Why is it important for the school to concern itself with childrens :: Education

Why is it important for the school to concern itself with children's social and emotional development? Examine ways in which this could be attempted. In light of the current climate and the pressure on schools to improve standards, it may seem a strange question to ask. However it is such a fundamental issue that it is not only important but also vital for the school to concern itself with children's social and emotional development. This duty is now no longer an option. The aims of the National Curriculum as set out in the1988 Education Reform Act states that a school's curriculum should: "promote the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of pupils at the school and of society." (Kyriacou,1995)(p.18) Before elucidating on this question, it is important to know exactly what is meant by social and emotional development. Daniel Goldman defines 'Emotional Intelligence' as an ability firstly to understand why we behave the way we do and secondly to control those actions that are inappropriate to the situation. It is also the ability to empathise and understand the emotions of others (Goldman 1996). Hence, the ultimate aim in this area with regards to child rearing is for a well-balanced and centred human being. The majority of people also generally accept that to have been loved and accepted unconditionally by just one other human being, as a child is enough for them to grow to be normal and well balanced adults. It is therefore very clear that parents have a large influence over this area of development. So, why should schools concern themselves with the social and emotional development of children? Bandura, one of the main exponents of social learning theories argues that there has been an underestimation of the importance of modelling, particularly with regards to learning social skills (Fontana, 1988). Children have a great tendency to imitate the behaviour of others. This imitation tends to be of people who enjoy status and standing. This starts with parents first. It then includes outside people such as teachers who in the majority of cases for children are the first outside relationship that holds a position of authority. Teachers act as role models for children. It is not so much what a teacher tells a child but more the way he/she behaves towards the child that has the influence. Bandura held that children learn social behaviour through social contacts. In particular he made a study of aggression. He showed how children who were exposed to adult aggression, were more likely to become aggressive themselves. It was not the fact that these children were exposed to aggression but the fact that the aggressive behaviour seemed to be sanctioned by the adults.

