African American Community Essays - Gospel Songs,

African American Community By 1945, nearly everyone in the African American community had heard gospel music (2). At this time, gospel music was a sacred folk music with origins in field hollers, work songs, slave songs, Baptist lining hymns, and Negro spirituals. These songs that influenced gospel music were adapted and reworked into expressions of praise and thanks of the community. Although the harmonies were similar to those of the blues or hymns in that they shared the same simplicity, the rhythm was much different. The rhythms often times had the music with its unique accents, the speech, walk, and laughter which brought along with it synchronized movements. (2) The gospel piano style was based on the rhythm section concept, where the middle of the piano was used to support the singers. This area supported the singers by doubling the vocal line in harmony. The bottom, left corner of the piano was used as a bass fiddle while the upper right hand portion played the counter melodies, taking the place of a trumpet or flute. It was the right hand corner that filled in the material during the rhythmic breaks. Often times the text of the gospel songs portrayed meanings of the Trinity, blessings, thanks and lamentations. The singers used the voices to communicate their feelings about Christianity. Many singers sang through the problems and moved their audiences, often congregations, so much so that the audience forgot their own problems temporarily and the weights of the world were taken away through the music. (2) During the beginning of the Golden Age of Gospel (1945-1955), gospel music reached a near perfection and had a huge, devote audience. Th e call and response form in particular flourished in the new type of music. The African American gospel song had a unique power and ability to overcome. It was a means of transcending the listeners, singers and entire congregation to a higher spiritual and emotional level. During the post-Civil War years, the congregation style of singing was transformed by the new Pentecostal congregations, also known as Holiness and Sanctified. (5) African American gospel music was a twentieth century phenomenon which evolved through the people that moved from rural communities to urban centers in cities. They left their areas of limited promise and social and economic terror in hopes of starting over. (4) Gospel was s style of repertoire and singing. The music was delivered as a high powered spiritual force. The emphasis was placed on the vocal rhythms. Gospel music combined call and response forms, with slow-metered , lined out protestant hymns. Born in 1912, Mahalia Jackson was the third of six children. Growing up in segregated, racist times, Mahalia lived in what she called a "shotgun shack". White folks owned the bars and grocery stores of the neighborhood. Blacks were left with the left over jobs, often working for white families, or working on the railroad tracks. Mahalia's father found work on the riverfront, dock towns and on the boats. On Sundays, her father worked preaching in a Baptist church. For as hard as her parents worked, money always seemed to be short. When Mahalia was only five years old, her mother died. Her father remarried and acquired a whole new family with the marriage. Although she never earned any pay for her work, Mahalia began doing chores for her Aunt Duke after school. Both sets of Mahalia's grandparents were born into slavery and she was doomed to head the same way. When Mahalia was in eight grade, she began to look for work outside of her aunt's chores and got a job as a laundress. (4) When Mahalia finally became famous, she always demanded her payments in cash, paid up-front. The reason for her requests was because often times during her childhood years, they never received the payments they worked hard to receive. They would often be cheated out of their sums because plantation owners claimed that the money they earned was equal to their fees for room and board. (1) When Mahalia was just a small child, everyone that knew her agreed that she possessed something special. At eight years old, she had an uncommonly large voice. Using her talented voice both in and outside of church, she

Should Euthanasia Be Allowed free essay sample

Should euthanasia be allowed? Euthanasia (from the Greek: meaning good death: , eu (well or good) + , thanatos (death)) refers to the practice of intentionally ending a life in order to relieve pain and suffering. Euthanasia should be and not should be allowed. It is ending a person’s pain and suffering, and if it’s the person’s decision to not live anymore, why not it is a sin to force people to live longer then they wanted. Unlike murder, euthanasia is not an act of violence. In an editorial in the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Dr. Eric Chevlen mentions that the courts have decided that the right to die should be made available to everyone (11B). Modern medical technology has allowed doctors to prolong life past the point of a patients natural death. In the case of euthanasia, the doctor needs to end suffering from cancer or AIDS and assist the patient to die comfortably. We will write a custom essay sample on Should Euthanasia Be Allowed? or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Patients are beginning to assert their right to die rather than being kept alive forcibly. For example, a Texan who suffered burns in a gas explosion, Dan Cowart wanted to die even though he survived the accident. He believes that his rights were violated by the doctors who prevented his death through life- sustaining treatment (From Daily Mail). So euthanasia is actually not murdering people. It is ending a person’s life happily because we don’t want to see them suffering in this world, it is should not be illegal because we ‘help’ this person to end their pain. It is not an act of killing or violence. Human beings have the right to die when and how they want to. In cases where there are no dependants who might exert pressure one way or the other, the right of the individual to choose should be paramount. So long as the patient is lucid, and his or her intent is clear beyond doubt, there need be no further questions. The Independent, March 2002 From the quote, it is true that people, us, have our own decisions whether to die or not. We are owners of our body. We can decide what we want to do with it, good or bad depending on us. So if the person wants to be euthanized, and their decision is clear and beyond doubt, the person should be euthanize as he/she wishes. Keeping people alive costs a lot of money, which could be used to save other peoples lives. a survey of Welsh hospitals in Wales, 96 patients were identified who had been continuously resident for between 4 months and 20 years; they were aged between 15 and 65 years on admission. The commonest causes for such admissions were cerebrovascular accidents, trauma and diabetes. Suitable facilities for the long-term care and rehabilitation of such severely disabled young people are very limited in Wales. We can spend the money to sav e this people. Why spend all this money trying to save who can’t be save, instead we can use it for people that need it more. It is burdening our beloved ones, to see us being sick or in a coma without being cured. Karen Ann Quinlan, in 1975, after consuming alcohol and tranquilizers at a party, Quinlan collapsed into an irreversible coma that left her unable to breathe without a respirator or eat without a feeding tube. Her parents asked that she be removed from the respirator, but her doctors objected. The New Jersey Supreme Court case that followed was the first to bring the issue of euthanasia into the public eye. In 1976 the court allowed Quinlan’s parents to have the respirator removed. Although Quinlan lived for another nine years (www. e-notes. com). Quinlan parents are burdening to see her laying on the hospital, in a coma, even after 9 years she didn’t wake up. So why not just die when we know she’ll never wake up, and why wasting time for 9 years when we know he/she will never wake up, why not just euthanize so he/she can end their life, and they’re already half-dead too. People have the rights to choose whether they want to die or not. They say that our bodies are our own, and we should be allowed to do what we want with them. So its wrong to make anyone live longer than they want. In fact making people go on living when they dont want to violates their personal freedom and human rights. It’s immoral; to force people to continue living in suffering and pain. So euthanasia should not be illegal. pls take full credits if youre using my essay 😉 twitter @AimeeJsminee

How To Become a Dermatologist

How To Become a Dermatologist So you want to be a dermatologist. That’s great! Dermatologists are so much more than just the doctors you turn to for acne treatment. They can save lives, bring relief to patients suffering with chronic and uncomfortable conditions, treat rashes and infections, and do a million other things- including skin cancer prevention, education, and treatment. Dermatologists have a range of duties on a daily basis which are as diverse as their patients’ needs. They can work in a hospital setting, a clinical private practice setting, or in a more academic environment. And they can usually get their patient care for a given week accomplished in 30-40 hours, which is less than many other medical fields.Dermatologists make an average of over $300k per year, with some making as much as $385k. It is the third highest paying of the physician specialties. Given that the demand for physicians in general is expected to grow 18% in the next decade or so, it’s a safe bet that dermato logy will continue to be a good field to enter.Required EducationDermatology is one of the most competitive fields out there. Start by getting the best grades you can, and don’t stop until you’re finished school completely. You’ll need a four-year medical degree plus the completion of a three-year residency program in dermatology, which will include board-certification and licensing. The first step in this process is obviously a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution. Then, just keep working your way through, making sure to perform as well as possible. The better you do, the better position you’ll be in to get a job when you get out of school.No matter what, you’ll have to deal with the USMLE and/or COMLEX exams. Study hard. Once you get to the residency stage, you can decide what you want your practice to look like, and whether you would like to sub-specialize in either Dermatopathology, Pediatric Dermatology, or Procedural Dermat ology. (Subspecialties will typically require an additional exam).Possible Career PathsMost dermatologists work in outpatient settings, though some do work as a team with hospital surgeons, completing rounds, or making emergency assessments. You’ll probably spend the bulk of your time in your own clinical setting.You might wish to consider joining a professional organization to aid with networking, community service, furthering your research, and continuing education/training. Consider joining the American Academy of Dermatology, American Dermatological Association, or the American Society of Dermatology as a start.Start Early!If you’re serious about becoming a dermatologist and you are still in college, take advantage of your summers off to intern or volunteer. Remember this is an incredibly competitive field, so anything you can do to get ahead is good.

