Eastward enlargement of the European Union and the identity of Europe

The constitution of a European demos with a collective identity is one of the preconditions for adjusting the legitimacy problem of the European Union (EU). The analysis attempts to clarify empirically whether there is sufficient commonality regarding Europeans' political value orientations to substantiate a collective identity. Particularly in view of the European Union's eastward enlargement, the question arises whether widespread cultural heterogeneity in Europe allows the formation of a European demos at all. In Europe we can identify a West-East axis of political value orientations. Democratic attitudes decrease the further to the East while at the same time there is an increase in etatist orientations. Thresholds can be observed which distinguish western European countries on the one hand and central and eastern European countries on the other. Within the group of central and eastern Europe a further distinction can be made between the three Slavic republics of the former Soviet Union and the rest of the countries. These findings support Huntington's theory of civilizations. -- Die Herausbildung eines europäischen Demos mit einer kollektiven Identität ist eine der Voraussetzungen zur Behebung des Legitimitätsproblems der Europäischen Union (EU). In der Analyse wird empirisch zu klären versucht, ob es hinreichende Gemeinsamkeiten in den politischen Wertorientierungen der Europäer gibt, die eine kollektive Identität begründen können. Vor allem angesichts der Osterweiterung der EU stellt sich die Frage, ob die kulturelle Heterogenität in Europa nicht zu groß ist, um einen Europäischen Demos zu ermöglichen. Hinsichtlich der politischen Wertorientierungen der Bürger in den europäischen Ländern lässt sich eine West-Ost-Achse identifizieren. Das Ausmaß demokratischer Einstellungen nimmt nach Osten hin ab, und zugleich nimmt das Ausmaß etatistischer Orientierungen zu. Relative Schwellenwerte innerhalb dieser Achse lassen sich zwischen Westeuropa einerseits und Mittel- und Osteuropa andererseits feststellen und innerhalb Mittel- und Osteuropas zu den slawischen Nachfolgestaaten der Sowjetunion. Diese Befunde entsprechen teilweise der Theorie der Zivilisationskreise von Huntington.

Primary Physical Science for Student Teachers at Kindergarten and Primary School Levels: Part II—Implementation and Evaluation of a Course

AbstractThis is the second of two papers on a novel physical science course for student teachers that develops and uses an imaginative approach to Primary Physical Science Education. General philosophical, cognitive, developmental, and scientific issues have been presented in the first paper; here, we briefly recapitulate the most important aspects. In the main part of the current paper, we present in some detail concrete elements of the implementation of the course at three Italian universities where Primary Physical Science Education has been taught for more than 6 years. After a brief description of the course structure, we discuss which parts of macroscopic physics are taught, and how this is done in lectures and labs. Most importantly, we show how the science is entwined with methods related to pedagogy and didactics that (1) help our students approach the science and (2) can be transferred quite readily to teaching children in kindergarten and primary school. These methods include the design of direct physical experience of forces of nature, embodied simulations, writing and telling of stories of forces of nature, and design and performance of Forces-of-Nature Theater plays. The paper continues with a brief description of feedback from former students who have been teaching for some time, and an in-depth analysis of the research and teaching done by one of the students for her master thesis. We conclude the paper by summarizing aspects of both the philosophy and the design of the course that we believe to be of particular value

Sylvia Mebus (1999). Zur Entwicklung der Lehrerausbildung in der SBZ/DDR 1945 bis 1959 am Beispiel Dresdens. Pädagogik zwischen Selbst- und Fremdbestimmung. Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang. [Rezension]

Rezension zu: Sylvia Mebus (1999). Zur Entwicklung der Lehrerausbildung in der SBZ/DDR 1945 bis 1959 am Beispiel Dresdens. Pädagogik zwischen Selbst- und Fremdbestimmung

Rudolf Tippelt (Hrsg.): Handbuch Bildungsforschung. Opladen: Leske + Budrich 2002. 845 S. [Rezension]

Rezension von: Tippelt, Rudolf (Hrsg.): Handbuch Bildungsforschung

A Direct Entropic Approach to Uniform and Spatially Continuous Dynamical Models of Thermoelectric Devices

If we accept temperature and entropy as primitive quantities, we can construct a direct approach to a dynamical thermal theory of spatially continuous and uniform processes. The theory of uniform models serves as a simple entry point for learners of modern thermodynamics. Such models can be applied fruitfully to an understanding of (the dynamics of) thermoelectric processes and devices. Entropy, temperature, charge, and voltage allow us to describe the role of energy concisely, and constitutive quantities can be given their natural entropic interpretation. In this paper, aggregate dynamical models of a Peltier device will be created and simulations will be compared to non-steady-state experimental data. Such overall models give us a simple image of the transport of charge and transport, production, and storage of entropy and can be easily extended to the spatially continuous case. Process diagrams for a uniform model can be used to visualize these processes and the role of energy. Device efficiency can be easily read from the model. Apart from external parameters such as load resistances or temperature differences, it depends upon three parameters of the device: internal electric resistance, entropy conductance, and Seebeck coefficient. The Second Law efficiency of a generator suggests how to define the figure of merit (zT) of the thermoelectric material. Distinction between ideal and dissipative processes and the rates at which energy is made available or used allows us to construct a simple argument for the equality of the Seebeck and Peltier coefficient

Gert Geißler/Ulrich Wiegmann: Pädagogik und Herrschaft in der DDR. Die parteilichen, geheimdienstlichen und vormilitärischen Erziehungsverhältnisse. Frankfurt a.M./Bem: Lang 1996. [Rezension]

Rezension von: Gert Geißler/Ulrich Wiegmann: Pädagogik und Herrschaft in der DDR. Die parteilichen, geheimdienstlichen und vormilitärischen Erziehungsverhältnisse. Frankfurt a.M./Bem: Lang 1996. 301 S

Primary Physical Science for Student Teachers at Kindergarten and Primary School Levels: Part I—Foundations of an Imaginative Approach to Physical Science

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