Bipolar Disorder Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 2

Bipolar Disorder - Research Paper Example The difference between perceptions of mental illness today and in the 19th century is between night and day (Nunes, 2002). That said we need to dramatically increase the amount of information and education out there on this issue. We need to know when such things become a problem and when they should be left alone. Mental health is an issue that affects all of us and must be taken very seriously by all of us. Among the more serious mental health problems that practitioners are starting to address are those arising from bipolar disorder. This essay will examine bipolar disorder and include an interview with an individual who suffers from the disorder. Bipolar disorder is a serious problem. It involves mood disorders. Sufferers swing from manic episodes to depressive episodes. Sometimes there are triggers, but sometimes these are very hard to detect (Behrman, 12). It is said that creative people often suffer from this disorder and produce some of their greatest work during the manic phases. But those who suffer from it have serious problems with relationships and employment. Some need need to be medicated, others hospitalized. It is a disorder with a wide prevalence. What can society do to help bring these issues to light and to try to help? A key thing to do is to encourage people suffering from mental illness or mental disorders such as bipolar disorder to seek help. No man or woman is an island and it can be very difficult to balance one’s life and to know when and if you might have a problem (Millon, 78). You might need help. Sometimes this involves asking your partner to help you out, to have a shoulder to cry on. But it might also involve asking a professional to talk to you and prescribe something. There’s no shame in that: it is important to get past the stigma of mental illness. That’s why those people exist and they know what they’re doing. Sometimes people have so much on the go that they themselves are unable to get a

Bookertee Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Bookertee - Essay Example He stressed that Blacks were not ready for the traditional form of education; rather they should take up an occupation or a skill by which they can support themselves. Washington showed a path to the struggling Negroes by which they can create their basic identity and be self sufficient in the long run. However, there were negative aspects to this plan as future academics such as Du Bois pointed out. Washington had stressed that the Blacks needed selective education, that they were not ready to be educated in the traditional form. But, according to Du Bois the African Americans deserved the same form of education as the Whites. He believed in the philosophy that Fast and Fury wins the race. According to him unless and until the Blacks made a struggle to educate themselves they would limit themselves to the lower segment of society prone to be harassed by the Southern Whites. Another negative aspect of the plan was Washington’s stress that the Blacks adopt a subordinate role towards the Southern Whites. He is actually asking the Blacks to let go of their struggle against Whites and continue to be backward and underprivileged member of the society. IF the Blacks had continued to follow his advice, there would not have been many prominent African Americans in the country. According to me Washington was right in asking the Blacks to take an academic route to liberate them from White oppressiveness. He asked the members of his community to stick to education and acquire any useful trade so as to gain economic independence. A steady income would help in supplementing all the essential elements of life. Education would open their mind to newer possibilities in life and make them come out of their shell. This policy is still followed by a number of African American of today who have shifted to trade and commerce to acquire richness in life and move ahead in the economic ladder. a. A Negro Love Story: This poem

Ethnicity and Gender in Late Childhood and Adolescense Essay Example for Free

Ethnicity and Gender in Late Childhood and Adolescense Essay This paper focuses on an study that was conducted to examine the awareness of gender and ethinic bias along with gender and ethnic identity in late childhood and early adolescence. Data was collected on children in 4th, 6th, and 8th grades from various elementary and middle schools. The ethnic groups that were represented were White/European American, African American, an Latino. Daily diaries and individual interviews displayed that ethnic, gender, and grade level differences affected the awareness of bias ( Developmental Psychology, 2011). It was further proven that children in this age range were more aware of gender bias than ethinic bias. Keywords: gender identity, ethnic identity, bias During adolescent development a child’s need to be identified based ethnicity and/or gender becomes more prevalent and is further influenced by their peers. In addition, during this stage of development, social identity can have a deeper impact on intergroup attitudes. In the text, chapter 3 discusses gender schemas and how they evolve from being inflexible to flexible though the development of a human being (Wade Tavris, 2011). In the Development Psychology article, â€Å"Ethnicity and Gender in Late Childhood and Early Adolescence: Group Identity and Awareness of Bias†, 2011, psychologists, Alabi, Brown, Huynh, and Masten examined the awareness of gender an identity bias and its impact on the individuals/groups. The hypothesis is the possibility that