Hcs430 Master

| Course Design GuideCollege of Natural SciencesHCS/430 Version 5Legal Issues in Health Care: Regulation and Compliance| Copyright  © 2012, 2011, 2009, 2006, 2004 by University of Phoenix. All rights reserved. Course Description This course covers the broad range of topics affected by health law and regulation ranging from patient rights to corporate responsibilities. Public and private health care regulatory agencies are examined as well as their impact on the operation of health care as a business. Legal issues ranging from professional malpractice to corporate wrongdoing are also discussed. PoliciesFaculty and students/learners will be held responsible for understanding and adhering to all policies contained within the following two documents: University policies: You must be logged into the student website to view this document. Instructor policies: This document is posted in the Course Materials forum. University policies are subject to change. Be sure to read the policies at the beginning of each class. Policies may be slightly different depending on the modality in which you attend class. If you have recently changed modalities, read the policies governing your current class modality.Course Materials Fremgen, B. F. (2012). Medical law and ethics: An interactive look at the decision, dilemmas, and regulations in healthcare practice today (4th ed. ). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. All electronic materials are available on the student website. Software This course will require the use of the Microsoft ® Office software listed in the University of Phoenix Hardware/Software Agreement. If you have questions regarding the terms of this agreement, please contact your academic counselor. Week One: The Legal Environment of the Health Care Industry| | Details| Due| Points|Objectives| 1. 1 Relate the general nature, sources, and functions of the law to the health care industry. 1. 2 Identify the governmental and other agencies that impact the health care industry and the regulatory scheme they administer. 1. 3 Analyze the regulatory issues and trends that impact the health care industry. 1. 4 Explain the function and process of individual and organizational licensure, accreditation, certification, and authorization. | | | Reading| Read the Week One Read Me First. | | | Reading| Read Ch. 1 of Medical Law and Ethics. | | Reading| Read Ch. 2 of Medical Law and Ethics. | | | Reading| Read Ch. 3 of Medical Law and Ethics. | | | Participation/weekly summary| Participate in class discussion. Each response should be 100+ words for substance points. The weekly summary should be 100+ words. | 4 days out of 7| . 52| Discussion Questions| Respond to weekly discussion questions, There are three DQ’s each must be between 200-300 words There will be points deducted if each DQ’s are not within the word count (200-300 words). * | Wednesday, Thursday,Friday| . 06. 04. 4| Learning Team InstructionsWeekly Team Review| Review the Week One objectives and discuss insights and questions that may have arisen. | | | Learning Team InstructionsAssignment| Submit the Team Dispute and describe how each team member will work towards developing a finish product in week five (5). | Monday| 1. 00| IndividualArticle or Case Law Search| Note: If an assignment is late, it will be subject to a 10% PER DAY deduction, no papers are accepted after four days. Find an article or a current legal case that involves one of the following issues: [I strongly uggest you use the following as topic headings so that I can follow your paper, thanks! ]A critical regulatory issue in health careA critical regulatory issue specific to institutional health careWrite a 700- to 1,050-word analysis of the article or the legal case that explains how the issue relates to the nature, sources, and functions of the law. | Monday| 10| Week Two: Contract and Criminal Law in Health CareLabor Laws Impacting Health Care Organizations and Individuals| | Details| Due | Points| Objectives| 1 2. Identify the various components of criminal law that professionals in the health care industry must understand to avoid violations. 2. 6 Recognize the elements of enforceable contracts and the types of contracts that are applicable to health care providers. 2. 7 Describe how equal-employment opportunity laws are applied to ensure an equitable workplace. 2. 8 Define the health and safety laws that must be applied by health care organizations and providers in ensuring a safe and productive workplace. | | | Reading| Read the Week Two Read Me First. | | | Reading| Read Ch. of Medical Law and Ethics. | | | Reading| Read Ch. 8 of Medical Law and Ethics. | | | Reading| Read this week’s Electronic Reserve Readings. | | | Participation/weekly summary| Participate in class discussion. Each response should be 100+ words for substance points. The weekly summary should be 100+ words. | 4 days out of 7| . 70| Discussion Questions| Respond to weekly discussion que stions, There are three DQ’s each must be between 200-300 words There will be points deducted if each DQ’s are not within the word count (200-300 words). | Wednesday, Thursday,Friday | . 5. 75. 