Kinship, ritual , gender FINAL ANTHROPHOLOGY ESSAY

Kinship, ritual , gender FINAL ANTHROPHOLOGY - Essay Example seen the extent of shrinking (if any) of the specific, and why not crucial, role that they have played in forming and supporting the stability of those communities, and societies in question, in the context of the global social change. The paper argues that due to the more and more accelerating process of global culture change, driven by the steadily increasing contact between cultures and societies worldwide (whose first timid steps could be sought at some point in the distant Middle Ages), more or less, all existing societies have been heavily influenced in the sense of altering social dynamics and promoting new cultural models. This paper argues as well, that the phenomenon of cultural diffusion, first conceptualized by the influential American anthropologist Alfred L. Kroeber and fueled by the patterns of change for the world in the last several decades, is drifting the contemporary civilization toward creation of a global multicultural society with its own universal cultural form and content, including a new set of appropriate rituals, but also containing the traditional cultural patterns of its constituent communities. Given the aforesaid, the paper advocates the idea that the traditional tribal or religion- born rituals, in particular those with initiation meaning and function, though inevitably affected by the social shifts, will keep on playing an important role not just as an indicator of affiliation to a particular community, but also as a structurally bracing part of any community’s organism. Since the very dawn of the simplest human societies, even before the earliest civilizations to emerge, the rituals had taken up an immense room within the core and foundation of each of those societies. This is especially true for a particular class of rituals, which pervasively attend throughout the whole life cycle of an individual - male or female; named, analyzed and characterized for the first time by Arnold van Gennep as ‘rites of passage’- in his

The Effects of Global Warming Will Be Beneficial Essay Example for Free

The Effects of Global Warming Will Be Beneficial Essay Even if the consensus is the Earth’s temperature is warming, it is not barren of some advantages and benefits. The first benefit is warm weather is always preferred than cold weather as there are numerous proofs to it. The fact that people from the North flock to regions that are warmer whenever they get the opportunity could attest to that. It is not only that more than 50 percent of retirees would prefer to move to warmer regions when they retire. Warmer weather is also good for the health, not to mention it brings down some of cold related deaths in some regions, although excessive heat also had proven to be deadly since many people could die from it. There is enough finding that people remain healthy in the warmer seasons, whereby in the US alone the medical cost could come down by as much as $20 billion every year if the temperature gets warmer. In the US alone there are close to 40,000 deaths related to cold weather, whereas in Britain that number is between 20,000 and 40,000. According to some findings, that number could rise by 8,000 for every 1 degree Celsius the temperature goes down. On the other hand, the number of causalities could only rise by 2000 since humans can better adapt to heat and could rely on cooling systems. When it comes to the economy there is a strongly held belief that global warming could affect it adversely, although Fred Singer in his book ‘The Impact of Climate Change† had shown that a moderate warming could have a positive impact on agriculture and forestry. The obvious reason for that is plants use carbon dioxide to help them capture and store energy, which means more carbon dioxide in the atmospheres is good for plants. It could also serve as a fertilizer as the amount in the atmosphere rises, the reason why those who are running greenhouses pump carbon dioxide in the closed environment and the result had been much higher food production. Another economic boost cited is the coming into existence of trade routes will be possible when the warm temperature melts the ice in regions such as Alaska. The Bering Strait was an example cited and compared it to Suez Canal in transforming the area inhabitants by introducing tax revenue and a boost on tourism. It will also cut down travel time between the major continents by at least one-third. Another area that might get a boost is the population of kalamari that might see a 20 percent increase. Whatever the outcome will be there is evidence that the creatures react positively to warmer weather where not only their quantity but also their size could grow. Other areas that will be benefited if the temperature rises are regions where there is snow in the winter and if the warm temperature brings down the amount of snow that falls down the roads will be much safer to drive as there are many accidents reported on a yearly basis that are related to heavy snow fall. Snow shoveling itself has a serious side effect for those who have heart condition and less snow and warmer weather would mean fewer heart attacks. Heating bills could also come down unless cooling bills replace them, which is unlikely. People spend a lot of money on winter gears and some of that money could find other use. One area that will be benefited from warmer weather is public transportation where air, road, and rail transportation would be benefited from a warmer weather and according to Department of Energy it might possible to save as much as $12 billion each year. Another benefit is if the warmer weather really comes to stay it would automatically mean more land for farming especially at the polar regions since there are large tracks of lands located in the region that are inhospitable for people because of the ice and the harsh weather. It is possible to go further and mention that croplands have a more cooling capacity when compared to the dark green leaves of the forest that absorb more heat and do not evaporate cooling moisture into the atmosphere. This by itself would have a positive effect on global warming since it brings it down. Another benefit is there is enough proof that the Earth has become more greener since the global warming took effect simply because carbon dioxide is good for plants since they can use it as a fertilizer too. It is not only that, when the weather is warmer it will extend the growing season, diminishes frosts, and there