Who Was Alexis de Tocqueville

Alexis-Charles-Henri Clà ©rel de Tocqueville was a French legal and political scholar, politician, and historian who is most well known as the author of the book  Democracy in America, published in two volumes in 1835 and 1840. Though not a sociologist by training or trade, Tocqueville is recognized as one of the thinkers that inspired the discipline due to his focus on social observation, his knack for situating current events in historical context (now considered a cornerstone of the sociological imagination), and his interest in the causes of certain social patterns and trends, and of differences among societies.  In all of his works, Tocqueville’s interests lied in the positive and negative consequences of various forms of democracy on various aspects of social life, from economics and law to religion and art. Biography and Intellectual History Alexis de Tocqueville was born on July 29, 1805 in Paris, France.  He was the great-grandson of the statesman Chretien Guillaume de Lamoignon de Malesherbes, a liberal aristocratic victim of the  French Revolution  and a political model for Tocqueville. He was educated by a private tutor until high school and then attended high school and college in Metz, France. He studied law in Paris and worked as a substitute judge in Versailles.   In 1831, Tocqueville and Gustave de Beaumont, a friend and colleague, traveled to the United States to study prison reforms  and spent nine months in the country. They hoped to return to France with knowledge of a society that would make them fit to help shape France’s political future.   The trip produced the first joint book published by the two,  On the Penitentiary System in the United States and its Application in France,  as well as the first part of Tocqueville’s Democracy in America. Tocqueville spent the next four years working on the final portion of  Democracy in America, which was published in 1840. Largely due to the success of the book, Tocqueville was named to the Legion of Honor, the Academy of Moral and Political Sciences, and the French Academy. The book was and remains so popular because it deals with issues such as religion, the press, money, class structure, racism, the role of government, and the judicial system – issues that are just as relevant today as they were then. A great deal of colleges in the U.S. use  Democracy in America  in political science, history, and sociology courses, and historians consider it one of the most comprehensive and insightful books ever written about the U.S. Later, Tocqueville toured England, which inspired the book, Memoir on Pauperism. Another book,  Travail sur l’Algerie, was written after Tocqueville spent time in  Algeria in 1841 and 1846. During this time he developed a critique of  assimilationist model French colonialism, which he shared in the book. In 1848 Tocqueville became an elected member of the Constituent Assembly  and served on the Commission responsible for creating the new Constitution of the Second Republic. Then, In 1849, he became Frances Minister of Foreign Affairs. The next year President Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte removed him from his post, after which  Tocqueville became quite ill. In 1851 he was imprisoned for opposing Bonaparte’s coup and was barred from holding further political offices. Tocqueville then retreated to private life and wrote  L’Ancien Regime et la Revolution. The first volume of the book was  published in 1856, but Tocqueville was unable to complete the second before he died of tuberculosis in 1859. Major Publications The U.S. Penitentiary System and its Application in France (1833) Democracy in America (1835-1840) The Old Regime and the Revolution (1856) Recollections (1893) Updated  by Nicki Lisa Cole, Ph.D.

