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Sunday, January 26, 2020

The Challenges Of Academic Writing English Language Essay

The Challenges Of Academic Writing English Language Essay Academic writing is clearly very important for a student and cannot be avoided. Moreover, not only will quality academic writing help to succeed in your college life, it is essential for your career as well. The documentation you present to your manager or supervisor is the direct reflection of your ideas, your knowledge and, most importantly, of you on the paper. Academic writing encourages you critical thinking, brings out the creativity and potentially facilitates intellectual growth. To me, academic writing is an art. Art that requires a lot of research in the field. After collecting all the data, the writer has to put his thoughts on the paper using good vocabulary and phrases in the best way to open up the subject. The benefits of academic writing are very obvious, so are the difficulties that come with it. Courses like English 1101 are designed to prepare students for proper academic communication, however, its hard to believe that one can learn how to write in one semester. I think my academic writing has developed tremendously, considering the fact that features like MLA and active voice dont frighten me as much; however, using third person voice is still very challenging and is something that I will have to keep working on. No doubt, using MLA format is probably one of the biggest challenges for students in their academic careers. Im not going to lie, when I first started the course, I had no idea what MLA was and, truthfully, I was terrified just by looking at aspects like in-text citations, paraphrasing, integrating quotations and, especially, Works Cited page of the essay. To me it was really important to realize the purpose of using MLA style in my academic writing. First of all, it is a distinctive format that creates the proper way of written communication, secondly, it is a system of referencing the sources through the parenthetical citations and Works Cited pages which gives the writer credibility. Given these points, it didnt take me long to realize that I will probably have to use this style through out my whole academic career, and I immediately came to the conclusion that the sooner I will learn all the details of it, the better foundation I will have for the future. Looking back now, I real ize that there was nothing to be scared of . Undoubtedly, it didnt come easy: learning MLA was very time-consuming, required a lot of effort and practice. At the end of the day, I am feeling pretty comfortable with it, and if I have questions in the future, I have the right tools to address the issue. Another aspect of academic writing is using active voice. This is something I was very familiar with from the very beginning, however, knowing it doesnt mean that you can use it. A lot of times I had to catch myself trying to make my sentences sound very à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“formalà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ , which often meant putting sentences in passive voice. As a result, I would end up having long, confusing and unclear sentences, that left the reader guessing. It was essential for me to comprehend that not only does passive voice creates an obstruction in understanding who is doing the action, but also passive voice sentences end up being wordy and distracting. On the other hand, using active voice in academic essays helps to phrase your thoughts and ideas straight to the point giving the reader a clear explanation of your point of view. For this reason, I found that using complex-compound sentences in active voice is the most powerful way of portraying your ideas, because its those elements tha t add richness and color to the essays. In addition,varying the rhythm by alternating short and long sentences can add playfulness and sound less monotone. Also, varying sentence openings will help to make everything cohesive and add individuality to each sentence. So, my ultimate goal is going to be balancing all of these aspects. My biggest personal challenge in this course was writing the academic essays in third voice. Even though the whole concept of why we should write in third voice was clear to me, using it in actual essays was extremely difficult. Yes, it sounds less subjective, more credible and professional. No doubt, maintaining third voice in academical writing helps to give a serious tone and convey the information in a clear way. However, the formality of it sometimes leaves very little for individuality and your personal style. Not being able to use I, I think or in my opinion just kind of left me disopinionated. How can you write about your experiences, attitudes and viewpoints without including yourself in them? Ultimately, in this process I had to shift my thought process: by not using the personal language and personal judgment phrases, I was able to express many different opinions. Writing in third voice helps to stay neutral and strictly refer to the facts. Overall, I think Im on right tra ck, although I know I still have a lot of work ahead of me. All things considered, I think my academic writing skills improved excessively, especially considering that they were non-existent before. Im glad I took this course early on my journey because Im taking a lot with me to the future. Along the way I had a chance to to sharpen up my research making skills, exercise rational and creative thinking and learn about helpful sources like online library and online tutoring sessions. Im sure I will be able to use these skills not only in my academic life but also in my professional and personal lives in various ways. Do I consider myself a writer? Probably not. However, Im definitely more comfortable with my writing. I understand there is room for improvement, but I have all the tools to succeed.

