The Future of History free essay sample

These details are then confirmed by a fuller reference in the bibliography. Eve read the sections on referencing and plagiarism in the handbook or in the WIT plagiarism policy and I understand that only submissions which are free of plagiarism will be awarded marks. By submitting this dissertation I agree to the following terms. I further understand that WIT has a plagiarism policy which can lead to the suspension or permanent expulsion of students in serious cases. (WIT, 2008). Signed: Date: 18/11/2013 Table of Contents A Critique of Haydn, T. 2012) History in Schools and the Problem of The Nation Education Sciences, 2(4):276-289 Why Chose this Article There is a very high-spirited campaign among Irish academics to present Junior Certificate History in its current format at present, I had planned to critique an Irish academic article on this topic but unfortunately high caliber, carefully considered, peer reviewed materials were simply not at my disposal here, highlighting how excitable but often inadequate the quality of debate on this topic has been to date. We will write a custom essay sample on The Future of History or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page I chose to critique History in Schools and the Problem of The Nation instead because of the striking parallels between GEESE History targets in England (OCCUR, 2009) and the aims prescribed for Junior Certificate History here in Ireland (NCAA, 2008). Wanted to investigate if the defense of Junior Certificate History is justifiable and if the learning objectives of the subject are still relevant and useful to students a quarter of a century after the revised syllabus was first launched. Background, Discipline and Political Persuasion of the Author Professor Terry Haydn, PhD. Is a highly respected academic and with good cause he is indisputably an expert in his field. Haydn constantly researches the predicament of History in school settings with University-backed projects such as Childrens Ideas about School History and Why they Matter and is regularly published and co published, in academic literatures and esteemed, peer-reviewed periodicals (AAA, 2012). History in Schools and the Pr oblem of The Nation was published in Education Sciences, an international, academic, reputable, open access journal (Deed auction Sciences, 2013). The Quality, Relevance and Compilation of his Sources Heydays academic articles are always accompanied by an impressive, purposeful and up-to-date bibliography. Haydn himself appears a conspicuous 6 times in the Nations bibliography although on closer scrutiny, the article is a cumulative product of his assembly of empirical data and relevant case studies with papers such as Factors Influencing pupil Take- up of History and Pupils Perceptions of History at Key Stage 3. (Haydn, 201 2, p. 286-289). Therefore the multiple self-citations are justified.Spokespersons in the fortunes of English school History are cited and cross- referenced aplenty unconstitutionality, politicians, academic historians, subject inspectors, teachers and, aforementioned, school students. The newspapers Haydn references are a model of objectivity with titles cited equitably from across the Left/Right political gambit (BBC, 2013). Paradoxically though, despite the fair-mindedness and far reach of Heydays compilation of source material generally, his academic work always appears to strike the same, preordained political note: a Liberal and Left-leaning one.Introduction: The Main Issues Raised by the Author The articles main goal is to discredit the reintroduction of a traditional, triumphal kings and queens History syllabus in England. In discrediting the hard line .. . Humanists of the New Rights (Phillips, 2006) restoration agenda, Haydn spends the article defending Englands current History syllabus, a model recognizably Junior Certificate-like in its breadth.The Conservative-led New Right, according to Haydn, believe History can be used as a social binding agent for young people, whereas he believes curricular History is mind opening, not socializing. He believes History should be used to encourage young peoples critical and democratic literacy, mandating a balance between regional, National, European and World political, economic, social and cultural History empowering students with skills to interpret and sees historical events and contemporary civil society for themselves (Haydn, 201 2, p. 84). In Department of Education literature and in my own professional practice recognize these objectives as the same as those prescribed for Junior Certificate History (Department of Education, 1996). The Authors Findings and Conclusions A wide circle of academics echo Haydn of the disconnect of students to the emblematically positive portrayal Of. .. National History in the sasss and asss (Haydn, 2012, p. 282).Haydn claims that if the same content-driven, nationalistic agenda was still imposed on the Internet savvy students of today, hey would comparatively refute and dismiss such a golden age History agenda very quickly online (Thornton, 1990. P. 53). In complete contrast to this, the Internet affords the process-driven Junior Certificate and GEESE History students of the present, the opportunity to connect to the subject like never before.Haydn finds Junior Certificate-style History adjustable to purpose, promoting right up-to-date 21st Century topics, often transnational in nature for example the environment, work, poverty, the role of the state, gender, crime (Haydn, 201 2, p. 282). The study of History in the first 3 years of an Irish or English Secondary students school life is often a History of human activity, as opposed to the previous narrow timeline of heroic Irish or English historic struggle. But Haydn also stresses the deficits of Junior Certificate-style History.He acknowledges that the widespread practice of students mechanically responding to historical snippets is Death by sources a to f, a symptom of the piecemeal effort to teach historical detective skills. He also points out that the fragmented and disjointed teaching of isolated satirical events, often leaves students with an incoherent mental map of the past (Haydn, 201 2, p. 280). But Heydays criticisms can be offset with the pervasive access students now have to relevant historical illustrations, sources and short movie and documentary clips online.The Internet facilitates students to behave like History detectives at the stroke of a keyboard an area which Haydn himself has failed to exploit to its full potential at times: there is a total absence Of any uploading activity on his own History slide-sharing weapon to date (Slideshows Inc. , 2013). Live the Internet has fuelled Historys remarking as a favorite academic subject (Harris and Haydn, 2008) for present day students.The Internet affords digitally acquainted students the opportunity to fill in and investigate the historical record of any topic not covered to their satisfaction in class independently. The World Wide Web has connected students to History in a manner only dreamed of by the champions of curriculum reform in the sasss. With Haydn finding the new syllabus is now enjoyed by a majority, bordering on 70%, of surveyed student populations, in comparison to dents in the sasss/asss, who found the subject useless and boring (Hayden, 2012, p. 280), the future of History appears bright.The Scope and Bias of the Article First I must acknowledge my own bias: I thoroughly enjoyed this article. The more times read, the more impressed was. As a History teacher I was more than satisfied that Haydn captured the essence of the New History curriculum effectively, objectively and concisely. His endorsement of the New History syllabus was also based an impressive array of empirical and experiential evidence. His attempt to contextual the strengths and nakedness Of the syllabus from a series of important perspectives was not quite as objective though.In chorus with other scholarly and popular works by Haydn he ultimately surrendered the topic to his