Ethnic Minority Education in China: Finding a Path between Tradition a

Ethnic Minority Education in China: Finding a Path between Tradition and Development Introduction Educating a nation is no simple task. Even in the United States—which boasts a substantial tradition of public education, political stability, economic prosperity and a strong middle class—issues such gender and racial equality, diversity, and budget reality still cause continuous debate. For a nation like China, the task of educating its people is even more daunting. China has a population of 1.3 billion, an economy that is still developing, and thus even more stringent budget constraints. And although abandoning command economics for the free market in 1977 allowed double-digit economic growth through the 90’s, the now-uneven distribution of wealth (an inevitable result of capitalistic reforms) makes equality of access to education even more pressing of an issue. Not only is it now more difficult to achieve consistency in educational opportunity across the country, but in today’s information-driven economy, the effects of inferior education can also create a vicious cycle of poverty within a particular region. Complicating the issue further is the incredible variance in the styles of living and languages spoken by people in China. Although a common misconception is that China is an ethnically homogeneous country, this could not be further from the truth. Besides the majority Han (defined as the descendents of the Han empire ) there are 55 nationally recognized minority ethnicities who speak an estimated 80 to 100 different languages and follow numerous different religions. Some have become intergrated into the Han population, such the Manchus, who adopted Mandarin and Confucianism when they ruled China in the Qin... ...Girls in Southwest region.† The Christian Science Monitor. 16 Oct. 2001. 1 June 2003 http://www.csmonitor.com/2001/1016/p16s1-lekt.html Lee, MaryJo Benton. Ethnicity, Education and Empowerment: How mnority students in Southwest China construct identities. Burlington: Ashgate Publishing Ltd, 2001. Peopledaily.com. â€Å"Regional Autonomy for Ethnic Minorities.† http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/whitepaper/1(3).html Postiglione, Gerard A., ed. China’s National Minority Education: Culture, Schooling and Development. New York: Falmer Press, 1999. Sautman, Barry. â€Å" Expanding Access to Higher Education for Chna’s National Minorities: Policies of prferential Admission.† (Postiglione, 173-210) Wang, Wen. â€Å"Better Education for Ethnic Minorities.† Beijing Review 2001 No. 30. 29 May 2003 http://www.bjreview.com.cn/2001/200130/NationalIssues-200130(A).htm

The Songs and Deaths of Rockstars Essay -- Song Music Musicians Death

The Songs and Deaths of Rockstars   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Music as we know it today is the voice of a generation. It gives us entertainment, and speaks out for a community of people in many ways. Most people listen to at least some sort of music, and serves a purpose in almost every facet of society. Just about any expression can be shared through music, inlcuding ideas and feelings about death. Music is used in various way when pertaining to death, including songs about how a death occurred, or songs at a service mourning a death. Whichever way you look at it, music serves an important purpose, and the songs about death and the death of certain performing artists has a great impact on society, especially the youth of society. It will be interesting to think about some of these songs and musicians, and the effect their short lives and music can have in our society.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  No matter which way you turn your head, your going to hear many different kinds of music. Many artists look to cover as many topics in their music, and death and dying is a topic that everyone in this world will sooner or later deal with, so it is a topic that it is covered. It is interesting when looking at Rap industry, and two artists come to mind right away when speaking about death. The Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur are two rap artists who both have died within the last five years, and were both extremely popular. What one may look at is the fact that both seemed to have an idea that they were going to die right before they did, and it was not because of a terminal illness, it was in fact by being murdered.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Tupac Shakur was a very popular artist, whose talents were respected by people who weren't or aren't even rap music fans. He was very young when he passed, at age 25, and there are still people who listen to his music toiday, and there are even some people who question his death even occurred. Many of his albums have thoughts of death and his lyrics represent these thoughts, as he questions how much faith he has left, and how he seems to know his time is coming to an end. One of his songs, titled only God can Judge me, talks about how there is death all around him, and how it is hard to keep positive in the light of friends passing. Now, when dealing with a popular rap artist who makes alot of ... ...point or another in their lives. To the people who have never had someone close to them die, the death of a celebrity can be the next closest way for that person to experience and learn to deal with death. The deaths of the four artists mentioned touched the public in different ways. Brad Nowell was an aspiring artist who was just making it to the top when it all came crashing down. Tupac Shakur and the Notorious B.I.G. were both already on top and their lifestyles of violence led to their demise. And the Kurt Cobain was a small town guy who didn't want all of the fame and his psyche crumbled as he comitted suicide. Each one of these deaths and the music brought from these artists gives us a sense of what it is like to die the way each of these people did. To alot of fans, when their favorite artist dies, a very small part of them dies, and it brings a rebirth to reality, on how life should be lived and that the industry is only entertainment, and not the way to a fulfulling life. In the end music cannot be a way of life, but it can lead to inspiration towards leading a good life, and gives comfort and hope towards that goal.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  

