Monday, January 27, 2020

Literacy Practices Contain Elements English Language Essay

Literacy Practices Contain Elements English Language Essay In this essay I will attempt to give some of my own examples of literary practices and why I consider them to be creative, linking them to examples from the study material and where relevant build on my knowledge of Carter and make reference to a few of his ideas and theories and weigh them out in said discussion. I shall start off by first explaining what literacy practices are and where we can find them and conclude by giving some examples of my own personal experience. Literacy practices is the way in which people interact with texts and the meanings these hold for them and how these are tied up with individual identity, personal relationships, community membership, religious practices and political manoeuvring. They are influenced by affordances and constraints with technological and socio-historical/cultural factors. These will change and shift as part of technological advances and changes in the social world e.g. in the recognition of social space in households (Cruickshank 2001). Some examples of literacy domains are home, work and social networks and examples of literacy practices are letter reading, filing, writing, diary writing, list making, newspaper reading and even filling a lottery slip. A further relevant term named multiple literacy i.e. is a diverse range of competences which include text literacy, media literacy, information literacy, computer literacy, visual literacy, multicultural literacy, emotional literacy, etc. The essay will also show that creativity is dependent and emergent from the creative literacy practices through which texts are constructed and that the way such a text is read is also considered creativity. There are several examples of literary creativity in everyday life. However I shall mostly be using my own examples and explaining why I find them literary and/or creative. An autobiography is something that most of us think of as creative writing because it is a memory of somebodys past life. One writes about these memories perhaps first by writing letters, then a short story until eventually it emerges into a fully fledge book of its own. But literacy doesnt necessarily have to be a word; it might as well be a sign that we associate something with, like a McDonalds or restaurant sign which children will instantly associate it with. This so-called understanding of environmental print is recognised by children long before individual letters are known, so a child will recognize a McDonalds burger bar sign much earlier before it can actually read the word as a whole. This phenomenon is called emergent literacy and children will notice words, colours, signs, and numbers and gradually begin to recognise their true meaning and start to experiment by copying or trying to describe them on a piece of paper with coloured pens, etc. Carter (1999) identified three models of literariness: The inherency model, which embeds particular properties of language. Literary language is regarded distinct from more practical uses of language which highlights language itself. The socio-cultural model views literariness as socially and culturally determined, e.g. drawing attention that conceptions of literature will vary historically and culturally. Eagleton (1996) There is nothing distinctive about literary language; any text can be seen as literature if it is defined as such. And finally, the cognitive model, which relates literary language to mental processes. Linguistic repetition derives from a basic human drive to repeat and is a kind of cognitive argument, (Tannen 1989) whereas Cook (1994:4) believes that literary texts have an effect on the mind and help us to think in new ways and refresh and change our representations of the world. Gibbs (1994) states human language and human understanding often are metaphorical and that literary metaphor will carry on and extend everyday metaphorical notions. Carter believes creativity is commonly regarded as a process that will result in solution or identification of problems, usually a result of a process of divergent and innovative thinking. (Carter, 2008. p.48) The answer to where we find creativity in language is a broad expression in my opinion, because there are so many places where we would find language creativity in everyday context. However for the sake of example I have decided to give the example of language creativity made by young children because they are still learning how to use language properly and by doing so come up with expressions which really could be considered creative. So to answer where we find creative language we do not have to look far, we simply have to speak with small children because as they are still learning the rules of correct language grammar, they tend to invent new forms of grammar or more correctly, adopt and transmit it into their sentences. For example using flyed instead of flew or biccik instead of biscuit. This is a term I picked up from my younger cousin when he was around 2 years old. Creativity will nearly always depend on the intentions and inferences of the participants is a statement from Carter. (Carter, 2008) Further he feels that creative language use cannot be described as being evaluated by wholly formalistic definitions and depends on elements such as relationships, nature of external task, changing social contexts and speech genres. (Carter, p.167, 2008) He also suggests creativity is seen as a social and interactional act as much as it is a distinctive individual act. (p.44) Furthermore there is also the proposal that repetition is a resource by which conversationalists together create a discourse, a relationship and a world (cited in Carter, 2008, p.101) and