The College Culture Essay Example for Free

The College Culture Essay One of my most distinct characteristics is that I am a Born Again Christian. Being a Christian is a way of life not just a set of practices. My religion defines who I am and dictates my actions. Being a Christian influences how I speak, what clothes I wear and what activities I engage in. Our church is an evangelistic church and so we’re encouraged to invite people to church activities. One goal of this study is to find out how an outsider receives these invitations. It will also be found out what factors determine the non-Christians’ response to such invitations. Being a Christian has changed how I act in situations and most people I know have adjusted to my principles. Some have also generalized my personal principles such that when they meet other Christians they assume the latter will act the same way as I do in a given situation. Thus another aim of this study is to see the effect that interactions with Christians has on the perception of Christians as a whole. In order to achieve these goals interviews will be undertaken: one with a person practicing a different religion and another with a person with no professed religion. The interview will start with a discussion of what, in the interviewee’s perspective, is a Christian. Questions pertaining to how Christians may be differentiated from non-Christians will also be asked. This will be followed by whether or not the interviewee has ever been invited to a Christian gathering before and how he or she responded to this invitation. Next, the interviewee will be asked to relate a memorable experience with a Christian. Finally, the interviewee will be asked to assess based on his interactions with Christians how he believes Christians perceive non-Christians of the same religious belief or non-belief as him. It must be borne in mind that the interview itself might be misconstrued as a means to invite the non-Christian to church. The interviewee of another religion may even become defensive and this would confound the answers given. Therefore, from the onset it should be made clear that the purpose of the interview is to improve Christians’ relations with non-Christians and to correct any Christian practices which promote negative impressions. As Patton stated in his work, an interviewer must be able to build trust at the onset of the interview and the purpose for the interview must be made clear to the interviewee (1987). The topic of religion isn’t so much a welcomed concept particularly because of the rivalry and conflicts that have arisen â€Å"for the sake of religion. † In order to prevent the interviews from being another venue for such arguments, a collaborative approach will be encouraged through the research. As it has been emphasized in other studies, research isn’t a means to exploit the â€Å"other† rather it is a means to reach a mutually beneficial conclusion regarding overlapping interactions of different cultures (Fitzgerald 2005; de Munk Korotayev 2000). Analysis of Interview Material Interviews were conducted with two non-Christians (see Appendix A and B). As was indicated to the respondents, this research has been conducted in order to improve interactions of Christians with non-Christians. As has been discussed by past researchers, a cross-cultural study should benefit not just the researcher but also the person studied (Gibbs 2001). The very essence of collaborative research is that all parties to the study are benefitted by the findings. Such a conclusion may be reached through the results of the present study. The responses of the respondents may be classified into several dimensions. The first is how past interactions with Christians have affected the respondents’ perception of Christians. One respondent showed that a positive experience with a workmate allowed him to see Christians in a better light. Despite having had many negative experiences with Christians, a positive personal experience with several Christians was able to lessen his negative impression of Christians in general. On the other hand, the other respondent whose personal experience with Christians was negative has now generalized the impression and applied it to all Christians. Therefore, the personal experience with Christians is more important in forming an impression of what a Christian is. However, for persons with deep-rooted biases against Christians due to external factors, such as intercultural conflict, the personal experience only tempers the bias but doesn’t altogether eliminate it. This is the case with the Moslem respondent interviewed. It must therefore be asked what qualifies as a positive experience. In the case of the Moslem respondent, the positive experience consisted of the Christian attempting to understand the former’s religion. It can be seen from the second appended interview that one of the reasons why a negative impression was held of Christians is because â€Å"I leave them alone to believe what they want. They could at least extend the same courtesy. † This shows that the respondent also hopes for some tolerance from the Christians she encounters. Furthermore, when asked how she felt regarding being invited to her mother’s Christian gatherings, the respondent showed that she felt irritated because she had already made it clear that she didn’t wish to go. From the above, it can be seen that a first step towards a positive impression is a manifestation of tolerance on the part of the Christian. This tolerance required in cross-cultural interactions of religions aids in the facilitation of interactions between their subcultures (de Munck Korotayev 2000). This is important particularly since the growing complexity of society ensures that the religious cultural units will interact in one regard or another. However, as evidenced by the Moslem respondent, this tolerance is not sufficient