...Dilemma of Philosophy Debates in Research Philosophy and research approach debates are timeworn and even in the present era, present a great deal of difficulty for the doctoral researcher. Students are often overwhelmed by research philosophy. The classifications of old are duplicated, expanded, and evolving interchangeably (Mkansi & Acheampong, 2012). In many cases the students of today cannot make a correlation with a particular method in order to make the method relative to the subject matter in which they are researching (Mkansi & Acheampong, 2012). The following philosophical classifications: quantitative, qualitative, epistemology, and ontology all have variances but do contain several interconnected qualities. Many in higher education perpetuate these philosophies. Could researchers and students benefit from a standardized and more structured template for conducting research? Should there be a different standard for the social sciences and another for natural sciences. According to a study conducted with PhD students in North West Universities in the UK, not only did students not completely comprehend philosophy and classifications, they did not find them necessary in finding their approach to their research method (Mkansi & Acheampong, 2012). Most found they were not partial to one philosophy or another based on personal beliefs but were influenced more by typical methods for their field of study and the opinions of their superiors (Mkansi & Acheampong...
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...Discourse on the Method of Rightly Conducting one’s Reason and Seeking Truth in the Sciences “A Personal Analysis World Cultures – HUM 112 November 11, 2012 In analysis of the Discourse on the Method, I come to realize Descartes thought pattern was a simple yet complex one in the beginning. He basically took the thoughts of others and put them into a reality that coincided with his own so people would have a better understanding of the things and/or situations of this life. Descartes’s thoughts in my opinion are like a non-believer of God and His word at some point in life and then entering into the fullness and knowledge of the faith and seeking to live a Christian life after receiving knowledge of God and His redeeming power. He at the end starting to realize and offer the reader a gift and an answer to what living life is all about, “God.” I felt it was a bit hard to understand his point of view in the beginning of the passage because he was speaking of the existence of life on one’s own and not by God the creator of life. It was as though he was saying he created himself and there was no God to create creation or life; that the existence of life was natural and a part of an earthly way of life. For an unbeliever it is hard to understand what to believe at first because of the notion that people place on the table that God is good and he has, is, and will always do great things for His people, yet no one has seen him face to face. Descartes offers us reasons...
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...How are scholars able to find out how early people with no written records lived? Scholars use several techniques in order to establish and conclude a portrayal of early people’s lives, before any written records. They simply rely on findings that were left behind. Tools, bones, graveyards, hunting equipment, as well as weapons, art on pottery or cave walls, are some of the prehistoric finds, to name a few. These findings, when examined can tell scholars a lot about peoples lifestyle pre-written records. For example, by examining bones, a scholar would determine if people were malnourished, or whether they knew how to take care of broken bones or used any healing methods. What was prehistoric society like around the Amazon? Populations from North American and Europe did not find the prehistoric Amazon population interesting. The cultural differences were too vast, as opposed to societies around the Amazon. The Amazonian people believed in coexisting with their gods and relied heavily on their dangerous environment. I suppose the Amazon was a threat to societies around it, since they had not developed an acquired set of skills to survive. What ensured European domination in the New World? The Europeans were able to dominate the New World, by having armies that would take over natives ground, and have their own people settle. They also were in advantage knowing how to trade, how to build weapons, which were made of steel, as opposed to native culture who used leather, wood...
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...Raymond Williams on Culture From "What is Culture", at http://www.wsu.edu:8001/vcwsu/commons/topics/culture/culture-definitions/raymond-williams.html Culture is ordinary: that is the first fact. Every human society has its own shape, its own purposes, its own meanings. Every human society expresses these, in institutions, and in arts and learning. The making of a society is the finding of common meanings and directions, and its growth is an active debate and amendment under the pressures of experience, contact, and discovery, writing themselves into the land. The growing society is there, yet it is also made and remade in every individual mind. The making of a mind is, first, the slow learning of shapes, purposes, and meanings, so that work, observation and communication are possible. Then, second, but equal in importance, is the testing of these in experience, the making of new observations, comparisons, and meanings. A culture has two aspects: the known meanings and directions, which its members are trained to; the new observations and meanings, which are offered and tested. These are the ordinary processes of human societies and human minds, and we see through them the nature of a culture: that it is always both traditional and creative; that it is both the most ordinary common meanings and the finest individual meanings. We use the word culture in these two senses: to mean a whole way of life--the common meanings; to mean the arts and learning--the special processes...
