Poetry- Hidden Social or Politicial Ideology or Agenda Essay

Poetry- Hidden Social or Politicial Ideology or Agenda - Essay Example His poems were much influenced by the African-American Jazz Music and the contents were radical. However, this was not given much attention. Because â€Å"his radical poetry was neglected,† a tone of frustration and the willingness to revolt are very evident in his poem, â€Å"Harlem† (Dawahare 21). The series of questions would lead the readers to realize the climax. â€Å"Harlem† is a poem which describes a people full of longing to be truly free from discrimination and marginalization; their ideals and dream of social equity is prevalent amidst the oppression of the white American community. The â€Å"dream† (Hughes line 1) being referred by Hughes is the yearning of the black Americans to equality; a dream stressing out that they too, are people with feelings and intellect and not mere slaves that the whites made them to be. The onset of abolitionism gave the African-Americans liberty and the government gave them rights that they were not able to exercise before such as the right to vote and the right to own a property. Despite of the government abolishing the slavery, they could not achieve fully what they really wanted. Hughes used images that appeal to the senses as if the dream he is talking about is tangible; can be seen and felt. The second â€Å"big question† mentioned in the poem: â€Å"Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?† (Hughes 2) might suggest a very symbolic representation of an African American ideal. Like a grape losing its juice when exposed to the sun for a long time, a dream may lose its vitality if it is not realized in time . Putting together side by side two very unlike objects which seem to set in the opposite poles adds more effect in the delivery of the message; a very large object, powerful, and made as a god by ancient people (the sun), and an object made from a preserved fruit, almost unnoticeable (the raisin). Next symbolism that can be

Health Information Systems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Health Information Systems - Essay Example Medical informatics started in the US when the computers and microchips were introduced in the 1950s. In 1949, the first professional informatics organization was founded by Gustav Wager in Germany. Programs that trained individuals on informatics systems began in France in the 1960s which became common in the United States and Europe by the 1970s. Initially, health informatics systems were used for purposes like billing and patient admissions/discharges. (Neujahr). The technological advances made in the field of computers contributed to the rapid spread of health informatics systems. The relationship between doctors and people has also drastically changed with the introduction of medical informatics, since people are not ignorant of the health issues they are likely to face. Information regarding symptoms, causes and diagnosis is made available to all individuals, enabling them to identify their problem. People are usually aware of the health issue before they approach a doctor for diagnosis. Health informatics on the internet has made professionals more equitable since they have the advantage of learning of medical and clinical procedures immediately, without having to search for books on the particular technique or to consult other professionals. The physician is expected to have wide knowledge of all disciplines of medicine as all information is made available to the client or the patient. Internet forms the site of a new struggle over expertise in health that will transform the relationship between the health professions and their clients. (Hardey, 2009). A number of health informatics organizations have been developed by the government to provide reliable information on all kinds of health issues. For instance, the United States Federal Government has developed a health informatics site, healthfinder.gov. It provides guidelines to healthy living and personalized health advice by professionals to enable the

English Application Essays Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

English Application Essays - Essay Example It would be an honor to be taught by such conversant and intellectual set of professors. The campus offers numerous recreation and fitness centers that can become good sources of relaxation after extensive hours of studies. I have always been an active member in extra-curricular activities and clubs; I aspire to continue such activities and shall contribute my role in the progression of the clubs. I believe that one can expect better results from something that is achieved as an outcome of group efforts and team work. The accumulation of different forms of opinions and ideas induces a touch of innovativeness and uniqueness in every endeavor. It is due to this belief that I am contented with the idea of my friends going in the same program. I am excited to study with these individuals and new classmates