Trace Evidence: The Uncertainty of the Real

This article examines the impact of trace items through their evocation and elevation to the status of the sublime object. The authors focus on the impact that things left behind by the dead or missing have on those whose loved them, arguing that such traces provide a glimmer of materiality that those left behind can desperately crave

Positive views of immigration are linked to more favorable views about welfare among Americans.

Whether immigrants to the US are a negative or positive influence on US society has been the source of much debate in recent years. In new research, James Garand, Ping Xu, and Belinda C. Davis examine the relationship between people’s attitudes towards immigration and welfare. Using election data, they find that those who are in favor of immigration are also more likely to support welfare and greater welfare spending. They write that much of this relationship can be explained by the growing “immigrationalization” of welfare attitudes in recent decades due to demographic change and the growing number of immigrants participating in welfare programs

A Framework for Supporting Students with Learning Disabilities in Spanish Courses: Connecting Learning Characteristics and Instructional Methods

Students with learning disabilities are characterized by highly individualized dysfunction of the central nervous system. Current research has suggested that the learning difficulties experienced may be attributable to processing difficulties in working memory, attention, information retrieval, and phonological processing. In educational environments, students with learning disabilities often struggle to meet the demands of the general curriculum and require support or intervention to reveal their potential. Because the demands of learning an unfamiliar language can expose weaknesses and heighten anxiety, individuals with learning disabilities have often avoided or been discouraged from foreign language study. However, research conducted on the use of multi-sensory approaches has indicated that such instruction can help students with learning disabilities to succeed in learning Spanish. A discussion of the relationship between neurological research and multi-sensory teaching provides implications for persons with learning disabilities experiencing meaningful inclusion in Spanish courses. Application of research and associated theory to practice is expressed in the form of examples of general accommodations, existing resources, and learning strategies which provide a framework for students with LD to have positive experiences in Spanish

IMMIGRATION ATTITUDES AND SUPPORT FOR THE WELFARE STATE IN THE AMERICAN MASS PUBLIC

In this article, we explore the relationship between Americans’ attitudes toward immigrants and immigration and their attitudes toward welfare. Using data from the Cumulative American National Election Study from 1992 to 2012, we find ample evidence of the influence of immigration attitudes on both individuals’ attitudes toward welfare recipients and their attitudes toward increased welfare spending. These immigration effects persist even in the face of statistical controls for attitudes toward African Americans and attitudes toward the poor; indeed, in our models, the magnitude of the effects of immigration attitudes surpasses the magnitude of effects of attitudes toward blacks. Further, our findings of immigration effects withstand a range of robustness tests. Our results point to the possible “immigrationalization” of Americans’ welfare attitudes and provide strong evidence that how Americans think about immigration and immigrants is a major factor in how they think about welfare