Sociological Theories Essay Example for Free

Sociological Theories Essay Mills was able to shift his focus to examine how people influence others based on external social forces that shape personal experiences. Mill’s definition of the sociological imagination allowed for the ability for others to see the impact of social forces on individual’s private and public affiliations. Through Mill’s establishment of the sociological imagination, a perspective on religion could then be observed through viewing religious institutions as merely a product of social foundations (Dandaneau, 146). In Steven P. Dandaneau’s book, Taking it Big, Developing Sociological Consciousness in Postmodern Times, the analysis of chapter seven entitled, Religion and Society- Of Gods and Demons, created an assessment which viewed the nature of religion as a social institution. The arrangement of religion within a society creates a structural analysis of patterns and beliefs that are replicated through the development of social establishments and are maintained within a society by linking social institutions directly to a religious belief. †¦Structural analysis, that is, systematic thinking about how patterns of life and belief are reproduced across time and space such that social institutions- composed of roles, positions, groups, norms, values, and rituals- are created and maintained, thereby building and rebuilding society†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Dandaneau, 145). Therefore, we can conclude that social institutions help to formulate the individual within society by establishing the roles endorsed through the institutional framework. As an outcome, institutions and the individuals within it, consequently determine the structure of a society through using religion as a collective social enterprise (Dandaneau, 146). This establishment of social enterprise requires unique customs and practices in order to maintain social cohesiveness within a specific religious institute. Each religious society is then able to formulate distinct internal divisions that allow for individuals to develop a sociological imagination within a religious society (Dandaneau, 148). Through a historical context, religion has always been a product of human existence. Various religious institutions practiced today are an outcome of recent history after the shift away from Aminism. The transformations within the human consciousness arose as a result from the combination of urbanization and modernity. Through a more urbanized and contemporary society, the growth of the human population was abundant and inevitable. As a result, religion was then used as a form of material comfort for a new, emerging, and suffering population evolving within human history (Dandaneau, 150). Religion prevails today amongst people within a particular culture because of the ability for religions to reproduce themselves based on adaptations made from the establishment of modernization (Dandaneau, 150). However, the use of religion as a means of social change does not necessarily enhance or diminish societal modifications within a structured society. The sociological imagination was an outcome presented by religion partially because of the impact of sciences and nature within the development of the scientific revolution. These imagined responses are understandable, at least on sociological grounds, because never before had humans been so influenced by the scientific revolution. † (Dandaneau, 157). This skepticism of religion was a contributor to the initial expansion of the sociological imagination presented by Mills. Through the use of the sociological imagination today, a dystopian and dying world is presented. For Mills, religion had lost its sacred substance and it s ability to inspire current members. As an outcome of this, Mills offered the â€Å"immanent critique,† which is the involvement of a group’s own principles against them, and the inspiration for them to have their own individualized ideas. â€Å"Immanent critique†¦entails using a group’s own principles against them and encouraging them to live up to their own cherished ideals†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Dandaneau, 159). In conclusion, through the sociological imagination, Mill’s is able to determine the structure, history, and the society that prevails within a religious union. The meaning of religion within a communal setting is bound by social experiences. Despite Mill’s views that the world is dystopian and dying, he summarizes the sociological imagination is evidently an insufficient form of comfort; and that these devout experiences create a critical aspect in religious self-development through both an individual and a community perspective. â€Å"†¦Religions status and meaning for today’s world†¦is a subject that requires the sociological imagination because the sociological imagination is located at the crossroads of social structure, history, and biography. (Dandaneau, 156). In Steven P. Dandaneau’s account in chapter nine, The End of History, he analyzes an outlook presented to emphasize that our history is simply the reality in which we live in. This present reality is defined by former historical events that have contributed to creating and institutionalizing an objective and collective memory of the past. Through his concept of the sociological imagination, he demonstrates his conviction that history and biography should be linked together rather than seperated. In relation to Mill’s theory, the whole purpose of developing the sociological imagination is to simplify involvement in history making, not of history coming