Media Influences

When we as individuals have the desire to learn more about current events and the condition of the world it is only natural that we turn our focus towards the mediums that broadcast the information in which we are seeking. These information sources can be televisions, newspapers, magazines, and/or the most recent technological phenomenon, known as the internet. As of late, devices such as the television have been proven to be much more than just an amusement for many Americans.With awareness of the power that television possesses, it has arguably become a given that the content broadcasted through a television also possesses great influence. The media is becoming an ever more powerful force in shaping the world's perception of itself. An individual's struggle to develop, and maintain a unique identity and self-understanding apart from media's influence is steadily becoming increasingly difficult for the youths of today.When the people of the world absorb the many manifestations of th e media they believe they are simply viewing reality, but in actuality, the media often proves itself it to be the sole instigator of stereotypes, as well as the creator of adverse social problems that often plague our society. Personally, I believe in order to eliminate the stereotypes that the media generates the public must have a heightened awareness of both the existence of as well as the potential damage caused by these unrealistic and/or stereotypical images and messages we are bombarded with daily.Unfortunately, and just as it was discussed in the ‘Killing Us Softly’ video, these detrimental messages are difficult to fight and to even identify effectively because of the ways in which they are â€Å"wholesomely† or â€Å"harmlessly† presented via advertising. Overwhelming amounts of time and money are devoted to raising a small, specially selected portion of the population as models of physical perfection – and ‘Killing Us Softlyâ€℠¢ creator Jean Kilbourne exclaims, â€Å"These body types practically do not exist! For the most part, the types of people we see in the media are television and movie celebrities, fashion models, and sports figures. It is one thing to be acknowledged for one’s achievements, but the issue lies in that the glamorous ways in which these occupations are portrayed by the media are seemingly impossible to separate from the physical appearance of the people who hold them.The glamour that surrounds the media presentation of the lives and careers of these individuals extends, not surprisingly, to the clothes that they wear and the way that they look. One example solidifying this would be the fact that many celebrities, like Jennifer Lopez and Paris Hilton, create their own clothing and perfume merchandise lines, and both are prospering due to the constant bombardment of self improvement that television urges teenagers to make.In fact, so much attention is given to celebrity appearan ces that entire television programs are devoted to little else but visual exploitation of celebrity clothing, and their tangible products of their latest fad workouts – so we too, as common folk can also aspire to be the dangerously skinny, 6’2’’, 97 pound beauty with the flawless skin and natural stage presence†¦achieving such characteristics is no sweat, right?The media presentation of the celebrity body has a single unifying image, regardless of the specific job title of a given celebrity. It can be argued that, because the media portrays celebrities' bodies as attractive, desirable, and â€Å"good,† they become national symbols of these characteristics. On the contrary, bodies that do not meet this lofty goal frequently are, consciously or unconsciously, regarded as â€Å"bad† or ugly. Consider the ‘successfully’ popular advertising campaign used by Subway, the national fast food sandwich chain. Jared,† the  "star† of the recent number of television commercials, supposedly lost hundreds of pounds while on a diet consisting mainly of the chain's sandwiches. Jared's â€Å"before† pictures show him considerably larger than his current size, but they also show him alone, with no friends or family. In stark contrast, however, his â€Å"after† action shots consistently show him not only thinner, but also constantly in the presence of a beautiful woman. Although this is not always the case,) the advertising message here is clear and simple: being fat/not part of the 1% of the population that most models’ bodies fall into is considered to be the equivalent and/or predictor of one’s life being bad, ugly, unhappy and lonely; while being thin/having no source of natural body fat leaves one happy and with attractive partner. Through these commercials, Jared has assumed celebrity status, solely on the basis that his body has changed to approximate more closely to th e current standard of what the media considers to be attractive.In truth, there is a huge difference between the male and female body types glorified in the media and those of the public at large. For women, â€Å"desirable† physical characteristics (as they are portrayed in the media) include being thin, long-legged, slim-hipped, and large-breasted. In addition, the media-portrayed â€Å"desirable† physical characteristics for men include being muscular and possessing a full head of hair. While this has been the normal projection of a â€Å"desirable† man for decades, in some cases this desirable form has also been altered to an extreme (much like the unrealistic physical expectations of women. Just like the counterpart Barbie dolls, G. I Joe has evolved into a highly influential and popular action figure that displays levels of muscularity far exceeding the outer limits of actual human attainment. Thus, the unrealistic evolution of both Barbie and G. I Joe may seem insignificant, but in truth it reflects an ever changing and demanding projection of the human body that has been fabricated by none other than, the mass media.In the gap between what is absolutely beautiful in the eyes of the media and the physical reality of the popular majority, it seems as though nearly everyone, at some point in his or her life attempts to alter him- or herself in a physical way, in order to conform more closely to the marketed â€Å"norm† of attractiveness and desirability. Television, magazines, and newspapers are filled with advertisements promoting self-loathing attitudes, while offering â€Å"miracle,† and body-altering â€Å"cures. The body that does not conform to a sexy, sleek stereotype becomes a thing to be hated, improved upon, and generally tortured into submission. Again, in the video we watched, media activist Jean Kilbourne concludes that, â€Å"Women are sold to the diet industry by the magazines we read and the television programs we watch, almost all of which make us feel anxious about our weight. † Ultimately, the unachievable presentation of the human body in the media leads to many outlets that can harm/distort the average human being’s perception of themselves.The changes a person must make in order to become what the media considers to be beautiful leads to many problems such as: disordered eating, including anorexia, bulimia, over-exercising, excessive dieting, and over-anxiety over food (just to name a few. ) While most of the population recovering from disordered eating is still predominately composed of women, the number of men with disordered and dangerous eating habits as well as distorted body images is reportedly on the rise.In addition to inevitable physical damage, intangible psychological harm results from body image problems to which the media contributes greatly and regularly. The perception that a single, narrow range of body types is acceptable and healthy for men an d women is not only in error, but contributes to widespread social discontent. Instead of celebrating the diversity and beauty of the human form, the media stifles our desire to feel comfortable with ourselves.