it is suggested that spoken language use may be more closely connected with expressions of feeling and identity, than written text. (Carter, 2008, p.112) According to Carter it is important to recognize creativity in context. He feels that while creativity in language can occur in the most situations, it will still remain probabilistic because a brochure may be informal but it can also be creative. (Carter 2008) The above has illustrated two points of view from two different people. One of them is Cooks view and the other is Carters view; and at this stage I will attempt to discuss these ideas and try to demonstrate them in my answer. To recapitulate, Cook sees language creativity as a tool for survival whereas Carter sees it as a process of problem solving. There are 3 areas of language play: Pragmatic Function, Linguistic and Semantic. Pragmatic is the effect of language choice e.g. solidarity, enjoyment, Linguistic is the look or the sound of words e.g. patterning, repetition and Semantic carries inversion of meaning like puns. Literacy activities are a non-specialist way to simply refer to peoples interactions with texts. Even today we relate to people who are able to read and write as literate. Literacy events are social interactions where literacy plays an important role, e.g. discussing a letter from a tax office, reading a bedtime story or helping a friend with a crossword puzzle. They are ways in which people use and interact with texts in particular context and the meaning it holds for them like the frequent email circulation of jokes among groups of friends and the importance of this for the people involved, for example writing Open University assignments plus the meaning and significance of the activity for the student doing the writing. Why are we creative with language? This is not a straightforward question because there may be various reasons why we are creative with our language, it will depend wholly on the situation we find ourselves in, whether it is among close friends and family or in a work environment or even in our free time. And throughout the years we have come up with new words for certain activities like the word texting or tweeting. In a sense this can also be seen as language creativity and a literacy practice because up to a few years ago there was no Twitter and text messaging has only recently become as normal as the email which cant be thought out of our everyday lives anymore. But as everything can be considered as creative, what can be considered literary? Literary language can sometimes be axiomatic and may carry forms of moral injunctions even though it may not direct us to form certain constative speech acts in response to the text. Carter showed two examples in his book, the first being an instructional handbook for motor car repair and the second taken from a well-known novel published in the 1950s in Britain. In the instruction manual medium dependence is not a common characteristic of common literary language even though there may be special cases to the rule. This concludes why we are creative with language; so that firstly we can get along with other people that may not be as articulate or creative with language as we are and as mentioned earlier in the essay, so that the language evolves. Even though some people might argue that language is a god given ability which must be treasured, we cannot argue that throughout our history as many cultures and the outlook of life have changed, so has our language. Take the example of the English language: from becoming a Germanic dialect which came from the Scandinavians at around 1066 which eventually developed into Old English and eventually to the language we speak now, a lot of creativity has been changing ideas which make up the modern English language. In fact English as it is spoken today did not even come close to sounding the way that is sounds now. One could even say it was incomprehensible. And on top of that, next to sounding completely different it also had a completely different alphabet with letters that are no longer used today a rune-like alphabet with extra letters in order to illustrate certain sounds like sh. As we have seen, it is mainly because of creativity that we speak the language we speak today. From the moment we are born we are bombarded with literacy and the correct form of speaking the way that is considered by society to be literary. I have shown some examples of language creativity in young children and given some of my own personal examples and linked them to the question. I have also tried to link the ideas to Carter and how they fit in with his theories and have given some examples of new literacy activities which have become a part of everyday life in the 21st century, such as tweeting. Facebook and Twitter have in that sense become new literacy tools for this age and time. And in the age of the tablet, our literacy practices have made another step to the future. Tablets have made some of the commonest everyday things redundant, like newspapers. Instead of holding a traditional newspaper in our hands which we will eventually put in the paper bin at the end of the day, we can read it on our tablet. And news updates are certainly swifter because instead of having to print it, one types it on the computer and when its done, uploads it directly to the internet for everybody accessible to a computer and Wi-Fi can read. It is very possible that there will be new forms of literacy which will find their way into our everyday lives like the email, Facebook or Twitter. What that may be I, nor anybody else can tell yet but we will recognize it when it comes. We may not immediately recognize it as a new form of literacy but Rome was not build in one day. Give it some time and i n a few years it will become