed on all of the negatives as well as the Is Cloning Really Worth It? :: essays research papers Cloning: Is it Really Worth It?      There is much controversy over the issue of cloning. Is it really worth it? Scientists say yes, but I think not. There are a lot of questions to be answered before we continue the process of cloning such as the animals’ safety, humans feelings, and the costs, both financially and emotionally.      First of all, we must think of the poor, defenseless animals scientists are experimenting with. It is one thing to kill them for survival, but it is totally wrong for them to die just to â€Å"experiment†. That is just as wrong as murdering an animal to make a few coats. Out of the many animals that the scientists have tried to clone, very few have survived and the ones that have are dependent on the scientists for everything down to oxygen.      Let’s think about humans for a second. Say your son, daughter, relative, or friend has passed away. Would you want his or her body cloned? A lot of people might say yes but I give that a huge no. Even though the body of the loved one you lost is there, there is no way to really have them back. A clone is just another person that looks like them. A person’s character is built by experiences he went through and people he has met. I think many people would be disappointed at the fact that it’s just not the same person.      Another thing to think about is money. The taxpayers are paying out millions of dollars on this idea that has no guarantee. What about the taxpayers who oppose cloning? I know I do not want my hard earned money invested against my will into something that I feel is wrong and unjust.      I think that people should be informed on all of the negatives as well as the
Tuesday, September 3, 2019
Malcolm X Essay -- essays research papers fc
Malcolm X No one really knows what kind of impact Malcolm X would have had on history if he had not been assassinated. His beliefs and philosophy did gain him a place in history as one of the best-known Black Nationalist Leaders. Everyone seems to have known who Malcolm X was, and he ranks high with all other Black leaders. His ideas were radical and he was very out spoken. He was a major force in the development of black history. He fought not only for his people but also for all oppressed people everywhere. He was well spoken and he laid the groundwork for the black power movement of the late l960’s. Malcolm X was born on May 19, l925 to Rev. Earl and Louise Little in Omaha, Nebraska. Malcolm Little developed his own ideas and philosophies because of the many events that took place in his life. These events mostly tragic, created the path that Malcolm would travel. His father was his main influence. He was a Baptist minister who believed in freedom and equal rights for black people. He wanted a black nation in America and went underground with secret meetings to further these ideas. Sadly, when Malcolm was six years old, his father was murdered. After the murder his mother was institutionalized and all of the children went to live with neighbors. Malcolm decided to go on with his life an attended a white school. However, he soon realized that he was still treated unequally with whites because he was black. After leaving school Malcolm eventually went to live with his sis...
Monday, September 2, 2019
Enlightenment through Reading Great Literature Essay -- Literature Ess
Enlightenment through Reading Great Literature Great literature has created controversy, enlightenment, and has perpetually stimulated the imagination of readers everywhere. The ability to learn from past experience that crosses religions, races, and times helps separate the great literature from the "chaff." A good, entertaining story is not enough to produce a truly great and enduring work. Great literature is characterized by its ability to retain value in truth and entertainment even though changing culture. The influence of great literature has been a legacy of the human race for 1000's of years. Arguably the most influential of books is the Bible. It has been a top seller for almost all of eternity. However, it certainly isn't only the great stories or excitement and adventure that keeps people coming back to great literature. As with the Bible, it's the ability to pick up a book and learn a lesson that may have taken someone their entire lifetime to learn and apply it to your life. This ability to gain insight into the problems and past debates of morality...
