Gender Relations Between Rural Areas And The West Of Iran

Daniel Leitao-Graca 4058971 SYG 2000 2 November 2015 Gender Relations in Rural Areas Summary of the Article This paper gives a detailed analysis of a peer-reviewed sociology paper to discuss the theme in the paper, giving a summary of the article with research methods and research findings plus relevance of the paper ‘Geographical Perspective on Gender Relations in Rural Areas; a Comparative Study in North and West of Iran’. The article ‘Geographical Perspective on Gender Relations in Rural Areas; a Comparative Study in North and West of Iran’ featured in the volume 10 issue 2 of the Journal of Rural and Community Development. Dadvar-Khani Fazileh authored the article in 2015. Fazileh is of the University of Tehran in Iran and is a†¦show more content†¦Fazileh’s comparative study shows the effect of geographical distribution in generating gender identity and female roles in rural areas (Dadvar, 72). The study as seen from the two different rural areas reveals a significant outlook between genders in terms of women’s social rights and roles in both economic and social activities. The studies in two different townships in Iran, Langroud in north Iran and Paveh in the west show a variance in gender relations and especially in female participation in activities as agriculture and the general attitude men of the same locality depict towards the same. The overall concern of Fazileh is to study the contribution of geographical conditions like climate and topography in the shaping of social issues like gender identity and female participation in socioeconomic activities including agriculture and how this affects men’s attitudes towards various gender issues like the position of the female gender and the legal status of women. The results of the study turn out different in the two townships of different geographical characteristics clearly delineating the purpose of geography in gender relations as seen in the rural areas of west and north Iran Research method Fazileh employed the use of questionnaires to conduct his study in the rural population of Iran (Dadvar,68). The questionnaires contained 64 items and were geared towards; gender rights and duties and the attitudes of men and women towards the same,

