Robert Browning and the Dramatic Monologue - 1390 Words

Gabrielle Stith Denton English 12-2 May 13, 2004 Robert Browning and the Dramatic Monologue Controlling Purpose: to analyze selected works of Robert Browning. I. Brief overview of Browning A. Greatest Poet B. Family Life II. Brief overview of My Last Duchess A. Descriptive adjectives B. Cause for death C. Description of his wife III. Definition of Dramatic Monologue IV. Comments by Glenn Everett A. Point of View B. Tone C. Audience Imagination V. Comments by Terry Bohannon A. No Christianity B. Evil Characters Robert Browning and the Dramatic Monologue Robert Browning, one of the greatest poets of his literary period, was born on May 7, 1812, in Camberwell, London. He was the first child of Robert and Sarah Anna Browning†¦show more content†¦The dramatic monologue, as we understand it today is a lyric poem in which the speaker addresses a silent listener, revealing himself in the context of a dramatic situation (Murfin 97). The character is speaking to an identifiable but silent listener at a dramatic moment in the speakers life. The circumstances surrounding the conversation of the one side which we hear as the dramatic monologue, are made by clear implication and an insight into the character of the speaker may result (Holman 152). Although Browning wrote numerous dramatic monologues, his contemporaries often criticized his works as being too emotional. The dramatic monologues of Browning are characterized by certain identifiable traits. The three requirements of a Browning dramatic monologue are The reader takes the part of the listener; the speaker uses a case-making argumentative tone: we complete the dramatic scene from within, by means of inference and imagination (Landow 1). Critics have interpreted the third requirement, the readers interpretation and conclusions, as a suspension of the reader/listener between sympathy and judgment. The reader has a choice regarding the intent of the speaker, but he/she must remain removed until the speaker is done making his argument. Glenn Everett believes the role of the listener is a discovery that engages the imagination, but the listener must remain detached and abstain from passing judgment until the work isShow MoreRelatedRobert Browning s Dramatic Monologue953 W ords   |  4 Pages Robert Browning was a brilliant writer. The Longman Anthology of British Literature says, â€Å"More than any other nineteenth-century figure, Browning shaped the poetry of the twentieth, influencing British and American poets from, Hardy and Yeats to Elliot, Pound, Frost, Lowell, and Stevens† (1322). One of Robert Browning’s specialties was dramatic monologues. In his dramatic monologues, Browning develops his characters really well. Throughout the monologue Browning shows the true character of theRead More The Dramatic Monologues of Robert Browning Essay2233 Words   |  9 PagesThe Dramatic Monologues of Robert Browning Consider the range of characterisation in Browning’s dramatic monologues and the poetic methods he employs to portray his speakers. Some are written in rhyming verse, use metaphors, et cetera, but for what reason? What is the writer trying to achieve and how successful is he? Robert Browning (1812-1889) was an English poet noted for his mastery of dramatic monologue. He was born in London, the son of a wealthy clerk at the bank of EnglandRead More Robert Browning and the Power of the Dramatic Monologue Form1432 Words   |  6 PagesRobert Browning and the Power of the Dramatic Monologue Form The dramatic monologue form, widely used by Victorian poets, allows the writer to engage more directly with his reader by placing him in the role of listener. Robert Browning utilised the form to a famously profound effect, creating a startling aspect to his poetry. In poems such as â€Å"Porphyria’s Lover,† and â€Å"My Last Duchess,† for example, Browning induces a feeling of intimacy by presenting the reader as the ‘confidant’ to theRead MorePurposes of the Dramatic Monologue in My Last Duchess by Robert Browning920 Words   |  4 PagesMy Last Duchess by Robert Browning is a dramatic monologue spoken by the Duke Ferrari. It highlights the jealous and sadistic nature of his character and the weirdness that surrounds his late wife’s demise. A dramatic monologue is a kind of poem whereby a single fictional or historical character other than the poet is made to speak to a silent audience, in this case, only the main character is allowed to talk. The purpose of the monologue is to not to disclose the poet’s own ideas but the thoughtsRead MoreEminems Stan: Following the Form of a Dramatic Monologue Popularized by Robert Browning1088 Words   |  5 Pagesï » ¿The song â€Å"Stan† by rap artist Eminem fits the dramatic monologue format popularized by Robert Browning, because in Eminem’s song, Stan fits all of the characteristics of the Duke in My last Douches. Stan is extremely obsessive; in the beginning of the song he dies his hair and is trying to actually become Slim Shady, even his outfit and style are the same as Slim and is screaming in his girlfriend’s face because she keeps calling him Stanly when I would imagine he would want to be called Slim, orRead MoreA Comparison of the Dramatic Monologues of Porphyrias Lover and My Last Duchess by Robert Browning665 Words   |  3 PagesA Comparison of the Dramatic Monologues of Porphyrias Lover and My Last Duchess by Robert Browning Robert Browning (1812-89) was, with Alfred Lord Tennyson, one of the two most celebrated of Victorian poets. His father was a bank clerk, and Browning educated himself by reading in the family library. He published many verse dramas and dramatic monologues (poems, like My Last Duchess, in which a single character speaks to the reader), notably the collections Men and WomenRead MoreAnalyzing How Robert Browning Uses Dramatic Monologue to Portray Madness in His Poems My Last Duchess and Porphyrias Lover1438 Words   |  6 PagesAnalyzing How Robert Browning Uses Dramatic Monologue to Portray Madness in His Poems My Last Duchess and Porphyrias Lover A dramatic monologue is when a character in a piece of writing speaks their thoughts and feelings out loud. It is used because it gives an insight into the persons mind. Browning chose this form for the two poems because it makes the poem feel more realistic and you know everything the character is feeling it also subconsciously makes the reader feelRead MoreA Brief Look at Robert Browning1001 Words   |  4 PagesEnglish poet named Robert Browning who was born on May 7, 1812 in England. Robert Browning had extremely dramatic monologues, which later in life portrayed him as one of the best Victorian poets in the world. His father who worked as a bank clerk and mother who was a pianist, both collected books and pictures. â€Å"Porphyria’s Lover† and â€Å"Soliloquy of the Spanish Cloister† are one of his best examples expressing his dramatic monologues and verses. ​At the age of fourteen Robert Browning already knew FrenchRead More Comparing Ulysses by Lord Tennyson and My Last Duchess by Robert924 Words   |  4 PagesComparing Ulysses by Lord Tennyson and My Last Duchess by Robert Browning. â€Å"Ulysses† was written by Lord Tennyson and is a poem about a mythical Greek character and is a dramatic monologue. Another poem that is a dramatic monologue is â€Å"My Last Duchess†, by Robert Browning. Both poems are similar, for example they are both structured similarly, and are both different, one difference being their subject. In this essay I will compare the two poems, focusing on form, and how language helps Read MoreAchievement of Self-Expression Through Concealment in Dramatic Monologue2761 Words   |  12 PagesHow does the dramatic monologue achieve self expression through concealment? Discuss with reference to any three Browning poems. When discussing the poetic form of dramatic monologue it is rare that it is not associated with and its usage attributed to the poet Robert Browning. Robert Browning has been considered the master of the dramatic monologue. Although some critics are sceptical of his invention of the form, for dramatic monologue is evidenced in poetry preceding Browning, it is believed

