Is Democracy good for women? Essay

Democracy without women is no democracy! (Declaration †¦ of Independent Women’s Democratic Initiative 1991:127) Women have tried to change the contours of a male-defined concept of democracy and assert the struggles for democracy which have been present within women’s movements as integral to a democratic body politic. (Rowbotham 1986: 106-107) Democracy is not something which, as a matter of ill-fated fact, has failed to deliver on its promises to women. It exemplifies ideals which guarantee that it will never deliver unless it gets on upon wide critical examination of its own philosophical assumptions. In brief, the charge made against democracy is that, for women, it was never more than an article of faith, and while two hundred years of democratization have failed (and are still failing) to bring equality for women, even faith is giving out. The uncharitable might interpret these remarks as nothing more than proof of feminist paranoia and of women’s general incapability to distinguish when they are well off. It is therefore significant to stress that the charge is not simply that democratic states are, as a matter of fact, ones in which women are deprived (though they are), but rather that democratic theory is, as a matter of principle, devoted to ideals which guarantee that that will remain so. As a faith, democracy was always a false faith, and its prophets (including nearly all the main political philosophers of the past two hundred years) are now exposed as false prophets. These are staid, depressing, and even dangerous charges. The more so if we have no preferred substitute to democracy, and no revised interpretation of its central ideals. The tasks for modern feminism are therefore twofold: first, to justify the claim that traditional democratic theory leads to undemocratic practice; secondly, to recognize the ways in which that theory might be reinterpreted so as to come closer to democratic ideals. The previous is feminism’s critique of the faith; the latter is feminism’s revision of the faith. Feminist theory and practice occupies a revealing position in debates concerning the relationship between social movements and democracy. As both a social movement and an academic body of thinking. It also offers a distinguishing, if marginalized, theoretical contribution. Though feminists are not the only movement contributors to have been both objects of and subjects in academic debates, they are debatably unique in emphasizing issues of democratic barring and inclusion. This emphasis stems from the chronological experience of women’s marginalization in the polity, their subordination within fundamental movements, and the complexities that feminists have faced in their attempt to create an independent, comprehensive movement of women. From these experiences, two discrete trails of analysis have emerged. The first, feminist democratic theory focuses on the integration of women in the polity. The second, emerging from debates concerning feminist organizing, centers on the democratization of relationships within the movement itself. Both are entrenched in a critique of the masculinity limits of liberal, republican, and leftist democratic theory and practices and are entrusting to constructing liberal, inclusive, and participatory alternatives. Since Mary Wollstonecraft, generations of women and some men wove painstaking arguments to demonstrate that excluding women from modern public and political life contradicts the liberal democratic promise of universal emancipation and equality. They identified the liberation of women with expanding civil and political rights to include women on the same terms as men, and with the entrance of women into the public life dominated by men on an equal basis with them. After two centuries of faith that the ideal of equality and fraternity included women have still not brought emancipation for women, contemporary feminists have begun to question the faith itself. (Young 1987: 93) Women’s marginalization within liberal democratic institutions was simply obvious at the end of the nineteenth century and the start of the twentieth. The vote was regularly extended, at least supposedly, to all adult men decades before it was to women. Full female suffrage was not won in Great Britain, for instance, until 1928. In France it was not granted until after the Second World War and in Switzerland not until the seventies. Early feminists felt that the elimination of women from the vote and other rights and privileges liberals accorded to â€Å"mankind† was conflicting and ignorant, a hangover of pre-Enlightenment prejudice and tradition that needed only to be brought to public attention to be remedied. However, it â€Å"turned out to be the merest tip of the iceberg: a daunting hint at deeper structures that stay women politically unequal† (Phillips 1993: 103). This is not to say that women do not use their vote as often or as autonomously as men. This has been the conclusion of some non-feminist studies of female voting behavior, which have argued that women are apolitical and ready to delegate decision making to the male head of family. Consequent feminist studies have concluded that gender disparities in voting behavior are extremely context specific, stratified by social and geographic location, and expected to diminish as women gain access to education and formal employment (Randall 1987: 50-53; Conway et al. 1997: 77-80; Baxter and Lansing 1983: 17-39). though, once we move beyond the vote, the participation of women of all backgrounds in those institutions inner to the functioning of liberal democracies, from parties to lobbying groups, remains considerably less than that of comparable men, though the proportion still varies eventually and space (Randall 1987: 53-58; Conway et al. 1997: 80-128). At the utmost levels of government, the numbers of women shrink radically, with little difference between democratic and non-democratic regimes. A sweeping experiential survey of both reveals: A bleak picture of women’s contribution as national leaders, cabinet ministers, members of national legislatures and sittings in the high civil service. At the end of 1990, only 6 of the 159 countries represented in the United Nations had women as chief executives. In almost 100 countries men held all the senior and deputy ministerial positions in 1987-89. Worldwide, only 10 percent of national lawmaking seats were held by women in 1987. (Chowdhury et al. 1994:15) There are disparities in the degree of women’s participation, even at this level. Most notably, Nordic countries have long outpaced other liberal democracies in the percentage of women in their legislatures as of facilitating welfare reforms, an democratic culture, and the overture of political quotas. For instance, women made up 37. 5 percent of the legislature in Norway in 1994 (Nelson and Chowdhury 1994: 775) and 47. 4 percent of the cabinet in 1991 (Bowker-Sauer 1991: 277). Jane Jaquette has argued that there were obvious increases in indicators of women’s demonstration in many regions during the 1990s. Yet the figures she cites underline the devastating reality of continuing female marginalization: â€Å"In the United States, women now make up 11. 2 per cent of Congress†; more than double the figure of 1987, certainly, but the fact remains that men still constitute 88. 8 percent (1997: 26-27). To take another example, women gained around 20 percent of the seats in the British Parliament in the 1997 elections. This was a vivid rise, but one leaving around 80 percent of representatives male. What is more, these advances remain brittle. In the British case, they were the consequence of the victorious Labour Party having ensured that a percentage of its candidate shortlists were composed of women, a move that consequently was ruled illegal. Finally, any advances have been compensated by the sharp drop in female levels of contribution during the East Central European transitions to liberal democracy. The significant point to recognize is that Nordic uniqueness and recent incremental advances in some countries do not basically alter the stark and relatively static discrepancy between male and female levels of contribution in liberal democratic institutions wide-reaching. Women have also not been incorporated as equals into substitute visions of democracy. The previously Marxist-Leninist regimes in East Central Europe made an overt effort to establish a considerable women’s presence within their policy-making institutions, attaining an average proportion of between 25 and 35 percent. Though, this was again much lower than women’s presence in the general population and it was attainned through quotas. Though they are not essentially undemocratic in themselves, quotas meshed with male-dominated, authoritarian rule to inflict a female presence lacking in legitimacy, autonomy, and real power. Additionally, efforts to democratize relations of production continued circumscribed by the top-down imposition of decisions by the party and by ongoing gender hierarchies within the party, workplace, and home. Women were integrated in large numbers into the workers but in lower paid, lower status work. They remained burdened with domestic responsibilities, and their capability for autonomy at work and in the home was thus not efficiently increased (Jaquette 1997: 27; Janova and Sineau 1992: 119-123). Anti-colonial radical movements that arose elsewhere throughout the twentieth century, from Vietnam to Nicaragua, were apparently more popular-democratic in nature and often succeeded in mobilizing large numbers of women in a wide diversity of roles. Though, they have also shown a propensity to relapse to more traditional divisions of labor on attaining state power, excluding women from positions of authority. The record is not much better for fundamental movements that are not primarily tilting toward gaining state power. The New Left, for instance, mobilized many women and was distinguished by an egalitarian, participatory democratic ethic, but it generated mainly male spokespeople and privileged masculinist modes of behavior. It also failed to challenge the sexual objectification of women and channeled them into community-oriented activism and supportive, administrative tasks (Evans 1979: 108-155, 177-179). Similar stories of women’s subordination and the trivialization of their concerns have emerged from more recent fundamental nonstatist movements’ organizations, from the Israeli peace group â€Å"The 21st Year† (Rapoport and Sasson-Levy 1997: 8) to the ecological activists â€Å"Earth First! † (Sturgeon 1997: 49-57). A major approaching of early second-wave feminist thought was the classification of gender itself as a site and source of hierarchical power, functioning to benefit masculine traits, roles, and values over feminine comparables. This brought with it an prominence on the pervasiveness of power and a focus on its operations at the micro level of daily interactions, or what Nira Yuval-Davis calls â€Å"primary social relations† (1997a: 13). This contrasted with the focus of most modernist approaches on power in â€Å"more distant secondary social relations† (Yuval-Davis 1997a: 13), namely the state and/or economy. Early second-wave feminists explicated the causes and operations of gendered power under the rubric of patriarchy. The factual meaning of patriarchy as rule of the father, â€Å"the principle of the authority of senior males over juniors, male as well as female† (Uberoi 1995: 196), was stretched in very diverse directions. It was conceptualized by â€Å"radical† feminists as the primary and most essential form of power, exercised by all men over all women all through the world and originating in either male biological capacities and psychological disaffection or women’s susceptibility to physical attack and pregnancy. Patriarchy in this sense was understood to be retained through male aggression, the philosophy of heterosexuality, and the institutionalization of both in marriage and the family. on the contrary, feminists working within Marxist and socialist theoretical traditions concerted on the operations of patriarchy in capitalist modernity. Some argued that capitalism was essentially patriarchal, with varying stress given to the gendered division of labor, the reproductive role of women, or the purpose of the household within the economy. Others insisted that patriarchy and capitalism were distinct if inter-related systems of power, though they disagreed on the specific nature of that interrelationship. All established that neither patriarchy nor capitalism must be systematically or politically privileged, both being equally major forms of power. In addition, socialist feminists agreed that patriarchy was a property of structures that located both women and men in patterned roles within society. Most socialist and radical feminists held to the view that it was both potential and essential to abolish patriarchal and capitalist power relations and thus form a power-free world. A third strand in second-wave feminist thinking concerning gender and power drawing a division between power over as authority and control and power to as creative capacity, exercised in involvement with others rather than at their expense. The latter form of power also featured as an significant strand in republican thinking. Feminists have argued that it reflects especially feminine, relational modes of being and acting, of the kind typically exercised in close realms of life and in local communities. Such arguments have usually not been intended as a refusal of theories of patriarchal power over but do adapt them by insisting that women’s experiences are not completely negative and that their capacity for agency must be recognized alongside the constraints imposed upon it. This entails that patriarchal power has not completely prevented women from making an involvement to democracy although it has ensured that their involvement has not been fully valued. Second-wave feminist criticisms of the limited extent of most formulations