The United States promotes itself to its citizens and to the rest of the world as a place built on freedom, and a land free of oppression. This country prides itself on the idea of coexistence and that the power rests on all people equally.  Religious freedom is a theme seen often in American culture. The main reason for the first settlers to come to America was to escape the British persecution regarding the freedom to practice religion.  In order to allow that this type of freedom will continued Thomas Jefferson proposed the idea of the separation of church and state expressed in the first amendment. These good intentions however are not seen nearly as much in practice. It seems counterintuitive that in a country where all religions are considered equal that christian ideals and people are seen as more having more importance in society. The values of christianity have a unfair hold on American attitudes ideas and policy making in this country.

Barner-Barry, C.. Contemporary Paganism : Minority Religions in a Majoritarian America. New York, US: Palgrave Macmillan, 2005. ProQuest ebrary. Web. 6 February 2017.

Blummenfield, Warren J. “Equity & Excellence in Education.” Christian Privilege and the Promotion of “Secular” and Not-So “Secular” Mainline Christianity in Public Schooling and in the Larger Society: Equity & Excellence in Education: Vol 39, No 3. Taylor and Francis Online, 23 Nov. 2006. Web. 06 Feb. 2017.

FLETCHER, JH. Warrants for Reconstruction: Christian Hegemony, White Supremacy. Journal of Ecumenical Studies. 51, 1, 54-79, 2016. ISSN: 00220558.

Hixson, Walter L.. The Myth of American Diplomacy : National Identity and U.S. Foreign Policy. New Haven, US: Yale University Press, 2008. ProQuest ebrary. Web. 6 February 2017.

Hondagneu-Sotelo, P. (2010). Immigration and religion in america: Comparative and historical perspectives. Contemporary Sociology, 39(2), 139-140. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.rowan.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/220165319?accountid=13605

Human beings make a lot of trash. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is a mass of garbage and debris that is floating in the ocean. It is the largest amount of trash on earth. It poses a major threat not only to the surrounding wildlife, but to the entire planet. There has not yet been a successful effort to clean up this trash, but not all ideas have been tried. Richart Sowa is an artist who lives off the coast of Mexico on his own floating island. His island is made of recycled bottles and other trash, with layers of soil and dirt on top of it. He has planted trees to hold the dirt and recycled materials in place, and has made his own mini-ecosystem. If this idea is implemented correctly, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch could become a manmade, eco-friendly island. Another idea is that of the Trash Wheel. The trash wheel is a solar powered paddle boat that travels around the harbors of Baltimore and Annapolis. These trash wheels have picked up over one million pounds of trash from the harbors. Being from Baltimore, I have seen there effects myself and I thought that their idea could work for this as well.

Sources so far-

MailOnline, Jenny Awford for. “No man is an island: British DIY Robinson Crusoe builds his own floating paradise off the coast of Mexico out of 150,000 recycled bottles – and now he’s found his Girl Friday!” Daily Mail Online. Associated Newspapers, 07 Nov. 2014. Web. 06 Feb. 2017.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2825071/British-DIY-Robinson-Crusoe-builds-floating-paradise-150-000-recycled-bottles.html

Summary: There is a man in Mexico who has constructed his own island. He has made it out of layers or plastic bottles, sand, and topsoil. The recycled bottles have bene strung together so that the Island floats. He has a house, air conditioning, and even a hot tub on his floating paradise. Well after some time on his island by himself, he has found a woman to live with him. It’s a true Adam and Eve story.

Hoshaw, Lindsay. “Afloat in the Ocean, Expanding Islands of Trash.” New York Times. 10 Nov. 2009. Web. 06 Feb. 2017

Click to access new_york_times_article.pdf

Summary: A gyre is a term for a swirl or vortex caused by ocean currents. In one of these gyres off the coast of Hawaii, there is something called the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. This garbage patch is a mass of collected garbage. Be it cans, bottles, styrofoam, or tiny bits of plastic, it is all collected together in a mass that is roughly the size of Texas. The patch is harmful to surrounding wildlife, and must be dealt with.

