Outcomes of the Revolution Essay Example for Free

Outcomes of the Revolution Essay Concord and Lexington The British secretary of state requested an army go to Concord to capture colonist supplies and arrest prevalent leaders. However, the colonists were alerted and met the British in Lexington, where ‘the shot heard around the world’ was fired, sparking a furious gunfire battle. The British then moved onto Concord, but the leaders they were meant to capture had already fled. Also, the colonists rallied there and forced the British to alter their return route to Boston, making their trip heavy with casualties. This sparked the physical battle portion of the war, and led to the American’s first gunfire encounter with their enemy. It also brought the colonists together for this big encounter, and though they suffered casualties, allowed them the small victories of not only firing upon the British, but causing them more casualties than their own troops. Fort Ticonderoga The British planned for General Burgoyne to lead his men South from Canada. In doing so, he captured Fort Ticonderoga and then continued south. This capture gave the British’s plan to isolate New England the firm start it  needed and kept them on plan, though ultimately, the plan turned into a British surrender. Second Continental Congress The Second Continental Congress met to determine if indeed the war had broken out and how the colonists would handle it. They wanted to show they were acting as an independent country without using that term (independent). This was the first major step for the Americans, towards the direction of complete independence from the British Crown. They recognized and supported the war, appointed a general, and offered the Olive Branch Petition to the King, who ignored it. Bunker Hill The British sent troops to capture the colonists’ cannons on Breed’s Hill, which led to the first massive battle of the Revolution. Though the colonists retreated, they had a fatal impact on the British army, causing large amounts of casualties while taking only small numbers of deaths themselves. The Battle of Bunker Hill brought many more colonists to the forefront of the battle, fighting against the British. But, it also made the British realize that the number of colonists were a part of the rebellion, and ultimately turned the rebellion into the revolution, which had much deadlier consequences. Quebec The British took the city from the French and built a stronghold (1759). This battle was the first major American defeat during the war (1775). Two armies attacked Quebec only to be riddled with casualties and death. Many Americans were lost while the British suffered only few issues. This boosted the British armies’ morale and gave them a strong fort to hold supplies and men. It also stopped the Americans from trying to pull the Canadians further into the war, something that played to the British’s benefit. Lake Champlain Fresh off the success of holding Quebec, British forces made way towards Fort Ticonderoga by way of Lake Champlain. Benedict Arnold and his forces met them on the water, and though there was not a victory, the colonists were able to hold them off until a snow storm forced the British back in order to be safe of the weather (History of American Wars, n.d.). This was considered the first naval battle of the war. Trenton George Washington led his men across the Delaware River to capture Trenton, NJ from a small band of Hessians. Though the town really held no strategic importance, it helped boost the men’s morale and kept the Revolutionaries on track. Saratoga The Battle of Saratoga happened in close succession of the capture of Fort Ticonderoga. As General Burgoyne’s soldiers continued with their plan and neared the Hudson River, they were slowed due to various issues and the Continental Army caught them. Ultimately, the British were forced to surrender. The success of this battle led the Americans to realize they could indeed fight and win against the British if they could face them in smaller numbers. This also allowed the French, who had not wanted to step in to help the Americans at this point, see that the battle may not be a losing one. Valley Forge There was no battle at Valley Forge. In fact, it was here the American army went in its most severe of states. They were exhausted, hungry, malnourished and lacked any morale to keep going. But after a matter of months, food eventually came and the troops rallied. This was a huge turning point in the war. Had the troops not recovered and moved on, it is very plausible that the colonists, missing a key general (Washington) and many men, would have ultimately failed in their battle against the British. Cowpens With the British winning battles ibn the South, General Greene took the initiative to divide and conquer the British army in a battle near Cowpens. He used a tactic the British did not recognize and which ultimately cost the redcoats many men. This battle caused another massive blow to the British’s numbers, while boosting morale and skill tactics for the Americans. Yorktown General Cornwallis was ultimately forced to move his men up north to wait for replacements, due to malnourishment and fatigue. Washington, seeing his chance, pursued the weakened army and with help from the French navy, defeated the huge army and forced the British’s surrender. This was considered the final major battle of the Revolutionary War. The crown recognized defeat after Cornwallis’s surrender and ultimately surrender its own fight. Part 2 Complete the grid by describing the effects of the Revolution on each group. Group Role, if any, played in the Revolution Effect of the Revolution on the group Political, economic, or social effects of the war on the group Men colonists The man played the primary role within the Revolution. The fought the political and physical battles, and carried almost all authority within the colonies, militias and political parties. The group certainly was brought together from various religious and cultural backgrounds because of the Revolution. The collaborative efforts of the many nationalities brought forth a change in the colonists. As noted, the wars brought them together and they began to finally see themselves as a new Nation and impacted by their own democracy Women colonists As the British acted to hold onto power, the women colonists began to play a major role. One of their most memorable parts was played when laws regarding tea were changed and the British required only certain merchants to sell. The women stepped forward and boycotted the imported tea. They also played key roles as cooks, nurses and seamstresses for the many soldiers. The Revolution brought out the strength in many women, and drove them to support their men, their freedom and their new country. Many stepped forward to take on tasks and lead their own small revolutions of the British, but also a few even went as far as to join the military under false names and identities in an effort to help the men protect this new land. The Revolution opened many doors for women, though it still did not put them at equal marks with men. Though they were granted more power within their own household, the expectations of raising proper children, education and political silence were expected. It wasn’t until years later that the new States even considered allowing women to have more authority, become land owners, and explore their right to vote. Black slaves and freed Blacks Blacks, both freed and enslaved, fought on both sides, though apparently the British were more open to their precise than the colonists. But their  numbers were small in comparison to the whites. The Revolution cause so much chaos many salves fled their owners. It also sparked the talk of abolishing slavery and slowly states began to recognize freed slaves and move to legally outlaw the importation of slavery. As the more slaves were freed or fled, they created communities and built up their own churches, internal politics and educational systems. Native Americans No impacting role to either sides The Revolution unfortunately increased the impact the colonists had on the Native Americans. They continued to be pushed out of their lands and killed, by way of battle or disease The Native Americans were decreased by significant percentages and completely pushed from their lands. They had little to no power over the changes and were eventually wrangled into small protected areas, which were fractions of the size of what they had prior to the colonists arriving Cite and reference all sourced material consistent with APA guidelines. References: History of American Wars. Battles of the Revolutionary War. (n.d.) Retrieved January 24, 2015. http://www.history-of-american-wars.com/battles-of-the-revolutionary-war.html

