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The 2018 Length Limit for the Common Application Essay

The 2018 Length Limit for the Common Application Essay Understudies applying to universities that utilization the Common Application will...

Friday, January 31, 2020

American Writers Essay Example for Free

American Writers Essay List of American Novels for Research Project English 11H Historical/War Red Badge of Courage, Stephen Crane Killer Angels, Michael Shaara A Farewell to Arms, Ernest Hemingway The Things They Carried, Tim O’Brien Cold Mountain, Charles Frazier My Brother Sam is Dead, JL Collier African-American Beloved, Toni Morrison (mature themes) I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Maya Angelou Native Son, James Baldwin The Color Purple, Alice Walker (mature themes) Invisible Man, Ralph Ellison Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston Malcom X (autobiography- lengthy) A Lesson Before Dying, Ernest Gaines. The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman, Ernest Gaines Go Tell it on the Mountain, James Baldwin Black Boy, Richard Wright (memoir) Dystopian/Futuristic/Science Fiction Ender’s Game, Orson Scott Card Slaughterhouse 5, Kurt Vonnegut Catch-22, Joseph Heller The Giver, Lois Lowry Martian Chronicles, Ray Bradbury Realism/Naturalism/Regionalism The Call of the Wild, Jack London White Fang, Jack London O’Pioneers, Willa Cather My Antonia, Willa Cather Maggie, Girl of the Streets, Stephen Crane The Jungle, Upton Sinclair Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Mark Twain Miscellaneous Modern/Contemporary novels The Secret Life of Bees, Sue Monk Kidd. The Natural, Bernard Malamud (baseball; Jewish myth) One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Ken Kesey (set in a mental asylum) House on Mango Street, Sandy Cisneros Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck The Joy Luck Club, Amy Tan (Chinese-American culture) The Help, Kathryn Stockett (set in 1960s; about African-American maids in the South) Shoeless Joe, WP Kinsella (baseball) Franny and Zooey, by JD Salinger (from 1950’s; If you have an interest in world philosophy or eastern religion, you’d probably like this. ) The Outsiders, S. E. Hinton The Bell Jar, Sylvia Plath (mature themes) Research Novel Lottery Preparation. Native American Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven, Sherman Alexie Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian, Sherman Alexie Ceremony, Leslie Marmon Silko Quest/Journey On the Road, Jack Kerouac The Old Man and the Sea, Ernest Hemingway The Road, Cormac McCarthy Dark Romanticism The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne (set in Puritan New England; challenging) ark Roma nticis m he Scarlet Letter For our project, you will read one of the books on this list and (later) research the reasons this has become a significant member of the American literary canon. (What literary elements make it unique or powerful? What impact has this work had on our history or way of thinking? ) During our next class, we will conduct a lottery so that each student has a different title. To help insure that you end up with a title that you will enjoy, please spend 20-30 minutes choosing 4 titles from the list that you will be pleased to read and research. You ARE NOT allowed to read any book that you have previously read. I strongly suggest you do some Internet searches on various titles to examine what those books are all about, and to determine if their content might appeal to you. You also need to make sure ahead of time that your choices are okay with your parents. Remember, we will draw names and choose titles, so it’s highly likely you won’t get your first choice. You may, in fact, want to come up with more than four choices! Four top choices: 1_________________________________________________________________________ 2_________________________________________________________________________ 3_________________________________________________________________________ 4_________________________________________________________________________ Please see side two for list of titles?

