Prompt 6: Diversity

Think of a world without Diversity, where everything was exactly the same.  Where race, ethnic groups, cultures, music, your mind, style, romance, the way you spend your money is exactly the same as everyone else. Now think of your workplace, where your co-workers had the same ideas as you, where everyone talked, acted, spoke the same way. No one was different from another. You may find it hard to imagine a place like this; America is a country full of diversity. Whether it be cultural diversity, economic diversity, or workplace diversity it is something that makes us all unique in our own way.   

Think of everyone believing in one religion, being from the same area. This is cultural diversity, which can be defined as the differences in race, ethnicity, language, nationality, religion, and sexual orientation represented within a community (Amadeo). Being exposed to diversity can be a tremendous benefit for a community, whether it is a specific community or a widespread community. Although it may seem like the benefits may outweigh the negatives, but whenever you mix different cultures, values, and opinions together, you will get arguing and ultimately conflicts. As mentioned in everything’s an argument; very few of today’s scientists believe there are not such things as races like there were in the past, instead there are social entities; however, they agree races haven’t disappeared. This means that we have all shared our cultures with each other so much that we all have something in common but still maintain our differences. Having respect for other heritages and beliefs while respecting those of others, an important factor is when being a part of a diverse culture.

   However, there are those who resist diversity. These people might be unable to accept diversity or just completely refuse to accept it. What comes from this could be considered racism. Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines racism as “a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial difference produce an inherent superiority of a particular race.” This cannot be better described than the segregation in America’s own history regarding Native-Americans and African-Americans.

 Thankfully, as society progresses and communication becomes easier between people of one culture to another, we now celebrate our diversity and our rich cultures throughout the nation and accept them. As society continues to progress, acceptance of cultures will become even better, which will result in more people being able to keep and practice their heritage with greater acceptance from society.

Go back to thinking of your job without diversity. Think of having to share the same role with everyone in your company. Now your job title as boss doesn’t mean anything. The ideas you bring to the table is the exact same as the person sitting across from you. This is where diversity in the workplace makes things different. It could be said to be a people issue, based on the differences and similarities that the people bring into an organization. To accept diversity in the workplace would mean creating a workplace that respects and includes differences. There are many different ways to look at diversity in the workplace. There is what is called workplace discrimination. For African, Hispanic (Latino), and Asian Americans to overcome racial discrimination they must be able to recognize the problems, understand the remedies and be willing to take action. This process could be used in other situations regarding diversity in the workplace. One of the challenges of diversity in the workplace is communication which includes language and cultural barriers, ineffective communication, and low morale. Another challenge is implementation of diversity in the workplace polices. This is the overriding challenge to all diversity advocates. They must build and implement a customized strategy to maximize the effects of diversity in the workplace for their particular organization. Another challenge is the resistance to change. Often there are employees who chose to not accept the fact of social and cultural makeup of the workplace is changing. Managers need to be prepared to handle the complexities of modern organizational life.

When organizations handle their diversity issues in the workplace effectively, develop and implement diversity plans, there are multiple benefits such as increased adaptability. Organizations that are employing a diverse workforce are able to supply a greater variety of solutions to problems in service, sourcing, and resources. Employees from diverse backgrounds bring individual talents and experiences in suggesting ideas that are flexible in adapting to changing markets and customer demands. There is also a broader service range. A diverse collection of skills and experiences such as languages and cultural understanding, allows a company to provide service to customers on a global basis. There is also a more effective execution. Companies that encourage diversity in the workplace inspire all of their employees to perform to their highest ability. Company wide strategies can then be executed, resulting in higher productivity, profit, and return on investment.

Diversity in the economy can mean several things. It can mean that the economy is widespread and contains many different businesses and other aspects.  China, for example, has a very diverse economy. Just think of all the different things that are made and marketed in China. It’s astounding! It has brought them from a third world country, into a developing enterprise that may be a world super power as the U.S., or Russia once was.  According to Economy Watch, the Chinese economy will grow between 10 and 12% each year between 2010 and 2015!

