Psychology Milgram experiment Essay

As a participant in Milgram’s (1963) study I would be tormented at the thought of inflicting pain to another person, I also would at least think about whether what I am doing is right and whether the experiment was really genuine or it was some macabre experiment bent on torturing other people. I would probably be one of the few in Milgram’s (1963) study who refused raising the voltage of electric shocks and maybe be among those who balked out of the experiment due to anxiety and guilt. After the debriefing, I would feel deceived and angry with the researcher because I was put through an ordeal that did not really happen. The experiment required that the researcher prod the participant to inflict more electric shocks, and I would probably base my willingness to push the button on the cries of the learner. I would surely refuse the researcher’s demands because I know I am not doing the right thing. On the other hand, if the debriefing would explain why deception was necessary, I would understand the experiment and maybe not hold it against the researcher. However, I am sure that I would still feel deceived and manipulated; it would be an experience that would stay with me for a long time and may even influence how I perceive experiments and researchers. If I was part of an ethics review committee, I would not consider Milgram’s (1963) study as acceptable and protective of participants because aside from debriefing, he did not have any other safeguard procedure to protect the participants. In Milgram’s (1963) study, the shrieks and cries of the learner increased the anxiety and guilt of the participant, and I think it was deliberately designed to evoke the feelings of anxiety of the participants no matter how he argued that the effects of the experiment to the participants were not anticipated. The learners were told to respond to the electric shock as if it was actually happening to them making it more believable to the participant, and by doing so; it also led the participant to believe that they are actually causing that reaction to the learners. Therefore, the potential benefits gained from the study does not outweigh the sufferings that it brought to the participants, and ethically, it does not justify the use of deception (Spata, 2003), the debriefing was also conducted late wherein the participants had already believed that they were responsible for another person’s pain and it failed to protect the welfare of the participants. Without the criticisms and reactions against the experiment on obedience, the ethical issue of using deception in experiments would have not been given attention. At present the American Psychological Association (APA, 2003) have only allowed deception when alternative procedures that are nondeceptive are not available and only if the potential benefits and knowledge gained from the research outweighs the risks of the effects of deception to the participants. In addition, deception is not allowed if the experiment would likely inflict physical and emotional distress to the participants.

Death of a Salesman †Arthur Miller Essay

The original title for Miller’s play was ‘The Inside of His Head’. How does Miller’s use of set, lighting and stage direction help us to understand this idea? Arthur Miller wrote Death of a Salesman in 1949. This date is the period after the Wall Street Crash and the Great Depression and this is significant, as one of Miller’s aims in writing this play was that it would be a tragedy that American workers could relate to. The central themes and issues in the play are consumerism and exploitation; Miller wanted to write a play that was critical of capitalism and that would expose the falseness of the American Dream. The original title reflects one of the underlying themes in the play – the central character’s struggle to grasp the distinction between illusion and reality and the past and the present; often Willy Loman’s thoughts and views do not comply with those of the majority of the remaining cast. Miller uses symbolism, set, lighting and stage direction to help us to understand what is happening inside Willy’s head. One of the several symbols that give us an insight into Willy’s thoughts is the athletic trophy. It is placed on a shelf in the sitting room where it can be clearly seen; this demonstrates how important it is to the family. This importance then in turn shows that winning and competition are key ideas here and that this part of the American Dream is important to Willy and he prizes the achievements his son made as they show him as being superior to other people, which is what Willy is always striving to achieve, particularly in regards to Charly. In the same scene is the use of the melody of the flute. It reflects Willy’s father’s success as an entrepreneur (making wooden flutes), something Willy is always striving to achieve, and also the strong influence this has on his son. Also, the actual melody that is being played ‘tell(s) of grass and trees and the horizon’, and reminds us of the stark difference between the life Willy lived as a young child (with the father who he idolises) and the position he is in now; in an overcrowded area of New York, working for someone else (i.e., not working on his own terms, like his father) on commission. Another of the important symbols in the play is the lighting at the end of Act One. Just as Willy is talking about how great Biff was when he was younger, on another part of the set Biff walks into a gold pool of light, which is reflecting the praise Willy is giving him, the gold symbolising the initial power and success that he had. Also, just after this the light fades on Willy, representing the fact that his career, his influence on his children and possibly his life are drawing to a close. A further example of Miller’s symbolism in this play and his manipulation of non-naturalistic elements is in Act Two, the restaurant scene, with varied use of both lighting and music. The first of these symbols is the use of the ‘single trumpet note’ used in conjunction with ‘the light of green leaves’. This initiates the start of Willy’s mind thinking back to an event several years ago, the green of the leaves symbolising the time when the house was not surrounded by high rise flats, noise and pollution. Miller also says that the light ‘holds the air of a†¦ dream’, which is insinuating that at this point in time Willy’s dreams for himself and his children had not yet been ruined. This is upheld by the naturalistic state of his living environment. Throughout the scene the light continues to fluctuate and highlight different places and times. Another important part in this restaurant scene I when the music changes dramatically to accompany the presence of The Woman in Willy’s mind. The music is now ‘raw and sensuous’ highlighting one major part of Willy’s life, at this point in time, that does not fit into the same mould as the rest of his life; he is a family man, supportive of his children and striving to achieve new heights for his family, but now he is doing the very opposite of this by cheating on his wife, and so the music does not reflect any of the other, often light and cheerful melodies played on the flute. Up until Biff discovers his father with The Woman, no one else is aware of her part in Willy’s life, so even at this early stage, Willy will have thoughts inside his head which do not relate to those of an of the other central characters.

