A Pilot Study Report Education Essay

A Pilot Study Report Education Essay Introduction The aim of the pilot study was to examine data collection instruments that will be used in the main data collection. It is important that any tools of data collection should have a pilot study in order to iron out any problems of overlap of categories (Cohen et al, 2005: 130). In other words, Drever (1995: 56) points out that the researcher in the pilot study is trying to do two things: first, to give the interview a trial run under realistic conditions; second, to get as much information as possible from the other person about how they interpret and reacted to the researchers questions. Instruments Two instruments of data collection were used in the pilot study: first, in class-essay writing sessions, this was done by asking students to write three essay drafts in three different writing sessions. The time allowed for writing the essay drafts was 90 minutes. The number of errors was used to measure the achievements of the students accuracy in a new piece of writing. Second, conducting an interview with students first and then their tutors in order to know their expectations towards tutors error feedback. Participants Students from the two colleges were selected and had informed that their writing work would be analysed and used for research and teaching purposes. First year students and second year students from each college were enrolled in three writing class sessions. The total number of students who participated in the study was ninety-seven students. Students assigned to two different groups: first group, students who received coded direct written feedback focused on form and the other group who received un-coded written feedback focused on form as well. English writing tutors were selected in the study and their number was four. Pilot Study Procedures and methods of collecting data Used Students were required to write three descriptive essays on different topics but on a similar context during six weeks time. Tutors were asked to focus on correcting errors based on form, and they were given a list of types of errors that should be addressed on students essay drafts. (See table 1) Types of Error Article Errors Plural Nouns Errors Prepositions Wrong Word Punctuations Missing word Spelling Word Order Capitalization Subject-Verb Agreement Personal Pronouns Verb Tense Errors Incomplete Sentence Table: 1 Tutors asked students to write between 250 300 words for the first essay draft for both first and second year students. All students were given 90 minutes to write their essays. Tutors asked first year students to write three descriptive essays in six weeks time. The first essay topic was to describe your family and whether it is a typical family in Libya. In week two, they were asked to describe their best friends and why they were the best of their friends. In week six, students were asked to describe one of their parents and how they would describe them. Likewise, tutors asked second year students to write three descriptive essays in six weeks time. The first topic was to describe any important Muslim event in their country and why it is important to them. In week two, students were asked to describe their national holiday event in their country and why it is important. In week six, students were asked to describe their favourite holiday place in their country and why it is favou rite one. Interview with students and then with their tutors The place of the interview was selected in consultation with the heads of the English departments and was prepared to carry out the interview individually with students and tutors. A small quiet office, and free from interruptions was arranged to use it for the interview with the participants. The plan was to interview two participants each day and that was because of the availability of the students and the tutors during their attendance in the college. Students selection was randomly, one student from each class was chosen, and that would be two students from each college. However, I informed the participants with the dates and time available during the week. Tutors timetable was taken as well, and they were informed with the dates and time available. Participants were all informed that the time of each interview would normally take from 30-40 minutes, and they were also informed that their interviews would be audio-recorded. The interview atmosphere was encouraging. The interviewees were enthusiastic and their attitudes towards the interview were positive. However, tutors interviews were carried out without observing any negative side of their attitudes, and they were all cooperative with the interviewer. They were informed with the concerns had been given from the students interview. Concerns and suggestions raised during data collection of the pilot study. A pilot study assisted me to know how to work out the procedures of the main data collection and looking at anything needs to be modified or changed. It also helps to create new and important ideas to the tools of data collection. The full benefits of conducting the pilot study can be seen after analysing the data gathered from the pilot study. Such analysis will show how effective the tools were. The following points were initial concerns and problems I have face during the pilot study. Three students refused to participate in the study, unless they had given bonus marks. These students were excluded from the study. The other students who asked for bonus marks to participate in the study were accepted to participate in the study without getting any bonus marks when their tutors explained the importance of the study to the education system in Libya. It had been noticed that few students who could write up to 300 words while the others were unable to reach 250 words. The number of words required for the essay writing should be reduced to 150 -200 words. Two students were unable to finish their essay within the 90 minutes and asked to give them extra time. I negotiated the issue with their tutor, and we agreed that the 90 minutes given is adequate and fair enough for low-level students to write their essay in-class sessions. Those two students had written more than 150 words in total and thus 90 minutes are enough. Few students showed no interest writing their essay insufficiently as they wrote few lines. After their tutors had assessed these essay drafts, and I was told that they did not do their best. I suggest that the final essay draft should be assessed based on the exam so the students would show their effort towards the quality of their writing. It had been noticed that one of the tutors did not show or recognise his students errors so tutors experiences CV is needed for the main study. Concerns and suggestions raised during the interview with students and tutors. Students who participated in the interview were willing to share their views and concerns about their experiences. It had been noticed that time assigned to the interview was shorter than it was expected; therefore, time should be extended from 30-40 minutes into 40-60 minutes. Students questions were understandable and students found it easy to answer with the help of the translation. The translation was used when it is necessary. Therefore, interview questions were appropriate for the interview. There were two concerns with the tutors interview questions. Question number one was changed from what types of written feedback do you think are helpful for students to improve their essay writing skills? Why? in What type of written feedback do you think is helpful for students to improve their essay writing skills? Why? Tutors answered Question number 6 Have you observed any midterm effects on students essay writing as a result of using different types of written feedback? What are those effects, if any? depended on their experiences not on what they had observed during midterm. This was because they could give their opinions if it was a midterm-based exam.