Kaiser, Jocelyn, Jocelyn Kaiser, and Science18 Jun 2010 : 1506. “The Dirt on Ocean Garbage Patches.” The Dirt on Ocean Garbage Patches | Science. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Feb. 2017.

http://science.sciencemag.org/content/328/5985/1506.full

Summary: The great pacific garbage patch has been called a “trash vortex.” It is not the mucky collection of bulky garbage that many believe it is. Mostly it’s pellets of plastic. This is caused by the plastic breaking down in the ocean. The result is many animals dying from eating these pellets, thinking they are plankton or some other food.

It seems counterintuitive that as a society we promote bringing children to aquariums to teach them about different animals and how they live, but what we don’t tell them is how poorly they are being treated in these tiny tanks. Even our schools make field trips to aquariums to promote an educational experience, but there must be other ways we can teach them about the wildlife instead of watching the animals being kept in captivity. A specific example would be the whale. At these aquariums you watch a whale do some tricks while a worker tells you about some fun facts of its species. But what they don’t tell you is that these whales are not supposed to be kept in a small pool to perform the same routine multiple times a day for the rest of their lives. They are supposed to be out in the ocean living a life and creating families of their own. We need to stop promoting trips to the aquariums as an educational experience or as a family fun event. There are other ways to learn about animal life and watching them suffer should not be one of them.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/03/150329-orca-blackfish-seaworld-dolphins-killer-whales-ngbooktalk/

In this article, Former SeaWorld trainer John Hargrove talks about the dangers of being a trainer and keeping these whales captive. He talks about how dangerous being a trainer us because these are KILLER whales they are dealing with and they could snap at any moment. There have been many deaths from these whales, yet they still continue to perform and put on these shows as entertainment. He also mentioned the effects being in captivity has on these whales such as the psychological and physical trauma. These whales are supposed to be out living in the wild not being exploited and forced to perform tricks to make an audience happy. He then goes on to talk about how SeaWorld needs to stop it’s breeding program because than there will always be whales in captivity. They need to be placed in a sea sanctuary that is closely related to living in the ocean where they do not need to perform for audiences they can just live the rest of their lives there happily.

https://www.thedodo.com/seaworld-orcas-peel-skin-off-each-other-1498617162.html

This article is about former SeaWorld diver Sarah Fischbeck’s experience of the animal cruelty that went on. She talks about the experiences and trauma that not only the whales went through, but other animals such as dolphins and penguins. These animals took out their anger on each other and would fight constantly harming each other and ripping off skin. Sometimes they would even throw each other over the walls or really injure each other and sometimes the trainers and divers to relieve stress. Some animals refused food or even killed their own babies to save them from the cruel world of being captive. She talked about how the pool for the orcas is now even smaller to try and prevent another death and at least one whale can’t even go from nose to tail since it is only fifteen feet deep now. The whales were very aggresive towards the divers running into the gates and trying to attack them so they knew not to get within arms reach to the gate. The sad part is that they were never even told what to do or given any training if a whale got into the same pool as them which is very dangerous. She revealed some very dark and descriptive details an events that she has witnessed herself even though SeaWorld denies it all in order to keep business going.

SeaWorld’s Lies Sink To New Low

This article talks about how SeaWorld claims that the whales bent dorsal fin is due to genetics and how it is just a natural thing to occur. They are lying to the public to try and cover up for their actions. This deformity in their fin is due to their confinement and studies show the difference between a wild orcas injured fin and a collapsed fin on an orca because of captivity and they look nothing alike. SeaWorld tricks people into thinking that this dorsal fin collapse is normal and that it is very common among whales, which it is not. It is most commonly seen in whales that are kept in captivity and rarely seen on wile orcas. If people know the truth then they will be less likely to buy a ticket that is why they made this lie up to make it seem like being in captivity is good for them.

https://www.thedodo.com/seaworld-fails-to-educate-stud-775279102.html

This article talks about how places like SeaWorld have no educational value to children and they don’t learn anything valuable by going, they are just told false information. Schools usually take their students to an aquarium to be an educational experience and to learn about the marine life. But they are really just learning that whales are supposed to be living in these small pools because that is what they see when they go to these aquariums. They do not learn about their real habitats and most of them don’t even know what kind of whale they are watching, they just know it is “Shamu from SeaWorld”. Taking these children here is promoting cruelty, dishonesty, and hypocrisy. Studies prove that kids learn no new facts by attending aquariums and get no valuable lessons out of it so they should stop making it an educational field trip for them overall.

https://www.thedodo.com/seaworld-last-orca-show-2182210171.html

This article mentions SeaWorld San Diego’s last show, which is a big step towards finally freeing the orcas, but what people don’t realize is that San Diego is the only park doing this as of now. Also they are not completely ending the show they are creating a new show to try and focus on the natural behaviors of the whales. But this is not a change for the whales since they will still be kept in captivity and they will still have to perform commands that will have the audience think they are natural, but they are really being forced to do them.

