Setting the Groundwork for a Critical Sociohistorical Approach to Intercultural Communication

This paper explores the theoretical and applied groundwork for a new sociohistorical paradigm for interculturalcommunication. It argues that no academic discipline—intercultural communication included—grows out of a vacuum. Alldisciplines develop and evolve within the context of concrete social, political, economic and historical conditions and needs.What is more, these needs are not universal to all groups of people, either worldwide or throughout history. Instead, theyreflect the interests of certain power groups over others in the society where the discipline develops. Often, although wemay not realize it without careful critical analysis and reflection, our own interests as students, teachers, workers, familymembers, etc., and the interests of the power groups that the discipline serves are in conflict. This paper, therefore, beginswith an overview of the world into which mainstream intercultural communication was born and whose interests it hasserved. Following from this, it critically examines certain key theoretical constructs that underlie the field and notes howthey may also reflect interests other than our own. It then introduces the concept of liberation as a tool wherebyeducation and academia (including all forms of social research) can become empowering rather than marginalizing—that is,how they can serve the interests of the exploited and oppressed masses of the world rather than their oppressors. Finally,it asks readers to reflect on how a new and more liberating approach to intercultural communication might be possible. The theoretical underpinnings for this approach come from the sociohistorical psychology of Lev Vygotsky and A. Luria,the historical and dialectical materialism of Karl Marx and Frederick Engels, and the liberatory/critical pedagogy of PauloFreire and Ira Shor.This paper explores the theoretical and applied groundwork for a new sociohistorical paradigm for interculturalcommunication. It argues that no academic discipline—intercultural communication included—grows out of a vacuum. Alldisciplines develop and evolve within the context of concrete social, political, economic and historical conditions and needs.What is more, these needs are not universal to all groups of people, either worldwide or throughout history. Instead, theyreflect the interests of certain power groups over others in the society where the discipline develops. Often, although wemay not realize it without careful critical analysis and reflection, our own interests as students, teachers, workers, familymembers, etc., and the interests of the power groups that the discipline serves are in conflict. This paper, therefore, beginswith an overview of the world into which mainstream intercultural communication was born and whose interests it hasserved. Following from this, it critically examines certain key theoretical constructs that underlie the field and notes howthey may also reflect interests other than our own. It then introduces the concept of liberation as a tool wherebyeducation and academia (including all forms of social research) can become empowering rather than marginalizing—that is,how they can serve the interests of the exploited and oppressed masses of the world rather than their oppressors. Finally,it asks readers to reflect on how a new and more liberating approach to intercultural communication might be possible. The theoretical underpinnings for this approach come from the sociohistorical psychology of Lev Vygotsky and A. Luria,the historical and dialectical materialism of Karl Marx and Frederick Engels, and the liberatory/critical pedagogy of PauloFreire and Ira Shor

Decolonizing the Agenda: A Preliminary Critique of Non-Native Indigenous Research

