Monday, January 27, 2020

Globalisation Of Communication Curriculum

Globalisation Of Communication Curriculum Globalisation is a word used more often today than twenty or thirty years ago. Globalisation describes the increasing movement of people, knowledge, ideas, goods and money across national borders (Eberlein 2011:15). When talking about globalisation people mostly refer to the political, economic and technological changes which they think makes the world function differently today than it did twenty or thirty years ago It is assured that higher education institutions are affected by globalisation and are being transformed on a day to day basis and is speeding up the process of interconnectedness. Most of the universities are internationally recognised and in touch and informed with what other universities across the world is doing (Marginson van der Wende 2006:4). According to Marginson and van der Wende (2006:4), globalisation is not a single or universal phenomenon. It is nuanced according to locality (local area, nation, world region); language(s) of use, and academic cultures; and it plays out very differently according to the type of institution. It is nearly impossible for single higher education institutions and countries to isolate themselves from other institutions across the globe because of the interconnected global environment. Globalisation has made it possible for institutions to be connected and visible to other institutions around the world through the medium of social networking and cell phones (Marginson van der Wende 2006:4). 3. Globalisation and Communication ICTin South Africa has developed faster than expected and it makes the mobility of learning easier and more accessible. ICTs has an increased influence on any society and this has resulted in the transformation in communication and sharing of information around the world (Bilas Franc 2010:105). Bilas and Franc (2010:105)say that ICT ensures a speedy flow of information at a low cost. Globalisation is changing the way we communicate to others and what we communicate. The University of Pretoria uses a website what we call Click-up, this site is used only by students and lecturers that are registered at the University of Pretoria. Lecturers have the opportunity to distribute their lecture notes and any other additional information with regards to their subject field or module on the website. The students can than access this website and download any notes and information they may require. It is also used as a communications tool for lecturers and students. The lecturers can communicate with students by posting announcements on their particular subject of module link. Students can also communicate with fellow students by commenting on a specific module link and also so with the lecturers. This is a fast and effective way of communicating between lecturers and fellow students and the sharing of information. I myself would be lost without Click-up and I find this website very convenient and easy to use and as mentioned earlier it is a source where inf ormation is sent fast and at a low cost. 4. Globalisation and Curriculum Curriculum means to study a few different subjects in one course either during school or at university level. Globalisation has a major effect on curriculum in terms of the course content and subject content. It has impacted the curriculum polies to an extent where lifelong learning is an important factor in the Outcomes Based Education (OBE) system. Ngubane (2008:17) says that the global economic dynamic desires to make education systems even more receptive to the goals of a global world through reviving human capital theory as a key ingredient of instrumentalist education. She says that with new developments taking place, the education system needs to keep up to date on a daily basis because of the impact of globalisation. Therefore the education policy must be of such dynamic structure so that it can restore itself (Ngubane 2008:15). The globalisation concept is promoted by the speed of education development, number of skilled citizens and number of trained academics. This means that certain effects of globalisation are responsible for the changes in the education system. To keep up with global change, the education system, tools, methods and structures must follow economic trends. Globalisation has changed the world and increased the international understanding between people by bringing them together from across the globe (N gubane 2008:16). In relation to what is said above, there are four key transformations associated with the effects of globalisation. One of the key transformations is accreditation and universalization. This means that an institutions accreditation serves the purpose of: assisting with state funds, providing loans and bursaries and when ease-transfer becomes helpful to students who wish to move from one institution to another (Ngubane 2008:20). At the University of Pretoria they have a policy where funds are available to assist students with access to state funds. Student finance is available to students who have difficulty to pay intuition fees up front. A student can apply for a student loan from the university or they can apply for a bursary to help lift the burden temporarily. At the University of Pretoria they also have a programme where exchange students have the opportunity to visit and learn possible new skills at the university for a certain period of time to see how we in South Africa operate in relation to their own home country. When students wish to transfer from one institution to another they will get full recognition and credit for the courses that they have already done and passed 5. Globalisation and Culture It is said that the global situation is in the process of change and that a New World Order will affect all humanity and developing countries. Cultural ideas and images can be transported from one end of the earth to the other end in an instant, wirelessly and through satellite technology. Because of this, diverse culture groups in different countries are brought together faster at an alarming rate. This is what globalisation means, being connected to the rest of the world through the internet and technology (Sijuwade 2006:125). Sijuwade (2006:125) says that: Part of the process of globalization is the need to develop a culture that, in some broad way, can transcend diverse economic, ethnic, political, racial, and religious backgrounds. A teacher is appointed to equip all learners with the skills, knowledge and values to resolve cultural and social conflicts that may arise amongst them peacefully and to respect each others culture and traditions in order to become responsible citizens of South Africa (Power 2000:7). Culture changes on a daily basis, from traditions to religions. South Africa is a very diverse country with eleven official languages which makes it a unique country. It is important for all South African citizens to be language and culture sensitive. During my experience at university it is clear that there are a lot of diverse culture groups being brought together as one Rainbow Nation. Seeing all these different groups is defiantly a new experience for me. I went to an Afrikaans-speaking medium school in Pretoria and the majority of the children there were white speaking Afrikaners. Today I get to participate in a whole new culture. Global forces are increasing populations and mixing all cultures, this has forced people to learn to live together and to celebrate difference as a fact of life (Power 2000:3). Cultures and traditions have changed over the past several years in relation to dress codes and eating habits. A practical example will be the Indian people, their culture has w esternised so much in the sense that they do not dress the way they would have 20 years ago. The Indian culture at varsity has modernised. They come to varsity dressed in jeans and t-shirts; they dont wear their traditional saris anymore and its the same with the African culture, they dont wear their traditional African outfits anymore. This means that we are moving into a new culture where everybody dresses of the same nature, we are all of one rainbow nation, united as one. 6. Conclusion In South Africa education is being shaped and influenced by the global market economy. It is changing the curriculum in schools and tertiary institutions. The staffing of a school is dependant by the number learners enrolled into that particular school for that particular year, when the teacher-learner ratio is exceeded, teacher are forced to be transferred. As said before, it is evident that the South African education system is shaped and influenced by the forces of globalisation (Ngubane 2008:24).

