Identify the major challenges (social, economic, military, religious, and intellectual) facing Europeans during the Late Middle Ages in Europe. Then explain why Europe did not sink into a “dark age” similar to that which followed the fall of Rome and why instead there was a Renaissance first in Italy and then in Europe north of…
The Pros and Cons of Commercial Surrogacy
The advancement of technology in relation to artificial reproductive techniques have thrown open a social debate that has wide-ranging implications. The society is challenged to find a balance between new commercial opportunities and their moral underpinnings. In this essay, salient points in favor and against such reproductive practices will be presented from a neutral perspective….
Chappals and Gym Shorts – An Indian-Muslim Woman in the Land of Oz by Almas Sayeed
In her essay titled “Chappals and Gym Shorts”, author Almas Sayeed points to the sources of cultural conflict affronting people like her, when caught between an impulse for progress and the restrictions of tradition. Almas alludes to the fact that she herself is not certain about her sexual identity and orientation. For example, not only…
The Hazards of Naming Sexual Attraction by Michael Kauth
The essay taken for analysis is “The Hazards of Naming Sexual Attraction”, written by Michael Kauth. This piece deals with the technicalities involved with naming someone a homosexual. In a world made small by better connectivity and the Internet, words such as “gay, lesbian, homosexual, queer, straight, etc” assume different meanings in different cultural contexts. …
Anti-Gay Slurs Common at School – A lesson in Cruelty by Laura Sessions Stepp
The write-up named “Anti-gay Slurs Common at School”, written by Laura Sessions Stepp (Reading 34, p.267) offers another perspective on the contentious issue of verbal assaults on gay students. What stands out in the narrative is the fact that verbal slurs pertaining to one’s sexual orientation are being directed at High school students, whom one…
Problems in ethics codes of TV, Radio and Newspapers
The common framework of journalistic ethics that is being adopted by radio, television and newspaper associations is a fair and balanced one. Having said so, adhering to such guidelines are not without challenges. The rest of this essay will try to demonstrate why these ethical guidelines are difficult to implement in a media atmosphere dominated…
Summary of Epicurus’ Letter to Menoeceus
1. What does Epicurus means by saying that pleasure is our ‘primary native good? When Epicurus writes that pleasure is our “primary native good”, he is implying that what is pleasurable is also ultimately a good thing. Epicurus is referring to pleasure as a state of well-being and not as a temporary state of excitement…
Furman v Georgia, 1972
The debate surrounding the imposition of death penalty for grave offences had been a divisive issue in the American political realm. The 1972 verdict on the case Furman v Georgia is a landmark event in the history of the nation’s judiciary. The 5-4 verdict of the judges against its imposition had set a valuable precedent…
History of Ethnic Groups in California
The history of minorities in the United States and more so in California has been one of many injustices. While some discernable improvements have been made in race relations in the state, the socio-economic and political order has not changed drastically. Thomas Almaguer is a credible Latin-American scholar, who had done some incisive analysis and…
Steinbeck’s depiction of the struggle of Agricultural workers during the Depression, his role as a social commentator, and its impact upon his work:
John Steinbeck is arguably the most prominent littérateur of his generation to have adopted the cause of working class America that was struggling to survive the harsh realities of the Great Depression. His most famous work The Grapes of Wrath depicts the everyday travails of a westward migrating white American family in search of better…