Second Language Acquisition and Bilingualism Free Essays

In America, there is a predominant growth in multiple ethnicities and cultural backgrounds; leading to the usage of multiple languages in the American culture. There is a growing need for many people to learn and utilize multiple languages within the workplace and within one’s own personal life. The importance of bilingualism and the knowledge of multiple languages is ever increasing, and therefore becoming more important for the younger generations. We will write a custom essay sample on Second Language Acquisition and Bilingualism or any similar topic only for you Order Now The push for knowing multiple languages and becoming bilingual has many potential negative and positive effects. Bilingualism is the ability to use two languages when communicating orally or in writing. The usage of multiple languages within the American culture is becoming very common and beneficial. It is difficult because as teacher you always have to find new and interesting methods in order to arouse learner’s interest, but at the same time it is enjoyable since teachers are given the opportunity to work with them. For myself, I enjoy working with bilingual children; I as a caregiver try to learn the students’ first language so that I will be able to communicate with them as much as possible in their native language. Currently in my classroom I have a German native. His name is Lucas and he is fifteen months old. His mother is German and his father is an American soldier. Both of his parents speak English and German. So at home they communicate with him in both languages. I talk to his mother and father on a daily basis to find out new words in German so that I can talk to him in both languages. I have discovered that some words that I do say in German he really does respond to them better, than if I would tell him to do something in English. Second language acquisition is the process of learning other languages in addition to the native language. Second language acquisition is a long process which can include many stages. For instance, a child who speaks German as the mother tongue starts learning English when he/she starts going to school. English is learned by the process of second language acquisition. Students of second language acquisition go through the same stages of learning, the period of learning varies. Some students tend to learn better by responding to visuals and pictures. There are many positive benefits in the acquisition of a second language and bilingualism. There are many positive affective factors for second language acquisition and bilingualism. Some positive factors can be listed as: the student’s attitude towards learning the new language, the teacher motivational attitude, and the proficiency in the student’s first language. Also learning a second language at an early age can have a positive effect on intellectual growth, and also enhance and enrich the child’s mental and development. Furthermore it can open the doors of opportunities to other cultures and help the children learn and appreciate other people from other countries. There are two types of bilingualism. The first type is simultaneous bilingualism. Simultaneous bilingualism is when children acquire two languages prior to the age three. Simultaneous bilingualism normally happens when the language used at home is different from language used in the community or school. The parents, caregivers or other family members might not speak the language of the school or the community, or the parents could speak two or more languages but have made a decision about which language they speak with the child. (http://www. brainy-child. com/article/bilingual. shtm) The second type of bilingualism is successive bilingualism. Successive bilingualism refers to instances in which a child acquire their second language after the age of three† (Otto, 2010, pg. 71). Once they have reached the successive bilingualism stage some children learn their second language formally through school or through language classes. With successive bilingualism a child has the advantage of their first language as a base. They use this to both analyze and develop t he second. For example, the child knows that language is organized in a particular order. The more mature a child is they also have a better vocabulary base, acoustic perception, and comprehension. Therefore they would make fewer errors in a second language. For example, I once worked with a little boy, Julien, he spoke NO English when he entered my classroom (only Spanish) also, and his mom spoke NO English. As time passed he picked up English but when he got angry he would spout off in Spanish. ABSOLUTELY the cutest thing I ever saw! When parents to do not speak English I take that as a learning opportunity for myself and the parent. I try to communicate in that parent’s native language as best as I know how. Even if that means only knowing the basics. As the year progressed, the parent also learned how to speak English from taking classes on the army installation. When she could finally communicate with me she was very excited and so was I. Our relationship really grew. However, there is a critical period of learning a second language, â€Å"Many linguists believe there is a ‘critical period’ (lasting roughly from birth until puberty) during which a child can easily acquire any language that he or she is regularly exposed to. Under this view, the structure of the brain changes at puberty, and after that it becomes harder to learn a new language. This means that it is much easier to learn a second language during childhood than as an adult. Apart from the above, children do tend to develop more native-like pronunciation when bilingualism begins before adolescence. † (http://www. brainy-child. com/article/bilingual. shtm) With that being said children tend to learn a second language better before the age of fifteen. â€Å"Learners and their learning strategies will change over time. A five year old will have a different language learning profile and language learning strategies than a fifteen year old. † (http://www. rainy-child. com/article/bilingual. shtm) As bilingual children acquire the home and target language they have been found to mix the languages in the same communicative interaction. This is known as language interference (Otto, 2010). â€Å"Code mixing is also when the children appear to be mixing the two languages. When the children code mix this may simply reflect their parents’ use of the t wo languages. It can also reflect the attempts to maintain a conversation when knowledge of the second language is not sufficient to express the desired message. † (Otto, 2010, pg. 72). I have seen this happen on a regular basis in the preschool classroom. One incident I remember, I was joining my son for lunch and I was passing the lunch to the child next to me, when handing him the ham in the container, he replied â€Å"no bitte† which means no thank you. He said â€Å"no† in English and â€Å"thank you† in German. According to Otto, the author of Language development in Early Childhood, â€Å"Codeswitching is distinguished from code mixing and language interference by the speaker’s apparently conscious and deliberate use of two languages within the same sentence or from one sentence to another† (Otto, 2010, pg. 2) Codeswitching usually occurs when a idea label is not available in the language being used. When talking to my father he uses codeswitching all time. He would be in the middle of a conversation with me speaking to me in English and if he does not know the correct word in English he would automatically say it in Spanish . I never knew that there was a professional word for this type of language. â€Å"In the past, especially prior to 1960, bilingualism was thought to be an educational handicap† (Otto, 2010, pg. 72). It was believed that children could not learn a second language, while maintaining their first language (Otto, 2010). This is termed subtractive bilingualism. When a child encounters subtractive bilingualism this could result in the negative impact on the families. The communication between the families can become disrupted. â€Å"Prior to the 1970’s research has increased our understanding of the factors involved in second language acquisition† (Otto, 2010, pg. 73). We as educators need to get involved and help children and their amilies that are bilingual. â€Å"Current approaches to bilingualism emphasize the acquisition of the second target language, with the continued development of the home language. â€Å"This approach is also referred to the as additive bilingualism because a child’s language skills are enhanced in both languages† (Otto, 2010, pg. 73). Immersion programs promote additive bilingualism for majority language speakers. These are highl y valued educational programs. Although teaching is provided in the second language, the teacher knows and may use both languages. For example, the Child Development Center that I work for here in Hohenfels, Germany offers immersion programs to the military community. They offer German and Spanish immersion programs. I believe that these are great programs and that will be very helpful for our community, being that we have some many bilingual families in our community. Right know the classes are offered for children ranging from ages three years until twelve years of age. Also in the Hohenfels community there is Host Nation classes offered at the Elementary school. The host nation class teaches basic German words. This class also teaches the German customs. The class is offered twice a week in forty –five minute blocks. This class is very beneficial when you are in a different country. I went out to eat with my co-worker and her daughter is in the fifth grade, and just from her attending those classes twice a week she was able to order my food for me at the restaurant. I was impressed. Just being able to communicate basically and the read the menu, is what she has learned from her host nation class at school. As mentioned before, I believe the younger the child is, the better the time is to teach a child a second language. â€Å"Children who have acquired a level of fluency in two languages have been described as having the following increased language competencies: higher levels of metalinguistic awareness, greater and earlier awareness of language structure, wider perspectives, and more social skills† (Otto, 2010, pg. 73). This supports the claim of there being positive effects to bilingualism. Language is not taught directly, but it is acquired through ways which are clearly understood in a low anxiety environment. I am seeing this in my profession more and more each day. The amount of importance put onto second language acquisition is much higher that it has been before; at least it is more profound now. As a caregiver, I have learned that relationships and learning opportunities will allow children to strive in acquiring a second language. Children and families will continue to learn English as they come to the land of the â€Å"American Dream,† and caregivers, like myself will only slowly begin to see the effects second language acquisition has on our society. References Otto, B. (2010). Language Development In Early Childhood. (3rd Edition). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson BRAINSKILLS.  (2011).  How does language acquisition happen? .  Retrieved from http://www.brainskills.co.uk/HowDoesLanuageAcquisitionHappen.html Brainy Child.  (2011).  The Impact of Bilingualism on Overall Language Development and Academic Success .  Retrieved from http://www.brainy-child.com/article/bilingual.shtm) Education.  (2011).  Becoming bilingual: acquiring two languages.  Retrieved from http://www.education.com/reference/article/bilingual-acquiring-two-language/ Alice Callaghan.   (2010,  July  11). English immersion.  Los Angeles Times,p.  A.33.   Retrieved March 01, 2011, from Los Angeles Times. (Document ID:  2078277161). MacLeod,  A.,  ;  Stoel-Gammon,  C..  (2010). What is the impact of age of second language acquisition on the production of consonants and vowels among childhood bilinguals?  The International Journal of Bilingualism,  14(4),  400-421,511.   Retrieved March 01, 2011, from Research Library. (Document ID:  2266735221). How to cite Second Language Acquisition and Bilingualism, Essays

