Asses the Contribution of Functionalism to Our Understanding Essay Example for Free

Asses the Contribution of Functionalism to Our Understanding Essay Functionalist views are based on that society is a system of interdependent parts held together by a shared culture or consensus. They believe that every part of society performs functions that help keep society running effectively. They use the example of a body to explain the way society runs as each part of our body has to work together in order for us to stay alive this is the same as society according to a functionalist. Education according to Emilie Durkheim (1903) consists of two main functions, creating social solidarity and teaching specialist skills. Social solidarity is the sense of being part of a group or society. Functionalists believe this is key to making education run accordingly as without social solidarity people would only self indulge in their own desires. Education helps to create social solidarity as it helps transmit societies culture, beliefs and values from ‘generation to generation‘keeping society running correspondingly. Schools also act in preparing children for society in real life by teaching the concepts of working together with people you do not always no. his links with working as in work you have to work coherently with people who you will not know. Specialist skills are having the necessary skills to perform their role in education to the ‘bride way’ towards working life. Education helps children prepare for this through teaching children in different a range of subjects which they will then come to specialise in the subjects they are good in which will in turn help them earn mon ey in society in later life. Education also according to functionalists gives all children an equal opportunity to develop on their own individual talents also known as meritocracy which is achieving through your own effort. Davis and Moore (1945) argue that education sorts children into their future educational roles by sorting their ‘aptitudes’ and ‘abilities’ which also links to social solidarity as to do certain jobs you need the necessary qualification and experience. However there are criticisms of functionalists and education. Melvin Tumin (1953) put forward a circular argument and criticises David and Moore by putting forward such questions as ‘how do we know what job is more important? ’ answer ‘because it’s highly Rewarded’ and why are some jobs higher rewarded than others? ’ answer ‘because they are more important’. Marxists believe that society only transmits the ideology of the ruling class therefore it disadvantages the working classes in education. One example is that Marxists prepare the working class for there jobs through education therefore it is only transmitting values of the ruling class. Also Marxists believe that the state is controlled by the ruling classes who transmit the ideology state apparatus which is that it maintains control through controlling people’s ideas, values and beliefs through religion, mass media and the education system. This criticises the functionalist view as social solidarity is meant to transmit these values and beliefs which according to Marxists are only means to control the working class. Meritocracy according to Marxists is a myth as we are controlled by the higher classes and we cannot achieve our status we ascribe our status. Another big criticism of functionalism in education is that functionalists believe that everybody at school behaves and accepts all that is taught when this is not the true case. It does not explain why some people come to fail examinations if everybody works in a general ‘consensus’. Dennis Wrong (1961) refers to this as ‘puppets in society’. The new right believe that the state fails to prepare the young for work as the state discourages choice and competition. Another disadvantage is that functionalists cannot explain under-achievement and inequality of opportunity in education. In conclusion Functionalism has a good general understanding of Education but it has quite obvious flaws as not everybody is going to get on in society so it is impossible to have a general consensus. Also the disadvantages of Functionalism in education seem to out weigh the positives therefore functionalism does not give a real positive understanding of education.

F. Scott Fitzgeralds The Great Gatsby Essay -- The Great Gatsby

Man dreams of living the life of the elite social class and of the power and admiration inherent within. F. Scott Fitzgerald comes to terms with this American dream in The Great Gatsby, a novel about social life in the 1920’s. The social hierarchy of the times plays a very important role in this novel. Here Fitzgerald illustrates three specific social classes: old money, new money, and lower class, with old money and new money taking center stage. Gatsby himself personifies new money; he made himself into a rich man through shady dealings. Tom Buchanan, on the other hand, represents old money. He received everything he has on a silver platter. He earned nothing but his inheritance. At the time, it was extremely desirable to be old money, because people looked at new money as vulgar and uncivilized. By illustrating social-economic class differences, Fitzgerald depicts the illusion of the corrupted American dream. Old money, living in the guise of the American dream, denies the entrance of new money and the lower class into their social hierarchy. In the novel, Tom has a mistress who lives in the "valley of ashes," where most of the lower class citizens reside. Tom has been seeing her for years even though he married Daisy. No one objects to this because of his old money status. On page 19, Jordan Baker informs Nick of this scandal, "Why- Tom’s got some woman in New York." Jordan also informs Nick of the commonality and wide acceptance of this fact. Tom’s ...

