Methedology in postgraduate education in UL Essay

Methedology in postgraduate education in UL - Essay Example ciples of accounting for postgraduates, human resource management, economics, business risk management and marketing (University of Limerick, Centre for Teaching and Learning, 2014). A student applying for any of these courses undergoes regular application process which involves online registration and submission of required details as prescribed by the university regulatory board. The learning process once admitted into the university comes in two folds. A postgraduate may apply for online learning described as O’Del (Open, Distance and Electronic Learning). In this platform, a student obtains all the course requirements and lectures online but merge at the end of the semester to fulfill the course requirement by taking final exams (Ebel, Mohr & Commission of the European Communities 2009, p. 77). On the other end, one may decide to leverage on the side of full time learning process, attending to lecture physically, submitting assignments one on one and not electronically or online. However, at the end of the learning period, the students merge for a common exams and evaluation based of syllabus coverage. Other than the theories taught in class, postgraduate students will undertake a two weeks training even study trip or business simulation program every semester. This is meant to enhance the student’s knowledge on writing dissertations which will eventually see them graduate from UL. The university operates of full time calendar with short interval holidays between the terms calendars. Each semester runs for a period of three months with one month holiday until the completion of the degree

Economic Growth And Standard Of Living Essay Example for Free

Economic Growth And Standard Of Living Essay To understand any topic it is always important to take note of the key words. In this case I am going to first pin point the key words. Economy in a lay man’s language is the management of finances or care in the use of resources. Others may say it is a system of producing and managing resources. This then puts everyone in light that economic growth as the increment of management and use of resources like finances, wealth and so on. Standard of living can measured by types of living styles that is quality (living in high standards and able to afford especially the basic needs) or of no quality that is (poor quality most especially not being able to afford the basics in life and probably living below the poverty line) (Elkington J. , 1974); Economic growth is seen on both extremes by different individuals that is the best or worst and the sides of it depending on how it has affected their standards of living. The way it affects the standards of living in the present and how it affected in the past is very different from the way it will be tomorrow. Its further expansion today has also affected different individuals differently. Others have seen it to have caused more harm than good while others see it to have caused more than more good than harm and this second group appears to be the majority hence increasing the gap between these two groups of people (The World Business Council for sustainable). Nevertheless economic growth to a larger extent is seen as a valuable vehicle for raising standards of living in aspects like social life, political aspects and even psychological aspects. Since time immemorial, everyone valued a high standard of living and every member of the family and society worked toward achieving more and more resources so as to live a better life. Men, women and children for instance did farming and cultivated food crops for home consumption. This was in the past before the innovation of cash economy. In that era, the three fundamental processes used in economic growth were identification, cooperation and imitation Aragon-Correa and Sharma S. , 2003 and Dunphy D, Griffiths A, and Benn S. , 2000). Today or presently it is true that further economic expansion has been seen. This is why the world today bases on the mechanism of â€Å"survival for the fittest†. This mechanism is mainly trying to see that everyone actively participates towards economic growth and hence improving their standards of living. So people have just deliberately decided to be lazy and they are the same people complaining of economic growth as unnecessary. They have given others the opportunity to even grow richer as they (the lazy ones) become poorer. It is important to note that as the world economy grows, the standard of living also grows. It does not remain stagnant hence the capacity of manpower in the society should also increase so as to match the economic growth and avoid lagging behind. It is done in this manner, and then the difficulty of economic growth affecting the standards of living presently will not be felt (World Economic Forum). It is seen clearly that as world’s life proceeds, very many aspects change. For instance, the population of South Africa in early 1930’s cannot match or be the same as the population today. Today’s population has definitely outgrown the one of 1930’s hence the economic growth will remain a valuable vehicle for raising and not degrading the standards of living if we check into issues like education, population control, employment especially skilled manpower in professional fields, etc. good example here is population control. In the past population was not as big and huge as today hence the issue of poor standard of living was not intensely felt. Today the population has double even tripled in specific places. This then has led to shortage of land, food, employment, schools hence giving the first priorities to the rich who can scramble. This then has led to high illiteracy, creation of slums, high crime rates. So if population standards are controlled by example introducing and sensitizing people on the issue of using contraceptives, keeping people in schools especially women who can go up to high institutions of learning hence making them concentrate in books and by the time they think of marriage, they are old enough not to give birth to too many children as compared to when they are out of school making them marry early and bearing many children. The issue of