...Introduction to Sociology Paper Topic 1 Due: March 6, 2015 Opinion essays require a personal and argumentative approach to the given assignment. Once a personal opinion is stated, it becomes challenging for the writer to defend his/her argument that justifies their opinion. You will want to rely both on your views and external sources to support your opinion(s). Below are popular quotes by famous peoples. You are to write an opinion essay from one of the listed quotes. You will be graded on your ability to follow instructions and write a well-composed 2-3 paper. Winston Churchill 1. “We make a living by what we get but we make a life by what we give.” 2. “A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on.” 3. “You have enemies? Good. That means you’ve stood up.” John F. Kennedy 1. ”Efforts and courage are not enough without purpose and direction.” 2. “Once you say you're going to settle for second, that's what happens to you in life, I find.” 3. “Anyone who is honestly seeking a job and can't find it, deserves the attention of the United States government, and the people.” Malcolm X 1. “I don’t see an American Dream, I see an American Nightmare.” 2. “The media’s the most powerful entity on earth. They have the power to make the innocent guilty and to make the guilty innocent, and that is power.” 3. “America preaches integration and practices segregation.” Thomas Jefferson 1. “Banking...
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...citizens. He believed that the knowledge needed to make educated decisions was not easily accessible to the public, and even if it was, the general public was neither interested nor involved in the political process to give a strong opinion. Lippmann portrayed a government that was out of sight, reach, and therefore mind. Since the government may seem hidden or concealed, many fail to see the steps or processes that are involved in policy making. In turn, not being able to fully observe the governmental system would discourage citizens from believing that they are able to have any significant impact as an individual. The idea of not being able to witness or influence an issue in politics will consequently lead to the entire issue being tossed out as something pertinent to an individual, and he or she will not process the idea any further. Even if a person was interested in policy and sought out political truths, Lippmann believed that most citizens were incompetent and that it would be more logical to leave the important decisions not up to an average citizen, but instead an elected official or expert. John Dewey was a Philosopher, Psychologist, and subsequently a teacher. He believed that the lack of success or progress of the public opinion was not due to the incompetence of the citizens, but instead the lack of resources that were provided to the public. John Dewey, being the positive and hopeful person that he was, believed in the possibly of reform, through better education...
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...Opinion Essay: Facebook – Friend or Foe? Facebook is undoubtedly the best-known social networking website at the moment. Millions of people worldwide regularly use it to meet their friends online. They send messages, upload private pictures and tell their friends what they feel like via mood messages. However, more and more journalists and media experts are warning of the dangers of Facebook. Does Facebook improve our lives or is it the new version of “Big Brother”? Despite all the criticism, using Facebook certainly has many advantages. Firstly, it is a free website. That means that nobody has to pay for using it and everybody can join it. The terms of use guarantee this free service. Compared to other websites, Facebook is more trustable and safer, because it is one of the most famous social networking website. Secondly, Facebook enables you to stay in contact with other people. Users can quickly send messages, exchange an unlimited amount of pictures and can easily connect to people they have not seen for a long time. In addition to that, it does not matter if these people live far away or just around the corner. Everybody can be contacted within a few seconds. Thirdly, everybody can decide individually how much he or she wants to tell about him or herself. By adjusting the privacy settings, users can decide who can read which details about themselves. These are certainly highly positive sides about Facebook. However, using Facebook also has disadvantages. Firstly...
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...phones or even IPods. Sam and John are students at Flagship University who violated some basic principles of academic integrity in different ways. What should be the response for those students? Should they get the same response from their instructor according to the way they violated the rules? What are the punishments they should get upon this attitude? First of all, Sam is a first year student, he did well in high school and he expected to do the same in college, but when he started to write his projects and essays he was overwhelmed at the amount of work to complete. So using the same techniques he used at high school he started to browse the internet and go to library to take notes from books, but he forgot to write about from where did he took the information, so he tried his best to remember and write them and finally he submitted his papers. After two weeks he received a note from his professor saying that he was charged for an academic dishonesty. In my opinion, the institution should have responded to Sam describing what happened and why he was charged with academic dishonesty because I think he did not really meant to violate the rules by cheating or copying someone’s work as his work, he was just doing what he was taught at his school. In the other hand, Sam should have pay attention to his professor because he must have said that he should put some references in his paper. And I think Sam and the professor should talk and discuss what happened because after all Sam...