Concept of Figuration: An Analysis

Concept of Figuration: An Analysis Figurational Sociology The concept of figuration grew out of Norbert Eliass best-known work, The Civilizing Process (Elias, 1939/1994). This work provided an analysis of how the European nation state emerged. It analysed social behaviour in modernity, and particularly social interactions. Split into two parts, the work first focussed on an analysis of manners to provide a description and understanding of the way in which modern norms underlying social interactions had developed. The second part of the book looked at how the nation-state had been built in the twentieth century. What Elias was most interested in, the central thesis of the book, was that it was possible for forms of social discipline manners and social norms to be translated into aspects of individual self-discipline (Olofsson, 2000). For Elias, then, there is a clear connection between a tendency towards state centralisation and the development of modern social manners. This is what he called the civilizing process. This essay, therefore, examines the concept of figuration, its theoretical roots in the study of court society, its modern form and the criticisms that have been levelled against it. As will be seen, the argument over the usefulness of the concept of figuration has been highly contested and strongly polarised (Featherstone, 1987). At the heart of Elias work are a number of concepts figuration is best understood within these. The concepts are interdependence, functional differentiation, self-control and power differences. Social change for Elias mostly results from the effects of functional differentiation. This is an idea shared with writers like Marx who placed the division of labour at the centre of his theory. For Elias, though, this functional differentiation leads to increasing levels of interdependence (Olofsson, 2000). Elias argued that the coercive power of societies emerges out of increasing interdependence. This brings the discussion to the concept of figurations. In order to explain these, Elias uses the example of court society (Olofsson, 2000). He argues that in court society calculation is an important process which individuals must engage in to negotiate with each other as the king communicates with his aristocracy. Because of changes in economic factors, many courts in Europe saw a shift of power from the aristocracy to the king. The power each member of the aristocracy had, therefore, depended on their relationship with the king. In order to survive, aristocrats had to play by certain rational rules that developed. These were based on the complex interdependency between the individuals and the fact that they were playing long-term power games with each other. An important component in playing these long-term power games was being able to control impulses. Because of the number of people in the court, the chains of interdependence were long and complicated. This required planning, attempting to predict the future and saving. Elias called this complex relationship between the king and the court a figuration. A figuration is characterised by asymmetrical power relations amongst a network of individuals. The court situation can, therefore, only be understood in terms of how the individuals relate to one another. Four critical propositions about the figurational approach are extracted from Elias work by Goudsblom (1977). These are firstly that human beings inevitably exist in relationships of interdependence with each other. As a result of this interdependence, complex dynamics emerge which shape many aspects of development and change the ways in which peoples lives develop. The second proposition is that these figurations are constantly changing and being transformed. The third is that these social figurations are not essentially planned but emerge from the interdependencies. Fourth, figurations provide an important cause of the development of human knowledge. In order to better understand the idea of figurations, Elias used various metaphors from games (Olofsson, 2000). Games are useful to analyse because the interactions between the players are not just a result of the absolute strength of each player, but of the relationship between the strengths of the two players. One example is two chess players pitted against each other. If one of them is significantly stronger than the other, then she will be able to control the manner of the victory as well as the actual victory itself. If, however, the levels of skill are much closer then the manner of victory will be much more uncertain and emerge from the interaction between the individuals. What this metaphor shows is that the power differences between two individuals have an important effect on the relationship. Chess only normally involves the relation between two players, but society obviously involves the relations between many more players, all with varying levels of power. Shifts of power differences in society can be seen in the way the upper and lower classes interact. The lower classes have, for example, increased their level of organisation in order to increase their level of power in negotiating with the upper classes (Olofsson, 2000). One of the questions Elias wanted to address was how people continue to interact in generally peaceful ways when there is so much animosity in, for example, power relations (Loyal Quilley, 2004). Models used to answer this question should have a number of characteristics. These are firstly that social processes cannot be analysed in terms of aggregations of components. Secondly the models work to both mould and constrain the behaviour and habitus of individuals. The strength of the idea of figuration for Elias was that it was able to access ideas of what society was about more effectively than other methods in sociology (Krieken, 1998). Specifically it tends not to emphasise the dichotomy often present in sociological literature between the individual and society. Instead it places the emphasis on how human beings are interdependent. Society was not most usefully thought of as a totality or a whole system of individuals. Society for Elias was the way in which people interweaved with each other (Krieken, 1998). The advantage of this view was that it didnt downplay the agency of the individual at the expense of societys control and helped to show how peoples individuality melded together to form networks of interdependence. One important theoretical aspect of figurations that Krieken (1998) points out is that they can continue without the existence of the same individuals but they completely cease to exist if there are no individuals at all. Krieken (1998) argues that Elias concept of figuration has been extremely important for sociology. One of its major strengths is the avoidance of the dichotomy between structure and agency. Although the distinction has been questioned many times in sociology, it is often still treated by sociologists as though it were real. Krieken (1998) points out that some have argued Elias concept of figuration should be placed alongside of the idea of structure. Mouzelis (1993) argues for avoiding abolishing this distinction. He argues for designating relations between