Ethnography

AN ETHNOGRAPHY â€Å"When used as a method, ethnography typically refers to fieldwork (alternatively, participant-observation) conducted by a single investigator who ‘lives with and lives like' those who are studied, usually for a year or more. † –John Van Maanen, 1996. â€Å"Ethnography literally means ‘a portrait of a people. ‘ An ethnography is a written description of a particular culture – the customs, beliefs, and behavior – based on information collected through fieldwork. † –Marvin Harris and Orna Johnson, 2000. â€Å"Ethnography is the art and science of describing a group or culture.The description may be of a small tribal group in an exotic land or a classroom in middle-class suburbia. † –David M. Fetterman, 1998. Ethnography is a social science research method. It relies heavily on up-close, personal experience and possible participation, not just observation, by researchers trained in the art of et hnography. These ethnographers often work in multidisciplinary teams. The ethnographic focal point may include intensive language and culture learning, intensive study of a single field or domain, and a blend of historical, observational, and interview methods.Typical ethnographic research employs three kinds of data collection: interviews, observation, and documents. This in turn produces three kinds of data: quotations, descriptions, and excerpts of documents, resulting in one product: narrative description. This narrative often includes charts, diagrams and additional artifacts that help to tell â€Å"the story† (Hammersley, 1990). Ethnographic methods can give shape to new constructs or paradigms, and new variables, for further empirical testing in the field or through traditional, quantitative social science methods. Ethnography has it roots planted in the fields of anthropology and sociology.Present-day practitioners conduct ethnographies in organizations and communitie s of all kinds. Ethnographers study schooling, public health, rural and urban development, consumers and consumer goods, any human arena. While particularly suited to exploratory research, ethnography draws on a wide range of both qualitative and quantitative methodologies, moving from â€Å"learning† to â€Å"testing† (Agar, 1996) while research problems, perspectives, and theories emerge and shift. Ethnographic methods are a means of tapping local points of view, households and community â€Å"funds of nowledge† (Moll & Greenberg, 1990), a means of identifying significant categories of human experience up close and personal. Ethnography enhances and widens top down views and enriches the inquiry process, taps both bottom-up insights and perspectives of powerful policy-makers â€Å"at the top,† and generates new analytic insights by engaging in interactive, team exploration of often subtle arenas of human difference and similarity. Through such findings ethnographers may inform others of their findings with an attempt to derive, for example, policy decisions or instructional innovations from such an analysis.VARIATIONS IN OBSERVATIONAL METHODS Observational research is not a single thing. The decision to employ field methods in gathering informational data is only the first step in a decision process that involves a large number of options and possibilities. Making the choice to employ field methods involves a commitment to get close to the subject being observed in its natural setting, to be factual and descriptive in reporting what is observed, and to find out the points of view of participants in the domain observed.Once these fundamental commitments have been made, it is necessary to make additional decisions about which particular observational approaches are appropriate for the research situation at hand. VARIATIONS IN OBSERVER INVOLVEMENT: PARTICIPANT OR ONLOOKER? The first and most fundamental distinction among observationa l strategies concerns the extent to which the observer is also a participant in the program activities being studied. This is not really a simple choice between participation and nonparticipation.The extent of participation is a continuum which varies from complete immersion in the program as full participant to complete separation from the activities observed, taking on a role as spectator; there is a great deal of variation along the continuum between these two extremes. Participant observation is an omnibus field strategy in that it â€Å"simultaneously combines document analysis, interviewing of respondents and informants, direct participation and observation, and introspection. In participant observation the researcher shares as intimately as possible in the life and activities of the people in the observed setting.The purpose of such participation is to develop an insider's view of what is happening. This means that the researcher not only sees what is happening but â€Å"fe els† what it is like to be part of the group. Experiencing an environment as an insider is what necessitates the participant part of participant observation. At the same time, however, there is clearly an observer side to this process. The challenge is to combine participation and observation so as to become capable of understanding the experience as an insider while describing the experience for outsiders.The extent to which it is possible for a researcher to become a full participant in an experience will depend partly on the nature of the setting being observed. For example, in human service and education programs that serve children, it is not possible for the researcher to become a student and therefore experience the setting as a child; it may be possible, however, for the research observer to participate as a volunteer, parent, or staff person in such a setting and thereby develop the perspective of an insider in one of these adult roles.It should be said, though, that many ethnographers do not believe that understanding requires that they become full members of the group(s) being studied. Indeed, many believe that this must not occur if a valid and useful account is to be produced. These researchers believe the ethnographer must try to be both outsider and insider, staying on the margins of the group both socially and intellectually. This is because what is required is both an outside and an inside view.For this reason it is sometimes emphasized that, besides seeking to â€Å"understand†, the ethnographer must also try to see familiar settings as â€Å"anthropologically strange†, as they would be seen by someone from another society, adopting what we might call the Martian perspective. METHODOLOGICAL PRINCIPLES Following are three methodological principles that are used to provide the rationale for the specific features of the ethnographic method.They are also the basis for much of the criticism of quantitative research for failing to capture the true nature of human social behavior; because it relies on the study of artificial settings and/or on what people say rather than what they do; because it seeks to reduce meanings to what is observable; and because it reifies social phenomena by treating them as more clearly defined and static than they are, and as mechanical products of social and psychological factors (M. Hammersley, 1990). The three principles can be summarized under the headings of naturalism, understanding and discovery: 1.Naturalism. This is the view that the aim of social research is to capture the character of naturally occurring human behavior, and that this can only be achieved by first-hand contact with it, not by inferences from what people do in artificial settings like experiments or from what they say in interviews about what they do elsewhere. This is the reason that ethnographers carry out their research in â€Å"natural† settings, settings that exist independently of the resea rch process, rather than in those set up specifically for the purposes of research.Another important implication of naturalism is that in studying natural settings the researcher should seek to minimize her or his effects on the behavior of the people being studied. The aim of this is to increase the chances that what is discovered in the setting will be generalizable to other similar settings that have not been researched. Finally, the notion of naturalism implies that social events and processes must be explained in terms of their relationship to the context in which they occur. 2.Understanding. Central here is the argument that human actions differ from the behavior of physical objects, and even from that of other animals: they do not consist simply of fixed responses or even of learned responses to stimuli, but involve interpretation of stimuli and the construction of responses. Sometimes this argument reflects a complete rejection of the concept of causality as inapplicable to the social world, and an insistence on the freely constructed character of human actions and institutions.Others argue that causal relations are to be found in the social world, but that they differ from the â€Å"mechanical† causality typical of physical phenomena. From this point of view, if we are to be able to explain human actions effectively we must gain an understanding of the cultural perspectives on which they are based. That this is necessary is obvious when we are studying a society that is alien to us, since we shall find much of what we see and hear puzzling. However, ethnographers argue that it is just as important when we are studying more familiar settings.Indeed, when a setting is familiar the danger of misunderstanding is especially great. It is argued that we cannot assume that we already know others' perspectives, even in our own society, because particular groups and individuals develop distinctive worldviews. This is especially true in large complex soci eties. Ethnic, occupational, and small informal groups (even individual families or school classes) develop distinctive ways of orienting to the world that may need to be understood if their behavior is to be explained.Ethnographers argue, then, that it is necessary to learn the culture of the group one is studying before one can produce valid explanations for the behavior of its members. This is the reason for the centrality of participant observation and unstructured interviewing to ethnographic method. 3. Discovery. Another feature of ethnographic thinking is a conception of the research process as inductive or discovery-based; rather than as being limited to the testing of explicit hypotheses.It is argued that if one approaches a phenomenon with a set of hypotheses one may fail to discover the true nature of that phenomenon, being blinded by the assumptions built into the hypotheses. Rather, they have a general interest in some types of social phenomena and/or in some theoretica l issue or practical problem. The focus of the research is narrowed and sharpened, and perhaps even changed substantially, as it proceeds. Similarly, and in parallel, theoretical ideas that frame descriptions and explanations of what is observed are developed over the course of the research.Such ideas are regarded as a valuable outcome of, not a precondition for, research. ETHNOGRAPHY AS METHOD In terms of method, generally speaking, the term â€Å"ethnography† refers to social research that has most of the following features (M. Hammersley, 1990). (a) People's behavior is studied in everyday contexts, rather than under experimental conditions created by the researcher. (b) Data are gathered from a range of sources, but observation and/or relatively informal conversations are usually the main ones. c) The approach to data collection is â€Å"unstructured in the sense that it does not involve following through a detailed plan set up at the beginning; nor are the categories us ed for interpreting what people say and do pre-given or fixed. This does not mean that the research is unsystematic; simply that initially the data are collected in as raw a form, and on as wide a front, as feasible. (d) The focus is usually a single setting or group, of relatively small scale. In life history research the focus may even be a single individual. (e) The analysis of the data involves interpretation of the eanings and functions of human actions and mainly takes the form of verbal descriptions and explanations, with quantification and statistical analysis playing a subordinate role at most. As a set of methods, ethnography is not far removed from the sort of approach that we all use in everyday life to make sense of our surroundings. It is less specialized and less technically sophisticated than approaches like the experiment or the social survey; though all social research methods have their historical origins in the ways in which human beings gain information about th eir world in everyday life.SUMMARY GUIDELINES FOR FIELDWORK It is difficult, if not impossible, to provide a precise set of rules and procedures for conducting fieldwork. What you do depends on the situation, the purpose of the study, the nature of the setting, and the skills, interests, needs, and point of view of the observer. Following are some generic guidelines for conducting fieldwork: 1. Be descriptive in taking field notes. 2. Gather a variety of information from different perspectives. 3. Cross-validate and triangulate by gathering different kinds of data.Example: observations, interviews, program documentation, recordings, and photographs. 4. Use quotations; represent program participants in their own terms. Capture participants' views of their own experiences in their own words. 5. Select key informants wisely and use them carefully. Draw on the wisdom of their informed perspectives, but keep in mind that their perspectives are limited. 6. Be aware of and sensitive to the different stages of fieldwork. (a) Build trust and rapport at the entry stage. Remember that the researcher-observer is also being observed and evaluated. b) Stay alert and disciplined during the more routine middle-phase of fieldwork. (c) Focus on pulling together a useful synthesis as fieldwork draws to a close. (d) Be disciplined and conscientious in taking detailed field notes at all stages of fieldwork. (e) Be as involved as possible in experiencing the observed setting as fully as possible while maintaining an analytical perspective grounded in the purpose of the fieldwork: to conduct research. (f) Clearly separate description from interpretation and judgment. (g) Provide formative feedback as part of the verification process of fieldwork.Time that feedback carefully. Observe its impact. (h) Include in your field notes and observations reports of your own experiences, thoughts, and feelings. These are also field data. Fieldwork is a highly personal experience. The meshing of fieldwork procedures with individual capabilities and situational variation is what makes fieldwork a highly personal experience. The validity and meaningfulness of the results obtained depend directly on the observer's skill, discipline, and perspective. This is both the strength and weakness of observational methods. SUMMARY GUIDELINES FOR INTERVIEWINGThere is no one right way of interviewing, no single correct format that is appropriate for all situations, and no single way of wording questions that will always work. The particular evaluation situation, the needs of the interviewee, and the personal style of the interviewer all come together to create a unique situation for each interview. Therein lie the challenges of depth interviewing: situational responsiveness and sensitivity to get the best data possible. There is no recipe for effective interviewing, but there are some useful guidelines that can be considered.These guidelines are summarized below (Patton, 1987). 1. Through out all phases of interviewing, from planning through data collection to analysis, keep centered on the purpose of the research endeavor. Let that purpose guide the interviewing process. 2. The fundamental principle of qualitative interviewing is to provide a framework within which respondents can express their own understandings in their own terms. 3. Understand the strengths and weaknesses of different types of interviews: the informal conversational interview; the interview guide approach; and the standardized open-ended interview. . Select the type of interview (or combination of types) that is most appropriate to the purposes of the research effort. 5. Understand the different kinds of information one can collect through interviews: behavioral data; opinions; feelings; knowledge; sensory data; and background information. 6. Think about and plan how these different kinds of questions can be most appropriately sequenced for each interview topic, including past, present, and futur e questions. 7. Ask truly open-ended questions. 8. Ask clear questions, using understandable and appropriate language. . Ask one question at a time. 10. Use probes and follow-up questions to solicit depth and detail. 11. Communicate clearly what information is desired, why that information is important, and let the interviewee know how the interview is progressing. 12. Listen attentively and respond appropriately to let the person know he or she is being heard. 13. Avoid leading questions. 14. Understand the difference between a depth interview and an interrogation. Qualitative evaluators conduct depth interviews; police investigators and tax auditors conduct interrogations. 5. Establish personal rapport and a sense of mutual interest. 16. Maintain neutrality toward the specific content of responses. You are there to collect information not to make judgments about that person. 17. Observe while interviewing. Be aware of and sensitive to how the person is affected by and responds to different questions. 18. Maintain control of the interview. 19. Tape record whenever possible to capture full and exact quotations for analysis and reporting. 20. Take notes to capture and highlight major points as the interview progresses. 1. As soon as possible after the interview check the recording for malfunctions; review notes for clarity; elaborate where necessary; and record observations. 22. Take whatever steps are appropriate and necessary to gather valid and reliable information. 23. Treat the person being interviewed with respect. Keep in mind that it is a privilege and responsibility to peer into another person's experience. 24. Practice interviewing. Develop your skills. 25. Enjoy interviewing. Take the time along the way to stop and â€Å"hear† the roses. SITE DOCUMENTSIn addition to participant observation and interviews, ethnographers may also make use of various documents in answering guiding questions. When available, these documents can add additional insi ght or information to projects. Because ethnographic attention has been and continues to be focused on both literate and non-literate peoples, not all research projects will have site documents available. It is also possible that even research among a literate group will not have relevant site documents to consider; this could vary depending on the focus of the research.Thinking carefully about your participants and how they function and asking questions of your informants helps to decide what kinds of documents might be available. Possible documents include: budgets, advertisements, work descriptions, annual reports, memos, school records, correspondence, informational brochures, teaching materials, newsletters, websites, recruitment or orientation packets, contracts, records of court proceedings, posters, minutes of meetings, menus, and many other kinds of written items.For example, an ethnographer studying how limited-English proficient elementary school students learn to acquire English in a classroom setting might want to collect such things as the state or school mandated Bilingual/ESL curriculum for students in the school(s) where he or she does research, and examples of student work. Local school budget allocations to language minority education, specific teachers' lesson plans, and copies of age-appropriate ESL textbooks could also be relevant.It might also be useful to try finding subgroups of professional educators organizations which focus on teaching elementary school language arts and join their listservs, attend their meetings, or get copies of their newsletters. Review cumulative student records and school district policies for language minority education. All of these things could greatly enrich the participant observation and the interviews that an ethnographer does. Privacy or copyright issues may apply to the documents gathered, so it is important to inquire about this when you find or are given documents.If you are given permission to incl ude what you learn from these documents in your final paper, the documents should be cited appropriately and included in the bibliography of the final paper. If you are not given permission, do not use them in any way. ETHICS IN ETHNOGRAPHIC RESEARCH Since ethnographic research takes place among real human beings, there are a number of special ethical concerns to be aware of before beginning. In a nutshell, researchers must make their research goals clear to the members of the community where they undertake their research and gain the informed consent of their consultants to the research beforehand.It is also important to learn whether the group would prefer to be named in the written report of the research or given a pseudonym and to offer the results of the research if informants would like to read it. Most of all, researchers must be sure that the research does not harm or exploit those among whom the research is done. ANALYZING, INTERPRETING AND REPORTING FINDINGS Remember that the researcher is the detective looking for trends and patterns that occur across the various groups or within individuals (Krueger, 1994).The process of analysis and interpretation involve disciplined examination, creative insight, and careful attention to the purposes of the research study. Analysis and interpretation are conceptually separate processes. The analysis process begins with assembling the raw materials and getting an overview or total picture of the entire process. The researcher's role in analysis covers a continuum with assembly of raw data on one extreme and interpretative comments on the other. Analysis is the process of bringing order to the data, organizing what is there into patterns, categories, and basic descriptive units.The analysis process involves consideration of words, tone, context, non-verbals, internal consistency, frequency, extensiveness, intensity, specificity of responses and big ideas. Data reduction strategies are essential in the analysis (Kru eger, 1994). Interpretation involves attaching meaning and significance to the analysis, explaining descriptive patterns, and looking for relationships and linkages among descriptive dimensions. Once these processes have been completed the researcher must report his or her interpretations and conclusions QUALITATIVE DESCRIPTIONReports based on qualitative methods will include a great deal of pure description of the program and/or the experiences of people in the research environment. The purpose of this description is to let the reader know what happened in the environment under observation, what it was like from the participants' point of view to be in the setting, and what particular events or activities in the setting were like. In reading through field notes and interviews the researcher begins to look for those parts of the data that will be polished for presentation as pure description in the research report.What is included by way of description will depend on what questions the researcher is attempting to answer. Often an entire activity will be reported in detail and depth because it represents a typical experience. These descriptions are written in narrative form to provide a holistic picture of what has happened in the reported activity or event. REPORTING FINDINGS The actual content and format of a qualitative report will depend on the information needs of primary stakeholders and the purpose of the research. Even a comprehensive report will have to omit a great deal of the data collected by the researcher.Focus is essential. Analysts who try to include everything risk losing their readers in the sheer volume of the presentation. This process has been referred to as â€Å"the agony of omitting†. The agony of omitting on the part of the researcher is matched only by the readers' agony in having to read those things that were not omitted, but should have been. BALANCE BETWEEN DESCRIPTION AND ANALYSIS In considering what to omit, a decision has to be made about how much description to include. Detailed description and in-depth quotations are the essential qualities of qualitative accounts.Sufficient description and direct quotations should be included to allow readers to understand fully the research setting and the thoughts of the people represented in the narrative. Description should stop short, however, of becoming trivial and mundane. The reader does not have to know absolutely everything that was done or said. Again the problem of focus arises. Description is balanced by analysis and interpretation. Endless description becomes its own muddle. The purpose of analysis is to organize the description in a way that makes it manageable. Description is balanced by analysis and leads into interpretation.An interesting and readable final account provides sufficient description to allow the reader to understand the analysis and sufficient analysis to allow the reader to understand the interpretations and explanations presente d. Try It Yourself Why do people see things differently? The importance of ethnographic research Apple Example Thomas Kuhn suggests that what people see depends on what â€Å"previous visual and conceptual experience has taught† them. This suggests that what we look at and what we see are two different things. Anthropologists Anne Campbell of Washington State University and Patricia C.Rice of West Virginia University give an excellent example of how what we look at and what we see can be different things, depending on who perceives a situation or thing. Try this: * gather two to three people and mentally place an apple on a table in front of the group. * Without any prior discussion, each group member should take a moment to individually write down what it is he or she sees. * After a few minutes, compare notes. What do you find? Did everyone see the same thing? What color was the apple? Are there specific colors given to the apple?What about the type of apple on the table, d id anyone acknowledge if there was a difference between a golden delicious and a Macintosh? What about the size of the apple? Did anyone include size as a characteristic of the apple? What this example shows is that no two people see the same thing. We may understand what an apple is, but in terms of describing it and â€Å"seeing† it much of our sight comes from pervious â€Å"visual-conceptual† experiences. Someone knowledgeable in produce may know that there are many types of apples, just as someone interested in quantities of food may take note of the size of the apple.

