Comparing the Immature Males of the Iliad and Lysistrata Essay

The Immature Males of the Iliad and Lysistrata    Both Homer's Iliad and Aristophanes' Lysistrata explore the nature and character of men. In their respective portrayals of male characters, both works reveal a fundamental flaw in that nature. This underlying flaw, immaturity, results in a variety of childish behaviors that are not only inappropriate but potentially quite dangerous and destructive. Reliance on women, inability to exert self-control, and resorting to violence as an easy solution to any problem or perceived threat are typical traits of young boys. Readers of the Iliad and Lysistrata are confronted with grown men consistently exhibiting exactly these behaviors and witness the adverse consequences to society. Throughout the Iliad Achilles operates like a spiteful child empowered with the body and strength of a man. He is stubborn and unreasonable, sullen and resentful when he cannot have his way, and, much like a playground bully, he uses his unusual strength to intimidate anyone who might challenge him. When in book one Achilles loses a battle of wills with Agamemnon and cannot retaliate, he retreats in frustration and self-pity; before long, he is throwing a tantrum. "Mother!" he cries, "You gave me life, . . . so at least Olympian Zeus, thundering up on high, should give me honor--but now he gives me nothing" (I, 416-419). Achilles subsequently relies on his mother, Thetis, several times for her advice and divine assistance. Rather than attempting to be resourceful in the face of frustration, he simply acts helpless and lets Thetis work out his problem for him. "But you, mother, if you have any power at all, protect your son!" the mighty and invincible Achilles implores (I, 467, 468). When his armor is ... ...Robert. "The Iliad". The Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces. Maynard Mack, general editor--6th ed. W.W. Norton and Company, N.Y. 1992. 98-208. Gulick, Charles Burton. Modern Traits in Old Greek Life. New York: Cooper Square. 1963. Henderson, Jeffrey, Aristophanes' Lysistrata, 1987 Holst-Warhaft, G., Dangerous Voices: Women's Laments and Greek Literature, Routledge, 1992. Hooper, Finley. Greek Realities: Life and Thought in Ancient Greece. Detroit: Wayne State University Press. 1978. Keuls, E. C., The Reign of the Phallus: Sexual Politics in Ancient Athens, New York, 1985 (reprint Berkeley, 1993). Miller, J. Hillis. "Narrative". Critical Terms for Literary Study. Lentricchia, Frank and Thomas McLaughlin, eds. University of Chicago Press, Chicago. 1990. 66-79. Tannahill, Reay. Sex in History. London: Scarborough House. 1992.

Architecture and Exterior Design in Russia

Introduction In the study of the architecture history, it was discussed about the bibliography of Bartolomeo Francesco Rastrelli ( 1700-1771 ) and the abode building of Tsarskoye Selo which was located in Russia. Bartolomeo Francesco Rastrelli was the in charge of the Tsarskoye Selo residenceconstruction since 1748 until 1756. His aspiration was the combined of latest 17Thursdaycentury Italian architecture manner with the traditions of Muscovite Baroque manner. At the terminal of 18Thursdaycentury, Tsarskoye Selo was became the most popular topographic point of summer abode among the aristocracy. It was a historical memorials and edifices which contained a batch of cultural artifacts in Russia. In Figure 1 below was shown the Hermitage Pavilion in Tsarskoye Selo: Architecture was the general term which described the structural of the edifice and physical design. In the architecture country, it was included the structural edifice planning, planing and besides the building of the edifice which was the physical constructions. Architecture was besides defined as the art and scientific discipline of the planing edifice constructions. The manner of the design and the methods of building of the design were developed through the cognition of art, scientific discipline, engineering, humanity and creativeness. Without those development cognition, there were be difficult to accomplish successful design and structural. During the design, it was needed to farther surveies and researches which help in good knowing of the design based on the design demand, for illustration the stuffs used for the structural design and besides consideration of the reinforced environments. A really celebrated definition of architecture was defined by the Gallic designer which was Le Corbuiser. He was defined that Architecture was the masterly, correct, and brilliant drama of signifiers under the visible radiation. ( Vers une architecture, 1923 ) Exterior design was known as the outer, or the design being on the outer sides which was intended and comfy for out-of-door utilizations. However, Interior design was defined as the prevarication, happening and working within the modification or internal design boundaries. ( Veronica Romualdez, 2013 ) Therefore, from the descriptions and definitions of the inside and exterior design, there were the differences between both of the design constructs. The elements that were included in interior design were been line, infinite, texture, visible radiation and coloring material. Where, the basic rules of interior design were been the design graduated table, proportion, balance, beat, accent and besides integrity. By comparing of both architecture and inside, there was found that the critical demand in both architecture and interior design which was to understand that their functions, methodological analysiss and besides service outlooks so that they can farther germinating within the speedy switching societal and economic utilizations. Where, architecture and interior design were now the subsets together with in writing, industrial design and landscape design which were focused on work outing design and development jobs so that they can heighten and readying for greater design accomplishments. Figure1: Hermitage Pavilion in Tsarskoye Selo ( Wikimedia