Naked Photo Revolutionary

Introduction Social networking sites are online sites through which people build social relations. These sites allow people to share interests, activities, photos, ideas and events within the network. Through these sites, people can interact via e-mail and instant messaging. Some of the most popular social networking sites include Facebook, MySpace and Twitter, among others.Advertising We will write a custom term paper sample on Naked Photo Revolutionary specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More A large number of people, especially the youth are members of these sites. Through these social networking sites, it is now possible to quickly pass on information to very many people across the globe. Therefore, people who want to attract a lot of attention to certain issues are finding these sites very useful. Impact of Social Media on Social and Cultural Life Through social media, people are interacting with each other more than they used to. Th is interaction makes people to get exposed to different social and cultural values and ways of thinking. Social networking has led to interaction of many people all over the world regardless of their nationality or cultures. They are sharing new ideas about different aspects of life. These interactions are impacting on the social and cultural aspects of people’s lives. The exchange of ideas across the globe leads to influencing people to take on those ideas, consequently changing their ways of life. People are adopting new ways of life that were not in existence previously. The posting of a naked photo of Aliaa Magda Elmahdy, an Egyptian blogger, on Twitter has sparked a lot of controversy, especially because the 20-year old girl comes from a Muslim country where women are not supposed to expose their bodies. Aliaa says she posted the photo in protest of the harassment and humiliation that Muslim go through in the hands of men (Fahmy par 2). This action can be seen as a resul t of culture erosion due to interactions with people from other cultures through the social media. Social media promotes increased social interaction between people. Social networking services have changed the social life in that they can connect people from all over the world, who share similar interests and activities. People get to share ideas and information through email and instant messaging. Social media has increased the connection between people. In addition, social media has changed the means through which people conduct business. People promote their businesses through social networks. Social media has opened a valuable avenue for businesses to reach a larger number of clients at no cost (Henry-Waring and Barraket 19).Advertising Looking for term paper on communications media? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Social media has changed interactions between people. Unlike in the past where people used to meet and inter act with others in social places like parties and clubs, people are now mostly interacting through social sites. However, interactions through social media are not as deep as those that occur off-line. People mostly interact through the social media and are substituting face-to-face interactions with online interaction (Edwards and Hodges 11). Social media has changed the way we conduct our lives. Most of the time, we get news from social networking sites instead of the mainstream media. The social media has also changed the way people express themselves. Before the advent of social networking sites, people used to keep most of their lives private. However, today people are sharing a lot of information about themselves through the social networking sites. They reveal their interests, fears, feelings and weaknesses. Social networking sites have made people to be more transparent and to share their lives with others. The social media has also become a great driver of public opinion. I n the past, the mainstream media was the main controller of people’s attention. Today, People are getting thousands of fans on social networking sites. Through these sites, every person has a chance to influence public opinion. Aliaa Magda Elmahdy has thousands of followers on Twitter. Cyber Sexualities People are using new technologies to assist in forming new behaviors of intimacy and sexuality. New technologies have led to the emergence of new intimacy patterns such as sex chat rooms, sex messaging, sexuality movement campaigns, virtual sex, and sex newsgroups, among others. There is so much information available on the internet about sexuality such as dating services, sperm banks, among others. Aliaa Magda Elmahdy used the social media to assist in her sexuality campaign. She posed naked and posted the photo on a social networking site in order to attract attention to her fight against the sexual harassment of Muslim women. Cyber sexuality has changed our perception about sex, personal identity, gender and sexual orientation. Aliaa Magda Ehmahdy feels that women should be treated respectfully by men. She also says that gays should not be treated differently since they are just different and not abnormal. Cyber sex involves an exchange of messages describing sexual experiences between two people in a computer network. They engage in fantasy sex where they pretend that they are actually having sex and exchange descriptions of their actions through chatting in order to arouse their sexual feelings. The participants of cybersex can even transmit videos of what they are doing, through webcams, virtual worlds and voice chat systems (Henry-Waring and Barraket 19).Advertising We will write a custom term paper sample on Naked Photo Revolutionary specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Cybersex can be useful to couples who are in different locations to continue being intimate despite the distance barrier. Moreove r, cybersex helps people to satisfy their sexual desires without risking getting pregnant or contracting sexually transmitted infections. However, cybersex has led to many marital problems especially when it ends up in an internet relationship. Cybersex interactions may also be found by other internet users and disclosed to the public. Overindulgence in cybersex can also lead to sexual addiction. Sociality and Subjectivity The social media has become extremely popular and almost every person is a member of one social networking site or another. These sites have become the main tool of socialization and interaction and interpersonal interaction is becoming less each day. The sociality of social networking sites depends on the particular purpose of that service. Some sites like Netmums.com connect parents and share information that is relevant to that group. Connecting groups based on shared interests brings about strong ties. Members of other sites like Facebook socialize through sha ring information and experiences about each other. People have access to all kinds of information through sharing. Through these networks, people can forge new friendships and even meet face-to-face later on. Members of social networking sites are sharing subjective content such as their beliefs, feelings, perspectives and desires. The members of these sites share a lot of personal information, some of which might land them in trouble when it gets into the wrong hands. For instance, sharing information about some activities that employees engage in over the weekend might not portray them in good light to the employer. Moreover, people are sharing information about everything they are doing and where they are and the public knows every move of the individual. Such information may be used by the wrong people like thieves to conduct robberies. Some students can also be barred from joining some institutions or taking up leadership positions because of the content they post on the social networking sites. The information that members of these sites share is highly subjective, and they do this without giving a thought to the possible harm it may cause them (Henry-Waring and Barraket 15). Aliaa Magda Elmahdy shared private information on a social networking site. She posted her naked photo and shared other personal information such as her first sexual encounter, her religious and political affiliations.Advertising Looking for term paper on communications media? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More New Architectures of Intimacy There is a rising new architecture of intimacy through social networks. Social networking has changed intimate relationships. People are now looking at the status, photos and comments made in social networking sites to judge whether someone is a potential mate. People already make impressions before meeting face-to -face depending on the content shared on social networking sites (Henry-Waring and Barraket 15). Social networking has made it possible to establish sexual contacts with people from different geographical locations. Social networking sites have also led to lack of privacy in relationships. Maintaining a strong intimate relationship is becoming harder because of cyber sexuality. People are having multiple relationships through social networking and this is affecting the real relationships (Driscoll 201). The social networks have changed individuals and now they greatly value their rights to free expression, privacy, and independence and these affect intimate relationships. People are also more upfront about their sexual desires. People state their intentions on the social networking sites clearly and if they are turned down, they move on to explore other options. Through the social media, Aliaa Magda Elmahdy has been able to express her feelings and views about the way women should be treated in Egypt. She feels that women should not be treated as sexual objects without any rights but should be independent and be able to have power over their sexual relationships with men. She says that women in Islam are just used by men and do not have any right to decide on matters of sexuality. Aliaa feels that sex should take place with the consent of both parties and it should be an expression of love that is pleasant to both of them. Networking and Genders Many social networking sites have an option where people can enter their gender. Not all the users specify their genders. Others can even lie about it and give a false gender (D riscoll 199). One can never be sure about the real sex of the members and questions about the participants’ gender arise during chatting sessions (Doorn, Wyatt and Zoonen 362). Social network users often use nicknames to identify themselves, making it harder to know someone’s gender. However, one can guess the gender from the nickname. Men will choose nicknames that are masculine while the women go for feminine ones. Members of social networks also reveal their opinions about different matters relating to sexuality. For instance, straight people share information condemning homosexuality (Doorn, Wyatt and Zoonen 365). However, homosexuals reveal their identity and express their feelings s with pride. Other chats focus on particular body parts, like genitals, which are specific to a specific sex, thus signifying their genders (Doorn, Wyatt and Zoonen 368). Through the social networking sites, the participants go against the traditional perception of sexuality. They talk about their bodies as objects to be desired. Women in social networking sites are often seen as passive participants who mostly attract attention from the male participants. Participants in social network exchange ideas and engage in discussions on gender and experiences related to a certain gender. Social media has impacted greatly on gender roles especially in intimacy. Unlike in the traditional culture where women are supposed to wait for the men to pursue them, women in social networking sites are making the first move. Aliaa Magda Elmahdy is a woman who uses the social media to empower her gender. She is not afraid to pass on her message about her disappointment at how women in Egypt are treated by men. She wants to change that but knows that it is a tough fight since women are not given an equal chance to express themselves. She therefore goes against the Islam norms and exposes her body to the public in order for people to pay attention to her views. She says she is proud of being a woman and women should be treated with respect. Post-feminism Post-feminism commenced when academics and journalists declared that feminism was dead, in the early 1980’s. The purpose of the post-feminist movement was to assert that there was no more need to be involved in feminism since it had achieved its purpose. Feminism has made great achievements in ensuring that men and women are treated as equals, and post-feminism is trying to challenge all that. Post-feminism is evident in several characters in media products. The female characters in these programs enjoy their sexuality and claim to be liberated but they are looking for the right man. Post-feminists want to look at women as people instead of separating the sexes (McRobbie 261). Social networks have brought about women empowerment in institutions. The internet is a very powerful tool for passing on radical feminist information to a large number of the public since with this medium, information control is har d to achieve. Information on the internet is passed on through the social networks very fast and reaches a very number of people. Women are using the internet as a tool for representing themselves in the society. Some women are expressing their views by posting personal information or naked photographs on the social networking sites to attract attention to their agenda. They are representing their identities through the use of sexuality. For instance, a Chinese woman named Mu Zimei shared her sexual experiences with various men on a social networking site. The woman revealed her real identity and that of the men. She was conducting a research on male sexual behavior from the perspective of a feminist and was therefore going against the expectations of female sexuality. Mu Zimei was greatly criticized for going against the traditional norms about sexuality, while others commended her for liberating herself from traditional restrictions and being a voice for other Chinese women (Mao 2 16). In an effort to empower women and to get people to appreciate their bodies, Zhuying Qingtong posted her nude photographs on a social networking site. Zhuying’s action was a call to the society to stop suppressing the expression of the women and let them be free to make decisions on their own. However, she too was criticized for her actions. These two women were using social networking sites to change the place of women in the Chinese culture (Mao 217). Another woman who used the social networking service to attract attention to her agenda is 20-year old Aliaa Magda Elmahdy, who posted her naked photograph on Facebook and Twitter. The Egyptian girl is a Muslim and she went against the conservative norms of Muslims to reveal her body to the public. The culture of Islam does not allow women to reveal their bodies or the hair. Therefore, they wear long and loose clothes to cover their bodies and a veil to cover their hair. She says the reason for displaying her body to the p ublic was to protest against the Islam culture of treating women as sex objects and denying them freedom of expression. She feels that the human body should be appreciated (Fahmy par 7). The social media helped in circulating the photos to reach very many people. Conclusion Since the advent of the social media, our lives have undergone tremendous changes. There have been changes in the way people interact, express themselves and the amount of information they share with others. People are now more connected and can be able to communicate instantly with their friend in different geographical locations. Social networking sites have also been used as an avenue to pass on information of all kinds to a large number of people. Individuals who are disgruntled about a certain issue are using the social media to protest against it. The social media is here to stay and will continue to transform our lives in many more ways. Works Cited Doorn, Niels, van, Wyatt, Sally, and Zoonen Liesbet van. A Body of Text. Feminist Media Studies. 