Description of personal warm-up Essay

Before training or playing a match in my sport I will always follow a warm-up program. This warm-up will help prevent injury such as muscle pulls and tears. As well as being physically prepared it will also help me be mentally prepared which is especially important in a match situation. My warm-up consists of a few running drills and then into a set of stretches followed by some skilled drills. It is very important to do some running drills before stretching as muscles need to be stretched when warm to prevent injury. A simple 3 minute jog would warm the muscles enough for stretching. Stretches These are the stretches that I would go through. Each stretch has a diagram, to demonstrate how the stretch is done, and the names of the muscles being stretched. Neck muscles (Sternocleidomastoid and scalenes) Shoulder muscle (Deltoids, Trapezius and Triceps) Spine Quadriceps (Rectus temoris and Sartoius) Hamstrings Gluteus Maximas (Gluteuls) Groin (Pectinus, Odducta longas and Odducta magnus) Skilled drills The final part of my warm up consists of practicing skills with my teammates. There are many forms that we can practice skills with. Grid work Grid work will be set out with players on four corners facing each other as shown in the diagram. = players = running path The players will run to the opposite corner of the grid with a rugby ball and pass it on the player facing them. They can pass it on in number of ways; * A simple pass * A pop pass for the player to run onto * A high pass for the player to jump for * A gut pass Lateral passing Another drill that can be used is the lateral passing drill. Rather than passing forward in grid work, lateral passing consists of passing backwards down a line like a match situation. Players should be in several groups of about 3 to 6 and they should line up at two opposite ends as shown in the diagram. = players = running path = ball path Each group should run to the other end while passing the ball along the line. The distance should be enough for the ball to go down the line 3 times. Benefits of a warm up If a warm up is carried out in the right way it can give many benefits: * Loss of muscle stiffness * As haemoglobin releases oxygen easier at higher muscle temperatures there is facilitated oxygen utilization by the muscles * Speed and force of contraction is increased as the higher temperature of the muscle gives it more energy * Vascular beds dilate in the active tissues increasing blood flow * As muscles are warmed there is reduced resistance which allows a greater economy of movement * Reduces chance of injuries such as tears, pulls etc. Cool down A cool down is just important as the warm up and should always be done after training or a match. I will always cool down after a match or training with my team by simply jogging for 5-10 minutes. This will gently decrease my body temperature. I will also do a series of stretches for 5-10 minutes. Benefits of a cool down A cool down will give a number of benefits: * Reduce the chances of DOMS (Delayed-onset muscle soreness) * Decrease the level of adrenaline in the blood * Helps in the release of lactic acid in the muscles

