Work in Front of the Kids

Kohler-Evans, Patty A. Co-Teaching: How to Make This Marriage Work in Front of the Kids. Education, 127, 2, 260-264. Summary The article â€Å"Co-Teaching: How to Make This Marriage Work in Front of the Kids† by Kohler-Evans discusses the implications and effects of co-teaching on children, and provides co-teaching lessons for teachers whoa re willing to improve class performance. The article provides both theoretical and practical research of the problematic issues. The author writes that general education teachers don’t try to meet the needs of all students, but it is inappropriate as students have different abilities to learn.Moreover, disabled students should be provided with more care and attention than normal students. Therefore, co-teaching seems to be one of the most effective strategies to make teachers feel the needs of all students and to choose education program depending on that factor. As a result, a practical research was conducted to identify whether co- teaching was effective in improving overall students’ performance. During experiment two teachers were placed in one room at the same time. This process was called co-teaching.Kohler-Evans continues that â€Å"co-teaching teams have been forced into the general education classroom where veteran teachers feel insulted to have a special education teacher placed in the room with the expectation that they both teach content area critical concepts†. (p. 260) She claims that results appeared encouraging. Despite the fact that teachers were forced to teach, not asked, the majority of teachers involved in the experiment said they were pleased with the outcome and were going to try again as it ensured positive effect of students’ performance.However, the author claims that more studies are needed to identify exacts effects and outcomes of co-teaching on children, especially on children with special needs. Nevertheless, it is apparent that co-teaching is effective way to make students more involved in studying process and to improve their achievements. I think that one of the most important ideas of co-teaching is tendency to cooperation and partnership as working with another teacher will provide more new ideas about managing, planning and monitoring the perfect lesson. Apparent strength of the article is that the author doesn’t simply discuss effects and benefits of co-teaching.Instead, she provides practical recommendations for those teachers whoa re willing to practice the technique of co-teaching. She recommends, for example, finding volunteers. Of course, many teachers are confident in their professionalism and they don’t want to be taught, but there are still teachers who are open to new ideas. It is important to note that co-teaching relations are an excellent opportunity for professional growth and development. Further, the author tells to place value on co-teaching and to refer to it as inclusive practice.It is important as à ¢â‚¬Å"when all students are valued, students without disabilities have the opportunity to develop into more compassionate and caring individuals†. (p. 262) However, the central advice is to have fun from co-teaching as it offers many opportunities for cooperation and collaboration, for exploring new teaching practices and improving performance. Knowledge Application I think the article is very informative offering use new fresh ideas about teaching practices. The information provided in the paper has improved and broadened my knowledge of co-teaching and its specific moments.I think that this practice can be implemented in every classroom as it is a new opportunity for both teachers and students. Teachers will learn how to treat each other equally and how to share responsibilities. Students, in their turn, will be provided with wider range of information and knowledge. However, I don’t think that traditional education should be forgotten. Summing up, co-teaching gives a n opportunity to share the best teaching moments with someone else. References Kohler-Evans, Patty A. Co-Teaching: How to Make This Marriage Work in Front of the Kids. Education, 127, 2, 260-264.

