The Community Service Trust Act

With the passing of the National and Community Service Trust Act of 1993, there is increased focus on integrating student community service, volunteerism and service learning into the curriculum. Service learning can be a key to unlock our nation's potential. Promising that national service will â€Å"strengthen the cords that bind us together as a people,† President Clinton signed legislation creating AmeriCorps. The new program, scheduled for late 1994, will in its first year rovide 20,000 young people with 7,425 in annual wages plus health benefits and child care benefits if needed and $4,725 in educational benefits in exchange for a full year of grassroots community service work. In a Mac Arthur Foundation publication on youth service, Judy Karasik reported that America is â€Å"experiencing an explosion of youth idealism, activism, and commitment to engaged citizenship† . In record numbers, Americans are reaching out. It is no longer a matter of noblesse oblige, in which the rich reach down to help the poor. Today's volunteers are people of every socioeconomic level helping each other. There are still wealthy philanthropists who serve those less privileged, but the women who would have served in previous generations are now working for pay at demanding jobs. They are often too exhausted to add community service to their other responsibilities From Miami to Seattle, the United States of the 1990s is ripe for answers to the seemingly insurmountable social problems plaguing large cities and small towns. While we have almost become indifferent to the familiar litany of socital ills–crime, drugs,teen pregnancy, homelessness, juvenile delinquency–the response to many of our community problems has been a new student activism burgeoning on our college campuses. Programs range from student organizations assisting the US Marines with their annual Toys for Tots program to full-time internships in social service agencies A week after Hurricane Andrew struck southern Dade County, Florida, Broward Community College students had â€Å"adopted†Florida City and mobilized to help survivors rebuild their community. Teams of students, along with faculty and staff, traveled to Florida City on weekends to assist in the cleanup. Back in Broward County, some of these same students mentor at-risk youngsters, tutor high school students with specific learning disabilities, act as student ambassadors to the community, and serve as peer educators providing vital HIV/AIDS prevention information to their classmates Interior design students in Texas redesigned the Alzheimer care unit of a local hospital while classmates renovated a homeless shelter. In Colorado, architectural students redesigned a town hall. At Miami-Dade Community College, Florida, students received academic credit for producing a play performed by students, faculty and residents of a homeless center. â€Å"I learned more from them than I have all my life† said David, a student, referring to the homeless people he worked with in the play. Student community service and service learning are powerful learning experiences for students, providing a way to effect change and address our nation's pressing social problems. Students who volunteer receive more than just the satisfaction of helping those in need: they learn responsibility, build character, solve problems, and gain a better understanding of their Community colleges have a unique opportunity to be on the cutting edge of this new paradigm. Speaking at a Florida Council of Student Affairs meeting, Chris Gilmore, director of the Florida Governor's Commission on National and Community Service,urged deans and vice presidents to remember that one-third of the community college mission is service. Citing a study in which 100 percent of the students reported that their service experience was more important than their academic studies, Gilmore noted, â€Å"There is no better way to learn leadership than by leading, and no better way to learn the value of service than by serving†. The term â€Å"community service† often conjures up visions of forced restitution, of convicted criminals sentenced to pay off their debts to society for infractions ranging from speeding tickets to felonies. For our students, the accepted definition of community service is unpaid work that everyone can do to improve the quality of life of those being served, of those serving, and ultimately of the community as a whole. The primary goal lies in attacking civic apathy while participating in activities that serve community needs. Out-of-classroom learning programs have gained in popularity since emerging in the mid 1960s when President Kennedy urged the nation to † ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country. He called upon the nation's young to serve society in the military, community service, the international Peace Corps, or domestic VISTA programs for two-years of national service. Since that time many colleges and universities have been actively integrating student volunteerism, internships, and community service into their programs. Thousands of college students are currently working in literacy programs, day care centers, soup kitchens, and facilities for the elderly. Very often the difference between someone failing and making it is just one person who cares about them. Student volunteers can change the course of history by touching the lives of many while gaining valuable life experience. What sets service learning apart from other types of non-traditional education programs, according to Neil Merrell, director of the Center for Public Policy and Service at Mesa Community College, is that â€Å"service learning is the blending of academic study and community service. † At Mesa, says Merrell, â€Å"our goal is to encourage students to become lifelong, active participants in the community. † Service can be integrated into a class in several ways, an extra credit option; as a substitute for a requirement, such as a paper,exam, or project; or an integral part of the course, if the class is on a related topic, like social problems. Service learning is the integration of community service into an organized setting where the servers also reflect on the meaning of their service. By combining service with a reflective educational framework, the benefits far exceed those of service or learning separately. Reflection can take place in groups or individually, in a written or oral format, by using journals or essays. In service learning the volunteer work is related to the course. The process of reflection is an essential part of integrating the service experience into course work. Through structured reflection activities, individuals develop an appreciation for the connection between their community service activities and the underlying issues of the social problem being addressed. Trish Joyce, a Broward Community College English professor, offered a service option to students in her Introduction to the Short Story course. After some reluctance, David Manko, a computer science major, volunteered to read stories to children at the campus child care center. Joyce points to the following excerpts of David's reflective journal as â€Å"a shining example of what â€Å"I told him no, that it only looked that way because the ants are so small. The children were all wondering about the crystals the ants were so interested in so I decided to show them, using a grain of sand. I told the kids that to an ant this looks like a giant rock and they are strong enough to carry them. They understood and wanted to look at the pictures in the book again†¦ If I were to write a children's story those are some of the characteristics I would include†¦ Each experience I have with the children, I feel I have shown them a little of the enormous and very diverse world of literature. † . A student's college career is a time of training, not only for a career, but for life. Service learning programs are designed to make social service an integral part of students' lives during and after college. The training gained through service could provide new career opportunities, or simply an experience to benefit everyone involved. Research by Arthur Levine of Harvard University shows an estimated 64 percent of college and university students participate in public service activities in addition to their course work. Mark Cooper, a Broward Community College alumnus, heads the student-initiated Volunteer Action Center at Florida International University (FIU). Cooper, who began the FIU program two years ago while a student, believes that â€Å"service learning works because it is based on one simple principle: you don't learn the basics by memorizing the basics, but by doing projects in which you utilize the basics. Surely if education is supposed to prepare the next generation, we should be teaching active citizenship rather than rote memorization. The real value, though, lies in enhanced learning. Research by Judith Boss on her University of Rhode Island ethics classes showed that a service learning component improves learning . Solving community problems is a bonus. The nation is looking toward its colleges to stem the torrent of violence and civic apathy by instilling such core values as honesty and respect for life. The Wingspread Group, a blue ribbon panel on higher education, developed a 42-point college checklist to improve educational offerings. The panel urged administrators to ensure that â€Å"next year's entering students will graduate as individuals of character, more sensitive to the needs of community, more competent to contribute to society, and more civil in habits of thought, speech and action. â€Å"Service learning experiences build new relationships between students and instructors, between the community and the college or university, and between the people being served, and the students, benefiting all involved. Properly prepared students augment service delivery for overburdened community agencies, allowing closer contact with clientele, and providing extra staff support. The college gains an improved public relations image. More than any other educational institution, the community college's very mission is enmeshed with a commitment to improve the communities that surround its campuses. The existence of both mandatory and voluntary community service programs is nothing new for many private liberal arts institutions and public universities. Even high schools in many states are adding service hours to their graduation requirements. However, while service learning is a nice enhancement to these educational offerings, service is integral to the very essence of the community college mission. Karen Bojar, an English Professor at the Community College of Philadelphia, includes service learning activities in her literature classes. She states â€Å"Community college students have deep roots in the community; thus, community service sets the stage for lifelong commitment. She views formal volunteering through a structured experience as a career skill and teaches her students how to incorporate their volunteer work into their resumes. In the most successful service learning programs, colleges and universities work together in a partnership with community-based organizations and civic leaders in identifying needs, planning and establishing the service projects. Community awareness is essential to the success of any service learning program. For years, colleges and universities have sought creative methods of providing on-the-job training to augment classroom learning. The value of such a goal is demonstrated by student participation in extracurricular and student life activities, where self esteem is strengthened and the roles of commitment and responsibility are reinforced through employment. Potential employers have always valued on-the-job experience, often more so than academic credentials. Employers are placing a high value on community service experience as well. An increasing number of corporations are establishing corporate foundations and community giving programs. Many encourage employee volunteerism through matching programs, match employee monetary gifts, and lend their executives to assist non-profit organizations. It is always desirable for students to become more focused as they explore career choices. Student employment provides non-threatening opportunities to experience job options without a full-time commitment. Working for the common good, however, adds a sense of urgency as the needs for increased levels of civic responsibility become more and more critical. Since 1954 there has been a 15 percent increase in the number of college graduates entering the field of social work. We may soon be able to witness a marked increase as more college students have a chance to learn through service to others. . In addition to the value of the experience itself, most of the student participants at Broward Community College receive service scholarships to reduce their need to borrow to pay for college. Although many of the participants reluctantly admit they signed up initially for the money, they stayed involved even when the scholarships were exhausted. Wen asked, they said they feel they got more out of the experience than the recipient of their services. The following steps will enable administrators to create a successful service learning program: Begin with a small core of interested faculty, preferably individuals who are activists themselves and already participate in community service endeavors. Form an advisory committee with membership including representatives from faculty, staff, students, corporations, and local community agencies. This committee can provide useful feedback, encourage faculty to buy into service learning for their classes, and win needed support from students and the community. Include students and faculty in the planning. Students must be involved in every aspect of developing the service learning program, from planning through implementation, though the institution should serve as administrative support to coordinate the program. Establish an office to provide service support and coordinate the program with faculty, develop agency contacts, place students, monitor service hours, and maintain co-curricular transcript data. Find a lightning rod with clout and provide incentives to reward faculty involvement. Elizabeth Ann Gilver, director of the Haverford College, Pennsylvania, Career and Community Service Program, recommends reassuring teachers that their students' course work will not suffer and using concessions to defuse opposition from the faculty In an effort to document the community involvement of students, student development transcripts are becoming popular as addenda to academic transcripts. They provide students with a documented record of their out-of-classroom experiences. These records of co-curricular activities can be presented to potential employers to indicate additional job skills acquired while performing community work. As public service gains popularity and jobs become more scarce, volunteering for community service will be viewed as yet another way for job applicants to enhance their resumes. Maintaining records of service also provide an excellent method to recognize student involvement. Several institutions use graduation and other ceremonies to present awards or plaques to students based on number of hours of service performed. A brightly colored cord or tassel on students' mortarboards can also be used to honor service achievements. At some institutions, a single instructor or group of faculty members have developed ways to creatively integrate service experiences into specific courses with no institutional support. Many four-year institutions have programs that are initiated and run by students, either through student clubs and organizations or by individual students. However, because of the abbreviated programs and short tenure of typical community college students, community colleges wishing to sustain a viable service learning program must make the commitment of a full-time faculty or staff member to coordinate their program. There are numerous departments that can assume overall responsibility for a service learning program–Student affairs, academic affairs, cooperative education, student employment, financial aid, student activities, student life, placement, or career services offices can all play a role. There is no one answer that will satisfy the individual needs of all institutions, each with very different organizational structures. The common denominator in successful service learning programs is enthusiastic program personnel coupled with a strong institutional commitment, as long term sustain ability is largely dependent on a commitment from top administration. When searching for funding, don't leave any stone unturned. Grants are available to cover startup costs from such sources as the Corporation on National and Community Service, the U. S. Department of Education Fund for the Improvement of Post-Secondary Education (FIPSE), state agencies, etc. Some institutions have earmarked student activity fees to cover program operating costs. Others have successfully negotiated institutional budgetary support. Work closely with your counterparts in resource development, financial aid, and grants, to seek out operating funds. If your institution provides staff and program development support or mini-grants to pilot new programs, apply for start-up funds. Appeal to local private and public foundations, corporations and individual donors. Seek out program funds or scholarships for the students. Donors are often more willing to provide tuition assistance for students who also give something back to their community. By focusing on the needs of others, students gain a sense of compassion and social awareness that develops when people help each other. A national survey conducted by Allan Luks revealed that people who do regular volunteer work report that good feelings keep them generally healthier and happier In his book, The Healing Power of Doing Good, he suggests that working through an organization makes volunteers more likely to continue regular volunteer activities. By providing college students with an organized means to experience service learning, colleges can foster a lifelong commitment to altruism. There are those who see the world's ills as insurmountable and make no effort to address them. There are others who believe that each of us can make a difference through individual acts of civic responsibility. Toward that end, every community college in the nation should provide its students with a variety of volunteer, community service, public service and service learning experiences to prepare them for a role of active citizenship and participation in improving the quality of life in their communities. Think what a legacy we could leave our children and their children if we could imbue each of the nearly 9 million students that annually pass through our doors each year with such a notion. The ripple effect would certainly go a long way toward making our world a better place.