to overcome the in-bred conflicts that religious differences have fostered between cultural units. Therefore, a greater level of understanding between cultures is necessary in order to bridge the gap between religions. In order that this might be achieved the respondents reflect some insight. The agnostic respondent stated, â€Å"But the fact is that they can’t explain why they believe what they do. They can’t even explain half of what’s written down in the Bible. † The Moslem respondent on the other hand stated, â€Å"But there are those who seem to know about the love that their Jesus taught. I have no problem being friends with people like that. † The above statements show that Christians need to know about the foundation of their own faith in order to be able to preach it to others. A failure to understand their own religion comes across to non-Christians as insincerity. This insincerity renders the religion in itself doubtful. Non-Christians would thus be even more unwilling to learn about a religion which was understood and misapplied by its own followers. Finally, the interview shows that in order that Christians might become more effective in interacting with non-Christians they should be able to engage in a bottom-up process. What normally occurs when Christians invite other people is that they become imposing yet they don’t make the effort to understand the factors which the person being invited must consider before giving a response to the invitation. In order that they would be able to connect with the person being invited they must be able to understand how the other perceives them as Christians. The Moslem respondent stated, â€Å"I think they think the same we do about them. That we are wrong in our belief. I think that a lot of Americans are afraid of Moslems though. † This shows that he believes that Christians are as stubborn in their belief as he is. Therefore, an invitation from them would mean an attempt at conversion. Being a firm believer of Islam, he would of course say no as he would have no desire to be converted. Therefore, the Christian should be able to explain to the non-Christian the purpose of the invitation, particularly if it is for the reason simply of being able to get to know the other person better. In answer to the question of how she felt when being invited, the agnostic respondent was able to intone a similar response, â€Å"Annoyed. I mean, they just don’t seem to get a clue. If I wanted to go to church I’d do it without any prodding. † This shows that the method being employed by the Christian mother was no longer effective. In fact, it hadn’t been effective for a long time already. And yet, she didn’t change her approach or try to talk with her daughter in a more personal manner in order to understand the daughter’s aversion to religion. The respondents gave answers regarding how they defined what a Christian was. In both answers it is evident that they perceive Christianity as a set of practices and rituals. The essence of Christianity as a lifestyle and as a relational interaction was lost to them. Having learned about their experiences with Christians, it isn’t surprising that they feel this way. It’s clear therefore from this study that in order to improve cross-cultural interactions between Christians and non-Christians a more personal interaction should be encouraged. This interaction should be imbued with a sense of tolerance for the other and a desire to understand the situation and motives of such other. References De Munck, V. A. Korotayev (2000), â€Å"Cultural Units in Cross-Cultural Research,† Ethnology, 39(4), 335-448. Fitzgerald, T. (2005), â€Å"Cross-Cultural Research Principles Partnerships,† Management in Education, 19(1), 17-20. Gibbs, M. (2001), â€Å"Toward a Strategy for Undertaking Cross-Cultural Collaborative Research,† Society and Natural Resources, 14, 673-687. Patton, M. Q. (1987), â€Å"How to Use Qualitative Methods in Evaluation,† CA: Sage Publications. Appendix A: Interview with a non-Christian practicing a different religion Interviewer: Good afternoon. First, thank you for agreeing to meet me for this interview. Before we begin I just want to remind you that the purpose of this study is to better understand the interactions of Christians with members of other religions. Your answers will be used only for the purpose of this study and for no other purposes. Having said that, are you willing to participate in this study? Respondent: Yes. I: Thank you. First let’s start with some information about you. Is there a religion that you practice? R: I’m a Moslem. I: How long have you been a Moslem? R: Well, I was born into a Moslem family so I can say that I have been practicing my faith since I was born. I: In your perspective, how would you define a Christian? R: Well, Christians are people who believe that Jesus is God and not Allah. We Moslems also believe in Jesus but he is only a prophet and only Allah is God. I: Have you ever interacted with Christians? R: Of course. Most people here are Christians and so I have to deal and talk with them every day. I: Have you ever been invited to attend a Christian gathering? R: I work with some Christians who have once or twice asked me to go to an activity or concert. I: Did you go with them? R: No. It’s not allowed in Islam to acknowledge other gods. I don’t see the point of going anyway. It would be a lie for me to pretend to believe what they would say there. I: How did you feel when you were invited? R: It was a little awkward. I didn’t understand why they would want to. It’s not like I would go with them. But at least they don’t give me a hard time about being a Moslem. I: Are there Christians who do? R: Sure. It’s not new. There are really those types. I: That’s interesting because I also wanted to find out how you think Christians view Moslems. How do you think Christians view Moslems? R: I think they think