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...backfiring at various points through out his essay through studies and by giving real life examples. “Backfire,” is the key concept in his essay as he states that it means that any individual has his or her own opinions about certain things regardless of being right or wrong. He advances in saying that it is a phenomenon known as “a natural defense mechanism to avoid that cognitive dissonance.” Keohanes explains that in order for a something to “backfire,” an individual whose opinion about a fact is proven wrong he or she gets defensive and believes they’re even more right than they were before. An example he gives of this in his essay is when Keohane describes a situation in which a group of people were asked if they believed there were WMDs in Iraq. Of all those who answered that they believed there was WMDs in Iraq, would not accept that this was in fact a lie and instead believed that there WMDs were in Iraq even more; regardless of the correction. This situation proves the concept of “backfire,” because it demonstrates the idea that the more an individual has to defend their beliefs or opinions, the more they in turn believe it to be true. He implies that people naturally defend themselves and put up that wall is because of their ignorance. Further stating that, “most of us like to believe that our opinions have been formed over time by careful, rational consideration of facts and ideas, and that the decisions based on those opinions, therefore, have the ring of soundness...
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...Opinion The Problem of Exotic Pets Published: July 13, 2003 Over the past few months we've had several unfortunate reminders of the biological common ground we share with other species. The SARS virus probably crossed over from animals to humans in Guangdong Province in China. Humans got monkeypox from pet prairie dogs, which probably caught it, in turn, from an imported Gambian rat. Meanwhile, at the movies, there is ''28 Days Later,'' a horror film about a ''rage'' virus that passes swiftly and catastrophically from chimpanzees to humans. We can probably discount the dangers of a fast-acting horror-movie virus, but not the others. If nothing else, the emergence of SARS and the recent outbreak of monkeypox in the United States are reminders that the potential biological effects of globalization can be chilling. Ordinarily, prairie dogs, native to America, do not catch diseases from rats native to western and central Africa. And humans do not ordinarily catch diseases from prairie dogs. What made the chain of monkeypox infection possible were humans who keep wild animals -- prairie dogs and Gambian rats -- as pets. Although the federal government has now banned the distribution of prairie dogs and the importation of rodents from Africa, the monkeypox scare demonstrates how poorly regulated the ownership of and traffic in wild or exotic pets really are. A dozen states and some localities outlaw owning dangerous animals, and the federal government, as a signatory to the Convention...
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...Why is the crime rate higher in some countries (or in some cities) than in others? We know crime always happens in some countries or cities from news or other information, but why their people always violate the law? There are 193 countries and 772,605 cities in the world. Every country and every city has different policies and progress. So there are quite different levels and economic strength between all of the countries and cities. Why is a developed country’s crime rate lower than laggard country? What is the relationship between crime rate and a country’s development? The three main reasons that the crime rate is higher in some countries (or in some cities) than in others are the economic position of the areas, the security environment of the society, and the people’s quality of education. The first reason that affects the crime rate is economic position. There is a very simple question: why people want to rob and steal? And the answer is obvious. It is because they want money and they have no money; no rich people would rob or steal. If people’s countries or areas are developed and flourishing, they will need a lot of labor force, namely people, so every person would get a job and have salary. On the other hand, if a country is developed and rich, it will offer much welfare to the townspeople, so people will not take a risk of going to jail in order to make some money. This is the first reason why the crime rate is higher in some countries (or in some cities) than...