Saturday, January 18, 2020

Assignment “Introduction to Leadership” Essay

Leadership styles: – When looking at leadership style I have to look at what as a manager I am good at and that has got me to the position as Manager and what I need to do to progress my team. Firstly I need to gain the respect of my team by treating everyone fairly. Leadership is defined as ‘the process in which an individual influences the group of individuals to attain a common goal’. The goal is attained by mutual cooperation and cohesive behaviour. A leader infuses a sense of positivity and directs others to reach the specified goal. A leader is someone who stands not only for his cause but takes responsibility and motivates other individuals also. There is a clear difference between being a manager and a leader. A leader is a motivation for others and inspires individuals to aim high and attain that aim. However a manager only supervises over his subordinates. Power naturally comes to a leader but that power is not a tool of leader. To be a good lead I have to look at the managers around me and what in my opinion makes them good or bad leaders and also if these are traits that I can adapt and use or ultimately will they be out of character for me and be counterproductive for me. Using the Paul and Kenneth Blanchard model of Situational Leadership:- Telling: – this is where a person has low ability and low willingness maybe a new starter. This is the style I would use for a new starter who does not yet have the skills to operate independently. Selling: – this is where a person would have low ability but high willingness. This style I would use on someone like Dave in the office he wants to do a good job but is of an age that he does not quite have the skills he needs but he more than makes up for that with his knowledge of the job. So I need to draw on his experience to help him achieve his goals. Participating: – this is for a person will high ability and low willingness. This leadership style I would use on Becca as she has the ability but when things are going against her tends to try and hide from difficult circumstances so i would have a discussion with her and give her the support needed to get the job done. Delegating: – this is for High ability and high willingness. This i am more than comfortable using on Ann and Mel as they have shown that they can comfortably do the tasks i set them. I have also set them individual tasks looking at how we can improve our day to day activities and ultimately make our lives easier in the long run. After doing the test I came down as someone who was fairly evenly spread of tell, selling and participating but who does not delegate this is something I have known about and my team has told me and something I can now begin to address Review of own leadership behaviour:- I am relatively new in the role of Sales office Manager. I have progressed from a role within the factory by doing an excellent job as a traffic planner. I took all the information gain by talking to people and being in the loop within the factory. I took in account what the factory could do and what our customer expectations were which allowed us to plan what was needed and by when to meet what the customer actually needed. Being new to the sales role I have had to take myself out the information loop and learn a new role. I have had to learn a new computer system and at the same time be the role model for my team. Whilst doing this I have made myself available for any problems the team has but have tried to show that I can do the job and also help team members who have been doing it for years. I currently have a team of five people all with varying abilities. I have two long serving members of staff one part time and two that started at the beginning of the year. With no two members of staff the same I have had to employ different leadership style i.e. with Dave he is coming up to retirement and I would say he was low on ability he has a high willingness to complete tasks set so with him I would employ the telling leadership style which was very similar with my two new starters but as the months progressed they both showed high ability but one was more willing to achieve than the other so with Becca I had to show a participating style of leadership and with Mel I am able to delegate more as she showed both high ability and high willingness. The factory as a whole is very unionised and whilst the majority of the staff are in the union they do generally like to get the job done and if this means working long stressful hours they do. When we are in these situations I will change my leadership style to match the situation where it be acting on their behalf to speak to people who they have issue with (maybe another member of staff or even customers) or by re-enforcing procedures that are there to make the lives easier or by finding courses that will ultimately give them the tools to make their jobs easier in the long run. I have spoken to members of the team and other managers around the office and all have said I try to do too much and that I need to â€Å"learn to delegate† and whilst this doesn’t come naturally to me (my preferred leadership style was telling and participating) I have taken their comments on board and have started to delegate a lot more around the team and focused on other areas within the team that would help them to improve and grow. I can improve myself as a leader by listening to others and taking advice and giving and receiving feedback and also by doing courses and re assessing myself to look at things from a different angle and point of view. Within the factory I am constantly being assessed and feedback given my goals are constantly moving but I personally need to delegate more to enable me to grow as a manager. I have also started to meet other Sales office managers within the group so I know that the job I have been doing whilst not exactly the same as other sites is very similar and I haven’t been doing that bad a job but perception is everything so I have to look at promoting myself with the site and also more importantly to other sites what I have to say has value and I can bring a lot to the table but I also have to look at the individuals within my team and look at their maturity levels and adapt my leadership to what is needed to each individual and also learn to delegate more.