the same we do about them. That we are wrong in our belief. I think that a lot of Americans are afraid of Moslems though. Everyone seems to be afraid we’ll turn into Osama Bin Laden or something. I: Thank you for sharing that. I’d like to ask you now about some personal experiences you’ve had with Christians. Is there any particular instance, good or bad, that you shared with a Christian that sticks out from your other interactions? R: I remember this one guy at work, the same guy who invited me to that concert at their church, he asked me once about Islam and he seemed genuinely interested. He tried finding similarities between Islam and Christianity. He was pretty nice. He just struck me as different from most Christians and I appreciated that he tried to understand my religion and didn’t just base his impression on what other people were saying. I: Alright, you’ve been very responsive so I have only one last question left. As a whole, how would you describe Christians? R: Well, most Christians don’t know their own religion. There are some who take it too far and they can be really condescending. But there are those who seem to know about the love that their Jesus taught. I have no problem being friends with people like that. I: [Respondent] that concludes our interview. Thank you very much for your time. Appendix B: Interview with a non-Christian without any professed religion Interviewer: Good morning. First, thank you for agreeing to meet me for this interview. Before we begin I just want to remind you that the purpose of this study is to better understand the interactions of Christians with members of other religions. Your answers will be used only for the purpose of this study and for no other purposes. Having said that, are you willing to participate in this study? Respondent: Sure. I: Thank you. Let’s start with some information about you. Is there any religion that you practice? R: I don’t exactly believe in organized religion. I: Was there any religion that you used to practice? R: Well, we used to say a prayer at the dinner table before dinner. But that was a long time ago. I just don’t see the need to anymore. I: Alright. Well, as I told you earlier, the focus of this interview is Christians and their interactions with others. So to start off, how would you define a Christian? R: Well, Christians are people who read the Bible, believe in God, pray, sing praise songs, all that. I: Have you ever been invited to a Christian gathering or activity? R: Sure. My mom used to make me go to church with her. She hasn’t stopped pestering me about it yet. I: Do you ever go? R: Not since I could say no without getting grounded. I: Why don’t you? R: Like I said, I don’t see the purpose. I mean look at my dad, he doesn’t go and he’s alright. If prayer is all there is to it then my mom is probably praying enough to save all of us. It just doesn’t seem important. I: How does it make you feel when you’re invited? R: Annoyed. I mean, they just don’t seem to get a clue. If I wanted to go to church I’d do it without any prodding. Besides, if God were real then they wouldn’t have to work so hard to make the rest of us believe in Him. It all just seems like a whole bunch of lip service. It gets tiring. I: It’s very helpful that you’re talking about your family and how they are active in practicing Christianity. But apart from your family have you had any other interactions with Christians? R: Sure. They’re all the same. Preachy. When you ask them about why they’re doing it though it all boils down to cop-out faith. Who can argue with that? I: Is there any particular experience you’ve had with a Christian that strikes out? R: I have this housemate who’s all about religion. She keeps leaving little cards with psalms on them in my things. I just find it a little irritating that she can’t just accept that I don’t do that kind of thing. I: The interview is going well so far so I only have one last question. How do you describe Christians in general? R: Well, Christians can be really devout about their faith and about having other people believe the same thing. But the fact is that they can’t explain why they believe what they do. They can’t even explain half of what’s written down in the Bible. Even worse, they can’t understand that other people just don’t want to believe the same things that they do. I mean, it’s not that I hate god. I just don’t believe he exists. And they act like that makes me the worst scum on earth. I leave them alone to believe what they want. They could at least extend the same courtesy. I: Thank you so much. Your responses have been really helpful. That concludes our interview.

Business And Cultural Environment Of Syria Economics Essay

Business And Cultural Environment Of Syria Economics Essay Syria (officially the Syrian Arab Republic) is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest. Syria has been governed by the Baath Party since 1963, although actual power is concentrated to the presidency and a narrow grouping of military and political strongmen (Wikipedia, 2010). Moreover, the nature in Syria is distinctly diversified. It contains seashores, mountains, forests, dessert, rivers, caves, natural and artificial lakes, and a lot summer resorts. All this along with the diversity in the antiques, the ancient cities with its markets, khans and old domiciles, the handicrafts and the traditional industries contribute to formulate a unique attracting compound tourism product. Analysis of Syria Business Environment Cultural Environment in Syria Languages Arabic is the official language, spoken by 89% of the population, while 6% speak Kurdish, 3% Armenian and 2% other languages. Otherwise, English and French are spoken in business circles (Arabic German Consulting, 1999). Ethnic groups Syrians are an overall indigenous Levantine people, closely related to their immediate neighbors such as