Electronic government Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Electronic government - Essay Example The commencement of the new system of e-government can be simply linked to its purpose (Kostopoulos, 2003). The development in technology has gbrought new challenges in governments facilitating its emergence. The purpose of electronic government is to build the complete digital age and work as the best intermediary for the information through whole the state. Choudrie et al (2004) refer the purpose of e-government, to the emerging need to improve the external and internal relationship with the stakeholder and share the knowledge with them. Meanwhile, Bwoma and Huang (2003) highlight another purpose of e-government, which is to cut cost. It should be noted that there is an increase of government expenditure in building more offices and agencies around the country to provide the government services to the citizen and mismanagement and poor organization which will affect the whole public expenditure. E-government cut cost by making operations constrained online. Information technologies has been widely used in institutions either public or private sector. So, the governments are eagerly looking toward an information technology to improve their services and relationships. Gong further; it is useful identify the meaning of e-government. Kostopoulos (2003) has mentioned that the use of web technologies will force improving the interaction and the communication between the government and its users. Moreover, the internet will be the best solution for government to establish an agencies opened for 24/365 to serve there customers. Similar to this definition, Zhenyu and Peterson (2003) note that e-government are those technologies which help the government to establish a new line of services to deliver to the citizen and help the citizen to interact with those services and access information. Provision of such services will reduce the need to directly contact the

Policy Brief Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Policy Brief - Essay Example This might lead to worse security situation in that state. Improving law and order in that state might be the first step instead of imposing penalty on possession of guns. Continuing with the previous example of drug control policy, a report was published by GAO on March 26, 2013 (Larence & Kohn, 2013) that mentions a policy by Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), which nose-dived horribly in achieving its goals. The policy was stated in the year 2010 as a part of National Drug Control Strategy. It was supposed to achieve its targets of reducing illicit drug use by year 2015. Various economic analysis models used for evaluating public polices depend on the nature, its goals and the demographics. Deterministic models and simulation models are among the many that are employed by public policy analysts. For the policy by ONDCP, the analytic models used were primarily for studying other aspects of the policy that included politically driven agenda. For instance, there are some states that have allowed the use of medical marijuana. To study the reason as to why they are allowed to smoke weed, needs to go in the analysis if ONDCP is to be successful in reducing its usage. It’s quite startling that the model used to analyze this revealed that such states already had a high usage of marijuana even before medical weed got the green signal from the authorities (Larence & Cohen, 2013). Equity in a public policy doesn’t refer to the stock market shares. It might seem to be closely related to equality but it is not. For instance, equity in a public policy generally refers to proportionate allocation of resources, which is not equality (Nagel, 1983). Resources could be in any form, money, commodity, manpower etc. Relating the concept of equity to the case under discussion, suppose two cities get $200,000 each to collect

The Purpose of Repairing the Criminal Justice System Essay

The Purpose of Repairing the Criminal Justice System - Essay Example The practical implication is that when a punishment is given to an offender by a court of law in a criminal case, it does not benefit the victim any way. The victim does not know how to undo the harm done to him / her. The criminal justice system being implemented in all countries stresses on punishment to offenders with a view of ending crimes and reducing crime rate. The system obviously believes that sentencing offenders to imprisonment would help reduce crime rate in the society. The argument certainly seems logical on the face of it but analysts find it hard to buy. Researchers argue that the evidence supporting this logic looks ambiguous by pointing out that crime rates are guided by factors of unemployment, evils of illegal drugs and guns, lack of proper police planning, immigration and housing problems etc (Krisberg). In Krisberg’s view, punishment