Maths in Everyday Life Essay

You may find yourself wondering what use we have for some of the knowledge we obtain from math class in school. It is sometimes difficult for students to appreciate the importance of Mathematics. They often find the subject boring and hard to understand. With this project we will hopefully help our students realize that Mathematics is not just a subject on their time-table but a tool they use in their everyday life. â€Å"Mathematics is one of the first things you learn in life. Even as a baby you learn to count. Starting from that tiny age you will start to learn how to use building blocks how to count and then move on to drawing objects and figures. Through the years, and probably through the centuries, teachers have struggled to make math meaningful by providing students with problems and examples demonstrating its applications in everyday life. Now, however, technology makes it possible for students to experience the value of math in daily life, instead of just reading about it. Math is everywhere and yet, we may not recognize it because it doesn’t look like the math we did in school. Math in the world around us sometimes seems invisible. But math is present in our world all the time–in the workplace, in our homes, and in life in general. When you buy a car, follow a recipe, or decorate your home, you’re using math principles. This presentation also, is prepared using the principles of math. Math applies to daily life, with sections on gambling odds, buying and leasing cars, population growth, decorating, and cooking. Most sections include hands-on activities. Formulas are a part of our lives. Whether we drive a car and need to calculate the distance, or need to work out the volume in a milk container, algebraic formulas are used every day without you even realizing it. Simply put, mathematics is about relationships. Mathematicians have developed a language of precise relationships, illustrated through their formulas and equations. We live in a world where so far, as we have observed, everything is related and everything is experienced as different. We can learn about relationships in our world by looking at mathematical relationships that seem to match the situation being explored. For instance there is a relationship between distance traveled, time of travel, and speed of travel. Mathematics provides a relatively simple equation: Distance traveled = average speed multiplied by time of travel In simpler mathematical terms, d = s x t Math involves data analysis, number relationships and graphing, patterns and functions, statistics, and measurement. People who use math in their work, it doesn’t occur that often that you’d need to calculate 7 x 7 x 7 x 7 or 0. 1 x 0. 1 x 0. 1 x 0. 1 x 0. 1 or other such calculations. One example of how math do kind of connect with our everyday lives: when we speak about square feet, square meters, square inches, square miles, square kilometers or any other area units, or when we speak about cubic feet, cubic meters, cubic centimeters or any other such volume units. If you talk about SQUARE shaped areas, for example if you say â€Å"My room is twelve by twelve square†, you’re meaning your room is 12 feet x 12 feet, or 122 square feet. I believe one reason that mathematics is not more generally applied has to do with a tendency to ‘think’ of mathematics only in terms of numbers, precision, quantification, and so on. We forget that mathematics is also about relationships, relatedness, relationships between relationships, interconnections, dependency (functions), changing relationships (calculus), factors that constitute relationships (variables), structure (order, relationships), asymmetric relationships (order), (graphical, numerical, and other representations (mapping), increase and decrease (addition, subtraction , multiplication, division, etc. ) and so on. The notion of a â€Å"function† is another mathematical tool we can apply to our everyday situations. Function in mathematics has to do with â€Å"relationships between variables – how a dependent variable changes when related variables change. In a simple equation y=3x, if we change the value of x, then y changes. Y is called the dependent variable, and x the independent variable. In other words the value of y depends on the value we give to x. And in this equation, we can give x any value we choose. In our everyday living, we do many things that are related to other things – although not as precisely as in mathematics – and we give values, assign meanings, and so on. Our whole living involves relationships. Our successes are a function of our efforts. The way others treat us is a function of how we behave towards them. Meanings, values, significance, understanding, etc. , are functions of ‘time’ – more specifically information available at a ‘time’. In a world where as far as we know everything is related, we can learn a lot about our everyday relationships by studying the approaches of a system that deals specifically with relationships. Variables and functions are only two examples of a vast number of other mathematics approaches we can apply to better understanding our everyday relationships. Math applies to daily life, with sections on gambling odds, buying and leasing cars, population growth, decorating, and cooking. Most sections include hands-on activities. One of the most complete and self-sufficient math units on the Web is Project Sky Math: Making Mathematical Connections — Using the Science and Language of Patterns to Explore the Weather. They study the history of weather prediction, develop symbol sets, prepare graphs, predict changes, solve problems, and discover rules. General semantics involves applying the methods of science and mathematics to our everyday living. For instance, if we ‘think’ of things – anything – in terms of the â€Å"variable†, we will come to realize that like the mathematical variable that is sometimes a higher value and sometimes a lower value, we should expect things and situations to change. Sometimes this change will occur in the way we like; other times not. Sometimes more than we expect, sometimes less. Sometimes we will observe no significant change. We can expect our moods and ‘feelings’ to vary. ‘Thinking’ in terms of the variable better prepares us to anticipate and manage changes in our lives. This could reduce a great deal of stress in our lives – stress related to our forgetting that thing-processes are not constants. Family, partners, friends, work situations, health, etc. , won’t stay the way we found them or the way we expect them to go. ‘Thinking’ in terms of the variable, we would expect variations in our lives, and situations to vary related to different ‘time’, ‘places’, contexts, and so on. It is important to keep in ‘mind’ that with regards to our everyday relationships, unlike mathematical equations, precision is not the important factor-variable here. Important factors involve recognizing relationships, interconnections, and â€Å"interdependencies†. An important factor is to be aware that we assign our own individual values to what we see, hear, read, and so on. We could avoid, or better manage many conflicts, by remembering variables and functions. There are lots of real uses of mathematics in our life. All the mathematics terms base on counting. Today our all businesses base on counting. There is no concept of business without mathematics. Before the mathematics rules people use barter system. They give their goods to others and take the goods from other people. But this system cannot continue longer when need of humans increased day by day. Now you can think that counting has vital role in our daily life, just imagine if there were no mathematics at all, how it would be possible for us to count days, months and years. There is a cost for everything that we may use or purchase from markets so what’s a cost? What are utility bills? What’s the ticket price? These are all applications of mathematics. We cannot deny the importance of mathematics in our daily life. When we got to shop to purchase something we need mathematics. When someone comes to our shop to purchase something we need calculations. There are many uses of mathematics in real life most likely in jobs like accounting, banking , store manager or just working at a simple fast food store. These are very simple applications of mathematics. Mathematics is at the core of all the communication technologies, it’s used in accounting, finance etc in short we are using mathematics in some form or another everywhere in our daily lives. But the most important use of mathematics in our technologies cannot be contradicted. Our most of the system base on computers and all the computer technology are stands on mathematical rules. All computers work on binary code, code of zero and one. So we cannot deny the importance of mathematics in real life. Everyday life would be quite difficult if you had no knowledge of math. To know what’s the time, the most precious thing. On a basic level you need to able to count your money, multiply, subtract and divide. You need knowledge of math if you want to work out how much material to buy for a job. More advanced mathematics is essential if you take up any kind of technical career such as engineering. Working on algebra and geometry also helps with reasoning skills and assists later in life with technical problem solving. Living your day to day life without maths would be extremely difficult. Even if you were a nomad in the desert you would want to count your goats, wouldn’t you? The key to opportunity These are the years of small beginnings until the day comes that you have to be able to do something as intricate as algebra. Math is the key that will unlock the door before you. Having the ability to do algebra will help you excel into the field that you want to specialize in. We live in a world where only the best succeed. Having the ability and knowledge to do algebra will determine whether you will take the short cut or the detour in the road of life. Prerequisite for advanced training Most employers expect their employees to be able to do the fundamentals of algebra. If you want to do any advanced training you will have to be able to be fluent in the concept of letters and symbols used to represent quantities. Science Moreover, it is also believed that ‘Mathematics is the mother of all sciences’. This also shows us that all the sciences that are evolved have a sound foundation in mathematics, if we go further in debate it would be justified to say that the blessings of all these modern sciences and technologies are only possible with mathematics. Mathematics is used as a problem solver in every field of science. Mathematics is playing a very important role in our daily lives. In fact mathematics is involved directly or indirectly wherever we go and every thing that we may use. When doing any form of science, whether just a project or a lifetime career choice, you will have to be able to do and understand how to use and apply the concepts of math. Analysis When it comes to analyzing anything, whether the cost, price or profit of a business you will need to be able to do math. Margins need to be set and calculations need to be made to do strategic planning and analyzing is the way to do it. Data entry What about the entering of any data. Your use of algebraic expressions and the use of equations will be like a corner stone when working with data entry. When working on the computer with spreadsheets you will need algebraic skills to enter, design and plan. Decision making Decisions like which cell phone provider gives the best contracts to deciding what type of vehicle to buy, you will use algebra to decide which one is the best one. By drawing up a graph and weighing the best option you will get the best value for your money. Interest Rates How much can you earn on an annual basis with the correct interest rate. How will you know which company gives the best if you can’t work out the graphs and understand the percentages. In today’s life a good investment is imperative. Writing of assignments When writing any assignments the use of graphs, data and math will validate your statements and make it appear more professional. Professionalism is of the essence if you want to move ahead and be taken seriously. Math is basically about solving problems and calculating different things. So if you are good in math, you are good at solving problems and calculating things first hand. Can you see the importance of algebra? Your day can be made a lot easier with planning. In financial decisions this can save you a lot of finances or maybe get you the best price available. It all comes down to planning and using the knowledge and algebraic skills you have to benefit your own life. Use the key you have and make your life a lot smoother. Mathematics is very important for life since it helps us to quantify all the visible and invisible things with which we are dealing in daily life. It is human nature that they do not have complete confidence in the subjective or relative things, in the modern day of today the objective things are preferred and trusted more than the subjective things. Mathematics helps us to have an objective view of the different things we are dealing with. It helps us in making calculations about the things which are not physically developed like for buildings before construction. Living a life unknowing ‘Maths’ would be living in random oblivion. Mathematics is primarily used for the purpose of scientific calculation of figures and objects. In real life the use of Mathematics can be applicable to every aspect, field, profession and subject etc. In IT field, in Statistics, in Accounts, in Algebra, in Geometry, for instance, Mathematics is used for calculating, multiplying, subtracting, division, differentiating, manipulating and managing the data in desired form. In other professions Mathematics can merely be used for the calculation of currency, recording the profits and loss. In ordinary life Mathematics can be used for the calculation of any specific or general sort. Concisely it can be said that Mathematics can be used for the authentic and scientific variation between and calculation of numbers, amounts, quantities etc; measurements of the frequencies of light and sound, of distance. Maths is all around us. It is present in different forms; it is very important that we take note of it. Things are measured or accurate due to maths. Mathematics has a prominent role to play in our daily life. We even didn’t realize that maths is involves in every sort of activities. Whenever we pick up the phone, manage the money, travel to some other place, unintentionally in all these things maths is involved. Another very simple application is calendar year. How we know that today is Tuesday? It was Thursday on May 1, 2012? It’s actually mathematics that gives/provides us all this information. Mathematics do play a big part in our daily lives. Mathematical functions like addition, subtraction, multiplication, division and so on are used in our daily activities. From poor to rich , all have to some how use mathematics in their real lives. Consider a housewife, who has to run her house in the given budget. She divides money according to her needs and estimates about the expenses and then spends it according her range. From the advent of civilization, man learn to count using stones and beads. In the earliest civilization, barter-system was used. Now-a-days, all day to day transactions in a multi-national or national companies involve mathematical operations . The application of maths is seen every moment, right from the moment we wake up from bed in the morning till the moment we again go back to bed at night. As soon as we wake up, we first of all give a big yawn-that makes us think for how long we have yawned? –3 to 5 seconds? Here maths comes! Again when we look at the clock, we realise how late we have got up! –8:30 a. m! Here the part called Time of mathematics is put to focus. Even when we brush our teeth, we should know how much amount of toothpaste we must use–it’s written on the tubes that children below the age of 6 years should use only a pea-sized amount of it. Again, we must keep a track of how much time we have to take to brush our teeth. Then comes the time of studying.. we keep a regular routine of how long we must study a particular subject and i often hear my mom saying me. â€Å"You must keep a little extra time for Maths and Science.. â€Å"Then comes bathing—we take a certain amount of water which we can count in litres. Now if i have to go on saying for the whole day about the use of maths in real life, i would not be able to complete it in a day! The list is endless. Mathematics is very important for life since it helps us to quantify all the visible and invisible things with which we are dealing in daily life. It is human nature that they do not have complete confidence in the subjective or relative things, in the modern day of today the objective things are preferred and trusted more than the subjective things. Mathematics helps us to have an objective view of the different things we are dealing with. It helps us in making calculations about the things which are not physically developed like for buildings before construction. We do calculations and ensure if their design is safe or not, similarly mathematics helps us to plan things for future either is any production environment for products or services. It helps us to have an idea that how much earning or spending has been done and would it be beneficial to do a certain activity or not. In today’s world mathematics is being applied everywhere like in the economy of a country, construction of buildings, marking and evaluation of persons. It would be appropriate to say that mathem atics has helped a lot in achieving the fast speed life with all its comforts and delights If we are quick at mental arithmetic, it will help you a lot in saving hundreds of pounds or dollars in the supermarket. And if you have knowledge of statistics it will help you see through the baloney (non sense, lies) in television adverts or newspapers. You can also understand different kinds of information about the football or cricket team. Even simple maths equations are just around us, like spherical shapes of soap bubbles, ripples on the surface of water. Maths help engineer in making different shapes with geometrical shape the structure of the building was not possible. The beauty of maths is not only around us but a strong know how of maths help us in every day life too. Just start looking around you and you will find that how maths is help full to you in your life We do calculations and ensure if their design is safe or not, similarly mathematics helps us to plan things for future either is any production environment for products or services. It helps us to have an idea that how much earning or spending has been done and would it be beneficial to do a certain activity or not. In today’s world mathematics is being applied everywhere like in the economy of a country, construction of buildings, marking and evaluation of persons. It would be appropriate to say that mathematics has helped a lot in achieving the fast speed life with all its comforts and delights. Without math, one would not be able to function in the REAL world. We use math to purchase things we want, we use math to measure, tell time and so on. We all need the basics but having a more advanced knowledge in math such as geometry, algebra and metric system always helps. As they say knowledge is ‘priceless. Without math, one would not be able to function in the real  world. We use math to purchase things we want, we use math to measure, tell time and so on. We all need the basics but having a more advanced knowledge in math such as geometry, algebra and metric system always helps. As they say knowledge is ‘priceless. ‘ Without math, one would not be able to function in the real  world. We use math to purchase things we want, we use math to measure, tell time and so on. We all need the basics but having a more advanced knowledge in math such as geometry, algebra and metric system always helps. As they say knowledge is ‘priceless. ‘

