Self Assessment Essay Example for Free

Self Assessment Essay Overall, I feel that I have not done up to my expectations over the course of the two presentations. Comparatively, these are the areas that have improved/worsened: Engagement with Audience I feel that I had improved marginally by not referring to my phone (which happens to be my script) as often, but however, I was still distracted by the phone as well as the power point slides. Half of the time, I was busy referring to my script as well as the power point slides, causing me to lose engagement with the audience. This is one of the biggest problems that I have to overcome through this course. More often than not, I tend to forget the content that I wish to express, which results in the constant reference to the script and slides. Furthermore, when I was looking at the audience, I tend to look forward instead of looking at every single one of them. I believe I can overcome this problem by rehearsing with friends; with an audience of at least two people so that I can familiarize myself with looking at the crowd more often, instead of just simply looking forward. Preparation of Presentation In the course of preparation, I adopted the use of presentation slides, which I feel were quite meaningful in illustrating what I was trying to express. This helps to capture the audience’s attention and gives a clear picture of the topic that I was presenting. However, while preparing the script, I employed the use of several bombastic words that impeded my presentation in terms of expressing fluently. I feel very restricted to the script; I find myself having the obligation to follow exactly what the script says. This is very detrimental to my presentation and as a result, I kept referring to my script while doing the presentation whenever I forget a specific sentence. I feel that I should prepare a script in point form, rather than in specific structured sentences. This way, I will be less restricted by the script which is supposed to aid me, not the other way round. Articulation and Fluency In my opinion, I feel that I can pronounce and articulate words rather well, which is one of my stronger areas. However, there is a tendency that I will stutter, most likely due to nervousness as well as the obligation to express specific sentences which I described above. There is much to improve and I believe that more practice will be able to correct my tendency to stutter. Nervousness Overall, I was more nervous during OA1 compared to the practice presentation. It was reflected in the way I was referring to my slides and script, as well as stuttering. I feel that I was too reliant on my script, which caused me even more nervousness once I happen to let slip on my memory. Ample practices will definitely aid me in managing my nervousness. Furthermore, after these two presentations, I feel that I had gained experience which will definitely aid in my future presentations.

Prostitution in the 19th and 20th Centuries Essay -- Prostitute Prosti

During the late 19th- and early 20th century, the nature of society forced the working class women of America to take advantage of any means to support themselves, including prostitution. Each woman had to decide herself which work option best supported her financially. During this time, women had limited options as far as work was concerned. As time went on, more and more women were forced to work, because they had no husband and no other means of building up a dowry for a husband. By 1910 the wage labor force was made up of about 20% of women as young as fourteen. The wages these women earned were unbelievably low, and at times as much as 80% lower than the wages men earned. Possible job opportunities for the women included options such as a textile factory, which consisted of clothing and fabric production. In these factories, the women ran high risks to their health. More wealthy people would hire these women for domestic services such as nannies, or house servants. These jobs sometimes required the woman to live at that residence, and the women ran the constant risk of being molested by a higher-class ranking individual. Department stores were also willing to hire women. However, the set-back to this type of work was that the women we re sometimes expected to purchase expensive dress up clothing that most of the time they couldn’t afford. The women were advised to â€Å"round out their meager salaries by finding a ‘†gentleman friend†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ to purchase clothing and pleasures†(Peiss, 79). Prostitution was a reliable work engagement that many women participated in. Why did the women feel this was their best option? Several critical, attractive benefits that only prostitution offered contributed to women’s’ choice of ... ...dle-class reform women could have reversed their movements from the women, and turned them toward the men who were putting the prostitutes in business. Those prostitutes could not have been prostitutes if it were not for the eager men paying them for it. However, perhaps a reason this was not done was because the reform women did not have the means to do something as drastic as this because they were, after all, women in a time of man control. Women did not have the same leisurely rights to do as they pleased that men had. I feel that both the reform women and the working-class prostitutes had reasonable bounds for what they fought for. I think that if women had had the rights that men did, prostitution may never have existed. Therefore, personally I blame the men for neglecting women rights, and forcing them to find other, less moral ways to support themselves.

