Culture and Education Essay Example for Free

Culture and Education Essay The institutions of education which are shaping the minds of todays youth do not all teach the same facts and curriculum. Throughout the world there are differing opinions on what, when, and how certain facts, theories, and concepts should be taught. Not all children are taught the same truths; this statement might sound unfair, or maybe incomprehensible. How, one may ask, could accepted truths not be taught as such; and what decides whether they will be or not? Cultural constructs such as norms, morals, and shared religious beliefs play a role in what education consists of and looks like for different groups of children all over the world. Let’s take a look at the common History class. When taking a History class in the United States you will most likely be learning U. S. History, and even if you take a World History class it will still focus on the U. S. and how it interacted with and impacted other countries. In Japan you would be learning Japanese History. However if you were to read through certain Japanese history text books you might be alarmed to find that Japan is portrayed not only as a victim instead of an aggressor in the context of WWII and that there is a lack of general information regarding their participation in the war all together. Largely in debate is the Nanking Massacre in which the Japanese allegedly systematically kill 300,000 people including both civilians and soldiers. There are two schools of thought, The Massacre Denial and The Massacre Affirmative. Japan’s culture is one of honor which makes it difficult for them to acknowledge their mistakes, and thus largely try to ignore the Nanking incident in a sort of sweep it under the rug fashion. In Japanese Universities many teachers will teach that while the event did happen the numbers were closer to 10,000 and included only soldiers while some classes do not cover the topic at all. In China they teach that it did in fact happen and claim the body count reached 300,000 or more. The effect of this difference in truths being taught is that in Japan younger generations do not view Japan as having been an aggressor in the war, and younger Chinese generations continue to view the Japanese as horrible people. Then there is Human Growth and Development / Sex Ed. While many believe it is a necessary section of what children learn in Health classes, some find it to go against their culture. In certain groups simply discussing opening a woman’s menstrual cycle or how a baby is made can be taboo. Not to mention once you start getting into discussions about birth control options and how to properly put on a condom all hell can break lose. To those whose culture forbids them from having premarital sex, these classes can seem obscene and worrisome in the sense that perhaps these classes will cause their children to commit these sins after acquiring knowledge about it. Then there are also cultures who simply think that school is not a place for these things to be covered, and that it is the parents’ responsibility to teach their children about them themselves. Another main concern is also when these things will be taught. I myself remember being taught about the changes that would happen to my body once I hit puberty starting around 4th grade in Human Growth and Development classes. It wasnt until high school that anyone really talked about sex, and ways to make it safe. Some people think that due to rates of teen pregnancy and the way these teen parents seem to be getting younger and younger, that it may be necessary to begin bringing up safe sex much earlier on. However, many people believe this would be overstepping many cultural boundaries. Either way schools almost always allow parents to remove children from these classes as they understand that these matters are viewed differently by different cultures. The way in which the Theory of Evolution is taught throughout the U. S. s another prime example of how cultural beliefs try and sometimes succeed in shaping educational curriculum. While throughout the science community the Theory of Evolution is greatly accepted as the reason behind animals and humans being the way they are today, the fashion in which it is taught to students throughout the United States varies from state to state. A map published in a 2002 issue of Scientific American which was based on data collected by Lawrence S. Lerner of California State University the map depicts the quality of coverage given to the Theory of Evolution in each states Science Standards. It shows that while in a little over half of the states the teaching of the theory is considered very good to satisfactory, a number of states, particularly several in the Bible Belt, an area of the Southern United States where the culture reflects the strongly conservative and Evangelical population which boasts higher church attendance than the countries average; there is â€Å"unsatisfactory, useless, or absent† coverage of the theory. The battle to allow for another theory to be taught instead of, or alongside Evolution is ongoing but has been approved in Kentucky as well as Tennessee. These states now teach Creationism/Creation Science, â€Å"A literal belief in the biblical account of Creation as it appears in the Book of Genesis. Creationists believe that the creation of the world and all its creatures took place in six calendar days; they therefore deny the theory of evolution. †() In areas of the U. S. where religion is not a large part of culture it is not likely for Creationism to be seen as something which should be taught in science classes, however is areas where the religious roots of a culture run deep the attempts such as these to control education are apparent. If one were to make a list of all things which are agreed upon by their culture to be truths and compared it to that of another’s there would undoubtedly be differences. While one would hope the majority of facts matched there will always be variations. This is reflected through the words of teachers and the knowledge of their students. Ones’ culture defines what education consists of and looks like for them, perhaps it seems unfair, but it is undeniably true. Not all children are taught the same truths.

