Curriculum Design Essay Example for Free

Curriculum Design Essay Chapter 7 ASCD Yearbook Fundamental Curriculum Decisions, 1984 People cannot intelligently discuss and communicate with others about curriculum without first making very clear what their interpretation of a curriculum is. In this chapter, we will be thinking of a curriculum as a written plan for the educational program of a school or schools. Curriculum design them will consist of those considerations haying to do with the contents, the form, and the arrangement of the various elements of a curriculum. We distinguish between curriculum planning and instructional planning with curriculum planning being the antecedent task. Curriculum planners are forced to make design decisions almost from the outset of their work. The design decisions revolve around three important considerations: (1) the range of school levels and schools to be covered by the curriculum, (2) the number of elements to be included in the curriculum, and (3) the nature and scope of each of those elements. Each of these requires additional explanations. Decisions about the range of school levels and schools to be covered by the curriculum normally are mot very complicated, and the range usually coincides with the sphere of authority of the board of education. Districts may elect to plan a curriculum from kindergarten through grade 12; they may elect to plan one curriculum for the elementary schools and one for the secondary schools; or they may elect to direct each school unit to plan its own curriculum. Planning groups will have to decide about the number of elements to be included in the curriculum. Among the options for inclusion are: (1) a statement of goals or purposes, (2) a statement of document intent and use, (3) an evaluation scheme, and (4) a body of culture content selected and organized with the expectancy that if the culture content is judiciously implemented in classrooms through the instructional program, the goals or purposes for the schools will be achieved. To this list, some would add suggested pupil activities, instructional materials, and so forth, but these matters belong more rightfully in the domain of instructional planning and we will not consider them here. A few comments about each of these four elements will be helpful to the reader in understanding their import for curriculum decisions. Most curriculum writers would agree that it is desirable to include a statement of goals or purposes to be achieved by schools through the implementation of the planned curriculum. They may disagree as to what the goals ought to be, or they may disagree about the degree of specificity of the statements to be included. The most famous statement of goals or purposes for schools became known as the Seven Cardinal Principles of Education as formulated by the Commission on the Reorganization of Secondary Schools in 1918. They were health, command of the fundamental processes, worthy home membership, vocation, civic education, worthy use of leisure, and ethical character. There is less consistency among curriculum writers in terms of their insistence upon including a statement of document intent and use in a curriculum, and, in practice many curricula do not contain such statements. Curricula have, in the past, contained statements intended to reveal the philosophy or point of view of the planners but this is not what we mean by a statement of document intent and use. A statement of document intent and use should be forthright and direct about such matters as: (1) how teachers are expected to use the curriculum as a point of departure fur developing their teaching strategies, (2) the fact that the curriculum is the official educational policy of the board of education, (3) the degree of universality in expectancy with regard to the discretion of teachers in implementing the curriculum, and (4) the degree to which teachers are to be held accountable for the implementation of the curriculum. These are illustrative of the kind of statement that may be formulated, but each planning group will have to decide on the number and character of such statements. With the amount of emphasis put upon curriculum evaluation in recent years, some mandate with respect to the curriculum evaluation is a very reasonable option for inclusion in a curriculum. The most common method of pupil evaluation used in the past has been the standardized (norm referenced) achievement test. In most cases, there were no deliberate attempts to relate published curricula to the test batteries. Therefore, any leap in assumption about the directness of the relationship between curriculum content and whatever was measured by the tests was likely to be untenable. All the more reason for formalizing an evaluation scheme by including it in the curriculum. In one form or another, a curriculum must include a body of culture content that has been deemed by the planners and directing authorities to be important for schools to use in fulfilling their roles as transmitters of culture to the oncoming generations of young people. The basic curriculum question is, and always has been, that of what shall be taught in schools, and a major function of a curriculum is to translate the answer to that question into such forms that schools can fulfill their commitment and demonstrate that they leave done so. Most of the remainder of this chapter is devoted to discussion of this element of a curriculum; so we will leave it at this point. But it should be made clear that from these options as potential elements of a curriculum, there emerge two dimensions of curriculum design. One is the choice of and the arrangement of the elements to be included in the curriculum. The other is the form and arrangement of the contents of each of the elements internally. The design problem is greatest in the case of the form and arrangement of the culture content and it is the one most frequently discussed under the heading of curriculum design by curriculum writers past and present. . Culture Content-Knowledge-Curriculum Content A curriculum is an expression of the choice of content selected from our total culture content and, as such, it is an expression of the role of the school in the society for which the school has been established to serve. A word needs to be said here about the meaning associated with the expression culture content. Ralph Linton provided us with a classical and very useful definition of culture. He stated: A culture is the configuration of learned behavior and results of behavior whose component elements are shared and transmitted by the members of a particular society (1945, p. 32). The term society is ordinarily used to refer to a group of individuals who live together with common norms and shared frames of reference. Societies tend to generate their own culture and to transmit that culture to oncoming generations within that society. So long as societies and their cultures remained in a primitive state, their cultures were simple and could be transmitted to oncoming generations by direct contact between the young and the older members of the society. But as societies became more complex and the scope of their culture content increased so that the transmission of the culture content to the young could no longer be accomplished by direct contact in daily living, societies were forced to create institutions to take on the responsibility for all or part of the cultural transmission task. The school is one of those institutions. The church is another. Both of these institutions have unique roles to play in society, and they tend to transmit different culture conten t to the young. Parochial schools tend to do both. As Smith indicated in Chapter 3 of this Yearbook (not in this reading – JG), the culture content selected to be included in the curriculum of the school may be thought of as equivalent to the knowledge to which school students are to be exposed. In