Essay on Evil in Humans by Choice - 1104 Words

One of the most influential women in world history, Eleanor Roosevelt, said, â€Å"In the long run, we shape our lives, and we shape ourselves. The process never ends until we die. And the choices we make are ultimately our own responsibility†. This is just one of the many examples of how human nature has been explored by so many different people. Each and every human is born with the capability to make their own choices. The decisions that they will make in the future will determine how they are viewed by others. Although one’s nature and how one is nurtured do affect one’s life, it is one’s own free will that determines whether or not they are evil. Though nature and nurture had an effect on each witness in the Golding Trial, every action†¦show more content†¦It is true that he was introduced to dog fighting because of where he grew up. However, not everyone in Newport News shot, strangled, drowned, electrocuted, or slammed dogs into the ground. These choices were made by Michael Vick. He was never taught to do such malicious things to those poor, helpless animals when they didn’t perform well. It was his personal choice. The characters in The Lord of the Flies show that when two different people are faced with the same situation, they don’t necessarily react the same way. Take Simon and Roger for example. Both boys grew up in England in the same time period. Both boys were on the island at the same time, with the same other boys. Both boys saw two different styles of leadership in Ralph, a sensible democratic leader, and Jack, a vicious and uncontrollable leader. However, when faced with the opportunity to become evil, Simon and Roger reacted very differently. When Simon encounters the Lord of the Flies, he passes out. â€Å"’Why things are what they are?’†¦Simon was inside the mouth. He fell down and lost consciousness† (Golding 143-144). This shows that when Simon has a direct encounter with evil, he is still able to make the choice not to be evil. The Lord of the Flies is the strongest, most powerful symbol of evil that is present in the novel. When Simon encounter s this evil, he chooses not to accept it. Instead, he faints. On theShow MoreRelatedThe Existence Of God And The Battle Between Good And Evil1386 Words   |  6 Pagesexistence of God and the battle between good and evil has been a topic of much discussion for centuries. Through the philosophical scope, there is a â€Å"Problem of Evil† that challenges the existence an all-powerful God if there is evil in the world. Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, was a German philosopher who argued about the topic of the problem of evil. Leibniz argued that (1) evil is not necessary; (2) that there is evil in the world because as humans we are restricted in our knowledge since we are merelyRead MoreAnalysis Of The Article Rebellion 1156 Words   |  5 Pages Does God exists? If He does exist, why does he allow evil? Why doesn’t He prevent bad things from happening? Since the origin of the world many people have doubted their faiths. When it comes to answering the question about God’s existence people have been divided into three different groups; theist, atheist, and agnostic. Theists are those who believe in God without doubting. Atheists do not believe in God at all. Agnostics cannot make up their minds because they do not have enough evidenceRead MoreWould an All-good, All-powerful, All-knowing God Allow Evil to Exist?864 Words   |  4 Pagesdiscussion of the problem of evil in relation to the existence of god. Specifically outlining two sections where the problem of evil is discussed from atheist and theistic viewpoint. Statement: The problem of evil features an argument questioning the existence of god in relation to evil, attributing both atheistic and theistic replies. First reply to problem of evil: (atheist). If god was all good, all powerful and all knowing, he would not allow the existence of evil. 3.1 First reply to theRead MoreThe Strengths and Weaknesses of Augustine’s and Ireneaus Theodicy1478 Words   |  6 PagesIreneaus Theodicy ‘Evil did not come from God, since God’s creation was faultless and perfect’ (St Augustine) St Augustine was a man wrote a theodicy about the problem of evil and suffering based on the Creation and Fall of Genesis in the bible, he believed that evil was caused by something that was outside the omnipotence of God. God himself is all powerful but after creating the world, he Himself would not be able to control the actions that human beings create inRead MoreThe Problem of Evil Essay1536 Words   |  7 PagesAllows Evil† Swinburne argues that the existence of evil in the world is consistent with the existence of all-knowing, all-powerful and all-good God. To start, Swinburne bases his argument on two basic types of evil: moral and natural. Moral evil encompasses all the ills resulting from human action, whether intentional or through negligence; natural evil included all evils not caused or permitted by human beings. Whereas moral evil such as abortion, murder, terrorism, or theft comes from humans actingRead MoreMackies Argument : Evil And Omnipotence1264 Words   |  6 PagesPaper 1: On Mackie’s Argument In J. L. Mackie’s â€Å"Evil and Omnipotence,† the author presents an argument detailing why belief in a both omnipotent and wholly good God is contradictory to a God who allows evil to exist. He utilizes this philosophy to show that God doesn’t exist due to the problem of evil. As Mackie’s delineates in his first paragraph, â€Å"I think, however, that a more telling criticism can be made by way of the traditional problem of evil. Here it can be shown, not only that religious beliefsRead MoreEssay about The Nature of Evil1552 Words   |  7 PagesEvil is the violation of a moral code. Evil is the dualistic opposite of good. Evil causes harm. While scattered dictionaries may offer these clear-cut definitions, in reality a theme so prevalent in all spheres of life from the dawn of man takes on limitless forms. The word itself has come to symbolize the dividing line between regular people and callous monsters; demonic criminals who show no sign of compas sion and no adherence to virtue. Ideas concerning evil have been strung along through theRead MoreEvil And The Free Will Defense Essay1199 Words   |  5 Pagesloving. Although, how come there is evil in the world with such an angelic God?   If God cares and loves us- wouldnt he prevent the suffering if he could? Since he is all powerful, he should be able to eliminate the suffering that evil brings. It seems we only have two potential answers: either God is not loving and all powerful, or God does not exist. Although, I am going to try to give an alternative answer and possibly explain how God could coexist with evil. In order to fully understand the argumentRead MoreGod Must Not Exist : The Argument From Evil1233 Words   |  5 PagesThe problem of evil remains one of the most serious objections to the hypothesis that God exists. Put simply, the argument from evil follows the basic form: If God were to exist, then that being would be all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-good. If such a being existed, then there would be no evil. There is evil. Hence, God must not exist. This argument presents a contradiction by supposing that worldly evil and an all-knowing, all-powerful, and all-good God could not exist simultaneously. ThisRead MoreAugustine s Confessions By John Augustine Essay1721 Words   |  7 PagesAmericans face today. That is evil. Evil is everywhere in the world. Augustine lost his mistress, mother and even his own son in the book. He had to also figure out why god is punishing people with these action. So found out the answer to the evil, Augustine ask why is God good and still allows suffering to exist. Augustine found out that evil because of the free will that people have. God lets human pick what to do with their lives and the evil comes from the choices which you have decided. For example

City Road free essay sample

Another would be that pedestrians seem to be favoured more so than motorists. For instance the islands in the middle of the road, they are there to make crossing City Road safer and more convenient to those who travel by foot. The island isn’t just the concrete mound in the middle of the road, it also includes the paint on the ground around it which cars are not allowed to drive over. Again, the bollards that were erected along the pavements are there to favour pedestrians. The reason why they were put there is to stop vehicles parking on the curbs, which was a problem before the bollards were put in place as the cars and lorries would park right over the pavements making it difficult for people to walk past and leaving less space for people with prams or wheelchairs to go round. Some things favour different groups because they appeal to different groups. We will write a custom essay sample on City Road or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Take for example the Taste Buds Cafe; one thing that struck me straight away was that the majority of the customers in there were predominantly female and mostly the older generation. They like to go in there because it appeals to them, it appeals to them because; The price is reasonable- a lot of the customers will be drawing a pension so keeping costs down is important to them, They feel safe- because there are regulars who go there and they get familiar with one another and that gives the customers a sense of safety because they know what to expect and Mr Suarez the cafe owner aids in the feeling of safety through being consistent in the way in which he runs his business. Also the menu is all home cooked and this is important to his customers. Because of all these factors, Mr Suarez’s cafe is geared more towards the older generation than the younger ones so in a sense it is favouring, although that isn’t altogether a bad thing. Lastly I would mention the security cameras. They are positioned all over City Road and they are there for a number of reasons, one reason is that a crime is less likely to be committed in an area which has CCTV (which deters people from offending) and also it makes people in the area feel safer knowing that these things are in place to not only aid in the catching of the people who commit the crimes but also that it is part of crime prevention too. CCTV is important on City Road because it does make the residence feel that little bit safer, a lot of them feel that the road is a bit â€Å"rough† and not the sort of place you would like to walk down at night, even though the local policeman denies that there is a problem with crime in the area. People just perceive it to be a crime hotspot, despite having little to no experience of any serious crimes having taken place on the road. Most of the material things on City Road favour one group over another but some inadvertently and some deliberately, the issue with the busses for example is inadvertent. They are not purposely designed to be inconvenient to a certain

