Emile Durkheim

Emile Durkheim stands among the seminal classical theorists of sociology such as Karl Marx, Max Webber and Ferdinand Tonnies (Morrison, 2006). At a time where the subject of sociology itself was in its stages of infancy in universities, Durkheim’s contribution is described as the foundation for what we recognize today as social sciences (Morrison, 2006).Though he never considered himself a ‘sociologist’, Durkheim’s theoretical perspectives and social concerns were profound and comprehensive, straddling aspects of   religion, education, economics, law, psychology, ethics, philosophy, and theology. Among his central attention were regarding the aspects of Gemenshaft and Geselshaft: how societies were able to function and be efficient as they progressed into modernization when shared religion, culture and ethnic background seemed to deteriorate in tandem as they develop (Giddens, 1971).Durkheim borrowed August Comte’s social analysis where he deconstr ucted society into several parts and described each piece as playing a significant role in keeping the community alive and healthy, much like how each limb and organ throughout our bodies co-exist with one another. For one component to deteriorate or malfunction, the whole system would be affected. He then compounded the Gemenshaft theory with â€Å"social facts† as he moved towards Geselshaft, a term he coined to describe how each component had â€Å"an independent existence greater and more objective than the actions of the individuals that composed society† (Giddens, 1971).His predecessors like Tonnies hypothesized that we all have a purpose to and for each other that motivates us to co-exists, like a barter system, with the exception that humans are the commodities. For Durkheim, the â€Å"collective consciousness† that underlies a traditional society changes to â€Å"individual consciousness† in a modern society as a result of division of labor. Henc e, the simplicity, complacency and structured moderation that gelled people together peacefully slowly dissipates as it becomes complex with different specialization in employment and social roles (Poggi, 2000).Needless to say, Durkheim broke the mold of looking at Comte’s society as a simple family where there was no conflict, confusion and â€Å"anomalies† among its members. It is through these anomalies, or social problems, that we create forms of deviant behavior, most notably, suicide (Poggi, 2000). In a nutshell, the more progressive or â€Å"organic† we become, the more social problems are created called anomalies. And these anomalies are the diseases that corrupt who we are that can eventually tip us over the edge with suicide.Since young, Durkheim was notably a hard-working, studious and scholarly individual.   He was born on April 15 1858 in Lorraine, France into a family of devout Jews. His father and forefathers were all rabbis, yet since young, Du rkheim knew he was not to follow suit (Poggi, 2000). He took an alternative path into the secular movement holding on to a belief that even the role of religious phenomena in society had its roots in social understanding rather than a higher, ethereal Being or Divine intervention (Poggi, 2000). His religious deviation could be due to the insurgence of Marxist politics that were sweeping Europe as repercussions of the French Revolution and Prussian War (Poggi, 2000). Nonetheless, the backbone of all his work was influenced by his family’s religious upbringing though they may not be distinct.At college, Durkheim grew a reputation for being obnoxious. Though he won many accolades upon entering École Normale Supà ©rieure in 1879 his lecturers did not think much of him unlike his peers: Henri Bergson, Numa Denis Fustel de Coulanges and Jean Jaurà ¨s, the latter who later became Durkheim’s closest friend (Giddens, 1971).Politics at the time made Durkheim a staunch soci alist. Tensions of the Franco-Prussian war, the siege of Paris and a new republican government overturned many changes intellectually for scholars throughout Europe, including Durkheim (Morrison, 2006). In America, tensions were also arising from the civil war between the Union and the eleven southern states led by President Lincoln (Morrison, 2006). It is interesting to point out that as Durkheim germinated a keen observation for social studies and social deviant behavior, America was experiencing the booming explosion of migration from all over Europe (Mclaughlin, 1990) due to the political instability.Despite America’s own civil conflicts, North America was becoming the goal destination for transatlantic migration. With its rapid influx of racial and cultural assimilation from Africa, South Americas through to