Chemiluminescence

Chemiluminescence Professor Stewart CHM 151L-003 Group Members: Melissa Spegal Jessica Buddi March 19, 2013 Megan Cochran Professor Stewart Chemiluminescence March 19, 2013 Introduction: The objective of this lab was to carry out a systematic set of experiments in order to determine which combination of chemicals produce the brightest and longest lasting light, through chemiluminescence. Chemiluminescence can be defined as the emission of light by a chemical reaction that does not produce heat.Chemiluminescence can also be found in nature, where it is referred to as bioluminescence. This can often be found in many deep sea fish, algae, and fireflies. Luminol is one of many chemicals that can be used to create chemiluminescence outside of nature. Scientists are very interested chemiluminescence because it could be very helpful in many real life situations such as in glowsticks. The military uses high-grade glowsticks to have light in field situations where electricity is not an option .Marine biologists and deep sea divers also use those glow sticks to provide light and make new discoveries in the deeps of the ocean or underwater caves. During the chemiluminescence experiment the goal was to produce light during a series of trials in order to create light or a glow. In order to do this systematically, all chemicals were used to start and as it became apparent that some chemicals did not effect the outcome of certain trials they were eliminated one at a time.Because the trials were done systematically from one to the next, only one element of each trial was changed at a time,making it easy to single out the defining factors. There were many chemicals used during this experiment including Luminol, bleach, DMSO, NaOH, HCl, and H2O2. On the second day of trials, the Luminol was chilled to test the effects this would have on the glow we obtained through chemical reactions. Results of Day 1: Table 1:Trial | Luminol (D) | Bleach (D) | DMSO (D) | 1M NaOH (D) | 1M HCl | H 2O2 (D) | Results | A1 | TAD | 5* 1 | 5 2 | 5 3 | 5 4 | 5 5 | Orange color | A2 | TAD | 10 2 | 5 1 | 10 4 | 10 3 | 10 5 | Brown | A3 | TAD | 5 2 | | | | 5 1 | FLASH yellow | A4 | TAD | 3 1 | | | | 2 2 | Slight flash | A5 | TAD | 5 3 | | 5 2 | | 5 1 | * Flash | A6 | TAD | 5 3 | | 5 2 | | 10 1 | Less flash | B1 | TAD | 5 4 | 5 3 | 5 2 | | 5 1 | Flash | B2 | TAD | 5 4 | | 5 2 | 5 3 | 5 1 | Flash | B3 | TAD | 5 4 | 5 3 | | 5 2 | 5 1 | | B4 | TAD | 5 4 | | 5 3 | 10 2 | 5 1 | Small flash | B5 | TAD | 5 4 | 10 3 | 5 2 | | 5 1 | Blue flash | B6 | TAD | 5 4 | 10 2 | 5 1 | | 5 3 | 2. 7 sec flash | C1 | TAD | 5 3 | 11 2 | 5 1 | | 5 4 | Small blue flash after bleach | C2 | TAD | 3 4 | 10 1 | 5 2 | | 5 3 | 3. 2 sec flash | C3 | TAD | 5 4 | 10 1 | 5 2 | | 5 3 | Small blue flash | C4 | TAD | 3 4 | 5 1 | 10 2 | | 5 3 | 4 seconds flash/glow | C5 | TAD | 10 4 | 2 1 | 10 2 | | 5 3 | 6 sec glow | C6 | TAD | 10 4 | 10 1 | 10 2 | | 10 3 | 24. sec glow | D1 | TAD | 10 4 | 10 2 | 10 1 | | 10 3 | | D2 | TAD | 10 4 | 3 1 | 10 2 | | 5 3 | Small flash | D3 | TAD | 5 3 | | 5 2 | | 5 1 | Small flash | D4 | TAD | 1 4 | 10 1 | 5 2 | | 1 3 | Flash | D5 | TAD | 2 1 | 10 2 | | | 10 3 | | D6 | TAD | 4 1 | 10 2 | | | 10 3 | | , Asterick ( * ) – stirred Highlighted – Order of placement into the cell wells. The tad of Luminol was the first in every trial. (D) – Drops Pink Highlighted Row: Best Trial of the Day Results of Day 2: Table 2:Trial | Luminol (mL) | Bleach (D) | DMSO (D) | H2O2 (D) | NaOH | Results | A1 | TAD | 10 4 | 10 1 | 10 3 | 10 2 | Quick glow – odor | A2 | 1 1 | 5 2 | | 5 3 | 5 2 | glow | A3 | 1 1 | 5 4 | 5 2 | 5 3 | | glow | A4 | 1 1 | 5 3 | | 10 2 | | glow | A5 | 1 3 | 5 4 | 5 2 | | 10 1 | glow | A6 | 1 1 | 5 3 | | | 5 2 | glow | B1 | 1 1 | 5 3 | | 5 2 | | * ! long glow | B2 | 1 1 | 5 4 | 5 2 | 5 3 | | * | B3 | 1 1 | 5 3 | 5 2 | | | *! 36 sec glow | B4 | 1 1 | 10 3 | 10 2 | | | *! 23 seconds | B5 | 1 1 | 5 3 | | 10 2 | | * Bright but shorter | B6 | 1 1 | 5 3 | 5 2 | | | *! | C1 | 1 1 | 5 4 | 10 2 | 2 3 | | *! | C2 | 1 1 | 5 3 | 20 2 | | | *! 29 Secs | C3 | 1 3 | 1 2 | 1 1 | | | *! | Chilled – *Stirred – ! Highlighted – Order of placement into the cell wells. The tad of Luminol was the first in every trial. – Drops Pink Highlighted Row: Best Trial of the Day Table 3: MSDS Chemical Name | Ingestion | Skin Contact | Disposal | Inhalation | Luminol | Loosen clothing, if not breathing perform mouth to mouth recessitation. Do not induce vomit. | Wash with lots of water. Cover skin with emollient. | Not Available | Rest. Ventilate Area, seek medical attention. | Bleach | Drink Water. Do not induce vomiting. | Wash skin with water for 15-20 minutes. | Containerize and use absorbants on liquid. | Remove, fresh air. DMSO | Loosen clothing, if not breathing perform mouth to mouth recessitation. Do not induce vomit. | Wash with soap and water. | Waste container. | Fresh air | Discussion: The best trial of the exper iement was on day two, trial B3. During that trial 1 mL cold Luminol was used and added to the cell well first, followed by five drops of DMSO, and five drops of bleach in that order. This was the best trial because it yielded the brightest and longest lasting glow compared to all of the others. On the trial before the same exact method was carried out except there was hydrogen peroxide in the mix also. In order to change things up, the peroxide was eliminated and that proved to be an effective tactic.It became blatently apparent that some of the chemicals were not needed entirely including the NaOH, and HCL. By the trial B6, on the second da,y the HCL had been eliminated. Hydrogen peroxide was never eliminated but it was noted as in trial B3 on the second day that the longest trial was performed without it. Many factors affected the results of each trial, some definitely more than others. For instance, for the entire first day, all trials were performed with the solid form of Lumin ol, and on the second day, starting with trial A2, the Luminol stock solution was used. As reflected in the table above, the stock solution created a much longer glow on average.To furthur amplify the Luminol's effect from trial B1 on day two, the Luminol stock solution was used in a chilled form which created the best results of both days as seen in trial B3. It also became apparent that stirring the chemicals helped maintain the glow longer per trial C2 on day two. Luminol was the only chemical that was chilled, all other chemicals remained room temperature. The order of chemicals was an important factor in creating chemiluminescence as well. During the beginning trials of the first day the best order to add the chemicals was not apparent, but by trial C4 one thing was certain, the luminol needed to be the first chemical placed in the well. In trial C3, when Luminol was added last, there was only a small blue flash with no lingering glow at all.Also, by the second day, it was real ized that the bleach was reacting with the Luminol and if the bleach was added last, the glow did not fizzle out as quickly such as in trial B4 on the second day, which had a 23 second glow, subsequently improving results on day two as opposed to the first day. After completeing much more in-depth research on the topic of chemiluminescence other checmicals had been foun, that if the experiment was done over would have been requested, such as copper nitrate, which would have significantly extended the length of the glow. Conclusion: Using 1mL of chilled Luminol stock solution, five drops of DMSO, and five drops of bleach, in that order and stirring at the end, the longest glow of 36 seconds was created as per trial B3 on day two. The bleach reacting with the Luminol gave a bright glow, and the DMSO aided in the length of time the trial glowed.