Essays --

Photography involves using a camera to capture stunning images. Photographers are the one that takes those images. These images can range from different animals, plants, people, events, places, or just about anything else you can see. There are many kinds of photographers each focusing on a certain area of photography. For example a portrait photographer takes professional photographs of individuals or a group of people and usually work in their own studio while nature photographer takes pictures of all aspects of nature including plants and animals and usually work outdoors.A photographer main job is taking pictures but they also have many other responsibilities leading to it depending on what kind of photographer they are.Their responsibilities usually includes talking to clients about a job, research and selecting sites for shoots, working with other professional to take the best images possible such as a lighting director, prepare for shoot such as arranging still life products,p rops,objects,editing and fixing up image they took, keeping updated on new method and technology in th...

Language and Gender in Adolescence Essay

In the reading, I agree with Penelope Eckert that adolescents are leaders of linguistic change. According to the World Wide Web, linguistic change is a phenomenon whereby phonetic, morphological, semantic, syntactic, and other features of language vary over time. Adolescents also known as teenagers or youth play a significant role in deteriorating or accelerating the kind of linguistic system in a particular place or community. If to be analyzed, this can be equated to the strong, active and consistent participation of the youth in voicing out their opinions, getting into social issues and trends, and in creating an environment that is suitable and almost ideal to their generation. In my opinion, there are three reasons which support the claim that adolescents are leaders of linguistic change in today’s age. These are peer pressure, media and the Internet. Peer Pressure A primary concern for teens during adolescence is the issue of ‘fitting in’ and ‘belongingness’. Since adolescence is an adjustment period where children suddenly leap to a stage where he or she would start in creating an image of themselves or a self-concept, there is a tendency for them to be lost and confused to who and what they really should be due to the numerous options in front of them. Often said than not, adolescents are more easily swayed rather than adults. It is easier to teach a youngster that is less matured and still in the process of knowing his or herself than an adult who already has a formed principle and beliefs. For example, if there is a new trend, let’s say in fashion or music, an adolescent would normally be swayed to what is ‘in’ and hit’ to most of the people around him or her so that he or she may be accepted in the circle he or she wanted to belong to. This also goes with his or her choice of words and language. Adolescents tend to speak the way people around them speak. They tend to become the persons their environment and peers dictate them to be in order to be socially accepted and relevant. When it comes to choice of words and language, youth can be easily influenced with what vernacular or words to use since in the stage of puberty serves as their training ground and preparation phase of how and who they’ll be in the future. Moreover, due to peer pressure, adolescents are assigned to groups or pacts which can influence another group of adolescents that make the widening of a certain trend expand faster. For example, in the Philippines there is this particular way or style of speaking called the ‘conyo’. In this manner, the person tends to combine his or her vernacular with American English when speaking in public or to certain persons. Most youth embraced this kind of manner since it is what is ‘in’ and famous among adolescents of their generation. Now, if a group speaks that way then heard by another person or group of persons and then that certain persons adopt the manner of speaking, there is a domino effect of the ‘conyo’ style that changes the linguistic system existing in that certain place or community. Media and the Internet Media and Internet are two powerful tools in linguistic change. This can be viewed in two ways: first, media and internet as tools in changing and influencing the minds and behavior of the people, and second, these tools as used by the people to change and influence their environment. Since most media and internet users are composed of the young population, those of which belong to the teen’s age and young adulthood, it can be concluded that the adolescents compromise this population. Now, how do the media and the Internet serve as tools in influencing their users? The media is changing and along the likes of TV programs that are hit to their viewers, people especially teenagers are going along with the change. Since media is a daily part of one’s life, it can easily influence its viewers on how they should be. For example, most teens mimic their favorite artists with their fashion, choice of stuffs and even with their manner of talking and handling things. Aside from the media, the Internet constitutes a great deal in linguistic change. The trends being delivered by Internet services like instant messaging, blogging and social networking influences the culture of its users when it comes to their linguistic style and system. Instant messaging taught us the short-style of sending messages (i. e. â€Å"Who R U? †, BRB, LOL, and the like). Through media and Internet, adolescents are also exposed to different styles of language. They are exposed to the kind of words they see in web pages, newspapers, magazines and different publications, and hear in TV and radios or in podcasts that sooner or later they’ll adopt. On the other hand, these tools are also used by the people to change and influence their environment and co-individuals. Through these, the youth became more empowered when connecting with their co-youth and when sharing their ideals that affect a great deal of people. They became more heard, powerful and capable of changing the linguistic system they live with. They were able to take control of the system through media, internet, and their characteristics as youth and population. To summarize, I believe that adolescents are the leaders of linguistic change. Primarily, the interconnectedness of peer pressure, media and the internet attributed to the power of the youth to be the catalyst of change in their linguistic system due to their own ways and styles of dealing with their environment and in their process of finding and knowing them