Understanding Economics the nature and logic of Capitalism

Introduction The word capitalism is derived from the word capitale which evolved from capital meaning â€Å"head’. Most economists are of the opinion that the word capital became common during the 12th century. The term was used to refer to a number of elements such as funds, interest on funds or a stock of various merchandises.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Understanding Economics: the nature and logic of Capitalism specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Capitalism is an economic system which is also considered to be a liberal market. Alternatively, capitalism can be defined as an economic system through which production is conducted privately. In capitalism, the market is free and hence it is not controlled by the government of that economy. Therefore, in a capitalist economy, the price, demand, supply and the distribution of goods and services are determined by the market forces[1]. In addition, in a capit alist economy, individuals have the right to own property. In a capitalist economy the wages and salaries are paid to the employees by the business which has employed them. Profits resulting from the business operations are wholly owned by the investors. This means that investments within a capitalist economy are not in any way under government control. Capitalism can also be defined as accumulation of capital with the objective of investing it in certain economic sector. Miles suggested that capitalism started in Europe in the 16th century and it has gradually spread to other western countries during the 19th and 20th century. Currently capitalism is practiced in a number of countries around the world since it enhances economic growth and development[2]. This essay outlines a description of the nature and logic of Capitalism as given by Heilbroner. Additionally, the subsequent discussions support Heilbroner’s analysis of Capitalism as given in his Book. The nature and logic of capitalism according to Heilbroner’s analysis There is no universally accepted definition of the word Capitalism. Many scholars have tried to give a clear-cut definition of capitalism. However, it has been noted that they end up contradicting ideas of others while others choose to avoid defining it all together. There are various economists who have contributed their views on capitalists’ economy. Some of them include Karl Marx in his Marxist theory, Max Weber in his Weberian political sociology theory, the neoclassical economic theory and Keynes in the Keynesian economics among others. In all these theories, there are a number of elements of Capitalism that have been observed by these economists. Their ideas on Capitalism include the fact that the production of goods and services, payment of wages, control of profits and prices in the market are all controlled by private investors and not the government. Therefore, the ultimate goal of capitalism is accumulation of capital which has been shown to be more than the money invested in most cases analyzed. This is in line with the Heilbroner’s analysis in which the author states that, in a capitalist economy the producers aim at making profits. These profits are determined by the prices of the commodities and the cost of production that the producer incurred during the whole process of production and creation of goods and services[3].Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Capitalism can be considered from various perspectives such as from the economists’ viewpoint, the political economists’ viewpoint or from the historian’s perspective. As shown above, the economist refers to capitalism as the market situation whereby the government has no control over the prices, costs, wages, profits and the rights to property ownership. On the other hand, the political economistâ⠂¬â„¢s idea of capitalism is that there is private ownership of property in the market. In this case, the market players are classified according to their economic power and class. Additionally, the political economist views capitalism as a market situation characterized by wage labor. Therefore, in a capitalist economy, economic power includes the purchasing power, monopoly power, managerial power and bargaining power. Wage labor refers to the concept where the employee is involved in full-time labor or his/her services are sold to the employer in exchange for wages. The end-product of the employee in this case becomes the property of the employer. The economic class referred to in this case includes the upper classes, the middle classes and the lower classes. Considering the two perspectives, one thing is obviously common between the two. It can be said that capitalism is a system that encourages amassment of income and wealth just like a magnet attracts iron filings[4]. In the pe rspective of the two viewpoints, Heilbroner suggested that the capital amassed is not the end-product which is produced in terms of a good or service but rather capital is the continuous expansion of the firm or the private property. In this case, capital is considered as the continuous process of expansion of the firm. In order to ensure a continuous expansion, the firm or private property owner should make profits and not loses. It is thus true that capital accumulation is the continuous process of expansion of a business. Various economists such as Marx and Weber understood capital as the initial amount of money that an investor uses to start a business enterprise while the amount of money which helps the business to continue in its operation is referred to as the operating capital[5]. Therefore, capital is the amount of money that exceeds the cost of production. It is earned when the selling price of a commodity is higher than the cost of production incurred by the producer[6]. Capitalism as a mode of production has also been analyzed in Karl Marx’s Marxist theory. As depicted in our earlier discussions, capitalism is characterized by wage labor and therefore production process and profits are controlled and owned by individual employers or business owners. Marx suggested that the commodity market which is a free market leads into a conflict between various classes of people and also contributes to labor exploitation[7]. According to Marx’s viewpoint, capitalism is an economic system where individuals through buying and selling of commodities make their living. In this case, a commodity refers to a good produced with the objective of being exchanged in a market environment.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Understanding Economics: the nature and logic of Capitalism specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The commodities can either be consumer or capital goods8 . Capital goods ref er to products used to produce other goods such as consumer goods. They include land, labor, machines and raw materials. On the other hand consumer goods entail finished goods which are ready for human consumption. Examples of such commodities include cars, houses, books and roads. Therefore, commodities can be described as products of human labor, useful, cannot be separated from the producer and are produced to be exchanged in the market[8]. Money imposes or limits the market value of the commodity. On the other hand, the value of a commodity determines the demand of the commodity in the market. But the initial major factor that influences the value and quality of a commodity is the labor. Since capitalism is associated with wage labor, it is the duty of the business owners to ensure that their employees are well paid and motivated in order to produce the highest quality of goods that can fit into the competitive market. The value of the commodity also determines the price of the commodity in the market. The nature of capitalism is characteristic of a competitive market. In this case, prices revolve around the same point and do not change randomly. The producer operates at a loss if the selling price is below the cost of production. If this persists for a long time, the producer is forced out of the market[9]. On the other hand, when the cost of production is lower than the selling price, the producer earns a profit. High profit levels in a given economic sector have the probability of attracting more investors. Increase in profits, leads to overproduction culminating into a surplus in the market. Surplus of commodities in the market forces the prices to fall due to the law of supply[10]. This is because when supply is high the demand goes down and hence the prices of the commodities also decline. In addition, market prices fluctuate according to the production costs which are mostly influenced by the cost of labor in the market[11]. Therefore, the market fo rces of demand and supply do not influence the value, but rather the value is determined by production. This is in line with the Marxist theory which states that the value of a commodity is determined by the production itself and the level of production is influenced by the labor force which is considered as a capital good[12]. Labor force is a human resource which can either be mental or physical and is applied in production to convert raw materials into finished goods (consumer goods).Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Therefore, salaries and wages of the employees should be put into consideration in a business because they affect the quality of production[13]. Marx suggests that the wages and salaries of the employees are determined by the surplus of production and the cost of labor power. Wages and salaries are determined by the number of hours that the employees work per day, the efforts applied or the intensity of labor and how the labor is productive[14]. In a capitalist market, labor can be exploited because many competitors will be employing those people who do not require high amounts of wages. Therefore, the employer takes an advantage over the employees so as to increase the profits and at the same time he pays them low wages. In addition, Heilbroner suggests that when the competition in the market is stiff it would cause the profit to reduce to zero or negative[15]. This is true because when the competition for production is high the producers may decide to reduce the prices of their co mmodities so that they can be able to attract more consumers to consume their products[16]. When the prices are reduced to amounts lower than the cost of production, then the firm suffers huge loss and if the competition is stiff, the prices may become lower until the firm is not able to survive in the market and hence it closes. The factors of production such as land, labor and capital produce wealth or income when labor force is applied[17]. This arises from the fact that labor force is a human resource which is either mental or physical and when applied to capital goods, consumer goods are produced. Therefore, the capital goods are not of any benefit to the firm or the investor until labor force is applied. This has also been suggested by other economists such as Marx, Weber and in the neoclassical economic theory[18]. Finally, in a capitalist market, the capital is influenced by the forces of demand and supply. Other than the market force, capital is also influenced by the way s kills are applied in the production process and how the work is organized[19]. The management structure and the level of technology also influence the capital of a business. This is true because even if demand and supply are high and the management structures are not stable, the firm’s operations are affected and hence may not be efficient. The same is also true when the technique used is not updated. Conclusion This paper has given an in-depth evaluation of economics of capitalism according to Heilbroner’s analysis. In various ways, the research paper supports the idea of the nature and logic of capitalism as outlined by Heilbroner. A capitalist economy refers to a type of economy where prices, production and distribution of commodities are controlled by the market players rather than the government. This makes capitalism to be a free or liberal market. To avoid labor exploitation in a competitive economy the trade unions and the government negotiates with the employe rs on matters related to wages and salaries and on the working conditions of employees. According to the various theories postulated by various economists, capital is the initial amount of money or capital goods that investors use to start a business while profits include the amount that the investors use to expand their business. This opposes the suggestion of Heilbroner because he said that capital is the continuous process of expansion of the business. Heilbroner also states that the management, skills and technology affect the capital of a firm. In general, capitalism leads to economic growth and development. Works Cited Bratton, John, Denham, Davis and Deutschmann, Linda. Capitalism and claddical sociology theory. Toronto. University of Toronto Press, 2009. Print. Corfe, Robert. Social capitalism in the theory and practice: emergence if the new majority. New York: Arena books, 2008. Print. Heilbroner, Robert. The nature and logic of capitalism. New York: W.W. Norton Company.19 85. Print Little, Daniel. The scientific Marx. New York: U of Minnesota Press. 1986. Print Miles, Robert. Capitalism and the unfree labor: anomaly and necessity? New York: Taylors Francis, 1987. Print. Newman, Michael. John Strachey. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1989. Print. Footnotes Newman, Michael. John Strachey. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1989. Print. Miles, Robert. Capitalism and the unfree labor: anomaly and necessity? New York: Taylors Francis, 1987. Print. Heilbroner, Robert. The nature and logic of capitalism. New York: W.W. Norton Company, 1985. Print Heilbroner, Robert. The nature and logic of capitalism. New York: W.W. Norton Company, 1985. Print Corfe, Robert. Social capitalism in the theory and practice: emergence if the new majority. New York: Arena books, 2008. Print. Little, Daniel. The scientific Marx. New York: U of Minnesota Press. 1986. Print Miles, Robert. Capitalism and the unfree labor: anomaly and necessity? New York: Taylors Francis, 1987. Print. Bratton, John, Denham, Davis and Deutschmann, Linda. Capitalism and claddical sociology theory. Toronto. University of Toronto Press, 2009. Print. Little, Daniel. The scientific Marx. New York: U of Minnesota Press. 1986. Print Newman, Michael. John Strachey. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1989. Print. Miles, Robert. Capitalism and the unfree labor: anomaly and necessity? New York: Taylors Francis, 1987. Print. Miles, Robert. Capitalism and the unfree labor: anomaly and necessity? New York: Taylors Francis, 1987. Print. Miles, Robert. Capitalism and the unfree labor: anomaly and necessity? New York: Taylors Francis, 1987. Print. Newman, Michael. John Strachey. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1989. Print. Heilbroner, Robert. The nature and logic of capitalism. New York: W.W. Norton Company, 1985. Print Miles, Robert. Capitalism and the unfree labor: anomaly and necessity? New York: Taylors Francis, 1987. Print. Heilbroner, Robert. The nat ure and logic of capitalism. New York: W.W. Norton Company, 1985. Print Miles, Robert. Capitalism and the unfree labor: anomaly and necessity? New York: Taylors Francis, 1987. Print. Heilbroner, Robert. The nature and logic of capitalism. New York: W.W. Norton Company, 1985. Print This essay on Understanding Economics: the nature and logic of Capitalism was written and submitted by user Ashtyn Buck to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Chemistry Diatomic Molecules Cheat Sheet Essay Example