will be more precipitation. The benefit could still go much further by availing advantage to the forestry and recreation, as the weather would become more accommodating. There is also a proof that extracting natural resources in a warm weather is much easier. All this would lead to an economic growth of any country, especially for countries such as the US that could realize growth on their GDP. Overall, a considerable amount of benefit is derivable from global warming or from a warmer temperature (7). Global Warming Is not a Threat to the Polar Ice It is possible to surmise that global warming is not a threat to polar ice simply because except for observation made by the so-called prominent scientists whose number could reach 300 and are from various countries, there is no hard evidence that shows that the polar ice is affected by the current temperature change. The current temperature change itself for the most part is the outcome of observation and computer simulation. It is not complete or not yet scientifically proven. However, those who are in a position of decision-making are under pressure from various sources to look into the matter so that any kind of future disaster could be avertable. What the recent finding indicates is there is a possibility that the Polar Regions are warming faster than the other regions on Earth and this has led to the belief that the ice covering the region is thinning. The estimate is if there is no measure taken, it could disappear as 2100 approaches. Nevertheless, there had been recorded proofs that the Polar Regions had been much warmer than today and these hot temperatures occurred between 1937 and 1938 years that were early for the greenhouse gases, whose elevated use started after the Second World War. There are records showing the Polar Regions were warmer as much as twice as they are today between 1917 and 1937 revealing that even in the absence of an elevated use of greenhouse gases these regions were getting warmer than they were in the last 20 years. The records show some kind of cooling took place after the 1940s and it was around the late 1970s there was a sudden warming in the Polar Regions, especially in the Arctic region, but additional warming did not occur ever since. Accordingly, what could be causing the shift in temperature could be factors other than the global warming caused by greenhouse gases. One suspected cause is a shift in the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) at around the end of 1970s. PDO is â€Å"a long-lived El Nino-like pattern of Pacific climate variability†. There are other identified oscillations that have similar effect on the weather of the North Pole, one of them is the Arctic Oscillation, and the other one is the North Atlantic Oscillation. These oscillations are spinning ring of air occurring in the Polar Regions believed to be responsible for the warmer air. This assumption leads to the fact that it is such naturally occurring winds that are causing the warm air instead of the greenhouse gas effect; the target to be responsible for causing the warm temperature that is responsible for melting the ice caps of the Polar Regions (8). The other interesting point is the time it takes to melt the polar ice, which would take centuries even if the climate get much warmer than it is now showing that it is not an immediate worry. At the same time since it is difficult to predict what will take place in the climate changing pattern in the future it is not possible to say that the currently reported global warming will cause a considerable damage to the polar caps. Because if the ice cap in Greenland area alone completely melts it is possible that the sea level could rise by seven meters and the resulting flood could claim many regions. Another interesting aspect is the temperature around regions such Greenland had been falling by 2. 2 degrees Celsius since 1987. That significant decline will whittle any worry that the current global warming whose existence not yet fully proven could pose a threat. The global warming still lacks scientific proof except in computer simulation and some observations. By doing so, scientists were able to observe some ice sheets falling into the sea raising the alarm that such incidents could take place in a large scale, but till now that had not been the case. Hence, if there is concern it is that the rate of such calamities could rise unless there is some measure in the meantime, the reason why the Koyto Protocol had come into existence. When it comes to the Antarctic, the findings are not clear even if it is possible to say that the temperature might have risen by 2. 5 degree Celsius in the last 50 years. One good measurement used was the population of Antarctic kramalli where there is a conflicting report where there are sources claiming that the population had declined by up to 90 percent. If that is not the case it would be an indication that the reported temperature rise is not real simply because the karamalli population thrives in a warmer temperature, hence the 2. 5 degree Celsius rise might not be substantiated. The reality might have been that there had been an increase in the winter sea ice starting around 1979. However, since the existing area is not equal to the amount of land covered before the declining years before 1970s, the reality is there was a decline in the ice sea that started much earlier than the current global warming, ascertaining that what is termed as global warming is not affecting the ice in the Polar Regions. What this leads to is the computer simulations the scientists are dependant upon are not correct except that they can draw some kind of pictures relying on the kind of information they are fed, which could be correct or wrong. That has led climatologist from MIT to conclude that from what everyone is getting from the simulation, there is no indication that shows the Polar Regions are warming. Some researchers had indicated in their findings that the Arctic region could be warming at 0. 39 degrees Celsius rate per decade, whereas the Antarctic is getting cold by 0. 12 degree Celsius revealing that the polar caps are not threatened by the declared current global warming, except that those who are doing the observations were alarmed when they saw a few sizeable ice sheets washing into the ocean. Others have explained such incidents as phenomenon that had been around for centuries where the edges on the ice accumulation could get thin in the summer and they will thicken back in the winter months blotting any worry of a polar cap meltdown.