Based on more than 35 years of community work with Indigenous peoples, but as a non-Indigenouslinguistic and educational researcher myself, I ask in this paper what I believe to be some very crucialquestions about the ethical and moral2 responsibilities of non-Indigenous researchers and expertsdoing fieldwork with Indigenous peoples. These are deeply heartfelt and soul-searching questionswhich come from much refl ection and at times even trauma over what we can and should do whenworking with Indigenous peoples ‒ or even whether outsiders from fi rst world countries have the rightto embark on such endeavors.My own background is that of a working class white American who grew up in New York duringthe 1950s and 1960s ‒ a period of great activism which questioned the very foundations of a society wehad been taught to believe in, and sought to transform the racist and genocidal history that we werepart of. My work with indigenous peoples comes out of this history but is additionally informed by a moral conviction in the right of self determination for Indigenous peoples. As a non-Indigenous person, I canonly lend support. I cannot lead. But I also have the responsibility to be honest about my beliefs.I begin the paper with an introduction of the sociohistorical conditions of 19th century colonialism and howthis shaped academic research on Indigenous peoples. During this period, anthropologists and linguists beganto document the "primitive Other" as part of a project which became known as the science of race. Whileanthropological research supported colonization through ethnographic description, which portrayed Indigenouspeoples through the lens of eurocentric "civilization," linguists were largely responsible for documentingIndigenous languages, often for the purpose of translating the bible in support of the Christianizing mission3.Later they became occupied with cataloguing these same languages and cultures ‒ now mysteriously "dying4" ‒for the sake of academic and intellectual posterity.Following this sociohistorical critique, I look at how the legacy of researching the "Other" has continuedin academia and why Indigenous ways of knowing have been either ignored or denigrated through the useof the western "scientifi c" paradigm. Here, I argue that as outside researchers we must begin to seriouslyexplore how Indigenous science and ways of knowing can be privileged without being co-opted. Next, Icomment briefl y on some key ways in which we might begin to decolonize the agenda. I conclude the paperwith a discussion of what all of this might mean in terms of working toward a code of ethics for non-Nativeresearchers, which truly privileges Indigenous voices.Based on more than 35 years of community work with Indigenous peoples, but as a non-Indigenouslinguistic and educational researcher myself, I ask in this paper what I believe to be some very crucialquestions about the ethical and moral2 responsibilities of non-Indigenous researchers and expertsdoing fieldwork with Indigenous peoples. These are deeply heartfelt and soul-searching questionswhich come from much refl ection and at times even trauma over what we can and should do whenworking with Indigenous peoples ‒ or even whether outsiders from fi rst world countries have the rightto embark on such endeavors.My own background is that of a working class white American who grew up in New York duringthe 1950s and 1960s ‒ a period of great activism which questioned the very foundations of a society wehad been taught to believe in, and sought to transform the racist and genocidal history that we werepart of. My work with indigenous peoples comes out of this history but is additionally informed by a moral conviction in the right of self determination for Indigenous peoples. As a non-Indigenous person, I canonly lend support. I cannot lead. But I also have the responsibility to be honest about my beliefs.I begin the paper with an introduction of the sociohistorical conditions of 19th century colonialism and howthis shaped academic research on Indigenous peoples. During this period, anthropologists and linguists beganto document the "primitive Other" as part of a project which became known as the science of race. Whileanthropological research supported colonization through ethnographic description, which portrayed Indigenouspeoples through the lens of eurocentric "civilization," linguists were largely responsible for documentingIndigenous languages, often for the purpose of translating the bible in support of the Christianizing mission3.Later they became occupied with cataloguing these same languages and cultures ‒ now mysteriously "dying4" ‒for the sake of academic and intellectual posterity.Following this sociohistorical critique, I look at how the legacy of researching the "Other" has continuedin academia and why Indigenous ways of knowing have been either ignored or denigrated through the useof the western "scientifi c" paradigm. Here, I argue that as outside researchers we must begin to seriouslyexplore how Indigenous science and ways of knowing can be privileged without being co-opted. Next, Icomment briefl y on some key ways in which we might begin to decolonize the agenda. I conclude the paperwith a discussion of what all of this might mean in terms of working toward a code of ethics for non-Nativeresearchers, which truly privileges Indigenous voices

Fundamentals for Student Success in the Middle Grades

Determining how to provide the best education possible for young adolescents begins with the answers to three essential questions: Who are young adolescents? What do we know about them, their abilities, interests and strengths? Based on what we know about young adolescents, what should schools do to provide a quality education for each and every student? And finally, is there evidence that these recommended practices improve student achievement? How do we know programs and practices designed specifically with young adolescents in mind make a difference? To answer these questions, we will first outline some of the developmental characteristics of young adolescents and look at the implications for teaching and learning. We will then look at national recommendations for schools based on what we know about young adolescents. Finally, we will consider some of the research that supports these recommendations

Multi-scale environmental filters and niche partitioning govern the distributions of riparian vegetation guilds