to an end. Through the expansion of social structure created by the sociological imagination, the media’s portrayal of historical events impacts the expansion of social change though changing perceptions within the lives of the individual. Through the changes in perception within the lives of an individual, as stated by Mills, we create â€Å"intricate connections between the patterns of their own lives and the historical level of reality. (Dandaneau, 198). Therefore, the sociological imagination cannot be reenacted through mere simulations or second hand accounts of individual experiences because of the failure to confront present humanity. In order to understand the structure of a particular society in history, we must understand the demise of the sociological imagination and how it is applied to existing histo rical accounts. Through the introduction of the industrial revolution and modernity came the introduction of time and space that was initially introduced as â€Å"clock time†(Dandaneau, 200). This mechanical means of measuring passing moments was incorporated into all social life within industrial society. â€Å"With the industrial revolution came â€Å"clock time,† which is rooted in a mechanical means of measuring passing moments and that was used to regiment work and, indeed, all social life† (Dandaneau, 200). Through this idea, the perception of time and space is historically and socially structured through being a product of culture. Through time and space in relation to history, together they represent primary media through which societies can then be regulated. â€Å"Time and space are socially organized and culturally conceived, and they represent primary media through which societies are integrated and regulated. † Through the use of history, human beings have been able to document societal structures based on the idea of learning and understanding past historical events. Through this, individuals can assume that history is continual and it affects all members within a society. As a result of absent facts about history, Mill’s finds that our society has no direction to our immediate history or current historical situations (Dandaneau, 216). This is problematic because with the end of history, â€Å"it is difficult to develop a sociological imagination within a single self-consciousness† (Dandaneau, 218). Consequently though, there are varieties of people who prevail despite the idea of the ending of history. Minority groups have a strong interest in history because they are engaged in a constant struggle for equality. Due to injustices and inequalities, minority groups look back on their history of struggles to determine solutions and to find courage to fight for individualism (Dandaneau, 219). Social and political change can be made possible through the possession of the sociological imagination through an analysis of history. Without this analysis, history will end. Unfortunately, because of inaccurate portrayals of history presented through social media, the end of history faces unpredictable challenges because our society’s institutions are both the solution and the root of postmodern societal problems. It is up to the individual who possesses the sociological imagination to make the realization that postmodern culture is merely a developed hyper reality created through the inaccurate depictions of our human history. â€Å"Through ideological distortion and as a result of its inflection through the mass media, â€Å"history† is today on life support†¦it is the task of the possessor of the sociological imagination to act as if his or her exaggeration is not yet true†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Dandaneau, 222). In conclusion, this chapter emphasizes the necessity for access to â€Å"real historiography (reason) and the means to participate in radical social change (freedom)† rather than inaccurate representations of history through the media and other social institutions. Mill’s sociological imagination allowed him to look at history as a continuing process in order to reach the full understanding of society. Consequently, individuals within our postmodern society fail to intersect with the problem to end history because of the inability to change social institutions. As a result of this, the structure of human history is distorted through mass media. This makes the task of positioning ourselves within current history difficult because of the misrepresented comprehension about our past. â€Å"†¦The problem of the degradation of the public sphere intersects with the problem of the end of history because without a space in which to act toward and fundamentally change postmodern social institutions, a democratic history cannot be effected† (Dandaneau, 223). In chapter ten, Sociology without Society, Steven P. Dandaneau begins by reflecting that the impact of working against the sociological imagination exists for more reasons besides the degradation of public life and the loss of history. He states that â€Å"within sociology itself† (Dandaneau, 225) the sociological imagination follows the complex relationship between altering social structures and frequent individual occurrences within structured social institutions. So what exactly does this mean? The arrangement of sociology without scrutinizes that are derived from collective life and the self-consciousness of others within everyday life ends in the development of sociology without society. Sociology (according to Dandaneau’s accounts from Alan Wolfe) studies the moral basis of society; when according to his opinion, â€Å"Sociology should be a study of people as they interact and