Sociology of Gender-sexual assault, abuse and crime Essay

Sociology of Gender-sexual assault, abuse and crime - Essay Example There are actual websites that suggest that if a woman says "no" she really does not mean it. According to the FBI "the rate of forcible rapes in 2007 was estimated at 59.1 offenses per 100,000 female inhabitants" (U.S. Department of Justice, 2008, p. 2). The FBI defines "forcible rape" as forcing a woman to have sex against her will. The greatest challenge for rape victims is that police do not always believe that this has happened to them. According to Fazlollah (2008) there is a growing body of evidence that suggests that police departments ignore rape because "women often lie." (par. 1). The evidence shows that many police departments " fail to report rapes, miscategorize and disguise them and manipulate statistics in order to simplify their work or bolster their departments or their cities images. Often, police believe that alleged victims are lying and categorize reports as unfounded." (par. 5). This has created more problems in women reporting the crime because when they are n ot believed it takes a very long time for an individual to come to trial and/or to be convicted of the crime. In these cases most of the precincts that are adopting this stance continue to be dominated by men. There are many theories about rape and most of them deal specifically with "why" someone commits the crime. For most feminists, rape is more about power than it is about sex. According to Ellis (1989) the feminist view involves a mans decision to "behave towards women in a possessive, dominating, and demeaning manner" (p. 11). Thornhill and Palmer (2000) have taken issue with the feminist viewpoint and devoted work to developing a different sociological theory. In their research they believe that rape is about sex because men are sexual creatures. Also they state these facts: Because of these issues Thronhill and Palmer suggest that rape is a " a natural, biological phenomenon that is a product of the human evolutionary heritage." (p. 2). They show evidence

Depends on Writer Essay Example for Free

Depends on Writer Essay Many countries, including the United States, are currently struggling with two apparently conflicting objectives, that is how to make newcomers and native minorities feel they have equal opportunity to pursue the American Dream, while at the same time convincing the native majority that policies crafted to help others are not discriminating against their own rights and opportunities. The two main policy thrusts used by governments, schools and other institutions designed to promote racial diversity and integration are race conscious and color blind. Race conscious and color blind are not mutually exclusive, but two ends of a continuum. At the one end an example of a race conscious policy would be if race was the sole distinguishing factor deciding whether one candidate is selected over another and there is a quota for members of a specified race. For example assume two candidates of different races for military promotion both meet the required minimum standard. An extreme race conscious policy would dictate that the person from the race considered disadvantaged would be promoted even if less meritorious. On the other hand under a completely color blind policy, race would play absolutely no part, and the best candidate would be promoted . In between is a situation where race is only one factor to be considered and the candidate of the disadvantaged race would be promoted only if the sum total of his merits was considered at least equal to that of the other candidate. Race was the deciding factor to break the tie so to speak Also in the middle scenario there is no set quota for those considered disadvantaged, only a vague goal that they would be in sufficient numbers that they wouldn’t feel isolated. For the disadvantaged color blind policies tend to promote the status quo in that because their color is often associated with other negative factors such as poverty, limited educational opportunities and cultural limitations, they find it difficult to compete and get ahead. Racial inequalities are thus perpetuated and racial identities more starkly contrasted. In other words the discontented tend to feel its’ â€Å"them versus us†. On the other hand, race conscious policies can make the dominant group feel that in efforts to improve opportunities for the disadvantaged, their rights are infringed. In effect they can feel they are victims of reverse discrimination. They believe their rights are threatened, and are now suffering racial inequalities because of efforts to help the previously disadvantaged. They also fear losing their status as the dominant race. The Asian American Legal Foundation brief advocated color blind policies on the grounds that race conscious policies favoring only designated races were prejudicial to the interests of groups they represent such as the Chinese in San Francisco. While accepting the goal of racial diversity, they argued as the dominant race in this area, the school placements there should reflect this reality. That is, they should not be capped at 40% in order to accommodate specifically designated and therefore preferred disadvantaged races nationwide. They argued that this was discriminating against them as the dominant race in the area, and that there was no compelling reason to assist minorities, at least not to the extent where their placements exceeded their proportion of the local population. They also argued that having separate Chinese schools was not the answer, as this was counter to the goal of racial diversity, and tended to encourage inferior facilities. Conversely, the military brief advocated race conscious policies in order to develop a racially divers officer corps. They argued that while blacks were recruited into the military in large numbers immediately after World War II, they tended to stagnate in the lower ranks because of poor education, prejudice and other reasons. Thus in the 1960s and 1970s, a mainly white officer corps was in charge of a substantially black lower ranks, resulting in low morale and racial tension. In fact this situation was considered to have a detrimental affect on the ability to fight in Vietnam. While there is now a larger percentage of black officers, the brief argues that race conscious policies need to be continued to have the percentage of black officers comparable to that of enlisted men to have a cohesive, effective fighting force. Therefore the brief argues that there is a compelling government necessity justifying the need for a race conscious policy. If the Supreme Court decides the Grutter case on the basis of the military brief, that is, that race conscious policies are justified, she would of course continue to be denied a place at the University of Michigan, and most likely this would also apply to the other perspective white students. Naturally this would fuel the notion that they were subject to unequal access and therefore suffering from racial reverse discrimination. On the other hand if the case is decided on the basis of the American Legal Foundation brief, she and many other whites would probably be accepted at the university. However, designated disadvantaged races would likely feel that their quest for equality and racial status was still not being adequately addressed. Although Gruther felt she was being discriminated against, the Court’s decision upholding Michigan Law School’s affirmative action policy for admissions, shows that it agrees with the school’s stated intention to redress historical and current discrimination, which I believe in fact was the school’s honest purpose. By considering race as only one of the factors in deciding whether to enroll prospective students, I believe this is an appropriate middle ground between a pure race conscious and color blind policy. I also believe that this policy will help realize social equality, and once people from different races achieve success roughly proportional to their numbers, the policy will no longer be necessary, hopefully within 25 years. Works Cited Nos. 02-241 and 02-516 In The Supreme Court of The United States. Grutter, Barbara (Petitioner) v. Lee Bollinger et al (Respondents)

