Week 4 discussion

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1. Choice 1: The United States prides itself on support of democracy and the protection of human rights. How did the United States reconcile this view with the annexation of foreign territories during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries? Support your response with at least two examples.

Part B: Think about American foreign policy today. Compare it to the examples you used in Part A. How has foreign policy changed? Support your response with one current foreign policy issue or action.

  1. Choice 2: Women have had the right to vote in the United States for not quite 100 years –since 1920. It took suffragists many years to finally achieve a constitutional amendment giving women this right. Why did men resist the idea of women voting for so long? What issues finally helped the movement gain momentum and succeed?

    Part B: How did giving women the right to vote influence civil rights and politics in the United States? How might politics today be different if women were not involved?

  2. Choice 3: Everything discussed in this week can be connected in some way to current events and issues. Think about your life – potential or current career field, daily activities and interests, freedoms and rights etc. Discuss at least two issues or events we studied this week and explain how they have impacted and/or continue to impact your life today.

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Cinema Discussion 5 of 8

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Cinema Discussion 5 of 8

Due Today by 4pm

Need 2 paragraphs

2 References from the Web APA format

PDF doc pasted below

 

Watch either a War film made in the last 25 years or a Neo Noir film from the list, Neo Nior Films 1982 – 1999.pdf . (It cannot be your favorite movie.)

If you watched a War film, what does it have in common with the War films in the Week Five content? If you watched a Neo Noir film, what does it have in common with the Film Noir films in the Week Five content (other than being in color).

How does color play a part in the film you watched for this week? Identify at least three places that color stood out in the film.

Does there seem to be a predominate color or does a color seem to be missing from the film? If so, what is that color and do you think it had an impact on the film? If so how, if not why not?

If you did not see a predominate color or a color that seems to be missing from the film describe an addition place in the film where color plays a part.

 

 

Neo Nior

1982

Blade Runner

Still of the Night

1983

Bad Boys

Breathless

Sudden Impact

1984

Against All Odds

Blood Simple

Body Double

Tightrope

1985

Jagged Edge

To Live and Die in L.A.

Trouble in Mind

Witness

Year of the Dragon

1986

At Close Range

Blue Velvet

Manhunter

Murphy’s Law

1987

Angel Heart

The Big Easy

Black Widow

Dead of Winter

Fatal Attraction

No Way out

1988

Betrayed

Cop

D.O.A.

Frantic

1989

Black Rain

Kill Me Again

Sea of Love

1990

The Grifters

Internal Affairs

King of New York

Miami Blues

1991

Delusion

Diary of a Hitman

Dead Again

A Kiss Before Dying

Rush

Shattered

Sleeping with the Enemy

1992

Bad Lieutenant

Basic Instinct

Final Analysis

Night and the City

Unlawful Entry

White Sands

1993

Red Rock West

1994

Blink

The Getaway

1995

Devil in a Blue Dress

Se7en

Sling Blade

The Usual Suspects

1996

Bound

Face/Off

Fear

Hard Eight

Mulholland Falls

1997

Affliction

Cop Land

The Game

L.A. Confidential

Lost Highway

1998

Dark City

Palmetto

1999

The Limey

 

Payback

Instructions From Assignment 1, you will use the following information: Qs = -7909.89 + 79.1P Qd = 38650 – 42P P = 384.48 cents and Q = 22,502 units You should also use the following rules for profit maximization: P = MR = MC in p

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Instructions

 

 

 

From Assignment 1, you will use the following information:

 

Qs = -7909.89 + 79.1P

 

Qd = 38650 – 42P

 

P = 384.48 cents and Q = 22,502 units 

 

 

 

You should also use the following rules for profit maximization:

 

 

 

P = MR = MC in perfect competition

 

MR = MC in imperfect competition 

 

 

 

 

 

Question 1

 

Outline a plan that will assess the effectiveness of the market structure for the company’s operations. Note: In Assignment 1, the assumption was that the market structure [or selling environment] was perfectly competitive and that the equilibrium price was to be determined by setting Qd equal to Qs. The market structure in the first assignment was competitive. This means that the firm does not have control over the price and it has to charge the equilibrium price. You are now aware of recent changes in the selling environment that suggest an imperfectly competitive market where your firm now has substantial market power in setting its own “optimal” price.

