Americans with Disabilities Act

Americans with Disabilities Act Americans with Disabilities Act: 29th Anniversary 29 years ago today, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), was passed, which marked a major milestone in protecting the rights of those with disabilities. It is regarded as one of the most robust pieces of civil rights legislation.What Did the ADA Establish? The Americans with Disabilities Act prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in areas such as employment, communications and transportation, as well as access to government program and services.The ADA is broken into five separate sections, known as titles of protection. Let’s take a closer look at each one.Title I – Employment  Title I of the ADA entitles individuals with disabilities to the same employment opportunities and benefits as those without disabilitiesAn employer must provide reasonable accommodations to those applicants with disabilities who are otherwise qualified.In addition, an individual cannot be refused employment for a position that they are qualified to do.  Title II â⠂¬â€œ Public Services: State and Local Government  Title II of the ADA requires state and local agencies to ensure that their services, activities, policies, procedures, and programs offered are accessible to individuals with disabilities.  Title III – Public Accommodations and Services Operated by Private Entities  Title III focuses on public places, such as restaurants, movie theaters, and sports stadiums. It defines and requires the minimum standards necessary for any new construction.Title III states that existing public places remove barriers wherever necessary, making â€Å"reasonable accommodations† for customers with hearing, vision, and speech disabilities, barring undue hardship to the owner.  Title IV – Telecommunications  Title IV requires that telephone and Internet companies create services (such as closed captioning of federally funded public service announcements on TVs) that enable any individuals with speech or hearing impairments to communicate.  Title V – Miscellaneous Provisions  The fifth and final title of the ADA includes many other provisions in regards to the ADA as a whole, its relationship to state laws, insurance benefits, retaliation, and more. It also includes a list of what conditions are not considered to be a disability for purposes of this Act.Celebrating the ADA Anniversary As we celebrate the ADA’s 29th anniversary on July 26th, it is important for us to acknowledge the importance of equity among those with and without disabilities.To learn more about the ADA and the anniversary, The ADA National Network offers various resources, including videos and photos from past celebrations.We Can HelpIf you are disabled and unable to work, call  Disability Attorneys of Michigan  for a free confidential consultation. We’ll let you know if we can help you get a monthly check and help you determine if any money or assets you receive could impact your eligibility for disability benefits.Disability Attorneys of Michigan  works hard every day helping the disabled of Michigan seek the  Social Security Disability Benefits  they need. If you are unable to work due to a physical, mental, or cognitive impairment, call  Disability Attorneys of Michigan  now for a free consultation at  800-701- 5524.Let Michigan’s experienced Social Security Disability law firm help you get the benefits you deserve. Americans with Disabilities Act, disability attorney, disability lawyer, Michigan disability lawyer

buy custom Legal Aspects of Information Systems Security essay

buy custom Legal Aspects of Information Systems Security essay Computer security threats are not limited to companies at all. Computer systems via network are vulnerable to many threats. The effect of various threats varies significantly; some affect the confidentiality or integrity of data while others affects availability. Business operation is disrupted by these threats and is exposed to the risk of significant losses if attacked. It is important to understand the types of threat that are encountered in online business and how they manifest themselves. Calder, (2006) says to stay safe online requires a combination of behavior and tools that are appropriate and proportionate to the cyber threat and computer-related risk (p. 2). According to Rauvid (2005), information security is a complex issue which deals with the confidentiality, integrity and availability of valuable data, sitting within business critical systems, and subject to world class threats (p. 5). Some of the biggest security online business face includes; Trojans, data loss, organ ized crime networks, virus, cyber espionage, phising, internet threats among others. Trojan which is also known as spyware often sits silently on company systems. They monitor users and their computer activities, and then steal sensitive data. They try to access information that no one would want to get out. That include collecting users personal information like; password, credit card number etc, then stored it in file, where it can easily be retrieved over the internet. Online business exposes one to this threat because people are mostly tempted to open online programs which seems to be legitimate but instead ends up compromising security and cause a lot of damage. In some cases, simply visiting a website can result in the automatic installation of unwanted software. This technique, known as drive-by downloading can lead to automatic acquisition of a spyware program without permission or notification (Botha, Bothma, Geldenhuys, 2008). Trojan opens a communication port and report back to computer through the internet. This intrusion by Trojan has grown so rapidly a nd now represents a critical threat to online business. Firms communicate to their customers or client via the internet. This is very essential for the business success but its fraught to security threats like data loss and its possible consequences. Data loss poses a major risk to individual as well as organization which mishandle entrusted data or information. Company should ensure that confidential and sensitive data is well protected. Photopoulos (2008) explains that in addition to customer, constituent, and employee information, sensitive data