Harriet Sidford

Scope: I want to examine our definitions of happiness and success and how they are both related to our obsession with materialism in America. Happiness is acknowledged when it is associated with concrete objects. Materialism is often mistaken for happiness because we think it can be achieved through the acquisition of things. People strive for happiness but these goals usually stem from greed, selfishness, or desperation. Similarly, success is measured in wealth or power, which we promote yet we ignore the fact that some are succeeding while others are suffering. We see this success as positive and use it to overshadow the issues festering in our world today such as poverty, racial tensions, and global warming. This is another extension of the materialistic idea of happiness: success measured in power whether it be political, economical, or social.

 Value: Can you have success without happiness or vice versa? Does one depend on the other? Which comes first? When you think of happiness what do you picture? When you say you want to succeed in life what do you mean? Can anyone achieve happiness and success or is it limited to a certain type of person? Where does happiness and success originate? These questions are difficult to answer because our concepts of success and happiness are constantly evolving and adapting to our changing values. Further, materialism taints our beliefs because it shifts our focus and limits our thinking. Once we see the hypocrisy in our perspectives we can adjust our priorities and improve the standards of our world. After all, how can we claim that happiness or success when a large part of the world is suffering?

Originality: I think that happiness and success have always been difficult to define as singular emotion or one idea. Everyone sees things differently and considers certain things more important than others. However the variety in people’s thinking is not the issue but rather our evaluation of what is important in life. Our values have shifted and we have lost sight of what it means to truly be happy and that’s assuming that we ever actually had it in sight. Work relating to this subject usually focuses on either happiness or success but not both and does not focus on materialism as a connecting factor between the two. If we can divert our attention from materialism we may able to have a more pure and wholesome understanding of happiness.

Practicality: There are many sources that will support and expand on my research. The two books that were most useful so far were The Happiness Industry and The Happiness Hypothesis because they look at happiness in two different ways. The first suggests taking a scientific approach to happiness because it will make the idea more universal. The second focuses on the origin of happiness and why unhappiness exists. Both of these books and the rest of my sources are available in the library or online. I am also going to look at “how to” books that discuss success because I can use the tips in there as evidence to support my idea that success is measured in money and power. These will give me concrete examples of what people view success as. Finally, recent articles from newspapers and journals would also be useful because they are current and deal with the issues of today.

Bibliography:

Davies, William. The Happiness Industry: How the Government and Big Business Sold             Us Well-Being. London: Verso, 2015.

Demott, Benjamin. “Beyond the Dream of Success.” Change 8, no. 7 (1976): 32-37.

Haidt, Jonathan. The Happiness Hypothesis: Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom.             New York: Basic Books, 2006.

Saveth, Edward N. “Apostles of the Self-Made Man: Changing Concepts of Success in             America.” Civil War History 13, no. 2 (1976): 184-186.

Schafer, Roy. “The Pursuit of Failure and the Idealization of Unhappiness.” American             Psychologist 39, no. 4 (1984): 398-405.

I would like to explore in my paper why environmental sustainability is far from being achieved on the global level, when the critical demand for it in the 21^st century has long since been acknowledged.

The many books in the library on the environment are far more than enough to provide evidence on the damage of the environment. As demonstrated in the book by the Worldwatch Institute, the ocean ecosystems are damaged by overfishing and pollution, the consumption of fossil fuels are higher than ever, the deserts are expanding, and climate change is shifting deeper into the irreversible. As humans themselves are animals and mortal inhabitants of the planet Earth, these changes are irreversibly linked to survival. Any other issues on humanity’s advancement can only be dwarfed by the immediate threat of mankind disappearing over the course of a few generations.

Yet this is nothing new. Humans have been modifying their environment since their very existence, from domestication to other forms of life to modifications of the environment. And despite common beliefs, the history of recognition on environmental pollution dates back to more than two thousand years ago. In the book, Foundations of Environmental Sustainability by Larry L. Rockwood, Ronald E. Stewart, and Thomas Dietz, the authors express that India constructed the first policy on environmental protection around 300 B. C. What’s more, there now are tens of thousands of organizations working to improve the conditions of the environment, and nearly all governments have laws on sustainability—not to mention international institutions.

Why have we, then, as mankind, made little progress? Despite of the advance on technological efficiency, the consumption of fossil energy keeps rising, harvests keep declining, and diseases threaten human mortality. Despite the apparent rise in numbers of laws and regulations regarding sustainability, water quality keeps dropping, the area of rainforests keeps decreasing, and more and more species become endangered by day. Whatever we’re doing isn’t working, and there are two possibilities—are we doing something wrong, or are we not doing enough in the first place?

