ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Abstract The feminist movement has evidently been the driving force behind the struggle for gender equality in society. Different types of feminism no doubt espouse specific phenomena of social power and structures. To this end, feminist media scholars are no exception and their viewpoint of the patriarchy concept is a reflection of the prevalent gendered stereotypes relative to mainstream media trends. This paper explores these trends with reference to classical and contemporary media texts of American television. Introduction Feminism is a concept that is ultimately intertwined with the trends and developments of the mainstream media. Ott & Mack defined feminism as “a political project focused on deconstructing sexist oppression present in our everyday norms and experiences” (2010, p. 178). Indeed, society has been riddled with sexual and gender-based stereotypes that deliberately condemn women to inferiority while elevating the patriarchal dominance of men. Ott & Mack categorically warned that “when these stereotypical representations become commonly accepted in the media, the result is often social oppression and disempowerment of individuals within the stereotyped group” (2010, p.180). It is for this reason that this analysis critically evaluates the gender and sexuality function as a convention of American television from the viewpoint of feminist media scholars. The analysis is guided by the hypothesis that the media plays a role in the propagation of antagonistic sexual and gender-based stereotypes. The Nexus between Stereotypes and Television Media Texts A critical investigation of the gender and sexuality function as a convention of American television reveals a convergent relationship between gendered stereotypes and the influence of media texts. The perspective of feminist media scholars projects the understanding of “media texts as products of sexist social systems” (Ott & Mack, 2010, p. 178). Sexuality and gender-based stereotypes transcend the economic and socio-cultural spheres. In the economic sphere, for example, women experience unwarranted discrimination in employment opportunities (Mehra & Gammage, 1999). Social stigmas predominantly escalate the discrimination of women within family and religious circles. Confucian cultures, for example, tend to relegate women into subordinate roles to those of men (Hofstede, 1991). Some conservative Islamic societies prescribe the Hijab as the appropriate dressing code for women while others bar women from driving automobiles. Catholicism, on the other hand, forbids the ordaining of women into the priesthood (Paulson, 2009). Interestingly, these trends have been integrally pronounced in media texts of the mainstream media including American television. The influence of media texts can be identified through a comparative analysis of classical an
Introduction The Rockefeller center is widely known as the heart of Manhattan, containing many of its oldest yet most historically well known structures that symbolize America’s industrial might, the potential to achieve the so called “American Dream” and the wealth of a nation that has yet to reach its peak (Machleder, 5). The area itself is a well travelled location with thousands taking in the sight of the GE building, the lower plaza, the statue of Atlas as well as the location regularly being shown on shows such as “Good Morning America!” where the backdrop is usually used during the live tapings of the show. In fact I can go so far as saying that the area itself is the world’s most visited and traversed historical monument due to its centralized location (Rockefeller Center, 1). People cannot help but come to the center in order to get from one area of Manhattan to the other. Based on my previous visits to the area as well as the contexts adhered to it in pop culture the Rockefeller center can be considered an icon of American progress due to its location in the center of the richest and most progressive city in the world (Machleder, 2). Yet as of late the area has lost some of its spark, as many of you may recall not too long ago there was the attempted bombing of Time Square, the multiple threats directed against the U.S. by Muslim extremist groups as well as the 9/11 destruction of the World Trade Center towers where well over 2,000 people lost their lives (Bornstein, 52). As a result of these incidences there is feeling of insecurity within the center, almost a form of paranoia that’s palpable in the very air (Bornstein, 53). Though most people may not be aware of it there is actually a significant police presence in the area, with an increased number of patrols as compared to a few years ago (Bornstein, 52). Unattended bags in the area are treated as bombs, everyone going in and out of the area becomes a suspect and the very resilience to change that the center is known for has been replaced with feelings of suspicion and uncertainty (Krueger, 2). It is not just the threat of terrorism that has changed the center but rather the recent financial crisis, the actions of Bernard Madoff in his Ponzi scheme along with the current state of the economy have given people an apparently different outlook on what the center symbolizes. Awe at American progress and achievement has been replaced by a distinctly different outlook that sees the center as a symbol of American corp
