Wednesday, July 31, 2019

Malaysia-Singapore Relations

MALAYSIA-SINGAPORE RELATIONS UNDER MOHD. NAJIB TUN RAZAK 1: By Rusdi Omar Mas Juliana Mukhtaruddin Senior Lecturer, Department of International Studies, College of Law, Government and International Studies (COLGIS), Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM), Sintok, Malaysia ABSTRACT Malaysia and Singapore enjoy and share a special relationship due to their geographical, historical, familial, cultural, political, economic and strategic features. Their relationship is characterized by interdependence.The competitive world has brought about a close neighborly cooperation between the two nations to build resilience and strength. This article will examine the state of bilateral relations between these two countries under Malaysia's Prime Minister Mohd. Najib, and will analyze the future prospect of Malaysia and Singapore under his era. Under his era, Malaysia has been embarking on a series of initiatives in improving her relationship with Singapore, leaving tensions that took place during Mahathir era.Looking at the history of relations between the two countries, the role of leadership has played important role in the up and down of relationship. Under new generation of leaders in these two countries, we expect that they have new visions and put more efforts to nurture good relations. Personal contacts involving leaders and government officials of both countries still become the bases of relations between these two closed neighbors. The understanding reached by the leaders of the two countries has been and remain the fundamental to preserving long term mutual benefits.Leaders of both countries can play significant roles in overcoming conflicts and finding solutions to the problems that besieged the relations between the two countries. If both countries could maintain the momentum and capitalize the benefits of these initiatives, we foresee 1 This paper will be presenting to the 1st International Conference on International Relations and Development at Thammasat University, B angkok, Thailand, 19-20 May 2011. that both countries will not enter into troubled relationships like the revious periods, but it augurs well for strengthened relationships in the future. INTRODUCTION The aim of this study is to examine the state of bilateral relations between two sovereign countries under Najib. Both countries have experienced a common colonial experience but have failed to achieve a successful unification on gaining independence. Malaysia and Singapore relations are unique and special due to factors such as geography, history, politics, ideology, economy, culture and ethnicity. These factors sometimes have created tensions between both countries.The uniqueness of the relationship is perhaps reflected by the various terms used to describe the state of rivalry between the two countries such as â€Å"Siamese twins†, â€Å"sibling rivalry† or â€Å"family quarrel†, suggesting a complex love-hate relationship that has grown out of a shared common h istory and cultural background, coloured by political differences and, ironically, by economic competition and interdependency. 2 Both countries have emphasized from time to time their economic interdependence and defence indivisibility.Even though they have been characterized by competition in economic and social matters, because of a very high level of economic interdependence as major trading partners, the geographical proximity of the two causeway neighbours have made their economic, security, and prosperity indivisible. 3 Since Singapore’s independence from the Federation of Malaysia in 1965, the bilateral relationship between Singapore and Malaysia has been described as symbiotic and interdependent. However, this mutually beneficial relationship has been marred by a number of problems that threaten this cooperation.In explaining this relationship, the Rusdi Omar, et. al. (2005). Hubungan Malaysia-Singapura Era Mahathir. Sintok: Penerbit Universiti Utara Malaysia. p. 2. 3 K. S. Nathan. (2002). Malaysia-Singapore Relations: Retrospect and Prospect. Contemporary Southeast Asia. 24(2), p. 388. 2 then Singapore First Deputy Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong says: `its relationship with Malaysia was one of its most important and complex foreign relations’. 4 Whereas, the former Malaysian Prime Minister, Tun Dr. Mahathir remarked that: `It’s impossible to be friendly with Singapore because of the neighbouring city states unfriendliness towards Malaysia.Singapore gets into that kind of mood that they reject anything that comes from Malaysia. We try to be as friendly as possible but it’s impossible’. 5 Despite the inherent tensions between Singapore and Malaysia, their inter-connected histories resemble the complex relationship of `inseparable twins’. 6 There are various underlying reasons for this alternating relationship of cordiality and tension between both countries. It proceeds from the assumption that many factors com bine to make the Malaysia-Singapore relationship a special as well as â€Å"a complicated and delicate one†.The period stretching from 1997 to 2002 under Mahathir administration was by far the most stressful in the short history of relations between Singapore and Malaysia, with a number of issues reaching confrontational level and thus rendering them more difficult to resolve. The impasse came to an end when Abdullah Badawi becoming the Prime Minister of Malaysia on 30 October 2003. Since Abdullah Badawi became Prime Minister, there have been enhanced contacts and cooperation between the governments and peoples of the two countries.He is to revive and inject the G-to-G relations between both countries with a heavy dose of sensitivities and sensibilities, which, in turn, has had an immediate spill over effect in the enhancement of the P-to-P relations, which were bereft of the kind of sensitivities and sensibilities that formed the P-to-P relations during the Mahathir era. Dur ing Najib’s era, he does the same things like Abdullah did. He emphasize of G-to-G relations and P-to-P relations for strengthening the bilateral New Straits Times. (2003). May 5. p. 22. Asian Economic News. (2002). 14 October 14. p. 19. 6 Ghazali Shafie. 1990). â€Å"Singapore and Malaysia: Inseparable Twins†, in Trends, Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Straits Times, December 21. 4 5 relations between two countries. Joint venture companies also played a major role in building good relationships between Malaysia and Singapore. 7 The rapprochement between the two countries should also be viewed against the background of changing local and international developments. These include the rise of religious extremism, the spread of international terrorism and the threat of epidemics such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and the avian influenza.These common cross-border problems brought home to the leadership of both countries the necessity and wisdom of maint aining good relations. The move towards greater contacts and cooperation was also dictated by globalization and the rise of China and India as well as the slowdown in the flows of foreign investment to both countries. THE ROLE OF THE LEADERS Leaders as social actors play an important part in determining the direction of conflict. They must play an effective role in overcoming conflict and finding solutions to the problems.If they know their function, they can play their role correctly and contribute to the preservation and stability of peace. 8 The role of the leaders of Malaysia and Singapore are crucial in determining the future relations between the two countries. The failure of diplomacy suggests the failure of the instruments of foreign policy. Patterns, channel and devices of communication must be made readily available to encourage close rapport between leaders of the two countries. The traditional wisdom occurred when once leadership change. It can augur general changes will happen, either for the better or for worse.Although the foreign policy does not change in total, but some how rather there is little substantive change. It could be seen when the transition of leaders taken place in both countries. 7 8 New Straits Times. (2010). May 25. Chandran Jeshurun, et. al. , Op. cit. , p. 11. Singaporean leaders like Mr. Goh Chok Tong and Mr. Lee Hsien Loong are widely perceived as merely continuing Mr. Lee Kuan Yew’s policy and as such there will not be major changes in the direction of Singapore’s foreign policy towards Malaysia. Meanwhile Malaysia’s foreign policy has been redirected to suit the priorities of the current leaders.Tunku Abdul Rahman was understanding and sympathetic towards Singapore. Tun Abdul Razak was more aggressive with Singapore, while, Tun Hussein Onn was just continuing the prevailing policies at the time. The biggest paradigm shift in Malaysia-Singapore relations could be seen during the tenure of Dr. Mahathir. His vision 2020 policy was more challenging to Singapore than other neighbouring countries. The leadership styles of Mahathir and Lee Kuan Yew have been a strong influence in the manner bilateral issues between the two countries.Both leaders were aggressive in dealing with the issues. Both were also influenced by their past experience and the pre and post separation political baggage. Mahathir’s view towards Singapore may have been coloured by his experience as a medical student in Singapore whilst Lee Kuan Yew’s views towards Malaysia were mainly coloured by his involvement in Malaysian politics during the short period Singapore was in the Malaysian Federation and relations with Malaysia during the period immediately after the separation. Nevertheless, after the retirement of Dr.Mahathir in 2003 and under Abdullah Badawi and Najib as Malaysia’s Prime Ministers, it may show a better result of the bilateral relations in future. Malaysia, with Abdullah at the hel m, has set a very different tone at the personal level, which carry over into institutional level. In January 2004, during his first visit to Singapore as Prime Minister of Malaysia, Abdullah spoke of working through all of the outstanding bilateral problems. Under his era, he tries to move forward to improve the relations with Singapore, and then Malaysia has been embarking on a series of initiatives to improve her relationship with Singapore.Similar with Najib’s era, he has been working with his counterpart of Singapore in resolving all the outstanding issues with a win-win situation approach. There were several visits and meetings have been done by both leaders in tackling these issue. As a result, they have finally agreed to settle the KTM land issue in Singapore during their recently meeting in Singapore. 9 So under his leadership, he tries to move forward in improving her relations with Singapore and then Malaysia has made several efforts to improve her relationship wit h Singapore in future.Despite the outstanding issues, the tone of relations has changed for the better in recent time with the rise of new leaders on both sides- Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak in Malaysia and Lee Hsien Loong in Singapore. There is strong political will to improve bilateral relations, especially in bilateral economic relations. INITIATIVES/EFFORTS IN IMPROVING THE BILATERAL RELATIONSHIP Singapore-Malaysia relations are marked by close inter-dependence. Singapore and Malaysia have always shared strong economic and people-to-people linkages.From Singapore's standpoint, the relationship should be based on mutual respect, mutual benefit, and adherence to international law and agreements. Singapore will continue to seek new areas of cooperation to strengthen bilateral relations with Malaysia even further. From Malaysia’s side, the relationship must be on â€Å"win-win† situation approach, which means both countries will get benefit from that relationship. Fr om my point of view, both Malaysia and Singapore know the importance of their relationship towards the development of their respective countries.We can not deny that we are interdependent in terms of economic, security and social aspects. For example, in term of economic aspect, most Malaysians know Singapore is one of the biggest investors in Malaysia and vice versa. There are several initiatives/efforts that will improve the relationship between both countries, such as intensifying official visits (government-to-government relations); developing people-to-people (P-P) contacts; deepening public sector economic links; expanding private sector economic links ; and renewing educational and sporting events. 0 If both countries could maintain the momentum and capitalize the benefits of 9 10 The Malaysian Insider. (2010). September 20. Saw Swee-Hock & K. Kesavapany. Op. cit. 2006. these initiatives, I see that both countries will not enter into troubled relationships like the previous p eriods, but it augurs well for strengthened relationships in the future. The first initiative that will improve the relationship between two countries is to intensify official visits of both countries.Official visits by heads of government, ministers, senior officials and etcetera must be intensified from time to time. Under the current leadership of both countries, many efforts have been taken to overcome these problems, for example, regular meetings that incorporate informal social activities such as annual golf and sports meetings between cabinet members of both countries, and the holding of joint cultural and religious festivals that involve the leaders from both sides of the causeway (e. g. Hari Raya and Chinese New Year celebrations held in Johor).Also, the number increase of visits between two countries at ministerial, senior officials and technical levels. All these efforts are designed to enhance peoples’ relationships so they can withstand the possible turbulence cr eated by political and other friction that might surface from time to time. Thus, it creates the necessary goodwill and positive atmosphere conducive to resolving issues and problems. The visit of Singaporean political leaders to Malaysia to meet their counterparts of Malaysia is a right time and very important event for both countries.May be from this visit, both countries can achieve some approaches in handling and resolving the unsettled issues, although I know it is impossible to settle all their problems which have long roots in history. The current infomal meetings and talks of the leadership of both countries for example is one approach for both countries to design a pathway to resume talks on bilateral issues. Although, I am sceptical that the recent informal meetings would achieve some tangible solutions on outstanding bilateral issues between the two neighbours, the existing meetings show us that both countries are now more open towards each other.Both leaders currently ex press their desire to improve bilateral relations of both countries and seem to have adopted a positive attitude towards each other. If both countries practice the principles of â€Å"win-win† situation, both will achieve outcomes which are mutually beneficial, whether politically, in security matters or in the economic sphere, we think both sides can resolve the outstanding bilateral issues in future. Secondly, both countries must develop people-to people contacts.We should encourage more visits, more tourist arrival from Singapore and Malaysia and vice versa and also explore ways to develop these contacts. Thereby, they will create the necessary goodwill and tolerance among their peoples. In promoting greater P-P contacts, both countries introduced the student exchange programs and the joint overseas youth exchange program and etcetera. These programs were for important for the new generations to know each others and they help to enhance understanding among the younger gene ration in the two countries. Mass media is an important instrument to flow information to the peoples.Mass media from both countries must be professional in flowing information about their people life and no to be emotional in flowing information of their sensitive issues. The information will help people on both sides to keep up with developments in the two countries and foster better understanding and bilateral ties. Thirdly, both countries must expand the public sector economic links. The current leadership in both countries made it a point to send the right signals to the business communities in sector both the private sector and the public sector with governmentlinked companies.Encouraged by the new political and business atmosphere, both of government and private sector have moved quickly in areas such strategic investments, corporate purchases and joint business ventures. From 2004, there was a surge in investment activities led by government-linked companies of both countrie s. The emergence of Temasek Holdings, the embodiment of Singapore Inc. , as a strategic stakeholder in Malaysia's largest listed company could mark a watershed in often-strained relations between the neighbours. It acquired 5 percent of Telekom Malaysia for RM2. billion, its first major direct investment in Malaysia. 