Friday, January 10, 2020

Ragging is a Crime Essay

â€Å"Ragging is a verbal, physical or psychological abuse on newcomers to educational institutions. It is similar to the American phenomenon known as hazing. It often takes a malignant form wherein the newcomers may be subjected to psychological or physical torture. Sri Lanka is said to be its worst affected country in the world† The delusion of Ragging is spread almost among every organization that is to be found today. Govt universities are the most affected parties, which will be focused further in this article. There are many types of ragging, dress code ragging, playing the fool etc. Ragging results in many outcomes some think it provides, A sense of accomplishment, Helps you learn about yourself, Challenges you to develop coping skills, Makes you feel like part of the group, Develops close friendships with other new members, Prepare you for emotional challenges in life, Promotes self-discipline ,Allows you do to crazy things in a self accepted manner etc. Unfortunately ragging is exploited into verbal torture and physical torture which are commonly known in Govt Universities. Presently the initial stage is prevailed by making the new comers wear a certain dress code for a period of time some resulting to look humane/pleasant but some feel awkward and uncomfortable as it often brings them unnecessary attention then making hem memorize the name and hometown of their peers. which is actually common situation to increase the friendship among batch mates . (locally referred as batch fit) Prior things are said to be tolerable upto a certain extent but this delusion unfortunately doesn’t end there , â€Å"playing the fool† which involves kissing a tree, proposing someone from the opposite sex and maybe upto public nudity often results in self embarrassment, then again verbal torture -indulging in loose talks ,singing of a vulgar or abusive song in the presence of a large number of peers, aliases are used primarily as a means of preventing the  university authorities identifying the students who are involved in ragging.  The severest form of raging that could take place is physical torture, Freshman are forced to consume alcohol and various other substances. Some seniors are mainly interested in details such as the anatomical description of one’s body parts, his or her sexual interests etc. In many cases, the freshmen have been asked to strip before the seniors. However, sexual abuse of female students remains rare. Outstation students who stay in hostels are most vulnerable to ragging. They may be asked to do odd acts such as having showers several times per day, and having showers around midnight with cold water. Some extreme cases like inserting candles inside lady-parts (as in the case of Rupa Rathnaseeli), putting testicles in a drawer and having it closed, pushing straightened out coat-hangers into ears, striking the man-parts over a long period of time (termed bonchi kadeema) are also reported. This period of time is termed Bheeshana Samaya in university jargon. â€Å"Ragging is often used as a method to promote group loyalty and camaraderie through shared suffering.† These ragging victims are currently only lead to Loss of friendships outside of the organization, Resentment towards current members, Exhaustion, Emotional duress from humiliation/intimidation, Decreased academic performance, Stress-related illness, Accidental injuries, Inflicted injuries, Physical pain, Depression or other mental health problems, Re-traumatization of past abuse, Severe intoxication (resulting in medical emergencies), Seizures, Maiming and finally Death. A tentative explanation from evolutionary psychology is that ragging can activate the psychological trait known as Stockholm syndrome. These delusions has lead to many major catastrophes, below states some In 1974, ragging of some trainee mathematics teachers at the then Vidyalankara University (now University of Kelaniya) prompted Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike’s Government to appoint V. W. Kularatne Commission to probe the incident. As a result, twelve undergraduates were expelled and four officials were penalised for their failure to take appropriate action. This  is the first major step taken against university ragging by a Sri Lankan government. In 1975, University of Peradeniya reported the first ragging related death when a 22-year-old female student of the Faculty of Agriculture, Rupa Rathnaseeli became paralyzed as a result of jumping from the second floor of the hostel â€Å"Ramanathan Hall† to escape the physical ragging carried out by her seniors. It was reported that she was about to have a candle inserted in her vagina just before she had jumped out of the hostel building. She committed suicide