of democracy focus predominantly on the dissimilarity between public and private life. Many feminists have accepted the force of Marx’s analysis of the liberal divide between public life and the private world of civil society. though, they have added that both liberalism and Marxism, and other approaches to democracy, rely on and reify a diverse public/private peculiarity, that between the domestic realm and the rest of social life (Pateman 1989: 118-140). The gendered nature of the domestic globe was openly recognized and defended in early moderate and republican work, and criticized in some Marxist and anarchist tracts, but it has since been included within the nebulous mass of civil society. Women’s continued involvement with the domestic, and the positioning of the domestic as especially private and outside of the public, has served to accept the relations of inequality between the genders that structure all dominions of life and to ensure that most women remain politically indiscernible. Whereas some second-wave feminists have formed historical and transcultural theories of this trend, others have stressed that it’s precise formulation and the consequences for women have diverse over time and place. Carole Pateman’s significant analysis of the recasting of this relationship in modernity (1989) describes a evolution from a monumental public patriarchal order, in which paternal control of the household was subordinated to a masculine hierarchy descending downwards from God and the King, to a system of private patriarchy whereby male heads of households were reconstituted as free and equal agents in the public globe through the continuation of hierarchical gender relations in the home. This meant that the state and the allegedly private civil sphere were constructed as fraternal associations of especially masculine equals. This argument is resistant by feminist critiques of the masculinist and Eurocentric character of public modes of behavior and language, such as balanced speech and impartial judgment. Feminists have argued that the supremacy of these modes is predicated on the relegation to the private sphere of bodily, affective, and illogical ways of being and those people, including women, who are considered to mark those (Young 1987). Perhaps most feminist investigations of the public/private divide in modernity, mainly those influenced by Marxism, have focused on the gendered division of labor under capitalism: the methodical allocation of accountability for â€Å"public,† paid work to men and â€Å"private,† unpaid labor to women. This is not an argument that women have been completely absent from the public economy. Total imprisonment to the home must be understood as a bourgeois ambition rather than a reality for most women. It was legitimately rejected in apparently socialist regimes and is increasingly being redundant by women of all classes in most locations. Though, women still take on the irresistible responsibility for family and domestic chores and this, joint with associated ideologies of domesticity, romance, and sexuality, channels them into marginalized, subordinated, and frequently sexualized roles in the formal economy. Precisely where the causal means in this process has been situated by feminists has depended on their precise analysis of the way patriarchy works and its relationship with capitalism. There has, conversely, been general agreement on the effects. In the West, women are intense in public welfare provision and service sectors, clerical and non-unionized manufacturing occupations, and part-time and lower paid rungs of the workforce. Women in emergent economies carry out the bulk of textile and electronics production, typically in non-unionized conditions that are often appalling. Those on the fringes of the world economy eke out a living from marginal agriculture, the informal economy, and sexual and domestic work. The dual burden of insecure and low-paid work in the formal economy and domestic chores in the private sphere operates as what feminist political scientists call a â€Å"situational constraint,† restrictive the participation of women, particularly those from certain classes, races, and locations, in public, political activities (Randall 1987: 127-129). All the above arguments focus on the gendered segregations arising from the restraints of politics to the public sphere. Feminist analysis also entails that the gendered hierarchies of the private sphere require to be recognized as political. This was the interpretation behind one of the most renowned second-wave slogans, â€Å"the personal is political. † The slogan insisted that in fact personal issues typically faced by isolated individuals behind closed doors such as whether to have sex, whether to have children, or how to systematize caring roles and responsibilities were analytically shaped by structures and relations of power that disadvantaged women relative to men. These power relations also limited women’s entree to partaking in those areas of life more characteristically understood as political and they requisite collective contestation (Randall 1987: 12-13). Effectively, this necessitated a refusal of restricted notions of politics as a characteristic activity separated out from social life, or as limited to a explicit realm or social struggle. Politics was extended to encompass the maintenance or contestation of coercive power relations wherever they were marked. This is a fundamentally agonistic formulation of politics as essentially confliction. It brought with it a liberal notion of democratic politics as the contestation of coercive power relations, and the disparities and marginalization they produce, in even the most intimate areas of life. It could be argued that this too is an agonistic formulation, one that anticipates the postmodern reconfiguration of democracy as a continuing process of conflict and contestation rather than an attainable end state. However, there is another element to the expansive feminist formulation of democracy, and that is the ambition to construct more cooperative, inclusive, and participatory relationships between individual women and the community. Certainly, second-wave feminists have had greatly different visions of possible â€Å"utopias† to which they desired and they have advocated very diverse routes to get there. Moreover, their arguments have hardly ever been articulated using the language of democracy per se. But the general point remains that much of untimely second-wave feminism sought to ease the self-determination and creative flowering of individual women and the development of more democratic and authentically consensual relationships between women and/or between women and men. This reverberates strongly with revolutionary arguments about democracy. One cause for the second-wave emphasis on participatory modes of democracy was a distress with women’s political agency and its chronological erasure. â€Å"Male stream† approaches to democracy were condemned for universalizing masculinist ideas concerning who can act in democracy and how they do and must act, in ways that function to eliminate women or marginalize their activities. One center of criticism was the liberal notion of the political subject as an asocial individual affianced in the rational pursuit of pregiven ends. Drawing on histories of the social and cultural collision of gender roles, psychoanalytic theories of gender establishment, and the experience of giving birth and living in families, feminists have argued that women hardly ever have the opportunity or the desire to live as entirely separate and discrete persons to the degree presumed by liberal ontology. Men can do so simply if they distance themselves from feminine traits and roles, relying on women to assume the major accountability for domestic labor and emotional interrelationships in the domestic spheres. The more social conceptualization of citizenship put onward by republicans, whereby individual autonomy is achieved through public consideration, has been seen as little better as it shares with liberalism the insistence that all corporal differences and particularist emotional attachments should be transcended in the public sphere. In early liberal and republican formulations, the gendered allegations of this move were made explicit. The bodily disparities of women from men and their involvement with sexuality, childbirth, and childrearing earned them a subsidiary service role in the private (Jones 1990: 790-792). Also, second-wave feminists have noted that the chronological connection between nationality and military service, predominantly evident in republican formulations, has resistant women’s internment to the private by positioning them as vulnerable and in require of protection. The fact that women finally won formal inclusion as citizens (and, somewhat, as soldiers) has not, many feminists have argued, altered the fundamental masculinist model. Women’s participation is probable to remain partial and driven with disagreements. This is supported by the findings of feminist political scientists with consider to the situational constraints faced by women with childcare responsibilities and the socialization of young girls into domestic roles and inert traits, both of which bound women’s capacity to become political actors as conservatively understood (Randall 1987: 123-126). A final area of second-wave feminist criticism has drawn consideration to the limits of strategies for change in â€Å"male stream† democratic frameworks. This is not to contradict that many feminists have established conventional strategies. Reformism has been and remains advocated by those working within laissez-faire and social democratic frameworks, who insist that women have to grab the opportunity to lobby for incremental change by exercising their vote and organizing cooperatively as an interest group to put more direct pressure on states, parties, and legislatures. The state is seen here as an unbiased arbiter of contradictory interests those women have an equal chance to shape to their purposes if they muster collectively. Their capability to do so, welfare liberal and social democratic feminists add, can be eased through economic redistribution. Such an approach has long been condemned by other feminists for its lack of radicalism, its search for compromise, and its emphasis on the activities of comparatively educated and economically privileged women. A conservatively Marxist model of revolutionary change through seizure of the state has often been pursued by more left wing feminists, often from within existing leftist organizations. The argument here is that gendered relations of power will collapse with capitalism and the liberal state, and a state proscribed in the interests of the working classes will facilitate a more substantive democracy for both women and men to expand. This view has been condemned by those who snub to subordinate feminist demands to anti-capitalist struggle. As the experience of so-called socialist states established, such subordination is probable to continue after the revolution. Gendered inequalities, though they may be considerably reconfigured, are unlikely to be determinedly overturned. Reference: †¢ Baxter, Sandra, and Marjorie Lansing. 1983. Women and Politics: The Visible Majority. Rev. ed. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press. †¢ Bowker-Sauer. 1991. Who’s Who of Women in World Politics. London: Bowker? Sauer. †¢ Chowdhury, Najma, and Barbara J. Nelson, with Kathryn A. Carver, Nancy J. Johnson, and Paula L. O’Loughlin. 1994. â€Å"Redefining Politics: Patterns of Women’s Political Engagement from a Global Perspective. † In Barbara J. Nelson and Najma Chowdhury, eds. Women and Politics Worldwide. New Haven and London: Yale University Press. †¢ Conway, M. Margaret, Gertrude A Steuernagel, and David W. Ahern. 1997. Women and Political Participation: Cultural Change in the Political Arena. Washington, DC: Congressional Quarterly Press. †¢ Declaration from the Founder Members’ Meeting of the Independent Women’s Democratic Initiative. 1991. â€Å"Democracy Without Women Is No Democracy! † Feminist Review 39: 127-132. †¢ Evans, Sara. 1979. Personal Politics: The Roots of Women’s Liberation in the Civil Rights Movement and the New Left. New York: Vintage Books. †¢ Janova, Mira, and Mariette Sineau. 1992. â€Å"Women’s Participation in Political Power in Europe: An Essay in East-West Comparison. † Women’s Studies International Forum 11/1: 115-128. †¢ Jaquette, Jane S. 1997. â€Å"Women in Power: From Tokenism to Critical Mass. † Foreign Policy 108: 23-37. †¢ Nelson, Barbara J. , and Najma Chowdhury, eds. 1994. Women and Politics Worldwide. New Haven and London: Yale University Press. †¢ Pateman, Carole. 1989. The Disorder of Woman: Democracy, Feminism and Political Theory. Cambridge: Polity Press. †¢ Phillips, Anne. 1993. Democracy and Difference. Cambridge: Polity Press. †¢ Randall, Vicky. 1987. Women and Politics: An International Perspective. 2d ed. Basingstoke, UK: Macmillan. †¢ Rapoport, Tamar, and Orna Sasson-Levy. 1997. â€Å"Men’s Knowledge, Women’s Body: A Story of Two Protest Movements. † Paper presented at the First Regional Conference on Social Movements, 8-10 September, Tel Aviv, Israel. †¢ Rowbotham, Sheila. 1986. â€Å"Feminism and Democracy. † In David Held and Christopher Pollit, eds. New Forms of Democracy. London: SAGE in association with the Open University. †¢ Sturgeon, Noel. 1997. Ecofeminist Natures: Race, Gender, Feminist Theory and Political Action. London: Routledge. †¢ Uberoi, Patricia. 1995. â€Å"Problems with Patriarchy: Conceptual Issues in Anthropology and Feminism. † Sociological Bulletin 44/2: 195-221. †¢ Young, 1987. â€Å"Impartiality and the Civic Public: Some Implications of Feminist Critiques of Moral and Political Theory. † In Seyla Benhabib and Drucilla Cornell, eds. Feminism as Critique: Essays on the Politics of Gender in Late-Capitalist Societies. Cambridge: Polity Press. †¢ Yuval-Davis, Nira. 1997a. â€Å"Women, Citizenship and Difference. † Feminist Review 57: 4-27.

