Fantasm: The triumph of form (an essay on the democratic sublime)

This essay attempts to counter the dreariness of postmodern critique and culture by locating the vital force of phantasy, rhetoric, argument, hope, and memory in contemporary public affairs. More particularly, it engages recent controversies about collective memory and the FDR memorial statue especially to generate a greater sensitivity to the fact that we are agents (and not just dupes) of history. The body, symbolic and material, is a core site for the history, theory, and practice of democracy, I argue, and is the hard kernel of collective identification and division. Methodologically, the essay fuses Aristotle and Lacan's ideas about phantasy as a perceptual device, which gages and creates public and personal desire, as an analytic frame for the study of public discourse.     

Driving Change in Special Education

The purpose of this article is to share one middle school's approach to using content area word walls in the classroom, as well as in the hall, to enhance the comprehension and retention of content area vocabulary. Eighth grade teachers and students designed and maintained classroom content word walls, as well as an interactive multi-content word wall in the eighth grade hall. It visually displayed the vocabulary aligned with the eighth grade state curriculum and the annual state assessment. State assessment scores showed an increase in the area of reading, math, and science after students and teachers engaged in these two types of word walls.     

Shooting the Shooter: The Image of Professional Photographers in Contemporary Documentary Film

While scholars have reviewed characterizations of photographers in feature films, they have neglected the image of real-world photographers in the documentary genre. This study incorporates visual representation theory to engage with several of the ways in which documentary filmmakers use the visual aspects of motion pictures to glamorize the lives and careers of photographers. As witnessed in four case study films, the analysis of this research highlights film's ability to generate representative character types. Specific aesthetic conventions of filmmaking are found to affect the on-screen projections of the photographer-subjects. The mostly positive depictions of “celebrity” or noteworthy real-world photographers also suggest that the documentaries under study primarily exist as marketing or publicity materials for the professional and his or her body of work.     

Teachable moments: Taking advantage of multicultural encounters

This paper presents the rationale of the Hartford Half Tuition Program at the University of Hartford which enrolls qualified graduates of city high schools. Since its inception four years ago, it has changed the demographics of the institution and been the catalyst for many events, discussions, and interactions that have served as teachable moments for the development of students, staff, and faculty. A critique of key elements of the program leads to the identification of lessons learned.Elizabeth A. McDaniel, Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs at the University of Hartford, received a B.A. in psychology from the University of Florida, M.S. in Education from Barry University, and a Ph.D. in Education from the University of Miami. She is actively involved in issues relating to curriculum, instruction, and community in higher education. Tamara Moreland, Director of the Office of Graduate and Adult Academic Services at the University of Hartford, earned her B.S. in Economics, and is expected to receive her master's in organizational behavior from the University of Hartford in December 1994. Her interests are organizational design, group dynamics, and the influence of culture on interpersonal relationships.     

Advancing Research and Measurement on Fathering and Children's Development

Fathers are more than social accidents. Research has demonstrated that fathers matter to children's development. Despite noted progress, challenges remain on how best to conceptualize and assess fathering and father–child relationships. The current monograph is the result of an SRCD-sponsored meeting of fatherhood scholars brought together to discuss these challenges and make recommendations for best practices for incorporating fathers in studies on parenting and children's development. The first aim of this monograph was to provide a brief update on the current state of research on fathering and to lay out a developmental ecological systems perspective as a conceptual framework for understanding the different spaces fathers inhabit in their children's lives. Because there is wide variability in fathers’ roles, the ecological systems perspective situates fathers, mothers, children, and other caregivers within an evolving network of interrelated social relationships in which children and their parents change over time and space (e.g., residence). The second aim was to present examples of empirical studies conducted by members of the international working group that highlighted different methods, data collection, and statistical analyses used to capture the variability in father–child relationships. The monograph ends with a commentary that elaborates on the ecological systems framework with a discussion of the broader macrosystem and social-contextual influences that impinge on fathers and their children. The collection of articles contributes to research on father–child relationships by advancing theory and presenting varied methods and analysis strategies that assist in understanding the father–child relationship and its impact on child development.     

