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Mass Communications and Media Studies

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Social media has taken the front seat to the various means of media communication in an industry that is constantly evolving due to the fast-paced technology industry. Society is heavily influenced my information they gather through these channels when it comes to real-world news items, celebrity news, or as consumers. These media channels have opened a whole new world to marketers and businesses in ways to share their messages. Due to this growth, there has been an increase in the many theories that are being studied on the effects that media has on its society, culture, and audience. The articles below helped increase my understanding of media on a psychological level. What is the core purpose behind media outlets such as Twitter or Facebook? What are businesses hoping to accomplish by having a strong social media presence? The various studies help the readers understand the influences that mass media has on a person’s lifestyle and daily habits.

Cavender, Kurt. “Media, Society, World: Social Theory and Digital Media Practice.” Cultural Studies (2013): p656-p659.

Author Kurt Cavender shares the views of various researchers who have studied the effects that different social media channels have on its audience. Furthermore, rather than asking how Facebook or Twitter are being used, one researcher (Bruno Latour) wants to understand what habits are formed because of these social media channels and the influence they have on our day-to-day productivity. There are many theories discussed such as; object-oriented media theories, system-oriented media theories, and a new theory introduced by Latour known as actor-network theory (ANT). Latour introduced ANT as “a method for following the circulation across space of people and objects as actors make up their worlds”. The main takeaway is that “social practice occupies an intersection between the semiotic and the material, that the movements of actors within media have both symbolic value and material implications in society.” Media and its traditional term is evolving which is highlighted in the journal article to help readers understand the impact of media and society.

Saat, Rafeah, Selamat, Mohamad. “The Impact of Corporate Social Responsibility Information Richness on Trust.” Issues in Social and Environmental Accounting Vol. 8 No. 3 (2014): p67-p81.

The authors of this study set out to test the effects that Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has on the success of a business. This concept “describes the relationship between company and society.” The article focuses on how a new culture of communicating has been created through the internet which allows companies to share their CSR message with society. The authors designed a study to further understand the benefits of CSR through the Media Richness Theory (MRT), where companies can share their messaging through this avenue. The study is designed to help readers understand if sharing CSR through social media channels results in sales or if consumers become skeptical of the company’s mission and building trust in consumers. The study helps us understand how audiences receive and interpret messages through media.

Bechmann, Gotthard, Stehr, Nico. “Niklas Luhmann’s Theory of Mass Media.” Society Vol. 48 Issue 2 (2011): p142-p147.

In this paper, the authors study Niklas Luhmann’s theory of mass media and its true reality. Originally, Luhmann set out to prove the public’s suspicion of mass media as the basis of his research but shifted his beliefs as he got further into his research. The authors highlight that Luhmann’s thoughts about mass media is that they “do not present an image of a reality that they have distinguished but rather they themselves create the reality which they communicate daily as news, reports, advertising.” But this reality is what Luhmann refers to as “manufactured reality” that is circulated selectively by mass media. Further on, Luhmann widens his research to view mass media communication from the end users point of view to better understand the effects of mass media on our culture.

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Coming To America Movie Review

Coming to America is a movie written by Barry W Blaustein and David Sheffield. Craig Brewer directs the movie, and it is a 1988 American romantic comedy. It is created by Eddie Murphy, who is also a star in the movie. He casts as prince Akeem, the soon-to-be king of Zamunda. The main cast includes Eddie Murphy as Prince Akeem, Arsenio Hall as Semmi , servant to the prince. A friend to the prince, Shari Headley as Lisa MacDowell, is Akeem’s love interest, James earl Jones as King Jaffe Joffer, Akeem madge Sinclair as queen Deleon Joffer, John Amos as Cleo McDowell Lisa’s father, and Pauls bates as Oha, a royal servant.

Discontented with his pampered life, an African prince decides to move to America to find his wife. It is on his 21st birthday that a wife is selected for him. Unfortunately, he is not pleased with his wife to be since he would love to have a wife who will love him for who he is and a wife who will share with his knowledge, not one who will follow all of his commands without questioning. He moves to America’s poorest area, and he lives as a working-class man. This is an indication of the current situation when people want to change their environment and move on to a new phase of life whereby they feel better and fresh to start a new life.