Chemistry Diatomic Molecules Cheat Sheet Paper Procedure for Negatively Charged Ions (CHIC-) Use the same procedure as outlined above, then as a last step add one electron per negative charge to fill octets. Carbonate ion has a 2- charge, so we have two electrons available to fill octets. Using the procedure above, we arrive a this structure: The two singly-bonded oxygen atoms each have an open octet, so we add one electron to each so as to fill these octets. The added electrons are shown with arrows. Dont forget to assign formal charges as well! The final Lewis structure for carbonate ion is: Procedure for Positively Charged Ions (NH+) Use the same procedure as outlined above, then remove one electron per positive charge as needed to avoid expanded octets. When using this procedure for positively charged ions, it may be necessary to have some atoms with expanded octets (nitrogen in this example). For each unit of positive charge on the ion remove on electron from these expanded octets. If done correctly, your final structure should have no first or second period elements with expanded octets. Using the basic procedure outlined above, we arrive at a structure in which nitrogen has nine valence electrons. (Electrons supplied by hydrogen are red; electrons supplied by nitrogen are black. ) Removal of one of these valence electrons to account for the 1+ charge of ammonium ion solves this octet rule violation. Slathers Rules: All other electrons in the same group as the electron of interest shield to an extent of 0. 35 nuclear charge units except Is group, where the other electron contributes only . 30. ) Write the electron configuration for the atom using the following design;(ls) (ad) (as,up) (ad) (if) (as,up) 2) Any electrons to the right of the electron of interest contributes no shielding. (Approximately correct statement. ) 3) All other electrons in the same group as the electron of interest shield to an extent of 0. 35 nuclear charge units 4) If the electron of interest is an s or p electron: All electrons with one less value of the principal quantum number shield to an extent of 0. 85 units of nuclear charge. All electrons with two less values of the principal quantum umber shield to an extent of 1. 0 units. 5) If the electron of interest is an d or f electron: All electrons to the left shield to an extent of 1. 00 units of nuclear charge. 6) Sum the shielding amounts from steps 2 through 5 and subtract from the nuclear charge value to obtain the effective nuclear charge. Examples: Calculate Z* for a valence electron in fluorine. Rule 2 does not apply; 0. 35 6+0. 85 2 = 3. 8 Z* = 9 3. 8 = 5. 2 for a valence electron. Calculate Z* for a as electron in Platinum. (1 (Dodd) (ass,app) (Dodd) (puff) (zaps) (add) (ass) Rule 2 does We will write a custom essay sample on Chemistry Diatomic Molecules Cheat Sheet specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Chemistry Diatomic Molecules Cheat Sheet specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Chemistry Diatomic Molecules Cheat Sheet specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer

Digital Self-Portrait Assignment Essay Example

Digital Self Digital Self-Portrait Assignment Paper Digital Self-Portrait Assignment Paper My Life Line A Portrait of Who I am on the Inside. Planning This will be our first major project of the year. We began this year with a Digital Self- Portrait. From this project, we learned that self-portraits are more interesting when they focus on who we are on the inside, rather than what we look like on the outside. We will call these portraits our â€Å"Life Lines† because they tell the story of our life- who we are on the inside. For this project, we will be using an accordion book format to show others WHO WE ARE ON THE INSIDE. The accordion book will have a front cover and 6 inside panels or pages. Your â€Å"Life Line† will be a combination of drawings (pencil, sharpies, amp; colored pencils) and collage (pictures/images you bring in from home). Week 3 Homework: Bring in Images to Collage into your LIFE LINE We will begin our LIFELINE by gathering important DATA about YOU! List carefully as many things as you can think of for each category. INTERESTS amp; HOBBIES: the books you like to read, sports, crafts, outdoor activities, things you collect, what you do in your spare time, do you plan an instrument? Do you take classes to learn things like Yoga or Karate? What games do you enjoy? etc. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | FAVORITE FOODS: Maybe you’re a chef or like to cook and make your own foods. Maybe you have a favorite restaurant. Maybe you LOVE Grandmas’ pot roast. Maybe your family makes a special dinner What are your favorite foods? | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | SPIRITUAL BELIEFS amp; PHILOSOPHIES: Do you believe in a higher being? Are you passionate about any issues such as recycling, protecting the environment, adopting animals, or non-violence? Are there any special holidays you celebrate in connection to your beliefs? You may also want to include your patriotism or heritage. | | | | | | | | | FAVORITE MUSIC: This can be styles of music, music you sing, music you play, favorite bands or songs, etc. | | | | | | | | | ACADEMIC INTERESTS: What do you like learning about? (In school or outside of school). I love learning about nature and foreign cultures. Maybe you love dinosaurs. Maybe you like working on computers. Maybe you like learning about how things work, like cars. PS- lunch and recess are not academic†¦ but ART is! ) | | | | | | | | | FAVORITE VISUALS: What kinds of things do you like to look at? Beaches? Checkerboards? Hot Air Balloons? Rainbows? Plants? Spider webs? Artwork? Album covers? Etc. | | | | | | | | | HEROS: List your heroes below. Who are the people you look up to? Who do you want to be like when you are older? Who are you impressed by? | | | | | | | | | FAMILY AND FRIENDS: Who are the important peop le in your life (and we don’t mean your great-uncle who you’ve never even met). Include people who are important to YOU! | | | | | | | | | | | | PETS: Pets you own, pets that have passed away, or maybe pets you’d like to someday own. | | | | | | | | | TRAVEL: Where have you been? Where would you like to go? | | | | | | | | | EXTRA: Favorite authors? Clubs amp; organizations (4-H, Scouts, Peer Mediator, etc. ), pen pals, AWARDS, favorite smells, favorite time of the year, season, college, poems, etc. | | | | | | | | | YOUR BIRTHDAY: When is your Birthday? You can represent it with a cake, balloon, present, season, etc. __________________________________________ When you have completed the survey, practice sketching these objects on the next page (in pencil). Remember to think CREATIVELY because we want to see pictures to represent these parts of your life- NOT WORDS! For instance, music can be represented by notes or lines coming out of a stereo or instrument. Good luck! NOTE: This is the planning phase of your Life Line. Check off or cross off each item f rom your list as you include it in your final portrait. This way you will not lose track. Procedure: . Fill out the survey 2. Decide HOW YOU WILL ORGANIZE your images a. You may want to have each page represent a category (such as family) or maybe you will represent past/present/future and move throughout your pages chronologically- YOU DECIDE! 3. Sketch lightly in pencil first on your final paper b. FILL up your pages- you don’t want any empty space- even the background should represent YOU! 4. Add collage elements such as photos of your family, etc. 5. Outline each item in black using a sharpie 6. Color in using colored pencils

SLP - 2 Persuasive Memos Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

SLP - 2 Persuasive Memos - Essay Example In addition, I am also addressing workplace ethics with the hope that professionals will find a solution to help save the image of  the company. Therefore, I am remaining with the faith that this memo will be of a positive help and direction within the organization. The practice of cheating in the corporate culture is both hurting, and poses a great danger to the continuity of  the organization. I would appeal to the management to first find a way of instilling ethical behavior among the employees. Solomon (2012) says that management can do this through a number of methods that would result in a grand boost and help on organization’s ethical culture. Serious communication should be done to encourage members on the benefits of ethics in business. Making ethical decisions may be difficult but it surely is at the best interest of the business. All workers should ensure that whatever they do in the work place is right, and moral meant for the benefit of the firm. The main reas ons why ethics is necessary in business applies both at internal and external environments of any given organization. According to Solomon (2012), employees need to reciprocate ethical conduct to both  the customers who purchase goods and services, and to working partners who we share similar workplace settings. This is the best way we can appreciate their efforts in building healthy relationships; thus ensuring continuity of professionalism in service delivery. Since we really need customers to continue buying the company’s products, we have to demonstrate ethical practices. In this case, employees should ensure that they offer them the best of services that the company can deliver. This will serve to improve customer reliance and dependence on the company’s services. In addition, it will boost their confidence on the company’s profile; hence this positive image will eventually lead to increase in sales. This will also boost morale among workers for the good services they offer. In order to ensure success in ethical development programs, we will need both commitment and consistency among the staff. Management should encourage anybody with new ideas and any suggestions to bring them forward for consideration. The company can introduce new products to the market as a means of gaining a competitive advantage, and advertise  the company’s new policies.  These programs need to become practical since employees acknowledge the importance of good ethics in any business. According to Solomon (2012), ethics does not only help internally but also make the firm gain respect and appreciation at market segment levels. Proper action need to be taken to inform all people of the need of urgency in integrating ethics in daily routines. Management can achieve this by educating people on the behavior and actions they should learn to exhibit towards others in a work place. This education will go a long way towards making workers aware of their ac tions and implications that accompany their workplace conduct. In this context, management should strive towards creating a business that will respect ethics and encourage workers to become ethical in respective duties. Employees need to integrate the culture of ethics into their professional habits immediately upon joining the organization. Management should utilize professional code of conducts that lay down requisite behaviors and actions within the employee population. These

Research proposal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Research proposal - Essay Example With this virtue, the research proposal presented here shall provide a specific structure to the ultimate research work mentioning the aim and objectives to be amended in the final discussion of the research. It will also intend to suggest an appropriate research methodology, apparently highlighting the importance of the research topic and evaluating its future scope. Table of Contents Abstract 2 1. Introduction 4 1.1. Research Problem 4 1.2. Background 4 1.3. Research Aims and Objectives 6 2. Literature Review 8 3. Research Methodology 10 3.1. Types of Research 10 3.2. Research Approach 12 3.3. Data Collection Process 13 3.4. Data Analysis 14 3.5. Limitations of the Research Methodology 15 3.6. Recommendations 16 References 18 Bibliography 21 1. Introduction 1.1. Research Problem Research problem is referred to the area of interest identified in the research work. It is termed to be an important element for a research work as it provides a purpose to the research which again signifi es its ultimate objective. The research problem also provides certain specific research questions which in turn simplify the research process specifying the focal point of the research. 1.2. Background Sodexo is an international company which was set up in 1966 by Pierre Bellon. By its origin it is a service based company and renders its customers with a wide range of services. However, the company mainly focuses on its catering services to general public and fine dining customers as well. To be mentioned, the major objectives of Sodexo are attaining a sustainable growth of at least 7% per annum, reaching 6% operating margin, gaining the recognition as a global leader, developing the employee base and increasing its brand awareness and brand image at large (Sodexo, 2010). To encourage its virtues, Sodexo has also been recorded to be the first company to enter the contract of catering with the 2012 UK Events Industry Fair Pricing and Practice Charter. According to this contract, Sode xo Prestige, the catering group of the company is entitled to serve the chief customers in 2012 Olympic Games. This indeed is a great opportunity for the company to move ahead in accomplishing its optimum objectives (Sodexo, 2009). Therefore, the research problem which can be identified is to develop a well-designed uniform with key consideration to the aspect of the brand image of the company in representing 2012 Olympics and its employees’ perceptions. With this concern, the suggested research questions can be stated as follows, 1) What is the Brand Philosophy of Sodexo? 2) What are the Ethos and Values of the company? 3) What kind of uniform look would represent the company in the best possible way? Based on these research questions, certain significant research aims and objectives have been suggested in the following discussion. 1.3. Research Aims and Objectives Being an active participant of the service industries, fashion industry provides an utmost priority to the aspe ct of client satisfaction which enhances the possibility of client retention in future. Hence, it rewards the designer a long-term benefit. In this milieu, it shall be quite supportive to determine the research aim and its objectives focusing on the perception of both the primary and secondary customers (Dickerson, 2004). The primary aim of the research work shall be focused in