children can be aware of one type of bias and oblivious to the another based on their group identity. The study was conducted with 350 students from three participating elementary schools and three middle schools in Southern California. The schools represented various ethnic/racial make-ups and socioeconomic statuses that included 67 African American, 120 White, and 167 Latino students. Two methodologies were used during this study, case study and naturalistic observation. The case study methodology as described by the text is the description of an individual based on their observation of behavior during a specified period (Wade Tavris, 2011, p. 18). During the first week the case study was conducted by each participant receiving a diary to document their assessment of what identity was most important to them. The approach was referred to as identity centrality and the children received an ethnicity and gender score based on the results. The second portion of this test, identified as the identity salience approach involved students documenting whether or not they thought about gender, ethnic, or no identity at all during each period of the school day. The results of this test revealed that 51% of the children mentioned ethnicity and 63% mentioned gender. Following this portion of the study, the students were assessed through individual interviews with the same ethnicity, same gender experimenter. To assess ethnic identity, the students were presented five items with opposing questions, in which they had to choose the statement that they most identified with. A similar assessment was conducted to determine the degree of their gender identity. The final results of these assessments revealed that 51% of the students were aware of ethnic bias associated with ethnic identity while 49% were unaware. The relationship between bias and group identity was determined by eight ethnic and gender identity measures to include: gender and ethinic identity, salience, centrality, positivity/importance of ethnicity, contentedness with gender, felt gender typicality, and felt pressure to conform to gender norms. Over 38% of the students felt positive about their ethnicity and felt content/typical with their gender. 26% percent felt that their ethnicity was not important and felt no pressure to conform to gender norms. 20% of the students felt that their ethnicity was not important but was discontent with the gender norms. Finally, 9% felt that their ethnicity was positive and important and were content with gender norms. In this study the awareness of gender and ethnic bias varied by age group. It comes as no surprise that children become more aware of gender bias than ethnic bias at a young age. As the text mentions, gender identity is discovered at preschool age in which the process of gender typing begins. This is where boys and girls begin to get in touch with their masculine and feminine characteristics (Wade Tavris, 2011, pg. 107). Ethinic identity creates a sense of emotional attachment to the group and the individual feels the need to conform to the values set forth (Wade Tavris, 2011, pg. 350). This study further showed that European American students were more aware of gender bias than ethnic bias. In middle school all students were equally aware of both biases but African american and Latinos were likely to be aware of ethnic bias in elementary school. The potential cause of this stemmed from belonging to a negatively stereotyped group which raised the earlier awareness. This showed that European American students were less likely to be targeted for ethnic bias ( Developmental Psychology, 2011). In early adolescence girls were more aware of gender bias than boys and could attest to being targets of discrimation. Conclusion The conduction of this study proved that children in late childhood and adolescence were more aware of gender bias than ethnic bias. In addition the results showed that children who were non European-American experienced and identified with ethnic bias at an earlier age. The limitations to this study was the demographics. This study was conducted in Los Angeles which has a very unique demographic because it is essentially a melting pot of ethnicities. The different socioeconomical factors and educational inequalities impacted the outcome of the results. Children in the poorest schools had more challenges to encounter in school than their peers in this study. These experiences molded their ethnic identities and the biases associated with it. During late childhood an adolescence development, group identity and intergroup relations became important factors. It is expected that this age group no matter the gender/ethnicity will witness or be a target of discrimination. Although legal segregation is a thing of the past, gender and ethnic bias can greatly impact society but the attitudes and beliefs of individuals can be contained through intervention. With intervention at the earlier stages of development, children can fully witness equality. Future research methods inspired by this article should focus on the data collected from various locations throughout the country. Keeping this research generalized to one location compromises the true validity of the study. New research methods will determine how different ethnicities identify with gender and ethnic bias. Other areas of concentration that should be included in this study are the workforce, judicial system and media/television. Successful results of these research methods can pave the way for some individuals to change their ideologies. These studies can impact the lives of everyday people and potentially unveil solutions to discrimination. As we become a more multicultural country, we must realize the importance of cultural awareness so that we can better interact with different ethnicities/genders. Parents should encourage their to children to foster positive relationships with their peers despite cultural difference. These solutions will alleviate the stereotypes associated with gender and ethnic identity. References Brown, C. , Alabi, B. , Huynh, V. , Masten, C.. (2011). Ethnicity and Gender in Late Childhood and Early Adolescence: Group Identity and Awareness of Bias. Developmental Psychology, 47(2), 463. Retrieved May 21, 2011, from Research Library. (Document ID: 2321539051) Wade, C. , Tavris, C. (2011). Invitation to Psychology, fifth Edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Contribution of right hemisphere to language

