World In The 20Th Century Essays - Genocides, Khmer Rouge

World In The 20Th Century The 20th century has been a period that has seen things such as great political and social change, great advancements, and great catastrophe as well. From the Wright Brothers first flight in 1903, through the beginnings of the nuclear age in the 1940's, to Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in 1990, the century has been full of major and influential occurrences that have strongly affected our global society as a whole. The century has seen dreadful things such genocide, two full-scale global wars, and a series of smaller wars to go along with great changes in governments, ideals, and society, as well as great industrial and societal advancements. Unfortunately the theme of Genocide has been an all to frequent occurrence throughout the 20th century. From some of the most talked about genocide such as the Holocaust of the Jews (1933-1945), and the Cambodian Genocide (1975-1979), to some of the lesser-talked about genocide this has been an underlying theme of evil throughout the century. The Holocaust is arguably the most talked about genocide in history. The Holocaust being the methodic extermination of five to six million Jews by means of forced labor, shootings, and gassings. This was undoubtedly a catastrophe on an enormous scale. Hitler Germany's leader at the time used the Jews as scapegoats for many of Germany's problems claiming they were corrupt and predatory materialists, devoid of patriotism and feelings for others.?(Totten 139) The Jews were deprived of their civil rights and forced into extermination camps were they were more than likely headed for death. Bruno Bettelheim a rare survivor of the Holocaust describes his experiences in the concentration camps of Dachau and Buchenwald: ?Physical punishment consisted of whipping, frequent kicking, slaps in the face, shooting or wounding with the bayonet. These alternated with attempts to produce extreme exhaustion. For instance, prisoners were forced to stare for hours into glaring lights, to kneel for hours, and so on. From time to time a prisoner got killed This shows an example of how demoralizing and horrible the experience of the Holocaust was to millions of Jews. The Holocaust made many realize the horror that humans can put each other through. This was by no means the only or last horror of its kind, The Cambodian Genocide beginning in 1975 shows that we as humans did not learn or did not care for our mistakes of the Holocaust. Mere weeks after Cambodia fell to the Khmer Rouge led by Pol Pot in 1975, the nation's cities were evacuated, hospitals emptied, schools closed, factories deserted, and money and wages abolished. Freedom of the press, worship, organization, and association all completely disappeared for four years. A whole nation was captured and beleaguered from within. Democratic Kampuchea was a whole state of a prison camp that lasted for four years. Of its 8 million prisoners over 1.5 million of them were brutally worked, starved, and beaten to death. Pol Pot set out to eliminate Buddhism from Cambodia as well as all the minorities present in the Cambodian population. ?Since 1979 it has not been possible to find a Vietnamese resident who had survived the Pol Pot years 0there.?(Totten 341) The Pol Pot regime claimed that they totaled only 1 percent of the total population but just by looking at the numbers and the harsh reality they are easily written off. Things that can not be written off are the numerous numbers of other genocides that occurred throughout the century, throughout the world. Events such as the Genocide of the Hereros in South-West Africa (1904) to the Armenian Genocide (1915-1923) through the Rwanda Genocide (1994) towards the end of the century, have plagued us throughout the past one hundred or so years. Another horror that has been all to frequent throughout the last century has been that of war. Our world has seen two global scale wars as well as several smaller scale wars to go along with them. In the early 1900's the world was completely dominated by European countries such as Germany, Austria, Britain, France, and Italy. These countries had great amounts of land throughout the world carved up into colonies. By 1914 Europe was divided into two combinations of great powers originally formed by

Courses to Consider When Applying to Law School

Courses to Consider When Applying to Law School If you are considering applying to law school it might be a relief to know that, generally speaking, there are no required courses for admission to law school. Law students come with a variety of different majors, but admissions officers want to see well-rounded applicants who have a broad range of knowledge. Choose a major and courses that are challenging and interesting to you- and do well. Below are some courses that will help you develop into a well-rounded applicant and prepare you to succeed in law school. History, Government, and Politics: The Backbone of Law The study of history, government and politics are interwoven with the field of law. Therefore it is imperative in applying to law school that you are able to showcase some demonstratable knowledge of the government and history of the law schools country of origin. So, if you plan to apply to school within the United States, it is recommended that you take an undergrad course in United States History, or for a broader sense of how the countrys laws fit in with the rest of the globe, consider taking a World History course. Similarly, Economics and Government courses would benefit your displayable knowledge in the basic function of laws within a country. Typically these courses are prerequisites for graduation anyway, but you should also seek out some not on core curriculum.   If you plan on pursuing a career in immigration law, for instance, it might behoove you to take a course in Immigration Law (if offered) or a specific history course pertaining to the country of origin from which immigrants you wish to help come. Jurisprudence, Taxation Law, and Family Law courses also offer specifics into politics and government and would look great if you were applying to programs that heavily focus on those pursuits. Writing, Thinking, and Public Speaking: Expressing the Law A career as a lawyer is all about  critical thinking, writing and speaking. It is therefore important to also consider taking classes that offer opportunities for extensively critiqued writing, debate and speaking publicly. These courses will immerse the student in a curriculum that challenges him or her to think outside the box. Almost all law students take debate before entering grad school, which provides ample experience of critical applying the students understanding of laws and policy in a public forum. In doing so, students are afforded the chance to truly test their applicable understanding of basic policies in an environment akin to a courtroom. English, Literature, Public Policy and Speaking, and Creative Writing can also influence the students ability to debate and eventually to take to the courtroom. Enrolling in these classes will show admissions officers that you, the student, possess the drive to understand the basic fundaments of being a lawyer. But it doesnt end with simply taking courses that speak directly to being a lawyer. Hopeful law students should also enroll in courses that examine the vastly interesting dynamics of human behavior- which much of law is concerned with. Anthropology, Sociology and even Religious Studies can go to influence what a future law student will be able to comprehend in regards to how their laws and policies affect the global, national and local population. Similarly, Criminology and Sociology can help to show admissions officers that the student has a complete understanding of how the law works from a societal standpoint. It is important to remember that you pay for college and should be garnering an experience that suits your wants and needs.  Most of these courses form the backbone of a solid undergraduate liberal arts education. Choose challenging courses that fit your interests and aspirations. Equally important though is to show admissions officers that you are a rounded student with multiple interests that all (or mostly) lead back to the pursuit of a career in law.