Child Observation essays

Child Observation essays My observation of a child was done with a thirteen-month-old boy by the name of Tommy. My observation was done at Tommys house. The house was very well kept, small and colorful. Tommys mother kept all of his toys in the corner of the large family room. Tommy had many toys, from a pretend kitchen set, cars, balls, to stuffed animals, and pillows. The family room was painted a light blue color, sponge painted white over top. The couches and chairs were denim material and dark blue. The day that I did my observation happened to be the day of his grandmothers birthday; therefore there were a number of people there. Along with Tommy and myself were Tommys mother, father, grandmother, grandfather, one aunt and one uncle. There were no other children. 10:34 With both hands Tommy picks up his cup, slowly tipping it back, he pours the contents into his mouth, looking inside the cup while drinking. 10:34 Tommy looks over at his father and says Da-da-da! Doing so with a smile on his face. 10:35 When Tommy goes to set his cup on the tray he hits it with his left arm and knocks it over. 10:36 Tommys grandmother in a high pitched voice asks, What did you do? Tommy responds with wide-eyed with Ya-da-dooo. 10:37 Using his thumb and pointer finger Tommy picks up his cup stands it upright slowly, then using open hands claps and smiles. 10:38 Using his hand, all five fingers, Tommy picks up his spoon and hit his cup with it, repeatedly. 10:39 Tommy then, using both hands, all ten fingers, he puts the spoon in his mouth. 10:40 Tommys mother had put some Cheerios on his tray. Tommy noticed and them and using his pointer finger and thumb, he picked them up one at a time and sticks them in his mouth. 10:41 Tommys father clears his tray and brings over a wet washcloth. Tommy moves his head back and forth, attempting to avoid the washcloth. ...

4 Rules For Creating Awesome Content Your Audience Loves

4 Rules For Creating Awesome Content Your Audience Loves I know you’re not just another aimless blogger (or podcaster, video maker, [insert  what you do  here]) looking to clutter up the Internet. You have a specific purpose behind your content. You want to create content  that is valuable for your audience and grows your business. That’s the good news. The bad news is that, even with a noble purpose like that one, it’s really hard to get your content noticed. 4 Rules For Creating Awesome #ContentMarketing Your Audience Will Love via @sonjajobsonNo one is looking for plain old â€Å"accurate† or â€Å"relevant† content anymore. They don’t have to look for it because it’s flooding their inbox and social streams constantly, like an all-you-can-eat buffet. Your audience wants something more. They want content that not only provides accurate and relevant information, but something that applies to their specific situation, something they can relate with, and something that helps them make real, significant improvement in their life. Whether you’re aiming to teach, inspire, or entertain with your content, use the following 4 rules to create content  that your audience will love, share, and come back for. No one looks for accurate or relevant #content. Thats everywhere. Yours has to be better.Rule #1 – Not All Topics Are Created Equal Your readers are very picky. And why shouldn’t they be? Somewhere around 2 million blog posts are written every day. That’s a heckuva lot of content to choose from. So when it comes to picking a topic for your next blog post or video, it’s worth putting in a little extra time- and research- to get it right. And there’s one more thing to consider: A content topic that sounds great to you might not sound great to your audience. In order to stand out from the sea of content we’re all swimming in, you need to get inside your readers head. And here’s how to do it. Step 1: Stop confusing â€Å"audience† with â€Å"peers†. Sometimes when we sit down to create content, we accidentally slip into peer-mode. This is when we  create content that we  think will be impressive in our  industry. The problem is this: Content that impresses others inside  our industry isnt necessarily what will impress our  audience. Make sure you’re addressing topics that will help your viewers, not your peers. A topic that sounds great to you might not sound great to your audience. #blogging #contentmarketingStep 2: Do some Internet stalking. The very best way to find out what your audience really wants to know about is to go straight to the source. Look at questions your readers are asking, the problems they are struggling with, and the solutions they are searching for. Scour the comments sections on other related blogs to see what people are asking about. Check out QA websites like Qu0ra and Yahoo! Answers. Scan  profiles on social media for complaints, questions, or rants. This is all fodder for your next irresistible piece of content. Research  questions, problems, struggles, and solutions. #contentmarketing #bloggingStep 3: Look before you write (or record). Most topics have already been written about. It’s really hard to come up with a 100% original idea to create content on, so I’m not going to suggest you try and do that. But you should avoid creating content that is nearly interchangeable with what’s already out there. So after youve decided on a topic, do a quick Google search to turn up other content written on the subject. Ask yourself, â€Å"how can I improve on what’s already being said?† and â€Å"were there any questions left unanswered in that post/video/etc.?† and â€Å"how can I put my own spin on this subject?† Connect with your audience by improving on the #content that already exists. #contentmarketingRule #2 – Relate With Your Audience Earlier, we talked about how there is an abundance of blog  posts written every day, and how almost every topic has already been written about. This has led to a very important shift in what people are looking for online. Instead of searching only for accurate information and helpful tips, they are looking for those things piled on top of a style, personality, or a view point they can relate to. Your audience might have read a dozen blog posts on how to choose the right color paint for their kitchen remodel, but they might not really get it until they hear it from you. Your unique perspective, background, opinions, and personality will make your content unique. It won’t appeal to everyone, but it will appeal very strongly to those that relate with you (aka your dream customers or readers). So how, exactly, do you tap into what makes you you in order to create content that your readers can relate with? Start by getting comfortable showing some vulnerability. Get vulnerable with your audience. Share  opinions, values, and failures. #bloggingWhen we put our opinions, values, past failures (and even successes) out there, we open ourselves up to some degree of push back. But we also open ourselves up to a whole new level of connection with our audience. People can find facts anywhere- what they really want is the story. Your story. Rule #3 – Stay Focused Youve probably heard the expression that people have the attention span of a goldfish online. It’s true that almost all of your visitors have their cursor hovering over the back button, so it’s vital that you find a way to capture and keep their attention. One of the best ways to accomplish this is to stay focused. Bunny trails, long-winded introductions, and off-topic side notes are great ways to lose your visitor’s attention. Choose one very specific  topic for each piece of content, and then stick to it. If you try to tackle a topic that’s too large, you’ll feel yourself drifting from point to point. Bunny trails, long-winded introductions, and off-topic side notes lose attention. #bloggingHere’s a trick for making sure your content is focused: Identify the outcome you want for your audience after they view  your content. What one thing do you want them to learn, understand, or get inspired about? At every paragraph, bullet point, and sub-header, ask yourself â€Å"does this help my visitor accomplish that one specific goal?† Does every paragraph, bullet point, and sub-header help your audience accomplish a specific goal? #4 – Give Them An Easy Win Remember the outcome you identified a minute ago for your audience to achieve after viewing your content? This is the step where you drive that home and create  content so valuable that your audience will love it, share it, and come back for more. We know that valuable content should help our audience achieve something (whether it’s a specific goal, a lifestyle change, or even a mindset shift), but achieving it is often a process. We all tend to resist starting a new process- whether it’s for a lack of time, motivation, or courage- so how can you help people act on your content? The simple answer: Make it ridiculously simple to do so. The actual process of achieving the outcome your content was created to produce might take a while (say, losing weight), so break the process down and identify one, tiny step your audience can take in that direction. For our â€Å"losing weight† example, maybe this small step is identifying one thing they could do today to eat just a little bit healthier or get in an extra 10 minutes of exercise. Choose something very small that your audience can do for an easy win. It will build momentum toward that goal. This transforms your content from something abstract into something actionable.