Comparison of the Chinese and American Cultures Essay

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, culture is defined as â€Å"the integrated pattern of human knowledge, belief and behavior that depends upon the capacity for learning and transmitting knowledge to succeeding generations. † Culture is an aspect all groups of humans have and even though it is an aspect our species shares, the supposed differences make it seem like we are of different species! Culture is something that both connects and separates us. Culture is something distinct enough to create barriers among us, such as: linguistic barriers and behavioral barriers. And this is especially seen between the American and Chinese cultures. River Town, by Peter Hessler, is a non-fiction novel that depicts Peter’s experiences as a Peace Corps volunteer in Fuling, China. He was sent to Fuling (a poor town on the banks of the Yangtze River) in 1996 and taught English and American literature for two years at a teachers college. This novel, in reading, seems more of a journal and thus, his writing of China puts the people and his experiences on a more personal level. He describes, with immense detail, his observations of the social, political and cultural issues of China and his experience as a waiguoren (foreigner). At his arrival, the people of the teachers college showered him and his fellow Peace Corps volunteer with many gifts and did everything they could to make them feel comfortable and welcome. However, alternately, whenever Peter would walk outside the campus of the school, the people would stare and gawk at him and yell, â€Å"outsider! † and â€Å"hello† out of curiosity and their own amusement. This made him dedicate a large part of his day solely to learning Chinese. As he becomes more proficient in Chinese, he develops friendships and connections and begins to feel more accepted. He talks about the troubled history of China: the struggles of land reform, decades of misguided economic policies and especially the damaging effects of the Cultural Revolution. Peter spends a good deal discussing the, then, upcoming project of the Three Gorges Dam, which has an immense, detrimental impact on the people. The project will require millions of villagers to be displaced and will destroy centuries worth of meaningful history. The author gives a very vivid illustration of the beautiful landscape, history and the people he meets. He also portrays the, especially political, perspectives of the Chinese quite well through learning from his students and teachers. According to Francis Hsu, the two sets of contrasts are: individual-centered versus situation-centered and the prominence of emotions versus the underplay of all matters regarding the heart. He believed Americans are concerned only of themselves and act according to what would be beneficial to them, and that the Chinese acted according to the situation at hand. The Chinese avoid direct confrontation, open criticism and controversial topics to maintain harmony. â€Å"In America, he saw the blind, often excessive pursuit of self-reliance and the inherent, permanent instability of human relationships as the root cause of many intractable social ills, including crime, racial discord, and the sale of influence in government. In China, he saw the traditional narrow focus on kinship based relationships had rendered their society unable to effectively counter Western colonialism, widespread poverty and famine, and even the practice of foot binding of women. † (Tong 2001) One aspect of the book that really interested me was the education system and different cultural differences of how education is looked upon. In the book, the students all had the same thoughts on almost every issue and those opinions would be unwavering. However, â€Å"Perhaps by my standards they were politically brainwashed, but compared to the past they were remarkably free. † (Hessler 2001:23) They would also communicate indirectly to Hessler; often times via their journals. Not only is the learning environment in China highly competitive and demanding, but expectations are high of students, forcing them to simply learn to achieve the highest grade possible. Also, Chinese students do not have electives they can choose from, they are assigned classes that best correspond to their scores on tests. Whereas in America, individualism and self-expression if looked high upon. Thus, in America, the individual student’s abilities and skills determine where they go in the future, and in China, what society or their parents want determines where they go. This is exactly what Francis Hsu talked about. I believe Peter Hessler was relatively objective in his journaling. Whenever he brought up thoughts or opinions of his students or any of the Fuling people, he briefly gave the history and background of them so we can understand where they are coming from. However, there were a few times where you could sense his extreme bias, but this was never fully evident in his writing. The difference between American and Chinese homes reflects the contrasting patterns of behavior in the family. In the US, children are highly regarded, cared for and have privilege, so far as to have laws and regulations protecting them. In China, children are taken for granted and have little to no reason to expect protection. Pediatrics was not a branch of medicine in China until just recently. In America, what is important is what parents should do for their parents; in China, what is important is what the children should do for their parents. This is a major reason why Chinese students are so focused on getting the best grades, so they can get a good job and take care of their elders. This is the basis for Filial Piety (virtue of respect for one’s parents and ancestors). American students focus on what is best for them and will usually move out the house at age 18 with no regard to taking care of their elders. Another difference between the two cultures is social relationships. The Chinese have formal, hierarchal relationships in which they feel most comfortable knowing their position. Americans have informal, egalitarian relationships in which they feel most comfortable among their equals and social ranking is not important. Ironically however, the Chinese tend to have a few, very close friends to whom they feel obligated to when it comes to helping them; Americans tend to have numerous â€Å"friends† and acquaintances that changes over time and to whom they feel no obligations. Works Cited 2001 River Town: Two years on the Yangtze. HarperCollins Publishers. Aguilar, Leslie, and Linda Stokes 1996. Multicultural Customer Service: Providing Outstanding. Service Across Cultures. Chicago: Times Mirror Higher Education Group, Inc â€Å"CultureAbout Our Definitions: All Forms of a Word (noun, Verb, Etc. ) Are Now Displayed on One Page. † Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, n. d. Web. 18 Apr. 2013 Li Qing 1995. â€Å"Face, Guanxi, Houmen(r) & Elastic Rules: Insight into the Chinese Culture. † Presentation at conference of NAFSA: Association of International Educators. Tong, William K. â€Å"Excerpts from Americans & Chinese by Francis Hsu. † Excerpts from Americans & Chinese by Francis Hsu. Oakton Community College, 2001. Web. 22 Apr. 2013.   

The Diversity Of The Canadian Nation - 946 Words

Society functions in a manner accepting of the differences within people; and the innumerable qualities all individuals put forward. It is the differences within individuals that make for betterment of society; and allow the Canadian nation to be open and accepting of diversity. This notion of diversity is not only one which can be directed towards the large spectrum of society yet, to the family structures which impact it wholesomely, while too, holding effect upon their personal life and relationships. â€Å"The word â€Å"family† is used in various ways in popular usage, referring in different contexts to our parents, siblings, spouse and children, as well as referring to all the relatives sharing a household and the larger group of relatives with whom we may or may not maintain some contact†, (Baker, Page 3, 2014). Speaking to the level of family structures and whom one considers â€Å"family†; it is an area which each individuals should be allowed to dictat e in their own manner and hold sole control over. As a nation and/or state focus should be directed at improving the quality of life and equality amongst all sectors of families; in addition to promoting diversity; rather than focusing on the small social and financial issues that Social Service Programs are in place to provide assistance for. Unit One, of the class began in stating families and family life in Canada has dramatically changed over the past few generations. In society today, people believe it is theirShow MoreRelatedThe Government of Canada and Multiculturalism Essay examples1670 Words   |  7 Pages1970s in Canada that focused on unique cultural diversity, nationalities, and ethnicity across the nation. 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