High-tech crime (computer crime) Essay

High-tech crime (computer crime) is the use of technology to commit a crime. It is the biggest tech related threat to the society. According to the 2011 Norton Cybercrime Report, in 2010 more than 430 million adults were victimized at a cost of US$388-billion in direct and indirect losses from computer crime world wide. The direct financial losses from cybercrime stood at US$114 billion, while US$274 billion was the value of time that victims spent in solving the crimes [1]. High-tech crimes include identity theft, cyber-stalking, hacking confidential systems, pyramid schemes, planting harmful viruses, and many others. Identity theft is a form of fraud in which someone pretends to be someone else by assuming that person’s identity. There are five types of identity theft criminal, financial, medical, child, and identity cloning. Criminal identity theft is when a criminal identifies himself as another person when the police arrest him. Not only does the criminal escape, but also he victim may encounter problems for months and even years because of the incorrect criminal records. Financial identity theft is using another person’s identity credit, goods, and services. Medical Identity theft is using a person’s name or insurance information to get medical services/goods or just to make false claims. Child identity theft on the other hand is using a child’s Security Number for personal gains. Identity cloning on the other hand is to assume the identity of another person for daily life. Cyber-bullying is the use of modern technology (mostly the internet) to harm people on purpose. New bullying statistics revealed that around half of teens with Internet access have been the victims of cyber bullying [2]. Cyber-bullying can lead to depression and even suicide. Unlike physical bullying, cyber-bullies can remain anonymous and the bullying can continue all day every day. Many think cyber-bullying only happens to children, but it also happens to adults, which is known as cyber-stalking. Cyber-stalking includes making threats, gathering information about the victim, encouraging others to harass, false accusations, requesting minors for sex, false victimization, and ordering good/services in the victim’s name. Hacking is when a person accesses a computer or a network without the owner’s consent. The most common hacker targets are government agencies, business networks, bank security systems, insurance providers, and hospital networks. Some hack personal/organization computers to plant harmful viruses that can destroy entire systems. While some hack private computers to obtain personal information such as pictures and credit card number. Others hack bank security systems to illegally obtain money (also known as defrauding). Other reasons for hacking are creating public attention for oneself, illegal subscription, and altering or obtaining classified information. And even though security systems are being improved, so is hacking. Other major high tech-crimes include drug trafficking, cyber terrorism, and cyber warfare. Drug dealers are taking advantage of the Internet and other technologies to sell illegal drugs. And the lack of face-to-face communication causes an increase of Internet drug trade. Cyber terrorism is the act of terrorism through the use of cyberspace. Cyber warfare, which is considered one of the most controversial and threatening high-tech crimes, is the act of sabotage and espionage through politically motivated hacking. These examples and many more are the reason why high-tech crime is the biggest threat to society when it comes to technology. Sources: 1. 1. http://business.financialpost.com/2011/09/07/cyber-crime-cost-canadians-5-5-billion-in-2010-study-finds/ 1. 2. http://www.bullyingstatistics.org/content/cyber-bullying-statistics.html

Fate vs. Free Will

Although the gods know what one's life will be before he lives it, man still has the freewill to live as he wills†. Fate is an event or action which Is destined to happen in a particular way whereas freewill is the ability to act In a manner which is not influenced by predestination. I believe that these two philosophical concepts Influence the outcome of one another. The basic Interpretation of this adage means that the gods know what our lives are going to be Like from the first moment of birth o our last moment of death, and this ideology refers to fate.During the duration between these two important points, man has the ability to go about and choose to do whatever he may desire, and this ideology refers to freewill. The gods know what choices you are going to make as well as its result. Personally I am able to relate on how fate and freewill influence the outcome of each other. In my religion, it is believed that life in an ongoing cycle and that the person who you are in o ne life will affect the person who you will be in your next life.Likewise a few medical problems, such as high cholesterol and diabetes, run In my family. The elders try their best to encourage each other to remain aware about the health conditions. Recently I have had two deaths In my family relevant to health- related problems. My uncle died to the fatal effects of diabetes and my great- grandmother died due to a weight-related Illness. Before these two very Important and influential people even thought about the poor choices they were intending to make, the gods already knew what the outcome would be.Carols Irwin Settees, also known as by his stage-name Charlie Sheen, was born into a family of renowned actor and actresses and it was assumed, or likewise â€Å"destined†, for him to follow in his family footsteps. However, the outcome of his life did not turn out to be what was expected. This happened when he came across two paths; the path of righteousness and the path of w rongdoing. Unfortunately, Charlie Sheen took the wrong path which led to the physical and emotional destruction of his life and career.This path included alcohol and drug abuse and marital problems, as well as allegations of committing domestic violence. This led to his ejection from the hit television series Two and a Half Men. This scenario portrays how Charlie Sheen was able to go about himself and take whichever actions he desired to do, but the gods already knew what the outcome of his life would be. Fate vs†¦ Free Will By divvy_ran freewill to live as he wills†. Fate is an event or action which is destined to happen in a reticular way whereas freewill is the ability to act in a manner which is not influence the outcome of one another.The basic interpretation of this adage means that the gods know what our lives are going to be like from the first moment of birth Likewise a few medical problems, such as high cholesterol and diabetes, run in my health conditions. Rece ntly I have had two deaths in my family relevant to health- grandmother died due to a weight-related illness. Before these two very important hit television series Two and a Half Men. This scenario portrays how Charlie Sheen

Write about live performance of Alicia Keys & Jay-Z - Empire State of Movie Review

Write about live performance of Alicia Keys & Jay-Z - Empire State of Mind - Movie Review Example She engages the crowd by asking their readiness to enjoy the song, a true and a clear sign of quality music. When Jay Z comes in emotions run high which cause an audio adrenaline overload. He comes in a hood a common fashion among followers and people who like the song. It is an orchestral rap Ballard having a tonal piano loop played at first with Alicia keys, who does not only profanity the crowd during the live performance, but also brings out enthusiasm depicted by the crowd. The song has a style of pop rap musical style represented by electropop and orchestral pop. A long range of 84-tempo beat per minute evidences this. The song contains a sample 1970 Billboard R &B chart single which had a title of love on a two way street composed by the moments. The piano component of the song makes the song, more appealing, as it runs through the whole song. The song a sequence of F#-C#/B-B-F of progression. The crashing piano chords of the song are a new Sinatra, which proclaims the essence of new York. N words are present through the song whereby a hip-hop legend prevails upon the entry of Jay Z in the stage. The first line for instance, â€Å"Year, Imma up at Brooklin† is a commemorating Deniro and local dialect stanza, which transforms English words into crowd soothing and moving words. The music is a result of inspiration in Alicia keys about New York. This gets depicted in the original video, which opens, by a slide show of New York City. The slide show is in black and white forms, which is then cut by an opening stanza by Alicia keys before welcoming Jay Z. to make the song rock the crowds and funs, Jay Z and Alicia keys dress in the young generation outfits. During the live performance, various lyrics are used, which contain profanity to capture the attention of funs. In addition, it is a song, which adds dichotomy, in an aggressive way that leaves the crowd, in anxiety and need for more. In conclusion, the song,

American Military English Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

American Military English - Assignment Example 1. Students will view the animated graphics. 2. He will ask the participants to identify the different symbols. 2. Participants will give the name of the different symbols. 3. Participants will give the meaning of each alphabet which was presented in the computer monitor. 3. Students will boot the computer and open the HyperStudio presentations. 4. He will ask the participants to give the meaning based on military operations settings 4. Let them give the meaning. 5. The teacher will ask the participants to give the proper sound of each alphabet with assigned meaning. 5. Participants will pronounce the words presented on the monitor. 6. He will allow the participants to view the movie for familiarizations of sounds (Pronunciation). 6. The participants will view and listen to the movie. 7. The teacher will ask the participants to view the new animation and read the alphabet symbols with the assigned word. 7. The participants view the animations and read the alphabet symbols with the assigned word. 8. The teacher will ask the participants to spell out the symbols of the English alphabet with word meaning. 8. Participants will enumerate the symbols of the English alphabet with word meaning. 9. The teacher will ask the participants if they usually encountered the word meaning in every operation. 9. Participants will explain their previous experience with alphabet symbols with the assigned word. 10. The teacher will ask the participants to try out different animation and graphics 10. Let them do another designed animations. VII. Evaluation: A. Give at least five different symbols of the English alphabet with word meaning you encountered in the discussions. 1. _______________________ 4. _______________________ 2....This can further be enhanced with the use of HyperStudio which is a multimedia software program system using McIntosh computers. The delivery of the lesson requires having a copy of HyperStudio and tutorial running simultaneously on a preferable McIntosh computer system. This will allow receipt of help from McIntosh when assistance is necessary.1 The "Table of Contents," located at the left of this page, allow you to skip those parts of the program that you already feel comfortable with. If you already understand how to insert text into a Word document you do not need to waste your time reading how to do it again here. For those of you that would like to take this tutorial step by step, there is a "Next" button at the end of every page that will take you to the next page in the tutorial. Good luck, have fun, and most of all, do not be afraid to explore HyperStudio. We have covered most of the basics for creating effective hyperlinked presentations, but we do not have space to cover all of the wonderful tools thatHyperStudio comes with. Try new buttons and shortcuts to see what happens. A new stack in HyperStudio is akin to a stack of index cards. Your presentation will be a "stack" of these index cards placed one on top of the next. A stack is the entire presentation, made up of those cards. The first step in getting HyperStudio rea

Trokosi as a Form of Modern-day Slavery Term Paper

Trokosi as a Form of Modern-day Slavery - Term Paper Example The term â€Å"trokosi† was derived from the local Ewe dialect in Ghana and Togo, meaning â€Å"wives of the gods" (Kankpeyeng, 2009). The virgin girls are regarded as wives of the symbolic god who is feared, respected and honored at various traditional places of worship. Trokosi and voodoo are similar in the sense that both bank on some magic to woo and retain the followers. From the 16th century, the Ewe is believed to have been expelled from the Niger River delta towards the west. During this tumultuous era their gods of war assumed great title and significance, projecting fetish priests above the chiefs in terms of influence. They continue to be the most feared, respected and influential individuals in the better part of the rural West Africa. Practically, the priests use fetish slaves as concubines in the perceived holy places. The slaves must respect his command and be ready to make sacrifices, sometimes in pain (Alford, 2005). If they object, they are punished in the fields to produce valuable goods for sale by the priests. Sometimes they are ordered to serve the priests sexually for free. In addition, the victims do not stand a chance to receive any mercy and are cut off from the rest of the population. Trokosi is a general term used in reference to both the religious practices or the organization and the victims of the traditional form of occultism. According to Bales, Trodd and Williamson (2011) the fact that the occult movement is premised upon mystery is itself a shared attribute with Trokosi. Joining Trokosi is non-negotiable to the potential victims and their respective families. In addition, settling the dues of a Trokosi is a unilateral decision of a priest or the entirety of the shrine of the African traditional religious movement through a process referred to as "atoning." As Alford (2005) said, the fact that the religion is keen on appeasing the spirits of a male ancestor, a kin or a relative is similar to occultism since both are