Software Project Management

Software Project Management Project Proposal Introduction The organization in which the project is to be carried out is ******** It is a multinational computer technology corporation, which is involved in developing, manufacturing, licensing and supporting a wide range of software products for computing devices. The vision of the company is to develop a workstation where the software runs onto every desk and sooner or later in every home. The company follows the principles and corporate code of conduct. The objective of the company is to delight its customers, employees and shareholders with the help of delivering advance technology. The company wants to enlarge its leadership in the field of manufacturing and technology. It wants to increase its profitability worldwide by satisfying the customer needs and wants to excel in customer orientation. Managers from Sales, Consulting and IT departments have identified a problem that has reduced productivity to unacceptable levels. The current email system is causing significant business interruptions and must be updated. The current system is disjointed and much of the technology is outdated. Name of the project and persons associated with project Name of the project: E-Mail System Up gradation, Expansion and Integration Project Proposer: The top authority person and the member from IT department are the proposers of the project. They provide policy definition to the Project team. They resolve all policy issues with the appropriate policy owners in order to provide a clear, decisive definition. They are the persons who make final decisions and resolves conflicts or issues regarding project expectations across organizational and functional areas (Agarwal Mishra, 2007). Project sponsor: The project sponsors provide executive team approval and sponsorship for the project. Project Stakeholders: The project stakeholders include Sales, Consulting and IT department management leaders and end users. They are the key provider of requirements and recipient of project deliverable and associated benefits. The majority of stakeholders for this project will be agency heads (Agarwal Mishra, 2007). Project Managers: ****** are the IT Department Head. They provide overall management to the project. They are accountable for establishing a Project Charter, developing and managing the work plan, securing appropriate resources and delegating the work and insuring successful completion of the project. All project team members report to the project manager (Agarwal Mishra, 2007). Project team: The team will include 2 executives or support managers, 1 market analysts, 2 product designers and 1 financial manager. The project team members are involved in analyzing, designing and ultimately improving or replacing the business processes. Objective of the project The aims and objectives of the project are: To develop fast e-mail system in the company To expand the existing activities or production facilities. Avoidance of the delay, technical flaws and drawing defects (Agarwal Mishra, 2007). Developing new servers, software and protocol in order to remain competitive Updating the technology and opening of additional accounts online. Proper tooling and techniques (Agarwal Mishra, 2007). Proper control over chain reaction activities. To meet the changing demands of the customers (Ramaswamy Namakumari, 2007). To earn more revenues and profits. Project Deliverables A consolidated e-mail software and network which has upgraded and modernized servers, pertinent protocol, staff trained in new software, hardware and protocol, functioning system help desk, system commissioning report and stakeholder project sign off (Agarwal Mishra, 2007) Technical requirements for the standard of performance A comprehensive range of e-learning tools and a new Email Standards and Protocols would be established and training will be provided to all departments. All the current email users shall be converted into the new system, and 500 new users that did not have email before shall be added. The users would have both LAN and remote access to email. Some help desk and support infrastructure shall be set-up to accommodate the new system. The relevant equipment would be salvaged (Agarwal Mishra, 2007). The users’ PCs would be upgraded to accommodate the new email system. It is expected that implementation and successful completion of this project will reduce operational expenses and increase productivity to create a net value of $200,000 per year (Agarwal Mishra, 2007). Major Milestones The milestones of this project include both the technical as well as the behavioral aspects like designing the up gradation project, selecting the team who needs to undergo this project, appointment of the team, which is responsible for the project and timely evaluation and assessment of the project (Agarwal Mishra, 2007). Project scope The proposed project will completely consolidate the old systems, update hardware and greatly diminish time and work losses due to technical and procedural e-mail communication problems. This change is necessary for company to be sustainable, provide timely service to the customers and ultimately remain relevant in today’s competitive market Includes: 2500 identified end users from the 12 departments and offices will be provided with the equipments that can operate the new system. Training will be provided to the employees for the use of the new system and system protocols (Agarwal Mishra, 2007). All the 2500 users will be converted in to the new system. In this new system, there will be LAN and remote access will be offered to the users. The system will be set up by the support infrastructure and help desk. The system will function after upgrading the PC’s. Does Not Include: Accounts or training in excess of 2500 are not part of the scope of this project. This effort will not extend into other aspects of ACME, Inc.’s information systems but will be confined to the e-mail system solely. Project management, reporting and controlling In order to implement a project in a successful manner, able corporation should first select a project management team comprising of professionals such as engineers, technicians, managers and accountants with responsibilities in their respective fields. The team should be headed by a project manager with individuals within defined parameters to achieve a common goal, i.e. to complete the implementation within projected schedule, projected cost and deliver the project with defined quality(Agarwal Mishra, 2007). The team members have to report timely and directly to the project manager. Project overruns and project failure are due to the cumulative effects of a number of reasons. Thus, a manager has to play a significant role in completion of project. Project priorities The project aims to accomplish all the set objectives. However, it emphasizes on certain tasks on a priority basis like up gradation of the skills and knowledge of the trainees, reinforcement of the value and ethics of the organization, reviewing and evaluation of the existing work-patterns in the Able Corporation, minimization of the redundant practices in the organization, completion of the project within the scheduled time-frame and maintaining high-quality standards in the due course of the project. Resources Required: A variety of resources