On his first days of searching, he is not contented with the women he meets. He claims that they all have a severe emotional problem; therefore, he asks an older man at the barbershop, Mr. Clarence, where they can find a nice woman. They go to the black awareness rally where Lisa catches the eye of Akeem. Akeem gets a job at the McDowell so that he could get to know Lisa better. Once Lisa accepts him, the king travels to America by the word of Semi and informs Lisa that Akeem is to marry someone else. On his wedding day, Akeem is surprised to find his bride is Lisa. All this is to help us understand the concept of love and how it is always a challenge to many people. In conclusion, therefore, this movie reflects the struggles a person gets in their lives and how different people deal with them. It also brings us to the face of the complicated issue of love.

Works cited

Landis, John, et al. “Coming to America.” IMDb, 29 June 1988, www.imdb.com/title/tt0094898. Accessed 16 Mar. 2021.

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Combined Research Paper Draft

The difficulty Paper

Gee talks about secondary discourse, where he defines it as the process where an individual acquires other skills in order to fit into a given group of people. He describes that we all have the primary discourse which we gain at our early childhood days while still at home. Mostly these primary discourses are dependent on the family members. These family members are the one who teaches us how to interact with the immediate environment we live in at that early stage in life. The most confusing part about Gee under his article is that he does not articulate how we need to gain these secondary discourses. We are also not in a position to clearly explain or identify these secondary discourses.

     Does associating a lot with other people improve our secondary discourse? Since secondary discourse is acquired from the as meet new people, it is true to conclude that our company and the time we spend we other people improve the way they perceive the world at large. For instance, Gee gives as a detailed example of how certain had to learn more skills and techniques on how to play softball. She was huge hence not fit to play the game at a competitive level. Her case was very simple; she was only supposed to gain confidence in order to help her be included in the team. Her interaction with friends helped her gain this confidence.

     Our company affects the way we associate or view the world in general. Like the say goes, ‘Birds of same feathers fly together.’ We tend to copy and adopt some behaviors and characters from those surrounding us. However, our primary discourse determines how we will approach the secondary discourse. Having an excellent primary discourse will attract the right kind of people in some one’s life. People will be pulled by the way we behavior them, and hence our primary discourse determines the type of people we would attract.

     Personally, I think the secondary discourse also attracts a certain character in the primary discourse. A group of persons that might be having the best secondary discourse are likely to attract new members whom they feel van blend in with their characters and mode of doing things. It is; therefore, true to suggest that secondary discourse and primary discourse are closely related.

     People tend to join groups that can benefit them, and again, any group would also recruit member whom they think they can help them in progressing positively. Having deeply analyses both primary and secondary discourse it is, therefore, clear to conclude that in order for one to clearly understand one of these aspects, they need to be well aware of the both of them i.e., having an explicit knowledge on primary discourse would help in understanding more about the secondary discourse.

Research Proposal

The context of the Research The aboriginals in Australia are considered as some of the indigenous people in thecountry. The population of the Aboriginals is present both in the mainland and the numerousislands such as Tasmania, Fraser, and Groote. Even though the name is considered offensive andoutdated, it is still used in various contexts, including academic works. As it stands, thecommunity of aboriginals is considered to be faced with several social issues. Among the mostprofound and observable challenges facing the population is a massive consumption of alcoholas well as drug abuse. The most worrying trend about the community is the tendency of illiteracycharacterized by significant school dropouts and failure to attain the educational qualifications bya number of them. Thus, the research context is on the Aboriginals and the social challenges mostof their people undergo in their everyday activities and operations.

Participants and SiteThe participants in this research are the Aboriginals in Queensland. According to mydesktop research, I established that approximately 68% of the aboriginal tribes live inQueensland, Victoria, and New South Wales. Thus, I settled in Queensland as it has the people intheir large numbers. In the year 2016, the total number of Aboriginals in Queensland was 26,553.However, for the case of my study, the population targeted will be 50 people, though spreadacross the town. The people of interest in my group are the ones with addiction problems andhigh alcohol consumption. Finding them will call that I visit the drinking joints and somebackstreets within their residences. Before accessing the place, I will seek permission from theauthorities and ask for the guide from the community members, preferably the elders. 