Enterprise Networking and Security Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Enterprise Networking and Security - Assignment Example 1 Introduction It has been concluded by some experts that the year 2012 is considered to be the worst year in terms of computer network security breaches (Schirick 2012). Likewise, the year that has not even passed the half year mark, some of the foremost companies were sufferers of network security breaches resulting in massive losses (Schirick 2012). However, the news buzz only highlights Sony and Citibank to be victims of network security breaches, as these companies are popular among the public. The other sides of the picture highlights organizations of all sizes are affected by the consequences of network security breaches. Likewise, it can be concluded that network security risks are continuously evolving, modifying and growing at a rapid pace. Organizations normally install a firewall and even intrusion detection systems that triggers alerts of any suspicious activity, as these two components only covers the technical domain and not the human and physical domain. The current n etwork scenario is utilizing a Virtual Private Connection that is connecting one or more sites. However, the VPN connection is also entitled to allow internet traffic on the same dedicated line from the Internet Service Provider. Moreover, the current network only utilizes a single firewall that is located at the main campus of the university. It concludes that the rest of the two remote sites are only protected via a simple Network address translation function that is incorporated in a DSL modem. Moreover, there are no advanced security appliances such as Intrusion detection systems for analyzing and monitoring any suspicious activity that may possibly become a threat to the University’s computer network. Moreover, there is no patch management for updating security patches in the workstations connected to the network. There are no indications of hardening servers for instance, email server, application server, centralized server and database server must be hardened and needs physical protection as well. 2 Security Vulnerabilities The current network security vulnerabilities will be accessed in three categories i.e. logical security, internal security and external security. As far as logical security is concerned, we can see that the fig 1.1 demonstrates a firewall, Microsoft Internet Security and Acceleration (ISA) server and a domain controller with Microsoft Active Directory. The three categories for network vulnerabilities are categorized as below: 2.1 Logical Vulnerabilities The current logical controls for protecting information assets within the network are active Microsoft Active directory, ISA server and a Firewall. The Microsoft active directory is not primarily a security control, as it does not mitigate any risks associated with viruses, worms, Trojans, phishing, spam, denial of service attacks etc. however, it provides a secure administration of user profiles and File sharing features. File sharing threats are spreading on a rapid pace, as every now and then, new file sharing technologies are getting being developed and in demand. Controls will not only provide value from all network based services, but will also augment productivity for the organization in terms of revenue, customer loyalty and competitive advantage. Workgroup based environment is not centralized. For instance,

Wealth and Inequality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Wealth and Inequality - Essay Example Racial, ethnic, religious and professional rivalries and jealousies have augmented class discrimination, and haves and haves-not observe enormous gulf between them. Hence, taking apposite measures immediately for the eradication of continuously increasing socioeconomic abyss appears to be the need of the hour, which could be performed by including the suppressed and oppressed stratum of society in nation-building programs, so that the society could be protected from becoming the prey to the severe anguish, hatred and bloodshed among the citizens for the future years to come. Before the French revolution, ninety-nine percent of the French population died of hunger and starvation, while remaining one expired due to over digestion. (Mahajan, 2002: 21) Thus, the authorities should move swiftly in order to introduce and implement socioeconomic schemes for the uplift of the poor and down-trodden masses in order to avoid the revolution the world has already observed in the form of French Re volution 1789, Iranian Revolution of 1979, and several other rebellions and revolts. The Paper Wealth serves as one of the most significant social phenomena, which helps the people get involved into the odds and ends of life by purchasing the commodities of their needs and choice, as well as by selling different commodities or offering their services against the wealth in order to keep the wolf from the door on the one hand, and for leading a comfortable and respectable life in society on the other. Since every human is directly or indirectly connected with financial activities, and strives in pursuit of earning more and more money and pecuniary gains, wealth has always been of vital importance in everyday individual and collective life. All that is because of the very reality that wealth decides and determines the status and position of individuals in a social hierarchy; it is therefore people seek professional education and learn technical skills, on the basis of which they work f rom dawn to dusk in various occupations in order to make both ends meet. However, they do not obtain the same amount of wealth according to the proportion of the efforts they make. Wealth is distributed less equally than labor income, total money income or consumption expenditure. While Gina coefficients in developed countries typically range between about 0.3 and 0.4 for income, they vary from about 0.5 to 0.9 for wealth. (Davies & Shamrocks, 1998) Thus, distribution of wealth, resources and opportunities has always been unjust, unequal and unfair since the known history of the social establishment. Inequality of wealth and opportunities is not confined to developing countries only. On the contrary, the developed western states are also undergoing the same problem within their social establishment. Both income inequality and the poverty headcount have risen over the past two decades. The increase is fairly widespread, affecting two-thirds of all countries. Income inequality has ris en significantly since 2000 in Canada, Germany, Norway, the United States, Italy, and Finland, and declined in the United Kingdom, Mexico, Greece and Australia. (OECD, 2008) Taking the example of the US society, it becomes crystal clear that on the one side, the wealthiest business tycoons and entrepreneurs like Bill Gates, Sergey Brin, Larry Page, Sheldon Adelson and others are leading the affluent and luxurious life, and on the other side, one sixth of the total population is living under the UN determined poverty line. Not only this that all social classes have their valuable

Teaching Ethics State-level Employees Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Teaching Ethics State-level Employees - Essay Example A tremendous interest in regards to research is identifying borderline children in elementary schools. Many children in the public school system are clearly performing below the state standard but do not qualify for special education. As a result, they persistently fail classes but are moved to the next level. It would be ideal if there existed a program that could be developed to help the borderline children pass. Whether this is something that would result in dividing the class into sections is something that should be researched, because it is a viable alternative which would allow the child to maintain the curriculum with a better chance of success. Funding, however, is always an issue and of course, the state is reticent to expend resources on research when children are passing state standards. There does not appear to be any legislation within the state of California as applied to research. On July 12, 1974, the National Research Act (Pub. L. 93-348) was signed into law, thereby creating the National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research. One of the charges to the Commission was to identify the basic ethical principles that should underlie the conduct of biomedical and behavioral research involving human subjects and to develop guidelines which should be followed to assure that such research is conducted in accordance with those principles. In carrying out the above, the Commission was directed to consider: (i) the boundaries between biomedical and behavioral research and the accepted and routine practice of medicine, (ii) the role of assessment of risk-benefit criteria in the determination of the appropriateness of research involving human subjects.

Analysis of J.M Barrie's novel Peter Pan Research Paper

Analysis of J.M Barrie's novel Peter Pan - Research Paper Example Peter-Pan to all of us represents a boy who simply refuses to grow-up thereby causing him to face dire consequences. In fact, there is a little â€Å"Peter-Pan â€Å"inside of adults which can easily relate to the challenges faced by the protagonist. It is for this reason that the story itself can be analyzed using a psychological approach in relation with â€Å"Peter Pan Syndrome†. Although this syndrome is not yet recognized as a personality disorder or a psychological problem, a professor of of the Department of Personality, Evaluation and Psychological Treatment of the University of Granada and an expert in emotional disorders- Humbelina Robles Ortega argues that there is a probability that parents who are overprotective of their children can produce this syndrome in their children ( ScienceDaily, 2007). Ortega characterized the disorder by: â€Å" inability of individuals to take on responsibilities, to commit themselves or to keep promises, excessive care about the way they look and personal well-being and their lack of self-confidence, even though they don’t seem to show it and actually come across as exactly the opposite† ( Science Daily, 2007). It can be inferred then from the given symptoms that person who has these characteristics are immature since they haven’t developed the emotional stability to discipline themselves. In view of this, the paper analyzes the elements of the famous fairytale by J.M. Barrie which uses conflicting concepts such as aging and youthfulness, enchantment and reality, as well as the eternal struggle between good and evil to present the theme of immaturity. In the story Peter Pan, Peter is granted eternal youth as he resides in Neverland. He is given this ability by â€Å"forgetting his adventures and what he learns about the real world†. Peter may not be able to age physically while living in Neverland but the time of his existence still lingers on. He still has yet to lose his baby

Parenting Styles and Developmental Outcomes Research Paper

Parenting Styles and Developmental Outcomes - Research Paper Example This style manifests in the form of substantial parental control coupled with high level of child supervision. Children raised within an authoritarian environment should be obedient and respectful towards parental authority. This means that children are left with limited freedom (Barton & Michael, 2012). Behavioral conduct and general activities of children under this style should incline closely to rules and guidelines stipulated by parents. Usually, violation of those rules attracts punishment. In this regard, authoritarian style has low responsiveness but high demand on children. Authoritative Style Authoritative parenting operates with pre-established rules and guidelines. This means that parents practicing this style have high demands on behavioral patterns of their children. However, the high demand is offset by high level of responsiveness. Unlike authoritarian with low responsiveness, authoritative parents foster a democratic environment where children can question guidelines set by their parents. Parents adopting this style have a high propensity of forgiveness as opposed to punishment (Barton & Michael, 2012). Therefore, authoritative style has high responsiveness and high demand on children. Permissive Style Permissive parents set minimal rules for their children. This style has few demands on children, and tends to be more relaxed compared to the previous two styles.

Marketing Research Report Essay Example for Free

Marketing Research Report Essay Irresponsible human behaviours are impacting the environment. Therefore, environmental concern groups and also the governments around the world are trying to do something hoping to change people’s attitude towards environmentally friendly issues. This report aims at predicting the factors that motivate consumers to engage in environmentally friendly purchase behaviours. Convenience sampling of non-probability techniques was used to collect data. The data collected was then analysed by regression analysis, t-test and ANOVA. It was found out that political and technological factors have a positive relationship with environmental concern while success or anthropocentric have a negative relationship with environmental concern. Furthermore, environmental concern has a positive relationship with direct and indirect environmentally friendly behaviour and willingness to pay for environmentally friendly purchase behaviour. However, the relationships were not strong. Therefore, it is recommended that a further, more in-depth research should be conducted to find out the substantial factors that affect consumers’ environmentally friendly purchase behaviour. 1. Introduction and Background 1.1 Importance of the research In recent years, there were one after another blockbusting environmental related movie, for instances, The Day After Tomorrow in 2004, An Inconvenient Truth in 2006 and 2012 in 2009. These popular movies have undoubtedly increase people’s awareness towards climate change issues. According to World Wide Fund for Nature (2010), the average temperatures on earth have warmed by about 0.76 degree Celsius over the past 2 centuries (WWF, 2010). The increases in temperature make huge changes for the world’s climate even thought the temperature rise seems insignificantly small. Researches after researches show that this environmental problem is primarily caused by irresponsible human activities like private consumption. As a result, it is necessary for us to educate and raise the awareness of the publics so that environmental problems will not be worsening. This  quantitative research is based on the collective findings of the qualitative exploratory research conducted earlier to investigate whether or not consumers engage in environmental consideration when making consumption decisions more thoroughly. 1.2 Scope The scope of the report is to find out the factors that may affect consumers’ environmentally friendly behaviour through the qualitative research, so that marketers may make meaningful decisions based on the data collected. This research will also provide recommendations to green organisations and the federal government on how to address the environmentally unfriendly purchase behaviour. 1.3 Research problem A research problem should feasible and clear. The research problem of this research is to predict motivations that may affect consumers’ environmentally friendly purchase behaviour. 1.4 Aims and Objectives The aim and objective of this research is to look for differences between samples and come up with a conclusion. This research also aims at testing two main groups of hypotheses. 1) Social beliefs, materialism will have a negative relationship with environmental concern * The social beliefs include technological belief, political belief, economy belief, anthropocentric belief and competition belief. * Materialism includes success, centrality and happiness. 2) Environmental concern has positive indirect behaviour, willingness to pay, direct behaviour 2. Methodology 2.1 Methodological considerations and assumptions This research, quantitative research, was based on the data gather from a qualitative exploratory research which was carried out previously. The purpose of qualitative exploratory research is to narrow and clarify the scope and nature of the research problem. Exploratory research helps researchers understand the research problem and then transform ambiguous problem into well-defined ones. From the quantitative research, two groups of variables, namely materialism and social values, were identified. This  quantitative research was conducted to find out which variables may have a stronger relationship with the dependent variables which are mentioned in section 1.4. 2.2 Sample considerations The target audiences of this research are any people live in Australia and are accountable for making purchase decisions. Respondents should understand English and be 18 years old or above. However, gender, marital status and educational level of respondents are not restricted in this research. 2.3 Data collection and framework, and analytical considerations Research was conducted through survey as a follow on from exploratory research conducted by face-to-face interview. This research was conducted by using a written questionnaire on a convenience sample. Convenience sampling, which is one of the non-probability techniques, â€Å"refers to sampling by obtaining the people or units that are most conveniently available† (Zikmund, Ward, Lowe Winzar, 2007). Convenience sampling is inexpensive and quick. 1022 surveys were collected, 449 male and 573 female respondents. Since this research was trying to find out relationships between factors rather than analysing changes in a same sample, cross-sectional analysis was used. 3. Ethical Considerations In a research, ethic is one of the very important items that could not be missed. Ethics in researches are important because it supports the objective of a research, such as knowledge, truth and avoidance of error (Rensnik, 2010). Rensnik (2010) continues that ethics in a research is important also because it involves public privacy. As a result, ethical consideration has to treat carefully in a research so that the research is ethical and considerable. There are six ethical principles that have to be considered in a research according to American Marketing Association (2010), and they are responsibility, fairness, respect, transparency and citizenship. In other words, researchers have to be responsible for the consequences of their marketing decision; they also have to judge a fair balance between consumers and sellers. Furthermore, researchers have to respect human rights of all respondents involving in the research process. Researchers also have to make every effort to communicate clearly with all respondents so to strive for a high transparency of the research. Last but not least,  contributing to the community such as providing good recommendations is also considered as ethical in a research. To address all the ethical considerations above, each respondent would be asked to sign an interview consent form (see Appendix A) before the start of the survey, indicating that the interviewees do not only understands the purpose and risk of this research, but also know where to go when they have any concerns or complaints regarding the conduct of the research.