the most normal thing in the world. This essay has shown some of my own examples of literary practices from my personal experience and whether they fit in with the ideas of Cook and other theorists. I have shown how literacy has changed from printed newspapers to being read on tablet devices and how young children become literate by inventing seemingly correct grammar and vocabulary forms in order to express their thoughts. In conclusion it can be viewed that there are many literacy practices which are worthy to be considered creative. Whether it is a childs recognition of a restaurant sign or the creativity of new words in the process of becoming a literate person and even the solving of a crossword puzzle, all of them require us to have at least some knowledge of literacy. By continuously practicing these activities, there is a chance that it will survive for the use of later generations. If we teach our children to be inspired by these activities then we can have a little hope that literacy shall be passed down for the future generations to come. Required word count for essay: 2.000 words Complete word count of essay: 2.036 words

Sunday, January 19, 2020

Religious Discrimination Essay

Religious discrimination under Title VII as defined by the U. S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) involves treating a person unfavorably because of his or her religious beliefs. The law protects not only people who belong to traditional, organized religions but also others who have sincerely held religious, ethical or moral beliefs. The law forbids discrimination on the basis of religion in any and all aspects of employment. This includes hiring, firing, pay, job assignments, promotions, layoff, training, and benefits. Title VII also prohibits workplace segregation based on religion, such as assigning an employee to a non-customer contact position because of actual or presumed customer preference. Title VII also addresses reasonable accommodation in relation to religion. The law requires that the employer must reasonably accommodate an employee’s religious beliefs or practices, unless doing so would cause more than a minimal burden on the employers business. For example, if an employee needs to be off work on Sunday mornings to regularly attend church services it would be the responsibility of the employer to reasonably attempt to accommodate this need. An accommodation for this could include paying another employee to cover the Sunday morning shift, even if it requires paying overtime. Or the employer could hire an additional employee to be able to cover the shift. Since Title 7 of the United States Civil Rights Act was passed in 1964 there have been several judicial decisions that have molded the way this law in interpreted and applied. The first such court case that I came across was the case of Welsh V. United States which brought into question what types of beliefs can be used to obtain conscientious objector status when being selected to go to war. In this case the prosecutor was convicted of refusing to accept induction into the armed forces; he did claim conscientious objector status but did not base this decision off religion. He did not claim to believe in a deity that would morally keep him from fighting in a war, he instead asserted his own personal moral opposition to any conflict in which people are being killed. He alleged that the sincerity of his belief should qualify him for exemption from military duty under the Universal Military Training and Service Act. The Act allowed only those people whose opposition to the war was based on religious beliefs to be declared conscientious objectors. However in a 5-3 decision the court allowed Welsh to be declared a conscientious objector even though his opposition was not based on religious convictions. The implication this case has on Human Resources Management is that HR personnel must be aware of the broad scope of beliefs that will be protected under Title 7. Whereas before this case only majorly defined religions such as Judaism and Catholicism would be protected you now see religions such as scientology seeking protection under the law. Another relevant case would be Seshadri v. Kasraian which established that an employee bringing a religious discrimination claim does not need to belong to an established church. Another case that has shaped this law and impacted human resource management was Campos v. City of Blue Springs. In April 1996 Campos was hired as a crisis counselor for the Blue Springs Police Department’s Youth Outreach Program (YOU). At the time she did not have the advanced degree as required by the written job description, but her supervisor told her that she would have until February 1997 to obtain her degree and guarantee her position. She was also guaranteed via verbal contract that she would be paid an extra $10,000 per year for support group work, she would be a team leader within three months, and she would be an assistant director within six months of starting her full-time employment. She began working in October 1996, enjoying her job until she disclosed to her supervisor that she observes tenets of Native American Spirituality, not Christianity. Campos claimed that immediately her supervisor’s behavior towards her changed; she was unfriendly and critical, excluded her from employee meetings, and told her that she may not have been a good fit for the job. After failing to show up to work due to attending a mandatory meeting to obtain her dissertation, which was required by her employer, Campos received so much scrutiny from her supervisor that she resigned. After her resignation, Campos filed suit against the City, alleging that she suffered from employment discrimination based upon her religion, sex, and national origin. The charges of sex and national origin discrimination were eliminated, and the case was submitted to the jury on the theory that Campos was constructively discharged because of her religion. On April 13, 2001, the jury awarded Campos $79,200 for back pay and compensatory damages. The district court denied the City’s Motion for Judgment as a Matter of Law, or in the Alternative, for a New Trial, and awarded Campos’s attorneys 90,556. 