Accounts Settled: A Review :: essays research papers

Accounts Settled: A Review In the book, Accounts Settled, there is only one major character named Gordon. Gordon is seventeen, six feet tall, and has the beginning of a beard. The main setting is in a forest-filled valley that is a mile from Gordon's home. The story does not give a specific date but the most logical time this story takes place is in the winter during the early 1900s. The inciting incident in the story is when Gordon's dad came down with flu-pneumonia and Gordon must take his place in taking care of the trapline that he had set up in the forest. The conflict of the story is internal and external because Gordon had to face himself and nature. The rising action started when Gordon had a sense of fear as he went into the valley. The, the porcupine stole his food and Gordon was going to kill it but remembered an old woodsman tale that it's bad luck to ill a porcupine. Gordon then goes to bed, hungry and it took him awhile to fall asleep. He later wakes up to find a cougar ready to pounce on him. The cougar dose not strike yet because it is waiting for Gordon to move. Gordon knows better and stayed in the same position for what seemed like hours. Suddenly, the porcupine returns to look for more food and this disrupts the cougar. The climax is when Gordon quickly reaches for his gun and shoots the cougar. The resolution is when Gordon "cries the final tears of his boyhood" and he is finally a man. This writer used suspense in his story many times. For instance, "his eyes held the boy unwinkingly as he waited in the fiendish way of cats for the moment when the man must stir, or make an attempt to escape, the moment when his ingrained fear of man would be swallowed up by the rising tide of his blood- lust" and "moments passed, horrible heart-thudding moments, during which neither

