MOCK TRIAL ASSIGNMENT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

MOCK TRIAL ASSIGNMENT - Essay Example Several questions must be addressed so that the plaintiff is assured of a fair case in the courts. The background of the jurors is important to note when selecting the potential ones for representation (Walter and James). Firstly, the level of education is of paramount importance. Of pivotal value also is the number of members in the family as well as spouses. This activity of asking such questions tries to investigate any prejudices that may be hidden which could lead to the negation of a fair trial. For instance a jury could have been a victim of such a case in the past hence this aspect may lead to ultimate bias directed towards the defendant thus spoiling the relevance of the case under question. On the other hand, the defendant should likewise exercise caution in the selection of the jury to safeguard the rights bestowed in him. The reason behind such undertaking is to prevent unfair circumstances that hamper administration of justice to the aggrieved parties. For example, the d efendant in this case must ask about the family members of the potential juror since it can be so coincidental that one of the parties to which he has a relationship leads in a certain insurance company and so on. This could pose challenges because the potential juror may sway favoritism towards the defendant hence no instance of justice would be encountered. The jury out to exhibit dire competence at all costs as well as professionalism to the parties, the defendant and the plaintiff. 2.0 Opening Statement for the Defendants As the case before us exhibits, there is a lot of negligence on the part of the plaintiff. From the instructions given by the manufacturer, 1-4B has largely been used in the manufacture products in the household platform yet for it to turn dangerous in its GHB form; large amounts have to be ingested in very high quantities (Andrew). Notably, production of Princess Beads doesn’t use high levels of this element thus this renders the plaintiff’s clai m baseless. Additionally, we expressed our responsibility by giving reliable warning information concerning the product hence the plaintiff negligently dismissed this aspect. To this respect, we can’t be liable for the inconveniences neither the eventual death of the plaintiff’s son, Joey Davis. Specifically, Princess Beads has been positioned strategically in the market to target children of older age than that of Joey; we can never be bound by any law to follow each person purchasing Princess Beads to make sure it’s used appropriately. Thus, it’s my view, that of the entire company that the plaintiff was responsible for the death of her son by not advising the caregivers to adhere to the instructions directed by the manufacturer. They ought to have played their supervisory role in the manner expected to prevent such unfortunate occurrences. If I was a member of the panel of the jury, I would elect an eloquent person to deliver the opening statement. The person should possess a convincing capacity with powerful elaboration skills so as to make sure that the points are delivered to the judges in a sequential and orderly manner which is both convincing and reliable (Hamid). The ultimate efficiency with which the same is done therefore adds value to this case and will hence build a strong defense that in not easy to surpass. By so doing therefore, the foregoing will add bonus points and also give a bearing to the