20 in fees and $11,825. 41 in expenses. This case has implications on Human Resources Management today because it establishes that employment decisions cannot be made based on whether or not an employee or potential employee agrees or disagrees with the employers religious views. One relevant business that comes to mind is Chik Fil A and their openly Christian beliefs. Even though they include Christian values in the core content of their mission statement and business plan they know that they cannot make any employment decisions based on religious affiliation. In Eatman V.  United Parcel Service in 2002 the company’s policy of requiring its drivers that had unconventional hairstyles to wear hats was called into question. The plaintiff was required by the company to wear a hat while on the clock because his hairstyle of choice was dreadlocks, a hairstyle where sections of hair are hand-rolled together in tight, interwoven spirals. After putting â€Å"a lot of thought† into the decision, Eatman, who is black, began wearing locks in February 1995 as â€Å"an outward expression of an internal commitment to his Protestant faith as well as his Nubian belief system. At this same time he also became enlightened about locked hair and its connection to African identity and heritage. The position that his supervisor at UPS took on his hair was that the company uses common sense to determine which hairstyles are not businesslike; he finds ponytails, Mohawks, green hair, â€Å"carved† shapes, and locked hair—short or long—unacceptable. And there were currently 19 other drivers at this particular UPS that were required to wear hats to cover their unconventional hairstyles, including others that had dreadlocks. Even though Eatman claimed that the policy was discriminatory the jury did not rule in his favor. It was ruled that Eatman’s hairstyle was dictated by a personal choice. Nowhere in his religious texts did it dictate in any way that followers of the faith must wear their hair uncovered in dreadlocks. The implications of this case are actually pro employer and pro Human Resource Manager. It shows that not every claim that an employee makes based off of religious need has to be immediately catered to. There are cases where the request can be frivolous and off topic of religion, in which case the employer does not need to go out of their way to make accommodations. Another very interesting court case that I came across was EEOC v. Union Independiete De La Autoridad De Acueductos y Alcantarillados De Puerto Rico. I found this case to be very interesting because it stipulates that employees cannot pick and choose which parts of their religion they wish to follow and which ones they do not. In this case the issue was whether or not a Seventh – day Adventist’s objection to union membership was the product of a sincerely held belief. Although the religious foundation of the Seventh – day Adventist faith’s opposition to union membership has long been recognized, there was evidence that this employee often acted in a manner inconsistent with his professed religious beliefs. He was divorced, took an oath before a notary upon becoming a public employee, worked five days a week (instead of the six days required by his faith), and there was some evidence that the alleged conflict between his beliefs and union membership was a moving target. This case seemed important because is forces the employee to prove that religion is vital part of their life. It keeps them from claiming that they are Christian for the sole purpose of being off on Christmas, or from claiming that they are Catholic only to be off on Easter. It not only keeps people from faking being religious but it also helps to ensure the sanctity of those who actually are as religious as they claim to be. And the final court case that I found addresses sincerely held beliefs that have not always been there but can conceivably come about. In the case of E. E. O. C. v. Ilona of Hungary, Inc. an employee sincerely believed that she should refrain from working on the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur even though she had not frequently celebrated Jewish holidays in the past. Her rise in faith was brought on by recent family events such as the passing of her mother-in-law and father, the birth of her son, and her husband’s rising faith. The court decided that these were significant enough to have caused a change in lifestyle and that she did believably have a real change of faith. After reviewing all of the cases mentioned above, along with numerous others, I have found that the topic of religion isn’t nearly as â€Å"black and white† as most would assume. There are many grey areas: What constitutes religion, how do you know if someone legitimately believes in their religion, and what aspects of someone’s lifestyle are pertinent to their claimed religion are just a few examples of where courts have to make a decision that will affect the way this topic is viewed for years to come. With the world become more and more diversified every day the topic of religion and all others under title 7 will continue to be tested and pushed to their limits. It is the job of the Human Resources Management team to be on high alert of potential discrimination cases and have all employees properly trained on these matters to ensure it does not happen at their company.

