Gun Control Policy a Review of the Literature Essay Example

Gun Control Policy: a Review of the Literature Essay Gun Control and Policy: A Review of the Literature Abstract â€Å"A Well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a Free State, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed. † Amendment II, Bill of Rights Constitution of the U. S The Second Amendment has been a major issue in American politics since 1876. The nations powerful gun lobby, the National Rifle Association, holds that it means the right to keep and bear arms any arms. One day an innocent kid walking home from school gets shot in a drive by shooting is he just a victim of circumstance or could this of been easily prevented. There are lobbyist for the private ownership of guns and lobbyist for legislation to ban personal possession of guns for good. In this paper I hope that just maybe I can persuade you to think differently on a topic that’s stirring up the nation. The lobbyist give credibility to this statement by adding that criminal violence continues to increase in cities like New York and Washington DC, even though gun control statutes were put into effect. According to the NRA, anti-crime measures are the way to conquer urban violence, not anti-gun measures. The hope of most members in the association is to educate people about guns. The association is willing to reveal proper usage of guns to non-gun owners. Introduction The Second Amendment of the Bill of Rights gives people the right to keep and bear arms. (Lubanski, 2006) The ideas of setting strict laws that allow only hunting rifle use, and laws that allow more freedom have been argued over for many years. The best argument protecting the Second Amendment is that people have more security when possessing a gun. Although this is possibly true, gun control provides much more than comfort for the people. We will write a custom essay sample on Gun Control Policy: a Review of the Literature specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Gun Control Policy: a Review of the Literature specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Gun Control Policy: a Review of the Literature specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer The second amendment has some benefits, but many dangers also come with having the right to own a gun. One of these dangers includes violence and death with our youth. If Gun Control laws are put into action, they will help prevent deaths of innocent people who carry guns. Gun Control will also help prevent terrorism against us or anyone else with the terrorists using guns from our own country. Gun control will also help prevent robberies and other treacherous hostage situations. U. S. gun control policy, past to present The United States Constitution was written over two hundred years ago by a group of societies finest. These men shaped the United States as we live in a world of democracy. These well mannered men controlled most of the land, harbors, and agriculture within the United States. Living in the new world law and order needed to be formed. To defend and gather men to fight against the enemy a law had to be passed. Citizens would use arms to defeat the enemy and protect the ones valuables. According to Lee (2009), The Constitution did not adequately define â€Å"arms†. When it was adopted, â€Å"arms† included muzzle loaded muskets and pistols, swords, knives, bow with arrows, and spears. However, a common law definition would be â€Å"light infantry weapons which can be carried and used, together with ammunition, by a single militiaman, functionally equivalent to those commonly used by infantrymen in land warfare†. â€Å"The advantage of being armed Americans possess over the people of all other nations. Notwithstanding the military establishments in the several Kingdoms of Europe, which are carried as far as the public resources will bear, the governments are afraid to trust the people with arms. † (Lubanski, 2006) The use of guns is often the American technique of choice for all kinds of conflict resolution. Our famous Constitution, about which many of us are generally so proud, enshrines along with the right to freedom of speech, press, religion and assembles the right to own guns. Not all of us are so proud and triumphant about the gun guarantee clause. (Press, 2008) The right to free speech, press, religion and assembly and so on seem to be working well, but the gun part not so much. According to Lee (2009), James Madison is the role in the creation of the American bill of right from 1787 to 1791. He worked tirelessly including Constitutional convention, the Virginia ratifying convention, and to see the Bills of Right of approved. Without Madison, those ten amendments, this became the foundation of liberty and might not have come part of constitution. The Second amendments provide â€Å"A will regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of Free states, the right of people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed. † (Lee, 2009) According to Joibu (2001) the present research draws on two strands of empirical investigation to derive the hypothesis that the less confidence people have in the federal government, the more likely they are to own guns. Some gun owners have manifested a distrust of the federal government in light of gun control legislation. Any discourse about gun polices that focuses exclusively on the positive and negative consequences of gun ownership for the individual, community, and society may be valuable but will miss an essential point: specifically for many people think gun is an icon for evil and violence, but for others the same gun is an icon for democracy and personal empowerment. Teenage students and children misguided use of gun According to the Associated Press (2008), some misguided people will focus on the fact that the twenty three years old student who killed his classmates and other at Virginia Tech was ethnically Korean; this is one of those observations that are 99. 