A Case Study Audit Report of Veterans Affairs Association

A Case Study Audit Report of Veterans Affairs Association Introduction The Veterans Affairs (VA) is subject to the Government Security Policy (GSP) and must ensure compliance with the GSP and operational standards. The VA is responsible for the conduct of an audit to determine the efficiency and effectiveness of its security program. At the request of the VA, we conducted an audit of security to provide management of the VA with an objective assessment of it security program. Overall, we found that the VA met the requirements of the Government Security Policy (GSP) with respect to compliance, efficiency, and effectiveness. The audit provides an overview of the main security measures we observed. We also identified areas for improvement. The department of Veterans Affairs Investigation A Case Study Audit Report Generally, the VA has put in place a security program which complies with the GSP and operational standards. The roles and responsibilities of Security Management, Personnel Security, Physical Security, Information Technology Security as well as Contracting Management Security and Contingency Measures Security are clearly defined in the Security Management Structure. The Departmental security officer (DSO) carries out his duties by coordinating, controlling and updating the security program on a regular basis. The VA has implemented adequate mechanisms to ensure the protection of sensitive information and assets. The sensitive information and assets are classified, designated, declassified or disposed of, in compliance with the standards. Emergency and recovery plans are periodically developed, documented and revised, in compliance with the requirements. Public Works and Secure Impact (PWSI) is currently responsible for security screening services which are conducted in compliance with the Security Policy and the Personnel Security Standards. Even though the original agreement between the two parties for this service is no longer valid. Moreover, certain roles and responsibilities between the two parties are not clearly established and defined in the agreement. Presently, the VA determines the security level related to the position requirements and requests the appropriate personnel screening. The PWSI acts as the administrative security officer by granting the level of security requested by the VA. About the Audit The Veterans Affairs (VA) is responsible for protecting sensitive data such as financial, medical, and personal Veteran and employee information under their authority. The information must be classified and designated considering the provisions for adequate exceptions of the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act. The data appropriate to information technologies must be classified and specifically designated per their confidentiality, integrity, availability and value. Information and sensitive data must be protected per minimal standards, and related risk and threat assessment. The VA is responsible for the implementation of the Security Policy within its institution and must conduct an internal audit on their compliance with the policy and their efficiency in implementing it at least every year. This audit is conducted within the framework of Treasury Board Secretariats requirements in this respect. Objectives The objectives of the audit are to ensure the compliance of all sensitive information and goods with the Government Security Policy (GSP) and with the operational standards and the efficiency and effectiveness of the Security Program of the VA. More specifically, the objectives focused on: Security organization, Security Management, Physical Security and Personnel Security. Scope of the Audit The audit covers the following: Security Organization: the structure of security management at the VA for the overall security program. Security Management: the security program, the security education and training programs, the classification and designation of sensitive data, the measures of protection for sensitive information, the breaches and violations of security and other security-related incidents, the protection measures taken for external communications. Physical Security: the location and layout of installations, the identification and the application of protection measures in the installations, the examination and control of physical security measures. Personnel Security: the personnel security investigations, the authorization, refusal and revocation of security levels, the measures required at employees termination of employment. Security and management of emergency cases: necessary actions are taken to protect sensitive information and assets and employees during all types of emergencies. Security and management of contracting: security measurements are included with other requirements in contracts involving access to sensitive information. Approach and Methodology The audit methodologies are comprised of interviews, data gathering, information and report analyses, the study of files and the observation of practices. Findings and Management Responses Security Organization Objective: To verify whether there is in place a security management structure meeting the Agencys requirements for the overall security program, specifically management security, physical security and personnel security. VA has implemented a security management structure which meets the overall security program needs of the Agency. The security responsibilities are clearly defined, established and assigned to personnel whose positions include security responsibilities defined in the position description. Secure Impact, a tenant in the same building as VA, is responsible for the development and implementation of the physical security. For personnel security screening VA depends on the services of PW. Area of Improvement The audit has found that the agreement between the VA and PW for the delivery of personnel security screening services has