Educational Philosophy Statement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Educational Philosophy Statement - Essay Example That is why the diversity of learners should be understood so as to allow uniform learning to occur. Knud Illeris’ learning theory understands the various internal as well as external factors that impact learning including cultural, societal interaction and the inherent development of illustration as contributing to learning (Illeris 2009). Since every learner goes through different experiences and may belong to diverse backgrounds it is important to bring them along the same level considering these differences. My efforts as a teacher, therefore, should remain to understand these differences and to create a learning atmosphere where the learner feels motivated to learn rather than lacking any relation with the material. Another useful theory is that of situated learning theory which is quite effective is that of Experiential Learning and it is widely being used in universities to enhance the learning process of students. According to Kolb, experiential learning is a process t hat occurs in stages (McGill & Beaty 1995). People learn well through experience. This is quite natural and this can be demonstrated by the example of an aged individual who possesses far more knowledge than a young and naive individual only because the older individual has greater experience. This theory suggests that learning also takes place from observance and reflection. This is why university students are often given assignments and projects for which they have to go outside the class and explore the situation so that the knowledge learnt is relevant and applicable in real situations. This has shown better learning outcomes. Effective Learning Environment Teachers play an important role in creating an effective learning environment. The teaching practices should involve methods that are helpful to student-centered learning. Thoughtful questions asked by students help in piquing curiosity which is significant for purposeful interaction with the learning material. Good questions motivate thought regarding the subject and are good for the learning process. Such questions should be valued through appreciation or any other form of credit (TeachThought 2012). My aim as a teacher would therefore be to acknowledge students’ efforts so that they get motivated and have a drive to excel even further. A variety of instruction mediums can be used including direct instruction, assignment based learning, peer to peer learning and so on. However good class rooms are very diverse and not every medium of instruction may suit the diversity. A variety of criteria should be used by the teacher in order to personalize learning based on interest, willingness, and other criteria. Gradually this would enable a teacher to know what is required by the student. Assessment should be constant and original and feedback about performance should be provided quickly (TeachThought 2012). Rather than a wholly grade-centered assessment, the focus should be on the understanding of con cepts. I feel that student-specific assessments can prove to be helpful as students may have different learning speeds and capacities. Taking them to be on the same level would be an unfair assumption. These will create an environment that encourages progressive learning thereby enabling students to learn more effectively. Professional Growth The learning theories indeed assist in the application in educational frameworks. These principles of learning can be taken into consideration for effective learning

Visual Perception Essay Example for Free

Visual Perception Essay Perception, as the word suggests itself, explains how and why a person understands the things the way he does. In terms of the utilization of visualization of the things seen by the eyes, psychologists are able to estimate the reasons behind the fact on how people understand things based upon what they see. The colors and other elements making up human vision help a person understand the said issues that are connected with his ability of using his sight for the meaning of things. The utilization of the body’s visual system, which includes the eyes and the brain as well, helps a person understand the things that he sees. Likely, the matter is more important in terms of explaining why a certain thing appears as it does and how the said aspects of visualization affect the meaning of things as they appear to the eyes. As for example, a tree may appear to be just a tree to a person in one look. While on the other hand, if the person examines the entire picture as it appears to his eyes, the picture may have a different effect to the person as it may sense an aura of relaxation and calmness that may bring a particular rest in the mind of a person. Likely, this perception is an inner description of what the eyes see as per described through the interpretation of the brain in connection to what the eyes see. In terms of the color spectrum, as the eyes see the rainbow to have different colors when actually the eyes could only recognize three colors, why is this so? The utilization of eye’s photo receptors makes it easier for the eyes to see the prism in a more complex collection of colors that produce the rainbow’s image in the mind. From this particular example, it could be understood that human vision does not only rely on what is actually seen but on what is understood by the brain as the eyes function as the mirror to the things that it sees. References: Nigel W. Daw (17 November 1967). Goldfish Retina: Organization for Simultaneous Color Contrast. Science 158 (3803): 942–944.Bevil R. Conway (2002). Neural Mechanisms of Color Vision: Double-Opponent Cells in the Visual Cortex. Springer. ISBN 1402070926. Conway, Bevil R (2001). Spatial structure of cone inputs to color cells in alert macaque primary visual cortex (V-1) Journal of Neuroscience. 21 (8), 2768-2783. John E. Dowling (2001). Neurons and Networks: An Introduction to Behavioral Neuroscience. Harvard University Press. ISBN 0674004620. McCann, M. , ed. 1993. Edwin H. Lands Essays. Springfield, Va. : Society for Imaging Science and Technology.