99 percent irrelevant. What are we to make of the fact that he is Korean? Just disregard all the hoopla about the race of student responsible for the slayings. These students were not killed by a Korean; they were killed by a nine millimeter handgun and a point twenty two caliber handgun. Which it was legal for him to obtain? Storing a personal fire arm on college campus is prohibited by law. So when this Virginia Tech student completed his rampage, did anyone notice that he purchased a lot of ammo and showed signs of abnormal behaviors? We can only speculate what caused his former peers. How many people’s think guns are necessary to protect their self? Is anyone feeling the same way that how often guns kill children? According to Phelps (2009), magazines and media usually tell people how beautiful and powerful guns are and never mention how many children get hurt by guns every day. In fact that guns are a weapons of violence, they take more lives away every year, and they make people blind to the fact they killing their own children. The gun control laws would help cut back on the store robberies, bank robberies, gang shootings etc. Gun laws that restrict the sale of handguns would help keep hand guns out of criminals’ hands. I understand the beliefs of some who feel that by banning guns the streets on communities would be a much a safer place. (Phelps, 2009) According to Weil (1997), Prof. John Lott of the University of Chicago recent studies show that owning guns reduces crime. Criminals usually attack those that appear vulnerable. Thus having a gun will ward of criminals, showed that by adopting shall issue concealed carry handgun laws, thirty one states have reduced murders, on average, by seven percent, rapes by five percents, aggravated assaults by seven percent and robbery by three percent. Children aged five to fourteen living in one of the five high gun states were twice as likely to commit suicide or to be murdered, three times as likely to die from firearm homicide, seven times as likely to die from firearm suicide, and sixteen times as likely to die from a firearm related accident. Humphries, 2002) According to Humphries (2002) study suggests the higher death rates are largely related to gun availability and are not due to difference in levels of poverty, education or urbanization in these states. According to the American Students Association (2009) Gun use in America is associated with a number of medical problems for primary care physicians, in cluding traumatic injury, homicide, suicide and domestic violence. All patients are susceptible to firearm violence: children playing with loaded weapons, teenagers walking unsafe streets, women in abusive relationships and adults defending their homes. Firearm-related injury and death occurs with surprising frequency. One child in America dies from a gunshot wound every ninety minutes, and thirty children and adolescents under age of nineteen a school classroom die every two days as a result of firearms. The number of violent events is growing; the incidence of firearm-related homicides has increased sharply over the past decade, peaking at 38,500 deaths in 1994, very nearly the same as the number of people died in a motor vehicle accident in 1994 and even though the use of motor vehicles is more widespread. Although physicians recognize the gravity of this epidemic of violence, very few promote gun safety in clinical encounters or publicly advocate control of gun violence. District of Columbria’s gun control policy According to Pratt (2008), over forty million Americans own a gun. Between 55,000 and 120,000 times a year, an American uses his gun in self-defense. Dick Heller, a special police officer in District of Columbia, was licensed to carry handgun during his shift at the Federal Judicial Center. He challenged D. C. s gun control Laws on Second Amendment grounds and sought to have them enjoined as unconstitutional. The Supreme Court addressed the scope of the Second Amendments right to bear arms in striking down D. C. laws that strictly regulated handguns and other firearms. The Court unanimously held that the Second Amendment confers an individual right, and a bare majority of the Court held that this right includes possessing weapons in the home for self-defense. Eighteen months after Congress established home rule for the District of Columbia Council votes 12 to 1 in favor of a bill restricting city residents from acquiring handguns. Pratt, 2008) According to Heller (2008) the law exempts guards, police officers and owners who had registered their handguns before it took effect. Under the bill, all firearms (including rifles and shotguns, which were not restricted by the law) must be kept unloaded and disassembled, except those in business establishments. The D. C. Council and Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D) approved municipal legislation after the Supreme Court ruling that allows ownership of han dguns in the city, but with restrictions. According to Heller (2008), as of April 2008, District of Columbia can purchase, possess and carry firearms. All rifles and shot guns must be registered with the metropolitan police and to obtain the registration must be 21 years old and above or over 18 years old must have liability signed by guardian. No hand gun will be possessed in metropolitan areas unless it is registered. Carrying hand guns in the District prohibited but all firearms must be kept at one’s home or place of business. Non-residents are prohibited to carry or possess hand guns while traveling in the District. National Rifle Association-Institute for Legislative in Action According to The National Rifle Association created the Institute for Legislative in Action (2009) established in 1975, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the lobbying arm of the National Rifle Association of America.. Their mission statement entails preserving and protecting the Second Amendment, which guarantees the ability of law-abiding citizens to own and use firearms for legal and acceptable purposes. The Institute is not directly associated with any specific ammunition or gun makers. It receives financial support from member dues and other contributions for the Institutes legislative activity. The National Rifle Association has headquarters in Fairfax, VA, Washington DC, and Sacramento, CA. The Institute is able to employ seven full-time lobbyists on Capitol Hill and over 70 other employees elsewhere. The National Rifle Association has more than 2. 