actors in terms of figurations, relations between institutions as institutional structure and plain structure when analysing the interaction between institution and individual. Krieken (1998) does not, however, agree with this three-way distinction. Krieken (1998) argues instead that Elias used the concept of figuration to subsume all these categories of analysis. This means that figuration includes the analysis of what is traditi onally called the structure of society. Habitus is also an important concept in Elias theory of figuration. Habitus refers to the idea that each individual has their own set of personal preferences, attitudes, beliefs, expectations and rules. Habitus comes from a persons community and family experience and through their own experience of life as they grow up. For Elias, though, this habitus develops in an essentially shared manner (Krieken, 1998). Individuals grow up in society and their personal characteristics are, to a certain extent, moulded by those around them. Through this collective moulding of individuals, the nature of collective behaviour is formed. The ideas of habitus and figuration lead to a further important concept in Elias theory. That is that the way in which a persons habitus is formed is called psychogenesis. This, then, can only be properly understood when it is considered in relation to social relations or sociogenesis. Theoretically and methodologically, therefore, Elias was arguing against the separ ation of sociology from psychology. Each has important complementary effects on the other, so it is hard to get a clear picture of the full human being if both are not considered together. Elias ideas have vital implications for the way in which sociologists carry out their research. Krieken (1998) identifies two particular characteristics of Elias theory that are a challenge to some types of sociology. First is the focus of figuration on social relations which points to the fact that an individual cannot be analysed in isolation. Individuals can only be understood, even in isolation, argued Elias, in terms of how they relate to other people, as that is how people are formed. Thinking about humans without the relational element has a huge array of possible associated mistakes. For Elias, the analysis of power especially fell foul of the tendency to see power as a thing in itself rather than as arising from social relations (Krieken, 1998). This led, he thought, to all sort of misunderstandings. To be understood effectively, power should be seen in reciprocal terms. Elias argued that power was often analysed as though it only flowed down from above. A figurational analy sis, however, also points to the reciprocal effects flowing up from below. The second major characteristic of Elias theory is that it focuses on processes (Krieken, 1998). Figuration, therefore, cannot be seen as a static phenomenon, but as something that evolves and emerges over time. What had happened in sociology, however, argued Elias, was that there had been a reduction of social phenomena to particular states. Communities, families, individuals, all should be analysed as though in a state of flow, rather than statically. The use of figurations could be used to analyse these flows as long as there was not a reduction to a simple argument of causality. For example, Elias argued that a particular figuration made other, later figurations possible although it did not guarantee they would happen. Analysing society using a series of static conceptual categories, therefore, was precisely what Elias did not agree with (Rojek, 1986). Instead a process theory of sociology encourages analysis in terms of movement. This type of approach has a character quite oppos ed to many in sociology. Figurational sociology can be seen as extremely useful as a reaction to six dominant paradigms in sociology (Arnason, 1987). First Marxs work is limited by its concentration on the economic areas of life, whereas Elias figurational sociology is applicable to all areas. Against Durkheims idea of norms, Elias argued these do not represent fundamental units but rather the question should be asked in terms of power relations. For Elias, these questions should be addressed using a long-term analysis. Examining the functionalist approach, Elias found that trying to explain social structures in terms of the needs of the system was ineffective. The functionalist account is lacking because it finds it difficult to account for the fact that systems are interlinked at all levels. As has already been seen, Elias argued against a structuralist approach. The reductionist approach also had problems for Elias as society, he believed, could not be understood at this level. Finally, Elias took issue w ith individualism, the idea that it is possible to analyse society in terms of individual behaviour (Arnason, 1987). This is replaced by Elias with a focus on power relations and the analysis of figurations. A number of methodological injunctions develop naturally from Elias theory of figurations; these are examined by Loyal and Quilley (2004). The first is that sociologists should not think about either individuals or society as in any way static or fixed. An effective analysis emerges which sidesteps arguments over macro- or micro- level explanations. A further dichotomy which Loyal and Quilley (2004) present as being avoided by Elias work is that of mind-body duality which has crept into sociological work. The idea of figuration draws attention to habits of language in which processes are often reduced to states. The focus of figuration, however, is on using language that has the meaning of motion and flow built into it. The danger for sociologists of automatically adopting the available language of states is a misunderstanding of the processes occurring in society. This view was influenced by the work of Whorf (1956) who argued that language fundamentally affects the perceptions of t he members of the society that speak it. Finally, Elias believed that some measure of distance was required from society in order to be able to analyse figurations effectively. A Critique of Figurational Sociology While much of the commentary on Elias figurational approach discussed so far has been complimentary, his work has a number of critics. Layder (1986) argues that many of Elias claims about the benefits of his approach to sociology are vastly exaggerated. As a result, argues Layder, Elias tends to focus on trying to solve problems that dont actually exist. Layder (1986) starts by considering Elias focus on the static categories used in language as well as the idea that positivistic notions of causation are inadequate. The concept of figuration is used to challenge these ideas by Elias. In addition, underlying Elias concept of figuration is the idea that it transcends long-running arguments in the philosophy of the social sciences such as that between induction and deduction and rationalism and empiricism. Layders (1986) first criticism is that Eliass figurational approach does not transcend previous approaches. One reason for this is that Elias uses only the worst examples from disciplines so that he can easily demolish their explanatory power. Elias critique of social psychology and psychiatry assumes that all its approaches are atomistic. It doesnt, for example, take into account the wide variety of approaches such as those which do, indeed, focus on the effects of society on the individual and are not so atomistic. Symbolic interactionists, for example, highlight the way in which the ordinary, everyday processes of social interaction build to create what is called society. Mead (1934), an important theorist in this approach, emphasised the importance of socialisation and social interaction. For Layder (1986), then, the concept of figuration does not provide any additional explanatory power. Layder also argues that Elias does not demonstrate exactly how the idea of figurations provi des a better explanation of society. In criticising the concept of