 

·         Since the company has control over the price, it has to decide how much to charge and how much to produce to maximize profit. 

 

·         The profit-maximizing/loss-minimizing quantity and price can be determined by setting the MR = MC. This involves the following.

 

o   Find the total revenue: TR = P x Q

 

o   Find the marginal revenue by calculating the derivative of the total revenue function.

 

o   Set MR equal to the provided MC function and solve for Q, and then for P.

 

·         Based on the results, the company should make a decision to continue producing or shut down.

 

 

 

Question 2

 

Given that business operations have changed from the market structure specified in the original scenario in Assignment 1, determine two (2) likely factors that might have caused the change. Predict the primary manner in which this change would likely impact business operations in the new market environment.

 

·         Consider the change in the degree of competition.

 

·         Review the sections “Industry Performance” and “Competitive Landscape” in the IBISWorld report provided.

 

·         Factors that might have caused change could be for example consolidation of the industry, i.e., firms become bigger and have now some control on the price.  Also, firms can differentiate their product from the products of their competitors, which again results in more control over the price.  Firms’ actions are interdependent and now their decisions are affected not just by the demand and supply conditions, but by what moves their major competitors make.  These are just examples.  You might come up with other factors.

 

 

 

Question 3

 

Analyze the major short run and long cost functions for the low-calorie, frozen microwaveable food company given the cost functions below. Suggest substantive ways in which the low-calorie food company may use this information in order to make decisions in both short and the long-run.

 

TC = 160,000,000 + 100Q + 0.0063212Q2
VC = 100Q + 0.0063212Q2
MC= 100 + 0.0126424Q

 

·         To maximize profit, the firm has to find ways to maximize its total revenue and minimize its cost. You should also consider the difference between short and long run.  In the short run, at least one of the costs is fixed.  In the long run, all costs can be changes, i.e., all costs are variable. A review of the IBISWorld Industry Report on the frozen food production in the US can also help you answer this question.  The cost functions affect the profit. The cost functions are to be used to answer question 4 as well.

 

·         Using the provided cost data for the firm, determine whether the firm is making a profit or a loss by charging the equilibrium price determined in Assignment 1.

 

o   Calculate the total revenue.

 

o   Calculate the total cost.

 

o   Find the difference between TR and TC, which is the profit or the loss. 

 

o   Review the section “Cost Structure Benchmarks” (p. 22) in the IBISWorld report.

 

 

 

Question 4

 

Determine the possible circumstances under which the company should discontinue operations. Suggest key actions that management should take in order to confront these circumstances. Provide a rationale for your response. (Hint: Your firm’s price must cover average variable costs in the short run and average total costs in the long run to continue operations.)

 

·         Here, you have to find the profit maximizing or loss-minimizing quantity and price. Then, determine whether the company is making a profit. To find the value of Q and P, you should use the marginal rule MR = MC. 

 

·         MC function is given. 

 

·         You should calculate MR by using the demand function from Assignment 1: Qd = 38,650 – 42P.

 

o   First, inverse the demand function to show the price in terms of quantity:  P = 920.238 – 0.0238Q.

 

o   Then, find the TR function, which is equal to price times quantity TR = (920.24 – 0.0238Q)*Q = 920.24Q – 0.0238Q2. 

 

o   Finally, find MR which is the derivative of TR with respect to quantity, i.e., MR = 920.238 – 0.0476Q.

 

·         Next, set MR equal to the MC given in the second assignment and solve for the profit maximizing or loss minimizing Q and P.

 

·         When you find the values of Q and P, you can plug in the number for Q into the TR function to find the TR and in the TC function, to find the TC.

 

·         Then subtract TC from TR to find the total profit. 

 

o   If you get a negative number, the firm is making a loss. 