any case, it is critically important to be aware that not all culture content, or knowledge, accumulated by society comes under the purview of the school; curriculum planning is a process of selecting and organizing culture content for transmission to student by the school. The process is very complex, involving input from many sources, but the organized end-result of the process is the design of the curriculum. The most sophisticated mode of organization of culture content for purposes of teaching is reflected by the various disciplines such as history, chemistry, or mathematics. In addition to the established and recognized disciplines, school subjects have been created out of conventional wisdom m the applications of selected portions of the disciplines to applied areas of our culture such as vocational subjects, social studies, or reading and handwriting. In general, the separate subject organization of culture content has predominated in curriculum design. Another way of speaking about curriculum content is to refer to cognitive content, skill content, and value or attitudinal content. As Smith discussed more fully in Chapter 3, all three types of content represent knowledge in some from either in the form of direct knowledge or a knowledge base. The three forms have been used as a classification schema or a taxonomy for curriculum content formulation. Historic Curriculum Design Conflicts One must realize that tire basic curriculum question is, and always has been, one of what shall be taught in the schools. An immediate corollary to that question has been that of how shall what has been chosen to be taught in the school be organized so as to best facilitate the subsequent decisions about teaching and learning. Those two questions are the primary curriculum questions, and the organized decisions made in response to them culminate in a curriculum design. A few reflections about our curriculum past will illustrate settle of the conflicts in curriculum design that have taken place. In her study, Sequel observed that curriculum as we use the term today was not a subject of professional discussion until after 1890 (1966, p. 1). Rugg contended that decisions about curriculum content prior to the 20th century were decided primarily by textbook writers and textbook publishers (1926, Pp. Ill-11). It was not until 1918 that Bobbitt wrote the first definitive work on curriculum and since that time curriculum writers have directed their attention to the substance and organization of curriculum content (curriculum design) and to the processes of curriculum planning, implementing, and evaluating. By the early 1900, the stage had been set for the separate subjects organization of the culture content to be used in schools. In our very early elementary or primary schools, for example, pupils were taught to read, to write, and to compute; the subjects were called reading, writing, and arithmetic. Much later such subjects as geography, history, and civics were added to the curriculum. In our early secondary schools, pupils were taught a selection of subjects (disciplines) that were directly associated with the disciplines taught at the college or university. Even though the separate subjects organization of culture content was used before curriculum became an area of professional study, it is still with us. True, subjects have ben added and others altered, but it remains the dominant approach to curriculum design. The separate subjects mode of curriculum design has been significantly challenged only once in our history. That challenge came with the advent of the Progressive Education movement. A principal belief of the Progressive Education movement was its dramatic emphasis on the learner in school settings. A substantial portion of the Progressive emphasis on the learner was stimulated by John Deweys (1916) call for more active and less passive learning in schools. This focus on the learner when applied to the organization of curriculum content led to endeavors remove away from the separate subjects organization of tire curriculum content. The movemen away from the separate subjects organization (sometimes called subject-centered) was toward the integration, or fusion, of subjects under the assumption that such integration would not only facilitate learning on the part of pupils but would additionally make the knowledge, skills, and attitudes more easily available to the pupils in post-school life (the transfer problem). The basic process involved here was the fusion of the contents of two or more of the separate subjects into another organization in which the individual subjects lost their separate identities. As one might expect, names were associated with the various integration or fusion attempts. Figure 1 adapted from Hopkins (1941, p. 18) illustrates the variety of names associated with curricula resulting from integrative or fusion processes. Hopkins here polarized the subject curriculum and the experience curriculum. The broad fields curriculum was placed in the center so as to show that it had a reasonable num ber of the characteristics of the two extremes. Others as indicated on either side depending on emphasis. Space in this volume will not permit extensive description of curricula developed as part of the efforts to move away from separate subjects organization. The best we can do here is to identify some of them and cite sources for further investigation on the part of the reader. For example, in their hook The Child-Centered School, Rugg and Shumaker (1928) presented brief descriptions of the curricula of the Lincoln School, The Frances Parker School, and others of that time. In most cases, the curricula were built around child-centered units of work, but attention was focused as needed on such basic subjects as reading, mathematics, history, geography, and so forth. One of the most extreme departures from separate subjects organization was proposed by Stratemeyer and others (1957). The authors proposed the persistent life situations concept as a basis for dealing with the curriculum building issues of scope, sequence, continuity, balance, and depth. At the junior and senior high school levels, special mention should be made of the core curriculum. The core curriculum idea was to get away from nothing but the discipline-centered curriculum. Most core programs were organized around larger and more flexible blocks of time, and the content was generally centered on personal and social problems and problems of living. In many respects the core curriculum idea was an attempt to solve the general education problem in our upper schools. It is important to note that in practice in schools, curriculum design failed to get very far away from the subject- or discipline-centered design. The most lasting effect of the movement was the broad fields idea as represented by social studies, language arts, and general science, and they have persisted mostly in curricula for elementary and junior high schools. Contemporary Arguments About Curriculum Design Probably the most persistent movement in curriculum design in recent years has been the proposed use of specific behavioral objectives as a basis for curriculum organization. Curriculum writers have long proposed that curricula ought to contain statements of goals or objectives, but not as the only content of a curriculum. Some contemporary writers have proposed that curricula should be thought of in terms of the anticipated consequences of instruction, or intended learning outcomes. (For example, see Popham and Baker, 1970; Johnson, 1977). The culture content in such cases would either be implied in the objectives or be considered as an instructional decision. A distinct advantage of this type of curriculum design is that supervision of the implementation and of the evaluation of the curriculum is simplified and facilitated. Such proposals are in direct contrast to a proposal that a curriculum should he