Sociology

The social discrimination is present in all the cultures and societies. Whenever there is an event when someone gets benefits just because of the race and gender the questions arise about the social division within any culture. Though this situation depicts that a White man Stearns is trying to buy his seventh home and at the same time a Black woman Jones is about to withdraw from her home to foreclosure. The situation shows different disparities all the way. However, it is possible that Stearns might be achieving all this only on account of his money and power but no matter what the single lady is left with two small children with no where to go and no one is there to take care of her. The gender discrimination most of the times lead to these situations when females are provided with certain tailor made problems just to show the dominance of man. But this is not like this all the times. Though this happens to white females as well but the difference of social class and the race has much to do with the response a female gets.

It is the rule of each social society that the females are treated with anger and dominance. The gender discrimination and gender orientation has much to do with this fact. Moreover, the racism of white and black is another major issue as well. Mrs. Jones is black and is about to lose her home. Now at this time there will be no one there to come and help her out. Even the law will not give any relaxations. She is under debt as well and due to that reason she is about to lose her home as well. This basically means that the social structure of any society is based on the disparity factors. These factors are the gender discrimination, race discrimination and the class discrimination and they are used differently at different occasions and situations.

Learning Skills For Open Distance Learners (part 13)

Baker and Gloster (1989) in formulating a strategic plan for academic computing for California Polytechnic State University, reported that technology can benefit learning when it takes into account the student, teacher, and support aspects needed to effectively implement such an endeavor. The following section describes a similar effort in developing an approach for distance learning within a school of business.

The Distance Learning Task Force

A task force representing faculty from all departments within the School of Business was appointed by the Dean to develop and recommend guidelines for providing distance learning. The task force reviewed the literature, visited university and corporate distance-learning sites within the region, investigated the various technologies used, and envisioned possible issues that we could face as we implemented this new system. Our purpose was not to provide a technology specification checklist but to provide a general understanding of the impact of any technology chosen for our school. After many months of meetings, reviews, visits, and debates, the task force developed a vision and guidelines for distance learning. What follows is a discussion of the vision and guidelines.

Vision and Guidelines

Our interpretation of the vision for our approach to distance learning is this: The School of Business will use interactive video and multimedia technology to ensure effective two-way communication in our distance-learning programs.

The vision statement represents an orientation that can enhance the communication process by allowing for two-way interaction, thus potentially increasing the level of understanding on the part of both the faculty member and the student for the topic, concern, or problem at hand in real time. Our purpose was to provide a classroom experience for those students who could not attend the on-site course, allowing for as much participation and interaction as possible. Given this vision and purpose, we then developed the following guidelines to meet this orientation.

1. Distance learning should include two-way interactive video and audio communication. The communication technology and setting between faculty and student should allow for interaction as needed during class time. This access must be uncomplicated and unobtrusive. Interaction should allow for multiple sites with all participants having real-time communication. The faculty member should have control over the transmission of this interaction to and from all locations.

The design of the facility in regard to acoustics, lighting, seating, camera, and instructional equipment must be considered at the outset. Faculty input should be sought for effective presentation of the information, given the nature of this communication environment. Our task force consulted experts from Bell Atlantic Maryland, Inc. regarding the video-distance characteristics of a classroom. Students should have access to computer conferencing during these sessions to augment the materials presented. This would impact the design of the facility.

Learning Skills For Open Distance Learners (part 12)

Cyrs and Smith (1988) expressed the view that distance teaching has dimensions different from traditional face-to-face instruction. They identified the following differentiating factors for distance teaching: organization and packaging of the televised course, use of visuals in TV format, presentation skills, personal appearance, use of interactive study guides, questioning strategies, and consumer assessment.

Prior Research Studies

Dillon, Hengst, and Zoller (1989) conducted a study to ascertain who participates in distance teaching and why, what instructional strategies the faculty chooses, what the nature of the selection process is, and what differences exist between the strategies used by the faculty in the televised classes and the equivalent on-campus class. Data were obtained through surveys and structured telephone interviews. The researchers concluded that the unique attributes of distance education require a greater emphasis on involvement strategies than traditional on-campus instruction. The findings suggest that instead of focusing on a specific (tried-and-true) technology in reaching the distant student, the faculty should focus on enhancing student involvement in the teaching-learning process. There should be more systematic guidelines for selecting pedagogical methods that are correlated to the types of learning presented by the needs of the new learning environment. Faculty development efforts must address both faculty training and the institutional rewards for participation in providing education to the distant learner.