Sunday, September 1, 2019
Knowledge Questions for Unit Hsc Essay
As a candidate, make sure you describe and explain your actions. | | | | | | | |Knowledge Questions for Unit HSC 44 | | | | | | | |5 | | | |Who draws up the Code of Practice for Social Care? | | |The General Social Care Council. | | | | | | | |6e | | | |Outline features of systems used in Lincolnshire in respect of confidential reporting of issues of concern. | | | |The council has its own policy which helps to inform on bad practice, difficulties between staff members and complaints ect. This is| | | |the ‘whistle blowing’ policy and it was designed in order to protect those wishing to make a complaint and to avoid such things as | | | |victimization. Although anonymous, complaints are still dealt with the same seriousness as named complaints although it is preferred| | | |that applicants with complaints should not be anonymous. | | | | | | | | | | |7 | | | |When the Children’s act 2004 was published it contained some major changes for the way in which services were to be delivered. Take | | | |one and explain in your own words the advantages this brings for the wellbeing of children and their families. | | | |The Childrens Act 2004 brought about many changes and most significant was the Every Child Matters campaign that runs along side the| | | |2004 act. For the Act itself the main change that helps in the work that I do is the implementation of the CAF. This works in line | | | |with the need for inter-agency working. I think this is one on the most crucial changes of the Act, and as the Victoria Climbie | | | |inquiry showed many agencies were involved with the case and through lack of communication, information sharing and joint working | | | |Victoria Climbie died at the hands of her aunt. One of the many advantages is local authorities drive for inter-agency working. | | |Through this many agencies are trying to change their way of working and with the help of the CAF more agencies are invited to the | | | |first meeting when a child has been shown to have additional needs. On the whole the process is proving to be more focussed on the | | | |child and family and this reduces any stigma for the families as in the past most cases where always referred to social workers. | | |Families and children are now seen more often and social workers can now focus on the more complex and child protection cases. | | | |Through inter-agency wo rking families and children are given the help that meets their needs and reduces the need for long term | | | |involvement. | | | | | | | | | | |8a | | | |Outline the features of the Dfes initiative â€Å"Building a Culture of Participation†| | | |This initiative is led by the government in their commitment to allow children to have a say in how policies affect them and to | | | |contribute to how a service is delivered. By listening to children and young people it ensures that policies and services are | | | |designed around their needs. This leads to better outcomes for children, young people and families. It also allows for policies to | | | |be effectively evaluated and evolve as necessary. | | | | | | | | | | | |9a | | | |Outline the Common Assessment Framework. Explain why this Government initiative has been introduced and its purpose. | | | |The CAF was implemented in 2006 in order to have a universal assessment form that could be used by all agencies and professionals. | | | |This was in line with some of Lord Laming’s recommendations after the Victoria Climbie enquiry. As a universal document it reduces | | | |the need for repetitive assessments and focuses more on the child and family and multi agency working. The CAF process can start at | | | |any time once it has been identified that a child has an additional need. Once agreed all information is shared between the agencies| | | |involved again reducing the chance of a child ‘falling through the system’. As the CAF is aimed at early intervention some one such | | | |as a school teacher can be the lead professional allowing more serious cases to be dealt with by social workers. As children can | | | |often have what was once deemed as minor issues and not warrant the classification as a child in need, through the CAF they are | | | |classed as having additional needs which allows professionals to work with the child and family. Once a child that has been | | | |highlighted as a CAF they can move in and out of the system as identified issues arise. | | | | | | | | | | |9bc | | | |Summarise the targets of the combined health and education initiative â€Å"Healthy schools†. | | | |The national healthy schools programme promotes a whole school approach to health. The programme is a joint initiative between the | | | |department of health and the department for children, schools and families. It aims to deliver benefits for children on improvement | | | |in health, raise pupil achievement, more social inclusion and a closer working between health promotion providers and education | | | |establishments. | | | |The public health white paper choosing health (2004) set a challenging target for 75% of schools to achieve healthy school status by| | | |2009 and for all schools to work towards this target. Through a planned curriculum schools can promote learning and healthy | | | |lifestyle choices. The four core themes within the programme are: | | | |Healthy eating | | | |Physical activity | | | |PSHE | | | |Emotional health and well-being. | | | | | | | | | | | | | |12 | | | |How does the Joint Annual Review shape the way in which Children’s Services are delivered locally. You may wish to discuss | | | |Lincolnshire’s last JAR and comment on how the recent Service restructuring has been a result of this. | | | |The Children’s Act requires joint area reviews to be conducted in each children’s services authority area. The multi-disciplinary | | | |team of inspectors review all services provided to children and young people aged 0 – 19. There are around 42 key judgements which | | | |relate directly to the five outcomes highlighted in the every child matters framework. Through the Lincolnshire JAR report published| | | |in March 2007 it was proved that there was a need for better facilities for all children aged 0 – 19. There are now plans to develop| | | |a further 23 children’s centres by 2008. Through this service restructuring the aim is to shift the balance of services from | | | |interventionist to a preventative approach. The strengthening families will work with partner agencies to deliver the five outcomes | | | |for the every child matters. This is where children’s services as a targeted service interface as part of a universal service. | | | | | | | | | | |16e | | | |Identify the risks to effective working caused by stresses on the work force and recommend what action can be taken. | | | |When work becomes too stressful for an individual it can cause a knock on effect throughout the staff team and the cases in which | | | |the individual is working on. The individual can start to have more days off sick which could cause other staff members to add to | | | |their workload in taking on those individuals cases. Stress can also cause the individual to lose direction and focus in the cases | | | |they work on and this can result in a reduced quality of service for those particular families. | | | |Stress in the work place can be identified early and then reduced by regular supervision. Supervision gives the individual a chance | | | |to discuss their cases and anything that might be causing them to feel stressed. Supervisors are then able to help supervisee’s in | | | |managing there stress before it gets to the point where it affects all that they do. Staff meetings are another opportunity to get | | | |together on a regular basis with other team members as it’s a chance for everyone to discuss their working role as well as any | | | |difficult cases they may have. This gives a chance for positive reinforcement by the manager on the work that is being done and also| | | |a chance to ‘brainstorm’ ideas that might help with the work. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |17 | | | |Explain in a short paragraph how the Social Model of disability affects children and their families which you work. | | |The social model of disability says that people are disabled not by their impairment, but by society that does not take account of | | | |their needs and prevents them from having full access to society due to physical, communication and social barriers. A large | | | |majority of the families that I work with fall into the category of being disabled by society. Those families that are most | | | |disadvantaged are those living in poverty. Families face multiple stresses which can affect a child’s needs. If a parent struggles | | | |to provide an adequate environment for a child this will impact on the child’s developments and the parent’s capacity to care for | | | |the child. | | |CHILD A | | | |CHILD B | | | | | | | |No dependence on social security benefits | | | |Household receives multiple enefits | | | | | | | |Two parent family | | | |Single adult household | | | | | | | |Three or fewer children | | | |Four or more children | | | | | | | |White | | | |Mixed ethnic origin | | | | | | | |Owner occupied home | | | |Council or privately rented home | | | | | | | |More room than people | | | |One or more persons per room | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |18a/b | | | |See 8a above. | | | | | | | |18d | | | |Using Lincolnshire County Councils Competency framework, explain how you would assist a member of your team to develop skills in | | | |risk management with regards to child protection. You need to be specific to an individual competency. | | |Using competency number 8 –Analysis and Judgement. I would be able to assist the member of staff in the above question. As part | | | |of the competency it requires the individual to look closely at the work they do and how it could be improved. Part of this is | | | |through having a broad range of information about an issue. In this particular instance it would be child protection. This could be | | | |done in-house through regular supervision. This can be through asking the individual to research up to date information and then | | | |having a question answer session on the information they have found. This shows that the indivual has done what is requested and | | | |demonstrates that they have an understanding of the subject that they would then be able to take into their work practice. Another | | | |useful development skill would be to assign the individual to a child protection case that was held by a social worker. The indivual| | | |would gain insight into the process of how child protection is identified and then managed. This hands on approach would give valued| | | |knowledge and development without risk to the family involved. | | | |Finally a child protection training course would be beneficial to the individual to again further develop there knowledge of the | | | |subject. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |19 | | | |What impact does placement disruption potentially have on the wellbeing of Children In Public Care. You should relate your answer | | | |the recent Government paper ‘Care Matters’ | | | |Most children who end up in care experience multiple moves. It is standard that three or more moves constitutes as placement | | | |stability. Child development theories say that repeated movements jeopardize the opportunity for children to develop secure | | | |attachments with carers and trusting relationships with adults. Children with behaviour problems, prior instability and the age of | | | |the child at placement have all been found to be important factors in placement instability. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |24 | | | |List 3 types of evidence that would be valid in court. Explain your rational behind each one. | | | |1) Video Evidence- For children 14years and under. Also for children classed as a vulnerable witness. Video evidence reduces the | | | |need for a child to be in court and to be face to face with the perpetrator. | | | |2) Court reports – These are factual based evidence which follow a mandatory guideline for completing. | | | |3) Records – Records are an essential source of evidence for investigations and inquiry’s, and may also be used in court | | | |proceedings. Therefore it is essential that any records on a child are clear and accurate and ensure that there is a documented | | | |account of an agency’s or professional’s involvement with a child and/or a family. | | | | | | | | | | |25 | | | |Provide three examples of recording information that might be deemed discriminatory and explain why, in at least one of these | | | |examples, the discrimination might pass without comment. | | |1) The child is ‘missing’ from the record – This doesn’t mean that the child hasn’t been mentioned at all, but that their wishes and| | | |feelings, their views and understanding of their situation, are not recorded. The absence of a child from the record suggests to the| | | |reader that no work has been done with the child, or that the child has not been involved in any work. | | | |2) Facts and opinions are not differentiated – Failing to differentiate between fact and opinions can result in the significance of | | | |some information being overlooked, or opinions becoming accepted as facts and which could influence the management of the case. If | | | |opinions and judgements are not substantiated in the record it can be difficult to explain how these were made to family members who| | | |access the records especially if the case holder who wrote them is no longer working within the agency. | | | |3) The record is not written for sharing. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |This account must (except in the case of responses to questions) be authenticated by at least one of the following | |Work products seen | | |List | | |Witnessed by |Name |Sign |Expert | |Include on witness list | | |Y/N | |I confirm the authenticity of the |Signature of Candidate | |work above |DATE 31. 03. 08 | |I confirm the judgements claimed |Signature of Assessor |TICK IF OBSERVED | |above |DATE | | â€â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€œ EV 5
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