“从基因到社会”——约翰·霍普金斯大学医学院新型课程体系的设计逻辑与实施进程

2009年,约翰·霍普金斯大学医学院实施了一项全新的课程体系——"从基因到社会",其目的在于:更为宽泛地重构健康与疾病的相互关系,鼓励学生们在一个包含社会、文化、心理和环境等多维变量的综合系统中探索与患者的健康状况相关的生物学特性。本文描述了新课程的设计理念及其五年规划过程,包括课程目标的确定、课程的构建、新教学楼的建造、学生自身能力及教师发展的促进、横向和纵向结构的建立等。应对新课程挑战的关键因素在于:领导的支持、与教职员工的对话和沟通、不同群体和层面的广泛参与、避免井蛙之见、通过课程试点来测试教学理念和方法等。     

Marriage,Kinship, and Islamic Law in Al-Andalus: Reflections on Pierre Guichard's Al-Ándalus

In his important book on society in Islamic Spain, Al-Ándalus, Pierre Guichard theorises that until the late fourth/tenth century Arabs and Berbers followed what he calls an Eastern family pattern, meaning that they married within the extended family, disinherited women, and calculated kinship through the male line. The subject population, whether they converted to Islam or not, maintained a Western pattern of marrying out, allowing women to inherit, and recognising kinship through the male and female lines. Recently published collections of rulings from Islamic courts, however, complicate the picture Guichard presents. They suggest that Islamic law, which neither favours nor discourages close kin marriage, allows women to inherit property, and recognizes bilateral kinship, was influential well before the late tenth century. Its influence challenged the Eastern kinship model Guichard documents, particularly in the area of women's property rights.     

Relevant and timely learning for busy leaders

Lord Leitch was commissioned by the Chancellor in 2004 with a remit to ‘identify the UK's optimal skills mix in 2020 to maximise economic growth, productivity and social justice and to consider the policy implications of achieving the level of change required.’ In the 2006 Budget, the Chancellor asked Lord Leitch to consider how to better integrate employment and skills services at a local level. In his final report ‘Prosperity for all in the global economy – world class skills’ Leitch states the need to further improve management and leadership skills in the UK recommending that the UK should aim to be a world leader on skills by 2020. One of the key ways to maximize economic growth is through leadership of small and medium enterprise. In response to this Leitch report and in conjunction with the Sector Skills Councils, an action learning opportunity was made available for leaders in the retail and leisure sectors in Merseyside. Alongside the government also highlighted a need for skill development in ‘inspirational’ leadership in particular. To make learning and development ‘relevant and timely’ for busy leaders, action learning is often a preferred option. This paper looks at three particular aspects of using action learning with leaders in the retail and leisure sectors. Firstly, how commitment to engage with the process was created and fostered, in light of work pressures and long working hours. Secondly, the factors that encouraged each member to feel, and act upon, a sense of responsibility for each others' learning and development, rather than just their own, and, thirdly, a frank look at some of the difficulties which arose which could have threatened the effectiveness of the learning.     

Children at risk of neglect: challenges faced by child protection practitioners in Guatemala City

OBJECTIVES: The objectives were to (1) delineate the definition, common forms, and perceived risk factors contributing to child neglect in Guatemala from the perspective of different stakeholders and (2) identify the challenges faced by child protection practitioners in identifying children at risk of neglect within the context of Guatemala. METHODS: A range of qualitative methods were used: semi-structured interviews (SSI) with key stakeholders involved in child neglect (n=9); semi-structured interviews with professionals working in the child protection services (n=14); focus group discussions (FGDs) with professionals, voluntary workers and children (n=60), and the group consensus method with key informants (KI, n=10). Data analysis was conducted using the framework approach. RESULTS: Participants described child neglect as a complex social phenomenon combining parental omission of care and an indifferent or negative attitude towards the child compounded by governmental neglect. The main factors which were perceived as contributing to neglect were poverty, societal and cultural norms, and importantly, gender roles and relations. These contextual factors complicate the identification of neglect and raise a number of difficult dilemmas for child protection workers that are exacerbated by limited Guatemalan legislation on neglect and restricted alternative care options. CONCLUSION: Stakeholder perspectives were found to be useful for providing contextual information and highlighting associated challenges related to assessing child neglect in Guatemala.