11 This was followed by other government-link companies such as GIC Real Estate Pte Ltd bought 100 percent stake in Johore Bahru City Square Mall, it made investments in Sunway Pyramid Mall, Sunway City Berhad, Menara Standard Chartered, RB Land Sdn Bhd and bought 5 percent stake in Gamuda Bhd and Malaysia’s Shell Refining Co. Mapletree Capital Management, 11 â€Å"AMMB in Talks to Buy Out of Fraser Securities†, New Straits Times. (2005). February 2. Aranda Investments and Keppel Energy companies invested in Malaysia.One of the more significant investment flows from Malaysia was the purchase of a stake in Singapore’s Mobile One Ltd in August 2005 by Sun Share Investments Ltd, a joint venture between Khazanah Nasional and Telekom Malaysia. Fourthly, both countries must develop the private sector economic links. The private sector from both countries took advantage made investments in both sides under the current leadership. A lot of Malaysian private companies invest in Singapore and vice versa, such as Sime Darby, MISC, Berjaya Group, CIMB, AMMB Holdings, OSK Holdings, MCL Land, Parkway, United Oversea Land and etcetera.The close ties between the private sectors of both countries are important in globalizing world. The companies from both countries could collaborate and cooperate to tap opportunities arising from deeper economic integration. The leader’s positive stance towards better economic cooperation between the two countries was another reflection of the improving relations between the two neighbours since Abdullah Badawi and Najib took over the leadership of Malaysia government.Fifthly, both countries must take i nitiative in renewing educational and sporting events. First initiative was undertaken by the University of Malaya (UM) and the National University of Singapore (NUS) in introducing the exchange program of students and staffs between them. These joint programs will create a healthy environment in forging close ties among students and staffs of both countries. We must create linking among industry sectors and the institutions such as a unique cooperation between the NUS and KUB Malaysia Berhad.The establishment of joint programs for student exchange program for secondary school of both countries and etcetera. Yet, the traditional sporting activities between officials of the two countries, such as golf, football, tennis, badminton and etcetera need to continue. Under current leadership, the sport activities have play pivotal role inculcate the people’s goodwill. These series of sport activities will renew friendly and build a good relationship among the peoples of both countrie s.The intensity of cooperations in various areas has been made possible by the warming of the relationship between the two countries in recent years. Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia (Malaysian Head of State) during the officials visit to Singapore in 23 January 2006 has said that; â€Å" No doubt, the positive political environment, growing trade figures and investment flows, increasing exchange of visits and strengtherning cooperation in various areas, augur well for the future outlook in our bilateral relations†. 12PROSPECT OF MALAYSIA AND SINGAPORE UNDER NAJIB Currently, it appears that both leaders in Malaysia and Singapore have shown some lights of cooperation and mutual understanding between them in accordance to the principle of prosper thy neighbour or to prosper its neighbours through economic aspects in order to realization their potential. Although having the outstanding issues, both countries will be able to remain friendly and cordial. According to Democratic P eace Theory, this states that democratic countries do not go to war with other democratic countries.According to this theory, democratic countries would refrain from using force against each other, because they are accountable to their citizens. In the context of Malaysia-Singapore relations, both countries do not go to war because they are democratic countries and prefers to resolve the outstanding issues either through diplomacy talks or the third parties involvement. In case of bilateral relations between Malaysia and Singapore, although these two states do not implement complete aspects of liberal democracy such as full freedom of speech and freedom to form organizations, they also do not use military force to settle their problems.They use dialogs and other peaceful measures to negotiate their bilateral 12 Ibid. , p. 20. issues. Therefore, despite the many bilateral issues that have surfaced in the course of Malaysia and Singapore relations, armed conflict is very unlikely to b e a possibility, and certainly not when both countries are practising democratic forms of governance. Given this situation, we need to search for additional factors to explain the no war situation between Malaysia and Singapore. As in many newly independent countries, the role of leadership is one factor that can bring a country to be a war-prone or peace-prone state.The new regimes of leadership will play important roles in fostering the relationship of both countries in relation to democratic peacekeeping. If Malaysia and Singapore did become engaged in a full scale war, we would have to discount the popular argument that democracies are not likely to go into war against each other, given the fact that both Malaysia and Singapore are governed on democratic principles. It may be argued that the apparent flaws in their brands of democratic system of government would be given as the reasons.However, both governments are led by rational and pragmatic leaders who understand the extent of the negative consequences of war to both countries, and therefore this worst-case situation is not possible. In connection with improving Malaysia-Singapore relationship, economic interdependence is very significant for both countries in terms of their development process. With the importance of Singapore as a centre of commerce for most of Southeast Asia region, and in particular Malaysia, has much to gain in terms of trade and commerce.Similarly, Singapore, because of its own lack economic resources, will look towards Malaysia for its economic needs, such as investment in Malaysia, water and labour supplies etcetera. Such economic interdependence has long been recognized as important by both states as being important, and is arguably a reason that trade and investment between them remained substantial for several decades. The volume of bilateral trade between them has increased remarkably over the years. As it stands today, Singapore and Malaysia have somewhat established thems elves as largest trading partners in ASEAN.In future, we foresee that bilateral relations between two sovereign countries will augur well and confident it will be built a better future for the two neighbours in resolving other issues for the sake of their people based on the above-mentioned facts. CONCLUSION The intensity of cooperation in various areas has been made possible by the warming of the relationship between the two countries in recent year. There is some concern about the enormous scope and advantage of working together for mutual benefits even as they compete where they must and collaborate where they can.Nevertheless, as with any two neighbours, the prospect of downturns in bilateral relations, arising often unforeseen circumstances, cannot and should not precluded. It is in the interest of both nations and their peoples to guard against such downturns by careful management of the relationship, and this has certainly been made easier by the goodwill and cooperative spir it engendered under Najib. In fact, one of Najib’s achievements in the area of international relations is the much-improved bilateral ties between the two close neighbours.In conclusion, Malaysia and Singapore enjoy and share a special relationship, due to their historical and cultural linkages, and their geographical proximity. The current challenging world has brought about a close neighbourly co-operation between the two nations to build resilience and strength. Both Malaysia and Singapore, are acutely aware of the mutual importance of each other, and continually look for ways and means to improve relations between the two countries. It should however be implemented based on the principles that would lead to a â€Å"win-win† situation, and adhering to the rules of International Law.Singapore’s well being is important to Malaysia as Singapore is one of its largest trading partners. The establishment of good relations with Singapore is therefore economically vi tal to Malaysia. The win-win situation can only be achieved if both parties are willing to accept the fact that the key to solving the outstanding bilteral issues is their willingness to compromise. Malaysia would argue that this is something that has been commonly practiced by Malaysia and therefore an act that is not difficult to get into. Singapore on the other hand is beginning to realize its economic and social vulnerability.It is aware of the importance of regional goodwill and cooperation in combatting issues such as the outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and the avian influenza, terrorism and religious extremism issues etcetera. The realisation by both nations that compromise is the key to better relations could eventually lead to its adoption and therefore better relations. Despite the differences in the approaches taken by both countries in resolving their bilateral issues, it is obvious that Malaysia and Singapore are mutually dependant on each other.Loo king at the history of relations between the two countries, the role of leadership has played important role in the up and down of relationship. Under new generation of leaders in these two countries, we expect that they have new visions and put more efforts to nurture good relations. Personal contacts involving leaders and government officials of both countries still become the bases of relations between these two closed neighbours. The understanding reached by the leaders of the two countries has been and remain the fundamental to preserving long term mutual benefits.Leaders of both countries can play significant roles in overcoming conflicts and finding solutions to the problems that besieged the relations between the two countries. Future direction in the relations should be focused on developing more cordial and tactful relations. Instead of competing, there is always the possibility of entering a smart partnership venture in a fast developing regional economy. This would defin itely create a win-win situation for both countries instead of perpetual conflict. Under Najib Tun Razak the current Malaysian Prime Minister, there are signs of better bilateral relation in the future.With several good initiatives has been done by both countries leaders in resolving some legacy issues between them, such as Malaysia-Singapore Points of Agreement of 1990 (POA), over the issue of the future of railway land owned by the Malaysian government through Malayan Railways (Keretapi Tanah Melayu or KTM) in Singapore. I foresee that bilateral relations between two sovereign countries will augur well in the future and confident it will be built a better future for the two neighbours in resolving other issues for the sake of their people. REFERENCES Chandran Jeshurun, et. l. (January-March 2003). Malaysia-Singapore Relations: A Case Study of Conflict-prone Bilateral Ties. The Southeast Asia Conflict Studies Network Bulletin. p. 8. Chang Li Lin. (2003). Singapore’s Troubled Relations with Malaysia: A Singapore Perspective. Southeast Asian Affairs. p. 259-274. Ganesan, N. (1999). Bilateral Tension in Post-Cold War ASEAN. Pacific Strategic Papers. Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS). Lee Poh Onn. (2003). The Water Issue Between Singapore and Malaysia: No Solution in Sight. ISEAS Working Papers on Economics and Finance No. . Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. Kyodo News. 2005. Singapore and Malaysia resolve land reclamation dispute. April 26. http://www. channelnewsasia. com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/144527/1/. htm l Nathan, K. S. (August 2002). Malaysia-Singapore Relations: Retrospect and Prospect. Contemporary Southeast Asia. 24(2), p. 401. New Straits Times. (2010). May 25. Rusdi Omar, et. al. (2005). Hubungan Malaysia-Singapura Era Mahathir. Sintok: Penerbit Universiti Utara Malaysia. Saw Swee-Hock & K. Kesavapany. 2006. Singapore-Malaysia Relations.Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS). Smith , A. L. (2004). Malaysia-Singapore Relations: Never Mind the rhetoric. APCSS, Hawaii. p. 143 -144. Star. (1999). June 5. Sun. (2000). January 22. Sunday Star. (1994). October 23 Trost, H. R. (1993). Historical Legal Claims: A Study of Disputed Sovereignty Over Pulau Batu Putih (Pedra Branca). Maritime Briefing. Vol. 1, No. 1. p. 28. _________. (2003). Water: The Singapore-Malaysia Dispute and the Facts. Kuala Lumpur: National Economic Action Council. The Malaysian Insider. (2010). September 20.

