Techonology Essays - Distance Education, Educational Technology

Techonology The best method for improving educational standards is to utilize every tool available, including state-of-the-art technology. Computers and the Internet have expanded the way in which information can be delivered to the students of today. Today's networking technologies provide a valuable opportunity to practice new learning techniques. Educators are discovering that computers are facilitating learning. Computer based communications, or Telecommunications, can offer many educational opportunities; therefore, educators will need to adapt current teaching methods to incorporate this new media into the classroom. Computers have made a fundamental impact in most industries, providing a competitive advantage that has come to be essential to many businesses. Therefore, schools must also use technology to improve the educational process. School systems often consider purchasing a computer network, and justify its purchase by applying it to routine administrative tasks, such as attendance records and grading. While these tasks are very important, they only show a small part of what technology can do for a school. Technology must go further than simply keeping attendance; it must focus on keeping students interested and productive. Since computers and the Internet have expanded in such a way in which education can be delivered to students, it is currently possible to engage in distance education through the Internet. Distance education involves audio and video links between teachers and students in remote areas. Video conferencing allows groups to communicate with each other. Desktop video conferencing promises to bring students together from geographic and cultural distances, face to face via computer. Not only will the teacher talk to the students, but the students will be able to interact with each other. This will make students more interested and fascinated with learning. Not only does the Internet and video conferencing help education, but new programs designed for educational purposes are being developed. Dictionaries, encyclopedias and atlases that a student can access from his own computer can be a definite advantage. For example, instead of looking for a particular country and simply finding out where it is in a regular atlas, that can type in the name of that country, and not only will they find out where it is faster, but they will obtain more information about that particular country. Instead of having volumes and volumes of heavy encyclopedias, technology has enabled companies to place all of these massive books onto one small CD. This CD is much simpler than the unpleasant job of flipping page by page just to read about an uninteresting topic, such as history. Writing reports on a type-writer was a displeasing method to write term papers; especially if that student runs out of white-out. Certain programs offer a spell-checker, thesaurus, and other helpful features, which make writing that term-paper easier. These particular programs are only a few of the educational resources available to students. Most educational boards should be open to any new idea that technology has to offer. It would not be fair for a student in a particular city to receive a better education than another student in a different city. Technology is not meant to replace teachers, but is there to serve students to make tedious tasks easier. Therefore, this technology should be available to every student, wherever they may live. In doing this, it not only needs the support of teachers and educators, but it also requires support from communities. However, technology can not work by itself. Teachers must take a position in designing a tech-powered classroom curriculum, devoting time to become familiar with the new available resources. Technology can also improve writing with the use of new word processing programs that provide easy to use tools that are not normally available in the classroom. Technology is able to help students in a variety of ways. By making learning more enjoyable, students will want to learn and will not see education as such a difficult responsibility. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Education

How to Choose Best Writing Services

How to Choose Best Writing Services Students Choose Best Writing Services The end of a term is near and you are in dire need of dozens of assignments to be done on time. Every day you think that 24 hours a day is not enough for you to deal with all the tasks, presentations, essay, etc. You are constantly burning midnight oil, but you are out of energy and ideas, then you need to find another way out. Take a minute and think of a neat solution to this issue. Yes, it can be solved with one click the â€Å"Order Now† button. Submit a request on and get an affordable paper within limited time frames. is a friend in need for thousands of students all around the world. We are a writing service that knows how to do deliver original and non-plagiarized papers on time. Students highly appreciate our team of expert writers. They know how to impress a teacher with an essay. The affordable essay can be ordered on , do not waste your precious time on this, ask an expert for help. Cheap Does Not Mean Bad Quality provides services for a lower price. Still, this is enough for us to pay our professional writers and not to resell the orders. The lower price does not mean that cheap paper writing is bad. Our company employs only holders of Master’s degree or PhD, who have minimum 2 years of experience working as an essay writer and come from the UK, the USA, Canada or Australia. Every candidate who wants to take a position of the writer should be a native speaker. Except for this, we ask the candidates to pass tests in grammar and vocabulary. Being a native speaker is not enough: a person should have perfect writing skills to be able to complete various scholar assignments. Affordable essay writing service gives students a chance to pay more attention to the subjects of their prior interest. You can master skills that are essential for your professional future, let us do the rest. Place An Order Within Minutes provides cheap writing service and lets you place an order really quickly. â€Å"Order Now† is a page where you should fill in your personal information and list all the requirements to the essay. Please do not forget to state the deadline and attach additional materials. This is crucial requirement, as a writer should see the whole picture and write an essay as wanted. The next step is to make a payment. The modes of payment and all the details are stated here. We give students a chance to get an affordable paper in the agreed time frame. Surprise your teacher with profound thoughts and original ideas. We give a 100% guarantee to deliver you a plagiarism free paper. So, if you still cannot make up your mind, take into account that you will get not only affordable essay on , but also a discount on the next order. Make your student’s life a little bit easier with our help. Our experts will do the best for you to get the highest grades for essays. Take chances, nothing is impossible in a modern world. Maybe you will spend some money but save enormous amount of time. In case you have any question, please contact our support team.

Father Junipero Serra's view on The Ohlone Way Essay

Father Junipero Serra's view on The Ohlone Way - Essay Example . Therefore, I humbly request Your Excellency to treat my Report with utmost secrecy. The name of the book is The Ohlone Way : Life in the San Francisco- Montrrey Bay Area .The authors are Malcolm Margolin, and Michael Harney The latter has also illustrated the book , which is a slim volume of only 174 pages divided into four parts. The authors start by giving the various Indian tribes such as Sioux, the Novajo and others a single name â€Å"Ohlone† The first part of the volume is dedicated to describing the Bay area as we know it now. Without thanking or mentioning our Savior even once, they describe a land of plenty.. The plentiful animal and aquatic life of the area seems to have vanished. at the time the book is written ,two hundred years hence. They write with regret about the wild geese and ducks which are so abundant now that they rise with a noise of thunder at a gunshot. About the grizzly bears, which our Spanish people catch for use in the reprehensible practice of Bear-and –Bull fight they say, â€Å"Today there is not a single grizzly left in all of California† (p.8) Their writings show a sympathy for wild animals, birds and aquatic animals which have been created by the Almighty God solely to serve man in his quest for salvation. More than the animals, it is the life of the savages whom the authors call â€Å"Ohlones† which shocks one. The Ohlones , as we already know, are a depraved people, who commit the cardinal sin of worshipping spirits of animals. According to the authors, â€Å"But their intimate knowledge of animals did not lead to conquest, nor familiarity breed contempt.† The Ohlones sing and dance at all times, living a life of pleasure, forgetting the next world which awaits them. .Instead of suffering for the sake of the Lord, they enjoy themselves in this world, without a care for the other world. The authors of the book are corrupted by the Devil. Although they have good,