Virginia Woolf Essay Example for Free

Virginia Woolf Essay Virginia Woolf, and educated woman, described two luncheons at a male and female college. The intended audience of both passages is educated men who can make a change. Virginia Woolf demonstrates the differences in quality of education between men and women through narrative structure, selection of detail, and tone in order to garner support to change the quality of education for female students. The quality of food served at the men’s college reflects the quality of the education. For example, Woolf describes her experience of the luncheon at the men’s college through narrative structure, â€Å"lunch†¦began with soles, sunk in a deep dish† (10-11). The moment the luncheon starts, Woolf is impressed with how much effort is put into the food. Describing how much effort people went through leaves the intended audience confident. Also the selection of detail in the passages supports the authors purpose by illustrating every food item, â€Å"potatoes, thin as coins† (18). The precision of the food item is mentioned through a simile to emphasize the importance of men in society. Enhancing the importance of men assists the author by proving how much people focus on what men want; putting all their energy to ensure that the education provided at the men’s college is exceptional quality. Woolf’s erudite tone towards the luncheon also reflects how impressed she was with the conversations surround her, â€Å"brilliance, as it pops in and out upon our lips† (29). The author supports her purpose through the erudite tone in order to present the intelligence surrounding her. The brilliant conversation Woolf hears at the luncheon is presented through personification, which represents the level of intelligence male students attending the college has from the quality of their education. Men will always have an advantage in society no matter if there is equality between men and women. Women earned equal rights as men, but there is a significant difference between the qualities of education, which Woolf explains through her experience at the women’s college luncheon. Woolf describes her meal from the beginning as â€Å"a plain gravy soup† (41-42) and ending with â€Å"everybody scraped their chairs back† (62-63). Right from the start there is nothing special about the luncheon at the women’s college. The whole lunch is characterized from the use of imagery to create the effect of the unmotivated students at the women’s college, presenting to the audience that there is a clear difference in quality of education. The selection of detail adds emphasis on the simplicity of the meal, â€Å"beef with†¦greens and potatoes† (45-46). There is nothing special about the meal, which also involves the length of the passage being concise, but still no one complains because it still is â€Å"†¦nature’s daily food†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (50). This help the author to further prove people do not pay close attention to the quality of female education. In addition to selection of detail, the morose tone adds to the bland luncheon, that consisted of no conversation at all, â€Å" That was all. The meal was over† (62-63). Woolf is simply pointing out the women who attend the college are not motivated. The quality of education the women are receiving may be adequate however; the education could become great if people paid more attention to it. Although women have equal rights as men, their quality in rights is not the same. Both the men and women’s college provided an education, but there is a difference in the quality of education provided. The narrative style Woolf writes for the male college represents an elegant lifestyle, while the women’s represents old fashion lifestyle, â€Å"To call it pudding†¦would be an insult†(23-24), â€Å"sprouts†¦ yellowed at the edge† (47-48). The difference supports the author’s purpose, emphasizing the contrast in foods as a metaphor for the difference in education. Men have always dominated society and sadly it is hard to have men and women become equal partners in society; leaving the intended audience aware of women’s place in society through Woolf’s own awareness of the change. Describing the food in detail described the elaborate food provided for the men while the women had plain food â€Å"the partridges†¦came wit all their retinue†(16-17), â€Å"prunes and custard followed† (52). The selection of detail indicates that people pay more attention to men than to women by giving men the best of the best and women what is considered as ordinary. The technique of personification describing the partridges creates a picture in the audience’s mind on how grand the meal is by saying the food had an entourage. Lastly there is a shift in tone going from enlightening â€Å"all are going to heaven† (33) to dreary â€Å" soon the hall was emptied† (63-64). The students at the male college are given plenty of support that they think they are the best; on the other hand the students at the women’s college go on with their daily lives as individuals. After leaving the luncheon at the men’s college Woolf felt amazing which is the complete opposite of what she felt leaving the women’s luncheon. Although the students at the women’s college eat together, they eat and live as individuals rather than a community like the men’s c ollege. Although it may seem like men and women have equal rights, which is not the complete truth. Virginia Woolf uses her experience of two complete opposite luncheons at a male and female college to persuade the audience that there is no equality in the quality of education.