Strengths and Weaknesses of Napoleon as a Military Leader (research Essay

Strengths and Weaknesses of Napoleon as a Military Leader (research paper) - Essay Example There is a volume of academic material on his military legacies that are studied as examples in military colleges (Abbott 23). The simple argument of Napoleon Bonaparte swirls feelings. He was indeed one of the ‘greatest army minds’ in the record of combat. The activities of his life have motivated the creativeness of researchers, fictional numbers, instructing authorities, filmmakers and learners as well. Both the limitless compliment and highly effective criticisms placed on such a famous determine have provided considerably to the development of the Napoleonic legend. The available historical material touching on the life of Napoleon Bonaparte reveals lack of consensus among historians concerning his qualities as a military leaver. While others commend him for his extraordinary skills as an organizer and a charismatic leader, on the other hand, others have argued that he was not a schemer and strategic thinker. This line of argument has it that Napoleon was over-dependent on the strategies of his predecessors, and only managed to improvise military strategies rather than effectively plan war schemes (Antonmarchi 34). Those who hold this line of thought further suggest that his eventual downfall can be directly attributed to his weakness, although those who disagree argue that it is his characteristics that propelled him to dominating much of Europe. This paper seeks to assess the strengths and characteristics of Napoleon Bonaparte that made him a successful military leader. The paper also draws on his weakness and failures, in order to come up with a balanced analysis of his military legacy. In doing the analysis, evidence from some of his expeditions will be used together with empirical evidence from scholarly materials. Armed with an unending ambition and cunningness, Napoleon came into power in 1799 through a military coup d’Ã ©tat, and in 1804, he crowned himself emperor of France in a ceremony that was

Wind Shield Survey Community Assessment of a community in Queens , NY Term Paper - 2

Wind Shield Survey Community Assessment of a community in Queens , NY - Term Paper Example The involvement of consumers of health care is encouraged in the development of community activities that contribute to the promotion of education and maintenance of good health (Rooney, Ryan, Bloniarz & Kane, 2005). In order to achieve these activities, a comprehensive health programs are required that pay a special attention to social and ecological influences and specific population that is at a risk. As a community client, nurses should focus on environmental features such as physical, cultural, psychosocial and political features that ensure good health of the population. As a matter of fact, Rooney et al, (2005) adds that community client is not restricted to provision of health care to a particular age or diagnostic group but the health nurse is practicing their profession to all people without any biases. A healthy community is one that makes wise use of its resources and is prepared to meet the dangers and threats that may arise as a result of factors encountered when dealing with health problems. This has been the mandate and the aim of the community client over a quite a long time to ensure a mutual relationship between the community and the location (Rooney, Ryan, Bloniarz & Kane, 2005). As Glanz et al (2008) put it that in assessing the performance of Wind Shield survey in New York, a close examination of the original survey data on beneficiary is needed. According to our expectations, the general satisfaction with the WindShield survey intervention should be high. However, the evidence was found that the endeavor of the WindShield survey to redress the balance between the rich and the poor communities was fairly satisfactory (Kressel, De Leon, Palij & Rubin, 2008). There was a neglect of the isolated communities possibly due to cost reasons and that the accessibility of the WindShield Survey to beneficiary