Language, Power and Discourse of Sexuality: The case of Governor McGree

Language, Power and Discourse of Sexuality Foucault asks "What are the links between these discourses, these effects of power, and the pleasures that were invested by them?" (Foucault, 11). In the case of New Jersey governor it seems clear that power, language and pleasure were very much related in his speech on August 13, 2004, in which he announced his resignation, that he had had an affair with a man, and that he was a "gay American." A man in a position of power was both given power and gave power to the general public with his announcement. Consequently he opened up a multiplicity of discourses on the matter ranging from the true reason for his resignation, to the true meaning of the word Gay, to the effects that his coming out would have on the gay community. The case of governor McGreevey showed how language can be powerful, helpful and harming all at the same time, furthering Foucault's suggestion of strong links between discourse, power and pleasure. McGreevey exercises a great deal of power in choosing the things that he says in his speech and even the ways that he says them. He uses his words to benefit him. The majority of the speech sounds like a plea to the people of New Jersey and the American public. He asks for the audience to sympathize by speaking of his struggle and confusion. So, when McGreevey says, "And so my truth is that I am a gay American. And I am blessed to live in the greatest nation with the tradition of civil liberties, the greatest tradition of civil liberties in the world, in a country which provides so much to its people" the audience feels a pathos for him. This statement is a direct call for forgiveness and sympathy, even before they have heard the whole case. It calls for the American ... ...ew Hampshire: University Press of New England, 1996. 119-143. Foucault, Michel. "We 'Other Victorians'" and "The Repressive Hypothesis."The History of Sexuality, Volume I: An Introduction.Trans. Robert Hurley. New York: Vintage, 1980. 3-13, 17-49. Gendar, Alison and Standora, Leo. "Gov's groove no secret around town". New York Daily News Saturday, August 14th, 2004. Huffinton, Arianna. "Drama of New Jersey governor teaches us that to be gay is to be normal". Ariana Online August 16, 2004 Lazarus, Edward. "The Issues Governor McGreevey's Resignation Raises: Stigma, Acceptance, and the Difference Between Legal and Social Change". Thursday, Aug. 19, 2004 "McGreevey: I am a gay American" www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/08/12/mcgreevey.transcript/index.html Santos, Fernanda. "Instant hero in gay community". New York Daily News Friday, August 13th, 2004.

Ballet & How Are Ballet Dancers Trained?