Gods and Goddesses in Homers Epic Poem The Iliad

Gods and Goddesses in Homers Epic Poem The Iliad The Iliad is an epic poem ascribed to the ancient Greek storyteller Homer, which tells the story of the Trojan War and the Greek siege of the city of Troy. The Iliad is believed to have been written in the 8th century BCE; it is a classic piece of literature which is still commonly read today. The Iliad includes a dramatic series of battle scenes as well as many scenes in which the gods intervene on behalf of various characters (or for their own reasons). In this list, youll find the major gods and personifications described in the poem, including some rivers and winds. Aidoneus Hades: god, king of the dead.Aphrodite: love goddess, Supports the Trojans.Apollo: god, sends a plague, son of Zeus and Leto. Supports the Trojans.Ares: god of war. Supports the Trojans.Artemis: goddess, daughter of Zeus and Hera, sister of Apollo. Supports the Trojans.Athena: goddess active in battle, daughter of Zeus. Supports the Greeks.Axius: river in Paeonia (in north-eastern Greece), also the river god.Charis: goddess, wife of Hephaestus.Dawn: goddess.Death: brother of Sleep.Demeter: goddess of grain and food.Dione: goddess, mother of Aphrodite.Dionysus: divine son of Zeus and Semele.Eileithyia: goddess of birth pains and labor pangs.Fear: goddess: accompanies Ares and Athena into battle.Flight: god.Folly: daughter of Zeus.Furies: goddesses of revenge within the family.Glauce: a Nereid (daughter of Nereus).Gygaea: a water nymph: mother of Mesthles and Ascanius (allies of the Trojans).Hades: brother of Zeus and Poseidon, god of the dead.Halià «: a Nereid (daughter of Nereus). Hebe: goddess who acts as cupbearer to the gods.Helios: god of the sun.Hephaestus: god, son of Zeus and Hera, artisan god, crippled in his legs.Hera: divine wife and sister of Zeus, daughter of Cronos. Supports the Greeks.Hermes: divine son of Zeus, called killer of Argus.Hyperion: god of the sun.Iris: goddess, the messenger of the gods.Leto: goddess, mother of Apollo and Artemis.Limnoreia: a Nereid (daughter of Nereus).Muses: goddesses, daughters of Zeus.Nemertes: a Nereid (daughter of Nereus).Nereus: sea god, father of the Nereids.Nesaea: a Nereid (daughter of Nereus).Night: goddess.North Wind.Oceanus (Ocean): god of the river surrounding the earth.Orithyia: a Nereid (daughter of Nereus).Paeà «on: god of healing.Poseidon: major Olympian god.Prayers: daughters of Zeus.Proto: a Nereid (daughter of Nereus).Rhea: goddess, wife of Cronos.Rumour: a messenger from Zeus.Seasons: goddesses who look after the gates of Olympus.Sleep: god, brother of death.Strife: goddess active in war.Terror : god, son of Ares. Tethys: goddess; wife of Oceanus.Themis: goddess.Thetis: divine sea nymph, mother of Achilles, daughter of the old man of the sea.Thoà «: a Nereid (daughter of Nereus).Titans: gods imprisoned by Zeus in Tartarus.Typhoeus: monster held captive underground by Zeus.Xanthus: god of the Scamander River.Zephyrus: the west wind.Zeus: King of the gods.

Outsourcing Information Technology Department Essay - 2

Outsourcing Information Technology Department - Essay Example of associations suppose that IT outsourcing can offer major cost savings.   In addition, the study discovered numerous fundamental concerns in the minds of possible outsourcers.   Over half of respondents pointed out that a defeat of internal knowledge was a major drawback of outsourcing, while another forty-one percent designated that lower service quality was a main concern.   Potentially the most worrying statistic for outsourcing companies is the fact that such concerns were considerably lower merely two years ago when only twenty-three percent pointed out service quality as a major drawback.   While this survey appears to some extent of an outlier statistically, it does agree with the recent inclination seen in many large companies who are getting IT work back in-house.   Such news elevates more questions concerning the sustainability of outsourcing and its long-standing effects on business. The resource essential to hold up the extensive research activities can be described using numerous simple decisive factors. On the other hand, the resource necessitate for the drug product expansion activities is less expected and less able to be planned with accuracy. New compounds can fall short in both early as well as late stage expansion, irrespective of the superiority of the decision-making processes, and as a result there can be important peaks and troughs in the level of resource required over the longer term. The pharmaceutical industry has conventionally favored to uphold a large part of its R&D activities in-house but is now more and more looking to outsourcing as a way of better balancing its internal core groups in addition to providing for better organization of the peak demands for resource. An additional driver for outsourcing is the augmented focus on core competencies do what the business is good at and get others to do what they are good at (Angell, 2004). The obvious barriers to outsourcing drug delivery device development explained earlier can be

Feasibility Study to explore the potential viability of a business in Coursework

Feasibility Study to explore the potential viability of a business in the UAE - Coursework Example Feasibility Study to explore the potential viability of a business in the UAE Essentially a feasibility study intended to explore the viability of a business idea or entity involves various considerations.The intended feasibility study revolves within the tourism industry. This paper intends to consider venturing in hospitality section in one of the Emirates in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This is a service industry that will offer all the hospitality services in a 3- star hotel, particularly to tourists both home-based and international (NEYADI, 2002). Hospitality industry in the UAE is one of the competitive ventures. Both the local and global investors have for the past decade invested in this industry, and have continued to sustain the market trends in service delivery and client satisfaction. United Arab Emirates The coverage and vastness of how much the United Arab Emirates has developed in almost all sectors of economy, primarily in the last decade is consummate, even ahead of the global standards (MAHMOUD, 2012). This incredible growth in political, social and economic sectors has put the United Arabs Emirate in the international chart as one of the cutthroat commercial centers in the world. The UAE is situated in the East of the Arab globe. It stretches to the Gulf of Oman and to the North of the Arabian. UAE has an area of 83,600 km2. The area has plentiful islands. Sand dunes, isolated oases, and extensive deserts characterize the region. Abu Dhabi is the largest of the Emirates. It has an area of 67,300Km2, followed by Dubai with 3,900Km2 and Sharjah occupy an area of 2,600 Km2 (NEYADI, 2002). A federation of seven Emirates formed the United Arab Emirates in 197. The emirates include Sharjah, Ras Al Khima, Dubai, Ajman, Abu Dhabi, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain. The political structure The UAE observes distinctive leadership. It has no legal political parties. The supreme power rests with the seven heritable Emirs sheikhs. The President who is the commander in chief heads the Armed forces. The prime minister heads the defense ministry and he is the ruler of Dubai. Rulers administrate the other emirates. The Federal National Council, which was formed in 1972, is the UAE parliament (MAHMOUD, 2012). The FNC is presumed as the milestone of the federation’s legitimate and legislative process. The FDC is accountable in advising the cabinet arm of the government and the supreme council. However, the FNC has no jurisdiction to take precedence over the arms’ decisions. The principal function of the council is to offer administrative and lawmaking roles as stipulated by the constitution. The UAE was founding associate of the (GCC). The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) members include UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the Sultanate of Oman. This kind of leadership has continually provided a stable political environment, which is conducive for investments. Economic trend Political stability has contributed immeasurably to the economic growth attributed to primary sectors of the economy. Some of these sectors include tourism, agriculture oil and gas. The UAE’s GDP has continually grown due to the unremitting political stability (MAHMOUD, 2012). The consequent economic stability is the significant factor for both home and global investors. It is essential to note that, the projected 3-star hotel and resort stands a better position in developing at a high rate due to the well- established financial backdrop based on sound economic ethics under the management of sound institutions (NEYADI, 2002). The social patterns in relation to the UAE population The UAE’

Business Plans and Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Business Plans and Analysis - Essay Example As such, the operability, initial investment figures, marketing scope, time to implementation, existence of external investment, effects that technological change will have on the plans, as well as an analysis of likely consumer response will all be weighed as a function of the likelihood that each plan has towards implementation and overall success. Likewise, it is worth mention that neither one of these business plans are intended to be seen as an example of either a good or a bad business plan; instead, they are to be viewed as vehicles towards understanding positive and negative components of each. Business Plan 1: http://www.businessplans.org/Momentex/Moment00.html The first business plan that this analysis will weigh relates to Momentex LLC and their proposed line of Gulp N Go products. Momentex would like to target the untapped market of vending services that are located within toll booths throughout the United States. The plan exhibits multiple strengths. Firstly, regardless of what one thinks of the business plan, it is undeniable that the proximity of the product to the customer is perfectly positioned. The second strength ties in alongside this proximity and evoke the strength of suggestion while the customer is already in the process of making a financial transaction – all of which further encourage him/her to make an impulse buy while at the toll booth. Lastly, for this proximity and these powers of suggestion during a financial transaction, the firm has very few costs associated with marketing as the product is positioned 24/7 and practically free marking takes place at the point of sale on a daily basis. With respect to the weaknesses exhibited in this plan, the first of these regards the legal impacts of commercialization of the toll booths and what this may portend with respect to state, local, cross-jurisdictional, and tax laws. In effect, a public good (roads) will now be turned into a way of further generating funding for private busi nesses. This fact in and of itself has a host of both legal and ethical dilemmas associated with it. Secondly, and perhaps most importantly, there is the issue of traffic flow. Toll booth areas are already high traffic areas that usually only exist in major metropolitan cities. As such, having tens of thousands of people each and every day pausing as to what particular snack or drink they would like to choose while others wait in the queue behind them is a recipe for compounding already tense traffic problems. Lastly, the issue of payment will need to be hashed out. With a non-uniform system of payment already existing at most toll booths, how the customer will pay for the goods becomes a primary question (Lawther, 2000). If with cash revenues will be noticeably lower as fewer and fewer people carry cash. If with the credit card will the same credit card be used to pay the toll? If with a pay-pass for high-frequency travelers will the beverages and food by debited from the same fund s that the customer has loaded on the card or will they need to be paid separately? This particular business plan could be improved by measuring the indirect effect that the sale of these goods will have on traffic patterns and wait times for other customers. If a thorough analysis is performed and it is found to adversely affect the commute in a measurable way – it is fairly obvious that the business plan should be abandoned as the negative press and aggravation it will cause will doubtless render the plan futile.

