buy custom The Educational System and Concern essay

buy custom The Educational System and Concern essay Introduction The educational system and concern Eight years of primary and four years of secondary schooling is offered by the Belize education system. Although the number of preschools has steadily increased over the last decade, preschool education is not compulsory. There are a few post secondary institutions including the NationalUniversity (University of Belize). This institution evolved from the merger of four former government funded tertiary institutions, and the University College of Belize (Longsworth Mason, QADS, 2005). The cost of tertiary education is borne primarily by students and/or their parents, even though government provides support to tertiary institutions. For pupils between 5-14 years old, primary education is compulsory. Moreover, at the secondary level, there were 44 schools with total enrolment of 15, 359 and teaching force of 1,060 of whom 293 or 27.5 percent are classified as graduates with professional training (Longsworth Mason, QADS, 2005). With professionally qualified teachers at this level, this number is a dramatic decline. There are government and grant-aided schools that are fully financed by the government and also a number of denominational grant-aided schools. The Roman Catholics manage a number of schools in the primary school sector. Government pays 100 percent of all teachers salaries, develops curricula and standards, and trains teachers under the church/state partnership. Government also contributes to the cost of capital expenditure and assists with school maintenance for grant aided schools (Longsworth Mason, 2005). Given the substantial level of financing it provides to schools, some have questioned the merits of the government taking over the financing and management. What is often debated is governments ability to fully fund and manage all primary schools. One factor for the low enrolment rates at secondary level is the lack of available space in schools at this level. Additionally, the high private cost of some schools is another factor that was suggested by recent studies. Moreover, in the rural areas, students have to travel several miles to access schools and the transportation cost prevents many from attending. Nevertheless, the most significant factor causing decline in secondary enrolment rates seems to be the socio-economic factors. I tend to agree with Young and Melnicks (1988) account that the impact of poverty and its attendant problems tends to be more severe in inner-city environments than in other geographical settings...(Ainscow West, 2006). For example, in one case in Belize City a government funded secondary school opened approximately three years agostudents pay very little, as such, neighbouring schools that are not fully funded by the government and require the students to pay tuition fees have lost a lot of their students and are at risk of closing down. Therefore, students who were unable to afford these denominational schools are able to participate in secondary education because it is almost free (Longsworth Mason, 2005). Two public examinations are administered on an annual basis at the primary level. To all students completing primary education, the Primary School Examination (PSE) is administered and to all students completing the middle division of primary education, the Belize Junior Achievement Test (BJAT) is administered. As stated by the Quality Assurance and Development Services (QADS) in the Ministry of Education (MOE) Belize Report, the PSE consists of criterion referenced measures in English, Mathematics, Social Studies and Science (2005). Then, the results from the BJAT are provided to schools in a report containing each students scores as well as an analysis of the schools performance compared to other school (MOE/QADS, 2005). External examinations provided by the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) is the only public examinations or regional examination offered at this time. At the completion of the secondary education, one can take these exams but it is not compulsory. For employment purposes as well as matriculation to higher education institutions locally and/or regionally (Caribbean), the results from these examinations are used. More recently, Kerr West (2010), whom I tend to agree with, as in the case of Belize have also argued that in reality, exam success is at best a proxy indicator for educational quality and there is ample evidence that improving scoresdoes little to influence either post-school choices or opportunities (Kerr West, 2010, p. 38). However, Cambridge International Examinations (CIE) and formerly the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC), presently the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC), are two examining boards that offer Advanced (A) level examinations in Belize as international examinations. Belize has always been demanding by trying to narrow the gap as they would usually mean in terms of results (Kerr West, 2010, p. 14) and also by putting pressure on the achievement of examination success due to the rapid competition in the region. Colleges receive awards annually for producing students that show outstanding performance in the regional examinations. Kerr and West (2010) ask a similar question; will this create a more equal system in terms of results and access to resources and opportunities needed to get good results for Belize (Kerr West, 2010, p. 14)? The impact of ongoing challenges and educational priorities Despite some developments in certain areas, there still remain ongoing challenges that cause school failures in relation to accommodating the mechanism of the 1999 Education Strategy. Longsworth