Commons, 2012 ) Bartolomeo Francesco Rastrelli was born at 1700 in Paris, France and died in April 1771. He was the boy of Carlo Rastrelli. His male parent was a sculpturer who came to St. Petersburg for his work with Peter the Great. Bartolomeo Francesco Rastrelli’s professional and architecture instruction were under his male parent educated which trained him as designer. He was started his formal instruction in Europe since 1720 century. Harmonizing to Italian descent, Rastrelli was moved to St. Petersburg in 1716. During the first 5 old ages in Russia, he was worked with together with his male parent, Carlo Rastrelli for decorating the insides of the castle of the Russian nobility. ( Andrei D. Sarabianov, 2013 ) Since, 1721, Rastrelli was worked independently as an designer and instantly made his ain name for himself as a professional with a rich imaginativeness and creativeness designer. The first direction of Bartolomeo Francesco Rastrelli was to construct a St. Petersburg place for Prince Dmitrie Cantemir, which was a former swayer of Moldova at Millionaya Ulitsa. Rastrelli was the last great Baroque designer to work in St. Petersburg, and he was lived to see the spectacularly cosmetic manner that make him championed autumn out of favor with city’s elite. He besides was the impressive Godhead of the Winter Palace and Catherine Palace in Tsarskoye Selo, which were a luxury enjoyed and displayed by Russia’s Romanov swayers in the 18Thursdaycentury, became the outstanding facet of St. Petersburg’s architecture for international visitants. The Figure 2 below was shown the Catherine Palace that named after Catherine I, the married woman of Peter the Great: Figure2: Catherine Palace in Russia in Tsarskoye Selo, Russia ( Saint Petersburg Gallery, 2012 ) Within the 50 old ages period, Rastrelli was established a great figure of castles for Russia’s swayers and the members of the imperial tribunal. He was in the particular favor of the empresses Anna I and Elizabeth I, who were partial to deluxe luxury. The castles that were built for empress Anna was the Winter and Summer Annenhof. Unfortunately, neither of them were survived, where the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg was destroyed by discharged. During the 20 old ages reign of Empress Elizabeth I ( 1741-1761 ) , Rastrelli was built 12 castles and a figure of cathedrals for her. Empress Elizabeth I was besides employed him for the station of senior tribunal designer since 1730Thursday. Within the continuance of 1748Thursdayto 1756Thursday, Rastrelli was in charge of the Tsarskoye Selo abode building. Besides that, since 1749Thursdayto 1756Thursday, Rastrelli was besides rebuilt the Bolshoi Dvorets which now named as Grand Palace in Tsarskoye Selo and created a series of marquees in its park. The Tsarskoye Selo Palace was known as the Pushkin Palace which was 1000 pess long, and noted of adornment of its frontages and insides building and the prosperity of its ain malleability of coloring material. ( RusArtNet, 2012 ) Tsarskoye Selo Palace was besides one of St. Petersburg’s must see attractive forces, and at that place can easy occupied by visitants for full twenty-four hours long. Where, the structure’s abundant sweetening of Tsarskoye Selo Palace was makes it look to hold been notched out of a individual ball of rock. Rastrelli was acknowledged by everyone with his mastermind of combination of glare with harmoniousness and symmetricalness with edification. However, the chief ground that Rastrelli had a singular success in Russia was because of his alone combination of national traditions with European manner and elegance. Therefore, he had a major influence on Russia architecture and besides their civilization.Wikimedia Commons. 2012. hypertext transfer protocol: //commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File: Hermitage_pavilion_in_Tsarskoe_Selo_02.jpg. [ ONLINE ] Available at:hypertext transfer protocol: //commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File: Hermitage_pavilion_in_Tsarskoe_Selo_02.jpg. [ Accessed 30 April 15 ] .Vers une architecture. 1923. hypertext transfer protocol: //en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toward_an_Architecture. [ ONLINE ] Available at: hypertext transfer protocol: //en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toward_an_Architecture. [ Accessed 30 April 15 ] .Veronica Romualdez. 2013.What Is the Difference Between Exterior & A ; In terior? . [ ONLINE ] Available at: hypertext transfer protocol: //www.ehow.com/info_10042052_difference-between-exterior-interior.html. [ Accessed 01 May 15 ] .Andrei D. Sarabianov. 2013.Bartolomeo Francesco Rastrelli. [ ONLINE ] Available at: hypertext transfer protocol: //www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/491832/Bartolomeo-Francesco-Rastrelli. [ Accessed 03 May 15 ] .Saint Petersburg Gallery. 2012.Catherine Palace. [ ONLINE ] Available at: hypertext transfer protocol: //www.saint-petersburg.com/pushkin/catherine-palace.asp. [ Accessed 03 May 15 ] .RusArtNet. 2012.Bartolomeo Francesco Rastrelli. [ ONLINE ] Available at: hypertext transfer protocol: //www.rusartnet.com/biographies/russian-architects/18th-century/bartolomeo-francesco-rastrelli. [ Accessed 04 May 15 ] .Tsarskoe Selo ( Pushkin ) , St. Petersburg, Russia Based on the grounds show for the profusion of Russia’s Imperial swayers, you can happen out the facts in less than two centuries, there is non construct up one Romanov Tsars but two suburban existent estate’s at Tsarskoe Selo and Pushkin. Even the Versalles besides lost it’s copiousness surplus. Besides that, there can saw the construction of two broad and genuinely alone castles, the two sides surrounded by large-scale landscaped gardens with assortment and capturing cosmetic architecture. The established of Empress Elizabeth by Bartolomeo Rastrelli, there have the designer of St. Petersburg’s Winter Palace, specifically the most attractive of Tsarskoe Selo decidedly is Catherine Palace, one