in 1997 In 1993, Chaminda Punchihewa, a student of University of Ruhuna, died as a result of ragging. Prasanga Niroshana, a student from Hakmana, died as a result of ragging he underwent at Schools of Agriculture, Angunakolapallassa. In 1997, 21-year-old S. Varapragash, an Engineering student of University of Peradeniya, died from a kidney failure following severe ragging by senior students. A a first year female student of University of Ruhuna committed suicide in 1997 as a result of ragging In 1997, Kelum Thushara Wijetunge, a first-year student at the Hardy Technical institute in Ampara, died from a kidney failure after he was forced to do tough exercises and drink excessive quantities of liquor. In 2002, Samantha Vithanage, a third year Management student at the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, who pioneered an anti-ragging campaign was killed at a meeting, while in a discussion on ragging. In 2006, Prof. Chandima Wijebandara, the Vice Chancellor of University of Sri Jayewardenepura resigned from his post as a result of students failing to comply with his orders to eliminate ragging from the university. In 2011, a female student attached to the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Ruhuna, was semi-paralysed in one limb as a result of ragging she underwent at the faculty canteen Seeing closely at a person who might join in this â€Å"ragging† is that they suffer from â€Å"illusion of control†. They tend to share a personal distress of Jealousy or envy and a lack of personal and social skills to deal with such feelings, usually created by an unstable home environment. People with this vague state of mind is further explained in the Perfect Storm Theory Of Hazardous Hazing. In 1998 Prohibition of Ragging and Other Forms of Violence in Educational Institutions Act, No. 20 was passed in the Sri Lankan parliament. As specified in the detailed note of the Act, it is identified as an Act to eliminate ragging and other forms of violent and cruel inhuman and degrading treatment from educational institutions. The Act specifies the relevant Higher Educational Institutions coming under the Act and that includes all the Higher Educational Institutions established under the Universities Act No. 16 of 1978. University students are also considered as citizens and are subjugated to the Common Law that prevails in the country. Accordingly, the constitutional constrains specified above are equally applicable to university students. Any form of civil or criminal offence executed by them are liable to be punished and in an instance of violation of such rights committed by university students, they shall be produced before the relevant Court and subject to suitable punishment that followed by the trial. Unlike in India, there is no official anti-ragging movement in Sri Lanka. But with the situation of ragging worsening yearly, there is a spontaneously emerging anti-ragging movement in each and every faculty of the university that ragging exists. In the case of University of Peradeniya, the largest university in Sri Lanka, anti-ragging movement has emerged in the year 1996. Prior to that, there was no movement against ragging, but certain individuals who escaped from the rag. In the mean time, anti-ragging movements started to appear in all other universities. Several faculties in several universities have become rag-free due to these movements, strengthened laws as well as practical difficulties in conducting ragging such as not providing accommodation facilities to the first-year students. Internal clashes have erupted several times due to the friction between ragging and anti-ragging movements, best example being Samantha Vithanage, a third year Management student at the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, who pioneered an anti-ragging campaign was killed at a meeting while in a discussion about ragging. The Higher Education Minister S. B. Dissanayake has stressed that firm action will be taken against those who are found guilty of such activities in future and would be expelled from the university. In December 2011, he claimed that the levels of ragging has gone  down drastically in the recent times and â€Å"only Peradeniya and Ruhuna are still affected by this ‘malaise’ Finally every person should realize that the this illusion of power lies only within the particular organization and in a couple of years they are driven into society and they will be accounted for their wrongs. Freshman should respect their seniors as well as the seniors should be in a state to accept it, as it has been said â€Å"Give respect to get respect†. After all we are all humans pursuing our personal/common interests while dealing with major/minor issues So let’s try making each other’s lives easier.

