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What are the humanities, and how should they be cultivated? With respect to this crucial question, opinions differ as to how widely the humanities should be construed and pursued. Initially connoting the study of Greek and Roman classics, the concept now more generally covers arts and letters, history, and philosophy. But does it also include the social sciences, which are often distinguished from the humanities and grouped as a separate academic division with greater pretensions to scientific status? And should our pursuit of humanistic study be concentrated on the traditional methods and topics of high culture that give the humanities an authoritative aura of established nobility, or should it extend to new and funkier forms of interdisciplinary research such as popular culture or race and gender studies? (Contains 37 notes.)

International collaboration is one of the effective ways to enhance the impact of scientific research papers. In this research, international research collaboration papers published by world-class universities in the field of humanities and social sciences from 2015 to 2019 were selected as the research object, and the effective enhancement of the impact of international research collaboration papers was found to not be dependent on expanding the scale of international research collaboration, but rather on selecting researchers with different international backgrounds and from high-level institutions for collaboration. It was also discovered that, in the field of humanities and social sciences, despite a relatively low proportion of international research collaboration papers being led by Chinese scholars, the Chinese research is characterized by a higher impact compared with the research led by non-Chinese scholars. In light of this, a series of proactive measures should be taken by China's world-class universities, such as actively participating in and initiating international collaboration, selecting high-level research collaborators, and attracting scholars from different countries to engage in research collaboration in the field of humanities and social sciences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mathematics is a fundamental tool of research. Although potentially applicable in every discipline, the amount of training in mathematics that students typically receive varies greatly between different disciplines. In those disciplines where most researchers do not master mathematics, the use of mathematics may be held in too much awe. To demonstrate this I conducted an online experiment with 200 participants, all of which had experience of reading research reports and a postgraduate degree (in any subject). Participants were presented with the abstracts from two published papers (one in evolutionary anthropology and one in sociology). Based on these abstracts, participants were asked to judge the quality of the research. Either one or the other of the two abstracts was manipulated through the inclusion of an extra sentence taken from a completely unrelated paper and presenting an equation that made no sense in the context. The that included the meaningless mathematics tended to be judged of higher quality. However, this "nonsense math effect" was not found among participants with degrees in mathematics, science, technology or medicine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research, the painstaking gathering and verification of evidence that builds into ideas that should lead to the resolution of given problems, is one scholarly endeavour that has impacted greatly on the quality of man's life. As a result, considerable resources are devoted to research in different disciplines and at various levels of education across the world years in years out. In spite of the importance of research, it would seem that man has not applied it rigorously enough for problem solving, especially in the humanities, which include the arts, social sciences, law and education. It is possible for research in these academic areas to be strengthened with more purposeful use of tests, which are carefully designed instruments for gathering information that could lead to balanced judgements regarding knowledge dissemination and application. Thus, this paper is an attempt to advocate more appropriate use of test in the conduct of research in the humanities. In so doing, the paper explores the meaning, nature and scope of test and suggests ways of more effectively suiting it to research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Narrative inquiry is a branch of interpretative research. It is the latest arrival in the mainstream of the interpretative family of research in humanities and particularly in educational sciences. However, its widespread use has been associated with considerable conceptual confusion. This paper examines the concept, nature and development of the narrative method in educational research. This research technique is also critically examined as an approach for qualitative research. This paper outlines a number of methodological issues regarding the narrative inquiry that needs careful considerations. The concepts and principals discussed here encourage the researchers to interpret the outcomes of studies using this method with more caution and suggest the needs for undertaking theoretical issues relating to narrative research methodology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – To provide an overview of the history, evolution, and existing research on continuous improvement Design/methodology/approach – Extensive review of the literature. Findings - This paper provides an overview of continuous improvement, its inception, how it evolved into sophisticated methodologies used in organizations today, and existing research in this field in the literature. Research limitations/implications – It does not provide an exhaustive review of the existing literature, or an exhaustive list of all continuous improvement programs, only the most well known. Originality/value – This paper traces how organizations have used various tools and techniques to address the need for improvement on various levels. The paper also presents research conducted in this field. It should be of value to practitioners of continuous improvement programs and to academics who are interested in how continuous improvement has evolved, and where it is today. To the authors' knowledge, no recent papers have provided an historical perspective of continuous improvement Furthermore, our paper also discusses the existing research in this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, concerns are addressed regarding the validity of the Quest scale introduced by Batson (1976) and Batson and Ventis (1982). Some have wondered whether this scale might be more a measure of agnosticism, of anti-orthodoxy, of sophomoric religious doubt, or of religious conflict, if indeed, it is a measure of anything religious at all. We have reviewed the available evidence regarding validity, much of which has appeared in unpublished research reports, theses, dissertations, or convention papers, and thus has not been widely available. Based on the evidence, we have concluded that the Quest scale does indeed measure a dimension of personal religion very much like the one it was designed to measure: an open-ended, active approach to existential questions that resists clear-cut, pat answers, Concerns regarding the reliability of the Quest scale, which have proved more persistent, are addressed in a companion paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In academic contexts, digital games are often studied as texts or are used as pedagogical tools to teach basic concepts in early education situations. Less usefully, their systems and economies are often co-opted and decontextualized in short-sighted attempts to "gamify" various aspects of learning or training. However, given that games are highly controlled, conditional, choice-and-consequence-based, problem-solving environments in which players are expected to interact with simulated settings and elements after agreeing to take on particular roles and subject positions, there are promising potential uses of these experiences in academic contexts that have not been fully considered. Motivated by the imperative to explore alternative modes and methods of scholarly research and communication, and guided by the values of open social scholarship practices, this paper reconsiders games not as things to study, but as instruments to study with. Given that games can function as simulations, models, arguments and creative collaboratories, game-based inquiry can be used as a potential method of post-secondary and post-graduate humanities research and scholarly communication. While these ideas have been explored in a preliminary way in relation to a number of different academic disciplines (Donchin 1995; Boot 2015; Mitgutsch and Weise 2011; Westecott 2011) this paper is meant to catalyse a humanities-calibrated consideration of the pragmatics and potentials of game-based research, games as instances of critical making and scholarly communication, and more complex forms of game-based learning than those currently practiced. A number of examples that make use of the open source Twine platform will be featured. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article previews several conferences related to systems research and practice in July 2006. The Fourth International Conference on New Directions in the Humanities will be held at the University of Carthage in Tunisia. The Sixth International Conference on Knowledge, Culture and Change in Organisations will be held at the Monash University Centre in Italy.