will be needed to implement the project of new product development. The main resources, which are considered in the project, are the financial resources and workforce or staff of the company. With the help of the team as well the staff, the project can be completed rapidly and before the decided duration (Resource consideration, 2008). The project can be successful only when a firm is capable of utilizing its limited economic resources optimally. For the completion of the project, it is necessary that the resources are fully allocated as they are limited (Resource consideration, 2008). Work Break down Structure The work breakdown structure (WBS) presents a systematic and logical breakdown of the project into its component parts. The company is facing decrease in the productivity levels due to problems in the email system. The email system used currently is causing interruptions and the technology has become obsolete. The email system should be updated in the organization. There are 500 new users who do not have accounts. This will require an additional investment. For making an effective communication process, the Able Corporation has to be technologically advanced (Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), 2008). WBS in the email system project is broken into a logical series of smaller tasks, each of which is chosen for size and scope to fit it with the project management structure so that it can be subjected to efficient planning and execution (Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), 2008). It is believed that during the process of e-mail system up gradation, the work of the project would be broken down and consequently integrated with the process of organizing the project. The organization of the project would be further broken down to the functional groups of the project team (Agarwal Mishra, 2007). In this case, the WBS would represent the division and sub-division of work to the level of work packages. Cost estimates It is estimated that the task of forming the project team, plan phase and project estimation would be completed in 4 days and would incur a cost of about $15,000. The selection of project staff for phase would be completed in a time of 7 days with an expenditure of $7,000. However, for securing the commitments for staff availability, it is estimated that a period of 5 days would be taken and nearly $1,000 would be incurred on this task (Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), 2008). Near about 3 days would be required to complete the identification and allocation of management clerical overheads to the phase by incurring a cost of $7,000. In order to evaluate user system requirements, duration of 25 days would be required with an expenditure of $6,000. The task of Network suitability, test and changing the control procedures would prove to be detrimental for the final outcome and success of the project. As a result, a great deal of emphasis would be laid on this task in terms of time and money. It would thus require an extended period of 41 days and a heavy expenditure of $15,000. To develop the support infrastructure for the helpdesk, it is estimated that a period of 30 days would be sufficient with an expenditure of $22,000 (Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), 2008). Thus, this task would also require significant attention from the people involved in the project. To complete the task of implementation, 10 days would be warranted with a cost of $15,000. Also, an expenditure of $10,000 would be incurred on salvaging the equipments in a period of 10 days. Finally, a time of 7 days would be required to deploy the e-mail systems by incurring a cost of $9,000. References Agarwal, N.P. Mishra, B.K. (2007) Project management (4th Edition). New Delhi: Ramesh Book Depot. Mathew, M.J. (2000). Sales Management and Sales Promotion (3rd Revised Edition), Jaipur: RBSA Publishers. Resource Considerations (2008) Retrieved May 29, 2008 from http://www.utexas.edu/computer/lrp/ch6_res.htm Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) (2008). Retrieved June 25, 2008 from http://www.hyperthot.com/pm_wbs.htm

Impact of Exile on the Frankfurt School’s Theory

Impact of Exile on the Frankfurt School’s Theory GERMAN JEWS: INTELLIGETNSIA IN EXILE The atrocities of the Second World War (WWII) drove many of continental Europe’s Jewish intellectual elite to the United States and Great Britain. The Axis persecution not only targeted ethnic groups, but also persecuted an array of intellectuals and political thinkers. Among these was the political and philosophical institution known as The Frankfurt School (TFS). Some of its most influential members included Austrian-born art historian Ernst Gombrich (1909-2001), Herbert Marcuse (1898-1979), Theodor Adorno (1903-1969), Max Horkheimer (1895-1973) and Walter Benjamin (1892-1940), all of whom were at one point influenced by both political and intellectual persecution. Their European experience was affected by their Jewish identities as well as their respective theories of aesthetics and their affinity for a reformed system of Marxist thought. Unfortunately for the noted thinkers, their alienating experiences in exile did not stop after leaving Europe. As a proponent of Marxism and aspects of Communist thought, TFS’ encounters with elements of America’s notorious Red Scare had profound effects on the development of its work. Despite the inherently American institution of Ford’s mass assembly and naturally Communist implications of the American working class’ ideals, the bourgeois-idealism of TFS found it could not escape questions of its motives and widespread suspicions perpetuated throughout the American political environment. Spurred on by the relentless political witch-hunts of the Senator Joseph McCarthy (R-Wisconsin), scholars of the Frankfurt school found themselves perpetually marginalized throughout their lives. While ostracized intellectually for espousing Communist theory and rhetoric, TFS scholars were not limited to political systems. Gombrich and others followed paths similar to aesthetic thinker Michel Foucault in arenas ranging from art and music to popular culture at large. The experiences of TFS thinkers differed in this respect, with some challenged directly upon their arrival to the US. Others found that while they may not have been singled out in McCarthyism’s irreconcilable political aggression, their experiences in exile shared common traits ranging from the nonchalant acceptance of existentialist thought to the mobilization of Marxist revolutionary rhetoric. Unable to settle in any intellectual sphere, the constant alienation of TFS scholars weighed heavily on their philosophical conclusions, arguably cementing the unique characteristics of its thought. The political unrest and unconscionable harassment TFS thinkers encountered played as big a role in the development of its thought as religion played in the formulaic structure of a priori philosophy vis-à  -vis Kant and Rawls. Without their experiences in exile and resettlement in America and Britain, it is argued that their indirect sponsorship of Marxist thought would never have taken form. The particularly noteworthy traits of TFS scholarship are the irrevocable feelings of nostalgia and longing and perhaps the inevitable rebellion of those who simply could not accept