Educational Aspiration of Primary School Child Essay

The topic Educational aspirations of rural India deals with studying the aspirations of the rural children and trying to focus on the various factors that affect the aspirations of the children in some way or the other. Five of us had gone to five different states in India with the aim of studying the aspirations of the rural children of that region and then trying to find out the factors that really contribute towards them. The reason for selecting this particular topic was that we were given a choice of our own to explore any field we want. We were all interested in knowing more about the rural youths and their aspirations. To try to know what is the difference between the kids from a rural India and since we some of us had lived and had our education in rural India we wanted to go back and explore the changes that have come in the society if any. Our curiousness towards the education system and to know where the future of India sees itself made us choose this topic. Initially we all were thinking individually on the topic but once we knew about our similar interest, we tried coming up with a topic in the field that excites us all and finally we chose this topic. Also one more reason for choosing this topic was that few of us were going to really backward states and some of us were going to the states with the best educational services. So in a way we were getting the opportunity to study across states and come up with our findings of the reasons of particular aspirations in particular regions and how these are affected in different societies. The topic in our view holds quite an importance in today’s time as learning about the primary kids of the rural India gives us a glimpse into what the future might hold in for them and also for the nation. Since children of today are the future of tomorrow so knowing their aspirations, factors affecting them can certainly help in making changes that can lead the society and the nation towards a better future. The five of us had gone to five different states namely Bihar, Odisha, Haryana, Kerala and Uttarakhand. The comparative study in the later part of the report talks about the status of primary education across these states along with the factors affecting them. 2. OBJECTIVES * To develop an understanding of the educational aspirations of the primary level children in rural India. * Trying to understand the various factors that play an important role in affecting the aspirations of the primary level children. * To do the comparative analysis across 5 different states under a common platform and identify common issues and problems. 3. STATUS OF PRIMARY EDUCATION IN INDIA Education is important not only for the growth of an individual but also for the nation as a whole. Primary education has been the foundation on which the development of every individual as well as the nation depends. But making primary education available to everyone has been a major issue and along with this making quality primary education available has all been more problematic for the state. But in the past few years, India has shown tremendous growth in the literacy levels and achievements in providing successfully education to all at the primary level. Various govt. schemes are being implemented in different states that have resulted in providing assistance as well as incentives to the children to come to school and study. Right of children to free and compulsory education bill was passed in 2008. Special schemes for the underprivileged sections of the society are being implemented. 3. 1 Govt. schemes Different govt. schemes are being implemented in various states across India at the primary level. Some of them are: * Mid Day Meal Scheme (MDMS): MDMS is a scheme that was launched as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme in 1995. This programme ensures provision of cooked mid day meal to children studying at elementary level at govt. , local body or govt. aided schools. * Cycle distribution: Another scheme in Bihar where a cycle is distributed to the children†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. * Scholarships for EWS: †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. * SSA: Sarva Siksha Abhiyan meaning education for all is another one of the many govt. schemes that aims at providing education to all. This program aims to universalize elementary education by community ownership of the school system. This program also provides an opportunity for improving human capabilities to all children. * Education Guarantee Scheme: This is one of the components of SSA aimed at providing education to the children. 3. 2 Literacy level The literacy level has been on a rise in India with the latest census report stating the literacy rate of our country to be 68% in 2007. This is a substantial increase from 12% at the time of independence and is commendable since the population is also growing at an abrupt pace. Among the Indian states Kerala holds the highest literacy level where Bihar is the lowest. This also accounted for an interesting study as these were the 2 of 5 states being covered. The adult literacy rate was 66% in 2007 whereas the youth literacy rate was 82% in 2001. 4. METHOD OF STUDY * Structured and unstructured interviews: One of the techniques used by us for getting information was structured and unstructured interviews. Many a times, going with questionnaires in our hands raised doubts in the minds of the people, so to avoid that we started with informal chats and then went on with the topic. * Questionnaires: Questionnaires were a means of getting information especially from the primary teachers and the village level authorities. Household interviews were also conducted based on the questionnaires. * Emoticon analysis: For the children of primary level it is many a time difficult to ask questions and get the answers. Also they identify more easily with the visual aids rather than talking, so for a part of our questions to the primary children, we had a set of emoticons for them and they had to choose the answer based on the emoticons. These emoticons basically expressed their feelings and moods at different points of time. * FGDs: FGDs were conducted among teachers so that we can come to know their view points on the current education system and the factors affecting the level of primary education. * Observations: Also observing was one of our main methods of studying about the village and also what the kids do in the school during their breaks and the classes. 5. CHALLENGES FACED There were many challenges faced by us during the work we were carrying out on the theme paper. Many a times the teachers were suspicious as to why we are doing this work and why do we want to know about them and the education there from the kids? Initially most of our time went in explaining our field work objectives and our reasons to be there. Getting information from the kids was one major challenging task as most of them were very shy and it really took great effort to get things out of them and that too correct information. Also a major challenge faced was that many lower caste families who didn’t send their children to primary schools showed no interest in talking on this topic to us. It was hard for us to convince them to talk to us. Language was one more challenge that was faced especially in Odisha. Few of the people in Uttarakhand too, especially women talked in the local Jaunsar language that made things difficult to interpret. 6. STATEWISE DATA All of us had gone to different states viz. Bihar, Odisha, Haryana, Kerala and Uttarakhand. Following is a brief description of the villages that we had gone to along with some of the information about our villages and the level of primary education there, along with the factors affecting them in our respective villages. The comparative analysis across states shows the factors affecting the aspirations of the primary level children and how they differ in different societies. 6. 1 BIHAR Literacy rate of Bihar: 47. 53% Literacy rate of Samastipur: 45. 76% Male: 57. 83%. Female: 32. 69% Educational programmes going in Bihar: 1). Sarva Siksha Abhiyan (SSA) 2). National programme for Education of Girls at Primary Level (NPEGEL) 3). Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya (KGBV) 4). School Sanitation and Hygiene Education Programme (SSHE) Literacy rate of Muhammadpur Kowari village: 42% Population of Muhammadpur Kowari village: 11,500 Income sources: Agriculture Laborer Business Rickshaw pulling Government and private service. Income level: Annual income ranged from Rs. 20,000 – 1, 50,000 per annum of the respondents. Education Infrastructure: 1) Anganwadis- 11 in no. 2) Government School- 5 in no. Primary-4 Middle- 1 High– Nil 3) Private School- 1 ( upto class 8) 4) LSC runned by AKRSP-22 Village had eleven Anganwadi centres which would impart learning to toddlers and preschoolers. There were five government primary schools out of which one was upgraded to the middle school. In addition to this there was one private school in village upto class 8th. For higher studies students had to go to Tajpur for class eighth upwards. Apart from this there were private schools at Pusa Road and Tajpur where students of better off families used to study. Muslim families preferred Madarasa education for their children in adjoining village Shahpur Baghauni. One can also find coaching centres mushrooming in and around the village where unemployed college graduates were taking classes and also private tuitions. We came to know that this mushrooming was due to ‘Haushla Afjaaayi Sceme’ of state government who would reward students promoted from class ninth to tenth and those who passed tenth board examination with first division marks. Parent would supplement government school education with private tuitions (Rs.50-100 per student) and coaching for class eighth upwards. But this was not the case for poor who had higher dropout rates. Regarding this the role of AKRSP is worthwhile to mention that it ran Learning and Support Centre (LSC) in minority and dalit tolas which imparted free education at nominal fee of Rs. 10 per child per month for two hours in the morning at 22 centres. It was not considered as substitute for schools rather a complement to emphasize role and awareness regarding education. It attracted students from muslim community and dalits who could not afford high cost otherwise. Here education was more fun rather than drudgery unlike government schools. 6. 1. 1 Factors affecting primary education: a). Parents- Parents attitude and perception regarding the education determines the education and aspiration of children. This attitude and perception in turn is decided by the education of the parents, environment they live in, earnings, some past experiences and interest in child development. Muhammadpur Kowari village had 58% muslim population and 42% hindus of lower castes and their education level and income was very low. Mostly worked as farmers, laborers, and rickshaw pullers and migrated to other states and cities as land holding was less while family size was quite large. So they had a pressure to earn from the very beginning and hardly anyone was matriculate except few. Given the constraints they could not afford good education or think big and were reluctant as many had daughters to marry. Though fathers were not so optimistic regarding education of the child but mothers were very conscious and enthusiastic. Mostly the reply came they don’t want their children to suffer hardships as they had and education was the way to end misery by getting better jobs and lifestyle. Migrant workers that returned on Chhath and BakrId had exposure to outside world and emphasized the need of education and it was evident in their family. However there existed a disparity between spending on education of male and female child in financially sound or medium families whereas there was slight or no difference in poor families as both sexes went to same school and no access to tuitions or coachings or private school. The difference was owing to notion that male child would support family while girls are a liability. b). Teachers- Their qualification, training, apathy, absenteeism or engagement in other works( e. g. election duty, vaccination drives etc. ) proves to be a deciding factor in shaping the minds and thus aspirations of the children. The differentiation on basis of caste, religion or gender has very deleterious effect emotionally and psychologically. Such children develop low self esteem, unwantedness and develop bitterness. In this village when the teachers were interviewed regarding this topic they agreed the lack of staff s (4 teachers were for a middle school upto 8th standard) and hampering of studies due to other official works. Also, the teachers arrived late for the duty and could be seen chatting on the verandah and had no concerns what was going inside the classroom. The lack of trained teachers was felt as para teachers appointed to take classes were not qualified enough to take classes off higher standards. In 2 schools it was found that more than 1 class was going on in a single classroom and in 1 school had 2 rooms only so the classes were conducted under a thatched roof. It was common in many schools the student of class 6 had less learning what would have been otherwise obvious for class 4 reasons being the quality of teaching in government school. An incident was there when a teacher was asked in an informal conversation about aforesaid e. g. he told parents would come and quarrel that my child knows less than the ‘Y’ child and create nuisance so they had to pass all. As a result of this child would fare badly in high classes. Moreover the mismanagement of funds in midday meal scheme was brought in a notice in panchayat meeting. In another example when an Anganwadi staff was asked about the afternoon meal offered at anganwadi she told that out of Rs. 10,000 allocated Rs. 6000 would be shared among officer issuing the fund and the rest would serve the purpose naturally the quality will decline. c). Students- When the students were interviewed along with emoticons it was a real fun for them. However it was tried best to interview them post school so in front of teachers they would hesitate and could not express freely. Female students were interviewed in school only because of the conservative nature of the households and they used to come from far places. In schools as well as at LSCs the performance of girls was better than that of boys. The students had interest and had better result in mathematics but had poor performance in language paper. According to the survey it s because of 2 reasons- teaching was boring and teacher was usually absent, secondly many students had been taught in urdu at home and thus had difficulty in writing in hindi. When boys were asked about being absent from school they gave following reasons- going to relatives house ( as it was a festival time), helping father in fields( sowing time for tobacco and cauliflower), no teaching in school as many teachers were either absent or had taken leave after the election duty. Also, there were boys who came to school but did not attend classes as their peers were playing. However girls had a different reason as some of them had to look after their younger brother or sister while her mother went to work in fields while some of them accompanied their parents to pusa road market to sell vegetables. But surprisingly the attendance, interest and performance of the students were better at LSC because it incorporated rhymes, playthings, drawing and games period and more dynamic teachers. LSC had meeting with parents once a month, emphasized on curricular activities as well. It had organized ‘Bal Sabha’ (parent’s day) on 19th November which was a new experience for kids and more fun. d). School infrastructure- The debilitated conditions of government schools with leaky roofs, lack of drinking water and toilets is a discouraging factor for girl child enrollment and also absenteeism. Lack of teaching aids, text books, sports articles makes teaching learning process a monotonous act so a child tries different ways to escape school. Also, bullying by other boys or fear of corporeal punishment by teachers is a major cause of