Educational Equity :: essays research papers

Develop an argument on or some ideas of understanding about curriculum as multicultural text by relating the works of Darling-Hammond, French, & Garcia-Lopez, Delpit, Duarte & Smith, Greene, Nieto and Sletter to your experience of curriculum, teaching, and learning as affirming diversity. You could think specifically about the following questions: Is there a need for diversity in curriculum studies and designs? Why? What measures do you think will be effective in incorporating such a need into curriculum studies and designs? What is the relevance of diversity to your career goal, to education in your family, community, and school, to education in Georgia, and to education in general? In which way can you develop a curriculum which helps cultivate empathy, compassion, passion, and hope for citizens of the world, and which fosters social justice? â€Å"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Declaration of Independence,1776) This quote is symbolic of the expressed opinions and ideology of the founding fathers of America. History, especially the history of the American educational system, paints a contradictory portrait. Idealistic visions of equity and cultural integration are constantly bantered about; however, they are rarely implemented and materialized. All men are indeed created equal, but not all men are treated equally. For years, educators and society as a whole have performed a great disservice to minorities in the public school sector. If each student is of equal value, worth, and merit, then each student should have equal access and exposure to culturally reflective learning opportunities. In the past, minorities have had a muted voice because of the attitude of the majority. Maxine Greene summarizes a scene from E.L. Doctorow’s Ragtime, after which she poses questions that many minorities have no doubt asked silently or loud. â€Å"Why is he unseen? Why were there no Negroes, no immig rants? More than likely because of the condition of the minds of those in power, minds that bestowed upon many others the same invisibility that Ellison’s narrator encounters† (Greene,1995, p. 159). Multicultural education is needed because it seeks to eradicate â€Å"invisibility† and give voice, power, and validation to the contributions and achievements of people with varied hues, backgrounds, and experiences. Multicultural education is a process of comprehensive school reform and basic education for all students. It challenges and rejects racism and other forms of discrimination in schools and society and accepts and affirms pluralism (ethnic, racial, linguistic, religious, economic, and gender, among others) that students, their communities, and teachers reflect (Nieto, 2000).