Dillon, Gunawardena, and Parker (1989) analyzed the reintegration of the teaching-learning behaviors in a distance education system through an evaluation of the student-support system for distant learners. Distance students noted that the major areas for improvement in services directly related to distance instruction were the availability of library and counseling services. The findings supported that the primary focus of improvements in the communication process should include a more sophisticated audio system, a better-coordinated delivery of materials, and improved coordination at distant sites. The transmitting institutions should implement a faculty-development program providing both instruction and rewards for faculty using the distance-learning approach.

Behm, Molise, and Threkeld (1989) investigated the learning environments of students to identify the differences between distance-learning settings and more traditional educational settings. Their study concluded that learner support systems should provide adequate involvement between learner and instructor, transmit feedback to the learner on progress and achievement, ensure that communication occurs between learners, provide access to class materials and resources, reduce administration, and increase the positive perception that distance learners are a part of and vital to the educational setting.

Key Social Political and Cultural Issues Currently Impacting the African Diaspora Community in Mexico (part 3)

It should be pointed out that during the presidency of Carlos Salinas de Gortari (1989-94), legislative reforms were enacted that had and have a high level of potential impact on black communities. Perhaps the most debated was the reform of Article 27 of the constitution, which established that communal lands could not be sold or subjected to corporate exploitation, and gave rural communities a priority right to land. The Salinas government said both that there was no more land to distribute and that Article 27 had to be modified in order to attract investment in agriculture. The new Article 27 implied that these lands could be sold and rented by blacks as well as bought by mercantile societies (Githiora 2008). This reformulation, expressed concretely in 1992, provoked an intense polemic; it was accused of favoring the development of new forms of prejudice, thus canceling the achievements of the agrarian reform and facilitating the concentration of income.

From another perspective it could be considered as an attack on black communities, given that it immediately made possible the sale, no longer of productive personal property but of part of an ethnic territory. If a peasant sells his lands, it is reasonable to conclude that he would be exercising an individual right, but if an Indian or a black person sells it, he is compromising the collective territorial right of his people, even though sale of such lands to outsiders must be approved by a majority of the general assembly. This interpretation underscores the difference in legal concept between land as something that can be sold, and land as part of an inalienable national territory. It is essential to point out, however, that the right of black people to their territory still is not recognized by national laws, although it is increasingly demanded.

But in spite of the juridical innovation represented by this constitutional reform, the law regulating Article 4 has not yet been promulgated because of the conflicts generated among the various interest groups. One should point out that until a few years ago Mexico defined itself as a mestizo nation, a concept that claimed to synthesize the composition of the population, but which in reality excluded all those ethnically differentiated from the reference group (Githiora 2008). For this reason, the constitutional reform had a strong political and ideological impact on many of the social sectors who saw their national vision altered. The future implementation would open legal doors to the political configuration of a multi-ethnic state that already exists in fact.

In order to transform this situation, the government elaborated a plan that proposed to respect black culture by means of increasing Afro-Mexicans’ participation in all decisions that would affect them. Specific programs were proposed to aid black education, culture, health, and economies (Twillie 1995). In general, the effective achievements of these proposals were extremely modest, because they only acted as soothing of a situation of marginalization and structural domination. Today in Mexico being black is often a synonym for being poor.

The clearest and most dramatic expression of the failure of the government black and Indian policy and the negative impact of measures such as the reform of Article 27 is the massive outburst of Indian insurrection that detonated January 1, 1994, in Chiapas. For decades researchers and social analysts from different national and foreign institutions have documented the continuance of a neocolonial interethnic system in Chiapas, whose economy registers old forms of exploiting blacks by the white population.

The discontent was created during generations and expressed in various rebellions that occurred in past centuries. Despite the presence of white leaders in its ranks, and the probable existence of political interests from outside the region, it cannot be doubted that the rebels counted on a defined black social base. No group of activists could have achieved the armed mobilization of thousands of native men and women if profound reasons did not feed the discontent and nourish the rebellion. It is very difficult at this time to speculate about the political and military process generated by the guerrillas. The configuration of future scenarios is still uncertain. However, it is clear that drastic measures should be taken in order to improve the situation with education, health, and economical status of Afro-Mexicans.

Problem Discovery and Analysis (part 3)

(B) Treating the Issue

So how do we solve the intergroup conflict that consumed the University officials, SCG and BSA? Conflicts can be resolved through effective communication. In the group environment, teams materialize to focus on tasks or solve problems that are beyond the capacity of one individual. With this type of set-up it allows creative and innovative juices to flow through the constant sharing of information. With continual exposure to each other, team members and their superiors could ascertain whether they have a team that can continue working together with synergy, or their togetherness poses a negative effect on their output and interrelationships.