One of the books I discovered while researching in the library was The Psychology of Environmental Problems, by Deborah Du Nann Winter and Susan M. Koger. With it, I became curious about the role of the psychology behind everyone from the individual person to the global community that is deterring the progress of what is so obviously important. What keeps individuals from taking action to sustain their world when the threat to their and their children’s survival is at stake, and what keeps the governments and communities from finding out that sustainable development is more profitable in the long run, in comparison to draining owned resources in short-sighted efforts to lift the economy?

The book by Winter and Koger focuses on the more general level of psychology; of the response of humanity to environmental pollution as a group, a community, providing a little more weight on government policies. My work will differ from the book in two ways: the first in that I will focus slightly more on the individual, inner workings of psychology behind the actions that they, or we, make every day; and the second in that I will focus less on the immediately following reactions to the results of environmental pollution, and more on the lack of action for sustainability. In other words, the focus and therefore the originality will lie on the psychology that directly keeps individuals from acting for environmental sustainability.

Along with providing specific evidence on the reasons from books and studies on why sustainability is important, I will use psychology as the secondary focus within the topic. I will analyze the reasons behind the problem, and possibly find some solutions, with the interactions of the two topics. This will provide a strong basis for the issue, providing the readers with a deeper understanding on the reasons that create the modern environmental state, and thereby give them a better chance of grasping and solving the ultimate problem.

Bibliography

Costanza, Robert, Ida Kubiszewski. Creating a Sustainable and Desirable Future: Insights from 45 Global Thought Leaders. Singapore: World Scientific Publishing, 2014.

Falkenmark, Malin. Water and Sustainability: A Reappraisal. Environment, 50(2):5-16. 2008.

Juniper, Tony. What Has Nature Ever Done for Us? New Mexico: Synergetic Press, 2013.

Rockwood, Larry L., Ronald E. Stewart, and Thomas Dietz. Foundations of Environmental Sustainability. New York: Oxford University Press, 2008.

The Worldwatch Institute. State of the World 2015: Confronting Hidden Threats to Sustainability. Washington D.C.: Island Press, 2015.

Winter, Deborah D. N., Susan M. Koger. The Psychology of Environmental Problems. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2004.

Leah Hotaling

Peer Review

• Scope: I’d like to examine the equality of African American education in American society. Although education is normally seen as the best path to success, the American education system is constantly under scrutiny by political leaders, educators, students, and parents. However, there are also underlying factors of racism that still persist in America that are present in schools and affect the foundation of education programs. I’d like to hone in on African American education in rural areas as well as inner city schools where the heaviest racism is present. I will examine the history of Black education in the twentieth-century and compare it to where it stands in the twenty-first century. Especially over the past sixty years there were major changes in education, starting with the Civil Rights Movement. I will also evaluate programs that were designed to encourage minority education and note whether or not they succeed in providing equal opportunities for black students. I also want to examine the correlation between black education and crime rates because education often leads to avoiding dangerous situations.

• Value: Education and success have a strong correlation; however, not all Americans have access to proper resources that aid learning and support for continuing to higher education. W.E.B. Du Bois claimed that education of the black community by black educators would lead to the best success for African Americans. In America today there has been a push for more integrated school systems; however, this is what Du Bois argued against. Does separating students make for deeper race divides or do the benefits of the learning process outweigh other possible consequences? Would African American parents actually agree to sending their children to schools designated for race specific learning? Does that go against all the efforts that were made throughout the past century to conquer racism?

• Originality: The gap in education from whites and blacks has been noted for years and many people blame the gap on differences in social classes. Edward Bell, author of journal article “Educating African American Males,” found that African American students place a heavy focus on their appearance rather than obtaining self discipline. Bell argued that school systems need to help students develop social skills, which can further help them down the road. The argument that it is important to help them develop practical skills relates to the journal article, “60 Years after Brown v. Board of Education: The Impact of the Congressional Black Caucus on the Education of Black People in the United States of America” written by Ivory Toldson. Toldson argued that the most important thing is to make academic resources available to all students in order to aid learning. He also argued that by forcing integration to create a diversity does not ensure educational equality. Another source that I will use in my paper is the book Educating a Diverse Nation by Clifton Conrad because he worked directly with African American students from universities and programs.

