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Organizational Theory
Essay Writing Techniques
Essay Writing
Introduction:
• Main Argument (highlighted in red)
• Statements of Intent (highlighted in blue)
RMIT University
Slide 2
Essay Writing
Introduction:
Good Examples
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Slide 3
Cultural regulation is increasingly crucial since the world
is changing so rapidly that our values and social
practices are constantly being redefined.
In this modernized world, much of our culture is influenced by mass media,
especially what we watch on television and listen to on the radio. Hence, a
persistent debate on cultural regulation centres around media regulation, in
particular, broadcast indecency which is about what is inappropriate content
and when can such content be broadcast, if at all.
The focus of this essay will be on free-to-air broadcast
since that is the centre of broadcast indecency laws in
America. The issue of whether regulatory bodies like the
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) should
regulate broadcast indecency depends on whether one
follows the conservative or liberal schools of thought.
However, with the rise of independent watchdogs like the
Parents Television Council (PTC) in America, the
question of re-regulating broadcast indecency is
constantly debated.
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Slide 4
The mass media has been a constant site of debate on issues of
regulation and de-regulation of cultural material, with sexual morality
being one of the most contested aspects. This essay shall aim to show
the constant tension between regulation and de-regulation through the
case of Janet Jackson’s exposed breast in 2004 Super Bowl
broadcast.
The controversies surrounding sexual representations and practices arise when
different groups have different perspectives and stances on cultural regulation.
The discussion shall first begin with an introduction to the cultural
values, beliefs and norms underpinning U.S. entertainment policies,
after which, I shall explore various parties; mainly the Federal
Communications Commissioning (FCC) and CBSs’ different views on
cultural regulation. This shall be followed by assessing the impact of
this airing on the general viewing population, where the idea of
technology and globalization will come into place. Finally, there will be
an evaluation of the pros and cons of the regulation/de-regulation/reregulation with the views of the Parents Television Council will be
taken into account. This will help to frame the argument of why the
courts should be the ultimate authority on regulation of broadcast
indecency. Yet, the courts should not be the only authority involved in
this regulation process; an uphill task of striking a delicate balance of
regulation and de-regulation in mass media is required.
RMIT University
Slide 5
How tattoos function to establish identity cannot be discussed without an
understanding of the perspectives on identity which are broadly divided into the
essentialist and non-essentialist views. Essentialists believe there is one clear set of
characteristics, shared by people, which remain unchanged through time. In contrast,
non-essentialists believe in the non-fixity of identities since they are socially
constructed by and in cultural meanings and practices (Woodward, 2002).
Both perspectives discuss identity through their
views on the body, which needs to be considered in
the modern context where we are presented with a
plethora of choices to altering our bodies.
As such, today, we speak of body projects in affluent societies like Singapore where
the body is treated as a project, open to reconstruction according to the owner’s
preferences (Shilling, 2002). Tattoos would certainly figure as a body project.
To analyse the use of tattoos, this essay will focus
on the non-essentialist perspective which sees the
body as something dynamic. The context of this
discussion will be the growing popularity of tattoos
in Singapore, especially among youth. In particular,
Norbert Elias’s ideas will be used to discuss whether
the industry should be regulated to ensure that they
do not impulsively get tattoos.
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Slide 6
Culture is a fluid, ongoing process and cultural
change, inevitable as it is, occurs at the collective
and the individual level. To discuss its occurrences
at these two levels as absolutely separate and
independent entities would be, however, misguided.
Collective culture shapes the individual, much as the individual can
attempt to manipulate culture.
In this essay, I am going to discuss how collective
culture can be changed by processes of cultural
diffusion, changes in collective conscience, and the
formation of subcultures, as well as how the
individual is shaped by these changes and
processes and how he can consciously manipulate
culture if he chooses to.
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Slide 7
Essay Writing
Introduction:
Bad Examples (see my comments)
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Slide 8
In this article I shall try to address some of the sharper questions that are
rightly asked about broadcasting regulation. Is it a form of censorship, a
kind of restraint of trade, a block on freedom of expression, an enabler
of cultural and political rights? I hope to arrive at some answers in a
relatively indirect way by exploring a few selected examples of the
philosophy and practice of regulation, and by drawing my examples from
different periods and different countries, specifically from Britain and from
the United States of America. I hope it will be apparent from these
examples that regulation is subject to a changing political and social context
and I suggest that we might see these changes in terms of a kind of ebbing
and flowing of regulatory practice in the twentieth century. Each approach
requires an evaluation to assure the desired outcome is achievable.
Regulation and deregulation does not always achieve the purpose for which
they were intended. When we make decisions about these types of actions,
we must be careful to understand the principles. There are critical areas of
society, which require that regulations be in place. Examples of these are
medicine, safety, national security, anti-trust, environmental, utilities,
national defense, food, and disaster relief.
-
Do not ask questions for the sake of asking questions. If you ask questions
in your introduction, you need to deal with these questions.
Be confident, do not use phrases like “I hope”. You are writing an academic
essay, not making a Christmas wish list. Instead, just write, “It will be
apparent…”
RMIT University
Slide 9
Family, throughout the centuries, has been a
controversial subject to a lot of sociologists and
other people of the academic world. What is the
family? People will give you various definitions
of the word ‘family’, as it is a very personal thing
to each of us. This is because due to the
different ways we are brought up, in different
kinds of family units. We have different ideals,
definition of the word “family”.