figurations, Layder (1986) argues that Elias makes a number of philosophical mistakes, some ontological and some epistemological. Layder describes figurations as generalised depictions of the social ties between individuals that Elias argues cannot be analysed outside of individuals. Figurations, though, must have some meaning outside of the interactions of individuals; otherwise it would not be possible to talk about them in an abstract sense. This is not, of course, to suggest that figurations only have meaning outside of actual interactions. For Layder, then Eliass mistake is to argue that a figuration does not have both a manifestation as a social practice as well as existing as an idea about that particular social practice. If the ideas did not exist it would be impossible to talk about the things themselves in an abstract sense. For Layder, then, the very discussion of social practices as figurations proves that they exist outside of the actions th emselves. What Layder allows Elias concept of figuration is that it does provide a useful descriptive tool. Although it doesnt transcend alternative explanations advanced by those working within structuralist and functionalist models, it can provide a useful way of examining interrelations between people. These analyses would, however, in Layders view, be useful in addition to those insights from structuralist or interactionist perspectives, they wouldnt supplant them. The weakness of using the concept of figuration is that it tends to ignore actual people, in deference to their networks of social relations compared to, for example, the analysis provided by interactionism which is very much focussed on social actors themselves. In this sense, it is again difficult to argue that figuration provides an approach transcending interactionism and other schools of thought. The second major criticism that Layder (1986) makes of Eliass concept of figurations relates to their rejection of objectivist structures. As discussed, figurational sociology sees social processes as fundamentally fluid and avoids reductionism Elias claims that this is an insight that helps the figurational analysis transcends other approaches. Against this idea, Layder (1986) argues that many phenomenological and interactionist schools of thought are based on the idea of social relations as a process. But, Elias does not compare his theory to these approaches, preferring to pretend they dont exist. Instead, figuration is compared with the theory of Talcott Parsons as an example of an objectivist theory. Elias takes Parsons idea that society is essentially in an unchanging equilibrium and states that this is the way society is seen from an objectivist viewpoint as a static system. In this analysis one of the mistakes Layder (1986) thinks Elias has made is to create a false dichoto my between static and fluid analysis as though there is no intermediary point. In doing this Elias claims that theories such as Parsons cannot explain processes, which, argues Layder, they can. Indeed, in concentrating on long-term processes, Elias does not allow an effective analysis of short-term processes. The third major criticism which Layder (1986) levels at Elias is that the concept of figuration lacks explanatory power. Rather than helping to explain what lies behind social changes, Layder argues that it merely provides a description of what is happening. When looking for the causes of figurations, Elias presents more figurations. Criticism of the concept of figuration has also come from Rojek (1986). In particular Rojek (1986) examines the way in which Elias talks about the accumulation of scientific knowledge. As briefly noted earlier, Elias argued that the quest for knowledge was not immune to the power of figurations. Indeed he thought it was a mistake that philosophers of the social sciences tended to make that assumed there was one model of the way science should be conducted. One particular claim that has been made for the usefulness of figurational sociology is that it provides a link between micro and macro approaches (Mennell, 1980). Layder (2006) argues, however, that using figurations as the linking between the macro and micro approaches just serves to blur the differences between the two. The character of social relations is quite different depending on its manner for example a face-to-face encounter is different from sending and receiving an email. Within Elias approach each of these would be considered aspects of figurations. Layder (2006), however, argues that each of these creates different levels of reflexivity and therefore requires a different analysis. For Layder (2006), Eliass figurational approach deflects attention away from a number of important factors. Institutions, for example, have important effects on the behaviour of people but this is difficult to analyse by thinking in terms of networks of connections between people. Further, when analysing social organisation in the form of groups, a figurational approach can deflect attention away from the nature of the ties between people, preferring instead to focus on their actual existence and their particular form. A false criticism that Elias makes of sociology generally by way of his figurational approach is that not enough emphasis has been given to the interaction between society and the individual Layder (2006) argues that this interaction is practically the founding idea of sociology. The challenge for sociology is in working out where to split the society from the individual. A problem which Elias work shares with sociology more generally is that a socially constructed model makes it difficult to understand the uniqueness of an individual. A complete lack of barriers between individuals leads to the conclusion that people have no individuality themselves. While it is not helpful to focus too much on the individual, it is also problematic for a complete understanding to give too little focus to the individual. Layder (2006) argues that, like extreme social constructionists, Elias theory of figuration is in danger of completely eradicating the individual as a legitimate object of study. Figurational Sociology and Sport In order to further assess the usefulness of the concept of figuration and see the benefits and criticisms in action, it is instructive to examine an example of its practical application. The principles of figurational sociology have been applied in a number of different areas, but one particularly popular area is that of sport. Figurational sociology has been used to try and understand football hooliganism, the growth of professional sport, the globalisation of sport and finally initial process of sportization (Murphy, Sheard Waddington, 2002). To take one example in this line of analysis, Dunning and Sheard (1979) examine the development of rugby. They explain the increased professionalism of the sport in terms of a societal move towards functional democratisation. This process leads to greater levels of competition, so that rugby players can no longer play just for fun. Instead, it is necessary to be highly committed to the sport in order to be recognised as successful. Because of the increased interconnectedness of individuals, it is no longer possible for athletes to play for themselves; instead they have to play for their countries (Dunning Sheard, 1979). This analysis helps to explain professionalism in rugby and the advantages of a figurational approach can be seen. Societal changes are examined here in terms of figurations and this provides a useful analysis and explanation of changes. In contrast, Murphy et al. (2002) point out that one of the criticisms of the figurational approach to sport is that it has ignored gender issues. Hargreaves (1992) argues that the figurational obsession with detachment has meant the analysis of sport has readily accepted a notion of sport as dominated by men. Even while Murphy et al. (2002) argue that this absence of the analysis of gender in figurational sociology is not a result of