Tuesday, July 30, 2019

Factors Affecting Students academic performance Essay

The article â€Å"Kids Who Use Facebook Do Worse in School† by Bonnie Rochman illustrates the pros and cons of using Facebook by kids. On the negative side, it has been found by a research, conducted by Larry Rosen, that teenagers who use Facebook continuously or after a short interval of time during study, relatively weaker in study and have more adverse effects on their health such as more physical disorders, nervousness and depression. Moreover, young adults who use social sites extremely have more psychological disorders. On the positive side, social sites help children to sharpen their ability to understand others and improve their personalities. To conclude, Rosen said that parent’s job has become more difficult now because they are in dilemma that how much time, a student should spend on a social site as too much use of it leads to serious problems and they usually avoid to pay attention on important things because of that diverted stuff whereas a child can becom e more empathic by using it. I learnt a lot from this article as it provides all the important information regarding good or bad effects of using Facebook. I found this information very interesting and important as I am a student and Facebook user. It tells me that I should not use Facebook during my study because it can affect my grades and health in a negative way. The information seems accurate and concise and it reminds me to avoid multitasking that is use of Facebook during study period. I think the ideas of the writer are similar to that what I have faced in my life. I firmly agree with the author because all the information includes by the writer in article is accurate and helpful.

Monday, July 29, 2019

Deafness Disability Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Deafness Disability - Essay Example While the mother of great inventor, Alexander Graham Bell was hard of hearing sine her birth, he used his earned funds to develop a school, called Volta Bureau, to teach deaf children. He also pursued actively the occupation of a deaf educator during late 1800s. People have used Different terminologies to define disability related with hearing impairments. For example, ‘deafened’ means the person who has acquired deafness later in life. While, ‘hearing impairment’ is a medical term, ‘hard of hearing’ is a sociological term. ‘Signing deaf’ is a term for deaf people who communicate using sign language.(Terminology, nd) Before describing this disability, it is essential to mention the difference between deafness and hearing impairment. While common sense provides the definition of being deaf as not being able to hear anything, the hearing impairment or hard of hearing means the ability to hear only partially. However, the fact that deaf people carry the residual hearing ability gives a new dimension to this definition. Accordingly, the physiological definition of deafness relates to the level of sound that the particular person is able to hear. This hearing sensitivity is normally described in terms of ‘decibels’ (dB). This level of sensitivity starts with zero as the perfect detection of an average person to hair faintest sound. The numbers above the zero level indicate the degree of hearing impairment. According to physiological intervention, people with hearing impairment of 90dB or above are considered as deaf and people with less than 90db hearing sensitivity level are considered ‘hard of hearing’. However, there is yet another viewpoint that relates the degree of hearing impairment with the impact it may have on speaking and developing a language, particularly in case of children. Accordingly, educators define a person as deaf who is not able to process, through audition, the linguistic information,

Sunday, July 28, 2019

Pope Benedict XVI and Consumerism Research Paper

Pope Benedict XVI and Consumerism - Research Paper Example A man once believed that economic growth alone will bring forth happiness in the lives of people. But men, women and the youngsters of the prosperous nations stand destroyed as for their inner convictions today. They feel useless, helpless and trapped. This great crisis hopefully will unite the world-leaders to initiate a concerted action to save humanity from the evils of consumerism. Â  Many think-tanks with their faith in the virtues of materialist civilization believe that the natural resources are meant for human aggrandizement. That nature is the enemy and humanity should be a permanent ‘war’ with it. Mindless exploitation of the natural resources is considered as entrepreneurship. Let us take a simple illustration. Visit a supermarket. You will come across hundreds of varieties of toothpaste, soaps, detergent powders—each company manufacturing these items has substantial advertisement budgets, sales promotion staff and they try to attract the customers to their company’s products, by imaginative advertisement campaigns. Management of such companies is responsible to plan and promote cut-throat campaigns to subtly downplay the merits of the products of their competitors. Every company, every individual wish to become prosperous, as quickly as possible, even by employing dubious means. The pursuit of goodness and virtue has taken th e backseat. Universal prosperity and the single-minded pursuit of wealth are the supreme goal of life for such materialists. Spirituality has been considered as the after-retirement project to be thought over by an individual when one’s one foot is in the grave. Is such thinking conducive to universal peace, plenty and prosperity?

Saturday, July 27, 2019

Personal Financial Planning - The Pensions Environment Essay

Personal Financial Planning - The Pensions Environment - Essay Example Kingdom, United States of America, Japan, Sweden, Switzerland, France, Germany, Spain, Switzerland, Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia, Italy, Canada, New Zealand and others etc. have enormous resources, highly sophisticated and modernized technology, technical education and know-how that have enabled them to provide a safer and secure living environment to their citizens in comparison to poor third world, African and Asian countries such as , Zimbabwe, South Africa, etc. However, at one extreme, the governments of these developed countries are engaged in providing quality living facilities and standards that have dramatically increased the life expectancy rates and have resulted in a colossal increase in populations of elderly and retired personnel. On the other extreme, these governments are facing immense problems due to these constantly increasing average age statistics that have jumped tremendously in past 25 years in the wake of improving environmental conditions and other factors. More specifically, this paper aims to discuss the issue of increasing longevity that has placed severe strains on the pension system and has forced radical reform of pensions’ structures in developed economies. I will be focusing on the impact of longevity on United Kingdom’s pensions’ structure and pensions policy planning. John H. Fitzpatrick (2009) who is a Partner and Director of Pension Corporation revealed that there are six major forces that affect the size and ownership of Longevity Risk. The first factor is the fact that number of retired people will continue to grow with the passage of time because of the ‘increase in population amid baby boom and life expectancy’. This would place severe strain over the authorities that are responsible for development of pension policies and allocation of pension budgets. The problem is further aggravated when Economic growth in the UK creates more jobs every year thus reducing unemployment at one stage, while on the other,

FINAL PROJECT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

FINAL PROJECT - Essay Example The singers of these songs confess longings, sins, cry out against the conventional, and crave escape from the immediate. ("Urban dictionary: Emo," 2012) This is easily reflective in the image presented in Paige Bradley’s â€Å"Expansion.† This is beautiful visual representation of the desire for or potential of the human being to ascend from the confines of its physical form. The ultimate and ideal form of escape. It is not just music that can be influenced by societal concerns, but, both, philosophy and religion, as well. There is an innate freedom of the modern era that allows the freedom of thought. The variation of beliefs and philosophies that exist and are expressed are immense. That said there is so much potential thought, so much potential creativity, so much possibility that, eventually, all of man-kind will have no choice but to burst from the restrictive confines it no longer needs. This, also, can be compared to the image and message of Bradley’s â€Å"Expansion.† This is that moment when this person is released into a new existence whatever it may be. It is like a rebirth. Lastly, most religions have been established for centuries and are difficult to influence to change. However, even some of the world’s strictest and unchanging religions could find an agreeable familiarity in viewing the image that is â€Å"Expansion.† Here we see a restive, peaceful , person transcending from their mortal human shell to become their natural ethereal state. This is an expression that can easily be perceived as supporting of many religious views. In the end, as with literature, film, and television, the areas of philosophy, music, and religion are affected by the needs, wants, and concerns of the people who live within that society. The theme of this age seems to be escapism. The potential and enticement to be able to go beyond what we are is an underlying and largely shared desire. Human