Sunday, January 19, 2020

Childhood Essay -- Literary Analysis, Blake and Wordsworth

At its fundamental level, adulthood is simply the end of childhood, and the two stages are, by all accounts, drastically different. In the major works of poetry by William Blake and William Wordsworth, the dynamic between these two phases of life is analyzed and articulated. In both Blake’s Songs of Innocence and of Experience and many of Wordsworth’s works, childhood is portrayed as a superior state of mental capacity and freedom. The two poets echo one another in asserting that the individual’s progression into adulthood diminishes this childhood voice. In essence, both poets demonstrate an adoration for the vision possessed by a child, and an aversion to the mental state of adulthood. Although both Blake and Wordsworth show childhood as a state of greater innocence and spiritual vision, their view of its relationship with adulthood differs - Blake believes that childhood is crushed by adulthood, whereas Wordsworth sees childhood living on within the adult. In the William Blake’s Songs of Innocence and of Experience, the vision of children and adults are placed in opposition of one another. Blake portrays childhood as a time of optimism and positivity, of heightened connection with the natural world, and where joy is the overpowering emotion. This joyful nature is shown in Infant Joy, where the speaker, a newborn baby, states â€Å"’I happy am,/ Joy is my name.’† (Line 4-5) The speaker in this poem is portrayed as being immediately joyful, which represents Blake’s larger view of childhood as a state of joy that is untouched by humanity, and is untarnished by the experience of the real world. In contrast, Blake’s portrayal of adulthood is one of negativity and pessimism. Blake’s child saw the most cheerful aspects of the natural wo... ...lake and Wordsworth see the relationship between childhood and adulthood as one of difference in vision and state of mind. The two poets mirror each other in this assertion, but differ elsewhere. While Blake sees this dichotomy as one of conflict, Wordsworth feels that the two mindsets are able to coexist within the individual. The relationship between children and adults is one that is by no means new to human life. The two epochs of human existence are drastically different in their mindsets and their views of the world. In the poetry of William Blake and William Wordsworth, this difference between children and adults and their respective states of mind is articulated and developed. As a person ages, they move undeniably from childhood to adulthood, and their mentality moves with them. On the backs of Blake and Wordsworth, the reader is taken along this journey.