Greenfield vs Brownfield Sites for Housing Development

Greenfield vs Brownfield Sites for Housing Development A Brownfield site is land which has been developed previously and is or has been occupied by a permanent structure. It may be in an urban or rural setting. It does not include agricultural land, forest or parks. Whereas a Greenfield site is Land which has not been occupied by a permanent structure. It usually applies to land in the countryside but can be undeveloped land within an urban setting. Both of these sites can be ideal for the development of new housing but both also have benefits and drawbacks to doing so. Firstly redeveloping Brownfield sites eases pressure on Greenfield sites and is more sustainable. Although Greenfield sites are often on the edge of towns and cities and may have better access, have less congestion, be in a more pleasant environment and have more space and room to expand. Redeveloping a Brownfield site would cause House prices to increase in inner city areas as people are encouraged back to the area. This is a benefit for people already living there but, this might mean that other people cannot afford the houses, and the council will have to provide for them which may cause problems. Basic Infrastructure already exists in Brownfield sites but in Greenfield sites new drainage, electricity, roads etc. would all have to be produced deeming them more expensive. Although Light industry and Science Parks favour out of town locations on Greenfield sites opposed to Brownfield sites and crucially so do their workers who are happier to live away from urban areas. New sites are easier to build on as remains of previous land use do not need to be cleared making them more attractive to retail parks, housing developers etc. But using Greenfield sites is not sustainable as there is too much pressure on the rural-urban fringe therefore making the development of Brownfield sites a better option. There is an issue of contamination and making sites safe for development, given what the land may have been used for before but towns and cities do not want their areas to decay and redeveloping these areas results in more people coming to the area. This helps local businesses as more people means more customers. Building on Greenfield sites on the other hand pulls people out of the towns and cities causing shops etc. aving to re locate on the edge of and towns and cities. In conclusion I feel looking at the benefits and drawbacks of using Brownfield and Greenfield sites for housing redevelopment it would be most beneficial to use Brownfield sites firstly because it is the more sustainable option also the basic infrastructure already exists as well as there being public transport links already in place in many area s. Also it is would help develop areas which may be suffering and increase house prices within that area, making them more wealthy and hopefully lowering crime rates etc.

Analysing Early Marriage In Egypt Religion Essay

Analysing Early Marriage In Egypt Religion Essay Marriage is wonderful event, it bears a lot of meanings such as love, care, and responsibility. Early marriage may look like any other marriage but it has many different consequences. In that paper I will talk about the early marriage in Egypt and in the Middle East explaining its effects on the spouses and their future children. Introduction Marriage is a very happy celebration throughout the world, however, that celebration doesn’t happen in early marriage cases, there a lot of women that get married while they are still under eighteen years of age, and that happens in many different countries and nations of the world; some parents just force their daughters into marriage in that age to get fortune, titles, or for other social reasons. I believe that early marriage is definitely against all the natural human rights because early marriage will subsequently lead to early pregnancy and early responsibilities that may cause financial or even psychological problems to the parent s. Early marriage doesn’t have only negative effects on the young girl or boy only; it also extends to a series of worse effects on their children and the whole society. The Universal Declaration of Human rights suggests that the â€Å"free and full† right cannot be put into consideration or even discussed if one of the two parties is not able to take decide whether his partner suitable or not because of his lack of experience. There may be many shapes and forms of early marriage and there may be a lot of causes, but the only thing that matters is the impact of that marriage on your child regardless his gender. In that paper I will discuss the early marriage as it deprives the young kids from their childhood, and the effects of that marriage on them and the society as a whole, I will also explain its causes and its relation with poverty, overpopulation and social culture. Review of literature Neglecting the woman’s rights UNICEF (2001) and Lefevre, Murphy and Qu iroga (2004) have stated that marriage is a lovely event all over the world, it means that each of the partners is ready to share his life with the other one and is ready to bear responsibility, however, early marriage cuts the childhood of the boy or the girl and it takes place when at least one of them is not ready to be responsible even for himself therefore early marriage will just deprive him from his fundamental rights. Otoo-Oyotey and Pobi (2003) confirms that early marriage is usually arranged by the parents and they don’t care about the interest of their child in most of the cases, and those marriages often includes some force elements. Causes of early marriage P.M.Fayez (2006) has stated that parents are forcing their daughters into early marriage because they believe that by doing that they will get social and financial benefits and will reduce their financial burden Matmur (2003) and Nour (2006) have both said that parents would encourage early marriage of their y oung daughters because they see her as a financial burden where one daughter less is one mouth less to be fed

RHETORICAL ANALYSIS AND CRITICAL INTERPRETATION Essay

RHETORICAL ANALYSIS AND CRITICAL INTERPRETATION - Essay Example This is a symbolic statement where the tongue that does not settle could be used to symbolize the people who kept hiding from the reality of their native language and as result they would use other languages to communicate even amongst themselves just because they were ashamed of their language and native culture. â€Å"but I could get a whiff of the stench when I gasped† this is a phrase that remind the culture escapists that they would still have the remains of the same culture that they disregarded. After all they would still have their Mexican accent even if they used English. Deep inside they knew they were Chicanos. Another case of symbolism is in the second page of the text where she writes â€Å"our tongues have become dry, the wilderness has dried our tongues and we have forgotten speech† here the wilderness represents the diverse linguistic jungle that the world is and trying to fit it drains you of your language. The writer uses multiple stories to pass the message about how Chicanos are disregarded and also to emphasis on her pride in her true identity. For instance she states that when caught speaking in Mexican while in school she get punished ,†gets three licks on the knuckles with a sharp ruler† and sent to sit at a corner for speaking back at a teacher. Her mother is also not confide about her daughters fluency n communication and keeps reminding her the â€Å"I want you to speak English’ since she had the Mexican accent even when she spoke

Factionalism in American Politics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Factionalism in American Politics - Essay Example Madison underscores the importance of breaking or controlling the factions and the ‘factious spirit’ that make public administration a complex affair. Factions exist in the American politics and continue to pose a problem especially in the development of public policies. The factions are mainly caused by the inequality that exists in the distribution of wealth and property.   The passing of The Healthcare Reform Bill brought to the fore the various factions at the various stages of the passing of the bill. The healthcare bill while designed for the benefit of the majority of the Americans faced major hurdles during the legislative process. The factions that opposed the bills include those who were opposed to the Stupak-Pitts Amendment provision in the bill. The pro-choice faction in the house argued that the Stupak-Pitts Amendment imposes restrictions on the right of women to access reproductive health services. Women should be guaranteed these rights by law. The other faction in the healthcare debate is those that were in support of the Stupak-Pitts Amendment. This faction argues that abortion should be restricted, and proposes a further restriction on funding on abortion. In the process of enacting the legislation there was a faction that was against the passing of the healthcare reform bill as they had some concerns about impact that the bill will have on the illegal immigrants’ attempts to access healthcare services (‘Obama Hails Vote on Health Care as Answering ‘the Call of History’).The factions that were at play in the development of the healthcare reform bills have brought about a situation in which the proponents, as well as the opponents of healthcare reforms policies, give different explanations to their positions on healthcare reform.

Economic Geography Op-Ed Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Economic Geography Op-Ed - Essay Example For me, there is now a perceived contradiction between the assumed mobility of young workers and lack of initiative to involve the mobility option in their own career planning. Why is that? In order to engage in a stay abroad mentality, the employee must have certain characteristics to be a certain type. He must show, motivated, confident and optimistic approach to the new tasks initiative. The ability for reflection and abstraction let him also before long phases abroad conditional planning not shrink. So why so little initiative? My Op-Ed commits to be an eye opener to state governments, corporate managements, career developers, employees and employers, on what must be done to globalize and popularize labor mobility. The arguments have been developed in point forms, for clarity and objectivity. †¢ Reduce administrative and procedural requirements, including by examining the feasibility of a GATS visa. A GATS visa would a clear distinction between entering the country in connection with Mode 4 and allow for a permanent residence aspiring immigrants, what a) to reduce administrative costs and speed up the processing of applications and approval, b) to limit the fees on administrative costs and c) would lead to better detection of Mode 4 trades. To the visa knotted safeguards and employer sanctions would abuse and prevent the temporary nature of mode-4-migration (Moreno, 2013). Mode 4 incoming travelers form an identifiable group for migration purposes and whether a GATS visa for the company would provide sufficient attractiveness. †¢ Improvements effective access by regulatory transparency. For this purpose, the following actions are proposed: establishment of focal points ("One-stop-shops") in the member States for granting all relevant information on the entry under Mode 4, mutual consultation the member countries prior to the adoption of new legal provisions relating to mode 4 or provision of additional information.