Across landscapes, riparian plant communities assemble under varying levels of disturbance, environmental stress, and resource availability, leading to the development of distinct riparian life-history guilds over evolutionary timescales. Identifying the environmental filters that exert selective pressures on specific riparian vegetation guilds is a critical step in setting baseline expectations for how riparian vegetation may respond to environmental conditions anticipated under future global change scenarios. In this study, we ask: (1) What riparian plant guilds exist across the interior Columbia and upper Missouri River basins? (2) What environmental filters shape riparian guild distributions? (3) How does resource partitioning among guilds influence guild distributions and co-occurrence? Woody species composition was measured at 703 stream reaches and each species\u27 morphological and functional attributes were extracted from a database in four categories: (1) life form, (2) persistence and growth, (3) reproduction, and (4) resource use. We clustered species into guilds by morphological characteristics and attributes related to environmental tolerances, modeling these guilds\u27 distributions as a function of environmental filters-regional climate, watershed hydrogeomorphic characteristics, and stream channel form- and guild coexistence. We identified five guilds: (1) a tall, deeply rooted, long-lived, evergreen tree guild, (2) a xeric, disturbance tolerant shrub guild, (3) a hydrophytic, thicket-forming shrub guild, (4) a low-statured, shadetolerant, understory shrub guild, and (5) a flood tolerant, mesoriparian shrub guild. Guilds were most strongly discriminated by species\u27 rooting depth, canopy height and potential to resprout and grow following biomass-removing disturbance (e.g., flooding, fire). Hydro-climatic variables, including precipitation, watershed area, water table depth, and channel form attributes reflective of hydrologic regime, were predictors of guilds whose life history strategies had affinity or aversion to flooding, drought, and fluvial disturbance. Biotic interactions excluded guilds with divergent life history strategies and/or allowed for the co-occurrence of guilds that partition resources differently in the same environment. We conclude that the riparian guild framework provides insight into how disturbance and bioclimatic gradients shape riparian functional plant diversity across heterogeneous landscapes. Multiple environmental filters should be considered when the riparian response guild framework is to be used as a decisionsupport tool framework across large spatial extents. Copyright: © 2015 Hough-Snee et al

Substituting carbohydrate at lunch for added protein increases fat oxidation during subsequent exercise in healthy males

Context How pre-exercise meal composition influences metabolic and health responses to exercise later in the day is currently unclear. Objective Examine the effects of substituting carbohydrate for protein at lunch on subsequent exercise metabolism, appetite, and energy intake. Methods Twelve healthy males completed three trials in randomized, counterbalanced order. Following a standardized breakfast (779 ± 66 kcal; ∼08:15), participants consumed a lunch (1186 ± 140 kcal; ∼13:15) containing either 0.2 g·kg-1 carbohydrate and ∼2 g·kg-1 protein (LO-CARB), 2 g·kg-1 carbohydrate and ∼0.4 g·kg-1 protein (HI-CARB), or fasted (FAST). Participants later cycled at ∼60% V̇O2peak for 1 h (∼16:15) and post-exercise ad-libitum energy intake was measured (∼18:30). Substrate oxidation, subjective appetite, and plasma concentrations of glucose, insulin, non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA), peptide YY (PYY), glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), and acylated ghrelin (AG) were measured for 5 h post-lunch. Results Fat oxidation was greater during FAST (+11.66 ± 6.63 g) and LO-CARB (+8.00 ± 3.83 g) than HI-CARB (p < 0.001), with FAST greater than LO-CARB (+3.67 ± 5.07 g; p < 0.05). NEFA were lowest in HI-CARB and highest in FAST, with insulin demonstrating the inverse response (all p < 0.01). PYY and GLP-1 demonstrated a stepwise pattern, with LO-CARB greatest and FAST lowest (all p < 0.01). AG was lower during HI-CARB and LO-CARB versus FAST (p < 0.01). Energy intake in LO-CARB was lower than FAST (-383 ± 233 kcal; p < 0.001) and HI-CARB (-313 ± 284 kcal; p < 0.001). Conclusion Substituting carbohydrate for protein in a pre-exercise lunch increased fat oxidation, suppressed subjective and hormonal appetite, and reduced post-exercise energy intake