education, population control will improve both the economic growth and standards of living in the long run (World Economic Forum). Another very crucial thing is and that we in the world today cannot do without is the fact that of the machineries invention and innovation. This was not in the past, but today it has actually improved our majority standards of living. It is a fact that even the poor man at least can afford some kind of machinery for instance he or she may not afford a television set but may afford a small radio of about three dollars. This is because it is extremely important to listen to and know what is going on in the world through that small radio an issue that was not there in the past though people at that time were still comfortable because these machineries were not there. This hence is seen that economic growth is vats and can accommodate everyone. This means that despite the economic growth, there are still some cheap commodities that can be afforded by the low level people so as to enjoy their lives. The economic growth is also seen to incorporate the non professional activities for example engaging in vegetable sales, shoe shining, house helps and so on. Not everyone has a professional duty like teaching; nursing, etc yet even the non professional people must live and enjoy their lives. By doing their non-professional duties, they also actively participate in economic growth. For instance, a person doing the shoe shine job will have to buy the shoe polish hence contributing to the economic growth of the shoe polish company. On the other side of the economic growth, which is also to a lesser extent, I see its further expansions to be unnecessary and especially when its undesirable effects are considered from a true – cost perspective rather than form a true – benefit perspective (World Economic Forum). As I have discussed in the previous paragraphs, everyone cannot be the same in terms of gifts and talents, in brain, strength, authority and understanding. There must be both low and high level people. This also applies in the standard of living which is determined by the economic growth. For sure it is true that it affects people differently. In the real world, today, this economic growth has made the rich richer and the poor poorer. This hence has made the poor group to look at economic growth as an enemy. This is mainly because the poor have not been given a chance to enjoy the changes that come with economic growth. For instance, most of the poor people are not computer literates hence when employment opportunities come up, the first requirement is computer literacy which completely excludes them from the race even when one had the potential of doing that job. These computer courses are mainly provided in the schools of the rich (International Chamber of Commerce, Business charter for sustainable Development, 1990). Economic growth has been accompanied by a lot of bureaucracy. The rich people have taken the top levels and the poor people the low levels. It becomes very difficult for the one at the bottom to reach the one at the top. Before one reaches to the top from the bottom he or she must have used a lot of time, some little finances so as to get favours fro above. Those favours mainly may not be there because the ones at the top always are interested in doing things that favour and benefit them especially when it comes to finances thus rendering the poor back to or get stuck in poor living standards (World commission for Environment and development, 1987). When it comes to distribution of resources, it is clearly seen that some regions in countries are not considered or given priorities. This then instead of improving their standards of living through economic growth, they continue to deteriorate. A good example is usually when the politicians especially the presidents in the third world countries who give priorities to their regions of origin neglecting the other regions. This is even worse when a certain region has got no representative in the government hence making them curse the economic growth (World Economic Forum). In summary, I have discussed that economic growth is for raising the living standards to a larger extent in that †¢ It helps improve the capacity of manpower thus encouraging participation to improve the living standards Because everyone wants to olive in a good standard population will be controlled and hence more savings for more economic growth. †¢ Education is seen as an important factor leading to both economic growth and standard of living though in the long run †¢ Employment opportunities which leads to earnings and savings hence considering both the economic growth and living standards as valuable †¢ Economic growth being vats tha t is accommodating both the rich and the poor through machinery. An example is if one cannot afford a television then he r she can buy a radio which he or she can afford to listen to hence seen as improved his or her standards of living. †¢ it has too much bureaucracy making low level people not reach the top people †¢ Top people are seen as selfish and just for issues that benefit them especially finances. †¢ Poor people not given a chance to enjoy changes that come with economic growth for example computer literacy which is mainly taught in schools for the rich. In conclusion, economic growth is important to our living standards but can be disastrous especially when others are deprived of it. This ends up creating gaps between people hence leading to other social problems. There is a low level of economic growth rate. Economists’ researchers have maintained that in order for economy to realize good standard of living 10% increase in her economy is necessary, she must invest 10 % of her national income. Reduce consumption, increase investments or savings at same time reduce the family size children or they end up in vicious cycle of poverty. There is a lot of pressure in terms of provision of social services in un developed world. This leads to difficulty in distributing resources equally. It is also costly because of the large numbers thus social service provision becomes inadequate. It is seen to be affecting the nature of social services for example leading to poor housing and low quality of education.