relate with other people,† and sociologists fail in this obligation to study people’s complex and morally dependent relationships with others (Dandaneau, 226). This idea of sociology without society is made even more prevalent through the works of Mill’s sociological imagination. Despite Mill’s evident transference of emotions through conveying an understanding of a society, Mills spent little time actively engaged with actual members (Dandaneau, 226). This view of society, the practice of the sociological imagination to create a civil society is â€Å"The product of a sociological perspective that attends primarily to the workings of the modern state and the capitalist market or the integration of both systems working together† (Dandaneau, 227). In postmodern times however, a civil society is thought to be maintained through moral rules learned from childhood experiences carried into adulthood (Dandaneau, 228). The sociological imagination is threatened today by any effort to suppress its pragmatic background (Dandaneau, 229). Ignoring the pragmatic background denies the importance of society itself; thus, the practice of a sociologically meaningful story derived from an accurate historical event is dowsed with the awareness of practicing sociology without society. Through this idea, Mills created a portrait of people that he describes through interactions between people within specific social settings. â€Å"He (Mills) focused attention on the relationship between these individual lives and the changing structure of American capitalist society-its class system, technological shifts, racial segregation, and the social policies that have affected all of these† (Dandaneau, 235). This type of society, and the various types of people in it, can be understood if the type of the social problem is identified. This could create a reconstruction of our social system, â€Å"†¦we stand a chance of restructuring our social systems in such a way as to eliminate the problem as it is experienced in civil society† (Dandaneau, 235). If social problems are derived from social institutions, and people have the ability to form moral bonds with others for civil societies, then it can be concluded that individuals who possess a sociological imagination have the ability for structural change. Even though Mills practiced sociology without society, he deemed it possible to retain a strong connection to people despite the lack of an empirical connection. As emphasized from a passage in chapter ten, â€Å"The possessor of the sociological imagination is as much concerned with ideas as facts; the trick is to bring them into a meaningful relation to one another†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Dandaneau, 239). Through the possession of a sociological imagination, the division of sociological labor provides a historical totality of social and cultural experiences (Dandaneau, 239). The sociological imagination also is a form of self-consciousness that displays the complexities of the world through conceptualization. Mill’s final assertion is that civil society has â€Å"not disappeared altogether† (Dandaneau, 240) and that people must be understood for existing as moral agents, and social beings with moral rules and obligations. In closing, three questions regarding structure, human history, and varieties of people within it, are all parts of Mill’s perspective within the sociological imagination.

Reflection On ICT Eduction

Reflection On ICT Eduction Literacy is the learning to read and write proficiently while digital literacy is the ability to use different digital tools for learning in young children (Kazakoff, 2012; Green et al, 2006). Digital storytelling is more effective to children’s learning rather than the traditional way as it can support the current trends in teaching and learning. Through this rationale, it can be seen that the child’s writing skill and comprehension improved as she had fun through the process of creating the digital story. This rationale also discussed the implication of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in the early years setting, the planning and the usage of digital story in the early years setting with the supports of policies, theories and curriculums that can develop children’s literacy, communication and language skills. ICT can be defined as anything that enable us to receive information, to interact with each other or to bring impact on the environment using electronic or digital device (Bolstad, 2004). There are many devices and equipment that can be use in an early years setting to encourage the usage of ICT such as cameras, computers, programmable toys and many more. ICT had brought an impact to the children learning and development, remarkably in their literacy development as children nowadays are living in a challenging and advance environment (Roney, 2008). Children should be provided with opportunities, for instance, through creating digital stories to develop ‘technological literacy’ to ensure their activeness and competence in their environment (Shah and Godiyal, 2000). Significantly in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), involving technology in children’s learning and development can support the progression of the children and also achieving the learning goals (Df E, 2012a). The synthesis report by Hatherly et al (2010) had shown the positive implication of ICTs for children’s literacy development. The report stated that children’s activities that are based on ICTs could develop children’s literacy, language and communication skill. Other than that, the use of ICTs can motivate children to