The Methods For Improving Parental Involvement - 1481 Words

The proposed research study is named Methods for Improving Parental Involvement. The purpose of this action research study is to increase the methods teachers are able to use to increase parental involvement. Many researchers have studied parental involvement and methods of improving parental involvement, but these solutions usually focus on a school wide plan. The problem is these plans may or may not work. Teachers often feel great distress in developing solutions that truly affect change when it comes to parental involvement. Several articles on parental involvement note many advantages of parents being involved in their child’s education. A true educator desires those positive outcomes for their students, and will not accept factors that will hinder these outcomes. Researchers have found that factors such as racial discord, and perception are both determining factors in parental involvement (Yull, Blitz, Thompson, Murray, 2014 Bracke, Corts, 2012). Another factor in whether or not parents are involved in their child’s education may be if a child comes from a single parent home (Jeynes, 2011). Parents that are single are likely to not participate because they must work to makes ends meet. Although these are legitimate factors that affect parental involvement, the positive attributes far outweigh any factors impeding it. To complete this study participants would be selected from the East Baton Rouge parish school system. There are 119 schools in the EBR schoolShow MoreRelatedEffective Intervention For Children And Adolescents Possessing A Diagnosis Of An Autism Spectrum Disorder ( Asd )860 Words   |  4 Pagescontroversy surrounding the study and overall effectiveness of different interventions for children and adolescents possessing a diagnosis of an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, regardless of the method of intervention, every intervention shares the common goal which focuses on improving functioning in one or a combination of the following areas: social, communication, behavior, and academic. Social functioning includes interaction with peers and others, engagement and appropriate participationRead MoreQuantitative and Qualitative Research Questions and Hypothesis1050 Words   |  5 Pageslevels of confidence with the use of AT devices. The specific problem is the need to develop a pr ogram to train inclusion teachers on the use of AT devices needed to effectively plan for students with disabilities. This study will use a quantitative method and a Participatory Action Research (PAR) methodology. The PAR will be conducted by dividing the study into two sequence phases. The first phase will include developing the training program, introducing basic AT devices that can be used for all studentsRead MoreThe Underlying Problems with the Nations Educational System947 Words   |  4 Pagessymptoms of the underlying problems with the nations educational system. The causes of these problems in the educational system have been examined by a number of experts and a variety of causes have been suggested including the decline of parental involvement, the poor university education being provided to teachers, inconsistent and misdirected educational goals, and the failure of the system to properly monitor teachers in the classroom. Although each of these causes may contribute to the overallRead MoreObstacles of Fathers in the United States1610 Words   |  7 Pagesstructure (Glenn Popenoe, 2006). What is the general purpose of the study? The ultimate purpose of this study is to focus on African American and other ethnic minority fathers and their relationship-skills. The main emphasis is on the father’s involvement, educational skills, work responsibilities, finance and their own perception of themselves in this telephone survey. Furthermore, in the sample survey which entails 14 significant questions, given to a resident or non-resident father, to answerRead MoreParental Involvement Plan at a Childcare Centre1134 Words   |  4 Pageseconomic climate of the area, many of the childrens parents work two jobs and have a great deal of difficulty in participating in the centers activities. Whenever there is an event, for instance, parental involvement is quite low, and far lower than desired. The center has tried to increase parental involvement by sending home notices or calling to remind parents, but to date these have been ineffective. Issue Identification There are several issues at play within this situation. The center is likelyRead MoreDifferent Types Of Parenting Practices And Behaviors Have A Great Result On A Child s Education Essay1527 Words   |  7 PagesDesimone also states that in the United States parent involvement has become a critical element of school reform. In theory, if parents are more involved in their child’s education, then the child is more likely to excel academically.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   To begin with, researchers have identified different types of parent involvement.   According to Luchuck, there are three ways in which parents can become involved in schooling. They include, direct involvement in school management and choice and by being presentRead MoreThe Effects Of Parental Substance Use Disorder On Childhood Development1565 Words   |  7 Pages The Impact of Parental Substance Use Disorder on Childhood Development Kemeshia N. Maith Morgan State University The Impact of Parental Substance Abuse on Childhood Development Substance abuse disorders are significant public health concerns and rank among the most common psychiatric disorders beginning in young adulthood. Substance abuse is considered low or infrequent doses of alcohol or drugs such that damaging consequences are rare or minor (Child Welfare, 2012).Read MoreThe Theory Used For This Particular Family1196 Words   |  5 Pagesboundaries are characterized along a continuum from enmeshed to semi-diffuse, to permeable, to rigid (Lappin, 1988). Minuchin noted that the family subsystems - as discussed earlier - are characterized by a hierarchy of power, typically with the parental-subsystem at the top (Minuchin, Lee, Simon, 1996). This theoretical approach would be good for Sally and Sam’s family because of its emphasis on boundaries between subsystems, and its unique view of the family as a social system that is transformationRead MoreBlack Males Performance in Higher Education1423 Words   |  6 Pagesundergraduate men were intervi ewed from 42 colleges and universities. They were asked about their pre-college experiences, the role played by their family, friends, and partners in helping them form their future for college, who supported them, and what methods helped them to succeed. A little over half of the participants came from low income homes. Some mentioned that some of their high school friends dropped out of school, dropped out of college or were either incarcerated. Their parents told them educationRead MoreEarly Intervention : Positive And Negative Effects On Child Behavior And Development1592 Words   |  7 Pagesdisabilities via six principles. These principles entail free and appropriate public education, appropriate evaluation, development of an individualized education program for each child, educated provided in the least restrictive environment, parent involvement in decision-making, and procedural safeguards to protect the rights of parents and their child with a disability (Hanson Lynch, 2013). IDEA has provided an exceptional prospect in the United States to launch a unified service delivery system

The Mission Of Southeast Online - 1337 Words

The mission of Southeast Online (SEO) is not just to provide students with the best possible service and education; SEO s mission is to be an uppermost option for anyone deciding to pursue higher education online. Southeast currently offers fourteen online undergraduate degrees, ten online graduate degrees with three more projected for this summer, and four online certificates. Even though students in an online degree program are the primary population that SEO assists, traditional students with enrollment in online classes and all visiting students are also well served. SEO employs a user-friendly learning management system called â€Å"Moodle.† We have a wide variety of degree concentrations from areas of business and education to†¦show more content†¦The coordinator is responsible for overseeing all operational processes and staff. Each advisor and the undergraduate online program specialist have assigned online degree programs; they work with students from the point of first contact until graduation. This method fosters relationship building and trust between students and advisors. The graduate online program specialist is responsible for all prospective student tracking along with working and supporting the online graduate programs and marketing efforts. The administrative assistant works closely with the coordinator, has traditional administrative responsibilities, manages the saved seat process, and works with all visiting students. SEO staff members are flexible and go to great lengths to ensure that each student has been given proper attention, as evidenced by attending recruitment events, developing an online tutoring program, working in conjunction with departments on developing growth goals, assisting in marketing efforts, etc. Every single staff member has a genuine interest in seeing students become something more and exceeding their goals. The newly approved online tuition rate starting in fall 2016 is another reason for excitement. In the past, collaboration with employers largely failed because of fees. A number of employers do not reimburse fees so students were forced to pay out-of-pocket for general fees, online course

