Gender Issues and Roles Essay Example for Free

Gender Issues and Roles Essay Gender refers to the socially constructed roles, behavior, activities and attributes that a particular society considers appropriate for men and women. It is a basic organizing principle of society that shapes how we think about ourselves and guides how we interact with others. The distinct roles and behavior may give rise to gender inequalities, i. e. differences between men and women that systematically favor one group. There are differences between the sexes in that men weigh more than women and have more muscle. Women outperform men in some test of long term endurance and life expectancy. However, biologically, the sexes differ in limited ways with neither one naturally superior. Origin of Gender roles The root of all gender issues which presently exist in society may be traced back to The Creation Story in Genesis. This crucial chapter of the Bible provides evidence supporting that God intended for man and woman to exist as equals, yet he assigned gender roles once Adam and Eve disobeyed him by eating the fruit from the forbidden tree of good and evil. Thus, men have been characterized as the â€Å"breadwinners† and women as â€Å"child bearers and housekeepers† since the beginning of humanity. Men and women have been trapped in certain roles since the beginning of time, and have always had a power struggle between them. Gender issues have not evolved over time; they have always existed. Partriarchy and Sexism Partriarchy literally means â€Å"rule of fathers†. Conceptions of gender vary everywhere in the world and we find some degree partriarchy. Sexism is the belief that one sex is innately superior to the other and is built into the institutions of society. Sexism stunts the talents and limits the ambitions of the human population who are women. Masculinity comes with a high price as it calls for men to engage in many high-risk behaviors, including using tobacco and alcohol, participating in physically dangerous sports, and driving recklessly. It is also closely linked not only to accidents but to suicide, violence and stress-related diseases. As men seek control over others, they opportunities for intimacy and trust. In general men have more social resources than women. Martriarchy is a form of social organization in which females dominate males. Although there is no clear case of matriarchy, women’s power can rival that of men. Many societies count among their historical heroes at least one brave woman warrior or leader, but few are as reviled as the Kikuyu Wangu wa Makeri. Appointed as the head of Weithaga, in Muranga district, by the colonialists, Makeri’s legacy is as a woman who made hell for the men of her tribe, wreaking revenge and sewing humiliation for the gender roles she had broken out of. Born in 1856, according to Nairobi University historian Mary W Wanyoike, Makeri’s rise to fame came relatively late in her life, when, in 1901 she was appointed as the head of her district. The elevation of a woman to such a position of power was unheard of in those days. Wangu, however, embraced the position with vigour. Tales abound of her demeaning men, riding on their backs on all fours, taking multiple lovers among them one Karuri Gakure and being very far from an â€Å"attractive’ woman. Certainly, such behaviour was anathema in early 20th Century Kikuyu culture. In those days, once men had paid the dowry on the women they were to marry, the women were considered their property. Women might be disgruntled, but they were expected to be silent victims. Thus when Wangu â€Å"superwoman† Makeri got power, she felt it her personal mission to avenge for the exploited women. Her zeal, however, quickly made her a hate figure for men, as did her tendency to overstep the boundary of leadership. Yet she held on to power for a remarkable 35 years. In the end, what lead to her downfall and death, was the brewing conflict between the Kikuyu and British colonialists. From around 1910, colonial resentment was budding. The Kikuyus who later formed the Mau Mau saw Wangu Wa Makeri as a proxy for colonialists. They instigated a rebellion against oth the colonialists and her. With her support thinning, her back-riding tenure ended unceremoniously. Yet her reputation for multiple lovers and a passion to domineer the masculine species, is still used as a weapon today in the gender war, driving accusations that any women who loves power and money is of her line, and setting up a horror figure that no good Kikuyu women would wish to be associated with. In time, it seems, hers is one story that may yet be retold. In preindustrial societies, women have little control over pregnancy and childbirth, which limits the scope of their lives. Similarly, men’s greater height and physical height and physical strength are highly valued resources. But industrialization gives people choices about how to live. Today, then, in societies like our own, biological differences provide little justification for partriachy. Legitimate or not, male dominance still holds. Some sociologists claim that biological factors â€Å"wire† the sexes with different motivations and behaviours, specifically more aggressiveness in males. Most sociologists, however, believe that gender is primarily a social construction that can be changed. Gender Socialization From birth until death, human feelings, thoughts and actions reflect the social as different kinds of human beings. By age tree, they incorporate gender into their identities by applying society’s standards to themselves. Just as gender affects how we think of ourselves, so it teaches us to act in normative ways. Gender roles are attitudes and activities that society links to each sex. Male – female differences Most of the differences between men and women turn out to be socially created. However there are some differences in physical ability between the sexes such as, on average, males are 10 percent taller, 20 percent heavier and 30 percent stronger, especially in their upper bodies. On the other hand, women outperform men in life expectancy. In adolescence, males show greater mathematical ability, whereas adolescent females excel in verbal skills a difference that reflects both biology and socialization. Research points no overall differences in intelligence between males and females. Biologically then, men and women differ in limited ways, neither one being naturally superior. Sex and the body At birth, females and males are distinguished by primary sex characteristics, namely the genital organs used to reproduce the human species. At puberty, humans exhibit secondary sex characteristics, whereby bodily development, apart from the genitals, that distinguishes biologically mature females and males. To accommodate pregnancy, giving birth, and nurturing infants, adolescent females develop wider hips, breasts and soft fatty tissue, thereby providing a reserve supply of nutrition for pregnancy and breast-feeding. Adolescent males, usually slightly taller and heavier than females from birth, typically develop more muscle in the upper body, more extensive body hair and deeper voices. Sexual orientation Sexual orientation refers to an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions to men, women, or both sexes. Sexual orientation also refers to a person’s sense of identity based on those attractions, related behaviors, and membership in a community