and Mason (2005) suggested that there is a need for the following: (i.)Greater commitment by government that can translate into adequate resources and access to funds to address access especially at the preschool level; (ii.)Strengthening of the supervision and monitoring of schools; (iii.)Increasing teacher training to reduce the large number of unqualified teachers that are in the system; and (iv.)Greater involvement and strengthening the roles of parents and communities in educaton, etc. (Longsworth Mason, 2005). Fortunately, Longsworth Mason (2005) articulate a much more positive account that the School Performance and Improvement Plans (SPIP) have made significant improvements in schools that have implemented it; hence SPIP must be a requirement for all education institutions (Longsworth Mason, 2005). In this regard, there would appear to be sound evidence in support of the argument that school improvement interventions should be designed carefully, taking into account what is known about successful school development educational policy needs to focus on those things that schools can have an impact on (Kerr West, 2010, p. 48). Many children, who enter the school system at the primary level, as previously indicated, do not complete the cycle and the difficulty increases. Pupils repeat at various stages of the education system, Infant 1 and First Form in particular. Highlighted below are a number of the factors which contribute to the low completion rates within the school system. 1.1 Institutions modus operandi and policies in education Overall recurrent expenditure per primary and secondary school child has been rising in recent years. Although over the years, official expenditure on education has been somewhat constant. A greater shift of the financing to parents has been the cost-sharing norm between the Ministry of Education and institution contributors. Consequently, education is becoming beyond the reach of many households (most evident at the preschool level). This burden has made it difficult for parents and communities to support education adequately. Poverty-stricken parents are unable to feed their children properly and provide adequate health services even with children in schools fully financed by government. Longsworth and Mason (2005) stated that in these circumstances, children whose parents cannot afford costs of instructional materials, school uniforms, tuition fees, and activity fees tend to go to school irregularly and, in the long run, drop out of school (Longsworth Mason, 2005). In addition, parents are unable but also seem to show little interest to educate their children faced with restricted resources, and uncertain returns from education. It is arguable that these factors have negative effects on pupils school involvement and their accomplishment in the end. However, the efforts to provide universal access to education in Belize have been plagued by the legacy of an elitist education system (Longsworth Mason, 2005). What, then, is the level or readiness of students entering primary and secondary schools? I would be inclined to agree with Longsworth Mason (2005) that this question continues to be answered by the high repetition rate at these levels (Longsworth Mason, 2005). A policy shift by government to provide for preschools has been the requirement for children to have a jump-start for primary school. Likewise, leaving very little to be pumped into early childhood education, the heavy costs for primary education continue to take the lions share of governments expenditure. The efficiency and quality of the schools remains a huge challenge not least because private providers of schools have very little in terms of accountability systems to deal with. Schools supervision has been deficient at numerous levels, and frequently a school would be operating for years without being visited by supervisors. There is a lot that must be done to hold management responsible for the provision of education services. 1.2 School-Based components Regarding the reasons for high drop-outs, several school-based factors have been cited. There are in most Belizean schools, low completion rates among primary and secondary pupils. A major factor is the cost of school-based instruction. Many poor pupils go through the accompanying frustrations that affect their academic performance, and end up losing interest in education; ultimately they drop out of school. Another factor which discourages pupils participation in school is the curriculum. The match of the curriculum to the needs and interests of students is low, and hits at the centre of motivating students, hence, reducing their performance and attainment. Again, in the long run, some children give up on education and drop out of school (Caribbean News Now, 2010). Another problem occurs when teachers lack training and build negative attitudes; studies of school drop-outs indicate that these factors also drive pupils out of school. Some children dislike school because the environmen t is not conducive to learning. Absenteeism, poor performance, and non-completion of the education cycle are obvious results of this. 1.3 Community-Based and Home components Child labour has become vital for family survival as the level of poverty increases. Measures should be set in place and emphasized for the betterment of all the lives of the children involved and the society at large. It has also been suggested that the government and its partners in education must continue to promote early childhood education with viable policy initiatives to salvage the education system from this inefficiency (Longsworth Mason, 2005). How to reduce school failure and what agenda/policy can prevent school failure? It is worth noting that there is no