Religion in China: Chinese Buddhism

As of July 2008, the population of the People’s Republic of China has reached 1,330,044,544 which has always been governed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) since October 1, 1949 (Central Intelligence Agency). Though PRC is under very strict communist control, the country has already opened itself up to the rest of the world after the death of Mao Zedong in 1976. Deng Xiaoping turned the country into a market-driven economy issuing the Open Door Policy and engaging into foreign relations with countries like the United States of America.Aside from rejoining the world affairs, the people also experienced independence after being inhibited by the Cultural Revolution which suppressed all forms of freedom. One kind of freedom that the people have experienced is religious freedom (Central Intelligence Agency). PRC is a multi-religious country; hence, the country has diverse religious practices and beliefs (Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the United States of America) .The major religions, though, in the country are Buddhism, Taoism, Catholicism and Protestantism; however, there are still Chinese who practice traditional folk religions. In 1997, there are already more that 100 million Chinese who devote themselves to the religions mentioned above. Moreover, there are 85,000 locations dedicated to religious activities, 300,000 clergies, more than 3,000 religious organization, 74 schools and colleges managed by religious organizations (Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the United States of America).This paper, though, will center on Chinese Buddhism and attempts to prove that is the country’s true religion. According to Travel China Guide, the most important religion in China is Buddhism. About 102 million Chinese practice Chinese Buddhism, making China the country which has the most number of Buddhists in the year 2007 (Buddhist-Tourism). In 1997, there are already about 13,000 Buddhist temples and 200,000 monks and nuns. In addi tion, there is also a Buddhist Association of China (Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the United States of America).Gautama Buddha and His Teachings In general, Buddhism was formed through a Nepal prince, Siddharta Gautama, of the Shakya family. Ever since he was born in the 6th century BC, he was not aware of suffering of the people outside the palace; however, when he did become aware of this, he got upset and decided to leave the life of royalty. After leaving the life he used to live in the palace, Gautama resolved to practice asceticism for seven years only to find out that an ascetic lifestyle is not sufficient to take away suffering (Theobald).He then added meditation with asceticism and through meditation he was able to formulate inferences which turned him into a Buddha or an â€Å"Enlightened Man. † Afterwards, he went on and spread his teachings called the â€Å"Wheel of Teaching† – where the â€Å"wheel† stood as a symbol of Buddhi sm – and died at Kusinara (Theobald). Gautama Buddha formulated the Four Noble Truths which can be summed up as life is suffering due to the continuous yearning for survival and sensual pleasures (Theobald). Thus, Buddha devised the Eightfold Path that would restrain suffering.This Eightfold Path consists of (1) right views, (2) right intentions, (3) right speech, (4) right action, (5) right livelihood, (6) right effort, (7) right mindfulness and (8) right concentration which can be attained by conforming to a strict moral discipline, avoiding evil actions, doing good, cleansing the mind through mental discipline and mending it through the important aspects of doing good (Theobald). The Buddhist religion has what they call the Three Jewels which consists of the Buddha, the teachings and the community; moreover, the center of any Buddhist world is called Mount Sumeru that has its own Buddha (Theobald).Arrival of Buddhism in China Centuries after Gautama Buddha passed away, Bud dhism was finally able to enter China and began to co-exist with Confucianism and Taoism (Theobald). The Chinese Empire was able to gain contact with Buddhism in the Silk Road where there was a constant movement of traders and missionary. Chinese people were able to mingle with Buddhists from Central Asia – this was made possible due to the spread of Han Dynasty (25 AD – 220 AD) to the Central Asia during the 1st century AD in which increased the interaction of China and Central Asia through trading (BDEA Inc.& BuddhaNet). The Emperor Ming Ti of the Han Dynasty who ruled from 57 AD to 75 AD is said to have been a huge follower of Buddhism and Taoism (International Dunhuang Project). It was said that the Emperor dreamt of a foreign god – this triggered his sudden decision to sent messengers in India to look for Buddhist texts and teachers (Edkins, 88-89). Buddhists from India went to China along with the messengers that the Emperor sent as there is already a dema nd to translate Buddhist texts to Chinese. Buddhist monks like Lokashema, Kaspaya, Dharmaraksha, Kashiammadanga, Anshigao, etc.translated various Buddhist texts like the Shravakanaya texts, the Mahayana texts done by Lokashema, the Sutra of Forty-Two Sections done by Kashiapmadanga (who was said to have died in Lo-yang), Kasyapa and Dharmaraksha, etc. (BDEA Inc. & BuddhaNet; Edkins, 89; International Dunhuang Project). Along with other Buddhist texts being translated, Buddhism was spread more in China leading to the formation of a Chinese monastic order. In addition, there were already monks that are of Chinese decent – the first of them is said to be Anshigao’s disciple (BDEA Inc.& BuddhaNet). However, the Chinese were not able to comprehend the teachings of Buddhism at once for the translators used Taoist terms in order to translate the Buddhist terms; they encountered difficulty in finding the appropriate Chinese words to translate Buddhist concepts (BDEA Inc. & Bud dhaNet). Hence, the Chinese associated Buddhism to Taoism. Buddhism continued to grow despite the fall of the Han Dynasty in the early 3rd century. Translated Buddhist texts kept on going around and monasteries are being put up (BDEA Inc. & BuddhaNet).Chinese monks, like Dao-an, who is considered to be the most excellent Chinese monks of the 4th century, continued to invite translators like Kumarajiva from Kucha, who translated more important Buddhist texts and also revised the early translated Buddhist books (BDEA Inc. & BuddhaNet). Development of Chinese Buddhism In Travel Guide China, the development of Buddhism in China is divided into four periods. The first period is Buddhism in Han Dynasty which was already discussed earlier, it was also in this period where the White Horse Temple was put up which is said to be the first Buddhist monastery in China (Theobald).The second period was in Jin during the 265 AD to 420 AD – at the period of the Northern and Southern Dynasties (385 AD – 589 AD). At the period of Jin, more Buddhist texts were translated, written and spread out, Buddhism became even more popular all over China and there was a growth in number of Chinese Buddhists (Travel China Guide). The third period was from the Sui Dynasty (581 AD – 618 AD) to the Tang Dynasty (618 AD – 907 AD). During these two dynasties, Buddhism reached its peak and its development had been exceptional.This unparalleled development of Buddhism during this period was because the Sui emperors are Buddhists and the Tang emperors accepted the growth of other religions despite being strict Taoists (Travel China Guide). During the Tang Dynasty, Buddhism became a part of Chinese Art, Chinese Literature, Chinese Sculpture, Chinese Architecture and Chinese Philosophy (BDEA Inc. & BuddhaNet). The development was, however, halted during the late feudal society due to the heightening of social unrest in the country (Travel China Guide).The slumped developmen t of Buddhism occurred on the dying period of the Manchu Dynasty when the country got involved in wars against the Great Britain and series of peasant uprisings (ie. Boxer Rebellion) where China got striped off of its land and was divided among western countries and Japan in what was called the Spheres of Influence. The foreign occupation was followed by the fall of the Manchu Dynasty which was caused by the rise of the Nationalists, followed by the rise of the Communists which again triggered another civil revolution in the country which was briefly cut short due to World War II.Nonetheless, Buddhism was able to recover after the establishment of the PRC and even more after the reign of Mao Zedong. In addition, Buddhism has progressed into three different forms, namely, Han Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhism and Southern Buddhism (Travel China Guide). Schools of Chinese Buddhism There were different schools of Chinese Buddhism which emerged during the Tang Dynasty. It was said that these s chools were derived from old forms of Buddhism that came to China, however, modern scholars stated that the said connections are most like tampered and flawed.Nonetheless, there are four main Chinese Buddhism schools that surfaced during the 7th century, namely, (1) T’ien-t’ai, (2) Hua-yen, (3) Ch’an, and (4) Pure Land (Lusthaus). T’ien-t’ai School This school was founded by Zhiyi (Lusthaus). He led Chinese Buddhism to a direction different from the path that various Buddhist theories and practices are leading it into. Zhiyi recommended a comprehensive synthesis. The whole T’ien-t’ai school was rooted on the Lotus Sutra – in this school, they view the Lotus Sutra as the carrier of salvation based on practice (China Views).This school is portrayed as principled and meditation- and philosophy-centered. It served as the connector of the developing Buddhism in Northern China as both religion of faith and discipline, and the intelle ctual tradition in Southern China (China Views). Hua-yen School While T’ien-t’ai School was based on the Lotus Sutra, the Hua-yen School has the Avatamsaka Sutra as their root (Lusthaus). The leading belief of Hua-yen School is â€Å"dharmadatu† or the â€Å"universal causation of the realm of the law† (China Views).The said realm refers to the whole of the universe including all of its dimensions while the universal causation is a philosophical development that is purely Chinese. The universal causation is an extension of Buddha’s teachings regarding â€Å"dependant origination† (China Views). Ch’an School The Ch’an School is the result of the reaction that rose against the T’ien-t’ai School and Hua-yen School (Lusthaus). The Ch’an School viewed the two other schools as an impediment towards enlightenment due to their capacious and complicated literatures. This school centers on meditation.Ch’an Sch ool was founded by an Indian monk from Southern India named Bodhidharma who arrived in China around the 5th and 6th century. He taught according to the Lankavatara Sutra and also practiced a tremendously simple mediation (China Views). Pure Land School Unlike the other three schools of Chinese Buddhism which center on devotional elements and rituals, the Pure Land School which focuses on the very fundamentals of devotionalism (Lusthaus). In addition, compared to the other schools, the founder or the origin of Pure Land is not known. However, there are contributors named Tanluan, Dao Chuo and Shandao.Aside from centering on devotionalism, the school also stresses the faith in Amitabha Buddha (China Views). The devotion will be centered on Amitabha in order for him to grant them salvation which is in the form of being born again the in the west pure land. Furthermore, this school has also ignored the need for self-development through the teachings of Buddha regarding the way of salvat ion (China Views). The scriptures that the Pure Land School use are the Larger and Smaller Sukhavati Sutras and the Guan Wuliangshuofo Jing (Lusthaus). Chinese Buddhist Temple and DeitiesThe temples of Chinese Buddhism are built according to the palaces of their imperial family and are definitely unlike the temples of Buddhism from other Buddhist countries like India. It is established facing south and have three cluster of buildings divided by courtyards (BDEA Inc. & BuddhaNet). The first cluster is the front hall where the four massive images of the Four Heavenly Kings (Devas) greet anyone who enters (BDEA Inc. & BuddhaNet). The Devas are the Guardians of the Four Directions and two of each are placed on the right and left. Thus, the hall is called â€Å"Si-Tien Wang Tien† – a name derived from the Four Heavenly Kings (BDEA Inc.& BuddhaNet). Visitors are mostly greeted by the soon-to-be Buddha called Maitreya Buddha, commonly known as the â€Å"Laughing Buddha† or â€Å"Ta-pao Mi-Lei-Fwo. † This particular Buddha is usually the one with a fat paunch. Precisely at the back of the Maitreya Buddha is the Projector of Buddhist Temples and Faith, the great King, Wei-to (BDEA Inc. & BuddhaNet). He appears to be dressed in his full armor and is either holding a staff or a weapon in a shape of scepter. Aside from being the Projector of Buddhist Temples and Faith, Wei-to is also called the Protector of Buddhist Books (BDEA Inc.& BuddhaNet). Wei-to is always built facing the Great Hall or â€Å"Ta-Hung-Pau-Tien† – the second cluster which is separated away from the front hall by either a wall or a courtyard (BDEA Inc. & BuddhaNet). The main altar of the temple is found in this hall, the image of the altar being Sakyamuni Buddha and his two chief students, Mahakasyapa and Ananda, if not, the place of the two students can be replaced by other Buddhas from the past. Even the image of the main altar can be different; temples of Pu re Land Schools will have the image of Amitabha Buddha.Nonetheless, on the both left and right side of the main altar are the two Great Bodhisattvas, Manjusri or Wen-Shu-Shih-Li and Samantabhadra or Pu-Hsien, however, this too can vary (BDEA Inc. & BuddhaNet). The east and west halls of this hall have the assembled figures of the Eighteen Arhats. These Arhats or Lohas are said to be in control of different supernatural powers (BDEA Inc. & BuddhaNet). On the north wall is the images of Dipankara or Jan-teng Fwo and other popular and non-popular Bodhisattvas. There are also instances when the image of the Protector of Buddhism, Kuan Ti, is also found in this hall.The Great Hall serves as the place where the dedicated Buddhists pray and offer flowers, fruits, etc. in the main altar (BDEA Inc. & BuddhaNet). The last cluster is the back hall which is, most of the time, split into smaller halls or smaller rooms. In the center of this hall is usually an altar of a Buddha or a Bodhisattva ( BDEA Inc. & BuddhaNet). The right is usually the funerary tablet of the founder of the temple while the left is usually a hall for either teaching or meditating. Finally, there are living quarters, dining area and kitchen that are located either on the side of the three clusters or at their back (BDEA Inc. & BuddhaNet).Chinese Buddhism in Modern China The Chinese people realized the need for Chinese Buddhism to modernize as early as the 20th century. There were efforts to modernize Chinese Buddhism and these efforts began during the Manchu Dynasty led by Yang Wen-hui by republishing and redispersing Buddhist texts (Lancashire, 220). He also tried to learn the significance of Chinese Buddhism in the modern world as a whole. Through his examinations, he was able to construe that Buddhims goes well with modern science, and, also, Chinese Buddhists have a role to serve – to introduce Buddhism to the outside world particularly in the West (Lancashire, 220).Hence, he encouraged the Chinese Buddhists to recognize the value of modern science and the existing connection between it and Buddhism, and also helped the Chinese Buddhist to prepare for the missionary tasks they have to fulfill in introducing the religion to the west (Lancashire, 221). It continued until the Chinese Buddhist Association was also established in 1929. Membership for the association was divided between the laity and the clergy with the latter having more dominance (Lancashire, 222).During the early stages of the association, it was able to saw of the two most politcally active monks of that period, namely, T’ai-hsii and Yuan-ying. T’ai-shii was said to be the leader of the progressives while Yuan-ying was the major head of the much contemporary ideas (Lancashire, 222). Personal Interest: Marriage Buddhist weddings are usually characterized as worldly and materialistic, however, the couples who are about to be wed always make sure that they will be able to receive the blessing of the monks from local Buddhist temples exactly right after accomplishing the civil registration procedures (BDEA Inc.& BuddhaNet). Chinese Buddhists strictly abide to their religion that even if two people are already married in a civil ceremony, they still need to have a Buddhist wedding in order to be considered as rightfully married (Urban Dharma). Choosing for the wedding day is usually relied on fortune tellers, however, the couple or the their parents could now have the right to choose for the appropriate wedding day (Urban Dharma). Before the wedding, as early as 5:30 AM, the family of the man will go to the house of the woman with trays that they will give to the woman (Walsh and Poremba).Each tray has its own corresponding purpose and may contain things like wine, fruit, traditional and western cake, tea, meat, trau cau and jewelry. One tray will have a pair of candles that will be lit up by the fathers of the soon-to-be groom and bride to represent the union of the two families, in addition, there will also be a tray that will have the traditional gown that the bride will wear for the wedding (Walsh and Poremba).A roasted pig will also be given to the family of the bride; this roasted pork will be cut into three, the family of the woman will keep the middle part while the rest will be given back to the family of the man (Urban Dharma). Afterwards, a tea ceremony will be conducted in which the couple will serve the elders of the woman’s family with tea and, in return, they will give them red packets with money or jewelry inside. The tea ceremony will also be repeated in the house of the man (Urban Dharma).The wedding ceremony will come after, in Buddhist weddings, the groom and the bride will be the ones who will administer the wedding ceremony (Walsh and Poremba). Just as how early the groom and his family went to the bride’s house for the gifts and ceremonies, they groom will again go to the house of the bride, or wherever she is st aying, early in the morning with his groomsmen. Before the groom could enter the house, the friends of the bride will ask him questions that are difficult enough to test if he is suitable for the bride.In addition, another test will be on the financial aspect where the groom will give the bridesmaid red packets with money or jewelry (Urban Dharma). Afterwards, the bride will bid farewell to her family and will pay respects to her ancestors in the their family’s spirit house, the groom will also follow suit, offering a bowl of trau cau to them with him (Walsh and Poremba). The couple along with the bridesmaids and groomsmen will then go to the house of the groom. The mother of the bride and the mother-in-law will put earrings on the bride to signify her virginity (Walsh and Poremba). Respects will again be paid to the ancestors of the groom.Again, a tea ceremony will be held where the groom and the bride will serve their parents. The tea ceremony will symbolize that the couple is married, it is also this ceremony which makes the bride a part of the groom’s family (Urban Dharma; Walsh and Poremba). Professional Interest: Interacting with Chinese Investors The essential beliefs and values of the Chinese are deeply rooted from philosophies and teachings of Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism (Miroslawski, 46). Hence, even the holistic configuration of the Chinese society has its origin in the three major philosophies and religions in the country.Thus, in order to fully comprehend the Chinese culture, one must understand the different philosophies that the Chinese believe in and how these philosophies affect their way of life. In his study, Miroslawski (2008) compared and contrasted China and Germany using the cultural dimensions formulated by Geert Hofstede. In the comparison, it was learned that the organizational model of the Chinese emphasized on the necessity of a single supervisor at the top who will give those below instructions that should be fo llowed.This model is due to the Chinese inclination towards extensive power distance and the necessity for them to have an apparent and influential type of leadership (Miroslawski, 46-47). The Chinese are also collective in nature, hence, they always put the welfare of their group over their personal interests (Miroslawski, 47). Chinese have the tendency to not to speak out from the group just so they could maintain their good relationship with one another – this is also the case by not choosing to speak out towards their superiors.Aside from Hofstede’s explanation that if there is a high power distance, there is also high collectivism in the society, the organization model can also be attributed to China’s extended family and patriarchal society. Moreover, it is also due to Confucius’ teachings about filial piety (Miroslawski, 48). It is also because of the fact that Chinese are collectivists that their communication vary from those who are inside their group and those who are outside. This is also due to the huge amount of loyalty that the Chinese put on one another (Miroslawski, 48).Another finding was that China has a very high-context culture, hence, the value on face-saving is high and tremenduously important (Miroslawski, 48). Face-saving refers to instituing, sustaining and intensifying status. Despite being collectivists, the Chinese still give themselves value by having a significant status in the group, still, this reflects only within the group as every group tries to contain all their knowledge within them. In order to comprehend Chinese more easily, then, they must be from a high-context culture as well or at least attempt to study their ways (Miroslawski, 48).Conclusion Chinese Buddhists range from 50% to 80% of the Chinese population, their infrastructures are more than 10,000 in numbers while there are hundreds of thousands Chinese Buddhist monks, nuns, lamas and Buddhas (Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the United States of America; Vipassana Foundation). The Chinese have, indeed, welcomed and nourished the Buddhist religion ever since it arrived in China during the Han Dynasty. Emperors were open enough to accept its unstoppable growth and even allow it continue its development.Despite the turmoils that the country experienced during its fall at the period of the Manchu, the Chinese people still resurrected and modernized the religion in order to make it still fitting with the changing times. It can be said that the Chinese Buddhists are very loyal to their religion that when it comes to marriage, the couple should still be wed in a Buddhist ceremony in order to be considered married. Though the Chinese are no longer particular about having their child marrying another Chinese, they would still want the couple to undergo a Buddhist wedding ceremony.The rituals, the ceremonies and the traditions are still being strictly followed. However, there are practices that were no longer co nstantly done, like parents arranging the marriage of their children, going to the matchmakers, and consultation with forture tellers. Chinese are now allowing their children to chose who they want to marry irregardless of nationality and the couple are also free to choose what day they would like their wedding to be held. Perhaps the most difficult matter where other people from other countries to get along with the Chinese is regarding business.Chinese tends not to share what they know with others even with their fellow Chinese. Moreover, they also wanted to play a big role in a certain agreement. In addition, engaging a business with Chinese might take a lot of time as they will always consult their group regarding the business at hand. These qualities of the Chinese is attributable to their high power distance, collectivism and context culture (Miroslawski, 46-48). Chinese prefer having a someone above them who are capable of leading them irregardless of the circumstances.They w ill always put the best interests of the group their their own and they do not share anything to anyone easily for they find it hard to trust other people, however, they gave their utmost loyalty to their group. This is due to their philosophies and religion – Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism (Miroslawski, 46). Works Cited BDEA Inc. & BuddhaNet. â€Å"Buddhist Studies: Chinese Buddhist Temple. † 2008. Buddhist Studies: Buddha Dharma Education Association & BuddhaNet. 13 October 2008 . BDEA Inc. & BuddhaNet.â€Å"Buddhist Studies: Mahayana Buddhism: Chinese. † 2004. Buddhist Studies: Buddha Dharma Education & BuddhaNet. 13 October 2008 . BDEA Inc. & BuddhaNet. â€Å"Buddhist Studies: Personal Ceremonies in Buddhism: Marriage. † 2008. Buddhist Studies: Buddha Dharma Education Association & BuddhaNet. 15 October 2008 . BDEA Inc. & BuddhaNet. â€Å"Timeline of Major Events in Chinese Buddhism. † 2008. Buddhist Studies: Buddha Dharma Education Associat ion & BuddhaNet.13 October 2008 . Buddhist-Tourism. â€Å"Statistics on Buddhism, Statistics on Buddhist Religion, Buddhist World Statistics Description. † 2007. Buddist-Tourism. 14 October 2008 . Central Intelligence Agency. â€Å"CIA – The World Factbook — China. † 9 October 2008. Central Intelligence Agency. 14 October 2008 . China Views. â€Å"Chinese Mahayana Buddhism – A Complete History.† 2007. China Views. 13 October 2008 . Edkins, Joseph. Chinese Buddhism: A Volume of Sketches, Historical, Descriptive and Critical. New Jersey: Gorgias Press LLC, 2003. Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the United States of America. â€Å"White Paper–Freedom of Religious Belief in China. † October 1997. Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the United States of America. 14 October 2008 . International Dunhuang Project. â€Å"Chinese Buddhism on the Silk Road.† n. d. International Dunhuang Project. 13 October 2008 . Lancashire, Douglas. â€Å"Buddhism in Modern China. † Religion in Communist Lands (1977, 5 (4)): 220-228. Lusthaus, Dan. â€Å"Buddhist philosophy, Chinese: Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy Online. † 1998. Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy. 13 October 2008 . Lusthaus, Dan. â€Å"Buddhist philosophy, Chinese: Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy Online. † 1998. Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy.13 October 2008 . Lusthaus, Dan. â€Å"Buddhist philosophy, Chinese: Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy Online. † 1998. Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy. 13 October 2008 . Lusthaus, Dan. â€Å"Buddhist philosophy, Chinese: Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy Online. † 1998. Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy. 13 October 2008 . Lusthaus, Dan. â€Å"Buddhist Philosophy, Chinese: Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy Online.† 1998. Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy. 13 October 2008 . Miroslawski, Gregor. â€Å"International Expan sion & Market Entry of Mainland Chinese Businesses in Germany within the Context of Culture. † China Media Research (2008, 4 (2)): 46-59. Theobald, Ulrich. â€Å"Religions in China, Chinese Religions – Buddhism ( ). † 2000. ChinaKnowledge – a universal guide for China studies. 13 October 2008 . Travel China Guide. â€Å"China Buddhism. † 14 October 2008.Travel China Guide. 13 October 2008 . Urban Dharma. â€Å"Newsletter – 2/10/04. † 10 February 2004. Urbad Dharma. 15 October 2008 . Vipassana Foundation. â€Å"Buddhists in the World. † July 2008. The Dhamma. 15 October 2008 . Walsh, Richard T. and Barbara Poremba. â€Å"Buddhist Wedding Ceremony. † 1998. Salem State College. 15 October 2008 .