of celebrated is ebullient Amber Room. A neoclassical chef-d'oeuvre manner of Alexander Palace has a particularly affecting connexion with the household of the Last Tsar, Nicholas II, but less good known and today much more had destroyed. The most attractive suburb of St. Petersburg’s which surrounded the Tsarskoe Selo estates at The town of Pushkin are renamed in Soviet times to mark the greatest poet at Russia. Not merely that, the town has legion attractive forces connected to Alexander Sergaevich which including a museum in former Imperial Lycee, where he educated. INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR CATHERINE PALACE After Catherine I, the married woman of Peter the Great, named The Catherine Palace when her hubby passed off for two twelvemonth for Russia. When Catherine in 1717, a moderateness two floor edifice are consigned by Peter. The Catherine Palace are intrusting its shrewd magnificent to their girl, the Empress Elizabeth, Tsarskoe Selo was ordered by the Empress Elizabeth as her head summer abode. The edifice was re-established by four different architected get downing in 1743. In order to vie Versailles, Chief Architect of the Imperial Court and Bartholomeo Rastrelli was received instructions to redesign the edifice on a graduated table. Thirteen old ages subsequently, the obtained castle was consummation in 1756. German sculptor- Johann Franz Dunker, who worked with Rastrelli on the palace’s original insides, besides designed the about 1km in perimeter with meticulously decorated blue-and-white frontages characteristic aureate atlentes, caryatids and pilasters. When Elizabeth’s be on the throne, it disbursals over 100kg of gold to garnish the castle outsides, when Catherine the Great discovered the state of affairs, she condemn that private financess had been squander overdose on the edifice. The insides of the Catherine Palace besides grandiose. Rastrelli besides had designed the particularly celebrated, alleged Golden Enfilade of province suites, presents forms the focal point of the castle circuit. In fact day of the months from the 1860s, invitees enter via the State Staircase, it blends effortlessly with the brilliant rococo of Rastrelli ‘s insides, so its with bonzer bannister and lean backing marble Cupids. The Great Hall which have another name as Hall of Light, there have beautiful scenery on both sides because of the castle had occupied the full breadth, measures about 1,000 square metres. In order to cut down the huge measure of aureate stucco for adorning the walls, the sizes of the arched Windowss chosen which supply plentifulness of visible radiation are immense. In add-on to this, the whole ceiling had covered by a monumental fresco which titled The Triumph of Russia. in the White Dining Room looks equal magnificent, for illustration the suites in cas tle, there are utilizing resemble engineering but on a little scope. In the corner, solemn had softened the traditional beautiful blue-and-white tiled range. MentionsWikimedia Commons. 2012. hypertext transfer protocol: //commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File: Hermitage_pavilion_in_Tsarskoe_Selo_02.jpg. [ ONLINE ] Available at:hypertext transfer protocol: //commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File: Hermitage_pavilion_in_Tsarskoe_Selo_02.jpg. [ Accessed 30 April 15 ] .Vers une architecture. 1923. hypertext transfer protocol: //en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toward_an_Architecture. [ ONLINE ] Available at: hypertext transfer protocol: //en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toward_an_Architecture. [ Accessed 30 April 15 ] .Veronica Romualdez. 2013.What Is the Difference Between Exterior & A ; Interior? . [ ONLINE ] Available at: hypertext transfer protocol: //www.ehow.com/info_10042052_difference-between-exterior-interior.html. [ Accessed 01 May 15 ] .Bibliography

Recontructionism Essay

The role of the student in a Reconstructionist learning environment. The role of the student in the reconstructionist learning environment is to be an active participant. Students are encouraged to think critically about the world in which they live in and how it can be changed for the better. Students learn how to be problem solvers and decision makers. It is common for students to be challenged on their thoughts and feelings regarding topics. Acquisition of strong moral values are also encouraged through teaching. Reconstructionist encourages social activism among its students. It is not uncommon for students to learn while doing, such as organizing a food drive for the local homeless shelter. Progressivism With the Laboratory School set the stage for the progressive education movement. Based on the view that educators, like scientists, need a place to test their ideas, Dewey’s Laboratory School eventually became the most famous experimental school in the history of U. S. education, a place where thousands observed Dewey’s innovations in school design, methods, and curriculum. Although the school remained under Dewey’s control for only eight years and never enrolled more than 140 students (ages 3 to 13) in a single year, its influence was enormous. Dewey designed the Lab School with only one classroom but with several facilities for experiential learning: a science laboratory, an . Progressivism organizes schools around the concerns, curiosity, and real-world experiences of students. The progressive teacher facilitates learning by helping students formulate meaningful questions and devise strategies to answer those questions. Answers are not drawn from lists or even Great Books; they are discovered through real world experience. Progressivism is the educational application of a philosophy called pragmatism. According to pragmatism, the way to determine if an idea has merit is simple: test it. If the idea works in the real world, then it has merit. Both pragmatism and progressivism originated in America, the home of a very practical and pragmatic