Mathematics and science knowledge/skills are most commonly associated with engineering's pre-requisite knowledge. Our goals in this paper are to argue for a more systematic inclusion of social science and humanities knowledge in the introduction of engineering to K-12 students. As part of this argument, we present a construct for framing the humanistic side of engineering with illustrative examples of what appealing to the humanistic side of engineering can look like in a classroom setting, and opportunities for research that examines the dynamics that the humanistic side of engineering introduces into engineering learning and teaching. The illustrative examples are drawn from interactions among student-teams from elementary classrooms engaged in engineering activities that appeal to the humanistic side of engineering. Referencing these examples as well as other established engineering education programs, we will discuss opportunities for research in the education of K-16 students. These opportunities span understanding how students' attitudes, beliefs, and perceptions shift, particularly among traditionally underrepresented populations, to how students' engineering knowledge and practices develop in the context of a humanistic approach to engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses selected aspects of the work of the CTI Centre for Textual Studies, a Centre which has its roots in a 1984 initiative and ceased to operate in 1999. The work of the Centre was grounded in humanities computing, a subject area which itself has developed over time. The article compares earlier observations made by Joseph Raben and Susan Hockey about the integration of resources within humanities teaching and learning, to current realities. Its focus is the development of access to distributed resources, beginning with an interface between the early PC and the mainframe and ending with a vision of a humanities portal to distributed resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper provides an overview of recent research and publications on the integration of research data in Current Research Information Systems (CRIS) and addresses three related issues, i.e. the object of evaluation, identifier schemes and conservation. Our focus is on social sciences and humanities. As research data gradually become a crucial topic of scientific communication and evaluation, current research information systems must be able to consider and manage the great variety and granularity levels of data as sources and results of scientific research. More empirical and moreover conceptual work is needed to increase our understanding of the reality of research data and the way they can and should be used for the needs and objectives of research evaluation. The paper contributes to the debate on the evaluation of research data, especially in the environment of open science and open data, and will be helpful in implementing CRIS and research data policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research, the painstaking gathering and verification of evidence that builds into ideas that should lead to the resolution of given problems, is one scholarly endeavour that has impacted greatly on the quality of man's life. As a result, considerable resources are devoted to research in different disciplines and at various levels of education across the world years in years out. In spite of the importance of research, it would seem that man has not applied it rigorously enough for problem solving, especially in the humanities, which include the arts, social sciences, law and education. It is possible for research in these academic areas to be strengthened with more purposeful use of tests, which are carefully designed instruments for gathering information that could lead to balanced judgements regarding knowledge dissemination and application. Thus, this paper is an attempt to advocate more appropriate use of test in the conduct of research in the humanities. In so doing, the paper explores the meaning, nature and scope of test and suggests ways of more effectively suiting it to research.

