Saturday, December 21, 2019

Women Spies of the Civil War Essay - 1615 Words

Women Spies of the Civil War â€Å" [At first] it was not deemed possible that any danger could result from the utterances of non-combatant females†¦ That this policy was a mistaken one was soon fully proved†¦Ã¢â‚¬  - Allan Pinkerton, The Spy of the Rebellions, 1883 (Leonard 1). In antebellum America there was little tolerance for autonomous women. Usually females, spanning all classes, were attached to households, dependent on males for status and wealth. Society demanded that domesticity be the woman’s domain, any deviations from this constricting edict was met with disdain. The cultural myth of the model genteel women permeated the fabric of 19th century life. However, with the advent of the Civil†¦show more content†¦Beauregard received the missive in time and was able to strategically rearrange his troops. Rose is credited as a crucial component to the Confederate victory at the first Battle of Bull Run. Isabelle Buchanan Edmondson, nicknamed Belle, was an uncontrollable, wild young woman living with her family in Elm Ridge, Tennessee. Searching for an outlet for her restless energy she began smuggling and spying for her beloved South. In 1863, Belle began working for Captain Thomas Henderson’s Independent Scouts based out of Memphis. She transported contraband: basic necessities, medicine, weapons, and hundreds of letters between rebel soldiers and their families across the Yankee picket lines. To hide all of these illegal goods, Belle utilized the traditional Southern style dress of hoop skirts and elaborate hairdos, which concealed much. Sometimes she could not walk because of the heavy weight of hidden items under her clothes and would have to hire a ride. Yankee spy Pauline Cushman was born Harriet Wood in New Orleans, Louisiana. However her father lost all of his money when Harriet was young and moved the family to Grand Rapids, Michigan. From this rugged, outdoor life, she developed a passion for adventure that would last a lifetime. At age eighteen, Harriet decided to leave home to discover the rest of the world. HerShow MoreRelatedWomen Spies in the American Civil War2015 Words   |  9 Pagesmillion deaths the most gruesome war in American history drove citizens to action. The suffering during this era was so great many were inspired by nationalism to act. For those who were unable to join the fight upon the battlefield, espionage represented a chance for personal involvement. Although it is believed that many agents never sought recognition for their service, especially Confederate scouts, documentation depicts the espionage present during the American Civil War to be surprisingly sophisticatedRead MoreThe Importance Of Me n And Women Spies During The American Civil War1392 Words   |  6 PagesKarissa Gilmore Prof. Froese Hist. 12 15-March-2017 The Importance of Men and Women Spies in the American Civil War The American Civil War started because the North and the South disagreed on the main issue of slavery and lasted for four years. They could not agree whether to prohibit slavery in territories that had not become states yet. After the election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860, the Southern states had a major conflict with Lincoln becoming president and seven slave states succeeded fromRead MoreWomen s Role During The Civil War1301 Words   |  6 Pagesdegradation of Women the very foundations of life are poisoned at their source† (Rose 1). Lucretia Mott was only one of many women in which had to go through this tough time known as the Civil War (Biography.com Editors 2). Women during this time threw away their old ways of being a housewife and everyone helped contribute in the war somehow, whether if they were young or old they helped (History.com Staff 1). Though not often mentioned, women played a huge role in the Civil War. The Women stood up toRead MoreWomen During The Civil War1049 Words   |  5 PagesFor Civil War women in the 1860s it was predictable wisdom that a â€Å"woman’s place is in the home,† but the Civil War challenged this view. There were many women who played an important role in the Civil War. It is normal to think the Civil War was a man’s fight. However during the war, many women challenged the role of the women and took on different roles. While the men marched off to war, the women had to work hard and try to provide for their families. Women became doctors, spies, nurses, couriersRead MoreWomen Of The Civil War885 Words   |  4 Pages For women in the 1860s it was predictable wisdom that a â€Å"woman’s place is in the home,† but the Civil War challenged this view (Civil War Academy, 2015). There were many women who played an important role in the Civil War. It is normal to think the Civil War was a man’s fight. However during the war , many women challenged the role of the women and took on different roles. While the men marched off to war, the women had to work hard and try to provide for their families. Women became doctors, spiesRead MoreWomen In The Civil War1674 Words   |  7 Pagesï » ¿ Women Who Fought In the Civil War Submitted By: Tierahnee Balfour History 2010 Enhanced Mrs. Teresa Prober 19 October 2012 It is an accepted convention that the Civil War was a man’s fight, but to the women in that time period, it was not. Many women sacrificed their lives to fight for their family and for their country. The Civil War is symbolic in American history because it shaped society, as we know it today, â€Å"Free of slavery†. During the Civil War, women were mostlyRead MoreWomen During The Civil War1523 Words   |  7 Pagesthe Civil War, some of the more notable names were: Ulysses S. Grant, Thomas â€Å"Stonewall† Jackson, and George Custer. These names are synonymous with great generals who fought great battles during the war, but what about Sarah Emma Edmonds, Clara Burton, Dorthea Dix, Rose O’Neal Greenhow, and Loreta Janeta Velazquez? These names are not as known as their male counterparts, but these ladies of the Civil War Era did their part to aide their respective sides in the war. What these and other women didRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book The Second Cit y And American Rose Essay1410 Words   |  6 Pagesher book â€Å"Lair, Temptress, Solider, Spy: Four Women Undercover in the Civil War† was published by Harper, an imprint of HarperCollins in 2014 contends that four major powerful women had endangered their lives to become a soldier spy during the Civil War. Karen Abbott analyzes based on a true story of how women s roles are portrayed to accommodate political work, used primary sources including dairies, letters, newspaper. The author describes the individual women in varied personality in a way of lairRead MoreWomen s Roles During The Civil War1261 Words   |  6 PagesWomen s Roles During The Civil War Women were considered frail, unintelligent, and unable to make decisions in eighteen-hundredths America. It was traditional wisdom that a woman’s place was in the home. The Civil War marked a turning point for women and their role in society. Through my research consisting of books, letters, speeches, and articles, I will tell the story of a time in America when women rose to satisfy the needs of the country when most men were away fighting the war. This essayRead More Womens Roles During Times of War Essay1307 Words   |  6 PagesDuring Times of War Despite the prevalence of war goddesses in most traditions from China to Greece to Ireland, women have been separated from the front lines of war for centuries. Western tradition claims that women are not made for war, but for household work: sewing, cleaning, cooking, and looking after children. Society told women to carry brooms in lieu of swords; to collect firewood instead of ammunition, and to keep house rather than protect a nation. Yet, for centuries, women have fought

Friday, December 13, 2019

Unit 307, Outcome 1 Support Assessment for Learning Free Essays

Support assessment for learning Compare and contrast the roles of the teacher and the learning support practitioner in assessment of learners achievements In order to assess pupil’s achievements the teacher will take the main lead in doing so and the learning support practitioner will take guidance from the teacher’s assessments in order to support the pupil’s progress. In order to have a clear vision of the students ability and how they are progressing, the class teacher will monitor and assess students achievements, conduct reports of the achievements found for the department; other staff including year learning co-ordinators; and for the parents, they will also have meetings to share examples of pupil’s progress and discuss why they think that child is working at that particular level, this will further help the teacher to shape and adapt their teaching to a child’s individual needs. The teaching assistant’s role at this time will be to support the teacher and have an input by discussing how they also believe the student is coping with the subject and to help set targets that can be put into the report so the student can achieve to their full potential. We will write a custom essay sample on Unit 307, Outcome 1: Support Assessment for Learning or any similar topic only for you Order Now In order for students to progress in a lesson a teacher will plan each lesson by producing a scheme of work, so that the learning objectives for that lesson are clear, the teaching assistant will support the teacher by looking at the scheme of work prepared and after discussing with the teacher will prepare differentiated materials for SEN and targeted students and make sure these are done before the lesson is due to take place. The teaching assistant can also support the teacher by helping manage classroom behaviour, and keeping students especially targeted students focused on the task at hand, encouraging students by making positive comments and prompting them to participate in the lesson. Summarise the difference between formative and summative assessment. A formative assessment assists the teacher in developing their lesson so that they can improve the student’s attainment and is designed to give pupils eedback in order to improve in their learning. There are many different types of formative assessment which include; observations to understand how a student works and what strategies they use; write backs; diagnostic testing which can be done at the beginning of a term to check students strengths and weaknesses in learning; and engaging pupils in reviewing progress where at the end of the lesson teacher asks questions about the material that has just been learnt to check they have understood the l earning objectives. Whereas a summative assessment comes at the end of a topic, term or year for a summary of what the student has learnt and is the formal testing. The results of these tests are then used for different types of reports including whole school, departmental, and parent reports. Explain the characteristics of assessment for learning. The main characteristics of assessment for learning are to encourage pupils to take responsibility for their own learning. This can be done by; making sure that pupils are actively involved in lessons from the very start; students are continuously referred back to the learning objective throughout the lesson so they know they are on the right track; helping students understand and know the standard of work that they are aiming for in class by reflecting and questioning themselves, for example ‘what have I learnt? ’ and ‘what could I have done/do to improve that piece of work? ; allowing time for peer assessment and getting students to provide each other with constructive critism; teachers providing constructive feedback that will help pupils identify improvements and by also educating pupils in self assessment methods in order to ascertain areas for development. Explain the importance and benefits of assessment for learning Assessment for learning is an essential part of education as it defines whether or not students have fully understood the learning objectives. However assessment for learning plays a significant role in raising a student’s academic achievements and is centred on the belief that in order for pupil to progress in school, they must understand the purpose of their learning, where they are in relation to this purpose and how they can achieve their goals, and research has shown that students that are involved in the assessment process are more likely to show higher motivation for their learning and take an active role in making improvements to their work by reflecting on their own development. If a pupil is given the opportunity to discuss their learning either with a teacher or one of their peers then they will develop a deeper understanding of their learning which can build confidence, raise their self esteem and motivate them as students. Effective assessment will identify individual educational needs of all children as well as informing them about their specific performances and achievements, this will then allow teachers to use approaches that are personalised to the needs of a child. Assessment can be used not only to measure learning but also to promote learning by teaching pupils how to ask questions as well as answering them, by emphasising to a child that it is acceptable to ‘have a go’ and that by giving the wrong answer is still an opportunity to learn. It further provides the student with an understanding of what levels they are working at, what level they would like to working towards, and plan on how they are going to reach that level. Explain how assessment for learning can contribute to planning for future learning carried out by: Day to day assessments are a crucial phase of effective teaching, and consists of the teacher and teaching assistant in the class focusing on how the students learning is progressing in that particular lesson and defining where improvements can be made. If also allows both the teacher and teaching assistant to recognise what steps should be taken to support each student achieve to the best of their ability. The teacher It is important for the teacher to carry out a number of observations on their students and conduct topic knowledge test to have a greater understanding of students’ abilities. Once this is done the teacher can measure what the child can do and what they know, and they can determine what is successful and what approaches they are going to take when they are planning their lessons i. e. do some students need differentiated materials, does pair/group work activities need to be incorporated within the lesson to help students growth and development of their skills and knowledge. When this is in place the teacher will be able to measure the students progress and then they can encourage the pupil to take responsibility for their own learning and be involved in the assessment process as a whole The learners The assessment process for students will encourage and teach them to reflect on their work on a regular basis, and question themselves on whether they have met the learning objective for that lesson. This in turn will teach them to assess their own work and look at how they can make improvements to it, in accordance to the criteria they need to meet, furthermore it will make them feel included in the learning process and provide them with the confidence to ask for help when they are unsure or to say when they feel they have not understood the learning objectives correctly. The learning support practitioner The teaching assistant (TA) should always work in partnership with the teacher, to gain a greater understanding of how you can support and enhance the learning of the students. If you have more than one students who is low ability or a targeted SEN student, it can be an idea to sit them at the same table so that the TA can sit with them all so they can work at a pace that is suitable for them. This also allow the TA to help clarify the learning objectives for the lesson by asking questions such as â€Å"what are we learning about today? †, â€Å"can you highlight the key words in the learning objectives? †. It also provides low ability students’ with an opportunity to ask questions about their work and have clarification that they are on the right path. Thus assessment for learning provides the teaching assistant with knowledge of the students’ abilities and what types of questions to use to gage their understanding. How to cite Unit 307, Outcome 1: Support Assessment for Learning, Papers

