Student Sleep Habits and Their Grades Essay -- academic performance, sl

Introduction Sleep has always been a popular subject among humans. There have been many studies that examine sleep and its correlation with a wide variety of variables, such as depression, energy levels, and grades. Students, as a group, are widely studied. As the world’s future leaders and thinkers, there is great importance placed on their achievements. In this study the effect of student sleep habits on perceived academic performance is investigated. Many things may affect students’ academic success among these variables are sleep habits. This study will look at sleep habits and grades to see if a significant correlation exists between the two. Sleep is an interesting subject and if a correlation between it and grades may be drawn, whether negative or positive, it will help to further educate and encourage more productive habits among the young and bright individuals that society relies upon. The public should care about the study because the impact is of a nature that could affect the community. Studies have previously been conducted about sleep and students. These studies cover a variety of variables including sleep length, inductive reasoning, preference in time of day, grade-point average, sleep quality, etc. (Escribano & Dà ­az-Morales, 2013);(Gilbert & Weaver, 2010). In one study researchers used Likert scales on a one to five platform to gather information (Gilbert & Weaver, 2010), and another on a one to four scale (Gaultney, 2004). Another study had a survey that asked for objective information such as exact grade-point average (Kelly, Kelly & Clanton, 2010). Yet another study used sleep logs and divided the students into a series of three classes based on their sleep habits (Tsai & Li, 2004). This stu... ...nces, Volume 55, Issue 2, July 2013, Pages 106-111, ISSN 0191-8869 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2013.02.011 (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0191886913000809) Kelly, W. E., Kelly, K. E., & Clanton, R. C. (2001). The relationship between sleep length and grade-point average among college students.   College Student Journal, 35(1), 84-86. Ling-Ling Tsai, Sheng-Ping Li, (2004) Sleep patterns in college students: Gender and grade differences, Journal of Psychosomatic Research, Volume 56, Issue 2, February 2004, Pages 231- 237, ISSN 0022-3999, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0022-3999(03)00507-5. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022399903005075) Unknown. (unknown).  Table of critical values for pearson's r.. Retrieved on 11/17/2013 from http://www.radford.edu/~jaspelme/statsbook/Chapter%20files/Table_of_Critical Values_for_r.pdf

Youth Workers Essay -- Article Analysis, Rachel Brooks

Introduction This essay will focus on the main points of an article written by Rachel Brooks. The article centers on a wide description of young people and their political participation. More specifically, it involves around the fact that young people tend to show interest and to participate less in the political action than other age groups. Moreover, it focuses on young women’s willingness to express their selves politically, and the extent of their political engagement. It also emphasizes to the absence of gender, when it comes to political participation amongst the young age groups Most of the survey results concerning young members of the European Union show that both young men and women tend to be politically apathetic. However, it is argued that the lack of social activities and voluntary work is two of the main reasons of young people’s inactive social cohesion and citizenship. Young people and political engagement Political engagement, as it is illustrated by the contemporary media, concerns the qualification of a moral label of a ‘good citizen’, the domain of voluntary work, watching the everyday news, taking part in activism, and voting. Nowadays, most of the books, articles, and press documents, present young people as political apathetic. This particular age group is failing in terms of civic and political participation e.g. voting in the elections, and it is considered as passive and disengaged. (Banaji, 2008, p.1) According to Banaji (2008), nowadays political engagement and civic participation don’t appeal to young’s peoples general beliefs and activities, as they are viewed more as mandatory and less as maturity, citizen’s political agency, or sense of power and responsibility . However, t... ...no action and that ‘civic’ engagement is better than no engagement.’ This means that nowadays political participation could be expressed with the use of different forms and sources and if using an alternative way to express it, it doesn’t mean that it still it no longer exists. There is no formal evidence which proves that the younger age groups are less engaged to politics than the older ones. Nevertheless, there are lots of different methods that youth workers can use in order to actuate young people to political action, social cohesion and engagement through informal education. These methods contain voluntary work, group discussions and peer education. Finally, the notable absence of gender in terms of youth participation in politics constitutes another very important consideration that has to be highlighted in the future researches and surveys. Youth Workers Essay -- Article Analysis, Rachel Brooks Introduction This essay will focus on the main points of an article written by Rachel Brooks. The article centers on a wide description of young people and their political participation. More specifically, it involves around the fact that young people tend to show interest and to participate less in the political action than other age groups. Moreover, it focuses on young women’s willingness to express their selves politically, and the extent of their political engagement. It also emphasizes to the absence of gender, when it comes to political participation amongst the young age groups Most of the survey results concerning young members of the European Union show that both young men and women tend to be politically apathetic. However, it is argued that the lack of social activities and voluntary work is two of the main reasons of young people’s inactive social cohesion and citizenship. Young people and political engagement Political engagement, as it is illustrated by the contemporary media, concerns the qualification of a moral label of a ‘good citizen’, the domain of voluntary work, watching the everyday news, taking part in activism, and voting. Nowadays, most of the books, articles, and press documents, present young people as political apathetic. This particular age group is failing in terms of civic and political participation e.g. voting in the elections, and it is considered as passive and disengaged. (Banaji, 2008, p.1) According to Banaji (2008), nowadays political engagement and civic participation don’t appeal to young’s peoples general beliefs and activities, as they are viewed more as mandatory and less as maturity, citizen’s political agency, or sense of power and responsibility . However, t... ...no action and that ‘civic’ engagement is better than no engagement.’ This means that nowadays political participation could be expressed with the use of different forms and sources and if using an alternative way to express it, it doesn’t mean that it still it no longer exists. There is no formal evidence which proves that the younger age groups are less engaged to politics than the older ones. Nevertheless, there are lots of different methods that youth workers can use in order to actuate young people to political action, social cohesion and engagement through informal education. These methods contain voluntary work, group discussions and peer education. Finally, the notable absence of gender in terms of youth participation in politics constitutes another very important consideration that has to be highlighted in the future researches and surveys.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder & Autism in the Classroom Ess

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder & Autism in the Classroom When teaching it must be expected that there will be students that have behavioral disorders. These disorders must be taken into consideration when giving these students the best education possible. Teachers must accommodate to these children and incorporate them into the daily classroom. Every teacher has their own methods of doing this and can use their creativity to come up with these strategies for teaching. Some strategies may not work, so instructors must put much thought into how they are going to accommodate to these particular students. A very common disorder in children is attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or ADHD. These students have a difficult time holding attention due to the lack of the ability to concentrate. These students tend to act impulsively, have attention deficits, and sometimes exude hyperactive behaviors. Children that have ADHD do not qualify for special education unless they also have another disability. Approximately 7.8 percent of children from the ages of 4 to 17 have been diagnosed with ADHD, research also shows that males are more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD over women. These ratios vary from 4:1 to 9:1. These students with ADHD can be impulsive, which means they act before they think or before considering the situation that they are currently in. They also have a hard time concentrating and find it difficult to sit still. There are medications for ADHD, and they are prescribed often, there are also a variety of drugs that have been proven to make a child with ADHD more a ttentive and improve their academic performance. Unfortunately, these drugs have side effects such as weight loss, blood pressure chan... ...ed or wanted. I would also encourage parents to enroll their child in to sensory therapy such as occupational therapy, sensory integration, and developmental optometry therapy to help with possible vision issues. Medication wise I would encourage parents to prescribe their child to Prozac to assist in lowering anxiety, I would encourage this in older aged students. Both ADHD and autism are disorders that all teachers must be educated in before going into this profession. It is important to know the different strategies that can be used to be the most helpful instructor to these students. It is also very important to incorporate these students into the classroom and encourage good social skills with peers. By paying close attention to these students instructors are able to come up with the best strategy to provide the best education to these individuals.

The Importance of History

The Importance of History History is an important part of anyone’s life. History helps understand the past so the people of the country can understand where they come from. The subject helps children understand who they are and where they came from. History is basically knowledge about the past events. It is a part of everyday life that goes partially un-noticed. Everybody, people talk about past events without even knowing that they are performing the task. One needs to know and understand the past at doctor’s offices and solving arguments between children. I would have to know my past and my family past in order to fill out the information at my doctors. This is the way the doctor can know what to expect from my health issues. I could use history to find out the solution and the start of the problem of sibling arguments. If my two children got in a fight and one of them told me one thing and the other told me another, I would be able to tell from their history on how the fight actually went. History helps the people of today realize why their country enters wars, where their beliefs come from, and understand their culture of their country. According to the author of â€Å"Importance of History,† David Crabtree, the definition of history is that it is a story about the past that is significant and true. This simple definition contains two words that are packed with meaning which must be understood in order to understand history, which are significance and truth. Significance is determined by the historian. The historian sorts through the evidence and presents only that which, given his particular world view, is significant. No one could record everything that is true about an event in the past. Everything can be entered in history because every factor can be used in studies, teachings, and certain other possibilities. Most historians use the word â€Å"true† to mean any perspective well supported by facts. Several people can have different perspectives on history itself or bits of pieces of history (Crabtree, 1993). So it is important that we, as the people, can get all of the correct information and learn as much as possible to fully understand the full outlook and meaning of history. The resources that I can use are the school library and the public library. If I want a personalized story to be told to me, so that I can have a personal answer I can talk to something that lived through the time that I need to find research on. This person can give me a perspective that I could not get from a book, computer, or the library. Another resource that I could use is movies and television. I could watch documentaries about the event since the documentaries are based on facts and truth. They provide an in-depth view on the topics and they give more sources than necessary. I could watch the television channel National Geography or the History Channel, because they give the most honest and truthful facts to the viewers. Works Cited Crabtree, D. (1993, November). Importance of History. Retrieved October 28, 2011, from McKenzie Study Center, an institute of Gutenburg College: http://www. mckenziestudycenter. org/2001/02/the-importance-of-history/