Government Strategies to Control Inflation

Government Strategies to Control Inflation With reference to the UK, examine and discuss the methods open to a government to control the rate of inflation within an economy. Introduction Inflation refers to an increase in the price level of goods and services in a given economy. Since inflation is concerned with increases in the cost of living rather than increases in the cost of a particular good, it is measured using a price index which monitors the price of a weighted ‘basket’ of goods. In the UK, the main price indices are the Retail Price Index (RPI), the Retail Price Index excluding Mortgage Interest Payments (RPIX) and the Consumer Price Index (CPI). Responsibility for the control of inflation was handed from the Treasury to the Bank of England in 1997 at which time the RPIX was used to measure inflation and the inflation target was set at 2.5%. Since December 2003, the CPI has replaced the RPIX as the main inflation measure and the target has been set at 2%. Diagram 1 (below) depicts annual inflation rates in the UK from 1997 to 2007 as measured by both the RPIX and the CPI. This essay will first outline the main theories put forward to explain the causes of inflation and the methods that each theory suggests would control inflation. The next section considers inflation in the UK from 1997 to date, and then evaluates the measures employed by the Bank of England in order to try to control inflation in that period. Causes of inflation and methods of inflation control There are two main schools of thought on the causes of inflation. The Keynesian school posits that changes in the real supply of or demand for goods and services are the key causes of inflation. Thus in order to reduce inflation, an expansion in supply or a contraction in demand is necessary to reduce the price level. This can be achieved through fiscal or monetary policy or a combination of the two. Fiscal policy such as an increase in income tax rates, has the effect of reducing effective demand for goods and services and thus can be used to lower inflation. Furthermore, a reduction in sales taxes (VAT in the UK) can reduce inflation to the extent that that inflation is caused by an increase in consumer prices. Monetary policy, through an increase in interest rates, can reduce aggregate demand through discouraging borrowing, increasing saving and reducing the disposable income of homeowners as the cost of mortgage repayments increases. The monetarists, on the other hand, argue that inflation is caused primarily by changes in the supply of and demand for money. In this view, then, inflation can be reduced either by reducing the supply of, or increasing the demand for, money. Given that either the government or the central bank (as in the case of the UK where the Bank of England has had independence on monetary policy since 1997) sets the price of money (i.e. the interest rate), they are able to control the supply of and demand for money. This suggests that fiscal policy can be used to affect aggregate supply and aggregate demand while monetary policy can be used to affect aggregate demand (particular in an economy with a high level of mortgaged home-ownership) and the supply of and demand for money. Inflation in the UK and Bank of England control measures from 1997 to 2008 The diagram above shows UK inflation (as measured by RPIX and CPI) from 1997 to 2008 together with the inflation targets set for the Bank of England by the government. This shows that from 1997 to 2003, inflation was held within 0.5% of its target. In 2004, inflation as measured by its (then new) CPI target was on the low side but from 2005 to 2007, it was within a healthy 0.5% range of target. In recent months, however, inflation has been climbing and is predicted to go over 3% at some point before the end of 2008. In order to understand inflation and inflation control in the UK, it is necessary to understand some of the specificities of the UK economy. In the first place, the nature of the UK housing market (which is characterized by high loan-to-value ratios, relatively few long-term fixed rate mortgages, and ease of re-mortgaging) makes house prices particularly responsive to interest rates. Cameron (2005:3) explains that ‘a one percentage point rise in the short-term real interest rate would reduce house prices over a five year period by 2.6% in the UK, 1.8% in the US, and 1.3% in Germany.’ Furthermore, in the UK, house prices have a major impact on consumer spending. Cameron (2005:3) explains that house prices are more volatile in the UK than elsewhere in the developed world, and that the impact of house prices on consumer spending is also particularly heavy in the UK – according to the OECD, a 1% fall in UK housing wealth correlates with a 0.07% fall in consumer spendi ng. This can be seen as due to the high levels of home ownership and the high loan-to-value ratios of mortgages. This demonstrates that while monetary policy can be very effective in reducing aggregate demand via just a small increase in interest rates, the converse is also true – in other words, a small reduction in interest rates will have a significant effect on aggregate demand and so will lead to a significant increase in inflation. This last point is well illustrated by the current situation in the UK. The Bank of England is mandated to control inflation (as mentioned previously the target is 2% as measured by the CPI) but has control only over monetary policy and not over fiscal policy. Monetary policy impacts economic growth as well as inflation and therefore when the economy is slowing (as is currently the case) and potentially heading towards recession, interest rates may be used to stimulate growth even if this may also increase inflation to an unacceptable level (when it goes over 3% the governor of the Bank of England must write an explanatory letter to the Chancellor of the Exchequer). As the Economist (2008:38) explains, in January of this year, ‘consumer prices were 2.2% higher than a year ago—a bit above the governments 2.0% inflation target. The banks central forecast shows inflation heading up to 3% by the third quarter of this year.’ The Bank of England (2008) itself certainly blames the predicted escalation of inflation over the acceptable 3% level on the problem of balancing growth objectives with inflation targets given that monetary policy is the only tool at its disposal, claiming that the ‘combination of slow growth and above-target inflation poses substantial challenges for policy.’ Conclusion The Bank of England (2008) explains that ‘higher energy, food and import prices push inflation up sharply in the near term.’ This is echoed by analysis in the Economist (2008:38) which claims that increasing ‘home-energy bills, which have jumped by nearly 15% so far this year, will add almost half a percentage point to consumer-price inflation in February. Food-price inflation, which is currently 6.6%, is likely to rise further. Import prices will be pushed up by a weaker pound, whose 6% fall in the last three months was the biggest since sterlings ignominious exit from the European exchange-rate mechanism in 1992.’ In order to address this kind of inflation without stifling economic growth at a time when growth is already slowing, policies need to be directed at aggregate supply of goods and services. As was outlined above, monetary policies have an impact on the supply and demand for money and also on aggregate demand for goods and services. However, only fiscal policy impacts the aggregate supply of services. Thus in the context of low levels of growth and high levels of inflation, monetary policy (as controlled by the Bank of England) is not sufficient because if it focuses on controlling inflation it cannot also reverse the slowdown in economic growth, and if it focuses on economic growth, there is a danger that inflation will get out of control. Thus inflation controls should draw on a combination of fiscal and monetary policy. References Bank of England (2008) ‘Overview of the Inflation Report February 2008’ (downloaded from http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/publications/inflationreport/infrep.htm on 4 March 2008) Cameron, G. (2005) ‘The UK Housing Market: Economic Review’ (downloaded from http://hicks.nuff.ox.ac.uk/users/cameron/papers/ukhousingmarket.pdf on 4 March 2008) Economist (2008) ‘Economic woes: Fighting on two fronts: Britain’s central bank gets gloomier about growth and inflation’ in The Economist, February 16th-22nd 2008, p.38 OECD (2005) ‘Economic Survey of the United Kingdom, 2005 (downloaded from http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/18/34/35473312.pdf on 4 March 2008) Office for National Statistics (2008a) ‘RP07 RPI all items excluding Mortgage Interest Payments (RPIX) percentage change over 12 months (CDKQ)’ (downloaded from http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_economy/RPIX.pdf on 4 March 2008) Office for National Statistics (2008b) ‘CPI12 CPI all items percentage change over 12 months (D7G7)’ (downloaded from http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_economy/CPI.pdf on 4 March 2008)

The Great Expectations | The Bildungsroman Novel

The Great Expectations | The Bildungsroman Novel Charles Dickens bildungsroman, Great Expectations (..), cannot help but impress upon the reader an overwhelming sense of guilt which permeates the novel at various levels. As the plot unfolds, the characters develop, however the sense of guilt remains unchanging until the primary character completes his transformation. Intertwined as guilt is as a theme with the other themes of crime and punishment and the fallacy of human error, which for the central character Pip, translates into a form of self-imposed guilt, Dickens narrator recounts the journey of the youthful Pip from a focus on false values to self-awareness and moral fortitude. Evident from the onset of the novel, the character Pip implicitly finds himself involved in the act of criminal complicity as he steals in order to aid the convict, Magwitch, and this initial act creates in the young boy feelings of immense guilt: My state of mind regarding the pilfering from which I had been so unexpectedly exonerated, did not impel me to frank disclosure; But I loved Joe perhaps for no better reason in those early days than because the dear fellow let me love him and, as to him, my inner self was not so easily composed. It was much upon my mind (particularly when I first saw him looking about for his file) that I ought to tell Joe the whole truth. Yet I did not, and for the reason that I mistrusted that if I did, he would think me worse than I was. The fear of losing Joes confidence, and of thenceforth sitting in the chimney-corner at night staring drearily at my for ever lost companion and friend, tied up my tongue. (33; ch. 6) From the onset of the novel therefore, the young Pip becomes embroiled in a world of criminal behavior where his guilt torments him. Instead of dissipating with time, Pips sense of guilt appears to overwhelm his consciousness until it appears to become an integral part of his character. As Dickens develops this theme, he uses a great deal of the novels atmosphere and settings to achieve his objective. As a child the youthful Pips world is bounded by the long black marshes, the black beacon by which the sailors steered and a gibbet with some chains hanging to it, which had once held a pirate (6; ch1). On the water there are the hulks, the prison-ships, and on the shore, there looms the battery with the guns which warn of prisoners escapes. Pips immediate consciousness is, in effect, bound by the literal manifestations of the criminal world. The physical bondage created by Dickens use of this dark, foreboding imagery underscores for Dickens the influence of the prospect of criminality which chronicles the life-path of his principal character. Explicit bondage translates for Pip into an implicit bondage: legally, he is bound in trade to Joe, while emotionally he is bound to Joe by gratitude. As a direct result of his meeting with Estella, and the perpetuation of severa l false values in his mind, he no longer views the honourable blacksmiths profession as an admirable career. Rather, the forge becomes Pips figurative prison, binding him to a lifestyle which now dissatisfies him. His aspirations have changed, thus he feels held captive and this mental dilemma adds to his cerebral turmoil: He feels guilty because he aspires to a different path, and in effect signing his own death warrant, dooming himself to the scaffold as he binds himself in apprenticeship to Joe: Here, in a corner, my indentures were duly signed and attested, and I was bound; Mr. Pumblechook holding me all the while as if we had looked in on our way to the scaffold to have these little preliminaries disposed ofà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Finally, I remember that when I got into my little bedroom I was truly wretched, and had a strong conviction on me that I should never like Joes trade. I had liked it once, but once was not now. (85-86; ch 13) In addition to the physical setting with which Dickens surrounds his principal character, many of Dickens other characters in the novel who interact with the principal character, serve the purpose of the thematic perpetuation of guilt and criminality. An interpretation of the text by Foucault, as a Panopticon, suggests that Pips guilt and criminality may be viewed through the actions of Orlick and Bentley Drummle: Orlick strikes Mrs. Joe with the leg iron (which Pip is guilty of providing and thus, to an extent making the crime possible), while Bentley Drummle becomes the tool through which Pip achieves gratification for Estellas treatment of him. Both characters by extension are physical representations of Pips secret desires for revenge upon the people who have wronged him. As they enact these crimes they also foster Pips guilt (Tambling, Bloom, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦).