- The term “people” is always ambiguous. Who
are these “people”? Instead, be specific as to
which group of individuals you are referring to.
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Slide 10
Essay Writing
Never Write Like This!!! You are not writing your own
diary.
Taking the ever popular sit-com Friends for
example, most of the characters are not [blood]
related, but they looked so close and
empathetic, and affectionate towards each other.
I begin to ponder that sometimes, even I could
not be there all the time for my sister whenever
they are in plight, as say, Joey towards Rachel
when she got pregnant. Thus, I begin to place
questions in my head like, “Could this be called
a family or are they just friends?”
RMIT University
Slide 11
Essay Writing
Main Body:
• Paragraphing
– Content: 1 or 2 key issues
– Style: Academic (proper paragraph lengths) NOT
Journalistic (short lengths like newspaper paragraphs
or web articles)
• How to link paragraphs together
– Key words/phrases
RMIT University
Slide 12
Essay Writing
How to Link Paragraphs Together:
Example 1
As stated earlier, having a sociological
imagination allows us to not look at phenomena
at face value. This can be illustrated through the
following example. In M. Harris’ research on
“India Sacred Cow”, he helps us unravel the
mystery that is one of the major tenets of
Hinduism.
RMIT University
Slide 13
Essay Writing
How to Link Paragraphs Together:
Example 2
When talking about the family, there is a
tendency to quickly relate it to the nuclear
form of family that is the traditional form of
family.
RMIT University
Slide 14
Essay Writing
How to Link Paragraphs Together:
Example 3
Besides the above mentioned, the
alternative family is on the rise. More
homosexual couples are receiving
“recognition” from the world these days as
compared to the past.
RMIT University
Slide 15
Essay Writing
How to Link Paragraphs Together:
Example 4
Finally, as stated in C .W. Mills’ work, the
sociological imagination allows one to recognize
the interplay of biography and history. Through
this, we can understand that culture is in fact a
continuous process and is constantly changing.
For example,…
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Slide 16
Essay Writing
Conclusion:
• Summary of Main Points
• Reiteration of Main Argument
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Slide 17
Essay Writing
Conclusion
Good Examples
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Slide 18
In conclusion, the essay has shown how the combination
of social and economical factors creates the constant
debates on regulation/de-regulations/re-regulations.
There is the constant struggle of the different meanings and
interpretations of cultural material, with some of the aspects
viewed to be too important to be left alone in the unregulated
markets. At the same time, mass media institutions would
capitalize on the notions of self-regulation and appeal to
liberalism and commercial ideologies in order to assert the
importance of individual citizen’s rights to free choice. Hence,
there is a need for the state to exert its authority on the
regulation of broadcast indecency. This would address the
continuous tension between regulations, de-regulation and reregulation that varies according to political, socio-economical
circumstances. It is of particular importance that the courts
take into consideration views of various groups and people.
This will help to ensure the implementation of policies that
preserve social order without limiting the pursuit of economic
regeneration in terms of personal leisure and consumption of
mass media.
RMIT University
Slide 19
In conclusion, this essay has attempted to examine the use of
body tattoos as a body project by using various theories. It has
discussed how cultural essentialism based on an assumed
shared history and culture, has imposed on the contemporary
bodies the negative identity of a gangster. This was followed by
analysis of this body project by using the social construction
theories. Although it seems to be a fairer way of evaluating
body tattooing by attributing the identities of bodies to the
social and cultural factors, it has diminished the importance of
body as a material and physical entity (Shilling, 1997, p101).
Hence, Shilling’s theory of socio-natural body would then be
more helpful as it take into account both the social factors and
biological aspects of body. This was then linked to Bourdieu’s
theory of the body, as physical capital captures the idea of the
body as personal resources and social symbols of identity that
contributes to the production of social differences. Finally, we
have explored how Elias’s characteristic of the civilized body:
socialization, rationalization and individuation, could be
relevant to the societal and individual’s development of this
form of body project in Singapore.
RMIT University
Slide 20
In conclusion, the sociological imagination
can thus help us see through the social
constructs of society in terms of culture. It
cannot be said that all cultural practices are
cast in stone and thus cannot be contested.
But relying on the sociological imagination,
we are thus able to understand the
underlying reasons of certain cultural
practices and the reasons for following such
practices. They could be out of economical or
political reasons that certain cultural practices
are maintained. Thus, by using the sociological
imagination, one will ultimately be able to look
beyond the surface and dig deeper into our
cultural practices and traditions that we uphold
in this modern world that we live in.
RMIT University
Slide 21
Essay Writing
Referencing: Para-phasing
(Author, Year)
Lack of variability in a product is an important measure
of its quality (Shannon 2003).
OR
Shannon (2003) describes the role of statistics in
minimising product variability.
RMIT University
Slide 22
Essay Writing
Referencing: Direct Quotation
(Author, Year, Page Number)
Statistical thinking can be defined as a ‘set of thought
processes and value systems that focus on
understanding, managing and reducing variation in the
output of the firm’ (Shannon 2003, p. 5).
OR
Shannon defines statistical thinking as a ‘set of thought
processes and value systems that focus on
understanding, managing and reducing variation in the
output of the firm’ (2003, p. 5).
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Slide 23