Friday, July 26, 2019

Why is freedom of expression so fundamental to democracy Assignment

Why is freedom of expression so fundamental to democracy - Assignment Example It should be realized that this resolution was made before any other in the history of the UN. Freedom of expression is very important in creating the right environment for democracy to work and thrive. Considering that democracy involves creating society where public participation is enhanced, freedom of expression is seen to play a major role in creating this important aspect in decision making. Democracy calls for the involvement of all citizens in the affairs of the country. In this case, the citizens cannot really participate in the democratic process if they do not have the right to access information. In the same way, the masses should have the freedom to express their views and opinions freely without any fear of reprimand (GHREN). In most cases freedom of expression is only viewed in relation to human dignity. However, it should be realized that it is also important to enhance such aspects like participation, democracy and accountability in the society. In this case any violations on the freedom of expression have direct impact on the ability of the people to participate and associate in the general democratic process. Across the world, several situations abound where civilizations have struggled to secure the right to express themselves. While this freedom is taken for granted in most developed countries, it is not actually the case in many developing societies across the world. There are still many violations on the freedom of expression realized in many countries. The suppression of the ability of the people to express their views is always seen to be a major impediment to the realization of democracy. Much progress has been made in the process of securing freedom of expression in many societies across the world. However, several challenges still persist and many efforts are being made to implement this fundamental right through series of functional

Thursday, July 25, 2019

Leading by Example Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Leading by Example - Assignment Example Steve Jobs has not only made Apple to become a leading company in the technology industry but he was a good decision maker. His success and the success of his company have resulted from his ability to make accurate and precise logical decision. For example, his decision to make Apple a family brand has enabled the company to become a market leader in the high-tech industry. I have also admired the leadership style and strategies of Mike Duke the president of Wall-Mart. Although his organization has the highest number of employees, Mike Duke has enabled it to become a leading retail outlet in Europe and America (Kalb, 1993). Other than his leadership strategies, Mike is a motivational leader. He acknowledges that the success of his business lies in the company’s employees. Thus, he has great interests in employee satisfaction strategies. Mike Duke considers the company employees to be his first priority. This has not only enabled him to contribute to the success of the company but it has enabled him to contribute to skill development among his employees. Mike is among the business leaders who consider company employees as assets of the company (CBS,

Wednesday, July 24, 2019

A History of the Arabic Language Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

A History of the Arabic Language - Term Paper Example But it was after the rise of Islam, that Arabic became the official language of the boundaries stretched between the Oxus River to the Iberian peninsula of Europe. ARABIC AND ISLAM Arabic as a major language became important after the rise of Islam. Thus the early form of Arabic can be gathered from the Quran, as it used to be written down in Arabic, the classical poetry and the descriptive work written on the life of the Prophet P.B.U.H. This classical Arabic later evolved into standard Arabic used today, however there is no much work done on the spoken language. ARABIC AS A SEMITIC LANGUAGE: Arabic Language belongs to the family of the Semitic language. The members of the Semitic language have history that dates back to thousands of years, and is enriches with knowledge. These languages prospered in the Mediterranean Basin, and it is therefore that Arabic language is sometimes taken as Proto- Semitic. Thus Arabic is considered to be the descendant of the Semitic Arabic language, us ed in the 6th century. The roots of the Arabic language lie between the Afro- Asiatic groups of languages. Since being a member of the Semitic family it is related to Hebrew and Neo- Aramaic language and is also associated with the south Semitic languages of Ethiopia, Yemen and Oman. There are many varieties and dialects of written and spoken Arabic language. There are many forms or states of the Arabic language, constituting mainly on ethnic and political backgrounds. If these varieties are considered as one single language then the Arabic language has around 340 million speakers. These varieties include Fusha or Standard Arabic, Mudaric Arabic, Namra, Quranic Arabic and many more (Brian Bishop, 1998). Arabic is the only remaining member of the Old North Arabic Dialect, having a rich background and inscriptions dating back to the 4th century. Arabic is written by using Arabic alphabet or fonts, which is written from right-to-left. Arabic language is a very old and rich language, wh ich has formed the basis of many other languages such as Persian, Turkish, Urdu, Hindi etc. Because of the Muslim rule in Spain, which was for 700 years, the influence of Arabic language can be seen in Spanish and Roman languages. Not only that, Arabic has borrowed words from many languages such as Hebrew, Greek, and Syrian etc. The fast surfacing and spread of Arabic language was mainly due to the fact that the speakers of the Arabic language became political figures and thus unlike other Semitic languages which fossilized with time, Arabic language emerged as a leading language of the Arabian Peninsula. Arabic language is unique and important for many historians as it has preserved a large majority of the original Proto-Semitic features .According to many linguists, Arabic is important source of information as it is the only Semitic language which has preserved features of Proto-Semitic (i.e. Hebrew or Amharic) in the Afro-Asiatic group of languages).Hence, the Modern Arabic is al so thought to be part of the Arabo-Canaanite sub-branch the central group of the Western Semitic languages. CHANGES WITH MODERN TIMES Arabic language has three cases, which are the nominative, the accusative and the genitive. While writing any Arabic word 28 letters are used along with some foreign words. The long vowels that are â€Å"a, i and u† are represented by the Arabic letters 'alif, ya' and waw respectively. From the modern standard Arabic to the earliest Proto Semitic Arabic many changes have occurred with time. These changes are mainly in terms of phonology, syntax and lastly morphology. Phonology is the sound or the pronunciation of a word. The proto –Semitic is characterized by a six vowel system composed of three long which are explained above and three

Tuesday, July 23, 2019

Reflection paper Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Reflection paper - Assignment Example sation with the other group members. I was thrilled and excited at the start but with the passage of time, it became hard when I had to conduct meetings with other group members without hearing their voices or looking at their faces. The discussion topic revolved around â€Å"Feminism and Pop Culture.† This topic was created from the chapter 13 of the book â€Å"Feminism and Pop Culture† written by â€Å"Andi Zeisler.† I agree the fact that women are using what they have to their advantage like Madonna and other rock stars. Over the period of time, pop culture has portrayed women as sexual objects and with the passage of time, it has adopted the worst shapes than ever. At the time of creating this topic, I was all focused to read and discuss more about that why women are always projected as â€Å"feast for eyes† in all pop videos and songs and not as â€Å"element of respect† or â€Å"exemplary models† through these videos. I would say that we should not blame any other person but the female singers themselves have projected their womanhood as a â€Å"symbol of sex appeal† in the media. From Madonna to Brittany Spears and from Christina Aguilera to Miley Cyrus; al l women have projected their beauty on the screen through their songs in a negative way. They have influenced a huge number of teenage girls in a negative manner. I was very nervous before my discussion went live. My team did not response to my invitation for chat. When met on the chat for the first time, I was the one who initiated the chat with all the group members and involved each one of them into the discussion. My team members appreciated my efforts but what disappointed me most was the involvement and interest of the members in the discussion thread. They just reviewed and approved my work without commenting or giving their opinions on the work I did. I completed the discussion topic. I was bit nervous and at the same time, I was little upset with the work as well. I had no idea that whatever the work