Ireland, Durkheim’s work were soon to be seminal and timely in analyzing the social discrepancies that were to befall the new melting pot America (Mclaughlin, 1990). Soon, the country, under the leadership of President William McKinley at the turn of 1890, was experiencing the very problems Durkheim and his peers were scientifically trying to prove in rapidly developing organic societies. America was undergoing what sociologists describe as â€Å"transplanted networks† – foreign cultures taken out of its roots and transplanted amongst each other in a new climate allowing the plurality to blend into a concoction of some sort (Mclaughlin, 1990).For most Americans, immigration had caused an acute problem: the loss of the true â€Å"American† identity. America was not just having problems with cultural diversity, but also color diversity. Racial inequality was also due to color division. Though the civil wars had removed the term slavery from its context, the stigma, prejudice and discrimination among the African American and the whites continued to persist, causing an over-layering of marginality on top of the European migration (Mclaughlin, 1990). This racial division soon led to insufficiency and inequality in opportunities leading to so many social anomalies (Mclaughlin, 1990). Considering the fact that Durkheim never set foot in America, it is ironic that America was to become the perfect guinea pig of a society for his all future analyses.As more Europeans fled to America, Durkheim grew increasingly nationalistic for a weakened France but left for Germany for a year. His return brought new inspiration. He helped to revolutionize the secular education by introducing social science as a teacher in pedagogy and reforming the French school system (Giddens, 1971). A slew of famous accomplishments came after: in 1893 he wrote The Division of Labor in Society, in 1895 he finished Rules of the Sociological Method and founded the first European Department of Sociology at the University of Bordeaux, in 1896 founded the journal L'Annà ©e Sociologique, and in 1897 published Suicide (Morrison, 2006).For a man of his astounding contribution, scholastic achievement and nationalistic pride, Durkheim succumbed to a bullet much closer to his heart: the death of his son in World War I. He never recovered from his sadness and two years later in November 15 1917, Durkheim, emotionally overwhelmed and devastated, died from exhaustion.Though he died at a young age of fifty-nine, Durkheim left a legacy of social understanding that speaks in volume up till today. One of his remarkable works is his book entitled Le Suicide (1897) that argues how collective forces are instrumental determinants for suicide than individual factors. Though the book was greatly challenged by scholars and skeptics alike, Durkheim’s investigations warrant a legitimate space for understanding, if not comparative study (Brym and Lie, 2006).Though suicide is commonly associated with psychiatric illness, human weaknesses as an escape to life’s difficulties, or mental dysfunction due to substance abuses, Durk heim contends that it is society and its trappings that leads an individual over the edge (Edles and Appelrouth, 2004). What has been recorded such as race, heredity, psychiatric factors, etc are all â€Å"peripheral factors†, far from the nucleus of the causes. The nucleus is by not looking at suicide as an individual or isolated case, but by looking at the totality of suicide in a society: what are the factors causing people to commit suicide? Why are people committing suicide?Based on Le Suicide, one strong basis is caused by an individual’s poor integration into his society (Emirbayer, 2003). By not being able to fit in, one becomes a social outcast – an anomaly – and being left out or misplaced is what leads one to want to be completely out of the whole community, hence suicide. Another cause is when there is no moral or social integration or regulation for the individual within his society (Edles and Appelrouth, 2004). His formulation: each society has an aptitude for suicide. This is measured by taking the proportion between the total number of voluntary deaths and the population of every age and sex against its historical period (Emirbayer, 2003).Durkheim creates a linking between individual pathologies to social conditions (Edles and Appelrouth, 2004). He describes four types of suicides: egoistic, altruistic, anomic and fatalistic (Emirbayer, 2003). Egoistic suicide occurs when man finds no more purpose in life. An example is when a person lives alone or has loosened his bonds with his family, is divorced and feels disconnected with others. His sense of non-belonging and feeling non-appreciated would be the triggers that end his life (Edles and Appelrouth, 2004). It is considered the most extreme form and a natural disposition for individuals living in highly developed and modern societies.Altruistic suicide is when an individual gives his life for his group. Examples of this would be the practice of human sacrifices in ce rtain remote tribal cultures and suicide bombers.   