Abstract This paper proves the thesis that courtly love democratizes relationships. Using Geoffrey Chaucer's "The Franklin Tales" the writer details by example the ways that man and woman become equal through the act of courting.
Abstract An historical review of "equality". It traces the development of the concept through the works of philosophers and novelists in the 16th-21st centuries. It examines documents such as the Declaration of Independence, works of the philosophers in the Enlightenment and into modern day.
From the paper:
"We have all heard the phrase ?all men are createdequal? hundreds and probably even thousands of times in our lives, and precisely because we have heard them all so many times we do not in general attend carefully to what they mean. This paper examines briefly the merits of the statement that all men ? and we shall move beyond the exclusive language of the 18th century to include women also ? are createdequally. In doing so, we will consider the phrase both literally and in the spirit that it was originally intended to be taken."
Abstract This paper begs the question of "all men being createdequal". It argues that as much as society would like to think of itself of democratic and supportive of equality, most people in society are oppressed in one way or another due to a physical, cultural, social or religious "handicap".
From the paper:
"The term equality has innumerable connotations. It may denote being exactly alike or of comparable value. Equality is usually associated with advantages and discussed when there is a situation wherein a subject is being deprived of a prerogative.
The phrase ?equality for all? has a nice ring to it but what exactly does it entail. It forms an image of the ultimate utopia, filled with peace, brotherhood, and justice but "What are we aiming to be equal in"? and more to the point "Whom do we want to be equal to"?"
This paper discusses the use of the U.S. Supreme Court, from the end of the Civil War through 1917, to support the beliefs that truly all men are createdequal.
Abstract This paper discusses the use of the U.S. Supreme Court by Blacks, Chinese and others to end discrimination, segregation and disenfranchisement by initiating and challenging regional legal decisions. The paper describes important U.S. Supreme court cases of this period: Roberts vs. the City of Boston ("separate but equal" doctrine), Ho Ah Kow vs. Nunan (discrimination against Chinese), Plessy vs. Ferguson (state's rights to enact its own laws) and Buchanan vs. Warley ( states cannot officially segregate African Americans into residential districts).
From the Paper "For example, the Chinese, who comprised a critical element in building the fortunes of the West, were denied many of the rights whites freely enjoyed. The Chinese persevered in this hostile climate and succeeded in broadening the definition of "American." The Chinese achieved Constitutional rights and led the way for other immigrant groups yet to come. In Ho ah Kow vs. Nunan, Ho Ah Kow sued a San Francisco sheriff who followed a racially-motivated law that decreed all prisoners have their hair cut at the uniform length of one inch long upon entering jail."
Tags: Roberts, vs., the, City, of, Boston, disenfranchisement, separate but equal, doctrine, Plessy, vs., Ferguson, Buchanan, vs., Warley
Abstract This paper examines how, in "In How Good People Make Tough Choices", Rushworth M. Kidder argues that men and women have differing moralities based on three specific differences. It shows how men focus on ethics of justice, while women focus on ethics of care; how men focus more on equality, while women focus on ensuring nobody gets hurt; and finally, how women focus more on networks of lateral relationships, while men focus more on hierarchical structures. By researching each of these three specific factor,s it shows that men and women do have different moralities, while also showing the basic differences in the genders that account for these differing moralities.
From the Paper "The first difference is that men focus on ethics of justice while women focus on ethics of care. Ethics of justice refers to a focus on rights, while ethics of care refers to a focus on responsibilities. The main difference between the two approaches is that the ethics of justice makes the decision black and white. When looking at a situation based on justice, a person can determine clearly and definitely whether a decision is right or wrong. In contrast, the ethics of care makes the decision much less certain. When considering responsibilities, the decision becomes gray with it difficult to justify the decision being made. A person making a decision based on ethics of care is likely to say that they did what felt right."
Abstract The purpose of this paper is to introduce, discuss, and analyze the essay, "The Equality Crisis", by Wendy Williams. Specifically, it contains some reflection on the piece and how it relates to women's studies and the law. Women still have a long way to go to reach true equality with men, and one of the reasons is the court system, which still uses two different standards for judging men and women.
From the Paper "William's essay brings up some startling and disturbing points about the law as it relates to women, and many of them are hard to refute. Ultimately, the author believes the court systems uphold the laws as they relate to the majority ? white American males, rather than minorities. Thus, she believes the best venue for making change, especially as it relates to women, is not in the courts, but in the legislatures of the states and the nation. This seems to be true, as the court systems still are led primarily by men, and women are the minority in judgeships, and so, they are in the minority in the decisions handed down by primarily male judges."