Raise your arms and bring your fingers together over your head. Now lift one foot, point your toes, and strike a pose. You are doing ballet. Ballet is a form of dance with graceful steps and arm movements as well as leaps and spins. We also use the word ballet to describe a story performed to music, using ballet dance techniques. Ballet performances include not only dance and music but also costumes and scenery.Some of the most popular ballets are Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, and The Sleeping Beauty. HOW ARE BALLET DANCERS TRAINED? Girls who study ballet generally begin by age eight to ten.Boys often start later. Ballet training is hard work. Ballet students must develop strength, balance, and flexibility as well as grace. They must learn a set of movements and gestures. Girls also learn to dance on their toes. They usually begin pointe (tip-of-the-toes) work after three years of training. All ballet students practice five basic positions of the feet. These five positions form the basi s of almost all ballet steps. All of these positions are performed with the legs turned outward at the hip. The feet should be able form a straight line on the floor.The turned-out position gives a dancer a more pleasing â€Å"line. † Line has to do with the placement of the dancer’s body, in motion and at rest. All parts of the dancer’s body must be placed in the correct position to achieve good line. Training can improve a dancer’s line. Good line gives a dancer the greatest stability and ease of movement. It also makes the dancer’s body seem light in weight. All dancers take daily classes to keep their bodies flexible and strong. Most classes begin with warm-up exercises at the barre, a railing that dancers hold onto for support.The second part of the class consists of slow exercises that develop balance and fluid (flowing, not jerky) motion. After this, dancers practice quick movements, such as small jumps and leg extensions, and then large ste ps, turns, and leaps. WHO CREATES BALLETS? Ballet dancers work with their bodies to perform the movements in a ballet and achieve dramatic effects. The choreographer is the person who decides what movements the dancers will execute. The choreographer chooses a story or theme for the ballet. He or she also decides on the music. Sometimes, the choreographer uses music that is already written.Sometimes, music is composed specifically to accompany a new ballet. Choreographers may create ballets for specific dancers. In that case, they try to show off what these dancers do best. WHY SO MUCH FRENCH? The language of ballet—its rules and steps—developed over centuries. The steps were first named in France, and they have kept their French names. For example, when the body spins on one foot, the step or movement is called a pirouette. This French word once meant a spinning top. A pas de deux, meaning â€Å"step for two,† is a dance for two dancers. En pointe, on the tip o f the toes, comes from French words meaning â€Å"on point. †

Premature Death From Poor Nutrition Health And Social Care Essay

Healthful dietetic wonts incorporate a scope of qualities, including: fiber and fatty acid content ; glycemic burden ; sodium-potassium ratios ; micronutrient denseness ; macronutrient composing and acid-base balance ( Prentice & A ; Jebb, 2003 ) . However, this paper will concentrate on one of the most generic and dramatic deductions of hapless diet: adiposeness. In the UK, gyrating fleshiness rates have been deemed of epidemic proportions, with one analysis proposing 60 % of the grownup population could be obese by 2050 ( Foresight, 2007 ) . In add-on to the degree of human wretchedness such figures represent, the projected fiscal load is significant ; a possible ?10 billion one-year cost for the NHS ( McPherson et al. , 2007 ) and ?49.9 billion for the UK economic system ( McCormack & A ; Stone, 2007 ) . As a ‘system ‘ , the determiners of fleshiness are embedded in biological and societal models of considerable complexness, intending any sustainable response must be c omprehensive and well-considered. This paper considers two challenges presently confronting wellness psychological science in its enterprise to heighten the state ‘s dietetic quality: our ‘obesogenic ‘ society and the grasp of incorporate remedial schemes.â€Å" An Obesogenic Society †In 2007, the psychologist Susan Jebb famously ( and provokingly ) declared that such is the construction of modern life styles, it is less surprising that so many persons are overweight, than that so many manage to stay thin. Fleshiness, she concluded, was an inevitable result of a civilization in which sedentary work, inexpensive energy-dense nutrient, mechanised conveyance and labour-saving devices were omnipresent. The belief that fleshiness is a consequence of private over-indulgence is a prevailing one, and has formed the footing of a scope of enterprises aimed at educating and actuating single behavior alteration ( e.g. , Bathrellou et al. , 2010 ; Murawski et al. , 2009 ; NHS, 2009 ) . However, despite decennaries of dietetic counsel there has been merely minimum betterment in footings of meeting recommended energy and alimentary ingestion ( Krebs-Smith et al. , 2010 ) , whereas healthy eating intercessions derived from psychological rules and behavioral alteration theoretical accounts have non proven peculiarly effectual for bring oning lasting and meaningful alteration ( e.g. , Shepherd et al. , 2006 ; Lytle, 2009 ; Procter et al. , 2008 ) . It would hence look that exhortations for greater single self-denial and duty – so, engaging war on healthy feeding ( and fleshiness ) as â€Å" a moral undertaking † ( Thosby, 2009, p.201 ) – does non look to be sufficient for configuring better dietetic wonts. Therefore one important challenge for wellness psychological science