Internationalizing higher education-a case study of Grantchester University Essay Example for Free

Internationalizing higher education-a case study of Grantchester University Essay Internationalization in the area of higher education has become one of the most talked about issues in recent times. In fact, in the form of internationalization of higher education one of the most important global changes of current period has been manifested. The event of internationalization of higher education is conceptualized in different ways by different people. For example, some see internationalization in the field of higher education as a normal extension of universities’ traditional commitment to learning and as a process of knowledge exchange. However, for some people internationalization is nothing but an innovative response by the universities to the opportunities in external market (Windham, 1996; Trilokekar, 2007). Whatever be the way of conceptualizing the process of internationalization of higher education, it has been accepted as an important issue in the field of higher education. One crucial issue regarding internationalization of higher education is that there is lack of theoretical studies that could provide guidelines for those universities which are thinking about going international. Actually, theoretical studies are lagging far behind the practical implementation of the process under consideration. Thus it is found that in most of the cases internationalization has a tendency to take place in an unplanned and incremental way (Welch and Denman, 1997; Wit, 2002) and hence it posses various problems and challenges to the management of the institution which is undertaking the process of internationalization. Here a case study will be conducted to identify one key challenge that a University management can face while they implement the technique of internationalization in the field of higher education and provide recommendation to solve the issue using theoretical knowledge and empirical evidences. For the purpose of this study Grantchester University of UK will be taken under consideration as the university has taken an important step to go international. It has made effort to internationalize its educational system. It has undertaken a program for providing higher education to the students residing in far flung places by sending its faculty to those places. This paper will analyse the case study of Grantchester University in order to find a single key challenge the management of the university is facing and to find a way out. First, a rigorous analysis of the case study will be provided, then a key challenge will be identified on the basis of the analysis and finally a strategy will be recommended and justified on the basis of existing management and organizational theories and empirical evidences. Analysis of the case study: Grantchester University is a relatively new university in the North of England. It is a quite large institution which was created through the merger of three colleges having root going back to 1880 a teacher training college, a technical college and an art school. In 1983, a Business School was formed under the flagship of the then Grantchester Polytechnic. This business school under Grantchester University will be examined. This business school eventually has grown to build the largest faculty in the present university with having 4,000 full time students with 500 being registered on postgraduate programmes. As a part of the process of internationalization, in the last few years the senior management of the business school has negotiated a number of collaborative agreements with overseas universities, primarily in an effort to take advantage of the opportunities presented in an increasingly globalised higher education sector. As in case of most of the British universities, in Grantchester University also the proportion of overseas students studying has been increasing gradually, particularly in the business school. In this segment around 10 percent of undergraduate students and around 40 percent of postgraduate, 75 percent of which are full time post graduate students, are coming from outside of the European Union. However, the senior management has identified a number of factors which are making further expansion of ‘international’ teaching in the university campus sproblematic. These factors include the size of the current university campus and cost of land in the city, the perceived carrying capacity of the city of Grantchester, the increasingly problematic economic environment, increasing competition from universities in countries providing the ‘traditional’ source of overseas students to the UK, for example in China, India etc. , and the changing immigration regulations. Thus the management has started to concentrate on another alternative program for becoming internationalized in the field of higher education. The business school is now paying more attention on sending its academic staffs overseas to teach there in collaboration with local staffs. Actually delivering educational program overseas has become a new trend in the field of higher education and the university vice chancellor is quite aware of the trend and hence she has decided to deliver some of university’s more popular educational programmes overseas, either in new campuses overseas or in some sort of partnership with local universities. The Business School was first chosen to follow this path of internationalization because of its size and the perceived strength of its programmes to pilot the strategy. The management of the business school has designed courses that are generally delivered to full time as well as