Alvaro Siza Architecture Style

Alvaro Siza Architecture Style In this essay, I will be looking thoroughly into Alvaro Sizas projects, who became a well know Modernist architect during the 20th century in Europe. I will be discussing the range of influences that Alvaro Siza had studied and how they had influenced his projects. I will also complement this with a reflection on how Alvaro Sizas work engages with the surrounding. Alvaro Siza, was a Portuguese born architect, who is considered one of Portugals greatest modernist architects. His works are internationally known for their clarity and simplism, as Oriol Bohigas stated, Sizas work is always based on unity of space and volume an absolute coherence of function and form. Alvaro Siza is known for his wide range of influences of Modernist architecture, during Alvaro Sizas studies, he travelled around the world to study the Modern Architecture of the early generation which include Le Corbusier who at the time was one of the most successful Modernist architects, Alvar Alto, Adolf Loos and the Brazilians were also major influences. Alvaro Siza thoroughly studied the wide range of materials that the architects had used and studied the various forms and structures which later influenced his own projects. Although Siza has no particular style, his works are visually beautiful. His designs are all very different, as they all come from the site they are situate d in which ensures a very distinctive style each time. In many of Alvaro Siza projects, you can see the connection between Siza and Alvar Aalto which was also a successful Finnish Modernist architect. Alvar Aalto and Alvaro Siza both link their projects with the nature and in some sought, harmonize the landscape. They both look for a balanced connection between mans interventions with the existing nature which is what dominates in their design processes and works. Their design processes begin by examining the site which formulate their ideas. Boa Nova Teahouse (Figure 1 2), is one of Sizas earliest projects which was constructed in 1964, sits on the edge of a rocky environment looking out into the Atlantic Sea. The tea house was influenced by Alvar Aaltos project, with its organic form and the strong relationship with the topography of the surroundings. Free and natural way it becomes part of the landscape (Siza, 1964) The Teahouse was widely influenced by Aaltos Villa Mairea (Figure 3) which was constructed in 1940, who also focused on the topography of the nearby forest to determine the design. Siza took major influence from the range of materials that Alvar Aalto used to construct the Villa, concrete that was later painted white is seen in both projects as well as the use of wood in the exterior. When studying both of the projects, you can see the major commonalities throughout the projects and the colours are also very similar. Adolf Loos was also a major influence on Alvaro Siza, Adolf Loos was an Austrian and Czech architect who was widely known in Europe for his many Modern design theories. Most of his projects consist of plain white cube shaped massing houses, with plain white faà §ade with rich materials. Although the exterior is very plain, Loos ensures the interior is the complete opposite and creates elegant marble interiors which is also referenced in Sizas works. One of the projects where it is evident that Siza had taken much influence from Adolf Loos work was the large-scale project, Malagueira housing (Figure 4) which was constructed from 1977-1997 on the outskirts of Evora near Lisbon. The Malaguiera housing are white cube shaped which develop the geometry and repetition of the housing but still obtains a wide range of architectural diversity. They are completely plain and lack decoration of any sort. These characteristics are very common in Adolf Loos Moissi House (Figure 5), constructed in 1922, with the form being a plain white cube shaped house with a very balanced arrangement of the windows and no decorations throughout the building. Another building where there is clear influence of Adolf Loos in Sizas projects, is the Avelino Duarte House, situated in Ovar and completed in 1985. The Duarte House is again, a white cube shaped building, with equally proportioned windows and no other decoration, it is a very simplistic design for the exterior, however the interior is very elegant,  containing marble walls and surfaces. This project was particularly influenced bt Adolf Loos Steiner House, which is also a white exterior with marble interior. Alvaro Siza seeked reference from Le Corbusier who is a Modernist architect of French and Swiss descent who at the time of Sizas studies, was one of the most well-known and successful, early Modernist architect in Europe. Le Corbusier is a rationalist, which means he looks for naturalness through formulating a design theory which leads him to his final ideas. painting, architecture, sculpture are a unique phenomena of plastic nature in the service of poetic research (Corbusier, 1953) Although Siza and Le Corbusier produced their projects in complete different design processes, Siza managed to study Le Corbusiers projects and contextualise them in his own designs. Le Corbusier works mainly with elemental geometric forms and chiefly constructed his buildings using steel and reinforced concrete. In Alvaro Sizas project which is called Iberà ª Camargo (Figure 6 7) situated in Porto Alegre, Brazil and constructed in 2000 is an obvious comparison to Le Corbusier. The building was designe d using geometric triangular shapes and constructed with reinforced white concrete which can be seen on the exterior faà §ade. The Ibere Camargo Gallery is similar to Le Corbusiers Gymnasium in Baghdad (Figure 8) which has a very rich expressiveness of reinforced concrete and geometric shapes seen throughout the entire building. Siza has a very interesting way of designing his projects which ensures he never fails to attract the attention of visitors. The starting point for his design process is found in the site that the project is situated in but this is faced with an a priori theory, the project is emphasised either through thorough examination of the nature surrounding the site, seeking a similar proportion and simplicity of the nature, or it is found in the man-made work that is already in the surrounding. Alvaro Sizas designs complement and enhance the surrounding by the simplicity of the designs, which also contrast with the nature by otherness which is also complemented sometimes in the form of the design through the use of geometric shapes in the plans. Although Siza tries to soften this alterity and contrast between man-made and nature, by adding in plants and trees that grow across the buildings. Overall, Alvaro Siza has a unique and fascinating way of designing architecture. His wide knowledge of Modernist architects made an enormous impact on his designs which could be seen in many projects stated above. His interaction with nature makes his architecture influential and have a clarity to them. References: Castanheira, C (2014). à lvaro Siza; The Function of Beauty. London: Phaidon Press. p150-280. Frampton, K (2000). Alvaro Siza: Complete Works. 3rd ed. London: Phaidon Press. p50-570. Jodido, P (2014). Siza: Complete Works 1952-2013. London: Taschen. p130-340. Sampaio, C. (2015). Alvar Aalto and à lvaro Siza. The Link between Architecture and Nature in the Construction of Place. 1 (3), 14. Siza, A (2007). ÃÆ'lvaro Siza. Japan: TOTO Shuppan. p230-270.