This article presents the challenges of developing Humanities research in a digital environment in relation to a New Testament test-case: the MARK16 project. The first section argues that virtual research environments (VREs) have become an excellent milieu in which to develop a digitized research project based on collaborative work. The second section presents an overview of VREs and digital projects on the New Testament. The third section demonstrates the ways in which the MARK16 project participates in the development of VREs and fosters new modes of engaging material in digitized NT research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The application of e-Science technologies to disciplines in the arts and humanities raises major questions as to how those technologies can be most usefully exploited, what tools and infrastructures are needed for that exploitation, and what new research approaches can be generated. This paper reviews a number of activities in the UK and Europe in the last 5 years which have sought to address these questions through processes of experimentation and targeted infrastructure development. In the UK, the AHeSSC (Arts and Humanities e-Science Support Centre) has played a coordinating role for seven projects funded by the Arts and Humanities e-Science Initiative. In Europe, DARIAH (Digital Research Infrastructure for the Arts and Humanities) has sought to develop a deeper understanding of research information and communication in the arts and humanities, and to inform the development of e-infrastructures accordingly. Both sets of activity have indicated a common requirement: to construct a framework which consistently describes the methods and functions of scholarly activity which underlie digital arts and humanities research, and the relationships between them. Such a ‘methodological commons’ has been formulated in the field of the digital humanities. This paper describes the application of this approach to arts and humanities e-Science, with reference to the early work of DARIAH and AHeSSC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper explores the growing use of tools from the arts and humanities for investigation and dissemination of social science research. Emerging spaces for knowledge transfer, such as the World Wide Web, are explored as outlets for "performative social science". Questions of ethnics and questions of evaluation which emerge from performative social science and the use of new technologies are discussed. Contemporary thinking in aesthetics is explored to answer questions of evaluation. The use of the Internet for productions is proposed as supporting the collective elaboration of meaning supported by Relational Aesthetics. One solution to the ethical problem of performing the narrations of others is the use of the writer's own story as autoethnography. The author queries autoethnography's tendency to tell "sad" stories and proposes an amusing story, exemplified by "The One about Princess Margaret" (see Appendix). The conclusion is reached that the free and open environment of the Internet sidelines the usual tediousness of academic publishing and begins to explore new answers to questions posed about the evaluation and ethics of performative social science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Expenditure on research and experimental development in the social sciences and humanities (SSH) in South Africa has almost doubled over the past decade. However, fine-grained analysis of patterns of R&D expenditure in SSH research fields over the period 2005/2006-2014/2015 reveals a number of critical issues for both institutional planning and national policymaking. We demonstrate that most SSH R&D expenditure in the 10-year reference period was targeted predominantly within just a few research fields: finance, economics, education, accounting and political science and public policy. By contrast, investment in SSH research fields such as architecture and habitat, media and communication studies, psychology, and transportation studies was strikingly low in the same period, with some research fields, such as dance or tourism, appearing to be at risk of decline. Using these R&D data as a proxy, we argue, principally, that institutional R&D planners and national policymakers need to find a greater balance between current priorities and future needs, if SSH R&D is to be 'leveraged' for larger socio-economic impacts, as is being envisaged in a new draft White Paper on Science, Technology and Innovation. Significance: • R&D expenditure in the social sciences and humanities between 2005 and 2014 was concentrated in just a few research fields, such as finance, economics and education. By contrast, R&D expenditure was comparatively low in research fields such as media and communication studies, technology management, architecture and habitat, and dance. • In an era of rapid global technological change, but also deepening local societal challenges, South Africa's national and institutional policymakers face strategic R&D choices. This article contributes to national debate about the status and perceived role(s) of the social sciences and humanities in this context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on the first large-scale quantitative investigation into collaboration, demonstrated in co-authorship, by Australian humanities, arts and social sciences (HASS) researchers. Web of Science data were extracted for Australian HASS publications, with a focus on the softer social sciences, over the period 2004 - 2013. The findings show that collaboration has increased over the last ten years, with strong intra-region collaboration concentrated on the east coast of Australia. International collaboration occurred most frequently with English speaking countries at vast distances from Australia. On average, fields in the social sciences collaborated at higher rates and attracted higher citations than humanities fields, but co-authorship of any kind was likely to increase citation rates. The results provide a snapshot of collaboration by Australian HASS authors in this time period and can be used as a benchmark to explore collaboration patterns in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines practice-based teaching methodologies found in the studio-based design critique ('crit'), and how they can be adapted to essay-based modules in the Humanities. Based on a small case study of a masters level module on film theory at a British university, the group crit was introduced as a mode of experiential learning in order to improve formative feedback. Structural and methodological changes were made to the module to improve student engagement, student writing, and the overall research environment. Changes resulted in an improvement in the students' essaywriting skills, and a high-level of student satisfaction in module feedback and quality, but the changes also increased student apprehension about the level of assessment as well as a fear for possible negative emotional responses in the crit environment. The article concludes with reflective strategies for mitigating challenges and future avenues of research into using the crit in the Humanities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The National Library of Medicine (NLM) Michael E. DeBakey Fellowship in the History of Medicine is a unique program in a unique institution: the world's largest biomedical library, which is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The fellowship is rooted in strong connections between its namesake and the NLM and is an expression of Dr. Michael E. DeBakey's longstanding appreciation of the library and the role of the humanities in medical education and practice. This article explains Dr. DeBakey's connections to the NLM and describes the origins, development, and structure of the NLM Michael E. DeBakey Fellowship in the History of Medicine. It also highlights research achievements of selected NLM Michael E. DeBakey Fellows, demonstrating that the fellowship is successfully carrying forward Dr. DeBakey's principles and practices of weaving science, technology, and the humanities to form holistic understanding of the human condition, inspiring wellrounded careers built on both scientific and humanistic knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents information on a project called "The Digital Atheneum: New Techniques for Restoring, Searching, and Editing Humanities Collections." In this project, researchers are attempting to reverse some of the damage done to manuscripts in the infamous Cottonian Library fire of 1731, and to make them accessible again through electronic editions. They have chosen to confine their research to heavily damaged manuscripts, because they would presumably master easy problems while striving to solve difficult ones, and they would also make available some currently unusable material for new research. In this group of manuscripts one of the biggest challenges for Anglo-Saxon scholars and computer scientists alike is Cotton Otho B. x, once a large Old English miscellany dominated by saints' lives written by an eleventh century monk.