part time students overseas. All overseas teaching is conducted in partnership with local colleges which are based in the country of delivery. Under the current teaching module developed by the management a faculty member of the University is generally employed for overseas teaching on a two year attachment in each country of operation. Every study module is delivered to the students through the partnership of a module teacher sent by the University and a local teacher. The module teacher of Grantchester has to visit the partner college and give a series of lectures to students and attend seminars over a single week. During this single week visit he also conduct meeting with partner teachers in order to devise strategy of staff development. Then it is the responsibility of the partner teacher to conduct tutorials and seminars supporting and building on the block sessions. Although assessment materials are prepared by the module tutor, student work is marked by the partner tutor, with only 10 percent sample of student work being moderated by the module leader. In order to have efficient course delivery the management has to arrange overseas trips for the faculties and teaching schedule in such a way that courses are delivered in timely manner. The management provides allowance for business class travel to the faculties. The faculty members who are scheduled to go overseas are required to book tickets at least three months in advance through the Associate Dean responsible. Staff wishing to have alternative arrangements approved on an exceptional basis must seek approval from the associate Dean responsible. Both FT and PT delivery modes consist of 6 nights maximum accommodation overseas and 6 nights disturbance allowance at the approved rate (currently ? 50. 00 per day). The current model is however not free from problems. A number of problems are associated with this current module of overseas teaching. Faculties of Grantchester who have already visited other countries for the purpose of delivering study module have expressed their grievances over certain issues. Last minute scheduling of overseas trips for the faculties have been a major problem for the management. The current system of organizing trips to overseas seems to be ad hoc in nature which is creating problem not only to the higher authority but also to the faculties who are assigned the trips on short period notice. During the case study it has been found that the management was dealing with the problem of arranging academic staffs for some particular session as the management did not able to find out academic staffs who could participate in that session even when only one and half months remained in the hand of management where the program necessitates booking of flights three months before the delivery schedule. The management was looking for some one who was under profiled as the business school was not in a position to pay for overtime. Although the management some how managed to get required staffs for sending overseas for that particular session, this kind of ad hoc nature of scheduling trips create huge problems for faculties as they have to go other countries for delivering course module on short period notice. Another problem associated with the issue of scheduling trips is that management is quite idle in informing faculties about any changes in the scheduled trips on an emergency basis. For example, in 2008-09 for the February session Peter Smith was supposed to leave to deliver course module to the students of Star College on 8th February, but due to some problem the lectures that were scheduled to be given on WC February 9th got cancelled and the lectures were rearranged on WC February 16th. The management, however, did not bother to let Peter know about this change as soon as the decision was taken by the management. He was informed two weeks later giving him only little time to change his flight booking. Last minute scheduling of overseas tours also provides the faculties with little time for preparing themselves for teaching overseas students. They get little time to get acquainted with the course module and get confused about what to deliver to the overseas students. One the faculty members who has already gone through this problem has described his experience. He suffered the problem of this kind of ad hoc nature of planning in his very first trip to overseas. This faculty member was asked to go to Far Off to deliver the induction programme for the first cohort of students on a very short period notice. He received the email only two weeks before he needed to fly out. He was provided with the paperwork, i. e. the course material only before he left for the trip so that he could read it on the plane, and hence he hadn’t had the chance to prepare or fully understand what was being proposed in the documentation. He wasn’t aware of the course structure or even the module content. It seemed crazy, but the authority wanted him to run a week of course induction for the new students and had drafted him the course material at the last minute. As he did not get enough time to prepare himself for delivering course material, the quality of teaching according to him was not up to the mark. The management is also suffering with problem of delivering allowances to their faculty members on time for their trips to overseas. The university is liable to pay allowances for traveling and accommodation to the faculty members. But the case study has revealed that some faculty members were not provided with the stipulated allowances even after a long time of since completing their visits. For example, according to a faculty member although the travel