Chicago history Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Chicago history - Assignment Example For instance, voters’ defeat of Thompson showed that many Chicago residents were tired of the ensuing disorder. Notably, reformist and citizens groups advocated for a stringent enforcement of prohibition, in addition to the immediate onslaught on corruption, crime and social vices. Thus, such belief united ethnic voters as well as politicians in Chicago and subsequently reformists’ mayors, such as William Dever were elected (Lecture notesâ€Å"Chicago in the Roaring Twenties† 6). Question 12 Lause, Mark A. "Death in the Haymarket: A Story of Chicago, the First Labor Movement, and the Bombing That Divided Gilded Age America." Business And Economics--Labor And Industrial Relations 60 (2007): 298-300. The objective of this article is to examine the repercussion of Haymarket riots and its brunt on the labor plus radical movements within the recognizable provisions of defeat as well as demise. The article assesses the repression of labor plus radicalism within Chicago , based on the assumption that there was an extensive authorized repression aimed at destroying the eight-hour movement along with the unity it momentarily inspired. Thus, according to Lause the police basically prevented an imminent revolution. The position taken by the author is that, even though segments of the movement at first backed away from the charged men, the extensive defense campaign shifted to an amnesty movement which inspired modern socialist International that went on to declare May Day an international labor day. Green, James. "Death in the Haymarket: A Story of Chicago, the First Labor Movement, and the Bombing That Divided Gilded Age America." The Journal of American History 94.1 (2007): 302-303. This journal article re-creates the Haymarket riots in order to demonstrate the growth of the earliest great labor movement following the American Civil War along with the twenty-year fight for the eight-hour working period. Green displays how the movement triumphed over several setbacks to coordinate a sequence of strikes which swept the nation during 1886, and as a result positioning the unions for a triumph on the eve of Haymarket tragedy. Green examines the frustrations, tensions plus exhilarating victories of the Midwestern source of strength of Gilded Age. Question 13 The cost of the Fair is worth the benefits Chicago received, since it generated extensive hysteria in opposition to immigrants and the labor leaders. Moreover, the affair destroyed the labor movement resistance in Chicago and is not worth the benefits Chicago received since it only stimulated the social consciousness of many people in Chicago rather than bridging reforms. However, it enthused generations of leftist activists and artists and it is for the most part considered as the origin of global May Day observances for workforces. The fair also displayed the worst of the city class struggle. Question 14 Paddon, Anna R and Sally Turner. "African Americans and the World's Columb ian Exposition,." Illinois Historical Journal 88.1 (1995): 19-36. The thesis of the article is that even though the fair officials discouraged the attempts of African Americans in achieving reforms, the activities conducted in that fair became the foundation for African American political social along with artistic movement. Hence, the aim of the study was to examine the approach, group alignment, together with mentoring relationships formed by Africans Americans from the fair. The authors Paddon,