Political System in the UK

Political System in the UK United Kingdom has a unique parliamentary democracy which has been shaped by the country’s rich history which has created a political system that has had a fundamental continuity as its mainstay. Most political systems have been born out of revolutions and strife, but the United Kingdom has not experienced any invasion or revolution for over a thousand years (Barrington, 2012, p. 170). The 1642-1651 English Civil War, could be said to be the British revolution although its political consequence, the abolition of the monarchy lasted for a short period of eleven years however, the restored monarchy has lasted for over three hundred years, although it has undergone some considerable changes to date (Barrington, 2012, p. 171). Thus, the lack of revolutions, such as the French or the American revolutions means that the political development in Great Britain evolved gradually albeit in a different manner from the other world major democracies (Pryor, 2007, p. 79). One significant di fference is that the United Kingdom is the one of three countries in the world without a written constitution, the other two being New Zealand and the State of Israel. The political system is a mixture of monarchy, lords, and commoners making it a very complicated system which may not always be democratic. However, much as change has been gradual, it has been largely pragmatic and based on consensus (Barrington 2012, p. 173). As a nation, United Kingdom has been involved in a quiet struggle to shift political power from the powerful monarchy, which claims that it’s power is derived from God to a national parliamentary system that is increasingly representative of the common people and accountable to ordinary people (Pryor, 2007, p. 81). This struggle has seen the achievement of considerable milestones towards full democracy with the monarchy being reduced to mere ceremonial roles in the political arrangement of the nation. The first Model Parliament was constituted in 1295 by King Edward the First, when he convened the first representative assembly (Ingle, 2008, p. 5) It can be observed that, unlike the other absolute monarchs in Europe, the King of England needed the approval of Parliament to institute taxation to the subjects, which literary means that the ability to raise funds was central to exercise of power (Ingle, 2008, p. 6). In 1341, the British political system achieved another milestone with the establishment of the bicameral Parliament (Barrington, 2012, p. 174). What this meant was that the parliament was to be made of two chambers, the House of Lords and the House of Commons. the Bills of Rights, which was enacted In 1689, laid down the limits of the power exercised by the monarchy and gave guidelines on the rights of parliament and rules governing freedom of speech in Parliament, called for regular Parliamentary elections, and importantly, the right to petition the Crown without victimisation (Barrington, 2012, p. 176). The UKs political system is headed by the monarch albeit in a ceremonial manner however, the monarch exercises power through the appointment of a member of Parliament, ordinarily, the leader of the party with most seats in the House of Commons to form the government (Pryor, 2007, p. 83). The monarch, albeit a ceremonial head of state, exercises subtle influences on the legislature through a provision in the constitution that requires senior members of the royal family to be consulted about legislation that could affect their private interests and accorded the opportunity to have a say on the amendment of such legislation(Ingle, 2008, p. 10). The Monarch could be seen effective in terms of advice for successive governments though, this can be debated. One could say that, in contrast the monarchy is a relic of bygone society and that the most poignant role they play is exemplifying a class system. It’s effectiveness as a political branch is subjective. It’s historic value has great significance with operations such as the ceremonial roles mentioned; It gives us our unique identity as a sovereign state. If you believe in the ideals of Monarchy, ‘yes’ It provides continuity and plays a vital role in our constitution. If you don’t believe in it’s ideals, ‘no’ it’s simply an ineffective, overcomplicated relic and should be removed to simplify our political system. Like in most democracies, the United Kingdom state is made up of the executive, the legislature, and the