Nietzche’s Moral and Political Philosophy Essay

In â€Å"Nietzche’s Moral and Political Philosophy† Nietzches theory of the strong and weak willed is explained to us. Nietzsche â€Å"seems to want to say that anyone who is strong, independent, and so on — anyone who fits his description o the higher type of man — is one who has value in himself†. I think it is interesting that Nietzsche puts such high value on a man who can think for himself, but if this man has followers and admirers of his work, these followers are considered weak willed. If everyone in the world thought for himself and broke free of the society accepted norms, our World would be one of mad chaos. Nobody believing each other or taking another mans word, everyone having to find out for themselves, and everyone trying to rise above another to â€Å"break free from societal norms†. Although it should be praised when a man has a strong will to power and can break free from the common attitudes and beliefs, i do not believe this path of master morality is something every man should do. Nietzsche seems to place a much higher value on a man that breaks free of society, and says the â€Å"followers† shape everything in society to work against this man,â€Å"[m]oral judgments and condemnations constitute the favorite revenge of the spiritually limited against those less limited† (BGE 219), and he claims that the â€Å"chief means† by which the â€Å"weak and mediocre†¦weaken and pull down the stronger† is â€Å"the moral judgment†. To better understand this you could say, that the Government (the weak willed) put restrictions on citizens to get them to conform to societal norms. The goal of this is to weaken the citizens and prevent them from rising above the government. In the example I used above I would [Type text] [Type text] [Type text] argue to Nietzsche that in rising above this weak willed government in order to become a strong willed person, could mean i am breaking laws and harming others in order to fit in the master morality category. How would he explain criminals who â€Å"break free of societal norms and attitudes† but do it by unjust means? I think this theory of what a strong and weak willed man is, is very questionable. Although you should aspire to question what you are taught and common beliefs are, i don’t believe all men who do this are â€Å"strong-willed†.

White Collar Crime Social Interaction & Conflict Theory

The American dream exists because everybody has a dream of what they want, or what they want to achieve. Americans achieve success through achieving their goals. The American dream is what gives people hope; it allows them to work hard to achieve happiness, and all the things that come with it. Like gaining all the things you want and need in life (Warshauer). The American dream is a big part of America’s culture. The American dream is based on the freedom of the people to pursue their goals through hard work and free chance (Malone). Maybe the American dream doesn’t exist maybe there was no American dream to start with. The American dream is dead for the majority of America† say’s financial guru Suze Orman, she believes that the dream of one day owning your own home and working one job till you retire, well and being able to retire will one day be crushed. Orman says we are on a road leading to poverty and there are no roads coming off of it. This is the e nd of the American dream some say â€Å"it has been sold† says (DCraig), but it’s the start of a new American Dream. The new American dream deals with responsibility, quality, ethics, and creativity while money takes its new place as a means. But the American dream changes and changes in the 20th century, the American Dream was summarized as â€Å"a single family house in the suburbs with a white picket fence around it,† (Leinberger). So the American dream changes with time, as the world changes so does the American dream. The us bureau of labor stats that out of 100 people that started working when they were 25, by the age of 65, 1 percent are wealthy, 4 percent have retired, 3 percent are still working, 63 percent are dependent on social security and charity,29 percent are dead. This represents real people who will most likely never make it to the top. This says that only 5% of the people you see will be finically successful. The worst thing about the American dream is that people would rather be rich and miserable than poor and happy. â€Å"I once said that at a party, and a woman about my age said, â€Å"Well sure I would. If I was rich, I could make myself happy. † â€Å"Nope,† I replied. â€Å"That’s not the deal: You can either be rich and miserable, or poor and happy. Period. So which is it? † She thought about it for several seconds. â€Å"I’d rather be rich. â€Å" Said Francis Hare That’s the problem with the American Dream. It used to be that a person with good work ethic could become anything they wanted and be happy with it. Now it’s about all the money you can make how much you have and you social class. (Hare) Another way to achieve the American dream is through education; education is the key to success, if you don’t have the proper education it’s not likely for a person to succeed in life (Stone). If there is an American dream which means, people pursuing their dreams, then why is the unemployment rate so high? The answer to that question is that the American dream has changed in some people’s eyes. The opinion I share is that the American dream has always existed in Americans dreams hence the â€Å"American Dream†. I think it is what people dream of having which varies from person to person, no one person has the same dream. It also changes from time to time; as new things come out people want them. Most of all people are losing sight of the American dream all they want is money and an easy was to get it, most people are trying to achieve their American dream the easy way through lawsuits or the lottery (Warshauer). So I do think the American dream varies depending on the person. I can see why people think the American dream doesn’t exist. Since there is really no definition for the American Dream or you can’t really put your finger on what it actually is. Lorie A. Johnson says the American dream is getting farther and farther out of reach. Today, people cannot afford to buy a home; people are spending their money on other things to find happiness. But Lorie A. Johnson says that â€Å"in order to be truly happy, Americans need to reject the false American dream and create their own vision of happiness†. Johnson) But the real question is does the American dream still exist? The answer to this question is there is no answer, because it only exists in the people that believe in it and it’s also different from person to person. The American dream only exists in the people that believe in the American dream. For the people that still believe in the American dream, it gives hope of success in their life. For the people that don’t believe in the American dream, they are now slaves to their jobs don’t have goals to achieve. Which makes it harder and harder to believe there is an American Dream? (Malone). The American dream can be said to be many things but one this for sure is that it is not gone. It just changes with the time, if America is still around so will the American dream no matter how bad the economy gets. The American dream is definitely still alive and kicking people just need to know that, the American dream is whatever their dream is or whatever they want to accomplish.