8 million members nationwide. This number has doubled since 1978. The main reason that the NRA is able to fight restrictions on gun control is due to the fact that their membership is so large. Whenever a bill or other form of legislation is proposed, the NRA supporters begin to write and contact their representatives. According to The National Rifle Association created the Institute for Legislative in Action (2009) the institute also educates the public by distributing brochures and articles on ownership, self-defense, and safety of firearms. Additionally, the institute informs the public on the constitutionality of firearm ownership and other means of crime fighting measures. The NRA puts its trust on what they believe is a simple and important truth: when provided with facts, the nations elected officials will recognize that gun control schemes are a proven failure in fighting crime and an infringement on the 2nd Amendment. This belief is undoubtedly deeply embedded into many people in our country. Proof is found in the success and development of the National Rifle Association. According to Billeaud (2009) Senator John McCain and former presidential candidate spoke at NRA nation 138th annual meeting about Mexico drug war should not use an excuse try to limit United States gun right. In Mexico drug organizations are fighting each other for the most profitable drug and immigration smuggling route to United States. The federal agents in United States were saying most guns recovered at killing in Mexico were exported from United States. According to Dionne (2009) there are hundreds or thousands of guns, including assault weapons, were pouring across the Mexican border into Arizona, New Mexico and Southern California, arming criminal gangs who were killing American law enforcement officials and other U. S. citizens. American Gun Lobby is too big and more powerful than Obama and him to push a rational and limited gun regulation through the congress. The Mexican gangs are able to use gun purchased in U. S. because of our loophole gun show and insanely permissive gun regulation. According to Jonsson (2009) The 47,000 gun-loving Americans who attended the 138th NRA Convention bore the hopes of many disgruntled, mostly white Americans who seek to check what they see as Washingtons liberal trajectory. Currently, NRA memberships are growing, guns registrations are sky rocking and ammunition store are back ordered. NRA is proposing cut down on gun-show loopholes that allow paperless gun sales will face major hurdles. Conclusion As a result of the many school shootings that have taken place in the last few years, there has been a huge push for stricter gun control laws. Many people dont feel safe in todays society. There are some people who are opposed to stricter gun control laws. Many gun enthusiasts dont believe that gun control laws really work because only the law abiding citizens would follow them and they arent the ones creating the problem. These people do present some good arguments for getting rid of gun control. Many people think that gun control is right because they think keeping people away from guns will reduce the amount of deaths each year. They also think that guns cause many of the deaths that had been committed each year. Also when ever people hear the word gun, the thoughts are of violence and negativity. Many people, I included think gun control is wrong because we know that it is not necessary, since we know that guns were not involved in many of the deaths caused each year.

The Company of Wolves Research Paper Example

The Company of Wolves Research Paper Example The Company of Wolves Paper The Company of Wolves Paper Essay Topic: Beauty and the Beast and Other Tales In The Company of Wolves the distinction made between man and wolf is based upon, the wolf is the worst for he cannot listen to reason. (p. 111) The forest the wolf inhabits represents an intermediary between the natural and unnatural worlds and it is between the portals of the great pines (p. 111) that the danger lies. It is the apparent danger and inherent fears of the intermediate grey areas that allows Carter to use these realms as the centres for her subversive discourse. The wolf may be more than he seems, (p.111) for in his human form he also represents the peril that is the naked man (! ) The emphasis in this tale resting on the masculinity of the wolf. The wolf is carnivore incarnate,'(p. 110) a phrase repeated three times in the tale, thus the predator/prey relationship between the man and woman is focused upon and subverted when it is the adolescent girl who encourages the sexual encounter with the wolf. By actively burning his clothes she condemn [s] him to wolfishness (p. 113) a state, which to the girl seems preferable to manishness. Alice and the girl in The Company of Wolves both reside in the realms between childhood and adulthood, on the brink of sexual maturity; between the virgin-child and the fallen woman of Perraults tale. Red Riding Hood ripped (p. 118) off the wolfs shirt and despite the fact that the old bones under the bed set up a terrible clattering she did not pay them any heed. (p. 118) In some aspect of the adaptation the girl has outwolfed the wolf. She will lay his fearful head on her lap, (p. 118) the ambiguity lying in where the fear dwells, is the wolf now afraid of her assertive sexuality? An image strikingly different from her initial presentation, She is an unbroken egg; she is a sealed vessel; she has inside her a magic space the entrance to which is shut tight with a plug of membrane. (p. 114) Egg, membrane, all serving to demonstrate the fragility and precarious stability of her situation, similar to Beautys glass bed in The Courtship of Mr Lyon. In contrast wolf-Alice already inhabits a world of sexual immediacy,'(p. 119) that the young girl has just entered, permitted by her wolf-like existence. The association between the animalistic and sensual working both when the wolf is masculine and feminine. The onset of menstruation in Alice serves to bring her into the human realm through her awareness of time, she discovered the very action of time by means of this returning cycle. (p. 123) Adolescence makes Alice no more or less of a sexual being than her animalistic associations have already allowed. Gamble notes that the virginity of the Beauty and Red Riding Hood figures, Constitute both her particular vulnerability and her peculiar defiance. It is what marks her out as the lycanthropes prey, as the shedding of her hymeneal blood is what he specifically desires. She argues that the girls actual pursuit of the sexual threat is necessary in order for her to develop from her virginal state. Her declaration that she is nobodys meat (p. 118) demonstrating this neither submissive nor aggressive11 pursuit of maturation. The presentations of virginity and femininity represent a change whereby the women are no longer gobbled up or passively taken by male sexuality, but meet on equal sexual terms. Carters representation refuses the Wholesome or pretty picture of female gender (nurturing, caring) and deal [s] plainly with erotic dominance as a source of pleasure for men and for women. 