Buddhism in East Asia Essay

Many people will choose Confucianism as the most important factor in understating East Asian culture. Confucianism, indeed, is crucial in understanding the culture. However, one should not overlook the influence of Buddhism on Confucianism and many areas of East Asian culture. Buddhism, one of the world’s oldest religions and a philosophy, is shared by East Asian countries, thus in order to fully appreciate the East Asian culture, one should learn about Buddhism and its significant influence on the culture. This paper will discuss Buddhism shared by East Asian culture and how the religion played an enormous role in shaping the mindset of people affecting their culture. Buddhism started approximately in the 6th century BCE, starting with the birth of the Buddha in India. The religion then spread through Central Asia, East Asia, and Southeast Asia (Keown). Among many branches of Buddhism, Mahayana has been diffused from first west, north, and east throughout East Asia (Skilton). The fundamental principles of Mahayana are liberation from suffering and the belief in the existence of Bodhisattva. Bodhisattva is someone who achieved Nirvana, the state of being free from both suffering and the cycle of rebirth (Keown). One can find a carved wood elongated figure of Bodhisattva Guanyin (1999. 13. 0003) from Spurlok Museum, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, IL . In this wooden figure, Guanyin is barefoot with hair wrapped in knot, wears ornate robes and holds a basket with flowers (Spurlock Museum). One can also find a photo of Bronze Seated Buddha in National Museum at Kyongbok-Kung, Seoul, South Korea (1986. 27. 0017) in Spurlock Museum . These are an important artifact and a photo because one can easily find very similar artifacts of Guanyin or Buddha in China, Korea, and Japan. It shows one how Buddhism was shared by East Asian countries (Yu). Upon first encountering Buddhism, many Chinese scholars regarded it as merely a foreign religion. This caused Buddhism to transform itself into a system that could co-exist within the Chinese way of life. Thus, filial devotion, one of the most valued by Confucianists, in Buddhist teachings became the core texts in China. It further strengthened the Confucian value by claiming that the salvation of an individual was a benefit to the society and family. Therefore, Buddhism could spread well in the Chinese population (Chen). From this point, Buddhism spread to Korea and Japan, and Buddhist ideology began to merge with Confucianism. This caused many Confucian scholars to redefine Confucianism as Neo-Confucianism (Chen). While Neo-Confucianism adapted Buddhist ideas, many Neo-Confucianists strongly opposed Buddhism. Nonetheless, Buddhism offered Confucianism important ideas such as the nature of the soul and the relation of the individual to the cosmos, ideas not explored by Confucianism (Chen). Again, Neo-Confucianism was spread through Korea and Japan, and they were all deeply influenced for more than half a millennium (Chen). Moreover, many other indigenous religions and philosophical systems in East Asia integrated the ideas and teachings of Buddhism, so it came to be a natural part of living. In conclusion, the teachings of Buddhism not only influenced in shaping the mindset of East Asian people, but also affected their philosophy of life.

History Essay

History Essay The first thing you should do when writing a history essay is to  study  the question very attentively and get its meaning. It may seem too obvious, but still, most history essays are off the point. The  thesis  is almost the main thing in your history essay. Usually, you may come across this term in other kinds of essays, but when it comes to history essay it is a real thesis. It should not be the assumption of your idea, or opinion or argument. It should be your thesis. Pay attention to the  logical arrangement of your essay. Bear in mind, that it is beneficial to stick to the common essay structure: Introduction Body Conclusion Try to do your best to make the introduction of your history essay straightforward and convincing. Here you should introduce your thesis and reveal the course you are going to take. Using general or specific terms present the point you were intended to prove in your essay. The body is the part of your essay where you have to reveal the facts to support your thesis (to give validity to your thesis). You may arrange the body of your historic essay in the following ways: the chronological the categorical the stages of development In the conclusion, you have to sum up everything that was mentioned in the introduction and the body. You have to some extend to refresh all the main points that support your thesis. And some last tips to make your history essay a  successful one: use compact language. Assigned to write a history essay? Here is a great list of topics for your essay on history: History Essay Topics Having no idea of a topic to write on? Or having problems with composing your history essay?  Order your history essay online.

