history of jazz dance Essay Example

history of jazz dance Paper History of Jazz Dance Jazz dance is a form of personal expression created and sustained though improvisationit has certain defining characteristics, including improvisation, isolation, a centrifugal explosion of energy that radiates outward from the hips, and a propulsive rhythm that gives a swinging quality to the movement. -Bob Boross Jazz is a crossbreed of north American cultures, a music and dance of the slaves of Africa, and old European Jigs and lits, Minstrel shows and presumably, Jazz music. Jazz is part of the genuine folk culture of North America and the only such national tradition. Today any professional dancer male or female can not make it without a Jazz background. Thefirst Jazz dancer to dance to Jazz Music was said to be Frisco, who spotted Al Jolson and started mimicking him at the Lambs Cafe in Chicago. Marshall and Jean Stearns, in their book Jazz Dance The Story of American Vernacular Dance, state that jazz dance is a blend of African and European traditions in an American environment. They feel that European movement contributed an elegance, and that African movement gave a rhythmic style. Lynne Fauley Emery also notes the importance of rhythm in African music and dance by using the metaphor of a drumbeat for the heartbeat of Africa. It would seem that, although European movement has given a shape to jazz dance, African rhythmic propulsion is the factor that has given jazz dance its character and appeal. Jazz dance is the embodiment of the American culture in that it blends many different cultures, lifestyles and techniques into one harmonious art form. To trace the history of jazz dancing in America, it is therefore necessary to begin in Africa. Jean Sabatine, in her book Techniques and Styles of Jazz Dancing, states that the story of jazz dance begins with the importing of African culture to Ameri

A Introduction to Sociology Statistics

A Introduction to Sociology Statistics Sociological research can have three distinct goals: description, explanation, and prediction. The description is always an important part of the research, but most sociologists attempt to explain and predict what they observe. The three research methods most commonly used by sociologists are observational techniques, surveys, and experiments. In each case, measurement is involved that yields a set of numbers, which are the findings, or data, produced by the research study. Sociologists and other scientists summarize data, find relationships between sets of data, and determine whether experimental manipulations have affected some variable of interest. The word statistics has two meanings: The field that applies mathematical techniques to the organizing, summarizing, and interpreting of data. The actual mathematical techniques themselves. Knowledge of statistics has many practical benefits. Even a rudimentary knowledge of statistics will make you better able to evaluate statistical claims made by reporters, weather forecasters, television advertisers, political candidates, government officials, and other persons who may use statistics in the information or arguments they present. Representation of Data Data are often represented in frequency distributions, which indicate the frequency of each score in a set of scores. Sociologists also use graphs to represent data. These include pie graphs, frequency histograms, and line graphs. Line graphs are important in representing the results of experiments because they are used to illustrate the relationship between independent and dependent variables. Descriptive Statistics Descriptive statistics summarize and organize research data. Measures of central tendency represent the typical score in a set of scores. The mode is the most frequently occurring score, the median is the middle score, and the mean is the arithmetic average of the set of scores. Measures of variability represent the degree of dispersion of scores. The range is the difference between the highest and lowest scores. The variance is the average of the squared deviations from the mean of the set of scores, and the standard deviation is the square root of the variance. Many kinds of measurements fall on a normal, or bell-shaped, curve. A certain percentage of scores fall below each point on the abscissa of the normal curve. Percentiles identify the percentage of scores that fall below a particular score. Correlational Statistics Correlational statistics assess the relationship between two or more sets of scores. A correlation may be positive or negative and vary from 0.00 to plus or minus 1.00. The existence of a correlation does not necessarily mean that one of the correlated variables causes changes in the other. Nor does the existence of a correlation preclude that possibility. Correlations are commonly graphed on scatter plots. Perhaps the most common correlational technique is Pearsons product-moment correlation. You square the Pearsons product-moment correlation to get the coefficient of determination, which will indicate the amount of variance in one variable accounted for by another variable. Inferential Statistics Inferential statistics permit social researchers to determine whether their findings can be generalized from their samples to the populations they represent. Consider a simple investigation in which an experimental group that is exposed to a condition is compared with a control group that is not. For the difference between the means of the two groups to be statistically significant, the difference must have a low probability (usually less than 5 percent) of occurring by normal random variation. Sources: McGraw Hill. (2001). Statistics Primer for Sociology. mhhe.com/socscience/sociology/statistics/stat_intro.htm