International Legal Personality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

International Legal Personality - Essay Example Above all the government is tasked to ensure security of its citizens, protect its boundaries and apply the law. (iv) Capacity to enter into relatives with other Nations: - A recognized has the right of entering into relations with other states. This is aimed at bolstering good relations with other states and to promote the interests of the other nation in a Foreign Country. This promotes peace amongst nations and promotes trade as well. In essence not states alone are recognized as International personal International bodies and Organizations representing other nations as their members like world Health Organization (WHO) World Trade Organization (WTO) are recognized to be International Legal persons within the definition of International Law. Generally a state is recognized when it possesses essential elements of statehood. The recognition of a state means that it has been included as a member of International Community. Once a state has been recognized, it becomes a member of International Community. By recognitions the International Community determines that the recognized state possesses the essential quality of a state, and is able and willing to fulfill its International obligations. According to this theory, recognition clo... Overtime various theories have evolved over recognition of statehood. The main theories on recognition of statehood are:- a) Constitutive theory b) Declaratory or Evidentiary theory. (a) Constitutive Theory:- According to this theory, recognition clothes the recognition of a state with rights and duties of International Law. Recognition is a process through which a political community acquires International Personality by becoming a member of family of Nations. Hegel, Anzilloti, Oppenheim etc. are the chief exponents of constitutive theory. In the words of Oppenheim (Supra note I, pg 125) a state is and becomes an International person, through, recognition only and exclusively. According to constitutive theory, statehood and participation in the International legal order are attained by a political group only in so far as they are recognized by established state (P.E. Corbett, The Growth of world Law (1971) pg 62.) (b) Declaratory Theory Looking at declaratory theory, statehood or the authority of new government exists as such prior to and independently of recognition. The chief exponents of this theory are Hall Wagner, Brierly, Pitt Corbett and Fisher. According to Prof. Hall, a state enters into the family of nations as a light when it has acquired the essential attributes of statehood. Pitt Corbett has expressed the view that existence of a state is a matter of fact. In his words "so long as a political community possesses in fact the requisites of statehood, formal recognition would not appear to be in a condition precedent to acquisition of the ordinary rights and obligations incident thereto. Briefly has also remarked the granting of recognition to a new