Math Symbols and What They Mean

Math Symbols and What They Mean Math symbols- often tiny, indecipherable, and seemingly random- are all-important. Some math symbols are Greek and Latin letters, dating back centuries to ancient times. Others, like the plus, minus, times, and division symbols seem to be mere notations on a paper. Yet, symbols in math are essentially the instructions that drive this area of academics. And, they have true value in real life. A plus sign () can tell you if you are adding cash to your bank account, while a minus sign (-) may indicate trouble ahead- that you are subtracting funds and possibly in danger of running out of money. Parentheses, which in English punctuation indicate that youre inserting a nonessential thought into the sentence- mean just the opposite in math: that you should work whatever is within those two punctuation marks first, and only then do the rest of the problem. Read on to see what the common math symbols are, what the represent, and why theyre important. Common Math Symbols Here is a list of the most common symbols used in mathematics. Symbol What It Represents + Adding sign: Often referred to as the plus sign or the addition sign - Subtracting sign: Often referred to as the minus sign x Multiplication sign: Often referred to as the times or times table sign à · Division sign: To divide = Equal sign | | Absolute value ≠  Not equal to ( ) Parenthesis [ ] Square brackets % Percent sign: Out of 100 ∑ Big sum sign: Summation √ Square root sign Inequality sign: Less than Inequality sign: Greater than ! Factorial ÃŽ ¸ Theta Ï€ Pi ≅ Approximately ∅ Empty set ∠  Angle sign ! Factorial sign ∠´ Therefore ∞ Infinity Math Symbols in Real Life You use math symbols more than you realize in all areas of your life. As noted above, the difference between a plus or minus symbol in banking can indicate whether youre adding a wealth of funds to your bank account or in withdrawing funds. If youve ever used a  computer accounting spreadsheet, you likely know that the big sum sign (∑) gives you an easy- indeed instant- way to add an endless column of numbers. Pi, which is  denoted by the Greek letter Ï€, is used throughout the world of math, science, physics, architecture, and more. Despite the origins of pi in the subject of geometry, this number has applications throughout mathematics and even shows up in the subjects of statistics and probability. And the symbol for infinity (∞)  not only is an important math concept, but it also suggests the infinite expanse of the universe (in astronomy) or the infinite possibilities that come from every action or thought (in philosophy).   Tips for Symbols Although there are more symbols in math that are indicated in this list, these are some of the more common ones. Youll often need to use HTML code in order for the symbols to show up online, as many fonts do not support the use of mathematical symbols. However, youll find most of these on the graphing calculator as well. As you progress in math, youll begin to use these symbols more and more. If you plan to study math, it will be well worth your time- and indeed save you an infinite (∞) amount of this valuable resource- if you keep this table of math symbols handy.

