Abstract In this paper the author looks back in time to the origins of writing and notes and shows that there is new archaeological evidence to suggest that the cuneiform system of writing existed even prior to the Sumer. The author then moves on to examine Egyptian forms for writing and various Semitic languages.
From the paper:
"More than 300 clay tablets with a variety of images on them have already been discovered by Dreyer. Among the symbols found on the tablets are scorpions with trees, scorpions with plants, stylized birds, dogs and fish and various other decorative plant-forms".
Abstract In this paper the author takes an in-depth look at how the Hispanic population is faring in the United States. The author uses the 2002 census results as a reference point and then moves on to examine the education that Hispanics are receiving. The author concludes by asserting that if Hispanics become involved in the political system, this will help to understand and improve their situation.
From the paper:
?Thus, the presence of Hispanics in America today pose specific problems to various policymakers, educators and certain identified states. Hispanics generally do not view themselves as victims of discrimination, but their test scores and educational record account for institutionalized failure that adversely affects them.?
Tags: hispanic, population, demographics, minority, census, immigrants, naturalization, ins
Abstract This paper compares cultural attitudes on death and afterlife with focus on the Mesopotamian views about death in relation to their respective material culture.
From the paper:
"There were many ways that the Ancient Egyptian society and the Mesopotamian society were similar yet at the same time they were very different. Egyptians and Sumerians agreed on religion in a sense that both cultures were polytheistic. However, the relationships between the gods and goddesses were different between the Sumerians and Egyptians."
Abstract This paper compares two novels with similar background: "Kiss of the Fur Queen" by Tomson Highway and "Traplines" by Eden Robinson and shows how two writers approach their story's characters from common and contrasting perspectives.
From the paper:
"Both stories center on sibling relationships, particularly brothers. The only thing shared by the brothers in both stories is sibling jealousy, although in very much different levels of intensity. In Highway's story, Champion feels threatened by the birth of a baby brother. But Highway quite craftily delineates that jealousy through rich imageries"
Abstract This paper starts by looking at the origins of the two practices, the Ashkenazi from northern Europe and the Sephardic from Spain. It goes on to discuss the cultures of both; it compares a number of areas including religious ceremonies, diet, assimilation, language, politics and non-Israeli populations.
From the paper:
"Jewish people are divided into two major groups based upon their ancestry ? Sephardic and Ashkenazic. Although the Sephardic group was the among the first Jews to have settled in America, dating back to the 1600s, Ashkenazim now populate most of the United States Jewish population. This paper will take a brief look at the differences between the groups.
Ashkenazic Jews originate from Germany, France, and Eastern Europe. "Ashkenazic" is actually derived from the Hebrew word for ?German.? Sephardic Jews, on the other hand, originate from Spain. "Sephardic" is derived from the Hebrew word for ?Spain.?1 Sephardim was expelled from Spain in 1492 and migrated toward the Middle East, Turkey, and Northern Africa."
Abstract This paper details the history of the phrase "Anti-Semitism" what it means and what it refers to. It outlines the persecution and demonization of Jews throughout history and the justification of declaring an act or a statement as anti-Semitic.
From the Paper "Is anti-Semitism prejudice? The term could refer to a host of debilitating assumptions about Jews that have lasted since the beginning of the modern age. Although the term anti-Semitism was only coined in 1879, anti-Jewish agitation has existed for several thousand years. In the ancient Roman Empire, for example, the devotion of Jews to their religion and special forms of worship was used as a pretext for political discrimination against them, and very few Jews were admitted to Roman citizenship."
Abstract This paper approaches the San situation from an anthropological perspective, and addresses development as well. The author looks at how the San culture has undergone major changes.
The paper gives a brief history and ethnography of the !Kung San. It discusses San settlement, gives a detailed history of the conflict, as well as outlining the current San situation.
From the paper:
"With the help of the World Wildlife Fund, The Nature Conservancy and Integrated Rural Development, the Nyae Nyae have also managed to establish an area of land where communities have control over natural resource management (Hitchcock & Beisele, 2002). Community based natural resource management is one of the most important aspects of development for the San. By controlling access to natural resources, the San can ensure their survival. Accomplishments such as those of the Nyae Nyae are to be applauded, and looked to for models of how to achieve autonomy. To make this kind of development possible however, communities need skills in management, administration, and finance. Fortunately several NGOs have been able to provide this for some of the San (Hitchcock, 2002)."
From the paper:
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Tags: africa, anthropology, development, exploitation, human, rights, san
Abstract This paper deals with the various reasons that Buddhism entered China. It talks about the help the religion received from the government and the hindrances it had to overcome to become the major force it is today in China.
From the Paper "For most of history, China has been described as an extremely unified country, in both culture and political aspects. This was furthered by the fact that China was isolated and insulated from "alien" thoughts and beliefs, even though there was minimal contact by way of the Silk Road and from India. When Buddhism made its appearance in China, it brought with it a view of the outside world that was foreign, inviting, and challenging. While bringing new ideas, it at the same time brought up cultural, social, political, and religious challenges that had to be addressed and changed to fit Chinese life in order to be accepted."
Tags: buddhism, china, religion, culture, tradition, population, society
Abstract This paper attempts to analyze the concept of truth and the meaning of life by examining the characters in Gabriel Garcia Marquez's novel - One Hundred Years of Solitude. It shows how the main character sacrificed all he had in the search of truth and knowledge and this theme is central throughout the entire story.