Religion and Homophobia in Trinidad and Tobago Essay Example for Free

Religion and Homophobia in Trinidad and Tobago Essay As previously demonstrated, the data collected was graphically represented in order to highlight trends or anomalies. Figure 1 (Fig. 1) begins by showing that 36% of our sample supported same sex marriage, whilst 64% did not. Since non-support of same-sex marriage is used as our indicator of homophobia, approximately two-thirds (( 2)? (3 )) of our sample is considered homophobic. Whilst this suggests that a substantial proportion of our population is supportive of homosexuality, the majority is apparently homophobic. Thus, a standard was found, against which individual elements of the population can then be manipulated and analysed in a positivistic approach. Figure 2 shows that the gender of the non-supportive population was almost equally distributed, which suggests that perspective is gender neutral. This is surprising considering that gender commonly indicates differing perspectives, but may perhaps be attributed to the existence of homosexuality in both genders. Additionally, this is reflected in Fig 3. where the male only school, Naparima College is proportionately equal to the female only schools, Naparima Girls’ High School (NGHS), ASJA Girls’ College (ASJA) and St. Joseph’s Convent (SJC). Furthermore, Figure 4 shows that the average CSEC grades (which we will use as an indicator of education level) of the supporters approximately equalled that of the non-supporters. Therefore, neither gender, education level school has significant effect on our candidates’ perception of same-sex marriage. Continuing the search for factors that may affect the development of homophobia, Fig 5 outlines four further dimensions of social life, showing that, support of the legalisation of marijuana, alcohol consumption habits, history of altercations with the law, and family structure all had negligible effects because the proportions only slightly deviated from the norm. It is only when the dynamic of religion is introduced that anomalies become apparent. As illustrated in Figure 6, there is little variance between the individual religions, with Islam being marginally more homophobic, but, when religion is removed, as in the case of our secular candidates, the proportions are reversed and approximately two-thirds (( 2)? (3 )) of the secular candidates were supportive. Additionally, it was observed that, whilst Muslim candidates had the highest correlation to homophobia within our sample, the candidates from the Islamic school, ASJA Girls’ College –who would have been exposed to the institution for at least five years, a substantial portion of their lives-, had the lowest correlation to homophobia; the difference being approximately 10%. This is pertinent because it is also indicative of secularisation by differentiation wherein the non-religious sphere of life, education is separated from religion (Jose Casanova, 1994). In both instances of secularisation, homophobia was reduced. Building on the investigation of the influence of religion, religiosity was then compared to opinion using three common measures of religiosity. Figure 7 shows the relationship between frequency of visitation of place of worship and non-support, Figure 8 shows the frequency of private worship against non-support and Figure 8 shows the frequency of private study of religious texts versus non-support. All graphs yielded a positive gradient, began well below the average and ended well above it. This indicates, that as religiosity increases, so too does homophobia. This contrasts our previous observation that there were no trends amongst the various religions but verifies the implication that secularisation decreases homophobia. Careful consideration of the qualitative data compounds these assertions because, not only is religion openly and usually used as justification of homophobia, the candidates who were most fervently religious and enmeshed with their congregation were often most blatantly homophobic. Additionally, if the view of the religious leaders is to be taken as the consensus of the congregation, it would appear that most justify discrimination. However, there were cases in which the fervently religious advocated positively for same-sex marriages. The phenomena observed can be explained using a functionalist perspective in which religion serves as a method of maintaining social order through increasing solidarity within a mostly heterosexual population by segregating the homosexual, thereby providing a common ‘enemy,’ and instilling a set of values and norms in society. Also, religion may be viewed as encouraging more â€Å"productive† marriages in which childbirth is possible, thereby helping to sustain the birth-rate, working to aid the system of the family. When candidates are separated from the functions of religion, they are more likely to maintain a different set or norms, wherein homosexuals are equal to heterosexuals. Contrastingly, a Conflict perspective may be used in hich religion serves to justify the construction of a class society in which the heterosexuals are the ‘bourgeoisie’ and the homosexuals are the ‘proletariat. ’ By masking the foundation of power and exploitation in divine ruling, the heterosexuals are allowed to legitimize their position of superiority. When this illusion is removed and class consciousness attained, as in the case of secular candidates and candidates with little religiosity, the bourgeoisie can no longer legitimize their position, and so homophobia is reduced. Alternatively, if one is to utilize Weber’s theory of Rational Choice, one might suggest, that, perhaps candidates decided to follow the homophobic direction of their religious leaders, rationalizing that earning the support of the entire congregation was worth discriminating against a minority. This theory also serves to explain why candidates supported same-sex marriage, because the prevailing justification was a rationalisation that their (homosexuals) private life did not affect me (the candidate) negatively and was therefore not a problem. This also