Dehumanization in Night Essay

Night is a heart pulling memoir of its young Jewish author, Ellie Weasel, and his experiences in the Holocaust. The book begins with him living in the town of Sighet. He had a very sheltered life, with no accounts of negativity in the world. He and his family were also raised heavily on Jewish beliefs. One day a man by the name of Moshe the beadle comes to warn the people of the dangers of the Nazis. Unfortunately the people did not heed this and Sighet was invaded by Nazis. Weasel and his family are taken and separated. He only had his father now and they braved much torture and mal treatment by the kapos in the camps. At the end of it all only weasel himself made it out alive, though a brutal scar was marked upon his soul. He’d lost his family and his faith at those camps. But through all his sorrow and loss he wanted to share his accounts in this dark volume of his life, so that people understand what the Jews went through all those years ago. This led him to write Night, where in which Weasel points out the inhumanity towards other humans during the holocaust as one of the themes of his chilling story. One of the major factors that contribute to this theme is actually one of the first cruel things he encountered was the Nazis. At first on the other had he didn’t see them for the monstrous people that they were. In the book Eliezer, Weasels character, even recalls, â€Å"Our first impressions of the Germans were most reassuring†¦. Their attitude toward their hosts was distant, but polite.† But this is just one of the many aspects of the holocaust that was tremendously misunderstood. But even more so unthinkable was the cold-blooded butchery of millions of innocent people. As the memoir progresses you will see how Weasel puts a spotlight of the actions of the Nazis by first seeing them as humans beings but then later on reveals the evil deeds that they commit upon innocent Jews. Night also exhibits how inhumanity can spread to others who have been shown inhumanity. This is shown when the Jews start to turn on each other, instead of braving their harsh treatment together. It is even said by a Kapo: â€Å"Here, every man has to fight for himself and not think of anyone else. . . . Here, there are no fathers, no brothers, no friends. Everyone lives and dies for himself alone.† Because the Kapo are also just prisoners that are in control of the other prisoners, this is a very significant message. They were happy to help the Nazis in their plans for genocide. This led them to act really ruthlessly towards those under their command. In the fifth section of the book Eliezer mentions them as being, â€Å"functionaries of death.† The perspective of the Kapos show how those effected by the Holocaust can use inhumanity to infect other people like it as a virus.

