How does physical movement benefit brain development in elementary Research Paper

How does physical movement benefit brain development in elementary students - Research Paper Example In the past, such a debate has been concentric upon an understanding of whether childhood play is beneficial or not with regards to overall development of mental capacity and understanding. However, within the scope of this particular analysis, play in and of itself will not be discussed. Rather, due to the fact that the focus of this analysis is concentric upon the means by which activity can impact positively upon the learning process, play is an insufficient definition of such an activity. Within such a manner, the handle of physical activity will be utilized as a means of discussing and analyzing what prior research has documented concerning any and all languages that might exist with regards to development of mental capacity and ability to engage in further educational endeavors. Linking directly back into an understanding of the way in which sociology and psychology have traditionally understood development in terms of heredity, up until almost 15 years ago, sociologists and ps ychologists believed that early childhood development was almost invariably tied to heredity (Leppert et al, 2009). In such a way, scientists believed that the parents of the individual child created something of a genetic blueprint by which further development and mental capacity were constrained. However, if not surprisingly, further research into the subject matter, and a vastly increased level of knowledge with regards to the way in which early development takes place, has denoted that heredity plays only a minimal role with regards to the â€Å"wiring† that the brain engages in (Lum, 2013). Such an understanding has of course been made easier due to the fact that increases in technology have provided scientists and researchers with specialized scans and mapping applications by which key test subjects were analyzed from week to week, month to month, and year to year as a means of providing a roadmap for the way in which brain development was actually affected within diffe rent key groups. As a result of this level of research that has been ongoing for the past few decades, scientists have definitively determined that the patterns and strengthening of bonding synapses is primarily influenced and aided by the existence of physical activity within the regime of the child. This should not be understood to mean that a level of sports or competitive games must be engaged in order for this physicality aspect to be positively correlated to brain activity (Hotz et al, 2009). Rather, almost all of the accident research which is been conducted on this topic has determined that physical activity in the form of play, kinetic learning, and many other forms are equally as beneficial; perhaps more due to the fact that they do not oftentimes behave within rigid norms or regulations. In effect, the inclusion of creativity alongside physical activity seems to be as something of a magic formula with regards to stimulating brain development and maximizing the overall lev els of connections that can be made within the adolescent mind. Perhaps most importantly of all, scientists have determined that there is a â€Å"sweet spot† with regards the timeframe in which this can be affected. As sociologists and

Research Paper Essay Example for Free

Research Paper Essay A survey that has recently been conducted about what the requirements for one’s career would be. This survey where we interviewed four people inside or outside of the school where we asked them a few questions. For example: what is your career how long did you go to college for if you went are you happy with your career etc. I interviewed four people those people are Andrew Nichols, Matthew Linker, Deborah Clark, and Sharon Davis. Andrew Nichols is a math teacher, one of many at Alleghany High School. He attended Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina for four years. In college he earned a mathematics teaching degree for grades 9 -12. What made him qualified was over four years of teaching experience a bachelors in science and a secondary in math education. His requirements were at least a bachelors degree; get certified; get the state licenses. What surprised me the most was that he does this job because he likes watching us figure things out and watching us grow as people. Matthew Linker is an English teacher here at Alleghany High School. He attended college for five years at Lenoir Rhyne College, Surry Community College, and Appalachian State University. He earned a teaching degree in English and received a teaching license from the state of North Carolina. In this case he needed a teaching degree and a state license and he has acquired them both. What inspired him was his very own High School English teacher. When I asked him if he was happy with his career choice he answered â€Å"Yes. † Deborah Clark is another English teacher here at Alleghany High School. She attended Emery and Henry College and Berea College for four years and earned her teaching in English and received her teaching licenses from North Carolina. She is highly qualified with experience in journalism and being a staff writer. She said she was happy with her job at times but she said it had a steady income unlike her other jobs. Sharon Davis is retired, but is the ISS teacher part time here at Alleghany High School before that she assisted the special needs children here at Alleghany High School. She graduated a no child left behind program which is equivalent to two years of college. What mad her qualified is 30 plus years at Sparta Elementary School and CAP services with special needs clients.