of others who share those attractions. Research over several decades has demonstrated that sexual orientation ranges along a continuum, from exclusive attraction to the other sex to exclusive attraction to the same sex. However, sexual orientation is usually discussed in terms of three categories: heterosexual (having emotional, romantic, or sexual attractions to members of the other sex), gay/lesbian (having emotional, romantic, or sexual attractions to members of one’s own sex), and bisexual (having emotional, romantic, or sexual attractions to both men and women). This range of behaviors and attractions has been described in various cultures and nations throughout the world. Many cultures use identity labels to describe people who express these attractions. The most frequent labels are lesbians (women attracted to women), gay men (men attracted to men), and bisexual people (men or women attracted to both sexes).. Sexual orientation is distinct from other components of sex and gender, including biological sex (the anatomical, physiological, and genetic characteristics associated with being male or female), gender identity (the psychological sense of being male or female) and social gender role (the cultural norms that define feminine and masculine behavior). Sexual orientation is commonly discussed as if it were solely a characteristic of an individual, like biological sex, gender identity, or age. This perspective is incomplete because sexual orientation is defined in terms of relationships with others. People express their sexual orientation through behaviors with others, including such simple actions as holding hands or kissing. Thus, sexual orientation is closely tied to the intimate personal relationships that meet deeply felt needs for love, attachment, and intimacy. In addition to sexual behaviors, these bonds include nonsexual physical affection between partners, shared goals and values, mutual support, and ongoing commitment. Therefore, sexual orientation is not merely a personal characteristic within an individual. Rather, one’s sexual orientation defines the group of people in which one is likely to find the satisfying and fulfilling romantic relationships that are an essential component of personal identity for many people. How people know their Sexual orientation? According to current scientific and professional understanding, the core attractions that form the basis for adult sexual orientation typically emerge between middle childhood and early adolescence. These patterns of emotional, romantic, and sexual attraction may arise without any prior sexual experience. People can be celibate and still know their sexual orientation-–be it lesbian, gay, bisexual, or heterosexual. Different lesbian, gay, and bisexual people have very different experiences regarding their sexual orientation. Some people know that they are lesbian, gay, or bisexual for a long time before they actually pursue relationships with other people. Some people engage in sexual activity (with same-sex and/or other-sex partners) before assigning a clear label to their sexual orientation. Prejudice and discrimination make it difficult for many people to come to terms with their sexual orientation identities, so claiming a lesbian, gay, or bisexual identity may be a slow process. What role do prejudice and discrimination play in the lives of lesbian, gay, and bisexual people? Lesbian, gay, and bisexual people encounter extensive prejudice, discrimination, and violence because of their sexual orientation. Intense prejudice against lesbians, gay men, and bisexual people was widespread throughout much of the 20th century. Public opinion studies over the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s routinely showed that, among large segments of the public, lesbian, gay, and bisexual people were the target of strongly held negative attitudes. More recently, public opinion has increasingly opposed sexual orientation discrimination, but expressions of hostility toward lesbians and gay men remain common in contemporary American society. Prejudice against bisexuals appears to exist at comparable levels. In fact, bisexual individuals may face discrimination from some lesbian and gay people as well as from heterosexual people. Sexual orientation discrimination takes many formsSevere antigay prejudice is reflected in the high rate of harassment and violence directed toward lesbian, gay. Numerous surveys indicate that verbal harassment and abuse are nearly universal experiences among lesbian, gay, and bisexual people. Also, discrimination against lesbian, gay, and bisexual people in employment and housing appears to remain widespread. The HIV/AIDS pandemic is another area in which prejudice and discrimination against lesbian, gay, and bisexual people have had negative effects. Early in the pandemic, the assumption that HIV/AIDS was a â€Å"gay disease† contributed to the delay in addressing the massive social upheaval that AIDS would generate. Gay and bisexual men have been disproportionately affected by this disease. The association of HIV/AIDS with gay and bisexual men and the inaccurate belief that some people held that all gay and bisexual men were infected served to further stigmatize lesbian, gay, and bisexual people. What is the psychological impact of prejudice and discrimination? On the social level, prejudice and discrimination against lesbian, gay, and bisexual people are reflected in theeveryday stereotypes of members of these groups. These stereotypes persist even though they are not supported by evidence, and they are often used to excuse unequal treatment of lesbian, gay, and bisexual people. For example, limitations on job opportunities, parenting, and relationship recognition are often justified by stereotypic assumptions about lesbian, gay, and bisexual people. On an individual level, such prejudice and discrimination may also have negative consequences, especially if lesbian, gay, and bisexual people attempt to conceal or deny their sexual orientation. Although many lesbians and gay men learn to cope with the social stigma against homosexuality, this pattern of prejudice can have serious negative effects on health and well-being. Individuals and groups may have the impact of stigma reduced or worsened by other characteristics, such as race, ethnicity, religion, or disability. Some lesbian, gay, and bisexual people may face less of a stigma. For others, race, sex, religion, disability, or other characteristics may exacerbate the negative impact of The widespread prejudice, discrimination, and violence to which lesbians and gay men are often subjected are significant mental health concerns. Sexual prejudice, sexual orientation discrimination, and antigay violence are major sources of stress for lesbian, gay, and bisexual people. Although social support is crucial in coping with stress, antigay attitudes and discrimination may make it difficult for lesbian, gay, and bisexual people to find such support No, lesbian, gay, and bisexual orientations are not disorders. Research has found no inherent association between any of these sexual orientations and psychopathology. Both heterosexual behavior and homosexual behavior are normal aspects of human sexuality. Both have been documented in many different cultures and historical eras. Despite the persistence of stereotypes that portray lesbian, gay, and bisexual people as disturbed, several decades