Thomas Green Essay Example for Free

Thomas Green Essay The case starts with the result of a problem that has been brewing for months-Thomas Green’s faltering career has transitioned from the fast track to a destination of potential unemployment. We sought to analyze the factors leading up to this rapid downward spiral and what other challenges were present in the situation. We identified some of the underlying causes, and developed potential solutions and how to apply them to rectify the challenges Green is experiencing. Current Problems:  The tension has developed between Davis and Green in part because of Green’s very public opposition to Davis’s next year’s projections of the 10% market growth, and in part because Green did not meet Davis’s expectations for the person who will be holding his previous position. According to Davis, Green has failed. Both in 1:1 meetings with Green and in interactions with his boss Shannon McDonald his ‘surface’ story has remained the same. He says Green is doing a poor job of communicating; not keeping his boss updated of his travel plans and current location. He also complains that when Green is on the road he doesn’t check in with the office enough and fails to send Davis information he has requested in a timely manner. Moreover, Davis feels that Green’s strategies and way of working with clients needs to be more concrete; that Green needs to provide factual data and reports to his clients instead of just ideas. In addition, Davis refers to Green’s negative attitude (as expressed at the goal-setting meeting) indicated that Green lacked the enthusiasm needed for the job. Deeper Problems Underlying Causes for the Conflict: 1. Power Politics Dynamics at Work: Davis’s public complaints do not reflect the full story. His perspective seems to be skewed by some common fallacies of thought that often plague business organizations. Davis has seen Thomass objection in front of the other employees as challenging him. This may be a case of Schadenfreude where Davis, who now has reason to dislike Green, finds everything possible wrong with his work as a way to discredit him. He may be jealous that Green jumped a few rungs on the corporate ladder, and incensed that he wasn’t consulted in the hiring decisions. Attribution can come into play where, instead of believing that there is a reason Green was promoted and maybe he did have value to bring to the table, a cognitive bias making him think Green’s previous successes were due to luck, and that he is a rookie who can’t be relied upon. That becomes a self fulfilling prophecy of perception, where Davis sees all the little things Green does wrong as insurmountable flaws confirming his original opinion of Green being the wrong man for the job. Many tenured workers feel that ‘paying ones dues’ is an important part of building a career, and that those on the fast track aren’t truly deserving of their positions. Since Green took over Davis’s former position, projection can also come into play, where Davis compares everything Green does to how he would have handled it. Davis does seem to be biased against Green, and rather than helping him to be the most successful he can, he appears to prefer firing him and starting over. A reverse halo effect has come into play, where nothing Green does is right. 2. Structural Problems in Hiring/Training. There are some structural problems in terms of chain of command and in how Dynamic Displays does their hiring and training. McDonald even identified this huge jump in positions and expressed her reservations. She openly admitted that her biggest concern was the increased level of managerial responsibility with no experience. This huge jump bypassed positions of needed training and practical work experience. Upper management had not initially counseled Green on expectations of communication, direction, report, and etc. Davis was not giving Green any real direction and guidance on how he wanted the reports until after it was identified as a problem. Davis did finally show how the other senior market analyst generated her reports and the approved method for relaying data. Another critical error was the fact that McDonald endorsed Greens promotion with no input from Davis. The relationship between Green and Davis was to some extent doomed from the start. When on Green’s first day Division VP McDonald tells him â€Å"Tom, you are walking into a tricky situation with Frank Davis. Frank had expected to choose the new senior market specialist and it would not have been you. You’ll have to deal with any fallout that might result from that. † Davis was not able to pick the person who he may have been molding for the position. This is demonstrated in the incompatibility of work styles and no working relationship between Davis and Green. McDonald did not set Green up for success when it came to working under Davis. The last thing she mentioned to Green on that first day was â€Å"don’t let me down. It would have been more effective should McDonald have included Davis in the hiring process, and meeting with both Davis and Green before or during Green’s first week so they could discuss expectations, and what McDonald viewed as Green’s strengths and areas of opportunity so a plan could immediately be put in place to address them and get him properly trained. 3. Thomas Green is not a blameless victim in this circumstance. There are a few areas in which he tripped up that have contributed to the severity of the current situation. This is an excellent case identifying the Peter principle where a great salesman is identified for exemplar performance and promoted to a position of incompetence within the company. Perhaps because (aptly named) Green was so new, he did not fully understand the dynamic of the specific situation he walked into. The 2008 Budget Plan Meeting did not appear to be an open forum, and Green misjudged it. Normally applicable to managers and coaches, the ‘Praise in public, criticize in private’ concept would have been useful in this case as well. Many of the most successful corporate climbers recognize the benefit of making ones higher-ups look good. Publically disagreeing with Davis in that open meeting was an act of insubordination. If Green knew the subject of the meeting and that Davis would be speaking for him, a certain onus fell on his shoulders to know what the goals were being set at ahead of time and giving him a chance to discuss in a more appropriate setting with Davis. Power conflict/ Stylistic Differences: Communication between Davis and Green was not the only issue. There were multiple misunderstandings between Davis, Green, and McDonald in terms of really acknowledging the issues at play. Green was a bit misled with regard to what was most important to his direct manager. The sample PowerPoint slides and organizational charts one of the other market supervisors had created should be something Davis showed Green early on, while setting expectations of those types of reports being created on weekly or monthly basis. Going over communication expectations is also really important, as that varies widely from manager to manager. Green’s autonomous â€Å"I’ll get it done my way† attitude clouded his ability to see why it might be important to keep communication up with Davis. He should have asked Davis the best way to check in with him and how often that was expected. Davis should be more clear-if he asks for a report while Green is on the road, be specific about the expected turnaround time or due date for the information. Green’s ego and inexperience hurt him in the transition to such a responsible and politically sensitive role. He is intelligent and talented but he was also over confident and he abused his â€Å"Legitimate Power which is defined as the position power based on a person’s holding of a managerial positions rather than anything the manager is or does as a person† (Phillips Gully, 2012). Green did things his way rather than respecting the path laid before him, and the superiors with tenure who had legitimate advice to give. Davis possessed a mix of Expert and Coercive powers. Expert power is a personal power based on an individual expertise in some area† Davis has done the same job in the past and he presented the successful projections for the company marketing future. â€Å"Coercive is a position power based on fear or a desire to avoid punishment† Green did not follow directions and rules, Davis reported this to McDonalds and threatened to end Green’s position. McDonald holds the ‘Reward power’: â€Å"A position power that involves the use of rewards to influence and motivate followers. She is the one who appointed Green at this position based on his intelligence and talent. Phillips Gully, 2012). Applicable OB Theory Two of the most fundamental aspects of Organizational Behavior are process, where there was a communication breakdown, and behavior in terms of evaluating, rewarding, and managing, as well as managing conflict/power and politics. Because Green wasn’t properly trained and mentored he was unable to do the job according to Davis’s preferences. The company seems to have a classic Scalar chain of hierarchy in place, that was upset by McDonald hiring Green for a position he wasn’t prepared for. The chain of command started off broken because it jumped over Davis. Innacurate assumptions followed, as Green thought McDonald would look out for him and retained a direct connection to his career, where in fact the traditional hierarchy was back in place without Green realizing how he fit in. The other thing that is easy to miss when analyzing this case is the positive opportunities that exist. McDonald ‘took a chance’ on Green because she felt the group needed a new perspective. The company did have the chance to improve results from what Green brought to the table, but his natural talent needed to be harnessed to take best advantage of that potential. Davis’s initial dislike and distrust of Green set the relationship off on the wrong foot, and at some point Green was more focused on keeping his job than on improving sales and helping the company. If Davis were focusing on making the most of Green as an employee, he would work on ways to accomplish multiple goals while encouraging Green to do his best work. Green is motivated by success as measured by his relationships with clients, ability to connect with company higher-ups, and having the autonomy to keep up that momentum. Davis’s management style does not reward Green’s independent thinking. Also it is interesting that one of Davis’s criticisms of Green is that he is â€Å"thinking like an account executive† when in fact most of their struggles stem from Green being a ‘big-picture’ thinker, and from Davis taking a detailed line-by-line approach. Solutions: There are two angles that should be addressed: both how the key players in this case should have handled things, and what can be done now and going forward. Green should have handled the Budget Meeting differently. He was wrong to talk about the issue to others in the company in that forum, even if unintentional; it did appear like he wanted to make Davis look bad. Green should have requested a one-on-one meeting with Davis to talk about the issue and to try to understand why things went so wrong. Because he feels strongly that those projections are unreasonable, he will also need to collect information to support his opinion about the numbers. He must try to build a relationship with Davis; recognizing that he put his boss in a bad position and what that did to him politically, he needs to eat some crow and work to rebuild a strong working relationship with Davis. This is the time to take McDonald’s original advice to heart, and ask for help. His going to Davis might feed into Davis’s ego enough to help: he can re-tie his success to the experience and knowledge base of his boss. Only then will the two of them be able to communicate and will Green have a chance to have his opinions heard. 1. Mentoring/training Both for Thomas Green at this moment, and for employees in the future, there needs to be a priority of setting up a more formal manager training and mentoring program. Part of Expectancy Theory states that the first level requirement of managers is to ensure employees are adequately trained and ave a clear understanding of what is expected of them. It seems Davis and Green were consistently not on the same page because of a failure to properly lay the groundwork during Green’s first few weeks on the job. For Green, McDonald’s advice of â€Å"I am hoping you compensate for your lack of experience by seeking out guidance from some of your more seasoned managers† was lacking in form and direction. A more formal mentoring program put in place could be very successful. Managerial training that includes working for a short time in the positions that were bypassed by the promotion would be particularly effective. The company should also assign one of the other senior market analyst as a mentor. Green could shadow with that senior market analyst for a short time to get a feel for company politics and best practices. In the future when a candidate is promoted from a sales role into management, they should be assigned a mentor who can help and guide them in the realities and expectations of the new position. There should also be a transition period if at all possible to easy the new manager into a position before giving him free reign. 2. Level setting  Because of Green’s nontraditional career path, additional guidance on the front end was required to set him up for success. Initial counseling on performance and work ethic expectations was a necessary piece that was missing in Davis and Green’s interactions early on. Clear expectations on preferred communication methods such as report presentations including charts and graphs should have been given to Green right away. Green should have been provided a thorough job description and clearly defined goals. The first few weeks in the new position were critical in showing Green what was important to upper management. Davis bringing Green on joint client appointments emphasized being hands on and meeting the right people. Davis missed an opportunity to show Green the type of detailed numbers and reports he would like to see. Also, rather than thinking Green needed reports to present at those meetings, should have partnered with him to create the concrete data he feels is most effective to use in working with a potential client. That was the only training Green received, and it was unfair to expect he would inherently understand an expectation that was not expressed to him by his boss. Davis should also have coached Green on his other expectations including form and frequency of communication. Assumptions were detrimental to the relationship; some of which may have been due to generational differences leading to varying expectations. This could have helped with the communication issues between all three parties due to their age differences. 3. Structural changes within Dynamic Displays In the future Dynamic Displays needs to adjust its hiring practices to set everyone involved up for success. It is short-sighted to think that employees must always take the most traditional path, as out of the box candidates come up at times and can benefit the company. They should make the hiring process more structured to avoid this type of issue in the future. The promotion process needs to be reviewed and improved upon. All parties who will be affected by the promotion should have input on the decision. Had Davis been included in that choice and in brainstorming on ways to get Green up and running, this issue may have been avoided altogether. Work relationships clearly can have a huge impact of production.