Research Paper about International Students Study in America Essay

Research Paper about International Students Study in America - Essay Example The salient features of the story, â€Å"How It Feels to be Colored Me,† reveal broadly what must have been transpired in the mind of Hurston, when she was discriminated by the society on account of the color of her skin. In her childhood in Eatonville, Florida, she had no color problems. She sang, danced in the streets and greeted neighbors like any other child, and mingled freely without any feelings of alienation. She had no imagination about the magnitude of differences that suddenly cropped up when she lost her mother, when she was just thirteen and left home for attending a boarding school in Jacksonville. The transformation of her being as â€Å"colored† was immediate. Racism is a life-long insult to the dignity of the blacks and it requires immense courage to challenge it. The important aspect of the story is the period to which it belonged, that was challenging to the life and existence of blacks. It was published in â€Å"The World Tomorrow,† in the May 1928’s edition. The ideology of racial segregation dominated the social and cultural life of America. Challenge to black pride prevailed in every segment. In such a turbulent era, Hurston’s pen did the job of presenting before the public a stinging message to challenge the societal mindset. In the final analysis of the issues related to colored people Hurston concludes by asserting that â€Å"the Great Stuffer of Bags, the Creator, may have fashioned people in this way from the very beginning† (Hurston). The Colored Issue Today in Its Broad Perspective Read this revealing passage: â€Å"Someone is always at my elbow reminding me that I am the granddaughter of slaves. It fails to register depression with me. Slavery is sixty years in the past. The operation was successful and the patient is doing well, thank you. The terrible struggle that made me an American out of a potential slave said "On the line!† The Reconstruction said "Get set!† and the gen eration before said "Go!† I am off to a flying start and I must not halt in the stretch to look behind and weep† ( Hurston). For colored people of any genre, and for the student population in particular, the above summing up, should serve as the guiding principle for any contingencies. An international student in the social circumstances prevailing in America today lives in a favorable time, as compared to the year 1928. The materialistic civilization, the internet revolution and globalization have contributed a lot to dilute the impact of discrimination on the basis of color. At the level of the individual some people may still deal with reservations towards the colored people for their own reasons. But legally, the colored students are fully protected and have legal remedies if racial bias is practiced against them. View the colored issue from the spiritual angle. The solution becomes much easier. Hurston argues, â€Å"I have no separate feeling about being an America n citizen and colored. I am merely a fragment of the Great Soul that surges within the boundaries. My country, right or wrong† (Hurston). The intensity of the anguish for discrimination on

CONSUMER PROTECTION (SUPERVISED COURSEWORK) Case Study

CONSUMER PROTECTION (SUPERVISED COURSEWORK) - Case Study Example A repair of the taps, replacement of the discolored bath and delivery of the shower cabinet may be accepted as a remedy. However, if this remedy is not satisfactory, consequent to faulty repair or the failure to deliver the shower cabinet, as per the contractually described one, Mr. Green may still claim a refund. Furthermore, considering that the fault was detected immediately upon delivery and installation, another remedy available to Mr. Green is the request for a reduction in price to compensate for the fault and the non delivery of the shower cabinet. In other words, the available remedies are refund, repair, reduction in price or rescission. Assuming that it is not clear in the question you are given whether it is a Hire Purchase Agreement governed by Debtor-Creditor-Supplier terms, you need to be able to identify it. Use the following as a guide: Mr. Greene purchased the Carlton Suite and this should factor into his decision whether or not to pursue the remedy of terminating the contract. In order to clarify how this particular remedy will be financially costly to the debtor, it is first necessary to point out a number of facts associated with this type of credit agreement. In the first place, as per the credit agreement, Mr. Brown does not legally own the goods and shall not be in ownership of them until he has paid the full sum owed. His contract here is with the finance company and not with Breakspears Bathrooms. In other words, and as per Consumer Credit Act, S.11(1)(a), the bathroom was sold to the financial company by Breakspears and not to Mr. Green. In this instance, Mr. Green took delivery of the suite from the financial company. As such, the bathroom suite is bailed to Mr. Green in return for periodic payments and ownership rights shall only pass to him upon his completion of all payments. Should Mr. Green determine termination to be the remedy that he will pursue, the financial burden of doing so may fall upon him. His termination order will be governed by Consumer Credit Act 1974, Section 99 and Section 100. This is further established by Yeoman Credit v Waragowski. In this matter, even though the court recognised the debtor's right