Liberal and socialistic predisposition. Even at a subliminal level Haydn echoed the same note. He unintentionally peppered the article in obscure references to flamboyant sasss Liberal-Leftist historical figures like Thomas Abomination Macaulay and Alexander Augusta Elder-Roiling. Haydn would like you to think this is an article of strict objective solitariness but despite his range and inclusiveness f research, the fringe issue of partisan politics and personality-driven points does exist. But in the overall scheme of things I believe these issues are not important enough to significantly undermine the articles robust test of evidence and the attention to detail that Haydn devoted to compiling his study. I believe Haydn strikes a Liberal-Leftist chord because he truly believes that that is the most appropriate counteraction to combat the New Rights restoration agenda (Phillips, 2006). Having read widely on this topic, from writers of every hue, I concur with Haydn. The Implications for ProfessionalPractice The New History Junior Certificate syllabus replaced a received, rote, nationalistic Intermediate Certificate History syllabus in 1 989, 2 years before England followed suit. When asked the chairman of the 1 989 NCAA curricular reform panel, Peter Gallagher, what the motivation behind the reconstruction of General History was, all his points mirrored those made by Haydn in his Nation article (Gallagher, 2013). Gallagher record of events has prima facie credibility be cause of his central role in General History reform. But the absence Of high caliber, peer reviewed articles on the topic here inIreland IS disappointing nonetheless. Think as a community of professionals home-grown theses on this topic should be made available to the Department of Education as a matter of urgency, as the introduction of the new Junior Certificate History syllabus is not to be rolled out until 2017, so preserving and enhancing the most relevant and precious elements, in whatever guise they take, is still possible. Academics in the media are mistakenly lamenting History downgrading from a universal subject to an elective subject because of a lack of proper research to date (Independent. E, 2013). But surveying Irelands Council for Curriculum and Assessment website I discovered that curricular History is to be re-wired into the new Junior Certificate as compulsory for all students, although not necessarily as the New History subject, as weve known the last 25 years, but as one of a portfolio of Learning Statements, meaning all students will be minimally required to, understand The importance of the relationship between past and cur rent events and the forces that drive change on Junior Certificate completion (NCAA, 2008). The demotion to History in Ireland is not in its tutus as a pillar subject, but to the amount of time students will have to devote to it, an issue Haydn records in his article as a deficiency already in existence in England. Our belief in the subject in its current format, as a group of professionals, is warranted and a principle worth fighting for. Haydn doesnt romanticizes History, he deconstructs it along very rigid academic lines and validates the subject as relevant, empowering and useful for students both in school and in later life.Overall think Haydn does not go far enough in his affirmation of History, as my teaching of the subject has become more elegant and meaningful with the advent of universal Internet access, in the quality of resources at my disposal and the immediacy of historical events to students online. In fact I now think extra time should be made available to History if we are also to optimize its detective element in electronic portfolio project work. Interest ingly Peter Gallagher the chairman of the 1989 reform panel pointed out that the present Junior Certificate Paper is marked out Of a curious 180 marks.Originally there was meant to be a separate 220 marks for project work, to be corrected locally in-house but teaching Unions refused o countenance such a suggestion at the time (Gallagher, 2013). Believe if we embed, not just project work, but electronic project work, into Junior Certificate History, as it was originally intended, students, teachers and society itself would stand to benefit from the proceeds of such a progressive, cutting edge mode of History teaching in schools.Conclusions Reading this article helped me understand the wisdom of reconfiguring History in 1989. The article raised fascinating issues about the value and value systems that refashioned History teaching in Ireland and England. I agree with Hayden that there are shortfalls to New History but not significant enough to reinvent the subject from scratch. History in Ireland is the only subject thats professional Association is affiliated to a federation Of European equivalents the European Association of History Educators, Resource (Resource, 2013).Junior Certificate History was a product of that collectivities and ably benchmark itself against European best practice and was a subject that was well ah ead of the curve both in terms of globalization digitization. Believe the defense of the current format of Junior Certificate History is justifiable but would be enhanced by retro-fitting the aims and objectives to include portfolio work, albeit internet-enabled and electronic portfolios to keep in check with students I. T. Deeds and demands. Academics in the media who applaud Junior Certificate History need to become more familiar with syllabus detail, so their campaign can be taken as seriously as I now unequivocally believe it needs to be. Reflection on Learning Is the high-spirited defense of the current format of Junior Certificate History among Irish academics justifiable? Was the theme that eventually led me to hosing, History in Schools and the Problem of The Nation as my article of choice to critique.Heydays Nation article was never my first choice, if I wanted to investigate the merits of Junior Certificate History, the least I planned on doing was to pick an Irish peer-reviewed academic article, as the question was posing was very Irish indeed. In the first stages of my research thought it was crucial to my critique to prove History a universally important academic discipline. When I inputted Why History should be taught in School online, the word taught climbed to the top rank of my sear ch any articles I mound were more directly linked to general teaching practices than to History the subject. However some of the articles bibliographies led me to American academic articles, revealing history is, in fact, a mandatory module of every students secondary studies in the U. S. Prophetically, the one article I found arguing for the scrapping of History as a subject, wanted to see the Junior Certificate-type soft skills associated with curricular History, diffused to other Secondary school subjects in recompense because he considered them so important (Schumann, 1980).From this broad search online I was pleased to earn that History is held in high esteem among education managers, and more importantly among students, on both sides of the Atlantic (Thornton, 1990, p. 54). This was the genesis of my robust defense of Junior Certificate History in my critique. From these more topic relevant articles and their bibliographies I found a plethora of scholarly popular international papers on the theme of History in schools (Dillon, 2011), including Heydays Nation article but I was still struggling to find any academic papers, on the topic, from Ireland!Instead I turned to the very mainstream Council for Curriculum ND Assessments website. To my surprise I discovered History was to be re- designated one of 24 prescribed Statements of Learning, meaning all students were to be minimally exposed to some measure Of local, national and international heritage (NCAA, 2008) in their 3 years of Junior Certificate study. Many academics in the Irish media had been mistakenly lamenting Historys downgrading from a universal to an elective subject (OConnor, 201 3) because of a lack of proper research.

Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia essays

Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia essays 1. I have chosen to discuss the civilizations of Mesopotamia and Egypt. Both have many significant similarities and differences. I would like to compare some important points in four common categories. I will compare and contrast the geography and its impact, the political structure of each society, the importance of their existing class structures and finally the role of women in these dynamic civilizations. Mesopotamia and Egypt were both in flood basins of major rivers. Mesopotamia was characterized by turmoil and tension and in contrast, Egypt was characterized by stability and serenity. The Mesopotamian climate was harsh and since the Tigris and the Euphrates flooded irregularly, nature was not viewed as life-enhancing but rather considered to be a threat. Mesopotamia was located on an open plain without protection from foreign intrusions; therefore they were continually on alert. Egypt, on the other hand, was centered on the dependable Nile. The rich and fertile soil of the Nile Valley provided agricultural wealth. Even though the river was known to flood yearly the Egyptians had no reason to fear it. It helped them predict nature and they began to use this knowledge to their benefit. Since the Nile Valley was surrounded by deserts and the Red Sea, Egypt was free relatively free from foreign invasions. The Nile was also used for travel in their civilization. The political structure in Mesopotamia during the Sumerian era had no unified government. Instead, it had numerous independent city states. In the Babylonian Empire Hammurabi enforced his laws described in the "Code of Hammurabi." In this Code, the lower class had fewer rites than the higher class and is known for strict punishments. In the beginning, Egypt was divided into two parts governed by different rulers. The Unification of the lower and upper kingdoms of Egypt marked the beginning of the Archaic period. The unification of Egypt was significant in the...

Read book, write a journal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Read book, write a journal - Essay Example It is for this reason that the application of ethical theories and the consideration of the moral obligation of the farmers form a crucial part in agriculture. They provide the basis for interaction and learning for the farmers and all the stakeholders involved. As Robert explains in the ethical agricultural horizon, many people in the field of agriculture view the ethical consideration applicable in agriculture not to be a central issue in agriculture. Therefore, the majority are not willing to contribute to the debate of moral and ethical as they consider it peripheral in their line. He places the agricultural in the context that only leaves their role to be that of producing fiber and food to the human race (Zimdahl 2015). In this, he portrays them as people mentally ethical in their daily lives. Therefore, this place their moral energy expended protecting the souls of their business purely private. However, the problem with this assumption it ignores many facts that fall within the perspective of agriculture. This includes their moral obligation to the environmental issues that the farmers themselves create (Zimdahl 2015). These can range from the impact of excessive fertilizers and pesticides to water and health of individuals. This ca uses internalization of the agricultural problems. Omitting of this moral obligation of the farmers therefore in this context overlooks the obligation to the environment. Apparently, the fear of most of the farmers to resolve and raise ethical issues roots from the fact that they are ethically right already. As Robert explains, agriculturalists draw their views from three main domains in agriculture. The predominant factor in their views has a connect to the fact that most of the rangers, agriculturalists and farmers lack only have basic educations making implementation of the moral and ethical theories an issue (Zimdahl 2015). The

Discussion 1 - Management''s Responsibility Coursework

Discussion 1 - Management''s Responsibility - Coursework Example There are many reasons that are associated with their failure and the management had an important part in its failure as it could be circumvented. Firstly, the business environment was risky because the timing of its new venture corresponded with the recession of 2007 when consumer spending had reduced drastically. Secondly, Tesco’s management decision to pull out of the market rather than giving time for consumers to recover from the recession. For Tesco, the external, macro-environment proved to be challenging when the firm decided to launch a new venture in the US. So, its decision making was crucially important for the firm to choose its course in the challenging environment. Many also blame the research and its analysis. Tesco’s interpretation of the collected data ignored the cultural context and the options consumers had if there were one-stop stores. However, the recession had greatly reduced their spending capacity of consumers and even though they had the time to shop at multiple stores, they had little money. (2) Caty has pointed out some important information regarding the credit industry. I agree with Caty that the management did not have much involvement in the decision for closing the branch. In this case, the orders came from the head office. Usually, the most profitable branches provide little reason for the corporate management to shut it down however this is not the only criteria for closing down a branch. In BankFirst’s case, the branch location was generating enough revenues to sustain it in the long run however the decision to close it down came from the head office located in another state. Perhaps the bank was trying to cut down its branches in that particular state as part of its strategy to focus on reducing market penetration to allow for another growth strategy. The credit card industry serves an important purpose as credit providers. Technology is one external factor over which the management has little control over although

Prices Revolution From general Crises Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Prices Revolution From general Crises - Essay Example During the first stage of every revolution, there was material progress, people had confidence in culture and they were optimistic of the future. Such cases explain why the first stage indicated an equilibrium condition (Drelichman 120-147). The second stage of every price revolutions experienced instability. The instability arose from the prices that break into this stage, from the borders of the previous equilibrium. During the stage, prices went up and down. Furthermore, the stage experienced political instability in countries, social disruption, and general cultural anxiety (Pamuk 50-240). During the third stage, people started to think about the price inflation as an inexorable condition. They began to notice the fact that the price inflation was a long-term effect. However, their solution to the issue was more harmful. The choices they made further pushed the prices higher. In the process of the stage, there were scenes of hoarding, price fixing, price gorging, and high levels of cheating. In the fourth stage, the institutional inflation was still in place. During the stage, the crisis was more damaging than before. Prices went high and the inflation condition was highly unstable. There was increased volatility in the end. Commodity movements suffered from severe shock prices. Additionally, the money supply alternated between expansion and contraction. Most governments spent more than their revenues causing the financial markets to become more unstable. The countries with biggest economies experienced fiscal stresses (Pamuk 50-240). In the 18th century, the human race experienced the great wave. During that wave, there were cultural crises in the world. It included economic collapse, international wars and increased social violence. It was due to these events that caused motions of price-revolution experienced relieve. The prices went down, rents became affordable and there were low interests. However, the short deflation ended and a period of