dropouts and absenteeism in these schools. All these were common in the village and absenteeism was more in rainy season as school had lessrooms or was leaky. One can imagine the scene of two classes commencing in a single room and learning of child in this environment. Moreover if there were any marriages around it was a practice to stay Baraat in the school so unofficially it was a kin of holiday. e). Economic condition of family- This factor was found to be the most important factor along with parent’s attitude and perception during the village stay. Now here are 4 cases- firstly the family was poor and wanted the child to continue study, secondly they wanted child to earn or assist in fields or do other works for livelihood, thirdly family was well off and could afford education and fourthly they wanted them to look after agriculture as land holding and agricultural income was more so they felt there is no need to study. It has been discussed in detail in parents section. f). Societal culture – It describes how the society affects parents and children thinking and feeling about education and what they aspire to become in future. At Muhammadpur Kowari the villagers were involved in agriculture and labor works mainly and were either illiterate or had very less formal education so they were less informed. They viewed education as a way to overcome poverty by seeking jobs such as teaching, police, army, government service etc. So any successful example of anyone getting such jobs was looked with respect and younger generation wanted to emulate his success. On the other hand many of the views that every educated man does not gets the government job so there is no use to study and wanted their child to engage in works. Another kind of thought that emerged was to seek benefit of schemes by enrolling child to school or to engage naughty children for few hours or the meal served in the afternoon at school. Many dalits had bitter experience of discrimination in the past and viewed education and ‘aspirations’ as privilege of upper class and caste and it would make no difference to their conditions. Muslims send their children to madarsa for education and by 14 years of age they dropped out to learn some tailoring or masonry works to earn bread and butter. Very few muslim households send their children to school and those belonging to Sheikhs and business class had tutors for their children. Home tutors were available for girl child because of parda system they were not going outside the village to study and after 8th standard they dropped out. However it was a matter of surprise that these girls when interviewed were happier and had no desire to study further and it had developed in their society as upper limit of girl education.. One more observation was that muslim family had no issues in sending their girl child to LSCs run by AKRSP because it was nearby or in their locality and mostly the female teachers were in that centres. Hence concern for security and parda system was guiding the aspirations. 6. 2 ODISHA Village:Badampada Block:Kaptipada District:Mayurbhanj State: Odisha 6. 2. 1 Village:Badampada: -The village Badampada is 60 kms from Baripada, the district head quarter of Mayurbhanj. It is around 8 km away from block head quarter, kaptipada. The place I visited is coming under tribal belt of Mayurbhanj. The Similipal reserve forest is near to our village. since the area is surrounded by the dense forest, people are more involved into NTFP collection from the jungle. Since the forest cover is depleting day by day, more people are diverted towards agriculture. Besides agriculture, some people depend on livestock. A very few people are salaried and a small fraction of the villagers are businessmen. The literacy rate of Orissa is 63. 08% (2001 census), while the literacy rate of the district is 52. 43%. The literacy rate of the district is not par with the state, because the tribe constitute 57. 67% of the total population of the state. Since there was very less tribal family in our village, literacy rate of the village is more than that of district i. e 60%. The various schemes are implemented by the state govt to attract the children to the school. The children in the primary school are provided Mid Day meal . The students are also text books, free of cost through District Primary Education Programme (DPEP). To improve the female literacy rate, the state Govt is providing school uniform to girls in the primary school. TheState govt. declared Rs 500 cr for Sarva Siksha Abhijan scheme . There is a primary school in the village, badampada which caters to the need of nearby villages like vaisnab sahi,Dhumkheta ,sisodia etc. Among them Vaisnab Sahi is the tribal dominated village. 6. 2. 2 Factors Affecting aspiration of the Children of Primary School * Parents- School students in the village are enthusiastic about education; however, parents are not very supportive. Most parents seem to think education as a meaningless practice without any real benefit. Most people in the village are from the working class, they force their children to help them in their work. I found major difference between Odiya and tribal families. While parents of Odiya family are very much enthusiastic to send their children to school, the case is opposite is in tribal families. * Teachers-The teachers play a vital role in the primary education. The teachers in the village show very little interest towards the education . I came to know, some teachers are involved in parallel business during school time. They do not work for the entire duration of their duty period and go home early. Another trick used by teachers is periodic presence by teachers (at a particular time one teacher remains present, while may be the remaining one is absent) . I am reliably informed that the school Head master was caught while stealing eggs which were provide for Mid day meal . * School Infrastructure- There is two class rooms and one office room in the primary school. So multiple classes are going on in one class room. The situation inside the class room is very much chaotic. It is very difficult on the part of the teacher to handle the multiple classes at a time. I have observed number children moving outside the classroom during school time. The teacher student ratio is 38 in the school. The school children are not getting books at the right time. No audio visual aid is provided to the school. * Economic status – The parents of the well off family send their children to English Medium School at Kaptipada. Due to poor economic status of the tribal household, they can’t afford the other facilities to their children during festival period; there is high absenteeism in the school in case of tribal students. Since they are not provided with any amusement in their home, they attend the fair without going to school. Some children help their household working in others firm to meet the day to day household consumption. * Societal Culture- Children imbibes from the society, surrounding them. Since, the parents are not much aware about the benefit of the education; they don’t motivate their children to attend the school. They are in favour of instant income. Children leave school in early age to earn money in tribal family. 6. 3 HARYANA Village : Gundiani Block : Mustafabad Tehsil : Jaghadhari District : Yamuna Nagar 6. 3. 1 Village: Gundiani: – A small village of population 494, located about 4 km away from a small town called Mustafabad, connected via road and rail routes. According to my fieldwork stay , village seems to be prosperous and it was supported by government data of BPL family number which was eight only out of total 68 households. Major income generating source of villagers is agriculture and apparently few villagers do have some business and services options as well which they have chosen over agriculture, even there are some instances of villagers going abroad for earning livelihood. Hence as the sources of income was varied so the income level was also have a varied range of about one lakh to 60 lakh per annum. Infrastructures related to education available in village boundaries were a government primary school, however within a 3 km radius of village one government higher secondary school, three private schools were located and school buses of 3-4 prominent private schools of which one include Delhi Public School, ply to the village for picking students. Literacy rate of Haryana is 67. 91 % ( 2006 data ), and that of the Yamuna nagar district is 72. 20 % ( 2006 data ) while that of village Gundiani was found to be 68. 81% ( 2010 data collected by Kamal & Sandeep). Well irrespective of all these infrastructure the literacy level of village was on not a brighter side as compared to overall state literacy level and on the lower side as compared to that of district. This can be attributed to the previous generation literacy as the thinking of previous generation was that they need to do agriculture only, so there is no need of education for that, hence this thinking pulled down the overall literacy level to lower side. 6. 3. 2 Factors affecting aspiration of primary school children: * Parents: They play the most important role as home is the building stone of the child’s life and in the home the family i. e parents play a vital role in aspiring the child for education. Educational qualification of parents is a major factor which shapes the thinking of parents towards education and future of their child. In village Gundiani, although the literacy level was low but still parents were conscious enough about education of their child. But they were not aware of future aspects and where to get this information. Parents just see other children from the village and their society and hence understand the importance of education and hence inspire high for the children. * Teachers: At primary level teachers influence the most the future of a child as they mold the mind of a child and hence inspire the actions of child towards life and education as well. In village Gundiani, in government primary school there were only two teachers and they were taking enough pain to work towards better future of students. They used to educated students regarding what they have to face in future if they don’t study well and always used to give examples of various other people from their village only so that children can easily relate them and can learn easily the importance of education. While in the private schools in nearby areas it was not so as the teachers employed by majority of schools were not well qualified, they were there to just teach from text books and were helping the children to understand the importance of education. But still the parents tend to send their child to a private school, the main reason behind this was that admitting your child to private school was seen as a status symbol in the village, and even few poor people used to send their child just to develop their status. Hence we can say that the teachers play a vital role developing the aspirations of a child at primary level. * School Infrastructure: This is one of the vital components affecting the aspiration of children and their perception towards education. In the village Gundiani the government school was having two class rooms and one room for mid day meal scheme meal preparation. There were six standards in the school but there were only two class rooms in each of which three consecutive standards were taught by teachers side by side. While in case of nearby private schools each standard was taught in different class room and enough teachers were available but the qualification of teachers was questionable to some extent. In the class rooms teaching aid were available in case of government schools while in some of the few private schools they were thinking of incorporating it. * Economic Status: Economic status of family matters a lot in case of the education provided to the child and hence in direct proportion affects the inspirations of the child as well parents towards education. As the family income largely determines the chances of a child getting education and its quality depending upon the schools to which children are sent. Apart from the school the outside school education and facilities provided by parents according to their economic status like availing school bus so that child can go to far off better school and also time wastage in traveling can be minimized, availing private tuitions, better text books. Also better economic status of parents give a high confidence level to the child and in turn all the above factors highly influence the inspirations of child as well that of parents towards education of their child. * Societal culture: This section basically include the society and culture the village which highly affect the thinking of parents, teachers and in the end that of child. In society parents see the other children and then compare their child with others and hence try that their child also progress up to some benchmark set by them. Also availability of few role models in the village like few villagers have migrated to other big cities due to jobs and a few migrated foreign which proved to be role models for the parents of other children and hence they also wanted their child to prosper in life and get up to those positions. For this the parents were clearly aware that their child needs to be sent to school. Hence the societal cultures of the village influence significantly the inspiration of the parents in in turn that of the child. 6. 4 KERALA It is possible to say that the state of Kerala has a unique position in the education map of India with a literacy rate of 90. 92%. This rate is the highest in India according to 2001 census. Out of which literacy rate of men and women accounts to 94. 2% and 87. 86% respectively. Kerala became the first state in India to declare full literacy in one district called Ernakulam (1990). With the support of central government, government of Kerala launched a number of programmes in education sector. One of such programmes is â€Å"Akshara Keralam† introduced in 1991. It was aimed at bringing maximum number of illiterates to schools and other study centres. Apart from all these NGO interventions on education are also there in rural and backward areas of Kerala. In April1991 Kerala was declared as fully literate state by NLM (As per the norms of NLM, a literacy rate above 90 % shall be treated as complete literacy). Kerala topped the Education Development Index (EDI) among 21 major states in India in year 2006-2007. A report by NLM in 2007 states that Mizoram surpassed Kerala in literacy rate. SSA is also running well in Kerala. CDS, Trivandrum is monitoring the activities of SSA in Kerala. Kerala has made major achievements in school enrolment at the primary level and in preventing drop outs. Education providers in Kerala include both government and private parties. The percentage of private aided schools is considerably high. Government schools constitute 33% of total schools in Kerala. Education in these schools is completely free. Government aided private schools and fully private owned schools accounts to 45% and 22% respectively. Number of primary schools in Kerala is 6712(2551-govt, 4003-aided private, 158-unaided private) Education accounts for more than one third of the total revenue expenditure of the state. The per capita expenditure on education is the second highest among states in India. 6. 4. 1 Idukki District Profile Idukki is the high range district of Kerala. It is famous for its Mountainous Hills and Spices. This district occupies 13% of the area of Kerala. It can be said that for Keralites Idukki, means power generation also. About 66% of the state’s power needs come from the Hydroelectric Power Projects in Idukki. 88. 58% of the district population is literate. Male literacy rate (92%) is much higher compared to female literacy rate (85%). 6. 4. 2 Karunapuram Village Profile Karunapuram village comes under Udumbanchola taluka of Idukki and Nedumkandam block. It has a population of 26033 according to 2001 census. The major source of income is agriculture and allied activities. The literacy rate of this village is 87%. 40 Anganwadis are there. 6. 4. 3 Factors affecting the educational aspirations and their role in Karunapuram * Parents: -.