Designing and implemlenting an evaluation of the quality of yur Lab Report

Designing and implemlenting an evaluation of the quality of yur clinical teaching - Lab Report Example It is also worth noting that teacher evaluation exercises should focus on teaching practices rather than on individual teachers. To focus on professionalism in the teaching industry and in individual teachers, evaluations should consider the responsiveness and the involvement of others in such exercises. The key processes or stages in a teaching evaluation exercise include planning, preparation, observation, data collection, reporting, and follow-up. Notwithstanding the approaches used in teacher evaluation, these exercises should form an integral of the larger strategy education and teacher improvement. The other important part of teacher evaluation is its being dialogical rather than hierarchical. Teacher evaluation is not a preserve of the education industry; instead, other industries such as nursing also require teacher evaluation exercises as nurses require continual training and refresher course. Evaluation of clinical teaching with regards to student learning and competency is quite instrumental in giving teachers, administrators and employers of training programs an overview of the quality of the teaching and learning practices of those involved. However, that clinical teacher should also be evaluated makes it necessary for those concerned to design and implement various teaching evaluation policies and approaches. The design and the implementation of clinical teaching evaluation tools is thus quite a crucial undertaking in nursing and other types of clinical education. This paper designs and implements a nursing teaching evaluation for the employer, detailing the approaches used in the evaluation and changes suitable for improving future nursing teaching. Nursing Teaching Evaluation and Improvement There are several reasons for which the undertaken nursing teaching evaluation was conducted. First, nursing teaching evaluation helps employers and administrators to gauge the effectiveness of teaching personnel, thus contributing to informed and wise decis ion making in clinical educational institutions. One method by which the nursing teaching evaluation was done is the use of student evaluators. It is often recommended that administrators and employers assess the evaluation tools used on their reliability, relevance and validity. In this nursing practice evaluation, the development process and psychometric testing for clinical and educational evaluation of teaching were applied. Since the students were required to fill without feeling their time was being wasted, the evaluation instruments had to be relatively short. The instruments were quite useful in meeting the reasons for which evaluation is such an important part of nursing and nursing education. The first aim of the evaluation was to determine whether the educational interventions used are effective in assisting learners to achieve the expected outcomes. Just in the same way as students are constantly assessed to determine their progress, so should nursing teachers. A five-ev aluator program, which is a rather accurate and valid evaluation approach critical in the education of competent professional nurses, was used in the nursing teaching evaluation. The evaluators included educators, students, peers, administrators and heads of programs and/or departments such as pediatric, health, administration, medical-surgical, psychiatric. However,

Importance of Planning in Childcare Environment

Importance of Planning in Childcare Environment Vanessa Clare Every child is born unique; they have their own characteristics, personalities and interest. They developes at different rates, but do follow a similar development pattern, i.e. one child may begin to walk 9 months whereas another child may not begin to walk until they are 17-18 months. There may be many factors that also come into the equation when a child is developing, i.e. If a child is born premature or at term, if the child has any special educational needs or other disabilities which a child needs extra support for, weather there has been any long or short term illness, and the environment that the child is in, this includes the Childs social environment, also stress. A Childs growth and development is influenced by their learning and their influenced by the people and the environment around them. The EYFS document Development matters show the four themes that the Eyfs underpin all guidance, these are:- A unique child + positive relationships + enabling environments = learning and developments. When planning for a child it is best to get as much information on the child as possible, ask parents for information, as they are putting their most treasured procession in the safety of your care. Observe the childs free play to find out their likes, dislikes, strengths weaknesses, where you can support the child in their learning and environment. Anylise your finding using the four themes, principles and practice from the Development matters document. This helps to find out where a child is on their learning path, consider ways to strengthen their current learning development, showing guidance from positive relationships and enabling environments so that you can plan for the Childs learning and developments to fit their needs. As a practioner you will get to know each of your key children and will find other ways to work with the child alongside their planning. By following the planning, observations, assessment triangles you gain understanding of the Childs actual stage of develo pment, their interest and their particular needs , it will stop the you from planning activates and resources that may be too hard or easy for the child, or that the child does not find interesting. Activities that are too hard can negatively affect their confidence and self esteem, as they will not feel able to do it. Activities that are too easy will not hold their attention and they will lose interest quickly. By doing the observation, analysing and planning triangle it helps constantly review the Childs progress and share with the parents as required by the EYSF at two points, the prime areas between 24 and 36 months of age and at the end of the EYFS in the EYFS profiles. The EYFS breaks down the areas of learning into prime areas and specific areas, Prime areas are fundamental, work together, and move through to support development in all other areas Personal, social and emotional development Communication and language Physical development Specific areas include essential skills and knowledge for children to participate successfully in society Literacy Mathematics Understanding the world Expressive arts and design When planning activities you need to make sure that you are meeting all the children’s individual needs and requirements so the children are all treated equally. Putting into practice the equal opportunities which are essential. Equality, the practice of treating every on equally Diversity the practice of recognising and valuing individual characteristics and differences Inclusion an approach that makes sure that all children can participate to a full extent within their environment. A worldwide document that governs equal opportunities for all children is â€Å"The National Convention on the Right of the Child† this document outlines all basic human rights that all children are entitled to. All early years setting practitoners must follow this convention and empower the children in their care. The world made a promise to children nearly 25 years ago â€Å"that we would do every in or power to protect and promote their right to survive and thieve, to learn and grow, to make their voices heard and reach their full potential.† The convention defines a child as a person below the age of 18, unless the laws of a particular countries has set the legal age for adulthood younger. Young children often don’t realise that they have rights so it is up to adults to make sure that they know that they do, one of the rights relevant is the right for all children to have their views and opinions listened to and their best interest at heart. The EYSF requires all setting providers to have implemented a policy and procedures to promote the equality of opportunity of children in their care, and show support for children with special educational needs and disabilities. This policy should also cover how the individual needs of all the children will be met. All staff should have read and have understanding of their settings equal opportunities polices. All children should be given the same concern and attention and not all treated the same as this can be discriminating against them. A setting and their staff should provide an inclusive environment as this will challenge discrimination which will help to build a positive environment where children and their families will feel respected and valued, making them want to return. The equality act 2010 replaced all existing equality legislations and is in place protect individuals from discrimination. If children are discriminated against it can cause them to become withdrawn and could affect their development by causing delays. There are many ways that children could discriminate against, a few of these are due to their gender, social class, physical appearance, race and culture, it will lower their self esteem and confidence and they will start to question their beliefs. You must treat everyone the same no matter what their gender culture etc. This does not just apply to the children but to their families too. Any one working with children has to challenge their own views and beliefs and not show any prejudices to any of the children or their families so they want to return to the setting. To make a setting welcoming to children and their families welcome signs should be in multiple languages, staff should have a smile and a positive greeting when children a nd their families enter the setting, this creates a happy environment, learning a few words in the children’s own language helps build strong relationships. Support children in their own choices, when it comes to cultural /religious celebration these should be in place whether a child of that religion / culture is in the setting or not, ask for people that are from that culture or religion to come in and help promote to a higher standard so that the children get a fuller picture of the culture / religion or festival. Help children to feel they can come and talk, encourage children to build on their unique character and feel comfortable in themselves, helping them feel positive about their background which in turn will help them gain emotional well-being. By promoting good diversity children will be more accepting of other who are different from themselves. Children trust the adults that look after them to keep them safe and love them as do their parents as they are giving their most precious prize possession to look after and keep safe and happy .part of caring for a unique child is promoting their well-being , making them feel safe and secure in their environment. Key workers are essential as a first point of contact for the unique child and their family. The key worker spends time on a one to one with the child getting to know the needs of the child supporting them as they learn to spend time without their parents, and learning all about their interest, the key worker also helps support the parent in talking to them about the routines and likes and dislikes and aiming to follow them. Setting need to be set out for the children’s age and developmental stage, making sure that the environment is appropriate and safe for the children. Staffs ratios are a legal requirement, in the age group 0-24 months the ratios are one member of staff to every three children, from 24-36 months the ratio is one staff member four children and from 36-60 the children are more independent and have a greater knowledge of their own safety so the ration is one staff member to eight children, at this age children should be given rules, boundaries and activities that get the children to listen. Road safety Stanger danger awareness to personal safety should also be introduced at this age. As children grow they can be given the chance to learn about keeping safe themselves, encourage the child in making decisions give the child the power to say no if don’t want to join in. Promoting independence is an important part of growing and learning and becoming a unique child. And environment should be set out in an appropriate manner for the child. I.e a child of 0-12 months will need the toys in reach so they can chose themselves as they become mobile the environment should be set out so resources are at the child’s height and they can get them easily. A choice of healthy snack should be offered, from 12-24 months the environment should be accessible to the child and they should be voicing opinions which should be listened too, from 24-36 months children should be choosing what they want to play with, communicating is getting better and children should be having their opinions asked and listened to they should be continuing to help set up and tidy away to promot e independence and help with children following rules and boundaries. From 36-60 months children should enjoying independent choices they should be involved in the setting playing and communicating, ask the children what they would like to play with involving them in setting out their environment, at the same time setting boundaries. Setting should following the children’s act 1989 which promotes empowerment for children, making sure that they are involved in decisions that can affect their well being. Making sure that the children’s feelings and opinions are listened to, making sure that individual needs for the children and families are met, that children have their race, culture, language and religion are valued and respected and making sure that the well-being is of paramount importance. By using all of these when working with children you come to learn that all children are unique and by meeting all of their individual needs you are making sure that they are in a happy safe environment where they can grow and learn at their own pace feeling confident at doing so with the all the love support and resources that they need to do so. By meeting the unique Childs individual needs will help the child in five of the â€Å"Every Child Matters† outcomes. In staying safe, being healthy, enjoying and achieving, making positive contributions and achieving economic well-being.