Abstract This paper examines Aristotle's position on equality by first discussing Aristotle's overriding criteria for evaluating human life and human action, which is his notion of virtue and the good life. Second, the paper discusses the implications of this virtue for men living together in society, and society's prime construct, the state. Third, the paper discusses the argument that equality is requisite for the achievement of virtue. Fourth, the paper discusses the argument that political equality is requisite to achieve the best attainable state. Finally, the desirability of increased economic inequality is demonstrated.
From the Paper "In a world of limited resources, scarcity, and conflict, human persons experience fundamental differences in their social, political, and economic conditions. Significant inequality exists within and among societies. In the United States, with its founding significantly influenced by the Lockean concept of natural rights, economic inequality inevitably pervades a system that defines economic fairness by procedure rather than outcome. Although formerly present in the United States, acute political inequality is best identified abroad, despite present questions regarding the state of our electoral and vote counting systems; slavery in the Sudan and the mandates of Shariah, extreme Islamic Law, in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan each eviscerate the ability of minority groups and women, respectively, to effectively exercise their political rights and participate in society. Aristotle objects to inequalities among citizens because they undermine individual flourishing and because they undermine the stability and proper functioning of the political order. However, Aristotle's arguments fail to persuade, as he fails to address situations in which his analysis apparently fails."
Abstract This paper shows how Anne Finch in the poem 'The Unequal Fetters' refuses to be bound by the chains that perceptions of gender enforce on women and speaks out against the inequality that rules society---through the beliefs of men and women alike.
From the Paper "Anne Finch was an acclaimed writer in the late sixteenth and seventeenth century when women were marginalized in society. She threw away the barriers that gender imposed on her and refused to bow to the conventions of society. Had she been alive today she would have been declared a feminist and enjoyed a freedom that she could not, even with her foresight, have imagined."
Tags: male, female, women, society, equal, freedom, sixteenth, seventeeth, century
Abstract The first part of this paper examines the various gender roles that have been assigned to men in American society. It studies how, through a process of socialization, men are required to acquire several key characteristics that are defined as ?masculine,? such as aggression, competitiveness and the ability to restrain their emotions. The paper then explores how these new male roles and characteristics are incompatible with many aspects of daily life. In the last part, the paper looks at solutions for addressing this male dilemma. By helping mencreate new definitions of masculinity, this paper attempts to contribute to more effective therapy strategies that address the growing needs of men.
From the Paper "Since the immediate post-war work setting was populated by men, more men than women were thus required to adapt to this new work ethic. Many of the traits positively associated with masculinity were thus a result of a rigid work structure that was patterned after the military hierarchy. Robert Pasick has identified three key masculine traits that have been instilled into boys through the process of socialization and applied to the work setting. First, men are expected to be competitive."
Tags: psychology, therapy, female, society, masculinity, emotion, women
Abstract The paper focuses specifically on Beau Boutan, a central character in the novel, who appears dead at the opening of the story, but is the pivot to the rest of the action in the book. The paper discusses how Beau represented everything bad about the interracial relationships in Louisiana during that time, a white man hated by the blacks, and how all the men in town had a reason to kill him.
From the Paper "Throughout the book, the old black men remember the horrors the Boutan family have wreaked on the community. These represent the horrors the blacks have faced at the hands of whites for centuries, emancipation or not. Boutan's death draws the community together so they can take back their sanity and their manhood, as the narrator shows late in the book when he is talking with Candy. "That old man is free of you now. When he pulled your hands off his arm and went into that room, he was setting both of you free" (Gaines 287)."
This paper argues that, because not all kids are createdequal, the educational system of tracking as represented by the core curriculum approach should be abolished.
Abstract This paper explains that, by schooling low-ability pupils and high-ability pupils together, the low-ability pupils may wrongly come to understand their position in the hierarchy as a reflection of individual worth and most often do even worse academically than before. The author points out that many European schools do not employ tracking and yet their students as a rule perform better than American students. The paper stresses that, if a child runs into problems, only a careful analysis of his own personal case can ever hope to resolve the difficulties rather than imposing a core curriculum that is the same for every child.
From the Paper "Nor will dividing an individual class into ability groups necessarily alter relative performance. This method, while having the advantage of keeping the students together at least on a social level, still divides them when it comes to learning. If the teaching method used with each group is identical, the division into groups will only benefit that group for whom the teaching method is most suited. A "head start" reading program in pre-school for example, will benefit high-ability students but will likely do nothing for low-ability students who need more attention or cannot keep up with the pace. At the same time, students who flunk out of such a program will then be behind their peers. In other words instead of being on the "fast track," they will be on the road to underachievement. Once a bad apple, always a bad apple."