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...Defining the Humanities Defining the Humanities The humanities are past stories and events that help form our lives by looking back on how others lived and thought about life. The humanities are essential for understanding the past that is responsible for the creation of the present. The humanities are academic disciplines which study the human condition using methods that are largely analytic, critical, or speculative. This differs from academic disciplines which use an empirical approach in which evidence is gathered using the senses. The study of the human condition, the humanities cover areas such as art, music, architecture, philosophy, and literature. All other modes of human inquiry are about studying non-human subjects. If it does not encompass the human condition, it is not generally classified as humanities. Art Art has long been a means of expressing social or political ideas. Anselm Kiefer took art and brought it to an entirely new level by using his art to bring attention to national identity and collective memory. In the process his art began evolving to include occult symbolism, theology, and mysticism. All of his work shares a common theme of the trauma experienced by entire societies and the continual rebirth and renewal in life. Kiefer’s works are usually designed in a depressive and destructive style in large scale formats. He often uses photography in conjunction with earth and raw materials. Kiefer is known to include...
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...Kaplan Online University HU300: Arts and Humanities: 20th Century and Beyond Professor Lisa Dimitriadis Mr. Karl Gibson April 15, 2011 When I think of music and how it influences my life I come up with many different types to consider, and at various times. Music I associate with my childhood are various songs heard during family picnics, family gatherings, and times or events of this nature. I grew up as a child in the 1960’s and listened to what my parents were listening to. Songs like Finger Popping Time by Hank Ballard and the Midnighter’s, I got a Woman, Ray Charles, The Great Pretender, Sam Cooke and Think by Aretha Franklin, who is said to be the Queen of Soul. These songs were of good times, happy times, they made me feel that everything was well in the world, despite the horrific turmoil in the U.S. caused by the Vietnam War. I still look back at those times as some of the best times in America and my musical experiences. I think the music then reflect my childhood experiences of sensibility, freedom, fun and laughter. My adolescence year’s music seemed to change a bit in America as well as for me and what we listened to in our home, as well as on my own. I was never much of a rebel so I guess music in my adolescence years was more of a way for me to fit in. Songs in the late 70’s were changing over Woodstock was over as well as the whole Love & Peace movement. We were bringing troops home from Korea and the long dreaded Vietnam War was...
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...Corporate Culture, Environment, and Strategy The purpose of this article is to discuss the nature of a corporate culture in terms of the systems that are designed to support it. While it is true that cultures cannot be designed, the point we make is that the various control systems of the organization can work to shape through judicious reinforcement and feedback the desired attitudes and behaviors that are consistent with a particular strategic direction. The "culture" of the organization can therefore be defined as the emergent pattern of beliefs, behaviors, and interaction that uniquely characterize the organization as it operates within an industrial and a societal context. From a system perspective three levels can be distinguished from the start: (1) the societal level, (2) the industry level, and (3) the organizational level. Importance of culture in understanding behavior in different societies From this perspective, then, a "corporate culture" must necessarily be at least minimally consistent with the societal culture it is derived from. Societal exposure and heritage foster a labor force with a given value orientation, beliefs, and expectations about work and the work environment that are the "raw material" of corporate cultures. These points suggest that, in addition to societal culture, the specific industry a firm operates in is an important context for understanding corporate culture. While a complex array of internal dimensions affect...