alone would not reduce crime rate. While the failure of the factor of punishment in reducing the crime rate could be one of the reasons seeking to repair the criminal justice system, the purpose of such a repair would be really varied. More than achieving reduction in crime rate, the main purpose of repairing the system lies in the objective of undoing the harm done to a victim. In fact, the repair of the criminal justice system should be undertaken lock, stock and barrel in order to transform it from retribution into restoration. Turning it into a restorative one should be the main purpose of repairing the criminal justice system. In a system of justice governed by restitution, more concentration is placed on healing the wounds of victims rather than on punishing the offender. Wray vehemently argues in an internet article that this type of justice demands conciliation between an offender and his / her victim through a friendly encounter which could be a source for healing the latter’s wounds. On the other

Erasmus Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Erasmus - Essay Example In order to meet his financial obligation he started working as a tutor and later in 1499 he went on a tour to Europe where he made friends who were with him throughout his life. Later he went to Italy where he obtained his doctorate in the subject of theology. After Italy, he returned to England where he was appointed as Price Charles’ adviser and started living an independent life (Nauert 1). From here on his life experienced immense controversies as he created a revised version of the New Testament and his work recognized as the Discourse of Free Will was even welcomed with heavy criticism. After his death all he works was stored in an area which was not allowed to be accessed by others. Throughout his life he developed various pieces of literature and these pieces of literature were based on different subject including philosophy of education, politics, language and cynicism. The most important works of Erasmus includes the literature pieces of The Method Of Study, The Education of Children as well as the Method of True Theology (Rummel 24). These pieces of literature exhibited his philosophy regarding education. His literature recognized as The Education of A Christian Price is work that has been dedicated to his thoughts regarding politics (Erasmus(a) VIII). Another piece of his work called the On The Abundance Of Style is a pure depiction of his thoughts regarding language (Rhetoric.byu.edu 1). Erasmus’ educational philosophy contradicted with the educational philosophy that was been followed during his era. He believed that more focus needed to be provided to subjects including history language as well as philosophy of morals and at that time the focus was more on logic. He believed that education should not simply focus on helping students develop certain necessary skills and their intellectual ability (Erasmus.vic.edu.au 1). He believed that education should even promote civility and morals. He believed that education is a way through which human

”Things Fall Apart” by Chinua Achebe Essay Example for Free

†Things Fall Apart† by Chinua Achebe Essay In †Things Fall Apart† Chinua Achebe takes us to a Nigerian village at the time of the British colonization of Africa where substantial changes are affecting the inhabitants. Okonkwo is a proud African man who strives to succeed in the Igbo society. In his early days he created a name for himself by being a successful wrestler. He then put enormous effort into making his farm prosperous by working hard and creating a big family. That he appreciates hard work and discipline defines him as a father. When he realizes that his oldest son Nwoye is not of the quality he requires, he feels himself obligated to take action mostly with the use of violence thought he finds little pleasure in beating the children and views. It is rather a way to obtain respect and his way of parenting. To some extent this domestic aggression is accepted and is an acknowledged part of the Igbo culture. Apart from the elevated position he acquires other clansmen do not always agree with his impulsive nature as for the incident during the week of peace when he beat his wife. At first sight Okonkwo is a confident man who has no fears. This is deeply rooted in the view of how a man should be in their culture where the ability to not show any emotions is highly redeemed. But actually, a lot of his actions can be traced back to fear and insecurity. This fear clearly has to do with Unoka, his work-shy father who left nothing over to his son but debt after his death. Eventually, these moral standards conflict Okonkwo when affection starts to grow for Ezinma, the daughter of his second wife, feelings which he experiences are difficult to handle. He also feels especially bad after he killed the adopted boy Igbomefuna, an act that puts Okonkwo