East of Eden: The Discovery of Innocence

The Discovery of Innocence on the Western Frontier What happens in the West? What kind of change takes place when an individual crosses over the boundary separating what has been settled from what has yet to be † the frontier. Over the last few weeks I have continued to probe the idea of the West as a place that has yet to be defined. Many times, authors and people are not even sure where it starts as it is an invisible border that exists only in the minds of those who seek to cross it.Once across this ambiguous frontier, the traveler ncounters a place in which time seems to be suspended. As in the story of the Garden of Eden, paradise (or the West) represents a sphere in which God has held the hands of time, and the people and creatures live in a state of eternal sameness. The idea of ghost towns in the West embodies the notion of a place somehow being removed from the influence of time. Ghost towns exist as settlements that people forgot. However, unlike settlements in the Ea st where space is at a premium and any unused building would quickly be removed and replaced by something else, in theWest these places remain, like footprints on the moon where no erosion of time can disturb them. The same principle applies to people. The West has the effect of amnesia upon the minds of those who partake of it. In many ways, it resembles the lotus flowers from The Odyssey. In the epic, any persons who tasted of the lotus flowers immediately forgot about home and opted to stay where they could partake of the flowers. A similar effect can be found among the mountain men and explorers of the Rocky Mountains.Often times these men would become so intoxicated by the rugged eauty and isolation they found in the West that they would spend years in the mountains instead of the months they had planned on. These men became real life Rip Van Winkles, being suspended from time for so long they were not aware of major events such as presidential elections, new territories, or wa rs. Not only is the West edenic in the way that time operates, it is also closely tied

Letter of Motivation Essay

Today’s world is like an open book. We people now have information at our fingertips and that has helped us in drastically improving the way we live. This change in our world, into one huge global entity can be attributed to the communication revolution that our world underwent. From the radio to the computer, the developments in the field of electronics have intrigued me since childhood. My interests became my passion and motivated me to pursue my Bachelor degree in Electronics and Communication. My quest for hands-on experience motivated me in making a radio receiver in my third semester of Bachelors. But after finishing my B-Tech, I realized that I had mastered only the basics and that there is still a lot more to learn to truly comprehend the nuances of the subject. This led to my decision to pursue a Master degree and broaden my knowledge base. I believe that being able to pursue a Master Degree program in Hochschule Darmstadt will also be a motivation for me to further study and research in a field that has interested me for so long. My decision of applying to Hochschule Darmstadt, for Electrical Engineering and Information Technologies is based mainly on the course structure and the various research opportunities that I will encounter there. The eminent panel of experts handling the various topics and the resources of the university assures me of the studying experience that I hope to have. As part of my Bachelors project I did a MATLAB based project named â€Å"Copter Eyes† with introduction of a new Video Mosaicing technique. My project brought forth a comprehensive technique of real time color Video Mosaicing which invited the attention and funding of two major Institutions namely â€Å"Center for Engineering Research and Development (CERD)† and â€Å"Kerala State Council for Science Technology and Environment (KSCSTE)†. As part of the mini project of my Bachelors course, I have also worked on a microcontroller based device that works on various modes and functioned as ASCII transmitter and receiver, Pulse Width Modulator, IR Tester, Capacitance and Frequency Meter, Signal Generator, Voltage meter and Logic Probe . This small endeavor of mine was greatly appreciated by my lecturers and has been adopted by the Communication Laboratory of my college. My initial idea for the Bachelor project was a communication based project, but due to the lack of technical knowhow I was not able to go through with my project. I believe that with the knowledge pool in Hochschule Darmstadt I would be able to work on this project and also hopefully on other new ideas. I have an interest in teaching and I am currently helping many Electronics and Communication students with their MATLAB based Engineering projects at the â€Å"Institute of Human Resource Development†. I am a firm believer that knowledge grows with spreading and my teaching helps me enrich myself and the young minds of India. I am also an active member of an international organization called ICPF (Inter Collegiate Prayer Fellowship) whose vision is to impact the new generation with the Lord’s Word. I was also the coordinator of â€Å"Electrino Association† of my college responsible for organization of seminars, project expos and technical fest in the field of electronics and communication. I have won many prizes in technical fests and technical quiz competitions. I am also a sport enthusiast and have won many prizes in athletics, especially in long jump. I believe that my involvement in extracurricular activities helped me to become a dynamic and responsible person. It is my greatest desire as a student, to pursue Masters Studies in a course that would help me stand out in a crowd, from a university that can offer an enriching and exciting academic life, so that I can propel my career with an excellent start. I sincerely hope that considering my academic record and my interests, I would be able to associate with your prestigious university in successfully pursuing a Masters degree in Electrical Engineering and Information Technologies. I also hope to contribute to the research work being conducted in Hochschule Darmstadt and thereby gain significantly from the expertise that the university has in this prospective field.