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...Judgement The statement I decided to disagree with was under "Judgement" and this statement said "If society believes a behavior or a belief is morally wrong, it is a good idea to adopt and not challenge that belief." I strongly disagree with that. I truthfully believe that if a person has a strong belief on something, they should stay with it. No matter what it is. I don't think anyone should have to change their belief(s) just to fit in with society. It's your belief, therefore anyone else's opinion should be irrelevant. A lot of times with beliefs, you won't be alone with them. There will usually be someone right there with you who believes the same thing or something close enough to your belief. The biggest example that I can think of has to do with sexuality. A lot of people believe it is wrong. A lot more people argued for a long time about gay/bi/lesbian couples getting married. Eventually, thankfully, enough people stood up for themselves. Even more importantly; their beliefs. It's truly amazing to see how people standing up- and enough of them at that- get what they believe. Standing up for yourself is hard. These people went through a lot of work, shame and social problems getting to where they are today. So on June 26, American finally took the first step and made gay marriage legal. Many people probably hate that day, for a number of reasons. But that's okay, cause they aren't involved in it and it isn't tampering with their own personal beliefs. Overall, I do not...
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...Matt Esquivel Mr. Chris Chandler English comp 1015 Essay 1 February 23, 2015 Online Anonymity There are many people who have been affected by online “trolling”. Trolling is the disruption of ones beliefs or actions on a subject of matter. Online anonymity has multiple types of behaviors that can really affect a persons life. Social media plays a crucial role in our every day lives. Some people rely on social media so much that they allow it to run their lives. It can only take one troll to make a users life miserable. Although online anonymity has a lot of negatives, it can be somewhat beneficial to users. It can allow the anonymous person to express his or her beliefs and opinions for everyone to see. Having said that, people don’t always use the privilege to speak anonymously. By allowing anonymity anyone can literally write whatever the user wants without any repercussions. Majority of the people are normally just being facetious when commenting on blogs just to get a rise out of some people and gain attention even if it may be negative attention. Cyber bullying can be very dangerous and illegal for the most circumstances poses as a threat. Threatening someone via online anonymously can still get the user in some trouble with the law. It is still considered assault or harassment on someone even when it is anonymous. Law enforcements have a way to track the anonymous attacks ...
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...Public Statements of Opinion The first amendment protects the right of people to have and share opinions. People speak their minds (unfortunately not always WITH their minds) knowing that the freedom of expressing their beliefs is there. The information gets published and it becomes available to the public through television, radio, internet, etc. and it ranges from sports outcomes to new gossip about the presidential election campaigns. The unfortunate part of all this is figuring out which opinions are worth taking in as reliable and valuable as this bulk of information comes from people from all over the world with different environments and issues that filter their views. Not everyone shares the same views and not all of the important information floating around will ever seem valuable, but people need to get their priorities straight and acknowledge what is really going on. The media is filled with random opinions of random people from random places and random backgrounds. So which ones do you trust? The people with the highest education can be reliable with technical facts, but what about personal views? Do you trust the opinion of a renowned physicist when he makes a comment about a “true” religion? Is a mathematician the best person to comment about how abortion is wrong and that it should be illegal? You have the right to creating your own views and choosing to not believe any other opinions. Everyone is allowed an opinion and the fact that the...
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...Some people say that the Internet provides people with a lot of valuable information. Others think access to so much information creates problems. Which view do you agree with? Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion. There is no doubt that the Internet is one of the greatest humankind's inventions of the last century. It is fast and easy way to get a lot of valuable information. However, some people believe that the Internet creates many problems. From my point of view I think that the Internet brings us advantages as well as disadvantages. First of all, I think that the Internet brings us many benefits. People can have access to the latest news, weather, traffic, bid-and-asked quotations, etc. Another important benefit is that the Internet is a great means of communication. A few years ago it was rather difficult to imagine that it would be possible to communicate with people from all around the world. Students have the opportunity to speak to the professors from prestigious universities, ask their opinions and extend their range of interests. People have the opportunity to communicate with the people from other countries, find out their customs, traditions and even visit each other. I think that the Internet makes our world smaller and friendlier. We' ve got the chance to learn more about the world's history, our forefathers and gain more knowledge. From the other hand, many questions and difficulties arose with the appearance of the Internet. For example...