Enhancing a Mental Health patient’s experience Free Essays

INTRODUCTION This assignment is based on a patient journey encountered in my work experience as a mental health nurse, in a low secure rehabilitation unit for men suffering from a range of mental health and personality disorders, liable for detention under current mental health legislation’s. A detailed description of the patient journey will be cited in the appendix. The assignment will provide the rationale for choosing this journey. We will write a custom essay sample on Enhancing a Mental Health patient’s experience or any similar topic only for you Order Now It will further critically analyze key healthcare challenges identified namely disengagement, service user involvement in care planning and how these have affected the patient and their supporters. It is important to acknowledge other healthcare challenges such as lack of community services could not be discussed due to the word limits set out for this essay. For the purposes of confidentiality, (Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), 2008) Clause 5, the patient name will be referred to as Michael (pseudonym). PATIENT JOURNEY The full description of the patient’s journey can be found in appendix RATIONALE The rationale for the choice of patient was derived from my working experience as a primary nurse to Michael on the ward. Furthermore the development of better services for people with mental health has become a national priority in the UK (DoH, 2005). It’s sometimes easy to underestimate the significance a patient might place on change like being forced to stay in hospital against their will, and miss important signs about how they are feeling. For some patients it can generate negative feelings of being incarcerated .On the contrary, detention of a patient can be perceived as progress and road to recovery by nurses (reference) Consequently increasing patient levels of anxiety if support is not provided making it difficult for nurses to engage the patient in their proposed care pathway (DoH, 2010). Wagstaff, (2011) stated that many patients equate hospital detention and treatment to imprison and lose of independence. Therefore it is important to recognise and value the benefit of listening and responding to patients experience and further recognise that the patient experience is the catalyst for doing things differently to improve the way services are delivered( Department of Health (DH),2003). Michael expressed his frustration and felt that his life had been interrupted and having to wait indefinitely and is helpless to speed the process. Furthermore this can impede on his chances of being reintegrated back into the community resulting in becoming hopeless. 4 KEY CHALLENGES Difficulties in engagement Wagstaff (2011) defines engagement as adherence to treatment and professional agenda another author. Thurgodd(2004) defines it as an experience by clients of acceptable accessible positive empowering service. The National Service Framework for Mental Health (1999) states that people with severe mental illness must engage with the services available to them throughout their stay in hospital but it can be noted that most patients do not conform to this due to bad experiences of services(Department of Health, (1999). Therefore patients need to know that staff understand and care about how they feel (DOH,2010) but it can also mean.nurses have the responsibility of understanding Patients in hospital may experience problems such as compliance with treatment and feelings of incarceration which poses as challenges to policy makers and staff involved in the day to day care of patients..Michael expressed his desire for independence and felt it was going to ruin his life .Priebe (2005) found out that people disengage because they may lose their independence and sense of identity and will have difficulties with accepting diagnosis Michael reported that he had experienced poor services for long period of time both in hospital and in the community When patients get admitted to hospital they are detained against their will therefore the main challenge faced by nurses is patients requesting to be discharged despite proposed treatment working with clients general adult and old age psychiatrists often find themselves in a position where they have a responsibility to deny people freedom of choice by imposing compulsory care and treatment in the service of safety. There have been differing perspectives on this from people who use mental health services and their advocates. Some assert that there can be no recovery as long as people are detained against their will and subject to force, others that there should be no ‘recovery?free zones’ in mental health services. Roberts et al (2008), exploring this dilemma in Advances, developed a view that compulsory care and treatment, when needed, are compatible with a recovery-oriented approach. Person-centred approaches adopt a similar pragmatic stance. Acknowledgement of the ‘Bournewood gap’, where people with dementia have been detained de facto but without a legal framework to appeal (Department of Health 2005b), has been an important step. In institutional settings where freedom and personal choice can be heavily constrained, small choices may produce a disproportionately large contribution to well?being (Roberts 2008) and there is evidence that people can make reliable decisions about long-held preferences well into their dementia (Brooker 2007). Paradoxically, in circumstances of incapacity (Church 2007) a high degree of restriction may be more supportive of recovery and personhood than leaving people to ‘rot with their rights on’ (Davidson 2006). Leave restrictions and detention provide boundaries to support safety planning CARE PLANNING The service user involvement in their care is one of the statutory requirements by the NHS and Community Care Act (1990) and The Health and Social Care Act (2001). Additionally the National Service Framework (1999) and the Care Programme Approach (1991) set standards for mental health services and emphasise on the need for user consultation and involvement. As a result the writer realises the importance of involving patients in decision-making about their care to be good practice. One of the concept of clinical governance is that the patient should be at the centre of their health care, meaning that the individual will actively be engaged in all stages of the decision making process ( Funnel, 2003) The concept of service user involvement is broad and difficult to define as stated by (Simpson et al, 2002). It can be very difficult or in some cases impossible to complete the assessmentforms for a variety of reasons. A person in care, especially if being detainedagainst their will in hospital, can be physically violent, may seek to abscond, and may initially refuse to engage with staff. Some, although not actually violent, can be verbally aggressive and uncooperative in answering questions.These situations are common and understandable in people who are being compulsorily detained or treated against their will. Their admission can just fuel their anger, suspicion, and sense ofinjustice. From previous experience using the principles and practice of the TM, however, untoward or violent incidents are far less common when wepersevere in trying to relate to difficultservice-users and, throughperseverance and goodwill succeed in doing so.11The sooner the person in care feels understood, the sooner he or she will calmdown and become more trustful and co-operative. Of course, the necessaryprecautions have to be taken to make sure no one gets hurt before this happens.Other service-users cannot relate initially because they are so distressed ,confused or preoccupied with their own thoughts and feelings. They may not be capable of giving coherent answers to questions at this stage. Some may be willing or even eager to talk but have such bizarre thoughts that their answers seem to us unintelligible. These ideas may be considered psychiatrically delusional. But it must be remembered that these ideas are real and very important to the person. It is helpful to accept their validity and imagine what it must feel like to hold those beliefs. These can then be better understood and discussed. The benefits of service user involvement stem from the view of service users as experts in their own experience of mental disorders and the services offered (National Institute for Mental Health in England, 2003).The National Schizophrenia fellowship (1997) are of the notion that user involvement should improve the professionals better understanding of the impact of mental illness on users, better targeting of services with a knowledge of effective interventions and increased compliance with treatment by users. However Barnes and Bowl (2001) argue, that â€Å"user involvement is not a clinical intervention technique†(p95). On the other hand Priebe and McCabe (2006) also state that involving users in planning care may help the professional and user develop a therapeutic relationship.The NSF (1999) stipulates that all service users should be involved in the planning of their care and should have a copy of their care plan. Ryrie and Norman (2004) describe a care plan as a proces s by which the nurse arrives at a shared understanding with the patient of what the problems/needs priorities to be taken and provides details on what should be achieved. Care plans should identify a client’s specific need including actual and potential problems, measurable goals to work toward for each problem, realistic approaches to reach each goal, time frames for reaching and re-evaluating goals, and individuals with the primary responsibility for each approach (Ryrie and Norman, 2004). Fox (2004) suggests that care planning provides a road map of ways, to guide all who are involved with a patient’s care. Since assessing anyone’s mental health problems depends almost totally on the person’s account of his/her experiences, this account is seen to be very important. The person’s experiences are unique to them, and known completely only by the person themselves. When someone has mental health problems, they often have extreme or upsetting life ex periences, that are preventing them functioning in their current situation Very often, there is a threat to self, the heart of our life experience .Very often the person becomes isolated even from friends and family. It is only by drawing close and listening to their â€Å"story† or the account they give of themselves and their experience that we can begin to understand, work out with them what might be done to help.( The CPA and NSF standard 4 calls attention to involving service users to their own care and view it as managing and co-ordinating care (NICE, 2002). Peck, et al (2002) states that when service users are involved in drawing up their own care plans leads to a positive outcome. However, Webb et al (2002) in a survey to evaluate the implementation of CPA found that the service users were not involved in the care planning procedure and did not have a copy of their care plan. Rose (2003) found that most service users did not understand the CPA process and they were not aware of how care is coordinated and were not involved in the care planning process. Dougherty and Lister (2004) state that clinicians should recognize that the client is the expert regarding their own health care needs; therefore it is important for the clinicians to plan The National Service Framework for Mental Health (1999) states that people with mental illness must engage with the services available to them However, despite the availability y of many treatments for patient group many avoids them (Sainsburys Centre for Mental Health 1998).The importance is to create a relationship that allows the patients to share their experiences whilst receiving treatment to improve their quality of life. Lack of services When the courts order hospitalisation of a patient for treatment it may be argues that the court is concerned more with the therapeutic interventions that focus on the reduction of risk to the public than with the client individual treatment needs(START,2004)Although safety is of paramount it needs to be recognised that individuals can become institutionalised in the system impedeing their journey to recovery. CONCLUSION (approximately 150 words) REFERENCES Barker P (2001) (b) The Tidal Model: Developing an Empowering, Person-Centred Approach to Recovery Within Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing, Journal of Mental health Nursing 8, 233-240 Maureen Smojkis (2008) PERSON-CENTRED COLLABORATIVE MENTAL HEALTH CARE (Using the Tidal Model) TURNING THE TIDE HANDBOOK The Centre of Excellence in Interdisciplinary Mental Health University of Birmingham Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Trust (Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), 2008) Doh, 2005 National Srvice Framework 5years on . Doh, London Thurgood M 2004 Engaging clients in their care and treatment.In Norman I,Rye Ithe art and science of Mnetla Helath nursing.Atextbook of princeples and practice.Open University Press Maidenhead. Sainsbury Centre For Mental Health(1998)Keys to engagement:Review of Care for People with Severe Mental Ilness who are hard to engage with services.SCMH.London. How to cite Enhancing a Mental Health patient’s experience, Essay examples

Information Security for Level of Importance to Confidentiality

Question: Discuss about theInformation Security for Level of Importance to Confidentiality. Answer: Confidentiality When a client uses card and a PIN (personal identification number) to gain access to their account using ATM, they expect the PIN to be confidential to the host system of the transactions and communication channel between web host system and bank website server (Bulgurcu, Cavusoglu Benbasat, 2010). Level of importance to confidentiality In situation where a PIN is unsecure when carrying out a transaction, it could lead to compromise of the account. Therefore, it needs to be encrypted well. Integrity The client expects t transaction data to remain the same without any detrimental or accidental changes. Degree of important on integrity An example to illustrate this concept: Think about a client who withdraws $ 600 and the balance expected on the account should be 5500 USD. Instead of the system showing a balance 5500 dollars to the account, it accidently updates 5200 USD. To the part of the client this is a loss since more money has been deducted. It is important to note that as much as the transaction impact on the customer account directly, the integrity of transactions should be protected. Availability ATM machine should be accessible to serve the customers needs the times. Degree of importance of availability It improves the financial progress of financial institution, thus, ATM should be functional and efficient always (Hannan Asif, 2017). Since the thief broke 5 different keys and Alice was able to enter her PIN, he should use the remaining 5 keys. Hence, the total number of the possible keys is calculated as follows; 4- The pin is 4 digits 5- The remaining number of keys since the rest were broken 54 = 625 625 is the number of keys the thief may have to try in the worst case to gain an access to Alice account. Question 3 There are various factors which might be reluctant to use biometric for authentication they are as follows; Cost factor: The cost of biometric is very high compared to the authentication techniques (Hannan Asif, 2017). The biometric systems are costly when compared with the other security measures for authentication, for example passwords and the personal identification numbers (Whitman Mattord, 2011). So whilst the biometrics could offer an extra security, the costs currently has outweighed advantages in many of the cases. Point of the failure: In most of the cases, biometric authentication needs is dependent to the lighting. This could cause problems when it comes to using login techniques (Whitman Mattord, 2011). In the event there was unfortunate accidents that could occur, physical features that are used for the biometric authentication could get changed. This would cause some complexities when it comes to the authentication at a later time. Users might hesitate to use the biometric authentication because the devices are non-cancellable. This means parts which are ruined or even worse in an accident is certainly not easily substituted for instance forgotten password (Whitman Mattord, 2011). This is the reason why people have multiple finger-print scanned when they enlist for the fingerprint biometrics (Safa, Sookhak,Von, Furnell, Ghani Herawan, 2015). Additionally, you will discover security issues and the fear for the possible mishandle to the data and misuse of the data is the major reasons that explain precisely why individuals are cynical to adopting biometric security procedures which includes biometric passports. A false negative is when the biometric systems fail in recognizing an authentic person, which led to something occurring. Depending on what the aspects there could be some serious consequences. Personal: The owner of the safe could be prevented from gaining access to the safe, which lead them unable to access a necessary resource. Institutional: In an instance where server infrastructure is down, organization need to access their data center to restore service (Jain, Ross Pankanti, 2006). Each minute organization losses a lot of money and if the biometric system does not recognize the customer, they continue losing more money and reputation. When biometric is used as the primary affirmation framework for entering the premises it can bring in hindering of resources (Peltier, 2016). At the level of utilizing fingerprints that are identifiable tool for proof to distinguish lawbreakers the false antagonistic might result to not the right individual being charged. In a situation wherein biometric would not acknowledge entry of office security personal and there have been a case where theft happened in an enterprise and biometric authentication provides an having access to all the other except security personnel. Cipher is usually the end product to an encryption which is made to plain text through use of algorithm regarded as Cipher. It entails a series of steps which could be followed as the procedure (Gordon Loeb, 2002). To encipher is converting information into the cipher or code. Cipher is the synonymous with the code since they are both set of steps which encrypts the message. Cipher text that is encrypted text. It means when the text has been sent through use of any media software application (Gordon Loeb, 2002). It will be encrypted. Therefore, no third party or individual could read the text. Those that are not invited to read the text would not be able only the receiver for whom the text is sent can be read the message in its original text form (Peltier, T. R. (2016). The plain text is what one has before any encryption has been done. Moreover, Cipher text is the information which is encrypted as it contains original plaintext and it is unreadable by human or a computer without u tilizing a proper cipher in order to decrypt it (Peltier, 2016). The plain text for the below encrypted text through use of key 13 is NTJWKHXK AMK WWUJJYZTX MWKXZKUHE when the text has been decrypted it become as follows; AGWJXUKX NZX JJHWWLMGK ZJXKMXHUR. References Bulgurcu, B., Cavusoglu, H., Benbasat, I. (2010). Information security policy compliance: a empirical study of rationality-based beliefs and information security awareness. MIS quarterly, 34(3), 523-548. Gordon, L. A., Loeb, M. P. (2002). The economics of information security investment. ACM Transactions on Information and System Security (TISSEC), 5(4), 438-457. Hannan, S. A., Asif, A. M. A. M. (2017). Analysis of Polyalphabetic Transposition Cipher Techniques used for Encryption and Decryption. International Journal of Computer Science and Software Engineering (IJCSSE), 6(2), 41-46. Jain, A. K., Ross, A., Pankanti, S. (2006). Biometrics: a tool for information security. IEEE transactions on information forensics and security, 1(2), 125-143. Peltier, T. R. (2016). Information Security Policies, Procedures, and Standards: guidelines for effective information security management. CRC Press. Safa, N. S., Sookhak, M., Von Solms, R., Furnell, S., Ghani, N. A., Herawan, T. (2015).Information security conscious care behaviour formation in organizations. Computers Security, 53, 65-78. Whitman, M. E., Mattord, H. J. (2011). Principles of information security. Cengage Learning.