silver bullet when looking at the factors towards reducing school failure. Solutions require a coordinated approach, including resources that go beyond the school. It needs incorporation of efforts from students, teachers, parents, administrators, community-based organizations, businesses, as well as the government. The ministry of education (MOE) Action Plan 2005-2010 (Belize Education Reform Targets, 2005) cites key areas that are guided by current reforms and includes the ongoing and planned strategies for improvement: Early Childhood Education and Development the first and highly prioritized area where there is the urgent need to increase access opportunities. Building the needed foundation for further learning is a critical stage of childrens development. Teacher Training this addressses the large numbers of untrained primary school teachers, also the poor quality and need to create better opportunity for training. Longsworth and Mason (2005) emphasize that the development of the Belize Institute for Teacher Education as an arm of the Ministry of Education will focus on ensuring that while access to training is increased, quality is not lost in the process (Longsworth Mason, 2005). Adult and Continuing Education basically to consolidate and review existing programs, rather than initiating new ones. Curriculum and Assessment the school curriculum must remain relevant at all levels of the education system. MOE has to ensure as well that the plan addresses both curriculum and assessment needs while seeking to reform the current system thus promoting improved educational standards (MOE, 2009). Technical and Vocational Education -for economic improvement and social development, it is clear that a well trained work force is critical. As MOEs action plan states, this realization evidently led the Government of Belize to seek to invest in the development of Technical and Vocational Education Services (MOE Action Plan, 2005). Special Education Longsworth and Mason add that the principle of Inclusion and the principle of Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) (Longsworth Mason, 2005) are two main principles that governs the provision of education for children with special educational needs. As a result, maintenance of special schools and classes, resource classrooms and home schooling is an integral part of MOEs plan of action (MOE, 2010). Higher Education this should contribute to the development of knowledge, enterprise, leadership, governance, participatory democracy, and poverty alleviation. Policy Development it is therefore, a great importance that the available documents be reviewed and formalized in the system as one single National Education Policy document used to inform the planning and the delivery of education services (Longsworth Mason, 2005). Longsworth and Mason (2005) mentions that the Ministry must develop one document which will capture the key policies under the title National Policy for Education (Longsworth Mason, 2005). It seems then that the government has some clear ideas about what needs to be done. Now it should find the means to implement it! Other participating Caribbean territories along with Belize have selected to address the problem of school failure by way of developing policies and programs. Evidence shows that in the case of Belize, just a few preschool age children are registered in preschools, as such, educational foundations have been weak, resulting in school failure (MOE Action Plan, 2005). Hence, in collaboration with international organizations such as UNESCO and UNICEF, the unit Quads will ensure relevant quality education through the development and monitoring of the implementation of national standards for the performance of students, teachers and schools (QADS, 2005). This would be a good first step. Conclusion and moving ahead Classroom teachers have pointed to serious limitations in childrens reading, speaking and comprehension of the English language (the official language of Belize), especially with majority of students entering at the primary level. Although it is a challenge, we need to try to understand where young people are coming from and how such understanding can help us with the task of school improvement (Rudduck, Chaplain Wallace, 1996, p. 172). Socio-economic factors have prevented the involvement of many children in various levels. At the district level, training continues, which ensures greater participation. In keeping with the firm belief that It is only through Education that we will provide our people with the knowledge, information, skills, values and attitudes required for personal and national development (MOE, 2010). In some cases children themselves have to cautiously examine the opportunity costs of education in poor households. In my own experience, I was one of eight children in a family with limited means. Nevertheless, I still had the objective of furthering my education. Despite the fact that my father left during my teenage years, I remained positive and stepped in to fill the responsibilities. These hardships helped to mould me into a positive person. I firmly believe that education is the vehicle that will lead to a better life. I also entered the political arena at the tender age of 19 and served three terms in the local government. As a result, I have leveraged the political tools along with my teaching experience to further enhance students life and development at secondary level institutions in Belize. Nonetheless, where parent (s) and children have negative attitudes towards education or do not see its immediate benefits, the consequence is a high drop-out rate in that situation. The level of performance as well as interest of children in school will always be proportional to the