Mid term report internship Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Mid term report internship - Essay Example A cover letter has been attached before the questionnaire which will explain the objective of my survey. I am in the way to complete the Mid-term and final project on time. At this moment I am having a clear plan and schedule to complete the project. Examples of the part of the scope I have a plan to survey with 300 employees. At this moment of time 200 employees has already send their response while 100 employees are yet to send their response. Two methods are used for questionnaire sample. One is hard copy and the second is mailing questionnaire. For hard copy as mentioned above, it was attached with the questionnaire. For mailing questionnaires, I have used the letter to convey my purpose. My Task: My task is to handle the entire questionnaire and the entire 300 respondents. I have started writing report on the basis of secondary data collection about the Company ABC. The draft of the final table content is in below: Pages 1. Thoughts and Challenges dealing with the project †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 2. Abstract †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 3. Introduction †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 4. Literature Review †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 5. HRM process. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 6. HRM process in family business. ... Research Variables†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. a) Employee satisfaction constructs. 11. Research result and discussion†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. a) Employee’s demographic condition. b) Employee’s satisfaction level. c) Employee’s relation with the HR department. 12. Conclusion and Recommendations†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 13. Value and insights to ABC Company†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 14. References. Research Methodology and the questions we asked to the Employees to measure the employee satisf action Research Methodology means how I have proceeded towards my objectives. What methods I have used for the purpose of my research. Research methods are of two types namely Primary and Secondary research. Primary research is the first hand data collection method. That means for Research purpose one needs to use the data collected by him only. It is a field collection. Secondary research is a kind of research where the data can be collected from different other sources like Internet, Books, and Journal, Magazine and research papers done by others. The validity of primary research is always better (Armstrong, 2007). But always it is not possible to use primary research because it is very time consuming and sources are not available always. In my study, I have used both the kind of research methods Primary and Secondary. In primary research, I used sample survey method. Sample is a part of population. My survey was based on the employees of the company. There were 400 employees and I took 300 employees as my sample. I tried to do a population survey but it is difficult to

Sexual studies biology assignment 2 (another persos assignment) Essay

Sexual studies biology assignment 2 (another persos assignment) - Essay Example This was done through a systematic analysis of various articles concerned with the incidence, pathophysiology, and treatment of antidepressant-associated sexual dysfunction (Higgins 141). Management of sexual dysfunction through medical assessments has been deemed to be one of the most important steps in addressing the problem. This may include the following: eliminate other potential factors for sexual dysfunction (e.g. alcohol, age, substance abuse); exclude the effects of using medications other than antidepressants (e.g. diabetes management medications, cardiovascular system medications, nervous system disorder treatments); and exclusion of the residual effects of depression or the use of anti-depression drugs (Higgins 146). Once all factors have been ruled out and the effects of the antidepressants still persist as the main cause of sexual dysfunction, possible options for patients can include gradual reduction of antidepressant dosage, replacement or switching of antidepressant s from SSRI to non-SSRI, adjunct drug treatment or the use of drugs to counteract side-effects, not using antidepressant drugs a day before engaging in sexual activity, or undergoing cognitive behavioral therapies (CBT) using a combination of biological and psychosocial approaches in dealing with and understanding the mechanics of sexual dysfunction (148). ... Sexual dysfunction is a very sensitive topic, and as such must be tackled as holistically and as open-mindedly as possible, both by the patients as well as the professionals that they work with. It is very important that patients are fully-informed about the possible causes of sexual dysfunction and how these issues can be addressed, especially when the patients are taking antidepressants or using other kinds of drugs. This is because there is a high possibility that they feel less empowered as a result of accepting that they have lower sexual drive as well as their battles against depression, and they may not be fully aware of the possible connection for this, let alone it being common among users of antidepressants. This article is able to provide important details on how to handle sexual dysfunction while taking antidepressants, as it has been mentioned that individuals may respond differently to the treatments enumerated. Also, it also serves as a reminder that not all mental ill nesses depend on pharmacological therapies alone as there are some other ways to cope with this problem, and that by reducing the dependence on drugs that could possibly inhibit sexual responses, patients have greater chances of improving their sex lives simply through adjustments of medications or behavior. Mental health specialists and clinicians can benefit from this article by providing their patients with alternative solutions in addressing either or both issues of depression or of sexual dysfunction as a result of the use of antidepressants, and in effect can give a chance for patients to have access to a better sexual health as a result of a few changes in their anti-depression

Project Managment - Team work Evaluation Assignment

Project Managment - Team work Evaluation - Assignment Example The activities that fall under these two processes are; decision on leadership through voting, this is also in line with thinking through the purpose of the group, decision on tasks for each member is a strategy to ensure fair share in the workload, all the activities that come prior to tackling of tasks are under transition processes; the plans, goal specification and planning the activities here are like decision on the backup plan as a group to avoid clashing of roles, set up on calendar et al. (Kivipelto & Yliruka, 2012). Action processes are a vital part of the taxonomy, what is entailed here is actual activities that are the sole purpose of a team or rather a group. Information and data are assembled within, members writing down their ideas and opinions, communication of venues for meetings, working on writing skills and grammar are pronounced in this process. The leader sets goals to be completed in every meeting to avoid time waste, the leader also monitors progress. Upon completion of own work, there is team monitoring, members who complete their tasks earlier help their colleagues. Evaluation of work, provision of any vital feedback, coordination and often working in pairs come in action processes. More importantly, the time for completion of work is set in this process (Kivipelto & Yliruka, 2012). Interpersonal processes come later in the taxonomy of team processes. Orchestrating conflict management techniques is employed here. Upon the rise of challenges, the crew chief would exchange tasks of the group members and work in liaison with the group to find an amicable solution. Identification of individual attributes, i.e., strengths takes place and when disagreements occur a management process would be held for instance re-evaluation of objectives and vote on decisions for the best interest of the group. Encouragement occurred during meetings, because of the positive attitude shown. Working in pairs and communication

Indigenous Peoples and Globalization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Indigenous Peoples and Globalization - Essay Example Citing the impact, the research has also mentioned history reference to globalization and colonization in Canada; followed by discussion related to responses from indigenous people on local and international levels to retain their originality and identity from this cultural invasion of globalization. Hence, concluding to the point of various meanings that can be extracted from both terms and so varied impacts it had in pre and post colonization era in Canadian territory. The aim of research is to study the impact of cultural and social impact of globalization on indigenous people; the research has picked the North American territory that has been acknowledged for the legacy of colonialism in North America. North America has settlement of natives apart from the main system to flourish the people’s relationship to the land with all factors of spirituality and community that remained directives of their lives. First Nations, People in Canada, taken as the narrowed domain for the study of indigenous people, has historical continuity with pre-invasion and pre-colonial societies. First Nation considers themselves as different from other on the same mainly due their connectivity to the ancestral pattern of lifestyle has resisted to its best invasion from surrounding cultural factors. To United Nations Special Rapporteur of the Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities, as well as a set of 7 guidelines set out by the UN has been adopted as the most suiting definition for indigenous people as also refers to pre-colonial and pre-invasion system of life with link to the land and distinct culture are common features. With reference to this definition, globalization has resulted as the domination attempt from imperialist or western culture of developed nations. In case of Canada’s First Nation is Britain and France. This invasion traces its inception in mid 16th Century when European Settlers initially developed trade ties and eventually resulted in military alliances. Growing European invasion was first resisted from Royal Proclamation of 1763 to take back rights of land that was initially their own. First nation had to surrender land under treaties, creation of reservations and other land invasions that all resulted in impact on the lifestyle of the First Nation. The formal attack on the cultural and social life of indigenous people can be defined as time British self picked responsibility to develop First People with imposition of the Christianity and agriculture considering them to be superior to the hunting-gathering lifestyle of Indigenous peoples. This phase also has counts for large number of deals. Network of 132 residential schools is most reflective of intended attempt to kill the original lifestyle of inhabitants that also have examples of physical, mental, and even sexual abuses within the residential school system. In the mid-1940s First Nations leaders first officially reported the cultura l assimilation and worsened conditions in residential schools, rejected 1969 White Paper and resulted in Indian Brotherhood set up in London to lobby British MPs assuring First Nations rights are accounted within the new constitution. Other examples include Congress of Aboriginal Peoples (CAP) and finally the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues was formed by UN assuring the voice of Indigenous pe

