January 1, 2009
Eh 200 Summer 2010 Class 15
Class Fifteen
Housekeeping:
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Hand in papers. Graded drafts will be handed back Monday, final drafts due on Tuesday. No late papers will be accepted.
Road map to Thursday:
Here is the work we will be doing over the next week:
Your final project in this class is going to be a presentation you will give on the following subject:
How does a social issue that is addressed in one of the stories we have read this semester relate to your intended professional field?
You will address: A) The social issue, B) how it appears in a story we have read under the frames we have considered, and C) how that same social issue will potentially appear in your intended field or profession under the frames we have considered.
Presentations will be 7 minutes long, and will take place next Thursday, though I will allow you to go on Wednesday if you so choose.
The foundation for your presentation will be a 3-5 page paper and a PowerPoint presentation, both of which you will submit to me on the day you present.
We will begin this work today, and I will be giving you library time to start the research process in the second hour.
Here’s the plan:
1) Brain storm session: (Suggested: 15 Minutes)
Q: What is your intended field or profession?
Q: What are three major social issues that you imagine you will encounter as you enter into this field or continue to advance within it?
Q: Have you encountered any of these issues in the past? If so, how have you dealt with them, or been made aware of them?
Group Discussion: (Suggested: 10 Minutes)
Group Presentations: (Suggested: 10 Minutes)
Class Discussion: (Suggested: 10 Minutes)
2) Research the social issue in the library — find relevant facts or statistics that both define the issue and clarify how it will relate to your intended field.
For Monday:
1) One page blog post that A) defines the social issue and B) generally explains its relevance in the story of your choosing (use class concepts to articulate your response).
2) Two page description of what your intended field is and how you anticipate the social issue in question impacting your work experience. You will find that if you incorporate good secondary sources into this document, your work next week will be _much_ easier.
3) Storyboard the first three slides of your PowerPoint presentation (which will have 7-10 slides by the time you are done)
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Approaches to Literature 
[…] Class 15 […]
Pingback by Syllabus: Summer « Approaches to Literature — June 24, 2010 @ 12:08 pm |
Tia Rush
24 June 2010
EH 200
Adam Crowley
Blog Post: Social Issue
Social Issue
As we begin to think about the careers that we want to pursue, it is also important to think about the work place that we will be working in. Today, there are many different social issues that affect many people around the world. A social issue is defined as a problem or issue in society that needs to be resolved. Particular social issues show up in the workplace, depending on the type of career a person chooses. Depending on the career one chooses, there may be more or less social issues compared to other careers. Nursing is a career that I have always been interested in. Therefore, I need to think of social issues within the workplace of nursing.
One of the major social issues that I could for see potentially encountering during my career is poverty. It seems like more and more people are getting into poverty or staying in poverty these days. When I hear the word “poverty”, I think that means people are unable to make enough money to survive. They can’t afford the basic necessities of life, those being food, water, and shelter. I also think that poverty can be associated with different places in the world. For example, the “slums” of the cities and various third world countries.
In terms of the stories we have read so far this semester, “Maggie: A Girl of The Streets” comes to mind when I think of the word poverty. Maggie was a girl who had to grow up in the slums of the city, which can be related to poverty. She also lived in a tenement house, which is would not be considered the best place to live. Another point that comes to mind is when Maggie has to guard her food, which suggests she barely has enough food to survive. Maggie also ended up becoming a prostitute in order so she try to make enough money to survive. Prostitution can also bring up the concept of class and work. Moreover, those several examples in the story can be related to the social issue of poverty.