The Social Theory of Du Bois

Karl Marx, Max Weber, and Emile Durkheim are widely recognized as the trinity of sociological theory. While these three sociologists were trailblazing social theorists who enhanced the study of human behavior and its relationship to social institutions, other, more contemporary scholars were just as innovative – one of those scholars being W. E. B. Du Bois. W. E. B. Du Bois was a political and literary giant of the 20th century, publishing over twenty books and thousand of essays and articles throughout his life. W. E. B Du Bois is arguably one of the most imaginative, perceptive, and prolific founders of the sociological discipline. In addition to leading the Pan-African movement and being an activist for civil rights for African Americans, Du Bois was a pioneer of urban sociology, an innovator of rural sociology, a leader in criminology, the first American sociologist of religion, and most notably the first great social theorist of race. The work of W. E. B. Du Bois (1868-19 63) has recently become recognized for its significant contributions to sociological theory. Although Du Bois himself was overwhelmingly concerned with the scientific perspective of â€Å"value free† sociological research, later social theorists have found his thoughts on race to offer one of the first instances of the articulation of standpoint theory. This theoretical perspective is anything but value free, because of the self-conscious efforts of the researcher to look at the social world from the vantage point of minority groups. Feminists, multiculturalists, and even postmodernists have come to recognize the importance of the black point of view found in Du Bois's work. They have also come to appreciate Du Bois for his focus on local knowledge and practices. W. E. B. Du Bois was an important American thinker. Poet, philosopher, economic historian, sociologist, and social critic, Du Bois’ work resists easy classification. Du Bois is more than a philosopher; he is, for many, a great social leader. His extensive efforts all bend toward a common goal, the equality of colored people. His philosophy is significant today because it addresses what many would argue is the real world problem of white domination. So long as racist white privilege exists, and suppresses the dreams and the freedoms of human beings, so long will Du Bois be relevant as a thinker, for he, more than almost any other, employed thought in the service of exposing this privilege, and worked to eliminate it in the service of a greater humanity. Du Bois was a prolific author. His collection of essays, The Souls of Black Folk, was a seminal work in African-American literature; and his 1935 magnum opus Black Reconstruction in America challenged the prevailing orthodoxy that blacks were responsible for the failures of the Reconstruction era. He wrote the first scientific treatise in the field of sociology; and he published three autobiographies, each of which contains insightful essays on sociology, politics and history. In his role as editor of the NAACP's journal The Crisis, he published many influential pieces. Du Bois believed that capitalism was a primary cause of racism, and he was generally sympathetic to socialist causes throughout his life. He was an ardent peace activist and advocated nuclear disarmament. The United States' Civil Rights Act, embodying many of the reforms for which Du Bois had campaigned his entire life, was enacted a year after his death. Early in his career Du Bois claimed that the â€Å"race idea† was the central thought of all history and that the primary â€Å"problem of the twentieth century was the problem of the colour line. † Du Bois viewed the goal of African Americans not as one of integration or absorption into white America, but one of advancing â€Å"Pan-Negroism. † Critical of the excessive materialism of white America, Du Bois believed that black culture could temper the self-interested pursuit of profit. Du Bois called on blacks to organize and unite around their race, and although he was not opposed to segregation per se, he did come to realize that discrimination stifled the development of â€Å"separate but equal† facilities and institutions. The concepts of the Veil and double consciousness occupy an important place in Du Bois's theory on race. Du Bois discusses both in his work The Souls of Black Folk. The Veil is an imaginary barrier that separates whites and blacks. Du Bois hoped his work would allow whites to glimpse behind the Veil, so they could begin to understand the black experience in America. Perhaps the most fundamental component of the black experience in America was living with what Du Bois called double consciousness. Blacks are simultaneously both inside and outside of the dominant white society and live with a feeling of â€Å"twoness. † By trying to cultivate and preserve a racial identity, blacks come into conflict with trying to fit into white society. According to Du Bois, the tension of being both black and American can manifest itself in pathologies within the black community and discrimination in white America. Whatever turns out to be the best general account of Du Bois’ philosophy, it seems the significance of his thought only really shows up in the specific details of his works themselves, especially in The Souls of Black Folk. It is here that he first develops his central philosophical concept, the concept of double consciousness, and spells out its full implications. The aim of Souls of Black Folk is to show the spirit of black people in the United States: to show their humanity and the predicament that has confronted their humanity. Du Bois asserts that â€Å"the color line† divides people in the States, causes massive harm