Friday, January 3, 2020
Analysis Of The Book Twilight By Stephenie Meyer Essay
Pg.1 CHAPTER 1 -- INTRODUCTION ââ¬ËTwilightââ¬â¢, Stephenie Meyerââ¬â¢s debut novel, states the story of Isabella ââ¬Å"Bellaâ⬠Swan, a gawky seventeen-year old girl who falls in love with a vampire, Edward Cullen. Though Edward is deeply in love with Bella he battles his natural instinct to kill her. As a vampire he is hard-wired to think Bella and other humans as his prey. Stephenie Meyer got her idea for the book from a dream she had about a girl and her vampire lover having a conversation while sitting in a meadow. Meyer recalls in her interview ââ¬Å"I was so intrigued by the nameless coupleââ¬â¢s story that I hated the idea of forgetting it (also the vampire was just so darned good-looking that I didnââ¬â¢t want to lose the mental image). I put everything that I possibly could on the back burner and sat down at the computer to write--something I hadnââ¬â¢t done in so long.â⬠This novel contains some recurring motifs that have been popular in story telling over time--this includes ââ¬Å"forbidden loveâ⬠and ââ¬Å"beauty and the beastâ⬠. Forbidden love based on many famous tales are Shakespeareââ¬â¢s ââ¬ËRomeo and Julietââ¬â¢, Nathaniel Hawthorneââ¬â¢s ââ¬ËThe Scarlet Letterââ¬â¢. Similarly, we often see tales of women falling in love with beastly or monstrous men. Example is the fairytale of ââ¬Å"Beauty and the Beastâ⬠, elements of this story line also appears in Charlotte Bronteââ¬â¢s ââ¬Å"Jane Eyreâ⬠and Emily Bronteââ¬â¢s ââ¬Å"Wuthering Heightsâ⬠. Twilight is a forbidden love story. This is becauseShow MoreRelatedThe Stereotypical Gender Ring : Bella Swan s Indifference Vs. Rosalie Hale s Proactivity932 Words à |à 4 PagesCulture Research Proposal and Thesis October 5, 2015 Entering the Stereotypical Gender Ring: Bella Swanââ¬â¢s Passivity vs. Rosalie Haleââ¬â¢s Proactivity For my research project I have decided to choose a character from a popular book series, Twilight which was written by Stephenie Meyer. The forbidden love story between a plain human girl and a gorgeous vampire boy sparked the hearts of millions, but the singular character Iââ¬â¢m conducting my research on is Rosalie Hale. While Bella Swan, the main characterRead MoreReview Of The Lady With The Toy Dog 1134 Words à |à 5 Pages The thought that a fictitious movie like Twilight is actually affecting women seems almost bizarre. You may wonder how itââ¬â¢s even possible that we can be so easily influenced by what some consider an ââ¬Å"aimless series of vampire booksâ⬠. However, itââ¬â¢s a proven fact that our brains react to fiction tales and they can indeed impact us in ways we could only imagine. A study was done in 2009 at the University of Toronto in Canada testing the hypothesis that art can cause significant changes in the experienceRead MoreEssay on Nicholas Sparks; The Author of Romance1967 Words à |à 8 Pagesfrom being a relative unknown to being a writer with a book deal and $1 million movie rights contract (Bio Channel). Once again, though, Sparks triumph gave way to devastation when his father was killed at the age of 54 in an automobile accident.. The book, later titled Message in a Bottle, was inspired by his parents relationship. Skeptical that hed really made it as a writer, Sparks continued to sell pharmaceuticals while he wrote the book. He finally retired from sales in February 1997, whenRead MoreResearch on Time Management3882 Words à |à 16 Pagesmay be aided by a range of skills, tools, and techniques used toà manageà time when accomplishing specific tasks, projects and goals. This set encompasses a wide scope of activities, and these include pla nning,à allocating,à setting goals, delegation, analysis of time spent,à monitoring, organizing, scheduling, and prioritizing. Initially, time management referred to just business or work activities, but eventually the term broadened to include personal activities as well. A time management system is a
Thursday, December 26, 2019
Al-Khwarizmi, a Pioneering Astronomer and Mathematician