of research and clinical experience have led all mainstream medical and mental health organizations in this country to conclude that these orientations represent normal forms of human experience. Lesbian, gay, and bisexual relationships are normal forms of human bonding. Therefore, these mainstream organizations long ago abandoned classifications of homosexuality as a mental disorder. What is â€Å"coming out† and why is it important? The phrase â€Å"coming out† is used to refer to several aspects of lesbian, gay, and bisexual persons’ experiences: self-awareness of same-sex attractions; the telling of one or a few people about these attractions; widespread disclosure of same-sex attractions; and identification with the lesbian, gay, and bisexual community. Many people hesitate to come out because of the risks of meeting prejudice and discrimination. Some choose to keep their identity a secret; some choose to come out in limited circumstances; some decide to come out in very public ways. Coming out is often an important psychological step for lesbian, gay, and bisexual people. Research has shown that feeling positively about one’s sexual orientation and integrating it into one’s life fosters greater well-being and mental health. This integration often involves disclosing one’s identity to others; it may also entail participating in the gay community. Being able to discuss one’s sexual orientation with others also increases the availability of social support, which is crucial to mental health and psychological well-being. Like heterosexuals, lesbians, gay men, and bisexual people benefit from being able to share their lives with and receive support from family, friends, and acquaintances. Thus, it is not surprising that lesbians and gay men who feel they must conceal their sexual orientation report more frequent mental health concerns than do lesbians and gay men who are more open; they may even have more physical health problems. What about sexual orientation and coming out during adolescence? Adolescence is a period when people separate from their parents and families and begin to develop autonomy. Adolescence can be a period of experimentation, and many youths may question their sexual feelings. Becoming aware of sexual feelings is a normal developmental task of adolescence. Sometimes adolescents have same-sex feelings or experiences that cause confusion about their sexual orientation. This confusion appears to decline over time, with different outcomes for different individuals. Some adolescents desire and engage in same-sex behavior but do not identify as lesbian, gay, or bisexual, sometimes because of the stigma associated with a nonheterosexual orientation. Some adolescents experience continuing feelings of same-sex attraction but do not engage in any sexual activity or may engage in heterosexual behavior for varying lengths of time. Because of the stigma associated with same-sex attractions, many youths experience same-sex attraction for many years before becoming sexually active with partners of the same sex or disclosing their attractions to others. For some young people, this process of exploring same-sex attractions leads to a lesbian, gay, or bisexual identity. For some, acknowledging this identity can bring an end to confusion. When these young people receive the support of parents and others, they are often able to live satisfying and healthy lives and move through the usual process of adolescent development. The younger a person is when she or he acknowledges a nonheterosexual identity, the fewer internal and external resources she or he is likely to have. Therefore, youths who come out early are particularly in need of support from parents and others. Young people who identify as lesbian, gay, or bisexual may be more likely to face certain problems, including being bullied and having negative experiences in school. These experiences are associated with negative outcomes, such as suicidal thoughts, and high-risk activities, such as unprotected sex and alcohol and drug use. On the other hand, many lesbian, gay, and bisexual youths appear to experience no greater level of health or mental health risks. Where problems occur, they are closely associated with experiences of bias and discrimination in their environments. Support from important people in the teen’s life can provide a very helpful counterpart to bias and discrimination. Support in the family, at school, and in the broader society helps to reduce risk and encourage healthy development. Youth need caring and support, appropriately high expectations, and the encouragement to participate actively with peers. Lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth who do well despite stress—like all adolescents who do well despite stress—tend to be those who are socially competent, who have good problem-solving skills, who have a sense of autonomy and purpose, and who look forward to the future. In a related vein, some young people are presumed to be lesbian, gay, or bisexual because they don’t abide by traditional gender roles (i. e. , the cultural beliefs about what is appropriate â€Å"masculine† and â€Å"feminine† appearance and behavior). Whether these youths identify as heterosexual or as lesbian, gay, or bisexual, they encounter prejudice and discrimination based on the presumption that they are lesbian, gay, or bisexual. The best support for these young people is school and social climates that do not tolerate discriminatory language and behavior. What can people do to diminish prejudice and discrimination against lesbian,gay,and bisexual people? Lesbian, gay, and bisexual people who want to help reduce prejudice and discrimination can be open about their sexual orientation, even as they take necessary precautions to be as safe as possible. They can examine their own belief systems for the presence of antigay stereotypes. They can make use of the lesbian, gay, and bisexual community—as well as supportive heterosexual people—for support. Heterosexual people who wish to help reduce prejudice and discrimination can examine their own response to antigay stereotypes and prejudice. They can make a point of coming to know lesbian, gay, and bisexual people, and they can work with lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals and communities to combat prejudice and discrimination. Heterosexual individuals are often in a good position to ask other heterosexual people to consider the prejudicial or discriminatory nature of their beliefs and actions. Heterosexual allies can encourage nondiscrimination policies that include sexual orientation. They can work to make coming out safe. When lesbians, gay men, and bisexual people feel free to make public their sexual orientation, heterosexuals are given an opportunity to have personal contact with openly gay people and to perceive them as individuals. Studies of prejudice, including prejudice against gay people, consistently show that prejudice declines when members of the majority group interact with members of a minority group. In keeping with this general pattern, one of the most powerful influences on heterosexuals’ acceptance of gay people is having personal contact with an openly gay person. Antigay attitudes are far less common among members of the population who have a close friend or family member who is lesbian or gay, especially if the gay person has directly come out to the heterosexual person.

