The use of broad theories of reading, social cognition, and social history to frame the study of literacy was investigated, and implications of this relatively recent trend were considered. Sixty-nine articles published between 1992 and 2003 in "Journal of Literacy Research/Journal of Reading Behavior", "Reading Research Quarterly", and "Research…

History has always witnessed the confrontation and differentiation of the East and the West and sometimes that of North and South, as in the rare examples of Africa, America, and Korea. Sometimes, this struggle occurred between classes or religions, and sometimes it occurred between nations. In this article, the author discusses how Turkey has…

Wichita, incorporated in 1870 as a village, is the largest city in Kansas. Its population has increased continually. During the 1970s and 1980s, there was a huge influx of refugees into Wichita. In this article, the author discusses the growth of adult basic education in Wichita and relates stories of several adult basic education students.…

David Milch, creator of HBO's critically acclaimed Western series, "Deadwood," said, "The only reason the town of Deadwood exists is gold." Milch bluntly discards the Western genre's foundational ideology of self-determination, considering these principles a delusion that obscures the material realities of the late nineteenth…

It is widely believed that the end of Nazism, and the postwar era brought an end to academic theories and discourses regarding inherent racial inferiority. There was little tolerance Hawkins (1997) argues, for biological justifications for racism, war, and exploitation. The infamous Social Darwinism of key intellectual Herbert Spencer, and its…

This article focuses on children's narrated experiences of fosterage in East Cameroon. It seeks to complement the predominantly adult approaches to fosterage with children's views of the intimate, emotional and competitive aspects of kinship in everyday life. As kinship evolves in homes through sharing food and intimacy, children directly…

In this paper I respond to Long's paper in which he uses an ethnographic snapshot of a rally of scientists against the perceived "dumbing down" effect of the new Answers in Genesis Museum in Kentucky to raise educational concerns about the effects of creationist influence on the science curriculum in American schools. In my response I…

A common aphorism in the halls of education is that the writing skills of Americans decline over time. Compared to the "golden age of letters," so the argument goes, each subsequent generation of writers is worse than the last. Although contemporary readers and educators commiserate over encounters with bad writing, a fair comparison of 18th…

The human condition in the post-modern world is increasingly nomadic. A sense of displacement and alienation is pervasive. Schools emphasize abstracted knowledge removed from the experience of students. Many people feel detached from the places where they live and have no particular sense of belonging or responsibility toward their communities.…

This article reviews the literature on the concept of empathy in the social work profession from the days of Mary Richmond to its use in traditional literature today. Empathy is reexamined in light of recent developments in feminist scholarship, in particular the relational-cultural theory developed at the Stone Center at Wellesley College. Moving…

Domestic violence continues to be a serious problem for women in the United States. As a result, the battered women's movement has been tireless in campaigning for greater awareness of the issue, tougher penalties against offenders, and public vigilance against potential batterers, including fathers from dissolving families. In reaction to this…

Until 1980 Martin Luther was denounced in the German Democratic Republic (GDR). Four possible reasons for Luther's "left turn" are discussed. (RM)

Examines interaction between emerging thanatological movement and its sociohistorical context. Notes that thanatology will take on new shape as individuals and society attempt to cope with postmodernistic forces and deconstructive mentality. Considers prospect for authentic solidarity against distress in reconstructed death system. (Author/NB)

One of the most challenging problems faced by teachers of history is how to give voice to the vast majority of people who lived in the past. People's knowledge of history tends to center on the great and important because they are tied to extant written records, almost all of which were produced by and/or about people of high stature in society.…

This article, in honor of the 100th anniversary of "Mathematics Teacher," touches briefly on mathematics and the history of mankind.