Al-Khwarizmiââ¬â¹ was also known as Abu Jafar Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi. He was known for writing major works on astronomy and mathematics that introduced Hindu-Arabic numerals and the idea of algebra to European scholars. The Latinized version of his name gave us the term algorithm, and the title of his most famous and important work gave us the word algebra. What Professions Did Al-Khwarizami Have? Writer, scientist, astronomer, geographer,à and mathematician. Places of Residence Asia, Arabia Important Dates Born:à c. 786Died:à c. 850 About Al-Khwarizmi Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi was born in Baghdad in the 780s, around the time Harun al-Rashid became the fifth Abbasid caliph. Haruns son and successor, al-Mamun, founded an academy of science known as the House of Wisdom (Dar al-Hikma). Here, research was conducted and scientific and philosophic treatises were translated, particularly Greek works from the Eastern Roman Empire. Al-Khwarizmi became a scholar at the House of Wisdom. At this important center of learning, al-Khwarizmi studied algebra, geometry, and astronomy. He wrote influential texts on the subjects. He appears to have received the specific patronage of al-Mamun, to whom he dedicated two of his books: his treatise on algebra and his treatise on astronomy. Al-Khwarizmis treatise on algebra, al-Kitab al-mukhtasar fi hisab al-jabr waà ¾l-muqabala (ââ¬Å"The Compendious Book on Calculation by Completion and Balancingâ⬠), was his most important and well-known work. Elements of Greek, Hebrew, and Hindu works that were derived from Babylonian mathematics of more than 2,000 years earlier were incorporated into al-Khwarizmis treatise. The term al-jabr in its title brought the word algebra into western use when it was translated into Latin several centuries later.à Although it sets forth the basic rules of algebra, Hisab al-jabr wal-muqabala had a practical objective: to teach. As al-Khwarizmi put it: ...what is easiest and most useful in arithmetic, such as men constantly require in cases of inheritance, legacies, partition, lawsuits, and trade, and in all their dealings with one another, or where the measuring of lands, the digging of canals, geometrical computations, and other objects of various sorts and kinds are concerned. Hisab al-jabr wal-muqabala included examples as well as algebraic rules in order to help the reader with these practical applications. Al-Khwarizmi also produced a work on Hindu numerals. These symbols, which we recognize as the Arabic numerals used in the west today, originated in India and had only recently been introduced into Arabic mathematics. Al-Khwarizmis treatise describes the place-value system of numerals from 0 to 9 and may be the first known use of a symbol for zero as a place-holder (a blank space had been used in some methods of calculation). The treatise provides methods for arithmetical calculation, and it is believed that a procedure for finding square roots was included. Unfortunately, the original Arabic text is lost. A Latin translation exists, and though it is thought to be considerably changed from the original, it did make an important addition to western mathematical knowledge. From the word Algoritmi in its title, Algoritmi de numero Indorum (in English, Al-Khwarizmi on the Hindu Art of Reckoning), the term algorithm came into western usage. In addition to his works in mathematics, al-Khwarizmi made important strides in geography. He helped create a world map for al-Mamun and took part in a project to find the Earths circumference, in which he measured the length of a degree of a meridian in the plain of Sinjar. His book Kitab surat al-ará ¸ (literally The Image of the Earth, translated as Geography), was based on the geography of Ptolemy and provided the coordinates of approximately 2,400 sites in the known world, including cities, islands, rivers, seas, mountains, and general geographical regions. Al-Khwarizmi improved on Ptolemy with more accurate values for sites in Africa and Asia, and for the length of the Mediterranean Sea.à Al-Khwarizmi wrote yet another work that made it into the western canon of mathematical studies: a compilation of astronomical tables. This included a table of sines, and either its original or an Andalusian revision was translated into Latin. He also produced two treatises on the astrolabe, one on the sundial and one on the Jewish calendar, and wrote a political history that included the horoscopes of prominent people. The precise date of al-Khwarizmis death is unknown. Sources Agarwal, Ravi P. Creators of Mathematical and Computational Sciences. Syamal K. Sen, 2014th Edition, Springer, November 13, 2014. OConnor, J. J. Abu Jafar Muhammad ibn Musa Al-Khwarizmi. E. F. Robertson, School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of St Andrews, Scotland, July 1999. Surhone, Lambert M. (Editor). The Compendious Book on Calculation by Completion and Balancing. Miriam T. Timpledon, Susan F. Marseken, VDM Publishing, August 10, 2010. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. Al-Khwarizmi. Encyclopaedia Britannica, July 20, 1998.
Wednesday, December 18, 2019
Comparing Success in Horatio Algers Ragged Dick and the...