75| Learning Team InstructionsWeekly Team Review| Review the Week Two objectives and discuss insights and questions that may have arisen. | | | Learning Team Instructions| Submit the Learning Team Charter| Monday| 1. 00| Learning TeamEmployee Handbook Nondiscrimination Progress Summary| Submit a progress summary for the Employee Handbook Nondiscrimination assignment. Summarize, in approximately 350 words, the team’s progress on the assignment. Address the following in your summary:Which team members are responsible for which deliverables?What has worked well? What challenges have you encountered? How did you overcome those challenges? Will you change anything about the way you are working together or approaching the assignment? Why or why not? Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines. | Monday| 5. 00| IndividualRegulatory Agency Paper| Note: If an assignment is late, it will be subject to a 10% PER DAY deduction, no papers are accepted after four days. Read the instructions in the University of Phoenix Material: Regulatory Agency Paper, and select one option to complete the assignment.Select and complete one of the following assignments:————————————————- Option 1: Health Care Segment Agency PaperResource: Regulatory Agency Paper Grading Criteria * Write a 1,400- to 1,750-word paper that identifies a governmental or other agency, such as JCAHO, that governs the health care industry or a particular segment of the industry. Answer the following questions about your chosen agency: * What is the agency’s structure? * What is the organization’s effect on health care? * What is an example of the agency carrying out its dutie s? What regulatory authority does the agency have in relation to health care? * What is the agency’s process for accreditation, certification, and authorization? Cite at least two sources. Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines. ————————————————- Option 2: Prison Health Care Agency Paper Resource: Regulatory Agency Paper Grading CriteriaIdentify a governmental agency that regulates prison health care. Write a 1,400- to 1,750-word paper that explains the role and impact of the agency on prison healthcare.Answer the following questions about your chosen agency: * What is the agency’s role? * What is the agency’s impact on health care? * What is an example of the agency carrying out its duties? * What regulatory authority does the agency have in relation to health care? * What is the agency’s process for accreditation, certification, and authorization? * * Cite at least two sources. Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines. | Monday| 20| ————————————————- ———————————————— ————————————————- ————————————————- Week Three: Organizational and Professional Responsibility/Liability| | Details| Due| Points| Objectives| 2 3. 9 Describe the elements of negligence and intentional torts that could bring financial liability to health care organizations and individuals. 3. 10 Identify principles of agency law that impact responsibility and accountability in health care organizations . 3. 1 Describe standards of care and potential liability for health care professionals and organizations. 3. 12 Analyze appropriate ongoing risk management and quality assurance programs for health care. | | | Reading| Read the Week Three Read Me First. | | | Reading| Read Ch. 6 of Medical Law and Ethics. | | | Reading| Read Ch. 9 of Medical Law and Ethics. | | | Reading| Read this week’s Electronic Reserve Readings. | | | Participation/weekly summary| Participate in class discussion. Each response should be 100+ words for substance points.The weekly summary should be 100+ words. | 4 days out of 7| 1. 00| Discussion Questions| Respond to weekly discussion questions, There are three DQ’s each must be between 200-300 words There will be points deducted if each DQ’s are not within the word count (200-300 words). | Wednesday, Thursday,Friday | . 75. 75. 75| Nongraded Activities and PreparationWeek Four Preparation | Begin working on the Week Four assignments. | | | Learning Team InstructionsWeekly Team Review| Review the Week Three objectives and discuss insights and questions that may have arisen. | | Learning TeamEmployee Handbook Nondiscrimination Section | Create the â€Å"Equal-employment opportunity laws† section and the â€Å"Health and safety laws† section of the employee handbook, which must be between 1,400 to 1,750 words total. Include answers to the following questions: What nondiscrimination issues must be addressed? What should the organization’s position be in response to nondiscrimination issues? How might the nondiscrimination policy and health and safety laws impact the organization’s liability? How might the nondiscrimination policy and health and safety laws impact employees?How will you address state and federal laws regarding nondiscrimination and health and safety laws in your handbook sections? What are some ethical considerations involved in the design of these sections? What are some crimi nal law issues to consider in relationship to equal-employment opportunity laws and health and safety laws? What is your responsibility in regards to criminal law? Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines. Submit the assignment. | | 10| ————————————————- ————————————————-Week Four: Health Care Issues in the Relationships of Providers, Third-Party Payers, and Patients| | Details| Due| Points| Objectives| 3 4. 