Monday, July 22, 2019

Early Childhood Curriculum Essay Example for Free

Early Childhood Curriculum Essay One of the goals of preschool education is to improve children’s school success. Early childhood educators need to enhance a child’s developmental skills and knowledge. We are to build upon their ever growing need of curiosity and creativity. Without knowing what, why, and how to developmentally teach preschool children in an early childhood environment teachers will not have a great impact on the knowledge children will gain and retain in this environment. Children are eager to learn and acquire new life changing skills. The text (2008) emphasizes the importance of a child-centered curriculum that encompasses the whole child- physical, social, emotional, creative, and cognitive. Teachers practical knowledge of how and what to teach children is not taught in school. Teachers receive and understand the theoretical knowledge of children learning but they are unable to blend the theories with practical applications appropriate for young children. There are many preschool classrooms with qualified teachers but they do not understand the steps needed to provide a curriculum that is age and developmentally appropriate. Most teachers have the book knowledge but their hands on and one on one skills are lacking when it comes to implementing activities to stimulate and excite children in learning. Kostelnik states that, â€Å"Teachers who lack adequate knowledge in any of these areas are hampered in their attempts to create developmentally appropriate programs for young children. The areas are: the fundamental components of early literacy and numeracy; how children experience literacy and mathematical concepts in their play; what teachers can do intentionally to support literacy and numeracy in all areas of the curriculum throughout the day†. Teachers must know and understand a child’s developmental needs and how to develop ways to meet these needs. Early childhood education recommends that programs utilize Developmentally Appropriate Practices. It is vital that young children have a curriculum that provides learning goals and guidance for teachers to develop activities and interactions. The National Association for the Education of Young Children approved the Early Childhood Standards and Accreditation Performance Standards and Accreditation Performance Criteria in 2005. These standards guide programs in a variety of areas including the curriculum (pp.232-233). †¢ Children have varied opportunities to be read books and to be read to in individualized ways. †¢ Children have activities that allow them to become familiar with print. †¢ Children are given opportunities to recognize and write letters, words, and sentences as they are ready. †¢ Books are displayed and writing is encouraged in one or more areas of the classroom. Curriculum development should focus on promoting learning and development in the areas of social, emotional, physical, language, and cognitive growth (NAEYC Program Standards). There should be themes that are hands on and developmentally appropriate. Activities should include: art, math, science, social, studies, reading, and creativity. Classroom s should be filled with laughter and excitement. Hands on learning should take place, stories should be told, and play encouraged. Play is child’s work and when they enjoy what they are doing, then, they are more apt to learn, discover, and investigate their surroundings and environment. So how do we know that play is child’s work? This question and many more are answered when we look at research and theories of education. Theories are the foundation for which teachers choose to teach from. Theories help guide teachers in understanding the reason why they set up their classrooms and for carrying out the lessons they teach children on a daily basis. Theories teach us that relationships are the foundation for learning. We need to have relationship with the children we teach and with families of the children we provide a program for. Theories teach us that children learn through play and that they learn when they interact with their peers and their environment. There are many theories of learning to use to decide what type of curricula to use  Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ Vygotsky’s Constructivist theory- puts the learner in the center and believes that teachers should provide experiences that link prior knowledge to what they are studying. The constructivist teacher organizes the classroom with children’s stages of development in mind. Children learn when they collaborate with others, discussion and talking about the how and why of things. †¢ Piaget’s Four Stages of Cognitive Development- learning is viewed as active, constructive process in which students seek organization and meaning in their worlds. †¢ Abraham Maslow focused on human potential and proposed that all persons strive to reach the highest within them. His theory also asserts that children learn best when their physical needs are met and they feel a sense of psychological safety and security. †¢ B. F. Skinner Behaviorist Theory emphasizes the roles of environmental conditions and overt behaviors in learning. Children learn through the effects of their own intentional responses. Consequences will determine whether a person will repeat a particular behavior that led to the consequences. Our theorists teach us that as children play they are learning about themselves, other people, and the world. As the text (2008) states, learning and development in the early years are critical to the child’s long term well-being. This theoretical base in early childhood education guides and provides a framework of understanding for how children learn. The text also states that, theoretically, there is widespread acceptance of the idea that play is important- that it is the serious business for the young child. Elkind reviewed a variety of theories that support the role of children’s play, including Montessori, Freud, Piaget, and Vygotsky. By taking these theories and putting them into perspective we provide ways to meet the differences and developing needs that children have. For children to excel and have success in school we have to address all areas of their development. Research has shown us that it is during these times of play that a child’s brain is affected. Connections are made as a child repeatedly does the same types of activities. If these connections are not made or used they will eventually disappear. Our text (2008) states that, â€Å"Play is a time where children needs are met. Good play experiences unite and blend all aspects of development, reaping social, emotional, physical, intellectual, moral, creative, and cultural benefits for young children. † As children engage in play in the early childhood classroom they are learning and growing developmentally. Age appropriate activities are provided for them. Vanderwater says that, â€Å"Play is simply shorthand for our capacity for curiosity, imagination, and fantasy — our creative dispositions. † In order for children benefit from play a curriculum is needed to meet their needs. It is important for young preschool children to have a curriculum that includes planned environments and activities in the classroom, such as music and creative movement, dramatic play, singing, and creative art. Planned and unplanned spontaneous learning should take place everyday. We know that children are unique and different therefore they all learn differently. With this knowledge we have to teach the whole child. This includes teaching social-emotional, physical, cognitive, and language development to preschoolers. Preschool curriculum models vary widely. Some may detail exactly what to teach and how to teach it with step by step instructions. Others on the other hand leave room for teacher ideas and input. Then there are some that provide guidance in developing activities and interactions that are crucial to social development. When choosing curricula, programs need to take into account children’s ages, needs, behavior, language and cultural backgrounds. The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and the National Association of Early Childhood Specialist in State Departments of Education (NAECS/SDE) therefore advise the following: â€Å"Curriculum is more than a collection of enjoyable activities. Curriculum is a complex idea containing multiple components such as goals, content, pedagogy, or instructional practices. Curriculum is influenced by many factors including society’s values, content standards, account ability systems, research findings, community expectations, culture and language, and individual children’s characteristics. † The early childhood (preschool) classroom has a need for a developmentally appropriate curriculum. Designing a curriculum gives teachers the opportunity to come together and brainstorm on what is needed to meet the needs of individual children. Dodge states, â€Å"When teachers build curriculum with each other and with the children and are willing to really listen to each other and to the children’s ideas, and really value them, there is a very different kind of relationship being established and a climate of mutual trust is formed. She also shares that, the nature of this relationship between teachers and children and parents would be very different in our opinion, if the teacher’s plan were already written and all the planning spaces filled in, and all the outcomes predetermined and articulated ahead of time. Relationships again are the foundation that is needed in the early childhood classroom. Society has put a lot of pressure on early childhood programs to produce results. Kostelnik states that, kindergarten teachers report that one out of three children begin formal schooling lacking the basic experiences they need to succeed. Because of this, programs make decisions each day about the type of curriculum to use. They see the importance of early learning experiences that will build a firm foundation for learning and development later on in life. There are many types of curriculum in our society today. The two most commonly used in the Unites States according to Dodge are: The Creative Curriculum and High/Scope. In addition to these many directors used a variety of models and resources to supplement their planning. These include the Project Approach, Reggio Emilia, Montessori, and what several called â€Å"emergent curriculum†. There is evidence that high quality early childhood programs can and do make a difference in children’s development. Children can develop the skills they need as they participate in child care and other early learning programs from birth to age eight. Kostelnik states that children need to know the fundamental components of early literacy and numeracy for literacy involves listening, viewing, speaking, writing, and reading. Some of the numeracy components are: understanding number, how people represent number, the relations among numbers, and number systems, using mathematical tools, and recognizing, describing, and extending patterns. Literacy and numeracy can be displayed in the classroom when the dramatic play area has been transformed into a hairdressing shop. The children can create signs that say haircuts, shampoo, curlers, and perms. The children can also include prices on the signs. The children can move in and out of this area taking turns as customers, receptionist, haircutters, and cashiers. They will pretend cutting hair, giving permanents, making appointments, writing out receipts, using the play cash register, and making change. Literacy and numeracy is also seen in the block center as children make signs and count trucks, in the writing center as children write in their journals and in the art center as children draw and create pictures of their choice. Kostelnik tells us that, skilled teachers intentionally create opportunities for children to become engaged in varied literacy and numeracy experiences every day. Developmentally appropriate activities do not happen by chance, they have to be planned out. Children are looking for direction and opportunities to investigate. Teachers are being provided with training and professional development on how to teach, what to teach and why they need to follow a curriculum. As teachers gain the skills they need they begin to understand the developmental need s of children. They create opportunities for learning through play and they advocate for the needed changes in the system. As curriculum choices are being made and teachers are trained in how to implement the curriculum children are excelling. In an early childhood classroom teachers are better equipped and have a greater impact on what, why and how to teach children in a developmentally appropriate way. References: Eliason, C. F. , Jenkins, L. (2008). A Practical Guide to Early Childhood Curriculum (8th ed. ). New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc. Dodge, D. (2004). Early Childhood Curriculum Models Why, What and the How Programs Use Them. Retrieved from the Exchange magazine. www. ChildCareExchange. com Kostelnik. M (2008). Academics in Early Childhood. Retrieved from the Exchange magazine. www. ChildCareExchange. com. National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and the National Association of Early Childhood Specialists in State Departments of Education (NAECS/SDE). (2003). Joint position statement on early childhood curriculum, assessment, and program evaluation building an effective, accountable system in programs for children birth through age 8. Washington, DC: NAEYC, p. 6 Vanderwater, E. A. , Rideoout, V. J. , Wartella, E. A. , Huang, X. , Lee, J. H. , Shim, M. S. (2007). â€Å"Digital Childhood: Electronic Media and Technology Use Among Infants, Toddlers and Preschoolers. † Pediatrics 119(5): e1006-e1015 [pic].

Peer Pressure and Teen Sex Essay Example for Free

Peer Pressure and Teen Sex Essay One in five teens reported having sex before they were 15. One in seven sexually active 14-year-olds also said they have been pregnant. The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy 2003 It has long been known that teens are heavily influenced by peer pressure, especially when it comes to sex. The question is not if they are influenced, but how they are affected by peer pressure and what decisions they make as a result. This paper will outline the main issues surrounding this controversial subject with the goal of dispelling popular myths while also providing an understanding of how to most effectively educate teens about this phenomenon so that they will make the best and most informed decisions in whatever circumstances they find themselves. The teenage years are full of changes, from biological transitioning into adulthood to social changes occurring at school and beyond. Peer pressure intensifies during this period as teens begin to become sexually interested and active. According to a project done by the University of Michigan, â€Å"The desire to be popular and fit in is so great, that some people will resort to partaking in behaviors deemed outside of their normal comfort zones, possibly disregarding certain morals and values† (Pressures). The pressure to fit in and to stay ahead of the social vanguard places teens in an awkward and challenging environment because they have scarce background knowledge from which to base their decisions and very few people with whom to discuss these changes with, besides their peers. Teens are very hesitant to approach their parents, teachers and counselors for fear of getting in trouble or for fear of embarrassment and discomfort. In our popular media culture, much of the knowledge teens have about peer pressure and sex comes from the movies and television. This presents another complexity to their already hectic lives as they try to weigh their personal character against the stereotypes and myths laid out through these mediums. Hugely popular movies such as American Pie and Dazed and Confused lead students to believe that having sex is just what people do at this age. While this may in fact be true, the message that teens take away is that everybody is already doing it and that if they want to be cool they will too. According to an article published in Psychology Today, 33% of teens ages 15-17 say they feel pressure to have sex, often from male friends. Interestingly, only 23% of teen girls reported feeling pressure to have sex (Allen). That being said, no matter what kind of peer pressure teens are confronted with, they must figure out how to balance the value of going along with the crowd against the importance of making their own decisions. This is the toughest part for teens to handle because they have so many conflicting emotions and perspectives influencing their behavior. For this reason, innovative approaches to sexual education need to be integrated into the traditional abstinence only education that has proven to be ineffective. Today federal spending on abstinence education, with all funding sources combined, exceeds $1. 2 billion (Lew). This program has failed to include other types of sexual education that would be beneficial to teen’s education because it preaches that the only safe method to having sex is to not have sex. This is of course true, but it is not applicable to our contemporary society. Teens have access to all kinds of sexual information on the internet and through television and movies. This is not to say that all of the information they find is true to life, but it tells teens that the education they are getting in schools about sex is limited and outdated. This is not an engaging or for that matter a useful method of instruction because it ignores issues such as contraceptives and safe sexual practices. Peer pressure begins to take hold and gain force at this juncture as the curiosity of teens is not being met through their formal sexual education. Because of this failure, teens turn to their peers for additional knowledge who in turn are facing their own forms of peer pressure. This creates a cycle of myths surrounding sex. Much of the knowledge peers pass on to each other revolves around either second-hand information or from whatever television show or movie they identify with. From here, clusters of teens, or cliques, form around these myths and interests in a process that creates a certain structure of knowledge based around assumptions and stories as opposed to the facts of research and experience. It is not surprising that teens have sex. It is surprising that school systems continue to form short-sided sexual education programs focusing on abstinence only. If our country wants to improve our sexual health and knowledge, sexual education programs need to diversify their teaching lessons to include contraceptives, sexually-safe practices, and the effects of peer pressure. Works Cited Allen, Collin. (2003). Peer Pressure and Teen Sex. Psychology Today. Retrieved December 10, 2008, from http://www. psychologytoday. com/articles/pto-20030522-000002. html Lew, Irene. (2008). Teens Learn to Apply Peer Pressure for Safe Sex. Women’s E-News. Retrieved December 10, 2008, from http://www. womensenews. org/article. cfm/dyn/aid/2988/context/archive Peer Pressure and Emotions. (2008). Cool Kids and Losers: The Psychology of High School Students in Peer Groups and Cliques. The University of Michigan. Retrieved December 10, 2008, from http://sitemaker. umich. edu/356. tran/peer_pressure_and_emotions