Durkheim describes another type of suicide that stems from this extreme form of helplessness – fatalistic suicide. Such suicide results in primitive groups or societies where the individual is rendered powerless in releasing himself from a form of oppression such as slavery or sacrificial cult.Anomic suicide happens when there is lack of moral regulation to the individual and his social group. This occurs when the individual feels morally lost and adrift, setting him apart from everyone else. He may have deviated himself from not wanting to be a part of any religion because there many to choose from, or because the religious plurality has reduced his insight on the true meaning of religion (Brym and Lie, 2006).Through Durkheim’s teachings, we learn that if all members of a society were anchored to common sets of symbolic representations, to common assumptions about the world around them, individuals in their social groups would feel a sense of belonging and help prevent societies from social decay and degeneration.References1.Applerouth, S. A. and Edlers, L. D. (2004). Sociological Theory in the Classical Era: Text and Readings. Thousand Oaks. Pine Forge Press2.Brym, R. J. and Lie, J. (2006). Sociology Your Campus for a New World. Australia. Thomson Wadsworth3.Emirbayer, M. (2003). Emile Durkheim Sociologist of Modernity. MA. Blackwell Publishing Ltd4.Giddens, A. 91971). Capitalism and Modern Social Theory. Cambridge. Cambridge University Press5.   Poggi, G. (2000). The Founders of Modern Political and Social Thought. Oxford. Oxford University Press6.Morrison, K. (2006). Marx, Durkheim, Weber. London. Sage Publications Inc.7.   V. Yans-Mclaughlin. (1990). Immigration Reconsidered History, Sociology and Politics. Oxford. Oxford University Press

20 Research Essay Topics on Applied Anthropology in Real Life

20 Research Essay Topics on Applied Anthropology in Real Life When you are in search of great anthropology topics that you can use for your next paper, there are many items from which to choose. The list below should serve as a bank of potential research essay topics that might be useful for your next writing assignment: Why Ethnographic Studies Are a Primary Method for Gathering Research Used Prevalently since 1928 How Religious Diversity in Middle Eastern Villages Differs from African Villages How Gender Differences in Middle Eastern Villages Differ from African Villages How Ethnographies Are Viable Teaching Tools Designed to Integrate People in Another Community The Comparison of Cross Cultural Concepts between Two Cultures of Your Choice The Similarities between South Korean and American Hip Hop The Immigration Patterns in South American from Cities What Role Agriculture Has Played on Social Relationships between Different Towns in Egypt Non-Conformist Sub-Cultures such as Star Trek Fans or Porn Stars Work Completed by Non-Field Workers and Whether Their Ethnographic Contributions Are Valid Scientific Studies How Alternative Women’s Roles and Gender Rights Can Be Historical in One Culture, a Thing of Ancient Past, But Current and Well-Accepted in Another Human Rights in America versus China and How They Differ How People View Other Cultures through a Lens of Their Own Culture and What Problems This Can Cause How Anger or Pity toward â€Å"Others† Is an Easier Emotion than Empathy Cultural Shifts Which Have Happened since President Obama Was Elected The Trends That Take Place after Key Historical Moments, such as How When Famous Television Shows End, People Will Become Depressed and Will Make Emotionally Driven Decisions to Sell Their Stock The Cultural Limitations Which Exist between Hmong Patients and Western Doctors The Anthropological Issues between Eastern Healers and Western Biomedicine The Ethical Problems Which Arise When Parents Refuse to Consent to Necessary Medical Interventions or Surgeries for Their Child Because of Cultural Limitations, Without Which the Child Will Likely Die The Power of Hand Gestures and Facial Expressions in Overcoming Cultural Barriers and Language Differences Sample Research Essay on Newborn Hmong Children The Hmong people are proud and stubborn. They have defended their culture against invasion from many nations including France and China. Having succeeded in never submitting to foreign rule, the Hmong