arrangements and the hotel accommodations were satisfactory, it was three months since she returned and still had not received her expenses and disturbance allowance. Not only that, she also did not have any clear idea regarding how to chase these up. It is the responsibility of the university management to offer a clear idea regarding all aspects of these overseas tours and providing allowances no time. She did not bother very much about the issue of reimbursement and expressed her satisfaction over the trip and expressed her wish to go for another one as it was only her first trip. But if she faces this kind of reimbursement problem everytime she goes overseas for fulfilling the goal of internationalization of the university, she might not be ready to continue this or this could negatively affect the quality of teaching as she will not be sure about whether she will be paid off for delivering lectures. For any international teaching organization, success depends on the quality of teaching. In recent times many organizations many educational institutions are going for internationalization with an aim to cash in on new market opportunities and least bother about providing high quality education. Looking at these kind of intentions of most of the international educational organizations, a number of countries are making some regulations for overseas universities running programs in those countries. Granchester University is also confronting this problem in some of the countries where it has been running its overseas programmes. For example, Ethnocentrica, one of the countries that Grantchester has been teaching in, has recently introduced tighter regulation of overseas universities running programmes there. This is, at least in part, because of concern that such teaching is perceived as primarily a means of cashing in on the growth in education globally. A number of universities operate in Ethnocentrica and the government is worried by the growing number of complaints about poor quality teaching and assessment. One of the key regulations stipulates that overseas universities must provide full Professors for all teaching of university courses delivered in Ethnocentrica in order to enhance teaching quality. But the problem with Grantchester is that it employs only few full professors as they are more interested in research work and the university is basically a teaching university which does not pay much attention on research works. A key challenge to the University management: Through the rigorous analysis of the case study presented above, one thing has come out that all the problems discussed above would result in deterioration in the quality of teaching which is essential for an international organization like Granchester University. It is one of the vital responsibilities of the management to ensure that the faculty members offer quality teaching to overseas students. All the problems revealed through the case study ultimately boils down to a vital problem relating to the quality of teaching. Thus it is the issue of providing high quality teaching to overseas students that is posing challenge to the management of the University. The university authority requires to manage its human resources, i. e. the academic staffs in such a way that quality teaching can be provided. This issue of providing high quality teaching is extremely important and relevant fro conducting the process of internationalization efficiently.

A dramatic way Essay Example for Free

A dramatic way Essay After the September 11, 2001 attack the civil aviation system of our nation was given a great deal of congressional attention. The Congress enacted the Aviation and Transportation Security Act (ATSA) on November 2001. The ATSA created the Transport Security Administration (TSA) within the Department of Transportation (DOT). The TSA was entrusted with the responsibility of ensuring security in aviation as well as other modes of transport. This agency hired a number of people for the deployment of both passengers and baggage. Explosives detection equipment was used to check the baggage. The agency is also working on the Computer-Assisted Passenger Prescreening System (CAPPS); this would use national security as well as commercial databases in order to identify passengers who could pose risk for additional screening. TSA also initiated a number of programs and research on the use of technology and information in order to advance security. The Transportation Workers Identification Card program is issued to airport workers after a background check has been conducted on them. Biometric indicators have been incorporated in them so that each worker can be positively matched to his or her credential. Though TSA takes pains to see that bombs and other threat items are not carried into the planes by the passengers on their self or in their baggage, areas such as the air cargo security, general aviation security and the airport perimeter security are still vulnerable, the air cargo is vulnerable as very little of the cargo on cargo and passenger planes are screened. Thus TSA has been advised to use a risk management approach to enhance and strengthen the air cargo security. Prior to September2001, screeners who were hired by the airlines very often failed to detect threat objects on passengers or in their carryon luggage. This could be because of insufficient training and a rapid turnover. In most of the airports the turnover exceeded 100 percent, the skilled and experienced screeners were few mainly because of low wages, few benefits and monotonous work. Moreover before September 2001 people entered the secure areas of airports, including the aircrafts