encompasses business and operational information whose disclosure would violate a legal agreement or deny organization a competitive advantage to its competitor (p. 4). There should be a proper strategy to bring down number of instances of data loss. Effective data security can be attained by combined effort from both the company and its employee. This evident as Photopoulos (2008) puts it that both organizations and individuals are acutely aware of the risk from the loss of sensitive informati on. Businesses heavily rely on data and information to make critical decision and therefore its security should be emphasized. nline business also faces threat of organized crime. It is primarily about pursuit of profit and is understood by continuation of business by criminal means. Internet and the continuing growth of online business offer enormous new opportunities. Sophisticated cyber networks such as Russian Business Network are responsible for creating and distributing much of the malware responsible to business losses. Parker (2004) gives example an of organized crime attack to online business as an attempt at electronically rerouting a package or delivery, manipulating financial networks, or altering the value of commodity such as electricity, to profit from the change (p. 225). To grip organized crime it is advisable to have strategic thinking about cyber-security in planning and implementing security measures. This is particularly important if online business is to reach its full potential and companies avoid significant losses. Computer viruses have increased substantially causing a big threat to online business. They spread from one computer to another when its host is taken to the target. Historically many businesses introduced policies requiring that employees do not software that has not been virus checked on their employers equipment (Brock Azim-khan, 2008). These policies were enforced to protect spreading of virus. But as Brock and Azim-khan (2008) continue to explain these days majority of viruses are introduced through the internet, via e-mail, accessing a website or within a document (p. 120). The anatomy of Internet allows computer viruses to spread extremely fast and much effectively infect millions of computers. They spread by following means; removable disk, e-mail attachments, or from downloads off the internet. It is more likely to contract a virus from the web than from any other packaged software. Due to this reason online business is more prone to viruses which are major challenge to suc cess. Computer viruses are dangerous to online business because of their ability to attack at many levels. Though virus protection cannot be hundred per cent effective there must proper measures minimize chances of attacks. This is due to the effects they have to online business; according to Brock and Azim-khan (2008) they are costly and waste business time. Business secretes are very critical and business cannot afford to lose them especially to competitors. Competitors will use this information for their advantage. in online business cyber espionage is threat to survival of business. Attackers attempts to get information of individuals, competitors, government, and rivals for personal, political, or economic advantage. Mostly this is done via internet or cracking techniques and use of malicious software. The motive cyber spying to gain access for secret information is for an ethical and illegal strategic advantage. While companies must act in their interest, potential damages resulting from cyber espionage deserves equal attention. Companies in online business have also been victim of phishing. Users are tricked into handing over control of their online accounts. This is done by spamming out authentic-looking emails that claim to come from well-known e-business institutions such as paypal, eBay etc. the methood used by spammers have become sophisticated and its now increasingly being used as a tool for online fraud or theft. Companies which transact online should take an important step of using an integrated gateway security to protect IT infrastructure. Internet threats have presented a state of dilemma to online business. The fact that internet itself is not a secure environment has been a challenge. This has made companies to find the means of protecting themselves from these threats. For example they use antivirus software to guard against virus threats. These antiviruses should be updated regularly in order to be effective. Also backing up data frequently and enlightening users of the system, ways of minimizing transmission of virus is encouraged. To deal with unauthorized, access most companies enforce authentication of user through use of password. Since password doesnt guarantee sufficient protection, companies have taken another step to enforce sure security by using more sophisticated authentication technologies. These include voice and handprint recognition, coded ID cards or eve retinal scanning system. In addition of putting security measures online business also requires ethics. World Wide Web is not a haven for good bu siness ethic because it is filled with unscrupulous characters that are eager to get rich. With a new revolution in business taking place, the following ethical issues; security, confidentiality, and privacy are important. Most companies in online business implement security system as part of the infrastructure that implements their process. Customer need to be assured of the security of online system they are dealing with. According to Singh and Waddell (2003), all business operate in a climate of insecurity, be that financial or otherwise and are increasing pressure report in accordance with environmental sustainability and social responsibility (p. 253). The issue of security is very critical for online business and it should be give attention it deserves. Confidentiality of information is vital for all companies. The big challenge of any online business is how to keep this ethics. When accessing information online employees may unknowingly disclose very crucial company information to competitor, rival or enemy. It is also tricky for online transactions to maintain confidentiality for both seller and the prospective buyer. Privacy has also been an issue to online business. Consumers or customer feels that their privacy is threatened when required to fill personal information online. An effort must be made to keep law of dealing with problems such as spam and privacy, and also investigate how it can be amended and harmonized globally to provide sanction and backing to self regulatory and technical solutions. In conclusion we can generally agree that business transactions have gone beyond simple information processing to redefined relationship between an organization and its clients, suppliers, partners and competitors. Technology has provided foundation to embrace aspect of producing, buying and selling product or services online. However there are potential security threats which must be analyzed in order to be successful in e-business. Buy custom Legal Aspects of Information Systems Security essay