judiciary (Pryor, 2007, p. 85). The separation of power, however, is not a clear as it would be expected in a democratic state, such as the United State of America, whose constitution demands a clear separation of power, for example the president cannot be a member of congress, and cabinet ministers cannot be appointed from elected members of Parliament (Barrington, 2012, p. 178). In the United Kingdom, all ministers are drawn from the legislature, whilst some senior judges sit in the upper house (House of Lords) of the Parliament, and the head of the judiciary is a minister. The British Parliament is housed at the Palace of Westminster; hence, it is commonly referred to as Westminster. This a bicameral parliament, meaning it is composed of two chambers, the upper house, commonly referred to as the house of lords, and the lower house, or the house of commons (Ingle, 2008, p. 14). Most parliamentary authority rest with the Lower Chamber or the House of Commons, which is lead by a speaker, however, unlike many democracies, this position is non-political and political parties avoid contesting in the constituency held by the speaker (Barrington, 2012, p. 179). This means that the speaker is a politician since he represents a constituency in the House of Commons, but cannot play politics while he leads the House of Commons (Stater, 2004, p. 241). This obviously sounds very complicated, but that’s the way things are, and it works perfectly within the United Kingdom political system. Another deviation from most modern democracies, the United Kingdom parli ament, does not operate with a fixed parliamentary term, meaning the general elections are called when the Prime Minister called for it. The Prime Minister does not have a term limit; rather, he can run for re-election so long as he has the support of his party (Barrington, 2012, p. 183). The Prime Minister, who is normally chosen by the head of state, in the case of United Kingdom the head of state is the monarch, from among the elected members of the legislature, is the chief member of the cabinet and as such, the head of the government (Stater, 2004, p. 242). The Prime Minister is normally the leader of the party which controls the house of common. Historically, the Prime Minister office evolved from the growing assertive power of Parliament in the seventeenth century and as the power of the Prime Minister grew, that of the monarch declined (Barrington, 2012, p. 187). It is the practice within the British parliament that the Prime minister appears before the House of Commons to respond to questions from the members of Parliament as part of his accountability to the members of Parliament and by extension to the electorate. In a presidential system, such a practice only happens at the pleasure of the President since he is not directly responsible to parliament on acc ount of having been elected directly by the voters (Stater 2004, p. 243). This is an example on the differences between a parliamentary and presidential system of government. There are many ways in which parliament holds the executive to account. One of the ways is through parliamentary select communities. These are comprised of 11 MP’s and are a group that can investigate any issue they give credence to. They usually investigate matters of public interest and can seek to resolve issues in any department directly linked or has ties with government. Parliamentary select committees could enter into party politics disrupting any proper investigations into conduct of government. It’s also could be seen as difficult to get a honest, coherent and straight answers from people they interview. Furthermore, Liaison Committees which are group of chairmen from all the select committees. The committee will meet with the Prime Minster twice a year and ask questions on pressing issues. This ensures that the Prime Minster, part of the executive, is held to account. These features help keep order within the structure of government and ensure nothings gets overlooked. There may be some flaws in the level of scrutiny, but the whole system doesnt work to appease or manipulate our democracy but ensures some credibility. An Idea to improve could be if a larger, independent and solely dedicated force could scrutinise the executive. The House of Lords is the upper chamber but with little authority, with its main duties being to revise legislation and watch over the government. It is characteristically British and has no parallel in the