Various Forms Of Diversity Research Articles

Philosophy for Living: Exploring Diversity and Immersive Assignments in a PWOL Approach

In this article, we reflect on our experiences teaching a PWOL course called Philosophy for Living. The course uses modules focused on different historical philosophical ways of life (Epicureanism, Stoicism, Confucianism, Existentialism, etc.) to engage students in exploring how philosophy can be a way of life and how its methods, virtues, and ideas can improve their own lives. We describe and compare our experiences with two central aspects of our approach: engagement with diversity and the use of immersive experiences and assignments. In particular, we discuss how we recognize and center various forms of diversity in philosophy—cultural and gender diversity, but also diversity in how and in what forms philosophy can be done and what “philosophy as a way of life” can be. We also examine how the experimental and experiential aspects of immersive assignments promote deeper understanding and create possibilities for personal transformation.

Teacher education at the intersection of race and ability

In this dialogue with Phillip A. Boda’s Conceptualizing the margins into science education praxis: disability as case in point, I would like to continue the conversation on an equity-focused graduate course meant to prepare pre-service educators to value and leverage diversity in the classroom. While Boda’s analysis revealed that graduate students struggled to attend to disability as a marker of diversity when planning classroom activities, a similar study conducted by Waitoller and Kozleski (Teach Teach Educ Int J Res Stud 31:35–45, 2013. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2012.11.006 ) showed that graduate students often attended to disability over cultural diversity. Both studies point to the need for teacher preparation programs that prepare educators to create inclusive environments that support, value, and empower students at the intersection of various forms of diversity. This article will leverage axiological shifts noted in graduate students’ reflections from Boda’s study to start a discussion about Waitoller and Kozleski’s view of inclusive education. Pulling from scholarship on asset-based pedagogies and my experience as an urban science educator in special education settings, I will discuss opportunities to create educator learning experiences that can connect theory and practice.

Representations of Unity and Diversity of Women in Panchayat and Post-Panchayat Nepal

This paper analyses the changes in the ways in which the diversity of women in Nepal has been conceived and represented from the Panchayat Democracy era in the 1960s to the current period of constitution-writing for a new federated state of Nepal. The various forms of diversity attributed to women—cultural differentiation, hierarchical differentiation, quantitative differentiation and substantive differentiation—have been and are being constructed in juxtaposition to various forms of unity—gender, universal, national unification and the ‘Third World woman’ in need of development. These varied configurations of unity–diversity have different implications for the women's movement and its quest to redress the historical subordination, oppression and exclusion that have been suffered by Nepali women.

Organic farming and heterogeneous landscapes positively affect different measures of plant diversity

Summary Increasing landscape heterogeneity and organic farming practices are known to enhance species richness in agroecosystems. However, little is known about the consequences of these management options on other biodiversity components such as community composition, phylogenetic structure and functional diversity which may be more closely linked to ecosystem functioning. We surveyed semi‐natural plant communities within the uncultivated field margins of 18 arable farms in Skåne, south Sweden. We investigated how taxonomic, phylogenetic and functional diversity responds to landscape heterogeneity (presence of semi‐natural habitat) and farm management intensity (organic vs. conventional farming). Plant species richness and functional diversity metrics all responded positively to landscape heterogeneity, with the strongest effect occurring on conventional farms. Community composition differed with farm management, and mean phylogenetic relatedness, an indicator of phylogenetic structure, was significantly higher on the field margins of organic compared to conventional farms. Individual plant functional groups themselves responded in unique ways to land management and landscape heterogeneity. Synthesis and applications. Management strategies that promote the conservation of heterogeneous landscapes (i.e. a higher proportion of semi‐natural habitats) and organic farm management practices are important for maintaining plant phylogenetic, functional and taxonomic diversity in agroecosystems. Accommodating various forms of diversity is important to ensure that ecosystems have the greatest possible array of species ecologies’. Such measures will help to improve the capacity of these ecosystems to provide multiple ecosystem functions, including the sustaining and regulating services of benefit to people.