Effects of Theatre Arts on Emotional Intelligence

Effects of Theatre Arts on Emotional Intelligence This study has attempted to examine the impact that an individuals involvement in Theatre Arts has on his or her Emotional Intelligence (EI). The hypothesis in the present research is thus, there is a positive relationship between ones involvement in theatre arts and their emotional intelligence. Participants of this study were residents of Bangalore city, India (N=80). The scale which was employed in this research to administer on the sample was the Emotional Intelligence Scale, developed by Anukool Hyde, Sanjyot Pethe and Upinder Dhar. The findings of the study were such that individuals who have been active participants of theatre arts had a higher EI (M=138.67) than those individuals who were not exposed to the theatre arts (M=129.65). These results indicate that exposure to, participation in and the understanding of the theatre arts is highly useful in emotional, and hence mental well-being. EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE AND THEATRE ARTS Emotional intelligence (EI) is defined by Cooper and Sawaf (1997) as the ability to sense, understand and effectively apply the power and acumen of emotions as a source of human energy, information, connection and influence. It comprises of the power to perceive accurately, evaluate and express emotions; the ability to comprehend emotions and emotional knowledge and intellectual growth. It also is characterized by- self awareness, mood management, self motivation, empathy, managing relationships. The most extensively recognized definition of emotional intelligence, is that given by Peter Salovey and John D. Mayer, who have been leading researchers in the field, and is defined as the subset of social intelligence that involves the ability to monitor ones own and others feelings and emotions, to discriminate among them and to use this information to guide ones thinking and actions (1990). What popularized the study of emotional intelligence is the publication of Golemans bestselling Emotional Intelligence in 1995. This model introduced by Daniel Goleman places its focus on leadership performance guided by a large collection of competencies and skills by means of emotional intelligence (Goleman, 1988). Golemans model demarcates four main EI constructs, namely, self-awareness, which is the ability to construe ones emotions and understand their influence while using intuitions and instincts to direct decisions; self-management, that which has to do with controlling ones emotions and impulses and adjusting in new situations; social awareness, the ability to discern, comprehend, and respond to others emotions; and relationship management, the ability to motivate, influence, and develop others while dealing with difficult situations (Bradberry, Travis and Greaves, Jean, 2009). The origins of this subject can be traced back to Darwins work on the importance of emotional expression for survival (Bar-On, 2006). In The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals (1872), Darwin put forth that human emotional expressions have an adaptive and survival value, and that this feature has its consequences in its evolution. However, he posited that there are some human reactions which are not of significant survival value now, but were in the past, and that this, coupled with a similarity of emotional expression among all human beings suggests a common descent from an earlier pre-human ancestor (Encyclopaedia of Psychology, n.d.). In the twentieth century, publications began appearing with the work of Edward Thorndike on social intelligence in 1920, which described the skill of understanding and managing other people (Bar-On, 2006). Many of these early studies focused on describing, defining and assessing socially competent behaviour (Chapin, 1942; Doll, 1935; Moss Hunt, 1927; Moss et al., 1927; Thorndike, 1920). This was then followed by studies on the influence of non-intellectual factors on intelligent behaviour, by D Wechsler (as cited in Bar-On, 2006) and the concept of multiple intelligences as put forth by Howard Gardner in 1983 (Smith M.K., 2002). In the recent years the study of emotional intelligence has escalated. Research includes areas ranging from emotional intelligence and its relationship with work place and social competencies to its influence on a healthy and productive life as such (Consortium for Research on Emotional Intelligence in Organizations, http://www.eiconsortium.org/about_us.htm) . For example, emotional intelligence has become increasingly popular as a measure for identifying potentially effective leaders, and as a tool for developing effective leadership skills (Palmer, Walls, Burgess, Stough, Leadership and Organization Development Journal, 2001). In the study mentioned, emotional intelligence correlated with several components of transformational leadership suggesting that it may be an important component of effective leadership. In particular emotional intelligence may account for how effective leaders monitor and respond to subordinates and make them feel at work. Further in a study conducted by the Center for Creative Leadership, in the USA, individual scores as obtained by a multi-rater feedback tool called Benchmarks were compared to self-reported emotional intelligence as measured by the BarOn EQ-I, and the findings were that key leadership skills and perspectives are related to aspects of emotional intelligence and the absence of emotional intelli gence was related to career derailment (Leadership Skills and Emotional Intelligence, Center for Creative Leadership, http://www.ccl.org/leadership/pdf/assessments/skills_intelligence.pdf, 2003). The study of emotional intelligence has been of high momentum in the field of healthcare as well. In the year 2000, study conducted by Joseph Cairochi, Frank P. Deane and Stephen Anderson, Department of Psychology, University of Wollongong, Australia, hypothesized that EI would make a unique contribution to understanding the relationship between stress and three important mental health variables, depression, hopelessness, and suicidal ideation. This was a cross-sectional study where university students were required to evaluate their life-stress, objective and self-reported emotional intelligence, and mental health. One of the findings revealed that stress was associated with greater suicidal ideation among those low in managing others emotions (MOE). MOE was shown to be statistically different from other relevant measures, suggesting that EI is highly essential in understanding the link between stress and mental health. Emotional Intelligence and Alexithymia- Alexithymia- literally without words for emotions, in Greek- was a term originally coined by psychotherapist Peter Sifneos in 1973 in order to describe a state of deficiency in understanding, processing or describing emotions (Bar-On Parker, 2000, p40-59, Taylor ,1997, p28-31). Alexithymia is defined by many factors, such as, difficulty identifying feelings and distinguishing between feelings and the bodily sensations of emotional arousal; difficulty describing feelings to other people; constricted imaginal processes, as evidenced by a paucity of fantasies; a stimulus-bound, externally oriented cognitive style. (Taylor,1997, p29). Logically, one would expect an inverse relation between the constructs of alexithymia and emotional intelligence. This expectation has been supported in the literature. Schutte et al (1998) found that in a sample consisting of University students, a self-report measure of emotional intelligence (the Self Report Emotional Intelligence Test) was significantly inversely correlated with the Toronto Alexithymia Scale, which was used as the standard measure for alexithymia . Research with larger community samples has particularly found significant associations. For example, Parker, Taylor, and Bagby (2001) found a strong negative correlation between the Emotion Quotient Inventory and the TAS in a sample of 734 community members (Stys, Brown, 2004, A Review of the Emotional Intelligence- Literature and Implications for Corrections, 28). According to Johanna Vanderpol (n.d.)