Academic Record Essay Example for Free

Academic Record Essay Sometimes, due to certain situations beyond our control and because of unavoidable and unforeseen circumstances, the academic track record may not be up to the mark. I strongly feel that the one bad academic year wherein I was forced to stay out of school for a period of more than six months is not reason enough to hinder my studies going forwards. This should not be the sole deciding factor to define my further academic growth and progress. I had urgent family matters and health problems to take care of during that timeframe. If the situation demanded that I fulfill my responsibilities, other than the one I have being a student, there was absolutely no choice I was left with. It was expected of me to rise to the occasion and be there for my family when they really needed me the most. Now that this phase of duty and responsibility has passed, I look forward to concentrating only on my studies that will help me develop and learn the necessary skills to get a good job and mold my personality, so I can emerge successful and also enjoy my student life to the fullest and take with me all that I possible can from each and every phase of it. See more: Social process essay If you look closely, you will notice that I’ve been a very good student and I have an unblemished track record till the time when I had to take a break from school. The grades I received a few terms before the gap are not indicative of my performance or progress made during that span of time. The score card neither indicates the level of difficulty of the subject nor does it truly reflect the amount of effort a student puts into their projects and dissertations. I would request you to think about my case, understand my circumstances and then evaluate my application accordingly.

Conflicting Themes in The Poetry of W. B. Yeats Essay -- Literary Anal

In analysing the poetry of W.B. Yeats, I have come to understand the multiple conflicting themes and positions he presents in his poetry. However, my understanding has been influenced most by Yeats’s exploration of key conflicts in ageing along with political anarchy. These are conveyed respectively in the poems â€Å"Wild Swans at Coole† (1916) and â€Å"Leda and the Swan† (1923), using the central symbol of the swan. In â€Å"Wild Swans at Coole†, Yeats conveys the conflict within his heart; where he is an ageing, old man opposed to the young, revitalised swans. He laments the loss of his playful energy which he sees in the abundance of love and vitality in the swans. In â€Å"Leda and the Swan†, Yeats conveys the political dichotomy of the Irish nationalistic struggle against the opposing British suppression; exemplified by the swan’s advances towards the vulnerable Leda. Yeats presents the key conflict of ageing through exploring his own life in decline compared to the spiritual transcendence of the swans in â€Å"Wild Swans at Coole†. Yeats wrote this poem in October 1916 after his latest rejection by Maud Gonne, following the death of her husband, John MacBride, in the Easter Rebellion. Yeats therefore reflects on the inertia of his own life, while regathering himself at Lady Gregory’s Coole Park estate. While revolving around the idea that sexual fulfilment with Maud has been lost. Yeats retains the last of his romantic preoccupations in perceiving a spiritual element through the natural world, where nature is reflective of youth and beauty. The main way this is conveyed is through the swans, symbolising youth, vitality and freedom, the conflicting position to Yeats’s personal state. Yeats conveys this through a reflective, sorrowful tone, as h... ...he spiritual element of life, discovered through the natural world with â€Å"Wild Swans at Coole†, and history with â€Å"Leda and the Swan†. Works Cited 1. Bogan, L., 1938, â€Å"William Butler Yeats†, The Atlantic Monthly, May 1938, accessed 8 June 2012, http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1938/05/william-butler-yeats/4672/ 2. Holstad, S., n.d., "Yeats's 'Leda and the Swan’: Psycho-Sexual Therapy in Action", California State University, accessed 8 June 2012, http://www-scf.usc.edu/~erdemoz/Write/leda.html 3. â€Å"Modernist Poetry 2: W. B. Yeats†, lecture by Dr. Aaron Kelly, 20th April 2004, from the green booklet â€Å"Module B: The Critical Study of Texts: William Butler Yeats†. 4. Morrison, A., 1998, â€Å"Theories of Post-Coloniality: Edward W. Said and W.B. Yeats", The Imperial Archive Project, accessed 9 June 2012, http://www.qub.ac.uk/imperial/ireland/saidyeat.htm

Eyewitness testimony

The Expert Witness â€Å"How reliable Is eyewitness testimony On the 28th of September 1 999, a building society in West Bromidic was robbed by a man brandishing a gun. He had approached the cashier desk and pushed aside a customer and then produced a gun. He ordered the three customers in the bank to lie on the floor. He then pointed the gun in the face of the cashier and told her to fill the bag with money. In doing so, she managed to raise the silent alarm alerting the police. After her compliance, the robber instructed her to also lie on the floor behind the desk.He warned the customers not to move before shooting his gun at the ceiling and running out. The four witnesses were then Interviewed as a group by police at the scene of the crime. The first Interview revealed many Inconsistencies In the descriptions of the perpetrator and also the chain of events. All witnesses had described a white male In his ass with a local accent. The group was split 2:2 on the robbers hair color, two thought blond and the others thought it was brown. The witnesses were then taken to the police station and interviewed separately.All four had now given statements eying the robber had blond