Saturday, January 11, 2020

Essay Exemplar

It is only thin mathematics, wherein a binary truth-false system holds that we are able to discern a true from a false. This essay will argue that, within mathematics, the claim to an absolute truth is warped and self-contradicting, and as a result, processes that search for truths outside mathematics are to be contained within their respective realms of applicability. In other words, the soundness of a truth should not be based on an absolute dichotomy, but rather as a spectrum of validity where locality and scope are cornerstones of validity.Let us however, allow this essay to begin the discussion by assuming that such absolute distinctions are plausible. In mathematics, a truth is defined as any statement that can be deduced from a logical, valid, sound process with the respective given assumptions. In other words, a truth is something that, assuming the same axioms, should follow directly with the irrefutable laws of logic. A falsehood must therefore be any statement or claim tha t cannot be sustained by a valid logical process with the given assumptions. Let's take the example of Pythagoras, whose famous theorem is ubiquitous to this day.Pythagoras assumed a Euclidean plane system and used past theorems to rove his own. It is not his proof that will be the focus of this essay, but the process. Pythagoras developed his proof through the method of abstraction, that is, he removed all connections that his ideas had with the real world: â€Å"He realized that numbers exist independently of the tangible world and therefore their study was untainted by the niacin racier of perception†(Sings 5). Indeed, the goal of this process was to â€Å"discover truths that were independent of opinion or prejudice and that were more absolute tan any previous knowledge. † (Sings 5).The process of abstraction is of keen interest, cause it implies tattoo can effectively create truths that are independent of all experience or emotion. However, I will later demonstrat e the process of abstraction is subject to questioning when it claims the right to absolute truths because of the restrictions that axioms undertake. Assuming different axioms stands as a strong counterpoint to question the validity of absolute truths through the process of abstraction. Particularly, this consideration attacks the assumption of truth as ubiquitous, and challenges the locality, or context, in which a truth holds.Again, let us take the example of Euclidean geometry. Euclidean geometry follows the bread and butter 5 postulates that Euclid first proposed. However, his 5th postulate, with slight ;easing, creates worlds that are completely different from the flat planes and static dimensions. Both Albatrosses and Belittle took a different meaning of the 5th postulate. Albatrosses assumed that parallel lines actually do not stay at the same distance Over infinity, but rather diverge from one another; Belittle proposed that they eventually get closer and collide.The discove ries and rather theorems that these mathematicians proposed turned the world on its head. How do these new geometries challenge the assumption of locality in an absolute truth? As it turns out, the elliptic and hyperbolic geometries had earned more than a place but a right to be considered as legitimate mathematics. Hyperbolic geometry adequately fits in to the general theory of relativity, which has a massive predicting power and has robust empirical support. Elliptic geometry now finds a place with GAPS tracking devices and is extremely handy for use in spherical coordinate systems.The crazy new idea f tweaking Culicid's 5th postulate had now to be seriously reconsidered: They were derived through the process Of abstraction and followed sound logic, but could these mathematics claim to be a more â€Å"absolute† truth than the Euclidean geometry? Eugene Wagner, a mid 20th century mathematician and physicist, would respond that yes, all of them would have to be considered equ ally. Wagner was heavily concerned with the puzzle that mathematics in the natural sciences create.How is it that abstract ideas, which have been effectively detached from the real world, are able to model it so precisely? To he physicist, the mathematics that is able to model relativity or the Earth is to be considered, and should therefore consider them to be pursued in terms of utility. Wagner concludes his essay on The Unreasonable Effectiveness of Mathematics in the Natural Sciences with a key phrase: â€Å"The miracle of the appropriateness of the language of mathematics for the formulation of the laws of physics is a wonderful gift which we neither understand nor deserve. (Wagner 9) From the scientific point Of view, truths are viable only to the extent to which they can improve what we can say about the workings of tauter. Although this would seem like a correct approach to employ, it is unrepresentative of the role of mathematics. Mathematics is not concerned with physical probabilities, they only care if they could construct a world based on a fixed set of ideas. For the mathematician, any one mathematical world constructed under one set of axioms is by no means superior or inferior to any of the other worlds they could construct with a different set of axioms.Does it portray nature accurately? It doesn't matter! It is of no relevance that what holds up in one mathematical world as true holds evidently false in another world constructed by mathematics. In this respect, any truth that is obtained in mathematics is absolute only to the world to which it belongs. This means that it is not truer that the construction of mathematical worlds (base ten, hyperbolic geometry, etc. ) that can model nature are more absolutely true than any other another mathematical world (clock math, known as modular arithmetic) constructed under a different set of axioms.Claims to absolute truth are restricted to their respective realms of applicability of assumptions; the l ocal applicability and restriction to truth is hat the element of locality takes when assessing the validity of a truth. However, this question has to be severely questioned with respect to the false dichotomy which it establishes immediately – the exclusiveness of self- contained dipoles of truth in mathematics is rather a weakness.Because you start out with a particular set of axioms, which were defined by the entrepreneurial mathematician in the first, and then followed logically, it should be of no surprise that all results fall under neat binary cabinets of truth. What must be considered next is that the majority of claims to truth, outside of self-containing knowledge worlds, are subject to a juxtaposition of truth and falsehood, or the complete breakdown of the dichotomy. The foremost example can give with respect of the natural sciences is that of the observer in quantum physics.In a nutshell, when the scales of things are shrunken to sub-atomic sizes, the behavior of matter changes drastically. Particles can no longer be understood as solid masses in space, but rather as waves, which have a certain probability of existing at a certain point in time when observed. The intriguing part is that, when not observed, there is no laid truth or falsehood about the â€Å"object† being either a wave or a particle. This becomes even more complex when we scale this problem back to the size of humans: the physical principle no longer applies!Not only does this challenge the notion of an absolute ubiquity of truth, but also that of scope, which necessitates that when statements are qualified as a truth or a falsehood, a consideration must be made to the context of the truth and the implications of the truth. How does this judgment fare when exported to the subjective sphere? Unfortunately, I happen to find the discerning of the trial sciences too complex for my sometimes apprehensive social inclinations.