expired. Furthermore, certain roles and responsibilities of PW as related to the security of the VA personnel were not clearly established in the expired agreement. Management Response The VA recognizes the importance of maintaining valid agreements with its service providers, especially when dealing with security issues. The VA also appreciates the necessity of having clear roles and responsibilities defined in the agreement and understood by all parties. After being apprised of the above situation, the VA contacted PW to begin negotiation on a new agreement, which would clearly state roles and responsibilities of all parties. The VA will also ensure that this agreement is revised periodically and that it is extended, based on operational requirements. Security Management Objective: To verify whether a good security program is an integral part of the VAs overall program and meets the GSP requirements and operational standards. The VA currently has a good security program in place which complies with the requirements of the GSP and operating standards. The responsibilities assigned to security personnel are fully carried out. Guides and procedures have been developed which are used as guidelines for those in charge of security. Area of improvement Develop a security policy or adapt the TBS security policy to meet the VA requirements. Management Response The VA will review current Government Security Policy and determine how and if it can be adapted to meet VA requirements. Should this not be feasible, the VA will develop its own internal security policy. It should be noted that although the VA has no official internal policy which covers all aspects of security, it does have a policy on electronic mail, which sets out standards for ensuring that established security levels are adhered to and that needed information is preserved. Objective: To verify whether there are good security education and training programs. The VA does not have in place a security education and training program. Area of improvement Provide training to employee with security responsibilities. Management Response The VA is fully supportive in providing training to its employees. Each year, a training plan is submitted by employees and approved by the Chairperson. The VA will ensure that those employees with specific security functions are made aware of and encouraged to take training necessary to meet current and upcoming security requirements. Objective: To verify whether sensitive information is classified and designated in compliance with the GSP and operational standards, and whether the classifications and designations are unclassified or eliminated when the information is no longer, or less of a sensitive nature. The VA has implemented a mechanism to ensure that goods of a sensitive nature are classified and designated in compliance with the GSP and operational standards; the same mechanism is also being used to declassify or dispose of the same goods. Area of improvement No recommended improvement Objective: To verify whether protection measures are applied for sensitive information, as well as for employees, in compliance with the mandatory standards and with a risk management methodology. The VA has implemented mechanisms to ensure the security of sensitive information. A process is in place to declassify sensitive information when it is no longer sensitive. The controls in place ensure authorized to receive such information. Area of improvement No recommended improvement Objective: To verify whether breaches of security, security violations and other security-related incidents that may happen are the subject of an enquiry, that measures are taken to minimize the losses and that the necessary administrative or disciplinary measures are taken if warranted. Breaches of security, security violations and other security-related incidents are reported to Secure Impact. Secure Impact is responsible to take the necessary administrative measures and to ensure follow-up. A mechanism is in place and is used to report security breaches and to prepare reports. Area of improvement No recommended improvement Objective: To verify whether the necessary protection measures are taken for the sensitive information communicated to or from official sources outside the department. The VA follows procedures concerning sensitive information transmitted to official sources outside the department. Area of improvement No recommended improvement Physical Security Objective: To verify whether consideration was given to providing good siting to, as well as adequate retrofit of installations, to reduce or eliminate threats and risks to which the information, and the employees in those installations are exposed. The VA uses the facilities along with other government departments. Secure Impact ensures the physical security, thus reducing or eliminating threats and risks. A physical security committee is established with a representative of the VA. In this regards, the physical security is adequate. Area of improvement No recommended improvement Objective: To verify whether the required physical protection measures are applied in installations, so that sensitive information is well protected. The current physical protection measures ensure that sensitive information is protected. Area of improvement No recommended improvement Objective: To verify whether the physical security measures required are applied in the installations to ensure the protection and security of staff. Implemented physical security measures in the VA facilities ensure employee protection and security. Area of improvement No recommended improvement Objective: To verify whether the physical security measures are periodically reviewed and controlled. Security measures are reviewed and controlled periodically. Area of improvement No recommended improvement Personnel Security Objective: To ensure that the personnel of the VA is subjected to a security check per the Government Security Policy (GSP) and the standard on