since they might even become my colleagues in the workplaces in the future. I think that our team work and research can contribute towards the development of the chosen domain of knowl edge and play our part in earning a name for the esteemed University of Ohio. My friends define me as a people’s person who loves meeting new people. The concept of getting familiar with different customs, traditions and culture of the world excites me. It is due to the passion for cultural diversity that I have chosen Ohio University. Ohio University celebrates cultural diversity rather than promoting exclusion. I admire such ideologies and feel that I shall be able to progress more in an environment that is run by such like-minded people. Therefore, I hope you will allow me to pursue my education in the desired business school- Fisher College. Essay 2 I bear great passion for travelling and meeting new people. The nature of my family business has granted me the opportunity to visit numerous countries of the world, thereby giving me the chance of experiencing various forms of cultures and traditions on firsthand basis. Such experiences have made me realize the value of inclu sion of perspectives from all sorts of cultures and origins. I believe that tolerance and acceptance of other people’s ideas induces an element of innovation in one’s work. Tim Berners Lee, the man who invented the World Wide Web, stated that â€Å"we need diversity of thought in the world to face the new challenges†. I aim to promote inclusion and tolerance for other cultures in my endeavors to play my role in safeguarding the traditions of multiculturalism of University of Colorado. Team work and mutual support bear great importance in an academic life since it bears numerous challenging instances and stressful routines. Acceptance of cultural diversity removes barriers among individuals and promotes the spirit of team work and mutual cooperation. I aspire to become a team player who will seek to work together with others to increase his domain of knowledge, as well as to play his part in earning a commendable name for the University of Colorado. Individuals w ho value team work spirit tend to benefit in their professional lives as well; therefore, I believe that my culturally rich experience at University of Colorado will prove to be advantageous for my professional life. Competition is also an integral part of any academic life; healthy competition can prove to be a valuable lesson since it prepares one for the professional life ahead. Exposure to multicultural lifestyles from my childhood

Organization Development and Change Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Organization Development and Change - Assignment Example Organizational development entails harnessing individuals’ personality traits that identify them as members of a team and using these characteristics to bolster the group’s potential and performance. Realizing the importance of OD is the key to effective and efficient problem solving within any department in an organization. Ortiv Glass Corporation encourages and practices participative organizational design where the company’s branches and departments are encouraged to determine and implement their own designs. The company’s newest plant recently put together a top management team that was to act as a problem-solving apparatus. The group consisted of competent, qualified and talented person who had demonstrated the ability to deliver quality results in their respective areas of expertise. Despite the group members’ professional qualifications, the group demonstrated difficulties and inability to execute their mandated duties and responsibilities. All of the group’s members perform exceptionally on their professional duties, yet their role as an elite problem-solving group with minimal or no results. The top management meetings are unproductive, and there is no follow up on agreements made at meetings (Cummings and Worley 104). Through the application of the core components of the group, the design would work towards improving the group’s status, which would improve relationships among team members. Incorporating task structure strategies into the group’s work design by delegating each member a specific task within the group’s responsibilities would improve their relationships. This would enable better coordination by individual members and give them more autonomy in terms of behavior and reactions to different situations within the group. Regulating group composition has the ability to effect significant changes to the group.  

Candide by Voltaire Essay Example for Free