13 Describe legal issues and applicable laws that apply to and regulate managed care. 4. 14 Describe state and federal statutory and regulatory enactments relative to patients’ rights and responsibilities. 4. 15 Identify principles of patient consent and the resulting implications for the health care industry. 4. 16 Identify the status of physi cians’ rights and responsibilities in the delivery of health care. | | | Reading| Read the Week Four Read Me First. | | Reading| Read Ch. 4 of Medical Law and Ethics. | | | Reading| Read Ch. 5 of Medical Law and Ethics. | | | Reading| Read this week’s Electronic Reserve Readings. | | | Participation/weekly summary| Participate in class discussion. Each response should be 100+ words for substance points. The weekly summary should be 100+ words. | 4 days out of 7| 1. 00| Discussion Questions| Respond to weekly discussion questions, There are three DQ’s each must be between 200-300 words There will be points deducted if each DQ’s are not within the word count (200-300 words). | Wednesday, Thursday,Friday | . 4. 04. 06| Learning Team InstructionsWeekly Team Review| Review the Week Four objectives and discuss insights and questions that may have arisen. | | | Learning TeamHuman Resources Presentation Outline| Complete a slide-by-slide outline of your Human Res ources Presentation using Microsoft ® PowerPoint ®. Consider the layout and the speaker’s notes for each slide in addition to the wording on the slide. Include the following in your outline: On each slide, * list the main topics. list two or three subtopics. * In the speaker’s note section, * describe the layout or appearance of the slide. nclude a brief description of the text the speaker notes will contain. | | 5| IndividualProfessional Regulation and Criminal Liability Paper| Note: If an assignment is late, it will be subject to a 10% PER DAY deduction, no papers are accepted after four days. Research your state’s statutes that regulate health care professionals, including licensure, credentialing, certification, and registration requirements. In addition, research areas of potential criminal liability relating to these procedures, as well as professional misconduct.Write a 1,400- to 1,750-word paper that summarizes your findings in relation to one type o f health care professional, such as a physician, nurse, pharmacist, or nurse practitioner. Include the following components: * Iidentifies state statutes that regulate health care professionals. * Relates areas of potential criminal liability to regulations, as well as professional misconduct. * Iidentifies the civil complaint process for patients or consumers to use in the event of suspected professional misconduct or incompetence. Explains the role of the respective regulatory agencies in investigating allegations and determining and applying any appropriate disciplinary action. * Identifies potential criminal liabilities for the health care professional that are related to abuses perpetrated in practices involving these procedures, as well as professional misconduct. * Describes appropriate risk management strategies and quality assurance programs to reduce the risk of liability and negligence. Explains the process to follow in the event that criminal charges were filed for the d escribed criminal behavior.Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines. | | 30| ————————————————- ————————————————- Week Five: Legal Issues in Information and Technology Management| | Details| Due| Points| Objectives| 4 5. 17 Explain the components and implications of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). 5. 18 Identify all statutory, regulatory, and common law requirements of confidentiality in the health care industry. 5. 19 Explain legal and ethical obligations relating to the documentation, retention, storage, and use of medical records. . 20 Analyze the legal and ethical implications of using technology or informatics in the health care industry. | | | Reading| Read the Week Five Read Me First. | | | Reading| Read Ch. 10 of Me dical Law and Ethics. | | | Reading| Read this week’s Electronic Reserve Readings. | | | Participation| NONE IN THIS WEEK – Just the Zip thread for attendance| | | Discussion Questions| NONE IN THIS WEEK| | | Learning Team InstructionsLearning Team Evaluation| Submit the Learning Team Evaluation. Each team member must submit a separate copy to the instructor. | | Learning TeamHuman Resources Presentation | As senior members of the human resources team, you have been asked to give a presentation on the state of the union to the board of directors. The presentation must include past, present, and future legal issues. Create a 12- to 15-slide Microsoft ® PowerPoint ® presentation with detailed speaker notes summarizing your findings to the board. Use complete sentences, with correct grammar and punctuation, to fully explain each slide as if you were giving an in-person presentation.In your presentation, include at least two main points for each of the following bullet s:State and federal statutory and regulatory enactments related to patients’ rights and responsibilitiesCurrent principles of