Abstract
Politics in Britain have greatly influenced the public in many ways, not least in their opinions. The following discussion looks at British immigration and asylum policies and their effect on the existence of prejudice and discrimination against minorities. It outlines the importance of the terms ?race? and ?racism? and the explanations and types that have been identified. An outline is provided of how the different types have been encompassed into immigration policies and the effect they had on popular and accepted views and what, if anything, has changed. A timeline of political events and legislation is analysed in depth to provide evidence and reasons for the existence of racism in contemporary Britain.

From the Paper
"Biologically race is a false concept, but it is real in sociological terms, in that people classify others as belonging to various races. Thus, some argue that there are no races but "social processes through which social relationships become racialised: represented ideologically as entailing race" . Thus, discrimination (i.e. political exclusion of migrants due to ?cultural incompatibility) is explained by some social scientists in terms of New Racism. It has its origins in the political crisis affecting Britain with the ascendancy of the political right in the 1980's. Its focus is ?the defence of the mythic "British/English way of life" in the face of attack from enemies outside ("Argies", "Iraqis"), and within ("black communities")? . Racism, in these terms, is defined as discrimination based on the notion that it is justifiable to demand physical separation due to different cultural ways of living. There are downfalls to this theory. Although it talks of culture, it primarily concerns itself with colour. Some argue that the notion of new racism produces blackness and Englishness as "mutually exclusive categories" . Thus the argument arises that there is nothing new about new racism and its notions are fundamentally based around that of old biological racism."

Tags:discrimination, prejudice, sociology, minority, immigration, asylum

Abstract
This essay applies the thoughts of critical theorists such as Barthes and Eagleton to the concept of music and it?s cultural roots and present day entity.

Tags:barthes, eagleton, elton, john, lennon, tempest

Abstract
This paper is about the underlying themes of Naomi Klein's best-selling "No Logo" (2000), the "book that became a movement," a passionate anti-globalization manifesto. The paper looks at the underlying themes of Fordism and post-Fordism, consumer culture and globalization, and analyzes Klein's arguments while drawing on a variety of sources, both literary, -- William Gibson, Aldous Huxley and George Orwell, and academic --Kennedy & Cohen plus contrasting Klein's socialist agenda with libertarian principles.

From the Paper
"In No Logo, Naomi Klein analyzes the effects of modern advertising on Western society and culture in the late 90s. She argues, for the most part, against its far-reaching effects on everyday life, as well as on the ethical issues associated with the move to a post-Fordist society, where production takes place in third world countries under what is, in effect, 19th century conditions."

Tags:anti, fordism, post, fordism, advertising, globalization, Keynsian, naomi, klein, libertarian, economics, post-socialism, third, world

Abstract
This paper examines how the presence of others affects our performance and behavior. The author argues that the presence of others effects simple/practiced tasks and complex ones differently. Included is an analysis of group consensus and conformity, social impact theory, and a look at possible outcomes such as: diffusion of responsibility and pluralistic ignorance.

From the paper:

"Our behavior is influenced in many ways by the actions, views and mere presence of those around us. Many studies in Social Psychology have been carried out on how this influence effects us and how much. It seems that the presence of an audience is beneficial only when the task at hand is simple or well practiced. If not, the audience causes performance to get worse. When acting as part of a group, individuals tend to conform to a common group consensus. This is especially the case when such a consensus in unanimous. However, minorities do have the ability to change group norms or perceptions. Individuals are less likely to help those who maybe in trouble when there are other potential helpers around. This is mainly due to pluralistic ignorance and diffusion of responsibility. Social impact theory states that the level of influence on an individual depends on the number, status and proximity of the observers as well as on whether he is acting alone or with others."

Tags:asch, baron, bystander, conformity, cottrell, diffusion, fright, ignorance, impact, intervention, pluralistic, responsibility, sherif, social, stage, theory, zajonc

Abstract
This paper discusses the environment and its relationship with technological progress. The author uses figures, numbers and statistics to demonstrate the environmental paradox, the faulty thought that things are worse than they were before, when in fact they are getting better. The author also looks briefly at future advances in technology such as cloning and genetic engineering and argues for the far-reaching advantages it will provide the human race and environmental science.

From the Paper
"In this paper I set out to prove the environmental paradox. The world is getting better and better every day, we live in the greatest time the human race has ever had and people say it's going to the dogs. I would like to end this paper with a quote from P.J. O'Rourke: "Things are better now than things have been since men began keeping track of things. Things are better than they were only a few years ago. Things are better, in fact, than they were at 9:30 this morning, thanks to Tylenol and two Bloody Marys." (O'Rourke, p. 2) "

Tags:cloning, effect, engineering, environment, genetic, global, greenhouse, libertarian, malthus, paradox, rourke, statistics, terraforming, warming

Abstract
The paper critically assesses two differing research methodologies; quantitative and qualitative as both form an important part of sociological examination although fundamental differences exist between them. The paper provides an outline of each method and the manner in which it is employed followed by an examination of the inherent differences between the two methodologies. The paper concludes with an assessment as to what advantages can be attained when the two opposite approaches are used in conjunction with one another.