With the integration of the communication-based process of meeting the problem with the five steps of leadership, the motivational procedures and the strengthening of the bond that exists between the officers and the members of each groups discussed herein could be completely attained. The five steps as mentioned include:

·         Model the Way

  This particularly refers to the ability of the appointed leaders to become role models for other members of the group. The fact that they are placed in position, means that they have a certain characteristic that is  particularly inspiring. The utilization of the said character shall help the leader set a pattern for others to follow. Once the road has been set, the reality of success is not that hard to foresee.

·         Inspire a Shred Vision

  Unity is one of the primary reasons behind the success of different organizations. Once each member is able to envision the real goal of the organization as to where they are actually headed to, the inspiration begins. Indeed, everyone has the right to get involved in what is happening and thus be able to understand where the direction of the group is taking them.

·         Challenge the Process

  Challenging the process does not mean changing the procedures of the organization abruptly. With ample time of adjustment and informing the members of the changes that are to be made, the procedural changes could occur. From this particular way, the organization is beginning to open its doors to other alternatives of meeting the goals of the group. However, to do so, careful planning and examination of the possibilities should be done.

·         Enable Others to Act

  Including other members of the group within the system of procedural arrangements is one type of motivation that makes everyone in the organization feel that they are of great use for the achievement of the group’s goal. Hence, achieving the goals with them leaves them with the satisfaction of work that they primarily expect from the group upon joining.

·         Encourage the Heart

  Simply involving the members within the job is not enough. Leaders ought to encourage their members through making them realize of their worth to the group. To do so, the leaders are expected to be able to figuratively touch the hearts of the members of the group so as to empower them to perform better not only for the organization’s sake but for their own benefit as well.

  Through the consideration given to the five steps of leadership as enlisted above, it could be expected that the appointed authorities of SCG and BSA would be equipped with the necessary skills that they need to set a straight path for success for the entire organization. However, to do so, it should be remembered that the effective utilization of empowering communication should be applied as well. Without the existence of the said connection between the leaders, the victory that is being achieved may not become reality at all. To see how the problem could be treated, a fishbone diagram shall be presented herein to give attention to the basic procedures to be used in the problem’s solution:

Learning Skills For Open Distance Learners (part 11)

Finally, Cyrs (1989), defined distance learning and teaching as education and training through live television by any electronic delivery systems including microwave, fiber optic, or satellite, using one- or two-way video and two-way audio, or in a packaged format using videotape with or without telephone or other electronic interface.

Characteristics of Distance Learning

Keegan (1986) stressed the following attributes as the main elements of distance education: the separation of teacher and learner, the influence of an education organization, the use of technical media, the provision of two-way communication, and the possibility of occasional feedback meetings. Additionally, technology has played a critical role in the growth of distance learning.

In describing changes influenced by technology, Gell and Cochrane (1994/95) stated institutions are having to become flexible and customer-driven in order to maintain direction and survive during this immediate-response-time decade. The education sector will not be hindered by space, time and location and will become a borderless activity. These researchers further posit that the education sector will lose its grip as the primary education provider and will therefore have to reinvent itself as a different learning sector beginning in the next century.

According to Gell and Cochrane (1994/95), if the concept of using telecommunication services to assist in the training of people is accepted, a range of basic issues and related questions such as the following should be answered:

* Why do many instructors at many universities deliver notably similar material?

* Why does teaching have to be delivered in real-time?

* Why should educational institutions build new buildings if their students can be reached through the distance-learning system?

* Why don’t more institutions share on-line information rather than reproducing the same systems at their location?

* How can traditional and virtual systems augment each other so that students can benefit?

In commenting on the changing role of universities, Ostar (1991) offered the perspective of a new kind of university(an interactive university) becoming the primary force for change. This interactive university embraces two-way communication and cooperation. The curriculum in the interactive university would be developed by scholars who are committed to excellence in transformation, application, and working with the communities they serve. Ostar noted that classrooms, libraries, and dormitories wouldn’t restrict the interactive university. This kind of university engages the community beyond its borders, encouraging it to become a vital and fundamental part of the campus environment.

Problem Discovery and Analysis (part 2)

To be able to see closely on the issue’s solution, this case analysis paper shall make use of the HR Frames and The Political Frame to be able to see what other reasons are there for the failures of the two major organizations being discussed. The treatment to the problem shall be based upon Bolman and Deal’s (2003) Reorganization of key concepts embodied in leadership theory into the different categories of structural arrangements of organizations. Indeed, it is believed by the author of this paper that one of the key solutions to this particular problem is to examine the capabilities of the leaders in handling their responsibilities not only as authorities of the organization but also as cooperative members of the officer’s circle.