 

o   If the number is positive, the firm is making a profit.

 

·         If the firm is making a loss, you should figure out whether the firm should continue to produce at a loss in the short run, or shut

 

o   To answer this question, you should compare the TR with VC, or price with AVC.  If the firm is making a loss and the TR is higher than VC or the price is higher than the AVC, then it would be better off producing rather than shutting down because it will be able to cover some of its fixed cost. But if TR is smaller than VC, or if price is smaller than AVC, the firm will be better of shutting down.

 

Question 5

 

Suggest one (1) pricing policy that will enable your low-calorie, frozen microwavable food company to maximize profits. Provide a rationale for your suggestion.

 

(Hints:

 

  • In Assignment 1, you determined your firm’s market demand equation. Now you need to find the inverse demand equation. Having found that, find the Total Revenue function for your firm (TR is P x Q). From your firm’s Total Revenue function, then find your Marginal Revenue (MR) function.
  • Use the profit maximization rule MR = MC to determine your optimal price and optimal output level now that you have market power. Compare these values with the values you generated in Assignment 1. Determine whether your price higher is or lower.)

 

·         Use the profit-maximizing rule MC = MR to find the price and quantity that maximize profit.

 

 

 

Question 6

 

Outline a plan, based on the information provided in the scenario, which the company could use in order to evaluate its financial performance. Consider all the key drivers of performance, such as company profit or loss for both the short term and long term, and the fundamental manner in which each factor influences managerial decisions.

 

(Hints:

 

  • Calculate profit in the short run by using the price and output levels you generated in part 5. Optional: You may want to compare this to what profit would have been in Assignment 1 using the cost function provided here.
  • Calculate profit in the long run by using the output level you generated in part 5 and cost data in part 3 and assuming that the selling environment will likely be very competitive. Determine why this would be a valid assumption.)

 

·         You can also review the section “Key Statistics” on p. 38 of the IBISWorld Industry Report Report.

 

 

 

Question 7

 

Recommend two (2) actions that the company could take in order to improve its profitability and deliver more value to its stakeholders. Outline, in brief, a plan to implement your recommendations.

 

·         Review the sections “Industry Performance” and “Products and Markets” in the IBISWorld report.

 

Streaming Live and Harlem Renaissance

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” Please respond to one (1) of the following, using sources under the Explore heading as the basis of your response:

 

 

 

•Write for one (1) minute using the stream of consciousness writing method (Note: You may also type it offline and copy it within this discussion thread). Then, first explain what stream of consciousness method is (provide references).  Describe your experience and your reaction to what you wrote. Of the samples of the stream of consciousness technique given in this week’s chapters, determine which you prefer and explain the reasons why. Use a concrete example from the textbook, summarize it in your own words, and tell us concretely about your impression after reading it.

 

•

 

•Of the various authors, artists, and musicians who participated in the Harlem Renaissance, identify the person whose autograph you would most want, and explain the reasons why. Tell us a bit about this person: when and where did she or he live, what is she/he famous for, etc. Provide one (1) example that illustrates the reason why you selected the person that you did.

 

Explore:

 

Streaming Live

 

•Chapter 35 (pp. 1163-1166); Chapter 36 (p. 1189), stream of consciousness – background and samples

 

•Method and exploration of stream-of-consciousness writing at  http://dversepoets.com/2012/05/24/stream-of-conscousness-writing/

 

 

 

•Writing a stream: http://thewritepractice.com/stream-of-consciousness/

 

 and http://literarydevices.net/stream-of-consciousness/

 

 

 

Harlem Renaissance

 

 

 

•Chapter 36 (pp. 1172-1180); review the Week 8 “Music Folder”

 

•Website and video at http://www.history.com/topics/harlem-renaissance

 

World History Assignment

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HS150 World Civilizations I

 

 

 

Directions: Answer in complete sentences, and be sure to use correct English, spelling, and grammar. Sources must be cited in APA format. Your response should be four (4) double‐spaced pages; refer to the “Format Requirementsʺ page for specific format requirements.