people have always fought hard against their enemies and succeeded in being left alone to farm for themselves among the hills of Laos. After helping the CIA in a covert mission against Vietnam, the Hmong people were driven from their homes, making their way on foot to refugee camps in Thailand before being sent to the United States as migrants without a place to call â€Å"home†. In spite of being placed in cities completely foreign to them, and given items that were of no use to them (such as stove tops they had never seen), these Hmong people maintained a strong tie to and defense of their culture. They continued to practice traditional healing by growing medicinal herbs in any patch of dirt they could find including the small patches of dirt in parking lot medians and to make animal sacrifices with their official medicinal healer. There have existed many conflicts between Hmong patients in America and Western Medicine. This began in the refugee camps in Thailand where vicious rumors were spread to Hmong refugees about the bad nature of the Western doctors and the deplorable things they would do such as eat the organs of the dead Hmong. It took years before an authority figure was called in to address these rumors. Many adult refugees still refused to visit regular medical facilities, instead relying upon the shamans of their culture to practice rituals and animal slaughtering. The belief of the Hmong is that there are many evil spirits roaming the earth and many acts which can cause or allow an evil spirit to catch someone, or take their spirit from the body. When things such as this take place, the individual becomes ill. Sometimes, when parents do something wrong earlier in their life, they are punished with illness or with a deformed child, something they must bear with dignity. However, there was a promine nt rumor in America that if children were not born in an American hospital, they would not receive citizenship. This rumor led to an extremely high number of Hmong women entering into emergency rooms as soon as labor began. The Hmong have strict rules regarding marriage and as such, they have married from among their own people for hundreds of years. Their strict diets, lifestyle, and marriage traditions have led Hmong women to enjoy very healthy pregnancies and easy birth, given that their hips have been genetically designed to perfectly deliver a Hmong baby who is typically the same size as all others. That being said, no pre-natal care is sought, and in many cases during the 1980’s and 1990’s in America, women would enter with the baby already coming out. Once the women were admitted, the doctors would attempt to aid labor in whatever fashion the situation demanded. But surgeries were not always approved of by the women. Without proper interpreters, many times the women were unaware of what medical treatment they were receiving or why, and thought the worst of their medical doctors. The doctors felt that the patients were not listening to their advice, instead opting to sacrifice a pig or cow and to drink herbal teas. The biggest point of contention was the afterbirth. The Hmong believe that the afterbirth must be buried in a unique location with a proper ritual so that when the person dies later on, their spirit can make its way back to the afterbirth, whose name translates to â€Å"first coat† and from their wander the afterlife. But the doctors were often under the misguided view that the patients wanted to eat it, or did not care why the patients wanted it and instead would throw away the afterbirth. This is a representativ e of the culture viewpoints that each had about the other. The western doctors were under the personal belief that western medicine was the best and there was no reason to keep the afterbirth. The Hmong had been horrified that the doctors were noncompliant, an act that would force their child’s spirit to wander naked and confused in the afterlife. References: Chambers, Erve.  Applied anthropology: A practical guide. Prentice Hall, 1985. Eddy, Elizabeth M., and William L. Partridge.  Applied anthropology in America. New York: Columbia University Press, 1978. Ervin, Alexander M.  Applied anthropology: tools and perspectives for contemporary practice. Allyn Bacon, 2005. Foster, George McClelland.  Applied anthropology. Boston: Little, Brown, 1969. Pfeifer, Mark E., and Serge Lee. Hmong population, demographic, socioeconomic, and educational trends in the 2000 census.  Hmong  (2000): 3-11. Purcell, Trevor. Indigenous knowledge and applied anthropology: Questions of definition and direction.  Human organization  57.3 (1998): 258-272. Quincy, Keith.  Hmong: History of a people. Eastern Washington Univ Pr, 1988.