Candide by Voltaire Essay 1) What is the relationship between Candides adventures and Panglosss teachings? In Candide, we see lives filled with struggles and tragedy. Although Candide witnessed and fell victim to worldly evils of cruelty and suffering, he maintained his optimistic views through much of the novel. Candide picked up this idea of optimism through Panglosss teachings. Although he did not see any good reasons to disbelieve Panglosss teachings while living in the Barons castle, once in the outside world, Candide experiences many tragic events that make him, and the reader, question the philosophy of optimism. Candides adventures, starting when he is kicked out of the Barons castle, clearly represented an imperfect world, full of atrocities that contradicted Panglosss teachings. The events that break apart Panglosss teachings begin almost immediately when Candide is thrown in the streets to live on his own. He runs into recruiting officers of the King of Bulgars. They have him toast to the health of their king, but then beat Candide severely and put irons on his legs. Luckily though, the king comes by and tells them to spare Candide since he is innocent. Soon after that, Candide witnesses an awful, bloody battle between two armies. This horrible spectacle shows us how hateful and violent people are in this world. Later, he finds a beggar who turns out to be Pangloss. Pangloss shares some of the horrible things he had been put through and that Candides one and only love had been raped and her entire family had been murdered when the Barons castle had been taken over. Once with Pangloss, he has many new adventures. While out at sea with Pangloss and Jacques, a violent storm occurred and destroyed their ship. Many innocent passengers are killed including Jacques, who died saving a sailor. The innocent passengers deaths disprove Pangloss theory since it appeared the bad that came out of the shipwreck led to nothing good for them; instead, only brought them to their deaths. When the sailor, Pangloss, and Candide get into Lisbon, an earthquake destroys most of the city. A  tidal wave also crushes ships in the port. In an effort to prevent another earthquake, wise men take ridiculous actions against the slightest wrongdoing. Candide and Pangloss end up getting arrested. Pangloss is hanged and Candide is beaten badly. The ridiculous actions taken place prove to be futile when another earthquake erupts the next day. All of the bad that came from the first earthquake provided no good. Pangloss had been hung for no reason and Jacques, a good man, had died from the storm out at sea. The reader is left wondering how these horrible events could result in a greater good. Candide finds that God might have spared one place on earth, El Dorado. He finds this seemingly perfect city, yet does not want to stay because is still in love with Cunegonde. The king gives him and Cacambo a few sheep and some gold. This portion of the story brings a little light, yet the whole world cannot be like El Dorado, and people who do live in perfect worlds cannot even appreciate it because they have nothing to compare the high points against. Since life is always perfect, they live in lethargic boredom and cannot truly appreciate how well off they truly are. We also see times of happiness and good fortune that restore Candides faith in optimism throughout the book. Such periods include when we find Pangloss survived, and the points in the book when Candide and Cunegonde get to be together, even for short amounts of time. Towards the end of the story, Candide begins to question Pangloss philosophy more and more. Although we find events that support optimism, we find more counterexamples. Although Pangloss and the Barons son are found alive, they tell Candide their escapes from death, and the tortures they had been put through afterwards. Soon after they free Pangloss and the Barons son from slavery, the men go and find Cunegonde, the woman Candide had been searching to live with and love for his entire life. When they do find her, she is extremely ugly and Candide no longer wants to marry her. Although he is no longer attracted to her, he is a man of his word and feels he must do his duty to take care of her and love her. Now, he is stuck with a woman he no longer lusts over. Candide has finally found what he had been sacrificing for all of his life to find, yet is not satisfied with what he has acquired  for his hard work. Throughout the entire story of Candide, we are bombarded with horrendous events that happened to an individual to disprove Panglosss teachings. Candides adventures encountered such atrocities as murder, rape, slavery, and prostitution. The bad events that occur in Candide, help show that the world is not perfect, and that not everything happens for the greater good in the end. Candides adventures, great in number, show us how bad others lives turned out as well as their friends and families lives were hurt as well, such as the old woman. In the end, Candide finally realizes that optimism is not a flawless philosophy, and that the idea of working hard and enjoying life is better than waiting around for the good you think will happen. Candides adventures helped to contradict optimism and ultimately changed Candides beliefs from optimism to a realization of reality. Candide begins to live a simple life, working hard to avoid boredom, vice, and poverty.