Why is Pilgrimage an Important aspect of the Hindu Religion ? :: essays papers

Why is Pilgrimage an Important aspect of the Hindu Religion ? The following essay addresses that of the Hindu pilgrimage as to why pilgrimage is an important aspect of Hindu religion? Firstly, the essay focusses on points which support pilgrimage as a fundamental and key aspect of the Hindu community. Secondly, a perspective denying pilgrimages have any significant role for Hindu and their religion is discussed. It does seem though, to me, that without the aspect of pilgrimage, the Hindu religion would still function quite noramally because although the pilgrimage sites give darsan, they do not seem to be able to assist people with their day to day problems, whereas holy men do. First though we need to know exactly what darsan means to Hindus. Darsan means seeing in Hindu religion and when people go to a temple, they say they do not go to worship but rather for darsan - they go to see the image of the deity. The pinacle act of Hindu worship, is to stand in the presence of the deity and to look upon the image with their eyes, so as to see and be seen by the deity. The deity is believed to actually be within the image, and beholding the deity image is a form of worship where through the eyes one gains blessings. A pilgrimage is a religious journey; people undertake pilgrimages so they can worship at special places which are connected to their religion. Journeying to holy places of pilgrimage are generally carried out as acts of faith and devotion in accummulating religious merit or to atone for sins. Pilgrimages are also regarded by Hindus as a religious duty from which darsan can be attained. There are thousands of pilgrimage sites - tirthas (sacred, fords or crossings) in India, where many places of pilgrimage are renowned for their divine images. And it is the darsan of these divine images that are sought , because the darsan is believed by Hindus to be far greater and significant than that which can be granted and given by holy men i.e. sadhus. It entails then, that holy places of pilgrimages are an extension of additional darsan, of which can be given and received by travelling on a pilgrimage. For example, pilgrims go to the sacred hill of Tirupati for the darsan of Sri Venkatesvara, an ancient icon believed to be a form of Visnu. According to legend, the Lord came to bless a particular devotee who was faithful in his duties towards his parents. The devotee took no time

The Human Genome :: essays research papers

You may think that you have full control over your body, the way you may look, how you dress, and even how you do your own makeup. You have control over your hair color, how much knowledge you have, and even how strong you can be, but could you imagine having control over how tall you would like to be, the color of your eyes, and potentially the color of your very skin? Can you imagine altering EVERY aspect of yourself, including the omission of disease? These are some of the questions that the USDE hoped to find solutions to through The Genome Project. The Genome Project has been an ongoing project sense 1990 and was finally completed on April 14th , 2003. The U.S. Department of Energy and the National Institutes of Health were the ones directing the Genome Project. The progress of the Genome Project is still unknown because the project was completely finished, but scientists are still going to be researching the Genome Project for many years. The project is like a master blue print of the body. The scientists estimated to find about 100,000 genes in the human body but only found as few as 30,000. There are 4 chemical components that make up DNA, cytocine (C), thymine (T), guanine (G), and adenine (A), these 4 components make up who you are. There are a few goals that scientists were trying to reach, such as finding the structure and function of a genome. Kristin... when ever you get the hell on... call me, i want to know what you wanted to talk to me about... well hurry the **** up. lol, talk to you later. If anyone needs to talk to me for any ****** reason call me... 546-2019   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The U.S. Department of Energy is helping the genome project mostly because of how it is taking in so much money. The U.S. Department of Energy had started to help the Human Genome Project in the early 1990’s. The National Institute of Health was helping the Human Genome Project by giving it as much support that it needed complete the Genome Project. The National Institute of Health had started to help the Human Genome Project in the early 1990’s. Both of these company’s were both trying to complete one of the biggest accomplishment in all of history, to try and map out the entire Human body, and both companies had succeeded.

Gender Bias in the courtroom Essay examples -- essays research papers

Although there have been many changes in our society concerning discrimination against one’s gender, there is still one area that has yet to change. If we take a man and a woman convicted of the same crime, it is very likely that the man will receive a more callous sentence. Since the beginning of the colonial era, 20,000 people have been lawfully executed in America, but only 400 of them have been women, including 27 who were found guilty of witchcraft. In the 23 years since the Supreme Court reinstated capital punishment, 5,569 total death sentences have been given out by courts, 112 to women. Of these 112, only one has been executed, compared with 301 men. Leigh Beinen, a Northwestern University law professor who studies the gender bias in capital cases nationwide, thinks the reason so few women face execution has to do with the symbolism that's central to the death penalty. She said, â€Å"Capital punishment is about portraying people as devils, but women are usually seen as less threatening." In 1977, Guinevere Garcia murdered her daughter, and later received a 10-year sentence for the killing. Four months after her release, she killed her husband during a robbery attempt. This time, the court imposed the death penalty. Garcia had refused to appeal her sentence, and opposed efforts to save her. Death penalty opponents turned to Illinois Gov. Jim Edgar who as a state legislator, voted to restore the death penalty. The facts of the case sway...

How does Hare convey the changes in Gerard McKinnon ‘s state of mind during the course of the play?

Gerard McKinnon is the protagonist of Hare’s play. He is at the principal point of the action. He is the character, which draws together various strands of the action in the plot, for example, the barrister, the police, the prison officers and the prisoners. Ultimately, he is the victim of the policing system, which â€Å"fitted him up†, the unwilling legal representatives who let him down, the bench, which sentenced him, and the prison service, which fails to protect him. Hare’s exposition starts dramatically with stage directions. â€Å" Then suddenly from nowhere they’re all there- the judge, the jury, the battery of lawyers. Hare’s powerfully dramatic opening is used to emphasise the visual impact of the â€Å"power† of the court. Gerard is juxtaposed with the legal system. Hare portrays him as being vulnerable as he is set apart from the other suspect’s Travis and Fielding through the use of lighting. â€Å" But the emphasis is on McKinnon. † The whole company is lit to show the power of the law, and then changing it to concentrate on Gerard in the midst of it all, is delicately done by Hare to represent him as the victim. Hare uses the dramatic device of a stream of conciseness in order for the audience to gauge his innermost thoughts. The repetition of the phrase â€Å" Its coming, It’s coming†, shows Gerard’s anticipation for outcome. The long sentences with many caesuras and hyphens breaking them up suggest that his fear is overwhelming him; it also indicates his panic stricken mind. Thus, encouraging the audience to view the bar in a less favourable light. The word â€Å"slowly† indicates that Gerard is experiencing disbelief that the verdict is imminent. He contrasts this feeling with the slowness of the court case building up to his moment. When Gerard’s soliloquy resumes and he is found to be guilty. He tries to not take responsibility for his actions. Hare illustrates Gerard’s detachment from his crime, with the line, â€Å"part of me thought, this is really stupid, I mean I’m not really doing this†. He remarks of the clear distinctiveness of the lawyers and the judiciary, who after the sentencing will go â€Å"home to their wives, to wine in fine glasses and the gossip of the bar†¦Ã¢â‚¬  while he, who is â€Å"the stuff of their profession† will be locked away in gaol. There is a finality and submissiveness in Gerard ending his stream of conciseness using the word â€Å"gaol†, indicating that Gerard feels hopeless and trapped. Here, Hare through the use of juxtaposition, illustrates Gerard’s discontent towards the judiciary. Moreover, Hare draws a divided society comparison of â€Å"us versus them†. The lawyers and the judiciary represent the wealth and elite, whilst Gerard represents the lowest of the social heap. Hare, uses the character Irina to give the audiences glimpses of Gerard in jail, the audience witness Gerard’s decline and despair. When Irina first visits him, Gerard, is wary of receiving a lawyers help, given that he has been let down by the legal profession before, as Sir Peter his solicitor never came back to visit him. He bluntly states that he wishes he gave him a pen for his help with, â€Å" Don’t jerk me off I’ve already come,† written on it. The crude lexical choice of the word Gerard uses, shows his complete lack of faith of lawyers and the judiciary system. However, as the conversation progresses, Gerard begins to trust Irina. He starts to view her as a friend, as there is an unconscious solidarity between them, as the are both potential victims of marginalisation. She’s a black female lawyer working in a man’s world and he faces discrimination on the basis that he is Irish. They both identify with each other’s victim status. Gerard opens up to Irina, and expresses intense fear â€Å"cos im scared. Scared, so I have to use the lavatory. † Hare uses the repetition of the word â€Å"scared† to further point out Gerard’s vulnerability in the fact that he has no one to depend on. Their conversation becomes more private with a sudden intimacy between them, which Gerard enjoys. In the last part of the scene, Gerard believes he has a friend who he can dependent upon to help him in appealing his verdict. He becomes more optimistic when Irina says that she’ll come back to see him. Yes. Yes, I’d like that. † The repetition of the word â€Å"yes† indicates that Gerard suddenly realises how much he would like to see Irina again. In Act two scene one, Hare again uses the literary device of Stream of conciseness to revel Gerard’s innermost thoughts. The audience realise that Gerard is losing hope very rapid ly and the thought of winning the appeal looks very bleak. This is illustrated when Gerard says, â€Å"Calm down, Gerard. Don’t get excited. † This shows that Gerard does not want to give into false hope. His glimmer of hope that he had with Irina seems to have faded. When Irina Visits Gerard for the last time, the audience see the decline of Gerard’s character. This scene is after the violent assault that Gerard has just experienced. Irina states that his sentence has been reduced, however, Gerard seems indifferent to the news she brings him, this reduction is not enough to save him from the brutality and crime that happens in jail. Their conversation lacks the intimacy of their earlier encounter; Gerard uses abrupt short dismissive sentences, â€Å"Thank you then. Thank very much. † To indicate that there is no need to carry on with the conversation, as all hope is gone. Towards the later part of the scene, Gerard expresses interest in read Irish books now. â€Å"When I was brought up, it was always a background. But I laughed it off†¦I’m not laughing now. † Hare leaves us with an impression that Gerard’s newly aroused interest in Irish history indicates a spark of defiance, an increased awareness that in this world it is a case of â€Å"them and us. † There is finality to the words â€Å"Goodbye, Irina. † Which Gerard uses to end the scene ,he acknowledges that Irina will probably not see him again as the court case is adjourned and that he must face his life in isolation as a victim of marginalisation.