HOLOCAUST Essay -- Essays Papers

HOLOCAUST As tensions mounted up until the point of World War II and the war stormed through Europe, another battle silently raged. Not only did Hitler and the Nazi party wage war on countries throughout Europe, they also assaulted and purged entire innocent groups. The Holocaust began in 1933 and reached its height in WW II, while coming to an end with the war in 1945. Hitler used the Holocaust as a mechanism to rid his "racially superior" German state of any "inferior" groups (especially Jews) that would be of some threat or sign of inferiority to Germany. As a result of the Holocaust, millions of men, women, and children of various national, ethnic, and social backgrounds died or had their lives impacted forever. In 1933 Adolph Hitler became the Chancellor of the German government, and he and his Nazi regime came into power. At this time, Hitler also instated the Nazi racial ideology. These ideas emphasized that the Germans or Aryan race was superior to the non-Aryan peoples who were not part of the German heritage. Those who were not racially pure were on different levels. Most Slavic individuals were considered "subhuman" as were those who led unconventional lifestyles or were physically or mentally impaired. At the bottom of the list were the Jews who were considered to be a non- human race. The Holocaust began in the year of 1933. Although it effected diverse groups, the Jews received most of the abuse from the Holocaust. In 1933, there were approximately nine million Jews living in the 21 countries that would be occupied by Hitler and the Nazis during WW II ( The Holocaust). Hitler s... ...gled them into neutral territory. By the end of World War II approximately six million Jews were killed in the Holocaust, along with hundreds of thousands of Slavs and 250,000 mentally and physically handicapped. The Holocaust left many innocent slaughtered and those who escaped with a lasting imprint of oppression and murder. The impressions of the Holocaust continue to effect these groups and our societal outlook even today. WORKS CITED - Bartoszewski, W. The Warsaw Ghetto. Boston: Beacon Press, 1987. - Bauer, Y. A History of the Holocaust. New York: Franklin, 1976. - Fleming, G. Hitler and the Final Solution. Berkley: University California Press, 1982. - The Holocaust: An Historical Summary. http://www.ushmm.org/misc- bin/add. (28 February 1998).

