Private Prisons And Its Effects On The United States

This is a relatively new industry and it is startling to imagine how much power they will have in another 30-40 years. They have already managed to manipulate the fourth amendment. At this rate, your simple municipal violation might turn into an arrest record in the future. One possible sign of things to come happened with a Texas man, Jory Enck. He was thrown in jail for allegedly not returning a GED study guide to the public library. The non-profit public interest group, PR Watch, reported in 2012 about a foreboding incident in which CCA had participated in drug raids of an Arizona high school. The local police were provided with drug sniffing dogs by CCA. The school went into a prison style â€Å"lockdown† in which students were forced to line up against the wall and were not allowed to leave the building. This is part of a theme in which private prisons are specifically targeting adolescents to fill their juvenile facilities. There was a perfect example of this corruption with a scandal labeled as â€Å"cash for kids† by the media. Two Pennsylvania judges had accepted approximately $2.6 million in bribes from private juvenile detention centers. In return, those judges increased the number of youths in their facilities by convicting teens for minor offenses that normally would have been thrown out of court. One example was a 15 year old with no prior indiscretions, who spent three months in a boo t camp because she had created a MySpace page which mocked her high school sShow MoreRelatedPrivate Prison And Its Effects On The United States1284 Words   |  6 PagesLobbying As previously stated, private prison companies have to rely on the big prison population in order for them to make money because he main concern of these private corporations that run these facilities is money. Due to this, these companies will do whatever it takes to make sure the prison population increases so they can keep making money. Therefore, the private prison companies will lobby for laws to boost the prison population. Due to this financial motive they will do whatever it takesRead MoreDefining Accreditation675 Words   |  3 Pagessystem in which correctional agencies must comply with under the American Correctional Association. Privatization brings about competition between prisons and jails in the community. As a result, prisons and jails are encouraged to make improvements as deemed necessary. In addition to affecting prisons and jails, accreditation and privatization also has an effect on the professional development of corrections officers. In recent years, the correctional administration has become quite familiar with accreditationRead MoreThe Growing Prison Industrial Complex1700 Words   |  7 Pages The growing Prison Industrial Complex is an intricate web of profit-maximizing business endeavors at the expense of the livelihood of people of color in the continental United States and abroad. With immigration from Mexico and Latin America increasing each year and definitions of who is â€Å"legal† becoming more constricting as the Obama administration cracking down on illegal border crossing, undocumented immigrants are the fastest growing prison population. This research projects aims to look howRead MorePrivatization of American Prisons1661 Words   |  7 Pagesrunning prisons out of the hands of state and federal authorities and contracting it out to private organizations. Along with the drift to privatization is a plethora of research pertaining to the subject taking many different approaches to analyzing the effectiveness. The majority of research focuses on one of three areas. The first questioning whether or not it is cost effective to make the switch. The second being the ethical problems that can and have risen from the privatization of prisons. TheRead MoreThe Incarceration Of The United States1519 Words   |  7 Pagesin recent decades, violent crimes in the United States of America have been on a steady decline, however, the number of people in the United States under some form of correctional control is reaching towering heights and reaching record proportions. In the last thirty years, the incarceration rates in the Unite d States has skyrocketed; the numbers roughly quadrupled from around five hundred thousand to more than 2 million people. (NAACP)In a speech on criminal justice at Columbia University, HillaryRead MorePrivatization Within The Criminal Justice System Essay1510 Words   |  7 Pages The United States has an incarceration problem that personifies issues throughout the entire criminal justice system. The United States, with just 5 percent of the world s population, currently holds 25 percent of the world s prisoners (Khalek). This issue runs deeper than just incarceration; it permeates every level of the criminal justice system, from incarceration to probation. Many states have turned to private institutions in an attempt shed operating costs, while also increasing effectivenessRead MoreAmeric Land Of The Incarcerated1296 Words   |  6 Pagesthe poem The Star Spangled Banner after witnessing the attack on Fort McHenry by the British Royal Navy in the War of 1812. The poem was sang to the tune of a well-known British song and eventually, Key’s once amateur patriotic poem became the United States national anthem in which the lyrics strongly symbolize our country’s perseverance and freedom. The Star Spangled Banner can be heard at a variety gathering s such as official military functions and sporting events where celebrity singers oftenRead MoreMass Incarceration Of The United States1417 Words   |  6 Pagesleap in time typically served for crimes in America’s society? Either the justice system was too lenient in the past, or the justice system is too strict now. Have we just now realized the real gravity of murder, or are we now overreacting? The United States currently over-incarcerates its citizens, prisoners have become part of the economy, manufacturing and assembling products for major corporations. Based on the research, it would be unethical to continue a trend of mass incarceration when the conditionsRead MorePrison Overcrowding : The United States1535 Words   |  7 Pages 2017 Prison Overcrowding The United States has the highest number of incarcerated individuals than other countries. Offenders are arrested every day for minor and major offences such as murder. America is hard on crime. When someone breaks the law the criminal justice’s system seeks an eye for an eye. Prison overcrowding has become a major problem in the United States, it is very expensive to house an inmate and there are other methods to punish offenders without sending them to prison for extendedRead MoreThe Prison Industrial Complex Is The Economic Interrelation Between Private Prisons And Various Public1748 Words   |  7 PagesThe prison-industrial complex is the economic interrelation between private prisons and various public and private job sectors that have become dependent on the expansion of the private prison system. A partial list of these sectors includes construction, pharmaceuticals, and law enforcement, including probation and parole. The prison-industrial complex also runs a cheap inmate labor force for various corporations. Approximately 2,266,800 adults are currently imprisoned in America. In addition to

Essay Readers Sympathies in Mary Shelleys Frankenstein

Readers Sympathies in Mary Shelleys Frankenstein Frankenstein a gothic horror, written by Mary Shelley in 1818, can be interpreted as a subtle autobiography; whose narrative reflects on the characters throughout the story. It was written at the time where the Romantic period replaced the age of reason, the time where dreams and ideas replaced logic and science. The two main characters in the story, Victor and the monster are used as metaphors for this. Shelley uses them to make social and personal comments about the time when the book was written. Shellys mother died only nine days after her birth. At the beginning of the novel, Victors mother dies and Safia also has no mother. Waltons diary†¦show more content†¦Victors parents bestowed love and affection on him. By the end of the novel, Victor is considered to be a bad person who lacks human qualities. This quote does not relate to Shellys childhood, as she did not have a happy one as it was plagued with misery. The monster however brought himself into the world by nature. After Victor deserted him immediately after his creation the monster was left to look after himself. Unlike Victor he was shown no examples or given any rules. Part of the debate at the time the novel was written was which was better: nature or nurture. After being abandoned by Victor and rejected by society, the monster flees to the woods and brings himself up by learning from nature the elements, senses and English language: I found a fire and was overcome with delight at the warmth I experienced from it. In my joy I thrust my hand into the live embers, but quickly withdrew it again with a cry of pain As the monster had no one to teach him he did not know about fire and was surprised when it burnt him; he learnt from nature. At first, the monsterShow MoreRelatedSympathy And Sympathy In Frankenstein1525 Words   |  7 PagesTo be able to feel sympathy, humans first must be able to read into and understand another’s emotions. Mary Shelley uses this human aspect in her novel Frankenstein, as readers’ emotions are played. Set in the early 1900s, the novel is a recount of Victor Frankenstein’s life as he tells it to Robert Walter, a man leading an exploration to the North Pole. Frankenstein starts his narrative explaining how he was a very curious child, and eventually went off to college and conducted an experiment onRead MoreAnalysis Of Mary Shelley s Frankenstein 1589 Words   |  7 PagesExtended Response (Q2) - Frankenstein By Mary Shelley Rachel .Corrie The perspective, from which a story is told, causes