Gay Marriage argument Essay Example

Gay Marriage argument Essay The issue of legalising cheery matrimony has ever been a affair of great contention in the United States. Many people believe that legalising cheery matrimony is immoral and unconstitutional. Untraditional. unlawful. and unethical are some of the many footings used to depict cheery matrimony. Not all persons feel this manner. The issue has created widespread division both politically and socially. Advocates strongly believe that cheery matrimony is a constitutional right. while the resistance claims it has excessively many societal disadvantages. In present twenty-four hours society the figure of peoples in support of cheery matrimony is higher than of all time. One of the many advocators for pro homosexual matrimony is Evan Wolfson. the laminitis and president of Freedom to Marry. Wolfson presents legion statements for the legalisation of cheery matrimony in his article Without Nationwide Gay Marriage. U. S. Government Discriminates. Using emotional. logical. and legal entreaty. Wolfson presents his statement. Same-sex twosomes should be able to observe their relationships through the bondage of matrimony merely like heterosexual twosomes. Many same-sex twosomes want to get married and they should be able to since it is at that place human right. Evan Wolfson explains it cleanly when he proclaimed Marriage is an of import minute in life when we make a public promise of love and dedication to the individual we are constructing a life with. and inquire our friends and household to back up us and keep us accountable. Couples who have made that committedness in life should hold the same committedness under the jurisprudence ; called matrimony. We will write a custom essay sample on Gay Marriage argument specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Gay Marriage argument specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Gay Marriage argument specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer It is unfair to free taxpayer citizens of this right. It is societies norm that matrimony should be between a adult male and adult female. but it is non written anyplace within the fundamental law. It is a saddening unfairness to know apart citizens due to their sexual orientation. This is suitably presented when Wolfson writes Under the jurisprudence. matrimony touches every facet of life. from birth to decease. with revenue enhancements in between. Denial of the freedom to get married is one of the harshest inequalities inflicted on sapphic and cheery families—discrimination by their ain government†¦particularly in these tough economic times. The benefits of matrimony should be extended to all person during the present economic state of affairs. Harmonizing to Wolfson. Withholding from these benefits by forestalling same sex matrimony is a premier illustration of favoritism. There is no logical to ground to forestall homosexual matrimony since it has been proven successful. Gay twosomes portion in the freedom to get married in six provinces and the District of Columbia ; the sky hasn’t fallen. Gay matrimony has been proven successful in other parts of the universe along with some of the United States. Same sex matrimony is deriving more and more credence. yet it is discriminated against province and federal authoritiess. The Federal authorities marks homosexual twosomes through the passage of DOMA ( Defense of Marriage Act ) . Wolfstan claims DOMA injuries married same-sex twosomes by keep backing the more than one thousand federal duties and protections accorded all other married twosomes. Benefits such as societal security subsister and wellness coverage are withheld from married twosomes. The fundamental law commands equal justness for all and Wolfson believes its clip to stay by our nation’s written jurisprudence. Although Evan Wolfson nowadayss valid points. there are many holes in his statement. The writer neglects many facets while portraying his ain thoughts. To get down with. why is it necessary to specify a relationship with the rubric of Marriage? If two people of the same sex want to be in a relationship. why non merely be together? The writer claims that Gay twosomes portion in the freedom to get married in six provinces and the District of Columbia ; the sky hasn’t fallen. In the actual sense this statement is true. but what about the rise in divorce rates in the six provinces and District of Columbia? The sky hasn’t fallen. but there may be negative effects to the legalisation of cheery matrimony. Wolfston besides charges the province and federal authoritiess with favoritism against homosexuals. It is the government’s occupation to delight the bulk. and if anti-gay statute law will make that. so be it. If same sex twosomes are offended with province policies. why can’t they move to a different province or state? Wolfson references many appropriate points. but why doesn’t he mention any outside beginnings? Supplying no information from experts in the Fieldss or resources challenges the credibleness of his statement. Marriage is traditionally defined as a brotherhood between a adult male and a adult female. non a adult female and a adult female. or adult male and a adult male. The legalisation of cheery matrimony would do societal and economic hazards that can’t be overlooked. In his article Opinion: Gay matrimony should non be made legal. Ryan Normandin presents legion legitimate grounds as to why cheery matrimony shouldn’t be legalized. Many cheery rights advocators believe that they have the right to get married whomever they want under the equal rights protection clause. but that is surely non the instance. As Normandin explains in his article. They claim that the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment guarantees them the right to get married whomever they desire. including members of the same sex. To prohibit this would. in their heads. be favoritism. But do all people have the right to get married whomever they want already. with the exclusion of same-sex twosomes? No ; provinces have Torahs modulating matrimony. prohibiting first cousins from get marrieding. brothers and sisters from get marrieding. parents and offspring from get marrieding. and people from get marrieding animate beings. inanimate objects. or multiple other persons. The legalisation of cheery matrimony would open legal doors to other signifiers of relationships such as polygamous. incestuous. and other untraditional relationships. By the logic of cheery matrimony. everyone has an equal right to get married whomever or whatever he or she pleases. It is merely suiting that province and federal authoritiess regulate matrimony. he claims. Traditional matrimony is good to the American authorities. which makes it appropriate for twosomes to have revenue enhancement interruptions and legion benefits. Ryan Normnadin explains it best when he literates The principle is that males and females. when married. are more likely to reproduce. therefore guaranting the continuance of American society. It is surely to America’s advantage to hold citizens. so there exists a compelling province involvement warranting authorities subsidisation of heterosexual matrimony. Since traditional matrimony is assisting the United States procreate. it is in the government’s best involvement to subsidise matrimony that is increasing its figure of citizens. Many persons in favour of homosexual rights believe that felicity of same-sex twosomes is adequate a ground for its legalisation. Unfortunately. that is non the instance since happiness is non a compelling adequate statement when weighed against the drawbacks of cheery matrimony. One of the major drawbacks is that same sex twosome can non foster a kid decently. The well being of a kid can non be jeopardized for happiness. Although cheery twosomes can’t reproduce. unreal insemination and acceptance are some options. Although. these statements do non turn out a feasible option because complications can originate. Normandin refers to University of Canterbury professor Bruce J. Ellis to turn out this point. Professor Ellis’s research claims greater exposure to beget absence was strongly associated with elevated hazard for early sexual activity and adolescent gestation. These are hazards that can’t be taken lightly merely to do sapphic twosomes happy. There are besides hazards involved in rearing in respects male twosomes. The writer besides refers to Stanford psychologist Eleanor MacCoby who points out that mothers. on norm. may hold slightly stronger parental instincts’ when it comes to reacting to immature babies. It is of arrant importance for a kid to turn up with both a female parent and male parent. Harmonizing to Normandin’s beliefs. Happiness is non adequate ground to harm the hereafter of infinite kids. Ryan Normandin presents a compelling statement. but there are defects in many of his thoughts. For illustration. the writer compares cheery matrimony to incest and bestiality. Is it truly fair to compare cheery matrimony to such formidable Acts of the Apostless against nature? Bestiality and incest have far more negative effects so gay matrimony. so it is non just to compare them. They inability of homosexual twosomes to reproduce is another point Normandin brings approximately. Although this statement is valid. isn’t unreal insemination a tool that can assist sapphic twosomes reproduce? What about the 1000s of ignored kids male twosomes can salvage? Last. the writer quotes assorted professionals to indicate out that kids of same sex twosomes will hold complications due to an absent male parent or female parent. Studies show that this possibly true. but what about household members that can make full that absent function nowadays in same-sex twosomes? Can’t the grandma or aunt provide maternal attention to a kid of a male twosome? Why can’t a gramps or uncle act as a fatherlike figure for a sapphic couple’s kid? Normandin provided a really compelling statement. but there are minor uncertainties to his thoughts. After analysing both sides of the issue along with my anterior experiences and cognition. cheery matrimony should non be legalized. Both articles made valid points. but Ryan Normandin’s opinionated piece Opinion: Gay matrimony should non be made legal changed my perceptual experience on this issue wholly. Sing matrimony as a governmental issue. non a personal 1. do me recognize that matrimony isn’t merely approximately felicity. Marriage between a adult male and a adult female is good to the authorities. therefore it is allowed. Since same-sex matrimony doesn’t pose benefits. such as reproduction. to the United Sates or its citizens. it is either prohibited or extremely restricted. Reproduction is required for the endurance of any society and legalising cheery matrimony would hold reproducing unimportant. Gay matrimony besides causes desperate effects for the couple’s childs. I have witnessed my co-worker’s merely child. Marshall. with an absentee male parent figure. Due to a losing male parent. Marshall took portion with the incorrect crowd and disregarded all authorization. I have besides witnessed the psychological jobs with childs who are losing a female parent. My cousin. who has two female parents. is socially awkward and lacks basic conversation accomplishments. To guarantee the full wellness of a kid. they need both a female parent and a male parent figure to supply maternally and fatherlike inherent aptitudes. Same sex families are non ideal environments for kids. Another good point that Normandin posed was that the legalisation of cheery matrimony would open doors to other sort of relationships such as polygamy. This would doubtless take to farther deconstruction of matrimony and household. I besides believe same sex matrimony to hold damaging effects on society. A intelligence study I read claimed that legalising cheery matrimony in Scandinavia is linked to the cause of population diminution and higher divorce rates. Numerous researches province that homosexual relationships don’t last long term. The fact that Wolfson did non supply any outside beginnings was another factor that shaped my sentiment. I believe that outside beginnings make an statement much more believable. Challenging cultural. moral. societal values. the disadvantages of cheery matrimony greatly outweigh the advantages. Plants Cited Normandin. Ryan. Gay Marriage Should Not Be Made Legal – The Tech. Gay Marriage Should Not Be Made Legal – The Tech. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 06 July 2011. Web. 08 Sept. 2013. . Wolfson. Evan. Without Nationwide Gay Marriage. U. S. Government Discriminates. US News. U. S. News A ; World Report. 7 Oct. 2011. Web. 08 Sept. 2013. .