The significance of locale, criminality and sexuality in So I Am Glad by A.L. Kennedy The WritePass Journal

The significance of locale, criminality and sexuality in So I Am Glad by A.L. Kennedy Introduction The significance of locale, criminality and sexuality in So I Am Glad by A.L. Kennedy Introduction Certain themes prevail throughout much of Gothic literature. These include sexuality, the notion of the ‘other’, the uncanny, and the exploration of the ‘haunted house’. In AL Kennedy’s So I Am Glad, many of these themes are present. This paper will examine sexuality, criminality and locale in Kennedy’s novel.   It will argue that Jennifer, the protagonist, is an example of the ‘dangerous woman’ found throughout literature; that her sexuality is inextricably bound with notions of transgression and criminality. Finally, it will argue that locale, and particularly the notion of ‘home’ plays an integral role in the fabric of Kennedy’s text. Science fiction as a genre tends to be androcentric; within this framework female heroines with a more masculine persona are generally juxtaposed with ‘alien’ characters (Leitch, et. al. (Eds.), 2010: 81). The otherness of the alien symbolises the outsider, one who is cut off from heteronormative, white, male, middle-class society (Germana, 2010: 61). Jennifer is similarly removed from what is ‘normal’. In fact her vocation is that of a disembodied voice.   This removal is manifested when she is detached and absent from herself during masturbation, seeing own body as a sort of ‘other’ or alien presence: ‘I am a partner, I am one half of a larger, insane thing that flails and twists and flops itself together in ways far too ridiculous for daylight’ (Kennedy, 2000: 4).   In pleasuring herself, she is the ‘other’; she is ‘insane’ and ‘ridiculous’. This otherness points to something beyond hers elf that cannot be rationalised or understood; it illuminates an unsolved mystery that is a perpetual theme in Gothic literature (Khair, 2009: 31; Maturin and LeFanu in Punter (Ed.), 2001: 88). Jennifer is cut off from her body and her sexuality in acts of onanism, but she is most present when she assumes the violent, sadistic male persona of Captain Bligh, her male alter ego. The actual alien or other in the novel is Savinien, yet it is Jennifer who is an outsider through her sexual proclivities with her sexual partner, Steve.   Jennifer’s sexuality is that of the unnatural, masculinised woman. This resonates with a long tradition in Scottish culture and literature surrounding the ‘dangerous’ woman (Germana, 2010: 63).   Like Lady Macbeth, the quintessential dark feminine in literature, Jennifer unsexes herself to become something that is subversive to the traditional notion of womanhood. Instead of nurture or femininity, she personifies extreme aggression a nd violence through Captain Bligh.   A feminist interpretation would suggest that Kennedy here portrays the Female Gothic perspective, in overturning any preconceived notions of gender roles that the reader might possess; the complexity of Jennifer’s sexuality and draw to domination is appropriate for the Gothic genre, as it seeks to portray intricate concepts (Smith, 2007: 8). In literature the witch, or what Germana calls the ‘mad, bad and dangerous’ woman does not represent a hybrid sexuality. Rather, her female sexuality is subversive; it is portrayed as being monstrous.   This representation is closely connected to a fear of male castration. (Germana, 2010: 66)   The female is no longer passive and subject to the control of patriarchal domination and control; her body is terrifying and ‘monstrous’ now not because she herself is castrated, as Freud posited, but because she has the power to castrate a man.   It has been asserted that this vision of the ‘monstrous’ woman is a common theme throughout the literary canon as well as in modern literature, film and art (Seigneuret, (Ed.), 1988: 183). In So Am I Glad, Jennifer ultimately takes on the role of castrator with Steven in their sexual activities. He is bound to the table with his male genitalia removed from sight and rendered irrelevant. He assumes a female position and she stands over him with his own belt. The belt and the hard metal clasp are the relentless phallus that inflicts pain on Stevens exposed buttocks.   It is notable that pain itself is a recurring Gothic theme; like the Romantics, Gothic authors are fascinated with pain (Bruhm, 1994: xvi). As Jennifer represents the witch, or madwoman, Savinien, as a revenant, links themes of sexuality and death.   