The pleasures of learning at work : Foucault and phenomenology compared

This paper provides a comparative account of two conceptualisations of pleasure. The first draws on Foucault's analysis of bio-power. The second provides a phenomenological account where pleasure is viewed as an aspect of our immediate consciousness. These conceptualizations are illuminated through an analysis of employees’ accounts of learning at work. Overall, the paper demonstrates how, in a Foucauldian analysis, pleasure disappears as it becomes a cipher for power whereas within the phenomenological account pleasure is foregrounded but power disappears. The concluding section focuses on the problems of both conceptualizations and explores whether we should simply accept that different analytical frameworks do different work for us or whether we should be more concerned at the losses, and gains, associated with theoretical choices. The conclusion further asks whether a concern to foreground pleasure in accounts of learning represents an antidote to the pessimism of much critical analysis or whether we should treat pleasure as a morally duplicitous category that encourages political apathy

Working Class Theater NW

This project details the development of a small, community theater, in Tacoma, WA: Working Class Theater NW. Disparity between the audience that exists in Tacoma and the theater designed to serve that audience creates space to re-conceptualize the role of theater in the region. The power of drama to engage in communal problem solving is often undermined by reliance on money and thematic disassociation from the issues of every day life. Engaging citizens through stories that reflect and expand on lived experiences, such as economic uncertainty and social diversity, removes the necessity of power and privilege to gain access to an artistic life. This is vital if theaters and other non-profit arts organizations wish to create sustainable and relevant projects that serve local communities. Production of David Mamet’s A Life in the Theatre is a case study that explores how the theoretical underpinnings of Working Class Theater NW perform in practice

Fantasy and Stereotype: the Witches of Lima as Colonial Identity

Homi K. Bhabha describes stereotype as phobia and fetish: changing the object of analysis itself and preventing the concretization of racial schema. It paves the way for a colonial fantasy that culminates in Otherness: “an articulation of differences contained within fantasy of origin and identity.” 17th century Lima, Peru was a cosmopolitan trading hub that continuously rewrote its convoluted stereotypes of ethnicity, class, and occupation, complicating the Inquisitorial proceedings that were framed by European beliefs about diabolism. It is within this space that the colonial witch was created; desperate clients and ingredients with shifting functions were the tools of the women accused of working as magical practitioners. They used the tri-continental syncretism that created them to continuously negotiate their identities and reap the benefits of their position within Otherness

Widening participation research and evaluation : where are we now?

This briefing document is based on a review of 376 examples of widening participation research published in peer reviewed journals. The document sets out the ‘state of the art’ of this literature in terms of trends and methodological focus. The document then highlights concerns amongst the research community in respect of gaps in knowledge and limitations in current widening participation and outreach research

Feminists really do count : the complexity of feminist methodologies

We are delighted to be presenting this special issue on the topic of feminism and quantitative methods. We believe that such an issue is exceptionally timely. This is not simply because of ongoing debates around quantification within the field of feminism and women‟s studies. It is also because of debates within the wider research community about the development of appropriate methodologies that take account of new technological and philosophical concerns and are fit-for-purpose for researching contemporary social, philosophical, cultural and global issues. Two areas serve as exemplars in this respect and both speak to these combined wider social science and specifically feminist methodological concerns. The first is the increasing concern amongst social scientists with how the complexity of social life can be captured and analysed. Within feminism, this can be seen in debates about intersectionality that recognise the concerns arising from multiple social positions/divisions and associated power issues. As Denis (2008: 688) comments in respect of intersectional analysis „The challenge of integrating multiple, concurrent, yet often contradictory social locations into analyses of power relations has been issued. Theorising to accomplish this end is evolving, and we are struggling to develop effective methodological tools in order to marry theorising with necessary complex analyses of empirical data.‟ Secondly, new techniques and new data sources are now coming on line. This includes work in the UK of the ESRC National Data Strategy which has been setting out the priorities for the development of research data resources both within and across the boundaries of the social sciences. This will facilitate historical, longitudinal, interdisciplinary and mixed methodological research. And it may be the case that these developments facilitate the achievement of a longstanding feminist aim not simply for interdisciplinarity but for transdisciplinarity in epistemological and methodological terms

Motivation, Fortitude and Success: The Impact of Academic Efficacy and Academic Commitment on Academic Performance among Minority High School Students