explains the anomaly of the few candidates who were enmeshed in non-supportive congregations but still supported same-sex marriages. Continuing the interpretivistic trend, Mead’s theory of Symbolic Interactionism may be applied in which the ascribed meanings of symbols encourage homophobia. For example, candidates who studied their holy texts daily were most likely to be non-supportive. They may ascribe that the text determines their values and that the text does not support homosexuality, therefore, they, identified as a follower of the text, does not support homosexuality. Another example may be the use of song references in their justification, wherein, candidates interpret the music to disapprove of homophobia and therefore, as listeners, they should also disapprove. Lastly, the use of homophobic slurs such as ‘fag’ in the language of the non-supporters suggests that homosexuality is unwanted, and communicates this to others who may interpret it as such, and develop the same opinion. Discussion of Findings In, Invitation to the sociology of religion, Zuckerman presents a functionalist approach in which we see how religion may affect social hange. He demonstrates a correlation between a decline in the influence of religion and an increase in the acceptance of homosexual relations suggesting that religion does indeed influence homophobia as determined from my research. Furthermore, he considered another form of discrimination, that is, racism in which again, religion resulted in the segregation of a minority, but also, where religion provided a powerful community through which resistance could grow. The strength and influence of these churches echoes the observation that the more enmeshed our subjects were in their religious congregations, the more homophobic they tended to be. Building on the methods by which religion could affect social life, the article, â€Å"Gays bash government on same-sex marriage,† presents a scenario in which religion has clearly moulded the opinion of a prominent member of our government to the point that it over-rode proper conduct. This crass act seems less surprising when it is observed that some candidates also paraphrased or quoted biblical passages in lieu of an explanation. The research paper, †Religion and public opinion of same-sex marriage,† also adds validation to our research because their results were strikingly similar to our own. They discovered, as I did, that a persons’ religiosity and not their specific religion was the prominent factor in influencing their view of same-sex marriage. Additionally, the article entitled, â€Å"J-FLAG Issues Statement on International Day Against Homophobia,† also verifies this conclusion by using statistics which showed that 56% believed homosexuality and Christianity were incompatible and that 82% believed that it was immoral. This, second study was conducted in Jamacia and as such, it is also more relevant to our research based in Trinidad; it should come as no surprise that their sample yielded a homophobic rate only marginally lower than our own at 59% as opposed to 64%. Finally, in relation to our final aim, the research paper, †Religion and public opinion of same-sex marriage,† also proves handy because they validate that no other standard demographic holds significant influence on a candidate’s opinion of same-sex marriage besides religiosity. Considering these observations, my main finding appears to be that religion does, in fact, play a significant role in developing homophobia within the Lower Six population of San Fernando. Additionally, three main inferences can be made: Firstly, that religion may develop homophobia by presenting a community in which homophobia may be justified and advertised as the norm, through interaction with the institution of government, or through symbolic interaction wherein the religious texts are interpreted as encouraging homophobia. Secondly, that religiosity is a much more significant factor than religious affiliation in developing homophobia, with religious affiliation being almost powerless in our study. Thirdly, we may infer that, whilst exposure to the media did have some effect on the development of homophobia as reflected in our qualitative data, by and large, religion is the major influence with no significant alternative factors appearing in our study. ? Limitations Whilst conducting my study, certain limitations were confronted. Chief amongst these was the cost effectiveness of conducting such a relatively large-scale survey consisting of over two hundred subjects. Adding to this difficulty was the statistical analysis in which a spreadsheet was necessary. Additionally, in order to balance the ratio of male to female respondents, the strata of Naparima College was over-represented since that was the school in which the most co-operation was met. However, since Naparima College proved to be a typical institution, for the purposes of our study, I believe that the integrity of the data was no compromised. Difficulty was also met in collecting and analysing secondary data sources as inquisitions at our public libraries proved fruitless and many of the recent, relevant research papers published were either costly, or restricted to members of certain institutions. Lastly, there may have been some, inherent instrument bias in my analysis of the qualitative data. Recommendations On completion of my research, certain recommendations have become apparent. The first being that a complete separation of the church and state must be accomplished in order to provide the allocation of same-sex marriages, and the second being that the institution of religion should be removed from society as it, in its many forms may a dangerous tool for inspiring discrimination. Conclusion Although it has been a lengthy road, it was a straight one, and, in summation, we can determine that there is indeed a clear relationship between religion and homophobia in which religion inspires the other through various ways. Furthermore, a person’s religiosity was shown to be the determining factor in influencing homophobia with no other influence being significant. ?