Ghosts inhabit a liminal space between the two worlds of life and death; they represent the desire to return to embodied state along with a pull towards self-annihilation. Jennifer’s disembodied voice and Savinien’s ghost mirror the dualistic nature of the text itself. Writing is itself a kind of wound, of damage, as well as an elegy of loss and mourning. Jennifer is, in the text, forming an elegy for Savinien, driven by loss and desire. The text itself echoes this desire and seduction; Kennedy establishes an intimacy with the reader through her use of the word ‘you’; barriers are brought down and reestablished, must as characters in the book appear and disappear, as an echo of the transience of the text, and of life itself (Germana, 2010: 142-3). Savinien’s embodiment of both desire and death act as an integral component within the text.   When he speaks of the connection between ‘la mort’, and ‘l’amour’, he indicates a tension between the immediacy of the body, or of a text, and the simultaneous separation and absence, the removal of the reader from the text, as the lover must inevitably be separated from the beloved (Hunter, 1984: 23). This is acknowledged when Jennifer notes, ‘†¦I knew the love he meant, the one that included darkness and loving on alone.’ (Kennedy, 2000: 232). There is also a close and integral connection between sexuality and criminality in So I Am Glad. This is in keeping with what Andrew Smith terms the ‘demands’ that modern literature, and particularly the Gothic genre, makes of readers. The reader must embark on a voyage through the complexities of refurbished mythologies. These mythologies highlight the moral ambiguity and vacu ity of modern existence (Ellis, 2001: 6). Gothic literature examines the erosion of values and expresses concerns about contemporary amorality. In contrast to modernism, which complemented the motif of the disintegrated self common to Gothic texts, post-modernism is even more appropriate within a Gothic framework; it questions the idea that the world is in any way coherent or rational. (Smith, 2007: 141). It is by transcending the limits of rational logic that the subtle nuances of human existence can be broached and deciphered. This amorality is demonstrated in Jennifer’s actions towards Steve. She is acutely aware that her actions are criminal, yet this crime is bound up in her own concept of the nature of love itself: Naturally, if you beat a man, you will eventually be looking not at him, but at what you have made of him.   But looking at him before you have caused enough change on that body, in that body, this may be a problem.   What will solve the problem beautifully and for ever will be the handcuffs –love, as I understand it.   Fix your man securely   and you need only look at him when you wish, you will already know where to strike (Kennedy, 2000: 94). Jennifer’s perpetration of a crime with Steven is an echo of an earlier crime; that of her parents towards her, when she is forced to act as unwilling sexual voyeur. Botting notes that ‘The child does not watch the primal scene by accident; s/he watches it as an effect of the parents’ letting it be seen. It is a making-see, an exhibition’ (Punter and Bronfen in Botting, F. (Ed.), 2001: 9-10).   The passive aggression of the parents is later made manifest in the adult child.   There is a violation here, and a violence that is a recurring motif in the modern Gothic. Contemporary Gothic literature cannot be separated from the idea of violation; it is concern with reconstituting a message or idea that has already been stained, spoiled or rendered impure.   The child’s perspective, as shown in So I Am Glad, is a frequent motif within the Gothic; it is also an example of the subject that has been violated yet is not conscious of the seductive trauma that has been absorbed (Elliott, 2004: 66). Sadism is the primary form of criminality and violation in the novel and is a recurring theme; Jennifer must submit to the violation of watching her parents’ intercourse; Steve is dominated by Jennifer; and Savinien exerts domination over two different dogs, and ultimately over James. It could additionally be argued that Savinien ultimately dominates Jennifer, in that she is unable to maintain her objective detachment and ‘calmness’ in the face of her experience of him.   Sadism and masochism are psychological readings of relationships in both the political and personal realms, and the theme of power and mastery is particularly resonant in Gothic literature.   Elements of submission, domination and power are essential factors in the ultimate Gothic tale (Thomson, Voller and Frank (Eds.), 2001: 369). Those elements are represented in a completely unrationalised manner, transcending the constraints of materiality which are part and parcel of modern literature. Gothic literature has a long tradition of an established relationship between a ghost and the space in which it haunts.   Scottish literature in particular is suited to this symbiosis; the ‘uncanny’ is inextricably linked to Scotland’s identity as the ‘other’, that place that is beyond the borders of the normative, that exists in a liminal space.   