Free Essays on Social Capital

Introduction Social capital has commonly been studied in recent years from the perspective of sociology and political science. Through the various different works of Robert Putnam, Francis Fukuyama, and James Coleman, as well as others, the complexity of social capital has been broken down to people’s relationships and the values which they hold with each other. Social capital has been regarded as a useful element in democratic governance (Putnam) and economic stability in countries (Fukuyama). Trust has become a main element in the development of social capital. Civic engagement, social networking, and participation in public organizations help boost social capital, but these trends are on the decline in America. Many theorists believe this is the reason for our lack of trust in the government. If the people do not place trust in each other, than how can they trust the people which they elect into office. This is the very concept in which I developed my hypothesis: In comparing individuals, people who place more trust in others are more likely to trust their government than are people who place less trust in each other. The independent variable for this experiment will be the level of trust placed in others by people and the dependent variable will be the trust placed in the government by the people. The relationship between the two variables should have a positive correlation if the hypothesis is correct. There have been many studies conducted by both sociologists and political scientists concerning these two variables and its effects on social capital. Social Capital 3 Academic Sources â€Å"Bowling Alone: America’s Declining Social Capital† Robert D. Putnam Robert Putnam addresses a few political science subfields in this article which can be found in the January 1995 issue of the Journal of Democracy. Public policy and American politics are the key subfields in which Putnam ventures in to. He examines the policies... Free Essays on Social Capital Free Essays on Social Capital Introduction Social capital has commonly been studied in recent years from the perspective of sociology and political science. Through the various different works of Robert Putnam, Francis Fukuyama, and James Coleman, as well as others, the complexity of social capital has been broken down to people’s relationships and the values which they hold with each other. Social capital has been regarded as a useful element in democratic governance (Putnam) and economic stability in countries (Fukuyama). Trust has become a main element in the development of social capital. Civic engagement, social networking, and participation in public organizations help boost social capital, but these trends are on the decline in America. Many theorists believe this is the reason for our lack of trust in the government. If the people do not place trust in each other, than how can they trust the people which they elect into office. This is the very concept in which I developed my hypothesis: In comparing individuals, people who place more trust in others are more likely to trust their government than are people who place less trust in each other. The independent variable for this experiment will be the level of trust placed in others by people and the dependent variable will be the trust placed in the government by the people. The relationship between the two variables should have a positive correlation if the hypothesis is correct. There have been many studies conducted by both sociologists and political scientists concerning these two variables and its effects on social capital. Social Capital 3 Academic Sources â€Å"Bowling Alone: America’s Declining Social Capital† Robert D. Putnam Robert Putnam addresses a few political science subfields in this article which can be found in the January 1995 issue of the Journal of Democracy. Public policy and American politics are the key subfields in which Putnam ventures in to. He examines the policies...

Stegners View of the True Hero of the West essays

Stegners View of the True Hero of the West essays The West -" home on the range where the deer and the antelope play; where seldom is heard a discouraging word and the sky is not cloudy all day."" The romantic idea of the land west of the hundredth meridian has often inspired songs and poetry, like this one, about idyllic conditions in this dry "paradise."" Often these ideas did not prove to be completely accurate, and a very few people attempted to present the facts to the public to dispel the romantic ideas of an effortless existence in these western lands. John Wesley Powell was one of these people. Wallace Stegner viewed Powell as a champion for science and one of the true heroes of this time because he did not follow the romantic ideas that so many of his contemporaries held about settlement in the West. One of the men Stegner presented as the epitome of Western romanticism was the Honorable William Gilpin, who eventually became the first territorial governor of Colorado. Throughout Stegner's book, he used Gilpin as a contrast to Powell, who represented science. Gilpin was the example of the people that Stegner believed to be enamored with the idea of the West as a huge frontier, able to support millions, without looking at the facts and examining the situation from a scientist's point of view. He pointed out several differences in Powell and Gilpin that illustrate how he believed Powell to be the hero, even though he was never recognized as one, and Gilpin to be a dreamer. Stegner gave several examples to prove that the loudest promoters of settlement were often ignorant of the lands in which they lived, which proved that they were in fact, unable to determine whether the West was ready to be settled. One of the examples Stegner used was the fact that Gilpin believed all Indian tribes to be the same. In his zeal to promote Western settlement, he made the statement that with settlement in these lands came a unity of the people of the United States. Native Americ...