Wireless technology security Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Wireless technology security - Research Paper Example It facilitates easy movement and the extension of common applications to several areas of a building, town or the world minus costly cable installations. Their implementation and administration is based on radio communication, which occurs at the physical layer of the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) type of network structure (Rappaport, 2002). This paper will discuss various wireless network types and security protocols. Although with several variations, basically, there are three main types of wireless networks namely, Wireless Wide Area Networks (WWAN), Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) and Wireless Personal Area Network (WPAN) (Pahlavan & Levesque, 1995). Since setting up a wireless network must include means that ensure only authorized users can access and use it, the paper will also look at the security risks government and businesses run by using wireless networks with their associated security measures. WPAN These are low range networks used for linking devices that are ge nerally within a person’s reach in relatively small areas. As cable replacement for peripheral devices, WPANs are commonly used in interconnection of printers, personal assistants, headsets and scanners in the absence of hard wired connections (Pahlavan & Krishnamurthy, 2009). The key technologies in WPAN are Bluetooth and infrared. Bluetooth connectivity can have a 10 Mbps throughput in a range of up to 100 meters without using an amplifier. With the integration of WiFi in some electronic consumer devices and the highly efficient power consumption of Bluetooth technology, the popularity of WPAN is growing (Pahlavan & Krishnamurthy, 2009). Infrared technology can establish wireless connections speeds of a few Mbps over several meters. WLAN A WLAN connects devices over short distances such as in a library, coffee shop, and university campus or aboard an airplane or train, and eventually provides connection to the broader internet via an access point (Geier, 2002). Within the W LAN, all components connecting to a wireless medium are known as stations and are equipped with interface controllers. The stations are broadly categorized into two; clients and access points (APs). Wireless clients are made up of mobile devices like IP phones, personal digital assistants and laptops. They also include fixed devices like workstations and desktop computers fitted with interfaces for the wireless network. On the other hand, APs serve as the wireless network’s base stations and are normally routers. In their function, they receive and transmit radio frequencies from and to the wireless enabled devices, enabling them to communicate with each other. Within a WLAN, users who do not need internet access may create a temporary network among themselves without using the access points. Making use of spread spectrum technology, a WLAN lets users stay connected to the network even when they move around, so long as they are still within the local area of coverage (Geier, 2002). For networks or computers placed in two relatively distant points, the fixed wireless technology makes use of point to point links over a dedicated microwave connection in a line of sight path. An example of such fixed wireless technology occurs in the linking of networks located in several buildings across a city. WLANs offer benefits like reduced ownership costs (except the high initial acquisition cost), quick installation, scalability and flexibility. Its growth is aided by popularity and affordability of laptops and other handheld devices. With public APs, passwords or registrations are not often required to link to the network. WWAN Typically, WWANs offer coverage over wide areas like between bordering cities, towns or neighborhoods. They connect an organization’

Organisations and behaviour Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Organisations and behaviour - Case Study Example , democracy, and laissez-faire as proposed by behavioral theorists1, however, the different leadership styles are currently considered to be transformational, transactional, or charismatic. Autocratic or authoritarian leadership style bestows all the decision-making powers solely on the leader, and motivation is achieved through rewards or punishments. However, for both at Egg and Taylor Woodrows workforce, this type of leadership may impact negatively on motivation of employees. Considering that the two companies both put a lot of emphasis on employee involvement, autocratic style leadership may not foster effectual communication, a tool highly and considerably associated with effective implementation of change. Democratic or participative leadership allows employees to get actively involved in decision-making processes by developing plans aimed at helping employees evaluate their performance. This form of leadership will particularly impact positively in regard to workforce motivation at Taylor Woodrow given that they already have a working Performance and Development Review in place. Moreover, participative leadership permits establishment of goals by the workforce, promotes growth on the job and promotions, and recognizes achievement. Therefore, during change implementation, participative or democratic leadership facilitates employee motivation, which in effect leads to improved organization performance and profitability. At Egg, democratic or participative leadership proves to be the most effective leadership style since the company puts a lot of emphasis on employee-management relationship, allowing employees to get involved in planning, performing, and achieving for themselves and the company in overall. Addition, the company’s strategic approach toward employee is anchored on a ‘know yourself, know your people’ concept that puts not only the targets of the company itself but also those of the workforce at the core of its operations. With the

Features Of The Childhood Cognitive Development Assignment

Features Of The Childhood Cognitive Development - Assignment Example Constructivists gain knowledge by operating gadgets to discover their properties. The organization is an inborn tendency to combine and integrate available schemes into coherent systems or bodies of knowledge. Intelligence in Piaget’s theory is a basic life function that enables an organism to adapt to its environment. Assimilation is the process of interpreting new experiences by incorporating them into existing schemes. Schemes are organized patterns of thoughts or actions that one constructs to interpret some aspects of one’s experience (Shaffer and Kipp 215). According to Piaget, adaptation is the condition in which an individual interacts with, embraces and live by his or her socio-physical and cognitive environment. An individual gets used to his or her environmental aspects regardless of their nature. Assimilation and accommodation concepts complement each other. While assimilation allows for embracement of one’s environment, accommodation requires an individual to accept and appreciate whatever the environment brings forth, including other humans and animals (Shaffer and Kipp 224). Piaget defined intelligence as a basic function of life that enables any organism or human to adapt and fit into his or its immediate environment. Most people would refer to the term as humans’ ability to perceive and comprehend information for use in cognitive development; and manage daily lives of a socio-physical environment. Sensorimotor stage is the first major period in Piaget’s stage theory, lasting approximately 2 years from birth. According to Piaget, during this stage children are not yet able to comprehend their world and must entirely rely on others especially their mothers to think on their behalf. Piaget asserts that imitation is the purest example of assimilation.

Differences between primary and secondary research Paper

Differences between primary and secondary - Research Paper Example â€Å"These original documents (i.e., they are not about another document or account) are often diaries, letters, memoirs, journals, speeches, manuscripts, interviews and other such unpublished works† (University of California Santa Cruz, 2011). The primary source is original and encapsulates a lot of creativity. The information is factual rather than interpretive. Primary references report the scientific discoveries in detail. In scientific studies, they not only narrate the conclusions, but also sufficiently discuss the clinical trials as well as the experiments that make part of the research. The discussion is completely factual. Secondary research upon humanities encapsulates analysis and interpretation of the primary sources. The event discussed happens in the past and only a second-hand account of the same is generated. Creative works are interpreted in the secondary research. In the secondary research, research outcomes and scientific discoveries are analyzed and interp reted. Primary sources consume more time in retrieving than the secondary sources. This is because of the fact that to retrieve information from the primary sources, the researcher needs to approach the respondent. The first and the foremost obstacle in way of retrieving information from a primary source is that the researcher needs to take an appointment from the respondent. ... It is for the researcher to decide whether the interview has to be structured, semi-structured or non-structured. Once everything is ready, the researcher still might encounter inconvenience collecting the data as the respondent might not feel comfortable discussing certain issues that are of prime interest to the researcher. Therefore, most researchers refer to the primary data only when there is insufficient information in the secondary sources (Duval, 2005). Nevertheless, because of the researcher’s use of â€Å"telephone surveys, computerized data analysis, and use of cell phones and pagers† (Benfield and Szlemko, 2006, p. 2), primary data is not as difficult to collect in the present age as it used to be in the past. On the other hand, secondary sources are very easy to retrieve the information from. All the researcher needs is access to the required material. â€Å"Marketing researchers use secondary information because it can be obtained at a fraction of the cos t, time, and inconvenience of primary data collection† (McDaniel and Gates, 1998, p. 75). Examples of the primary sources about humanities are letters, diaries and journals. Data is retrieved from magazines and newspapers. Photographs, government records, one-to-one interviews with the concerned parties and paintings are all included in the primary resources. Sources conventionally used for the scientific research include but are not limited to the published results of experiments, conferences and clinical trials. Examples of the secondary sources include histories, biographies, books, newspaper articles and scientific journals (Thomas, 2010). Nielsen

Turner Thesis Summary Essay Example for Free

Turner Thesis Summary Essay Throughout history society has to go through many changes that not only affect many of the people but also the areas around the transformation. The main point of Fredrick Jackson Turner’s thesis is what the real essence of America is, and how we’re all influenced by the many changes we have to go through. He believes that American history should not be focused on the extension of European enterprise. The society will have to realize that America will have to be emancipated because of the fact that we had a country with an unlimited amount of boundaries and have to come to realization that we have many closed-spaced limits. The views in the seminal essay share his thoughts on the idea of how the frontier shaped American history. Turner thinks that frontier the is the main reason why America is the way it is today. With America expanding to the west and taking over, it was their job to adapt to the new environment. He focuses on the past and how people were fascinated with the frontier and the way the American West made people think about politics, economics, and culture and religion. Having to moving America to the west comes with many challenges, not only getting used to new things in the area, but also economic issues. You have to come into the new area, and start your new land there. The exploitation of the soil by a raising of unrotated crops of corn and wheat in sparsely settled farming. In the west, they had steady growth of complex nervous systems for the originally inert continent, this is the reason why are one nation today, rather than a collection of isolated states. Areas such as Wisconsin, where they developed a manufactured agricultural interest, and North Dakota, where they have exclusive grain raising, have all influenced these west areas economically. There were many historians who made the attempt to interpret political facts by the light of social areas and changes. They discovered that the growth of nationalism and the evolution of American political institutions were dependent on the advance of the frontier. The legislation of the west, which not only played the largest part of the activity conditioned on the frontier, also developed the powers of the national government. The subject of tariff and internal improvement is the main question that had to do with the slavery struggle in the west. The first frontier had to meet â€Å"Indian questions,† and those questions dealt with the composition of the public domain, the intercourse with other older settlements, of the political extension organization. There were land policies such as having to know the mining experience in regions like Wisconsin, Illinois, and Iowa, and the Indian policy had been a series of experiments on successive frontiers. Coming to the west, it was expected that getting used to the culture and the religion was a must. The French colonization was dominated by its trading frontier, and the English colonization was dominated by its farming frontier. The conditions of the frontier life came with smart traits of importance. Travelers works along each frontier from colonial days describe certain common traits. Turner states that the most effective efforts of the East to regulate the frontier and came through it educational and religious activity, by interstate migration and organized societies. After reading Turner’s Thesis, it is easy to understand the more important concept of moving the Frontier to the West. He states how we are influenced by the changes the America has to go through. He believes that the history of America should not be focused on the expanding of the west. Turner thinks that frontier the is the main reason why America is the way it is today. He focuses on the past and how people were fascinated with the frontier and the way the American West made people think about politics, economics, and culture and religion.