The sweeping, fluid geography of the Scottish Isles is indicative of the unbroken seam between the material and spiritual worlds; Scottish Gothic texts exhibit a similar continuity between the identity of the ghost character and the world in which they move (Germana, 2010: 135-6).   In So I Am Glad, the primary locale is structured around the notion of ‘home’. Notably, in discussing the uncanny, Freud argued that alienation and dispossession are integrally connected to notions of home, and that which is homely (Royle, 2003: 6). Therefore, a domestic locale is well suited to accommodate th e ghostly. Ratmoko points out that the etymology of the verb ‘to haunt’ is ‘to inhabit’.   Home is a place where one might find safety in which to capitalise on sensation, and to be in complete control of one’s environment (Ratmoko,  2005: 77). Kennedy explores this by underlining the notion of ‘home’ as going hand in hand with the development of Jennifer’s love for Savinien.   Early in the book Savinien recalls witnessing an eclipse as he walks home; the experience gives him a sense of his own corporeality and the terror of his existence. When Arthur manages to shake Savinien out of his deep depression, Jennifer finishes the account with ‘We went home then.’ (Kennedy, 2000: 195).   In this instance, home is resolution, shelter. As Savinien and Jennifer move into a full-blown relationship, home becomes a domestic place, or in Arthur’s words, ‘home sweet home’, full of Arthur’s baking and Savinien’s gardening (both traditionally feminine pursuits, which act as a foil to Jennifer’s more ‘masculine’ detachment) (Kennedy, 2000: 205).   Jennifer asks Savinien to plant a ‘Paradise Garden for little old us’, the ultimate home and refuge. Immediately afterwards, they make love: ‘We will be here again, at that first time in again, at that starting of being home, and rolling home, and finding home again.’ (Kennedy, 2000: 212). ‘Home’ is, of course, a house haunted by the revenant of Cyrano de Bergerac; yet for Jennifer that hauntedness is a being ‘in’, a living inside her ghostly lover (Mighall, 2003: 83). The surety of this ‘home’ is juxtaposed with constant uncertainty; the novel is full of people leaving home, disappearing, coming back again: Liz, Paul, Savinien, even Jennifer herself. She appears and disappears repeatedly; this is echoed by Arthur at the end of the novel when he comments that it will be nice to have her not ‘disappearing at all hours’.   Spirits or ghosts are spectres and illusions; the living are not permitted to keep hold of them, to possess or control them; the relationship between Savinien and Jennifer seems like â⠂¬Ëœhome’, but actually highlights the impossibility of true knowledge (Kennedy, 2000: 138). Ultimately, the ‘home’ or haunted house of their love is disrupted when Savinien goes to another ‘home’, the place of his death, Sannois. In conclusion, it can be stated that the author portrays the sexuality of the main character in an unconventional manner.   Jennifer’s female-oriented description of sexual acts as well as the use of her male alter ego are indicative of her willingness to transgress the boundaries imposed by the control mechanisms of patriarchal domination and control. The main character takes control of her sexuality through the element of monstrousness and her ability to be a castrator of men.   Her sexuality is neither masculine nor androgynous. Instead, it is the consummate representation of female power, embodied in Jennifer’s capacity to command the emotional and physical resources in order to carry out sadomasochistic practices. The depiction of desensitised sexual practices is linked to the criminality manifested in the amoral nature of modern existence. The individualistic complexities of the character underline the importance of moral ambiguity in the value system of the c haracter and society at large. Gothic literature has become a significant medium for the analysis of the erosion of values which give rise to the context of contemporary amorality. . Gothic literature differentiates itself from modernist tendencies by discarding altogether the idea that the modern world is rational in any way whatsoever. The practices described by the author are therefore indicative of a willingness on the part of the main character to disengage from the world and to apply her own distorted system of values to her existence and interaction with others. In the uncanny concept of locale, home is a way of resolving the seemingly unsolvable complexities of existence.   