American Diplomacy in Vietnam Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

American Diplomacy in Vietnam - Term Paper Example The diplomatic interests in Vietnam dates back to after the Second World War, when the Americans quickly moved to block the spread of communism in the South East Asia region. Japan was strategically located not only for trade interests, but its deviation from the larger Asian political and trade dynamics meant the country was not prone to the communism ideologies that were spreading fast in the Asian region. Japan was thus used as a strategic location to help in curbing the spread of communism from Russia and China, towards the South East Asia region. 2 This implies foreign diplomatic approaches in the Indochina region by the Americans were mainly designed to curb the spread of communism in the region, rather than to promote trade; the Asian countries were a bit poor, and with little trade links with the outer world as Schaller argues. The American interests were therefore based on blocking communism in Indochina region, rather than policies to help in developing Vietnam and other So uth East Asia region. ... oes not elaborate on how the ethical and moral concepts were being evaluated in this case, the actions of supporting a Junta in a country deep in civil crises raised doubts over the national interests of the American government in Vietnam. Kissinger critically elaborates American interests and their conflict with moral authority, which led to involvement of the American armies in the Vietnamese war, and critically tries to investigate the policies under President Nixon after inheriting the war in 1969. The conflict with moral principles is observed in serious critics that resulted after the war to challenge this mission.3 However, Kissinger notes that the Americans were fighting a vague war, and no ultimate answers concerning American interests have been clearly outlined.4 All the same, the article does not provide elaborate response by other nations involved in this crisis in the Indochina region. The article critically takes the Vietnam War on a moral approach in describing reasons behind American involvement in the war, and its affects. In addition to the interests that the American government had in Vietnam, the war presented a case of a badly prepared army in a foreign land to fight for unknown causes. After the collapse of the South Vietnam in April 30 1975, although having achieved a resounding victory over the battle field, the Vietnamese were holding Unites States over promised reconstruction aid amounting to over $ 4 billion.5 Though the Vietnamese people had worn the war, there was still a bargain to make in pressing the United States government to inject funds for reconstruction. The aim of this aid by the United States government could be read suspiciously. Either the government had some interests to promote in Vietnam, to which they had promised massive

Argument "The Pitfalls of plastic surgery Essay

Argument "The Pitfalls of plastic surgery - Essay Example Camillie proceeds and says â€Å"as cosmetic surgery has become more and more widespread and affordable, it has virtually become a civil right, an equal-opportunity privilege once enjoyed primarily by a moneyed elite who could fly to Brazil for a discreet nip and duck.† This clearly shows that cosmetic surgery is no longer a one class activity but that of anyone who has the finances. Despite the exercise spreading at a high rate, there are many moral questions that crop up. For instance Camillie questions â€Å"is cosmetic surgery a wasteful frivolity, an exercise in narcissism?† This is a question worth being answered. Once a person under goes the surgery, does it waste his or her former beauty? Is it only women who insist on the cosmetic surgery as a result of endemic sexism? This question is directed to women since they are the most customers in these surgeries (Camillie 775-777). However, women are not the only affected sex. Male especially celebrities undergo these surgeries as a way of looking more handsome and therefore attracting more fans. This is a race of the best looking and hence people are forced to undergo the surgery. As Camillie puts it â€Å"all these ethical issues deserve serious attention.† This should be worked on in order to eliminate any discrimination based on the looks. Though the practice is unstoppable, it needs to be improved. The chemicals used should be changed or improved in order to reduce long term side effects. It is not possible for a 50 year old looking like a 20 year old youngster. All this is due to the chemicals used in stopping the skin from shrinking. Also, it should be changed in order to stop instances of young people lacking jobs due to the fact that there are older people looking young at their supposed positions (Camillie 776-777). Am not trying to wipe away the practice as the maximization of attractiveness is justifiable in all societies, but it is worrying in America the way rate of female gender attraction could

Saving Starbucks' Soul Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Saving Starbucks' Soul - Essay Example Starbucks was one of the Fortune Top 100 Companies to Work For in 2005(Marketing teacher, 2010). Its global reputation and brand name has immense effects on global custoemrs.The immense resources are the major strength of Starbucks. The ability to forecast the market climate is another major strength of Starbucks. Most of the decisions taken by Starbucks during the last decade brought dividends to the company. Not even a single decision went wrong for Starbucks during this period. They were able to analyse the market opportunities and challenges provided by globalization and moreover they were able to redefine their strategies to make them suitable to meet the challenges and opportunities. They have adopted custom made strategies for each market as they realised that even for the same product, different marketing strategies required at different places. (BusineeWeek, 2009, p.3).This program was aimed at teaching the staff about the regional preferences. Commitment towards the environment made Starbucks one of the highly reputed companies in the world. They are keen protecting the environment by recycling all the industrial waste produced by their activities.Good customer relationships, good suppliers, leadership in the market, talented employees are some other major strengths of Starbucks. Starbucks tried to do too many things at a time. They have changed the romantic La Marzocca machines and introduced automatic espresso machines, in order to solve the major problem in terms of speed of service and efficiency (BusineeWeek, 2009, p.1). They failed to recognize the emotions the customers have on the earlier machine. Moreover the current machines are too big in size and small persons find difficulties in using it. The new machine also prevents the customers from enjoying the preparation of the drink. Flavor locked packaging helped the company in providing the fresh roasted bagged coffee, but, the loss of aroma,

Business in asia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Business in asia - Essay Example The researcher states that the classical growth theory argues that economic growth can negatively impact on the rising population and inadequate capitals. The classical theorists believe that short-term increase in actual GDP can result in population explosion which can ultimately reduce the actual GDP. The neoclassical theory depicts that steady economic growth can only be achieved with correct amount of labor, money and technology. It was the extension of â€Å"Harrod Domar Model† which tells that higher amount of savings and higher minimal production of capital can increase the growth rate of economy. In developing countries, labor is plentiful, but the capital is limited, which in turn reduces the amount of savings and leads to low investment and low economic growth. The endogenous growth theory depicts that economic growth is mainly the consequence of endogenous force and not due to external impact. According to this theory, investment in labor capital, invention and info rmation are the significant elements which can determine economic growth. Endogenous theory also shows that policy actions can also influence on the long-term development of economy. In this theory, the engine of growth is the labor capital because endogenous theorists believe that if labor capital accretion increases then the productivity of employees and physical resources also increase. The endogenous theory observes innovation as one of the major determinants of technological development and productivity growth. Therefore, developing countries that invest more on research and development are able to accomplish higher paybacks. The Simple AK Model which is developed by Paul Romer (1990) is the modest endogenous model. This model shows that exclusion of lessening return can result in endogenous growth (Slide 40). Question 4 Austrian Business Cycle Theory seeks to clarify the economic succession which indicates variations in production or economic movement in a country. These varia tions happen around a long-standing development tendency and usually comprise alterations over a period of time between stages of boom and burst. The Austrian Business Cycle Theory observes business cycles as the unavoidable result of extreme development in bank credit, aggravated by integrally harmful and ineffectual central bank strategies which cause lower interest rates for longer period of time. It can result in unnecessary credit formation, hypothetical economic bubble and reduced savings. According to this theory, low interest rate for a constant period of time and extreme credit formation can result in unpredictable and uneven balance between savings and investment. The increase of credit can result in higher money supply and higher money supply leads towards un-maintainable boom during which the artificially induced lending reduce the investment prospects. Thus, the Austrian Business Cycle Theory denotes that bursts can happen if the lending or credit formation becomes unma nageable. A saving induced boom is maintainable, but

I will update the topic on the files, and you need choose it in a Research Paper

I will update the topic on the files, and you need choose it in a files "choose a sub" - Research Paper Example This led to the enforcement of the Oregon Death With Dignity Act which allows those physicians who have valid licenses to prescribe lethal doses to those patients who under reasonable medical judgment have only six months to live. There is, however, a series of safeguards which are in place to help in avoiding abuse cases. One of the necessities is that the doctor must ensure that the request by the patient is voluntary and one which is well informed. When Attorney General John Ashford took office in 2001, he led efforts meant to overrule the ODWDA by giving and interpretive rule on the issue (Durke 78). In the rule, he declared that the use of controlled substances in assisted suicide was contrary to CSA and thus practitioners who practiced it would be held responsible under the law. In the ruling made, the Supreme Court affirmed the decision which had been made by the 9th Circuit Court ruling. In the ruling, it was conclude that despite the fact that CSA gave the power of rulemaking to the attorney general; the same law prohibits the federal government from declaring a medical standard illegitimate including those standards which are authorized by the state laws. In making the decision, the court analyzed the constitutional scope of the powers of the federal government under CSA in enforcing standards. It established that there was no provision in the Act which gave the Attorney general the power to give a definition on what is considered to be the agreed or legalized medical practice. The Supreme Court judges concluded that the attorney general had the power to revoke and suspend the DEA registration of any physician if doing so will be in accordance with the interest of the public. This can happen when they are abusing prescriptions or using it in a way that is not consistent with state and federal laws. Moreover, they stated that the federal laws do not allows any