Manipulative Media Essay Example for Free

Manipulative Media Essay Far beyond providing leisure and entertainment, mass media’s value and importance can be observed on its ability to deliver or disseminate highly relevant and socially-significant information. Other than books and scholarly works, mass media perform the role of an overtly accessible library that is carefully designed to meet the public’s information needs and demands. Various forms of mass media such as newspapers, magazines, radio and television enabled mankind to gain insights within the comfort of their homes. But with the emergence of the World Wide Web, accessing and spreading information have never been this easy. A simple click can generate tons and tons of data and statistics. Indeed, mass media have readily conquered the world. Nowadays, it seemed that media outfits and institutions have transformed into what Habermas referred to as the so-called â€Å"public sphere (qtd in Davies 3). † However, a closer examination of the matter clearly shows that mass media’s functions extend beyond providing information. It cannot be denied that media outfits are one of the most influential and powerful institutions in any given society. It is highly capable of shaping the public’s views and opinions. Likewise, media channels can instigate or prompt mass actions. For so many years, exposes and published investigative reports have been very instrumental in raising the public’s awareness which eventually lead to different types of social movements. Indeed, constant exposure to different media content can alter one’s behaviors and attitudes. But then again, the seemingly invincible influence of mass media has been overtly abused and exploited. To a certain extent, media has transformed into a manipulative machine that no less than promote the capitalistic aims of the ruling class. Media channels deliberately and systematically distort messages and news stories that leave the public as mere passive consumers. The fabrication of facts and exaggeration of events are intentionally performed to garner high ratings and the intention to inform is blatantly ignored and taken for granted. Manipulation and deceit: Mass media as Ideological State Apparatuses Mass media, together with the church, family and educational system are concretely identified by Althusser as forms of Ideological State Apparatuses (ISA) (Gabbard Ross 185). ISAs are readily employed to promote the interests of the state. Given the capitalistic nature of many societies, it can be argued that ISAs reflect the affairs and concerns of the ruling class. ISAs utilize a subtle attack wherein the individual’s ideological and political consciousness are molded and shaped. This is primarily performed to secure the ruling class’ positions in the economic, social and cultural hierarchy. The attack is described as subtle since the suppression and repression are not directly felt. The use of force and violence are hardly felt. Thus, whenever there is suppression, manipulation occurs regardless of whether it is directly or indirectly manifested. In as far as mass media is concerned, these institutions have been operating as lucrative business endeavors that places heavy emphasis on profit accumulation. This scenario readily displaces mass media’s role as â€Å"watchdogs† that secure the government’s accountability and responsibility to the public. Media, in recent years have long been obsessed in commoditizing media contents that range from news, music, film, variety shows and television programs. Profiteering dictates the name of the game and this can be only achieved if the public is lured into consuming different media products that are nonetheless insignificant. The public is made to believe that the things they see in television; the ones that they see in the television; the numerous advertisements that they encounter would satisfy their needs for knowledge and information. As a result, unethical practices in journalism, broadcasting and even advertising for that matter, became ordinary phenomena. A classic example of media manipulation can be observed in the overt sensationalism of crime and rape stories. These situations are highly experienced in print media and television. More often than not, many editors utilize catchy headlines to garner the public’s attention. Acts of murder and violence are blown out of proportion and are presented vividly in news stories. Featured articles turn red since much focus is given on the event’s gory and bloody details. Horrific photos of the crime scene are readily shown to catch the audience’s attention. Likewise, television news programs are bombarded with an avalanche of bloody video clips and footages. As Anderson and Although it is true that crime and violence are concrete social realities, the exaggeration of these events generally takes the public away from the real issue—that criminal acts are social ills that must be confronted and readily resolved. However, what happens in the newsroom is that crime stories are treated as a spectacle of the victim’s death or suffering. Anderson and Looney explained that many journalists and broadcasters have been operating under the principle that â€Å"when it bleeds, it leads (271). † This basically explains the high importance given to crime stories. Yet, this scenario leads to yet another problem. The (high demand) for crime stories due to sensationalism, tends to topple other important events that are worthy of media attention. The public is programmed to see crime stories as far more important compared to stories that tackle health or technologically-related