Contribution of right hemisphere to language THE IMPORTANT CONTRIBUTION OF THE RIGHT HEMISPHERE TO LANGUAGE 10 The Important Contribution of the Right Hemisphere to Language Cheimonidou Panagiota ELTE Abstract Does the right hemisphere of the brain have any contribution to linguistic function? The argument of this research paper is that it does. Language is not lateralized only to the left hemisphere of the brain. Although this thesis is challenged, it can be proved by the fact that damage to it can cause language impairment, affect our understanding of the context of speech (oral and written), disable our comprehension of linguistic prosodic features. Moreover, supporting evidence substitutes the fact that linguistic function can completely switch itself to the right hemisphere of the brain, when the left one is damaged. This is only part of the argumentation that could be made to support the important role of the right side of the brain. Still, it proves adequately that language has to do with both sides of the brain, and that the right one should not be overlooked. The Important Contribution of the Right Hemisphere to Language The point of this study is to discuss the important contribution of the right cerebral hemisphere to language. It will be very interesting to support this view with evidence, since many arguments have been made against it, stating that language locates itself only on the left side of the brain and the right hemisphere has nothing to do with it. In order to highlight the importance of the right side of the brain for language, the structure of this research is based on facts (mostly on what follows right hemisphere damage) and on previous work in the field (e.g. , Field, 2003; Beeman Chiarello, 1998; Cook, 1984). To begin with, before starting talking about the important role of the right hemisphere to language, I believe I should first be more specific about the term lateralization. Brain or cerebral lateralization focuses on the fact that our brain is divided in half: the right hemisphere and the left hemisphere. As most of us know, our brain is such uniquely complex that it is hard to know all its specific functions with every little detail; but what we do know for sure is that our brain is so efficient that does the remarkable job of carving out specialties, dividing tasks: The left side of the brain specializes in one set of tasks, while the right side specializes in another. On a broad level, we can say that the left hemisphere deals with linear, structured, analytical, rational, logical and sequential tasks, while the right hemisphere focuses on big-picture thinking, on tasks that are about the whole, the context of a situation rather than the explicit detailed text, about holistic way of perception, dealing with things all at once, visualizing, synthesizing and not analyzing. So, lateralization deals with the two sides of the brain and the distinct functions that are allocated to each one of them. The interesting part in lateralization, is attempting to track in what way the two sides of the brain contribute to language. Indeed, this is a controversial issue that has long been under debate and is questioned until now. The long-held view is that linguistic function has to do only with the left side of the brain and nothing to do with the right one. Luckily, over the course of the years, this view is questioned. Many linguists and scientists have carried out important research which shows that the right hemisphere of the brain should not be overlooked in terms of language. One of them, Mark Beeman (1998), argues that the right hemisphere (RH) processes language (p. ix) and admits that this view still causes intense discussions which often conclude to the argument that the right hemisphere has only paralinguistic function (p. ix). The same view is shared by Terrence Deakon (1997) who says that [t]he right side of the brain is not the non-language hemisphere. It is critically and intimately involved in language processing at many levels during both development and maturity (154). Holding the same view, I believe that the linguistic function is not completely gathered in the left hemisphere. The left side of the brain may play an important role for language- perhaps the most important- but it is not sufficient without the right side. It is like a puzzle with some pieces missing. The importance of the right hemisphere is further discussed below. Perhaps one of the most convincing and strong arguments in favor of the significant contribution of the right hemisphere to language, is that it affects the understanding of stories and jokes. This conclusion came from the fact that patients who had their right side of the brain damaged, experienced the same symptom:   basically they could not comprehend the context of a narrative or a joke. Diana S. Woodruff- Pak (1997) says that