to its inhabitants, and ruins its own pretensions to democracy. He shows, in particular, how a veil has come to be put over African-Americans, so that others do not see them as they are; African-Americans are obscured in America; they cannot be seen clearly, but only through the lens of race prejudice. African-Americans feel this alien perception upon them but at the same time feel themselves as themselves, as their own with their own legitimate feelings and traditions. This dual self-perception is known as â€Å"double consciousness. Du Bois’ aim in Souls is to explain this concept in more specific detail and to show how it adversely affects African-Americans. In the background of Souls is always also the moral import of its message, to the effect that the insertion of a veil on human beings is wrong and must be condemned on the grounds that it divides what otherwise would be a unique and coherent identity. Souls thus aims to make the reader understand, in effect, that African-Americans have a distinct cultural identity, one that must be acknowledged, respected, and enabled to flourish. Du Bois’ other major philosophical concept is that of â€Å"second sight. † This is a concept he develops most precisely in Darkwater, a work, as we have seen, in which Du Bois changes his approach and takes up a stauncher stance against white culture. Du Bois holds that due to their double consciousness, African-Americans possess a privileged epistemological perspective. Both inside the white world and outside of it, African-Americans are able to understand the white world, while yet perceiving it from a different perspective, namely that of an outsider as well. The white person in America, by contrast, contains but a single consciousness and perspective, for he or she is a member of a dominant culture, with its own racial and cultural norms asserted as absolute. The white person looks out from themselves and sees only their own world reflected back upon them—a kind of blindness or singular sight possesses them. Luckily, as Du Bois makes clear, the dual perspective of African-Americans can be used to grasp the essence of whiteness and to expose it, in the multiple senses of the word â€Å"expose. That is to say, second sight allows an African-American to bring the white view out into the open, to lay it bare, and to let it wither for the problematic and wrong-headed concept that it is. The destruction of â€Å"whiteness† in this way leaves whites open to the experience of African-Americans, as a privileged perspective, and hence it also leaves African-Americans with a breach in the culture through which they could enter with t heir legitimate, and legitimating, perspectives. Later in life, Du Bois turned to communism as the means to achieve equality. Du Bois came to believe that the economic condition of Africans and African-Americans was one of the primary modes of their oppression, and that a more equitable distribution of wealth, as advanced by Marx, was the remedy to the situation. ( John J. Macionis: Sociology 14th edition) Du Bois was not simply a follower of Marx, however. He also added keen insights to the communist tradition himself. One of his contributions is his insistence that communism contains no explicit means of liberating Africans and African-Americans, but that it ought to focus its attentions here and work toward this end. â€Å"The darker races,† to use Du Bois’ language, amount to the majority of the world’s proletariat. In Black Folk, Then and Now, Du Bois writes: â€Å"the dark workers of Asia, Africa, the islands of the sea, and South and Central America†¦these are the one who are supporting a superstructure of wealth, luxury, and extravagance. It is the rise of these people that is the rise of the world† (Black Folk,). A further contribution Du Bois makes is to show how Utopian politics such as communism is possible in the first place. Building on Engle’s claim that freedom lies in the acknowledgment of necessity, as Maynard Solomon argues (Solomon, â€Å"Introduction† 258), (because in grasping necessity we accurately perceive what areas of life are open to free action), Du Bois insists on the power of dreams. Admitting our bound nature (bound to our bellies, bound to material conditions), even stressing it, he nonetheless emphasizes our range of powers within these constraints. Although difficult to characterize in general terms, Du Bois’ philosophy amounts to a programmatic shift away from abstraction and toward engaged, social criticism. In affecting this change in philosophy, especially on behalf of African-Americans and pertaining to the issue of race, Du Bois adds concrete significance and urgent application to American Pragmatism, as Cornel West maintains, a philosophy that is about social criticism, not about grasping absolute timeless truth. Above all, however, Du Bois’ philosophy is significant today because it addresses what many would argue is the real world problem of white domination. So long as racist white privilege exists, and suppresses the dreams and the freedoms of human beings, so long will Du Bois be relevant as a thinker, for he, more than almost any other, employed thought in the service of exposing this privilege, and worked to eliminate it in the service of a greater humanity. References: Du Bois, W. E. B. Black Folk, Then and Now (Millwood, N.Y.: Kraus-Thomson Organization Limited, 1975). Du Bois, W. E. B. Darkwater: Voices From Within the Veil (Mineola, N. Y. Dover Publications, 1999). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W._E._B._Du_Bois http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0072824301/student_view0/chapter10/chapter_summary.html Sociology: 14th edition (John J Macionis; Prentice Hall, 2011)

