Tuesday, May 19, 2020

Effects of the Black Death of the 1300s Essay examples

The Black Plague (also known as the Black Death or Bubonic Plague) of the 1300s is considered by many historians to be one of the most influential events in the history of Europe. Originating in Asia, the Black Plague has three forms; Bubonic which affects the lymph nodes, pneumonic which affects the lungs, and septicemia which affects the blood. Through examining the effects of the Plague on Europe and its people, it is clear that politics, social life, and economics were all irreparably thrown off balance. Perhaps the part of Europe disturbed most by the Black Death was politics. Politics in Europe changed dramatically; Serfs began got higher pay, and feudalism weakened. In 14th century Europe, the government was run by feudalism.†¦show more content†¦As a result of so much death, many families began to lose money and couldn’t keep businesses or pay taxes. Money in Europe had always been disturbed in this order: Kings, Barons, Knights and lastly, Serfs. As more and more people began to die, the distribution of money was uneven, and people of higher status began to lose their power. This also meant that people of lower status gained power as a result of difficulty to find workers. Due to this and the commonality of surplus land, the price of labor was raised, and the value of land decreased. The economy was being torn apart by deaths of every day people as well. Citizens who owed money died along with all of their family members, and their creditors had to one to collect from. Landlords in the country side stopped letting their serfs be free an d tried to force more labor on them. Many peasants demanded higher wages, or fewer burdens. The Jacquerie in 1358, The Peasant’s Revolt in 1381, and the Catalonian Rebellion in 1395 all prove how seriously mortality had disrupted the economy. Revolts like these also damaged another key part of Europe: Social Relations. During the Plague, having death as a constant part of life led to serious social changes in art, religion and relationships. During the time of the plague, art began to incorporate death in almost every form: paintings, music, and literature. Whole communities of scholars were hit by the plague and schools were shut down.Show MoreRelatedEssay about black death1251 Words   |  6 Pages nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Black Death nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; The people at the Messina Harbor , a port in Northeast Sicily , stood and watched as a Genoese fleet made its way to dock..(Gottfried 141-144). The people standing ashore could by no means conceive of the horror found on board of these ships. The crew had a disease the like of which no one had seen before in the history of western civilization. The harbor masters looked on in complete awe and terror and tried to quarantineRead MoreLooking Back at the Middle Ages1485 Words   |  6 Pagesimportant political, social, religious and economic events, which have shaped history since that time, and the world today. One such event that has affected the politics of the Middle Ages and now was the signing of the Magna Carta. Secondly, was the Black Death (also known as the Bubonic Plague that affected the religious, social, and economic aspects. An event that affected the religious and economic aspects were the Crusades. There was also the rise of the Ottoman Empire which affected the social, politicalRead More The Middle Ages or the Dark Ages Essay786 Words   |  4 Pagesand confusion. Although the Middle Ages is often known as the age of faith, a more appropriate title for the time period would be The Dark Ages because of the black death, wars and the collapse of government. The Black Death caused intense suffering and many problems across Europe. According to the book, The Black Plague the black death started when a twenty-five year old man who skinned a sick bobcat. â€Å"A Few days after this, the rancher began to feel sick. He suffered from headaches, chills, feverRead MoreImportant Events in the European History That Changed the European Society814 Words   |  4 Pageschanged dramatically as a result of a series of stresses in the late 13th to the mid 15th centuries and how such events as Black Plague, the One Hundred Years War and the collapse of Papal Power influenced the Medieval European society. The transformation of the Medieval society was long and painful process, which lasted approximately 150 years. The development in the years 1000-1300 brought the positive changes in agriculture, finance and trade. Growing food supply, the creation of guilds, the developmentRead MoreThe Black Death And The Transformation Of The West Essay973 Words   |  4 PagesDavid Herlihy, The Black Death and the Transformation of the West (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1997) â€Å"The work of a mature, indeed brilliant, scholar†¦Ã¢â‚¬  are a few words from Thomas Kuehn, author of Law, Family, and Women, describing David Herlihy’s profession on his work of the Black Death. David Herlihy was a remarkable medievalist who questioned the inference of the Black Death, the Yersinia Pestis or the bubonic plague. Herlihy has written several other books about his work, one well-knownRead MoreThe Plague Of Europe And Asia1165 Words   |  5 Pagessame source, the Bubonic Plague. The bubonic plague started in Asia, and spread its way into parts of Northern Africa and Europe devastating everything in its path. Not only did the Black Death effect the people of Europe and Asia, it effected their economic, social, and religious lives as well . During the early 1300’s in Asia, a group of Mongols were traveling through southwestern China . Their goal was to invade the entirety of China with their troops. Unknown to them they carried a much more powerfulRead MoreEffects Of The Black Plague On Society944 Words   |  4 Pages The Black Death was the name given to a plague that occurred in the mid 13th century which caused at least a third of the world’s population to perish. During the years in which the plague spread across Europe, many aspects of life for the people that lived were altered forever. This epidemic was like no other in history and had an unprecedented outcome. The effects of the Black Plague on society were substantial resulting in great changes of social classes through role reorganization, changesRead MorePlagues in England: Death Is in the Air Essay688 Words   |  3 Pagesexample of sickness in a society is England. Recalling the plagues in England, one can easily see the two prominent pla gues that struck, along with how they affected English economy and culture. In the 1300’s, England was struck with a plague called the Bubonic Plague, better known as the â€Å"Black Death.† Historians believe this disease arrived by ship at a seaport in modern day Ukraine (Byrne 1). Fleas living on the back of rats were the main cause of spreading. Because of the poor living conditionsRead MoreIs Yersinia Pestis A Bacterial Infection Responsible For The Deaths Of Millions Of People?976 Words   |  4 PagesYersinia Pestis is a bacterial infection responsible for the deaths of millions of people starting in the 1300’s and still continues to infect people to this day. This bacterial strain is the basis of three very serious and potentially fatal diseases: the Bubonic plague, the Pneumonic Plague, and the septicemic Plague. The difference between the plagues is primarily the location of the infection but the symptoms also vary as well. The bubonic plague attacks the Lymphatic system whereas the PneumonicRead MoreThe Plague Of The Bubon ic Plague896 Words   |  4 PagesBlack Death The Bubonic Plague was likely the first semi-global pandemic that rightfully merits the name which means affecting all people. The period of time in which the disease wreaked havoc was also known as the â€Å"Black Death. Alexandere Yersin was a French bacteriologist and discovered the bacteria in Hong Kong This diabolical disease is characterized by both positive and negative outcomes for the few people that managed to survive the plague. The total number of people who died subsequently