Lebanses, Palestinians, and Jordanians. While modern-day Syrians are commonly described as Arabs by virtue of their modern-day language and bonds to Arab culture and history; they are in fact largely a blend of the various Aramaic speaking Syriac groups indigenous to the region who were Arabized when Muslim. Arabs from the Arabian Peninsula arrived and settled following the Arab expansion. Religions The overwhelming majority of the Syrian population is Sunni Muslim. Other Muslims which include: Ismailis, Shiites, and Alawites. Of the non-Muslims in Syria, most are Christians, primarily Greek and Armenian Orthodox. Religious minorities include Druze, who follows a religion related to Islam, and a community of approximately 1000 Jews. Syria has 70% Sunni Muslim, 12% Christians (almost is Orthodox and Greek Catholic) and 18% other minority groups including Jews and Druzes (Arabic German Consulting, 1999). Syria Culture Syria is a traditional society with a long cultural history. Importance is placed on family, religion, education and self discipline and respect. The Syrians taste for the traditional arts is expressed in dancing such as the al-Samah, the Dabkeh in all their variations and the sword dance. Marriage ceremonies and the birth of children are occasions for the lively demonstration of folk customs (Advameg, Inc., 2010). Traditional Houses of the Old Cities in Damascus, Aleppo and the other Syrian cities are preserved and traditionally the living quarters are arranged around one or more courtyards, typically with a fountain in the middle supplied by spring water, and decorated with citrus trees, grape vines, and flowers. Political and Legal Environment in Syria The Syria government hopes to attract new investment in the tourism, natural gas, and service sectors to diversify its economy and reduce its dependence on oil and agriculture. Syria has begun to institute economic reforms aimed at liberalizing most markets, but reform thus far has been slow and ad hoc. For ideological reasons, privatization of government enterprises is still not widespread, but is in its initial stage for port operations, power generation, and air transport. Almost sectors are open for private investment except for cotton mills, land telecommunications, and bottled water. Syria has made progress in easing its heavy foreign debt burden through bilateral rescheduling deals with its key creditors in Europe, most importantly Russia, Germany, and France. Syria has also settled its debt with Iran and the World Bank. Syria and Poland reached an agreement by which Syria would pay $27 million out of the total $261.7 million debt in December 2004. Moreover, in January 2005, Russia forgave 73% of Syrias $14.5 billion outstanding debt and in June 2008, Russias parliament ratified the agreement. In 2007, Syria and Romania reached an agreement by which Syria will pay 35% of the $118.1 million debt. In May 2008, Syria settled all the debt it owed to the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Economic Environment in Syria Syria is a developing country with an economy based on agriculture, oil, industry, and tourism. However, Syrias economy faces serious challenges and impediments to growth, which including: a large and poorly performing public sector; declining rates of oil production; widening non-oil deficit; wide scale corruption; weak financial and capital markets and high rates of unemployment tied to a high population growth rate. Furthermore, Syria currently is subject to U.S. economic sanctions under the Syria Accountability Act, which prohibits or restricts the export and re-export of most U.S. products to Syria (World Harvest Now, 2002). Source: (Encyclopedia of the Nations, 1999). Moreover, the IMF recently projected real GDP growth at 3.9% in 2009 from close to 6% in 2008. The two main pillars of the Syrian economy used to be agriculture and oil, which together accounted for about one-half of GDP. Agriculture, for example, accounted for about 25% of GDP and employed 25% of the total labour force. On the other hand, higher crude oil prices countered declining oil production and led to higher budgetary and export receipts (Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, 2010). The Nature of Advantage Advantage in the context of International Trade Theory can be classified into five categories and defined: 1) Natural advantage by means of climate, soil and etc; 2) Acquired advantage through the processing of one of the basic factors of land, labour and etc; 3) Comparative advantage against another nations endowment of assets; 4) Country size as a proxy for the range of natural factors such as climate, soil, minerals and etc,; 5) Factor proportions that suggest their optimum utilisation in production (Daniels, J. D., Radebaugh, L. H. Sullivan, D. P., 2010). According to Daniels, Radebaugh and Sullivan (2004) framework, the evolution of International Trade Theory is depicted as below: Apart from Porters Competitive Advantage of Nations theory, I have chosen to relate Product Life Cycle theory and Factor Proportions theory. Raymond Vernons International Product Life Cycle Theory Raymond Vernon (1966) International product life cycle (PLC) theory of trade states that the location of production of certain kinds of products shifts as they go through their life cycles, which consists of four stages: Introduction, Growth, Maturity, and Decline (Daniels, et al. 2004, pp. 153). Therefore, the business environment in Syria would relate to figure (C) less developed countries. Heckscher-Ohlin Factor Proportions Theory Heckscher-Ohlin Factor Proportions theory suggests that each country has important factor endowments and as a result will tend to export products which make use of factors that are abundant there. The country will tend to import products that are locally scarce (Chacholiades, M., 2006). Justification of Foreign Investment Opportunities in Syria Although a government decree prohibits confiscation of foreign investments, there are no safeguards against nationalization of property. In principle the judicial system upholds the obligations of contracts but in practice decisions are subject to outside pressures. In addition, poor infrastructure, power outages, lack of financial services, and complex foreign exchange regulations have all contributed to Syrias failure to attract significant amounts of foreign investment. 