subjects. Under this context, media is not necessarily performing its role as a reliable source of information. Rather, this institution is simply treating these stories as commodities that should be sold and consumed by the public. If sensationalism occurs, accuracy and integrity are highly compromised. Evidently, the above-mentioned scenario showcases mass media’s agenda-setting function. According to O’Hair et al agenda-setting is the process in which the public is made to believe that certain topics are highly important and thus requires utmost attention (68). Agenda-setting initially occurs in the selection of news stories that are delivered to the public (O’Hair et al 68). News desks and editors choose topics and articles that they perceive as something that would elicit a big impact to their target audience. Afterwards, these topics are constantly shown into the public. O’Hair et al mentioned that the priority given to these stories readily affect the viewer’s perception (68). As a result, stories that are often seen in the newspapers’ front pages of given long airtimes in television are immediately perceived by the audience as something relevant and significant. When certain issues are constantly placed in the limelight, they immediately become important even though in reality, there are other events that deserve the attention. Aside from crime stories, media’s agenda-setting role is also seen during the 9/11 attacks. Much of the television news programs and newspapers devoted much of their time in covering such incident. Even though the attacks are worthy of the attention, this does not discount the fact that there are other aspects of society that also needs to be tackled. There are also other situations that demand public attention. Unfortunately, the event’s massive appeal is something that media owners cannot possibly ignore for this would also mean an increase in their ratings, which in turn, would attract many advertisers. Speaking of advertisers, it can be observed that advertising, more than anything else has mastered the art of agenda-setting. Advertising agencies exploit various media channels in order to sell and market their respective products. As much as possible, advertisers would utilize each and every medium to catch the viewer’s attention and thus persuade them to patronize the goods that are marketed towards them. Take for example the case of the fast-food giant, McDonalds. By the time an individual opens his or her television, a McDonalds commercial is shown. The same thing happens when one reads a newspaper and turns on the radio. Similarly, McDonald billboards are scattered in the streets. Now, with the rise of emerging technologies, McDonalds has also made its presence felt in the World Wide Web. Advertising is mainly focused on product promotion and marketing. Therefore, aside from utilizing media channels, advertisements also rely on the use of flowery language and visually-appealing materials to convince their target audiences. Some would even utilize celebrities and high-profiled individuals to endorse their products. But then again, the problem with this kind of set-up is that commercials do not divulge the truth to their consumers. For example, fast food are being marketed as goods that can satisfy the gastronomical needs of consumers, without really rendering o devoting too much time for food preparation. However, fast-food in reality, are known for having high-calorie content and is considered as the primary cause of obesity that could also lead to other chronic diseases such as diabetes, for example. Theses hidden truths are kept from the public via the use of mouth-watering images of food. With celebrity endorsements, the product’s credibility and importance are further highlighted. Although media channels are fully aware of the flaws and negative effects of a particular product, these advertisements are continuously delivered to the public. This basically stems from the fact that media outfits rely on advertisements for financial support. A two-minute airtime and a small space in newspapers are pretty expensive. Thus, such situations are readily permitted and tolerated. In the meantime, mass media also employ stereotyping to manipulate the audience. Certain groups or individuals are presented negatively. This scenario can be seen in many films and television programs. For example, Asian actors and actresses are constantly stereotyped as villains in many Hollywood films (Larson 20). A critical observation shows that Asian artists often take the bad guy’s role in many featured films. In a recently released film, The Mummy, Jet Li performed the antagonist’s character. Although other Asian artist such as Maggie Cheung was presented as one of the protagonists, this did not erase the fact that in multicultural movies, Asians would always play the evil character. The Mummy is no different from other films such as Kill Bill. Indeed, it is true that Uma Thurman’s mentor, Pai-Mei possess great marshal arts skills. However, it cannot be denied that Pai Mei trains individuals that are involved in criminal acts. Apparently, the dual characterization of Asian actors and actresses is simply a futile attempt to abolish stereotyping and to a certain extent—discrimination. On the other hand, as for the case of television programs, it can be seen that many shows have influenced the body perception of many teenagers. More often than not, mass media constantly redefines the meaning of true beauty. In many television shows, a woman becomes beautiful if she has a slender figure. There are many instances in which