The academic as public intellectual: examining public engagement in the professionalised academy

In this article we critically consider the widely held conception that the public intellectual is in decline. We present a more sanguine fate of this figure, arguing that today we observe a flourishing of intellectuals. One such figure is the academic intellectual who has often been looked at with suspicion as a technical specialist. This conception suggests that university intellectuals are diluted versions of the historical conception of the ‘true’ public intellectual – that is, an ‘independent spirit’ that fearlessly challenges unjust power. In this article, we contest this view, arguing that this historical conception, idealised as it may be, nevertheless can inform scholastic activities. By resituating the public intellectual as a kind of temperament rather than a title, we examine its pressing – but at the same time uneasy – relevance to contemporary academic life. Counterposing this with contemporary instrumental conceptions of research impact, we suggest that where possible the intellectual academic should aspire to go beyond academic institutional norms and requirements. Hence, the academic public intellectual refers to a temperament, which is in but not of the academic profession

The «Great Mother» in The Grapes of Wrath

ABSTRACT:RESUMEN

Cue-Reactivity and Smartphone Dependency

Objective: Although Cue-Reactivity was originally developed and used with substance addictions, there has been development and validation of cue-reactivity paradigms with behavioral addictions. Concurrently, there has been a rise of literature and research into Smartphone dependency, a type of behavioral addiction. However, there has not been a study looking into cue-reactivity in conjunction with smartphone dependency. Therefore, the current study was developed to create and test a cue-reactivity paradigm for smartphone addiction to better understand the learning principles behind it. Since most individuals do not realize the severity of their dependence on the device, it is important to have definitive conclusions. Method: The data from 54 participants was utilized in this study, with 40 participants being included in the physiological analyses. Participants were exposed to both addiction-related and neutral cues and their self-reported craving/urge ratings and EDA reactivity was recorded in response to cue presentation. Then, they were asked to complete a variety of individual difference measures such as the State Trait Anxiety Inventory and the Fear of Missing Out Scale. Other smartphone specific demographics were collected to analyze specific phone usage metrics in correlation to reactivity. Results: Results indicated that participants had higher self-report craving/urge and physiological arousal to the addiction related cue than the neutral cue overall. Results also showed that the more addicted participants were to their smartphone, as evidenced by scores on the Smartphone Addiction Scale, the more they craved their smartphone. Lastly, results showed that Nomophobia, the fear of being without one’s phone, was predictive of heightened craving/urge to use one’s smartphone. Conclusions: To the authors’ knowledge, this study was the first to test a cue-reactivity paradigm with smartphone dependency. The results showed individuals react to addiction-related cues associated with smartphones in the same way that individuals respond in other cue-reactivity paradigms with other addictions. Therefore, one can infer that classical conditioning is a process that contributes to smartphone dependency

Healing a Broken Spirit: A Look into Institutional Trauma and Spiritual Resilience

This paper focused on the relationship between spirituality, therapy, and those who are affected and traumatized by religious institutions. It sought to cover the hypothesis that exposure to positive spirituality can help those who have been affected by religious institutional trauma to recover. Studies have shown a positive correlation between religiosity and recovery from traumatic experiences and that therapy can also increase one spirituality and relationship with God or other higher powers. This article sought to highlight that this strength of a spiritual coping mechanism may be increased by a person’s education in the field of theology and spirituality meaning people who learn how to tap into spirituality may have increased positive results when recovering from trauma. The article covered studies from across the globe including Poland and China, not focusing solely on one religion or denomination but generalizing the impact of religiosity. Moral injury and spiritual victimology will be terms that are defined as a way to strengthen the argument of spirituality as a form of recovery and that exposure to spirituality from a spiritually damaged individual is beneficial to them

Finding a Voice: A Preaching Model To Address the Postmodern and Post-Soviet Young Adults at the Compass Seventh-day Adventist Church in Tallinn, Estonia

Problem In Northern and Eastern Europe, probably more than in any other part of the world, the gap between the inner culture of the Seventh-day Adventist Church and that of the surrounding culture has grown large, hindering the church’s ability to share the Gospel to young adults (ages 16-29) in a meaningful and clear way. It is especially true about people who have grown up in the Postmodern and Post-Soviet context of Estonia and have very little biblical knowledge. This present study concentrates on homiletics and how this culture gap can be bridged via preaching. Method A five-part preaching series was created with young adults in Estonia being the primary target audience. The sermons were preached in Compass Seventh-day Adventist Church in Tallinn, Estonia from November 20 until December 18, 2021. All listeners were invited to fill in a feedback form after each church service. Over the period of five weeks, 116 evaluation forms were collected and the anonymous feedback analysed. Results The church members and visiting guests were given an opportunity to evaluate my sermons and express their ideas on different preaching-related topics. The main areas of feedback were as follows: topic and organisation of the sermon, the role of the preacher, inclusiveness, and narratives. Every thematic section had both open-ended questions and questions with scales from 1 to 5. The results showed that young adults―both the regular attendees and occasional guests―are interested in topics that touch their everyday reality and choices, they appreciate preacher\u27s openness and emotional honesty, they find it easiest to follow sermons with a simple structure and a single focus, their attention is caught by good stories, they appreciate supportive visual materials, and they long for an inclusive Christian community where they could be seen and appreciated as individuals. Conclusions Preaching in a Postmodern and Post-Soviet context where the general knowledge of Christianity and the Bible are very low is a constant challenge. Yet, with a careful sermon preparation process which takes into account the individualistic and fragmented worldview of the Postmodern people, it is possible to preach sermons that touch both the hearts and minds of young adults. When the context-sensitivity is supported by the preacher\u27s emotions and integrity of life, the preaching act can be and is an effective way of communicating the Gospel truths

Counterblast: crime, harm and the state-corporate nexus

The dominant role that corporations play in our lives makes them appear to us as a fact of life. Corporations now take credit for, and profit from, providing most of the food that we eat, the clothes we wear, the communications systems we use, the films we watch, the music we listen to and so on. What corporations do well or badly fundamentally affects our chances of a healthy life. Corporations produce the chemicals that end up in the air we breathe and the food we eat, just as they produce the drugs that seek to keep us healthy and to prolong our lives. Corporations are central to virtually all systems of childcare, social care or health care, criminal justice, education, energy and transport. The presence of corporations in every aspect of our lives is so overbearing that it makes it seem as if this presence is both normal and natural. There exists – popularly, politically and academically – a resignation to the ubiquitousness and power of the corporation as the dominant form through which the provision of goods and services is, should, even must, be organised across the globe