Arts Education Essay

The purpose of this bibliography is to attain information from credible sources on arts programs in schools. The goal is to provide enough information so that the reader is then able to form their own opinions on the benefits, problems, and policies on arts programs at varying levels of education. Those looking to find detailed information will find this bibliography to be a good starting point. Parsad, B. , and Spiegelman, M. 2012. Arts Education in Public Elementary and Secondary Schools: 1999–2000 and 2009–10 (NCES 2012–014). National Center for Education Statistics, Institute of Education Sciences, U. S. Department of Education. Washington, DC. Web. 24 Jan. 2013 This source is a presentation of unbiased information about both the overall arts education programs and specific sections including: visual arts, music, dance, and theater/drama. The report utilizes a plethora of charts, graphs, and other visual aids to help organize and present the information. Parsad and Spiegelman first present their findings on overall arts education programs including the percentages of schools offering visual arts, music, dance and theater classes. They then dedicate ten to fifteen pages discussing the particulars of each section of the arts listed above. There is so much information in this article that it would be great for someone looking for a broad spectrum understanding of arts education programs. The visual aids complement the information presented and would be easy to incorporate into a variety of works. For someone who is looking to get very specific information about a specific program then this would be a good source to start with, the way the report is divided makes it very easy to find information on a specific sections of an arts program, i. e. music or drama. It would provide the reader with enough information that they could ask their own questions and be able to look further into a specific topic. Catterall, Dumais, and Hampden-Thompson. March 2012. The arts and achievement in at-risk youth : findings from four longitudinal studies. National Endowment for the Arts. Research Report #55). Web. 24 Jan. 2013. This research report is a presentation of years of studies conducted by the National Endowment for the Arts and similar organizations, most being government funded. The authors arrange the report in such a way that the bulk of the report is given through the use of visual graphs and charts, which are accompanied by conclusive statements like â€Å"Teenagers and young adult s of low socioeconomic status (SES) who have a history of in-depth arts involvement show better academic outcomes than do low-SES youth who have less arts involvement. They earn better grades and demonstrate higher rates of college enrollment and attainment. † (12) Most of the graphs simply relate percentages of students with low and high levels of art engagement to achieve certain things like high school graduation, entering a bachelors program, and attaining a steady professional level career. For every study and graph presented or reviewed there is clearly cited sources, if any confusion remains the appendix and cited pages are very clear about how to find more information. Being that this is a report of findings from a national organization it is not biased to or for support of arts programs. For anyone looking for specific statistics to use in a presentation or report of their own, this research report could be very helpful. As previously stated the bulk of the information is presented through graphs and charts that utilize percentages, and is therefore very easy to take and use in a presentation without having to do much work yourself. For someone looking for a more scholarly breakdown of the benefits of arts education on high-risk students this report will not be as helpful, as it would be time consuming to trace the information presented back to the original sources. Dwyer, M.Christine. 2011. Reinvesting in Arts Education: Winning America’s Future through Creative Schools. President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities. Web. 24 Jan. 2013. The reports emphasizes the essential role that arts education programs play in improving student engagement and building creativity. Dwyer discusses, in a lengthy and wordy overview, the current Arts Education programs and policies shortcomings. â€Å"It is widely agreed that the U. S. public education system is not adequately serving a significant portion of our nation’s children and that public K-12 schools must change dramatically o achieve the Administration’s goal that the United States become a global leader in postsecondary attainment by 2020†¦ School leaders and teachers will need to step up to the challenge of finding new ways to engage many more students in meaningful learning†¦ † (27) More importantly, this report discusses possible solutions such as reinvesting in arts education, and argues for creating arts-rich schools that can engage students in ways that complement the study of the arts and other traditional subjects such as literature, history, science, and mathematics. Another key takeaway from this report is it shows readers the link between arts education and achievement in other subjects. Being that this source is a report by the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, it attempts to present evidence to support the positions of the president and his corresponding political party. As political and wordy as this report is it would most likely benefit someone looking into the politics side of arts education, it would not be as helpful for someone looking for developmental and long term benefits of art involvement in schools. Rabkin, Hedberg. 2011. Arts Education in America: What the Declines Mean for Arts Participation. Based on the 2008 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts. National Endowment for the Arts. (Research Report #52). Web. 24 Jan. 2013. This report presents its findings after researching important question related to arts education in America. Questions like: Has participation in arts programs declined? What does it mean for teachers and students? How has this affected participation in other extracurricular activities? How does this affect support for programs? The article presents the questions to the reader and then follows up with information that supports both positive and negative claims about the answer. Charts are used when needed to simplify information into an easily digestible visual aid. There are numerous sources used as evidence for the information presented, as well as suggestions for further investigation into the questions presented. This report has a very neutral stance towards the information presented. There is good information presented for varying arguments and the ultimate decision is left to the reader. This source would be a fair report to use in a work, especially if in an argumentative essay you need information for the view that opposes yours. However for someone looking for highly specific information this report will only be useful for an introduction into the questions being asked about the national education programs. Oxtoby, David W. 2012. The Place of Arts in Liberal Education. Liberal Education, v98 n2 p36-41 Spr 2012. Oxtoby uses a great deal of logic to explain his opinion on the place of arts in liberal education and he uses statistics to support his views. In his article, he states that diversity in the curriculum is a keystone to success in any liberal education program. He also claims that part of that diversity needs to include a program where students can express their creativity. Being able to express their creativity and the stimulation provided by arts programs lead to more successful students, both in academics, community involvement, and professional work environments. This article is a good source of simple and sound logic in support of arts programs being included in all liberal education. Oxtoby’s statements and presentation of the information is biased towards supports arts programs, but he always includes evidence to support his ideas. Also, while he does not approve of excluding arts in liberal education there is never any negativity in his statements, only more supporting evidence for his ideas. Some readers will find this article to be dry and uninteresting unless they already have some knowledge and opinions on the place of arts in education programs.