Gustav Flaubert and Ivan Turgenev

The Romantics is a culturally inclined book written by Pankaj Mishra. The publication deals with life's differences and how people came to know more about their own respective cultures. It brings out every reader into a journey of culture. life and the true meaning of existence. The main character Samar, made his move while he is in a juxtaposition of cultures. One may find himself in the shoes of Samar who wanted to engage in more discoveries. Samar, is a fresh graduate who arrived in Benares, also known as the holy city in 1989.He wanted to continue with his solitary life with his book as he chose to stay in a room there. Samar loves to deal with his friends namely Edmund Wilson, Gustav Flaubert and Ivan Turgenev. But on the place where he stays, he lives adjacent to a woman from the west, Catherine. She is a French young woman who had a great impact on Samar's life. She made a vast change on his outlook in life and dealing with what the good world awaits for him. He was able to re cover from the past that he wanted to escape but then the conflicting part is that he falls for the wrong woman.Catherine is already committed which made the story interesting. It was really a big frustration for him to know the truth since he fall in love for the first time since he never believe in the set up of love before. In Benares he discovered many things that changed his life. Starting from the ancestors Brahmin down to practices and political issues. He was able to contemplate on the commonality of people who are there. They all wanted to escape their past. Going back to Samar and Catherine, the two had a chance to become lovers but then Catherine decided to cut their relationship off.Good thing Samar was able to recover and took a teaching job for young Tibetan children. When he was reunited with an old friend from Benares after seven years, he told himself that he is apart from those people who lives there. He is now far from the old tradition and on his way to recuperat ing for a better future. The Romantics tells about the clashing of culture in contemporary India. The author attempted to explore how people during the time differ from their backgrounds, culture and how it is romanticized to unveil the mysteries of India.

What is the DSPD philosophy?