Artificial Intelligence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Artificial Intelligence - Essay Example Alan Turing, then, modified the ‘imitation game’ and put a man or woman, and a computer in another separate room. The judge’s job was to decide who is a man or machine among the two contestants. Based on the second version of the experiment, Turing argued that if the ‘judge’ can pick a computer or a human using his mind, then, the computer is a simulation of a human and hence it is intelligent. The Turing has been modified further in that the imitation game has changed where there is a single contestant, a human or a computer. The judge’s job in this test is to decide whether the single contestant is a human or a machine (Moor 143).  Alan Turing proposes that the definition of intelligence can be passed to machines (computers) in that he believes that computers can be programmed to act like humans. He advocates for the question and answer method because it includes the human behaviour of talking by responding to queries. In his 1951 paper, Tu ring writes that â€Å"in fifty years’ time, computers can be programmed to play the imitation game such that any average interrogator (judge) will have less than 70% chance of identifying the correct contestant after asking questions for five minutes.† The Turing test supports the fact that if a human being is replaced by a computer and the game’s results remain unaffected, then, the machine would be equally intelligent as a human and capable of thought (Moor 144).  Turing supports his arguments by stating that machines are capable of thought if only they cannot be distinguished.

Critically assess the strengths and weaknesses of personal construct

Critically assess the strengths and weaknesses of personal construct In social psychology, individual difference research aims to find out why individuals act differently in the same scenarios (Butt, 2007). This essay will be looking at two different theories which study and interpret individual differences to personality in two different ways. Kellys (1955, cited in Butt, 2007; Stevens, 2002) personal construct theory and Eysenck and Rathmans (1965, cited in Butt, 2007) trait theory of personality will be outlined and then trait theory will be used to critique, and find the strengths and weaknesses of, personal construct theory to see how it contributes to our understanding of individual differences in personality. This essay will argue that the strength of the personal construct theory is that it gives a much more holistic contribution to our understanding of individual differences in personality than the trait theory, although unlike the trait theory, its weakness is that its findings can not be generalised. Personal construct theory also has stren gth in that it transcends the individual-social and agency-structure dualisms which the trait theory does not. Personal construct theory, developed by Kelly (1955, cited in Butt, 2007; Stevens, 2002) viewed personality as an individual experience. It advocates bipolar constructs that individuals use to help them understand their world, for example, stimulating-dull (Stevens, 2002). Personal construct theory uses the phenomenological approach and therefore aims to understand how individuals use their subjective, individual experiences to develop a set of personal constructions, which in turn, helps them to make sense of their world around them (Butt, 2004). This helps to understand the individuals lived experience, how they make meaning and how they come to view the world in different ways (Butt, 2007, cited in Butt, 2007). Personal construct theory therefore sees individual differences as recognising and taking account of each individuals world view and the conscious role they have in creating the individual they become and the personality they have (Butt, 2007; Stevens, 2002). To investigate each individuals set of personal constructs, Kelly (1955, cited in Butt, 2007) developed the repertory grid. This grid worked by individuals allocating personal constructs to everyone who they considered as part of their life. This subsequently allowed bipolar dimensions to be found. When analysing these constructions, it could be revealed how each individual experiences others and could show how two different individuals could make an entirely different assessment of the same person, for example, if an individual is fixed in their constructs they could come to believe that an individual who is reserved is always cold and so having a fixed personality could cause many relationship problems compared to having a fluid personality. A lot of constructing occurs subconsciously so the grid allows individuals to gain and communicate their own individual meanings of things that would otherwise be unavailable. Personal construct theory sees constructs as being adjustable and, by seeing themselves through an others eyes, individuals could make conscious decisions to change their personality and view of the world (Butt, 2007). But Kelly (1955, cited in Butt, 2007) argued that as much effort is placed in these constructions the individual may not want to change them. The fundamental parts of personal construct theory were usefully applied by Salmon (2003, cited in Butt, 2007) to education. Salmon (2003, cited in Butt, 2007) argued that to facilitate personal development, schools needed to take into account the students current personal constructs and the students also needed to be aware of their own personal constructs. Salmon (2003, cited in Butt, 2007) later developed the Salmon line, which