Black People and Affirmative Action Essay Example for Free

Black People and Affirmative Action Essay Please be advised that Assignment One on the printed Tutorial Letter 101/3/2013 on pages 12 14 has a number of both typographical and numerical mistakes. This happened as a result of a number of factors: the initial assignment reading was too costly for the Department to commission in terms of copyright and had to be retracted at the last minute. The reading on Affirmative Action: a losing battle? was then included but with an almost impossible deadline, which resulted in the errors reflected therein. This is regrettable and we apologise for any inconvenience this might have cost you. The corrected version of the assignment is on page 3 and is attached to this TL and again on my UNISA for your convenience. The marks are out of 100 marks 50 for Section A and 50 marks for Section B. NB: Please note that the due date has not changed in any way (4 March 2013). 2 ENN103F/102 8. 4. 1. FIRST SEMESTER ASSIGNMENTS The purpose of this assignment is to teach you how to read an article and to critically engage in academic reading and reflecting on the material in an academic manner by answering the short paragraph questions provided as well as an essay. Assignment 01 will be marked fairly fully and sent back to you. Affirmative action: a losing battle? There are considerable reasons to suppose that this topic, which affects all citizens of South Africa, in particular, seems dated. In some instances it is a policy viewed with hostility as it is said to discriminate against sections of the population, yet in others it is seen as beneficial to women, black people and the disabled. Studies show that in many instances this form of historical redress has proven a hindrance to performance and makes the beneficiaries doubt their abilities when viewed by their superiors. This has a negative effect on an organization since the quality of work is seen as being sub-standard. Equally, there are significant indicators, both in industry and the private sector, that the opening up of previously closed avenues through the policy of affirmative action made companies perform better since the beneficiaries of such workplace selection viewed their work as a challenge. Where beneficiaries claim stigmatization by such a selection process, it means they prefer not to have been selected through such efforts. Either way, the battle seems to go on and on. In the light of this ongoing and divisive debate, the level of debate regarding the policy has not progressed further since comparative studies of the policy have not been seriously undertaken. There has been no systematic study of the developments in how the policy actually proves beneficial as a tool of redress. Part of the reason is that, firstly, there is a lack of monitoring of what goes on in organizations, and secondly, that the regulations are not strictly enforced. For instance, companies will usually ‘front’ a black person, a woman or a disabled person, as a chief executive officer and leave the matter of compliance as a secondary issue. Rarely do such companies face serious consequences even if they do business with the government. The question then is whether a time limit should be placed on the policy and Act or whether it should be declared unconstitutional. Consideration has not been taken, for instance, of measures used in other countries to actively promote privilege. Very few advocacy groups ever mention the Naturalization Act of 1790, the Homestead Act of 1862 or even the Federal Housing Administration Loan Program of the 1930s used by the government of the United States of America to promote racial preference; or that such Acts were also used as models for other racially divided societies. Advocacy groups for and against the policy and Act have routinely made it a point that the policy is unsettling, needless and discriminatory, on the one hand, while others argue forcefully that the amelioration of past injustices justifies its implementation. Whichever side is on the ascendancy cannot take the other side’s viewpoint, and in the end the past divisions are set to continue. 3 SECTION A: Short questions Answer the following questions in short paragraphs. Please note that each question will be marked out of 10 marks: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Is the affirmative action policy morally defensible? Explain. In your opinion, which country has successfully implemented the policy of affirmative action and why did it succeed? In your view, why did the South African government choose to implement the Affirmative Action policy and Act, and was it ever justifiable? Does the policy need to be discontinued after a certain length of time, and why? In your opinion, why is it that people from a different racial group are unemployable in certain sectors of the economy and not in others? [10 X 5 = 50] SECTION B: Essay Write an essay of approximately one and a half page on either of the questions below. Please note that each essay will be marked out of 50 marks: 1) Do you think cultivating an equal opportunity society has helped countries such as South Africa and America to move forward? In a carefully worded essay, show why this is the case or why it is not. OR 2) To what extent do you consider such a policy and act relevant to the needs of any society today? [50 marks] Best wishes The ENN103F Team 4.