1. What is the DSPD philosophy? Explain how the operations of the different teams reflect the DSPD philosophy. The DSPD philosophy is Callaway’s belief of making demonstrably superior and pleasingly different products to golfing. This idea was established by Callaway’s previous business experiences and it served as the primary guiding principle for this company, the company that grew out of Hickory Stick USA. Their teamwork is built around five different areas: research and development, information systems, manufacturing, sales, and general/administrative services. The research and development team is responsible for designing, building prototypes, and testing the company’s premium golf equipment. The DSPD theory is evident here because they are thorough when conjuring new ideas of designs for their prototypes, as they make sure that this department of people is trained in a wide range of industries. Next, the information systems team supplies the company’s information needs around the clock using different computer applications. The manufacturing team achieves levels of efficiency, innovation, and safety that are at the top of the golf industry, using the latest manufacturing and assembly techniques. The sales team spans the word, providing gold retailers with the latest advances in golf equipment and the highest quality service. The general/administrative team helps to build and grow the company by supporting the activities of the other teams; they consist of accountants, legal experts, artists, human resource generalists, receptionists, writers, and others. These are the many components that add up to be Callaway’s secret to their DSPD philosophy that has worked so well for them over the years. 2. What team member characteristics does Callaway Golf consider to be important? Callaway Golf ensures that their teams are top-notch by seeking certain skills in each of their members. Although they value diversity, they look for integrity, honesty, daring, enthusiasm, accountability, and hard work in each of their employees. This helps them achieve their â€Å"healthy balance between career and play†, recognizing that this results in â€Å"happier people who are more productive in every aspect of their lives†. This reflects Callaway’s belief in similarities and differences among their employees to forge five very effective teams. 3. Consider the question at the very end of the case: â€Å"Will Callaway be able to maintain this balance in the future? Or will diversity be sacrificed for commonality, or commonality for diversity? † What is the most reasonable answer to this question? Why? The most rational answer to this question is merely yes, they will be able to maintain this balance. It has been 28 years since Ely Callaway entrusted his name into this company that still remains standing tall and strong today. They have managed to keep up with ever changing golfing standards, and it is simply illogical that their practices will somehow fail them in the future. Their employees are ensured to be trained in a colourful range of fields, and their five teams work collectively implementing their well thought out DSPD philosophy, and this is pretty much all they need. These key characteristics are also what got them their strong and wealthy client base, making them a very profitable organization. Despite all this success, they still certify that their workers are always satisfied, and this is also the most vital part to running a company. With satisfied workers, they will always be able to get work done efficiently, and they will be able to tackle and new problems that may come before them in the future. The same way they are able to adapt and entail up until today, they would definitely be able to keep it up in the forthcoming years. . Identify a competitor of Callaway Golf. How does Callaway Golf’s DSPD philosophy compare with the fundamental management philosophy of the competitor? What managerial insights do you gain from making this comparison? One major competitor of Callaway Golf is the Karsten Manufacturing Corporation. They are the manufactures of the world renowned PING golfing equipment. According to their â€Å"about us† section on the official PING website, they are a family owned company founded in 1959 in the garage of Karsten Solheim. His frustration with his putter inspired him to create a new one that made a â€Å"pinging† sound when striking a golf ball. These are the roots to a foundation that has become quite successful today. They feel that this success is owed to their philosophy of crediting their numerous innovations with perimeter weighting, custom fitting, and the use of investment casting in the manufacturing of golf clubs. Solheim insists on adhering to strict engineering principles and tight manufacturing tolerances to raise the level of product performance and quality throughout the golf industry. With Solheim’s death in 2000, his youngest son took over the managerial position and continues to practice these methods. Their products can be found in more than 70 countries today. In comparison to Callaway Golf, Steinway almost seems to measure up. They too focus on innovation and bringing the most modern products to the market. It is clever that both companies are family owned, because that way there would not be drastic changes in management when the CEO changes, as prevented by Karsten. Callaway demonstrates strategic leadership whereas Karsten seems to display more of a corporate governance approach. Callaway has an almost democratic leadership style where they take the opinions of their employees into mind before making drastic decisions. They rely on their input and trust it, because they are picky with employee selection in the first place. 2. Use the Callaway Golf competitor that you identified for the previous question. How does Callaway Golf’s emphasis on teamwork compare with the competitor’s approach to organizing and utilizing the talents of its employees? What insights about teamwork does this comparison provide? PING claims to employ workers in a variety of capacities, including golf club production, customer service, administrative, engineering, and managerial positions. They also claim to be an equal opportunity employer with a competitive compensation and benefits package. In comparison to Callaway, it seems that Callaway not only keeps design in mind, but they also focus on the efficiency of their employees. Although both companies are probably only out to hire the best for their positions, Callaway seems to portray a more worker-sensitive program. Their main approach to productivity is by keeping their workers happy so that they can be more efficient in all aspects of their life. Callaway is also more successful than PING according to sales, and this can easily be linked to Callaway’s DSPD philosophy. This shows that having a democratic leadership style in a company will allow more respect from employees and they will be happier and work harder. Motivated staff members are the key to success, and between the two companies, Callaway seems to be the beholder.

American History Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

American History - Article Example His influence in the American society, therefore, lies in his activism against Communism and his effort to protect the State against disloyalty, security risks, and Communist infiltrations (â€Å"Senator Joseph McCarthy,† n.d.). During the term of Senator McCarthy, he tried to put into trial those who are Communists and their supporters. The goal of his administration is to prevent the Communists from infiltrating the State and risk military and civilian security, as well as the government’s information and technical system (â€Å"Senator Joe McCarthy,† n.d.). In addition, his committee gathered information on, mostly, government officials, which was later proven to be faulty and had no substantial evidence. As a result, Senator McCarthy faced issues related to civil liberties as he, seemingly, deprived the people of their freedom of belief and expression. However, in the brighter side, his aims are for the good of the government as those develop loyalty and security, as well as ensure that the Democratic stand of the nation is still solid. Therefore, his life and works had made him a prominent figure in American

The Geographic Information System Program Research Paper

The Geographic Information System Program - Research Paper Example In essence, information about specific places on the earth’s surface influences economic, social, and political activities with society opting for hospitable regions. This is facilitated by the availability of geographical information that distinguishes regions by physical principles, which necessary for effective planning and development in modern society. Such information is derived from maps and satellite images, which then analyzed and presented in accordance with the desired parameters such as terrain, population, among other analytes. Over the years, specialized computer systems have employed to process geographical information such as digitization of raw data, storage, automated analysis of the data, and predict outcomes of various scenarios. Such sophisticated computations are made possible by geographical information systems (GIS), which illustrate the computer-based capacity to manipulate geographical data. These systems include not include basic computer hardware an d software, but also special input and output devices to create map products. GIS also includes a communication system that allows linking of various stations for comprehensive data collection. The system functions to acquire, verify, compile, store, manage, analyze, and present geographical data on demand in various formats as per the study requirements. In light of this, the information presented is vital for researchers to map, study, and understand trends and patterns affecting the society. As such, GIS plays a critical role in planning and management of various aspects that could otherwise impact the society negatively. The application of the geographical information system is preceded by the art of making maps where GIS sought to modernize the trade. Past civilizations are credited for their role in shaping descriptive illustration of their surroundings, which fuelled advancements in the area. Cartography dates back to ancient civilizations where scholars and explorers passion ately expressed their view of the world, as they perceived it, similar concepts were adopted with technological advances to generate digitized models of desired regions of the earth. This can be attributed to the quest towards improved geo-referenced information at the height of photozincography, which enabled layering in maps. This involved cumbersome tasks of drawing different versions of a single map to demonstrate layers such as vegetation, terrain, and infrastructure. The upsurge of computer hardware development in the 1960s saw mainframe computers support the earliest of geographical information systems. The first operational GIS was developed by Dr. Roger Tomlinson with aim of studying rural Canada, which allowed researchers evaluate the land’s capability to host agriculture, wildlife, as well as support the society.1 Technological advances produced minicomputers during the 1970s to support GIS applications, which operated in a timesharing mode to ensure functionality. 2 Moreover, the invention of personal computers revolutionized the geographical information software, as it was readily available for these machines. This marked the beginning of a promising GIS hardware market that would see the invention of increasingly powerful computers with increased capability to be networked together.

Management Accounting 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Management Accounting 2 - Essay Example Budgeting is a continuous process in large organizations. Operation department create plans to help the company achieve its corporate goals. Overhead costs, capital expenditures, operating expenses and sales are forecasted for the upcoming fiscal year by the unit managers. The forecasted figures are then sent to the upper management for its approval. The upper management reviews all the projected costs, expenditures and revenues and then approves it. The approved formal budget forms the guideline for operations in the coming year. Monthly and quarterly budget are also prepared by organizations to keep a track of performance against projected figures and takes corrective action if there is any deviation. Upper management has a bottom up approach in respect of budgeting. Corporate managers take the top down approach in meeting business goals. Managers who have a good understanding of profits and sales and have the capacity to overestimate costs typically create successful budgets (Singla, 2009, p. 147). There are various benefits of budgeting such as managers can compare the company’s performance against the projected figures which also forms the basis of their functioning within an organization. They compare the current performance of the company against projected figures and takes corrective action if there is any deviation. In this way, the managers are also able to keep their employees focused and guide them to performa nce (Lucey, 2003, p. 187). Formal budgeting provides the company with a detailed and comprehensive picture of the immediate future and also informs the company about the possible opportunities and threats. Time is an important factor in the budgeting process. Managers sometimes find themselves completely lost in their effort to meet the rules and regulations that are there in the formal budget. But to have a sound system to exercise

Overseas Market the Spiderman Computer Games in Africa and Asia Research Paper

Overseas Market the Spiderman Computer Games in Africa and Asia - Research Paper Example The marketing of the product should be done online. The company applied state of the art technologies to market its product. The technology enables the company to directly link with the customer’s enabling the buyers to know the kind of product in the market (Chang, Jul 27, 2012 ). The company will in response send the product to the customers. according to Chang (2012 ), the company can also avail the service free, where the users in different countries can access the computer games free but are required to pay to get some per-ups or add-ups. The users will have to pay for items such as powerful magic weapons which support them in winning the game against the enemy or they will be required to pay to access more advanced versions of the game. Alternatively, the company can avail a trial version of the game, where the user is given a timeline to use the game free. After then, the user should pay to continue playing the game. This strategy enables the users to get acquainted and develop an interest in the game. In the process, more market for the game is gained. The company has to do a lot of research to find out what needs to be done to win their international customers and what they would do to fulfill the intention of capturing international market. The technique will not only enable the company to solve their inventory problems but they would satisfy the international computer game users. The state of the competitors can also help.  