Chinese Communication Style | Essay

Chinese Communication Style | Essay Language is a multifunctional tool that allows people to satisfy variety of needs from socio-cultural to political necessities. The need to express its importance in communication does not have to be stressed since the two are intertwined. The communication style in China has its respective cultural milieus with different forms and purposes as well as varying intensity, emotional charge and dimensions. This has to be understood well by a person wanting to interact in an intercultural dimension. Choosing the appropriate language style is equally important especially in dealing with people from other cultures. The Cultural Revolution in China greatly affected the contemporary Chinese way of communicating particularly with the use of aggressive speeches during conflicts, formalized speeches during public gatherings, and humorous speeches during of turmoil. Dehumanization using undesirable animals was not uncommon during the period when enemies were considered as a class. Because of the diverse and complex communication style of Chinese, several commentators posited their view stating that such kind of communication needs to be improved or perhaps corrected. First, the arrangement of words and design of Chinese calligraphy make it hard for new language learners to embrace the language and adapt the communication style. Second, it deviates from the virtues of the simplistic alphabet. For Chineses part, the factors affecting their communication should first be understood and only then critics can truly appreciate the language. The tonal designs of the language as well as typographical structuring affect how they talk. The discipline as well in schools during early childhood of young Chinese gives them that sense of responsibility to include others and their talks and be concerned for the latters feelings rather than be self-contained. The two dichotomies often used to compare Chinese communication and English communication are the direct/linear style and indirect/circular style. The Chinese communication uses the indirect/circular style of reasoning. Kaplans findings in his contrastive study between English and Chinese communication style revealed that Chinese tend to be indirect, making illustrative and suggestive remarks first before going to the main issue. He called this pattern the Oriental style where people in diffused culture reason in a circling manner, starting from the farthest point, and ends with the main point. This is in contrast to the traditional American style of reasoning wherein they present first the main idea of an issue and then try to discuss the less important issues after. This style of Chinese reasoning appears to be lengthy and irritating for others, but for the Chinese, it serves as a channel in building relationships and saving face. Straightforward reasoning for them in turn appears to be harsh and arrogant. Such indirect reasoning is applied also in dispute resolution where statement of background information comes first before presenting the main argument. In all of these, the need to understand how Chinese think and communicate is important in the hope of a more interrelated world. The communication style of China has existed even during ancient times and up to now continues to be a heritage of the country. It gave them sense of pride as an individual and unity as a nation. INTRODUCTION Different cultures have varying systems of meanings (i.e. language) that makes it difficult to have a smooth flow of communication with them. Language is an important issue in ones intercultural marriage, interpersonal interactions, and interpretation and translation. It is a multifunctional tool wherein from the cultural perspective, serves as a channel in transmitting culture from generation to generation. It also creates linkages between individuals in order for them to establish a shared identity. And lastly, in the political sense, it unites the leaders and members of the society and identifies their boundaries as a country. Communication in China has its respective cultural milieus with different forms and purposes as well as varying intensity, emotional charge and dimensions. The Chinese language has a distinctive feature which has been interpreted by other cultures in different contexts. For instance, in a simple communication between Chinese and American, the latter may inte rpret the formers answer as yes when in fact he means no. A lot of people had posited comments saying that Chinese are very illustrative and suggestive in making statements and often do not go directly to the point. Because they have their own way of expressing emotions, they appear to be inscrutable and reserved to others. In dealing interpersonally, one must be aware that there are rules and standards for appropriate language style to be used. One should see to it that the style fits the genre and tone he wishes to convey. For instance, exaggeration during formal occasions usually gives listeners irritations since most wise people abhor advertisements where everything is over, hyper, or ultra. Better yet, one should remain reserved or attune himself. This study deals with how Chinese communicate, their communication styles, and communication issues. Hopefully after the end of the discussion, one would have a better understanding on the Chinese diaspora and a better appreciation of the Chinese communication style. BRIEF HISTORY OF CHINESE COMMUNICATION STYLES To have a better understanding and stronger foundation on the Chinese communication styles, it is important to tackle first some of the historical events that affected it. After discussing this, only then we can have the better ability to criticize their communication issues from its use in ordinary discourse to the more complicated situations (i.e. dispute resolution). We begin with Chinas Cultural Revolution (1966-1976) which greatly contributed to Chinas symbolic aggressive communication. Moral Language and Political Speeches. Moralistic and political languages are interrelated with one another and cannot be separated, at least in China. The moral language has been used mainly to persuade people. Political speeches from rulers were considered moral sermons. For instance, during religious wars and terrorisms, the use of moral message to justify these events were accepted by people. When a ruler says that a particular individual is Chinas enemy, then he must be so. The danger of moralistic language is that it gives a limited and a fancy sense of superiority and confidence. As an example, an ordinary speaker would try to memorize speeches and poems of a leader he idolizes and condemns the enemies of that leader. Rhetoric Dehumanization. The most common forms of dehumanization during the Cultural Revolution were through animal metaphors. Enemies of China were depicted in pictures as undesirable animals such as cow ghosts, monsters, demons; and parasites. These animal metaphors permeated the way Chinese write and speak. During rallies or political sessions, posters and slogans with dehumanizing animals were used to express their hatred to the social structures or enemies of the society. The use of these posters was the only way Chinese could communicate with the royal persons. Chinese communists created class labels distinguishing the people and the enemies of the people. The Impact on Communication of Chinas Cultural Revolution. The Cultural Revolution of China not only altered its culture but also affected the manner Chinese people communicate both in official and interpersonal levels. The following are the rhetorical patterns relative to communication styles during the Cultural Revolution: Aggressive speech. It became common in China that when a person tried to express his disagreement on the majoritys opinion, he was expected to be disgraced and humiliated. Formalized speech. The formalized language was commonly used during political speeches. The tendency when always used was that it became dry and often gave burden to the listeners leading to linguistic impoverishment. Worse, political speeches were often plagiarized. Humorous speech. The Cultural Revolution also allowed Chinese not to take the current situation too seriously and instead make humorous sense of it. In a sense, it ironically tolerated the vice and evil of people. COMMUNICATION ISSUES OF THE CHINESE CULTURE Having discussed the historical background of Chinese communication in the Cultural Revolution, we now briefly discuss common issues relating to their communication mechanisms. There must be a clarification here with regard to the term issue. Issue on whose perspective? To the Chinese, these might not be issues, but to other cultures they are. For the purposes of this study, we put the issue perspective on the English communicators. In each subsequent topic, this will be explained more thoroughly especially the whys and the hows of Chinese communication. A counterpart of the alphabet. The Chinese lacks the virtues found in the alphabet language despite being a preserved language tracing back to the ancient times. For the critics, the alphabet is simple, easy to memorize, and convenient to draw than the Chinese syllables. Canonical word order. The Chinese has a unique way of arranging words and formulating sentences which when translated to a foreign language gives a different meaning. Unlike Chinese, the grammatical composition of English language is signaled by word order. Vast number of dialects. The Chinese have many dialects across different regions. This is not surprising since they have an ancient civilization and the is the most populated country in the world. There are eight major dialects Chinese use which have a unified writing system; however, this becomes unintelligible when spoken by the different ethnicities (i.e. Mandarin, Hakka, Cantonese). Some scholars consider these dialects as separate languages. Complexity of Chinese calligraphy. Aside from the numerous Chinese characters one has to be familiar with, the writing of these scripts presents an equally big problem. In fact, their calligraphy is now being considered as a form of painting. FACTORS AFFECTING THE WAY CHINESE COMMUNICATE The Chinese culture has complex communication patterns. Facial expressions, movements of body parts, or even styles of dresses affect how Chinese communicate and how a person from other culture respond to them. For the White people, Chinese appear to be humble and reserved, so much concerned about their image that they tend to avoid in all possibilities the discomfort of being embarrassed or humiliated. For Chinese, indirectness allows them to save relationship as a concept of Confucius harmony. Harmony will be discussed more thoroughly in the preceding topics. To understand why Chinese behave and talk like this, it is important to understand the factors that affect how they communicate. The following are some of them: Tonal language. Chinese has is its own syllabic structure and phonemics that differ from the other cultures language such that when they try to speak foreign language, say