10 Definition Essay Topics on Material Culture

10 Definition Essay Topics on Material Culture If you’re looking for facts for your definitional essay, you can take some notes from this guide. Material culture is the study and research of cultures and history through the properties of objects found from digging sites. There are various schools of thoughts on how to go about accumulating and assessing the data acquired by objects, and you have a plethora of options to choose your essay’s topic from. Here are 10 facts on material culture for a definition essay: Origination of material culture as a study as a specialized discipline goes all the way back to the 1990s. The progress however was slow as it took the Journal of Material Culture another six years to begin distribution. Before Material Culture, the Collecting Habits Culture existed hundreds of years ago, and even before that, the ethnographic work was very popular in this area. Material Culture was used to portray the systematic evolution of society during the famous, â€Å"Golden Age† of museums. The museums used this technique to demonstrate objects of non-westerns all the way to the advanced European objects. This technique was used to portray the common knowledge that the Europeans represented the end of society’s evolution and non-westerners represented the beginning. This understanding didn’t survive for long as scholars declared that it was insufficient. Later, the belief was that Material Culture didn’t evolve the society by predictable cycles. Non-western Material Culture was also looked at more objectively. During the early times of its establishment as a discipline, Material Culture had a very narrow school of thought and focus area. In the beginning, it existed within the domain of anthropology and relied on it to express, catalogue and inventory the diverse cultures. The very first Material Culture studies created an inventory of objects while defining it, these objects were mostly from non-western or from Non-European origins. Most of these objects belonged to the military faction, like the spear, knife and shields. Although the purpose of Material Culture was to use the artifacts to collect retrospective research through examining the human behavior and culture, the real prime purpose was to objectify, create hierarchy and scrutinize the cultural signatures of non-western cultures. The Zenith period of museum collecting, which is more commonly known as Museum Age dated between 1880-1920, helped demonstrate a biased form of education as it portrayed the only progress of evolution and cultural development from the perspective of western culture. At the beginning of 20th century, Franz Boas introduced a unique technique of reordering Material Culture that rightly captured both the audience’s attention and increased their education. This technique, called the ‘Life Group Arrangement’, helped recreate visual presentation of various aspects of social lives of different cultures. These spectacles made sure that the mannequins were dressed accordingly and were shown doing some day to day work, portraying a certain social context. Pitt Rivers, the famous ethnologist and archaeologist who is known for his contributions in innovations in archaeological methodology and in the field of Material Culture used his overseas military career to gather a vast variety of artifacts. This constantly improving collection caught the eyes of various academic ethnographers and museums, ultimately around 1884 the collection was added into a newly developed area in the Oxford University Museum. River’s findings helped establish a general consensus in the Material Culture researchers of the time that all mankind can be traced back to a singular moment. It further helped extrapolate that mankind’s history can be reconstructed and the findings can help differentiate racial significance and interconnection. Until the 60s and 70s, there was no specific interest in a sub-discipline of multicultural as the field of study was dominated by the presence of archeologists who were primarily interested in the study of history through materials and items dug up from sites. During that time museum scholars and practitioners documented these artifacts and items, and exhibited them accordingly. A lot of contemporary Material Culture developments that are being achieved in today’s time are possible due to the notes made by researchers like Susan M. Pearce. One of the many characteristics that define the contemporary historical research which is known as Material Culture is the interdisciplinary and cross-disciplinary focus. Interdisciplinary is the study where various disciplines of Multi Culture are used such as sociology, psychology, anthropology and history. No particular discipline is kept above another and all of them are used to provide one single analysis. This exception is important in the Interdisciplinary studies because an object doesnt have a singular interpretation as they have multiple meanings. Material Culture proves that objects do portray culture and society and social analysis should be performed under the discipline of Material Culture so that a refined view of cultures can be established. The process can take a long time because studying the elements of material culture requires careful attention to space, emotions and the body of people and objects. Contemporary researchers have decided to re-materialize social theory to further attune people-to-object relationship. Among the various sociologists who researched the earliest forms of modernity and capitalism, Georg Simmel was the most significant sociologist who deduced that Material Culture was important to define the nature of modern experience. Mr. Simmel brought forth the notion that modern economy accelerated the number of objects. He claimed that there were a lot of cultural and experiential implications attached to this hypothesis. The accelerated amount of items released a variety of living styles and opportunities for individuals to create their individual persona. Material Culture studies are primarily opinion and hypothesis based as it’s a study to predict the past through elements of research taken from objects and we urge you to go beyond the research and speculate your own thoughts into the research. Bring something new to the table and make a name for yourself. We are here to help and we suggest you to read our next piece 20 definition essay topics on material culture as well as our specific guide on the matter. References: Berger, A. A. (2009). What objects mean: An introduction to material culture. Walnut Creek, CA: Left Coast Press. Boivin, N. (2008). Material Cultures, Material Minds: The Impact Of Material World On Human Thoughts, Society, And Evolution. Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Press. Clunas, C. (2004). Material culture and social status in early modern China. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press. Miller, D. (1998). Material Cultures: Why Some Things Matter. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Hicks, D., Beaudry, M. C. (2010). The Oxford handbook of material culture studies. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Kirkham, P., Weber, S. (n.d.). History of Design: Decorative Arts And Material Culture, 1400-2000. Miller, D. (1987). Material Culture and Mass Consumption. Oxford, OX, UK: B. Blackwell.