Success in Horatio Algers Ragged Dick and the Life of Colin Powell What does success mean to you? I think the idea of success is affected by the social system. In America and Hong Kong, which are capitalistic societies affected by the American Dream, success means money and fame. In other societies, success might have different meanings. Some people said money and fame is the true meaning of success, but I think that the true meaning of success is to follow the interest of your own and being good at it, but not money and fame. Overemphasizing on these two factors can only lead to negative effects. Therefore I think the definition of success in capitalistic countries should not be focused on money and fame, because it restrictsâ⬠¦show more contentâ⬠¦The importance of money and fame in capitalism countries can be seen clearly in two stories that illustrate the American Dream, Horatio Algers Ragged Dick and the life of Colin Powell, the secretary of State. The importance of money can be seen in Ragged Dick, Dick is said to be successful when he had his wage raised from two dollars to six dollars. In the last sentence of the story A young gentleman on the way to fame and fortune. It is clear that getting a good job and earning more money is the goal of success. In the other hand, the life of Colin Powell not only illustrates the importance of money for success, but also fame. Colin Powell, who is an African American from a poor family in New York, struggled to become the secretary of State. He represents the American Dream because he started from the bottom of the society and then become successful, but what is the elements he has for people to define him as successful? Money and fame. I think without the fame he had for being one of the most important person in the American government, the general public would not define him as successful. What is the problem of this fixed identity of success? I think it is because the identities lead to overemphasize on money and fame. In the sport industry in America, it has change from promoting sport to a moneymaking business. Many sport players initially start to play the sport purely for the enjoyment, they practiced hard and hope that one
Tuesday, December 10, 2019
The Redgrove Axial Workshop free essay sample
The Redgrove Axial Workshop Case Analysis Date of Submission:September, 05, 2012 Table of Contents Introduction and Background3 Analysis of the Problem4 Personal use of company resources4 Closed Interest Groups4 Evaluation of Alternatives5 Conclusion6 References7 Introduction and Background There were many documented and perhaps more undocumented cases of employees breaking rules in the workplace and manager is undecided on how to handle those situation. This case study analyses what happens when there is lack of clear or precise Human Resource policies and why this may cause issues within teams at the ground level. This is an important study in human behavior to emphasize culture and values in an organization and also to show what happens when rules are not implemented uniformly within formal or informal groups. The main issue in this case The Redgrove Axial Workshop is the formation of small informal groups which engages in activities/hobbies which are not part of regular work-day and uses company material. We will write a custom essay sample on The Redgrove Axial Workshop or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Some employees creates some ornaments from metal scraps which otherwise would be sold and earn revenue for ITE. The case demonstrate the dilemma of Marc Fontaine on how to deal with this situation in the wake of not so clear human resource process and policies. This analysis will evaluate the reasons of workers behavior and how ITE should deal with it. The analysis will briefly describe the issues, describe organization theory that applies and offer some solutions to the situation. In the conclusion, it will present the solution which is considered best for Axial workshop and ITE. Analysis of the Problem Below is the analysis of few issues that is evident in The Redgrove Axial Workshop case. Personal use of company resources Marc Fontaine finds out about the ornaments made of metal scraps in the storage room of workshop. Since, he is new to this division, he perhaps doesnt know companys code of conduct and cant determine whether these are made using companys material and/or workers spent regular work time manufacturing these. Closed Interest Groups a) After talking to Page and Kadosa. Marc also realizes that there is a very closed informal group within the workshop. Most of the members of this close group are workers who share similar interest and were transferred from prototype workshop to manufacturing workshop. Although normally these kind of informal groups are beneficial to the company as it promotes friendly environment, but in this case the group was not open in communication with management. When Mark Fontaine asked Page about ornaments he sounded as if he doesnt know anything and instead sent a new employee Kadosa to talk to Marc. As a supervisor he should have talked to Marc about it in details and explored the possible reasons and corrective actions. ) When the group of workers were moved from prototype testing to manufacturing compressors, they might have felt that the advance skills they have is more or less not needed for the current job and in order to utilize