Addiction is a Disease Essay

Addiction is all around us. It may be that cup of coffee in the morning for the caffeine stimulation, the cigarette that is smoked for the nicotine, or an alcoholic drink used to relieve a stressful day or situation. For some, the addiction may not be to a substance, but to compulsive behaviors such as gambling, playing video games, or shopping. Consequences to addictions can impact an addict’s physical or mental state. Addiction can also have detrimental impact on the people that surround them. Watching a relationship fall apart because a person has an addiction to drugs, alcohol, or another addictive behavior is a sad thing to happen to anyone. Unfortunately, those with addictions usually won’t admit they even have a problem and that they need treatment until it is too late. Some addictions have less severe consequences, such as addiction to caffeine for the stimulation; others take it to the other end of the spectrum, such as using illegal drugs like cocaine or heroi n which completely deteriorates their physical and mental health. Addiction should be looked at as a disease because it is chronic and does not subside without treatment. Symptoms can be progressive, and just as disease surfaces repeatedly, addiction has a high level of relapse. Furthermore, addiction can be treated. Addiction is a disease whether it is an addiction to substances or certain behaviors. Addiction is a common word known to many, but many don’t realize that addiction is a disease. â€Å"Substance abuse has been conceptualized and generally accepted to be a disease resulting from a biologic vulnerability triggered by a combination of psychological, social, and environmental factors† (Vocaturo 393). Addiction and disease have corresponding definitions. More commonly a disease is thought of as an illness of the body or something we acquire involuntarily such as diabetes, cancer or Alzheimer’s. â€Å"If addiction is truly compulsive and addictive action is not voluntary, then addiction has a much stronger claim to be a disease† (Perring 194). According to dictionary.com, disease is defined as, â€Å"a disordered or incorrectly functioning part of the body resulting from the effect of genetic or developmental errors, infection, poisons, nutritional deficiency or imbalance, toxicity, or unfavorable environmental factors; illness; sickness; ailment or any harmful, depraved, or morbid condition, as of the mind or society.† Addiction is a mental disease. According to  Dictionary.com, addiction is defined as, â€Å"the state of being enslaved to a habit or practice or to something that is psychologically or physically habit-forming, as narcotics, to such an extent that its cessation causes severe trauma.† Behavioral addictions are compulsive actions with examples being gambling, shopping, video gaming, and those with OCD. â€Å"The behavior has an effect of decreasing anxiety and result in a positive mood state or high, similar to substance intoxication† (J.E. Grant et al 234). What happens in the brain during addiction is that the brain learns poor coping mechanism for stressful or unfavorable situations. In the brain, a series of events happen during addiction. Addictions are a coping mechanism which plays a role in the reward system felt in the brain. The brain’s dopamine system transports serotonin, the good feel hormone. Whatever the addiction, it causes a chemical in the brain called dopamine to surpass normal levels which results to feelings of pleasure. â€Å"The most integrative and common feature of addictive agents is their capacity to cause psychomotor activation. This most common feature is seen as forward locomotion which is the unconditional response to positive reinforcement† (Calabrese 599). This then causes the brain to want it over and over again. Although there are different kinds of addiction, all have a common goal: to make a person feel good. This then becomes more important to a person than anything else despite the consequences. The brain then becomes reliant on this false surge in dopamine brought on by the addiction, and the brain’s ability to naturally produce dopamine greatly decreases. This then results in lack of control when the same outcome can no longer be established. This leads to increasing dosage or behavior to try and achieve the same high or to possibly better it. Substance addictions leave the body constantly craving a good feeling despite the consequences they may have. In order to understand the real mentality of someone with addiction/s is to examine a person in a philosophical and psychological way. All types of addictions should be looked at from a philosophical and psychological point of view. Those in the fields of neuroscience, psychology and philosophy often compare their views to show the similarities of addictions whether they be substance induced or behavioral. â€Å"Behavioral science experts believe that all entities capable of stimulating a person can be addictive; and whenever a habit changes into an obligation, it can be considered as addiction† (Alaghemandan  et al 290). Some addictions can affect people physically. Caffeine and nicotine provide prime examples. The body’s physical state becomes dependent on its effects and causes withdrawal symptoms without use. One of the main differences in behavioral and substance addictions is that behavioral addictions have no apparent physiological or physical withdrawal symptoms. It is not the physical body that is addicted, but the feeling that one gets mentally. The physical body is only affected by the dependency of the substance itself, while the addiction itself is more damaging psychologically. Addiction isn’t about will power. When looking at addiction for a neurological point of view, there are a series of