Earth and Its People Edition 3 Chapter 7 Outline

The Impact of the Silk Road †¢ The Silk Road at first caused many pastoral groups to form. Eventually, rich families did settleand build large establishments. †¢ The Silk Road allowed the spread of religions ( see chart above ) such as Nestorian Christianity,Manichaeism, Zoroastrianism, and Buddhism. †¢ The stirrup spread though out the Silk Road. It allowed riders to be much more stable and thuscaused military innovation. i. e. the superiority of the Tang calvary in China. The Indian Ocean Maritime System †¢The Indian Ocean Maritime System was a society of seafarers established across the IndianOcean and South China Sea. †¢ This trade system linked a network of sea trade routes from Africa to China. The main playerswere Africans, South Arabian Persian, and the  Southern Chinese people (including theIndonesians and Malays). †¢ Although much of the discoveries of new lands and waters were attributed to famous peoplesuch as Zhang Jian or Hippalus, we mus t not forget the the indigenous people of these areasalso greatly contributed to their  expansions. Origins of Contact and Trade †¢Madagascar is the world’s fourth largest island. †¢ 2000 years ago, people from one of the many Indonesian islands of Southeast Asia establishedthemselves in the mountainous land of Madagascar, 9,500 kilometers from home. †¢ These people kept much of their traditions but eventually lost most of it. [pic] The Impact of Indian Ocean Trade †¢ The precious materials wanted in  trade included ivory and minerals. †¢ Evidence of ancient copper mines has been  found in Oman in  southeastern Arabia. †¢ However, this volume of trade was  less than the amount occurring in the Mediterranean. †¢In the Indian area, the ports were small due to geographical problems such as inland monsoonwater not by the sea. †¢ E India, the Malay Peninsula, and Indonesia afforded more hospitable and densely populatedshores with e asier access to inland  populations. †¢ The empires that existed through out this Indus area never bothered to develop  as muchmaritime powers as the Greeks or  the Phoenocians did. †¢ The families around the coastal Indian area established bilingual and bicultural systems. Routes Across the Sahara Early Saharan Cultures †¢ The Sahara is broken only by the Nile River. †¢The trans-Saharan Caravan Routes were forced into existence due to the lack of water in manyareas. †¢ Before the Sahara became dry (pre 2500 B. C. E. ), this area was quite wet with a diverse group of  animals. †¢ Many believe that people from Mediterranean civilizations such as the Minoans, Mycenaeans, orRomans may have rode chariots into  the Saharan deserts. However, this evidence is lacking. [pic] Trade Across the Sahara †¢ Traders developed into two groups: the north and south. †¢ The North primarily focused on salt  trade. †¢ People from the souther Sahel brought forest and  agriculture goods.Sub-Saharan Africa A challenging Geography †¢ The use of rivers was limited by the many rapids in the rivers. †¢ The Southern Sahara area was limited and surrounded by many obstacles such as  the Niger,Zaire, Senegal Rivers, the Red  Sea, the Saharan Desert, etc. †¢ South of the Sahara are the steppes and savanna rain forests. These places were difficult totraverse. The Development of Cultural Unity †¢ â€Å"Anthropologists call â€Å"Great Traditions† those that typically include a written language, commonlegal and belief systems, ethical codes, and other intellectual attitudes.They loom large inwritten records as traditions that rise above the diversity of local  customs and beliefs commonlydistinguished as â€Å"small traditions. †Ã¢â‚¬  †¢ The elite culture in the sub-Saharan area turned the area into a Great Tradition area. †¢ This area is home to ~ 2000 languages. African Cultural Char acteristics †¢ African culture is shaped by the geographically different conditions of the lands. †¢ The post ice age time caused the diverse group of people to form. †¢ Although the population flourished at first, the  increase in dryness over the long period of  timecaused the diverse groups of people to  recede into specific areas.The Advent of Iron and the Bantu Migrations †¢ Agriculture started in the 2nd millennium B. C. E. and spread southward from the area by theSahara. †¢ Archaeology has also uncovered traces of copper mining in  the Sahara from the early  firstmillennium B. C. E. †¢ Copper smelting was during 400 C. E. †¢ Iron smelting was around the 1st millennium C. E. †¢ The Africans of Bantu probably figured out  how to smelt iron by themselves. The Spread of Ideas Ideas and Material Evidence †¢ In SE Asian, pig domestication was extremely important. †¢ Coinage in Anatolia and Europe was extremely popular. A t the same time coinage in China was also very popular. The Spread of Buddhism †¢ Please See The Above Image and Your Religious Charts The Spread of Christianity †¢ Please see Religious Chart ______________________________________________________ CHAPTER OUTLINE I. The Silk Road | | | |A. Origins and Operations | | 1. The Silk Road was an overland route that linked China to the Mediterranean world via Mesopotamia, Iran, and Central Asia. There were two periods of heavy use of the Silk Road: (1) 150 b. c. e. –907 c. e. and (2) the thirteenth through seventeenth centuries c. e. 2. The origins of the Silk Road trade may be located in the occasional trading of Central Asian nomads.Regular, large-scale trade was fostered by the Chinese demand for western products (particularly horses) and by the Parthian state in northeastern Iran and its control of the markets in Mesopotamia. 3. In addition to horses, China imported alfalfa, grapes, and a variety of other new crops a s well as medicinal products, metals, and precious stones. China exported peaches and apricots, spices, and manufactured goods including silk, pottery, and paper. | |B. The Impact of the Silk Road 1. Turkic nomads, who became the dominant pastoralist group in Central Asia, benefited from the trade. Their elites constructed houses, lived settled lives, and became interested in foreign religions including Christianity, Manicheanism, Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, and (eventually) Islam. 2. Central Asian military technologies, particularly the stirrup, were exported both east and west, with significant consequences for the conduct of war. | | II.The Sasanid Empire, 224-600 CE A. Politics and Society 1. The Sasanid kingdom was established in 224 and controlled the areas of Iran and Mesopotamia. 2. The Sasanid Empire made Zoroastrianism its official religion. The Byzantine Empire made Christianity its official religion. Both Zoroastrianism and Christianity were intolerant of other religions. 3. In the third century Mani of Mesopotamia founded a religion whose beliefs centered around the struggle between Good and Evil. Mani was killed by the Sasanid shah, but Manichaeism spread widely in Central Asia.Arabs had some awareness of these religions conflicts and knew about Christianity. III. The Indian Ocean Maritime System | | | | A. Origins of Contact and Trade | | 1.There is evidence of early trade between ancient Mesopotamia and the Indus Valley. This trade appears to have broken off as Mesopotamia turned more toward trade with East Africa. 2. Two thousand years ago, Malay sailors from Southeast Asia migrated to the islands of Madagascar. These migrants, however, did not retain communications or trade with their homeland. | | B. The Impact of Indian Ocean Trade 1. What little we know about trade in the Indian Ocean system before Islam is gleaned largely from a single first century c. . Greco-Egyptian text,  The Periplus of the Erythrean Sea. This account describes a trading system that must have been well established and flourishing when the account was written. The goods traded included a wide variety of spices, aromatic resins, pearls, Chinese pottery, and other luxury goods. The volume of trade was probably not as high as in the Mediterranean. 2. The culture of the Indian Ocean ports was often isolated from that of their hinterlands. In the western part of the Indian Ocean, trading ports did not have access to large inland populations of potential consumers.Even in those eastern Indian and Malay peninsula ports that did have access to large inland populations, the civilizations did not become oriented toward the sea. 3. Traders and sailors in the Indian Ocean system often married local women in the ports that they frequented. These women thus became mediators between cultures. | | IV. Routes Across the Sahara | |A. Early Saharan Cultures | | 1. Undateable rock paintings in the highland areas that separate the southern from the northern Sa hara indicate the existence of an early Saharan hunting culture that was later joined by cattle breeders who are portrayed as looking rather like contemporary West Africans. 2. The artwork indicates that the cattle breeders were later succeeded by horse herders who drove chariots.There is no evidence to support the earlier theory that these charioteers might have been Minoan or Mycenaean refugees. But there is also no evidence to show us either their origins or their fate. 3. The highland rock art indicates that camel riders followed the charioteers. The camel was introduced from Arabia and its introduction and domestication in the Sahara was probably related to the development of the trans-Saharan trade. Written evidence and the design of camel saddles and patterns of camel use indicate a south-to-north diffusion of camel riding. . The camel made it possible for people from the southern highlands of the Sahara to roam the desert and to establish contacts with the people of the nort hern Sahara. | | B. Trade Across the Sahara 1. Trade across the Sahara developed slowly when two local trading systems, one in the southern Sahara and one in the north, were linked. Traders in the southern Sahara had access to desert salt deposits and exported salt to the sub-Saharan regions in return for kola nuts and palm oil.Traders in the north exported agricultural products and wild animals to Italy. | | V. Sub-Saharan Africa | | A. A Challenging Geography | | 1. Sub-Saharan Africa is a large area with many different environmental zones and many geographical obstacles to movement. . Some of the significant geographical areas are the Sahel, the tropical savanna, the tropical rain forest of the lower Niger and Zaire, the savanna area south of the rain forest, steppe and desert below that, and the temperate highlands of South Africa. | | B. The Development of Cultural Unity 1. Scholars draw a distinction between the â€Å"great traditions† of ruling elite culture in a ci vilization and the many â€Å"small traditions† of the common people. . In sub-Saharan Africa no overarching â€Å"great tradition† developed. Sub-Saharan Africa is a vast territory of many â€Å"small traditions. † Historians know very little about the prehistory of these many â€Å"small traditions† and their peoples. 3. African cultures are highly diverse. The estimated two thousand spoken languages of the continent and the numerous different food production systems reflect the diversity of the African ecology and the difficulty of communication and trade between different groups.Another reason for the long dominance of â€Å"small traditions† is that no foreign power was able to conquer Africa and thus impose a unified â€Å"great tradition. † | | C. African Cultural Characteristics 1. Despite their diversity, African cultures display certain common features that attest to an underlying cultural unity that some scholars have called †Å"Africanity. † 2. One of these common cultural features is a concept of kingship in which kings are ritually isolated and oversee societies in which the people are arranged in age groups and kinship ivisions. 3. Other common features include cultivation with the hoe and digging stick, the use of rhythm in African music, and the functions of dancing and mask wearing in rituals. 4. One hypothesis offered to explain this cultural unity holds that the people of sub-Saharan Africa are descended from the people who occupied the southern Sahara during its â€Å"wet period† and migrated south the Sahel, where their cultural traditions developed. | | D. The Advent of Iron and the Bantu Migrations 1.Sub-Saharan agriculture had its origins north of the equator and then spread southward. Iron working also began north of the equator and spread southward, reaching southern Africa by 800 c. e. 2. Linguistic evidence suggests that the spread of iron and other technology in sub-Saharan Africa was the result of a phenomenon known as the Bantu migrations. 3. The original homeland of the Bantu people was in the area on the border of modern Nigeria and Cameroon. Evidence suggests that the Bantu people spread out toward the east and the south through a series of migrations over the period of the first millennium c. . By the eight century, Bantu-speaking people had reached East Africa. | | IV. The Spread of Ideas | | A. Ideas and Material Evidence | | 1. It is extremely difficult, sometimes impossible, to trace the dissemination of ideas in preliterate societies.For example, eating pork was restricted or prohibited by religious belief in Southeast Asia, in ancient Egypt, and in eastern Iran. Because Southeast Asia was an early center of pig domestication, scholars hypothesize that the pig and the religious injunctions concerning eating the pig traveled together toward the west. This has not been proved. 2. Another difficult problem involves the invention of coins. In the Mediterranean world, the coins were invented in Anatolia and spread from there to Europe, North Africa, and India.Chinese made cast copper coins—was this inspired by the Anatolian example? There is no way of knowing. | | B. The Spread of Buddhism 1. The spread of ideas in a deliberate and organized fashion such that we can trace it is a phenomenon of the first millennium c. e. This is particularly the case with the spread of Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam. 2. The spread of Buddhism was facilitated both by royal sponsorship and by the travels of ordinary pilgrims and missionaries.In India, the Mauryan king Ashoka and King Kanishka of the Kushans actively supported Buddhism. Two of the most well-known pilgrims who helped to transmit Buddhism to China were the Chinese monks Faxian and Xuanzang. Both have left reliable narrative accounts of their journeys. 3. Buddhist missionaries from India traveled to a variety of destinations: west to Syria, Egypt, and Mesopotamia, as well as to Sri Lanka, southeast Asia, and Tibet. 4. Buddhism was changed and further developed in the lands to which it spread.Theravada Buddhism became dominant in Sri Lanka, Mahayana in Tibet, and Chan (Zen) in East Asia. | | C. The Spread of Christianity 1. Armenia was an important entrepot for the Silk Road trade. Mediterranean states spread Christianity to Armenia in order to bring that kingdom over to its side and thus deprive Iran of control of this area. 2. The transmission of Christianity to Ethiopia was similarly linked to a Mediterranean Christian attempt to deprive Iran of trade.