Bridges to Understanding: Envisioning the World through Children′s Books (review)

Reviewed by: Bridges to Understanding: Envisioning the World through Children′s Books Juli-Anna Aerila Bridges to Understanding: Envisioning the World through Children′s Books (2011). Ed. Linda M. Pavonetti. Lanham, Toronto and Plymouth, UK: Scarecrow Press. 521 pages. Bridges to Understanding: Envisioning the World through Children’s Books is the fourth volume of the bibliography of children’s books sponsored by the United States Board on Books for Young People (US BBY). Each bibliography is an individual work, but they all aim to introduce international literature for young people to young Americans. The former volumes are Children’s Books from Other Countries (1998), The World through Children’s Books (2002) and Crossing Boundaries with Children’s Books (2006). With this latest volume, they form an ensemble representing children’s books from 1950 to 2004. Bridges to Understanding surveys nearly 700 books published between 2000 and 2004 in more than 70 countries. Like its predecessors, it is a valuable tool for librarians, teachers, and anyone seeking information about multicultural literature. The book is edited by Linda M. Pavonetti, who is the former president of US BBY (2010–2012). The annotated bibliography consists of three parts: International Children’s Literature, Bibliography, and Resources. In addition, at the end of the book, there is a comprehensive index of the children’s books mentioned in the bibliography. All of these components form a diversified picture of multicultural children’s literature. The first section offers various different perspectives on multi-cultural children’s literature. Andrea Cheng, who is an author, poet, teacher, and illustrator, describes in her article how difficult it is to translate literature into another language. For instance, some puns and other forms of word plays will not come through in translation. In addition, she considers how an author’s nationality, language, and cultural background are evident in what or how s/he writes. Barbara Lehman ponders the authors’ responsibility for the authenticity of what they write, particularly when they are not insiders to the cultures they are depicting. According to Lehman, readers must also educate themselves to be thoughtfully critical in their responses, especially when those books cover topics that are outside their own experience and knowledge. It is also the teachers’ and librarians’ responsibility to teach young people to read critically and become [End Page 114] informed rather than accept texts unquestioningly. In the worst case, reading multicultural themed books can confirm readers’ prejudices and stereotypes. The bibliographic part of the book is organized geographically by world region and country. Before the actual bibliography, the book has a very detailed description of how the selected children’s books are classified, how multicultural literature is defined and the basis on which the children’s books have been included within the bibliography. This section includes information about the author’s cultural background. The plot descriptions of children’s books are enjoyable to read and give the reader a picture of the cultural diversity while simultaneously demonstrating the similarity between humans. Using this kind of bibliography is challenging, in the sense that the books are only classified according to the countries they represent. For example, books appropriate for different age groups are not segregated from each other, presumably because, as Pavonetti notes, age recommendations can be difficult to give. Picture books, for instance, can be suitable for different ages. Although Bridges to Understanding is intended as a reference source, it provides interesting and entertaining reading in its own right. In addition, the book gives an excellent picture of multi-cultural literature’s various forms of diversity, concerns, and opportunities. One can only hope that US BBY will continue this valuable series of bibliographies. Juli-Anna Aerila University of Turku, Finland Copyright © 2012 Bookbird, Inc

Converging Horizons for Relational Integration: Differentiation-Based Collaboration

Integration is meaningless without the sharing of power: Martin Luther King, Jr. (1968/1986, p.317) We appreciate the invitation to reflect on the past, present, and future of the integration of and Christian theology. Our primary interest is to explore integration through relational lens which moves relationality to the foreground. Our approach to integration prioritizes attention to relational dynamics between actual psychologists and theologians (as opposed to abstract bodies of knowledge), as well as relational dynamics across various forms of diversity which are part of social integration. We offer Trinitarian understanding of differentiation-based relationality as the heart of theological anthropology which values community, mutual recognition, alterity, and social justice for shaping hospitable interdisciplinarity. We suggest that differentiation-based collaboration, intercultural competence, and ministry training are central to the future of relational integration. Historical Horizons Forty years ago, evangelical Christians made significant strides in organizing integrative efforts to make place for within conservative Christianity. The 1970s have been described as a turning point for evangelicals in psychology (Johnson, 2011, p. 31). Clinical training programs had been started at Rosemead (Biola University) and Fuller Seminary, this journal was founded, and early integration leaders such as Clyde Narramore and Gary Collins were advocating for the legitimacy of for practical Christian living. During the 1970s, key leaders of the integration movement entered the field of psychology, including Bruce Narramore, Larry Crabb, Mary Stewart Van Leeuwen, Everett Worthington, Charles Ridley, David Myers, Hendrika Vande Kemp, and Warren Brown. In the same decade, Jay Adams developed an alternative to integration with biblical counseling organization that rejected most of and argued for the segregation of counseling within churches. The early twentieth century fundamentalist/modernist tensions were very much alive in the Christianity of the 1970s, although the doors to dialogue were opening. While evangelicals engaged in debate about the legitimacy of psychology, several socially integrative developments were happening in the United States. In 1971, the Supreme Court unanimously upheld busing programs intended to speed up racial integration in Swan v. Charlotte-Mecklenberg Board of Education. In 1972, Title IX was passed, making it unlawful to discriminate against females in educational programs and activities; and 1976 marked the first sexual harassment legislation in the U.S., seeking to protect women in the workplace. The 1970s also marked the first significant influx of women and persons of color into theological seminaries in the U.S., although gender and racial integration would come much later for evangelical seminaries. It is fascinating to note that as psychologists were trying to gain acceptance among evangelicals, women and persons of color were fighting to secure the social justice of access to basic educational and employment opportunities. As male psychologist and female New Testament scholar at an evangelical university in 2011, we look back with profound respect and gratitude for those who struggled and even suffered to promote various types of relational integration. Disciplinary Developments Intentional integrative efforts among academic disciplines have emerged in part in response to the tendency in the modern academy toward increased and therefore isolation of disciplines. For example, Beker (1992) has spoken of triumph of narrow specialization in academic disciplines in seminaries (p. 515). In New Testament studies (Jeannine's field), early integrationist efforts benefited from the recognition that the methods used in the study of the New Testament already included multidisciplinary approaches, including historical criticism (with its range of sub-criticisms; e. …

