Educational structures in context: at the interface of higher education

The editors have grouped the chapters into three sections, each dealing with more general or more specific issues pertaining to education. The first section introduces chapters that deal with general questions about the existing structures of formal academic education. While the authors adopt a critical approach to the existing structures of formal Higher Education, they seem to agree that the primary role of university in creating and organising the social life, (helped by the personal example and experience of the teacher), not only should not be ignored, but should be reinforced to protect universities against the reigning opportunism, managerialism, and bureaucracy that seem to have been affecting, in various degrees, all modern structures. The second section of the volume focuses on more specific issues concerning Higher Education in different national contexts. While the challenges that Higher Education faces in Canada are different than the challenges it faces in Pakistan or Turkey, the authors agree on one thing: Higher Education should promote the values of democracy and tolerance, prepare students not only for the labour market but also for active citizenship. Historically, universities have been hubs of creativity. In the context of globalisation where national and cultural boundaries are questioned, universities should resume (or keep) their role of facilitators of social change. This entails the need for Higher Education to remain an autonomous social institution and be available to all social groups, including, and especially, the ones whose access to higher education have been traditionally restricted. The third section focuses on the impact of technology, and more specifically, the Internet, on Higher Education. The issues the authors tackle range from the use of Web 2.0 technology to the use of mobile phones and different online platforms during lectures. Despite the very different issues and goals that the authors see with regard to the use of technology in the classroom, they argue along the same lines: the fast access to detailed and voluminous information, and the effective structuring of this information that technology offers, should be incorporated as a useful tool in any classroom, to help the lecturer deliver the material successfully and remain connected to the students (and successfully resolve specific problems that students might face with the course material)

Vegetacija suhih travišč na prehodu med dvema biogeografskima regijama

The geographic position of Bulgaria results in a variety of climatic and biogeographic influences on the country’s vegetation. We aim to describe the plant diversity of dry grasslands distributed in the transitional belt between the south-eastern European and Mediterranean biogeographic regions in SE Bulgaria, and to reveal if there are any obvious differences in soil properties, presence of life forms and chorotypes between syntaxa. The data set consists of 349 relevés of vascular plants and bryophytes sampled in different semi-natural herbaceous vegetation types. By applying TWINSPAN, we classified 176 relevés of dry grasslands to eight associations and one unranked community. One association and two subassociations are described here for the first time. Data on soil depth, soil moisture, soil pH, humus and total N content, numbers of different life forms and chorotypes were analysed statistically. The dry grasslands in SE Bulgaria were classified into different vegetation classes sharing the same territory: their communities present similarities in species composition and they have similar ratios of hemicryptophytes/therophytes and Eurosiatic/Mediterranean species. Dry grassland vegetation occupies mostly shallow and dry soils that vary slightly in pH, humus content and soil moisture between associations.Različni klimatski in biogeografski vplivi na vegetacijo so pogojeni z geografskim položajem Bolgarije. V članku opisujemo vrstno raznolikost suhih travišč, ki se pojavljajo v prehodnem pasu med jugovzhodno Evropsko in Mediteransko biogeorafsko regijo in razkrivamo, ali obstajajo očitne razlike med sintaksoni v lastnostih tal, življenskih oblikah in horotipih. Podatkovni niz vsebuje 349 vegetacijskih popisov cevnic in mahov, vzorčenih v različnih polnaravnih zeliščnih vegetacijskih tipih. Z uporabo TWINSPAN metode smo klasificirali 176 popisov suhih travišč v osem asociacij in eno nerangirano združbo. V članku sta prvič opisani ena asociacija in dve subasociaciji. Statistično smo analizirali podatke o globini, vlažnosti in pH tal, vsebnosti humusa in skupnega dušika ter število različnih življenskih oblik in horotipov. Suha travišča v JV Bolgariji smo uvrstili v različne vegetacijske razrede na tem območju: združbe so podobne po vrstni sestavi in imajo podobno razmerje hemikriptofiti/terofiti ter Evroazijske/Mediteranske vrste. Suha travišča uspevajo na pretežno plitvih in suhih tleh, ki se med asociacijami malo razlikujejo v pH, vsebnosti humusa in vlažnosti tal