A Quickstart Guide to Writing a Political Science Research Paper

A Quickstart Guide to Writing a Political Science Research Paper Writing a political science research paper is inevitable for anyone who takes a course dealing with domestic or international politics, global justice, human rights, and more. Regardless of whether a student is a political science major or only has the discipline for a single term, he/she will be assigned multiple research papers throughout the course. Although news headings may make one think that politics is cryptic and sinuous if not shady, in reality, it is not as unbearable as it seems. If approached with a proper amount of diligence and enthusiasm, political science can be as engaging as watching The House of Cards. It is a good idea to keep in mind that if everyone paid enough attention to it when in college, some of the current leaders would have never been elected. In other words, no one should treat seemingly dull papers as a necessary evil. Writing them is a first step to make a difference. What Is a Political Science Research Paper? One popular misconception is that ‘research’ in research papers means that one is required to gather as much information on the topic as possible and merely throw it together in a more or less coherent way. As a result, students are often tempted to turn their paper into data dumps, where dates/event descriptions/other people’s ideas follow one another without adequate explanations not to mention analysis. It is unlikely that professors doubt their students’ ability to google. What they do want to know is whether one is capable of analyzing the search results critically. Descriptive reporting (the data dump thing) is necessary, but it must only take a part of the research paper, not its entirety. In reality, a political science research paper is an analytical report with the stress on ‘analytical.’ Facts do not show readers the writer’s proficiency and critical thinking skills. Students have to demonstrate that they are not only familiar with the course materials but also took their time to develop their own ideas. Everyone knows that Syria’s civil war started with the resentment toward Bashar al-Assad’s government. What one has to do is to dig deeper. Why did not the war start until 2011? How does it fit into the general patterns of the Arab Spring? What is the connection between the Syrian war and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict? Why is the international community so unhelpful? How to Choose a Topic for a Political Science Research Paper: Our Writers Share Their Know-How’s Contrary to popular belief, it is a way easier to compose a political science research paper writing when there is a specific topic/research question assigned. Knowing what to write about allows one to avoid spending time and efforts on searching for an adequate, not over-researched, not under-researched topic. However, more often than not, professors suggest their students choose a research question of their own that would deal with the course readings. In such cases, the broader the course is, the more difficult the task gets. For instance, if one takes ‘Introduction to Political Theory’ or ‘Advanced Comparative Politics’, it normally means that appropriate topic options are almost unlimited. There are several characteristics of a decent topic for a political science research paper. First of all, it must be not too broad. Ambition is good; however, taking into account that the common length of a research paper has to be about 6-8 pages, it is unlikely that one can write an in-depth analytical paper on global democracy. The focus should be narrowed. Choosing a specific country to analyze the challenges it faces while struggling for democracy will be more manageable. If the course deals with global politics, comparing two different countries is also a good option. At the same time, an overly narrow topic is also a no-go way. Barack Obama’s protection of Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan’s seats in the United States Supreme Court was certainly a notable step towards achieving diversity in American politics. Still, it would not be reasonable to choose this specific accomplishment to write a research paper. What is there to write eight pages about? However, putting Obama’s decision in context to analyze the alarming gender and ethnic uniformity among American politicians is a challenging yet doable research problem. Any topic can be adjusted to take the right place on the scale from ‘too broad’ to ‘too specific.’ Finally, if paper requirements do not say the opposite, one should not limit his/her choice of a topic to the domestic politics alone. Certainly, if the course is called American Federalism, the professor most likely expects students to stick to the United States in the research paper. Otherwise, comparing American political history or current tendencies to those of a different country is more interesting than discussing the United States in a vacuum. Still, there must be a specific issue to compare, for instance, health-care policies. Most importantly, the topic should be interesting and important for the writer. When a student is personally affected by a certain problem, he/she is invested and more likely to compose a high-quality research paper. Grab the Reasonable Examples of Good Topics: Neoliberalism and Health Care: Cuts in Medicare in the United States and Canada over the Last Two Decades; The Current Problems of Corporate Philanthropy in the United States; Fighting Environmental Racism in Chicago, Illinois; The Impact of the Idle No More movement on American Politics; Presidential vs. Parliamentary Systems in Africa: Tanzania vs. Ethiopia; Radical Democracy as a Way out of Neoliberal Collapse in the United States. Examples of Not-So-Good Topics Social Movements in the United States. It is too broad Resolving the Problems of Globalization. This one is too vague and broad. It is better to specify what problems and in what counties are implied. Colombian Presidential Elections in 2006. It is rather a matter of political history. If there is a specific issue to analyze within the events of 2006 elections, it should be specified. However, it is better to find a way to establish a link between 2006 and 2018 elections or another topical problem in Colombia. The Government in the United States and Morocco. It is a barely manageable task to compare a federal republic to an absolute monarchy. There are a few similarities. Where to Find Relevant Academic Sources? Probably, using high-quality scholarly sources is the most valuable component of a well-written research paper. They are the necessary foundation for the writer’s analysis. Backing up one’s ideas proves expertise. Even though every politics-related course always has an extensive list of reading materials, they are not enough to compose a paper regardless of whether there was a specific topic assigned or not. Students are normally expected to use class readings as a starting point for further independent research. Once the topic is chosen, one should start searching for books and journal articles to broaden his/her knowledge and develop a deep understanding of the problem. If the topic deals with the current issues, using news articles is also inevitable. However, considering the amount of fake news and filter bubbles one faces these days, students should approach every news website with caution. Well-known and credible ones like BBC News, HuffingtonPost, CNN, and the New York Times are safe options. It is also reasonable to check several news platforms for a specific event report to compare and contrast different opinions. Political writing is doomed to be biased. It is the spot between the two opposite biases where one finds relatively true information. However, college students cannot manage a political science research paper without consulting relevant books and journal articles written by the authors well-accepted within the academic community. For those, one should choose research databases over Google. University libraries are a perfect place to start. However, online ones are more accessible and easier to operate. Besides, offline libraries are rarely able to fit as many sources as online ones. These are several most credible and extensive academic databases: JSTOR, Academic Search Premier (EBSCO), Web of Science, Project Muse, ProQuest. The majority of articles are not available in full there; however, abstracts give a clear idea of their content. If one understands that a certain article could be helpful, he/she can access it through the college student ID or go to the university library. Besides, students should take their time to check various political science journals separately. It is impossible to list all of them, but it is certainly helpful to keep in mind: American Journal of Political Science, American Political Science Review, Foreign Affairs (It is rather a magazine than a journal; nevertheless, it is a solid platform to consult), Perspectives on Politics, American Politics Research, Political Science Quarterly, International Political Science Review, Politics Society, Journal of Political Science and Public Affairs, International Affairs. Finally, there are several websites where students can find useful political science books. Popular Political Science Books section on GoodReads is hardly an appropriate selection; some of the items there belong rather to the popular science genre and will not look good in one’s research paper bibliography. Instead, students should consider such websites as Yale University Press and Oxford University Press. How to Cite Sources? The process of referencing may appear minuscule as compared to writing a research paper. However, most professors’ grading rubrics show that proper citing is worth many points. The Online Writing Web at Purdue University is the best website to revise one’s referencing skills. There are guides and sample entries for each of the common format styles including MLA, APA, and Chicago. Also, many databases have a citation generator next to every book/article; it allows students to copy and paste a properly composed bibliography entry for every item they chose to reference. Why Is an Outline a Must? Regardless of one’s experience, it is not an easy task to keep focused on the topic while writing. Students frequently get carried away, and the paper ends up being written about something that has nothing to do with the chosen subject. To avoid such an outcome, everyone should begin by composing an outline. No need to make it overly detailed or fancy. Unless the professor requires submitting a proposal with a well-developed full-sentence outline, it is primarily Ariadne’s thread for a student to stay on topic. Once a drafted thesis statement is done, one should make sure that each of the paragraphs supports it. To include one to two rebuttal ones is alright but they should not distract the reader from the paper’s perspective. All paragraphs should have the same structure: a claim (topic sentence) expressing a clear argument evidence (followed by a proper reference to the source) analysis evidence #2 analysis #2 concluding sentence/transition to the next paragraph. The second evidence and analysis are optional and depend on whether the writer prefers longer or shorter paragraphs. The Structure of the Political Science Research Paper A common research paper includes the following: Abstract Not every professor expects his/her students to present an abstract before the research paper. In any case, it is not a difficult task to come up with one. To put it simply, an abstract is a 150-word summary of the entire paper. Introduction The introductory paragraph should let the reader understand what is going to be discussed in the paper without summarizing it. The last sentence is a thesis statement that reflects the paper’s central idea clearly. Body The body of a research paper consists of multiple paragraphs. Their number depends on the length of the paper. Again, each of them has to be related to the thesis statement. Conclusion The conclusion consists of restating the thesis statement, a brief conclusion of all body paragraphs (one sentence per point/paragraph is enough), and one last thought-provoking sentence to invite the reader to think about the problem discussed in the paper. /References Every research paper must have a separate page with a list of the sources cited in the text. Post-Writing Tips One thing nobody should neglect is proofreading. Once the paper is completed, every student’s duty is to reread it several times and use a grammar checker if possible. Sloppy writing makes the text annoying and difficult to follow. Political science research papers could potentially solve global poverty or find a way to fight corruption. With that in mind, it would be a pity if the lack of proofreading prevented the professor (or other potential audience) from giving the paper justice. The final political science research paper writing tip is that it is always useful to ask someone to read the paper before submitting it. Since the writer has spent hours if not days composing the research paper, he/she tends to overlook some minor typos or sentences with broken causality. All in all, treating a political science research paper as an actual proposal for the hypothetical government to implement makes the writing process livelier.

Imperial Power and the Post-Colony Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Imperial Power and the Post-Colony - Essay Example The purpose of this paper is to explore the nature and extent of these changes within the broader context of the politics and theoretical understanding of the imperial age. Essentially, economic interests drove the colonial relationship between the imperial power and the colony, where the flow of capital was from the latter to the former. Indeed, by 1900, the forces had capital had pervaded the global economic process so deeply that it was difficult to imagine a time when an economy was still local and driven by consumption and not profit. The Industrial Revolution in 18th century Britain has placed it at the pinnacle of global economic power; Britain used this economic prowess to fuel its military might and develop the most formidable navy in the world, utilizing it with telling effect to colonize more than half of the planet (Zakaria 2008: 167-171). It is important to understand that the colonial hierarchy was maintained not only by force but also by the superior technology of the West, which was able to absorb and reap the benefits of the Industrial Revolution. ... This coincidence of economic advantage and technological superiority drove forward the imperial mission and secured the ascendancy of Europe, and especially Britain, throughout the world. As the 20th century unfolded, the demise of the age of imperialism looked more and more a certainty. While the crucial events of the first half of the century - the First and Second World Wars - changed the economic and geo-strategic imperative of colonial powers significantly, Vladimir Lenin and John Hobson penned two telling critiques of the imperial movement to stir sentiments against the economic and political exploitation of the colonies. Lenin, the celebrated leader of the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917 in Russia, claimed that the spread of imperialism would bring about the eventual decline of the capitalist world (1916). He argued that the forces of capitalism had created monopolies in the production, leading to grave consequences for economic life. The gradual shift of focus from global production to global finance, and the trade in capital - as opposed to commodities - had ushered in a system characterized by chronic imbalance and exploitation of the working classes. As a result, a few industrially advanced nations and "capitalist associations" dominated the world economy: "The development of capitalism has arrived at a stage when, although commodity production still 'reigns' and continues to be regarded as the basis of economic life, it has in reality been undermined and the bulk of the profits go to the 'geniuses' of financial manipulation. At the basis of these manipulations and swindles lies socialized production; but the immense progress of mankind, which achieved

Assessing a Student Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Assessing a Student - Personal Statement Example Based on the assessment table above, the average score for the student is 2.67. The scores from the able reflect that there are areas that the student needs support. These include problem solving skills, self-engagement, initiative taking, and decision making. In this case, the strategies that a teacher should adopt include understanding the individual needs of the students, making sure that the students know what is going on in class, and encouraging students to participate in class activities. In the case of this student, differentiation is important since he seems to be a below average student. In order for the teacher to improve the performance of the student, he should set different tasks for the student based on the performance of the student. Moreover, the teacher should set different open-ended tasks in order to assess the abilities of the student at different levels. The different forms of formative assessments that the teacher should use to gauge the performance of the student include questioning, discussions, peer/self-organizers, think pair share, and constructive quizzes. May, K. (2005). Teaching Strategies for Asperger Students. Retrieved from

Energy Saving Potential of Green Facade in Hong Kong Dissertation

Energy Saving Potential of Green Facade in Hong Kong - Dissertation Example The up to date technology of green wall system in other countries will be reviewed. Existing examples were examined for assessing the potential development in s Hong Kong setting. 1.1 Objective The social, environmental and visual impression that a green wall system can make towards providing a sustainable built environment in cities are accepted worldwide. One of the objectives of this dissertation is to conduct a thorough review of the update design principle and technology on the green wall system in order to increase public understanding and awareness. Basically, the purpose of this dissertation is divided into three parts. 1.1.1 The first purpose is to present the findings of the desktop literature search into the worldwide green wall innovations. This includes, but is not limited to; A brief definition and classification of green wall systems; A list of the benefits for the public and private sectors; A brief list of the benefits for the environment; 1.1.2 The second purpose is to review green walls development in Hong Kong including: Review of present government pilot project and commercial project; Review of constraint for the application in Hong Kong; A brief of the present green building assessment method in Hong Kong. 1.1.3 The last purpose is to demonstrate how to demonstrate the green wall could be applied in a Hong Kong setting. ... Green walls need to be maintained routinely in order for the plants to survive. Counties that use green walls will be examined. The difference between residential and commercial green walls and the purposes will be described. The green walls have different forms in order to fill the area’s specific need. The irrigation, run-off and water retention of the green walls is a consideration that should be looked at in the developmental stage of a new construction project or in the construction of the green wall. All of these topics will be discussed in this section and sub-sections. 2.1 Definitions of the green walls In the current market there are minimal discrimination between domestic and commercial products and systems. Although there are some major differences relevant to this study. The scale of commercial green wall systems for multi-storey buildings requires a different standard to the domestic scale systems. The materials need to have a relatively high quality and longevity to cater for the rigors of extreme conditions such as weather, pollution, and other conditions relevant to the green walls location. For example, the excessive solar radiation in the high-density urban environment would damage UV unstable materials in a short period. Structural loading on the building framework to support the green wall system, wind loading in addition (i.e. the higher the green wall the greater the wind loadings to be induced), requires more precise structural design than with smaller scale domestic applications. Furthermore, the issue of repair and maintenance must be integrated into the building systems, rather than applied as an add-on component (Graeme, Christine, Milos and Michael Andrew 2010), such a