The Milgram Experiment

The Milgram Experiment Outline Topic: The Milgram experiment I) The experiment A) Who was involved with the experiment? B) How they got participants C) What the subjects thought was happening i)Learning Task ii) Memory Study iii) Electric shock for wrong answer iv) â€Å"Prods† to continue the shocks D) What actually happened i) It was a test for obedience not memory ii) Vocal response from the victims (staged and set beforehand) II) The results A) How many experiments were performed B) How many people were tested C) How many continued the experiment D) The video of obedienceE) What types of people were tested, and what difference that made F) Differences between each test and results G) High levels of stress for subjects III) Why did he do the experiment A) To get an understanding of Nazis B) To prove the â€Å"answer to destructive obedience lay less in the power of personality and more in the power of situation† C) Social projection D) Test the idea that some people consider themselves better than others IV) The reaction A) Self realization B) Unethical i) Manipulation ii) Disregard for rights iii) Negligent of emotional well beingC) Argument in ethics caused new rules in APA guidelines V) Applications A) Nazi Germany B) U. S. wars C) Watergate Many experiments have been performed throughout the years. One of the most shocking would have to be the Milgram experiment performed by Stanley Milgram. The experiment was to test a person’s â€Å"Obedience to Authority† by seeing if he or she would cause harm to another just because they were told. The idea of obedience has been instilled in people since the time of Cain and Able, with regard to doing as God says. There are multiple reasons for Dr.Milgram to perform this experiment, however, some did not accept this and still believed it to be a violation of the subjects human rights. The results showed that even though people believed they would not cause extreme harm to another, they wo uld if put in the position where they were pressured to by an authoritative person. This resulted in chaos in the psychological community, and concluded in major changes to what is moral, and ethical, under the guidelines provided by APA. However, his results may be used to consider what happened during World War II, along with other U. S. ars, as well as what happened during the Watergate scandal. This experiment was performed many times. It began with Dr. Milgram placing an ad in a New Haven newspaper. The advertisement asked for people between the ages of 20 and 50, those who were not currently attending school, and from all types of professions. It also claimed the experiment would last one hour, and that it was to study memory. Those who participated in the experiment would receive four dollars for participating, and fifty cents for carfare, for the one hour of participation. From this ad, he did not get enough of a response so Dr.Milgram took names from a phone directory, and send fliers in the mail. The experiment itself was performed in the Interaction Laboratory of Yale University. It consisted of two people who were aware of what was happening, one called the â€Å"experimenter,† the person in charge of managing the experiment, and another called, â€Å"the victim. † A third, was one other person involved with the experiment called the â€Å"naive subject† who was the one being tested in this experiment. The experiment called for two different perspectives, which were what the â€Å"naive subject† believed to be happening, and what was really happening.The experiment was set up so that according to the â€Å"naive subject,† â€Å"the victim† was told to memorize a list of word pairs such as: blue box nice day wild duck etc. then in the testing sequence he [the naive subject] would read: blue: sky ink box lamp (Obedience 18). If â€Å"the victim† was able to select the correct corresponding word, the â €Å"naive subject† continued by saying the next word. However, if â€Å"the victim† did not answer correctly, or took too long in answering, the â€Å"naive subject† would have to administer a shock.After each wrong answer, the next wrong answer would result in a stronger shock. The generator, which was to administer the shocks to â€Å"the victim†: Ranged from 15 to 450 volts. The labels showed a 15-volt increment from one switch to the next, going from left to right. In addition, the following verbal designations were clearly indicated for groups of four switches, going from left to right: Slight Shock, Moderate Shock, Strong Shock, Very Strong Shock, Intense Shock, Extreme Intensity Shock, Danger: Severe Shock. Two switches after this last designation were simply marked XXX. (Obedience 20)The authenticity of the generator was validated by giving the â€Å"naive subject† a 45 volt shock to the wrist. The test which the â€Å"naive subject† thought was a test for memory, was actually to test a person’s willingness to follow authority. Therefore, as the voltage was to increase, there were acted protests by â€Å"the victim† which made the â€Å"naive subject† less willing to continue. However, if the â€Å"naive subject† was having second thoughts about continuing, the â€Å"experimenter† was to give â€Å"prods† each more aggressive as the â€Å"naive subject† continued to protest, Prod 1: Please continue, or, Please go on.Prod 2: The experiment requires that you continue. Prod 3: It is absolutely essential that you continue. Prod 4: You have no other choice you must go on (Obedience 21). Feeling obligated even though â€Å"the victim† responded with cries of pain and eventually no answer, the majority of those did continue. The results of this experiment were interesting. In the primary experiment 26 out of 40 people continued to shock a person with what he or s he believed to be 450 volts for an incorrect answer, or if they did not respond within a time limit set by the â€Å"experimenter. Another variation of this experiment he performed in which he: placed the learner closer to the teacher, including one in which the teacher actually had to force the learner’s hand onto a shock plate in order to punish him; about 30 percent of subjects continued the variation until the end (Fermaglich 86). There was another variation which used only women. The results were the same as those for men. Over three years, Dr. Milgram performed 24 different variations of his original experiment, and tested over 1,000 people. There was also one case in which Dr.Milgram videotaped a subject’s obedience, â€Å"In the full version of Milgram’s film Prozi [the subject] is shown ending up being completely obedient- that is, administering a 450-volt shock to the unseen learner† (Blass). Another result of this experiment was the experiment had a huge impact on those who were the subjects. It resulted in high levels of stress in those who were subjects, whether they obeyed or disobeyed, which Dr. Milgram himself admitted to happening, and so he had to provide a meeting for the subject and the learner, in order to try to alleviate that stress (Fermaglich 87).Although the experiment was performed many times, and on many different people, this proved that the majority will follow orders when they are given, even if it goes against their conscience. These were not the only results from this experiment; people had other thoughts about Dr. Milgram’s experiment. There have been many who have wondered why a man would perform a test that many people consider to be a violation of a person’s basic rights. Dr. Milgram had many reasons behind performed these experiments. Dr. Milgram believed â€Å"When you think of the long and gloomy history of man, you will ind more hideous crimes have been committed in the name o f obedience than have ever been committed in the name of rebellion† (Obedience 2). He wanted to be able to prove his belief that the â€Å"answer to destructive obedience lay less in the power of personality and more in the power of situation† (Slater 31). He also performed it with relation to the Holocaust, and since Milgram, â€Å"a Jewish man whose relatives had hidden from the Nazis and been interned in concentration camps, [he] constructed his experiments in order to understand Nazi evil† (Fermaglich 84).Another idea posed as a reason for Dr. Milgram’s performance was the thought of â€Å"self-other bias (Brown, 1986) [which] is the general tendency for people to rate themselves as better than ‘typical others’† (Geher, Bauman, Hubbard, and Legare 3). There were those who believed the experiment to be unethical, and others who seem to be enlightened with a sense of self realization. One person found Dr. Milgram’s experiment t o give him a better sense of who he was: I felt a shock of recognition, and the immediate knowledge that I could do such a thing, unsteady as I am.And I knew I could do such a thing, not because some strange set of circumstances propelled me to, no†¦It was not external. It was internal (Slater 62) However most other people who did not participate in the experiment did not feel this way, they felt this experiment was â€Å"the subject of enormous controversy, centered on the contention that his research subjects had been unethically manipulated, without due regard for their rights or emotional well-being† (Schwartz). In the field of psychology there was an uproar, with those who found the experiment to be reprehensible.One of those people was Diana Baumrind who questioned the obedience experiment, with concern for the welfare of the subjects, and curiosity over measures taken to protect those involved and voiced her concerns in American Psychologist (Individual 140). Dr. Baumrind’s article concerning the experiment resulted in the revision of APA ethical guidelines, which went with those laid down by the federal government, which limited the use of humans as subjects in the medical and psychological field (Fermaglich 103). Many found what Dr.Milgram did to