Care and the Self: A Philosophical Perspective on Constructing Active Masculinities

Our paper focuses on the philosophical perspective of constructing active (as opposed to reactive) caring masculinities agencies in the contemporary feminist discourse. Since contemporary feminisms are not simply anti-essentialist, but more importantly, polyphonic, we believe that it is far more appropriate to talk about ‘masculinities’ as opposed to ‘masculinity’. We are proposing a revised understanding of the self in which the self is not defined primarily in the dichotomous, categorical one-other relationship. We use Paul Ricoeur’s anthropology to describe the self as relational, as well as Joan Tronto’s recent perspective on care which fits well with a Ricoeurian reconstruction of the self. We also engage with Raewyn Connell’s discourse on masculinity and more specifically, hegemonic masculinity. By using ‘caring masculine agencies’ as an alternative to ‘masculinity as reactive anti-femininity’, we are proposing a paradigm shift that hopefully is flexible enough to respect the dynamism inherent to any act of gender-identification

Care and the Self : A Philosophical Perspective on Constructing Active Masculinities

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Suha travišča južne Evrope: sintaksonomija, gospodarjenje in ohranjenje

The Mediterranean area is a natural biodiversity hotspot that has also been influenced by humans for millennia. Especially the grasslands of Southern Europe have long been known for their diversity and beauty. However, several gaps remain in our knowledge about these grasslands, e.g. for some regions such as the southern Balkans, or taxonomic groups such as cryptogams. Here we introduce a Special Issue with contributions from the 9th European Dry Grassland Group meeting held in Prespa, Greece, 2012. The topic of this meeting was “Dry grasslands of Europe: grazing and ecosystem services” with special focus on Southern European regions. The Special Issue, apart from this Editorial, consists of eight contributions arranged according to the three major topics: syntaxonomy (5 articles), management (2) and conservation (1). The classification papers include descriptions of four new associations and four subassociations. Data about management practices are provided as well. We conclude that dry grassland vegetation in Southern Europe exhibits transitions between different higher syntaxa and thus requires further studies at broader scales to allow better understanding at the supranational scale.Mediteran je naravna vroča točka biodiverzitete, na katero je človek tisočletja močno vplival. Po svoji raznolikosti in lepoti so še posebej že dolgo znana travišča južne Evrope, vendar so v poznavanju teh travišč prisotne številne vrzeli na območju južnega Balkana ali posameznih taksonomskih skupin, kot so kriptogami. Predstavljamo posebno številko s prispevki z 9. srečanja Evropske skupine za suha travišča (European Dry Grassland Group), ki je bilo leta 2012 v mestu Prespa (Grčija). Tema srečanja je bila “Suha travišča Evrope: paša in ekosistemske storitve” s posebnim poudarkom na območjih južne Evrope. Posebno številko poleg tega uvodnika sestavlja osem prispevkov, ki smo jih uredili v tri glavne teme: sintaksonomijo (5 člankov), gospodarjenje (2) in ohranjanje travišč (1). Članki o klasifikaciji vsebujejo opise štirih novih asociacij in štirih subasociacij. Prav tako vsebujejo podatke o načinu gospodarjenja. Zaključimo lahko, da kaže vegetacija suhih travišč v južni Evropi prehod med različnimi višjimi sintaksoni in zato so potrebne nadaljnje raziskave v večjem merilu, ki bodo omogočile boljše razumevanje v nadnacionalnem merilu

Amorpha fruticosa invasibility of different habitats in lower Danube

Abstract. Danube River plays a role of major corridor for plant invasions. Downstream is expected to be more strongly affected by such invasions. There were scarce data about alien plants dispersion by habitats in Bulgarian part of Danube. Sampling sites were selected on the river banks and on several islands and Amorpha fruticosa cover together with number of alien plants were sampled. Four habitat types were recognized. Most affected by indigo bush were poplar plantations while natural forests due to their closed structure and biodiversity remain less influenced

Eurasian Kurgan Database – a citizen science tool for conserving grasslands on historical sites