One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich :: One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich Essays

One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich: Deeper into the Character When Alexander Solzhenitsyn wrote One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich in 1962, he crossed political barriers in his explanation of the Siberian prison camp. Through his character Ivan Denisovich, Solzhenitsyn shows us a normal day in the camp. The book has no chapters, so it is like the reader is spending the day with Ivan. Through this day, he tells of the people, the life conditions, what things are to be done and what things are not to be done. One Day. . . takes us from the wake up call to lights out, with only meals and work between. Nevertheless, because this is only one day, it is hard to really know and understand the characters. Yet, Solzhenitsyn uses flashbacks to show the different sides to his character Ivan Denisovich. Solzhenitsyn uses quite a few major flash backs to show the history of the characters; yet, there were two distinct examples he uses to show Ivans feelings. These two flashbacks help us to understand his humanity and optimism. When he is at his first work camp, he receives many letters and packages from his wife. These letters talk of things happening at home while the packages contain food and tobacco. Yet, every time he receives a package, only a small portion gets to Ivan after all of the appropriate people take their cuts. Therefore, despite his need for food, he writes to his wife and tells her to stop sending the packages. He wants her to save the bread for their children. Even though he asks her to not send any more packages, he still longs for someone to run up to him and say "Shukhov (Ivan) what are you waiting for? You've got a package!" (P.160). No one ever does, nor does he expect them to. As much as he wants the package, he doesn't want his family to suffer on his account. This situation shows the reader the caring and compassionate side of Ivan. It shows the reader of his capacity to give up his own food on behalf of his family. Ivan is a very loving father, yet, without this example, the reader would lose an important aspect of his character. Only through this flashback are we able to see this side of him.

