The Resilience of Affirmative Action and Its Still Relevant Today Research Paper

The Resilience of Affirmative Action and Its Still Relevant Today - Research Paper Example Various executive officials curtailed the enforcement of racial equality. Various government agencies, universities and corporations curtailed racial diversity. During this period, affirmative action grew stronger and more resilient. Affirmative action was shaped by a combination of normative and coercive factors within academic institutions. Universities emphasized the need for racial diversity and equality within their institutions. Civil rights activists and diversity professionals have contributed heavily to the creation and implementation of frameworks that courts later implemented. The growth of affirmative action was countered by the rise in racial conservatism. The achievement of civil rights movements led to the institutionalization of equality in large organizations. Most universities began to implement affirmative action policies voluntarily in order to create racial equality and counter social segregation. Post-secondary education treats white, black and Hispanic students differently, leading to racial inequality within institutions and the wastage of talent (Lipson, 2014). Scholars have developed theories to explain policy development over the years. Coercive isomorphism emphasizes the influence of external interests on the operations of some institutions. The approach defines bureaucratic institutions as easily influenced by organized interest groups. Another approach emphasizes the influence of law and envisions institutions as complying with legal reforms and judicial decisions. The structure of political institutions and historical contingent political processes has a crucial role in shaping policy development. Another approach states that policy development can be attributed to both voluntary and coerced approaches. The neoinstitutional theory emphasizes the need to evolve organizational policies and practices in order to apply

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

Simulation - Essay Example For any kind of simulation, a different model has to be developed. There are two such models, namely, Agent based simulation and Monte Carlo simulation. In this paper, an attempt has been made to review to scholarly articles where the above mentioned simulations have been applied in real life situations. For agent based simulation, a case study of non-pharmaceutical strategies to combat influenza has been selected. For Monte Carlo simulation, improving the reliability and performance of the transportation network of Istanbul under earthquake has been selected. The idea is to review the case study to understand the problem faced and how simulation helped solved the issue through its unique characteristics. Agent Based Simulation Agent based simulation is an approach whereby agents are used to note the extent to which the project is a success for a certain kind of simulation. In the paper by Mao, the non-pharmaceutical strategies to combat influenza were considered under agent based si mulation. ... These agents were taken from Buffalo, New York and they were further categorized into different locations as well as timings. It was assumed that these agents met a variety of people when socializing and travelling and thus could be good agents of carrying and transporting the influenza virus. In order to kick start the study, five agents were introduced in the case study already carrying the influenza virus and thus spread the virus within the state. These agents were asked to resume normal day activities and socialize also so as to create an accurate study (Mao, 2011). The results of the survey showed that when flu was extended to two more days, it is expected to minimize the seasonal influenza’s disease attack rate. With a three day extension, more desirable results were to be found as the spread of the disease is further curtailed. This was because when people limit their interactions with others, the spread of the virus is also limited. This strategy was thus found to be quite practical since individuals can easily take a day off when they have caught the seasonal flu. Such a strategy can be advantageous in countries that do not have access to proper vaccination and pharmaceutical medicines (Mao, 2011). Monte Carlo Simulation – Case Study of Istanbul’s Transportation Network Ordinarily, during natural or man-made disasters, chaos ensues. This makes it difficult to effectively develop a disaster response as transportation is the most impacted area of the disaster. For rescue and relief operations to be carried out effectively, transportation system of water, energy, communication should be effective. In order to deal with this complex issue, the study conducted by Gunnec