Introduction to Systems in the Body

Introduction to Systems in the Body THE DIGESTIVE SYSTEM       The function of the digestive system is to digest and absorb. The digestive system breaks down food into smaller molecules, which are absorbed as nutrients into the blood to be used for growth, repair and energy. The digestive system consists of several organs. The mouth, pharynx, oesophagus, liver, stomach, rectum, gallbladder, large intestines, small intestines and the pancreas. Mouth:  Breaks down food through chewing to make pieces that can be easily digested. Saliva mixes with the food to begin the breakdown. Pharynx:  The pharynx (also known as the throat) muscular walls helps the process of swallowing and serves as a pathway for the movement of food from the mouth to the oesophagus. Oesophagus:  Carries liquids, food and saliva to the stomach. Stomach:  The stomach consists of strong muscular walls which physically churn and breakdown the food further. The stomach lining releases enzymes which continues to chemically breakdown the food. The enzyme Pepsin is found in the stomach and is responsible for the breakdown of protein. The stomach also contains hydrochloric acid which help kill bacteria that is found on food. Small intestines:  The small intestines is around 5 metres long and consists of two parts the duodenum and the ileum. The duodenum is the first 25cm of the small intestines and the ileum forms the rest. The duodenum is the main site of digestion and most absorption takes places in the ileum. The small intestines breaks down the food using enzymes that are released by the pancreas and bile released by the liver. The small intestines are also responsible for absorbing nutrients. The walls of the small intestines contain tiny folds called villi, there are approximately four to five million in the ileum. The villi has three adaptions which ensures that the absorption of digestion products is very efficient. The first adaption is the large surface area, this allows absorption to happen more quickly and efficiently. The second adaption is the many blood capillaries the villi contain, these are responsible for absorbing nutrients, glucose and amino acids. The last adaption is the villi walls are only one cell thick, this will allow dissolved molecules to pass through the walls quickly. Large intestines:  The function of the large intestine is to absorb water and essential vitamins from the remaining indigestible food molecules. Integumentary System The largest organ in the human body is the integumentary system which consists of the skin, hair and nails which form the bodys outer covering. They help protect internal organs, provide a barrier to prevent against infectious organisms and regulate temperature of body. There are three layers of skin. The Epidermis is the thin, top layer of the skin and is made up of four cell types: keratinocytes which produces keratin (waterproofing fibrous protein), melanocytes which produces melanin that gives skin its colour, langerhan cells which help the immune system fight antigens, and merkel cells which help with touch reception. The Dermis is the thicker, middle layer of skin consisting of connective tissue which is found in the papillary layer of the dermis, nerves, blood vessels glands and hair follicles. The hypodermis is the deepest layer of skin. This layer helps insulate the body and protect internal organs. The hypodermis consists of a type of connective tissue called adipose tissue which stores excess energy as fat. The skin contains oil glands which secrete essential oils to keep skin soft and moist, which in turn will help protect the skin. Sweat glands in the skin cool down the body by secreting watery sweat which evaporates in the air. Thermoreceptors are found in the dermis layer of the skin and they detect a change in temperature. Circulatory System The circulatory system, also known as the cardiovascular system, consists of the heart, the lungs and a network of vessels which carry blood. The pulmonary circulatory system sends oxygen-deprived blood away from the heart to the pulmonary artery and to the lungs, and then returns to the with oxygenated blood through the pulmonary veins. Oxygen-deprived blood enters heart through the right atrium and flows through the tricuspid valve and into the right ventricle. It is then pumped through the pulmonic valve into the pulmonary artery and travels to the lungs. When into the lungs, carbon dioxide is released from the blood and oxygen is absorbed. The pulmonary vein sends the oxygenated blood back to the heart. THE HEART The heart has many components to help with blood flow. These components are: AORTA = this is the largest artery in the blood. It carries oxygenated blood. VENA CAVA = this is the largest vein in the body. It carries deoxygenated blood. RIGHT ATRIUM = receives blood from the body via the vena cava. LEFT ATRIUM = receives blood from the lungs via the pulmonary vein RIGHT VENTRICLE = receives blood from the right atrium and sends the blood to the lungs. LEFT VENTRICLE = receives blood from the left atrium and sends the blood to the body. Nervous System The nervous system involves two components: the central nervous system (CNS) and the peripheral nervous system. The central nervous system consists of the brain, spinal cord and nerves. The peripheral nervous system consists of sensory neurons, ganglion (clusters of neurons) and nerves that connect to each other and also to the central nervous system.   Ã‚  

Scheduling And Progress Monitoring Analysis Construction Essay

Scheduling And Progress Monitoring Analysis Construction Essay Effective project management is important in order to ensure that projects are delivered within budget, time and to the agreed quality. It demands a comprehensive understanding of the key stages, which are critical to success, in the life cycle of a construction project. In aid of achieving good planning takes time, but it ensures that the project will be on budget, on time and also risks are minimised. It makes sure that organisational values and client requirements are clear and understood. Good planning has as a result to reduce waste deliver better design. Furthermore, it helps the project team to manage better with risks as they happen, which otherwise possibly will cause greater delay and increased costs (Office of Government Commerce, 2003). This section describes the scheduling and progress monitoring activities for managing the project with supporting processes like as change control. The schedule is also known as the time plan. The project sponsor, through the project manager, is responsible for scheduling and monitoring progress. A programme, in the context of construction projects, is a schedule that identifies the work to be carried out as a series of activities and plots the time periods required to execute and complete each activity and the interdependencies between each activity (Office of Government Commerce, 2003). Schedule is a diagrammatic representation of activities and their time relationship. Also, schedule is known as project programme. (Construction Industry Council, 1996). A programme also controls resources needed and their availability. It is essential to know possible risks or problems. The project manager must check the schedule and progress monitoring against progress already achieved in aid of understanding where difficulties and risks are possibly to arise and to establish different course of action in order to reduce their impact. (Office of Government Commerce, 2003). Risk management is a core process within any business or organization regardless of size, activity or sector. Individuals and organizations can lose substantial sums of money as a result of not paying sufficient attention to the identification and management of threats to their goals and to the projects they commission. Similarly, full advantage cannot be taken of potentially beneficial opportunities arising in the course of their activities if these are not recognized in good time. The project sponsor must be capable to identify those tasks that lie on the critical path. Critical path is the shortest possible time based on hypothesis about the tasks to be carried out and the resources available. Time for the processes should be integrated as specific activities in the schedule of the project. The schedule is an estimate that is based on considered assumptions on issues such as likely risk (Office of Government Commerce, 2003). Some estimation might prove to be wrong. Some deviations might be expected but these will accepted if they do not affect the critical path and the project is finished on time. Techniques include bar and Gantt charts and network planning help with progress monitoring. Bar and Gantt charts define an uncomplicated view of activities aligned with timetables. Network planning is especially useful for complex projects because it links dependent activities in a logical order (Office of Government Commerce, 2003). The project sponsor must make an effort in order that final schedule to be simple and straightforward. The networks of activities of the final schedules, and the interrelationships between them should be sophisticated and comprehensive. They must be rapidly understood of the project sponsor that is why color-coded bar charts are used as management control documents (Office of Government Commerce, 2003). Schedule planning tasks The project manager must report on schedule planning to the project sponsor on behalf of the project team. The project manager must produce a work breakdown structure (WBS). WBS defines the work content of the project in terms of basic elements, work packages, generic tasks and detailed tasks (Office of Government Commerce, 2003). The main schedule planning must show how elements affect each other. It defines activities and also establishes the logical relationships of the activities. It determines the work content, the duration and the required resources of each activity. Furthermore, it also defines the critical path, which determines the duration of the project. Finally, it can optimize the time plan by resource leveling. Resource leveling compares the calculated requirements with those actually available and recalculates the network to spread resources more evenly (Office of Government Commerce, 2003). Progress monitoring Progress monitoring includes reviewing monthly progress reports produced by the project manager with others in the integrated project team (Office of Government Commerce, 2003). Progress monitoring must focus on critical activities and warn the SPOs attention in the proper time in order to appropriate actions to be taken as soon as possible. The project sponsor must understand the total rate of the whole progress in order to judge the forecast completion date. In order to measure the progress, the percentage completion of an activity can be measure in terms of cost and time. The planned progress must be compared with the actual progress. Also progress can be measure the work in progress by taking account of milestones of the project. Any impact on critical must be checked in order to finish the project on time. Furthermore progress can be monitored by the payment progress and from resources still required. (Office of Government Commerce, 2003). An essential element of process monitoring is the process of tome control. A time control system can cover time budget, time plan and time checking. Time budget represents the overall project duration as developed by specific constrains of the project in the contract strategy. It is the period which fixed one time and from that moment becomes one of the most important parameters for management of the project. Time plan is a division of total time into interlinked time allowances for identifiable activities, which can be defined start and finish points. Time checking is monitoring the time actually spent on each activity and compared it with the allowance in the time plan. If any divergence is identified, it must be reported as soon as possible. (Office of Government Commerce, 2003). In the case that an activity on the critical path exceeds its time allowance later activities must re-sequenced, or try to shorten the planned time for future critical activities by increasing the resources (extra cost) for the specific activities. If neither is possible to be done, the project will finish late. The project sponsor must understand that time control is as essential during the planning stages as the construction stages of the project. (Office of Government Commerce, 2003). Progress reports Progress reports are essential reports in the whole process of the project, because they keep the project sponsor informed about the project progress. They discover problems and choices for their resolution. Additionally, they provide the necessary information to enable the project sponsor to make decisions on time. Progress reports demonstrate that the integrated project team executes their responsibilities properly and that the management processes procedures and controls are operating successfully. They provide an authority, and a communication tool in a simple and comprehensive format, for the whole project team. Furthermore they provide a time reference for meetings and plans. In addition the gathering of statistics by the department permits external monitoring and identify best practice and support of improvement in performance. (Office of Government Commerce, 2003). Change control Change can be handled most successfully through project planning and control. Change for any reason must be treated as a project risk. Changes to design, especially after contract award, are one of the major causes of time and cost overruns and poor value for money. Changes arise mainly as a result of unclear or ambiguous project definition, poor communication, inadequate time spent in project planning and risk management, or changing circumstances (Office of Government Commerce, 2003). Changes can be reduced by making sure that the project brief is comprehensive and has the stakeholders agreement. They can be minimized by taking account of present and proposed legislation. Furthermore, early discussions with stakeholders must be done in the early stages in order to anticipate their requirements. Site investigations and conditions surveys must be undertaken early in the stages. The designs must adequately develop early in the project and definably before constructions plans are committed. Finally, a proactive project management in order to identify and managing risks will have as a result to minimize changes (Office of Government Commerce, 2003). A change control procedure must consider the factors, which will mention below, before approval is given for the change. It must taking account of the reasons for the change, and for its source, which is responsible for wanting the change. The consequences of the change in terms of quality, cost and time. It must consider the risks and their impacts associated with the change. In addition, alternatives to the proposed change must be evaluated properly. It must checked proposals for avoiding time overrun and source of funding of any cost overrun. Finally, it must consider client approval for the change. After a detailed evaluation of the change confirms that it offers value of money and that the client accepts any impacts the approval of the change is given by SRO. Furthermore, the investment decision maker will approve any additional funding which exceeds the amount allowed in the risk allowance.