Tags: character, low-ability, high-ability, mathematics, research
Abstract This paper discusses animal rights causes. The author examines issues of animal equality and speciesism, and refutes arguments made by anti-animal rights groups.
From the Paper "Getting animals to have basic rights is still a long ways away, but every little bit counts. As the animal rights movement becomes even more mainstream in the next 10 to 20 years, the idea that animals have some sort of rights will be commonplace (future speak 56). Americans have seen this social trend in many different ways. Common ideas today, like recycling and organic foods used to be uncommon, but today there are health food stores around every corner and recycling bins in every cafeteria. Once consumers take hold of the animal rights movement it will move along at a much quicker pace. Companies that believe animal rights activism will increase their sales, will be forced to conform. The most important question to remember about animals though, as Jeremy Bentham pointed out, is not "can they reason" or can they talk? but, can they suffer?(Ryder 39)"
This paper examines the lack of equality between the sexes that exists not only in the workforce, but in various areas of sports and athletics as well.
Abstract This paper explores the normally male dominated field of sports and athletics and the lack of equality between the sexes in this area. The writer of this paper contends that in most instances, equality of opportunity between the genders is mandated by U.S. law. This paper examines the Equal Employment Opportunity Act which is the major legislation mandating equality in employment as well as Title IX of the 1972 Education Amendments that mandates a move toward equality in college sports. This paper focuses on the career of jockey Julie Krone who was inducted into the Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame in 2000. The writer discusses Krone's battle with prejudice in a male-dominated field, that had at one time gotten her so depressed she had contemplated suicide. This paper details the various laws and achievements of exceptional women have struggled to bring about true equality in the field of sports. This paper also contains the text of two published articles regarding women and sports, that were used in researching this paper.
Outline:
Sports Equality at the College Level
Equality in Sports Professions
Conclusion
Works Cited
From the Paper "Krone made it in a man's sport and profession; it would be logical that other women would have followed in her footsteps. If one were to gauge the possibilities on the basis of a 1985 National Geographic production, The Ballad of the Irish Horse, one might think of equine sports and professions as the perfect place for women to break into a man's world. The father of a junior rider who competes in pony races, with betting and purses and all, said he didn't particularly like his teenaged daughter exposed to the dangers, but she loved it so much and was so good at it, he didn't have the heart to stop her. In the same production, there is also a women veterinarian at the Irish National Stud, breeder of many of the world's great race horses, and a segment on Lady Anne Hemphill, founder of Pony Club in Ireland, an organization to which many equine professionals once belonged."
Tags: women, gender, rights, equality, julie, krone, law
Abstract This paper traces the history, origins and evolution of the Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Acts as well as the opposition to such laws. The paper also looks at which agencies enforce and control the Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Acts and how they are enforced. Furthermore, the paper examines both affirmative action and equal opportunity litigation, the outcomes of the litigation and the repercussions of those outcomes. Finally, the paper discusses the effects of the Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Acts on America and how minorities feel when they receive unequal treatment.
From the Paper "The policies of affirmative action aiming at assisting the black Americans are of recent origin. The policies have sought its origin to varied sources like legal structure, executive instructions, and court rulings. It was during the last three decades that these policies were being developed and they have become debatable as well. (Legal History) During the last three decades of the nineteenth century, a large number of African-Americans officiated in important public posts inclusive of two senators and 20 members in the House. However withdrawal of sustenance for reconstruction by the federal government in the late nineteenth century, the benefits extended to African Americans were wiped out and substituted by a system of legal segregation such as that of Latinos, Asians, and Native Americans. (Affirmative Action: Background)"
Abstract This paper discusses Jane Eyre's need for freedom and equality in the book 'Jane Eyre'. At the start of the story, Jane is thought of as being simply a dependent, and therefore is neither free nor equal to those around her. Throughout the novel Jane experiences various degrees of freedom and various forms of equality, but it is not until she finds both simultaneously, and under her own terms, that can she be truly content with her life. By the end of the book she has found all she needs in life.
From the Paper "In the book 'Jane Eyre', by Charlotte Bront?, the title character undergoes a lifelong struggle to find freedom and equality in Victorian society. Throughout the novel Jane experiences various degrees of freedom and various forms of equality, but it is not until she finds both simultaneously, and under her own terms, can she be truly content with her life. Jane's dilemma stems from her expanding definitions of freedom and equality, for due to her restless nature, each new taste of independence soon leaves her hungry for more."