The Influence of Media on Learning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Influence of Media on Learning - Essay Example In the near future, Robert Kozma (1994) was saying, telephone, cable television, and digital computer technologies will merge (Stix, 1993). There is then the prospect of an interactive video supposedly "integrated with large multimedia databases to be distributed to people in various settings all over the world." With this announcement will probably come the threat of educational processes becoming quite expensive, complex, and made beyond the reach of most people. This is because Kozma doesn't present much defense on the significance of these changes. If we do not soon understand the relationship between media and learning-if we have not forgedsuch a relationship, this technology may be used primarily for interactive soap operas and online purchases of merchandise. Its educational uses may be driven primarily by benevolent movie moguls who design "edutainment" products whose contribution to learning may be minimal. There is much sense in the warnings and the hypothetical situation that Kozma (1994) gave. But much of his despair with the use of media may be caused by lack of emphasis on dialogue. A discussion on the theory of transactional distance (Moore, 1997) would be in order here. With all of these media, something has to bridge the gap between teacher and learner. Only then will media and its sophistication have any meaning (Moore, 1997). Any communication system devoid of feedback is deficient, as is the lack of interaction with the use of media in teaching. Kozma (1994) does not underscore this but only in the light of mentioning the delivery-truck model of transforming information. In teaching, it is the same as that of the derided hypodermic model (Smith, 1997) or of the banking system of education (ARRC, 2002) where the teacher deposits information and withdraws them back again through quizzes. There is very little learning then and throughout it all, the student may not have learned anything beyond memory work, where information stored can only evaporate after the quiz. True, "learning is a process by which the learner strategically manages available resources to create new knowledge by interacting with information and integrating it with information stored in memory" (Richey, 1989). This is why media cannot get all of the credit for the learning of the student, who still has to interact intelligently if he has to learn. On this regard, I would agree with critic, Richard Clark (1983). Kozma (1994) quoted that "learning with media is a complementary process within which representations are constructed and procedures performed, sometimes by the learner and sometimes by the medium." Studies are needed in this aspect to determine which are those performed by the learner and which are those by the medium. This aspect is emphasized because the case presented may be likened to children's' toys. While the objective is for the child to know how to manipulate things, discover how it could perform for his needs and interests, and where something is lacking, the child himself is supposed to be challenged to think of how the thing lacking is produced. Apparently, the situation has changed to the detriment of the child's thinking because of available technology. A

Continuing Academic Success Essay Example for Free

Continuing Academic Success Essay While being responsible for our academic success, prioritizing work to achieve goals can be valuable to students without a success driven mindset. Responsibility and action along with ethics help set the path for proper results and set standards for academic achievement. As I explore this new endeavor in my life, I will outline my failures, successes and the lessons I have learned along the way. Failure is something I have to accept. I have failed a lot in the past, and I have allowed those failures to effect me in the present. As a young boy in grade school, I would always work hard to obtain good grades. After my first semester in high school, I assumed it was natural for me to get good grades, so I refrained from working hard. After a few months of not striving to my full potential, my academics began to suffer, and I failed a few classes. I was very disappointed in myself, and I then became afraid to try because of a failure mindset. I started to expect failure in my immediate life, especially in my academics. I started to believe I was not good enough to achieve. I would psychologically defeat myself before attempting to do well. Now, I have realized the values in failing by allowing my disappointment to be my motivation for success. Since then, I have learned the importance of setting goals. How can you expect to hit a target without aiming first (Robusto, 2009). Goal setting is important to me because I am a person who likes to take on too many responsibilities. I have a tendency to overload myself with work and at times get overwhelmed when I cannot complete all tasks in a timely manner. I became aware of the process I needed to work on in order to achieve my set goals. I started to write down all tasks I needed to complete and the dates of completion. I set time apart to evaluate my works and prepare to setup a  procedure on how to fulfill these functions that allow me to feel accomplished and not overwhelmed on projects with sensitive time constrictions. While continuing with my academic success, I have been setting new goals academically and for my career. My educational goal will be to complete one a ssignment a day and participate in two-class discussions per day. My career goal is to mentor one of my peers every six months in the area I have already mastered. In doing this, I will assist someone in their career goals as well as my own to ensure everyone develops and succeeds. As I read through my results for the Ethical Lens Inventory and realize, ethics is a set of principles of right conduct (Ethics 2011). My core ethical lenses are sensibility and equality. I listen to my intuition to determine the characteristic traits and attributes that best serve the community. I remain attentive to the particular needs of those in a similar situation as I carefully evaluate their outcome for my resolution. Further sharpening my critical thinking skills in learning from others mistakes and not committing the same mistake twice. My blind ethical lens leads me to believe that I rely heavily on the attributes of the role. At times, this can be risky because I forget that individuals are fallible, and I should rely solely on people to solve problems. In kn owing this about my moral background, I run the risk of believing that my role is more important than other individuals and will not be susceptible to constructive criticism. So I do not hinder my development; I should allow others to assess the role and assure that all roles are important. Even though thinking is a process, and intelligence is the product (Jensen 2005), we have to understand without thinking of the ending result, we can never consider the product. Critical thinking has an important role in learning and development because if properly executed it allows me to see the entire situation instead of the individual task. I plan to take the necessary actions to determine the task with open eyes and an unbiased approach. Remembering the facts about the situation can help in resolving the issue. Understanding by reiterating the problem can help me further comprehend. Applying then analyzing the tasks and or situations so I can prepare the steps to come to the evaluation. I can see if the resources are accurate and thorough. The last thing I should be able to do to assure my critical thinking skills are complete is a form of creating. I take all the information of this situation, and use it in my final resolution. These  steps are crucial in the ability to think clearly and not be clouded by biased information. Advancing in my critical thinking skills is as important as my writing skills. I have to take the appropriate steps in continuing to engage the readers throughout the writing process. Writing is crucial as a student and everyday life because it is a form of communication. I will utilize the necessary resources to assist me in applying the lessons being instructed for completion of each assignment in accordance with the University guidelines. Allowing myself to create an outline for the topic before the rough draft is setting the priority of how the papers thesis will be well planned for the entire topic. I can use many of the Universitys resources such as the thesis generator to begin the subject of the assignment. Grammarly is a great resource to assure the proper format and grammar for the paper. The University has various resources such as live assistance in the Center for Writing Excellence. The benefit of using external resources is that one cannot rely only on their opinion alone but can get a different perspective of the situation. The University library is an excellent option for researching credible information to guarantee educational success. Although, some information in the library could be bias, we have to do the research on each source to review the comparisons and understand which source is indeed accurate. In conclusion, the information obtained and lessons learned in this course have given me a boost of confidence in my critical thinking, reading and writing skills. I feel comfortable in continuing my academic success with this knowledge. I feel as though I have accomplished great things in these past five weeks and will continue to move forward. The University has given me the desire to continue the achievements in my educational career by showing me the proper approach of getting the job done correctly. I now realize that a failure does not define a person. The failures can be used as a stepping-stone in the journey to greatness. References Ethic. (2011). In The American Heritage dictionary of the English language. Retrieved from http://search.credoreference.com.ezproxy.apollolibrary.com/content/entry/hmdictenglang/ethic/0 Jensen, Eric. Critical Thinking Skills. Teaching with the