chemical reactions going on. Dopamine is a good-feel hormone produced in the brain when satisfaction is gained chemically by substances or by a self-gratifying act. When substances such as drugs and alcohol are used or certain behaviors are performed, a person experiences an unnatural high, so to speak, which is many times greater than the natural reward system produced in the brain. Some individuals may be more susceptible to getting hooked on this feeling. Certain people can be specifically more vulnerable than others to taking on an addiction. The vulnerability to addiction can be due to their genetic dispositions. â€Å"With prominent advances in whole genome sequencing, the search for genetic variations underlying drug addiction is continuing at an escalating pace; however, genetic factors likely explain about fifty percent of the risk for addiction† (Maze and Nestor 99). Some believe that one can have an addictive personality. An addictive personality will always be susceptible to having at least one kind of addiction. Quite subsequently, an addictive personality type is addicted to addiction itself. If one addiction was given up, another one would be taken on, moreover, it is commonly found for an addicted person to be addicted to several addictions at the same time. This increases the level of the individual suffering, and no matter what the addict ion, it disrupts the brain’s natural reward system, which is the route to a pleasurable feeling. The addiction itself is the mental state created from taking on any addiction. â€Å"Studies have shown that those with behavioral addictions and those with substance use disorders both score high on a self-report measure of impulsivity and sensation-seeking and generally low on measures of harm avoidance† (J.E. Grant Et Al 234). It is extremely hard for a person addicted to a substance or behavior to break the  addictive cycle. Getting over addiction is dependent on the type of addiction. Trying to break certain addictions may be simply in avoiding a social environment that may tempt a person towards a certain addiction. Others may benefit from medications and psychological treatment. Research has shown, regardless of whether behavioral or substance addiction, replacing or substituting with a positive beneficial addiction to start learning to associate a positive coping mechanism to the triggers that onset the addiction. It is difficult to overcome, and an addict is always going want to feel good with an act or substance. While the severity differs between addictions, some are manageable in day to day life, while others have catastrophic effect in their lives which is why addictions should be treated as a disease. There are many attempted treatments that are sought after in breaking addictions. Some people may go to counseling sessions and some go to support meetings which help them realize the adverse effects the addiction has brought into their lives. Behavioral therapy is another way treatment is sought out. In behavioral therapy, the addiction does not need to be specific to one drug or behavior, but is used to address the use of multiple addictions. It is the disease of addiction that the therapy addresses. Other therapies are pharmaceutically administered to relieve the feeling one may get from a substance. Medications are less prescribed with compulsive disorders; however, it is believed that if the addiction was brought on by depression and/or anxiety, prescribing medication can be helpful to alleviate these symptoms. A combination of behavioral therapy and medication has been seen as helpful as well. Therapy should be an ongoing process for someone with addictions. There will always be triggers that could possibly cause a relapse. There is great difficulty in giving up an addiction without taking on another. Can an addict ever not have an addiction or can it ever be learned to live without addiction? Relapse is the reason addiction is a chronic disease. While some addictions can be tolerated, others unfortunately have detrimental effects on their lives. In order to achieve a successful long term recovery, treatment sought out should address the specifics of each individual’s needs. Changes must occur in one’s life that is physical, social, and psychological in order to be successful in recovery. â€Å"Although different factors will determine someone’s vulnerability to addiction, integrating individual vulnerability to  addiction across different research disciplines is likely to provide the greatest advances for intervention and prevention efforts† ( Le Moal and Swendsen 73). But the question still remains, why would someone continue to choose an addiction over their own health? Addiction is an extremely powerful disease. The mind should always overcome the body which is why some people speculate that addiction is a choice and not a disease. However, is addiction really just a choice? â€Å"Most of the best-known criticisms of the disease concept have argued that addiction is not a disease because addictive behavior is voluntary† (Perring 194). An exercise addict may dispute the term disease in their addiction. Although their behavior is compulsive, exercise is indeed a very healthy habit to have and does wonders for the body. An exercise addiction may be healthy; however, those who must exercise each and every day regardless of need, are still exhibiting compulsive behaviors. In their mind this activity must be performed each and every day no matter what. â€Å"If you are an exercise addict, it is quite obvious that some of the effects of this particular addiction are positive† (Round Table 7). Exercise is the most contradictory of all the addictions. Mentally they are addicted to the act, but addiction is still a disease, not a choice. There are two areas of the brain that involve choice. The first area is the ventral striatum, or nucleus acumens, which is a structure that motivates a person to go after a goal that they may have or want. This is where addiction and cravings come from. The second area is called the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex. This area is what considers consequences of the actions. There are impulses that go from one area to the other through synapses. Triggers can cause alterations of these impulses. They are altered the most by the cycle of addictive thoughts and behaviors. Choice can be thought of as an adaptive process. Brains adapt to our experiences, so the choices that are made change with time. Addiction is an experience to which the brain also adapts, but too rapidly, too thoroughly, and