world. The membership is not fixed and sometime they can be as many as eight hundred active members (Turpin Tomkins, 2011, p. 57). Historically, the House of Lords was composed of the hereditary peers, who essentially were drawn from the aristocracy. Membership to the House of Lords is by nomination, unlike the membership of the House of Commons, which is by election, originally done by the monarch, but in modern times this is done by the Prime Minister (Stater, 2004, p. 244). Once an aristocrat is appointed to the House of Lords it became an entitlement to that family and the membership was passed from one generation to the other, a practice that goes against the principles of democracy (Turpin Tomkins, 2011, p. 58). The Labour Government has, however, abolished these rights he reditary peers to sit in the House of Commons (Morrison, 2013, p. 134). This left what is referred to as life peers, who are members appointed by the monarch on the advice of the government of the day, however, unlike the hereditary peers, they can sit in the House of Lords for life but cannot bequeath the same to progeny (Stater, 2004, p. 246). Most of the life peers are drawn from retired senior politicians, distinguished achievers in various fields such as education and health, and Archbishops and Bishops of the Church of England (Turpin Tomkins, 2011, p. 60). The House of Lords is being subjected to massive reforms with a prospect of enacting legislation to have membership of the House of Lords being through election. Many people disagree with a system of hereditary peer-ship and do not think that hereditary peers have any right to a say in the running of the country, feeling they are appointed by blood rather than achievement. Moreover, the fact they are appointed and not elec ted by the public is another aspect of criticism for the House of Lords. The British voting systems or electoral systems are the elective methods through which representatives for the various parliamentary and municipal are elected to office. The electoral system basically determines the rules that govern the election exercise both at the party and national level (Morrison, 2013, p. 134). The First–Past-The-Post (FPTP) voting system is used for the election of Members of Parliament and for local elections in Wales and England. Under this system, the country or the local authority is divided into small voting regions such as constituencies for members of parliament and wards for local authority (Cabinet Office, 2013, par. 4) The voters are issued with a ballot paper with the names of the candidates at the voting centre and they just put a cross adjacent to their preferred candidate and deposit the market ballot in the ballot box (Morrison, 2013, p. 135).. The ballots are tallied and the candidate with the highest votes is declared as duly elected to represent the ward or constituency. Each constituency has one vote in parliament and the party that achieves the number of seats for a majority wins (Cabinet Office, 2013, par. 8). The advantage of FPTP voting system is that it is an easy system to administer and ensures that to a large degree that one party wins the majority in parliament avoiding coalition’s governments (Turpin Tomkins, 2011, p. 65). The system enhances the production of a two party system which in turn produces one party government which does not have to rely on the coalition partners to pass registration (Catterall, Kaiser Walton-Jordan 2000, p. 45). It also enhances the linkage between the representative and the constituents consequently, giving a better geographical accountability and collaboration. FPTP is a straight forward system allowing for faster voting and quick tallying of votes which helps in giving faster declaration of winners (Catterall, Kaiser Walton-Jordan, 2000, p. 46). The disadvantages of the FPTP system are that it is disproportionate to the actual share of votes won, allowing for a party to get a large percentage of votes cast but not win majority seats in parliament. The system also makes it impossible for small parties to win seats in parliament (Smith, 2010, p. 46). The system enhances the production of a two party system which in turn produces one party government which does not have to rely on coalition partners to pass registration. The system encourages the setting aside of marginal and safe seats, with safe seats being less competitive than marginal seats since they are guaranteed (Ruhnau, 2013, p. 8). Voter turn out for safe seats