Theories of African Christian Ethics

Theories of African Christian Ethics INTRODUCTION Before I begin, let me first suggest to you the overall task of Christian Ethics. If I speak about ethics, I speak about Who we are, how we are to perceive our world and how we are to live in this world. This is the main crux of Christian Ethics. In this assignment I would like to demonstrate a working knowledge of African, Western and African Christian Ethics. I will also look at the differences between selected ethical theories. ASSIGNMENT 1 Explain Western Ethics and evaluate the effect it has on our understanding of ethics. Underscore both the positives and negatives it has brought about in ethical thinking. According to Barnhill (2009) the Western tradition has four major approaches to ethics: The first two listed (Utilitarian Ethics and Deontological Ethics) are modern developments and they dominate modern philosophy. He says that Virtue ethics is as old as Plato and is making a bit of a come-back. Natural law ethics is relatively popular among environmental ethicists. After reading his Environmental studies, I have come to realise the following: This study speaks about goodness and badness. We can identify happiness with the good and sees virtue as a major part of happiness. We can explain that happiness and virtue should be detached. If we look at virtue it relates to good will, a good will is good in every circumstance and is absolute or unconditional good. It grows when you act for the sake of duty. A human action is morally good and is done for the sake of duty. Western Ethics shows us that an action can be motivated by duty and has moral worth. Not because of the results it achieved, but for satisfying a formal principle. The principle of performing ones duty, whatever it may be. People have impulses and desires and that is why the moral law appears to us as a law that we must obey. This impulses and desires is our only source for moral judgement. This is our free will. Our free will can create a moral law and we will obey it. The human mind is able to know what is good and evil. To have value judgement is born from ins ide of us. This is called your conscience. Most people recognize that man is free to make his or her moral decisions. On the other hand, all the things that we do wrong come from our human desires. Men and women should follow the will of God. Use the will of God to make certain decisions in life. There is a universal moral law, the knowledge to free ourselves from human desires. We are free to make good and sound moral judgements. In the approach of care and the community, too much Western Ethics has given individuals the right to think about themselves. We must build love and compassionate relationships among people. The full theory of ethics would have to accommodate all four aspects of Western ethics. One way to sometimes approach Western ethics and the influence it has on ethics is based on four aspects like rights, goods, virtues and our relationship with each other. We must look at the following questions like: Do our actions violate another persons rights? We must try to achieve good in life. Look at our integrity. Care for each other. Ethics and even Western Ethics can never be static and with Western Ethics there are certain frameworks and principles. We dont know whether Western Ethic has a future, but it really and most definitely do have a past. We can see that the patterns of the Western moral personality will continue to surface and really have to be dealt with, either through painful reflection or painful restructuring (Kunhiyop, 2004:29). Define in your own words Contemporary African Ethics. Highlight its important characteristics. Kigongo (nd) says that Contemporary African Ethics is a combination of African ethical tradition and European ethical tradition. What better way to describe Contemporary African Ethics than the word Ubuntu. Ubuntu means that people are people because of other people. In Africa nobody can survive alone, we need each other to survive. I think that we are all searching and suggesting new directions which to follow in pursuit of African values. We can say that the foundation of African ethics is definitely a humanistic worldview. Everything about the community is seen to exist not just in the here and now, but also in the past, through those who have already gone and also in the future, those who have yet to come. It is the past that influence the present and the present the future. Why, we ask, has this worldview, with the emphasis on respect for all mankind, support and responsibility not travel through the whole world yet? You remember in the second paragraph I spoke about Ubuntu. Well, I can say that this worldview is expressed by the very society that lives according to it. If the community follows Contemporary African Ethics, they are living testimonies to their worldview. This worldview is worth reviving and respect for another, especially a stranger, is well known to communities in the south of the Sahara. With them a visitor was to be welcomed and feted, not suspected and resisted like in some of our communities (Kunhiyop, 2004:23-27). Africa is currently looking at a new future when it comes to African Ethics. Africa believes that its own worldview has so much potential and contemporary messages to give. Africa does not have all the above on record, but the culture itself speaks of enrichment and value. Definitely African values can be included in everything in life, for example in institutions of higher learning. The world needs more Contemporary African Ethics (Kunhiyop, 2004:13). Identify the key aspects of African Christian Ethics. I hear what Okolo (nd) says: First, the African may well count himself fortunate to be blessed with such a basically sound and enduring religious and moral tradition. But this does not at all mean that the Christian religion based on Christs love ethic constitutes a mere superficial dimension in his moral life. The Christian religion means for the African fundamental changes in many of his cultural values and options such that a real conversion is required for him to be a Christian in the authentic meaning of the term and in its ethical implication. I think that the African society is in a moral crisis. The African are having an identity crisis and have shifted away from their value system. Their moral values they gave away for other value systems. In a sense the first aspects is the fact that they have betrayed the African value system by analyzing it with the socio-economic and political implications that are taken from all the different value systems. The second aspect for me is the fact that Africans are now abandoning their value system by trying to embrace other systems, namely liberalism and utilitarianism. The consequence of this above mentioned shift is that the African will no longer be known by what he is, but by what he has acquired by different means. The African have lost the sense of Who am I and this created the moral crisis in South Africa. If we look at virtue ethics, I think it could help us to redeem the African value system as well as every individual in South Africa. Virtue ethics is intended to provide a s ociety in which people can live a meaningful life. There is a general agreement amongst the African people that the African cannot be defined except in the closeness of the community. We can see the closeness of relationship between the individual and the social nature of the African. The African system is not concerned with material issues; it is concerned primarily with human beings in their relationship with one another. It is like that, the community means that the community alone can constitute the context, their social and cultural space. Africans needs to find freedom and responsibility in themselves and also in other people in South Africa. CONCLUSION Whether African Christian Ethics will start a different socio-economic and political arrangement remains a question that needs to be explored in-depth. Bibliography Barnhill D L 2007. Four Traditional Western Approaches to Ethics. Online article: http://www.uwosh.edu/faculty_staff/barnhill/ES_375/ethics.html, 07/01/2009. Kunhiyop S W 2004. African Christian Ethics. United States of America: Hippo Books. Kigongo J K n.d. The Relevance of African Ethics To Contemporary African Society. Online article: http://www.crvp.org/book/Series02/II-8/chapter_ii.htm, 13/01/2009. Okolo C B n.d. The African Experience of Christian Values: Dimensions of The Problematic. Online article: http://www.crvp.org/book/Series02/II-3/chapter_xi.htm, 13/01/2009. INTRODUCTION The Bible is an expression of Gods will to us and possesses the right supremely to define what we are to believe and how we are to conduct ourselves. In the book African Christian Ethics Samuel W. Kunhiyop gives us guidelines in biblical Christianity for Africa. Although Samuel Kunhiyops book does not deal exclusively with the role of the Bible, I will review his book to get to the core. We know that everything stays the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. To review a great Theologian like Samuel W. Kunhiyop, I dont think it is for me to comment on the way he wrote his book. ASSIGNMENT 2 Write a critical book review of the course textbook: Samuel Kunhiyop (2004), African Christian Ethics. In the introduction Samuel describes the need for writing this book: Christian ethics is often regarded the same as Western ethics, but they are really not the same. The two have become confused because Western missionaries did not bring a true and honest gospel but one that is different from the true gospel. Students who should be studying African Christian ethics are too often busy with the wrong ethical theories coming from the West. What should be taught in African theological colleges is an ethics that is African, biblical and Christian. That is what this book seeks to give to its reader (Kunhiyop, 2004:8-10). We can find a lot of information on African Christian Ethics through the internet and there is a lot of information for Western churches to use. Hippo books are so popular that they are used by many publishers and are well known throughout the world. Some of the publishers like Zondervan and African publishing houses also make use of Hippo books. Hippo books create an environment for the learner or student to get acquainted with all sections of Theology. Hippo books have got information and theories of many of scholars who share their knowledge and experience with us. Hippo books have got a vision to help with the growth in all African churches so they can see their culture from an evangelical perspective. Hippo books also published African Christian Ethics which I am about to review (Davy, 2010). Samuel Waje Kunhiyop was previously the Professor of Theology and Ethics at ECWA Theological Seminary. He holds a Bachelor of Theology, Masters of Theology and PhD at Trinity International University, Illinois. Samuel Waje Kunhiyop was ordained by the Evangelical Church of West Africa as a minister. Currently he is one of the heads of the Postgraduate School at the South African Theological Seminary (Kunhiyop, 2004:4-5). The need for an interpretation of Christianity and all its aspects from an African point of view was necessary. One such aspect is the question of Christian ethics and how it is affected by Africa and its enormous cultural variety. Samuel identified the need to explore and explain the many questions that arose around the issue of African Christian ethics. According to Kunhiyop he started in his life seeking to find all information and truths about African Christianity. He studies for 8 years in Nigeria for his undergraduate theological training and another 7 years in the United States for his graduate theological training. In 1993 he went back to Nigeria and has been teaching now there for 11 years. Samuel is a great teacher of the Bible, Theology, Ethics and Philosophy. In 1994 he was teaching to a group of students and after finishing with them he asked the students What did you learn from this course? One of the students stood up and answered with the words nothing. Samuel was stu nned and because of that answer, he started to investigate and wanted to seek for the right answers. He realised that the information he gave through to the students did not pertain to them and their culture. He knew that he needed to do more for the students for them to succeed in life (Kunhiyop, 2004:8-9). If I can mention that it was very difficult to find the book in the library and Protea Bookshop gave an indication that it would take 10 weeks if I order the book. The book had to come from Kenya. When we look at the life of Samuel Waje Kunhiyop, we can see a Christian who believes in Jesus Christ as his personal Saviour. Although he did most of his studies overseas, he was born and raised in Africa. He wanted to help and assist African Christians struggling with their own situations and problems. He recognized that Africans, and even more so, African Christians, needed guidance in relation to the interpretation of their everyday personal problems within an ethical frame of reference (Kunhiyop, 2004:9). At first I didnt know what to make of the book African Christian Ethics. The book seemed extremely difficult to read, interpret and understand. Why might that be, I asked myself. Then I came to a conclusion. It was because I knew nothing about the Africans and their unique, intricate and diverse cultures. The only knowledge I have is about my own culture and roots. In Ethical Foundation: Section one Samuel Waje Kunhiyop explains what African morality and the African culture consists of (Kunhiyop, 2004:11). It is wonderful to read about my fellow African inhabitants within their interesting context. The songs they love to sing and the stories they love to tell. Then suddenly, the way of the African opens up to you and you begin to understand everything. The style in which the book has been written became much easier to read and interpret. As soon as I caught the drift of things, I enjoyed reading the book immensely. Samuel Waje Kunhiyop has done a lot of research to get to the truth. He also incorporated Biblical content to support his findings and to better explain the interpretation of these findings from a Christian point of view. At work my responsibilities include informing the soldiers about HIV and AIDS. With the knowledge that I gained from Samuels book I can now understand the African soldier better. It also helped me in building better relationships with the soldiers, as I better comprehend their training of thought and understanding of Christianity. Samuel Waje Kunhiyop, through this book, opened up the eyes of many people, scholars and foreigners, although I think there is many more to explore and more information to gain. In South Africa a lot of African people are still confused and do not have identity. I can see that when I work with the youth in South Africa. The youth are lacking the strong morals and values they need to become better human beings in their communities and societies. The content of this book is magnificent and I would definitely encourage other individuals to read it and apply it to future situations with the African cultures. Let us explore the content of the book in detail to grasp the crux of what Samuel Waje Kunhiyop want to explain to us. I believe Kunhiyops work is excellent and I want to give him all the credit for this book. The book is divided into two sections, section one: Ethical Foundations, Chapter one, two and three deals with the theory of ethics, while section two: Contemporary Ethical Issues, Chapter four to thirteen discusses practical issues. Issues that is so relevant that we can apply it in our daily lives. The issues are grouped