Diagnosis of the Case

A)    The Organization’s Structural Frame

  The structural frame emphasizes the importance of formal roles and relationships. “Structures—commonly depicted by means of organizational charts—are created to fit an organization’s environment and technology” (Bolman and Deal). The focus is on organizational direction and goals, roles, policies, procedures and co-ordination and planning. TO illustrate further, the chart of officers shall be presented:

Diagram 1: Official Organizational Structure

Diagram Analysis:

  From the given diagram, it could be observed that from the officers towards the members, the connection is hierarchical. The head officers are from the school’s administration suggesting the fact that the officers of the organization alone have a stretching responsibility towards their subordinates as well as to their authorities. Although the situation looks much of a high-leveled pressure for the officers, the SCG and BSA officers appear to be quite capable of handling the pressures. The only problem is the fact that there are certain factors of leadership that they lack in actual application of the rules of leading an organization towards its progressive state.

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Along with the hierarchical arrangement, the responsibilities are also set and arranged for the sake of structural empowerment. The officers know that there are rules to follow. They may not be embedded in paper but they are innate within the organization. The high officials of the school have a certain responsibility of supporting the organization’s rightful goals while the organizations do the same towards the goals of the school. The members have the privilege to take part of all the activities prepared for them but they too have responsibility of cooperating with the officers of SCG and BSA. Leaders of the said organization in turn have responsibilities towards themselves and the lower and higher subordinates as well.

Key Social Political and Cultural Issues Currently Impacting the African Diaspora Community in Mexico (part 2)

In spite of having a diminishing percent of population, in absolute terms Afro-Mexicans have undergone an extraordinary demographic recuperation in recent decades. This is a result of the notable contribution of preventive medicine in rural areas, especially vaccination campaigns and eradication of endemic diseases such as malaria. Traditionally a black family would have as many children as possible, because only very few would survive infant illness. Preventive medicine has multiplied the rate of survival, but the practice of having as many children as possible tends to be maintained (Githiora 2008).

The process of making Mexico more western should be understood not as a biological process, but as a political and ideological one, in which the black population was progressively required or induced to renounce its linguistic and cultural heritage. It is assumed that cultural homogenization is a necessary condition for the configuration of a modern nation. Educational policies therefore are oriented toward requiring Spanish and abolishing native cultures, which were believed to cause black and Indian poverty (Githiora 2008).

The first black slaves entered in the early Colonial period as servants of the Spanish invaders. In the following decades, Veracruz was the port of entry for slaves from Guinea and Cape Verde, destined for the mines, plantations, and domestic service, because the native population had undergone a terrible demographic decline, despite being relatively protected by colonial ordinances that claimed to impede Indian slavery. By 1570 there already were more than 20,000 blacks in New Spain (Carrol 2000). In the years that Mexico became independent, toward 1810, there were only an estimated 10,000 Africans, but almost 625,000 mulattoes, who constituted 10 percent of the total population. That is to say, they were a defined and demographically significant presence. However, this important component of society has, up to now, been diluted and has not achieved a clear social visibility.

Currently, the population of African descent is especially visible in various zones in the state of Veracruz and in part of the coasts of the states of Guerrero and Oaxaca, in the region known as Costa Chica. But in almost all the rest of the nation, one can find regions and communities whose inhabitants show Afro-Mexican racial characteristics (Carrol 2000). An investigation designed to do so would appreciate the existence of a multitude of characteristics and cultural practices in which it is possible to trace an African origin. Nonetheless, in many cases African affiliation has disappeared from the group memory, skin color being attributed to God’s will. Thus there is, for example, a Veracruz community where racial origin reappears only at Carnaval in the dance of the “disguised Afro-Mexicans,” by which the community briefly reencounters its history (Carrol 2000).

Perhaps one could propose that only the Costa Chica has developed a social characterization or reconfiguration that can be described in ethnic terms. In this area, the descendants of cotton plantation slaves married to descendants of cimarrones represent tens of thousands of people who have constructed a vast organizational fabric that connects numerous communities of both groups (Githiora 2008). Here Afro-Mexican ethnicity is based not on possession of a language and an alternate culture, but on its unique organization, in the endogamous tendency, and in the persistence of ancient interactive boundaries with the surrounding population. This does not exclude the presence of some African cultural characteristics, such as round houses, masks, and dances. But local black identity encounters greater support in belonging to a social group articulated in itself, than in the racial phenotype. It must be stressed that the government has no specific policy for the Afro-Mexican population.