allowed the students a tool to see how they were progressing using their own meanings about progression. In contrast to the personal construct theory, trait theories see individual differences to personality as the fixed ways that individuals vary from each other (Butt, 2007). There are many types of trait theory, although this essay is going to concentrate on Eysenck and Rathmans (1965, cited in Butt, 2007) trait theory in order to critique Kellys (1955, cited in Butt, 2007) personal construct theory. This trait theory was developed from the natural science and experimental mainstream approach to individual differences (Butt, 2007). The aim of the theory was to find general dimensions from various populations of individuals to allow trait theorists to be able to predict how, a certain individual would act in given situations. Eysenck and Rathman (1965, cited in Butt, 2007) argued that personality traits were due to biological and genetic factors and used the dimensions of extraversion-introversion and neuroticism-stability to measure personality with (Butt, 2007). Eysenck and Rathmans (1965, cited in Butt, 2007) trait theory of personality used data gained from Eysencks personality inventory questionnaire (Eysenck and Eysenck, 1963, cited in Butt, 2007) that involved many samples of individuals attributing dispositions to others (Butt, 2007). Eysenck and Rathmans (1965, cited in Butt, 2007) research led them to claim that there were two, main, unrelated dimensions of personality: extraversion and neuroticism and that these were behavioural expressions of temperament differences (Butt, 2007). Eysenck and Rathman (1965, cited in Butt, 2007) claimed that extraversion was grounded in cortical arousal and neuroticism was grounded in autonomic arousal, so the behavioural patterns were like the phenotype in biol ogy, whereas the innate brain structure is like the genotype (Butt, 2007). Eysenck reasoned that if the main dimensions in personality were found, these could have clinical application as they could be related to different kinds of neurotic behaviour which would explain why individuals acquire different types of psychological disorders (Butt, 2007). So both theories give two different ways of viewing personality. This essay will now critically analyse the strengths and weaknesses of personal construct theory using the trait theory of personality. The trait theory has been around for a long time and therefore has been researched a lot, has been very influential and has been tested extensively; this is unlike the personal construct theory which has been around for a relatively shorter period of time and so has been lacking in the same areas. The trait theory has also been seen as a more suitable way than the personal construct theory of looking at personality as it resembles the lay theories that individuals use when assessing others (Butt, 2007). Trait theories also use objective personality measurements, like the Eysenck personality inventory and this allows for large groups of individuals to be compared. This subsequently gives trait theory a wide scope for application as the trait theory findings can be used by organisations t hat need to identify trends in certain populations (Hollway, 2007). Personal construct theory data, in comparison, can not be generalised or compared across the wider population. But trait theory has got its weaknesses. Skinner (1974, cited in Butt, 2007) argued that traits do not explain personality or behaviour; they just identify trends in it. Although trait theories were designed to see how individuals react differently and consistently in certain situations (Butt, 2007), Mischel (1968, cited in Butt, 2007) argued that the evidence for this consistency is relatively small compared to the evidence there is for how people change with experience. Mischel (1968, cited in Butt, 2007) also suggests that rather than entirely reflecting the individuals personality traits, trait theory is strongly influenced by the thoughts, experiences and personality of the individual rating. The strength of objectivity within the trait theory, although helpful when comparing population, can also be viewed as a weakness of the theory. Personal construct theory data is subjective and situated in time and place unlike trait theory data which is taken out of its context making it ecologically invalid. The personal construct theory also takes into account the richness of an individuals personality (Butt, 2007) which the trait theory does not. Using phenomenology, personal construct theory attempts to see the distinctiveness of each individuals personality. Personal construct theory accepts that the individual can change and society can facilitate this change. This allows them to understand why individuals change depending on the situation and when that situation occurs and how this happens. Adaptations of personal construct theory also sees how change can happen in the future, for example, Salmons (2003, cited in Butt, 2007) version helped facilitate learning and her Salmon l ine allowed individuals to give themselves a goal and see what they needed to change in their personality to reach that goal. The trait theory, however, sees traits as biological and therefore fixed and unlikely to change. This means that it can not be used to assist changes in personality so has less practical uses than the personal construct theory. Unlike the personal construct theory, trait theory also does not take into account how an individuals social life could influence the individuals personality. A large strength of