people. John Dewey refined and applied pragmatism to education, establishing what became known as progressivism. John Dewey was a reformer with a background in philosophy and psychology who taught that people learn best through social interaction in the real world. Dewey believed that because social learning had meaning, it endured. Book learning, on the other hand, was no substitute for actually doing things. Progressivisms do not believe that the mind can be disciplined through reading Great Books, rather that the mind should be trained to analyse experience thoughtfully and draw conclusions objectively. Dewey saw education as an opportunity to learn how to apply previous experiences in new ways. Dewey believed that students, facing an ever-changing world, should master the scientific method: (1) Become aware of a problem; (2) define it; (3) propose various hypotheses to solve it; (4) examine the consequences of each hypothesis in the light of previous experience; and (5) test the most likely solution. (For a biography of John Dewey, see the Hall of Fame: Profiles in Education in Chapter 4. ) Dewey regarded democracy and freedom as far superior to the political ideas of earlier times. Dewey saw traditional, autocratic, teacher-cantered schools as the antithesis of democratic ideals. He viewed progressive schools as a working model of democracy. Dewey wrote: To imposition from above is opposed expression and cultivation of individuality; to external discipline is opposed free activity; to learning from texts and teachers, learning through experience; to acquisition of isolated skills and techniques by drill is opposed acquisition of them as means of attaining ends which make direct vital appeal; to preparation for a more or less remote future is op-posed making the most of the opportunities of present life; to statistics and materials is opposed acquaintance with a changing world. The Progressive Classroom Walk into a progressivism classroom, and you will not find a teacher standing at the front of the room talking to rows of seated students. Rather, you will likely see children working in small groups, moving about and talking freely. Some children might be discussing a science experiment, while another group works on a model volcano, and a third pre-pares for a presentation. Interest centres would be located throughout the room, filled with books, materials, software, and projects designed to attract student interest on a wide array of topics. Finally you notice the teacher, walking around the room, bending over to talk with individual students and small groups, asking questions and making suggestions. You sense that the last thing on her mind is the standardized state test scheduled for next week. Progressivisms build the curriculum around the experiences, interests, and abilities of students, and encourage students to work together cooperatively. Teachers feel no compulsion to focus their students’ attention on one discrete discipline at a time, and students integrate several subjects in their studies. Thought-provoking activities augment reading, and a game like Monopoly might be used to illustrate the principles of capitalism versus socialism. Computer simulations, field trips, and interactive websites on the Internet offer realistic learning challenges for students, and build on students’ multiple intelligences. Progressivism in Action: The Laboratory School In 1896, while a professor at the University of Chicago, Dewey founded the Laboratory School as a testing ground for his educational ideas. Dewey’s writings and his work art room, a wood-working shop, and a kitchen. Children were likely to make their own weights and measures in the laboratory, illustrate their own stories in the art room, build a boat in the shop, and learn chemistry in the kitchen. They were unlikely to learn through isolated exercises or drills, which, according to Dewey, students consider irrelevant. Since Dewey believed that students learn from social interaction, the school used many group methods such as cooperative model-making, field trips, role playing, and dramatizations. Dewey maintained that group techniques make the students better citizens, developing, for example, their willingness to share responsibilities. Children in the Laboratory School were not promoted from one grade to another after mastering certain material. Rather, they were grouped according to their individual interests and abilities. For all its child-cantered orientation, however, the Laboratory School remained hierarchical in the sense that the students were never given a role comparable to that of the staff in determining the school’s educational practices. Social Reconstructionism Social reconstructionism encourages schools, teachers, and students to focus their studies and energies on alleviating pervasive social inequities, and as the name implies, reconstruct society into a new and more just social order. Al-though social reconstructionist agree with progressivists that schools should concentrate on the needs of students, they split from progressivism in the 1920s after growing impatient with the slow pace of change in schools and in society. George Counts, a student of Dewey, published his classic book, Dare the Schools Build a New Social Order? in which he outlined a more ambitious, and clearly more radical, approach to education. Counts’s book, written in 1932, was no doubt influenced by the human cost of the Great Depression. He proposed that schools focus on reforming society, an idea that caught the imagination and sparked the ideals of educators both in this country and abroad. Social challenges and problems provide a natural (and moral) direc tion for curricular and instructional activities. Racism, sexism, environmental pollution, homelessness, poverty, substance abuse, homophobia, AIDS and violence are rooted in misinformation and thrive in ignorance. Therefore, social reconstructionists believe that school is the ideal place to begin ameliorating