Human Character Essays - Francis Bacon, Logical Fallacies

Human Character Adrian Horstead 2-25-00 UCCP 102 Dr. Major The Character of Human Nature According to Francis Bacon and John Locke Human nature is defined as one's natural instinct or way of life and the primitive state of life. There are several stories of how man came into existence, but there are fewer stories that describe the way man personality or how man portrayed himself in his primitive state. Many philosophers have stated their views of the character of human nature in their published books or journals. Such as Greek philosopher and historian, Jacob Burckhardt, and his dictum that power never improved a man, but made him keenly aware that progress is a short-lived ideal based on wishful thinking rather than on actuality, have presented his interpretation of the character of human nature. In the sixteenth century, there were two philosophers by the names of Francis Bacon and John Locke, and in each of these men's philosophies one will find Bacon's and Locke's interpretation of the character of human nature due to the respect of the state of nature. In Novum Organum, Francis Bacon wrote a short statement explaining the general truth about his interpretation of nature and the kingdom of man. Bacon started out by stating that man can do and understand only so much, and if man tries to exceed this fact, then man neither knows anything nor can do anything. Bacon's reason behind believing that is not stated, so his statement is made by his own judgment and not backed any sources. The entire Novum Organum is based on Bacon's interpretation and it is not proven with any facts or any other philosopher's view. In paragraph XXXVI of Novum Organum, Bacon states, we must lead men to the particulars themselves, and their series and order; while men on their side must force themselves for awhile to lay their notions by and begin to familiarize themselves with facts. When Bacon stated this, he meant that certain men must train others to relate to themselves and the men following them must put to rest their conceptions and ideas and start recog nizing the facts. Bacon stated another philosophy when he wrote about idols and false notions in paragraph XXXVIII. The philosophy he interpreted was that idols and false notions that were taking over men's minds so much that it was hard for men to realize what was true and what was false. He stated that unless men are forewarned of the danger then the idols and false notions will trouble them. Men have been struggling with idols and false notions since the Roman Empire. As Bacon continued writing about these idols, he broke them down into four classes, which are Idols of the Tribe, Idols of the Cave, Idols of the Marketplace, and Idols of the Theatre. Bacon's reason for these were that these were the only idols worth acknowledging is that in the sixteenth century there were not as many distractions as there are the modern world, therefore the tribe, cave, marketplace, and theatre were the only places that people were aware of. In Of Civil Government, John Locke wrote about his understanding of the state of nature. Locke's approach to the state of nature was an approach involving political power. In Of Civil Government, Locke wrote, one must understand the state that all men are naturally in, and that is, a state of perfect freedom to order their actions and dispose of their possessions and persons, as they think fit, within the bounds of the law of nature; without asking leave, or depending upon the will of any other man. This was the foundation that Locke laid for the character of human nature. Locke felt that men were in a state of equity and that all the power and jurisdiction is reciprocal. By stating this, Locke presented the fact that in the beginning no man had more power than the another. In the next paragraph, Locke presented the fact that even though men are in a state of liberty, that does not give any man the right to destroy himself or to violate any creature in his possession. The reason behind this philosophy is that once several men gather in confined area, such as a piece of