an influential response from readers to certain issues, characters and conflicts that are found in literary texts. Mary Shelley’s gothic novel, Frankenstein, was published in 1818 and tells the story of a scientist known as Victor Frankenstein who reanimates life in an unethical science experiment. In this novel Walton, Victor and the creature tell their sideRead MoreMary Shelley s Use Of Point Of View1467 Words   |  6 PagesJoyner English IV Honors 17 December 2015 Mary Shelley’s Use of Point of View Mary Shelley uses point of view in Frankenstein to naturally develop her reader’s opinions and feelings in regards to her characters. Shelley forms her own Chinese Box structure along with a frame narrative stirred together to give the nature of stories within stories in a completely unique way (Narrative Technique in Frankenstein). When Shelley’s readers interpret Frankenstein, they tend to have mixed feelings when viewingRead More Comparison between Characters of Frankenstein Essay1513 Words   |  7 Pagesbetween Characters of Frankenstein      Ã‚  Ã‚   In Frankenstein, Mary Shelley combines three separate stories involving three different characters--Walton, Victor, and Frankensteins monster. Though the reader is hearing the stories through Waltons perspective, Walton strives for accuracy in relating the details, as he says, I have resolved every night,...to record, as nearly as possible in his [Victors] own words, what he has related during the day (Shelley 37). Shelleys shift in point of viewRead MoreIn The Year Of 1818, Author Mary Shelley Published A Novel1568 Words   |  7 PagesIn the year of 1818, author Mary Shelley published a novel that depicted a concept nobody has ever seen before. The novel of Frankenstein is well known for its association with mystery, evil, and romanticism but the question many people ask is, why is it still relevant after all of these years? Frankenstein is a fictional story and is known as â€Å"The Modern Prometheus†. In Greek mythology, a titan named Prometheus stole fire fr om the Gods and gave it to mankind. Being that, Victor is compared to theRead More Is Frankenstein a Creature or Monster? Essay2170 Words   |  9 PagesIs Frankenstein a Creature or Monster? Whether Frankensteins creation is a creature or indeed a monster is a key factor of the novel as a whole. Mary Shelley successfully uses language to create and manipulate the readers opinion of this nameless creation. Frankenstein is from a well respected and well educated family; my family is one of the most distinguished of that republic. This immediately gives the reader the impression that he will be a benevolent character. The reader feelsRead MoreAnalysis of Mary Shelleys Frankenstein Essay1720 Words   |  7 PagesAnalysis of Mary Shelleys Frankenstein Analyzing a book can be a killer. Especially when it contains tons of subtle little messages and hints that are not picked up unless one really dissects the material. Mary Shelleys Frankenstein is a prime example. It is analyzed by scholars all the time because of the subtle messages it sends through its themes, one of which needs to be discussed that is called Romanticism. Romanticism dealt with simplifying things as a break from the previous age whichRead MoreMary Shelley s `` Golden ``1339 Words   |  6 PagesMary Shelley’s â€Å"Golden† Trio Many deem multi-narrative stories a novelty, and difficult to pull off without sounding kitschy or clichà ©. This is not so in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. The book includes both a framing device (a story within a story) and epistolary narration (a story told through someone reading or hearing it.) Yet, the effect that comes with these strategies of narration is quite different from the boy/girl chapter switch we see so often in modern literature. Each of the three narratorsRead MoreSigmund Freud s Frankenstein 1299 Words   |  6 Pagesrelation of the uncanny to May Shelley’s Frankenstein, the monster that was created by the character named Victor Frankenstein was greeted with fear by the people he meets. The monster’s treatment of fear put him under the category of Sigmund Freud’s The Uncanny. we see a point of commonality where the relation of the Freudian theory and Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein is implying towards to each other. This implicati on reveals The Uncanny and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein to fear itself as it shows theRead MoreCompare and contrast the Frankenstein novel and Coleridges rime of the ancient mariner in terms of narrative voice, theme and literary techniques1558 Words   |  7 PagesMary Shelley and Samuel Taylor Coleridge are two established writers of the Romantic era. Works by both writers are unique in many ways. The profound influence of Coleridges The Rime of the Ancyent Marinere is reflected in Shellys Frankenstein in terms of narrative structure, themes and literary techniques. This essay will compare and contrast the Frankenstein extract and the poem, The Rime of the Ancyent Marinere in three aspects, namely the narrating voice, the themes and the literary

Egoism and Altruism free essay sample

The term â€Å"meta† means after or beyond, and, consequently, the notion of metaethics involves a removed, or bird’s eye view of the entire project of ethics. We may define metaethics as the study of the origin and meaning of ethical concepts. When compared to normative ethics and applied ethics, the field of metaethics is the least precisely defined area of moral philosophy. It covers issues from moral semantics to moral epistemology[-gt;0]. Two issues, though, are prominent: (1) metaphysical issues concerning whether morality exists independently of humans, and (2) psychological issues concerning the underlying mental basis of our moral judgments and conduct. a. Metaphysical Issues: Objectivism and Relativism Metaphysics is the study of the kinds of things that exist in the universe. Some things in the universe are made of physical stuff, such as rocks; and perhaps other things are nonphysical in nature, such as thoughts, spirits, and gods. The metaphysical component of metaethics involves discovering specifically whether moral values are eternal truths that exist in a spirit-like realm, or simply human conventions. There are two general directions that discussions of this topic take, one other-worldly and one this-worldly. Proponents of the other-worldly view typically hold that moral values are objective[-gt;1] in the sense that they exist in a spirit-like realm beyond subjective human conventions. They also hold that they are absolute, or eternal, in that they never change, and also that they are universal insofar as they apply to all rational creatures around the world and throughout time[-gt;2]. The most dramatic example of this view is Plato[-gt;3], who was inspired by the field of mathematics. When we look at numbers and mathematical relations, such as 1+1=2, they seem to be timeless concepts that never change, and apply everywhere in the universe. Humans do not invent numbers, and humans cannot alter them. Plato explained the eternal character of mathematics by stating that they are abstract entities that exist in a spirit-like realm. He noted that moral values also are absolute truths and thus are also abstract, spirit-like entities. In this sense, for Plato, moral values are spiritual objects. Medieval philosophers commonly grouped all moral principles together under the heading of â€Å"eternal law† which were also frequently seen as spirit-like objects. 17th century British philosopher Samuel Clarke described them as spirit-like relationships rather than spirit-like objects. In either case, though, they exist in a sprit-like realm. A different other-worldly approach to the metaphysical status of morality is divine commands issuing from God’s will. Sometimes called voluntarism (or divine command theory[-gt;4]), this view was inspired by the notion of an all-powerful God[-gt;5] who is in control of everything. God simply wills things, and they become reality. He wills the physical world into existence, he wills human life into existence and, similarly, he wills all moral values into existence. Proponents of this view, such as medieval philosopher William of Ockham[-gt;6], believe that God wills moral principles, such as â€Å"murder is wrong,† and these exist in God’s mind as commands. God informs humans of these commands by implanting us with moral intuitions or revealing these commands in scripture. The second and more this-worldly approach to the metaphysical status of morality follows in the skeptical philosophical tradition, such as that articulated by Greek philosopher Sextus Empiricus, and denies the objective status of moral values. Technically, skeptics did not reject moral values themselves, but only denied that values exist as spirit-like objects, or as divine commands in the mind of God. Moral values, they argued, are strictly human inventions, a position that has since been called moral relativism[-gt;7]. There are two distinct forms of moral relativism. The first is individual relativism, which holds that individual people create their own moral standards. Friedrich Nietzsche, for example, argued that the superhuman creates his or her morality distinct from and in reaction to the slave-like value system of the masses. The second is cultural relativism which maintains that morality is grounded in the approval of one’s society – and not simply in the preferences of individual people. This view was advocated by Sextus, and in more recent centuries by Michel Montaigne and William Graham Sumner. In addition to espousing skepticism and relativism, this-worldly approaches to the metaphysical status of morality deny the absolute and universal nature of morality and hold instead that moral values in fact change from society to society throughout time and throughout the world. They frequently attempt to defend their position by citing examples of values that differ dramatically from one culture to another, such as attitudes about polygamy, homosexuality and human sacrifice. b. Psychological Issues in Metaethics A second area of metaethics involves the psychological basis of our moral judgments and conduct, particularly understanding what motivates us to be moral. We might explore this subject by asking the simple question, â€Å"Why be moral? † Even if I am aware of basic moral standards, such as don’t kill and don’t steal, this does not necessarily mean that I will be psychologically compelled to act on them. Some answers to the question â€Å"Why be moral? † are to avoid punishment, to gain praise[-gt;8], to attain happiness, to be dignified, or to fit in with society. i. Egoism and Altruism One important area of moral psychology concerns the inherent selfishness of humans. 