Monday, January 27, 2020

Differences of Creativity in Education Levels

Differences of Creativity in Education Levels People, who have received a formal education and those who did not, are equally creative. Paola Vasquez Yachay Tech University Abstract This project was made to prove that people who have received a formal education, as those who did not, have equally creativity. First by showing what does creativity and imagination means, and how things that are surrounding influence it. Then, proving that creativity is innate and it is for everybody no matter ages or education people have. Therefore showing that it can be developed no matter the education people have had, and how it can be developed with some examples. For last, explaining how poor people without education are as able as educated people to create and innovate using their imagination and creativity. Citing some articles, and videos, where there are some facts that help develop the topic, can prove it. It ends in the conclusion that all people have the equal opportunity to be creative, and it all depends in their desire to being it. Introduction Every child is an artist, the problem is staying an artist when you grow up (Pablo Picasso). One representative characteristic for why artists are known is their capacity of being creative, because without creativity they could never innovate or make new jobs. Children are artists as well, because nobody teaches them how to, but they have a lot of imagination. To begin, everybody should have a perception of what imagination means, and as an author said We could defend our interest in imagination by pointing out the real-life value of role playing in the young child, of vocational decision-making by way of fantasizing in the adolescent, and of working through hostility by imaginary exploits and confrontations in the adult (Lieberman, J. N. 2014 p. 1). So as she said everybody has imagination that is used for different purposes depending on the stage people are through. Now, there should be the relationship between imagination and creativity, so what does creativity means? As the same author said in the book Playfulness: Its relationship to imagination and creativity creativity is to discover new things for us, and to make things that we have never done before, and also our own way to see the world. Imagination and creativity are both developed in all people no matter ages, and they are also the most representative characteristic to be able to innovate, create, and to be original. It has been said always that children are the most creative people, but as a proof we can see that adults or also teens are those who have discovered or created the advances for the world. Therefore we can affirm not only children are benefited of creativity, but also not only people who have had a formal education. People that have been in high school, college or university are not the only who can be creative but those who have never receive that kind of education are too. Like for religion, in this case it does not matter the social classes, the races or any superficial aspect, becau se everybody can achieve what they desire. People, who received a formal education and those who did not, are equally creative, because creativity is innate and it must be cultivated, the necessity of solving problems develops creativity, and no matter the education level, there are different ways to develop creativity. Creativity is innate Innate The article Scientists are more creative than you imagine, (Ossola. A. 2014) states that creativity is innate. Therefore, it proves that creativity comes in everybodys mind; because based on Cambridge Dictionary; innate means, an ability that people were born with, and not something they have learned. Learning is something people can do everywhere, not exactly a school, or with an education system. There are a lot of people that learns all they know in streets or like it is said the school of life. Anyway creativity is not something learned, so people do not need to have a formal education, or to have learned something about life. It also does not depend on the social groups, cultures, religion, or any kind of those characteristics; any of them are irrelevant to creativity, because people are already born with the ability or capacity to be creative. Imagination and creativity. So what does it mean to be creative? If it is about an international meaning, again Cambridge Dictionary defines it as the ability to produce original and unusual ideas, or to make something new or imaginative. That last point brings us to the other topic: imagination, a word that brings to our minds the face of a child. As creativity, everybody has it. Imagination and creativity are crucial to make and create new advances and technologies, and they are adults the people who innovate, so it cannot be stated that children are the most creative beings, because adults are too. It is also said that children have more imagination or creativity than adults and it is because they have lived less, because if creativity is innate they were born with it, so nothing has changed their minds yet. Instead adults have passed through many situations and maybe problems where creativity did not result as the best solution, so people begin to use other tools instead of their imagination. As everything in our society, if people do not use it, they lose it. As people grow up, they use less their imagination every time, so they begin to lose it: but when they really need it to create or innovate, it results difficult to them find their creativity. As a toy from their childhood, adults have to start looking in every corner of their minds until they find it, because it is still in their heads. Therefore, it all depends on the use people give to their imagination. Children enjoy imagining, but some adults prefer facts or information verified, and that need to have proves. However, children, adults, or everybody has creativity in their minds, because it is innate. Creativity has to be cultivated. Everything influences in creativity. The article of Alessandra Ossola stated that creativity is innate, but the second part of her statement is that it needs to be cultivated (para.10). And what does cultivating creativity mean? Cultivate means to grow up something, and in this case it refers to creativity, so to cultivate creativity means to improve and develop creativity. Because nothing worth to have creativity, and do not use or do no try to improve it. Since people are born, everything they hear, feel, or see, influences in their lives, as it does in creativity. Every single moment is important for creativity, because it captures every stimulus that happens around us. It captures it and it uses the information. It is like the immunological system, everything it happens to us, the system learns from it, so the next time it is difficult to a virus to hurt the body because the system already knows how to attack the it. Creativity also learns how to act in similar situations that have happened before. Therefore every problem people have, happiness, feeling, stress, anxiety, fear, or concern; it all influences in creativity. Also people that surround us influence, for example family, friends, neighbors, and of course teachers, because teachers pass a lot of time with children, while they are experiencing new things, and beginning to live. That means education does influences in creativity, not just for children, but also for everybody, because adults have also passed through school. It does not mean people who have not had a formal education do not have creativity, because the lack of education is also an influence, and education does not always influence in a good way. Nowadays many schools in Latin America and in the U.S. and around the world continue to use antiquated models for education that do not serve 21st century students (Segal. S. 2016). If people do not innovate or try