Saturday, January 11, 2020

Role of Sex Education

| PSYCHOLOGY REPORT| EXPLORE THE ROLE OF SEX EDUCATION AND AIDS INFORMATION IN THE CLASSROOM| | Submitted To Prof. Navin Kumar Submitted By Aayush Guide:Dr. Navin Kumar1 Vellore Institute of Technology University, Vellore April 2013 Abstract The study deals with social outlook towards sex education and AIDS patients. It aims to understand public perception towards the same. The study was carried out in 3 steps. The research outreach involved university students over a period of 11/2 months.The students were required to answer a questionnaire dealing with sex education and day to day interactions with an AIDS patient. The research delved into the varied responses to understand general understanding of the terms ‘Sex Education’ and what deals with it and behavioural approach towards an AIDS patient in your immediate workspace or private life. The study allows us to conclude that the outlook to sex education and dealings with AIDS patients are liberal and progressive though t process of the society. Keywords: sex education, sex, education, students, HIV, parentsINTRODUCTION: What is sex education? Sex education is needful and necessary for today’s youth. Being aware of the exposure given to students in school, in the media and among their peers, sex education not only teaches them about sexual intimacy, but also enlightens them on their reproductive systems, birth control, and sexually transmitted diseases. It also exposes them to their gender identity, gender role, family role, body images, sexual expression, intimacy and the marriage relationship. Why is it important?Sexual health can be identified through the free and responsible expressions of sexual capabilities that foster harmonious personal and social wellness, enriching life within an ethical framework[1]. Sex Education in schools addresses the issue of sexual health and also makes students aware of the above mentioned points, thus our society can only benefit from sex education. Sex ed ucation has been and is still a taboo to the Indian society but according to the Justice Verma committee, set up after the Delhi gang rape case,there is no basis to say sex education leads to early sexual initiation by children [2].The committee suggests that sex education be introduced in schools in a clinical manner through trained teachers and child  counsellors. Children should be able to access informed, non-prejudiced sources in sexuality rather than misinformation through internet ormisleading advertising. Ever since the internet boom and the outburst of the social media platform many teenagers turn to the internet and seek solutions for their queries regarding sex and the information they get is not always right and is often misleading.Some common misconceptions: 1. Many people  believe that washing the genitals after sex protected them from STDs. Likewise, urinating after sex and use of oral contraceptives are considered as ways of preventing STDs [3]. 2. You can get ST Ds from toilet seats. 3. You can tell if someone has a STD. Educating students about STDs has also become very important in recent times. Most people have a stigmatizing attitude toward people living with HIV aids and also misconceptions about its transmission routes.Hence sex education can bring about a positive change in the society. Methodology: 1. Research method: This research is on the analysis of sexual education in schools. Over 230 university students were the respondents for this research. As this research needed the respondents to make their evaluation on their experience of sexual education thus, it was suitable for the university students to be the respondents since their age and cognitive level are at its best level to evaluate [4].In the background of this research, the respondents are matured thinkers that are able to make comparison and evaluation on their experience of sexual development that they have gone through since school. 2. Research instrument: This researc h was based on the qualitative method and the instrumentation of the research was on structured questions where the respondents needed to answer 14 questions. 3. Procedure: Questions were decided after an exhaustive group discussion.A questionnaire (appendix A) was prepared using Google forms and it was posted on various social media platforms. Reponses were then recorded over a time period of 3 weeks. The data was analyzed using Microsoft excel tools. Results and findings: Responses given by people for various questions: 1) Was Sex Education provided in the classroom? The poll abovesuggest that there is an equal number of students on either side of the line. So as to say that an equal number of students received sex education in the classroom and an equal number did not.Now there can be various reasons to this, such as the kind of school these students received their education in. Also, not attending or bypassing such sessions (when they are provided to them). Another reason beingn ot paying attention to detail. Discrepancy in the data is another reason, which can be due to not taking the survey seriously (although a sincere attempt has been made to cordon such answers) 2) When were you provided Sex Education? The above result clearly indicates the findings that most of the students have received their sex education between 9th-12th standard.This gives an idea that students generally receive sex education in the Age Group of 14-17 years. Now, the remaining 24% receive their sex education while in college, this indicates that these students receive their sex education through friends mostly, as no such sex education is provided specifically in college. 