Monday, May 11, 2020

Case Study - Early Alzheimers - 1730 Words

Running Head: EARLY ONSET ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE Case Study of Early Onset Dementia of the Alzheimer’s Type by Nico Mulder, Ph.D Faculty of Behavioral Sciences, Y University for Biological, Developmental amp; Scientific Basis of Behavior February 26, 2012 Abstract This paper reviews the use of cognitive rehabilitation treatment of early stage of dementia Alzheimer’s type. The case study examines a 72 year old male patient diagnosed with early stage dementia of Alzheimer’s Type. This study used visual imagery, as well as cues and expanding rehearsal during the cognitive rehabilitation. The evaluation of cognitive rehabilitation treatment included the psychological, physiological, neurological assessments and self-reports. Results†¦show more content†¦Clare et al. (2001) found empirical research to prove that CR is an effective method of slowing the decline of cognitive functions in early AD. Questions about CR which remain to be answered include impact of CR on well-being and life quality, the ability to sustain longevity of gains in cognitive therapy and what type of contributions can CR make in AD? (Clare et al, 2001). Lately, â€Å"identifying cognitive markers of a preclinical phase of Alzheimer’s disease (A D) has been a major research focus in neuropsychology† (Jacobson et al., 2009, p. 278). Cognitive Rehabilitation Intervention Clare and colleagues, (2001) predicted in theory, that the possibility cognitive rehabilitation may be responsible for the maintenance of memory gains over time. The researchers set to prove through long-term follow-up data that memory retraining had lasting effects and showed gains beyond the treatment sessions as demonstrated by previous cognitive rehabilitation studies. The researchers used 11 Polaroid photos of VJ’s club members to teach the face-name associations. This was performed by the method of combining visual imagery, vanishing cues, and expanding rehearsal (Clare et al., 2001). The researchers took VJ to the familiar environment of the club to do generalisation sessions using the photos and found the initial recall was 20% and raised to 98% over time and became 100% at the one, three, six and nine months follow-upShow MoreRelatedEarly Onset Alzheimer s Disease824 Words   |  4 Pagesto Distinguish Early Onset Alzheimer s From Normal Alzheimer s Disease By Dick Harkes | Submitted On August 26, 2011 Recommend Article Article Comments Print Article Share this article on Facebook Share this article on Twitter Share this article on Google+ Share this article on Linkedin Share this article on StumbleUpon Share this article on Delicious Share this article on Digg Share this article on Reddit Share this article on Pinterest What Is Early Onset Alzheimers If someone is diagnosedRead MoreNbsjd789 Words   |  4 PagesAlzheimer Disease Report Alzheimer s disease (AD) is a slowly progressive disease of the brain that is characterized by impairment of memory and eventually by disturbances in reasoning, planning, language, and perception. Many scientists believe that Alzheimer s disease results from an increase in the production or accumulation of a specific protein (beta-amyloid protein) in the brain that leads to nerve cell death. The likelihood of having Alzheimer s disease increases substantially afterRead MoreAlzheimer : A Disease Of The Brain And It Can Cause Dementia1124 Words   |  5 PagesStates, more than 5 million people are living with Alzheimer. Around 70 percent of these people are living at home. Women have more possibilities to develop Alzheimer. The cause of Alzheimer is unknown. The major risk to people have Alzheimer is genetic, but also there are other factors such as depression, head injuries, vascular diseases, obesity, diabetes and hypertension. Alzheimer is a disease of the brain and it can cause d ementia. Alzheimer is a chronic neurodegenerative diseases that causesRead MoreCloning Process : Buccal Swabs Or Whole Blood Samples ( 2-5ml )1223 Words   |  5 Pagesbe subjected to a high-voltage, this disrupts the cell membrane allowing the vector to become permeable. A genetic maker will be used to know if the cells will have successfully transformed. In many cases less than 1% of all the cells will take the vector. Hence, the maker becomes essential in this case. Since the plasmid used contains tetracycline resistant gene, cells that will end up taking this plasmid will be resistant to the antibiotic tetracycline. Therefore, if the cells will be grown in aRead MoreAlzheimer s Disease Is The Most Significant Risk Factor1074 Words   |  5 PagesAlzheimer s Disease Abstract Alzheimer’s disease currently represents the second leading cause of death in people older than 65 years residing in the modern world. (1) Census records attest to this assertion, which has prompted medical researchers to further investigate the etiology and course of development of the disease in order to better treat the debilitating condition. This paper investigates how Alzheimer’s entered the medical lexicon and how its definition has shifted over the past centuryRead MoreSmoking: The Memory Killer. Over The Years, There Has Been1411 Words   |  6 Pagesthin your cerebrum which can lead to memory loss. Memory loss is one of the early tell tale signs of Alzheimer s disease, which can be very fatal if dealt with improperly or for too long Also, when you buy a box of cigarettes or weed, you’re just buying a ticket to Alzheimer s. Alzheimer s can happen to you if you smoke too much and the prefrontal cortex is too thin that it can’t keep any memories. O nce you have Alzheimer s, you will start to act erratically and will become depressed from the lackRead MoreDiagnosis Of Alzheimer s Disease1297 Words   |  6 PagesAlzheimer s disease is a form of dementia generally known for afflicting memory loss. An estimated 5 million Americans suffer from this disease (NIH, 2014). It is not a normal part of aging. Alzheimer’s is common among the elderly, yet surprisingly, two-thirds of the people affected are women. While two thirds affected are women, they are also more likely to be from an African-American or Hispanic descent. Alzheimer s disease is present in 60 to 80 percent of dementia patients (Mayo ClinicRead MoreHow Does Someone Get Alzheimer s Disease?788 Words   |  4 PagesHow Does Someone Get Alzheimer s Disease? By Dick Harkes | Submitted On August 17, 2011 Recommend Article Article Comments Print Article Share this article on Facebook Share this article on Twitter Share this article on Google+ Share this article on Linkedin Share this article on StumbleUpon Share this article on Delicious Share this article on Digg Share this article on Reddit Share this article on Pinterest What is Alzheimer s Disease Through Alzheimer s Disease healthy neurons areRead MoreThe Human Of Human Genome Project995 Words   |  4 Pagesable to shed some light on how to diagnose and treat chronic diseases at an early state. Early-onset Alzheimer s disease may have been promoted by certain genetic variation. Most genetic variations are inherited which is why some families suffer from similar disease on couple individuals. However, early-onset Alzheimer’s is uncommon. But when looked at late Onset-Alzheimer, it is far more common than early-onset Alzheimer. Therefore, it is very important that we understand the genetic factors thatRead MoreAlzheimer s Disease, Or Senile Dementia1715 Words   |  7 Pages Alzheimer s disease, or senile dementia, is a form of dementia that affects memory, thinking, and behavior. Brain cells and their connections are killed, and this is what causes people s brain functions to fail. Scientist have yet to know what causes Alzheimer s, but have discovered that age, family history, and genes contribute to developing the disease. Symptoms experienced by people with Alzheimer s are poor judgement, poor decision making, inability to manage a budget, losing track of the

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Buddhism Vs Hinduism Hinduism - 1573 Words