circumstances of the immediate learning environment. Children need someone to stand by them and e ncourage them all the time that they can achieve greater things in life (Ministry of Education, 2011). Therefore, when this vital component lacks in the lives of most of the children, their vision is intercepted by other interests such as child labour and early marriages among others. It is worth noting that, among all other stakeholders, parents and guardians and the society at large have the responsibility of encouraging children to develop and preserve an interest in education for the betterment of their future. The Belize government has developed an action plan (2005-2010). This was in consultation with Ministry personnel and experienced educators to improve, support, empower and provide a system of education that represents and produce excellence in Belize (Longsworth Mason, 2005), which is still ongoing presently. Is Belize now beginning to make progress? Greater investment in early childhood education and other levels of education will continue to be the focus on the way forward for Belize. I certainly agree that the government and its partners in education must continue to promote early childhood education and in addition come up with viable policy initiatives, including affirmative action to salvage the education system from this inefficiency (Longsworth Mason, 2005). Buy custom The Educational System and Concern essay

The Technique of Sampling in Music and Notions of Authorship Essay

The Technique of Sampling in Music and Notions of Authorship - Essay Example The credit for having composed the piece of music that was borrowed may or may not be explicitly given to the person who had originally composed it. This technique offends the sacrosanct position that music is given in the lives of many. Issues of plagiarism arise and royalties are almost never offered to the composer of the original tune. This leads to many problems within the music industry as well. Sampling is a technique whereby a part of a certain recording is used as a part of another song that may be the composition of an entirely different person who is then the ‘author’ of that particular song. The extensive use of this song and the attitude of its author shall also form a part of the analysis in this paper that shall attempt to dissect the issues of ownership that this song and the technique of sampling destabilize. The metaphorical death of the author that Roland Barthes talks of in his essay, The Death of the Author is one that can be seen in the extensive us e of the technique of sampling in the music of today. A particular portion of a song may be used in another as a part of it. The now ubiquitous discotheque where tunes and songs are mixed and remixed are places that question the notions of ownership that artists may raise when their tunes are being reworked. In today’s world, however, exclusive ownership of a work of art is impractical and is not enjoyed by anybody. A shared ownership of the music or any other work of art that is all that an artist can expect. This is tied in with several notions of authorship that have emerged in the modern world. In his seminal essay that was referred to earlier, Barthes talks of how the interpretation that a reader provides a text is what provides the text with its meaning (2004). The meaning that the author intended for a text only forms one of the many meanings that may be attributed to a text. The creation of meaning and essence, the till then inalienable right of the author and owner o f a text, thus passed on to the person who received the text. A piece of music is according to modern theorists, a cultural text that allows for multiple interpretations. The theory that applied to traditional texts, that is, books, would thus be applicable also to music. Music videos and recordings are thus texts that are able to elicit multiple interpretations from its audience. The destabilization of the roles of authors thus extends also to the authors of these cultural texts, musicians. The creation of these new roles for the audience and the artists is a modern phenomenon. The modern age is characterized by the rise of science and technology and it is widely agreed upon that technology has had a great part to play in the way the modern age functions. The technique of sampling is a very good example to prove this point. The technique of sampling makes the ‘primary text’, the original recording, available to the world to twist into any shape that it wants to. Each v ersion or song that features a portion of the original song can then be considered to be an interpretation of the original by the person who creates the new version. As Andrew Goodwin puts it, in â€Å"an age of electronic reproduction†

Organisational Behaviour and Human Resource Management BEM2004 Essay

Organisational Behaviour and Human Resource Management BEM2004 - Essay Example It makes every effort to ensure that its products are preferred by consumers and that its public relations are accomplished without difficulties. Ethical business practice prolongs the life of an organization and promotes consumer satisfaction among other stakeholders. This paper evaluates whether business ethics is an oxymoron justifying the arguments through ethical theories that include; virtue ethics, deontology, utilitarianism and Marxism. Business Ethics Businesses are compelled to remain flexible due to the inconsistency of the contemporary operating environments. Each competitor strives to acquire a greater market share than other players, which sometimes leads to negligence in regard to corporate ethics. Various situations require to be dealt with differently and sometimes managers are perplexed regarding what business ethics