appears to lie in advancing healthful nutrient consumption in an environment which, through its conditions and chances, is structured to advance fleshiness ( Lake & A ; Townshend, 2006 ) . Possible campaigners in this case include obesogenic advertisement and selling patterns ( Lobstein & A ; Dibb, 2005 ) ; arrangement and exposure of fast-food mercantile establishments ( Hemphill et al. , 2008 ) ; the prevalence of low-cost, energy-dense nutrient compared to the comparative disbursal of fruit and veggies ( Jones, 2008 ) ; and post- and pre-natal conditions, such as suited maternal nutrition, breast-feeding, healthy ablactation patterns, which are associated with decreased hazard of grownup adiposeness ( Barker, 2007 ; Skidmore et al. , 2009 ; Singhal & A ; Lanigan, 2008 ) . Planned publicity of healthful eating therefore requires both an apprehension of these structural correlatives, and a transportation of attendi ng from stray individual-level enterprises to the environmental determiners of weight-related nutrient pick and eating behavior. For illustration, the ANGELO model ( Analysis Grid for Environments Linked to Obesity ; Swinburn et al. , 1999 ) is a conceptual theoretical account for defining obesogenicity, and prioritizing cardinal elements for research and intercession ( e.g. , sociocultural, physical, political, economic ) at both the population degree ( community-wide ) or the setting degree ( fast-food mercantile establishments ) . Similarly, Lytle ( 2009 ) advocates psychometric appraisal of the ‘food environment ‘ within workplaces, schools and communities in order to place features that are either ‘leptogenic ‘ ( advancing meagerness ) or obesogenic. Such flexible, robust steps of micro-physical and sociocultural influences are a important facet of incorporating the personal and environmental correlatives of obesogenic nutrient ingestion, and explicating suited entree points for intercession ( Brug et al. , 2006 ) . As stated antecedently, individualistic prescriptions to anneal nutrient consumption against energy outgo have non succeeded at the population degree. Policies to reenforce and enable healthy behavior may hence be most efficaciously implemented at multiple degrees. In the instance of breastfeeding, this might include single enterprises ( e.g. , peer-support groups ; Hoddinott et al. , 2009 ) ; local degree schemes ( e.g. , hospital policies for back uping and educating female parents ; Hannula, 2008 ) ; and national intercessions ( e.g. , entitlement to suckle in public ; Cattaneo et al. , 2005 ) . Similarly, psychologists must complement targeted intervention intercessions ( e.g. , initiatives to promote/sustain weight-loss ) with population-level preventive steps ( e.g. , curtailing exposure to obesogenic diets ) . In add-on, intercessions that impact at assorted degrees, but to a cumulative and changing extent, may besides be good ( Foresight, 2007 ) . For illustration, supplying alimentary school repasts ( a focused enterprise ) can be augmented by educative schemes to heighten cognition and consciousness of healthful diet ( an enabler ) , hence supplying coherent, dependable wellness messages ( an amplifier ) . Public wellness runs that are supported and maintained by such environmental alterations may besides assist debar unhealthy dietetic wonts from reoccurring ( Maio et al. , 2007 ) .Integrated SchemesAmending the state ‘s dietetic imposts creates complicated dilemmas associating to economic and societal policies in nutrient production and retail, instruction, health care and even civilization itself ( Foresight, 2007 ; Ogilvie & A ; Hamlet, 2005 ) . As such, a system-wide attack is required which incorporates an inclusive, complementary repertory of intercessions ; something that will be facilitated by greater coaction between psychologists and other stakeholders ( Jebb et al. , 2007 ) . At present, there are deficient schemes for heightening pu blic nutrition that are concerted, integrated and engage multiple bureaus ( Lang & A ; Rayner, 2007 ; Martin-Bautista et al. , 2009 ; Matthews et al. , 2009 ) . Yet such is the complexness of the issue, that implementing and prolonging meaningful betterment will about surely necessitate joint-working between scientists, the nutrient industry, policy shapers, the media and local communities. An of import principle for non marginalising multi-disciplinary attacks is that the multiple determiners of hapless diet do non back up the usage of stray, disconnected redress schemes to bring on widespread alteration. For illustration, ingestion of unsanitary diets has been partially ‘normalised ‘ through factors like cheaper nutrient ( which can increase how much is eaten ) , greater pick, a heightened desire for convenience nutrient, and the usage of energy-dense repasts as short-run comfort/reward ( Wardle, 2007 ) . Furthermore, ambivalency is a cardinal factor in unsanitary feeding ( i.e. , disagreement between the desire for toothsome, high-fat nutrients and the want to be healthy and/or tilt ) , intending that single duty and decision-making in response to wellness messages can be compromised ( Jones, 2008 ) . Taken together, this suggests that a consistent, coordinated response between different stakeholders may assist relocate the accent on behaviour alteration as a corporate concern, by aiming scenes in which single behavior is enacted. An incorporate scheme for bettering diet might include engaged, strategic and multidisciplinary partnerships between psychologists, wellness professionals, authorities representatives and consumer groups in order to ease efficient transportation of evidence-based intercessions to real-world applications ( NICE, 2006 ) . Collaboration can be seen as â€Å" the coming together of diverse involvements and people to accomplish a common intent via