Teacher-Student Relationships

Topic: â€Å"Teacher-Student Relationships and Academic and Behavioral Levels† Introduction The importance of teacher-student relationships will forever be an increasing factor in students’ academic achievements and behaviors. The general topic for this research is how teacher-student relationships affect students’ academic achievements develop or destroy their behavioral skills. This topic brings about a lot of conflicts that leads to many unanswered questions such as ‘What happens to the teacher-student relationships after the early school years? Due to the fact that students go through their most important developmental changes during their middle school years. The goal of this study is to advance our under- standing of the longitudinal connections between teacher–child relationships and children’s academic and behavioral development across elementary schools. The criteria used in analyzing and comparing literature was conducting a study by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) using a cooperative agreement that used the scientific collaboration between grantees and NICHD staff.The sequence of this review is set up in a very articulate and organized arrangement. The scope was very limited was seen in this review by the NICHD on Teacher-Student Relationships and Academic and Behavioral Levels. In this study, the keywords are evident in the topic it self, such as: academic achievement which is the level of actual accomplishment or proficiency one has achieved in an academic areas, as opposed to one’s potential. Behavioral Problem is a behavior that is annoying or destructive. Maternal Characteristics are having the qualities of, or befitting a mother.The most important keyword and definition in this study is teacher-student relationship, which is the basic relationship with teachers and the students that they instruct. In this research the teacher-student relationships are based on being positive and impacting the students’ lives in academically and behavioral ways. Main Points In today’s educational world, there is great recognition of the motivation that is present due to the active and positive teacher-student relationships being formed in the schools. In this study, at some point in student’s early school years, teachers are seen as ‘part-time caregivers’ to the students.The bio ecological model and developmental systems theory proposed a conceptual model to advance our understanding of the nature of relationships between teachers and children, and their contribution to children’s development. This model says that good relationships with teachers are defined by a combination of high levels of closeness and low levels of conflict. Closeness in teacher–student relationships is characterized by warmth, positive affects, and open communication. But on the flip side, there is conflict that comes with negativity, h ostility, and difficulty in man- aging children’s behavior.There has been arguments that high-quality teacher–child relationships can promote students’ academic and behavioral development by providing an environment of sup- port and emotional security in which children feel confident and supported. Research conducted in preschool and the first years of elementary school has examined the association between the quality of teacher–child relation- ships and children’s development showing modest links between relationship quality and contemporaneous, and on occasion, subsequent development of academic skills.This evidence, however, is limited by its longitudinal scope. There are key transformations in the role of teachers and classroom structure between preschool and the elementary years. Beginning in first grade, teachers become increasingly focused on their role as instructors and less focused on providing warmth and nurturance for children. Addition ally, classrooms are structured differently, as children often change teachers for different subjects. They also experience larger class sizes and child-to-teacher ratios that impose new demands on children in terms of self-regulation and socialization.Not to mention, students have fewer opportunities for one-to-one teacher– child interaction. Another study was conducted and aimed at determining the relationship between teachers' evaluation scores and the students' academic performance in Ham University of Medical Sciences. This study basically reports that some experts' opinions suggests that evaluation of the teachers' performance by the students is the only tangible way and the best kind of evaluation ecause the students are the only people who are directly taught by the professors; hence, they are in the best position to evaluate their teachers' educational activities. This investigation has two primary goals which are to determine whether; between- and within- child diff erences in academic achievement and behavior problems are associated with teacher–child relationship quality throughout elementary school and the second goal is to consider whether the importance of teacher–child relationship quality changes as children move through elementary school.The data used for this study came from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development, a large, multi-method longitudinal study of non-parental care experiences and child development. The participants for this study were selected using a conditional sampling plan to ensure that the sample reflected the economic, educational, and ethnic composition of the 10 cities from which participants were recruited. In terms of the measures taken to access the academic achievement field interviewers and teacher reporters used a direct assessment.Reading and math achievement was assessed with the Woodcock– Johnson Psycho-Educational Ba ttery administered in first, third, and fifth grades by field interviewers. Conclusion The results of this study help academic and behavioral development and us to advance our understanding of the longitudinal connections between teachers–student relationships during elementary school. Using a large and diverse database, this is the first study to examine both between- and within-child associations between teacher–student relationship quality and child’s functioning, and how these associations change across the elementary school years.By analyzing data from mothers, teachers, and standardized assessments, this study allows for comparisons across informants. Results from this study indicate that the quality of relationships that teachers report having with children is associated with trajectories of achievement and behavior problems from kindergarten through fifth grade. The observed associations were consistent across informants in the case of child behavior pro blems, whereas associations with academic achievement emerged only when both relationship qualities and achievements were reported by the teacher.Finally, the importance of the quality of relationships with teachers for children’s development seems to be un-changing, as children get older. One strength of this study is that it tested within- child connections between relationship quality and children’s development. Bibliography Bahadori, M. , Sadeghifar, J. , Peyman, H. , Shams, L. , Sayemiri, K. , ; Nejati, M. (2012). The relationship between teachers' evaluation scores and the students' academic performance: a case study in Iran. TTEM- Technics Technologies Education Management, 7(4), 1635-1640. Dictionary. com. n. d. ). Retrieved from www. dictionary. com Maldonado-Carreno, C. , ; Votruba-Drzal, E. (2011). Teacher-Child Relationships and the Development of Academic and Behavioral Skills During Elementary School: A Within- and Between-Child Analysis. Child Developmen t, 82(2), 601-616. doi:10. 1111/j. 1467-8624. 2010. 01533. x Theasurus. com (n. d) Retrieved from www. theasaurus. com Zuosheng Sun1, b. (2012). An Empirical Study on New Teacher-student Relationship and Questioning Strategies in ESL Classroom. English Language Teaching, 5(7), 175-183. doi:10. 5539/elt. v5n7p175