From the Paper "In order to gain something a sacrifice must be given, nothing in the world is for free. This has been proven time and again in various writers' pursuit of the truth. Goethe's Faust gave his soul to the devil in the quest of knowledge and in One Hundred Years of Solitude sacrifices are made in their own manners. Aureliano, sacrifices all material luxury in his life in order to spend time trying to translate Melquiades manuscript in his search for knowledge. Thus, we see that sacrifice is a part for the true and pure quest of knowledge."
Abstract This paper examines whether totalitarianism is a reality or a concept which is purely fictional. The author discusses the concept and development of totalitarianism in Soviet society and the state, the development of totalitarian ideology, the power of the Communist Party, NKVD and their effects on society, political infrastructure and daily life. Stalin's reign is the most oft-cited example of totalitarianism and is extensively analyzed.
From the Paper "From 1928 to 1945, a system of government developed in the Soviet Union which many scholars have termed totalitarian. Josef Stalin, the General Secretary of the Communist Party, initiated policies and campaigns throughout this period which provided him with an unprecedented amount of control over such a large nation as the USSR. The first step was taken in 1928, when the forced collectivization of the countryside was begun. Rapid industrialization followed, mobilizing the urban population, so that the entire nation was put to the task of building a socialist utopia. In December of 1934, the Leningrad Party leader, Sergei Kirov, was assassinated. Whether Stalin was involved in his death or not, it is undisputable that he took advantage of his comrades death by initiating a purge which affected all levels of society, from the poor to the privileged, those in and out of the government, the military, and even the secret police, which was the main tool of carrying out the purges. Purging continued to some extent in 1939 and afterwards when the Soviet Union went to war with Poland, Finland in 1940, and Nazi Germany from 1941 to 1945. In this time Stalin's control over the government bureaucracy and the people came to a climax, at which it remained until his death in 1953."
Abstract This paper describes the origins of American popular music in European and African culture. The author claims that In effect, American music is a hybrid of musical movements from blues and spirituals to European folk music.
From the Paper "Much of American culture bears the mark of the melting pot effect. Essentially a land of immigrants, America has served, in many ways, as a palette from which popular culture draws an innumerable array of shades. As such, popular social trends often are a reflection of the hybrid mainstream instinct. Pop music, in its incubational phases, is highly indicative of that notion. This is particularly evident in ostensibly indigenous musical movements like blues/folk music and spirituals, both of which employ extensive European and African influences, social imports that create a tapestry of globally unique and distinctively American sounds."
Tags: art, jazz, music, race relations, rock, social traditional, values, blues, folk, Africian American
Abstract This paper discusses the impact of American policy support for Israel on the Arab-Israeli conflict. It acknowledges America's identity as a super-power, and as such, its ability to be a determining factor in the success of a foreign national agenda. The discussion explores the issue of American support for the Israeli cause.
From the Paper "As World War II drew to a close, and the planet was forced into a recalibration of unprecedented proportions, the United States began its long emergence as the most expansive super-power that had yet been known. Its influence, that would compete virulently with the post-war Soviet influence for half a century, has since disseminated into every facet of the geopolitical theatre. As such, American support can operate as the determining factor in the success of a national agenda."
Abstract An analysis of the teachings of Confucianism and Taoism and the religious and ethical guides they form. The author looks at how this ethical system emerged and its teachings about propriety, ritual, etiquette, righteousness, honesty and trust, benevolence and loyalty to the state.
From the Paper "Religions vary greatly from country to country. Before the Communist Revolution in China, many different religions were practiced there. Confucianism and Taoism both originated in China many centuries before Christianity. These religions were established as ethical guides for individuals and officials. Confucianism is based on the teachings and writings of the philosopher Confucius, K'ung Fu Tzu. He was born in 551 BCE in the modern day Shantung Province."
Abstract The paper focuses on Nelson Mandela's fight for freedom for blacks in South Africa, from the 1950 through his release from prison and election to the office of President.
From the paper:
"Nelson Mandela would spend the remaining years of apartheid in prison (Mandela 328). However, others still carried on his work. In 1974 there appeared to be a breakthrough. South Africa's ambassador to the United Nations, R.F "Pik" Both announced that South Africa was breaking down the system of apartheid. By now, South Africa's struggle had caught International attention, and the world watched ? and waited."
Tags: anc, united, nations, africa, apartheid, civil, jr, king, luther, mandela, martin, nelson, non, protest, rights, south, violent
Abstract This paper examines Israel and its making by taking a close look at the historical events leading up to the nation's independence and then examines those same historical events thereby explaining the reasons Palestinians were "left behind".
From the Paper "In its most immediate manifestation, there may be a great deal of support for the idea that the Jewish state of Israel, established in 1948, was sparked by a newfound international sympathy for the Jewish situation. The Holocaust, that resulted in the slaughter of some six million Jews, and the torture and degradation of countless others, appeared to be the culmination to millennia of Semitic discrimination, deportation and murder. And as concentration camp liberation throughout Eastern Europe exposed the abhorrent realities executed upon the Jews to the rest of the world, President Truman and imperially inclined British authorities alike were corralled into a position of necessary empathy. But it was certainly not by way of global ingratiation alone that the Jews were able to gain a foothold on their fate as a proposed nation. The seeds for 1948's declaration of Israeli independence were planted and fertilized many years prior and, likewise, a tendency toward Palestinian disenfranchisement finds it roots in an approach adopted in the early part of the twentieth century."