 

 

 

What major changes in political structures, and social and economic life, occurred during each of the following?

 

 

 

The Sui dynasty

 

The Tang dynasty

 

The Song dynasty

 

 

 

(Refer to chapter 14 of your textbook and additional references.)

 

 

 

Format Requirements

 

Use the following format requirements on all submissions.

 

 

Writing Style

   APA (American Psychological Association)
     
Note: To find detailed information on APA manuscript style guidelines on the Internet, go to www.apastyle.org.
     
Margins   1” all sides
     
Paragraphs   The entire document should be double-spaced on standard-sized paper (8.5″ x 11″)
     
Headings   Bold
     
Type Style and Size   Times New Roman, 12 point
     
Software   MS Word

 

 

 

Student/Assignment Information

 

 

The following information should be on the first page on the top left side of the page in the format provided below. Do not provide a cover sheet (unless the assignment requires one).

 

   

 

Student Name
     
    Student Identification Number
     
    Course Number and Title
     
    Assignment Number and Title
     
    Date of Submission

 

 

 

Grading Rubric

 

 

 

Please refer to the rubric on the next page for the grading criteria for this assignment.


 

 

 

 

1.You are given the following sample data for two variables: Y X 10 100 8 110 12 90 15 200 16 150 10 100 10 80 8 90 12 150 2.The regression model based on these sample data explains approximately 75 percent of the variation in the dependent v

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1.You are given the following sample data for two variables:

Y X
10 100
8 110
12 90
15 200
16 150
10 100
10 80
8 90
12 150

2.The regression model based on these sample data explains approximately 75 percent of the variation in the dependent variable.

True/False?

3.A manufacturing company is interested in predicting the number of defects that will be produced each hour on the assembly line. The managers believe that there is a relationship between the defect rate and the production rate per hour. The managers believe that they can use production rate to predict the number of defects. The following data were collected for 10 randomly selected hours.

Defects Production Rate Per Hour
20 400
30 450
10 350
20 375
30 400
25 400
30 450
20 300
10 300
40 300

4.Given these sample data, the simple linear regression model for predicting the number of defects is approximately download?verifier=BSpwjIYzkg6JUoL5u2ZDd3 = 5.67 + 0.048x.

True/False?

5.When constructing a scatter plot, the dependent variable is placed on the vertical axis and the independent variable is placed on the horizontal axis.

True/False?

6.A random sample of two variables, x and y, produced the following observations:

x   y
19   7
13   9
17   8
9   11
12   9
25   6
20   7
17   8

Test to determine whether the population correlation coefficient is negative. Use a significance level of 0.05 for the hypothesis test.

A.Because t =-4.152 < -1.9432, reject the null hypothesis. Because the null hypothesis is rejected, the sample data does support the hypothesis that there is a negative linear relationship between x and y.

B.Because t =-4.152 <  -1.9432, do not reject the null hypothesis. Because the null hypothesis is not rejected, the sample data support the hypothesis that there is a negative linear relationship between x and y.

C.Because t =-4.152 <  -1.9432, do not reject the null hypothesis. Because the null hypothesis is not rejected, the sample data support the hypothesis that there is a negative linear relationship between x and y.

D.Because t =-9.895 < -1.9432, reject the null hypothesis. Because the null hypothesis is rejected, the sample data does support the hypothesis that there is a negative linear relationship between x and y.

You are given the following sample data for two variables:

Y X
10 100
8 110
12 90
15 200
16 150
10 100
10 80
8 90
12 150

7.The sample correlation coefficient for these data is approximately r = 0.755.

True/False?

8.Based upon these sample data, and testing at the 0.05 level of significance, the critical value for testing whether the population correlation coefficient is equal to zero is t = 2.2622.

True/False?

9.The following regression model has been computed based on a sample of twenty observations: download?verifier=ULK4dKX6NyJNN7ntKe3yGN = 34.2 + 19.3x. Given this model, the predicted value for y when x =40 is 806.2.

True/False?