its theoretical limitations, from the criticisms already described the opposite can be argued. Particularly, as Layder (2006) points out, the figurational approach is weak on the analysis of the individual. Conclusion Elias made many claims for his concept of figuration. He claimed that it transcended previous approaches to sociology, rose above false dichotomies and helped sociologists focus on human beings as fundamentally involved in a network of interrelated relationships. Methodological injunctions also flowed naturally from Elias theory: e.g. focussing on processes rather than categories or states and establishing a distance between the researcher and the subject. Considering the criticism levelled at Elias work by Layder, however, it is difficult to see that these claims for a transcendent sociology are justified. Elias frequently misrepresented or ignored the work of sociologists he was apparently transcending as well as making serious epistemological and ontological errors. While both the advantages and disadvantages of the figurational approach can be seen in the area of sport sociology, it is hard to argue that Elias work stands up to Layders criticism. Perhaps the strongest criticism i s that figuration is merely a descriptive rather than an explanatory approach. For that reason, the usefulness of Elias concept of figuration is limited. References Arnason, J. (1987). Figurational Sociology as a Counter-Paradigm. Theory, Culture Society, 4(2), 429-456. Elias, N. (1939/1994). The Civilizing Process: The History of Manners and State Formation and Civilization. Blackwell. Dunning, E., Sheard, K. (1979). Barbarians, gentlemen and players: a sociological study of the development of rugby football. London: Martin Robertson. Featherstone, M. (1987). Norbert Elias and Figurational Sociology: Some Prefatory Remarks. Theory, Culture Society, 4(2), 197. Goudsblom, J. (1977). Sociology in the Balance: A Critical Essay. Oxford: Basil Blackwell. Hargreaves, J. (1992). Sex, gender and the body in sport and leisure: Has there been a civilizing process? In E. Dunning C. Rojek (Eds.). Sport and leisure in the civilizing process: Critique and counter-critique. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. Krieken, R. (1998) Norbert Elias. London: Routledge. Layder, D. (1986). Social Reality as Figuration: A Critique of Eliass Conception of Sociological Analysis. Sociology, 20(3), 367. Layder, D. (2006). Understanding Social Theory. London: Sage Publications. Loyal, S., Quilley, S. (2004). Towards a central theory: the scope and relevance of the sociology of Norbert Elias. In: S. Loyal S. Quilley (Eds.). The Sociology of Norbert Elias. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Mead, G. (1934). Mind, Self and Society. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Mennell, S. (1980). Sociological Theory, Uses and Unities. London: Nelson. Mouzelis, N. (1993). On Figurational Sociology. Theory, Culture Society, 10(2), 239. Murphy, P., Sheard, K., Waddington, I. (2002) Figurational sociology and its application to sport. In: J. Coakley E. Dunning (Eds.). Handbook of sports studies. Sage Publications. Olofsson, G. (2000) Norbert Elias. In: H. Andersen, L. Kaspersen (Eds.). Classical and Modern Social Theory. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers. Rojek, C. (1986). Problems of Involvement and Detachment in the Writings of Norbert Elias. The British Journal of Sociology, 37(4), 584-596. Whorf, B. (1956). Language, thought and reality: Selected writings of Benjamin Lee Whorf. J. B. Carroll (Ed.). Massachusetts: MIT Press

Problems In Policy Implementation Policy And Education Education Essay

Problems In Policy Implementation Policy And Education Education Essay In a growing economy like UAE, there is a vital need for numerous numbers of policies to regulate this growth and cope with it. The direct effect of this growth is increase in the number of expatriates compared to nationals; those expatriates are from diverse cultural backgrounds that have their impact on the educational system in UAE and the increase in demand for new educational policies to deal the problem of cultural diversities in schools. Education policy refers to the collection of laws, rules, and regulations that run the operation of education systems. Education occurs in many forms for many purposes through many institutions (early childhood education, kindergarten through to 12th grade, two and four year colleges or universities, graduate and professional education, adult education and job training). Education policy can directly affect the education people engage in at all ages, it includes school size, class size, school choice, school privatization, tracking, teacher ed ucation and certification, teacher pay, teaching methods, curricular content, diversity in class, graduation requirements, school infrastructure investment, values that schools are expected to uphold and model, globalization challenges . The goals of new educational policies are to provide all children with an equal educational opportunity under the increasing pressure of diversities within classrooms. The ideal policy in general must include the responsibility are required changes in our methods of thinking and approaching education in such a way that all people are respected. More intercultural understanding and an awareness of social and global knowledge will need to be actively incorporated into our educational curriculums. Not only is knowledge of other cultures required but also creative and critical thinking will be developed to create new policies involving equalities in multicultural education (Bennett, 2010). In UAE, we cant say that there is one single policy to deal with the problem of increasing in diversities at schools in UAE, and each school has its own policy to deal with this problem. The need for policy Tharp (1994) states that The increasing diversity of cultural and ethnic groups in schools has led to a parallel increase in concern for the implications of this demographic shift for education .Most of the schools in UAE are focusing on culture in their policies; they are discussing how to create suitable educational culture in the classrooms and friendly atmosphere outside the classrooms to increase levels of interactions between the students. Cultural diversity is considered a major concern for many schools and it differs from school to another based on the types of students they have, and from what cultural backgrounds they come. Cultural diversity and Multicultural education is an idea, an approach to school reform, and a movement for equity between students, social justice, and diverse cultural recognition that is needed in order to adapt with the globalization movement. Specialists within diverse cultural education emphasize different components and cultural groups. However, a significant degree of consensus exists within the field regarding its major principles, concepts, and goals. A major goal of multicultural education is to restructure schools so that all students acquire the knowledge, attitudes, and skills needed to function in an ethnically and racially diverse nation and world (Multicultural Education, 2010). Good and idealistic policy will increase the focus on cultural diversity will help schools in maintaining educational equity for members of diverse racial, ethnic, cultural, and socioeconomic groups, and to facilitate their participation as critical and reflective citizens in an inclusive national civic culture, but is there an existence of such policies at schools in UAE? The awareness of cultural diversity concept in education tries to provide students with educational experiences that enable them to maintain commitments to their community cultures as well as acquire the knowledge, skills, and cultural capital needed to function in the na tional civic culture and community. Policies at private schools in Dubai There are many policies related to cultural diversities at private schools in Dubai, but the focus will