Gitanjali: Rabindranath Tagore Essay

Gitanjali is a collection of 103 Bengali poems which were translated to several languages like in English, and other European languages. The meaning of the term explains the nature of the book. Gitanjali, the term comes the merger of two words ‘git’ and ‘anjali’, ‘git’ means song and ‘anjali’ means offering. Therefore, it means ‘Songs of Offerings’. Gitanjali is a book to feel and cherish, the greatest book of a great writer. Tagore wrote poems for various moods, be it love ,devotion, stories, sorrow, joy even realism. Rabindranath Tagore has provided Western culture with strong example of Eastern Philosophy in both prose and poetry. Tagore had written his Gitanjali (song offerings) in Bengali, and after he learned from William Rothenstein of Western interest in them, he translated them into English. Chiefly for this volume, Tagore was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913, the same year that Macmillan brought out a hard-cover copy of his prose translations of Gitanjali. This poem shows the charm of humbleness: it is a prayer to help the poet open his heart to the Divine Beloved without extraneous words or gestures. A vain poet would produce vain poetry, so this poet wants to be open to the simple humility of truth that only the Divine Beloved can afford him. As Yeats says, these songs grow out of culture in which art and religion are the same, so it is not surprising that we find our offerer of songs speaking to God in song after song, as is the case in #7. And the last line in song #7 is a subtle–or perhaps not so subtle–allusion to Bhagavan Krishna. According the Paramahansa Yogananda, â€Å"Krishna is shown in Hindu art with a flute; on it he plays the enrapturing song that recalls to their true home the human souls wandering in delusion. † W. B. Yeats, in the introduction to Tagore’s Gitanjali, writes that this volume has â€Å"stirred my blood as nothing has for years . . . .† He explains, â€Å"These lyrics . . . display in their thought a world I have dreamed of all my life long. † Then Yeats describes the Indian culture that he feels is responsible for producing this remarkable work: â€Å"The work of a supreme culture, they yet appear as much the growth of the common soil as the grass and the rushes. A tradition, where poetry and religion are the same thing, has passed through the centuries, gathering from learned and unlearned metaphor and emotion, and carried back again to the multitude the thought of the scholar and of the noble. † He contrasts the art of his own culture: â€Å"If our life was not a continual warfare, we would not have taste, we would not know what is good, we would not find hearers and readers. Four-fifths of our energy is spent in this quarrel with bad taste, whether in our own minds or in the minds of others. † Yeats might seem harsh in his assessment of his own culture’s motivation to art, but, no doubt, he has correctly identified the mood of his era. Yeats having been born of Western culture, his birth dates are famous as the markers of two horrendous Western wars 1865 and 1939. So his rough estimate of the artists being motivated by warfare is quite understandable. On the other hand, his assessment of Tagore’s achievement is accurate. As Yeats tells us, Tagore’s songs are not only respected and admired by the scholarly class, but also they are sung in the fields by peasants. Yeats would never have expected his own poetry to be accept by such a wide spectrum of the population. My favorite Gitanjali poem (song offering) is #7: My song has put off her adornments. She has no pride of dress and decoration. Ornaments would mar our union. They would come between thee and me. Their jingling would drown thy whispers. My poet’s vanity dies in shame before thy sight. O Master Poet, I have sat down at thy feet. Only let me make my life simple and straight like a flute of reed for thee to fill with music. Gitanjali poem #7: My song has put off her adornments. She has no pride of dress and decoration. Ornaments would mar our union. They would come between thee and me. Their jingling would drown thy whispers. My poet’s vanity dies in shame before thy sight. O Master Poet, I have sat down at thy feet. Only let me make my life simple and straight like a flute of reed for thee to fill with music. These words are metaphysical yet have a beautiful message hidden. A message that is subtle yet clear. It says that love is liberated from all the social constraints†¦ pure feelings. It is a free bird just in need of communion. Human love and celestial love are brought parallel†¦ like Jayadeva does in his GeetGovind. Vaishnavs like Jayadeva derived inspiration from Lord Vishnu and his most admired avatar, Krishna. But, Tagore saw elements of similarity between human and celestial love in the Baul community of Bengal and translated them into his poetry. I feel that literature like this binds the whole country into one, highlighting pure emotions like love. The universal yet multiple culture of our country is displayed in this beautiful string of songs as one, the universality lying in emotions and the multiplicity in the many types of cultures. This string is not that of pearls or stones but of love and one that brings us closer to divine. Tagore, like Chaucer’s forerunners, writes music for his words, and one understands at every moment that he is so abundant, so spontaneous, so daring in his passion, so full of surprise, because he is doing something which has never seemed strange, unnatural, or in need of defence. These verses will not lie in little well-printed books upon ladies’ tables, who turn the pages with indolent hands that they may sigh over a life without meaning, which is yet all they can know of life, or be carried by students at the university to be laid aside when the work of life begins, but, as the generations pass, travellers will hum them on the highway and men rowing upon the rivers. Lovers, while they await one another, shall find, in murmuring them, this love of God a magic gulf wherein their own more bitter passion may bathe and renew its youth. At every moment the heart of this poet flows outward to these without derogation or condescension, for it has known that they will understand; and it has filled itself with the circumstance of their lives. The traveller in the read-brown clothes that he wears that dust may not show upon him, the girl searching in her bed for the petals fallen from the wreath of her royal lover, the servant or the bride awaiting the master’s home-coming in the empty house, are images of the heart turning to God. Flowers and rivers, the blowing of conch shells, the heavy rain of the Indian July, or the moods of that heart in union or in separation; and a man sitting in a boat upon a river playing lute, like one of those figures full of mysterious meaning in a Chinese picture, is God Himself. A whole people, a whole civilization, immeasurably strange to us, seems to have been taken up into this imagination; and yet we are not moved because of its strangeness, but because we have met our own image, as though we had walked in Rossetti’s willow wood, or heard, perhaps for the first time in literature, our voice as in a dream. REFERENCE: 1. Rabindranath Tagore. Gitanjali. Electronic text center. University of Virginia .