is normally low reducing the overall voter turn-out tally. The system has been accused of restricting voter’s choices since parties are coalitions of different interest groups and viewpoints. The voters with differing views from the elected candidate do not have a way of expressing those sentiments. The system rewards the popular parties and not the candidates (Turpin Tomkins, 2011, p. 65). Much as the FPTP system is favoured in Britain because it reduces electoral competition to two parties, the 2010 election did not produce a winner with majority votes, necessitated the formation of a coalition government, the first since 1930s (Ruhnau, 2013, p. 9). This occurrence has reignited the debate on electoral reform with the coalition government mooting the idea of holding a referendum on whether Britain should replace the FPTP electoral system with the Alternative Vote system (Cabinet Office, 2013, par. 9). Those who support the FPTP system argue that the general purpose of holding elections is to get a crop of leaders who represent the views of the majority of the citizenry which supposedly are reflected by the popularity of the winning party. They point out that when people are unhappy with a government, they replace it with the other party who may have gained popularity at the expense of the government in power policies (Ruhnau, 2013, p. 9). However, such an arrangement only gives the party in power enough strength to legislate their favoured policies ignoring good ideas and policies from a representative from the opposing party. Much as the argument for proportionate representation as found in the FPTP system is desirable and at face value seem to represent the will of the majority, it, however, denies the citizens independent representation by individuals who can effectively and actively put the government to account for its actions (Ruhnau, 2013, p. 10). This system only manages to recycle the two competing parties by removing one party from power because they are unhappy with it and replacing it with the opposing party, not because they have better governance policies but purely on the demerit of the incumbent (Ruhnau, 2013, p. 10). This scenario has seen the clamour for changes to the FPTP electoral system and replaces it with Alternate Vote system. The AV system is a complicated voting system that calls for voters to rank the candidates with their preferred candidate being ranked first and so on. Candidates are perceived to be elected if they garner more than half of the preference votes cast (Ruhnau, 2 013, p. 12). If such on outcome does not happen, the candidate with least votes is dropped and their votes tallied again to the next marked preference. The tallying process continues till one candidates get the requisite fifty percent of preference votes, and that would be the candidate the AV system declares the winner and duly elected representative of the given constituency. The discussion on the changes to the election system was put to a referendum in 2011 where the United Kingdom citizens were asked whether the electoral system should be changed from First Past the Post with Alternative Voting system, the referendum returned a resounding no vote against the Alternative Voting system. References Barrington, L 2012, Comparative Politics: Structures and Choices, Boston, Cengage Learning. Cabinet Office, 2013, Reforming the constitution and political system https://www.gov.uk/government/policies/reforming-the-constitution-and-political-system Catterall, P, Kaiser, W Walton-Jordan, U 2000, Reforming the Constitution: Debates in Twentieth-century Britain, Oxford, Psychology Press. Hockman, S Bogdanor, V n.d., Towards a codified Constitution. http://www.6pumpcourt.co.uk/files/articles/Towards a codified constitution[1].pdf Ingle, S 2008, The British Party System: An introduction, Routledge. Morrison, J 2013, Essential Public Affairs for Journalists, Oxford, Oxford University Press. Pryor, J 2007 Unwritten constitutions? European Journal of English Studies, Vol. 11 no. 1, pp.79-92 Ruhnau, S 2013, The British Electoral System A Democratic One? Munich, GRIN Verlag. Smith, R 2010, The American Anomaly: U.S. Politics and Government in Comparative Perspective, London, Taylor Francis. Stater, V 2004, The House of Commons 1690-1715, Seventeenth Century News, Vol. 62 nos. 2-3, pp. 241-246, Turpin, C Tomkins, A 2011, British Government and the Constitution: Text and Materials, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.