It is a place where mundane activities offset the unconventionality of Jennifer’s sexual practices. In that context, it become as space for domestication as well as a geography of desire and mystery that elevates the main character. Home is the locale which juxtaposes the emptiness of sudden and continual departures and a place haunted by the ghosts of her own making. Bibliography Bruhm, S. (1994) Gothic Bodies: The Politics of Pain in Romantic Fiction, University of Pennsylvania Press, Philadelphia, PA Elliott, A. (2004) Social Theory Since Freud: Traversing Social Imaginaries, Routledge, London Ellis, M. (2001) The History of Gothic Fiction, Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh Germana, M. (2010) Scottish Womens Gothic and Fantastic Writing: Fiction Since 1978, Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh Hunter, L. (1984) Rhetorical Stance in Modern Literature: Allegories of Love and Death, Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke and New York, NY Kennedy, A. L. (2000) So I am Glad, Alfred Knopf, New York, NY Khair, T. (2009) The Gothic, Postcolonialism and Otherness: Ghosts from Elsewhere, Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke and New York Leitch, V. et. al. (Eds.) (2010), The Norton Anthology of Theory and Criticism, W. W. Norton Company, New York, NY Maturin, C. and LeFanu, J.   (2001) Irish Gothic in Punter, D. (Ed.) A Companion to the Gothic, pp. 81-94, Wiley-Blackwell, Oxford Mighall, R. (2003) A Geography of Victorian Gothic Fiction: Mapping Historys Nightmares, Oxford University Press, Oxford Punter, D. and Bronfen, E. (2001) Gothic: Violence, Trauma and the Ethical in Botting, F., The Gothic, D.S. Brewer, Cambridge Ratmoko,  D. (2005)  On  Spectrality:  Fantasies  of  Redemption  in  the  Western  Canon, Peter Lang, New York, NY Royle, N. (2003) The Uncanny, Manchester University Press, Manchester Seigneuret, J. C. (Ed.) (1988) Dictionary of Literary Themes and Motifs: A-J, (Volume 1), Greenwood Press, Westport, CT Smith, A. (2007) Gothic Literature, Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh Thomson, D., Voller, J. and Frank, F. (Eds.) (2001) Gothic Writers: A Critical and Bibliographical Guide, Greenwood Press, Westport, CT

Tourism in Mexico Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Tourism in Mexico - Essay Example Mexico’s temperature and unique culture, which is a blend of European (predominantly Spanish) and Meso-American cultures, make good tourist attraction. Tourist season peaks during mid-summer, December, Easter holiday and Spring Break. Tourist season is not without brief surges over winter. WTTC notes that Mexico’s tourism consumer segment comprises mostly college and university students from the US and Canada. It indicates as well a burgeoning consumer segment of local tourists with the emergence of an affluent middle class in Mexico. Mission Statement According to Mexico’s Tourist Board, the mission statement is to elevate the country’s attractiveness to tourists through addressing a wide range of tourist needs. The goal is to make Mexico the leading leisure tourism destination through a comprehensive program of research, promotions, advertising, social media, public relations, Internet marketing, and other marketing strategies. Their mission statement al so includes promoting environmental sustainability under the auspices of the going green movement. (Wilkerson 47) Pillars of Tourism Mexico is endowed with enormous tourist resources ranging from historical artifacts and lavish beach resorts to geographical terrain and a unique culture. Mexico City, an ancient Meso-American city, is a major tourist attraction in itself with the National Museum of Anthropology and History, Metropolitan Cathedral and Mexican National Palace (Berger & Wood 78). On the Pacific coast lays Acapulco Bay and Cabo San Lucas, which are major tourist attraction sites. Sun bathers often frequent the beautiful beach resorts at the San Jose del Cabo, Baja California Sur stretching all the way Ixtapa and the Riviera Maya costal strip where they find the Playa del Carmen beach town. Meso-American ruins include "The Castle" of Chichen-Itza, which is one of the New Seven Wonders. Tourists have also expressed a growing curiosity to the unique culture especially as it relates to the love of football as a sport, mode of dressing and the unmatched traditional cuisine, which is an integral part of the Mexican culinary delights (World Economic Forum 1). Competitiveness Mexico emerges as a key player in the global tourism industry with its tourism sector registering an inflow of billions of dollars every year. The tourist competitiveness of any given country is a measure of the capacity of that country to create a higher proportionate growth rate and wealth capacity than other countries. Mexico’s competitiveness is thus the extent to which it can produce tourist services that overcome global market challenges under free and equitable market conditions while increasing the national income at home. In 2011, the Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report, which included 139 major global tourist competitors, highlighted Mexico’s competitiveness under the auspices of the Travel and Tourism Competitive Index (World Travel and Tourism Council 1) . The TCCI is a measure of the factors that make a country a major tourist attraction by way of comparison of recent patterns and tourist trends and the factors responsible for such trends (Theobald 6). TCCI elaborates how these trends contribute to the tourism sector of the given country. Mexico’s Travel and Tourism