too permanently. Understanding these neural changes is essential for understanding how â€Å"choice† gets hijacked by addiction. That doesn’t make addiction a brain disease. It’s more of corrupted learning process or a nasty adaptation. And like any other adaptation, it is the foundation of the fleshy hardware we carry around in our heads. While it is true that the addict may have a choice in whether or not to use drugs or to give in to  behaving a certain way, craving is not a choice. If a craving gets bad enough, even the strongest willed person gives in to their addiction. The brain strives to survive and this cannot be ignored. A big reason why skeptics view addiction as a choice is the inability to truly understand the realness of cravings in addiction. While some may speculate that addiction is a choice, addiction is a disease and should be treated as such. Addiction has many defining terms that correlate to disease. Addiction to substances or behaviors produce uncontrollable cravings to which one cannot ignore. Addiction is extremely hard to overcome for anyone but can be treated with th e correct type of therapy much like other diseases. Whether a person is addicted to caffeine, nicotine, drugs, alcohol, gambling, exercise, or any other compulsive behavior, their addiction is a disease. Works Cited â€Å"Addiction.† Dictionary.com, LLC. (2012) Web. 27 Sept. 2012 http://www.dictionary.com. Alagheandan, Hamed, Seyyed Salman Alavi, Mehdi Eslami, Masoud Ferdosi, Fereshte Jannatifard, and Mehrdad Setare. â€Å"Behavioral Addiction versus Substance Addiction: Correspondence of Psychiatric and Psychological Views.† International Journal of Preventive Medicine 3.4 (April 2012). Web. 27 Sept 2012. Calabrese, E.J. â€Å"Addiction and Dose Response: The Phsychomoor Stimulant Theory of Addiction Reveals that Hormetic Dose Responses are Dominant.† Informa Healthcare (2008) Web. 27 Sept. 2012 â€Å"Disease.† Dictionary.com, LLC (2012) Web. 27 Sept. 2012 http://www.dictionary.com. Gorelick, David A., Jon E. Grant, Marc. N. Ptenza, and Aviv Weinstein. â€Å"Introduction to Behavioral Addictions.† American Journal of Drug & Alcohol Abuse (2010).Web. 27 Sept. 2012. Maze, Ian, and Eric J. Nestler. â€Å"The Epigenetic Landscape of Addiction.† Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 1216.1 (Jan. 2011). Web. 27 Sept. 2012. Moal, Michel Le, and Joel Swendsen.â€Å"Individual Vulnerability to Addiction.† Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences (2011). Web. 27 Sept. 2012. Perring, Christian. â€Å"Bridging the Gap between Philosophers of Mind and Brain Researchers: The Example of Addiction.† Brain, Mind and Consciousness 2011). Web. 27 Sept. 2012. â€Å"Round Table: When is an addict not an addict?† New Statesman (18 May 2007). Web. 27 Sept. 2012. Vocaturo, Loran C.. â€Å"Substance Abuse.† Medical Management of Adults with Neurologic Disabilities (2009). Web. 27 Sept. 2012.

Porter’s Diamond Model For China

The assembly industry uses the advance factors to take the advantage over the other countries. This is because they have more educated workforce, this will help them to do their work at more sophisticated way with better technological improvements, and mainly at cheaper cost which is the biggest advantage for assembly industry till now. Government investment in advance factors has also provided the industry with many educated workers, as result benefitting the assembly industry as a whole.If the domestic demand rises this will overall put the pressure on the assembly industry to come up with new designs and more innovative technologies to take the assembly industry to new level. As a result other companies like Nokia, Sony, HP who were already related with the china assembly industry they will be impressed with this new improvements, thus attracting other company’s also towards the China assembly industry.Because of these vast improvements of the assembly industry many domesti c firms are now encouraged to invest more creating more advance factors, so that it helps the industry to become more successful. This as a result creates a competitive advantage for the industry. Thus giving rise to more competition, and improving the product or services more. Different countries have different management ideologies.As it is an assembly industry more technologically related managers are needed to manage the industry like engineers should be there at the top level so that they will understand the best which machines to use, or which is more updated so that they can run the industry more well. Overall this will keep the industry in pace with others, hence they will be able to provide better services, attracting more foreign companies, and will also be able to hold their position at the peak. Porter’s Diamond Model For China The assembly industry uses the advance factors to take the advantage over the other countries. This is because they have more educated workforce, this will help them to do their work at more sophisticated way with better technological improvements, and mainly at cheaper cost which is the biggest advantage for assembly industry till now. Government investment in advance factors has also provided the industry with many educated workers, as result benefitting the assembly industry as a whole.If the domestic demand rises this will overall put the pressure on the assembly industry to come up with new designs and more innovative technologies to take the assembly industry to new level. As a result other companies like Nokia, Sony, HP who were already related with the china assembly industry they will be impressed with this new improvements, thus attracting other company’s also towards the China assembly industry.Because of these vast improvements of the assembly industry many domesti c firms are now encouraged to invest more creating more advance factors, so that it helps the industry to become more successful. This as a result creates a competitive advantage for the industry. Thus giving rise to more competition, and improving the product or services more. Different countries have different management ideologies.As it is an assembly industry more technologically related managers are needed to manage the industry like engineers should be there at the top level so that they will understand the best which machines to use, or which is more updated so that they can run the industry more well. Overall this will keep the industry in pace with others, hence they will be able to provide better services, attracting more foreign companies, and will also be able to hold their position at the peak.