Objective -- To learn whether a faceted catalogue and word cloud aids in the discovery process. Design -- User study. Setting -- Large academic research library in the United States. Subjects -- Twelve PhD candidates in the humanities, the majority of whom are engaged with researching, proposing, or writing their dissertations. Methods -- The library's entire catalogue of 5.2 million records was loaded into the AquaBrowser OPAC search interface. A pilot study was conducted using three humanities graduate students employed by the library. Following the pilot, the main study was conducted using graduate students in the humanities. Graduate students in the social sciences were desired for the study, but were not able to be contacted due to time constraints. Once selected, the test subjects were asked to use an interface that offered both facets and tag clouds for enhanced search quality. Test subjects were allowed to choose the topic they would like to research; all chose to research their dissertation topic. A moderator and recorder facilitated research conducted with the faceted catalogue. The moderator ensured that students commented on their findings, cleared up any confusion with using the interface, and kept the students on task. Only when students remarked that a new discovery had been made were those discoveries noted. The impact to the discovery process of faceted navigation and AquaBrowser's word cloud was studied while the impact of relevance ranking was not. Main Results -- The article asserts that results from both the pilot and main study were sufficiently similar to justify combining them for the paper, but the advantage that students employed by the library might have over other students is not discussed. Nine of the twelve students used in the study found new results using the faceted catalogue and word cloud. The responses of the user group to the faceted catalogue and word cloud were "overwhelmingly positive" (555). However, since students were allowed to move freely between the word cloud and faceted navigation tool, it is difficult to attribute new discoveries solely to one or the other. However, when a new discovery could be "attributed primarily to one factor or another" (555) it was noted. The faceted navigation tool aided discovery at least four times and the word cloud aided discovery at least six. Conclusion -- A faceted catalogue interface with a word cloud feature clearly aids in the discovery process for more advanced researchers--those with specialized subject knowledge, familiarity with their library's collection, and experience in researching their area. However, facets and word clouds have limitations: records with limited cataloguing have little to offer faceted navigation; catalogue records from diverse providers introduce controlled vocabularies beyond LCSH and MeSH into search returns, resulting in the same word potentially appearing multiple times in the same return albeit with different meanings; the word cloud may contain certain words that researchers feel to be irrelevant. Despite these issues, the use of word clouds and faceted navigation (and relevance ranking) appears to be beneficial to research conducted by experienced subject searchers in the humanities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Four convictions motivate this paper. (1) First, nuclear power could make a significant contribution to climate change mitigation . To do so, however, nuclear power would have to be deployed [...]