Reflection in this connected world Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 214

Reflection in this connected world - Essay Example People are able to chat and get instant feedback from their friends and relatives. However, technology poses some challenges to the society. The youth and adolescent are more affected as they are obsessed with computers and spend most of their time socializing and interacting with friends. They fail to manage their time effectively and the outcome is that they have nothing constructive to show at the end of the day. They are so attracted to social media that they abandon other forms of recreation like sports, mountain climbing, and creative arts. To curb this, college students should participate in the various activities provided by their schools like joining clubs and music festivals. By doing this, they create an opportunity to have face-to-face communication with the other students. Moreover, they can learn from each other experiences. For example, while in college I was taught on the basics of reading and understanding poems and the different types of poems but in college I was m ade to understand the purpose of the poem and the deeper meaning of it. Human beings need to take time and reflect on their lives and it is important to have some reflection in this connected world. For example, when in college, I used to wonder why my parents were so strict on me. I had to borrow permission before leaving the house and had to come back to the house by latest 6pm. I now know through reflection that they had a good reason for being tough on me. They wanted a responsible and disciplined daughter who could take charge and be accountable for everything she did. According to Fr. Nicholas, imagination is a process of going deeper to the depth of reality to recreate it. It is possible to imagine through the mind different sensations and images. While sending information through the different social media platforms, people receive information instantly and it is spread very fast without reflecting about the message.  

The interview about communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The interview about communication - Essay Example The first question I asked my friend is related to his view regarding the relations between communications and culture. He believes that communication and culture are closely intertwined with each other. In fact, my friend holds that the lack or non-existence of culture would result to the impossibility of the development of communication, historically and vice versa. He gives an example of the development of the human species. He explained that the earliest days of human beings were close to the culture of communication. Communication first started out as a necessity for collective survival of human tribes. Eventually, culture was developed as humanity developed communication skills. It came to a point wherein human beings formed different societies, created their own culture, and produced cultural distinctions and differences. This leads to the next question regarding the method behind communication as a means to bridging cultural differences. My friend answers that finding a bridge between the cultural differences of people requires understanding the culture of others. Man must look and understand another culture for what it is without any preconceived judgments or prejudices. There is no such thing as a general application of one cultural aspect to another. Each culture has its own perspective regarding different matters or points of view. According to my friend, there is a tendency for many prevailing cultures to insist that their point of view regarding any matter applies, or should be applied and adhered to by other cultures.

The way that the memory of the events of the Boston Massacre have Research Paper

The way that the memory of the events of the Boston Massacre have changed over time - Research Paper Example This Act was imposed on the order of a British official called Charles Townshend. The objects on which import duty was attached were paint, paper, tea, lead and glass2. The members of the British parliament introduced the Townshend Act as a punishment to the colonists for protesting against the previous Stamp Act. With this new Act, the parliament wanted to teach a lesson to the colonists that they are bound to abide by any Acts they would introduce. The American Board of Customs Commissioners was also arranged by the Parliament whose members were responsible for seeing that smuggling laws were duly followed. This Board was set up in Boston since smuggling activities were centered in this city. The Parliament believed that if smuggling could be wiped out from Boston then it would be easy for them to force other colonial citizens to follow the trade laws3. Very soon the colonists began to protest against the Townshend Act declaring that no taxes can be levied on any goods without thei r agreement. The protestant acts were further provoked by the writings of many patriotic leaders of that time. A protesting letter was written by John Hancock and was circulated to all the townspeople in Massachusetts: â€Å"You are already too well acquainted with the melancholy and very alarming Circumstances to which this Province, as well as America in general, is now reduced. Taxes equally detrimental to the commercial interests of the Parent country and the colonies are imposed upon the People, without their consent†4. The merchants in Boston began to reject any goods made in Britain. In 1768, a circular letter was sent by the Massachusetts Assembly to the other colonial legislatures informing them about difficulties faced by the colonists because of the Act: â€Å"The House of Representatives of this province, have taken into their serious consideration, the great difficulties that must accrue to themselves and their constituents, by the operation of several acts of P arliament, imposing duties and taxes on the American colonies†5. In response to the protests the British began to send troops to maintain peace while still enforcing the law. This led to many violent conflicts between the British soldiers and the protesting colonists; one such incident that became most well known in American history was the Boston Massacre. On March 5, 1770, a crowd of angry people taunted nine British guards of custom house and threw snowballs at them, and the latter fired in return which killed five people and wounded some6. Sons of Liberty In October 1768, the 14th and 29th regiments of British army arrived in Boston. They were dispatched by Royal Governor Francis Bernard whose purpose was to maintain law and order in the Boston and also to assist the customs official to collects taxes as per the Townshend Act imposed by the British Parliament. However, Massachusetts Assembly accused Bernard that this action was an attempt to overthrow the Boston government and felt that there was no need of the troops to maintain peace in the city. But Bernard was concerned because of an earlier protestant act in June, 1768 when the customs officials seized a sloop of John Hancock who was a merchant and political leader. This led to protests by a group called Sons of Liberty who decorated an elm tree with placards and effigies of Bernard and customs officials7. Bernard, although opposed the 1965

Supreme Court Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Supreme Court - Essay Example The aim of this order which was named the Civilian exclusion order 34 of the US army was executed as a way to prevent these American-Japanese from committing espionage during the war time. Korematsu who is the plaintiff saw the execution of the order as being unconstitutional and being in violation of the Fifth Amendment. He therefore refused to move and was arrested and convicted. The case eventually reached the Supreme Court which ruled strongly in favor of the presidential executive order insisting that the rights of the plaintiff were minimal and hence of no significant compared to the Americans in general (Alonso 52). The issue that was being resolved by the Supreme Court was on whether to affirm or duly dismiss the conviction order of Korematsu based on violation of his constitutional rights and Fifth Amendment which were being violated. The decision of the court which was delivered by Justice Black and which had a 6-3 decision was the affirmation of the conviction order for Korematsu where it sided with the government about its national security and prevention of espionage. The reasoning of the court was not based on the constitutionality of the presidential executive order, the racial segregation or even the loyalty of the petitioner to the United States. It rather looked at the bigger picture which in this case was the safety of the citizens of the United States from espionage and further attacks from the Japanese. The court supported the government on this ruling as the people in the United States who were the majority compared to those who were American-Japanese needed protection from war and the negatives effects that accompanied war. The government had no certainty of the number of Japanese who were disloyal to the United States and loyal to the government of Japan and who could therefore aid their country in the war through trading secrets about the national defense. The military in charge of the exercise concluded