English, they would give a different tone or pronunciation. The most common is the word fry for fly where they substitute l for r. Typological differences. China has their own way of organizing ideas, connecting facts, or even stressing points. Moreover, their language has no distinction between plural or singular forms. Thus, when translated to foreign language, they would appear absurd, blank, or unrelated. Early education for children. Young Chinese are early nurtured to include others in their conversations by avoiding talking too much about themselves. In addition, they are taught to be cooperative and humble. In nursery schools, instead of requiring students to do recitals alone, teachers would make it a choral presentation. This attitude is expected to be brought into their adult lives. COMMUNICATION PATTERNS IN CHINA Fons Trompenaars, a famous cultural theorist, describes two kinds of communication patterns existing in diffused and specific cultures. People in diffused cultures allow others to relate his other areas of life. The topic is more diverse and less restricted than what the current relationship allows. For instance, an employer can talk about his private life to his employee in the same way as he can talk with him about his professional matters. On the other hand, people in specific cultures, restrict the conversation within the bounds of the existing relationship. In the previous example, the employer would not allow his employee to deal with his personal life since personal matters are different matters. The illustration below, according to Fons, illustrates the way people in diffused and specific cultures communicate. The dots in the center of both pictures represent the issue or topic that a person tries to explain. The image on the right means that a when a person tries to explain something, he begins with the main issue and explains the matter direct to the point. This can be observed often in specific cultures. The image on the left means that when a person explains something, he goes around the bush first before arriving to his main point. This is common in diffused cultures. China belongs to the left image. The Chinese tries to be indirect in their conversation by making the conversation lengthy in order to build relationship. As for them, this is a good strategy to save face and avoid arrogance. DICHOTOMIES OF CHINESE COMMUNICATION NORMS In comparing Chinese communication styles and English communication styles, most researchers fall on two dichotomies namely direct/linear style versus indirect/circular style and deductive versus inductive discourse patterns. These dichotomies help people understand the different communication patterns between English and Chinese in business negotiation, essay writing, and ordinary conversations. Kaplans (1966, 1972) contrastive rhetoric is the most famous work analysis used in distinguishing Chinese communication style and English communication style. Kaplan conducted a study of the 600 compositions of 600 students who were not native English speakers. The Chinese dominated the students number. The result was these dichotomies: Direct/Linear versus Indirect/Circular Style. Kaplan proposed the Oriental style writing wherein before arriving to the main idea the writer goes first around circles. As opposed to American style of writing which states first the main idea, Kaplan described Chinese to start from the broader concept first before arriving to the specific topic. This study supports Trompenaars theory of diffused culture which states that Chinese tend to be indirect in answering or discussing a topic. Oriental Style American Style Deductive Reasoning versus Inductive Reasoning. Deductive reasoning is the process of arriving to a logical conclusion from a general statement. On the other hand, inductive reasoning is the process of arriving to a conclusion from specific set of facts. The distinguishing factor between the two is that in inductive reasoning, one cannot logically make a certain conclusion-only a well-founded or probable conclusion. When one delays the introduction of the topic, he is said to have an inductive pattern of reasoning, while when one introduces the topic early, he is said to have deductive reasoning. The Chinese people first establish a framework before introducing the main topic. Thus, between the two reasoning styles, Chinese have inductive reasoning communication style. FACTORS THAT AFFECT DISPUTE RESOLUTIONS IN CHINA After presenting the styles, issues and factors affecting the Chinese communication, let us now apply such knowledge in dispute resolution among them or even in intercultural ones. The potential disagreement is huge when one is not aware of negotiation styles and barriers to a successful communication between parties having different cultural backgrounds. That is why here we first examine the factors that affect dispute resolution in China. Communication is greatly affected by these since these are the by-products of the Chinese culture (i.e. Confucian philosophy). The four major factors we need to examine are (1) harmony, (2) power, (3) relationship (guanxi), and (4) face (mianze). These factors can be used to establish a powerful framework of conflict management and resolution. a. Harmony (He) à ¥Ã¢â‚¬â„¢Ã…’. Among Chinese people, harmony is one of the most essential values which each one strives to have. Communication exists not to satisfy ones needs but rather, to maintain harmonious relationship with his fellow being. In a harmonious community, people act interdependently by analyzing every action to be done so that in the end, no one will be prejudiced with it. If however, conflict is inevitable, the role of harmony is at least to reduce the negative effects of conflicts in the relationship of the parties or at least to save their faces. b. Power (Là ¬lià  ng) à ¥Ã…  Ã¢â‚¬ º. The second factor is power which refers to how one party controls his resources, whether it be tangible or intangible. In the Chinese context, power determines the degree of ones inclination or cooperation to the others influence. Power in addition, may be equated to authority and seniority. Oftentimes, persons in authority are respected; and it is there advice that people obey since they are believed to be more knowledgeable and familiar in the field of dispute resolution. In addition, seniority gives the people the credibility and experiences which the young Chinese deeply value. c. Relationship (Guanxi) -à ¥Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã‚ ³Ãƒ §Ã‚ ³Ã‚ ». The third factor is the guanxi, which refers to the relationship existing between parties. In Confucius book of Five Code of Ethics, he specified different relationships a man has, which include the ruler and his subject, husband and wife, father and son, older brother and younger brother, and between friends. These relationships vary in degree, and thus have specific communication styles that one has to follow in order to avoid future conflicts. One needs to adjust his verbal and nonverbal ways of communication to show respect and regard for the position, power or authority of the person he is dealing with. For instance, a subject cannot be expected to disobey his ruler implying that a high degree of respect is demanded; else, he gets an equivalent punishment. In the case of husband and wife, the communication is more intimate and reciprocal. Friends tend to treat each other equally and less formally. d. Face (Mianze) à ©Ã‚ Ã‚ ¢Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ­Ã‚ . Mianze refers to ones social status in life as perceived by other people based on ones position and prestige. Through hard work, a person achieves a high position in the society and in return, gains the respect and appreciation of the watching public. instance, in libel cases, there is a public imputation of wrong to a particular person, thus, the latter loses the product of his hard work and would find it difficult to regain the previous position in life. Without minding the image of the other, a serious conflict would likely result. Applying the inductive/deductive reasoning styles, the Chinese in dispute resolution appear to have an inductive reasoning. In a study regarding conflict styles, Chinese appeared to be less direct, less assertive, and less aggressive during confrontational situations. Answers to questions did not have direct relation or loosely connected to the questions asked. Further, background information comes first before information. The use of indirectness is a means of balancing harmony since in the process of avoiding direct answers, one establishes relationship with the other and avoids losing a face. RAPPORT MANAGEMENT AS A FUNCTION OF LANGUAGES Languages have a dual function. The first is the transfer of information and the second the management of social relations. Helen Oatey in her book Culturally Speaking, uses the term rapport management to describe management of social relations as an aspect of language since the term is broad enough to cover the concept of maintaining or threatening social relationships. Taking into consideration these domains when dealing with Chinese, would be a huge step in avoiding conflicts. The following according to Oatey, play an important role in the management of rapport when interacting with Chinese: Illocutionary Domain. This domain concerns about the speeches such as apologies, compliments, or requests that potentially puts at risk the rapports of individuals. For instance, when someone asks Did you put sugar on this coffee? the implication is that you want sugar. Discourse Domain. This domain concerns the content and structure of the communication such as the decision whether to include private topics or whether a particular topic should be discussed first. This domain should be taken care of because there is a tendency to raise sensitive issues and put lesser priorities on more important matters which would threaten ones rapport. Participation domain. This domain concerns the technicalities of the interchange like turn-taking, the decision whether a third person can be allowed to join the conversation between two people, and the permission from the party to the conversation whether someone will be allowed to ask questions or not. This domain should be guarded in order for a harmonious relation to exist. Stylistic Domain. This domain concerns the tone of interaction such as the choice of informal words, polite expressions, greetings, or jokes. Non-verbal Domain. This domain concerns the actions governing the interchange such as eye contact, facial expressions, and proxemics. In the same way as the above four, this domain needs to be guarded if harmonious relation is wanting. CONCLUSION In trying to adapt to a more interrelated world, it is important to know how the Chinese think and communicate. The language style may seem to be complicated, yet for the Chinese, regard for others is the key to choosing the correct style of communication. Communication for them is more than exchange of words. It is a conduit to building a relationship and establishing harmony in the community.