Education Essays Design and Technology

Education Essays Design and Technology Can we promote more interest in Design Technology by having more relevant projects. Abstract To define Design and Technology and what students need to know in education is complex, and drawing directly on real world practices may provide educators with confidence and guidance in teaching design. This should give clear definitions and descriptions on how design works in practice, thus enabling educators to select which features of these practices can be translated into the encouragement of designer thinking and behaviour in educational contexts. This paper considers the encouragement of interest required to enhance and motivate a higher interest in Design Technology by having more relevant projects. Where realisation of concepts empowers fantasies, freeing the imaginations from reality into design. Creating the desired from the perceived. Resulting in keeping the process sharp. This paper will discuss considerations on the way a pupil perceives and processes information, for design in terms of action, reflection and appraisal and for technology in respect to solutions to technological problems through the process of invention. Evaluation will be made of performance in respect to previous research highlighting the teaching strategies used and the managing of the project. Above all, the undertaking of the project and the design process involved will set out to be a successful evaluation of teaching / learning experience. Review of Literature The work of Denton (1993) discussed the relevance of the design process in schools and whether it has merely a stylised ritual, more to do with the production of endless sheets of over decorated artwork with elaborate borders than a design tool. He discusses how the ritual of designing has arisen in education, the origins predating the National Curriculum, around the time when Craft, Design Technology was introduced into the Curriculum. Furthermore, Denton states that it appears to be centred on an incomplete understanding of the process of designing and the functions of modelling and drawing. The formal design process, as used in industry certainly does flow from initial ideas, research, questionnaires and so on, and Denton is not being overcritical of the design process as such, instead he points to the obvious primary function in design activity being the practical outcome rather than a neat visual presentation of the design activity. Commercial designers have a rough idea of the outcome before they actually start designing and they model a progression of refinements and variations in their ideas. By modelling, Denton makes reference to three types that are useful design tools:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Drawing: These range from rapid sketches of the design to externalise design ideas to formal rendered pictorial representations of the finished product, complete engineering drawings and exploded diagrams.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Models: These range from 3D lash ups to demonstrate he principles, give a better idea of proportion and, again, to externalise design ideas. The other end of the scale is the professional presentation scale model that we are familiar with.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   CAD: These can also range from doodles in ProDesktop (or something similar), which enables the designer to get an idea of scale, right through to professionally produced rendered CAD designs. Most of these final coloured, rendered, anatomically correct models (and drawings) are used to communicate with clients, who will have no interest in rough sketches. It is these rough sketches and doodles that are at the heart of the design process and should be of prime importance to teachers as they are better indicators of the childs design thinking. Denton asserts that most schools prefer exquisitely finished and attractively presented work, complete with borders, in contrast with the rudimentary initial sketches of the design process. This preference is communicated to the pupils, who then spend time reworking their initial drawings, wasting time and efficiency in the process, and slowing down the exploration of fresh ideas. Much of this folder work is finished to such a standard that it is indicative of it being produced after the artefact has actually been made. In this paper, he proposes that it may be a more useful strategy to break away from the current strategy: starting at AT1: Investigating Making generating ideas, and instead start by evaluating something in order to make proposals on how it may be made better. I find that this proposal makes perfect sense, after all most designs are a redesign of an earlier design. The first cars were redesigned carriages, and subsequent cars were simply evolutionary changes, besides, one can empathise with pupils that have limited life experiences, trying to design an artefact starting with a virgin sheet of paper. Another proposal that, I think, has merit is changing the ratio of designing to making in favour of making, since it is the making that takes the most time. A disproportionate amount of time is spent doing research or more accurately, collating images. Entire lessons devoted to cutting pictures out of Argos catalogues have little merit and a minor influence on the final design. Denton suggests that efficiency and effectiveness may also be developed by the use of informal groupwork in the early stages coupled with the use of short deadlines can also promote motivation and possibly the generation of ideas (Denton, 1992). Kimbell et al explores the results derived from the APU (Assessment of Performance Unit) study of 1991, that described the capability in Design and Technology in terms of action, reflection and appraisal. He explains, in graphical terms, how boys and girls differ in the results of their coursework. According to the APU, girls consistently outperform boys right across the range of abilities, ie, high achieving girls perform better than high achieving boys and low achieving girls perform better than low achieving boys. While this study is fruitful, it doesnt explain why this should be the case. Lawler (1999) examines this disparity in results between genders by setting a group of pupils in the final year of primary school two separate tasks, recording the results and making comparisons. This age group were chosen because they had had minimal exposure to the procedural methodology imposed on them by their teachers. The paper hasevolved from research into ways of describing the process of designing. Two possible descriptors to show the effects of introducing project work have been called Big pictures and Small steps. Big pictures designing is future focussed, inspirational, and results in statements of complete ideas. Concerned with the mental process rather than the procedural, self directed, metacognitive process of design. Smallsteps designing is reflective, sequential, analytical, and descriptive. Good designing is evidenced as a combination of these two styles. Some pupils may have a preference for one approach that, if it conflicts with the way their teacher manages the project work, may restrict their progress. Raising the awareness of the teacher to the effects that the strategy that they impose on the project work has on the pupils, could be an important factor in increased student success. The study compared two different contextualised designing approaches to the presentation and management of project work. It shows the effects that each approach had on the performance of a group of seventy-five 11 year olds, and highlights the different responses of boys and girls to the same design situations. The results indicate that the strategy adopted by the teacher for the sequencing of practical project work had a greater effect on good designer boys, than it did on good designer girls and had a greater negative effect on less able girls than it did on less able boys (Lawler, 1 999) In a different attempt to relate pupils thinking styles to performance in Design and Technology, Atkinson (1995) used a test of Cognitive Style, shown to be intimately related in ideas and attitudes, to examine the performance of pupils in their GCSE coursework, utilizing a test devised by Riding and Cheema (1991) The Cognitive Style Analysis (CSA). The test was a result of over thirty methods of defining cognitive style being reviewed had it was concluded that most could be grouped within two fundamental independent cognitive style dimensions. These descriptors used in that test were seen along two axes (x, y) each subject being placed along the two continua of Wholist to Analyst (x axis) and Verbaliser to Imager (y axis). Analytic Verbaliser Imager Wholist A pupils position in the Wholist to Analytic dimension reflects whether they understand situations as a whole or see things in parts, while their position in the Verbal to Imagery dimension reflects the manner in which they represent information while thinking, either as words or mental pictures. In psychological terms analysts were defined as being field dependent, being affected by the world around them (in their perceptions) and wholists as being the opposite and field independent. By combining these two concepts, using wholist and analyst to examine pupils style of designing, new descriptors for designing styles were proposed. The CSA was produced as a computerised test that automatically calculates and plots a pupils position on both dimensions. The results reflect the way a pupil perceives and processes information. The relative speed in which a pupil answers different styles of questions, reveals their cognitive style (Riding Staley, 1998) Methodology Whilst on school placement, I noticed another teacher suggesting ideas to a year-12 pupil. Within minutes, the teacher had filled up a side of A3 with quickfire sketches and doodles. If pupils have a short time to focus their minds on quick sketches, it can be more productive than spending an entire lesson producing coloured drawings. I had an opportunity to try this approach at my last school placement when teaching a class of mixed ability Year 9s. The class were stuck, having spent the previous lesson producing 1 or 2 designs. I suggested that they all swap papers in their groups of four and improve on the original idea. After 10 minutes, the papers were swapped again, and again after another 10 minutes. This resulted in each pupil with three additional ideas to work with. From this placement experience, I have decided that the best way to establish what Key Stage 3 pupils gain from the Design Make tasks would be to revisit the two schools in which I taught whilst on teaching practice. The purpose of my visits would be as follows:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   To examine the projects that are made by Key Stage 3 pupils and taking one example note the following; the tools required to make the task, the processes involved, and the amount of the pupils own design input.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Subject to approval by the head of department, ask pupils to complete my questionnaires. This will be an indication of whether the pupils have enjoyed making the project, what the pupils have learned from making the project and, if the pupil is in Year 9, whether that pupil is considering taking up Design Technology in Key Stage 4.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Finally, I will also ask pupils if they have any suggestions that will improve the project. The purpose of undertaking design is the development of outcomes of various types. Each design project has stages of construction: these are the components of the final object, in which each stage contains action, reflection and appraisal. As an example: to build a car, there are stages of construction for the engine, transmission, wheels, bodywork, doors, windows, and interior etc. Each of these components has an initial concept, in which action, reflection and appraisal takes place for choice, material and size before it is offered into the final construction of the car, where once again action, reflection and appraisal will take place. Then once all the components are fitted and the car is complete, then reflection and appraisal takes place. Final changes are made and appraisal takes place. The car is completed. The degree of action, reflection and appraisal that each pupil with undertake is governed by the leadership of their long-term teacher, the teachers experience of design in general and knowledge of design in the real world, and most importantly their confidence and competence within their specialism. This performance of the teacher: and their use of rapid sketches, pictorial presentations and engineering assembly drawings all go towards efficient modelling techniques. The final piece may be a scaled version or may only exist on a computer screen, but regardless its value is in the development of design ideas and the extent of the pupils thinking. I will visit each school every two weeks to evaluate and discuss pupil progress. The project being set for the Design and Make task for Key Stage 3 will be in the context of control, which allows pupils to appreciate the final significance of their work. My direction will be focused towards: the efficiency effectiveness of design, and a good quality product within a short deadline. These factors I will encourage, as they are the foundation towards the promoting of motivation and the generation of ideas (Denton, 1992). My direction of evaluating for the projects research will be concise as possible, giving the pupil the high-level skill opportunity, looking for the right amount of information that allows them to realise the aim. Following completion of my evaluation, I will give verbal feedback to everyone, with a more detailed written appraisal sent within a reasonable time period. The written assessment is an important factor, for the pupils motivation and long-term progression of development for both designerly thinking and behaviour. My aim will be to make clear links between the knowledge and skills the pupils need and the sequences of learning activities they are being taught. In my preparation before the visits I will have a clear direction for the design problem: who is it for, what are their needs, where will it be used, number of units to be produced etc., and which design solution of: particular materials, technologies, or products can be identified and taught (Anning et al, 1996) During each visit I will look for the teaching of technology to be presented in a clear manner that shows a real understanding of technology can be obtained. This understanding will be of the processes of design as well as elements of technological knowledge and essential technological principles. I will look for pupil seeking solutions to technological problems through the process of invention, showing a deeper, fuller understanding of technology by result. Throughout I shall look for encouragement in the use of independent strategies, methods and principles of development, for out of this process of technological development by the pupil can be examined (Hill, 1996). During my visits, through a brief allocated period, by way of this time constraint test I will evaluate their design performance by way of the Big Picture and Small Step descriptors. I will encourage the pupils towards professional designers practices for inspiration, and seek evidence for emphasis the importance and need for the following in professional design: discussion at all stages of the design process, to continually refer back to the project aims, to continually evaluate progress, and to use sketching as visual notetaking (Hill, 1996, p.3) Throughout the allocated time for completion of the project, the pupils will be able to access their normal range of information sources made available to them. Therefore I can gain the pupils comments with regard to their depth of to investigation, discussion and resulting informed decisions on the quality, purpose and function required. On completion of the task I will ask each pupil to complete the questionnaire (see Appendix) from which the responses will be assessed. Above all, the undertaking of the project and the design process involved should be a successful teaching / learning experience for all. Results Discussions The project was to complete the design and construct a fuse tester. From the results in table1 it is clear that from the two schools visited, School A shows that there are more stages involved in designing and making the fuse tester. Pupils from School A also had greater scope for individualising their designs, although many pupils copied each other because of lack of creativity. School A School B Circuit theory Circuit theory Draw circuit using livewire Spider diagram to identify end user Solder Components into PCB Initial ideas Test Circuit Final ideas Research into hand-held devices Mark out acrylic Spider diagram to identify end user Cut out design Initial ideas Bend acrylic to shape Final ideas Stick copper tape on acrylic Make prototype from foam Solder the joins Make Mould (two halves) Test and Evaluate Vacuum form case from Moulds Test Evaluate Table 1 My aim to make clear links between the knowledge and skills the pupils needed and the sequences of learning activities was successful. With my preparation before the visits I had a clear direction for the design problem: Who is it for: General consumer What are their needs: To test general household fuses Where will it be used: In home and office Number of units produced: 250,000 Which design solution- particular materials: Plastic, technologies: True or false indicator, Circuit board and products: Connector(s), Battery On each visit, on initially addressing the class I checked with those pupils furthest away that all could hear me, and that my voice was not too quiet. I then briefly explained the task, whilst handing out extra information sheets, which I then covered in details and finished by asking for any questions. I had taken with me large print versions on the task in case there was pupil(s) present with sight difficulties. My teaching of technology was presented in a clear manner, where good listening and learning regarding the processes of design as well as elements of technological knowledge and essential technological principles took place. It was clear that individual pupils on the whole, sought solutions to the technological problems through the process of invention, where a fuller understanding of technology followed. I encourage the use of independent strategies, methods and principles of development, from which the process of technological development by the pupil could be examined. I successfully informed the pupils towards professional designers practices for inspiration at a reasonable pace, checking that all pupils understood, and emphasised the need for discussion at all stages of the design process, to make sure to continually refer back to the project aims, to continually evaluate progress, and to always use sketching as visual notetaking. All of which was successful in varying degrees. It was seen that some pupils were stronger in relating to some production concepts than others, and in using a varying degree of photographic memory in their detailed sketches whilst seeking their solutions. Not all designers in the real world are specialists in all fields, therefore it was not expected that a pupil would excel in all areas. And that was confirmed with some pupils being stronger in relating to some design and production concepts than others, a degree of photographic memory being one example where a pupil showed promise in solving a problem with a detailed sketch of a related or unrelated object as the solution. The completed questionnaire results confirmed the finding of Atkinson (1995) that showed no significant gender difference regarding the pupils perceived ability or their enjoyment of the design process. From the total sample a large number of the pupils believed that they were poor at designing and did not enjoy the task. Boys % Girls % Enjoyed and achieved Enjoyed but could not achieved Did not enjoy but achieved Did not enjoy and could not achieve Totals 100% ( ) 100% ( ) Table 2: Pupils perceived enjoyment and capability to achieve good results. As outlined in Atkinson (1995) the skill and teaching strategies used confirm a clear comparison of collaborator (School A) and interventionist mode (School B). The concept of collaborative learning brings to mind the image of a circle of learners, in which the pupils learn with each other by co-constructing knowledge. Collaboration means that people labor together to construct something that did not exist before the collaboration. From this it was seen that the input by the teacher: their personal technological capabilities; their understanding on how each idea could or could not be manufactured by the available resources; the time available; and the knowledge of the pupils manufacturing capability. Whilst the interventionist mode a faster pace is dictated, not much time was spent on the design, it was draw initial ideas and straight to manufacturing. Very few detailed sketches and their development took place, the project development took place during the manufacturing. Pupils tended to get out of their depth with their technological ability, and showed that here the pupil lost ownership of their idea to the teacher. At this point even capable pupils would be waiting for further instruction as the next step was beyond their capability, which resulted in the teacher becoming frustrated with the pupils demands. Regardless of which teaching strategy was adopted the findings confirm that of Atkinson (1995, p.40) at the projects start they both followed a similar pattern. The project was explained, then work began on the specifications and analysis of research required. It was observed that girls were at ease working in a reflective, evaluative research and analysis phase, whilst a large number of the boys were intent on looking forward, past this important design period, on to the manufacturing period ahead. In respect to the assessment of Big Pictures and Small Steps the process of control and achievement of the pupil by the teacher. Observed over the duration of the project it proves that the creative thinking and project management of Small Steps in School A was clearly passed on to the pupils, as opposed to the linear model of Big Pictures used in School B, yet on an individual level, pupils being offered a combination of both processes produced Good designing capabilities. From the undertaking of the time constrain test the results confirmed the findings of Lawler (1999) in that a large proportion of the boys achieved better results when the project was introduced through Big Picture designing, and that a large proportion of the girls achieved better results when the project was introduced through Small Step designing. It was interesting to see a confirmation of data as found by Lawler (1999, p.136) in that the boys did better with a Big Picture