In 2005 Theoria 105 was themed 'Fundamentalism, Authority and Globalization' and included papers by Avishai Margalit and S.N. Eisenstadt that pointed to the religious origins of modern political thought and [...]

ABSTRACT. This paper examines the invaluable contributions of women volunteers to the success of the emigration and resettling of the Kindertransport children. The author portrays the work of the politician [...]

I ENTITLED THIS PAPER 'With an End in Sight' because I hope to highlight the rhetorical or illocutionary purposes behind the decision to represent Sami people as a 'vanishing' culture. [...]

This aim of this article is to contribute to the debates regarding the condition and reform of the Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS). First, focussing on South Africa and the Humanities Charter in particular, the tensions and theoretical problems in this road map are explored through an analysis of three important themes: (1) the use of the word 'Africa(n)' in the Charter, (2) the articulation between basic and higher education and (3) the Charter's catalytic projects. The analysis explores the risks posed by precipitate recommendations for intervention in the HSS. Second, taking a step back to reflect on theoretical issues involved in institutional reforms of the HSS, three central issues in the practice of the HSS are highlighted. Clarity on these issues is essential to undertake responsible HSS reform anywhere in the world. These issues are: (1) the nature of academic liberty, (2) the organic link between the HSS and other disciplines and (3) the capability of the HSS to produce crises. The detour via these fundamental questions is an indispensible part of an approach to reforms which would be prepared in continuity with the major theoretical concerns of these disciplines and that would thus remain true to the practice of these disciplines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the scientific methods utilized by archives since the era known as the early modern period of history. According to the article, libraries are recognized as repositories of knowledge and are considered the equal of laboratories and observatories as significant sites for research. The article states that archival science depends upon data and specimens that are preserved, and that archival science also projects the needs of future science in the creation of collections. According to the article, the early modern period saw the beginning of distinct practices of archival sciences that eventually established a hermeneutics of reading and seeing.