The Theories Of The Sociological Imagination - 976 Words

When an ordinary individual tries to understand the social world we see that the individual lives too much in the here and now to understand the complex world around them. So, you may ask how the individual above can make sense of the complex world around them. The answer is simple by looking at the world like any great social analysts would. They do this through C. Wright Mills sociological imagination. To understand the Sociological imagination we first need to understand what the term means. It is the process of the mind which allows us to understand the relationship between our individual lives (personal experience) and the larger social forces (public issues) (Ferris, P.12). By understanding the framework listed above we can see how the social world far surpasses the way we perceive certain notions in our everyday lives. In other words when ordinary individuals first think about their problems they think of their personal experiences which in turn makes them overlook the bigger picture of the problems. During our personal experiences we are the actors and actresses that make choices about our friends, family, school and other issues within our control (Chapter 02). The bigger picture or public issues also known as social facts are imbedded in society rather than the individual which means their out of the individuals control like society’s organizations and processes. To understand this better let’s look at an example. College students have a choice to make whenShow MoreRelatedThe Theory Of Sociological Imagination870 Words   |  4 Pagesexamining a social phenomenon. One well known sociologist is C. Wright Mills. Mills came up with the concept of sociological imagination. It is used to describe the ability of individuals to think away from routines that they are used to in everyday life and look at them from an entirely new perspective. Using this concept, mills applied it to asking and answering imaginative thoughts of sociological questions. Mills came up with three questions that many thinkers have consistently asked in their investigationsRead MoreCommon Sense Explanations And The Explanations Of C. Wright Mills Theory Of The Sociological Imagination1534 Words   |  7 PagesIn this essay I will be exploring the differences between common sense explanations and the explanations of C. Wright Mills theory of The Sociological Imagination. Common sense is based on people s personal experience s and their opinions, very often constructed from social norms and generalised views. Whereas, the Sociological Imagination thought up by sociologist C. Wright Mills (1959) is based on the ideas of thinking critically and skeptically, in order to think sociologically. He wrote thatRead MoreEssay on The Sociological Imagination1389 Words   |  6 PagesMy personal condensed definition of â€Å"the sociological imagination† is that it is the idea one should be aware of the societal structures around themselves, and how those structures can influence a person and vice-versa. In addition, I think that having a â€Å"sociological imagination† also involves a deep appreciation for the importance of society and culture. Consequently, for a person that has completed a basic introduction to sociology college course and actually paid attention, I would hope thatRead MoreEssay about Sociology Midterm955 Words   |  4 Pagesï » ¿1. Define the sociological perspective or imagin ation, cite its components, and explain how they were defended by C. Wright Mills. The sociological imagination is defined as being a way of thinking that helps us use information or data to form theories about the social patterns around us. We collect information and from that information we may make judgments or prediction. However we cannot view society in one’s own point of view. Everyone is different so it is important to not only form our ownRead MoreAnalysis Of Dalton Conley s You May Ask Yourself 1267 Words   |  6 PagesDalton Conley’s book, You May Ask Yourself, defines sociological imagination as, â€Å"The ability to connect the most basic, intimate aspects of an individual’s life to seemingly impersonal and remote historical forces† (Conley 2015, pg. A-11). Sociological Imagination is the idea of being able to step outside of the box, and evaluate society from an alternative point of view. Symbolic Interactionism, norms, socialization, and the idea of understanding yourself vs. understanding the social aspect ofRead MoreS ociological Imagination s Critical Review1319 Words   |  6 PagesThe Sociological Imagination Critical Review Essay â€Å"The sociological imagination enables us to grasp history and biography and the relations between the two within society. This is its task and its promise.† C. Wright Mills writes about the sociological imagination in an attempt to have society become aware of the relationship between one’s personal experience in comparison to the wider society. By employing the sociological imagination into the real world, individuals are forced to perceiveRead MoreThe Sociological Imagination By C. Wright Mills1315 Words   |  6 Pagesâ€Å"The sociological imagination enables us to grasp history and biography and the relations between the two within society. This is its task and its promise.† C. Wright Mills writes about the sociological imagination in an attempt to have society become aware of the relationship between one’s personal experience in comparison to the wider society. By employing the sociological imagination into the real world, individuals ar e forced to perceive, from a neutral position, social structures that, inRead MoreAnalysis of the sociological imagination and its use in sociology.1483 Words   |  6 PagesSociological Imagnation The sociological imagination is the ability to look at the everyday world and understand how it operates in order to make sense of their lives. It is a state of mind, which enables us to think critically about and understand the society in which we live, and our place in that world as individuals and as a whole. C. Wright Mills, first wrote of the concept in 1959. His understanding of it being that it was a quest for sociological understanding involving a form of consciousnessRead MoreSociology Imagination833 Words   |  4 Pagesdefined sociological imagination as the vivid awareness of the relationship between experience and the wider society. The sociological imagination is the capacity to shift from one perspective to another: from the political to the psychological; from examination of a single family to comparative assessment of the national budgets of the world; from the theological school to the military establishment; from considerations of an oil industry to studies of contemporary poetry.