studying media Essay -- essays research papers

Much of what we know about the world, beyond our immediate experience, comes to us through the media. Media studies gives us the tools to respond thoughtfully and critically to media content, and recognise media productions as deliberate constructions rather than windows on reality. The ‘mediated’ society in which we live, is heavily shaped by the transfer of information. Many of our values, our ideas, and our knowledge of the world come from beyond our individual daily or immediate experience, usually via the media. They play a vital role in democracy, shaping citizens\' understanding of social and political issues and functioning as gatekeepers through which issues, and events must be passed. By studying the media, and understanding the implications of mass communication, we are able to develop an understanding of how things work, how people become informed, and misinformed, and how the myths and ideologies that govern all of our lives are created and sustained. The media are an important part of our lives for many reasons. Primarily, they help to keep us informed about current affairs, both in the world at large and on the home front. The media are a central part of our lives. Think about how much time we spend being ‘exposed’ to their product’s everyday and how many different ways it can be used. Everyday, we use the media for information and perhaps less willingly, we also accept the media as a source of persuasion, most notably through advertising. Another way in which media represents an important part of our lives is through the influence and power they hold in society. Although it is not always clear what influence is held or whether it is good or bad, the media are often blamed for many of the problems in today’s society, most commonly with reference to the portrayal of violence. There are a disturbingly large number of cases in which the perpetrator of a violent crime has cited a relationship to the media, and in some cases has admitted to imitating a character or scene from a film. Though the media are a prevalent part of our lives, we need to recognise that there are other influences that are as strong, or even stronger. Family, education, religion, and peer groups all help to shape our ideas, values, beliefs and behavior. Whilst it is generally accepted that Hollywood films may desensitise children to the consequences of violence, we shou... ...dia and the way it reacts is especially important in society today. Everyday, interpretations of texts are made available to us in the form of mass media such as newspapers and television and it is in our interpretation of these media texts where the basis of public opinion is formed. In summary, the study of media is a crucial tool for regulating what is said and what should not be said. It gives us the power of choice and the power to question. Its main concern is with helping us develop an informed and critical understanding of the nature of media, the techniques used, and the impact of these techniques. More specifically, it aims to increase understanding and enjoyment of how the media work, how they produce meaning, how they are organized, and how they construct reality. It teaches us to understand the enjoyment people derive from texts and how audiences may be manipulated and deluded by stereotypical material. It helps us to develop important critical insights, and generate questions rather than taking what we are told at face value. Most importantly, it empowers us, its students, with the knowledge required to be active consumers and producers of the media. Words: 1,102.

Two Famous Indian Monuments

The most outstanding monument built by Emperor Shahjahan is the Taj Mahal at Agra. It is on the bank of River Yamuna. This grand mausoleum was built in the memory of his beloved Queen Mumtaj Mahal. It has been described as â€Å"a dream in marble designed by fairies and completed by jewelers. † It is made of pure white marble. As a monument of love â€Å"it is unsurpassed in the world. † It stands on a platform of 8. 5 meters height. The mausoleum rises to a height of 32. 4 meters. It is surmounted by cupolas at each corner. The bulbous dome in the centre of the cupolas has the appearance of an inverted lotus. There are four smaller domes at the four corners of the building. Four minarets stand at each corner of the terrace. The outer walls and the interior walls are richly decorated with exquisite inlay work and calligraphy. The mausoleum is surrounded by beautiful gardens and fountains. It is an spectacular example of Mughal Architecture and one of the seven wonders of the world. QUTB MINAR The tall and ever attractive monument of Delhi which can be seen from most parts of the city is called the Qutab Minar. Every body has the same question when one sees the structure for the first time. The question that is often being put up is â€Å"Why the monument is that big? † or â€Å"Was there any specific reason to build such a tall building or it was just a wish of the person who built it? † Well, the exact reason is assumed to have something related to commemorating the victory. Mughals used to build victory towers to proclaim and celebrate victories. Some say the minaret was used to offer prayer but it is so tall that you can hear the person standing on the top. Also, the minaret is not joined on to Qutuddin's mosque and the Iltutmish's mosque. Qutab Minar is among the tallest and famous towers in the world. The minaret is 234 feet high and the highest individual tower in the world. Other towers in the world are the Great Pagoda in Pekin, China and the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy but these towers are not as high as the Qutab Minar in Delhi. According to history books, the minar was started by Prithviraj or his uncle Vigraharaja who won Delhi from the Tomar Rajputs. However, it is assumed and historians believe that Qutubuddib and Iltutmish finished it though the minar may have been commenced by Prithviraj or Vigraharaja. The minar was completed in 1200 A. D and since then the tall structure has been there upright and ever beautiful keeping an eye to Delhi just like a sentry. When Alauddin returned from the wars in the Deccan, he had this thought in mind that he would build a victory tower somewhat similar to the Qutab Minar. The ruins of this very initiative can be seen adjacent to the Qutbuddin's mosque because Alauddin died at the very start of the construction work and no one carried on to finish the initiative taken by Alauddin. Qutab Minar is another great masterpiece of Mughal architecture. It has a number of floors or storeys which has beautiful carvings like the one on the tomb of Iltutmish. There are inscriptions all round the tower and these inscriptions reveal that Iltutmish finised the tower. The structure of the wall is made as such that it widens from top to bottom, just to make the minar stronger. Moving upstairs inside the minar will give you a wonderful experience and counting the stairs is always a fun for visitors. It has 378 steps which takes good amount of energy to reach at the top. The top of the tower gives aninsight to Delhi because you get to see the bird's eye view of the city. To point a few sight seeing from the top, you will find views of the Hauz Khaz on the left and the walls of the Jahanpanah and Siri on the right. It was this very top of Qutab Minar that was used by Khilji and Tughlaq kings to watch the wild Mongol hordes when they threatened Delhi. The top also served as the watch top for Tughlaq who watched Timur's army camp on the Wellingdon Airport. Other important monuments that is visible from the top are the walls of Tughlaqabad,Humayun's Tomb, Purana Qila, Firoz Shah Kotla and Jama Masjid. The minar did receive some damage because of earthquakes on more than a couple of occasions but was reinstated and renovated by the respective rulers. During the rule of Firoz Shah, the minar's two top floors got damaged due to earthquake but were repaired by Firoz Shah. In the year 1505, earthquake again struck and it was repaired by Sikandar Lodi. Later on in the year 1794, the minar faced another earthquake and it was Major Smith, an engineer who repaired the affected parts of the minar. He replaced Firoz Shah's pavilion with his own pavilion at the top. The pavilion was removed in the year 1848 by Lord Hardinge and now it can be seen between the Dak Bungalow and the Minar in the garden. The floors built by Firaz Shah can be distinguished easily as the pavilions was built of white marbles and are quite smooth as compared to other ones. The minar is not that erect as it used to be because of wears and tears over the past several years. Closely looking at the mina rives you an idea that it is somewhat tilled towards one side. The minar is very sincerely looked after by the authorities much like the same as other historic monuments in the country.

