TV Violence Essays - Criminology, Crime, Dispute Resolution

TV Violence Affects of media violence "Nearly four decades of research on television viewing and other media have documented the almost universal exposure of U.S. children to high levels of media violence" (Norris, 187). Violence is a component characteristic of many television programs and unfortunately our lives. Every day we tend to watch news, and every day we hear that people were killed, robbed or tortured. Four out of ten people said that they had been the victims of actual or threatened violence in the United States. Usually I ask myself why some people have tendencies toward violence. What factors cause those violent and aggressive behaviors? Among broad other reasons such as mental health, personal characteristics and economic status there is the violence in media that gives people those nonsensical ideas and inspiration. In my Core II research paper, I am manly concerned how children K-12 are affected by movie and television violence. In the long-term research over the forty years, researchers have proven the link between watching television violence and perpetrating actual violence and that exposure to TV violence is hazardous to children health and welfare. Nonetheless, others have managed to conclude that there is no relationship what gives the issue controversy and a number of contributing factors must be consider (Journal of Psychology, July 1997). Factors that I have to take in consideration are: every day exposure to television (estimated time spent of watching TV), type of favorite programs, frequency of talking about death and violence with parents and friends, child age, gender differences, parental control and responsibility, peers, child's communication, orientation and interaction with environment and may other. Four years ago I in my psychology class I have studied about learning habits in early childhood when I encountered affects of movie and television violence on child development. It was from psychological perspective but it gave me a good insight about the topic. Almost every day track in the news and politics only expended my knowledge in this field. The only things I did not know were about U.S. Senate approval of an amendment which probe the marketing of violent and sexually explicit materials to minors, and about President Clintons effort and concern that children by the time they are eighteen will be very exposed to violence and dramatized murders on television and movies. Research for my topic I began at home on the Internet but with very indigent results. I found few sites with extensive information on movie and television violence but they did not provide me with enough information and I headed to the UCF library. In the library, I started my research using on-line library catalog and the Web-LOUIS system. Throughout these systems, I found several books related to my topic. These systems did not provide me with sufficient information on journal nor magazine sources related to my topic. Thus, I shifted to another host system to look for journal and magazine sources relevant to my research. At first, I found plenty articles in various magazines available in the UCF library, but when I narrowed my search, I obtained just enough to operate with. I wrote down the call numbers for these magazines and journeyed trough the library to find those specific articles. When I found articles relevant to my topic, not all were easy to find, I spent some quality time reading and researching. When I finished with sources available in the library I began my entire research process again but this time with Ebsco-hos where I also found loads of full text articles available on line relevant to my research. Despite all the difficulty I thought I would encounter in my research, I am satisfied with my research process what was very successful. I will pursue my research even expand it in order to obtain better understanding and more information on the issue, conduct one more interview not with ordinary people like I already did.

Celebrating Black History Month

Celebrating Black History Month While the accomplishments of African-Americans should be celebrated all year long, February is the month when we focus on their contributions to American society. Why We Celebrate Black History Month The roots of Black History month can be traced to the early part of the 20th century. In 1925, Carter G. Woodson, an educator and historian, began campaigning among schools, journals and black newspapers calling for a Negro History Week to be celebrated. This would honor the importance of black achievement and contribution in the United States. He was able to institute this Negro History Week in 1926 during the second week of February. This time was chosen because Abraham Lincolns and Frederick Douglass birthdays occurred then. Woodson was awarded the Springarn Medal from the NAACP for his accomplishment. In 1976, Negro History Week turned into Black History Month which we celebrate today. Read more about Carter Woodson. African Origins It is important for students not only to understand recent history concerning African-Americans, but also to understand their past. Before Great Britain made it illegal for the colonists to be involved in the slave trade, between 600,000 and 650,000 Africans were forcibly brought to America. They were transported across the Atlantic and sold into forced labor for the rest of their lives, leaving family and home behind. As teachers, we should not only teach about the horrors of slavery, but also about the African origin of the African-Americans who live in America today. Slavery has existed throughout the world since ancient times. However, one big difference between slavery in many cultures and the slavery that was experienced in America was that while slaves in other cultures could gain freedom and become part of society, African-Americans did not have that luxury. Because almost all of the Africans on American soil were slaves, it was extremely hard for any black person who had gained freedom to be accepted into society. Even after slavery was abolished following the Civil War, black Americans had a difficult time of being accepted into society. Here are some resources to use with students: SlaveryAfricaCivil WarCivil War Photos Civil Rights Movement The barriers facing African-Americans after the Civil War were numerous, especially in the South. Jim Crow Laws such as Literacy Tests and Grandfather Clauses kept them from voting in many southern states. Further, the Supreme Court ruled that separate was equal and therefore blacks could legally be forced to ride in separate rail cars and attend different schools than whites. It was impossible for blacks to achieve equality in this atmosphere, especially in the South. Eventually, the hardships that African-Americans faced became overwhelming and led to the Civil Rights Movement. Despite the efforts of individuals such as Martin Luther King, Jr., racism still exists today in America. As teachers, we need to fight against this with the best tool we have, education. We can enhance students views of African-Americans by stressing the numerous contributions they have given to American society. Civil Rights MovementMartin Luther King, Jr. Biography Contributions of African-Americans African-Americans have affected the culture and history of the United States in innumerable ways. We can teach our students about these contributions in many areas including: Music - e.g., Billy Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington, Jazz, Rhythm and BluesArt - e.g., Sargent Johnson, Palmer Hayden, Aaron DouglassLiterature - e.g., Ralph Ellison, Maya Angelou, Richard WrightScience - e.g., George Washington Carver, Granville T. Woods, Garrett Morgan The Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s is ripe for exploration. Students could create a museum of the accomplishments to increase awareness for the rest of the school and community. Online Activites One way to get your students interested in learning more about African-Americans, their history and culture is to utilize the many great online activities that are available. You can find web quests, online field trips, interactive quizzes and more here. Check out Integrating Technology Into the Classroom to get tips on how to get the most out of technology today.