2008. Vol. 8(4), pp.357-374. Driscoll, Catherine. This is not a Blog: Gender, intimacy, and community. Feminist Media Studies, 2008. Vol. 8,(2) pp. 198-202. Edwards, Lee, and Hodges Caroline. Public Relations, Society Culture. USA: Taylor Francis, 2011. Fahmy, Mohamed Fadel. â€Å"Egyptian blogger Aliaa Elmahdy: Why I posed naked.† CNN. November 20, 2011. Henry-Waring, Millsom, and Barraket Jo. Dating Intimacy in the 21st Century: The Use of Online Dating Sites in Australia. International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Society. Vol. 6(1) 2008, pp: 14 – 33 Mao, Yuping. Sexuality, Gender, and Body: The role of the internet in women’s self-representations through two Chinese online scandals. Feminist Media Studies. 2008. Vol. 8, No. 2, pp. 214-217. McRobbie, Angela. Post-Feminism and Popular Culture. Feminist Media Studies. Vol. 4, No. 3, pp. 255-264. 2004. This term paper on Naked Photo Revolutionary was written and submitted by user Nancy L. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Common Law 2013 Essays - Bias, Free Essays, Term Papers

Common Law 2013 Essays - Bias, Free Essays, Term Papers Nemo judex in re sua is both an ancient and fundamental principle of English law. A judge is disqualified from determining any case in which he or she may be, or may fairly be suspected to be, biased. The word bias comes from the tendency of a bowl to turn in one direction of another. It thus means simply an improper predisposition of a judge to decide in one way or another. But if the fundamental nature of the rule is well recognised, its application and reach is less clear. The law is set about by some subtle distinctions which have been unstable and uncertain in the recent past. The law is now relatively clear, but the way in which it is applied is still open to debate and discussion. A person is barred from deciding any case in which he or she may be, or may fairly be suspected to be, biased. This principle embodies the basic concept of impartiality and applies to courts of law, tribunals, arbitrators and all those having the duty to act judicially. A public authority has a duty to act judicially whenever it makes decisions that affect people's rights or interests, and not only when it applies some judicial type procedure in arriving at decisions. that affect people's rights or interests, and not only when it applies some judicial-type procedure in arriving at decisions. The basis on which impartiality operates is the need to maintain public confidence in the legal system . The erosion of public confidence undermines the nobility of the legal system, and leads to ensuing chaos. It was held He should not have sat. It was accepted that he had had no pecuniary interest himself, and had acted scrupulously. It was a question of whether there was any appearance of bias. The essence of the need for impartiality was observed by Lord Denning, the Master of the Rolls, in Metropolitan Properties Co.(F.G.C.) Ltd. v. Lannon (1968) Justice must be rooted in confidence and confidence is destroyed when right-minded people go away thinking 'The judge was biased. Besides, Lo rd Denning MR considered the test for apparent bias, and said The court looks at the impression which would be given to other people. Even if he was as impartial as could be, nevertheless if right-minded persons would think that, in the circumstances, there was a real likelihood of bias on his part, then he should not sit. And if he does sit, his decision cannot stand. Public confidence as the basis for the rule against bias is also embodied in the often-quoted words of Lord Hewart, the Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales, that It is not merely of some importance, but of fundamental importance that justice should not only be done, but should manifestly be seen to be done It was stated in an article , that Article 6(1) of the European Convention of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms 1950 as incorporated in the Human Rights Act 1988, applicable in England since 2000 provides that in the determination of his civil rights and obligations to everyone is entitled to a fair hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal established by law. The independence of courts and impartiality of judges are closely related in that they operate to sustain public confidence in the administration of justice. The twin domestic UK law concepts of actual and apparent bias have their parallel in European law in the recognition by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) and the European Court of Justice (ECJ) that there are two aspects to the requirement of impartiality, subjective and objective impartiality. Subjective impartiality means that the members of the tribunal themselves must be subjectively impartial, none of its members must show bias or personal prejudice, there being a presumption of personal impartiality in the absence of evidence to the contrary. Objective impartiality requires the tribunal to offer guarantees sufficient to exclude any legitimate doubt in this respect . Broadly speaking, the ECHR and the ECJ appear to have had less difficulty with the practical application of these concepts than the domestic UK courts. It was stated in an article, Bias by Holly Shout that in a particular, the concept of apparent

Trials and tribulations of e-learning and distance learning within Essay

Trials and tribulations of e-learning and distance learning within higher education - Essay Example Fortunately enough, there have been radical developments in Information and Communication Technology (ICT). Computer technology has scaled new heights in terms of processing speed, storage and display; the Internet and the World Wide Web (WWW) has made it possible for content to be made available at any time, anywhere in the world. The requirement for faster knowledge acquisition and dissemination and the rapid developments in ICT have converged to lead to the development of what is known as e-Learning and Distance Education. â€Å". . . a wide set of applications and processes allied to training and learning that includes computer-based learning, online learning, virtual classrooms and digital collaboration. These services can be delivered by a variety of electronic media, including the intranet, internet, interactive TV and satellite.† Distance Learning lays more emphasis on the geographical distance or separation between the knowledge disseminating agency and the student. The concept of distance education is not new. Imparting education by despatch of course material through the postal service or snail mail, was the earlier form of distance education which has now metamorphosed with the application of electronic technology. Desmond Keegan (1995) defines Distance Learning as resulting from the technological separation of teacher and learner which frees the student from the necessity of travelling to â€Å"a fixed place, at a fixed time, to meet a fixed person, in order to be trained.† As far as dissemination of educational content through electronic technology is concerned, e-Learning and Distance Learning can therefore be considered to be the same. For the purpose of this paper, e-Learning and Distance Learning are used interchangeably. e-Learning delivery can be synchronous or asynchronous. Synchronous delivery implies an online or live