Cooperative Education Opens Doors for Students :: Journalism Journalistic Essays

Cooperative Education Opens Doors for Students As the college application deadline draws nearer, high school seniors across the country will make their final decisions as to what handful of colleges and universities will receive the applications they rigorously spent their autumn weekends working on. Each year students consult different college prep tools to aid them with their continual search for the â€Å"right† school. Whether it city versus suburban, large versus small or public versus private; high school seniors today have a schmorgous board of options for furthering their education. However, a trend in education that is growing more popular in recent years, perhaps most notably at Northeastern University, is cooperative education. Northeastern was ranked #1 in 2003 among institutions that require students to combine classroom learning with real-world experience by U.S. News and World Report. Cooperative education, more commonly known as co-op, is emerging as a poplar way to stay ahead of the competition while in college. Started in 1909, one of the first co-op programs in the United States, Northeastern has a unique program that alternates periods of classroom learning with period of â€Å"real world† working experience outside the classroom. Students work full time in fields that are related to their future education pursuits and these are usually paid jobs. The co-op job allows the student to try out various jobs while still an undergraduate. The typical Northeastern student graduates with as much as two years of on-the-job experience already on his resume. Katie McDonald, 19, a sophomore at Northeastern is currently going through the process of beginning co-op. McDonald, who is a nursing major, will start her first job this January at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. â€Å"At first I was shocked at the whole process of interviewing and finding a job. Freshman year I looked forward to it, but once it came I was a little overwhelmed. Once I got started with it though, I found the process relatively easy. Now that I have interviewed and have a job I am really excited to begin,† said McDonald. Although students aren’t guaranteed a job every co-op period, known among students as â€Å"No-op†, there are faculty advisors who stay in close contact with employers to develop and maintain interesting salaried positions. Finding a co-op job, similar to any competitive job hunt, depends upon the candidate’s qualifications as compared with others, the current needs of the organization, the specific demands of the position and the job market in general.

Asian Family Essay -- essays research papers fc

Being the biggest continent in the world, Asia contains about 60% of the world’s population and growing each year. Though China, and India are two of the most populated countries in the world, having about 30% of the world’s population, there are about two-fifths of the countries that have less than five million habitants. Though forty-two different countries make up this great continent, much of the similarities are family values. Customs and traditions might be different, however, western ideas and influences have wiped out many of those customs and created new ones in most of the countries in Asia. Even in comparison from country to country, the new ways and ideas are similar. The basic Asian family would be the same as in any family in comparison to the rest of the world. Patriarchy families are more popular amongst many Asian families. It is believed that the man is in charge of the house in most if not all the countries in Asia. However, there is some form of equa lity between men and women in Asia. Some countries have more equal rights than others. Some countries such as the Middle East countries give very minimal rights to women. Even a great country like the United States doesn’t have full equality between men and women. Because of urbanization, western ideas and influences are reaching the average Asians. Asians are moving into cities with phenomenal speed. In an article by Michael Sivy of Time International Magazine, Malaysia’s Finance Minister Anwar Ibrahim states, â€Å"Today, half of all Malaysians live in cities.† Sivy adds, â€Å"the result is an irreversible change in the family structure that has prevailed in Asia for thousands of years.† The urbanization of these families helped to promote further growth in all aspects. It has â€Å"converted the extended family into a nuclear one,† says Richard Robison, director of the Asia Research Center at Murdoch University in Perth, Australia. Because of t his new change, â€Å"people are relying less on the family, which in turn is creating new relationships between old and young and women and men.