Culture anthropology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Culture anthropology - Essay Example Okonkwo’s courageous warrior character, contrary to that of his father who left numerous debts after his death, convinced elders to decide that he was the only person capable of housing Ikemefuna. Ikemefuna was a boy given out as a peace settlement token amid the two villages where the elders agreed Okonkwo to act a guardian or his surrogate father. He assumes this responsibility where he loved the boy as his own owing to the exemplary and hero’s character Ikemefuna depicted, which was divergent to Nwoye’s (Tamilarasi 4). Okonkwo wished his son could take after him or Ikemefuna instead of his grandfather who was lazy. However, peaceful and harmonious living with Ikemefuna did not last long until the oracle according to the elders, demanded termination the boy. The oracle’s plan regarding the termination of Ikemefuna was the mandate of the elders but not Okonkwo’s since the boy called him father, hence being an abomination. Conversely, during the exe rcise, the boy escaped and ran to the safety of Okonkwo’s who not wanting to appear inferior killed him while Ikemefuna calling him father for protection, hence committing an abomination (Tamilarasi 5). This act forced Okonkwo and his family to go for exile for seven years according the community’s statutes to cleanse him, where after they burnt his belongings. Afterwards, Okonkwo returned where to his dismay unveiled that the white missionaries had taken over the village and community with Christianity, hence derailing people to abandon their esteemed culture. Okonkwo as the community’s warrior, tried to mobilize the then obedient masses to him in vain where while conflicting with the whites killed one of them (Tamilarasi 5). The community seemed to embrace the new Christianity culture; contrary to his own, which worshiped numerous deities thus, termed as idolatry. Okonkwo’s

Terrorism in the 21st century is very different than terrorism in the Research Paper

Terrorism in the 21st century is very different than terrorism in the 20th century - Research Paper Example In the course of this essay I will examine three aspects of terrorism then and now by looking at different groups with different aims. In the course of these examinations or comparisons, many of the salient differences between old terrorism and new terrorism will become evident. In the first case I will examine the Algerian-French conflict in the middle of the 20th century. In this conflict, the French fought an urban guerrilla war against Algerian nationalists who wished to liberate their country from French colonialism. The brutal reprisals of the French were responded to by acts of terrorism such as blowing up mailboxes in Paris. While the conflict elicited a cri du Coeur from other colonial subjects around the world and inspired a great many anti-colonialist thinkers, it did not, for example, draw in foreign fighters or radicalize a generation of extremists. Furthermore, terrorism was to some extent a last resort for Algerians who were consistently refused real political influenc e or power over their country. Their aim was clear and their methods—while highly objectionable—were coherent and connected to their aim. The Algerian terrorists of the time, while ruthless, could and did negotiate with the French. Indeed, the terrorist/freedom fighters were able to secure the independence of Algeria in 1962. In the second case I will examine the conflict in Afghanistan from 1979, what many analysts believe is the genesis of the new terrorism. While issues raised by this very long conflict began with the Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan, which provoked a somewhat traditional form of terrorism in the form of freedom fighters and guerrillas, as in the Algerian in the 1950s, the form of resistance morphed dramatically by the 1990s and into the 2000s. These years saw the rise of a new form of terrorism, funded and inspired in part by Saudi Wahhabism, and an ideology of global jihad (Coll 2004, 87). These new terrorists did not have clear or rational aims but instead

Should companies disclose to the people if they make digital Essay

Should companies disclose to the people if they make digital correction on advertisement - Essay Example I am sure this will be a good omen for the companies because they can easily come out in the open and make their point clear which indeed is significant towards their understanding domains. If the company makes a concerted effort, the digital correction on advertisements would mean that they have a better word of mouth overall and that the varied publics will speak highly of the company (Kadir 2013). It will also implicate for the company being truthful about its dealings and a sense of openness is easily visible across the board. Another reason why disclosure is all the more crucial for the sake of the companies is because digital correction on advertisements reveals their intent to come out in the open and that too without much difficulty. This is the reason why companies tend to be ethical more than anything else. This will be the basis of finding out how anomalies exist and how such nuances can be resolved in an amicable way (Westrup 2009). The disclosure does not mean that the company is looking to cover up its mistakes of the past yet there is an element of honesty attached with the disclosure which is all the more significant and reassuring from the companys perspective. Ladies and gentlemen, I am convinced that coming out clean is a better policy than making one mistake after the other. The digital corrections on advertisements stand as a honest policy which will win many favors by the people at the helm of affairs within the company levels. It leaves no stone unturned and addresses the problems which are faced by the organizations in their day to day work bases (Gleason 1998). This is the reason why companies should always think to bring about sanity within their prevalent ranks and hence fully disclose any digital corrections that may take place over the advertisements that they are producing and/or relaying to the general public (Rosi 2010). I would like to end my speech with the belief that the digital corrections on

History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 55

History - Essay Example They were also against the reforms that were legislated by the state because they had a preference for individual freedom by choice. They majorly favored agricultural farms and independence in the rural areas and the right to ownership of slaves. Their agenda at this time was rapid expansion in territories whether by purchase or war. Their main focus was to progress by external growth. On the other hand during the 1840s period was the Whigs. They too had their political interests. Contrary to the democrats, the Whigs were a party of modernization. They looked into the needs of the future. Their main interest was the hope of the people of America. They strategized the use of federal state governments to spear head the growth of the nation especially the transport and banking sector. (Holt, 30) writes that they facilitated reforms in public schools, prisons and temperance. As opposed to the democrats, they favored free labor, industrial and urban growth. They were opposed to war and favored gradual expansion of territories as opposed to the democrats who favored rapid expansion of territories through conquering and purchase. The candidate that was chosen to run for 1844 elections was called James Birney. He only managed to win 2% of the total votes but managed to get most of the votes from the northern part which was majorly Whig dominated. On the other hand of the opposing party, were the non-abolitionists who opposed the expansion territorial conquering. This party won in 1848 with 10% of the popular vote. Martin Van Buren was the party candidate. However in 1852 they lost half percentage of their support because their candidate had rejected the compromise made in 1850. In 1860, the democrats’ party split when they were defeated in a defending platform concerning slavery. The convention was held in Charleston, South Carolina. (Holt, 34) points out

Letter to Friend Congratulating on Sucess Essay Example for Free

Letter to Friend Congratulating on Sucess Essay It gives me great pleasure that you have topped the list of successful candidates in the Board Examination. It is all the more delightful to learn that you have secured distinction in all the subjects and in Mathematics you have secured 99% marks. Your grand success is a matter of pride for your family, friends, teachers and our school as well. It is, in fact, the result of your hard work and dedication, sacrifice and concentration. You have been very consistent all along your studies. You never ignored your studies. It has paid well now. Indeed, it is a moment of celebration particularly for your parents who have been very careful for all your needs and comforts. This success has opened up the door to various opportunities for your career. You can get admission in any of the good colleges in India. A bright future awaits you. Your bright success has secured your career. Again my heartiest congratulations on the happy occasion I am confident you will maintain this performance in future. Keep upthespiritand be careful to your health and performance. We will met soon to have a treat. With lots of good wishes for a bright future. Yours sincerely, Rishika My Dear Pramod, I am glad to see your result in today’s Rakasthan Patrika. Your outstanding performance in the RAS examination has secured you a good rank. I conveyed this happy news to my father who was sitting beside me. He too was overjoyed. I thank god for his kindness and wish you a bright future. You have been intelligent and diligent in your school and college days. Certainly, your success is due to god’s grace as well as your hard work and timely guidance of your respected parents. Keep it up! You will be of great asset to your family and more over to this nation. Please guide your sister also to overcome her IAS examinations which are due in November. Please convey my respectful compliments to your parents. Again, congratulations to you! Yours sincerely, Raj Kumar