people with their right prefrontal lobe damaged, usually cannot make successful jokes and puns or tell meaningful stories (147). Dennis Coon and John O. Mitterer (2007), based also on results of patients with their right side of the brain damaged, prove that these people fail to understand the overall context of what is said and therefore can no longer comprehend other nuances of language, namely jokes, irony, sarcasm, implications. The same symptom is highlighted by Terrence Deakon (1997) who argues that right hemisphere damage results in failure to gras p the logic of the whole (164). Norman D. Cook (1984) also argues that [t]he understanding of short stories requires one to grasp [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] the consistency, overall coherence and sequence of events (32), but when right hemisphere damage takes place, these abilities are lost and the coherence of verbal output is degraded, leading to unwitting humor, paramnesias and an inability to carry a train of thought to its logical conclusion (32). All the above converge to the fact that basically the right hemisphere helps us realize the overall context of language, without which the complete meaning of language cannot be transferred. Therefore, a person with right hemisphere damage will not be able to realize the complete components of a story (for example if part of the story is missing), or appreciate a joke, since s/he takes everything literally and misses the bigger picture. In relation to the connection between the right hemisphere and story and joke comprehension, there could also be made an interesting combination with autism. It has been proved that right hemisphere lesion can result in autism. Cecil R. Reynolds and Elaine Fletcher- Janzen (2009), talked about the finding that individuals with autism had a left ear preference for dichotic listening for both verbal and musical stimuli (p.775). Having in mind that the left hemisphere controls the right part of the body while the right hemisphere controls the left, we can realize that, here, it is the right hemisphere that has to do with verbal stimuli, with speech. So, it is not just the left part of the brain that has to do with language impairment. But what has this to do with the understanding of stories and jokes? Well, Ozonoff and Miler (as cited in Field, 2003) proving with their experiments that patients with autism and right-hemisphere patients have symptoms in common, said that these people fo und it hard to understand the correct ending of a joke and that both groups might have similar problems in cognitive flexibility (775). Concerning story comprehension they moved on saying that these people face difficulties when it comes to understand details of a short story by using context and meaning (775). This again shows how damage to the right side of the brain causes loss of the ability to understand the overall context of language, and also underlines the importance of the right hemisphere since it proves that lesions to it can result in language impairment. Moving on to another reason why the right hemisphere of the brain plays an important role for language, we should consider its relation to the prosodic parts of language. Merely understanding the meaning of words and the syntax of sentences does not lead to adequate mastering of language. Language as a whole, consists of prosodic and gesture features too, and this is what the right hemisphere is responsible for. Kolb and Whishaws statements (as cited in Woodruff-Pak, 1997) were very interesting, since they were the first to conclude that the frontal lobes and the right hemisphere appear more involved in the mediation of emotion than the left hemisphere (147). When we hear someone speaking, we must be able to understand the tone of his voice, the pitch of his speech. Without this ability, we would not be able to interpret the meaning and intentions of the speaker. Indeed, when the right hemisphere is damaged, people lose this ability. Danny D. Steinberg (1993) illustrates that these p eople seem to have difficulties in processing speech as a prosodic syntactic distinction (249), while Dennis L. Molfese and Sidney J. Segalowitz (1988) similarly say that these people find it hard to express and understand the prosodic feature of language ( namely the emotional tone and the pitch alterations of speech)(484). What is also interesting is the fact that apart from the disability to understand a speakers tone, emotion and pitch, a person with RH damage will also be unable to understand the other peoples reactions to his own speech. As Molfese and Segalowitz (1988) say, such a person will have difficulty comprehending others emotional reaction to his or her behavior, and also his/her speech will be monotonous and lack emotional changes in pitch and tone (484). Consequently, these studies prove that language would not be conveyed sufficiently without the right side of the brain. Furthermore and most importantly, I want to talk about another phenomenon which I believe gives convincing evidence for the active role that the right hemisphere plays in linguistic functions: the ability of the right hemisphere to take over language function when the left hemisphere is damaged. As Steinberg and Sciarini (1993) point out, the right hemisphere has some language functions and can take over the complete language functioning of the left hemisphere when that hemisphere has been surgically removed or damaged (249). This phenomenon is usually observed at an early age. It refers to the equipotentiality theory about which Bruce E. Murdoch (2010) states that it is the analogous capacity of the two cerebral hemispheres to