hair. A lot less inconsistencies were found when the witnesses were interviewed for the second time. A third interview was conducted a few weeks later to see if any more details had been remembered of the crime. A photo was also shown to the witnesses to see if they could confirm that he was the man they remembered from the robbery. Again the group were split, two thought It could be him and the other two were unsure. All four witnesses a few months after, had taken part In a line up In which they all picked out the same man as the robber In the bank.The man they Identified turned out to by the same man from the photo they were shown previously prior to the line-up. The man they identified was James Taylor. James Taylor is a 33 year old with one previous conviction for robbing a sweet shop when he was 18. He spent 18 months in prison for this crime and hasn't been in any trouble since. He became a suspect when an anonymous tip came in from a man with a local accent giving them Sesame's name. Taylor had said he had been in Yellowhammers at the time but could not supply any witnesses to confirm his alibi.The case went to trial before a Jury which was drawn from the local area. There was no forensic evidence lining Taylor to the crime scene but the prosecution argued he was a local man with previous convictions, that couldn't produce an alibi for his confirmed the man they picked out in the line-up, with one saying she was ‘absolutely certain' that Taylor was the man who held up the building society at gun point. After a 45 minute deliberation, the Jury returned a guilty verdict and sentenced Taylor to five years in prison.To start identifying the problems with this case and detect why the conviction was unsafe one must start with the first officers attending(FAA). The Job of a FAA is to immediately attend to injured persons at the crime scene. They then should separate eyewitnesses from one another to avoid conversations between them that might distort their memories and to avoid the transfer of trace evidence, Jackson. Jackson(2008). However, the 4 witnesses were first interviewed as a group. During this interview ,there were inconsistency with the decision of the robbers hair color.After the witnesses has listened to each other's stories, two had decided to change their minds and agree his hair color was after all blond. This is a clear robber with the testimony used in the trial, as all the witnesses were interviewed as a group. Due to social desirability and conformity they changed their remembrance of characteristics. An example of social conformity can be explained by Solomon Sash's visual Judgment experiment. Cash got 7 people to take part in each experiment but every time 6 of the participants were confederates.The confederates were instructed to all follow a strict set of instructions. In the experiment two cards were shown to the group of seven. One card had a vertical line and the other card had 3 lines of varying lengths. The experimenter then asked all seven to choose which line of the three matched the length of the line on the other card. The confederates were sometimes asked to all agree on certain cards that would appear to be blatantly obviously wrong. The experimenter was testing to see if the participant would change their mind in order to conform with the majority. 4% of the innocent participants went along with the group and conformed giving the incorrect answer, School(2013). In the third interview police took a photo of a suspect, James Taylor, to the witnesses and asked them if they could confirm that he was the man they remembered from he robbery. After this the witnesses attended a line up in which Taylor was present, from this they were able to confirm that Taylor was the robber. The questio ning from the police asking to confirm that Taylor was the robber, could be considered as a leading question.Meaning that due to their choice of wording, they were able to lead the witnesses to a desired answer. They were made to think that Taylor had committed the crime, even though they may not of originally thought it was him. Loft's and Palmer in 1974, conducted an experiment to prove that leading questions n an interview can have a clear effect on witnesses answers. They asked forty five participants to watch a clip of two cars in an accident. They were spilt into 5 groups and then they were asked the question â€Å"How fast were the cars going when they (hit/ smashed/collided/bumped/contacted) each other? A week after the participants had seen the clips, they were also asked if they saw any broken glass, even though there was no broken glass. Loft's and Palmer had found that the verb used, changed the the ‘smashed' conditions reported the highest speeds, followed by â⠂¬Ëœbumped', ‘hit' and collided' in descending order. A week after when the participants were asked if there was any broken glass at the scene, people in the smashed group predominantly said yes. This proved that a leading question encouraged the participants to remember the cars traveling at a faster speed.The question has also appeared to modify their memory as they also remember seeing non-existent glass, McLeod(2010). The leading question asked by the police could be an explanation for the sudden conformation of James Taylor being the robber, even though straight after the event, two thought he ad brown hair and two thought he had blond, now they are able to recognizes some facial characteristics one even saying she was â€Å"absolutely certain† it was James Research by Loft's and Burns in 1982 also suggests that weapon focus can have a detrimental effect on memory of certain characteristics.They believe that a witness will focus more closely on the weapon used duri ng a crime and not the person holding it. They believe this is because a person will always focus on the thing that poses a threat or injury when it's not in its usual context. For example, you wouldn't be afraid of someone brandishing a gun at a shooting range. They conducted an experiment by allocating participants to one of two conditions. One watched a violent short film of a boy being shot in the head and the other watched a non-violent short film of a crime.The results were dramatic, only 4. 