† The change has promoted a lot of social change and economic change in many of these countries, such as Malaysia. By urbanization, many of these people are being influenced by the modernization and western technological advancements. These influences include democracy, education, communication, economical developments, medic... ...chusetts; 1999 Housewright, Ed; A Shoulder to Lean On: Mother’s outreach helps area’s Asian families deal with mental retardation., The Dallas Morning News, Feburary 15th, 1999, pp 23A Lee, Raymond; Interview with Father, Kwok Kwong Lee; November 10, 1999 Ma, Karen; Time Money on Family’s Finances: A Family Tree Gorws in Brooklyn: An Ambitious Young Restaurateur Heads a Hong Kong Family, 30 Strong, That is Replanting Itself in New York City Soil.., Time International, December 1, 1997; pp 20+ Mirsky, Jonathan; Asian values, a fabulous notion.. Vol. 127, New Statesman (1996), April 3, 1998; pp 26(2) Rudolph, Barbara; Reported by Blackman, Ann; Immigrants: The Stereotype is Accepted Almost without a question: Asian.; Time International; May 30, 1994, pp 31 Sivy, Michael; with reporting by Daneels; Jenny; Goplan, Nisha; Shapiro, Don; Cover Story: How To Get The Good Life For Young Asians Are Taking Control of Their Financial Lives Like Never Before. Time; 1997 W ong, Tony; Chinese family knew ‘it wouldn’t be easy’; The Toronto Star, May 11, 1999 Zhou, Julie; For the Journal-Constitution, Enjoying the best of two cultures.; The Atlanta Constitution; July 19, 1999 ppA7 Word Count: 3195

Interpreting Dreams Essay -- Freudian, Jungian and Cognitive

Most of us have experienced a dream, be it a nightmare or a pleasant walk in a forest. It was frequently believed that dreams encompass a coded message that might be expressing our hidden wishes, things that happened in the past or even predict the future. In the past, there have been many attempts to unravel the secret hidden behind the dreams and so far the world came up with three main theories of interpreting the dreams (Freudian, Jungian and Cognitive)(Wade, Travis 1998). In this essay I will attempt to analyze my dream by using each of the theories mentioned above, then compare the outcomes as well as their possible connections to my life and in the end determine, which one of these theories is the most accurate and thus as a laic may say the â€Å"best† one. However, I have never believed that my dreams have any meaning and in the course of this analysis I will try to prove that the Cognitive view alone offers the most reasonable explanation of my dreams. My dream had begun on a deserted shore. After a while, I was able to find a little cottage that belonged to a fisherman. I needed from him a boat in order to get to an island (it looked like a great mountain that was rising from the water and was covered with snow). All of a sudden, I sat in the boat with four of my roommates as well as with my father and grandfather. However, only then have we found out that we do not have enough food to get to that island, so we turned our boat back to the harbor. Upon our return, we had gone into a forest that was covering almost all of the land that we were able to see. After a period of time, the length of which I was not able to determine, we have found an arbor and there were many deer running around it. But instead of shooting any of them, I shot an old ugly pig with six bullets. That was the end of my dream. The next day in the morning I wrote it down as soon as I woke up. Sigmund Freud, in his famous book â€Å"Interpretation of Dreams† (1900) presented his new theories about determining the real meaning of our dreams. According to his book, our dreams in their core represent our deepest wishes, desires and instinctual thoughts. However, as these dreams in their original form (latent contents) were unacceptable for our consciousness, the â€Å"censor†(an unconscious mechanism) shaped them into an acceptable and symbolic form (manifest content). These symbols may... ...ne of his lectures: â€Å"The best interpretation (of a dream) is the one that has the greatest logical meaning and is mostly helping you to solve these problems.† (Johnson 2002). From this point of view, the best logical and reasonable explanation of my dream has provided the Cognitive View, which, as it was mentioned in the paragraph above, assumes that all of our dreams are just leftover memories. In my personal opinion it is true, because I was truly able to find in that dream of mine certain aspects that belonged to my past. Of course, I am not claiming that the theories of dream analysis of Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung that worked for decades are wrong, but in my case the outcome of these two theories was too general as well as obscure for me to believe that they represent the best way of dream analysis. Works Cited: Freud, S. (1900). Interpretation of Dreams: NY, New York. Gifford, T. (n.d.). Myths Dreams Symbols. Retrieved October 15th, 2002 from http://www.mythsdreamssymbols.com/ Johnson, M. (2002). Lecture, General Psychology, University of New York / Prague, Prague, Czech Republic. Wade, C. & Travis, C. (1998). Psychology (5th Ed.) New York: Adison Wesley