Research reports

Rowland offers a helpful synthesis of the defining characteristics of myth in rhetorical discourse. But his insistence on too rigid an approach to mythic criticism risks diminishing the importance of the critical method and impoverishing the perception of rhetorical artifacts. Root metaphors in Rowland's thinking distort the nature of rhetoric and the work of the critic.     

Transitioning from Print to Electronic Information Delivery: An Update from the National Research Council Canada Institute for Scientific and Technical Information

Canada's national science library, the National Research Council Canada Institute for Scientific and Technical Information, is in the process of transforming its traditional document delivery services to meet the emerging needs of users. As such, the Canada Institute for Scientific and Technical Information has developed a suite of Web-based services, partnerships, and collaborations to better serve its users. These components have been brought together to create new service offerings such as Discover, and the National Research Council Canada Institute for Scientific and Technical Information Standards Store. Quicker, more flexible and convenient access to the world's scientific, technical, and medical information from the Canada Institute for Scientific and Technical Information and from sites where users congregate across the Web is the goal of Canada Institute for Scientific and Technical Information's new breed of information delivery services.     

Foreign and International Media

G. Stuart Adam's Journalism, Communication and the Law (Scarborough, Ontario: Prentice-Hall of Canada Ltd., 1976---price not given, paper)

T.J. Allard's The C.A.B. Story: 1926- 1976, Private Broadcasting in Canada (Ottawa: Canadian Association of Broadcasters, 1976---apparently free on request, paper)

Comptroller General of the United States, Suggestions to Improve Management of Radio Free Europe' Radio Liberty (Washington: General Accounting Office, 1976---either free or $1.00 depending on your classification (see 7:150), paper)

Television and the February 1974 General Election by Trevor Pateman (1974, 78 pp., $2.60)

Television News by Richard Collins (1976, 56 pp., $2.60)

Benno Signitzer's Regulation of Direct Broadcasting from Satellites (New York: Praeger Special Studies, 1976---$12.50)

Robert F. Amove (ed.) Educational Television: A Policy Critique and Guide for Developing Countries (New York: Praeger Special Studies, 1976---$15.00)

B.D. Dhawan's Economics of Television in India (New Delhi: S. Cahnd & Co. Ltd., 1974--Rs 35, current conversion to dollars not known but about $7.00)

Broadcasting in Asia and the Pacific (Philadelphia: Temple University Press/Heinemann Educational Books, 1977--$25.00/and a yet to be announced lower paperback price)

Guided Press in Southeast Asia: National Development vs. Freedom of Expression (Buffalo: SUNY at Buffalo Council on International Studies, Special Studies Series, 1976---price not yet announced)

Cultural Pluralism in Malaysia (Dekalb, III.: Northern Illinois University Center for Southeast Asian Studies, Special Report No. 14, 1976--price not yet announced)     

International Communication

THE VOICE OF AMERICA: PROPAGANDA AND DEMOCRACY, 1941-1945 by Holly Cowan Shulman (Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 1990—$37.50/12.95, ISBN 0-299-12620-X hard, 0-299-12624-2 paper, 282 pp.)

BERLIN CALLING: AMERICAN BROADCASTERS IN SERVICE TO THE THIRD REICH by John Carver Edwards (New York: Praeger, 1991—$21.95, ISBN 0-275-93905-7, 238 pp.)

BROADCAST DIVERSITY IN EASTERN EUROPE: CHALLENGES FOR THE 1990s (Center for Strategic and International Studies, 1800 K St. NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC 20006—$48.00, paper, no ISBN given, 321 pp.—postage is extra: $3 in US and Canada, $10 to Europe and $13 to USSR and Asia; Latin America and African postage rates not listed!)

LEGAL AND ECONOMIC ASPECTS OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS edited by Sylvie Schaff (Amsterdam: North-Holland, available in USA from Elsevier Science Publishers in New York, 1990—$128.25, ISBN 0-444-88387-8, 775 pp)

SATELLITE TELEVISION IN WESTERN EUROPE by Richard Collins (London: John Libbey, 1990—$29.00, ISBN 0-86196-203-6, 121 pp.)

TRANSNATIONALIZATION OF TELEVISION IN WESTERN EUROPE by Preben Sepstrup (London: John Libbey, 1990—$35.00, ISBN 0-86196-280-X, 132 pp.)

1991 WORLD SATELLITE ANNUAL edited by Mark Long (MLE Inc. PO Box 159, Winter Beach, FL 32971—$49.95, paper, plus varied shipping charges: $7 in US or Canada; $20 to Latin America and $25 to Far East (no charges listed for Europe or Africa!)

THE INVISIBLE WEAPON: TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND INTERNATIONAL POLITICS 1851-1945 by Daniel R. Headrick (New York: Oxford University Press, 1991—$32.50, ISBN 0-19-506273-6, 289 pp.)

DOPAA MEAJA HANABOOK, 1990 EDITION (Paris: Unesco/available in U.S. from Unipub, 4611-F Assembly Drive, Landham, MD 20706-4391—$38.00, paper, order No. DPI/1021, 300 pp.)

TRANSNATIONAL COMMUNICATIONS: WIRING THE THIRD WORLD edited by Gerald Sussman and John A. Lent (Newbury Park, CA: Sage, 1991—$39.95/18.95, ISBN 0-8039-3765-2 hard, 0-8039-3766-0 paper, 327 pp.)