Power Storage for the National Grid Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Power Storage for the National Grid - Essay Example There will also be reflections on the current studies that are undergoing to better the power storage in the UK. Major drivers of the UK economy are sectors like the industrial sector and the manufacturing sector. These sectors are very electricity dependent and thus it can be said that electricity is the major driver of the UK economy. In order to ensure that these sectors perform to their utmost efficiency there has to be comprehensive plan as far as the reliability of the Power from the national grid is concerned (Nationalgrid). One major way of guaranteeing the reliability of the power of the national grid is that UK power generators should have a comprehensive power storage plan for the national grid. Even with the very many sources of power like wind, hydro-generation, solar and many others, there is a minimal probability that without having a good storage plan for the national grid can there be reliability as far as power delivery, to the major sectors and also the domestic consumers is concerned will be as effective as it should be (Nationalgrid). One thing that can never go unmentioned are the benefits of storing power, this is due to the numerous good things that come with power that has been stored. Due to the increase in venturing into power production using wind, solar and other green means there is an unusual urge to have a good power storage system. To begin with, national grid power storage if well implemented will be very vital to the UK especially in its bid to achieve the use of greener forms of energy (Nelson 2012). This will guarantee the UK green-energy which will be a milestone since this is the long term goals of the power generators in the UK. Giving so much attention to the greener forms of energy will not only be good news to the environmentalist as far as reduction and minimization of the other environmentally unfriendly forms of power generation are concerned. This

Communication Between Men and Women Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Communication Between Men and Women - Essay Example Tannen, in her book entitled â€Å"You Just Dont Understand†, argues that even if boys and girls are brought up in the same house, on the same block or in the same locality, they grow up in different words or worlds. These communication differences between the two sexes begin at very early stage. According to her, these sex differences in ways of communicating are evident even in three-year-old children, about the time when language is developed. While they want to get their way, both girls and boys use language differently to do so. She explains that while little boys talk to boast, little girls often talk to be liked. Little boys make demands; little girls make requests. Little boys prolong conflict; little girls speak to build harmony. Little boys talk directly; little girls talk more indirectly. Additionally, while little boys use more actions, little girls talk more with words (Kelley, 2010). Recently, there has been the study of men and women’s communication styles scientifically and researchers as well as linguists have documented the apparent distinctions that characterize gender communication. Tannen, a well-respected linguistics scholar and professor who has carried out research and written books regarding gender communication, asserts that women and men express themselves differently and for different reasons. These differences in communication are evident during opposite gender and same gender conversation, during one-on-one and small group communications. Women and men express gender communication distinctions in style, structure and content. Women often talk about feelings, relationships and people while men most often discuss money, sports and business. Women most often express themselves/talk to connect, to understand and to support while men often talk for competition, to resolve or fix problems. While talking, women are more

Sorry But Your Soul Just Died Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Sorry But Your Soul Just Died - Assignment Example This would mean leaving the human like a mass of rock or soil – which can only be manipulated or moved. Another expectation was an account of the loss of the human spirit, to leave the human entity as good as the animals, which are on the basis of certain traditions considered not to possess a spirit – which links humans to the divine. The results here would include the depiction of animosity or the absence of a higher authority guiding humans (Wolfe). Wolfe’s bias is greatly based on unfounded fear, that the discoveries drawn from the field of neuroscience will drive humans from the personal control maintained in their natural state, where justice, morals, and values are a value drawn from each and every person’s soul endowment, to a force beyond their control. According to him, the control of humans by the genes, which is outside their control is absurd – as they will be obligated to find morals and values outside of their choice, to control their relations and all other aspects of life. An example here is Dean Hamer’s account of the gay gene, which he argues – just like the left-handedness gene is a natural inclination. The issue is that gays do not choose to become so, as they are naturally made in such a way (Wolfe). Wolfe through writing the essay is trying to offer information to the reader, on the importance of the personal choice and responsibility lines taken by each individual – when choosing values, justice and morals. He further, argues that the perceived assumption that the soul is not important is based on the gross belief that God is dead, from whom all values and identity are drawn. He further seeks to impart into the reader, the idea that the assumption of the death of the soul will result in gross immorality, where humans do not give consideration for one another – which is grounded on the identity of the moral obligation – grounded on the soul (Wolfe). The account is prese nted in a witty manner, showing that the author intended to engage the thinking process and the imagination of the reader, by raising their curiosity in predicting and finding out what the issue would lead to, through the mind of the reader. An example here is the account that trying to realize equality among different people goes against the very nature present in every single individual. The author further seeks to arouse the fear of the ultimate societal decay he talks of, these being the cause of the case, due to the fact humans will not be in a position to choose values – but will be genetically oriented to live as they are genetically endowed. An example here is the case of the gay gene, which obligates gay people to become gay – which has been a vice fought by many governments and authorities. The author uses such an example to raise curiosity and fear of further exploration of the new science, as it will serve in pushing humans into a stage where they are contr olled by their genetic inclinations. An example here would be genetic inclination into crime – which would mean that such a person becomes a criminal automatically, and that they would commit crime without any care, as it is in their nature. The emotional effect intended by Wolfe furthers his point, as it portrays an unavoidable negative side of the new science, whose further exploration would create more crisis than advantages. The emotion he is passing is clear, in that he even expresses optimism that those developing the new science