My Favorite Year Review- Maine South Highschool spring Play free essay sample

I saw Maine South High School’s production of the comedy musical, My Favorite Year. I personally thought that all of the students did an exemplary job acting. The musical was very entertaining. It had at least one funny line in every scene. I do not usually like musicals, but the music in this play was decent. I liked the story line a lot. It was a realistic story about a young screenwriter. In the story, Benjy Stone works as a comedy writer for a television variety show like today’s Saturday Night Live. Benjy needs to find a guest star for the next week’s show. He calls in his old time movie idol, Alan Swann. He agrees to star on the show, but once he gets to the studio, the crew realizes that he is a drunk. The star of the show, King Kaiser, wants to bring in another star, but Benjy is willing to risk his job to keep Swann on the show. We will write a custom essay sample on My Favorite Year Review- Maine South Highschool spring Play or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Benjy must convince Swann to stay sober for the whole week. The bulk of the story is about Stone trying to keep Swann from drinking. Alan makes it a few days before he starts craving a drink. His temptation is too strong, and he passes out drunk the night before the show. Benjy freaks out and is paranoid about getting fired. Benjy gets Swann to the studio, but Alan becomes very nervous about being on live television and refuses to go on. His most memorable line was, â€Å"I’m not a T.V. star; I’m a movie star!†

Personal Response Essay - Jeffrey Andreoni’s Why Can’t I Feel What I See free essay sample

Personal Response Essay: Jeffrey Andreoni’s Why Can’t I Feel What I See Jeffrey Andreoni states in his article â€Å"Why Can’t I Feel What I See† that happiness was much easier attained by the generation born in the first third of last century than more recent generations. The idea presented to explain this statement is that recently we as a society decided that happiness is to be measured â€Å"in terms of material gain† (3); when really all that is needed for happiness is to create things with our hands. To illustrate this, he compares himself to his grandfather; who was a poor carpenter with very few possessions. I can understand and even relate to Andreoni’s idea of why his grandfather was much happier. Reading his article might have even explained why I personally feel the way I do. Firstly, I agree with Andreoni’s idea that in our recent past, humans began requiring some â€Å"observable proof of happiness† (3), that happiness could only be measured in material gains. We will write a custom essay sample on Personal Response Essay Jeffrey Andreoni’s Why Can’t I Feel What I See or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page I believe the media has been a large player in creating this social belief. It is often advertisements that push this idea onto us that more is better; that we should always keep up to date with the latest electronic products and hottest fashion trends. How often do advertisements pitch forth the idea of happiness without having to purchase something? I have personally seen very few of such advertisements. Another idea of Andreoni’s that I agreed with was the idea that happiness comes from creating things with our hands. Although I can only speak for myself, and I cannot definitively confirm his idea, I can confidently say there is a relationship between the two. When my family first moved to Canada I remember spending a lot of time watching my father build furniture for our home. I was mesmerized by how easily he converted raw building supplies into bed frames, wardrobes, and tables. After building up enough knowledge of power tools, I was able to start building my own tree fort at the age of eleven. Two years later, standing fifteen feet above the ground, I had a fort with a waterproof roof, a retractable hammock, and a locking hatch through which only friends could enter. I was very proud of my creation. Unfortunately, two years after its completion, it had to be torn down on the grounds that one of the trees to which it was attached, died and was no longer bearing the weight of the fort. After two years of hard work, my castle had to come down from the trees and be thrown into a pile of rotting lumber. Despite its destruction, I felt no grief or sorrow. I was proud of what I had created, and this pride  continues to bring me happiness today. Although Andreoni’s idea of creating things with our hands is one way of making ourselves happy, I believe there are other things that bring us just as much, if not more, joy. The positive experiences I have had with my close friends have definitely brought me a great deal of happiness as well. Several years ago I went on an RV trip with two close friends across British Columbia; the beautiful scenery combined with the hooliganism that we got ourselves into during the trip will be something I will remember for a lifetime. Just like anything I have created with my hands, I will be able to look back on this experience and get joy from the memories it has created. Generally speaking, I agreed with most of what Andreoni has written about, and I strongly relate to his idea of using our hands. Although I also believe that the methods for attaining happiness are unique to each individual.