Comment by Tia Rush — June 25, 2010 @ 12:34 am |
Health literacy is the social issue I have chosen. Health literacy is defined in Healthy People 2010 as: “The degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions” (http://www.healthypeople.gov/About/ ). There are three categories defined under health literacy: clinical, prevention, and navigation. Clinical is the ability to interact with the healthcare team. Prevention is maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Navigation relates to working through the paperwork and dealing with insurance companies. A person with low health literacy skills may take medications incorrectly, arrive at the doctors in a condition that could have been prevented, have more healthcare costs, and are non-compliant in their treatment because they don’t understand the information given to them. Also, this population may not go for treatment until they have an emergency situation. This relates to “The Untold Lie” because low health literacy is found in people who can’t speak English, have poor use of English, limited education, low income, minorities, immigrants, limited access to healthcare, and over 65 years of age. The main character Ray has limited education, limited access, and low income. He does not have enough money to meet the basic needs of his family so he would not have money for a doctor or health insurance. He would not be receiving preventive healthcare. The setting of living in the country makes access to a doctor difficult. The only transportation mentioned for Ray was walking. If he did see a doctor it would probably be in an emergency. Ray already has health conditions that put him at risk for greater health problems. He works on a farm doing hard labor. His posture is poor and his hands are chapped and sore. Poor posture will lead to back pain, breathing problems due the inability to stand upright and expand his chest fully, and may interfere with daily activities. His chapped hands are dry leading to skin break down and infection. Using his hands constantly
can lead to arthritis and joint immobility. All these factors will eventually put Ray out of work and then he would have no income for his family.
Comment by Sheila Wilkes — June 25, 2010 @ 1:10 am |
The social issue I have chosen to write about is domestic violence and I have selected Maggie: A Girl of the Streets, to substantiate my claims. Domestic violence can be perpetrated both physically and psychologically. While psychological abuse does not produce visible bruises, some suggest the impact of psychological abuse is even more damaging than physical abuse. More often than not however, people who are abusive usually use a cruel combination of both physical and psychological abuse to weaken their victims. Women, children and men can all be victims of domestic violence. The impact on children seems to be the most devastating because it shapes their awareness and understanding of the world in which they live. Domestic violence against children can lead to a whole host of problems later in life including a destroyed self-esteem. Many studies have suggested domestic violence, although not limited to, is more prevalent among a certain class of people. Those with substance abuse issues are more likely to abuse a child or spouse. Those struggling with poverty and those who lack a good education may be more apt to abuse than others. Studies also suggest that those who have suffered a life of abuse will go on to become abusers themselves. These claims are clearly illustrated in Maggie: A Girl of the Streets. Maggie is born into a slum and constantly abused by her drunken and ignorant parents. This robs Maggie of an education, a decent job and most importantly her self-esteem. In our presentation I will explain how, in my job as a journalist and instructor, I have had to have an awareness of domestic violence issues. In a future position in law enforcement administration I will also require knowledge and understanding of the issue and how it will impact my officers and resources.
Comment by Susan Patten — June 25, 2010 @ 2:38 pm |
Social Issue: Unemployment
Unemployment, to me, is the state of not having work that generates income. People become unemployed for multiple reasons. Some reasons may include getting laid off, being fired, changing one’s setting or location, bankruptcy of the employer, illness or injury, disability, retirement, going on strike or just quitting. Some people choose to be unemployed so that they can collect unemployment benefits or so they can be free to pursue other non-income related work such as traveling, starting a family, or caring for a loved one. The percentage of unemployed Americans is measured frequently because it reflects the state of our economy. If the unemployment rate is high, families have less income to spend; therefore companies don’t make enough profit to sustain their current workforce, resulting in layoffs.
Unemployment can be seen in the story “Maggie: A Girl of the Streets”. In her pursuit of a better life, Maggie quit her job as a factory seamstress to woo Pete into Marriage. One evening, Maggie and Pete met another couple at a night club. Pete recognized an old lady friend named Nellie who persuaded him into leaving Maggie that night. Disowned by her family and jobless, Maggie was forced to the streets. Like any other unemployed and homeless girl, Maggie was doomed to walk the streets as a prostitute. It was Maggie’s choice of becoming unemployed that led her to her death. The quality of her life determined her longevity. The quality of Maggie’s life declined because she was hopeless, without family, and living on the streets. Her class went from middle to extremely low in a short period of time and her income wasn’t much because she was homeless. Maggie died because of her unemployed situation which forced her to the streets. Being a prostitute made Maggie’s quality of life very poor, leading to her lack of longevity. If she had stayed at home and continued work at the factory, she would have had a higher quality of life than on the streets and longevity, even if she became a “scrawny woman with an eternal grievance” (Crane 245). Therefore, gainful employment increases one’s quality of life.