Doing gender as opposed to being a gender Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Doing gender as opposed to being a gender - Essay Example In his definition of gender, he brings it out as â€Å"interactional portrayals of what individuals would like to convey about sexual natures, via the use of conservative gestures† (West & Zimmerman, 1987, p. 22). This depicts the pursuit of gender as unreasonable. It means that individuals behave according to what they want understood on their sexual types. According to sociology, both gender role and gender display pay attention to the behavioral elements of being either man or woman as opposed to the biological variance between the two. According to West and Zimmerman, the idea of gender as a role makes it unclear concerning the work that is required in producing gender in daily activities, while the idea of display demotes it to the edge of interaction. They argue that â€Å"Participants in interaction organize their various and manifold activities to express or reflect on gender, and are disposed to perceive the behavior of others in a similar light† (West & Zimmerman, 1987, p. 75). This means that gender is about controlling one’s actions according to the behavioral guidelines for one’s selected sex type and seeing others in the same perspective. This may not be applicable to individuals who are intersexual, having a biological makeup that is ambiguous. Instead, such persons could be assigned sex types according to the way they effectively discharge their gender-specific roles. Transgender could also be taken to belong to their chosen sex type without the essential biological standards as long as they follow the guidelines of the performance of gender. In the West, the cultural view on gender sees both men and women as naturally and indisputably defined types of having psychological and behavioral susceptibility that can be foretold from their reproductive functions. This can be termed as gender since one functions according to his sex. In contrast, gender can be defined as the act of controlling

Research-Technology in Action Paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

-Technology in Action - Research Paper Example This concept has made the ever prevalent barriers created by the national and international boundaries become of a relatively smaller relevance and made the world appear like a global village (Beenhakker, 2001). It is driven mostly by the financial flows and trade, information technology, mass media and entertainment. Human factors including cultural exchanges, international tourism and migration have also contributed to globalization to a significant extent. This process with the integration with both communication and information technology has made people co-exist very closely together and has changed people’s lives in regard to how they think and in the other aspects of their lives. As a concept, globalization was thought to have begun after World War II, and has been speeded over the years. It has had many impacts, both positively and negatively, on lives of people, the environment, national governments, cultures and economic development in countries all over the world. Considering the role of information technology in globalization issues, it can be considered as a driving force within the current global economy. The internet and the computer-based technologies have made a vital impact in the area of communication and information technologies. Easy access to such technologies has also increased internet usages and made internet information to spread more. The World Wide Web, www, in particular being a collection of varied documents accessible over the internet, is responsible for easy and reliable access of information by people across the globe (Beenhakker, 2001). The internet too has enabled both people and countries to contact each other constantly, creating an instant connection between them. The communication advancement has been made possible through the use of such items as video calls, emails and chat programs. In addition to the internet and the cyberspace, there   has also been the existence of the global media networks that have

Impact of Financial and Non-financial Rewards on Employee Motivation Literature review

Impact of Financial and Non-financial Rewards on Employee Motivation and Satisfaction of Saudi Nationals in Saudi Aramco - Literature review Example A predominant means for accomplishing human-resource-based competitive advantages is the use of incentives. Performance-related pay and benefits are some common incentives in the financial sector, as well as other industries. Lewis offers a process-cycle theory, where the stages of PRP must be properly managed in order to deliver optimal performance results. These stages are: 1) establishing objectives; 2) measuring performance; 3) providing performance feedback; and 4) translating performance into rewards. His study shows that incentives can greatly affect performance, when these stages are aptly managed in relation to employees’ performance levels and issues. Ferreira, Marques and Azevedo show from their study of Portuguese banks that incentive systems shape organisational competitiveness, although other factors are also important, such as management and leadership approaches. PRP per se is not the magic bullet of performance, especially when it has design and implementation flaws. (Boachie-Mensah and Dogbe, 2011). Financial incentives and performance Financial incentives alone are not enough to drive motivation and performance because employees consider other factors too (Siders, George and Dharwadkar, 2011). In the study of 139 Slovenian bank managers, Hartmann and Slapnicar (2012) explored the effect of distributive justice properties and procedural justice properties of managerial pay on manager’s intrinsic motivation. They discovered that procedural justice is a greater predictor of intrinsic motivation when low pay transparency exists, while distributive justice is a greater predictor of motivation when high pay transparency is present. Hartmann and Slapnicar (2012) concluded that pay transparency is important in analysing and designing just managerial pay

Motivating Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Motivating - Assignment Example It is otherwise an abstract term, highlighting an inner human feeling emerging out of a churning of physiological, psychological and social component processes for energizing an individual in â€Å"selection of pursuits for maintaining a sustained, goal-directed performance amidst competing alternatives, intensity of effort and persistence of exertion† (Bandura, 1991, p.158). It tends to become complex when different individuals, groups and cultures acquire very different beliefs about what exactly defines control, success and effectiveness at work. Aided by the right level of positive emotions like humour and happiness to induce commitment towards their goals, supported by their cherished values of interest, skill or utility with the right blend of self-belief for facing challenges is what motivating individuals is all about. The factors motivating individuals are realistic levels of self-confidence, positive emotional climates and strong personal values for work related task s. A personal intention to succeed at assigned goals is very motivating for individuals. Against the outdated early theories treating humans as machine-like entities driven by internal or external factors beyond their control, contemporary motivation theories handling issues such as incentives, drives, needs and the like, influencing and tapping human capabilities through self-direction and self-regulation to an extent appear short sighted. Life Systems Framework approach is aimed at a more rational integrated analysis and appreciation of the unitary and component parts of an individual, both in isolation and in unison for assessing the stability and change in the functioning of the component parts of the person and the person as a whole. Coming under the more recent Motivational Systems Theory, a realistic study of all aspects of the characteristics of people in general, and the organisation and the actualisation of these characteristics in persons for assessing motivation in indiv iduals has become meaningful for going into the subject in depth in recent times. The belief that no one can motivate another person leads to individual motivation being invoked always from within. The degree of motivation is governed by the external environment in which individuals function and the demands made of them. The level of involvement that they feel and the degree of interest they have in what they are doing, is directly linked to the individual’s advancement through an organisation. Open business cultures are increasing transparency. We are living in an ‘aware’ culture of work-life harmony with no security of employment. Individual motivation is undergoing a change in tune with the contemporary requirements of fast changing organisations. Modern manager’s role lies in creating the conditions and encouragement that enable individuals to motivate themselves, despite the pulls and pressures. It is important to have self esteem and mutual respect a mong teammates. They must have a collective belief that, they are capable of succeeding as a team. It is of prime importance in motivating teams, as one can see â€Å"in pressure-packed overtime matches where contestants are evenly matched and a mistake brings sudden death defeat ...perceived group efficacy emerges as the sole determinant of overtime performance† (Bandura, 1997, p.383). An environment helping the team members