Thursday, December 5, 2019

Magellan Essay Summary Example For Students

Magellan Essay Summary You might be asking yourself who was the first man to circumnavigate the world? Well his name was Ferdindad Magellan one of the greatest sailors of all time. He was the first man to cross the Pacific Ocean. Ferdinand Magellan was born in about 1480 in Sabrosa of a noble family, and he spent his years as a court page. He was one of the greatest sailors to sale for Portugal. He did some runs for the king but never anything important. He had a love for the open seas and wanted to move on to bigger and greater things. He as a young child always wanted to see the world and be a great explorer like the ones he had heard about. At his first chance he signed up for the army and became a soldier. And in 1506 he was shipped out to the East Indies were he would take part in exploration and some military expeditions. These would take place in Malacca and Moluccas also known as the Spice Islands. In the year 1510 through hard work and acts of bravery he would be promoted to the rank of captain. He returned to Portugal in 1512 and 1513. He was re-stationed to Morocco were he was wounded pretty bad and maimed for life. Due to his situation he requested an increase in his royal salary. But Magellan was denied this increase by the king of Portugal, Emanuel. Emanuel disliked Magellan and did not care for his plans of find a westward passage to the Moluccas. At this point Magellan had had enough of the king of Portugal and he disowned his Portuguese nationality. In the year 1517 he would offer his services to the king of Spain, Charles I, who would later become known as The Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. Magellan was known to be a very persuasive person and had good salesmanship skills, He convinced Charles V to find a westward rout to Moluccas. If Magellan could achieve this task Spains wealth would skyrocket past its competing countries. On September 20,1519 Magellan started his great journey to the Moluccas from Sanlucar de Barrameda with five ships. That same year sometime in November he would reach land in South America. In February 1520 he explored the Rio de la Plata estuary. And on March 21, 1520 Magellan and his five-ship fleet would reach port at San Julian. They would not leave San Julian as quick as they thought, they would remain there for six months from disease and other complication. One of Magellans five ships would become wrecked and mutiny broke out among the disgruntled. After there problems were worked out and mutiny settled down the would leave port and find the passage to the Pacific Ocean. He names the rout after himself (the Straight of Magellan) and named the Pacific Ocean after how peaceful and calm it was. But along this trip he lost another ship that had lost faith and deserted he en rout to the Pacific. They had been at sea for 38 days he traveled 330 miles, and on November 28 1520 Magellan reached the Pacific Ocean he only had three ships left out of his original five-ship fleet. They would be the first Europeans to sail across the Pacific Ocean. He would move on to reach the Landron Islands on March 6, 1521.Ten days later he discovered the Philippines. On April the 2nd he discovered Cebu. He met with the Islands clan leader and made an alliance with him to attack the natives on the neighboring island of Mactan. .ua1afcff20e6a386810c235d4af4dbb25 , .ua1afcff20e6a386810c235d4af4dbb25 .postImageUrl , .ua1afcff20e6a386810c235d4af4dbb25 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .ua1afcff20e6a386810c235d4af4dbb25 , .ua1afcff20e6a386810c235d4af4dbb25:hover , .ua1afcff20e6a386810c235d4af4dbb25:visited , .ua1afcff20e6a386810c235d4af4dbb25:active { border:0!important; } .ua1afcff20e6a386810c235d4af4dbb25 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .ua1afcff20e6a386810c235d4af4dbb25 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .ua1afcff20e6a386810c235d4af4dbb25:active , .ua1afcff20e6a386810c235d4af4dbb25:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .ua1afcff20e6a386810c235d4af4dbb25 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .ua1afcff20e6a386810c235d4af4dbb25 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .ua1afcff20e6a386810c235d4af4dbb25 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .ua1afcff20e6a386810c235d4af4dbb25 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .ua1afcff20e6a386810c235d4af4dbb25:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .ua1afcff20e6a386810c235d4af4dbb25 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .ua1afcff20e6a386810c235d4af4dbb25 .ua1afcff20e6a386810c235d4af4dbb25-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .ua1afcff20e6a386810c235d4af4dbb25:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Personal SWOT Analysis Essay This would be a terrible mistake for Magellan for he would be killed on a Mactan expedition. Many of the crewmembers found the military act to be pointless and did not participate in the expedition. But the crew would not just quite without their famous captain they would fight on. A young Spanish navigator named Juan Sebastian del Cano takes over. At this point two ships lost faith in the new leader and deserted while another caught on fire and sank. The last ship, named Victoria, was commanded by del Cano through the Cape of Good Hope route to Seville on September 6,1522. Although Magellan did not live to make the journey home he did circumnavigate the globe by passing the easternmost point he had visited on an earlier voyage. Although the voyage lost four of his ships the spices retrieved and shipped on Victoria alone paid for the expedition. Finding the passage was not as big of a success as Spain had hoped it to be. The Straight of Magellan was to long of a trip to be of any help to the Spanish so they sold their information to Portugal. But many things were still discovered on the trip. The voyage set up the foundation for trade in the Pacific and give a guide for trade ships traveling between the New World and the East. Spain did not see how important the Philippines was at first, but before the end of the century. Spain would make Manila a major trading center in the East. Ferdinand Magellan proved to the world and all those who rejected his ideas that one could circumnavigate the world. His discoveries and passages opened new doors to a larger world. He will always be remembered as the first man who sailed around the world

Thursday, November 28, 2019

African American History and Women Timeline

African American History and Women Timeline What have African American women contributed to American history? How have they been affected by historical events? Find out in the timeline, which includes these: events featuring African American womenbirth and death dates for many notable African American womengeneral African American events which had significant impact on African American women and families as well as menevents involving key women whose work influenced African American history, for instance the involvement of many European American women in anti-slavery workbirth and death dates for key women whose work was important in African American history, for instance in anti-slavery or civil rights work Start with the timeline period youre most interested in: [1492-1699]  [1700-1799] [1800-1859] [1860-1869] [1870-1899] [1900-1919] [1920-1929] [1930-1939] [1940-1949] [1950-1959] [1960-1969] [1970-1979] [1980-1989] [1990-1999] [2000-] Women and African American History: 1492-1699 1492 Columbus discovered America, from the perspective of Europeans. Queen Isabella of Spain declared all indigenous peoples her subjects, in the lands claimed by Columbus for Spain, preventing the Spanish conquerors from enslaving the Native Americans. The Spanish thus looked elsewhere for the labor they needed to take advantage of the New Worlds economic opportunities. 1501 Spain permitted African slaves to be sent to the Americas 1511 first African slaves arrived in Hispaniola 1598 Isabel de Olvero, part of the Juan Guerra de Pesa Expedition, helped to colonize what has since become New Mexico 1619 (August 20) 20 men and women from Africa arrived on a slave ship and were sold in the first North American slave auction by British and international custom, Africans could be held in servitude for life, though white Christian indentured servants could only be held for a limited term 1622 Anthony Johnson, son of an African mother, arrived in Virginia. He lived with his wife, Mary Johnson, in Accomack on Virginias Eastern Shore, the first free Negroes in Virginia (Anthony taking his last name from his original master). Anthony and Mary Johnson eventually founded the first free black community in North America, and themselves held servants for life. 1624 Virginia census lists 23 Negroes including some women; ten have no names listed and the rest only first names, likely indicating lifetime servitude none of the women are listed as married 1625 Virginia census lists twelve black men and eleven black women; most have no names and do not have the dates of arrival that most white servants in the census have listed only one of the black men and women has a full name listed 1641 Massachusetts legalized slavery, specifying that a child inherited its status from the mother, rather than the father, reversing English common law about 1648 Tituba born (Salem witch trials figure; probably of Carib not African heritage) 1656 Elizabeth Key, whose mother was a slave and father was a white planter, sued for her freedom, claiming her fathers free status and her baptism as grounds and the courts upheld her claim 1657 A daughter of a free Negro Anthony Johnson, Jone Johnson, was given 100 acres of land by Debeada, an Indian ruler. 1661 Maryland  passed a law making every person of African descent in the colony a slave, including all children of African descent at birth whatever the free or enslaved status of the childs parents. 1662 Virginia House of Burgesses passed a law that a childs status followed the mothers, if the mother was not white, contrary to English common law in which the fathers status determined the childs 1663 Maryland passed a law under which free white women would lose their freedom if they married a black slave, and under which the children of white women and black men became slaves 1664 Maryland became the first of the future states to pass a law making it illegal for free English women to marry Negro slaves 1667 Virginia passed a law stating that baptism  could not free slaves by birth 1668 Virginia legislature declared that free black women were to be taxed, but not white women servants or other white women; that negro women, though permitted to enjoy their freedome could not have the rights of the English. 1670 Virginia passed a law that Negroes or Indians, even those free and baptized, could not purchase any Christians, but could purchase any of their owne nation [race] (i.e. free Africans could buy Africans and Indians could buy Indians) 1688 Aphra Behn (1640-1689, England) published the anti-slavery Oroonoka, or the History of the Royal Slave, first novel in English by a woman 1691 The term white is first used, rather than specific terms like English or Dutchman, in a law referring to English or other white women. 1692 Tituba disappeared from history (Salem witch trials figure; probably of Carib not African heritage) [Next] [1492-1699] [1700-1799] [1800-1859] [1860-1869] [1870-1899] [1900-1919] [1920-1929] [1930-1939] [1940-1949] [1950-1959] [1960-1969] [1970-1979] [1980-1989] [1990-1999] [2000-]