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...Datoya Brown BIOL 703: Experimental Methods Biology January 29, 2014 “Preparing Graduate Students for Graduate-Level Study and Research” Summary The number of academically under prepared and at-risk college graduates completing graduate-level degrees is increasing. Many of the students are doomed to failure either because they are academically disqualified or because they lack the guidance to acquire new information necessary for involvement of their thesis and/or project. Ultimately the cost of losing students is worrisome to both university/college officials and program coordinators. One of the most common hindrances for graduate students is the completion of the thesis, which almost always involves complex reviews of subject area literature. This problem is often overlooked, since program coordinators, faculty advisors and other officials assume that students automatically have knowledge of procedures in obtaining previous data/research findings relevant to the thesis work. This could not be further from the truth. In lieu of reading this article for review Katherine O’Clair hypothesizes that providing graduate students with adequate resources and support, including the help from the library, is required for protecting and increasing return on investments for university graduate programs. Often, just simply involving a university/college librarian can help reduce graduate student attrition and improve degree completion rates. O’Clair had a simple question of, “does a course...
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...The collection of disciplines referred to as the Humanities are a broad set of academic principles essentially defined as “anything that isn’t an empirical science.” This includes the classics, languages, law, history, performing arts, literature, religion, philosophy, and visual arts. Some disciplines, such as anthropology and linguistics, are considered to be a part of both the humanities and the sciences (Anissimov, 2010). On September 29, 1965, the Senate and House of Representatives enacted the National Foundation on the Arts and Humanities Act of 1965 to promote progress and scholarship in the humanities and the arts in the United States as well as for other purposes (National Endowment for the Humanities, 2010). The purpose of this paper is to define the term humanities, distinguish the humanities from other modes of human inquiry and expression, and give an example of some of the humanities and explain why each example reflects current developments in politics, socioeconomics, and technology. In the Middle Ages, studies not centered on God were referred to as part of the humanities; therefore, early sciences and mathematics were part of the humanities. Today the sciences are completely separate and are divided into two main categories: Social sciences and natural sciences. Humanities differentiates itself from present-day sciences by following a non- scientific approach in that the scientific mode of inquiry, where the goal is to establish validated theories and scientific...
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...According to Fee and Stuart, “ Narratives are stories – purposeful stories retelling the historical events of the past that are intended to give meaning and direction for a given people in the present.”(P.90) The most common mistake made by readers is that they place themselves into the stories and expect to have the same meaning as those contained within the story. Another problem listed and referred to, as Decontextualizing is simply reading out of context. This is when readers don’t take into account the historical context to which the narrative was written. Allegorizing is being focused on the text itself but reading into and beyond the purposed meaning. Redefining a text to mean something else or making it apply to what one wants it to. Selectivity focus on phrases while ignoring others and miss the message entirely. Moralizing is believing that the answer to all is within the text. Fee and Stuarts point out that God is always the hero in all the narratives and that the narratives do not give all the details nor do they make clear if the ending of the story is a good or bad thing. The narratives are written to deal with very specific topic and issues (however they don’t just come out and say it). I have to say that I have over the course of my limited studies have fell victim to many of these problems. As for I’m sure many of us through our daily lives have been witnesses to those who have used the bible to explain themselves or to justify a cause. Which...
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...Music tells a story or paints a picture in your mind about the lives of others and shows how cultures are different and how the cultures have changed. There are many types of music that show how popular cultures have evolved. Many songs tell you stories about the artist’s life. Listening to music from different artists gives a person some perspective of what different cultures are. If one was to listen to some of the music from the fifties, sixties, and the decades since then, they will notice how popular cultures have grown and changed. Many people are also influenced by the music that they listen to. Music sets trends and influences how we dress, act, and respond to situations. If everyone acted like the songs that they listen to, there would be much, more violence in the world than there is now, and there would be lots more babies because of the music that is written about sex, there would be massive drug use because of the music about doing drugs. No matter what the songs are about there are some people who think they have to do what the music is telling them to do because it is the “cool” thing to do. Teenagers try to imitate the artists that they listen to and they want to be like them. Some will even go to extremes to be like the famous people that they admire. The different types of music show that there are many different types of popular culture and the differences may seem big, but in reality they are all closely related. Even though the words may be different...