Plan for data collection and analysis The process of data collection will take the primary methods of information acquisition.There will be an observation of the group of interest and the interview. The process willcommence through the performance of surveillance in which the survey will be done to thepeople within the drinking joints. The method of the study will take two days, preferablyweekends. Note-taking strategy for the data collection process is the outline in which there isanticipation that the notes are easy to read. Interviews are included in the data collection processin which the 50 selected people within the group are taken through the interview process. Thechoice of what to include in the interview included the frequency of alcohol consumption andwhether the interviewee is currently abusing the drug. The thread which will be followed in thiscase is IMRAD entailing introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion. The thread presentedherein is informed by the fact that I want the research to be professional and easy to follow aswell as the logical flow of information       

Positionality

Even though this research will be marked with the highest level of fairness andprofessionalism, some aspects might intersect the data with my perspective. Sincerely, myattitude and view will be informed by elements of history in which the indigenous people arejudged. Even though I am mindful of the fact that people are biased in judging or perceiving theindigenous aboriginals, it is precise that the same is not likely to form part of the activity of datacollection and research as a whole. In case I infer that whatever I read about the people is nothappening in reality, I will apply the utmost professionalism in ensuring that I note what I observed and generated the data as I said them in the interview document. I believe that my position will be informed with the reality and facts as well as finding within the area of study.

The Research of Blog

Introduction

In various countries with racial diversity, there is a likelihood that the issue of color is likely to emerge in social settings such as schools and even in the working places. Through the analysis of the article entitled Narrative Analysis of Students’ of Color Experiences at Predominantly White Institutions and the Implications of Support Systems by Stephanie Blake, there is an insight developed to the readers, particularly the popular audience on their opinion regarding racism in the learning institutions. Through the use of Jarrett’s article in the styles of reading, the point, in this case, is to make the audience understand the view of the item on the students of color. 

Analysis of the Research

From the study, it is precise that students of color perceive themselves as minorities who need family and peer support in conforming to the white-dominated schools. The article gives an appropriate response to the question posed by the topic of how the students of color interact with the institution dominated by the whites. Precisely, the students of color cannot conform adequately to the school environment. Thus, they need support from the people who are close to them. Hunter (2016) posits that discrimination in learning institutions in the United States affects the educational performance of African American and Latina students. There are recommendations for the institutions to create more cultural awareness for both the students of color and the white students in the learning institutions to ensure harmony and positive coexistence. Thus, the school orientation should be more intentional in fostering the creation of interactive space for more peaceful operations of both parties. 

As a matter of analysis, it is summarized explicitly that there is a negative perception of the white-dominated schools by the students of color as compared to the former. As can be noted from the analysis, the idea of race has preoccupied the mind, and psychological make up the students in such setups that it is putting them to the state of vulnerability. On the side of students of color, there is created the idea of an inferiority complex when they compare themselves with their white counterparts. It turns out that their perceptions are likely to develop the pitfalls for their learning. On the contrary, the students of the white descents perceive the schools as Better Avenue for education. However, some are not comfortable with the people of color sharing with them social facilities. Nevertheless, it should be realized that the aspects of racial discrimination are the orientation of the individual student.   

Lessons Drawn from the Article

The white-dominated learning institutions have been blamed by the students of color as a result of their experiences in such institutions. The idea of separating students in line with their academic ability is considered one of the factors promoting racial segregation, particularly by African American students. There are claims by the students of color that their skin color prevents them from leading (Modica, 2015). When the statement on racial impediments is connected to the article under review in this discussion, it emerges that most of the students of color perceive the white-dominated schools as more segregated and are responsible for their failures to attain excellence in their school endeavors. A lesson learned from the article is that there is more evidence to ascertain that students of color perceive the school dominated with their white counterparts as an impediment to their success and excellence in all school-related activities. 