interactionsaˆÂ ¦and coordination of activities † ( Jassawalla & A ; Sashittal, 1998, p.239 ) , and is an of import necessity for intermixing scientific discipline and policy through enhanced information-sharing, specifying shared visions of jobs and precedences, formulating/disseminating dietetic enterprises utilizing accessible methods and appropriate stuffs for practician demands, and planing meaningful research inquiries. This is peculiarly pertinent given that dietetic sweetening presents a figure of importunate methodological c hallenges, for illustration: accurate appraisal of determiners and correlatives ; the demand for suited definitions ; the relevancy of longitudinal, population-based surveies ; and the function of human behavior, beliefs and values, and how these mechanisms instigate and maintain alteration. These elaboratenesss mean divergency and incompatibility can originate between psychologists seeking to polish and revise theories, and the more immediate, practical demand of practicians seeking information on which to develop intercessions. Bettering assurance and communicating between psychologists and other bureaus may therefore assist prudent planning, execution, and rating. For illustration, psychological analysis has highlighted the deduction for wellness inequalities of statute law to revenue enhancement fat content of nutrient merchandises, in that it may diminish available income and inducements for healthier nutrients amongst lower socioeconomic groups ( e.g. , Caraher & A ; Cowburn, 2005 ; Powell & A ; Chaloupka, 2009 ) , whereas other research workers have assessed the impact, feasibleness, and cost-effectiveness of pecuniary inducements to modify dietetic behavior ( Wall et al. , 2006 ) . As noted by the Foresight Report ( 2007, p.122 ) â€Å" [ A co-ordinated response ] would enable maximal benefit to be realised from this important degree of energy and resources. Working in partnership with multiple stakeholders to advance the wellness of the state is critical to success. †DecisionsIt is improbable that the current prevalence of hapless nutrition ( and its attendant wellness effects ) will come to a natural terminal without sustained, long-run intercessions that invest clip and resources into set uping new patterns and constructions to back up healthful diets. One realistic chance in this enterprise is a conjunct attempt to both devolve focal point from ( I ) single self-denial towards social values and precedences and ( two ) defying patchy, short-r un intercessions that do non run in a multi-level, multi-sector mode. Establishing enhanced dietetic quality at the population-level is a complex challenge, but non an indissoluble 1. With sufficient imaginativeness, committedness, and vision, preparations and schemes to better public wellness may be continuously developed and delivered in a mode that reflects the best available pattern, policy, and wellness scientific discipline.

Urban Studies Research Paper Basic Recommendations on How You Can Cope with One

Urban Studies Research Paper Basic Recommendations on How You Can Cope with One Urban studies is a broad field of study that involves engineering, architecture, planning, social, and political factors. Thus, writing a research paper on urban studies is challenging for students because of the broad topics that fall under the area of study. The process takes not only a significant time to craft a paper but also requires profound research, in-depth understanding of the subject, intricate data analysis, and proficient writing skills. Writing a research paper may not be your strong forte, but your ability to put together a comprehensible scholarly paper will influence the outcome of your final grade. This urban studies research paper writing guide provides you with a step-by-step process that will help you improve your research paper writing skills and enhance the likelihood of your attaining high grades in your urban studies assignment. Each step is important in the writing process. Thus, take note of every guideline. Selecting a Topic for Your Urban Studies Research Paper Writing The first challenge in your writing process is choosing an interesting research topic. Students whose lecturers assign research paper assignments based on a particular topic do not face the topic selection challenge. However, it is common for professors to provide students with the freedom and flexibility to choose topics that interest them within the urban studies field of study. Here are some tips to help you choose a topic for your research paper: The research paper will be more informative and relevant if you care about the topic. Hence, select the topic you are interested in. The interest may be based on the need to explore a certain idea, to provide a solution to an urban development issue or be based on issues affecting your daily experiences such as poverty in the metropolitan cities. Narrow your ideas to come up with a manageable topic: If the topic is too broad, use limiters to narrow it down to ensure it has a specific focus. Limiters may be based on geographical location, periods in the history of urban development, or populations. The topic should not be too narrow or too broad as it will lose focus. Background research of existing literature on urban studies can help you choose and limit the scope of your topic. If your assignment has guidelines regarding the topic selection, review them and choose topics based on the guideline. Better still, ask your instructor for possible suggestions. If brainstorming for topic ideas does not yield any results, refer to your lecture notes and texts on urban studies to refresh your knowledge of the urban studies unit. Talking to peers may help you acquire knowledge of issues that you did not consider. Peer discussion can help focus your