Banned Book Project

In the history of literature and arts, there exists some works that were banned for public appreciation. Among the said banned written works is the Bible itself. There are certain reasons of the society why books and other types of written works are banned for the public to see. In this regard, the book entitled â€Å"A Brave New World† by Aldous Hauxley.Why has this book been banned and how does the writer fairly present his idealisms of utopian community? These major questions are to be addressed in the paragraphs that follow. About The Author Aldous Hauxley is a British writer who opted to stay in California during the year 1937.He is a known social satirist writer. He has also been a contributor of the Vanity Fair and Vogue magazines. Aside from this, he has also been known for having a fine collection of poems that has been published as a book of collections during the year 1916. The said book has been entitled The Burning Wheel and had a fair share in the book selling ma rket. Aside from the said creations, he has also been able to come up with four satirical novels, which also became very successful in the book industry. The said novels were entitled Chrome Yellow (1921); Antic hay (1923); Those Barren Leaves (1925) and Point Count Point (1928).After these four successful novels came the creation of the Novel â€Å"Brave New World†. However, unlike the previous creations that were done by Huxley, this Novel received the least appreciation by major socialist groups. How did this Banned Book Project page 2 happen? What is the reason behind the banning of the said novel? These questions shall be entertained by discussing the inner context of the said literature. About The Book It has been noted by Huxley himself that the Novel he wrote has been inspired by the novel written by H. G. Wells entitled â€Å"Men like Gods†.The said novel dealt with a utopian community that is introduced by an optimist view of the future. The title on the othe r hand has been based upon Miranda’s speech in Shakespeare’s written work entitled â€Å"The Tempest†. In act V scene I it could be read: â€Å"O! Wonder! How many goodly creatures are there here! O brave new world That has such people in it! † (41) As it could be obviously observed in the context of the stanza, where the title has been taken from, a utopian society could be depicted from the lines pertaining to the phrase â€Å"brave new world†.From this context, the theme of the novel written by Huxley has been created. Mainly discussing a future situation of the human society basing from the actual contemporary situation of the society. However, when it comes to the novel by Huxley, the future was presented in a horrible situation. This is the reason why many socialists were alarmed and decided to ban the said literature. As it could be seen, the future was presented in a negative utopia. Banned Book Project page 3 A Brief Analysis of the NovelT he time when the novel was written were the years pertaining to the Industrial Revolution. The massive changes that the said era brought to the human society has inspired Huxley to write the novel in a more industrial focused sense of setting. In a futurist fantasy, the idealism of Huxley of a utopian community based upon the development of the present situations in the society towards the future has been clearly stated in the novel. The focus of the theme of the â€Å"Brave New World† is particularly pointed towards the fear of loosing ones identity in a fast-paced system of things.Mainly, this shock of the new society is based upon the personal shock that Huxley experienced the first time he set foot in California. The industrialization of the said community has inspired Huxley to write his novel basing from the said social situation. In an era of people naturally interested in foreseeing the future, Huxley provided the readers with the truth that they did not much like to know. However, it is according to him that if the present situations of those times would continue to progress at a fast pace, the future would much likely turn out to be what his novel suggests.The story started in London. The