Introduction While middle schools proceed searching for means of adolescent students’ needs addressment, the necessity to conform to test mandates on national and local levels is ever so pressing. The terms of program coherence were coined more than a decade ago but its principles seem sustained enough to improve disintegrated instructional frameworks and create a comprehensible learning atmosphere (Newmann, Smith, & Bryk, 2001). Research finds a correlation between coherent programs and the overall improvement of middle schools in terms of work conditions, resource allocation, teacher and student engagement (Russell & Bray, 2013; Malen et al., 2015). The nationwide research shows that schools with coherent programs demonstrate more significant improvements in student performance as opposed to those with non-coherent instruction (Goddard, Goddard, Kim & Miller, 2015; Jenkins & Cho, 2014). The proposed quantitative study, therefore, will be devoted to determining if “high growth” schools in Fort Lauderdale, FL, show statistically significant compliance with program coherence model. Methods The statistical analysis will be conducted using the data from the surveys of teachers and principals at public schools in Fort Lauderdale, as well as Accountability Reports on student performance in Florida schools. Participants The site selection will include 3 schools that are rated “good” by the local community and can be classified as following growth standards, namely: New River Middle School, William Dandy Middle School, and Sunrise Middle School. There will be a total of 34 participants (3 principals and 31 teachers: 12 from New River, 3 from William Dandy, and 16 from Sunrise). The stratified random sampling strategy is chosen because it will possibly countervail the low response rates. To further increase the response, the survey can be web-based, and the forms can be submitted via Qualtrics software. The one demographics that the participants share is location as they are supposed to be employed in one of the schools surveyed. The education and work experience that they have is relevant but only as a variable. Other demographics (including ethnicity, gender, age, etc.) are of no significance to the present study. Procedures The surveys will be delivered via e-mail after the permission has been obtained. Both the teacher sur
Although the merging of the nations is the most widespread tendency all around the modern world, and especially in the USA, with its “melting pot” conception, some peoples are trying o keep their traditions safe for the future generation. Still involved into the process of the nations’ fusion, these people are cast into a completely new nationality, with its own tradition and lifestyle. At present, there are two basic mixed nations in the USA. These are African Americans and Latin Americans. Whether they can live peacefully or are bound to fight for their place in the sun is the topic of the given research. The Way It All Began: Why Coming to the USA? The People with Two Hearts: Between American and Spain One of the most peculiar things about the Latin Americans, or Hispanics, is the fact that they manage to keep their culture highly worshipped and yet know the language and the culture of the country that they are living in. In fact, they can be called bilingual and bicultural, for the art of adaptation that they have shown as they have been living on the territory of the USA is stunning. The journey that took the Latinos to the United States was long and tiring. Although it was not that tragic as the reasons that took the Africans to the United States once, the Hispanics did take their toll on the sufferings of moving to the new country and acclimatizing to its traditions and rules. However, they settled in the new environment rather quickly, and in 1565 they already founded the city of St. Augustine in Florida. Nowadays one of the cities with the highest ratio of the Hispanic and Latin American population, St. Augustine was the Promised Land for the people who abandoned their traditions and their home in search for a better life. Torn Away from Homeland: Far from the Hot Sun of Africa It was a little bit different with the African Americans, though. Since they were brought to the United States involuntarily, they were practically forced to live in the new country and according to the new rules. Taking into consideration that they were brought to the U. S. as slaves who have no rights or freedoms, it can be easily understood that the African Americans found the new life unbearable. As the slavery was laid to rest along with the racism, there was some more air given to the African Americans so that they could lead a more or less normal life (Bailey). Although there are still some conflicts arising from time to time, the African Americans are finally treated the way that people should be in their new homeland. The Life That They Live: Making the Difference Discovering the World of the African Culture in the USA. The Afro-Americans are famous for the novelties that they have brought to the United States, among them numerous specific features of their culture one of the most peculiar things about them is the fact that these people have absorbed the American culture, inheriting the most outstanding parts of its culture. In contrast to the Hispanics, who tended to stay aside form the influence of the American culture and wanted to restore their own traditions in the place of their new settlement, the Africa
Population Size According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are 7330 surgeons, 4340 anesthesiologists, 24320 surgical technologists, and 8550 CRNAs in the Northeastern United States. Subsequently, the size of this study’s population is 44,540 health professionals engaging in surgical procedures. The states representing the population include Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Delaware, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C. Sampling Method Convenience sampling was used as a sampling method for two reasons. Firstly, these respondents are the ones who have first-hand experience with advanced technological surgical equipment and were willing to participate in the study. Secondly, it has been studied that small samples are suitable for qualitative studies because the sample represents a particular and in-depth perspective of the topic (Etikan et al., 2016). Examples of Journals The American Journal of Surgery, Journal of Surgical Education, Journal of Surgery, Journal of the American Medical Association. Introducing Medical Virtual Reality Another venue for educating health professionals in the sphere of advanced technological surgical equipment is the medical virtual reality. One of the problems concerning the transition of a medical student to a health practitioner is the lack of sufficient surgical practice. It can be managed by the implementation of virtual technologies in the medical field. Javaid and Haleem (2020) suggest that introducing medical virtual reality can provide students as well as surgeons with scenarios, preparing them for the actual work. Not only does it signify the use of sophisticated medical equipment, but it also follows the ideas of the theory of andr
