Abstract
This paper discusses the independent nature of attributes like sexual orientation, gender expression and sex identity. The paper looks at their expression along a continuous spectrum, in contrast to conventional "either/or" constructs. The paper explains that this conventional construct can be confining and even psychologically harmful. The analysis maintains these attributes run a range of expression and seldom fit within social "norms" that define them.

From the Paper
"Sex is generally a term that denotes anatomy and other biological considerations like chromosomes and hormones. Gender is generally a term that denotes appearance, behavior, roles and identity. Many people consider there to be two separate..."

Tags:homosexuality, gays, lesbians, transgender, transsexual, transvestites, biology, physiology, human development, appearance, dress, biology, psychology, culture

Abstract
The paper analyzes the character of Millat Iqbal in Zadie Smith's novel about English and East Asian identity and inter-generational conflict entitled "White Teeth". The paper shows how Millat wants to create an identity that is entirely un-English and is only connected to his Bengal roots abroad. The paper also examines the character of Magid and highlights how both brothers' idea of purity is ironically a product of the West, and so they are both hybrid figures. The paper brings out Smith's view that acknowledging the humanity of the supposed 'other,' whether from the family or from another nation, is the purest anti-colonial act of all.

From the Paper
"One of the difficulties of constructing an identity through the post-colonial discourse of race, religion and ethnicity is the difficulty of filtering out the discourse of the oppressor, the 'us versus them' binary that defines colonialism. Colonialism is constructed upon a series of binaries, of 'savage versus civilized,' 'English versus native,' 'white versus non-white,' and of course 'good versus bad' and 'pure versus impure.' The logical response for the rebellious colonized peoples of the world who wish to oppose colonialism would seem to be to vow to become everything that colonialism is 'not.' To be against colonialism is to celebrate a pure, native culture, before it was impinged upon by colonialism. However, to do so is impossible--no identity is 'pure.'"

Tags:Western, culture, rebellion, intellectualism, fundamentalism

Abstract
Two epic heroes of vastly different cultures search for identity, representing all human kind. In the similarly chaotic worlds Arjuna, hero of "The Bhagavad-Gita", and Odysseus, hero of "The Odyssey", learn about themselves in depth and come to terms with death, war and the afterlife, revealing that heroism in these two worlds is quite similar. This paper examines the major differences in their responses to the challenges of their respective quests, their relationship to their gods.

From the Paper
"Two ancient epic poems, The Bhagavad-Gita and The Odyssey, from vastly different cultures, reveal the ongoing search of the human race to understand the significance of the self and humanity's role in a world it cannot comprehend. In both these epics the quest for the individual human's sense of self is presented in the form of the hero metaphor in which a larger than life figure takes on the symbolic search for identity. Arjuna and Odysseus, the heroes of the two epics, both strive to bring order to the everyday chaos of the human world. In many ways the quests are similar. Central to both epics is the way their heroes struggle to discover what their relationship to the gods has to do with their identity. The major difference between Odysseus and Arjuna in the quest for identity, arises from their contrasting cultural conceptions of the gods, those superhuman forces, and how they influence, control, or guide mortal men."

Tags:bhagavad, gita, odyssey, Arjuna, Odysseus, Bhagavad-Gita, Odyssey

Abstract
This paper analyzes John Colapinto's "As Nature Made Him: The Boy Who Was Raised As a Girl" which shows that sexuality is as much about cultural mores and habits as it is about genetics. The paper discusses the book which is an analysis of how individuals come to see themselves as possessed of sexual identities and the process through which each individual learns to negotiate his or her identity as an amalgam of personal and social desires.

From the Paper
"The book tells the story of what is in the beginning a medical tragedy. Following a botched circumcision, a family is convinced by doctors, psychiatrists and other health-care professionals to raise their infant son, Bruce, as a girl. They rename the child Brenda and spend the next 14 years trying to transform him into a her. Brenda's childhood reads as one filled with anxiety and loneliness, and her fear and confusion are present on nearly every page concerning her early childhood. The early part of this book demonstrates very clearly that human sexuality is not something that simply springs upon us in adolescence, for from preschool years Brenda is aware of a contradiction in the way her body feels and the way that other girls relate to their bodies."