television programs have blatantly shown how over-weight individuals are bullied and verbally-abused. Consequently, the effects of media manipulation are very alarming. This is most especially true as for the case of young audiences. Teenagers are easily persuaded by what the see in the television, newspapers and the internet. Compared to adults, these individuals are less critical when it comes to various media content that they encounter. For example, over exposure to violence have led many children and teenagers to mimic the behaviors and attitudes that they see (Kirsh 30). Oftentimes, children tend to identify with television personalities. Because of the degree of admiration that they give to these celebrities, some youngsters go to the extent of copying the actions and gestures that they see on screen without ever thinking the possible consequences that their actions might generate. s But then again, it is important that this situation is not experienced by children alone. The increasing rate of rape cases are directly linked to the rapists’ massive exposure to pornographic materials. Individuals that mimic or copy violent behaviors perceive criminal acts as no less than ordinary occurrences. Thus, the possible damages that it may inflict or produce are no longer taken into consideration. Deviant acts are reenacted primarily because desensitization (Allison Cross 125) has already occurred. Relatively, media manipulation has also created a highly consumerist culture. The massive influx of advertising and its use of compelling taglines and attractive images have resulted to the creation of false needs. The public are unconsciously forced to consume goods or commodities that they do not really need. Fast foods, for example are pretty low when it comes to its nutritional content. Yet, more and more consumers are patronizing such products. This readily prevents society from building healthy and productive communities. As more and more individuals suffer from obesity and other chronic diseases, the expenses rendered for health services tend to increase. The money that could have been use for other purposes are now utilized in treating obesity-related ailments. Likewise, media’s stereotypical nature is responsible for creating more societal divisions and fragmentations. It loosens the social fabric that binds each and every individual, regardless of their race and ethnic origins. Discrimination now becomes a difficult challenge to overcome and minority groups are constantly pushed into the periphery. In as far as media stereotyping is concerned, such is also instrumental in the proliferation of negative body perceptions. More often than not, media has been pointed out as one of the leading causes of eating disorders that are experienced by many teenagers Conclusion Stereotyping, agenda-setting and the creation of false needs are some of the tactics employed by media organizations to manipulate the viewers. These activities are performed primarily because media outfits are now more focused on its capitalistic agendas that readily neglect their purpose as information providers. The public are no less than treated and seen as mere customers and not a vital part of society that must be constantly informed and educated. Under these circumstances, critical thinking must be readily practiced and exercised. The public must fully examine the media contents that are presented unto them. Works Cited Allison, Annie and Gary Cross. Millennial Monsters. California: University of California Press, 2006 Anderson, C. Leigh and Janet Looney. Making Progress. Lexington Books: Maryland, 2002 Davies, Maire. ‘Dear BBC’ Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2001 Gabbard, David and Wayne Ross. Defending Public Schools: Education Under The Security State Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing Inc. , 2004 Kirsh, Steven. Children, Adolescents and Media Violence. London: Sage Publications Inc. , 2006 Larson, Stephanie. Media and Minorities. Maryland: Rowman Littlefield Publishers Inc, 2006 O’Hair, H. Dan; Robert Heath, Gerald s Ledlow and Mark Cwiek . Community Preparedness and Response to Terrorism: Communication and the Media. Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing Inc. , 2005

Scientific Methods for Accurate Dating in Archaeology

Scientific Methods for Accurate Dating in Archaeology Explain the importance of the following dating methods: (a) radio carbon dating, (b) potassium argon dating, (c) seriation, (d) stratigraphy. Archaeology can be defined as â€Å"the scientific study of the human past, of ancient human behaviour, from the earliest times right up to the present.†(Fagan, 2006) .The study of archaeology as an academic discipline is dependant on the accuracy of various dating methods. Dating methods in archaeology can be divided into two groups: Relative dating methods and Absolute dating methods. Although the importance of the different dating methods may outweigh each other, the all are very important to the study of archaeology as a whole. This essay shall focus on the importance of radio carbon dating, potassium argon dating, seriation and stratigraphy to the archaeological study. Accurate dating has always been of importance to scientist and archaeologist alike. In archaeology dating can be categorised into relative dating and absolute dating techniques. In moving forward explain the importance of radio carbon dating, potassium argon dating, seriation and stratigraphy to the archaeological study, one must first understand the difference between relative dating and absolute dating in archaeology. Relative