12 Warner argues that it is Beautys attraction to the beast before his metamorphosis that represents the most disturbing image of the story, the attraction of the feminine to the monstrosity of the other. The first connection between Beauty and Mr Lyon requires a transformation of her beliefs on the nature of the other, with a flood of compassion, understood: all he is doing is kissing my hands. (p. 47) Yet Carter does not present this alteration naively, she saw, with an indescribable shock, he went on all fours. (p. 47) Beautys metamorphosis is more gradual than the transformation of the Beast. Through her vanity, Beauty also possesses an element of monstrosity. Carters fashioning of the tales raises the question about the nature of beastliness and the true location of monstrosity. The original sources represented a difficulty in ascertaining friend from enemy, the normal from the monstrous, traditionally established through demonising these figures. 13 Carters interpretations of monstrosity and demonisation, initially, dared to look at womens waywardness, and especially at their attraction to the beast in the very midst of their repulsion. The presentation of an attraction to beastliness serves to deconstruct the marginalisation inherent in the original tales. The monstrosity of the wolf and the beast is replaced by that of grandmothers, fathers and the heroine herself. And what, I wondered, might be the exact nature of his beastliness? (p. 55) Yet the Beast himself shows no evidence of beastly behaviour. Her father a feckless sprig of the Russian nobility,'(p. 52) whose gaming whoring agonising repentances,'(p.52) killed Beautys mother is criticised more than the noble beast, who in his appeal to see Beauty naked wishes to see her true self beneath the artificiality of her clothing. Carter uses her examination of the location of monstrosity to investigate identity and individuality in a genre associated with stereotypes. Carter makes sense of the disparity between this contradiction through her understanding of the mercurial slipperiness of identity, as well as the need to secure meanings. 15 Carters fairy tales represent struggles and inner conflict her characters need to overcome in order to secure their identity and enter a true existence. Brewer suggests that this exploration is most successful when depicting processes of maturation, emotional maturation through the Beauty characters, coupled with the physical and sexual maturation of the Red Riding Hood figures. Carter extends the sense of individuality of Beauty in The Tigers Bride, through her use of the first person narrator, combining the narrative of the narrator with Her own prose, [which] was glitteringly, self mockingly hybrid, contrived and slangy at once, mandarin and vulgar, romantic and cynical. 17 In the same way as the narrative is hybridised, the tales are a combination of modernity and traditionalism, individuality and stereotypes, a modern view on the traditional discussions of identity. In The Tigers Bride the concentration of mirrors, images and unexpected reflections create the basis for Beautys quest to reconcile her confused identity. When Beauty looks in the mirror she sees the true vision of beastliness in the story, I saw within it not my own face but that of my father, as if I had put on his when I arrived Now all I saw was myself, haggard from a sleepless night. (p. 60) Beauty takes on the identity of her father in the paying of his debt. Warner suggests that Carter was fascinated with female impersonation and disguise. Similarly to Beautys confusion of identity, the beast also disguises himself in a mask, But one with too much formal symmetry of feature to be entirely human: one profile of his mask is a mirror image of the other, to perfect, uncanny. (p. 53) The beast adopts his disguise to make himself socially acceptable, to dispel his otherness. However, its perfection serves to isolate him more, he becomes uncanny. His identity becomes too slippery, Beauty can no longer simply label him as The Beast. The beast provides Beauty with the mirror image of herself in the form of the automaton, She is a marvellous machine, the most delicately balanced system of cords and pulleys in the world. (p. 60) A description one could easily apply to Beauty herself; the image of Beauty expected by her father and the patriarchal society, the element of control lying in the key in her side, to perform the part of my fathers daughter. (p. 65) Daughterhood becomes a role to be acted out. Otherness becomes acceptable to the father if it is conformist and obedient, as a robot. The moment of metamorphosis or the moment the disguise is removed represents the solidifying of identity and individuality. The metamorphosis of the Beasts changes their positions in society; the revealing of the wolf affects the identity of the girl, The granny bonnet, the wolf mask have offered a helpful disguise to some of the boldest spirits. The revealing of the wolf manifests a choice of situations for the girl, assimilation with otherness and individuality, the grasping of her own sexuality, or her allegiance with the mass culture of those who inhabit the areas outside the forest. For Mr Lyon, metamorphosis allows him and Beauty to join the domestic suburban life of modern civilisation, in his transformation he chooses Red Riding Hoods second option. In The Tigers Bride, Beautys revelation of her nakedness and her transmutation represent her maturation into her sexual role and her acceptance of otherness.

