The Corpus Juris Civilis: A Guide to its History and Use

ABSTRACT

The Corpus Juris Civilis is indispensable for Roman law research. It is a vital pillar of modern law in many European nations and influential in other countries. Scholars and lawyers still refer to it today. This valuable publication, however, may seem impenetrable at first, and references to it can be hard to decipher or detect. This guide provides a history of the Corpus Juris Civilis and the forms it has taken, states why it is still an important resource today, and offers some tips and tools for research using it.     

Partisan Balance and Bias in Network Coverage of the 2000 and 2004 Presidential Elections

This study conceptualizes news bias as a causal factor producing systematic imbalance in the coverage of conflicting sides. Partisan bias is distinguished from structural bias by coverage that systematically favors one side with more prominence and attention. Content analysis was used to compare the television networks' balance in their treatment of Republican and Democratic candidates in stories and segments covering the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections. Presidential candidates received balanced aggregate treatment in both elections. But individual networks differed in their partisan balance. CBS News consistently favored the Democratic candidate in both elections, unlike the mixed results for ABC and NBC. CBS's pattern of imbalance, especially in the 2004 election, suggests a possible political bias in its coverage.     

Psychological Factors in Community College Student Retention

This study explored psychological factors in the context of a community college population purported to impact decisions to remain in college from one semester to another. Researchers examined results from 1191 responses from students attending a community college in the Mid-Atlantic United States. The study further explored the predictive power of four factors—career decision self-efficacy, career locus of control, education-employment connection, and intent to return—on both intent to return and on actual return to the college. Results indicated that intent to return was significantly predictive of actual return among this community college population. Additionally, age and gender differences, along with differences in the various psychological factors had differential impacts on each other, as well as on intent to return and subsequent return. Implications are discussed.     

Fine motor skills and executive function both contribute to kindergarten achievement

This study examined the contribution of executive function (EF) and multiple aspects of fine motor skills to achievement on 6 standardized assessments in a sample of middle-socioeconomic status kindergarteners. Three- and 4-year-olds' (n=213) fine and gross motor skills were assessed in a home visit before kindergarten, EF was measured at fall of kindergarten, and Woodcock-Johnson III Tests of Academic Achievement were administered at fall and spring. Correlations indicated that EF and fine motor skills appeared distinct. Further, controlling for background variables, higher levels of both EF and fine motor skills, specifically design copy, predicted higher achievement on multiple subtests at kindergarten entry, as well as improvement from fall to spring. Implications for research on school readiness are discussed.     

Promoting Online Collaborative Learning Experiences for Teenagers

This paper describes a project that engages teenagers in using Internet-based tools to collaborate in problem-based learning. Motorola Expeditions is designed to help young people develop skills in using new network technologies to work together in teams to solve real world problems. In Expeditions 2000, 27 teenagers worked in teams with six on-site and four online mentors to develop a marketing plan for one or more personal communication sector technologies, such as cell phones, specifically targeting teenage consumers. Participants were surveyed before and after the project about their attitudes towards collaborative learning, their confidence in collaborating online and their competence in using certain online tools. Data were also gathered through observation of online communication, weekly feedback surveys and interviews with mentors. Results show a significant increase in the participants' self-confidence in collaborating online and in their competence in using online communication tools to collaboratively solve problems. La promotion d’expériences éducatives en ligne en en collaboration pour des adolescents. Cet article décrit un projet que engage des adolescents à utiliser des outils basés sur internet pour collaborer dans l'enseignement fondé sur la résolution de problèmes. Les expéditions Motorola sont concues pour aider les jeunes à développer des compétences pour utiliser les nouvelles technologies du réseau et travailler en équipes pour résoudre les problèmes réels du monde. Dans les Expéditions 2000, 27 adolescents ont travaillé en équipes avec 6 tuteurs sur le site et quatre en ligne pour élaborer un plan de marketing pour une en plusieurs technologies de communication personnelles telles que les téléphones portables visant spécialement des consommateurs adolescents. On a sondé les participants avant et après le projet sur leurs attitudes à l'égard de l'enseignement en collaboration de leur confiance dans la collaboration en ligne et de leur compétence dans l'utilisation de certains outils en ligne. On a aussi recueilli des données grâce à l'observation de la communication en ligne, grâce à des contrats de feedback hebdomadaires et de entretiens avec les tuteurs. Les résultats montrent une augmentation significative de la confiance in soi des participants à la collaboration en ligne et de leur compétence dans l'utilisation des outils de communication en ligne pour résoudre les problèmes en collaboration. Förderung von online collaborativen Lernerfahrungen für Jugendliche. Die Abhandlung beschreibt ein Projekt, in dem Jugendliche mit Hilfe von Internet Werkzeugen Lernprobleme gemeinsam lösen. Motorola Expeditions wurde konzipiert, um jungen Menschen zu helfen, Fertigkeiten in der Anwendung neuer Netzwerktechnologien zu entwickeln und als Team zusammen zu arbeiten um reale Probleme zu lösen. In Expeditons 2000 arbeiteten 27 Jugendliche in Teams mit 6 “onsite"- und 4 online-Lehrkräften, um einen Marketingplan für einen oder mehr Sektoren betreffende individuelle Kommunikationstechnologien zu entwickeln, wie z.B. mobile Telefone, die sich insbesondere an jugendliche Verbraucher wenden. Die Teilnehmer wurden vorher und nach dem Projekt zu ihrer Einstellung zum collaborativen Lernen befragt, ihrem Zutrauen in das gemeinsame online-Arbeiten und zu ihrer Kompetenz hinsichtlich der Anwendung gewisser online Werkzeuge. Die Daten wurden auch durch Observation von online-Kommunikation, wöchentlichen Auswertungen und Interviews mit den Lehrkräften gesammelt. Die Resultate zeigen eine deutliche Steigerung des Selbstvertrauens der Teilnehmer online zusammenzuarbeiten, sowie ihrer Fähigkeit, online- Kommunikationswerkzeuge zu nutzen, um gemeinsam Probleme zu lösen.