Weak Woman Becomes Strong †Antigones Sister

Weak Woman Becomes Strong – Antigones Sister Free Online Research Papers The 1950’s, when the men worked and the women cooked and took care of children, the perfect time, NOT! The women of the 1950’s are a lot like Ismene at the beginning of the play Antigone, she is the ideal, domestic, Greek woman who believes that women are weak against men. She however finds her inner courage and speaks up like the women of the 1960’s. Ismene believes that women are weak against men, argues with her sister, and then she changes her mind and stands up for her beliefs. â€Å"I am not disrespecting them. But I can’t act against the state. That is not in my nature,† declares Ismene. (Prologue.96-97) Ismene acts like a traditional Greek homemaker. Traditional Greek women stay at home, bring up the children, and prepare dinner. They are not even allowed to eat dinner with their husbands. Ismene follows those beliefs by telling Antigone that she cannot act against the state, because it is not in her nature and that women are weak against men. Ismene and Antigone are a lot like my sister and I, complete opposites, and always arguing. â€Å"A vain attempt should not be made at all,† argues Ismene. (Prologue.112) â€Å"I will hate you if you are going to talk that way,† wails Antigone. (Prologue.114) Ismene is arguing that Antigone should not try to bury Polyneices’ corpse against Creon’s wishes. Antigone decides to bury his body anyway, and tells Ismene to tell anyone she wants. â€Å"You are my sister. Do not dishonor me. Let me respect the dead and die with you,† Ismene cries. (Episode 1.623) Ismene speaks up like the women of the 1960’s and says she will take the punishment and die with her sister. Antigone will not let Ismene take the blame for something she did not do, and spares her sister even though Ismene says she will have no one left to love. Ismene turns out to be strong and even though she was weak in the beginning, she finds courage. Ismene is not much of a main character, but she is important none the less. Research Papers on Weak Woman Becomes Strong - Antigone's SisterComparison: Letter from Birmingham and CritoThe Fifth HorsemanAnalysis Of A Cosmetics AdvertisementMind TravelHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Essay19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesAssess the importance of Nationalism 1815-1850 EuropePersonal Experience with Teen PregnancyThe Spring and Autumn

Critically analyse the extent to which the courts rely on policy Essay

Critically analyse the extent to which the courts rely on policy considerations when determining international trade cases - Essay Example This aspect has been the most significant hindrance to solving international trade cases. However, with globalization being on the increased, this notion can be easily changed. Major international bodies have come up with common policies, rules and regulation that create equality in the international market. According to Economist1 (2008) equality in the international market can only be achieved through creation of common international trade policies. This move has gone a long way in ensuring even small countries get the maximum market exposure as the market heavyweights. International market policies did not favor such countries. As much as these policies have been formulated, the courts and the judicial systems have the obligation of ensuring that these policies are adhered to. Just like any other court or justice system, the law governing international trade cases has an extent that a court may alter when need be. This has been a source of debate from many analysts who argue that international trade policies should not be altered regardless of the situation in question. Should there be an extent at which a court should adhere to international trade policies? What conditions should a case have in order to have the international laws stretched? What are the positive and negative effects of stretching the international trade polices? . According to Ahn, Fukao & Ito2 (2005) the reliance of the courts to international policies has enabled justice to prevail in the international market. The extent of the court reliance on the international policies is stipulated by the law. These laws are formulated in regards to the norms of the international market. These laws are a formulated by the joint opinion of major financial regions. This enables the laws formulated to be efficient and considerate to all requirements of these zones. After these laws are formulated the courts are given the responsibility of ensuring that the laws are practiced in full force. Major laws an d policies involved in the international market are based on licensing and legality. In licensing the courts only require to adhere to the requirements of the international law. In the international market, licensing involves legalizing business enterprises to export and import goods and services across the globe. Legalizing of business enterprises is based on their mode of operation and organization structure. The operations an organization carries out should be in line with the legal and international market requirements. For instance, the trade of illegal goods is strictly prohibited in all market regions across the globe. In ruling on a case involving the trade of illegal goods, the courts need to pass judgment regarding the requirements of the international policies. However, in this scenario there may exceptions which are due to different policies in different nations. For instance, with the legalization of the marijuana in a state in the United States, international law prohi biting the trade of marijuana should not govern this particular state. In this case, the court is forced to consider the law governing the trade of a particular product in a particular region. It is in such a scenario that the court needs to alter the international trade policies. From this scenario, one could argue that the court may alter the international trade policies to a certain extent. For instance, if two countries in different