Energy Crisis Essay Example for Free

Energy Crisis Essay Every country in the world uses energy. For example: to cook. It is becoming one of the basic needs in life. But where does the energy come from? In the year 2008, 85% of the power that we are using was nonrenewable energy, which means that someday, these energies will be gone. However, right now, there are people who have started using renewable energy such as solar energy. There are more than 7 billion people in the world right now and it will keep rising while the energy resources are depleting. Even though there are many energies that are renewable, the renewable energies are harder to make use of, which is one of the reasons why not many people use them. Also, they require some advanced technology. If we don’t find something else to replace oil, coal and natural gas, we won’t have the energy to use in the future. One of the forms of the renewable energy is solar energy. Solar energy uses energy from sunlight to create energy for our home. Sunlight is a clean, renewable resource. There are many ways to get energy from sunlight, such as the photovoltaic (PV) panels, converting sunlight into electricity and solar electricity, using the sun’s heat to produce electricity. Solar cells, or the photovoltaic panels, convert sunlight directly into electricity. We can often find solar cells in calculators and watches. Since solar cells are made up of semiconducting materials, materials whose conductivity will increase with temperature, sunlight will lose their electrons, allowing the electrons to flow through semiconducting materials to produce electricity when sunlight is absorbed. Solar electricity is separated into three kinds: parabolic-trough, dish/engine, and power tower. Parabolic-trough concentrates the sunlight through mirrors. The mirror will be tilted towards the sun, heating the oil that is flowing in the pipe inside the panel. Heated oil will then be used to boil water to produce electricity. The dish/engine is a dish-shaped mirror that will collect heat from sunlight and transfer it to the fluid within the engine. The heat would cause the fluid to expand and produce mechanical power. A power tower system uses a large field of mirrors to concentrate sunlight onto the top of a tower. This heat will melt salt that flows through the receiver and the salts heat will be used to generate electricity through a conventional steam generator. With different kinds of solar panel, the price varies in the range from $5,000 to $30,000, depending on the effectiveness and the amount of energy you use. Even though the solar panels are expensive, many people still use them since they think that solar energy is energy-efficient and green. One of the advantages solar energy has is being renewable. As long as there are living things on this planet, there will always be solar energy since we get solar energy from sunlight. Even though sunlight is not present at night, the solar energy could still be stored by charging the batteries during the day and be used at night. We could then get more sunlight on the next day. Moreover, solar energy creates absolutely no pollution or noise, unlike other machines. It doesn’t damage the environment by emitting greenhouse gases or polluting water, air or land. By using this source of energy, the air will be cleaner and it helps stop the global warming. Other than this, in the long term, the solar energy is much cheaper than the energy resources we are using now. Even though it is expensive, initially the maintenance requirement is very small and the service life is around 30 years. The main disadvantage of solar energy is that it is extremely expensive. This is mostly why nowadays, not many people use solar energy. The price is unaffordable. Furthermore, since our world is polluted, the rain or the clouds could block sunlight from getting to the panels, making it ineffective. With a cloudy climate, the panels will be able to produce sunlight at a slower rate and may require more panels to generate enough electricity for your house, which will require more money. Even though using solar energy in houses might not require huge amount of area, big buildings do. To use the solar panels to their maximum ability, they need to be in the sun. With bigger buildings, you will need many more panels and to get them to work to their maximum ability, you will need a huge amount of area for the panels to be in the sunlight. Even though solar energy has some disadvantages, the advantages still overweight the disadvantages since energies are running out and this solar energy is everywhere. If we can get all of the energy that was sent to this planet, we could light the entire planet for one year within an hour. But the problem with this is we cant. If we can find a way to harvest this energy, we can have as much electricity as we want until the end of the human generation. Right now, there are many renewable energies that scientists have found but they are not yet the best way to solve the energy crisis. Therefore, scientists are still searching for new forms of energy. Dark energy is another form of energy that is very useful to mankind. In the universe, it is composed of up to 74% dark energy. What is dark energy? Dark energy is the unexplained force that causes the acceleration of the expansion of the universe. Even though there is no evidence that the dark energy does exist, people agree that it does since they believe that the universe had a beginning, and is expanding. Other than dark energy, the underwater pressure can be another useful energy resource. Beneath the water surface, there is a potential constant source of unused hydroelectric power in the form of deep water pressure. According to Rick Dickson, he had invented a way to harvest this deep water pressure by transferring its pressure to air and then to a piston. The name of this process is called Ocean Pressure Electric Conversion. Therefore, as we know, the dark energy and the hydroelectric power are very powerful; if we could get dark energy by using a similar way to the way we get solar energy and harvest the water pressure, Im positive that we would never run out of energy again. Works Cited World Energy Crisis . World Energy Crisis . N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2012. http://planetforlife.com/. Disadvantages Of Solar Energy. Natural Renewable Energy Sources Clean Energy Ideas. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2012. http://www.clean-energy-ideas.com/articles/disadvantages_of_solar_energy.html. Disadvantages of Solar Power Solar Energy Disadvantages Disadvantages of Solar Energy. Go Green with Solar Energy. N.p., n.d. Web.