3% of the subjects who watched the violent crime correctly recalled a number on a boys Jersey, this compared to 27. 9% of participants who answered correctly that had watched the non-violent version, This could be another contributing factor as to why the eyewitnesses testimony's may be unreliable and as to why they might not be able to reduce an accurate description of the robber, as he did brandish a gun, put it in the face of one of the witnesses and also fired it before he left.The wit nesses were also part of the crime not watching it on a video clip like the participants in Loft's and Burns experiment. Witnessing a real life crime is more stressful than taking part in an experiment. To hypothesis that the description the witnesses gave to the Jury, might not be as accurate as they recall, might bare some weight, due to weapon focus and other contributing variables present at the time of the incident. Another factor which could disprove the testimony given by the witnesses is one called the schema and stereotype theory.This theory suggests that we are only able to take in a certain amount of information at the scene of a crime or incident. Ata later date when we are asked to provide greater detail, we rely on past experience (schemas) and prejudices (stereotypes) to fill in the gaps. We use expectations to reconstruct our memory. One experiment conducted by Bartlett in 1932 called War of the ghosts' portrayed a great example of the way people use stereotypes and schemas. Bartlett got participants to read a native North American folk tale, then repeat the story to another person in turn who repeated it and so on.By the time the last person had repeated the story back they had shortened it by three quarters and westernizes the details for example, seal clubbing was changed to fishing. One as a stored set of knowledge about a concept which guides our behavior. These are used to prompt our memory, and sometimes to fill in gaps if we are unsure, Bartlett(1932). Bartlett suggested that we make the following adjustments in certain cough situations: He believed people tend to rationalist situations and add material to Justify parts of their story.He believes that parts of a story, particularly those difficult to understand were often left out or manipulated. When people can't make sense of a situation, they tend to rearrange the order to one which fits the stereotype of their expectations in certain events. He also believes that people add their ow n emotion to a story, making the chain of events differ from someone else due to their personal emotional response. The research conducted by Bartlett is another factor hat could be problematic in the conviction of Taylor.The four witnesses could of used their schemas and stereotypes along with leading questioning from the police to come to the assumption that James Taylor was the robber. The above explanations are reasons why the conviction for James Taylor may not of been safe and also why the eye witness testimony may have been distorted. To show the weight an eyewitness testimony bares on a case, can be demonstrated by Elizabeth Loft's in 1974. Loft's gave participants three versions of a robbery and murder case, she then asked them to decide whether the defendant was guilty.Circumstantial evidence which was presented to the mock Jurors included the fact that the robber ran into the defendant's apartment block, money was found in the defendant's room and tests revealed there was a slight chance the defendant had fired a gun on the day of the robbery/murder. Results revealed that with Just this information provided, only 18% of participants thought that the defendant was guilty. When also presented with an eyewitness testimony, the guilty verdict dramatically changed to 72%. This demonstrates the powerful effect of an eyewitness testimony.More strikingly, when the participants were informed that the eyewitness was short- sighted, he was not wearing his glasses at the time of the offence, and he could not have seen the robber's face from where he was standing, 68% still gave a guilty verdict, Stewart(2013). This demonstrates the shocking strengths that an eyewitness testimony bares on each case. Upon evaluation of this case, it would seem that the conviction to ‘send a message to other potential criminals', may have been in haste. The problem with this case not only lies with unreliable eyewitness testimony's but the conduct shown by the police wrought .From group interviews, leading questions and photographs to prompting from the prosecution lawyers prior to the trial. The conviction of James Taylor in this case, seems to be more about making an example of someone in order to set a precedent for others thinking of committing a similar crime, rather than on a case which is based purely on facts and forensic evidence, in which this case had none. Remembering: A Study in Experimental and Social Psychology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press A,R. Jacksonville(2008)Forensic science. Second Edition. Pearson education emitted, Essex England. Eyewitness Testimony In the legal profession, eyewitness testimony (EWT) is generally defined as the account of an event provided by an individual or individuals who have witnessed it.Such an account could contain the identity or