For the third essay, you are going to select an issue that you feel Research Paper

Cyber Insecurity - Research Paper Example In fact, as part of globalization and for that matter technology, communication and commerce have been more enhanced than they used to be before. But as much as we talk of the advantages of globalization, it is also important to have a look at what the repercussions of globalization and for that matter influx of technology have been on the larger population of the world. Cybersecurity is a term that is often used to represent the kind of protection given to personal information and digital documents. In his article â€Å"Winning the fight against cyber crimes†, Lurrent (2012) argues that the need for cybersecurity has increased and become timely mainly because of increases of activities of illegal cyber operations. By this, reference is being made to the numerous acts of cyber attacks that are launched in the field of information systems. In the use of both personal and organized information systems, reports of information thief, virus attacks and other forms of information irregularities have been reported on a daily basis. Some of these are so serious that they easily result in people losing thousands of dollars especially when the bank details of users are tapped by cybercriminals. As much as these acts of cyber insecurity increase, there is the need for advanced countermeasures that can put the minds of end users at rest. In his article â €Å"Countermeasures for cybersecurity†, Deritck (2011) clearly states that unless pragmatic steps are taken to give total protection to users of the internet and other information systems against cyber insecurities of all forms, the interest that people have in using technology in advancing communication and commerce will bring down.  

Ancient Villages in Southern Anhui - Xidi and Hongcun Essay

Ancient Villages in Southern Anhui - Xidi and Hongcun - Essay Example However, in the villages of Xidi and Hongcun the ancient and traditional Huizhou-style houses are still well preserved. The houses which belong to the period of the Ming and Qing dynasties are considered to be architectural marvels, specially in terms of the design, material and craft used, as also from the environmental and social context they represent (english.cntv.cn, 2010). The villages thus represent a style of human settlement that came into vogue during a feudal period that symbolized a prosperous trading economy. The buildings and the street patterns in the two villages signify the socio-economic structure of a well established and long-lasting period of Chinese history. With the Huizhou businessmen natives of the time, that is, during the period of the Ming and Qing dynasties, strongly supporting the economic development of their hometowns, the areas became culturally prosperous. The houses constructed during that period displayed much aesthetic elegance and uniqueness. A n umber of prominent village landscapes also came to be established. A unique feature of life and culture of these ancient villages in southern Anhui is that their progress occurred generally independent of agriculture. Thus, in terms of their awareness, lifestyle and taste, the people of these areas were generally of a higher level than the common peasants and other common citizens. Thus, a strong cultural environment was created. They laid great emphasis on education since it was their constant endeavor to maintain a close interaction with the literati and officials. The villagers respected Confucianism. The picture below (Fig. 2) depicts an ancient Xidi clan temple. Fig. 2. An ancient Xidi clan temple (Source: http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-... Ancient Villages in Southern Anhui - Xidi and Hongcun The ancient villages of Xidi and Hongcun located in the southern Anhui province of China are World Cultural Heritage Sites. They are marvelous examples of well preserved traditional non-urban settlements most of which have disappeared or transformed during the last century. They possess architectural complexes of much historical and artistic value. Heritage sites everywhere are prone to environmental degradation while the inhabitants of those areas could likely experience socioeconomic problems. The preservation of such heritage sites requires active participation by the local government, international funding agencies such as UNESCO and the World Bank, local communities and the visitors who throng the sites. Another key issue related to tourism development is enhancement in tourism transportation which could lead to pollution caused by transportation (Jiang et al., 2010). A car is the mode of transport commonly used by tourists which has a high impact on the environment due to carbon dioxide emissions. An important issue related to social demography is the migration of villagers from Xidi and Hongcun to cities either as a result of the economic prosperity they have come to enjoy because of tourism or in the face of their inability to meet the competition from the same industry. Residents' perceptions and attitudes need to be periodically assessed, and conditions that encourage the local populace to continue to live and thrive in their hometowns should be created.