Objectives of Writing this Discussion 

The goal of writing an analysis of this article is to develop an insight and understanding of various student factions in the United States and how the racial perceptions paly in the school setups. In essence, there is the point of creating awareness that the issue of racial discrimination is a challenge and that it is likely to affect the operations of students not only of color but even of the white descents. As noted in this case, there are students of color who are not feeling comfortable in the white-dominated school to the extent that they need the help of their closest associates to conform to the settings of the learning environment. From the various reviews connected to the presentations and articles presented, there is realized the negativity some students of color have developed in the school dominated by the white students. Some believe that through the segregation of students according to their academic abilities, they are not likely to excel in their academic endeavors. Therefore, it can be concluded that through the views of the students of color, it is realized there is poor development of the same

Fieldwork Report

Observation

There were interview exercises conducted in which the people of Maori were asked about how they perceive visitors in their ceremonies. From the study carried out, there was a lot of information gathered in terms of the practices carried out among the people in my case. The population in consideration for the study was the people of Maori. The main point of attention was on how they perceive the visitors in their communities. In particular, there was concern about how visitors are treated in this community. From the observation, it was realized that the people of Maori are more involved in ceremonies in which they welcome visitors through songs and ceremonial dances. As could be achieved, people welcome visitors with threatening incarnations to test their brevity. Upon confirming the brevity of the visitor, there is the point in which they give the visitor seat to take part in their traditional ceremonies.  

Findings

From the interviews conducted, it was learned that the majority of Maori people are welcoming to visitors in their ceremonies. Specifically, from the presentation data, it was clear that approximately 70% of the entire population interviewed. However, about 20% stated that they were not comfortable with the visitors as they are not trustworthy. Approximately 10% of the people reported that they are not sure of whether they are welcoming to the visitors or not. In giving the reason for the perception of the visitors, the main reason for the 20% decline the issue of visitors; they pointed untrustworthiness as the main reason for their decisions making process.   

Interpretation of data

In general conclusion, it can be asserted that the majority of the Maori people are welcoming. On the same note, it was clear that the people of the community value the issue of trust as the main reason for their choice of visitors. Also, there is the aspect of some people (10%) not giving their verdict about the visitors in which it can be interpreted that they value secrecy and confidentiality in treating strangers. It can be pointed out that the issue of the ceremony gives the best avenue to get observations about the Maori people and their perceptions about visitors. However, in getting a valid response, the interview must be conducted on individual members of the community in which they give their verdict without consideration to other factors like the judgment from other members of the community.       

Framing of discourse community

The idea of is discourse community is one of the most sorted after concept in explaining the shared values and beliefs about a given group of people in a particular community or a society in general. The existence and practices of Maori people is a clear definition of the discourse community at play. The people of Maori identify with the history of New Zealand as one of the indigenous inhabitants of the Oceania nation. The most striking feature of this community is their uniqueness, as observed in their culture and beliefs, which is derived from a distinct orientation. It becomes necessary that the people are looked at and studies in a comprehensive approach to extract the essential features of the community. As opposed to modern societies and communities, the people of Maori are more concerned with their abilities to conserve their traditional acquired communication skills and practices.    

Conclusion

From the studies conducted, and the findings obtained, the Maori people are welcoming to strangers. Even though the review was more inclined and confined to a specific function of the community, it can still be used to reflect on the general perspective of the community to strangers. From the literature review, it could be concluded that the people of the Maori descents are all welcoming and that it is challenging to find one who is not fully into the culture and activities of the community. 

However, from the study, it could be registered that there are people of the Maori descents who debunk the myth of the people being all welcoming. The statistical data presented in the findings section is a clear indication that the people, just like other societies in various parts of the world, embrace diversity in opinion. A close look at the situation reveals an exciting idea about the community in which there are known unique communication codes and acceptable ways of interaction, which is known only to the people of the Maori society. As stated, the community has its unique language, which they have kept dear ever since they were known to the people of the modern world. 

Combat trauma

Introduction

Combat trauma is a common mental condition in active soldiers as well as in veterans. Trauma is caused by witnessing or going through terrifying happenings and is characterized by either consistent flashbacks to the event, hypersensitivity, anxiety and consistent thoughts on the event.