Buddhism vs Hinduism Hinduism and Buddhism are two religions that are very open and tolerant of all people. They are religons that believe in acceptance of all and open-mindedness of other religons. Hinduism is the oldest religion on the planet that has been well established and still has a large following. To put it into perspective if religons were under 100 years old Hinduism would be 80 and Judaism and Christianity would still be in their 20s or 30s. Buddhism is also a long-standing religion and branches off of Hinduism which is why we can easily see some connections and conflict of ideas between both. Since both religons have been around for a thousands of years it is impossible to know everything and every interpretation of both religons. A simple starting point for beginning to learn about the religons is to look at the beliefs and customs -- how they connect/differentiate and some of the positive things that we can take away from both of the religons that may benefit the worl d we live in. The first way to look into the basis of both religons to look at who they worship or idealize. Hinduism is a religion that has its roots in India and that is also the country that has the highest population of Hindus till this day. One thing that makes Hinduism different from of the other larger faiths is that it is a Polytheistic religion. This means that there are many gods in Hinduism, this is the topic that causes much controversy in the religion for there are many ways toShow MoreRelatedBuddhism Vs Hinduism : Hinduism1773 Words   |  8 Pages05 Taylor Winchester Professor Warber HST 203 October 24, 2015 Buddhism vs. Hinduism According to the book, The Religion of the Hindus, Hinduism is the third oldest world religion that has approximately 300 million followers, most of which live in India. The holy language of Hinduism is the Sanskrit language. Hinduism is considered a religion versus a philosophy. There is no specific founder for Hinduism; however, it is closely related the customs and manner of Hindus, making it ratherRead MoreHinduism Vs. Buddhism970 Words   |  4 PagesHinduism and Buddhism are two of the most interesting religions in the world. To date, people still practice these religions in varying parts of the world especially in India. Although originating from Ancient India, some have difficulty in differentiating between the two. Hinduism and Buddhism share many similarities and also differ immensely. What is Hinduism? Hinduism, often referred to as Sanatana Dharma is the largest of the eastern religion and one of the oldest in the world. â€Å"HinduismRead MoreHinduism vs. Buddhism Essay627 Words   |  3 PagesHinduism and Buddhism are two of the most interesting religions in the world. To date, people still practice these religions in varying parts of the world. Although originating from the country of India, some have difficulty in differentiating between the two. Although Hinduism and Buddhism share many similarities, they are also different. What is Hinduism? Hinduism, the largest of the eastern religion and one of the oldest in the world. (Curry). Hinduism denotes the religions of majority ofRead MoreReincarnation - Buddhism vs. Hinduism Essay1129 Words   |  5 PagesReincarnation- Buddhism vs. Hinduism How would it feel to know that after you died, you would be reborn into a new body? That the deciding factor in what you would become was how you lived your life? Beliefs like these have existed for at least 3,000 years. Originating and commonly practiced in Western countries, this is called reincarnation. To know that you have lived many lives before this one and that there are many more to come is a very attractive perspective from which to judge the meaningRead MoreWorld Religions Comparative Essay : Hinduism And Buddhism1399 Words   |  6 PagesReba Khoshabe Mr. Lombardi HRT3M 18 November 2015 World Religions Comparative Essay: Hinduism and Buddhism Evidently, all of the religions in the world have different beliefs. Beliefs are the basis of one’s behaviour. Everything an individual does, traces back to the beliefs they have about the world. Hinduism and Buddhism are two religions that originated from the same nation, India. Both religions share beliefs on different paths to enlightenment, beliefs on reincarnation, and both believeRead MoreHinduism And Buddhism : Diversity And World Cultures1021 Words   |  5 Pages8/12/2015 Introduction I have chosen Hinduism and Buddhism as the two religions for this assignment. With religion being such an intricate part of many cultures, I found these religions most interesting due to their similarity. Both of these religions originated in the subcontinent of India, these religions have had an awkward relationship that can be compared to Christianity and Judaism. The belief is that Buddhism is an off shoot of the Hindu religion. My goal is to addressRead MoreBuddism versus Hinduism Essay1028 Words   |  5 PagesBuddhism vs Hinduism Hinduism and Buddhism are the two main religions of Ancient India. Both religions share Common beliefs but also have their differences. Some differences are the deities worshipped, the founders of the religions, sacred writings observed, and meditation practices. Through out this essay we will explore and compare the similarities and the differences in both of these religions. Hinduism Religion In the Hindu religion, the founder was not one person alone. It isRead MoreHinduism and Buddhism’s Influence of Indian Culture in Southeast Asia1903 Words   |  8 PagesThe way Hinduism and Buddhism entered Southeast Asia was not the same, as well as when it entered and its influence of Indian culture that emerged into the area. Civilizations in Southeast Asia focused on an appreciation to nature, which resulted in a harmonious and equal relationship between man and nature. Southeast Asia had been depicted and known as the â€Å"golden island.† These Southeast Asian civilizations were characteristically composed from Hindu and Buddhist ways of life that influenced itsRead MoreEastern Religion Philosophy of Care1740 Words   |  7 Pagesplace free of suffering, according to Buddhism). The Eastern religions and philosophies all give varying accounts of karma, samsara, moksha, and nirvana.This paper will examine Sikhism, Buddhism, and Hinduism, analyze their belief systems, and show how they compare and contrast with one another and with Christianity. Sikhism Sikhism was founded at the beginning of the 16th century in Punjab by Guru Nanak. His philosophy was similar to that of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. Nanak observed the wayRead MoreEvil Is The Devoid Of Good Intentions1209 Words   |  5 Pagescrime, misfortune, and in some instances war. Throughout this course I have been able to study evil in eastern religions, Hinduism and Buddhism respectively. There representation of evil is far different than my view of evil was before this class. In this paper, I will discuss the evil ideologies of both religions and then choose which ideology that I prefer. Hinduism has a very interesting aspect to evil. I learned this right way though our reading of the Ramayana. The Ramayana is all about

Personality and Ill Health Free Essays

Among the psychological factors that impact health, personality – that is table individual differences in thinking, feeling and behaving- plays a pivotal role. For example, an individual high in a sense of coherence (SOC), therefore perceive less stress and see the world as more manageable, resulting in good health (Williams, 2010). Furthermore, the individual differences that exist In terms of the attitude the individual has towards their health and how they conceptualize their illness Is very important. We will write a custom essay sample on Personality and Ill Health or any similar topic only for you Order Now Although It Is a popular notion that personality traits Influence the state of a persons physical health, It Is difficult to establish the true nature of the relationship between resonantly and health , including measurement, the distinction between subjectively reported symptoms and objective signs of illness and the direction of causation (Matthews et al. , 2003). Four ways in which health status and personality might be linked have been identified by Souls and Retouches, (1990). Firstly is the strongest assumptions about the importance of personality traits which represent biologically based differences that may cause different illness outcomes. Second, the relationship between traits and illness might be correlation rather than casual. Third is the usability that traits lead to behaviors that In turn lead to illnesses e. G. Smoking. Finally, Illnesses may cause personality changes. Nonetheless research has tended to focus on one of these aspects at a time which may oversimplify the complete Interrelationships that are likely to exist (Friedman, 2000). The past has shown that from early times a link has almost always been made between personality and illness. Hippocrates (460-377 BC) described physical illness as being caused by the balance of bodily fluids or humors – meaning personality traits (Steelmaker and Swastika. , 1992). Personality is often conceptualized as specific behavioral styles as opposed to personality disorders or personality domains. Type A, Type B, Type C and Type D are some examples of a collection of behavior patterns that are grouped together to form a personality type. Type A personality is one of the most studied of these. It Is a behavior pattern marked by tenseness, impatience and aggressiveness, often relating in stress related symptoms such as insomnia and Indigestion, and possibly Increasing the risk of heart disease. The term Type A’ was developed by Friedman Rosen man (1 959), by which stile, and very tense – summarized basically as a â€Å"workaholic† personality. Type A personality was developed using structured interviews, however, although reliable it was labor intensive and therefore expensive. Due to this it lead to the development of the Jenkins self report measure Nonsense et al. , 1974). There were at least four major breakthrough studies of personality and cardiac vascular disease PROVIDING CONFLICTING RESULTS. The earliest success for Type A personality came from the Western Collaborative Group Study (Roseanne et al. , 1975). This study followed 3, 154 initially healthy men geed between 39 59 years. The sample was followed up 8 h years later with Type A men were found to have twice as much cardiovascular disease than Type B men. Type B personalities are very laid back , patient, and take a very relaxed low-key approach to life and their Job. This would suggest that Type A personalities are more prone to cardiovascular disease than Type B personalities. However, a later follow up study showed more negative or unequivocal results. After 22 years the same group reported no effects of Type A but quiet marked effects on mortality from blood erasure, cholesterol , smoking and age (Raglans Brand, 1988), suggesting there was more than Type A personality directly increasing risk of coronary heart disease. Similarly, a cohort study known as the Farmington study, began between 1965 1967 (Haynes et al. , 1978). This involved 5,127 men and women being assessed and found the incidence of cardiovascular disease to be significantly higher in Type A than Type B. However, in a follow up study results were less clear cut as it was found that Type A personality was predictive of cardiovascular disease only in certain occupational groups. Also, women with cardiovascular disease scored more highly on Type A behavior and suppressed more hostility, tension and anxiety than men. Adding to these conflicting results were the Honolulu Heart Program Study (Cohen Reid, 1985) and the British Regional Heart Study Monsoon et al 1987) which found no significant association between Type A personality and cardiovascular disease. These findings have tried to be explained through a meta-analysis of the literature (Booth-Kelley Friedman, 1987) where findings were said to be due to the differences in the ways of assessing behavior and the use of different outcome assure, in that a distinction needs to be made between objectively and subjectively measuring these outcomes. Although, an association was made between Type A personality and cardiovascular disease, the contradictory results can mean a number of things and further investigations of pathways and mechanisms is necessary to fully understand the associations. This suggests that although Type A may have an association to C. V. D. , it does not depict a definite outcome of illness. Another facet in research is that provided by personality theorists, where the components of personality are looked at instead of the personality as a whole. Glass (1977) found three separate components made up Type A personality. These included striving competitively for achievement, sense of urgency and high levels of hostility. Compared to the more relaxed, easy going Type BBS; Type As were seen as more concerned with having control and having lower threshold for perceiving Hostility here is described as the â€Å"toxic† component. In a meta-analysis of 45 studies (Chide Step, 2009) concluded hostility and anger was associated with an increase(20%) risk of C. H. D. Developing in originally healthy people. Also, research such as the Western Electric Study (1983) has consistently mound a link between hostility and C. H. D. Similarly, 12 longitudinal studies examined the role of hostility on the incidence of C. H. D. , 6 longitudinal studies have examined the role of hostility on C. H. D. Mortality and 2 longitudinal studies examined the role of hostility n sub clinical C. V. D. The results from these revealed that anger/hostility was associated with C. H. D. ND cause mortality, independent of potential biologic and socio-demographic confounder (Fink, 2009). In contrast, the high scores found on the personality trait of hostility assumed a casual link to C. H. D. -in that the illogical processes associated with hostile behavior are also associated with increased C. V. D. (Square et al 2002). The evidence provided here portrays that an individual that is more hostile is more prone to C. H. D. Either directly or through outcomes that individua ls display such as smoking or drinking alcohol because of the hostile behavior. This evidence suggests that while type A personality alone cannot consistently predict C. H. D. , its subcomponents (such as hostility as discussed above) are in fact more reliable indicators . Due to the inconsistent findings on type A personality and C. H. D. It in turn resulted on an emphasis on individual differences. Research found that depression, low levels of social support, high hostility and anger being seen as risk factors in C. H. D. (Dickens et al. , 2007). It was concluded, psychological risk factors tended to cluster together in some individuals and they were therefore more likely to experience cardiac problems when dealing with chronic stress. Again, a personality type approach was developed- Personality Type D ( Denote, 2000), which consisted of combined states of anxiety, pessimism, despair and anger. Type D is also characterized by high levels of negative festivity (AN) and social inhibition, with individuals especially experiencing AN more likely to experience distress, anxiety, irritability, pessimism and worry. It is the combined effects of these negative emotions that define Type D (Cupper Denote, 2007). However, it is this inability to cope that may help explain why some individuals are more prone to C. H. D. Although, it has recently been reported that Type D is an independent predictor of increased mortality among patients with coronary heart disease(Cupper Denote, 2007), little to no research has investigated how type d ND non type d individual cope with stress. Both negative affectively and social inhibition involve distancing oneself from the stresses using avoidance or withdrawal coping strategies causing the individual to make fewer attempts to engage directly with the problem. Also individuals with type D are predicted to actively reduce their efforts to seek out social support (Denote, 2000) which has been shown to be detrimental to health and well-being. A cross- sectional study of 334 1st year undergraduate students found a small but significant moderator effect for Type D for he disengagement symptom of burnout (Pullman et al, 2009). These findings also mirrored other findings with individuals high in personality trait neurotics, which shares similarities with negative affectively (egg Denote, 2005). Therefore, reduced levels in comparisons to non-type d individuals. This includes avoidance coping strategies as well, which in turn lead to higher stress levels influencing C. H. D. It is clear from the evidence provided that a relationship between personality and health exists, therefore making some individuals who possess traits such as hostility or eroticism more prone to illness than others without these traits. Although it is favorable to depict certain personality types (e. G. Type A) and relate these to ill health, instead it would be more beneficial to assess personality traits before the onset of illness so that the brief relationship between cause and effect can be established. From the literature, it is becoming more clear that the traits identified within personality types play a major role in predicting health and to understand this role is where the importance lies. Also, the research conveys the relationship teen personality and health can be explored more extensively when using wider arrays of psychosocial measures and outcomes in longitudinal studies (rather than cross-sectional)-ideally studies that follow people from childhood onwards (Friedman, 2000) as once again cause and effect may be established. Overall, the importance of understanding why some individuals are more prone to illness than others and the personality traits involved in this, is due to the simple reason it is better for health prevention and treatment. At the end of the day†¦. Your health is your wealth! How to cite Personality and Ill Health, Papers