10.When a correlation is found between a pair of variables, this always means that there is a direct cause and effect relationship between the variables.

True/False?

11.State University recently randomly sampled ten students and analyzed grade point average (GPA) and number of hours worked off-campus per week. The following data were observed:

GPA HOURS
3.14 25
2.75 30
3.68 11
3.22 18
2.45 22
2.80 40
3.00 15
2.23 29
3.14 10
2.90 0

The correlation between these two variables is approximately -.461

True/False?

12.In a university statistics course a correlation of -0.8 was found between numbers of classes missed and course grade. This means that the fewer classes students missed, the higher the grade.

True/False?

13.Two variables have a correlation coefficient that is very close to zero. This means that there is no relationship between the two variables.

True/False?

14.The following regression model has been computed based on a sample of twenty observations: = 34.2 + 19.3x. The first observations in the sample for y and x were 300 and 18, respectively. Given this, the residual value for the first observation is approximately 81.6.

True/False?

15.A bank is interested in determining whether its customers’ checking balances are linearly related to their savings balances. A sample of n = 20 customers was selected and the correlation was calculated to be +0.40. If the bank is interested in testing to see whether there is a significant linear relationship between the two variables using a significance level of 0.05, the value of the test statistic is approximately t =1.8516.

true/False?

16.A correlation of -0.9 indicates a weak linear relationship between the variables.

True/False?

17.If the correlation between two variables is known to be statistically significant at the 0.05 level, then the regression slope coefficient will also be significant at the 0.05 level.

True/False?

18.An industry study was recently conducted in which the sample correlation between units sold and marketing expenses was 0.57. The sample size for the study included 15 companies. Based on the sample results, test to determine whether there is a significant positive correlation between these two variables. Use an alpha = 0.05

A.Because t = 2.50 > 1.7709, reject the null hypothesis. There is sufficient evidence to conclude there is a positive linear relationship between sales units and marketing expense for companies in this industry

B.Because t = 3.13 > 1.7709, reject the null hypothesis. There is sufficient evidence to conclude there is a positive linear relationship between sales units and marketing expense for companies in this industry.

C.Because t = 3.13 > 1.7709, reject the null hypothesis. There is sufficient evidence to conclude there is a positive linear relationship between sales units and marketing expense for companies in this industry.

D.Because t = 2.50 > 1.7709, do not reject the null hypothesis. There is not sufficient evidence to conclude there is a positive linear relationship between sales units and marketing expense for companies in this industry.

19.In developing a scatter plot, the decision maker has the option of connecting the points or not.

True/False?

20.If two variables are highly correlated, it not only means that they are linearly related, it also means that a change in one variable will cause a change in the other variable.

True/False?

21.A research study has stated that the taxes paid by individuals is correlated at a .78 value with the age of the individual. Given this, the scatter plot would show points that would fall on straight line on a slope equal to .78.

True/False?

22.A dependent variable is the variable that we wish to predict or explain in a regression model.

True/False?

23.If a set of data contains no values of x that are equal to zero, then the regression coefficient, b0, has no particular meaning.

True/False?

24.The scatter plot is a two dimensional graph that is used to graphically represent the relationship between two variables.

True/False?

25.The difference between a scatter plot and a scatter diagram is that the scatter plot has the independent variable on the x-axis while the independent variable is on the Y-axis in a scatter diagram.

True/False?

26.If a sample of n = 30 people is selected and the sample correlation between two variables is r = 0.468, what is the test statistic value for testing whether the true population correlation coefficient is equal to zero?

A.t = 2.0484

B.About t = 2.80

C.About t = -.3.01

D.Can’t be determined without knowing the level of significance for the test.

A study was recently done in which the following regression output was generated using Excel.

SUMMARY OUTPUT

27.Given this, we know that approximately 57 percent of the variation in the y variable is explained by the x variable.

True/False?

28.Given this output, the point estimate for the average tip per dollar amount of the bill is approximately $0.21.

True/False?