as the limiting controls did not work as intended. TSA’s first and foremost responsibility was according to ATSA that of ensuring security in all modes of transportation. The security screening responsibility was also shifted to TSA. Some of the aviation security responsibility such as security of air traffic control and other computer systems remained with FAA. TSA worked to establish itself and worked at meeting the deadlines set forth by ATSA. TSA had 13 employees in January 2002. A year later it had 65,000 employees. TSA had met over 30 deadlines during 2002 to improve the aviation security. Racial profiling against the ‘young muslim male’ seems an awful idea and therefore it ought to be abolished. Still it is argued and even many minority police are of the opinion that it can be used as a statistical tool. It can be a cost effective way to tackle a certain problem e. g. most people committing X belong to Texas, then if there is a reliable way to identify people from Texas, it would certainly reduce the action X. Still it is not ethical even though police argue that they are not taking action based on any race but that they are using race as a factor to identify suspects. This is discrimination by race and religion and when such discrimination meets approval, we start heading down the slope. Besides this the practical problems are also to be met. It certainly antagonizes the group that is being profiled. The young muslim men in America would not like it and might even flare up, and it might irritate them so that they who might have helped in a terrorist investigation might just shrug their shoulders now. Moreover how many people would it affect? Numerous? Muslim looking men hail from Nigerians to Iranians to Indonesians. The muslims of Central Asia often resemble the Chinese and tree quarters of Arab Americans are Christians. It is also to be noted that even if racial profiling isn’t motivated by bigotry, over a period of time it is very likely to cause racial tension. The civilians would view all young Muslims males suspiciously, which would again inflame racial tensions. Therefore in order to preserve racial harmony an extra couple billion dollar get spent, for the security measure, it is still more worthwhile that creating disillusioned youngsters who in their anger might turn terrorists. Sources Jackson Brain A :Aptitude For Destruction: Organizational Learning in Terrorist Groups and its Implications for†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. Brower Jennifer L: The Terrorist Threat and its implications for sensor technologies, Prometheus Inc.Newport . RI02840, USA 3. www. wikipedia. org 4.. Kofi Annan, Secretary General, United Nations, Keynote address to the Closing Plenary of the International Summit on Democracy, Terrorism and Security March 10 2005 5. Joan Arehart –Treichel; Terrorists Motives Arise From Diverse Factors Psychiatric News March 18, 2005, Volume 40, Number 6 6. Lee Tien, Electronic Frontier Foundation Senior Counsel, Sep. 27, 2001 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act 7. Jenkins, Brian Michael: Countering the New Terrorism (199

A Report in Soil Science: Soil Water Budget

A Report in Soil Science: Soil Water Budget SOIL WATER BUDGET INTRODUCTION Soil is the most crucial factors for life on Earth. Soil is linked to everything around us and performs many important roles in sustaining life on Earth. One of those is for providing the basis for food and biomass production. However, this role is being affected by the degradation of soil. Hence, an understanding of soil is needed for finding an optimal measure for soil management. As a matter of facts, numerous factors are needed for the soil formation. Water is one of the most important constituents in any soil. Without water, soil formation would not be possible. Moreover, water availability in soil is a significant factor that affecting the crop growth. However, in many area crops, soil water is not properly managed which will lead to a poor yield. Therefore, an understanding of the hydrological cycle is essential for the effective management of soil water. Especially, in the hydrological cycle, the water budget is used as an approach to reflect the relationship between the input and output of water through a region. In particular, the balance between precipitation and evapotranspiration potential will help us to directly compare the water supply and the natural demand for water as well as to determine the time when there is much rain and when there is not enough. Studying soil water budget makes it possible to determine if there is a water shortage that can reduce yields or if there is excessive water application that can result in water logging or leaching of nitrates below the root zone. Moreover, it can build knowledge of the soil and water storage and supplying capacity of each irrigated. II. WATER BUDGET Water budgets are used for accounting the inputs, outputs, and changes in the amount of water by breaking the hydrological cycle down into components. Basic components of water budgets are precipitation (rainfall), evapotranspiration (the upward flux of water from the land surface to the atmosphere, a combination of evaporation from the soil and transpiration by plants), surface-water (such as streams and lakes) and groundwater flow (aquifers) into and out of the watershed, change in surface-water and groundwater storage, change in snow and ice storage, and human withdrawals and inter-basin transfers. The water budget affects how much water is stored in a system. And the stored water is calculated by the following formula: Stored Water = (Rain + Irr.) (Runoff + ET + Drainage) Where Irr is