intellectual ostracizing. Whether rejected by Heidegger or pursued by McCarthy, TFS found itself constantly in defense of its positions, its scholars either accepting of the situation or flagrantly unapologetic in their stance. Through identification of each key scholar’s beliefs and comparing shared experiences in exile, revelations of the weight of exile on the establishment of TFS schools of thought are clarified as well as the extent to which each scholar may have based his respective epistemological conclusions on sen timent rather than idealism. The German-Jewish experience, after all, was unique among Communist experiences throughout Europe and the United States. On one hand, Communists were persecuted both in the United States and Europe. On the other, the Jewish experience in Europe, especially that of the bourgeois, added a personal degree to marginalization. Europe had no propensity of goodwill towards Jews, but the American predilection to personal liberty found little room for acceptance in regards to Communism, especially in the years after WWII and the gradual Soviet ascension to the status of superpower. THE EXPERIENCE OF GERMAN JEWS IN CONSTANT EXILE: A LOOK AT AMERICAN TFS SCHOLARS Herbert Marcuse A student of German philosopher Martin Heidegger, Marcuse found himself at odds with society from the natal stage of his academic career. Marcuse found himself at odds in the forming of his epistemological stance; Feenberg believes this struggle is the product of â€Å"his own past, his complicated relationship to the doctrine of his teacher, Heidegger†[1]. Academically blocked as a German Jew, Marcuse would later find opposition in his career as a proponent of Communism; the two traits were hardly welcomed in German academic circles in the years preceding the rise of the Nazis. Even Heidegger hampered Marcuse’s development, the notorious Nazi supporter blocking publication of his student’s thesis in the infamous purge of dissenting ideas. Where Marcuse was remembered for being â€Å"guru of the New Left, the darling of 1968,† Heidegger is most known for having â€Å"betrayed his calling by becoming a Nazi and recognizing Hitler as his Fuhrer, never renou ncing his error publicly even after WWII†[2]. Marcuse differed from Heidegger’s nationalist positions as well as from his mentor’s stance on technology and social evolution. Marcuse believed technology had a profound effect on society, which in turn became a part of modern technology â€Å"not only as the men who invent and attend to machinery but also as the social groups which direct its application and utilization†[3]. To an extent, Heidegger’s avoidance of technology in regards to social evolution had much to do with the classical revolutionary stance Marxism upheld. The radical changes implicated in technological advancement, especially in the development of the wholly-efficient industrial ideology of Henry Ford, presented several philosophic and social implications, none of which could be tolerated in a society in constant intellectual upheaval. While Heidegger’s writings exuded a sense of existential realism in regards to technology and what he perceived as the end of human aesthetics and reason, Marcuse accepted modernity as part of an the ongoing Enlightenment, deviating from a priori traditions and accepting, for example, that concepts such as essence â€Å"can neither be based on tradition and community standards nor speculatively derived in an a priori metaphysics†[4]. In regards to his Marxist contemporaries, one of Marcuse’s shared traits with his other TFS scholars was his attempt to â€Å"combine critique and modernism in a revolutionary perspective†[5]. Perhaps the source of nationalistic suspicion, the revolutionary undertones of Marxist philosophy earned Marcuse the enmity of Germans and Americans alike, the extent of which will be later examined. A utopian thinker, Marcuse conceived â€Å"of a redeemed technological rationality in a liberated society, much as Plato,† imagining â€Å"a reformed rhetoric that would serve good ends†[6]. While Heidegger and other German nationalists believed in a utopia, their idealism was served by future ethnic cleansing and a politically-derived eschewing of Soviet-style Communism. â€Å"Safely checked after the mid-1930s,† Heidegger’s suppressed utopian impulses were a form of supplication to a regime that would not stand for intellectual deviance; also affected by the bleak reality of exile and intellectual persecution, TFS scholars Adorno and Horkheimer in turn â€Å"seemed to have lost not hope but even the capacity to imagine a better future†[7]. Theodor Adorno and Max Horkheimer Early in Adorno’s career, when he â€Å"started his study of philosophy in Frankfurt with Hans Cornelius, he was already complete outside the Neo-Kantian mainstream of the scholastic philosophy of that time that Cornelius himself represented†[8]. A priori epistemology was a staple of pre-war Germany for the ability to manipulate morals based on a code of law. Adorno’s anarchic themes and then-unconventional thinking added to his academic ostracism. In contrast, as the â€Å"son of an undertaker from Stuttgart, Horkheimer was no scholastic philosopher either, but he did stand closer to the traditional style of German philosophy than did Adorno†[9]. While a proponent of Marxism, Horkheimer often examined the nature of existing concepts rather than venturing into the realm of revolutionary action. In his â€Å"On the Problem of Truth,† Horkheimer wrote of the temporal nature of reality and truth, perhaps a reactionary piece to the propaganda and book-b urning espoused by the Nazis in 1938. Horkheimer placed a great deal of weight on the deviation of the individual from the perspective of the many, writing that â€Å"cognition never has more than limited validity† and that â€Å"every thing and every relation of things changes with time, and thus every judgment as to real situations must lose its truth with time†[10]. Perhaps slightly less existential than Adorno, Horkheimer did not fully discount the bleakness of the reality of his time. Though not outwardly optimistic, Horkheimer was taken aback by the negative light in which Adorno perceived the world around him. A lifelong friend and colleague of Max Horkheimer, Adorno â€Å"had, as Horkheimer once put it, a keen view of the existing world sharpened by hatred, and this coalesced well with the misanthropic inclinations of the Institute’s director who understood himself as its ‘dictator’†[11]. Welcomed almost instantly in to the TFS circle, Adorno was greatly affected by the persecution he encountered as a Jew and an intellectual. His negative views of the world and its people lead him to deviate in focus from the social institutions that would earn TFS infamy in America and Europe. Unlike his contemporary Horkheimer, Adorno was â€Å"not so much interested in social science and research as in music and aesthetic theory†[12]. Adorno’s negative view of the world, nationalist or not, had a profound effect on his writings and the development of his beliefs. His disdain of modernity and realism lead him to adopt surrealist views reminiscent of aestheticians such as Hume, not unlike fellow TFS scholar Walter Benjamin. Feenberg noted that: â€Å"From the point of view of an aesthetic modernism, Adorno made a sinister and radical critique of all non-aesthetic