patient consent and the resulting implications for the health care industryThe current state and future trends of physicians’ rights and responsibilities in the delivery of health careCurrent components and implications of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Brief summary of current and future trends for statutory, regulatory, and common law requirements of confidentiality in he health care industryCurrent and future legal and ethical obligations relating to the documentation, retention, storage, and use of medical records * Format your presentation consistent with APA guidelines. | | 10| ————————————————- ———————————— Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€- ————————————————- ————————————————- ————————————————- ————————————————- ———————————————— ————————————————- Points for each week below: ————————————————- ————à ¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€- ————————————————- Points: ASSIGNMENT| WK 1| WK 2| WK 3| WK 4| WK 5| Participation| 0. 52| 0. 70| 1. 00| 1. 00|   | DQ 1| 0. 06| 0. 75| 0. 75| 0. 04|   | DQ 2| 0. 04| 0. 75| 0. 75| 0. 04|   | DQ 3| 0. 04| 0. 75| 0. 75| 0. 06|   | Team Dispute| 1. 00|   |   |   |   | Case Law/Individual| 10. 0|   |   |   |   | Team Charter|   | 1. 00|   |   |   | Regulatory Agency/Individual|   | 20. 00|   |   |   | Summary of Research|   | 5. 00|   |   |   | Employee Handbook|   |   | 10. 00|   |   | Regulatory/Criminal/Individual|   |   |   | 30. 00|   | Team PowerPoint|   |   |   | 5. 00|   | Team Final Project PowerPoint|   |   |   |   | 10. 00| Course point total – 100| 11. 66| 28. 95| 13. 25| 36. 14| 10. 00| Note: If an assignment is late, it will be subject to a 10% PER DAY deduction; no papers are accepted after four days. ————————————————-

Issue in contemporary auditing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Issue in contemporary auditing - Essay Example Governance Reporting Reporting is a vital way of sharing financial information. Therefore, it will be our responsibility to report to you on whether the financial accounts have been arranged according to the accounting strategies as stated by you. Furthermore, we would report according to auditing process undertaken by us, on whether anything has emerged to our consideration for specifying that the revenue figure described in financial reports has not been appropriately extracted from book of records, or book of records do not record and clarify the transactions, with respect to the understanding of activity. Scope of Work Our auditing process will include those activities we consider essential to allow us to report on the aspects of financial reporting and will comprise evaluating information and descriptions provided to us for conducting such investigations about the managers as we believe essential. It is to clarify you that we are not liable for the maintenance of bookkeeping rec ords of the business, however we shall be pleased to advise on these aspects if required. The financial statements will have a declaration for your approval for having every relevant accounting record. As a consequence of our tasks, we can be capable of providing suggestions on improvements that can be made to the accounting records. Nevertheless, our work must not be dependent on the disclosure of misdeeds. However, if an examination is required particularly to detect misdeeds, it can be independently conducted on request (The Institute of Certified Public Accountants in Ireland, 2003). Applicable Legislation The engagement letter will be administered by and construed according to International Standards on Auditing (ISA) 540 and pertinent national standards and practices. ISA deals in duties of auditors with respect to fair value bookkeeping and associated financial disclosures. These standards necessitate that we plan and perform the audit in order to attain practical assurance r egarding if the prepared financial statements determined to be are free from misstatements or not. Restriction on Audit Liability Due to the characteristics of audit and other inherent restrictions, there is always inevitable risk of financial mistreatments to remain undiscovered (Financial Reporting Council, 2012). Agreement on Terms We will look forward towards complete collaboration with your employees and we believe that they will provide us whatever we require to accomplish our tasks. The fees will be based on the time required for addressing the required tasks along with other additional expenses. Once these terms are agreed, the letter would be effective until it is changed. Please confirm us about your agreement with the provided terms by signing this letter and returning to us. Yours Sincerely, Loughran and Shrives Chartered Accountants Acknowledged on behalf of Land Securities Group Plc by Signature: Date: Ethical Issues Leaflet The leaflet deals in legal and ethical impli cations of audit. It provides the standards to which we are committed to maintain utmost professional and ethical standards in order to assist our clients about quality auditing. Integrity The first ethical issue is integrity. It states that we will undertake the auditing tasks and responsibilities with the utmost level of intelligence and integrity. Our work will be