social problems. The teacher’s role is to explore social problems, suggest alternate perspectives, and facilitate student analysis of these problems. While convincing, cajoling, or moralizing about the importance of addressing human tragedy would be a natural teacher response, such adult-led decision-making flies in the face of reconstructionist philosophy. A social reconstructionist teacher must model democratic principles. Students and teachers are expected to live and learn in a democratic culture; the students themselves must select educational objectives and social priorities. The Social Reconstructionist Classroom A social reconstructionist teacher creates lessons that both intellectually inform and emotionally stir students about the inequities that surround them. A class might read a book and visit a photojournalist’s exhibit portraying violent acts of racism. If the book, exhibit and the class discussion that follows move the students, the class might choose to pursue a long-term project to investigate the problem. One group of students might analyse news coverage of racial and ethnic groups in the community. Another student group might conduct a survey analysing community perceptions of racial groups and race relations. Students might visit city hall and examine arrest and trial records in order to determine the role race plays in differential application of the law. Students might examine government records for information about housing patterns, income levels, graduation rates and other relevant statistics. The teacher’s role would be as facilitator: assisting students in focusing their questions, developing a strategy, helping to organize visits, and ensuring that the data collected and analysed meet standards of objectivity. Throughout, the teacher would be instructing students on research techniques, statistical evaluation, writing skills, and public communications. In a social reconstructionist class, a research project is more than an academic exercise; the class is engaged in a genuine effort to improve society. In this case, the class might arrange to meet with political leaders, encouraging them to create programs or legislation to respond to issues the students uncovered. The students might seek a pro bono attorney to initiate legal action to remedy a social injustice they unmasked. Or perhaps the students might take their findings directly to the media by holding a press conference. They might also create a Web page to share their findings and research methods with students in other parts of the country, or other parts of the world. How would the teacher decide if the students have met the educational goals? In this example, an objective, well-prepared report would be one criterion, and reducing or eliminating a racist community practice would he a second measure of success. Social Reconstructionism in Action: Paulo Freire Paulo Freire believed that schools were just another institution perpetuating social inequities while serving the interests of the dominant group. Like social reconstructionism itself, Freire’s beliefs grew during the Great Depression of the 1930s, when he experienced hunger and poverty first-hand. Influenced by Marxist and neo-Marxist ideas, Freire accused schools of perpetuating the status quo views of the rich and powerful â€Å"for the purpose of keeping the masses submerged and content in a culture of silence. † Schools were endorsing social Darwinism, the idea that society is an ingenious â€Å"sorting† system, one in which the more talented rise to the top, while those less deserving find themselves at the bottom of the social and economic pecking order. The conclusion: Those with money de-serve it, those without money deserve their lot in life, and poverty is a normal, preordained part of reality. Freire rejected this conclusion. He did not believe that schools should be viewed as â€Å"banks,† where the privileged deposit ideas like social Darwinism to he spoon fed into the limited minds of the dispossessed. He envisioned schools as a place where the poor can acquire the skills to regain control of their lives and influence the social and economic forces that locked them in poverty in the first place. Freire engaged the poor as equal partners in dialogues that explored their economic and social problems and possible solutions. Freire believed in praxis, the doctrine that when actions are based on sound theory and values, they can make a real difference in the world. (It is no accident that the term praxis is also the name given to the teacher competency tests required by many states. ) Freire’s ideas took hold not only in his native Brazil, but in poor areas around the globe. As poor farm workers became literate and aware, they organized for their self-improvement, and began to work for change. It is not surprising that the autocratic leaders of his country eventually forced him into exile, for he had turned schooling into a liberating force. For a biography of Paulo Freire, see the Hall of Fame: Profiles in Education in Chapter 4. ) How Can Education Reduce Crime? A major proposition for solving the crime epidemic has always been a call for more education: however does a more educated society mean a lawful society? Schools as institutions are merely a microcosm of society and as such must inherently reflect the attitudes and behavior of the public, including stealing from each other beating up on each other, dealing in contraband and sexually violating each other. Students flout school regulations and/or national laws. One can now ponder which comes first, the chicken or the egg? Does the deviant student become the criminal? Or does the criminal modeling within society create the deviant student? Students however are not the only perpetrators of crime in schools. Teachers represent authority figures in the system, and like in wider society, they may abuse their power and break school rules as well. These unfortunate events again raise questions. What causes a teacher to