African American Culture Essay

Although slavery greatly restricted the ability of Africans in America to practice their cultural traditions, many practices, values and beliefs survived and over time have incorporated elements of European American culture. There are even certain facets of African American culture that were brought into being or made more prominent as a result of slavery; an example of this is how drumming became used as a means of communication and establishing a community identity during that time. The result is a dynamic, creative culture that has had and continues to have a profound impact on mainstream American culture and on world culture as well. After Emancipation, these uniquely African American traditions continued to grow. They developed into distinctive traditions in music, art, literature, religion, food, holidays, amongst others. While for some time sociologists, such as Gunnar Myrdal and Patrick Moynihan, believed that African Americans had lost most cultural ties with Africa, anthropological field research by Melville Hersovits and others demonstrated that there is a continuum of African traditions among Africans in the New World from the West Indies to the United States. The greatest influence of African cultural practices on European cultures is found below the Mason-Dixon in the southeastern United States, especially in the Carolinas among the Gullah people and in Louisiana. African American culture often developed separately from mainstream American culture because of African Americans’ desire to practice their own traditions, as well as the persistence of racial segregation in America. Consequently African American culture has become a significant part of American culture and yet, at the same time, remains a distinct culture apart from it. History From the earliest days of slavery, slave owners sought to exercise control over their slaves by attempting to strip them of their African culture. The physical isolation and societal marginalization of African slaves and, later, of their free progeny, however, actually facilitated the retention of significant elements of traditional culture among Africans in the New World generally, and in the U. S. in particular. Slave owners deliberately tried to repress political organization in order to deal with the many slave rebellions that took place in the southern United States, Brazil, Haiti, and the Dutch Guyanas. African cultures,slavery,slave rebellions,and the civil rights movements(circa 1800s-160s)have shaped African American religious, familial, political and economic behaviors. The imprint of Africa is evident in myriad ways, in politics, economics, language, music, hairstyles, fashion, dance, religion and worldview, and food preparation methods. In the United States, the very legislation that was designed to strip slaves of culture and deny them education served in many ways to strengthen it. In turn, African American culture has had a pervasive, transformative impact on myriad elements of mainstream American culture, among them language, music, dance, religion, cuisine, and agriculture. This process of mutual creative exchange is called creolization. Over time, the culture of African slaves and their descendants has been ubiquitous in its impact on not only the dominant American culture, but on world culture as well. Oral tradition Slaveholders limited or prohibited education of enslaved African Americans because they believed it might lead to revolts or escape plans. Hence, African-based oral traditions became the primary means of preserving history, morals, and other cultural information among the people. This was consistent with the griot practices of oral history in many African and other cultures that did not rely on the written word. Many of these cultural elements have been passed from generation to generation through storytelling. The folktales provided African Americans the opportunity to inspire and educate one another. Examples of African American folktales include trickster tales of Br’er Rabbit and heroic tales such as that of John Henry. The Uncle Remus stories by Joel Chandler Harris helped to bring African American folk tales into mainstream adoption. Harris did not appreciate the complexity of the stories nor their potential for a lasting impact on society. Characteristics of the African American oral tradition present themselves in a number of forms. African American preachers tend to perform rather than simply speak. The emotion of the subject is carried through the speaker’s tone, volume, and movement, which tend to mirror the rising action, climax, and descending action of the sermon. Often song, dance, verse and structured pauses are placed throughout the sermon. Techniques such as call-and-response are used to bring the audience into the presentation. In direct contrast to recent tradition in other American and Western cultures, it is an acceptable and common audience reaction to interrupt and affirm the speaker. Spoken word is another example of how the African American oral tradition influences modern American popular culture. Spoken word artists employ the same techniques as African American preachers including movement, rhythm, and audience participation. Rap music from the 1980’s and beyond has been seen as an extension of oral culture. Harlem Renaissance [pic] Zora Neale Hurston was a prominent literary figure during the Harlem Renaissance. Main article: Harlem Renaissance The first major public recognition of African American culture occurred during the Harlem Renaissance. In the 1920s and 1930s, African American music, literature, and art gained wide notice. Authors such as Zora Neale Hurston and Nella Larsen and poets such as Langston Hughes, Claude McKay, and Countee Cullen wrote works describing the African American experience. Jazz, swing, blues and other musical forms entered American popular music. African American artists such as William H. Johnson and Palmer Hayden created unique works of art featuring African Americans. The Harlem Renaissance was also a time of increased political involvement for African Americans. Among the notable African American political movements founded in the early 20th century are the United Negro Improvement Association and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. The Nation of Islam, a notable Islamic religious movement, also began in the early 1930s. African American cultural movement The Black Power movement of the 1960s and 1970s followed in the wake of the non-violent American Civil Rights Movement. The movement promoted racial pride and ethnic cohesion in contrast to the focus on integration of the Civil Rights Movement, and adopted a more militant posture in the face of racism. It also inspired a new renaissance in African American literary and artistic expression generally referred to as the African American or â€Å"Black Arts Movement. The works of popular recording artists such as Nina Simone (Young, Gifted and Black) and The Impressions (Keep On Pushin’), as well as the poetry, fine arts and literature of the time, shaped and reflected the growing racial and political consciousness. Among the most prominent writers of the African American Arts Movement were poet Nikki Giovanni; poet and publisher Don L. Lee, who later becam e known as Haki Madhubuti; poet and playwright Leroi Jones, later known as Amiri Baraka; and Sonia Sanchez. Other influential writers were Ed Bullins, Dudley Randall, Mari Evans, June Jordan, Larry Neal and Ahmos Zu-Bolton. Another major aspect of the African American Arts Movement was the infusion of the African aesthetic, a return to a collective cultural sensibility and ethnic pride that was much in evidence during the Harlem Renaissance and in the celebration of Negritude among the artistic and literary circles in the U. S. , Caribbean and the African continent nearly four decades earlier: the idea that â€Å"black is beautiful. † During this time, there was a resurgence of interest in, and an embrace of, elements of African culture within African American culture that had been suppressed or devalued to conform to Eurocentric America. Natural hairstyles, such as the afro, and African clothing, such as the dashiki, gained popularity. More importantly, the African American aesthetic encouraged personal pride and political awareness among African Americans. Music [pic] Men playing the djembe, a traditional West African drum adopted into African American and American culture. The bags and the clothing of the man on the right are printed with traditional kente cloth patterns. African American music is rooted in the typically polyrhythmic music of the ethnic groups of Africa, specifically those in the Western, Sahelean, and Sub-Saharan regions. African oral traditions, nurtured in slavery, encouraged the use of music to pass on history, teach lessons, ease suffering, and relay messages. The African pedigree of African American music is evident in some common elements: call and response, syncopation, percussion, improvisation, swung notes, blue notes, the use of falsetto, melisma, and complex multi-part harmony. During slavery, Africans in America blended traditional European hymns with African elements to create spirituals. Many African Americans sing Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing in addition to the American national anthem, The Star-Spangled Banner, or in lieu of it. Written by James Weldon Johnson and John Rosamond Johnson in 1900 to be performed for the birthday of Abraham Lincoln, the song was, and continues to be, a popular way for African Americans to recall past struggles and express ethnic solidarity, faith and hope for the future. The song was adopted as the â€Å"Negro National Anthem† by the NAACP in 1919. African American children are taught the song at school, church or by their families. Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing traditionally is sung immediately following, or instead of, The Star-Spangled Banner at events hosted by African American churches, schools, and other organizations. In the 1800s, as the result of the blackface minstrel show, African American music entered mainstream American society. By the early twentieth century, several musical forms with origins in the African American community had transformed American popular music. Aided by the technological innovations of radio and phonograph records, ragtime, jazz, blues, and swing also became popular overseas, and the 1920s became known as the Jazz Age. The early 20th century also saw the creation of the first African American Broadway shows, films such as King Vidor’s Hallelujah! and operas such as George Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess. Rock and roll, doo wop, soul, and R;B developed in the mid 20th century. These genres became very popular in white audiences and were influences for other genres such as surf. The dozens, an urban African American tradition of using rhyming slang to put down your enemies (or friends) developed through the smart-ass street jive of the early Seventies into a new form of music. In the South Bronx, the half speaking, half singing rhythmic street talk of ‘rapping’ grew into the hugely successful cultural force known as Hip Hop. Hip Hop would become a multicultural movement. However, it is still important to many African Americans. The African American Cultural Movement of the 1960s and 1970s also fueled the growth of funk and later hip-hop forms such as rap, hip house, new jack swing and go go. African American music has experienced far more widespread acceptance in American popular music in the 21st century than ever before. In addition to continuing to develop newer musical forms, modern artists have also started a rebirth of older genres in the form of genres such as neo soul and modern funk-inspired groups. Dance [pic] The Cakewalk was the first African American dance to gain widespread popularity in the United States. [pic] African American dance, like other aspects of African American culture, finds its earliest roots in the dances of the hundreds of African ethnic groups that made up African slaves in the Americas as well as influences from European sources in the United States. Dance in the African tradition, and thus in the tradition of slaves, was a part of both every day life and special occasions. Many of these traditions such as get down, ring shouts, and other elements of African body language survive as elements of modern dance. In the 1800s, African American dance began to appear in minstrel shows. These shows often presented African Americans as caricatures for ridicule to large audiences. The first African American dance to become popular with White dancers was the cakewalk in 1891. Later dances to follow in this tradition include the Charleston, the Lindy Hop, and the Jitterbug. During the Harlem Renaissance, all African American Broadway shows such as Shuffle Along helped to establish and legitimize African American dancers. African American dance forms such as tap, a combination of African and European influences, gained widespread popularity thanks to dancers such as Bill Robinson and were used by leading White choreographers who often hired African American dancers. Contemporary African American dance is descended from these earlier forms and also draws influence from African and Caribbean dance forms. Groups such as the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater have continued to contribute to the growth of this form. Modern popular dance in America is also greatly influenced by African American dance. American popular dance has also drawn many influences from African American dance most notably in the hip hop genre. Art [pic] Sand Dunes at Sunset, Atlantic City by Henry Ossawa Tanner 1859-1937 From its early origins in slave communities, through the end of the twentieth century, African-American art has made a vital contribution to the art of the United States. During the period between the 1600s and the early 1800s, art took the form of small drums, quilts, wrought-iron figures and ceramic vessels in the southern United States. These artifacts have similarities with comparable crafts in West and Central Africa. In contrast, African American artisans like the New England–based engraver Scipio Moorhead and the Baltimore portrait painter Joshua Johnson created art that was conceived in a thoroughly western European fashion. During the 1800s, Harriet Powers made quilts in rural Georgia, United States that are now considered among the finest examples of nineteenth-century Southern quilting. Later in the 20th century, the women of Gee’s Bend developed a distinctive, bold, and sophisticated quilting style based on traditional African American quilts with a geometric simplicity that developed separately but was like that of Amish quilts and modern art. After the American Civil War, museums and galleries began more frequently to display the work of African American artists. Cultural expression in mainstream venues was still limited by the dominant European aesthetic and by racial prejudice. To increase the visibility of their work, many African American artists traveled to Europe where they had greater freedom. It was not until the Harlem Renaissance that more whites began to pay attention to African American art in America. [pic] Kara Walker, Cut, Cut paper and adhesive on wall, Brent Sikkema NYC. During the 1920s, artists such as Raymond Barthe, Aaron Douglas, Augusta Savage, and photographer James Van Der Zee became well known for their work. During the Great Depression, new opportunities arose for these and other African American artists under the WPA. In later years, other programs and institutions, such as the New York City-based Harmon Foundation, helped to foster African American artistic talent. Augusta Savage, Elizabeth Catlett, Lois Mailou Jones, Romare Bearden, Jacob Lawrence and others exhibited in museums and juried art shows, and built reputations and followings for themselves. In the 1950s and 1960s, there were very few widely accepted African American artists. Despite this, The Highwaymen, a loose association of 27 African American artists from Ft. Pierce, Florida, created idyllic, quickly realized images of the Florida landscape and peddled some 50,000 of them from the trunks of their cars. They sold their art directly to the public rather than through galleries and art agents, thus receiving the name â€Å"The Highwaymen†. Rediscovered in the mid-1990s, today they are recognized as an important part of American folk history. Their artwork is widely collected by enthusiasts and original pieces can easily fetch thousands of dollars in auctions and sales. The Black Arts Movement of the 1960s and 1970s was another period of resurgent interest in African American art. During this period, several African-American artists gained national prominence, among them Lou Stovall, Ed Love, Charles White, and Jeff Donaldson. Donaldson and a group of African-American artists formed the Afrocentric collective AFRICOBRA, which remains in existence today. The sculptor Martin Puryear, whose work has been acclaimed for years, is being honored with a 30-year retrospective of his work at the Museum of Modern Art in New York starting November 2007. Notable contemporary African American artists include David Hammons, Eugene J. Martin, Charles Tolliver, and Kara Walker. Literature [pic] Langston Hughes, a notable African American poet of the Harlem Renaissance. African American literature has its roots in the oral traditions of African slaves in America. The slaves used stories and fables in much the same way as they used music. These stories influenced the earliest African American writers and poets in the 18thcentury such as Phillis Wheatley and Olaudah Equiano. These authors reached early high points by telling slave narratives. During the early 20th century Harlem Renaissance, numerous authors and poets, such as Langston Hughes, W. E. B. Dubois, and Booker T. Washington, grappled with how to respond to discrimination in America. Authors during the Civil Rights era, such as Richard Wright, James Baldwin and Gwendolyn Brooks wrote about issues of racial segregation, oppression and other aspects of African American life. This tradition continues today with authors who have been accepted as an integral part of American literature, with works such as Roots: The Saga of an American Family by Alex Haley, The Color Purple by Alice Walker, and Beloved by Nobel Prize-winning Toni Morrison, and series by Octavia Butler and Walter Mosley that have achieved both best-selling and/or award-winning status. Museums The African American Museum Movement emerged during the 1950s and 1960s to preserve the heritage of the African American experience and to ensure its proper interpretation in American history. Museums devoted to African American history are found in many African American neighborhoods. Institutions such as the African American Museum and Library at Oakland and The African American Museum in Cleveland were created by African Americans to teach and investigate cultural history that, until recent decades was primarily preserved trough oral traditions. Language Generations of hardships imposed on the African American community created distinctive language patterns. Slave owners often intentionally mixed people who spoke different African languages to discourage communication in any language other than English. This, combined with prohibitions against education, led to the development of pidgins, simplified mixtures of two or more languages that speakers of different languages could use to communicate. Examples of pidgins that became fully developed languages include Creole, common to Haiti,and Gullah, common to the Sea Islands off the coast of South Carolina and Georgia. African American Vernacular English is a type variety (dialect, ethnolect and sociolect) of the American English language closely associated with the speech of but not exclusive to African Americans. While AAVE is academically considered a legitimate dialect because of its logical structure, some of both Caucasians and African Americans consider it slang or the result of a poor command of Standard American English. Inner city African American children who are isolated by speaking only AAVE have more difficulty with standardized testing and, after school, moving to the mainstream world for work. It is common for many speakers of AAVE to code switch between AAVE and Standard American English depending on the setting. Fashion and aesthetics [pic] A man weaving kente cloth in Ghana. Attire The cultural explosion of the 1960s saw the incorporation of surviving cultural dress with elements from modern fashion and West African traditional clothing to create a uniquely African American traditional style. Kente cloth is the best known African textile. These festive woven patterns, which exist in numerous varieties, were originally made by the Ashanti and Ewe peoples of Ghana and Togo. Kente fabric also appears in a number of Western style fashions ranging from casual t-shirts to formal bow ties and cummerbunds. Kente strips are often sewn into liturgical and cademic robes or worn as stoles. Since the Black Arts Movement, traditional African clothing has been popular amongst African Americans for both formal and informal occasions. Another common aspect of fashion in African American culture involves the appropriate dress for worship in the Black church. It is expected in most churches that an individual should present their best appearance for worship. African Americ an women in particular are known for wearing vibrant dresses and suits. An interpretation of a passage from the Christian Bible, â€Å"†¦ very woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head†¦ â€Å", has led to the tradition of wearing elaborate Sunday hats, sometimes known as â€Å"crowns. † Hair Hair styling in African American culture is greatly