Sunday, November 24, 2019

Write a Book About Your Business to Boost Your Sales and Awareness

Write a Book About Your Business to Boost Your Sales and Awareness Write a Book About Your Business to Boost Your Sales and Awareness So you have a business that you are rather proud of. That’s fantastic! And what would make things even better would be writing a book about your business.Why not? After all, you have already created a vital business, and helping others would validate your trade and diversify it as well. A published book is passive income.In addition to becoming an author, you would be marketing your business through a different venue. We’re talking win-win here!Heres what well teach you about how to write a book about your business:Brainstorm Your Book ContentConsiderations for Writing a Book About Your BusinessChoosing a Title for Your BookWrite Your book Get Feedback From FriendsFinish Fast and ImperfectlyCreate folders for imagesChoose a publishing platformNOTE: If youre ready to grow your business by writing a book (like Chandler Bolt did with this very company), we have everything you need in our VIP Self-Publishing Program. Learn more about it hereWhy Write a Book About Your Busin ess?This is an obvious question. You already run your business every day, what good could come from writing a book about it?Here are some benefits of writing a book about your business:You gain authorityYou reach new potential customersYou gain opportunities for speaking engagementsYou can capture more leads by using your bookYou gain credibility to both potential customers and others in your fieldThis very blog is built on the back of a website that was started with a book. Chandler Bolt published his first bestselling book at the age of 19 and since, has built an 8-figure business from the process- while using his latest book Published. to make it more successful.Brainstorm Your Business Books ContentYou have already experienced the step-by-step process of establishing your own livelihood whether it is full time or a sideline. Now all you have to do is explain what you did to grow your business.One strategy is to pretend you are advising a close friend what steps to take.Here are some ways to come up with your book idea:Brainstorm a random list of everything you remember doing when you started your business.Don’t stop now; keep brainstorming! List everything you want to include in the bookand even things that won’t go in the book. If it crosses your mind, write it down. Well put all of that into a book outline later.Take a break. Walk away from the computer! Eat, drink, walk, or talk.Break’s over. You’ve got a book to write!List the process of how you created and grew your business in chronological order. This list is your reference point for an informal outline and table of contents.Prioritize. What are the top topics that you want to emphasize in your book? What do you wish you would have known when first starting your business? Most importantly, what will your readers gain from learning about your business? Let them learn from your mistakes and share in your successes.Make each topic a separate chapter even if it is really shor t.People like concise information, so keep your paragraphs short. Incorporate bullet points that shoot straight to the core matter for easier skimming.Look through old computer files and photographs to remind you of things that you may have forgotten connected directly or indirectly with your business.Check your lists more than twice. Did you remember to include everything that matters?Once youve got the gist of what content your book will be, youll be ready for the next step in your business-to-book writing process.What to Consider When Writing a Book About Your BusinessThere are a few things youll want to think about when writing your book about your business.Here are some thins to consider before writing your book.#1 Do I want photographs in my book?Depending on your business, you may find it worthwhile to add pictures in your book for explanation purposes or something just as relevant.For example, in my book Rockin Crystals: How Healing Crystals Can Rock Your Life, I used image s in a number of areas as you can see below.Advantages of using images in your book:Color pictures add, um, color, and people like color.Photos attract interest and authority.Pictures explain in ways that words lack (unless you use 1,000 words per picture, according to the cliche).Cell phones and their apps make it easy to take and edit pictures.Disadvantages of using pictures in your book:They add to your book’s production costs.The electronic version may take a bit longer to download (but I have never had a problem with that).If you have an audio version of your book, the pictures would not be included in the content.Ultimately, its up to you to decide whether or not to include pictures. If it adds to the overall experience, we recommend it.However, if pictures will only be a distraction and not useful, skip them.#2 How long do I want this book to be, anyway?Does it matter, or do I just write until I am done?This is a question many authors have regularly. How many words ar e in a novel?For writing a book about your business, we recommend you write between 20,000 50,000 words.This is because any shorter, and it wont give your readers all the information they want and more than 50,000 words and you run the risk of boring your readers or giving them too much information.This is also known as overwriting, which can be trimmed during editing but you want to make sure your book is a clean, concise, and helpful as possible.#3 Do I want multiple formats of a book?Publishing your book in different formats can help you reach a wider audience. But that also means you have to decide if you want to pursue multiple formats.Here are the different book formats you can publish:Publish an ebookPaperback bookHardcoverAudiobooksEach of these book variations comes with its own pros and cons. For example, if you choose to distribute an audiobook, youll have to learn how to make an audiobook in the first place.Publishing ebooks also comes with its own set of rules to foll ow.Ultimately, its recommended to publish a version of each in order to maximize your audience, but do what works best for you.Choosing a Title for Your BookPeople like knowing other people’s business. Call them curious, call them snoopy, just call to them to buy your book to learn about your business. Teach them your secrets.Here are some overall tips for titling a book from the Self-Publishing School Youtube Channel. If you want some additional tips for choosing a book title, heres what worked for me:A book about a business is a niche market, so make sure that your title makes the topic clear. For example, The Craft Fair Vendor Guidebook lets the reader know that the book is a guide about being a craft fair vendor. The subtitle, Ideas to Inspire, adds another element to the reader’s expectations. The cover’s photograph shows a booth with handcrafted jewelry, another clue.In your book’s description, clearly explain what type(s) of business you will be co vering. People like to know what to expect and may feel tricked if the book’s description isn’t comprehensive enough. A suggestion is to write your book’s description before writing the book. It’s like a â€Å"thesis paragraph† to keep yourself focused. You can keep revising the overview to fit the book as it develops. Also, that gives you more time to decide if the description is its absolute best before uploading it onto your publishing site.Spell out examples of how your business practices can be applied to other ventures. The more crossover applications, the more types of people will be interested in your book.Although you want all of the book to be appealing, you want the first pages to be extra engaging because those are the pages that potential readers will see if they use the â€Å"Look inside† feature on Amazon.If you searched for a book about someone else’s business, what details did you want to learn? Cover these topics in your book and then some- bonus points if you use a unique take on them.Writing a Book About Your BusinessNow that youve got to the meat of what youre writing about, you have a clear outline for your book, and you even have a title on hand, its time to write your book.These are my best tips for writing a book about your business in order to get it right.#1 Look over your brainstorming notesIt always pays to have your notes handy in case there are items you forgot about that are beneficial to include.Heres a few things to keep in mind when going back over your notes:Are there any important pieces of information that didnt make it into the outline?What bits and pieces of your notes can make your book more unique than others on the market?Is there anything you feel you need in your book that you didnt include in the outline before?Once youve got those notes, move on to the next step.#2 Get feedback from friendsTell a friend who doesn’t know much about business about your book.N otice the questions your friend asks because readers will most likely have the same questions. These are very important to take note of because theyre what youll directly answer and address in your book.Take those questions and create sections in your chapters to answer them specifically.#3 Develop a writing time and habitThe best way youll get your book done is to form a writing routine that will enable you to finish your book faster.You can set a scheduled time each day to write and notify those around you that it is your time to work on your book.These are our top tips for developing a writing habit:Create a writing schedule like the one featured aboveEliminate distractions that will keep you from writingFind a writing space thats 100% dedicated to writing your bookStick with it for the first few weeks before it forms into a habitFind others who can keep you accountableForming this habit can be the hardest part of writing a book about your business- especially because your busin ess takes up a lot of time.Using these tips will help.#4 Finish fast and with faultWorry about grammar laterbut please do worry about it later- editing your book is important!I recommend just plowing through in order to finish your first draft faster. After all, done is better than perfect.Plus, you cant edit a blank page and one of the biggest indicators of success for aspiring authors is finishing your first draft.#5 Create folders for imagesThis is a very important part of keeping all of your books contents organized so you dont make the mistakes of losing something thats vital.If you are going to have pictures, create folders to keep them organized.You can use Google Drive to store all of your photos so its easier to collaborate with your book formatter or editor.Another option is to use Dropbox for storing photos for your book.You can read about more pieces of writing software you can use for writing your book as well.The big takeaway with storing your images in folders, howe ver, is that you know exactly where everything is and can keep track of it through the proofing, editing, and publishing process.#6 Choose a publishing platformIf you are going to publish your book through more than one platform, definitely have folders to keep everything straight, like in the image below.Here are a few publishing platforms you can use:Amazon Kindle Direct PublishingBarnes and Noble PressIngramsparkLuluThere are other self-publishing companies out there but these are the top recommended.Another thing to keep in mind when choosing your publishing platform is that KDP and Barnes and Noble offer free ISBNs (only for distribution on their channels), while Ingramspark does not.However, Self-Publishing School students are recommended to buy unique ISBNs anyways, so you can distribute on multiple platforms in the future.#7 Read each chapter aloudYou can do this to yourself or even to others to see how it flows and to see what questions or suggestions your listeners may h ave.The reason for this is because you can often catch a lot of issues like your style, flow, or even sentence structure when reading aloud that you wont catch if you read it in your head.This is a great way to proof and self-edit your book.#8 Just keep writing Until you have covered everything important, just keep writing. Its the best way to write faster and finish your first draft.Dont think about anything else and just write.When you start worrying about your book or how itll be received, cast the thoughts aside and get back to it. Youll never publish a book if you cant finish it.#9 Proofread and reviseThe next step for writing a book about your business is to proofread it and reviseuntil you cant stand to look at your book any longer.Make notes in areas you want to change or you want your editor to pay special attention to.A great way to do this is to type TK into the text of your document so you can later do a search and find all TKs in your manuscript. This will only bring up those areas for you to rewrite or proof because TK doesnt appear next to each other in the English language.#10 Get feedback on the whole bookAsk people to give you feedback on the full book. They need to have excellent grammar skills and be detail-oriented.This is also known as the beta reading process or less commonly, the alpha reading process.The idea here is to have others give you direct and raw feedback about your book and what you can do to make it better.Here are some questions to ask people giving you feedback on your book:Was everything clear and easy to understand?What was your biggest takeaway from it?Did you find any parts boring or slow?What other feedback do you have that I didnt ask you about?Doing this will help ensure your published product is the best it can be for new readers.#11 Let it sitWhen you feel like you are done, don’t look at your manuscript for days, maybe even a week or two. Then go back with fresh eyes.You will find more errors to fix!Th e reason for this is to separate yourself from your work a bit. The longer youre away from your own work, the easier it is to determine its flaws, which will help you write a better book overall.#12 Publish Your Book About Your BusinessWhen you believe that your book is at its best, it is time to publish it.Search for the advantages and disadvantages of the publishing options and make your decision. Obviously, Im a big proponent of self-publishing a book, but you can check out this blog post about the differences between self-publishing vs traditional publishing.From there, you can prepare a launch party and gather your launch team. Upload your book and congratulate yourself! Exciting days are ahead!Are you ready to write your own book about your business?You can start TODAY! Check out this free training by Chandler Bolt to get started.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Sun Yat-sen Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Sun Yat-sen - Essay Example It was later that he studied in Hawaii in the Guangzhou Medical School in 1886. Later on he transferred to the college of medicine in Hong Kong in the year of 1892. In times when he was completing his medicine he felt the urge to change the troubled China into a better place. It was in 1984 that Sun Yat Sen stopped his medical practice and entered into the political arena of China. During this time he wrote a letter to the governor recommending different policies which could be implemented to help China thrive. But these recommendations were put down by the governor and he ended up forming an organization known as Revive China Society. It was here that things changed for Sun Yat Sen and he turned out to become a revolutionary leader. In 1894-1895 the Sino Japanese War took place and Sun plotted a revolt against the government in the capital of his province. The revolt launched by Sun did not turn out to be successful and he went into self exile after the events. Sun got publicity abo ut his targets and aims in London when he was arrested by a Chinese delegation. Although Sun easily crept away from the authorities he did get enough publicity to become an icon for the whole China. It was then that Sun returned to Japan and was helped by people who had heard of him. From 1897 Sun began his secret revolutionary attempts to dethrone the government of China. Sun after several attempts tried to turn the governors of different provinces on his side. In the early twentieth century China was ruled by the Qing Dynasty and the aim of Sun was to dethrone the dynasty because of the miserable conditions that it had left China in. However in the early twentieth century the decreasing popularity of the Qing Dynasty helped pave ways for Sun so that he could successfully launch his revolts. The press in China got enough power to expose the Qing Dynasty and it was here that the popularity of Sun increased amongst the students. In 1904 with the help of several people and revolutiona ries Sun was able to form the United League which had to work against the Qing Dynasty. However later in the years he had to face many problems because of the league and went into despair when all the territories of China took an action against him. As he was facing problems from the territories he sought help from his revolutionaries and launched a revolt to capture the province of Ghuangzou but this attempt was again made unsuccessful. In the years following several revolutionaries took to roads and began capturing the states of China. A revolutionary group was finally able to overthrow the government in Wuhan and Sun was then elected the provisional president in the year of 1912. Sun had a weak delegation of members and hence he decided to resign in March 1912 after making a deal with a minister. Sun was later appointed as the director general of the railway development but later left the post and launched a revolt against his successor because of his alleged involvement in the a ssassination of the party’s head. The revolt against his successor failed once again and he had to suffer from other problems soon after. All his attempts to better the conditions of China were not successful and he had to face problems from his nationalist counterparts. In the latter years of his life Sun tried to organize his party but was still not able to take a good position in the assemblies of China. He died of cancer in the year of 1925. Sun Yat Sen is still remembered for his