Ssertion in reltion to how mngers cn overcome problems rising from Essay

Ssertion in reltion to how mngers cn overcome problems rising from culturl differences or employees - Essay Example nd in order to survive growing number of UK orgniztions will hve to recruit, trin, nd promote culturlly diverse employees. In essence, this is nothing more thn developing dditionl humn resources. In view of bove, this pper proposes ppliction of the reserch supporting the self-efficcy construct to build diversity self-efficcy nd bridge the gp between diversity trining nd diversity performnce. The reserch is bsed on the pursuing of the sttement once enhnced by Schuler tht "culturl differences cn be difficult to mnge, even if they re nticipted". The wys to overcome difficulties tht tke plce on the workplce due to culturl differences between workers re covered in report s well s prticulr orgniztionl nlysis is provided to present better understnding of the issue. Some mngers nd supervisors del with hundreds of cross-culturl employee problems s well s millions of dollrs worth of business cpitl. Regrdless of the number of employees nd cpitl involved, the tsk of mnging diversity in the workplce is enormous. Most employers do not question the ssumption tht humn resources re their most vluble sset. The dimensions of cross-culturl problems, however, re seldom dequtely covered in college courses or inservice trining progrms. Msi's estimte my be too low becuse it includes only mesurble things such s bsenteeism, sick leve, ccidents, nd rising helth costs. He did not fctor in other costs ssocited with employee personl problems: poor job-relted decisions, decresed work qulity, erly retirement, nd workers' compenstion clims. Nor did he consider the fct tht "The incidence of mentl, emotionl, nd personlity disorders in the work force nd the economic costs of such disorders to plces of employment re of such proportions tht they cnnot be ignored" ( Follmn, 1998, p. 138). Problems centering on diversity issues lmost lwys impct economic costs. The most incriminting costs re legl fees nd plintiff wrds in discrimintion nd sexul hrssment cses. Employees who believe they hve little opportunity for creer dvncement tend to be less loyl, less committed, nd less stisfied on the job thn their co-workers who project creer dvncement. Jmes Greiff ( 2002) postulted tht 10 percent to 15 percent of Britishdults develop problems tht interfere with their job effectiveness. This includes diversity-relted problems such s rcil nd sexul hrssment tht culminte in worker liention. Joseph Follmn estimted tht 80 percent to 90 percent of industril ccidents re due to emotionl problems. The mjor reson most employers try to prevent or bte these problems is cost. Further, Frink (2004) clculted tht the ntionl verge cost of replcing n employee is $7,000, which includes only recruitment nd hiring processes. From this perspective, Thoms Peters nd Robert Wtermn (2000) were correct to cution CEOs to tret their employees s the primry source or productivity gins, not s cpitl spending. stisfied, helthy, diverse workforce is requisite to productive workforce. Contrry to populr opinion, mnging diverse workforce is not new concept. The more effective mngers hve lwys been wre of the culturl differences in their employees. But wreness is not enough. Mngers must be ble to utilize the skills of ech employee nd do so in wy tht

Harassment in workplace Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Harassment in workplace - Essay Example Harassment cases may occur both on and off the job. They can occur at the working desk as well as in a corporate function. The law also states that one have the right to work in the hostile work environment that is not poisoned by harassment. Definitions categorize harassment in many types and law covers most of them but organizations should clearly define the nature of harassment while formulating policies at workplace. Harassment is conscious, offensive, verbal or non- verbal abusive behavior or act that aims to harm individual. One has to raise voice against harassment as it is misapply of power and control, it may be hiding of deficiencies like lack of management, or people skill or it may be lack of leadership quality. Harassers tend o project their deficiencies onto other making them feel upset, threatened and embarrassed or interferes with an individual’s ability to do his or her job. Workplace harassment cannot only cause serious damage to the performance of the victim at work but may also result in accumulation of work related stress in personal life as well. Organizations are pursuing different programs to teach employees at all levels and especially executives regarding the behavior; they need to exhibit while dealing with each other (Ellis-Christensen, 2009). Strategies for preventing, identifying and reporting on sexual harassment will surely help in declining work place harassment and it will encourage employees to stand against any harassment without any hesitation and undue influence. Legal cases have shown that discrimination at work place is also included in harassment. Nowadays, every organization develops its own code of ethical conducts that is desirable from the employees and elements of harassment are comprehensively covered into it. Each employee not only agrees to abide by these rules and regulations but also submit a signed consent form that holds legal values in case of a violation. However, apart from framing a

Education level vs. GDP per capital (Analysis) Essay

Education level vs. GDP per capital (Analysis) - Essay Example From the table above, there is less than 5 years of elementary school and the GDP are perfectly negatively correlated. There is a relatively strong correlation between 4 or more years of college and GDP per capita than there is between high school completion or higher and the GDP per capita. This means that those who have less than 5 years elementary education contribute less to the country’s GDP per capita as compared to high school completion and 4 or more years of college. The longer one takes in learning, the higher they contribute to the GDP per capita. From the regression analysis output above, the equation of the model is y = -1129498.874 +583.606*Year. This is to show that there is a significant relationship between the GDP and the education level as years spent in school is part of the model formula. Based on the four years moving average of the country’s gdp above, it is healthy to assume that the country’s GDP is improving exponentially over the years with the forecasted GDP almost meeting the actual GDP (Corder, &, Foreman, 35) Even though the data provides that there is a strong correlation between education level and the gdp, IT is imperative to note that the GDP as it is, is a wide econometric term used to refer to a number of variables. Therefore, the relationship between the educational levels and the GDP may be assumed correct in the light of the data but not in real life scenarios. One is likely to realize that the GDP alone to be strongly correlated to the other macroeconomic factors than just educational level. It is therefore important to conduct anon parametric analysis on the other variable before making a concrete conclusion (Spearman,