Sustainability Reporting In Accounting Wesfarmers Limited

Question: Discuss about the Sustainability Reporting in Accounting for Wesfarmers Limited. Answer: Introduction Sustainability reporting mainly puts focus on an organizations financial condition and its ability to run its business in the competitive world. The sustainability report of a firm helps an investor to understand the condition of the firm (financial) easily and based on the situation, they invest for earning higher return. In this study, the sustainability report of an ASX listed firm named Wesfarmers Limited has been analyzed in detail for understanding the present situation of the organization and along with it to identify the contemporary issues related with the organization. Therefore, this report will help the stakeholders of the firm to understand whether their long-goals will be met by the corporation or not. Additionally, sustainability report helps to reveal significant phases towards attaining sustainable worldwide economy (Bebbington, Unerman and O'Dwyer, 2014). Moreover, this will help to explain the overall responsibility of the operations of the organization and its imp act on the society. This will enhance the trust and will assist the method for value sharing. However, the information of sustainability will be used by the particular nations government in order to appraise the sustainability report of a firm and its contribution (Ioannou and Serafeim, 2016). Thus, it will assist to manage the problems that are faced by Wesfarmers. Sustainability Reporting in Accounting It has been found that Wesfarmers Limited intends to create value for future and it remains committed to the management of society and its influence on the ecosystem. The particular corporations sustainability report can be characterized into the following types: People Wesfarmers Limited mainly highlights on maintaining a safe workplace for its workforces and also intends to create a widespread work environment. It has been found that this particular type of work environment is primarily concentrated by the gender diversity and the residents of Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander (Wesfarmers.com.au, 2017). Sourcing Wesfarmers Limited has various values but one of the most important is the sourcing. This mainly undertakes the ethical sourcing and the suppliers of the firm. Moreover, it can be said that the suppliers of the particular organization are entrusted towards the development of pleasant and sturdy association (Junior, Best and Cotter, 2014). Thus, the ethical sourcing founds to strive hard to find the more responsible way and also to develop the practices of the society. Community The other intention of the particular firm Wesfarmers Limited is to provide service to the society or the community through providence of healthy and safe workplace environment to its staffs and its end consumers (Hahn and Khnen, 2013). Moreover, the firm promised to provide the products as well as the services safely. Environment This particular factor is also considered a vital aspect for the corporation Wesfarmers Limited and thus it intended to protect its environment form any harm. Particularly, the organization aimed to reduce its emission rate of pollution and wants to bring in development in the flexibility of the climatic change. As a result, water utilization and reduction of waste by landfill have been practiced by the organization. Governance This particular factor is also adopted by the firm Wesfarmers with the aim to maintain and control the vigorous policies of the corporate governance, especially in the operational activities of the organization (Buhr, Gray and Milne, 2014). It has been found that Wesfarmers Limited has intended to create values for the investors (potential), societies and employees on an overall manner. It can also be said that the corporation decided to maintain the creation of long-term and to serve to the societies. This implies for the specified firm, sustainability report is concerned as the conceptualization of the process of managing various ways to ensure the best possible actions in order to develop values for future (Cho et al., 2015). Additionally, Wesfarmers aimed to deduce its own carbon footprint to its potential clients. It has been found that Wesfarmers spontaneously improves its level of performance and public reports from the sustainability report on a yearly basis. Moreover, it has been found that Wesfarmers has brought in clearness to its regulations, particularly in its supply chain department. The firm provides audit program to more than 3200 factories. On the other way, the corporation is mainly concerned with the practices of ethical sourcing like transparency in the supply chain. Thus, Wesfarmers prepares various strategies for deducing emission of gases (greenhouse) by at least 2 % for bringing into environmentally viable actions (Milne and Gray, 2013). Language of Accounting According to Buhr, Gray and Milne (2014), the sustainability report mainly assists to bring in together the inclusive evaluation of the financial performance of the firm through the assessment of the weaknesses and strengths of the corporation. It is especially assessed after the engagement of the corporation with its investors as well as stakeholders. Moreover, it can also be said that this particular practice of preparing sustainability report would turn up the vision of progressing and the strategies of the organization. Based on this, it can be revealed that the practices of making sustainable report would mainly put emphasis on the procedure of reducing the expense of the organization. In other words, it can also be said that the sustainability reporting primarily puts spotlight on the making of particular policies that assists the particular fim to reduce its operational expenses and also assists in making compliance by the help of proper measurement. Thus, accurate dimension i s required for every firm to gauge the various levels of performance of sustainability. Depending on detailed study and analysis of the sustainability reporting of a firm, it can be said that this would aid the specified corporation to get satisfied with various authoritarian commitments in an effective way. In addition to these, the sustainability report of a business corporation help the particular organization to acquire aggressive advantages through the process of magnetizing more amount of asset. Furthermore, this reporting process also helps the corporation in taking essential actions in the method of penetration of the new market. It has been noted that in the year 2006, the code of ethics had been incorporated within the operation of the firm, especially for the Professional Accountants and had been amended for 2008 (Milne and Gray, 2013). This was declared at the period of presentation of the standards in accordance to the APESB (Accounting Professional and Ethical Standard s Board). However, all these standards have been represented and founded in the Initiative of the Global Reporting. Recent Social Issues in Accounting and its Effect on Several Stakeholders It has been noted that the firm Wesfarmers Limited has various accounting issues at present and thus these should be reduced by the management of the firm as far as possible. Wesfarmers face issues regarding material sustainability. The corporation aimed to retort all the problems that are related to material sustainability through the procedure of delivering various strategies in certain efficient ways. Moreover, Wesfarmers strives hard to manage its dependability towards the employees safety. Additionally, the corporation also required improvement in the total rate of injury; particularly those are recordable for identifying the negligible factors. It can be said that Wesfarmers should provide 1 % of its total profitability amount (pre-tax profits) to the programs of the society that occur locally and nationally (Ball, Grubnic and Birchall, 2014). Therefore, Wesfarmers should prepare various policies in order to deduce the emission quantity of greenhouse gases to the environment; h owever, it has been found that the corporation failed in the previous period. Moreover, Wesfarmers did not succeed to perform any kind of important environmental events in the last year. As a result, the firm should put emphasis on bringing benefit to the society and also to the environment and ecosystem as a whole. It has been found that the particular firm actively manages the society as an environment and follows ten key values that are associated with the reduction of sustainability issues, which have been detected from the material features of the firm (Martnez?Ferrero, Garcia?Sanchez and Cuadrado?Ballesteros, 2015). Wesfarmers intends to serve a healthy and safe workplace to its staffs and this addresses the conflicts in the firm by the formation of comprehensive environment. Based on detailed analysis, it can be said that there is a space for the development of the safety initiatives and performances. Moreover, it has been noted that the firm monitor its workplace well and use various strategies for identifying any kind of hazards. This implies the corporation incorporates checking of performance plane in the both Injury care programs and Safety Activity Book (Rinaldi, Unerman and Tilt, 2014). The sustainability report of the firm Wesfarmers clearly implies that various ways through which this particular firm strives in order to decrease the companys waste for landfill and water utilization. In addition, the sustainability reports help to illustrate the maintenance strategies of corporate governance (Lynch, Lynch and Casten, 2014). However, this particular report does not succeed in specifying the difference between the actual figures and the targeted figures of the firm. Conclusion: It can be concluded that Wesfarmers is greatly sustainable in character. Thus, its overall operations about the accounting concepts of the sustainability report have been highlighted in this study. Moreover, this study also highlights that value additions and sustainability reporting are mandatory for understanding the significance of sustainability. From the above analysis, it can be said that sustainability report of a firm helps it to detect the main issues of the business. Additionally, sustainability report helps to add value to a business and it assists to generate trust among the stakeholders and also help the firm to maintain transparency in its operations. Lastly, it can be said that sustainability report assists to expand the business and to make decision. Reference Ball, A., Grubnic, S. and Birchall, J., 2014. 11 Sustainability accounting and accountability in the public sector.Sustainability accounting and accountability, p.176. Bebbington, J., Unerman, J. and O'Dwyer, B., 2014.Sustainability accounting and accountability. Routledge. Buhr, N., Gray, R. and Milne, M.J., 2014. Histories, rationales, voluntary standards and future prospects for sustainability reporting.Sustainability accounting and accountability, pp.51-71. Cho, C.H., Laine, M., Roberts, R.W. and Rodrigue, M., 2015. Organized hypocrisy, organizational faades, and sustainability reporting.Accounting, Organizations and Society,40, pp.78-94. Hahn, R. and Khnen, M., 2013. Determinants of sustainability reporting: a review of results, trends, theory, and opportunities in an expanding field of research.Journal of Cleaner Production,59, pp.5-21. Ioannou, I. and Serafeim, G., 2016. The consequences of mandatory corporate sustainability reporting: evidence from four countries. Junior, R.M., Best, P.J. and Cotter, J., 2014. Sustainability reporting and assurance: a historical analysis on a world-wide phenomenon.Journal of Business Ethics,120(1), pp.1-11. Lynch, M.F., Lynch, N. and Casten, D., 2014. The expanding use of sustainability reporting.The CPA Journal. Martnez?Ferrero, J., Garcia?Sanchez, I.M. and Cuadrado?Ballesteros, B., 2015. Effect of financial reporting quality on sustainability information disclosure.Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management,22(1), pp.45-64. Milne, M.J. and Gray, R., 2013. W (h) ither ecology? The triple bottom line, the global reporting initiative, and corporate sustainability reporting.Journal of business ethics,118(1), pp.13-29. Rinaldi, L., Unerman, J. and Tilt, C., 2014. The role of stakeholder engagement and dialogue within the sustainability accounting and reporting process.Sustainability accounting and accountability, pp.86-107. Wesfarmers.com.au. 2017.Wesfarmers.com.au. [online] Available at: https://www.wesfarmers.com.au/ [Accessed 16 Jan. 2017].

Thursday, April 30, 2020

Innocence Turning Ugly Politics around a Student Death in West Bengal Essay Example