UNUSUAL WRITING JOBS

UNUSUAL WRITING JOBS Youre here because you want to make money from your writing. Youve tried everything from writing filler articles for magazines to writing full-length features on every topic under the sun. Youve created a blog and put AdSense on it. Youre even trying to reach potential clients through social media. Well, Im here to tell you that you havent tried everything. Thousands of jobs, all created and available on the world wide web, require people who can write. They arent always called writing jobs because the end goal isnt a beautiful piece of writing, but they require writers because the process involves writing. Today Id like to mention three kinds of jobs which will use your skills as a writer, allow you to continue working flexibly from home, and which youve probably overlooked. 1. Social Media Jobs- businesses all over the world are using Twitter and Facebook to connect with their clients. Frankly, most would rather have someone else do it. Theyll even give you tips- what other sites in their niche to share content from, what their strategy has been so far, what hashtags youll want to use. All you have to do is stay up to date with what the companys doing and keep Twitter and Facebook up to date with them. Right now I get paid weekly for logging into someone elses Twitter and Facebook right after I log into mine, posting a couple updates and occasionally asking questions to their following. It takes twenty minutes out of my day and I get paid well to do it. So how do you find a social media job? Well, I found mine on Craigslist, and Ive seen several on Kijiji. Social media jobs are usually posted in the part-time section rather than the writing section, but its really about writing: how can you use your words to connect businesses to their clients? 2. Website

Motorsport Technology A Subsystem Of A Modern Racing Car Essay

Motorsport Technology A Subsystem Of A Modern Racing Car - Essay Example By regulation, the tyres feature a minimum of four grooves in them, with the intention of slowing the cars down. A slick tyre, with no indentations, is best in dry conditions. Both front and rear tyres are typically 660 mm in diameter. They can be no wider than 355 mm and 380 mm at the front and rear respectively. Slick tyres are rumoured to be reintroduced as of 2009 but the FIA regulations (though they can be changed) still have Formula One using "grooved" tyres in 2008. There are several factors affecting the performance of formula 1 cars' tyres that should be considered before designing it. These factors include the road conditions, temperature, humidity, contact area with the ground and a few others. In tyre design, there are three main considerations - the profile and size, the tread, and the compound. Racing tires are highly specialized according to vehicle and race track conditions. Tyres are specially engineered for specific race tracks according to surface conditions, cornering loads, and track temperature. Tyres have also been specially engineered for drifting. Racing tyres are often engineered to minimum weight targets, so tires for a 500mile race may run only 300miles before a tyre change. In 2005, tyre changes were disallowed in Formula One, the compound was harder as the tyres had to last the full race distance (around 300km). Tyre changes were re-instated in 2006, following the dramatic and highly political 2005 United States Grand Prix. For the 2007 season Bridgestone is the sole tyre supplier and have introduced four compounds of tyre, two of which will be made available at each race. The harder tyre is more durable but gives lesser grip, and the softer tyre gives more grip but is less durable. Both compounds have to be used by teams in a race and the softer tyre has a painted white stripe in the second groove. Each team must use each specification during the race, unless wet or intermediate tyres are used during the race, in which case this rule no longer applies. In extremely wet weather, such as that seen in the 2007 European Grand Prix, the Formula One cars were unable to keep up to the Safety Car in deep standing water due to the risk of hydro planing. Rubbers used in tyres are generally styrene-butadiene co-polymers, natural rubber, or polybutadiene. These can be blended in whatever ratio is desired. The styrene content can be varied to give a hard wearing rubber, or a high styrene cling rubber to maximise wet grip at the expense of heat build up. Everything is a compromise aimed at giving the best performance for a particular application. For example, when a new circuit is laid down the surface is very abrasive, and polybutadiene has a superb abrasion resistance to sliding on sharp surfaces. However, it is hopeless in the wet, since grip suffers appallingly. In car racing of course, grip is everything. The second most important variable is the carbon black type that is used. As a general rule, the finer the carbon black, the higher the abrasion resistance, and the higher the heat build-up in the rubber compound in service. There is another variable, the "structure' of the carbon black, a measure of the agglomeration of