dating in archaeology assumes the age of an artifact in relation and by comparison to other objects found in its environs. The style of the artifact and its archaeological location stratigraphically are required to arrive at a relative date. The limit to relative dating is that it cannot provide an accurate year or a specific date of use. Absolute dating on the other hand is the method of determining an approximate calculated age of an artifact in archaeology. The goal of archaeologist is ultimately to know how old sequences, sites and artefacts are in calend ar years. To accomplish this absolute dating methods are used. From traditional historical methods to those which are based on the great variety of modern scientific techniques currently available. As compared to relative dating which only provides an order of events, absolute dating presents archaeologists with a more calculated evaluation of the object’s age. The first area of discussion in understanding the different dating techniques in archaeology would be stratigraphy. According to Renfrew and Bahn, â€Å"stratigraphy is the study of stratification- the laying down or depositing of strata one above the other.† (Renfrew and Bahn 2008, 122). This basically involves ordering things into sequences. A succession of layers should provide a relative chronological sequence from the earliest (the bottom layer) to the latest (top), as seen in figure one. It’s important to note that stratigraphy involves the Law of Superposition. Fagan describes the Law of Superposition as, â€Å"the notion that underlying levels are earlier than those that cover them.† (Fagan 2009, 103). He further explains that the lower levels are relatively earlier than the later strata, which is basically entails. Scientific archaeologists grasped at this rather quickly, although it wasnt used as a consistent technique until around the turn of the ninet eenth century. Since then, the technique has been refined, and tools such as theHarris Matrixassist in picking out the sometimes quite complicated and delicate deposits. The study of stratigraphy on archaeological sites was used in North America and Mesopotamia. The importance of stratigraphy is good and well but it still does not provide an accurate form of dating, it all involves speculation. This is since as a downfall since archaeological research strives in the most accurate form of understanding of the past societies and cultures. Figure1 Title: Stratification example Source: pages.vassar.edu The other archaeological dating method to be discussed is seriation. Seriation is a very common form of archaeological interpretation. Seriation is a form of relative dating technique. With the assumption that artefacts changed with passing time in radical ways, archaeologist use seriation techniques to place artefacts in chronological order. Seriation is the changing of style of an object over time. Renfrew and Bahn explain that there are two versions of the seriation technique: contextual seriation and frequency seriation. Contextual seriation, also called sequenced dating is where artefacts are arranged according to the frequencies of their co- occurrence in specific context. In the nineteenth century Sir Flinders Petrie was the founding father of this type of seriation. He used this method to establish order in large Egyptian graves. Frequency seriation on the other hand, was established by an American archaeologist at a Mayan site in Yucatan 1940. The principle of frequency seri ation relies predominantly on measuring changes in the proportional abundance, or frequency of a ceramic style. W.S. Robinson and G.W. Brainerd in their paper published in American Antiquity in 1951 hypostasised two statements about frequency seriation. â€Å"First, the assumed that pottery styles gradually become more popular, reach peak of popularity, and then fade away. Secondly, they argued that a given time period, a pot style popular at one site would similarly be popular at another.†(Renfrew and Bahn 2008, 128). Archaeologist such as James A. Ford working in American Southeast and Frank Hole in Iran were able to establish chronological validity using this method. â€Å"Nevertheless it should always be borne in mind that seriation by itself does not tell us which end of a given sequence is first and which last- the true chronology has to be determined by other means.†(Renfrew and Bahn 2008, 128). Figure2 Title: Seriation of Pottery Source: http://anthro.palomar.edu/time/glossary.htm The next dating method to be discussed is potassium argon dating. This is a type of absolute dating technique. This method is used mainly to date rocks thousands of years old. â€Å"Geologists use this method to date rocks as early as four to five billion years old and as recent as 100,000 years old before present.