in the following order, as given in the Table of content: Political Issues, Religious Issues, Medical Issues, Welfare Issues, Financial Issues, Witchcraft Issues, AIDS Issues, Marriage Issues, Sexual Issues and Reproductive Technologies. Each chapter begins with a general introduction followed by the chapters dealing with the specific issues in that area. Samuel does not go into a detailed debate regarding War, rather, he looks at the wars and conflicts in Africa and then examines the Bible to find an answer (Kunhiyop, 2004:2). Starting with Contemporary African ethics, we can see that the African society does believe in God as the highest order and as the sole creator of earth and mankind. Secondly they stand under the authority of spirits and ancestors who are the leaders and instructors of good and evil. The distinct differences between morality and ethics are not acknowledged as they experience it as one with their religion. These assumptions are only written on paper as there is no documentary proof of the history or origin thereof. The growing up and teaching or learning through the elderly and community by word of mouth is their reference in life. Most important is the tribe, community and family rules for belonging and not to be a single individual with his or her own set of rules and regulations. Believing in the spirits and the ancestors justifies certain actions as long as you dont get caught and therefore has a deterrent effect on your family or community. They also believe that you must keep th e spirits happy in order to be blessed and not to be cursed in life. Mostly the interaction between family (grandfathers, grandmothers, fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts, cousins, nieces and nephews) and the community (neighbors, friends, etc.) is a vital link to the forming of the African cultural inheritance (Kunhiyop, 2004:11-28). Secondly, while Western ethics were founded and applied by numerous leaders of the Enlightenment eras, it had different positive as well as negative impacts on society. One example that has a negative impact on the biblical views of the religious community is the privacy factor where a woman has the sole right to apply abortion if she wishes to. Furthermore I do believe that technology is good for anybody except where it is applied have a negative result to humanity (Kunhiyop, 2004:29-46). The reading and understanding of African Christian Ethics was very difficult. Samuel makes mention of many authors and in text citing. The English language he used in Chapter three to point out his facts is confusing as to get the history facts straight. What I do understand from this Chapter is that Samuel writes that Christian theology is the backbone of African Christian ethics and that it will be useless if the Scriptures are not part of the guidance to the rules of African Christian ethics. The Black African Christian has a rule of ethics whereby their ancestors are always consulted and is a part and parcel of their decision making. Therefore in their ethics within certain issues they leave out God in certain other issues they consult Him. He explains that African ethics is deeply rooted in the soul and that it becomes personal, influencing the mind, heart, body and spirit of a person. If a family member has got an issue, that issue will affect the immediate family, as well as t heir distant relatives. It will influence those who are living and those who are dead, but still interested in the affairs of the living. To understand the community is to understand African ethics. This is a critical tool and must be used when studying African ethics. These ethics are developed in interaction with the past, the present and the future, nothing or nobody can be excluded. God, the spirits of the departed, the ancestors and good and evil will always have an enormous influence on the morality of the people. Why, because they are African and full of culture. Although the Bible does not support the doctrines of demons, evil spirits and witchcraft, many Christians are unaware of what the Bible teaches on the subject. Christians believe the Bible also serves as an authoritative moral influence, thus in Africa there is no such thing as an ethical system that has no practical and religious implications. There will always be principles or rules that guide behaviour. These prin ciples or rules are intertwined with practices of ethics and work nicely together (Kunhiyop, 2004:47-70). Samuel takes into account all the factors that are historically tied to the given topic and describes each problem in detail. In each problem he looks for a Biblical perspective on the issue, usually asking what the Old Testament says and what the New Testament says. This he does by also including the churchs response and the separate African churchs response before drawing an overall final conclusion. This method which he is using is effective because it keeps the Western reader aware of the differences between the West and Africa approach to ethical problems. The Western and traditional African understanding of ethics has affected the ethical thinking of Christians. We need to change our perspective of the church because the church is constantly growing and becoming stronger in other parts of the world. To conclude his thoughts Kunhiyop offers an outline for decision making. He based this outline on five important principles: God is the ultimate model of morality. The Scriptures pr ovide the only authority in matters of morality. Every aspect of life is subject to the laws of the Scriptures. The scriptures must be properly interpreted and the community of faith can provide support, responsibility and accountability. The world provides the boundaries in which we live out this morality and ethics (Kunhiyop, 2004). I really dont see any difference between Western Christian Ethics and African Christian Ethics. Kunhiyops point is actually what is underlying these ethics. Understanding the different world views on Christian ethics paves the way for Western churches to be influenced by and to have a greater influence on the African churches and their day to day functions. It is important for Christianity to overcome the barriers of culture and language. We are after all loved by Christ regardless of ethnicity and the limitations of the human race. I regard it important to note that even though the ethical values between the Western civilization and the African cultures are similar, the traditions within the set framework of each group changes the interpretation and thus also the outcome of the ethical concepts. It is in this idea that the key to unlocking Samuels thinking process lies. He understands, having been exposed to both African and Western culture, that these differences, however subtle so me may be, have an immense impact on the eventual interpretation of a persons set of ethical values. Christian ethics cannot be separated from its religious foundation. The important thing is that God requires something of man and that He stands ready to reward the obedience and punish violation. God has something to do with the very meaning of obligation. This book explains these issues well. The Western world is now faced with a choice: are we going to utilize the tools that will enable us to bridge the gap between two very different civilizations or are we going to sit back and do nothing? With the right understanding of Africans and how they interpret ethical values we can incorporate a set of Christian ethical values that will, without a doubt, benefit both parties (Kunhiyop, 2004). CONCLUSION The churches need to understand and interpret African Christian Ethics for them to survive in their communities. Let us think about this and understand where Kunhiyop comes from. Bibliography Davy T J 2010. HippoBooks African Evangelical Imprint. Online article: http://bibleandmission.wordpress.com/2010/01/19/hippobooks-african-evangelical-imprint/, 15/01/2009. Kunhiyop S W 2004. African Christian Ethics. United States of America: Hippo Books. INTRODUCTION Must Christians become involved in politics? In Romans 13:1-7 God is proclaiming that the government belongs to Him. God also tells us that we must follow the government of the day. Let us now try and establish a link between the church and the state. ASSIGNMENT 3 Evaluate the practical value and effectiveness of the four factors of change in the church and state relations. Political Factor Bishop Desmond Tutu exclaimed, Now I am going back to the church to do the real business of the church and leave politics to those well qualified to do it (Kumalo, 2009). When Nelson Mandela became the new president of South Africa that was then that there was an active democratic development in South Africa. Bishop Buthelezi also made the same statement on his farewell function. If we look at the church leaders we can see that most of these prominent leaders came from the political milieu and then go over to the church. On the other hand the other side of the coin is also true, church leaders sometimes also join departments and commissions. We dont know if what the two theologians above said, made the church to withdraw from politics, but they do make us to think about the church and their leaders in South Africa. The Sociological Factor It is true that Muslim politicians go to the Muslim community for their votes. In the Christian community the Christian politicians will go to the Christian community for their votes. The recent call by General Muhammadu Buhari from Nigeria that Muslims should vote only for Muslim candidates in the forthcoming elections in 2003 has generated a lot of controversy. It is important to understand why this is the case. The morality issue of Buhari could be defended from the point of view of his fundamental right. In other words, he has the freedom and fundamental right to take any position on any issue. The changing relationship between religious groups and the state opens up new challenges and new possibilities. More and more people of different religious groups are getting intertwined and use each other to accomplish goals (Kofarmata, 2009). The Economic Factor God has not called Christians just to work in the church, but however he has called us to get involved with all the economical issues in the world. In any case, God is in us and not just in the church. The gifts of the Holy Spirit that God has bestowed upon us and the calling from God, means getting involved in identifying the causes of poverty. We can address these problems and help the needy with the support of God. This means that it is not only the responsibility of the government, but a responsibility of the church. Christianity also means getting involved in politics so that the people can have a better life. Christians must try to create and provide on the job training for other people also encouraging them to find jobs. The African church specifically must get involved in politics and government. The church needs to educate their people so that everybody can make positive contributions to our country and government (Kunhiyop, 2004:74). The Religious Factor According to McCain (2008) the last two decades of the twentieth century have been known by for great explosion of Christian activity and Christian growth. Kunhiyop (2004:74) said: During the 1970s it was not uncommon to hear Christians, especially Christian youth, praying for the nation, which was believed to be under the forces of darkness. All night prayer meetings, fasting and prayers for the nation were common in the church and parachurch organisations such as the one mentioned above. I want to say that the above is true, but the opposite is also true and if we as Christians dont wake up, we are going to miss the opportunity to have an influence in politics. People all over the world still think that religion in politics is a negative and harmful issue that needs to be avoided. We really need to change the way people are thinking and acting in our country. We need to have transformation in our religion, having some objective value that can guide us. If we look at our political leaders when they speak, we must be able to say they are right or wrong, not from a political perspective, but from a religious perspective. The scriptures that we use must be not white or black, but the scriptures of the Holy Word of God. It is the absence of religion in politics that creates this huge gap in our society. We really have to be critical in this analysis. What are we going to do as a nation? Can a nation return to God? I think the question is, can we as a nation rise above our racial and discrimination issues and form one church? If black and white churches unite and stand together, the prayer and fasting for our nation will come back. The youth in this country will stand together and fight for religion and not for politics (MCain, 2008). Distinguish between the concepts state, government, politics and church. State A State is a self-governing political driven place. A state has territory which has internationally recognised boundaries and sometimes there can be quarrels over boundaries. A state has got the following in it: People that are staying and living there permanently. A strong or weak economic structure. A government that must supply things like police services and public services. A state can enter into relations with other states. A state is a nation? Where there is a state there is a nation? Governments can change but a state can stay static and not change for a very long time. Most of the States have sovereignty over their countries so that other states cant interfere. In Somalia this very same thing happened due to civil war. Somalia was part of the internal strife and because it had little authority outside Afghanistan, Somalia collapsed (Global Policy, nd). Government A government can be seen as a body within the community or an organisation that makes and enforce the laws, rules and regulations. A government is committed to the promotion and protection of human rights and human dignity. They are there to establish a society based on democratic values and social justice. The government must lay the foundation for a democratic and open society which is based on the will of people and where every citizen is equally protected by law. They definitely have to improve the quality of life of all the people supporting the government of that day. It is necessary to construct a culture of peace and replacing a culture of violence and disregard for human life. For me, this is what a government must consist of (Kunhiyop, 2004:77). Politics Politics is a need for the general public to have a representative in places other than the ordinary home or workplace. Candidates make themselves available to be elected through votes so that they can represent the people in different public and government organisations (Wikipedia, 2010). Church A church is a Christian religious organisation made up of a congregation, its members and clergy. The religious body is organised with constitutions and laws so that the church can function well. Churches often belong to a broader tradition within the Christian religion, like the Dutch Reformed church, sharing in a sense a history, culture and doctrinal rules with other church (Davies, 2009). Renwick and Harman (1958) said the following with regards to the church: Here we see the fulfillment of our Lords words that, although His kingdom was like a grain of mustard seed, it would yet become a great tree sheltering the birds of the air (Luke 13:19). The small and apparently weak church became a mighty organisation known throughout the earth. Its history shows its moral grandeur; it shows, too, certain defects arising from human weakness and the love of worldly pomp and power contrary to the spirit of the Master. We