Life in New England Opposed To The Chesapeake Bay In The 1600s :: American America History

Life in New England Opposed To The Chesapeake Bay In The 1600s During the 1600's, many people in the American colonies led very many different lives, some better than others. While life was hard for some groups, other colonists were healthy and happy. Two groups that display such a difference are the colonists of New England and Chesapeake Bay. New Englanders enjoyed a much higher standard of living. This high standard of New England's was due to many factors, including a healthier environment, better family situation, and a high rate of reproduction. First, the inhabitants of the New England area were far healthier. Their clean water supply was a sharp contrast to the contaminated waters of Chesapeake Bay. Air was also fresh and clean in New England. Chesapeake Bay colonists were plagued by disease due to their unsanitary way of life, and New Englanders could expect ten extra years of life because of migrating there in fact, on average, they lived to be nearly 70, close to the same life expectancy as today. Second, those who migrated to New England tended to come over as families, quite dissimilar to the single men who flooded Chesapeake Bay. Obviously, a much more stable family life took root in New England. Single women in Chesapeake Bay were few and far between, and the few that were around were not single for long. It was much easier to establish families in New England, where the balance between men and women was much closer to equal. These strong families provided security and made the New England colonists live a more stable life than those who lived to the south in Chesapeake Bay. Finally, partially due to the stable family life of New England, reproduction was much steadier in the north than in the Chesapeake Bay region. New England's women married young, around 20 years of age, and had many children before their child bearing days were over. They could expect to have at least 10 children, with 8 of them surviving. Chesapeake's lack of families-and more importantly-lack of women kept reproduction rates from being up to par. Thus, New England's growth was steady a nd stable, whereas Chesapeake Bay suffered the effects of an extremely low growth rate.