abbreviated for irrigated water, ET is abbreviated for evapotranspiration. For instance, in wet seasons, precipitation is greater than evapotranspiration, it means (Rain + Irr.) > (Runoff + ET + Drainage), which creates a water surplus. Ground stores fill with water, which results in increased surface runoff, higher discharge and higher river levels. This means there is a positive water balance. Contrastly, in drier seasons, evapotranspiration exceeds precipitation ((Rain + Irr.) . As plants absorb, water ground stores are depleted. There is a water deficit at the end of a dry season. The storage ability depends on depth and texture of the soil. Drainage and runoff only happen when the bucket is full. III. THE IMPORTANCE OF WATER BUDGET They provide scientific measurements and estimates of the amount of water in each component and calculate the movement of water among the different components – the flux or flow of water. The result is a budget that is a hydrologic record comparable to deposits, withdrawals, and changes in the balance of a checking account.   Soil water budget is the balance of water in the soil; this is the net result of the combined effects of precipitation (P) and potential evapotranspiration (PE). . The storage ability of the water budget is greatly influenced by the depth and the texture of the soil. The drainage and runoff of water in the soil occur when the budget is full and they are considered as recoverable losses while evaporation and transpiration are considered as non-recoverable losses. Water budget can be used to help manage water supply and predict where there may be water shortages. Likewise, it is also used in irrigation, runoff assessment, flood control and pollution control. Further it is used in the design of subsurface drainage systems which may be horizontal (i.e. using pipes, tile drains or ditches) or vertical (drainage by wells). To estimate the drainage requirement, the use of a hydrogeological water balance and a groundwater model may be instrumental. Why need soil water budget: – Optimize water use – Determine irrigation needs Increased soil moisture will result in: higher yields, through maximised rainfall utilization recharge of groundwater and thus securing the water level in wells and the continuity of river and stream flows reduced risk of yield losses due to drought A sound irrigation scheduling program can help an operator: prevent economic yield losses due to moisture stress. maximize efficiency of production inputs. minimize leaching potential of nitrates and other agrichemicals below the rooting zone. conserve the water resource and maximize its beneficial use. This publication describes some best soil moisture management strategies and monitoring techniques that an irrigating farmer should consider in managing irrigation water and soil moisture for optimum crop production and least possible degradation of ground water quality. Understanding the process of soil-water budget, By calculating the Stored water in the soil, With the use of a soil water balance or budget, daily evapotranspiration (ET) amounts are withdrawn from storage (or the balance of plant available water) in the soil profile. Rainfall or irrigation amounts are added to soil water storage. Should the water balance calculations project soil water to drop below some minimum level, irrigation is indicated. Weather forecasts enable prediction of ET rates and projection of soil water balance to indicate whether irrigation is needed in the near future. Likewise, it is also used in irrigation, runoff assessment, flood control and pollution control. Further it is used in the design of subsurface drainage systems which may be horizontal (i.e. using pipes, tile drains or ditches) or vertical (drainage by wells). To estimate the drainage requirement, the use of a hydrogeological water balance and a groundwater model may be instrumental. In the complete view of the panorama of the earth, all organisms live on or beneath the soil. Therefore, the systems of flows that are happening on Earth have consequences on nature. Mainly, the soil biota is greatly affected by the movement of water in the soil. Soil water affects both the temperature and its aeration activities so it affects the movement and predation of microorganisms in the soil. When the soil pores are so much filled with water, the organisms tend to be disoriented for the sudden change in their environment as well as for the lack of air. The oxygen needed by the organisms depletes that later on leads to anaerobic condition which is hardly a good condition for soil biota. Moreover, if the soil is very dry, plants takes too much energy in order to remove water from the small pores that is why the plants inhabiting the area tend to suffer from difficulty to extract sufficient amount of water through the roots—this phenomenon is called as the permanent wilti ng point—the condition which plant hardly recover. In addition, irrigated soils contain significant amount of salt which develops osmotic pressure that slows down the uptake of water by the plants that doesn’t help them for good growth. Thus, significant increase in slow growth might also mean the slow production of food for all organisms in the ecosystem. IV SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION The following are the summary of the main points of the report: Soil water budget, is a balance in a net result of hydrological cycle in nature in which the inputs, output Larger pores conduct water more rapidly in saturated soils than smaller pores while in unsaturated soil condition, smaller pores conduct water movement more rapidly. Coarse over Fine– Water build up over fine soil because