new things, creativity does not flow, so if children receive an antiquated education they will not be able to develop their creativity. Education is a good way to teach children mathematics, languages, and many other subjects, but it is not always the best influence in creativity. Education kills creativity. Finland is a country in Europe, which is well known for its education system. The video The Finland Phenomenon tells about its famous education system; how is seemed as the best in the world, even better than The United States, and how children are. Finland is in the top of the list of countries that have been tested by PISA exams, which are the most difficult in the world. Children in Finland have more vacation, less homework, and schools have the best technology. Students are not forced to stay quite and sit, also they do not need someone to tell them to study, because they enjoy doing it, and they know they have to (Compton. R. 2011). The film also shows how some students have created mini businesses, how in their free time they practice playing an instrument, and that kind of facts are those that make a difference or an influence in their creativity, because they enjoy learning and studying, so it actually is a good influence to children and students to be creative. Education in Finland relies very little on testing (Compton. R. 2011), which proves that it lets imagination develops, because based on an article schools place greater emphasis on learning material and taking tests; so opportunities for thoughts to flow freely are fewer now than in the past (Ossola. A. 2014). Finland education system does not emphasis on students memorizing everything, instead they want them to think for themselves and have their own thoughts. It has a great influence in creativity, but it does not mean education will definitely make students be creative. Finland has an amazing education system, but all around the world other education systems just kill creativity. It is stated in the article Do Schools Kill Creativity? that people focus on teaching children mathematics because they are known as the most difficult subjects, and they do not care too much about subjects like art which are the ones that helps to develop creativity. Teachers care just about brains and memorization. It is like they just care about their heads (Robinson. K. para. 2). It proves that people that receive a formal education are not more creative than those who did not, because even education can be the one influence that destroys their imagination to make people like machines, to do not think out of what they have learned. Everyone can develop creativity. For now, we assume that creativity is an ability, is innate, is like being imaginative, and it has to be cultivated. As it was mentioned, cultivating creativity is improving it, and making it grow; but how can people cultivate creativity? An experiment described in Scientists are more creative than you imagine states that when rap artists improvise for songs, their mind do not cares about errors, because their ideas just flow (Ossola. A. 2014), and letting their ideas flow; make them develop more imagination every time. Also it tells about the ability to imagine; it can be done when people center their attention in doing things that do not need a lot of effort: as examples are brushing the teeth, the hair, or cooking, also some actions that make people relax like taking a shower or a bath, going to walk, meditating, exercising, reading, or just staying at bed. The purpose is to stop thinking consciously and let the ideas, imagination and creativity flow (para. 16). For doing these th ings is not necessary to have a formal education, it is just needed the desire to be creative; as it is said by an author Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the thinks you can think up if only you try (Dr. Seuss). Summing up, there are no exceptions to people to be creative or to cultivate creativity; everybody can do it if they want. Creativity for solving problems. As creativity can be developed in different ways, a way to do it for people who do not receive a formal education is the influence of solving their daily live problems, so they have also a high level of creativity as educated people do. The lack of money People, who pass through several times, may have not been benefited by the opportunity of studying. Poverty has provoked many children and teenagers to work earlier than when they should, because they need to help their families to get money to pay for their home, to buy food and first necessity things. Even if in some countries it is banned to children to work, there are some children still working around the cities because of the necessity to have what to eat. There are also many adults that obligate their kids to work instead of them. Most children work buying and selling things. Children working earlier than normal, do not let them have a formal education, as they should, because working does not leave them the time they need to study. Furthermore, there are children that do not go to school because their families do not have enough money to give them that education. Many children and teens are left with no education so they have to continue working and learning about it. Working or having to help in some things in their houses is also another big influence in childrens lives, so it is also for their creativity. Necessities or problems to people. Poor people because of their lack of money do not just have the problem of not being able to have a formal education. They have to handle with the pressure of not having what to eat, where to live, what to wear, and specially the fact to afford their families. Those problems are which most influences in people imagination, sometimes in bad or good ways. Most part of them influences to people to try to solve them and use and develop their creativity. The article A Young Tinkerer Builds a Windmill, Electrifying a Nation tells about the story of a man of 20 years who because of the lack of energy for his electrical appliances at his house, begun to think what he could do to solve the problem. He decided to build a windmill after he saw a picture of one in a textbook. He began to design it ant then he finally built it whit bubble gum trees and parts of bicycles. He has the dream of building many other windmills around the country, and there is a group of investors that trust him and send him to school (Childress. S. 2007). The idea and the creativity came before he went to school, because there is no necessity of having a formal education to be creative or to innovate, be imaginative and create something that can change maybe not the world but someones life; because you have to be burning with an idea, or a problem, or a wrong that you want to right. If youre not passionate enough from the start, youll never stick it out (Jobs. S). Conclusion Creativity is important in everybody, because it is what helps people to innovate, create and discover new things. As all that happens around us influences creativity, it is said that schools kill creativity, and also that it improves it. The fact is that creativity cannot be taught or leaned just in one place; it depends in every single moment that we live. Education does not define peoples creativity. It is a gift given to everyone, and people is who decide if they take advantage of it or if the do not. People who have received a formal education have creativity. Those who did not received education have creativity as well. All people are creative. The level of creativity developed by each person depends in how they cultivate or improve it, by ways that everybody can do. The irrelevance of social classes, money, religions, cultures and ages to creativity, proves that everybody have creativity, because it is innate, it can be cultivated by any person, and many other facts than educa tion are which influence in creativity.