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...Differences in Humanities and Other Modes of Human Inquiry University of Phoenix Lakesia Harris Professor Bovinet HUM/102- week 1 September 8th 2014 Differences in Humanities and Other Modes of Human Inquiry Define the term humanities. The definition of Humanities is described as the study of people processing and documenting, the human experience. Since humans have had the ability, we have utilized philosophy, literature, art, religion, history, language, and music to understand and record the world in which we live. The symbols of expression have become some of the subject matters that usually fall under the umbrella of humanities. Gaining knowledge of the records of human experiences, gives one the opportunity to feel a connection to those who came before our time, as well as the contemporaries. (Stanford Humanities). Distinguish the humanities from other modes of human inquiry and expression. Humanities are described as academic disciplines that study the human condition, by using methods that are largely analytic, speculative, or critical. It differs from others that utilize an empirical approach, or evidence or consequences that have the ability to be observed by senses. (Weegy.com). : List a current example of each type of the following humanities and explain why each example you give reflects current developments in politics, socioeconomics, and technology * Art-In today’s development in art it includes: “digitization and computerized/graphic arts...
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...Problem Definition A lot of mergers lead to culture clashes, but although there were differences between the cultural of MBNA and the culture of BOA which was seemed a recipe for disaster, it appears, judging from the reactions of BOA and MBNA employees, that the merger has worked. Justification for Problem Definition The primary factor preventing clashes is attributed to the way management handled cultural transitions. BOA had the foresight to know which MBNA practices to attempt to change, and which to keep in place. Especially critical was BOA's appreciation and respect for MBNA's culture. To try to manage the cultural transition, executives of both companies began by comparing thousands of practices cover¬ing everything from hiring to call-center operations. In many cases, BOA chose to keep MBNA's cultural practices in place. In other cases, BOA did impose its will on MBNA. For exam¬ple, because MBNA's pay rates were well above market, many MBNA managers were forced to swallow a steep pay cut. Some MBNA employees have left, but most have remained. In other cases, the cultures co-adapted. For example, MBNA's dress code was much more formal than BOA's business casual approach. In the end, a hybrid code was adopted, where business suits were expected in the credit-card division's corporate offices and in front of clients, but business causal was the norm otherwise. While most believe the merger has been successful, there are tensions. Some BOA managers see MBNA man¬agers...
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...The humanities are academic disciplines that study human culture, using methods that are primarily critical, or speculative, and have a significant historical element—as distinguished from the mainly empirical approaches of the natural sciences. The humanities include ancient and modern languages, literature, philosophy, religion, and visual and performing arts such as music and theatre. The humanities that are also sometimes regarded as social sciences include history, anthropology, area studies, communication studies, cultural studies, law and linguistics. Scholars in the humanities are sometimes described as humanists. However, that term also describes the philosophical position of humanism, which some "antihumanist" scholars in the humanities reject. Some secondary schools offer humanities classes, usually consisting of English literature, global studies, and art. Human disciplines like history, cultural anthropology, and psychoanalysis study subject matters the experimental method does not apply to—and instead mainly use the comparative method and comparative research. Branches of Humanities Languages - This particular branch of humanities consists of learning the way people communicate in different speaking countries. It brings a sense of culture to individuals as they are likely to be taught the various history and origins of the languages they learn. The arts - The arts consist of theater, music, art and film. They are all mediums of self expression and these courses...
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...Humanities Today Paper Marlon Chambers HUM/102 Jan 22, 2015 Nancy Erickson Humanities Today Paper In this paper, I will discuss humanities. I will differentiate between the humanities and other modes of human inquiry and expression. I shall list types of humanities and explain why each one gives reflects current developments in politics, socioeconomics, and technology. Colorado State University defines humanities as, “The branches of learning (such as philosophy or languages) that investigate human constructs and concerns, as opposed to natural processes. The humanities, such as classical and modern languages, literature, history, and philosophy, have the overall goal of the exploration and explanation of human experience.” Art has long been a means of expressing social or political ideas. Anselm Kiefer took art and brought it to an entirely new level by using his art to bring attention to national identity and collective memory. In the process his art began evolving to include occult symbolism, theology, and mysticism. All of his work shares a common theme of the trauma experienced by entire societies and the continual rebirth and renewal in life. Music defines periods of history as well as generations. It evolves with societies/cultures and tends to give people their identity. Music has a strong connection through celebration, remembrance, expression of emotions, and ministering to others. It allows the human race to connect to...
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