in a depression that if nothing else demonstrates that something has changed in his character. †Okonkwo was also feeling tired, and sleepy, for although nobody else knew it, he had not slept at all last night. He had felt very anxious but did not show it. When Ekwefi had followed the priestess, he had allowed what was  regarded as reasonable and manly interval to pass and then gone with his machete to the shire†. (p 82) One could wonder why he follows even though the priestess had requested to be alone with Ezinma during the sprititualic ritual. It is evident that breaking the rules of the ritualic traditions is not something he could let himself do easily. Not mainly would it be fright of the gods. Okonkwo tries to keep up a facede which involves obeying the traditions of his ancestors as for not showing emotions. And with a past as a warrior it is understandable why he is keen to not look weak. Reference list: Things Fall Apart – Chinua Achebe Litterature Criticism And Theory – Andrew Bennet Nicholas Royle (p.63-70)

A Mentor Is A More Experienced Individual Nursing Essay

A Mentor Is A More Experienced Individual Nursing Essay My belief in mentoring is to let a mentee develop their skills and to progress professionally on their own rather than a mentor being directive. My idea is in line with Hawkey, (1998, p.665, in Harrison, Dymoke Pell, 2004, p.1065) that mentoring is about mentors giving help to develop mentees skills. However, a mentor plays many roles in the life of a mentee and the mentor role has been defined in various different ways. Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (DEECD, 2010) has pointed out, for example, that mentoring is a reciprocal professional learning relationship between the mentor and mentee on what happens in the classroom. In short, mentoring is typically viewed and presented as the process of supporting and guiding the mentee with the aim of helping them to progress professionally. Mentoring has featured in a variety of ways throughout my professional life as an educator. As a first time mentor, it was quite difficult to be a mentor though I am still learning to become more confident and an effective mentor. However, I became interested in unpicking the concepts and practices of mentoring in direct response to my role, which demands me to be more critically aware of the process in order to support my mentee effectively. I have had the good fortune of being both a mentee and now a mentor. In an effort to help build the best mentoring relationship possible, both mentor and mentee need to see if they can communicate with each other since this is an important aspect in the mentor relationship. Pittenger and Heimann, (2000) explores this mentor relationship in George Mapilly (2012) advocating that mentoring relationships require mentor and mentee to engage in challenging activities, utilizing new skills (p.140). Being a first time mentor, it was vital to my continuing practice that I critically examine my own practice in relation to my mentee, since being a critically reflective mentor would help me à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦to define a way of thinking that accepts uncertainty and acknowledges dilemmas (Dewey, 1933, 1938; King Kitchener, 1994; Sparks-Langer Colton, 1991; Zehm Kottler, 1993, in Larrivee B. 2000, p294). The purpose of this assignment is to provide information about effective mentoring practice and to suggest how mentors and mentees can get the best out of a mentoring relationship which is highlighted by Holloway and White (1994), by emphasizing that there is a need for an unbiased relationship to enable the mentee to effectively explore their own development (in Woodd, 1997 p.335). The assignment will further evaluate my own practice in peer- mentoring a member of my own department. We both teach Home- Economics and I have been working alongside her for four years. My mentee is an experienced teacher who has been teaching for four years, the same as me. After I arranged a day and time to go observe my mentee, she asked me if we could meet before the class to give me a brief overview about the class. We discussed class size and level. We also briefly discussed the activities that they were going to be doing that day. This initial meeting was important to make her feel at ease (Maynar d, 2000). Basically, the outcomes of my mentoring relationship depended on the interpersonal qualities of both mentor and mentee. Through the mentoring relationship the mentee could achieve guidance practice (Harrison, Dymoke Pell, 2004, p.1058) provided by the mentor. An effective mentor involved being a reflective practitioner (Schà ¶n, 1983, in Russell T. 2005, p.199) as stated by Larrivee B. (2000) that becoming an effective teacher involves considerably more than accumulating skills and strategies. The first week lesson observation (see appendix 1) was not that easy for me as the