Thursday, January 23, 2020

John Steinbecks In Dubious Battle Essay -- Dubious Battle John Steinb

John Steinbeck's "In Dubious Battle" Summary This story opens with the main character named Jim Nolan leaving behind his former life and going to meet Harry Nilson, a leader of the "Party." Jim had a father killed in a riot, a mother who died, and a sister that was missing. He wants to join the "Party" because he wants to do something that will give his life meaning. He is accepted, and is introduced to other members of the party. The next day, Jim accompanies Mac McLeod to Torgas Valley to help workers organize a strike against the orchard owners in the valley. They meet a restaurant car owner named Al, who gives them food for free. Jim and Mac get off the train and meet a group of people. They help a woman named Lisa who is in labor deliver a baby. This event is important in the story, because this leads to the trust that Jim and Mac receive from all the other workers. They also meet London, the father-in-law of Lisa, who they will trust to lead the strike that they start. The workers already have a lo w mood, and when an old apple-picker falls out of a tree, the workers no longer wish to work in concern of their health. The workers start to strike, and assemble on the land of Al’s father, in exchange for picking his crop for free. London is charismatic, and takes the ideas from Mac to lead the strike. What will be the fate of the strikers, and what will Jim accomplish with his newly acquired skills? Sketch 1 Jim Nolan is a character who has always been angry at some type of institution throughout his life, which causes him to join the "Party." He is young, and goes from being an apprentice to a leader. He is keen and brave, which emanate from his innate leadership ability. Sketch 2 Mac McLeod is a seasoned veteran of the "red" work, as he knows more about fieldwork than anyone else does. He is an older character, who has broad shoulders, long arms, and dried and cracked lips. He uses his experience to lead and organize the men that he works with. Sketch 3 Joy is an enforcer who contributes to the "Party" by sacrificing his body in taking chronic beatings. He is a short man with a disfigured face. He is typified by some as not too bright and insane by others; he is very pugnacious, as he is willing to fight anyone. Sketch 4 London is a working stiff who is able to command... ... book included the strikers’ raid on the replacement workers, for it illustrated the roles of the different groups involved, such as the police, the vigilantes, the strikers and the scabs. Another intense portion of the book was that of the strikers’ raid on the apple orchard in which they attacked their replacements, for it showed the type of brutality that the strikers could carry out to send their message. The scene where Mac tortures a young boy who was caught around Anderson’s barn when it was set on fire is also a very intense scene. The aspect of the book that I did not care for was that of their being no explanation of what happened after the strike was resolved. It would have been interesting to learn about the type of effect that the strike had on the people, as well as what type of change occurred among them. Because of the interesting perspectives that this book provides, I would recommend that others read it. I would especially recommend this boo k to those who do not fully understand the power of the group and how it can be manipulated by its leaders, because the book goes into great detail of how this is accomplished. I would give this book a four star rating ****.