† (Fagan 2009, 119). The earth’s crust is engulfed with potassium and as a result it is present in almost every mineral. Potassium argon dating is based on the principle of radio active decay, the steady but very slow decay of radioactive isotope potassium -40 (40K) to the inert gas argon-40 (40Ar) in volcanic rock. Knowing the decay rate of 40K-its half life is around 1.3 billion years- a measure of the quality of 40 Ar trapped within a 10g rock sample gives and estimate of the date of the rock’s formation. The major limitations of the technique are that it can only be used to date sites buried by volcanic rock, and an accuracy of +10 percent is rarely achieved. However, potassium argon dating played a crucial role in the site Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania. The site in East Africa was the basis of the study of human evolution, as it yielded fossil remains of Australopithecus, Homo habilis, and Homo erectus, as well as large numbers of stone artifacts and bones. It should be noted that the Rift Valley in Olduvai is a volcanic area, and its two million year old chronology has been established by potassium argon dating of the relevant deposits of harden volcanic ash and other materials. The final archaeological dating method to be discussed is the absolute dating technique radio carbon dating. Radio carbon dating has a major impact on archaeology, in particular on pre history since the lack of a written record leaves much to conjecture. Radio carbon has transformed our understanding of the past. According to Bowman the materials which can be dated by radio carbon are those which once formed part of the biosphere and are therefore organic. For example, the most commonly preserved sample types occurring on British sites are bones, shells and charcoal. (Bowman 1990, 12). The pioneer for radio carbon dating is the American chemist Willard Libby, who in 1949 published the first radio carbon dates. Libby had been one of the scientists during World War II who was studying cosmic radiation, the sub- atomic particles that constantly bombarded the earth, producing high- energy neutrons. â€Å"These neutrons react with nitrogen atoms in the atmosphere to produce atoms of carb on-14 (14C), or radio carbon, which are unstable because they have eight neutrons in the nucleus because they have eight neutrons in the nucleus instead of the usual six as for ordinary carbon (12C). This availability leads to radioactive decay of 14C at a regular rate. Libby estimated that it took 5568 years of half of the 14C in any sample to decay – its half life – although modern research indicates that more accurate figure is 5730 years.† (Renfrew and Bahn 2008, 142). Libby analyzed that the decay of radiocarbon at a constant rate should be balanced by its constant production through cosmic radiation and therefore the proportion of 14C in the atmosphere should remain the same throughout time. However, Libby’s about the level of 14C in the atmosphere has varied some what, since the radio carbon dates obtained from tree- rings show that before about 1000BC, trees were exposed to greater concentrations of atmospheric 14C than they are today. At this point it should be noted that this radio carbon method can be used anywhere, no matter the climate, as long as there is material or organic origin. This is different as compared to the other absolute dating technique discussed above potassium argon which is only limited to dating volcanic rocks. During the latter half of the twentieth century, certain advancements had been made to help correct the limitations of radiocarbon dating. For instance the accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) method is beco ming the dominant method used in radiocarbon dating. This requires smaller samples still. AMS counts the atoms of 14C directly, disregarding their radioactivity. The minimum sample size is reduced to as such little as 5-10mg, thus enabling precious organic materials such as the Turin shroud , to be sampled and directly dated, and making feasible the direct dating of pollen. Primarily, it was hoped that the dateable time span for radiocarbon using AMS could be pushed back from 50,000 to 80,000 years, although this is proving difficult to achieve in part because of sample contamination. (Thomas 1999, 76). It should be noted that for inorganic materials, thermoluminesence and other new dating techniques are useful. As compared to the other dating techniques as discussed above, radiocarbon dating can be seen as the most accurate and important to archaeologist in putting together the past. It was used to date Upper Paleolithic paintings in the Chauvet Cave, southern France. However all results over 30,000 BP are subjected to problems. Radiocarbon was also used to assert to validity of the chronology of Europe. In the Caribbean, overseas radio carbon dating techniques are also used, in particular Trinidad. The nation’s parliamentary building currently is undergoing excavations, and the materials they find are shipped overseas for accurate dating using radiocarbon because Trinidad does not have the proper equipment for dating it, since radiocarbon equipment maybe some what expensive for a development nation to endure. In conclusion it can be said that radio carbon dating, potassium argon, seriation and stratigraphy are important dating techniques one way or the other. Although radiocarbon can be seen as the most efficient because of it accuracy and how far back it can date, the other dating techniques are very much relevant BIBLIOGRAPHY BOOKS Bowman Sheridan, Interpreting the Past. Radiocarbon Dating. Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1990, Print. Courbin Paul, What is Archaeology? An essay on the Nature of Archaeological Research. United States of America: The University of Chicago Press, 1988. Print Fagan Brian, Archaeology. A Brief Introduction. New Jersey: Pearson Education, 2006, Print. Renfrew Colin and Bahn Paul, Archaeology: Theories, Methods, and Practice. United States of America: Thames and Hudson Ltd, 2008, Print. Thomas Hurst David, Archaeology Down to Earth. United States of America: Harcourt Brace College Publishers, 1999, Print. WEBSITES Swaminathan, Nikhil. â€Å"Nondestructive Radiocarbon Dating College Station, Texas†. Archaeology Archive. A publication of the Archaeological Institute of America, accessed October 30th 2014. http://archive.archaeology.org/1101/topten/texas.html.