- author, speaker, coach and workshop provider in emotional intelligence and emotional well-being, Canada- art and play, which are forms of emotional expression, are the essential ways in which individuals, especially young children, expand their abilities and master their environment, further stating that emotional expression is but a part of developing emotional intelligence. One such study presented a series of experiential exercises designed to use visual arts and poetry in classroom settings to increase students awareness and recognition of emotion-two key components of emotional intelligence (Morris, Urbanski, Fuller, 2005). In a study titled Emotional Intelligence and the Performing Arts: Crossing Disciplinary Boundaries, an experiential training program that employed the Ability Model of emotional intelligence (Salovey and Mayer, 1990, 1997) was combined with performing arts and drama therapy to create a workshop program, whose aim was to increase the awareness of the role of emotions in working life, and provided interactive learning opportunities to engage with complicated emotional dilemmas arising from their leadership roles. Survey results from the workshops and a focus-group at three months follow-up revealed that participants used the learning experience of the workshop to address and resolve specific leadership challenges in their role (Rauk er, Skinner, Bett, 2009). The current study attempts to show a relationship between emotional intelligence and ones involvement in the Theatre Arts. Theatre, or Drama, as it is more commonly known, is the most integrative of all the arts: it can and often does, include singing, dancing, painting, sculpture, storytelling, puppetry, music, poetry and of course, the art of acting (Snow, DAmico, Tanguay, 2003, p73). Also it has been of wide contention that there is an innate healing function in theatre which goes all the way back to its origins in human culture (Bates, 1988; Emunah, 1994; McNiff, 1988; Pendzik, 1988; Snow, 1996). A wide range of study has been done on the influence of drama on psychological well being and the role it plays in psychotherapy, hence giving rise to the concept of Drama Therapy. Drama therapy is one of the several expressive or creative art therapies among which are art therapy, dance/movement therapy, music therapy, poetry therapy and psychodrama, concerning the therapist and the cli ent who attempt to evaluate their life experiences as they engage in a largely creative process, in this case through the media of drama and theatre (Landy, 2006, p135). One such drama therapy technique that has been studied is Dramatic Resonances. This method is based on the creative responses that participants offer from within dramatic reality to an input posed from outside dramatic reality (Pendzik, 2008, p217). Further, therapeutic theatre has been a growing field and which is an approach that involves a therapeutic development of a play and its presentation in front of an audience (Pendzik, 2008). It is defined as the therapeutic development of a play in which the roles are established with therapeutic goals in mind; the whole process of play production is, in fact, a form of group psychotherapy; it is all facilitated by a therapist skilled in drama; and finally the play must be performed for a public audience (Snow, DAmico, Tanguay, 2003, p73). However, according to Robert J. Landy, though the field of drama therapy has been growing by the numbers, university-based training programs in the USA are inadequate (Landy, 2006). This trend could be an indicator of a potential consequent decline in the study of this field. This paper aims to encourage a positive shift from such a trend and bring about a focus on an increasing awareness and attestation of the constructive relationship between Drama and emotional intelligence. Considering the significant research that has gone into the relationship between emotional well-being and the theatre arts, largely in the West, this study attempts to investigate the prevalence of a positive relationship between a thorough involvement in the Theatre Arts and emotional intelligence, among individuals residing in a theatre-active city in India. The study is conducted by means of a questionnaire that is based on the Emotional Intelligence Scale, as completed by a total of 120 individuals, all of whom reside in Bangalore, India, a city acclaimed for its active involvement in the theatre arts. Methodology Participants The study was conducted by means of a standardized questionnaire, viz. the Emotional Intelligence Scale (EIS), as completed by a total of 80 individuals, all of whom reside in Bangalore, India, a city acclaimed for its active involvement in the theatre arts. Of these 80 individuals, 40 belong to the control group. This group consists of individuals who have not been exposed to the theatre arts. Of these 40 individuals, 20 belong to the age group of 20-25 years (M age-group= 21.5) while the rest belong to the age group of 30-35 years (M age-group= 32). The experimental group consists of 40 individuals who have been active members of theatre associations across the city. Of these 40 individuals, 20 belong to an age group of 30-35 years (M age-group=32.5); while the rest belong to an age-group of 20-25 years (M age-group=21.5). Ethical concerns were met with, as the participants were informed of the purpose of the study, were made to sign a consent form before participating in the study and were assured of confidentiality. Materials The questionnaire used was a standardized Emotional Intelligence Scale developed by Anukool Hyde, Upender Dhar Sanjyot Pethe, in the year 2001, published by Vedant Publications, Lucknow and consisted of 34 questions based on the Likert scale, in a way that the participant was asked to respond to each statement-question by choosing one of the five options- Strongle Agree, Agree, Uncertain, Disagree, Strongly Disagree. Design This study fundamentally deals with two variables which are involvement in the theatre arts and emotional intelligence, the dependent variable being emotional intelligence and the independent variable being involvement in theatre arts. Of the 80 individuals, 40 belonged to the control group, consisting of individuals who have not been exposed to the theatre arts. The experimental group consists of 40 individuals who have been active members of theatre associations across the city. Of these 40 individuals, 20 belong to an age group of 30-35years and have had experience in one or more of the various aspects of theatre such as acting, directing, story-telling, music, etc for a minimum of 10 plays; while the rest belong to an age-group of 20-25 years and have similarly participated in a minimum of 5 plays so far. This division of age groups was employed with an aim to represent a growth in the groups emotional intelligence. Procedure The experimental group was obtained at an auditioning program held by Evam, a leading dramatics association in Bangalore, when 40 individuals, some who were auditioning and some organizing, were approached to on a one to one basis, and made to fill out the EIS questionnaire each. Demographic details as their age, sex and experience in theatre were taken. The control group consisted of randomly selected individuals who reside Bangalore, and have had no experience of involvement in the theatre arts. They were similarly made to fill out the EIS, along with their respective corresponding details. The entire study was conducted in one city in an attempt to maintain a certain consistency in obtaining the results, and minimising any potential disparity. Results With the raw scores obtained, the statistical analysis that followed included finding out the mean, standard deviation, standard error of the difference between the means of two samples and employing of a non-parametric test as the Mann-Whitney U test. In the results obtained for the Mann-Whitney U test, the z values of sampling distribution of U an U, 2 and 5.68 respectively, were found to be significant at both 0.05 and 0.01 levels. The average mean for the experimental group was 138.67, and for the control group was 129.65. For the experimental group, the value of standard deviation was found to be 8.83. For the control group, the SD obtained was 1.11. In determining the significance of the difference between the two means of the two groups, the standard error obtained was 2.10, for which the z value was found to be 4.29. Thus, the computed z value was found to be significant at both 1% and 5% significance levels. Further, the Mann-Whitney U test was employed to the subgroups under the experimental group in order to show a positive relation between the two. While the z value obtained for U was found to be 1.48, implying insignificant at 0.05 and 0.01 significance levels, the z value obtained for U was 7.85, which meant significant at both 0.05 as well as 0.01 significance levels. Discussion This paper has attempted fundamentally to study the symbiotic relationship between ones involvement in the theatre arts and their