The article describes interdisciplinary research seminars in the arts and humanities at Montana State University that combine music with humanities or other art forms. It discusses the context for undergraduate research at the university, as well as course guidelines and learning outcomes. According to the article, the seminars give undergraduates opportunities to conduct original research on academic pathways and provide professors an opportunity to collaborate with colleagues in other disciplines. Topics of the seminars include music and economics, music and literature, and music and sculpture.

Schema matching & the identification of database elements with similar meaning as preparation for subsequent database integration. Over the past 20 years, different schema-matching methods have been proposed and have been shown to be successful to various degrees. However, schema matching is an ongoing research area and the problem is not yet considered to be solved. This article reviews existing schema-matching methods from the perspective of theories of meanings drawn from philosophy and psychology. It positions existing method~, raises questions for future research based on these theories, and shows how these theories can form a firm theoretical basis as well as guide future schema-matching research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phenomena may preferably be appreciated as essences, and describing phenomena and their essences is a common methodological goal in phenomenological research, e.g. in the area of health and well-being. Consequently it is important to explore the meaning of essences, thereby answering the questions, What are phenomenological essences? How do they come to be? What are their characteristics? In this article I suggest some possible answers to these questions through an analysis of Husserl's philosophy and especially his understanding of intentionality. Further, I want to show that the analysis of essences in empirical research never can be separated from the context of the phenomenon. Here I draw on the philosophy of Merleau-Ponty and especially his philosophy of “the flesh”. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Philosophical analysis of the knowledge we hold of China, rather than philosophically informed disciplinary research on China, is a rare commodity. Area studies are, by definition, interdisciplinary. There is therefore no reason why philosophy cannot be a productive part of that interdiscipline. It would be an additional resource rather than a privileged perspective--an applied philosophy of area studies functioning rather like the philosophy of economics or politics. To exemplify what this might look like, the author considers some issues relating to images and beliefs about China in the West that generate particular philosophical problems relating to knowledge, truth, belief and Otherness. These questions are important because there is a tendency today to conflate them. The author argues that the first three concepts are distinct, though not independent, and that it is worthwhile maintaining the distinction because it supports scholarship as a self-reflective critical process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Entrepreneurship is considered fundamental to economic development since entrepreneurs generate their own economic benefit and indirectly promote employment, boost innovation, and attract human and financial resources and investment in infrastructure to the territory, among other benefits. Latin America has very high rates of entrepreneurship, so to deepen our knowledge of the factors that influence entrepreneurship, it is necessary to investigate the region. This article tests various theories of factors (self-efficacy, fear of failure, perception of opportunity, and socialization) that determine the decision to become an entrepreneur, using a quantitative methodology with a representative sample of 27,341 Latin American individuals (including 4,416 entrepreneurs). The results partially support these factors and show that Latin American entrepreneurs differ from the profile indicated in previous literature. In addition, results seem to indicate that the level of development of a country determines the strength with which the factors studied influence entrepreneurship. Keywords: entrepreneurship; cognitive variables; self-efficacy; fear of failure; perception of opportunities; socialization El emprendimiento es considerado un factor fundamental, ya que moviliza recursos, genera empleo, dinamiza la zona, etc. America Latina tiene indices de emprendimiento muy altos, por lo tanto, para profundizar en el conocimiento de los factores que influyen en el emprendimiento, es necesario investigar estos territorios. Este trabajo prueba los argumentos de factores destacados en diversas teorias como determinantes en la decision de emprender, utilizando una metodologia cuantitativa con una muestra representativa de 27.341 individuos latinoamericanos (4.416 emprendedores) con la que es posible generalizar los resultados obtenidos. Los resultados apoyan parcialmente estos factores, mostrando que los emprendedores latinoamericanos difieren del perfil indicado en la literatura. Ademas, tambien parecen indicar que el nivel de desarrollo del pais determina la fuerza con la que los factores estudiados influyen en los emprendedores latinoamericanos. Palabras clave: emprendimiento; variables cognitivas; autoeficacia; miedo al fracaso; percepcion de oportunidades; socializacion, The creation and development of new companies contributes to the social well-being and economic development of any territory, since entrepreneurs generate their own economic benefit and indirectly promote employment, boost [...]