Personnel Security The audit found that security checks were conducted in compliance with the Government Security Policy (GSP) and the standards on Personnel Security. PW is responsible for the safe storing of personnel records and for the filling in and storing of security investigation forms requests. Area of improvement No recommended improvement Objective: To verify whether the necessary levels of security are authorized, refused and revoked per the GSP and to the personnel security standard, and whether such measures are taken in a just and impartial way. The VA has no record of refusals or revocations of levels of security. The VA recognizes its responsibilities in this matter. Area of improvement No recommended improvement Objective: To verify that the necessary measures are taken to reduce or eliminate any risk for the sensitive information and goods as well as for the departments essential systems at the termination of employment. The audit found that the necessary measures are taken at the termination of employment. Area of improvement No recommended improvement Security and Contracting Management Objective: Ensure that security requirements are included with other requirements in contracts when they involve access to sensitive information. The VA does not have mechanisms in place to check authorization to access facilities by the contracting parties. Area of Improvement Put in place a mechanism to check the authority to access the facilities by the contracting parties. Management response The VA is fully aware of its responsibility to ensure that only those individuals with proper authority are given access to its facilities. In some cases, authority to access VA facilities is given by another department, such as Secure Impact, but the VA is informed in advance. The VA will ensure that in those situations where another department gives access to its facilities, once the individuals show up, their name and authority will be verified with the other department. Conclusion The audit provides an overview of the main security measures observed, as well as, identifies areas for improvement. The audit methodologies are comprised of interviews, data gathering, information and report analyses, the study of files and the observation of practices. Finally, the audit covers security organization, security management, physical security, personnel security, security and management of emergency cases, and security and management of contracting. Reference http://andrei.clubcisco.ro/cursuri/5master/sric-asr/cursuri/Readings/secaudit.pdf

“A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings” by Gabriel García Márquez Essay

When Pelayo was coming back to his house, he found an old man face down in the mud, with a pair of enormous wings. The neighbor told them he was an angel, and must have been knocked down by the rain. In the short story, â€Å"A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings†, Gabriel Garcà ­a Mà ¡rquez reveals some of his ideas of human nature. He shows how pessimistic humanity can be, through an experience with a fallen angel. One portrayal found in the story was the idea of human greed and selfishness. Most people are interested in what is best for them, or how they can take advantage of something for their own good. In the story, the Pelayo and Elisenda, husband and wife, had an angel fall into their yard. At first they were going to put the angel on a raft and free him from their chicken coop prison. Instead, they decided to charge admission to see the fallen angel that they held captive in their courtyard (6). They knew that people would come from everywhere to see this spectacle, and took advantage of the situation. By keeping this angel locked up in the chicken coop, they were profiting off of his misery. The people that came complained of their many problems, and were looking for the angel to help them. They were all concerned with themselves, and their own problems, rather than the angel’s well being. This selfishness is just part of human nature. The human race will always look for the best options to benefit themselves. Humans seem to have a very short attention span. The smallest things can be amusing, and keep our attention, but generally only for a short time. The human race is always looking for the new best thing, whether it is the hippest fashions, the newest, fastest cars, or the top-of-the-line computers. In â€Å"A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings†, the people were amazed by the fact that a â€Å"flesh-and-blood angel† had fallen, and were coming from all over to see him. It was only after a period of a few weeks or so that a traveling circus came to town. In this circus, there was a woman who was supposedly turned into a spider for disobeying her parents. The crowd lost interest in the angel and swarmed to see the spider lady (10). The people were interested in this angel for only a short period of time because something more interesting came to town. The whole idea that there was a fallen angel on earth became old news. Humanity is, by nature, cruel. Again, going back to the angel and his imprisonment, it seemed as though people were upset or disappointed that the angel would not answer their questions. The whole imprisonment was cruel to begin with. At first, they even tried to feed the angel mothballs. Then, when everyone was dissatisfied with the angel merely lying around in the chicken coop, they decided to get him to move by burning his side with an iron, used for branding steers (9). For weeks they tormented this poor, hopeless angel. Mà ¡rquez, through his fiction, has shown some of his feelings on the philosophy of human nature. He feels that as a whole, is not very positive, and can be quite selfish. We tend to have a short attention span with many things, and we can also be very cruel. Human nature, as portrayed in â€Å"A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings†, is not as perfect and wonderful as many would like to believe.