be unethical, however because of it people now have a better understanding of what they are able to do, and they are able to apply his findings to other situations that have occurred, and may happen in the future. This experiment may be applied to a multitude of different subjects that are in a person’s every day life. The major subject would be the Nazis during World War II, which was a motive for Dr. Milgram to do the experiment in the beginning. It explores why a citizen who â€Å"ran the death camps seemed to be ordinary â€Å"decent† citizens, with consciences no different from those of any of us† (Velasquez et al). Dr.Milgram also compares the killing of Jews in t he gas chambers to the manufacturing of appliances, and he says all of those deaths could not have occurred if a large number of people did not obey orders (Obedience 1). The ideas that Dr. Milgram came up with were applied as an explanation for â€Å"the massacre of hundreds of Vietnamese civilians at My Lai and the criminal activities in Nixon’s White House: ‘Stanley Milgram†¦ demonstrated in the laboratory what Lt. William Calley and his unit would dramatize later in Mylai- that man’s behavior is almost invariably dominated by authority rather than by his own morality’† (Fermaglich 111).This idea is also exemplified on television, as on a recent episode of â€Å"Law and Order: S. V. U. † viewers encounter a manager of a fast food restaurant who blatantly obeys the orders of a voice over the phone saying that he is â€Å"Detective Milgram. † The manager is told that an employee stole the wallet of a customer, and â€Å"Detectiv e Milgram† tells the manager to strip the girl of all of her clothing except for her apron, and to perform a cavity search, to look for the wallet.Later in the episode we encounter the man who posed as â€Å"Detective Milgram† who performed his own variation of the experiment, because he had been like the manager, when he allowed the doctor to go against his advice, which resulted in the death of his wife. During school, a person may be faced with a similar situation. One being seeing a person cheat on a test. The person is put in a situation with two choices, neither desirable. The person may tell the teacher, which results in anger from the person who was told on, as well as a loss of time for that person to take their own test.The other option is to do nothing, which in the long run will hurt the student as he or she never learned the material, as he or she was suppose to. Typically a student will choose the latter, and ignore the situation, which ends up hurting the other student. This examination can be viewed on a vast number of levels, but that does not change the facts and ideas behind what happened. Dr. Milgram performed a venture which is thought to have been unethical, as he tested a person’s willingness to follow orders and do as he or she was told.He discovered the majority would actually do so, even if they believed they were hurting an innocent person. The controversial research has had a variety of impacts on every different person. For some they have a self realization, thinking of why type of person he or she is and if they are sheep, blindly following authority. Works Cited for Research Paper: Blass, Thomasm. â€Å"The Milgram Obedience Experiment: Support for a Cognitive View of Defensive Attribution. † The Journal of Social Psychology (1996). library. Web. 24 Nov. 2009. . Fermaglich, Kirsten. American Dreams and Nazi Nightmares : Early Holocaust Consciousness and Liberal America, 1957-1965. Waltham, Mass. : Brand eis University Press, 2006. Geher, Glenn, Kathleen P. Bauman, Sara Elizabeth Kay Hubbard, and Jared Richard Legare. â€Å"Self and Other Obedience Estimates: Biases and Moderators. † The Journal of Social Psychology 142. 6 (2002): 677. Web. 24 Nov. 2009. Milgram, Stanley. Obedience to Authority. New York: Harper Perennial, 1974.Milgram, Stanley. The Individual in a Social World: Essays and Experiments. Reading, Mass. : Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, 1977. Schwartz, Earl. â€Å"Why Some Ask Why. † Judaism 53. 3/4 (2004): 230. elibrary. Web. 24 Nov. 2009. Slater, Lauren. Opening Skinner's Box: Great Psychological Experiments of the Twentieth Century. New York: W. W. Norton, 2004. Velasquez, Manuel, Claire Andre, Thomas Shanks, S. J. , and Michael J. Meyer. â€Å"Conscience and Authority. † Santa Clara University. 12/03/2009 . The Milgram Experiment Stanley Milgram: ‘electric shock' experiments (1963) – also showed the power of the situation in influencing behaviour. 65% of people could be easily induced into giving a stranger an electric shock of 450V (enough to kill someone). 100% of people could be influenced into giving a 275V shock. The Milgram Experiment Stanley Milgram (1963) Experiment: Focusing on the conflict between obedience to authority and personal conscience. Investigate: Whether Germans were particularly obedient to authority figures as this was a common explanation for the Nazi killings in World War II.Milgram selected participants for his experiment by advertising for male participants to take part in a study of learning at Yale University. The procedure was that the participant was paired with another person and they drew lots to find out who would be the ‘learner’ and who would be the ‘teacher’. The draw was fixed so that the participant was always the teacher, and the l earner was one of Milgram’s confederates (pretending to be a real participant). The learner (a confederate called Mr.Wallace) was taken into a room and had electrodes attached to his arms, and the teacher and researcher went into a room next door that contained an electric shock generator and a row of switches marked from 15 volts (Slight Shock) to 375 volts (Danger: Severe Shock) to 450 volts (XXX). Milgram's Experiment Aim: Milgram (1963) was interested in researching how far people would go in obeying an instruction if it involved harming another person. Stanley Milgram was interested in how easily ordinary people could be influenced into committing atrocities for example, Germans in WWII. Procedure:Volunteers were recruited for a lab experiment investigating â€Å"learning† (ethics: deception). Participants were 40 males, aged between 20 and 50, (bias: All male) whose jobs ranged from unskilled to professional. At the beginning of the experiment they were introduce d to another participant, who was actually a confederate of the experimenter (Milgram). They drew straws to determine their roles – leaner or teacher – although this was fixed and the confederate always ended to the learner. There was also an â€Å"experimenter† dressed in a white lab coat, played by an actor (not Milgram). The â€Å"learner† (Mr.Wallace) was strapped to a chair in another room with electrodes. After he has learned a list of word pairs given him to learn, the â€Å"teacher† tests him by naming a word and asking the learner to recall its partner/pair from a list of four possible choices. The teacher is told to administer an electric shock every time the learner makes a mistake, increasing the level of shock each time. There were 30 switches on the shock generator marked from 15 volts (slight shock) to 450 (danger – severe shock). The learner gave mainly wrong answers (on purpose) and for each of these the teacher gave him an electric shock.When the teacher refused to administer a shock and turned to the experimenter for guidance, he was given the standard instruction /order (consisting of 4 prods): Prod 1: please continue. Prod 2:  the experiment requires you to continue. Prod 3: It is absolutely essential that you continue. Prod 4: you have no other choice but to continue. Results: 65% (two-thirds) of participants (i. e. teachers) continued to the highest level of 450 volts. All the participants continued to 300 volts. Milgram did more than one experiment – he carried out 18 variations of his study.All he did was alter the situation (IV) to see how this affected obedience (DV). Conclusion: Ordinary people are likely to follow orders given by an authority figure, even to the extent of killing an innocent human being. Obedience to authority is ingrained in us all from the way we are brought up. Obey parents, teachers, anyone in authority etc. Milgram summed up in the article â€Å"The Perils of Obedience† (Milgram 1974), writing: â€Å"The legal and philosophic aspects of obedience are of enormous import, but they say very little about how most people behave in concrete situations.I set up a simple experiment at Yale University to test how much pain an ordinary citizen would inflict on another person simply because he was ordered to by an experimental scientist. Stark authority was pitted against the subjects’ [participants’] strongest moral imperatives against hurting others, and, with the subjects’ [participants’] ears ringing with the screams of the victims, authority won more often than not. The extreme willingness of adults to go to almost any lengths on the command of an authority constitutes the chief finding of the study and the fact most urgently demanding explanation. Factors Affecting Obedience The Milgram experiment was carried out many times whereby Milgram varied the basic procedure (changed the IV). By doing this Milgram c ould identify which factors affected obedience (the DV). Status of Location| Personal Responsibility| * The orders were given in an important location (Yale University) – when Milgram’s study was conducted in a run-down office in the city, obedience levels dropped. * This suggests that prestige increases obedience. | *   When there is less personal responsibility obedience increases. When participants could instruct an assistant to press the switches, 95% (compared to 65% in the original study) shocked to the maximum 450 volts. * This relates to Milgram's Agency Theory. | Legitimacy of Authority Figure| Status of Authority Figure| * People tend to obey orders from other people if they recognize their authority as morally right and / or legally based. * This response to legitimate authority is learned in a variety of situations, for example in the family, school and workplace. | *   Milgram’s experimenter wore a laboratory coat (a symbol of scientific experti se) which gave him a high status. But when the experimenter dressed in everyday clothes obedience was very low. * The  uniform  of the authority figure can give them status. | Peer Support| Proximity of Authority Figure| * Peer support – if a person has the social support of their friend(s) then obedience is less likely. * Also the presence of others who are seen to disobey the authority figure reduces the level of obedience. This happened in Milgram’s experiment when there was a â€Å"disobedient model†. | *   Authority figure distant: It is easier to resist the orders from an authority figure if they are not close by.When the experimenter instructed and prompted the teacher by telephone from another room, obedience fell to 20. 