composed in four parts: (1) a statement of goals, (2) an outline of the culture content that has the potential for reaching the goals, (3) a statement of the intended use of the curriculum, and (4) a schema for the evaluation of the curriculum (Beauchamp, 1981, p. 136). They are in even greater contrast to those who would include instructional considerations such as suggested activities for learners and instructional materials to be used. Curriculum planners should be warned that the inclusion of all of these things produces fat and unmanageable curricula. With respect to the culture content of curricula, two organizational concepts persist both in the literature and in the practice of writing curricula. The first is the tendency to continue with the basic framework of the subjects, or disciplines, that are to be taught. The second is to break the subject areas down into three identifiable components: (1) cognitive, (2) inquiry and skill, and (3) affective (value, moral, attitudinal). Curriculum planners will probably wish to begin their thinking about design with the familiar, which will unquestionably be the conventional school subjects. They will consist of mathematics, social sciences (including social studies as a subject), the natural sciences, fine and applied arts, health and physical education, communications, and other languages. At the secondary school level, planners will add to these whatever vocational and technical subjects they may wish to offer. Some planners will wish to add an area that may be termed social problems, molar problems, or problems of living that may call for applications of elements learned in various conventional subjects. Curriculum planning is an educative process. For this reason classroom teachers should be involved in the undertaking. A very important reason for their involvement is that the process of curriculum planning presents an opportunity for them to engage in analysis of the culture content so that they may be more effective in their classrooms at the level of instruction. The analytic process of breaking down the culture content into cognitive, affective, and inquiry and skill components is one way that teachers may become mote knowledgeable about what they do. Also in this process of analyzing the culture content, the content is more specifically related to goals and at the same time it fosters better curriculum implementation. For these reasons, teachers participation in curriculum deliberations has been proposed frequently as a needed dimension of continuous teacher education. In Chapter 3, Smith raised the very important question of the utility of the culture content selected to be part of the curriculum content, and he posed several ways in which the utility of knowledge can be emphasized. In a more specific vein, Broody, Smith, and Burnett (1964) suggested on, potential uses of learnings acquired in school to he taken into consideration. They are the associative use, the replicative use, the applicative use, and the interpretive use (pp. 43-60). Very briefly, the associative use of knowledge refers to the psychological process of responding to a new situation with elements of knowledge previously acquired. The replicative use refers to situations that call for direct and familiar use of schooling such as when we read a newspaper, write a letter, or balance a checkbook . The applicative use occurs when an individual is confronted with a new problem and is able to solve the new problem by the use of knowledge acquired in the study of school subjects through previous experience in solving problems demanding similar applications. The interpretive use of schooling refers to the orientation and perspective the individual brings to new situations because the individual has acquired ways of conceptualizing and classifying experience. Much of the discussion about uses of schooling (especially use external to the school) is an elaboration of the transfer problem that has plagued educators ever since Edward Thorndike first set forth his theory of transfer through the existence of identical elements in 1908. The most easily explained is the replicative use as described above because of the direct similarity between the use external to the school and the mode of learning and practice in school. Take reading for example. Reading from school materials is directly similar to reading of materials outside the school. But when it comes to applying knowledge or making new interpretations or associations between knowledge required in school and life situations external to schools, a more complicated transfer situation exists. Unfortunately, many of the questions raised about utility and uses of schooling have not been answered through curriculum design. Nor are they likely to be because so much is dependent upon classroom teaching technique and the design of instructional strategies. The best efforts in curriculum design have been through the generation of new courses (subjects if you please) in which the content is purportedly more like life external to the school. Reference here is made not only to specialized courses such as technical, vocational, commercial and occupational courses but also to courses designed around molar problems, problems of living, and core programs. In many respects, the broad fields courses were designed for purposes of saving time during the school day and to facilitate the transfer of knowledge acquired. But whatever the curriculum design, if teachers are not aware of and sensitive to the kind of analyses of the content to be taught as we have been discussing it, the uses of schooling will not be maximized. All the more reason why teachers should be part of the curriculum planning effort and participate in the required dialogue. In summary, then, what courses of action with respect to curriculum design appear to be the most appropriate for todays curriculum planners? The most important aspect of curriculum design is the display to be made of culture content once the content has been selected. The total amount of culture content is constantly growing thus making the problem of selection for curriculum content more difficult as time goes on. Unquestionably, the role of those schools (elementary and secondary) that operate under compulsory school attendance laws must constantly be examined in terms of what they should or should not offer in their curricula. The elementary school curriculum has always been designed with general education in mind. In our contemporary society, the secondary school seems to be moving in that same direction. Both, however, have seen fit to divide the content selected into realms or courses as appropriate. Scope and sequence have long been two major problems in curriculum design. The display of course content into topical outline is one way planners can watch for discrepancies in scope and sequence. It also helps with horizontal articulation among the various subjects. To help teachers generate greater insight into the content outline, it is desirable that the curriculum design reveal the expected cognitive, inquiry or skill, and affective outcomes. These are conventionally arranged in the design of the content in parallel with the topics in the outline. flow behaviorally the outcomes are to be stated is optional to the planners. These outcomes should also be thought of in terms of any goals or purposes that may be stated in the curriculum. What else to include in the design is optional to the plan. It has become quite conventional to think of goals or purposes first and then to select the content. Such procedure is quite arbitrary because all content is selected with some purpose in mind. Nonetheless, a statement of goals and purposes is a useful element in curriculum design. I would add to the topic outline and the expected outcomes a directive statement about the intended use to be made of the curriculum and a statement outlining a scheme for evaluating it.