A History of Greece Essay

Western Civilization owes much of its development to Greek history because most of the current principles and knowledge of man was derived from this ancient culture. The foundations of mathematics, science, medicine, philosophy, politics and even the different forms of art nowadays were first established long before Christ was born in these Mediterranean islands. The Bronze Age (3000 BCE to 1100 BCE) Bronze became a heavily used metal in Greece during 3000 B. C. It was used to make different tools and ancient battle weapons that were all part of Greek daily life. The three great civilizations that are worth studying were born on different parts of Greece. The Minoans settled on Crete at around 2600 B. C. This community got its name from Minos, a legendary son of Zeus, who ruled Crete and rid it of sea pirates (Minos, 2007). By the year 2000 B. C. , these people were able to establish a very dynamic community life marked by favorable trade activities that helped make its citizens rich. The people of Minoa became known for their palaces and socio-economic political organization. The first evidence of Greek writing called Linear A, came from this period. There remain specific evidences that Minoans held great but peaceful influence over the islands of the Aegean despite being naval conquerors. At around 1500 B. C. , records seem to imply that a volcano on Santorini erupted which caused major earthquake and huge tidal waves that could have wiped out the Minoan civilization (Greeka, n. d. ). Mycaenaeans, another community evidenced to have come from the north in around 2000 B. C. , settled on the main island and became the center of trade after the reign of the Minoans. The previous centuries’ records show that these two civilizations had a complex relationship in that it had strong business connections to each other but were also competing in their dominance of the Mediterranean. However, with the sudden disappearance of the Minoan civilization, the Mycenaeans became the trade hub during the 1400 B. C. to 1200 B. C. with â€Å"much of the Minoan cultural tradition transferred to the main island† (Mycenaean Civilization, 2007). Some of their differences with the Minoans, however, were shown through their use of armors in battles and better fortified territories. Mycenaeans are also noted for their beards. The people of Mycenaea chose to live in smaller units or kingdoms but were united by one dialect. The story of the Trojan War seems to be based on some facts between the Mycenaeans and the â€Å"inhabitants of the Troad, or Troas, in Anatolia† which is now Turkey (Trojan War, 2007). There are indications that when Troad was afflicted by a terrible fire, the Mycenaeans wanted to conquer the city. The greatness of Mycenaean community ended at around 1200 B. C. when â€Å"crops began to fail and famine† gripped Greece (Ancient Greeks, n. d. ), This caused â€Å"peasant rebellions and internal warfare (Greeka, n. d. ). The Cycladic community began in the different isles of the Aegean which were in the middle of Crete and mainland Greece. The Cyclade area was a vital location because it was the Greece’s business connection to the rest of Europe and Asia from which the Greeks learned many of their agricultural practices. This time period was characterized by a very fast growth in population and very dynamic development in all aspects of society. Sculpture using marble and pottery were popular art forms during this period in this area of Greece. The Dark Ages (1100 B. C. to 800 B. C. ) The Dark Ages are called so because little evidence could indicate what happened during this time frame. There are some findings that Dorians, a Greek-speaking tribe from the North, may have caused the decline of Mycenaean civilization. â€Å"The Dorians kept power entirely to themselves, creating a ruling military class which they solely occupied’ (Dorian, 2007). It seems that the centralized systems were broken and that monarchies dominated the political structure. This period’s significant contribution to Greek history, however, seems to show that it was at this time when Homer wrote the Iliad which included the epic of the Trojan War (Greeka, n. d. ). Archaic Period (800B. C. to 500 B. C. ) During the Archaic Period, Aristocratic Republics replaced the political structure of Greek civilization and foreign influence abound. It is during this time that human and mythological figures began to appear in different art forms. The first Olympic game was held in 776 B. C. wherein a cook named Koroibas won the 600 foot race called stadion (The Games, n. d. ). These festivals were held for the God on Mount Olympus, Zeus. People felt that Greece at his point in time, was overpopulated and began to migrate to other European territories bringing with them their advanced culture. Coins became a currency at around 600 B. C. (Ancient Greek Civilizations, 2003) due to the influence of traders from Asia Minor where the first coin was supposedly made. Panathenaic festivals became popular sometime in 566 B. C. This very important occasion celebrated for numerous days sometime between July and August, supposedly Athena’s birthday, was well-anticipated because anyone can join except for slaves. It consisted of contests, processions and sacrifices (The Panathenaic Festival, n. d. ). Democracy Another very significant contribution of this period is the birth of democracy in Athens at around 508 B. C. There were two types of people in Greece. Men who were born in the city they resided in were called citizens while all other individuals are considered non-citizens. Only citizens have the choice of politicians and vote in plebiscites. There were large conventions called â€Å"The Assembly† that must be attended by at least 6, 000 citizens before it was considered official enough to be heard by the government. This meeting was done regularly wherein citizens may address their concerns regarding laws that needed to be implemented. A body of law-makers called Council was made up of 500 citizens which was changed annually. The members held the task of making new laws and debated on how these could be best implemented. Life in Greece There was an â€Å"agora† in the middle of each Greek city (Ancient Greeks, n. d. ) which was sort of like a town square wherein merchants can trade their various goods whether native or foreign. This was the center of commerce wherein anyone, even foreigners, was allowed to buy what they wanted. It was also where men may hang out to with friends, know the latest political announcement or trade views with foreigners. Very few women could be seen in the agora and they were mostly female slaves who have been sent by