teacher (mentee) was not feeling at ease and my presence was not highly appreciated. Roberts (2000) quotes Smith and Alfred in saying that it is extremely difficult to fulfill the role of mentorà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (p.161). Therefore, mentors need to be good role models (Stammers, 1992, in Roberts, 2000, p. 159) who have the respect of their mentees and are held in good regard for their personal attributes. I hold the opinion that my engagement as a mentor was not as effective as I would have liked in the initial period of mentoring. So, the ability to critically analyze my own performance and to seek ways to improve was fundamental. Hence, being engaged in reflective practice could help to improve professionally and is a great way to increase confidence. I recognised therefore and decided to look closely at Gibbs reflective cycle (Gibbs, 1988) so that I could use this as a better model for future meetings. I was new to the role of mentor and did not fully understand the challenges of mentoring as I was not demonstrating enough attention and support to my mentee. Only upon being engaged in the mentor-mentee relationship really opened my eyes to the potential of mentoring and the role I could play. Lester and Johnson (1981), envelop the holistic nature of mentoring by saying that mentoring is a one- to- one learning relationship between an an older person and a less experienced person based on a modelling of behaviour and extended dialogue between them. (in George Mampilly, 2012, p.137). With this increased understanding, I started to engage much better in my role. I was not there to answer all the questions but to listen and hopefully help my mentee find her own answers. As a mentor, I felt there was an obvious need to use a range of strategies that would enable my mentee to develop her skills. For a successful and productive mentoring relationship, it was important for both mentor a nd mentee to have a common view of their roles and to understand how to get the best out of the mentoring experience. Once I completed the Bell (2002), mentors scale, I realized that I am very kind- hearted and a generous person where I am inclined more to openness, sociability and less to dominance. This is significant, as I am open to criticism and this positively helped me while mentoring. I furthermore laid stress on the significance of communication as I would have failed as a mentor if there were communication barriers between us. It was very noteworthy for me that my mentee sensed as resolved as she could, as this shall aid to strongly build a hopeful mentor and mentee relationship. My mentee has been teaching the same length as me. Since my presence was not highly appreciated during the first week, I thought we should have a feedback meeting as soon as possible. It is identified by Waite, 1997; Hyland Lo, 2006; Copland, 2008a, in Copland (2010) that In order to perform these duties, tutors/mentors usually hold a feedback session with the trainee teacher after having observed them teaching ( p. 266). In the course of this meeting while questioning her, it became clear that she felt pressured due to my presence in the class. Therefore it was very important that I build her confidence by being as supportive as I could and wanted her to be independent. Korthagen Vasalos, (2005) claimed that many teacher educators use Kolbs model (Kolb Fry, 1975), which describes experiential learning as a cyclical process of concrete experience, reflective observation, abstract conceptualization and active experimentation (p.50). I followed the Kolb model of experiential learning (Kolb, 1984). This suggested that by going through the different stages of the learning cycle could help both mentor and mentee engage in professional learning development. As a result, mentors can thus help mentees develop the skills of reflective practice and acquire initial experiences (Russell T. 2005, p.199) On the other hand, a mentors responsibility is also to help another individual to address the major transitions or thresholds that the individual is facing (Megginson, 1994, in Woodds, 1997, p335). Mentors do not need to be perfect but they do need to be willing and able to grow in a relationship and build on mutual contributions where this role is seen as an occasion to learn from the mentee as well as providing training to her. During the second week observation (see appendix 2), I believe there was a shift in our relationship. We were encouraging each other with our own professional development and there was a new air of confidence surrounding us. As I assisted my mentee to develop her own professional practice, I was interested into improving my own mentoring skills (Coombs and Fletcher, 2005). Working in a collaborative way enabled me as a mentor to start finding solutions to the problems arising. Since a mentor is someone who imparts knowledge and experience