Acceptance of Violence in TV and Media

Acceptance of Violence in TV and Media The development of technology such as television, internet and radio, has led us to an important understanding of the surroundings in which we live in, surroundings which are mostly represented by the media, to an audience. As members of this media audience we are being constantly flooded with the notion of crime and violence by the use of technology. The notion of news is travelling very fast and it is present in every household with access to technology, and the media prioritise crime and violence as their central theme and broadcast it in order to attract a larger audience (Newburn, 2007). MacDougall (1968:12) states that ‘At any given moment billions of simultaneous events occur throughout the world†¦ All of these occurrences are potentially news. They do not become so until some purveyor of news gives an account of them. The news, in other words, is the account of the event, not something intrinsic in the event itself’ Thinking of the simple fact that when people watch television, there is always a slight chance that the channel they are watching will present a violent act, making people think that the media is a very powerful influence upon crime and violence (Potter, 2003). However, the media producers, in response to the public’s voice, claim that violence on television is just a reflection of the violence that occurs in society. Although it is perceived as being overrated and altering the reality, violence in the media is claimed by the producers as being just a response to the demand of it (Potter, 2003). Taking into consideration the last argument, the question ‘Why do people accept and enjoy watching violence in the media?’ arouses. It can relate to the fact that most media audiences are drawn into violent imagery just because it challenges their imagination, as in the case of video games. On the other hand it may presume just the simple notion of fitting in with the character and experiencing a fantasy of their own (Goldstein, 1998). Furthermore there are three main theories that I will be focusing on in order to reach for an answer to the question ‘Why people enjoy watching violent representations in the media?’, and these theories are based on the psychoanalytical approach, transgression or carnivalesque approach, and the sociological approach. A popular belief is that audiences are drawn into attending movies by their misleading or altered advertising campaigns. Producers often refer to a film as reaching out to their audience by these campaigns, and it stands in the hand of the producers how they represent these campaigns to a specific audience (Turner, 1999). It is also a fact that millions and millions are spent on publicity and advertising for new movies, but it is not always the case that the audience is drawn into them. Getting in touch with the audience is the hardest part for producers and it is only made through careful planning and exposure of the new production in such manner that the audience will react in a positive way (Turner, 1999). Metz (1982) described his experience as a member of the cinema as seeing the audience trying to reach out in the action of the movie, becoming part of it. To have a better understanding of how audiences confront with the thin line between reality and imaginary, we need to have a better focus at the unconscious level and its process of watching a production. By taking a closer look at the psychoanalytical approach, mostly interested in dreams, there is a correlation between film and dreams that offers a new perspective to researchers for the Freudian theories and the way in which the unconscious works (Turner, 1999). Metz (1982) stated that the boundary between reality and imaginary is fading away for the audience, and the gap between these two has been described by Freud as â€Å"the location of desire† and it is covered by media productions (Turner, 1999:131). The psychoanalytical approach emphasizes on the notion of ‘look’ upon the audience, audience which is also referred as ‘the spectator’ (Turner, 1999:131). This notion takes a very much influence within the Freudian and post-Freudian theory as it stands in the individual’s power to self-define him and establish a certain relation with the surroundings. Based on this notion, therefore the audience is not only performing the action of viewing, but they also get caught within the story of the media production and inflict certain values and strengths, which make them accountable for a position of power. This position of power is described by Freudian theory as being one such of a position of a voyeur, which in other terms ‘†makes an object of† those caught unwittingly in the power of his gaze’ (Turner, 1999:131). Graeme Turner (1999) argues that we as human beings we always identify within characters that we see on the screen, such as heroes or heroines, in order to feel self-accomplished. The psychoanalytical approach identifies two main categories of audiences, first category being argued by Metz (1982) as being the simple identification with the notion of cinema, seeking out the mystery revealed by the screen. For the second category, Metz (1982) argues that the cinema stresses out the viewer’s perception with the vision of the camera. Based on these arguments, the audience finds itself in a position of confusion and distortion between reality and imaginary, as the media tends to influence their behaviour in society in such manner that they establish an audience-media relationship (Turner, 1999). Laura Mulvey (1975) argued that in relation to violent representations of crime and the psychoanalytical approach, the media is shaped around the principles of narcissism and voyeurism. Mulvey (1975) also believed that these two principles are main feature for the film industry in order to establish the audience-media relationship. The psychoanalytical approach also established a connection of human sexuality to the notion audience-media relationship. Media productions also focused on the revealing of the female body and using it as a tool, whilst the male viewer is thought to be central to the notion of spectator. Violent representation in the media appears in many ways, and the media has always been taken for granted as a source of trust by presenting their stories and revealing the true nature of the environment. By the simple method of how media releases their stories, part of the audience does not take into consideration the fact that these stories react at an unconscious level and sometimes violent representations can lead to instigation. The media is a powerful tool that by using the right set of words and images can alter the audience into believing what they want them to believe. People choose to watch violence in the media, not as a source of comfort, but most of the times as a precaution to have a better understanding of the society in which they live in and to know how to behave or react (Goldstein, 1998). It is up to every individual how he reacts to the set of imagery and words, although the media is already offering a certain perspective. Jeffrey Goldstein (1998) stated that ‘An undeniable characteristic of violent imagery is its emotional wallop. It gives most people a jolt.’ (Goldstein, 1998:216). Based on this argument, the notion of violence for some audience represents a part of interest, an incentive. Not only that it reacts as an incentive, but audiences that enjoy violent representation, according to Goldstein (1998), emphasize a great understanding in their own personal lives the notion of violence. For some it might be just the fact of seeking the thrill of experiencing the good guy or bad guy experience. On the other hand the joy of watching violent representations of crime might be expressed as ‘an outcome of the â€Å"civilizing process†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ (Elias, N., Dunning, E. cited in Goldstein, 1998:217), outcome that stands between the lack of opportunity and real life experience. . Violence in the media appears in a more exciting way for others, thus the attraction for violent imager y results as desire to overcome their state of mind. Moving on to the sociological approach in order to explain the desire to watch violence in the media, we take into consideration the work of Stuart Hall (1973), who sought the media as a challenge and tried to expose a new theory about how the production is made, how it is broadcasted and how it is absorbed by the audience. In short terms he explains the process of encoding and decoding of messages and images. Stuart Hall (1973) explains that the media-audience relationship works through the help of the sender, the message and the receiver. He argues that the media creates his own message and sends it across to the audience, but the audience itself might not perceive the transparent message that should be received. Martin Innes (2004) developed a social understanding of the signs and sign system of risk perception, also referred as â€Å"signal crimes†, and it focuses on the way people interpret and define threats to their security. Mass media is a useful tool in analysing the signal crime methodology, as it provides information in how certain news can shape critical events into signal crimes (Innes, 2004). The central idea of the signal crimes perspective is that every person is entitled perceive their own understanding of crime, thus violence in the media occurs as a criminogenic risk. â€Å"The [media violence] debate has been profoundly masculine in orientation. One of the most significant challenges of the future is to shift the terms of debate away from the dominant, but limiting, models of free speech and censorship, which derive from masculine ideas of aggressive journalistic realism on the one hand and of paternalistic protectionism on the other†(Cunningham, 1992:71). Media takes an important place in our lives, as it constantly providing us public culture, although in terms of violence it might be in some cases risk aware, or if it just only to satisfy ourselves by stepping out of the boundaries of reality ( Carter, 2003). Taking for instance the news industry, it is their number one priority to sell violence and keep it on the front page of their newspapers or on television. The question that arouses on these premises is why do violence sells? Most of the times the audience’s perception lies in the factor of security and integrity, therefore the notion of violence for them stands in terms of their own security, how safe they feel in their private home or in the street (Carter, 2003). The carnivalesque or transgression approach has its roots in Mikhail Bakhtin’s (1941) theory as he describes it as a speech-genre that manifests across different cultural grounds, especially in carnival. He describes a carnival as being a pass for everything, where audiences and actors takes place with no difference aside them. Also the notion of carnival was stripping people of rank, thus making everyone participating with equal status, boundaries between rich and poor disappearing. The whole purpose of the carnival was to allow people to express thoughts and creativity in a free manner (Bakhtin, 1941). Following these arguments, we can perceive media as being the central theme in terms of the carnival, however audiences participating only as audiences. By the representation of violence in the media, taking into account Mikhail Bakhtin’s theory of carnivalesque, we can also consider that media is an instigation to push our limits and exceed the normal routine by joinin g their own â€Å"carnival†. Media is considered to be a useful tool in mass control, by sending out transparent messages, by instigating people or by simply revealing the society itself. In other cases, like videogames, the audience is drawn into violence as it offers a source of impersonation by taking the place of a bad guy or good guy and seeking justice and adventure by committing violent acts. It can relate to the fact that videogames fill the gap between place of desire and reality, as it also offers a sense of strength and puts the individuals in a place of complete control and power (Carter, 2003). As with the development of technology, people are drawn into films that include violence as it offers a different understanding of the social surrounding and that is with the help of special effects. Looking at horror movies or science fiction movies, special effects play an important part to the media-violence-audience effect. It is recognised that the acts of grotesque that appear on screen are unacceptable , but however that is what people are drawn into, too see the world with different eyes (Carter, 2003).

Free College Essays - The Noble Othello in Shakespeares Othello :: GCSE Coursework Shakespeare Othello

The Noble Othello This character is so noble, Othello's feelings and actions follow so inevitably from it and from the forces brought to bear on it, and his sufferings are so heart-rending, that he stirs a passion of mingled love and pity which readers feel for no other hero in Shakespeare, and to which not even Mr Swinburne can do more than justice. Yet there are some critics and not a few readers who cherish a grudge against him. They do not merely think that in the later stages of his temptation he showed a certain obtuseness, and that, to speak pedantically, he acted with unjustifiable precipitance and violence; no one, I suppose, denies that. But, even when they admit that he was not of a jealous temper, they consider that he was "easily jealous"; they seem to think that it was inexcusable in him to feel any suspicion of his wife at all; and they blame him for never suspecting Iago or asking him for evidence. I refer to this attitude of mind chiefly in order to draw attention to certain points in the story. It comes partly from inattention (for Othello did suspect Iago and did ask him for evidence); partly from a misconstruction of the text which makes Othello appear jealous long before he really is so; [Endnote 2] and partly from failure to realise certain essential facts. I will begin with these. 1. Othello, we have seen, was trustful, and thorough in his trust. He put entire confidence in the honesty of Iago, who had not only been his companion in arms, but, as he believed, had just proved his faithfulness in the matter of the marriage. This confidence was misplaced, and we happen to know it; but it was no sign of stupidity in Othello. For his opinion of Iago was the opinion of practically everyone who knew him: and that opinion was that Iago was before all things "honest", his very faults being those of excess in honesty. This being so, even if Othello had not been trustful and simple, it would have been quite unnatural in him to be unmoved by the warnings of so honest a friend, warnings offered with extreme reluctance and manifestly from a friend's sense of duty. [Endnote 3] Any husband would have been troubled by them. 2. Iago does not bring these warnings to a husband who had lived with a wife for months and years and knew her like his sister or his bosom-friend.