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Annual Report for Firm F Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Annual Report for Firm F - Assignment Example There are a lot unmet vehicle needs in the market and Firm F aims at filling this market gaps in accordance to its available resources. Pricing strategy The company did not have a specific product strategy. However, customer based pricing and competition based pricing have been used for the past 5 years. Using the customer based pricing; Firm F has had the flexibility of charging different prices to its different customers which either fell or rose depending on the size of the customer’s wallet. The customer target for Firm F includes people of different sizes of wallet though they have a common need. Therefore, exceptionally high sticker price was tagged on each car after which information about a prospective buyer was collected to gauge how the buyer is price sensitive. If the prospective buyer as found to be price sensitive, a negation on the price was done otherwise, the car was sold at the price given on the sticker. High price for cars leads to high demand and high sales for these target groups. The vehicle industry is highly competitive and so Firm F had to use competition based pricing as its pricing strategy. In this strategy, the firm checked out on the competitor’s prices and then set the price of its cars about the same level or lower with the main of attracting more customers hence increased sales. The idea behind the use of this strategy is that when the price of the cars is set close to the price of the rivals, the firm does not risk losing its market share to its competitors. In future, the firm plans to use customer based pricing strategy as it is more profitable than the competition based strategy. Products strategy The firm did not have any specific product strategy. However, when the company started in the first period, it preferred to work on the up grading of its existing cars after which it launched another car named Falier in the second period. The firm has also three new cars during the last 2 to three periods and in betwe en the periods, the firm was busy trying to do minor and significant upgrades on its cars. Upgrading of the cars was a product strategy used by the company to improve the features of its cars in comparison with those of its competitors, and this mainly to avoid losing its market share to its rivals. In the beginning, Firm F had some cars like Fantasy, Fish and Fast which existed and later produced other cars like Flop, Farce, Fizzle and Falier. This product strategy was also aimed at meeting the tailored needs of its potential customers. The firm plans to continue producing new products in future to enhance its performance. The organization’s outlook and plan for the next 5 years Given its current customer segment, Firm F has a potential for growth. For example, it has a large customer base when it comes to enterprises. Enterprises have different needs when it comes to the variety of cars needs for its business operation. This is an opportunity for Firm F to design new produc ts which will suit the changing needs of its customers. Firm F has a capacity of increasing its production to meet the increasing needs of its products. When it comes to pricing, the competition based pricing may be a business threat. This is because other competitors may be using the same strategy hence reducing the price of their products below the new price set by the firm. At the end of the day, the firm may end up making losses. The fact that

Monday, November 18, 2019

About Poletical Science Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

About Poletical Science - Essay Example aper is to analyze the content of the APSA website to, firstly, understand how well the Association uses the Internet as a medium of information dissemination and, secondly, to ascertain how well it informs a wider audience on specific aspects of political science and political scientists. The APSA website is organized into areas where access is free and others where access is limited. The free areas contain a plethora of general information about political science, including separate sections on resources for teachers and students (albeit more for graduate students than others), information about awards and grants, the various APSA initiatives, job listings, and a chronological list of upcoming conferences in the discipline. The most useful aspect of this last section is that the call dates for paper or proposal submission at these conferences are also mentioned, informing all interested parties about deadlines. Registered users of the website may access the limited areas, the availability of which depends upon their type of registration. The free online registration allows one to submit proposals to the APSA annual meetings and register for the same. This facility also makes it possible to post rà ©sumà ©s on the website, while responding to job opportunities and listing vacancies. Registered users also enjoy the benefit of having access to an archive of past APSA conference papers. For access to more academic material, such as the digital versions of the three APSA journals – American Political Science Review, Perspectives on Politics, PS: Political Science and Politics – and the ability to apply for travel grants to the annual meetings, one needs to pay an amount commensurate with one’s income. In fact, the Association even has special membership schemes for students, those currently unemployed, and prospective members from the developing world. Overall, the APSA website uses the Internet as a tool for communication and dissemination quite well. The