Frq Articles of Confederation Essay

The Articles of Confederation from 1781 to 1789 did not provide the United States with an effective form of government because of its problems in terms of domestic policy, foreign policy, and economics. Domestic policy, or the set of decisions that a government makes relating to things that directly affect the people in its own country, was not adequate enough to solve strife between states. The Articles stated that state legislatures chose representatives for the house, rather than the people themselves. This began to lean toward the British practices of virtual representation, which the U. S. fought a war to be rid of. Another problem was that each state only received one vote, which was unfair to the larger states with a greater population. With a super majority required to pass laws, almost no laws were passed because no one was able to agree. The lack of federal courts also made it difficult to solve disputes, more specifically those between states, making them all grow more independently rather than as a unified nation. Foreign policy was a mess under the Articles of Confederation. The states were unwilling to give up their land and power as they were afraid that is the federal government gained any more power then they would return to a monarchical type system. With no president, there was no figure to enforce laws or make negotiate with other countries, and the governors were only concerned with the welfare of their own state, preventing the states from becoming more unified. Because the federal government lacked any power, it was impossible to solve the problem with the Mississippi river and fishing rights, and there was no one to stop Shay’s Rebellion. This lack of power caused great fear that the British could easily come and take us over once again. Massive debts had piled up from the Revolution and from starting a new country, so states were looking for a way to pay them off. They began printing their own currency, only to cause massive inflation and difficulties trading both with other nations, and even from state to state. This inability to trade caused further problems, and they went into a recession. This all resulted from states holding most of the power, rather than their being a balance between state and federal. As the states did not want to lose their power, they would not give up any land to the federal government even if it were to pay off some of its debts. Congress did not have the ability to tax, causing further economic strain and making it difficult to pay off their many debts.