• Practicality: I believe that I have enough information to support my claims. I would like to find more books on the subject but there is a good amount of articles that are good resources. I also think that I should try looking into videos or documentaries because having someone explain the complicated topic will help present new ideas and questions. I will use several primary sources and I will also use some secondary sources from the Dickinson online database. Photos can be found through google.

Bell, Edward E. “Educating African American Males.” Online Submission (2010): 1-22.

Conrad, Clifton. Educating a Diverse Nation. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2015.

Toldson, Ivory A. “60 Years after Brown v. Board of Education: The Impact of the Congressional Black Caucus on the Education of Black People in the United States of America (Editor’s Commentary).” Journal Of Negro Education 83, no. 3 (2014): 194-198.

Scope: I will be analyzing how technology (specifically the internet, social media, and smart phones) is impacting social lives, with a focus on interpersonal and intrapersonal relationships. I will need to acknowledge all the good that technology has done for bringing us together, especially in increasing political efficacy. However, I want to focus on bringing in research and analyses discussing how technology has impacted our attention spans and communication skills, and how they may have in turn impaired our “real”, in-person relationships as well as our relationships with ourselves. For example, I can analyze results from studies such as “The Affects of Cell Phone Usage Rules on Satisfaction in Romantic Relationships” which show that, for example, not messaging one’s partner enough can cause dissatisfaction in relationships. I would also incorporate some “primary sources” like newspaper op-eds in order to examine how people are responding to trends like these appearing before them.

Value: First, I will be asking how technology influences people’s social skills and relationships. Just how “distracted” have we become? To what degree is technology, instant access to information, and constant checking and updating of social media affecting us outside of the virtual world? Secondly, I want to ask why this is important. What impact will these decreasing social and communication skills have on the world? What happens when we lack meaningful, in-person relationships? What is the future of society going to look like if these trends continue? I want to include research to answer these questions, although I think including personal analyses/opinions of these questions (from both scholars and everyday people who are living it) would be interesting as well.

Originality: This topic is extremely relevant to modern times because this type of social technology has only been around for the last decade or so. I think my paper will add to the work done on this subject by supporting the possibility that technology is negatively affecting our social relationships and communication skills as well as how we see ourselves. The common person is most likely aware of general findings from studies about how technology is affecting us psychologically and sociologically. There have been many analyses of technology’s impact on society within the arts recently, such as with the movies Her and Wall-E, or even comedian Aziz Ansari’s novel Modern Romance. I want to further analyze the studies by showing how people respond to this trend appearing before their very eyes, and how or if this trend will continue and affect society in the future. At this very moment, do people find our reliance on technology for socialization concerning? What, if anything, should be done?

Practicality: I have found extensive research and information about this topic. Many psychologists and sociologists have conducted studies about how technology has affected attention, social skills, and personal relationships. For example, “The Effects of Cell Phone Usage Rules on Satisfaction in Romantic Relationships” and “Technology, Relationships, and Culture: Clinical and Theoretical Implications” are two journals which conducted research how technology (cell phones in particular) are estranging friendships and intimate relationships. My methodology will include comparing these studies done predominantly on American teenagers and college students with those done on communities that live without technology or those conducted in the past (pre-dating social media and smartphones). Almost all of the sources I will be using are from the library catalog or database. So far, I have been able to access all the articles and books I want to use in my paper. I also may incorporate some newspaper op-ed pieces to serve as primary sources of sorts which offer firsthand perspectives about the topic as it is unraveling.

Bibliography

Miller-Ott, Aimee, Lynne Kelly, and Robert Duran. “The Effects of Cell Phone Usage Rules on Satisfaction in Romantic Relationships.” Communication Quarterly 60, no. 1 (2012): 17-34.

Velasquez, Alcides, and Robert LaRose. “Social Media for Social Changes: Social Media Political Efficacy and Actitivism in Student Activist Groups.” Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media 59, no. 3 (2015): 456-74.

Zilberstein, Karen. “Technology, Relationships and Culture: Clinical and Theorectical Implications.” Clinical Social Work Journal 43, no. 2 (2015): 151.

Crawford, Matthew B. The World Beyond Your Head: On Becoming an Individual in an Age of Distraction. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux 2015.

Roberts, Paul. The Impulse Society: America in the Age of Instant Gratification. New York: Bloomsbury, 2014.