IKEA Warehouse System Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

IKEA Warehouse System - Essay Example IKEA furniture are cheap, durable and stylish. Source: The Economist, 2011, http://www.economist.com/node/18229400 From the start, IKEA was perceived as the David of furniture stores who was willing to challenge the Goliaths of furniture dealers, for which reason it concentrated on developing top-quality, low-cost furniture (Elsner, W & Hanappi, 2008). On the other hand, the challenges posed by the group of competitors was much like that of a cartel. The Swedish furniture dealers pressured suppliers not to sell to independent manufacturers to create an artificial shortage of raw materials. They also excluded unaffiliated furniture makers and dealers from their trade fairs. Ingvar Kamprad, the founder of IKEA, saw social problems in the furniture industry, as well as a business opportunity. He saw that the great majority of people had needs which were not being met as far as the need for beautifully crafted but affordably priced furniture and household items were concerned. At the sam e time, he felt that this exclusion of the masses was not fair nor warranted, and that people of all walks of life are entitled to good furniture (Reichert, 1998, p. 3). ... The house is designed with architecture by IdeaBox, mostly straight lines with little detail. Source: Dornob, http://dornob.com/flat-pack-ikea-house-built-shipped-for-under-100000/?ref=search Kamprad was not a social idealist without a practical agenda. He saw a business opportunity in the fact that a huge market existed which was not being serviced by the existing manufacturers and their contract-bound suppliers and retailers. However, this market had a relatively low price target, therefore if the company intends to realize a profit out of its sales to this market segment then it should be able to maintain its production and distribution costs at a margin below the selling price (The Economist, 2011) Flat-packed IKEA furniture can be carted home at the back of a car without need for incurring delivery costs. The packaging also saved on store and warehouse space. Source: http://earth911.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/IKEA-Flat-Pack-300x199.jpg?84cd58 Based on this strategic directio n, the Company developed most of its product designs, supplier relationships, and customer service practices in a way that was intended to minimize production costs and maximize value for the customer. The novel idea was to produce low-cost furniture that were easy to build, and easy for the customer to assemble by himself. The principal innovation that sets IKEA apart is its flat-pack packaging that made IKEA furniture easy and cost-effective to ship, store, sell, and later set up through self-assembly. The cost savings the company realized in terms of saved store space, delivery and labour costs were passed on to the customers in terms of lower prices. In marketing, what the company essentially pioneered in is â€Å"the self-service method of selling† which, aside

Evidence Based Practice amongst Physiotherapists. Attitudes, Essay

Evidence Based Practice amongst Physiotherapists. Attitudes, Knowledge, and Barriers - Essay Example Moreover, they consider reading of research literature as an important activity in their profession. But it is pointed out that there are some barriers which keep them away from reading research journals. In the concluding part, Kamwendo points out: â€Å"A cultural change within the profession, allowing more time for reading and discussing research reports should be encouraged.†(Kamwendo K, 2002) effective changes can be implemented in physiotherapy by allowing more time for reading and discussing research reports. Most of the Swedish physiotherapists like to read journals and other works in their own language. This prevents them to exploit the positive sides of EBP, because most of the journals published on EBP are in English. To conclude, it is important that most of the Swedish physiotherapists value EBP and research in physiotherapy. The research conducted by Diane U Jette, Kimberly Bacon, Cheryl Batty, Melissa Carlson, Amanda Ferland, Richard D Hemingway, Jessica C Hill, Laura Ogilvie and Danielle Volk, namely ‘Evidence-Based Practice: Beliefs, Attitudes, Knowledge, and Behaviors of Physical Therapists’, states that the physical therapist members of American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) strongly supports the Evidence Based Practice (EBP) in their field. The hypothesis points out the close relation between quality and individual practice characteristics of physiotherapists. The respondents supported the importance of evidence in practice because they like to rely upon evidence than theory. The theories are applicable for the general field of medical care. But when it is applied to physiotherapy, practitioner had to consider so many individual factors related to the patient. Rich literature in EBP helps physiotherapists to provide better patient care. It is a fact that younger and recently lic ensed practitioners rely on research works and EBP to improve their skills. Furthermore, most of the