[1] Sociological Imagination:Read MoreSociological Imagination, Social Construction Of Reality And Socialization902 Words   |  4 PagesThe foundational concepts of sociological imagination, social construction of reality and socialization help us learn more about ourselves and the world. Sociological imagination is the way in which individuals realize the connection between their own experience of reality and the experiences of society as a whole. This realization allows people to make sense of the world around them. When one applies sociological imagination, they are stripping their own personal experiences from their thoughts

Individuals Economics Limitations

Question: 1. Explain why real GDP might not be an unreliable indicator of the standards of living. 2. Why does unemployment arise and what makes some unemployment unavoidable? 3. Consider the following statement: When the average level of prices of goods and services rise, inflation rises' Do you agree or disagree? Explain. 4. What is the aggregate demand (AD) curve and why does it slope downwards? Explain. 5. What is the long-run aggregate supply (LRAS) curve and why is it vertical? Why does the short-run aggregate supply curve slope upwards? Answer: 1. Using real GDP to measure the wellbeing of individuals in a given economy presents various limitations which make the technique unreliable when it comes to the measuring of the standards of living. One of the reasons why GDP cannot be used to measure the country's living standard is the fact that it does not factor in leisure time. According to Thoma (2016, par. 3), leisure time is an important product which contributes a lot to the economic well-being of an individual. Therefore, keeping other factors constant, the more leisure time we have, the better off we are. GDP does not factor in environmental elements such as air and water pollution. Two economies might be having identical real GDP, but one contains polluted water and air while the other economy doesn't have any pollution. The standard of living between these economies will be different, but this will not be captured in the real GDP. Again, GDP focuses on goods and service which goes through clearly defined markets and ignores those products and services which are usually produced for subsistence purposes and barter trade activities. Barter trade and subsistence farming are among the major economic activities which take place in developing economies and lack of inclusion will mean that the GDP and the living standards are low which is not the case. Additionally, there are other factors which are not directly or completed omitted in the composition of real GDP which makes the method unreliable. They include security, social justice and political freedom, and household production. Structural unemployment occurs due to the long-term decrease in the demand in a particular industry leading to fewer opportunities as demand for human labor declines. (Janoski, Luke, Oliver, 2014, p.78-100). Recent replacement of robots with human labor in various manufacturing industries such as assembly industry is an example of structural unemployment. Apart from the replacement of robots with human labor, structural unemployment might also be as a result of foreign competition brought by globalization and shift in comparative advantage. Voluntary unemployment is also another type of unemployment which arises when individuals decide to stay unemployed instead of taking the jobs opportunities available. 2. Cyclical unemployment also known as demand deficient or Keynesian is caused by lack of demand for the available products and services. It arises when the economy of a given country is below the full capacity. A perfect example is when an economy experiences the recess period whereby the aggregate demand will reduce translating to a decrease in the level of output and adverse economic growth. During this economic period, organizations produce less units of output and may be forced to lay off some of its employees to cut-off some of its fixed costs and reduce redundancies. Frictional unemployment is also another kind of unemployment which occurs during the time people move from one job to another. Some unemployment such as cyclical and structural are unavoidable because firms, economy, and people are always making shifts through the phases of life. 3. I concur with the statement that an increase in the average price of goods and services leads to increase in inflation. According to McMahon (2010, par. 1), inflation is defined as the general increase in prices or a situation where too much money is chasing few goods. Based on the definition, we can infer that there is a connection between inflation and the pricing of average products and services. When there is too much money in circulation, it implies that consumers have more disposable income to spend. Disposable income is defined as the amount which remains with the consumer after the deduction of direct taxes such as PAYE and income taxes. The individual has the choice of whether to consume or save the amount. But due to low-interest income which the consumer is likely to receive as a result of low-interest rates, most consumers will prefer to spend the money instead of saving. The increase in disposable income leads to increase in the level of consumption of consumer goods and services, and this creates demand. According to the law of demand, an increase in demand leads to rising in the prices of the demanded goods and services. Therefore, with the increase in consumer demand and too much in money in circulation, we anticipate the producers to increase the prices which will lead to consumers spending more money than before in buying a particular set of products. Thus, there exist the direct connection between the level of prices and the rate of inflation. 