speak and engage themselves in conversation and to tell and share their experiences through various ways, for example, through digital story-telling that would facilitate children’s literacy development. Through observation, I chose a child who love to draw because I wanted to develop her literacy skill by supporting her through her interest in drawing using story-telling as making connection with drawing to writing can allow children to understand how writing can relate to their images and also their visual imagery (NYSUT, 2008). Before I started doing anything with the child, I asked for the willingness of the child to participate in this assignment as her opinions and views are to be considered first according to UNCRC Article 12 (UNICEF, n.d). I met her parents where we discussed about the resource plan and how this will help her learning and development. The discussion lead me to the understanding that the child was not exposed much to electronic devices at home. However, they allowed me to work with their child and also agreed in helping the child to familiarise herself with the device after the discussion. I understand that this could be advantageous for the child’s lea rning as involving parents in children’s education can bring many benefits including improvements in children’s educational achievement and also increasing parents’ confidence in helping their child at home (DCSF, 2008). Through the discussion also, I decided to make the resource with tablet and audio recorder as it will allow the child to navigate the device better than by operating a mouse that might be hard for new learners (Pierangelo and Giuliani, 2008). I started telling different types of stories to give the child a better understanding on how a story should be. Telling stories to children can enhance their language learning by introducing them to different languages and narrative styles such as the stories’ prologue, climax and epilogue (Whitehead, 2010). I gave the child the freedom to choose what kind of story she wanted to write and we both agreed on writing an imaginary story inspired by the movie ‘Frozen’ according to the child’s interest as practitioners should support children to write about things that interest them (DfE, 2012a). She was able to start planning her story without much difficulties but she faced problem in using the tablet. At the beginning, the child had a hard time trying to use the application in the tablet but I did not help her immediately. I gave her the time to explore the device herself and after a few trial and error and some guidance, she managed to navigate the device suc cessful. As accordance to the Montessori Method ‘control of error’, children learning from their mistake themselves can help them to develop a skill and knowledge more proficiently as their confidence and self-esteem increased (Lawrence, 1998). Throughout the process of illustrating the story, I took up the role as a facilitator. When the child had difficulties in continuing the story, I used open ended question like â€Å"What should you say if someone gave you something?† and â€Å"How did the girl felt?† According to Piaget, the role of an educator is to aid the children to come to their own understanding and asking questions instead of telling the answers and this could improve children’s comprehension and vocabulary (Chamberlin, 2014; Teachnology Inc, n,d). The child wanted to incorporate fantasy element in her story where the snowman has the ability to talk and I strongly agreed. Encouraging children’s imagination can develop their social skills and improve their confidence in learning or acquiring literacy skill (The Reader’s Digest Association, 2014). I started to involve myself more in the making of digital story when the child started to write text on each drawing as practitioners should â€Å"support and scaffold individual children’s writing as opportunities arise† (DfE, 2012a:31). I wanted to know the child’s writing skill so that I can support her to reach her maximum potential in literacy within her Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD). ZPD refers to the distance between what a child can do independently and what they could potentially do with the support of more knowledgeable adults and peers (Tools of the Mind, 2014). For example, I provided the child with short stories and few words’ flashcards related to her story that she can use. From the few options, she was able to choose which words she wanted to use, for instance, the word ‘build’ instead of ‘make’. There were a few spelling error where she invented herself through the sounds of the words but I encourage the chil d to continue without correcting her because children’s invented spelling can reflects their attempts in connecting the relationships of language’s sounds to the alphabetic system (Whitehead, 2010). I could see the child’s confidence in writing increased when she write without looking hesitant. Through this, I realised the child is developing positively in literacy as the child’s writing skill matched the early learning goals in EYFS where she could write simple sentences that can be read and could spell some words correctly and some phonetically reasonable (DfE, 2012b). Subsequently, I put all her completed drawings together using PowerPoint because it is an easy and accessible software where users can create and design their slides without much difficulties and it is suitable for new learners (Boundless, n.d). The child was very excited as it was her first time seeing a story in a digital form, moreover, she was involved in creating it. PowerPoint has the function where the child