Socialgical research paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Socialgical research paper - Essay Example Additionally, other school discipline issues such as drug abuse, cheating, bullying, truancy, disrespect of authority, and minor misdemeanors plague educational institutions, resulting to innumerable classroom and school disruptions, as well as almost two million suspensions yearly. (Hymowitz, 2000) It comes as no surprise then that most schools in the United States have decided to impose a zero tolerance policy-and it is not something new. According to a survey of the U.S. Department of Education at least a decade ago, of more than 1,200 public schools, approximately three-quarters of schools in the United States have reported practicing a version of a no-tolerance policy-"79 percent had zero-tolerance policies against violence, 88 percent for drugs, 91 percent for weapons and 94 percent for firearms." (Witt, 2007) Many schools enforced this policy after the term "zero tolerance" became popular during the last days of Ronald Reagan's "War on Drugs" and was even made more infamous after a series of high-profile high school shootings, the American Psychological Association reported. Such policy, however, does not come without any controversy clinging to it. For one, according to the Journal of Sociology, "sociologists have historically scoffed at this latter (zero tolerance) policy." (Zajdow, 2005) Not only that, this policy has sparked numerous complaints and protests from the public through the years because of what many see as pointlessness of policies, like students being suspended or expelled for carrying a legal, non-prescription drug such as Advil in their backpacks, having pocketknives in cars, and carrying sharp tools beyond a "woodshop" class. In other cases, the policy was known to have come in conflict with religious freedom, such as the carrying of kirpans, a ceremonial dagger or sword that must be carried by baptized Sikhs. (Zero tolerance (schools)) But much worse than the irregularities is the problem of racism in terms of implementing the zero tolerance and discipline in school, according to the American Sociological Association. In fact, though, the United States is seen as the land of the free, reports of much severe punishment for African-American students than their white counterparts are prevalent. (Free, 2004) In a paper entitled "Zero Tolerance Policies and Alternative Education: Where Do We Go from Here" Janese Free states the following: "The recent rise in school violence and prevalence of weapons in the hands of students in the past twenty years has led to implementing new disciplinary policies in schools- most notably, 'zero tolerance policies.' While these seemingly 'get tough on crime' policies remain popular, criticism and skepticism as to their effectiveness and appropriateness increase daily. The implementation of these policies nationwide has resulted in dramatic increases in school exclusions (suspensions and expulsions). Not only are exclusions more prevalent, but research suggests that a disproportionate number of African American and other minority students are being excluded from schools across the country." (Free, 2004) One the questions that I honestly think should be brought to the fore: Why are African-American students punished more severely than children of other ethnic groups As, the data from the U.S. Department of Education show, "on average across the

Neil Anderson's Discipleship Counseling Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Neil Anderson's Discipleship Counseling - Essay Example This essay examines background information and major themes within the text. One of the most prominent elements taken from the text was the nature of a balanced existence in God. In these regards, Anderson establishes an approach to counseling that is not simply important in terms of consultation, but also extends to the nature of psychology and meaning. These are extremely important elements in the text and come to constitute a major underlining structure. From the opening chapter, Anderson establishes his approach as antithetical to mainstream notions of psychiatry and psychology. For instance, Anderson informs an elderly parishioner that it is possible that her hospital program is unnecessary. In many regards one considers the New Testament scriptures when examining Anderson’s approach, as he promotes a healing process highly contingent on God’s will. Similarly, in the New Testament Jesus uses natural power to heal disease and various maladies. Consider Mark 2: 10-12 when Jesus heals the paralytic, â€Å"So he said to the man, â€Å"I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.† He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, â€Å"We have never seen anything like this!† (‘Mark 2:10-12’). ... Essentially natural law is a belief that God placed natural ways of being and existence in the world; in not following natural law humans are subject to a number of malfunctions. While the government and society have put forth laws, Anderson notes that in many instances these laws are not in accord with natural law. Anderson believes that society must move back towards accepting natural law as a way of remedying many of the psychological maladies. He promotes psychological practice that advance other means of dealing with life challenges. Another major theme that is prevalent throughout Anderson’s text is the hybridization of secular psychological practices with religious wellness. One of the major notions in these regards is that Anderson does not necessarily reject all forms of medicine or psychology, but notes that many aspects of it do not mesh with proper Christian practice. Throughout the book Anderson presents a hybrid approach to wellness, incorporating both Christian theology and modern empirical research. Within this hybridization, Anderson considers the nature of scripture that indicates that after the fall of Adam â€Å"God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women [and men] exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural† (Anderson, pg. 22). For Anderson, this ancient scripture can be combined with an understanding of modern society as a means of diagnosing a sort of nation-wide mental illness. These understandings of existence are opposed to many elements of mainstream society. In addition to natural law, Anderson presents the Biblical understandings of general and special revelation. These are notions of existence that God has established as a means of resisting Satan and following the righteous path.