The Exorcism of Emily Rose Essay

Although demonic possession is not an appealing subject, The Exorcism of Emily Rose, directed by Scott Derrickson, presents many Catholic teachings and is important to watch and understand the reality of the Devil. This movie, in depth, shows the true evilness of the Devil and has many themes that go along with it. So what is it that makes possessed person so scary, its only actor’s right? The reality of demonic possession is so frightening in this film; there is no doubt about the reality of the devil after watching. The reality of the devil is displayed in many ways. For example, one of the most obvious displays is when the lawyer is affected. She goes home to her apartment and the devil starts â€Å"messing† with her, opening doors and intimidating her. Another way that the reality of this exorcism creates horror in the viewers is that it is based on a true story. The girl that was possessed was named Anneliese Michel from Germany. Both of these displays of the reality of the devil show the power of evil as well as the power of the divine. Emily, or Anneliese, is possessed by the devil and her body is taken over, showing this power. These events have many effects on the audience. It makes them think about the reality of possession and challenges them to come to their own understanding about possession. Another effect on the audience is the realization that â€Å"facts† are interpretations and not always concrete. Although the prosecutors brought in doctors to prove the priests neglect, they did not have anything that truly eliminated the supernatural possibility. Another major and important theme in the Exorcism of Emily Rose is the concept of the â€Å"victim soul† and redemption is possible. With this in The Exorcism of Emily Rose, it is seen that the good always overcomes evil. Erin Bruner, the defense lawyer says â€Å"Either these things exist, or they don’t.† This means that she believes it is a fact that if there is a God, there is a devil and if there is a devil, there is a God. This was a good defense because it was an emphasized point that the prosecutor was as methodist, therefore he believes in God, leading to him HAVING to believe in the Devil. The Exorcism of Emily Rose is such a worthwhile film to watch because of its accurate interpretation of the supernatural and evil world. Scott Derrickson developed the reality and conception of the â€Å"victim soul† phemonionally in  this movie. This movie is very important in demonstrating the true evilness of the devil, and true redemption offered by God.

Sammuri Argumentative Essay

Samurais Argumentative essay Samurais were a vital part of Japanese culture and should have been allowed to continue. Although there were dangerous aspects of this tradition, it was also a large part of Japanese culture. As time passed, their existence had gradually lessened, resulting in their loss. Although the Samurai ways are no longer practiced, they have left a legacy that keeps on affecting the lives of people in Japan today. The traditions of the samurai still have an influence on the lives of the Japanese people.Whether it is through the martial arts, the peaceful arts, or their beliefs, the samurai continue to influence life to this day. The Samurai’s ethics are major in Japanese society as well as business; the idea of Bushido exists in society today as the Japanese business ethics illustrate honor and duty to Japan. To be a Samurai was a huge honor and it took an abundance of training and extensive hours of practice. Samurais had to be completely dedicated to their lifestyle; they repeated their schedule day after day: wake up in the Samurai village, meditation, hours of training, dinner, and sleep.Their routine was very rigorous however; it was compensated when they went into battle. Samurais were an elite group of warriors who were very skilled in battle and killing. Many may say that the Samurais were very violent and provocative group, however, the Samurais were always on the defensive. Though the entire movie, the Samurais never picked the fight, it was always the Americans- or in any case, it was never the Samurais who were picking the fights. The Samurais’ code of honor, Bushido, was much like a knights’ code of honor, chivalry; the only difference was â€Å"seppuku†.Seppuku was the traditional suicide after a battle was lost. The leader of the losing team was to commit suicide by carving a figure 8 into his abdomen because he shouldn’t live with the shame of losing a battle. If the man could not complete th e figure 8, the leader of the opposing side would cut off the loser’s head. This was all part of honor; however, many people saw it as barbaric and couldn’t understand this ritual. The Samurai were trained warriors and their job was to kill predators so any way they are viewed; they were still violent peoples so in a way it was a good thing that the tradition was discontinued.The weapons the Samurais used were swords, bow and arrows, and a spear; no fire arms. In the movie, The Last Samurai, it was said that the â€Å"sword is part of the soul†. The Japanese took this very seriously; training took up most of a warriors’ day. The samurai rose to power out of the constant fight for land in feudal Japan. They became experts at fighting from horseback and on the ground. They trained in armed and unarmed combat. They wore many layers of armor and used only the sword passed down from previous generations.As mentioned previously, the Samurai were trained warrior s and their job was to kill predators so in a way it was a good thing that the tradition was discontinued. However, much like the Samurai, soldiers fighting the war today are much more aggressive than the Samurai and they are armed with much more lethal weapons than a sword. Others may view this as hypocritical that the centuries long tradition was put to an end yet we continue to fight and kill to get what we need; we aren’t even fighting to protect our people like the Samurais were, we are fighting for something that we want.