17th century British philosopher Thomas Hobbes[-gt;9] held that many, if not all, of our actions are prompted by selfish desires. Even if an action seems selfless, such as donating to charity, there are still selfish causes for this, such as experiencing power over other people. This view is called psychological egoism[-gt;10] and maintains that self-oriented interests ultimately motivate all human actions. Closely related to psychological egoism is a view called psychological hedonism which is the view that pleasure is the specific driving force behind all of our actions. 18th century British philosopher Joseph Butler[-gt;11] agreed that instinctive selfishness and pleasure prompt much of our conduct. However, Butler argued that we also have an inherent psychological capacity to show benevolence to others. This view is called psychological altruism and maintains that at least some of our actions are motivated by instinctive benevolence. ii. Emotion and Reason A second area of moral psychology involves a dispute concerning the role of reason in motivating moral actions. If, for example, I make the statement â€Å"abortion is morally wrong,† am I making a rational assessment or only expressing my feelings? On the one side of the dispute, 18th century British philosopher David Hume[-gt;12] argued that moral assessments involve our emotions, and not our reason. We can amass all the reasons we want, but that alone will not constitute a moral assessment. We need a distinctly emotional reaction in order to make a moral pronouncement. Reason might be of service in giving us the relevant data, but, in Hume’s words, â€Å"reason is, and ought to be, the slave of the passions. † Inspired by Hume’s anti-rationalist views, some 20th century philosophers, most notably A. J. Ayer, similarly denied that moral assessments are factual descriptions. For example, although the statement â€Å"it is good to donate to charity† may on the surface look as though it is a factual description about charity, it is not. Instead, a moral utterance like this involves two things. First, I (the speaker) I am expressing my personal feelings of approval about charitable donations and I am in essence saying â€Å"Hooray for charity! † This is called the emotive element insofar as I am expressing my emotions about some specific behavior. Second, I (the speaker) am trying to get you to donate to charity and am essentially giving the command, â€Å"Donate to charity! † This is called the prescriptive element in the sense that I am prescribing some specific behavior. From Hume’s day forward, more rationally-minded philosophers have opposed these emotive theories of ethics (see non-cognitivism in ethics[-gt;13]) and instead argued that moral assessments are indeed acts of reason. 18th century German philosopher Immanuel Kant[-gt;14] is a case in point. Although emotional factors often do influence our conduct, he argued, we should nevertheless resist that kind of sway. Instead, true moral action is motivated only by reason when it is free from emotions and desires. A recent rationalist approach, offered by Kurt Baier (1958), was proposed in direct opposition to the emotivist and prescriptivist theories of Ayer and others. Baier focuses more broadly on the reasoning and argumentation process that takes place when making moral choices. All of our moral choices are, or at least can be, backed by some reason or justification. If I claim that it is wrong to steal someone’s car, then I should be able to justify my claim with some kind of argument. For example, I could argue that stealing Smith’s car is wrong since this would upset her, violate her ownership rights, or put the thief at risk of getting caught. According to Baier, then, proper moral decision making involves giving the best reasons in support of one course of action versus another. iii. Male and Female Morality A third area of moral psychology focuses on whether there is a distinctly female approach to ethics that is grounded in the psychological differences between men and women. Discussions of this issue focus on two claims: (1) traditional morality is male-centered, and (2) there is a unique female perspective of the world which can be shaped into a value theory. According to many feminist philosophers, traditional morality is male-centered since it is modeled after practices that have been traditionally male-dominated, such as acquiring property, engaging in business contracts, and governing societies. The rigid systems of rules required for trade and government were then taken as models for the creation of equally rigid systems of moral rules, such as lists of rights and duties. Women, by contrast, have traditionally had a nurturing role by raising children and overseeing domestic life. These tasks require less rule following, and more spontaneous and creative action. Using the woman’s experience as a model for moral theory, then, the basis of morality would be spontaneously caring for others as would be appropriate in each unique circumstance. On this model, the agent becomes part of the situation and acts caringly within that context. This stands in contrast with male-modeled morality where the agent is a mechanical actor who performs his required duty, but can remain distanced from and unaffected by the situation. A care-based approach to morality, as it is sometimes called, is offered by feminist ethicists as either a replacement for or a supplement to traditional male-modeled moral systems. . Normative Ethics Normative ethics involves arriving at moral standards that regulate right and wrong conduct. In a sense, it is a search for an ideal litmus test of proper behavior. The Golden Rule is a classic example of a normative principle: We should do to others what we would want others to do to us. Since I do not want my neighbor to steal m y car, then it is wrong for me to steal her car. Since I would want people to feed me if I was starving, then I should help feed starving people. Using this same reasoning, I can theoretically determine whether any possible action is right or wrong. So, based on the Golden Rule, it would also be wrong for me to lie to, harass, victimize, assault, or kill others. The Golden Rule is an example of a normative theory that establishes a single principle against which we judge all actions. Other normative theories focus on a set of foundational principles, or a set of good character traits. The key assumption in normative ethics is that there is only one ultimate criterion of moral conduct, whether it is a single rule or a set of principles. Three strategies will be noted here: (1) virtue theories, (2) duty theories, and (3) consequentialist theories. . Virtue Theories Many philosophers believe that morality consists of following precisely defined rules of conduct, such as â€Å"don’t kill,† or â€Å"don’t steal. † Presumably, I must learn these rules, and then make sure each of my actions live up to the rules. Virtue ethics[-gt;15], however, places less emphasis on learning rules, and instead stresses the importance of developing good habits of character, such as benevolence (see moral character[-gt;16]). Once I’ve acquired benevolence, for example, I will then habitually act in a benevolent manner. Historically, virtue theory is one of the oldest normative traditions in Western philosophy, having its roots in ancient Greek civilization. Plato emphasized four virtues in particular, which were later called cardinal virtues: wisdom, courage, temperance and justice. Other important virtues are fortitude, generosity, self-respect, good temper, and sincerity. In addition to advocating good habits of character, virtue theorists hold that we should avoid acquiring bad character traits, or vices, such as cowardice, insensibility, injustice, and vanity. Virtue theory emphasizes moral education since virtuous character traits are developed in one’s youth. Adults, therefore, are responsible for instilling virtues in the young. Aristotle[-gt;17] argued that virtues are good habits that we acquire, which regulate our emotions. For example, in response to my natural feelings of fear, I should develop the virtue of courage which allows me to be firm when facing danger. Analyzing 11 specific virtues, Aristotle argued that most virtues fall at a mean between more extreme character traits. With courage, for example, if I do not have enough courage, I develop the disposition of cowardice, which is a vice. If I have too much courage I develop the disposition of rashness which is also a vice. According to Aristotle, it is not an easy task to find the perfect mean between extreme character traits. In fact, we need assistance from our reason to do this. After Aristotle, medieval theologians supplemented Greek lists of virtues with three Christian ones, or theological virtues: faith, hope, and charity. Interest in virtue theory continued through the middle ages and declined in the 19th century with the rise of alternative moral theories below. In the mid 20th century virtue theory received special attention from philosophers who