What Types Of Grouping And Peer Interactions Generate Authentic Essay

What Types Of Grouping And Peer Interactions Generate Authentic Student Engagement And Positive Learning Outcomes - Essay Example The study also observed that peer directed small groups can help in effective grouping techniques that eliminates the discrimination and improve positive learning outcomes. Most activities in science classes involve group work. When students work in groups, the experience is meant to be authentic and engaging, and should lead to meaningful learning. Teachers have often seen, however, group interactions that lead to student frustration. Often, poor group dynamics result in poor cooperation and communication. A lack of cooperation and communication will lead to passive compliance, rebellion or a refusal to participate. The purpose for choosing this topic is to research how to create positive group dynamics to improve student engagement. An overlying goal of this research is to develop a systematic approach to with-in class grouping, which promotes and fosters positive social interactions, increased student performance, and high levels of authentic student engagement. The Social Development Theory of learning suggested by Vygotsky will correspond to this review of research. Social Development Theory states that children learn through social interaction (Kearsley, 2008). These types of interactions are key to forming work groups that do, indeed, produce positive learning outcomes.... When some students are performing equally well with other students, a grouping of such students can help to revise the syllabus items for those students. However, there are different grouping styles observed in classes called, ability grouping, tracking etc., depending on the circumstance and need. Ability grouping also called instructional grouping, usually used for reading purposes in elementary schools. Whereas, tracking is usually observed in middle and higher classes to direct them to take particular courses basing on their performance levels in previous classes. Many teachers and scholars believe that grouping leads to 'discrimination and permanent labeling', hence do not observe grouping in teaching-learning process. One study conducted on Japanese teachers notified teacher's expressing that grouping hurts students emotionally, so they prefer having mixed-ability classrooms instead of grouping. Also some argue that grouping not only brings discrimination but also makes the children adopt the unwanted behaviors from other children in grouping, as grouping is a close social context. Though placing students into groups is an instructional technique to maximize the effectiveness of learning and classroom management, it should be done with careful planning and clear purpose. However, Cohen E.G., specifies some conditions that help the class room grouping to be productive and effective for the learning process. The paper observes the review of studies of interaction and while concentrating on the aspects like - interaction and achievement; task and interaction; the helpfulness of helping; interdependence and interaction; and reward interdependence. The author identified the aspects like- structuring the

Is Now a Good Time to Acquire UK Marketing Media Agency Essay - 1

Is Now a Good Time to Acquire UK Marketing Media Agency - Essay Example United Kingdom fashion industry is one of the sectors in UK which have registered good performance in the current period. This industry for many years have grown tremendously becoming one of the notable industry in UK. The industry has resulted into significant impact on the social and economic impact in the country. Fashion industry in UK has become integrated to its citizens live hood. This has become turned fashion to be a possible trivial and enjoyable thus becoming more attractive to the potential and the prospective customers (Dransfield 2005). The overview on the external environmental analysis of this industry enables investors to gather several logistics before investing in this industry. PESTEL analysis entails critical analysis on the political, economic, social, technological, environmental and legal factors which have significant effects to the establishment and the success of every industry. This analysis is essential in the assessment of any market if it is worth to invest in it. This comprises the examination of the external macro-environment which is important aspect of a company before preparing a business plan. The external environment examination is important in the decision making process. It is also appropriate to carry out this analysis over sometime to ensure that all the uncertainties and the dynamic nature of the industry are addressed in the context of fashion industry market in United Kingdom (Dransfield 2005). Fashion industry in UK is considered one of the competitive markets the world. Big fashion companies such as Burberry, Marks & Spencer, TopShop, French Conection and Super group. The PESTEL analysis is considered one of the best tools in the assessment of the market; the facts from the analysis are used in establishing marketing strategies. This basically relates to the changes, market dynamism and influences attributed to the government. It is notable that there are a significant number of policies and regulations in UK that have affected the marketing consultancies and the media in regard to fashion industry (Britton 2009).  