Symmetry Methods for Differential Equations Dissertation

Symmetry Methods for Differential Equations - Dissertation Example Lie’s methodology is based on this philosophy. The main challenge was to find the group, which leaves the solutions of a differential equation invariant, meaning which group maps solutions into solutions. This factor was considered the trivial constant, which can be added to any indefinite integral. The additive constant represents an element in a translation group. In the simplest first order ODE, one independent variable x and one dependent variable y can be represented by: dy/dx = g(x).General formulations of constraint equation ( dy/dx=p) and a surface equation( F(x,y,p)=0) are used to write down the solutions by quadratures. Lie’s methodology provides an algorithm, for determining, whether an ODE possesses symmetry and if so, the kind of symmetry. Transformations to a set of canonical variables like R,S,T is algorithmic. A canonical variable R(x,y) signifies the new variable like x, while S(x,y) is the new variable like y and T (x,y,p) forms the new constraint betw een S and R( similar to dy/dx). Under these new coordinate system the surface and constraint equations are designated by F(R,-T)= 0 and dS/dR =f (R, -T) respectively. The system is reduced to quadratures and integration follows. Chapter 1: Concept of Symmetry and Transformations Concept of Symmetry Symmetry of geometrical objects or a physical system refers to the property of being â€Å"unchanged† under certain transformations. Hence, symmetry of a physical system or geometric object is an intrinsic or observed feature of the system that remains preserved under a specified change. The transformations can be continuous (for example, rotations of a circle) or may be discontinuous (for example, rotations of a regular polygon). An object is said to bear a rotational symmetry if the object is turned around at its centre point by certain number of degrees and the object still looks the same. Thus it matches itself a number of times while it is being rotated. For example a flower w ith 5 petals will have symmetry of order 5, as it will match itself 5 times. Invariance is example of one such symmetry under arbitrary differentiable co-ordinate transformations. Invariance is specified algebraically that leaves some quantity unchanged. For example, humidity may be constant throughout a room, since humidity is independent of position within the room; it is invariant under a shift in the measurer’s position. Thus when a sphere is rotated about its center, it will appear exactly the same as it was before rotation. So the sphere exhibits a spherical symmetry. This means a rotation about any axis of the sphere preserves the shape of the sphere. The concept can be illustrated with the example of an electrical wire. The electric field of a wire exhibits cylindrical symmetry. The strength of an electric field at a specified distance (?) from the charged wire with infinite length will bear the same magnitude at each point on the surface of the cylinder (electrical f ield) with its axis being the wire having a radius (?). If the wire is rotated on its own axis, it will not change its position or the charge density and hence the electric field will be preserved. Hence the field strength at a rotated position is the same. When some configuration of charges (non-stationary) produces an

Vygotskys Theory of Psychological Development

Vygotskys Theory of Psychological Development Lev Semenovich Vygotsky was born in Russia in 1896, the same year with Piaget. He attended Moscow University and graduated with a degree of law in 1917 just before the start of Russian Revolution (Driscoll, 2005). After a while the Russian revolution where the Marxism replaced, Vygotsky worked in psychology. The new philosophy of the Marxist stressed socialism and collectivism in society. So his views represented Marxist ideas of social change to language and development. Vygotsky also studied various subjects in school such as philosophy, psychology, literature and art. He worked as a teacher at a teacher training institution where he founded a psychology laboratory. His main entry into psychology started with the second Psychoneurological congress in 1924. Vygotsky presented a paper and criticized Pavlovs reflexology theory. After his brilliant presentation performance, Konstantin Kornilov who is the director of Psychological Institute of Moscow University invited Vygotsky for a po sition in university (Gredler, 2005). His dissertation, in 1925,The Psychology of Art, was accepted for the Ph.D. degree. Vygotsky completed manuscripts, articles, and books and edited a journal until his death in 1934 because of tuberculosis. His major writings are about the role of cultural signs and symbols in the development of attention, abstraction, language, memory and reasoning ( Gredler, 2005). Most of his writings were published after his death. His concepts of cultural historical development of cognitive development remained incomplete at his death. After his death some basic concepts fixed with his studies were added his theory. Basic Principles of Vygotskys Sociocultural Theory To understand Vygotskys theory, to look at political environment of his time may be helpful. In 1917, after the Russian revolution, Marxism penetrated all society and emphasized socialism. Sharing between people and co-operating was supported, and the success of any individual was thought as the success of the culture. Marxism also took place on history, believing that every culture could be understood only by examination of the ideas and events that had formed it (Vasta,R., Haith, M.M., Miller,S.A., 1995, as cited in Riddle, 1999). Vygotsky also influenced Marxist theory of social change to language and development (Schunk, 2008). His theory covered these elements in terms of human being development that has been called as a sociocultural approach. According to Vygotsky, the ones development is a result of his own culture and development refers mental development including thought, language and reasoning process. These mental functions were believed to develop through social interactions with people and so represented the shared knowledge of the culture. Vygotksys theory is also a form of dialectical constructivist theory that emphasizes the social environment as a facilitator of development and learning. His sociocultural theory emphasizes interaction between people and their environment. For him, the processes of the human cognitive development are the part of the process of historical development (Schunk, 2008). Briefly, Vygotskys theory is based on the idea that learning begins with social interaction and then knowledge is constructed individually. Vygotskys theory has three basic assumptions. These assumptions are i) nature of human intelligence, ii) biological and sociohistorical lines of psychological development and iii) nature of psychological processes (Driscoll, 2005; Gredler, 2005). Vygotsky thought about the differences between animal and human behavior in terms of psychological development and thought that the behavior of modern cultured adult is the result of two different process of mental development. Firstly, in the human beings, biological factors dominate the early months of life and physical growth is responsible