and shares it with a less experienced person; he/ she acts as a guide (Roberts, 2000), master or advisor (Gibbs, 2003). Thus, the mentor also uses specific skills, frameworks and processes to develop insight and to promote change. In regard to knowledge development, good mentors are seen as sources of knowledge (Little, 1990, in Orland- Barak Hasin, 2009, p.429). In this respect, mentors access their theoretical knowledge and translate it for mento ring purposes in order to enhance the mentees teaching- learning processes (Ardery, 1990: Roberts, 2000, in Orland- Barak Hasin, 2009, p.429). The term mentor has been used for a number of different models, as I believe there are many factors that affect the role including the mentees level of experience and the time in the mentoring relationship. As a mentor I had encountered some difficulties in finding the best way to work with my mentee so I was keen to adopt a different approach to my mentoring relationship. If my skills of mentoring were lacking then my mentee might have received less support during mentoring relationship than she otherwise would have done. Yet, I veered more towards the directive approach and was offering suggestions rather than waiting for my mentee to come to her own conclusions. My focus was very much on the development of my interpersonal skills and practice. Nevertheless, it was in listening where I felt that there was actual development in my practice over the two observations. My understanding to a mentors role was that I should be a good listener (Cain, 2009, p.55) so that I enable my mentee to reflect on the actuality of her practice (John and Gilchrist, 1999, p.102). I was actually in the moment, listening to what was being said and then responding to it, rather than listening and trying to work out what was my own response to them might be. Likewise, the Mauritian Teaching Competencies 2.3 (See Appendix 6), teachers should be able to gain learners attention and be able to sustain their interests. My mentee used video lesson to gain the learners attention. Moreover, she did not meet the terms with the Mauritian Teaching Competencies 1.2.4 and 1.2.5 (see Appendix 6), which are: an understanding of the special needs of individual learners and of specific learning difficulties, an understanding of how to develop the thinking and problem solving skills of learners across the curriculum. She should pay attention to the development of literacy and numeracy skills in every subject, every lesson (DfES 2004, 3, p.2). It is imperative to highlight the features of each subject that need constant attention in order to boost performance and ensure progression. It is thus significant to realise what motivates lower-attaining students to learn and what methods could be used in in order to create motivation. By following the third observation (see appendix 3), there may be, therefore, a mismatch with a teacher who, as a qualified person, would wish to be able to make their own decisions about personal and professional development and about their pupils needs. In my communications with my mentee consequently made me feel assured by seeing her able to use appropriate teaching strategies relevant to the age, ability and attainment level of learners which is an area which is linked to Mauritian teaching competency 1.3.4 (see appendix 6). When I observed my mentee in class, she did engage the students in group work which was lacking during the first observation, conformed to the active engagement techniques (DfES, 2004, 11). My mentee involved the students in sharing their knowledge, ideas and perspectives and arrive at a fuller understanding than they might have done working alone (DfES, 2004, 11, p.5). In order for a successful mentoring relationship take place, I believe that skills and qu alities such as open communication (Bradbury Koballa, 2008, p.55), listening (Edwards and Collison, 1996, in Hobson, 2002, p.2135), mutual trust (Awaya et al., 2003, p.55) and being supportive should prevail. Mentoring and coaching provides a vital link with positive reflective practice. Throughout the mentoring relationship, there need to be a strong sense of self belief and efficacy, as goals can be realistically achieved. Through this experience, I managed to prove myself and help my mentee by not giving up. The foundation for being a good mentor is in building a good working relationship with the mentee. Achieving this one initial, important goal will solidly underpin every other aspect of mentoring. In mentoring, time is at a premium. As such, there should be effective use of time in order for good working relationships to be achieved as quickly as possible. However, to achieve this, the mentees first day and week should be managed in a productive and welcoming way (Maynard, 2 000, p.26), and furthermore the mentor should make use of good communication skills and active listening. The effective mentor