Designing an Oral English Teaching Course

Designing an Oral English Teaching Course Introduction: Context Defining context is necessary for developing any course plan because the students, stakeholders and setting of the course have a large impact on all that is taught and learned. The very concepts of teaching and learning are culturally dependent and therefore care must be taken to match student and stakeholder expectations. Or in some cases it may appropriate to gently push the boundaries of what is acceptable and in so doing reveal a new way of learning and thinking. A cursory knowledge of the context is often not enough to push such boundaries. â€Å"The more information you have about the context the more able you will be to make decisions and to plan an effective course† (Graves 2000, p 18). This oral English course will take place at Leshan Teachers College in the mid-sized city of Leshan, in Sichuan province, China. This institution could be considered a 3rd tier college which grants bachelors and associates degrees to students headed for careers as secondary and elementary teachers. A minority of these English majors will go on to careers in translation, business or tour guiding. A minority will also go on for further study in various graduate fields. The institution offers no guidelines for the course except that the textbook titled Challenge to Speak by Wilson, Olson, Li, Chen and Yao (2005) be used as a text. The teacher is required to develop their own test for use in the course. The 1st year students enrolled in this course come directly from high school and the majority of them are from rural areas of Sichuan province. Many of their families work in agriculture or serve as migrant workers in factories or on construction projects in the eastern provinces. Students are often disappointed at being assigned to study at Leshan Teachers College. Many had hoped to attend somewhere with more prestige, but in spite of some initial disappointment, most are willing to study hard to improve their English. Previous to having this class, many of the students have not had a foreign teacher. Though they have studied English for at least 6 years in elementary and high school, they generally dont see English as a way to build relationships. Most of their focus in their English studies had been on reading and writing with the goal of doing well on the college entrance exams. Most of them lack the oral ability or confidence to consider beginning a conversation with the foreigners that they may occasionally see in their daily life. Though educational philosophies are gradually changing throughout China, the college entrance exam still dictates that much rote learning take place. In foreign language teaching, theories of grammar-translation and audio-lingualism predominate. Generally, students are not taught to question their textbooks, their teachers or their learning methods. Students typically follow their teachers recommendations and assignments very closely and rarely initiate studies on their own. That being said, their powers of memorization and grammar knowledge are usually quite good in comparison to their ability to speak extemporaneously in conversation. The course meets one time per week for two 45 minute periods. Due to a late arrival on campus and a week of military training, the 1st year students semester lasts only 12 weeks. With the distractions that come with adapting to life in new surroundings, the 1st semester of the 1st year typically features a lighter academic load. Many of these students have not been away from their parents before and this obviously affects students in different ways; some embrace their new-found independence while some long for home. I. Teacher Beliefs Though a course or a language program is set in a specific locale, and may try to incorporate the desires and needs of many students and stakeholders, ultimately the composition of the course or program flows from one source: the beliefs and identity of the teacher. Successful teaching requires knowledge beyond just the subject being taught; only through self-knowledge can a teacher fully inhabit the combined public and private persona that a teacher must assume (Palmer, 1998). The beliefs of a teacher regarding the subject being taught and nature of teaching and learning will have significant implications in the design of a course; however, a teachers worldview may impact his or her teaching approach in ways that are just as significant, but perhaps less apparent. Since language teaching often involves cultural differences between teachers and students, teachers may need to adjust some of their beliefs when or if they significantly violate the cultural norms of students (Graves, 2000; Lingenfelter Lingenfelter, 2003). While Johnson (1998, as cited in Graves, 2000) points out that many of a teachers beliefs can be difficult to articulate or can hide under the surface of his or her teaching, my experiences with the cross-cultural frictions found in language classrooms have often raised to my consciousness beliefs and values that would have remained hidden in monocultural classrooms. As teachers engage with different student populations, study language acquisition theory or perform action research, they may alter some aspects of their beliefs. This is only natural. The possibility of change ought to propel a teacher toward constant reevaluation of their beliefs because only an intimate acquaintance with ones beliefs allows a teacher to articulat e why a particular lesson was effective or ineffective (Graves, 2000). Nature of Language Just as language is constantly evolving and adding new words from a multiplicity of sources, so my beliefs about the nature of language continue to evolve. Originally, I had viewed language as primarily driven by the lexicon. Through performing action research on form-focused approaches, I have come to realize that grammar plays a role that is nearly as important as vocabulary (Eberly, 2008). But, language goes beyond mundane concerns such as conditional forms or definitions extracted from dictionaries; when forms and words are artfully rendered into literature, the result is somehow more than the sum of its parts. Language is capable of exquisite beauty, but it is not only in its ability to represent the physical world where this beauty is apparent. Its ability to capture the minute inner-workings of the self is peerless among the fine arts, at least in my view. As a literature major in my undergraduate years, I may be biased, yet Ive found the habit of reading literature and writing a journal to be the best means of understanding myself. Language is not only something one engages in alone, it is also a means to develop relationships. Though meanings occasionally get obscured in our speech with others, language is what separates us from animals and allows us to work together as villages, countries and with people from around the world to achieve mutually beneficial objectives. Love, as a supreme human experience, would be incomplete or impossible without language as a means of expressing that love. Language Learning My beliefs on language learning grow out of my view of language and out of my awareness of myself as a learner. The relational nature of languages and my level of connection to native speakers have played a large role in my success in learning Chinese and Korean, and my comparative failure in learning Spanish in high school and as an undergraduate. Coming from a largely monocultural area of Ohio limited my exposure to native Spanish speakers. So, during my high school and undergraduate days, I saw Spanish as book-bound and irrelevant to daily life perhaps akin to how some of my students feel toward English today. Yet living in Korea and China while I have studied those respective languages has allowed me to know the people that are connected with the languages. It has been my relationships to those native-speaking people friends, colleagues, students and above all teachers that have energized my studies and made me successful. This is very much in line with Vygotsky (1978) who first noted the crucial role that sympathetic interlocutors play in forming L1 competence in children (as cited in Lightbown Spada, 2006). Brown (2001) carried this into the L2 arena with his interactive approach which in essence declared that it is through meaningful interaction that learning occurs most effectively. Curran also recycles some of these relational ideas in his Community Language Learning approach (Brown, 2001). World View Not only do my beliefs on this issue arise out of my experiences as a language learner, they are also rooted in my spiritual understanding of my relationship to God. The Bible is a record of mankinds relationship with God and according to the Bible, humans were created for the express purpose of being in relationship with God. The arrival of Jesus on earth heralded the willingness of God to send and sacrifice his only Son so that believers might relate to more than just a book or a set of laws; through Jesus, an intimacy with God is possible. My life has been a gradual discovering of just how fulfilling this relationship can be. But though Jesus calls everyone into relationship with Him, He does not force anyone into a relationship they may not desire. This freedom of choice is an important element in any relationship and endues the weaker party with an agency, or freedom of choice, which is a necessary element in establishing an inquiry-based educational environment (Freire, 1996). Language Teaching This type of mutually respectful relationship causes not only an increase in knowledge about the other with whom one is in relationship, it also forces a reevaluation of the self as the two mutually define and refine each other. Language teaching approaches that do not in some way promote learner introspection run the risk of creating automaton learners, who, when left to their own devices, lack the ability to carry on with their learning. Undoubtedly, some implicit learner reflection on teaching and learning philosophies is inevitable when the teacher is from another culture. Yet, deliberate activities and assignments which nudge students toward greater reflection of their learning processes and preferences have been shown to lead to greater student proficiency over the long term (Snow, 1996; Brown, 2001). A host of surveys and inventories like the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and Rebecca Oxfords Strategy Inventory for Language Learners (SILL) have frequently been incorporated into l essons as a way to make learners more self-aware (Brown, 2001). However, the simple insertion of these surveys into a lesson does not a reflective learner make, as I have found in the past. The teaching approach itself must be designed to give students some experiential knowledge of whatever declarative knowledge such surveys may inculcate. By introducing learner-reflective strands into an approach, a teacher can foster one of the paradoxes which Palmer claims must be present in a successful classroom; the space of the classroom â€Å"should honor the ‘little stories of the student and the ‘big stories of the disciplines and tradition† (Palmer, 1998, p. 74). II. Needs Assessment Feeling that I know myself well after articulating my beliefs, there is a temptation for me to take some aspects of needs assessment for granted, especially since I have taught at the Leshan Teachers College (LSTC) for nearly 3 years. This is my 2nd year teaching freshman oral English and though I didnt do extensive formal needs assessment last year, I feel very cued-in to student needs in terms of affect, pragmatics and pronunciation. Also, part of my action research (Eberly, 2008) involved significant assessments of the grammaticality of my students speech, so I feel especially familiar with struggles the students may face in this area. Through classroom activities and conversations outside of class, I have learned much about the future plans, hopes and dreams of many of my students. Yet, student populations are not monolithic and even though the collectivist nature of Chinese culture makes it tempting to paint different groups of students with the same pedagogical brush, there wil l undoubtedly be subtle and not-so-subtle differences from year to year or group to group. The foregoing introduction has largely ignored what is potentially the biggest advantage, for experienced teachers in familiar environments, in incorporating well-planned needs assessment into their course: the effect on the learner. In addition to providing the teacher with information about how to structure the course initially or alter it as it progresses, needs assessment helps the learners to reflect on their learning, to identify their needs, and to gain a sense of ownership and control of their learning. It establishes learning as a dialogue between the teacher and the learners and among the learners. (Graves, 2008, p. 98) The dialogic nature of assessing needs is one way in which students can be â€Å"heard to speech,† a process which Palmer (1998) describes as necessary not only for the development of interpretive and analytic skills, but also as an affirmation of the humanity of the student. My hunch is that needs assessment rarely takes on a dialogic quality in traditional Chinese classrooms, which tend to be teacher-fronted or hierarchical (Hu, 2002; Pratt, 2007). Yet the benefits far outweigh any drawbacks that may stem from students initial confusion or discomfort when facing the task of assessing their own needs. Pre-course Needs Assessment Dialogue often is thought to occur between two parties, yet there are other interlocutors who contribute to the process of analyzing needs. Though they may not participate directly in the classroom, they nevertheless have important contributions to make to the direction of the course. The overarching goal of oral English classes in the view of the administration of the LSTC is to prepare students for the TEM4 oral English exam during their sophomore year. For this reason, the foreign teachers at LSTC rarely teach courses to students beyond their sophomore year. For teachers who are unfamiliar with their setting, a discussion or interview with the dean or other departmental leader would be necessary as an initial needs assessment to help establish the criteria for the course. Though I have not spoken to many parents of my students during my time here, my hunch is that they would see test preparation as the main objective of any oral English course, or any other course for that matter. A secondary concern for administrators and parents alike is the oral English requirements for any post-graduation job that the student may deign to pursue. As future elementary and secondary teachers, the students will likely need good facility with pronunciation, but fluency will not be as important. This is slowly changing though, and more and more top secondary schools are demanding teachers who can teach in English. For students who opt for other careers involving English, including business, tour guiding and interpretation, all facets of their oral English will need to be well-developed. I see the value of washback from the TEM4, which is scored on the basis of student competence in pronunciation, grammatical accuracy and fluency through the modalities of an impromptu speech, dialogue and story retelling (Wen, Zhao Wang, 2001). Yet I would seek to augment the criteria of the TEM4 with several of my own. As a firm believer in the value of relationships, I would argue that pragmatic, cultural and confidence-building activities are necessary to promote relationships between the students and foreigners. Though students and other stakeholders may not see much need for these skills, the day of Chinas full integration into the international community is fast dawning. Ive seen almost exponential growth since my arrival here in opportunities for students and recent graduates to go abroad. Also, as Chinas economic growth rate continues to outpace much of the rest of the world, foreigners flock here in increasing numbers to work, study and tour. Beyond these potential encounte rs with speakers of English, the students will have 3 or 4 other foreign teachers during their 4 years of study at LSTC and the ability to form relationships with these native speakers of English will to some degree determine a students success in those courses. The following table consists of stakeholder data collection procedures and descriptions. The procedures contained therein do more than just provide the teacher with a means to assess the needs of students, they also seek to enable students to self-assess. Though student self-assessment is not a significant facet in Chinese pedagogy, I feel these assignments will benefit them in their future language studies and in their life in general. Table 1: Stakeholder Data Collection Procedures Pre-field needs assessment Since my course is a mere 14 hours of total class time not counting the test, incorporating student input into my needs assessment will have to be done as efficiently as possible.   