4 major pieces of legislation have been passed to encourage foreign investment (Encyclopedia of the Nations, 2010). The most significant foreign investment in Syria had been in gas and oil. In 1990, 12 foreign oil firms had operations in Syria but until mid-2002, only 5 remained: Shell, Total-Fina-Elf, Mol (Hungary), INA-Naftaplin (Croatia) and Conoco. Other foreign investors included Mitsubishi, Samsung, Mobil, Nestle, and Prince Walid Bin Talal of Saudi Arabia. Foreign investment is complicated by Syrian requirements of import and export licenses on every item imported and then re-exported, no matter the value, and with US sanctions on supplying Syria any dual use items such as computers, oil exploration equipment (Encyclopedia of the Nations, 2010). Summary of Syria current Foreign Investment using Porters Diamond of National Competitiveness form Source: (Porter, 1990) According to Porter (1990), there are four principal attributes of a countrys economic system that together shape the environment in which local companies compete. Another research by Dunning (1993) found that there are secondary attributes that contributes to the extended form of the model. The secondary attributes are identified as the role of chance, the role of government and multi-national business activities. Relating to foreign investment opportunities into Syria, the 4 principal attributes are: Factor conditions would be land, labor, capital, educational level of workforce and quality of infrastructure. The education scenario in Syria has developed since the last few decades. There are about 97% of the children in Syria avail the primary education and the literacy rate of the children in Syria is over 90%. 87% of the male population in Syria is literate. The literacy rate among the women in Syria range to 73.9%. Demand conditions would be the governments efforts in spending to develop more into the international trading industry. Tourism is one of the most dynamic activities in the country. The government has adopted a new vision for tourism, with plans to make it a pillar of the national economy. Acquired skills should make it possible to advance to a new stage of development, with new hotels and leisure equipment that meet demand for elitist, cultural tourism. The countrys middle-level hotel infrastructure is insufficient and in any case outdated and there is not much in the way of leisure facilities, aside from services offered at luxury hot (animaweb.org). The countrys transport infrastructure needs to be developed, upgraded, and modernized. Syria should invest the equivalent of US$ 523 million for development of its eastern regions over the next five years (From 2006 to 2010), nearly LBP17 billion ($323 million USD) in investments in the Hassake area and LBP10.2 billion in the region of Deir Al-Zor area. Recommendations for Syrias International Trade Strategy In conclusion, I conclude my research based on SWOT Analysis as below: SWOT Analysis Strengths Syrias chief exports are petroleum, textiles, food, live animals, and manufactured goods which are exported to Germany (which received 21% of exports in 1999), Italy (12%), France (10%), Saudi Arabia (9%), and Turkey (8%). Syrias main import products are machinery, food and live animals, transport equipment, and chemicals. Tourism is one of the most dynamic activities in the country. Syria Ministry of Tourism proposed 33 project ideas to foreign investors, 13 initiatives were contracted, worth $600 billion USD and for the first time hotel management companies were authorized to enter Syria: Intercontinental, Holiday Inn, Royal, and Accor (animaweb.org). Weaknesses Some basic commodities, such as bread, continue to be heavily subsidized, and social services are provided for nominal charges. The subsidies are becoming harder to sustain as the gap between consumption and production continues to increase. Syria has a population of approximately 21 million people, and Syrian Government figures place the population growth rate at 2.37%, with 65% of the population under the age of 35 and more than 40% under the age of 15. Every year, approximately 200,000 people enter the labor market. According to Syrian Government statistics, in 2009 the unemployment rate was 12.6%. Opportunities According to International Monetary Fund, because of the discovery of large oil fields, Syrias foreign trade volume has immensely increased over the last 3 decades. During this period, exports have grown from US$203 million in 1970 to US$4.8 billion in 2000, while imports have risen from US$360 million in 1970 to US$3.5 billion in 2000 (Advameg, Inc., 2010). The services sector also offers many investment opportunities. Ongoing reforms, in particular in the financial sector, reflect the commitment of Syrian authorities to carry out a vast modernization program and a new legal framework for privatization that will ease market access (animaweb.org). The banking and insurance sectors have been opened to private and foreign operators. In information technologies, the countrys telecom and internet grids will be extended and new operators, in particular on the web, are expected to propose new services and content (animaweb.org). Threats Water and energy are among the issues that sprit all over the agriculture sector. Another difficulty the agricultural sector suffered from is the governments decision to liberalize the prices of fertilizers, which have increased between 100% and 400%. Drought was an alarming problem in 2008; however, the drought situation slightly improved in 2009. Wheat and barley production about doubled in 2009 compared to 2008. In spite of that, the livelihoods of up to 1 million agricultural workers have been threatened. Syria has been on the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism since the lists inception in 1979. Because of its continuing support and safe haven for terrorist organizations, Syria is subject to legislatively mandated penalties, including export sanctions and ineligibility to receive most forms of U.S. aid or to purchase U.S. military equipment (Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, 2010). (Word: 2,124 words, including heading title, diagram and table)