varied. African American hair is typically composed of tightly coiled curls. The predominant styles for women involve the straightening of the hair through the application of heat or chemical processes. These treatments form the base for the most commonly socially acceptable hairstyles in the United States. Alternatively, the predominant and most socially acceptable practice for men is to leave one’s hair natural. Often, as men age and begin to lose their hair, the hair is either closely cropped, or the head is shaved completely free of hair. However, since the 1960s, natural hairstyles, such as the afro, braids, and dreadlocks, have been growing in popularity. Although the association with radical political movements and their vast difference from mainstream Western hairstyles, the styles have not yet attained widespread social acceptance. Maintaining facial hair is more prevalent among African American men than in other male populations in the U. S. In fact, the soul patch is so named because African American men, particularly jazz musicians, popularized the style. The preference for facial hair among African American men is due partly to personal taste, but because they are more prone than other ethnic groups to develop a condition known as pseudofolliculitis barbae, commonly referred to as razor bumps, many prefer not to shave. Body image The European aesthetic and attendant mainstream concepts of beauty are often at odds with the African body form. Because of this, African American women often find themselves under pressure to conform to European standards of beauty. Still, there are individuals and groups who are working towards raising the standing of the African aesthetic among African Americans and internationally as well. This includes efforts toward promoting as models those with clearly defined African features; the mainstreaming of natural hairstyles; and, in women, fuller, more voluptuous body types. Religion While African Americans practice a number of religions, Protestant Christianity is by far the most popular. Additionally, 14% of Muslims in the United States and Canada are African American. Christianity [pic] A river baptism in New Bern, North Carolina near the turn of the 20th century. The religious institutions of African American Christians commonly are referred tocollectively as the black church. During slavery, many slaves were stripped of their African belief systems and typically denied free religious practice. Slaves managed, however, to hang on to some practices by integrating them into Christian worship in secret meetings. These practices, including dance, shouts, African rhythms, and enthusiastic singing, remain a large part of worship in the African American church. African American churches taught that all people were equal in God’s eyes and viewed the doctrine of obedience to one’s master taught in white churches as hypocritical. Instead the African American church focused on the message of equality and hopes for a better future. Before and after emancipation, racial segregation in America prompted the development of organized African American denominations. The first of these was the AME Church founded by Richard Allen in 1787. An African American church is not necessarily a separate denomination. Several predominantly African American churches exist as members of predominantly white denominations. African American churches have served to provide African American people with leadership positions and opportunities to organize that were denied in mainstream American society. Because of this, African American pastors became the bridge between the African American and European American communities and thus played a crucial role in the American Civil Rights Movement. Like many Christians, African American Christians sometimes participate in or attend a Christmas play. Black Nativity by Langston Hughes is a re-telling of the classic Nativity story with gospel music. Productions can be found a African American theaters and churches all over the country. Islam [pic] A member of the Nation of Islam selling merchandise on a city street corner. Despite the popular assumption that the Nation represents all or most African American Muslims, less than 2% are members. Generations before the advent of the Atlantic slave trade, Islam was a thriving religion in West Africa due to its peaceful introduction via the lucrative trans-Saharan trade between prominent tribes in the southern Sahara and the Berbers to the North. In his attesting to this fact the West African scholar Cheikh Anta Diop explained: â€Å"The primary reason for the success of Islam in Black Africa†¦ onsequently stems from the fact that it was propagated peacefully at first by solitary Arabo-Berber travelers to certain Black kings and notables, who then spread it about them to those under their jurisdiction† Many first-generation slaves were often able to retain their Muslim identity, their descendants were not. Slaves were either forcibly converted to Christianity as was the case in the Catholic lands or were besieged with gross inconviences to their religious practice such as in the case of the Protestant American mainland. In the decades after slavery and particularly during the depression era, Islam reemerged in the form of highly visible and sometimes controversial heterodox movements in the African American community. The first of these of note was the Moorish Science Temple of America, founded by Noble Drew Ali. Ali had a profound influence on Wallace Fard, who later founded the Black nationalist Nation of Islam in 1930. Elijah Muhammad became head of the organization in 1934. Much like Malcolm X, who left the Nation of Islam in 1964, many African American Muslims now follow traditional Islam. A survey by the Council on American-Islamic Relations shows that 30% of Sunni Mosque attendees are African Americans. African American orthodox Muslims are often the victims of stereotypes, most notably the assumption that an African American Muslim is a member of the Nation of Islam. They are often viewed by the uneducated African-American community in general as less authentic than Muslims from the Middle East or South Asia while credibility is less of an issue with immigrant Muslims and Muslim world in general. Other religions Aside from Christianity and Islam, there are also African Americans who follow Judaism, Buddhism, and a number of other religions. The Black Hebrew Israelites are a collection of African American Jewish religious organizations. Among their varied teachings, they often include that African Americans are descended from the Biblical Hebrews (sometimes with the paradoxical claim that the Jewish people are not). There is a small but growing number of African Americans who participate in African traditional religions, such as Vodou and Santeria or Ifa and diasporic traditions like Rastafarianism. Many of them are immigrants or descendants of immigrants from the Caribbean and South America, where these are practiced. Because of religious practices, such as animal sacrifice, which are no longer common among American religions and are often legally prohibited, these groups may be viewed negatively and are sometimes the victims of harassment. Life events For most African Americans, the observance of life events follows the pattern of mainstream American culture. There are some traditions which are unique to African Americans. Some African Americans have created new rites of passage that are linked to African traditions. Pre-teen and teenage boys and girls take classes to prepare them for adulthood. They are typically taught spirituality, responsibility, and leadership. Most of these programs are modeled after traditional African ceremonies, with the focus largely on embracing African ideologies rather than specific rituals. To this day, some African American couples choose to â€Å"jump the broom† as a part of their wedding ceremony. Although the practice, which can be traced back to Ghana, fell out of favor in the African American community after the end of slavery, it has experienced a slight resurgence in recent years as some couples seek to reaffirm their African heritage. Funeral traditions tend to vary based on a number of factors, including religion and location, but there are a number of commonalities. Probably the most important part of death and dying in the African American culture is the gathering of family and friends. Either in the last days before death or shortly after death, typically any friends and family members that can be reached are notified. This gathering helps to provide spiritual and emotional support, as well as assistance in making decisions and accomplishing everyday tasks. The spirituality of death is very important in African American culture. A member of the clergy or members of the religious community, or both, are typically present with the family through the entire process. Death is often viewed as transitory rather than final. Many services are called homegoings, instead of funerals, based on the belief that the person is going home to the afterlife. The entire end of life process is generally treated as a celebration of life rather than a mourning of loss. This is most notably demonstrated in the New Orleans Jazz Funeral tradition where upbeat music, dancing, and food encourage those gathered to be happy and celebrate the homegoing of a beloved friend. Cuisine [pic] A traditional soul food dinner consisting of fried chicken, candied yams, collard greens, cornbread, and macaroni and cheese. The cultivation and use of many agricultural products in the United States, such as yams, peanuts, rice, okra, sorghum, grits, watermelon, indigo dyes, and cotton, can be traced to African influences. African American foods reflect creative esponses to racial and economic oppression and poverty. Under slavery, African Americans were not allowed to eat better cuts of meat, and after emancipation many often were too poor to afford them. Soul food, a hearty cuisine commonly associated with African Americans in the South (but also common to African Americans nationwide), makes creative use of inexpensive products procured through farming and subsistence hunting and fishing. Pig intestines are boiled and sometimes battered and fried to make chitterlings, also known as â€Å"chitlins. Ham hocks and neck bones provide seasoning to soups, beans and boiled greens (turnip greens, collard greens, and mustard greens). Other common foods, such as fried chicken and fish, macaroni and cheese, cornbread and hoppin’ john (black-eyed peas and rice) are prepared simply. When the African American population was considerably more rural than it generally is today, rabbit, possum, squirrel, and waterfowl were important additions to the diet. Many of these food traditions are especially predominant in many parts of the rural South. Traditionally prepared soul food is often high in fat, sodium and starch. Highly suited to the physically demanding