Comment by Heather Leighton — June 25, 2010 @ 6:27 pm |
There are many social issues in the world that affect us. Social issues are defined as issues that affect people that need to be resolved. One of the issues is alcoholism.
Alcoholism is defined as, drinking alcoholic beverages at a level that interferes with physical health, mental health, and social, family, or job responsibilities. With this definition we can explain how this affects people, and relate it the story of “Maggie: A Girl of the Streets” where this social issue is prevalent. Alcoholism can be found in many forms. Alcoholism is a type of drug addiction. There is both physical and mental dependence on alcohol.
According to Google Health, Alcoholism is divided into 2 categories: dependence and abuse. People who are dependent on alcohol spend a great deal of time drinking alcohol, and getting it. This is saying that if alcohol consumes most of your time, then you are dependent upon it every day. If you have to plan your day around alcohol and it is something that has to get your through your day, this means you have a psychologically dependency. Relating this to “Maggie: A Girl of the Streets” we can use the Mother, Mary Johnson, as a prime example of an alcoholic. She fits the definition above perfectly. Her alcoholism affects how she is as a Mother, and she spends more time on her drinking than she does on her kids. Mary drinks to excess, does not work, except as a prostitute because that is the only job that condones her drinking. The actions she displays, shows examples of her being low-class. She does not show any interest in what her kids are involved in, and we can go as far as saying she doesn’t even care if they die. Her alcoholism may not have killed her yet, but it killed two of her children. She neglectfully never provided guidance, nurturing, or love for her children. Physically she never provided food, money, or even a healthy environment for her children. This is a perfect example how Mary creates a social issue that needs to be resolved because more and more kids are affected by the choices of their parents. These children grow up with many detachment and emotional issues, setting them up to fail in relationships they will try to build in the future.
Comment by Jackie Files — June 25, 2010 @ 11:51 pm |
As we prepare to go into the workforce, there are several social issues that affect many people in the workplace. Some of the social issues are well known and others are just starting to become known. I am in the Computer Information Systems degree program here at Husson University. The social issue I chose was verbal abuse in the workplace. There are many different definitions of verbal abuse. My definition of verbal abuse is a form of abusive behavior involving the use of language. It is a form of profanity that can occur with or without the use of expletives. Words are far more powerful and permanent than people really imagine. Verbal abuse usually happens because one wants control or to hold power over another person. They use language to manipulate, control, insult, humiliate, belittle, and show disrespect to another person. While we think of it as oral communication it can also be in the form of written communication.
I chose “Mrs. Beazley’s Deeds” as the story to relate the social issue of verbal abuse to in the work place. The Beazley’s own a store, but Mr. Beazley thinks of Mrs. Beazley as an employee of the store. When a customer comes into the store and wants something, he hollers to Mrs. Beazley, who is upstairs, to come down and wait on the customer. He orders her to do things in a very hard voice. This is a form of verbal abuse because Mr. Beazley is controlling Mrs. Beazley. His actions support that he is not professional. Professional is defined as someone who adheres to a specific set of standards that privilege the interests of an occupation over the interests of the worker. Mr. Beazley also ridicules, insults, belittles, and show disrespect for Mrs. Beazley. When he tells her that there will be a boarder coming to live with them, Mrs. Beazley complains that she has enough to do with taking care of the family. Mr. Beazley says she has nothing to do but keep house for a small family and tend the store when he gets busy. This shows that Mr. Beazley is in a lower class. Lower class is defined as a selfish and potentially hurtful disregard for basic social standards. He has total control over her. She has to do whatever he says.