believed that more recent approaches ethical theories were misguided for focusing too heavily on rules and actions, rather than on virtuous character traits. Alasdaire MacIntyre (1984) defended the central role of virtues in moral theory and argued that virtues are grounded in and emerge from within social traditions. . Duty Theories Many of us feel that there are clear obligations we have as human beings, such as to care for our children, and to not commit murder. Duty theories base morality on specific, foundational principles of obligation. These theories are sometimes called deontological, from the Greek word deon, or duty, in view of the foundational nature of our duty or obligation. They are also sometimes called nonconsequentialist since these princi ples are obligatory, irrespective of the consequences that might follow from our actions. For example, it is wrong to not care for our children even if it results in some great benefit, such as financial savings. There are four central duty theories. The first is that championed by 17th century German philosopher Samuel Pufendorf, who classified dozens of duties under three headings: duties to God, duties to oneself, and duties to others. Concerning our duties towards God, he argued that there are two kinds: a theoretical duty to know the existence and nature of God, and a practical duty to both inwardly and outwardly worship God. Concerning our duties towards oneself, these are also of two sorts: duties of the soul, which involve developing one’s skills and talents, and duties of the body, which involve not harming our bodies, as we might through gluttony or drunkenness, and not killing oneself. Concerning our duties towards others, Pufendorf divides these between absolute duties, which are universally binding on people, and conditional duties, which are the result of contracts between people. Absolute duties are of three sorts: avoid wronging others, treat people as equals, and romote the good of others. Conditional duties involve various types of agreements, the principal one of which is the duty is to keep one’s promises. A second duty-based approach to ethics is rights theory. Most generally, a â€Å"right† is a justified claim against another person’s behavior – such as my right to not be harmed by you (see also human rights[-gt;18]). Rights and duties are related in su ch a way that the rights of one person implies the duties of another person. For example, if I have a right to payment of $10 by Smith, then Smith has a duty to pay me $10. This is called the correlativity of rights and duties. The most influential early account of rights theory is that of 17th century British philosopher John Locke[-gt;19], who argued that the laws of nature mandate that we should not harm anyone’s life, health, liberty or possessions. For Locke, these are our natural rights, given to us by God. Following Locke, the United States Declaration of Independence authored by Thomas Jefferson recognizes three foundational rights: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Jefferson and others rights theorists maintained that we deduce other more specific rights from these, including the rights of property, movement, speech, and religious expression. There are four features traditionally associated with moral rights. First, rights are natural insofar as they are not invented or created by governments. Second, they are universal insofar as they do not change from country to country. Third, they are equal in the sense that rights are the same for all people, irrespective of gender, race, or handicap. Fourth, they are inalienable which means that I ca not hand over my rights to another person, such as by selling myself into slavery. A third duty-based theory is that by Kant, which emphasizes a single principle of duty. Influenced by Pufendorf, Kant agreed that we have moral duties to oneself and others, such as developing one’s talents, and keeping our promises to others. However, Kant argued that there is a more foundational principle of duty that encompasses our particular duties. It is a single, self-evident principle of reason that he calls the â€Å"categorical imperative. A categorical imperative, he argued, is fundamentally different from hypothetical imperatives that hinge on some personal desire that we have, for example, â€Å"If you want to get a good job, then you ought to go to college. † By contrast, a categorical imperative simply mandates an action, irrespective of one’s personal desires, such as â€Å"You ought to do X. † Kant gives at least four versions of the categorical imperative, but one is especially direct: Treat people as an end, and never as a means to an end. That is, we should always treat people with dignity, nd never use them as mere instruments. For Kant, we treat people as an end whenever our actions toward someone reflect the inherent value of that person. Donating to charity, for example, is morally correct since this acknowledges the inherent value of the recipient. By contrast, we treat someone as a means to an end whenever we treat that person as a tool to achieve something else. It is wrong, for ex ample, to steal my neighbor’s car since I would be treating her as a means to my own happiness. The categorical imperative also regulates the morality of actions that affect us individually. Suicide, for example, would be wrong since I would be treating my life as a means to the alleviation of my misery. Kant believes that the morality of all actions can be determined by appealing to this single principle of duty. A fourth and more recent duty-based theory is that by British philosopher W. D. Ross, which emphasizes prima facie duties. Like his 17th and 18th century counterparts, Ross argues that our duties are â€Å"part of the fundamental nature of the universe. † However, Ross’s list of duties is much shorter, which he believes reflects our actual moral convictions:  ·Fidelity: the duty to keep promises Reparation: the duty to compensate others when we harm them  ·Gratitude: the duty to thank those who help us  ·Justice: the duty to recognize merit  ·Beneficence: the duty to improve the conditions of others  ·Self-improvement: the duty to improve our virtue and intelligence  ·Nonmaleficence: the duty to not injure others Ross recognizes that s ituations will arise when we must choose between two conflicting duties. In a classic example, suppose I borrow my neighbor’s gun and promise to return it when he asks for it. One day, in a fit of rage, my neighbor pounds on my door and asks for the gun so that he can take vengeance on someone. On the one hand, the duty of fidelity obligates me to return the gun; on the other hand, the duty of nonmaleficence obligates me to avoid injuring others and thus not return the gun. According to Ross, I will intuitively know which of these duties is my actual duty, and which is my apparent or prima facie duty. In this case, my duty of nonmaleficence emerges as my actual duty and I should not return the gun. c. Consequentialist Theories It is common for us to determine our moral responsibility by weighing the consequences of our actions. According to consequentialism[-gt;20], correct moral conduct is determined solely by a cost-benefit analysis of an action’s consequences: Consequentialism: An action is morally right if the consequences of that action are more favorable than unfavorable. Consequentialist normative principles require that we first tally both the good and bad consequences of an action. Second, we then determine whether the total good consequences outweigh the total bad consequences. If the good consequences are greater, then the action is morally proper. If the bad consequences are greater, then the action is morally improper. Consequentialist theories are sometimes called teleological theories, from the Greek word telos, or end, since the end result of the action is the sole determining factor of its morality. Consequentialist theories became popular in the 18th century by philosophers who wanted a quick way to morally assess an action by appealing to experience, rather than by appealing to gut intuitions or long lists of questionable duties. In fact, the most attractive feature of consequentialism is that it appeals to publicly observable consequences of actions. Most versions of consequentialism are more precisely formulated than the general principle above. In particular, competing consequentialist theories specify which consequences for affected groups of people are relevant. Three subdivisions of consequentialism emerge:  ·Ethical Egoism: an action is morally right if the consequences of that action are more favorable than unfavorable only to the agent performing the action.  ·Ethical Altruism: an action is morally right if the consequences of that action are more favorable than unfavorable to everyone except the agent. Utilitarianism: an action is morally right if the consequences of that action are more favorable than unfavorable to everyone. All three of these theories focus on the consequences of actions for different groups of people. But, like all normative theories, the above three theories are rivals of each other. They also yield different conclusions. Consider the following example. A woman was traveling through a developing country when she witnessed a car in front of her run off the road and roll over several times. She asked the hired driver to pull over to assist, but, to her surprise, the driver accelerated nervously past the scene. A few miles down the road the driver explained that in his country if someone assists an accident victim, then the police often hold the assisting person responsible for the accident itself. If the victim dies, then the assisting person could be held responsible for the death. The driver continued explaining that road accident victims are therefore usually left unattended and often die from exposure to the country’s harsh desert conditions. On the principle of ethical egoism[-gt;21], the woman in this illustration would only be concerned with the consequences of her attempted assistance as she would be affected. Clearly, the decision to drive on would be the morally proper choice. On the principle of ethical altruism, she would be concerned only with the consequences of her action as others are affected, particularly the accident victim. Tallying only those consequences reveals that assisting the victim would be the morally correct choice, irrespective of the negative consequences that result for her. On the principle of utilitarianism, she must consider the consequences for both herself and the victim. The outcome here is less clear, and the woman would need to precisely calculate the overall benefit versus disbenefit of her action. i. Types of Utilitarianism Jeremy Bentham[-gt;22] presented one of the earliest fully developed systems of utilitarianism. Two features of his theory are noteworty. First, Bentham proposed that we tally the consequences of each action we perform and thereby determine on a case by case basis whether an action is morally right or wrong. This aspect of Bentham’s theory is known as act-utilitiarianism. Second, Bentham also proposed that we tally the pleasure and pain which results from our actions. For Bentham, pleasure and pain are the only consequences that matter in determining whether our conduct is moral. This aspect of Bentham’s theory is known as hedonistic utilitarianism. Critics point out limitations in both of these aspects. First, according to act-utilitarianism, it would be morally wrong to waste time on leisure activities such as watching television, since our time could be spent in ways that produced a greater social benefit, such as charity work. But prohibiting leisure activities doesn’t seem reasonable. More significantly, according to act-utilitarianism, specific acts of torture or slavery would be morally permissible if the social benefit of these actions outweighed the disbenefit. A revised version of utilitarianism called rule-utilitarianism addresses these problems. According to rule-utilitarianism, a behavioral code or rule is morally right if the consequences of adopting that rule are more favorable than unfavorable to everyone. Unlike act utilitarianism, which weighs the consequences of each particular action, rule-utilitarianism offers a litmus test only for the morality of moral rules, such as â€Å"stealing is wrong. Adopting a rule against theft clearly has more favorable consequences than unfavorable consequences for everyone. The same is true for moral rules against lying or murdering. Rule-utilitarianism, then, offers a three-tiered method for judging conduct. A particular action, such as stealing my neighbor’s car, is judged wrong since it violates a moral ru le against theft. In turn, the rule against theft is morally binding because adopting this rule produces favorable consequences for everyone. John Stuart Mill’s version of utilitarianism is rule-oriented. Second, according to hedonistic utilitarianism, pleasurable consequences are the only factors that matter, morally speaking. This, though, seems too restrictive since it ignores other morally significant consequences that are not necessarily pleasing or painful. For example, acts which foster loyalty and friendship are valued, yet they are not always pleasing. In response to this problem, G. E. Moore [-gt;23]proposed ideal utilitarianism, which involves tallying any consequence that we intuitively recognize as good or bad (and not simply as pleasurable or painful). Also, R. M. Hare proposed preference utilitarianism, which involves tallying any consequence that fulfills our preferences. ii. Ethical Egoism and Social Contract Theory We have seen (in Section 1. b. i) that Hobbes was an advocate of the methaethical theory of psychological egoism—the view that all of our actions are selfishly motivated. Upon that foundation, Hobbes developed a normative theory known as social contract theory[-gt;24], which is a type of rule-ethical-egoism. According to Hobbes, for purely selfish reasons, the agent is better off living in a world with moral rules than one without moral rules. For without moral rules, we are subject to the whims of other people’s selfish interests. Our property, our families, and even our lives are at continual risk. Selfishness alone will therefore motivate each agent to adopt a basic set of rules which will allow for a civilized community. Not surprisingly, these rules would include prohibitions against lying, stealing and killing. However, these rules will ensure safety for each agent only if the rules are enforced. As selfish creatures, each of us would plunder our neighbors’ property once their guards were down. Each agent would then be at risk from his neighbor. Therefore, for selfish reasons alone, we devise a means of enforcing these rules: we create a policing agency which punishes us if we violate these rules. 3. Applied Ethics Applied ethics is the branch of ethics which consists of the analysis of specific, controversial moral issues such as abortion, animal rights, or euthanasia. In recent years applied ethical issues have been subdivided into convenient groups such as medical ethics, business ethics, environmental ethics[-gt;25], and sexual ethics[-gt;26]. Generally speaking, two features are necessary for an issue to be considered an â€Å"applied ethical issue. † First, the issue needs to be controversial in the sense that there are significant groups of people both for and against the issue at hand. The issue of drive-by shooting, for example, is not an applied ethical issue, since everyone agrees that this practice is grossly immoral. By contrast, the issue of gun control would be an applied ethical issue since there are significant groups of people both for and against gun control. The second requirement for an issue to be an applied ethical issue is that it must be a distinctly moral issue. On any given day, the media presents us with an array of sensitive issues such as affirmative action policies, gays in the military, involuntary commitment of the mentally impaired, capitalistic versus socialistic business practices, public versus private health care systems, or energy conservation. Although all of these issues are controversial and have an important impact on society, they are not all moral issues. Some are only issues of social policy. The aim of social policy is to help make a given society run efficiently by devising conventions, such as traffic laws, tax laws, and zoning codes. Moral issues, by contrast, concern more universally obligatory practices, such as our duty to avoid lying, and are not confined to individual societies. Frequently, issues of social policy and morality overlap, as with murder which is both socially prohibited and immoral. However, the two groups of issues are often distinct. For example, many people would argue that sexual promiscuity is mmoral, but may not feel that there should be social policies regulating sexual conduct, or laws punishing us for promiscuity. Similarly, some social policies forbid residents in certain neighborhoods from having yard sales. But, so long as the neighbors are not offended, there is nothing immoral in itself about a resident having a yard sale in one of these neighborhoods. Thus, to qualify as an applied ethical issue, the issue must be more than one of mer e social policy: it must be morally relevant as well. In theory, resolving particular applied ethical issues should be easy. With the issue of abortion, for example, we would simply determine its morality by consulting our normative principle of choice, such as act-utilitarianism. If a given abortion produces greater benefit than disbenefit, then, according to act-utilitarianism, it would be morally acceptable to have the abortion. Unfortunately, there are perhaps hundreds of rival normative principles from which to choose, many of which yield opposite conclusions. Thus, the stalemate in normative ethics between conflicting theories prevents us from using a single decisive procedure for determining the morality of a specific issue. The usual solution today to this stalemate is to consult several representative normative principles on a given issue and see where the weight of the evidence lies. a. Normative Principles in Applied Ethics Arriving at a short list of representative normative principles is itself a challenging task. The principles selected must not be too narrowly focused, such as a version of act-egoism that might focus only on an action’s short-term benefit. The principles must also be seen as having merit by people on both sides of an applied ethical issue. For this reason, principles that appeal to duty to God are not usually cited since this would have no impact on a nonbeliever engaged in the debate. The following principles are the ones most commonly appealed to in applied ethical discussions:  ·Personal benefit: acknowledge the extent to which an action produces beneficial consequences for the individual in question.  ·Social benefit: acknowledge the extent to which an action produces beneficial consequences for society.  ·Principle of benevolence: help those in need. Principle of paternalism: assist others in pursuing their best interests when they cannot do so themselves.  ·Principle of harm: do not harm others.  ·Principle of honesty: do not deceive others.  ·Principle of lawfulness: do not violate the law.  ·Principle of autonomy: acknowledge a person’s freedom over his/her actions or physical body.  ·Principle of justice: acknowledge a person’s right to due process, fair compensation for harm done , and fair distribution of benefits.  ·Rights: acknowledge a person’s rights to life, information, privacy, free expression, and safety. The above principles represent a spectrum of traditional normative principles and are derived from both consequentialist and duty-based approaches. The first two principles, personal benefit and social benefit, are consequentialist since they appeal to the consequences of an action as it affects the individual or society. The remaining principles are duty-based. The principles of benevolence, paternalism, harm, honesty, and lawfulness are based on duties we have toward others. The principles of autonomy, justice, and the various rights are based on moral rights. An example will help illustrate the function of these principles in an applied ethical discussion. In 1982, a couple from Bloomington, Indiana gave birth to a baby with severe mental and physical disabilities. Among other complications, the infant, known as Baby Doe, had its stomach disconnected from its throat and was thus unable to receive nourishment. Although this stomach deformity was correctable through surgery, the couple did not want to raise a severely disabled child and therefore chose to deny surgery, food, and water for the infant. Local courts supported the parents’ decision, and six days later Baby Doe died. Should corrective surgery have been performed for Baby Doe? Arguments in favor of corrective surgery derive from the infant’s right to life and the principle of paternalism which stipulates that we should pursue the best interests of others when they are incapable of doing so themselves. Arguments against corrective surgery derive from the personal and social disbenefit which would result from such surgery. If Baby Doe survived, its quality of life would have been poor and in any case it probably would have died at an early age. Also, from the parent’s perspective, Baby Doe’s survival would have been a significant emotional and financial burden. When examining both sides of the issue, the parents and the courts concluded that the arguments against surgery were stronger than the arguments for surgery. First, foregoing surgery appeared to be in the best interests of the infant, given the poor quality of life it would endure. Second, the status of Baby Doe’s right to life was not clear given the severity of the infant’s mental impairment. For, to possess moral rights, it takes more than merely having a human body: certain cognitive functions must also be present. The issue here involves what is often referred to as moral personhood, and is central to many applied ethical discussions. b. Issues in Applied Ethics As noted, there are many controversial issues discussed by ethicists today, some of which will be briefly mentioned here. Biomedical ethics focuses on a range of issues which arise in clinical settings. Health care workers are in an unusual position of continually dealing with life and death situations. It is not surprising, then, that medical ethics issues are more extreme and diverse than other areas of applied ethics. Prenatal issues arise about the morality of surrogate mothering, genetic manipulation of fetuses, the status of unused frozen embryos, and abortion. Other issues arise about patient rights and physician’s responsibilities, such as the confidentiality of the patient’s records and the physician’s responsibility to tell the truth to dying patients. The AIDS crisis has raised the specific issues of the mandatory screening of all patients for AIDS, and whether physicians can refuse to treat AIDS patients. Additional issues concern medical experimentation on humans, the morality of involuntary commitment, and the rights of the mentally disabled. Finally, end of life issues arise about the morality of suicide, the justifiability of suicide intervention, physician assisted suicide, and euthanasia. The field of business ethics examines moral controversies relating to the social responsibilities of capitalist business practices, the moral status of corporate entities, deceptive advertising, insider trading, basic employee rights, job discrimination, affirmative action, drug testing, and whistle blowing. Issues in environmental ethics often overlaps with business and medical issues. These include the rights of animals, the morality of animal experimentation, preserving endangered species, pollution control, management of environmental resources, whether eco-systems are entitled to direct moral consideration, and our obligation to future generations. Controversial issues of sexual morality include monogamy versus polygamy, sexual relations without love, homosexual relations, and extramarital affairs. Finally, there are issues of social morality which examine capital punishment, nuclear war, gun control, the recreational use of drugs, welfare rights, and racism.

Navigating Professional Contexts

Children are Citizens The City of Port Phillip, an inner local government city in Melbourne Australia, has developed strategies that will challenge the traditional view of children as citizens of the state by theorising children as major actors in the society who have a valid and important understanding of the world in general and can be able to contribute to the development of the society (City of Port Phillip, 2005).Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on Navigating Professional Contexts specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More These strategies have been developed as a result of the little recognition children receive when it comes to voicing their opinions or getting their voices heard. Children also lack equal opportunities in the adult world in cases where they are faced with poverty, cultural diversity or disabilities (Smith et al, 2008). The development of the strategies will ensure that the City of Port Phillip has a theoretical and practical framework that will be used to create awareness to the adult community in the city that children should be regarded as citizens who deserve equal opportunities and also to be listened to. The strategies will be used to develop a children’s plan that will reflect on issues such as embedding the concept of children as citizens in the constitution, developing policies and frameworks that will be used to support children’s activities in civic duties within the city and structures of citizenship that will represent the needs of children in Port Phillip (City of Port Phillip, 2009). The decision to include children as citizens of the state arose out of a gap in the Municipal Early Years Plan (MEYP) that did not involve children in its formulation stage. The MEYP was an initiative by the State Government of Victoria which required all councils in Australia to develop a plan for children that would be used in developing strategies that would coordi nate the educational, health care and early childhood development activities of children living in Australia. The City of Port Phillip recognised this gap and decided that a broader approach was needed in dealing with aspects that affected children and promoted new ways of thinking about children’s opportunities in the adult world.Advertising Looking for assessment on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The new way of thinking challenged the State of Victoria’s policies on service delivery to children by proposing that their rights and interests should be considered before any strategic frameworks are developed (City of Port Phillip, 2009). MEYP did not involve any consultation or input from children during the formulation stages of the plan which would create certain gaps when the plan would be used for early childhood development programs and healthcare delivery services for young children (Smith Smale, 2007). The various councils involved in the MEYP plan realised that they did not have the relevant skills and knowledge to develop strategies that are meant for children. The City of Port Phillip took the initiative to consult with children when developing the municipal plan especially during the implementation phase by analysing their ideas and opinions (City of Port Phillip, 2009). To develop a plan that had the incorporation of children’s ideas, the council of Port Phillip analysed the ideas that council staff and community members had about children being viewed as citizens. Most of the staff interviewed were those who had a direct or indirect interaction with children in the community. Their opinions about children were based on the images they had on children and how these images affected their day to day duties. The three images that the council staff and community members had of children were that adults viewed children as objects that could be developed and construc ted by developing policies and procedures to be used in their developmental activities. The other image was that children were seen to be apprentices who could be developed and educated to become future citizens instead of current day citizens. Policies and procedures were developed towards gearing children to become future citizens. These policies were formulated by adults based on their observations on children. The third image about children was that they were viewed as social actors as well as citizens who had valid knowledge about their surrounding community and the world in general. This image represented the fact that children were present day active citizens who were allowed to participate in decision making activities (Smith et al, 2008).Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on Navigating Professional Contexts specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The assessment carried out by the City of Port Phillip showed th at children were able to express their views and opinions on matters that affected them when they were given an opportunity to do so; there were hierarchies for citizenship that included children in the society. There was a need for members of the community to view children as citizens who deserved equal opportunities and rights. People who worked in organizations or communities that mostly dealt with children were required to view them as equal opportunity members while they carried out their work. There was also a need to develop a culture that would ensure the participation of children in community developmental activities (Smith et al, 2008). The strategies that were developed by the City of Port Phillip that would be used in recognising children as citizens included championing the cause with influence by involving people in authoritative positions such as politicians, members of parliament and councillors. The endorsement of children to be viewed as citizens by these people in authoritative positions would ensure that community members would also see the benefits of having children as equal opportunity members of the society. These authoritative figures also had access to state and government funds that could be channelled to awareness activities of viewing children as citizens. The other strategy developed by the council of Port Phillip was to assess the educational opportunities on offer in the city and what the contents of the education system were. This entailed conducting a critical reflection process on the council member’s image of children which required that they should identify and support responsibilities that were targeted towards ensuring children were involved in decision making activities (City of Port Phillips, 2009). The other strategy involved developing protocols that would see children’s views and opinions being used in community development activities. Children’s views and consent would be used in developing prog rams and theoretical frameworks that would not only affect them but the adults in the society as well.Advertising Looking for assessment on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Developing these protocols would involve designing tools that would be used in consulting with children in policy and procedure formulation processes. Some of the tools that have been used by the City of Port Phillip include individual interviews where children are interviewed by adults and also by other children, group discussions, and artistic work such as drawing, photographs, painting and videography (City of Port Phillip, 2009). The City of Port Phillip is focused on developing a children’s plan that will incorporate the views of all the children in the city. According to statistics, the past four years have seen more than 400 children who are aged between 0 to 12 years contributing their ideas and opinions on ways of improving the living and learning conditions of Port Phillip. As a result, the information will be used by the local council authorities to develop a MEYP plan that will incorporate the views and needs of children in relation to policy formulation and proce dures (City of Port Phillip, 2009). Children deserve a challenging and safe learning environment The Government of Australia has developed an early learning framework for children in Australia that will be used by child educators to enrich their lives by providing education that prepares them for adult life. The framework is also meant to provide a smooth transition for the children during the various stages of their educational life. The framework is based on the vision that all children have the right to access the best opportunities that will enable them to start their lives on a good note and create a good future for themselves. The framework was developed after gathering input from various sectors such as the early childhood educators, children in early educational programs and the state, territorial governments of Australia (Commonwealth of Australia, 2009). The early childhood framework was developed to ensure that children received quality education and learning experiences that would develop them in the later stages of their lives. The framework outlines learning outcomes that will be used to gauge the skills, knowledge and abilities that children should have once they have complete the educational programs. The learning outcomes that have been outlined include teaching children to have a strong sense of identity and wellbeing, educating children to be connected to the world by equipping them with skills they can use in contributing to the development activities in their communities, and teaching children to be confident and effective communicators (Commonwealth of Australia, 2009). The type of learning that will take place in relation to the outcomes will be influenced by the children’s capabilities and learning preferences, the techniques that the educator uses to teach the children, the learning environment and the integration of the learning practices with learning outcomes. The framework recognises the fact that learning is a continuous pr ocess that is not always predictable and certain.Each child progresses towards the learning outcomes in their own specific way and educators are expected to design their learning programs to meet each child’s specific needs (COA, 2009). The learning outcome that requires children to have a strong sense of identity involves teaching them to be themselves and developing their confidence levels. While they learn about themselves, children build their own identities based on the social settings of the community and their families. Their identities are also based on the types of relationships they have with family members and people that live in their surroundings. Developing a strong sense of identity will involve providing a learning environment that is safe and challenging. Children learn and grow more quickly when they are in a safe and secure environment (COA, 2009). A safe learning environment will ensure that children are able to build secure relationships with their peers, family members, educators and their community members. Safe and secure learning environments will also ensure that they have a sense of belonging in the learning environment as well as enable them to communicate their needs and demands to the people concerned. Safe learning environments allow children to express their feelings and ideas freely without any fear of being reprimanded. Children can also be able to initiate conversations with other people as well as respond to the suggestions offered by other people (HM Government, 2005). The early years learning framework also outlines that children deserve to have a learning environment that is challenging and allows them to develop interdependency skills as well as a sense of resiliency in their lives. A learning environment that is challenging allows children to have an increasing awareness to the needs of their peers as well as allow them to be open to any challenges that might arise while they are learning. Learning programs that are challenging allow children to develop persistency and critical thinking to their learning tasks as well as ensure they have confidence when approaching new and difficult situations (COA, 2009). The educational program should be designed in a way that ensures children are inspired and challenged after completing the learning program. Children who are exposed to a culture of reading and studying only without experiencing any extra curriculum activities such as music, sports and social activities are more likely to develop a negative attitude towards learning. Children should therefore be challenged academically to ensure they are inspired to perform learning tasks to the best of their abilities (Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 2010). Children are capable learners whose perspectives should be listened to, respected and integrated into the learning environment This statement is exemplified under the learning outcome of developing a strong sense of identity in the Early Years Learning Framework developed for the educational sector in Australia (Commonwealth of Australia, 2009). Children who are capable learners have a broad variety of ideas, opinions and perspectives on different learning activities. They deserve to have an opportunity to have these perspectives listened to and respected for their value. For children to be viewed as capable learners they should feel recognised and respected for who they are by educators, their peers, their family members and the society. They are also able to share aspects of their upbringing, cultural backgrounds and religion with their friends during the learning process. Integrating children’s perspectives into the learning environment will ensure that they are able to develop a strong foundation in the family setting and also the community setting as well as enable them to reach out for assistance and companionship (State of Victoria, 2009). Enacting the Value Statements into Practice It is im portant to view children as important contributors to the society by ensuring that their voices and opinions are heard when it comes to developing programs that will benefit them in the long term. Children should therefore be accorded citizenship in their respectable communities or societies a fete that can be achieved by incorporating their ideas into educational programs and developing strategies that will ensure they are involved in the formulation of governmental policies and procedures (UNCRC, 2006). Creating a safe and challenging environment for learning will allow children to develop confidence skills and capabilities that will mould them into leadership positions. Having their perspectives and opinions listened to will also ensure that they can become leaders at the later stages of their life. This can be achieved by creating educational programs that have social learning activities which will allow children to demonstrate their leadership abilities and skills like the Mast er in School Leadership (MSL) program developed for all educational schools in Victoria. The program builds a child’s capacity for leadership opportunities within the school and also in the outside world (Matthews et al, 2007). References Association for Supervision and Curriculum, Development (ASCD) (2010). Educating the whole child: the new learning compact. Web. City of Port