Legal Case studies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Legal Case studies - Essay Example It has been met because the professor "has written the President requesting that he reject the department's and Dean's negative recommendations". The operative word in this case scenario is "recommendation". The university colleagues did not fire the professor. Rather they only recommended that the professor not receive tenure. Presumably, because this is a public university, there would be an established and published university policy that regulates academic freedom, tenure and due process. While this would seem like a broad stroke philosophy it must be detailed within the faculty and administrative guidelines or handbooks. In order to insure that students are able to advance in the knowledge and understanding of their fields, it is important that professors feel free to discuss issues without having worry about censure. Freedom of inquiry is achieved through research, discussion, and publication teaching, learning free from internal or external restraints that would unreasonably restrict their academic endeavors. Apparently the university policy is that these goals are reached through a multi disciplinary approach. Accordingly, if the professor is not willing to explore the the multidisciplinary approach then he is violating university policy. ... In conclusion, so long as the president of the university can make his decision based upon intelligent feedback and his own wisdom, he is not abusing his discretion. He is in fact working well within his own parameters and there should be no legal consequences, whatever decision he makes. The professor would be ill advised to commence proceedings based upon this fact pattern. Paper 2 In the CPM, read the case Urofsky v. Gilmore and answer Questions 2 and 3 2. The various opinions issued by the en banc court in Urofsky provide an instructive debate, and an interesting array of viewpoints, on academic freedom and professors' First Amendment free speech rights. Compare and contrast the various opinions. Which opinion, or parts of opinions, present(s) the soundest reasoning The most perceptive analysis The most constructive approach to the problem I think that the balancing test applied in this case is a good introduction to what should be regulated, but it is not complete. It is difficult to reach a decision which maintains the equality of rights but also reasonably and realistically applies how those rights are defended. It is true that university professors are employees and that the words they speak are spoken "on company time". The fact remains however that they fit into an entirely different category from their non-faculty state employees or actors in many material points. Firstly, they are wearing two hats in the scope of their employment. They are teaching but they are also contributing through their research. It is through their research that their students and consequently the university advance. Secondly, there is not handbook that