Foreign Nations Intervention in Civil Wars Essay

The events in history had seen many civil wars that took place in various parts of the world. Civil wars are defined as â€Å"violent conflict between organized groups within a country† (Fearon, 2006). Being the case, it is questionable as to why foreign nations intervened with such kind of domestic affairs. The intervention of foreign nations entails a specific reason or agenda in their part, which is the main cause as to why they participate in the civil wars of other countries. Foreign nations intervention in civil wars are notably observable in three events in the past namely the civil wars in Korea in the 1950s, Vietnam Civil war in the 1960s, and the Afghanistan Civil War in the 1980s. Civil War The meaning of civil war explains that it should only involved the citizens of a particular nation. The conflicting groups that are existing within the country could be two or more militant groups fighting with each other. The source of disagreement could also come from the political tension among the existing government and some civilian groups that does not agree with how the government runs things and implement policies. James D. Fearon (2006) supported this definition of civil war when he argued that civil war pertains to violent conflicts among organized groups found within a country. The reasons behind such disagreement could be attributed to the struggle over the position of power in the government, one group’s separatist objectives, or a particular policy implemented by the government that caused friction and division among its citizens. An armed combat would only be considered as a civil war when there are 1,000 dead that also leads to a high amount of rural insurgencies although not intensely violent or disturbing. Furthermore, Fearon emphasized that political goals is the primary characteristic of a civil war, if ever there are other motives such as vengeance or hatred then it could not be considered as such. 1950s Civil Wars in Korea The Korean civil war could be attributed to the different the ideological beliefs between North and South Korea. North Korea adheres to communism while on the other hand South Korea believes in democracy. Due to this difference, the division of Korea took place that separated them between the communist North and the democratic South. Korea used to be owned by Japan but it has been separated into occupational zones after the event of the World War II. The United States of America accepted the defeat and act of surrender by the Japanese in Southern Korea. Similarly, the forces of the Soviet Union also did the same act in the northern part of Korea. What seems to be a temporary division becomes permanent when the Soviet Union aided in establishing a communist rule in North Korea while the United States make sure that they supported the South Korea through financial and military aid (â€Å"Korean War†, n. d. ). On 25 June 1950, North Korea invaded South Korea through a surprised attacked that caught the South Korean army as well as a small number of U. S. forces off guard that makes their invasion of the capital city of Seoul easier. Just a couple of days after this invasion the United States of America push for a UN resolution that would give military aid to South Korea. In line with this, President Harry Truman through this resolution worked under the United Nations â€Å"police actions† towards the North Korean invaders (â€Å"Korean War†, n. d. ). The influence of the United States had reversed the situation, the South Korean forces together with the U. S. forces attacked North Korea. Nevertheless, this decision of invasion stimulated other parties to intervene. In the late 1950, the forces of the communist China also made their presence felt in the war, which resulted in a violent and bloody armed combat (â€Å"Korean War†, n. d. ). According to the Naval Historical Center (2001), this violent dispute lasted for more than three years. Eventually, the war ended in 1953 when the United States and North Korea end the war by signing a cease-fire agreement. However, this agreement continued to divide North and South Korea at almost the same geographical portion. The participation of foreign countries like the United States of America and China symbolizes the vested interests of these two nations. One of the important things that have to be considered in this situation is the fact that the cold war is already being felt during this time. The competition between the concept of democracy that is led by the U. S. and the idea of communism through the leadership of the Soviet bloc is observed through this civil war in Korea. The United States supported South Korea because they deem that not doing so would result for the north to annex them into their communist ideology. In the same manner, the Soviet Union gives aid to North Korea because of they did not want this territory to be under the U. S. influence. Even other communist countries like China also intervened in the situation in order to support North Korea. This assertion is proven when the Korean War was considered as the start of the hot, violent, and expensive cold war (Naval Historical Center, 2001). The reported casualties in this civil war amounted to the death of 55,000 American troops. This war was deemed as a â€Å"limited war† because of the goal of the United States to merely protect South Korea from being invaded by the communist North. The U. S. had no intention of defeating the enemy and in this case the villains are North Korea together with the other countries that support communism (â€Å"Korean War†, n. d. ). 1960s Vietnam War The Vietnam War is also another example of a civil war wherein the intervention of foreign countries has been observable. This war also exemplified how conflicts within a country was aggravated due to the interests of others. In line with this, this civil war also exemplified how the Cold War is taking place during that time. The origins of the Vietnam War took place in 1954 when the Vietnamese Nationalist and the Vietminh army that was led by communists defeated the French at Dienbienphu. The French were forced to established North Vietnam as a communist while leaving South Vietnam as non-communist. However, this did not sit well with the United States of America especially after President Harry Truman supported France in maintaining its Indochina colony, which composed of Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam through economic and military aid. The U. S. government led by President Dwight D. Eisenhower decided to established a nation as well as a political machinery in South Vietnam. He created a government that replaced the French and also deployed military advisers in order to train the army of South Vietnam. Furthermore, the U. S. also instructed its Central Intelligence Agency to apply psychological warfare towards North Vietnam (Rotter, 1999). The administration of President Lyndon B. Johnson had fully committed the country into war when the Congress allowed the Tonkin Golf Resolution, which paved the way for the continuous air bombing of the U. S. to South Vietnam. This action confirmed that the United States was indeed at war (Rotter, 1999). The succeeding president, Richard Nixon, implemented the idea of Vietnamization wherein he ordered the withdrawal of American troops that gave South Vietnam a greater role in the battle for this civil war. However, he made the effort to weaken North Vietnam by deploying American forces in Cambodia to demolish the supply bases (Digital History, n. d. ). During 1968 to 1973, diplomacy was utilized in attempts of ending the war. In January 1973, an agreement were made that resulted for the U. S. withdrawal in Vietnam and the released of U. S. prisoners. Eventually, in April 1975 Vietnam was united as one country when South Vietnam surrendered to the North (Digital History, n. d. ). The intervention of the United States in the Vietnam War is an effort to combat the driving force of communism in the world, which is the North Vietnam’s government led by Ho Chi Minh. For the Americans, the enemy is communism because this ideology defy everything the U. S. upholds. The idea of freedom, human rights, free trade, and most especially the concept of democracy are violated by communism. This effort to combat communism is clearly seen when President John F. Kennedy supported the counterinsurgency war wherein he sent 400 Green Beret soldiers in order to trained the South Vietnamese how to fight and eventually combat the communist guerrillas of North Vietnam (Rotter, 1999). Furthermore, Rotter (1999) also argued that the United States believes in the domino theory wherein if ever a particular country in a region would adhere to communism then other nations would also follow suit just like a falling domino. This is the exact idea the U. S. wanted to prevent, which is why they participated in the Vietnam War because they deem that if the whole Vietnam would follow communism then eventually the other countries in Southeast Asia would also do the same. In relation to this, another reason is the objective of the U. S. for other countries to follow the path of democracy and identify themselves as member of the free states. The U. S. efforts in doing so was seen when the U. S. gave economic and military aid to France in order to maintain its Indochina colonies. They also used the same idea of the domino theory that if countries would see the development of France and its colonies then eventually they would chose democracy instead of communism. 1980s Afghanistan Civil War The experienced of Afghanistan during its civil war in the 1980s is also similar to the events that took place in Korea and Vietnam. Foreign countries also intervened in this civil war. This involvement of other countries could be seen through the events of the war wherein their contribution to the armed combat also signifies their own interests in doing so. The Afghanistan civil war started when the People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) assassinated the first president of the country, Muhammad Daoud. The succeeding government led by Muhammad Taraki a member of the PDPA implemented policies that are very communist in nature. The resistance in this kind of policy resulted in a bloody civil war. From the start, the Communist Soviet Union supported the PDPA through economic and military aid. The PDPA party was also experiencing conflict between two rival factions that are after the control of the government. Taraki was overthrown by Amin, which threatened the Soviet Union because this new leadership might pave the way for the Afghanistan to lean towards the United States. This is the reason why the Soviet Union invaded the country. Amin was executed by the Soviet forces and was later on replaced by an Afghan Communist government led by Babrak Karmal, which acted as a puppet administration. Other foreign countries like the United States, United Kingdom, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and China supported the Afghan Mujahadeen or holy warriors who were against the government established by the Soviet Union. The intervention of other nations aggravated the conflict. Eventually, by 1988 the dragging armed combat as well as the tensions in the Soviet politics pressed Moscow to adhere to the Geneva Accords of 1988. This agreement entails the Soviet army to leave Afghanistan in February 1989 (Lee, 2007). The incidents that took place in the Afghanistan civil war clearly shows why foreign countries participated in this kind of war. Due to the own interests of the Soviet Union to prevent the increasing number of free states that would follow the idealism of the United States, they decided to invade Afghanistan. They assassinated Amin, who they suspected sided with the United States. In the same manner, the United States and other countries gave aid in terms of monetary as well as military equipment to the Afghan Mujahadeens to helped in their efforts of overthrowing the puppet government that was controlled by the Soviet Union as well as an effort to prevent the further spread of communism in Asia. The above mentioned civil wars only proves that foreign intervention took place in order to further the objectives and accomplished the goals of countries who involved themselves in this war. The United States of America and the Soviet Union are clear examples of countries that utilized the conflicts happening in other parts of the world to sustain their own interests. It is important to understand that these countries were the main actors who intervened because of the on-going Cold War happening between them during those times. Cold War was characterized by indirect aggression towards each other, which is clearly established by these two countries by simply supporting or aiding conflicting parties within a civil war. The main idea was for the United States to support parties that are against communism and for the Soviet Union to do the same by giving aid to those that are in favor of the communist idea and are against the free state the United States are fighting for. In all of these, it is proven that intervention indeed becomes a means to pursue and accomplished the vested interests and objectives of other countries. References __________. Learn About the Vietnam War. Retrieved June 28, 2008, from http://www. digitalhistory. uh. edu/modules/vietnam/index. cfm. __________. Korean War. Retrieved Jully 10, 2008, from http://www. asianinfo. org/asianinfo/korea/pro-korean_war. htm. Fearon, J. D. (April 2006). Civil War. Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies. Retrieved June 28, 2008, from http://fsi. stanford. edu/news/ civil_war_definition_ transcends _ politics_ 20060410/. Lee, R. A. (2007). The Afghan Civil War. Retrieved June 28, 2008 from http://www. historyguy. com/afghan_civil_war. html. Naval Historical Center. (2001). The Korean War, June 1950 – July 1953. Retrieved June 28, 2008, from http://www. history. navy. mil/photos/events/kowar/kowar. htm. Rotter, A. J. (2001). The Causes of the Vietnam War. Retrieved June 28, 2008 from http://www. english. uiuc. edu/maps/vietnam/causes. htm.