5%. * When the authority figure is close by then obedience is more likely. | Methodological Issues The  Milgram studies  were conducted in laboratory type conditions and we must ask if this tells us much about real-life situati ons. We obey in a variety of real-life situations that are far more subtle than instructions to give people electric shocks, and it would be interesting to see what factors operate in everyday obedience.The sort of situation Milgram investigated would be more suited to a military context. Milgram's sample was biased: The participants in Milgram's study were all male. Do the findings transfer to females? In Milgram's study the participants were a self-selecting sample. This is because they became participants only by electing to respond to a newspaper advertisement (selecting themselves). They may also have a typical â€Å"volunteer personality† – not all the newspaper readers responded so perhaps it takes this personality type to do so.Finally, they probably all had a similar income since they were willing to spend some hours working for a given amount of money. Ethical Issues *   Deception  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ the participants actually believed they were shocking a real pers on, and were unaware the learner was a confederate of Milgram's *   Protection of participants  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Participants were exposed to extremely stressful situations that may have the potential to cause psychological harm. * However, Milgram did  debrief  the participants fully after the experiment and also followed up after a period of time to ensure that they came to no harm.

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The Knowledge of Human Existence Essay Example for Free

The Knowledge of Human Existence Essay Movies provide the audience with a unique experience. Not only do they entertain, they allow the audience to explore their own preconceptions. The most vital preconception that movies allow the viewer to explore and interact with is the definition and formation of knowledge. For centuries man has grasped for the true definition of knowledge. In this struggle many have fought for a unifying definition, this great conflagration of discourse and study did not lead to a unified definition of knowledge. Moreover, it leads to the question that still beats in the hearts of the philosopher and the movie-goer. What can human beings know about the experience of existence? How do we define it? Man’s struggle with the definition of knowledge and how we define existence is a driving force behind the questions asked by philosophers throughout history. From Plato to Descartes, from Aristotle to Kant, the understanding of existence became nearly an obsession of the great philosophical minds. It is this â€Å"obsession† that drives Hugh Jackman’s character, Robert Angier in Christopher Nolan’s The Prestige. In this â€Å"obsession† Angier finds his match with Keanu Reeves’ character, Neo in Andy and Larry Wachowski’s The Matrix, whose transformation from computer hacker to an almost God like position of knowledge, stems from his obsession with defining his existence. While it is the character Neo who is lead or rises to a position where it is possible to fathom the nature of existence, it is the audience whom Christopher Nolan guides to this level in The Prestige. Before an understanding of existence can be examined, it is important to define the role of the audience in Nolan’s The Prestige. While Nolan’s characters are subject to an â€Å"obsession† directed towards the knowledge of each other’s methods, the true character receiving knowledge is the viewer. Cristel Russell in a piece titled, â€Å"Rethinking Television Audience Measures: An Exploration into the Construct of Audience Connectedness,† written for Marketing Letters in 1999 discusses the degrees of connection a television audience has. While Russell’s piece is intentioned for an understanding of the relationship between a television audience and the images on screen in the sense of how to market to the audience, the similarity of the mediums allow for this to be an example for the filmic experience as well. Russell’s study asserts the strength of the connection the audience has, â€Å"viewers often reported that they imitate some of the intangible aspects of their television show, from the lifestyle of the actors to the philosophy portrayed by the character,† (Russell, 1999, p. 401). Russell chooses the word â€Å"their† to suggest a possessive, included, position that the viewer takes with the images portrayed on the screen. It this suggestion of inclusiveness that suggests that the viewer becomes part of â€Å"their,† show. No longer is the viewer simply an audience member; they are a part of the cast chosen by the director and as such they become a necessary medium for explication of â€Å"philosophy† as is suggested by Russell. Nolan’s audience is not simply viewing, they are interacting with the film, and as such they are guided by Nolan to a realization, just as Robert Angier is. While, Angier’s â€Å"obsession† for knowledge is limited by his insatiable desire for revenge, he ascends on a philosophical scale. While this may seem reminiscent of the story of Plato’s cave, where a man trapped is freed by realization that his existence is limited to projections on the wall of his cave, Plato’s example does not serve Angier. It isn’t until his death at the hands of his old enemy that Angier is able to transcend to the realm of knowledge necessary to understand existence. It is in this moment that he realizes that all the tangible evidence of how his rival’s tricks were performed, were not the true illusion. The truth that Angier in his final moments is lead to believe, is that sacrifice is a necessity for perception to become actual existence. In his dying moments Angiers defines his own understanding of his purpose, while the film-maker paints it in a romantic sense, it provides the viewer with the true understanding of individual existence. It is just that. Individual. While shaped by the collective experience, the only thing a human being can say for certain is that their existence is their own, folding too completely into an empirical collective experience is as unfulfilling as life without death. Hence, Angier must die by the end of the film. (Nolan, 2006). Knowledge cannot be limited solely to a scientific explanation of why things are and why things aren’t. John Cottingham’s piece, â€Å"The Question,† from The Meaning of Life provides the seeker of knowledge with an explanation for the limitedness of scientific inquiry. In the piece Cottingham highlights â€Å"religious discourse† throughout time as necessary force for further investigation into the why that creates the human need for knowledge of existence. While â€Å"religious discourse† may not provide an exact answer to what existence is, this is inconsequential as according to Cottingham, â€Å"But its advocates would urge that it none the less assuages the nausea, the ‘nausea’ as Jean-Paul Sartre called it, that we feel in confronting the blank mystery of existence,† (Cottingham, 2003, p. 9). Here Cottingham’s inclusion of â€Å"religious discourse† as essential in understanding the â€Å"blank mystery of existence,† seems to undermine a definition of existence based entirely on science. â€Å"Science† as discussed in Cottingham’s discourse should be understood as empirical knowledge. Based upon Cottingham, this empirical knowledge, the tangible is limited in its ability to assist human beings in their understandings of existence. It is into this gladiatorial arena where Rene Descartes jumps as a opponent of a solely empirical understanding of existence. Rene Descartes provides a rational approach to the problem of understanding existence. Descartes rationalism is based upon his definition of the â€Å"material† of existence. Rather than being bogged down in the definition of â€Å"material,† Descartes comes to the conclusion that, â€Å"Consciousness is the essential property of mind substance,† (Collinson, 2006, p.81). Descartes’ definition of the â€Å"essential property† as espoused in Diane Collinson’s Fifty Major Philosophers opens the door for how human existence is defined. The â€Å"essential property† of existence is not based on tangible experience. Collinson highlights Descartes suggestion that the mind experiences the empirical sense of the body, but not because of direct physical experience, rather that, â€Å"ideas of primary qualities are not derived from sense experience but are innate,† (Collinson, 2006, p 83. ). This idea of â€Å"primary qualities† can be applied to the question of existence as experienced by Neo in The Matrix. Neo’s character ascends from a plateau of empirical existence in the beginning of the film. He does not know that he is