Verbal abuse doesn’t only happen in the workplace, it also happens at home. This can be seen thru a TV show that was in the 1970’s called “All in the Family”. Archie, the head of the household, would always verbally abuse his family. He would manipulate, control, insult, humiliate, and show disrespect to each one in his family. He always called his wife a dingbat, his son-in-law a meathead, and put his daughter down for marrying the meathead. At the time we all laughed while watching this show, but now we know that Archie was verbally abusing his family. The verbal abuse has left permanent scars on his wife, who had low self-esteem to begin with. This has become a serious issue in the workplace as well as in the home.
Comment by Bruce Jipson — June 26, 2010 @ 11:58 am |
Carrie Cole
EH 200-001
Professor Crowley
26 June 2010
Social Issue Blog Post
Social issues surround people every day in their work place. They can be defined as issues or problems that need to be resolved. Some examples of social issues are alcoholism, domestic violence, education, and poverty. Poverty is a social issue that arises within my work place as a lawyer and in “Maggie: A Girl of the Streets”. To me, poverty means having very little or in some cases nothing. If you are living in poverty then you don’t go out to dinner every night, you don’t have money to buy enough food, basically you are fighting to survive. In my career, a lawyer will be faced with the social issue of poverty.
A lawyer will see poverty when they see “poor” clients because even “poor” people deserve good representation. In today’s society, poverty is growing stronger and stronger and criminal activities are arising more and more which means that lawyers are seeing more “poor” clients. Some lawyers may tell the client just to plead guilty, just so they aren’t wasting time with a “poor” client. On the other hand, many lawyers will still represent “poor” clients as if they were high-paying clients. This shows that the social issue of poverty is a large social issue even in today’s society.
In “Maggie: A Girl of the Streets”, Maggie is part of poverty. She is from tenement housing which is considered a “poor” part of town. Maggie is surrounded by acts of violence and alcoholism. She has nothing and has to work to help provide for her “family”. In the end, Maggie turns to prostitution just to survive. Poverty is fighting to survive, so this story directly relates to poverty. No matter how a person looks at it, poverty is all around us. It is in “Maggie” and it is in my career choice.
Comment by Carrie Cole — June 26, 2010 @ 2:42 pm |
Pamela Michaud
EH200
Adam Crowley
Blog
Most people throughout their younger years think of what type of job or career they want to have. Some pick jobs in which they see from TV because it seems like their work would be play for them. Some others pick a job or career because it’s something they have been influenced by or exposed to. The career in which I have chosen to go into is Physical Therapy. With all of our careers and jobs there is the importance of work that comes along with it. We all want to improve or maintain a specific status. There also come social issues with these careers.
A social issue is one that is defined as being a problem or issue that’s in society and that needs to be resolved. Thus we all come face to face with different types of social issues depending on which careers we take in our lives. Someone might have to deal with poverty or illiteracy from the people they work with or are trying to help. Certain jobs will have more social issues than other. Each job will also try and fix the social issue in a different way. The social issue in which I have decided to go with is domestic violence.
The story in which I have picked to go with is “Mrs. Beazley’s Deeds” to show how certain types of domestic violence can come in between a person and their health of being able to do things that they need to do. Domestic Violence can be physically harmful but also mentally harmful. It could also be that a spouse keeps the other spouse from doing what they need to do. In “Mrs. Beazley’s Deeds” Mr. Beazley keeps Mrs. Beazley from doing what was right for her and the children by controlling her in her every moment. This goes along with Physical Therapy because one might not be able to progress or do their exercises at home due to their spouse not letting them do it.
Comment by Pamela Michaud — June 26, 2010 @ 7:52 pm |
Recidivism
No matter what generation you were born into, there are things called social issues that are continually changing and evolving; however, they always seem to be omnipresent in everyday life. A social issue is something that usually an issue that has an argument for each side of the issue, but arguments tend to take very diverse avenues depending upon who is discussing the issue. A social issue is also a prominent topic that is discussed within society, meaning that it affects everyone in society in one way or another. Recidivism is a social issue that needs some special attention paid to it, because it seems to be becoming more and more of a problem.