4. Aggregate demand curve refers to the overall demand for final products and services in a given economy at a particular period. The curve presents the quantity of commodities and services which will be purchased by the consumers at various levels of price. (Mankiw, 2011, p.500-521). The inverse relationship between price and real GDP is caused by different reasons. One of the reasons why the curve slopes downward is wealth effect. The AD is based on the assumption that federal government maintains a constant supply of money. An increase in the level of prices leads to a decrease in value of wealth. The value of wealth is calculated based on the money supply. The rise in the prices also leads to decline in the purchasing power of money, and this makes consumers reduce the purchases. On the other hand, a decrease in the rates increases the consumers' purchasing power hence consumers can buy more goods and services. The second reason for the decline in AD curve is interest rates whereby as the interest rates rise, consumers are likely to reduce the transactions which are directly affected by the interest rates. The third reason is the net export effect. When there is an increase in the prices of locally-made products, buyers will consider buying foreign goods since they are slightly cheaper. This will lead to the decline in demand for local goods and increase in demand for foreign products. Exports will also decline, and since net export is a component of GDP, its demand (real GDP) will reduce with a decrease in net exports. 5. The long-run aggregate supply curve refers to a graphical representation of the relationship between the output and price level in the long run. It is an economic period which is sufficient for firms to adjust their factors of production to cater for anticipated economic gains or losses. (Boundless, 2016, par 1-5). The curve is vertical because, in the long run, the amount of products and services produced relies on the labor, natural resources, technology, and capital available in an economy and not the price. Wages and prices are highly flexible, and this implies that when the level of prices changes as a result of either deflation or inflation, salaries and other factors of production adjust fully. For instance, if the prices are doubled or cut by half and the wages adjusted respectively, there will be no effect and the economy will remain at full-employment. The short-run aggregate supply curve is upward sloping since the average supply curve is drawn based on a nominal variable such as salary rate. During the short-run, the rate of wages is fixed, and any increase in prices leads to high level of profits as a result of the increase in output. References Boundless. 2016. The Slope of the Long-Run Aggregate Supply Curve. Boundless Economics. [Online]. Available from: https://www.boundless.com/economics/textbooks/boundless-economics-textbook/aggregate-demand-and-supply-24/aggregate-supply-109/the-slope-of-the-long-run-aggregate-supply-curve-418-12515/ [Accessed 2 January 2017]. Janoski, T., Luke, D., Oliver, C. 2014. The causes of structural unemployment: Four factors that keep people from the jobs they deserve. Cambridge, UK: Polity Press. Mankiw, N. G. 2011. Essentials of economics. Cincinnati, Ohio: South-Western. McMahon T. 2010. What is the Real Definition of Inflation. [Online]. Available from: https://inflationdata.com/articles/2010/07/21/real-definition-inflation/ [Accessed on 2 January 2017]. Thoma M. 2016. Why GDP fails as a measure of well-being. [Online]. Available from: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/why-gdp-fails-as-a-measure-of-well-being/. [Accessed on 1 January 2017].

Education for Australian Professional Standards -myassignmenthelp

Question: Discuss about theEducation for Australian Professional Standards. Answer: Introduction and significance The teacher often share significant responsibility in the preparation of young people lives for a successful and productive lives. The Australian Professional Standards for Teachers standards is built on the international and national evidence that the effectiveness of the teacher has a powerful impact on the students (Aitsl.edu.au, 2016).Therefore it is of great significance to note that the quality of the teacher has an impact on the students achievement.Teachers who are effective they tend to provide a consistent and dependable influence on the students as they make their career choices. The significance of the standards The teacher's standards inform on the professional development of the learning goals, providing a framework through which the teachers can assess the students learning and assist them where they require help. The standards contribute to the professionalization of the teachers and profession status raise. The standards are often used as the model of accountability to ensure that teachers demonstrate professionalism in knowledge, practice, and engagement. Two professional goals My selected two standard focus and development during my one month placement at kindergarten comprises of: Plan and implement effective teaching and learning-professional knowledge Know the content and how to teach-professional practice. Professional knowledge Teachers are required to draw on research and expert knowledge to respond to their student's needs based on their educational context. They are aware of how to structure their lesson to meet the needs of the physical intellectual and social development together with their student's characteristics (Education.gov.au, 2016). The area of focus is the content teaching and the strategies of teaching area. The two goals that I have selected are important aspect of professional knowledge and engagement due to the following reasons: I have selected the two goals for standard teaching