Key Drivers of HIV and AIDS in Sub

Key Drivers of HIV and AIDS in Sub Key Drivers of HIV and AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa and San Francisco Disease epidemics are largely caused by specific historic, political, economic, and cultural aspects. In this respect, the infection spread is often regarded as a social rather than biological process. The plague of the twenty-first century is AIDS that have been caused by a complex of cultural, economic and political conditions. Specifically, gender inequalities, genocide, poverty, and many other factors have had a destructive impact on the situation in developing countries (Kalipeni 15).Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Key Drivers of HIV and AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa and in San Francisco and Church’s Response to the AIDS Pandemic specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Due to the lack of resources, consistent infrastructures, and effective governance, these economies have been struck by the Human Immunodeficiency Virus and AIDS. The Afric an continent has undergone the worst shifts, particularly its Sub-Saharan region. However, poverty is only one of the key drivers of disease epidemic because there are many cultural, moral, and ethnic determinants influencing the situation. To enlarge on this issue, the rate of people suffering from HIV/AID is significant. Irrespective of local conditions and geographical peculiarities, the reasons for HIV/AIDS emergence are rooted in a complex mix of political, social, and economical factors that drive the epidemic in Sub-Saharan Africa and San Francisco. The nature of these factors is different, but refers to the common categories. The most tangible of epidemic in Sub-Saharan Africa is strongly associated with gender issues. Specifically, such problems as gender inequalities and gender vulnerabilities, violence, and many other gender-related challenges are on the South African agenda (Gender and Inequalities and HIV n. p.). Gender inequalities are more related to masculinity imply ing that males are likely to have more sexual partners. This is of particular concern to men having relationship with much younger women. Further, force sex and violence of physical and emotional character are experienced by women who are less resistant to these threats. What is more threatening is that women have a lesser access to HIV/AID prevention plans causing restrictions to a decision-making process. Poverty and migrations are also among the core reasons for spread of the dangerous epidemic. Specifically, HIV prevention programs are often halted due to the lack of funding. These socioeconomic obstacles prevent the population from receiving sufficient financial, moral, and social support from developed countries (Kalipeni 205). This also explains why AIDS pandemic is still the major threat to our plant (Kelly 26). Despite the fact that many scientific and technological advances directed at preventing the disease have been introduced, the evidence shows that they have little im pact on the developing countries having much lesser access to financial resources.Advertising Looking for research paper on health medicine? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Cultural believes, morale, and ethics are decisive in defining the underpinnings of increased rates of HIV/AIDS in South Africa. While attaining much importance to cultural forces, it should be noted that educational and information reforms must be introduced to increase the population knowledge and promote generally accepted educational standards (Kalipeni 17). Lack of information and responsiveness explains the inefficiency of prevention plan because cultural constraints determine the results. Although the United States belong to one of the most developed economies, the rate of AID/HIV creates a serious challenge to the US government. The problem is of particular concern to San Francisco region where the epidemic is also on the rise. The contri buting factors involve sexual orientation issues, injection drugs problems, and racial discrepancies. Heterosexuality can be largely associated with psychological, behavioral, and ethical patterns that are strongly associated with homosexuals (Kelly 45). Injection drugs are also toughly connected with the development of AIDS/HIV because they reflect the behavioral and psychological patterns that are typical of citizens (Rao and Svenkerud 86). In this respect, the prevention programs should be culturally sensitive and oriented on shaping new cultural patterns. Finally, racial discrepancies influence greatly the situation with AIDS increased rate as far as immigration issues are concerned. To be more precise, African Americans have higher rates of reported HIV cases among which are such categories as MSM and trans-persons are included (San Francisco HIV Prevention Plan 3). In conclusion, the analysis of social, cultural and political situations in Sub-Saharan region and San Francisco has revealed that that there are a great number of factors contributing to the spread of the epidemic. In particular, the key driving factors of HIV/AIDS in Sub-Saharan African involve gender inequality, poverty and migration, and cultural beliefs. In its turn, San Francisco high rates are largely predetermined by sexual orientation, injection drugs proliferation, and racial discrepancies. All these factors can be embraced into a complex mix of social, cultural, and economical issues. Differences and Similarities of Factors Driving HIV/AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa and San Francisco The identification of factors triggering the rise of HIV/AIDS in the regions has uncovered a number of distinctive differences and similarities. Before analyzing those, it should be stressed that pandemic is a social process that touches upon many political, ethnic, racial, cultural, and economical issues, which is the explicit similarity related to issue.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Key Drivers of HIV and AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa and in San Francisco and Church’s Response to the AIDS Pandemic specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Another common feature refers to the sexual orientation problem, particularly to homosexual males who have greater risk of being infected by the disease. Hence, due to male gender prevalence in South Africa, men are more likely to be sexually promiscuous. Despite similarities, there are obvious distinctions predetermined largely by economical and political conditions. Specifically, the level of poverty is different and, as a result, the causes of pandemic differ as well. South African region refers to developing economies whereas San Francisco in much more advanced in these terms. In addition, there are also discrepancies in cultural beliefs and perceptions. Lack of education and deficiency in understanding the problem prevents African people from embracing the seriousness o f the issue. Church’s Response to AIDS Pandemic Today, African religious institutions are primarily considered as healing ministries. This tendency has come to the forth when it comes in Christian traditions in African region as far as the problem of AIDS spread is concerned. The analysis of religious background of churches in Zimbabwe and other countries of Southern region have revealed that religion considers AIDS as a deviation of behavior and rejection to follow the main principles of religion (Dube 27). The church reaction on the epidemic, therefore, can be considered through wider applications of religion to AID/HIV problem. Judging from the above, Churches in African places an emphasis on moral dimension to eliminate spiritual and physical suffering that people endeavor because of the disease. In this respect, the Christian communities are more presented as mentors and teachers encouraging people to fight with the pandemic and resort to pre-caution methods. Their actio ns are directed at increasing people’s awareness and promoting specific educational programs based on the Biblical principles. The reforms concern both the infected people and the one who face this threat. Dube, Lilian et al. African Initiatives in Healing Ministry, South Africa: UNISA Press, 2011. Print.Advertising Looking for research paper on health medicine? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More â€Å"Gender and Inequalities and HIV†. Gender, Women and Health. World Health Organization. 2011. Web. Kalipeni, Ezekiel, et al. HIV and AIDS in Africa: Beyond Epidemiology, New Jersey: Blackwell Publishing, 2006. Print. Kelly, Michael. HIV and AIDS: A Social Justice Perspective. Nairobi, Kenya: Paulines Publications, 2010. Print. Rao, Nagesh, and Peer J. Svenkerud. Effective HIV/AIDS prevention communication strategies to reach culturally unique populations: lesson learned in San Francisco, U. S. A and Bangkok, Thailand. International Journal of Intercultural Relations. 22.1 (1998): 85-105. Print. San Francisco Prevention Plan. Introduction. SFHIV. 2010. Web.

Contrast Dantes presentation of sins and sinners in Inferno and Essay

Contrast Dantes presentation of sins and sinners in Inferno and Purgatorio - Essay Example s and sinners in Inferno and Purgatory and characteristic portrayal of sins and sinners by Dante surpasses the treatment of the theme by any literary figures the world literature. â€Å"Ultimately, of course, what most distinguishes Dante’ Inferno from other representations of Hell is that he creates sinners so complex and alive that the reader is compelled to sympathize and identify with them, rather than simply to fear their lot and resolve to avoid it.† (Lansing and Barolini, 476) Therefore, Dante Alighieri’s presentation of sins and sinners in Inferno and Purgatory are unlike their typical representations in literature and there is essential difference in the depiction of sins and sinners between the books Inferno and Purgatory. In a profound analysis of the two books of the Divine Comedy, it becomes lucid that Dante’s Purgatory, in contrast to the Inferno, is a place of camaraderie, harmony, and sharing and it is, in fact, a transitory state of existe nce where the sinners are hopeful of purging themselves of their sins and gaining entry into Paradise. Significantly, there is essential difference in the representation of sins and sinners between the books Inferno and Purgatory and it is important to realize this distinction to comprehend how the Divine Comedy surpasses other pieces of the world literature which deal with the same theme. In his introduction to Purgatory, Mark Musa makes the distinction between the portrayal of sins and sinners in Inferno and Purgatory as follows: â€Å"In the Inferno the damned are grouped according to the sinful acts they committed; in the Purgatory repentant sinners are grouped according to the tendencies that were the cause of their sins. Penance is not to be considered as a punishment, but rather as a corrective measure for that sinner who has repented. It was a discipline imposed in order to help one fight the old habit of ones sin or the residual tendency to sin.† (Musa, x) Therefore, Dante has been careful about