Rresearch proposal Essay Example for Free

Rresearch proposal Essay According to Karen A. Matthews, Ph. D (2009), people who are engaged in multiple enjoyable activities are better off physically and psychologically .This statement of Karen A.Matthews is indirectly stating that one must not frustrate himself working too much .There is a need to enjoy and relax in order to become a better person . Students who are dedicated on their studies spend a lot of time thinking about their studies, doing their assignments and constructing their projects. They focus almost all of their time in doing academic stuff in order for them to step up and achieve their goals as students. These kind of students are the students that are in demand for different scholarship programs. These are the students of International Maritime Employers’ Council (IMEC), an organization which is dedicated to maritime industry ,have . The International Maritime Employers’ Council (IMEC) aims to promote physically, mentally, emotionally, socially and spiritually developed cadets through the IMEC Cadetship Programme in partnership with the University of Cebu–Maritime Education and Training Center (UC-METC). The IMEC Cadets are provided with all their needs from board and lodge, food, uniform, tuition and recreational facilities. The IMEC cadets have their own recreational or leisure room that can be used during free times. They spend their leisure time in different activities .They play board games and ball game or watch television .They have the freedom to choose whether if they are going to play or rest . Different types of activities may produce an impact to the academic performance of the IMEC Cadets .It may be desirable or undesirable effects. The proponents chose to do the study for the reason that in doing so; hopefully, it will help the proponents to leisure activities and academic performance of The International Maritime Employers’Council (IMEC) Cadets. This study of leisure activities and academic performance of The International Maritime Employers’ Council (IMEC) Cadets will hopefully become a medium to open up new ideas to improve the status of the IMEC Cadets, IMEC Administrators, Instructors and the society. This study will provide answers that cannot be stated through surface analysis, but by providing valid information and data that will show the correlativity of leisure activities and academic performance of IMEC Cadets. Theoretical Background Compensatory Theory of Leisure (Burch, 1994).The main idea of the compensatory theory is that â€Å"work is seen as the dominant force in life, and leisure is seen compensating for either the boredom or the excitement of the job.† (Bammel Bammel, 1992) This theory can explain some of the leisure behavior seen in modern society. For example people exciting jobs often seek relaxation after work. It seems from that mostly people with an extreme level of either boredom or excitement in their job fall under this theory. This indicates that this approach has some relevance for modern society. On the other hand, this theory cannot explain why the school teacher becomes a sports trainer in his free time or why a dentist is also a passionate watchmaker. ( Haecker, 2002) The compensatory hypothesis suggests that whenever the individual is given the opportunity to avoid his regular routine, he will seek a directly opposite leisure activity such as music, art, community involvement, and physical fitness for relaxation, broadening of knowledge, and spontaneous social participation. (Burch, 1994) Spillover Theory of Leisure (Wilensky, 1996). Spillover Theory is the antithesis to the compensatory theory. It states leisure somehow parallels or results from work activity. It suggests that work has a strong impact on the worker’s personality and therefore also determines his leisure behavior. This means that a teacher gets used to teaching so much that he cannot help continuing it after work. ( Haecker, 2002) These last two theories equal Kelly’s approach to leisure as contextual, which sees leisure embedded in habits, relationships and social arrangements like work. (Kelly, 2000) This theory, too, explains some parts of modern leisure behavior. A lot of people do things similar to their work in their free time, some even regard their work leisure. But like the compensatory theory it can only explain parts of modern leisure behavior. There seem to be more variables involved. (Haecker, 2002).More positively, the worker may enjoy work so much that its basic themes are repeated in leisure pastimes. For example, a student who enjoys long hours of reading books also has a hobby of collecting books or other reading paraphernalia that may lead to discovery of more knowledge which can improve his rational skills and academic performance. Moreover, for student populations, participation in leisure activities is also believed to be a benign mechanism for fighting social ills such as drug abuse, juvenile delinquency, and other deviant behaviour (Vicary, Smith, Caldwell, Swisher, 1998). Another positive effect of participation in leisure includes the broadening of an individual’s perspective on the world of work (Munson Savickas, 1998). Munson (1993) conducted a survey of 251 American youths and found that the stronger the perceived freedom in leisure, the higher the leisure participation, conviction, and value. Moreover, the higher the perceived freedom, the less likely that participation in activities would be restricted by exogenous factors. More importantly, investigations by Munson and Widmer (1997) and Munson and Savickas (1998) indicate that significant relation-ships exist among thinking and contemplating, ethical leisure behaviour, and occupational identity; that is, the more those students involve themselves in intellectual and creative leisure activities, the better they advance in occupational identity development with clear career goals. In an environment immersed with pragmatism, leisure activities have traditionally been treated as a residual issue in the cultivation of students, while the idea that leisure and career roles reciprocally influence each other (Super, 1984) is generally neglected. Fitzgerald, Joseph, Hayes, and O’Regan (1995) suggest that an understanding of youth and young adults’ leisure activities and interests can help further our knowledge of their individual needs, development, and social world. Self-development Theory (Dumazedier, 1992).This is based on Dumazedier ´s tripartite theory of leisure, consisting of three functions of leisure: relaxation, entertainment, and personal development. He supposes that there will be a time when personal growth, not working for a living, will be life’s primary motivator. Here, relaxation is a prerequisite for leisure, as we need to overcome fatigue, entertainment is the diversion aspect of leisure, and finally personal development is the enduring component of leisure (Bammel Bammel, 1992). Bammel and Bammel state that this approach has found its way into modern society, as most people regard work less important than personal growth. More and more workers make use of the possibility of sabbaticals for self-development, and for many young students not the money they will earn with their future job, but the satisfaction they hope to find there, seems to be the major influence on the choice of study. But even though modern people have more free time than ever before, Bammel Bammel state, â€Å"with additional free time, many workers simply increase their television-watching time†. This means that most people will only realize the first two steps of Dumazedier ´s tripartite theory: relaxation and entertainment. For many people this is what leisure means: easy entertainment. To achieve self-development some reflection and â€Å"work† on oneself is necessary, and this does not fit into a lot of people’s perceiving of leisure. Similar from conservative- Marxist perspective, Dumazadier (1974 cited in Rojek 1995) defines leisure as time orientated towards self-fulfilment as an ultimate end. However, this leisure time is granted to the individual by society, when they have complied with his occupational, family, socio-spiritual and socio-political obligations, which makes leisure a necessary element of social order as an opportunity for free time activities contribute to well-being of individual and society. Furthermore, Kaplan (1984 cited in Rojek 1995) claims that the leisure is the primary value of mankind in industrial society as it is â€Å"a relatively self-determined activity experience that falls into economically free-time roles ; that is psychologically pleasant in anticipation and recollection; that potentially covers the whole range of commitment and intensity; that contains characteristic norms and constraints; and that provides opportunities for recreation, personal growth and service to others † (Kaplan 1975 cited in Rojek 1995). (Zurawik, 2012) Perspectives on Leisure `Leisure is defined as freedom from paid labour or as a voluntary behavior (Rojek 2005). Developing this concept, Mannell and Kleiber(1997) state that leisure is commonly characterised as an activity in time free from obligations, which provides meaningful and satisfying experience identified with freedom, choice and life satisfaction. In 1974, John Neulineger created a model classification of the perceived freedom and fundamental motivation dimensions. Neulinger identified a criterion of leisure as a perceived freedom- a state in which a person feels that what they are doing is done by choice and because they want to do it (Neulinger, 1981 cited in Mannell, Kleiber 1997:126). He also distinguished between intrinsic- rewards coming from engaging in activity itself, which can be explained by self –determination theory; and extrinsic motivation- engagement in activity leads to other rewards (money, grades). According to Neulinger’s typology when activity is freely chosen for intrinsic reasons it is called a pure leisure. At the opposite extreme there is activity least leisure like – pure job. Neulinger’s pure job also known as Godbey’s anti-leisure is â€Å"an activity which is undertaken compulsively, as a means to an end, from a perception of necessity, with high degree of externally imposed constrains, with considerable anxiety, with high degree of time-consciousness, with minimum of personal autonomy, and which avoids self- actualization, authentication and finitude† (Neulinger 1989 cited in Rojek 1995). Following this socio- psychological perspective, Kaplan (1960 cited in Rojek, 2005 p. 80) identified seven essential elements of pure leisure experience: psychological recognition of activity which is antithesis of work, identification of leisure with pleasure, minimum involuntary role obligation, psychological perception of freedom, inclusion of an entire range of responses from inconsequence and insignificance to weightiness and importance, general psychological recognition of play, identification of activity as being close to the values of culture. (Zurawik, 2012) Review of Related Literature This part presents the literatures that have bearing on the concerns of the study. A number of pieces of literature, documents, pamphlets, handouts, unpublished theses were perused and analyzed to provide the necessary framework of this study. Ideas, insights, theories, conclusions and recommendations advanced by these papers were cited as authorities of the study. Related Studies The study of Hickerson, Benjamin D. and Beggs, Brent A. (1992), about Leisure time boredom: issues concerning college students, examined the impact of boredom on leisure of college students in relation to gender, level of education, and activity choice. Subjects at a Midwestern university completed the Leisure Boredom Scale and a modified version of the Leisure Activities Blank. No significant differences were found between overall levels of leisure boredom and the three independent variables. However, examinations of individual Leisure Boredom Scale items indicated specific differences. Hultsman, 1993).For many young adults, the college years are a period of expanding freedoms and focusing interests (Gitelson Thomason, 1992). College is seen as the last stage of formal education for most people and it is also one of the last structured opportunities for individuals to form leisure time behavior patterns before they move into the workforce (Cheng et al., 2004). The college environment has a unique influence on leisure behavior, including different patterns of free time availability and the acquisition of new activities. Leisure participation in college students has long-term ramifications as it molds attitudes and behaviors leading to continued recreation participation in later life (Gordon Catalbiano, 1996). Students who do not have leisure skills, cannot manage leisure time, or are not aware that leisure can be psychologically rewarding are more likely to be bored during leisure (Hickerson, et al., 2007). The study of American Journal of Health Studies Publisher (2000) investigated the interrelationship among academic stress, anxiety, time management, and leisure satisfaction among 249 university undergraduates by age and gender. Time management behaviors had a greater buffering effect on academic stress than leisure satisfaction activities. Freshmen and sophomore students had higher reactions to stress than juniors and seniors. Anxiety, time management, and leisure satisfaction were all predictors of academic stress in the multivariate analysis. Anxiety reduction and time management in conjunction with leisure activities may be an effective strategy for reducing academic stress in college students. A disturbing trend in college student health is the reported increase in student stress nationwide (Sax, 1997). Stressors affecting students can be categorized as academic, financial, time or health related, and self-imposed (Goodman, 1993; LeRoy, 1988). Academic stressors include the students perception of the extensive knowledge base required and the perception of an inadequate time to develop it (Carveth, Gesse, Moss, 1996). Students report experiencing academic stress at predictable times each semester with the greatest sources of academic stress resulting from taking and studying for exams, grade competition, and the large amount of content to master in a small amount of time (Abouserie, 1994; Archer Lamnin, 1985; Britton Tesser, 1991; Kohn Frazer, 1986). When stress is perceived negatively or becomes excessive, students experience physical and psychological impairment (Murphy Archer, 1996). Methods to reduce stress by students often include effective time management, social support, positive reappraisal, and engagement in leisure pursuits (Blake Vandiver, 1988; Mattlin, Wethington, Kessler, 1990). Leisure satisfaction is defined as the positive feeling of contentment one perceives as a result of meeting personal needs through leisure activities (Seigenthaler, 1997). Although relationships among some leisure domains and perceived stress have been studied in a variety of settings involving retirees to school-related settings (Kabanoff OBrian, 1986; Kaufman, 1988; Pickens Kiess, 1988; Ragheb McKinney, 1993; Tice Baumeister, 1997), relationships between leisure satisfaction and academic stress of college students have not been addressed directly. The only scientific research that specifically related leisure satisfaction to academic stress