Influential Prose

Tag: community

  • Cultural Differences in Moral Reasoning

    [One of 50 articles written and published for Demand Media in 2013] Cultural differences in moral reasoning are driven by various influences — history, leadership, religious belief, experiences with peace and warfare, available resources and the strategies for extracting and distributing those resources. These cultural differences are not limited to the scale of nations. There…

  • Why Parents Shouldn’t Be Able to Refuse Medical Treatment for an Ill Child

    [One of 50 articles written and published for Demand Media in 2013] Legally, refusal to provide or access medical care for children can be termed medical neglect. According to the latest available national statistics, documented child abuse and neglect in 2011 affected more than 675,000 children, or nearly 1 in a 100 kids. On average,…

  • High School Swimming Lessons

    [One of 50 articles written and published for Demand Media in 2013. Published version here.] In school districts with sufficient budgets and facilities, high school students can choose from beginning, intermediate and advanced swimming courses, often modeled on the American Red Cross’s Learn-to-Swim program. Some schools also offer competitive swimming. Knowing how to swim well…

  • Effective Programs to Help at-Risk Teenagers Stay in School

    [One of 50 articles written and published for Demand Media in 2013. Published version here.] Keeping at-risk teens in school entails a variety of strategies. It begins by identifying who is mostly likely to drop out and the influences that compel them to do so; these can include bullying, homelessness, financial insecurity, poor nutrition, substance…

  • Evangelism in the Early Seventeenth & Eighteenth Centuries

    [One of 50 articles written and published for Demand Media in 2013] The roots of American evangelism go back to 16th century Europe, when Anabaptists began suggesting that church should be separate from the state. This view did not find favor among governments closely aligned with the Catholic church, and consequently Anabaptism was brutally suppressed.…

  • Top Advocates for Teens

    [One of 50 articles written and published for Demand Media in 2013] Teen advocacy comes in a variety of forms and purposes, covering issues like juvenile justice, education, civil rights and assistance for at-risk youth in America and around the world. Some organizations are student-led and others, in areas such as juvenile justice, are managed…

  • Moral Reading for Teens

    [One of 50 articles written and published for Demand Media in 2013] Morality is fundamentally about the choices we make and the behavior that follows. Stories can expose different moral dimensions, circumstances that present contrasts, and give teen readers perspective on their lives and their choices. Given all the media and entertainment options available, books…

  • Chinese Religion & Ethics in the 17th Century

    [One of 50 articles written and published for Demand Media in 2013. Published version here.] The Chinese word for religion didn’t enter the language until late in the 19th century, when scholars needed a term to translate the concept from Western texts. The conception of religion as the West understands it today simply did not…

  • Who Advocated Religious Individualism?

    [One of 50 articles written and published for Demand Media in 2013] The modern understanding of religious individualism, as defined by the Catholic Encyclopedia, “describes the attitude of those persons who refuse to subscribe to definite creeds, or to submit to any external religious authority.” It is conceptually similar to “cafeteria Christians,” a phrase used…

  • Cultural Influence on Morals

    [One of 50 articles written and published for Demand Media in 2013. Published version here.] Culture influences morals. But it is not the only influence, nor necessarily the strongest one. Thinking about how culture influences morals raises several questions. What are morals? What is culture? What are their sources and what causes them to change?…