History of american stock car racing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

History of american stock car racing - Essay Example In fact, the sport started off with extremely inauspicious beginnings, and only later evolved into the multi-billion dollar enterprise of the 21st century. This essay examines the history of American stock car racing and considers the factors that contributed to its evolution from an event associated with bootlegging to one of the most watched sports in the United States. Although stock car racing is more popular today the ever it can be traced back to inauspicious beginnings during the 1920s. From 1920 to 1933 the Prohibition Period made it illegal to produce, sell, and drink liquor, so a prosperous bootlegging industry developed. Many people called bootleggers would illegally run whiskey to market places often racing at high speeds to outrun the police. In an effort to increase their efficiency and limit their chances of being apprehended bootleggers began to develop enhanced, or ‘souped-up’, engines and suspensions for the cars they drove. As the faster vehicle greatly increased the chances of evading the United States Department of Justice these drivers were termed ‘moonshine runners’.1 David â€Å"Turbo† Thompson, an associate professor at Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa, who also raced stock cars stated, â€Å"Runners built their reputations by outsmarting and outdriving the law.†2 As much of the alcohol w as produced in the Appalachian region this primarily became a southern activity. In 1933, when the prohibition ended, stock car racing was becoming very popular. After Prohibition was repealed a great deal of the runners’ business halted, but soon many regions developed an affinity for moonshine alcohol. Moonshine running soon became a recreational activity and races along dirt roads and similar tracks began occurring throughout the southern states, most notably the Wilkes County region of North Carolina. The cars continued to improve and eventually races on Sundays were organized. A number of moonshine runners gained great acclaim,

Curriculum Development Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Curriculum Development - Assignment Example Philosophical theories in particular help in controlling the organization and content of the curriculum. Realism, for instance, asserts that the aim of education is primarily to teach values and things which will lead to the good life, which is, however â€Å"equated with one which is in tune with the overarching order of natural law† (Marshall, as cited in Golen, 1982). Realistic philosophy thus emphasizes learning through the direct study of nature via the aid of teachers. Thus, it has led to the continuous development of instructional methods that are suited to this kind of learning such as lecture, sensory experiments, and demonstrations, stressing the cultivation of logic and rational thoughts. Another theory is called pragmatism, which is founded on the principle that change is the principal characteristic of life. It has resulted to a curriculum that is learner-centered, wherein experiences are primordial in the educational process. Social Foundation. This foundation could be defined as influences that are present in society and culture. It is concerned with the impact of forces and institutions that comprise the school program’s culture. These are elements which create the greatest impact on the curriculum developer’s way of thinking as they always think and act within the society they live. In other words, the content, objectives, and methods of the devised curriculum shall reflect the social or cultural background of the developers (Print, 1993). Society and culture are the shapers of education since curriculum makers take into account the social setting, culture, the relationship between society and education, and the social implications of knowledge and change (Ritz, 2006). It must be noted that curriculum development is centered on attaining educational goals that are in harmony with broad cultural and societal goals.