Ethnomethodology In Sociological Analysis

Ethnomethodology In Sociological Analysis Ethnomethodology is the study of the ways in which ordinary people construct a stable social world through everyday utterances and actions is now a major component of all sociology and linguistics courses. The tag was invented by Harold Garfinkel, the American sociologist, who put down the basics of ethnomethodology as a hypothesis, and as an awkward assessment of all conservative sociology. Elucidating on the genesis of the term, he proposes that ethno appeared to refer, in one way or another, to the accessibility to an associate of reasonable acquaintance of his social order as rational information of the whatever. In this paper, we focus more narrowly on this specific theory of ethnomethodology and how more specifically it is important in the aspects of personal and post-modernist perspective on contemporary sociological analysis. We will determine how and to what extent this theory is really convincing as well as adopt a critical stance towards it. There are two central ideas in ethnomethodology: indexicality and reflexivity. The fundamental initiative of indexicality is that the connotation of an expression or remark is reliant on its framework of how it will be utilized. In other words, the learning of what a statement implies relies on some consideration of the circumstance on which the declaration is used. The particulars of the relations in which the contributors are affianced are brought up in ethnomethodology. On the other hand, reflexivity refers to the actuality that our common sense of regulation is an outcome of speaking procedures: it is formed in conversations. Garfinkel Harold (1917) is the initiator of the ethnomethodology field of research. Ethnomethodology is a hypothesis that illustrates the assortment of procedures that people use to comprehend, and make their way throughout, daily existence. One of the behaviors that individuals make good judgment of their lives and relations to others is in the course of reporting observations. These are the different ways in which individuals substantiate or make good judgment of their measures to themselves and others. Ethnomethodologists dispute that descriptions are spontaneous, which implies that by presenting descriptions of ourselves to others, we as well transform the circumstances and the likelihood for communication in that state of affairs. Ethnomethodologists have furthermore used violation experiments to comprehend the manner that individuals put up social authenticity. In these lessons, ethnomethodologists get involved in actions that infringe the undervalued suppositions of daily life , and observe to notice how other communal actors refurbish or recreate the violation in the societal structure. These lessons demonstrate how people regulate their daily lives and how they deal with confrontations to that daily arrangement. Moreover, Garfinkel has revealed how the apparently ordinary grouping of sex is socially assembled. In his interrogation with Agnes, Garfinkel discovered that sexual category is a societal achievement that entails continuous consideration to the ordinary observations that permit individuals be judged as male or female (Janet, 199, pp.102). An ethnomethodological advance observes and evaluates social relations through endorsed behavior, what individuals do in social accomplishment and dealings. It is related to the perception of figurative interactionism, even though it centers most of its attention on the actions themselves and how they are carried out in specific frameworks, rather than taking into account how community actors create implication and understanding in relations. Authors in the ethnomethodological perception seem to be undisturbed with the philosophic emphasizing of social dealings or in increasing a comprehensive hypothetical composition that can enlighten on all features of social relations and the foundations and configurations that materialize from it. Rather, they evaluate social relations in specific circumstances and frameworks, trying to illustrate and comprehend the techniques, measures, and concerns that community actors apply in implementing social relations. For the ethnomethodologist, societ al connections must not be measured as coherent or ridiculous, or dependent on error, rather societal relations is a pack of reasonable measures people utilize to cope with circumstances and frameworks where there is some suppleness for societal attainment and possibly some ambiguity regarding the behavior and upshot of social achievement (Goffman, 1976). Similar to interactionist viewpoint, ethnomethodologists think of these daily relations, and the actions implicated in them, as containing a reliability or steadiness so they structure what sociologists call foundations and formations. These arrangements and outlines are constantly dynamically created through interface amid public actors, even though not automatically in a cognizant approach or as an outcome of intentionally allowing for implication and elucidation. Rather, communal actors are held responsible for their measures in the encounters that transpire in precise circumstances and framework. This implies that social action in a context is an actively produced accomplishment (Cohen, p. 90). The ethnomethodological point of view put emphasis on a communal interface that has a prudence of its own and the manner is one of achievement making good judgment out of circumstances and retorting in an answerable approach. Specifically, this social demeanor is not only devotion to a pa rticular outline of prudence forced by universal customs, positions, institutions, and arrangements of the social order. Ethnomethodology may perhaps be more a technique responsible for sociological approaches, unlike hypothetical ones. Here, sociologists are to position themselves far from the universal perceptive of community actors, circumstances, and social interactions, and observe the universally acknowledged perceptive that public actors have taken on and, at least absolutely, acknowledged as they keep on social relations and social interactions. It not only asks the sociologist to establish and evaluate what precisely these are and how they have progressed in terms of development, but also raise issues or assess critically these, to increase the likelihood of whether these are publicly appropriate and just, as well as to reflect on substitutes. A feminist approach can be associated to the approach by taking into account the realities of womens nature, needs, role, and place in society and how systems of ideas constructed in past interactions and sustained by present ongoing interactions (Wallac e and Wolf, p. 241). A feminist issues proper feminine positions and errands in stipulations of nurturing, socialization mothering as well as the personal field. These approaches may possibly be helpful to those in other circumstances where they are inferior deprived, tribal/racial factions and homosexual persons. Moreover, they guide the sociologist to doubt the place the persons dwell in and reconsider the undervalued postulations of their state of affairs. In this judgment, it may perhaps be critical, resourceful, and probably liberating. Harold Garfinkel, an American sociologist, largely developed ethnomethodology in the early 1960s. Ethnomethodology refers to the learning of the habits in which persons make good judgment of their communal planet. It is different from additional sociological viewpoints in one exceedingly imperative admiration. Functionalists, Marxists and Symbolic Integrationists are all markedly different from each other, but they nevertheless assume that the social world is basically orderly, i.e. that patterns of behavior and relations in the general public are standard and methodical rather than unsystematic and frenzied. They respectively define these regularities thus: Functionalists consider it as the upshot of assessment agreement in the public, which guarantees that behavior matches with commonly acknowledged standards. Marxists perceive it as a consequence of the inferiority of one rank to another, it is uncertain and open to interruption by insurgency but all the same it is present. Moreov er, interactionists vary from these inclusive-viewpoints in that they perceive order not so much as an attribute of the public structure but as something that is fashioned and reshaped daily in the diversity of interface conditions; it is discussed an outcome of the procedures of description, elucidation and concession which comprises social contact. Organization is nonetheless still supposed to be a purposeful element of community life. Ethnomethodologists, in contrast to this, begin with the assumption that social order is mere illusion. Social life merely appears to be orderly but is, in reality, potentially chaotic. Societal array is created in the mentalities of communal actors as the social order tackles the character as a sequence of intelligence imitations and incidents which one is required to in one way or another categorize into a coherent pattern. Garfinkels concept of indexicality implies that individuals make good judgment of a comment, signal or a specific action by indicating the framework in which it transpires; to be precise they register it to precise conditions. We make sense of a situation according to the context in which we find ourselves, looking for clues as to what the situation is supposed to be. This leads us to accept the situation as authentic. If a fellow student walks into your room in halls wearing a stethoscope and a white coat, you will be aware that he/she is not a doctor but maybe going to a fancy-dress party. However, if someone you do not know approaches you at a hospital in similar garb, you might be very likely to assume that they are a member of the medical profession (Garfinkel, 1967). The technique most favored by ethnomethodologists (particularly Garfinkel) is to momentarily interrupt the planet which its inhabitants undervalue and observe how they respond. The motive of this is to depict background suppositions that have been acknowledged as authenticity in due course. In one of his research tests, Garfinkel requested students to conduct themselves as if they were guests in their individual abodes, and document the bewildered responses of their parents as they put effort to understand the unexpected interference of the usually familiar association with their children. Ethnomethodology leans on disregarding information conveyed through communication, focusing solely on how the communication was executed. This is because the attitude of ethnomethodology advocates that all implications are, and can merely eternally be, one-sided and that the single purposeful common realism is the actuality of universally understood communication techniques. Ethnomethodologys reliance upon a kind of relativism is often used to criticize it. In taking this relativist stance, ethnomethodology leaves itself unable to make moral judgments about meanings and therefore it is largely unable to undertake problems like discrimination and authority. Nevertheless, it can be disputed that ethnomethodology is not purely relativistic because it obviously has to provide at least some rules for itself in order to work. The ethnomethodologist must make, and rely upon the assumption that others will appreciate the significance of his or her effort, in a similar approach that you might read and understand these words on the paper. I am discussing something and trying to be non-judgmental about it, but no doubt it does contain my own values. Ethnomethodologists might argue then, that the only thing which humans are really good at is the production of order out of chaos. All other human capacities, such as moral judgment, would be seen as merely subjective and having no truth. Ethnomethodology is certainly interesting as an analysis of how persons make good judgment of the globe as a social place, and how we construct a reality from the minimal amount of information available to us. It shares its investigative attitude with symbolic interactionism. It was mainly developed by Garfinkel. It has its roots in the phenomenology of Schutz and the writings of Talcott Parsons who was Garfinkels teacher at Harvard University (Farganis, 2000). Development of Ethnomethodology One of the achievements of ethnomethodological effort has been its exhibition of the significant penalties for both community presumption and study that flows from the fundamental spot of indexicality. What ethnomethodology presents is a replica of thoughtfulness which relies on intelligence being recuperated from speech in context via a variety of techniques of logic creation. (Heritage, 1984) Talcott Parsons Parsons had been attempting to link the three separate elements of personality, culture and the social system. Although society is largely systematic, individuals also clearly make choices about particular courses of action. What forces, Parsons asked, actually give a social structure to the choices that people make; when those same structural forces must necessarily be rooted in those actions resulting from those choices? The structural forces must transcend the action; and Parsons called these emergent properties, of which the most important are normative value commitments or the shared commitments that each of us has regarding social propriety in particular contexts. Because we share them, we are motivated to comply with perceived social requirements. And we do so because we are morally motivated to do so. This is Talcott Parsons answer to the question of how order comes about; it involves motivated compliance to the normative order. Parsons helps us to understand how a social system of action is derived from the orderliness of stability, rationality and predictability (James, 1994). Alfred Schutz Garfinkels perspective also derived from the phenomenological thinking of Alfred Schutz, for whom the system was an insufficient answer. He believed that the concept of action must instead be derived from the position of the actor in his/her daily experiences of life. He said that thinking of things from the objective perspective of a systems approach, although apparently highly suited to a scientific sociology, ignores the subjective position of the actor and transforms his/her perspective into that of the sociologist. Rather than analyzing what the actor might understand of a situation, sociologists would transpose these explanations into idealized sociological versions of what had actually happened which fitted and thus maintained the system. If one takes Parsons view, the whole concept of the actors view is lost. For Schutz, the world is an interpretive reality in which any particular action might have more than one meaning for the actor. A meaning is revisable as a perspective in the intersubjective space that exists between actors. In other words, although we experience the world through an individual consciousness, we understand that the experience of it is not entirely personal and unique. It is taken for granted by each of us that others see and mean much the same things as one. Everyday life is thus taken for granted as a largely objective phenomenon; yet we also take for granted the subjective position one has of it from ones own particular and unique perspective. The social world is a given, which existed before one came along. Other than when we are stepping back and taking a philosophical stance towards it, it is impossible to constantly subject its reality to question. Schutz suggests then, that our common sense appreciation of experience is constituted by typifications (rather lik e scripts or schemata in social psychology) which refer to what one finds to be a regularity, or typical event, object or action. These regularities make us accept the everyday world as mundane or everyday! (James, 1990) Language is a kind of iconography or library of such typifications which we have inherited in the process of our socialization. When we explain others actions to ourselves we again typify their reasons and intentions: Well he would behave that way because hes a or she clearly intends to etc. These attributions of cause or intention are quite a routine because we intuitively know the type of person we are seeing/speaking with etc. We hold the world in common with others which stresses for Schutz the importance of the reciprocity of perspectives; even where there is a difference of viewpoint it is socially organized an airline pilot is expected to know more about flying than I do!( James, 1990) In everyday life, one attends to the ongoing, practical process of living as events occur and attending to what is most relevant at this moment according to ones interests and purposes. Indeed, unless one is disturbed by a strong contestation of ones viewpoint, one will simply accept what is happening in the way it happens. Scientists, or more particularly sociologists, Schutz argues, do not do this; they stand back and analyze from an extremely diverse viewpoint from that of the performer. They produce concepts which refer to human actions as if they were fixed quantities (which they arent) and employ second degree constructs from the first degree construct of the actors actual, lived experiences. Thus, for Schutz, sociology had been making sense of events which already had sense for the actors (James, 1990). Our understandings of social situations are constructed from within according to Garfinkel. This means that the core elements of social order its order and intelligibility are products of the activity itself . This situation is particular to this moment, to these participants and is what Garkinkel refers to as locally produced by its participants. This does not however mean that any of us merely does whatever we like; we are bound by rules based on the social reality of the situation a practical reality. But it is very important to understand that Garfinkel stresses this reality being conceived as consisting only in actors understandings i.e. their understanding of social features as fixed, typical, required etc. is the only thing that makes them appear to be objective. We act on the basis of such understandings and thus produce our activities as social ones. They thus fit the context in which we find ourselves. There two suggestions of ethnomethodologists: to treat social settings as practically accomplished and to treat members of the action as practical enquirers. The social setting is thus, not out there, but is an ongoing accomplishment achieved through interaction; a product, a process and a practical accomplishment (Denzin, 1993). We may then perceive the world as a constraint, feel we must do things (like be polite) even though we would sometimes wish not to. It is unimportant here whether an action is morally right; Garfinkel isnt interested in what we construct, but in how we construct it. What actually happens is identical to how it is perceived and recognized by the actor. In the formulations or ways in which we describe an event, we are inseparably connected with that event we are the event! Describing, referring and naming are practical actions within that setting. Every time we speak and act we are engaged in the reciprocal consequences that we elicit from other actors who are also present. There is therefore no distinction here between an event and the description of that event by someone in the setting. One would generally produce actions in the setting which make clear to those present (in the course of the activity) what is going on; not make excuses and repairs after the event. What someone says is what they actually mean. When we give a reason for something, thats actually why we did what we did. The social world is orderly because we constantly make sense of contingencies and particularities as knowable, understandable entities. Ethnomethodologists engage in conversational analysis which demonstrates how conversational organization involves structures which are context sensitive. Through these we engage in conversations which are quite specific to their local context. The machinery is general, but its local uses and particular outcomes are specific. For instance: Whats your name sunshine? Dave You own this place? Yeah Conversation Analysis Appreciative the character of discussion analysis would be made simpler if it is thought as an improvement of ethnomethodology which has tagged along the insights concerning the reflexive and indexical character of achievement and use them particularly to informal relations. The apprehension with indexicality is here apparent in an alarm with how utterances recount to the spoken progressions to which they fit in; and the anxiety with reflexivity materializes in the secure concentration paid to the sort of interactional vocation utterances and entire successions achieve. Schegloff Emanuel, Gail Jefferson and Sacks Harvey, who have been mainly intimately linked to budding conversational study, also assumed the common ethnomethodological proposal that relations is systematically based. Therefore, in researching on conversation they began with the supposition that what is spoken is not the approach it is unintentionally, that structures of words are not uneven and complete make-dos, but are premeditated in their element to be receptive to their chronological framework and to their function in communication (Sacks, 1992; Sacks et al., 1974). A discussion methodical viewpoint on realistic conversation will begin by bearing in mind its part in proceedings which are, consecutively, rooted in series. Hence before we carry on with the subject of particulars we will require something of a parenthesis on the interface successions in which they transpire. The Critics According to ethnomethodologists, conventional sociologists are constructing a sense of social order in the same way as a layperson: namely, meanings are regarded as substantive and unproblematic. Consequently they are taken for granted. By contrast, ethnomethodologists argue that the proper task of sociology is to sort out the interpretive rules by means of which we establish our sense of order, rather than engage in reflexively establishing that sense. In this way, conventional sociology becomes an object of study for ethnomethodology, in the same way as any other human social activity is an object of study. Thus, Garfinkels book contains both an essay on coding answers to sociological interviews and an essay on trans-sexuality, the activities sharing an equal status as ways of producing social reality (Wallace, 1995). A common criticism of ethnomethodology is that it does not tell us anything very important. By definition, the big political and social issues of the day are beyond its scope, since the concern is with how we constitute this world, rather than what we constitute it as being. It is argued that the rules it draws out are also comparatively low level and merely tell us what we already know. It denies the constraints of social life upon the actor. It suggests that sociologists can do little more than report an actors version of a situation. These are based on misunderstandings of ethnomethodology and tend to come from sociologists with a very different perspective. They amount to saying that it doesnt look at things in the right way! It is microscopic and trivial; this also suggests bias. The ethnos clearly do have a defensible justification for their perspective- ethnos study the actors methods of construction, but simultaneously employ those methods of construction. It is itself an organized social activity which is practically accomplished i.e. the problem of radical reflexivity: the study of the study of the study! The answer they give is that this infinite regress is an acceptable critique but it isnt their problem; its a philosophical issue. It does not reflect negatively on their theoretical perspective (Sacks, 1992). Conclusion Ethnomethodology facilitates us to move beyond simple announcements of the appeal of processual anthropology to its concrete practice. Garfinkels methods of ethnomethodological breakdown authorize a spotlight on moments of crisis in conversation. It is such an instant that the negotiation of meaning is clearest and hence conversational analysis can be employed as an influential analytical instrument of processual anthropology. In stipulations of the associations connecting ethnomethodology and other sociological viewpoints, and involving the ethnomethodological design and its subjects of enquiry, this is conceivably an added foundationalist and productive progress than is occasionally accredited (Sacks, 1974). According to Dennis (2004), Lynch argues convincingly for the cross-fertilization of ethnomethodology and the sociology of methodical or rather scientific awareness to elucidate the procedural and epistemological practicalities of the common sciences. Lynch posits an epistemolo gical and practical break, situated about Garfinkels abandonment of Schutzs commencement of systematic processes. However, Garfinkels afterward works are disputed to be advanced to their previous, protoethnomethodological, equivalents to the point that they no longer break on Schutzs inconsistent and scientistic emergence to methodological inflexibility. Although ethnomethodological work continues, it is neither as prominent, nor as controversial as hitherto. On the other hand, a modified version of some of its insights is now almost taken-for-granted: there is, for example, a much wider recognition among sociologists of the problematic nature of meaning and of the way in which our talk does contribute to the creation of our social reality. Meanwhile, ethnomethodology has become a relatively prosperous alternative discipline, with its own conferences, journals, and centers of excellence.