Intellectual property law (need top marks) Essay

Intellectual property law (need top marks) - Essay Example Since its implementation from the year 1911, application of the Copyright Act has become mandatory for various sectors to use and follow this system. In order to keep parity with the forms of offensive acts in this field several changes have been done in the existing form of the Act and finally it was implemented in the year 1988.1 Copyright is associated with creative works associated with literature, drama, music, films, broadcasting network to the typographic arrangement of various editions. Copyright does not include a work where a mismatch can be noticed between the requirement and the qualification.2 Due to technological progress scope of the intellectual property rights has become broader and an individual, who wishes to protect his creative works, coming within scope of the Act, is required to register the work. However, in the UK legal context, if a person wishes to exercise his/her intellectual property rights, no registration is required for copyright purpose. It is a completely costless procedure, both simple and flexible. When it comes to protection of information through the Intellectual property rights, introduction of the Internet is the most effective instrument.3 However, if a person wants to bring his work within the scope of copyright protection, it is required that his idea should be a novel and genuine at the same time. Business names and product names does not belong to group for copyright, rather they are protected as trademarks.4 The 1988 Copyright act contains certain factors which makes it an inferior commercially to exploit various copies that is known by the defendant. The right does not deal with those people who carry out direct infringement of copyright but applied to those people who deal commercially with infringing copies. Secondary infringement of copyright material covers the area of importation,

Linguistic Structure of the Unconscious by Lacan

Linguistic Structure of the Unconscious by Lacan Lacans View of the Linguistic Structure of the Unconscious and Implications for the Relevance of Psychoanalysis to the Social World Jacques Lacan has been called the most influential psychoanalyst since Freud. The impact of his work, both as a theory of the unconscious and as a repertoire of clinical practices, is reflected in the use of Lacanian methods by over half of psychoanalysts worldwide. Lacanian concepts and constructs also are thriving outside the consulting room, in the studies of literature and film, in feminist studies and legal studies, international relations and social policy. But what does psychoanalysis have to do with the social world? Historians, social and political scientists have contested a role for psychoanalysis in their respective social domains. There is fear that psychological reduction is inevitably results, lowering the objective social sphere to the subjective level of a culture on a couch. However, the theory and practice of psychoanalysis need not be atomistic. Freud regarded the study of institutions, languages, literature and art as a necessary prerequisite to successfully comprehending the analytic experience. Like Freud, and in his project of returning to Freud, Jacques Lacan studied and borrowed from a range of disparate fields, including philosophy, structuralist anthropology, literature, music, topography and semiology/linguistics. He agreed with Freudon the legitimacy of social analysis inspired from a psychoanalytic perspective. In A Theoretical Introduction to the Functions of Psychoanalysis in Criminology (1950), Lacan expresse d his position as follows: It may be well that since its experience is limited to the individual, psychoanalysis cannot claim to grasp the totality of any sociological object, or even the entirety of causes currently operating in our society. Even so, in its treatment of the individual, psychoanalysis has discovered relational tensions that appear to play a fundamental role in all societies, as if the discontent in civilization went so far as to reveal the very joint of nature to culture. If one makes the appropriate transformation, one can extend the formulas of psychoanalysis concerning this joint to certain human sciences that can utilize them (Stavrakakis, 1999, p. 3). Anthony Elliott (1992) cited Lacans ideas as establishing the principal terms of reference for thinking about the interconnections between the psyche and social field (p. 2). In this vein, Feher-Gurewich contended that Lacans psychoanalytic approach is founded on premises that are in sharp contrast to the ones which have led to the failure of an alliance between psychoanalysis and social theory (Stavrakakis, 1999, p. 14). One set of these premises is the topic of this discussion. The following is an attempt to explain Lacans claim that the unconscious is structured like a language and to discuss the bearing this claim has on the relevance of psychoanalysis to the social world. First, a brief overview of Lacans career, or project, may assist in supporting this analysis. Overview of Lacans Project Although many perceive his theoretical works as impenetrable or as an incoherent jumble, there are common threads throughout. Lacan consistently viewed his mission to be a return to Freud. The keynote for this return