Reasons for the Development of Gothic Architecture

Reasons for the Development of Gothic Architecture Discuss the reasons for the development of the Gothic cathedral and explain how constructional problems were overcome The Gothic cathedral originates from twelfth century France where experimentation with radical new ideas about geometry witnessed a revolution in ecclesiastical architecture. The development of the Gothic style of architecture was not a sudden transformation it evolved over a long period, developing aspects of the Romanesque era which preceded it. Romanesque is characterised by a use of round or slightly pointed arches, barrel vaults, cruciform piers, supporting vaults, and groin vaults.[1] In the Gothic cathedral a greater emphasis was placed on verticality, featuring structures with great expanses of glass, sharply pointed spires, cluster columns, flying buttresses, ribbed vaults, pointed arches and imaginative sculptural detail.[2] The Abbey Church of St. Denis, where St. Deniss famous and influential Abbot Suger directed a west front in 1137, is thought to be the birthplace of the Gothic cathedral[3]. St. Denis was not a cathedral but the work there appears to have inspired refurbishment to the new Gothic style of a large number of Romanesque cathedrals in the surrounding Greater Paris Basin such as Sens (1140s), Notre Dame of Paris (1160), Chartres (1194), and Beauvais (1226).[4] The rediscovery of Eastern architectural styles and construction techniques by Crusaders returning from the Holy Land contributed to these developments in France.[5] For example, the flying buttress was a late Roman invention which was copied by the Arabs, and subsequently incorporated into what we now know as ‘Gothic.’[6] Ecclesiastical architecture was one of the most important statements of power, wealth and respect, and during the twelfth century when royal power was struggling to reassert itself, cathedral building was seen as a way of regaining the trust and admiration of the public. As Victor Hugo said of Notre-Dame: Each face, each stone of this venerable monument is not only a page of the history of the country, but also of the history of knowledge and art. Time is the architect, the people are the builder.[7] The complex architectural design of Notre-Dame reflects the influences of the rulers of the time and illustrates how important the construction of the early Gothic cathedral was to the leading powers of the country. During the reign of Louis VI and Louis VII the monarchy began to establish itself as a predominant power and unlike other regions of France where powerful counts supported the construction of monasteries and cathedrals, the Greater Paris basin had experienced minimal development of its ecclesiastical architecture. As Scott says: ‘The absence of a recent regional style, combined with the fact that most abbeys and cathedrals in the Greater Paris Basin were old and in disrepair, created an opportunity for wholesale renewal of churches that could not have arisen elsewhere.’[8] Cathedral building was to transcend its humble beginnings of the ideas of Abbot Suger, gradually transforming the earlier Romanesque style into something entirely new. The new style evolved across northern France and in1174 marked its arrival in England during the rebuilding of the twelfth century choir at Canterbury. The relationship between England and France was close compared to other countries: many high-ranking clergymen of twelfth-century England were French, and others who were English by birth had been educated at the great cathedral schools of France, such as Chartres and Notre Dame. Furthermore, in England, where the trend of post-Norman invasion architecture was coming to an end, there was a niche for a new style. As centre of the head of the Church of England, Canterbury Cathedral inspired the Gothic church building movement in England. The choir, which had been gutted by fire, was rebuilt as a shrine of the murdered archbishop, St. Thomas Becket. Cathedrals which follow ed the Gothic design included Chichester (c. 1187), Winchester (c. 1190), Lincoln (c. 1192), and Llandaff, Wales (c. 1193).[9] Constructional Problems The sheer size and volume of the masonry involved presented problems during the construction of Gothic cathedrals. In order to reach the great heights of the cathedrals elaborate scaffolds were needed, which were made of wood, together with winch systems. These materials would have suffered in bad weather, and during the winter coverings would have been put up so that some progress could be made.[10] The features of the evolving Gothic style such as the large stained-glass windows, the flying buttresses, and ribbed vaults perhaps caused the most problems during construction. Larger windows were desired to allow more light than traditional styles. This meant that the buildings had to be taller using flying buttresses to support higher ceilings with rib vaults to support. Although funded by the clergy, large scale projects still relied on limited resources. Costs of quarrying and transporting stone were high so in compensation vaults were made thinner.[11] Unfortunately this meant that vaults collapsed, and it was only through a process of experimentation and learning that these problems were overcome. The roof supports had to be aesthetically pleasing as well as functional. In France it was practice to thin the supports, and arrange them as ‘integral parts of an articulated system, of which the ribbed vaults were the crowning feature, (which) imparted a new vitality and dyn amic quality.’[12] In addition to this, the shafts supporting the cross-arches were often brought out and given greater distinction. The introduction of rib vaults also meant that secondary shafts were needed to support them.[13] The demand for light and stained glass meant a deviation from traditional circular designs in window surrounds. At Laon, the circular design of the window surround was incongruous with the flat surface of the glass.[14] At the same time a similar aesthetic conflict had sprung up between the rib-vault in the apse and its semicylindrical form. The development of the polygonal apse meant that these problems could be resolved. As Frankl explains it: ‘Even seen at an angle, a semicylindrical apse will always appear frontal, whereas in a polygonal apse, though one may stand frontally to one side, one will always see slanting sides at the same time. Several images are seen simultaneously, and all are included in the optical impression of the whole.[15] This solution to the problem is a fine example of how Gothic architecture experimented with appearance and form: designs became ambitious and it was the duty of the architect and builders to try and fulfil them. In conclusion, the evolution of the Gothic cathedral was an expensive and dynamic phenomenon which was driven by the ruling powers of the lands. As the buildings represented so much to both the prelates and the public the problems encountered during construction appear to have been a serious challenge, albeit one accepted by the society of the time. Bibliography Frankl, P., 1962, Gothic Architecture. Baltimore, MD: Penguin Davidson, C, 2002, Abbeys and Cathedrals. (http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/lj/churchlj/cathedral_04.shtml) Davis, M. T., 1998, Splendor and Peril: The Cathedral of Paris, 1290-1350. The Art Bulletin, Vol. 80 Harvey, J, 1950, The Gothic World, 1100-1600: A Survey of Architecture and Art. London: B. T. Batsford Ltd Scott, R.A, 2003, The Gothic Enterprise: A Guide to Understanding the Medieval Cathedral. California: University of California Press The Social Background of Gothic Cathedrals. 