the personal construct theory is that it does not have the same extent of power relations plaguing it as the trait theory does. Personal construct theory uses qualitative interview methods which stop the researcher from having so much power over the findings of the research (Salmon, 2003, cited in Butt, 2007). The researcher uses the repertory grid to help each individual access their own personal constructs, in this way the researcher is prevented from assuming what the individuals constructs will be. Trait theorists, however, have lots of power over the individual. This is because the trait theory comes from the experimental approach. This means that the researchers that measure and put apply these measurements, for example, to create hierarchies in schools. Trait theory can therefore be misused as individuals can be judged against what is considered normal and competent by people who they believe are experts on the subject (Butt, 2007). But, personal construct theory also has its weaknesses because they do not use classification methods like the trait theories do and therefore they can not help an individual to get extra help, for example, if they need to be classified to get help with a split-personality. The personal construct theory also tried to make the researcher try to see the world through the participants eyes in order to help the participant express their constructs. But sometimes this would be impossible for the researcher, especially if they are working with an individual with a personality problem that they have no experience of. In trait theory there is an emphasis on the biological, genetic aspects of personality (Eysenck and Rathman, 1965, cited in Butt, 2007) which sees personality as fixed and coming from within the individual. But by concentrating on the individual and trying to find universal findings, the complexity and richness within each individual is lost. In education, psychometric measures have been used in such a way that teachers do nothing more than teach students how to pass tests. Salmon argued that testing students, learning becomes generalised and the students ability level becomes fixed as students become grouped depending on whether they score high, average or low on tests. This does not take into account the individual personality of each student. In personal construct theory, students are no longer seen as fixed in their abilities, Salmon argued that children do not learn in the ways stated above, instead they shift their meanings within a personal system of understandings. In this wa y each individual students personality could be such that they are good at and enjoy some types of learning and could be bad at and hate other types. So the personal construct theory has the strength of transcending the individual-society dualism. The way trait theory sees traits as fixed, determined, genetic and unchanging through environments also suggests that individuals have no agency in their personality traits and social structures did not affect their personality traits whatsoever. In the personal construct theory, Kelly (1965, 2007, cited in Butt, 2007), for example, put great emphasis on the society that individuals are constructed in. People were seen to use their experiences to actively create their worlds, even though these constructs and understandings that were gained from the social world sometimes restrict agency. So the personal construct theory has the strength of transcending the agency-structure dualism. Personal construct theory (Kelly, 1955, cited in Butt, 2007; Stevens, 2002) and the trait theory of personality (Eysenck and Rathman, 1965, cited in Butt, 2007) are two different approaches to individual differences in personality which contribute two different explanations to why people act in different ways in the same sort of situations (Butt, 2007). The strength of the personal construct theory is that it gives a much more detailed, holistic contribution to our understanding of individual differences in personality than the trait theory which sees personality as fixed and biologically determined. Personal construct theory sees individuals as having a fluid personality which changes through the individual interacting with their social world and so has contributed to individuals understandings of personality by showing them how they can change their constructions (i.e. the repertory grid). But, personal construct theory has a weakness as its findings can not be generalised like the trait theory can. So, although both theories contribute much to our understandings of individual differences to personality, personal construct theory has a greater contribution as it is more holistic and recognises that the social world and the individuals agency play a vital role in personality which is something that trait theory does not (Butt, 2007). Word Count: 2191 (excluding title). Butt, T. (2004) Personality Theories 1: Trait, Biological and Cognitive Social Approaches in Understanding People, Basingstoke and New York: Palgrove Macmillian. Butt, T. (2007) Individual Differences in Langdridge, D. and Taylor, S. (2007) (eds) Critical readings in Social Psychology. Milton Keynes: The Open University Press. Hollway, W. (2007) Social Psychology: past and present, in Hollway, W, Lucey, H. and Phoenix, A. (2007) (eds) Social Psychology Matters. Milton Keynes: The Open University Press. Stevens, R. (2002) Person Psychology: Psychoanalytic and Humanistic Perspectivesin Miell, D, Phoenix, A. and Thomas, K. (Eds.), Mapping Psychology Book 2, Chapter 9, Milton Keynes: The Open University.