necessitates in certain circumstances. In some instances, acting morally may be costly or may be hindered by obstacles. For these reasons, Velasquez (2 002) observes that referring to ‘business ethics’ as an oxymoron precisely identifies ethics as a challenge. On the other hand, as presented in the definition of ethics, if an organization is to remain ethical in its operations, it has to observe the laid out values and principles. In other words, no matter how pressing the situation is, ethical values have to be adhered to for business ethics to be accomplished. In essence, many organizations avoid being perfectionists in business ethics even though they insist on ethical standards when dealing with stakeholders. This makes them escape the unintentional negative consequences of fanatical business ethics (DesJardins, 2008). Various ethical theories portray business ethics as an oxymoron. For example, virtue ethics is a theory that sheds light on the boundary between balanced decision making and unethical behavior in business (West, 2003). Sometimes financial managers are faced with the dilemma of determining the appropr iate step to take when the business is faced with challenges, yet the set business values have to be adhered to. The right decision that may save a company from collapsing may be regarded as unethical in a different perspective if the common values are not observed. Rather than being restricted to a set of conceptual rules, a manager maintains his/her professional role and appraises an ethically thought-provoking decision within that role. In other words, he/she is not bound by what is believed to be ethical while acting for the good of the organization (Maximiano, 2003). For instance, the finance director in a company X realizes that the organization will incur losses owing to an abrupt change in exchange rates. The company maintains corporate social responsibility and runs a philanthropic community program which is among its core values that costs 10% of its proceeds. The manager is faced with the dilemma of suspending the program to minimize the company’s expenditure or to retain the program. The first alternative will lead him to disregard the company’s ethical values. However, as a professional, his work is to ensure that the company does not incur a loss. The manager has to make an ethically charged decision and suspend the program until the operating environment regains normalcy. According to virtue ethics, he will be regarded as a good manager due to his intelligence that helps in maintaining efficiency and profitability, while on the other hand he is

Effects of Junk food Essay Example for Free

Effects of Junk food Essay The moons of Saturn are a very interesting topic to research. Before beginning this amazing journey on the moons, first we must do a brief overview of the planet Saturn. Saturn is the sixth largest planet from the sun; it is very large and does not have very much water. This research paper will explore the different moons, the names, atmosphere, similarities and sizes of the moons. Saturn has 62 moons that have been discovered but only 52 have been given an official name while the others still are waiting to have specific information found out about them to give them a name. Only 18 moons have been officially sanctioned by the International Astronomical Union. The names of the moons come from characters in Greek and Roman mythology. The moons are made up of about 30 to 40 percent rock and about 60 to 70 percent water. The Saturn Moons so diversity in many area, let’s explore their differences. Since there are too many to name we will discuss the more poplar moons. Pan- Named after the Greek God of the wild, it is about 20km in diameter and its mass is 11x 10 15th lbs. Saturn is at a distance of 83,000 miles and has an orbital period around Saturn is 13.8 hours. Pan was discovered in 1990 by the Voyager team. A Pan orbit within the Encke Gap which is located in the Saturn’s A ring. The Encke Gap is a space in the A ring that helps Pan to orbit around Saturn. Helene- named after Greek goddess Helene popularly known as Helene of Troy and the name means torch. Helene’s moon is an irregular shape in body and is measured about36 x 32 x 30 km in diameter. The moon orbits Saturn at 234,500 in distance and its mass is 8x 10by 17. The surface materials are composed of particularly dark and organic rich mater and condense ices. Helene was discovered by P. Laques and J. Leacheus in the year 1990. Dione- Named after  Greek goddess Dione and the mother for Aphrodite she was describe as a temple associate. Dione is about 1,118km is diameter and has a density of 1.43gm/cm the rest is ice. The temperature is extremely cold and the distance from Saturn is 377,400 km, and includes crater area that measure about 100 km in diameter. Dione was discovered in 1684 by Giovanni Cassini. Rhea- Named after the god of fruitfulness the mother of Poseidon. Rhea is far away from and the second largest moon of Saturn. It is 1,528 km in size, its distance from the sun is 527,040 and it mass is2.31 x 10 sub 21 kg. Rhea’s temperature is cold like Dione and only one side of its surface faces Saturn. The surface of Rhea is a mixture of ice and rock similar to a frozen dirty snowball. Dione was discovered in 1672 by Giovanni Cassini. Mimas- Named after the Greek god giant of war. It looks like a bull’s eye by viewing in space. The surface of is covered with impact craters due to shock waves that happens on the moon which measure is size of about 40 kg . It is also very low in density and is composed of mostly water with small amounts of rock. The distance from Saturn is 185,520km, the period of orbit around Saturn is 22.6 hrs and its mass is 3.81 x 10 sub 19kg. The temperature