Ethical Public Speaking Paper Essay

The Speaker was Emma Watson introducing the campaign called He for She. The campaign is about political, economic, and social gender equality and not just for females, but for males as well. To often the word femanism has an underlying meaning to people as â€Å"man hating†. Emma Watson came to speak about just that and other issues that often go by unseen. The issues of the glass ceiling, equal wages for same work between genders, women involvement in poilicies and laws that will effect all womens lives, and socially having equal respect. There is no country in our world that have completely achieved gender equality that should be viewed as human rights. There has been significant improvement in many countries but many women today still do not have the opportunity to have secondary schooling. Men should be just as much involved in gender equality because there are also issues that they have to deal with. The role as a father is being valued less and less in society, and young men do not ask for help for fear they will be less of a man. Men and women should feel free to be sentative and strong. As Emma Watson said, â€Å"Gender should be on one spectrum and not two sets of opposing ideals†. Ms. Watson upheld most of the responsibilities for ethical public speaking. The topic of gender equality promotes positive values and she did not shy away or back down from what hse believed in. Multiple times in the speech she talked about in her research she has found many startling facts and presented them well. When her language was not inclusive, it was to show the conflict and differences between genders. The time in total for the speech was about 13 minutes long and was respectful to her listeners. Some things that were not fufilled was sometimes with the statistics she used whole numbers instead of percentages and did not credit her sources for any of her information. Some of the responsibilities that a listener would have to this speech would be clappinging at certain points. When the listeners clapped it communicated their agreement to Emma Watson, and she in turn, paused and waited for them to finish. While Ms. Watson was speaking, she invited all people to join her in the movement He for She and as a listener, we can choose to either join her movement or not. Emma Watson’s speech was an excellent example of an ethical speech discussing a controversial topic.

Safe State vs. Swing State

Ben Mason Eng. 1001 sect. 38 9/26/12 The Voting Playground: Play it safe? Or swing? This is a concern that arises for presidential candidates every four years as we approach presidential elections. First, there are two terms to be recognized: â€Å"safe state† and â€Å"swing state†. In a â€Å"safe state† the presidential candidate of a particular party has the vast majority of support of that state's voters, regularly, so that he/she can safely assume the favorable outcome of the state's electoral college votes. Some ell-known safe states are California for democrats, and Texas for republicans. On the contrary, there are states that are not like safe states and no single candidate or party has overwhelming support of the votes. These are called â€Å"swing states† or â€Å"battleground states†. Some examples of swing states of this election are Florida, Iowa, Colorado, and others. In the voting world, the president is decided through representativ e votes by the states. This is called the electoral college. A presidential candidate needs 270 electoral votes to win the election. For 48 states, it is a inner-takes-all election which means that whichever candidate receives a majority of the popular vote, or a plurality of the popular vote (less than 50 percent but more than any other candidate), takes all of the state's electoral votes. Maine and Nebraska are the only states that use a proportional vote system. In these states, there could be a split of electoral votes among candidates. (Dugan) The electoral college plays a huge role on the topic of safe states and swing states by effecting the behaviors of presidential candidates. For instance, safe states that re known to vote a certain way will not receive near as much attention or campaigning as swing states during the times close to elections. This is why candidates fight over swing states that may only have as little as 4 electoral votes, instead of fighting for states wit h a lot more. (Dugan) An example of this would be Romney and Obama spending large amounts of money campaigning in a swing state such as Iowa with 7 electoral votes and very little in a safe state like California with 55 electoral votes. (Politico) Candidates do not put a lot of effort into afe states because it is unlikely that he/she can change the minds of the people there. Also, one will not spend time and money campaigning in safe states because he/she may already have the support of the people in those states. As you can see, the electoral college is key to understanding how safe states and swing states work. There is a kind of two party dictatorship in today's American politics and the vast majority of voters fall into these two categories or parties: Republican or Democratic. Every election period there are two candidates unning for these parties. In order for the candidate to get the vote of a particular state he/she must run a campaign. The aggressiveness and frequency of t he campaigns might vary due to the status of a party's influence over certain states. Sometimes the candidates have to modify there stance or ideals on certain issues to fit to that particular state. An example would be that some candidates may want to position themselves to appeal to a certain ethnic group of that area. Obama has tried to appeal to the Hispanic vote in Colorado due to the growing umber of Hispanic immigrants. (Larcinese) This may be a smart move because he is usually popular among minority groups. In return, Romney has tried to address people in rural areas. Recent polls show that he is 14 percent more popular with people in rural areas than Obama is. (Gruber) Also, issues that are a big concern in an area may be emphasized. Things like restoring the health of a declining ecosystem may be brought up in an area that is suffering from deforestation or pollution to secure the votes of people concerned about that subject.Other factors play into campaigning in swing sta tes as well. Many times instead of stretching the truth, a candidate will just neglect to bring up the matter, whatever it may be. The sensitive issues of a certain state might be avoided in order to sound better on a vague level. Slogans are made short and vague for this reason to get anyone to jump on the band wagon. Making the issues fit the political views of the people in a certain area or background is imperative to getting favorable votes. Candidates do whatever it takes to look good or appeal to people.This sometimes means mud-slinging or making the opposing candidate look bad. This has been going on since the beginning of presidential runoffs. A great example of this would be â€Å"Romney's war on women† as said by Obama because of Mitt Romney's stance on issues for women. This gives the allusion that Romney doesn't care about women's health issues so that Obama would be favorable to women. (Politico) In return, Mitt Romney has attacked Obama's healthcare plan saying that Obama wont cover people with preexisting conditions. This is an ongoing thing that will never stop.There will always be differences in views that candidates will trash each other with. There are a vast array of ways to advertise to capture the hearts and minds of would-be voters. The key to it all is appealing to the people that have the most stake in the situation and convincing them to vote a certain way to decide the victor of the presidential race. As you can see, the role of swing states and safe state are crucial to how things are done and the way that American politics play out. Works Cited Larcinese, Valentino. â€Å"Allocating the U. S. Federal Budget to the States. The Journal of Politics. Wiley Library. , 27 Apr 2006. Web. Vol. 68 May 2006 Gruber, Jonathan. â€Å"Rural Favor and Polls† Hastings Center Report. Wiley Library. , 8 Feb 2012. , Sep,Oct 2006 Politico. org. , â€Å"News, Analysis, Candidates, and Polls. † Real Clear Polls. Swing state view. , Sep 26 2012 archive. fairvote. org/e_college. htm. , â€Å"Maine and Nebraska. † â€Å"Center for voting and Democracy. †, copyright 2002. , Dec 10 2009 Dugan, Andrew. Gallup. com/poll/swingstate. htm. , â€Å"Swing State Voters. † Washington D. C. , â€Å"Race Track 2012† Sep 9 2012