Social and Cultural Philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Social and Cultural Philosophy - Essay Example The political stakes in the modern split between high and low art were never more clearly articulated than in the debate between Walter Benjamin and Theodor W. Adorno on popular culture. When Adorno described his defense ÃŽ ¿f autonomous art and Benjamin's apology for mass entertainment as torn halves ÃŽ ¿f one freedom, he located their dispute within a speculative tradition that invests aesthetic experience with emancipatory potential. The origins ÃŽ ¿f this discourse can be traced to Romanticism and its reflection on the role ÃŽ ¿f subjectivity in politics and art. Benjamin's dialogue with Adorno marked an important turning point in this narrative by unmasking its twin protagonists--the autonomous individual and its collective other--as phantasms, figments ÃŽ ¿f the Romantic imagination. By analyzing the Romantic phantasms that haunted Benjamin's dialogue with Adorno, the present essay suggests how critical subjectivity might be reconsidered in an age in which the virtual reality à Ž ¿f cyberspace has become second nature for many individuals. The debate on popular culture is primarily documented in two essays--one each by Benjamin on film and Adorno on jazz--published in successive issues ÃŽ ¿f the Zeitschrift fur Sozialforschung in 1936. (Wiggershaus 191-218) Both friends were living in exile--Benjamin in Paris and Adorno in Oxford--and the letters they exchanged provide additional clues to the positions they were elaborating. If the personal hardships f emigration influenced the tenor f their dispute, then contemporary events almost certainly contributed to its sense f urgency. Everywhere the new mass media seemed subject to manipulation: by totalitarian regimes in Italy, Germany, and the USSR, and monopolizing market forces in the USA. In the 1930s, questions f popular culture became political problems f the first order. Adorno's primary contribution to the debate, an essay titled "Uber Jazz," has a relatively uncomplicated textual history. Benjamin's contribution, "Das Kunstwerk im Zeitalter seiner technischen Reproduzierbarkeit," is another story. At Benjamin's request, the essay was published in the Zeitschrift fur Sozialforschung in French translation. This translation was based on a second, revised version f the essay. After the French translation was published, Benjamin completed a second and more radical revision f the German text, in the express hope that Bertolt Brecht would have it published in Moscow. As it turned out, none f the German versions appeared in print until Adorno and his wife Gretel included the third version f the essay in their two-volume edition f Benjamin's selected works, in 1955. This is the version that served as the basis for Harry Zohn's translation, "The Work f Art in the Age f Mechanical Reproduction," the only one available in English at this date. It is also the v ersion that continues to serve as the basis for most academic discussion f the essay, despite the fact that both earlier versions have been made available in recent decades. (Arendt 217-51) The result f all this is that there exists no one authoritative text f Benjamin's essay, but rather three distinct documents f a work in progress. The differences that distinguish the three texts provide as much insight into Benjamin's debate with Adorno as any one variant read in isolation. For this reason, all three versions will be considered in the discussion that follows. Adorno first identified the Romantic phantasms haunting his dialogue with Benjamin in a letter from 18 March 1936, written to critique an unpublished manuscript f Benjamin's essay. In an attempt to mediate between their divergent views, Adorno observed that autonomous art and popular film both bear the scars f capitalist exploitation, as well as elements f change. He did not, however, suggest that high art be privileged over low. Instead, he insisted that neither be sacrificed to the other, since this would mean losing the critical potential f both. Only if high and low art are

Analysis of a Business Narrative Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Analysis of a Business Narrative - Essay Example There is renewed realization of the fact that organizations are continuously seeking a means of communication that synthesizes and not that which analyzes information (Sole & Wilson, 2004). Story telling offers an ideal answer to this quest, which explains the increasing use of narratives by many organizations today. Knowledge by itself serves no purpose to organizations. However it is by application that such knowledge becomes useful to an organization. Therefore, all stories in organizations have the basic intent to share knowledge, which helps in promoting effective actions in the behaviors of all the involved stakeholders or in achieving a specific task within the organization. One importance of narratives in organizations is in informing the clientele â€Å"who we really are† (Dunning, 2005). In this attempt, for the narrative to be effective, executives have to do something that may at first appear uncomfortable, which mostly involves talking about the failures involved and the down times that the company has experienced in coming to being (Dunning, 2005). Self-disclosure in narratives is one of the best ways to accomplish trust and to inspire others. For instance, in the narrative about Baidu invention, though the company does not narrate about their down times and failures, the narrative clearly indicates that the brand was formed with the Chinese people in mind and had specific tools that accommodated the diverse needs of the Chinese users. The company draws its identity from its intention to serve the Chinese clientele and thus was designed with this customer segment in mind. This is portrayed by the fact that the search engine recognizes 38 ways in which a Chinese can say I. Recognizing such user specific features defines a clear identity of the company in relation to its clientele. On the other hand, Google in its invention offers a captivating narrative of the failures and the downtimes that haunted the young company. For instance, BackRub w as discontinued for taking a high bandwidth than necessary, and that the young Google Company had to start from a garage and not an office. Stories that disclose failure and hardships within a company in its years of operations have a paradoxical effect of instilling trust and encourage openness among its audience (Dunning, 2005). Google offers a simple story about its startup, which elicits both humor and confidence in all their operations. Such a story enhances confidence, courage and inspires others within the company and outside to be confident in their operations. Narratives in organizations do share values and norms. The norms and values are passed through different generations within the organization, and are derived from the organization’s past to describe its intended future (Sole & Wilson, 2004). Leadership theories empathize on the need to offer a robust context and vision of a firm. This objective is better accomplished using stories that have more emphasis on the strong qualities of the organization in the past; narratives place organizational qualities in future’s context, while at the same time helping in identifying possible future opportunities in an organization (Sole & Wilson, 2004). For instance, during Baidu’s design and launch, the detailed knowledge of Chinese language and culture was instrumental in

Examining the difference between a material weakness and a significant deficiency