The Simpsons as Reflection of our Disintegrating Society Essays

The Simpsons as Reflection of our Disintegrating Society In recent years, a certain animated sitcom has caught the public's attention, evoking reactions that are both favorable and unfavorable, but hardly ever apathetic. As a brilliant, socially aware satire, Matt Groening's The Simpsons has effectively stirred different emotions from different factions of the culturally deadened American populace, and for this alone, it should be recognized as "quality programming." The Simpsons is a brutal satire of our society and our family structures yet it offers several redeeming qualities such as feminism, endurance, and most of all humor. Often, The Simpsons is truly brutal parody, hurling barbs of hostile commentary at our materialistic and gluttonous American life-style. Many in the audience might be offended by this bullying, except that it seems like harmless fun. For example, when father Homer Simpson decides he would rather sleep in on a Sunday than attend church, Groening is obviously pointing out a corruption of traditional values within the family structure. But recognizing that people don't like to be preached to, the show takes a comic approach, having God come to talk to Homer, telling him to start his own religious sect. The hedonism that Homer extols in the name of the Lord is both ludicrous and hilariously funny, and viewers who might be offended are disarmed, so that even the most conservative Republican grandmother is receptive to the comic message. Because it is a cartoon, some might scoff at The Simpsons and call it a children's show. But this cartoon is clearly meant for a mass audience, including adults: it is shown during prime time rather than on Satur... ... incompetence and corruption of contemporary education, industry, government, religion, and, ironically, even television. Yet in spite of all the disheartening social problems it portrays, The Simpsons nevertheless remains funny. Whenever a scene threatens to turn melodramatic or raise an inescapably deep issue, the moment is saved by some piece of nonsense, often an absurdly gratuitous act of violence. At a time when it seems that society is being destroyed by its own designs, it is good to be able to hold up a mirror that shows us the extent of our problems. Neither escapist nor preachy, The Simpsons provides such a satiric mirror, a metaphoric reflection of our dissolving social foundation. More than that, The Simpsons is therapeutic: to be able to laugh in the face of such problems is the ultimate catharsis.