2004, Architectural Science Review. Volume: 47. Issue: 2. University of Sydney, Faculty of Architecture: Gale Group Online encyclopaedia: (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romanesque) Online encyclopaedia: (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gothic_Cathedral#Characteristics) 1 [1] Online encyclopaedia: ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romanesque)  Ã‚   [2] Online encyclopaedia: (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gothic_Cathedral#Characteristics)   [3] Scott, R.A, 2003, The Gothic Enterprise: A Guide to Understanding the Medieval Cathedral. California: University of California Press, p.12.   [4] Ibid, p.12-13.   [5] Davidson, C, 2002, Abbeys and Cathedrals. (http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/lj/churchlj/cathedral_04.shtml)   [6] The Social Background of Gothic Cathedrals. 2004, Architectural Science Review. Volume: 47. Issue: 2. University of Sydney, Faculty of Architecture: Gale Group, p.209.   [7] Quoted from Davis, M. T., 1998, Splendor and Peril: The Cathedral of Paris, 1290-1350. The Art Bulletin, Vol. 80.   [8] Scott, R.A, 2003, The Gothic Enterprise: A Guide to Understanding the Medieval Cathedral. California: University of California Press, p.13.   [9] Ibid, pp.14-15.   [10] Davidson, C, 2002, Abbeys and cathedrals. (http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/lj/churchlj/cathedral_04.shtml)   [11] The Social Background of Gothic Cathedrals. 2004, Architectural Science Review. Volume: 47. Issue: 2. University of Sydney, Faculty of Architecture: Gale Group, p.209.   [12] Harvey, J, 1950, The Gothic World, 1100-1600: A Survey of Architecture and Art. London: B. T. Batsford Ltd, p.59.   [13] Ibid, p.59.   [14] Frankl, P., 1962, Gothic Architecture. Baltimore, MD: Penguin, p.42.   [15] Ibid, p.43.

Essay --

Formal Analysis Paper Claude Oscar Monet (1840-1926) was a French painter known for his use of bold color and unusual subject matter. In the 1860’s, Monet joined like-minded artists such as Edgar Degas; to create the movement that became known as Impressionism. Edgar Degas (1834–1917) was also French but born to a wealthy family. He benefitted from traditional training and was not comfortable with the label â€Å"Impressionist† due to this training. This paper intends to analyze Claude Monet’s "The Walk, Woman with a Parasol"(fig. 1), and Edgar Degas’ â€Å"The Little Fourteen–Year–Old Dancer† (fig. 2), through a consideration of composition, use of color, perspective, and brush strokes. Capturing the natural play of light and shadow was a signature theme in all of Monet’s work. In this painting, he positions the light to the right of the woman and boy which leads the viewer’s eye up. He then uses shadows in the parasol, the woman’s face and on the ground to lead the viewer’s eye back down the painting. The deliberate placement of the light and shade is an effective tool that he uses with a lighter touch in the boys clothing, the clouds and notably the grass. This piece showcases Monet’s use of color, which was another one of his signature themes. He uses cool colors to give the painting a tranquil feeling and to help emphasize his subjects, the woman and boy. He stays with the cool color pallet with use of blue in; the sky, the woman’s clothes, the grass and the boy’s clothes. He then incorporates warm colors into the piece with the use of white in the clouds, and in the models’ clothes, the parasol, an d even in the grass. Monet used the highlights of yellow and white to serve as focal points as well as natural highlights... ...al cloth. While the corset appears to be tailored loosely, the tutu seems to fit but it lies limp against the figure’s legs. Despite the use of mixed media, the dancers tights are actually sculpted, not fabric. The ballet slippers are actual shoes coated with wax; the same wax covers the entire sculpture, preserving her and the fragile elements. In Monet’s painting, "The Walk, Woman with a Parasol", the viewer is led through a journey of expressive brushstrokes, color, and the playfulness of light and shadows. He successfully uses his impressionistic brushwork to grasp the viewer’s attention and keeps their interest with his balancing of warm light and the shadowing cool colors. Degas uses his knowledge and study of the human figure to grab the viewer’s attention; he then follows up with his unconventional use of bronze and mixed media to keep their intrest. â€Æ'

History of the Sound Card :: essays research papers

History of the Sound Card: How it Came About The very first sound card every manufactured was a Sound Blaster card. Far West was the manufacturer of the first Sound Blaster sound card. Let’s step back a little in time to take a look back at when sound cards haven’t even yet existed. â€Å"Computers were never designed to handle sound.† Before sound cards were invented, the only sounds you would hear from a computer would be the beeps that would tell you if something was wrong with the computer. That’s all! No sounds would accompany any games, you couldn’t play music at all, nothing! Computer programmers wanted to use the beeps for games they created, and so they would program the beeps into their games. However, it would be â€Å"awful music as an accompaniment to games like Space Invaders†. Far West came up with the solution, thus the invention of the first Sound Blaster sound card. It still wasn’t good quality music, but it was a big step up from just the beeps. â€Å"It could record real audio and play it back, something of a quantum leap. It also had a MIDI interface, still common on sound cards today, which could control synthesizers, samplers and other electronic music equipment†. The first sound card was of 8 bit 11 kHz audio quality, similar to an AM radio. There are two parts to the â€Å"complicated piece of electronics†, the sound card. ADC and DAC were they. ADC is the analog-to-digital converter and DAC being the opposite (digital-to-analog converter). ADC took an analog signal from a device and converts it to digital signals for the computer to use, as DAC did the exact opposite, taking a digital signal and converting it to analog. However, in the future, there will be no use of ADC and DAC since â€Å"both speakers and microphones will be able to directly record and playback digital signals directly†. An example of ADC would be a sound through the microphone being recorded into the computer. A CD player is an example of a device that uses DAC.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Digital audio has its advantages. One would be that â€Å"no matter how many times it is copied it remains identical†. It does not degrade analogue sources. An example of an analogue source is vinyl. A leap up to 16 bit 44.1 kHz was a major development. This is the quality of a CD. This became a problem for the ISA bus.