be on the policy at DIS that is dealing with the issue of cultural diversity in and outside the classrooms. Social development culminates in its expansion to a global magnitude, where students place themselves and their culture in an international perspective, understands and accepts cultural specifics and differences, and assume the individual and national responsibilities towards international cooperation (DIS, 2010). This quotation is an example of how private schools in Dubai are referring to cultural awareness in their policies, but questions on the factors interfering in policy formation, like rules and believes of the surrounding environment, implementation and the relevant instruments rise immediately into discussion. This quotation is the policy of how to deal with cultural diversity at DIS, but it is considered short to express everything related to its values, too genera l, it lacks of implementation techniques, and it is considered implicit. Who put the policy and who will implement it, are considered major issue for the success of the policy; I will represent a sample of Institutional perspective on educational policy and practice ( figure 1, Scott and Meyer 1994), and what are the major parties involved is any policy from settings, implementation, monitoring and responsible for giving feedback. Institutional theory offers a more nuanced lens for examining the organizational and institutional conditions that mediate these reforms, and how they do or do not make their ways into classrooms. Namely, as represented in Figure 1, institutional theory draws attention to the broader cultural forces that help define the major parties involved in every policy (Patricia Burch, 2007). The major concern here is that the schools which refer to cultural diversity and awareness in their policies are not aware of it, and if they are aware; there is no clear method s of implementations and evaluating. Each policy is affected by the surroundings (stakeholders), that may interfere directly or indirectly in setting the policy, schools in Dubai are facing a problem of cultural diversity, but what are the solutions of going over this problem. Mentioning it in the policy is a part and solving is another part (words vs. action), and it is allowed for single school to take it own action in solving the problem without governmental interference. The policy is set by people in charge who may interact by either involving others in implementing it, or force others to implement it. Those people in charge are responsible for any change in the policy. Figure 1 How does the Policy view Culture? You can feel it within minutes of entering a school: the behavior of the students, the attitude of the teachers, the care for the physical plant, the artifacts of discovery, learning, curiosity, community, expression and intellection that adorn the walls of the place, it is obvious that this is a place where young people and teachers learn (Bill Schubart 2010). Good policy must include the characteristics of good and learning culture that is aware to students from diverse culture and give them equal chances of learning, and increase their sense of awareness towards each others. Good educational and learning culture is not driven by high property taxes, escalating school budgets, federal or state legislation, national testing, good buildings, nice classes or teachers unions. It is a modeled behavior set by leadership in the school, followed by a critical mass of the teaching body, all of whom are accountable for the culture and spread it by their own example and experience, their comm itment to a community of learning, removing cultural diversities and barriers between students, their respect for one another and for their students (Schubart, 2008). What is the teachers role in implementing and adopting the policy? The diversity in classrooms presents unique opportunities and significant challenges for teaching. Students in UAE schools are with a wide variety of skills, abilities, and interests and with varying potentials in various areas. The wider the variation of the student population in each classroom, the more complex the teachers role becomes in, teaching, organizing, motivating and controlling students to ensure that each student has access to high-quality learning . The ultimate goal of any teacher is to find suitable approach to every student in the classroom, and try to motivate him in a way to get the best from him. To reach that goal, teachers need assistance, training and well designed curriculum that must fit the needs of all students. Many schools have prepared their teachers to deal with diversity cases in their classrooms and leave it for the teacher to evaluate the situation and find the suitable solution to eliminate those diversities in order to get the best from students, and increase their sense of belonging. The policy at DIS doesnt mention any point related to the teacher role in the implementation of the policy, how it will be applied, what other parties to be involved (supervisors and parents), and the changes in curriculums to facilitate the implementation process. This implicit policy is considered too short to discuss every single aspect related to the problem and put pressure on teachers to figure out personal solutions to deal with diversities in their classrooms. Those solutions are not standard; they vary from teacher to teacher and from class to class. Good policy doesnt give margin for such variations; it must have clear values, well articulated, the action required from this policy must be stated, and the methods of implementation must has to included in the policy. Where are the errors of implementation? (Implementation Gap) The policies in general are clear, written in a good professional language, and they are considered part of schools mission. The problems are not in the policy or its values only, but in the implementation of those policies, and the lack of communication between various parts responsible for applying the policy. There could be implementation gap as a result of many factors, which could arise from the policy itself, the policy maker, or the environment in which the policy has been made. Implementation gap can arise from the policy itself when such a policy emanates from government rather than from the target groups. By this, it means that planning is top-down. And, by implication, the target beneficiaries are not allowed to contribute to the formulation of the policies that affect their lives, the target groups could be the teachers, students, and families (Makinde, 2005). Another cause of implementation gap is the failure of the policy makers to take into consideration the social, po litical, economic and administrative variables when analyzing for policy formulation, as I referred in the beginning of this paper there is gap between private and public schools polices concerning cultural policies, public schools that are only attained by nationals with unified curriculum all over the country, put less pressures on those schools to realize cultural diversities between their students. Conclusion Schools in UAE are considered melting pot of students from diverse cultural backgrounds that need a suitable polices to achieve equal educational opportunities that will help them to realize other cultures, and increase students openness to diverse cultures. Polices alone without the suitable instruments of implementation is considered useless, good implementation is considered key success for any policy that put policy in action. Considering targeted group in setting the policy and involving them will increase its credibility and make the implantation easier to a certain extent. The policies must be clear, written in a good professional language, and they are considered part of schools mission. The problems are not in the policy or its values only, but in the formulation and implementation of those policies, and the lack of communication between various parts responsible for implementing the policy.