Sunday, January 19, 2020

Relationship Essay -- science

Relationship The relationship between men and women has always been complicated and sometimes even a really loving relationship cannot survive if people chose their personal longing as a priority. No matter how strong are the values of a man or a woman they should never forget about feelings and happiness that are nowhere else to be found but in the heart of the beloved person. Men and women fight in relationships: fight for more independence, fight to prove their rightness and keep forgetting that love is not a fight but a â€Å"mutual support alliance†. William Carlos Williams in his story â€Å"The Buffalos† gives an outstanding example of a relationship between a man and a woman. Francie in this story has a certain notion of what a relationship should be like. She seeks for being loved, unde...

Wednesday, January 15, 2020

Odysseus vs Gandhi Essay

A hero, a mythological or legendary figure often of divine descent endowed with great strength or ability (Merriam-Webster). There are two types of heroes, epic heroes and modern heroes. Odysseus, one of the most famous epic heroes ever, will be compared to Mahatma Gandhi, a modern day hero, to see if there really is a large gap separating the two types. However, one thing is certain, modern heroes can be identical to epic heroes if they are larger than life, embody the ideals of their culture, embark on a perilous journey, and possess super-human, prominent characteristics. Epic heroes are always larger than life; however, modern day heroes can achieve amazing feats too. Odysseus, an epic hero, demonstrated this through the gods’ interference with his affairs. Poseidon played a major role in knocking Odysseus off course (Applebee, 912). Also, he is so famous, that people all over Greece know him. For instance, the Phaeacians sung about Odysseus’ triumph in Troy to Odysseus just a couple of years after it happened (Mythweb). Gandhi, my hero, achieved independence for his country using only nonviolent protest. This is shown by the â€Å"Salt March†, in which he embarked on a 240 mile march, protesting about the British salt tax, which made it illegal to sell or produce salt, allowing a complete British monopoly (Thenagain). Also, he has quotes that will live on forever, such as, â€Å"Where there is love there is life†, â€Å"You must be the change you wish to see in the world†, and, â€Å"An eye for eye only ends up making the whole world blind† (Proverbia). These quotes are some of the most used and repeated quotes of all time. In different ways, Odysseus and Gandhi are both larger than life, proving that epic heroes and modern day heroes aren’t very different after all. Another characteristic of epic heroes would be how they embody the ideals of their culture. In â€Å"The Odyssey†, Odysseus warns Polyphemus, a giant, man-eating cyclops, that it would face Zeus’ wrath if he doesn’t treat him nicely (Applebee, 902). This shows us how the Greeks care a lot about a healthy host-guest relationship and vice-versa. The latter is proven when Odysseus slaughters the suitors who didn’t behave well at his castle in his absence (Applebee, 955-960). Also, having their lives spared, the two shepherds were rewarded for remaining loyal to Odysseus, proving that the Greeks admire those who are loyal (Applebee, 947-948). Gandhi, on the other hand, embodies the nonviolence of his culture. Within a month of him simply gathering salt from a beach in Dandi, people all over India were making salt illegally, and more than 100,000 were sent to jail; many fell victim to police violence, but none retaliated or even defended themselves (Herman, 99-101). In fact, as the wise Mahatma once said, â€Å"Anger is the enemy of non-violence and pride is a monster that swallows it up†. Gandhi also embodies the humbleness of his people. In fact, a man wearing Gandhi’s picture around his neck considered Gandhi to be the sole cause of his recovery from paralysis (since he recovered after uttering the Mahatma’s name). Seeing this, Gandhi said, â€Å"It is not I but God who made you whole. Now will you not oblige me by taking my photograph off your neck† (Fischer, 288-289). This shows Gandhi doesn’t view himself as more than another average man, an amazing trait. Embodying the values in ones culture is also another shared aspect between epic heroes and modern day heroes, narrowing the rift between the two kinds even more. An epic hero always embarks on a long perilous journey. â€Å"The Odyssey†, describes Odysseus’ journey home in a very detailed way. Odysseus faces many dangers on the way, including Polyphemus, a ferocious, one-eyed giant, Circe, a deceptive enchantress, and two sea monsters, Scylla and Charybdis. Polyphemus was a big threat to Odysseus and his crew because he was going to devour all of them, ending their journey (Applebee, 906). Also, if Hermes, the messenger god, didn’t warn Odysseus about Circe’s powers, he would be another smelly swine on her island (Applebee, 920). Lastly, when Circe didn’t warned Odysseus Odysseus that he has to lose six men in order not to get sucked into Charybdis, a whirlpool, Odysseus may have never returned (Applebee, 930-931). Gandhi has gone on a long journey too, the journey to give his country independence. Gandhi began to think of ways for his voice to be heard, but not to hurt anyone. He immediately had followers that joined him in his passive protests. Gandhi’s protests didn’t always go as planned. In fact, he was imprisoned on numerous occasions, including the years 1922, 1930, 1933, and 1942. Just because he was in jail didn’t mean he would stop fighting for his rights. One of Gandhi’s most famous protests was the Salt March from March 12 to April 5, 1930. Gandhi and thousands of Indians marched 400 kilometers to produce their own salt. This was a major statement because any money spent on salt that was bought in India went to Britain. After his march, thousands of people were jailed, but were later freed when Gandhi and Lord Irwin negotiated a deal. Finally in 1947, India declared independence from Britain (Myhero)(Thenagain). Both Gandhi and Odysseus embarked on long, perilous journeys, proving to us once again that a modern day hero can have similar experiences with an epic hero. One trait Odysseus shared with Gandhi is leadership. Odysseus shows his leadership skills countless times in â€Å"The Odyssey†. One of the times it was most apparent was when he saved his men from being trapped on the isle of the Lotus-eaters; â€Å"All hands aboard:† said Odysseus, â€Å"come, clear the beach and no one taste the Lotus, or you lose your hope of home† (Applebee, 898). Another scene where Odysseus’ leadership skills shine is when he goes back to rescue his men from Circe’s hall. â€Å"Eurylocus tells Odysseus what has happened and begs his captain to sail away from Circe’s island. Against Eurylocus’ advice, however, Odysseus rushes to save his men from the enchantress† (Applebee, 920). Gandhi’s leadership skills were the sole reason for India’s independence. On March 12, 1930, Gandhi and 78 male â€Å"activists of truth and resolution† (satyagrahis) started their 23-day-long journey. To each village they passed, Gandhi gave a speech, and more men joined the march each time (Thenagain). This shows Gandhi was able to lead one of the most influential nonviolent protests India has ever seen with ease, using his speaking skills to embolden the shy into joining the resistance. It was he, Mahatma Gandhi, who led the Salt March. That march began a series of protests that resulted in the closing of many British shops and mills (Thenagain), and ultimately the independence of India. Leadership skills are yet another aspect that forms the close resemblance of the two heroic types, epic and modern. Bravery, the classic heroic quality, is what separates heroes from average men. Odysseus and Gandhi, both being heroes, do not lack this quality, but instead it thrives and prospers within their souls. Odysseus exhibits his bravery on countless occasions; one of them being when he worked up the courage to ask the giant cyclops Polyphemus, after seeing the petrifying beast for the first time, to treat them well, lest it face the wrath of the gods. †¦as is custom to honor strangers. We would entreat you, great Sir, have a care for the gods’ courtesy; Zeus will avenge the unoffending guest† (Applebee, 902). Gandhi has also shown ample amounts of bravery during his journey; an amazing feat showing this being when he started picking tiny lumps of salt in Dandi after his march (), an illegal act. This simple action, this minor crime, this is the pebble that started the rockslide, the small offense which caused India to be free. Heroes, these brave beings cause great things, no matter what type they are. Heroes, by definition, people noted for feats of courage or nobility of purpose, especially one who has risked or sacrificed his or her life (Thefreedictionary), are classified into two types. Is there a vast difference between these two types, epic and modern? The answer is that it is plausible for a modern hero to be thought of as an epic hero if he/she has defining, distinctive traits, is larger than life, goes on some sort of dangerous trip, and personifies the values of his/her culture.