The Executive Summary of the Business Plan :: Business Plans Financial Statements Essays

The Executive Summary of the Business Plan The executive summary is the most important part of the business plan. Many people will only read this. The summary in itself will not secure an investor, however, it can loose them. Quality - the quality of the summary must therefore be outstanding and you should pay particular attention to it. Obtain critical feedback from others on your drafts. Stand-alone - it is also used as a stand-alone document when introducing the project to others so it must be able to capture interest and entice the reader to take the next step and request more information - and secure a meeting. Style – cogent and terse. It should be direct and organized as a series of bulleted paragraphs, each deals with one key area. No waffle. Length - ideally one page, and certainly not more than two pages. Content - it needs to:  Introduce the project in terms of what area it is concerned with, what it is trying to do, and list the key individuals and advisors involved  Describe the stage the project reached particularly in terms of the "readiness for market" of its products, or product concepts, and outline any intellectual property, such as patents, that may support the products  Highlight the main market characteristics, including size and growth, and specify the market opportunity that you are addressing  State the central competitive advantages of your products and/or processes, how distinct they are from the competition and in what way, and how these are important to customers  Summarize the objectives of the company in the short and long term, and quantify these with specific numbers. Outline the key strategies you will use to achieve them  Include any "evidence of success" - this may be trade reviews, analyst comments, sales or partnership agreements, working prototypes, market testing, etc. which help to make the project more tangible to the reader and raises confidence in the project  Highlight any other key issues that should be noted  State your finance requirements and what stake in the company is available for this (see Financial Structure), and the planned exit strategy for the investor - i.e. how the investor will realize their return from the project. For more on this click Financing Structure. Example Text:  XYZ Company Limited is an Expert Design Consultancy focusing on Packaging Design Solutions for â€Å"Fast Moving Consumer Goods† (FMCG) in the Personal Care industry.

Moving Towards a Global Community Essay

With Communism finally thought of as discredited, the US believed that it could finally assume sole dominance of global political and economic affairs. The US was wrong, as Communism was replaced with a new foe – terrorism. The 1990s saw the emergence of Islamic terrorist groups, all of which have a single-minded goal to destroy the US. These terrorist organizations justify their actions by arguing that it is their duty as good Muslims to wage a war against all enemies of Islam (Halliday, 2003). Roots of the â€Å"Jihad† Most Islamic terrorist organizations came from Third World countries, where poverty and government corruption are rampant. Furthermore, majority of the countries from which these terrorist groups originated are governed by pro-US regimes. In exchange for unlimited access to the raw materials of their respective countries, the US would grant them political, economic and military assistance. The aforementioned scenario is conducive to the rise of Islamic terrorist organizations. Impoverished and desperate, many Muslims from the Third World find solace from these groups, who offer them overly simplistic explanations for their destitute state. Leaders of Islamic terrorist organizations usually brainwash neophytes into believing that the US is responsible for the political, economic and social ills in their country. Thus, as good Muslims, they must fight the US even at the cost of their very lives. The US, on the other hand, would protect itself by calling on lackey regimes to â€Å"fight terrorism† by crushing these groups, often at the expense of civil rights and liberties of their constituents (Palmer and Palmer, 2004). References Halliday, F. (2003). Islam and the Myth of Confrontation: Religion and Politics in the Middle East (2nd ed. ). London: I. B. Tauris. Palmer, M. , & Palmer, P. (2004). At the Heart of Terror: Islam, Jihadists, and America’s War on Terrorism. New York: Rowman and Littlefield.