Tyranny essays

Tyranny essays Within The Republic, Plato states that tyranny is the most diseased kind of society (Republic, 544c). Aristotle echoes this belief when he boldly asserts within Politics that great honours should be bestowed... on him who kills a tyrant. (Politics, 1267a15) From these quotes alone, it is clear that both share a disdain for tyranny. This essay will compare and contrast Plato (the Republic) with Aristotle (the Politics) on the causes and consequences of tyranny. In order to grasp how Plato accounts for the development of tyranny, it is important to understand how he equates the city with the soul. Within The Republic, Plato explains that the soul consists of three parts: reason (wisdom), spirit (courage/honour) and appetite (moderation/desire). The class structure of Platos ideal city also embodies these divisions: The guardians or philosopher kings represent wisdom and are entrusted to rule; the auxiliaries represent courage and serve to protect the city; the producers represent moderation and serve to provide the economic and agricultural base for the city. While, as Plato connotes in this analogy, all three parts have a place in constructing the ideal, reason is the guiding force that mediates and draws from the competing nature of these parts to produce a just city. Accordingly, since change in every regime comes from that part of it which holds the ruling offices, (Republic, 551d) it is the loss of reason by the ruling class which destroys the just city and provides for the eventual onset of tyranny, a state devoid of harmony amongst its parts. In explaining how the ideal city would eventually degenerate, Plato puts forth a four-stage linear digression towards tyranny. From the ideal state, a timocracy is first born from the love of honour. As wealth becomes cherished among the citizens, timocracy gives way to oligarchy. In an oligarchic state, the desire for f...

Issues in Terrorism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Issues in Terrorism - Essay Example 230). However, the thing that needs to be understood is that in a historical sense, the definition of the term terrorism had been increasingly dependent on the interests and intentions of the powers who tried to define terrorism. Hence, the meaning of the term terrorism will always go on changing in the future in consonance with the agenda of the powers which extend the majority narrative. Before elaborating on the relativity of the definition of terrorism, it will indeed be insightful to try to circumscribe the concept of terrorism within the domain of some widely accepted commonalities. It is a reality that in all ages and times, terrorism did evince some common traits and characteristics. To begin with, it would not be wrong to say that terrorism does happen to be a radical and extreme genre of political manipulation (Stout, 2002, p. 65). Most of the times the terrorists do resort to acts of extreme violence to create an environment of uncertainty and intimidation so as to make people get convinced about the ubiquity and potency of their power and sway. The other particular thing is that the aim of terrorism is always to disseminate a pervasive sentiment of panic and fear. Besides, terrorists also resort to acts of violence to accrue media and popular attention. Also, the most important thing about terrorism is that it contradicts and defies the sacrosanct human va lues and aspirations. Now, if one considers some of these characteristics that are common to the configuration of a viable definition of terrorism, it is possible to contrive a definition of terrorism which may not be concrete, but still manages to convey a malleable meaning and intent that could be grasped by human logic and ethics. However, the sad thing is that if one takes into consideration the historical realities, the act of defining terrorism has always been subservient to the intent and aspirations of the dominant narrative. It is said that

The Prevalence of Diabetes Mellitus in the Middle East Essay

The Prevalence of Diabetes Mellitus in the Middle East - Essay Example Non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) increases considerably the risk for all manifestations of atherosclerotic vascular disease, coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, and peripheral vascular disease(Payorala, 1987) The underlying mechanisms for accelerated atherogenesis in NIDDM are poorly understood. Although NIDDM is associated with a clustering of risk factors favoring atherogenesis (high total triglyceride and low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels and a high prevalence of hypertension and obesity), population-based, prospective studies have repeatedly shown that only a small proportion of the excess risk for coronary heart disease in NIDDM can be explained by the effects of NIDDM on the levels of cardiovascular risk factors(Payorala, 1987) Therefore, the excessive occurrence of coronary heart disease and other cardiovascular complications in NIDDM must be mainly caused by diabetes itself or factors related to it. Type 2 diabetes is the most prevale nt form of diabetes and is due to the combination of insulin resistance and defective secretion of insulin by pancreatic b-cells. (Grundy, Benjamin, Burke, Chait, Eckel , Howard, Mitch, Smith , & Sowers.,1999)Diabetes mellitus is a major risk factor for morbidity and mortality due to coronary heart disease (CHD), cerebrovascular disease, and peripheral vascular disease. Metabolic control and duration of type 2 diabetes are important predictors of coronary heart disease (ischaemic heart disease. (Kuusisto J, Mykkanen L, Pyorala K, & Laakso M.,1994) Introduction/Background to the issue: During the past 20 years, major socio-demographic changes have occurred in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (Alwan A, King H , 1992) The total population of the Region has almost doubled. The birth rate has remained high but infant and childhood mortality rates and the crude death rate have decreased. Life expectancy has improved dramatically, urbanization has occurred and per capita income has increased. The