Saturday, January 11, 2020

1972 Title IX: An Enormous Boost for Women’s Athletics

â€Å"No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any educational program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.† – Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 Title IX has had a profound impact on the American athletic culture since it was included in the Educational Amendments of 1972. In fact, according to the â€Å"Save Title IX† group (www.savetitleix.com/coalition), an alliance of sixty organizations spearheaded by the National Coalition for Women and Girls in Education (NCWGE), in 1971 there were 32,000 women in varsity intercollegiate sports in U.S, colleges and universities; but by 1997, thanks to Title IX, there were 160,000 women participating in interscholastic athletics on university and college campuses. On high school campuses the rate of growth of girls playing sports was even more dramatic – based on athletically-inclined girls† knowledge that they would be able to participate in intercollegiate sports in college: in 1971, the year prior to Title IX, there were 294,000 girls playing interscholastic sports, and by the 2002-2003 school year, over 2.8 million high school girls were playing interscholastic sports. According to the American Association of University Women (AAAUW) Title IX, when enacted by Congress thirty-five years ago, specifically prohibited discrimination based on gender and marital or parental status in: admissions; housing and facilities; college and university courses; career guidance and counselling services; student financial aid; student health and insurance benefits; and â€Å"scholastic, intercollegiate, club, or intramural athletics.† And there is a three-part test to determine of a university or college is in compliance, the AAAUW Web page explains: the first prong is based on the proportion of female students attending the institution compared with females participating in intercollegiate sports; prong #2 examines whether the school has a track record of expanding sports opportunities for women; the third prong: is the school adequately accommodating women†s athletic interests and abilities? Main Body of Literature and Assessment of Challenges to Title IX Meantime, studies show that today, one out of three high school girls are playing sports on a school team. That is a very good thing, according to an article in the Journal of Gender, Social Policy & The Law (Brake, 2004): â€Å"Studies show that girls who compete in sports not only receive a physical benefit, but also benefit academically and socially,† Brake explains. Girls playing sports have â€Å"higher self-esteem, less risk of depression,† less likelihood of â€Å"engaging in high-risk behaviors,† and also, those young women â€Å"perform better in school than girls who do not play sports,† Blake†s article continues. Moreover, engaging in vigorous athletic activities on a sports team – at the interscholastic and intercollegiate levels – gives girls and women â€Å"the opportunity to develop new relationships with their bodies, as a source of strength and learning.† Meantime, the many positives listed above notwithstanding, all is not well in the world of Title IX. â€Å"Like other social institutions, sport has been resilient in preserving male privilege in its deepest structures,† Brake†s piece continues. Borrowing a phrase from Professor Reva Siegel called â€Å"preservation through transformation† – which means avoiding direct conflict with institutional shifts in ideology while maintaining â€Å"the underlying structure of inequality† by regrouping, according to Brake, â€Å"to preserve the central features of male privilege in sport.† Brake†s example of â€Å"preservation through transformation† in university sports is â€Å"the devastating loss†¦of positions for women coaches and athletic administrators.† To wit: the percentage of women coaching female athletes in college â€Å"has dropped from ninety percent in 1972 to forty-four percent in 2002, the lowest level on record.† And though 361 new coaching positions were created in women†s athletics between 2000 and 2002, Brake explains, â€Å"more than ninety percent of them were filled by men.† Brake†s second example is that prior to Title IX, women†s athletic departments were managed separately from men†s, and women held â€Å"virtually all of the administrative positions for women†s sports†; today, in the Title IX era, the two departments have merged, and women â€Å"remain tokens in leadership positions† in intercollegiate athletics. â€Å"By linking leadership and competence in sports with maleness,† Brake continues, â€Å"sport†s leadership structure reinforces women†s marginal place in sports and reinserts a risk that the empowering potential of sports will be thwarted by gender dynamics that reinforce male dominance,† according to Brake†s article. Beyond that, there exists â€Å"a massive divide in salaries for coaches of men†s sports and coaches of women†s sports,† Brake concludes, and Title IX does â€Å"next to nothing† about those disparities. Meanwhile, a challenge to the intent and policies of Title IX was established under the administration of George W. Bush, in 2002: called â€Å"The Commission on Opportunities in Athletics,† it was administered by the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), and clearly, from the outset, the intention was to address the problem at universities where some minor men†s sports were pushed out by emerging women†s sports, vis-à  -vis the law that is Title IX. In a Chronicle of Higher Education article (Staurowsky, 2003), the writer – chair of the department of sports management and media at Ithaca College – asserts that the strategy the panel followed lacked â€Å"coherency† and that the process â€Å"was seriously flawed.† Staurowsky writes that the members of the panel revealed â€Å"skewed power dynamics†: they all were educated in or worked for, the Division I institutions â€Å"that have been most visible and vocal† in challenging Title IX compliance regulations. The panel, for example, â€Å"almost unanimously† supported a proposal encouraging the DOE to â€Å"explore an antitrust exemption† for college sports, â€Å"which would trade institutional promises to cease discriminating against students on the basis of sex for a government promise to protect the financial interests of football and men†s basketball†¦Ã¢â‚¬  That proposal â€Å"defies logic,† Staurowsky asserted. At the conclusion of the panel†s research, only minor changes in Title IX were initially proposed by DOE; however, according to an Education Week article (Davis, 2005), the DOE has recently given universities a way to meet Title IX guidelines by having female students email their response to questions like, â€Å"Do you believe that you have the ability to participate (in a particular sport) at the level at which you indicated interest?† And apparently, if sufficient positive answers are received by the DOE, a school passes muster regarding Title IX. â€Å"We think†¦this allows schools to skirt the law,† said Neena Chaudhry, an attorney with the National Women†s Law Center. Miles Brand, the NCAA president, was also interviewed in the Education Week article, saying the email survey â€Å"will not provide an adequate indicator of interest among young women in college sports, nor does it encourage young women to participate – a failure that will li kely stymie the growth of women†s athletics.† There will be more challenges for Title IX, and certainly there is a good chance that the Bush Administration will continue to attempt to â€Å"water down† the three prongs, to give a nod to those minor men†s programs (wrestling, water polo, among others) that have been cut due to the expansion of women†s sports programs. But for those who wish to see Title IX remain as a solid, well-enforced, gender-friendly law, the best strategy is to stay informed. How many American women (or men) who believe in Title IX know that the U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled (5-4) that â€Å"whistleblowers† who point out gender discrimination in violation of Title IX are protected from retaliation? Also, how many know that in two cases brought before the Supreme Court (Gebser v. Lago Independent School District, 1998; and Davis v. Monroe County board of Education, 1999) where sexual harassment was alleged (a violation of Title IX), the Court â€Å"imposed a â€Å"high burden† on students who seek damages? The Court ruled, according to Human Rights: Journal of the Section of Individual Rights & Responsibilities (Lassow, 2004), that those seeking damages under Title IX â€Å"must show that school officials had ‘actual knowledge† of the harassment and responded to it with ‘deliberate indifference,†Ã¢â‚¬  a very difficult assignment even for a highly skilled attorney. 