Effects of Education Essay Example for Free

Effects of Education Essay Education is an act of learning which enables one to realize his or her full potential and know areas that one is talented in order to exploit them[Grusky, 2001]. Education basically entails impacting of knowledge to individual. Social inequality on other hand is lack of basic necessities in life example access to health care and employment opportunities and others. Those individuals who are socially unequal with others are excluded form full and equal participation from what is important is one’s social life. Education has not had effect in increasing opportunity for all but instead it has reinforced existing social inequality. This is evidenced since one can only be educated on basic of his or her social class and their results to division between individuals, those who are educated continue to prosper while those who are not remain in poverty. It can also be evidenced in economic inequality since this is mainly as a result of social inequality. Economic inequality links with social inequality in that poor financial status hinders people from obtaining some education while some standards as others is , they cannot obtain the same housing, healthcare and also education. Lack of these basic necessities results to people living in the different classes to use different technologies according to their income. Socially education places people in different status which are mainly achieved through education because it determines over occupation which is the main determinant of one’s status in a community. In this, education brings about these differences since those who are educated bring up their siblings in the same status but for those who are not educated they cannot afford good education for their siblings. The position of a person in community can be determined by the social class one is in due to what he or she has achieved. This mainly comes in varying level of education that one has attained since those who are educated are employed and subsequently their standards of living are raised which make them different from common man who did not access education and therefore has not been able to achieve anything. People in different status are positioned differently in the society in regard to the way they can access different goods and services. Therefore the issue of education in status makes it clear that the social standards are very different between the education and those who are not learned because they have no opportunity to experience the high status of life. The difference brought about by effect of education on reinforcing social inequalities has resulted to basic life change. Such changes include physical health where by people don’t get access to the same health intervention which results in deterioration of health in those individuals who did not benefit from education. Apart from Medical intervention, learned individual have gained access to learning how one can live healthy, eat well to prevent diseases and they can readily access healthy product as compared to those who have no money nor basic education to help them overcome the poor health. The educated tend to keep the knowledge to themselves and help those who are also educated and leave the less fortunate to suffer with no =one to help them since they do not have money or basic education to help them overcome poor physical health. More also, social inequality brought about by difference in education background has brought about life change in psychological health in that those who are not educated have so many problems which keeps on torturing the affected person mentally. The psychological health can be brought about by depression or isolation from the others who consider one to be of low life since he or she has not gone through education system. Others engage in excessive drinking of alcohol and other illicit drugs which end up in destroying their mental capability which results to poor psychological health. In contrast social inequality comes in since those who are educated, even if problems comes their way they have different means of dealing with them and thus why they are always in good psychological health unlike the unlearned ones. Inequality can also be evidenced in basic life changes in food and shelter one uses. The issue of education does not benefit all since the educated can have good standards of life and live in good houses and eat better food than those who are not educated. These differences make people to have different social style since poor will only socialize with those whom they share the same social class with and the same applies to the rich. Particularly, social inequality comes in when one is wealthy which make them to use their money