Planned Parenthood has been a prominent institution in the United States for many years now.  This institution is crucial to the reproductive health and safety of women and young girls all across the country.  Its main purpose is to educate women of all ages on reproduction, sexually transmitted diseases, pregnancy, birth control, and much more.  Recently President Trump chose to defund all government spending towards Planned Parenthood.  By defunding this organization women everywhere are going to lose their rights to necessities, such as free birth control, and more.   Overall the defunding of Planned Parenthood will seriously impact the health, wellbeing, and education of women all over the country in a negative way.

Sources:

https://www.plannedparenthood.org/

This website lists all of the medical resources provided by planned parenthood.  It talks about what the organization is all about.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/01/05/politics/paul-ryan-planned-parenthood-obamacare/

This article shows what defunding of planned parenthood would do to women and men across the country and the negative impacts it would have.

http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/nejmp1102915#t=article

This article talks about how women and children are being left behind in the governments choice to defund planned parenthood.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSdf2iy_ROU

This source shows all of the things that planned parenthood provides for people all across the country.  It supports how necessary the healthcare they provide is for people in the United States.

It seems counterintuitive that America’s education system is based off of earning grades rather than learning. In the A-F letter grade system used in most schools in America, the focus of most students is to earn a high grade. Memorizing material for a test simply to get a good grade, and then forgetting the material right after the test is not a good way to learn. Long-term learning has to be a priority. The focus should be creating a society where education brings out creativity, and teaches us to become critical thinkers and innovators. In other words, America’s education system should teach the importance of learning instead of performing.

Allen, J. D. (2005). Grades as valid measures of academic achievement of classroom learning. The Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues and I, 78(5), 218-223.

Teachers have different preferences when it comes to grading. Some prefer to have grading system that includes behavior and participation. It focuses on more areas than a standards-based grading system, which only focuses on academics. Although it focuses on more areas, this system can be seen as unpredictable since it takes away from students academic achievements in different subjects. Other teachers prefer to use the standards- based grading system, since they believe it’s more predictable and expectations are more clear. They also think this system is better because colleges accept students mostly on their academic achievements, so they think its important to not have grades affected by things other than academics.

Brookhart, Susan M. “Starting The Conversation About Grading.” Educational Leadership 69.3 (2011): 10-14. Educational Administration Abstracts. Web. 6 Feb. 2017.

When teachers and school districts discuss which grading methods to use, the first important step is decide the purpose grades. Decide on what grades should mean, and what message they should convey to students. Questions like which grading scale to use, how often to report grades, how many grades to combine, and how to combine them will ineffective to discuss first.  First ask every member what grading practices they believe in. For example, the standards-based grading system focuses on “what students learn, not what earn,” while other practices are the other way around. After a conclusion is decided on, then secondary issues can be talked about.

Carey, Theodore, and James Carifio. “Minimum Grading, Maximum Learning.” Principal Leadership 11.7 (2011): 42-46. Education Full Text (H.W. Wilson). Web. 20 Feb. 2017.

The implementation of minimum grading can have many positive affects on students. Minimum grading in some school systems is not submitting any grades below a 50. For students who are inconsistent struggle in some areas, but thrive in others, this system works best for. This increases motivation and self worth in students. For example, if a student gets a zero on an assignment they forgot to turn in, and had one very low test grade in the beginning of the year, they won’t lose all hope in still achieving a good grade for the class. They will be motivated to still try to get a good grade, as opposed to giving up and not caring about the class anymore.

Kohn, Alfie. “The Case Against GRADES.” Educational Leadership 69.3 (2011): 28-33. Educational Administration Abstracts. Web. 6 Feb. 2017.

Current grading systems in place are not affective. Having a letter or number scale grading system takes the focus of students off of learning, and more on what grades they’re receiving in a certain class. Grades also create the problem that students will choose the easiest way out  when projects are assigned to get a good grade. For example, students will pick a topic they know the most on when choosing so it is easier to earn a better grade. Student-teacher conferences and narrative assessments could be a possible replacement for the grading system. These would provide summaries of student progress in writing or in person. This way, the progress of students can still be measured, just not through a number or letter grade system.