give unfair advantages to his favorite students? What causes the politician/policeman to pardon his criminal friend or allow him unfair advantages? What causes authority figures to victimize members of a certain groups? In the end, we need to view the issues of crime in school and crime in society as interlinked. Viewed in this context, the solution of increased education on its own to mitigate crime, seems less feasible. A favorable learning environment, coupled with specialized teaching techniques can lower deviance and increase the rule of law. Students are more likely to succeed when they feel connected to the school and the learning process. This connection reflects students’ belief that school administrations care about them as individuals. Teachers are central to creating a clear classroom structure. They must build connectedness in the classroom and encourage team-learning exercises to break down social isolation by integrating student teams across gender, academic ability, and ethnicity. A supportive school administration must not allow a young person to ‘fail’, or students will inadvertently believe in’ winners and losers’. This assumption sets up a dysfunctional dichotomy: the ‘winners’ or the academically proficient become ‘nerds’ and ‘losers’. A positive, nurturing school culture with students experiencing connectedness to their school will create a positive, nurturing society with citizens experiencing connectedness to their communities and by extension, their country. Studies show a high proportion of students positively connected to their school are likely to increase academic performance and school competition rates and decrease incidents of fighting, bullying, vandalism and absenteeism. There is strong evidence, applicable across racial, ethnic and income groups that students who feel connect to school are less likely to exhibit disruptive behavior. Implementing civic education, particularly education about the rule of law into school curricula is used in Latin America and Asia as a predominant technique to foster knowledge and attitudes that prevent crime and corruption, protect human rights and enrich and enhance formal democracy. In Trinidad and Tobago, the education system has consistently separated schools and students into vocation and university tracks and as such, avoided providing all students with the same core curriculum and setting inclusive academic standards. This form of ‘informed prejudice’ has created, over the past decades, a society of confident and ‘inferior’ citizens, professionals and dropouts, favored ‘old-boy’ graduates and ‘neglected strugglers. ’ Without a significant paradigm shift in the education system, the levels of crime in schools and society will increase or remain constant, students will always steal and teachers will always create as many or more problems than they solve. Higher levels of education do not guarantee less crime in society, but indeed a more effective education system that caters to both the students and teacher’s mental and psychological health, while fostering a greater understanding and appreciation for civic duty and the rule of law, is key for crime reduction. Advocates: Early education key to reducing crime The key to eradicating crime and violent behaviour, say organizers with the non-profit Fight Crime: Invest in Kids Pennsylvania, is to invest more resources in early care and child education. That was the theme earlier this week as Fight Crime visited the Penn Alexander School to unveil its findings in the multi-point plan, â€Å"High-Quality Early Care and Education: a Key To Reducing Crime in Pennsylvania. † The plan points to numerous nationwide studies which found that in Michigan, at-risk children not enrolled in high-quality programs were five times more likely to be chronic offenders by the age of 27; another report, this one based on Chicago, found that at-risk kids not participating in the city’s child-parent centre programs are 70 per cent more likely to be arrested for a violent crime by the age of 19. And since the School District of Philadelphia’s enrolment of at-risk/economically disadvantaged children currently sits at 80. 6 per cent – or 117,749 students – it only made sense for Philadelphia to be the first stop in a state-wide mission, said Fight Crime Pennsylvania State Director Bruce Clash. â€Å"Philadelphia is obviously important because it’s a big city, and important because so many kids here have unmet needs,† Clash said. â€Å"And that’s a travesty for them, their families and the community at large. Clashed praised the efforts of District Attorney Seth Williams in embracing the findings and for attending the unveiling, along with district superintendent Dr. William Hite Sr. and other elected and appointed officials. Williams and Hite were both unavailable for comment as of Tribune press time. The report illustrates in great detail the correlation between the lack of education and criminality and the positive effects reaped wh en limited resources are properly utilized, vital when only 17. 6 per cent of eligible 3- and 4-year-olds have access to high-quality publicly funded pre-K programs throughout the commonwealth. The report also shows that Pennsylvania spends more than $2. 