Paradigm And Paradigm Shifts

Paradigm And Paradigm Shifts The word paradigm first appeared in English in the 15th century. It comes from Greek, meaning an example or pattern, and it still holds this meaning today. For nearly 400 years it has also been applied in varieties of grammatical properties including verbs, nouns, and other parts of speech of a language. In linguistics, Ferdinand de Saussure used it to refer to a class of elements with similarities. According to 1900 Merriam-Webster dictionary it is defined as a philosophical and theoretical framework of a scientific school or discipline within which theories, laws, and generalizations and the experiments performed in support of them are formulated; broadly: a philosophical or theoretical framework of any kind. From the 1960s onward, the word has been used in science to refer to a theoretical framework, as when Nobel Laureate David Baltimore cited the work of two colleagues that really established a new paradigm for the causation of cancer. Thereafter, researchers in many different fields tried to explore this concept. WHAT IS A PARADIGM? The historian of science, Thomas Kuhn was the first to use the term for science, and referred to the set of practices that define a scientific discipline at certain point in time. He meant something like a framework, a dominant way of thinking and doing things, shared expectations and rules. Further he termed something as disciplinary matrix. He also suggested that paradigms are discrete (separate) and culturally based. For example, a Chinese medical researcher, with an in-depth knowledge of eastern medicine, will live in a different paradigm than a purely western researcher. Alternatively, the Oxford English Dictionary defines paradigm as a pattern or model, an exemple. Thus an additional component of Kuhns definition of paradigm is that how is an experiment to be carried, and what equipment is available to carry the experiment. SCIENTIFIC PARADIGM A scientific paradigm, in the most basic sense of the word, is a framework containing all of the commonly accepted views about a subject, a structure of what direction research should take and how it should be performed (Shuttleworth, 2008). In 1962, Thomas Kuhn, in his book The Structure of Scientific Revolutions defined scientific paradigm as what is to be discovered and inspected, the type of questions that are supposed to be asked and examined for answers in relation to this subject, how these questions are to be organized and how the results of scientific investigations should be analysed. WHAT IS A PARADIGMS ROLE? The philosopher, Thomas Kuhn suggested that scientific research does not progress towards truths, but is subject to belief and remaining emotionally attached to old theories. He gave four basic ways in which a paradigm indirectly influences the scientific process as mentioned above. A paradigm includes what is studied and researched, the kind of questions that are asked, the structure and nature of the questions and how the results of any research are interpreted. Kuhn believed that science required periods of patiently gathering data, in a paradigm, and then revolution occurred as the paradigm turn to maturity. A paradigm can include some errors but they eventually become impossible, like Ptolemys epicycles, and result in a paradigm shift. The new paradigm is not necessarily better than the old one but it is just different. For example, most psychologists weep at the mention of the Freudian paradigm. WHAT IS A PARADIGM SHIFT? Paradigm shifts are mostly used in sciences that appear to be stable and mature, at the end of the 19th century. A paradigm shift (or revolutionary science) is the term used but not named by Thomas Kuhn in his book The Structure of Scientific Revolutions in 1962. Paradigm shift is a successive transition from one paradigm to another via revolution is the usual developmental pattern of mature science. Paradigm shift questions the paradigm itself. It is a change from one way of thinking to another. Its a revolution, a transformation. . It just does not happen, but rather it is driven by agents of change. It is when the model for a process or application or method changes significantly, typically because there has been a leap. Kuhn believes that a paradigm would make an unexpected leap from one to the next, called a shift, and the new paradigm could not be built upon the foundations of the old. The indirect meaning is that one has stepped off the road that the prior paradigm followed onto an intersecting and better road. The term paradigm shift has found uses in other contexts, representing the notion of a major change in a certain thought-pattern; a radical change in personal beliefs, complex systems or organizations, replacing the previous way of thinking or organizing with a radically different way of thinking or organizing. The Paradigm is closely related to the Platonic and Aristotelian views of knowledge. Aristotle believed that knowledge could only be based upon what is already known, the basis of the scientific method. Plato believed that knowledge should be judged by what something could become, the end result, or final purpose. Platos philosophy is more like the intuitive leaps that cause scientific revolution; Aristotles the patient gathering of data. For example, in physics Newtons Laws were an example of a paradigm, and scientists worked upon his principles for centuries. The discovery of the internal structure of the atom started to find problems in the theory, and Einstein provided the out of the box thinking that drew the paradigm in another direction. ELEMENTS OF PARADIGM SHIFT A successful paradigm shift requires four main elements. First is pressure for change, second is a clear shared vision, then capacity for change and actionable first step (Kurkela, 2009). If any of these elements is missing the result would be failure of paradigm. Paradigms affect that what kind of learning resources are required and these learning resources further influence what kind of paradigms can be used or developed. THE ROLE OF PARADIGM SHIFT Paradigm shifting can start with your trying-on of different existing paradigms. For example, a person has the attitude of being an actor taking on a new role for a season on the stage, or for the duration of a movie. He or she goes into it, knowing that it is for a limited time, and that they will emerge from it the other side. During the play or filming period he/she will adopt that character as it is real. Then again actor will put it down again afterwards. However, while in the play or during filming, the actor tries to become that character, and fulfill the requirement of the role to make it natural. EXAMPLES OF PARADIGM SHIFTS IN THE NATURAL SCIENCES The transition in cosmology from a Ptolemaic cosmology to a Copernican one. The transition in optics from geometrical optics to physical optics. The transition in mechanics from Aristotelian mechanics to classical mechanics. The acceptance of Charles Darwins theory of natural selection replaced Lamarckism as the mechanism for evolution. EXAMPLES OF PARADIGM SHIFTS IN THE SOCIAL SCIENCES The movement, known as the Cognitive revolution, away from Behaviourist approaches to psychological study and the acceptance of cognition as central to studying human behaviour. The Keynesian Revolution is typically viewed as a major shift in macroeconomics.