Theories of Miscommunication

Throughout history people had their media to communicate about matters of public interest. Therefore today mass communication i. e. newspapers, magazines, journals, radio, television, film, video and many more are not new. The history of mass communication however evolved over time where by each culture was dominant during a certain period of time as discussed below. The oral communication culture was dominant during the pre-literate or pre-industrial time, they used the spoken word for communication, nothing was written, no news reports, television, and radio. Everything meant what it was supposed to mean, nothing was like ‘read between the lines. ’ The contrast of oral culture was memory. People relied on their memory, placed a higher value on the present tense. Oral communication is still dominant in areas where the written culture does not exist. Their histories are verbally told through stories and myths. The written and printed communication culture started more or less 6000 years ago with carvings and cave painting, phonetic alphabets have been known for little more than 3000 years ago, and writing as we know it today started way back in 800 BC. After the written word came into existence the spoken word became casual. Writing makes records for the creation of a historical sensibility for example science. In 1450’s a German, Johann Gutenberg invented the printed press. Publishing contributed to the advancement of literacy, publishing contributed to institutions such as schools and by the end of 18th century, printing press had created an entirely new information and mass communication culture. Electronic communication culture is today’s new form of communication, the electronic and digital media dominate the mass communication culture. Today something is true because it’s on the television and internet not because its printed in the newspaper. In the 19th century, photography and film brought about the graphic revolution. Television however is the most dominant communication medium. When defining mass communication one has to define it from different perspectives because of its background and latest developments. For this reason mass communication has to be through the various theoretic perspectives of mass communication which are. Media-materialist, emphasis is on the technical aspects and how technology of medium impacts on the nature of media messages and audiences for example difference between radio and television. Social culturist influence the social factors an media production and reception and functions of social media are emphasized. With the social materialist media and content are mainly seen as reflection on society. Mass communication has got focal points such as communication, medium, message, and recipient, or audience, public nature of mass communication and diverse content of mass communication. A communicator is usually a collective body a group of people responsible for the production of programs, news bulletins, films, newspapers, websites and many more. A medium or a media is usually of technical nature and can involve complicated production and distribution technologies and techniques. Also the channel through which the media content is transmitted and distributed. A message has both concrete and abstract meaning. It is concrete in the form of content being produced for example the newspaper story you can hold and read, a message is abstract in terms of the meaning encoded in the content by the communicator and the meaning the reader,viewer,listener attaches to and derives from the content through their own interpretation of the content. An audience is heterogeneous and usually unknown, without audience there is no media. Other questions related to the focal points in any definition of mass communication are for instance what we mean by ‘mass’ in mass communication? What do we mean by ‘public sphere’, ‘publicness’, and democracy? These questions have been approached from a number of theoretical perspectives. Let’s look at the theories. Julia wood in her book communication theory, explains theories scientific value and that it teaches us how to describe, interpret, understand, evaluate, and predict a phenomenon. It also o provides an over view of the development of a discipline. Its relations with other discipline’s and its future developments. For example effect theories focus on the effect of the media on personal behavior and the developed into a more holistic approach to the effects of the media on society and culture in general. Effect theories started from a behaviorist perspective closely associated with the positivism and behaviorism of the social sciences in the in the first part of the 1900s and then moved onto the more critical approaches presently practiced in the social sciences. Theory teaches us skills of describing, interpreting understanding, evaluating, and predicting a phenomenon such skills can become entrenched in ways we have to deal with our everyday relations such as relationships with colleagues and family members. Goals of theory are to then describe explain understand, predict control and reform. Theory has got building blocks such as: Ontology where we distinguish between two broad views of humanity, determinism and humanism. Epistemology which in philosophical terms is the science of knowledge, we distinguish it between two different schools the objective truth and subjective experience. Purpose according two Wood concerns the purpose of theory, it’s also distinguished between two schools the universalist and situationalists. Focus the fourth building block is concerned with the two broad schools behaviorism and humanism. When evaluating theory Wood 2000:41-47 suggests five criteria; scope, where we have to establish how well and how much a theory describes and explains, Testability, where a theory can be theorized about and investigated by different researchers and they arrive at the same conclusion. Parsimony which refers to simplicity. A theory does not have to be complex. The fourth criterion is utility where theories need to have a practical value in terms of our understanding, controlling and improving of the phenomenon. The goals of mass media are to understand the structures involved and the human agency in influencing these structures. Understanding of the media and its structural relationships will come from different theoretical approaches as discussed below. Different authors have different ways of categorizing theories, Little John (1992:341-374) distinguishes between macro and micro theories, Mcquail(2000:61-16) distinguishes between theories and approaches concerned with the relationships between media and society and between media and culture and a third branch of new theories and approaches concerned with relationships between new media and information society. How we think about the power of media, the media effects on behavior, and the functions of the media in society and so on is usually done from a specific theoretical approach. Below we distinguish between the seven perspectives. The positivistic approach emphasizes on scientific methods on knowledge derived from scientifically processed and analyzed data about a phenomenon. The scientific method requires that all phenomena should be treated in the same way. In research the same rules and same requirements have to be applied and met regardless of the phenomena under investigation. Assumptions in positivism Application of the scientific method involves processes of empirical research which will yield objective findings and will ensure that no subjective elements intervene to influence the validity of the findings. This reasoning rests on the assumption that phenomena’s are governed by universal laws which may be relevant through the application of the scientific method. It comprises of certain fixed steps which must be followed by all researchers and requires use of standardized procedures and techniques. A researcher is only important in the sense that he or she must apply the method correctly. Empiricism is usually related to the natural sciences and is also called scientific method. The concepts of objectivity and measurement are highly valued. Behaviorism concentrates on the experimental analysis of human behavior. To a great degree this method still underlies the analysis of communication problems as executed within the framework of positivistic approaches Functionalism is usually associated with the sociology of Emile Durkheim (1858-1917) and Talcott Parsons (1902-1979). It concentrates on repetitive observable phenomena or observable indicators of phenomena. Positivism and mass communication. In positivistic research the emphasis is mainly on the efficient working and management of the media, efficient production of media content, functions of the media, media’s effect on people and society. Weaknesses of positivistic approach The weaknesses originated from the work of German sociologist Max Weber 91864-1920) he drew his work from Wilhelm Dilthey (1833-1911) who emphasized the difference between the natural and social sciences. Dilthey maintained that as social researcher would only gain insight into the social world by not distancing himself or herself from it claiming to objective. Human action is not just observable response to stimuli but it is based on interpretation and understanding. Although positivistic research may claim that its findings are objective because of its use of scientific methods, human behavior itself is scientific and based on values intentions, interpretations, understandings, meanings and contents which may differ from person to person group to group and circumstance to circumstance. Critical approach. The development of critical thinking on mass communication has a long history. Critical thinking about mass communication started with what is called mass society theory. Mass society theory was formulated at the turn of 19th century and continued through the middle of 20th century. Began as a reaction to technological innovation that in turn gave rise to industrialization and urbanization. Assumptions Media has the power to influence the minds of average people. Media has corrupt minds. Media can initiate social chaos. Critical theory today Critical theorists today are primarily concerned about medias ideological manipulation of the masses and capitalistic use and misuse of the media by owners to foster capitalized values. We have to describe as closely as possible the ideological instrument of society. These are instruments such as church, the economy, military and media. These instruments are responsible for production, circulation and distribution of ideology. The concept of ideology is therefore the center of the critical approach. Assumptions Media are symbolic forms of expressions for example literature,theatre ,paintings, and many more. Assumes that the media and its different forms and genres like editorial comments can be read as texts. There is a relationship between production conventions and ideologies. There is a close relationship between media politics and the economy. Political economy is an umbrella for all those theories and analytical approaches which seek to understand how economic and political relationships, interests and affiliations determine the nature and functioning of social institutions and the impact or lack of impact of these relationships on social transformation and development. Public sphere. A German philosopher Jurgen Habermas (1979) argues that the modern market oriented media undermine the idea of public sphere as a place for debate where consensus can be reached on the basis of which rational actions can be taken. Criticisms of critical theory. It does not acknowledge the libertarian, informative, educational and democratizing role of media. Does not acknowledge the entertainment value of media for billions of people. Production theory has its foundation in the phenomenology and symbolic interactionism. Phenomenology is a point of departure in the social sciences from the work of the Austrian philosopher Alfred Schutz (1899-1959) Assumptions Reality is not given, but it is a structure of meanings constituted by human beings. The shared world is a pre structured word experienced inter subjectively. Symbolic internationalism centers on the process whereby meaning is socially constructed. Assumptions Reality is not given but created by human beings by virtue of their capacity to give meaning to their experiences. Meaning is embodied in symbols. On both phenomenology and symbolic interactionism emphasis is on meaning and how meaning is constructed. Semiotics is the study of signs and codes. How signs and codes convey meaning. The aim is to sharpen our critical awareness on the ways in which media use signs and codes to reflect represent and imitate aspects of reality with the purpose of conveying a message. Technological determinism This focuses on the technology of mass communication and how such technology determines the nature of mass communication and its role in society and the lives of people. Its aim is that a single cause determines all other aspects of life. Like economic determinism and biological determinism. Criticism against technological determinism. Lacks empirical support, its based on experimental research Does not acknowledge other research Information society approach concerns the role of the new media, information and communication technology in society. Its three broad enquiries are definition, characterization and description of new media, impact of Information communication on society, and policy related to new media. Post structuralist approach. s characterized by new social, economic, technological, global and cultural dynamics. Post modernity society’s structuralism emphasizes on the relationship between assign and its meaning and the role of the producer or author of texts to encode a specific meaning into texts. Post-colonial theory and Afrocentric approach seeks to situate and understand phenomena within the context of the larger and unequal g eo political histories of global and cultural power. Normative theory concerns the perceived and ideal roles of the media which are to play in a society or ought to operate if certain social values are to be observed or attained.

