Guilt, Suffering and Responsibility

This paper examines the moral significance of guilt in the context of how students confront the suffering of another. Within social-justice education, such confrontations are often staged in pedagogical efforts to encourage students to assume social responsibility. Frequently, however, the guilt that students claim to endure as a result of these pedagogical encounters is not perceived to be of much ethical import. By exploring the psychoanalytic work of Melanie Klein and the ethical philosophy of Emmanuel Levinas, this essay argues that guilt arises out of our susceptibility to another's pain and that it plays a crucial role both in 'making reparation' (Klein) and in the very formation of responsibility itself (Levinas).     

A Community-Driven Metadata Framework for Describing Cultural Resources: The Digital Library North Project

This article describes the Digital Library North (DLN) project, a collaboration among researchers at the University of Alberta, staff at the Inuvialuit Cultural Resource Centre, and communities within the Inuvialuit Settlement Region (ISR) to develop a culturally appropriate metadata framework for a digital library of cultural resources. It will discuss gathering of data to inform the first iteration of the metadata framework and digital library prototype, as well as revisions made to both the framework and the digital library based on feedback obtained through community interaction with the prototype.     

Using students' mathematical inventiveness as a foundation for software design: Toward a tempered constructivism

Dynamic computer environments can facilitate students' active participation in the construction of mathematical concepts and techniques—a long-standing goal among educational reformers. This paper analyzes techniques developed by students in an open-ended computer activity, examines learning styles of inventive students, and discusses use of student-generated mathematical techniques in developing new software to (1) cultivate mathematical inventiveness in more students and (2) encourage students to relate their own techniques to more general mathematical ideas. New software was designed to provide an informal, interactive introduction to functions and related algebraic ideas. A fundamentally constructivist approach was supplemented with coaching available upon student request. Each type of function was targeted with a sequence of challenges, hints to support the challenges, and games for synthesis and application. Students combined algebraic techniques to construct functions and manipulated the functions to cause specific behaviors in their graphs. The software succeeded in accommodating diverse student learning styles, initiating students into use of a wider variety of techniques, and inducing students to take an interactive approach to constructing mathematical knowledge. The development described in this paper was supported in part by the National Science Foundation (NSF MDR 84-70608). Any views expressed herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.     

The Partisan Affect of News Seekers vs. Gatekeepers: Linguistic Differences in Online vs. Front-Page News in Campaign 2012

This article examines if patterns in online news seeking privilege stories featuring more linguistic markers of partisan affect than those positioned by traditional gatekeepers on the print front page. Online “most-read” and print front-page stories covering 8 weeks of the 2012 presidential campaign were submitted to computer-assisted text analysis (n = 302). Guided by research on online and partisan affect, this study hypothesizes that (a) “most-read” stories will feature more supportive language than stories placed on the front page by traditional gatekeepers when the news outlet has a reputation for supporting the incumbent party; and (b) “most-read” stories will feature more antagonistic language than those placed on the front page by traditional gatekeepers when the news outlet has a reputation for supporting the challenger party. The findings show how online audiences opted for stories that featured more linguistic markers of preferred partisan affect than journalists and editors placed on Page One.     

Complementary expertise in a zoo educator professional development event contributes to the construction of understandings of affective transformation

Cultural Historical Activity Theory served as the analytical framework for the study of a professional development event for a zoo’s education department, specifically designed to build understandings of “Affective Transformation,” an element pertinent to the organization’s strategic plan. Three key products—an Affective Transformation model, scaffolding schematic, and definition, “providing emotional experiences for visitors which increase caring for animals and nature that may lead to zoo-related nature-protective behaviors”—emerged as a result of ongoing deliberation among professional development community members over two days. Participants, including both management- and non-management-level staff, as well as an expert facilitator, contributed complementary expertise to the process. The discussions, therefore, crossed both vertical and horizontal layers of authority. Moreover, leadership was distributed across these levels in the development of these products. Members used pre-existing resources, as well as tools created in the course of the professional development event. Interactions among participants and resources were instrumental in Affective Transformation product development. Examination of one zoo’s construction of understanding of affective goals, therefore, may offer insights to other organizations with similar aspirations.     

The multifaith campus: Transforming colleges and universities for spiritual engagement

Dafina Lazarus Stewart, Michael M. Kocet, and Sharon Lobdell explore what college and university campuses would look like if transformed to promote and sustain religious and secular pluralism and interfaith cooperation.