Traditional and Modern Societies Essays - Anthropology, Free Essays

Traditional and Modern Societies Essays - Anthropology, Free Essays Traditional and Modern Societies Simranjit Kaur 214493498 Introduction to Social Science AP/Social Science 1000 9.0 B Andrew Paul Tutorial 11 Traditional and Modern Societies Throughout history, society has been changing. Society has become more advanced in all aspects. Traditional and modern are two different terms used to classify ways of governing society. Even today, traditional societies exist where culture and religion are very important. Yet, societies that have been traditional across the world have managed to keep traditional values and become partially or entirely modern. Looking back in time, individuals have more freedom and rights now than before. Change is important because it encourages new opportunities and our mentality is different than individuals from before the Industrial revolution. Traditional and modern societies have many similarities and differences, and this paper will look at both viewpoints. The most important differences between traditional and modern societies are the social hierarchy, mass consumption, and family structure. This paper will also argue why modernity is more beneficial for society than a traditional viewpoint. The first type of society to be examined is known as the traditional society. Traditional society has very strict division of labour and honour. There are specific roles for both the men and women within the family. According to Bell (2015), "Significant proportion of the population the relation of social position to cultural style-working class, middle class, and upper class- no longer holds" (p. 38). Today in society, no individual of the higher working class can dictate where individuals stand in society. Where as in traditional society, people were born with prescribed roles and had little to no freedom to change their position in the social structure. Campbell states, "Members of the traditional society were also held to be responsible for the action of any other member" (p. 101). Traditional society has a closed belief system, which includes the values of tradition, magic and superstitions. Prestige is very important in traditional society, as it is an indicator of high status within the community. Conlin states, "The family's task is to always enhance their prestige, honour and respect. (Conlin,2015). The second type of society is known as the modern society. Unlike traditional society, where family was the most important aspect, individualism and freedom is the central aspect. Freedom is essential and opposition towards forces which attempt to restrict individual freedom. Modern society values ambition and upward mobility, whereas in traditional society an individual was prescribed a role at birth and through out their life. (Conlin, 2015). Modern society is also concerned with the latest fashion trends and technology. For example, people want newer versions of phones constantly or the latest style of purses. Competition is everywhere in this society, individuals want to have the best of everything, this allows the society to move forward and advance. Where as in traditional society, there was a lot of stagnation and since their roles in society were limited, there wasn't room for creativity or advancement. In modern society self-indulgence is a key trait. People want to buy luxury items and spend money, where as in the traditional society you only made your earnings for the only purpose of surviving. Another difference between modern and traditional societies is the concept of achievement and ambition. In traditional society, ambition is not valued or accepted due to the fact that it is seen as a threat to social order. (Conlin, 2015). Where as in modern society ambition is a key trait in being successful. Position in society is attained by achievements. For example, graduating from university and having a career is considered an achievement and brings happiness into a person's life. Enjoyment in traditional society was disregarded. Traditional society weighed heavily on prestige. In modern society prestige is linked with an individual's occupation, where as in traditional society it was connected to family status in society. Religion played a huge role in the traditional society. T hey believed that God is above everyone and many of their principals came from God's teachings. People of traditional society believed that debt is a sin and it was morally a weakness. On the contrast, in modern society debt was common and not to be worried about. Today, religion does play a role in society, but individuals have more

