Religion As A Social Network - 1587 Words

A majority of the population of the world follows a special sort of moral code and set of beliefs that could be considered a religion. However, religion is an especially perplexing concept considering the vast array of customs and practices that could fit under the label. Personally, I define religion as a social network of individuals who happen to share similar beliefs and practices. While also following a written scripture that is based around the word of an enlightened individual. In a similar respect, it can also be deliberated as a system of beliefs and taboos that stem from a physical book that was transcribed by human beings themselves. Per contra, it can also be described discerningly as a way of living life every day. There†¦show more content†¦If you exclude the sacrificial offerings and direct your attention to less excessive practices, an argument could be made that being a fan of a football team could be considered a religion. Football fanatics attend games dur ing specific times of the year much like spiritual individuals visit church on the weekends or visit the privacy of a temple to pray. There can even be a connection made between singing religious hymns and vocalizing a universities fight song during a game. However, the primary aspect that differentiates religion from practices such as football fandom is the belief in a holy scripture and maintaining faith in an afterlife or reincarnation. Religions such as â€Å"Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism all maintain belief in samsara, the â€Å"wheel of life† that implies a series of lives, deaths, and rebirths for every individual.† Alternatively, Christianity and Islam advocate that people are destined for some sort of afterlife whether that be a version of heaven or hell. Certain perspectives even stretch to say that a maintaining of faith in there being no afterlife at all could be considered a qualification for religion. Regardless, a religion is best defined by a network of people that share common beliefs and practices. Many of these beliefs and practices can be often be displayed in food ways. Food â€Å"is central to religion—as a symbol, as subject of prayers, as marker of sharing and unsharring, and as communion.† ManyShow MoreRelatedReligion, Social Networks, And Life Satisfaction1534 Words   |  7 PagesThe topic of this paper is on Religion, Social Networks, and Life Satisfaction (2010). This was found in the American Sociological Review (ASR) As we go through this paper we will see how the authors, do not necessarily meet the criteria that they set out for and in what way they could have tried to help reach what they set out to look for. The simple reasoning behind why they do not meet their criteria is due to how they tried to do their research and what they lacked. This research paper isRead MoreCCOT 1 -Economic Activity Essay703 Words   |  3 Pagesï » ¿CCOT Eurasia developed an integrated network of economic activity by the year 1200 C.E.. Between 1000 BCE and 1200 CE, it expanded greatly. The principle relied heavily on changes in trade networks, governmental alliances, religion and the continuity of warfare and social hierarchies. Trade networks are crucial to any economic scenario. They allow for the free flow of goods and services to be carried out over wide expanses of land and both within and throughout cultures. Examples of this are mostRead MoreTransnationalism: The Study of Population Moves1737 Words   |  7 Pagesmovements in a world where improved modes of transport, as well as the images that are transmitted by means of modern telecommunications have shortened the social distance between sending and receiving countries. An immigrants ability to adapt to a different nation has become an easier task than it was before. 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This erosion of our personal identity in the information age is directly degrading the intricate social network of our religiosity. As information sources have grown exponentially over the last two decades, people have demonstrated less and less religiosity which is being replaced by the social hierarchy of an interconnected digital society. For Generation X religiosity as a process over a typical life course trajectory is being replaced by opinionsRead More The New Age Movement Essay1129 Words   |  5 PagesAlthough the New Age movement is not technically a religion , eight to nine percent of people that do not believe in organized religion find the New Age as their replacement. The New Age movement is very difficult to describe although not impossible. It is a complex sociological phenomenon that can be perceived in many ways. Basically, what another person sees, the other may not. The New Age movement is best understood as a network of networks. A network is an informal, loosely knit organization whichRead MoreThe Running Man By Stephen King908 Words   |  4 PagesThe Lost Religion Religion is a way of life; it is the one aspect of life that has connected the races and societies of the world for many years. It has given meaning to lives. Religion teaches the people how to live their lives and become better humans. The Running Man, by Stephen King, takes place in the distant future when the United States has become a polluted dystopian wasteland, where the rich rule over the poor and the masses are entertained by game shows in which contestants compete forRead MoreSocial Networking759 Words   |  4 PagesFacebook than on social activities. Newton has a daughter on 12 years old. Newton cannot help her daughter with the homework, because she spends too much time on Facebook. Another example is Paula Pile, who is a therapist. Paula has three clients with different Facebook issues. 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The fundamental part of becoming a world power comes with the basic concept of the exchange within the circulation between landmasses creating a globalized network. However, the initial start of the creation of a world power, was through the many civilizations that arose from centuries ago inventing way of shaping themselves with the contributions they made to their society and the world. The first millennium