actually being deceived, that his definition of existence is a computer created dream state. This dream state although realized to be a manifestation of a computer program, is seen by Neo in his earliest iteration as real. He does not know he lives within a deception, because the computer-generated Matrix  maintains all the â€Å"essential qualities† of existence in Neo’s mind. It is not until he meets Morpheus that what he considers existence is a facade. While he maintained a certain amount of skepticism, Neo’s first iteration as Thomas Anderson does not suffer to greatly from the problems that Descartes mused about in the sense of â€Å"dualism. † Neo before meeting Morpheus is happy to accept his existence just as it is because without the outside of influence of Morpheus’ experience, the Matrix holds up to the ideal of the innate nature of existence. Similarly, the audience of The Prestige is like Neo. They are lead astray from the true realization of existence, in particular the truths revealed at the end of the movie, by Nolan. The audience does not know that there is a form of deception taking place. Sure, there is the acknowledgement that the other characters practice in deception, but as the audience is intertwined into the film as an additional character, they are unable to see the greater deception at play. Like Neo, the viewers of The Prestige must go through further iterations in order to understand that while seemingly â€Å"innate† in the sense of Descartes, that the existence portrayed is not the truth. In both cases, an outside influence contends against the assumed support of the rationalism proposed by Descartes. As Neo is awakened into the real world by Morpheus, he ascends another rung on the ladder to an identifiable definition of what composes existence. As Morpheus instructs Neo in the realities of the computer dominated manifestation he had accepted as existence, he is in fact reflecting what Kenneth Westphal refers to as, â€Å"the Humean objection, that the appearance of physical objects in space and time is a deceptive illusion produced by our imagination,† (Westphal, 2006, p. 781). In this direct reference to David Hume In his piece,† How Does Kant Prove That We Perceive, And Not Merely Imagine, Physical Objects,† written for Review of Metaphysics, Westphal endorses Morpheus’ claim to Neo that his imagined self when inside the Matrix is just as real as Neo in the real world. If Neo dies in the Matrix, even-though his computer generated image is simply a construction of the mind, he also dies outside of the Matrix. The creation of two distinct images of the same person, with equal mortality seems to suggest a dichotomy, that deception and perception are interchangeable. That the tangible and the imagined are one and the same when it comes to defining existence, but this understanding is only reached by a communal understanding of existence. Neo was perfectly fine with accepting his previous understanding of the world and his violent initial reaction to Morpheus’ suggestion, points to this. This notion rather than serving to clarify how existence is determined actually muddles the idea. It almost works to endorse a sense of self-deception. (Wachowski, 1999). The concept of self-deception and the reality of the imagined is examined by through the audience’s viewing of the truth behind Angier’s final downfall in The Prestige Angier buys into the imagined and as a result must be destroyed. The final scenes of the film refer the audience, now so deeply involved in the deception to the introduction by the character, Cutter, â€Å"Now youre looking for the secret but you wont find it, because of course youre not really looking. You dont really want to know. You want to be fooled,† (Nolan, 2006). This suggestion that the viewer doesn’t â€Å"really want to know,† explains the downfall of Angier. He was so hopeless caught up in his desire for revenge that he limited his imagination, he only placed importance on the empirical evidence, that his enemy had been hung. He allowed himself to be deceived. Similarly, the character Cypher in The Matrix, desires to allow himself to be deceived. Rather than endorsing an empirical knowledge of existence in this desire, this â€Å"obsession,† it does quite the opposite. Both Cypher’s desire and Angier’s downfall in contrast to the admirable outcome favored upon Christian Bale’s character, Alfred Borden, endorse the idea that deception is as real as existence. The ability to choose between to two, between the intangible, (elucidated here as deception) and the tangible is the defining notion of human existence. This seems to reinforce a Kantian understanding of existence. Kant’s definition of the human experience while seemingly based in sensory information and in that regard would be subject to the same deceptions of the senses that plagued Rene Descartes. However, Kant’s argument trumps this understanding. Diane Collinson brings forth Kant’s understanding of experience and existence, â€Å"Things-inthemselves cannot be known ‘even if we could bring our intuition to the highest degree of clearness’. They are the non-sensible causes of what we intuit,† (Collinson, 2006, p. 123). Kant’s theory on knowledge, at least in part, suggests that although senses provide humans with a lens to view the world, that this is limited because in truth the perceived â€Å"cannot be known† no matter what level of ascendency the viewer reaches. This first portion of Kant’s definition of the knowledge of human experience is reflected in the downfalls of both Neo and Robert Angier. Both must fall in order to support this theory, but in falling they are able to transcend and realize that they were unable to fathom their experiences. Angier had to have his rival’s mystery elucidated for him. Neo had to die in order to reach a position similar to that of a demi-god where he was no longer limited by the human existence. The agents in The Matrix repeatedly call attention to this by discussing the weak and vileness of the humans they have enslaved. In order to transcend to this level of knowing both characters had to fail. They had to realize that experience and existence cannot be known simply from the sensory or the perception. It requires sacrifice, but the knowledge that comes out of the sacrifice is limited to the individual. Immanuel Kant endorses this assertion of the individual in existence. Moreover it Is in his acceptance of the individual’s lack of ability to discern between perception and the empirical Kant provides an argument against the aforementioned â€Å"Humean objection. † Whereas Hume argued that the knowledge of the physical is a deception produced by the imaginative capacities of the human mind, Kant dispelled this conjecture of Hume’s. This facet of Kantian idealism is reflected in his next contention against the Humean, â€Å"but Kant regarded Hume’s strategy as inadequate since it left the causal principle without any justification. His own account establishes a third class of propositions, one whose propositions, like those stating matters of fact, tell us something about the world and are synthetic rather than analytic but which are also necessary in that they have an a priori element, that is, an element that is not derived from sense perception,† (Collinson, 2006, p. 124). Collinson highlights Kant’s transcendence of Descartes’ and Hume’s positioning of sense perception. By allowing for â€Å"synthetic† propositions or ideas about the world, including that of human existence, Kant opens up a window to air out the farce that perception and the empirical are the measures by which existence is judged. Existence in this sense being â€Å"synthetic† is entirely based upon the individual. The individual, although knowledgeable of the deceptive nature of perceptions can choose to limit their knowledge of existence to those perceptions, as did Robert Angier. Or the individual can create their â€Å"own† synthetic perception of the world, if they understand that they cannot fully understand existence. Both characters ascend the scale of knowledge, but in order to truly understand the purpose of existence, they must fall. It is in this final fall, that both are allowed to finally acknowledge, to finally understand, the truth of their existence. In both movies, the characters, including the character of the audience in The Prestige, are guided to make a choice. The implications of this choice while not entirely revealed to the character upon deciding, reflect their decision to define their own existence. The character just like the human being, chooses what to make of their existence in whatever time and place they reside. It is not a communal definition of existence or an all-encompassing one. The knowledge of what existence is limited solely to the individual. Works Cited Collinson, Diane and Plant, Kathryn. â€Å"Emmanuel Kant (1724-1804). † Fifty Major Philosphers Routledge, 2006, pp. 121-127. Collinson, Diane and Kathryn Plant. â€Å"Rene Descartes (1591-1651),† Fifty Major Philosopher, Routledge, 2006, pp. 79-84. Cottingham, John. â€Å"The Question,† On Meaning of Life, Routledge, 2006, pp. 1-31. Nolan, Christopher (Producer), Nolan, Christopher (Director). (2006). The Prestige [Motion Picture]. United States: Touchstone Pictures. Russell, Cristel Antonia and Puto, Christopher. (Nov 1999). â€Å"Rethinking Television Audience Measures: An Exploration into the Construct of Audience Connectedness. † Marketing Letters 18 (4). Retrieved from: http://www. jstor. org. ezproxy2. lib. depaul. edu/stablett Silver, Joel (Producer), Wachowski, Andy and Larry (Director). (1999). The Matrix [Motion Picture]. United States: Warner Brothers. Westphal, K. R. (2006). HOW DOES KANT PROVE THAT WE PERCEIVE, AND NOT MERELY IMAGINE, PHYSICAL OBJECTS?. Review Of Metaphysics, 59(4), 781-806. Retrieved from: http://web. ebscohost. com. ezproxy2. lib. depaul. edu.