Norms and values

Norms and values The purpose of this document is to research, from a sociological perspective the norms, values and socialisation that is essential for family, society and culture. These key attributes provide the individual with key skills, behaviours and habits necessary to enable participation within their own society observing the rules and boundaries established within their Norms and Values and modifying and changing behaviours throughout their life time The Culture of Society is the way of life of its members; the collection of ideas and of habits which the learn and transmit from generation to generation Ralph Linton Norms are the social and cultural guidelines by which we live our lives, and both knowingly and unknowingly conform and comply too during our life time. Out norms are key attributes that define our behaviours and can determine the groups and individuals, social acceptance Or non acceptance. We learn how to behave through a complex combination of stimulus Visual, Oral and Sensory. As we grow in our mental maturity and awareness, the influence of family, environment and culture, combine to define our Norms. These key developmental elements combined, influence and determine, personal and social interactive abilities developing social skills to recognise social boundaries, acceptable behaviours and responses. Therefore our Norms are intrinsic to our development, our personal behaviour, and social acceptance. Key aspects of our Norms are: Convention Being a standard, non culturally specific element within the Norms of convention. An example being that an individual is expected to follow the rules which are an established expectation of behaviours, within the context of conventional social acts and responses. An example of a culturally specific Injunctive Norm is when a Cultural belief, such as polygamy is accepted as a Norm. This is defined as Culturally Specific as this practise is not legally practised or recognised within the Western Society. An exception could be the Mormons, who have Sects that practise polygamy, based mainly in America. The main Mormon Church The Latter Day Saints, no longer advocates such practise, although there are certain Mormon Fundamentalists Sects, whose religious fundamental belief systems adhere to the original writings of Brigham Young. Within many Muslim cultures, a husband can legally take more than one wife. This practise is not recognised legally with Western cultures. Sociological Values may be material or nonmaterial, internal or external. Values and beliefs are culturally specific Given this the evaluation of their respective value is specific to the individual or group. An example might be, when an individual uses their Core value system, they relate into either a cultural or belief system that is specific to the influences within their social Norms and Value origin, group or society. Ultimately Social Norms and Values cover a wide range of Sociological study. Example of Cultural Values defined: Sociological Norms and Values under stress from changes, can impact an individual, group, society or cultural perspective. Change or deviation when combined with poor or irrational judgement that sits outside the Norms and Values of either, a specific Culture or Belief System, can have a mired level of impacts. Therefore Norms and Values can and do change. What may be acceptable as an individual would not necessarily be acceptable at group level. Differentials on the range of what would be acceptable within their own personal attitude and value system is specific. Change to an Individuals Norm and Values can be challenged by the individual on the basis that the Worth or Value is not acceptable to them because it fails to resonate within them as acceptable as a Social or belief Value. Alternatively if may present as an abstract Value and hold no specific desirability. Values are abstract in nature and general. A cultures values are its ideals about what is good, right, fair, and just. Sociologists disagree, however, on how to conceptualise values. There is a conflict theory that focuses on how values differ between groups within a culture. The National Centre for social research annual report for 2009 indicates that the British values are changing the full report is available at (http://www.natcen.ac.uk/pzMedia/uploads/Downloadable/da9c4be7-da86-410a-9176-3b362fb4f1ba.pdf) the 2009 survey consisted of more than 4,000 interviews with a representative, random sample of people in Britain. It finding have shown that change in societys values is g enerally slow and is impacted by the media and other external stimuli. Functional sociologist Talcott Parsons noted that Americans share the common value of the American work ethic, Whilst this is most certainly a cultural social observation which encourages hard work. Herbert Spencer one of the first British Sociologists stated that Society exists for the benefit of its members, not the members for the benefit of society. Common values within western societies are based on materialism, and money, although reliance on science and technology, and the role of democracy and freedom are key norms and values that exist although these can change during stressed and unexpected change. A culture may have conflicting values; an example would be that value of materialistic success may be in opposition to that of charitable acts. Equally the value of social equality may be in opposition to that of the value placed on the individual state. This can be explained as a contraction in what people say, what they really think, and what they do. Social pressure to confor m can be a deciding factor, as individuals own norms and values system will be a sub conscious factor in that decision making. So when does socialisation begin; its starts as soon as we are born and ultimately ends with our death. As soon as a child is born, primary socialisation begins. In every instance of social interaction, a child can uses this period as a learning experience particularly in terms of cultural concepts of identity, social roles, and norms of behaviour. The very young child is totally reliant on its parents or carers. The baby will initially respond to the external stimuli provided by parents or carers. The main senses initially used by the child will be responsive, such as when they are hungry, in discomfit, or want human contact/ touch. They will respond to sound and vision this is important time for child/parent/carer socialisation this represents a very emotional time, and the close bonds of love and loyalty, which in theory will last a life time, are established. As chronological development of the child takes place, by the age of two, a child will be in procession of a rudimentary set of primary skills and behaviours. The child will be able to copy its parents and siblings, and will be learning a wider set of social skills these will be both culturally specific and socially generic. The socialisation of the child within its own society and culture will be established during an intense period of self development and awareness; children acquire a sense of their self. This is an important developmental milestone that occurs between 18/24 months. Psychologist Jean Piaget defined the fact that children progress through clear stages in their ability to think. The Sensorimotor Stage, which is from birth to age two, is when the developing childs reliance on touch for information about it surrounding world is the most commonly used of the childs developing skills. They will also experience the tactile warmth from parent/carers and will also gain stimulation and development from, copying, gestures and actions taste is also a key action of the developing child , and they will put most objects to their mouth, toys, food and potentially anything they can get their hands on. This period represents a time of great discovery and learning socially, and is part of the set of primary socialisation skills, which are prerequisite key developmental milestones. The next stage as described by Piaget is the Pre-Operational Stage. This stage generally starts between ages Two to Seven. Children now have the ability to think symbolically, that being to relate in abstract or via simple symbols. However they cannot perceive the world from another persons perspe ctive. This period also differs from later ones, because it is a time when children learn through hands-on manipulation of objects through copying, play and trial and error. When a child reaches the Operational Stage, ages of 7-12, Young children can now begin to think and reason rationally and logically. At approximately age seven or eight children enter the age of reason, when they can manipulate their own ideas, and apply learnt concepts. A child will now possess the ability to independently interact and abide to a set of social rules and boundaries. They achieve this via the mediums of school, social, family, cultural settings. Children are able to rationalise, apply logic, use and interact with media, and participate in debate verbally. Children are able to recognise self, which is an important milestone in self development: as is the ability to recognise their place socially and culturally. Finally a child moves to the fLogical Stage at ages 12 and on. The child and young adol escent, are capable of complex abstract, logical thought. They are able to have reasoned logical discussion, reach decisions based on fact, and are able to initiate and formulate argument and debate. They have a fully developed sense of self within their family, society and culture. The family plays a significant and defining role in the primary socialisation of a child. The family acts as the primary socialising agent for the first few years of life; however Socialisation in the family varies greatly, and can be dependent on Social, cultural, ideological and ethnical differences. Within Britain, the structure of family has changed; there are more working class single parents families, who have no immediate family support available to provide child care this has resulted in child care providers having a far greater role in childhood socialisation over the last 20 years. One of the most important primary functions of the family is to produce and reproduce biologically, socially and culturally-however, producing children is not the only function of the family. A childs perspective is that the family is its core and primary socialising agent; however the family perspective is one of responsibility, to provide the growing child with the necessary skills and knowled ge in their socialisation and acceptance in their common culture. From the parental/carer point of view the family is the central nucleus that provides the care, learning, development, social, cultural education: the goal of which is to socialise and incorporate cultural ideologies and values in their children. However there are many variants in societies and cultures, which place more emphasis on the sexual division of labour, marriage, and the resulting relationship between family groups and the economics. An example being; that child labour is still practised illegally and openingly in Asia, and parts of Africa. Many of these countries have poor economies and the communities and families require a child to work to contribute to the household or village this can be the difference between life and death. Equally the value of a male child may be greater than that of a female child, as in many cultures, males are preferred for financial and social reasons. In time of hardship cultures such as the Eskimos would practise infanticide, if they were lacking enough food or provisions, this was a decision made on the basis that males contribute more, as they grow in to hunters and support the community, where as a females contribution was seen as less valuable to the community. As in family, education is an important agent of socialisation and the school environment is a formal agent of socialisation. The purpose of education is to socialise children in selected skills and knowledge, preparing them with so that they can build on the skills and knowledge acquired, as they grow and mature. The formal education system in England starts at Playschool for ages 2-4 this is now a socially acceptable form of early socialisation. The child then progresses to a more formalised, yet still free play, Reception Class- these are mainly attached to a primary school, which the child then transition into thereby keeping the social group intact. Primary education provides a child with a formalised approach to learning. The child will learn new social rules and boundaries; these will build on the norms and values that they have been taught by their parents/carers. The family influence is still very strong, as these age groups are heavily dependent upon their family. The chi ld continues its primary socialisation via classroom activities, playing, and school social interaction, within its peer group. The peer group becomes important, as it is based on a childs ability to interact, make friends and socialise the pressure to conform and be accepted, increases with age. There are many reasons for this: such as social standing IE: family wealth, material possession, ethnicity, extrovert /introverts behaviors and the pecking order of favorability within the peer group. Exclusion from a peer group is a highly stressful and can be initiated by the school due to behavioral or attendance issues these issues would require remedial agreement and action between the school, child and parent. Wider involvement of care agencies, such as educational psychologists and family welfare social workers, would be required if the family were found to be unable to function or cope, due to a verity of social or financial reasons. An example being: a male child of 4 with undiagnosed ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) who in reception class could not settle, presenting as disruptive, Impulsive, restlessness with a high level of hyperactivity and an inability to concentrate or focus for any period of time. ADHD will often present as inattentiveness, and will prevent a child from learning and will stunt their socialisation if not addressed. This child was excluded from school at 5 years old. At this point a wider most specialised group of social, education workers worked with the parents, and school, after ADHD was diagnosed. Once the appropriate level of medication (Ritalin- commonly used for ADHD) was prescribed, an immediate change in behaviour was evident. A plan of resocialisation and integration was applied, and an educational statement was issued by the local educational authority. This ensured the funding necessary for one to one support, and additional help required to enable the child to be educated and resocialised. One of the key learning aids for this child reintegration was the use of media the use of media in the home and school, leisure environments have become an integrated part of contemporary life. Such is the impact of Media, that it has become a dominant agent of socialisation. Children are exposed from a very early age to media; examples being a music DVD, Television or Computer games which can be interactive, educational and agility based. Multimedia is used in a variety of ways within the family, and is seen a key aspect of socialisation and development. Equally Multi Media is used within the formal setting of school and is used regularly as part of an Educational programme. There have been negative aspects in attributed to media and the violence seen in games, music, TV and film. Secondary Socialisation is the wider process of learning; a child learns what is expected of them, and what is acceptable/appropriate behaviour, for them; within a small group that is part of a larger society and culture. Secondary socialisation represents a new developmental stage, and is generally associated with teenagers and adults. The social changes we experience are different to those of primary socialisation. An example would be, starting a new a level of education at college or university, relocating to a new environment or a change in social status or society. Some students may be transferring from a rural community to a more urban environment, whilst others may be international students being socialised to the British way of life. Others may be mature students without any prior higher educational experience. Moreover, any social structure can act as a socialising agent. For example, the work environment socialises the employees to conform to their way of business and their culture. In most organisations employees have clear responsibilities to respect authority, adhere to corporate policies, and work hard in exchange for financial compensation in the form of income and status promotions. Also, the wider public venues we all go to; such as shopping centres, libraries, hospitals, football matches, act as social interaction and educate us about new boundaries and constraints thereby influencing our behaviour. When considering the norms of behaviour, of passengers on airplanes; those of a diner at a Michelin Star restaurant; or the fans at a Rugby or Tennis game. We all conform and adapt without conscious thought a large percentage of our lives this conditioning allows us to move in a complex structure of Culture and Society. The secondary socialisation process is crucial particularly in times of stress and change. Transition from infancy to childhood to adolescence and adulthood are all companied by a socialisation process that is designed socially an d culturally to give the individual, all the skills necessary to grow and co-exist. If the process of secondary socialisation fails, due to internal or external factors, the individual may not be in possession of the necessary social or cultural skills to cope logically and rationally. This situation could lead to a change in their values and social group. As an adult we experience the socialisation process through changes in careers, family structure, personal relationships, interests, such as politics. As our lives continue, we move to retirement age, the changes in family and career are now viewed differently; our priorities change, as situations such as being, unwell, or alone take precedence. The extended older family highlight the changing cultural values in the socialisation process. With the introduction of media, older generations, are now learning and experiencing new experiences of information and communication, which is a new form of socialisation for them. This is a new agent of socialisation and is a powerful teacher and influencing agent within the context of socialisation, second only to Family. The media plays a significant role in shaping the social attitudes and social behaviours of our children and adolescents Parents do exert the most influence on children; however the mass media can be considered secondary agents of socialisation. For example, viewing of advertisements is related to lower self-esteem and depression among children who come from low-income families. It is likely that children feel bad about themselves because they cannot have the products that are advertised on television. Media and Marketing work hand in hand to influence our views We are targeted as either specific social groups, age groups and economic groups specifically to sell Products and Services. What we buy, where we buy, how we spend, and who we vote for, is heavily influenced by a range of Multi Media. Such as The TV, internet, Radio, advertising in magazines. Gender identity is one of the most important elements of our sense of self. Some aspects of gender identity are rooted in our biology, such as our physical strength. However most of our gender identity is culturally defined. As we grow and age we develop our self awareness, and how we should relate to others, and the role we play in a larger society. The lessons children learn and the processes through which cultural norms are passed from one generation to the next is known as socialisation. Gender socialisation shows that there are roles, or cultural expectations and norms, which are associated with each sexual classification Sociologists make distinctions between sex and gender. Whilst sex is based on biological factors, gender is the based on cultural factors that stereotypically construct different social roles for men and women. Therefore Gender socialisation is the process through which males and females learn gender specific appropriate behaviour, dress, personality character istics, and demeanour. While gender socialisation is an ongoing and lifelong the majority of the sociological theories tend to focus on early childhood socialisation, as the key factor in Gender determination Four such perspectives are the psychoanalytical, cognitive development, social learning, and social interaction perspectives. In all societies there is a need for resocialisation of an individual. Resocialisation is a sociological concept dealing with the process of mentally and emotionally re-training an individual so that they can exist in an environment other than that which he or she is used to. Examples of a need for Resocialisation such as the release from prison, mental health institutions and the Army ; New recruits into the army are encouraged to bond, so that they can operate as a cohesive unit and then the process is reversed for those who may have become institutionalised by their experiences in the socialisation process. Without appropriate support and counselling, mental health problems could present. Equally if an individual have been institutionalised due to lengthy incarceration because of illness or a criminal offence such as Murder: a staged plan of integration would be required, to allow assimilation and resocialisation to take place in society. Bibliography: Themes and perspectives sixth edition References Emile Durkheim http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%89mile_Durkheim Brigham Young http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brigham_Young Examples Cultural Values http://www.cliffsnotes.com/WileyCDA/CliffsReviewTopic/topicArticleId-26957,articleId-26852.html>. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socialization#Types http://www.communicationencyclopedia.com/public/tocnode?id=g9781405131995_chunk_g978140513199518 http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/freud.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resocialization http://www.natcen.ac.uk/study/british-social-attitudes-25th-report/findings http://thinkexist.com/quotation/the_great_aim_of_education_is_not_knowledge-but/198665.html