As a way to collect basic initial information, a survey questionnaire will be distributed on the first day of class and assigned for completion as homework. (see appendix A)   Assigning the survey as homework will allow students to use their dictionaries and work at their own pace.   The questionnaire has 2 main foci in addition to basic information needed for classroom administrative purposes.   One focus is students self-perceived weaknesses and strengths in relating to native English speakers.   Another focus is pronunciation; in what ways have students learned pronunciation, successfully or unsuccessfully, in the past? Because the Challenge to Speak 1 textbook by Wilson E., C. Olson, H-Y. Li, X-N. Chen B-H. Yao (2005) will be used in the course, the initial survey includes a list of the language functions included in this text and students are asked to rank their top three preferences in terms of functions to study during the semester as well as designate any of the functions they already feel comfortable performing.   In addition, a significant portion of the initial pronunciation needs assessment will occur in the second week with a recording and transcription project that will test students self-awareness of their pronunciation and spoken grammar. Field needs assessment In conjunction with an action research project on pronunciation, much of the on-going needs assessment will be performed concurrently with end-of-cycle data collection.   These attempts to gauge students feelings on both pronunciation and wider classroom issues will have to be done delicately to avoid overwhelming students who may have difficulty seeing the purpose behind providing the teacher so much subjective feedback.   Each of these short end-of-cycle questionnaires will feature 2 questions requiring written answers and 5 Likert survey items as well as opportunities for students to write further questions or comments about the course.   The initial 2 questions about pronunciation are likely to change from cycle to cycle; however, the Likert statements will remain the same.   Interviews with 3 students will be performed at the conclusion of each cycle, with the intention of gaining deeper insights into some of the issues raised in the surveys. Objective feedback will be obtained through the use of in-class recordings.   Though checking pronunciation will be the overarching goal of this technique, secondary information will be gleaned about the students ability to stay on task, interest in the activity, comprehension of directions, etc†¦ Recordings will be made in both small-group and whole-class settings. Post-field needs assessment My hope is that a large portion of the assessment and analysis at the conclusion of the course can be accomplished through a repeat of the initial recording and transcription project assigned during the second week of class.   By having students record and transcribe a passage which incorporates the gamut of English phonology as well as respond to several prompted questions, I hope to gauge their pronunciation and awareness of themselves as speakers.   If they produce fewer errors overall and are better able to articulate their pronunciation and grammar errors the second time through, I will consider them successful learners who have completed a successful course. III. Developing Learning Outcomes The challenge in developing learning outcomes is to balance the learning space between an authoritarian approach in which the teacher is constantly forcing their goals upon the students and an anarchist approach in which each student pursues their own agenda.   Undoubtedly needs assessment plays a role in giving the students a voice in planning the outcomes of a course.   Yet I have found in my particular locale in China that students accustomed to a teacher-centered approach may have difficulty in articulating what they hope to learn in a course.   Thus in attempting to maintain a space that is both â€Å"bounded and open,† in the words of Palmer, (1998, p. 74) I have often erred in the bounded direction.   I hope in this course, through dialogic needs analysis and attempting to articulate that which my students may find difficult, to be â€Å"open to the many paths down which discovery may take us, to the surprises that always come with real learning† (Palmer, 1998, p. 75). Of course this is not to say that the teacher should approach every course with a blank mindset and allow the students to do all the leading.   Taking into account the context of the course and the beliefs of the teacher will start a teacher down the road of formulating goals for a course.   But it is important to follow up on this start and define the course goals as precisely as possible.   A course â€Å"will be effective to the extent that its goals are sound and clearly stated† (Richards, 2001, p. 112).   The better able the teacher is to articulate the goals, the more succinctly they will be able to inform their students of the direction of the course an important consideration for a course with less than 14 hours of class time. While there are a plethora of philosophies and frameworks to draw on when establishing goals,   I find myself most adherent to theories of cultural pluralism as defined by Richards (2001) and the framework of ATASK formulated by David Thomson (as cited in Graves, 2000).   Obviously, there are pieces from each of the 5 philosophies described by Richards that I find attractive, yet my setting and beliefs make cultural pluralism the most relevant and accessible to me and my students.   I think the inclusion of a teacher parameter in the ATASK (Awareness, Teacher, Attitude, Skills, Knowledge) acronym allows me to articulate learning goals that I may have for a particular course.   Though social reconstructivists or critical pedagogues may wish to explode the teacher/student dichotomy, I dont think we can throw all power structure out the window.   The ATASK framework allows me to view myself as a learner and my students as teachers, which is something likely to be beneficial to both of us. The following table briefly outlines my goals and objectives according the to ATASK framework.   The pre-course portion of my needs assessment informs some of these goals and objectives.   Table 2: Though it is te Designing an Oral English Teaching Course Designing an Oral English Teaching Course Introduction: Context Defining context is necessary for developing any course plan because the students, stakeholders and setting of the course have a large impact on all that is taught and learned. The very concepts of teaching and learning are culturally dependent and therefore care must be taken to match student and stakeholder expectations. Or in some cases it may appropriate to gently push the boundaries of what is acceptable and in so doing reveal a new way of learning and thinking. A cursory knowledge of the context is often not enough to push such boundaries. â€Å"The more information you have about the context the more able you will be to make decisions and to plan an effective course† (Graves 2000, p 18). This oral English course will take place at Leshan Teachers College in the mid-sized city of Leshan, in Sichuan province, China. This institution could be considered a 3rd tier college which grants bachelors and associates degrees to students headed for careers as secondary and elementary teachers. A minority of these English majors will go on to careers in translation, business or tour guiding. A minority will also go on for further study in various graduate fields. The institution offers no guidelines for the course except that the textbook titled Challenge to Speak by Wilson, Olson, Li, Chen and Yao (2005) be used as a text. The teacher is required to develop their own test for use in the course. The 1st year students enrolled in this course come directly from high school and the majority of them are from rural areas of Sichuan province. Many of their families work in agriculture or serve as migrant workers in factories or on construction projects in the eastern provinces. Students are often disappointed at being assigned to study at Leshan Teachers College. Many had hoped to attend somewhere with more prestige, but in spite of some initial disappointment, most are willing to study hard to improve their English. Previous to having this class, many of the students have not had a foreign teacher. Though they have studied English for at least 6 years in elementary and high school, they generally dont see English as a way to build relationships. Most of their focus in their English studies had been on reading and writing with the goal of doing well on the college entrance exams. Most of them lack the oral ability or confidence to consider beginning a conversation with the foreigners that they may occasionally see in their daily life. Though educational philosophies are gradually changing throughout China, the college entrance exam still dictates that much rote learning take place. In foreign language teaching, theories of grammar-translation and audio-lingualism predominate. Generally, students are not taught to question their textbooks, their teachers or their learning methods. Students typically follow their teachers recommendations and assignments very closely and rarely initiate studies on their own. That being said, their powers of memorization and grammar knowledge are usually quite good in comparison to their ability to speak extemporaneously in conversation. The course meets one time per week for two 45 minute periods. Due to a late arrival on campus and a week of military training, the 1st year students semester lasts only 12 weeks. With the distractions that come with adapting to life in new surroundings, the 1st semester of the 1st year typically features a lighter academic load. Many of these students have not been away from their parents before and this obviously affects students in different ways; some embrace their new-found independence while some long for home. I. Teacher Beliefs Though a course or a language program is set in a specific locale, and may try to incorporate the desires and needs of many students and stakeholders, ultimately the composition of the course or program flows from one source: the beliefs and identity of the teacher. Successful teaching requires knowledge beyond just the subject being taught; only through self-knowledge can a teacher fully inhabit the combined public and private persona that a teacher must assume (Palmer, 1998). The beliefs of a teacher regarding the subject being taught and nature of teaching and learning will have significant implications in the design of a course; however, a teachers worldview may impact his or her teaching approach in ways that are just as significant, but perhaps less apparent. Since language teaching often involves cultural differences between teachers and students, teachers may need to adjust some of their beliefs when or if they significantly violate the cultural norms of students (Graves, 2000; Lingenfelter Lingenfelter, 2003). While Johnson (1998, as cited in Graves, 2000) points out that many of a teachers beliefs can be difficult to articulate or can hide under the surface of his or her teaching, my experiences with the cross-cultural frictions found in language classrooms have often raised to my consciousness beliefs and values that would have remained hidden in monocultural classrooms. As teachers engage with different student populations, study language acquisition theory or perform action research, they may alter some aspects of their beliefs. This is only natural. The possibility of change ought to propel a teacher toward constant reevaluation of their beliefs because only an intimate acquaintance with ones beliefs allows a teacher to articulat e why a particular lesson was effective or ineffective (Graves, 2000). Nature of Language Just as language is constantly evolving and adding new words from a multiplicity of sources, so my beliefs about the nature of language continue to evolve. Originally, I had viewed language as primarily driven by the lexicon. Through performing action research on form-focused approaches, I have come to realize that grammar plays a role that is nearly as important as vocabulary (Eberly, 2008). But, language goes beyond mundane concerns such as conditional forms or definitions extracted from dictionaries; when forms and words are artfully rendered into literature, the result is somehow more than the sum of its parts. Language is capable of exquisite beauty, but it is not only in its ability to represent the physical world where this beauty is apparent. Its ability to capture the minute inner-workings of the self is peerless among the fine arts, at least in my view. As a literature major in my undergraduate years, I may be biased, yet Ive found the habit of reading literature and writing a journal to be the best means of understanding myself. Language is not only something one engages in alone, it is also a means to develop relationships. Though meanings occasionally get obscured in our speech with others, language is what separates us from animals and allows us to work together as villages, countries and with people from around the world to achieve mutually beneficial objectives. Love, as a supreme human experience, would be incomplete or impossible without language as a means of expressing that love. Language Learning My beliefs on language learning grow out of my view of language and out of my awareness of myself as a learner. The relational nature of languages and my level of connection to native speakers have played a large role in my success in learning Chinese and Korean, and my comparative failure in learning Spanish in high school and as an undergraduate. Coming from a largely monocultural area of Ohio limited my exposure to native Spanish speakers. So, during my high school and undergraduate days, I saw Spanish as book-bound and irrelevant to daily life perhaps akin to how some of my students feel toward English today. Yet living in Korea and China while I have studied those respective