Religious Experience, Development, and Diversity

Religious experience is a complex construct susceptible to various forms of influence. As religious experience is a very broad construct, this paper focuses primarily on one type of religious experience: the god image, or the way an individual experiences god. This paper focuses on two important factors contributing to the richness of religious experiences: development and diversity. Research on the god image suggests that the way a person experiences god changes over time, including gradually becoming more complex. Although the research on the god image and diversity is highly limited thus far, there is consistent evidence that various forms of diversity significantly impact the way a person experiences god. Several theories have attempted to reconcile various influences on the god image into a comprehensive, unified theory. While these theories offer advancement in the way religious experience can be understood, it seems unlikely that any such theory will ultimately be successful, particularly given that important influences on one’s religious experience appear to be highly influenced by culture.

Does Diversity Mean Assimilation?

This article examines attitudes toward diversity at an academic institution. Research participants indicated their support for various forms of diversity in response to closed-ended questions and then described what the word ‘diversity’ meant to them. By comparing numerical data with open-ended definitions, we highlight the particulars of how our respondents interpret diversity. Specifically, we show that for about one-third of our sample, diversity programs are equated with ‘oneness’, ‘equality’, and ‘color-blindness’. We analyze this interpretation of diversity as a discursive construction that enables respondents to profess progressive views while at the same time upholding traditional American values of assimilation. We end the article with a critique of this emerging diversity regime and consider alternative models of promoting diversity.

Researching gender: the challenge of global diversity today

The text of this paper is based on a lecture given at the symposium of the Ghent African Platform “Researching Gender in/on Africa” at Ghent University in December 2009. It addresses some general challenges faced by ‘gender studies’ as an autonomous field versus ‘gender research’ as an integrated topic within mainstream disciplines in academia. Gender studies have sometimes superseded ‘women’s studies’ and expanded to cover the terrain of study of various forms of diversity including men’s and transgender studies. We will show that the ‘mainstreaming’ of gender in public policy at local, national and transnational levels is a development which may potentially lead to the loss of a – feminist – political edge. Secondly, while gender studies with their emphasis on socially constructed gender as opposed to biological essentialist understandings of ‘sex’ appear to face the challenge of a popular ‘new biological determinism’, it is shown that the binary model of sex/gender in fact has been criticised for some time now from within feminist theory and gender research. This is (selectively) illustrated with research from four disciplines, including the work of African gender studies scholars, i.e. feminist philosophy, social sciences (in particular socio-cultural anthropology), history and biology itself. This then shows how the accusation that gender studies would be ‘socially deterministic’ without attending to bodily matters or materiality is unfounded. Finally, it is argued that there is still a need for gender studies to become more culturally diverse, more global and transnational in its outlook, by becoming more deeply attuned to the way gender intersects with other forms of difference and taking into account postcolonial critiques of western feminist paternalism, without falling into the trap of cultural relativism. Key words: gender studies, feminism, sex/gender debate, gender mainstreaming, postcolonial critique, cultural relativism, Afrocentrism