Friday, November 15, 2019

Difficulties Arabic Students Face In English Language Learning

Difficulties Arabic Students Face In English Language Learning In educational settings the language is both the medium and content of instruction. Academic success is dependent on proficiency of spoken and written forms of the language used for instruction (Shatz and Wilkinson 2010: 55). Introduction Next to the United States, the United Kingdom receives the biggest number of international students in the world. In 2009, 13 percent of the total undergraduate population enrolled in the UK were international students (UK Council for International Student Affairs 2009). More specifically, college entrants from Saudi Arabia increased rapidly by 42.2 percent from 3,535 in 2008 to 5,205 in 2009 (Times Higher Education 2010). This dramatic rise of the Arabic international student cohort in the UK requires immediate attention especially in relation to the academic adjustments these students make in the school environment. One of the most significant adjustments for Arabic international students is learning the English language, a phenomenon driven by the demands of globalisation and the now widespread use of English as a second language in the educational curriculum even in Arab countries (Tahaineh 2010). While the process of English language learning among Arab students within their hom e countries has gained much academic attention (Khatib, 2000; Tahaineh, 2010; Ghaith and Diab 2008), not enough research focus has been made on the experiences of Arabic international students in the UK. What is known today is too scant to be applied practically in policymaking or in educational practice. This dissertation explores two main points, firstly, it highlights how little we know about the difficulties that Arabic international students face in learning the English language and secondly, it calls for the need to undertake more robust empirical work on the growing Arabic international student cohort in the UK. This mixed methods research will be a valuable contribution to UK educators in helping Arabic students learn effectively at the same time achieving institutional goals as well as meeting the educational expectations and needs of Arabic students in the UK. Research question This dissertation aims to answer the central question, What difficulties do Arabic students in the UK face when learning the English language? There are two sub-questions proposed which will guide the outcomes of this research. What issues do Arabic students face in English language learning? The literature review suggests that the difficulties Arabic international students may face when learning the English language are multi-faceted. It may involve basic structural differences between Arabic and English (Shabbir Bughio 2003), cultural issues (Elyas and Picard 2010), motivation and self-esteem (Al-Tamimi Shuib 2009), and social issues (Shammas 2009). What strategies do they use to overcome the barriers identified? After discovering the issues that Arabic international students face in English language learning, it is important to uncover the strategies that they employ in order to cope with the difficulties faced. Rationale and context The context of this proposed dissertation is of a general and personal nature. ESL literacy has always been an ongoing academic interest of the researcher. While in the past, learning the English language was viewed as a betrayal of the mother tongue for most Arabic students, the demands of free market globalisation has prompted a renewed vigour among Arab universities and Arabic students to become proficient in the English language. On a personal level, I have always been concerned with the skills of Arabic international students in reading and writing. Studying the English literacy experiences of these students will contribute to an increase in our understanding as to what strategies could help Arabic students obtain English proficiency and attain their educational goals. At the same time, it will also address the gap in literature which can inform the policymaking and institutional practice of UK universities in meeting the needs and expectations of Arabic international English learners. By describing the experiences of Saudi students in L2 literacy experience, we can begin to draft useful conclusions, implications, and recommendations to contribute to second language acquisition and proficiency in general and ESL literacy in particular. Literature review A preliminary literature review reveals significant themes related to the difficulties that Saudi international students experience in learning the English language. 1. Basic structural differences of Arabic and English The most common difficulty experienced in English language learning and proficiency among Arab students lies in the basic structural differences between the mother tongue and the second language. For instance, Arabic writing does not use capitalisation and uses different rules in punctuation from English (Shabbir Bughio 2003). Spelling is also a problem since in Arabic, there is only one letter per sound so the spelling part is much more challenging in English. A study revealed that students struggle with spelling silent alphabets located in the middle of English words such as half or knowledge. Pronunciation of English words is also problematic since Arab speakers often use Arabic phonetics to pronounce words (Salebi 2004). As a result, words like stupid are pronounced istobbid while pregnant is pronounced brignent (Shabbir Bughio 2003). The use of commas and conjunctions is also another difficulty for Arabic students because the usage is different in Arabic and English contexts ( Rababah 2002). The same is true on the use of English prepositions; due to the varied nature and usage of prepositions in English, many Arabic students opt to translate each Arabic preposition in English (Shabbir Buhgio 2003). Kambal (1980) documented major syntactic errors in the compositions of Arab students in the Sudanese University particular in verb formation, subject-verb agreement, and use of tenses. 2. Motivation in learning EFL Motivation has been an established predictor of success EFL outcomes (Al-Tamimi Shuib 2006). Consequently, a learners attitude towards the second language affects his or her outcomes in English language learning. Gardner and Lambert (1972:3) explained that a learners motivation to learn is reflected in the latters attitudes towards English speakers as well as towards the English language itself. In fact, empirical research has pointed to a learners general attitude towards knowledge as an influential variable in second language acquisition and proficiency (Arkoudis 2003). Moreover, self-esteem has been shown to be a significant predictor in writing achievement among Arabic secondary students (Al-Hattab 2006). Beliefs on the English language are mediated by culture and social characteristics (Ely 1986). This means that not all people hold uniform epistemological beliefs about L2 language acquisition and that our appreciation of the knowledge process is dependent upon our different co ntexts. Some argue however that while motivation and attitudes towards the L2 language is important, it is not a sufficient condition in language proficiency (Ely 1986). In a survey of Arabic students in Australia, general attitudes towards the English language were positive; most believed that English symbolised technological advancement and modernity (Suleiman 1983). In another study, it was found that positive attitudes toward English language learning were related to EFL outcomes (Ghaith and Diab 2008). 3. Cultural issues Culture plays an important role in the English language learning process, especially in relation to language instruction (Elyas and Picard 2010). In Saudi Arabia, classroom instruction is delivered in a different manner from Western schools. The classroom is a place where the teacher is an established head and the students role is defined in terms of quietness of loving to listen (Jamjoom 2009, as cited Elyas and Picard 2010). Teacher-student relationships in the Saudi context are feudal; teachers and instructors occupy a high tier in the classroom and so-called student-centred pedagogy is not a common practice (Gallagher 1989). The implication of this is that most Saudi students are not accustomed to interactive teaching processes, one that cultivates proficiency in the English language. Arabic students only learn English from formal instruction and the classroom itself does not provide a venue wherein they could practice their English communication skills (Rababah 2002). This class room acculturation creates potential problems in the context of English language learning in a UK university where classroom interaction is a popular teaching model. Most Arabic students become unsociable in class, do not recite as often as needed, and speak English only when directed formally (Ghaith and Diab 2008). Moreover, teacher attitudes and behaviours towards Saudi students may also count against EFL. Cross-cultural differences have been shown to affect classroom sociability of Arabic students (Rababah 2002). 4. Social issues Alienation in the university setting has been found to influence the academic outcomes of Arabic international students in the USA (Shammas 2009) particularly after the 9/11 terror attacks. The same alienation was reported by Arabic students when the school climate became hostile in some universities within the UK (Rich and Troudi 2006). The level of integration that Arabic international students experience in their universities is helpful in enhancing motivation to learn the English language (Shammas 2009). Feelings of isolation due to the loss of social capital increases sociability among Arabic international students and may result to loss of self-esteem and motivation. Those who are able to renew their social capital by connecting with new friends Arabic or not have a greater chance of being successful in being proficient in the English language. Research approach Empirical work examining the processes of second language acquisition and the effectiveness of strategies focused on learning English as a second language has utilised both quantitative and qualitative research approaches (Ghaith and Diab 2008; Al-Hattab 2006; Rabab-ah 2002). This study proposes a mixed methods approach integrating both qualitative and quantitative elements to more adequately explore the English language learning process among Arabic international students in the UK. Considered a bridge between the quantitative and qualitative realms of research, mixed methods research draws upon the strengths of both paradigms to generate a more complete and thorough investigation of a topic or phenomenon (Johnson and Onwuegbuzie 2004). To this end, mixed methods research supposes that the two research paradigms can be reconciled, maximising the strengths of both while minimising their weaknesses at the same time (Tashakkori and Teddlie 2003). In deciding what research approach best suits the purposes of this study, I considered two ontological positions constructivist and positivist on the topic. Firstly, I consider that Arabic students are differently situated and construct their realities from their own experiences and values. In this regard, there is no one version of reality that could be gleaned (Denzin and Lincoln 1994) on how Arabic international students experience English language learning. Secondly, however, I believe that it is possible to establish what a causal relationship (Creswell 2003) or the particular factors predict English language proficiency among Arabic students in general. In other words, we can determine what specific difficulties can influence English language proficiency among Arabic students. From a pragmatic point of view, both ontological positions are useful in this investigation, hence, a mixed methods paradigm. Why use a stand-alone paradigm when you can use two paradigms and in the pro cess, capture the phenomenon being studied more fully? Mixed methods research is a methodologyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ philosophical framework, method, and techniques of data collection and analysis which combines both quantitative and qualitative processes throughout the entire research cycle (Creswell and Plano Clark 2007:5). The benefits of conducting mixed methods research are three-fold: 1) it allows a holistic investigation of a phenomenon; 2) it enables a macro- and micro- investigation of the phenomenon; and 3) it has validating capacity of quantitative with qualitative methods and vice versa (Onwuegbuzie and Leech 2004). This study proposes a research approach consisting of two phases. The first phase is the quantitative phase; the goal is to determine what specific issues Arabic students face in learning the English language and how these variables are related to each other. The second phase builds on the results of the quantitative phase and explains the outcomes more fully. The quantitative phase will utilise a web-based survey questi onnaire to be followed by face-to-face interviews for the qualitative phase. The idea of this research technique is that by integrating both numerical data (survey questionnaire) and textual data (interviews), the difficulties Arabic international students phase in English language learning can be captured more completely and comprehensively. Research Design There are several variations in design to a mixed methods study. Three issues are considered in the selection of the specific mixed methods design for this particular research: priority, implementation, and integration (Creswell and Plano Clark 2007). Priority specifies which method is emphasised; implementation identifies whether data collection and analysis is done sequentially (different stages) or concurrently (parallel stages); and integration defines the connectedness between the results of the two phases. This study uses the sequential explanatory design to investigate the experiences of Arabic international students in English language learning. Sequential explanatory design A sequential explanatory design is chosen. The data collection and analysis will consist of two phases (Creswell, 2003; Onwuegbuzie and Teddlie 2003). The first phase will use a web-based survey questionnaire to be answered by a manageable random sample of Arabic international students enrolled in one UK university. Data collected will be analyzed through descriptive statistics and chi-square. The second phase of the study will proceed after the completion of the first phase. It will build on the findings of the first phase and use individual semi-structured interviews of five Arabic international students. The goal of the second phase is provide a more in-depth explanation of the difficulties experienced by Arabic students and the strategies they use to overcome these difficulties. Through the integration of data from both the quantitative and qualitative phase, the results will be refined and the phenomenon explored in a more holistic manner. More specifically, this explanatory mix ed methods research uses the follow-up explanations variant in an attempt to understand more fully the process in which Arabic students learn English in foreign universities. The follow-up explanations model is selected because the qualitative phase means to explain and expand on quantitative results (Creswell 2003: 43). The priority phase of this study is the qualitative phase because of its capability to provide a more complete picture of the phenomenon being considered. Using a pragmatic ontological position which values positivist and interpretivist assumptions, the study uses two general instruments and triangulation methods to establish validity and reliability of research findings. Phase 1: Quantitative (Survey questionnaires) A self-constructed online survey questionnaire will be used to gather data on the difficulties experienced by Arabic students in English language learning. Items in the questionnaire will be drawn from the literature review and will measure difficulties in five aspects: 1) structural adjustments from Arabic to English (spelling, punctuation, grammar, etc.), 2) motivation, 3) cultural issues, and 4) social issues. After the selection of participants, a URL will be sent via email to participants advising them to read the consent form and to indicate their compliance. The survey will also be available on Facebook and other social networking sites. After gathering data, results will be analyzed using appropriate descriptive and inferential statistics. Phase 2: Qualitative (Face-to-face interviews) After the first phase of data collection and data analysis, in-depth interviews will be scheduled with six Arabic international students in order to gather information that will further explain the results of the survey questionnaire. A semi-structured interview guide will be developed in order to allow the participants to discuss their answers in a more flexible manner. The semi-structured nature of the interview guide will also allow the researcher to clarify or ask follow-up questions that can further refine the data. Interviews will be audiotaped with the participants consent and transcribed immediately afterwards. Qualitative analysis will be used to gather recurring themes from the interview data. Validity and Reliability To establish the validity and reliability of the outcomes of this study, content validity and triangulation through multiple sources will be used. To establish content validity, the survey instrument will be evaluated by a panel of specialists. Multiple sources such as documents and academic papers will also be requested from interviewees. Member checking will be done to verify the accuracy of the transcribed interviews. Ethical Issues The following ethical considerations are identified. Institutional requirements will be met before data collection. Permission to conduct the study will be obtained by securing approval from the Institutional Review Board (IRB) of the University. The researcher will complete the ethics form and wait for approval before beginning the collection of data. Consent will be secured. An informed consent will be drafted to explain to participants the purposes and objectives of the study as well as the rights of participants regarding confidentiality and voluntarism. The same form will be attached to the online survey as proof of compliance with ethical requirement for research. Anonymity and confidentiality of information will be guaranteed. Procedures will be done to protect the rights of human subjects. Every completed questionnaire will be coded in order to hide the identity of participants. For the personal interviews conducted, each participant will be informed that the interview will be audiotaped for documentation. Transcript of the interviews will use pseudonyms instead of real names. Data storage requirements will also be complied with. Transcripts and hard drives will be secured in a locked cabinet to be destroyed after the study is published. Bias will be bracketed to minimise prejudicial interpretation of data. Ethics requires the researcher to fully disclose any potential conflicts of interest. Bias is acknowledged to arise from data collection until the final phases of the study. Risk of bias will be minimised through bracketing and a written reflection log to trace subjectivities. Research schedule 2011 Activities May Completion of dissertation proposal June IRB form completed and passed July Additional literature review Survey questionnaire developed August Methodology chapter finalised Survey questionnaire piloted and evaluated Revisions to questionnaire finalised September Selection of participants October First phase of data gathering Analysis of results quantitative phase November Write up of results and advising December Refining of literature review Drafting of interview guide and approval 2012 January Selection of interviewees Conduct of interviews Transcription and qualitative analysis February Integration of findings from Phase 1 and Phase 2 Meet with supervisor Pass first draft of findings and conclusions March Check references. Finalise draft. April Final proofreading and revisions. Send to binders. May Submit bound copies by May 2012. Reflective commentary Writing this dissertation proposal has not only been a significant educational experience for me; it was also a reflexive opportunity. I was given an avenue with which to consider my own perspectives about obtaining higher education in a foreign university and the experiences which have so far brought me to the level I am now situated. Preparing the literature review was the most rewarding part of all because it enabled me to acknowledge the multifaceted and complex nature of the English language learning process. Simply put, acquiring a second language is not a simple feat. It is influenced by multiple factors and influences. While I was able to gather the most significant themes associated with English language learning among Arabic international students, I look forward to constructing the more detailed literature review in the future.