Grant proposal+SOP Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Grant proposal+SOP - Coursework Example 1. Title of Project Incidence of the lateral flagella Flag-2 genes in clinical isolates of E. coli. Supervisor(s) surname(s) Forename(s) Title(s) Current post(s) and Employer End date of current funding or normal retirement date Dr J. N. Fletcher J. N. Doctor 3. Proposed Student (where applicable) Forename(s) Title(s) Current post(s and Employer End date of current funding or normal retirement date Fatima Alshannag Fatima PhD student 4. Organisation (administering award if approved) Yorkshire Cancer Research Department accommodating project (and Organisation if other than above) City or Town Bradford Applicant’s Tel. No. and Email address 5. Number of hours per week individuals named in (2) above will devote personally to this studentship. 6. Proposed starting date for period of funding Proposed duration 7. Abstract of Research (10 lines of text in Times New Roman 11-point single spacing). Do not increase size of text box. 8. Full official postal address of applicant Telephone number Fax number Email address 9.1 Does this application follow on from a previously funded YCR award? Please give details. No, this application does not follow previously funded YCR award. 9.2 Is this a resubmission in any part of an application to YCR? No, there are no resubmissions in any part of an application to YCR. ... d summarise the support provided (including its tenure) 10.2 Are you currently applying elsewhere for support for work relating to the present proposal? No, I am not currently applying elsewhere for support for work relating to the present. If so, to which Organisation? 10.3 Is this application or any part of it, currently being submitted elsewhere? No, any part of this application is not being submitted elsewhere. If so, to which Organisation; and by what date is a decision expected? 10.4 Has this application, or any part of it, been submitted elsewhere over the past year? No, this application has not been submitted elsewhere over the past year. If so, to which Organisation? 11. Acceptance of regulations and conditions I/We have read the conditions set out in the Award Conditions and, if my/our application is successful, I/we agree to abide by them. I/We shall be actively engaged in, and in day-to-day control of, the project. I I/We have read the specific Award Information, Award Co nditions and Policies for Awards regarding disclosure of research data, intellectual property and commercial development activity and if my/our application is successful I/we agree to abide by them. Signature of applicant(s) Date: This application should be submitted by/through (i) the Head of Department and (ii) the officer who will be responsible for administering any award that may be awarded (e.g. Finance Officer, Bursar, Registrar, Secretary). Each should sign the following declaration: I confirm that I have read this application and that, if granted, the work will be accommodated and administered in the Department/ Organisation in accordance with the Award Conditions. The staff gradings and salaries quoted are correct and in accordance with the normal practice of this Organisation.

Results and discussion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Results and discussion - Essay Example A biofilm structure hinders antibiotic entry to cells, and at the same time, increases oxidative damage, which increases the mutation rate. To show that mutation frequency in response to the antibiotics mupirocin and rifampicin is due to oxidative stress in planktonic and biofilm cultures, Staphylococcal aureus strains SH 1000 and UAMS-1 were grown in media supplemented with hydrogen peroxide and antioxidants. Planktonic cultures that were supplemented with antioxidants did not differ in their mutation frequency. However, the addition of hydrogen peroxide to the growth media significantly increased mutation frequencies under antibiotic selection. The mutation frequencies declined significantly with the addition of antioxidants, together with hydrogen peroxide, to the culture media significantly. Biofilm cultures, that were not treated with oxidising agent, showed high levels of mutation frequencies, equal to that obtained for planktonic culture in hydrogen peroxide alone. In cultures growing in rifampicin selection plates, the bacterial have mutation frequency of 10-5, which was indicative of a mutator phenotype. The increase in mutation frequency indicates defects in the methyl-mismatch repair system during biofilm formation. Similar to planktonic cultures, the addition of antioxidants to the culture media reduced the mutation frequency to levels between 10-7 and 10-8. A bacterial biofilm is a structured community of bacterial cells enclosed within a self-produced extracellular polymeric matrix attached to surface (Costerton, Stewart & Greenberg 1999). Bacterial biofilms are present mostly on wet surfaces and are mostly visible to the naked eye. The biofilms consist of microcolonies on a surface and develop into organized communities with functional heterogeneity. Different bacterial species specifically attach to different surfaces and could aggregate with other species or a combination of species. The organization and structure of

Creative Writing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Creative Writing - Essay Example The comedy depended a great deal on the ability of the audience to ‘get’ the joke as laughter from the audience was always a sign during stage performances that the play was being well received. This element of external interaction was incorporated into the sit-com, but with the added benefit of being able to record the show first and then air it later. Thus, unexpected reactions from the audience could be cut out, errors in performance could be tried again and prompts for audience reaction weren’t as obvious. By combining these two approaches, the sit-com still maintains the illusion of being a live event in spite of the great degree of editing and production involved. This ability to edit and change has also introduced more meaning into the shows produced. Just as the comedies of stage and radio were reflections of their society, so have the sit-coms of the past several decades reflected the society that produce them but with the greater realization of preservat ion of performance and significance to audiences. In many ways, the sit-com of today has not changed a great deal in its structural format even as its reflection of society has altered and the level of meaning presented has deepened with greater understanding of the principles at work. Before one can look at individual sit-coms to see if they hold up to a common definition, it is helpful to have a definition and idea of development in place. Generally sit-coms, or situation comedies, are defined as a form of comedy that presents episodes of recurring characters as they interact within a common environment, facing some sort of complication and resolving it at the end with some form of happy ending. The sit-com has developed from a long history of stage performances intended to entertain the masses by featuring stories they were able to relate with while also poking gentle fun at the lifestyles of the wealthy. According to Lewisohn, precursors of the sitcom have existed since the time s of ancient Greece in the plays of Aristophanes, ancient Rome through Terence and Plautus and Sudraka in ancient India (2003). Generally speaking, sitcoms have several elements in common with one another that have been carried forward from these earlier plays, into the modern world through the early sitcoms such as I Love Lucy and preserved through to the present day with shows such as Married with Children and Friends. The first such element is the focus on comedy or entertainment. Every sitcom relies heavily on the basic building blocks of comedy including some, if not all, of the following: slapstick, satire, sarcasm, irony, pranks, sight gags, parody, comedy of errors, black comedy, romantic comedy, scatological humor or comedy of manners among other things. In keeping with this focus, sitcoms always end with a happy ending, or at least a resolution that returns everything back to the ‘normal’ situation for this group of people which has the effect of being humorou s to the audience. Sitcoms generally focus on a limited number of main characters who reappear week after week within the same general environment – generally it’s a family or a family-like group as they appear in their most accustomed living space. Although facing different issues each week, even the basic action from week to week is highly repetitive.

Explains some of the effects of stress and how police organization may Essay

Explains some of the effects of stress and how police organization may reduce stress for its officers - Essay Example His wife will agree that he has become egotistical, noisy, and short-tempered; he demands continuous attention as well as care. He acts like a small, self-centered kid. In majority of the cases, individuals regress in persistent anxiety. Secondly, stress numbs the compassion of individuals. Since they cannot tolerate seeing persistent human despair, they stop feeling because otherwise they will not be able to survive. The mind has this resistance method so people can carry on functioning during hideous circumstances. If they maintained their regular sympathy, they would collapse. As they become tactless towards their personal agony, they also become tactless to the agony of others. Police officers meet stressors in â€Å"call after call, which sap their strength† (Stevens, 2007). Debilitation from this every day stress adds up in making officials additionally susceptible to distressing happenings as well as common demands of life. The deteriorating procedure is usually very slow to notice; neither an individual nor his acquaintances are aware of the harm being done. If persistent stressors are known, then police representatives can take positive steps. Departments should discontinue making false differences amid job-linked and personal difficulties. The two are interlinked and go with one another. The outcome is a bunch of individuals facing the maximum stress within any profession in US. Police department cannot end stress in police occupation, however, they can identify it and assist officers in three phases: (1) offering assistance to individual officers, (2) offering help in family life, and (3) lessening the stress caused by the police department itself. Direct assistance to individual officers can be provided in a number of forms. Every big unit should have a psychologist for the police officers and ensure that indemnity policies have good terms for outpatient therapy

Medicine and Health Issues Essay Example for Free

Medicine and Health Issues Essay Employees in the health care system manage a wide variety of health issues and diseases. This course has provided you the opportunity to take a broad look at many of these health issues. The next step is for you to look at how disease trends will influence the delivery of health care in the future. Write a 1,700- to 2,100-word paper explaining how demographics and disease trends are likely to influence health care delivery services in the future. Include the following sections: †¢Aging oDescribe the current age composition of the U. S. population and how it is expected to change in the next 10 to 20 years. oIdentify the factors that support this trend. †¢Environmental factors †¢Changing demographics oExplain how the aging trend is likely to increase or decrease the health issues covered in this course. Include examples of at least two relevant diseases. oExplain what can be done to reduce health complications related to aging. Include at least two examples. †¢Obesity oDescribe the current rate of obesity in the United States and how it is expected to change in the next 10 to 20 years. oIdentify the factors that support this trend. †¢Environmental factors †¢Changing demographics oExplain how this obesity trend is likely to increase or decrease the health issues covered in this course. Include examples of at least two relevant diseases. oExplain what can be done to reduce health complications related to obesity. Include at least two examples. †¢The Future oExplain how health care delivery will adapt in the future to provide care for age-related health issues. oExplain how health care delivery will adapt in the future to provide care for obesity-related health issues. Include at least four sources other than Human Diseases: A Systemic Approach. Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines.