subserve language functions subsequent to unilateral brain damage, so that a shift from language competency from one hemisphere to the other is easily accomplished at a young age (162). This young age is referred to as infancy by Lenneberg (as cited by Field, 2003) who states that if necessary, language can place itself on the right side of the brain due to the flexible relationship which exists between the two hemispheres. But although most cases- where language can develop as well in the right as in the left hemisphere- take place at a young age, we have not reached to a certain conclusion. Until now, there is no evidence that the brain stops to be flexible at an older state. For instance, there was the case of a woman above 50 years old, who suffered   left hemisphere damage and managed to recover until a stroke damaged her right side of the brain, too. Either the case, the point is that the right hemisphere of the brain has the ability to replace the linguistic function of the left hemisphere. The important contribution of the right hemisphere to language is an issue that surely can be further discussed, since research is carried out every day in order to reach a more solid view of what is happening in our brain. Nonetheless, I believe that all the cases mentioned above, give pretty clear evidence that the right side of the brain is not merely a silent viewer in terms of language. It plays an active role since we saw how it a) affects our understanding of the overall linguistic context, b) damage to it can cause inability to understand the prosodic features of language or even result in language impairment, c) lateralization can be switched in order to adapt to loss or damage. As far as language is concerned, the significance of the right side of the brain should not be overlooked, and we should understand that left hemisphere alone could not be sufficient in appropriate language production. References Beeman, M., Chiarello, C. (1998). Right Hemisphere LanguageComprehension:     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Perspectives from cognitive Neuroscience. Retrieved from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://books.google.com/books?id=3zwOmRAc43gCprintsec=frontcoverdq=the+i  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   mportance+of+right+hemisphere+to+languagehl=elcd=1#v=onepageq=the%20i  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   mportance%20of%20right%20hemisphere%20to%20languagef=false Cook, D. N. (2002). Tone of Voice and Mind. Retrieved from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://books.google.com/books?id=eE47oz78XhMCpg=PA32dq=jokes+and+RH+d  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   amagehl=elcd=1#v=onepageq=jokes%20and%20RH%20damagef=false Coon, D., Mitterer, O. J. (2007). Introduction to Psychology: Gateways to Mind   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   and Behavior. Retrieved from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://books.google.com/books?id=V6EHmNCmEWQCpg=PA67dq=right+hemisp  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   here+and+jokeshl=elcd=2#v=onepageq=right%20hemisphere%20and%20jokes  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   f=false Deacon, T. (2003). Lateralization as Competition. In J. Field (Ed.), Psycholinguistics: A  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   resource book for students (p.155). New York: Routledge. (Reprinted from The   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   symbolicspecies, pp 311-315, 1997, London: Penguin) Field, J. (2003). Language and the brain. In Psycholinguistics: A resource book for   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   students (p.7). New York: Routledge. Molfese, L. D. Segalowitz, J. S. (1998). Brain Lateralization in Children: Developmental   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Implications. Retrieved from http://books.google.com/books?id=un-  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   AIyRU328Cpg=PA485dq=lateralization+and+jokeshl=elcd=2#v=onepageqf=  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   false Murdoch, E. B. (2010). Acquired Speech and Disorders:A Neuroanatomical and Functional Neurological Approach. Retrieved from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://books.google.com/books?id=PplrjvH8Zb8Cpg=PT160dq=the+importance+  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   of+right+hemisphere+to+languagehl=elcd=2#v=onepageq=the%20importance  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   %20of%20right%20hemisphere%20to%20languagef=false Reynolds, R. C., Fletcher- Janzen E. (2009). Handbook of Clinical Child Neuropsychology.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Retrieved from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://books.google.com/books?id=w1YrFypvmn8Cpg=PA775dq=lateralization+a  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   nd+jokeshl=elcd=6#v=onepageqf=false Steinberg, D. D., Sciarini, V. N. (1993). An Introduction to Psycholinguistics. Retrieved from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://books.google.com/books?id=P5ZTXnzSCBYCpg=PA248dq=lateralization+ps  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   ycholinguisticshl=elcd=4#v=onepageq=lateralization%20psycholinguisticsf=fal  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   se Woodruff- Pak, S. D. (1997). The Neuropsychology of Aging. Retrieved from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://books.google.com/books?id=qHLua6dOYvwCpg=PA147dq=lateralization+a  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   nd+jokeshl=elcd=3#v=onepageq=lateralization%20and%20jokesf=false