of Mimas is minus 344 degrees Fahrenheit. It was discovered by Williams Herschel in 1789. Enceladus- Named the god that was responsible for tremors and volcanoes, and he was considered the leader of the giants. Distance from the Saturn is 237,378 km, about 512 x 494489 km in diameter, its mass id 1.2 x 10 sub 20 kg. The period Encelasus orbit around Saturn is 32.8 hours. It is also covered in water ice and is about -330 degrees Fahrenheit. It also reflects the sunlight. It was discove red by Williams Herschel in 1789. Titan- Named after group Greek gods who ruled the cosmos. Titan is largest of the Saturn’s moon and is the most Earthlike of its kind; it looks a lot like a frozen version of the plant earth. The surface is very cold; it has a temperature of -290 degrees Fahrenheit and has a thick atmosphere but does not hold gravity well. Titan’s atmosphere has an altitude 10 times higher than or nearly 600 km into space as oppose to the earth. According to a space expedition in 1980 by the Voyager 1Titan showed to only have air pressure of one and a half at sea level and four times as dense of the earth. Titan has chemical readings is mostly gas about 95% nitrogen and 5% methane, which are two chemicals that are present in earth’s surface. Nitrogen help produces this thick smog like cloud that can hold water and  produces rain. With the help of methane which is a gas allows the cloud s rain to produce or rain down liquids similar to gasoline. Titan orbits Saturn 1.2 million km or 745,000 miles it take16 days to make complete circle. The radius is 2,575 km and 112 km in diameter. The Greek mythology of how the naming group of Titans , hence thus the naming of the moons came about, the Titans devoured the limbs of Dionysus, the son of Zeus (the god of thunder and war) was intended to have dominion over the world. Zeus was so angry he struck the titans with lighting and the fire burned them to ashes. The moons of Saturn are too numerous to number, just like the story of the Titans. They all have their own characteristics, this paper only names a few, here are the rest: Aegean, Aegir, Albiorix, Anthe, Benhionn, Bergeimir, Calypso, Dapjnis, Epimetheus, Erriapus, Farbauti, Fenrir, Fornjot, Greip, Hati, Hyperion, Hyrrokkin, Lapetus, Lijraq, Janus, Jamsaxa, Kari, Kiviug, Loge, Methone, Mundifari, Narvi, Paaliaq, Pallene, Phoebe, Polydueces, Siamaq, Skadi, Skoll, Suttung, Tarqeq, Telesto, Tethys, Thrym, Ymir. The names of these moons will continue to grow as new moons are discovered. The moons will begin the naming process which astronomer gives each moon a temporary name that will follow this format S/2011-S1. The first S stands for Saturn and the second S after the stands for its satellite or location in space. Then the names are assigning by the International Astronomical Union. In conclusion, with the study of the moons of Saturn we learned that some range very large in size. We also learned the amount of time it takes each moon s to orbit Saturn. The time varies amongst the moon of Saturn. The all of the temperature each of the moons are too cold for human life to be sustained, and the surfaces of each one of the moons are somewhat similar; with the exception of the moon Titan. During the study of the Titan moons the discovery of the similarities between the planet Earth and Titan’s atmosphere. The naming of the moons came from Greek mythology and the history of the Greek gods were interesting the in its own way. Finally, scientists are still discover ing new moons in Saturn’s atmosphere, as of today there are only 53 moons officially named; who knows how many more are lurking out there. References The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2008. Retrieved November 29, 2011 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Pan-ast.html Hatzitsinidou, Evangelia. (2005-2011). Greek-Gods.Info Gods and Goddess of Ancient Greece. October 26,2011, http://www.greek-gods.info/greek-mythology/a.php Munsell,Kirk. (2011). Cassini Solstice Misson. November 23, 2011, http://www.jpl.nasa.gov./science/mooms

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Edward Norton achieved instant stardom in his feature film debut in the 1996 Primal Fear. Norton was credited for saving a rather mediocre film with his portrayal of a Kentucky altar boy accused of murdering a Chicago Arch Bishop. This role earned Norton Golden Globe and Oscar Nominations for best supporting actor. With his instant fame Norton proved that he could go on and further his acting talents. Norton was born in Boston on August 18, 1969. He was raised in Columbia, Maryland and even in his early years Norton was known as an extremely smart and serious individual. He is the son of a former federal prosecutor and an English teacher. He became interested in acting at the age of five and made his stage debut at the age of 8 in a local production of Annie Get Your Gun. Norton enrolled in the Orenstein's Columbia School for Theatrical Arts, and after high school he studied history at Yale, while staying active in the university's theater program. After graduating from Yale with a degree in hstory, Norton spent a few months in Japan, then moved to New York. In New York he worked at the Enterprise Foundation, a group dedicated to ending urban decay. Norton still acted whenever possible, and finally decided to presue acting full-time. After appearing in several off-Broadway plays Norton won his role in Primal Fear after being chosen from 2,100 hopefulls. After stunning nearly everyone who saw his performance Norton continued to amaze in movies like Everyone Says I Love you and The People vs. Larry Flint. 1998 was a big year for Norton who turned in two great performances in Rounders and

Prejudice Worksheet