Learning Skills for Open and Distance Learners

Learning Skills for Open and Distance Learners 1.0 INTRODUCTION Online learning is new type of further studies offer by higher academic learning around the world. Before higher academic learning institution offer this style of learning method, traditional learning such as class room meeting or face to face learning, part time learning and distance learning was successfully born professional worker and great management leader. The demanding of the professional skill worker increase severely every years and the awareness about further studies by people specially adult make higher academic learning institution think the new way to support and give a opportunity to adult people to upgrade their academic qualification and upgrade their living. The academic professional every day burn their midnight oil to think the new kind of learning to fulfill this adult people need and perform the best practice of learning to suit with adult people lifestyle mostly working and having own family. These academic professional lastly come out a brilliant ideas to support new learning method for adult people. The Online Learning was introduced to the open market and the result is sufficiently encouraging adult people to further their study. According to Tham (2004), learner who evolved from distance learning and traditional face to face classroom now change to online learning method. Although this new learning method is design to suit adult learners, adult learners still have a problem especially in the first year of beginning the online learners. In this paper we will discuss about the problem faced by beginning online learners and typically try to solve it accordingly support from professional thinker facts. 2.0 BACKGROUND OF LEARNING ONLINE In this Information Era, Computers and Internet is very important media for channeling information. Its means Online Learning method use this type of media for learning process. Academic institution use computers and internet and adding this media to create a study environmental class for their online students. This situation is look like an invisible classroom to the online student (Tham, 2004). According to Chen Sun (2008) to develop an integrate online learning module, it involve six dimension criteria. To develop online method criteria, Learners, Instructors, Design, Technology, Environment and Course mix together to fulfill Online Learning methodology. Now we want to focusing one of six criteria that will be discussed with deeper and examine. Although the all six criteria important in online learning, students capability itself to separate the five criteria that need to be prioritized. Be a beginner in online learners is a challenging because learners are compulsory to learn by itself. According to Ash (2010), online learner only spends 2 (two) hours and 15 minutes for lesson in a classroom per week and spends almost the rest of lesson virtually from home. It make sense from Tham (2004) statement invisible classroom. Make your own learning classroom at home using the technology and educational material provide from academic institution. 3.0 FINDING PROBLEM VERSUS SOLVE PROBLEM Be a beginners of online learners is very challenging decision. Mostly online learners are adult working and own family person. They must add more burden thing in their live. The flexible time is the major fact adult people attract to use online learning to fulfill their dream to grab degree or master scroll, but as online learners you must deduct time for learning, working, social, family and resting yourself. Someone said financial and working condition also the problem faced by beginner online learners. These problems are happen actually before becoming online learners. These people will think and doing some research before choose online learning as their learning study method for further their education. They must settle all financial and working condition matter before enrolls with academic institution. Now we will discuss about the problem after student enroll to academic institution and becoming online learners. The most important problem faced by beginning online learners is their mentality issue. According to Combes,(2006). The major issue in mentality problem of beginning in online learners is lack of mentality. He find out is four (4) issues on mental problems which occurred to online learners namely most isolation and lack of identity, lack of motivation, lack of confidence and anxiety. 3.1 Isolation and lack of identity This mental issue about this mentality problem is the feeling inside when online student start enroll as online learners. When online learners start their learning process at home, actually their friend only books and personal computer in front it. What feeling inside online learners thats time is loneliness. According to Pond (1998) loneliness define as an enduring condition of emotional distress that arises when a person feels estranged from, misunderstood, or rejected by others and or lacks appropriate social patterns for desired activities, particularly activities that provide a sense of social integration and opportunities for emotional intimacy. Online learners will not have immediate and fast access to lectures and peers when learning activities begin. No fast respond about their difficulty make online learners unhappy and the social time with their colleague also reduce due to increase time for spending in learning make loneliness or feel of isolation becoming worst. Now we l earn how to overcome this problem related to online learners. According to Rosenblit, (2005) Academic institution must providing good interaction between online learners and tutor. Active peer greatly needed to always contact with online learners to help among themselves. What is most important once is every online learner should give information on this problem and understand that state and knowledge to resolve. Online learners also be encouraged to hold grouped discussion once in a while with peer to share knowledge and their problem and dont keep your problem alone. 3.2 Lack of motivation Motivation is important mental support to achieve high quality as online learners. Motivation is consist of psychological, biological, social and cognitive cause direct behavior (Fulmer 2009). Motivation is spirit hidden inside a person. Online learner with week motivation will cause him unenterprising, often absent from class and no planning in manage self learning. Lack of motivation is a serious problem for online learners and the percentage to fail is highest. How to overcome this problem? To motivate online learners is not same with traditional learners. It because Online learners almost an adult person. They have be different approach or strategy to motivate them. They are five step to motivate learners. 3.2.1. Reward myself People always get motivated by rewarding something. Setup a goal for yourself and reward yourself. Example, if I can finish this semester, My family and I will take a vacation to Manchester, England. 3.2.2. Make sure my course has real value Before you start learning, make sure you choose course can reward you something very valuable. Example, if Im get P.H.D, all my article and books will be recognize and the publishing company will offer me as a Chief Editor. 3.2.3. Help me perform better You must relate what you learn with your working environment. If you choose course similarly with your real working environment, it make you perform better in your studies and your job. 3.2.4. Set clear expectation for the course You must setup your mind, the course that you learn will give you new information and you will use that information later. These tips also need help by a tutor to explain what you will learn and achieves after finish it. 3.2.5. Tell me if Im wrong These tips also need tutor fully cooperation. You may ask your tutor to tell you if you do something wrong with your quiz, assignment or in learning process. Sometimes adult learners also need a little attention to keep them continually motivate. They technique and method to criticize online learner must be suitable. Offences criticize online learner will probably become worst. 3.3 Lack of confidence Lack of confidence also an issue for online learners. 47.5% citing lack of confidence when they use internet for their study (Combes 2006). This student actually want more practical assistance when enroll to the academic institution. Confident means full trusts, believe in one self, abilities and reliability to think. People always said, if we have confidents, we have ability to success. How to drive up confident? They have five (5) tips to overcome this problem. 3.3.1. Find support You have your own family and you need them now to support and understand you as online learners. Your also can find support around your peer and friend. All this combination of support can drive up your confidence back. 3.3.2. Apply your skill You are online learners because you are working person. Try apply your working skill to your learning environment. If you working as a shift hours, it means you can work in the morning, afternoon and night. So you can take this working environment to your learning environment. You can do learning process in the morning, afternoon or at night. That is your advantage! 3.3.3. Set reasonable goal You must set a goal for what u doing. If you now as online learners, you must set a goal to get a diploma, degree, master or P.H.D. whatever happen. Write your goal in a white board, working table or else where that easy to you to see. 3.3.4 Develop a routine You must develop your own time management planner to arrange your study time, working time, family and resting hour. If you set a daily planner to manage your activities, please stick on it. Try to arrange activities at the same time everyday, because if you do the same thing and the same time everyday, lastly it become your routine. 3.3.5 Never stop dreaming Dreaming is not a good thinker but sometime dreaming is good depends on the situation. Dreaming to be success is good thinker but it must follow with effort. With a high passion and never stop effort is the key to success. Online learning must dream to grab a scroll of their certificate on the stage of the high profile convocation event everyday. 3.4 Anxiety Anxiety is feeling inside online learners if they dont well prepare. 51% experiencing anxiety when using the internet for study (combes 2006). The impact of anxiety always happen at younger online learners. According to wikipedia, Anxiety define as psychological state characterized by somatic, emotional, cognitive and behavioral components either the absence or presence of psychological stress, feeling of fear, worry, uneasiness and dread. In learner concept Anxiety is define as psychological and physical response to treat a self concept characterized by subjective, consciously perceived feelings of tension( Vitasari 2010). According to Mauri (1992), the major problem of anxiety is panic situation. How to overcome panic situation? According to Gard (1999), panic must be handles carefully before it become panic attack. These is are three (3) tips to overcome this problem. 3.4.1 Know first before deal That mean learners must know randomly about the course and the syllabus before attending to face to face meeting. Example, work seeker also must know about the company history first before attend an interview. 3.4.2 Always relax Learn to relax yourself when panic situation appear. Take a deep breath and exhale with your mouth slowly. Try to calm down and try to think creatively to overcome that situation. Get help if you cannot handle that situation by yourself. 3.4.3 Believe yours religious Always pray to avoid you from panic situation. We believe all religious have their own way to overcome this panic situation. 4.0 CONCLUSION They are many problem faced by beginner online learners. Financial and Working matter are not relevant problem by beginner online learners. The major problem is mentality issue. Isolation and lack of identity, lack of motivation, lack of confidence and anxiety are the major problem will faced all beginner online learners. To overcome isolation and lack of identity, academic institution must providing good interaction between online learners and tutors and active peer. Five (5) tips like reward myself, make sure my course has real value, help me perform better, set clear expectation for the course and tell me if Im wrong are the tips to overcome lack of motivation problem. They have also five (5) tips to overcome lack of confidence. Find support, apply your skill, set reasonable goal, develop a routine and never stop dreaming is the key to avoid lack of confidence. Anxiety are similarly to panic situation. Three (3) tips to overcome this problem are know first before deal, always relax and believe yours religious. 5.0 REFERENCES Kim, K.J. (2009). Motivational challenges of adult learners in self-directed E-Learning.  Journal of Interactive Learning Research, 20(3), 317. Retrieved from  proquest.com (OUM Digital Library) Ash, K. (2010). Blended learning seeks the right mix: School combine virtual and face-to-face teachers to meet student needs. Education Week, 30(4), 8. Retrieved from  Proquest.com. (OUM Digital Library) Tham, C.M, Werner, J.M. (2004). Designing and evaluating E-learning in higher  education: A review and recommendations. Journal of Leadership   Organizational Studies, 11(2), 15. Retrieved from proquest.com (OUM Digital  Library) Combes, B., Anderson, K. (2006). Supporting first year E-learners in courses for the  information professions. Journal of Education for Library and Information  Science, 47(4), 259. Retrieved from proquest.com (OUM Digital Library) Pond, S.S.C. (1998). Acceptance and belonging the promotion of acceptance and  belonging within group art therapy: A study of two lonely third grade students.  American Journal of Art Therapy, 36(3), 81. Retrieved from proquest.com  (OUM Digital Library) Rosenblit, S.G. (2005). Eight paradoxes in the implementation process of E-learning in  higher education. Higher Education Policy, 18(1), 5. Retrieved from  Proquest.com (OUM Digital Library) Fulmer S.M., Frijters, J.C. (2009). A review of self-report and alternative approaches in  measurement of student motivation. Educational Psychology Review, 21(3), 219.  Retrieved from proquest.com (OUM Digital Library) Vitasari. P., Wahab, M.N.A., Othman, A., Awang, M.G. (2010). A research for  identifying study anxiety sources among university students. International  Education Studies, 3(2), 189. Retrieved from proquest.com ( OUM Digital  Library) Mauri, M., Sarno, N., Rossi, V. M., Armani, A., Zambotto, S., Cassano, G. B., Akiskal,  H.S. (1992). Personality disorder associated with generalized anxiety, panic, and  Recurrent depressive disorders. Journal of Personality Disorders, 6(2), 162.  Retrieved from proquest.com (OUM Digital Library) Gard, C.J. (1999, coping with the fear of fear. Current Health 2, 25(5), 22.Retrieved from  Proquest.com (OUM Digital Library) Pei-Chen Sun, Ray J. Tsai, Glenn Finger, Yueh-Yang Chen, Dowmin Yeh (2008).  Computers Education 50(4) 1183-1202. Retrieved from www. Sciencedirect.com The Rapid e learning blog. Retrieved from www.articulate.com/rapid-elearning/motivate-your-learners-with-these-5-simple-tips/ Anxiety. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anxiety