can easily choose the animation/effect that allowed her to portray her story better. For example, the child chose the curtain opening effect to display the starting of her story. The software effects that are used in a digital story enable children to link their story effectively and demonstrate understanding of their own story where children get to improve their reading comprehension (Vogel, 2007). Through the attractive and interactive way of presenting the story telling using the effects, I believe it will support the child’s literacy learning through the linking of words to image as according to Bruner, children from the age 1-6 years in his second mode of representation, iconic, the information that children had learned is stored in the form of images (McLeod, 2008). I also chose to use voice recorder to record the child’s voice because â€Å"writing with real voice has the power to make you pay attention and understand† (Elbow, 1981:299 cited in Nilsson, 2010). Voice recording had allow the child to express things she cannot write in words (Nilsson, 2010), therefore the child felt no barrier to explore her own vocabulary and I can see this when she said words that she did not write in her story. The child wanted to put music alongside with her voice and I agreed as it will display her emotions and expressions when she was creating the story. After completing the editing, I played the slides and praised her for her great work as treating her story interesting and reread it again can show the child that her effort was worth i t (Lawrence, 1998). Reflecting on this experience, I felt that the making and the usage of this resource alongside with the theories and approaches that I followed brought a positive result in enhancing the child’s language and emergent literacies and also allowing the child to understand better about ICTs. Through reflecting, I realised I should include more children in creating the resource as the children’s collaboration could encourage the exchange of knowledge in literacy happen during the discussion and planning to create the digital story. I also understand that digital storytelling is a fun yet effective way to support children’s learning because it enable the child to create stories that interest her and expanding her scope of learning in a modernized way. Now that I understand the impact of ICT in children’s learning, I will continue to incorporate ICT in my future activities with the children but with larger group of children so that children from diverse backgroun d can also have the opportunity to experience and learn from the usage of the technology. List of References Bolstad, R. (2004) The role and potential of ICT in early childhood education. Available at: http://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/publications/ict/4983 (Accessed: 29 November 2014). Boundless (n.d) The Advantages and Disadvantages of Powerpoint. Available at: https://www.boundless.com/communications/textbooks/boundless-communications-textbook/preparing-and-using-visual-aids-16/using-powerpoint-and-alternatives-successfully-85/the-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-powerpoint-323-5654/ (Accessed: 2 December 2014). Chamberlin, J. (2014) Bringing books to life. Available at: http://www.apa.org/monitor/2012/10/books.aspx (Accessed: 29 November 2014). Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) (2008) The Impact of Parental Involvement on Children’s Education. Nottingham: Crown. Department for Education (DfE) (2012a) Development Matters in the Early Years Foundation Stage. London: Crown. Department for Education (DfE) (2012b) Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. London: Crown. Green, S., Peterson, R., Lewis, J. (2006) ‘Language and Literacy Promotion in Early Childhood Settings: A survey of Center-Based Practices.’ Early Childhood Research and Practice, 8(1), 27-47. Hatherly, A., Ham, V., Evans, L. (2010) Effective Learning in Early Childhood Education? The Impact of the ECE ICT PL Programme: A Synthesis Report. Available at: http://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/publications/ECE/79138/1.-childrens-learning (Accessed: 30 November 2014). Kazakoff, E. (2012) Toward Defining Digital Literacy in Early Childhood. Available at: www.eetcconference.org/wp/Digital_Literacy_Early_Childhood.pdf (Accessed: 2 December 2014). Lawrence, L. (1998) Montessori Read Write. London: Ebury Press. McLeod, S. (2008) Bruner. Available at: http://www.simplypsychology.org/bruner.html (Accessed: 29 November 2014). New York State United Teachers (NYSUT) (2008) ‘How Drawing in Conjunction with Writing Contributes to Literacy.’ Journal of Best Practices in Education, 1(6), 36-43. Nilsson, M. (2010) ‘Developing Voice in Digital Storytelling through Creativity, Narrative and Multimodality.’ International Journal of Media, Technology Lifelong Learning, 6(2), 148-160. Pierangelo, R. and Giuliani, G. (2008) Teaching Students for Autism Spectrum Disorders. California: Corwin Press. Roney, J. (2008) Digital Story Telling for Language and Culture Learning. Available at: http://www.nwp.org/cs/public/print/resource/2812 (Accessed: 29 November 2014). Shah, A. and Godiyal, S. (2000) ‘ICT in the Early Years: Balancing the risks and benefits.’ Journal of Computing in Early Childhood, 3(1), 15-30. Teachnology Inc (n.d) Piaget’s Theory on Constructivism. Available at: http://www.teach-nology.com/currenttrends/constructivism/piaget (Accessed: 29 November 2014). The Reader’s Digest Association (2014) 5 Benefits of Encouraging Your Child’s Imagination. Available at: http://www.rd.com/advice/parenting/encourage-your-childs-imagination/# (Acccesed: 30 November 2014). Tools of the Mind (2014) Zone of Proximal Development and Scaffolding. Available at: http://www.toolsofthemind.org/philosophy/scaffolding/ (Accessed: 28 November 2014). UNICEF (n.d) United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Available at: http://www.unicef.org/crc/files/Rights_overview.pdf (Accessed: 27 November 2014). Vogel, J. (2007) Research Supporting Digital Storytelling. Available at: http://courseweb.lis.illinois.edu/~jevogel2/lis506/research.html (Accessed: 2 December 2014). Whitehead, M. (2010) Language and Literacy in the Early Years 0-7. 4th edn. London: SAGE Publications. 1