book report- my sister my sorrow Essay -- essays research papers

Book Report â€Å"My Sister, My Sorrow† by Bebe Faas Rice, explores the natural human reactions to death, sickness and love. It delves into sibling rivalry, adolescent fear and stereotypes and gives insight into how beautiful the world seems when your life is on the line. â€Å"Leukemia is one of those diseases that creep up on you suddenly and catch you by surprise† ‘The story revolves around her thoughts and feelings towards friends, family, the meaning of life, depression, love, jealousy, cancer, etc. During the course of the book, the reader begins to understand much about what type of Leukemia it is that Beth has. Explained by the author in lame-mans terms, it becomes simple and enjoyable. Facts and story line fuse together to make an interesting chapter. â€Å"My toothbrush in the morning looked like an accessory to a suicide attempt† the signs of cancer are explained to the reader in an interesting, informative way. Beth explains all the emotions that she feels, she doesn’t leave anything out. As the reader goes through the pages they actually understanding the feelings and the emotions that are being explained. The way she tries to explain grief to the reader is through what she sees â€Å"I’ll never forget that night, with Mum out in the kitchen, sobbing as she scraped the carrots for dinner. Artists and sculptors usually depict grief as a heavily veiled figure leaning on a tombstone, but they’re wrong. What grief really is, is a middle-aged woma n with a carrot parer in one hand, la...

Mutations in Nature and Culture Essay -- Exploratory Essays Research P

Mutations in Nature and Culture Many other words, both positive and negative, spring to mind when one hears the word "mutation." In a scientific sense, one might think of the random variations that lead to evolution in species. In a sci-fi/ horror flick sense, one might think of a vicious monster that after contact with some radioactive substance became terribly disfigured. But rarely do we associate mutations with ideas pervasive to our culture. Daniel Dennett suggests that memes undergo a certain kind of mutation that is inherent to the creative evolution of culture. The most important distinction to be made between mutation as it applies to biological evolution, and how it applies to creative evolution is the function of randomness. In nature, random variation is the cause of mutation, and therefore the appearance of different traits. In the generation of ideas, the role of randomness is not so easy to pinpoint. On the one hand, it seems that creative ideas are generated through patterns of association: "During creative thought, memes potentially relevant to a solution would evoke or activate one another, altering or strategically (though not necessarily consciously) manipulating them..." (Gabora 1) Yet, there is no predictability to these associations, and furthermore, "The very creativity and activity of human minds as temporary homes for memes seems to guarantee that lines of descent are hopelessly muddled, and that phenotypes (the "body designs" of memes) change so fast that there's no keeping track..." (Dennett 355) So perhaps what we would call "randomness" as it plays out in the evolution of species is really taken over by an element of disorganization in creative forces. Dennett cites Stephen J... ...sually fatal or detrimental to the organism in which it occurs. However, mutations are creativity's greatest asset: at one time, the great removal from more traditional realist art that impressionism posed seemed detrimental to the world of painting. The result was the beautiful addition of artists like Monet and Degas to the sphere of art. Whether one chooses to include impressionism in his or her organization of art history is dependent upon the thinker, but one cannot deny that creative mutation is ultimately beneficial to culture. Works Cited Dennett, Daniel C. Darwin's Dangerous Idea: Evolution and the Meanings of Life. New York: Touchstone, 1996. Gabora, Liane. The Origin and Evolution of Culture and Creativity. Journal of Memetics - Evolutionary Models of Information Transmission, 1. 1997. Available http://jom-emit.cfpm.org/1997/vol1/gabora_l.html

The Society in Aldous Huxleys A Brave New World Essay -- A Brave New

The Society in Aldous Huxley's A Brave New World The society in A Brave New World is very similar to the society of today. Though the society is scientifically created, it still shows much resemblance to that of our naturally formed society today. The system of classes is nearly identical to the class system of the present. The main difference is the scientific engineering of the people in each class. Obviously, in our society people are not altered scientifically in order to fit into a social class. In any culture, whether it is futuristic or from the past, there are always social classes that are generally alike. There is always a group of rich people, a group of poor people, and a group or multiple groups of middle class people. We see this in A Brave New World as wel...