identities of the people who were involved in the event, a narration of how the incident, itself, occurred, and a detailed description of the scene before, during, and after the event took place. In criminal cases in the United States, the general tendency is for juries to grant EWT a rather high level of reliability, especially in the process of identifying the perpetrator/s of a criminal act (McLeod).Unfortunately for jurists, research has been consistent in showing that EWT is not as reliable as generally perceived. As a matter of fact, in Problems and Materials on Trial Advocacy written by A. Leo Levin and Harold Cramer, the authors stated thatEyewitness testimony is, at best, evidence of what the witness believes to have occurred. It may or may not tell what actually happen ed. The familiar problems of perception, of gauging time, speed, height, weight, of accurate identification of persons accused of crime all contribute to making honest testimony something less than completely credible (Cline).This view is shared by many legal practitioners. The prevailing view not only among defense lawyers but also among prosecutors is that in spite of the sincerity of eyewitnesses, EWT could not always be credible. They are convinced that when somebody professes to have witnessed an incident or a crime, for that matter, such a statement should not be taken by faith because it is very possible that what he or she remembers seeing may not have actually happened.This argument is generally based on the fact that not all eyewitnesses possess the same degree of competence. A competent eyewitness should have the following qualities: sufficient â€Å"powers of perception†; ability to remember and describe what he or she remembers seeing; and the willingness to tell only the truth (Cline).In theory, an eyewitness testimony could be discredited in a court of law if it could be established that an eyewitness is not competent by showing that his or her memory and perception are impaired, he or she has certain biases or prejudices against the accused, or that he or she is a reputed liar. Unfortunately, records show that even eyewitness accounts from highly competent witnesses have nonetheless caused the conviction of many innocent people. These are cases which involve competent eyewitnesses giving eyewitness accounts which are not credible but appear convincing to jurors (Cline).Since eyewitness account is highly dependent upon the memory of an individual, his or her recollection of events is greatly affected by â€Å"age, health, personal bias and expectations, viewing conditions, perception problems, later discussions with other witnesses, [and] stress† (Cline).In other words, EWT should be appraised on a case-to-case basis, taking into c onsideration the personal attributes of the eyewitness and the conditions prevailing at the time of the event such as weather condition, time of day, distance of the witness from the incident, and illumination. Stress is another factor which affects a person’s memory. For instance, an eyewitness who has been so horrified by a killing often fails to recall vital aspects of the incident. In such cases, it is said that the memory of the witness fails him or her, giving credence to the school of thought which maintains that man’s memory is actually imperfect (Cline).Elizabeth Loftus belongs to this school of thought. In fact, in her book Memory: Surprising New Insights into How We Remember and Why We Forget, she wrote that â€Å"we often do not see things accurately in the first place. But even if we take in a reasonably accurate picture of some experience, it does not necessarily stay perfectly intact in memory†¦With the passage of time, with proper motivation, with the introduction of special kinds of interfering facts, the memory traces seem sometimes to change or become transformed† (Cline). In other words, memory is not only imperfect but could also be manipulated or managed. This is only one of many observations raised by scholars and researchers about the reliability of eyewitness testimony.  

Social Anxiety And Social Depression - 928 Words

Social anxiety is the fear of being in a group organization; it can, however, be restricted to a certain situation. I have self-diagnosed myself with social anxiety. I believe that I have social anxiety because I overthink situations that other people think nothing of and when I am about to give a presentation or even send a text in a group message I contemplate it for a long time. I want to change this because it causes problems in my life and makes it harder for me to do the things I want do to. I also think my life would be better if I didn’t spend the extra time thinking about the insignificant details of every situation which is just a waste of time. Social anxiety is the third largest mental disorder in the world, at any point in time about 7% of the world’s population is affected with social anxiety. About 15 million Americans are diagnosed with social anxiety. Social anxiety commonly starts during childhood and mid-teens, after the age of 25 onset is unlikely. 