Adventure Education and Wilderness Sports Essay -- Physical Education

Are you ever satisfied when you do something and do not receive the results you want? I know you are not and nobody is. Everyone wants improvement in the world and people are happy and satisfied when everything is right. This concept can be applied to the world of physical education in today’s society. Obesity has slowly become one of the most problematic diseases that exist in the United States and the world today. The U.S. has been greatly impacted by this disease and more and more people in today’s society are overweight, unhealthy, and out of shape. Everyone knows that this issue needs to be fixed but in order to fix a problem you need to discover where the problem comes from. Many people blame food companies, which sell unhealthy food to people; others blame the media for promoting things such as junk food or video games. Other people blame the physical education systems in schools. Many people believe that physical education is not doing enough to help childr en and younger generations develop healthier habits. There is no doubt that society needs to change from being unhealthy and overweight to physically active and healthy, but many changes need to be done in society to do so, and making adjustments to physical education must be done. Physical education exists in schools to help students perform physical activity in schools and promote healthy lifestyles. It is extremely important that physical education teachers promote physical activity and healthy diets to young students because they are the ones who will be at risk of developing health issues such as obesity. Physical educators need to teach the younger generation the proper way to stay healthy so that they will continue to be physically active outside of phys... ...ntinue to do these activities to stay physically active. The younger generation needs to be taught these activities rather than team sports, because when they grow older volleyball, soccer, and basketball are harder to fit into your life than hiking or cycling for example. There is no doubt that physical education programs across the nation need to be adjusted or changed, and implementing Wilderness Sports and Adventure Education is an effective decision. Works Cited Kelly, L. E., L. Kelly, and V. Melograno. Developing the physical education curriculum: An achievement-based approach. Human Kinetics Publishers, 2004. Print. . Project adventure. advancing active learning. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Apr 2012. . Siedentop, D. Introduction to physical education, fitness, and sport. 7. McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages, 2009. Print.

An Analysis of the Market Structure of the Tourist Parking Lots in Noga

An Analysis of the Market Structure of the Tourist Parking Lots in Nogales, Arizona Introduction This paper focuses on the market for daily parking in a one mile radius of the Nogales, Arizona/Nogales, Mexico border. Traveling to a foreign country often requires numerous preparations, and months of planning; paying and waiting for a passport, booking a hotel, and airfare. Yet for the average United States citizen, the proximity to Mexico provides a convenient and cost-effective opportunity for international travel by car. According to the World Tourism Organization, some 11.7 million tourists traveled by road to visit Mexico in 2004. While this number cannot be attributed to United States citizens in its entirety, approximately 94% of total tourism in Mexico is comprised of United States citizens (World Tourism Organization). Out of this number, approximately 72,139 tourists were considered â€Å"day visitors†. It is this high popularity of traveling to Mexico by car coupled with United States’ policy (to be discussed in detail) that has led to the construction of the border parking lots. Background During the 1970s the Nixon administration began an anti-drug campaign that came to be known as the "war on drug abuse" era. The crackdown of the importation of illegal substances into the United States gave birth to the creation of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). The DEA enabled more efficient searches to take place especially along the border of Mexico and the United States. It was during this time that the Canine Enforcement Training Center was established in Washington D.C. (U.S. Customs Today) and the use of the canine came into play as officers came to rely on skilled dogs and their handlers to detect ... ...quirements and Beefed-Up Border.† 1 May 2005. . Keel, Robert. â€Å"Schaffer Library of Drug Policy.† . Mintz, John. â€Å"U.S. Will Tighten Passport Rules.† 6 April 2005 . â€Å"New Passport Initiative Announced To Better Secure America’s Borders.† 5 April 2005. . â€Å"Press Release: Western Hemisphere Initiative Formally Submitted for Public Comment† . â€Å"U.S. Customs Today.† February 2003. . â€Å"World Trade Organization- Mexico Tourism Indicators.† .