Tags:gay, lesbians, hormone, treatment

Abstract
This paper explains that, on the surface, the plot of the play "A Raisin in the Sun" by Lorraine Hansberry is merely about an African-American family's struggle to get out of the ghetto on Chicago's Southside; however, a deeper examination of the work demonstrates the author's utilization of numerous themes and complex characters, which require multiple levels of analysis: African-American identity, social status and racial challenges within the intricacies of universal human nature. The author points out that hints of Hansberry's childhood surface throughout the play and have clearly influenced her thoughts and beliefs: Father waged a legal battle for the right to purchase a home in a previously all-white neighborhood that reached the Supreme Court, "Hansberry vs. Lee", which they won, but the family was subjected to vicious physical attacks. The paper relates that the title of the play refers to the protagonist Mama's longing to escape the ghetto so that her children can be raised in the sunlight of a better neighborhood and thus better education.

From the Paper
"Another way that Hansberry illustrated her world through her work was in her definition of universality. Indeed, prior to the publishing of the play, universality was monadic in its conception and application. It had been developed and applied to mean whiteness rather than including the diversity of modern-day society. Moreover, black art separated itself from the mainstream by isolating discussions of social problems from racial issues. However, Hansberry conversely sought to concurrently consider "social significance and racial consciousness." Her attention to details opened the door for white audiences into an understanding of black experiences that made those experiences understandable and relevant. The inclusion of the black experience within the framework of the human experience forced a redefinition that opened the term universality to include the minority voice. Author James Baldwin articulates this milestone, saying "never before in American theater history has so much of the truth of black people's lives been seen on stage.""

Tags:universality, details, plot, childhood, ghetto

Abstract
This examines the ethical considerations of the use of one specific abortifacient--mifepristone, which is commercially marketed as RU-486. While other pregnancy control technologies are discussed in this paper, they are only described as is necessary to illustrate the unique considerations surrounding mifepristone. It also addresses the practical dynamics of the real world administration of this substance, giving due consideration to the rights of the impregnated, the fetus (if indeed, such rights exist) and the healthcare provider.

Outline
Differences Between Birth Control and Abortifacients
Defining the Human--Distinguishing Cells from Souls
Cultural and Historical Consideration
The Rights of All Parties Concerned

From the Paper
"The use of abortifacients and contraceptives, while probably more common in modern in times, is not without historical and cross cultural precedent. One research team notes that, "Chinese traditional system of medicine has mentioned as many as 749 plants for their anti-fertility effect" (Gupta et al. 1431). The same authors go on to note that traditional and plant based methods have been used in attempts to control pregnancy in every part of the globe, from Appalachia to South East Asia (1432). Feminist historian Londa Schiebinger notes European explorers discovered that Amerindians used a variety of birth control techniques, including plant based abortifacients (236)."

Tags:abortifacients, abortion, biomedical, ethics, contraceptives, multicultural

Abstract
This paper discusses the development of one's personality. Based on a combination of the opinions of experts and the author's personal observations, the paper contends that all human personality development is variable and different. The paper also claims that personality development springs from complicated interactions of 'nature' and 'nurture' plus outside environmental characteristics, such as social and cultural expectations, peer group interactions and the influences of teachers and other relatives.

From the Paper
" Within all human beings, personal identity, or the image one has of oneself, is affected by an intricate mixture of genetic and environmental variables, unique to every individual. For example, studies have shown that even among identical twins raised under identical circumstances within the same households, less-than-identical personality characteristics emerge (Vandell, 2000; Harris, November 2000). According to Lykken (1997), the good or bad influences of one's peer group have more to do with personality development than often assumed, but others (Tavris, 1998; Vandell, 2000; Harris, November 2000) feel that a child's personality is most responsible for personality development. "

Tags:nature, nurture, genetics, environment

Abstract
This paper analyzes and summarizes relevant peer-reviewed, scholarly, and reliable online literature to provide an overview of transgendered children in general and gender dysphoric children through puberty in particular. The paper asserts that gender is not an absolute or guaranteed condition in the human experience, and that even young children can experience some confusion concerning their perceptions of what gender they should be based on powerful family, cultural and social influences. This confused sense can result in subjective distress that is known as gender dysphoria, the paper explains; while most adolescents tend to grow out of their gender dysphoric state, some continue to experience this dichotomy between their anatomical and mental sense of their gender. The paper features an analysis of three studies, from the varying perspectives of essentialism, environmentalism, and constructivism, respectively. The paper concludes with an explanation concerning the rationale used by the respective researchers for selecting this theoretical basis, followed by a summary of the research and salient findings. An annotated reference page is also provided.