Spencer, Kyle. “Standards-Based Grading.” Education Digest 78.3 (2012): 4-10. Education Full Text (H.W. Wilson). Web. 20 Feb. 2017.

The standards-based grading system is a system in which only mastery in course subjects is measured. This method encourages students to move from learning simple concepts to understanding complex concepts. The standards-based grading system does that because it only measures academic success. The system works by providing an overall grade for each class, but also provides a grade for how well the student mastered the course based on its standards. Supporters of this system say that the traditional system is unreliable since its criteria is vague. They also say that this system is better since  grades cannot be affected by other factors that don’t including mastering the subject.

Mental Illness Stigma

For my research essay I will be examining America’s stigma on mental illness compared to physical illness. It is counterintuitive that in this country mental illness is treated as if it isn’t as serious, in some cases more serious, than a physical injury or illness. The first thought that comes to most people’s mind about mental illness is that it’s “all in your head, you’re fine,” but in reality the chemical balance in the brain isn’t what it should be, causing mental illness. In schools, kids with a broken leg are exempt from gym class, but kids with anxiety are not exempt from public speaking. Dealing depression is like walking with a broken leg, it’s hard and it’s painful. Each year, about 42.5 million adults in America suffer from some form of mental illness, and it is usually swept under the rug. Psych wards are being defunded, people aren’t being taken seriously, and without the proper help they need, many end up homeless, or worse, dead.

The percentage of Americans with mental illness continues to grow yet the care and attention to it is stagnant or even shrinking. Even by health professionals, a person with mental illness can be shut down because their symptoms are not “extreme” enough for them to be considered mentally ill. Mental illness comes in all shapes and sizes and needs to be recognized for what it is. An illness. People often say to people with depression, “Get over it. Stop thinking so much.” If someone with chronic seizures was having an episode, no one would tell them that. They would get the help they need. Things need to change in this country about mental illness and they need to be taken seriously, or they cannot be treated.

Draft Proposal

In today’s world everything is done online. The biggest debate today is whether the internet is the best or worse thing that happened to society and todays generation? How does social media effect the behavior and growth of generations and how things are being done and handled. Whether we like it or not we are always online either talking to friends, social media, or as simple as researching. Certain life events, influences, and surroundings can change our behavior and the way we go about it. In today’s world children and young teens have unlimited access to the internet. They have the ability to make there own Facebook pages. Facebook is the number one social media networking site in the world. It is also were predators and child molesters pick there prey. Parents are unable to monitor there child’s every move, leaving kids browsing through there Facebook and talking to people they don’t personally know or would not talk to in real life. Facebook is a prime site for those who aren’t comfortable with there personal life or are looking for an outlet to talk to new people. It is very important when on Facebook you are only accepting people you personally know and aren’t posting personal information. Social media gives people an outlet to become people there not and do things they normally wouldn’t do if you were to meet them in person. While Facebook is designed to be viewed by almost everyone, many attract people identical to themselves are with similar likes and dislikes, so it is not uncommon to find groups using sites to segregate themselves by nationality, age, educational level, or other factors that typically segment society, even if that was not the intention of the developers according to “Using Social Media as New Tool to Explain Human Behavior”. Facebook has become really dangerous do to the lack of parental supervision because today’s generation has so many different ways to access the internet. Parents are unaware of what there child is posting or talking to online. The wrong post or tweet can get you into serious trouble.

The Impact of Social Media on Children, Adolescents, and Families,Gwenn Schurgin O’Keeffe, Kathleen Clarke-Pearson, Council on Communications and Media,Pediatrics Apr 2011, 127

Using social media is the most common pastime of children and teens today. Gaming sites are also considered as social media, these attract younger kids more due to entertainment they get out of it. It is important that parents are aware of what there child is researching and who they are talking to on the internet. Not all sites are healthy environments for children. Pediatricians help families understand these sites and encourage parents to monitor and look out for signs of cyberbullying, depression, sexting, and exposure to inappropriate activity.