29.Given this output, we would reject the null hypothesis that the population regression slope coefficient is equal to zero at the alpha = 0.05 level.

True/False?

The first part of this assignment is a fun scavenger hunt. Using a web search find and record the answer to following questions. (There is no need to cite sources for the questions asked in this scavenger hunt as this is commonly known information.) Keep

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The first part of this assignment is a fun scavenger hunt. Using a web search find and record the answer to following questions. (There is no need to cite sources for the questions asked in this scavenger hunt as this is commonly known information.)

Keep your submission organized, clear, and professional in look. Make sure that anyone who reads this list of information would be able to easily know what you are communicating. For example, don’t just list the name “Barack Obama” as our president.

One way to do this would be to include in your text the question asked: “Who is the current President,” followed by the answer: “Barack Obama.”

Another way you could do this is to write in complete sentence. For example: “The current President is Barack Obama.”

For Part 1, there is no need to provide any information beyond what is asked for in these questions.

Please answer the following questions:

  • Who is the President?
  • Who is the Vice President?
  • Who are the Justices of the Supreme Court?
  • Who are your two (2) United States Senators?
  • If you wanted to write them a letter where would you send it? -or- If you wanted to write them an email what address or website would you use to send it?
  • Who is your Representative to the United States House of Representatives?
  • If you wanted to write them a letter where would you send it? -or- If you wanted to write them an email what address or website would you use to send it?
  • What state do you live in?
  • Who is your governor?
  • Who are the Justices of your State Supreme Court?
  • Where does your State Legislature meet?
  • Does your State Legislature have two houses or one?
  • What is the name of the Upper House of your State Legislature?
  • What is the name of the Lower House of your State Legislature?
  • Who is/are your Senator(s) to the upper house of your State Legislature?
  • If you wanted to write them a letter where would you send it? -or- If you wanted to write them an email what address or website would you use to send it?
  • Who is/are your Representative(s) to the Lower House of your State Legislature?
  • If you wanted to write them a letter where would you send it? -or- If you wanted to write them an email what address or website would you use to send it?
  • What is the official website for your state where you can find information on registering to vote? (NOTE: in most cases this should be a .gov website)
  • Does this website contain information on finding where to vote on Election Day, information on getting an absentee ballot, sample ballots, and other voting information?
  • Is any information that would help you vote missing or hard to find on that official website?

Part 2 – Essay on the Meaning of Liberty

As we read in our lectures this week, philosopher John Locke asked: “If a man in the state of nature is free, if he is absolute lord of his own person and possessions, why will he give up his freedom? Why will he put himself under the control of any person or institution?”

John Locke’s answer was: “that the rights in the state of nature are constantly exposed to the attacks of others. Since every man is equal and since most men do not concern themselves with equity and justice, the enjoyment of rights in the state of nature is unsafe and insecure. Hence each man joins in society with others to preserve life, liberty, and property.”

In at least 500 words answer the following questions:

  • In your own words, what is freedom? (*Note: dictionary definitions of the word freedom will not be accepted)
  • In your own words, what is liberty? (*Note: dictionary definitions of the words liberty will not be accepted)
  • Does your definition of freedom agree with Locke’s definition of freedom? Why or why not?
  • Does your definition of liberty agree with Locke’s understanding of liberty? Why or why not?
  • John Locke argues that freedom and liberty are very different things. Do you agree or not? Why or why not?
  • Finally, how did these ideas of liberty and freedom connect to the creation of the Constitution?

Please note: APA formatting and citations rules apply to this and all essays in this course.

As with all weekly written assignments, submit your work as an attached file. Double-space your paper and use 12 point Times New Roman as your font.