Please complete the following exercises, remembering that you are in an academic setting and should remain unbiased, considerate, and professional when completing this worksheet. Part I Select three of the identity categories below and name or describe at least 3 related stereotypes for each: †¢ Race †¢ Ethnicity †¢ Religion †¢ Gender †¢ Sexual orientation †¢ Age †¢ Disability |Category |Stereotype 1 |Stereotype 2 |Stereotype 3 | |Race | People say black people are lazy. |People say white people are smart |People say Jews are cheap but | | | |and blonds are dumb. rich. | |Religion |Wiccan Pentacle Study, worship the|Gothic people are very weird and |Muslims are terrorist and women | | |devil. |violent. |are beneath them. | |Sexual Orientation |When someone see a feminine man |When someone sees masculine women |People say homosexuality is wrong | | |and call him gay. |she is a lesbian. |and immoral. | Part II Answer each question in 50 to 100 words r elated to those stereotypes. Provide citations for all the sources you use. What are the positive aspects of stereotypes, if any?The aspects of positive stereotypes can be positive if a person know the difference and have the knowledge to understand what a person may be stating. If we prefer to someone as a â€Å"jock† we are acknowledging that this person is into sports. A person that is known to be preferred to by â€Å"Gothic† or â€Å"Punk† is because of the type of music they listen to and the type of clothing they wear. Usually no one is offended by this because it is factual and evident and these are positive aspects of stereotypes. What are the negative aspects of stereotypes?The negative aspects of stereotypes are the lack of understanding, the ignorance, and the labeling of someone to hurt their feelings as an individual or a group of people. A person may see a female with a short hair cut like a man and call them a dike without getting to know who tha t person is and assuming that this is what they are. Part III Answer each question in 50 to 150 words related to those stereotypes. Provide citations for all the sources you use. Define stereotypes and prejudice. What is the difference between stereotyping and prejudice?Use examples to illustrate the differences. Stereotype is something conforming to a fixed or general pattern, a standardized mental picture that is held in common by members of a group and that represents an oversimplified opinions, prejudiced attitude, or uncritical judgment. Prejudice is prejudgment and negative attitude based on sex, race, age, sexual orientation, nationality, socioeconomic status, and religion towards an individual or group of people. The difference between stereotype and prejudice is that stereotype is standardized beliefs about people based on some prior assumptions.Prejudice is a type of judgment or assumption about somebody before having sufficient knowledge to judge with accuracy. Example of stereotype is all policemen eat donuts. Example of prejudice is an organization that hires more males and reject females are known to be prejudice. What is the relationship between stereotyping and prejudice? The relationship between stereotyping and prejudice is that stereotyping promotes prejudice and that prejudice reduction depends on stereotype change.Prejudice also influences the extent of stereotyping. The important theoretical tradition posits that this effect emerges because prejudice encourages the use of stereotypes as a means to justify societal inequality (e. g. , Allport, 1954; Katz & Braly, 1933; Lippmann, 1922). What can be done to prevent prejudice from occurring? Intolerance stems from ignorance and arrogance this go hand in hand and people need to understand and have the knowledge not to pre-judge people.In order to prevent prejudice from occurring we need to begin now with the way we are raising our children and teach them not to be judgmental and preconceive pe ople before we get to know someone. Teach them not to assume to not like someone because of the color of their skin or where they come from. People are people no matter what they may look like, getting to know a person is very important and not to judge a book by its cover. Have rallies of all race and culture so people can have a better understanding of others. It starts at home teach your children a better way so that they will understand life in a better perspective.

Essay on Platos Allegory of the Cave - 1315 Words

In society today most people live by what is call â€Å"social norms†, most people follow these norms and some choose not to follow them. Social norms are certain things in life that everyone does to be accepted by their co-workers, family, friends and even strangers. Some may feel that they have to live by these norms to get through life without being rejected and to be known as a â€Å"normal† person, hence the word â€Å"norm†. If a person were to stray from this path and just do what they felt like doing and do what made them happy as an individual, would they be criticized? In Plato’s Allegory of a Cave he describes an example of people conforming to the norm they were born into and then shows the results of a person emerging from this community†¦show more content†¦The man ran up the hill towards the light and the end of the cave where he was temporarily blinded because he was used to the darkness inside of the cave. Of course this is all v ery confusing to him and maybe even angers him because he does not understand what he is seeing. Eventually this man will gain knowledge of the world and everything in it, from the shadows of the objects he saw on the wall of the cave all the way up to how the sun helps the earth. He will see that was he was made to see and understand was not reality but just was he was made to