Causes and Effects of Mass Immigration from developing nations into Europe

Scope: Causes and Effects of mass immigration from the Middle East and Africa into Europe. Immigration has been an issue for generations however, recent immigration has been causing a lot of turmoil amongst the European nations, as more refugees come pouring out of the Middle east and Africa. Europe is having an impossible task to integrate these refugees who smuggle themselves into Europe in masses. These refuges are also a big question mark, and Europe is having the impossible task of nit combing through every individual to make sure that there are no terrorist criminals etc. Among these immigrants of poverty and war countries. I will be focusing my essay on the Middle East, Africa and countries in the E.U which are struggling the most at integrate these aliens. I will discuss the issues surrounding the reasons of the refugees leaving their countries and the effects they have in the Europe.

Value: Immigration has always been a predominant event in human history as humans leave poor areas to find a better life. Although is it really a better life that awaits these immigrants? After all the west has never been tolerant of immigrants. No Country wants to share their wealth with someone who is not a part of that country. Marxism states we should ignore all borders and link arms for the revolution. Unfortunately for him we live in a capitalist society were the rich want to stay rich. The idea of immigrants taking native people’s job will almost make people sick with anger and hate. The economy is a huge factor, the lack of jobs and poverty that will supposedly ensue is in the minds of the people living in richer nations, and hope for a better life and jobs in the minds of immigrants. Becoming a refugee is the worst possible outcome, as your home is likely a war torn country spread with misery and human catastrophe’s, and when you migrate in search of a better life you are met with hostility and hate. Nonetheless some of these refugee may have other agendas other than to find a new home. The many war torn regions in the Middle East and Africa were caused by the richer nations, imperialism created borders that the locals never respected, old tribal hate ran deep, the western nations capitalized on that to get what they wanted. Now the situation is dire the 21^st has brought the dawn of a new enemy one that is shapeless in form. It is no country, it is extremisms, and with it terrorism, which has frightened the minds of all in the West. The E.U knows full well that among these refugees there are some that would love to watch the West burn.

Originality: Immigration has always been a problem, because it is the flow of people looking for a better life leaving from a place of struggle and when they get to the “promised” land they expect to be welcomed. The documents and research I looked at for this topic tend to be biased, either one agrees with immigration or one does not agree, what I am trying to accomplish in this essay is to highlight the phantom menace that this immigration has caused in the E.U. Is the fear legitimate? Is the economy really going to suffer? Are people going to lose jobs? Who are these people? Why are we letting our enemies into our nations?

Practicality: There are mountains of opinions and arguments in favor and disfavor of immigration. There are many books on the topic of immigration such as Reflections on the Revolution In Europe: Immigration, Islam and the West” by Christopher Caldwell, particularly now, since immigration has become such a hot political topic. I will use a few primary sources like pictures (though pictures can be interpreted any type of way), and I may use a few news footage such as Vice News.

Sources

1. Lazaridis, Gabriella. International migration into Europe: from subjects to abject. New York Palgrave Macmillan, 2015.
2. Kane, Abdoulaye African migrations [electronic resource]: patterns and perspectives, Bloomington: Indiana University Press. 2012. http://web.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/ebookviewer/ebook/bmxlYmtfXzUyMzQxNF9fQU41?sid=6ba8e69b-79ac-4998-8f62-6e6b32baffbd@sessionmgr4005&vid=0&format=EB&rid=1
3. Carling, Jørgen “European Strategies for Reducing ‘Unwanted’ Immigration” Policy Brief, April 2007

4.   Kohnert Dirk “African Migration to Europe: Obscured Responsibilities and Common      Misconceptions” Working Paper, May 2007.

5. MARTIN, Michael T. “Fortress Europeand Third World immigration in the post-cold war global context” Third World Quarterly 20. NUM 4. 1999.- P. 821-835; 1999

Max Burrows

Scope: I want to observe how nationalism is used to affect international relations between Russia and the United States post World War II. Nationalism is ingrained in every culture, regardless of location. It is the pride in people about their country, or culture created around it. Examining the way nationalism affects the foreign policies of countries such as the United States and Russia is one area of focus of this study. The other being the repercussions both the US and Russia face when creating an international policy based on nationalism. I will be examining a variety of books and journal articles an US, and Russian foreign policy in relation to each other and the struggle for power and “dominance” over the other. This will help solidify my topic while defining the important factors of my topic of study.

Value: Nationalism has existed since the formation of nations, with the United States and Russia being two of the major superpowers. Living in the age of information, it is vital to identify potential dangers of nationalism and ask questions. Can nationalism spark conflict between countries or cultures? How does nationalism affect the decisions of the countries leaders? Do governments utilize nationalism for independent gain? Observing nationalism through the lens of international relations grants a new perspective on why this issue is so interesting. 