Sunday, July 21, 2019

Nietzsche And The Meaningful Life Philosophy Essay

Nietzsche And The Meaningful Life Philosophy Essay The advent of the Industrial Revolution during the 19th century Western World has engendered a new problem of individual existence in the world based on alienation and absurdity, as depicted in the sufferings of Gervaise and Etienne. These existential problems continue to plague the public in todays society as well, challenging people to question the purpose of their lives and to find an answer for the existence of human suffering. According one German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, the answer to human suffering resided in styling our lives to the way we want it to be via a process of becoming. In applying Nietzsches ideas to my own personal life, I have come to the realization that my life is a product of various elements that I embrace the most, influencing the decisions I make in my daily lives and shaping my ambition in wanting to become a professor. Nietzsche argued that the reason why people suffer is because they are under the delusion that there is an inherent meaning in themselves and in the world, when in fact life is based on nothingness. According his view, life is completely based on contingency, and only individuals themselves have the power to instill any meaning into their lives. He believed that people must stop following the herd and its standardized moral conduct. To find happiness in life, people have to take courage and free themselves from the indoctrination of societal values, pursuing after their own desires instead. Therefore, Nietzsche believed that the key to living life was to view life as an individual process. This process entails individuals to actively seek out and shape themselves into the person they want to be, to become the physical representation of the image they want to portray to others. Consequently, Nietzsche argued that the value of human life is created by the individual. There is not intri nsic value in society that is embedded in our lives, and we must create the meaning of life for ourselves. In order to test whether one has created a meaningful life, Nietzsche has created a theoretical notion of eternal recurrence, where humans are given a choice to live their life in the exact same manner over and over again, going through the same events and experiencing the same emotions. If the answer is yes, then according to Nietzsche, the person has created a truly meaningful life that they would do not mind living continuously. Creating such life requires an aesthetic approach to organizing ones experiences and desires in harmony. Kind of like a blank canvas, our life is initially in a state of nothingness, and it is the responsibility of each person, as the artist, to insert meaning and personal style into the canvas. However, for any styling to happen, people must first be content with themselves and build their identity from there. Nietzsche argues that people who are dissatisfied with themselves will never find happiness, for they will always resent who they are. Every experi ence and action, or element, in the work must be in harmony with one another, as the small elements mold together to shape the whole. There is no standardized or the way, as long it is their own way. Thus, life itself reflects the process of humans constantly shaping their image, with the final product epitomizing who we are. Applying the lessons of Nietzsches process of becoming, I have formed my own set of elements in my life that I embrace the most in my attempt to create my self. My first element is companionship, the ability to form relationships with other people and to interact with them. I would like to have a small group of people to spend time with in my life, such as my family and friends. I can envision myself having a family with three children: two girls and a boy named Charlotte, Juliet, and Cason respectively, hanging out at a nearby park in the neighborhood. During Superbowl weekend, I may invite some of my family friends and their families over, and have a good time together. In addition, I would like to form close relationships with my neighbors, to have some people I can talk about my struggles with, outside of my family and friends. Perhaps this explains my proclivity towards small cities or towns, where people know each other more closely as there are not that many people. Perhaps th is is why I would like to live somewhere in New England in the future, a region primarily occupied with towns and villages instead of cities or urban communities. Maintaining close companionship with others will also help me intellectually, for I like to engage in discussions and debates with other people about various topics. These dialogues with other people will help me to be in a thinking mode, always being eager to learn and share ideas with others. My second element is intellectualism because I want to always be aware of what is going on around the world in terms of politics and the economy. I definitely do not want to portray myself as an intellectually callous person, someone who does not care learning about new ideas and keeping up with events that are happening around the world. I want to learn about new ideas, especially about economic theories relating to human behaviors and their decision making mechanism. For some reason, growing up, I was always curious why people act the way they do in terms of their economic behavior. I recall being at a garage sale in 9th grade, when my father telling me that a perfectly fine Hewlett Packard (HP) printer for 5 dollars was too expensive so he passed on the deal, and I always wondered what triggers people to suddenly have different expectations of an objects value depending on the circumstance. Having a wide span of knowledge can bring together a group of people with common interest t o talk about, enabling me to form closer relationships with other people. Thus, intellectualism goes hand in hand with forming companionships, because knowledge can be a factor in magnetizing people to bond. Moreover, I would also like to have creativity in my life. No matter how interesting ones daily routines may be, we reach a point where the repetition becomes mundane. I feel that having a creative side will help brighten the monotonous schedule by being able to think of many new ways to shift the routines people go through. Creativity is also a very practical skill that has a myriad of applications to other things. In terms of companionship, creativity may come in handy when I am planning what kind of food I will prepare for a certain picnic, or when I am planning a surprise birthday party for a family or a friend. Not only will this make others happy, but it will also make me happy knowing that I have helped put a smile on other peoples faces with my ability to think outside the box. In addition, creativity will also be useful in my intellectual life by thinking of novel ways of learning or teaching ideas. As for learning, I may develop an innovative technique for taking notes or u nderstanding materials that will maximize my capacity to remember the things I learn and keep it in my memory. Or, I can also utilize my creativity for devising a new way of teaching materials that will be entertaining to engage the students attention and, at the same time, be informative to help get the idea into their brains. Lastly, the fourth element I would like to have in my life is independence. Here, I am not referring to the general definition of independence as some kind of freedom from oppression. I am specifically talking about independence as sort of a self autonomy in my life, the ability to do the things I want to without being told by other people how I should do it. The latter definition differs from the first, because I am talking about a personal leeway to do things the way I want to do it. For instance, I would not like to work at a big corporation in the future, because I would not enjoy trying to obey what my bosses tell me. Working in this strict bureaucratic environment where I am always constantly told what I ought to do, I feel like I would not be able to live a meaningful life. Instead, I would like to work in a smaller environment, where people are not telling me what to do or what not to do. They may provide their feedbacks that I can agree upon, but there is no coercion that fo rces me to take some kind of action. By being able to make my own choices, I will definitely be able to express my creativity in the field. Although I do believe that maintaining a systemized order of things is important, I would not want it as part my work environment that will hinder me from experimenting with different methods of approaching certain concepts or things. Harmonizing my elements into a one form, I see myself pursuing after a career in education, specifically as a professor teaching behavior economics at a small college in a rural part of town, hopefully in New England. Being a professor in a small town, I can focus a lot of attention to academics and my family because, unlike in an urban environment, I do not have to commute long distances to travel for work, saving valuable time I can spend with my family. Furthermore, the environment will be a small enough so that everyone will know each other, forming a close knit community. At the same time, the environment will be filled with intellectualism, with me sharing my knowledge to students and the student absorbing the information to form their own opinions about the subject matter. This may lead to debates and discussions, which I can utilize to enhance my own knowledge as well. On some days I may exercise my creative side by incorporating real life case studies where students have to observe their peers in the economic decisions that they make, which may turn into a little fun study that we can focus deeper into. Of course, unlike in a high school environment, I would have a lot more leeway and freedom to shift the curriculum focus to explore an unexpected phenomenon regarding human behaviors that has not been discovered before. All the elements form harmonize into a form, leading me to live the type of serene and academic life I want to live away from the large cities in rural parts of the country. Now that I have analyzed my elements and have become cognizant of what I want the most in my life, I am determined to pursue after this path. Perhaps others in the herd may see my path as being banal and boring, but for me this type of quite life is what I find meaning in. However, at the moment, I acknowledge that I am just part of the herd. But utilizing this introspection as a starting point, I will try to not be influenced by the standardized views of society, and pursue after what I truly want in my life, so that I can achieve my own happiness. This world has socialized people into believing that material wealth is the path to happiness, but for me, this is not my version of happiness. I will continue to study hard now that I found out what I truly want in life.