Theories of African Christian Ethics Theories of African Christian Ethics INTRODUCTION Before I begin, let me first suggest to you the overall task of Christian Ethics. If I speak about ethics, I speak about Who we are, how we are to perceive our world and how we are to live in this world. This is the main crux of Christian Ethics. In this assignment I would like to demonstrate a working knowledge of African, Western and African Christian Ethics. I will also look at the differences between selected ethical theories. ASSIGNMENT 1 Explain Western Ethics and evaluate the effect it has on our understanding of ethics. Underscore both the positives and negatives it has brought about in ethical thinking. According to Barnhill (2009) the Western tradition has four major approaches to ethics: The first two listed (Utilitarian Ethics and Deontological Ethics) are modern developments and they dominate modern philosophy. He says that Virtue ethics is as old as Plato and is making a bit of a come-back. Natural law ethics is relatively popular among environmental ethicists. After reading his Environmental studies, I have come to realise the following: This study speaks about goodness and badness. We can identify happiness with the good and sees virtue as a major part of happiness. We can explain that happiness and virtue should be detached. If we look at virtue it relates to good will, a good will is good in every circumstance and is absolute or unconditional good. It grows when you act for the sake of duty. A human action is morally good and is done for the sake of duty. Western Ethics shows us that an action can be motivated by duty and has moral worth. Not because of the results it achieved, but for satisfying a formal principle. The principle of performing ones duty, whatever it may be. People have impulses and desires and that is why the moral law appears to us as a law that we must obey. This impulses and desires is our only source for moral judgement. This is our free will. Our free will can create a moral law and we will obey it. The human mind is able to know what is good and evil. To have value judgement is born from ins ide of us. This is called your conscience. Most people recognize that man is free to make his or her moral decisions. On the other hand, all the things that we do wrong come from our human desires. Men and women should follow the will of God. Use the will of God to make certain decisions in life. There is a universal moral law, the knowledge to free ourselves from human desires. We are free to make good and sound moral judgements. In the approach of care and the community, too much Western Ethics has given individuals the right to think about themselves. We must build love and compassionate relationships among people. The full theory of ethics would have to accommodate all four aspects of Western ethics. One way to sometimes approach Western ethics and the influence it has on ethics is based on four aspects like rights, goods, virtues and our relationship with each other. We must look at the following questions like: Do our actions violate another persons rights? We must try to achieve good in life. Look at our integrity. Care for each other. Ethics and even Western Ethics can never be static and with Western Ethics there are certain frameworks and principles. We dont know whether Western Ethic has a future, but it really and most definitely do have a past. We can see that the patterns of the Western moral personality will continue to surface and really have to be dealt with, either through painful reflection or painful restructuring (Kunhiyop, 2004:29). Define in your own words Contemporary African Ethics. Highlight its important characteristics. Kigongo (nd) says that Contemporary African Ethics is a combination of African ethical tradition and European ethical tradition. What better way to describe Contemporary African Ethics than the word Ubuntu. Ubuntu means that people are people because of other people. In Africa nobody can survive alone, we need each other to survive. I think that we are all searching and suggesting new directions which to follow in pursuit of African values. We can say that the foundation of African ethics is definitely a humanistic worldview. Everything about the community is seen to exist not just in the here and now, but also in the past, through those who have already gone and also in the future, those who have yet to come. It is the past that influence the present and the present the future. Why, we ask, has this worldview, with the emphasis on respect for all mankind, support and responsibility not travel through the whole world yet? You remember in the second paragraph I spoke about Ubuntu. Well, I can say that this worldview is expressed by the very society that lives according to it. If the community follows Contemporary African Ethics, they are living testimonies to their worldview. This worldview is worth reviving and respect for another, especially a stranger, is well known to communities in the south of the Sahara. With them a visitor was to be welcomed and feted, not suspected and resisted like in some of our communities (Kunhiyop, 2004:23-27). Africa is currently looking at a new future when it comes to African Ethics. Africa believes that its own worldview has so much potential and contemporary messages to give. Africa does not have all the above on record, but the culture itself speaks of enrichment and value. Definitely African values can be included in everything in life, for example in institutions of higher learning. The world needs more Contemporary African Ethics (Kunhiyop, 2004:13). Identify the key aspects of African Christian Ethics. I hear what Okolo (nd) says: First, the African may well count himself fortunate to be blessed with such a basically sound and enduring religious and moral tradition. But this does not at all mean that the Christian religion based on Christs love ethic constitutes a mere superficial dimension in his moral life. The Christian religion means for the African fundamental changes in many of his cultural values and options such that a real conversion is required for him to be a Christian in the authentic meaning of the term and in its ethical implication. I think that the African society is in a moral crisis. The African are having an identity crisis and have shifted away from their value system. Their moral values they gave away for other value systems. In a sense the first aspects is the fact that they have betrayed the African value system by analyzing it with the socio-economic and political implications that are taken from all the different value systems. The second aspect for me is the fact that Africans are now abandoning their value system by trying to embrace other systems, namely liberalism and utilitarianism. The consequence of this above mentioned shift is that the African will no longer be known by what he is, but by what he has acquired by different means. The African have lost the sense of Who am I and this created the moral crisis in South Africa. If we look at virtue ethics, I think it could help us to redeem the African value system as well as every individual in South Africa. Virtue ethics is intended to provide a s ociety in which people can live a meaningful life. There is a general agreement amongst the African people that the African cannot be defined except in the closeness of the community. We can see the closeness of relationship between the individual and the social nature of the African. The African system is not concerned with material issues; it is concerned primarily with human beings in their relationship with one another. It is like that, the community means that the community alone can constitute the context, their social and cultural space. Africans needs to find freedom and responsibility in themselves and also in other people in South Africa. CONCLUSION Whether African Christian Ethics will start a different socio-economic and political arrangement remains a question that needs to be explored in-depth. Bibliography Barnhill D L 2007. Four Traditional Western Approaches to Ethics. Online article: http://www.uwosh.edu/faculty_staff/barnhill/ES_375/ethics.html, 07/01/2009. Kunhiyop S W 2004. African Christian Ethics. United States of America: Hippo Books. Kigongo J K n.d. The Relevance of African Ethics To Contemporary African Society. Online article: http://www.crvp.org/book/Series02/II-8/chapter_ii.htm, 13/01/2009. Okolo C B n.d. The African Experience of Christian Values: Dimensions of The Problematic. Online article: http://www.crvp.org/book/Series02/II-3/chapter_xi.htm, 13/01/2009. INTRODUCTION The Bible is an expression of Gods will to us and possesses the right supremely to define what we are to believe and how we are to conduct ourselves. In the book African Christian Ethics Samuel W. Kunhiyop gives us guidelines in biblical Christianity for Africa. Although Samuel Kunhiyops book does not deal exclusively with the role of the Bible, I will review his book to get to the core. We know that everything stays the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. To review a great Theologian like Samuel W. Kunhiyop, I dont think it is for me to comment on the way he wrote his book. ASSIGNMENT 2 Write a critical book review of the course textbook: Samuel Kunhiyop (2004), African Christian Ethics. In the introduction Samuel describes the need for writing this book: Christian ethics is often regarded the same as Western ethics, but they are really not the same. The two have become confused because Western missionaries did not bring a true and honest gospel but one that is different from the true gospel. Students who should be studying African Christian ethics are too often busy with the wrong ethical theories coming from the West. What should be taught in African theological colleges is an ethics that is African, biblical and Christian. That is what this book seeks to give to its reader (Kunhiyop, 2004:8-10). We can find a lot of information on African Christian Ethics through the internet and there is a lot of information for Western churches to use. Hippo books are so popular that they are used by many publishers and are well known throughout the world. Some of the publishers like Zondervan and African publishing houses also make use of Hippo books. Hippo books create an environment for the learner or student to get acquainted with all sections of Theology. Hippo books have got information and theories of many of scholars who share their knowledge and experience with us. Hippo books have got a vision to help with the growth in all African churches so they can see their culture from an evangelical perspective. Hippo books also published African Christian Ethics which I am about to review (Davy, 2010). Samuel Waje Kunhiyop was previously the Professor of Theology and Ethics at ECWA Theological Seminary. He holds a Bachelor of Theology, Masters of Theology and PhD at Trinity International University, Illinois. Samuel Waje Kunhiyop was ordained by the Evangelical Church of West Africa as a minister. Currently he is one of the heads of the Postgraduate School at the South African Theological Seminary (Kunhiyop, 2004:4-5). The need for an interpretation of Christianity and all its aspects from an African point of view was necessary. One such aspect is the question of Christian ethics and how it is affected by Africa and its enormous cultural variety. Samuel identified the need to explore and explain the many questions that arose around the issue of African Christian ethics. According to Kunhiyop he started in his life seeking to find all information and truths about African Christianity. He studies for 8 years in Nigeria for his undergraduate theological training and another 7 years in the United States for his graduate theological training. In 1993 he went back to Nigeria and has been teaching now there for 11 years. Samuel is a great teacher of the Bible, Theology, Ethics and Philosophy. In 1994 he was teaching to a group of students and after finishing with them he asked the students What did you learn from this course? One of the students stood up and answered with the words nothing. Samuel was stu nned and because of that answer, he started to investigate and wanted to seek for the right answers. He realised that the information he gave through to the students did not pertain to them and their culture. He knew that he needed to do more for the students for them to succeed in life (Kunhiyop, 2004:8-9). If I can mention that it was very difficult to find the book in the library and Protea Bookshop gave an indication that it would take 10 weeks if I order the book. The book had to come from Kenya. When we look at the life of Samuel Waje Kunhiyop, we can see a Christian who believes in Jesus Christ as his personal Saviour. Although he did most of his studies overseas, he was born and raised in Africa. He wanted to help and assist African Christians struggling with their own situations and problems. He recognized that Africans, and even more so, African Christians, needed guidance in relation to the interpretation of their everyday personal problems within an ethical frame of reference (Kunhiyop, 2004:9). At first I didnt know what to make of the book African Christian Ethics. The book seemed extremely difficult to read, interpret and understand. Why might that be, I asked myself. Then I came to a conclusion. It was because I knew nothing about the Africans and their unique, intricate and diverse cultures. The only knowledge I have is about my own culture and roots. In Ethical Foundation: Section one Samuel Waje Kunhiyop explains what African morality and the African culture consists of (Kunhiyop, 2004:11). It is wonderful to read about my fellow African inhabitants within their interesting context. The songs they love to sing and the stories they love to tell. Then suddenly, the way of the African opens up to you and you begin to understand everything. The style in which the book has been written became much easier to read and interpret. As soon as I caught the drift of things, I enjoyed reading the book immensely. Samuel Waje Kunhiyop has done a lot of research to get to the truth. He also incorporated Biblical content to support his findings and to better explain the interpretation of these findings from a Christian point of view. At work my responsibilities include informing the soldiers about HIV and AIDS. With the knowledge that I gained from Samuels book I can now understand the African soldier better. It also helped me in building better relationships with the soldiers, as I better comprehend their training of thought and understanding of Christianity. Samuel Waje Kunhiyop, through this book, opened up the eyes of many people, scholars and foreigners, although I think there is many more to explore and more information to gain. In South Africa a lot of African people are still confused and do not have identity. I can see that when I work with the youth in South Africa. The youth are lacking the strong morals and values they need to become better human beings in their communities and societies. The content of this book is magnificent and I would definitely encourage other individuals to read it and apply it to future situations with the African cultures. Let us explore the content of the book in detail to grasp the crux of what Samuel Waje Kunhiyop want to explain to us. I believe Kunhiyops work is excellent and I want to give him all the credit for this book. The book is divided into two sections, section one: Ethical Foundations, Chapter one, two and three deals with the theory of ethics, while section two: Contemporary Ethical Issues, Chapter four to thirteen discusses practical issues. Issues that is so relevant that we can apply it in our daily lives. The issues are grouped