Friday, January 3, 2020

Definition and Examples of Humorous Essays

A humorous essay is a type of personal  or familiar essay that has the primary aim of amusing readers rather than informing or persuading them. Also called a comic essay or light essay. Humorous essays often rely on narration and description as  dominant rhetorical and  organizational strategies. Notable writers of humorous essays in English include Dave Barry, Max Beerbohm, Robert Benchley, Ian Frazier, Garrison Keillor, Stephen Leacock,  Fran Lebowitz,  Dorothy Parker, David Sedaris, James Thurber, Mark Twain, and  E.B. White—among countless others. (Many of these comic writers are represented in our collection of  Classic British and American Essays and Speeches.) Observations What makes the humorous essay different from other forms of essay writing is . . . well . . . its the humor. There must be something in it that prompts the readers to smile, chuckle, guffaw, or choke on their own laughter. In addition to organizing your material, you must search out the fun in your topic.(Gene Perret, Damn! Thats Funny!: Writing Humor You Can Sell. Quill Driver Books, 2005)On the basis of a long view of the history of the humorous essay, one could, if reducing the form to its essentials, say that while it can be aphoristic, quick, and witty, it more often harks back to the 17th-century characters slower, fuller descriptions of eccentricities and foibles—sometimes anothers, sometimes the essayists, but usually both.(Ned Stuckey-French, Humorous Essay. Encyclopedia of the Essay, ed. by Tracy Chevalier. Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers, 1997)Because of fewer constraints, humorous essays allow for genuine feelings of joy, anger, sorrow and delight to be expressed. In s hort, in Western literature the humorous essay is by and large the most ingenious type of literary essay. Every person who writes humorous essays, in addition to having a lively writing style, must first possess a unique understanding that comes from observing life.(Lin Yutang, On Humour, 1932. Joseph C. Sample, Contextualizing Lin Yutangs Essay On Humour: Introduction and Translation. Humour in Chinese Life and Letters, ed. by J.M. Davis and J. Chey. Hong Kong University Press, 2011)Three Quick Tips for Composing a Humorous Essay1. You need a story, not just jokes. If your goal is to write compelling nonfiction, the story must always come first—what is it you are meaning to show us, and why should the reader care? It is when the humor takes a backseat to the story being told that the humorous essay is most effective and the finest writing is done.2. The humorous essay is no place to be mean or spiteful. You can probably skewer a politician or personal injury lawyer with aban don, but you should be gentle when mocking the common man. If you seem mean-spirited, if you take cheap shots, we arent so willing to laugh.3. The funniest people dont guffaw at their own jokes or wave big look at how funny I am banners over their heads. Nothing kills a joke more than the joke teller slamming a bony elbow into your ribs, winking, and shouting, Was that funny, or what? Subtlety is your most effective tool.(Dinty W. Moore, Crafting the Personal Essay: A Guide for Writing and Publishing Creative Nonfiction. Writers Digest Books, 2010)Finding a Title for a Humorous EssayWhenever Ive written, say, a humorous essay (or what I think passes as a humorous essay), and I cant come up with any title at all that seems to fit the piece, it usually means the piece hasnt really congealed as it should have. The more I unsuccessfully cast about for a title that speaks to the point of the piece, the more I realize that maybe, just maybe, the piece doesnt have a single, clear point. Ma ybe its grown too diffuse, or it rambles around over too much ground. What did I think was so funny in the first place?(Robert Masello, Roberts Rules of Writing. Writers Digest Books, 2005)