How are marked and unmarked identities socially produced

A simple definition of identity might be no more than â€Å"who we are†. People of the same nationality or age, for example, can be said to have an identity in common. It follows that by virtue of belonging to more than one group, or â€Å"collective identity†, we all have multiple identities. Identities can connect people; and disconnect them too. Similarities in group identities may give rise to positive connections between people, but equally connections may be negative when referring to differences. An identity created by differences can be: one that is negatively valued; one which ceases to be equal; and one where social life is maintained on an imbalance. Identities can be both individual (for example: female, Southerner) and, through referring to relationships and connections to others (whether they be similar or different), social. Furthermore, social identities can be either situated, that is given by what people are doing (shopping, working), or relational and given by the relationships between people. It is important to note this relational identity can be unequal. The concepts of marked and unmarked identities are a pairing of unequal relational identities where the unmarked identities – taken for granted – are not noticed; in contrast to the marked identities, which always are. As Taylor states, the marked identities â€Å"in most cases carry a negative value† (Taylor, 2009, p179). This essay describes the way marked and unmarked identities are created. An example of marked and unmarked identity is found in Raban’s Street People. They were the homeless living on the streets of New York; they were grouped by â€Å"others† (everyone else) as a collection of â€Å"thieves, alcoholics, the temporarily jobless† (Raban cited in Taylor p176). The identity given to the Street People is relational; it is both detailed and negative and is the marked identity of the pairing. â€Å"Everyone else†, the other half of the relationship, is of course the unmarked identity. People with unmarked identities have a â€Å"vaguely positive ‘normal’ identity which is not really described† (Taylor, 2009, p179). Moreover, the Street People were grouped together as being the â€Å"same†, because as Taylor suggests it is part of the nature of group identities that they are not seen as individuals with different life histories (2009, p177). â€Å"The social process through which the difference of other people is marked and their negatively valued identity becomes established† is known as Othering (Taylor, 2009, p179). From the articles both the Roma or â€Å"immigrants† and the â€Å"thugs† are the marked identities. The Roma immigrants have a racial and ethnic collective identity; they are Roma, from Romania, living in Northern Ireland, some of whom are English-speaking. The attacks against them (by the thugs) are racially motivated, and in racist rhetoric a frequent insistence is that immigrants should ‘go back to where they come from’. As Taylor observes, a racial and ethnic identity, like the Roma, often positions people â€Å"as recent immigrants to the country in which they were born and grew up† (2009, p182). Although the article doesn’t say how long the immigrant Roma people have been living in Belfast, the mention of a baby indicates that in this community there is at least a second generation. The other marked identity is that of the thugs. They are described with labels such as, â€Å"gang†, â€Å"neo-Nazi†, â€Å"racist criminals† and â€Å"far-right faction† whose actions were â€Å"illegal†; although unlike the Street People they may be comfortable claiming at least part of that identity. In both articles figures of authority use powerful language to condemn the behaviour of the thugs and unconditionally support the Roma. The Roma are recognised as making a contribution to the community where they were living, presumably side by side with their assailants, in a cosmopolitan district of Belfast. Despite this, however, they remain marked; their identity is further reinforced and re-created by the negative effect of the rhetoric of persecution and discrimination in both the articles. In contrast, the unmarked identity are the Western, white, Irish who are also given a situational identity by association with their â€Å"cosmopolitan and affluent† place of residence – a strong impression is given of a â€Å"nice† (not a â€Å"working-class†) place to live. In the article the journalist makes a particular point of mentioning that the attacks did not happen in a working-class, Protestant neighbourhood, where perhaps it would be less surprising to see this behaviour? In a modern society it is no longer possible to divide up a community into Karl Marx’s neat groups of capitalists and workers. A more complex picture exists in the contemporary UK of â€Å"middle-class† and â€Å"working-class† groups. Both terms refer to characteristics such as affluence, education, background and even accent, furthermore terms, such as â€Å"chav†, â€Å"posh† or â€Å"yummy mummy† can add further detail. In the article the description of Lisburn Road with â€Å"coffee shops full of affluent young mothers† is describing a comfortable, middle-class district which confers an identity just on the unmarked. As with Raban’s Street People, the Roma and the thugs have been grouped into an â€Å"imagined community†. ’Imagined’ refers to the importance of our ideas and beliefs about the world† (Taylor, 2009, p178). Typically, members of an imagined community are too numerous to be personally acquainted, however, as both the Roma and thugs were relatively small groups it is probable that members were acquainted. The negative