Home Schools V.S. Public Schools Essay -- Education Learning Papers

Home Schools V.S. Public Schools How would your life be different if you were home schooled? Perhaps you were. If not though, do you think that you would be on the same academic path that you are on now? In the case of Evenstar Perez, it made her life very different. Evenstar started out going to a public school from first grade through fifth, but it wasn’t until she entered into sixth grade that she began to be home schooled. Evenstar mentioned, â€Å"At first the transition was difficult because I was so used to the public schools system of doing things, but later I became better adapted.† When asked what advantages she felt she gained from her home school experience, Evenstar replied, â€Å"A lot.† She then went on to explain how she got ahead of students her age at public schools; â€Å"I got way ahead in my math classes. While most students in my grade at public schools were taking algebra, I was taking geometry.† Evenstar had the ability to experience both a public school a nd home school educational experience and stated that the home school experience allowed for more personal time and individual attention. She explained, â€Å"There is more time to study, you can work at your own pace, and you can get more done in the home school environment.† It becomes clear through talking with Evenstar that home schooling had a positive impact on her life. Presently in America, there are 1.5 million students who participate in home schooling. This amount constitutes for about 2.8% of all of the students that do not attend either a private or public school for the grades K-12 (Cai 1). It has been, and continues today, to be an ongoing debate over whether home schooling or public schooling offers a better education for a student. Ther... ... (2002): 1-15. Cartland, Jenifer, Ruch Ross, Holly S. Henry, and David B. Adolescence. â€Å"Feeling At Home In One’s School: A First Look At A New Measure.† Academic Search Premier. 38 (2003): 1-12. Eley, Mark G. â€Å"Making the Home School Connection.† Academic Search Premier. 59 (2002): 1-3. Raver, Cybele C. â€Å"Young Children’s Emotional Development and School Readiness.† Department of Education. (2003): 1-6. Ray, Brian D. â€Å"Customization Through Home Schooling.† Educational Leadership. 59 (2002): 1-6. Rivero, Lisa. â€Å"Progressive Digressions: Home Schooling For Self Actulization.† Roeper Review. 24 (2002): 1-12. Ryan, Kevin, and James M. Cooper. Those Who Can, Teach. Boston: Houghton Miflin Company, 2004. Sheehan, Michele. â€Å"Dancing With Monica: Personal Perceptions of a Home School Mom.† Roeper Review. 24 (2002): 1-11. Home Schools V.S. Public Schools Essay -- Education Learning Papers Home Schools V.S. Public Schools How would your life be different if you were home schooled? Perhaps you were. If not though, do you think that you would be on the same academic path that you are on now? In the case of Evenstar Perez, it made her life very different. Evenstar started out going to a public school from first grade through fifth, but it wasn’t until she entered into sixth grade that she began to be home schooled. Evenstar mentioned, â€Å"At first the transition was difficult because I was so used to the public schools system of doing things, but later I became better adapted.† When asked what advantages she felt she gained from her home school experience, Evenstar replied, â€Å"A lot.† She then went on to explain how she got ahead of students her age at public schools; â€Å"I got way ahead in my math classes. While most students in my grade at public schools were taking algebra, I was taking geometry.† Evenstar had the ability to experience both a public school a nd home school educational experience and stated that the home school experience allowed for more personal time and individual attention. She explained, â€Å"There is more time to study, you can work at your own pace, and you can get more done in the home school environment.† It becomes clear through talking with Evenstar that home schooling had a positive impact on her life. Presently in America, there are 1.5 million students who participate in home schooling. This amount constitutes for about 2.8% of all of the students that do not attend either a private or public school for the grades K-12 (Cai 1). It has been, and continues today, to be an ongoing debate over whether home schooling or public schooling offers a better education for a student. Ther... ... (2002): 1-15. Cartland, Jenifer, Ruch Ross, Holly S. Henry, and David B. Adolescence. â€Å"Feeling At Home In One’s School: A First Look At A New Measure.† Academic Search Premier. 38 (2003): 1-12. Eley, Mark G. â€Å"Making the Home School Connection.† Academic Search Premier. 59 (2002): 1-3. Raver, Cybele C. â€Å"Young Children’s Emotional Development and School Readiness.† Department of Education. (2003): 1-6. Ray, Brian D. â€Å"Customization Through Home Schooling.† Educational Leadership. 59 (2002): 1-6. Rivero, Lisa. â€Å"Progressive Digressions: Home Schooling For Self Actulization.† Roeper Review. 24 (2002): 1-12. Ryan, Kevin, and James M. Cooper. Those Who Can, Teach. Boston: Houghton Miflin Company, 2004. Sheehan, Michele. â€Å"Dancing With Monica: Personal Perceptions of a Home School Mom.† Roeper Review. 24 (2002): 1-11.