Originality: Nationalism in the United States and Russia has been a power struggle since the end of World War II. The Journal article WHEN EMPIRE MEETS NATIONALISM. POWER POLITICS IN THE US AND RUSSIA describes the nationalist groups that shape the foreign policy of Russia and the United states. The article examines the differences between different nationalistic groups and their political objectives. Another journal article Immigration Phobia and the Security Dilemma: Russia, Europe, and the United States again illustrates the reluctance by both Russians and Americans to welcome immigrants into their countries. The scrutiny they experience as immigrants is interesting because it again highlights the defined cultures of the United States and Russia. This sense of identity and nationalism is important to examine when viewing Russian and American foreign policy. The Russians and Americans regard each other with a sense of distrust encouraged by their respective governments through different types of media.

Practicality: Nationalism and international relations between the United States and Russia are heavily researched. There is enough evidence for an argument to be constructed analyzing the affects of nationalism and how it will change the twenty first century. Many books and journals are published about nationalism and the effects it has on both countries and their populaces. Meanwhile, foreign policy has been a heavily discussed topic in the twenty first century and there is lots of information on the subject. I will use secondary sources mainly, and primary sources if the topic requires a first hand account to support the argument. There are many secondary sources in the library on nationalism in the US and Russia, and many more on their foreign policy post World War II. Dickinson’s databases also provide lots of information, which will expand the range of my research.

Bibliography

Greenfeld, Liah. “The Globalization of Nationalism and the Future of the Nation-State.” International Journal of Politics, Culture, and Society 24, no. 1-2 (06, 2011): 5-9.

Neier, Aryeh. “America’s New Nationalism.” Social Research 71, no. 4 (Winter, 2004):

Marten, Kimberly. “Immigration Phobia and the Security Dilemma: Russia, Europe, and the United States.” Political Science Quarterly 121, no. 4 (06, 2007): 706-707. http:// search.proquest.com/docview/208281762?accountid=10506.

Telò, Mario. Globalisation, Multilateralism, Europe: Towards a Better Global Governance? Burlington, VT: Ashgate, 2014.

Lussac, Samuel. “WHEN EMPIRE MEETS NATIONALISM. POWER POLITICS IN THE US AND RUSSIA.” Caucasian Review of International Affairs 4, no. 1 (Winter, 2010): 99-100. http://search.proquest.com/docview/210955266?accountid=10506.

Alex Jacobson

Scope: I will be researching education in the 21^st century United States, and more specifically the shortage of teachers compared to students, which causes disparities in educational opportunities for students and pay for teachers. DuBois stressed the importance of education leading to opportunity for the African American population, and this is no different today with the entire population, regardless of race. A study conducted in the article “Beyond Money: Public Urban Boarding Schools and the State’s Obligation to make an Adequate Education Attainable” proved that young thinkers living in poverty are as capable of achieving as are those with more income, but they are not given the same opportunities, whether it is due to the exorbitant cost of boarding schools, college or graduate schools, or school supplies. This falls partially on the government, because they are the ones making policy decisions, not the teachers, and this is similar to Marx stressing the workers not having any say in policy in a capitalist system. Teachers still suffer from low wages, which creates little incentive to be one, having a direct effect on the quality of education for the increasing number of people in schools. With the rising population of young thinkers, there must also be an increase in the quantity and quality of teachers nationwide.

Value: DuBois noted the importance of knowledge to deter ignorance and malice in society, and specifically that the African American population could only prosper if they were taught the liberal arts by other African Americans, because they had empathy for them and knew of their struggle. Pertaining to my research, how do we create more incentive for the demand of teachers in impoverished areas nationally? Are monetary rewards the answer or does this just add to capitalist greed and create more competition in a field that is supposed to be communal and collaborative? As Marx referenced in his manuscripts, competition and the value of money can lead to “estranged labor” and dehumanization of society. How do we get entrepreneurs to want to be teachers, instead of corporate and financial workers who control such a huge portion of our national wealth? Along with that, how can we get them to focus on educating better, not jusreceiving higher wages, and can the two go together?