Current issues in financial reporting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Current issues in financial reporting - Essay Example Because of this, there is a huge interest as well as apprehension regarding the basis upon which accounting data is collected and reported. Thus, the statement made by Solomons (1991) that ‘[i]f accounting is to retain any credibility – and without credibility it is worthless – its guiding light must be neutrality in financial reporting’, surely, assumes that the records on a balance sheet or profit and loss statement ought to be a precise indication of a business’s performance. This, unarguably, is the function of accounting. It is a language that explains as well as communicates features of company to its owners along with other concerned parties. The goals of financial statement turn out to be intricate during current years as the quantity and complication of disclosures have risen, and the users of financial statement have become even more demanding. Accounts are no longer merely a description of earlier activity and existing solvency. In the pre sent day, investors as well as other users of accounts anticipate to be able to utilize them to estimate business’s potential and to predict its success. Accounting information within financial statement may well be precise in the solely legal aspect but may not expose fiscal or business truth. Clearly, there is nothing novel regarding this condition; the regulations that guide the preparation of an account are â€Å"legion† (Pounder, 2009, p. 102), and a few of them are practical whereas a number of them seem very flexible and difficult to deal with; thus, accountants attempt to understand the regulations in the best manner that matches the principles. Nonetheless, there are reasons for considering that something will currently have to be done regarding the situation. The latest wave of abrupt as well as unanticipated failure and crash of major financial institutions has tended to destabilize assurance in audited account. Lately, it has been noticed that well-informed chief executives of banks show reluctance regarding their enormous â€Å"paper profits† (Botzem, 2012, p. 76). This is a sign that financial reports all over the globe are considered to be misleading and not telling the real position and that by large, inaccuracies could surface in later years. This reality indicates a somewhat sorry image of the condition of the accounting work and reliability of available financial reporting. In spite of all this, there is still a word of support due to several truthful and straightforward accountants who press for telling reality in their accounts and whose approach has support from their boards and their auditors, therefore guaranteeing that the â€Å"black art of cosmetic reporting† (Botzem, 2012, p. 76) in accounting is at least lessened if not eradicated. Accounting information is consistent if it is reasonably exempt from inaccuracy and partiality and truly reveals what it intends to reveal. Information is dependable when it h as representational authenticity and is confirmable as well as neutral. Representational authenticity is the level of connection between the stated accounting measurements or depictions and the financial sources and commitments as well as the dealings and events creating alterations in these items (Alexander et al., 2011, p. 120). Having a high level of representational authenticity is helpful in decreasing measurement prejudice. Verifiability is the capability of measurers to agree that the chosen technique has been