was that of Ragheb and McKinney (1993), who established a negative association between academic stress and leisure satisfaction. A limitation of this study, however, was that it measured academic stress using seven items that were extracted inclusively from occupational stress inventories (Misra, 2000). The above literature suggests that the tendency to structure ones time and leisure satisfaction may be an important factor in reducing academic stress. The purpose of this study was to examine the interrelationship (and predictors) of college students academic stress with anxiety, time management, and leisure satisfaction. It was hypothesized that academic stress would show a significant positive correlation with anxiety, and a significant negative correlation with self-reported time management behaviors and leisure satisfaction of college students. A person engaging more frequently in time management behaviors will report fewer physical and psychological symptoms of stress. The greater satisfaction with leisure that students indicate the lower their perceived academic stress will be (Misra, 2000). The Journal Expanding Opportunities for Young People and Communities explains that young people’s discretionary time is worth a significant amount of attention, partly because it is a potential breeding ground for youth problems, but mainly because it presents endless possibilities for constructive development. It is critical that a positive vision of leisure time activities be put forward and defined, and that time and care be given to specifying how such time should be used and why it should be protected (World Youth Report, 2003). International plans and commitments such as the Dakar Youth Empowerment Strategy offer such a positive vision, taking a clear stand against severe infringements on young people’s right to free time. Most have their source in the promise of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, amplifying, reiterating and expanding on the following basic provisions of article 31:1. States Parties recognize the right of the child to rest and leisure, toengage in play and recreational activities appropriate to the age ofthe child and to participate freely in cultural life and the arts. 2. States Parties shall respect and promote the right of the child toparticipate fully in cultural and artistic life and shall encourage theprovision of appropriate and equal opportunities for cultural, artistic, recreational and leisure activity (World Youth Report, 2003). Echoing these international commitments, a developing body of research—and a growing choir of advocates and practitioners—emphasize the importance of play and recreation for younger children. Leaders in child development have long identified play as critical space for children’s cognitive, identity, and social/emotional development (World Youth Report, 2003). Research indicates that the specific types of thinking and problem solving involved in play provide valuable skills for the future. Researchers, therapists, and childcare practitioners have made play a central element of their work with children, with demonstrated impact. While the nature of â€Å"play† may change as (especially Western) young people get older—with increases in peer leisure and time spent talking for some and in structured recreational and sports activities for others—it appears to be no less critical to adolescents than to younger children. Though the precise effects are not certain, time spent informally with peers and adults in activities such as talking and playing is likely to result in both stronger social networks and stronger social skills for adulthood (World Youth Report, 2003). The physical exercise and habits associated with sports and recreation, again in concert with the social skills and relationships gained through such activities, constitute an important input to young people’s health. Adolescents’ play and recreation, though defined differently in cultures around the world, has intrinsic value (World Youth Report, 2003). The shift from a negative view of leisure to a positive vision that emphasizes the value of leisure in its own right is a critical first step towards protecting young people’s right to discretionary time and to quality leisure activities. This message is important for developing and least developed countries, where economic pressures often propel young people into the labour force at an early age; it is equally important for highly industrialized countries concerned about improving academic performance (World Youth Report, 2003). Around the world, the amount of time young people spend in work has decreased, replaced by a larger amount of time in school. In the developing countries, school generally occupies a relatively small amount of young people’s time. In much of Asia, however, the combination of a longer school day, an expansive network of non-school academic enrichment programmes (many geared towards test preparation), and more time dedicated to homework means that up to half of young people’s time is spent in academic pursuits. In developed countries, frustration with educational reform efforts and continued pressure for academic achievement has resulted in an explosion of academic after-school programmes (World Youth Report, 2003). At the heart of this international phenomenon is an important fact: young people’s learning need not—and does not—stop at the end of the school day. Their leisure time provides a rich opportunity for learning and a particularly rich climate in which to facilitate the development of lifelong learners. Pushing for more â€Å"time on task†, many programmes simply replicate the teaching practices used during the school day and extend them into young people’s leisure time, despite growing evidence that â€Å"more of the same† is both unproductive and developmentally dangerous (World Youth Report, 2003). Research supervised by Deborah Vandell(2003) shows that young people in Thailand who were involved in high-yield arts and cultural activities that had reading, writing and mathematics as the â€Å"hidden curriculum† rather than the lead curriculum not only performed better on State tests than those enrolled in strict content-drill programmes, but were also emotionally healthier. This study speaks to a tension that is developing, at least in the United States, challenging the belief that academic outcomes are best bolstered by the application of formal school-derived practices during out-of-school hours (Vandell, 2003). Based on research findings such as these, there is growing recognition that learning during leisure hours cannot appear identical to that inside of schools and, equally important, an increased willingness to describe learning as a primary goal for leisure-time activities. The ideas of â€Å"serious leisure† and â€Å"leisure education† put forward by World Leisure in its Charter for Leisure and other documents imply a set of principles, professional standards, practices and pedagogical orientations that are distinct from but complementary to what goes on in formal education settings (World Youth Report, 2003). The model of learning put forward by J. Falk and L. Dierking goes further in specifying the contextual, personal and social factors in place when young people participate in learning that is volitional, recreational, and engaged in as a form of self-fulfillment. Falk’s and Dierking’s framework for freechoice learning, developed through investigation focusing largely on museums, is one of a number of research-and-practice efforts to underscore the unique nature of learning that happens during leisure. Other efforts push even further in defining the specific features of environments that support young people’s leisure-time learning and development (World Youth Report, 2003). International documents including â€Å"Programming for adolescent health and development: report of the WHO/UNFPA/UNICEF Study Group on Programming for Adolescent Health† and Adolescence: A Time That Matters, published by UNICEF, and country documents such as the New Zealand Ministry of Youth Affairs’ Youth Development Strategy Aeteatoa, published in 2002, present a set of common features of environments that support young people’s development. Research and synthesis by M. McLaughlin, by J.P. Connell, M.A. Gambone and T.J. Smith, by the Forum for Youth Investment, and, most recently, by the National Research Council confirms that there are core principles relevant to learning that goes on during leisure time—principles applicable to schools as well but not consistently presen t within them (World Youth Report, 2003). This set of central principles—in reality, conditions for effective learning and engagement— includes, inter alia, the presence of caring relationships, challenge and relevance, choice and voice, high expectations, physical and emotional safety, and experiences of â€Å"mattering† and contribution. This research and practice goes far in validating and clarifying the significance of leisure-based learning. Research results indicate that community-based leisure-time settings may actually be more effective than schools in engaging students in learning (World Youth Report, 2003). A study by R. Larson (2002) indicates that young people are only cognitively and emotionally engaged a small amount of the time, even though such engagement is a critical precondition to learning. Importantly, this combination of cognitive and emotional engagement is far more likely to happen in structured, voluntary leisure-time settings than during school. Apparently, the blend of principles that make leisure-based learning what it is offers a powerful model for engagement and achievement. Based on these findings, stating that leisure time provides an opportunity for learning represents a richer and more promising claim than the argument that students should spend more time doing what they do in school. As indicated by the research just described, the â€Å"how† (pedagogy) of learning during leisure is significantly different. The â€Å"what† of learning—the appropriate content for learning that goes on outside school hours—is also different (Larson, 2002). As both the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Dakar Youth Empowerment Strategy acknowledge, leisure time is critically a space in which young people express themselves creatively, take part in arts and cultural activities, and develop as individuals. Culture, creativity, and identity are central, defining features of the content of learning during leisure time. Research confirms that leisure time is important in helping young people achieve a broad range of positive outcomes, as follows: social/emotional development, engagement, vocational development, engagement, civic development, engagement, physical development, and engagement (World Youth Report, 2003). Social/emotional development and engagement: the ability to respond to and cope with both positive and adverse situations, reflect on one’s emotions and surroundings, engage in leisure and fun, and sustain caring friendships and relationships with others. Vocational development and engagement: acquiring the functional and organizational skills necessary for employment, including an understanding of careers and options and the pathways to follow to reach these goals. Physical development and engagement: biological maturation and the evolving ability to act in ways that best ensure current and future physical health for oneself and others. Cognitive development and engagement: the ability to gain basic knowledge, to learn in school and other settings, to use critical thinking, problem-solving, and creative and expressive skills, and to conduct independent study. Civic development and engagement: the growing recognition of one’s impact on one’s surroundings and responsibility to others, as well as the ability and opportunity to work collaboratively towards a common goal. Leisure is a developmental opportunity and an imperative. Larson argues that adolescence, including leisure time during this period, should be defined and understood as a time of preparation for family life, employment, good citizenship, lifelong learning and personal fulfilment.It also provides an opportunity for the development of communities and societies (World Youth Report, 2003). Young people are more likely to engage fully in learning if the learning environment incorporates structured leisure time activities .Research shows that leisure time has a number of positive outcomes for individuals involved-including the ability to:react and solve diverse problems –which include emotional and environmental reflection, active relaxation; maintaining friendship or relationship with others;acquire needed functional and employment skills; growth and physically healthy; acquire basic knowledge through education-this includes the development of critical thinking and problem solving skills;be socially raised and involved / participate fully in civil upbringing (World Youth Report, 2003). Leisure time, therefore, provides an opportunity for personal growth.Larson and Verma (1999) points out that ‘the period of adolescence’ needs to be understood as a preparation stage for employment ,family and civil life , lifelong learning ,personal development , and future achievements . Other studies agree that :young people who regularly take part in community programmes achieve better academic and social endeavors ;young people who do not spend time in extra-corricular activities have 57% more chance of dropping out of school(Eccles et al.,1999,cited in World Youth Report, 2003) (Livazovic, 2011). The study of how leisure improves health and boost mood which appears in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine: Journal of Biobehavioral Medicine. For the study, 1,400 adults reported how often they participated in a variety of leisure activities, including spending time unwinding, visiting friends or family, going on vacation, going to clubs or religious activities or playing sports. Adults with higher scores — indicating the most time spent in different leisure activities — had lower blood pressure, waist circumference, body mass index and cortisol measurements, all markers of good health. People who spent more time doing diverse leisure activities also reported stronger and more diverse social networks, more feelings of satisfaction and engagement in their lives and lower levels of depression. Those who logged the most leisure time also slept better and exercised more consistently, the authors say. Other studies have examined the link between specific activities, such as exercise, and improved physical and psychological health, but this is the first to show that the accumulation of multiple sources of enjoyable activity benefits health, Matthews said. The study outcomes add to what we know about the connection between body and mind, said Kathy Richards, Ph.D., a registered nurse and professor of health promotion at the University Of Pennsylvania School Of Nursing in Philadelphia (Sutton, 2009). Another study of Schooler C, Mulatu MS(1999) of Section on Socio-Environmental Studies, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, Maryland USA by using data from a representative longitudinal survey, the authors provide strong evidence that complex leisure time activities increase intellectual functioning for workers and nonworkers. Although the effects were relatively moderate, both the present article and its predecessor on the effects of paid work (C. Schooler.Mulatu, Oates. 