topic. Think and analyze the who, what, when, where and why questions that guide in formulating an appropriate topic: Why did I choose this topic? What interests me about it? Do I have an idea and opinion about the issues involved in the topic? Why is the topic relevant? Who are the information providers on this topic? Who does the topic affect? What are the likely major questions for this topic? Is the topic controversial or of interest to the intended population? What are the range of issues and viewpoints to consider under the topic? Where is the topic important: at the local, national, or international level? When is the topic significant? Is it a current occurrence or a historical aspect? Possible topics for your urban studies research paper may include: Urban Marginality and Public Transit Politics: Trains and Automobiles; Exclusionary Housing Measures and Their Influence on Segregation: a Case of Baltimore; Social Justice and Urban Economic Development; Social Determinants of Urbanization and Health Disparities in Manhattan; Recreational Planning in Urban Ecology. Important Pre-Writing Tips for your Urban Studies Research Paper Decide on a topic. As highlighted in the topic selection section, choosing a topic is the first important aspect of the research paper writing process. Ensure the topic you select falls within the urban studies subject and is interesting to you. The topic and the research paper content should add some value to you and the reader by introducing ideas and approaches, persuading adoption of certain practices, or reinforcing claims and opinions. Conduct research. The research step is important as it directly influences your research paper content and equips you with a basis for your arguments, and evidence to support articulated claims. It is appropriate to research both primary and secondary sources to obtain a diversity of ideas. Take notes. While conducting your research, take notes of the important arguments, themes, theories, statistics, and facts documented in your sources. Taking notes ensures you do not forget major issues. Besides, it helps during the paper writing process by providing quotes and accurate reference and citation pages. It would be unprofessional to submit a research paper with inaccurate citations or without proper quotes, whether direct or in parenthesis. However, do not overuse quotes unless the professor requires you to do so. Clustering and outlining. On a piece of paper, write your major points and use links to put together matching or related ideas. Clustering helps you to develop themes that create more focus. Once you have completed clustering, outline why the topic and research are significant, identify relevant background material, the thesis and purpose statements, and the organizational plan for major and supporting ideas. Creating an Appropriate Title and Thesis Statement for Your Urban Studies Research Paper Research Paper Title A research paper title is the first thing that draws the readers’ attention and determines whether the reader will be interested in the paper or not. Therefore, an effective and appropriate research paper title should: Summarize the paper content in a few words; Capture the readers’ attention; Differentiate the research paper from other papers of the urban studies subject area. Here are the basic urban studies research paper writing tips to consider while writing a title for your urban studies research paper: Keep the title attractive, brief, and simple. Keep the title brief and clear since it will serve as a precise summary of the paper content. Avoid unnecessary details and complex noun-based phrases and use active verbs. A good research paper title should have 10 to 12 words. In other words, it should not be too short or too long. A lengthy title takes the readers’ attention away because it is unfocused while a short title may be too broad. Use appropriate descriptive words. Use keywords that define the nature of your research and those used in the manuscript. Use terms people would use to search for your research paper and have them as part of your title. Keep in mind that they should add meaning to the research paper topic and content. Avoid jargon and abbreviations. Unless the abbreviations are well known and common in the urban studies field of study, avoid their use. In this case, leave out lesser known terms or abbreviations not familiar to the intended audience. Thesis Statement The thesis statement should present a summary of your research paper topic in one or a few sentences. It should also provide the readers with your papers argument and direction of what to expect. In other words, craft a thesis statement that informs your readers about the subject of your paper and the position you will take in the discussion. A good thesis statement should: Make a limited, clear, and definite assertion that should be explained and supported by scholarly evidence; Have a specific point that provides the direction of your argument; Not be too big for your paper such that it would be impossible to explore every aspect of your claim; Present an argument that can be proven or argued against. Ensure your intended audience does not instantly accept your thesis statement; Show your perspective and position on the urban studies topic and direction of your argument; Allude to the methods you will use to provide evidence to support your arguments. Writing an Outline for Your Urban Studies Research Paper: Top Picks from Our Writers Writing the Introduction The introduction of your research paper should provide your readers with an overview of the entire paper but should be slightly different from the abstract. It should introduce the topic of the paper and set it in a broader context. When crafting your introduction, narrow down the topics gradually to a research issue, thesis