2005 Superbowl :: essays research papers

Pats vs. Eagles   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Through the 2004-05 National Football League season, there was a lot of speculation about who would win the Super Bowl, just like every other year. As the regular season ended, it came down to just twelve teams, then eight, then four, then just two. Two teams who have worked very hard to represent their separate leagues, and the game they shared was a great one. Although the Philadelphia Eagles played a very good game and were able to put up 21 points, the 24 points by the New England Patriots, because of solid offence, sound defense, and a +2 takeaway margin, the Patriots were just too much to handle.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Eagles came into this game with their star wide receiver injured. Terrell Owens, just two months earlier, was diagnosed severe sprain of his ankle's deltoid ligament and a fracture of his fibula. There was a lot of speculation about whether his ankle would be able to hold up, and it turns out his ankle would do just fine. Owens ended the game as the leading receiver for the Eagles with nine receptions for 122 yards and a long of 36. But this was not enough to keep the Eagles in this game. His quarterback, Donovan McNabb, threw an outrageous 51 times and completed 37 for 357 yards and 3 touchdowns. If this was all he did, these stats would have made him the Super Bowl MVP. However, McNabb also threw a season high 3 interceptions, and most of these were very uncharacteristic, and very unfortunate for the situation the Eagles were in. The running game was also non-existent, rushing for only 44 yards. The high number of mental errors by Philadelphia, along with th e lack of running game held them from scoring numerous times.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Patriots did not have these mental mistakes. New England Quarterback and two-time Super Bowl MVP Tom Brady had a few early mistakes, and unforced fumble, and led his receivers into some dangerous situations, but after the first quarter, the Patriots offence started to click. Brady ended the game with 236 yards on 23 completions, and 2 touchdowns. New England also had the Super Bowl MVP Deion Branch, who left the game with a Super Bowl record 11 receptions for 133 yards. Passing is a very big part of football, and the key to a good passing game is a good running game.

The Thriller Like Suspense in An Inspector Calls by J.B. Priestley Essa

The Thriller Like Suspense in An Inspector Calls by J.B. Priestley â€Å"An Inspector Calls is a perfect play. It contains theatrical excitement in the thriller-like suspense of the Inspector’s inquiry; it has a moral message and it is very tightly constructed.† Do you agree with this statement? The play â€Å"An Inspector Calls† was written by J.B Priestly. The play is set in 1912, in the Edwardian Era, in a fictional town called Brumley, an industrial city in the North Midlands. When Priestly wrote the play in 1945, World War II was just ending. The play is set two years before World War I, in 1912, and in the year of the Titanic. In the Edwardian Era, known as the â€Å"Golden Age† for some classes, upper and middle classes led a pleasant life. They had everything they needed and plenty of money. The upper class, which, in the play, includes Mrs Birling, Gerald Croft and his parents, Mr and Mrs Croft, were hardhearted people. The upper class owned factories and businesses and employed the middle class, like Mr Birling, to run them. The working class, like Eva Smith, were the employees who worked for many hours and little pay. The upper class did not work, but were wealthy and many of them were associated with royalty. It was not a â€Å"Golden Age† for the working class though. They had little money and struggled to stay alive due to lack of food and employment. They worked in factories or coalmines owned by the upper class. The entire play is set in one room, the dining room. The play begins with the Birling family, who appear respectable, celebrating the engagement between their daughter, Shelia Birling, and Gerald Croft, when an Inspector calls to question them regarding a suicide incident of a young... ... Shelia, but not at the same time. Gerald, Eric and Mrs Birling do not see the photograph, this is because they knew her by name, but she had several different names. She was known to Gerald as Daisy Renton whereas, Eric knew her as Eva Smith and Mrs Birling said Eva Smith called herself Mrs Birling. The audience is left to wonder why the Inspector has only shown this photograph to two people and whether or not it was the same photograph. This is another clue to the audience to show that he may not be a real Inspector. â€Å"An Inspector Calls† has been a very successful play because it is enjoyable to watch. The play holds the audience’s attention because of the continuous action. The play today continues to be very popular and the moral or message Priestly tries to put across, treat people how you want to be treated, still applies to a modern audience.

What Makes the Dream American?

| What Makes the Dream American? | A Critical Thought Analysis| | Fairen Harris| University of Louisville| Dr. Chapman Gran Torino: In a nutshell A racist Korean War veteran and recent widower, Walt Kowalski is living in a crime ridden town in Detroit, Michigan. Walt’s once all White neighborhood has become occupied by the Hmong people. The Hmong people represent a part of Southeast Asia, such as Thailand, Laos, and China. The Hmong came to America because during the war they fought on the American side and the Vietnamese waged a war against the Hmong people after the Americans left.Due to this change in neighbors, Walt is now forced to confront his own lingering prejudice when a troubled Hmong teen, Thao Vang Lor, from next door attempts to steal his prized 1972 Gran Torino, (Ford model car) Walt himself helped assemble on the care line. It is decades after the Korean War has ended, and aging veteran Walt Kowalski is still haunted by the horrors he witnessed on the battlefiel d. The viewers notice the power distance created among the gang affiliated persons and the nonaffiliated when the gang has tried to kidnap Thao, Walt’s neighbor, from his home.Walt, in an attempt to get the â€Å"gooks† off his lawn turns his same rifle; he pointed at Thao when he attempted to steal Walt’s Gran Torino, on the gang members and scares them away. The Hmong show their gratitude to Walt, by making Thao pay penance for attempting to steal the Gran Torino. Despite the fact that Kowalski wants nothing to do with the young troublemaker, he realizes that the quickest way out of the situation is to simply cooperate. In an effort to set the teen on the right path in life and â€Å"toughen him up,† Walt turns from being Thao’s grumpy racist neighbor into being a helpful almost father figure.In the process of all of this, Kowalski discovers that the only way to lay his many painful memories to rest is to finally face his own blinding ethnocentri c views about other cultures directly. Thao Vang Lor: A boy or a man? When examining at the undertones of classism, racism, and sexism, one takes note that the character affected most is Thao. The first introduction viewers have of. Thao and the other Hmong people as a collective are celebrating the life of a new baby.The Lor family shaman is presiding over the ceremony giving viewers a glimpse into their traditional cultural values. Thao, living in a home with his grandmother, widowed mother, and sister, is looked down upon by the other Hmong people. They expect Thao to step up and become â€Å"the man of the home,† because of the recent