Grading Criteria Assignments Maximum Points
Meets or exceeds established assignment criteria 40
Demonstrates an understanding of lesson concepts 20
Clearly present well-reasoned ideas and concepts 30
Mechanics, punctuation, sentence structure, spelling that affects clarity, and citation of sources as needed            10
Total 100

HUM 112 Only one paragraph needed ASAP before 12am! pleasee help

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ONLY RESPOND TO ONE OF THE QUESTIONS BELOW

 

“Great Composers and Color Analysis” Please respond to one (1) of the following, using sources under the Explore heading as the basis of your response:

  • Determine whether you prefer Debussy or Mahler after listening to works by each at the Websites below or in this week’s Music Folder and after reading about them. Explain the reasons for your preference. Here we find musical composers inspired by poetry and by philosophy. Identify one (1) element within a work that you find interesting or intriguing by either composer, with regard to the manner in which the work is performed or conducted. Describe the types of things that inspire you to creativity.
  • Describe two (2) color paintings by different artists (selected from the list or sources in the Explore section below) that you believe represent the following quote by Kandinsky on the subject of color in art. Justify your response. From Concerning the Spiritual in Art: “If you let your eye stray over a palette of colors, you experience two things. In the first place you receive a purely physical effect, namely the eye itself is enchanted by the beauty and other qualities of color. […] These are physical sensations, limited in duration. They are superficial, too, and leave no lasting impression behind if the soul remains closed. And so we come to the second result of looking at colors: their psychological effect. They produce a correspondent spiritual vibration, and it is only as a step towards this spiritual vibration that the physical impression is of importance. … Generally speaking, color directly influences the soul.” – Wassily Kandinsky. Discuss these ideas for the use of color and its impact in our own times, such as its effect for advertising and sales, or its impact in the workplace and home.

Explore:

Debussy and Mahler

Kandinsky on Color

Depression and Mobilization – American History Homework

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Background: The Great Depression and World War II represented tumultuous years for Americans. From the widespread and appalling poverty of the Great Depression to the horror and excitement of World War II, Americans were forced to work together for the good of each other and the nation. The experiences of these years, both the good and the bad, forever changed the Americans who lived through them.

Required Sources: Choose one of the chapters from the oral history collections below

  • A Taste of Freedom. A Little Taste of Freedom: The Black Freedom Struggle in Claiborne County, Mississippi.
  • Honor and humiliation. Hard times: An oral history of the great depression
  • French Carpenter Clark. Women’s Diaries and Letters of the South: Country Women Cope with Hard Times: A Collection of Oral Histories.

Recommended Source

  • WWII: Breadlines to boomtimes in Films on Demand database.

Based on the oral history that you read and your textbook, consider the changes that the United States went through from the Great Depression through World War II. In your post, explain:

  • At least three causes of the Great Depression and the New Deal responses to them.
  • How the societal changes of this period affected individual Americans. Provide at least one example from the oral history that you read to support your points.

Your initial post should be at least 250 words in length. Support your claims with examples from the required material(s) and/or other scholarly resources, and properly cite any references. Your references and citations must be formatted according to APA style.

 

 Additional Information:

As we have noticed in our recent recession is that you cannot fix a problem if you cannot determine what caused it. One of the problems facing the United States government after the Stock Market Crash in 1929 was determining what had caused it to happen in the first place. The continuing problems that occurred after the crash that led to the Great Depression also had to be identified. One the government could determine what had caused it, then they could create programs not only to fix those problems but also to prevent them from occurring again. At the same time that the government was trying to fix the problems, they were also trying to relieve some of the hardships for the people. Roosevelt’s New Deal programs attempted all of this. Despite many setbacks, the New Deal sought and achieved four main goals; economic recovery, creating jobs, investing in public works, and uplifting the American people. One excellent website where you can view many of the programs of the New Deal and review a timeline of when they occurred is The Living New Deal: Still Working for America. 

 

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Americans’ conceptualization of race, and of how the Irish fit into racial categories, has changed a great deal in the past 150 years. Chronicling the intertwined history of Irish Americans and African Americans is an excellent way to illustrate the social construction of race. Both racially and socioeconomically, Blacks and Irish Americans today would seem to be two very distinctive groups. African Americans experience significant racial discrimination, and are impacted by the residual effects of past institutional discrimination. By contrast, Irish Americans are not socially stigmatized for their Irish ancestry, as is suggested by the wide acceptability of intermarriage between Irish Americans and other White ethnics. Irish Americans have also been economically and politically successful, as indicated by the fact that a prominent Irish American (John F. Kennedy) was elected President.