Romanticism in Scarlet Letter, Ministers Black Veil, and Young Goodma

American Romanticism in The Scarlet Letter, The Minister's Black Veil, and Young Goodman Brown      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Nathaniel Hawthorne took elements of the European romanticism and reshaped them into a new literary form that is called American Romanticism. "The American Romanticists created a form that, at first glance, seems ancient and traditional; they borrowed from classical romance, adapted pastoral themes and incorporated Gothic elements" (Reuben 22). Some of the definable elements of romanticism combined with the Gothic including the crossing of some boundary or a taboo broken (Crow 1), the emotional response of pleasure and pain that the reader experiences and the mixing of good and evil to form a flawed hero. "Hawthorne developed a literature of shadows and moonlight" to questions what is real and made-up (Crow, 106). Examining Hawthorne’s writings in the works of The Scarlet Letter, "The Minister's Black Veil," and "Young Goodman Brown" exemplifies American Romanticism at its best.    Hawthorne used extensive study and his own innate knowledge from his own family history to examine the New England Puritan to give the reader an accurate picture of seventeenth century life. In the introduction to The Scarlet Letter Hawthorne describes his ancestor as "a soldier, legislator, judge; he was a ruler in the Church; he had all the Puritanical traits, both good and evil. He was likewise a bitter persecutor ·" (Scarlet Letter 89). The women waiting for Hester to emerge from prison pronounce the sentence of the "A" not harsh enough. " ·they should have put the brand of a hot iron on Hester Prynneà ¢s forehead" (Scarlet Letter 114). The people used their severe beliefs to ward off any workings of the devil among there midst through t... ...Heath Anthology of American Literature. Ed. Paul Lauter. New York: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1998. 2207-2216. ---The Scarlet Letter. The Complete Novels and Selected Tales of Nathaniel Hawthorne. Ed. Norman Holmes Pearson. New York: Random House, 1937. 81-240. Melville, Herman. "Hawthorne and His Mosses." Literary World. 17 and 24 Aug. 1850. Pearson, Norman Holmes. Introduction. The Complete Novels and Selected Tales of Nathaniel Hawthorne. By Pearson. New York: Random House, 1937. vii-xv. Poe, Edgar Allan. "Tale-Writing." Rev. of Twice-Told Tales and Mosses From An Old Manse. Godeyà ¢s Ladyà ¢s Book. Nov. 1847: 252-256. Reuben, Paul P. "Chapter 3: Early Nineteenth Century: Romanticism à ¶ An Introduction" PAL: Perspectives in American Literature- A Research and Reference Guide. 1-38. http://www.csustan.edu/english/reuben/pal/chap3/hawthorne   