Discuss a Popular or Literary Representation of China Essay

Discuss a Popular or Literary Representation of China - Essay Example Even though some challenges such as climate change is still affecting the country as a result of continued utilization of coal as a source of fuel. The article indicates that china is currently considered a major economic force among the developing states. It has continued to boost trade with various African countries and it is seen to compete with other economic giants such as the United States of America. The security in the country is improved and it has increased the number of united nation peacekeepers. China is currently considered a leading donor targeting many countries in Africa. The Chinese government has pledged almost ten billion United States dollars to Africa over the past 3 years. China has struggled to develop good relations through cooperation with other countries. Despite the impact and the rise of china in the economic world, the country has continued to face some setbacks which target leadership, climate change and poverty. Hundreds of millions of people in china are still considered poor. The Chinese government has failed to develop a stable system of energy supply to be utilized by the people. The energy supply in the country has continued to rely more on import and therefore it has been a challenge to maintain diversified and stable energy sources. Environmental pollution has continued to impact negatively on the countries developments. Poor control of air pollution in major cities such as shanghai has resulted to decline in economic development and investment. The government has continued to launch a number of projects that are sources of envi ronmental pollution. Air pollution has health effect on the people and the government has to protect its own people from such effects (Fox, 2008). The Chinese state has continued to face collapse of ideology and moral lapses from the leadership that is in place. The state

Three components of the transmission mechanism,through which the Essay

Three components of the transmission mechanism,through which the expansionary policy works - Essay Example An expansionary monetary policy works by increasing the supply of money available in the economy.The recessionary gap is handled by the corresponding increase in demand which tends to create employment in the shorter run. As soon as the economy is supplied with money, the aggregate demand level rises from its previous state as shown in Figure 1 below. The demand level tends to rise from the existing AD1 level to a new AD2 level. In turn this increase in demand triggers an increase in the price level which tends to rise from an existing level of P1 to P2 which can be seen as inflation (Mankiw, Kneebone and McKenzie 503). As a consequence of price hikes, the inflation rate tends to increase as shown in Figure 2 and Figure 3 below. The short term Phillips Curve shows a linear increase as the amount of inflation rises but the long term Phillips Curve shows a vertical increase as the aggregate demand rises. If money is supplied to the economy at a fast rate, the outcome would be a small c hange in the overall employment rate since inflationary pressure would curb the economic growth. In contrast, if money is supplied to the economy relatively slowly, there would be a smaller increase in overall inflation and hence the net employment gain would be greater. In order to control a recessionary gap, the government has to offer the economy greater liquidity by increasing the supply of money. However, it must be kept in mind that the rate of supply of money has to be relatively low so that long term inflationary pressures do not set in. ... Fiscal policy can be controlled by increasing or decreasing government spending as well as by manipulating the taxation levels of ordinary households. A contractionary fiscal policy reduces the supply of money to the economy. When the supply of money to the economy decreases, the aggregate demand reduces from its existing level to a lower level. This leads to a contraction of the aggregate demand which in turn reduces the overall output levels in the economy. Consequently, the contractionary fiscal policy moves the economy along the short run Phillips curve as shown in Figure 4 below. In the longer run, the economy shifts vertically along the Phillips curve which leads to a reduction in the overall inflation rate with a minimal effect on the overall employment levels (Mankiw, Kneebone and McKenzie 512). Figure 4 - Disinflationary monetary policy in the short run and long run When the amount of government spending tends to increase, it increases the overall money supply in the economy . As a result, the demand for money in the economy tends to rise from MD1 to MD2 as shown in Figure 5. Consequently, the interest rate tends to rise which leads to a net reduction in the investment levels and puts reduction pressure on aggregate demand. The aggregate demand level tends to rise though it fails to meet its expected level of increase. While the expected level of increase in the aggregate demand curve should be from AD1 to AD2 but it actually increases only to aggregate demand levels between actual level and expected level to AD3 as shown in Figure 6. The reduction of the aggregate demand as soon as a fiscal expansion takes place is better known as the crowding out effect (Mankiw, Kneebone and McKenzie 487). Figure 5 - The money market Figure 6 - Changes in