Development, experience and completition of distance learning course Essay

Development, experience and completition of distance learning course - Essay Example Distance learning broadens ones capacity of thought and it helps one to have the zeal to find out knowledge and meet concepts individually. Throughout this program, knowledge gained was through observation, experimentations, research, and experimentations. For application of knowledge, one had to be keen on observation to ascertain the truth value of existing knowledge because not all knowledge is necessarily. Observation was of great help since they aided one to have a clear insight of the real world in relation to the theoretical knowledge. There was also a broader experimentation of various phenomena. The experimentation method helped one to be sure and to prove true or disapprove the hypothesis that were covered the common knowledge. This also helps in distinguishing fallacies and general knowledge which have not been verified. In most cases, one had to conduct research to find out the cause and effects of certain phenomena so as to come up with effective conclusions and deductio n. Also, experiences that one gained from interacting with various issues and challenges also helped one to unlearn the previous knowledge and to learn new ones. All these experiences and concepts defined one journey of learning throughout the entire period of the distance learning program. Throughout this period, ones performance was not good throughout. At some point the performance was good and at other times, the performance was averagely low but at the end of the entire program the overall performance was marked by distinction. This was because of one’s capability of adapting to the system and one’s ability to adjust to the environment and to the course requirements. There were times when there were courses which required one to carry out laboratory tests and some required one to conduct research. In the event that one was to be at the laboratory to conduct the experiments, it was difficult to make clear observation and to draw the right conclusion as there was no body to offer explanation to what was going on. Research that needed one to go to the community to find out the aspects of various phenomena also was marked with various challenges. This is because the community was not ready to give proper information and those who did gave irrelevant information that led to an irrelevant conclusion. This impacted negatively on the overall outcome of the result. However, studies which required observation and the critical analysis of books and just the general study of concepts were of great advantage to my performance. It was a great experience to read through books and to learn new concepts that were brought forth. These conceptions helped in dealing with the fallacies and the misconception that the society has had for a long time. The tangibility of the knowledge gained through literature enabled one to be a student of high aptitude and acuity of performance. For learning to be effective, it has to be maintained, retained, and one has to continu e with the search of knowledge. To enable one achieve these, one has to study widely. It is through study that one’s knowledge and concepts get challenged. Wide reading helps one to have different perspectives and approached towards something. This gives one the authority to speak on an issue from an open minded view. Wide study also keeps one relevant to the changing times, for example, science keeps on