Imam Ghazalis Philosophy Of Education

Imam Ghazalis Philosophy Of Education Man has been created as a vicegerent of GOD in the world. And in order to enable him to fulfill his trust-that is to reform the earth and establish a just socio-moral order in this world. GOD has endowed him with two types of Knowledge:(1)Acquisitional Knowledge,and (2)Revelational Knowledge. The potentials for acquisitional knowledge i-e eyes, ears, head and heart have been laid into human constitution. By virtue of these potentialities, man is capable of generating conceptual and creative knowledge, something which is an exclusive characteristic of human beings. This form of knowledge can help man in the conquest of nature. While revelational knowledge consists of the guidance of God. Revelational knowledge gives man the basic wisdom and values that may help him in conquest of his own animal nature. Islam insists that both these forms of knowledge are central to human existence. From this context, it is apparent, that the role objective of own system of education ought to be to prepare our succeeding generations for the successful fulfillments of that duties of vicegerency in this world. Given this background, the importance of knowledge and education in Islam cannot be over-emphasized; hence my interest in this field. In this dissertation, my main focus is on Imam Ghazali,s philosophy of education, In order to assess the value of Imam Ghazali,s philosophy of education, It seems imperative to examine in brief the Quranic guideline for the attainment of knowledge and education. This will serve as our criterion in the light of which we will evaluate Imam Ghazali,s philosophy of education. Of course, the ultimate objective of this whole exercise is to see as to how far we can draw any guidance from these sources in the process of the reconstruction of our own system of education .It may be recalled that there is an internal and external pressure on our state and society to secularise our system of education .One of the central themes of our thesis would be to assess as to what type of education would suit our national needs ; that is how far we can depart from our socio-cultural norms and values Islam is an Arabic word which literally means obedience and peace. ISLAM is derived from the Arabic root SALEMA: peace, purity, submission and obedience. So Islam means total submission to God. According to Oxford English Dictionary Islam is the religion of the Muslims, a monotheistic faith regarded as revealed through Muhammad as the prophet of Allah. Knowledge (ilm) occupies a significant position within Islam. The first word of the first revelation of the Quran was Iqra READ! Seek knowledge! Educate yourselves! Be educated. Iqra also implies teach others, educate them (and transform them). Islam is the religion of knowledge. Islam and education are inter connected. The importance of education has been described at many places in the Holy Quran. The first aayah of the Quran is about education Read! In the Name of your Lord Who has created (all that exists). He has created man from a clot (a piece of thick coagulated blood). Read! And your Lord is the Most Generous. Who has taught (the writing) by the pen. He has taught man that which he knew not [al-Alaq 96:1-5] Man is the superior creature of God because He has given him the high capability of understanding. He provided them the tools to understand the knowledge And Allà ¢h has brought you out from the wombs of your mothers while you know nothing. And He gave you hearing, sight, and hearts that you might give thanks (to Allà ¢h) [al-Nahl 16:78] Knowledge is so much important in Islam that Allah (SWT) commanded The prophet Muhammad to seek more of it. Allah says: and say: My Lord! Increase me in knowledge [Ta-Ha 20:114] Knowledge is the great gift of Allah to the human beings The Holy Quran says: Whoever is given wisdom and knowledge is blessed with bounties in good abundance. (Surah al-Baqarah, 2:272) The Holy Quran says: Those who are belivers among you and the learned, God will increase their rank.. (Surah al-Mujadilah, 58:11) The prophet (pbuh) has stressed upon the significance of knowledge and its importance in the life of the human beings Learned are the heirs of the prophets He said: Whatever is in the heaven and the earth, seeks forgiveness for the learned If a man seeks the path of acquiring knowledge, God guides him to a path leading to paradise Imam Ghazalis Philosophy of Education Al-Ghazali is one of the greatest Islamic Jurists, theologians and a mystic .Imam Al Ghazali has a unique position in the history of muslim religious and philosophical thought. His contribution in the field of knowledge is very substantial .He is one of the most influential scholar in the history of Islam. He has been acclaimed as the Proof of Islam (hujjat al-Islam), the Ornament of Faith (zain al-din) and the Renewer of Religion (mujaddid). The main theme of the educational philosophy of the Imam Ghazali is the concept of God and God with the world and the mankind .The true knowledge according to imam Ghazali is the Knowledge of God. The true learned man is one who comes close to ones creator and who is busy in seeking the happiness of God. According to Imam Ghazali knowledge is to gain happiness in the hereafter and nearness to God. Knowledge is the root of good fortune in this world and in the next. The result of knowledge is to enjoy nearness of God, to keep company with the angels and the pious divines which are objects of the next world and its result in this world is honour, influence over ruler and the people. Ghazali called it the happiness of the next world: Knowledge is precious for its own sake, because with its help the happiness of the next word and Divine vision can be gained. Kinds of Knowledge Imam Ghazali identifies the difference between the revealed and the acquisitional knowledge: Knowledge is of two kinds knowledge of practical religion and knowledge of spiritual matters Imam Ghazali categorises the learning about the duties: Those which are connected to the religion .The religious learning are those which come from the Holy prophet and an absolute compliance from man is expected . Those which are not so connected to the religion, these are mathematics, medicine etc. The first one is called Farz-e-Ain and the other is called Farz-e-kafaya or binding. Imam Ghazali classifies the sciences into three categories: Praise worthy Sciences: The sciences which are beneficial up to the end is the science of knowing God, His attributes and His works, His laws effecting this world and the hereafter. This is the science which is sought for its own attributes and by which the blessing of the hereafter is gained. Blame worthy Sciences: The learning which are blame worthy are sorcery, talismanic sciences, juggling, gambling and the like Permissible Knowledge: The learning which are permissible are poetry, History, geography, biology etc. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM The underling purpose of this study is to analyze the role of Imam Ghazli and his philosophy of education for the awakening of the Muslims to realize the importance of the true knowledge and its significance in the life of human beings. The study will also show as to how far Imam Ghazali develops his philosophy of education in consonance with the teachings of the Quran and the Sunnah of the prophet. Attempt will also be made to assess as to how far this philosophy can help to improve our present day system of education. OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY To make the students realize the true meaning of knowledge. To make the students aware about the main purpose behind acquiring Knowledge in the light of Quranic guidance. To assess the aims and objectives of Imam Ghazalis Philosophy of education. To know and understand his philosophy in the Islamic perspective. To make the students and teachers realize that Islamic education along with the modern education can lead us to improve childs social moral and ethical development. To change our present day education system which may accommodate modern developments in knowledge along with the teachings of the Quran and the Sunnah of the Prophet. Our main thrust ought to be: Be a scientist; but in the midst of all your sciences be still a man. In fact, in Islam there is no tension between science and religion. Science, for instance, tries to understand nature that surrounds us, and it is expected that man will Find God in and through his study of nature a great manifestation of God. Religion, on the other hand, is a moral and spiritual guidance of God to man with the help of which he can engage himself in the conquest of his own nature. In the ultimate run, all knowledge is supposed to marry us to God and through God we are supposed to know and understand other things that are HIS creations. So there is no tension between science and religion. Science helps us in the conquest of human nature while religion helps us in the conquest of human nature. METHODOLOGY Since the research study is exploratory so the data will be collected from secondary sources. For this purpose the main focus will be to study the original text. EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHY OF THE HOLY QURAN by Dr.Mahar Abdul Haq will guide us about The Quran and the Islamic traditions (sunnah) emphasis on knowledge. Imam Ghazalis IHYA ULUM-ID-DIN will help us to know about Imam Ghazalis educational contribution. Different books will be selected about Imam Ghazali and his Educational philosophy and data will be collected mostly from these. The purpose of this would be to extract his philosophy of education from these books/works Attempt will be made to see as to whether or not we can draw any guideline for the improvement of our current system of education. OUTLINE OF THE STUDY The research thesis will be organized into five chapters which are briefly given below. Chapter 1: Chapter one will deal with the introduction of the research thesis, and will highlight its background and significance. Chapter 2: This chapter will offer a review of related Literature. Literature about the Quranic guidance towards education will be emphisized,In the light of which we will evaluate Imam Ghazalis contributions Chapter 3: Chapter Three would highlight the methodology of this study. Chapter 4: Here an attempt will be made to highlight the significance of knowledge in the light of Quran. Chapter 5: This chapter will cover Imam Ghazalis work as an educationist. Chapter 6: An attempt will be made to assess the Quranic guidance for knowledge and Imam Ghazalis philosophy of education. Finally we would also examine its relevance to our own time and its application to the contemporary issues. BIBIOGRAPHY Saiydain, K.G.(1942) Iqbals Educational Philosophy,Lahore. Abdullah Yusaf Ali(1934)The Holy Quran Text, Translation Commentry,Kitab Bhavan New Delhi. Karim Fazul (1993) Ihya Ulum-ID-Din,Darul-Ishat,Urdu Bazar Karachi Pakistan. Abdul hakim Malik(2007)Trilingual Index of the Holy Quran One volume Encyclopedia,5th edition,Ministry of Religious Affairs pakistan. http://www.sunnah.org/history/Scholars/imam_alghazali.htm http://www.ibe.unesco.org/publications/ThinkersPdf/ghazalie.pdf http://www.aub.edu.lb/fas/cvsp/Documents/reading_selections/CVSP%20202/Al-ghazali.pdf http://www.ghazali.org/articles/gz1.htm