Domestic Violence: Beyond Patriarchy

Domestic Violence: Beyond Patriarchy In the Beginning The Battered Women's movement of the 1970's enlightened society about a much secreted, and what at the time, was considered a family matter, that of violence against women by their male intimate partners. Many lives have been saved as a direct result of society's public awareness of this much-hidden scourge on our families. Federal and state laws prohibiting Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) have been enacted, and funding has been put in place for battered women's shelter programs. These changes have made a significant difference in the lives of battered women and children over the last few decades. The feminist theoretical perspective of IPVIPV has been depicted throughout our society as well as how victim services, and batterers intervention programs (BIP) are modeled. â€Å"Our culture has historically exhibited certain patriarchal values observable in religion and social custom. Working against the backdrop of this history, feminism quite naturally saw an antidote in ending social oppression of women. Wife assault, kept largely out of the public view and tolerated by prevailing attitudes, was regarded by feminists as an evil symptom of patriarchy. † (Dutton, page 17, 2006) Feminist theory defines IPV as a social problem with a single type of victim i. e. heterosexual women and one root cause, that of male privilege and patriarchy, which supports male domination, power, and control and the oppression of women. The need for services for IPVBIP's for female perpetrators is obscured and trivialized by this â€Å"one size fits all† view. Dutton describes feminist theory on IPV as being a â€Å"‘paradigm:†Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ [A paradigm is] a set of guiding assumptions or worldview, commonly shared within a group and serving to ward off recognition of data that are dissonant with the paradigm's central tenets. This theory views all social relations through the prism of gender relations and holds that men hold power over women in patriarchal societies and that all domestic violence is either male physical abuse to maintain that power or female defensive violence used as a self protection. (p. 2, 2005) developed through the anti-rape and battered women's movements. This perspective has been the guiding light for how the social problem of against men by women and The violence against women by men paradigm is so entrenched that if anyone pursues any other theories or presents any data that is contrary to that perspective it is automatically considered anti-domestic violence movement. (Dutton, p. 44, 2005) Lucal (1995) found that attempts to discuss the idea of battered husbands started an emotionally charged and fiercely contested debate among researchers which has been the classic debate filled with claims and counterclaims. Much of the debate has been centered around whether or not there are very many battered husbands. Most of the debate has been about whether or not battered husbands are a social problem worthy of support. (pp. 95-96) Revealing Statistics Dr. Murray Straus, co-founder and co-director of the University of New Hampshire's Family Violence Research Laboratory, has studied IPV and child abuse for over thirty years. In study after study he has found that both men and women are capable of being victims and committing IPV. For instance: (I? E(Busing data from the National Family Violence Survey of 1975, Straus (l980) found that 11. 6 (2. 6 million nationwide) of husbands reported having been the victim of severe violence by their wives. Severe vio1ence was defined as behaviors, such as kicking, punching, beating, or using a knife or gun, that have a high probability of causing physical injury. (as cited in Hines Malley-Morrison, p. 77, 2001) Presenting data that defies feminist logic has caused Dr. Straus and his colleague's substantial risk. As a result of the depth of the objections to our finding on assaults by wives, some of us became the object of bitter scholarly and person attacks. These attack included obstruction of my public presentations by booing, shouting, and picketing. In elections for office in scientific societies I was labeled as antifeminist despite being a pioneer feminist researcher on wife beating (Straus, 1973, 1996 as cited in Straus, pp. 225-226, 1992). Suzanne K. Steinmetz, a co investigator in the first National Family Violence Survey, was the victim of more severe attacks. There was a letter-writing campaign opposing her promotion. There were phone calls threatening her and her family, and a bomb threat at a conference where she spoke. (pp. 225-226) Studies such as the National Violence Against Women Survey tend to filter out male reports of victimization because of the â€Å"‘set†Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ of the survey (criminal victimization of women) (Dutton, p. 4, in press). However, the National Violence Against Women Survey in 2000(a) reports that more than 834,000 men are raped or physically assaulted by an intimate partner each year in the United States. This translates into about(I? E(B32 assaults per 1,000 men. (Tjaden & Thoennes, p. 11) Since the respondents in this study were told they were being interviewed about â€Å"personal safety† issues it's quite possible that this number is an underestimate as many of the men may not have perceived the violence that their wives or girlfriends were perpetrating against them as a threat to their safety. (Hines & Malley-Morrison, p. 77, 2001) The Establishment of Services for Male Victims Spreading the word as news of the availability of DAHMW's helpline became more known, calls from men and those concerned about a male relative or friend whom they thought were in an abusive situation started coming in from around the country. A website was created with information on male victimization and other resources and tri-fold brochures specifically addressing IPV against men were designed, printed and distributed through mailings and placements on community bulletin boards. Consequently, two years after its inception, DAHMWDAHMWIPV. as highlighted in the National Crime Prevention Council's book, â€Å"50 Strategies to Prevent Violence Domestic Crimes. † (2002) as, â€Å"[one of] 50 promising programs [that offer] new and alternative methods to aid under-served victims of violent domestic crime including teens in dating relationships, elderly victims of late-life abuse, child witnesses to violence, battered immigrants, male victims, and survivors in the gay and lesbia n community. † In 2003 Verizon began to publish the crisis line in a number of their phone books. Incoming calls to helpline have grown exponentially from fourteen a month in 2001, to over three hundred calls a month in 2006. The vast majority of the calls continue to be from or about a male victim (and children) of female Information gathered from male callers to the helpline suggests that some violent women use highly physically disabling tactics on their victims. â€Å"According to qualitative accounts, several physical attacks [are] reported to have occurred to the groin area, as in the following examples: â€Å"‘G reports that his estranged wife frequently targeted his testicles in her attacks, which included head butting and choking. Police were called to his home six times, one call resulted in the wife's arrest. â€Å"‘ â€Å"‘I was writhing, crying in the corner, I couldn't get up for two hours she kicked me in the groin at least 12 times. â€Å"‘ â€Å"‘She held a knife to my balls and threatened to cut them off. â€Å"‘ (Hines etal, p. 66, 2007) The stigma attached to being a man abused by a woman is profound. Many men report that they were taught never to hit a girl, be strong, do not cry and do not tell your personal business to anyone from their parents and caregivers. There is also a cultural belief that men should be able to defend themselves. However, if a man does defend himself against his abusive female partner and the police are called, the man is the one that will be arrested. When Dwayne Bobbit had his penis cut off by his wife in 1993, it was a big joke for late night comedy. Lorena Bobbitt was found not guilty by reason of temporary insanity. The reaction would have been entirely different had the genders been reversed. (Dutton, p. 148, 2006) Law Enforcement and the Court's Response The concerned family members and the victims themselves to the DAHMW helpline have recounted reports of the lack of concern for male victims: Misconceptions and Realities Feminists' theorists assert that women's violence against men is less likely than men's violence against women to result in serious physical or psychological harm. (Dutton & Nichols, p. 697, 2005) They use this claim to dismiss women's violence against men and male victims. Women, in general, may not be as big or strong as men are, however, what women lack in size and strength they make up for with the use of weapons. Research conducted at an emergency clinic study in Ohio (Vasquez & Falcone, 1997, as cited in Dutton & Nichols, 2005 ) revealed that 72). The authors reported that burns obtained in intimate violence were as frequent for male victims as female victims. As this study demonstrates, community samples, unless they require subjects to self-report as crime victims, show a different and more equivalent pattern of violence by gender than that alleged by the(I? E(Bfeminist perspective(I? E(B. Regardless of the variations in the studies, two conclusions seem reasonable: (1) women are injured more than men, and (2) men are injured too, and are not immune to being seriously injured. Simply because the injury rates are lower, men should not be denied protection. (Dutton & Nichols pp. 97-678, 2005) The feminist perspective of IPV being predominantly patriarchal in nature also excludes much of the victims in LGBT community. The LGBT community has had to set up their own domestic violence shelter programs that primarily or exclusively protect, educate and serve LGBT individuals who are victims of IPV. (e. g. see the www. gmdvp. org, w ww. lagaycenter. org/FamilyViolence etc ) According to Helfrich & Simpson (2006) lesbians have a difficult time accessing services through the traditional battered women's shelter programs due to the lack of policies to screen lesbian survivors and identify batterers. Lesbian batterers may use deception to access services through the same agency as the survivor and there are little to no stopgap measures taken to deal with those situations. (p. 344) Beyond Patriarchy, Alternative Theories on IPV Dutton (2006) asserts that the best predictor of intimate partner violence is not gender but personality disorder (p. 153). Since the beginning of the battered women's movement, researchers who have studied maritally violent men have often treated batterers as a homogeneous group. They have measured violent husbands by comparing them to nonviolent ones. However, more recently they have found that violent husbands vary along a number of important dimensions, including severity of violence, anger, depression and alcohol abuse. (Holtzworth-Munroe & Stuart, p. 476, 1994) More recently, researchers have begun to investigate what attachment styles and personality disorders have to do with IPV. The focus for this paper regarding typologies of batterers is on the dysphoric/borderline subtype and so a full description of each subtype of batterer is beyond this review. For more information of the various subtypes please review, Holtzworth-Munroe & Stuart, 1994; Holtzworth-Munroe et al. 1997; Holtzworth-Munroe et al. , 2000; Waltz et al. , 2000; Babcock et al. , 2003; Carney & Buttell, 2004) Researchers have found that batterers are more likely a heterogeneous than a homogeneous group and within that heterogeneous grouping various subtypes of batterers exist. Seminal research done by Holtzworth-Munroe and Stuart (1994) studied violent men and ascertained various typologies of male batterers. Holtzworth-Munroe and Stuart categorized three major subtypes and they labeled them, family only, dysphoric/borderline, and generally violent/antisocial. (Holtworth-Munroe & Stuart, p. 76-482, 1994) Holtzworth-Munroe and Stuart described dysphoric/borderline batterers as those who engage in moderate to severe wife abuse as well as psychological and sexual abuse. Their violence is primarily towards the family; however, they suggested that some extra familial violence and criminal behavior may be evident. Additionally, they found that these men are the most dysphoric, psychologically distressed, and emotionally volatile and that they have evidence of borderline and schizoidal personally characteristics. The may also have problems with alcohol and drug abuse. (ibid. According to Dutton (2006), â€Å"Across several studies, implemented by independent researchers, the prevalence of personality disorder in wife assaulters has been found t o be extremely high. These men are not mere products of male sex role conditioning or â€Å"‘male privilege†Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ [as the feminist theory of IPV suggests]; they possess characteristics that differentiate them from the majority of men who are not repeat abusers. † (p. 185) In addition to research on subtypes of batterers, there is also evidence to suggest that early attachment has bearing on what type of person may have the propensity towards perpetrating IPV. Buttell et al (2005) states that the presence of batterer subtypes is widely accepted in the field and that findings from [their] study seem to suggest that issues of attachment and dependency may be related to the development of an abusive personality for one type of batterer. They state that if true, efforts to improve intervention may need to focus on distinguishing batterer subtypes and developing intervention strategies relevant to the need for each subtype. (p. 216) Attachment styles may be the key to unlock many doors for both female and male perpetrators of IPV. Dutton in his book, The Abusive Personality, reiterates Bowlby's findings on attachment styles: In his landmark series of books entitled Attachment and Loss, Bowlby developed the notion that human attachment was of ultimate importance for human emotional development. In his view, it had sociobiological significance. His views encompassed the possibility of individual differences that came to be called â€Å"‘attachment styles'† referr[ing] to entire constellations of thoughts and feelings about intimacy. Reactions to the satisfaction or dissatisfaction of early attempts at attachment set up life-long attachment styles described as secure, fearful, or dismissing. The dismissing people tend to be wary of and stay out of relationships. The secure ones are comfortable with closeness. The fearful ones are stuck in the middle, exhibiting ambivalence toward intimacy and to those with whom they are emotionally connected. (as cited in Dutton, p. 116, 1998) Dutton (1998) further postulates that this push-pull reaction of the fearful attachment styled person resembles the ebb and flow of what he has coined the â€Å"cyclical personality. Dutton reports that in his notes on phrases used by female victims to describe their male batterers (who were clients of Dutton's) there was a recurring theme. They would express that their partners would act like â€Å"Jekyll and Hyde† and appear to be two different people at times. They also said things like, â€Å"He's like living with an emotional roller-coaster,† and describe their mates as moody, irritable, jealous and changeable. (p. 53) This cycling was first recognized by Lenore Walker in her book, The Battered Women, as the â€Å"‘battering cycle. â€Å"‘ (as cited in Dutton, ibid. As Dutton set out to gain some understanding of a cyclical or phasic personality he came across a book by John G. Gunderdson entitled, Borderline Personality Disorder: Dutton's research regarding attachment, borderline and the batterer's cyclical personality has been focused on male on female IPV, however, in his recent book, Rethinking DV, he discusses female perpetrators: Recent research has begun to explore the role of [fearful attachment, borderline traits, and chronic trauma symptoms, which generates what Dutton calls the abusive personality] among female perpetrators of partner abuse. Follingstad, Bradley, Helff, and Laughlin (2002) generated a model for predicting dating violence in a sample of 412 college students. (as cited in Dutton, p. 201, 2006) They found that anxious attachment resulting from early life experiences led to the development of an â€Å"‘angry temperament,†Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ which in turn related to attempts to control and use abuse against an intimate partner. The model predicted abusiveness for both genders (ibid. ) Other researchers have also hypothesized about subtypes of abusive males and females. For instance, Buttell et al (2005), states that researchers are beginning to explore the role of attachment theory and develop hypotheses on abusive behaviors relevant to different subtypes of abuser in order to improve intervention efforts for batterers. (p. 211) Gormley (2005) concluded that, â€Å"Insecure adult attachment orientations affect half the adult population, helping to explain the prevalence of men's and women's IPV. Women with insecure adult attachment orientations may be as much at risk as similar men of psychologically and physically abusing romantic partners, oing damage to relationships they may be socialize to value highly(I? E(B. † (p. 793) Female Batterers Scant research has been done on female batterers; however, due to the changes in mandatory arrest policies more women are being arrested than ever before. The debate about whether or not women perpetrate IPV has changed noticeably of late due in part to the fact that women are increasingly being arreste d, prosecuted, and sentenced to intervention programs for domestic violence offenses. Women's arrest for IPV is a direct result of legislation that has mandated the arrest of perpetrators in cases where police become involved when a domestic dispute has occurred. Warrantless arrest legislation gives police the power to arrest the abuser and press charges themselves when called to a domestic dispute. The victim no longer needs to press charges against the perpetrator. The arrest of women was certainly an unintended consequence of this legislation and has had a dramatic impact on the national debate regarding female initiated IPV. Carney & Buttell, p. 249, 2004) Feminist theory of IPV has created a dilemma regarding intervention services for female batterers. At present, the most prevalent legislated BIP's the system has set up are for dealing with batterers comes from the feminist model of IPV. Female batterers who are convicted of domestic assault and court ordered to attend a BIP have little choice but than to attend the feminist model of BIP's when court ordered to do so. (Carney and Buttell, p. 50, 2004) In addition, research on these [Duluth Model] BIP's indicate that few men who complete treatment benefit from it to the extent that they demonstrate positive changes in their behaviors. Of course, if men are not benefiting from a program that is specifically designed for patriarchal batterers then certainly abusive women will benefit even less. (ibid. ) According to Babcock & Siard (2003) some of the women arrested could have been acting in self-defense and were therefore falsely arrested but others with extensive violent histories may in fact be primary aggressors. p. 153) Men who are arrested are not given the same latitude. Babcock et al. (2003) mentions that in a study of women arrested for IPV, Hamberger and Potente (1994) found women who could clearly be identified as primary aggressors of IPV, yet in the treatment setting they were generally treated the same as those women who used self defense. (as cited in Babcock & Siard, p. 154). B abcock et al. (2003) proposed two categories of female batterers, those that were partner-only and those that were generally violent. The partner-only category covered women who may be more likely to use violence in self-defense and the generally violent women (of more interest for this paper) were women who used violence in any manner of situations including against their romantic partners. (pp. 153-154) Many studies on male batterer's include reports from their female victims; however, the researchers in this study did not ask the male victims for reports of their partner's violence. Iit is interesting to note that violent women were asked to report on their male partner's violence against them. (p. 57) They further note that power and control seems to be an issue for some abusive women and they suggest that women's power and control issues, traumatic histories, and psychological distress should be explored and indicate that clinicians may want to assess for psychopathology (i. e. post-traumatic stress disorder, borderline personality disorder, etc. ) (ibid. ) Recent studies have found that women's and men's viol ence share similar correlates (Giordano, Millhollin, Cernkovich, Pugh, & Rudolph, 1999; Magdol, Moffittt, Caspi, & Silva, 1998; Moffitt, Robins, & Caspi, 2001 as cited in Babcock et al, p. 53, 2003) therefore, they may also share similar motivations and circumstances. Female Batterers from Victims Reports Hines et al's (2007) research provides some insight into female batterers from their male victims. â€Å"Female abusers likely have a history of childhood trauma, may be suffering from a mental illness, and are likely to use alcohol and/or drugs. Further, these women have a high rate of threatening either suicide and/or homicide. † (p. 9) As previously stated, women have been asked to report on their male batterers and although this is not the ideal way to obtain information on batterers, feminist researchers have been gathering information in this way from battered women in shelters for years. (e. g. Walker, 2000 as cited in Hines et al, p. 69, 2007) Conclusion Men are vict ims of female perpetrated IPV and need services such as shelter, legal aid, support and counseling much the same as their female counterparts. Additionally, men's reports of victimization should not be called into question but treated with the same respect as women's reports. Protocols should be put in place within the domestic violence shelters programs, for law enforcement and the courts that will screen out potential female and male batterers so that victims are not judged by their gender. There is a dearth of research of female batterers and what has been presented from the feminist theory suggests that violent females use violence in self-defense. As we move away from the feminist theory of IPV researchers are discovering that childhood trauma, insecure attachment styles, mental illness, and/or alcohol and substance abuse play a role in IPV for both genders. Not all male batterers fit into the feminist theory of IPV, there are subtypes of batterers and attachment style plays a role in who perpetrates IPV. The subtype that is the focus of this paper is that of the borderline, cyclical batterer. Female batterers also show symptoms of having subtypes evidenced by reports from male callers to the DAHMW. Studies are beginning to assess psychological factors that predict female intimate partner violence. What is emerging is evidence of personality disorder, attachment style, and constricted affect that has also been seen in male abusers. Female abusers share much of the same traits as male abusers especially antisocial and borderline personalities. (Dutton, p. 203, 2006) As Babcock et al. (2003) explain, â€Å"[the] feminist perspective should be holistic, examining both the positive and negative sides of women's behavior. Bringing attention to some women being in the role of perpetrators, not solely as the victims of intimate partner abuse, involves viewing women as they are, not as we would wish them to be. † (p. 160) References About The Author