Geographically Based Multicultural Education :: social issues

Geographically Based Multicultural Education Many Whites in the United States have a strong sense of ethnic identity that is tied to their immigrant ancestors’ country of origin (Italian Americans, Irish Americans, Swedish Americans) or to their experience in this country (New England Yankees, Midwestern Hoosiers, Appalachians, and so on). There are many subgroups within the White experience, but ...[m]any United States Whites with a strong sense of ethnic identity do not have a strong sense of racial identity. Indeed, ...many Whites take their Whiteness for granted to the extent that they do not consciously think about it. Nevertheless, their identity as members of the White group in the United States has a profound impact on their lives. "White Racial Identity Development in the United States" by Rita Hardiman in Race, Ethnicity, and Self: Identity in Multicultural Perspective, edited by Elizabeth Pathy Salett and Diane R. Koslow (Washington, DC: NMCI Publications, 1994). Among the challenges that face all Americans is to explore race and to educate their children about its impact in society. America is the "melting pot" of society and the most diverse nation in the world. Making it seem from the media that flashes pictures upon our retinas almost everyday. In reality, we live our lives in increasingly homogenized communities composed of single races. Many people never learn or are taught the difference that divide and bring us together. There needs to be a change in the way history is shown to children in America, including whom is a part of it and how it is taught. We need to create an environment that promotes a geographically based multicultural education. In school our children have been historically educated and taught history, epitomized by the glorification, or at least passing reference to Christopher Columbus’ atrocities in the Americas. There is no conspiracy to neglect others views and the hardships of history. Rather the European dominance that forms the basis for the general American culture manifests itself in skewed views of history. The dominate societal segment always writes the text, but the problem now is that, white America, no longer controls the culture as much as it did. As other populations of people grow, their side of history is added to the texts. This change in education started back in the thirties as "white" students examined their cultural heritage. As the non-Anglo Saxon population of whites came into power and position, they also wanted their heritages to be explained and glorified.

Increasing Student Achievement through Preventing School Violence Essay

Increasing Student Achievement through Preventing School Violence Introduction School violence is any type of violence, whether it is a simple threat on another student or a school shooting, that happens in the school environment. Student achievement is the efforts made by the student to work hard in the classroom. The purpose of this research paper is to examine how school violence impacts student achievement. It would seem that school violence would have a negative impact on student achievement. If this is the case then we need to do what we can to prevent violence in schools. Technology can be used to help control school violence. Information on School Violence Violence in our schools has become an increasing problem. Within the United States alone, there have been approximately twenty-two school shootings since 1978 (Cruz, 2002, p. 53-54). Eighteen of the twenty-two occurred during the 1990’s. It has been approximated that â€Å"a school crime occurs every six seconds† (Day, 1996, p. 9). We must ask ourselves why school violence has flourished. When we try to answer this question, we tend to blame society. Violence in the media seems to be the number one cause for violence in the school. However, society and media are not the only things to blame. There are so many reasons for why school violence has become increasingly more popular, but there is one thing that can be said for sure is that our students need to be able to learn and work in a safe environment. The need to create â€Å"a school environment that is free of violence and drugs has become a public priority† (Flannery, 2000). People need to pull together as a community and help in the fight against school violence. We need to give students... ...zine/vault/A2857.cfm 24. The site describes how we can use technology to help prevent school violence. The article discusses some of the technologies being used to prevent violence in the school system. Also, the site gives a list of ways to assess the technologies being used as a solution to prevent violence. 25. Thompson, R. (2000). Promoting Academic Achievement and Safe Schools. Retrieved April 24, 2004 from http://www.nationalcenter.org/P21NVThompsonViolence600.html 26. The author discusses ways of trying to promote academic achievement and safer schools. 27. The author also realizes that the only way to make sure that students succeed is to make sure that their schools are safe. 28. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2002). School Violence Prevention. Retrieved April 25, 2004 from http://www.mentalhealth.samhsa.gov/schoolviolence/

Events in Eiffel Tower