was his placement of language as the central construct in theory and in practice(Clement, 1983). The Mirror Stage Beginning in the late 1930s, after the publication of numerous case studies, Lacan began to focus on the emergence of the sense of self, the function of the I. He termed this emergence the Mirror Stage in the development of a childs sense of self during the first two years of life. Drawing upon revelations from his own psychoanalytic experience, together with the work of psychologists such as Henri Wallon, Charlotte BÃÆ' ¼hler, and Otto Rank, Lacan posited that the childs emergent sense of self is formed upon entry into language, the realm of the symbolic, and always in reference to some other. That other could be the childs own image in a mirror, the mother or any number of other objects with which the child associated self via Freuds mechanism of narcissistic identification. The mirror stage is the origin of a fundamental alienation or split in the individuals sense of self. The speaking subject (I) becomes de-centered from the ideal ego (me). Because self is oriented toward an other who is perceived as ideal/omnipotent, and thus as a potential rival to the self, the ego that emerges from this stage is characterized by a hostility that threatens its very existence. Lacan concluded that human identity is formed only within this intersubjective context in which alienation and aggressivity characterize the natural state. Rather than being the first step toward the formation of a healthy and stable ego, his proposal that  mà ©connaissance,  or misperception, is central to the ego formation flew in the face of a basic construct of ego psychology, that the ego is the origin and basis of psychic stability. In 1953, Lacan broke with the dominant faction of ego psychologists and formed his own professional group, the Socià ©tà © franaise de psychanalytique (SFP). The Discourse of Rome During the first meeting of this group, in Rome that year, Lacan presented a paper which quickly became known as the manifesto of the new society. He argued that speech and, more generally, language were central to psychoanalytic practice and to any theoretical conclusions that might be extrapolated from it. He drew upon and adapted the semiologic principles of Ferdinand de Saussure and the philosophical traditions of Hegel for his theoretical vocabulary. It is during this time that Lacans public focus shifted clearly from the developmental to the linguistic. Drawing from the language of music, he posited three registers of functioning, the symbolic, imaginary and real. The symbolic, a function of speech/language, was seen as central and in dynamic interaction with the imaginary. Lacans acerbic characterization of the ego as the seat of neuros is rather than the source of psychic integration and his emphasis on the symbolic organization of the human psyche opened new territory for psychoanalytic theory. Lacan credited Freud with the concept and blamed his ego-psychologist followers for obscuring the point. Meta-theory The charge that psychoanalysts had abandoned the founding texts of their profession exacerbated tensions between the ego psychology and the SFP until Lacan left the group in 1963 to form another organization, the École Freudienne de Paris (EFP). Lacan continued his close readings of Freuds texts, but he now began to introduce a number of terms and concepts not found in Freuds own work. By the time his selected essays appeared 1966, his seminars were standing-room-only. Many in the crowd associated him with structuralists such as Jacques Derrida, Claude Là ©vi-Strauss, and Michel Foucault. As with other members of this group, Lacan was often criticized for the difficulty of his style. Within the EFP itself, many of the practicing analysts were concerned about what they perceived as the increasingly theoretical and academic emphasis of Lacans work. During this stage of his career, Lacan began work toward a meta-theory of psychoanalysis, constructing ideas about Lacanian ideas. His construct of the three registers expanded to three-plus dimensions. He attempted to recast his earlier insights in the more precise language of mathematics, employing topological figures, such as the Klein bottle and Borromean knot, to illustrate and explore the relationship among his theoretical constructs. However, many of Lacans followers criticized this approach, complaining that his arguments were increasingly incomprehensible and irrelevant to clinical practice. Lacans response was the dissolution the EFP and the founding of yet another association, the École de la Cause Freudienne, which he directed until his death in 1981. The Structure of the Unconscious and Relevance to the Social World In the  Introductory Lectures to Psychoanalysis, Freud commented that the unconscious can be compared to a language without a grammar (Laplanche Pontalis, 1983). Lacan, using structuralist linguistics, attempted to systematize this contention, arguing that the unconscious is structured like a language, and that it speaks/  ca parle. A symptom, Lacan claimed, may be read as an embodied metaphor. As Freud had argued, what is at stake within a symptom is a repressed desire objectionable to the consciously accepted self-conception and values of the subject. This desire, if it is to gain satisfaction at all, accordingly