The Broader Impact Of DSP (Digital signal processing) In A Global Research Paper

The Broader Impact Of DSP (Digital signal processing) In A Global Economi And Social Context - Research Paper Example Each of these areas has involved substantial involvement of the digital signal processing technology with its own unique algorithms, mathematics and specialized techniques. As a result, digital signal processing has significant impact on the social, economic and in global lives in our society today. Digital signal processing convert analogue signals to digital signal. By doing this, there is extraction of signals, which later get modifications to meaningful and relevant information through the digital signal. In the pioneer ages digital signal processing was only in computers and by the application of technology limited in some key areas, for instance radar and sonar where national security appeared to be at risk. This is because of the international threats that were happening because of international tension. Another area is oil expiration and in this area, there are large amounts of revenue for example mad, oil sector industry is a very profitable industry that is capable of raisi ng the economic level of a nation. Space exploration is another sector that digital signal processing adopted because of the importance of data received. The collected data are of an irreplaceable nature. The final area of involvement in digital signal processing was medical imaging, where it could play a vital role in the treatment and saving of lives. Impact in an economic context Digital signal processing has had great impact in our lives especially economically. The recent technological advances have commanded entrepreneurs and investors to spend a lot of money in technology. Innovations in technology have led to many firms competing with each other to develop the most sophisticated technological devices that outsmart its competitors and gain the largest market share in the industry. Advances in computing, data storage and data transmit ion have enabled firms to reduce costs, create new market, expand existing market and create employment in the nation (44). Maintaining the inte grity of the specifications Companies and organizations have moved quickly to grab these newly found opportunities and as a result, firms are spending billions on their enterprise system. Firms are developing sophisticated software and hardware packages that integrate ordering, procurement, inventory, finance and human resources in their companies. Consumers get a wide range of goods and services for communication entertainment, shopping, education and other activities that relate to the firm and firms on the other hand get the opportunity to widen their consumer targets. With the embracing of technology, firms are able to reduce cost, maximize their profits and increase shareholders wealth. Consumers also benefit from these technological advancements where by prices of commodities are reduced due to the decrease of costs. This is also by being able to access wide ranges of products that are available (32). Telecommunication has also been a beneficiary of these technological advance s. Drastic improvements in computing power, accompanied by healthy competition in the industry have led to dramatic reduction rates among the consumers in communication. The telecommunication industry has been able to expand massively to tap the new opportunities; these firms now enjoy substantial customers in their networks. The introductions of wireless and broadband services have made communication much easier and faster (22). This

Observe, Analyze and Report Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Observe, Analyze and Report - Term Paper Example What are the unique characteristics and behaviors of the members of each group? These are just some of the questions which one hopes to answer after observing the social groups in a school canteen. The observation day was conducted on a Monday at around lunch time. From one’s conversation with some students, one learned that it was an exam week for high school students. One sat at a corner table of the canteen. It was around 11:30am, minutes before the students’ lunch break. One was ready with a pen and paper where the observations of the groups will be written. A few minutes later, students started arriving at the canteen, right after finishing their tests in two subjects. They will be having two more long tests in the afternoon from two different subjects. This information was volunteered by one student whom one got to talk to. The first group that arrived was a group of five Asian American girls who were talking in their native tongue while entering the canteen. They all had slanted eyes, fair complexion and dark hair. Their clothes were simple and modest. They wore shirts, denim pants and sneakers. They all carried back packs. Aside from the back packs, they have books and folders on their arms. They sat down on one of the corner tables of the canteen and put down all their bags and books on the table. One expected them to bring out their lunch boxes or go to the counter to get their food but they did not. Instead, they were discussing in English, the test questions from the tests that they just took. After around 20 minutes of talking to each other, two of the girls stood up and went to the food counter. The remaining three girls meanwhile brought out their lunch boxes. Two girls brought out what looks like rice and a viand. While the other one brought out a cup of instant noodles soup with chopsticks. The two girls who went to the food counter then came back with sandwiches, milk and juice. They all started to eat their lunch with conversati ons in between. One then focused one’s attention to a group of ten rowdy boys and girls who entered the canteen. They were obviously sports jocks as evidenced by their sports jackets. They wore branded rubber shoes. They were masculine and handsome teenage boys. They were with some pretty blonde girls who were fashionably dressed and with make-up on. They were giggling and teasing each other, oblivious of the crowd in the canteen whose eyes all turned to them when they entered the canteen. From observation, one can conclude that two pairs from the group were in a relationship. One pair was holding hands while the other pair seems extra sweet to each other. The group chose the center table at the canteen and connected two other tables to make one long table. Being an exam week, this group of students does not look like they care about their studies. Although they also carried books, one sees no sign of them discussing anything about the tests that they have just taken or revie wing for the other two exams for the afternoon. Theirs was a carefree attitude, the exact opposite of what one observed from the group of Asian American students. After socializing with each other, they all went to the food counter. Most of the boys got a hamburger and fries while the girls got salads and fruits. The third group of students that one got to observe is a group of four male nerds. This is the group known in the school as the weird, intelligent guys who lacked social skills. One knows that this is the nerd group because