4 0% of cases of social anxiety start by the age of 10. In both men and women social anxiety is equally common. People with social anxiety are at a higher risk of alcohol abuse and they endure worse impairments than people with illnesses like diabetes and congestive heart failure. Major depression, PTSD, panic disorder, alcohol or substance abuse disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and attempted suicide are things patients with social anxiety tend to have as well as social anxiety. Nearly 45% of peopleShow MoreRelatedSocial Anxiety And Social Depression1078 Words   |  5 PagesSocial anxiety is condition that has been described since the days of Hippocrates. Hippocrates described an individual who would avoid social outings due to being timid, bashful, and fear of being misused, disgraced, make a fool of himself, or being sick and believes he is constantly being watched. Will the man who suffers from social anxiety react differently to mistakes based on social context? A study b y Barker, Troller-Renfree, Pine, Fox in 2015 attempted to test that. Baker et al. tried toRead MoreSocial Anxiety Disorder And Social Depression2094 Words   |  9 PagesSocial Anxiety Disorder Social anxiety disorder it’s an intense worry or fear of social situations that involve interactions with others. It is categorized as a Phobia a persistent and irrational fear of a specific object, situation, or activity. This leads to feelings of inadequacy, self-consciousness, and depression. The person suffering of social anxiety disorder may believe that all eyes are on them at all times, fear of being judge by others, and have a strong fear of embarrassing themselvesRead MoreSocial Anxiety Disorder And Social Depression1147 Words   |  5 PagesMay 29, 2013 Social Anxiety Disorder One of the most common mental disorders in the United States that goes unseen is social anxiety disorder, also known as social phobia. Many times parents tend to mistake it for pure shyness. If gone uncured it may cause children, young adults, and adults to not be able to participate in social activities. Even though there is a great diversity in all people when it comes to their personalities the quitter people tend to develop social anxiety due to how societyRead MoreSelf Identification : Impact On Trait Anxiety, Social Anxiety And Depression1245 Words   |  5 PagesBiracial Self-Identification: Impact on Trait anxiety, social anxiety and depression is a journal article that discusses the causes of social anxiety and depression amongst biracial individuals. This scientific study was designed to determine if the ethnicity that biracial individuals chose to identify themselves as impacted their psychological test scores. This study was also designed to observe if the pressure fro m other individuals of which race is accepted upon a biracial person causes high orRead MoreThe Role Of Childhood Maltreatment And Symptoms Of Depression, Social Anxiety, And Generalized Anxiety809 Words   |  4 PagesAbilities and Symptoms of Depression, Social Anxiety, and Generalized Anxiety. The Journal of Psychology 147.5: 469-90. Print. 2. What is the specific topic the article is addressing? (i.e. the role of childhood maltreatment in eating disorders? The effect of exercise on stress levels?) The authors of this study are interested in how decreased emotional regulation is related to hostility and anger, which in turn can lead to symptoms of depression, GAD or social anxiety. 3. What background isRead MoreHow Social Media Can Help Teens Suffering From Depression And Anxiety992 Words   |  4 PagesSocial networking sites like Facebook, Instagram, twitter, etc, are offered to people who want to communicate across the nation or even worldwide. These sits allow you to connect and find almost anyone, from a coworker, an old friend from grade school, or just some lost relatives. Browsing these sites can get you more connected and engaged with your community so you know what all is going on around you. Julie Pennell from teenvogue.com says â€Å"It can be a bit of a catch, as those who suffer from mentalRead MoreAn Investigation into the Relationship between Anxiety and Depression among University Students1372 Words   |  6 PagesAccording to Merriam Webster online dictionary anxiety is â€Å"An abnormal and overwhelming sense of apprehension and fear often marked by physiological signs (as sweating, tension, and increased pulse), by doubt concerning the reality and nature of the threat, and by self-doubt about ones capacity to cope with it†. In addition, depression is defined by the Oxford online dictionary as â€Å"A mental condition characterized by severe feelings of hopelessness and inadequacy, typically accompanied by a lackRead MoreAnxiety And Depression : Symptoms And Treatments Essay1252 Words   |  6 Pages Anxiety Depression Decrecia Nevels Morgan Mann Kristian Haynes Concorde Career College Abstract This paper explores anxiety and depression at length including a discussion on their similarities and differences. Other areas that will be examined in this research paper include describing just what anxiety is and how this mental disorder presents, different types of anxiety disorders and their symptoms and what treatment interventions are offered that help cope with this disorder. DepressionRead MoreSocial Anxiety And Its Effects On The World1738 Words   |  7 Pagesmost being specific to certain things or situations. Social anxiety is listed differently in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.), with criteria almost identical to those of social phobia with the exception that the fear be out of proportion in frequency and/or duration (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Its symptoms range from blushing and profuse sweating to heart palpitations and panic attacks. Social anxiety is one of the top psychological problems in the UnitedRead MoreNegat ive Effects Of Social Media1743 Words   |  7 Pages Social media is one of the most widespread methods of communication and interaction worldwide. While social media comes in various forms, they all tend to share the same motive: Encourage the public socialize. Most would wonder how this could be such a bad thing and see very few problems relating to social media. Others see right through the illusion of the LED screen. The public can easily hide behind a keyboard without threat of confrontation for their words or actions on the internet. Anything