Cervical spine kinematics during machine-based and live scrummaging

The aim of this study was to compare cervical spine kinematics in rugby union front row players during machine-based and “live” scrummaging. Cervical spine kinematics was measured via electromagnetic tracking of sensors attached to the head and thorax. Joint angles were extracted from each trial at two time points (“bind” prior to engagement and instant of impact) for comparison between scrummaging conditions. The effect of scrummaging condition on kinematics was evaluated using a mixed effects model and estimations were based on a Bayesian framework. With differences ranging from 38° to 50°, the results show that the cervical spine is consistently more flexed when scrummaging against opponents than against a scrum machine. In contrast, there are little differences in the excursion of lateral-flexion (range 5–8°) and axial rotation (7°) between the two conditions. The findings from this study provide clear information on motion patterns in different scrum formations, and suggest that the current design of scrum machines may not promote the same pattern of movement that occurs in live scrums. The results highlight that findings from previous studies that have investigated kinematics during machine-based scrummaging may not be generalisable to a competitive scrummaging context.     

Understanding Engagement in Mental Health Services for Preschool Children: An Analysis of Teacher,Clinician, and Parent Perspectives

The purpose of this study was to examine the experiences of mental health clinicians in providing services in the preschool setting. Clinicians provided services for 3 years in urban, northern New Jersey preschools, in order to expand access to mental health services for vulnerable children. At the conclusion of the three-year period, focus groups were conducted with clinicians and teachers, and interviews were conducted with parents to gain their perspectives on the approaches used. Data were coded for emergent themes and a number of themes developed around aspects of engagement, including engaging the community, teachers, other professionals, and parents in order to effectively provide the service to the target population. The data provide insight into techniques that may increase comfort levels for seeking and accepting treatment.     

Mapping the literature of health care chaplaincy

Objective:

This study examined citation patterns and indexing coverage from 2008 to 2010 to determine (1) the core literature of health care chaplaincy and (2) the resources providing optimum coverage for the literature.

Methods:

Citations from three source journals (2008–2010 inclusive) were collected and analyzed according to the protocol created for the Mapping the Literature of Allied Health Professions Project. An analysis of indexing coverage by five databases was conducted. A secondary analysis of self-citations by source journals was also conducted.

Results:

The 3 source journals—Chaplaincy Today, the Journal of Health Care Chaplaincy, and the Journal of Pastoral Care and Counseling—ranked as the top 3 journals in Zone 1 and provided the highest number of most frequently cited articles for health care chaplaincy. Additional journals that appeared in this highly productive zone covered the disciplines of medicine, psychology, nursing, and religion, which were also represented in the Zones 2 and 3 journals. None of the databases provided complete coverage for the core journals; however, MEDLINE provided the most comprehensive coverage for journals in Zones 1 and 2, followed by Academic Search Complete, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and ATLA. Self-citations for the source journals ranged from 9% to 16%.

Conclusions:

Health care chaplaincy draws from a diverse body of inter-professional literature. Libraries wishing to provide access to journal literature to support health care chaplaincy at their institutions will be best able to do this by subscribing to databases and journals that cover medical, psychological, nursing, and religion- or spirituality-focused disciplines.

Highlights

• Health care chaplaincy is a broadly inter-professional field that draws from and contributes to medical, nursing, psychological, and religion or spirituality literature.
• Two of the three source journals were sponsored by professional chaplaincy organizations.
• Journals and books were cited with almost equal frequency.

Implications

• For full coverage of the health care chaplaincy literature, librarians should consider searching in databases beyond MEDLINE, for example, CINAHL and Academic Search Complete, to assure comprehensive coverage.
• Health care chaplaincy researchers and educators considering publication will find the study useful for identifying relevant journals from related disciplines.