the skills they might have formed the interest group of making ornaments. c) From the case it was not clear if workers knew the rules guiding the use of company material/res ources for personal use. Companys regulation, ITE Code of Conduct states that ITE employees must protect company assets. Company assets include 1) intellectual property and trade secrets, b) business strategy, c) financial data, d) production material, e) equipment, f) fleet, furniture and g) computer supplies and software. Company assets are intended for the exclusive use of advancing the mission of ITE corporation which in general mean that in manufacturing ornaments using metal scraps workers are violating companys code of conduct. The above points determines 2 inherent problem at ITE. 1) Lack of open communication Companies hierarchical structure is quite wide and there is a big gap between senior management and base-line workers. There seems to be enough communication between senior and middle management (Marc Fontaine to meet manufacturing director and Redgrove plant director), but there seems to be not so open communication between Middle management and floor level managers (Page was hesitant to talk to Marc). The assumption-observation error is one of the critical errors in communication, and Marc being a newbie might have to establish that trust and open communication channels to better understand the needs to floor workers. ) Possible Lack of motivation about work in workers There may be a possible lack of motivation in workers transferred from Prototype testing to manufacturing as their skills may not be fully utilized here (Job and Life Satisfaction from Work-Family Conflict model proposed by Pamela L Perrewe and Wayne A Hochwarter), and the job satisfaction may have gone down and thus they are engaging themselves in ornaments making to showcase their craftsmanship and high quality skills. Conclusion In conclusion, the issue may seem a small one, but when looked deeper, it seems to involve issue related to job satisfaction, organization behavior and HR policies. Different organizational theories suggests the balance approach between organization and informal groups and alternative ways of job satisfaction where under-utilized skills can be better utilized by engaging workers in different activities and giving them some authority. Solutions alternatives to the problem were proposed and their effectiveness highlighted. In the end, I conclude with following solutions to the problem in this case. 1) Make employees aware of the companys code of conduct and possible consequences of not adhering to it. 2) Involve in more engaging communication and officially allowing limited use of resource for informal activities and proceeds be divided between charity and employees use.
Monday, December 2, 2019
The First World War Memories free essay sample
The First World War was, among other things, truly remarkable for its scope and cold mechanical efficiency. Armed with mass produced machines of the industrial age, the patriotic young men who set off to fight in the summer of 1914 did so with an unprecedented, limitless and thoroughly unexpected ability to kill. They carry within themselves the heroic ideals of the classical heroes of past times, marching with an increasing insistence on defeating the enemy and gaining honour and glory for their country.However, the shockingly savage nature of the opening weeks shattered these beliefs, as in the wake of artillery barrages, machine guns fire and poison gas, honour, glory and the acts of the individual lost all meanings. Instead of a quick and easy war promised by the politicians, the lost generation of Europe found themselves waiting to be killed by faceless enemies as they crouched miserably in muddy, rat infested holes. We will write a custom essay sample on The First World War: Memories or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Death hovered them day and night, and they were surrounded by the horrors of the air raids and missiles as they are crouching in their trenches without any hope. ââ¬Å"There is nothing in all this inferno but mud and thunderâ⬠.Owen wrote to his mother describing their suffering in the trenches of the front lines. British trenches, ââ¬Å"dug where the water tables were highest, were always wet and frequently filled with several feet of water contaminated by feces, urine, and rats so that a soldier was continually wading in filth.â⬠The air, too, had a swampy, diseased quality. ââ¬Å"You could smell the front line miles before you could see it,â⬠Paul Fussell writes, explaining that besides the rats and the human refuse, the ââ¬Å"stench of rotten flesh was over everything.â⬠Corpses of rats, horses, and men might stay unburied and rotting for months. The narrow trenches offered no escape from any of these horrors. Even the sky above, so often a metaphor of freedom and beauty, offered no release from these horrors, but, on the contrary, symbolizes death from above for the soldiers. Enemyââ¬â¢s bombs could arrive anywhere at any time. ââ¬Å"Heavenâ⬠Owen writes, rather than a symbol of hope, became merely ââ¬Å"the highway for a shell.ââ¬
Wednesday, November 27, 2019
Art, Drama, Music and Elements of Play Essays
