When 'us vs. them' goes one step further : double alienation in An Garda Siochána

In policing literature, the ‘us versus them’ paradigm is well documented, whereby ‘us’ is the police and ‘them’ is the public. But what happens when frontline officers are separated both from society and from those within their own organisation? This research looks down a new pathway of what it means to be doubly alienated in an atmosphere that already makes sociability difficult. In Ireland, there has been little research to date on An Garda Síochána, Ireland’s national police force, and nothing that has addressedthe cross roads these officers find themselves in under these circumstances. The organisation espouses a culture of conform or face the consequences. In these particular circumstances, officers must then either compromise their integrity or become pariahs in the organisation. This qualitative exploration analyses documents to understand under what conditions officers must make these decisions and how they are received by the public and the organisation when they do

Engaged learning in Europe

Globally, there are growing calls for Higher Education Institutions to become more civically engaged and socially relevant while increasing public interest in the impact of universities on their localities and regions. Engaged Learning facilitates students to apply theory to real-world contexts outside of the University and to co-produce knowledge with and for the community. Engaged Learning provides students with the skills which increase their employability, and improve their personal and professional development, while communities gain access to skills to help develop, evaluate, or communicate their work with regard to actual societal challenges. To enhance the knowledge and understanding of what constitutes a successful and sustainable Engaged Learning programme an in-depth view is provided into practices from six institutional contexts from six countries throughout Europe. Highlighted is the diversity and flexibility to be found within Engaged Learning initiatives. However, the one constant is each initiative’s commitment to a concept where reciprocity between the students, universities, and communities, is prioritised. While the examples themselves differ in their structure and intended outcomes, this diversity is a benefit of Engaged Learning and further cements the varied nature across the disciplines and Europe

Attitudes toward Rubella and Varicella Vaccination during Preconception Care

Introduction. MMR and Varicella vaccines contain live attenuated virus, a contraindication during pregnancy. For this reason, it is important to clinically assess barriers to vaccination during the preconception time period to avoid the known fetal morbidity associated with congenital Rubella or Varicella infection. Methods. To determine the prevalence of patients with nonimmune status for Rubella and Varicella in the setting of advanced reproductive care. Secondary outcomes of interest included further understanding nonimmune reproductive-aged women's attitudes toward MMR and Varicella vaccination during the preconception time frame. Patient records were with lab orders for Rubella or Varicella immunoglobulin titers, placed at the KU Advanced Reproductive Care clinic between January 2017 and June 2020. A cross-sectional survey was administered to patients with a laboratory reported negative titer result. Results. Prevalence of nonimmunity within the study population to either Rubella and/or Varicella was 10.7% (n=1,979), to Rubella, 6.0% (n=134) and to Varicella, 3.8% (n=85) out of a total 2,217 patient records reviewed. The women who did not receive recommended vaccines following a nonimmune titer result (n=19) most commonly cited their rationale was to not further delay fertility treatment (n=8). Conclusions. The prevalence of nonimmune persons in the study population fell within the range recognized to be sufficient for herd immunity. The risk/benefit analysis of postponing fertility treatment to achieve adequate levels of immunity should be a focused discussion when establishing fertility treatment goals with patients in the setting of advanced reproductive care

Engaged Learning in Europe: Case Study Compendium

Globally, there are growing calls for Higher Education Institutions to become more civically engaged and socially relevant while increasing public interest in the impact of universities on their localities and regions. Engaged Learning facilitates students to apply theory to real-world contexts outside of the University and to co-produce knowledge with and for the community. Engaged Learning provides students with the skills which increase their employability, and improve their personal and professional development, while communities gain access to skills to help develop, evaluate, or communicate their work with regard to actual societal challenges. To enhance the knowledge and understanding of what constitutes a successful and sustainable Engaged Learning programme an in-depth view is provided into practices from six institutional contexts from six countries throughout Europe. Highlighted is the diversity and flexibility to be found within Engaged Learning initiatives. However, the one constant is each initiative’s commitment to a concept where reciprocity between the students, universities, and communities, is prioritised. While the examples themselves differ in their structure and intended outcomes, this diversity is a benefit of Engaged Learning and further cements the varied nature across the disciplines and Europe

The interdisciplinary CaST project as inspiration for criminology education?

Engaged learning in the higher education systems is an idealised method of learning that reciprocally benefits the educator, students, and community. While this seems like an optimal method of education, in practice what this means in concrete terms is far less clear. The CaST project, under the Erasmus+ programme, along with partnering universities, Ghent University is exploring what engaged learning means in context for criminology courses in Flanders and what, if any, provisions have been made by universities to encourage this type of learning. Adapted from the education sector’s perspective and research on engaged learning, we have developed an understanding of what best practice is when adapted for the field of criminology. Considering this framework, we have identified and evaluated criminology courses in Flanders to further understand what our best practice looks like when actually implemented and what implications this has for the Flemish community