Adolescent Virginity Pledges in the United States

This paper presents a brief history of teen-focused abstinence groups and virginity pledge traditions. It then examines the various meanings virginity pledges have for the adolescents who take them. Much of this information is drawn from abstinence groups’ websites, as well as from personal interviews conducted by sociologists studying virginity loss. Several reasons for taking a virginity pledge were identified. Many of these reasons referenced Christianity. More specifically, pledge-taking was viewed as an act of worship, as a way to adhere to Biblical directives and as a way to honor God’s gift of virginity. Familial reasons were also given as a rationale for taking a virginity pledge. Pledgers referenced their parents’ beliefs regarding abstinence, as well as a desire to avoid emotional pain family members had endured as a result of having premarital sex. Pledgers also maintained virginity as a way to ensure positive romantic relationships in the future, with many desiring to give their virginity as a gift to their spouse. Finally, pledgers mentioned health-related reasons for maintaining virginity, particularly the desire to avoid sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy

Teen Magazines and Parents: Their Impacts on Adolescent Female Sexual Scripts and Contraception

This literature review examines how magazines and parents portray cultural ideas about sex, how girls use these ideas to understand their own sexuality, and how these ideas impact their contraceptive use in interpersonal relationships. Simon and Gagnon’s Sexual Script Theory is used as a theoretical framework to explain these three levels of sexual scripts: cultural, interpersonal and personal. American teen magazines and parents are compared with their Western European counterparts to illustrate how cultural presentation of sex impacts contraceptive use. In the United States, where there were 41.5 births per 1,000 to girls aged 15-19 in 2008, sex is portrayed as a guilt-producing activity. Similarly, contraceptive use is seen as burdensome. Conversely, in Germany the birth rate in 2008 was 9.8 per 1,000 and 5.2 per 1,000 in the Netherlands. These significantly lower birth rates are explained by the presentation of sex as pleasurable, as well as high acceptance of contraceptive use. While a national change in the presentation of teenage sex is impossible, increased discussion of contraceptive use in the United States could help remove the stigma, thereby decreasing both sexually transmitted disease and pregnancy rates among teenagers

When the street becomes a pedagogue

I've long been interested in the way that public space comes to be used to present the ideas of private concerns. I've never quite understood why a fast food chain can blatantly display their ideas in the streetscape, yet graffiti and street art is considered the work of criminals. I've found much of my professional activity, including PhD research, devoted to the exploration of how signage is deployed and appropriated and want to draw on a couple of these research projects to explain how I see the public pedagogical intent of urban signage functioning in the street-scape

Claiming spaces: Maori (indigenous persons) making the invalid valid

Identity is a shifting paradigm because of the constant movement between identities throughout our lives, depending on the context within which we are identifying ourselves. Once we identify, we place ourselves within a certain construct. When positioning within identity labels, multiplicitous experiences of marginalisation need to be accounted for in clarifying identity frameworks. Barile (2000) asserts that it is the multiple minority status of persons of minority ethnic identity with disabilities that positions them into multiple minority discriminatory experiences with greater limitations and discrimination than those with a single minority status identity. Barile (2000) also asserts that it challenges ethnic minority people with disabilities who work collectively and as a group where they are forced to work as individuals, often in isolation from their ethnic and cultural communities

Man in his time plays many parts : life stories of William Jordan : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in History at Massey University

When the first Labour government was elected in 1935 William Jordan became both New Zealand's High Commissioner in London and New Zealand's representative at the League of Nations. Prior to his appointment Jordan had served nearly fourteen years as a Labour Member of Parliament.3 3 Malcolm Templeton, 'Jordan, William Joseph 1879-1959'. Dictionary of New Zealand Biography, updated 19 July 2002 URL: http://www.dnzb.govt.nz/ I first became interested in Jordan while I was completing a research exercise on New Zealand's reactions to the Sino-Japanese war in 1937. Jordan featured prominently at the League of Nations when the New Zealand government's stand on international issues brought it into conflict with British policy. He stood out as a significant figure of this period due to his personality and strength of character. As New Zealand's representative, Jordan spoke powerfully on international morality. His forthright speeches showed his courage, often in the face of pressure from other nations. He delivered speeches that were blunt, simple and often in plain undiplomatic language. Bruce Bennett described his, unpretentious, sincere, yet forceful speeches [which] brought him admiration at a forum noted for caution to the point of cowardice. His very simplicity, which some of his associates despised, was part of his magic.4 4Bruce Bennett, New Zealand's Moral Foreign Policy 1935-1939: The Promotion of Collective Security Through the League of Nations, Wellington: New Zealand Institute of International Affairs, 1988, p.14. Jordan's character and personality seemed distinctive and denoted him as a compelling historical individual. Notwithstanding his unique personality, Jordan was also a national figure in his time. When first appointed he was New Zealand's sole diplomatic representative. By the time of his retirement, after a record fifteen years as High Commissioner in London, he had been the country's best-known representative abroad. I was very intrigued to examine not only Jordan the man but to also explore a broader perspective and see how, as a distinct individual, he interacted within the social, cultural and historical contexts of his time

Cataloguing men: charting the male librarian's experience through the perceptions and positions of men in libraries

This study explores the perceptions of male librarians working in an academic library. Underpinning the methodology of this paper is a series of in depth interviews conducted over several years with a group of selected male librarians. This paper suggests that the meanings constructed by male librarians in the non-traditional work environment have broader implications within organisational contexts

A study of some young characters in the early work of Jean Anouilh : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in French

The thesis presents some young characters from the early work of Jean Anouilh, and their dilemmas, These young characters embody many of the ideas and ideals of the young Anouilh, and his subjectivity adds depth and realism. The first chapters each present one major work, along with one or more works of lesser importance, and in all these, characters take on similar characteristics, and modes of behaviour: all conform to a particular code of ethics, and this generally involves revolt of some kind against society, home or life. This study culminates in the chapter depicting the young Antigone, who epitomises youthful absolutes and romantic ideals. Prior to the concluding chapter, some of the works of Jean Anouilh after Antigone, 1944, are presented. These works are chosen to give some impressions of the change in Anouilh's themes as he grows older. The works of the 1970's show a complete change of emphesis and viewpoint: now, the audience, instead of seeing the world through the eyes of a young man or woman, sees everything through the eyes of an older man. And, instead of youth either eagerly anticipating involvement with life, or willingly opting out of its corruptions and compromises, we see older characters, who, with age, have grown cynical, bitter and regretful. Now the youthful heroes and heroines are gone, and in their place are the older and sad Anouilhean victims. The conclusion surveys the Anouilhean Theatre as a whole, and affords a final comment on Anouilh's impact as a young 20tn Century dramatist

How Sustainable are Global Imbalances?

Global economic imbalances have continued to widen in recent years, reaching unprecedented levels, and are now one of the major issues in international economics.