Critique essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 7

Critique - Essay Example The duty of USA as the world’s superpower is to ensure security of Americans and the world in general. It is involved in wars that upset the world peaceful order. USA and other European allies persuaded Iran to drop nuclear and Uranium production to protect the civil stability existing in the country after many years of war. If US had vested interests in Iran, it would not have lifted the international sanctions regimes, Iran’s key oil ores, banking and financial sector. The country gets at least $4.2 billion profit from the oil sales which USA could benefit as a result of the war. USA would have retained Arak reactor instead of suggesting having the plutonium reduced to manageable levels. An article by BBC News reveals that there are still political constraints that will upset the success of the negotiations about nuclear programs. There is a possibility that Iran could go out for war as opposed to USA opting to strike it and halt the production of nuclear and uranium products. The trips of John Kerry and the US security officials have been fruitless. In an article written by Irene Chapple and Mark Thompson on CNN edition, the newly elected Iran president Rouhani maintains that Iran will continue to embrace the peaceful technology of nuclear weapons. The president had stated six months before Iran went into a peace deal with USA. The president changed his stance on nuclear weapons manufacture in Iran and supported the move to have the facilities inspected. There is a high likelihood that the same president can pursue war interests towards other countries other than USA. The essay states that the bone of contention between USA and Iran emanated from the perception that Iran could be pursuing war to revenge against the west. Iran could still spoil for war against Israel since the feud between the two countries has never been solved since 1979. Iran perceives Israel as an illegitimate state and has no right to exist. The article provides evidence that

Why White Collar Crimes are Committed Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Why White Collar Crimes are Committed - Essay Example By implementing the theory of Individualism in criminology, certain factors that lead to the causation of this form of white collar crime become evident. According to Sutherland (1994), personality and individual characteristics are not sufficient to offer a full comprehensive example of white collar crime. However, these two characteristics should not be dismissed entirely nor should the theory of the individualistic level (Friedrich 2004). The reason this is stated is due to the implied idea that top corporate professionals, within these aforementioned companies are interpreted to the general public as being greedy and self preserving. This is obvious by the fact that if ethic's and concern for other investors had been deciding factors, these criminal actions of fraud and embezzlement (among others) would have never taken place. Many times the individualistic theory in white collar crime points to greed as the main causation for the crime or crimes. What it amounts to is the fact that these executives would rather take the wrong highway to achieve higher positions of importance and financial flare/success than worry about what repercussions for their actions might be later down the road (Friedrich 2004).

Information systems Essay Example for Free

Information systems Essay None -Course objectives Information is perhaps the most important of all business resources, and the ability to manage it effectively on a global level is a essential organizational capability. Information systems are the tools that firms use to manage information, and it is critical for managers to understand how to use them. This course introduces you to key information systems concepts, issues and questions that will help you to accomplish this. The focus of the course is managerial little prior knowledge of  information systems is required, and you certainly won’t be doing any programming! It is assumed that you already possess the basic computer skills needed to use various office suite products (word processing, spreadsheet, e-mail, etc. ), or will acquire these skills independently of this course. The objective of the course is to provide a basic knowledge set that will allow you to understand the most common information systems issues that exist in today’s organizations, to ask critical questions, and participate in IT decision making. P a g e | 2 Organization of the Course Pedagogy  This course relies on a diversity of teaching media, including lectures, readings, and case discussions. Inclass discussions are important and quality class participation is expected from each student. It is your responsibility to read the appropriate material before class. Unless prior arrangements have been made with the instructor, no late assignments will be accepted. Assigned Reading There is a readings package for this course that contains required articles and cases. As well we have an open source text: John Gallaugher, â€Å"Information Systems: A Manager’s Guide to Harnessing Technology†, Flat World,Version1. 