does not feel that they are perfect nor that they know all the answers. They are real people who are still learning themselves but are willing to share what they do know. Good mentors are non- judgmental about their mentees and in being so are able to develop a relationship based upon trust and acceptance. Only in such an open and trusting atmosphere can a student really feel at ease and free to ask for help and to question. Perhaps the most useful communication skill in mentoring is that of active listening. I then proceeded with my fourth class observation (See Appendix 4). By identifying my strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats helped me to develop and improve my own mentoring skills. For this assignment, a personal SWOT analysis (QuintCareers.Com) was developed where I reflected on my own development as a mentor. The SWOT analysis (see appendix 7) was then used to identify my personal development goals. The goals were centered on consolidating strengths and thinking about how best I could use them. The goals were also about overcoming my weaknesses, exploiting opportunities and nullifying threats. The personal SWOT analysis proved to be a useful tool for helping me to be self- reflective. As a consequence my aim as a mentor was to increase teacher effectiveness where while mentoring I assumed my responsibility to help mentee evaluate and overcome challenges in the classroom in order to become better teachers (Korthagen, 2004). Particularly, my idea is in line with Lopez-Rea l Kwan, (2005, in Kwan Lopez-Real, 2010) that in the process of mentoring, my own personal and professional understanding developed as I worked collaboratively and reflectively with my mentee (p. 724). When I observed my mentee in class, she portrayed an image of a teacher who stands at the front of the classroom and explaining things (Korthagen, 2004, p.81). Learning can be described as a process (Edwards Protheroe, 2003). The environment such as: school culture and classroom, where the learner will evolve is an important fact. Therefore, the teacher (mentee) has to act as a facilitator. The teacher has to be more students centered and lass dominant in the classroom. Thus the teachers approach to interaction with learners should be different. To some extent, my mentee have used engaged learning technique in the classroom. Basically, in terms of building prior knowledge of students, this is done by conducting a brainstorming session in class (DfES, 2004, 19)My mentee organised th e students into group so that they could discuss, plan, monitor and reflect on their work. As such they developed their thinking and problem solving skills. As a result, the role of the mentor became one of raising the ante by gradually (Edwards Protheroe, 2003, p. 231) facilitating the mentee to distinguish and answer to the difficulty of the situation even though, the mentee as learner is involved in practice. My first time as a mentor allowed me to learn a lot where I learnt about my individual development as a mentor. It has also helped me out to achieve the ability to challenge, motivate and reflect. In sum, if mentoring relationship is successful then inevitably the coach themselves will notice an increase in their own awareness. I feel that the process of trying to identify myself as a mentor has equipped me with skills which will serve me well both professionally and personally and I can say without doubt that the journey thus far has been very enlightening. This piece of work underlined, the significance of the affective in students school-based learning: the close relationship that exists between the personal and the professional (Furlong Maynard, 1995, in Maynard, 2000, p.29). In mentoring, mentee often discussed good practice and made reference to how mentors made them feel. For example, welcome, accepted, included, supported and recognised as an individual (Maynard, 2000). The way in which the mentee responded to me in this respect impacted on the mentor mentee relationship and eventually contributed to her success. There is absolutely a need for mentors to acquire the knowledge and skills needed to work effectively with the mentee.

The New Woman in Fanu’s Carmilla, Stoker’s Dracula, and Buffy the Vampi