Art, Drama, Music and Elements of Play Essays Art, Drama, Music and Elements of Play Essay Art, Drama, Music and Elements of Play Essay Art is of import. Even as grownups, we do bask prosecuting in different signifier of humanistic disciplines. The art has been associated with private leisure experience, separated from the chief concern of life. The humanistic disciplines are of course playful nevertheless we should non tie in it as unrealistic or deficiency of earnestness ( Swanwick, 1988 ) . Playing is portion of acquisition and humanistic disciplines can assist kids boom personally and emotionally ( Swanwick, 1988 ) . The humanistic disciplines are complementary portion of a wide instruction ; the humanistic disciplines when taught good can assist raise attainment in other countries as they are closely entwined with other larning countries ( Humanistic disciplines in Schools Project, 1990 ) . Drama comes of course to immature kids and they are frequently prosecuting in make-believe drama. Children dramatic experience should be supported in school with activities that develop the kid s ability to utilize his or her imaginativeness, organic structure and voice. Drama allows kindergartners to show themselves freely and interact with others. Some dramatic activities in which have been conducted in category since the taught faculty was drama games and role-play. The activities conducted were the Jungle game ( similar to fruit salad ) and freeze game . Through the activities, the kids were encouraged to research the restrictions and the possibilities of motion inside a given infinite. The kids learnt to portion infinite with others and how to associate to others playful manner. They explored how infinite, and people or objects in infinite, can hold symbolic and dramatic significances ( Winston and Tandy, 2009 ) . During the period of clip, we were working on the subject of animate beings, therefore I made usage of some of the games taught during the faculty and modified a small. The kids were from the age scope 4 to 6 old ages old. There were two new kids who were in the category for less than a month. They were Chinese exile and did non understand English. One kid was more diffident and withdrawn. He normally merely interacts with the other kid who was besides from China. However during the activity, all the kids were seen prosecuting in the activity. At first during Jungle game the kids were given new function which are different types of animate beings in the jungle. They had to swopped topographic points when their animate beings were called ; when huntsman is called out, everyone had to trade topographic points. In the procedure, some kids were seen strike harding into each other and most merely went to the few seats off from them. However, after a few unit of ammunitions with the ga me, they were able to research the possible motion inside the specified topographic point. The kids were able to research and portion the infinite without strike harding into each other. Even the two China male childs were able to prosecute in the activity and pretended to be the animate beings by copying their motions as they move in the circle. As for the freezing game, the kids pretended to be animate beings traveling in the jungle, avoiding to be caught by the huntsman. It was surprised that the kids imitated the sounds of the animate beings as they moved when it was non told to them that they had to. It was astonishing how dramatic games can take kids into different universe demoing their different side and creativeness. Another activity conducted was interview of the character in the narrative. During that period we were working on the subject of animate beings, therefore I made usage of the narrative The forest kid and pretended to be the huntsman. The kids were truly involved in the activity and took bends to inquire inquiries. That was the first clip that we engaged in this sort of activity therefore the kids were excited and eager to inquire inquiries. After several inquiries, I was surprised that the male childs from China really put up their custodies and asked inquiry: Why you so angry . I did non believe that they could understand the activity we were prosecuting in, non to even state ask inquiry utilizing English linguistic communication, which was a foreign linguistic communication to them. Through this activity, the kids could come in into the universe of the narrative and seek to happen solutions. As the kids are familiarised with the activity, they took bends to be the huntsman. Through the activities, the kids learnt to take bends by esteeming other s part, develop spacial consciousness, and explore ain organic structure possibilities through imitating of different characters. Minimal props were used during the activities to promote more imaginativeness. Through inventive drama, kids are experimenting with and larning how to pull off the nucleus elements of play, those of clip, infinite, people, action objects and capable affair ( Winston and Tandy, 2009 ) . Drama is a great manner in supplying kids the chances to larn about themselves and others. It encourages interaction with each other and learn about organic structure and spacial consciousness. During play, kids are besides encouraged to believe otherwise. During role-play, they can go others, heightening the creativeness, and promoting them to believe about what certain people might believe, state, or do in a given state of affairs. It allows kids to conceal behind a mask and to be different. Music Music is a manner of cognizing the life of feeling ( Langer as cited in Swanwick, 