Importance Of Theme In Movies Film Studies Essay

Importance Of Theme In Movies Film Studies Essay Since the cinematography was invented movies became an integral part of our lives. We cannot live without them because they tell us about our and the other peoples life and still every time we watch them we find something new. They tell us about ourselves, that is why movies attract our attention so much. Films are often described as life s visual representation (Tran, 2008). Everything we encounter in our daily undertakings is reflected in numerous movies. Movies create dreams and enjoy people. They depict our everyday life but still cinematography is something fantastic, mysterious and enigmatic. Each and everybody of us can be related and associated with protagonists or antagonists of a movie. We see ourselves in movies, that is why we are so interested in them. We want to find answers to our numerous questions. Every person has his or her own ways and methods of analyzing a movie. But still, there are some generally accepted techniques to analyze a movie. Each movie has a definite number of elements that are aimed at guiding the audience through the whole story (Pollick). Finding them out, analyzing and interpreting them it is possible to evaluate a movie and determine whether it is good or bad, successful or not. Sometimes it is possible to anticipate whether it will live for ages or die the following day. A movie cannot be good or bad by definition. There usually are some elements that make it perfect and overwhelming or uninteresting and boring. Sometimes the most visible elements of a movie are its actors. A disastrous movie can be saved by the perfect performance of some actors or only one of them. But a really good film can be spoiled by the disastrous play of its actors. Sometimes a movie is differentiated from the others with the perfect job of other craftsmen. They perform a lot of different functions in order to make the film finished and perfect for an audience. In order to comprehend the reasons of one films success and another films failure, it is important to know what the collaborative filmmaking is. One person can never make a film successful. There are several important issues that contribute to films success or failure. Without them it is next to impossible to imagine that a movie can be a success. Thus, the effectiveness of the storyline and dialogs should be estimated. The true architects of a movie are screenwriters. They are not as popular as the director or the actors but their job sometimes is much more valuable. Only they can perfectly adapt a book into a screenplay. Sometimes the new created script form appears to be a new masterpiece with its own original story. It is especially important to sense attention to plotlines and details in the dialog. If scenarios and dialogs are authentic, the movie script is considered successive. If the script is not very successive, characters are placed in artificial and contrived situations. The language used in dialogs is also very important, as it may be obscene, or high flown; it can be natural or it can seem artificial, coming from the writers mind, but not from the characters. Analyzing writing in the film it is necessary to determine whether the dialogs feel honest and the scenes flow in a logical progression. Set pieces and background are very important points that should be evaluated while analyzing an entire movie. These are two major factors that create the proper atmosphere in the film. It is necessary to pay attention to the pictures shapes and colors of the sets, costumes and scenery. Only working together they create a special ambiance and mood. Among some other important factors is the use of darkness and light, shadows and fog. The background information does not overwhelm the scene, but enhances it. The background and the setting should not distract from the scene, but add more to it. All these factors are of major importance. The individual actors performance is one of the most essential factors that should be evaluated while analyzing a movie. Sometimes magnificent performance of one actor attracts the audience attention and the other actors efforts are not noticed. It is also necessary to observe what the other characters of the movie are doing if they are not the part of the action at the moment. Good actors drive the plot of the movie forward. They also establish the character in the mind of the audience. A good actor can make the audience feel his or her presence even if he or she has no dialogs. Editing is an integral part of the finished and successful film. Sometimes it happens that a movie has many components that would make it successful, but poor editing spoils everything. In this case the essential parts of the movie are entirely cut out or the scenes of the film that contribute nothing to the move are left in the final cut. The unmistakable proof of the quality is the editing in which nothing confuses the audience. The perfect editing is usually invisible; the pace of actions is exciting but steady. One scene flows to another one and the audience easily and the audience easily follows the arc of the story. Sometimes the directors cut of a movie can be much less successive than the usual cut. However there are also cases when a movie can be interpreted extremely different after watching the directors cut that appears to be much more successive. Director is the person whose fingerprints are most distinctive in the movie. Definitely he or she is the person who influences the atmosphere in the movie, its character to a great extent. The directors job is totally aimed at film production; it starts and ends there. Thus, directors feelings, thoughts, and ideas are apparent in the movie. The good director is able to understand the actors capacities, the scriptwriters intentions and the crew skills. A professional director usually has his or her own style that is easily traced in the movie. The professional directors contribution to the film bears his or her signature elements, among which familiar actors, unique devotion to particular perspectives and camera angles, edgy dialogs and creative music are noticed. At least one distinctive outstanding feature is inherent each skillful director. So, it is necessary to look for such features in a movie while analyzing it. Sometimes it is next to impossible to determine the meaning of a movie. It can у too complicated sometimes. But there are also cases when there