modernity. Here he was close to the French surrealists as was his friend Walter Benjamin. The aesthetic idea of freedom from all institutions of a repressive society was very different from a more scientific idea of freedom as controlling and planning this society and its economic anarchy, which was basically Marx’s idea†[13] Unlike Marcuse, who embraced technology fully as a manifestation of social evolution within the framework of the Enlightenment, Adorno acknowledged both the positive and negative potentials of a world philosophically and politically lead by technology. Both he and Horkheimer believed that technics â€Å"by itself can promote authoritarianism as well as liberty, scarcity as well as abundance, the extension as well as the abolition of toil†[14]. Though Marcuse shared several social views in common with Horkheimer and Adorno, he differed from the two in his methods of critiquing the Nazi ascension to power. Unlike Marcuse, Adorno believed technology and social evolution had as much to do with the pre-1938 German nationalistic purge of free thought as did the provincial thought espoused by the Nazi party. For instance, Adorno believed â€Å"National Socialism [to be] a striking example of the ways in which a highly rationalized and mechanized economy with the utmost efficiency in production can operate in the interest of totalitarian oppression and continued scarcity†; the Third Reich was what Adorno referred to as a form of technocracy, the â€Å"technical considerations of imperialistic efficiency and rationality [superseding] the traditional standards of profitability and general welfare†[15]. Despite the advances of technology and the social implications that should have set with society at large, the Nazis a nd their reign was sustained by the historically-familiar force of arms, propaganda, and ironically all the traits associated with Marxist society. In what was strikingly similar to Soviet-style Communism, the Nazis ascended to power on the coattails of â€Å"the intensification of labor, propaganda, the training of youths and workers, the organization of the governmental, industrial, and party bureaucracy—all of which constituted the daily implements of terror† and in doing so, following the lines of â€Å"greatest technological efficiency†[16]. Unlike Adorno and Horkheimer, â€Å"Marcuse followed a different trajectory,† believing â€Å"technology was to be reconstructed around a conception of the good in his terminology around life†[17]. The more pragmatic and academically optimistic of the two TFS colleagues, Horkheimer perceived the negative sociology of knowledge grasping Nazi Germany as a cyclical phenomenon, one that like its â€Å"existentialist counterparts, calls everything into question and criticizes nothing†[18]. Unlike Marcuse, whose philosophy held fewer checks and precautions on the evolution of society, Horkheimer held that â€Å"the growth of antagonisms† of their period was the product of â€Å"disproportionate development of human capacities,† as if to suggest the Nazi ascension was a matter of personality and not â€Å"of the anonymous machinery which does away with the individual†[19]. Horkheimer thus asserted that the negative state of the world leading to his and other German Jews’ experiences had more to do with the hasty elimination of the value of the individual, with the populace conned into fascism by belief in the good of the state over the good of the pe rson. He observed that â€Å"right and wrong are glossed over in like manner,† with â€Å"the average man abstracted from the concepts and assigned an ontological ‘narrow-mindedness’† reminiscent of pre-Enlightenment eras[20]. THE EXPERIENCE OF GERMAN JEWS IN EXILE: TFS SCHOLARS IN EUROPE Walter Benjamin and Ernst Gombrich Adorno believed Walter Benjamin’s â€Å"thinking constituted the antithesis of the existential concept of the person,† that Benjamin â€Å"seemed empirically, despite extreme individuation, hardly to have been a person at all, but rather an arena of movement in which a certain content forced its way, through him, into language†[21]. Benjamin was much more akin to Marcuse in his optimism for technology and its effect on society. Benjamin did not espouse the same existentialist negativity of Adorno and Horkheimer, his philosophy embodying the aspirations of a utopian dedicated to the transformation of society. While still revolutionary in the Marxist sense, Benjamin did not advocate as fully as Adorno the impetus of labor and its inherent connection to the human psyche. However, his focus on aesthetics paralleled his thinking along the lines of Adorno, which prompted an exchange of ideas among the two contemporaries. Where Marcuse focused on technology as a tool to revolutionize the proletariat in keeping with Marxist ideals, Benjamin focused more on art, media, and popular culture’s consumption of the latter. Benjamin was among the first to identify the impact of transforming aesthetics and their ability to change society. Where Benjamin saw a great chance â€Å"for a revolutionary transformation of art by the new technical mass media, Adorno and Horkheimer were much more skeptical,† focusing equally on the negative potential as well as the potential to contribute to the betterment of mankind[22]. Though an advocate of the individual and markedly more optimistic than Horkheimer (and Adorno), Benjamin’s philosophical perspective was one of bleak realism. Constantly pursued, Benjamin allegedly committed suicide while fleeing the Nazi regime of whom he was sharply critical. Never leaving Europe, Benjamin’s obstinate refusal to flee lead to his demise but ironically espoused his bleak outlook on life. Though he had th e means to do so, Benjamin remained in continental Europe at the end of his life, not following in the footsteps of the German Jewish intelligentsia who found refuge in America. Where Gombrich and Benjamin unfortunately differed most as European aestheticians was their end; Gombrich remained in the United Kingdom during the war as in the employ of German broadcast monitoring living to the age of 92. Benjamin, however, would never know acceptance or peace in his life, dying a manifestation of his perspective of man. Ironically, it was Horkheimer and Adorno who emphasized what they believed to be â€Å"the obvious power of the new media in fascist dictatorships† and â€Å"the manipulative potential to impose the will on the leaders to passive and authoritarian masses of people†[23]. Adorno and Horkheimer’s pessimism surpassed whatever bleak outlook Benjamin may have exuded, countering Benjamin’s emphatic support of mass media as equally malignant as beneficial to society. They believed, unlike Benjamin, that the propensity for immobilization of the individual was present â€Å"not only in fascist countries but also in democratic regimes like the USA and in totalitarian or authoritarian socialism such as the Soviet Union under Stalin†[24]. Benjamin most markedly departed from Horkheimer’s views in his take on subjectivity. He exuded a â€Å"refusal to speculate on the role of subjectivity in the critical process in large measure explicable as a reluctance to incorporate idealist philosophical baggage into an exploration of the metaphysical structure of truth, which, as he had been convinced from very early on, was objectively present and objectively discoverable in the