Researching gender: the challenge of global diversity today

The text of this paper is based on a lecture given at the symposium of the Ghent African Platform “Researching Gender in/on Africa” at Ghent University in December 2009. It addresses some general challenges faced by 'gender studies' as an autonomous field versus ‘gender research’ as an integrated topic within mainstream disciplines in academia. Gender studies have sometimes superseded ‘women’s studies’ and expanded to cover the terrain of study of various forms of diversity including men’s and transgender studies. We will show that the ‘mainstreaming’ of gender in public policy at local, national and transnational levels is a development which may potentially lead to the loss of a – feminist – political edge. Secondly, while gender studies with their emphasis on socially constructed gender as opposed to biological essentialist understandings of ‘sex’ appear to face the challenge of a popular ‘new biological determinism’, it is shown that the binary model of sex/gender in fact has been criticised for some time now from within feminist theory and gender research. This is (selectively) illustrated with research from four disciplines, including the work of African gender studies scholars, i.e. feminist philosophy, social sciences (in particular socio-cultural anthropology), history and biology itself. This then shows how the accusation that gender studies would be ‘socially deterministic’ without attending to bodily matters or materiality is unfounded. Finally, it is argued that there is still a need for gender studies to become more culturally diverse, more global and transnational in its outlook, by becoming more deeply attuned to the way gender intersects with other forms of difference and taking into account postcolonial critiques of western feminist paternalism, without falling into the trap of cultural relativism.

TECHNOLOGY VERSUS AGRO-ECOLOGY IN DESIGNING VEGETABLE PRODUCTION SYSTEMS IN THE NETHERLANDS

ISHS IV International Symposium on Ecologically Sound Fertilization Strategies for Field Vegetable Production TECHNOLOGY VERSUS AGRO-ECOLOGY IN DESIGNING VEGETABLE PRODUCTION SYSTEMS IN THE NETHERLANDS

Different Wavelengths: Studies of the Contemporary Women's Movement (review)

Reviewed by: Different Wavelengths: Studies of the Contemporary Women's Movement Marcia Hernandez (bio) Reger, Jo , ed. Different Wavelengths: Studies of the Contemporary Women's Movement. New York: Routledge, 2005. 320 pp. In academic circles the debate over whether or not a new wave of feminism exists has largely been replaced with how women, and increasingly men, are actively engaged in the third wave. Feminism is now also part of the mainstream dialogue regarding women's rights, although the range and diversity of ideologies represented under this umbrella term are often reduced to simple stereotypes in popular culture. Outside of gender studies and women's studies departments there is limited understanding that feminism as a social movement, an academic field of study, or a political identity, represents a multilayered and complex way to understand and respond to social inequality. Since it is through popular culture that most contemporary students learn about feminism, it is not a surprise that many resist identifying with the label as a personal political ideology and lack a clear understanding of how the changes brought by the second wave affect them. Jo Reger's Different Wavelengths: Studies of the Contemporary Women's Movement provides an engaging read for students who have come of age enjoying the benefits of feminism yet are unsure how to interpret what feminism means for their own lives. Different Wavelengths offers a refreshing blend of chapters featuring personal observation, textual analysis, and theoretical arguments. As Leila Rupp and Verta Taylor state in the introduction, "we need to understand where we've been and where we're going." Taken as a whole, the chapters in Reger's text provide a response to this challenge. The book is easily organized for readers into separate sections as replies to often-cited criticisms of the second wave, ranging from exclusivity to out-of-date activist techniques to its distance from contemporary culture. In the first section, "Who Is Third Wave? Issues of Diversity," the authors explore various forms of diversity within the contemporary feminist movement, challenging the notion that only white, middle class, middle-aged women are engaged. Florence Maatita's chapter on Chicana feminism explores the ways in which young Latinas negotiate their race and ethnic [End Page 241] identity as well as their gender identity while finding a racial and feminist voice in college. Her respondents remind readers that personal and political identities are complicated, fluid, and often based within a specific context of family, culture and peer groups. Karen Schilt's "The Punk White Privilege Scene" argues that despite the rhetoric of inclusion within the third wave, white, middle-class women remain fully ensconced within a privileged position due to resources at their command and racial privilege. Together Schilt's and Maatita's chapters offer a wonderful contrast for students to analyze the accomplishments of second-wave feminism and the challenges that remain for feminists in the third wave. The second section, "Mothers and Daughters? Relations between the Second and Third Waves," deals with the ways in which feminists connect with each other in efforts at social justice yet also disconnect due to differences in social location, practice, and ideology. Stephanie Beechley's article, "When Feminism is Your Job: Age and Power in Women's Policy Organizations," offers an empirical analysis of what for some young feminists may be an all-too-familiar description of life in an established women's organization. Astrid Henry's chapter titled "Solitary Sisterhood" may also touch a personal chord with students who struggle to engage with feminism, unsure of where or how they fit into it. The stance of many third-wave pioneers to declare feminism an individualistic, "on-your-own-terms" personal identity created a multitude of opportunities for young women to engage in activism. Students may enjoy debating Henry's various points regarding how diversity and individuality are framed according to third wavers. Section three, "What Brings Change: Tactics of the Third Wave," offers an interesting selection for students to understand contemporary strategies for social change. Most students will be familiar, at least in passing, with the themes in Reger and Story's chapter on campus productions of the Vagina Monologues. Although the Monologues offer...