water moves faster through coarse soil. Fine over Coarse– Water movement will temporarily stop until fine soil is nearly saturated. There’s always flow in every system and those flows are very much necessary even the tiny little bits of details of it. Once subjected to changes, could lead to negative flaws. BIBLIOGRAPHY SAI Platform. (2010, June). Water Conservation Technical Briefs—The Importance of Soil to Water Use. From http://www.saiplatform.org/uploads/Modules/Library/SAI%20Technical%20Brief%205%20%20The%20Importance%20of%20Soil%20to%20Water%20Use.pdf Irrigation Management—Chapter 3, Soil Water. From http://croptechnology.unl.edu/pages/informationmodule.php?idinformationmodule=1130447123topicorder=3maxto=13minto=1 Food and Agriculture Organization. Physical Factors Affecting Soil Organisms. From http://www.fao.org/agriculture/crops/thematic-sitemap/theme/spi/soil-biodiversity/soil-organisms/physical-factors-affecting-soil-organisms/en/

Seeking the Living Story: A Comparison of SongCatcher and molly has her say :: Essays Papers

Seeking the Living Story: A Comparison of SongCatcher and molly has her say Drama is a medium of truth-telling about the unseen substance of our lives. Challenging accepted Western stories of power, of truth, of morality and of self, Native American playwrights Marcie R. Renton and Margaret Brubauc develop dialogue that spans physical and spiritual realms, both on and off the stage. Within Renton’s SongCatcher and Brubauc’s molly has her say, spiritual character and multidimensional space are blended in modern day settings, calling Native American peoples to defy Western history books and seek Native roots. Using real historical data, these playwrights craft the power of drama into an inspirational conversation of true Native American identity. In the intimate relationship between performer and audience, there is power to challenge the stories we believe, both what we know about ourselves, and our world. Onstage interactions and struggles with the supernatural defy audiences to deny of the possibility of its existence and more generally the possibility for existence of things we cannot know fully. As characters struggle with preconceived notions of reality and interfering spirit characters, so audiences must suspend assumptions of history and engage in the cultural conflict of Native Americans dealing with spirit forces on stage. Supernatural character Molly Ockett is a symbol of the â€Å"past† story grad student Molly Marie longs to deny in her â€Å"personal history† (Bruchac 320), just as the spirit of Francess Denmore is a symbol of Western pomposity Jack desperately wants to trust in as he learns â€Å"[his] history, learn some things about who [he] really [is]† (Renton 22). These symbolic charact ers and modern day casts are a means of engaging in greater themes of cultural rights and the meaning of heritage. Shared space and physical proximity of characters proves the connection between history, heritage and modern day life. Renton builds a dream dimension in her play, allowing the reality of spirits to coexist in both real and imagined time. Bruchac’s play is more of a relationship between two spirits and one woman, and needs no dream element. Molly Marie and Molly Ockett co-exists in real time, as does Old Mali, ever present and completely invisible, though only Molly Marie is living today. Each space is multi-dimensional and transcendent of time, as supernatural characters interact freely with modern characters through shared objects like doors, cigarette lighters, coffee cups. As spiritual characters go into modern character’s space, touching physical props, the ethical questions of identity each drama poses transcend time to modern minds and hearts.

Book Review Freakonomics Essay -- Steven Levitt

"Anybody living in the United States in the early 1990s and paying even a whisper of attention to the nightly news or a daily paper could be forgiven for having been scared out of his skin... The culprit was crime. It had been rising relentlessly - a graph plotting the crime rate in any American city over recent decades looked like a ski slope in profile... Death by gunfire, intentional and otherwise, had become commonplace, So too had carjacking and crack dealing, robbery, and rape. Violent crime was a gruesome and constant companion... The culprit was the so-called superpredator. For a time, he was everywhere. Glowering from the cover of newsweeklies. Swaggering his way through foot-thick government reports. He was a scrawny, big-city teenager with a cheap gun in his hand and nothing in his heart but ruthlessness. There were thousands out there just like him we were told, a generation of killers about to hurl the country into deepest chaos... Criminologist James Alan Fox predicted two outcomes. The optimistic: that the rate of teen homicides would rise another fifteen percent over the next decade. The pessimistic: that it would more than double... Then all of a sudden, instead of going up and up and up, the crime rate began to fall. And fall and fall and fall some more. The crime drop was startling in several respects. It was ubiquitous, with every category of crime in every part of the country. It was persistent, with incremental decreases year after year. And it was entirely unanticipated, especially because the public had been anticipating the opposite... Even though the experts had failed to anticipate the crime drop, which was in fact well under way even as they made their horrifying predictions, they now hurried to... ...age. Levitt explores this passage with the same approach that he uses to explore the hidden side of many other such examples in society that have been overlooked and accepted as conventional wisdom for far too long. Take the parents who feel confident that they have made the right decision to forbid their child to play at a friend?s house whose family owns a gun, but allows their child to play at a friend?s house that has a pool. Levitt shows that the child is about ten thousand times more likely to drown in the swimming pool than in a gun accident, but that the violent conventional mindset associated with guns wrongly portrays their potential of causing death. Through these examples, Levitt establishes Freakonomics as a way by which the reader should live their life, never totally accepting something until every stone has been upturned, eventually exposing its hidden