Carol Gilligan: interpretation of “Feminine Ethics” Essay

To start with Carol Gilligan is considered to be one of the most famous psychologists in the United States and in the world. The author of the â€Å"feminine ethics† was born in New York in 1936. Her career as a future psychologist started with the presenting of the doctoral thesis at the Harvard University in 1964. For a decade she was working with the great theorist of moral development, Lawrence Kohlberg, but then she began criticizing his works. In her famous book â€Å"In a Different Voice: Psychological Theory and Women’s Development† (1982) Gilligan presents a revolutionary idea, she gives women rights to choose and she associates them with care and in some cases with the motherhood. Still, there were some reasons why Gilligan began to criticize Lawrence Kohlberg’s work. Firstly, she considered him to have rather a narrow approach to the problem of moral values. Secondly, Lawrence Kohlberg examined only men’s moral principles and paid no attention to women’s feeling and in such way, Kohlberg showed â€Å"biased opinion against women†. Thirdly, Gilligan felt that women should have the voice and she wanted to present a controversial approach to women’s rights and moral values. Fourthly, Kohlberg in â€Å"terms of influence on a human relationship† considered men’s rights and rules to be at the higher stage than women’s (Gilligan, 1982). Lawrence Kohlberg was not the only scientist whose works gave Gilligan ground for her future work. She laid her research on Freud’s and Erickson’s works. Thus, while discussing women’s moral senses Sigmund Freud, stressed that they are underdeveloped, because of women’s dependence upon their mothers (Lawrence, 2008). Another famous moralist and theorist, Erik Erickson believed that the process of women’s development is successful only in case of separation from the mother and the family. Thus, the board schools for girls are a good possibility for a young lady to develop moral senses. Still, Erickson thought that if a woman did not come through the process of self-development she would be lacking some major senses, which make her a real woman (Boeree, 2004). Criticizing the above-mentioned theories Gilligan understood that her goal was to present a new approach to the women’s moral senses. Her theory comprises three aspects of women’s moral development: selfish, social and principled morality. According to Gilligan (1982) â€Å"Women must learn to deal with their own interests and to the interests of others†. The above-mentioned theory has laid the basis for the Gilligan’s Ethics of Care and Feminine approach to the women’s role in the society. I look closer to the proposed three-stage theory some similarities to Freud’s one will be found. Thus, Gilligan presents the following ideas as for the first level – the level of â€Å"self†: â€Å"†¦ the self is the sole object of a woman’s concern. This self is a beleaguered self: a powerless and disappointed self, so afraid of being hurt that it prefers isolation to connectedness†¦.this is a self that wants above all to survive† (Gilligan, 1982) Still, the first level is the level of â€Å"wish†; and when the woman makes the transition from â€Å"wish† to â€Å"necessity†, from â€Å"the selfishness† to â€Å"willful decision† and to â€Å"the responsibility of moral choice† she will reach the second level – the level of moral development. The main motive which leads the woman to move from the first to the second level is a desire to establish connections with others and to participate in social life. According to Gillian â€Å"†¦the woman of the second level is the conventional, nurturing woman who equates goodness with self-sacrifice and who tries to subjugate her wants to those of other people†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Gilligan, 1982). The moral development of a woman according to Gilligan can continue to the third level in the case when a woman suppresses her wants and as a result, she reaches a destructive boiling point. Thus, Gillian writes: â€Å"†¦to avoid becoming a resentful, angry, even hateful person, a woman needs to push beyond level two to level three of moral development, where she will learn how to care for herself as well as for others†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Gilligan, 1982) So in case when a woman moves to the third level the process of making decisions is a two-sided procedure. From one hand woman takes into consideration her own desire and from the other hand she looks at others’ interests and tries to find a happy medium. Gilligan characterizes the move from the second level to the third level as a transition from goodness to truth. She writes: â€Å"A woman moves from pleasing others – being the conventionally good, always self-sacrificing woman – to recognizing her own needs as part of any relationship. In sum, a woman attains moral maturity when she stops opposing her needs in favor of others’, simultaneously recognizing the falseness of this polarity and the truth of her and others’ interconnectedness†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Gilligan, 1982). As it becomes clear Gilligan believes that women look at moral senses through the prism of caring about others and responsibilities to others. Still, Gilligan uses rather a narrow approach to the women’s moral senses. It is obvious that women are living in society and fulfill their roles according to the choice made. But Gilligan ties ethic of caring with the relationship and responsibility and here is the greatest confusion. Thus, from one hand women make choice on their own from the other hand they are to look at their family, relatives, and friends. Can there some misunderstanding be found? Nevertheless comparing the Gilligan work â€Å"In a different voice† with the feminine approach which is presented in the work, it should be stressed that everything is circling around care, which the woman is obliged to give. But is it a real feminism? It can’t be so. Still, it should be stressed that Gilligan’s work influenced a lot of works in the sphere of womenà ¢â‚¬â„¢s morality and feminism. Analyzing Gilligan’s work Omonia Vinieris, the representative of idealism, writes that proposed three-level development of moral senses cannot be applied to the modern society because of the masculine â€Å"competition and self-interest†. She stresses that â€Å"sensitivity and kindness were never equated with human goodness† and as a result presented â€Å"feminine approach cannot be applied to the rational and intellect male-world† (Vineries, 2002) Using Gilligan’s ethics of care Brenda Green proposes to apply feminist care to the nursing practice. She thinks that care can be applied to politics and can be associated with gender and power. Moreover Green advocates the idea that the ethics of care should be rooted in the moral frameworks of responsibility and relationships rather than rights and rules and that any care orientation is inseparable from contextual circumstances rather than being a formal and abstract system of thought. Additionally, care should be grounded in the daily activity of life rather than a set of universal principles. (Green, 2012) Houser, Wilczenski, and Ham (2006) using the â€Å"Ethics of care† suggest that feminism ideology includes two primary streams of â€Å"woman-centered† approaches which are relevant to care ethics: the feminine and the feminist. ‘Feminine’ refers to the exploration of women’s unique voice and advocates for an ethic of care. ‘Feminist’ refers to the resistance against male domination and advocates for equal rights. Both approaches seek to validate the importance of experience, understand the destructiveness of oppression, and eliminate gender and social inequality. Halwani (2003) in his turn suggests that while using care equal weight should be given in our moral deliberations. The main aim of the family from his point of view is responding to the needs of the loved ones. Such an approach implicates partialism or discrimination in care to others. Although partialism seems arbitrary, it does assign greater importance to the protection of one’s own interests and to the interests of those the person cares about, over the protection of the welfare of others, particularly those who are strangers. Coming to conclusion it should be stressed that Carol Gilligan has presented the new approach to the development of women’s moral senses and feministic ideas as for the women’s role in the society. Beside Gilligan’s works influenced further studies in the sphere of morality and the women’s place in the society. References Boeree C. G. (2004) Personality theories: Erik Erikson. Psychology Department Shippensburg  University.  Retrieved  from  http://www.ship.edu/%7Ecgboeree/perscontents.html Gilligan, C. (1982) In a Different Voice: Psychological Theory and Women’s Development. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press. Green B (2012) Applying Feminist Ethics of Care to Nursing Practice. Journal of Nursing & Care. Retrieved from https://www.omicsonline.org/open-access/applying-feminist-ethics-of-care-to-nursing-practice-2167-1168.1000111.php?aid=6557. Halwani R (2003) Care ethics and virtue ethics. Hypatia, 18, 161-192. Houser R, Wilczenski F, Ham M.A. (2006) Culturally relevant ethical decision-making in counseling. Sage Publications, California. Lawrence A. (2008) Gilligan and Kohlberg: Implications for Moral Theory. Blum Source: Ethics, 98 (3), 472-491 Vinieris O. (2002) On the feminist theory of care. QCC. Retrieved from http://www.qcc.cuny.edu/SocialSciences/ppecorino/ETHICS_TEXT/Chapter_12_Feminism/What_is_it.htm