Comparative Study Of The Electoral Systems Politics Essay

Comparative Study Of The Electoral Systems Politics Essay A democracy cannot exist without elections which represent the will of the people, and elections cannot function without an electoral system that sets fair and transparent rules that govern the structures of elections. The study of electoral systems is a field of research that aims at analyzing the different electoral systems used in the world and how they put democracy into practice by making the different voters of the country represented in the parliament. A voting system can simply be defined as the procedures by which we cast votes and elect our public officials,  [1]  or that part of the electoral law and regulations which determine how parties and candidates are elected to a body as representative.  [2]  However, the importance of the electoral system lies in its consequences on the political scene of the country especially when choosing one type of electoral system over another, because electoral systems are, according to Sartori, the most speci ¬Ã‚ c manipulative instrument of politics.  [3]   In general there are twelve electoral systems that fall under three categories: majority, proportional representation and mixed systems. First, the voting systems that fall under the majority system are: first past the post, block vote, party block vote, alternative vote, and the two round systems. Second, under the proportional representation lie two systems: list proportional representation (List PR) and single transferable vote (STV). Third, the mixed system includes two systems: mixed member proportional and parallel systems. Finally, three other voting systems cannot be classified into one of the three systems mentioned above, there are: single non-transferable vote (SNTV), limited vote and borda count.  [4]  The main concern [of electoral systems] is [the] balance between decisiveness of government and representation of various minority views.  [5]  And sometimes, if not always, governments have to choose either one of these because of the difficulty of encompassing bot h those strong government and full representation in one type of electoral system. Regarding my thesis the two electoral systems that are important for my study are: list PR which is used in both Morocco and Algeria and SNTV which is used in Jordan. According to Samuel Huntington, the world has experienced three waves of democracy, the first one on the eve of the twentieth century until 1926; the second one emerged with the end of World War II until 1962 and the third one started in 1974.  [6]  The region of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) seems to be one of the few areas of the world where democratic waves did not arrive, or to be more accurate did not flourish, as there are few countries who are ranked by the Democracy Index of the Economist as either hybrid systems and many as authoritarian regimes. In the MENA region, few countries hold free and fair elections, among them are Morocco where proportional representation is used to elect the members of the parliament, Jordan, where the Single Non-Transferable Vote (SNTV) system is used and Algeria where proportional representation is used in parliamentary elections. However, in all these three countries the elections were characterized by low turnouts, invalid votes and boycott in addition to producing fragmented governments. The choice of those three MENA countries has to do with their similarities in terms of geography, culture, religion, language and their relative free and fair elections, according to international observers. On top of that, Having two kingdoms and one republic makes my comparison more interesting with Morocco at the focal point sharing similarity with Jordan in terms of the regime type and with Algeria in terms of the voting system. The objective of my thesis is to test two hypotheses: a) electoral systems in the MENA region are manipulated to produce fragmented governments and b) the geographical concentration of the vote for pro-regime parties in rural areas in contrast to the opposition base in urban areas. My thesis will compare the components of the electoral systems of the three countries and come up with patterns regarding the political party structure, the electoral reforms requested by the political parties and the elections results. Literature Review According to Andreas Schedler in his article The Nested Game of Democratization by Elections, electoral law can be used to prevent an eventual loss of votes from translating into a loss of power.  [7]  The major aim of the manipulation of the electoral system is the containment of its uncertain outcomes, therefore fair and free elections are allowed as long as the results can be predicted or controlled. In his book Rethinking Arab democratization: Elections without Democracy, Larbi Sadiki invented the terms electoral fetishism  [8]  and routinization  [9]  to describe the elections in the Middle East because their outcomes do not translate into major changes in society. However, even the manipulation of the voting system is not enough to guarantee an unsurprising outcome from the ballots as exemplified by the elections of 1991 in Algeria and 1989 in Jordan. The two cases of Algeria and Jordan show the autonomy of institutions exemplified by the electoral system that produ ces results that can either empower or weaken the candidates. So if the election results cannot be controlled they can at least be maneuvered to prevent a landslide victory of the opposition. Refraining from cancelling the result of elections is explained by the need of the regimes to obtain foreign aid and avoid international criticism. According to the author electoralism, being the creation of regimes, has become another state resource that the ruling elites use for legitimation purposes within and without.  [10]  The term electoralism refers here only to one of the three requirement of democracy; therefore having election is not enough for democracy to emerge. Therefore, the election`s main goal is to legitimate the regime and provide a way for the opposition to participate in the political life of the country but of course after guaranteeing its fragmentation. Moreover, According to Lise storm, a democracy is based on three core elements: holding free and fair elections, re specting civil liberties and strengthening the power of the elected government to govern. The aim of my study deals with the first core of the democratic principles, the free and fair elections which are instituted by the electoral law. Lise Storm stated that a country that provides for one of the three principles can still be deemed to be a democratic country, however if none of the principles is available then the country is authoritarian. Concerning the literature on the comparison of electoral systems in MENA, Ellen Lust-Okar and Amaney Ahmad Jamal analyzed the electoral systems in MENA, in their article Rulers and Rules: Reassessing the Influence of Regime Type on Electoral Law Formation. by differentiating between monarchies that prefer PR system in order to balance the strength of parties and republics that opted for plurality system in order to prevent the opposition from being elected. I will add the regime typology and election mode to make a pattern on the MENA that monarchies prefer proportional system while republics passed laws to enable the pro-regime parties to win a landslide victory. The article`s findings do not explain the use of PR in Morocco with more laws being passed to raise the threshold that will hinder small parties or the Jordanian change from a proportional system of plurality (bloc vote) to SNTV, which means one man one vote, which is supposed to reduce gerrymandering but did not. Many authors used the new institutionalism framework to analyze electoral systems. The theory is advanced by J. G. March and J. P. Olsen in their article The New Institutionalism: Organized Factors in Political Life. The theory is used in the field social science such as sociology and political science to account for the crucial rules of institutions in influencing the behavior of individuals based on norms, prohibitions or simply because an alternative does not exist. The basic aim of the theory is to prove that the organization of political life makes a difference,  [11]  which entails that those institutions are endogenous entities that benefit from an autonomy to exert its influence on individuals either by empowering them or confining their power. The institutions can be reinforced by third parties to exert actions that protect their interest without being in power. Andreas Shedler applied the theory of new institutionalism on the authoritarian regimes so that instead of ruling with coercive and undemocratic means; authoritarian rulers can use institutions to survive. The new institutionalism can be observed in four major ways: imperatives, landscape, containment, ambivalence. Regarding my study I will focus on the containment area regarding the electoral system and political parties. According to Shedler the electoral system can be manipulated by disempowerment or excluding sensitive areas from the hands of the elected officials; supply restriction which limits the choice available to the voter by banning, subverting or fragmenting certain parties; demand restriction by restricting the opposition access to the media; suffrage restriction by controlling the voting age ; preference distortion through the use of both violence such as intimidation and money such as vote buying; and vote distortion and rigging under the supervision of biased institu tions.  [12]  Regarding the legislative the manipulation includes disempowerment, agent control by directly appointing members of legislature and fragmentation.  [13]   My study will include the categorization made by the author and apply them to the three countries. The theory of new institutionalism will be useful to analyzing the electoral system in all the three countries and how the system influences the behavior of both the voters and candidates. The electoral system and constitution are institutions that have an immense influence on individuals. Who decides the winner from the loser in elections is not the regime nor the elections but rather the electoral system which has autonomy but it still can be manipulated. In the case of Morocco, George Joffe, in his article Moroccos Reform Process: Wider Implications, argued that the aims of the political reforms introduced by the regime were not due to external pressure or the triumph of the opposition to insert them, but rather to ensure the survival of the dynastic rule of the ruling family. As a result, the multiparty political system was adopted since the first constitution of 1962 to induce the political fragmentation in the country culminating in the hegemony of the palace over the political process of the country. Another interesting view of the Moroccan electoral system is by Andrew Barwig who argued, in his article How Electoral Rules Matter: Voter Turnout in Moroccos 2007 Parliamentary Elections, that the lower voter turnout in the election of 2007 was not only due to sociological factors but also to the electoral system as it produced an artificial and highly fragmented political landscape regardless of who wins the largest share of the na tional vote.  [14]  He pointed also to the aim of a multiparty system for the regime to divide and rule by preventing the emergence of a strong opposition, in addition to the role of the Ministry of Interior in controlling the electoral process since 1958 instead of assigning it to an independent commission. Third, John Grumm, the author of the article Theories of Electoral Systems, stated that the electoral system used in Morocco prevents a landslide victory of any party. The author indentified that the combination of largest remainder formula and gerrymandering induced a fragmented government and a situation whereby parties ended up with fewer seats compared to their amassed votes especially the major parties, In the case of Jordan, Glenn E. Robinson stated, in his article Can Islamists Be Democrats? The Case of Jordan, that the fear of the opposition, mainly the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan, had motivated the king to have an electoral system that favors tribal affiliation rather than partisan one. Moreover, the same scholar in another article Defensive Democratization in Jordan, affirmed that the new electoral system adopted in 1993 benefited the tribal areas, mainly Eastern and Southern Jordan at the expense of urban areas, mainly the region of Amman-Zarqa which is Palestinian-dominanted. The authors conclusion is that electoral systems can be managed and controlled to prevent undesirable outcomes. In the case of Algeria, Ayln Guney and Aslihan Celenk, in their article The European Unions Democracy Promotion Policies in Algeria: Success or Failure?, stated that the Algerian regime passed a new electoral system before the election of 1991 by increasing the number of seats and districts in rural areas. The basic aim of the changes was to allow the pro-regime party, FLN, to win the elections but ironically the electoral system benefited the Islamist party of FIS instead. Mohand Salah Tahi, in his article Algerias legislative and local elections: Democracy denied (1997), indentified the Algerian military as the institution in control of the political life exemplified by the creation of parties such as RND and introducing changes to the constitution and electoral system that would not challenge its authority. For instance, to pass an amendment to the constitution the opposition needs the vote of three quarters of the upper house, in which one third directly appointed by the preside nt. These laws exemplify the fear of the regime from creating the same outcome of 1991, therefore passing some amendments both to the electoral system and the constitution allowed the regime to be in a position to control and manage the outcomes of elections without the need to annul them. What emerges from the literature review concerns the criteria that