1999) showed that, even in old age, carrying out complex tasks has a positive effect on intellectual processes. In both cases, initially high levels of intellectual functioning led to high levels of environmental complexity, which in turn raised levels of intellectual functioning, thus providing a pathway contributing to the high correlation of intellectual functioning over a 20-year period in middle and late adulthood. The present findings indicate that even in old age carrying out substantively complex tasks builds the capacity to deal with the intellectual challenges such complex environments provide. (Mulatu, 1999) Leisure activities feel like rain shower during scorching heat. Leisure is the time to be together with your friends and family and to have fun. Devoting some time for leisure helps in staying healthy and achieving a peace of mind. Leisure activities serve as a way of relaxing and as researches have shown recreation on a daily basis reduces stress, sharpen skills improves mental and physical health and improves the quality of life (Jade, 2012). Statement of the Problem This study aims to determine the leisure activities and academic performance of International Maritime Employers’ Council (IMEC) Cadets in University of Cebu-Maritime Education and Training Center during the school year 2012-2013. Specifically, it seeks to provide answers to the following: 1. What is the profile of the respondents according to: 1.1 age; 1.2 course; 1.3 year level; 1.4 first semester grades (2012-2013)? 2. What activities do IMEC cadets do during leisure times in terms of the following: 2.1 board games; 2.2 physical related activities; 2.3 watching TV or playing computer games; 2.4 other activities? 3. What is the degree of attachment of the respondents to their chosen leisure activity? 4. What is the academic performance of the respondents according to their first semester (2012-2013) grade point average? 5. Is there a significant relationship between the profile, leisure activities and the degree of attachment of the respondents to their chosen leisure activity? 5.1 profile; 5.2 leisure activities; 5.3 degree of attachment of the respondents to their leisure activity? Statement of the Null Hypothesis Ho: There is no significant relationship between the profile of the respondents and the degree of attachment of the respondents to their chosen leisure activities Ho: There is no significant relationship between the degree of attachment of the respondents to their chosen leisure activities and academic performance of the respondents Significance of the Study This study leisure activities and academic performance of International Maritime Employers’ Council (IMEC) Cadets will be a significant endeavor that will help the IMEC Cadets, IMEC Administrators, Instructors and the future researcher, the researcher, the academe and the university in order to efficiently handle each role. IMEC Cadets. The proposed study serves to IMEC Cadets as their reference in distinguishing whether the leisure activities they are attached are contributing for their better academic performance or not. It will help the cadets to identify the best activities they must choose and prioritize during leisure time. This study will also determine the length of time the cadets must occupy in doing their leisure activities. Lastly, this study will provide solutions to their common problems in relationship with the leisure activities and their academic performance. IMEC Administrators. The proposed study can help the IMEC Administrators to formulate and establish new rules and regulations in relation with the leisure activities.By this study they will come up with more suitable rules that will enhance the students’ academic performance with regards to the cadets leisure activities. And lastly, the Administrators will become aware of what facilities for leisure activities suit for enhancing the academic performance of the cadets. Instructors .The proposed study will help instructors to have a deeper understanding to the relationship of leisure activities to their student academic performance and become aware of its effects. This will also serve as a guideline for the teachers on what activities to promote for their students better academic performance. The Academe.The proposed study can be a great help in the academic society to illuminate the significant relationship of leisure and academics. This will become hopefully an important basis for setting standards in the academic world. The University. The proposed study will provide some insights and information on how the university is going to develop new teaching approach and to improve the university’s standards in academic in relation with the leisure activities. This study will also encourage them to choose the proper equipment and facilities to improve the IMEC Cadets and the students’ academic performance. The Researchers. The proposed study will help the researcher to know the present status of the IMEC Cadets in relation with the leisure activities and academic performance. Future Researchers. The proposed study will benefit and help the future researcher as their guide. The study can also open in development and improvement of this study. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY This section contaiins the well-organized account of the research design, research dependents, research instruments, research procedure s and treatment of data. Research Design This study will use the descriptive-correlation survey method of investigation to achieve the results that the researchers required. Descriptive-correlation survey method because this study aims to provide information and data about the relationship between two or more variables . The choice of this research design ensures that the study will not result to anything insignificant. Preparations and efforts will come up to a quality and a reliable research output. Research design refers to the plan of action in meeting the objectives of the study. It will involve collecting of data in order to test a hypothesis or find out answers concerning the present status of the subject under study. It is also concerned with conditions of relationship that exist. Research Environment The researchers will conduct the study in University of Cebu- Maritime Education and Training Center (UC-METC) and on the International Maritime Employers’ Council (IMEC) institution. University of Cebu has improved from its opening in 1964 which was formerly known as Cebu College of Commerce (CCC) to Cebu Central Colleges in 1972 through the hard work and effort of Atty. Augusto W. Go. The UC-METC is a University of Cebu campus that specializes in training and educating world classseafarers. It is one of the outstanding maritime universities in the Philippines and is accredited by the Det Norske Veritas (DNV).It is positioned near the sea with an 8-hectare area accommodating multiple facilities necessary for the seafarers of the future. The exact address of this well-resourced and well-equipped institution is Alumnos, Mambaling Cebu City Philippines. International Maritime Employers’ Council was formerly known as International Maritime Employers’ Committee (IMEC). IMEC commenced activities at the University of Cebu-Maritime Education Center (METC) in the University of Cebu in 2008, by sponsoring an initial 50 cadets .The programme has steadily grown from strength to strength and now has more more than 300 cadets. The IMEC office is located at I-Building, 2nd Floor, Alumnus, Mambaling, Cebu City and the cadets are boarding at UC-METC Dorm 2, Alumnus, Mambaling, Cebu City . Research Respondents The respondents of this research study are the International Maritime Employers’ Council (IMEC) Cadets of University of Cebu-Maritime Education and Training Center (UC-METC) in the school year 2012-2013 who are scholars with full free grant from their respective companies. They are taking Bachelor ofScience Marine Transportation and Bachelor Science in MarineEngineeringcourses. Research Instruments The instruments used in this study are questionnaires that are given to the respondents who are spending their leisure time on different leisure activities and varying first semester (2012-2013) point grade average. The questionnaire contains different questions that will allow the researchers to obtain their required data for the research. The questionnaire also contains the profile of the respondent. The nature of research instrument was researcher made. Research Procedure The researcher–made instrument will be used in order to gather data about the respondents. The researchers will also ask the full cooperation of the respondents in filling up and answering the researcher-made questionnaires based on their self-assessment. By tabulating and interpreting the data of the respondents show, the researchers will be able to correlate their leisure activity and academic performance. Since leisure activity is one of the major factors that affect the students’ academic performance, the researchers have decided to conduct a study on leisure activities and academic performance of the students to identify the significant correlation of the respondents’ leisure activities and academic performance. Gathering of Data The researchers will start gathering the data by initiating a unique intellectual forum wherein researchers have to argue and agree to whom and where will the study be conducted. The researchers have decided to conduct the study in University of Cebu-Maritime Education and Training Center wherein the respondents are the students from the International Maritime Employers’ Council taking up Bachelor of Science in Marine Transportation and Bachelor of Science in Marine Engineering. The researchers will seek a written approval from the Maritime Superintendent, Capt. Arnel N. Malaga and from the selected respondents to conduct a study about Leisure Activities and Academic Performance of the Bachelor of Science in Marine Transportation cadets of International Maritime Employers’ Council. of University of Cebu-Maritime Education and Training Center. Before the distribution of questionnaires to the respondents, the researchers consulted Mr. Elven B. Lorca to validate the research instrument. After taking up comments and suggestions from the expert validator, the researchers completely revised the research instrument ready for pilot testing. The respondents have been allowed to answer the research questionnaire provided that the researcher is present during the period. The information and data were collected and was able to classify and treated accordingly. Treatment of Data The data will be gathered and treated accordingly. The profile and kinds of leisure activities will be treated with simple percentage. The level of engagement will be dealt by calculating the weighted mean. The significant relationship between variables will be dealt using Chi-square test. After the tabulation, analysis and interpretation of the gathered data , the researchers will summarize the findings, conclusion and recommendation of the study . Definition of Terms The following are the definitions of key terms based on how they are used in this study. Academic Performance.In this study, this is the respondents’ school academic performance based on their average point grades in the first semester (2012-2013). Degree of Attachment. It is the level of frequency of performing the activity of the respondents. Board Games.This is a kind of activity which the respondents perform on their leisure activity which involves the mental aspects. IMEC CADETS/International Maritime Employers’ Council Cadets.In this study they are the scholars which are selected as the respondents of the study. Leisure Activity. This is where the respondents perform their free time in different ways. Physical Related Activities. This is an activity the respondents perform which involves the physical aspects. Profile. This is the respondents’ personal background. LIST OF REFERENCES Books Haecker, Sabine, (2002), The Meanings of Leisure Mulatu,Schooler C, MS (1999)Section on Socio-Environmental Studies, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, Maryland USA. Parker, S.,.and Lawrence, L., 2002. Leisure studies: trends in theory and research. Eastbourne: Leisure Studies Association. Rojek, C., 2005. Leisure theory: principles and practice. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. Rojek, C., 1995. Decentring leisure: rethinking leisure theory. London: Sage. Journals World Youth Report (2003) The Global Situation of Young People,Department of Economic and Social Affairs, United Nations,NY,ISBN Sutton, Amy (2009) Psychosomatic Medicine: Journal of BiobehavioralMedicine, Health Behavior News Service. Livazovic,Goran( 2011)University of J.J., occasional papers in education and lifelong learning: an international journal volume 4. Strosmayer in Osijec, Republic of Croatia Internet Sources Babcock, P., Marks, M. (2010). Leisure college, USA. Retrieved from http:// www.econ.ucsb.edu/papers/wp02-10.pdf Chan, J. B., May, D. T. (1999). The impact of leisure options on the frequency and spontaneous communication production of a young child with multiple disabilities. Retrieved from http://contents.bjdd.net/Iss88/88-3.PDF Kraus, R. (2000). Basic concepts of play, leisure, and recreation. Retrieved from http:// www.courseweb.uottawa.ca/lsr3515/PDF/lecture5.pdf Moksnes, U. K., Moljord, I. E. O., Espnes, G. A., Byrne, D. G. (2009). Leisure time physical activity does not moderate the relationship between stress and psychological functioning in Norwegian adolescents. Retrieved from http://ntnu.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:408593/FULLTEXT02 Nonis, S. A., Hudson, G. I. (2006). Academic performance of college students: Influence of time spent studying and working. Retrieved from http:// www.fatih.edu.tr//study/ Sirakoulis, K., Deffner, A. (2002). Urban youth leisure, time use research and quality of life: The comparison of leisure preferences of university students in athens and larissa, Greece. Retrieved from http://www-sre.wu- wien.ac.at/ersa/ersaconfs/ersa06/papers/916.pdf Wu, H. C., Liu A., Wang C. H. (2001). Taiwanese university students’ perceived freedom and participation in leisure. Retrieved from http:// www.ntcu.edu.tw/hcwu/51/47.pdf APPENDICES AppendixA Letter to the Respondents February 14, 2013 Dear Respondents: We, a group of students of University of Cebu – Maritime Education and Training Center, will be conducting a study entitled, Leisure Activities and Academic Performance of International Maritime Employers’ Council Cadets of University of Cebu-Maritime Education and Training Center. In this regard, we would like to request for your cooperation in answering this questionnaire, rest assured that we will treat all responses provided with utmost confidentiality. CURRICULUM VITAE A. PERSONAL DATA Name: Caleb L. Geverola Age: 18 Civil Status: Single Home Address: Cansuje, Argao, Cebu City Address: Dorm 2 UC-METC AlumnosMambaling Cebu city Date of Birth: January 13, 1995 Place of Birth: Cansuje, Argao, Cebu Nationality: Filipino B. EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT YEAR ATTENDED Primary : Nug-as Elementary School 2001-2007 Secondary: Calagasan Nat’l High School 2007-2011 Tertiary : University of Cebu-METC 2011-2015