is no meaning in a film. Meaning construction is a vital issue that should be considered while analyzing a movie (Axelson, 2006). Movies generate ideas to a various degree are used as resources within the construction of identity (Jansson 2001). A historically transmitted pattern of meanings embodied in symbols, a system of inherited conceptions expressed in symbolic form by means of which men communicate, perpetuate and develop their knowledge about and attitudes toward life. (Geertz, 1973). Culture and meaning has become increasingly important in media studies (Clark, 2003). Studies in media now look toward how meanings are constructed, making possible connections with the branch of studies that focuses on the role of media in the development of values, and conceptions of the world (Linderman, 2002). Exploring the meaning of a movie, it is essential to start such important characteristic as the sequence of events that form the parts of the story. It should be considered as a whole. All events are combined in order to form a part of the story. All these events become interesting only if we can observe the effect on all the characters of our story. It is not that important what happens, but it is important how it happens, how the characters react to events and various conflicts with other characters. Such conflicts can manifest themselves as dramatic actions or dialogues. Dramatic action is usually not what is said, but what is not said, what is implicit in a movie. In order to understand the meaning of a movie, everything it implies, it is necessary to read between the lines while watching a movie and analyzing it. It is very important to watch the actions of the characters; only this way it is possible to understand their points of view. In the course of time as the story develop s watching the characters and their actions we can anticipate and predict what is going to happen next. These characters development usually expresses the central theme or concept of a movie. These themes may be various: harsh war problems, terrible conditions of growing up in a deprived area, the importance of expressing your free will and individual behavior, the idea of helping other people. The nature of love is also one of the most favorite directors themes. My own personal criteria for evaluating movies mainly coincide with those features that are important to evaluate while analyzing an entire movie. First, it is necessary to find a theme in a film. Sometimes it is very difficult to discern the message a movie tries to convey. The theme is usually what struck us the strongest in a movie. Besides, there might be some minor themes that contribute to the principal one. Looking at the storyline, it is necessary to observe whether the plot of the movie that easily moves from one scene to another. A screen-writer may use a well-known formula of the hero cycle or add twists in order to make a film more believable or draw the audiences attention to the plot of the story. It is also necessary to listen to the dialogs in order to determine whether they are original or contrived, believable or artificial. Sometimes there are forced explanations and conversations that explain the story to the audience. Special attention should be paid to scenery and set used for the movie. Costumes, backgrounds, special effects and lighting are thing that enhance the special atmosphere of a movie. Being organized professionally these things bring the audience to the story instead of distracting and overwhelming senses. Main and supporting characters are also of great importance. Sometimes our attention is mainly attracted by a pretty woman or malignant villain but not by the elaborated plot. Stereotyped characters can contribute to a movie but can hardly make it genius or important. Sometimes a movie contains some scenes that add nothing to the story and even spoil it. Bad editing can let it happen, but a good editor will make everything possible to avoid unnecessary scenes that make the comprehending of the plot difficult. All needless pieces should be cut out. While one scene moves to another it is very important that nothing prevented from understanding the plot; otherwise a movie is considered not very successful. It is desirable not to lose the track of the story; however sometimes due to the poor editing a movie can jump around from scene to scene. Those who pay more attention to movies than an ordinary viewer definitely know that symbolism is very often used to represent some idea or topic from the scene. It can be reflected in a number of ways: thus, a camera may be focused on one and the same object for several times, or a word may be constantly repeated. On the other hand it is important not to overdo and try to find symbolism everywhere. Sometimes a meaning can be found n those places where the director did not intend to show it. Among other important issues that should be taken into consideration are identifying parallel plots alongside with the main one, inciting indictment, spine of action, the protagonist object of desire, values at stake in each scene of characters lives, the turning points of the scenes, the length of the scenes, all major pay-offs and set-ups, climax, climaxes of different subplots and act structure, image systems, crisis decision, the controlling idea ad counter idea of the story (Script A Wish) The world of movies is a unique one: dreams come true in it, every revolution succeeds, and mysticism and magic become real and ordinary. Films tell us about ourselves but in a different way. That is why we like them. Movies have a perfect possibility to fill the gap between fiction and reality. Those various features as actors, sounds, music and pictures present vivid descriptions of everything that can happen in a large and boundless cosmos. Unexpected and wonderful events, thoughts, actions represent our life, everything that happened, happens and will happen to people in all times. The meanings and interpretations rendered by the viewers are determined by their endeavors and personal experience. No doubt, that interpreting films and analyzing them is subjective by its nature. However, it is evident, that in order to analyze a movie, it is necessary to break it down into essential parts and constituent elements. Sometimes these easy steps can really help to comprehend while one movie is a real masterpiece and becomes classic and the other one has nothing special about it and becomes distant memories.