Phillip (2005). Municipal Early Years Plan- creating a child friendly Port  Phillip: a framework for action and three year implementation plan 2005-2009. Web. City of Port Phillip (2009). Children’s participation in urban settings: respecting children  as active citizens. Melbourne: City of Port Phillip. Commonwealth of Australia (COA) (2009). The early years learning framework for  Australia. Australian Government: Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations for the Council of Australian Governments. HM Government (2005).Working together to safeguard children: a guide to i nter-agency  working to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. Web. Matthews, P., Moorman, H., Nusche, D., (2007). School leadership development  strategies: building leadership capacity in Victoria, Australia. Victoria: OECD, Directorate for Education. Smith, K., MacNaughton, G., Alexander, K., (2008). Respecting children as active  citizens: participation in policies and services. Melbourne: University of Melbourne. Web. Smith, K., Smale, J., (2007). Listening to children: local government respecting  children’s rights to citizenship. Brussels: Diversity in Early Childhood Education and Training (DECET). State of Victoria (2009). Victorian early years learning and development framework: for  all children from birth to eight years. Victoria, Australia: Department of Education and Early Childhood Development. United Nations Committee on the Rights of the child (UNCRC) (2006). A guide to  general comment 7: implementing child rights in early childhood. T he Hague: Bernard van Leer Foundation. This assessment on Navigating Professional Contexts was written and submitted by user Punisher to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Free Essays on Drugs And Behavior

Activities and Observations Throughout the course of the last three weeks, the phrase â€Å"moderation is the key† is one that in the end proves itself correct. Excess of any activity can lead to negative consequences, especially when it comes to drug and alcohol use. One might claim that is just common sense that having too much fun will catch up with you. It is the inevitable. However, I have learned through this class that it takes more than just ‘common sense’ to recognize a potential problem. By recording the daily activities of my social life I have actual written proof of what is considered ‘having too much fun’. By having to monitor the consumption, cost, and consequences of the drug and alcohol use around me made me see my social circle and myself from a different perspective. From the dates of September 2 – September 22, my drug log kept me very busy. I kept record of my social life and any thing drug-related. The instructions for the first week of the drug log were to monitor drug-related activity as I normally would encounter them. I was excited to keep the log because it seemed very interesting and I was hoping maybe I would learn something from it. I knew my friends and I socialized frequently and thought at first jotting down our use of alcohol and drugs would be funny. We all know that sometimes we get excessive with partying but we just attribute it to being ‘a crazy night’. I don’t think we have ever taken into account of the reality of what we do. A lot of people make jokes about their drinking and developing addiction problems but no one ever talks about it seriously. There are a few people who everyone knows drinks too much, but that is usually phrased as ‘he or she parties hard’. From Monday September 2nd through Sunday September 8th, the only day that I refrained from using was Sunday. I felt very sick from the previous night, but looking back at the entries now I realize it was from the e... Free Essays on Drugs And Behavior Free Essays on Drugs And Behavior Activities and Observations Throughout the course of the last three weeks, the phrase â€Å"moderation is the key† is one that in the end proves itself correct. Excess of any activity can lead to negative consequences, especially when it comes to drug and alcohol use. One might claim that is just common sense that having too much fun will catch up with you. It is the inevitable. However, I have learned through this class that it takes more than just ‘common sense’ to recognize a potential problem. By recording the daily activities of my social life I have actual written proof of what is considered ‘having too much fun’. By having to monitor the consumption, cost, and consequences of the drug and alcohol use around me made me see my social circle and myself from a different perspective. From the dates of September 2 – September 22, my drug log kept me very busy. I kept record of my social life and any thing drug-related. The instructions for the first week of the drug log were to monitor drug-related activity as I normally would encounter them. I was excited to keep the log because it seemed very interesting and I was hoping maybe I would learn something from it. I knew my friends and I socialized frequently and thought at first jotting down our use of alcohol and drugs would be funny. We all know that sometimes we get excessive with partying but we just attribute it to being ‘a crazy night’. I don’t think we have ever taken into account of the reality of what we do. A lot of people make jokes about their drinking and developing addiction problems but no one ever talks about it seriously. There are a few people who everyone knows drinks too much, but that is usually phrased as ‘he or she parties hard’. From Monday September 2nd through Sunday September 8th, the only day that I refrained from using was Sunday. I felt very sick from the previous night, but looking back at the entries now I realize it was from the e...

Police Brutality Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Police Brutality - Research Paper Example Roberts (2011) pointed that in youtube alone, an e-site containing video records, produced about 497,000 results when "police brutality" is subjected to the search engine. Roberts (2011) described that these videos either depict beaten women, kids and the aged or violent and bloody exaction of testimonies from unwilling suspects. Some testimonies of victims who were able to undergo sad ordeal revealed electrocution; suffocation, psychological torment or threat; emotional shocks; direct physical assault, and the like done by police with psychopathic and sociopath tendencies. Skolnick and Fyfe (1993) explicated that police brutality brought along with it such dehumanizing intent by treating the target with such concealed venality and such degrading impact of violent torture. Roberts (2011) attributed this inhuman way of managing suspects, civilians and victims to militarist treatment as abuse of power. Those who are involved in police brutality tactics are characterized with such nastiness as they were trained to view the public, the people whom they ought to secure, as their enemy. To some extent, some police officers have made policing activity leveled beyond preservation of order into cyclical patterns of injustice as commission of human rights. Often logged without witnesses to corroborate the conduct of brutalities, Bandes (1999) noted that authorities would just label this as an incident which is either isolated, systemic, or part of a larger pattern to suppress a movement. Bandes (1999) explicated that police brutality are often portrayed by court as something anecdotal, fragmented and isolated from institutional pattern (p. 1275) reinforced by causes that could be political, social, psychological and cultural (Bandes, 1999, p. 2). Experts opined that victims of police brutality would have difficulty expressing such unfair victimization because complaints about it are discouraged due to a dearth of evidence, lack of corroborative testimonies, records are expunged, and police records are purposively made inaccessible.

LEGAL ASPECTS OF INTL BUSINESS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

LEGAL ASPECTS OF INTL BUSINESS - Essay Example The South Korean resort of Pyeongchang was the favorite to host Games but Putin made it his personal mission to get the bid, travelled to Guatemala City in 2007 and make Russia final pitch and sweet talked members of International Olympic Committee into voting in the favor of Sochi. IOC member Jean-Claude Killy said it was very important to have the presence of Putin and he spoke French that he never speaks. The cost has presently risen (Bloomberg Business Week). Sochi price tag is some sort of embarrassment. The Sochi game is quite relevant in the study of games and sport in class. It is quite agreeable that the cost is high because it is being set in an expensive defying climate. The Krasnaya Polyana is filled with snow every February and the lower slopes have average wintertime temperature of fifty-two degrees. The officials have to drain swamps, store the previous year’s snow and install over four hundred snowmaking machines. Seventy thousand laborers working seven days a week for as little as U.S Dollar five hundred a month to build over twenty thousand new hotel rooms, new roads tunnels and bridges, renovated airport and new railway lines. A more sinister reason for the rise of the budget is the Beijing extravagant expenditure in the 2008 Summer Olympic. In addition, Sochi Olympics are unprecedented thieves. The contractors who are Putin cronies had a phony cost of over twenty six billion. The estimated cost of the road and railway to be constructed was estimated a cost of $ 8.7 billion. Terrorism is also an issue of concern. Doku Umarov a Chechen rebel leader has urged the Islamist fighters in the surrounding area of North Caucasus to cause much bloodshed on the games as possible (Bloomberg Business Week). The Olympics states that Umarov is held on the bones of their ancestors and many dead Muslims are buried on the territory land of the black sea. To prove that the threat was not ideal,