Frank Lloyd Wright Essay -- Architecture Nature Papers

"...having a good start, not only do I fully intend to be the greatest architect who has yet lived, but fully intend to be the greatest architect who will ever live. Yes, I intend to be the greatest architect of all time." - Frank Lloyd Wright 1867-1959 It appears that from the very beginning, Frank Lloyd Wright was destined by fate or determination to be one of the most celebrated architects of the twentieth century. Not only did Wright possess genius skills in the spatial cognition, his approach to architecture through geometric manipulation demonstrates one aspect of his creativeness. Forever a great businessman, Wright seemed to know how to please his clients and still produce some of the most innovative and ridiculed buildings of the early century. While the United States appeared to be caught up in the Victorian style, Frank Lloyd Wright stepped out in front to face the challenge of creating "American architecture" which would reflect the lives of the rapidly growing population of the Midwest United States. Howard Gardner in his book "Creating Minds" does not make any mention of Frank Lloyd Wright, an innovator who drastically influenced architecture of the twentieth century around the world. CHILDHOOD Born in 1867 Wisconsin, Frank Lincoln Wright grew up in the comfort and influence of a Welsh heritage. The Lloyd-Jones clan, his mother's side of the family, would have great influence on Frank throughout his life. Unitarian in faith, the extended family lived within close proximity to each other thus enabling a strong support system for those born or married into the clan. Great themes within the Lloyd-Jones clan included education, religion, and nature. Wright's family spent many evening listening to William Lincoln... ...FERENCES Boulton, Alexander O. Frank Lloyd Wright: Architect: An Illustrated Biography, Rizzoli International Publications, New York, 1993. Color pictures and text following Wright's personal and professional life. Gill, Brendan, Many Masks: A Life of Frank Lloyd Wright, G.P. Putnam's Sons, New York, 1987. Text biography concentrating on Wright's hidden motivations and true personality. Heinz, Thomas A., Frank Lloyd Wright: Architectural Monographs No 18, St. Martin's Press, New York, 1992. Color photographs of the interior/Exterior of restored Wright homes. Lind, Carla, The Wright Style, Simon & Schuster, New York, 1992. Photographs of Wright's works, with text discussing his architectural productions and approaches. Secrest, Meryle, Frank Lloyd Wright: A Biography, Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. New York, 1992. Text biography of Wright's work and life.

Censorship in music :: essays research papers

Censorship in music is a topic that has brought about much controversy in the past two decades. There have been many different arguments on the topic, however the question still remains as if it should be censored or it should not be censored. Before one can form an opinion on this, one must hear both sides of the argument. Some believe that music should be censored so all audiences can hear it without it containing any controversial lyrics. Others believe it should not be censored and musical artists should be able to speak, sing, rap, or rhyme freely without anyone censoring them. Whether a person finds a work obscene depends largely on his or her moral or religious beliefs. These views change with each generation and further complicate the censorship dilemma. Religious or moral beliefs have a great influence on how a person feels about censorship, and as generations pass on the common beliefs on it may change. Right now, America is more uncensored than ever. However, things were very different a few generations ago. Some people believe music should be censored. They believe some of the language musical artists use is vulgar, obscene, and crude. Also the fact that music is played on forms of media such as radio and television. Those are broadcasted to all audiences, and there are many parents that would not wish for their kids to hear foul language. So on radio and television any controversial language is either silenced, or edited out by a soft sound. Some artists make two versions of their songs; one that is made for the artist's album, which is uncensored; and one for television and radio with any controversial words change to be acceptable for all audiences. This does not include cable television, which can be audited by parents since the parents must order and pay for the channel to be viewed. When one really thinks about it, it is a violation of the First Amendment. The First Amendment guarantees the right to freedom of speech, and censorship is violating peoples' rights to say whatever they want to say. It is sometimes difficult to understand when a child gets punished for using foul language meanwhile the child's parents have the right to criticize and petition the government whenever they feel the need to do so. Many musical artists feel that when they are forced to change lyrics their rights are being violated.