Furthering Emotional Intelligence through Video Games

Furthering Emotional Intelligence through Video Games The field of serious digital learning games that aim to develop players empathy along with their cognitive competencies has made tremendous strides in the past decade. Today, virtual simulations and video games for social change have much to offer the field of education. Even though the benefits of these offerings are still making themselves apparent, a growing number of teachers are trying to stay on the front-end. Many teachers are experimenting with new ways to connect with students through the very same technologies that occupy hours of young peoples leisure time. Teachers are increasingly interested in whether and how digital games and simulations might contribute to civic engagement and action. If video gaming and virtual simulations are so appealing to young people, how can we better harness these forms of entertainment to foster emotional intelligence and empathy so that students can exhibit a more caring and active response to relevant social issues? How can computerized sim ulation games help foster global empathy and interest in global civic learning/action? How might simulations help learners to empathize and identify with the lives of global Others? These are just a few questions that contribute to classroom learning in significant ways. Before considering the value of video games and virtual simulations in relation to empathy, it is important to recognize why empathy should be taught in schools. In our era of globalization, there is a growing need to educate for global citizenship, especially as people across the globe become more and more connected. A true global citizen values empathy and the ability to understand other people across borders and cultural divides. As a significant factor of being human, empathy is often defined as an emotional state that involves feeling in oneself the feelings of others. Empathy is emerging as an especially significant disposition for global citizenship because it enables us to perceive the world through others perspectives, experience the emotions of others, and communicate and act in ways that consider others views and needs (Bachen et al., 2012, p. 438). As adults, we come to see ourselves not only as citizens of our local community, country, or ethno-cultural group, but also a s global citizens willing and able to empathize with other peoples and their situations elsewhere in the world. While students can certainly learn about the plight of disadvantaged peoples around the world, adding empathy to the learning experience helps them retain and relate to this knowledge in a more profound way: emotion plays a variety of important roles in thinking and learning. First, when we are processing information, we store it more deeply and integrate with our prior knowledge better when that new information has an emotional charge for us, when we feel something is at stake or matters (Gee, 2008, p. 35). In addition, just as empathy can be used to increase understanding of various global issues, the more students are asked to analyze and relate to global issues through the eyes of an Other, the deeper their empathic response becomes. As a result, empathy is a key component of social justice education. If a primary goal of social justice education is to cultivate a responsibility to take action, then we cannot truly teach social justice without empathy. Social justice education is based on a need to identify and change structural inequalities and disparities worldwide. An effective way to teach this is to provide students with opportunities to not only gain contextual knowledge but also have experiences that create empathic insights into the lives of people who are oppressed. Segal (2011) believes that when there is a shared definition of the empathic insights into discrimination, injustice, or inequality, individuals are better able and more willing to take action that promotes social justice (p. 268). Therefore, the capacity to experience empathy through a true contextual lens deepens our understanding of the society we live in and compels us to feel a social responsibility that can result in social justice. Segal (2011) states that exposing children to others who are different f rom themselves gives them an opportunity to practice affect sharing or mirroring and self/other-awareness while at the same time enhancing their awareness and understanding of different social conditions (p. 274). This awareness, in conjunction with empathy, can lead to a greater desire to take action for social change. Video games and virtual simulations are a simple and effective vehicle to connect students to the lives of people from various social groups. These tools are effective in promoting empathy within a social justice context because they feature compelling narratives that draw players into a given situation. The power of narrative thus serves as a fundamental aspect of educational gaming: Narrative-centered learning environments afford significant opportunities for students to participate in motivating story-based educational experiences. Virtual characters can engage users in a variety of task-oriented educational and entertainment roles. Fantasy contexts in educational games have been shown to provide motivational benefits to learning. Because of the power of story to draw audiences into compelling plots and rich settings through the promotion of suspension of disbelief and increased story involvement, narrative can contribute to learning in important ways. (McQuiggan et al, 2008, p. 1511) Besides hooking students into a story, narrative-based games invite players to adopt the point of view of a person who may be very different from the players own self, which then results in a number of judgments about the Other being altered, as the player exercises empathy: By encouraging us to exercise our moral imagination, we develop our capacity to more fully put ourselves in another persons situations and thus those different to ourselves in circumstance, identity or practice can no longer be dehumanized or Other-ised as disgusting or subhuman' (McRobie, 2014, n.p.). Narrative-based games and simulations forge connections between humans from different parts of the planet, and the player can learn to better identify with and understand the plight of someone whom he or she may never otherwise meet in real life. Furthermore, this role-playing facet of gaming, with all of its imaginative capacity, can result in better identification with the Other as empathy continues to develop in the player: Empathy may be further developed when a player not only takes the perspective of another, but also begins to identify with the character represented (Bachen et al., 2012, p. 440). Increased identification with the media character has further benefit, as Bachen et al. (2012) explain that this leads to greater attention to and retention of messages associated with those characters (p. 440). As a result, educators can exploit games and virtual simulations because they not only connect students to various peoples across the globe, but ultimately can result in deeper learning because students become immersed in their learning and take more away with them by the end of the experience. A key difference