othello :: essays research papers

Iago cannot bear Othello's being a superior figure. Iago comments on Othello's going to war as "Another of his fathom they have none/ To lead their business." (lines 153-154) Iago insults Othello's skin color profusely behind his back. As the first part of his plan, Iago seeks to arouse Brabantio to the fact that the Moor has "robbed" (line 88) him of his daughter. Iago refers to Othello as an "old black ram/ tupping your white ewe." This tasteless reference pictures Othello's ugly black skin with Desdemona's beautiful white skin. Iago convinces Brabantio that he must rescue his daughter from "the devil," another racial reference to Othello's black skin. Iago never identifies Othello except with remarks such as "the Barbary horse" mounting Desdemona. Brabantio's cousins, Iago rages "will be jennets," (line 14) black Spanish horses. The racism and hatred behind Iago is only worsened by Othello's high position and high popula rity with the people; far higher than Iago will ever reach. Thus, Iago hatches a plot, not out of sheer malice or insanity, but out of a pathological jealousy beyond comprehension. Othello demonstrates his noble nature when confronted by Brabantio. He coolly remarks "I must be found./ My parts, my title, and my perfect soul/ Shall manifest me rightly." (lines 30-32) This remarkable presentation even causes Iago to swear in appreciation, "By Janus." He is insanely jealous over Othello's skill. The Duke does not even notice Brabantio just greets Othello as "valiant Othello." (line 48) Iago's first plan is foiled by the composure and sheer power of Othello. This only maddens Iago. Later, Iago scorns the Moor and Cassio. While his many accusations are unbelievable, they present motive and a pathological desire to ruin these people's lives for specific reasons. Iago believes that Othello won Desdemona, not by stories of perils, but by "bragging and telling her fanatical lies." (line 216) Iago also denounces Cassio as "a slipper and subtle knave, a finder out of occasions, that has an eye can stamp and counterfeit advantages, though true advantage never present itself; a devilish knave." (lines 229-231) Iago is able to denounce anyone through fictitious reasoning. In this way, he can make up reasons to seek revenge on innocent people. He also scoffs at Cassio's courteous remarks to women. He says that Desdemona is a "most exquisite lady . . . most fresh and delicate . .

College Savings Essay

Why is it important to go to college? I believe the answer is crystal clear. Attending college provides me with an opportunity for a better future. The economy now is not the same as it was in the past. Those who graduate high school are finding it extremely difficult to obtain high-paying jobs. The United States has been reformed into an economy dependent on knowledge. Graduating college provides the graduate with more desirable opportunities and options. It is a proven fact that having a college degree increases your chances of receiving a high-paying job; and isn’t that what we strive to achieve in our lives? The reason I wake up everyday and attend school is to one day have a high-paying job, that will make all the years of education worth it. However, though a college education is immensely important, it carries a heavy price tag. Unfortunately, the cost of tuition goes up every year, preventing many teens from attending college. I myself do not allow that unfortunate fac t to discourage from obtaining a college education. I am aware of the numerous available financial aid options. Though I am only in middle school and still have a couple more years before I can start college. I believe that I should be preparing myself for the future years ahead considering the fact that they are critical in my success. I often find myself searching the web for colleges and imagining myself attending those colleges in the future. But unfortunately, daydreaming is not going to get me anywhere. Once I snap out of it, I began to search for strategies that will benefit me in my quest to attend college. In my opinion, it is critical to form a strategy early on in the game. The sooner the better. The amount of money needed to attend college is great, so saving money early on is the best way to go. I have become aware that scholarships and financial aid do not pay for everything! Though they offer a tremendous amount of help, I will have to pay as well. That is why starting early is crucial. Of course, I will not be able to accomplish my goal without the help of my parents. They are the ones who will guide me and offer the necessary assistance that I desperately need. Making my parents aware of my strategy is the second step and probably the most important. Considering I am still a minor, their help is essential. The chances of receiving a scholarship or financial aid is not guaranteed! I cannot afford to place all my hope in the idea of a scholarship or grant and