Functions of Mass Communication Free Essays

Wright (1960) characterizes seven functions of mass communication that offer insight into its role in our lives. * Surveillance. The first function of mass communication is to serve as the eyes and ears for those of us seeking information about our world. We will write a custom essay sample on Functions of Mass Communication or any similar topic only for you Order Now When we want to find out the latest news about what’s happening, we can turn on the television, surf the internet, or read a newspaper or magazine. We rely on mass communication for news and information about our daily lives such as the weather, stock reports, or the start time for a game. What was one of the first things you did after you heard about the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center? More than likely, you were glued to the Internet or your television waiting for details about the disaster. In fact, your authors’ campus closed down to allow people to stay at home to collect information and be with loved ones, even though our campus is located on the other side of the country. * Correlation. Correlation addresses how the media present facts that we use to move through the world. The information we get through mass communication is not objective and without bias. The grandmother of a friend of your authors stated that the information she heard on the radio, â€Å"had to be true† because it was on the radio. This statement begs the question, how credible are the media? Can we consume media without questioning motive and agenda? Someone selects, arranges, interprets, edits, and critiques the information we see. A friend of your authors’ has a brother who edits for a major reality TV show. When asked if what we see if a fair representation of what really happens, the person who does the editing simply laughed and said â€Å"no. † * Sensationalization. There is an old saying in the news industry-â€Å"if it bleeds, it leads† that highlights the idea of sensationalization. Sensationalization is when the media puts forward the most sensational messages to titillate consumers. Elliot poses some interesting food for thought: â€Å"Media managers think in terms of consumers rather than citizens. Good journalism sells, but unfortunately, bad journalism sells as well. And, bad journalism-stories that simply repeat government claims or that reinforce what the public wants to hear instead of offering independent reporting -is cheaper and easier to produce† (2004, . 35). * Entertainment. Mass media provide us with an escape from daily routines and problems by entertaining us (Zillmann Bryant, 1986, p. 303). Media like People Magazine and E-TV keep us up to date on the doings of our favorite celebrities. We watch sports on television, go to the movies, play video games, and listen to our ipods and radios. Most mass communication simultaneously entertains and informs. We often turn to media in our leisure time to provide an escape from our boredom and relief from the predictability of our everyday lives. We rely on media to take us places we could not afford to go or imagine, acquaint us with bits of culture, and make us laugh or cry. Entertainment can have the secondary effect of providing companionship and/or catharsis through the media we consume. * Transmission. Mass media is a vehicle to transmit cultural norms, values, rules, and habits. Consider how you learned about what is fashionable to wear or what music to listen to. Mass media plays a significant role in the socialization process. We look for role models to display appropriate cultural norms, but all too often, we do not recognize inappropriate or stereotypical behavior. We start shopping, dressing, smelling, walking, and talking like the person in the music video, commercial, or movies. Why would soft drink companies pay Christina Aguilera or Mariah Carey millions of dollars to sell their products? Have you ever bought a pair of shoes or changed your hairstyle because of something you encountered in the media? Obviously, culture, age, type of media, and other cultural variables factor into how mass communication influences how we learn and perceive our culture. * Mobilization. Mass communication functions to mobilize people during times of crisis (McQuail, 1994). Think back to 9/11. Regardless of your political preferences, we mourned as a nation and rallied around national pride and patriotism during this time of crisis. Using our earlier example, your authors’ campus decided to suspend classes to allow the campus community time to mourn the loss of fellow citizens. With instant access to media and information, we can collectively witness the same events taking place in real time somewhere else, thus mobilizing a large population of people around a particular event. The rising popularity of political websites such as moveon. rg is another key example of the use of mass communication to mobilize people for political action. * Validation. Mass communication functions to validate the status and norms of particular individuals, movements, organizations, or products. The validation of particular people or groups serves to enforce social norms (Lazarsfeld Merton, 1971). If you think about most television dramas and sitcoms, who are the primary characters? What gender and ethnicity are the majority of the stars? What gender and ethnicity are those that play criminals or those considered abnormal? The media validates particular cultural norms while diminishing differences and variations from those norms. A great deal of criticism focuses on how certain groups are promoted, and others marginalized by how they are portrayed in mass media. Given the power of the various functions of mass communication, we need to be reflective about its presence in our lives (McLuhan Fiore, 1967). We will now turn our attention to the study of mass communication by looking at what mass communication scholars study, and how they study it. How to cite Functions of Mass Communication, Essay examples