Alfred Adler Personality Theories

Alfred Adler was a little baby boy born on the suburb of Vienna on February 7, 1870. He almost died of pneumonia when he is five years of age. At this age he decided to become a physician. (Ewen, Robert,p. 5) . Alfred was an intelligent, sociable and a very active boy. He was n average student of a University. He finished his medical degree in the University of Vienna in 1895.Alfred’s wife was Raissa Timofeyewuna Epstein, a social activist and a very intelligent woman and blessed with four children. (Ewen, Robert, p. 15) at first Alfred Adler become an ophthalmologist and soon changed it to  his general practice..He encountered clients like circus people. Because of these clients he realized that the strength and weaknesses of the performers made him develop into organ inferiorities and compensation. (Levine, Robert Alan,p. 10)He becomes a physician or a doctor in the Australian army. Because of this experience he comes up to a concept of social interest. This concept makes every human to realize that they must survive and change in their own ways. Contribution to the field of Psychology of Personality Alfred Adler’s motivating force is striving for the perfection. Adler believe that this is the desire of people have to fulfill their potential in order to come up their ideal.Agression drive which refers to the reaction of people have, as well as their drives. Compensation is another term used by Adler which means striving to overcome. In the masculine protest, Adler emphasized that the boys have a high esteem than girls. It means that men are better than women. Boy’s have the capacity to do all great things and women don’t have. Just because they do have the power, education, talent and motivation needed to do all the excellent work. And the last one is the striving for superiority.It is the desire to be better not for his own but to better than others. (Ewen, Robert, p. 22) Adler’s approach â€Å"individual psychology† was contributed to psychology. Adler developed a different personality types like the getting or leaning type, in this type people are anti-social and have a low activity levels. Next is the avoiding type, are people who hate to be rejected. People have a low social contact and afraid of rejection. In this type, people always aware to their actions and behavior. They are very careful on what actions or decisions should be made.Ruling dominant are people who are willing to manipulate situations and people. And the last one is the social useful type, people in this type are very sociable and active. Instead of discussing about a person’s personality Adler also talk about lifestyle. According to Alfred Adler, lifestyle refers to how you live your life, how to handle problems and interpersonal relations. It means that lifestyle of people help them realize their selves, how to handle their problems and how to communicate to other people. Application of Personality Theories to W ork Place Alfred Adler’s theory of personality is very useful because it can help people act properly.People always think positively so that they can perform better and resulting to an excellent performance. They can carry all the problems that they will be encounter and they can find a better solution for that. People will always aim high and give excellent effort to perform their jobs. Personality theories application is said to be a positive theory, make people a goal oriented, positive thinking, problem solver ,and help to make people an excellent one in terms of their work and in their life. Life style approach of Adler refers how to live life, how to handle problems and interpersonal relations. According to Alfred Adler â€Å"The style of life of a tree is the individuality of a tree expressing itself and molding itself in an environment.We recognize a style when we see it against a background of an environment different from what we expect, for then we realize that ev ery tree has a life pattern and is not merely a mechanical reaction to the environment. † Base on this approach we can conclude that every person’s behavior and personality usually based on their life pattern and their environment . Personality theory can help a lot to the work place because individual here has a good life pattern and environment.People are willing to achieve goals and always want to excel in their own specializations. Problems are disregarded and always find solutions for it Because of this positive personality of people ,they become very successful and fulfilled. BIBLIOGRAPHY Ewen, Rowen B. , 1998, An Introduction to Theories of Personality Mahwah, New Jersey.Ewen, Rowen B. , 2003, An Introduction to Theories of Personality Mahwah, New Jersey.Levine, Robert Alan, 1982, Culture, Behavior, and Personality New York.Schinka, John A. , 1997, Introduction to the Special Series-Personality Assessment Instruments.

Childhood Is the Happiest Time of a Person’s Life Essay

I do agree the idea that the most joyful time for every person without any doubt would be their childhood. Since people are different in many areas, they may have different opinions about the reasons; however, I believe that childhood is the happiest time because first children at that age do not have any special responsibility, and second they are children and their mind and the way they think completely different from teenagers and adults. In other words, their minds are free. First, as a child you do not have to take any noticeable responsibility. You just play and enjoy your daily life. A child does not get into the troubles of for example studying, going to work or even having family duties like a father or mother. In case of everyday life, matures are dealing with a lot of chores and duties. Take the case of a mother for instance, she should have to take care of the house, do the daily chores such as cooking, ironing, cleaning and boring duties like that. Moreover, she has to look after of her child or children too. Considering that she does not have to work like her spouse outside the house. Children’s most important concern would be the size of their bicycle or the number of their toys they possess. Second, as a child your mind is largely free from many things which may cause challenge such as political or financial issues. Furthermore, in that period they tend to make friends much easier unlike teenagers. The things they are looking in a friendship are not materialistic. The purpose of make a link with their peers would not be for using them in further critical situations. They simply make friends to play with each other or to share their toys. Beside mentioned points, their needs are not much complicated. They would become easily happy by giving them a notebook and bunch of color pencils as if they are given a luxury car or a high-ranked position in a company. In conclusion, I consider the childhood time as the most memorable and happiest for everyone mostly because at that age, our expectations from life and other people around us are very simple and would not cause anyone trouble.