between traditional written narratives (stories, novels, etc.) and virtual simulations is the ability to simulate (and virtually live) a real-life experience that a student would otherwise only read about. Video games and virtual simulations open up the possibility to interact with a time and place that can be worlds away: a virtual world provides an experience set within a technological environment that gives the user a strong sense of being there (Warburton, 2009, p. 415). Because of their narrative feature, videos games and virtual simulations present players with a character that they adopt, while living out a set of experiences from the perspective of the character (Gee, 2008). They allow for exposure to authentic content and culture and allow for reproduction of contexts that cannot be reproduced easily in real life: Most games for change simulate real physical casualties so that the player develops an awareness of a situation where war and genocide may be cent ral to everyday life (Huang and Tettagah, 2010, p. 138). This, in turn, allows students to experience complex and potentially dangerous situations without risk, virtually adopting the perils of the characters life, while simultaneously feel[ing] sympathy and/or empathy for the characters in the game (Huang and Tettagah, 2010, p. 138). Raphael et al. (2010) propose that [r]ole playing games permit players to explore institutional, geographical, and temporal settings that would otherwise be inaccessible, allowing players to learn from the consequences of choices made in the world of the game that would be impractical or dangerous to experience directly (p. 200). Within this role-playing context, players exercise agency, as they are given the freedom to experiment according to their own goals. Players are permitted to do and act according to their own judgments. This experimentation can help the player better understand the potential consequences of certain actions or choices. In virtu ally living out the consequences, the player is more likely to empathize with the character in the situation, which hopefully will lead to increased understanding of inequities around the world and the need for action to address issues of social justice. To put my discussion of game-playing, empathy and social justice into an educational context, I would like to present three examples of virtual simulations and video games that can be used in classrooms to encourage empathy and action. The first is called Real Lives (http://www.educationalsimulations.com/), a simulation game designed for middle and high school students in which the player is born into a life from any country in the world. For instance, students can experience life as a peasant farmer in Bangladesh, a factory worker in Brazil, a policeman in Nigeria, or a computer operator in Poland. As players adopt the perspective of the given identity, they apply knowledge to solve real problems while comparing different value systems as they play the game. Students must make a variety of decisions that involve work opportunities, financial standing, health, marriage and family life, and participation in civil society. The game prompts players to engage in ethical reflection, alway s in the context of challenges or opportunities prevalent to the given country (based on real-world statistics for the countrys poverty rate, infant mortality rate, and so on) (Raphael et al, 2010, p. 216). The efficacy of this game in creating empathic insights is evidenced by Bachen et al.s (2012) study, which did show that Real Lives had a considerable effect on players development of global empathy: Comparing students who played the game with those who participated in an alternate computer-assisted learning activity, we found that playing the simulation game was associated with significantly higher levels of global empathy (Bachen et al., 2012, p. 450). Games like Real Lives are well suited to developing personal responsibility or character. Raphael states games for social change lend themselves to exploring individual ethics rather than the ethics of institutions or society although they still introduce students to the dynamics of large-scale structures that shape lives giving them little power to alter those structures but demanding ethical evaluation of them (p. 219). As in Real Lives, games of responsibility can also force players to grapple with the question of how to live a good life in a society that may be imperfect and unjust (Raphael et al, 2010, p. 221). A second virtual simulation video game that evokes player empathy is Darfur is Dying (http://darfurisdying.com/). This online game is based on the genocide in Sudan and is described by the games developers as a narrative-based simulation where the user, from the perspective of the displaced Darfurian, negotiates forces that threaten the survival of his or her refugee camp. It offers a faint glimpse of what its like for the more than 2.5 million who have been internally displaced by the crisis in Sudan (http://www.darfurisdying.com/aboutgame.html). I have used this game in my classroom teaching with grade seven students and have observed that many enjoy the experience because of the game-based challenges that students must be overcome as their characters risk their lives to protect their village while still seeking to maintain survival. Huang and Tettegah (2010) state that the goals of the developers and instructional designers of Darfur is Dying include raising awareness so that the player/user shares fear, empathy, and other emotions associated with victims of war. Darfur is Dying was developed with goals to educate, provide support and inspire (p. 142). Characters depict actual situations that occur in real life, summoning the players emotive capacity as s/he virtually becomes a displaced Darfurian who must take serious risks while completing seemingly mundane daily tasks, such as gathering food and water. I use this game in my classroom with the hope that students develop empathy for the character, based on the experiences portrayed in the game, and that this leads to cultural awareness and a deeper human connection to the peoples of Sudan. In other words, empathy becomes the main learning outcome as opposed to acquiring specific content. Finally, Against All Odds (http://www.playagainstallodds.ca/) is a third internet-based video game simulation for social change that can be used to teach empathy within a social justice framework. The game was developed by the United Nations Refugee Agency and is designed to teach 12- to 15-year-old players about the plight of refugees. Players take on the role of a refugee, and play through stages, from depiction of persecution and flight from their native country to eventual integration into a foreign country as an asylum seeker. I find this game particularly pertinent today, especially in view of our current political climate and the displacement of Syrian refugees. Many students are hearing about these issues in the news and in discussions at home, but do not fully understand what it means to be a refugee, the struggles refugees face, and how individual citizens in Canada might be able to aid in this situation. Raphael et al. (2010) argue that virtual simulation games that promot e empathy, such as Against All