Marketing Plan for a New Restaurant Research Proposal

Marketing Plan for a New Restaurant - Research Proposal Example The main aim of hotel and restaurant industries is to maximize their profits. However, the competition has made it difficult to maintain their position in the market. Due to more and more new investments in this sector, the existing hotels are in danger to lack behind in innovations and creative utilization of resources. The new techniques to manage the operations and the use of new machinery which reduces the labor cost are difficult to be adopted due to the existing managed workforce and working environment. The hotel industry has now reached to a highly competitive stage and all restaurants are adopting the branded restaurant concept in order to meet the requirements of continuous innovations and creative approach (Casper, 1995). It has also been observed during the research that restaurants and famous hotels are working in collaboration to maximize their returns for example, the partnership of Marriott and Pizza Hut, Holiday Inn and TGI Friday's etc (Boone, 1997). This paper woul d further discuss the aspects which are required to be considered before starting a new restaurant and a marketing plan to be followed for a successful launch of a new restaurant. Restaurants have become an integral part of most of the people around the world. The working population prefer having their breakfasts and lunches in the restaurants. Owing to this importance given by the people to the hotels, more and more people are involving in this sector. It can be evaluated from the current findings that hotels are highly profitable and money-making. It can be true but not necessarily. The successful running of a hotel is not as easy as it seems to be. There are many factors which require to be achieved flawlessly. Increasing competition means increasing risk to the business from the competitors. Any new product, package or creative advertisement may grab the attention of a large number of customers. Hence more and more finance is required to be spent on innovative techniques. The uniqueness and brand name attract most of the customers (Tepeci, 1999). However, it is not an easy task to create a brand name. In food service businesses the development of brand na me has been increasing. A number of food chains have increased their business in the international market. The globalization of food chains has resulted in strong development of brand identity for the travelers and local visitors (Wexler, 1994). These food chains have become successful in winning the satisfaction of their customers all around the world. These international food chains conduct surveys and researches to find out the likings and demands of the people living in a particular region. They ensure that the quality of food and tastes is according to their demand (Davis, Lockwood & Stone, 1998). They also consider the cultural and religious aspects of people and give special attention to things which are against their religion or culture (for example, the use of alcohol in Muslim countries). Hence we can say that the evaluation of the demand of people and their opinions are of paramount importance in successful running of a hotel. The first goal of our restaurant is to create a distinguishing identity and become popular because of its unique presentation and high quality food. The second goal is to provide customers with an environment where they can enjoy the food without any kind of disturbance. The last goal is to maximize profits without harming the quality