3 billion on incarceration, but only $340 million on early childhood education. â€Å"Law enforcement leaders across Pennsylvania want to make sure more Pennsylvania children receive high-quality care and education in their early years – the help they need to succeed in life and avoid later crime and violence,† read a portion of the findings. â€Å"Despite strong evidence that high-quality early education can reduce future corrections costs in Pennsylvania and nationally, spending on corrections far surpasses spending on early education. The report further shows that, of criminals labelled chronic offenders by the age of 2, 35 per cent of them did not attend or participate in preschool programs; conversely, only 7 per cent of those that did attend such a program went on to be considered chronic offenders. The report suggests several ways to cut off young criminal pipeline, including increasing the number of quality teachers, better funding for federal early care, Pre-K and head start programs, better implementation of the Child Care and Development Block grant and more school districts taking part in the federal â€Å"Race To The Top† program. The thing most criminals have in common is the lack of a high school education. Not everyone who doesn’t get a diploma commits a crime, but there are more likely to commit a crime and be incarcerated,† Clash said. â€Å"So we targeted early childhood, with 40 years of research showing us that if you reach at-risk and economically disadvantaged children, 44 per cent more were likely to graduate because they have a foundation to build on, develop, grow from and attain the skills they need in life. Clash said inroads are being made, citing the recent, multi-million dollar funding of the state’s â€Å"Pre-K Counts† program and the various Head start initiatives. Those two programs are funded through a series of line items in the state budget. â€Å"Both of these funding streams are used by the School District of Philadelphia and by hundreds of school districts throughout the state, and many other districts use their own money for these programs,† Clash said. Momentum continues to grow, but the problem is that only 17 per cent of all Pennsylvanian three- and four-year-olds receive publicly-funded, high-quality Pre-K programming. â€Å"And in Philadelphia, it’s a huge, unmet need, since 3,100 kids are at the poverty line do not have access to pre-K programs because they are on a wait list,† Clash continued. â€Å"So this report makes the case of why law enforcement is so concerned about getting access to pre-K young kids. Long-term arrests come down, and behaviourally, the data shows a reduction in early aggressive behaviour. †

Life Magazine cover depicting India-Pakistan War Essay

The dispute over this region originated in the process of decolonization in South Asia. When the British colony of India gained its independence in 1947, it was partitioned into two separate entities: the secular nation of India and the predominantly Muslim nation of Pakistan. Pakistan was composed of two noncontiguous regions, East Pakistan and West Pakistan, separated by Indian territory. The state of Jammu and Kashmir, which had a predominantly Muslim population but a Hindu leader, shared borders with both India and West Pakistan. The argument over which nation would incorporate the state led to the first India-Pakistan War in 1947-48 and ended with UN mediation. Jammu and Kashmir, also known as â€Å"Indian Kashmir† or just â€Å"Kashmir,† joined the Republic of India, but the Pakistani Government continued to believe that the majority Muslim state rightfully belonged to Pakistan. Conflict resumed again in early 1965, when Pakistani and Indian forces clashed over disputed territory along the border between the two nations. Hostilities intensified that August when the Pakistani army attempted to take Kashmir by force. The attempt to seize the state was unsuccessful, and the second India-Pakistan War reached a stalemate. This time, the international politics of the Cold War affected the nature of the conflict. The United States had a history of ambivalent relations with India. During the 1950s, U. S. officials regarded Indian leadership with some caution due to India’s involvement in the nonaligned movement, particularly its prominent role at the Bandung Conference of 1955. The United States hoped to maintain a regional balance of power, which meant not allowing India to influence the political development of other states. However, a 1962 border conflict between India and China ended with a decisive Chinese victory, which motivated the United States and the United Kingdom to provide military supplies to the Indian army. After the clash with China, India also turned to the Soviet Union for assistance, which placed some strains on U. S. -Indian relations. However, the United States also provided India with considerable development assistance throughout the 1960s and 1970s. U. S. -Pakistani relations had been more consistently positive. The U. S.  Government looked to Pakistan as an example of a moderate Muslim state and appreciated Pakistani assistance in holding the line against communist expansion by joining the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO) in 1954 and the Baghdad Pact (later renamed the Central Treaty Organization, or CENTO) in 1955. Pakistan’s interest in these pacts stemmed from its desire to develop its military and defensive capabilities, which were substantially weaker than those of India. Both the United States and the United Kingdom supplied arms to Pakistan in these years. After Pakistani troops invaded Kashmir, India moved quickly to internationalize the regional dispute. It asked the United Nations to reprise its role in the First India-Pakistan War and end the current conflict. The Security Council passed Resolution 211 on September 20 calling for an end to the fighting and negotiations on the settlement of the Kashmir problem, and the United States and the United Kingdom supported the UN decision by cutting off arms supplies to both belligerents. This ban affected both belligerents, but Pakistan felt the effects more keenly since it had a much weaker military in caparison to India. The UN resolution and the halting of arms sales had an immediate impact. India accepted the ceasefire on September 21 and Pakistan on September 22. The ceasefire alone did not resolve the status of Kashmir, and both sides accepted the Soviet Union as a third-party mediator. Negotiations in Tashkent concluded in January 1966, with both sides giving up territorial claims, withdrawing their armies from the disputed territory. Nevertheless, although the Tashkent agreement achieved its short-term aims, conflict in South Asia would reignite a few years later.