Eurasian steppes have an essential role in conserving biodiversity, but due to the huge habitat loss in the past centuries they are often preserved only in small refuges. Among such refuges are the ancient steppic burial mounds (the so called ‘kurgans’) which have a high cultural and historical importance and are also essential sites of nature conservation. Despite their high number (approximately half million) and conservational importance there is a huge lack of knowledge on the locality and conservational state of the kurgans in most regions of Eurasia. To fill this knowledge gap, we built a public database which allows to record and query basic information on their cultural values and factors (such as land cover type, threatening factors, cover of woody species) that might serve as a basis for their effective conservation. The database provides a transparent, public and easy-to-use source for conservation managers and landscape planners focussed on grassland conservation. In addition, it also provides background information for other associate disciplines and public agencies dealing with the protection of cultural heritage

FLORA, MYCOTA AND VEGETATION OF KUPENA RESERVE (RODOPI MOUNTAINS, BULGARIA)

The paper represents results from recent complex studies of flora, mycota and vegetation within the Kupena Reserve (Rodopi Mts, Bulgaria). Twenty three species, referred to 2 divisions, 4 classes and 16 families are recorded for the bryoflora. The vascular flora is presented by 368 species from 57 families, 121 of which are considered as medicinal plants. Eighty seven species of larger ascomycetes and basidiomycetes are found and reported for first time in the reserve. Four of them are of a high conservation value. The vegetation cover is consisted of mixed and monodominant deciduous and coniferous forests, as well as of mire, riverbank and mesic grasslands. Thirteen types of habitats according to the Habitats Directive classification have been recorded within the reserve

Eurasian Kurgan Database – a citizen science tool for conserving grasslands on historical sites

Eurasian steppes have an essential role in conserving biodiversity, but due to the huge habitat loss in the past centuries they are often preserved only in small refuges. Among such refuges are the ancient steppic burial mounds (the so called ‘kurgans’) which have a high cultural and historical importance and are also essential sites of nature conservation. Despite their high number (approximately half million) and conservational importance there is a huge lack of knowledge on the locality and conservational state of the kurgans in most regions of Eurasia. To fill this knowledge gap, we built a public database which allows to record and query basic information on their cultural values and factors (such as land cover type, threatening factors, cover of woody species) that might serve as a basis for their effective conservation. The database provides a transparent, public and easy-to-use source for conservation managers and landscape planners focussed on grassland conservation. In addition, it also provides background information for other associate disciplines and public agencies dealing with the protection of cultural heritage

How plot shape and spatial arrangement affect plant species richness counts: implications for sampling design and rarefaction analyses

Questions: How does the spatial configuration of sampling units influence recorded plant species richness values at small spatial scales? What are the consequences of these findings for sampling methodology and rarefaction analyses?. Location: Six semi-natural grasslands in Western Eurasia (France, Germany, Bulgaria, Hungary, Italy, Turkey). Methods: In each site we established six blocks of 40 cm × 280 cm, subdivided into 5 cm × 5 cm micro-quadrats, on which we recorded vascular plant species presence with the rooted (all sites) and shoot (four sites) presence method. Data of these micro-quadrats were then combined to achieve larger sampling units of 0.01, 0.04 and 0.16 m² grain size with six different spatial configurations (square, 4:1 rectangle, 16:1 rectangle, three variants of discontiguous randomly placed micro-quadrats). The effect of the spatial configurations on species richness was quantified as relative richness compared to the mean richness of the square of the same surface area. Results: Square sampling units had significantly lower species richness than other spatial configurations in all countries. For 4:1 and 16:1 rectangles, the increase of rooted richness was on average about 2% and 8%, respectively. In contrast, the average richness increase for discontiguous configurations was 7%, 17% and 40%. In general, increases were higher with shoot presence than with rooted presence. Overall, the patterns of richness increase were highly consistent across six countries, three grain sizes and two recording methods. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that the shape of sampling units has negligible effects on species richness values when the length–width ratio is up to 4:1, and the effects remain small even for more elongated contiguous configurations. In contrast, results from discontiguous sampling units are not directly comparable with those of contiguous sampling units, and are strongly confounded by spatial extent. This is particularly problematic for rarefaction studies where spatial extent is often not controlled for. We suggest that the concept of effective area is a useful tool to report effects of spatial configuration on richness values, and introduce species–extent relationships (SERs) to describe richness increases of different spatial configurations of sampling units. © 2016 International Association for Vegetation Scienc