Stereo Types Essay -- essays research papers

Stereotypes â€Å"What do you expect form a blonde?† â€Å" A woman’s place is in the kitchen†, â€Å" Look at the jewelry he’s wearing, he’s probably a drug dealer† How many times have we heard statements such as these? It is such statements along with numerous others, which have caused our society to isolate and stereotype every individual based on past or previous experiences. To categorize individuals or a group according to an oversimplified standardized image or idea is to stereotype. When we stereotype, it affects our ability to understand and accept individuals and various groups of people for who they are. Women, Police Officers and various ethnic groups are among many who are stereotyped. In the early 1800’s, women were recognized as â€Å"homemakers†. However, as times changed they began to feel the need to become independent. As a result, women are now frequently stereotyped more than ever, especially in the business environment. Men are accustomed to women acquiring positions that require a â€Å"feminine touch† such as, nurses, secretaries, school teachers or other clerical positions. Therefore, when a woman acquires a position that puts her in higher authority, such as a role as a Vice President or CEO of a company, she is instantly stereotyped as feeling the need to be dominant. Women are also stereotyped by what they wear. For example, if a woman is wearing an outfit that is tight fitting or wearing a mini skirt, she is misconstrued as being too promiscuous.   Ã‚  Ã‚  &n...

Thos Pynchons The Crying of Lot 49 - Her Errand Into the Wilderness :: Crying Lot 49 Essays

The Crying of Lot 49: Her Errand Into the Wilderness One of the central themes touched upon in Pierre-Yves Petillon's Essay, "A Re-cognition of Her Errand Into the Wilderness," is the general sense of awakening one feels when he reads Thos Pynchon's The Crying of Lot 49. Petillon begins his essay by expressing the opinion that "it is rather odd that The Crying of Lot 49, a slim novella should have become an overnight classic (O'Donnell, p.127)." What at first seemed like a typical piece expounding the virtues of LSD, turned out to have much more under the surface than a first reading would reveal. "Here was another 'groovy' sample of the emergent psychedelic scene: om, sweet om, O(edipa) M(ass) and her Lonely Hearts Club Band (O'Donnell, p. 128)." Petillon touches upon the book's power beautifully by realizing that "its 'mood' grows upon you with each reading (O'Donnell, p. 129)." Born in the Late 1930's, Thomas Pynchon "came of age during 'the Eisenhower Siesta,' when everything had, it seemed, slowed to a sudden standstill (O'Donnell, p. 135)." Petillon then relates Lot 49 to Jack Kerouacs On The Road, by telling of their simultaneous "sense of 'blooming,' as if awakening from a long sleep (O'Donnell, p. 130)." He also points out that both Kerouac's and Pynchon's main characters (Kerouac's being himself, and Pynchon's being Oedipa Maas), both move further and further into an "invisible, hidden America (O'Donnell, p. 130)." I believe the one thing Petillon has failed to mention adequately, though, is the fact that the reader never gets a sense of their surroundings. When awakening from a long sleep, one usually ends up with a general awareness and clarity as to what is going on around him. However, with The Crying of Lot 49, you come to end of the story, or the end of the awakening if you will, only to find that you have slipped further into a dream.