gay literature :: essays research papers

While sexual difference may not exist between lesbians all other forms of difference do. These include differences of identity: race, class origins, employment status, age, religion, physical abilities - and while we may struggle against these differences within our individual ‘spaces’ they have a material and institutional reality that cannot be wished away What, to you, seems important about the terms gay and lesbian in literature? In the face of a homophobic society we need creative and critical processes that draw out the complexity of lesbian lives and same sex choices, not a retreat into the comforting myths of heroines and unfractured, impeachable identities This quote addresses directly the primary difficulty of the issue. The terms gay and lesbian are useful in literature in that they allow a group of people who have been marginalised and even persecuted to become visible. They enable a way of life and a set of identities, harmonious or conflicting, to be presented, to be questioned, to be understood and accepted. As categories they create ‘space’ in which there may develop a more evolved understanding of texts and they also create a genre within which many lesbian and gay writers are comfortable with being placed. A gendered reading of a text can reveal undercurrents and depths which might otherwise not be apparent. These categories also make ‘space’ for the author within the text which leads to a closer tie between the author and the reader in the reading process. However the danger which this sort of terminology presents is that of homogenising ways both of reading and writing a text. In creating a category one is always not only creating an inclusive zone but in doing so also excluding certain elements. The risk is run of stultifying the creative process through the exclusion by a minority group of the minority groups within. As Bonnie Zimmerman writes in her essay ‘Lesbians like this and that’ By positing the lesbian as ‘excess’ in the patriarchal system we may fail to note the identities that function as ‘excess’ within our own newly created lesbian community. There is a risk of adopting a separatist approach, of placing the categories of gay and lesbian literature outside the mainstream and creating a gay canon but in doing so retaining the underlying values of that ‘patriarchal system.’ How does one avoid replicating the masculinist cultural error of taking the dominant for the universal

Maintaining Patient Safety Essay

Maintaining Patient Safety When working in an acute care setting such as a hospital, safety is the number one priority. A safe environment greatly reduces the risk for illness or injury. It’s not only for the patient; it’s also for the healthcare provider. For a nurse, it begins when she/he meets the patient. She must assess the room and make sure there is no debris littered on the floor, that all IV tubing is untangled and not on the floor, and that the patient’s bed is down in the lowest position with both side rails up. One mistake that has been committed is having the patient’s bed in a high level in order to prevent back strain, but then remembering that they forgot the linens and leave the room with the patient basically â€Å"in the air†. The problem with this is that is the patient is drowsy, or groggy, or is incapable of walking and ends up rolling and falling off. The patient could also be of a different height and assume their feet will touch the floor and instead end up falling off the side of the bed. This is why before you leave a room you must make sure to lower the bed back to its original position, low. Although the bed has four side rails you can only keep two up at a time unless ordered by a physician for the patient’s safety, otherwise it is considered false imprisonment. In order to avoid this easily avoidable error we must remember to finish what we complete with the patient and then to lower the bed and make sure the side rails are raised. If by chance we forgot something outside of the patient’s room, stop and lower the bed, and when you return, raise it again. Without these cautionary details, a patient could fall and end up remaining hospitalized for an extended time.