Innocence Turning Ugly: Politics around a Student Death in West Bengal Essay In the first week of April 2013, West Bengal witnessed a tragic death of a college student, Sudipta Gupta, while participating in a ‘law-breaking’ rally led by the CPI (M) student wing – SFI (Student Federation of India) against the decision of the state government to withheld elections to student unions in colleges and universities. Sudipta’s death was allegedly caused by the brutal beating of the police followed by the casualness of the medical staffs. The very next day entire Bengal, and thanks to community forum ‘face-book’ and some media channels, entire nation saw the innocent and bright face of the student and plunged into sorrow. Such a normal reaction over an innocent death was soon followed up by some ugly demonstration of protest and counter-protest allegedly by the student wings of both CPI (M) and Trinamul Congress (TMC). This article after taking note on these events concludes that in tune with the practical (non-ideological)   political milieu of our country, student politics too is getting deviated from its ideological position and becoming similar irrespective of the Leftist and rightist genre. Keywords: Politics, Student, Ideology, Elections, West Bengal *Assistant Professor of Political Science at University of Kalyani, West Bengal and can be reached at [emailprotected] co. in Introduction â€Å"I don’t want it to be fought at all! We will write a custom essay sample on Innocence Turning Ugly: Politics around a Student Death in West Bengal specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Innocence Turning Ugly: Politics around a Student Death in West Bengal specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Innocence Turning Ugly: Politics around a Student Death in West Bengal specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer An election is a moral horror, as bad as a battle, except for the blood; a mud bath for every soul concerned in it. You know very well that it will not be fought on principle† (Shaw: 2007). The violent element in election arena is a matter of great concern of contemporary political analysts as well as psephologists and the situation become even more shocking once it enters in the educational institutions engulfing student politics. The event of untimely student deaths, a situation in vogue in West Bengal for the past few years, perturbs any sensible soul that prays for non-repetition of such incidents. As prayer cannot be the ‘only’ thing to be done in any circumstance, the series of student violence that characterizes contemporary student politics culminating into fatal injuries and even death, calls for in-depth analysis of the reasons for and solution to such incidents. The section I of the present paper based on some personal experience of student politics in West Bengal over the past decade tries to understand the shifts and changes in the outlook of students towards the political system and that of political parties to their   student wings. The section II tries to understand in greater detail the particular death of Sudipta Gupta and arguments based on ‘custodial death’ targeting the state government. Section III brings in theoretical understanding of student politics and tries to link it with recent events in West Bengal particularly as a critique of the politics of the Left leaning student groups. Finally a concluding section is presented to show that the overall trend of national politics does influence the politics at the formative ages of a person – at the level of student politics. I It was in the early years of this millennium that I joined as a student in one of the reputed government colleges in central Kolkata and was introduced to a dialogue between ‘political politics’ and apolitical politics’ taking place between several groups of students in classrooms, in corridors, in canteens and even in the streets leading to the college. Naive as I was to distinguish between the types of politics, I tried to listen carefully to the arguments of both the groups – one led by the leftist student wing (SFI, Student Federation of India) and the other by rightists’ student wing claiming independence from all political parties. The former accused the latter of diluting the ideological element in politics and promoting ‘emotional bond’ and ‘face politics’, i. e. popularizing certain key faces of students through their presence in canteen and cultural forums of the college and then seek vote in their support. The latter group   accused the former of politicisng educational arenas with political attitudes akin to programme of particular leftist ideology based political parties. Needless to mention, both the groups appeared to uphold the welfare and development of the college and its students as their topmost priority areas and they reflected their position through more or less similar ways of slogans, posters and campaigns in classrooms before elections. The rightist group used to get funds from outside (it was alleged so) while the state level leaders of SFI were visible in the campus to step up the electoral mood among students, particularly those supporting them. It was in the late years of the first decade of this millennium that I joined as a teacher (temporary) in a reputed missionary college of Kolkata. I found that everything was happening there – student seminars, cultural programmes of the students, fresher welcome party- as the case with the college where I studied but with a difference – a total absence of any popular and active student wing of any particular political party or any attempt to counter them by some other brand of politics. Here I found that the student union was present, active, vibrant and participative with regular change of portfolio holders but without any political approach. However in classrooms I found that the students were equally aware, politically and culturally about the happenings around them, just I found it among my peers in my college days. Outside influence of political parties or political student groups were at an arm’s length from the students and student union of   this college. Quite accustomed with the concepts and ideas of political science as a subject and politics as a process, I stepped in to a heritage college of South Kolkata as a full time teacher and taught there for three years where student behavior, student agitations and student union elections reminded of my college days. It was so similar but again with a difference –which I later realized, a difference structured by different generation. The students both in the left ideological camp (SFI) and in the right (for the first time I came across Chatra Parishad(CP) and then the TMCP(Trinamul Chatra Parishad), were extremely adamant to their positions and tried to take recourse to any means between themselves, even in the college premises in front of teachers, – threats, street fights, usage of slangs, physical brutal assaults – to see to it that decisions of college authorities come in their favour. Couple of student leaders on both sides were extremely   argumentative and at the same time quite logical with full information about the trend of party politics in the state. Being located in central place of south Kolkata, the student supporters of both the groups were influence by various street campaigns led by state level leaders of both the student groups just outside the college premises. Presently, as the millennium steps into its second decade, I’m engaged in teaching in a university in rural backdrop where I’m dealing with students mostly from economically and socially backward community students and to their vision ‘politics’ is simply defined as ‘student union’ and ‘student politics’ is just ‘to remain present sometime in the union room’! An interesting feature here is of a total absence of the opposition in student union. The only presence is of that student group which corresponds to the party in power at the state. A very recent instance would be total change of unit after unit of student union overnight from one party affiliation to another with the change of guards at the state power corridor. In the above narration of particular experiences over the last one decade some generalizations can be made: (a) student unions are always acting as the face of power of political parties (b) political parties view student unions as recruiting machines for being party members (c) the nature of student politics swings with the changes in state politics (d) the brute powerful influence of politics on student unions is more reflected in rural areas where political reasoning bypasses logical reasoning (e) in urban areas and gradually in rural areas as well, media attraction is a prime mover of violence in student politics (f) however a different model of student union, though not anti-political but innocent, sensible and logical, is available in the state. With this personal experience as a background the next section catches up with a particular incident of student death where politics, student union and party politics intersects – the death of Sudipta Gupta on April 2, 2013. II Unable to contain violence in college union polls, committed these days mostly by the TMC’s student wing after forcing police into inaction, the government had declared a moratorium on students’ union elections. Demanding its withdrawal, four left students’ organisations gave a call for â€Å"law-break† agitation. The programme was undertaken with prior permission from the concerned authority. However, due to high deficit in police arrangement minor scuffles ensued, and the students were lathi-charged. Then hundreds of students were packed in three or four buses, while according to media report, a circular from the police headquarters had instructed to keep at least 20 buses ready to take the lawbreakers to jail. On way to the Presidency jail, Sudipto Gupta, a state committee member of the Students Federation of India fell on the road with a serious head injury. He was taken to the hospital where, it is alleged by his friends, he lay unattended for   more than an hour. And finally when the doctors intervened there was little to do. A student of 22 years, the only son of an ailing widower-father, succumbed. According to the police, the death was due to an accident, but eyewitness reports give a totally different version of police beatings and callousness causing death. Important in this incident was the way in which the state government and its police forces were put under severe criticism over the issue of custodial death. The very fact that the students were taken by bus after ‘token’ police arrest having only two policemen as per report in the newspapers, led the critiques to term it as a death in police custody and hence ‘custodial death’ and thereby directly placing the responsibility on the police and the government. One of the comments publicized by the critiques read like this: â€Å"We have watched with disgust and horror the brutal police assault on students during a peaceful demonstration