Social, economic and political factors of crime

Social, economic and political factors of crime For many, there is the belief that the existence of punishment is linked to the problem of crime, and that the extent of crime is the key factor in determining the level of punishment. But some of the most important sociologists (and penologists) such as Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim and Michel Foucault argue that crime is relatively trivial, and that the form and degree of punishment in society must be understood through its relationship with other greater social, economic and political factors. Karl Marx was a 19th century sociologist and economist whom were interested in the role punishment held in class-based social and economic regulation. He criticized the failure of penal theory to consider the social factors, especially economic inequality and poverty, which underlay criminal activity. Using this framework, others such as Georg Rusche and Otto Kirchheimer, in Punishment and Social Structure (1939), looked at the formation of different forms of punishment in the context of the labor markets fluctuating needs, from the Middle Ages through to contemporary society. For example, imprisonment serves as both a practical source of inexpensive labor for the state and, during periods of high unemployment, as a method of incapacitating dangerous offenders from doing public harm. These Marxist ideals influenced historical changes in penology in Western Europe beginning in the Middle Ages into the Mercantilist Era. During the early middle ages, there was a bot (betterment) paid by the criminal to the offended party which gave rise to the idea of compensation and a wite was a fine paid to the King. These fines were forms of tiered punishments that varied depending on ones socioeconomic class. For upper-class/freed citizens, punishment was given in compensation fines, but for lower-class/slaves punishment was much more brutal in the form of corporal death. These practices carried into the late middle ages and into the Mercantilist Era (1400-1700s). As middle-age feudalism declined, capitalism (as focused on by Marx) and international trade rose and expanded to new heights. These economic changes influenced the creation of new, wealth merchant class and the vagabond poor. Vagabonds were displaced workers from the former agricultural-run society of feudalism, who were now non-productive in a commercially dominant Western culture. This led to the widespread belief that work was to be associated with morality (17, BL). The poor, criminal vagabond social class we re exploited and sentenced as laborers. Karl Marx asserted that punishment could be used to force people to work as here in the case where vagabonds worked in galleys as reliable workforce, served in workhouses in Great Britain to help change and reform their character, and transportation where criminals were sent away for manual labor to help meet the needs of growing American and European colonization. Durkheim The Father of Sociology published several works during his time, however, none has had more impact than his book, The Division of Labor in Society written in 1893. Here he rejected the idea that punishment must break away from either vengeance or the emotional satisfaction it gives. Durkheim believed that the social function of punishment was to give effect to the moral and emotional outrage of a society whose norms have been violated by the criminal act. A criminal act is therefore identified as that which affects the communitys collective conscience; criminality serves as a way to explain the moral limitations of the social group. Punishment is the reciprocal effect of a collective moral outrage, creating and sustaining a type of solidarity crucial to the existence of a functional society. From these ideas arises Durkheims theory of social solidarity, as shown in his work The Two Laws of Penal Evolution, (1902) whereby he states that despite changing penal methods overtime , the underlying mechanisms and functions of punishment remain constant. Social solidairty insisted that rather than focusing on either the crime (or the criminal), one should observe the after-affect of crime on victims and the community as a whole. Offenders must be held accountable to these victims, and part of their penalty may involve direct restitution. The goal is begin a process of restoring the trust and solidarity that is broken by criminal activity by focusing on the social relationships that have been harmed as a result of crime. Durkheims scientific study of penology led to the conclusion that the severity of punishment was diminishing, and that solidarity could be broken into two categories: mechanical and organic solidarity. He called mechanical solidarity the solidarity of sameness which organic solidarity was made up of differences. The idea behind this is that organisms are made up of parts that serve different functions but manage to work together. In relation to society, Durkheim stated society was based on the division of labor, and is reliant on the communitys mutual dependency on one another. Although before the time of Durkheim, these same theoretical ideas can be seen in Colonial and Federalist America. This period included the early settling of colonists in areas such as Massachusetts and Virginia (17th and late 18th centuries), where society was dominated by the institutions of church, family and most importantly community. While religion played an important role in determining punishment, punishment was more so based on the social reaction to crime. Crime was religiously reflected as sin and as a moral matter of right versus wrong. Methods of punishment included fines (to victims most commonly), whippings, mutilation, shaming and banishment. Discipline and punishment held a significant role in social solidarity by publicly demonstrating rules, and expressing moral outrage over wrongful acts in a collective manner. These principles can also be applied to provide insight in the American Temperance Movement of the 1830s. As democratization increased as the nation expand ed economically and socially, religion still held a high importance that reflected in how crime was seen. Crime was viewed a moral disease, and more specifically alcoholism was becoming a national epidemic. The American Society for the Promotion of Temperance declared that, all temperate people should remain so and that the others should kill themselves off (50 BL). Alcoholism was collectively viewed as having a linkage to crime that caused labor to decrease which consequently affected American economic prosperities. These abolition and temperance movements of the 1800s were representative of social and moral reform going on within American culture. Michel Foucault was a 20th century French sociologist who argued that punishment is a threat to society, and that discipline is power-knowledge mechanism for domination. Foucault is well-renowned for his 1977 book entitled, Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison, where he questioned how penology has changed in the way criminals are punished (in France) and introduces disciplinary punishment as the dominating practice in the modern world. He identified a qualitative shift in punishment from 1750 and 1820 in Europe and the U.S, pointing out three major changes: (1) punishment changed from body to soul/psyche, (2) from vengeance to transformation and (3) from punishment to corrections. In the second part of his book, Foucault marks the prison as the template for the technology of modern discipline. Disciplinary punishment gives professionals (psychologists, program facilitators, parole officers, etc.) power over the prisoner, most notably in that the prisoners length of stay dep ends on the professionals judgment. Foucault goes on to argue that Disciplinary punishment leads to self-policing by the populace as opposed to brutal displays of authority from the earlier eras. He utilized supervision, assessments, timetables and detailed attention to efficiency as tools for his studies of penology. Such ideas influenced the technology used in prisons such as Jeremy Benthams Panopitcon. The Panopticon, usually located in the center of a prison floor consisted of a single guard who could watch over many prisoners while remaining hidden. Ancient prisons have been replaced by clear and visible ones, but Foucault cautions that visibility is a trap. It is through this visibility, Foucault claims, that modern society exercises its controlling systems of power and knowledge. Increasing visibility leads to power located on an individualized level as shown by the possibility for judicial institutions to monitor individuals throughout their lives. Foucault suggests that a carceral continuum or a carceral archipelago runs through modern society, from the maximum security prison, through secure accommodation, probation, social workers, police, and so on into our daily working and home lives. All are joined together by the supervision (surveillance, application of social/moral norms of acceptable behavior) of some humans by others. Although the methods in which these sociological theorists approached penology, their ideas helped influence and change the way in which we [as society] view crime and the correlation it holds with punishment. These dominant theories shaped the evolution of American and European penal history which reflected the social, cultural and moral reforms of their times in relation to crime and the administration of punishment. Essay Two Punishment in Ancient European society was brutal and based primarily on private vengeance. Retaliation was violent and often community participation was encouraged. These tribal communities settled their conflicts through blood feuds held in public areas. These feuds, however, did not follow every crime. By 700 A.D. people mediated their offenses through fines. These were called bots (meaning betterment) and were paid to the offended party, while wites referred to fines paid to the King. These fines were highly discriminatory based on social-class structure. Penology practices then began to evolve as attempts were made to match the severity of offenses with the severity of the punishment itself such as in the Roman Justinian Code of 529 A.D. Punishment served as a way to uncover the truth behind crimes, sometimes through compurgation where witnesses were presented on behalf of the accused through trials by ordeal. Punishment was administered through torture if found guilty. The Early Middle Ages (700-1000) was defined as a power struggle between the church and society. The church was so powerful at the time that it had its own system of justice governed by the bishops and clergy. During this time, the church introduced the benefit of the clergy that gave protection from prosecution for church members and leniency to other related groups. Punishment was issued in the form of confinement rather than corporal punishment because the church believed that, such punishment would inevitably lead to the offenders despair, which impeded the ability to repent (15, BL). Only secular courts had the right to executions or any blood shed. Mutilation was popular to match the sanction with the crime (e.g. liars tongues cut out). Banishment and fines were still present. The Late Middle Ages (1100-1300s) signified a time of change in European history as the Church (sacred) power began to decline in daily social life, and with this, began the rise of the secular State pow er. Despite this decline, the church continued to use even more torturous, brutal punishment especially during the period of the Inquisition (13th-15th centuries) to weed out heretics. The end of the medieval period is marked within the social and economic changes brought on by the Mercantilist Era from 1400s-1700s. This era represented a decline of feudalism amongst society hierarchy, and gave birth to the rise of capitalism. Capitalism spread as globalization and commercial activity and trade increased. Power passed into the hands of the wealthy, known as the merchant class. This dissolution of feudalism and a once, agriculturally dominated society brought forward a number of displaced, non-productive people who were very poor called the vagabond poor. These people were focalized in crime and punishment, which gave rise to the understanding the conditions of this social class by learning how they became to be vagabonds. This questioning reflected the importance of work, for work was associated with morality. These vagabonds thus threatened society as a result they were exploited to working within the galley, workhouses and transportation. Transportation especiall y served as a means for states to solve crime problems by sending criminals away to the new colonies for indentured labor. There are several historical trends that can be identified from Ancient society to the end of the Medieval ages. First, there was a decline in direct participation by the community and by victims in primitive European societies. Secondly, there was a direct shift from private vengeance to church power during the Early Middle Ages. The Middle-Ages was a time where general deterrence was essential to preventing crime by instilling fear within the people after witnessing brutal, torturous penal practices. The Late Middle Ages through the Mercantilist Era was characterized by the growing popularity of state and secular justice over the church, and the rise of crime and punishment focused on labor. By the end of the 1700s, secular authorities controlled social classes by transporting criminals and vagabonds overseas to colonies, or by holding them in galleys and workhouses where they were incapacitated to extensive labor. Changing gears from Europe to Colonial America (1600-1790), the new nation was dominated by three primary social institutions which included church, family and community. Crime was viewed as sin and punishments mostly served religious ends, directly or indirectly in nature to reflect the laws and morals of the time. Colonial American society was centered on religion, where there was the mentality of, God wants people to behave a certain way, and it is the peoples job to set morality and justice. Punishment was administered for many common offenses and resulted in fines, shaming, whippings and sometimes exile. Executions were made public in order to have an educational purpose where community was intended to learn, however, intentional cruelty behind corporal punishment decline. The rise of the new nation could not have evolved without the presence of European Enlightenment Ideas in the American colonies. The prominence of human reason served as a tool to battle ignorance, superstition and tyranny targeted mainly in religious and hereditary aristocracy. Crime and punishment evolved to becoming a philosophy of understanding the offender. This gave birth to the first modes of classical criminology that assumed all people were rational beings that must be equated with a balance between crime and punishment. Ideas such as these enlightened moderation of punishment to focus on rationality and more importantly, efficiency. Punishment was concealed behind bars in prisons where criminals were to be held separate from society as a means of incapacitation. Early prisons and other penal institutions, such as the penitentiaries increased incarceration in America. Together the Colonial Ages and American Federalist period (1790-1830) marked a time of social reform where there was the suppression of the emotional purposes of punishments and execution to a newfound emphasis on their instrumental purpose instead. Criminals were to be understood rationally taking into account human reason, and crimes were to be administered fairly with a balance between offense and sanction. Punishment was morally defined. Punishment and reform in 19th century America (1830-1880s) prospered with the shift from prison-to-penitentiary. Societal influences included: alcoholism, gangs, and immigration. The