because, they set goal that is clear and measurable. They inform the teacher on what should be expected as the outcome of the course of study ought to be. Secondly, the selected goal educate the instruction .standards are what the assessments are designed to achieve and support. Lastly the chosen goal help in achievement measuring. They set standard objects that can be measured within the state or across the country to determine the success of the student (EduResearch Matters, 2013). Appropriate strategies and actions Strategies that I could use on teaching so as to meet each goal of placement comprises of the following: Strategies for content teaching area: Show high-level knowledge of the conceptual understanding and the structure and substance of the content and the teaching approaches of the area. Change activities that are engaging through the application of understanding of the content and the approaches on coaching area. Show support to the colleagues through the use of the comprehensive and current knowledge of the teaching strategies and content to develop and implement the teaching programs and engage in learning. Improve the content knowledge through initiatives of the lead within the schools to evaluate the strategies and show exemplary effectiveness in the teaching of the subjects, research that is based on the teaching programs and learning. Content selection and organization The efficient sequence in teaching and organization of the content. Content is organized into well sequenced learning and programs for teaching that is coherent. Content is organized in a way that exhibits practice that is innovative in the organization due to select the content and teaching programs and in learning the delivery method. Lead in the initiatives which utilize content comprehensive knowledge to improve the sequencing and selection of the material in a coherently teaching programs and organized learning. Structure, plan and sequence learning programs Plan of the lesson sequence through the use of student knowledge in Content and actual teaching approaches. Implement learning programs that are well structured and well planned or sequence of lessons designed that engage the student to promote the student learning and engage them. Work well with colleagues to evaluate, modify and plan programs on teaching that can create learning environments that are productive and engage all students. Lead fellow teachers in planning as they exhibit an exemplary practice to implement assessment the efficiency of their learning and teaching plans to develop the understanding of the students understanding and abilities. Use of strategies in teaching Incorporate a variety of teaching strategies. Select and make use of the teaching strategies that are relevant to develop the skills and knowledge problem skills and creative thinking. Show support to fellow teachers in the selection and useful application creative thinking and critical problem-solving. Work well with associates to review, modify and increase their training strategies skills to enable the student knows problem-solving skills and creative thinking. Establish learning goals that are challenging Set learning goals which provide possible challenges to students of with varying abilities and characteristics. Set goals for the students that are challenging, achievable and explicit. Develop a culture that is based on the high expectation for all the students through modelling and challenges setting. Show an exemplary practice that is of high expectation and guide fellow teachers to motivate students to pursue their goals in their education. Conclusion The Australian professional standards development for the teaching profession is critical part for the scoring of the quality teaching and learning in the Australian schools. With the implementation, the education system in Australia is strategically placed to be among the best globally. The values have been built upon the critical work that was previously undertaken in Australia. They are essential components on modification which have been reached upon in nationally partnership on the improvement of teachers quality that will help in the goal realization that were set out in Melbourne declaration (Education.uq.edu.au, 2013). References Acecqa.gov.au. (2011). Quality Area 1 Educational program and practice. [online] Available at: https://www.acecqa.gov.au/nqf/national-quality-standard/quality-area-1-educational-program-and-practice [Accessed 26 Mar. 2018]. Aitsl.edu.au. (2016). Understand the Teacher Standards. [online] Available at: https://www.aitsl.edu.au/teach/understand-the-teacher-standards [Accessed 26 Mar. 2018]. Education.uq.edu.au. (2013). Australian Professional Standards for Teachers. [online] Available at: https://education.uq.edu.au/files/275/QCT%20Australian%20Professional%20Standards%20for%20Teachers.pdf [Accessed 26 Mar. 2018]. EduResearch Matters. (2013). Australian Professional Standards for Teachers are useful to teacher education students, heres how. [online] Available at: https://www.aare.edu.au/blog/?p=1857 [Accessed 26 Mar. 2018]. Education.gov.au. (2016). Teaching and School Leadership | Department of Education and Training. [online] Available at: https://www.education.gov.au/quality-teaching [Accessed 26 Mar. 2018]. Bibliography Australian Science Teachers Association, (2012). Professional standards for highly accomplished teachers of science. Celik, S., (2011). Characteristics and competencies for teacher educators: Addressing the need for improved professional standards in turkey. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 36(4), pp.73-87. Louden, W., (2000). Standards for standards: The development of Australian professional standards for teaching. Australian Journal of Education, 44(2), pp.118-134. Mayer, D., Mitchell, J., Macdonald, D. and Bell, R., (2005). Professional standards for teachers: A case study of professional learning. Asia?Pacific Journal of Teacher Education, 33(2), pp.159-179. Sachs, J., (2011). Teacher professional identity: Competing discourses, competing outcomes. Journal of education policy, 16(2), pp.149-161.