organised by four Left students’ organisations on 2 April 2013 in Kolkata and the subsequent death of Sudipta Gupta, a participant in the demonstration, while in police custody. Sudipta was a bright student and a leading activist of the Students Federation of India. We are shocked to see the chief minister of the   state absolve the police of any responsibility for Sudipta’s death even before a proper enquiry had been initiated†(EPW Letters :2013). Another critic argues: â€Å"Now, if under the pressure of the media and the people any administrative inquiry is instituted we can guess what findings it would come up with! The people of West Bengal are fast losing faith in the honesty and civility of the chief minister. The minimum that we as ordinary citizens of the country can demand and the government should be forced to grant is a judicial probe into the death of Sudipto† (Chakroborty: 2013). The problem with these arguments is to shift attention from student politics to state politics – from academics to politics. Moreover ‘Custodial death’ means the death of a person in the custody of a public officer or any person acting on behalf of a public officer. a) The term ‘custody’ includes all occasions where a person is detained by a public officer or any person acting on behalf of a public officer, irrespective of the legality, nature and the place of detention; (b) It includes judicial cus tody and all other forms of temporary and permanent restraint upon the movement of a person by law, or by force or by other means enforced by a public officer or any person acting on behalf of a public officer; (c) It includes deaths occurring whilst a person is being arrested or taken into detention or being questioned; (d) In all cases where the death of a person is within 72 hours after his release from custody, or at any other subsequent occasion and where the cause of death can be attributed to acts committed upon the deceased by a public officer or anyone acting on   his behalf while the deceased was in custody; (e) ‘Custodial death’ may have taken place on police, private or medical premises, in a public place or in a police or other vehicle(IPC Act, 2010). This definition in some remote way supports projection of Sudipto’s death as ‘custodial death as there are many brutal instances of custodial death on police torture in jail custody. Those ho ar e asking for a probe, indeed justifiably, are diluting their own position by branding the incident before the probe itself! The pent up anger against the state administration got reflected at New Delhi when the Chief Minister along with some important cabinet ministers en route to the finance commission office was mobbed and heckled on 9th April 2013, by left leaning student unions in memoriam of the ‘innocent’ death of their student leader, Sudipto. Present in this incident according to media footage was the all India general secretary of SFI. At any stretch of imagination this was an ‘ugly’ demonstration of anger seeking justice through judicial probe of Sudipto’s death. Such ugly demonstrations become more disturbing when it gets validation by one of the important left ideologue of the country in the following words: â€Å"Those who get perturbed by heckling and would like a more civilised and humane discourse, must themselves also engage in such a discourse. One cannot call the death of a young idealistic student, and that too in police custody, a â€Å"small and   petty affair†, a remark that is offensive to fundamental humanity; and then complain if angry demonstrators heckle one. To claim the right to make inhumane comments about others, and then to complain when others heckle one, amounts to having one’s cake and eating it too. Of course even when one’s discourse is perfectly humane and â€Å"civilised†, in so far as the consequences of one’s decisions are deleterious to some people’s lives, one still has to be prepared to face demonstrations and heckling. But if one’s discourse too is inhumane then the chances of this happening multiply several-fold† (Patnaik : 2013). This justification again gets political as it is directed against state administration and pats for the extension of student politics to the arena of state politics. The ugliest incident in this follow up of events was still to be seen and finally happened at Presidency College, Kolkata where some hooligans vandalized and destroyed   the heritage Baker Laboratory and to utter dismay this demonstrations carried flag of TMC and media footage showed the presence of the local councilor of TMC outside the gate of the college during the incident. This act was a protest against the demonstrations that TMC ministers faced at New Delhi. So, politics within academic arena, as showed by these incidents, no longer involves students only but the political party, their image and prestige, state power apparatus, etc. An academic explanation regarding the source of the SFI ‘law-breaking; rally and hence the source of all these follow ups involves the legality of the state government decision to withheld student elections. It reads: â€Å"In this milieu of violence even many well meaning people have started to blame student politics as the repository of violence and demanded that student union elections be banned in the state. This debate started when an on-duty police officer was killed by goons belonging to the ruling TMC during the process of nomination in a Kolkata College. Subsequently, the government announced that student union elections will be withheld for 6 months and with the incident of Sudipto Gupta, the clamour has increased that students should be kept out of politics. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. Prima facie, the demand to ban student union election is unconstitutional. The Constitution of India gives every person the right to form associations; hence students cannot be   arbitrarily denied this right. Secondly, the Lyngdoh Commission constituted by the Supreme Court to frame guidelines for conducting student union elections is unambiguous when it comes to the question of whether election should be held or not. It states, â€Å"Universities and colleges across the country must ordinarily conduct elections for the appointment of students to student representative bodies. These elections may be conducted in the manner prescribed herein, or in a manner that conforms to the standards prescribed herein. † (Lyngdoh Commission Report, Page: 40)†(Chowdhury: 2013). However such arguments falls flat in a politicized environment as is seen in contemporary West Bengal where student supporters of particular opinion behave like party members. They are becoming that rigid and closed. Student politics, or for that matter politics, ideally must depend on taking advantages of situation created. In the events that happened both the SFI and TMC leaders were becoming more similar in their self-destructive positional tactics(both were leading destructive marches) thereby leaving the space of politics of students in an ideological and programmatic vacuum in the days to come. III Given the special significance and weight of students in the politics of many new nations, the questions: (a) whether or not their politics are like national politics and integrated with them; (b) whether student polities are separate from, opposed to, or ahead of, national politics; and (c) what conditions promote one or another of those tendencies; become questions of some interest and importance. In India, student politics tend towards congruence with national politics. Unlike industrial workers, peasants, or capitalist, students have not aspired to be a ruling class; they lack the ideological identity and mission in the political system. If students have not—and perhaps cannot—become one of the political classes that aspire to power in their own right, they have become on occasion a leading sector in the political system—-expressing in an organised and militant form dissatisfactions or aspirations well before such sentiments have been clearly   articulated and expressed by the established means of political representation and leadership. While students have often played a role in the regime politics of a number of nations and in the ideological politics of others, in India the orientation of student politics in the aggregate has remained relatively congruent with that of national politics (Rudolph amp; Rudolph : 1966). Professor T. K. Oomen succinctly describes the situation leading to student unrest in campuses: â€Å"The exercise of student power in India is constrained by several structural factors. Student politicians are rarely, if ever, autonomous. They depend on political parties or other outside agencies for ideas, finance and organizational support. It is but natural this involvement by outsiders is based on expectation of political payoffs. Often this takes the form of the student politician becoming their agent or propagandist on the campus. Naturally he has to abide by the instructions of his patron; the relationship between political parties and student political organization is always a hierarchical one and the latter is usually at the receiving end. (p. 255) The real task of the politically oriented student activist is to transform the latent discontent and vague rebelliousness into a coherent revolutionary vision. Usually the passive, indolent, dull majority   is provoked through the offering of an occasion to be involved in a demonstration. Here what is important is not the cause for which students agitate but the fact of their involvement in agitation†¦Sometimes the zeal and commitment of the passive many is greater than that of routine activists, once they are involved. Often physical violence will be deliberatively planned by student leaders by destroying public property or by assaulting some higher official of the university. Once this happens usually the formal agencies of social contract, particularly the police and the press, step in†¦If the attempt of student leaders to ‘manufacture’ a couple of student martyrs succeeds they are at the height   of their glory. The martyrs are those who get shot, injured, arrested, dismissed or suspended. Student power is often effective only through violent agitations and this is for three reasons:- first, violence is the most effective means of focusing   attention on issues and this invites the sudden intervention of higher authorities. Second, violence is the medium through which the passivity which envelops the majority is at least temporarily effaced, galvanizing it into action. Third, it is violence which makes the hitherto unwilling university authorities concede demands which they have been continuously refusing. (Oomen: 2010; 255, 263, 264). Over the past three decades, college and university elections in West Bengal in particular and the country at large have become arenas of contest among political parties. One of the reasons behind this is the manner in which much of the student politics in most of these institutions have come to be reduced entirely to winning