emotional intelligence, and how, with time and experience, an increasing involvement in the same renders one to develop greater EI, which in turn implies an increased accuracy in perceiving, appraising, managing and expressing emotions. As Cooper and Sawaf demonstrated in 1997, the characteristic manifests of a high EI include self-awareness, mood management, self motivation, empathy and managing relationships. Thus, through investigating the levels of emotional intelligence of the participating individuals, and inquiring into their experience in the theatre arts, the researcher has arrived at findings which show a positive relationship between the two variables. From examining the results obtained, some of the deductions are, that young adults who involve in the theatre arts as drama (acting), music, story-telling, and direction, tend to have a high emoti onal intelligence as compared to young adults who do not engage in any of the theatre arts; and that with time and experience these individuals could possibly have a propensity to a consistent growth in their EI, again, as compared to individuals of their age, who have had no inclination towards the theatre arts. These two findings could further imply that these individuals would be likely to have more rewarding, productive and successful lives. One more supposition which could be drawn from the results of this study is that these individuals could be liable to do better coping with the stress and setbacks, implying a lowered risk of heart disease, anxiety attacks, psychological distress, sleep problems, high blood pressure, poor immune function, alcoholism, etc (Mikolajczack, Luminet, Menil, 2006; Hunt, Evans, 2002; Trinidad, Johnson, 2000). However, there are some probable challenges that can be posed to these conclusions. The entire study was based in one single city, and the cha llenge in this case is that the theatre-culture may vary from city to city, just as from theatre-group to theatre-group. Therefore, generalizing the results would have to be limited only to the city where the study was conducted. Further, the study did not consider the role gender could play in the relationship between ones EI and their involvement in the theatre arts, as there was no categorization of the two sexes while conducting the study. This could, in fact, entail future experiment on whether gender plays a role in the development of EI, by way of thorough involvement in the theatre arts. Additionally, the researcher has considered the theatre arts as a whole, comprising of its various aspects such as acting, music, story-telling, and direction. The participants of the study belonging to these categories were distributed unequally. Thus, the results obtained in the study are required to be considered generically and cannot be taken into account categorically. Probably, furthe r research could be carried out to study the individual aspects, such as acting, alone, for example, and studying the aspects relationship with the participants emotional intelligence. One possible source of error and an intervening variable could have been the environment of administering the test and the mental set of the participant while filling out the questionnaire. It must be noted that the study was conducted at an auditioning program of a theatre group and that most of the participants of the study had only just finished their turn at the audition. It can be assumed that the mental set of the participant at this stage, could have possibly affected his or her responses in the test. In other words, the participants perception of his or her own performance at the audition, which could either have been positive and affirmative or negative and uncertain of his or her chances to be successful in the attempted task, is likely to have influenced the responses he or she provided in the Emotional Intelligence Scale. A possible remedy for this, to neutralize the effects of the performance at the audition, could be that the researcher could provide the participant with a time-gap of approximately half an hour, following which, the test could be administered, assuming that consequently, the participant is less likely to be influenced by the audition-performance while responding to the given test. In conclusion, this study has successfully investigated the issue it primarily aimed to, and in spite of the potential challenges faced in the deduction of its findings, it has proved the hypothesis that there is a positive relationship between ones involvement in the theatre arts and their emotional intelligence. The findings of the study entail further research in the vast area of psychological health and the creative arts, of which the theatre arts are an integral part, especially in India, as the current study was conducted with an aim to bring about an awareness in the Indian society, of the great advantages of the theatre arts and its positive relationship with psychological well-being.

The Tempest Essay -- essays research papers

Throughout the play The Tempest there is a relationship that pits master and slave in a harmony that benefits both parties. Though it may sound strange, these slaves sometimes have a goal or expectation that they hope to have fulfilled. Although rarely realized by its by its participants, the Master--Slave, Slave--Master relationship is a balance of expectation and fear by the slaves to the master; and a perceived since of power by that of the master over the slaves.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The relationship between the slave and master is one of expectation and perceived fear. Expectation in a sense that a slave with a perceived future expectation will tend to work harder and more diligently for their master then a slave that does not have these expectations for hope of reaching their ultimate goal. For instance Ariel is more willing to do Prospero’s bidding for he believes that are some future date he will be set free, and will not longer have to serve as a slave to prospero. For instance in this passage we are confronted with this expectation of freedom: Prospero: †¦What is’t thou canst demand Ariel: My Liberty Prospero: Before the time be out? No more Ariel: I prithee, remember I have done thee worthy service, told thee no lies, made no mistakings, served without grudge or grumbling. Thou did promise to bate me a full year (Act I, Scene II, 245-249) Showing that the slave, Ariel, is willing to do what ever is asked of him in the hope that in due time he will be set free, and to serve no one any longer. However, this expectation is one sided; since, the expectation of freedom I dependent on how prospero perceives the tasks that have been completed and those that are to be done. Thus, Ariel may never be set free if prospero never feels satisfied. On the other hand, if there is no expectation by a slave of future rewards then the future expectation of rewards is removed and the slave feels only oppression from the master, nothing more. For Caliban is a prime example. Caliban is not expecting to be set free or have his land restored to him. So Caliban has an extreme hatred for his master, Prospero, which all he can do is curse the man that made him this way, and hope for his demise. â€Å"All the infections that the sun sucks up from bogs, fens, flats, on Prosper fall, and make him by inchmeal a disease†¦His spirits hear me, a nd yet I needs must curse†(Act... ...ith humane care, and lodged their in mine own cell, till thou did’st seek to violate the honour of my child†(Act I, Scene II, 343-348). Prospero believed that Caliban had this coming to him, and should he had been a vengeful man could have killed him. From these examples we see that Prospero perceives his power over all since he had spared them from horrible existences and given then a taste of the civilized world. Lastly, Prospero believed so deeply that since he was the first noble to set foot on the island that it was his right to claim it as his own. For before him this isle was nothing till he brought his language, education, and culture to it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  For there is a delicate balance between the master—slave relationship, and the slave—master relationship. Neither can exist without the other. The master laying claim to all that he can survey, and bringing order to those around him as Prospero did for his ailing people. The slave fearing for life, or an expectation that one-day he shall be free to do as he pleases. For this delicate balance cannot be maintained without the two groups co-existing in a state where one need the other for ultimate survival.