for perception and simple memory, and involuntary attention. The emergence of these mental functions is referred to as primitive development. And sociocultural development is responsible for development of complex mental functions (Gredler, 2005). Secondly, Vygotsky also believed that human mental abilities develop through interaction with the world. Vygotsky investigated how these social interactions turns in to psychological principles In order to explain this phenomenon Vygotsky mention about the terms signalization and signification. According to Vygotskys perspective, a child does not touch a hot stove after putting his hand and feeling pain is an example of signalization (Gredler, 2005). Also, signification process that is a process of assigning meaning to an active stimulus differ human behavior from other animals. These processes are transforming from primitive humans to humans who use signs symbols to change own mental functions. So, Vygotsky believed that psychological development includes the transformation of primitive mental functions to higher mental forms (Gredler, 2005). Vygotsky stated that development does not proceed toward socialization; it is the conversion of social relations into mental functions (as cited in Driscoll, 2005). The social environment influences cognition through its tools such as cultural objects, language and social institutions (Schunk, 2005). According to Vygotsky, humans use tools that develop from the surrounding culture such as speech and writing, to mediate their social environments. So, culture gives opportunities the children with the meanings to, what to think and how to think. Initially children develop these tools to make sense of their worlds as social functions, ways to communicate needs. The tools, cultural signs and symbols, can be technological or psychological. Cognitive change results from; using these tools in social interactions and internalizing and mentally transforming these interactions (Schunk, 2005). Vygotsky also gave importance the emergence of speech in terms of distinguishing humans from other animals. In Vygotksys view, language was the most important psychological tool that influences childrens cognitive development. By acquiring knowledge a child is supported the means to think in new ways and obtains a new cognitive tool for making sense of the world. For Vygotsky, the analysis of thinking and speech was a major task for psychology, and the central problem was the relationship of thought to word (Gredler, 2005). He identified three different stages in childrens use of language. At first, language is primarily used for communication. It refers social speech. For Vygotsky, speech begins to develop independent of thought. And then, thinking becomes verbal and children begin to use egocentric or private speech to guide their own thinking. Both Piaget and Vygotsky observed that as in problem solving situations pre-school children talking to themselves. While Piaget referred th e self directed behavior as egocentric speech, Vygotsky labeled to it as a private speech. He claimed that private speech originated in the childrens interaction with other people and with these interactions; they start to use their parents instructional comments to regulate their own behavior. Private speech such as talking aloud or whispering while performing a task refers speech for oneself. Researches indicated that children tend to increase the amount of self-talk when facing more challenging tasks (Gredler, 2005). Children start using private speech to organize (plan, direct, or evaluate) their behaviors. The use of private speech peaks during  preschool  years and then decreases. For Vygotsky, this decrease with private speech turns first into inner speech and then into verbal thinking. At last stage of language development, egocentric speech becomes inner speech and children start to use inner speech to guide their thinking and actions. The inner speech is speech for one self, not for communication without words (Gredler, 2005). This transition of speech from social to self-directed to internalized reflects the Vygotsky ´s concept of development as a process of internalization. With the internalization of private speech intellectual development that is the path of all higher mental functions occurs. It was described by Vygotsky in his law of the development of higher mental functions. He stated law of the development of higher mental functions: Every function in the childs cultural development appears twice: first, on the social level, and later, on the individual level; first, between people (interpsychological) and then inside the child (intrapsychological). (Vygotsky, 1978; as cited in Gredler, 2005). Acording to Vygotskys view, development of complex mental functions involves two processes; mastering of the external means of cultural development and thinking (language, counting, writing) and learning to use symbols to master and regulate ones own behavior. Briefly, every higher mental function was external or social before it became an internal mental function. And also Karpov and Haywood stated that; All higher mental processes are mediated by such psychological tools as language, signs and symbols. Adults teach these tools to children in the course of their joint activity. After children internalize these tools they function as mediators of the childrens more advanced psychological processes (Karpov Haywood, 1989, as cited in Schunk, 2008). Mediation is the key mechanism in learning and development from Vygotskys perspective. When mediation becomes increasingly internal and symbolic higher mental functions are created. Vygotsky stated that mediation referred that interposing tools between people and their environment, to modify it and obtain benefits (Schunk, 2005). And also mediators such as tools and language help to people to accommodate to their environment. From Vygotskys point of view, higher mental functions include categorical perception, logical memory, abstract thought and voluntary attention (as cited in Gredler, 1992). These are the products of the sociohistorical development. Vygotsky distinguished the higher mental functions from the primitive mental functions. Primitive mental functions are biological in nature and higher mental functions are the part of the social and cultural heritage of child move from social plane to psychological plane, from interpersonal to intrapersonal, from socially regulated to self regulated, from assisted performance to unassisted performance and from social control to self control (Gredler, 2005). Zone of Proximal Development Zone of proximal development (ZPD) is a key concept for Vygotskys theory. ZPD defined from Vygotsky as the distance between the actual developmental level as determined by independent problem solving and the level of potential development as determined through problem solving under adult guidance or in collaboration with more capable peers( Schunk, 2008; Driscoll, 2005). Briefly ZPD refers the gap between what children can do individually and what they can do with assistance from more knowledgeable person. Also Bruner (1984) stated that ZPD reflects activity in which those who have more knowledgeable or are more skilled share that knowledge or skill to accomplish a task with who know less. Vygotsky claimed that learning occurs in this zone (Riddle, 1999). In ZPD teachers and students work together on a task. With the help of more knowledgeable partner the child can complete a task when he cannot do unassisted. Working in ZPD requires a good deal of guided participation. Learners bring their own understanding to social interaction environment and construct meaning by integrating those understanding with their experiences in the context (Schunk, 2000). Level of performances development shows a change from self regulation to social regulation. Gradually require to the assistance decreases and capacity for self regulation increases. The progress in ZDP is gradual from assisted performance to unassisted and self regulated performance (Moll, 1990). The process in the ZDP described as a stage model which includes four stages which focuses on the relationship between social control and self control. In stage 1 learner has very limited capacity to complete task and parent, teacher or more capable peers offer directions and modeling. Learner response is acquiescent and imitative. Learner gradually understands how related the parts of an activity to one another. Understanding develops with conversation (Moll, 1990). In stage 2, there is a change of mental activity from intermental to intramental. Learners start to handle task without assistance. However, performance is not fully developed. In stage 2, self directed speech reflects development of profound significance. Key mechanism of self directed speech is self regulation (Moll, 1990) In stage 3, assistance does not require and assistance is no longer need. Performance is already developed. Task have been internalized and automatized. Vygotsky described this stage as fruits of development (Moll, 1990). And finally in stage 4, it can be thought that learning is lifelong. However, although a concept can be accomplished by an adult, another concept cannot be accomplished (Moll, 1990). For Vygotsky, teacher direct students while scaffolding process in ZPD and try to provide assistance about how the learner can achieve his goal even without the assistance. A Vygotskian teachers aim is creating self-regulated learners. In Vygotskys theory, role of teachers is to provide the guidance required for learners to bridge the distance between their current skill level and a wanted skill level. Educational Applications There are many educational applications of Vygotskys theory. Instructional scaffolding, reciprocal teaching, peer collaboration and apprenticeship are some of these applications (Schunk, 2008). Instructional Scaffolding Although scaffolding is not a Vygotskian term, in order to it fit nicely in the ZPD, it added by Wood, Bruner and Ross in the theory (Schunk, 2008). Instructional scaffolding is also the process of controlling task elements that are beyond learners capabilities (Schunk, 2008). It is the condition of sufficient support to promote learning. Supports can include some resources, a compelling task, templates and guides and guidance on the development of cognitive and social skills. In scaffolding process, the instructor becomes a supportive tool for the student in the zone of proximal development. The characteristics of an ideal teacher are those of a scaffold: provide support, function as a tool, extend the range of the learner, permit attainment of task otherwise possible, use selectively only as needed (Schunk, 2008; Driscoll, 2005). In short, instructor creates a ZPD and provides the scaffolding for students to be successful (Moll, 2001 as cited Schunk, 2008). Moreover, for scaffoldin g process prior knowledge have an important role for Vygotskain teacher. Because, teacher need to give less assistance if there is more prior knowledgeable person. Reciprocal teaching Reciprocal teaching is an instructional activity that takes place in the form of a dialogue between teachers and students regarding segments of text. Teacher and students take turns assuming the role of teacher in leading this dialogue (Schunk, 2008). The purpose of reciprocal teaching is to facilitate a group effort between teacher and students in the task of bringing meaning to the text. The dialogue is structured by the use of summarizing, question generating, clarifying and predicting (Driscoll, 2005; Schunk, 2008). Peer collaboration Peer collaboration is the notion of collective activity. When peers come together to accomplish a task cooperatively, this social interaction can lead learning. If each student has assigned the responsibility, researches showed that cooperative work is most effective (Schunk, 2008). Apprenticeship Apprenticeship is another application of Vygotskys theory. The purpose of cognitive apprenticeship is to help learners to learn the cognitive processes that experts use to overcome complex tasks through guided experience. While operating in ZPD novices and experts works closely in joint work related activities. For instance, student teachers work with cooperating teachers in schools. It is an example of apprenticeship. Apprenticeship is also a form of dialectical constructivism that depends on social interaction (Schunk, 2008). Critics about the Theory Vygotksky seems social interaction as only way of learning. According to Vygotsky all learning is a social process begins as social activities by interacting with other people and people internalize these processes and can use them independently. But researcher states that as it is known that cultures are critical and needed to be thought while explaining learning it is not only constrained social environment (Schunk, 2008). And it is showed that children learn certain concepts which do not depend on social environment (Geary, as cited in Schunk, 2008). However I agree with Vygotsky in terms of explaning learning from social context to individual context. In my opinion, Vygotskys theory is based on the idea that learning begins with social interaction with other people or environment and then knowledge is constructed individually. Implications of Vygotskys theory are considered by researchers as not clear (Wertsch, as cited in Driscoll, 2005). It is thought that there is no answer to the questions how it is explained the differences between the ZDP of children who have similar history and how it is account for the changing relation between subject and child development. I think the effect of the culture and social environment on learning is important. The culture and social environment affect how children can learn. And also we construct meanings and common shared knowledge of a culture. So we affect and are affected from our culture and history. And our leanings can come from this social environment. But it has still not clear enough to understand learning with only sociocultural theory, and how the teaching should be. Conclusion Although new learning approaches appeared in education, since the earlier in the 20th century Vygotkss sociocultural theory has lost influence on learning. Because Vygotksys theory contributed to development of constructivism with Piaget, Dewey, and Glaserfields theories. Many teachers are still using application of Vygotskys theory such as group works, class discussion or guided discovery consciously or unconsciously. And as Vygotksy claimed children begin to learn in social environment in classrooms with social activities by interacting with other people such as peers or teachers and they internalize these processes and can use them independently. Even though researches showed that children learn certain concepts which do not depend on social environment, the sociocultural approach certainly could not explain all human learning alone. It can explain learning particularly in terms of a social environment. Therefore it is termed as dialectical constructivist theory. To sum up, although there are some criticisms to Vygotksys sociocultural theory, it is clear that the study of human development has benefited from this theory from twentieth century to nowadays. It is clear that although Vygotksys theory remained in complete because of his early death, researchers could not ignore his theorys importance for learning and they developed his theory as we know today.