Trans World Airlines (TWA) Essay Example for Free

Trans World Airlines (TWA) Essay Before Trans World Airlines (TWA) had expressed its interest to acquire Ozark Airlines (Ozark), it had already established itself so it will achieve dominance once the merger took place. The company initially equipped itself with knowledge and resources that will bring them to an advantage over Ozark. TWA went through three primary agreements prior to the acquisition on which it had displayed aggressive influence on all of them. In the Wraparound Agreement, TWA pilots used threats so they can have complete participation in drafting the merger terms with Ozark. They warned that they will withdraw their membership in the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) if the terms will not be drafted to serve their best interest. This control over the acquisition terms was amplified when TWA pilots and ALPA made an agreement with Icahn (the biggest stockholder of TWA) that they will â€Å"extend the wage and benefit concessions† in exchange for full influential power over the details of the merger agreement (Pierce Dougherty 146). The â€Å"threat† strategy was also used to compel Ozark pilots to sign the contract under the merger agreement. An Ozark respondent described that TWA had threatened to take additional 10 airplanes on top of the 4 already acquired and to lay off more pilots if the contracts were not signed. The same strategy was also used so TWA will obtain compliance among Ozark employees. The former had instilled the concept of it being a â€Å"big airline company absorbing a small airline company.† Hence, the latter as the â€Å"small company† should submit to their authority. Another communication practice used by TWA to display its dominance is by branding the employees. Branding was defined as the manner of creating a distinction between a TWA employee and a former Ozark employee. In databases, for example, Ozark employees were reported to have an asterisk symbol or big red letters â€Å"OZARK† beside their names. It appeared that though the two airline companies had merged, an internal division was still maintained. The â€Å"branding† also implied certain restrictions for the Ozark pilots. Contractual boundaries were set. These were referred to as â€Å"fences† (Pierce Dougherty 150). A TWA pilot attested that there were existing contracts that restricted former Ozark pilots to fly some of the aircrafts until a specific seniority level on TWA standards was acquired. Training opportunities for former Ozark pilots were also very low. With these restrictions, a seniority level which means better wages, benefits, equipment assignments and cockpit positions will be difficult or will take a longer time to attain for former Ozark pilots. The division was an accepted fact for both TWA and former Ozark employees. To further demonstrate this reality, both parties still display their distinctive badges, colors or pins. Some even had symbolic tattoos on their bodies. Pierce Dougherty interpreted this as an approach by the dominated party to display resistance (152). Through their unique colors or pins, former Ozark employees reinforced their identity amidst TWA’s dominant structure. Some former Ozark pilots also exhibited their identity by not adopting TWA’s flying standards. These forms of resistance may not have altered TWA’s dominance but former Ozark employees had gained their own source of personal power by identifying themselves as â€Å"Ozarks† (Pierce Dougherty 154). Through the case study made by Pierce and Dougherty which tracked the pre-acquisition and acquisition of Ozark by TWA, it was established that power-as-domination can be created, enacted and maintained through communication processes (157). TWA’s behavior was seen to be very influential from the very start. Since they were at an advantage when it came to resources and size, they were able to threaten other organizations such as ALPA to get what they want and how things should happen. Former Ozark employees also feared these threats and had no recourse but to follow what TWA mandated to avoid losing their jobs. It is evident from the case study that TWA made no effort to erase the division that resulted from the apparent disparity with the former Ozark employees. Instead, they reinforced the situation by further defining limits hence preventing any opportunity for the former Ozark employees to step up from their places and be an equal. This, as it appeared, was a way to preserve the status quo which had TWA as the dominating company. Pierce and Dougherty, however, described this situation as very unhealthy. They said this fosters a negative environment, lower productivity and lower commitment among the employees especially toward the parent company (157). From the authors’ observations in the workplace, TWA pilots and former Ozark pilots rarely interact as one group. Conversations were usually brief and only because urgency or necessity. The lack of unity was all the more evident by the different colors, pins or badges that the employees displayed to show the airline company where they had originated. Some former Ozark pilots also refused to follow certain standards as they do not conform to what they had been doing in the past. Pierce and Dougherty recommended that managers should not tolerate such differences within the company that came from a merger. The merging of two companies should be seen as a partnership not as â€Å"one company swallowing another† (158). The merger should invest on the strengths of both companies and strive to develop a better combined company that can compete with any similar company in the world. In the process of recognizing the contribution of each individual employee, whether he/she is a TWA employee or a former Ozark employee, communication processes that exhibit power imbalances will be minimized or will even be non-existent. Threats will no longer be necessary to achieve compliance and commitment. Instead, there will only be one airline company achieving its targets from the combined powers of TWA and Ozark. Reference: Pierce, Tamyra Dougherty, Debbie S. â€Å"The Construction, Enactment and Maintenance of Power-As-Domination through an Acquisition: the Case of TWA and Ozark Airlines.† Management Communication Quarterly 16.2 (2002): 129-164.

A Walk In The Clouds - A Wonderland Called Sentiment Essay example --

In an era when harsh actuality of everyday life propels one to the realm of insanity, to a pharmaceutically induced sleep, or to a dreadful state of existence, it is a pleasure for a fairytale world to engulf an individual. Although for only a brief time of ninety minutes, that ninety minutes is as refreshing as a relaxing soak in a warm tub of water. â€Å"A Walk in the Clouds† provides the means of escape by way of a delightful romantic fantasy. At a time when movies seem compelled to be asocial, when it is more effortless to smirk than to sigh, this film refreshingly takes us to a dream world, if only for a time.Director Alfonso Arau brings sentiment to a story set in post-World War II California. Paul Sutton (Keanu Reeves) has returned home to a wife he married only one day before shipping out. Having nothing in common, Paul sets out from San Francisco first by train then on a bus. On the train he meets Victoria Aragon (Aitana Sanchez-Gijon). After mistaking train tickets, he and she end up on the same bus. He defends her honor by kicking the rear ends of two ruffians. Moreover, in doing so, is kicked off the bus. He finds his damsel in distress, Victoria, her sitting on one of her suitcases and crying in the middle of the road. This is her home, the Napa Valley of California.The road is picturesque, a rural path with overhanging trees, and the perfect beginning for a storybook romance. She confesses to a pregnancy by her college professor and the shame she will bring upo...