The status of GEO 600

The GEO 600 laser interferometer with 600m armlength is part of a worldwide network of gravitational wave detectors. GEO 600 is unique in having advanced multiple pendulum suspensions with a monolithic last stage and in employing a signal recycled optical design. This paper describes the recent commissioning of the interferometer and its operation in signal recycled mode

The fast declining Type Ia supernova 2003gs, and evidence for a significant dispersion in near-infrared absolute magnitudes of fast decliners at maximum light

We obtained optical photometry of SN 2003gs on 49 nights, from 2 to 494 days after T(B_max). We also obtained near-IR photometry on 21 nights. SN 2003gs was the first fast declining Type Ia SN that has been well observed since SN 1999by. While it was subluminous in optical bands compared to more slowly declining Type Ia SNe, it was not subluminous at maximum light in the near-IR bands. There appears to be a bimodal distribution in the near-IR absolute magnitudes of Type Ia SNe at maximum light. Those that peak in the near-IR after T(B_max) are subluminous in the all bands. Those that peak in the near-IR prior to T(B_max), such as SN 2003gs, have effectively the same near-IR absolute magnitudes at maximum light regardless of the decline rate Delta m_15(B). Near-IR spectral evidence suggests that opacities in the outer layers of SN 2003gs are reduced much earlier than for normal Type Ia SNe. That may allow gamma rays that power the luminosity to escape more rapidly and accelerate the decline rate. This conclusion is consistent with the photometric behavior of SN 2003gs in the IR, which indicates a faster than normal decline from approximately normal peak brightness.Comment: 41 pages, 13 figures, to be published in the December, 2009, issue of the Astronomical Journa

The Shifting Subtypes of ADHD: Classification Depends on How Symptom Reports are Combined

Research on the correlates of ADHD subtypes has yielded inconsistent findings, perhaps because the procedures used to define subtypes vary across studies. We examined this possibility by investigating whether the ADHD subtype distribution in a community sample was sensitive to different methods for combining informant data. We conducted a study to screen all children in grades 1–5 (N=7847) in a North Carolina County for ADHD. Teachers completed a DSM-IV behavior rating scale and parents completed a structured telephone interview. We found substantial differences in the distribution of ADHD subtypes depending on whether one or both sources were used to define the subtypes. When parent and teacher data were combined, the procedures used substantially influenced subtype distribution. We conclude the ADHD subtype distribution is sensitive to how symptom information is combined and that standardization of the subtyping process is required to advance our understanding of the correlates of different ADHD subtypes

HST infrared imaging polarimetry of Centaurus A: implications for the unified scheme and the existence of a mis-directed BL Lac nucleus

We report results from HST/NICMOS 2 micron imaging polarimetry of the central region of Centaurus A. In the vicinity of the nucleus we observe a complex polarization structure which we explain by a combination of scattering of nuclear light and dichroic polarization associated with the dust lane. The scattered nuclear radiation is found in an angular region which extends over ~ 70 degrees and thus it does not originate from a highly collimated beam, but is associated with more omni-directional nuclear illumination. These observations also show the presence of an unresolved, highly polarized (P = 11.1 %) nuclear source whose polarization angle PA = 148.2 degrees is perpendicular to the jet axis. We set an upper limit of 0.04'' (~0.8 pc) to its extent. The observed nuclear polarization is naturally accounted for if we are observing scattered light from an otherwise obscured nucleus provided that both the scattering region and the occulting torus are extremely compact, with an outer radius of less than ~ 1 pc. Alternatively, we might be directly seeing the infrared counterpart of the radio core, similar to those found in other low luminosity radio-galaxies observed with HST. We discuss these results in the framework of the FRI / BL Lac unifying model.Comment: 12 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in Ap