collective identity, again as with the Street People, was given by others. Taylor suggests that at some level the experience of being homeless in a modern society in some way constituted the Street People as a group, as the experience of persecution helped constitute the Roma as a group (2009, p178). Finally, the story of the Roma people here is an example of how established differences and inequalities are reinforced. The attacks by the thugs were â€Å"part of a trend of growing abuses against the Roma across Europe† (www. amnestry. org. uk accessed December 2010) they were challenging and contesting the right of the Roma to live in their community. In turn their persecution of the Roma was challenged by residents of the community and figures of authority in an attempt to repair and improve society. Taylor, S (2009) ‘Who do we think we are? Identities in everyday life’ in Taylor, S. Hinchliffe, S. , Clarke, J. and Bromley, S. (eds) Making Social Lives, Milton Keynes, The Open University. Amnesty International accessed 4th December 2010 http://www. amnesty. org. uk/news_details. asp? NewID=18258 Order and predictability are important if society is to exist therefore it is inherent that social order is maintained. Social order can be referred to as a set of linked social structures, social institutions and social practices which act to conserve, maintain and enforce an orderly way of relating and behaving within society. There are various views and theories of how social order is created within society two such views come from Erving Goffman and Michael Foucault. The difference between theories such as those of Erving Goffman and Michael Foucault is primarily one of focus. Goffman analysed social rules governing nonverbal interactions by individual people to develop his theories using the metaphor of a theatre. Goffman demonstrated that the most casual actions, such as posture, body and eye movements that people make are performances aimed toward communicating a positive impression for an audience. Goffman focused on the self and self-presentation he preferred to study individuals. Goffman’s descriptions of individual’s face-to-face interactions formed the large body of his work through this he noted that social interactions could be reworked by changing interactions. In contrast, Michael Foucault preferred to analyse the entire society. He examined the ways in which societies function and the principles of exclusion societies developed to define their differing forms of order throughout different historical times. Foucault did not conduct the type of first hand and intensive field work characteristic of the development of Goffman's theories. Foucault's theories on history and the self were more impersonal and global in focus. They centred on how societies interpreted and implemented their definitions of sane and insane, innocent and criminal and insider and outsider and how with each differing discourse social change emerged creating a new and greater power than the last. Goffman looks at the way individuals present themselves and their activities to others using the theatre as a framework. In his theory of impression management Goffman saw that through interaction with others in society an impression of the subject is given off to others. This is automatic and inevitable. The way people perceive others is through this social interaction. This means that through messages that are given off whether intended or unintended they are the judgments by which people will hold their opinion of others they come into contact with. According to Goffman impression management is fundamentally about expressive responsibility it is about self-consciously crafting an exterior appearance that will not offend the audience. In other words social interaction is an act of dramatization in which people perform in accordance with the social order or environment expected of them the nature of the environment and with the goal of manufacturing performances that are acceptable keeps social order constant but if these interactions are changed or reworked the result will be different disrupting the social norms within society (Silva, 2009, p. 16). In contrast to Goffmans research Foucault dismisses the view that individuals have any power or control over society looking instead at historical evidence and exploring how social order is written and talked about differently depending on what is deemed appropriate by the organisations which govern society at the time which he is studying he called these discourses the way different frameworks guide what is acceptable within these periods of time whether it be the way people are talking or acting at any given point in history. So as well as looking at how these subjects act within the larger society he is looking at society itself as a larger organism this allows him to explore micro as well as macro rather than Goffmans studies of only the micro or the individual. (Silva, 2009, p. 319) There are however similarities between the two in that they are both concerned with the bigger picture of understanding how society and social order is formed, maintained, changed and rebuilt over time the differences only become visible when their methods and theories are broken down. A good way to explore both the similarities and differences in these theories is to look at the case studies by Buchanan and Monderman In these instances the focus is the relationship between traffic and pedestrians and how the governance of these variables act as agents in the conception of social order. Buchanan and Monderman explored how the relationship between traffic and pedestrians makes and remakes social