Examining the difference between a material weakness and a significant deficiency The purpose of this memo is to summarize selected paragraphs of AS5 to form an understanding of how the top down approach is applied to an audit of internal controls. It is also to explain the difference between a material weakness and a significant deficiency by providing a list of indicators of material weaknesses, as well as an explanation of how both a material weakness and a significant deficiency will be communicated to the audit committee and on the auditors report. Top Down Approach The purpose of using the top down approach for an audit of internal controls is to allow the auditor to take a systematic approach to identify risks and select which controls to test. The top down approach begins with the auditor forming a general understanding of the entity and the industry in which it operates. This is accomplished by looking at the companys financial statements, and acquiring general business knowledge. The auditor then looks at the entity-level controls of the company to ensure that sufficient policies and procedures are implemented to recognize misstatements, due to error or fraud, in a timely manner so that material misstatements do not affect the financial statements. The two most important types of entity-level controls are those related to the control environment, and those over the period-end financial reporting process. Controls over the control environment should assess how management promotes ethical values and integrity, as well as whether or not the Board of Directors or the audit committee has assumed the responsibility of the accuracy and completeness of the financial statements and internal controls. Controls over the period-end financial reporting process should assess the methods used to enter information to the general ledger, how much IT is used in the financial reporting process, types of adjusting and consolidation entries, and the involvement of management, Boa rd of Directors, and the audit committee in the period-ending financial reporting process. Other entity-level controls that must be taken into account include controls over management override, the companys risk assessment process, centralized processing controls, controls that monitor operations, and controls that monitor other controls. It is important to understand that entity-level controls vary both in nature and precision. Some entity-level controls only indirectly affect the likelihood of detecting or preventing material misstatements, whereas others are specifically designed to monitor the effectiveness of the other controls. The more precise the control, the less tests the auditor must perform on those controls. Next, the auditor identifies any significant accounts and disclosures, and their relevant assertions. Relevant assertions are basically risky financial statement assertions. Financial statement assertions show that a transaction has occurred, is complete, is valued correctly, has transferred ownership to the company, and is properly presented on the financial statements. A relevant assertion, therefore, would be any of these financial statement assertions that are exceptionally vulnerable to having a misstatement and could cause the financial statements to be materially misstated. Significant accounts and disclosures that require more attention are those that are larger in size, are more susceptible to misstatements, are very complex, contain a larger volume of transactions during the period, have realized losses during the period, involve a high likelihood of related party transactions within the account, or there has been a significant change in the accounting methods used from las t year. It is beneficial for the auditor to go through the financial statements, and for each account and disclosure brainstorm all the ways it could have been misstated to identify as many risky areas as possible. Risk factors, as well as significant accounts and disclosures, and their relevant assertions will be the same for both the audit of internal controls as well as the financial statement audit. When auditing an enterprise with multiple business entities, the auditor should use the consolidated financial statements to identify significant accounts and disclosures. The next step is for the auditor to understand likely sources of misstatement. In order to do this, the auditor should achieve a series of objectives. These objectives include the auditor being able to show where there are vulnerabilities in a companys internal controls that could result in material misstatements to the financial statements, and what controls management has implemented to reduce these risks. The best way for the auditor to achieve these objectives is by performing walkthroughs. A walkthrough is when the auditor follows a transaction from its origination until it reaches the financial records, and makes sure that all of the control procedures were conducted properly. It is important that the auditor conducts these types of procedures him or herself and takes careful notes about what type of information technology is used, as well as what personnel is involved in each processing procedure. The final step in the top down approach is to select which controls to test. The auditor should test each control that is the most important in determining whether or not a particular risk has been sufficiently addressed. If two controls address the same risk, it may not be necessary to test both controls. Also, it may not be necessary to address two risks separately if one control sufficiently addresses both of them. Together, the tests of these internal controls will provide the auditor with a conclusion about the effectiveness of the internal controls over financial reporting. Material Weakness or Significant Deficiency The difference between a material weakness and a significant deficiency is simply that a significant deficiency is less severe. A significant deficiency is, however, still risky enough for the auditor to let management know so that they may have a chance to get rid of the problem. If management does not sufficiently address the problem within one year, the deficiency becomes a material weakness. All material weaknesses must be communicated to both management and the audit committee as well as mentioned in the auditors report on internal controls over financial reporting. A material weakness is a problem with the internal controls over financial reporting that will most likely result in an important error on the financial statements that would alter creditors and investors opinions about the company. Indicators of Material Weaknesses Auditing Standard five mentions four important indicators of material weaknesses to help the auditor determine what deficiencies are considered material weaknesses. The first indicator of material weakness is if there is any evidence that shows there may be fraud present. The second occurs when management alters the financial statements to fix a material misstatement that they found. The third is when the auditor finds a material misstatement and informs management about the problem. The fourth is an assessment of the audit committee. If the audit committee is doing a poor job acting as oversight over the financial reporting process of the company, there may be an increased likelihood of a material weakness. If any or all of these indicators are present for a given deficiency, the auditor should compare the facts with what a reasonable professional would consider to be in accordance with GAAP. If this is determined not to be true, the auditor must consider this deficiency a material weakness and disclose it on the auditors report of internal controls over financial reporting. Communicating to the Audit Committee and on the Auditors report The auditor is required to report any and all deficiencies found to management in writing and tell the audit committee about this communication. If the deficiency has already been revealed to management through different means, the auditor does not need to repeat this communication. If a material weakness is discovered, the auditor must communicate it to management and the audit committee first, and then disclose it in the auditors report. If a deficiency is determined to be significant, the audit committee, as well as management, must be informed in writing. The auditor is not responsible to report control deficiencies he or she is not aware of, nor is he or she responsible to provide assurance that all deficiencies have been discovered. The top down approach is a systematic method of assessing risk that an auditor uses to locate specific areas of risk in a companys internal controls over financial reporting, and select the best tests to make sure these risks are sufficiently addressed. The top down approach requires the auditors to start by understanding a company and its industry, then moving down to the companys entity-level controls, then to significant accounts and disclosures and their relevant assertions, then double check that the auditor has a complete understanding of the risks, and then finally select the controls that are necessary to test to make sure that all risks have been addressed. The main difference between a material weakness and a significant deficiency is that a significant deficiency is less severe. Also, although both must be communicated, in writing, to both management and the audit committee, only a material weakness must be disclosed in the auditors report.