Biography of Elijah McCoy, American Inventor

Biography of Elijah McCoy, American Inventor Elijah McCoy (May 2, 1844–October 10, 1929) was an African-American inventor who received more than 50 patents for his inventions during his lifetime. His most famous invention was a cup that fed lubricating oil to machine bearings through a small tube. Machinists and engineers who wanted genuine McCoy lubricators might have used the expression the real McCoy- a term meaning the real deal or the genuine article. Fast Facts: Elijah McCoy Known For: McCoy was an African-American inventor who improved steam engine technology by designing an automatic lubricator.Born: May 2, 1844 in Colchester, Ontario, CanadaParents: George and Mildred McCoyDied: October 10, 1929 in Detroit, MichiganAwards and Honors: National Inventors Hall of FameSpouse(s): Ann Elizabeth Stewart (m. 1868-1872), Mary Eleanor Delaney (m.1873-1922) Early Life Elijah McCoy was born on May 2, 1844, in Colchester, Ontario, Canada. His parents- George and Mildred McCoy- were former slaves who had fled Kentucky for Canada on the Underground Railroad. George McCoy enlisted in the British forces, and in return, he was awarded 160 acres of land for his service. When Elijah was 3, his family moved back to the U.S. and settled in Detroit, Michigan. They later moved to Ypsilanti, Michigan, where George opened a tobacco business. Elijah had 11 brothers and sisters. Even as a young child, he enjoyed playing with tools and machines and experimenting with different ways to fix and improve them. Career At the age of 15, McCoy left the United States for a mechanical engineering apprenticeship in Edinburgh, Scotland. After becoming certified, he returned to Michigan to pursue a position in his field. However, McCoy- like other African-Americans at the time- faced racial discrimination that prevented him from earning a position appropriate to his level of education. The only job he could find was that of a locomotive fireman and oiler for the Michigan Central Railroad. The fireman on a train was responsible for fueling the steam engine and the ​oiler lubricated the engines moving parts as well as the trains axles and bearings. Because of his training, McCoy was able to identify and solve the problems of engine lubrication and overheating. At that time, trains needed to periodically stop and be lubricated to prevent overheating. McCoy developed a lubricator for steam engines that did not require the train to stop. His automatic lubricator used steam pressure to pump oil wherever it was needed. McCoy received a patent for this invention in 1872, the first of many he would receive for his improvements to steam engine lubricators. These advancements improved transit by allowing trains to travel farther without pausing for maintenance and re-oiling. McCoys device not only improved train systems; versions of the lubricator eventually appeared in oil-drilling and mining equipment and construction and factory tools. According to the patent, it did so by provid[ing] for the continuous flow of oil on the gears and other moving parts of a machine in order to keep it lubricated properly and continuous and thereby do away with the necessity of shutting down the machine periodically. As a result, the lubricator improved efficiency in a variety of fields. In 1868, Elijah McCoy married Ann Elizabeth Stewart, who died four years later. A year later, McCoy married his second wife, Mary Eleanora Delaney. The couple had no children. McCoy continued to improve upon his automatic lubricator design and make designs for new devices. Railroad and shipping lines began using McCoy’s new lubricators and the Michigan Central Railroad promoted him to an instructor in the use of his new inventions. Later, McCoy became a consultant to the railroad industry on patent matters. McCoy also obtained patents for some of his other inventions, including an ironing board and a lawn sprinkler, which he had designed to reduce the work involved in his household tasks. In 1922, McCoy and his wife Mary were in a car accident. Mary later died from her injuries, and McCoy experienced severe health problems for the rest of his life, complicating his professional obligations. The Real McCoy The expression the real McCoy- meaning the real thing (not a fake or inferior copy)- is a popular idiom among English-speakers. Its exact etymology is unknown. Some scholars believe it comes from the Scottish the real McKay, which first appeared in a poem in 1856. Others believe the expression was first used by railroad engineers looking for the real McCoy system, i.e. a lubricator equipped with Elijah McCoys automatic drip cup rather than a poor knockoff. Whatever the true etymology, the expression has been associated with McCoy for some time. In 2006, Andrew Moodie developed a play based on the inventors life called The Real McCoy. Death In 1920, McCoy opened his own company, the Elijah McCoy Manufacturing Company, to produce his products himself rather than licensing his designs to existing companies (many of the products he designed did not feature his name). Unfortunately, McCoy suffered in his later years, enduring a financial, mental, and physical breakdown that landed him in the hospital. He died on October 10, 1929, from senile dementia caused by hypertension after spending a year in the Eloise Infirmary in Michigan. McCoy was buried in Detroit Memorial Park East in Warren, Michigan. Legacy McCoy was widely admired for his ingenuity and accomplishments, especially in the African-American community. Booker T. Washington- an African-American educator and leader- cited McCoy in his Story of the Negro as the African-American inventor with the greatest number of patents. In 2001, McCoy was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame. A historical marker stands outside his old workshop in Ypsilanti, Michigan, and the Elijah J. McCoy Midwest Regional U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in Detroit was named in his honor. Sources Asante, Molefi Kete.  100 Greatest African Americans: a Biographical Encyclopedia. Prometheus Books, 2002.Sluby, Patricia Carter.  The Inventive Spirit of African Americans: Patented Ingenuity. Praeger, 2008.Towle, Wendy, and Wil Clay.  The Real McCoy: the Life of an African-American Inventor. Scholastic, 1995.

Learning Needs Assessment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Learning Needs Assessment - Essay Example The hospital has been well recognized for being able to treat thyroid cancers of high incidence of the survivors in Ukraine and Russia that was caused by an accident that was caused by Chernobyl nuclear reactor. Coney Island Hospital is under the New York City Health and Hospital Corporation (HHC) which happens to be the county’s the largest health care system in the region serving more than 1.3 million people in New York. The hospital system is comprised of eleven acute hospital care centers, four nursing facilities that are skilled, six diagnostic centre that also carries out treatment and at least eighty clinic that are set up in the community. Home based health care services are also offered to the residents by HHC health care system. The hospital has also embarked to other services like healthy heart program as it served Bangladeshi, Pakistan and Indian communities when it came to their attention that these populations have a higher chance of being diagnosed with Coronary artery disease. The hospital is also known for being the first facility of HHC to start a Mosque and to serve halal food. Currently, statistics shows that the hospital has a workforce of 39,000 employees who offer health care services to the residents ranging from housekeepers to surgeon of the trauma. In their social responsibility, the hospital has embarked in a campaign that is supposed to increase safety, prevent and bring a culture of learning that is fair and just with an intention of bring accountability. The hospital’s mission is to become one of the best health care centres in the country come year 2010.