Originality: My topic relates to a variety of historical struggles stemming from capitalism. With the government controlling educational policy, teachers continue to have low wages—although there has been marginal improvement—which they have had for centuries. This is alluded to in Modern Educational Controversies. Subsequently, with the exponential rise in population and growing percentage of the population being youth, this is leading to less opportunity for those who cannot afford higher and private educations. This is nothing new, as DuBois referenced it in The Souls of Black Folk, and the price of boarding schools, college, and graduate schools has been an issue in the United States for centuries. If the incentive to be a teacher were to increase, more people would be able to be educated in areas that did not previously have boarding schools, colleges or other schools, because of the rising supply of teachers. Additionally, the benefits of starting public boarding schools in rural neighborhoods are introduced in Shelaswau Bushnell Crier’s article “Beyond Money: Public Boarding Schools and the State’s Obligation to make an Adequate Education Attainable.” This proposal could be a potential solution to the ongoing struggle for opportunity in education, but it cannot start without more teachers.

Practicality: This problem can be heavily researched, and I have already checked out numerous books from the library pertaining to my topic, but there are hundreds of other sources at my disposal. The articles and studies online are interesting and abundant. In terms of primary sources, I will research sources from the perspective of students and teachers, and I also have within my documents references to speeches and policy enacted by President Obama in the realm of education. I can use these governmental documents to answer questions regarding what is being done to combat this problem, and the primary sources from teachers and students to answer questions regarding what their perspectives are to better represent the actual problem. I will be looking at the problems themselves today through data, how they are being handled, and how they can be handled in the future with possible solutions. This is an immense problem in modern America, as we should be a world leader in education, not a liability.

Primary Sources:

“Race to the Top.” The White House. 2015. 9 October 2015.

This source did not list an author, as it came from the White House’s official website. It outlined educational policies and the specifics of the “Race to the Top” initiative put in place by Obama in 2012. The initiative has dedicated over $4 billion to 19 states and is putting money and resources toward improving k-12 education quality in four areas. They provide incentives for schools and teachers to improve their classroom practices and allocations of resources, among other aspects.

“Transforming Teaching and Leading.” U.S. Department of Education. 9 October 2015.

Another government sponsored source, this document did not have an author acknowledged. This source outlined ways that the government is currently reforming teaching, including the online forum “Commit to Lead,” a collaborative community of educators working to share and vote on their ideas to improve quality of teaching and leadership. This platform is a good way to improve teaching, as I said in my proposal that teaching ought to be more collaborative than it has been in the past.

Secondary Sources:

Brill, Steven. Class Warfare: Inside the Fight to Fix America’s Schools. New York, New

York: Simon & Schuster, 2011.

The specific section I plan to use in crafting my paper was the chapter “Rhee’s Choice: Your Union or $130,000.” This chapter explains Michelle Rhee, a government affiliate in Washington D.C. and her fight with a local teachers union about policy regarding their pay and compensation. She came to a conclusion, a proposed bill increasing teacher’s salaries based off of evaluation of performance and test score improvements, but if a teacher chose to agree to this, they would forfeit lifetime tenure and compensation. The proposal was not even put up for a vote, however, for two years. This shows the gridlock of government and disagreements that are frequent but rarely solved with the current structure in place.

Chen, Jingqiu. “Temptation, Monetary Intelligence (Love of Money), and Environmental

Context on Unethical Intentions and Cheating.” Journal Of Business Ethics 123,

no.2 (2014): 197-219.

I used this article to hypothesize how monetary incentives work for teachers. Would they just cheat and not actually teach their students material, but rather have them memorize in order to perform well so that they could receive higher wages? This article thoroughly annotated a study conducted in the USA and China giving students a monetary incentive to perform and whether or not they would cheat in certain environments. The results showed that both groups cheated to an extent, more of which occurred in segregated cubicles, rather than open classrooms. So, if a monetary incentive system were to be put in place, it would need close supervision and a communal attitude to be embraced by teachers and staff.

Crier, Shelaswau Bushnell. 2015. “Beyond Money: Public Urban Boarding Schools and

the State’s Obligation to make an Adequate Education Attainable.” Journal of Law and Education 44 (1): 23-94.

This source proposed an interested solution to some educational problems that arise from student’s environments. It stresses the need for boarding schools in urban areas to compensate for the gap of education they experience compared to suburban. Lack of education in these areas is directly related to less income and poverty, and also their often more troubling home environments can inhibit their learning.

Hershberg, Theodore, and Claire Robertson-Kraft. 2010. “Maximizing the Opportunity

Provided by ‘Race to the Top’.” Penn GSE Perspectives On Urban Education 7, no. 1: 128-131.

This source gave me a better keywords list, and introduced me to some of the current government measures being taken to improve our struggling economic sector. It familiarized me with Obama’s “Race to the Top” program and his “No Child Left Behind” act.