Gerbner’s Cultivation Theory and the CSI Effect on Jurors Essay

The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office presented a study in 2005 in which it examined the impact of the so-called â€Å"CSI effect† to its jurors. The data was gathered by means of surveying prosecutors who had jury trial experience, and from there, the study assessed the samples’ perceptions as to whether the â€Å"CSI effect† had played a part in the decision of some juries. Interestingly, although the â€Å"CSI effect† may be deemed an unlikely factor, the study showed that the â€Å"CSI effect† is real and may affect jury behavior (Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, 2005). Television watching, as some media theories have discussed, can create a psychological impact to its viewers especially as it can inevitably serve as an educational source; however, the problem lies in what television can actually teach (Condry, 1989). The presence of the â€Å"CSI effect† in justice and legal systems can be deemed significant especially as to how this may affect the judgment of the members of the jury. The idea that certain television genres, especially along the lines of the highly popular crime drama Crime Scene Investigation (CSI), can affect certain trial outcomes may seem outrageous, but the â€Å"CSI effect† has been established as a ground that connects the real-life justice and legal systems and products of media and entertainment (Smith, Patry and Stinson, 2008; Stevens, 2008; Mardis, 2006). As the effectiveness of the justice system also relies on the effectiveness of its jurors, the impact of the media and entertainment products towards people in this context may be deemed problematic (Stevens, 2008). This is why it is important to evaluate the impact of the â€Å"CSI effect† because of its implications thereby highlighting the relationship between the law and mass communications. The term â€Å"CSI effect† is based on the popular television show Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) and other shows that present the following basic premise: the ability of an (fictional) authoritative group in crime and justice that can expose the truth based on their systematic and sophisticated processes. However, since these shows are made for televisions, it is inevitable that these processes are glamorized and may not be realistic at all. The â€Å"CSI effect† therefore pertains to the influence of such television programs to the perceptions and behavior of the people, especially in relation to the justice and legal systems (Smith, Patry and Stinson, 2008). Stevens (2008) further explains that the â€Å"CSI effect† is based on fictionalized accounts as to what forensic science can do but, due to the twisted conceptions of reality of some viewers, there is the inescapable belief that these components of the shows are something happens in real life. Among the media and communication theories that can serve as fundamental framework of this assessment is Gerbner’s Cultivation Theory. The theory suggests that information sources such as television contribute to the cultivation of the individual and the social environment; therefore, conceptions of reality are formed (Gerbner & Gross, 1976; Gerbner, 1998). This theory can then be based on the concept that stories, as projected, tends to reflect a certain extent of reality, therefore, they animate a society’s cultural environment. As Gerbner (1999, ix) explained the functions of stories, they â€Å"illuminate the all-important but invisible relationships and hidden dynamics of life†; as these stories represent a degree of shared beliefs, the cultivation of these tales and representations therefore create a significant input to the perceived reality of individuals. The Cultivation Theory is also further supported by several studies conducted by Gerber and his colleagues with a focus on the impact of television to real world perceptions. This brings an interesting premise as the projected reality is based on fictional work; the impact of the cultivation thereby leads to behavioral effects. Television shows, as Gerbner (1998) pointed out, are important marketing tools that have affected not only the people’s perceptions but also their identity and expectations from the society. The validity of television can be based on its function, being a source of information and spectacle representing the shared images and history across many societies (Gerbner, 1998). This paper therefore aims to evaluate the relationship of Gerbner’s Cultivation Theory with the â€Å"CSI effect†, especially as to how this has affected and may affect juror perceptions and judgments. This study addresses this thesis by conducting a review of a series of related literatures that are deemed integral to a better and cohesive understanding between this phenomenon and the theory of cultivation. The findings and implications discuss the degree of impact of the â€Å"CSI effect† and whether this is something that the justice system should seriously consider and devote effort to. Furthermore, approaches towards the Cultivation Theory are also addressed especially in terms of its applicability to the â€Å"CSI effect† and juror behavior. The study then concludes with an analysis on how the findings may actually help in the formulation of a more effective jury screening process. Review of Literature Gerbner’s Cultivation Theory, the Media, and the Television A series of studies conducted by Gerbner and his colleagues tackled the effect of the television and its contribution to the formation of reality among its viewers which are, interestingly, found to be similar to the world in these television shows. Functioning under the umbrella of the Cultivation Theory, the studies also initiated cultivation analyses and the identification of cultural indicators that were also deemed to contribute to reality- and perception-formation among television viewers. As Gerbner (1998) explained these processes, the activity was spawned from the previous examinations on how stories, in general, may be formed for the purpose of manufacturing and marketing purposes. Television is therefore seen as an important medium in story-telling, especially how technological innovations seem to have continuously supported the role of the television in the society. As Gerbner’s studies (1998, 1999; Gerbner & Gross, 1984; Gerbner, Gross, Morgan & Signorelli, 1984) have emphasized the role and importance of television, the origins of cultivation found its venue in this particular technology and social tool. This is because media messages can be easily accessed through television, therefore the cultivation of social reality may be based on what the media feeds its viewers. However, as Gerbner (1998) noted, although the television may be an important tool, it merely plays an integral aspect in the overall dynamics of information processes and conception-formation. This is to say that, for instance, a person may be a huge fan of CSI because of its entertainment value, but the same person is also well-aware that what he or she is appreciating is fiction and not necessarily real and factual. Hence, it can be gathered from the cultivation theory that although television plays an integral role, its effect is not absolute as people are continuously exposed to many channels of information and messages (Gerbner, 1998). The cultivation, on one hand, is seen to be more effective is the viewer is experiences a repeated exposure to particular television images (Gerbner & Gross, 1976). The definition of cultivation is thereby defined as â€Å"the independent contributions television viewing makes to viewer conceptions of social reality. The ‘cultivation differential’ is the margin of difference in conceptions of reality between light and heavy viewers in the same demographic sub-groups† (Gerbner, Gross, Morgan and Signorielli, 1994, 23). An analysis towards Gebner’s theory is presented by Hughes (1980) who presented some shortcomings in the studies presented by the former and his colleagues in the context of the effect of violence in television to the perceived reality. The initial cultivation theory studies conducted by Gerbner in the1970s generally made use of the following controls: age, sex and education. Hughes pointed out that there were more factors that could affect the responses of the sample that participated in the General Social Survey such as race and income. This shows that the applicability of the cultivation theory is limited; hence, how television content may cultivate certain conceptions among individuals may be more minimal impact than expected. One of the studies that applied the notion of cultivation theory is a study conducted by Shrum (1999) where the author measured attitude strength and attitude extremity as implications of Gerbner’s cultivation theory. Shrum’s initial approach to the study was to weigh in theories along the lines of Gerbner’s work and its critics such as those presented by Hughes (1980). Basically, the author agreed with the identified shortcomings of Gerbner’s work although the criticisms were mostly based on the process Gerbner and his team used. Shrum also pointed out that one of the probable weaknesses of Gerbner’s work was the identification of the two main categories of samples in addition to the previously identified controls of age, sex and education: participants who were heavy television viewers and those who were light television viewers. The main purpose of Shrum’s study was to evaluate the impact of television towards the attitudes demonstrated. Although Shrum showed that what could limit Gerbner’s work was the issue on the lack of efficient design, the author approached the study in a similar manner — by comparing the results between heavy and light viewers — as a means to identify differences. The categorization between the heavy and the light viewers would prove to be simplistic yet substantial in the author’s approach especially as the samples he used fell in the same demographic categories which were students. The study’s result showed that it reflected Gerbner’s cultivation theory; apparently, heavy television watchers were found to have the tendency to perceive a â€Å"television world† as compared to the light television watchers. The study examined students who watched soap operas, hence, from the results, the sampled heavy viewers were found to have the tendency to experience more distrust and possibly, more marital problems. Shrum (1999) utilized regression approaches and analyses in order to come up with this conclusion. A similar study can be also found in Quick’s (2009) assessment of variation among patient response as based on whether they watch the medical drama Grey’s Anatomy. The study found that patients who heavily watched the show are most likely to have positive associations in terms of their perceptions towards doctors. The perception, according to this study, is not necessarily based on the positive portrayal of the doctors but rather the show was seen as a credible reference to what happens in the hospitals and how doctors can be expected to behave in this space. Hence, despite the presence of both positive and negative portrayals of medical professionals, heavy viewers of this particular show count the courageous and compassionate aspects of the fictional characters, hence, the study found that these patient-viewers have a positive perception towards their physicians. Quick (2009) mentioned, however, that although this context does not necessarily provide harm, the problem is that the sensationalization of the show may further cultivate wrong or high expectations from patients. Quick (2009) further mentioned that the implications of such results can be used to communicate accurate depictions such as, in the case of Grey’s Anatomy, conveying important health-related information. In a sense, by using the fictional channel such as television, viewers are able to be more informed in important issues. This is discussed by Appel (2008) in which the television plays an integral role in just-world beliefs; as Appel mentioned, the cultivation of beliefs can be specially affective among those who heavily watch television. Appel (2008) supported this posit by conducting a comparison study between Austrian and German television viewers; the main purpose of this research was to determine the degree of just-world beliefs among television viewers. The study showed that fictional narratives can change the perceptions of the people, and interestingly, these narratives usually feature a world that is just. Basically, what can be attributed to this impact can be pointed at the content of the program. The effectiveness of these messages in the â€Å"television world† is due to the following factors: the stimulation of moral evaluation paired with the presence of resolution, and at the same time, the entertainment value of these programs (Appel, 2008). This is why, according to the author, heavy television viewers especially those who watch a lot of fictional narratives demonstrate a strong belief in a just-world as compared to viewers of infotainment and non-fiction where belief in the mean-world is seen to be more emphasized. From this, content evidently plays a role in the amount of influence to the viewers, but from this study, the fictional programs are seen to be a more effective venue in changing the beliefs of the viewers. When it comes to content, genre plays a very important role. An important point raised by Cohen and Weinmann (2000) is that the viewers themselves unconsciously â€Å"cultivate† themselves through television because the viewers choose which shows to watch. The selection can be based on many factors, from age, education, sex, personality and even life experiences. Since genres vary as based on content and certain plot norms, it can be gathered that social realities in these contexts also differ. Which is why, according to the authors, the view and representations on the world are not similar, and at the same time, these program contents may also present conflicting perspectives. Hence, in the aspect of cultivation, different attitudes and world-views can be formed; Shrum’s (1999) and Quick’s (2009) studies are only therefore applicable to the specific genres they focused on (soap operas and Grey’s Anatomy, respectively) and the results towards attitudes and viewer response may be different if the study evaluated viewer response towards different shows. Cultivation Theory and the Crime TV Genre When it comes to the cultivation impact in crime genres in television, Dominick (1973) examined Gerbner’s theory specifically his studies in cultivation when it comes to crime- or violence-related shows. Dominick mentioned that prior to Gerbner’s study published in 1972, there were already past studies as to the presence of crime-related shows as found on television. In fact, as the author mentioned, it was found that even in the majority of the television shows in the 1950s demonstrated many programs of this genre, and that law enforcers were already highly stereotyped. Dominick (1973) cited Gerbner’s previous study as a stepping stone to further analyze crime and violence on television; according to the author, Gerbner’s studies, which covered television shows in the later half of the 1960s, showed a significant amount of violence and crime on television yet, in reality, there was the noted decrease in violence among criminals but the law enforcers maintained a certain degree of violence. In reflection, Dominick noted that on television, the law enforcers were seen as the main authoritative figure that always saves the day. Hence, in agreeing with Gerbner’s study, Dominick’s analysis lead to further contribution as to the role of cultivation theory especially as to how the audiences are influenced on their stereotype perceptions, especially in crime- and violence-related shows. Stereotyping seems to be a common element in television crime shows especially as this genre play up certain norms when it comes to the supposed social reality of crime. What is interesting is that racial elements were found to be contributory to these portrayals. For instance, in a study by Dixon (2007), the author noted that responses from heavy television viewers of crime-related programs are most likely the ones to reflect a racial bias in the identification of the perpetrator and the police officer. This shows that even though fact-based programs such as the news present reality, as also adapted in fictional programs, there is the aspect of racialized portrayals. Hence, cultivation in this context has led to certain media imageries that have become a social reality based on the collective perception towards crime racial stereotypes. However, what challenges this is presented by a study conducted by Grabe and Drew (2007) in which the authors examined how crime in the media would actually successfully cultivate specific crime orientations. According to the authors, the study of crime in the media has been a prominent subject in studying cultivation. Grabe and Drew conducted a study among 505 selected adults located in Indiana, and from this, the study concluded that there was a significant variance depending on the many media genres and channels. Hence, the study showed that crime orientation among individuals may not be as strongly influenced by the media especially as viewers have different personal orientations that may affect their own worldviews. This is also reflected by a study executed by Diefenbach and West (2001) in which the authors tested the effect of cultivation theory when it comes to perceptions on violence and crime as seen on television. However, Diefenbach and West also showed results which point at the influence of light versus heavy viewers perceptions. The study showed that projections on crime rates are higher among heavy television viewers. On one hand, it should be also noted that in this study, as the authors pointed out, the samples were limited among the participants from a small North Carolina town with crime rates below the national average. The background of the participants can then be said to factor into perceptions, which is to say, for instance, that projections from samples from a small town may differ from those from the city who have a greater exposure to criminal incidences in their communities. Another variation of a study applying the cultivation theory in crime television is conducted by Heath and Petraitis (1987). According to the study, adapted perceptions projected from the â€Å"television world† were believed to be mostly realistic in distant settings and not in their immediate environment. The study concluded that the fear viewers feel towards crime are more apparent among viewers who see the possibility of such incidents in a distant urban setting rather than in their neighborhood. Basically, based on these applications of the cultivation theory in the crime genre, it can be observed that the varying results are due to the different impacts of many factors. It is evident that one of the crime genre norms is the utilization of stereotyped portrayals which, in the end, does lead the viewers to make certain conclusions thereby affecting their crime orientations. On one hand, other studies further look at the derivatives at the actual effect of crime television exposure among the viewers, and this shows that the cultivation theory is applicable only up to a certain extent. The validity of Gerbner’s cultivation theory still has to rely on the background of the viewers, the relevance of the show’s content to the viewers’ reality, and the amount of media exposure a viewer may have. Hence, it is possible that some viewers demonstrate a quintessential example or a manifestation of Gerbner’s cultivation theory, but as time went on and as can be seen in the more recent cited studies on audience response towards crime television, perceptions in this context are not homogenous. The impact of television towards perception and behavior can then be regarded on a case-to-case basis, especially as audience exposure is no longer limited to the offerings of television, in addition to the fact that there has been also the emergence of sub-genres among many other shows.