Clash of Culture Essay

Even though the â€Å"New World† had already had 115 years of contact, the year 1607 is often regarded as the first year of American History. In the year 1607 the English established their first lasting colony. This colony would later become the United States. Jamestown, which is present day Virginia begun by the Virginia Company of London. In the beginning Jamestown consisted of 104 colonists, some of who favored the plantation model of settlement others of whom favored the conquistador model. Due to the English gentlemen’s lack of motivation to work the land, or build fortification, failure was upon them. The Natives who were living in the area where Jamestown was established were unsure of the newcomer’s arrival. The Natives first reaction to the newcomers was hostile, due to their previous experience with Spanish explorers along the coastline. The English settlers had not only the Natives to worry about, but they also had to worry about the Spanish that were along the coastline. The first years of the settler’s time in the â€Å"New World† were difficult and trying. They were faced with disease, lack of food, and poor management. Historians refer to this time as the â€Å"starving time†, when food and supplies were almost nonexistent, and at least one colonist resorted to cannibalism. The only thing that kept the colony functioning was the continued arrival of colonist. As the colony deteriorated during its first two years, Captain John Smith’s leadership saved the colony. Part of this leadership involved exploring the area and making he risky decision to approach the Natives and attempt to trade with them jewels for food. John Smith unfortunately was injured by gunfire, and left Jamestown and went back to England. The first setters were in many ways dependent on Powhatan Confederacy for food. Powhatan and his tribe saw the English as allies who would trade their  weapons for the Natives food. The Powhatan saw this opportunity of trading food for weapons as a way to help Chief Powhatan his confederacy against other tribes. Because the Natives knew little about what the colonist had in mind as far as how the settlers wanted to to develop the New World, or how they intended to go about doing it, the Natives found it somewhat difficult to go into trade with them. The relationship of the Jamestown colonist and Powhatan’s tribe were difficult at times, and sometimes violent, but though there were trial and tribulations between the two cultures, the Powhatan Confederacy assisted the settlers throughout the trying early years. Around 1610 , the English settlers caught a break, they successfully cultivated tobacco. The Spanish had first introduced the crop to Europeans back in the late 1500’s, after coming across it in the Caribbean. Tobacco had been a great success in the European markets. By 1612, the Virginia settler John Rolfe had successfully cultivated an imported strain of tobacco in Jamestown. The Jamestown settlers shipped the first crop to England in 1617, and within a few years they were shipping around 1.5 million pounds. The success of growing tobacco made Jamestown more desirable, but growing tobacco was a laboring job. To meet the demands early, and not fall behind, the colonist tried to force the Natives to work their tobacco fields. The Jamestown colonists were met with objections from the Native people. The Natives wanted no part in growing surplus crops for monetary reasons, and the colonist didn’t have the force to enslave the Natives. In 1619 Dutch traders imported a small number of Africans to Jamestown, who were forced to do most of the hard work of growing the tobacco and establishing the town. Jamestown continued to grow, and the growth was causing Jamestown to have to deal with increased hostility with the Natives and also the introduction of African slavery. Local Native tribes began to become leery of the growth of Jamestown because the growth was infringing on lands that had been open to them before the colonist arrived. After the death of Powhatan in 1618, the new chief Opechancanough began planning attacks to get rid of the colonist. One of these attacks in 1622 resulted in 357 English colonist dying, which was about one-quarter of the Jamestown population. The attack caused the colonist to feel that retaliation was in order, and they set to kill every Native they came in contact with. Hostilities grew between the colonist and the Natives. The  Natives felt threatened by the fact that their way of life and the land they new was being taken over by these new comers. The colonist of Jamestown success has greatly to do with the help they received from the Native people. Though their relationship began in a somewhat peaceful fashion, it soon became a hostile relationship. The question is did it have to end the way it did? Could they bo th have come to mutual agreement, and even helped one another and cohabitated peacefully? Or were the two cultures so different that they were destined to clash at some point in time? References Scham, S. (2006). A Native Take on Jamestown. Archaeology, 59(1), 24. Tarter, B. (2007). Making history in virginia. The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, 115(1), 3-55. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/195928212?accountid=458 ZONGKER, B. (2013, May 02). Scholars find cannibalism at jamestown, va., settlement. Spartanburg Herald – Journal Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1348619236?accountid=458 Schultz, K. M. (2014). HIST3, volume 1: US history through 1877 (3rd ed.). Boston, MA: Wadsworth.