situation of the world was much likely centralized by a world government that is called â€Å"The World State†. Through the said government, the society is divided into five classes, mainly, the Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta and Epsilon. The whole human society is characterized to be continuously happy. However, the said happiness is rigidly ill defined. It is characterized by a trained community in becoming good consumers. Everyone in the society is encouraged to have a social life, being aloof from the society is discouraged, aside form this; sexualBanned Book Project page 4 promiscuity is a social norm. Human production is also encouraged but not in a natural way. On the other hand, the reproduction process happens in a laboratory wherein hybrid childre n are enhanced and reproductions are controlled in a way that the industry could still further support the population. On another part of the story, another society is introduced. It is situated in New Mexico. Most likely, this society depicts the present situation of the human community, whereas there is fashion, arts and science that identifies a person’s happiness.Normal reproduction is also present in the said community. The characters that came from this side of the story considered London’s advancement and happiness to be a soulless situation that is dried up by the progress of industrialization. Why the Novel Was Banned As clearly described on the previous paragraphs, the novel has been highly inclined to picturing a an ideal society when it comes to economic status, however, when it comes to morals and individual being, the said society is indeed a negative community.For this reason, the socialists who were able to know the contents of the said novel feared tha t the society who would be able to read the said literature would be able t have a negative view of the future and would consider sexual promiscuity and other immoral ways of living as a social norm. This may then lead to a social downfall when it comes to morality and individuality. On the contrary, it could be observed that the novel has been a simple exaggeration of the actual situation of the society at present. In a mere measurement of the social situations at present, it could be recognized that there is indeed a possibility byBanned Book Project page 5 which a future society as to that situation which was portrayed in the novel of Huxley. As it could be seen, sexual relations today are even promoted through the media. Pornography and the materials that introduce it to the society are even considered as a norm. All these are manifested by the profit driven world that exists in the society today. In an optimistic way, the publication and the distribution of the book may have wa ken up the society as to how things might turn out to be if they continue to thrive in a profit-focused situation.Personally, the author of this literature analysis sees the banning of the book to be an unnecessary move of the socialists. As the author views the work of Huxley as a wake up call to the human society for them to at least have time to change their ways and be more positively inclined especially when it comes to morals. Conclusion In a positive view, the novel of Huxley may be an exaggeration of the present situation in the society. However, publishing it may have caused many readers to become more aware of the changes that happen in the society and thus shift their profit-driven priorities towards a more morality-focused life.Young children may not understand the context of the novel as a whole; however, making them see the need of social change is a vital part of ensuring a social future inclined to a more morally clean social view. Hence, it could be noted that banni ng the said novel may have been a mistaken move for the socialist groups. BIBLIOGRAPHY Aldous Huxley. (1998). Brave New World. Harper Perennial Modern Classics; Reprint edition BLTC. (2005). BRAVE NEW WORLD ? A Defense Of Paradise-Engineering. http://www. huxley. net/. (December 1, 2006). Shakespeare Homepage. (2005). The Tempest. http://www-tech. mit. edu/Shakespeare/tempest/. (December 1, 2006).