The term “recidivism” refers to the return rate of inmates who leave prison and then soon return to prison. This particular social issue interests me quite a bit, because I am currently going to school for Criminal Justice and Psychology. Once I graduate, I plan on attending law school or at least attending graduate school in order to become a lawyer or a social worker for the prison. Recidivism is a big problem in every state, not just Maine.
In the story “Maggie: A Girl of the Streets,” by Stephen Crane, there are scenes, which relate to the social issue of recidivism. For example, “By a chance, she got a position in an establishment where they made collars and cuffs…At night she returned home to her mother,” (235). This quote refers to the term “recidivism,” because no matter how hard Maggie tries to do better and advance her social position, she seems unable to do so. Maggie attempts to get a job so that she can earn money to get herself into a better part of town and perhaps advance in life, she still ends up living with her mother and is unable to get away from Rum Alley. I find that those who end up in prison tend to go back, because they are unable to get out of their previous situation and therefore end up doing the same things that they did before, which got them in trouble in the first place.
In conclusion, I realize that by becoming a lawyer or a social worker for the prison, I will be dealing with individuals that will need my help to keep from returning to prison. I also realize that is up to them if they really want to do better for themselves, but I will be the one who is their support net.
Comment by AshleyH. — June 26, 2010 @ 9:49 pm |
Child abuse is a serious problem in today’s society. Child abuse can fall into many categories such as physical, emotional or sexual. While all these forms are very different, they can all cause great pain and suffering to children as they grow through life and become adults. Unfortunately, some people have had first hand experience with child abuse. Thankfully, the only experience I have had has been through reading “Maggie: A girl of the streets.” Through the story, it is well stated that Maggie’s mother, Mary, is a vicious alcoholic with uncontrollable rages and takes out her anger on her children.
Throughout the story, there are various forms of child abuse that are revealed. Mary is described as having massive shoulders that heaved with anger. Almost every snippet where Mary is mentioned, is about drinking heavily, yelling and beating. She is constantly beating Jimmie for fighting, and beating Maggie for nothing. The babe, Tommie is suffering from child abuse just by having to endure watching the gruesome scenes of beating. The father only speaks up when the screaming of his children is annoying him, and eventually drinks himself into a stupor as well. Almost everything in the beginning of the story is meant to reveal the inner-city workings of a corrupt family. Unfortunately, as with many child abuse cases, the tragic story plays itself out as we see the lives of the children fail.
Child abuse is cruel behavior with many side effects. In “Maggie,” we see these effects play out differently for each child as they grow. Mary is the main problem although the father is just as guilty by standing around doing nothing to help his children. As stated earlier, I have been lucky enough to not suffer through any child abuse. Unfortunately, there are thousands of children going through hell everyday. Abusive parents provide the opposite of what children need. Instead of teaching and nurturing growth, they distort and destroy it, just like we see in
“Maggie.”
Comment by Aggie Thurber — June 27, 2010 @ 1:48 am |
Alisha Gilbert
EH 200
June 27, 2010
Adam Crowley
As we transition from learning out about our career to actually working, it’s essential to know about social issues that might arise. Social issues are issues that affect more than one person that need to be resolved. My major and later on career is Occupational Therapy. Occupational therapy, as most people know, is a treatment that helps people achieve independence in all areas of their lives.
Domestic violence is a social issue that not only shows up in Occupational Therapy but in many workforces. Domestic violence, to me, is a physical (hitting, restraining, shoving etc.) or psychological abuse toward an individual. I’m going to relate this issue to the story “Maggie: A Girl of the Streets”. In this story Maggie is abused by her drunk mother. Because she encounters domestic violence while growing up, it enables her to do certain things like get an education, and be an individual. Maggie has no independence, and in my workforce, independence is what we strive for.