order. Traffic congestion in Britain’s towns and cities increased in correlation with the rise in car ownership following the conclusion of the Second World War. Buchanan was commissioned in 1961 by the UK Government to deliver the report ‘Traffic in Towns’. This report was deemed necessary to avoid demand for road space being greater than that available. The recommendation of the Buchanan report was that traffic and pedestrians should be segregated. Buchanan’s principle was to isolate areas for working, shopping and leisure, separate to ‘corridors’ where traffic could move freely without disruption, regulating the movements of both traffic and pedestrians. The isolated areas were described as ‘environmental units’ (Silva, 2009, p. 328). Monderman’s view directly contradicted the ideas presented by Buchanan. Monderman challenged the principle of segregation as well as other factors associated with traffic calming such as warning signs and speed humps. This philosophy of shared space takes a different approach to public spaces and highways in that segregation are almost exclusive to highways. Monderman’s thesis uses psychological traffic calming to improve road safety using measures such as abolishing roadside markings and Signposting. Monderman pioneered the idea of the ‘naked street’ the removal of what he viewed as unnecessary ‘street furniture’ within this model which promotes the idea of social order being maintained and balanced by the interaction between drivers and pedestrians (Silva, 2009, p. 333). Monderman displays awareness and understanding of the driver of the vehicle in contrast to Buchanan, Monderman implies that the driver rather than the vehicle is the true cause of potential danger on the road. Both of these studies can be used and compared to those of Foucault and Goffman both have differing views centred on the same big issue for example Michel Foucault theorised that we behave according to what he refers to as discourse. In this instance discourse is what is in everyday talking, thinking and reading, but it has come down from people and institutions invested with authority. In his view we think we are free to act but in reality we are obeying authority figures this can applied to the report by Colin Buchanan When people drive they automatically obey road signs and physical features Foucault proposes that discourses are replaced as the need arises but that they are always cascaded down from authority figures. These figures change through time from the organisations in charge of social order and so on. So as we had more cars on the road we had new rules around their use. Monderman’s approach had the street furniture and segregation and claimed that pedestrians going through what became known as shared spaces instinctively knew to be aware of other road users and pedestrians and negotiated their way by making eye contact with each other. Erving Goffman's theory can be compared to this as he believed that people interact with each other in daily life to make things work better so that they can make changes in social order which they can claim as their own rather controlled governing bodies. n conclusion both have many similarities such as their desire to understand social life and order, they are both rational in their ideas of authority although neither claims to have a definitive theory of social order both believe it is made up of sequences whether it be small individual pieces or discourses that creates power and organisation however they differ in their approaches to what components make up society one taking the individual and one taking society as a whole. One believing that the way individuals act towards one another directly affects how social order is made and remade one believing that this is only influenced by larger organisms such as government as a whole not as individual entities. Both views have merit and are not without fault but are in their own ways directly concerned with the bigger picture that is social order within society.

Changing Social And Political Space Of Women Essay

1 HAIFA ZUBAIR Changing Social and Political Space of Women: Special Reference to Women in Muslim Community of North Kerala Mphil Application: RESEARCH PROPOSAL INTRODUCTION Statistical index shows that the women of Kerala are distinct from that of other states in their outstanding gains in the fields of education and health. This is the one of the few states where mass literacy has been achieved for both men and women even across the different religious communities. Adult Literacy rate in 2011 among females is 92.07% against the national average of 65.46%. The entry of women in public space in Kerala had begun in early twentieth century, in salaried jobs especially in teaching and medical profession in considerable numbers. But this trend was not a feature of every community in Kerala. There were region wise disparities in the disposition of women in social and political space, which was least in the Northern Kerala, includes the districts Malappuram, Calicut, Kannur and Kasargod, which are the Muslim majority districts of the state. The Muslims of Malabar were one of the earliest traditional communities in South Asia with their own socio-cultural entity. Women were the most marginalized group within the community. Twentieth century witnessed a rapid and visible change in each and every aspect of their life. Apart from education which is having a vital role, there were several other factors like the emergence of socio-religious reforms initiated by different organizations,Show MoreRelatedPotentials Of The Civil Society And Caveats1594 Words   |  7 PagesPotentials of the civil society