The importance of understanding the elements of success in the education of minority high school students is immense. Recognizing the causes of academic success for these students allows educators to employ better educational and motivational strategies. It has been shown that academic efficacy and academic commitment have a positive impact on academic performance. However, the interaction and relationship between these two variables in having a positive effect on education outcomes among minority high school students is not clear. This paper looks at the relationship between academic efficacy and academic commitment on academic performance among minority high school students. The findings reveal that academic commitment is positively associated with academic performance. However, while academic efficacy has a positive impact on academic commitment the results show that academic efficacy has no direct impact on academic performance among the respondents

Curriculum co-creation as a transformative strategy to address differential student outcomes : the example of Kingston University's Student Curriculum Consultant Programme

This paper examines the role that curriculum co-creation can play in creating a more inclusive higher education and in so doing, address the complex challenge of differential student outcomes and attainment. It achieves this by exploring Kingston University’s Curriculum Consultant programme within this context of their Inclusive Curriculum Framework. Students who work as Curriculum Consultants use their own diverse lived experiences and Kingston University’s Inclusive Curriculum Framework (ICF) to collaborate with staff to create more accessible, diverse and globally relevant curricula at all levels of the institution. The consultants work with staff in a variety of ways, providing feedback on the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) experience of individual modules, the inclusivity of teaching resources, and areas where the curriculum represents potential barriers to some groups of students. They also take leadership roles, participating in and facilitating staff development workshops focused on inclusive teaching and learning. This paper examines three instances of co-creation facilitated through the Curriculum Consultant programme. We argue that the Curriculum Consultant programme acts as a mechanism through which the institution can not only legitimate, but also actively endorse and encourage co-creation in order to create more inclusive curricula

An ethnographic study of the stepfamily

This thesis is an ethnographic study of the stepfamily that was conducted between May 1985 and July 1986. The main methods of social investigation were participant observation, unstructured interviews and documentary evidence. The study examines the role of myth and its importance in the stepfamily from the view point of the stepparent. Special consideration has been given to consider the gender implications of step-parenthood and remarriage and the place of myth in the structuring of gender and stepfamily experiences. An opening chapter surveys the theoretical background to the study. Chapter Two introduces the families who took part in the study and contextualises their concerns. There are further chapters which examine the myth of the wicked stepmother, the importance of reciprocity in stepparent-stepchild relationships, the gender experience of second marriage and myth construction in the stepfamily. Chapter Seven serves as a summary and concludes that myth has a dual function in stepfamily life. Specifically, myths impose constraints on the stepmother's freedom of action which is not evidenced for stepfathers. Nevertheless, through the construction of myths within the stepfamily, myths serve a legitimating role for both stepparents which form the basis of step-parental perception. Appendices A and B are concerned with the research process and, given the personal nature of the research to the researcher, stand as an integral part of the thesis. In Appendix A two issues are considered. The importance of biography in the research process and the methods employed. Appendix B sets out the aides memoires used for unstructured interviews. Finally, Appendix C contains stepfamily trees and serves as a presentation device to indicate the various stepfamily relationships

Ultrafast protein response in the Pfr state of Cph1 phytochrome

Photoisomerization is a fundamental process in several classes of photoreceptors. Phytochromes sense red and far-red light in their Pr and Pfr states, respectively. Upon light absorption, these states react via individual photoreactions to the other state. Cph1 phytochrome shows a photoisomerization of its phycocyanobilin (PCB) chromophore in the Pfr state with a time constant of 0.7 ps. The dynamics of the PCB chromophore has been described, but whether or not the apoprotein exhibits an ultrafast response too, is not known. Here, we compare the photoreaction of 13C/15N labeled apoprotein with unlabeled apoprotein to unravel ultrafast apoprotein dynamics in Cph1. In the spectral range from 1750 to 1620 cm−1 we assigned several signals due to ultrafast apoprotein dynamics. A bleaching signal at 1724 cm−1 is tentatively assigned to deprotonation of a carboxylic acid, probably Asp207, and signals around 1670 cm−1 are assigned to amide I vibrations of the capping helix close to the chromophore. These signals remain after photoisomerization. The apoprotein dynamics appear upon photoexcitation or concomitant with chromophore isomerization. Thus, apoprotein dynamics occur prior to and after photoisomerization on an ultrafast time-scale. We discuss the origin of the ultrafast apoprotein response with the ‘Coulomb hammer’ mechanism, i.e. an impulsive change of electric field and Coulombic force around the chromophore upon excitation