Temperance and Abolitionist movement deemed alcohol use as moral failings/disease in society. Punishment revolutionized out of Enlightenment ideals that focused on democratization where society was governed by the people. Crime was spreading and was soon viewed as moral and social pathology. It was believed that crime could be combated with the help of penitentiaries. The goals of these institutions were to reform criminals through routine, surveillance and discipline. Blomberg and Lucken best define crime as: criminal activity was attributed to human interactions with a morally depraved environment (61). This penal ideology spread into Progressive America where crime and punishment were studied with science to understand criminality through biological, psychological and sociological reforms. From the Pr ogressive Movement into 20th century America, there flourished the proliferation of penal services (parole, probation, indeterminate sentencing, prison specialization min., med., max.). This ideology focused on social and moral reform as well by introducing reformatories (not vengeance), specializing and professionalization in prisons and a growing focus on juvenile and female offenders. Academic and medical questioning ruled criminology, the understanding of offenders and how to treat prisoners which lasted until the 1960s. The 1970s is best defined as a time of American Liberalism. Within society there were cultural changes taking placing as social activism and protest amongst all groups civil rights, women, prisoners, etc. Growing emphasis was put on prisoners issues and rights and through this we [society] made attempts to understand the internal and external relations of offenders with society. Decentralization emerged with the idea of Less is Better where importance was aimed at the criminal justice system through reforms such as net-widening that identified people who were at high risks to commit crimes, and deinstitutionalization of juveniles (not behavior that determines crime, age status instead). The 20th century was a change to rehabilitative and specific deterrence amongst criminals. From the 1980s to the present, crime increased as political and social turmoil grew in America. The war on crime that evolved with the staggering drug use of the 80s was counteracted with the conservative backlash by the government that installed harsher prison sentences focused on retribution, deterrence and incapacitation (three-strikes rule, mandatory minimums, etc). Increasingly so, social inequality is the underlying factor of high imprisonment rates amongst the poor and minorities. Privatization of prisons and companies led to a culture of greed that resulted in growing crime rates. This soon led to the collapse of the rehabilitative ideal into the era of get tough punishment and law and order punishment that was termed Neo-Conservative criminology. Essay Three Jails and prisons were among the first public structures built in colonial America. Besides serving as a place for emigrants, jails were an essential part of the system of bondage that existed in America. At a time where the dominating institutions consisted of the church, community and family, any crime committed was viewed as sin. Criminal activity was reflecting religiously onto the community as a whole. Executions were carried out for ordinary crimes other than murder, under local rather that state authority, and were made public. Punishments focused on retribution rather than understanding the crime, or the criminal. There began a shift from the 18th century to 1789 after the ideas of the Enlightenment reached the western world. The belief in human reason and rationality governed all aspects of life, especially penology. As a new nation emerged, penal practices changed to view criminals as rational beings, and an increased notion that there should be a balance between crime and punishment so it can be efficient. In regards to capital punishment, people felt it did not equate with the democratic ideals founded within our nation and it was in fact ineffective as a deterrent. From this point until the 1900s into the Progressive Era, crime changed and adapted according to the cultural changes that corresponded. Americas growing population boom, immigration increase, industrialization and urbanization were all factors in growing incarceration rates. Over time, prisons trended towards becoming more pervasive, more secure, and more permanent. In contemporary America there is a growing sense that the cost of fighting of crime, incarceration and rehabilitative services is spiraling out of control. There are more criminals, more courts, more prisoners and more anger as society focuses on the criminal as the cause for the economic collapse and downturn. The most recent historical factors that have led to todays conditions begin in the 1960s the age of disconnect where many significant changes to societal norms started. These included the civil rights movement, freedom of the individual, increased used of illegal substances, changing attitudes to sex and sex education, and in general, a focus on a more liberal and less-controlled societal model. During this period America experienced a debilitating military conflict (Vietnam), a break-down of the family unit as defined in separation statistics, and a core change in the role of women in society. At this time there was substantial focus upon prisoner rights, focus upon rehabilitative rather than punitive punishment ideals and a number of inside-prison demonstrations and even rioting against the methods of incarceration being used. Americas death penalty collapsed after the Furman v. Georgia decision where it was nullified and made unconstitutional. By the end of the 60s and 70s this era of liberalism was being pointed to as the cause of other significant societal problems crime being one of the most prominent. The 1980s witnessed a major shift back towards a more conservative America. The war on crime changed from one focusing on rehabilitative and (what caused) criminal activity to one that called for substantially-increased reliance on incarceration and an almost sole focus upon stopping the activities of criminals. Through a combination of sentencing guidelines (mandatory minimums, truth-in sentencing, three strikes) the aim was clear. By incarceration, clearly, the activities of the individual criminal were curtailed through incapacitation. There was little, if any concern, on rehabilitation and many argue upon humane treatment. Against this trend American society experienced large swings towards materialism, a lifestyle of financial improvement without concern for the morality of society as a whole (Boesky). These changes led America to become entrenched in a culture of greed where inequality between social and economic classes rose enormously, and so began the widespread politicization of criminal justice as crime was brought to political form. Beginning with the Reagan administration, the political goals, reflecting societys attitudes were quite evident. There were to be more incarcerations for more criminals for more offenses with greater sentences and less focus on parole provisions and rehabilitative treatments. These Get Tough penal philosophies exploded after the war on drugs invaded America as more people (many minorities) were being arrested and placed in prisons for much harsher sentences. Because of the increased prison population numbers, there was the need to specialize prisons based on the type of crime/the incarceration period imposed. This included a tiering, or separation of prisons into three divisions: minimum, medium and maximum facilities. The societal shift continued through the Bush (senior) administration and into the 1990s, where theories of penology are characterized by culture of control (BL). Control, in this context means: reinforcing more rigid guidelines for sentencing, more inflexible guidelin es towards rehabilitative treatments, and in general, a harsher, punitive mindset towards criminals. The changing economic climate has now introduced a move towards privatization. Privatization is a desire to outsource the management of prisons and criminals away from the state. Because the goals of private enterprise are profit-based, this suggests a shift to penology model with even less of a concern upon prisoners rights, rehabilitative treatments and any actions outside strict profit-based incarceration. Essay Four From colonial times to contemporary society, American penal history has undergone significant changes. Various penal innovations have been presented, some of which have had major impact on penology as a whole. Many of the thoughts and beliefs from Europes Age of Enlightenment carried onto the new-world, which helped birth the flourishing democratic ideals founded in the United States. The Enlightenment (18th century to 1789) was characterized by the belief in human reason and rationality. In regards to judicial reform, the goals of this era were to form a better world by using human reason to combat the negativities of ignorance, susperstition and tyranny that governed old monarchial practices. It also sought to target religious and hereditary aristocracy to create a more socially and economically equal society. The Enlightenment gave American penal policy and practices the push it needed to moderate punishment on the basis of rationality and efficiency. As a result most notably criminals were viewed as rational beings; punishment was to be efficient and logical, discipline changed from being public to conceal all factors which led to the early emergency of the prison and growing incarcer ation. The presence of enlightenment ideas in America influenced sociologists of the early 20th century such as Max Weber and Norbert Elias. Both sociologists studied the science of punishment by observing penal and other worldly changes from 19th century onwards leading towards rationality. Elias in particular held the notion that Western societies have become more civilized. This notion followed the trends of punishment, which he believed were reflected in the changing sensibilities in the civilizing evolution of Western culture. Despite there being a tension between moral imperative and bureaucratic management of the more highly privatized modern world, discipline was starting to be rationalized in a scientific, logical manner for means of justifying penal practices. Such social and moral reforms influenced the rise of one of the most prominent penal innovations the American penitentiaries of the 1800s. During such times crime was seen as a moral and social pathology. In the 1820s, two variants, the Pennsylvania System and the Auburn System competed for the role of best in the handling of the incarcerated population in America. The silent method of the Pennsylvania System required absolute silence, complete lock down in a solitary environment and produced mental problems at a rapid rate. It was espoused by the religious zeals such as the Quakers who felt that prisoners would be rehabilitated by that system. The belief was that silence and isolation helped criminals reflect on their crime alone. The Auburn System was seen as more cost effective because it required labor which offset the cost of prison housing. Auburn introduced uniforms, the lockstep and harsh punishment for minor infractions. The idea in the Auburn system was that silence, working together and discipline could yield reform in criminals. These two great penitentiaries were based on the ideas enveloped within each giv en region in America. In the North, rehabilitative ideals aimed to change/transform individuals, while the South adopted a convict lease system built on the slavery model that influenced penal reform to exploit labor to satisfy economic and political means. In truth, neither penitentiary created a model prisoner or one that entirely rehabilitated. The debate continues today between those that argue in long sentences and those that want reform. The importance in such an innovation was that it reflected the beliefs and ideals of democratization and moral reform of the 19th century. It exemplified the prisoner as a rational being that could and must be studied to explain criminality, diagnose and treat and then correct the criminal through rehabilitation. The second penal innovation grew out of former rehabilitative penal practices into the Progressive American Era (1880s-1930s) that theorized crime through biological, psychological and sociological factors for better understanding. These beliefs introduced positivist criminology, which asserted faith in the scientific study of criminals and crime through classification. In relation to penal ideology, it created reformatories, indeterminate sentencing, parole and probation. Punishment was less punitive and searched for the causes, treatment and corrections of criminals, especially juveniles. This movement led to the Juvenile Court Reform Movement. The Juvenile Court Movement lasted for nearly sixty years, beginning in 1900. Juveniles were seen as lost children who required guidance and whose crimes were subject to indeterminate sentencing to show leniency on the behalf of courts in hopes that treatment could help transform the characters of such offenders. This movement revolved around the rehabilitative ideal centralized in society as this time that claimed human behavior was a product of antecedent causes which could be identified, classified in accordance to specific scientific treatment, which could then be treated therapeutically. The importance behind the juvenile court movement is that it launched the specialization of penal practices. For example, the term prison guard expired and advanced to corrections officer. The term corrections emerged as professionalization and bureaucratization was introduced (as seen in Weber). Next, the treatment of offenders was individualized and penal services were broadened to accompany f or the various causes of criminal behavior, and was more accessible than ever before. Prison specialization led to the classification and division of these institutions into minimum, medium and maximum facilities governed by corrections officers with the aid of psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, vocational counselors, etc. Although the innovations of the juvenile reform movement and the progressive era were promising, by the late-20th century, America was headed towards decentralization. Criminologists and penologists created labeling theories that took focus away from the offender and onto the criminal justice system as an entity. Net-widening occurred in penal reforms that formed programs that identified people who were considered at high-risk to commit crimes. There began an academic focus on social control that influenced the contemporary penal model characterized by Get Tough punishment. Policy makers have implemented multiple-strategies approach to combat crime including: retribution, incapacitation (search for habitual offender), deterrence (escalation of penalties), restoration and rehabilitation (214). Present-day America has evolved to become a culture of control and greed (211, BL). Truth-in-Sentencing standards and Three-Strikes Laws were some of the few penal methods introduced in the 1980s to curb crime rates and put habitual offenders away for longer periods of time. Truth-in-sentencing refers to policies and legislation that aim to abolish or curb parole, so that convicts serve the period that they have been sentenced to. Three-Strikes law statutes enacted by state governments in the UHYPERLINK http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_StatesS require the state courts to hand down a mandatory and extended period of incarceration to persons who have been convicted of a serious criminal offense on three or more separate occasions. Restorative justice has also been implemented recently that puts criminals up against the state, holding the criminal accountable through highly retributive means. These various methods comb