Odds, can encourage students to seek out more knowledge beyond the game and make efforts to act rather than merely observe: playing or developing games may increase students motivation to learn and drive them to consult sources outside the game, inspire critical reflection on history and politics and how they are represented, provide multiple viewpoints on contested events and ideas, allow players to draw on distributed knowledge and develop skills in leadership and collective action that can be used to tackle real-world political problems, or afford opportunities to explore ethical choices and develop empathetic understanding by projecting oneself through an avatar into places and times otherwise inaccessible. (p. 200) My ultimate goal in using video game simulations such as Against All Odds is to promote civic action. It is not enough for students to know about a problem, empathize with those affected, and then go on living their normal lives without further reflection. I hope that the empathy that is established by the game playing incites students to take action, even in a small way, so that they understand that global citizenship is an active task and that we are each individually responsible for the Other. Given that a fundamental part of social justice is developing a community of citizens who take action, it is important that students who play video game simulations such as Real Lives, Dying in Darfur, and Against All Odds are provided with an outlet to both show understanding of empathy and take action. The question that remains for me is what can students do with this experience? Based on their experiences playing one or more virtual simulation games, students can now create their own video game simulations presenting a day in the life of a refugee of their choosing. Using online software called Twine, students can create a narrative that allows players to choose various paths, much like a choose-your-own-adventure book. As students create their game, they demonstrate an understanding of the daily struggles faced by a particular refugee, thus exhibiting empathy for lives of people who may be very different from themselves. In order to make this task an activist one, my middle-schoo l students will be asked to create their game for a younger student in our neighbouring elementary school. This allows students to do something with what they have learned, and as they share the game with a younger child, they take on the role of educator and active citizen. Social justice video games can provide real opportunity for reflection and learning in todays classrooms. For teachers who wish to engage students in learning about real world issues, or who are seeking alternative resources to enhance student learning, pairing young peoples interest in games with a serious social justice topic has the potential to result in powerful educational experiences. The narrative component of virtual simulation games is a real hook that can entice students to learn about the lives of people around the world, and the interactive features require students to both become the character while exercising agency to solve authentic civic problems. The problem-solving aspect of these virtual games puts students in the shoes of the Other, allowing them to better understand hardships and hopefully strongly empathize with a life that may otherwise seem distant and irrelevant. While video game simulations are not a magic solution to increasing student engagement or devel oping empathy, they certainly can be a great tool that allows students to realize that they play an important role in making change around the world.

Medicine During the Elizabethan Era Essay -- Alchemy History Historica

Medicine During the Elizabethan Era The medicinal practices and problems of the Elizabethan Era were very important to the people, although they are very different from those of today. There were many different beliefs and diseases, like the Plague. Medicine was not an exact science and was related to Alchemy (Chemistry). Here, some of the many practices and beliefs of the Elizabethan Era will be discussed. One of the most widely known and important of the beliefs was the humours. It was believed that every living creature was composed of four elements, the humours. They were blood, phlegm, choler (or yellow bile), and melancholy (or black bile). It was believed that the overall total combination of these four elements determined the person’s characteristics. For example, a person with more blood than other humours was hot and wet in their nature, a person with more phlegm was cold and wet, a person with more choler was hot and dry, and a person with melancholy being the dominant humour was cold and dry. It was also believed that too much of a certain humour caused disease. That meant the removing or avoiding the dominant humour could cure any disease. Removal could be done by eating corresponding foods. For example, if a person was phlegmatic in nature, that meant that he was cold and wet, he could be cured if he ate hot and dry foods. Medicines like pepper, sugar, ginger, cinnamon, watercress, and mustard would be useful to such a person. A fever, which was believed to have been caused by excess blood, could have been cured in two ways. One way was to eat cold and dry food, and the other was to have excess blood sucked out by leeches. Another of the many popular beliefs was that every living thing put on Earth by god was for human use. He gave humans control over his creatures. All of them had certain roles, as food, medicine, etc. For example, cows were put on Earth to supply people with meat and milk, and wheat was there to supply bread. Everything on Earth was useful to humans. Medicine in the Elizabethan Era was associated with many sciences. One of these includes Astrology. It was believed that all living creatures were associated with the stars. It was possible to read a persons past, present and future by the positions of the stars and planets. Therefore, if you were to go to a physician, one of the first things he would ask you wa... ...help. They could go to any of those and get help and people used all of these choices, but the amount of money they could spend limited their choices, as some practitioners charged for their help. But if a person didn’t have a lot of money, he still had many choices available. Almost every community had at least one of each type of practitioner. Medicine was very important to Elizabethan England and was used widely. It played a major part in the life expectancy of people and was widely studied. It was one of the most important sciences of that era and still is today. Bibliography Ramsey, Lia. â€Å"Medical Beliefs and Practices.† Elizabethan England. Springfield Public School District. . McLean, Adam. â€Å"Articles.† The Alchemy Website. 1995. . Chamberlin, E.R. Everyday Life in Renaissance Times. London: B.T. Batsford LTD, 1967. Andrews, John F. William Shakespeare: His World, His Work, His Influence. Canada: Collier MacMillian, 1985. â€Å"Alchemy.† The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. New York: Columbia University Press, 2001–04. . Trimble, Russell, "Alchemy," in The Encyclopedia of the Paranormal edited by Gordon Stein (Buffalo, N.Y.: Prometheus Books, 1996), pp. 1-8.