Would you use Keynesian Policy?

1. Would you use Keynesian Policy? Explain Keynesian Economics in 10 lines or less. Keynesian Economics, broadly speaking, is a macroeconomic approach that advocates active government intervention in a country's monetary policy in order to ensure the best economic outcome. This produces a mixed economy, where both the private sector and the government control market conditions. In order to ensure economic growth and stability, governments impose policies that could stimulate the economy towards their desired ends. In a recession, stability can be achieved through tax breaks and government spending; in an economic upturn, this can be   done though tax hikes and cutbacks on government spending. Keynes, the theory's proponent, believes that trends in the macroeconomic level can influence the spending and market behavior of individuals, and that the government plays a crucial part in instigating these trends by adjusting the economy's general equilibrium. 2. Would you use Supply Side Policy? Explain this Economic Policy in 10 lines or less. The supply-side policy holds that influencing the supply of goods and services will lead to economic health. It emphasizes the supply, rather than the demand stimulus towards economic activity. Its conjecture is that if individuals have the means to buy, demand will be created. Supply-side economics thus focuses on policies that raise production capabilities for lowering the cost of products and controlling inflation. Supply side economists believe that high taxes increases the costs of production, thereby reducing the incentive to work and to invest. As such, they advocate policies that lower taxation rates in order to raise labor outputs and market capitals. 3. Would you use Monetarism? Explain this policy in 10 lines or less. The doctrine of Monetarism places emphasis on controlling the domestic money supply for promoting growth and maintaining economic stability. Monetarists believe that regulating the national income is the primary means for improving economic activity. It holds that instability and market changes such as inflation are due to fluctuations in the money supply, specifically, that these changes came as a result of the money supply being larger than the demand. By this assumption, increasing or decreasing the money supply, rather than raising taxes, will keep inflation in check. This is usually done by maintaining price stability and steadily increasing the stock of money in a moderate manner. 4. Would you use a combination of some or all of the above? Explain their main differences in 16 lines. Among the three macroeconomic policies, I believe a combination of Keynesian and Monetarist approaches will do best in achieving economic growth and stability.  According to the theory of Monetarism, inflation is an effect of the supply of money exceeding the demand. As such, regulating market prices is the best way of controlling inflation. But while Keynesian economics focus on the stability of currency, Monetarism focuses on price stability, which is achieved through maintaining money's supply-demand equilibrium. Keynesian economics supports government manipulation of market conditions by way of   monetary policies based on real aggregate demand. When there is economic recession and inflation, it advocates higher taxes in order to curb individual spending. But aside from the monetary angle, it also employs fiscal strategies, those that relate to government spending, revenues, and debt. Supply-side economics is concerned with policies that produce more incentives for work, rather than stimulate demand. The emphasis on the supply factor is the main difference between the Supply-side and Keynesian theories. Proponents of supply-side economics believe that increasing taxes will only cause revenues to fall, therefore, reducing it will do more good by generating economic activity. However, I believe that this will not increase the supply of labor and services substantially. Lower taxes does not necessarily mean that individuals will choose to be more productive. Moreover, huge tax cuts can cause enormous deficits in the federal budget. 5. Given the economic model/theory, you choose to work with, explain your economic strategy for the next four years.  In the next four years, I aim to guide the nation towards having a strong and stable financial system. This means that in economic trems, stable prices are maintaned, inflation lessened, and long-term interest rates are moderated. I also aim to keep unemployment to a minimun, or better yet, lower than the current rate of 5.10%. I propose to achieve these things though policies that follow and Monetarist and Keynesian principles. We can best promote a progressive climate by maintaining an environment of low inflation. An important reason for keeping inflation low is that businesses will be able to foresee substantial future benefits if they are to be willing to bear the long-term risks that are associated with creating new enterprises, and expected low inflation affords them a clearer view of projected benefits. The Monetarist theory holds that variations in unemployment and inflation rates are caused by changes in the supply of money, and that inflation is a purely monetary phenomenon—this means that if the money supply does not change, the price level remains the same. Therefore, regulating the money supply will ensure a stable economic preformance. The money supply can be balanced through the buying and selling government bonds and securities. By buying securities, the government increases the money supply, thus lowering interest rates. On the same note, when it sells securites, the money supply becomes tighter. Using the Keynesian perspective, rising inflation levels can be curbed by imposing higher taxes to lessen demand and stabilize economic performance. This can also reduce the money supply so that interest rates will go up, making it harder for firms and consumers to obtain money, thereby reducing aggregate demand. Since the current rate of inflation is on the rise, I propose higher interest rates in order to lessen spending. This can also be done by regulating reserve requirements of member banks, affecting interest rates. When banks reserves are lower, there is a limited amount of money to go around so interest rates go up. This usually affects the amount of money banks lend to consumers and firms. When interest rates increase, consumers are less willing to borrow money to spend on goods or services. I expect the above measures to decrease inflation and increase employment rates, which means that the total market value of all the goods and services will also increase. This translates to a higher GNP. Higher taxes would also lessen the budget deficit, and since the deficit is financed by borrowing, the country's debt will decrease as well. As for productivity, I also expect it to increase. The link between costs and   productivity is usually a positive one. Productivity helps offset costs so if inflation is low, it means that productivity is high.  If my strategy does not work and my inflation and unemployment goals were not reached, I may opt for deficit spending in order to stabilize the economy. While deficit spending can catalyze negative effects, under certain conditions (such as in a recession), it can help the economy cope. Since the money used to finance deficits usually come from foreign governments and institutions, it would be to the economy's advantage if   they can be convinced to support my proposal.. Economic indicators, dictate how the policies are implemented. However, globalization can make it harder to determine the extent of economic manipulation that is needed to promote economic growth. A global market changes the dynamics of traditional economic systems, making economic outcomes more difficult to predict. Prices of products and services are now increasingly determined by market factors aside from those within the country. Thus, intervening with the money suppy may not be an accurate response to certain economic situations. Emerging economic trends and indicators should be taken into account regarding government policies and decisions.