Manhunt: Rhyme and War

Poetry Essay: Manhunt How does Simon Armitage display the impact that war can have upon a relationship within ‘Manhunt’? Simon Armitage displays the impact that war can have upon a relationship by using a large range of methods to make the poem interesting. The first technique that he uses is ambiguity. He uses this in the title ‘Manhunt’. Its metaphoric meaning is about the relationship between the man and his wife and how she tries to find her husband again after the war has taken him away from her. She feels like she has lost him even though he has just returned.The poem is written in first person and from the perspective of the wife to show how she feels about her husband returning back from the war. When Simon uses the phrase â€Å"after the first phase† this implies that this only the beginning of the journey that is about to take place. It also implies that this is a long process and that she is trying to take it step by step. The phrases †Å"and handle and hold†¦and mind and attend†¦and finger and thumb† are like those used in wedding vows only they have been altered so that it shows the vows that she is repeating have changed because her husband has changed.I think it means that she feels like she is marrying her husband again because he is not the same and she is getting to know him again after the impact of war and the long time apart. There is a constant repetition of the words â€Å"only then† which tells us how long this journey was taking. It puts emphasis on time that this takes and shows us that though the poem is short; the journey being told took much longer. It also shows us how restricted their relationship had become as it is no longer as free as it was before her husband returned.The phrase â€Å"Only then would he let me† shows us that her husband is very reluctant to her coming close to him. He does not want her to feel the hurt and the pain that he is feeling. He feels l ike he has let his wife down. The lines â€Å"and feel the hurt of his grazed heart† are short and this brings out the intensity and the words. The word ‘grazed’ is more than just physical as it has been grazed emotionally as well. I think it shows us how extreme the impact of the war has been on the relationship as it has hurt him in more ways than one.The phrase â€Å"bind the struts† is used to make it seem like a ladder and it seems to me like these words are used to dehumanise him. This technique is also used in the phrase â€Å"punctured lung† as though he is not human anymore. The war has had such an impact on this man that he is no longer human, even to someone as important as wife who knows him so well. It shows how negative the impact of war can be on relationships. The structure of the poem is quite simple. It is written in couplets which signify that they are a couple and it highlights the intensity of their relationship.Armitage uses en jambment where the lines run on in parallel of ‘frozen river’ which shows the depths of his pain and the wife’s attempt to explore those depths. The rhyme scheme of the poem is AABBCDEFGHIJKLMNOPPQRSTUV. There are some rhymes in the poem but there are more half-rhymes. This is an irregular rhyme scheme and it signifies that as the rhymes are broken, so is their relationship. The phrase â€Å"the parachute silk† is a metaphor and shows us just how delicate this man is after war has changed his life, his body and his relationship with his wife.It also shows us how tentative his wife is and how careful she has to be when she is with him. In the last line of the poem there are two commas used and this is a technique used to elongate the sentence and show how slow the journey is. It shows us the journey is slowing down and how the whole process is not very fast at all and though we can not be sure of the time span of which all this happened over we can be sure that it was very long. The phrase â€Å"scarring back to its source† uses the method of sibilance where the sound of the words is very sinister and it sounds very eerie.The phrase â€Å"sweating, unexploded mine† shows us that the word unexploded gives it the potential to explode. It shows us that the impact of war has a lasting effect. It also shows us that though it hasn’t exploded the journey for the wife could take even longer than expected if the worst might possibly not have come yet. The repetition of the word ‘and’ shows us how repetitive the wife’s mission is to fine her husband because she is going over the same steps continuously and it might take much more time than she wishes it would.

Punctuality in the Military Essay

Punctuality in a military environment is crucial as it enables tasks to be completed, and allows leaders to conduct accountability, PCCs and PCIs for particular operations. Also, depending on the severity or how often a soldier conducts the offense, being late can lead to UCMJ action. This essay will provide in some detail the benefits of being punctual as well as note possible consequences. On a small scale, being punctual for formations and general points of duty allows leaders to ensure accountability for their soldiers, address notes and tasks for the day, and promotes organization within the unit. In a larger picture, everyone’s responsibilities for the day are dependent on the entire unit to be where they need to be at the appropriate time. For example, in the event of a company going to the range the armor has to be available to open the arms room to issue the weapons as leaders need ample time to take accountability of their soldiers and to thoroughly conduct pre-comba t checks and pre-combat inspections. Support units are obligated to arrive on time due to their responsibility to provide ammunition and transportation. Something as simple as the armor being late can cause a domino effect for the entire mission. Repeated tardiness can cause a lot of issues for the unit but it more than likely can severely impact the soldier making the offense. Leaders may choose to annotate events of tardiness in the service members counseling packet. If the soldier has received enough counseling’s, or if a single event is severe, then the leader can push for administrative action such as filing for an Article 15. A soldier who is late can be charged with violation to multiple punitive articles prescribed in the UCMJ: Article. 86. Absence without leave Any member of the armed forces who, without authority— (1) fails to go to his appointed place of duty at the time prescribed; (2) goes from that place; or (3) absents himself or remains absent from his unit, organization, or place of duty at which he is required to be at the time prescribed; shall be punished as a court-martial may direct. Article 87. Missing movement Any person subject to this chapter who through neglect or design misses the movement of a ship, aircraft, or unit with which he is required in the  course of duty to move shall be punished as a court-martial may direct. Article 92. Failure to obey order or regulation Any person subject to this chapter who— (1) violates or fails to obey any lawful general order or regulation; (2) having knowledge of any other lawful order issued by a member of the armed forces, which it is his duty to obey, fails to obey the order; or (3) is derelict in the performance of his duties; shall be punished as a court-martial may direct. Granted, some situations aren’t as severe as other but being late is something that can become a reoccurring issue should it be left to become a habit. A habit like that can lead a soldier to being late for something that is truly serious, like missing movement for deployment or real-world mission. In a situation like that, lateness is a serious offense and can the leave the soldier with heavy consequences. Being late, should it become a chronic problem, can also severely impact a soldier’s professional development. Not only by having adverse effects within his development in the unit but when it comes to being looked at for schools or professional progression. A good leader is not going to recommend a soldier for Warrior Leaders Course or any tab school if he can’t trust the soldier to be on time. At WLC here on Fort Carson, if you are inexcusably late once then you are not eligible for Commandant’s List even if you have the highest GPA in the academy. If you are late a second time then you can be removed from the academy, if not removed then you can be written a marginal 1059 and with that any soldier looking to the Army as a career will have a difficult, if not impossible, time getting promoted. In a situation like that, it becomes a wasted effort for the academy, or any other NCOES school, a waste and embarrassment for the unit and the leader that recommended the soldier in the first place. That is time and money being spent on a soldier that may have been seen as having potential to being a great leader but because something as simple as being on time put him in the position to be kicked out then he is stuck either having to redo the course, granted if he gets another opportunity depending on his leaders or the unit. From what I have learned from talking to a senior soldier, there was a point where if a soldier got kicked out of a NCOES school for being late then he is put onto the bottom of the waiting list and most don’t get a second chance at the course. I personally may not  be staying in the Army but I still have months before I am out the door. I still need to abide by the Army standard so that I do not either develop bad habits that can hinder my professional development in the civilian sector nor cause myself to be in trouble as I work towards beginning my transition out of the service. There are ways I can help myself to always be on time, for instance, I can make sure that my alarm is set and is loud enough so I don’t sleep through it. I can set myself enough time in the morning so I don’t have to rush out the door and I have enough of a buffer in the event traffic at the gate decides it’s going to be extra bad one particular morning. If, by all means, I have done everything to prevent myself from being late and the situation still puts me in the position, I am to notify my leadership well before my appointed time.

Writing Prompt Essay

Writing Prompt Essay Writing Prompt Essay Writing Prompt #5 Music is one of the most important elements of a motion picture. Identify one of your favorite movies, and describe a scene that is enhances by the music. One of my favorite movies is Finding Nemo. Music enhances most of the movie, but the one that sticks out to me the most is when Nemo’s mom killed by a swordfish along with all of Nemo’s siblings. An orchestra plays the music very softly to add the effects and helps the viewers understand the trauma and sadness of that part. Music is a very important part of my life because it explains the story without any words. In motion picture, music is a key part because it sets the mood, the tone, the atmosphere, and it gets you fall into the setting. I know when I watch a movie, I use music to help me find out what going to happen next because music gives you clues. In Finding Nemo, music takes place throughout the whole music to set a mood that changes throughout the story. For example, a scene that pops ou t to me the most is when Nemo’s mom dies because even though it is a sad part, the music is very dramatic. It makes you understand the full pain that Nemo and his father are going through but also filling the viewer wonder what is going to happen to Nemo. Music is a very important part of everything in life. A movie is one of the many, many examples on why music is a mandatory part of every movie. Music makes a movie interesting. I tested this theory by watching Finding Nemo without the