power to achieve various political powers but in contrast the poor remain poorer since they have no one to represent them due to lack of education. In other words education only benefits those who are educated but it’s not for all. The poor who are basically not educated, politically are much different from the uneducated since they are not equally represented which increases inequality in the society. Education has also brought difference in different racial; and ethnic group. This is because a different group views the value of education differently and the educated one continues to benefit while those who are not remain poor and poorer. Some groups values education while others do not which makes them to live in two distinct social classes. Their social inequalities are much strengthened by education since the educated and uneducated persons cannot interact freely. Also the level of education is different in different races and ethnic groups regarding to the way each group values the concept of education. Those who are learned can afford different technologies example the use of computer as compared to those who can not afford advanced technology and end up using manual methods to carry put their tasks. These differences makes individual not to interact freely with each other. Education has brought existing social inequality since it has brought difference in accessing job opportunities. Those who are educated mainly gets better jobs which distinct them from their uneducated counterparts who can not be offered the same job since they belong to different social class brought about by the level of education. Also operation of basic businesses requires educated individuals which entirely create a gap in operation between those who are educated and those who are not. The amount of wealth one has determines his social class which creates a gap between the rich and the poor. Those who are not learned are at a risk of social inequality since they lack access to basic education. This creates difference between the learned individual and therefore they can not relate freely. Socially these people are discriminated by those who are learned. Education has also brought about inequalities in goods and services taxes. During payments of these taxes inequality based on social class is evidenced since different individuals are taxed differently and in this, less educated may pay less taxes as compared to those who are educated since they have many assets as compared to poor. Sex and gender can also cause social in equality (Grusky, 2001). Many people view works differently and see to it that different jobs are for different sex. For example in most countries women are considered to perform domestic chaos while men go to work in offices. This creates inequality since even women can work in their areas and they should not be denied chance to work. Like in military jobs are viewed to be for men but in real sense even there are some women who can perform those tasks better than men. Geographical location of individual also matters since it depends on how those living in that geographical area view education and the impact it have in their lives. Citizenship is another factor since you find those living in different countries has achieved different levels of education which is different from each other. Their differences shows that the two groups cannot interact freely which brings about social inequality. Social inequality can Stimulate social conflicts and lead to political instability. People of different social background do not interact freely and incase of political instability you can see the two groups fighting. These social inequalities can result to family violence and breakups and this is evidenced when one is more educated than the other and therefore they share different social background. They can also stimulate street crimes whereby some people see to others as more advantaged than others since may be they are looking for jobs which are not forthcoming due difference in their educational backgrounds. Therefore, they can end up fighting those who they consider their rivals. These inequalities can also result to hate- crimes where one consider another person as a hindrance to his or her success or may be you hate your parents since they did not give basic education which is much needed. Therefore education has effect in increasing opportunity for all can only be achieved if everyone has had access to basic education which can be used to unify everyone. Otherwise, for unequal distribution of education it results to social inequality which is the case in real life today. So education has reinforced the existing social inequalities because not every one has an access to basic education to give opportunity to all.