Macromolecule Research Project Overview Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Macromolecule Research Project Overview - Essay Example rates are: 1.) Monosaccharide, 2.) Disaccharides, 3.) Polysaccharides are polymers of monosaccharide of up to 10,000 glucose molecules per chain, where parallel chains are cross-linked with H bonds forming bundles of 60-70 molecules. These are: a.) Starch which are insoluble polymer of glucose, and energy storage molecules concentrated as granules within plant cells; b.) Glycogen which are water-soluble, branched polysaccharides storage form in animal liver and muscle cells; c.) Chitin which are tough molecules of ÃŽ ² glucose and the second most abundant molecule that forms the major component of fungal cell wall and the exoskeleton of insects and arthropods, recently used as surgical suturing threads; and d.) Cellulose which are the structural material in plant cell wall (Campbell & Reece 2002). Lipids are substances with an oily, greasy or waxy consistency which are relatively insoluble in water and tend to be water-repelling, hydrophobic, i. g. cuticle on leaf surfaces (Mader 2001). This is also important biological fuels, hormones and structural components of cell membranes (Mader 2001). Neutral fats and oils are the most abundant forms found in both plants and animals. Fats are economical storage for fuel reserves and there is twice more energy as the same quantity of carbohydrates it can generate (Mader 2001). Fatty acids which are the main components of neutral fats and phospholipids are of 30 different kinds such as saturated fatty acids which are solid at room temperature, i. g. butter and palmitic acid, and unsaturated fatty acids, oils, which are liquid at room temperature, i. g. linoleic acid. Important lipids are phospholipids which are the main component of cellular membranes, steroids which are likewise components of membranes and also hormones such as testost erone for sexual growth and development of men and estrogen and progesterone for women sexual growth and development with cholesterol as the main precursor, and carotenoids which are

Self introduction Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Self introduction - Essay Example It is natural, that I am a kind of typical representative of my nation with its specific interests and activities. To tell you the truth the cultural entertainment is traditionally received much attention in my motherland. As here in America we have the American way of life, so there is the Chinese way of life in China, which is determined by the gymnastics Taiji. My friends and I are those people who were engaged in practicing of sports in the morning parks. And by the way such sportsmen can be also seen then-and-now. Among other activities valuable and adorable by me is Ping-Pong, which is played just in the city streets. No matter which way you look at it, Ping-Pong is our national sport available for everyone. Moreover, it is a really interesting and developing game, for it stimulates such human’s qualities as quick reflexes, concentration, attention and concernment of mastership, as there are many guys able to show various and sundry tricks with rackets at an unimaginable speed. And definitely you have heard about our main amusement of karaoke. You must know, it is our craze, and there are many new karaoke bars, which have been opened recently. So here I am, a practitioner of Taiji, who plays Ping-Pong and likes singing karaoke, as all these choices are still with me in America. Incidentally, my personal example proves the fact that there is less and less time for Taoist slowness and Confucian measured gravity in the life of the modern Chinese. The pace of life increases, and as a result the time allotted for spirituality reduces. Such an acceleration of life is the main mark of the recent years, which may alter the traditional slow Chinese mentality. As for my experience at Greenville High School in Alabama, where I have come for studying after the moving from China, I cannot say that it was easy. The main difficulty for me was total learning in English. Naturally, I was taught the language up to then, but Chinese English pronunciation

Free

Freedom Road Term Paper Essay Howard Fast, the author of the book Freedom Road, was born on November 11, 1914 and died at the age of 89 on March 12, 2003. Fast lived a long and adventurous life. A few of the things he did throughout his lifetime were; joining the American Communist party in 1943, serving a prison term in 1950 for refusing to cooperate with the House Committee on Un-American Activities, and his books were purged from American school libraries. On the other hand some of the positive things that happened in his life was that in 1953, he was rewarded the Stalin Peace Prize and in June of 1937 he married his first wife, Bette Cohen. In adjunction with his adventurous lifestyle, Fast spent most of his time writing. He wrote seven works of nonfiction, two autobiographies, fifty-two novels, five short stories one essay, and seven Masao Masuto Mysteries under the Penn name E.V. Cunningham. As well as writing, he created two films based off novels. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_Fast) In the book Freedom Road, Howard Fast tells a fictional story based off the true events that occurred during the Constitutional Convention. The beginning of the book does not start the way most books start. This novel starts by talking about the main character, Gideon, as if we are supposed to know who he is. At first, this is confusing but after a couple of pages, you catch on and start to understand a lot easier. The first thing we are told about in the book is how all of the freed men from the small town of Charleston, had left a few weeks back to go vote. However, neither the town nor the men who left knew what voting actually was. Not knowing what voting was, made everyone who stayed in town very nervous and worried, they were not sure whether or not those men would be coming home or not. Therefore, when they men were spotted walking back into town everyone was extremely excited and could not wait to hear all about this voting thing. However, it seemed that none of the men were really talking, until one of them tells the town that they have some big news to share with everyone. Thus far, into the book, we have yet to hear from the main character, and we have actually been reading from his wives point of view. Once the returning men started talking, the book transitions from the wives point of view to Gideon’s, and that is when things start to pick up. We learn that the men’s big news is the fact that Gideon was elected to be a delegate. Because of his prowess in battle, the other ex-slaves looked to him as their leader in peacetime, but he was an uneducated man who felt himself unsuited for leadership. Yet knowing that his people wanted and needed him, he was determined to make himself fit into the pattern their hopes had cut out for him. However, none of them truly knew what a delegate was or what exactly a delegate did. The only thing they really knew was the Gideon would be receiving a letter once all the votes were counted to tell him if he had won the election. Several months go past in the book and nothing happens, no one in the town hears anything about Gideon being elected. Then one day, the postal man comes around and hands Gideon the letter that he had been waiting for. At this point in the book, we find out how afraid he is to go to Charleston because he is a â€Å"nigger.† He feels as though he is not very smart. He does not want to go â€Å"to city full of white houses†¦ full of white folks making fun†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (p. 16-17). So in order to help him overcome that fear Brother Peter tells him the people need a leader and because of how strong Gideon is physically and mentally, he was chosen to represent them. Because of Brother Peter, Gideon decides to go to Charleston. When he arrives in Charles and he realizes that, he has no money and no place to sleep, so he ends up sleeping under a hay barrel for the first night. It is the next morning when Gideon is offered a couple of cents for some physical labor, he reluctantly accepts the job realizing that he has no other option but to. Because of that money he is able to rent a room for the nights he will be at the convention, buy some food, and clothes that will look appropriate for the convention. Moreover, this is when we start getting into the convention. For the first couple of days Gideon was determined not to speak at the convention, in fear of making a fool of himself in front of all the educated white folk. Yet one day he is outraged and just cannot help himself, he gets up and speaks. Nevertheless, he was still embarrassed that he could not find the right words for what he was saying and for the fact that he sounded very uneducated compared to some of the rest. However when he was given some books that taught him how to read and speak properly, he began to speak out more and voice his opinion. To his surprise he was heard, people started to listen to what he was saying, and even siding with him. Fast explains that the Constitutional Convention worked because, though neither black nor poor whites were overly fond of each other, both realized they had a common enemy in a planter group. With the help of Gideon’s voice, and many others they fought against the planter group. The fought for a system of public schools, the abolition of imprisonment for debt, a simple and fair divorce law, a statute making it impossible for a wifes property to be sold in settlement of her husbands debts, and a measure for universal suffrage – which, came as close as man had ever come to giving women a break and land. Even though he fought for all of these things, the most important ones for Gideon were fair and equal education, and land. Throughout his time at the convention lets his wife slip away from him and stands by while a white northerner helps Gideons oldest son, Jeff, through medical school in Scotland; there was no medical school in America free enough from prejudice to accept him. Gideon loses site at what he loves the most in his life, and lets them all slip away because freedom seems more important than family. Some of the themes of this book are love and understanding, vigilance and perseverance, and hope. The reason why I say that a theme is love and understanding is because in the beginning of the book we hear about how his wife has stayed by his side through thick and