neither can my parents. We have to think ahead and prepare for the challenges that I will have to face. It is important for my parents and I to find out as much as we can about financial aid and the necessary requirements we have to meet to be able to receive the aid. Though the price of education is being raised, so is the amount of financial aid I can receive. The financial aid package that I will be given to me is determined by the college that I wish to attend. That is why I’m already searching online for colleges that I picture myself attending, and familiarizing myself with their criteria for incoming students. Receiving financial aid or any type of support is ultimately up to me. Scholarships are not given to everybody. I have to earn it. In order to improve my chances of receiving a scholarship, I have tried absolute hardest to obtain excellent grades. Most of my friends believe that middle school holds little importance. I disagree. It’s vital to put your maximum effort in your studies from the get-go. When I apply to colleges, I want them to realize that I’m serious about graduating and having a successful future. I cannot afford to begin to take college seriously in high school, because it may be too late. If I start preparing myself and researching about college early on, I will be ready and prepared when my high school years arrive. Which surprisngly are right around the corner. Forming a saving strategy is essential in my plan to attend college. There are various companies and websites that offer me the help and guidance to form my strategy. For example, the 529 Plan. The 529 plan is a tax-advantaged investment plan built to encouraging f uture college attendees to save for a college education. But these programs are not the only way to go. My school counselor and teachers also offer their expertise on the topic of college. My school’s faculty, for a fact, has my best interest at heart. They are constantly giving me advice on high school and what lies ahead. Now that I am in my eighth grade year, the topic of high school has been popping up more frequently in our discussions. I am still young and do not know all there is to know about college and the best way to start saving for it. So, I rely on the help of my teachers, counselor and of course, my parents. With their advice and support, I will be able to form a strategy that will help me save money for college. It is obvious that I cannot depend on their help alone. It is I who has to take their advice and put it motion. For example, I am allowed to work part-time at the age of 14. I know that it is extremely difficult to balance work and school so, I have decided to begin working during the summer. With of course m y parents consent. Having an income will help me tremendously. College costs a lot of money and considering the fact that my parents don’t have the biggest income, I’m grateful for the fact that I will be able to work and offer my parents a lending hand on my savings for college. Neither of my parents have a college education. I do not judge them because I know the challenges they have encountered, for I have witnessed them myself. My entire family was born in Cuba where a college education was difficult to achieve. When we first arrived in the United States, my parents found it extremely difficult to get job. This caused my family to go through many struggles. Struggles that we are currently experiencing today. Witnessing these struggles have given me the determination to have a successful future. I do not wish for my future children to go through what I have gone through. My parents understand this. Not only do they understand it, they encourage it. They are constantly referring to me as their ‘better future’. It is clear that they want me to succeed. They don’t want me to be constantly worrying about not being able to pay the bills or rent. They want my future to be worry free. They understand how important college is and have already began taking the necessary steps to guarantee that I attend. Having my parents support is essential for I do not think I would be able to do it on my own. Though they are not familiar with steps that need to be taken to get into college, they are trying their best to help me achieve my goal in any way that is necessary. Most people already know why college is important; it opens numerous doors and provides many opportunities and advantages once you have graduated. It has been proven that people with a college education earn nearly twice as much than those who only have a high school diploma in their pocket. You go to school to get good job, to earn money and have a successful f uture. A college education guarantees that. A college education increases my chances of living the life I have always wanted. The life my parents wish for me. In the United States today, having a college education is extremely important. Without it, you will most likely get nowhere. I would know. My parents do not have a college education. I have watched them suffer financially and the thought of me having through go through their struggles terrifies me. I do not want to live in constant stress over late payments or having no money to buy food for my kids. I know how difficult it will be to attend college. I know that I will have to make sacrifices to guarantee my future. But I am willing to make those sacrifices because I only the consequences that I will face if I don’t. Most people will not understand why I have decided to start saving up for college or even thinking about college so early on. But I have my reasons. College is more important to me than people realize. It’s the key to a successful future. My successful future!