Thesis statement: This paper will provide a summary of the nature of combat trauma which include: Intrusive memories, cutting off people, shift in emotional reactions and consistent negative thoughts. It will also focus on the causes of trauma such as loss of friends, terrifying human suffering and survivor’s guilt among others. Lastly it will consider the different methods of dealing with the trauma, both long term and short term solutions.

Nature of trauma

Intrusive memories- these include flashbacks to the events that often trigger anxiety and negative thoughts. It is also characterized by nightmares or reliving the memories of the events by the patient.

Cutting off people- victims tend to think that family and the civilian community does not understand them hence tend to create walls in such relationships. It can also include avoiding visiting places that bring back memories of the traumatic event.

Shift in emotional reactions which involves being hypersensitive and aware of danger that is not even present, high irritability, destructive behaviors such as drugs and substance abuse, aggressive behavior and sleeplessness.

Consistent negative thoughts such as guilt, regret over doing things better at the time of the event or suicidal thoughts.

Causes of combat trauma

War is the biggest cause as brings with it intense human suffering which can be result to trauma

Death of colleagues in the unit can cause survivors guilt hence trauma

Change in environment upon returning home

Betrayal by a fellow soldier causing lack of trust

Ways of dealing with combat trauma

Therapy and counselling

Use of drugs such as morphine in cases where the victim is badly injured

Finding purpose through spiritual guidance

Rehabilitation and detoxification services by medical military professionals.

Conclusion

Combat trauma in active and veteran soldiers cannot be ignored. Trauma can take the form of intrusive memories, negative thoughts, cutting off people and changes in emotional and physical reactions. These people can however be helped through therapies and counselling sessions done by professionals, administration of drugs that are likely to reduce trauma once the patients recover, spiritual guidance and rehabilitation and detoxification services done by medical military professionals.

Abstract

Combat trauma is a common thing among soldiers; both veterans and those active in service. Soldiers are trained in such a way that they view each other family and as such a closely knit relationship is often seen when serving and long after they get off service. However, their time is can be characterized by traumatic events which can affect their lives in a very destructive way. Combat trauma often appears in the form of intrusive memories such as nightmares and reliving traumatic events, cutting off people or avoiding places where the traumatic event occurred, having negative thoughts some which may be suicidal and also changes in emotional and physical reactions such being aggressive and highly irritable. This paper also focuses on the causes of combat trauma and specifically looks at causes such as war and the terrific occurrences that happen, loosing fellow soldiers and never having enough time to grieve, changes in environment once they return home and also betrayal by fellow soldiers. However, this is a mental condition that can be dealt with before it morphs into a chronic mental disorder such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). These solutions include Rehabilitation and detoxification services, administration of drugs that reduce the likelihood of having PTSD, therapy and counselling and also seeking purpose and spiritual guidance from spiritual leaders.

References

Holbrook, T., Galarneau, M., Dye, J., Quinn, K., & Dougherty, A. (2010). Morphine Use after Combat Injury in Iraq and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. New England Journal Of Medicine, 362(2), 110-117. doi: 10.1056/nejmoa0903326

For Military Treatment Professionals. (2019). Retrieved from https://stoningtoninstitute.com/treatment-programs/starlight-program/military-treatment-professionals/

Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (US). Trauma-Informed Care in Behavioral Health Services. Rockville (MD): Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (US); 2014. (Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) Series, No. 57.) Chapter 3, Understanding the Impact of Trauma. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK207191/

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) – Symptoms and causes. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/post-traumatic-stress-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20355967

History

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Columbus letter on his first voyage, 1493

Christopher Columbus wrote a letter to the king Ferdinand and Queen Isabella who had assisted him to finance his exploration trip (Buckley, Veronica, and John, 2015). Columbus wrote the letter on 15th march of the year 1493 upon his arrival from his return journey from the Caribbean. The author was not administrative personnel but a missionary explorer. By his description of the nature of the inhabitants of the regions he visited as being timid indicates that he was a learned person. In fact, an explorer has to be educated enough so that he is capable of determining the routes and recording the encounters in his diaries.