Homeostasis exercise lab free essay sample

How does exercise affect a person’s heart rate, breathing rate, and perspiration level? Background Information: Homeostasis is the maintaining of a balanced condition in the body despite changing external conditions or demands on the body. The circulatory system works with the respiratory system in order to deliver nutrients to the body’s cells. The respiratory system is made of the mouth and nose, trachea, and lungs. The respiratory system brings oxygen into the lungs where it is delivered to the blood vessels. The lungs are where the circulatory system takes over. The circulatory system includes the heart, blood, and blood vessels. The blood vessels in the lungs, called capillaries, take oxygen from the lungs and deliver it to the organs, muscles, brain and other tissues of the body. When oxygen arrives where it is needed, it will leave the blood by diffusion. Along the way, blood picks up a waste called carbon dioxide which enters the blood by the process of diffusion. When the blood makes it back to the lungs, carbon dioxide leaves the blood and enters the lungs where it is then breathed out. In addition to carrying oxygen and carbon dioxide, the blood carries other nutrients and wastes from the food that we eat. These nutrients are carried from the stomach (where they are from the food we eat) to cells where they are needed. Like carbon dioxide is taken to the lungs, other wastes are picked up from the cells and delivered to the kidneys where they will be added to urine to be excreted by urination. The body has many systems that work together to keep it in homeostasis – balance. When two systems work together, we call it complementary. Just like a student might get a complimentary drink to go with their popcorn at the movies, two complimentary systems in the body also go â€Å"with† each other. The circulatory and respiratory systems are just two of these complimentary systems. We will learn about other complimentary systems as we continue to learn about homeostasis in the human body. Hypothesis: With your group, develop an â€Å"if†¦then†¦because† hypothesis for this lab activity. Safety Precautions: After reading this activity, write at least 3 safety precautions that would be appropriate for this lab. Materials: You, plus two other group member (groups of 3, no more, no less, unless approved by me) A clock or stopwatch Procedure: 1. Choose one volunteer to complete jumping jacks at a pace that can be maintained for eight minutes (just choose right now; don’t actually do the activity yet). Make sure the volunteer is inactive for a few minutes before the experiment begins. 2. Measure the heart rate by taking his or her pulse; you can do this one of two ways. (1)Radial Pulse: This is probably what were most familiar with when visiting the doctors office. Take two fingers, preferably the 2nd and 3rd finger, and place them in the groove in the wrist that lies beneath the thumb. Move your fingers back and forth gently until you can feel a slight pulsation ? this is the pulse of the radial artery which delivers blood to the hand. Dont press too hard, or else youll just feel the blood flowing through your fingers! (2)Carotid Pulse: The carotid arteries supply blood to the head and neck. You can feel the pulse of the common carotid artery by taking the same two fingers and running them alongside the outer edge of your trachea (windpipe). This pulse may be easier to find than the radial artery. Since the carotid arteries supply a lot of the blood to the brain, its important not to press on both of them at the same time! Count the number of beats in 15 seconds. Your partner will use the clock or stopwatch to tell you when to start and when to stop. 3. Multiply the number of beats in 15 seconds by 4 to calculate the beats per minute. Record the data in the Table 1 under the 0 minutes box. # of beats X 4 = beats per minute 4. Measure the persons breathing rate by counting the number of breaths taken in 15 seconds. The multiply this number by 4 to calculate breaths per minute. Add this information to the table. # of breaths X 4 = breaths per minute 5. Rate the persons perspiration level from 1 to 5 (1 = none; 5 = droplets dripping down the face). Note this observation in the table. 6. Have the volunteer do jumping jacks for 2 minutes. Caution: If the person exercising feels discomfort at any time, stop the experiment and inform your teacher. After 2 minutes, measure heart rate, breathing rate, and perspiration level (refer to Steps 2 through 5), and record the data. Measure the pulse, breathing and perspiration levels as quickly as you can so that the volunteer can resume exercise. Do not have volunteer wait while you do the calculations and enter the data. 7. Repeat Step 6 three more times and record your data at each point. 8. After the final recording of the dependent variables, wait 1 minute and 30 seconds with the volunteer at rest. Then measure all of the variables again. Record this data under the â€Å"9. 5 Time (min. ) box†. Data: Analysis and Conclusions: 1. What is the independent variable in this experiment? 2. Graph the relationship between the independent and dependent variables. You may choose one graph to display all of your data, or you may use separate graphs for each of the dependent variables. 2b. Explain your graph choice (Why did you choose this graph to show your data? ). 3. What are the effects of exercise over time on the circulatory and respiratory systems? On perspiration level? 4. What other processes could you have measured to determine the external and internal effects of exercise on the body? 5. How is perspiration level related to body temperature? How is perspiration related to homeostasis?