In the mid-19th century, however, Irish immigrants and freed Black slaves had far more in common. Like Blacks, Irish immigrants were subject to a great deal of racial discrimination. Although considered White, as Celts they were believed to be racially different from Whites of Anglo-Saxon descent. Descriptions of Irish at the time even gave them physical traits that made them distinct from “other” White people, like a low brow, upturned nose, dark skin, and small physical size (Jacobson 1998).

Moreover, free Blacks and Irish immigrants suffered the same racial discrimination and low social status. Both groups were subject to derogatory names that referenced the other group. Blacks were called “smoked Irish,” while Irish were called “niggers turned inside out” (Ignatiev 1995: 41). Irish and Blacks often lived together in the same neighborhoods, where the Irish were just as impoverished as the Blacks. One study found a high concentration of both Blacks and Irish in a 19th-century neighborhood with the highest mortality rate—and one of the highest crime rates—in all of New York City. Both groups competed for the same jobs, and even lived together in the same homes (Hodges 1996). Not surprisingly, interracial couplings were fairly common as well, both in the United States and in Jamaica, where Black slaves and Irish indentured servants were sent to labor (Blockson 1977, Jamison 2003).

The sources listed below—including a website documenting the intertwined history of these two groups—address both the shared history of Blacks and Irish, and the eventual political efforts of Irish Americans to extricate themselves from the association with African Americans.

Sources used for this essay include: Charles L. Blockson. Black Genealogy. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1977; Graham Hodges, “’Desirable Companions and Lovers’: Irish and African Americans in the Sixth Ward, 1830–1870,” in The New York Irish. Ronald H. Bayor and Timothy J. Meagher (eds.). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1996, pp. 107–124; Noel Ignatiev. How the Irish Became White. New York: Routledge, 1995; Matthew Frye Jacobson. Whiteness of a Different Color. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1998; S. Lee Jamison, S. Lee, “How Green Was My Surname,” New York Times (March 17, 2003); Tangled Roots website www.yale.edu/glc/tangledroots.

Using a minimum of 200 words explain how the Irish extricated themselves from their association with African-Americans.

Toward the end of the 19th century, metal tools began to filter into the territory of the Yir Yoront, a tribe of the Australian Aborigines. Of particular significance to the Yir Yorontwas the introduction of the steel ax.

While the Aborigines themselves could not manufacture steel ax heads, a steady supply came from missionaries. Tribal members who attended mission festivals were presented with steel axes, but older members of the Yir Yoront shied away from such gatherings because of their earlier experience or knowledge of White people’s harshness. Therefore, women and younger men were more likely to own a steel ax.

Ownership of a steel ax emerged as a measure of status. This was especially significant because the stone ax had generally been possessed by elder males and thus was a symbol of authority. Other tribal members would have to come to an elder if they wanted to use a stone ax, but the possession of the superior steel axes by women and younger men changed all that. A wife or a young son, still uninitiated into adulthood, no longer needed to bow to the husband or father. Instead, the elder, confused and insecure, might have to borrow a steel ax from them. For the woman and boy, the steel ax helped establish a new degree of freedom that was readily accepted as they moved away from traditional values. Also, women, by virtue of ownership of this artifact of outside culture, had a trading power denied to older men.

By the mid-1930s, the Yir Yoront had maintained some of their Aboriginal identity amidst the increasing acceptance of European inventions and values, but the general passing of their culture led Lauristan Sharp to conclude that the Yir Yoront “has passed beyond the reach of any outsider who might wish to do him well or ill . . .” See L. Sharp, “Steel Axes for Stone-Age Australians,” in Technological Change. New York: Russell Sage, 1952, pp. 69–90.

Discuss the changes in the Yir Yoront due to the steel axe. Are there any other cultures that you know of that have hardened themselves against outside influence?

Respond with a minimum of 200 words