Plants

Plants begin their lives in the form of seeds. The embryo inside the seed is considered as the next sexual generation of plants. Seed germination is an important phase in plant's life. Successful seed germination is vital in every reproducing species in order to perpetuate itself. By definition seed germination is when the dry seeds shed from its parent plant, takes up water and is completed when the embryonic root visibly emerges through the outer structure of the seed (seed coat) (Hasanuzzaman et., al. 2013). Bewley (1997) described that it includes different events that commence with the uptake of water by the quiescent dry seed and terminate with the elongation of the embryonic axis. The visible sign that germination is complete is usually the penetration of the structures surrounding the embryo by the radicle (radicle protrusion). Several authors had reported the importance of germination in the life cycle of plant. According to Hubbard et., al (2012) this stage in the life cycle of the plant is considered as a critical event as germination is the first step in determining the survival rate of the crop thereby affecting its productivity. Meanwhile Donohue et., al. (2010) reported that seed germination is an important developmental phase change in the plant life cycle, which plays critical roles in seedlings establishment and consequently in environmental adaptation. The process of seed germination involves several complex processes and activation of the seeds metabolic pathways which eventually leads to the emergence of newly grown generation of plants. Many of the specific biochemical and physiological processes which characterize germinating seeds, particularly those occurring in storage organs, are special during this stage (Bewley and Black 1994). Knowledge of the germination process and of the seedling establishment and development, involving morphological, physiological, biochemical as well as molecular mechanisms and features is of essential importance for taxonomic, ecological and agronomic studies of certain plants. There are several different gene expression that underlies plant development, the relative specificity of these processes suggests that distinct gene sets are activated and repressed during this stage. The reaction between activation of essential enzymes, sequential release of hormones and the energy relations of the process during seed germination are very significant in understanding the appropriate establishment of plant for its adaptation. Identifying these genes and defining mechanisms involved in regulating their expression will aid in understanding the control of germination-specific mechanisms. This review will provide an overview on the mechanism of gene expression in mainly in angiosperm plant. The different genes expressed in embryos and seedlings will also be tackled A brief description of on the hormonal changes and hormonal balance that triggers or promotes gene expression during germination is also discussed in this paper.