and caveats Utilization of the social spaces created by the CSOs does not all imply that it can result to women empowerment. Civil society visibly creates spaces that offers opportunity for women to be part of the local politics and development but achieving empowerment still depends on how they perform and negotiate in the spaces. In most cases, women’s participation in the CSOs does not challenge patriarchal controls. As shown by Mudege and Kwangwari (2013), resourcesRead MoreThe Portrayal Of Women During The Arab World1651 Words   |  7 PagesThe portrayal of women in the media is a global phenomenon that many nations, countries and cultures struggle to find equality in the portrayal of gender throughout media systems. The Middle East and the Arab World is no exception to this phenomenon, recognizing and contributing to the negatively portrayed images of Arab women represented in the global mass media. For my research paper, I chose to focus on how women in the Arab World are breakin g boundaries of these negative stereotypical imagesRead MoreThe Causes And Effects Of Europe945 Words   |  4 Pageshistory will reveal a constant theme of revolutions and counterrevolutions across space and time that have shaped the very foundations of societies across the expanse of the continent. Furthermore, these revolutions occurred in many different spheres of daily life. For instance, some revolutions featured prolonged periods of violent political upheaval while others featured a more subtle revolution, changing the very social fabric of Europe. In addition, some revolutions centered on economic change whileRead MoreGendered Spaces Of Gender And Gender Essay1519 Words   |  7 PagesTo begin, gendered spaces are areas created to control the arrangement and placement of genders. Biopolitics is a system of controlling the way people live and move through storing order or restriction. Therefore, this makes gendered spaces biopolitical; given that gendered spaces control the movement of genders. Gender bias not to be confused with sexism; means to be prejudice and discriminate against another gender. In other words, it is the belief that one gender is superior over another, typicallyRead MoreGender, Class And Urban Space : Public And Private Space1586 Words   |  7 PagesIn the article, â€Å"Gender, Class and Urban Space: Public and Private Space in Contemporary Urban Landscapes† Liz Bondi, puts forth her perspectives about the possible interconnections between gender dichotomy ,urban public /private space or city/suburb dichotomies and how separable or intertwined they are with each other. She attempts to further provide evidence that ‘the ideal of separate spheres’ (Bondi, Pg.162.) continues to affect our lives .She states that gentrification and class is intertwinedRead MoreWomen And Women s Political Status1632 Words   |  7 PagesTraditionally, politics has been a gendered occupation. Men and women have been socially cons tructed to believe only men are capable of political representation. The problem lies within an institutional bias, where unnatural distinctions have been put in place from a young age. In New Zealand, the presence and contribution of women have been pivotal to the make up of contemporary party politics. Achieving parliamentary recognition and political representation peaked during the 1970s when the country wasRead MoreViolence Against Women And Girls Essay1607 Words   |  7 PagesViolence against women and girls is internationally prevalent. Regardless of class, age, or race, women everywhere are subject to physical, sexual, psychological, and economic aggression (United Nations, 2015; 1). According to the World Health organization, 1 in 3 women will experience physical and/or sexual violence by a partner a non-partner. Moreover, studies conducted by the World Health Organization suggest that exposure to violent behavior can have detrimental impacts that can affect the physicalR ead MoreWomen s Roles Of Reproduction1466 Words   |  6 PagesFeminists argued that women’s roles of reproduction and social attachments in the domestic sphere constituted an economy and class of its own. This was based on the role of motherhood and unpaid work at home. Millett (1969) contended in Sexual Politics for the existence of women’s sexuality that was detached from the motherhood and marriage obligations. Conversely, other lesbian authors such as Audre Lorde and Adrienne Rich utilized writing, speeches, and poetry in linking women’s oppression andRead MoreDolores Hayden : A Feminist Critique Of Architecture And Urban History1535 Words   |  7 Pagesprofessor of architecture and urban history, who’s 1980 essay What Would a Non-Sexist City Be Like? re-imagined the relationship between the suburb and the city. Hayden’s work formed a significant feminist critique of the modern day challenges facing women who had to balance varied responsib ilities and navigate inadequately planned cities. Her vision of new urban communities beneficial to women’s activities became a response to the shortcomings of capitalist and patriarchal planning conventions. HerRead MoreWorld War II : A Watershed Event1690 Words   |  7 Pageshistory. Two important events that occurred were the arms race and the space race. â€Å"An arms race denotes a rapid increase in the quantity or quality of instruments of military power by rival states in peacetime. A close examination of the historical evidence reveals a different picture. Political purposes almost always drive and govern arms races. It is common for a major race to be initiated by a state interested in changing the political status quo† (Arms Race). The arms race was a major rearmament between