1988 ) . In our preschool scene, we did non hold much opportunity for musical activity during lesson clip. It was normally during enrichment programmes which several kids will travel for their music lessons. During the faculty, many merriment and meaningful activities were taught which could be implemented into the preschool scene. The activity that was conducted with the kids was doing music through musical instruments. I made used of the activities planned with my group during the faculty presentation, which was sing the narrative of Large Aluminum . The kids were provided with musical instruments such as bells, tambourine, cymbal, maracas, membranophone, trigon and some other traditional musical instruments that were made of bamboos. The kids were given the chances to take and play the instruments harmonizing to different emotions and scenarios of the narrative. Music was combined with play work in this instance. One-half of the kids in the category acted out the narrative while the others created effects for the dramatization utilizing the instruments. The kids had to conceive of that they were in the narrative. Harmonizing to Swanwick ( 1988 ) , immature kids bask really loud and really soft sounds and are fascinated by tone and timber and they can get down to see music as expressive. It can be observed during the activity. The kids enjoyed researching the volume of sound produced from musical instrument. When it was exciting state of affairs, they played the music fast and loud, and soft when sad. They were able to find the velocity of music by playing the assorted musical instruments. The kids were able to make different look utilizing music. During the activity, two older male childs were observed to be taking the group in the alteration of the music. Working in cross-age groups enables younger kids to detect and larn from more experient scholars, while the chance to scaffold the acquisition of younger kids enables the older kids to clear up their thought ( Duffy, 1998, p.116 ) . Harmonizing to Duffy ( 1998 ) , kids need sufficient topographic point to work and easy accessible resources if they are to do the best usage of originative and inventive experiences. Thus pedagogues should supply more experience for art activities even when exterior of lessons. After the faculty, I tried the method of giving the kids freedom of entering. Recorder was introduced to the kids and it was placed in the music corner in the schoolroom. After a hebdomad, to my surprised, I heard the voices of the two male childs from China with a few other kids from the recording. At first they said their name and begun humming some unfamiliar music ( likely self-composed ) with accompany of the musical instruments. When they sang louder, the music became louder excessively. This showed that they could do usage of the pacing and kineticss harmonizing to the different emotions. There was look in the music formed. Through the activities, the kids could develop musical consciousness and accomp lishments in footings of pacing and kineticss. Elementss of drama Harmonizing to Swanwick ( 1998 ) , the three elements of drama important to larning through humanistic disciplines are mastery, imitation and inventive drama. All these three elements were apparent during the execution of the activities. For command, the kids were able to larn to work with others to do dramatic significance and control of the musical instruments, maintaining consistent beat. For imitation, the kids were able to cover with the expressive nature of the art signifier. They were able to do musical sounds that suggest different scenarios. Last for inventive drama, the kids could experiment with musical instruments until it suggest the appropriate scenario. The kids were besides seen experimenting with different motion during dramatic drama. Practice motivates kids as pattern Teachs them how to concentrate which in bends leads them to appreciate and bask the beauty of art they are larning and the pleasances of bring forthing work of quality ( Winston, 2010, p.77 ) . If we wish kids to be originative, we should guarantee that all kids feel valued and accepted ; therefore kids will experience secure to take hazards or do errors ( Duffy, 1998 ) . That was evident in the instance of the two Chinese male childs who were at first withdrawn from the group and easy got into the activities, prosecuting with the others. Decision As kids grow, it seems that much of the school twenty-four hours is taken up by nucleus topics ; creativeness and imaginativeness are frequently treated as extra or luxury. Thus it is the function of the pedagogues in assisting to guarantee that the kids have chances to prosecute in originative and inventive experience ( Duffy, 1998 ) . A cross-curricular attack allows us to pull on the entreaty ad potency of originative experiences to promote acquisition and development in all countries of the course of study. Children should be active participants in their acquisition. With appropriate planning, we can link art with many other countries of the course of study. This can supply valuable chances to put larning in existent life experience by doing narratives and populating through them, instead than hearing them told by the instructor. Humanistic disciplines provide originative release for kids ; kids will hold fun while they are learn, heightening a womb-to-tomb desire for acquisition.