languages has allowed me to know the people that are connected with the languages. It has been my relationships to those native-speaking people friends, colleagues, students and above all teachers that have energized my studies and made me successful. This is very much in line with Vygotsky (1978) who first noted the crucial role that sympathetic interlocutors play in forming L1 competence in children (as cited in Lightbown Spada, 2006). Brown (2001) carried this into the L2 arena with his interactive approach which in essence declared that it is through meaningful interaction that learning occurs most effectively. Curran also recycles some of these relational ideas in his Community Language Learning approach (Brown, 2001). World View Not only do my beliefs on this issue arise out of my experiences as a language learner, they are also rooted in my spiritual understanding of my relationship to God. The Bible is a record of mankinds relationship with God and according to the Bible, humans were created for the express purpose of being in relationship with God. The arrival of Jesus on earth heralded the willingness of God to send and sacrifice his only Son so that believers might relate to more than just a book or a set of laws; through Jesus, an intimacy with God is possible. My life has been a gradual discovering of just how fulfilling this relationship can be. But though Jesus calls everyone into relationship with Him, He does not force anyone into a relationship they may not desire. This freedom of choice is an important element in any relationship and endues the weaker party with an agency, or freedom of choice, which is a necessary element in establishing an inquiry-based educational environment (Freire, 1996). Language Teaching This type of mutually respectful relationship causes not only an increase in knowledge about the other with whom one is in relationship, it also forces a reevaluation of the self as the two mutually define and refine each other. Language teaching approaches that do not in some way promote learner introspection run the risk of creating automaton learners, who, when left to their own devices, lack the ability to carry on with their learning. Undoubtedly, some implicit learner reflection on teaching and learning philosophies is inevitable when the teacher is from another culture. Yet, deliberate activities and assignments which nudge students toward greater reflection of their learning processes and preferences have been shown to lead to greater student proficiency over the long term (Snow, 1996; Brown, 2001). A host of surveys and inventories like the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and Rebecca Oxfords Strategy Inventory for Language Learners (SILL) have frequently been incorporated into l essons as a way to make learners more self-aware (Brown, 2001). However, the simple insertion of these surveys into a lesson does not a reflective learner make, as I have found in the past. The teaching approach itself must be designed to give students some experiential knowledge of whatever declarative knowledge such surveys may inculcate. By introducing learner-reflective strands into an approach, a teacher can foster one of the paradoxes which Palmer claims must be present in a successful classroom; the space of the classroom â€Å"should honor the ‘little stories of the student and the ‘big stories of the disciplines and tradition† (Palmer, 1998, p. 74). II. Needs Assessment Feeling that I know myself well after articulating my beliefs, there is a temptation for me to take some aspects of needs assessment for granted, especially since I have taught at the Leshan Teachers College (LSTC) for nearly 3 years. This is my 2nd year teaching freshman oral English and though I didnt do extensive formal needs assessment last year, I feel very cued-in to student needs in terms of affect, pragmatics and pronunciation. Also, part of my action research (Eberly, 2008) involved significant assessments of the grammaticality of my students speech, so I feel especially familiar with struggles the students may face in this area. Through classroom activities and conversations outside of class, I have learned much about the future plans, hopes and dreams of many of my students. Yet, student populations are not monolithic and even though the collectivist nature of Chinese culture makes it tempting to paint different groups of students with the same pedagogical brush, there wil l undoubtedly be subtle and not-so-subtle differences from year to year or group to group. The foregoing introduction has largely ignored what is potentially the biggest advantage, for experienced teachers in familiar environments, in incorporating well-planned needs assessment into their course: the effect on the learner. In addition to providing the teacher with information about how to structure the course initially or alter it as it progresses, needs assessment helps the learners to reflect on their learning, to identify their needs, and to gain a sense of ownership and control of their learning. It establishes learning as a dialogue between the teacher and the learners and among the learners. (Graves, 2008, p. 98) The dialogic nature of assessing needs is one way in which students can be â€Å"heard to speech,† a process which Palmer (1998) describes as necessary not only for the development of interpretive and analytic skills, but also as an affirmation of the humanity of the student. My hunch is that needs assessment rarely takes on a dialogic quality in traditional Chinese classrooms, which tend to be teacher-fronted or hierarchical (Hu, 2002; Pratt, 2007). Yet the benefits far outweigh any drawbacks that may stem from students initial confusion or discomfort when facing the task of assessing their own needs. Pre-course Needs Assessment Dialogue often is thought to occur between two parties, yet there are other interlocutors who contribute to the process of analyzing needs. Though they may not participate directly in the classroom, they nevertheless have important contributions to make to the direction of the course. The overarching goal of oral English classes in the view of the administration of the LSTC is to prepare students for the TEM4 oral English exam during their sophomore year. For this reason, the foreign teachers at LSTC rarely teach courses to students beyond their sophomore year. For teachers who are unfamiliar with their setting, a discussion or interview with the dean or other departmental leader would be necessary as an initial needs assessment to help establish the criteria for the course. Though I have not spoken to many parents of my students during my time here, my hunch is that they would see test preparation as the main objective of any oral English course, or any other course for that matter. A secondary concern for administrators and parents alike is the oral English requirements for any post-graduation job that the student may deign to pursue. As future elementary and secondary teachers, the students will likely need good facility with pronunciation, but fluency will not be as important. This is slowly changing though, and more and more top secondary schools are demanding teachers who can teach in English. For students who opt for other careers involving English, including business, tour guiding and interpretation, all facets of their oral English will need to be well-developed. I see the value of washback from the TEM4, which is scored on the basis of student competence in pronunciation, grammatical accuracy and fluency through the modalities of an impromptu speech, dialogue and story retelling (Wen, Zhao Wang, 2001). Yet I would seek to augment the criteria of the TEM4 with several of my own. As a firm believer in the value of relationships, I would argue that pragmatic, cultural and confidence-building activities are necessary to promote relationships between the students and foreigners. Though students and other stakeholders may not see much need for these skills, the day of Chinas full integration into the international community is fast dawning. Ive seen almost exponential growth since my arrival here in opportunities for students and recent graduates to go abroad. Also, as Chinas economic growth rate continues to outpace much of the rest of the world, foreigners flock here in increasing numbers to work, study and tour. Beyond these potential encounte rs with speakers of English, the students will have 3 or 4 other foreign teachers during their 4 years of study at LSTC and the ability to form relationships with these native speakers of English will to some degree determine a students success in those courses. The following table consists of stakeholder data collection procedures and descriptions. The procedures contained therein do more than just provide the teacher with a means to assess the needs of students, they also seek to enable students to self-assess. Though student self-assessment is not a significant facet in Chinese pedagogy, I feel these assignments will benefit them in their future language studies and in their life in general. Table 1: Stakeholder Data Collection Procedures Pre-field needs assessment Since my course is a mere 14 hours of total class time not counting the test, incorporating student input into my needs assessment will have to be done as efficiently as possible.   As a way to collect basic initial information, a survey questionnaire will be distributed on the first day of class and assigned for completion as homework. (see appendix A)   Assigning the survey as homework will allow students to use their dictionaries and work at their own pace.   The questionnaire has 2 main foci in addition to basic information needed for classroom administrative purposes.   One focus is students self-perceived weaknesses and strengths in relating to native English speakers.   Another focus is pronunciation; in what ways have students learned pronunciation, successfully or unsuccessfully, in the past? Because the Challenge to Speak 1 textbook by Wilson E., C. Olson, H-Y. Li, X-N. Chen B-H. Yao (2005) will be used in the course, the initial survey includes a list of the language functions included in this text and students are asked to rank their top three preferences in terms of functions to study during the semester as well as designate any of the functions they already feel comfortable performing.   In addition, a significant portion of the initial pronunciation needs assessment will occur in the second week with a recording and transcription project that will test students self-awareness of their pronunciation and spoken grammar. Field needs assessment In conjunction with an action research project on pronunciation, much of the on-going needs assessment will be performed concurrently with end-of-cycle data collection.   These attempts to gauge students feelings on both pronunciation and wider classroom issues will have to be done delicately to avoid overwhelming students who may have difficulty seeing the purpose behind providing the teacher so much subjective feedback.   Each of these short end-of-cycle questionnaires will feature 2 questions requiring written answers and 5 Likert survey items as well as opportunities for students to write further questions or comments about the course.   The initial 2 questions about pronunciation are likely to change from cycle to cycle; however, the Likert statements will remain the same.   Interviews with 3 students will be performed at the conclusion of each cycle, with the intention of gaining deeper insights into some of the issues raised in the surveys. Objective feedback will be obtained through the use of in-class recordings.   Though checking pronunciation will be the overarching goal of this technique, secondary information will be gleaned about the students ability to stay on task, interest in the activity, comprehension of directions, etc†¦ Recordings will be made in both small-group and whole-class settings. Post-field needs assessment My hope is that a large portion of the assessment and analysis at the conclusion of the course can be accomplished through a repeat of the initial recording and transcription project assigned during the second week of class.   By having students record and transcribe a passage which incorporates the gamut of English phonology as well as respond to several prompted questions, I hope to gauge their pronunciation and awareness of themselves as speakers.   If they produce fewer errors overall and are better able to articulate their pronunciation and grammar errors the second time through, I will consider them successful learners who have completed a successful course. III. Developing Learning Outcomes The challenge in developing learning outcomes is to balance the learning space between an authoritarian approach in which the teacher is constantly forcing their goals upon the students and an anarchist approach in which each student pursues their own agenda.   Undoubtedly needs assessment plays a role in giving the students a voice in planning the outcomes of a course.   Yet I have found in my particular locale in China that students accustomed to a teacher-centered approach may have difficulty in articulating what they hope to learn in a course.   Thus in attempting to maintain a space that is both â€Å"bounded and open,† in the words of Palmer, (1998, p. 74) I have often erred in the bounded direction.   I hope in this course, through dialogic needs analysis and attempting to articulate that which my students may find difficult, to be â€Å"open to the many paths down which discovery may take us, to the surprises that always come with real learning† (Palmer, 1998, p. 75). Of course this is not to say that the teacher should approach every course with a blank mindset and allow the students to do all the leading.   Taking into account the context of the course and the beliefs of the teacher will start a teacher down the road of formulating goals for a course.   But it is important to follow up on this start and define the course goals as precisely as possible.   A course â€Å"will be effective to the extent that its goals are sound and clearly stated† (Richards, 2001, p. 112).   The better able the teacher is to articulate the goals, the more succinctly they will be able to inform their students of the direction of the course an important consideration for a course with less than 14 hours of class time. While there are a plethora of philosophies and frameworks to draw on when establishing goals,   I find myself most adherent to theories of cultural pluralism as defined by Richards (2001) and the framework of ATASK formulated by David Thomson (as cited in Graves, 2000).   Obviously, there are pieces from each of the 5 philosophies described by Richards that I find attractive, yet my setting and beliefs make cultural pluralism the most relevant and accessible to me and my students.   I think the inclusion of a teacher parameter in the ATASK (Awareness, Teacher, Attitude, Skills, Knowledge) acronym allows me to articulate learning goals that I may have for a particular course.   Though social reconstructivists or critical pedagogues may wish to explode the teacher/student dichotomy, I dont think we can throw all power structure out the window.   The ATASK framework allows me to view myself as a learner and my students as teachers, which is something likely to be beneficial to both of us. The following table briefly outlines my goals and objectives according the to ATASK framework.   The pre-course portion of my needs assessment informs some of these goals and objectives.   Table 2: Though it is te