The quality of Maggie’s life was decreased due to her mom. Her mothers’ ability to control her life was psychological abuse. In my workforce if Maggie was my patient and I was trying to help her be more independent, it would be near impossible. I have to be aware that I will encounter this in my field of choice. If an individual is being abused by their parents it will take their focus off what their goals are. This type of abuse is not only hard for the worker, but almost physically impossible for patient working towards individuality and independence.
Comment by Alisha Gilbert — June 27, 2010 @ 3:12 pm |
In class we have been discussing social issues and how they relate to the stories we have been reading. We were also asked to consider how those social issues will affect our desired field or work. The social issue I choose to look at is prostitution and how the field of nursing is affected by it. This is a social issue that is brought up in the story “Maggie: A Girl of the Streets”. Prostitution simply put, is someone who sells their body for sex. Many people avoid this subject but prostitution is a serious social issue. A social issue is an issue in society that needs to be resolved and usually has more than two sides to it.
The only story that we have covered with prostitution as an issue is “Maggie: A Girl of the Streets”. Maggie was raised in poverty was desperately trying to get out of it. When she met Pete she was sure he was the one for her and that he would be her way out. She fell in love with him and was looking forward to a future with him, but he left her for another woman. After Pete left her she couldn’t go home, her family rejected her because she had been with him. In the end she had no money and no place to go, therefore she was reduced to go into a profession no woman really wants to, prostitution. She was looked down upon by everyone in society and because of what she had become she ended up committing suicide.
The profession I am pursuing is nursing. No matter what branch of nursing that is pursued the issue of prostitution will probably be a social issue that will come up. In dealing with such a social issue a nurse will have to be sensitive to the individuals needs. The majorities of prostitutes do not choose this profession, but are forced into it either by someone else or because of circumstances. In nursing prostitutes have to be treated with dignity and respect like any other patient. It may also be important to do some teaching to them like about birth control and protection. It may be difficult to do at times but it is the nurse’s job to educate and be an advocate for the patient no matter what the circumstances.
Comment by Betsy Smith — June 28, 2010 @ 1:44 pm |
Isaiah Underwood
Eh200
Define social issue
Social issue, are defined as issues that affect many or all members of society, it’s considered a problem that needs to be resolved. A very noticeable social issue is unemployment. Unemployment to me is not working or not having a steady income. There are many reasons why one could be unemployed. Receiving the pink slip or being fired, bankrupt, injury, or just quitting the job. Being unemployed you need to find other resources that can help you survive. Every thing you do is going to have to take an extra effort. When some Americans are unemployed they are lucky enough to collect unemployment checks, but those only last a few weeks, months. Maybe you make the wrong choices that cause you to be unemployed like the girl in the Maggie: A girl of the Streets”.
The reason why I have chosen unemployment to talk about is it relates to a story that was read called “Maggie: A girl of the streets”. In “Maggie’s” life she over comes many struggles, but where she comes from, there is a lot of unemployment. Maggie tries to find the light at the end of the tunnel but it’s longer than she thinks. In the story “Maggie” was lucky enough to find work at a sweat shop making collars and cuffs. She receives a stool and a machine in a room around twenty other girls. So she is making a little bit of income and she is employed. She meets this guy named Pete that sways her off her feet. With her being uneducated she quits her job for Pete. A situation occurs, when Pete recognizes a girl (Nell) from his past. Nell brainwashes Pete to leave Maggie. When she tries to go back home, her mother wasn’t having any of it. Maggie was again on the streets, trying to survive for herself. So Maggie had to have some sort of income so she became a prostitute. With Maggie’s dissions on leaving the sweat shop and go to Pete, was one of the stepping stones to her death. Maggie was a prostitute but even than it wasn’t enough, so she was basically unemployed in her area of Bowery New York. If she would have stayed at the sweat shop her ending would be different.
Comment by Isaiah Underwood — June 28, 2010 @ 2:03 pm |