Tavel, David. Modern Educational Controversies. Lanham, MD: University Press of

America, 1984.

This book used data and statistics and an indifferent approach to addressing the “controversies” within. It stated that higher salaries now provide the opportunity to improve teaching, but do not improve it alone. Essentially, Tavel acknowledged that salaries today are higher, and that teachers unions have come into more power in the last half-century, but statistics show that because the salaries are increasing, this does not mean the quality of the teaching is. It was similar to Marx when Tavel wrote about teachers working solely for wages, and having a nearly impossible schedule. They are experiencing estranged labor in the twenty-first century.

Charlotte Polk                                                                                                           Paper Proposal                                                                                                                       Due Date: Oct.12^th

Scope:

I want to examine the inequality of gender nationally (United States of America) and globally.  I hope to compare and contrast how the divide between men and women equality vary from the equality between genders in another country.  Perception of women has been inferior to men throughout the world and continues to be in this century.  Mostly looking at the twenty-first century to retrieve the majority of my facts.  Studies have shown that within the work world, women with equal or greater experience and knowledge have been paid less then a male colleague. Similarly, societally women have been known to give up their last name when they become wed and take that of their husbands. Marriage is a union of property, and by changing the last name it is succumbing to the man and becoming “wife” not “man and woman” which seems to be more equitable.   Women’s rights have been evolving since America first started to create laws for the people.  With time, women have started to become more eligible to undertake in the equivalent acts as men.  However, there has been a strong perception that women are only good for certain things and should not do some of the same things because they are inept. I will examine the timeline in Americas history of women gaining rights through time and compare those rights to other nations around the world.  I will look at underdeveloped and modern European counties to make my comparisons.

Value:

America prides itself on being the nation of freedom, yet there is a different variation of freedom based on gender.  If this is commonly known throughout todays society, why do we still have discrimination based on gender? With the advancement of society, and the people of America becoming more accepting to new social ideas, why are women still considered to be lesser then men?  Sex should not be a justification of mal treatment.  Women are starting to gain more recognition in society, with that more changes will have to be made to accommodate powerful women who seek out change.

Originality:

While information on women in the United States might be easier to come by, looking for credible examples of how women are treated poorly in other nations may be more difficult.  In the article “Speaking truth to Power: Women’s Rights as Human Rights”, the emphasis is on the results since the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948 will help with the evaluation of the timeline since then to present day to review the change that has or has not been since that time.  Similarly, in the reading, “Outgrowing the Compact of the Fathers: Equal Rights, Woman Suffrage, and the United States Constitution”, discusses the beginnings of the women’s rights movements, touching on when the U.S Constitution was first written.  Both of these resources will provide information about the past and the start of the negativity towards women.  Furthermore, these facts will act as a bridge connecting todays discrimination to that of previous centuries thus providing more comparisons to be made.  This will also allow for noticing the growth that has been made since this time, and the improvements that are still yet to happen.

Practicality:

This is an ongoing topic that doesn’t seem to have a defined ending point.  Real world examples that have happened in the past and that are current can serve as justification to prove that women in todays society are thought to be less significant than men.  The Dickinson Library contains multiple books that will be essential for me to review in order to understand why the divide is so prevalent.  This includes most of the items located in the International Women’s Periodicals, 1786-1933: Social and Political Issues (Archives Unbound) database as well as the GenderWach and Women Studies International Databases.

Criag, Murphy N. Seeing Women, Recognizing Gender, Recasting International Relations. Cambridge, United Kingdom  : Cambridge University Press, 1996.

This source will be helpful to use throughout the writing process because it analyzes the

Crocco, Margaret S. Speaking Truth to Power: Women’s Rights as Human Rights. The Social Studies (Washington, D.C.) 2007.

DuBois, Ellen Carol. Outgrowing the Compact of the Fathers: Equal Rights, Woman Suffrage, and the United States Constitution. Journal of American History, 1987.

Naples, Nancy A. 2002. Women’s Activism and Globalization : Linking Local Struggles and Transnational Politics. Edited by Desai, Menisha. New York : Routledge, 2002.

Tickner, Ann J., and Laura Sjoberg. Feminism and International Relations : Conversations about the Past, Present, and Future. Edited by Ann Tickner and Laura Sjoberg. London ; New York : Routledge, 2011.