Research Methods Essay -- Mixed Research, Qualitative Method

Defining and Analyzing Mixed Method Johnson and Christensen (2007) describe mixed research as the third and newest research methodology paradigm. Philosophically, mixed research takes an eclectic, pragmatic, and commonsense approach, suggesting that the researcher mix quantitative and qualitative in a way that works best for the given research question that is studied in a particular context. Mixed research uses both deductive and inductive methods, obtains both quantitative and qualitative data, attempts to corroborate and complement findings and takes a balanced approach to research. Researchers used the term mixed method to refer to all procedures collecting and analyzing both quantitative and qualitative data in the context of a single study. According to Johnson and Onwuegbuzie (2004), some researchers have taken issue with the term mixed methods to describe research designs that consciously blend both approaches within or across the stages of the research process. Researchers seeking associations between primarily quantitative biophysical and primarily qualitative socio cultural data, including environmental and natural resource anthropologists can look to mixed method research designs for structured and tested integrative processes. Such designs have been used to augment traditional methods for assessing and monitoring the impacts of recreation and tourism on the physical environment (Mackay, 2004). Defining and Analyzing Qualitative Method On the other hand, Shank (2002) defines qualitative research as a form of systematic empirical inquiry into meaning. By systematic he means, planned, ordered, and public, following rules, agreed upon by members of the qualitative research community. By empirical, he means that thi... ...ompanying attributes of servant leader. Data Collection The self-assessment servant leadership instrument (SASL) will be converted from a master copy into SPSS 19 software a commercial server from which data will be analyzed. The researcher will use a conceptual framework for measuring servant leadership. Letters requesting permissions to conduct research will be sent to each Dean and Assistant Dean at each campus, as well as the Dean of Students. The letter will specify the research and emphasize that all participation will be selected voluntarily. Also, the individual responses will be anonymous and confidential. Concurrent mixed method data collection strategies will be employed to validate one form of data with the other to transform the data for comparison, or to address different types of questions (Creswell & Plano Clark, 2007).

Machievelli Biography Essay

Machiavelli lived during the Renaissance era of the Medieval times. In this time period many concepts and ideas were being reborn, including the Christian faith. He lived during a time period in which the people of the time thought of the Black Plague as a symptom of judgment upon the sinfulness of the land. These same people began to scourge themselves in order to express their sorrow and therefore remove God’s judgment laid upon them. Although Machiavelli lived long after the fall of the Roman Empire, he lived in an Italy that had evolved into a war-torn battleground between the city state dynasties. There were conflicts between the French and Spanish for the control of land. Machiavelli lived in a time of growing political powers and a Christian community that was adapting and changing according to the claims of the Reformers. Machiavelli had a goal: he sought to create a dichotomy between ethical Christianity and the Ethical demands of political rule. The 15th and 16th century world focused on theologically reforming the Church. Many reformers of the time and before Machiavelli’s life, including the 14th century reformer John Wycliffe, wrote on how the papacy of the Church had grown far too powerful. During Machiavelli’s life St. Francis was teaching the commoners about Jesus, and the commoners began relating to Christ. The Church was not only effected by the reformers and the teachings of St. Francis, but it was also effected by itself; it was hurting itself. The church fought against the reformers, condemning them as heretics; the church was threatened by the words of reform. Machiavelli lived among the Christians and like many of the reformers he was seeking a reform between the Church and the State. Essentially, Machiavelli writes to prove that being a moral ruler and a person are two separate ideas, in the case of extreme circumstances and, like Luther, there are two kingdoms independent of each other. Machiavelli probably would’ve been considered a think tank of his time and he believed that a ruler, or anyone may publicly state that they are Christians yet exhibit no real conviction. In the eleventh chapter of The Prince Machiavelli argued that Ecclesiastical principalities were to be desired because the people who inhabited them were governed by their own religious laws. Machiavelli viewed these laws as tools, tools to prevent unruly citizens within the principalities rather than to enforce outside rules. Machiavelli idealizes an idea completely different from the church, that politics is something that deals with facts and not abstracts, that it is a challenge to the notion of both Pope Gregory VII and Pope Innocent III’s â€Å"Divine Right to rule.†3 Machiavelli realized that the divine right to rule theory is nothing but a religious idea that does not work with the present state of man. Machiavelli also understood that human corruption and sin is an unend ing problem that rulers need to deal with. Machiavelli continues by suggesting that being a moral leader does not mean that one is a good leader as good leadership leads to order, stability, and public good. He claimed that when order, stability, and public good are threatened a ruler cannot risk limiting their actions by piety or virtue. Machiavelli believed that morals stood in the way of success, that rulers need to learn how to not be good, and be willing to kill. While the religious leaders saw Machiavelli as non-Christian and destructive, Machiavelli states that leaders need to administer necessary evils in efforts to maintain order and stability within their rule, that humans can be predicted through reason. The Church saw his political agenda as lacking in Christian ethics; however, his political reform lines up with Christian thinkers and with Christian ethics of generosity, compassion, and even the golden rule as we see in Saint Augustine’s and St. Benedict’s writings. An initial consideration of Machiavelli’s thoughts on generosity, we notice that he believes it is good to be considered a generous person, but that it is dangerous to do so. Although sounding contradictory to Christianity, Machiavelli’s reasoning lies in the Christian idea of doing the most good for as many people as possible. Machiavelli argues that being generous requires that the ruler imposes new ways of revenue collection and therefore make his subjects hate him and lead to a guarantee that no one will think well of him.1 Machiavelli makes a similar case for compassion, in that it is better to be seen as cruel then it is to be viewed as loving, if necessary. He asserts that as the head of an army a ruler needs to â€Å"be prepared to be thought cruel.† The same Christian idea can be used to explain his argument as before. In the words of Star Trek’s Spock, â€Å"the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few†. Machiavelli states that its more compassionate to impose harshness on a few rather than make use of compassion and risk chaos to take place.2 If we look back to St. Augustine’s The City of God 4 we learn that rulers and people are dominated by their own selfish lust for power, whereas in the City of God, which Luther also makes notions of in his Doctrine of The Two Kingdoms, people serve one another in charity. Under this assumption we see that men do not serve out of charity, but rather serve in a situation of ‘do unto others as you would have done to yourself.’ Perhaps Machiavelli agreed with this view of Christianity. Machiavelli’s ruler never commits an act that they would not have done to themselves. I think the Machiavellian ruler loves their neighbor as much as themselves. Machiavelli sees the political field as a place for necessary evil. He believes, out of love, that some evil must take place in order to benefit the most people. Machiavelli saw the world he lived in as a two kingdom place, like Luther and St. Augustine did. He viewed human history for what it was, not what it could be; he saw people as evil and sick. Machiavelli’s picture of human history took into account the human equation, that we are sinful and therefore predictable, which he believes will lead to a better understanding of the future.