3) Where did you get your Sex Education, if not in Classroom? This clearly indicates that students not receiving their sex education in school premises receive it primarily through ‘Friends’ and ‘Internet’.Now this points out the fact as to why so many students get misleading information about HIV and Sex, because internet and peer groups are themselves not fully aware of the nuances of these things. This leads to dispersal of wrong information which can, at times, be dangerous. 4) What do you think is the right age to receive Sex Education? This poll substantiates our findings about most number of students receiving their sex education between Classes 9th-12th. This indicates that the people who are providing sex education are providing it at a correct age and to the correct age group. ) Did you share your Sex Education experience with your parents? Now this was something very much expected as most of the students do not share their sex education experience with their parents. Now the particular reasons to this can be like being Not so extrovert with parents, a situation similar to when kids leave the room when an advertisement on condoms or HIV is projected on television. Also, the society and culture of our country where things such as sex and HIV are considered taboo. Another reason being fear of the fact as to how the parents would react to it.Some of the possible solutions can be parents taking the initiative with their children, also parents should try to teach their kids the ‘Bees’ thing so as to give them a fair idea of sex and HIV. Also, children can initiate the issue with their mothers/fathers whoever they feel more comfortable to discuss with. 6) Do you think ‘Teen Pregnancy' will be reduced by Sex Education? To a certain extent this result was expected, 90% of the people believe that ‘Teen Pregnancy’ will be reduced by the help of sex education.Reasons as to what we feel why students think this way in these regards is that Sex Education introduces them to condoms and contraceptives; this helps students to realize as to how the mechanism of birth can be controlled. Apart from this, it opens them up to more ideas and they might have a healthy discussion as to how it can be controlled, which helps th e overall reduction of Teen pregnancy. We also believe that sex education does help the youth in understanding the way intercourse can be performed and at the same time drawing the line.Also, it is the duty of the individuals to take care that a mistake does not occur which might hamper their personal and professional lives. 7) Should we have ‘Condom Vending Machines' in public? This result draws a very positive focus on the fact that students are basing their answers on something that is very essential, also it points out as to how the youth has totally transformed into something more modern which makes it less vulnerable and open minded. 8) Have you ever tried finding about AIDS at your own will?This is a very positive aspect of the students that can be seen through the above poll, the tenacity to want to learn more about the subject of HIV on their own makes us feel that the students, who of course hold an image of the future in them, are taking an initiative on their own t o get to know more about this ghastly problem AIDS. 9) Have you ever met someone with AIDS? This does not come as a surprise as to very few students have actually met an AIDS infected person.It also draws light on how many students have wanted to visit an AIDS infected person (though in a very subtle manner), because those who have met might have met them out of their own accord or while working with an NGO. 10) What will you do if you find out that an AIDS infected person? The goal of this poll was to find out how students would react if they find out that they are dining with an AIDS infected person. Now we are happy to realize that there have been answers on both ends which show that an AIDS infected person can be maltreated, albeit in some cases only. 1) Do you think HIV+ people should have different schools and colleges? A very optimistic result, which again projects the positive mentality of students who would not want AIDS infected people to be maltreated. 12) Will you change your attitude towards your best friend if you find out him/her having AIDS? This poll projects the honesty of individuals in specifying the way they would treat or change their behaviour if they find out about their best friend being infected with AIDS.It shows that more number of people (92%) are ready to not change their reaction towards their AIDS infected friend (if they come across such a case). Conclusion: There were so many facts and opinions related to Sex Education and HIV which were presumed to be true, but with the help of this survey, we can now clearly accept these facts and statistics reason being that most of the questions had a ‘one-sided’ weight age which shows that these question were correctly answered and can be accepted.It also points out that Sex is still treated as a taboo topic in India where most of the students, not only those surveyed, still do not discuss Sex and HIV with their parents and instead receive and discuss these issues with their friends and over the internet, which leads to students leading to receiving ‘misleading’ information. The survey also draws light on the positive aspect of ‘student thinking’ when it comes to taking personal initiative to enquire more about AIDS and HIV, which shows the enthusiasm and ‘wanting to learn’ capacity of the students apart from personal awakening.Overall, the survey has indicated the thought process of the student community in a college curriculum. References: 1. Coleman E (2002), Promoting sexual health and responsible sexual behavior, J Sex Research, Volume 39, Page no. 3-6. 