Essay on Stereotypes - WritePass - Free Essay Example

Essay on Stereotypes Conclusion Essay on Stereotypes WritePass Example Essay StereoTypes IntroductionTo modify or extend this essay or to get pricing on a custom essay Contact Us TodayConclusionTo modify or extend this essay or to get pricing on a custom essay Contact Us TodayRelated StereoTypes Introduction Stereotypes are a part of our everyday life. We hear stereotypes every day and everywhere. Sometimes we can find ourselves in a situation where we make stereotypes for a large group of people. Every person, young or old, is labelled with either positive or negative stereotypes. Stereotyping is a way that people group each other. Each group is called by name, that doesnt really fit to everyone in that specific group. Stereotypes affect people’s social lives, emotions, and how people interact with their environment. There are times that you are not so open to the idea of meeting new people, and making new friends. You don’t want to go outside, because we have put our own set of rules in this world. We know that we get criticized about what we wear every single day! We are criticized in which music we listen to, how we look like, how we act, and who we hang out with. We are also criticized on every other personal trait and imperfection we have. We have put the bar way up high, maybe too high for our potentials. Stereotype Essay What we really know? We cannot afford all the stereotyping that is going on between us. After we come and we say to people to just be who they are. If we say to a person that he or she is a hippie, just from the way they are dressed, that is just totally wrong. Hippie is someone who rejects the culture, not just the one who has long hair and wears beads. We are using the words in the wrong way. There are many people that have no friends, because they are tired of their critique. Leave everything behind and don’t let stereotypes ruin your social life. Stereotypes have an enormous impact of how we feel. That makes people have no motivation; therefore they won’t have good performance at any level in their life. For instanceif a kid is stereotyped as black and obese, how can these words make him feel good, so that he/she can move on to the next level? This can create psychological pressure. Other people face stereotypes as a threat. For example there is a stereotype that says that women are bad drivers. It puts even more pressure on how they feel, not only being around people who are labelling them, but being around people that they trust. They will try to prove to them that this is just a stereotype and it does not exist. In addition, this occurs in situations where people worry for their performance and how they look like. Besides that people don’t want their poor performance to lead to negative stereotypes. To modify or extend this essay or to get pricing on a custom essay Contact Us Today Members of stereotyped groups worry of what they are doing, and this makes them stressed, because they think that they have to be perfect, in all aspects of their lives! People get tired of being criticized all the time. When there is no one able to close people’s mouths, they start to become isolated. In the same way they don’t talk, because they are afraid to say something wrong, so that they won’t look silly. They are afraid of failure. For example, people seem surprised when they see men cry or being emotional. They think that men are not allowed to express their feelings, or men have no feelings at all. Men are not unconscious, they have feelings, but that is just a stereotype and a generalization from our society. It is easy to see that with are actions and sayings we are trying to kill emotions and thoughts! We should learn how to control our feelings and emotions, instead of letting stereotypes control them. In addition, your surroundings can be affected as well. If you had a bad day because someone just stereotyped you, when you go home or to your friends you are going to be really anxious. In addition you would probably get irritated or feel sad at the same time. You just go to your room or sit alone in a corner. When your loved ones see you like that they are not going to feel any better, because your emotions are now in control, and you just pass them around. In other words you broadcast your feelings to others. Furthermore there are times teachers question their students â€Å"Did I create a good environment, so that you can be able to talk and share ideas with the rest of your class?† Well, sometimes teachers cannot change this situation. The only people that can create a comfortable and happy atmosphere are us the students. They are many stereotypes going in and out of every classroom. That’s why sometimes students can be afraid to share ideas, because before they were stereotyped as nerds. These days’ people are afraid to be themselves, because they fear other people. They don’t want people to think something bad for them. Secrets, thoughts, and ideas, are all held down. Stereotypes can be an obstacle as to how open you are with people and how you make people feel when you are with them! Conclusion Instead of focusing on all the mistakes of each person, we should start paying more attention of how unique each person is. Stereotype causes people to feel lonely and even sometimes depressed. It’s also harmful for their environment and their social life. We should keep stereotypes out of the picture, even though sometimes we can be victims ourselves. Stop judging people before you even get to know them. You may also like reading Dissertation Examples Methodology Essays Dissertation Example To modify or extend this essay or to get pricing on a custom essay Contact Us Today