Jesus Christ and The Misfit in Flannery O’Connor’s A Good Man Is Hard t

Jesus Christ and The Misfit in Flannery O’Connor’s A Good Man Is Hard to Find In Flannery O’Connor’s â€Å"A Good Man Is Hard to Find,† there are many Christian motifs found throughout the story, but the one that I found most interesting is the fact that O’Connor is apparently drawing parallels between The Misfit and Jesus Christ. Initially it seems like there is no way that this could actually be true- what could the Son of God who sacrificed Himself for the good of humanity have in common with a thief and a robber who escapes from jail and kills a family of six in cold blood? Upon closer examination, we can see that they are more similar than one might initially think. The first insight we may be able to draw is on the subject of names. The Misfit is a term that could easily be applied to Christ. In His time, Christ was an outcast, a rebel, and a man who did not fit the norms of the society in which He lived. He worked on the day of rest, He befriended tax collectors and prostitutes, and He drove the moneychangers out of the Temple in Jerusalem. (Mark 3, Matthew 9, Matthew 21). T...

The House on Mango Street Writing Project

Male/Female gender roles (Minerva, Sally, Rafaela, Mamacita, Linoleum Roses) The House on Mango Street Writing Project The book called House on Mango street is about a little girl that grows up in a poor naeberhood that is full of crime and violence. I think that having a male gender in the place they lived would have coused a different life steil for the family. They probley would have had a little less things to worry about with a boy instead of a girl. But if they had a girl they would be able to go places without being hereased about not being in a gang or something like that. I would much rather be a boy If I lived there than a girl. I would like be a boy because I would be able to protect my self if and harm came my way. I would be able to stand up for my family and be able to say weather or not I would like someone doing that or not. I would also be able to stand up and say what is right and what is wrong. I would be able to go and stand up for what is right and not have to live in little houses. There are some advandtaves to being a girl where they lived. Some of those advantaves would be the house cook. There are some more advantages like getting there GED and going to college. So they can get a good job and soport there family. They would get to gether so they can rebeald the place they lived in. So the kids there would have much beter homes that they had growing up. She would also buy the kids there a bank account so they can get started to saveing some money to go to college like she did.