Teaching Computer Architecture: How to Introduce the Class

Introduction: How to Teaching is simple. It does not always require creativity to do it right. It is the art of using the right teaching method for the right student personality in the right environment. How much a particular student learns in a course is actually governed partially by that learner's native ability and preceding preparation but also by the consistency of his learning style and the teacher's teaching style. Teachers' teaching plans can exceed the learning process for the students and can improve their learning quality as well if it is well-matched the students' learning styles.The concept of learning styles – which states that different learners have different needs, ways of processing and adapting information, and therefore need to be taught differently so that their learning and achievement are more effective – has been a significant area of investigation in learning theories for over thirty years. In this paper I am designing a teaching plan driven by students learning styles and compatible with the basic two types of learning styles: visual and verbal learning styles.Teaching computer architecture has been examined in many ways like prototyping [1], learning through experience [2] [3] but it hasn't addressed by matching the teaching style with the students learning styles. I chose the first lesson of the computer architecture â€Å"introducing computer architecture course to the students† as an example to prove the enhancement of this approach in teaching computer architecture. The paper is divided to some sections.The first one is setting the base knowledge of the terms that will be used through this paper starting from explaining learning styles then going to clarifying the visual and auditory learning styles. After that, I am going to implement the introduced background in computer architecture context to computer architecture course (ACCESS) at University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. Finally, I will suggest how t o evaluate the applicability and the enhancement of this proposed plan followed by a brief dissection.Page 1 Motivation: First, I was motivated by the importance of computer architecture course. Second, my motivation was also the challenges that I faced in this course thus I didn't satisfactorily understand its concepts. My reason of not fully getting the content was personal; my background knowledge that was required to this course wasn't adequate. Then I asked myself how much have the other students, who have fulfilled the prerequisite, learned? Did they get the essentials of the course?And these questions have formulated my effort presented in this paper here in order to both facilitate their learning and improve their learning quality of this substantial course. Background: A. Learning styles: Learning in an organized educational situation may be thought of as a two-step process encompassing the reception and processing of information. Learning styles can be defined as the prefe rences of an individual in a particular learning situation 4]. It refers to the preferred way of a learner to receive information.Individuals are dissimilar in how they learn. In [5], Richard M. Folder had proposed a model of learning and teaching styles in engineering education that consists of five learning styles dimensions: sensory and intuitive, visual and verbal, inductive and deductive, active and reflective, and finally sequential and global. To match the teaching method with a category of the students learning styles, it changes the way to present information or the way to organize it and sometimes both. B.Visual and Verbal Learners In his model, he had considered the visual and verbal learning styles and had categorized them in the input dimension that deals with the component of the learning process in which information is observed. People receive information in many ways. These ways may be divided into three categories, sometimes mentioned to as modalities: visual ways t hat refers to sights, pictures, diagrams, symbols; auditory ways that use sounds, words; kinesthesia ways such as taste, touch, and smell.Thus, there are visual, verbal, and kinesthesia learners. Visual learners have a reference of seeing: pictures, diagrams, flow charts, time lines, films, or demonstrations and they remember best what they see. They usually like to see the teacher's body language and expressions to better understand the content of lessons, highlight the important points of the lesson with pretty colors, and they Page 2 illustrate the concepts to fully understand and memorize it.If information is simply said to them, they will forget it easily. Auditory learners remember best what they listen to. They acquire a lot out of discussion, learn efficiently by explaining things to ACH other, take the underlying meanings of speech through focusing their listening to tone of voice, read the written materials out loud to absorb and memorize them well, and they prefer verbal clarification to optical demonstration. According to Richard M.Folder, â€Å"most people of college age and older are visual while most college teaching is verbal?the information presented is predominantly auditory (lecturing) or a visual representation of auditory information (words and mathematical symbols written in texts and handouts, on transparencies, or on a chalkboard)†. This present a problem to many learners. C. How we learn? How People Learn: Brain Mind, Experience, and School book [6] has concluded seven primary points of how people learn: 1.Leaning is facilitated when knowledge is structured around major concepts and principles. 2. A learner's prior knowledge is the starting point of effective learning. 3. Awareness and self-monitoring of learning (â€Å"meta-cognition†) are important for acquiring proficiency. 4. Learners' belief about their ability to learn affects their success. 5. Recognizing and accommodating differences in the ways people learn are e ssential. 6. Learning is shaped by the context in which it occurs. . Learning can be strengthened through collaboration.These points also were the foundations of the vision for the future science and engineering learning environment that was anticipated in the new electrical and computer engineering curriculum in 2013 and beyond [7]. In my paper, I am suggesting a plan that is in line with both points number 1 and 5. Implementation: To implement a teaching plan that focuses on visual and verbal learning styles in the computer architecture context, I will be using visual and aural tools to present the content and I will mix using them while I am explaining each concept.The aural tools will be spoken words or written presented text. On the other hand, the visual tools will Page 3 vary between pictures, diagrams and charts. This teaching plan is intended for introducing computer architecture course ACCESS/5200 at University of Colorado at Colorado Spring. The laconic teaching goals for this lesson are: 0 0 0 0 Student defines computer architecture. Student recognizes the role of the technology trends in computer architecture. Student distinguishes between computer architecture and instruction set architecture. Student lists two types of parallelism.And it will be organized as the following: 1. Prerequisite classes. 2. A foreword. 3. Computer architecture definition. 4. Computer architecture intersection. 5. Computer architecture classifications. 6. Why does it matter? 7. Course content. 8. Conclusion. 1 . Prerequisite classes Dependency or process diagram is going to be utilized to show the computer organization prerequisite classes. Computer organization 2. A foreword. Computers have different ways of how we see them. Computer Architecture Personal Mobile devices Desktop Computing Servers Clusters/ warehouseman computers Embedded computersEach of these unlike computers has its own characteristics, requirement, and computing technologies. However, they all have a t least a processor, memory, 1/0 device, and a way to communicate between them. Another way to see computers is this picture. Page 4 Applications System software Hardware SIS SIS in this picture is abbreviation of instruction set architecture, the boundaries between the hardware and the software. 