Recent studies suggest that affective intervention programs are better suited and more effective than cognitive ones in yielding positive relationships between conflict groups. They also suggest that meaningful interventions require long-term investment. Based on empirical evaluation of the attitudes of Israeli students towards contact with both Arab and Jewish Israeli religious or secular counterparts over time, it is suggested that the possibility of affective based interventions for both cases is doubtful. Findings revealed that while willingness to meet with religious or secular counterparts was stable over time, radical changes were presented in regard to meetings with Arab counterparts, and provided only a small time opportunity to both initiate and carry out any possible change. Implications for peace education are discussed., There is ample research evidence that contact intervention programs are of the most popular and successful methods for enhance positive intergroup relations between conflict groups (Pettigrew & Tropp, 2006). Most [...]

The processes of transitional justice and social reconstruction aim to repair the social elements of a society. Countries devise mechanisms for handling past and current human rights violations. The manner in which these kinds of mechanisms have been used in addressing such crimes as well as the appropriate order in which these mechanisms should be used is considered here. A myriad of mechanisms have been applied to the case of Uganda and are examined., Introduction The processes of transitional justice and social reconstruction aim, broadly, to repair the social elements of a society. As I have written elsewhere, "transitional justice is engaged in helping [...]

Considering the increasing role of nonstate political actors in world events, this article examines the influence of these players on international crisis dynamics. A theoretical index is developed to assess the power status of nonstate actors (NSAs), taking into account their unique characteristics, advantages and weaknesses. When applied to ethnic-NSAs that participated in interstate crises, in the Cold War and in the post-Cold War periods, the findings indicate that powerful ethnic-NSAs affect crisis outcomes, and would do better to do so under circumstances that suit their power resources and skills, namely, in the post-Cold War multi-centric world system, in crises that involve a small number of states as direct crisis actors and in prolonged international hostile situations. In conclusion, the article highlights the importance of developing theoretical tools for systemic analysis of NSAs in world politics, and suggests directions for future research in this field of IR. It also implies that to be effective, promoting peace and stability, crisis management should involve states and NSAs., Introduction The changing world order encompasses changes in the nature of international conflict, highlighting the rise in the number, power and salience of ethnic nonstate actors (ethnic-NSAs) in major world [...]

In the last several years we have seen what appears to be revived global interest in continuing operation of existing nuclear power plants and constructing a new generation of plants. [...]

How new is experimental philosophy? (1) Wasn't Descartes, whose 'mechanical philosophy' aimed to overturn Aristotelianism, really an experimental philosopher? After all, much of his attention was devoted to geometry and [...]

Where do we get our basic conceptions of ourselves as human beings? How do we know what we are? In one respect, this does not seem like the right question [...]

"THE RIGHT COURSE, THE BEST COURSE, the only course" was a line used in a 1917 proclamation issued by the Patriotic Association of Newfoundland in an attempt to persuade men [...]

INTRODUCTION Nowhere in Canada, or indeed the world, outside Ireland itself is the Irish presence so strongly felt as in Newfoundland. In St. John's one is aware of Irish resonance [...]

Bicultural medical practices have long been the norm in Western societies. Looking at the history of Western medicine, we find the constant adaptation of foreign ideas and materials. Humoral medicine, [...]

Abstract: George W. Bush's controversial effort to direct government funds to religious social-service groups--his so-called 'faith-based initiative'--was influenced by confessional ideas about political order that are little understood in U.S. [...]

In 1868, psychic researcher Frederic Myers declared: 'the best way to read other people's minds,--which we know very little about,--is not to set to work imagining what they are likely [...]

Abstract: By the end of the nineteenth century, evolution through natural selection had been widely accepted, but the means by which innate or acquired characteristics were transmitted from parent to [...]

'Politics is the continuation of war by other means' (Michel Foucault). (1) Abstract The authors argue that the 'war on terror' marks the ultimate convergence of war with politics, and [...]

With the exception of a few notable artists--chiefly van Eyck, Durer, Bosch, and Bruegel--early modern art outside Italy received little attention as recently as a generation ago. To use a [...]