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...MGMT 591 11/9/2014 Case Study: Building a Coalition Dr. Anne Hallcom Case Study: Building a Coalition for Woodson Foundation The Woodson Foundation, a large nonprofit social service agency, is teaming up with the public school system in Washington, D.C, to improve student outcomes. It appears the schools have problems with truancy, low student performance and crime. The teachers are discouraged to help students due to the disrespect and behavioral issues in the classroom. The turnover rate for the best teachers is high, they tend to leave and go to schools that aren’t as troubled (629). Part 1: Group Development The organization has five stages of group development. In the forming stage they have identified that there is a problem, now the plan is how to drive results. The first stage is bringing the plan forward and forming an executive development team. The team will consist of an HR representative from Woodson, the schools, and the NCPIE. This team’s responsibility is developing an operating plan for improving school performance. It is expected that representatives from both teams participate. Once this stage is finalized they can move on to the storming stage. The storming stage will consist of conflicts. This is an aggressive way to get to know each other a little better. Once the team has gotten over differences they start the norming stage. In this stage they realized although they have differences they still share things in common. The cohesiveness is...
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...In a world where teenagers are often cast aside as rebellious, disrespectful people who can’t do anything beneficial, media seems like the one place that we’re heard. Our generation lives in the age of technology and the avenues through which our opinions can be expressed are becoming greater each and every day. The media is one of the most influential ways to make a difference, and there truly is a way for everyone to express their feelings. There’s art, literature, videos, photography, giving each person a way to be artistically heard. Media gives an individual who may feel like a speck in the world, a bullhorn so they can be heard by millions. Media doesn’t just reach to the people who it was originally directed to, it can reach to many different groups of people and eventually the world, making it an empowering way for your opinion to be heard. It seems like whenever there is a political debate or the news is on, issues regarding schools are constantly brought up. School reform is something that our government is always trying to regulate, but are these politicians always the best qualified to make the decisions about schools? Students are never asked their opinions on the reforms and laws that are directly impacting their education and consequently their lives. Documentaries are frequently made regarding issues in schools, but they are from the point of view of people not directly involved in the issue, giving it an outside clear view on what the issue truly...
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...use this system to see where they all stand on the verdict. The old man decides to state his individuality because these factors: his beliefs, values and morals. This man has a belief that you cannot just send a young man off to possibly die without having talked about it first. He also made this decision based on the context on the situation. He knew some of the people in the room would be too scared to voice their own opinion. Others people’s belief though in the room are not in the right place. Some are more worried about a baseball game or money. Others are basing some things off their background such as the one of the other older gentlemen and his issues with his children. Their background experiences all reflect their actions and attitudes during the whole movie. This was also due to the perception of the situation they were in. Their attitudes and values were also a big influence on them during the movie. The old man that first voted not guilty was definitely a leader. He also had very high self-esteem because he was not afraid to voice his opinion. Many people went through intrapersonal communication during the movie, because of the examples and flaws the old man was sending to them to receive. Throughout the whole movie there is a lot of interaction between most of the characters that are strong from the beginning. One man, after another vote, changed his decision...
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...Initiator/Contributor Contributes ideas and suggestions; proposes solutions and decisions; proposes new ideas or states old ideas in a novel fashion. 2. Information Seeker Asks for clarification of comments in terms of their factual adequacy; asks for information or facts relevant to the problem; suggests information is needed before making decisions. 3. Information Giver Offers facts or generalizations that may relate to the group’s task. 4. Opinion Seeker Asks for clarification of opinions made by other members of the group and asks how people in the group feel. 5. Opinion Giver States beliefs or opinions having to do with suggestions made; indicates what the group’s attitude should be. 6. Elaborator/Clarifier Elaborates ideas and other contributions; offers rationales for suggestions; tries to deduce how an idea or suggestion would work if adopted by the group. 7. Coordinator Clarifies the relationships among information, opinions, and ideas or suggests an integration of the information, opinions, and ideas of subgroups. 8. Diagnostician Indicates what the problems are. 9. Orienter/Summarizer Summarizes what has taken place; points out departures from agreed-on goals; tries to bring the group back to the central issues; raises questions about the direction in which the group is heading. 10. Energizer Prods the group to action. 11. Procedure Developer Handles routine tasks such as seating arrangements, obtaining...
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