lives of laborers, farmhands and rural lifestyles generally, it is now a contributing factor to obesity, heart disease, and diabetes in a population that has become increasingly more urban and sedentary. As a result, more health-conscious African-Americans are using alternative methods of preparation, eschewing trans fats in favor of natural vegetable oils and substituting smoked turkey for fatback and other, cured pork products; limiting the amount of refined sugar in desserts; and emphasizing the consumption of more fruits and vegetables than animal protein. There is some resistance to such changes, however, as they involve deviating from long culinary tradition. Holidays and observances [pic] A woman wearing traditional West African clothing lighting the candles on a kinara for a Kwanzaa celebration. As with other American racial and ethnic groups, African Americans observe ethnic holidays alongside traditional American holidays. Holidays observed in African American culture are not only observed by African Americans. The birthday of noted American civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr has been observed nationally since 1983. It is one of three federal holidays named for an individual. Black History Month is another example of another African American observance that has been adopted nationally. Black History Month is an attempt to focus attention on previously neglected aspects of the African American experience. It is observed during the month of February to coincide with the founding of the NAACP and the birthdays of Frederick Douglass, a prominent African American abolitionist, and Abraham Lincoln, the United States president who signed the Emancipation Proclamation. Less widely observed outside of the African American community is Emancipation Day. The nature and timing of the celebration vary regionally. It is most widely observed as Juneteenth, in recognition of the official reading of the Emancipation Proclamation on June 19, 1865 in Texas. Another holiday not widely observed outside of the African American community is the birthday of Malcolm X. The day is observed on May 19 in American cities with a significant African American population, including Washington, D. C.. One of the most noted African American holidays is Kwanzaa. Like Emancipation Day, it is not widely observed outside of the African American community, although it is growing in popularity within the community. African American scholar and activist â€Å"Maulana† Ron Karenga invented the festival of Kwanzaa in 1966, as an alternative to the increasing commercialization of Christmas. Derived from the harvest rituals of Africans, Kwanzaa is observed each year from December 26 through January 1. Participants in Kwanzaa celebrations affirm their African heritage and the importance of family and community by drinking from a unity cup; lighting red, black, and green candles; exchanging heritage symbols, such as African art; and recounting the lives of people who struggled for African and African American freedom. Names African American names are often drawn from the same language groups as other popular names found in the United States. The practice of adopting neo-African or Islamic names did not gain popularity until the late Civil Rights era. Efforts to recover African heritage inspired selection of names with deeper cultural significance. Prior to this, using African names was not practical for two reasons. First, many African Americans were several generations removed from the last ancestor to have an African name since slaves were often given European names. Second, a traditional American name helps an individual fit into American society. Another African American naming practice that predates the use of African names is the use of â€Å"made-up† names. In an attempt to create their own identity, growing numbers of African American parents, starting in the post-World War II era, began creating new names based on sounds they found pleasing such as Marquon, DaShawn, LaTasha, or Shandra. Family When slavery was practiced in the United States, it was common for families to be separated through sale. Even during slavery, however, African American families managed to maintain strong familial bonds. Free, African men and women, who managed to buy their own freedom by being hired out, who were emancipated, or who had escaped their masters, often worked long and hard to buy the members of their families who remained in bondage and send for them. Others, separated from blood kin, formed close bonds comprised of fictive kin; play relations, play aunts, cousins and the like. This practice, perhaps a holdover from African tradition, survived Emancipation, with non-blood family friends commonly accorded the status and titles of blood relations. This broader, more African concept of what constitutes family and community, and the deeply rooted respect for elders that is part of African traditional societies may be the genesis of the common use of the terms like â€Å"aunt†, â€Å"uncle†, â€Å"brother,† â€Å"sister†, â€Å"Mother† and â€Å"Mama† when addressing other African American people, some of whom may be complete strangers. Or, it could have arisen in the Christian church as a way of greeting fellow congregants and believers. Immediately after slavery, African American families struggled to reunite and rebuild what had been taken. As late as 1960, 78% of African American families were headed by married couples. This number steadily declined over the latter half of the 20th century. A number of factors, including attitudes towards education, gender roles, and poverty have created a situation where, for the first time since slavery, a majority of African American children live in a household with only one parent, typically the mother. These figures appear to indicate a weak African American nuclear family structure, especially within a large patriarchal society. This apparent weakness is balanced by mutual aid systems established by extended family members to provide emotional and economic support. Older family members pass on social and cultural traditions such as religion and manners to younger family members. In turn, the older family members are cared for by younger family members when they are unable to care for themselves. These relationships exist at all economic levels in the African American community, providing strength and support both to the African American family and the community. Politics and social issues Since the passing of the Voting Rights Act, African Americans are voting and being elected to public office in increasing numbers. As of January 2001 there were 9,101 African American elected officials in America. African Americans are overwhelmingly Democratic. Only 11% of African Americans voted for George W. Bush in the 2004 Presidential Election. Social issues such as racial profiling, the racial disparity in sentencing, higher rates of poverty, institutional racism, and lower access to health care are important to the African American community. While the divide on racial and fiscal issues has remained consistently wide for decades, seemingly indicating a wide social divide, African Americans tend to hold the same optimism and concern for America as Whites. In the case of many moral issues such as religion, and family values, African Americans tend to be more conservative than Whites. Another area where African Americans outstrip Whites in their conservatism is on the issue of homosexuality. Prominent leaders in the Black church have demonstrated against gay rights issues such as gay marriage. There are those within the community who take a more inclusive position most notably, the late Mrs. Coretta Scott King, and the Reverend Al Sharpton, who, when asked in 2003 whether he supported gay marriage, replied that he might as well have been asked if he supported black marriage or white marriage. Neighborhoods African American neighborhoods are types of ethnic enclaves found in many cities in the United States. The formation of African American neighborhoods is closely linked to the history of segregation in the United States, either through formal laws, or as a product of social norms. Despite this, African American neighborhoods have played an important role in the development of nearly all aspects of both African American culture and broader American culture. Due to segregated conditions and widespread poverty some African American neighborhoods in the United States have been called â€Å"ghettos. † The use of this term is controversial and, depending on the context, potentially offensive. Despite mainstream America’s use of the term â€Å"ghetto† to signify a poor urban area populated by ethnic minorities, those living in the area often used it to signify something positive. The African American ghettos did not always contain dilapidated houses and deteriorating projects, nor were all of its residents poverty-stricken. For many African Americans, the ghetto was â€Å"home† a place representing authentic blackness and a feeling, passion, or emotion derived from the rising above the struggle and suffering of being of African descent in America. Langston Hughes relays in the â€Å"Negro Ghetto† (1931) and â€Å"The Heart of Harlem† (1945): â€Å"The buildings in Harlem are brick and stone/And the streets are long and wide,/But Harlem’s much more than these alone,/Harlem is what’s inside. Playwright August Wilson used the term â€Å"ghetto† in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (1984) and Fences (1987), both of which draw upon the author’s experience growing up in the Hill district of Pittsburgh, an African American ghetto. Although African American neighborhoods may suffer from civic disinvestment, with lower q uality schools, less effective policing and fire protection. There are institutions such as churches and museums and political organizations that help to improve the physical and social capital of African American neighborhoods. In African American neighborhoods the churches may be important sources of social cohesion. For some African Americans the kind spirituality learned through these churches works as a protective factor against the corrosive forces of racism. Museums devoted to African American history are also found in many African American neighborhoods. Many African American neighborhoods are located in inner cities, These are the mostly residential neighborhoods located closest to the central business district. The built environment is often row houses or brownstones, mixed with older single family homes that may be converted to multi family homes. In some areas there are larger apartment buildings. Shotgun houses are an important part of the built environment of some southern African American neighborhoods. The houses consist of three to five rooms in a row with no hallways. This African American house design is found in both rural and urban southern areas, mainly in African-American communities and neighborhoods.