What is a thesis statement

In regards to a thesis proposal, it is an outline of a research study you do in your thesis or dissertation. To put it simply, a thesis proposal is a road map. It provides a reader with a vision of your future work. Your thesis proposal needs to be carefully planned and properly structured. The better you are at explaining what you are going to research and why the topic you have chosen is relevant, the more rewarding the result will be. Choosing a topic is the hardest part not only in thesis proposal writing, but also in academic writing in general. You should identify the problem you are dealing with in your thesis proposal, as well as state the questions you are going to address in your thesis. You are also supposed to describe all the resources and materials you need in order to conduct a research study for your thesis or dissertation. The successful approval of your thesis proposal means you will be able to continue the work on your thesis. Therefore, the importance of writing a n impressive proposal should not be underestimated. The five most vital points of a well-written thesis proposal include: Outlining; Knowing the structure; Planning the writing process; Writing a thesis proposal; Proofreading a thesis proposal. The first step is to provide a clear and detailed outline. In this part, you are required to present all materials you have already gathered. You need to prove you understand how the process of research works. You also need to demonstrate that you are able to find all relevant sources in regards to the subject you have chosen to research. The next step is structuring your thesis proposal. The common parts of every thesis proposal are as follows: an abstract, an introduction, significant prior research if any, a thesis/project statement, approach, potential outcomes, limitations, and proposed dissertation chapters.

No Country for Old Men

In the novel No Country for Old Men, written by Cormac McCarthy, a perversion of the American dream is presented as the relinquishment of power. Power is defined as the influence one has over people and in McCarthy’s novel he demonstrates three ways to posses this: money, authority, and the ability to strike fear into the hearts of others. Every thing is swallowed by a money-induced apathy lately, leaving nothing else of any importance. Moss, a main character in the novel, uses his new found wealth as a tool to manipulate bystanders into helping him get what he needs.In most cases people are hesitant at first to help this distressed looking man, but as soon as he waves a hundred dollar bill or two there are no more questions asked: Excuse me, he said. Leaning against the chainlink fence. His bloody footprints on the walk behind him like clues in an arcade. Excuse me. They were stepping off the curb into the roadway to go around him. Excuse me I wondered if you all would sell m e a coat. They didnt stop till they were past him. Then one of them turned. What’ll you give? He said. (p. 117)Money is power, and with this in mind many people do not see or simply just do not care about the people who are affected by their action. As long as the outcome has a nicely figured income it is all the same to them. When Llewellyn Moss stumbles across a leather briefcase containing the better part of 2 million dollars, a payoff intended for some Mexican dope-runners, his life takes a turn for the worst. He’s just too dumbfounded to realize. During a shoot out with the opposing parties, two of mosses bullets pierced threw an old woman’s second floor apartment window blowing her brains out on the back of her rocking chair.When Moss is presented with photographs of the woman he denies the fact that he could have ever done this and says, â€Å"You’re full of shit†(p151). How does a man that carries around a shotgun in a duffle bag not believ e he could have killed someone with a stray bullet? The unreal amount of money he posses now blinds him from the cold truth reality has to offer. Power has turned this once sensible man into a reckless killer and a fugitive. This asks the question what good is power if your life is uncontrollably spiraling down the drain.Moss let this power get the better of him and it ended with his death, where as Bell, the Texas county Sheriff, is over powered by the way society is forever changing in the worst ways. He realizes there is not much his authority can do to change the way crime is escalading, but he is still going to give it his best at the end of the day: I read the papers ever mornin. Mostly I suppose just to try and figure out what might be headed this way. Not that I done all that good a job headin it off. It keeps getting harder. (p. 40)It is people like Chigurh that the Sheriff is talking about if not specifically when he says â€Å"They dont have no respect for the law†¦ they dont even think about the law†. This man, whose authority was once well respected by the people, is now just referred to as â€Å"a redneck sheriff in a hick town†(p. 151). Even though he had the law, authority, and a taskforce behind him, Sheriff Bell was never even a threat to anyone in this novel. He lost his power a long time ago. Chigurh, a field worker, is in the business of killing and getting jobs done like the retrieval of stolen drug profit.And thinks of him self as a superior to al of his victims as if they should be thankful he is how he is, he tells one man â€Å" I’m here and you are there. In a few minutes I will still be here†¦if you don’t respect me what must you think of yourself? Look at where you are. † (p. 177). It really just relates back to the animal kingdom. Chigurh is a lion and everyone he has ever killed is a gazelle. If the lion stopped hunting the gazelles they would eventually not fear him anymore and he woul d no longer be kink of the jungle.Chigurh realizes he only has power because of his murders and becomes a slave to them. Even though he