Columbus wrote the letter to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella as the primary audience, though some of the people had access to read the letter. In his letter, he used a more formal language in Spanish where it was later sent to Italy for translation to Latin. The king could not be able to read in Latin, and therefore this necessitated Christopher Columbus to make efforts for translation. The main reason behind writing the letter to the king was due to the debt owned for financing his journey, his success to subdue the native people that he found on the islands as well the thrilling environmental nature of the region. The area was full of rich indigenous culture with the people know neither possessing weapons. The matter amazed Columbus and saw this as an opportunity to show allegiance to the king through taking control of the area and converting the people to Christianity.

The storyline behind the letter is Columbus’ letter to the king with detailed accounts of what he witnessed during his journey to the Caribbean. He tells of how the people in the regions are fearful and timid and how they become friendly after realizing that there was no harm to them. He continues to narrate how he exchanged items with rifles and to sometimes nothing in return claiming that the people were so generous. In an attempt to convince the king, Columbus says that the people had a potential to obey the king and serve him without questioning and even love the king’s people.

The document was written due to the necessity to acknowledge the king’s effort to finance the voyage and therefore, as a matter of fact, a subject must show allegiance to his master. It is in this quest that Christopher Columbus wrote the letter to the king immediately after his return from the voyage. The king together with the queen had interests in the exploration journey, and therefore it was a necessity for them to be notified of the success of the crew. Columbus had to report whatever he saw and anything that was of value to the kingdom. All these made him write the letter immediately after his return as it was like an exam although he was so much excited about his success of subduing the indigenous people. The letter is more of a scholarly thesis as it was more of research than just a mere trip.

The letter is more of a political document though to some extent it might be seen as a private letter. The reason as to why it can be regarded as a political letter is due to Columbus claim that the area and its people could pay allegiance to the king and thus somehow indicates that there was some economic along with political motives (Graziano, 2017). Furthermore, the letter says that the people could easily be converted to Christianity a religion which proves the letter to be more political due to exploitation. On the other hand, the letter may be deemed to be private; this is because the king and the queen were the personnel behind the financing of the voyage and thus a special finding could be directly addressed to them just like Columbus deed indication the king’s and queen’s name on the letter. The inclusion of the names may, therefore, proof the letter to be more private.

In the letter, Columbus made no assumptions. He wrote the letter in Spanish and sent it to Italy to be translated into Latin. He knew the king and the queen could not be able to read the Spanish language and could need a translator prompting him to translate the letter in advance before it reached to the king. Yes, I can believe the document as it is the original document written in Spanish making me believe that Columbus was the original writer also his address to the king and the queen are present. Furthermore, the letter is written in the first person singular.

The letter indicates that the people from Columbus region were opportunists who took advantage of the weaker people making them their subjects forcing them to adopt their culture (Olwell, Robert, and Alan, 2015). The people were used to slavery as Columbus took several individuals with him along his return journey were on some made it through. Just a few individuals making it to Spain indicate that they were subjected to torture that threatened their existence. It is also evident that the Spanish people were Christian and therefore were in the urge to make colonies and convert the inhabitants to Christianity.

Columbus’ letter is an important document in history as it indicates the pioneers of exploration and confiscation as well (Winsor, 2018). Though it might not be of much relevance in today’s political activities, it can be used as a reminder of the indigenous culture and how people used to conduct their daily lives. It is through such documents that we come to realize how the world was viewed during the past days in history by inhabitants of the areas. The document is important to me; this is because it has an original data, a letter showing a method of communication by then. Also, the contents of the letter are of much value to historians as they get to know the events that happened in the past and to which evidence may be lacking thus act as a bridging gap. The letter is also important to me as it is an original script written by a famous historian and explorer who in many aspects influenced the lives of many individuals.

Work cited

Buckley, Veronica, and John Middleton. “A LASTING LEGACY.” Lifelines in World History:” The Ancient World”,” The Medieval World”,” The Early Modern World”,” The Modern World” (2015): 241.

Graziano, Manlio. In Rome We Trust: The Rise of Catholics in American Political Life. Stanford University Press, 2017.

Olwell, Robert, and Alan Tully. Cultures and Identities in Colonial British America. JHU Press, 2015.

Winsor, Justin. Christopher Columbus. BoD–Books on Demand, 2018.