Paper Proposal

Scope

The problem with the twenty first century, which I will examine, is cyber threats. This paper will specifically focus on the dictatorship of North Korea and their use of cyber hacking to threaten the world economically, politically, and militarily. With the growth of the Internet and social media, cyber hacking has become a popular way for countries to find classified information often times from government networks, and pose public threats to society. Since 2010, according to the South Korean National Intelligence Service (NIS), many of the seventy five thousand hacking attempts on South Korean organizations have been linked to North Korea. I will attempt to illustrate how serious cyber threats are through examples, such as the infamous North Korean Sony Pictures hack in 2014. Most of my information will tend to come from Western sources and media that report on North Korea and cyber threats, so it will be important to make this statement clear as my focus in the introduction. In addition, the paper will address the Marxist characteristics in the North Korean society that make threats of cyber possible and the ultimate intention of destroying and undermining democracy in the West. Although I am focusing on cyber threats to the West, I will discuss the implications of North Korea’s cyber hacking against South Korea and reports of efforts to start a war with them as a catalyst to provoke the West.

Value

I will discuss the importance of cyber and its relevance to the structure of North Korea’s society. I will make note of the dangers of cyber hacking and the reasons why countries like North Korea take action in doing it. North Korean defector Jang Se-Yul claimed that the government started experimenting with cyber hacking in the 1990’s in effort to develop asymmetrical warfare during a period of economic turmoil when military assets were low. This shows that cyber attacks from North Korea could be more lethal and detrimental than any from other nations. One of the sources that I found discusses education, art, and politics evident in North Korea, and how the structure of their society promotes the use of cyber hacking. This leads me to the question: Is North Korea using cyber to attract attention or because they are true threat to the world? In addition, with the growth of social media, Internet, and industries, does North Korea’s cyber use pose a threat to capitalism, and specifically democratic nations? If this is so, should media play a role in making North Korea’s cyber use known to the world as a threat? Will other dictatorships threaten the West with cyber like North Korea? Lastly, if this is such a huge threat to the West, why is it then necessary that democracy be upheld in the twenty-first century?

Originality

The use of cyber and hacking is not a new phenomenon. However, its use is increasing and becoming uncontrollable. The Sony Cyber Attack highlights how important the issue is, as the United States placed sanctions on North Korean businesses. This reflects a democratic and capitalistic nation’s response to cyber threats from a complete state controlled totalitarian regime. To conclude my paper, I will discuss what North Korea represents on a global scale. I will then touch upon the reasoning that since cyber hacking is a huge issue, why should we trust the information and what we read on the internet?

Practicality

My topic is focused on North Korea. There is a lot of media coverage on the country and on cyber hacking in many newspaper articles, and world reports. In my paper it will be important to analyze the authors, their scopes, and where their views are coming from. Government sites might also offer information on my topic. Some of my information will be collected from secondary sources, including scholarly databases and books from the library. These sources will give opinion and critique the problems with the threats to the world. Primary sources will come from specific recounts of cyber hacking. These sources will outline what cyber hacking is and the degree to which it is a threat to society.

Sources

Song, Jiyoung. “How communist is North Korea? From the birth to the death of Marxist ideas of human rights.” Cambridge Review Of International Affairs 23, no. 4 (December 2010): 561-587. Political Science Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed October 1, 2015).

Kim, Young-do, Jin-sung Kim, and Kyung-ho Lee. “Major Issues of the National Cyber Security System in South Korea, and its Future Direction.” Korean Journal Of Defense Analysis 25, no. 4 (December 2013): 435-455. Political Science Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed October 8, 2015).

Lee, Yong-joon, Hyuk-jin Kwon, Jaeil Lee, and Dong-kyoo Shin. 2015. “Development of Countermeasures against North Korean Cyberterrorism through Research Case Studies.” Korean Journal Of Defense Analysis 27, no. 1: 71-86. Political Science Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed October 8, 2015).

 Obama Vows Response to North Korea Over Sony Hack. 2014. Lanham: Federal Information & News Dispatch, Inc. http://search.proquest.com/docview/1638583886?accountid=10506.

Haggard, Stephan and Jon R. Lindsay. 2015. “North Korea and the Sony Hack: Exporting Instability through Cyberspace.” Asia – Pacific Issues (117): 1-8. http://search.proquest.com/docview/1690004558?accountid=10506.

“Current North Korean Cyber-Warfare Threat to South Korea would be Key to Potential War-Fighting Strategy.” 2015.Jane’s Intelligence Weekly 7 (6).  http://search.proquest.com/docview/1645004785?accountid=10506.