Course Guide

Course Guide School of Computing, Information and Mathematical Science/USP Library Faculty of Science, Technology and Environment The University of the South Pacific ii Produced by the University of the South Pacific, Suva, Fiji, 2013 First produced June 2010 Revised July 2012 Production team for semester 2, 2010 Course writers Colin Ash Paula Jones Deepak Bhartu Dinesh Kumar Kaylash Chaudhary Rajneel Totaram Rinel Ram Ronal Singh Shaveen Singh Sunil Lal Viren Sharma Valentine Hazelman Instructional designer Cover design Marketing, Development and Communications OfficeCourse revision team for Semester 1, 2011 Course writers Shirley Devi Ajeshni Jeet Gavin Khan Salsabil Nusair Sunaina Nair Saleshni Sharma Dennis Sen Krishneel Chaudhary Viren Sharma Shaveen Singh Education technologist Cover design Tevita Ului Jitoko Marketing, Development and Communications Office This material has been prepared by the University of the South Pacific for use by students enrolled in the course for whic h it was developed. It may contain copyright material copied under the provisions of the Fiji Copyright Act 1999 or under license from rights holders or their agents.Copyright in material prepared by USP is owned by USP. This material cannot be sold or copied for further distribution without the University’s permission. Where provided in electronic format, it can only be printed by or for the use of the student enrolled in the course. iii iv Conte nts USING THIS COURSE GUIDE†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 1 PART A†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â ‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. What is this course about?†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 5 What are my learning outcomes? †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 5 What is my study schedule?†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 5 What are my learning resources? †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚ ¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 7 MOODLE †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. How do I study this course? †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 9 How am I assessed in this course? †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 9 Rationale for assessment†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 9 Assessment Plan †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 10 How do I submit my assignments?†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 10 Course valuation†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 12 PART B †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚ ¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 13 Topic 1: ICT Tools @USP†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 15 Topic 2: Basic Computing Skills †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 16 Topic 3: Hardware Fundamentals and Computer Procurement †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 7 Topic 4: Simple Text-Based Reports †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢ € ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 18 Topic 5: Fundamentals of Information †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 19 Topic 6: Search Strategies and Sourcing Information Online†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 19 Topic 7: Presentation Reports †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 21 Topic 8: The Library Website and the Library Catalogue †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 2 Topic 9: Searching Databases and Managing References †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ .. 24 Topic 10: Evaluating Information †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 25 Topic 11: Web 2. 0 Tools for Educational and Social Purposes†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 26 Topic 12: Analytical Reports †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 27 Topic 13: Social and Ethical Issues †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 27 vi USING THIS COURSE GUIDE Welcome to UU100: Communications and Information Literacy! Firstly, this course is an eLearning course which means that along with this Course Guide, you will also use a learning management system called MOODLE which requires you to have access to the computer and the Internet. This Course Guide is divided into two (2) parts: Part A tells you what the course is about and what you are expected to do to complete the course successfully. Part B tells you about your course content, topics and what activities you are expected to do throughout the FLEXI school. 1 2PART A 3 4 What is this course about? This course covers fundamental concepts of computers and their applications, including the use of software for word processing, spreadsheets, presentations and graphics. It also addresses the broader imperative for you to develop the capacity to effectively locate; access; evaluate; and use information in different formats. You will develop the learning skills needed for success in your studies and in modern workplaces. This course forms the basis of an overall effort to infuse computer and information literacy throughout the university curriculum.What are my learning outcomes? Upon successful completion of this course, you should be able to: 1. Access and use USP’s ICT resources available on-campus and off-campus. 2. Identify and use different features of a computer system. 3. Use standard applications for creating documents, presentations and spreadsheets. 4. Recognise the structure of information, that is, how it is produced, organised and disseminated. 5. Apply appropriate techniques in formulating effective search strategies to locate relevant information resources. 6.Navigate and utilise the Web, the USP Library website, the USP Library catalogue, and an online database subscribed by the USP Library to locate relevant and scholarly information resources. 7. Use appropriate referencing software and tools. 8. Critically evaluate information resources and synthesise information in academic writings. 9. Use emerging web-based tech nologies for educational and social purposes. 10. Recognise the legal, socio-economic and ethical issues regarding access to and use of information technology and information resources. What is my study schedule?Below is a study schedule that includes assessment activities and an assessment plan. The course guides your learning through a series of mandatory practical computer laboratory activities each day: ? ? ? Pre-lab activities to orientate you on the what and how of the week’s topic; A two hours lab session to complete the lab exercises with a facilitator present or online; Post lab activities to discuss, review, demonstrate and document the lessons learnt. 5 Topics *Pre Lab Activity Read Course Guide (Part A and B) Create ePortfolio Profile 1–2 1 1–3 1–2 1–2 1 1–2 1–2 1–2 1–2 1–2 1 Lab Activity Lab and Course Orientation 1–4 1–3 1–2 1–5 1–3 1–3 1 1–3 1– 4 1–3 1–4 1–4 1–2 *Post Lab Activity Orientation and Lab Introduction 1. ICT Tools @USP Discussion Forum Netiquette Online Quiz 1 2. 3. Basic Computing Skills Hardware Fundamentals & Computer Procurement Simple Text-based Reports Fundamentals of Information Search Strategies & Sourcing Information Online Presentation Reports The Library Website Searching Databases Effectively 4. 5. 6. Online Quiz 2 1–2 1 1 Online Quiz 3 1 Online Quiz 4 1 Online Quiz 5 Discussion Forum 7. 8. 9. 10. Evaluating Information 11. Web 2. Tools for Educational and Social Purposes 12. Analytical Reports 13. Social and Ethical Issues Assessment Name Assignment 1 Assignment 2 ePortfolio Activity 1-6 Final ePortfolio Submission Due Date 7th April, 2013 19th May, 2013 TBA 9th June, 2013 6 What are my learning resources? ? ? Course Guide: This booklet material that you are reading. MOODLE: The website hosting all resources in electronic format. URL: http://elearn. usp. ac. fj NB : Moodle is an integral part of the course for all students. Participating in the Discussion Forum (a kind of chat-room) is useful and at times even fun.The site is the main interface between you and your course coordinator/tutors—when we're not in class or tutorial, important information about class events and other relevant notices will be posted on the UU100 MOODLE site. Some features that you will find on your UU100 MOODLE site includes: ? News and Announcement forum: The course coordinator or facilitator will be using this forum to communicate any important information in regards to UU100. Note: This is a one way forum and you will not be able to make postings on this or reply to the posts.Forums: Block for each topic on Moodle will have a Forum discussion link for students to discuss their experiences and learning for the topic. No student is allowed to post answers for prelab, inlab or post lab activities (including quizzes). The forum discussion is only to encourage s tudents to share their knowledge and experience in regards to UU100. Additional forum discussions will be made available for assignments and eportfolio as well. Course guide: (this booklet) is available online at the relevant link. You should consult this document for all questions relating to course structure.Assessment materials: This link provides all you need to know about assessment in the course, including due dates, marking criteria and submission requirements. Assignment submission boxes: All assignments need to be submitted online through the relevant drop box. Hard copy of the assignments will not be accepted/required. ? ? ? ? IMPORTANT: Having problems with Moodle? Site not found? If you have any difficulties with accessing Moodle, email [email  protected] ac. fj or talk to your tutor. ? In addition to the Materials available via Moodle, online Library resources are available via the Library website http://www. sp. ac. fj/library/. You may also visit the Information Lit eracy Program link on the Library website. 7 MOODLE MOODLE is USP’s learning management system and will be used to support learning in some of your courses. To access MOODLE, you need a computer connected to the Internet. MOODLE works best and is most compatible with Mozilla Firefox, thus students are recommended to use Mozilla Firefox to access Moodle if any issue is faced with any other browser. Moodle can be accessed from any PC connected to LAN at USP or any PC elsewhere connected to Internet.To login, you will need a username and password which must have been given to you by your local USP Campus or Centre. How to login to MOODLE Step 1: Accessing MOODLE ? ? ? Open your browser: Recommended browser to access MOODLE is Mozilla Firefox. Type the following URL at the address bar: http://elearn. usp. ac. fj/ Press Enter. ? Alternatively, you can go to the USP website: http://www. usp. ac. fj/ and use the Quick Links drop down menu on the left of the page and select MOODLE. S tep 2: Username and Password ? ? ? ? You will come to a Login screen.Type your Student ID number in the Username box. Type your student email password in the Password box. Click on Login. (webmail) ********* Step 3: Accessing your course ? You should now see a list of your courses. Click the Course Code UU100 e. g. Lost or forgotten password? Please contact your USP ITS student helpdesk. 8 How do I study this course? There are 13 by 2 hour assessed lab sessions during the semester. You are required to attend the practical session on a weekly basis. Some of these sessions (at least 6) will be delivered and assessed online.You should anticipate spending an additional 3 hours per week on the subject engaged in reading, reflection and research and undertaking assessment tasks and reporting on your learning progress. Attendance in tutorials is assessed (see assessment plan). For this reason class rolls will be taken in each lab session. Learning consists of a number of computer laborator y activities which allows you to demonstrate the level at which you learn and understand the essential knowledge for the course. The prescribed activities will be designed to suit the needs of all first year students.How am I assessed in this course? Rationale for assessment Assessment tasks are designed to provide you with an opportunity to develop and demonstrate specific academic abilities as stated in the learning outcomes. The rationale for each piece of assessment is as follows: ? ? ? ? Lab attendance and participation: This assessment requires you to develop your skills on various parts of the course content and to engage in practical activities. Quizzes: This assessment component allows you to measure your learning on topics. Assignments: These assessments develop your research, analytical and writing skills. Portfolio Report: An ePortfolio can be seen as a type of learning record that provides actual evidence of achievement. Your own ePortfolio is used to track your learnin g journey and achievement of course outcomes. Assessment is based on learning-by-doing, and not on memorising course notes. To successfully complete this course you must achieve a satisfactory mark in each of the four assessment items and an overall mark of at least 50%. 9 Assessment Plan ** Participation requires attendance to a minimum of 10 assessed lab sessions and completion of all online activities.Six (6) of the practical sessions will be delivered and assessed online, so F2F attendance is not required for this.. How do I submit my assignments? Original w or k versus plagiarism Always keep a copy of your written work! A handy way to back-up is to email yourself at an alternative email account like Gmail, Yahoo or Hotmail. Course materials on MOODLE, lecture notes and course notes are not citable authorities so you are not allowed to cite them in your essay, footnotes, or bibliography. This requires you to be creative and original in your work, and not plagiarize. Be careful a bout how you cite online resources.Copying materials from other sources without proper referencing and acknowledgement to the source is a serious offence and will be dealt with severely. In the USP Calendar, the Plagiarism and Dishonest Practice Regulations defines plagiarism as ‘taking and using another person’s thoughts, writings, inventions or other work as one’s own. If the lecturer/tutor is satisfied that plagiarism has occurred then the students at fault will be subject to disciplinary action. See http://www. fste. usp. ac. fj/index. php? id=6868 10 If any assistance is required in understanding plagiarism, please speak to your tutor or lecturer. . Student Responsibilities – you are expected to: ? ? ? ? Read the materials provided; Read the assigned work; Carry out any research required for any work; and Attempt and submit the relevant pieces of assessments required. 2. Lab/classroom Rules – To maintain a classroom environment that is conduciv e to optimal learning, please follow these simple rules: ? ? ? ? ? Arrive on time; Turn off your mobile phones (or keep them on silent mode); Do not do any other personal work, including visiting social networking sites such as Facebook; Do not chat with your neighbors unnecessarily; and Avoid any disruptive behavior.Submission of assignments, m a r king time and collection Assignments are to be handed in or posted electronically through MOODLE (see Submission of assignments online) on or before the due date. Under no circumstances must they be left in the office when no staff member is present or handed in by someone else (unless authorized otherwise). Before submitting your assignment you should check that you have a copy and that you have complied with all instructions given. It is the normal practice to attempt to mark course assessments within three weeks after due date.If this is not possible, the class will be notified of the revised marking time line. All grades will be made available for students via Moodle Grade book. Remember: on every assignment you should also include a cover sheet with your assignment which indicates your Name, Student ID No. , Assignment No. , Lecturer or Tutor, Lab Session, Due Day and Date. Submission of assignments online To submit assignments online, you should click on the relevant assignment drop box in the assessment section of the UU100 MOODLE site.At the bottom of the main assignment page you will see a â€Å"Browse† button which will enable you to upload your assignment from any storage media, select the file/assignment and click on â€Å"Upload this file† button to upload your assignment. It is important that you are logged in to your own account before uploading the file as the uploaded file will be stored under the logged in account. Once you submit an assignment, you will be redirected to the main assignment page where you will be able to see the details of your submission.Note: If you have submitted your assignment online and have not had any marks or feedback within three weeks of submission, please contact your course coordinator or tutor. 11 Course evaluation Online surveys/evaluations will be available in MOODLE for you to provide feedback for UU100. Your responses will remain strictly confidential and will only be used to further enhance the course. 12 PART B 13 Orientation & Lab Introduction Introduction In this first session, students are introduced to all the different components of UU100. Students are informed about the aims, objectives and assessment requirements of the course.Furthermore, students are also introduced to some key ICT Tools that will be used by the students for the rest of their academic life at USP. Learning outcomes After the completion of this week’s topic, students should be able to:? ? ? Learn the aims and objectives of UU100 Understand the assessment plan for UU100 Familiarize themselves with the key ICT tools used at USP. Readings Student s are to complete the following readings prior to attending their respective lab session. Note that all readings are available under the Orientation Tools link in Moodle. ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?StudeNet SOLS Accessing personal share (Only for Laucala Campus Student) Google Apps Moodle Guide Assessment Breakdown NComputing Introduction to ePortfolio Post Lab ? Students are highly recommended to participate in the MOODLE discussion forum titled â€Å"Netiquette. † 14 Topic 1: ICT Tools @USP Introduction In this topic, you will familiarize yourself with a computer system, the Windows Operating System environment and other computer lab resources at USP. You will learn the basics of managing your course materials (files) using MOODLE; how to download the files, upload assignments, join a group and participate in the discussion forum.MOODLE is the learning management system adopted by USP. You will be able to find all the course related information about UU100 on Moodle. MOODLE stands for Modular Object Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment. You will also learn how to create a portfolio using MAHARA, an ePortfolio system. An eportfolio can be seen as a type of learning record that provides actual evidence of achievement. With your ePortfolio, you can capture and store evidence of your learning; reflect on them; give and receive feedback; plan and set goals, collaborate with others and publish your information to a chosen group of audience.Finally, you will use TURNITIN to check your assignment content for any sign of plagiarism. Learning outcomes Upon successful completion of this topic, you should be able to: ? ? ? ? Familiarise yourself with the Windows environment and other computer lab resources. Get Started with MOODLE – download and upload files, use groups and forums. Create your own ePortfolio profile using MAHARA. Check your assignment for plagiarism using TURNITIN before submission Readings ? ? ePortfolio Guide – Creating and Viewing your Prof ile TURNITIN Student Guide. Activities and practical ? Pre-Lab Activity: 1.Access Mahara and update your profile information. Lab Activity: 1. Familiarise yourself with a computer system and the lab resources available in USP’s computer lab. 2. Get Started with MOODLE – download course materials, upload a sample assignment and participate in the discussion forums. 3. Create a View using Mahara. 4. Check your sample Assignment document for plagiarism using TURNITIN – before submission. 5. Attempt Lab Activity questions. ? Post Lab Activity: 1. Students are highly recommended to participate in the MOODLE discussion forum titled â€Å"Netiquette. † ? 15 Topic 2: Basic Computing Skills IntroductionIn this topic, you will familiarise yourself with the different types of computer software available namely system software and application software. You will also learn to manage files using My Computer, create, save and close files and folders and practice using f ile compression utilities. Furthermore, you will also learn how to convert files to different formats and practice typing using the keyboard. Learning outcomes Upon successful completion of this topic, you should be able to: ? ? ? ? ? Learn about the different types of software. Type proficiently using the keyboard. Work with files and folders.Zip and unzip files and folders using the WinRAR utility. Convert files to different file formats. Readings ? Read Topic 2 notes posted on Moodle. Activities and practical ? Pre-Lab Activity: 1. You are required to research on the following topics before you attend this week’s lab session: a. Operating Systems. b. Keyboards and Shortcut keys. c. Files and file types. d. Different File compression and conversion tools 2. Practice and improve your typing skills using the recommended Touch Type Tutoring program. ? Lab Activity: 1. Learn about different types of software 2. Discuss FOSS 3. Working with Files and Folders. 4.Using WinZip to C ompress/Decompress Files and Folders. 5. Converting files to different file formats. Post Lab Activity: 1. Review Quiz 1 ? 16 Topic 3: Hardware Fundamentals and Computer Procurement Introduction In this topic, you will familiarise yourself with basic computer lab technology; hardware, software and networks. As this course is based on information communication technology and information literacy, it is important that you acquire the necessary computer-related skills which are seen as essential tools for communication of information. At some point in time, you may consider investing in a computer system.There are many factors ranging from budget to performance indices that you need to consider in buying a computer. This topic will also guide you in making an informed decision in this regard. Learning outcomes Upon successful completion of this topic, you should be able to: ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Describe the categories of computers. Describe and identify the various components of a computer. Distinguish between system software and application software. Identify and procure a computer system which meet the needs of the buyer Recognize and discuss the purpose of computer networks.Understand the client-server model. Access network resources. Work with web-based e-mail. Readings ? Read Topic 3 notes from Moodle. Activities and practical ? Pre-Lab Activity: 1. Computer Specifications – familiarising yourself with the components of a computer. 2. Watch the Video on â€Å"Understanding the parts of a computer† Lab Activity: 1. Identify essential hardware component specifications. 2. Attempt the Case study about a student’s choice of a computer. Post Lab Activity: 1. Complete ePortfolio Learning Objective 1. 2. Begin work on Assignment 1. ? ? 17 Topic 4: Simple Text-Based Reports IntroductionComputers can offer us valuable insights into our writing style simply because they can process text quickly and thoroughly. This topic provides hands-on experience of basic word processing techniques and functions. It is designed for you to be able to demonstrate a working knowledge of word processing terminology and identify functions and procedures utilised in word processing. Presented in this topic are a few writing tools and techniques that will be of some help as you use them for your professional writing. Learning outcomes Upon successful completion of this topic, you should be able to: Use computers to create electronic documents. ? Change the look of a document using formatting. ? Use templates and styles for creating professional looking documents and reports. Readings ? ? ? ? Pre Lab Activity Notes Lab Activity Notes ePortfolio Guide-Creating Folder and Uploading Files PDF document ePortfolio Guide – Journals Activities and practical: ? Pre-Lab Activity: 1. Create a Cover Page and a Birthday card using MSWORD 2010 2. Lab Activity Notes. Lab Activity: 1. Editing Documents. 2. Formatting Text, Paragraphs and Pages. 3. Adding tabl es and graphics to documents. 4.Spell Checking a Document. 5. Styles 6. Table of Contents. 7. Bibliography. Post Lab Activity: 1. Review Quiz 2 2. Complete EPortfolio Learning Objective 2 ? ? 18 Topic 5: Fundamentals of Information Introduction We live in what is often called ‘The Information Age’ – an era which is â€Å"marked by the increased production, transmission, consumption of and reliance on information. Many consider the new role of information to be changing our social and economic behavior as dramatically as did the Industrial Revolution† (Readiness for the Networked World: A Guide for Developing Countries. Glossary of Terms’ http://cyber. law. harvard. edu/readinessguide/glossary. html). Learning outcomes Upon successful completion of this topic, you should be able to: ? ? ? ? Describe the roles of data, information, knowledge and wisdom in decision-making; Describe the competencies of an information literate individual; Describe the st ructure of information, that is, how it is produced, organised and disseminated; Discuss legal, ethical and socio-economic issues surrounding information; Readings ? Read Topic 5 notes Activities and practical ? Pre-Lab Activity: 1.Identify and analyse information needed for decision making in given scenarios. Lab Activity: 1. Browse and identify features of selected web-based primary, secondary and tertiary sources of information. 2. Discuss the impact of technological advances on primary, secondary and tertiary sources of information. 3. Discuss the reasons and implications of digital divide and suggest recommendations to bridge the divide in Pacific Island countries. ? Post Lab Activity: ? 1. Analyse scenarios of legal and illegal as well as ethical and unethical uses of information resources. 19Topic 6: Search Strategies and Searching Information Online Introduction The Internet has changed the way people use computers and communicate information. In Part A of this topic, you wi ll be introduced to various techniques for searching information. In Part B, you will use selected search engines, meta-search engines and subject directories to find web-based information to support your studies. Learning outcomes Upon successful completion of this topic, you should be able to: 1. Construct effective search strategies using appropriate search terms and search techniques; 2.Identify features of selected search engines, meta-search engines and subject directories; 3. Use selected search engines, meta-search engines and subject directories to locate relevant and scholarly information resources. Readings ? Read Topic 6 notes Activities and practical ? Pre-Lab Activity: 1. Quiz ? Lab Activity: 1. Construct search strategies, on given topics, using appropriate search terms and search techniques. 2. Use Google Web advanced search mode and Google Scholar advanced search mode to conduct searches, on given topics, and analyse the results retrieved.Use an academic subject dir ectory to conduct searches, on given topics, and analyse the results retrieved. 3. ? Post Lab Activity: 1. Use the basic and advanced search modes of a selected meta-search engine to conduct searches, on a given topic, and analyse the results retrieved. 20 Topic 7: Presentation Introduction In this topic you will learn how to make use of presentation software that will aid you in delivering effective, targeted, interesting and captivating presentations suitable to the target audience. Learning outcomes Upon successful completion of this topic, you should be able to: ? ? Identify different presentation tools. Use design templates. Create visually appealing presentations. Readings ? Topic 7 notes from MOODLE. Activities and practical ? ? Pre-Lab Activity: 1. Create a PowerPoint presentation in a group using MS PowerPoint 2010. Lab Activity: 1. Students to do a group presentation on slides created during Pre Lab. 2. Students will be introduced to Prezi – a Flash based presentati on software. ? Post Lab Activity: 1. Students to upload a Prezi presentation onto ePortfolio as Post Lab activity for the week. 1 Topic 8: The Library Website and the Library Catalogue Introduction In Part A of this topic, you will explore the range of useful information the USP Library website has to offer. The USP Library website is very often the most suitable way to find the information you need. It contains links to information and can direct you to the best sites, particularly relevant Pacific/Oceania sites. If you know your way around the Library website, you will find a treasure trove of information that will help you get ahead in your studies.In Part B of this topic, you will be introduced to the Library catalogue, which is the key to finding a huge range of information resources about subjects you will study at USP. Part B explores the various search modes of the library catalogue which you can use to search and find library resources efficiently. Learning outcomes Upon su ccessful completion of this topic, you should be able to: 1. Navigate the main USP Library website as well as Emalus and Alafua Library websites and identify relevant links for undergraduate students; 2.Construct search strategies and use the Laucala Library catalogue as well as the regional libraries catalogue to search for library resources on given topics; 3. Interpret citations and construct search strategies using the Laucala Library catalogue as well as the regional libraries catalogue to search for library resources for given citations. Readings ? Read Topic 8 notes Activities and practical ? Pre-Lab Activity: 1. Navigate the main USP Laucala Library website as well as Alafua and Emalus Library websites and identify types of library services and resources available for undergraduate students. Lab Activity: 1.For given topics and citations, construct search strategies and conduct searches using the following search modes and options on the USP Library catalogue: i. Quick Searc h using Keywords option; ii. Title Search using Browse, Phrase, and Exact Match options; iii. Advanced Search; iv. Subject Search. 2. For given topics and citations, construct search strategies and conduct searches using Quick Search and Advanced Search modes on Alafua, Emalus and regional libraries catalogues. ? 22 ? Post Lab Activity: 1. Use the advanced and subject search modes of the USP Library catalogue to conduct searches, on a given topic, and analyse the esults retrieved. 2. Review Quiz 3 23 Topic 9: Searching Databases and Managing References Introduction During your academic studies at The University of the South Pacific you will need to access and read many articles. The USP Library offers a wide range of online databases and many of these provide entire articles, called fulltext articles. You can find a list of these databases trough the USP Library homepage: http://www. usp. ac. fj/library. Under the heading eResources select Databases. In Part A of this topic you will explore ProQuest databases to find fulltext articles.In Part B of this topic, you will learn how to create, save and organise your references using referencing software called EndNote. Learning outcomes Upon successful completion of this topic, you should be able to: 1. 2. 3. 4. Access, navigate and identify features of ProQuest database; Construct search strategies, search and retrieve articles using ProQuest; Import references from online databases like ProQuest to EndNote Create and organise references and bibliographies using EndNote. Readings Read Topic 9 notes and PowerPoint tutorials. Activities and practical Pre-Lab Activity: 1. Register for EndNote account. 2. Create References manually using EndNote. ? Lab Activity: Part A 1. For given topics and citations, construct search strategies and conduct searches using the following search modes on the ProQuest database i. basic search; ii. advanced search; iii. topic search; iv. publications search. Part B 1. Create records in E ndNote by manually entering references and importing references from ProQuest database. 2. Organise references by creating groups and formatting in selected citation style. ? Post Lab Activity: 1.Formulate a search strategy for a given research topic, conduct the search on ProQuest, select and import records into EndNote and format into selected citation style. 24 Topic 10: Evaluating Information Introduction The quality and relevance of the information you use in your tertiary studies is of the utmost importance. It is easy to find information on most topics – but is it the best information? In this topic you will look at evaluating information in any format. In particular, you will learn how to apply the START evaluation criteria to critically evaluate the various types of information resources.Learning outcomes Upon successful completion of this topic, you should be able to: 1. Discuss the importance of evaluating information resources; 2. Identify criteria used for the ev aluation of sources of information; 3. Apply evaluative criteria to a range of information resources. Readings ? Read Topic 10 notes. Activities and practical ? ? Pre-Lab Activity: 1. Categorise Bad and Good Information Lab Activities: 1. Evaluate websites, on a given topic, using START evaluation criteria. 2. Evaluate journal articles, on a given topic, using START evaluation criteria. ? Post Lab Activity: 1.Use Google Web advanced search mode to conduct search on a given topic, select and evaluate a website using START criteria. 2. Review Quiz 4 25 Topic 11: Web 2. 0 Tools for Educational and Social Purposes Introduction This topic looks at the ways people use the latest developments in online communication, to create communities and share information, often near instantaneously. We encourage you to explore and find out more about this exciting development that has revolutionised communications and how people relate to each other in the 21st century. Learning outcomes Upon success ful completion of this topic, you should be able to: ?Identify and navigate various content collaboration, media sharing and social networking Web 2. 0 tools; Discuss the advantages and limitations of the different types of Web 2. 0 tools; Use selected Web 2. 0 tools. ? ? Readings ? Read Topic 11 notes. Activities and practical ? Pre-Lab Activity: 1. Browse and analyse blogs on a given topic. ? Lab Activity: 1. Browse a Facebook account of an organization and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of social networking tools. 2. Browse a selected Wikipedia article and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of content collaboration tools. 3. Browse the code of conduct of Flicker and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of media sharing tools. ? Post Lab Activity: 1. Use Google Docs to create and publish a document on a given topic. 26 Topic 12: Analytical Reports Introduction This topic will develop your skills at using Microsoft Excel. You will learn how to calculate using fo rmulas and functions, create charts and Pivot Table, a data mining tool provided with Microsoft Excel. Learning outcomes Upon successful completion of this topic, you should be able to: ? ? ? ? Work with formulas and functions in Microsoft Excel.Identify the appropriate type of chart for your report. Produce charts in Microsoft Excel. Use Pivot Tables to analyse and present data in Microsoft Excel. Readings ? Topic 12 notes from MOODLE. Activities and practical ? Pre-Lab Activity: 1. Create a spreadsheet as given in the pre lab activity using Microsoft Excel 2010 and answer the questions that follow. Lab Activity: 1. Create a Chart in Excel 2010. 2. Use formulas and functions to perform calculations 3. Add a PivotTable in Excel 2010. Post Lab Activity: 1. Review Quiz 5 ? ? 27 Topic 13: Social and Ethical Issues