ACT Important

What Do Colleges Look For in Admissions Why Are the SAT/ACT Important SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Applying to college soon? Curious about what colleges are looking for in applicants? Specifically in regards to the SAT or ACT? The college admissions process can be very confusing. It’s easy to feel lost and frustrated. In this article, I’ll tell you what colleges look for in admissions and how to make your application the best it can be. What Do Colleges Look For in Applicants? When colleges look at applicants, they’re hoping to find students who will succeed in college and beyond.Colleges use your scores (SAT/ACT scores, GPA/transcript, class rank, and other test scores) to judge your readiness to attend their school.Are you prepared to handle the rigor of their classes? Colleges are not only looking to see your potential as a student but also as a potential alumni of their school.Are you someone who could win a Nobel Prize? Win an Oscar? Be a President?Colleges use your extracurriculars, application essays, and your letters of recommendation to judge these qualities. How Do Colleges Judge Applicants? Now that we have a basic overview of what colleges look for in applicants, I’ll address each part of the application in order of importance to colleges.I’ll let you know how the college judges you based on each of these parts of your application. SAT/ACT Scores Your SAT/ACT scores are arguably the most important part of your application.I’ll delve into why they are so important in the next section, butthe main value of SAT/ACT scoresis that they provide colleges with a standard way to judgestudents. Every applicant will have a varied background: attended a different school and taken different classes. However, every applicant will have taken the SAT or ACT. Colleges use your SAT/ACT score as an indicator of whether you’re ready to attend their school.What score do you need to have to be considered ready for their school?You need to have a score at least in the SAT/ACT score range for admitted students to that school.To give yourself the best chance of admission, you should aim for a score at or above the 75th percentile SAT/ACT score for admitted students.You can find out the SAT/ACT score range for admitted students at your target school in their admissions profile, but I’ll explain that in more depth later in the article. GPA/Transcript Colleges are looking at your GPA and transcript for two main reasons: To see what classesyou chose to take. To see how you did in your classes. Colleges want to see what classes you took and how you performed to make sure that you're prepared to attend their college. Based on your GPA/transcript, are you ready to handle a college courseload from your dream school? To see if you're ready, I'd recommend you check out the admissions profile for your dream school.See what the average GPA is for admitted students at that college. You can find it by conducting a Google search for "[College Name] GPA PrepScholar." That will bring you to our admissions page for that school. Try to get your GPA into a similar range to give yourself the best chance of admission. NOTE: For students interested in top tier colleges (Ivies, Stanford, Vanderbilt and similar), when admissions officers look at your transcript/GPA, they’re hoping to see that you opted to take the most difficult classes at your high school and that you did very well in those classes.This only applies to students interested in top tier colleges. If you hope to be accepted to atop tier school, and your school offers IB/AP courses, you should be taking those courses.Top college admissions officers typically say that they’d rather see that you got a B in an AP or IB course than an A in a regular non-AP/IB course (if IB/AP courses are offered at your school).If there are no IB or AP classes offered at your school, obviously admissions officers don’t expect you to take have taken any. All that being said, what can you do to make your GPA/transcript strong?Take the hardest classes that are offered at your school and do well in them.Struggling to keep your GPA up? Check out our advice for boosting to your GPA. You'll always have a higher grade than G! Class Rank Your class rank is inevitably tied to your transcript and GPA since the more AP and/or IB classes you take and get A’s in, the higher your class rank will be.However, colleges still care about your class rank. Top tier colleges (Harvard, MIT, UPenn) really only want students who are ranked in the top 10% of their high school class.One of my friends did a high school summer program at one of the Ivies.The program he did was known to accept almost all participants into the college.He was not admitted. When he asked why he was told that it was a big deal to them that he was not ranked in the top 10% of his class. If you're hoping to attend atop tierschool, rank matters, so try to take the hardest classes and get your grades up to stay near the top of the class. If you're not gunning for the Ivies or similar schools, don't worry as much about rank. Just focus on getting your GPA in the range for your dream school! Extracurriculars As I mentioned at the start, colleges are looking for top notch applicants who they think will succeed in college and beyond.The beyond part is what they hope to glean from your extracurriculars. All colleges like to see that you got involved in extracurriculars and especially like to see that youhad a leadership role in your extracurriculars. Top tier colleges (Harvard, Stanford, Yale) want to see that you have an expertise.It doesn’t matter what that expertise is, but whatever you choose, explore it deeply.If you like science, try to win the state science fair, compete in science olympiads, intern at a local lab, etc.If you like acting, compete with your debate team in the acting categories (Dramatic Interpretation, Humorous Interpretation, or Duo Interpretation), stage a play for free at your local children’s hospital, do regional theater, etc.I won’t delve into this in this any further in this article because we have another great guide that further explains this concept How to Get Into Harvard and the Ivy League, by a Harvard Alum. For extracurriculars, I just recommend that you follow your passion and participate in several extracurriculars in that area of passion.I also recommend trying to get leadership experience in your extracurriculars.By showing passion and leadership, colleges will see your potential for greatness after college (you could win a Nobel Prize or Oscar!). Letters of Recommendation Personal Essays I’m talking about these two items side by side because I think their importance in the college admission process is the same (and they are not as important as everything mentioned above). NOTE: Some colleges don't require letters of recommendation nor personal essays, so make sure to check the admissions website for your target colleges. Also, your letters of recommendation and personal essays both serve the same purpose: to show that you have the potential to succeed after college.You want to have great letters of recommendation that rave about who you are, what you’re passion is, and how great you are at that thing you’re passionate about.Check out these examples of great letters of recommendation and the breakdown of what makes them great letters.You want your personal essays to reveal who you are and what you’re passion is.Check out these example college personal essays along with advice. What about AP/IB tests SAT IIs? Other Test Scores Other test scores include AP/IB exam scores, SAT IIs, and any other non-SAT/ACT exams that you’ve taken that you’re choosing to include on your application.I wouldn’t stress too much about your other test scores.Just like the ACT/SAT, colleges look at these to evaluate your readiness for their college.However, the ACT/SAT is the most important score.If you’re at or above the 75th percentile SAT/ACT score for your target school, you’ve got a great chance of getting in. That being said, I think colleges use these other test scores to double check that you’re ready for their school.If you got a perfect SAT score but failed every AP exam that you took, then an admissions officer may question if you’re prepared for their college.Basically, don’t let your other test scores be a red flag, take your other test scores seriously but know that they won’t hurt your chances unless the scores are really low (failing for AP or IB exams). Don’t stress about one failed AP test.I was accepted to a few Ivies including Brown and UPenn, and I took many IB and AP exams. I did pretty well on them (a mix of 3s, 4s, 5s on my AP exams and a mix of 5s, 6s, and 7s on my IB exams). However, I did fail one of my AP exams with a 2 (It was AP US Government).As I said, don’t worry too much. These scores will only hurt you if they’re really bad (all failing). Try to get the highest scores you can on your AP and IB exams and SAT IIs so that your high scores only give colleges another reason to accept you. Why Is Your SAT/ACT Score so Important? There are two main reasons that your SAT/ACT scores are important to colleges. Let's discuss each reason one at a time. Reason #1: Your SAT/ACT Score Is How Colleges Compare You to Other Applicants from Around the World While applicants to one college will come from different backgrounds, will have attended different high schools, will have taken different classes, and will have done different extracurricular activities, all of the applicants will have taken the SAT and/or ACT (at least at non-test optional schools). Your SAT/ACT score reveals whether your GPA and transcript are accurate representations of your preparedness for higher education.Colleges use your SAT/ACT score to figure out if your high school grades were inflated or accurate.For example, if you have a 4.0 GPA with a perfect SAT or ACT score, colleges will likely be impressed and think your GPA is reflective of your academic potential (since your scores were so high).However, if you have a 4.0 GPA with 1000 SAT score or 20 ACT score, colleges may think your grades were inflated and that your SAT/ACT score is a better representation of your academic potential. Additionally, a high SAT/ACT score can also make up for a lower GPA. If you have a 3.0 GPA with a perfect SAT/ACT score, colleges may be willing to overlook your lower GPA and consider your SAT/ACT score as an indication that you’re prepared for college. Colleges use SAT/ACT scores to compare apples to oranges! Reason #2: Colleges Are Judged by Their SAT/ACT Score Ranges Yes, the SAT/ACT is important to schools because they use it to judge your readiness for college.However, it's also important to schools because if you're admitted, your SAT/ACT score will be incorporated into their yearly SAT/ACT statistics. Every year, colleges publish their freshman admissions profile (see an example from Princeton).In this profile, colleges provide the data on their admitted students.This data includes either the 25th/75th percentile SAT/ACT scores (sometimes referred to as the middle 50%) or the average SAT/ACT scores of admitted students.The 25th percentile score means that 25% of admitted students scored at or below that score (and therefore 75% of admitted students scored above).The 75th percentile score means that 75% of admitted students scored at or below that score (and therefore 25% of admitted students scored above).The average score is just what it sounds like, an average of all the admitted students scores. The general public looks at this data to perceive the selectivity of the school (the higher the range, the more competitive or â€Å"better† the general public thinks that college is).When you think of top-tier schoolssuch as Dartmouth, Brown, Columbia, you likely think, "Wow those are good schools!" Why do you think they are good schools?You might think of their alumni or campuses.However, many lower ranked schools such as Denison have beautiful campuses with famous alumni like billionaire Michael Eisner.You might think of their low admissions rates, but there are other colleges with comparable admissions rates to the Ivies. One of the main reasons you associatetop tiercolleges with prestige is because of their published SAT/ACT score ranges and their ranking among other colleges.When doing research on applying to schools, you likely came across the US News World Report ranking of US colleges.Each year, US News World Report assembles their rankings based on several categories including the SAT/ACT scores of admitted students. If you’re admitted to the school, your SAT/ACT score will be factored into that school’s overall national ranking in US News World Report.Top tier colleges such as Princeton, Yale, and Stanford want your SAT scores to be a good so that it reflects well on them.Even "second tier schools" such as Vanderbilt, USC, and Emory care about this because they hope to continue to rise in the US News World Report rankings. What Does This Mean for You? If admissions officers are judging you so heavily by your SAT/ACT score, you want to get a score that will meet their standards.As I mentioned earlier, colleges are hoping to admit students who are in or above their SAT/ACT score range (or at or above the average). Here at PrepScholar, we recommend that you try to get your score at or above the 75th percentile SAT/ACT score of admitted students to give yourself the best chance of admission.Let’s set that as your SAT/ACT score goal. Setting a Score Goal To give yourself the best chance of being admitted to your dream school, you need to set a score goal that is at or above the 75th percentile SAT/ACT score for that school. How do you find out what the 75th percentile SAT/ACT score for that school is?Here at PrepScholar, we’ve created a very cool resource to locate each college’s 25th/75th percentile score and to calculate your chance of admissions to a given school based on your SAT/ACT score and GPA. To access this resource, simply Google Search, â€Å"[College Name] [ACT or SAT score] PrepScholar.† For example, I looked for USC’s page: The first two search results are both from PrepScholar, the Requirements for Admission page give GPA, SAT, and ACT data. The Complete Guide: ACT Score and GPA page gives information only on ACT and GPA. I recommend looking at our Requirements for Admission for your target colleges to get a sense of the SAT and ACT scores of admitted students.See a sample of our USC Requirements for Admission page: I scroll down, and I find the SAT and ACT data: As I said before, aim for a score at or above the 75th percentile score, so for USC, that would be a 33 or above on the ACT or a 2230 or above on the SAT.Why aim so high?You want to give yourself the absolute best chance of admissions. You want to be in the top group of applicants. You want the admissions officer to see your application and say, â€Å"duh, they should get in.†Okay, they’ll likely say something more eloquent, but you get my point. You might be thinking, â€Å"Hey Dora, 25% of admits score below the 25th percentile, can’t I just score slightly below the 25th percentile and get in?†In theory, yes, you can.In reality, it’s unlikely. Colleges will admit certain applicants with lower SAT/ACT scores because that college needs that student for some reason.For example, colleges sometimes accept athletes, legacies, or students with another exceptional talent (the #1 ranked debater in the US or a world-class violinist) who have lower SAT/ACT scores. Also, colleges sometimes accept students with lower scores who are the children of significant alumni donors or the children of other wealthy or famous people. Unless you fall into one of the above, try to aim for a score at or above the 75th percentile score.While these students may not make up 25% of the admitted students, it’s better to be safe than sorry.Get your score at or above the 75th percentile to give yourself the best chance! Planning Your Prep Now that you’ve set your SAT/ACT score goal, you need to create a plan to reach it.Check out our guide to planning your study based on the amount of improvement that you’re hoping for and based on the amount of time you have to study. Need a launching off point for your test prep?Check out our complete guides to SATand ACT prep.Taking the test really soon (within a month)?Check out our cramming guides to the SAT andthe ACT. What’s Next? Interested in learning more about the college admissions process? Learn about how to get a college application fee waiver, learn about the best extracurricular activities for your college app, and plan your college application timeline. Not sure where you’d like to go to college?Figure out how to find your target school. Still not sure whether the SAT or ACT is right for you? Let’s help you pick the right test for you! Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Women in the Civil War essays