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Scheele and Oxygen :: essays research papers

Oxygen Vital to life, a necessity to combustion, and the component of innumerable compounds, oxygen is by far one of the most important elements. Astoundingly, Oxygen makes up a fifth of our atmosphere, 49.5% of all compounds on Earth contain oxygen, makes up about 2/3 of our body, yet human kind has only know of it since 1977 (http://pearl1.lanl.gov/periodic/elements/8.html). Ironically, within a period of a couple of years, three different men had stumbled upon the vital element. Carl Wilhelm Scheele, a Swede, made the initial discovery. However, Joseph Priestly, the man generally attributed with the discovery on the basis of his works being published first, discovered it in 1774. Neither of them quite understood it though, and only a French man by the name of Antoine Lavoisier who would be the first to fully understand it and disprove the old à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“phlogistonà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? notion (Priestly Joseph 4). Nonetheless, Carl Wilhelm Scheele was still the first to discover oxygen, a disc overy that would be one of many in a rich life. William Scheeleà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s life was one of humble beginnings. Born on December 19, 1742 he was one of a pack of 11 children. His formal training or education in science was of the bare minimum. By the age of fourteen, a firm by the name of Martin Anders Bauch in Gothenburg had accepted him as an apprentice as a pharmacist. This initial access to various chemicals, compounds, and books gave Wilhelm Scheele just he start he needed for beginning his career into chemistry. When the firm changed hands, Carl Wilhelm Scheele took a job with another company name KjellstrÃÆ' ¶m where, once again, he was provided the mean and permission to experiment. Scheele once again changed positions and moved to Stockholm where he continued in a pharmacy. Here his first discoveries were made (http://mattson.creighton.edu/History_Gas_Chemistry/Scheele.html). In 1769 with the help of a man named Anders John Retzius, Scheele isolated tartaric acid, a substance used on lenses, from cream of tartar (Tartaric Acid 1). Scheele made his big break however in 1770. Through various methods, Scheele was able to isolate oxygen. His discovery of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Fire Airà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? precipitated numerous awards including a membership to the Royal Academy of Sciences, a position never before, and not even to present day to be given to a pharmacist (http://mattson.creighton.edu/History_Gas_Chemistry/Scheele.html). His home town, in an effort to keep him, also found him a place to set up his pharmacy.

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Maniac Magee: Summary Essay

Characters’ Name: Jeffery Lionel Magee- (Maniac Magee), Amanda Beale, Mars Bar Thompson, John McNab, Piper McNab, Russell McNab, Earl Grayson, Mrs. Beale, Hester, Lester. Personalty Traits: Maniac Magee, the main character, has very kind and a nice personality. He is also brave, and trusted and very athletic. Physical Features: Jeffery’s parents died by a car accident when he was 3 years old. andout Questions: Title of the book: Maniac Magee Author: Jerry Spinelli Number of pages: 1-184 Name of the main characters: Full Name: (Jeffery Lionel Magee)- Maniac Magee Genre of the story: Fiction Plot: Maniac Magee, lived with his parents until he was 3 years old. His parents died in a car accident. Then he lived with his uncle Dan, and aunt Dot. He left his uncle and aunt when they were annoying in the school auditorium. He went to far away, after he left. He wanted to find a home that will be best for him. There he faced many challenges that he overcame, such as a race running backwards. Maniac is very athletic, he is also nice. He met a lot of people that liked him of his kindness. All he wanted is a home where it would be best for him. He made the west end (white side) and the east end (black side) be together. Climax: Maniac needs a new home. Resolution: Maniac finds a home, the Beale’s family said he can stay with them. Maniac also made the east side and the west side be together. Would you change anything about the story: I would change the part where Grayson dies because Grayson loved Maniac as much as maniac loved Grayson. It feels like that Grayson felt as a grandfather to Maniac. Opinion: The best part I like about the book is that when Maniac won the race against Mars Bar by running backwards. The least I liked about this book is that when Maniac’s parents died, and when Grayson died. The part that truly got attention is when they died, and it feels like something worse is going to happen when is parents died. I visualized this book well because this book was really interesting, and even though this book is faction it sounds real. I would recommend this book to students that are in 5th to 8th graders because it teaches you about how difficult it can be when you are an orphan and how the west side and the east side came together.

Friday, November 8, 2019

Book Report Inna Di Dancehall Essays

Book Report Inna Di Dancehall Essays Book Report Inna Di Dancehall Essay Book Report Inna Di Dancehall Essay Hope, paid homage to the lower-class inner city people of Jamaica. She gave them a voice as she explored the issues about danceable as related to the Jamaican society. Hope discussed the historical setting and definition of danceable, sex and gender, violence and identity in the danceable. The author used this forum to bring to life the perceived unknown truths about the danceable culture in Jamaica. Throughout the book, the theme of rudeness was explored. Hope linked rudeness to Jamaican culture and in essence showed how rudeness is a part of Caribbean civilization. Rudeness can be seen as vulgar behavior or otherwise known as slackness. In the Caribbean, slackness, refers to violence, promiscuity and anti-homosexual sentiments which are similar to the culture of Jamaica. Is Jamaican rudeness an excuse for culture or is it Just rudeness? To answer this question, one needs to delve into the history of Jamaican society and understand how rudeness may or may not relate to culture. As well as, how the popular music, danceable, may play a part in developing rudeness as a component of culture. In the book, Nina did Danceable, the author, Hope, listed the various factors which helped the formation of the popular form of music culture. Such factors were the fall-out of Jamaican experiment with structural adjustment; the rise of free market capitalism; increasing arbitration; rising political violence; a growing ideological convergence between the Peoples National Party (PAN) and the Jamaica Labor Party LOP); the explosion of Jamaican informal economy and ongoing transformations in the class/ status hierarchy, particularly among the middle strata (1). Some of these factors created tension in society and through music, the people in society were able to release this built up frustration. According to Hope danceable culture is a space for the cultural creation and dissemination of symbols and ideologies that reflect and legitimate the lived realities of its adherents, particularly those from the inner cities of Jamaica (27). Danceable enabled the society to openly voice their concerns and highlight the struggles of everyday life. As such, one can say that Jamaican rudeness is an excuse for culture. If danceable music reflects the everyday life of the lower class society, which is gun violence, promiscuity and hardships of the masses, elements of rudeness, and danceable music is part of the Jamaican culture, hence, rudeness is Jamaican culture. On the other hand, Jamaican rudeness has a negative connotation as it deals with negative activities in society. One should not sensationalist illegal activities such as gun violence and discrimination against homosexuals. The authors aim was to shed light on the different aspects of danceable and show how danceable music fleets the lower-class society in Jamaica. However, in doing so, the author provided an excuse for the high crime rate, gun violence, debase behavior of women and discrimination against homosexuals. The author used this forum to explicitly say that this rudeness is a part of culture and should be accepted and therefore sensationalists a topic that has no merit. This behavior should not be accepted and measures should be put in place to curb illegal activities. Should be able to make a decision on what type of literature to read or be exposed to. However, based on the circumstances, the purpose of studying Caribbean Civilization is to understand the Caribbean society and one way of doing this is reading different literatures from the Caribbean. Nina did Danceable exposed the Caribbean and the wider world to the danceable culture of Jamaica. Its important as a Caribbean person to know and understand the different cultures of the Caribbean. This book, gave a real representation of the lower-class society of Jamaica through danceable. However, it didnt paint the full picture of the Jamaican culture. It pulled out the negative aspect of Jamaican culture and glorified it. Should one be exposed to the glorification of illegal activities? No. However, one should be made aware of all aspects of ones culture whether be it negative or positive. Reading literatures of other cultures broadens ones perspective on the ways of life of many people. It enables one to have a holistic view on life and treat others from different backgrounds with respect. According to the Peace Corps Cross-cultural Workbook, By knowing peoples values and beliefs, you can come to expect and predict their behavior Moreover, once you accept that people behave the way they do for a reason You can go beyond simply reacting to that behavior and figure out how to work with it (5). As a result, using Nina did Danceable in Caribbean Civilization has meaning as it enhances the course by cultural differentiation. Its a great book as it would enable discussions on class/ color/ status hierarchy in society. Hope clearly discussed the differences in social classes in Jamaica. This was a main topic in this course as the Caribbean continues with this social structure from slavery. Trinidad and Tobago can definitely benefit from the propagation of this type of reading. Our society can learn about the danceable culture, understand how it came about and the true meaning behind danceable. This type of reading would allow our society to be able to differentiate our culture from Jamaica. It would also encourage patriotism, as local writers would be encouraged to write about our culture for the world to read. However, this reading may as well not benefit society. This type of reading may encourage similar types of behavior to be patterned in our society. Youths in society may read this book and may not capture the real essence of the book. They may try to emulate their danceable idols and adopt behaviors and attitudes that are not accepted in society. However, Hope formatted Nina did Danceable cleverly as it was easy to read. In each chapter there were sub-sections which allowed the reader to understand each aspect of the danceable culture. The headings played a key role as it made it clear as to what was going to be discussed. The pictures used in the book in some instances were quite vulgar and degraded women but captured the idea that was being put cross. It didnt make the book more appealing; ironically, it made the book less appealing which may not have been the authors purpose. In conclusion, Nina did Danceable would not have been a first choice book for reading; however, it served the purpose for this course. It highlighted aspects of Jamaican culture, danceable and showed its relevance to Caribbean society as it dealt with some Caribbean issues such as class/ race/ status hierarchy. Hope, Donna P. Nina did Danceable. Kingston: University of the West Indies Press, Culture Matters. Peace Corps. N. P, n. D. Web. 24 October, 2012. 2006. Pent.