The Poem Negro by Langston Hughes Essay -- Poetry Analysis

The poem â€Å"Negro† was written by Langston Hughes in 1958 where it was a time of African American development and the birth of the Civil Rights Movement. Langston Hughes, as a first person narrator tells a story of what he has been through as a Negro, and the life he is proud to have had. He expresses his emotional experiences and makes the reader think about what exactly it was like to live his life during this time. By using specific words, this allows the reader to envision the different situations he has been put through. Starting off the poem with the statement â€Å"I am a Negro:† lets people know who he is, Hughes continues by saying, â€Å" Black as the night is black, /Black like the depths of my Africa.† He identifies Africa as being his and is proud to be as dark as night, and as black as the depths of the heart of his country. Being proud of him self, heritage and culture is clearly shown in this first stanza. The structure of this poem is not the traditional form of poetry, in that he begins with a first person statement then after an indentation, he elaborates on it almost lik...

Percentage Composition by Mass of Magnesium Oxide Essay

Percentage composition by mass of magnesium oxide – Report Objective: To measure and calculate the ratio of magnesium to oxygen in magnesium oxide. To compare the lab ratio to the percent composition calculation based on the formula. Hypothesis: Based on the law of definite proportions, the percentage composition of magnesium oxide should be around 60% magnesium and 40% oxygen. Materials: * Goggles * Centigram or analytical balance * 2-4 cm magnesium ribbon * Steel Wool * Porcelain crucible and lid * Bunsen Burner * Retort Stand * Ring Stand and Clamp * Clay Triangle * Crucible Tongs * Glass Stirring Rod * Distilled Water Calculations + Observation: Please see the back of the report. Discussion: B) The fact that magnesium oxide was formed, which is a new substance, proved that a chemical reaction had taken place. E) Yes, the law of definite proportions is valid, because most of the other groups that had not encountered as many errors as us and they had more accurate results which were closer to the predicted compositions according to the law. The rest had similar results to us which proves that their errors were similar to ours. H) The white film on the surface of the magnesium was polished because it prevents reactions of magnesium and gas elements in the air. This was necessary because we wanted magnesium to react with oxygen and therefore had to remove the white film. Conclusion: J) Yes, the law of definite proportions is valid, because most of the other groups that had not encountered as many errors as us had more accurate results. The rest had similar results which proves that their errors were similar as well. Sources of error: You have to be very precautious while doing this experiment. Here are reasons/possible errors that could have been encountered: * The magnesium oxide could have been lost through the crucible during the heating process. This could result in the loss of the product. To prevent this, the lid should be set slightly off-center on the crucible so that only the air goes in. * When the glass stirring rod was used to crush the magnesium, there is a high chance that the magnesium oxide could have been left on it before adding the water, resulting in the loss of product. To prevent this, the stirring rod should be held above the crucible and then pour the water slowly on to the end of the stirring rod so that the water would run down into the crucible while dragging the MgO from the stirring rod. * Magnesium could have not reacted with oxygen completely. * The crucible might be left dirty with other particles in it that could have made variations in the MgO reaction. * The water could be contaminated. * All water might not have evaporated. * Magnesium having not been crushed completely into powder after reaction. * Rushing through experiment because of lack of time. * Chance of Problem with weighing scale. * Crucible had extra weight due to extra contents that were unseen.