phenomena themselves†[25]. Like Adorno and Marcuse, Benjamin’s perception was a marked departure from neo-Kantian phenomenology and a priori-based philosophy. Benjamin’s â€Å"unwillingness to regard contemplative subjectivity as a constitutive in the critical discovery of truth was a philosophical predilection he shared with peers† who â€Å"were engaged in critical receptions of Marx, Nietzsche, and Weber†[26]. Pensky notes that: â€Å"†¦the potential endlessness of the process of subjective speculation might close out for good the receptive capacity whereby the messianic moments of historical experience could disclose themselves in the medium of critical thinking. Subjectivity, which is the medium in which the act of critical redemption takes place, is also the realm of contemplation and poses risk of an abyssal, endless descent into the inner recesses of speculation as bad infinity†[27]. Like Benjamin and Adorno, Ernst Gombrich was an accomplished aesthetician. Quick to make note of the innately negative potential of art, Gombrich claimed in his article â€Å"Art and Propaganda† that the modern age’s â€Å"sinister technique which gradually converts human beings into something like mental robots† rendered art and propaganda sharing â€Å"at least one common frontier†[28]. The exploitation of art’s aesthetic appeal coincides with propaganda; for art and propaganda to be received successfully by the general public, Gombrich argued that sensationalism in one shape or form had to be communicated. Where art had to break boundaries and the norm set by the precedence of the imagination, propaganda had to break boundaries set by the precedence of accepted logic. Gombrich stated plainly that â€Å"aesthetics of bygone days could name rhetoric† as the realm where art and propaganda met[29]. Gombrich believed â€Å"persuasion through t he eye, pictorial propaganda, is far from holding a similar rank in theory, but in practice its possibilities have always been exploited†[30]. THE TFS INTELLECTUAL EXPERIENCE IN AMERICA DURING MCCARTHYISM â€Å"According to information compiled by the various national and international aid committees formed in 1933 to rescue German intellectuals, about 1,200 academics lost their jobs in Germany during that year. This number was to grow by the end of the 1930s to about 1,700, to which another 400 university faculty were added after the annexation of Austria. If the various other academic professionals, doctors, lawyers, and so on, as well as students suspended from the universities are included, the total number comes to about 7,500. If we add writers, artists, and other freelancers, we may safely assume that—not counting family members—about 12,000 intellectuals lost their jobs and were eliminated from Germany’s social and cultural life†[31]. Perhaps more ominous than the volume of intellectuals exiled from Germany was the indication made by the mass-exodus of field-specific academics. Krohn notes that no sooner was the so-called â€Å"Law to Restore the Professional Civil Service† of April 1933 passed than â€Å"over 16 percent of all university faculty were dismissed†[32]. These â€Å"dismissals,† as they were termed, reached new heights, culminating in the forced-departure of â€Å"more than one-quarter of all university teachers†; in retrospect, the loss of â€Å"university faculty through the end of 1938 has been assessed at 39 percent†[33]. The fact that nearly 80 percent of German philosophical intelligentsia was Jewish and estranged on two fronts—ethnicity and intellectual affiliation—only hastened the effective neutralization of dissent inside Nazi Germany. Unfortunately, however, the departure of the German Jews whose beliefs fell outside the auspices of American political favor comprised a majority. TFS scholars comprised a minority of intellectuals whose formerly high-profile status carried over to the United States. Ironically, those â€Å"who had first experienced Hitler’s wrath benefited from their privileged position†; â€Å"the academics he booted out in 1933 were extended assistance and hospitality almost at once by American and British institutions; hence their crossing was comparatively smooth†[34]. Intellectuals who later reached the shores of Britain and the United States well into the war, however, experienced a different welcoming. With Britain under constant attack and the main city centers such as London almost shut down in Nazi bombing campaigns, several lacked the institutional umbrella of academia to transition into their new lands. Without such protection, many such â€Å"intellectuals often supported themselves initially with menial jobs, working as gardeners and dishwashers or, if strong enough, as stevedores and mechanics†[35]. Finding themselves in a state of near-poverty, many intellectuals including professionals such as doctors, lawyers, and en gineers never resumed their academic pursuits. Most notably, the American academic environment at the end of WWII left many German intellectuals to find â€Å"that their specialties did not transport well†[36]. A common assumption in regards to intellectuals in McCarthy-era America is that all were persecuted in the â€Å"Red Scare† that ensued at the beginning of the 1950s. But those intellectuals who were fortunate enough to remain in their fields found themselves in a much more favorable position than those who were struggling to survive in the blue collar marketplace. In comparison to these â€Å"foiled scholars, the most abused academic rested on a flower bed of ease†; â€Å"these unfulfilled à ©migrà ©s remained present in the academics’ lives, as their friends, their relatives, the audiences for their lectures and publications†[37]. This is not to say, however, that the German-Jewish academics in 1950s America did not encounter tribulation in their assimilation to New World society. Contentions such as Marcuse’s support of the Marxist tenet emphasizing labor as â€Å"man’s means of realizing his essence† and an irrevocable aspect of â€Å"man’s nature† were only slightly more welcome in American intellectual circles as they were in pre-war Germany[38]. Suspected by many as agents provocateurs of the Soviet Union, German-Jewish intelligentsia were marginalized further after having fled a land inflamed by similar conditions. Tensions flared following the capture and execution of convicted Communists Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, whose 1953 executions were part and parcel of McCarthy’s fervent vigil for Communists of all sorts. Given Benjamin, Adorno, and Horkheimer’s fears about propaganda, McCarthy-era America was hardly a place to feel welcomed. The isolation felt in America by TFS after fleeing Nazi persecution contributed greatly to the molding of its philosophic rhetoric. Marcuse often wrote of â€Å"the horror of capitalism produced by the type of objectification it fostered,† finding glaring similarities in the death of individuality embodied in the American industrial working class as in the nationalist characteristics of Nazi Germany. Furthermore, TFS scholars were alarmed at the scant modicum of utopian values espoused by a competitive drive set on besting one’s fellow man. Marcuse and others agreed â€Å"with the analysis of alienated labor in the Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts, to which Horkheimer and Adorno rarely referred in their writings†; â€Å"un-alienated