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Free Essays on Paul Anti Judaism

Ruether vs. Gager: Romans 11:26 â€Å"Jesus, yes; but Paul never†. It is very clear that this statement sums up some individual’s viewpoint of the Apostle known as Paul. Everyone has their own interpretation and everyone has formed their own opinion. It is ironic that the most famous character in the New Testament outside of Jesus gets misunderstood more than anyone other person of his time. If its any consolation, Jesus also got misunderstood, this puts Jesus and Paul in a league of their own. Possibly, people just didn’t want to hear what he said so they form negative connotations against him so they are exempt from his teachings. There are a number of different scenarios you can create to figure out the enigma that is Paul the Apostle. I will concentrate on one simple verse in the Bible. The verse is Romans 11:26. â€Å"And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: â€Å"The Deliverer will come out of Zion, and He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob† (Rom. 11:26) The first section of Romans 11:26 has been interpreted and dissected from many people. It seems to have many meanings in the form that Paul wrote it. Two particular people have written literary works about Paul and in both this verse is mentioned. Both authors have different interpretations of the verse and see Paul in a different light because of it. I will start with Rosemary Ruether who believes that Paul is Anti-Jewish. In her commentary about Paul, she clearly states that Judaism is the opposite of Faith in Christ. If you are a Jew, you are not a Christian and if a Christian, not a Jew. She makes the argument that there is nothing special about Jewish people, for Jewish and Gentile are both sinners and have fallen short of the Glory. In regards to Romans 11:26, Ruether believes in the salvation of the Jews, but she believes it is at an appointed time. If you look a verse before, Paul mentions the Jewish people as living with a mystery. He mentions a... Free Essays on Paul Anti Judaism Free Essays on Paul Anti Judaism Ruether vs. Gager: Romans 11:26 â€Å"Jesus, yes; but Paul never†. It is very clear that this statement sums up some individual’s viewpoint of the Apostle known as Paul. Everyone has their own interpretation and everyone has formed their own opinion. It is ironic that the most famous character in the New Testament outside of Jesus gets misunderstood more than anyone other person of his time. If its any consolation, Jesus also got misunderstood, this puts Jesus and Paul in a league of their own. Possibly, people just didn’t want to hear what he said so they form negative connotations against him so they are exempt from his teachings. There are a number of different scenarios you can create to figure out the enigma that is Paul the Apostle. I will concentrate on one simple verse in the Bible. The verse is Romans 11:26. â€Å"And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: â€Å"The Deliverer will come out of Zion, and He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob† (Rom. 11:26) The first section of Romans 11:26 has been interpreted and dissected from many people. It seems to have many meanings in the form that Paul wrote it. Two particular people have written literary works about Paul and in both this verse is mentioned. Both authors have different interpretations of the verse and see Paul in a different light because of it. I will start with Rosemary Ruether who believes that Paul is Anti-Jewish. In her commentary about Paul, she clearly states that Judaism is the opposite of Faith in Christ. If you are a Jew, you are not a Christian and if a Christian, not a Jew. She makes the argument that there is nothing special about Jewish people, for Jewish and Gentile are both sinners and have fallen short of the Glory. In regards to Romans 11:26, Ruether believes in the salvation of the Jews, but she believes it is at an appointed time. If you look a verse before, Paul mentions the Jewish people as living with a mystery. He mentions a...

Monday, November 4, 2019

Madeline leininger Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Madeline leininger - Article Example In this case, she explains how the disciplines of nursing and anthropology should be merged to allow nurses live and work comfortably in areas with unique cultural practices. The second important stage was to institute educational programs and courses to prepare nurses in the new restraint. In this, the author argues that nurses must gain knowledge and skills essential for the new principles, concepts, and features in order to guide their actions and thinking. The article emphasizes on educating nurses and preparing leaders in this discipline. In this case, the author comments that the nursing discipline has been insignificantly explored for a long time and hence nurses require adequate training in the new concept. Additionally, the article has suggested that the field of knowledge be basing and grounding on documented research. Other steps suggested in the article include extensive research, establishing generalists and specialist, and formulating strategies to support the

Friday, November 1, 2019

A Midsummer Night's Dream Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

A Midsummer Night's Dream - Research Paper Example According to Stephen Greenblatt, â€Å"This is a world in which outward appearance is everything and nothing, in which individuation is at once sharply etched and continually blurred, in which the victims of fate are haunted by the ghosts of the possible, in which everything is simultaneously as it must be and as it need not have been† (60). Many of these often confusing issues became the subjects of the major literature produced during this era such as in William Shakespeare’s play A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Although the exact date of when Shakespeare wrote this play is unknown, with most estimates suggesting it was perhaps around 1595 or 1596, the confusion between tradition and contemporary times is highlighted within this play through Shakespeare's deliberate use of a play within the play. One of the most effective means of reinforcing the major concepts of a story’s plot or of highlighting individual character traits is to include some form of repetit ion within the text. Shakespeare was a master at this kind of repetition as is seen in many of his plays including Hamlet and Midsummer Night's Dream. However, he uses these forms of repetition for entirely different purposes. In Hamlet, the play within the play is used to both show the audience actions that took place prior to the play's opening as well as to expose the guilty conscience of the king and thus prove to Hamlet that vengeance is justified. In Midsummer Night's Dream, though, the play is used to link tradition to present day in such a way as to demonstrate that despite the perception that times are changing drastically, unsettling many in their comfortable traditional views, human activity and emotion really hasn't changed all that much. To accomplish this seemingly impossible feat, Shakespeare incorporates an entire mini-play within the greater work. This mini-play appears in Act 5 and its action functions to almost duplicate the principle characters and actions found within the larger work. Not only does it reiterate some of the key points of the major work, but this mini-play also functioned to directly address an element of the audience that might otherwise have felt omitted. In Shakespeare's time, everyone attended the plays as a major form of entertainment, but the uneducated lower elements of society didn't always fully understand the high comedy offered by the playwright. By providing this mini-play, even these elements of the audience were able to enjoy the play and understand its message. Thus it is possible to examine this mini-play in order to gain greater appreciation and understanding of the larger play. Within its simple one-scene setting, this mini-play serves to expose the exaggerated romanticism of the lovers, the timeless struggle of young people attempting to marry for love despite the wishes of their parents and the sometimes disastrous problems that can only occur in the confusing darkness of night. Although many of Shakespea re’s plays can be traced to earlier stories as a means of linking them with tradition, this particular play has fewer historical connections. According to Mabillard, Geoffrey Chaucer’s story of the Knight’s Tale in his Canterbury Tales is one probable source for the play - both the master play and the mini-play. The Knight's Tale is told from the

Wednesday, October 30, 2019

European Business Environment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

European Business Environment - Essay Example The Eurozone Since inauguration, the European Union has undergone economic crises. Resolutions could be seen through changes and charters within authorities and structures of the institutions. Such resolutions would be undertaken through impeding of European Union economic integration. Economic integration encompasses key steps. The preferential economic territory would lower the customs tariffs in the midst of the member countries. A free trade zone would be created to eradicate the internal customs imposed on certain commodities among the state parties. The custom union ensured recognition of a common trade strategy, and similar tariffs applied for the third countries. The common market establishes common regulations on commodities and enhances the free movement of commodities, services, and workforce. The Economic Monetary Union (EMU) formed a common market via a universal currency unit. The union determined a common monetary policy, which depended upon coordination among the memb er states’ economic policies, deficit and public debt, and monetary policies (Arestis & Sawyer 2011, p. 28). The common currency unit and monetary policy establishment and the Eurozone would be independently governed by ECB (European Central Bank). There would be implementation of harmonization of fiscal and other policies of the economy to complete the economic integration. In other words, the European Zone has basic institutional features. 1. Commercial and economic integration and inflow of financial resources. This involves the integrated and freedom in the markets. 2. Common currency, the Euro. 3. The open financial, institutionally separated markets have differential regulations and taxation. 4. The non integrated markets: the labor market’s rules remained national despite the determination of European institutional architects. This was as a result of cultural and political factors and real constrains. For instance, there would be the rigidity of the many countri es housing market. The European Union role is to endow migration freedom and equivalent rights to migrants. 5. Common fiscal parameters, which was a Maastricht criteria. The heterogeneous structures in the institution are the vital reasons of crisis within the Eurozone. It would be right to justify that the citizens of the Eurozone have had a negative response to the Euro. After the approval, of the unit of the common currency, the prices of services and commodities skyrocketed and the Eurozone exhibited a weak performance. The Euro has caused considerably indefensible macroeconomic inequalities within the states, and the Eurozone lacks an organizational structure to undertake the crisis situation (Arestis & Sawyer 2011, p. 30). In the year 2008, the approval process of the treaty of Lisbon was still on till 2009 when it became effective. Immediately after the Lisbon treaty became enforced, a general notion got developed that it would provide the turning point for the European Union to overcome the crisis. The treaty would be expected to optimize working methods and modernize institutions to tackle challenges effectively and efficiently (Franz & Sinn 2010, p. 102). The global financial crisis began to influence the European Union states unenthusiastically. The total public debt of Greece was almost 125 percent of its national income. These macroeconomic indicators in Greece would be explained by the Maastricht criteri