How may one account for the significance that contemporary societies Essay

How may one account for the significance that contemporary societies attach to the problem of terrorism - Essay Example Terrorism is commonly used as a term to describe violent acts against civilian targets based on nationalistic, political or religious motivations. It is an unconventional form of war which is often used to weaken or subvert a government and the effects of a terrorist attack may be seen as a threat to international order (Baylis, 2002). However, the nature of the causes can be debated since some terrorist activities have been given support while others have been considered atrocities against humanity. For example, as described by Martin & Martin (2003), even the Boston Tea Party can be seen as a terrorist act in a technical sense but that event has been connected with a justified cause while recent acts of terrorism against the United Kingdom such as the London underground attacks are considered unjustified. If not by all concerned individuals, at least by the western world and many other civilised nations who joined the British in mourning for the loss of life and the tragedies which unfolded in the aftermath. The aftermath comes with the public asking the most important question i.e. why? They want to know how and why such an event happened and what the government is willing to do to stop these acts from occurring again. Since there is no single or easy answer to the question and different opinions can be given by different writers coming from various backgrounds, society becomes more involved in answering these questions and thus becomes more focused on the idea of terrorism. In essence, it is a drama which is unfolding live before the people and this certainly fascinates society as it has done for the past hundreds of years (Orr and Klai, 1990). Undoubtedly, terrorism certainly affects those individuals who are targets or those who have lost something due to terrorist activity (NCT, 2006). Their lives have certainly changed and they have had to deal with the aftermath in ways that others can not imagine. However, even after the most

As instruction Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

As instruction - Essay Example It therefore, can be said that each of us, follow a definite philosophy which guides our actions and our efforts to gain knowledge and accordingly base our judgments of the people or event. J. S. Mills, an eminent philosopher, In his book ‘On liberty’ has extensively discoursed on liberty of thought and discussion and has tried to explain its wider meaning with respect to the control exerted by society on an individual. Through the ages, liberty and freedom of choice has been the most important issue for the rulers and the community at large. The rulers and people in authority have been using their power to exert control over the community and individuals. Mills has argued that no government or individual has the right to suppress the independent thought of other individuals largely because the new thoughts are catalyst to the changes, which are part and parcel of human existence. The extent of the influence of their control on the liberty of individuals is the most vital aspect of interplay of human relationship within the society. The governmental and constitutional paradigms of liberty are important factors in the larger interests of the society. But there are some intrinsic and unarticulated social control over the individuals within the society, which may be defined by the doctrines of the time and religion. According to Mils ‘for a long time past, the chief mischief of the legal penalties is that they strengthen the social stigma’ (Mills, chapter 1). While to some extent, one can agree that excess control does corrodes of moral and ethical values, but some control is necessary to maintain law and order within the social fabric. But Mills theory on liberty of thought and discussion is highly relevant with the issue of teaching the theory of evolution and the theory of intelligent design in public school.

Standards BasedAssessment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Standards BasedAssessment - Essay Example Therefore, each step is clued-up by the prior step or steps (Council of Chief State School Officers, 2008). Assessment is the central idea of standards based assessment. Students are assessed at each level. At each level, they are tested for whether they know what they must know and what they are able of knowing. Also, in standards based assessment, when we talk about students, we do not use it as a generic term. Instead we look at them as individuals. How Their individuality is reflected in the standards set by what they can achieve. Under this approach, students are compared to a standard of achievement, not other students (Council of Chief State School Officers, 2008). With this approach, students are not graded with letters, instead they are graded with 'meets the standard', 'exceeds standards' or 'below standards'. As a result, each student is allowed to succeed; they are not ranked in a normal curve where some students are labeled 'failures'. This is also the most significant benefit of the standards based approach. The grading criterion of this approach is such that the whole response of a student is analyzed rather than the final answer. This is clearly done by humans then because computers cannot realize the response. This is known as 'holistic grading'. As a result of this, the thought process of students is given more importance than the strict approach of marking students based on their final answers. An example of such grading criteria is 'inventive spellings'. This is when students are encouraged to spell words on how they hear them, rather than spelling them as how they are universally recognized. This clearly reflects their individual understanding. Some would say this is an extremely reasonable way of testing students. Because of a grading approach that assesses students based on their thought processes, students can be easily evaluated to see where they stand. Diplomas are then given to them based on their standards, thoughts and knowledge. For this reason, we arrive at its second important advantage and core value; high school diplomas are more meaningful for students and colleges alike. As far as reporting tools are concerned, the grade that they receive; where students stand in terms of meeting the standard, must be used as the reporting tool. Also, the grading tools used for subjective assessments can be used as a reporting tool. This could be a teacher's indication of what part of a group project work does not meet standards yet. Conclusion To conclude, I will summarize the core democratic values of such an assessment approach. These are simply and basically fairness, equal opportunity and the well-being of all members of society; and (American Federation of Teachers, 2003). Also, some light must be given to the challenges. These include inconsistencies in grades at different levels, such as national, state or district, there is heavy dependence on who is assessing and grading the students. This means that different teachers will grade significantly differently (American Federation of Teachers, 2003). Also, in my opinion, this is a very idealistic approach. A gain in score is not a definite indication of success. For this reason,