Cultural Observation

In my adventure to find the right store for this assignment, I solicited the assistance of my neighbor. My neighbor, Edith Harbor and her husband Larry own a convenience store in Gaga Priest, located in the northern region of Sonata, Mexico so this was the venue of choice for me to observe for a few hours. Before entering the store, the first thing I observed was the modest appearance of the building. The building was not as fancy or modern as mom of the building in American.It was covered in traditional Mexican colors and language written on the walls as well as locals seated on a bench outside the door. This reminded me of some of the local stores I was accustom to when growing up in Georgia. The local people were as observant of me as I was of them, paying close attention to what I was saying to my friend Edith. Edith was very familiar with many of the people in the area so she was able to introduce me to some of the people entering the store. One of the main things saw as well as smelled was garlic.The reason for this is he Harbor own local garlic farmers and they just recently harvested the garlic which was being sold in their store. Edith also makes and sells tamales in their store, which are a traditional Mexican dish made out of corn. As I reflect on this experience, it forced me to pay very close attention to better understand what people were saying because they were primarily speaking Spanish. English being my native language, I had to watch what I said to ensure that I did not say anything offensive. I was very impressed with the way each person presented themselves in the way they interacted as well as he way they dressed.Most American is not very courteous or considerate to their elders but I noticed how they would address their elders. This is something I was accustoming to from a youth growing up in the south being respectful Of my elders and this was displayed by many in Mexico. This observation also affected my intercultural communication in a way that has forced me to want to perfect my Spanish so could better interact with Edith and her family. Cultural Observation In my adventure to find the right store for this assignment, I solicited the assistance of my neighbor. My neighbor, Edith Harbor and her husband Larry own a convenience store in Gaga Priest, located in the northern region of Sonata, Mexico so this was the venue of choice for me to observe for a few hours. Before entering the store, the first thing I observed was the modest appearance of the building. The building was not as fancy or modern as mom of the building in American.It was covered in traditional Mexican colors and language written on the walls as well as locals seated on a bench outside the door. This reminded me of some of the local stores I was accustom to when growing up in Georgia. The local people were as observant of me as I was of them, paying close attention to what I was saying to my friend Edith. Edith was very familiar with many of the people in the area so she was able to introduce me to some of the people entering the store. One of the main things saw as well as smelled was garlic.The reason for this is he Harbor own local garlic farmers and they just recently harvested the garlic which was being sold in their store. Edith also makes and sells tamales in their store, which are a traditional Mexican dish made out of corn. As I reflect on this experience, it forced me to pay very close attention to better understand what people were saying because they were primarily speaking Spanish. English being my native language, I had to watch what I said to ensure that I did not say anything offensive. I was very impressed with the way each person presented themselves in the way they interacted as well as he way they dressed.Most American is not very courteous or considerate to their elders but I noticed how they would address their elders. This is something I was accustoming to from a youth growing up in the south being respectful Of my elders and this was displayed by many in Mexico. This observation also affected my intercultural communication in a way that has forced me to want to perfect my Spanish so could better interact with Edith and her family.

Abrahamic Covenant

ABRAHAMIC COVENANT Reference:| Addressed To:| Circumstance Under Which it was Reiterated:| â€Å"Ingredients†Which compose the Covenant:| Development in the Book of Genesis:| Any Change in Content or Emphasis:| | Genesis 12:1- The Lord has said to Abram, â€Å"Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you. Abram| God called Abram to move from Haran to Canaan| Faith | This all started with a call from God| The emphasis here is placed on Faith as God calls Abram by Faith| | Genesis 12:2- â€Å"I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. | Abram| Abram is called by God to move by Faith| Blessing/Seed| God calls Abram| God promises to Bless Abram| | Genesis 12:3- I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you. | Abram| Abram is called to move by Faith| Blessing/Curse| This call is just the beginning| God promises Blessings and cursing’s to those who bless and curse Abram. | | Reference:| Addressed To:| Circumstance Under Which it was Reiterated:| â€Å"Ingredients†Which compose the Covenant:| Development in the Book of Genesis:| Any Change in Content or Emphasis:| | Genesis 12: 7- The Lord appeared to Abram and said, â€Å"To your offspring I will give this land. † So he built an altar there to the Lord, who had appeared to him. Abram| Abram was in the Land that God promised him. | Seed/Land| | | | Genesis 13: 14-15- The Lord said to Abram after Lot had parted from him, â€Å"Lift up your eyes from where you are and look north and south, east and west. All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever. | Abram| Abram in Canaan| Seed/Land| | | | Genesis 13: 16- I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust, then your offspring could be counted. Abram| Abram in Canaan | Seed| | | | Reference:| Addressed To:| Circumstance Under Which it was Reiterated:| â€Å"Ingredients†Which compose the Covenant:| Development in the Book of Genesis:| Any Change in Content or Emphasis:| | Genesis 13:17- Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you. †| Abram| Abram in Canaan| Land| | | | Genesis 15: 4- Then the word of the Lord came to him: â€Å"This man will not be your heir, but a son coming from your own body will be your heir. | Abram| Abram’s Vision| Seed| | | | Genesis 15: 5- He took him outside and said, â€Å"Look up at the heavens and count the stars-if indeed you can count them. † Then he said to him, â€Å"So shall your offspring be. †| Abram| Abram’s Vision| Seed| | | | Reference:| Addressed To:| Circumstance Under Which it was Reiterated:| â€Å"Ingredients†Which compose the Covenant:| Development in the Book of Genesis:| Any Change in Content or Emphasis:| | Genesis 1 5: 7- He also said to him, â€Å"I am the Lord, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to take possession of it. | Abram| Abram’s Vision| Land| | | | Genesis 15: 18- 19- On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram and said, â€Å"To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates-the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadomonites, Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites. | Abram| Abram’s Vision | Seed/Land| | | | Genesis 16: 10- Then the angel added, â€Å"I will so increase your descendants that they will be too numerous to count. | Hagar| Hagar Flees to a spring in the desert beside the road to Shur| Seed| | | | Reference:| Addressed To:| Circumstance Under Which it was Reiterated:| â€Å"Ingredients†Which