1972 Title IX: An Enormous Boost for Women’s Athletics â€Å"No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any educational program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.† – Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 Title IX has had a profound impact on the American athletic culture since it was included in the Educational Amendments of 1972. In fact, according to the â€Å"Save Title IX† group (www.savetitleix.com/coalition), an alliance of sixty organizations spearheaded by the National Coalition for Women and Girls in Education (NCWGE), in 1971 there were 32,000 women in varsity intercollegiate sports in U.S, colleges and universities; but by 1997, thanks to Title IX, there were 160,000 women participating in interscholastic athletics on university and college campuses. On high school campuses the rate of growth of girls playing sports was even more dramatic – based on athletically-inclined girls† knowledge that they would be able to participate in intercollegiate sports in college: in 1971, the year prior to Title IX, there were 294,000 girls playing interscholastic sports, and by the 2002-2003 school year, over 2.8 million high school girls were playing interscholastic sports. According to the American Association of University Women (AAAUW) Title IX, when enacted by Congress thirty-five years ago, specifically prohibited discrimination based on gender and marital or parental status in: admissions; housing and facilities; college and university courses; career guidance and counselling services; student financial aid; student health and insurance benefits; and â€Å"scholastic, intercollegiate, club, or intramural athletics.† And there is a three-part test to determine of a university or college is in compliance, the AAAUW Web page explains: the first prong is based on the proportion of female students attending the institution compared with females participating in intercollegiate sports; prong #2 examines whether the school has a track record of expanding sports opportunities for women; the third prong: is the school adequately accommodating women†s athletic interests and abilities? Main Body of Literature and Assessment of Challenges to Title IX Meantime, studies show that today, one out of three high school girls are playing sports on a school team. That is a very good thing, according to an article in the Journal of Gender, Social Policy & The Law (Brake, 2004): â€Å"Studies show that girls who compete in sports not only receive a physical benefit, but also benefit academically and socially,† Brake explains. Girls playing sports have â€Å"higher self-esteem, less risk of depression,† less likelihood of â€Å"engaging in high-risk behaviors,† and also, those young women â€Å"perform better in school than girls who do not play sports,† Blake†s article continues. Moreover, engaging in vigorous athletic activities on a sports team – at the interscholastic and intercollegiate levels – gives girls and women â€Å"the opportunity to develop new relationships with their bodies, as a source of strength and learning.† Meantime, the many positives listed above notwithstanding, all is not well in the world of Title IX. â€Å"Like other social institutions, sport has been resilient in preserving male privilege in its deepest structures,† Brake†s piece continues. Borrowing a phrase from Professor Reva Siegel called â€Å"preservation through transformation† – which means avoiding direct conflict with institutional shifts in ideology while maintaining â€Å"the underlying structure of inequality† by regrouping, according to Brake, â€Å"to preserve the central features of male privilege in sport.† Brake†s example of â€Å"preservation through transformation† in university sports is â€Å"the devastating loss†¦of positions for women coaches and athletic administrators.† To wit: the percentage of women coaching female athletes in college â€Å"has dropped from ninety percent in 1972 to forty-four percent in 2002, the lowest level on record.† And though 361 new coaching positions were created in women†s athletics between 2000 and 2002, Brake explains, â€Å"more than ninety percent of them were filled by men.† Brake†s second example is that prior to Title IX, women†s athletic departments were managed separately from men†s, and women held â€Å"virtually all of the administrative positions for women†s sports†; today, in the Title IX era, the two departments have merged, and women â€Å"remain tokens in leadership positions† in intercollegiate athletics. â€Å"By linking leadership and competence in sports with maleness,† Brake continues, â€Å"sport†s leadership structure reinforces women†s marginal place in sports and reinserts a risk that the empowering potential of sports will be thwarted by gender dynamics that reinforce male dominance,† according to Brake†s article. Beyond that, there exists â€Å"a massive divide in salaries for coaches of men†s sports and coaches of women†s sports,† Brake concludes, and Title IX does â€Å"next to nothing† about those disparities. Meanwhile, a challenge to the intent and policies of Title IX was established under the administration of George W. Bush, in 2002: called â€Å"The Commission on Opportunities in Athletics,† it was administered by the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), and clearly, from the outset, the intention was to address the problem at universities where some minor men†s sports were pushed out by emerging women†s sports, vis-à  -vis the law that is Title IX. In a Chronicle of Higher Education article (Staurowsky, 2003), the writer – chair of the department of sports management and media at Ithaca College – asserts that the strategy the panel followed lacked â€Å"coherency† and that the process â€Å"was seriously flawed.† Staurowsky writes that the members of the panel revealed â€Å"skewed power dynamics†: they all were educated in or worked for, the Division I institutions â€Å"that have been most visible and vocal† in challenging Title IX compliance regulations. The panel, for example, â€Å"almost unanimously† supported a proposal encouraging the DOE to â€Å"explore an antitrust exemption† for college sports, â€Å"which would trade institutional promises to cease discriminating against students on the basis of sex for a government promise to protect the financial interests of football and men†s basketball†¦Ã¢â‚¬  That proposal â€Å"defies logic,† Staurowsky asserted. At the conclusion of the panel†s research, only minor changes in Title IX were initially proposed by DOE; however, according to an Education Week article (Davis, 2005), the DOE has recently given universities a way to meet Title IX guidelines by having female students email their response to questions like, â€Å"Do you believe that you have the ability to participate (in a particular sport) at the level at which you indicated interest?† And apparently, if sufficient positive answers are received by the DOE, a school passes muster regarding Title IX. â€Å"We think†¦this allows schools to skirt the law,† said Neena Chaudhry, an attorney with the National Women†s Law Center. Miles Brand, the NCAA president, was also interviewed in the Education Week article, saying the email survey â€Å"will not provide an adequate indicator of interest among young women in college sports, nor does it encourage young women to participate – a failure that will li kely stymie the growth of women†s athletics.† There will be more challenges for Title IX, and certainly there is a good chance that the Bush Administration will continue to attempt to â€Å"water down† the three prongs, to give a nod to those minor men†s programs (wrestling, water polo, among others) that have been cut due to the expansion of women†s sports programs. But for those who wish to see Title IX remain as a solid, well-enforced, gender-friendly law, the best strategy is to stay informed. How many American women (or men) who believe in Title IX know that the U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled (5-4) that â€Å"whistleblowers† who point out gender discrimination in violation of Title IX are protected from retaliation? Also, how many know that in two cases brought before the Supreme Court (Gebser v. Lago Independent School District, 1998; and Davis v. Monroe County board of Education, 1999) where sexual harassment was alleged (a violation of Title IX), the Court â€Å"imposed a â€Å"high burden† on students who seek damages? The Court ruled, according to Human Rights: Journal of the Section of Individual Rights & Responsibilities (Lassow, 2004), that those seeking damages under Title IX â€Å"must show that school officials had ‘actual knowledge† of the harassment and responded to it with ‘deliberate indifference,†Ã¢â‚¬  a very difficult assignment even for a highly skilled attorney.