statement, and hypotheses or research questions, depending on the nature of the research paper and topic of discussion. If your urban studies research paper is based on providing solutions to a pressing issue, the introduction should explain how you intend to solve the research question, and should create ‘leads’ that entice the reader to want to delve further into your research paper. You should assume the paper is aimed at people with a good working knowledge and understanding of the urban studies field. However, it is important to provide some working definition for the terms specific to the research paper topic. You will need to ensure your introduction includes the following elements: Contextual material or relevant background of the discussion topic; Definition of concepts and terms where necessary; Explanation of the paper focus and its specific purpose; Your organization plan for the main themes and major points in the paper. Moreover, the introduction may include the background or history section if the chosen urban studies topic requires one. This type of information is not a mandatory part of a paper involving research. However, it is often necessary to explain the development of a particular issue that may help put your topic within the required context. Writing the Body The body forms the largest part of your research paper. This is where you write the information you have gathered and arrange the relevant evidence to support the claims you make. The evidence is aimed at convincing the reader of your argument. Thus, it should be organized logically. The body of the research paper can have partitions depending on its length and the number of issues being discussed. The partitions are in the form of headings and sub-headings. As noted above, the body paragraphs in your research paper focus on research and are broken down into sections that focus on particular aspects of your research. You should have the following goals in mind when writing the body paragraphs: Incorporation of relevant and current (five to seven years) research as it pertains to your chosen urban studies topic; Presentation of evidence in a balanced and objective manner; Appropriate use and acknowledgment of primary and secondary sources. Remember the outline made during the preparation phase of your research writing process? Use the outline as a flexible guide into the ideas that should be written in each body paragraph. Moreover, analyze, summarize, explain, and evaluate the primary and secondary sources you use in your research paper rather than reporting their content. Move from the generalization of concepts to varying levels of presenting relevant information about the topic of the discussion. Unless it is necessary to use direct quotes from the existing literature on urban studies, stick to using parenthetical citations when referencing another authors work in the body of your text. Writing the Conclusion The conclusion of your research paper should summarize the major points and arguments of the paper and restate the thesis statement in different words. You can also highlight the significance of your research findings. If you adopt an inductive approach in your research, add your opinions and explain their impacts and significance to the research. Importantly, transit from details to a generalized consideration of the topic. You can also recommend further research of the topic if you feel it needs further exploration. Post Writing Tips to End It Up The post writing tips focus on revising the final draft of your research paper. When proofreading, check the organization of the paper to ensure coherence, logical flow of information, and in-depth discussion of ideas. You should also revise the sentence structure and ensure there is consistent use of appropriate citations.

An Overview of Costa Rica essays

An Overview of Costa Rica essays A chain of rugged mountains divides Costa Rica, which is an extended part of the Andes-Sierra Madre chain. Costa Rica is in Central America and is surrounded by Nicaragua to the North and Panama to the south. Costa Rica is approximately 19,730 square miles, which is slightly smaller than the state of West Virginia. Bordering the country to the east is the Caribbean Sea, and to the west is the Pacific Ocean. Costa Rica's total coastline distance is 1,290 km. The highest point is Mt. Chirripo, which stands at 3,797 meters high. Costa Rica is included in the Pacific "Ring of Fire" with seven out of forty-two active volcanoes on the chain. The population of Costa Rica is something around 3,534,174, which was taken in July of 1998. The country is marked with a 2.4% population growth rate, which increases annually. 96% of the Costa Rican natives are Caucasian (including mestizos), 2% are African American, 1% are Chinese, and 1% are Indian. Over 90% of the people in Costa Rica believe the faith of the Roman Catholic Church. The official language is Spanish, but English is spoken in parts around Puerto Limon. Costa Rica has a 95% literacy rate, which is from both males and females over the age of fifteen that can read and write. San Jose is not only the capital of Costa Rica; it is also the country's largest city with a population of 300,000. Most of the economic, political, and social events of the country take place in the capital of San Jose. In colonial times, the main industry was tobacco growing and processing. By the mid-1800s, the city (along with the entire country) became a coffee producing area. San Jose was founded around 1738 some two hundred years after Spain's Westward expansion for Cartago. San Jose gained independence from Spain in 1821. It later went on to become the country's political base, and in 1823 it became the country's capital. San Jose is a modern city with parks and fine buildings open to the public. The cap...