1, 2011. Go to this website to access the text: http://www. flatworldstudents. com/course? cid=453963bid=38086. You can read it online for free. If you pay $29 or thereabouts you can download an e-reader version or a pdf. A printed text is $40 and a color text is $60. We cover a large volume of material in this course. When preparing for class, you should review the overheads, carefully read the assigned articles and cases and try to identify what you believe are key points or issues. Always ask yourself the following question â€Å"As a manager, what issues does this raise for me? † Evaluation of Student Performance. The course grading scheme for Master’s level courses at Schulich uses a 9-value grade-point system. The possible course letter grades for a course (and the corresponding grade points awarded for each grade are: A+ 9 grade points A 8 A7 B+ 6 B 5 B4 C+ 3 C 2 C1 F 0 (Students are reminded that they must maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 4. 2 to remain in good standing and continue in the program, and a minimum of 4. 4 to qualify for their degree. Schulich grading guidelines mandate a section grade point average [‘GPA’] of between 4. 7 and 6. 1 for core courses and a section GPA of between 5. 2 and 6. 2 for electives. ) Where instructors use numerical or percentage grades, Schulich grading policy does not require a preset translation of percentages into specific letter grades P a g e | 3 Participation 20 % Individual Assignment 30 % Group Assignment 50% In class Five pages maximum, handed in at the beginning of session 4 Presentation 20%, session 6 Peer evaluation 5%, session 6 Final report 25%, No later than 1 day after final session Participation (20%) Good class participation by all class members is necessary in order to get the most out of the cases and readings. You are encouraged to take advantage of this gathering of your peers to improve your communication skills and obtain feedback on your views in a relatively low-risk environment. Attendance is not participation. Your attendance is expected for the full duration of the class. If you miss more than two classes, you have failed the course. If you feel that you have to miss a class or any part of a class please inform the instructor before the class so that you will not be called upon in class and so that the instructor can advise you on how to keep up with the rest of the class. I expect that you will: a) Be prepared for class. b) Be on time for class. c) Keep me informed. Do not suffer in silence. Let the instructor know if you are having problems. Let it be known if you cannot attend class. With only six sessions, you do not want to miss anything. d) Come to class with a readable name card. This is important for monitoring your participation. Identify all your work completely with student number and name. Both of these actions will help the instructor to get to know you as an individual. In-class participation will be graded on quality not quantity. Timely and regular attendance, comments and questions that demonstrate knowledge of the topic and intellectual acuity can enhance your participation grade. Be respectful of other’s desire to participate, so be brief and relevant. Individual assignment (30%) The course includes an individual assignment, worth 30%. The total length of the individual assignment is 5 pages maximum, including all materials, except an optional cover page, and a reference list (if required). I will provide details on this assignment in the first class. Group Assignment (50%) You will be placed into groups. Each group will be required to perform an analysis of a business problem that deals with IT issues. Details of the group assignment will be provided in session 1. The group assignment includes three deliverables: 1. Final Report Final report (25%) – each group will submit a final report due no later than 1 day following the final class session. The report will be no longer than 20 pages, including all components, except for a title page and references. The following sections are required: Executive Summary (1page only), Introduction, Summary, and Conclusions. Other sections are up to you P a g e | 4 2. Management presentation Management presentation (20%) – each group will deliver a 10 minute presentation during the final class session. No extra time will be allowed. Maximum 10 slides. Please provide me with a copy of the presentation slides the evening before the final class session by 6 p. m. at the latest. 3. Peer evaluation Peer evaluation (5%) – you will be asked to evaluate the performance of your fellow group members. I will hand out a form for this in week 6. Academic Honesty Academic honesty is fundamental to the integrity of university education and degree programs. The Schulich School will investigate and will act to enforce academic honesty policies where apparent violations occur. Students should familiarize themselves with York University’s policy on academic honesty. It is printed in full in your student handbook and can also viewed on-line on the Schulich website, clicking through as indicated: MBA/IMBA. Schulich website ‘Programs’ ‘Master’s Degree’ ‘Learn More’ ‘Academic Policy’ While academic dishonesty can take many forms, there are several forms of which students should be highly aware because they are the ones that are most likely to occur in the context of a specific course. [1] Plagiarism. Plagiarism is the presentation of information, ideas, or analysis generated by other people as being your own. It includes direct