From Enlightenment To The Haitian Revolution

From Enlightenment To The Haitian Revolution The purpose of this research paper is to follow the path of the French Enlightenment through its internal revolution, and, consequently, its revolutions in its New World colonies. Upon doing so, it will be determined that ideologies present in the French Enlightenment are present in the following revolutions. Furthermore, it will be concluded that the French Revolution not only resulted in revolutions in its colonies, but it served as the catalyst due to faulty trans-Atlantic bureaucracy. The Age of Enlightenment was a period in Europe that has deep roots in France. The ultimate goal of this movement was to reform society, pursue knowledge, and enforce the new humanist and liberal ideologies the Enlightenment gave birth to (Hyland et al., 2003). Great works from Descartes and John Locke advocated for the equality of all men and women and an end to government corruption and abuse of power (2003). While these ideas have been posited in the past, the social and political conditions of France demanded they be answered. The end of the Enlightenment directly coincides with the beginning of the French Revolution in 1789. The French Revolution began in 1789 due to a myriad of causes ranging from the tangible to the philosophical: with ideals from the enlightenment being the catalyst (Anderson, 2005). Combine this with Frances debt problems, its attempt to solve the problem through raising taxes, and the history of broken promises from the Monarchy, a revolution of the proletariat with ideas of equality was bound to happen (2005). When Paris was consumed by riots and the French Guard took sides with the revolutionaries, the motion had begun which would have drastic implications for Frances territories abroad. To briefly summarize the effects of the French Revolution in its territories, the dissolution of the monarchy, lack of control over its foreign operations, and the resources needed domestically to manage the revolution, resulted in France losing its power hold over its colonies (2005). The historical significance of Haiti will be discussed heavily; however, it is important to recognize that while France was having its own internal changes, the development of the colonies carried its own set of problems that would greatly aid in the revolutions against France. It was not a question that since the French Revolution was explicitly built on the war cries of liberty and equality that this mentality would find it in the mechanisms behind the French slave trade and colonial system. French Slavery There were several French colonies in the Caribbean in which slavery was the modus operandi for their plantation based economies. The plantations typically produced sugar, coffee, and, later, cotton. Due to the size of Saint Domingue, present day Haiti, it will receive the most emphasis. Saint Domingue had approximately 500,000 slaves (Fick, 1990). Ironically, approximately one third of all slaves owned were owned by previously freed slaves; however, these free slaves were not allowed to hold any office or practice in any profession. The slave system in the French colonies was regulated by a series of edicts from the King, the most important being the French Code Noir proclaimed in March of 1685 (Fick, 1990). While this code presented the terms and conditions of slave owning and managing through a strictly religious perspective, they outline how slaves would be sold, how their family life would be dictated, forms of punishments, and life after slavery: unlike British slaves, many French slaves could eventually become free (The Code Noir, 1687). Saint Domingue was Frances most profitable colony and most pivotal in its Atlantic slave trade. At this point, it is essential to emphasize two key points. The first is that Saint Domingue was Frances most profitable colony. The second is that France was entering a period of Enlightenment at this time. Due to the importance of the slaves in the islands and the rise of enlightenment in France, many French diplomats began to attempt to understand the slaves for which they were responsible for. One notable individual is Mederic Louis Elie Moreau de Saint Mery, who approached the slaves from an almost anthropological and social point of view. Upon doing so, he realized several key tenants that would dictate how the French treated the slaves and their future role in the Haitian revolution. He concluded that many slaveholders feared the threat of slaves running away, try to poison them, and a great fear for their religious which many viewed as barbaric and rooted in African voodoo (de St. Mery, 1947). Saint Domingues Response to the French Revolution Upon hearing of the enlightenment movements and the quest for liberty and equality taking hold in France, the colonies were quick to take part by sending delegates to France to demand representation in the new National Assembly that would be formed. The purpose of this movement was to ensure the economic interests of white planters would be accounted for. The mulattos, or previously freed slaves, also sent delegates to France, but they were ignored for the most part. The main agent of action would come from the Society of Friends of the Blacks whose members included Jacques-Pierre Brissot and the leader of abolition in Britain, Thomas Clarkson. Branching off of enlightenment ideologies, the sought the commencement of abolition and to pursue better public relations with slaves including more rights and government positions. As Fick would suggest, however, their efforts fell on deaf ears and quickly became overshadowed by the crisis of the First French Republic and the outbreak of the Haitian Revolution (Gaspar et al., 1997). Even though French colonists, freed slaves, and slaves alike attempted to gain greater rights and were promptly ignored, the necessity for dramatic changed intensified. The complete disregard of the homeland French from the French colonialist resulted in the radicals, supporters of the enlightenment, to fight for complete civil and political equality of blacks and slaves in the colonies. Needless to say, this was met which much fervor and opposition from the white plantation owners who had their economic and business interests to protect. As the French Revolution began the movement in favor of granting rights to free blacks and abolish the slave trade, the uncertainty of Saint Domingue became increasingly evident. Success of the working classes in France created a mentality that there was hope among the free blacks and mulattos in the colonies (Fick, 1990). The uncertainty for the future of Saint Domingue resulted in an ever increasing polarization of the colony in which there was no middle ground to be found or settled upon. French radicals promised freedom for all, while white planters, fearful of this movement spreading, demanded complete independence from France and an abolishment of the Code Noir in favor of a much stricter code (Fick, 1990). Very is little known amount the internal mechanisms of the slave rebellion fomenting, but an excerpt from Henry Christophes slave paints squalid conditions when he writes, Have they not forced them to consume faeces? And, having flayed them with the last, have they not cast them alive to be devoured by worms, or lashed to stakes in the swamp to be devoured by mosquitoes (Heine, 1996). With a sentiment like this, it is certain that slaves wanted to be free. Another point to consider is the economic impact of freeing the slaves on the island; this was the one issue the white plantations holders feared the most. Whether slavery was still utilized after the French Revolution or not, the fact of the matter is the burden would be placed upon the white plantation owners. These sentiments were reaffirmed by Americas ability to maintain a system of slavery despite British edicts to end the slave trade previously. They went even as far to petition the National Assembly to remove themselves from the French Constitutional powers and prosecute anyone by death who attempted to create a slave based rebellion: this was granted, however it would prove not to be enough. Furthermore, initially blacks and mulattos believed their National Assembly would benefit them as it was going to benefit their counterparts in France; however, this was not the case. The French governments, before during and after the revolution, had no intention to relinquish any power of its territories. Rising Tensions As the National Assembly attempted to quell the opposition from the white plantation owners, unrest began to ferment in Saint Domingue. Most notably, the National Assembly and their March 1790 Decree failed to address the needs and political rights of free blacks: this would be a major mistake (Brown.edu, 2012). While the free blacks had a strong understanding of what was occurring, the slaves did not: yet the French Revolutionary slogan of liberty, equality, and freedom was easy to understand and began to ferment rebellious attitudes. The one key factor they had, that ultimately resulted in their success, was that slaves and free blacks accounted for a significant majority of the population. As a result, slaves began to plan and coordinate how they were going to overthrow their owners, blacks and white alike. The first slave rebellion took place in October of 1790 in which 350 mulattos rebelled against their plantation owners (Brown.edu, 2012). This resulted in very violent killings in which owners were massacred and tortured in some cases. The rebellion was quickly quelled when the French militia aligned with plantation owner resulting in the public execution of James Oge in 1791 (Brown.edu, 2012). Rather than quell rebellious sentiment, this action added fuel to the fire and served as an irreparable incident for the island. In order to combat any future rebellions, the de factor leaders Francois Dominique Toussaint-Louverture and Jean-Jacques Dessalines prompted the National Assembly in France to enact progressive laws. As a result, on May 15, 1791, the National Assembly granted equal political rights to all free mulattos and blacks provided they were born from free parents (Brown.edu, 2012). This did very little to appease the majority slave population, and research shows that this law, although progressive, only applied to a few hundred individuals. Needless to say, it was not want the slaves and former slaves needed nor wanted. As a result of this law, white plantation owners utilized more aggressive and abusive policies to their slaves paving the way for the point of no return. The Haitian Revolution Despite repeated efforts on all sides to address the issue of slavery, the demands on all parties were not being achieved. Fed up with government bureaucracy and familiar of Frances growing decline in the region, even more slave rebellions began to occur. The most notable occurred on August 22, 1791, in which the slaves began an approximate 7 years war against their colonialists (Anderson, 2005). It is important to note that during this time, the French National Assembly rescinded the rights given to free blacks and mulattos which only worsened relations and caused the slaves to burn down plantations, destroy government buildings, and massacre all whites and government officials. While the government in France, no matter the form, was unable nor unwilling to do anything about the slavery situation in Saint Domingue, the slaves were becoming more organized and began to make pacts with British and Spanish navies for freedom. The growing fear of losing its colonies to foreign powers dur ing its revolution forced France to abolish slavery on February 4, 1794 (Fick, 1997). This marks the first successful revolution of slaves against a foreign power.