Archive for August, 2010
Scholarships For African-Americans – Assisting African-Americans to Achieve the American Dream
The American dream consists of owning one’s own house, driving a brand new car, and managing one’s own business or working in a reputable company. However, due to the economic crisis occurring all over the globe, the soaring prices of merchandise and services, this dream has become more of a figment in one’s imagination. Poverty or financial challenges, however, should not be the reason why you can’t have a shot at achieving this dream. At a dire time in the country’s history, financial and educational assistance is being offered to African Americans from all over the country who would like to, one day, achieve this American dream.
Scholarships for African Americans are not only being offered by the government but by private offices, as well. Notable individuals too, have provided various programs to be able to help African-Americans in the country become intellectual and responsible individuals in the future. Millions of students are being provided with financial assistance yearly. If you hope to be part of that fortunate group, there are certain sacrifices which you must be willing to comply with. For one, your grades could help you qualify. When you apply for a scholarship program, the number one document that is being reviewed by sponsors is your report card. Don’t fret though, there are easy scholarship programs that are being provided by other sponsors and their application requirements are much easier to provide than academic programs. There are also scholarships for African-Americans that do not look at one’s academic standing as the main qualifying factor: sports scholarships are examples of which.
American Identity and Language
Who am I? Who am I supposed to be? Who do I want to be? Why am I here? Where do I belong to? What is my identity? These are the sort of questions that man is trying to find an answer for in the 21st century. When it comes to America, we are always asked what American identity is or what distinguishes American identity from British identity and so on. As a student of American studies, I am trying to find an answer for that question although many Americans may not have an answer for it. But I believe the problem of identity is not only for American people. I mean identity problem regardless of which nation one belongs to, is the crisis of mankind and once you have managed to find the answers to the above questions, you are on the right track.
Anyway, let’s get back to American identity. But is there a definition for identity? When I was in the library I saw a book named sociology themes and perspectives and I looked for the definition of identity in that book. Identity as sated there is “a sense of self that develops as the child differentiates from parents and family and takes a place in society.”(1) The important sources of this identity are nationality, ethnicity, gender and class.(2)
Culture Lessons – Handshaking and the American Family
Many native English speakers leave America and other countries to teach English abroad. We have primarily taught Japanese students, but we have also taught some students from Europe, Latin America, Africa, and other Asian countries. American culture fascinates many of these students. This article will discuss two culture items that we teach about in Japan: handshaking and the changing American family. Teachers of English in Japan and other countries may find these items to be of interest to their students too.
Handshaking