Cloning The Benefits and Where to Draw the Line Essays

Imagine being able to cure diseases such as Parkinson’s or diabetes. Today, more than one million Americans live with Parkinson’s disease (Statistics on Parkinson’s) and over twenty-five million have been diagnosed with diabetes (Statistics about Diabetes). Cloning could offer a cure to these diseases and more. A clone is defined as an identical copy of an organism or cell, produced from the genetic material of a single organism (Cloning). Although the process of cloning is still developing, it is quickly becoming a reality. There are two distinct types of cloning: reproductive and therapeutic. Both processes can be achieved using the same technology called nuclear transfer. Nuclear transfer is defined by the Encyclopedia Britannica as†¦show more content†¦However, creating a genetically identical copy of a sexually reproducing organism is much more difficult and complex. The first successful cloning of an animal occurred in the 1950s when scientists successfully cloned frogs. The cloning was achieved by obtaining a cell from a tadpole, extracting its genetic material, and inserting that genetic material into a frog egg that had been stripped of its nucleus. The egg developed into an adult frog with identical genetics to the tadpole that had provided the nucleus. With the success in frogs, a simpler organism, scientists then began experimenting with the cloning of mammals. Clones of mammals were first produced by taking nuclei from the cells of sheep, cattle, and mice embryos and inserting the nuclei into egg cells. The resulting eggs were implanted in surrogate mother animals which gave birth to offspring that had the genetic characteristics of only one parent, the donor of the nucleus. In 1997, Scottish scientist Ian Wilmut announced the birth of a clone of an adult mammal. The team of scientists had taken a mature cell from the breast gland of a female sheep and used it to produce an embryo which was then implanted into a surrogate sheep. The embryo developed and soon a lamb named Dolly was born who was genetically identical to the sheep that had provided the original breast gland cell. Dolly later grew up and had a lamb of her own, proving that clones can reproduce. Dolly received worldwideShow MoreRelatedEssay about Cloning - The Great Human Embryo Clone Hype1638 Words   |  7 Pages      Ã‚  Ã‚   Abstract: The cloning of human embryos has sparked a major debate worldwide. New cloning methods have surpassed the technology that could only duplicate specified genes or produce offspring from frozen mice and human embryos. Cloning has been used to free would-be sufferers from a particular disease carrying gene. Likewise, out of desire to assist infertile couples and overcome the drawbacks of using in-vitro fertilization, came the newest method of cloning. Although skepticism existsRead MoreThe Ethics Of Human Cloning918 Words   |  4 Pagesand human cloning. 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Debate rages as to what constitutes legitimate paths of inquiry and where to draw the line as to research that strikes many people as morally wrong. The basic question is: how does society determine what s right? While, of course, questions regarding human genetic research are new, this basic question is as hold as civilizationRead MoreThe Consequences of Being Smart Essay984 Words   |  4 Pages?The Consequences of Being Smart The good and bad sides of intellect and knowledge have baffled people for centuries. From the beginning of time, man has struggled to draw the line between knowledge and science, and religion, and have fought countless battles over it. However, this is no one-sided matter. The benefits and consequences of intelligence and knowledge are determined only by how it is being used. 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