Free Essays on Vietnam

Vietnam Many believe that America’s involvement in the Vietnam War was a disaster. The majority of the men and women fighting in the war had little or no idea why they were there in the first place. The staggering number of lives that was lost cannot and will not be overlooked. The importance of this war was decimated, and the actions of political leaders were scrutinized by there own people as well as other countries. One question that comes to mind when thinking about the Vietnam War is our reasoning for entering the war and what our enemies thought about America’s intervention in the war. America’s intervention in Vietnam changed the lives of many people and families in our country today. The Political leaders of our country took, in a sense, moral authority in there involvement in Vietnam. According to Loren Baritz, Author of God’s Country and American Know-how, Moral authority has been imbedded in American culture before America was even a country. I believe the quote by Herman Melville best explained moral authority when he said, â€Å"and we Americans are the peculiar, chosen people – the Israel of our time; we bear the ark of the liberties of the world.† After analyzing this statement one can make a direct connection to moral authority and America’s actions at the time of the Vietnam War. Whoever gets in the way of the human races right to live their lives with virtue, liberty, and with God is an enemy. The role of the â€Å"worlds police† was assumed by America in the Vietnam War partly due to Americas need and want for everyone to live in peace and happiness, our involvement ended up being an experience on what not to do . Along with moral authority American political leaders felt they had a promise to keep to themselves, America, and the citizens of their country. After WWII concluded America installed what they call the containment theory. The containment theory pledged, According to George... Free Essays on Vietnam Free Essays on Vietnam The past few months have been very hard on me. I have just been trying to hold on. I don’t know if I can. I have seen some things that I should have never seen. I have been through a lot in such a short time. I have gotten a life time of stories in just a few years. It all started when I took that photograph class back in High school. They said I had a natural gift and they hadn’t seen anything like it before. Either they were lying or it was just that I was one of the first people to experience the new technological advances that were made in the world of cameras. After that I started to really pursue photography as a career. I spent a lot of time and money on my passion. And this passion got me places. I graduated college and got a job working for Life magazine. I’m not going to lye, I was the best they had. They sent me to places near and far. I saw the world for free. It was great. Until I started to get jobs I didn’t like. When it was declared that Ho Chi Minh, who is very photogenic, was communist and therefore our enemy the US decided that they had to stop him. Stop him from doing what, I don’t know, but I do know that I didn’t like it at all. When Vietnam was split into two countries, North and South Vietnam, by the Geneva Conference it didn’t seem like a huge deal. When President Eisenhower sent over support it didn’t seem too bad. I mean he sent in 675 advisors to help out. They were there to show South Vietnam what to do. When that little boy, Kennedy, took office is when the problems started. He just kept sending troops into a war and a country that we had no reason to be in. He sent 16,000 Americans to Vietnam. And if that wasn’t bad enough the leader of the country we were helping wasn’t even trying. The president of South Vietnam, Ngo Dinh Diem, wasn’t helping the situation. He was such a bad leader that he didn’t even get the support of his people. He sent people... Free Essays on Vietnam The U.S. Involvement in The Vietnam War The Vietnam War was one of the worst wars in the United States history. The reason for the United States involvement was due to the start of communism in North Vietnam. The citizens in South Vietnam feared the control of North Vietnam and were worried that the north would take control of the south. The communist North Vietnam had support from the Soviet Union and China, making the South Vietnamese vulnerable to the north. In their time of struggle the South Vietnamese were able to receive aid from the United States. The North Vietnamese had set up a series of radar stations along bays and islands on the Gulf of Tonkin. On August 1, 1964 the U.S.S. Maddox was posted on a surveillance mission to study the North Vietnamese defenses in the Gulf area. In early morning on August 2, 1964 the U.S.S. Maddox spotted three North Vietnamese patrol boats, located twenty- eight miles from the coast. The patrol boats were still in International waters, which meant that they had no right to patrol S outh Vietnam. Captain John Herrich of the Maddox ordered fire upon the three North Vietnamese patrol boats. The Maddox had assistance from the carrier U.S.S. Ticonderoga. The two ships managed to sink one of the patrol boats, while the other two boats bailed out. To this day government officials are still unsure whether the United States or the North Vietnamese fired first in the situation. United Sates President Lyndon B. Johnson received word of the attack and ordered the Maddox to return to the Gulf of Tonkin and patrol for more action. The Maddox accompanied by the U.S.S. Turner Joy returned to the Gulf of Tonkin on August 4, 1964. While stationed in the Gulf the radar engineers on the destroyers thought that they saw an advancing enemy ship. While not certain of the approaching ship, the two destroyers fired into the darkness. The destroyers found no trace of a ship. President Johnson was convinced that the de... Free Essays on Vietnam Robert S. McNamara, appointed by John F. Kennedy to the position of U.S. Secretary of Defense in 1961, said about the Vietnam War, â€Å"It is important to recognize it’s a South Vietnamese war. It will be won or lost depending upon what they do. We can advise and help, but they are responsible for the final results, and it remains to be seen how they will continue to conduct that war,† (McNamara 72). Despite these guidelines for assisting in the war, the U.S. would end up doing much more than just advising. The Vietnam War was supposed to be a demonstration of how willing the U.S. was to battle communism, but