The article elucidates the incorrect approach to education, practiced by most teachers. The author states that the student is considered an “animate sausage casing” into which education can be stuffed. Criticizing this method of education, the author explains the precise manner of education explicated by Socrates dating back to two thousand years, as one in which the student is not stuffed with education; rather knowledge is extracted from the student’s mind. The author also quotes a well-known Harvard philosopher, William Errest Hocking, who had stated that education entails the instruction of what is “inside” of a person. The author furthers the argument by citing a dialogue “Meno” in which Socrates proves this point to the observers by taking an illiterate slave boy and showing them the how much geometry the boy knew because of the innate knowledge of principles of geometry in his mind “waiting to be called out”. The author effectively states the futility of the numerous discussions and controversies of the educational content as the manner simply involves what the student should learn rather than what should be taken out of the student. The author also mentions another college student who had succinctly stated his inability to learn anything because of the time spent studying, expressing his dissatisfaction with the “sausage casing” approach to education. The student was provided with so much material to absorb that there was no scope “to draw on his resources” and no encouragement was provided for his skills of analyzing, synthesizing, and evaluating to use. The author ends by stating that real education must not simply function to create “dunces” but the drawing out the “latent” knowledge in each individual to enable them to hone their skills of analyzing, evaluating, and concluding. The article is enlightening and highlights the weaknesses of the current system of education. Rote learning should not be the focus of education and high-quality education involves the drawing out of knowledge from the students rather than providing them with a hoard of material to learn and reproduce. The article sheds substantial light on the fact that each individual possesses knowledge that lies dormant in the individual. It is the task of the tutor to elicit that knowledge from within the individual. Without actually naming, the article stresses the weakness in the modern education system where students are treated merely as “sausage casings” into which the education is simply being dumped. Due to this, the students do not develop or polish their inner capabilities and talent which is present in them. There is innate knowledge in everyone, whether it is a “slave boy” from Socrates’ dialogue “Mone” or a normal college-going student. The focus and motive of education should be to expose this innat
Comments on Chapters 3 and 4 Culture is the basis over which human society is developed. However, in every sphere of human activity, culture acquires its own meaning that, although connected to the traditional one, has some peculiarities. Chapter 3 of the book by Keegan (2002) focuses on these peculiarities in the area of marketing and global trade management uniting them under the joint name of Social and Cultural Environment. In particular, Chapter 3 provides insights into the understanding of culture as a vitally important element of international trade relations, not just as music, literature, etc (Keegan, 2002, p. 67). Further on, in Chapter 3 Keegan (2002) considers the anthropological view of culture as a phenomenon that makes traders consider the local peculiarities of every single market they operate in (p. 71). At the same time, Keegan (2002) addresses the theory of low- and high-context cultures expressed by Hall in respect of the role of verbal communication in conveying a message (pp. 71 – 72). As well, Chapter 3 addresses the issues of communicational and social behavioral patterns, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, and Hofstede’s cultural typology theories. Chapter 4 of the book by Keegan (2002) moves on to discuss the political, legal, and regulatory environments that characterize global marketing (p. 91). The political environment, according to Keegan (2002, p. 92), determines the need to respect the national sovereignty of every country where global marketers carry out their activities. Apart from other issues, this environment is associated with political risk, i. e. the situation when the governmental directions change and the global marketers do not fit with their practices in the newly emerged governmental regulations (p. 93). The legal environment deals with the legislations of the countries in which global traders operate. This environment includes taxes and laws regulating the economic and business activities in those countries. As well, Keegan (2002) argues that sidestepping, jurisdiction, and intellectual property relations are also essential for understanding the cultural and legal peculiarities of global markets (pp. 98, 100). Finally, Keegan (2002, p. 96) stresses the importance of the international law in regard to the global marketing. The regulatory environment, as Chapter 4 presents it, includes such aspects as antitrust regulations, policies regarding licensing and trade secrets, and bribery and corruption in international marketing practices (pp. 103 – 105). All these points allow assessing Chapters 3 and 4 as highly informative writings, with Chapter 4 developing the ideas started in Chapter 3. Thus, both chapters can be viewed as parts of a single whole that allows studying the cultural, political, legal, and regulatory peculiarities of global marketing. Hofstede’s Cultural