Welfare Reform Act Hcr 230

The Welfare Reform Act Today I will be discussing the Welfare Reform Act and if it has caused existing Medicaid beneficiaries to lose needed coverage and if the welfare act has kept eligible Medicaid candidates from enrolling. Also I will discuss whether or not the welfare reform act has been effective in reducing welfare fraud, increasing personal goals, and basically if it has been able to successfully meet its goals that it had been intended to meet. Welfare Reform Act was established in 1996 with the intentions of changing the social welfare policy of the country.The idea was to reduce the number of people or families that were dependent on government assistance while at the same time helping these people become more independent. They have the welfare to work program which required work in exchange for time limited financial assistance, which is part of the reform act. Also they Job Search which are classes that give people the basic skills that they never had before. For example the taught people how to dress for job interviews, fill out an application correctly, make a resume and how to speak when at a job interview. Teaching them what kinds of questions are asked and how to answer them.There debates about how well the welfare programs work but at least people have more education on the steps needed to get a job. However the initial welfare programs are out dated and needed to be reformed since no programs ever will seem to be able to meet every need of every low income or underprivileged individual or family, more reforms are needed even still. However, â€Å"within 3 years of the reforms enactment, millions of Americans had moved from being dependent on welfare to being self-sufficient. In addition, agencies reported a reduction in the number of social welfare cases. In 2004, the Welfare-to-Work program ended, but during the time this program was active millions of Americans lives were changed for the better (US Welfare System-Help for US Citizens, 201 2). The Welfare Act does affect individuals who receive Medicaid benefits because rules and guidelines can often be changed for participants who participate in this insurance plan. Individuals who gain insurance through Medicaid usually can get it through the TANF program and if there is not a TANF program in place then individuals will not be able to apply for Medicaid benefits.There are many questions that are unanswered such as, â€Å"Should the Medicaid program be considered a health financing program or a welfare program? Should states be given the same flexibility to design and redesign Medicaid programs as was being considered for cash welfare programs? † (Moore,. 1999) Medicaid participants sometimes remain un-enrolled even though they are needy as a result of the Welfare Reform Act, because each state can define their own criteria for eligibility and services and expand or deny services entirely to certain groups that the Department of Human Service staff would belie ve to be a good cause (Moore,. 999). HCFA (Health Care Financing Administration (now the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services), issued a regulation that extends the time allowed to process Medicaid eligibility redeterminations from up to 45 days to up to 120 days. This extension recognizes the extra work states will have to perform to process redeterminations of Medicaid eligibility for individuals who lose SSI as a result of welfare reform provisions and assures that Federal Medicaid matching funds will continue while the redeterminations are made.States generally are not permitted to terminate an individual's Medicaid benefits until it is determined that the individual does not qualify for Medicaid as part of any other eligibility group (Gundling, R. 1997). The Welfare Reform Act is effective in reducing welfare fraud to a certain degree. In other words they have not gotten rid of fraudulent acts but they have reduced them.Here in San Bernardino County they not only check yo ur state identification and your social security card making sure they match up correctly but also run both name and number to be sure there is not a case open anywhere else but they also have you bring in prove of residency and then take your picture and finger prints and run them the system. All of that has helped along with getting rid of paper food stamps and giving out like a debit card that both cash aid and food stamps are out onto once a month. Before people would trade their food stamps like money almost and now you can’t do that.They can only be used for what they were intended for and only at stores that accept EBT otherwise known as Electronic Benefits Transfer which is one’s food stamps and cash aid. So while they have reduced fraud at the same time they increased personal responsibility because since you cannot trade as before people are more likely to do the right thing with their EBT and that goes for stores to because with the EBT cards there is a bett er record of what is being paid for with the EBT so store owners cannot get away with selling items not allowed to be purchased with the food stamps portion on the EBT card.This holds them responsible for their part in committing a fraudulent act. I remember when it was the paper food stamps and in recent years had to receive the new EBT for a short time and was happy to learn about the changes. These rules protect more than just the government but the honest people as well. The Welfare Reform Act has been successful in meeting its intended goals such as placing families on job searches, or providing education needs and training. Also the Welfare Act had other goals such as having families not rely on government benefits and gain employment which has happened for the most part.References US Welfare System-Help for US Citizens. (2012). Welfare Reform-Social Welfare Change. Retrieved from http://www. welfareinfo. org/reform/ Valerius, J. (2008). Medical Insurance. An Integrated Claims Process Approach (3rd Ed. ). Moore, J. D. (1999). Welfare Reform and Its Impact on Medicaid. Retrieved from http://www. nhpf. org/library/issue-briefs/IB732_WelfRef;Mcaid_2-26-99. pdf Gundling, R. (1997). Welfare reform's effect on Medicaid eligibility. Hfm (Healthcare Financial Management), 51(5), 88.