labor, Marcuse suggested, implied working with others, not against them†[39]. As capitalism p revented the Marxist ideal of solidarity, TFS scholars perceived it as one more cause against which revolutionary tactics were mandated. Such revolutionary overtones, as one might imagine, were demonized by intellectual circles advocating McCarthyism’s rhetoric. As a corollary, further existential rhetoric pervaded TFS philosophy, the impetus of the constant necessity of revolution alienating themselves from American society simultaneously lending to their own feelings of nostalgia and desire for a sense of belonging. Adorno was among the TFS scholars who never found a place among American academics. Estranged from non-Communist circles, he was among several who found themselves as perpetual intellectual refugees. Brunkhorst claims that â€Å"all in all America remained foreign to Adorno†; during his exile, â€Å"Adorno never gave up the hope of coming back to Europe and Germany†[40]. Like other TFS scholar, Adorno was acclimated to a certain â€Å"distinction† as was the norm among â€Å"the old European educated classes†[41]. America, however, was entering a point of mass industrialization, ironically paralleling pre-war Germany in its focus on the state and the relative muting of intelligentsia in the era. THE DEVELOPMENT OF KEY TFS THEORY Development of key TFS theory evolved through conversation and communication, which were â€Å"among the guiding mottos of contemporary thought†; Dallmayr questions, however, if TFS socio-political perspectives could be â€Å"integrated into a common conversational framework† in a manner â€Å"yielding transparent understanding of all points of view†[42]. It is just as likely that such idioms as Marcuse’s take on technology and Gombrich’s theories of propaganda and truth were formulated on the precepts of an â€Å"unbridgeable gulf† or the â€Å"incommensurability of linguistic and epistemic rules†[43]. TFS theory, Dallmayr contends, was shaped by contact with its a priori counterpart in the Freiburg Institute, comprised of Heidegger and Kantian colleagues. In measuring the extent of exile’s effect on TFS, it is of the utmost importance to examine TFS’ experiences in its indigenous setting, that is to say its experiences in Germany and Europe. According to Dallmayr, â€Å"nowhere are the dilemmas of communication and non-communication more glaringly apparent than in the context of recent German thought† as manifested between TFS and Freiburg; â€Å"to a large extent, contacts between the two schools of thought have been marked either by neglect or indifference or else by polemical hostility and an insistence on incommensurability, often coupled with hegemonial [sic] claims†[44]. It is, after all, equally as possible that as a proponent of revolutionary rhetoric that TFS’ existence was dependent on a measure of exile of the metaphoric type. To a large extent, TFS scholars’ conclusions were drawn within the framework of Marxism, whose fundamental precept is revolution on a large scale. When taken into the context of â€Å"moral indictment† as described by Dallmayr, the experience of TFS in Germany would put into perspective the exchange of ideas espoused by TFS in ex ile and in its natal setting of pre-war Germany. Given the tendency of Marxist ideology and the radicalization of its writings, perhaps even Benjamin’s bleak outlook on life could have been regarded as carrying with it the requisite novelty of individuality; how would any revolutionary school of thought conduct itself if it followed in the footsteps of convention? Adorno, after all, â€Å"maintained a relentless opposition to Heidegger’s work and lavished on it an unending stream of polemical venom, a practice aggravated by personal distance†; Heidegger, on the other hand, â€Å"remained aloof from the Frankfurt School and at one point confessed complete ignorance of Adorno’s writings†[45]. While the personal contingent of Heidegger’s latent support of the Nazi party cannot be dismissed, it also does not dismiss the tone with which Adorno and other TFS thinkers indicted their opposition and the contempt they held for some of their a priori, Kantian contemporaries. Sherratt examines the possibility of Adorno’s â€Å"Positive Dialectic,† in which she purports there is a â€Å"positive† solution to what Adorno and others â€Å"envisaged as the problems of subjectivity and knowledge in enlightenment†[46]. Sherratt examines Adorno’s aesthetic, extricating and examining from Adorno’s work on enlightenment that would have the potential for positive dialectic. Unlike many of his other works, Sherratt finds that following his exile from Germany, Adorno’s epistemological and aesthetic conclusions are indirectly and dialectically positive. She concludes that the â€Å"newer† dialectic was positive in contrast â€Å"with the ‘old’ dialectic, which is already shown as negative†[47]. If Sherratt’s conclusions are of any sch

Essay --

Guillermo Campos ID #477549 Term paper on Global Warming Ways and Means That Could Be Employed to Save the Earth from Global Warming. Global warming should be a concern for modern day humanity. It can be a determining factor in preserving our humanity. Preventive measures can be implemented to enhance the quality of the air we breathe and the environment we live in. Becoming educated about going green is a great method for addressing global warming. It could make a difference in the next phase of our humanity. We must all contribute in our own way to help prevent global warming. Global warming is one the most debated environmental topic of this day. Everyone is concern with the next phase of humanity. Will we survive? Will the earth replenish itself from all these toxins? Including the many means and ways to prevent this human catastrophic event. Global warming is defined as a sustained increase in the earth’s atmospheric temperature. This is due to human practices that result in an increase in the emission of carbon-dioxide into the atmosphere from cars, heat from homes and businesses, factories. These few things alone contribute to about 80% of today’s carbon-dioxide emissions, 25% methane, and 20% nitrous-oxide. The increase in agriculture, deforestation, industrial production, and mining contribute a significant share of emissions as well. Also the burning of solid waste, fossil fuels and wood products are a major problem too. Scientist believe that global warming is a combination of human activities as well as natural climatic change. Climatic change as a result of the natural life cycle can be a contribu... ... decrease in the algae population and this would result in a population increase for algae. In the end the fate of humanity with respect to global warming will be determined by the actions we take individually and as a whole. The first thing to do is monitor our behaviors. We need to practice more safe and environmental friendly activities when it comes to helping to make our earth a cleaner and safer place to live. We can do more to recycle. We have to be mindful of how we dump our garbage. Definitely, we can use more environmental products. Overall, the issue of preventing global warming is on us as humans. Nature plays a part as Fas climate changes but most of the responsibility of keeping the earth clean and staying on that path is ultimately our responsibility.