thin. She waited for him though the war that he willingly signed up to go fight for. She let him go vote because she realized that even though no one knew exactly what it was, it was something of importance to her husband. In addition, though she has just gotten her husband back and did not want him to leave again; she understood that t his was something that he needed to do. She stood by his side, maybe not physically but mentally, throughout the entirety of the convention. Although this theme is not a main theme in the book, I think that it is a rather important one. The other theme I had mentioned was vigilance and perseverance. I believe these two themes are the main themes of the book, because everyone in this book is persevering in one way or another. Brother Peter insists that Gideon goes to the convention. Everyone at the convention is pushing for exactly what it is that they want written down, and his son is moving to a land unknown to him for an education that he cannot receive where he is. The last theme I had mentioned was hope. I believe that hope is the most predominant theme throughout the book, because every single person has hope. In the beginning, the town and the men who left were hoping that this voting thing was not going to get them killed. Gideon’s wife hoped that he would not leave her again, and when he did, she hoped that he would be okay and that she would get to see him again. The people of the convention all held on to the hope that what they say and what they want will be written down into a law. Then we have Gideon himself, he has hope that he will be able to read, write and give all freed slaves the right to an education. The theme of hope plays repeatedly throughout the story. All of the stories characters played a large role in the book, everyone influenced the book in one way or another, but a few of the characters that stood out to me are Brother Peter, Gideon, and Cardozo. The first character that really stands out to me is Brother Peter. I think the fact that he did not stand up and ask people to vote for him, as a delegate was a selfless act. All of the people in town look up to him and ask him for advice, they would have easily voted for him as they did Gideon, but brother Peter knew that Gideon would have more to learn from being a delegate than he would. Brother Peter also knew that Gideon would have more of a fight in him than he would. I th ink the reason why Brother Peter was so pushy about Gideon going to the convention was that he knew that Gideon would get things done. The other character that stands out to me is Gideon. Gideon starts in the beginning of the book being illiterate, but pushes though the struggle of learning how to read and write by himself. He also struggles with the fact that he is poor and does not measure up to some of the other people in the convention. Gideon fights for education and freedom so much that he lets go of everything that he truly loves. He lets his wife slip away and his son leaves. He forgets that he has people waiting for him back home. Even though I hate that he loses sight of the place he came from and his family, he over comes many struggles and fights to achieve his goals. The other character that stands out to me is Cardozo. Cardozo is the first person at the convention that comes up and talks to Gideon. I like the way Cardozo sees things differently, he is a black man that has been free all his life, got an education, socialized around white people his entire life. Therefore, when he first talks to Gideon he wants him to explain why black people should have en education. Once Gideon explains himself Cardozo understands, and helps Gideon as much as he can. He introduces him to all the right people, he supports him in the convention, and most of all he gave Gideon books that taught him how to read and write. He gave Gideon what he had come to fight for. I think it takes very kindhearted people to stand by someone who cannot even form the words to fight by themselves. Before I actually started reading this story, I thought it was going to be another extremely boring history book, however once I started I could not put it down. The way this story was written was fabulous. The way Fast incorporated Gideon’s thoughts, his writing and speaking was interesting. I loved that the real facts of what happened during that time was not just thrown in our faces, it was mixed into the fictional story that kept you interested. I think the way that we are lead through the past so effortlessly was a fascinating way to keep reader interested. I like the way Fast incorporated all the different kinds of people at the convention. In the story, the laws of freedom, education, and land would not have got through without the black folks and poor white folks being there. I think the way Fast portrayed Gideon, as a strong illiterate freedman was a great way to grab the reader’s attention and walk us through the past in a wonderful way. I think the only thing that Fast is really missing is more of Gideon speaking. Fast does an excellent narration of illiterate folks, but he does not do enough of it. Overall, this book was great, I will most likely be keeping it, and not reselling it so I can re-read it repeatedly.