  Diversity in the economy can also refer to the people in the economy.  The main thing that drives an economy is capital and big business. So big business decisions can make or break an economy. Recent economic studies show that in the creative power of groups, sometimes the best answers will come from a group of intelligent people with very different cultural backgrounds and lifestyles as opposed to a group of people with similar backgrounds. According to Scott Page, a Professor of Political Science and Economics at the University of Michigan, diversity within groups leads to a diversity of problem-solving approaches and drives the power to innovate. Someone’s cultural background or upbringing can affect their point of view and thought process, so they will perceive problems in a different way. Also people from diverse backgrounds will know better what customers “like them” want out of a product. Diversity is becoming more widespread in our ever changing economy. Look as far back as the invention of the term “The Glass Ceiling” by Carol Hymowitz in 1986. Women fought an invisible barrier to management position.  It was once thought that women would never be able to break through this invisible barrier but they did. “Through the Labyrinth” by Eagly and Carli confirmed through research that there were many more women in CEO and managerial positions in 2008 than in the 1980’s and 1990’s. Not only have women faced a glass ceiling, current-day minority groups are facing the barrier as well. Our economic workforce has come a long way in the past 20 years.

  Since the recent economic downturn, we have witnessed the demise of big-business behemoths one by one. This is a tragic event, but it does present some interesting opportunities. All the holes left in the market of our economy can be filled by newer, younger entrepreneurs. This is the economic regrowth that is necessary, but it also diversifies our economy. Not only are the old businesses replaced with new ones, but a gap in the market can also present new markets altogether. The gaming system market diversified after the Atari went out. We then had more than one brand of gaming system from which to choose. The diversification of an economy is almost inevitable so long as there are resources, capital, and a workforce.  Diversity IN an economy may not be inevitable, but it is definitely advantageous.

So see without diversity this world would be whack, who wants to be the exact same? Diversity is one thing everyone in the world has. So celebrate it!

"Racism." Merriam-Webster.com. Merriam-Webster, 2012.

Mon. 13 February 2012.

Hurwitt, Mara. "Cultural Diversity: Towards A Whole Society." City College of San Francisco . CCSF, n.d. Web. 13 Feb 2012. <http://www.ccsf.edu/Resources/Tolerance/lessons/div01.html>.

Amadeo, Kimberly. "About.com US Economy." About.com. About.com, n.d. Web. 12 Feb 2012. <http://useconomy.about.com/od/suppl1/g/Cultural-Diversity.htm>.

Lunsford, Andrea, John Ruszkiewicz, and Keith Walters. everything's an argument . 5th. New York, Boston: Bedford/StMartin's, 2010. 963-969wssw. Print.

Platt, Andrew. "Diversity Powers Innovation, Economy." Center for American Progress. 08 01 2008: n/a. Web. 12 Feb. 2012. <http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2008/01/difference.html>.

Legarde, Christine. "Chinese Economy." Economy Watch. 30 06 2010: n/a. Web. 12 Feb. 2012. <http://www.economywatch.com/world_economy/china/?page=full>.

Boschetto, Laurence. "How Diversity Efforts Can Boost The Economy." AdAge Blogs. 02 11 2009: n/a. Web. 12 Feb. 2012. <http://adage.com/article/the-big-tent/marketing-diversity-efforts-boost-economy/140134/>.

Fine, Marlene G.Johnson, Fern L. "Cultural Diversity In The Workplace." Public Personnel Management 19.3 (1990): 305. MasterFILE Premier. Web. 10 Feb. 2012

Broadnax, Walter D. "Diversity In Public Organizations: A Work In Progress." Public Administration Review (Washington, D.C.) 70.(2010): s177-s179. Education Full Text (H.W. Wilson). Web. 13 Feb. 2012.