Legislative Activism Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Legislative Activism - Research Paper Example icians use discriminations as platforms for change, sociologists and anthropologists look at culture based on interactions between people of different skin colors, and forms are filled out that consistently ask the question of skin color, the one belief that does not seem to be readily available to the American people is that skin color has no bearing on any display of differences between people who are born in the same region. The unfortunate consequence of believing that skin color is relevant to differences within the human species is that some people are subjugated while others gain a position of superiority that has no real basis. In researching this topic, the vision of a young child who saw people as ‘peach people’ and ‘brown people’ comes to mind his thoughts categorizing them in color groups, but without the insinuated ‘stereotypes’ that come from the concepts of ‘black’ and ‘white’. The consequence of categorization through false representations of color and implied attributes is that a perpetuation of ignorance influences the course of history within the Western world, and primarily within the United States. As a result, the United States has developed an arrogance about the rest of the world based upon the myth of the ‘average’ Caucasian in exchange for a frequent view from other cultures of the world that the United States has hubris and a false sense of superiority based upon prejudiced reactions to people of ethnicities that visually present differently than Caucasians. The issue of race is a persistent problem that invades every part of life that is associated with the legal system. Most, if not all, legal forms ask questions that pertain to race, despite the inaccuracy of the descriptions of skin color from which those forms categorize people. Race is merely a social grouping in which a culture has decided to divide people. That can be done through skin color as easily as it could be done through hair color or eye color.

Strategic management Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Strategic management - Research Proposal Example This is because Saudi Arabia encompasses the geographical scope of the area that was inhabited by the Prophet of Islam and the various activities he was involved in, during his life and the founding of Islam. Due to this, the King of Saudi Arabia has the title â€Å"Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques† (Ramady, 2010). This is primarily because Saudi Arabia controls the two holiest sites of Islam: Mecca and Medina. Saudi Arabia is an absolute monarchy that is controlled by the core principles of the Islamic faith (Niblock, 2006). The King of Saudi Arabia has an absolute power over activities in the kingdom and his decrees are obeyed without question (Bowen, 2008). This is necessary to preserve his authority as a major figurehead in the world of Islam. Also, the king has the right and power to appoint authorities to run the various public institutions of the kingdom (Roberts, 2007). Until the 1930s when oil was discovered in Saudi Arabia, education was mainly steeped in Islamic study and Islamic law (Roberts, 2007). By the 1940s, the need to acquire higher education institutions in Saudi Arabia was recognized by the King of Saudi Arabia (Abiur, 1988). This is because Saudi Arabia had two main options: to either rely on foreigners who had the skills or send their nationals to Europe, America or other nations with modern institutions of higher learning to get educated. This was seen as undesirable because it exposed Saudis to lifestyles that were not seen as complementary. In 1949, the King of Saudi Arabia commissioned the first college in Mecca but it was to operate a religious curriculum (Abir, 1988). A teacher training college was established in 1952 but the Ulama or religious elites controlled these institutions. Finally, in 1957, the King commissioned the University of Riyadh. Several universities and institutions of higher learning were opened after this. As Saudi public institutions, the universities are ran by authorities that are appointed by