doesn’t want to kill Mosses wife he has to, so he try’s to explain â€Å"You’re asking that I make myself vulnerable and that I can never do. I have only one way to live†¦Do you see? † (p. 259) No country for old men sends across the message that Power is not everything it is cracked up to be especially in a bad situation. It comes and goes, but if it is your soul purpose in life to find it, you might just look up from your map and find yourself lost.When moss finds the briefcase he might think he is dream at first but he soon realizes it is more of a nightmare. So does Sheriff Bell, every time he reads the newspaper he thinks back to the way it was when his grandfather was the Sheriff. The only one who has managed to maintain what they consider to be a simple happy life is Chigurh the psychotic killer. So it is real ly left up to you to decide weather or not we are living the dream or trapped in a never-ending nightmare. By Kyle Dunbar No Country for Old Men In the novel No Country for Old Men, written by Cormac McCarthy, a perversion of the American dream is presented as the relinquishment of power. Power is defined as the influence one has over people and in McCarthy’s novel he demonstrates three ways to posses this: money, authority, and the ability to strike fear into the hearts of others. Every thing is swallowed by a money-induced apathy lately, leaving nothing else of any importance. Moss, a main character in the novel, uses his new found wealth as a tool to manipulate bystanders into helping him get what he needs.In most cases people are hesitant at first to help this distressed looking man, but as soon as he waves a hundred dollar bill or two there are no more questions asked: Excuse me, he said. Leaning against the chainlink fence. His bloody footprints on the walk behind him like clues in an arcade. Excuse me. They were stepping off the curb into the roadway to go around him. Excuse me I wondered if you all would sell m e a coat. They didnt stop till they were past him. Then one of them turned. What’ll you give? He said. (p. 117)Money is power, and with this in mind many people do not see or simply just do not care about the people who are affected by their action. As long as the outcome has a nicely figured income it is all the same to them. When Llewellyn Moss stumbles across a leather briefcase containing the better part of 2 million dollars, a payoff intended for some Mexican dope-runners, his life takes a turn for the worst. He’s just too dumbfounded to realize. During a shoot out with the opposing parties, two of mosses bullets pierced threw an old woman’s second floor apartment window blowing her brains out on the back of her rocking chair.When Moss is presented with photographs of the woman he denies the fact that he could have ever done this and says, â€Å"You’re full of shit†(p151). How does a man that carries around a shotgun in a duffle bag not believ e he could have killed someone with a stray bullet? The unreal amount of money he posses now blinds him from the cold truth reality has to offer. Power has turned this once sensible man into a reckless killer and a fugitive. This asks the question what good is power if your life is uncontrollably spiraling down the drain.Moss let this power get the better of him and it ended with his death, where as Bell, the Texas county Sheriff, is over powered by the way society is forever changing in the worst ways. He realizes there is not much his authority can do to change the way crime is escalading, but he is still going to give it his best at the end of the day: I read the papers ever mornin. Mostly I suppose just to try and figure out what might be headed this way. Not that I done all that good a job headin it off. It keeps getting harder. (p. 40)It is people like Chigurh that the Sheriff is talking about if not specifically when he says â€Å"They dont have no respect for the law†¦ they dont even think about the law†. This man, whose authority was once well respected by the people, is now just referred to as â€Å"a redneck sheriff in a hick town†(p. 151). Even though he had the law, authority, and a taskforce behind him, Sheriff Bell was never even a threat to anyone in this novel. He lost his power a long time ago. Chigurh, a field worker, is in the business of killing and getting jobs done like the retrieval of stolen drug profit.And thinks of him self as a superior to al of his victims as if they should be thankful he is how he is, he tells one man â€Å" I’m here and you are there. In a few minutes I will still be here†¦if you don’t respect me what must you think of yourself? Look at where you are. † (p. 177). It really just relates back to the animal kingdom. Chigurh is a lion and everyone he has ever killed is a gazelle. If the lion stopped hunting the gazelles they would eventually not fear him anymore and he woul d no longer be kink of the jungle.Chigurh realizes he only has power because of his murders and becomes a slave to them. Even though he doesn’t want to kill Mosses wife he has to, so he try’s to explain â€Å"You’re asking that I make myself vulnerable and that I can never do. I have only one way to live†¦Do you see? † (p. 259) No country for old men sends across the message that Power is not everything it is cracked up to be especially in a bad situation. It comes and goes, but if it is your soul purpose in life to find it, you might just look up from your map and find yourself lost.When moss finds the briefcase he might think he is dream at first but he soon realizes it is more of a nightmare. So does Sheriff Bell, every time he reads the newspaper he thinks back to the way it was when his grandfather was the Sheriff. The only one who has managed to maintain what they consider to be a simple happy life is Chigurh the psychotic killer. So it is real ly left up to you to decide weather or not we are living the dream or trapped in a never-ending nightmare. By Kyle Dunbar