define the fairness and freedom of election, having international observers and abiding by the electoral law make is it apparent that the elections are transparent but what if the issues that undermine the fairness of the elections relate to the electoral system itself. The literature reviewed above shows that Jordan and Algeria introduced two electoral systems in the early 1990s believing that they would be suitable for making the pro- regime party the obvious winner in the case of Algeria and tribal candidates in the case of Jordan. However, the outcome of the elections persuaded the two countries to adopt different electoral system: PR in Algeria and SNTV in Jordan. Regarding the case of Morocco the shift from Plurality into PR in 1997 did not produce surprising results therefore the electoral system was kept. So the question here is why did three countries diverge in terms of the electoral system used, especially regarding Jordan and Morocco? There is huge body of literature written about electoral systems arguing about the list PR as the most propositional system in terms of allowing smaller parties to be represented in the parliament, the high turnout due to the absence of the wasted vote phenomena in contrast to the plurality system, more representation for women and a higher proportionality between seats and votes. However, from the elections results in both Morocco and Algeria the PR did not produce the same results expected of the system exemplified by the low turnout, high invalid votes, a high threshold that prevents small parties from gaining seats in the parliament while the negative outcome of PR which is a fragmented government seems to be present in both cases. In the case of Jordan, the resentment of the SNTV system pushed many parties to ask for a reform debate with Islamic Front Action (IFA), an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood, asking for PR system and other parties asking for a mixed system. My thesis will analyse the abnormalities of the three systems that generated much discussion about the ineffectiveness of the voting system and the need to reform it. According to Andrew Reynolds , Ben Reilly and Andrew Ellis, the electoral system is the easiest political institution to be manipulated and the choice of the electoral system determines the winners. However, the usual distinction between Plurality and Proportional systems as the former encourages two party systems while the other induces multi-parties is not always accurate as many examples contradict these findings such as Spain, Namibia, South Africa and India.  [15]  This has to do with many variables besides the electoral system used such as the socio-political context of the country. Therefore, The electoral system cannot be seen in isolation of other political institutions such as the constitution, the political parties among other socio political variables, thus a PR system can have two different outcomes in two countries .The case of the three countries of Algeria, Morocco and Jordan have quasi-similar political context so the outcome of particular voting system will have the same effect based on the elections results in 2003 and 2007. Theoretical Framework According to   Gallagher and Mitchell: Government is representative government, in which the people do not govern themselves directly but rather delegate the task of political decision-making to a smaller set of public officials. In democratic societies these representatives are elected.  [16]  In order to understand how governments are elected, we need to understand the system that allows them to be elected which is the voting system: The set of procedures that determine how people are elected to office. These procedures include how the ballot is structured, how people cast their votes, how those votes are counted, and how the winners are decided.  [17]  The electoral system does not only determine how people are elected to the office but also serves as a link between the voter`s preferences and the policies of the government; at least, theoretically speaking, the majority of the voters will have their opinion respected in terms of the parties and candidate they elected.  [18]   Based on these two quotations, the electoral systems are accurate examples to assess democracy, because electoral systems can tell more about the country. Reynolds, Reilly and Ellis divided the different aspects represented by electoral systems into four categories: geographic representation, which means that the different regions of the country are represented in the parliament; ideological representation, which implies that all the different political doctrines are represented in the parliament and at least the minor, ones, can compete in the elections; party-political situation which denotes that power is not in the hand of one party while excluding other parties from participating in the elections;  [19]  and descriptive representation, which entails that its different ethnic, linguistic, religious and gender components are represented; or, as Reynolds, Reilly and Ellis put it, serves as the mirror of the nation.  [20]  My thesis will include those four categories to anal yze electoral systems of the three countries based on the parliamentary elections held after 2000. On top of that, I will also use the theory of new institutionalism with the framework of Andreas Schedler which will be useful in identifying the reasons behind choosing a particular type of electoral system and targeting the areas that were manipulated. Aims of the Study My aim is to explain that it is possible to have free and fair elections but that does not mean that the country is democratic as the elections are based on the choice of the electoral system that produces fragmented government through the use of such policies as rising the threshold, gerrymandering and requiring difficult measures to pass an amendment to the electoral law. My thesis will analyze the electoral systems in MENA region by identifying three case studies: Morocco, Jordan and Algeria. My aim is to study the development of electoral systems in those three countries; the reason behind choosing those three countries has to do with their similarities. All of those countries are newly-formed democracies that gained their independence or emerged as a state in the second half of the twentieth century: Jordan in 1946, Morocco in 1956 and Algeria in 1962. All those three countries share geographic, linguistics and religious similarities. According to the findings of Freedom Houses Freedom in the World 2009 Survey, the only free country in the MENA is Israel, while only 6 countries are qualified as partly free: Morocco, Jordan, Kuwait, Bahrain, Lebanon and Yemen and the rest of the MENA is classified as not free. Another index that ranks countries in terms of their democracy is the Economist Index of Democracy which ranked Jordan, Morocco and Algeria a s authoritarian regimes. Based on these indexes, I chose two monarchies: Morocco and Jordan and adding one republic: Algeria. On top of that, while Morocco and Jordan share the same political regime, Morocco and Jordan share the same voting system. I want to prove that the lack of democracy in MENA is not due to cultural, religious or colonial history but rather to the manipulation of the electoral system to prevent a certain group from gaining majority, this manipulation is driven by the fear from the rise of the opposition such as the leftist and Islamist parties. My hypothesis is that the lack of democracy is not only due to the falsification of the election results but also by the manipulation of electoral systems. Therefore, even if the elections are organized in a free and fair environment with the presence of international observers, the electoral system used will prevent a group from attaining a majority. This hypothesis will back up my second hypothesis regarding the concentration of the pro-regime parties-vote in rural areas. The second aim of my thesis is to find the rationale behind the selection of a particular election mode by those three countries and the reasons behind its change, in addition to analyzing the di fferent amendments passed to the electoral system and reforms that are pressed for? Finally, my thesis will compare between the three countries to find if there are similarities in terms laws that fragment or exclude the opposition, the geographical concentration of the vote, the election results in terms of winners and losers, the turnout, the categorization of parties. The electoral system used in both Morocco and Algeria is PR (Proportional representation) while the SNTV is used in Jordan. The chart below identifies the different components of the electoral system of each country: Morocco Jordan Algeria Electoral System Plurality PR in 1997 Block Vote inherited from Britain SNTV in 1993 by a royal decree Absolute Majority Run-off in 1999 PR in 1997 Threshold 2% in 2002 6% in 2007 N/A 7% in 1997 5% in 2007 Quotas 10% women: 30 seats 6 seats for women, 9 for Christians, and 3 for the Circassian and Chechen minorities. Turnout (Latest Legislative Election) 2007 election 37% 2007 election 54% -80% in rural areas and 28% in some constituencies in the capital 2007 election 35% Invalid vote and blank vote 2007 election 19% 2007 election 15% Parliamentary System Bicameral: -The Chamber of Counselors: 270 seats. -The Chamber of Representatives: 325 seats. Bicameral: -The Assembly of Senators: 55 seats -The Chamber of Deputies: 80 seats Bicameral: -The Council of the nation: 144 members, 96 members elected by communal councils and 48 members appointed by the president. -The National Peoples Assembly: 380 seats. Political System Monarchy Monarchy Republic System of Counting the Votes Largest Remainder N/A Hare Formula Electoral Districts 2007: 95 2007: 45 districts -3 closed tribal electoral districts. 2010: 45 districts divided into 108 sub-districts 1997: 56 electoral districts : 48 and 8 for the Algerian Diaspora District magnitude Between 1 and 5 1 Ballot structure Nominal/categorical Nominal/categorical Reforms of the electoral law -2009: law number 9: from 110 to 120 Addition of sub-districts Constitution -1962 -1970 -1972 -1980: article 21, 43 and 95 -1992: increasing the seats of the parliament from 306 to 333 -1996: bicameral systems, 162 seats for the upper house indirectly elected, 81 by chambers of commerce and 27 by trade unions The 325 for the lower house directly elected. -1952 -1963: single party system -1976: socialism -1986: free market reforms -1989: multi party system -1996: banning parties formed under religious, regional or linguistic crtieria -12 November 2008: article 74 amendment and giving more rights to women Political parties categorization -Pro-palace: RNI, MP and UC -Conservative: PI -Leftist: USFP and PPS -Islamist: PJD -right: -Leftist: JCP -Islamist: IAF and MCP Pro-regime: FLN and NRD -Right: FNA -Leftist: PT and FFS -Islamist: MSP and MRI Voting Day Friday Tuesday Thursday Voting list closed N/A Closed Electoral reform asked for -Rising the threshold -changing the highest remainder formula -two systems: plurality in rural areas and PR in urban areas -PR -Mixed system: 2 votes one for the district and one for the bloc Number of independents -2002 -2007 -2003 -2007 -2010 -2002 -2010 Women representation in the lower house -34/10.5% (2007) -13/ 10.8% (2010) -30/ 7.7% (2007) By-elections The DesignMethods and Procedures   -Analyze the recent legislative election results of Morocco, Jordan and Algeria in 2002 and 2007. -Identify electoral systems as the independent variable while the outcomes are the dependent variables in addition to using correlation analysis to see if there is a relationship between those two variables. This will be helpful in testing the theory that PR systems produce fragmented governments and plurality systems produce strong governments. -Since my data is mostly qualitative, I will use nominal level of measurement. -do a simulation of the three recent elections using different electoral systems -count the wasted vote Hypotheses Voting systems are manipulated to produce fragmented government Votes supporting pro-regime parties are geographically concentrated in rural areas in contrast to the opposition which is based in urban areas Research Questions What are the differences and similarities between the electoral systems of Morocco, Jordan and Algeria? How representative are electoral systems in MENA? Is there a relationship between government type and electoral system? Is there a relationship between the electoral system and the turnout? Is there a relationship between the electoral system and the number of parties? Can we make some conclusions based on the case studies and apply them to all Arab countries? What is the electoral system that best suits the region of MENA? How is the dilemma of Strong and Well-represented government dealt with? Why is the lower turnout and invalid vote prominent in urban areas in contrast with rural areas? Partition of Thesis My thesis will be divided into five chapters; the first one will be about an introduction about the electoral systems and their importance in sustaining democracy. The second chapter will be devoted to the electoral systems in Morocco and the analysis of its recent legislative election in 2007. The third chapter will include the analysis of Jordans electoral system and its recent legislative election in 2007 and 2010. The fourth chapter is devoted to the electoral system in Algeria and its recent 2007 legislative election. The fifth chapter will serve to connect the three case studies by comparing their similarities and differences and making some concluding statements on the relationship between the type of electoral system, government type and democracy. Data Collection Primary Data Sources: The constitution, electoral law and the amendments passed in the three countries. The Moroccan and Algerian 2007 legislative election results and the Jordanian 2007 and 2010 legislative election results Geographical maps of the elections results Secondary Data Sources Interviews with some political parties in Morocco -analysis of interviews conducted with politi