An Analysis of the Movie, Double Impact Essay -- Movie Film Essays

An Analysis of the Movie, Double Impact The movie opens twenty-five years ago in Hong Kong. The parents of two twin babies, Alex and Chad, had borrowed money from Raymond Zhang and Nigel Griffith, two lead smugglers. They needed the money in order to build a tunnel between Hong Kong and the mainland. After the tunnel was built and the money collected, Nigel Griffith and Raymond Zhang had a gang of hit men massacre Alex and Chad's family. Frank Avery, a friend of the family, races into the scene and finds the parents already dead. The two babies are in the back seat with a maid. She takes Alex and flees the scene. Frank sees Chad left behind and takes him and runs. Twenty-five years after these events we find Frank Avery, who is played by Geoffrey Lewis, has raised Chad as his own kid. They own a gym in Los Angelos. Frank has been trying to locate the other brother for the past twenty-five years and has finally found his whereabouts in Hong Kong, working for Raymond Zhang, played by Philip Chan Yan Kin, and Nigel Griffith, pla... An Analysis of the Movie, Double Impact Essay -- Movie Film Essays An Analysis of the Movie, Double Impact The movie opens twenty-five years ago in Hong Kong. The parents of two twin babies, Alex and Chad, had borrowed money from Raymond Zhang and Nigel Griffith, two lead smugglers. They needed the money in order to build a tunnel between Hong Kong and the mainland. After the tunnel was built and the money collected, Nigel Griffith and Raymond Zhang had a gang of hit men massacre Alex and Chad's family. Frank Avery, a friend of the family, races into the scene and finds the parents already dead. The two babies are in the back seat with a maid. She takes Alex and flees the scene. Frank sees Chad left behind and takes him and runs. Twenty-five years after these events we find Frank Avery, who is played by Geoffrey Lewis, has raised Chad as his own kid. They own a gym in Los Angelos. Frank has been trying to locate the other brother for the past twenty-five years and has finally found his whereabouts in Hong Kong, working for Raymond Zhang, played by Philip Chan Yan Kin, and Nigel Griffith, pla...

Wireless Speech Recognition -- Essays Papers

Wireless Speech Recognition Introduction In today's ever changing world, full of technology, there are many advances being made in the world of computing. This can be seen a great deal in the area of speech recognition. Machines, computers specifically, are interacting more and more with humans and these interactions can now be driven by human speech. For this technology to be used at its highest potential it will have to be affordable and accessible to all people in all types of machines. This technology will be seen from handheld computers and personal computers to lighting systems and refrigerators in your home(Deroult). This transformation is already occurring as speech recognition technology is making its way into our society in things such as cell phones, luxury cars, and computers. We will see more and more of this in our society until the technology has worked its way completely into our society and is common in many homes and offices. History of Speech Recognition The technology of speech recognition has come a long way and it is filled with many unsuccessful attempts at translating the human voice into something that a machine can understand, translate, and execute a command from accordingly. Many of society's views of speech recognition is a robotic, impersonal view, very similar to HAL in the movie 2001 : A Space Odyssey. We are now in the year 2001 and we are way past HAL in the field of speech recognition. The technology has come a long way from being able to detect only monotone, machine like language on an inconsistent basis. Today's technologies train the machine to learn how the user talks, and detect the speed of the user's speech, detect any accent the user may have, and other aspects that make each... ...rs that are not seen by humans. These computers will be everywhere and will fall into the backdrop of society. As they become more and more important and vital they will become less and less obtrusive and will make our lives easier thanks to speech recognition. Bibliography/Works Cited http://www.zdnet.co.uk/pcmag/supp/1998/speech/ Guide to Speech Recognition, PC Magazine. http://www.advisor.com/Articles.nsf/ID/OA000107.DERO01 The Future of Speech Recognition, Deroult, Anne-Marie. http://www.netbytel.com/literature/e-gram/technical3.htm History of Speech Recognition, NetByTel e-gram Bates, Regis J.. (2000). Voice and Data Communications Handbook. McGraw-Hill, New York, N.Y.. Hapgood, Fred. (2001) Speech interfaces are ready to listen. CIO Lamont, Ian (June 6, 2001) Speech recognition technology will hear you now Network World (June, 2001), pp34-40