needs to be expressed indirectly. For example, a residual infantile desire to masturbate may find satisfaction indirectly in a compulsive ritual the subject feels compelled to repeat. Just as one might metaphorically describe ones love as a rose, Lacan argues, here we have a repressed desire being metaphorically expressed in some apparently dissimilar bodily activity. Equally, drawing on certain moments within Freuds papers On the Psychology of Love, Lacan argues that desire is structured as a metonymy. In metonymy, one designates a whole concept (e.g.: military force) by naming a component of it (e.g.: a sword). Lacans argument is that, equally, since castration denies subjects full access to their first loveobject (the mother), their choice of subsequent love objects is the choice of aseries of objects that each resemble in part the lost object. According to Lacan, the unconscious uses the multivalent resources of the natural language into which the subject has been inducted (what he calls the battery of the signifier) to give indirect vent to the desires that the subject cannot consciously avow. While Freud is interested in investigating how the polymorphously perverse child forms an unconscious and a superego, and becomes a civilized adult, Lacans focus is on how the infant develops the illusion commonly termed as a self. His essay on the Mirror Stage describes that process, showing how the infant forms an illusion of an ego, of a unified conscious self identified by the word I. For Lacans theory, the notion that the unconscious, which governs all factors of human existence, is structured like a language is central. Freuds account of the two main mechanisms of unconscious processes, condensation and displacement, reinforce this claim. Both are essentially linguistic phenomena; meaning is either condensed (in metaphor) or displaced (in metonymy). Lacan noted that Freuds dream analyses, and most of his analyses of the unconscious symbolism used by his patients, depend on word-play (e.g., puns, associations, etc.) that are chiefly  verbal. According to Lacan, the contents of the unconscious are acutely aware of language and of the structure of language. Hence, the unconscious, structured like a language, serves to reveal a symptom of neurosis or psychosis through this medium. Lacan followed ideas laid out by Saussure, but adapted them to his use. He argued that Freud had understood the linguistic nature of human psychology but that he had simply lacked the Saussurean vocabulary necessary to articulate it. Saussure talked about the relationship between signifier and signified in the formation of a sign, and contended that language is structured by the negative relation among signs (i.e., the existence of a sign is dependent on its distinction from another sign). For Lacan, the contents of the unconscious form signifiers and these signifiers form a signifying chain. One signifier has meaning only if it is distinct from some other signifier. There are no signifieds in Lacans model; there is nothing to which a signifier ultimately refers. If there were, then the meaning of any particular signifier would be relatively stable; there would be a relation of signification between signifier and signified, and that relation would yield meaning. Lacan posited that re lations of signification do not exist in the unconscious; rather, there are only negative relations in which one signifier can exist only if it is distinct from another signifier. Because of this lack of signifieds, the chain of signifiers constantly slides and shifts in an endless series, like actors in search of a play. There is no anchor operating in the unconscious, nothing that ultimately gives meaning or stability to the system. The chain of signifiers is constantly in play, in Derridas sense; there is no point at which a definitive meaning can crystallize. Rather, one signifier only leads to another signifier, and never to a signified (Lacan, 1966). Lacan posited this as the nature of unconscious content: continually circulating chains of signifiers, with no anchor or center. This is Lacans linguistic translation of Freuds depiction of the unconscious as a chaotic realm of shifting drives and desires. While Freud attempted to bring those chaotic drives and desires into consciousness so they could be understood and made manageable, Lacan theorized that becoming an adult, a self, is the process of trying to halt the chain of signifiers so that stable meaning, including the meaning of I, becomes possible. According to Lacan, however, this possibility is an illusion, an image created by a misperception of the relation between body and self Even sexual identity is determined by the subjects relation to the signifier, not by some innate, biological predisposition. For Lacan, what Freud described as the oedipal phase is actually a moment in which the individual faces the option of accepting or rejecting the signifier in the place of the object or the imaginary other. Although Freud called this signifier the phallus, its primary characteristic is not its status as a biological organ that one may or may not possess. Rather, this primordial signifier possesses the fundamental property of being separable from the object it represents. Freud identified this possibility as castration, but Lacan claimed that it is simply the