death of his father. An elder woman in the movie even says, â€Å"Look at the way he does dishes he will never become the man of the home. † (cite movie here) When Thao fails to do so, he is ridiculed by elders and outcast by his peers.During the beginning of the movie Thao’s activity consist of what the Hmong, and many people of cultures around the world would refer to as ‘woman’s work. † Sue Lor, Thao sister, explains to Walt how life is for Hmong boys and girls. Sue Lor tells Walt, â€Å"Hmong girls fit in better. Girls go to college and the boys go to jail. † As the films plays out you see that Thao does not in fact fit this schema that the Hmong youth have seem to fall victim to. Despite Thao’s fight not to assimilate into the life of the typical Hmong boy, he finds it difficult to escape his cousin and gang friends.Thao is an average middle class teen, does the work of the household for his family, and is employed at a construction site; but most of all Thao wants to go to college and is willing to work hard to finance his way through school. However, he is still not seenperceived as being good enough as a man in the Asian culture and, even more so, in the American patriarchal society. So who is the better man, working Thao or his gang banging, potential rapist, cous in Spider? Throughout the entirety of the movie, Thao is faced with the notions that he is simply not enough of a man and he receives distinct criticism from his immediate family.Thao’s father, before his death, was always hard on them because, â€Å"he was traditional,† as Sue Lor put it. (cite here) How do we measure manhood? Is it based off the number of people that a man has killed? Is it the number of times he has went to war? Or in fact is the measurement of a man the same as what a human should be willing to do? To help ones family, set goals, and work hard to achieve them, that in fact is the measurement of a man, and that is who Thao Lor embodies. Diversity of the American dreamThe seemingly over arching theme in this movie is based on a culture clash, of non- Western and Western views and the ideas of the American Dream. This leads the audience to question, What does being an American mean? What is the American dream? The idea of the American dream is the not ion that anyone in the United States can succeed through hard work and has the potential to lead a happy, successful life. The issue with this idea is that the American dream often disregards  bias  based on a person's race, religion, gender and national origin, which might inhibit his or her ability to achieve the specific goals.Thao, not only struggling with sexism and racism, is also faced with the ever present struggle of class. Their whole neighborhood is similar to that of a very middle class neighborhood; however it is one that is not a priority of the city. Then is evident when there is a scene in which Walt has Thao clean was a rundown house across the street from Walt’s home, and when the police refuse to stay in the neighborhood long enough to patrol it properly. Thao’s only desire is attempting to lead a normalized life, wanting badly to make money, and wanting to take a Hmong girl that he has been interested in on a date.In his quest to do so he is fac ed with issues of peer pressure and teen anxiety. In search for his version of the American Dream, and in the end of the film he has finally achieved that, as Thao is seen driving the Gran Torino he once tried to steal. Conclusion: A message from the director In the end, Walt Kowalski gives up his life for Thao and the other Hmong people by sacrificing himself to be shot by the gang bangers in order to have hard evidence against them for them to be incarcerated for good.Walt was able to, not completely stop his racist mind set, become a bit more open to the Lor family, he felt he had the responsibility to protect them. After being killed, the film cuts to a scene of Thao and Sue in traditional Hmong clothing in route to Walt’s funeral, the same kind of scene as the beginning of the film. By directing and starring as the main character in the film, Clint Eastwood is making it a point for the viewers of this film to look closely at the issues occurring during this film, all of which having to do ith classism, racism, religion, sexism, and how each of these transpire across race and ethnic groups. Eastwood chooses to address Polish, Asians, Latinos, Blacks, Italians, men, women, young and old, wealthy, middle class, and the poor, attempting to address every traditional and non-traditional, western and non-western dichotomies. The film inevitably leaves the viewer thinking, did he do a good job in trying to get his message across? Was Eastwood attempts to use the film as antidote to the issues that it addresses fulfilled? r was there even a political perspective in which he wanted the viewers to interpret the film? References Eastwood, C. (Director, Prouducer). ( 2008). Gran Torino. [Motion picture]. United States: Warner Home Video Shiraev, E. , ; Levy, D. (2013). Cross-Cultural Psychology: Critical Thinking and Contemporary Applications (5th ed. ). Boston: Pearson (Allyn ; Bacon). Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed. ). (2 009). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Certificate Essay

Whilst the layout of reports is often a personal or corporate matter, it is wise to follow a few simple rules. )The report should have a beginning, middle and end. b)It should be laid out in a manner that makes it easy to read (e. g. a title, sub headings, references to observation sheet where necessary). c)Any recommendations are usually left until the end. This allows the busy manager to skip all the wordy report and look at the ‘bottom line’. 2. Relevant topics. It is important to remember the purpose of this report. The majority of faults found during the inspection will be of a minor nature, which would be rectified by the workforce supervisor. The secret of a good report is identifying those matters, which will need management action. Typically, these would include: a)Anything that has a cost implication, e. g. the need to budget for rebuild, the need to provide lockers etc. b)Possible breaches of legislation, e. g. All portable electrical equipment should be regularly tested, a requirement of the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989. c)A breakdown of procedures, e. g. PPE not being booked in and out of stores, a requirement of the workshop. )Poor supervision, e. g. Personnel working without PPE. e)Underlying problems, e. g. Attitude of workers regarding tidiness. There is a need for further training to highlight the need for good housekeeping 3. Cost implications. One of the most important factors associated with convincing management about taking action is the cost implication. If you can assure the reader that the action necessary will cost little or nothing, then the chances of agreement to the action is almost certain . The above, notwithstanding, if there is a substantial cost implication then it is necessary to highlight the fact to enable plans for future budgeting to be made. 4. Relevant legislation. As with the cost implications above, highlighting Possible breaches of legislation will often lead to management action. It is necessary to ensure that the legislation quoted is relevant, however. 5. Strength of argument. By producing a well balanced, logical report encompassing all of the above points, it should be enough to convince most managers that action needs to e taken. (it should be noted that in real life situations there are certain managers who will never be convinced, short of an accident happening, of the need for good health and safety practice.