3. Computer architecture definition: So, what is computer architecture? What do the computer architects do? The definition will be driven from the presented pictures above. Computer architects design imputer systems.Hence, it is not equal to designing SIS any more (old definition) SIS is actually a part of computer architecture. The word architecture nowadays covers all three aspects of computer design – instruction set architecture, organization or macrostructure, and hardware [8]. Computer architecture has been defined as designing the organization and hardware of the computer to meet goals and Measurement and Analysis Design Requirements and Castrations functional requirements [8] (figure: 1). 4. Computer architecture intersection: SIS Compiler Logical design Computer architecture is not a stand-alone subject.In order to obtain better computer design, it calls for familiarities with several topics like What do the computer architects do? Figure 1 : compiler, history of computers, and operating systems (figure: 2). A useful suggested tool to visualize the above Computer Architecture prop languages SO Computer history Figure 2: computer architecture interaction http://loving. Host. Sky/attendant/Operating-System-Extended-Machine. HTML Page 5 content would be Venn diagram. 5. Computer architecture classification: The most popular known classification of the computer architecture is Flan's taxonomy.It insiders only the computer processor of the designed computer system. The memory, interconnections, 1/0 devises aren't involved in Flan's taxonomy. The processor receive two kinds of information flow whether data or instruction. According to Flan's taxonomy, both o f the instruction or data streams can be single or multiple. Architecture categories Flan's Taxonomy SITS SIMD MID MISS Another architecture classification is based on the type of parallelism that is exploited in the designed computer system. Tow type of parallelism at the computer application Parallel architecture Data level parallelismTask level parallelism level: data level parallelism and task level parallelism 6. Why does it matter? Architects design architecture for a given technology. Technology parameters quickly change over time. So, it is important to trace the technology trends and plan for it as architects (figure: 3). Parameter Time Page 6 Figure 3: Technology trends Technology: Integrated circuit technology DRAM, Flash Magnetic disk technology Bandwidth and Latency Transistors and Wires Power and Energy: Thermal Design Power (TIP) Dynamic Energy and Power Static power consumption Cost: DRAM pence Microprocessors price Integrated Circuit Cost 7.Course topics: Computer a rchitecture Quantitative approach [8] is a popular book for teaching computer architecture class in many universities, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs as well. So, I am going to adopt the content of this book to introduce the computer architecture topics. Here is a dependency diagram to present the course topics and the book chapters at the same time in relational manner to give the student a glance of how the topics are structured. Also, it can be extended by building up new dependency relations between the chapters as the instructor start to explain them later on the course.This method is to facilitate the learning according to How People Learn book [6] point number one. Chap: 1 Fundamentals of Quantitative Design and Analysis Chap: 2 Memory hierarchy design Chap: 3 instruction-Level Parallelism Chap: 4 Data-Level Parallelism Appendix B Appendix C Chap: 5 Multiprocessors and Threadlike Parallelism page 7 Chap: 6 The Warehouse-Scale Computer 8. Close the talk by summariz ing the information. In conclusion, the computer architecture is to design the organization and the hardware of the computer to meet its functional requirements and intended goals.To do that best, architects asked for taking the technology trends in its consideration to lengthen the life of the designed architects and for taking advantages of parallelism in order to make it scalable and efficient. Measurement and Analysis Indeed, Just one thing needs to change in the teaching plan to engage both visual and verbal learning styles- change the way to present information, provide visual aids in addition to verbal ones. Evaluation: In this section, I am going to suggest an evaluating procedure consist of two parts: satisfaction evaluation and outcome evaluation.First, to assess the satisfaction of this Lana, instructor can look to the learning style for each student in the class using one of the learning styles inventory test that are provided online like: http:// www. Learning-storyline . Com/inventory/questions. PH? Cockiest=y or http:// Then, count the percentage of students that has visual learning style, aural learning style, and other styles. After that, calculate the how much of the students learning styles are covered by this plan design, sum visual and verbal students.Finally, count the parentage of students learning styles that this plan considered to evaluate the degree of satisfaction. Second, in a teaching and learning, the most actual evaluation is that which on the basis of students learning outcomes. So, to measure this plan outcome, instructor can use either way quantitative or qualitative approach like: asking some direct questions to Page 8 students to examine their understanding; print out an assessment examination and give it to each student (figure: 4); asking all the students if they have any questions about the lecture.I recommend the simplest evaluating methodology like the method suggested in [9],†instructors should avoid questions or situations that could make it wizard for students to respond (â€Å"Who is lost? â€Å") or are so generic as to lead to nonresidents (â€Å"Are there any questions? â€Å"). Instead, instructors should pose questions that encourage more specific responses, (e. G. , â€Å"How many of you understand what we are talking about? â€Å"). † Name: ? What is computer architecture? Name: From 1 to 10: How much important is this course?How much you think you can learn this course? As (high – medium – low): How much important is this course? How much you think you can learn this course? Figure 4: example of printed students' assessment Discussion: In USC computer architecture class, while implementing the presented approach, I notice a further unintended advantage. The main goal for this plan was to match the learning style for the visual and verbal learners. But I discovered that it has advantages even if the learning style doesn't match the student like the case o f international students.Indeed, this plan improves the learning for the verbal learners who are taught by a different language from what they are natively speak. There was almost 15% of the students in the ACCESS at USC are international students. This approach can contribute to solve the learning difficulties that the international students face. Assuming that the international students misunderstand 5% to 35% from the spoken language in the lecture, due to the lack of their English vocabularies and synonyms that they are familiar with, the percentage expected to decrease when the instructor uses visual tools in their teaching.Consequently, the progress is accomplished by reducing the misunderstanding percentage of the international students. Observing the visualization tools in this teaching plan, it was suitable for the context that they have been exploited in. One of the efficient teaching visualization tools to computer architecture course is simulators [10], it hasn't used in this suggested plan because it had addressed introducing the course but it still can be used later on the lectures.It helps explaining the main concepts in the course such as CPU [1 1], SIS, or cache memory. Page 9 Even if the computer architecture topics expand, this suggested plan will still be applicable and it will not needs significant changes. Conclusion: In conclusion, the main effort in this paper was a contribution to utilize delivering the computer architecture content to the students. I have used a teaching method that focuses on students' learning style and I have designed a constructible teaching plan.In my suggested designed teaching plan for the first day of computer architecture class, I have chosen two basic learning styles of student, visual and verbal learning styles. Then, I propose a way to evaluate the success of it. In my discussion, I discussed several points; I highlighted a benefit for this approach for international students as well; mentioned visualizati on tools are useful and recommended additional one that haven't used but can be used later in the course, simulations is useful for chemotherapeutics. Bibliography [1] E. J. Barbara, H.. B.