their rich masters to shop for market goods. The most important infrastructure of the city were built around the agora. Because of the hot climate, Greeks prefer to wear light clothes which are evidenced on the carvings that present-day archeologists have been able to study. Depending on the warmth, some men even prefer to wear only their loincloth. During cold weather, they place a cloak over their normal clothes which are tunics or â€Å"chitons† – square shaped textile that are held at the shoulders using pins and around the waist by belts (Ancient Greeks, n. d. ). Women often wore a fancier shorter version called a peplos that was worn on top of the chiton. To take off boredom, these tunics were usually dyed and embroidered according to tastes. Protection for the feet was usually used when outside of the house and these came in the form of sandals and leather boots. Brooches and pins were necessary jewelry to fasten their chitons. The women adored every form of jewelry. The wealthy females also used make-up and allowed their slaves to fix their hair according to what was in fashion. At around 500 B. C. , men saw it fashionable to wear beards and short hair styles. Greek women family members usually shared the tasks of cooking but the wealthier ones could hire slaves to handle the responsibility. The diet was a merry mixture of fruits and vegetables during the summer and dried versions during the winter. Sometimes, the families are able to store enough fruit and make cheeses in summer months which could be enough to tide them over the winter. Those who were near the sea enjoyed its produce as long as the weather permitted a catch. Meat was considered to be an expensive food and the poor of society cannot afford it. When occasions do allow the impoverished to eat meat, they take advantage of the situation to eat every edible part†¦even the brains. The Role of Women in Greece Women enjoyed very little freedom in Greek society. Only wealthy women were allowed to get music or writing lessons at home. Only the rich seven year old boys were sent to the gymnasium (school) and returned after eight years to wait for another three years to become citizens. However, girls were not allowed to get education outside of the confines of her house. Much of a girl’s knowledge in music, dancing, cooking and weaving are imparted by their mothers. They were expected to follow whatever their husbands or fathers asked. A girl can get married even when she is just fifteen years old and is expected not to go back to her former home anymore. It is the wife’s responsibility to run the chores of the house and ensure the good services of the slaves. Because the streets were considered unsafe, most women are tied down to spend most of their time at home. Every now and then, the husband may give the woman a reprieve from boredom by taking her to the theater or allowing her to be accompanied outside the house by a male servant. Aside from doing housework, women made the clothes, blankets and whatever textile needs of their families. They also were expected to prepare the food needed for winter. How the Gods Influenced Greece The Greeks believed in many gods and built temples for each one. Each god was powerful up to a certain extent depending on what they ruled on: Poseidon was the god of the Sea, Hades ruled the underworld, Hera was the goddess of youth, Aris was the god of war, Athena was the goddess of wisdom, Apollo was the god of truth, and many more. Whenever misfortune beset them, the Greeks believed that these were caused by the gods’ anger. The temples were usually constructed on hilltops to show that the god or goddess was protecting their community. The area on which a temple is built is called acropolis. One can tell the riches of the city by looking at its temples. The wealthy ones built their temples using stone and had many different forms of artwork to beautify it. Each temple had a huge statue of the god or goddess. Athens built their statue of Athena using ivory and gold (Ancient Greeks, n. d. ). Sacrifice offerings such as food and animals were placed on a table within the temple before the individual pursues to worship his god in the courtyard which had an altar. Intellectual Growth in Greece Although the Greeks attributed most of the occurrences of their daily lives to the activities of the gods, at around 500 B. C. , they began to find out more about the world. Philosophers and many scholars who thirsted for more knowledge regarding mathematics, medicine, astronomy and geography lived during this time. Some of these famous people are Plato, who wrote about politics, Aristotle whose interest led him to discover many information on biology, Parmenides who hypothesized that the world was spherical, Archimedes who invented the Archimedian screw that spiraled irrigation to high farmlands and Phythagoras who is still popular in the mathematical arena for his right angles. The Abode Most homes in Greece at that time were made of stone or clay. There were bungalows and two-storey houses with roofs made of tiles or reeds. The flooring was also made of tiles to ensure the cool temperature inside the houses. These houses were built in the middle of courtyards with walls and a sturdy gate. Altars were not only found to be in the temples but also within the courtyards of the houses as well. This was where the family members can worship their gods and leave their food and wine as offerings. Wood was the primary element used to make furniture but these can sometimes be accentuated with ivory and different metals. More families lived in the rural areas compared to the cities wherein the rich usually prefer to reside. The wealthy may have residences in the city while their servants take the responsibility of maintaining their countryside homes. The poorer farmers had the help of the children to do the agricultural chores such as herding sheep and goats or ploughing the fields. Crops like grapes and olives grew well in the stony land but wheat to make bread had to be bought from Egyptians. These grapes either became raisins or wine while the olives became oil or pickles. Farmers also took care of farm animals because they are excellent sources of basic needs like clothing, milk and meat. The Persian Wars The Persian Wars began to affect Greek life in 490 BC, â€Å"with a Persian invasion in Greece led by Darius the Great of Thrace† (History of Ancient Greece, n. d. ). Darius’ army was almost crushed by his first attempt to conquer the Danube if not for the Ionian Greeks who were his allies at that time. However, this made the Ionians realize that they should rebel from the empire and they asked for the support of the other city-states