Tuesday, January 7, 2020

Knox College Acceptance Rate, SAT/ACT Scores, GPA

Knox College is a private liberal arts college with an acceptance rate of 74%. Located in Galesburg, Illinois, Knox College has a rich history that began with its 1837 founding by anti-slavery reformers. Knoxs strengths in the liberal arts and sciences earned the college a chapter of  Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society. With an 11-to-1  student / faculty ratio  and an average class size of 14, Knox provides its students with a significant amount of personal interaction with faculty. In athletics, Knox participates in Division III as a member of the Midwest Conference. Considering applying to Knox College? Here are the admissions statistics you should know, including average SAT/ACT scores and GPAs of admitted students. Acceptance Rate During the 2017-18 admissions cycle, Knox College had an acceptance rate of 74%. This means that for every 100 students who applied, 74 students were admitted, making Knoxs admissions process somewhat competitive. Admissions Statistics (2017-18) Number of Applicants 2,738 Percent Admitted 74% Percent Admitted Who Enrolled (Yield) 17% SAT Scores and Requirements Knox College has a test-optional standardized testing policy. Applicants to Knox may submit SAT or ACT scores to the school, but they are not required.  During the 2017-18 admissions cycle, 58% of admitted students submitted SAT scores. SAT Range (Admitted Students) Section 25th Percentile 75th Percentile ERW 550 670 Math 540 680 ERW=Evidence-Based Reading and Writing This admissions data tells us that of those students who submitted scores during the 2017-18 admissions cycle, most of Knoxs admitted students fall within the  top 35% nationally  on the SAT. For the evidence-based reading and writing section, 50% of students admitted to Knox College scored between 550 and 670, while 25% scored below 550 and 25% scored above 670. On the math section, 50% of admitted students scored between 540 and 680, while 25% scored below 540 and 25% scored above 680. While the SAT is not required, this data tells us that a composite SAT score of 1350 or higher is competitive for Knox College. Requirements Knox College does not require SAT scores for admission. For students who choose to submit scores, note that Knox participates in the scorechoice program, meaning that the admissions office will consider your highest score from each individual section across all SAT test dates. Knox does not require the essay section of the SAT or SAT Subject tests. ACT Scores and Requirements Knox has a test-optional standardized testing policy. Applicants to Knox may submit SAT or ACT scores to the school, but they are not required.  During the 2017-18 admissions cycle, 45% of admitted students submitted ACT scores. ACT Range (Admitted Students) Section 25th Percentile 75th Percentile English 23 33 Math 22 29 Composite 23 31 This admissions data tells us that of those who submitted scores during the 2017-18 admissions cycle, most of Knoxs admitted students fall within the  top 31% nationally  on the ACT. The middle 50% of students admitted to Knox received a composite ACT score between 23 and 31, while 25% scored above 31 and 25% scored below 23. Requirements Note that Knox College does not require ACT scores for admission. For students who choose to submit scores, Knox participates in the scorechoice program, meaning that the admissions office will consider your highest score from each individual section across all ACT test dates. Knox does not require the ACT writing section. GPA In 2018, the average high school GPA of Knox Colleges incoming freshmen class was 3.61, and over 43% of incoming students had average GPAs of 3.75 and above. These results suggest that most successful applicants to Knox College have primarily A grades. Self-Reported GPA/SAT/ACT Graph Knox College Applicants Self-Reported GPA/SAT/ACT Graph. Data courtesy of Cappex. The admissions data in the graph is self-reported by applicants to Knox College. GPAs are unweighted. Find out how you compare to accepted students, see the real-time graph, and calculate your chances of getting in with a free Cappex account. Admissions Chances Knox College, which accepts nearly three-quarters of applicants, has a somewhat competitive admissions pool with above average GPAs and SAT/ACT scores. However, Knox also has a  holistic admissions  process and is test-optional, and admissions decisions are based on more than numbers. A strong  application essay  and  glowing letters of recommendation  can strengthen your application, as can participation in meaningful  extracurricular activities  and a  rigorous course schedule. The college is looking for students who will contribute to the campus community in meaningful ways, not just students who show promise in the classroom. While not required, Knox strongly recommends  interviews  for interested applicants. Students with particularly compelling stories or achievements can still receive serious consideration even if their grades and scores are outside of Knoxs average range. In the graph above, the blue and green dots represent accepted students. Most students had GPAs above a 3.0, SAT scores over 1050 (ERWM), and ACT composite scores of 21 or higher. Grades are more important than standardized test scores due to Knox Colleges  test-optional admissions policy. If You Like Knox College, You May Also Like These Schools University of ChicagoKalamazoo CollegeDePaul UniversityMarquette UniversityUniversity of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignLawrence UniversityBeloit CollegeNorthwestern UniversityGrinnell CollegeLoyola University Chicago All admissions data has been sourced from the National Center for Education Statistics and Knox College Undergraduate Admissions Office.

Friday, January 3, 2020

The Use Of Steroid Use Used On Recreational Activities

The use of steroids in recreational activities has many consequences on those who take the risk and use steroids. The writer of this paper takes a stand against the use of steroids because of the many negative aspects of them. Steroids have a very great number of physical and mental repercussions. Steroids come in different ways, and each has a different purpose, just as each has a different repercussion. After examining this paper, readers should be more informed about the life threatening risks that can come with steroid use. Through the use of many ways, steroids are shown to be a good risk to take. False advertisements are a great example. In TV commercials and magazines, steroids are portrayed as such a beneficial application. The pros of steroids are shown, such as the increased muscle mass, but the cons, such as the physical side effects, are almost never shown. Also, another reason is peer pressure. So many teens and athletes use steroids nowadays that it is almost consider ed mainstream. When one person sees all his friends or teammates injecting and abusing steroids to give them a physical advantage, he/she might feel the need to use the drugs as well. However, the reason that people use steroids are the physical advantages they can provide. With the use of steroids, almost anyone can go from looking like a weakling to looking like a bodybuilder. In fact, many bodybuilders can obtain the bodies they have through the use of steroids. AnabolicShow MoreRelatedThe Effects of Anabolic Steroids on Athletes Essay1663 Words   |  7 Pagesathletes use anabolic steroids to increase their muscle mass and also their strength. Anabolic steroids are a group of synthetic hormones that promote the storage of proteins and the growth of tissue, sometimes used by athletes to increase muscle size and strength. 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