Overall Effects of Vietnam War

The overall effects of the Vietnam War The Vietnam War was a military conflict in which communist forces of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam fought with the indigenous National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam along with their allies, mostly the United States of America over a unification of two states to be bonded by one communistic government. The Vietnam war lasted 209384903 years and the United States was involved for 20394032 years. The issue at hand was the possible expansion of communism in Asia.From our democratic viewpoint, and being ethnocentric, the United States felt involvement was necessary and it would benefit not only us, but the world. The war had a huge effect on literally everything that was involved; from the soldiers, the societies, the land, the governments. Almost everyone in the word today can altogether agree that our involvement in the war was a poor decision made by our ethnocentric government. Our government tried to spread democracy by getting involved with a civil issue, as they still do today.One would think that our predestined failure in the past would obviously come to mine once again when a similar situation occurs; such as Iraq or future events. The United States of America was founded on the belief of freedom; our establishment was completely against the English policy and caused wars. We very often engage in hypocritical actions where we try to restrict the type of government and types of policies created around the world even though we feel that we are spreading the correct way. The bad effects of the Vietnam war significantly over shadowed any benefit that the United States thought at the time would come.Our involvement was irresponsible and caused horrific damage to the United States society. The returning troops were battered and abused by citizens as if they had not unwillingly experienced enough over in Vietnam; their events would live on with them until they die. The United State’s involvement in th e Vietnam war conflict was a terrible mistake that caused tragic effects that would live on for decades. The Vietnam war mostly forever affected the lives on the United States soldiers that went into battle in Vietnam. From the horrific sights witnessed over in Vietnam, to the unjustified treatment upon return, the oldiers unarguably suffered the most. Roughly 58,226 U. S. soldiers died for a unsuccessful cause. The draft was instituted in 1969 where thousands of soldiers were unwillingly deployed to fight a losing battle. Nobody wanted to endure the effects of the war personally, and as a result thousands of men fled from the draft. Returning vets were unjustly treated for their service to their country, as if it was their decision to become involved in the Vietnam conflict. The average veteran witnessed friendly casualties on a daily basis, and the death of enemies that was orchestrated by the United States government.During the Vietnam war, the government deployed chemical substa nces, mostly agent orange, who’s purpose was to kill the foliage along the war path. The government, inadvertently poisoned thousands of troops that were exposed to this agent. Upon return, post-traumatic stress disorder started to effect soldiers. PTSD is defined as â€Å"A psychological disorder affecting individuals who have experienced or witnessed profoundly traumatic events, such as torture, murder, rape, or wartime combat, characterized by recurrent flashbacks of the traumatic event, nightmares, irritability, anxiety, fatigue, forgetfulness, and social withdrawal. By definition, a soldier that was sent off to Vietnam suffered from all these experiences. Today, 161,000 soldiers are continuing to receive compensation for their post traumatic stress syndromes. Roughly 37 percent of soldiers from Vietnam are estimated to be suffering from ptsd. An astounding amount of suffrage is being pushed on to the soldiers when it was not even their battle in the beginning.