The Signs and Effects of Autism Essay -- Autism Autistic Disorders Ess

The Signs and Effects of Autism Autism is a rare disease that has been noticed for centuries. The purest form of autism (high IQ and almost normal behavior yet still self-contained) occurs in about â€Å"one in 2,000 people†. When the many other forms of autism are added in, the ratio is â€Å"one in 750†. Autism is found in every race, ethnic group, nation, and social standing, although â€Å"males outnumber females by four or five times† (â€Å"Autistic Disorder† – 2). Autism is a broad range of disorders that stretch from mild to severe. There are many theories on the cause of autism, but no definite solution. Because of the broadness of the disease, there are many types and categories. The effects of autism are frustrating, and hard to live with. Since the causes remain unknown, there are no specific treatments that can cure autism. The first signs of autism are shown within the first three years of life. As an infant, parents will notice that the child is distant and does not respond to many things. The baby usually doesn’t develop any bonds with his/her mother or caretaker. When parents go to pick up an autistic child, he/she will seem rigid, limp, and will not do normal things like reach out for the parent. Another symptom is little to no eye contact. As with autism at any age, the child is obsessed with sameness and routines. For example, a child will want to eat the same foods every day at the same time. Inanimate objects also fascinate autistic children, though they do not use them as they are intended. They will play with a single toy for hours at a time. Autism was once thought to be the result of cold and distant parents. If the mother disliked or did not want the baby, it was thought that the baby knew this and would enclose itself in its own world. That theory has now been disproven and ma ny scientists now believe autism is caused by -1- genetics and/or illnesses. There are many stated genetic and biological causes but none seem unique to autism. Likewise, no specific gene has been targeted to cause autism. New evidence reveals that â€Å"the serotonin-transpoter gene† (Rapin, Isabelle – 101) may be related to the cause of this disease. Complications in birth are also taken into consideration. â€Å"Prenatal factors are intrauterine rubella, tuberous selerosis, chromosomal abnormalities, and brain abnormalities. Perinatal factors have little to no ... ...â€Å"Autistic Disorder† – 4). Another way of helping an autistic individual have a somewhat successful adult life is to develop his/her communication skills by age five. With the knowledge of communication he/she will likely improve. Yet, most will still need some sort of help from one or more adults. In conclusion, the broad range of disorders, known as autism, can’t be cured, but they can be helped in many ways. Many autistic people receive help from family and relatives. In an autistic person’s life, all he/she needs is love and understanding. -4- Although they may seem mentally challenged, many are very bright. Many have a higher IQ then what is usual. Autism can be a devastating disorder but to the affected individual, it is his/her normal world. BIBLIOGRAPHY â€Å"Autistic Disorder† McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science and Technology. CD-ROM. 1998 ed. Campbell, Robert. The Enigma of the Mind. New York: Time-Life Books. 1976 Rapin, Isabelle. â€Å"Autism.† The New England Journal of Medicine 10 July 1997: 97 Wing, John. Reasoning About Madness. New York: Oxford University Press. 1987. Wing, Lorna. â€Å"The Autistic Spectrum.† The Lancet 13 July 1997: 1761-66.

Ap Us History Essay

Thesis Sentence: The lives of the Plains Indians in the second half of the nineteenth century were affected by technological developments and government actions politically, economically, religiously, socially, intellectually, and geographically. Body Paragraph #2 Background Paragraph – How the Indians were treated before the second half of the 19th Century. Body Paragraph #3 The technological developments and government actions affected the Indians in the second half of the 19th Century politically because: †¢ They did not have a say in government very much even though they were more â€Å"civilized† Body Paragraph #4 The technological developments and government actions affected the Indians in the second half of the 19th Century economically because: †¢ Transcontinental Railroad – Indians lost their food sources, such as bison, due to the rapid constructions of buildings and technological things that did not let the bison roam free Lots of bison caused hunting -> they almost went extinct Body Paragraph #5 The technological developments and government actions affected the Indians in the second half of the 19th Century religiously because: †¢ Indians that changed left their culture and spiritual practices behind Became Christians – only a few Were allowed in churches †¢ Indians that did not changed were being forced to change Body Paragraph #6 The technological developments and government actions affected the Indians in the second half of the 19th Century socially because: †¢ Indians who changed left their practices and became more â€Å"civilized† according to the white Americans They were more accepted than the non-changed Indians Body Paragraph #7 The technological developments and government actions affected the Indians in the second half of the 19th Century intellectually because: †¢ Indians who changed got the same education white Americans did Went to better schools †¢ Indians who did not change were not as well educated as the other Indians †¢ All Indians were better equipped when it came to hunting because they had guns instead of bows n’ arrows Death rate while hunting went down Body Paragraph #8 The technological developments and government actions affected the Indians in the second half of the 19th Century geographically because: †¢ Were given crappy land Were kicked out of them when the Americans found out that there was gold in that area Homestead Act/ Dawes Act Conclusion: During the second half of the 19th Century, the Indians were affected by the technological developments and government actions in many ways more than one. They were still not accepted politically. They lost a lot of economical resources in the process of the technological progression. The Indians were forced to change their religion to Christianity in order to become â€Å"civilized† in the eyes of the white Americans. They were socially accepted in some ways by the white Americans if they converted to Christianity. The Indians became intellectually smarter when they grasped new technological developments like the gun (new for them) so that they could hunt properly. However, they lost a lot of land to the white Americans geographically. The second half of the 19th Century gave the Indians more problems than happiness.