Monday, October 28, 2019

The American Electoral System Essay Example for Free

The American Electoral System Essay The American electoral system is essentially based on political efficiency and partial representation. Political efficiency may be defined as expedient balance between imminent interests. Partial representation means instructional politics. These two principles govern the interest-aggregation process, and in general, political dynamics in democratic countries. Background At the Constitutional Convention, the Virginia Plan was used as the basis for discussion and debate. The Virginia Plan called for the executive to be chosen by the legislature (by open ballot). Delegates from the majority of states agreed to this method of election. However, the so-called ‘Committee of Eleven’ formed to labor out details which included the mode of election of the executive. The committee recommended that the election be by a group of people apportioned among the states in the same numbers as representatives in the US Congress. This group of people would be chosen by each state, in a way determined by the Legislative branch. Gouverneur Morris explained the factors for the change. Among the factors were as follows: 1) fear that the president would be chosen by a small group of men who met regularly in ‘evening sessions,’ 2) equal parity among states, and 3) popular elections as mediums for extreme and irresponsible demagoguery. On the 6th of September 1787, the Convention approved the Committee’s proposal with some opposition from delegates who preferred popular election. The move was based on the belief that the state government must be a derivative of state sovereignty. As O’Neil argued: The theory of State sovereignty was assumed as true and valid by all states. The Massachusetts constitution of 1780 declares that the people of that ‘commonwealth have the sole and exclusive right of governing themselves as a free, sovereign, and independent State’ with certain limitations there laid down (3). The move was also based on reactionary ideology. Southern politicians feared that the ‘popular vote’ method would lead ‘waste of ‘ballot. ’ As O’Neil correctly observed: One reason, purely sectional, existed which made a popular election impossible. The slavery problem was an important element in the framing of any plan. The Southern states, with their system of slave labor, would be threatened with the loss of their relative influence in the nation, because a large portion of their population could not be trusted with the ballot (4). During the framing of the Constitution, the ‘electoral’ system was institutionalized, with its efficient guiding principles and framework. However, it was not without opposition. Some of the founding fathers opposed the move, declaring it as an offshoot of ‘aristocratic’ ordeal – the fruit of reckless political estimation. However, as O’Neil noted: A slight reflection, however, will convince them that this mode is in perfect harmony with the spirit of the United States Constitution. With the exception of the members of the House of Representatives, no person holding office under the United States government derives his appointment directly from the people (2). The Term ‘Electoral College’ The term ‘Electoral College’ was never used to describe the general vote of the electors. It was not until in the 1800s that the term ‘electoral college’ came into use as the shared designation for the electors chosen to cast votes for the President and Vice President. In 1845, it was formally written into law. The Nature of the Electoral College in its Early Conception. The composition, nature, and role of the Electoral College are defined in the US Constitution, prior to the passage of the 12th Amendment. Article II, Section 1, Clause 2 of the US Constitution states: Each State shall appoint, in such Manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a Number of Electors, equal to the whole Number of Senators and Representatives to which the State may be entitled in the Congress: but no Senator or Representative, or Person holding an Office of Trust or Profit under the United States, shall be appointed an Elector. In Section 1, Clause 4, the Congress is tasked to determine the time of choosing the electors, and the day on which they shall cast their votes. Note that the day shall be the same throughout the country. In Clause 3 of the same section, it is determined that: The President and Vice President were to be chosen by the electors. Unlike the present system, each elector voted for two people for President, rather than one vote for President and one vote for Vice President. To become President, a candidate had to have more votes than any other and must have received votes from a majority of the electors. After the choosing of the President, the person with the most electoral votes among the remaining candidates would become the Vice President. If no one received a majority of the votes, the decision would be made by the House of Representatives. The form of the Electoral College was based upon several assumptions of the Framers of the Constitution: 1) each state should employ the district system of allocating electors, 2) independent judgment would be observed in the casting of vote of all electors, 3) candidates would not ‘pair together’ on the same ticket, and 4) the system would rarely create a winner, sending the election itself to Congress. The framers of the Constitution intended the Electoral College simply as a body that would nominate candidates from which Congress could select a President and Vice President. Each state government was free to have its own arrangements for selecting its electors. Revision With the rise of political parties and nationally coordinated election campaigns, the system complicated the 1796 and 1800 elections. In the 1796 election, John Adams was elected President, and Thomas Jefferson, Vice President. In 1800, Jefferson and Aaron Burr tied for the first place. Since all votes were for president, Burr’s votes were technically for him even though he was the party’s second option. The Congress remained deadlock for 35 ballots as neither candidate received the majority vote. To resolve the issue, Alexander Hamilton declared his support for Jefferson. Congress elected Jefferson President on the 36th ballot. To avoid this incident from occurring in the future, the US Congress proposed the 12th Amendment. Each elector could only cast one vote for President and one vote for Vice President. The 12th amendment superseded Article II, Section 1, Clause 3 of the Constitution. It was adopted in 1804. Constitutional Theory behind the Electoral System The founding fathers accepted the notion that the President and Vice President are elected as executives of a confederation of independent states. In short, in contrast to ‘popular election’ of members of Congress, the election of both the President and Vice President must be indirect. James Madison argued that the Constitution was created to be a combination of the state-based and population-based government. The US Congress should have two houses: the state-based House of Senate and the population-based House of Representatives. The President would be elected by a combination of the two methods. Madison was fearful of the growing cynicism of factions within the government. He defined faction as a group of citizens (either a majority or minority) who are united by some common or shared impulse of passion or interest detrimental to the rights of other citizens, in general, to the interests of the community. In Republican governments, factions would be generally curtailed because voter rights and powers are widely distributed. In short, the power of the faction would be lessened under a mixed-state set-up of government. In practice, this was short of impossible. As O’Neil noted: A sovereign nation and a limited national government were thought impossible. In rightfully opposing all projects of consolidation of the powers of sovereignty, they naturally fell into the error of opposing plan, which tended to the strengthening of the bonds of union, and the developing of a broader national spirit. Jealous opposition to the granting of too much power to the general government led them to oppose a plan electing a President which would make him the representative of the whole nation (4). Mechanics of the System When a citizen votes for a presidential candidate, that citizen is really instructing the electors to cast their votes for the same candidate. Suppose that the citizen vote for a Republican candidate. The citizen, in essence, is voting for an elector who will be ‘pledged to vote for the Republican candidate. The candidate who wins the popular vote in a state wins all the pledged votes of the state’s electors. Now, each state gets a number of electors equal to its members in the House of Representatives and one for each of its two senators. The District of Columbia gets three electors. State law determines how electors are chosen. In general though, they are selected by the political party committees within the states. A state with eight electors would cast eight votes. Currently, there are 538 electors. The majority vote is equal to 270 (requirement to be elected). In general, because Electoral College Representation is based on congressional allocation, states with larger populations get more Electoral votes. Suppose that none of the candidates win the required 270 electoral votes, the 12th Amendment require the election to be decided by the House of Representatives. Combined votes of each state are equivalent to one vote. A simple majority is required to be elected. It is possible for an elector to defect and not vote for the party’s candidate, because the Constitution does not require them to do so. However, such change in political attitude rarely affects the outcome of the election. In some states, ‘defector’ electors are prohibited from casting their votes. Nomination, Disqualification, and Meetings of Electors State political parties nominate candidates for electors months prior to the Election Day. The US constitution delegates to the state the authority for nominating and choosing its electors. In some states, electors are nominated through primaries. In some states, electors are nominated through party conventions. In other states, campaign committees of each candidate name their candidates for presidential elector. The Constitution prohibits person holding a federal office from being elected or appointed as elector. Note that a person who holds an office has sworn an oath to support the United States Constitution in order to hold either a state or federal office. When such person serves in the Electoral College, such individual is in theory rebelling against the United States. The congress though may remove this ‘function’ by two-thirds vote in each house. State legislatures determine how its electors are to be chosen. All states choose electors by popular election on the date specified by federal law. Forty eight states and Washington D. C. utilize the winner take all method – each awarding its electors as a single bloc. In other states, state legislatures select one elector within each congressional district by popular vote, and select the remaining two by statewide election. In the ‘short-ballot’ system, voters choose among a list of candidates for the associated elector. At present, only a few states list the names of the electors on the ballot. In other states, the voter is required to write-in names of candidates for elector. On Election Day, the electors meet in their respective state capital to cast their electoral votes on separate ballots for President and Vice President. Unlike the College of Cardinals, the Electoral College does not meet as one body. Congress has constitutional authority to regular the procedures in use. The election certification official opens the meeting and read the Certificate of Ascertainment. The document states the name of the chosen electors. Then, there is the selection of a president of the meeting. Sometimes, the electors choose a secretary, to take the minutes of the meeting. At the balloting time, the electors choose people to act as tellers. Each elector submits a ballot with the name of a candidate for President. The tellers count the ballots and announce the result. Then the casting of the vote for Vice President follows. After the voting is complete, the electors certify the Certification of Vote. This document states the number of electoral votes cast for both the President and Vice President. Copies are sent to the Senate President. Staff member from the Vice President collects the certificates for the joint session of Congress. The Certificates are arranged in alphabetical order. The Congress declares the winner of the election in the joint session. Conclusion The present electoral system of the United States is essentially based on the belief that the President and Vice President are executives of a confederation of independent states. As such, they cannot be directly elected by the people. The advantages of this system are quite obvious. First, it prevents the concentration of power in urban areas. Second, it maintains the federal character of the country. Third, it strengthens the status of minority groups. Fourth, it encourages political stability (political polarization). Fifth, it isolates election problems. And lastly, it maintains a clear line of succession. However, the system has not without criticisms. One criticism states that the electoral system destroys the essence of democratic vote, or in general, the true conception of popular sovereignty. A nation without true sovereignty cannot be nation, as what Burke would argue. In essence, the electoral system enhances the ‘aristocratic’ values of a predicated political system. Works Cited O’Neil, Charles. ‘The American Electoral System. ’ New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2007. The United States Constitution (and other documents). New York: Macmillan Publishing Company, 1992.