Introduction/Background Information Joseph Paul Franklin was born on 13 th April 1950 in Mobile Alabama, United States. He was the eldest son in a family of four members and his father was a World War II veteran. However, he left the family when Vaughn was eight years. Notably, Franklin’s biological name was James Clayton Vaughn and he later changed his name to Joseph Paul Franklin in 1976. The reason for changing his name as because he wanted to join the Rhodesian Army and due to his cr
“The omnivore’s dilemma”: Summary of Chapters 1-3 The first three chapters of Pollan’s “ The omnivore’s dilemma” book explain the general eating patterns of omnivores and the challenges they face in deciding appropriate food. From this section, it is clear that what we eat is a great determinant of our health. As Pollan explains, it is very important to understand that avoiding some specific meals without proper guidelines may not be enough to make one healthy (3). This author gives uses France as an example. The types of meals eaten by the French are far unhealthier as compared to what Americans eat. Nevertheless, it is paradoxical that the French are much healthier as compared to Americans (Pollan 4). This shows that good health means a lot than what some experts call healthy foods. From these chapters, therefore, one must understand the requirements of the body. Through this, one would be in a position to determine the best meal that can help him or her stay healthy. Anthropomorphism of the Plants According to Pollan, corn has domesticated humans. Most of the current meals that humans eat are products of corn (17). Corn products such as oil make part of the ingredients used in preparing other meals. Man’s diet, therefore, revolves around the corn. This author has given several human attributes to pants. This author has successfully used this stylistic feature to make readers comprehend what he is explaining. He says that corn grew in its long strange journey to its ultimate destination in a fast food meal (Pollan 8). This statement brings out the picture of the journey that the corn takes from the time it is in the field to the time it gets into the fast-food stores in Iowa. He also describes corn as the king (Pollan 39). Commodification of Corn Corn has been co-modified in this book. The words co-modify mean transforming items, which may be regarded as goods under normal circumstances into merchandise. Pollan asserts that corn has turned into a major commodity in the United States, as families rush into its production at the expense of other crops (25). “The omnivore’s dilemma”: Summary of Chapters 4-7 This section has provided a detailed overview of what Americans eat besides corn and their implication on their health. Pollan says that meat plays a role in the normal growth of a person (69). He further notes that although it is essential to the body, red meat causes harm to the body and therefore, it should be taken in small quantities. This section advises Americans as regards balancing their diet. Comparison of Natural and Industrial Diet Beef is one of the most popular diets in this country. As Pollan notes, there is
This paper will focus on incorporating the analysis of four poems which are: “We Real Cool” by Gwendolyn Brooks, “To an Athlete Dying Young” by E. Housman, “Homage to my hips” by Lucille Clifton, and “The universe” by May Swenson. We real cool by Gwendolyn Brooks This poem has a length of eight lines which give a list of thoughts of young people playing a pool game at “The Golden Shovel” pool house (Baker 56). The poem has a powerful message with the author illustrating how troubled teenagers suffer in their lives as a result of adaption of the street lifestyle. Here, the teenagers are portrayed as people who do not like school thus skip classes to play pool. They do not care about education; all they do is drink, sing, and play. This poem is intended to give the reader a “life learning message.” The message passed is: to drop out of school to roam the streets is not really “cool” (Baker 58). This message is passed through ironically; the first sight of the title “we real cool” makes the reader assume that the poem will be about individuals who are leading a flamboyant lifestyle. The poem is done on the first person principle allowing the boys to speak or communicate by themselves. Some lines of the poem do not have verbs, for example, the title “we real cool” lacks the verb “are” (Taylor 116) The language used here demonstrates the speakers’ lack of education. Imagery and symbolism are used to communicate the author’s theme. For example, “Golden Shovel” symbolizes the golden lifestyle the players are seeking which will at the end cost them their lives (Taylor 122). This is to mean that in the end, they will be “shoveled” to their graves. The author uses alliteration to emphasize the theme; this is seen in sounds like (l) in lurk late and (j) in jazz June. Rhymes have been used in the entire poem, for example, school, cool, gin, and sin. The rhymes compliment s the poem’s theme because it is directed to a young audience. The poem has “an up-tempo” just like in raps; this is a strategy of attracting young readers. The irony is seen at the beginning where the players say “we real cool” but in the last line they say “we die soon.” This poem is meant to express the author’s concerns on the issue of dropping out of school (Taylor 128). To an athlete dying young by E, Housman In his poem, Housman employs the lyrical strategy to put across the meaning of the poem; that is to praise an athlete who has died at a young age. The poem explains that even though dying at a young age is considered “a misfortune, those who do not outlive their fame and glory are truly the lu