From the Paper
"Therefore, from such a basis it is possible to see how the two different methods employ differing criteria when examining social phenomena. Quantitative methodology relies heavily on measurable scientific data (Phillips, 1976; p. 102). As such, wide ranging data collection is a consistent feature of the quantitative approach. This would include data collection methods such as surveys and questionnaires. Interviews could also play an important role in quantitative research but such interviews would be heavily structured. A clear and unambiguous structure is vital to the methodology employed so that clearly definable scientific results can be offered. Given this, the quantitative approach requires as a prerequisite that the individual researcher or interviewer adopts an impartial and detached stance toward the research. (Bailey 1994; p. 136). Becoming heavily and directly involved in the research process could impact on the mathematical result and therefore negatively affect the reliability of the data."

Tags:qualitative, analysis, observational, techniques, statistics

Abstract
This paper provides a detailed evaluation of Chomsky's theory of Universal Grammar and innate Language Acquisition Device, which is central to the field of linguistics and psycholinguistics. It reviews the controversies surrounding Chomsky's theory and discusses alternative theories.

From the Paper
"Language acquisition is undeniably biologically programmed as children all over the world, from varying cultures and linguistic environments produce the same levels of language at the same stages. Chomsky proposes that this is a direct result of Universal Grammar, which is an inherent part of every human mind. However, his theory of an innate Language Acquisition Device provokes controversy on two grounds. First is the debate between nature and nurture, with many theorists criticizing Chomsky for dismissing any environmental factors. Second, is the dispute as to whether language acquisition is an independent innate faculty as Chomsky claims, or part of the child's wider cognitive development. Such disagreements demonstrate the enormous impact Chomsky's theory has had on the field of linguistics and reflects how "the Universal Grammar theory is for many the central pillar in our understanding of language." (Cook, V. Inside Language. Arnold. 1997, p249)"

Tags:acquisition, behaviorism, chomsky, development, grammar, lad, language, linguistics, nativist, psycholinguistics, universal

Abstract
This paper looks at the prevalence of Internet use and examines aspects such as the impact it has on our communication, employment, shopping habits, leisure and use of information. It discusses equality of access and the possibility that the Internet could become part of high culture as well as the positive and negative possibilities of electronic communication, including its potential use in terrorism, decentralisation of society and destruction of communities. The paper concludes that while there are arguments that suggest that the Internet is responsible for isolating people and weakening social controls and community bonds, it could also be argued that the Internet is a form of glue within modern societies, providing yet another means of communication to further strengthen the bonds within communities and families.

From the Paper
"The internet was originally developed by the US military as a form of transmitting messages and information between officers in different locations, and was then developed further by universities, with the aim of encouraging more academic debate between scholars across the world. With the advent of the personal computer and the boom in personal ownership, the internet became accessible to millions of households during the 1990s and its growth and popularity has continued, with the advance of high-speed and digital connections becoming more readily available. "

Tags:broadband, communication, communities, comunality, consumerism, culture, decentralisation, email, employment, gramsci, hegemony, social, terrorism

Abstract
This paper looks at how once a decision is made with regard to a policy, a method of putting it into effect is required. It examines how implementation is a complex process whereby the means must make the goals achievable and how the process of implementation can be approached in two ways the "top-down" (also known as "the rational model" or "forward mapping") or "bottom-up" (also known as "backward mapping". It shows how British policy is stuck with with the "top-down" approach and how in order to make the best of it, each policy needs to come with clearly defined objectives, an implementation plan, sufficient support and resources and a system of communication and monitoring to ensure minimal deviation.

From the Paper
"The way things are interpreted by each individual can affect the implementation process. For example, a hospital manager may tell a G.P. that he needs to reduce waiting times for operations. The G.P. may interpret from that that he should perform some of the more minor operations at his surgery as he is qualified to do so. Alternatively, he could interpret that he simply needs to put people off operations if they are not an absolute emergency. The first interpretation would mean patients who have minor operations will be seen sooner and by reducing the number of people he is sending to hospital he is reducing the waiting times for those who are having operations there."

Tags:bureaucracy, mapping, government, maker

Abstract
The paper examines the reconstruction of family composition in 17th and 18th centuries by historian, P. Laslett in his book "The World We Have Lost". It explores why some theories such as the late age of first marriage that was apparently unique to pre-modern Europe, have not been challenged, while others, such as the notion of a stable nuclear pattern, have been disputed at length.

From the Paper
"Because early modern Europe was principally a rural and class-based society, the family structure during this era was highly reliant upon on social rank. When there was land and money at stake, marriage within the same social class was paramount. The poor were also limited to marrying within their social class, but had a larger pool of potential mates from which to choose. This was a time in history in which two-generation households, rather than three-generation households, were customary. The oldest members of the household traditionally bestowed any holdings they had to the next generation upon retirement, and remained in close proximity to the family. The close support that existed between relatives living in separate but neighboring homes makes it difficult to distinguish whether the independent nuclear family was the basic family unit during this time, or whether it was actually the extended family (Laslett, 1984)."

Tags:18th, 19th, Weber, Karl, Marx, Western