Pornography A Popular Genre - 1462 Words

Narratives are a popular genre throughout literature and within this genre one can find graphic narratives. Sometimes there are images of activities or body parts that some people would think of as explicit. The narrative Fun Home includes s a few images that some may believe to be inappropriate and even pornographic. Since, this narrative contains these images, some jump to the conclusion that the book is pornography, which is not true. Per Google, pornography is defined as â€Å"printed or visual material containing the explicit description or display of sexual organs or activity, intended to stimulate erotic rather than aesthetic or emotional feelings.† The images shown in Fun Home are used to describe how the main character figured out her sexuality, which happens to be very important to the story line. If these images were intended for arousal, then those images would be considered porn. I believe that the authors of graphic narratives depict sexuality with meaning behind it, which gives â€Å"emotional feelings,† and is not what pornography is intended to do. Graphic Narratives include visuals that others may believe are considered pornography. Google offered a basic definition of what is truly pornography, but the author Michael Rae gives an in-depth description of it. Michael Rae has an article that covers six different definitions of pornography and sums them up into his own, proper definition. He gives his two parts for his definition, but in this case the firstShow MoreRelated Porn and Prose Essay1679 Words   |  7 PagesPorn and Prose Pornography has the ability to stay current with each technological breakthrough while pushing the borders of what we deem as â€Å"acceptable† in reading and writing. 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That is the reason why sub-genres exist. Sub-genres can help us to more clarity in identify the genre of a film. For exampleRead MoreThe Effects Of Pedophilia On The Modern World1578 Words   |  7 Pagesadolescence involved in an ongoing sexual relationship with a 12- or 13-year-old. Assessment According to the DSM, subjective assessments for pedophilia include: self-report, history of multiple child victims, and extensive use of prepubescent pornography. Objective tests include psychometric tests of sexual interests and phallometric tests. Published scales include: the Abel Child Cognitions Scale (Abel et al., 1989), the Clarke Sexual History Questionnaire (Paitich, Langevin, Freeman, Mann, HandyRead MoreSex Freedom And Misogyny Analysis867 Words   |  4 Pagessupporters of Misogynist by indicating them out in a smooth tone to inform the situation that females handle around the world. 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