Women in the Civil War essays Many women played many different and important parts in the Civil War. Some famous women from the Civil War include Rose Greenhow, a spy, Clara Barton, a nurse, and Harriet Tubman. Some women helped with the war effort from their homes, while others went to the battlefields to make themselves useful. Womens contributions are probably more widely thought of on the battlefield. Most helped with aiding wounded soldiers. Some nurses, like Clara Barton, went out onto the fields, risking their lives, during battle to comfort dying soldiers and take care of wounded ones. Other women, such as Sarah Edmonds, passed themselves off as men to act as soldiers during battle. It is estimated that hundreds of women pretended to be men to join the army. Many were wounded or even killed. A few women acted as spies, the most famous of them was Rose Wild Rose Greenhow, who worked for the Confederate Army. One woman who acted for the Union was Dr. Mary E. Walker, who was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for her work as a spy, soldier, and surgeon. Still, even some other women acted as maids and cooks for different brigades while at camp. These women tried to encourage troops at times of battle. The women on the battlefields were the only ones who took care of men who were wounded or dying. Without them, the casualties might have been even more drastic and those who did die felt a little better having a nurse there with them. Also, the soldiers, while very few of them, were important because they werent supposed to be in battle but came anyway. Women spies of course, had great effects, because they would be less suspected than a man during times of war. Rose Greenhow had an enormous effect on the Battle of Bull Run. Women who stayed at home also contributed to the Civil War. Women had to take over the jobs that were usually held by men. Wartime volunteers became abundant. They organized the U.S. Sanitary Comm...

Case against death penalty Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Case against death penalty - Essay Example Some people view that the death penalty is barbaric, expensive, and executed in an arbitrary way. Some people also cite death penalty as a cause of psychological burden to the executers, prone to errors, and a mark of death and not life. Death penalty also causes sorrow to the families of victims, create unfairness, and fails as deterrence. With better ways of punishing capital offenders, there are many reasons justice systems should stop practicing death penalty, but employ other humane alternatives. Death penalty is a barbaric act of punishing capital offenders as compared to other options like life imprisonment (Banner 169). The practice of the death penalty is a cruel form of ending the life of capital offenders, because justice systems take their life with no thought about it. Today, it is true that the death penalty has evolved from severe brutality to more decent forms of taking the life of those sentenced to death. However, that notion that justice systems can end the life of a capital offender makes the practice brutal and barbaric. Some decades ago, this practice was a key attraction for all people in society, particular those who were interested in seeing others being shot or hanged. Despite the public attention to such events, the practice still displays the brutality that offenders receive when justice systems subjects them to this practice. With the society embracing a peaceful society where brutality is outdated, there are many reasons why justice systems should abo lish the death penalty.

Visual Arts and Design Assignment in The Engineering II building in UC Essay - 11

Visual Arts and Design Assignment in The Engineering II building in UC Santa Barbara - Essay Example    The building’s interior design provides the essential space that the university would require in addressing congestion through the provision of conference rooms, lecture halls, and staffrooms (Foulsham 1). The building’s architectural design coincides with the use of energy efficient facilities that reduce the exploitation of the non-renewable energy sources; hence, it is renowned for its conservative measures. Further, the building’s engineers used the recommended materials to make the world’s greenest public facility. The essence of evaluating the building’s inclusion of solar panels on the dome emanate from the society’s emphasis that the mankind should adopt renewable energy sources in order to avoid the risk of pollution from non-renewable energy sources. The Engineering II building’s construction process adhered to the institution’s mission that fosters the need of its constituents to apply eco-friendly measures in order to safeguard the future outcomes (Foulsham 1). For example, the facility’s architectural design reduced the use of electricity by 36 percent for every square foot of its space. Arguably, the plumbing team in stalled a natural gas system that would suppress the units consumed at a rate of 15 percent compared to the previous year. Despite the institution bordering the state’s coastline, the artistic building’s drainage facility evokes the understanding that its drainage system instills the environmentally conservative measures, which reduce the risk of pollution. Another architectural aspect, which is evident in the building’s interior design, is the utilization of space to serve the engineering department’s teachers and students.  Ã‚