ended up a personal vendetta against the North Vietnamese as the U.S. escalated its commitment in Vietnam infinitely greater than it had ever intended. After World War II, France returned to Vietnam to reclaim their Indochinese colonies after the Ho Chi Minh had declared Vietnamese independence in 1945 (Goldstein 3). The U.S. had just ended a war started by G erman conquest in Europe, and now was being asked to help France conquer the colonies it lost control of during the war. The Vietnam Nationalists, the same ones who had supported the U.S. in the war against the Japanese not more than a year previous, sought only to peacefully gain their independence from France (Chant 25). In January of 1950, the Viet Minh gained recognition by the governments of the USSR and China, who supplied weapons and places to train (Chant 25). Because the two Communist superpowers recognized the Viet Minh, the Vietnam war became to the U.S. a struggle between capitalism and communism, especially since the Viet Minh were openly communist themselves. By aiding the French, the U.S. thought they were helping their free-trade ally France fight communism, the Communist Party was very strong in France (Goldstein 3). The U.S. feared that Vietnam would fall to communism, and set-off the â€Å"domino effect† for other communist satellites in Indochina (M... Free Essays on Vietnam Vietnam Many believe that America’s involvement in the Vietnam War was a disaster. The majority of the men and women fighting in the war had little or no idea why they were there in the first place. The staggering number of lives that was lost cannot and will not be overlooked. The importance of this war was decimated, and the actions of political leaders were scrutinized by there own people as well as other countries. One question that comes to mind when thinking about the Vietnam War is our reasoning for entering the war and what our enemies thought about America’s intervention in the war. America’s intervention in Vietnam changed the lives of many people and families in our country today. The Political leaders of our country took, in a sense, moral authority in there involvement in Vietnam. According to Loren Baritz, Author of God’s Country and American Know-how, Moral authority has been imbedded in American culture before America was even a country. I believe the quote by Herman Melville best explained moral authority when he said, â€Å"and we Americans are the peculiar, chosen people – the Israel of our time; we bear the ark of the liberties of the world.† After analyzing this statement one can make a direct connection to moral authority and America’s actions at the time of the Vietnam War. Whoever gets in the way of the human races right to live their lives with virtue, liberty, and with God is an enemy. The role of the â€Å"worlds police† was assumed by America in the Vietnam War partly due to Americas need and want for everyone to live in peace and happiness, our involvement ended up being an experience on what not to do . Along with moral authority American political leaders felt they had a promise to keep to themselves, America, and the citizens of their country. After WWII concluded America installed what they call the containment theory. The containment theory pledged, According to George... Free Essays on Vietnam Vietnam has had conflicts since the 1800’s. The French struggled for years to take control of Vietnam. In the early1930’s the French fought to stop the spread of communism in Vietnam. In the late 1940’s they started losing massive amounts of troops. U.S. president Harry S. Truman decided to send funding to the French. The Truman administration decided it was right to help in the fight against communism (â€Å"Eve of Battle 38†). America officially entered Vietnam in 1965 (â€Å"Eve of Battle 38†). The U.S already had advisers in Vietnam at the time of arrival. President John F. Kennedy increased the number of advisers after taking office. He felt it necessary for further increase in U.S. help (â€Å"Barr 20†). The struggle later escalated into a major controversy that Americans will never forget. J.F.K. was eventually assassinated and Lyndon B. Johnson took over the presidency. Johnson made many decisions that greatly effected the lives of soldiers and the entire outcome of the Vietnam War. Johnson was an important part of Vietnam. He made several big moves that helped the U.S. get seriously involved in the war. Suprisingly he did not run for another term as president. In 1968 Richard Nixon was elected president. He resigned in 1974 to avoid impeachment (â€Å"Vietnamization 114†). Nixon had many decisions to make while in office. He faced the public, U.S. soldiers, politicians and many obstacles in his political career. The public would later question his honesty and ability to serve as Commander and Chief. Many Americans questioned the reason for U.S. involvement in Vietnam. When Americans herd about the spread of war into Cambodia and the â€Å"Watergate Scandal† they started to question his authority. U.S. citizens felt they should no longer trust a president that lies and keeps secrets from them. In 1974 Nixon resigned and Gerald Ford took over presidency. After the Vietnam War Americans learned of the ... Free Essays on Vietnam By the start of 1968, Johnson encountered mounting opposition to the war. An antiwar movement had arisen in 1964 and 1965 as Johnson began to escalate American involvement in Vietnam. In 1965 students and teachers at the University of Michigan held one of the first campus teach-ins to spread information about the war. Teach-ins soon were held at many colleges and universities. Antiwar protests evoked massive support among draft-age youth, half of them college students. Chanting activists disrupted draft boards, burned draft cards, occupied campus buildings, and marched on the Pentagon. The Johnson administration faced political critics as well. Arkansas Senator J. William Fulbright began to hold hearings that questioned why the United States was fighting in Vietnam. Fulbright stopped supporting Johnson when he learned that the president had exaggerated enemy aggression at the Gulf of Tonkin. Defense Secretary Robert McNamara called the bombing campaign a failure and left his post in 1968. European allies also criticized the American role in Vietnam. At home, the war generated intense debate. â€Å"Hawks† assailed the policy of limited war and favored an all-out effort to defeat Communism in Vietnam. Some contended that politicians prevented the military