quotations as well a substantive paraphrases where the course of that information or idea is not clearly identified to the reader. Students should be careful to present their written work in a way that makes it completely clear in each and every cases where a quotation, a paraphrase, or an analysis is based on the work of other people. (This includes information from all sources, including websites. ) [2] Cheating. Cheating is an attempt to gain an unfair advantage in an evaluation. Examples of such violations include (but are not limited to) consulting prohibited materials during an examination or copying from another student. [3] Failure to follow limitations on collaborative work with other students in preparing academic assignments. Each class differs in the mix of assignments and group-versus-individual preparation that is allowed. The instructor will make clear the extent of collaboration among students that is acceptable among students on various pieces of assigned work. Students should abide by those limitations and, if they are unsure about whether a certain level or form of collaboration would be acceptable, to clarify that question with the instructor in advance. [4] Aiding and abetting. A student is guilty of violating academic honesty expectations if he/she acts in a way that enables another student to engage in academic dishonesty. If a student knows (or should reasonably expect) that an action would enable another student to cheat or plagiarize, that student’s action constitutes an academic honesty violation. Illustrative examples include making your exam paper easily visible to others in the same exam or providing your own working or finished documents for an ‘individual assignment’ to another student (even if that other student said that he/she just wanted to ‘get an idea of how to approach the assignment’ or ‘to check whether they had done theirs correctly’). [5] Use of academic work in more than one course. Generally, academic work done for every course is ‘new’ work, done for that course only. If a student wishes to use some or all of the academic work done for an assigned task in one course in another course, the student must get explicit, prior permission from both instructors so that they agree that the scope and nature of the overlapping use of that work is such that it can fairly be counted toward both courses. P a g e | 5 Schedule of Topics and Readings The following list of lecture topics and readings indicate the material to be read, reviewed and/or prepared for the various class sessions. If any changes in this schedule become necessary, notifications will be posted in the course CMD, and where such changes need to be announced between class sessions, an email will be sent to students’ Lotus Notes email accounts, notifying them of the change. Date Topic(s) Session 1 Key question: What is an information system and why is it Feb 27 important? IS Ch 1, Lecture: Introduction to management information systems and enterprise Ch 5 Ch technology management 10 Lecture: Technology fundamentals Reading: A conversation about information technology 1. In your experience, does this conversation ring true? 2. Why are many business managers frustrated with organizational IT? 3. Why are many IT managers frustrated with ‘the business side’? 4. What can be done to improve relations between the two sides? Activity: A group discussion of Open versus Closed systems models. Session 2 Key question: How can you use information systems to get the Mar 5 most out of organizations? IS Ch 11 Lecture: Organizational information systems Enterprise systems Case: Business Intelligence Software at SYSCO Activity: Information structures organizational effectiveness Session 3 How can you manage the balance between security and privacy, Mar 12 openness and access? IS Ch 6, Ch 12, Ch 13 Lecture: IS ethics, privacy, computer crime, and security Case: ChoicePoint (A) 1. What is your appraisal of ChoicePoint’s business model? 2. How legitimate are the concerns voiced by the industry critics? 3. In Derek Smith’s position, what internal changes, if any, would you make to address the issues discussed in the case? 4. In Derek Smith’s position, what would you recommend to the U. S. Congress regarding regulation of the personal data industry? Discussion: Information security vs privacy P a g e | 6 Session 4 Key question: How can you use information systems for a Mar 19 sustainable competitive advantage? IS Ch 2, Lecture: IS for competitive advantage IS Planning and project Ch 7 Ch management 8 Reading: Investing in the IT That Makes a Competitive Difference Case: MDCM Inc. 1. Could MDCM fulfill Horizon 2000 without a strong focus on transforming IT? Why or why not? 2. Define MDCM’s overall corporate strategy and business goals, and match these with the company’s high-level IT objectives. Present your findings in a report to the senior management team. *Individual assignment due Session 5 Mar 26 IS Ch 9 Ch 14 Key question: How to effectively manage information systems in a changing global environment? Lecture: IS development and Global IT outsourcing Reading: Outsourcing: From Cost Management to Innovation and Business Value Case: Future Vision Digital Services 1. As Blake Randolph, what would you do to deal with the immediate problem? 2. Does the blame reside with Gregoire for being difficult to manage, or with Randolph, for not being able to manage Gregoire? 3. Would you use Gregoire on another project? Why or why not? 4. If you answered yes to Q3, would you change the way you manage Gregoire? How? Session 6 Apr 2 Apr 3 Group presentations Final reports due.