or losing students’ union elections. Earlier, the elections used to be at an intellectual level but now the environment has entirely changed. Some years back the injury suffered by a student named Souvick   Dutta(who lost one of his eye forever in a pre college election violence) in a south Kolkata college led to the SFI union leader leading the protest in front of the residence of the then opposition leader and landing up getting a party ticket to contest the assembly polls in 2011 from the adjacent locality only to cash in on the sympathies generated by the incident! Is it a transition from ideological politics to emotional   politics? Well on the extreme right the instance is even horrifying. The well established student leader of Chatra Parishad(CP) who continued to criticize TMC and TMCP positions tooth and nail simply went to join the very ame TMCP in the same designation just after the elections were over! A transition from ideological politics o self-interested politics is reflected thereby in student politics. Now elections are stopped for some period by the state government (for reasons of security). There ar e arguments to bring back ‘party based elections’ in the name of democratic participation of students in the formation of college unions (keeping in mind the sad stories of violence leading to the recent incidents of Souvick Dutta and Sudipto Kole) criticisms are at a galore. The SFI general secretary comments: â€Å"But the protest is very much in the air. There are Left students who are not allowed to enter campuses†¦. But still they have not given up the   flag of SFI. They are in the barricade of resistance. The wall writing is sharp, bold and clear- ‘If politics determines our education we must determine the politics’. This determination to determine politics is the silver lining in this worst of times†(Bhattacharyay : 2013) Hardly one can find arguments calling upon general students belonging to all ideologies to come together and form ‘party-less union’ for cultural and social development of the students in colleges. IV An innocent death of a student occur, the student is highlighted as a party cadre and brought into the limelight, police officials and home minister, i. e. he chief minister is accused,   activists of the deceased student camp heckles chief minister and cabinet ministers, in that situation the general secretary of the deceased students’ group was seen, the act has to be condemned but not by words but through retaliation, the vandalism in the Baker laboratory of Presidency University was carried out and in the scene was noticed the councilor of the chief minister’s party. This running summary shoes that how an innocent death turns political and utterly ugly within a fortnight leaving a lasting impact on student politics of the state. The central question is to search for alternative model of organizing student politics. Ranabir Samaddar argues, â€Å"In West Bengal large student movements have never been organized centering on union elections but rather on bigger issues of society regarding education and solidarity of labourers, sometimes even on international issues particularly anti-imperialism. At time students and youth would join hands to manage disasters like drought or floods and thereby such days of student politics were marked by ideological and philosophical politics far away from the present institutionlaised election centered student politics. The first effect of such calculative student politics is its politics and career centricity cut off from the real problems of society and thus marked by ‘academic nobility’ and for this vacuum general students are in favour to stay away from such ‘bad politics’ and student politics is under the threat of corrupt practices. Such practices have surfaced in recent years in liberal society of United States. Thus not   United States but the European student politics particularly that are seen in 2010-2011 in Italy, France, Great Britain, Spain must be the model for student politics in the coming days. Thousands of students protested in the streets of Barcelona, Bolonia, Rome, Paris, London, Berlin demanding the removal of neo-liberal policy restrictions on educational campus, ending oppression to immigrants and ensuring security to common people. Student politics must return to its golden days not for its reiteration but for its renewal. During 1966-77 student protest in Presidency stroked chord among student community at large as in the face of threats of bombing, police activities in the college the elite students were saved by students, teachers from outside the campus. The model is to break free from party affiliations and dictates and to move ahead for student solidarity across party lines† (Samaddar : 2013). The idea that students can be or should be kept out of politics comes from a narrow understanding of what politics is. Politics is not simply about what political parties say. Politics is basically about a debate, a discourse on what society as a whole should or should not do. For example, the courses studied in our universities, the amount of fees that we pay, the level of salaries of the teachers etc all are decided by politics. Students, who are the most vibrant section within the society, cannot be kept aloof of this debate and discussion or politics. They must be free to listen to every view and form their own opinions about it. †¦But politics is not merely about debates and discussions. Politics is also about power (Chowdhury: 2013). So, all debates among student groups have boiled down to powerful and violent rigid explorations of one’s position diluting the age-old open policy of ‘Let the Hundred Flowers Bloom’. The student movements, in   this spirit, ultimately get marred by violence and get robbed off its traditional mission of positive contributions to society, with one exception, organizing blood donations camp has been a matter of competition among competing student groups and at least blood donation is made. The student movements of any particular period reflect the direction of the character of the new vision of the society at its micro level. Students get into the process of political socialization through their participation in these movements. In the process the role of social and political culture, information and communication channels and technological advancements becomes critical in determining the intensity of student movements. In a globalised world students are the most susceptible section of the society to cultural influences. The various ways by which the students try to popularize their support base among their peers, mainly through facebook and twitter and email and ‘sms’ exchanges,   indicates the new cultural influences on them across the left and right wing student groups. In this flow, both the left and right wing student unions are in same direction. The way picture of a blood ejecting one eye lost Souvick Dutta, bandaged picture of   Sudipto Kole’s dead body and picture of innocent Sudpta Gupta’s face has been spread over the web world and in the streets, to generate awareness of the degree of violence and to create emotional attachment – a question crops up – has the left student unions, particularly SFI taken recourse to the same ‘face politics’ of the type they hated most in my college days? The article tries to contextualise the events unfolding around the death of Sudipta Gupta in the overall perspective of trends in student politics, particularly in West Bengal. Though some personalized particular experiences have been the basis of this paper but that does not debar from making generalizations as it is an in depth study of a particular death and politics surrounding it. Is it a ‘political death’ or ‘custodial death’ or ‘death of student politics itself’? In the present context of the state politics, these questions are tricky and complex and their answers are elusive. The present paper sounds at times a critical commentary on SFI politics but that is only because as a heritage student group the onus is more upon them to be calm, positive and constructive in their outlook and concentrate on making their own ideological position contemporary. There has been a sharp increase in violence in student politics but the present   incident is not a cause of inter-student front collisions but due to lack of humane management of the situation. It is also of deep worry that one can hardly find any difference between the tone and texture of the student politics pursued by the leftist and rightist camps presently in West Bengal. In most instances the campus politics are based on party line divisions of ‘us’ and ‘them’ as reflected in the local, state and national level political space. Gone are the days when student politics of debates and discussions, of academics and society coated student agitations. Now it’s all about politics, in the bad and amoral sense of the term. To conclude one can reiterate the lines of Rabindranath Tagore:       â€Å"Firbey Na Ta Jani, Tobu Tomar Potho Cheye Joluk Pradipkhani.. †(†¦The student politics will never be the same, but let us keep our hopes lightened in the anticipation of the return of a more open and civilised approach to society and politics. †¦. ). Politics in the college premises must be seen in terms of socialization rather than politicization   and academic environment related specific demand based movements must replace popular political politics. It is in college and university that a person is in his/her formative ages and to be groomed to be a ‘good citizen’ and not to be a trained political-party supporter. It is now a duty to all persons related to academics- teachers, students, non-teaching staffs and even a transformed open ended student groups to work together in that direction. Sudipto Kole and Sudipto Gupta are dead but Souvick is alive with one eye and a violence free academic campus will be the best homage to all of them. Let’s start making the gift. References: 1. Banerjee, Ritabrata(2013): War Against Democracy: Designs to Ban Politics in Bengal Campuses, http://www. cpimwb. org. in/feature_details. php? features_id=14#sthash. i7M8sfIH. dpuf (accessed on 26. 06. 2013). 2. Chakraborty, Satyabrata(2013): Anarchy in West Bengal,                                                                      Economic and Political Weekly,                   Vol. XLVIII No. 17, April 27, 2013 3. Chowdhury Subhanil(2013): In Defense of Student Politics, http://www. pragoti. in/node/4938 (accessed on 22. 06. 2013). 4. Oomen, T. K(2010): Student Power Mobilization and Protest in Social Movements: Concerns of Equity and Security, Vol. II , T. K. Oomen (ed. ), Oxford University Press, New Delhi, 2010. 5. Patnaik, Prabhat(2013): Heckling As Violence, People’s Democracy, Vol. XXXVII , No. 17, April 28, 2013 6. Rudolph, Lloyd I Susanne Hoeber Rudolph amp; Karuna Ahmed(1971): Student Politics and National Politics in India, Economic and Political Weekly, Special Number, July 7. Shaw, George Bernard(2007): Back to Methuselah, Iowa, 1st World Library. 8. S