Prompt 5: Public Life

In today’s society religion is constantly being debated.  A major aspect of this debate is religion in politics and what boundaries should be set.  As an American citizen, what are your feelings about this?  Should religion play a role in politics?  Remember to think of all aspects of politics, from voters to politicians.  If you think religion should play a role in politics, and then explain where the boundary lines for religion should be drawn.  When answering keep in mind that government makes decisions for all types of people from all different religions.  Some good articles to refer to are, “Religion in Public Life:  Americans Yearn for a Middle Way” and “Do Americans Disagree When Church Leaders Mix Religion, Politics?” 

Olson, Laura R.  “The Essentiality of 'Culture' in the Study of Religion and Politics.”  Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 50.4 (2011):  639-653.  Print. 

This article shows the many theories of political scientists when analyzing the connection of religion and politics and the bridges connecting the two.  It also covers the social movements that follow religion in politics.

Medhurst, Martin J.  “Mitt Romney, “Faith in America,” and the Dance of Religion and Politics in American culture.”  Rhetoric and Public Affairs 12.2 (2009):  195-221.  Print.

This journal covers how religion interfered in the 2008 Republican primary election.  It cites Mitt Romney’s speech and analyzes the place religion takes.  The audience’s response to Romney’s speech is also discussed and shows how religion influenced voters.

Howe, Daniel Walker, Sheila Suess Kennedy, Kevin Phillips and Winnifred Fallers Sullivan.  “Religion and Politics on the American Scene.”  Religion & American Culture 18.1 (2008):  1-26.  Print.

This text discusses the interplay of religion and politics in America.  It stretches and covers everything from evangelism in politics and the Protestants of the nineteenth century to the alleged faith-based reasons behind the United States administration.

Lampman, Jane.  “Religion in Public Life:  Americans Yearn for a Middle Way.”  The Christian Science Monitor.  30 August  2006.  Web.  February. 2012.

This article claims that Americans strive for more religion in public life due to society’s immorality.  Yet, when a national poll was taken almost half of the country says there is too much religion from conservatives, but then over half say liberals don’t have enough religion.  Americans aren’t divided into two dead set sides; they are desperately looking for a happy medium. 

Gutting, Gary.  “Should Religion Play a role in Politics?”  The Opinion Pages.  The New York Times.  27 July 2011.  Web.  10 Feb. 2012.

This article argues that religion has no place in American Politics.  The author does acknowledge that religion is internal and therefore cannot be seen and weeded out of politicians.  Gutting says it’s the theory of religion that does not belong in politics, not the spirituality. 

Samuel, Stephanie.  “Do Americans Disagree When Church Leaders Mix Religion, Politics?”  Politics.  The Christian Post.  23 August 2011.  Web.  9 Feb. 2012.

This Article argues that most Americans don’t like when religious leaders are seen with political icons.  Americans don’t want to feel like any religion is influencing how they are being governed.

Cauthen, Kenneth.  “Church and State, Religion and Politics.”  The Ethics of Belief:  A Bio-Historical Approach 2 (2001)

This article is about the distinction between religion versus politics and church and state.  Church and State is in reference to two different institutions and practices.  Religion and politics is the differences of activities of the same person or persons.

“Religion a Hot Issue in 2012 GOP Race.”  Fox News.com.  3 Sept. 2011.  Web.  Feb. 2012.

This article discusses the importance some Americans feel in religion and therefore demand a leader with religious beliefs.  It claims that due to culture debates and societal changes, political leaders religious beliefs are no longer considered private.  The article references Mitt Romney as an example of a leader trying to hide his religion. 

“Religion and the 2012 Nevada Republican Caucuses.”  The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life.  6 Feb. 2012.  Web.  10 Feb. 2012.

This article is about Mitt Romney’s win in the 2012 Nevada Republican caucuses.  This was due to his overwhelming support from Catholics and Mormons.  His religion proved to greatly help Romney gain votes and win the election.  The big question now is whether or not his religion will help him when it comes to the entire nation voting.

Rabens, Tye.  “Faith Wars:  Religion and Politics in America.”  State Press Magazine.  10 Nov. 2010.  Web.  12 Feb. 2012

This article discusses the newly raging war in America between the conservative morals of the Christian community and the opposite liberals.  It uses multiple examples illustrating each of the two sides and the arguments for each.