compose the Covenant:| Development in the Book of Genesis:| Any Change in Content or Emphasis:| | Genesis 17: 2- I will confirm my covenant b etween me and you and will greatly increase your numbers. | Abram| | Seed| | | | Genesis 17: 4- â€Å"As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations. Abram| | Seed| | | | Genesis 17: 5- No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations. | Abraham| | Seed| | | | Reference:| Addressed To:| Circumstance Under Which it was Reiterated:| â€Å"Ingredients†Which compose the Covenant:| Development in the Book of Genesis:| Any Change in Content or Emphasis:| | Genesis 17: 6- I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you. Abraham| | Seed| | | | Genesis 17: 7- I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. | Abraham| | Seed| | | | Genesis 17: 8- The whole land of Canaan, where you are now an alien, I will give a s an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God. †| Abraham| | Land/Seed| | | |Reference:| Addressed To:| Circumstance Under Which it was Reiterated:| â€Å"Ingredients†Which compose the Covenant:| Development in the Book of Genesis:| Any Change in Content or Emphasis:| | Genesis 17: 9- Then God said to Abraham, â€Å"As for you, you must keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you for the generations to come. | Abraham| | Seed| | | | Genesis 17: 10- This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised. Abraham| | Seed/Circumcision| | | | Genesis 17: 11- You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you. | Abraham| | Circumcision| | | | Reference:| Addressed To:| Circumstance Under Which it was Reiterated:| â€Å"Ingredients†Which compose the Covenant:| Development in the Book of Genesis:| A ny Change in Content or Emphasis:| | Genesis 17: 12- For the generations to come every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised, including those born in your household or bought with money from a foreigner-those who are not your offspring.My covenant in your flesh is to be an everlasting covenant. | Abraham| | Circumcision/Flesh| | | | Genesis 17: 13- Any uncircumcised male, who has not been circumcised in the flesh, will be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant. †| Abraham| | Circumcision| | | | Genesis 17: 15-17- God also said to Abraham, â€Å"As for Sarai your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah. I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her. † | Abraham| | Blessing/Seed| | | |Reference:| Addressed To:| Circumstance Under Which it was Reiterated:| â€Å"Ingredients†Which compose the Covenant:| Dev elopment in the Book of Genesis:| Any Change in Content or Emphasis:| | Genesis 17: 19- Then God said, â€Å"Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him. | Abraham| | Seed| | | | Genesis 17: 20- And as for Ishmael, I have heard you: I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and will greatly increase his numbers.He will be the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation. | Abraham| | Seed/Land| | | | Genesis 17: 21- But my covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you by this time next year. | Abraham| | Seed| | | | Reference:| Addressed To:| Circumstance Under Which it was Reiterated:| â€Å"Ingredients†Which compose the Covenant:| Development in the Book of Genesis:| Any Change in Content or Emphasis:| | Genesis 18: 18- Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth wi ll be blessed through him. Abraham| God reveals to Abraham that He is going to destroy Sodom| Seed/Blessing| | | | Genesis 18: 19- For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just, so that the Lord will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him. †| Abraham| Abraham’s revelation from God| Seed/Land/Promise| | | | Genesis 21: 1- Now the Lord was gracious to Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did for Sarah what he had promised. Sarah| Sarah gives birth to Isaac| Seed| | | | Reference:| Addressed To:| Circumstance Under Which it was Reiterated:| â€Å"Ingredients†Which compose the Covenant:| Development in the Book of Genesis:| Any Change in Content or Emphasis:| | Genesis 21: 2- Sarah became pregnant and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the very time God had promised him. | Abraham| The birth of the promised heir, Isaac| Seed/Promise| | | | Genesis 21: 4- When his son Isaac was eight days old, Abraham circumcised him, as God commanded him. | Abraham| Abraham eaffirmed the covenant through the circumcision of Isaac| Circumcision| | | | Genesis 21: 13- I will make the son of the maidservant into a nation also, because he is your offspring. | Abraham| God reassures Abraham that he will bless Ishmael. | Seed| | | | Reference:| Addressed To:| Circumstance Under Which it was Reiterated:| â€Å"Ingredients†Which compose the Covenant:| Development in the Book of Genesis:| Any Change in Content or Emphasis:| | Genesis 21: 18- Lift the boy up and take him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation. Hagar| God hears Ishmael’s cries and provides while reassuring Hagar of His promise. | Seed| | | | Genesis 22: 17- I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, | Abraham| Abraham obe ys God and is rewarded with His promises. | Seed/Land/Blessing| | | | Genesis 22: 18- and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me. Abraham| God reminds Abraham of His promises. | Seed/Blessing| | | | Reference:| Addressed To:| Circumstance Under Which it was Reiterated:| â€Å"Ingredients†Which compose the Covenant:| Development in the Book of Genesis:| Any Change in Content or Emphasis:| | Genesis 26: 3- Stay in this land for a while, and I will be with you and will bless you. For to you and your descendants I will give all these lands and will confirm the oath I swore to your father Abraham. | Isaac| Famine in the land. God gives Isaac instructions. Seed/Land/Blessing/Oath| | | | Genesis 26: 4- I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and will give them all these lands, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, | Isaac| | Seed/Blessing| | | | Genesis 26: 24- That night the Lord ap peared to him and said, I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bless you and will increase the number of your descendants for the sake of my servant Abraham. | Isaac| | Seed/Blessing| | | |Reference:| Addressed To:| Circumstance Under Which it was Reiterated:| â€Å"Ingredients†Which compose the Covenant:| Development in the Book of Genesis:| Any Change in Content or Emphasis:| | Genesis 28: 13- There above it stood the Lord, and he said: â€Å"I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land which you are lying. | Jacob| | Land| | | | Genesis 28: 14- Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south.All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. | Jacob| | Seed/Blessing| | | | Genesis 28: 15- I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you. | Jacob| | Land| | | | Reference:| Addressed To:| Circumstance Under Which it was Reiterated:| â€Å"Ingredients†Which compose the Covenant:| Development in the Book of Genesis:| Any Change in Content or Emphasis:| | Genesis 35: 11- And God said to him, â€Å"I am God Almighty, be fruitful and increase in number.A nation and a community of nations will come from you, and kings will come from your body. | Jacob| | Seed| | | | Genesis 35: 12- The land I gave to Abraham and Isaac I will also give to you, and I will give this land to your descendants. | Jacob| | Seed/Land| | | | Genesis 46: 3- â€Å"I am God, the God of your father,† he said. â€Å"Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there. | Israel| | Seed| | | |