Martin Luther King in campaigning in the North Essay

In 1966 Martin Luther King decided to focus on dealing with the problems in the North particularly Chicago. The problems that he encountered here were very different to those that he had had so much success with in the South. Dealing with the economic and social segregation that he faced here proved difficult for several reasons. The problems facing blacks in the North, stemmed from a variety of different areas including education, employment, housing etc. Although King was able to identify the problems being faced in these areas, particularly housing, he still largely relayed on the same tactics that he and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) had used in the South. However, the mayor of Chicago (Daley) would avoid making a hostile response such as that of ‘Bull’ Connor in Birmingham. The authorities here were more subtle to avoid gaining the attention of the media e.g. the police would avoid using brutality and Daley even blamed violence for social decay*. This prevented the movement from gaining as much publicity and support as in previous years. King also tried to come to some sort of agreement with Daley regarding housing. However, Daley was reluctant to do so fearing the loss of votes of the white working class. Actions such as this added to the anger that blacks in Chicago felt towards the white authorities and increased their unwillingness to co-operate. Both Mayor Daley’s refusal to help and King’s disorganisation when planning the Chicago campaign played an important role in its failure. Chicago suffered more from problems in racial division than other cities in the North, and so perhaps it was not a good starting point for the campaign here. Locals would sometimes blame blacks for inciting race riots and these divisions were illustrated by the marches organised by the SCLC in 1966, which ended in violence from mobs. * * In Chicago most blacks lived in ghettoes to the south of the city. Therefore it appears reasonable that these people often found it difficult to relate to Martin Luther King and his middle class background. The SCLC had never had much grass roots support unlike other organisations, such as the Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee (SNNC). Although in the South this had  still allowed them to have success, in Chicago most blacks were working class and looking for improvements in housing, less poverty and some overall change brought about by an end to de facto segregation. However, in the South the need for change had been more political- an end to de jure segregation. Given these differences, many northern blacks felt that King’s non-violent philosophy did not represent their views. It would be difficult to change these attitudes – here, perhaps as a result of poverty, the amount of gang warfare and crime was much higher than in the South. Change would undoubtedly take time- more than the few months that the SCLC had planned for the campaign to last. There were quite clear social divisions between black communities in the South and North. One of the most important examples of this is that the churches in the North were not as successful at organising their community as churches in the South had been. This was partly due to a lack of co-operation, and partly due to the fact that the Christian faith was much stronger in the South. It was at this point that many blacks were beginning to join alternative ‘black power’ groups. Overall it appears that King underestimated the differences between the North and the South and the divisions that were evident amongst the black community. He was unfamiliar with the attitudes of those in the North and did not make an accurate assessment of the situation. As a result of this the tactics employed by the SCLC were not as successful as originally hoped. * http://www.revision-notes.co.uk/revision/59.html ** http://www.reportingcivilrights.org/