12 Angry Men: Review 3

In the beginning of 12 Angry Men, they clarify that they had sat through six days of court listening to the case, and were now ready to decide the verdict. After those six days of hearing believed conclusive evidence and no defense from the plaintiff, it seemed to be an assured decision. When I researched on what exactly happens in the Jury Room it said: The first motion of business in a jury room is to select one of the jurors as a foreman. He or she leads the discussion and tries to encourage everyone to join in the discussion.Every juror should have input. The purpose of these deliberations is to have a robust, uninhibited discussion which will lead to a calm, unbiased reasoning. With that being understood, it helped me comprehend and get more of a grasp on what the climate the jury room should have. As we saw in the movie, the jurors entered the room and none of them seemed eager or looked like they had the motivation to sit there and converse. What make’s matter worse was the scorching heat with no air conditioning.They were locked inside a small room with 12 other men; one was sick, and almost all of them were smoking. Absolutely nobody wanted to be there, so the climate is completely negative to begin with. Climate is defined as the atmosphere or environment within a group and is experienced by all members of the group. It materializes and is impacted by communication and can either be supportive or defensive. The frame of mind is set by the irritated baseball fan who tells everyone he has a game to get to and makes it clear that this case has an unambiguous verdict.With this sort of nonverbal confidence he is showing in his decision, it provides confirmation to the jurors in the room that there is nothing significant to discuss. The only thing established is the fact that the jurors have already made up their mind about the boy being guilty without any discussion. To start the jurors meeting, they decided to take a vote of how many feel the boy i s guilty and how many do not. Fortunately for the boy being tried as guilty, there was one juror, Henry Fonda; that had a reasonable doubt about the case and stood against the others.It wasn’t that he had already a made a decision on the verdict; it was that he felt he couldn’t vote guilty and send a man to die until he at least talked about it. The climate in the room became exceptionally negative because they all thought they were going to be able to go home but Fonda stopped them from doing so by not voting guilty. One man wouldn’t stop yelling and others were taking his side making the environment in the room a bit hostile. Fonda was willing to face the ridicule of eleven angry men.He challenged every juror to effectively tell him why they are voting guilty, which promoted deliberation. By standing up to all of the others, he gradually began to gain respect from some of the other jurors who were now ready to hear what he actually had to say. Without being na med the jury foreman, Fonda turned the broken juror room into a proper and productive room. In my opinion, this was a fine demonstration of leadership. When they decided to take turns around the table putting their two cents in, Fonda sat there and listened.Instead of arguing for the sake of not guilty, he simply let the other jurors elaborate on some of the main facts they had in the case, which often became major points of speculation. Just by listening, Fonda was able to hear everyone’s arguments and the other jurors themselves started to second guess themselves because what they believed were based on wrongful facts. When they started discussing more and more about a particular fact or certain evidence, the smaller details became inconclusive. Without listening, none of what they had found out by speculating the facts, wouldn’t have unfolded the way it did.It was from there, they started developing cohesiveness and the jurors started opening their minds and explori ng all of the other possibilities. As they kept their discussions and expatiated on the facts that they can all relate to, clues about the case started to become clear. They started to listen to one another, realizing it was necessary to hear each other’s incite, and they finally began to support each other’s views. This is a perfect illustration of groupthink, which is where group members try to cut down on any sort of conflict by not evaluating, scrutinizing, or arguing with other people’s ideas.However, they had a conflict with one of the jurors. There was no intention throughout the entire movie that this was going to switch his vote because he had personal ties from a family feud he was portraying. He had told us that in the beginning of the movie that he got into a fist fight with his 16 year old son and hasn’t seen him in two years. Once everyone was on the same page, convincing this man to vote not guilty became the name of the gamehttp://www. ala meda. courts. ca. gov/courts/jury/procedure. shtml