The Revolution Will be Networked, Weiwu Zhang, Thomas J. Johnson, Trent Seltzer, Shannon L. Richard, Social Science Computer Review Vol 28, Issue 1, pp. 75 – 92 First published date: June-12-2009

Social networking has engaged citizens in civic and political activities. Social networking sites influence political attitudes and democratic participation after controlling demographic groups and political discussion. Social networking has increased civic participation but not political participation. Social media has the ability to begin political discussions but also allows people to express their own opinion which can sometimes start agreements with those who disagree. This has allowed people to get a better view of who they are electing and what candidate has the beliefs, attributes, and characteristics that you would like.

Amedie, Jacob, ” e Impact of Social Media on Society” (2015). Advanced Writing: Pop Culture Intersections. Paper 2. h p://scholarcommons.scu.edu/engl_176/2

Respect for Results

The United States Military is arguably the most lethal and effective organization in the world, capable of completing a wide variety of tasks. Those who serve require unique skills that can only be forged through complete mental and physical breakdown which is crucial to mold an effective soldier.This breakdown is hell, with an abundance of harsh treatment and belittlement, yet through this experience, some of the most confident and prideful people within the United States are conceived. From outside, it looks as though the recruit is beat down until all emotion is gone. Only a soldier can understand that this is not the reality. A recruit is beat down to an extent that only those with a strong will can survive. A world of hate and negativity motivates the recruit to build extesnive positive emotions about the future to get through the seemingly hopeless present.

1. A study that I have conducted

I would like to conduct a study of several soldiers who have gone through basic training to assess their thoughts on the experience. The study will ask questions about their stress level, thoughts about the situation, their personal ways of coping with the stress, what it was that got them through the high stress situation, how positive/negative their mindset was throughout their training period, and a few more .

2. Bornmann, J. W. (2009). Becoming soldiers: Army basic training and the negotiation of identity (Order No. 3349632). Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (304880565). Retrieved from http://ezproxy.rowan.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/304880565?accountid=13605

It is hard for outsiders to grasp the challenge recruits face while going through Basic Combat Training. So to be able to accurately study it, John W. Bornmann joined the United States Army to get firsthand experience as a recruit.  While being able to witness everything with his own eyes, common misconceptions about the military’s training programs were clarified.

3. Davis, T. W. (2006). Effects of stress, coping style, and confidence on basic combat training performance, discipline, and attrition (Order No. 3207963). Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (304960885). Retrieved from http://ezproxy.rowan.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/304960885?accountid=13605

A general survey was conducted to help better understand how recruits cope with problems they face. Between high stress levels, coping mechanisms and anxiety, recruits feel a wide variety of emotion. Getting to the bottom of it is crucial to understanding how military training works

4. Hayden, Joanna. “Self-Efficacy Theory.” Introduction to Health Behavior Theory. Second ed. Burlington: Jones and Bartlett Learning, 2014. 14-21. Print.

The theory of self-efficacy is explained as the belief of one’s own ability to successfully accomplish something”. “Efficacious people set challenging goals and maintain strong commitment to them.”

5. Personal Experience

I would like to use my experience as a soldier in the United States Army to explain how the psychological distress that I went through during Basic Combat Training brought actually brought out the positive mindset needed to graduate as a Soldier.

Animals Rights vs. Medical Research

When it comes to research for medicine, researchers have found the need to use animals in order to find out how it works. Now, when it comes to medical research, laboratory animals have been getting harder and harder to get. Many animal rights activists are finding ways in order to decrease the number of animals being harmed. It seems counterintuitive that medicine is being created to help humans but at the same time harming animals in the process. There could be another way to find out the results of medicine rather than testing it on innocent animals. Many have said if they knew a certain type of medicine was injected into an animal they would not have gone through with it. On the other hand, people look back and are glad the medicines have gone to any extent because without it they would not have been alive for many more years.

http://articles.latimes.com/1986-04-24/news/vw-1756_1_animal-experimentation

Draft Proposal

America deems itself the land of the free, but in actuality that is not quite so. Throughout history, America has been the land of the free when convenient. Throughout American history people have been oppressed for their race, religion, gender, and many other things. African Americans have been forced into slavery for the first 100 years of American history. Native Americans have been forced out of their habitat. Women have had numerous disadvantages to fulfill their full potential. Even today, the first amendment right isn’t fully true. As people have been jailed and executed for simply comments. America hasn’t been quite the land of the free, and everyone has felt it. It is counterintuitive that the so-called land of the free isn’t quite free.