Erikson’s Fifth Stage of Psychosocial Development Essay

As a developmental psychologist and psychoanalyst, Erik Erikson crafted eight stages of human psychosocial development. The stage that has impacted my life the most is Identity versus Role Confusion, the fifth stage. This stage deals with adolescents twelve to eighteen years old. Erikson’s fifth stage prompts teens, like me, to ask ourselves who we want to be, what we want out of life, and what values and beliefs we live by. Erikson’s Fifth Stage of Psychosocial Development Erik Erikson was a developmental psychologist and psychoanalyst known for his theory of human psychosocial development (New World Encyclopedia, 2013). Erikson’s theory has eight stages. They span from birth to death. According to Gorrindo, Fishel, and Beresin (2012, pg. 282-283), â€Å"Erikson’s stages . . . describe challenges for the individual based on cognitive, emotional, and interpersonal/social issues.† Erikson’s model of psychosocial development consists of those eight stages, but each stage is characterized by a psychological â€Å"crisis† (New World Encyclopedia, 2013). The Encyclopedia has stated that â€Å"when the outcome of the crisis is favorable, the person achieves a certain virtue or strength; when it is unsuccessful, the person develops a maladaptive character and continues to struggle with this conflict later in life.† The theoretical stage that most impacted my development is Erikson’s fifth stage, Identity versus Role Confusion, which takes place in the adolescent years of twelve to eighteen. As described in Myers’ Psychology textbook (2010, pg. 201), the fifth stage addresses teenagers working at refining a sense of self by testing roles and then integrating them to form a single identity, or they become confused about who they are. Erikson’s fifth stage makes adolescents wonder, â€Å"Who am I as an individual? What do I want to do with my life? What values should I live by? What do I believe in?† Erikson called this quest the adolescent’s search  for identity. Identity versus Role Confusion is a very important stage because it helps you figure out who you are and what you will do in life. In this stage you form an identity or image of yourself, or you become confused about your role in society. Identity refers to the organization of the individual’s drives, abilities, beliefs, and history into a consistent image of self (Kasinath, 2013, pg. 1). According to the New World Encyclopedia (2013), Erikson’s search for his own personal identity led him to postulate the importance of personal identity in psychological growth. Erikson also believed that we continue to develop our personality, or identity, through adolescence and even throughout adulthood. Kasinath (2013, pg. 2) has suggested that â€Å"the components of identity that Erikson stressed are acceptance of one’s appearance, knowledge about where one is going, and recognition from others. Kasinath also states that â€Å"role confusion is most frequently caused by failure to formulate clear ideas about gender roles and by indecision about occupational choice.† So far, I have only been confused by what occupation I want to have. I have formed most parts of my identity, but because I am only fifteen years old, I am still continuing to create my sense of self. In this stage, childhood comes to an end. Cognitively, teenagers are able for the first time to consider abstract, existential questions (Gorrindo, Fishel, and Beresin, 2012, pg. 289). Gorrindo and his co-writers also stated that teenagers are thinking about the meaning of life, who their parents and family are, and who they wish to be when they leave home. Also stated by Gorrindo is, â€Å"preparation for separating from family and achieving independence is an important theme.† In relation to my life, these themes are reoccurring. I think about these statements and quotations every day. Erikson’s fifth stage, Identity versus Role Confusion, involves thinking about who you are as an individual and what you want to do with your life. I think about these aspects all the time. I wonder who I am, why I am here, and what I want to do. But because I am inquiring about this, it helps me dig deep and discover who I am. From the age of twelve to now (fifteen) I have changed my mind multiple times about my occupation choice. I wanted to be a lawyer, an FBI agent, and then a musician, and now finally a doctor. When I finally decided I wanted to be a doctor, it was because I realized who I was and that I wanted to help people. As suggested by Douvan (1997, pg. 16), â€Å" . . . the seach for meaning  and for fit, the hard work of building an identity that both satisfies an inner need for meaning and continuity and can find acceptance in one’s society.† Douvan also states that â€Å"it is hard for our current students to imagine that there was a time when identity struggle was not inscribed in adolescence. The search for an identity is ingrained in students’ minds since the first day a person asked you what you are like and what you want to be when you grow up. The fifth stage also involves questioning what values you should live by and what you believe in. I have formed so many of my values and beliefs in this stage of psychosocial development. My values shape who I am and make me want to be a doctor. My values also help me in friendships, relationships, and life situations. My beliefs help me form opinions and have a say in topics. Identity and values/beliefs go hand-in-hand. My identity leads to my beliefs and values, but my beliefs and values help shape my identity. In the adolescence, the students develop capabilities for abstract thinking and understanding the perspectives of others (Kasinath, 2013, pg. 1). As an adolescent, I have grown to be able to think critically and abstractly. I have also learned to listen to others and see things from their point of view. Erik Erikson’s fifth stage of psychosocial development, Identity versus Role Confusion, has most impacted my development. In this stage, the adolescents form a sense of self by testing roles and integrating them to form a single identity or they become confused about who they are. Erikson’s fifth stage makes adolescents wonder who we want to be, what we want out of life, and what values and beliefs we live by. References Douvan, E. (1997). Erik Erikson: Critical times, critical theory. Child psychiatry and human development, 28(1), 15-21. doi:10.1023/A:1025188901554 Gorrindo, T., Fishel, A., & Beresin, E. V. (2012). Understanding Technology Use Throughout Development: What Erik Erikson Would Say About Toddler Tweets and Facebook Friends. FOCUS: The Journal of Lifelong Learning in Psychiatry, 10(3), 282. Kasinath. H. M. (2013). Adolescence: Search For An Identity. I-manager’s Journal on Educational Psychology, 7(1), 1-6. Retrieved July 13, 2014 from http://search.proquest.com.portal.lib.fit.edu/docview/1476284556?pq-origsite=