2. The Economic Times, 25-01-2013 3. Richard A Crosby et al (2000), Misconceptions about STD protective behavior, American Journal of Preventive Medicine, Volume 19, Page no. 167-173. 4.JohariTalib et al (2012), Analysis of Sex Education in Schools across Malaysia, Procedia- Social and Behavioral Sciences, Volume 59, Page no. 340-348 AIDS & Sex Education Survey A survey to understand the role of sex education and AIDS information at the classroom level. ————————————————- ————————————————- Top of Form Specify your sex *   Male *   Female Mention your Age Was Sex Education provided in the classroom? *   Yes *   NoWhen were you provided Sex Education? *   Class 7th – 8th *   Class 9th – 12th *   College Where did you get your Sex Education, if not in Classroom? *   Parents *   Friends *   Magazines *   Internet What do you think is the right age to receive Sex Education? Did you share your Sex Education experience with your parents? *   Yes *   No *   I was given Sex Education by parents itself Do you think ‘Teen Pregnancy' will be reduced by Sex Education? *   Yes *   N o Should we have ‘Condom Vending Machines' in public places?   Yes *   No Have you ever tried finding about AIDS at your own will? *   Yes *   No Have you ever met someone with AIDS? *   Yes *   No What will you do if you find out that an AIDS infected person is dining with you at a restaurant? *   Will continue dining *   Will switch places or leave Do you think HIV+ people should have different schools and colleges? *   Yes *   No Will you change your attitude towards your best friend if you find out him/her having AIDS? *   Yes *   No Bottom of Form

Thursday, January 2, 2020

Propositions in Debate Definition and Examples

In an argument or debate, a proposition is a statement that affirms or denies something. As explained below, a proposition may function as a premise or a conclusion in a syllogism or enthymeme. In formal debates, a proposition may also be called a topic, motion, or resolution. EtymologyFrom the Latin, to set forth Examples and Observations An argument is any group of propositions where one proposition is claimed to follow from the others, and where the others are treated as furnishing grounds or support for the truth of the one. An argument is not a mere collection of propositions, but a group with a particular, rather formal, structure. . . . The conclusion of an argument is the one proposition that is arrived at and affirmed on the basis of the other propositions of the argument. The premises of an argument are the other propositions which are assumed or otherwise accepted as providing support or justification for accepting the one proposition which is the conclusion. Thus, in the three propositions that follow in the universal deductive categorical syllogism, the first two are premises and the third the conclusion: All men are mortal.​Socrates is a man.Socrates is mortal. . . . Premises and conclusions require each other. A proposition standing alone is neither a premise nor a conclusion. (Ruggero J. Aldisert, Logic in Forensic Science. Forensic Science and Law, ed. by Cyril H. Wecht and John T. Rago. Taylor Francis, 2006) Effective Argumentative Essays The first step in arguing successfully is to state your position clearly. This means that a good thesis is crucial to your essay. For argumentative or persuasive essays, the thesis is sometimes called a major proposition, or a claim. Through your major proposition, you take a definite position in a debate, and by taking a strong position, you give your essay its argumentative edge. Your readers must know what your position is and must see that you have supported your main idea with convincing minor points. (Gilbert H. Muller and Harvey S. Wiener, The Short Prose Reader, 12th ed. McGraw-Hill, 2009) Propositions in Debates Debate is the process of presenting arguments for or against a proposition. Propositions for which people argue are controversial and have one or more individuals presenting the case for the proposition while others present the case against it. Every debater is an advocate; the purpose of each speaker is to gain the belief of the audience for his side. Argument is the core of the debate speech—the superior debater must be superior in the use of argument. The chief means of persuasion in debate is the logical mode. (Robert B. Huber and Alfred Snider, Influencing Through Argument, rev. ed. International Debate Education Association, 2006) Clarifying Propositions [It often requires] some work to extract a clear representation of an argument from any given prose passage. First of all, it is possible to express a proposition using any kind of grammatical construction. Interrogative, optative, or exclamatory sentences, for example, can, with appropriate contextual stage setting, be used to express propositions. In the interests of clarity, therefore, it will often be helpful to paraphrase an authors words, in expressing a premise or conclusion, into the form of a declarative sentence that transparently expresses a proposition. Second, not every proposition expressed in an argumentative prose passage occurs within that passage as either a premise or a conclusion, or as (a proper) part of a premise or conclusion. Well refer to these propositions, which are neither identical with nor embedded in any premise or conclusion, and to the sentences by which they are expressed, as noise. A noisy proposition makes a claim that is extraneous to the content of the argument in question. (Mark Vorobej, A Theory of Argument. Cambridge University Press, 2006) Pronunciation: PROP-eh-ZISH-en