Posted on by Jada

Jada Black- What is ideology?

  1. Ideology is a set of ideas, beliefs, and values of a group or individual. Ideologies can be political, cultural, religious, or economic. A political ideology focuses on how society should work and how a government should be ran. One example of a political ideology is Liberalism. People who follow liberalism believe the government should be chosen by the people and protect the rights of the people.
    • I look at ideology as an influence to different perspectives on what people believe. I believe the system of ideas are categorized based off what people think may be best or fair. It also influences your actions. For example , if someone strongly believes In an environment ideology, they may choose to recycle and purchase a lot of reusable products. They can also support policies and political debates that focus on stricter environmental regulations. This ideology influence can affect someone’s everyday life causing a consistent pattern of decisions regarding living differently.

  2. A conservative ideology generally focuses on a smaller government role in the economy and everyday life. They believe that if the government should follow a traditional morality. A liberal ideology tends to believe the government should play a more active role in society. They believe in individual freedoms ,equality, and the protection of civil rights. The big difference diving the two, is conservatives rather preserve the social norms while liberals advocate for change in society. For example, with health care policies conservatives favor a system that relies more on private insurance and market competition. While liberals believe the government should provide us with healthcare as it is a necessity for everyone.

3. Althussers definition of ideology is sort of different than the base definition of ideology. He believes that it operates through practices embedded in institutions. He stated that “ideology represents the imaginary relationship of individuals to their real conditions of existence”. This means that ideology is the way people understand and relate to their social and economic conditions. For example , commercials that will play during the Super Bowl will promote their products but at the same time show how their product can affect your life in a positive way. The ad encourages you to believe “this can be you”.

Posted on by Arto Artinian

Approaches for Successfully Completing This Online Class

Online students need structure, and a study calendar is a great way to create it. Check your syllabus before your course kicks off, and commit to due dates on your calendar. Then, designate study times for each class, and stick to them. Set aside a specific block of time every day, maybe after the kids’ bedtime, or before you go to work. Sticking to her plan will help you juggle work, family, and multiple online courses without falling behind. If you can’t set aside a whole block of time, then think about periods of the day when you can take at least 15 minutes for uninterrupted study time.

Our colleagues over at Arizona State University made a great video on time management. Take a look:


Another video on time management tips:

Look Ahead

I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to look ahead when taking online courses. Check your time management plan (you will be making one shortly!) for assignments that will be due, double-check for live events or in-person sessions for hybrid classes. Make plans to meet with your classmates online or to attend your instructor’s virtual office hours. Always know when an assignment is due, and don’t wait until the last minute to complete it. 

Set aside at least one hour a day for each of your e-learning courses. Remember the videos you watched on the subway and the article you read while waiting for 20 minutes at the doctor’s office? That counts towards chipping away at that one hour a day!

Speak Up

If you struggle or fall behind, don’t stay silent. Remember your growth mindset; every problem is an opportunity to grow and improve. Think of it as a puzzle to solve. BMCC has instructors, counselors, tutors, and many other services here to help you get back on track. While your Instructors have deadlines for a reason and late work is not accepted, by speaking up, you will have an opportunity to refocus and improve your work moving forward. Extra credit assignments may be offered at the professor’s discretion. We help students with problems all of the time, that’s our job! 

The worst thing you can do for yourself is to do ‘nothing.’