Dobbs, Lou.  “Dobbs:  Keep Religion Out of Politics.”  Religion and Politics.  CNN U.S.  26 Sept. 2006.  Web.  Feb. 2012.

This article discusses all the different factors Dobbs says should play a role in politics.  He does not claim that religion should affect politics or how America votes. 

“Pew Global Attitudes Project.”  Everything’s an Argument.  Ed.  Karen S. Henry.  Bedford/St. Martins: Boston MA, 2010.  851-857. Print.

This article is about the United States being different than the rest of the world in religious importance.  In other countries around the world religion plays a huge role in every aspect of public lives.  In the United States religion is much more hidden and there is much debate on whether or not it should stay hidden.

Goodstein, Laurie.  “More Religion, but Not the Old Time Kind.”  Everything’s an Argument.  Ed.  Karen S. Henry.  Bedford/St. Martins:  Boston MA, 2010.  858-863. Print.

In this article the author claims that Pentecostalism has had the greatest increase in membership.  It shows all different countries and charts their religious diversity.   Religion is changing and adapting to the new society the world is creating.

Lindsay, D.  Michael.  “Evangelicalism Rebounds in Academe.”  Everything’s an Argument.  Ed.  Karen S. Henry.  Bedford/St. Martins: Boston MA, 2010.  865-871. Print.

This article discusses the growth in evangelism on college campuses.  The importance of religion to young people is increasing.  Lindsay also compares fundamentalism and evangelicalism and their major differences.

Bryant, Michelle.  “Selling Safe Sex in Public Schools.”  Everything’s an Argument.  Ed.  Karen S. Henry.  Bedford/St. Martins: Boston MA, 2010.  872-876. Print.

This article is an interview with Shelby Knox.  Knox is a national supporter and promoter of sexual education, women’s rights and youth empowerment.  Interviewing her helped the author grasp a good perspective on sexual education.

Mock, Melanie Springer.  “Separation of Church and State:  A War on Christmas and Other Misguided Notions.”  Everything’s an Argument.  Ed.  Karen S. Henry.  Bedford/St. Martins: Boston MA, 2010.  877-880. Print.

This article is about different religious notions that have been publicly altered.  A good example of this is the controversy being debated over Christmas and whether or not it should still be referred to Christmas.

Scallia, Antonin.  “God’s Justice and Ours.”  Everything’s an Argument.  Ed.  Karen S. Henry.  Bedford/St. Martins: Boston MA, 2010.  881-887. Print.

This article takes the U.S. Constitution and compares it to the rules and regulations of the Catholic Church.  It discusses things such as the death penalty and society’s changing attitude towards it. 

Rahmani, Mariam.  “Wearing a Head Scarf is my Choice as a Muslim:  Please Respect It.”  Everything’s an Argument.  Ed.  Karen S. Henry.  Bedford/St. Martins: Boston MA, 2010.  888-891. Print.

This article is about a law in France that bans all public display of religion.  To Rahmani, this means losing the right to wear her head scarf.  This is a violation of religious freedom which is not a right in France like it is in the United States.

Cohen, Randy.  “Between the Sexes.”  Everything’s an Argument.  Ed.  Karen S. Henry.  Bedford/St. Martins: Boston MA, 2010.  892. Print.

This article is about an orthodox Jewish man who refused to shake hands with a woman due to religious beliefs.  The response of Cohen was that no religion has a right to discriminate against any group of people.  He’s pretty much saying that feminism overrides freedom of religion.

“Letters in Response to Cohen’s Advice.”  Everything’s an Argument.  Ed.  Karen S. Henry.  Bedford/St. Martins: Boston MA, 2010.  893. Print.

These letters were written in response to Cohen’s opinion on an orthodox Jew refusing to shake hands with a woman.  Cohen said he had no right to refuse to shake hands solely because she was a woman.  The letters, however, say the opposite.  They criticize Cohen and say that freedom of religion allows the man to refuse to shake the woman’s hand. 