Countries Can No Longer Exclude Immigrants Essay -- Immigration, Immi

Introduction In today’s world migration is a social phenomenon that affects a variety of countries. Nations are either experiencing an influx of immigrants or have the problem of individuals exiting their country. This movement of people between nations gives rise to a multitude of problems. The issue that this paper will explore, using examples from around the world, is that of incorporation. How are immigrants incorporated into their new social and geographic setting? Is this a smooth process or are immigrants locked in a period of liminality (transition stage) where they are literally and figuratively neither here nor there? In addition, are there possible solutions that can better facilitate the incorporation of immigrants and the movement of people between nations? Taboo, Liminality, and Boundaries â€Å"The idea of Society is a powerful image. It is potent in its own right to control or stir men to action. This image has form; it has external boundaries, margins, and internal structure. Its outlines contain power to reward conformity and repulse attack. There is energy in its margins and unstructured areas. For symbols of society any human experience of structures, margins, or boundaries is ready to hand (Douglas 1966:113).† - from Mary Douglas, Purity and Danger In the above quotation Mary Douglas (1960) describes the fundamental aspect of a society. Any organization of humans forms its own boundaries, whether real or imagined, and these have social consequences if crossed. Likewise, as immigrants cross the literal and figurative border of a state, they transgress both the social and geographic boundaries of the society in question. For most migrants the transition or â€Å"rite of passage† from one country to another ... ...drick A. Praeger, Inc. Espenshade, Thomas J. 1996 Contemporary American Attitudes Towards U.S. Immigration. Migration Review:539-541. Hastings, Donnan, and Thomas Wilson. 1999 Borders: Frontiers of Nation, Identity, and State. Oxford: Berg. Tarvarainen, Sinikka. 2006 African’s Dramatic Odyssey End in Homelessness in Spain. Deutsceh Press: 1-2. Turner, Victor. 2005 Betwixt and Between: The Liminal Periods in Rites de Passage. In Magic, Witchcraft, and Religion: An Anthropological Study of the Supernatural. 6th edition. Lehmann, Arthur C., with James Meyers and Pamela A. Moro, ed. Pp. 95-105. New York: McGraw-Hill. van Gennep, Arnold. 1960 The Rites of Passage. Monika B. Vizedom and Gabrielle L. Caffee, trans. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. White, Gregory. 2001 Risking the Strait: Moroccan Labor Migration to Spain. Middle East Report: 26-27.