Introduction to the Sciences Essay

The statement that; â€Å"Computers are part of our everyday lives.† Is so correct, I don’t think the people of today would know how to do anything without the computer. Between the desktop top computers and laptops to the smart phone everything can be stored using less space and the ability to locate stuff so much more easier that if the world of today lost computers around the world for even just an hour would put this world in an uproar. There are three essential properties of every material that scientists use as a premise for almost every study. The kind of atoms is the first one that the material is made up of. You will have your neutral elements and your compound elements. The neutral elements have the same amount of protons and electrons, which basically cancel each other out leaving them neutral. The compound element deals with combining more than one element. In the way those atoms are arrange is the second one. The best example of this is by comparing the atoms of liquid and the atoms of solids. For example the atoms of liquids move around much more freely than the atoms of solids which are packed together. The third one is the way the atoms are bonded together. There are also four key properties one must understand when studying a material. The first is strength which has the ability of a solid to resist changes in shape. The strength of the material, which means it must be able to withstand the forces being applied to it without breaking, is the first. There are three distinguished different kinds of strength that scientists and engineers recognize. One is the ability to withstand crushing, another is its ability to withstand pulling apart and the last one is its ability to withstand shearing. The most critical key property to us is those that control the flow electricity. An electrical conductor is capable of carrying an electrical current. See more: how to start an essay Which means electrons can flow freely. However, there are also other materials that can also conduct electricity, like saltwater that contains ions of sodium and chlorine, which also freely move if they become of an electric current. Electrical insulators are a material that will not conduct electricity unless they come into contact with an extremely high voltage that can pull the electrons loose. Semiconductors and Superconductors are the third properties. Semiconductors are neither good conductor nor are they a perfect insulator. But, they are the most important components of our electronic age. A superconductor is a property that exhibits materials that when cooled within a few degrees of absolute zero. The last one is the magnetic properties of materials. Even though we may not pay much attention to magnets they are a part of our daily lives. Magnets are in most of our electric motors or our stereo speakers and many other things we use on a daily bases. Now before we look at microchips and the information revolution, we must learn about doped semiconductors. Doping is intentionally introduces impurities into a pure semiconductor. There are two really important consequences with doping semiconductors the first being, is there are conductions electron in the material and the second one being phosphorus ion that has been left behind has a positive charge. A u-type semiconductor is a semiconductor doped with phosphorus because a moving charge is a negative charge. A p-type semiconductor is when silicon can be doped with an element like aluminum. When the aluminum is dope into a crystal structure there is one less valence electron. This missing electron creates a material tat can easily carry an electrical current. Once it starts moving around the aluminum atom has now acquired an extra electron which has a negative charge. When placing a u-type semiconductor against a p-type semiconductor negative charge electrons will diffuse from the u–type to the p-type whereas positive charged holes will diffuse the opposite way, p-type to u-type. A semiconductor like this is known as a diode. Once constructed a permanent electrical field pushes electrons across the boundary from u-type to the p-type. As the electrons flow in the diode the current flows normally. However, when it is reversed the electrons are blocked by the built in electrical field. This makes the diode allow a one way passage to allow the electrical current in only direction. By the use of a device called photovoltaic cell the semiconducting diodes play a very important role in the future of the U.S. It is nothing more than a thin layer of u –type material bonded to thicker layer of p-type material. The photovoltaic cells are in hand calculators, cameras and televisions. A transistor is a device that s based on our entire information age. It is just like a sandwich. One would have a u-type, p-type, u-type and another would be a p-type, u-type, p-type. Both transistors control the flow of electrons. Even though diodes and transistors still have a role in modern electronic they have mostly be replaced by much more complex arrays of p and u type semiconductors called microchips. The first transistors built where about the size of a golf ball but now days they can be as small as a grain of rice. Microchips incorporate hundreds to thousands of transistors in one intergrated circuit that is designed to perform a specific function. Computer science is a branch o f science that’s main goal is to create intelligence in machines and robots. It is known as artificial intelligence. Artificial Intelligence is the study of man-made computational devices and systems which can be made to act in a manner which we would be inclined to call intelligent. Artificial intelligence research is highly technical, it is deeply divided into subfields that do fail to communicate with each other. The differences between the computer brain and the human brain is that the human brain is composed of soft organic tissue made mostly of fat. The computer brain, however, is composed of hard, inorganic materials made mostly of silicon and copper. Another difference between the two brains is that the human brain’s software-the mind-exists only metaphysically and the computer’s brain knows only what it was programmed to know, well at least so far anyways. References: The Sciences: An Integrated Approach Edition 7 Chapter 11 Materials and Their Properties http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artificial_intelligence