The Ancient Korean Culture

The traditional Korean Society retains a strong Confucian tradition, which is clearly manifested in the strong devotion to the family. This tradition combined with the passionate nature of Koreans can perhaps explain strong loyalties felt between relatives, co-workers, classmates, and friends. This is all true of Korean society today. Even though a number of things have changed, there is still a strong emphasis on the traditional family (People, 1). One of the big differences in the traditional Korean family structure and the current family structure is arranged marriages. Arranged marriages reflected the traditional belief that marriage is the union of two families, not simply two people. Under the old family system parents arranged marriages without the consent of their children, either male or female. In the current Korean family this is still true but to a different extent. Since under the old family system, daughters left their parents to live with their husband†s families, marriage was often traumatic for them. New wives of course tried to please their husband, but more importantly, they had to please their mother in laws. The mother in law directed then wife in her housework and had the power to send the bride back home in disgrace if the bride seriously displeased her. Sometimes this adjustment was hard for the bride (Sorensen, 1). Arranged marriages continue to become popular because young men and women in Korea find casual socializing awkward and often feel like the lack experience to choose their own partners. Although casual dating is now more common, most interactions between young men and women occur in groups. Arranged marriages also seem safe because to go between clearly appraises the social background of the bride and groom. After their engagement a couple will date so they know each other well by the time they marry. The pattern is so common that Koreans assume that a young couple who dates regularly will be married (Sorensen, 3). Another aspect of Korean family structure that has changed is the role of men. Sons were more valuable than daughters. Sons had to say at their parents† home even after marriage. This law was revised. Since people often move to find work, eldest sons often cannot live with their parents. The New Civil code of 1958 legalized change favoring the new conditions. Essentially, the new code weakened the power of the head of the household, and strengthened the husband-wife relationship (Male children, 1). Sons were also important because under Korea†s Confucian tradition the family name and family tradition was passed down through male heirs. When a couple could not produce a male heir, they would try to have a son with another woman in order to guarantee that the family name was carried on to the next generation. Parents also depended on their sons when they retired. Today the house head cannot determine where family members live. An eldest son can now leave home against his father†s will. Husbands and wives share power to determine the education punishment of the children. Children can decide on their own marriages, and permission is not required if they are of age. Younger sons leave their parent to form their own families when they marry, and the head of the household no longer has the legal right to manage all family property. Since the New civil code, all children have equal claim in their parents property (Sorensen, 2). A third aspect of change in the Korean family structure is the division of labor of males and females. In the tradition family, men labored outside, taking care of major field crops, while women worked inside doing housework, spinning, weaving, cooking, and raising the children. To a certain extent this tradition lives on today, even as more and more women take jobs in the modern work place. Husbands usually think it is embarrassing to help with the housework, although some of the younger ones help (Male children, 2). The raising of Korean children is done pretty much the same way in the traditional family structure as in the current family structure. Young children were and are indulged. Toilet training was relaxed and children were not disciplined before they were old enough to reason. By the time a child reached six or seven, training began in earnest. Parents began the strict separation of girls and boys, in accordance with Confucian ethics, and they trained children to use the respectful voice of those older (Differences, 2). By the time he reached seven a boy knew that he must use the respectful mode of speech to his older brother, and he knew that failure to do so would result in swift and certain punishment. All of these things are still done today. The only difference is the position of girls in these families. Traditionally, a girl by seven usually knows her position in the family was inferior to her brother†s because when she was married, she left the family. Now, both of them have the option of leaving or staying (Differences, 2). Finally the last aspect of the Korean family culture that has not changed is the importance of education for Korean children. A common belief in Korean is children are reflection of their parents. Parents are expected to all out support their children†s education, often sacrificing their own comfort. More money is spent on private tutoring and exam schools than on public education. Koreans put great stock in a college education. It is the most important factor in deciding one†s career. Another reason is Korean parents† devotion to their children. They will do anything to ensure their children†s success and happiness. Many parents also hope that their children will achieve the success that they dreamed of but never achieved (Sorensen, 1). In spite of recent changes, fundamental characteristics of the traditional Korean family remain. Each person in the family still has a clearly defined role, each dependant on others within the family unit. Korean†s adapt their traditional ideas within the family to new conditions. The family still retains a male house head. Inheritance of family leadership still continues through the father†s line, and sons still inherit more wealth than daughters do. Children, especially eldest sons, are still held responsible for the care of their aged parents. The structure of the Korean family remains with only a few changes. The core Confucian values, which shaped the family, are still a great force in Korean Life.