Advantages And Disadvantages Of Official Statistics In Sociological Research Essay

Official statistics are quantitative data produced by local and national government bodies, and can cover a wide range of behaviour including births, deaths, marriages and divorce, income, crime, and work and leisure. Official statistics can be produced as a by-product of the normal workings of a government department, but they can also result from research designed specifically to produce them. Two main sources of official statistics are the government and its departments, and surveys. For example, government departments such as the Home Office and Education and Skills request; process and then publish information from organisations such as local tax offices, social services and hospitals. An example of a source of surveys that produce official statistics is The Office for National Statistics, which is a government agency and is responsible for compiling and analysing statistics. Every ten years this agency carries out the Census of the Population, which covers every household in the UK. By law each head of household must complete a questionnaire that includes family composition, housing occupation, transport and leisure. Official statistics are used by sociologists because of their many advantages. A main plus is that official statistics are often compiled from data which has been gathered from a large sample size. The majority of sociologists could probably not afford to carry out such vast research. The size of the sample also tends to increase the representivity of the statistics. They also tend to be well organised and planned when researched, so the standards of sociological research can be met. Official statistics are usually readily available and relatively inexpensive, so sociologists can spend more time and money analysing data than collecting it. Statistics can also sometimes be the only source available for a specific topic, such as unemployment figures. Another advantage is that statistics allow sociologists to make comparisons over time, as they are usually produced regularly, for example the Population Census, which is carried out every ten years. This is similar to longitudinal studies, however the sample size of official statistical data is usually much larger. Looking at the above advantages, it would be easy to draw a conclusion that official statistics are in fact very useful as a source of data, however there are also important disadvantages to official statistics. Official statistics are not always produced in a useful form, making them harder for a sociologist to analyse and draw any trends and patterns from. Another disadvantage is that statistics do not always measure what they intend to measure. For example the Home Office Crime Rates Statistics do not take into account the fact that not all crime is reported. This can decrease the representivity of the data. Another factor which must be considered when interpreting official statistics is that because official statistics are usually produced by the government, they may be politically biased, for example to show that their policies are having the predicted effect. A well-known example of this is that the method of collecting unemployment statistics has changed many times, which gives the appearance that the unemployment rate it falling. From these disadvantages it would appear that although statistics can be very enlightening and useful, there are several pitfalls, which cannot always be avoided. Positivists view official statistics as a potentially valuable source of quantitative data; however they do recognise that statistics have several faults. They generally agree that statistics can provide measures of behaviour that can be used to investigate possible ’cause and effect’ relationships. However Interpretivists, in particular ethnomethodologists and phenomethodologists, reject the use of official statistics for measuring or determining certain behaviour of which they refer to. Cicourel and Atkinson believe that statistics are the products of meanings, which are assumptions of those who construct them. However, although they think that official statistics are not social facts, but social constructs, this does not mean they are not of sociological interest. Phenomenologists believe that they can be studied in order to discover how they are produced. Cicourel said that this is the only use of official statistics, partly because all statistics involve classifyin g things, when such decisions are really subjective. When assessing this view, it seems it cannot be applied to all types of official statistics, especially those concerning data on age and gender. Although there may well be considerable room for interpretation when considering whether, for example, a sudden death is suicide, there is less room for interpretation when deciding whether someone is male or female. Conflict theories such as marxist and feminist theory, argue that official statistics are neither hard facts or subjective meanings. Instead they believe they consist of information which is systematically distorted by the powerful institutions in society. Although the statistics are not complete distortions, they are manipulated through the definitions and procedures used to collect the data, so that they tend to favour the interests of the rich and powerful. One example of this is the claim by Anne and Robin Oakley that official statistics are sexist. They have pointed out that in eighty-percent of cases a man is defined as the head of the household, and that women engaged in housework or unpaid domestic labour are defined as economically inactive, despite the contribution which housework makes to the economy. These theories suggest that official statistics aren’t particularly useful in presenting a valid picture of an area of society. Compared to other methods of collecting data, official statistics can seem both superior and inferior. As a secondary source of data official statistics come ready coded and presented, which can be hard to do with some data, particularly qualitative. However this categorised data may not be categorised in the exact way a sociologist might prefer it, so this is a definite disadvantage. Like questionnaires and social surveys, official statistics produce quantitative data, can generally cover a fairly large sample size, and are pre-coded. Again, like questionnaires and social surveys, the data can be manipulated to support or reject a hypothesis; for example by the way the data is collected and categorised. Official statistics are generally not an in-depth profile of the sample being researched, unlike methods such as participant observation and longitudinal studies. However because these studies are more in-depth, they also tend to have a smaller sample size than statistical data. To conclude, it seems that although there are many benefits to using official statistics as a source of data, they must be treated with caution, bearing in mind the social processes involved in their collection. Although some see statistics as social constructions rather than social facts, official statistics do often provide a unique opportunity for sociologists to obtain data the whole population. This would otherwise be far too expensive and time-consuming for a sociologist to collect themselves.