in the following order, as given in the Table of content: Political Issues, Religious Issues, Medical Issues, Welfare Issues, Financial Issues, Witchcraft Issues, AIDS Issues, Marriage Issues, Sexual Issues and Reproductive Technologies. Each chapter begins with a general introduction followed by the chapters dealing with the specific issues in that area. Samuel does not go into a detailed debate regarding War, rather, he looks at the wars and conflicts in Africa and then examines the Bible to find an answer (Kunhiyop, 2004:2). Starting with Contemporary African ethics, we can see that the African society does believe in God as the highest order and as the sole creator of earth and mankind. Secondly they stand under the authority of spirits and ancestors who are the leaders and instructors of good and evil. The distinct differences between morality and ethics are not acknowledged as they experience it as one with their religion. These assumptions are only written on paper as there is no documentary proof of the history or origin thereof. The growing up and teaching or learning through the elderly and community by word of mouth is their reference in life. Most important is the tribe, community and family rules for belonging and not to be a single individual with his or her own set of rules and regulations. Believing in the spirits and the ancestors justifies certain actions as long as you dont get caught and therefore has a deterrent effect on your family or community. They also believe that you must keep th e spirits happy in order to be blessed and not to be cursed in life. Mostly the interaction between family (grandfathers, grandmothers, fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts, cousins, nieces and nephews) and the community (neighbors, friends, etc.) is a vital link to the forming of the African cultural inheritance (Kunhiyop, 2004:11-28). Secondly, while Western ethics were founded and applied by numerous leaders of the Enlightenment eras, it had different positive as well as negative impacts on society. One example that has a negative impact on the biblical views of the religious community is the privacy factor where a woman has the sole right to apply abortion if she wishes to. Furthermore I do believe that technology is good for anybody except where it is applied have a negative result to humanity (Kunhiyop, 2004:29-46). The reading and understanding of African Christian Ethics was very difficult. Samuel makes mention of many authors and in text citing. The English language he used in Chapter three to point out his facts is confusing as to get the history facts straight. What I do understand from this Chapter is that Samuel writes that Christian theology is the backbone of African Christian ethics and that it will be useless if the Scriptures are not part of the guidance to the rules of African Christian ethics. The Black African Christian has a rule of ethics whereby their ancestors are always consulted and is a part and parcel of their decision making. Therefore in their ethics within certain issues they leave out God in certain other issues they consult Him. He explains that African ethics is deeply rooted in the soul and that it becomes personal, influencing the mind, heart, body and spirit of a person. If a family member has got an issue, that issue will affect the immediate family, as well as t heir distant relatives. It will influence those who are living and those who are dead, but still interested in the affairs of the living. To understand the community is to understand African ethics. This is a critical tool and must be used when studying African ethics. These ethics are developed in interaction with the past, the present and the future, nothing or nobody can be excluded. God, the spirits of the departed, the ancestors and good and evil will always have an enormous influence on the morality of the people. Why, because they are African and full of culture. Although the Bible does not support the doctrines of demons, evil spirits and witchcraft, many Christians are unaware of what the Bible teaches on the subject. Christians believe the Bible also serves as an authoritative moral influence, thus in Africa there is no such thing as an ethical system that has no practical and religious implications. There will always be principles or rules that guide behaviour. These prin ciples or rules are intertwined with practices of ethics and work nicely together (Kunhiyop, 2004:47-70). Samuel takes into account all the factors that are historically tied to the given topic and describes each problem in detail. In each problem he looks for a Biblical perspective on the issue, usually asking what the Old Testament says and what the New Testament says. This he does by also including the churchs response and the separate African churchs response before drawing an overall final conclusion. This method which he is using is effective because it keeps the Western reader aware of the differences between the West and Africa approach to ethical problems. The Western and traditional African understanding of ethics has affected the ethical thinking of Christians. We need to change our perspective of the church because the church is constantly growing and becoming stronger in other parts of the world. To conclude his thoughts Kunhiyop offers an outline for decision making. He based this outline on five important principles: God is the ultimate model of morality. The Scriptures pr ovide the only authority in matters of morality. Every aspect of life is subject to the laws of the Scriptures. The scriptures must be properly interpreted and the community of faith can provide support, responsibility and accountability. The world provides the boundaries in which we live out this morality and ethics (Kunhiyop, 2004). I really dont see any difference between Western Christian Ethics and African Christian Ethics. Kunhiyops point is actually what is underlying these ethics. Understanding the different world views on Christian ethics paves the way for Western churches to be influenced by and to have a greater influence on the African churches and their day to day functions. It is important for Christianity to overcome the barriers of culture and language. We are after all loved by Christ regardless of ethnicity and the limitations of the human race. I regard it important to note that even though the ethical values between the Western civilization and the African cultures are similar, the traditions within the set framework of each group changes the interpretation and thus also the outcome of the ethical concepts. It is in this idea that the key to unlocking Samuels thinking process lies. He understands, having been exposed to both African and Western culture, that these differences, however subtle so me may be, have an immense impact on the eventual interpretation of a persons set of ethical values. Christian ethics cannot be separated from its religious foundation. The important thing is that God requires something of man and that He stands ready to reward the obedience and punish violation. God has something to do with the very meaning of obligation. This book explains these issues well. The Western world is now faced with a choice: are we going to utilize the tools that will enable us to bridge the gap between two very different civilizations or are we going to sit back and do nothing? With the right understanding of Africans and how they interpret ethical values we can incorporate a set of Christian ethical values that will, without a doubt, benefit both parties (Kunhiyop, 2004). CONCLUSION The churches need to understand and interpret African Christian Ethics for them to survive in their communities. Let us think about this and understand where Kunhiyop comes from. Bibliography Davy T J 2010. HippoBooks African Evangelical Imprint. Online article: http://bibleandmission.wordpress.com/2010/01/19/hippobooks-african-evangelical-imprint/, 15/01/2009. Kunhiyop S W 2004. African Christian Ethics. United States of America: Hippo Books. INTRODUCTION Must Christians become involved in politics? In Romans 13:1-7 God is proclaiming that the government belongs to Him. God also tells us that we must follow the government of the day. Let us now try and establish a link between the church and the state. ASSIGNMENT 3 Evaluate the practical value and effectiveness of the four factors of change in the church and state relations. Political Factor Bishop Desmond Tutu exclaimed, Now I am going back to the church to do the real business of the church and leave politics to those well qualified to do it (Kumalo, 2009). When Nelson Mandela became the new president of South Africa that was then that there was an active democratic development in South Africa. Bishop Buthelezi also made the same statement on his farewell function. If we look at the church leaders we can see that most of these prominent leaders came from the political milieu and then go over to the church. On the other hand the other side of the coin is also true, church leaders sometimes also join departments and commissions. We dont know if what the two theologians above said, made the church to withdraw from politics, but they do make us to think about the church and their leaders in South Africa. The Sociological Factor It is true that Muslim politicians go to the Muslim community for their votes. In the Christian community the Christian politicians will go to the Christian community for their votes. The recent call by General Muhammadu Buhari from Nigeria that Muslims should vote only for Muslim candidates in the forthcoming elections in 2003 has generated a lot of controversy. It is important to understand why this is the case. The morality issue of Buhari could be defended from the point of view of his fundamental right. In other words, he has the freedom and fundamental right to take any position on any issue. The changing relationship between religious groups and the state opens up new challenges and new possibilities. More and more people of different religious groups are getting intertwined and use each other to accomplish goals (Kofarmata, 2009). The Economic Factor God has not called Christians just to work in the church, but however he has called us to get involved with all the economical issues in the world. In any case, God is in us and not just in the church. The gifts of the Holy Spirit that God has bestowed upon us and the calling from God, means getting involved in identifying the causes of poverty. We can address these problems and help the needy with the support of God. This means that it is not only the responsibility of the government, but a responsibility of the church. Christianity also means getting involved in politics so that the people can have a better life. Christians must try to create and provide on the job training for other people also encouraging them to find jobs. The African church specifically must get involved in politics and government. The church needs to educate their people so that everybody can make positive contributions to our country and government (Kunhiyop, 2004:74). The Religious Factor According to McCain (2008) the last two decades of the twentieth century have been known by for great explosion of Christian activity and Christian growth. Kunhiyop (2004:74) said: During the 1970s it was not uncommon to hear Christians, especially Christian youth, praying for the nation, which was believed to be under the forces of darkness. All night prayer meetings, fasting and prayers for the nation were common in the church and parachurch organisations such as the one mentioned above. I want to say that the above is true, but the opposite is also true and if we as Christians dont wake up, we are going to miss the opportunity to have an influence in politics. People all over the world still think that religion in politics is a negative and harmful issue that needs to be avoided. We really need to change the way people are thinking and acting in our country. We need to have transformation in our religion, having some objective value that can guide us. If we look at our political leaders when they speak, we must be able to say they are right or wrong, not from a political perspective, but from a religious perspective. The scriptures that we use must be not white or black, but the scriptures of the Holy Word of God. It is the absence of religion in politics that creates this huge gap in our society. We really have to be critical in this analysis. What are we going to do as a nation? Can a nation return to God? I think the question is, can we as a nation rise above our racial and discrimination issues and form one church? If black and white churches unite and stand together, the prayer and fasting for our nation will come back. The youth in this country will stand together and fight for religion and not for politics (MCain, 2008). Distinguish between the concepts state, government, politics and church. State A State is a self-governing political driven place. A state has territory which has internationally recognised boundaries and sometimes there can be quarrels over boundaries. A state has got the following in it: People that are staying and living there permanently. A strong or weak economic structure. A government that must supply things like police services and public services. A state can enter into relations with other states. A state is a nation? Where there is a state there is a nation? Governments can change but a state can stay static and not change for a very long time. Most of the States have sovereignty over their countries so that other states cant interfere. In Somalia this very same thing happened due to civil war. Somalia was part of the internal strife and because it had little authority outside Afghanistan, Somalia collapsed (Global Policy, nd). Government A government can be seen as a body within the community or an organisation that makes and enforce the laws, rules and regulations. A government is committed to the promotion and protection of human rights and human dignity. They are there to establish a society based on democratic values and social justice. The government must lay the foundation for a democratic and open society which is based on the will of people and where every citizen is equally protected by law. They definitely have to improve the quality of life of all the people supporting the government of that day. It is necessary to construct a culture of peace and replacing a culture of violence and disregard for human life. For me, this is what a government must consist of (Kunhiyop, 2004:77). Politics Politics is a need for the general public to have a representative in places other than the ordinary home or workplace. Candidates make themselves available to be elected through votes so that they can represent the people in different public and government organisations (Wikipedia, 2010). Church A church is a Christian religious organisation made up of a congregation, its members and clergy. The religious body is organised with constitutions and laws so that the church can function well. Churches often belong to a broader tradition within the Christian religion, like the Dutch Reformed church, sharing in a sense a history, culture and doctrinal rules with other church (Davies, 2009). Renwick and Harman (1958) said the following with regards to the church: Here we see the fulfillment of our Lords words that, although His kingdom was like a grain of mustard seed, it would yet become a great tree sheltering the birds of the air (Luke 13:19). The small and apparently weak church became a mighty organisation known throughout the earth. Its history shows its moral grandeur; it shows, too, certain defects arising from human weakness and the love of worldly pomp and power contrary to the spirit of the Master. We