Einstein, Albert.  “An Ideal of Service to Our Fellow Man.”  Everything’s an Argument.  Ed.  Karen S. Henry.  Bedford/St. Martins: Boston MA, 2010.  895-897. Print.

This article was written by a Jewish man and explains how great the manifestation of God is.  Einstein claims that people’s morality must be driven by compassion.  He also regarded individual education highly and said that the individual must be responsible and educate themselves.

Patel, Eboo.  “We are Each Other’s Business,” Everything’s an Argument.  Ed.  Karen S. Henry.  Bedford/St. Martins: Boston MA, 2010.  897-898. Print.

This article is written by an American-Muslim.  In the beginning he claims to be a believer in pluralism but neglects his friend when a group uses anti-Semitic slurs against him.  Patel says that America is the perfect place for us to accept each other and all religions.

Jillette, Penn.  “There is No God.”  Everything’s an Argument.  Ed.  Karen S. Henry.  Bedford/St. Martins: Boston MA, 2010.  898. Print.

This was an article written by an atheist.  Jillette claims to be beyond atheist because he doesn’t just not believe in God, he completely denies the existence of God.  He claims that believing in no God makes him more thoughtful to others because he is being nice without a deity making him.

Prompt 4: Occupying Education

I’m sorry for posting this later than usual but I struggled with it a lot. I knew what I wanted to stay and what I want you to think about this week but I kept getting the tone wrong. If I still didn’t get it right please don’t be offended. I tried but sometimes I’m not the writer I want to me. See, even writing teachers sometimes have trouble writing. I did tell you before that writing isn’t always easy, didn’t I?

Unless you’ve been stranded on a desert island with no one to talk to but a volleyball then I am sure you have heard about the Occupy movement. Wikipedia gives us an overview but the essence is that money corrupts politics/government. Whatever you think about the actually Occupy movement (and I don’t want to get into that debate) I think we all have to agree about that! But I like this description of the Occupy movement better: “We have questioned the basic assumptions of our institutions and our society and found the answers given wanting.”

There is actually an Occupy Education movement. Some interesting links include:

·         Content vs. skills

·         Definition of education

·         Test Scores Are Lowering Standards

What are some essential questions that we should be asking about education?

Obviously we could spend a lot of time talking about the failings of the education system (K-12 or K-16) and similarly we could find some of the things that are still being done right, but most of these things are being done TO you as a student. Obviously when you are 5 years old there isn’t much you can do (except perhaps go on a crayon strike and refuse to color in the lines) but now you are adults. What responsibility are you willing to take for your own education? Can you take control of your own education? How? Do you want to Occupy Education to force a change? What changes do you want to see?

Prompt 3: Why are we here?

This week I want you to think about why you are here...why are you taking this class at this institution? In other words, why are you pursuing a college degree? But along with that think about why others (as in society, the government, etc.) want you to have a higher degree and why are there universal (general education) requirements (such as Writing I) to earn that degree?

Obviously you are here to be educated, but what does it mean to be educated? Check out this short video about what some kids think it means to be educated: http://vimeo.com/33896868 What does it mean for us as a country for you to be educated? The 2012 State of the Union Address specifically mentions education in terms of job training and the economy, but why else is it important to be educated? What is the value of education?

• Why College Is Still Relevant in the Age of Free Information
• What’s a College Major Worth?
• General education classes produce well-rounded students
• The Purposes of Higher Education
• What does college teach you
• Liberal arts as workforce development

If everyone thinks education is so important then why are there so many problems with our current education system? What are some of those problems? Here are two that concern me. What concerns you?

• A disconnect between what we know about how we learn and the way we are taught as well as what we need to learn and what we are taught:

Read about education's outdated model

• Education is not fostering creativity and critical thinking but is instead focused on standards and tests:

Read more about the Creativity Crisis

As someone who believes the ability to communicate effectively is essential this commentary on the way we teach writing really strikes home.

How should education look? 

Is this class simply (just?) about writing? Should it be? Or should it be about something more -- such as how to manage (find, sift, process, share) information?