Common Barriers to Communication

Common Barriers to Communication There are many barriers that occur every single day that cause ineffective communication. Not many people are aware of these barriers. Studies have shown that not everyone is aware of their behavior when speaking or listening. Habits are hard to kick but it is not impossible. Some of these barriers can be avoided, some cannot, but that does not mean that there is no solution for it. Without putting the effort into avoiding some of these common communication barriers, miscommunications might occur. One should always be sincere when holding a conversation with someone therefore, these are some of the common communication barriers one should take note of. One of the most common communication barriers is language. Not everyone’s first language is the same, so trying to bring a message across could be difficult. It would of course be easier if both parties could speak the same language but if otherwise, then there could be other solutions for the problem. For example, during intern ational business meetings, they could hire a translator. Another alternative would be to make the effort to learn a bit of the other party’s language to show sincerity in wanting to understand them better, and to avoid language barriers. Another scenario would be if a customer is not local and does not speak the native language, then we could try to find other ways to understand them. Most people have five senses, and if we don’t understand them, we could try other senses like seeing, which would mean, to ‘act’ it out for them. These could be some of the ways to communicate with someone who does not speak the same language as us. â€Å"However, even when communicating in the same language, the terminology used in a message may act as a barrier if it is not fully understood by the receiver(s). For example, a message that includes a lot of specialist jargon and abbreviations will not be understood by a receiver who is not familiar with the terminology used. †(http://www.skillsyouneed.com/ips/barriers-communication.html#ixzz2x2ZuJjfh) Another common communication barrier is having poor listening skills. â€Å"We retain only about 50 percent of a ten-minute oral presentation immediately after we hear it, and about 25 percent of the same message after 48 hours† (Day Rasberry, 1980, Page 43) Some barriers that could cause poor listening skills are, â€Å"laziness, disinterest, closed-mindedness, insincerity, boredom, etc.† (S. Golen, 1990 Page 25 to 35) and also, â€Å"Sometimes a listener and speaker experience communication problems due to effects of the thinking-speaking time differential. This differential results from the fact that the average person talks at a rate of about 125 words per minute, while a listener can process information at approximately 450 words per minute.† (Nixon West, 1989) Because of this, we have time to think about other things and therefore get distracted and are not focused on wha t the speaker has to say. In some cases, there are people who often interrupt when someone is talking. â€Å"Interruptions are usually the result of a listener’s ego involvement or impatience with the speaker or the topic.† (Deborah Q. Gaut Eileen M. Perrigo, 1998 Page 40) A reason behind this could be that the interrupter feels more knowledgeable and feels the need to correct others when he or she feels that the other party is wrong. Another reason could be that the interrupter feels comfortable with the person he or she is talking to and thinks that it is okay to do so. Some of the characteristics of poor listeners are impatience, lack of direct eye contact, constant fidgeting, etc. Body language is very important and is a key strategy to read a person. An example would be, the listener keeps looking at the time, keeps fiddling with things or does not look at the speaker in the eyes. This would give the speaker the impression that whatever he or she has to say is no t important and it would also be showing that the listener is not showing any respect towards the speaker. There are also, cultural barriers. Different people have different beliefs and not everyone is knowledgeable of other cultures. Several barriers to intercultural communication have been identified, like â€Å"linguistic, physical, perceptual, experiential, verbal, etc† (Bell, 1992 ; Treece Kleen, 1997) There is also an â€Å"Important but not often recognized or visible barrier to intercultural communication: that of stress. Stress often accompanies communication between people of different cultural backgrounds because of the high degree of uncertainty, unfamiliarity and threat involved in the process.† (Pedersen and Pedersen, 1985) It is because of the short period of time you have with that certain person of a different culture to talk or discuss about something, which creates a high level of pressure to want to leave a good impression especially if it is about business or working together. Sometimes both parties could be speaking the same language but because of cultural differences, it could be hard to understand it in their accent so it would be extremely embarrassing for him or her to repeat several times just for the other person to try and understand the message that the speaker is trying to put across. A stereotype is defined as A conventional, formulaic, and oversimplified conception, opinion, or image (www.dictonary.com) It is common to be misunderstood by other people but it can also be very frustrating. †When an individual has a preconception about another individual, it makes it difficult for the individual not to view the other individuals communication with prejudice.† (http://www.studymode.com/essays/Barriers-To-Effective-Communication-77841.html) There are so many types of stereotypes. For example, â€Å"Someone working in an insubordinate position might be deemed to be uneducated with little to offer, when in fact, this is not true and employers can lose out on valuable opportunities by not communicating with them, and including those in the lower-level positions in the creative process.† (http://www.ehow.com/facts_6832310_stereotyping-affect-communication-work_.html#ixzz2x3RPpVd9) In addition, there are also gender stereotypes. â€Å"Gender roles typi cally call for men to be the more authoritative, in-control worker, with women as more emotional. This stereotype can adversely affect a womans role in the workplace, especially in senior management positions. Gender stereotypes prevent those with true, leadership and management capabilities from getting ahead. This adversely affects both the women and men in the workplace and their ability to communicate for the better of the company.† (http://www.ehow.com/facts_6832310_stereotyping-affect-communication-work_.html#ixzz2x3akKCJu) â€Å"Stereotypes based on race and ethnicity is not only morally wrong, but legally wrong as well, and can alienate employees. If employees are not communicating based on preconceived notions, they are not engaged in the same goals for the company and this will ultimately reflect in the companys failures.† (http://www.ehow.com/facts_6832310_stereotyping-affect-communication-work_.html#ixzz2x3bmP1xG) Everyone has been stereotyped by someone and /or has stereotyped someone before. It is one of the greatest communication barriers but yet it cannot be helped sometimes. It paints a picture of someone or something that may or may not be true, and instantly causes judgments without having to get to know the person, which is unfair. There are other barriers like noise that affect effective communications. Noise could affect our hearing and we may not understand the message the speaker was trying to put across. That way, misunderstanding could occur. Especially if someone wanted instructions to be carried out but the person who is supposed to execute it, heard it differently. â€Å"For instance, you may assume that because people are nodding while you speak, they understand and agree with what you are saying. Similarly, if you invite questions about your message and get none, it would be easy to assume therearenone.The truth is, few people will risk the potential embarrassment of being the only one who doesn’t agree with or understand your message or doesn’t know what to ask. To assume they do would be a mistake.† (http://gwynteatro.wordpress.com/2011/11/20/4-barriers-to-effective-communication-what-to-do-about-them/) In some cases, assumptions could be accurate, but if it is not, then it cou ld lead to a communication breakdown. â€Å"We all use selective perception in composing and interpreting information† (Irene F. H. Wong and Michael D. Connor and Ulrike M. Murfett, 2006, Page 12) In conclusion, there are many barriers that cause ineffective communications. These are barriers that people should take into consideration in order to avoid misunderstandings and misjudgments. Being a good listener has its advantages. It helps us understand messages, instructions, etc better and understanding the message or instruction that is put across to us would help us perform better and/or meet customers’ expectations. But first of all, one must be willing to listen and be focused on the topic. A good listener should also respond appropriately. â€Å"Communication is two-way. A response is called for. It may be no more than applause – or even silence. But it is still a response, which will in turn be interpreted by the speaker.† (John Adair, 2009, Page 92 ) Being an effective speaker also has its advantages. When speaking, it has to be clear, simple, vivid and natural so that the message can be broad across clearly and that the listener understands. Overall, being a good listener and a good speaker affects effective communications. It works both ways.