Free Essays on Big Blue

I. Executive Summary Our group project was to study the use of the Big Blue building on Richard Stockton College’s campus by surveying the students at the college. First we did a background of Big Blue and found what exactly was at Big Blue and the services that the building provided to the students. We were able to obtain information about Big Blue and received every detail we would need to aid us in putting together an effective survey. This research study is designed to determine the current usage level of the Big Blue fitness facility among Stockton students. It is questionable whether Stockton students either decide not to use Big Blue for various personal reasons, or that they do not have enough knowledge of the facility to become involved. This study should also indicate the services students desire and need in a fitness facility. It is intended to use the results of this study to better promote the facility and build its success as an operational fitness center on campus. The groups th at we were interested in surveying are current Richard Stockton College students. We would like all undergraduate and graduate students to respond to our question. We developed our general research question and stated it, How many Stockton Students take advantage of the fitness center Big Blue offers? What types of students generally use this fitness facility? What is the level of satisfaction among Stockton students who use/ have used Big Blue? What types of equipment, activities, and/or services would students like to see at Big Blue? Our secondary data came from doing research on other New Jersey Athletic Conference schools gymnasiums and athletic facility and compared them to Big Blue on the Stockton Campus. This provided us with different things to compare Big Blue to with what the building does and does not have. We conducted some exploratory research to help us develop our questionnaire and see if students were aware of some o... Free Essays on Big Blue Free Essays on Big Blue I. Executive Summary Our group project was to study the use of the Big Blue building on Richard Stockton College’s campus by surveying the students at the college. First we did a background of Big Blue and found what exactly was at Big Blue and the services that the building provided to the students. We were able to obtain information about Big Blue and received every detail we would need to aid us in putting together an effective survey. This research study is designed to determine the current usage level of the Big Blue fitness facility among Stockton students. It is questionable whether Stockton students either decide not to use Big Blue for various personal reasons, or that they do not have enough knowledge of the facility to become involved. This study should also indicate the services students desire and need in a fitness facility. It is intended to use the results of this study to better promote the facility and build its success as an operational fitness center on campus. The groups th at we were interested in surveying are current Richard Stockton College students. We would like all undergraduate and graduate students to respond to our question. We developed our general research question and stated it, How many Stockton Students take advantage of the fitness center Big Blue offers? What types of students generally use this fitness facility? What is the level of satisfaction among Stockton students who use/ have used Big Blue? What types of equipment, activities, and/or services would students like to see at Big Blue? Our secondary data came from doing research on other New Jersey Athletic Conference schools gymnasiums and athletic facility and compared them to Big Blue on the Stockton Campus. This provided us with different things to compare Big Blue to with what the building does and does not have. We conducted some exploratory research to help us develop our questionnaire and see if students were aware of some o...

The Clan of the Cave Bear essays

The Clan of the Cave Bear essays Many people are familiar with the ancient picture of cave-dwellers being the hairy, gruff bully of a man, dressed in animal skins, club in hand as he drags a female back to his cave. This drastic picture is not what one would get while reading Clan of the Cave Bear. The tale is a little more picturesque, but equally brutal, nonetheless; when it comes to the role of male versus female. Beatings, rape and humiliation are just a few of the realities dealt out to the females of the clan, especially to a woman who is "misbehaving" in a man's eyes. Several themes came to mind while reading Auel's book: Nature versus Nurture and Gender Roles/Feminism seemed to be the most prevalent. When we say "nature versus nurture" the question usually arises, is the way we behave more controlled by genetics or the environment? In Clan of the Cave Bear the clan seems to survive by tradition and memory only, there is no new or other way to do things for them. The rules they follow, the beliefs they have about the spirits and gender roles are followed so precisely that the clan has become incapable of changing their ways and cannot adapt to new situations. For example, when it comes to the hunting, only men hunt, women do not and should not hunt no questions asked. The women are also ingrained to be submissive and physically cannot learn to do new things. When Ayla entered the Clan, it forced them to think about things that have been lost to memory; it makes them question their society, their traditions. Ayla is different and has a natural instinct to rebel against the Clan's original ways because to her they do not make sense. For Creb and Iza, she tries to behave as a mode l Clan woman and abide by the ancient ways, however; they do not come naturally to her so she struggles and resists the traditional roles of a woman. The Clan does punish her for her disobedience, but other Clan women see that females can hunt, heal and stand up to abuse and explo...

Depression Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 5

Depression - Essay Example The humiliation they suffered and the agonies they had to endure in order to feed themselves were highlighted in news stories, pictures and reports which were seen and experienced worldwide. The first two photographs depict the agony and forlorn state of affairs of those times in an effective manner, which leaves nothing to the imagination of the beholder. Nature is a great teacher and the human race, despite its superiority to the lower animals, can succumb to its vagaries, which can have a stark similarity to an animal in distress. Floods, droughts, earthquakes, famines, war, other man made as well as natural disasters have thrown up eras of great tragedy and human suffering, which can be heart rending when looked at retrospectively. The 1936 photographs by Dorothea Lange showing a mother with her children tell a story which is not at all difficult to interpret for a person with basic intelligence. The despondency is clear in expression in the mother as well as the elder child whose face though hidden from view in the second photograph, show emotions of despair, desperation and the sense of resignation. The empty bowl in front of the woman indicates the state of affairs and depicts the shortage of food which was prevalent in that era. When such basic necessities are not met, it inflicts great damage to the psyche of the sufferer, which is clearly reflected in the facial expression of the mother. She seems intelligent enough to be aware of the gravity of the situation she seems to be in. The bowed heads of both mother and child indicate depression as the dominant emotion as depicted in their expression as well as demeanor. Obviously they are suffering from lack of food, shelter and seem to be resigned to their fa te. The little baby held fondly by the mother seems to have been lulled to sleep after suffering pangs of hunger. The little boy is shown clinging to the pole in order to support himself. His eyes are closed, either in

Fast food case study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Fast food case study - Essay Example Furthermore, changing lifestyle of young generations have also played considerable role in the growth of the industry (Report Linker, 2013). Industry growth is characterised by following dominant factors of increasing urbanisation; increasing number of working parents leading to reduced cooking time at home; and changing lifestyle. Mobile foods stalls and fast food service providers are expected to grow with fastest pace mainly due to time and price benefit. Mobile food service is forecasted to outdo $2.5 billion by 2017. Attraction of China to world requires no emphasis. Most recently World Bank has raised the economic growth forecast for the year 2013 to 8.4% as compare to forecast growth of 8.1% issued in Oct 2012 (China Daily, 2012a). Though restaurant industry is not only dominated by the economic growth but the fact remains that growth is highly dependent on the economic as disposable income constituting the main driving factor. China’s full service restaurant industry (expectedly) generated 61.0% or $287.8 billion of the total $471.8 billion of catering subsector in 2012. The restaurant industry reported 16.5% of steady growth in revenue in last five years. Opportunity in Chinese restaurant industry can also be gauged from high fragmented characteristic with 2.8 million above restaurants in this industry in the year 2012. Further, four major players only accounted for 0.7% of total industry revenue while chain and franchising operations accounted only 3.0% of revenue in 2012 (IBIS World . (2012). With above statistics giving highly attractive picture of global growth as well as regional hot cake China in restaurant industry; the underlying report develops assessment of Chinese external environment for restaurant launching. The assessment is aimed to prepare homework grounds for the fast food restaurant to