functional principle that enables the signifier to appear as such. Sexuality and, more generally, personal identity is thus not biologically determined but instead constructed through ones relation to the symbolic order. Most of Lacans work from this period traces the connections between specific properties of the signifier and their effects in human experience. He claimed that the entire structure of intersubjective relations is determined not by the individuals involved but by the way those individuals model on a moment of the signifying chain which traverses them. Because the signifier is autonomous from the signified, the link between them, ordinarily considered to constitute meaning, is an effect of the signifier itself and its relation to other signifiers in the signifying chain. Lacan described the way that illusory meaning comes about by referencing Roman Jakobsons distinction between two poles of language, metaphor and metonymy. Lacan contended that these functions account for the sense of meaning although there is a barrier between the signifier and the signified, or between the symbolic and the real. According to Lacan, meaning never consists in language, it insists in the chain of signifiers as one supplants the other metonymically. Language seems to mean in the usual sense due to displaced signifiers that function as the signified in Saussures model. Subsequent signifiers merely refer back to earlier ones, and it is this retrospective reference that sustains the  effect  of reference in the absence of a referent or an actual signified. Lacan described this effect as the creative spark of metaphor (Beneveuto Kennedy, 1986). It is, for Lacan, the seat of the subjective. Traditionally, subjectivity has been understood as a juncture of words with objects, situated on the bar between the signifier and the signified or the border between language and the world. That border, Lacan argued, is within the unconscious. Read through Saussures influence and Lacans emphasis on the autonomy of the signifier, Freuds discovery of the unconscious established an absence in the subjects relation to the object and to the self. This absence or lack, termed the other, can be thought of as the object of desire. Lacan contended that the concept of the unconscious reveals a subject constituted in relation to an Other it cannot know and oriented toward an object that it can never possess. As discussed in the Mirror Stage, this splitting is brought about by the subjects entry into the symbolic, supplanting the imaginary unity derived through identification with the other. That identification is replaced by a more complex relation to the symbolic Other. Introduced in the Discourse of Rome the Other designates a number of concepts for Lacan; e.g., death, the symbolic father, the role of the analyst, the unconscious. For Lacan, Freuds angry father becomes the Name-of-the-Father or the Law-of-the-Father. Submission to the rules of language itself; i.e., the Law of the Father, is required to enter into the Symbolic order. To become a speaking subject, you have to be subjected to, you have to obey, the laws and rules of language. Lacan designated the structure of language, and its rules, as specifically paternal, calling the rules of language the Law-of-the-Father in order to link the entry into the Symbolic, the structure of language, to Freuds notion of the oedipus and castration complexes. The Other is posited as the center of the system, that which governs the structures shape and the manner in which all the elements in the system can move and relate. The term Phallus also is used to designate the Other, emphasizing the patriarchal nature of the Symbolic order. The Phallus limits the play of elements and stabilizes the structure. It anchors the chains of signifiers with the result that signifiers can have stable meaning. Because the Phallus is the center of the Symbolic order, of language, that the term I designates the idea of the self. Lacan has referred to this anchoring effect as a point de capiton or quilting point ( Stavrakakis, 1999). This quilting point has particular significance for the useful application of Lacanian psychoanalytic theory to social domains. Without it, the practitioner is left with a postmodern concept of an endlessly fluid chain of signifiers, signifying nothing in terms of a relatively stable identity or meaning. For Lacan, the slipping chain is halted by the prominent role attributed to certain signifiers in fixing the meaning of whole chains of signifiers. Lacan described this effect as everything radiating out from and being organized around this signifier, similar to these little lines of force that an upholstery button forms on the surface of material. Its the point of convergence that enables everything that happens in this discourse to be situated retroactively and retrospectively (Stavrakakis, 1999, p. 60). This is the point with which all concrete analyses of discourse in the psychoanalytic and the social world must operate. Discussion Lacans great contribution to contemporary culture is his teaching about rhetorical performance and cognition, doing and knowing. The revolutionary dimension of Lacans pedagogy for Felman (1987) is the dialogism of the performative and constative, how in practice they undermine, deconstruct, and yet inform each other. The