Monday, April 13, 2020

Sample Reflective Essay of an Educational Leadership Program

Sample Reflective Essay of an Educational Leadership ProgramA sample reflective essay of an educational leadership program is a very good source of ideas and tips. The sample essay can also serve as the basis for the analysis of the educational leader's personality.So, the next time you are faced with writing a reflective essay, how would you like to present the idea that your educational leadership program is indeed educational? How would you like to display the knowledge and experience that you have acquired in the career of your choice? As a matter of fact, you should be able to exhibit these things. Just write down the following:The first part of the reflective essay of an educational leadership program is to show how you can present the idea that you are the best at what you are doing. For this you must include a couple of examples about your past work experiences. You may also highlight the things that you have learned from your experiences. You can also add a bit of your perso nal opinions about the current trends in education.The second part of the reflective essay of an educational leadership program includes an analysis of your strengths. It is very important to present all the qualities that you possess and enhance them. Thus, you should analyze them before presenting your ideas.The third part of the reflective essay of an educational leadership program includes your opinions on the trend of education and ways to deal with it. One good example is to indicate your thoughts on the expansion of distance learning. You can mention your opinion that this move can help in expanding the choices available for your students.The fourth part of the reflective essay of an educational leadership program is to mention the mistakes that you have made in the past. There are many people who have the tendency to make these mistakes so you must know how to identify them. You should also include how you managed to avoid such mistakes in the future.The fifth part of the re flective essay of an educational leadership program is to include an analysis of the past experiences that have helped you to reach your current position. For this, you must mention all the achievements that you have attained and perhaps talk about the ones that you have not attained yet. The reflective essay of an educational leadership program is an important part of a teacher's personality and career.