Analysis Hard Times by Charles Dickens - 1807 Words

Hard Times as a Social Commentary with Parallels in the Modern Era The novel Hard Times by Charles Dickens is clearly an incitement of the economic and social burden associated with economic and social disparity. The work is set in a small fictional mill town, Coketown, where the challenges of the newly emerging industrial revolution were fundamentally being set at the footsteps of the poor, who had little if any opportunity for upward mobility. During this period the alternatives for those with little money in the way of work were very few and most tasks were menial, dark and difficult. The challenges seen in this work, probably more than any other written by Dickens reflect his own experience as a child laborer during a period of economic unrest in his own family, when he was forced to work at a Blacking Warehouse, pasting labels on bottles with other child laborers in London after his father was arrested and placed in debtors prison. (Hawes 10) Dickens through this experience was given a stark reality check with regard to the life of the poor. Fr om this knowledge Dickens seems to have never really stepped away from this concern and in some way details this social and economic reality in all his works (Clausson 157). Without the economic means there was really no way for the poor to move out of the challenges of poverty as every type of vocational or even classical education costs far more than one could earn as a laborer. As is seen in his other works as well, withoutShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Hard Times By Charles Dickens875 Words   |  4 PagesAntoine Wood Dr. Dolata ENG-460 16 Jan. 2016 In Hard Times one Carefully Observes the Idea of Change and can Incorporate Different Morals as They Coincide and Transcend Today In the story of Hard Times written by Charles Dickens one can clearly tell that the story is set during a time when many believed in stressing the importance of strict disciplinary actions. The story kicks concerning the idea of facts. Within the text one can notice the idea of a few things: the nature of learning, common knowledgeRead MoreAnalysis of the Credibility of Characters in Charles Dickens Hard Times1512 Words   |  7 PagesAnalysis of the Credibility of Characters in Charles Dickens Hard Times Hard times was written in 1854 by Charles Dickens. Dickens was a prominent Victorian novelist who wrote about the society that surrounded him. He was educated and middle-class but had some sympathy with the way poor people were treated. He was critical of utilitarianism and felt that those in power showed little understanding of the poor. His sympathy with the poor stemmed from his childhood andRead MoreAnalysis of Why Fact and Fancy Are Both Necessary in Charles Dickens Hard Times1362 Words   |  6 PagesAnalysis of Why Fact and Fancy Are Both Necessary in Charles Dickens Hard Times Fact and Fancy in Hard Times Coketown is a monotonous town of machinery and tall chimneys. 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On Liberty by John Stuart Mill In his work On Liberty, Mill starts from historical facts, analysing facts using his reasons and getsRead MoreVictorian Schools Using Hard Times And Jane Eyre916 Words   |  4 PagesUnfair Treatment (An analysis of Victorian schools using Hard Times and Jane Eyre) The Victorian Era was a time of much turmoil. Through the reign of Queen Victoria there were many aspects of society that took a standstill and some may say, declined. Education is a tremendous example of the stand still in the British society, showing the negative approaches to teaching. Preston Barker wrote about the conditions of victorian schools explaining, â€Å"Children soon learnt to do what the teacher asked, otherwiseRead MoreGreat Expectations1707 Words   |  7 Pagesthe rest of the animal kingdom. The underlining theme of human nature is evident in Great Expectation by Charles Dickens use of his characters. A main characteristic that Dickens displays is friendship. The friendship between Pip and Herbert is strong. Herbert was significant to Pip’s growth in social class and eventual to his revelation. â€Å"Friendship was one of the human characteristics Dickens enjoyed†¦by associating fellowship with good characters and deeds, he made it known that he admires friendshipRead MoreCharles Dickens Utilitarianism Analysis996 Words   |  4 PagesUtilitarianism and Charles Dickens - The Analysis of Impact of Utilitarianism in Hard Times towards Humanity The utilitarianism, is one of the ethical theory genres which greatly affects the western and even world’s development of philosophy. Its originality can be traced back to ancient Greece Democritus and Epicurean Hedonism theory. Jeremy Bentham is considered to be the founder of the utilitarianism theory during the latter half through 18th century in England. 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Generally, people during the Victorian Era were not allowed to talk about things such as sex and crime, and had to live by strict social rules set by society. With the social disparitiesRead MoreSandwich Factory1688 Words   |  7 Pagesmany - a crowd of insignificant people. This assignment will begin with an analysis and interpretation of the short story â€Å"The Sandwich Factory† by Jason Kennedy. To put the story into perspective the assignment includes a discussion of the text, â€Å"Nice work† by David Lodge and the picture, â€Å"Relativity† by M.C. Escher. The assignment ends with a short essay about the description of Coketown in Charles Dickens’ novel â€Å"Hard Times†. A: The short story, â€Å"The Sandwich Factory† by Jason Kennedy from 2007