Thursday, January 2, 2020

Top Facts About the 13 Original Colonies

The British Empire settled its first permanent colony in the Americas at  Jamestown, Virginia  in 1607. This was the  first of 13 colonies in North America. The 13  Original U.S. Colonies The 13 colonies can be divided into three regions:  New England, Middle, and Southern colonies.  The chart below provides additional information including the years of settlement and founders of each. The New England Colonies The New England colonies included Connecticut, Massachusetts Bay, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island. Plymouth Colony was founded in 1620 (when the Mayflower arrived in Plymouth) but was incorporated into Massachusetts Bay in 1691. The group that left England for America in the Mayflower was called the Puritans; they believed in a strict interpretation of the writings of John Calvin, who dismissed the beliefs of both the Catholics and the Anglicans. The Mayflower first made its way to Mashpee on Cape Cod, but after a disastrous interaction with the Native people in the region, they crossed Cape Cod Bay to Plymouth. The Middle Colonies The Middle Colonies were located in the area now described as the Mid-Atlantic and included Delaware, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. While the New England colonies were made up largely of British Puritans, the Middle Colonies were very mixed. Settlers in these colonies included English, Swedes, Dutch, Germans, Scots-Irish and French, along with Native Americans and some enslaved (and freed) Africans. Members of these groups included Quakers, Mennonites, Lutherans, Dutch Calvinists, and Presbyterians. The Southern Colonies The first official American colony was formed in Jamestown, Virginia in 1607. In 1587, a group of 115 English settlers arrived in Virginia. They arrived safely on Roanoke Island, off the coast of North Carolina. By the middle of the year, the group realized they needed more supplies, and so they sent John White, governor of the colony, back to England. White arrived in the midst of a war between Spain and England, and his return was delayed. When he finally made it back to Roanoke, there was no trace of the colony, his wife, his daughter, or his granddaughter. Instead, all he found was the word Croatoan carved in a post. No one knew what had happened to the colony until 2015, when archaeologists discovered clues such as British-style pottery among Croatoan remains. This suggests that the people of the Roanoke colony may have become part of the Croatoan community. The first official American colony was formed in Jamestown, Virginia in 1607; by 1752, the colonies included North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and Georgia. The Southern Colonies focused most of their efforts on cash crops including tobacco and cotton. In order to make their plantations pay, they employed enslaved Africans. Colony Name Year Founded Founded By Became Royal Colony Virginia 1607 London Company 1624 Massachusetts 1620 - Plymouth Colony1630 - Massachusetts Bay Colony Puritans 1691 New Hampshire 1623 John Mason 1679 Maryland 1634 Lord Baltimore N/A Connecticut c. 1635 Thomas Hooker N/A Rhode Island 1636 Roger Williams N/A Delaware 1638 Peter Minuit and New Sweden Company N/A North Carolina 1653 Virginians 1729 South Carolina 1663 Eight Nobles with a Royal Charter from Charles II 1729 New Jersey 1664 Lord Berkeley and Sir George Carteret 1702 New York 1664 Duke of York 1685 Pennsylvania 1682 William Penn N/A Georgia 1732 James Edward Oglethorpe 1752 Sources Shi, David E., and George Brown Tindall. America: A Narrative History, Brief Tenth Edition. New York: W. W. Norton, 2016.Smith, James Morton. Seventeenth-Century America: Essays in Colonial History. Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press, 2014.