Introducing Phrasal Verbs to ESL Students

Introducing Phrasal Verbs to ESL Students Getting students to come to terms with phrasal verbs is a constant challenge. The fact of the matter is that phrasal verbs are just rather difficult to learn. Learning phrasal verbs out of the dictionary can help, but students really need to read and hear phrasal verbs in context for them to be able to truly understand the correct usage of phrasal verbs. This lesson takes a two-pronged approach to helping student learn phrasal verbs. It begins with a reading comprehension which can also serve to introduce some interesting student stories for discussion. This comprehension is peppered with phrasal verbs which can then be discussed as a class. The second part of the lesson includes a brainstorming session for students to create lists of phrasal verbs to share with one another. Once students have become familiar with phrasal verbs, you can refer them to these resources to continue their learning. This phrasal verbs reference list will get students started with short definitions of approximately 100 of the most common phrasal verbs. This guide in how to study phrasal verbs will help them develop a strategy to understand and learn phrasal verbs. Aim: Improve phrasal verb vocabulary Activity: Reading comprehension followed by brainstorming session and discussion Level: Intermediate to upper intermediate Outline: Have the students read the short story full of phrasal verbs.Ask them some general comprehension questions about the text. Once they have read the text, ask them to tell a story of their own from their youth.Now that you have discussed the text, ask the students to find the phrasal verbs from the list which occur in the reading selection. Once the students have found these phrasal verbs, ask the students to provide synonyms for the phrasal verbs.Tell the students a little bit about what you have done that teaching day:Example: I got up at seven this morning. After I had breakfast, I put together tonights lesson plan and came to school. I got into the bus at X square and got off at Y square...Ask students which of the verbs you used were phrasal verbs and ask them to repeat those verbs. At this point, you might want to ask them if they have ever taken a look under the heading get in a dictionary. Ask them what they discovered.Explain that phrasal verbs are very important in English - especially for native speakers of the language. You can point out that it might not be important for them to be able to use a lot of phrasal verbs if they use their English with other non-native speakers. However, it is important that they have a passive knowledge of phrasal verbs, as they will need to understand more and more phrasal verbs as they become used to reading, listening, seeing and exploring authentic materials in English. Obviously, if they are going to use their English with native speakers, they will really need to buckle down and get used to using and understanding phrasal verbs. Write a list of common verbs that combine with prepositions to make phrasal verbs. I would suggest the following list:TakeGetMakePutBringTurnBeCarryDivide students into small groups of 3-4 each, ask students to choose three of the verbs from the list and then brainstorm to come up with as many phrasal verbs using each of the three verbs that they can. They should also write example sentences for each of the phrasal verbs.As a class, ask students to take notes while you write the phrasal verbs down that each group provides. You should then give a spoken example or two for each of the phrasal verbs so that students can understand the phrasal verbs from the context of what you are saying.Once you have provided the students with examples, ask the students to read their own examples and check to make sure that they have used the phrasal verbs correctly. NOTE: Dont introduce the idea of separable and inseparable phrasal verbs at this point. The students will already be dealing with almost too much new information. Save that for a future lesson! Adventures Growing Up I was brought up in a small town in the countryside. Growing up in the countryside offered lots of advantages for young people. The only problem was that we often got into trouble as we made up stories that we acted out around town. I can remember one adventure in particular: One day as we were coming back from school, we came up with the brilliant idea to make out that we were pirates looking for treasure. My best friend Tom said that he made out an enemy ship in the distance. We all ran for cover and picked up a number of rocks to use for ammunition against the ship as we got ready to put together our plan of action. We were ready to set off on our attack, we slowly went along the path until we were face to face with our enemy - the postmans truck! The postman was dropping off a package at Mrs. Browns house, so we got into his truck. At that point, we really didnt have any idea about what we were going to do next. The radio was playing so we turned down the volume to discuss what w e would do next. Jack was all for switching on the motor and getting away with the stolen mail! Of course, we were just children, but the idea of actually making off with a truck was too much for us to believe. We all broke out in nervous laughter at the thought of us driving down the road in this stolen Postal Truck. Luckily for us, the postman came running towards us shouting, What are you kids up to?!. Of course, we all got out of that truck as quickly as we could and took off down the road. Phrasal Verbs to make outto make off withto drop offto set offto get out ofto get intoto get readyto be up toto take offto grow upto make upto set offto turn downto get intoto bring upto break out There are at least 7 other phrasal verbs in the text. Can you find them?

Technological Determinism and Media Determinsim Essay

Technological Determinism and Media Determinsim - Essay Example (Williams) Technological determinism, attributed to Marshall McLuhan, frames questions around technology in terms on what effect technology has on culture. Marshall McLuhan when discussing media determinism states that the medium is the message. The personal and social consequences of any medium result from the new scale that is introduced into our affairs by each extension of ourselves or by new technology. The medium of conveying the information is bigger that the information, the information results as a consequence of the medium. He goes further to state that it is not the media but what one does with it that makes it important, makes it have consequences. (McLuhan) Raymond Williams on discussing cause and effect states that for a piece of technology to be in existence, something must have necessitated its creation. Alternatively, he states that technology occurred as a result of a sequence of events which might not have necessarily been geared toward the discovery of that piece of technology. Through all this he maintains that technology is self-generating. (Williams) I choose to look at technology as being developed with certain purposes in mind, and not in a haphazard manner as Williams tends to suggest. Taking the example of the television, one would be remiss not to see that there was a need to capture and transmit so as to occupy the time of the citizenry at the time, i.e. fulfil a particular purpose. Debates were had as to how much time one would spend watching television but none of them envisioned the impact that the television would have on their culture. (Williams) Another way to look at technology would be technological advancement brought about by the realization that the particular piece of technology would be used in a particular way. Necessity leading to invention, because of the lack thereof of a certain thing, it prompts an individual to set forth and try to come up with