Case Study Procter Ang Gamble Merger With Gillette Marketing Essay

Case Study Procter Ang Gamble Merger With Gillette Marketing Essay Its being more than 100 years that Gillette Company manufactures consumer products that create strong brand loyalty among the consumers around the world. Gillette sells product mainly for men like blades, razors and shaving preparations. Gillette also has a strong position worldwide in some of the female grooming products, such as hair products. Company is the worldwide leader in alkaline batteries and is also famous for its Oral-B in manual and power toothbrushes. The Company has employed nearly 30,000 people globally and has 31 manufacturing plants in 14 countries. About Procter Gamble Headquarters: It has its headquarter at Cincinnati. Employees: No. of employees in the company are 110,000 in about 80 countries Brands: Tide, Charmin, Folgers, Noxema, Pampers, Pringles and Pantene. Founded: Procter Gmable was incorporated in 1837 at Cincinnati by William Procter, who was a candle maker and James Gamble who was a soap maker. Both men contributed $3,500 billion to start the company as a startup fund. Around four billion times a day, PG brands touch the lives of people around the world. The company has one of the strongest portfolios of trusted, leadership brands and Quality which including Pampers, Tide, Ariel, Always, Whisper, Pantene, Bounty, Pringles, Charmin, Downy, Lenor, Crest, Actonel, Olay, Clairol Nice n Easy and Head Shoulders(R). The PG community has almost 110,000 employees working in over 80 countries worldwide. Highlights of the case with important dates of Merger Important Dates- January 28, 2005: Procter Gamble announced their largest acquisition in its history. They agreed to buy Gillette in $57 billion and this deal involved or combined some of the worlds largest and top most brands. January 27, 2005: Procter and Gamble agreed to issue 0.975 shares of its common stock in against each share of Gillette and this showed an18% premium to Gillette shareholders. In 1986 -Revlon had tried and attempted its best to takeover Gillette in 1986 but it was not successful to do so. In 1999- Procter and Gamble went with a proposal to Gillette but at that time Gillette refused the offer, then in November 2004, Gillette CEO James M Kilts, started merger talks with Procter and Gamble as he thought that it was the right time for such a move. Highlights of the Merger- The Merger was announced on January 28th 2005, Procter and Gamble decided to exchange 0.975 shares of its common stock for each share of Gillette. Thus, it leads to 18% of premium to Gillette shareholders. The merger was approved by the shareholders of both the company. After the merger Procter and Gamble immediately decided to buy back $18-22 billion of its common stock and this whole process of buy back took 18 months to complete. After this process the deal was structured as 60% stock and 40% cash deal, while it was purely a stock- swap on paper. When the merger happened everybody knew that Procter and Gamble combined with Gillette would become the worlds largest consumer product company with $60.7 billion annual sales. At that time after the merger the new company decided to takeover Unilever which had total annual sales of $48.25 billion at that time. Proctor and Gamble after the merger had brands of $21 billion with market capitalization of $200 billion. Once the merger was done Procter and Gamble shareholders owned approximately 71% of the combined company and Gillette shareholders owned 29% of the combined company. Both the companies expected that merger would bring great synergies. According to the deal between the two companies Procter and Gamble would acquire whole Gillette business which includes its technical, manufacturing and other facilities. Gillette and Proctor Gamble have almost same history, culture and core strengths in branding, scale, innovation and go to market capabilities, which made this merger a perfect one, people called this merger a perfect marriage because one innovative company acquired another innovative company to enlarge its product line and both companies faced low sales problem and both of them emerged as winners after applying same approaches. After acquiring Gillette as a whole Proctor and Gamble became the worlds second largest consumer products company with approximate sales of $61 billion. Procter and Gamble at the time of merger expected total gains and cost savings of $ 14 -$16 billion by lying off and eliminating 6000 peoples job. When Proctor and Gamble started running in profits it acquired brands which matched its strategy such as Germanys Wella AG hair care line, it also acquired Clairol for its hair care lines and Iams Company known for its pet foods. After the merger PG had great earnings within few days as its net income jumped 12% from $1.8 billion to $2.04 billion. On January 27, trading in Procter and Gamble calls spiked to 8,172 contracts and Gillettes call spiked to 4,788 contacts. This means that both the company had increase or more than five times the average daily volume. A single contract is equal to 100 shares. Hurdles after the merger- Procter and Gamble faced various challenges related to manufacturing facilities, workforce, work culture and integration of operations of the two companies which had functioned as an independent company for so long. According to the analysts lying off workers across countries is also a problem. Due to integration efforts demand Procter and Gamble also had to overcome the risk of not being able to focus on its functioning. Main issues which made the merger important According to the deal of Procter and Gamble and Gillette merger Procter and Gamble decided to exchange 0.975 shares of its common stock for each share of Gillette. Procter and Gamble decided to buy back its common stock after the merger i.e. between $18-22 billion. This made the deal 60 % stock and 40% cash deal. Both the companies thought that the merger to will bring heavy synergies as both are the best companies and combination of these two companies will lead to strong brand portfolio. After the merger Gillette had got more opportunities to sell its products in various developing markets like China and East Europe. After the merger the combined entity layoff 6000 employees that are 4% of 140,000 combined work forces. This has to be done as both the companies had to integrate the headquarters and business operation units. The management is trying their best efforts to retain best employees from both the companies. Both the companies merger is an important and attractive deal as it has growth prospects, the revenue and cost synergies are attractive and innovation pipelines are strong. Procter and Gamble decided about the potential regulatory or anti- trust barriers of this deal that they will closely review the deal and resolve any issues regarding the product that are overlapping between the companies as they have a good record of working with regulators in the competitive market place. Bankers involved in the deal were Merrill Lynch was representing Procter and Gamble and Goldman Sachs/UBS are representing Gillette. Post Merger Scenario After the merger it was a great financial success for both the companies, especially for Procter and Gamble as growth in its revenue tripled, it was reported that the company would have more than $ 60 billion sales a year. Procter and Gambles unit volume had grown 27% and its net sales also grew by 27% and have reached to $18.34 billion. PGs net earnings have also increased by 29% and have reached to  £2.55 billion. This merger has made Procter and Gamble the worlds number one household maker leaving behind Unilever in the second place. The combined companies have total 21 brands under it and have the best global market position in product categories. After the merger the company will have more power to negotiate with advertising and media companies like television, newspapers, magazine and billboards. Gillette and Procter and Gamble are actively involved in pilots like testing and learning the technology, developing a scalable solution, drive development to deliver business benefits and validate the business case. Dealing with Wal-Mart After the merger of Procter and Gamble and Gillette it had a great affect on Wal- Mart. As PG is one of the worlds largest consumer products company and after Gillette joined it its sale almost tripled and it gave the company a new competition with retailers like Wal- Mart. As it is said those retailers dont want its suppliers to be bigger than him and vice versa. Procter and Gamble merger with Gillette had put great pressure on various other consumer products firms like Nestle, Colgate- Palmolive, Unilever and Kimberly- Clark. Learnings from the case study Case study of Procter and Gamble merger with Gillette helps us in learning following: Post merger scenario of both the companies after the merger. Procter and Gamble was interested in buying Gillette because it wanted to improve and expand its product and target as many customers it can. Both the companies agreed to merge because they knew it will be bring revenue, enlarge its product line and can become worlds largest consumer product company. It is a kind of friendly takeover that is with consent of take over company and with consent of majority of shareholders. Consideration for takeover is in the form of cash an stock both. Buy back of securities i.e. after the merger Procter and Gamble immediately decided to buy back $18-22 billion of its common stock. Merger effects on PG and Gillette competitors like Wal-Mart. Hurdle which both the companies faced after the merger.