interactions of doing and undoing form the dynamic basis, Felman said, of psychoanalysiss ineradicable newness (12), its evergreen vitality and unceasing revolutionary nature. Building on this insight, Lacan has shown experience, largely unconscious, to be structured like a language, since human behavior manifests the dialectical interaction of conscious and unconscious experience, the double writing of that which is  enacted beyond what can ever be  known  at any one moment. For example, Gallop (1987) pointed out that the psychoanalyst learns to listen not so much to her patients main point as to odd marginal moments, slips of the tongue, unintended disclosures. Freud formalized this psychoanalytic method, but Lacan has generalized it into a way of receiving all discourse (p. 23). Lacan was often and roundly criticized as a self-aggrandizing showman, a sloppy theoretician, an intentionally inscrutable speaker and author, a postmodern, post-structural want to be, and a polygamously perverse human. Many disciples justified his obtuse style of presenting ideas as an attempt to model his concepts within the instrument of his linguistic style. Others found his style to be sufficient reason for avoiding Lacans work altogether. In addition, his clinical practices, such as the abbreviated session, were frowned on by many traditionalists in the psychoanalytic community. However, Lacans linguistic approach to the unconscious serves as an important counter to the more-entrenched biological and neurological constructs. His synthesis of Freudian theory with Saussurean semiology generated new conceptual tools for critical research and reading in the social sphere. These tools allow a dynamic analysis of social process from the perspective of What is this doing? rather than What does this mean? References Beneveuto,B. Kennedy, R. (1986).  The Works of Jacques Lacan. London: Free Association. Clement,C. (1983).  The Lives and Legends of Jacque Lacan; A. Goldhammer(trans). New York: Columbia University Press. Elliott,A. (1992).  Social Theory and Psychoanalysis in Transition. Oxford: Blackwell. Felman,S. (1987).   Jacques Lacan and the Adventure of Insight: Psychoanalysis in Contemporary Culture.   Cambridge: Harvard University Press. Gallop,J. (1987).  Reading Lacan. Ithaca: Cornell University Press. Lacan,J. (1966). Of structure as the inmixing of an otherness prerequisite to anysubject whatever. In R. Macksey E. Donato (eds),  The Structuralist Controversy, Baltimore: John Hopkins, 1970. Laplanche,J. Pontalis, J.B. (1983).  The Language of Psychoanalysis; D.Nicholson Smith (trans.). London: Hogarth. Stavrakakis,Y. (1999).  Lacan and the Political. London: Routledge.

High School Cliques Essay -- Posse HS High school groups descriptive E

High school is a combat zone. Perhaps incognito, high school is vile in all ways, shapes, and forms. High school is destruction of humanity. From blondes to redheads, and albinos to bronzed beauties, there is no fair play. Manipulation, deceit, lies, and forbidding grades are the fate of these entire helpless quarry. After many devastating centuries, mankind has learned to adapt to this revolution. Fighting for freedom and molding to the staggering state of affairs, students have mastered separation brilliance and competence, creating differences with style, interests, and appetites. One thing that will never change†¦ there is no escaping these dreadful high school cliques! â€Å"Whatever! She only makes an appearance every month because her parents pay her for every C on her report card.† The prosperous, preppy, popular kids that everyone loves to hate, famous for self involvement, shopping sprees, and cruel intentions. Armani blazers, Dior flats, Kenneth Cole aviators and jewelry from Tiffanys define this clique, along with their pompous arrogance. The survival of the preps would be slim to none without their faithful limousine chauffeurs, personal fashion coordinators, gourmet chefs and faithful butlers. This group is complete with haughty drama queens and wealthy heirs. Useless without their army of followers, these pitiful spectators have watched the high school incessant battles from afar, sipping champagne, and eating caviar. Dim-witted jocks that have yet to comprehend the overexposure of the lettermen’s jacket stand alone in the food chain. Pumping iron, chugging protein shakes, and buns of steel are the athlete’s top priorities. Fear of academic probation limits their success. Constantly being tackled, foul... ...ticular population lies the future Bill Gates! Last, and usually not even present, are the high school burnouts. Seeing them make it halfway through a year without dropping out is like witnessing a miracle. Sleeping in class, lighting smoke bombs in the hallways, bringing drugs and weapons to school, and getting sent to the principal’s office are the rebel’s means of survival. Ordering pizza and guzzling soda is more appetizing to the burnouts than attending class. Rumor has it that even teachers go out of their way to avoid these radicals. So gather up your grenades and stock up on artillery. Find a secluded location and assemble a trench. Begin dodging the deception and malice of the preps, the jocks, the hicks, the goths, the nerds, and the drug addicts. These are the dire high school cliques that have furthered the destruction of humanity.