from winning the war, or that military leaders had no strategy for victory. Others held that the antiwar movement stifled support for the war, ruined morale, and undercut the military effort. â€Å"Doves,† in contrast, believed that the United States should never have become involved in Vietnam. The conflict, they argued, was essentially a civil war, and contrary to containment doctrine, its outcome was irrelevant to American security. To some critics, the war was unwinnable, and stalemate was the best foreseeable outcome. In any case, doves argued, the United States should negotiate with North Vietnam to end the war quickly. By 1968 antiwar sentiment affected electoral politics. Chall... Free Essays on Vietnam The Vietnam conflict began in the late nineteenth century. The French conquered Vietnam and made it a protectorate. For nearly forty years, Vietnam had not experienced settled peace. The League for the Independence of Vietnam ( Viet Minh ) was formed in 1941, seeking independence from the French. On September 2nd,1945, Ho Chi Minh proclaimed it independent of France. The French opposed their independence from 1945 to 1954. The first representatives of de Gualle's government landed by parachute in Saigon and Hanoi on August 23rd, 1945. The French wanted to reestablish their rule in Vietnam but were beaten at the battle of Dien Bien Phu on May 7th, 1954. The French Expeditionary Force tried to prevent the Viet Minh from entering Laos and Dien Bien Phu was the place chosen to do so. The French were not very careful and this allowed the Viet Minh to cut off their airway to Hanoi. After a siege that had lasted for fifty - five days, the French surrendered. Ho Chi Minh led the war against France and won. After the war there was a conference in Geneva where Vietnam was divided into two parts along the seventeenth parallel. North Vietnam was mainly Communist and supported Ho Chi Minh, while the south was supported by the United States and the French were based there. There was still some Communist rebels within South Vietnam. These were the Viet Cong. The South Vietnam ruler was Ngo Dinh Diem who was anti - Communist. At the conference, Laos and Cambodia became independent states. North Vietnam wished to unify North and South Vietnam through military force. Since the United States feared the spread of communism in Asia, John F. Kennedy provided economic and military aid to South Vietman to prevent the takeover by North Vietnam. At this time, this was still a civil war. The United States were not yet officially involved. The North Vietnamese resented the little inte... Free Essays on Vietnam Vietnam- Roots of a Conflict Today in society the topic of the Vietnam conflict is still greatly talked about. It is still disputed the reasons for America being involved and the reasons for the conflict period. The intend of this paper is to determine the roots of this conflict and answer the questions of the reason for the conflict and the reason America became involved to point that they did, and then highlight the major events of the war to show it in a larger different view then just another war. From the 1880’s until World War II, France had governed Vietnam as part of French Indochina, which also included Cambodia and Laos. In 1940 Japanese troops invaded and occupied French Indochina. In December of that year, Vietnamese nationalists established the League for the Independence of Vietnam, or Viet Minh, seeing the upheaval of the war as an opportunity for resistance to French rule. The United States demanded that Japan leave Indochina, warning of military action. The Japanese refused . The Viet Minh began guerrilla warfare against Japan and entered an effective alliance with the United States. The United States sent supplies and trained men and sent their â€Å"flying Tigers† ( a volunteer group of American Pilots fighting in China) on raids over Vietnam in aid of the Viet Minh. Ho Chi Minh was the principal leader of the Viet Minh.. American were sent to Vietnam during the second World War to help train Ho Chi Minh and his troops to effetely resist the Japanese troops occuping his land. When the Japanese signed their formal surrender in 1945, Ho Chi Minh used the occasion to declare the independence of Vietnam, which he called the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. The French refused to acknowledge Vietnam’s independence, and later that year drove the Viet Minh into the north of the country. Ho Chi Minh wrote letters to President Truman, asking him to recognize Vietnam’s indep... Free Essays on Vietnam To begin with, Vietnam had been undergoing a protracted struggle for independence since before World War II and had sustained this struggle militarily and politically against the French empire, the Japanese empire, and then after 1945 the French empire again. By 1954, at the epic battle of Dien Bien Phu, the forces of Ho Chi Minh and Gen. Giap had effectively decided matters on the battlefield, and President Eisenhower himself had conceded that Ho would have won any possible all-Vietnamese election. The distortions of the Cold War led the United States to take over where French colonialism had left off, to assist in partitioning the country, and to undertake a war that had already been lost. Whatever the monstrosities of Asian communism may have been, Ho Chi Minh based his declaration of Vietnamese independence on a direct emulation of the words of Thomas Jefferson and was able to attract many non-Marxist nationalists to his camp. He had, moreover, been an ally of the West in the war against Japan. Nothing under this heading can be said of the Iraqi Baathists or jihadists, who are descended from those who angrily took the other side in the war against the Axis, and who opposed elections on principle. If today's Iraqi "insurgents" have any analogue at all in Southeast Asia it would be the Khmer Rouge. Vietnam as a state had not invaded any neighbor (even if it did infringe the neutrality of Cambodia) and did not do so until after the withdrawal of the United States when, with at least some claim to self-defense, it overthrew the Khmer Rouge regime. Contrast this, even briefly, to the record of Saddam Hussein in relation to Iran and Kuwait. Vietnam had not languished under international sanctions for its brazen contempt for international law, nor for its building or acquisition, let alone its use of, weapons of mass destruction. Vietnam had never attempted, in whole or in part, to commit genocide, as was the case with the doc...