Saturday, November 23, 2019
Guide and Examples for Writing a Sociology Abstract
Guide and Examples for Writing a Sociology Abstract If you are a student learning sociology, chances are you will be asked to write an abstract. Sometimes, your teacher or professor may ask you to write an abstract at the beginning of the research process to help you organize your ideas for the research. Other times, the organizers of a conference or editors of an academic journal or book will ask you to write one to serve as a summary of research you have completed and that you intend to share. Lets review exactly what an abstract is and the five steps you need to follow in order to write one. Definition Within sociology, as with other sciences, an abstract is a brief and concise description of a research project that is typically in the range of 200 to 300 words. Sometimes you may be asked to write an abstract at the beginning of a research project and other times, you will be asked to do so after the research is completed. In any case, the abstract serves, in effect, as a sales pitch for your research. Its goal is to pique the interest of the reader such that he or she continues to read the research report that follows the abstract or decides to attend a research presentation you will give about the research. For this reason, an abstract should be written in clear and descriptive language and should avoid the use of acronyms and jargon. Types Depending on at what stage in the research process you write your abstract, it will fall into one of two categories: descriptive or informative. Those written before the research is completed will be descriptive in nature. Descriptive abstracts provide an overview of the purpose, goals, and proposed methods of your study, but do not include discussion of the results or conclusions you might draw from them. Informative abstracts are super-condensed versions of a research paper that provide an overview of the motivations for the research, problem(s) it addresses, approach and methods, the results of the research, and your conclusions and implications of the research. Preparing to Write Before you write anà abstract there are a few important steps you should complete. First, if you are writing an informative abstract, you should write the full research report. It may be tempting to start by writing the abstract because it is short, but in reality, you cant write it until you the report is complete because the abstract should be a condensed version of it. If youve yet to write the report, you probably have not yet completed analyzing your data or thinking through the conclusions and implications. You cant write a research abstract until youve done these things. Another important consideration is the length of the abstract. Whether you are submitting it for publication, to a conference, or to a teacher or professor for a class, you will have been given guidance on how many words the abstract can be. Know your word limit in advance and stick to it. Finally, consider the audience for your abstract. In most cases, people you have never met will read your abstract. Some of them may not have the same expertise in sociology that you have, so its important that you write your abstract in clear language and without jargon. Remember that your abstract is, in effect, a sales pitch for your research, and you want it to make people want to learn more. Step-by-Step Guide Motivation. Begin your abstract by describing what motivated you to conduct the research. Ask yourself what made you pick this topic. Is there a particular social trend orà phenomenon that sparked your interest in doing the project? Was there a gap in existing research that you sought to fill by conducting your own? Was there something, in particular, you set out to prove? Consider these questions and begin your abstract by briefly stating, in one or two sentences, the answers to them.Problem. Next, describe the problem or question to which your research seeks to provide an answer or better understanding. Be specific and explain if this is a general problem or a specific one affecting only certain regions or sections of the population. You should finish describing the problem by stating your hypothesis, or what you expect to find after conducting your research.Approach and methods. Following your description of the problem, you must next explain how your research approaches it, in terms of theoretical framing or general perspective, and which research methods you will use to do the research. Remember, this should be brief, jargon-free, and concise. Results. Next, describe in one or two sentences the results of your research. If you completed a complex research project that led to several results that you discuss in the report, highlight only the most significant or noteworthy in the abstract. You should state whether or not you were able to answer your research questions, and if surprising results were found too. If, as in some cases, your results did not adequately answer your question(s), you should report that as well.Conclusions. Finish your abstract by briefly stating what conclusions you draw from the results and what implications they might hold. Consider whether there are implications for the practices and policies of organizations and/or government bodies that are connected to your research, and whether your results suggest that further research should be done, and why. You should also point out whether the results of your research are generally and/or broadly applicable or whether they are descriptive in nature and fo cused on a particular case or limited population. Example Lets take as an example the abstract that serves as the teaser for a journal article by sociologist Dr. David Pedulla. The article in question, published in American Sociological Review,à is a report on how taking a job below ones skill level or doing part-time work can hurt a persons future career prospects in their chosen field or profession.à The abstract is annotated with bolded numbers that show the steps in the process outlined above. 1. Millions of workers are employed in positions that deviate from the full-time, standard employment relationship or work in jobs that are mismatched with their skills, education, or experience. 2. Yet, little is known about how employers evaluate workers who have experienced these employment arrangements, limiting our knowledge about how part-time work, temporary agency employment, and skills underutilization affect workers labor market opportunities. 3. Drawing on original field and survey experiment data, I examine three questions: (1) What are the consequences of having a nonstandard or mismatched employment history for workers labor market opportunities? (2) Are the effects of nonstandard or mismatched employment histories different for men and women? and (3) What are the mechanisms linking nonstandard or mismatched employment histories to labor market outcomes? 4. The field experiment shows that skills underutilization is as scarring for workers as a year of unemployment, but that there are limited penalties for workers with histories of temporary agency employment. Additionally, although men are penalized for part-time employment histories, women face no penalty for part-time work. The survey experiment reveals that employers perceptions of workers competence and commitment mediate these effects. 5. These findings shed light on the consequences of changing employment relations for the distribution of labor market opportunities in the new economy. Its really that simple.
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