An Inspector Calls Essay -- miscellaneous

An Inspector Calls How does Priestley use the character of the Inspector to convey his own opinions and attitudes? An Inspector Calls, set in 1912, is a play with many social and political messages. J. B. Priestley believed a great deal in socialism and believed that many other people needed to be more caring about their community and the people in it. Priestley uses the character of the Inspector to convey his own thoughts, feelings and opinions about social issues. However, he also uses other characters, particularly Mr.Birling, to show the audience how cynical some people can be. It is possible that J.B.Priestley set this play in 1912 for a reason. Arthur Birling is a rich businessman who thinks very highly of himself, even though he is often wrong. Arthur's family respect him and listen intently to his ideas that 'there isn't a chance of war' and the Titanic is 'unsinkable.' As the play was written in 1947 and set in 1912, this is an example of dramatic irony and the audience would know that Arthur was very wrong in his opinions and might even think him to be stupid. When he says 'the way some of these cranks talk and write now, you'd think everybody has to look after everybody else', he explicitly says that he is strongly Capitalist and is narrow minded. Priestley wanted the audience to have a low opinion of Birling because he was discouraging his Capitalist politics and trying to show people like Birling to be at fault When Mr.Birling makes his speech he makes several points which Priestley himself disagrees with, he uses the Inspector as a medium to make a point to both the Birling family and the audience that we shouldn’t all â€Å"Look out for our own† which is how Birling describes it. According to Mr.Birlin g every man should put himself first, even before his family. We know this when he says â€Å"A man should look out for himself, and his family if he has one†; this shows just how full of self-importance he actually is. The timing of the Inspector’s entrance is immediately after Birling has made this speech. Throughout the play there are hints that the Inspector isn’t all he seems to be, is it possible that he’s actually just a fraud claiming to be an Inspector? The Inspector called himself 'Goole,' which could be a pun on the word 'ghoul' which is often referred to as some kind of ghostly being. Towards the end of this script it becomes appa... ...police saying that 'A girl has just died.... after swallowing some disinfectant' and a real Inspector will question the family. This is an unexpected twist. The fake Inspector was there to punish them on a moral level and to try and make them feel guilty enough to change their behaviour. This was accomplished with Eric and Sheila, but not with the others. The only thing that they would be affected by was a 'public scandal,' and the real Inspector would ensure that that is what they would get. Without this twist, it would seem that the Birling parents and Gerald would escape unpunished. The Inspector's main purpose is to teach. In the context of the play, he told the characters what had happened to a particular girl because they had each been guilty of selfishness. In regards to the whole of society, he voiced Priestley's opinions that we cannot make any progress if we do not work together. In my opinion, those watching or reading the play today would not gain as much from the story in regards to the moral teachings because most have now accepted the advantages of Socialism over Capitalism and so do not have as much to learn on the arguments of this issue as the audiences of 1947.

Data collection methods

Data collection is the process of gathering and measuring information on variables of interest, in an established systematic fashion that enables one to answer stated research questions, test hypotheses, and evaluate outcomes. Data Collection Techniques include the following: Personal Interviews Conducting personal interviews is probably the best method of data collection to gain first hand information. It is however, unsuitable in cases where there are many people to be interviewed and questioned.Questionnaires Questionnaires are good methods of data collection when there is a need for a articular class of people to be questioned. The researcher can prepare a questionnaire according to the data he requires and send it to the responders. Detailed observation Data can also most effectively be obtained with means of observational skills. The researcher can visit a place and take down details of all that he observes which is actually required for aiding in his research. Here, the resear cher has to make sure that what he is observing is real.Group Discussions Group discussions are good techniques where the researcher has to know what the people in a group think. He can come to a conclusion based on the group discussion hich may even involve good debate topics of research. Internet Data The Internet is an ocean of data, where you can get a substantial amount of information for research. However, researchers need to remember that they should depend on reliable sources on the web for accurate information. Books and Guides These data collection techniques are the most traditional ones that are still used in today's research.Unlike the Internet, it is sure that you will get good and accurate information from books and published guides. Using Experiments Sometimes, for obtaining the full understanding of the scenario, researchers have to onduct actual experiments on the field. Research experiments are usually carried out in fields such as science and manufacturing. This is the best method for gaining an in-depth understanding of the subject related to the research. There are many other methods of data collection which may help the researcher to draw statistical as well as conceptual conclusions.For obtaining accurate and dependable data, researchers are suggested to combine two or more of the above mentioned data collection techniques. http://www. buzzle. com/articles/data- collection-techniques. html Types of Data Data types are categorized into two types: Primary data and Secondary data. Primary This is data that is collected by the researcher himself. The data is gathered through questionnaires, interviews, observations etc. Secondary data This is data that is collected, compiled or written by other researchers eg. ooks, journals, newspapers internet etc. The following steps are used to collect data Review ; compile secondary source information Plan ; design data collection instruments To gather primary information Data collection Data analysis and interpretation Siddiqui, S. A. (2012) Key questionnaire design principles . Keep the questionnaire as short as possible. 2. Ask short, simple, and clearly worded questions. 3. Start with demographic questions to help respondents get started comfortably. 4. Use dichotomous (yes I no) and multiple choice questions. . Use open-ended questions cautiously. 6. Avoid using leading-questions. 7. Pretest a questionnaire on a small number of people. 8. Think about the way you intend to use the collected data when preparing the questionnaire. Which data collection method should the researcher use? Because of the biases inherent in any data-collection method, it is sometimes dvisable to use more than one method when collecting diagnostic data. The data from the different methods can be compared, and if consistent, it is likely the variables are being validly measured.Statistical inference permits us to draw conclusions about a population based on a sample. Sampling (i. e. selecting a sub-se t of a whole population) is often done for reasons of cost (it's less expensive to sample 1,000 television viewers than 100 million TV viewers) and practicality (e. g. performing a crash test on every automobile produced is impractical). The sampled population and the target population should be similar to one another. Types of sampling strategies: Probability: Why is it used? To generalize to population.Some examples: Simple random sample Stratified sample Cluster sample Systematic sample Non probability: When should it be used? Where generalizability not as important. Researcher wants to focus on â€Å"right cases. † Quota sample â€Å"Purposeful† sample â€Å"Convenience† or â€Å"opportunity' sample Sampling Plans A sampling plan is a method or procedure for specifying how a sample will be taken from a population. Three methods of sampling are: Simple Random Sampling Stratified Random Sampling Cluster Sampling. Random sampling is often the most common one u sed.Simple Random Sampling†¦ A simple random sample is a sample selected in such a way that every possible sample of the same size is equally likely to be chosen. Drawing three names from a hat containing all the names of the students in the class is an example of a simple random sample: any group of three names is as equally likely as picking any other group of three names. A stratified random sample is obtained by separating the population into mutually exclusive sets, or strata, and then drawing simple random samples from each stratum.Strata 1 : Gender : Male Female Strata 2 : Age ; 20 20-30 31-40 41-50 51-60 60 Strata 3 : Occupation professional clerical blue collar other We can enquire about the total population, make inferences within a stratum or make comparisons across strata Cluster Sampling A cluster sample is a simple random sample of groups or clusters of elements (vs. a simple random sample of individual objects). This method is useful when it is difficult or costl y to develop a complete list of the population members or when the population elements are widely dispersed geographically.Cluster sampling may increase sampling error due to similarities among cluster members. Sampling and Non-Sampling Errors†¦ Two major types of error can arise when a sample of observations is taken from a population: sampling error and nonsampling error. Sampling error refers to differences between the sample and the population that exist only because of the observations that happened to be selected for the sample. Reduce when sample size larger. Nonsampling errors are more serious and are due oms kes made in the acquisition ot data or due to the sample observations being selected improperly.Most likely caused be poor planning, sloppy work, etc. Errors in data acquisition†¦ †¦ arises from the recording of incorrect responses, due to: † incorrect easurements being taken because of faulty equipment, † mistakes made during transcription fr om primary sources, † inaccurate recording of data due to misinterpretation of terms, or † inaccurate responses to questions concerning sensitive issues. Nonresponse Error†¦ †¦ refers to error (or bias) introduced when responses are not obtained from some members of the sample, i. e. he sample observations that are collected may not be representative of the target population. The Response Rate (i. e. the proportion of all people selected who complete the survey) is a key survey parameter and helps in the nderstanding in the validity of the survey and sources of nonresponse error. The importance of ensuring accurate and appropriate data collection Both the selection of appropriate data collection instruments (existing, modified, or newly developed) and clearly delineated instructions for their correct use reduce the likelihood of errors occurring.Issues related to maintaining integrity of data collection: Most, Craddick, Crawford, Redican, Rhodes, Rukenbrod, and Laws (2003) describe ‘quality assurance' and ‘quality control' as two approaches that can preserve data integrity and ensure the scientific validity of study results. Each approach is implemented at different points in the research timeline . Whitney, Lind, Wahl, (1998) Quality assurance – activities that take place before data collection begins Quality control – activities that take place during and after data collection Quality Assurance Since quality assurance precedes data collection, its main focus is ‘prevention' (i. . , forestalling problems with data collection). Prevention is the most cost-effective activity to ensure the integrity of data collection. In the social/behavioral sciences where primary data collection involves human subjects, researchers are taught to ncorporate one or more secondary measures that can be used to verify the quality of information being collected from the human subject. For example, a researcher conducting a surve y might be interested in gaining a better insight into the occurrence of risky behaviors among young adults as well as the social conditions that increase the likelihood and frequency of these risky behaviors.Two main points to note: 1) cross-checks within the data collection process and 2) data quality being as much an observation-level issue as it is a complete data set issue. Thus, data quality should be addressed for each individual measurement, for ach individual observation, and for the entire data set. Quality control While quality control activities (detection/monitoring and action) occur during and after data collection, the details should be carefully documented in the procedures manual.A clearly defined communication structure is a necessary pre-condition for establishing monitoring systems. There should not be any uncertainty about the flow of information between principal investigators and staff members following the detection of errors in data collection. A poorly deve loped communication structure encourages lax monitoring and limits opportunities for detecting errors. Quality control also identities the required responses, or ‘actions' necessary to correct taulty data collection practices and also minimize future occurrences.These actions are less likely to occur if data collection procedures are vaguely written and the necessary steps to minimize recurrence are not implemented through feedback and education.