Saturday, July 20, 2019

Othello’s Evil Side Essay -- Othello essays

Othello’s Evil Side  Ã‚        Ã‚   In the Bard of Avon’s tragic drama Othello there is a very disquieting dimension of the play; this is the evil dimension, which has such depth and intensity that it penetrates not only the mind but the body and soul of the audience.    Even the imagery in the drama has its evil aspect. Kenneth Muir, in the Introduction to William Shakespeare: Othello, explains the instances of diabolic imagery in the play as they relate to the infecting of the Moor by the ancient:    The same transference from Iago to Othello may be observed in what S. L. Bethell called diabolic imagery. He estimated that of the 64 images relating to hell and damnation – many of them are allusions rather than strict images – Iago has 18 and Othello 26. But 14 of Iago’s are used in the first two Acts, and 25 of Othello's in the last three. The theme of hell originates with Iago and is transferred to Othello only when Iago has succeeded in infecting the Moor with his jealousy. (22)    In his book of literary criticism, Shakespearean Tragedy, A. C. Bradley gives an in-depth analysis of the brand of evil which the ancient personifies:    Iago stands supreme among Shakespeare’s evil characters because the greatest intensity and subtlety of imagination have gone to his making, and because he illustrates in the most perfect combination the two facts concerning evil which seem to have impressed Shakespeare most. The first of these is the fact that perfectly sane people exist in whom fellow-feeling of any kind is so weak that an almost absolute egoism becomes possible to them, and with it those hard vices – such as ingratitude and cruelty – which to Shakespeare were far the worst. The second is that such evil is... ...oduction. William Shakespeare: Othello. New York: Penguin Books, 1968.    Shakespeare, William. Othello. In The Electric Shakespeare. Princeton University. 1996. http://www.eiu.edu/~multilit/studyabroad/othello/othello_all.html No line nos.    Wayne, Valerie. â€Å"Historical Differences: Misogyny and Othello.† The Matter of Difference: Materialist Feminist Criticism of Shakespeare. Ed Valerie Wayne. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1991.    Wilson, H. S. On the Design of Shakespearean Tragedy. Canada: University of Toronto Press, 1957.    Wright, Louis B. and Virginia A. LaMar. â€Å"The Engaging Qualities of Othello.† Readings on The Tragedies. Ed. Clarice Swisher. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1996. Reprint from Introduction to The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice by William Shakespeare. N. p.: Simon and Schuster, Inc., 1957.      

Friday, July 19, 2019

My Life Essay -- essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Every person in life must go through changes in their lifetime. Some are drastic changes and some are minor changes, but either way, a person must learn to cope with all of sorts of them. Change can take the best out of someone or it can bring the worst out in someone, for example, going to a new school, getting a new haircut, anything can make a difference in a persons life. In my situation, the most enormous change must have been coming to the United States with my family and trying to adjust to a new lifestyle.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  While growing up in a family of five people including myself, coming to a new country was a horrid experience. Being ten years old myself, things became harder while living with 4 other people, especially when they are all counting on you. Similar to Edite’s life, my first few years in the U.S. became difficult to deal with, considering how I was only a ten year old girl doing things for my family that a normal ten year old child would not do, for example, translating television to important phone calls, it became overwhelming.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Many of the problems, which I dealt with for the first few years, were very consistent. Everyday things such as, watching a movie or watching a sitcom became more of a headache than a relaxing moment. I would spent the program translating what people are saying rather than watching it for myself and being able to enjoy it. Since I was the only one in t...

Nuclar Energy Pros Essays -- essays research papers fc

In our society, nuclear energy has become one of the most criticized forms of energy by the environmentalists. Thus, a look at nuclear energy and the environment and its impact on economic growth. Lewis Munford, an analyst, once wrote, "Too much energy is as fatal as too little, hence the regulation of energy input and output not its unlimited expansion, is in fact one of the main laws of life." This is true when dealing with nuclear power. Because our societies structure and processes both depend upon energy, man is searching for the most efficient and cheapest form of energy that can be used on a long term basis. And because we equate power with growth, the more energy that a country uses, -the greater their expected economic growth. The problem is that energy is considered to have two facets or parts: it is a major source of man-made repercussions as well as being the basis of life support systems. Therefore, we are between two sections in which one is the section of "resource availability and waste", and the other "the continuity of life support systems pertinent to survival." Thus, the environmentalists believe that nuclear energy should not be used for various reasons. First of all, the waste product, i.e. plutonium, is extremely radioactive, which may cause the people who are working or living in or around the area of storage or use, to acquire leukemia and other cancers. They also show how billions of dollars are spent yearly on safety devices for a single reactor, and this still doesn't ensure theimpossibility of a "melt down." Two examples were then given of Chernobyl and Three Mile Island, in 1979, when thousands of people were killed and incapacitated. Finally, the environmentalists claim that if society wastes less energy, and develops the means to use the energy more efficiency, then there would be a definite decrease in the requirement for more energy producing plants. On the other hand, some business men and economists say that the present conditions should be kept intact, as the other forms of energy, e.g. oil, natural gas and coal, are only temporary, in dealing with surplus, and give off more pollution with less economic growth. Concurrently, countries wanted a more reliable, smokeless form of energy not controlled by OPEC, and very little uranium was required to produce such a high amount of res... ...ote, nuclear power "threatens the present and forecloses the future. It is unethical, and inferior to non-fission futures that enhance survival for humans, alive and yet to be born, and nature, with all its living entities." Therefore, in conclusion, it is clearly evident why nuclear energy should be abandoned, even though it may be considered as economically sound, and that we should concentrate more on conservation and quality rather than expansion as we have done in the past. Footnotes: 1. Nuclear Energy: The Unforgiving Technology. Edmonton, Alberta: Hurtig Publishers, 1976. Page 201. 2. Knelman, Page 202. 3. Knelman, Page 234. Bibliography: 1. Nuclear Energy: The Unforgiving Technology. Fred Knelman, Hurtig Publishers, Edmonton, Alberta. 1976. 2. Economic Thinking and Pollution Problems. Edited by D.A.L. AULD, University of Toronto Press, Toronto, Ontario. 1972. 3. Nuclear Energy: Solution or Suicide. Edited by Carol C. Collins, Facts on File Publications. New York, New York. 1984. Thesis: A look at nuclear energy and the environment and why it is one of the most criticized forms of energy - when it has great possibilities in economic growth.

Thursday, July 18, 2019

Gender Roles Seen in Toys

Gender Roles and Toys By Shawna Robb English 101 Professor Solomon One room has pretty pink wallpaper with a princess border; the other is blue with monster trucks on one-wall and sports pictures on another. It is not hard to tell which room is female and which room is male. Male and female are used in this instance to define genders. Gender, unlike sex, is a universal guideline upon which individuals are placed. Gender refers to the socially constructed roles, behavior, and activities that a particular society considers appropriate for men and women. When the pressure of gender stereotypes is open to debate some say there are prenatal influences that are gender based. What is obvious is that gender plays a significant role when it comes to the toys people select for their children and the way that toy companies market them. â€Å"Toys-R-Us† is a United States based toy company who has been taken to task for marketing designs that reflect or promote gender specific toys. It is wrong that toy stores, like â€Å"Toy’s-R-Us†, clearly divides the toys by gender in stores and in toy advertisements because it teaches children how they are supposed to be in order to be accepted by society, promotes aggressive behavior for males and a passive attitude for females. Stereotypical boy toys are things like action figures and toy cars. These are both active and aggressive, which is â€Å"masculine† representing how men are supposed to be in society. Girl’s toys are often dolls, dress up, and toys that mimic household duties. That is stereotypical because its saying girls are passive, not active. It is setting standards that girls belong in the home for their future while boys get doctor kits or chemistry sets that give them higher goals. Introducing children to these gender role ideas this early is shaping them for the rest of their lives. The world’s leading fast food franchise has an interest in the gender of its young customers. At McDonalds a very popular child’s meal is the happy meal. When a Happy Meal is ordered the worker always asks if the child is a boy or a girl. This lets the worker know what type of toy to put in with the meal. The McDonalds worker could ask if the customer wants a hot wheels or a mini Barbie but instead they learn the gender of the customer and stereotypically provide the toy. Toy stores separate their store by toys for girls and toys for boys. The girl isle has stereotypical girl colors like pink, purple, and yellow. All of these colors are light when the boy’s section has colors like red, blue’s, black, brown and green. All of the boy’s colors are darker and less â€Å"pretty†. Just from that quick look down the isle one can notice which is for girls versus boys. The dark colors are less southing and action oriented. The girl colors, are lighter making them much more calm and subdued. This same pattern can be seen in advertisements on television. Female directed commercials are light colors, with softer music usually having lyrics that explain the toy and giving passive examples for what can be done with the toy. Boy’s commercials however have the message that they are going to go out and do something active with the toy. The music for masculine toys is generally uplifting and motivating, which makes a boy excited to play with the toy. Commercials cannot be avoided and they reach almost all boys and girls on a day-to-day basis. One interesting area in looking at the influences of toys and gender is the advertising of toys relative to levels of aggression. The television airwaves are filled with toy advertising. Is there a relationship between this advertising and levels of violence, does this relationship show a gender bias? For example a parent might wonder if the purchase of â€Å"boy oriented† toys for their child might increase the child’s risk for becoming violent. The parent might also wonder if merely watching the advertisements themselves increase children’s risk for becoming violent. In 2001 Kilinger, Hamilton and Cantrell offered the observation that the use of commercials to sell children’s toy products could have a socialization impact on children similar to that of television programming. Bandura’s Social Learning Theory says, â€Å"human behavior is transmitted, whether deliberately or inadvertently, largely through exposure to social models†(Bandura 1). When a child thinks that a behavior will be punished versus rewarded but instead is not even acknowledged they will perceive it as a reward. Children usually continue rewarded behavior to receive more praise. Television is seen as a â€Å"super tutor† to Bandura, the child will model what they see on television, not knowing if it is good or bad. For those children whose parents are not good role models, the television becomes the behavioral role model. If violence and aggression is viewed on the television, it is more likely that children will engage in violent and aggressive behavior. While television can model appropriate behavior, there is a well-documented tendency for violence and aggression. Advertisements are difficult to avoid since they are interwoven in shows and they tend to emphasize violent and aggressive behavior (Kilinger 13). In the study by Kilinger, Hamilton and Cantrell they observed â€Å"children’s perceptions of aggressive content, stereotypic sex-role behavior, and appropriateness of television toy commercials†(Kilinger, 11). The results of the study support the notion that there is a gender bias in terms of aggressive content and consequently aggression potential. The results did show that toys and the advertisements for them aimed toward boys were more aggressive than that of the toys that are gender neutral or aimed toward girls. The commercials shown were clearly sex role stereotyped. This is consistent with other research that has supported the idea that boys are more socialized toward aggression. Boys may be more desensitized to aggression as a result of gender stereotyped toy commercials as well as their toy selections in the past. Again, this is a reason for concern since commercials are unavoidable while watching television. While the promotion of aggression is certainly an adequate reason to exercise great care when it comes to toy and gender, it is not the only reason. Parents do support gender bias toys from the time the child is born. More often than not, a boy will receive toys that are focused towards boys and girls will receive stereotypical girl toys. The children do not go out and buy this themselves; their parents will pick out their toys until the child is already taught what they should like. Parent’s will find out they are having a boy or a girl then base everything around that detail, like the room color example, children and baby clothes are also gender biased as well as their toys. When the girl is playing with girl toys she will be rewarded for the â€Å"right† interests, as would a boy playing with a boy toy. They will then continue this behavior to get their parent’s approval. If a father see’s their son playing with a Barbie doll or asking to be a princess, their father might redirect them saying those are girl things urging them to play with a male biased toy. One thing Social Learning Theory has assumed is that reinforcement and punishment is the means by which parents socialize children. The study named â€Å"Parental Socialization of Young Children’s Play†, done by Eisenberg, Wolchik, Hernandez and Pasternack, observed the parent’s involvement with enforcing gender stereotypes. This study found that parents do reward their children for same-sex toy play. It is not only the toy companies that enforce gender roles in toys; the people raising the child are also responsible for teaching stereotypical thinking. The idea that cross-sexed interests are wrong does come from society and children start learning this from the time they are born. (Eisenberg, Wolchik, Hernandez and Pasternack 1506). A thirteen-year-old Swedish boy, Hannes Psajd, spoke out about the gender focused toys in â€Å"Toys-R-Us†. Hannes said that the 2008 â€Å"Toys-R-Us† Christmas Catalog showed boys playing with different toys than girls do. The boy said that he and his sister always play with the same toys and there is nothing wrong with that. Psajd said that it sends the wrong message to girls, since they are playing with only passive toys. Hannes stated â€Å"boys want to be princesses sometimes†(Landes 1), demonstrating that this store does not only discriminate against girls. When the claim was looked into by a regulatory committee they stated that, â€Å"Toys-R-Us discriminates based on gender and counteracts positive social behavior, lifestyles, and attitudes†(1). This shows that children do recognize this problem if it is brought to their attention. The problem of toys defining gender roles does not completely rest  rest with â€Å"Toys-R-Us† but is a societal problem. Society has created the gender roles we now have and these roles are often strict. While it will take time to make fundamental changes in gender bias a starting point could be the creation of more gender-neutral toys. These toys would have to find their way into homes and that could be a function of the advertising that is currently part of the problem. Parents need to be educated to nurture more flexible gender roles and allow children to explore their interests, even if this interest violates stereotypical norms. Boys and girls should have equal opportunity to play with a doll or a monster truck. Children are taught gender roles from the time they are born, toys are one way that this is taught to them. In a toy store like â€Å"Toys-R-Us†, it is clear to see which isle is for boys and which one is for girls. The colors and stereotypical gender bias toys show the clear division in the store between feminine versus masculine toys. Television advertisements depict females as being passive while they promote aggressive behavior for males, this can lead to boys acting violently in the future. Parents sometimes scold children who play with cross-sex toys, which will teach the child not to repeat this behavior. Gender roles teach a child what they are supposed to be, feminine or masculine, and toys to play a part in enforcing these gender stereotypes. Works Cited Bandura, Albert. â€Å"Psychological Modeling: Conflicting Theories†. Chicago: Aldine Atherton, 1971. Print. Eisenberg, Nancy, Walchik, Sharlene A. Hernandez, Robert, Pasternack, Jeannette F. â€Å"Parental Socialization of Young Children's Play: A Short-Term Longitudinal Study. † Child Development 56. 6 (1985): 1506-13. ERIC. EBSCO. Web. 5 Apr. 2011. Klinger, Lori J. , James A. Hamilton, Cantrell, Peggy J. â€Å"Children's Perceptions of Aggressive and Gender-Specific Content in Toy Commercials. † Social Behavior and Personality 29. 1 (2001): 11-20. PsycINFO. EBSCO. Web. 5 Apr. 2011. Landes, David. â€Å"Toys‘R’Us Scolded for Gender Discrimination. † The Local: Sweden’s News in English. 6 October 2009. Print.