Chapter 13. Diversity Issues and the God Image

SUMMARY The research and theory on the God image has neglected considering important diversity issues. Despite this, it is evident that culture, gender, and sexual orientation significantly impact the way people experience God. The paper begins by building a basis for understanding the how various forms of diversity, including cultural diversity and religious diversity, impact the God image. Specific applications of women, LGBT, and black God images are explored. It is purported that while white males are able to base religious experience and a God image off of similarities to God, women, LGBT individuals, and people of color are placed in a position of relating to God based upon dissimilarity. Implications for future research and therapy developments are discussed.

Practical measures for combating communication system impairments caused by large magnetic storms

HF communication circuits, on an individual basis, may perform poorly during ionospheric disturbances associated with geomagnetic storms. This is especially true at middle and high latitudes. To achieve a greater degree of reliability, it is necessary to exploit various forms of diversity. The most powerful forms of diversity at HF must exploit multiple communication paths and frequencies. The most reliable communication with an individual entity (e.g., aircraft) will involve a star network involving several independent paths. Moreover, these (redundant) communication paths must have a wide range of communication bands at their disposal. Much of the paper deals with the process by which such diversity systems may provide acceptable communication reliability, even under adverse propagation conditions. A significant portion of the paper will deal with a particular system during a very realistic scenario. The specific system of interest is the GLOBALink™/HF system, a unique data communication network.

Introduction: a report on the National Multicultural Conference and Summit II.

Multiculturalism, in its broadest terms, not only is defined by race and ethnicity but also involves topics of gender, sexual orientation, and disability. Underlying this notion is the assumption that there is no one way to conceptualize human behavior, no one theory that explains the realities and experiences of various forms of diversity, and no particular set of competencies that have been proven to be effective with every form of diversity. Yet, it is possible to seek and provide information that can move psychologists and other social scientists forward in the search for multicultural awareness, respect, and competence. The 2nd National Multicultural Conference and Summit, held in January 2001 in Santa Barbara, California, was designed to promote knowledge about multiculturalism in these broad terms. This introduction to the special section is designed to (a) provide an overview of the proceedings of the Summit, (b) identify themes that emerged throughout the Summit with a special focus on the major keynote addresses, and (c) recommend future directions for education, training, practice, and research in multicultural psychology.

Transcultural perspectives in nursing administration.

Population demographics are reshaping the healthcare work force with respect to race, ethnicity, gender, national origin, sexual orientation, age, handicap, disability, and related factors as national sensitivity to various forms of diversity grows. Given the demographic trends, it is inevitable that nurse administrators will need skill in transcultural administration as they manage diversity and identify the cultural origins of conflict in the multicultural workplace. Culture influences the manner in which administrators, staff and patients perceive, identify, define and solve problems. In this article, the complex and interrelated factors that influence workplace diversity are examined.

Problems of mobile HF communication and techniques for performance improvement

The paper first outlines the inherent strengths and weaknesses of mobile and fixed terminals in HF communication systems. Conventional HF system design and operating procedures are then described. The improvement in performance achievable by the use of various forms of diversity combining is quantified, and it is shown how a number of fixed HF terminals can be combined into a geographical diversity network, which can be accessed by mobile terminals. Specific problems of interconnection, data transmission and system control are considered in greater depth.