Collection of Poems by Various Authors Essay -- Edgar Allen Poe Langst

Collection of Poems by Various Authors Poet Biography, Edgar Allan Poe The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe Mamie by Carl Sandburg Explication, Mamie by Carl Sandburg Two Strangers Breakfast by Carl Sandburg Mag by Carl Sandburg Explications of Two Strangers Breakfast and Mag by Carl Sandburg Reasons Why by Langston Hughes Explication of Reasons Why by Langston Hughes The Faces of Our Youth by Franklin Delano Roosevelt Enjoyment, Explication, The Faces of Our Youth by Franklin Delano Roosevelt Annabel Lee by Edgar Allan Poe Explication Annabel Lee by Edgar Allan Poe Works Cited Poet Biography Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe is one of the best-known American poets. His most famous poem is The Raven, a copy of which is included. His first poetry book, Tamerlane and Other Poems is so rare that it sells for two hundred thousand dollars per copy. Poe was also a mystery writer and he is often called â€Å"the father of mysteries.† Overall, Poe has greatly influenced American culture. Edgar Allan Poe was born on January 19, 1809, in Boston, Massachusetts. His mother, an actress named Elizabeth Arnold Poe, died in 1811 when Edgar Allan Poe was two. Because of this, he was put up for adoption. He was taken into the home of John Allan, who was a tobacco merchant. Poe attended grade school in England and Richmond, Virginia. He attended the University of Virginia for one year. He had to leave because his stepfather refused to pay tuition. Poe’s stepfather did, however, send Poe a little but of money every month. With that money, Poe was able to live comfortably and still have time for his writing. In 1832, after publishing three poetry books, the Philadelphia Saturday Courier printed five of his prose tales. On May 16, 1836, Poe married his younger cousin, Virginia Clemm. On January 30, 1847, she died. This death caused Poe much sorrow and he became an alcoholic. About three short years later, Poe was found dead on October 7, 1849. The conditions of his death are mysterious. After a visit to Norfolk, Virginia, and Richmond, Virginia, Poe was found unconscious and taken to a hospital, where he dies the following Sunday. Poe is buried in the Westminister Presbyterian Church in Baltimore, Maryland. The Raven By Edgar Allan Poe Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary, Over many a q... ...s lover is dead, he still loves her and will never stop loving her. I think that this is saying that two people who are truly in love cannot ever fall out of love. Even death cannot make their love go away. To me, this poem is an example of what everyone wants someday, true love. This poem has been my favorite poem ever since I first read it. I like how when you read it aloud it has a great rhythm to it and sounds very sing-songy. I believe that this is a wonderful poem with a meaningful message and I hope that one day I can experience this type of love for someone. Works Cited Canfield, Jack, and Mark Victor Hansen, and Kimberly Kirberger, eds. Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul III. Deerfield Beach, Florida: Health Communications, Inc., 2000. Haskins, James S. Always Movin’ On. New York: Franklin Watts, 1976. Hendrick, George, and Hendrick, Willene, eds. Carl Sandburg, Selected Poems. New York: Harcourt Brace and Company, 1996. Washington, Peter, eds. Poe: Poems and Prose. New York: Everyman’s Library Pocket Poets, 1995. Wilson, James Southwall. A Summary of Facts Known About Poe. Edgar Allan Poe Museum: 30 Movember 2000, .

mice and men :: essays research papers

If two characters stand out to me who contrast in the more ways in the book Of Mice and Men, it would be Curley and Lennie. One is smart and witty while the other is big, dumb, and strong. From the moment these two characters meet, Curley has a hate towards Lennie. Lennie is to dumb to dislike Curley back because Lennie does whatever George tells him to, and George tells Lennie to stay away form Curley. Steinbeck makes Curley out to be a character in which you dislike from meeting him. He is rude towards George and Lennie, and everyone at the ranch abhors him. Curley is quick and a good fighter because he was the runner-up in the â€Å"Golden Gloves† competition, so he can fight. Lennie is almost completely opposite. He isn’t a fighter; he just is a hard worker. Not smart or witty, just listens to directions and does his best. Doesn’t want any trouble from anybody; just wants everyone to get along and he just wants to take care of the rabbits. Lennie comes off t o me as a very nice loving character that everyone likes and gets along with. He is so innocent, and all Curley does is harass him because he is jealous of his size. I feel bad for Lennie because he doesn’t know that Curley is doing this he just does what Lennie, with the help of George’s instruction, wants to do and minds his own business. Even though these characters are different in numerous ways, there is always a foundation for similarities, and of course Lennie and Curley have their occasional resemblance of each other. Both men are interested in the same woman. Curley is married to a woman who ahs the eye real bad, and Lennie thinks this woman is pretty. Even though Lennie doesn’t know that looking at her that way is wrong, he still does and Curley looks at her the same way. These men are both chasing the same girl just neither knows about it. I believe that Lennie chasing Curley’s wife is going to cause some sort of problem later in this story. Even though this may be a very simple comparison, they both work on the ranch and buck barley. Even though Lennie is a much better worker, they have to do the same thing for the same money. So they are equals on this basis.

The Natives of Canada Essay -- Canadian Canada History

The Natives of Canada I believe the rising anger and determination by native peoples towards land claims and equal rights has created a situation which must be addressed immediately. Man has come a long way in time, as he has learned to master the powers of fire, and to hunt and fish for food. All of this was done by a collection of knowledge. With these thought patterns, he reached a way of life which was suitable and which created a sense of balance throughout the world's complex ecosystem. But one group of people wanted more. They progressed and educated their minds through time. To some it may be known as plain greed and to others known as common day evolution. To this day the answer remains in the hands of the philosophers. The European continent hosted the group of human beings that thrived for ultimate knowledge and a perfect civilization. The famous quote Trial and Error was appropriate for the European's escalating achievements. Some were fatal and some were rewarding, but they were all eventually accomplished in the great European continent. They then set out to other continents to broaden their horizons and reach total knowledge and enlightenment. The 16th century was the setting for the early days of the arriving Europeans to the North American continent. Countries such as England, Portugal, France and Spain entered the continent and set up colonies which were widely spread out over the land. The natives of the area had formerly agreed upon their occupation of the space, and so welcomed the newly arrived settlers. An agreement was made in the two-row wampum treaty which was signed between the natives and the settlers from Europe in 1664. The agreement would allow... ... laws. Before the arrival of the European's, the natives had a very highly developed society, with a perfect system of government. Now, many centuries later, they see that their common future has been torn to shreds. If the self government proposal was put into effect, a natural resource would be needed for it's survival, and at the present time the reservations do not hold great possibilities. A better location in the reservations could quite possibly open a few new doors to the suffering natives. The current government has constituted the suggestion before, but no actions were ever taken. In conclusion, it is clearly evident that if the natives were ever given more responsibility, which includes a greater authority in the decision making process of Canada, it would most definitely allow them to plan a new and powerful role in Canadian society.