believe. This freed man now pities the other prisoners that are still inside the cave because he realizes how wrong they were about everything they know. Plato describes how if the freed prisoner were to go back to the cave and tell the others what he has seen that they would criticize him, laugh at him and tell him he would have been better off if he had never escaped. They even go as far to say that if another person were to be released that they should be caught and killed so as to not follow the same fate as the released prisoner. (Plato, Parker, P. M., 2005) In my eyes Plato is describing how the society today is full of â€Å"unenlightenment† or ignorance and how we as a culture have been conformed to accepted ways and if we were to step away from these accustomed ways we would be casted out and ridiculed by our peers. According to SwapnilShow MoreRelatedPlatos Allegory of the Cave1521 Words   |  7 PagesPlato’s Allegory of the Cave Essay One of Plato’s more famous writings, The Allegory of the Cave, Plato outlines the story of a man who breaks free of his constraints and comes to learn of new ideas and levels of thought that exist outside of the human level of thinking. However, after having learned so many new concepts, he returns to his fellow beings and attempts to reveal his findings but is rejected and threatened with death. This dialogue is an apparent reference to his teacher’s theoriesRead MorePlatos Allegory of The Cave752 Words   |  3 Pagesinterpreting Plato’s â€Å"Allegory of the Cave’’ in which is a representation that described a narrative of the society of people in before Christ years. I realized how there was a major comparison of people in today’s society that reflected the same prisoner traits as the prisoners that were described in the dialogue. According to the Plato’s â€Å"Allegory of the Cave.† It described conditions of people chain ed at birth unable to function as independent individuals that were locked in a protracted dark cave. TheyRead MoreAnalysis Of Platos Allegory Of The Cave864 Words   |  4 PagesOn the surface of Plato’s â€Å"Allegory of the Cave† it is just a simple piece, but the main purpose of the piece is to explain people living in a world of face value and having individuals break free from the main idea to create a new sense of what the world is truly about. In here, Plato uses the writing style of allegory to encompass the use of imagery and symbolism to explain his purpose. He also uses very clever dialogue with constant repetition to represent a bigger idea about the philosophy withRead MoreExplain Platos Allegory Of The Cave1483 Words   |  6 Pagesquestions they raised. For instance, Plato’s â€Å"Allegory of the Cave† is essential for philosophy because it answers the question of why should anyone engage in philosophy. This paper will explain Plato†™s â€Å"Allegory of the Cave† in both classical and modern manner as well as suggest philosophical topics for further inquiry. Plato’s â€Å"Allegory of the Cave† is told through the lips of Socrates, Plato’s teacher, to Glaucon, Plato’s brother. 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He uses a story of prisoners trapped into a cave to represent the confines of reality that humans are put into, and a lone prisoner exiting the cave to represent a philosopher seeking a greater understanding. Plato’s writing tells of the flaw that all humans share, which is the fact that we believe our p erceptions to be the absolute, incontestable truth. It is thisRead MorePlatos Allegory Of The Cave Essay1749 Words   |  7 Pages Plato’s â€Å"Allegory of the Cave† is full of meaningful, thought provoking lessons that have been analyzed be scholars and philosophers for years. One of the basic lessons we can draw from it is immaterial truth, or forms. In Plato’s cave scenario, the men who only see shadows have ideas of what they are seeing. They conclude they can see certain things and can name those things. But what they see as an actual object, they are actually just seeing a shadow of the actual object. â€Å"If they discuss thingsRead MorePlatos Allegory of the Cave and Advertisements1889 Words   |  8 PagesJulian Figueroa (#30973127) 1 An Allegory of Advertisements How does Plato’s allegory influence the way we consume art today? Every minute of every day, millions of people are exposed to advertisements. They plague televisions, streets, radio waves, and all means of communication. These advertisements employ many methods of persuasion and their influence is irresistible. Just like prisoners in Plato’s Allegory of the Cave, we are told every day to invest our time and interest into the subjectRead MorePlatos Allegory of the Cave3086 Words   |  13 PagesPrompt: Define Plato s â€Å"Allegory of the Cave†. What is the central message? Is he describing education alone? Where does politics come in? Plato is known to many as one of the most influential and greatest philosophers to have lived. Plato represents his idea of reality and the truth about what we perceive through one of his famous writings, â€Å"The Allegory of the Cave†. The philosophical writing is in the form of an allegory, which is â€Å"a story in which the characters and situations actually representRead MorePlatos Allegory Of The Cave Essay1537 Words   |  7 Pagesthe limits of reason and morality. Having freedom equals having the power to think, to speak, and to act without externally imposed restrains. As a matter of fact, finding freedom in order to live free is the common idea in Plato with The Allegory of the Cave; Henry David Thoreau with Where I lived and What I lived for; and Jean Paul Sartre with Existentialism. Generally, Plato, Thoreau, and Sartre suggested that human life should be free. They differ in what that freedom is. Plato thinks