to go against Persia. This started the popularly known Ionian Revolt. Only the Athenians gave ships to the effort and were able to win the war. The Persians proudly retaliated, recaptured their supremacy in the battle of Lade in 494 B. C. and destroyed the city of Miletus by massacring or enslaving the inhabitants (Setzer, n. d. ). Angered by the Athenian bravado, Darius sought to battle on mainland Greece at around 492 B. C. but the ship that held his army became badly hit by a storm. Another fleet was sent and this time, Eretria was completely destroyed. The next target was Athens and the army went onshore at Marathon which led towards Athens. The Athenians tried to ask Spartans for help but due to â€Å"a religious festival, the Spartans were detained, and the 10,000 Athenians had to face the Persians aided only by 1,000 men from Plataea† (Greco-Persian Wars, 2007). However, the Athenians under the leadership of ten generals including Miltiades, were able to block this attempt which made the Persians retreat and reorganize to try and attack from the Saronic Belf. They were surprised to find the Athenian army back in their territory and ready to fight them again. The Persians went back to Asia Minor, defeated. A runner was sent to Athens to deliver the good news and this was how the Marathon Race got its name (The Persian War, n. d. ). After a decade from the first attempt of invasion, Darius’ son, Xerxes took the throne of Persian Emperor and wanted to target Greece. His strategy involved less violence because instead of attacking head on, he decided it would be best to send envoys to start negotiating with the different cities to surrender without battle. He constructed a bridge at Hellespont and ensured that a canal was dug across the isthmus to protect his army from storms while rounding the Cape of Mount Athos (Setzer, n. d. ). He collected his troops from every satrapy (territory within the Persian Empire) which numbered about 150,000 of the best soldiers from Persia and Mede while his naval fleet had about 1200 ships that were prepared against an estimated 300 brave warriors from Athens and Sparta. The large army of the Persians resulted to a slower pace in their attack and this gave the Greeks a chance to plan out their defense (Greco-Persian Wars, 2007). The different cities of Greece held a meeting to plan their defense which resulted to the delegation of the army to Sparta while Athens was in-charge of the navy fleet under Themistocles, an Athenian statesman (Kreis, 2006). They also consulted the Delphic Oracle. The oracle of Delphi was at Mount Parnassus where a Pythia (woman supposedly used by the God Apollo as his medium) could be asked to predict answers to their questions (Roach, 2001). The Pythia foretold that they would lose the battle and that their only chance of success was through a wooden wall. There were so many interpretations that could mean â€Å"wooden wall† but in the end, the Athenians took it to imply that the wooden walls were their ships. The Spartans suggested that the only way to position themselves well against the great army of Persia was by blocking them at the Isthmus of Corinth. The Athenians and authorities from Central Greece did not agree because their territories will be pillaged by the Persians before they reach the Isthmus of Corinth. However, Evaenetus, commander of the 10,000 Hoplites who decided to help Greece agreed with Sparta and so the minute number of soldiers repositioned themselves at the Isthmus of Corinth. The Spartans and Hoplites were at an advantageous position in Thermopylae until a â€Å"traitorous Greek led a Persian force through the hills to the rear of the Greek forces† (Kreis, 2006) for a surprise attack that led to a massacre. On the naval side, the Athenians left their city which allowed the Persians to burn it. Themistocles realized that battling with the Persians in the open sea will make them lose because of their minute number. He realized that the only way to win against the Persians was to turn their large army into their own handicap. This he did in the Battle of Salamis – a very narrow strait between Athens and the Island of Salamis. â€Å"He sent his best slave to Xerxes to tell him that the Greek navy was retreating to the Isthmus of Corinth to form a combined force with the army† (Moerbeek, 1998). He tricked Xerxes by sending a misleading message that the time of the Persian army to attack was at hand. Xerxes then allowed his unsuspecting contingent to enter the strait between Athens and the island of Salamis where a surprise attack by the Greeks was waiting for them. This caused the eventual defeat of the Persians. By 479 B. C. , the Greek forces had all conquered the Persian army and navy (Kreis, 2006). Conclusion The fast paced development of civilization owes its foundations to the very intelligent and industrious Greeks. Every aspect of modern day life has its roots on Ancient Greek mathematics, logic, philosophy, science, art and even politics. Wars were intelligently won through cunning minds and not annihilating weaponry. Our modern world can truly learn so much just by looking at its past. References Ancient Greek Civilizations. (2003). In Minnesota State University Mankato Online. Retrieved June 11, 2007, from http://www. mnsu. edu/emuseum/prehistory/aegean/timeline. html Ancient Greeks. (n. d. ). In Anglia Campus Online. Retrieved June 11, 2007, from http://www. angliacampus. com/public/pri/history/greeks/index. htm Dorian. (2007). In Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Retrieved June 12, 2007, from Encyclop? dia Britannica Online: http://www. eb. com:180/cgi-bin/g? DocF=micro/175/77. html Greco-Persian Wars. (2007). In Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Retrieved June 12, 2007, from Encyclop? dia Britannica Online: http://www. britannica. com/ebc/article-9037907 Greeka. (n. d. ). Greece History: Stone – Bronze Age. Retrieved June 11, 2007, from http://www. greeka. com/greece-stone-bronze-age. htm History of Ancient Greece. 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Retrieved June 11, 2007, from http://library. think quest. org/CR0210200/ancient_greece/persian_war. htm Roach, J. (2001). Delphic Oracle’s Lips May Have Been Loosened by Gas Vapors. In National Geographic News. Retrieved June 11, 2007, from http://news. nationalgeographic. com/ news/2001/08/0814_delphioracle. html Setzer, T. (n. d. ). The Persian Invasion of Greece. Retrieved June 11, 2007, from http://www. cais- soas. com/CAIS/History/hakhamaneshian/greece_invasion. htm Trojan War. (2007). In Encarta Encyclopedia. Retrieved June 11, 2007, from Microsoft ® Encarta ® Online Encyclopedia: http://encarta. msn. com