In this report I will be discussing many things about the Eiffel Tower. Such topics are: when the Eiffel Tower was built, how it was designed, and who the architect was. I will also tell you about how it was and how it is now used in Paris. I will also state the time and materials used to build the Eiffel Tower. I will tell you about Alexandre Gustave Eiffel, the architect and builder of the Eiffel Tower. The Eiffel Tower was built by a man by the name of Alexandre Gustave Eiffel. Gustave Eiffel was born in the year of 1832 in Dijon and attended the Ecole des Arts et Manufactures in Paris. In school he specialized in the area of design of large metal structures. He then established his own business in Paris in 1867 and quickly established his reputation with building. He was responsible for such things as the first to use compressed air for underwater caissons, such as on the railway bridge over the Carunne at Bordeauz. Gustave Eiffel has built a series of ambitious railway bridges, of which span across the Dovso at Oportu, Portugal, was the longest at 525 feet (or 160 meters). Then in 1881 he provided the iron skeleton for the Statue of Liberty. He also helped in the French attempt at the Panama Canal, where he designed and partly constructed huge locks. Then the project collapsed in 1893 and Eiffel went to prison for two years. In 1900 he took up aerodynamics and worked with that until his death in 1923. Then 1889 Eiffel built his most popular project ever. His most popular project is the Eiffel Tower, which was begun in the year 1885 and finished in the year 1889. It was originally built for the World†s Fair or Centennial Exposition of 1889 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution. It took him a year to design it and three years to build the tallest structure of that time. The structure was meant to be disassembled after the World†s Fair was over in the year, but was preserved for other better uses. The materials used to build the huge structure were 7,742 tons of iron, 2-1/2 million rivets, and 15,000 pieces of metal. That which brings us to the process of building. To build the tower, the workers would first fabricate all the parts in a welding shop, then number them, and send them to the sight. The building design was to be built with cross-braced lattice girders or a diagonal brace, which runs from vertical support to vertical support, which allows very little movement. Even in hurricane strength winds there would be only 8. 8 inches (or 22 centimeters) of movement. All the highest quality wrought iron. The Eiffel Tower is resting on 25 square foot (or 2. 25 square meter) masonry piers. The piers are set in seven feet (or two meters) of concrete far below ground. The tower has three above ground stages. Below the first platform, which is at the height of 188 feet (or 57 meters), the four legs are connected by structurally sound arches. The second platform is placed at 380 feet (or 115 meters) where the legs are brought almost completely together. Then the third platform is 911 feet (or 276 meters) above the ground. Above the final platform is the lantern, which warn airplanes above, and the final terrace. Then in 1959 the addition of a radio antenna raised the height of the tower from about 990 feet (or 300 meters) to 1,056 feet (or 320 meters). The tower is now used for other things. The Eiffel Tower in Paris, France is located in the â€Å"Champ de Mars,† on the south bank of the River Seine. Its uses have diversely changed throughout the years. After 1889 and the closing of the World†s Fair, Gustave Eiffel spent his time to save his monument and find new and profitable uses for the tower. He supervised changes to accommodate a meteorological station in 1890, a military telegraph station in 1903, and laboratories for studying aerodynamics in 1909. Then in 1900, 1923, and 1937 further modifications were added. The tower was then used for radio and television transmission, as a meteorological recording station, and has a restaurant and office space. Then for many years the Eiffel Tower was owned by a public firm and was in need of repairs. Then in 1981, the government of Paris took over its management. Then in the years 1981 to 1983, the tower underwent serious renovations and reconstruction in preparation for its 100th anniversary in 1989. The remodeling cost over $40 million, and stripped all the paint off down to the girders, removed the excess weight, and built new lighter buildings within the tower. The current state of the first level is three glass-enclosed structures: a museum and the Cinema, which shows films about the tower. The central level is made up of two of its own sections, each of which has a restaurant: Le Perisien, on the lower section, and La Belle France, on the upper section. The third level is the Salle Gustave Eiffel, which provides spaces for conferences, expositions, cultural events, and social gatherings. Also on the second level is a snack bar and souvenir shop. There are also glass-enclosed elevators, which take you to the first and second levels. To conclude my report I would like to say my opinion of this beautiful structure and how it has always been one of the most visited monuments in the whole world. The Eiffel Tower is Paris† most loved monuments and will probably never be disliked. The beautiful structural design and architecture just surprises me for its age. So, a masterpiece that was supposed to be torn down after the World†s Fair has lived a much longer life, a 102-year life. The Eiffel Tower was used in many collectors† plates in its early life. The most popular plates number over 82 today. In its life time, the Eiffel Tower has been visited by over 2. 5 million people and is still today a tourist trap so from a French military telegraph station to restaurants and souvenir stores, the Eiffel Tower has lived trough it all. The Eiffel Tower also went through two world wars, Vietnam, Persian Gulf, and Desert Storm, so never question the strength of a worldwide known monument.