Wednesday, July 17, 2019

Business & Organizational Ethics Essay

Course explanationThis air is designed to buzz off an collar of the theory and practical finish of honest issues facing assembly line and organizational guideing/ in the 21st century. learners go away seek a variety of ethical paradigms and depart become combat-readyly engaged in the evaluation and in-depth examination of critical topics in counsel today. This configuration is organized in a seminar chassisat and with 6 ain and two virtual meeting generation poreing on a proper(postnominal) topics in from each one session.Course TextsSelected Readings Provided by instructorWhitworths Educational PrinciplesWhitworths educational principles atomic number 18 grouped slackly into three categories as described on pages 7 and 8 of the Whitworth University catalog1. The fellowship that bookmans provide gain2. The skills we believe argon call for to work effectively in the world3. Thefaith and values that our confederation seeks to reflectThis course is designed to incorporate all three of these principles through the subroutine of development, practicing and applying knowledge in the theater of operations of course enterprise honorable philosophy. Students ordain gain knowledge and skills needed to understand basic accounting and its act in an ever-changing business line surround through study, utilization and application. The integration of ethics and values in a passenger vehicles role in business impart be addressed specifically in the course content.Program deputation and OutcomesThe mission of the Whitworth School of worry is to develop ethical global passe-partouts. This course go out provide a platform on which students forget be adequate to(p) to exhibit competency through the ethical application of managerial concepts in a real-world setting.The learning outcomes for students completing Graduate Studies in Business state that one should be qualified 1. to understand the sources and uses of data and to know h ow to approximate and use data and other education 2. to think and function independently as professionals, and in particular to be able to foresee and solve problems 3. to understand the legal, economic, business and organizational cultures and environment that frame their professional work. 4. to communicate rise, both inside and crossways cultural and national barriers, and work effectively in groups of diverse individuals and 5. to begin to desegregate their spiritual and ethical values with their elect professional vocation.Course OutcomesAt course conclusion student allow for be able toCritically evaluate heterogeneous business situations from multiple perspectives Understand and all the way phonate their face-to-face ethic and avow that when confronted with business world realities Demonstrate an in-depth consciousness of actual major issues in business/organizational management understand the practice of management from an other moral focus on framework demonstr ate strong compose competence innate for professional management/ elapseershipAssignment GuidelinesAll write assignments must be typed (double- detached), stapled and fool numbered pages. I expect all writings to be turned in on or before the collect date. Assignments handed in after the date on which it is due provide not be accepted unless you can demonstrate extenuating circumstances. write assignments impart be evaluated for clarity, construction and capture format. Unless the assignments states differently, all assignments and oral participation will be evaluated on the al-Qaida of the students comprehension of the course materials positively charged the students ability to feel out and to support an informed and critical personal analysis of the issues limned.Graduate students are judge to come prepared to class, as active participation is essential to learning in this course. To encourage this, I will typically call on several students to fare questions concern ing assign readings.AttendanceAttendance is essential to satisfactory completion of this course, as a major part of learning in an Ethics course occurs in schoolroom participation and discussion. Absences of any kind cannot trespass 25% of class meetings or an F in your final grade will result.Academic DishonestyPlease measure that I take severely the colleges policy on the need for donnish honesty in all your work. I refer you to the current college catalog, and the current Student Handbook, where guidelines on plagiarism and other forms of faculty member dishonesty are spelled out. Any form of dishonesty in an assignment will lead to a zero on the assignment, and I reserve the right to bind a grade of F for the course as rise.Special NeedsWhitworth University is commit to providing its students access toeducation. If you have a bun in the oven got a record special need that affects your learning or performance on exams or publishers, you will need to contact the Edu cational plump for Office (Andrew Pyrc ext. 4534) to identify accommodations that are appropriate. narrative on Classroom BehaviorThe University takes seriously its commitment to maintaining civility and mutual maintain in the classroom. Please refer to the current Whitworth University catalog for more tuition on university policies and classroom behavior expectations.Course contentednessThe course consists of 8 sessions (Mondays Sept 29, Oct 6, 8(Wed), 13, 15(Wed), 20, 27, Nov 3). twain of these sessions (Wednesdays Oct 8 and Oct 15th) are allotted for team and project work, in-person or virtual. each in-person session will focus on specific topical areas in business/organizational ethics. I will provide selected readings for each of these topical areas and in the main spend the first part of each class period discussing these readings as well as related subject material. Additionally, working in teams, you will query contemporary literature relating to your assigned subje ct area and fall in a written stocky as well as lead class discussion on the assigned class date.Reflection papers 4 5-6 page reflection papers will be submitted on the bonding dates Oct 6, 13, 20, and 27. These are short essays in which you will present your thoughts and reflections on what you have learned in the course. They may be reactions to readings or insights you have picked up in discussions or lectures. These papers are to be typed and double spaced in essay format. Written assignments will be evaluated for engagement, clarity, and academic polish. APA style is expected. after-hours assignments will not be accepted. in the flesh(predicate) EthicMost adult learners have a fairly established moral/ethical belief system, although few have taken the time to analyze and articulate it. In thispaper, you will integrate information obtained in class as well as readings to describe and support what capability be described as your personal theory of ethics or the basis for you r personal ethic or How do I know the difference surrounded by right and wrong? This paper should be 8 10 pages in space (in essay format) and will be evaluated for clarity, bigness and persuasiveness. The paper is due the weather night of class (Nov 3).Team Research and originationStudents will work in teams and research current contemporary literature regarding a specific topical area within business and organizational ethics and present a summary of their findings to the class (and lead class discussion) according to the attached schedule. all(prenominal) team will produce an annotated bibliography and a summary paper. This paper will be done in APA format and will be between 2500 3500 words in length. Your presentation to the class will follow the attached schedule, but the completed paper and annotated bibliography will be due the last night of class (Nov 3).