The Compromise of 1877 Set the Stage for Jim Crow Era

The Compromise of 1877 was one of a series of political compromises reached during the 19th century in an effort to hold the United States together peacefully. What made the Compromise of 1877 unique was that it took place after the Civil War and was thus an attempt to prevent a second outbreak of violence. The other compromises, the Missouri Compromise (1820), the Compromise of 1850  and the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854), all dealt with the issue of whether new states would be free or slave and were intended to avoid Civil War  over this volcanic issue. The Compromise of 1877 was also unusual as it was not reached after open debate in the U.S. Congress. It was primarily worked out behind the scenes and with virtually no written record. It arose out of a disputed presidential election that nevertheless was tinged with the old issues of North against South, this time involving the last three Southern states still controlled by Reconstruction-era Republican governments. Election of 1876: Tilden vs. Hayes The timing of the agreement was prompted by the presidential election of 1876  between Democrat Samuel B. Tilden, governor of New York, and Republican Rutherford B. Hayes, governor  of Ohio. When the votes were counted, Tilden led Hayes by one vote in the Electoral College. But the Republicans accused the Democrats of voter fraud, saying they intimidated African-American voters in three Southern states, Florida, Louisiana and South Carolina, and prevented them from voting, thus fraudulently handing the election to Tilden. Congress set up a bipartisan commission made up of five U.S. representatives, five senators and five Supreme Court justices, with a balance of eight Republicans and seven Democrats. They struck a deal: The Democrats agreed to allow Hayes to become president and to respect the political and civil rights of African-Americans if the Republicans would remove all remaining federal troops from Southern states. This effectively ended the era of Reconstruction in the South and consolidated Democratic control, which lasted until the mid-1960s, nearly a century. Segregation Takes Over the South Hayes kept his side of the bargain and removed all federal troops from Southern states within two months of his inauguration. But Southern Democrats reneged on their part of the deal. With the federal presence gone, disenfranchisement of African-American voters in the South became widespread and Southern states passed segregationist laws governing virtually all aspects of society -- called Jim Crow -- that remained intact until the Civil Rights Act of 1964, passed during the administration of President Lyndon B.Johnson. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 followed a year later, finally codifying into law the promises made by Southern Democrats in the Compromise of 1877.