The New Woman in Fanu’s Carmilla, Stoker’s Dracula, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer The correlation between the vampire, a figure that is usually regarded as the subject of social ostracism, and the New Woman, the advent of which was feared by the majority of the British Victorian patriarchy, was a prominent aspect of much mid-to-late Victorian era literature. Supplementary evidence to support the compelling Victorian era literary connection between the vampire and the New Woman can be extrapolated from the unique gender role standards that defined that socially complex era. As Catherine Siemann suggests in her essay, â€Å"Darkness Falls on the Endless Summer: Buffy as Gidget for the Fin de Siecle,† the Victorian New Woman’s â€Å"personal autonomy, economic independence and sexual self-determination led [her] to be seen as a threat, undermining the social order† (Wilcox and Lavery 124). In transforming New Woman-like literary characters into vampires, their punishment or destruction could be interpreted as a culturally acceptable way to metaphorically control the New Woman, thereby keeping the existing patriarchal domin ation unblemished and intact. Thus, literature offered the Victorian patriarchy a psychological defense against this perceived cultural â€Å"threat;† unsurprisingly, male authors were the ones responsible for a good portion of these texts. While New Woman-like vampires are featured in many Victorian works, including Charles Baudelaire’s â€Å"The Vampire† (1857) and Julian Osgood Field’s â€Å"A Kiss of Judas† (1894), perhaps none capture, in metaphoric form, the anxiety about, and the alleged viciousness toward, the New Woman better than Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu’s novella Carmilla (1872) and Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1897). T... ...hers, Inc., 2002. 120-129. Stoker, Bram. Dracula. 1897. New York: Dover Publications Inc., 2000. Vint, Sheryl. â€Å" ‘Killing Us Softly’?: A Feminist Search for the ‘Real’ Buffy.† Slayage: The On-Line International Journal of Buffy Studies 5. 10 pp. Web 21 Apr. 2015. http://www.slayage.tv/essays/slayage5/vint.htm>. â€Å"What’s My Line?, Part 2.† Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Created by Joss Whedon. Perf. Sarah Michelle Gellar & Alyson Hannigan. WB. New York: 24 Nov. 1997. Wilcox, Rhonda V. and David Lavery, ed. Fighting the Forces: What’s At Stake in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. New York: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 2002. Wisker, Gina. â€Å"Vampires and School Girls: High School Jinks on the Hellmouth.† Slayage: The On-Line International Journal of Buffy Studies 2. 12 pp. Web 21 Apr. 2015. http://www.slayage.tv/essays/slayage2/wisker.htm>. The New Woman in Fanu’s Carmilla, Stoker’s Dracula, and Buffy the Vampi The New Woman in Fanu’s Carmilla, Stoker’s Dracula, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer The correlation between the vampire, a figure that is usually regarded as the subject of social ostracism, and the New Woman, the advent of which was feared by the majority of the British Victorian patriarchy, was a prominent aspect of much mid-to-late Victorian era literature. Supplementary evidence to support the compelling Victorian era literary connection between the vampire and the New Woman can be extrapolated from the unique gender role standards that defined that socially complex era. As Catherine Siemann suggests in her essay, â€Å"Darkness Falls on the Endless Summer: Buffy as Gidget for the Fin de Siecle,† the Victorian New Woman’s â€Å"personal autonomy, economic independence and sexual self-determination led [her] to be seen as a threat, undermining the social order† (Wilcox and Lavery 124). In transforming New Woman-like literary characters into vampires, their punishment or destruction could be interpreted as a culturally acceptable way to metaphorically control the New Woman, thereby keeping the existing patriarchal domin ation unblemished and intact. Thus, literature offered the Victorian patriarchy a psychological defense against this perceived cultural â€Å"threat;† unsurprisingly, male authors were the ones responsible for a good portion of these texts. While New Woman-like vampires are featured in many Victorian works, including Charles Baudelaire’s â€Å"The Vampire† (1857) and Julian Osgood Field’s â€Å"A Kiss of Judas† (1894), perhaps none capture, in metaphoric form, the anxiety about, and the alleged viciousness toward, the New Woman better than Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu’s novella Carmilla (1872) and Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1897). T... ...hers, Inc., 2002. 120-129. Stoker, Bram. Dracula. 1897. New York: Dover Publications Inc., 2000. Vint, Sheryl. â€Å" ‘Killing Us Softly’?: A Feminist Search for the ‘Real’ Buffy.† Slayage: The On-Line International Journal of Buffy Studies 5. 10 pp. Web 21 Apr. 2015. http://www.slayage.tv/essays/slayage5/vint.htm>. â€Å"What’s My Line?, Part 2.† Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Created by Joss Whedon. Perf. Sarah Michelle Gellar & Alyson Hannigan. WB. New York: 24 Nov. 1997. Wilcox, Rhonda V. and David Lavery, ed. Fighting the Forces: What’s At Stake in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. New York: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 2002. Wisker, Gina. â€Å"Vampires and School Girls: High School Jinks on the Hellmouth.† Slayage: The On-Line International Journal of Buffy Studies 2. 12 pp. Web 21 Apr. 2015. http://www.slayage.tv/essays/slayage2/wisker.htm>.