Biography of Jesse Owens

Biography of Jesse Owens Free Online Research Papers Born in rural Oakville, Alabama, a track star that changed the way people in this world think was born. In this quote, Jesse Owens stated: â€Å"To me, we must learn to spell the word RESPECT. We must respect the rights and properties of our fellowman. And then learn to play the game of life, as well as the game of athletics, according to the rules of society. If you can take that and put it into practice in the community in which you live, then, to me you have won the greatest championship.† In that quote, Owens meant that if you can respect others, learn to be fair, accept the challenges in life as well as athletics, and put it in your life somehow, you can achieve your dream. Jesse Owens achieved the impossible. From the struggle of Segregation, with the lack of money, and the brutality of others, Owens accomplished something that even the luckiest can not do. He went to the Nazi Germany Olympics in front of thousands of racist people, including Adolph Hitler, and took home four gold medals. Jesse Owens proved to the world not only that blacks are equal to any race, or that blacks can be world-class athletes, but also anyone can achieve their dreams. Jesse Owens had a life no one could imagine, yet he still had a way of stopping to tread water and swam to shore. He had to have hope, determination, pride, and right judgments, to make it through. Jesse Owens’s life was hard to picture. From the brutality to blacks in the south, his family had escaped from. Jesse Owens was a descendent of slaves in the south. His parents were very poor sharecroppers in Alabama. They lived in a very tiny unheated house. Owens was the youngest of his six brothers and sisters. When Jesse was very young, his family decided to move to the north, to find a better job to feed the family and stay strong. After his school days, he even had to work to help his family stay afloat with money. In other words, he had to work so that his family can be stable financially. Jesse Owens married his high school sweetheart Ruth. Together they made three daughters, Gloria, Beverly, and Marlene. She has helped him in many ways, and his daughters gave him true insp iration. Through all the hard times he had, he still manage to tie world records when he was in high school. In college, at the Big Ten Championships, Owens was not suppose to compete due to a back injury. Undergoing some therapy, Owens pleaded the coach to let him compete, stating that he feel fine. Under the span of forty five minutes, Jesse Owens broke four world records. The 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, Germany, was a very controversial event to the world. Especially, for Jesse Owens. In the Olympics at Nazi Germany, Adolf Hitler decided that all his Aryan people were higher ranked than others. Hitler felt that will promote his racial supremacy. The United States was thinking to boycott the Olympic games but other athletes think that the even should not be a political reflection. (Official Olympic Committee) Hitler kept on promoting that his Aryan track stars will defeat the United States. Jesse Owens proved him wrong. Owens won four gold medals, four record in the one-hundred and two-hundred meter dashes, long jump, and the four-hundred meter relay. (â€Å"American Decades†) Surprisingly the medals did not give him money, but gave his attention. German crowds were cheering for Owens instead of their own athletes. They were cheering for Jesse, because of the fact that he is a minority, who has been put down so many times, but won all his events and still be humble about it. He defeated German athlete Lutz Long, Lutz Long was the favored of Hitler. Hitler assumed that Long would be the star athlete. Remarkably, Lutz became very good friends with Owens. Hitler had snubbed Owens at the award ceremony. Owens did not say a single world, but smiled and shrugged. On the very top of the podium, he gave an American salute, as other Germans gave the Nazi salute. â€Å"Although I was not invited to shake hands with Hitler, I was not invited to the White House to shake hands with the President either.†( â€Å"think exist†) That quote from Jesse Owens proved that even though he defeated his country’s rival and that he was an Olympic champ, he was not appreciated in his own country. Owens was looked as a role model because of his desire to help the community. Jesse Owens worked with children all around the globe. He treats kids as if they were his own. From helping them with education, athletics, with social and emotional problems, he was there for them. From the south side of Chicago to the streets of Berlin, Owens was glad and honored to help the children. He believes that kids are the future, and each one has the ability to change the world. (Schaap 62) Jesse Owens did not help children because of media or money but from the purity of his heart. Jesse Owens was the member of the Southside Boys Club in Chicago, Illinois. Owens who was the member of board directors, helped kids in poor areas to stay out of trouble. He made them focus on education and athletics. Jesse Owens was remember by his motivational speeches. He talked them about having hope in times where you might not have any. He made most of them on Goodwill tours. By his own words he made sparkles in people’s eyes and the desire to strive for their dreams. Owens designed the Junior Olympic Games for youngsters in Chicago between the ages of twelve and seventeen. (Bourgoin) It included sports from swimming to track and field. He knew that by creating this organization, it would make it even more possible for children to realize they can do anything they want. He also knew that this would make a goal for kids to pursue into their achievements. When Owens turned professional in some ways he still helped his community in various ways. In Europe he was asked to race professionally. He went all around the European countries, thinking he would get paid.(Jesse Owens Foundation) Until he had realized this was all a scam. Jesse Owens ran a couple of races against cars, horses and motorcycles. He even ran with baseball players but giving them a head start before beating them. From his expedition of professional racing he could afford to pay his tuition at Ohio State University. After his college graduation, he became a partner in a dry cleaning business but the business became bankrupted later on. In the 1940s, Owens was in huge debt and had three daughters to care for, so he became the director of Physical Education for Negroes, which brought him back to his feet. Later on, he became a personnel director for minority employment. A public relations firm was created by Jesse Owens. He was becoming a legendary speaker at business and professional conventions. Owens inspired the hopeless to have hope, gave them the chance to see what is really inside of people. He became in hot water when he was opposing a black American boycott for the Olympics. People has nicked his name as â€Å"Uncle Tom† and a kiss up to white people. Angered by the reaction of people, he made a book called Blackthink, he later became more of an activist and published, I Have Changed. Owens has not been recognized and appreciated until his late years of his life. Owens was shocked to realize that no one really appreciated what he had done for his country till many years later. Until forty years after he won medals, Owens was invited to the white house to accept a Presidential medal of Freedom from Gerald Ford. The award is given to people who made a change and promotes world peace. That is exactly what Jesse Owens did. Jimmy Carter honored Owens two years later with the Living Legend Award. The Living Legend award is given to artists, entertainers, writers, as well as athletes that promote diversity and contribute to the United States. The most significant honor that Jesse could ever get was ten years after his death, with the Congressional Gold medal. The Congressional award is given to an to an individual who performs an outstanding deed or act of service to the security, prosperity, and national interest of the United States.(â€Å"Congressional Gold Medalâ₠¬ ) After many years of Jesse Owens’ hard work has paid off, even until after his death. Jesse Owens health worsens when he just started to get respect and appreciation. As a long time smoker, Jesse Owens had developed lung cancer. (McConnell) He went to all hospitals that will get him the best treatment. He later got out of the Phoenix hospital and moved to Chicago. After his death, he was buried in Chicago at March 31st, 1980. Jesse Owens had many significant memories but most of his life their was unfairness. He was born into a poor family, he also helped children., and competed in the Olympics. Also, he was never honored until later on in his life. The Modern world can benefit from Jesse Owens by not talking how good you are but showing how good you are. People today are very self centered and cocky, and one thing leads to another. Owens’ examples can change that. Jesse Owens inspired many people’s life back then, and inspired many today. Owens, Jesse (1913-1980). Encyclopedia of World Biography. Suzanne M. Bourgoin. 2nd ed. Detroit: Gale Research, 1998. Student Resource Center Gold. Gale. PLAINFIELD NORTH HIGH SCHOOL. 6 Feb. 2008 . Owens, Jesse (1913-1980). American Decades. McConnell, Tandy. Online ed. Detroit: Gale, 2003. Student Resource Center Gold. Gale. PLAINFIELD NORTH HIGH SCHOOL. 6 Feb. 2008 . Owens, Jesse (1913-1980). Discovering Multicultural America. Online ed. Detroit: Gale, 2003. Student Resource Center Gold. Gale. PLAINFIELD NORTH HIGH SCHOOL. 6 Feb. 2008 . Schaap, Jeremy. â€Å"Triumph: The Untold Story of Jesse Owens and Hitler’s Olympics.† Forward Association. New York. January 19, 2007 The Jesse Owens Foundation. Who is Jesse Owens. 1999-2000. Official Olympic Committee. â€Å"Berlin 1936†. 2008 Research Papers on Biography of Jesse OwensAppeasement Policy Towards the Outbreak of World War 2Hip-Hop is Art19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraComparison: Letter from Birmingham and CritoThe Hockey GamePersonal Experience with Teen PregnancyStandardized TestingCapital PunishmentWhere Wild and West MeetAssess the importance of Nationalism 1815-1850 Europe

Culture - Definition, Discussion and Examples

Culture s Culture is a term that refers to a large and diverse set of mostly intangible aspects of social life. According to sociologists, culture consists of the values, beliefs, systems of language, communication, and practices that people share in common and that can be used to define them as a collective. Culture also includes the material objects that are common to that group or society. Culture is distinct from social structure and economic aspects of society, but it is connected to them - both continuously informing them and being informed by them. How Sociologists  Define Culture Culture is one of the most important concepts within sociology because sociologists recognize that it plays a crucial role in our social lives. It is important for shaping social relationships, maintaining and challenging social order, determining how we make sense of the world and our place in it, and in shaping our everyday actions and experiences in society. It is composed of both non-material and material things. In brief, sociologists define the non-material aspects of culture as the values and beliefs, language, communication, and practices that are shared in common by a group of people. Expanding on these categories, culture is made up of our knowledge, common sense, assumptions, and expectations. It is also the rules, norms, laws, and morals that govern society; the words we use as well as how we speak and write them (what sociologists call discourse); and the symbols we use to express meaning, ideas, and concepts (like traffic signs and emojis, for example). Culture is also what we do and how we behave and perform (for example, theater and dance). It informs and is encapsulated in how we walk, sit, carry our bodies, and interact with others; how we behave depending on the place, time, and audience; and how we express identities of race, class, gender, and sexuality, among others. Culture also includes the collective practices we participate in, such as religious ceremonies, the celebrati on of secular holidays, and attending sporting events. Material culture is composed of the things that humans make and use. This aspect of culture includes a wide variety of things, from buildings, technological gadgets, and clothing, to film, music, literature, and art, among others. Aspects of material culture are more commonly referred to as cultural products. Sociologists see the two sides of culture - the material and non-material - as intimately connected. Material culture emerges from and is shaped by the non-material aspects of culture. In other words, what we value, believe, and know (and what we do together in everyday life) influences the things that we make. But it is not a one-way relationship between material and non-material culture. Material culture can also influence the non-material aspects of culture. For example, a powerful documentary film (an aspect of material culture) might change people’s attitudes and beliefs (i.e. non-material culture). This is why cultural products tend to follow patterns. What has come before in terms of music, film, television, and art, for example, influences the values, beliefs, and expectations of those who interact with them, which then, in turn, influence the creation of additional cultural products. Why Culture Matters to Sociologists Culture is important to sociologists because it plays a significant and important role in the production of social order. The social order refers to the stability of society based on the collective agreement to rules and norms that allow us to cooperate, function as a society, and live together (ideally) in peace and harmony. For sociologists, there are both good and bad aspects of social order. Rooted in the theory of classical French sociologist Émile Durkheim, both material and non-material aspects of culture are valuable in that they hold society together. The values, beliefs, morals, communication, and practices that we share in common provide us with a shared sense of purpose and a valuable collective identity. Durkheim revealed through his research that when people come together to participate in rituals, they reaffirm the culture they hold in common, and in doing so, strengthen the social ties that bind them together. Today, sociologists see this important social phenomenon happening not only in religious rituals and celebrations like (some) weddings and the Indian festival of Holi but also in secular ones - such as high school dances and widely-attended, televised sporting events (for example, the Super Bowl and March Madness). Famous Prussian social theorist and activist Karl Marx established the critical approach to culture in the social sciences. According to Marx, it is in the realm of non-material culture that a minority is able to maintain unjust power over the majority. He reasoned that subscribing to mainstream values, norms, and beliefs keep people invested in unequal social systems that do not work in their best interests, but rather, benefit the powerful minority. Sociologists today see Marxs theory in action in the way that most people in capitalist societies buy into the belief that success comes from hard work and dedication, and that anyone can live a good life if they do these things - despite the reality that a job which pays a living wage is increasingly hard to come by. Both theorists were right about the role that culture plays in society, but neither was  exclusively  right. Culture can be a force for oppression and domination, but it can also be a force for creativity, resistance, and liberation. It is also a deeply important aspect of human social life and social organization. Without it, we would not have relationships or society.