Review and Analysis
Transgendered Children
Conclusion
References

From the Paper
" While some transgendered youths experience verbal abuse and bullying, some are even subjected to outright physical torture and death as a result of their transgendered nature, with some high-profile cases including the 1993 murder of Brandon Teena (the account of which was made into the motion picture, "Boys Don't Cry"), and the murder of 17-year-old Gwen Araujo in 2002 who "was hogtied, strangled and then buried in a shallow grave by a group of teens. Araujo was killed after her attackers learned that she had been born a boy" (Adriano, p. 4). While transgendered children are therefore at risk of experiencing more violent encounters with their peers, many such children also experience rejection by their own family members. In this regard, Adriano quotes Ryan who emphasizes that, "Families reject their transgender children because of deeply held religious beliefs, cultural norms or pressure from other family members. Some forms of rejection, like physical violence, verbal humiliation or throwing your child out on the street, are obvious" (quoted in Adriano at p. 4)."

Tags:identity, sexuality, politics, youth

Abstract
The paper attempts to show how Jeannette Walls' "The Glass Castle", Ayaan Hirsi Ali's "Infidel" and Maxine Hong Kingston's "The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts" all convey that the personal lives of women in the 20th and 21st centuries can have profound implications for the entire human race. The paper first describes Walls' experiences growing up with two nomadic parents whose unconventional lifestyle frequently put their children's well being into danger. The paper then discusses the gender issues in Kingston's "The Woman Warrior" and the difficult childhood in sub-Saharan Africa under the Muslim tradition for the females in Ali's "Infidel". The paper emphasizes how one's class, ethnicity and religious background are not mere traits, but strands that link us to a wider socio-political spectrum. The paper concludes that parents indeed play a major role in shaping our identity.

Outline:
A Rootless Childhood: Jeannette Walls's The Glass Castle
Our Parents' Stories: Maxine Hong Kingston's The Woman Warrior
Battling Tradition: Ayaan Hirsi Ali's Infidel
Conclusion

From the Paper
"How much of an effect do our parents really have on our development as individuals when we are growing up? Are different styles of parenting specific to different cultures? Are women treated in a more oppressive manner by their parents in traditional cultures, as opposed to more developed nations, such as the United States of America? These are some of the questions I found myself asking this past semester after reading three memoirs of growing up under conditions that might be subtly described as "less than normal." Jeannette Walls's book The Glass Castle addresses the author's experiences growing up with two nomadic parents - an alcoholic father and a schoolteacher-turned-painter mother - whose unconventional lifestyle frequently puts their children's well being into danger. But our parents do more than merely teach us morals in our first few years of life; they also tie us to a larger history. The struggle with tradition and one's personal history comes to the forefront in two other family memoirs, Ayaan Hirsi Ali's Infidel and Maxine Hong Kingston's The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts."

Tags:cultures, traditions, gender, childhood, Islam, oppression

Abstract
This paper offers an analysis of the decision to make China the new home for Electronic Communications Ltd. (ECL), focusing on the advantages, the most important of which is the vast dimension of the market, as well as the challenges represented by the cultural differences, which would surely have an impact upon the management process. The paper explains that the company had to decide whether to adapt the traditional management practices employed by the company to the local Chinese culture or do just the opposite and try to impose its global policies; the areas of corporate culture, cross cultural relations, organizational behavior, human resources management and organizational behavior had to be considered. In conclusion, the paper suggests measures that would help the Chinese employees to translate their values in a manner that allow the company to preserve its identity after having enriched itself with elements from the local culture.

Table of Contents:
Problem Identification
General Description
The Problems and Their Symptoms (Description, Analysis)
The Relation Between the Problems
The Causes of the Problems
Problem Solving
The Best Solutions To Solve the Problems
Expected Outcomes

From the Paper
"People coming to work with the ECL company are motivated by the desire to have a good job. This job should not only pay well, but also make sure that there is an emotional satisfaction offered to the employees. This is usually achieved through a feeling of belongingness and other various stimuli for personal development and recognition of achieved success. Theories in the field of organizational culture have demonstrated that people manifest a resistance to change even if they are not aware of it. So what the company needs to do when starting its socialization / education process of the employees is not tell them "forget who you are, this is how you need to be", but "This is who we are, this is where we need to get to, tell me who you are so we can decide what is the manner in which we can both get what we want.""

Tags:globalization, Chinese