Creative Writing †Big Me Essay

In the world of fantasy, the child chooses the roles he wants to play. In the world of fantasy, the child finally finds his essence and feels that he is valued by others. In Dan Chaon’s â€Å"Big Me†, showing and telling serves the instrument of the child’s imagination, and the means of escaping his real-world loneliness. Dan Chaon creates an unbelievable image of the child who tries to define his role and meaning in the world, through the prism of thirty-two-year-old Andy O’Day who tells the story of his childhood. â€Å"I never felt like danger. I was convinced of my own powers of stealth and invisibility. [†¦] He couldn’t see me unless I chose to be seen† (Chaon, 2002). In Chaon’s story showing and telling, observation and imagination provide a young boy with unlimited power – the power that he cannot use in real world, and the power he needs to compensate for the constantly increasing sense of loneliness. He is going through a difficult period when his parents are drinking and quarreling; his brother attempts a suicide; under the increasing social pressure, the child can no longer remain realistic, and to some extent his showing and telling becomes the key to moral, mental, and spiritual salvation. To be a Detective for Andy means to save the imagined two million city of crime, and to have an opportunity to penetrate into other houses for investigation: â€Å"I had been going to his house frequently by that time. I had a notebook, into which I had pasted the Santa photo, and a sample of his handwriting, and a bit of hair from his comb. [†¦] There were letters: â€Å"I am tired, unbelievably tired, of going around in circles with you. [†¦] I had copied this down in my detective’s notebook† (Chaon, 2002). Andy imagines himself a Detective; he investigates the way other people live; he writes everything down into his small notebook – this is how his showing and telling works. The need to control other people’s lives does not leave him as he reaches the thirty second year of his life. His showing and telling turns into the second life, which he secretly leads as a reminiscence of his early years when he could sense the smell of the unlimited power of a Detective in a two million city. References Chaon, D. (2002). Big me. In D. Chaon, Among the Missing, Ballantine Books.

Hawaiian weddings Essay

For many the nuclear family has always been viewed as the proper way to bring up children and to live life. However, the subject of families is much deeper than many think. But is the family beneficial to society? Different groups have different views on how beneficial the family is to society. Functionalists, who traditionally dominated the sociology of the family, feel that the family is necessary for the running and continuation of an integrated society. It is ssumed by functionalists that if there is the existence of a social institution, then it must have a purpose or a function. Functionalists therefore see the family as beneficial for society. beneficial for society. Families are crucially important to society without doubt. Most British people are born into families and then raised by a family. Most of these very same people grow up to form families of their own and take the responsibility of being a parent. Many people see the family as the normal way of life and watch television programs which revolve around family life. For many the nuclear family has always been viewed as the proper way to bring up children and to live life. However, the subject of families is much deeper than many think. But is the family beneficial to society? assumed by tunctionalists tn t it there is the existence ot a social institution, then it British people are born into tamilies and then raised by a tamily. Most ot these very