Potential Opportunity for Samsung to Market in China and Vietnam Case Study

Potential Opportunity for Samsung to Market in China and Vietnam - Case Study Example In the current environment of highly competitive global business, it now needs to explore and analyze market potential for its tablet in China and Egypt. Criteria for assessing potential opportunities for Samsung Tablets in China and Egypt Sn. Factors for assessment China Egypt 1. Population/popn growth 1338 mn/nil 81 mn/1.8% 2. GDP per capita $7599 $6180 3. Poverty (%) 36.3 18.5 4. UN education index 0.623 0.560 5. Contribution of private enterprises to GDP More than 50% na 6. PDI (personal disposable income in urban area $2515 na 7. Inflation (1-7 taken from BTI, 2012) 3.3 11.3 7. Credit rating (S&P) (S&P, 2013) AA- CCC+ 8. Country risk factors Political Technological Economic Social low low low high high low low high 9. e-Business readiness yes yes 10. Business forecast for 3 years (growth rate) 2012 2013 2014 7.8 8.0 8.2 (IMF, 2013) 113.13 126.29 138.48 (HSBC, 2012) China China’s economic reforms since 1978 have opened the market for overseas business and created viable en vironment for FDI and multinationals. It has shown incredible advancement in economy to become second largest in the world in 2010, surpassing Japan and biggest exporting country in 2009 (bti, 2013). At the same time, the stimulus package of $586 billion has challenged its dependence on fixed asset and new credit of about $ 2.5 trillion in 2009-2010 could lead to inflationary trend. Though there is wide income disparity with GINI index at 0.475 and urban-rural gap widening from 2.79:1 in 2000 to 3.3:1 in 2009, per capita disposable income in urban areas being $2515 as against $755 in rural areas. South Korea is one of the most important trading partners of China with good bilateral relations. FDI at $ 105.7 billion in 2010 encouraging, especially when private enterprises contribute more than 50% of the GDP and create more than 80% of new jobs. It has relatively high disposable income which makes it attractive for overseas business, especially, tablets which have huge demand with 41% rise in its demand (Stanley Morgan report, 2011). Egypt The country is continually in a state of high political instability but surprisingly it has not affected its economic development and structural improvement. The economic reforms introduced during 2004 by the Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif have continued with focused approach. The economic reforms and liberalization has not addressed the problems of literacy and unemployment which has considerably increased poverty and income disparity across the population. 40% of 83 million population comprising of nearly 20 million people are between 18 and 29 years, most of whom are vulnerable to poverty due to lack of education and unemployment. With high inflation rate of nearly 12% and relatively low GDP growth of 5%, the most populous country of Middle East has shown negative growth in both its export and import trade (BTI, 2012). Despite market liberalization, lack of nepotism and law enforcement has adversely impacted growth of domestic and foreign businesses. There is also rampant gender discrimination and human development index has continually shown down trend. It lacks political commitment and institutional capacity to address the problem of growing illiteracy and unemployment. Recommendation for China China has stable socio-political environment with high growth in GDP which has also made it attractive for overseas business. With increasing disposable income

Health Promotion Theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Health Promotion Theory - Essay Example Women’s and men’s health is also part of community nursing because community nursing seeks to deliver health services to all members of the community – men and women included. It caters to the needs of these men and women as members of the community, and most especially, within their families and in relation to the roles they play within their family and community (Lundy, Lundy, & Janes, 2009). Community health nursing focuses on health promotion and prevention at its most basic level, and involving each member of the community. It seeks to establish caring relationships with the different members of the community, based on a larger and more interactive community context. Based on such general functions and relationships, this paper shall discuss the role of the community health nurse in men and women’s health. More specifically, it shall identify the action areas as outlined in the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion and discuss, through examples, how the se are applied within men’s and women’s nursing practice. It shall attempt to discuss community health nursing and its applications to the roles which men and women play in the community and in their families. This study is being undertaken in an effort to come up with a comprehensive and scholarly understanding of community health nursing. The different action areas identified in the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion, as confirmed by the Jakarta Declaration on Leading Health Promotion into the 21st Century include actions: to build healthy public policy, to strengthen community action; to develop personal skills; to create supportive environments for health; and to reorient health services towards preventing diseases and promoting health (WHO, 2010). First and foremost, men’s and women’s health can be strengthened through community action. At the very center of this action is the empowerment of communities – giving them â€Å"ownership and