SUPERTECH: HOW AMERICA CAN WIN THE TECHNOLOGY RACE by Thomas G. Donlan (Homestead, IL: Business One Irwin, 1991—$24.95, ISBN 1-55623-371-X, 342 pp.)

MASS MEDIA AND AMERICAN FOREIGN POLICY: INSIDER PERSPECTIVES ON GLOBAL JOURNALISM AND THE FOREIGN POLICY PROCESS by Patrick O'Heffernan (Norwood, NJ: Ablex, 1991—$45.00/24.50, ISBN 0-89391- 728-1 hard, 0-89391-729-X paper, 276 pp.)

NEW STRUCTURES AND STRATEGIES FOR UNITED STATES INTERNATIONAL BROADCASTING by Kim Andrew Elliott (Medford, MA: Murrow Center of Public Diplomacy, Tufts University, 1991—$6.00, paper, no ISSN given, 40 pp.)

FACTS AT A GLANCE: INTERNATIONAL CABLE (National Cable Television Association, 1724 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington, DC 20036—free on request, paper, no ISSN given, 27 pp.)

TRAVELER'S GUIDE TO WORLD RADIO 1991 EDITION (New York: Billboard Books/Watson-Guptill, 1990—$9.95, paper, ISBN 0-8230- 7766-7, 178 pp.)

WORLD RADIO-TV HANDBOOK edited by Andrew G. Sennitt (New York: Billboard Books/Watson-Guptill, 1990—$19.95, paper, ISSN or ISBN not given, but this is Vol 45 of the annual, 575 pp.)

WORLD MEDIA, Gannett Center Journal (Fall 1990, Vol 4, No. 4—$5.00, paper, ISSN 0893-8342, 149 pp.)

THE AGE OF BEHEMOTHS: THE GLOBALIZATION OF MASS MEDIA FIRMS by Anthony Smith (New York: Priority Press, with distribution by the Brookings Institution, Washington, DC—price not given, paper, ISBN 0-87078-325-4, 83 pp.)     

The how and why of academic collaboration: disciplinary differences and policy implications

This paper examines how and why academics in different parts of the academy collaborate. In this paper we argue that: (1) There is a useful analytical distinction to be made between collaboration (fluid and expressive) and Collaboration (concrete and instrumental); (2) These two are not mutually exclusive and their use varies between disciplines; and (3) This distinction is an informative one for policy making that aims to encourage collaboration. Two interview based studies were used to explore the differences in collaborative practices across disciplines. The first was small and confined to a single university (n = 36) and the second was a larger study conducted in three countries (n = 274). Cross tabulations and analysis of open ended questions demonstrated many differences across the humanities, sciences and social sciences in collaboration. The C/collaboration distinction proves useful in understanding different disciplinary approaches to research, and in pointing to implications for research policy and funding. Attempts to increase collaborative research through Collaboration only, may well have deleterious effects on both collaboration and Collaboration. Research policy and funding should bear these differences in mind when seeking to stimulate collaborative research, so as to gain better outcomes across a range of disciplines.     

Staff development in information technology for special needs: a new, distance-learning course at Keele University

Whilst information technology has much to offer people with special needs, the availability of staff training in the use of special-needs IT in the UK and Europe is sparse. Keele University, with over a decade of experience in research and in supporting and training staff in the use of information technology, has launched a new, distance-learning course. This article describes the course background, its structure, and feedback from the first cohort of students. Results suggest that the course strikes an effective balance between the need of distance-learning students for face-to-face contact with peers and tutors, and the difficulties faced by students wishing to attend training whilst in full-time employment who are geographically distant. The course structure appears appropriate for a wide range of special-needs settings and the curriculum seems to have an appropriate mix of background theory and practical application. Difficulties faced with computer conferencing became apparent, which need to be addressed in future. The course could be a model for further staff development opportunities in IT for special-needs professionals.     

Killing the Goose: Conflicts between Pedagogy and Politics in the Delivery of a Creative Education

This article arises out of a research project which looks at the promotion of creativity in pre‐degree and undergraduate learners in art and design. The project considers ‘conceptual’ definitions of creativity and its promotion which have been evidenced by research, and ‘operational’ definitions and delivery methods used by lecturers and students in the art & design sector. The theoretical understandings and empirical evidence thus gained reveal the continuing existence of a radical and potentially effective pedagogic idealism within art & design education. However, a comparison between theory, experience and current realities, leads us to the conclusion that the existence of this educational desideratum is threatened by the commodification of education and the over‐elaborate monitoring which accompanies it. This is a personal and somewhat polemical view but, we believe, one that is also widely held in the sector. We suggest that a reaffirmation of experiential evidence is essential to counter the impact of an increasingly audit‐driven approach to education which focuses on outcomes rather than process and on systems rather than individuals.     

Science for early adolescence teachers (science FEAT): A program for research and learning

This article is based on a paper which received the “Innovations in Teaching Science Teachers” award at the 1995 meeting of the Association for the Education of Teachers in Science. The award is made possible by Delta Education. This material is based upon work supported in part by a grant from the National Science Foundation (Grant No. 9253170). Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this article are those of authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.