Stories in my neighbor\u27s faith: narratives from world religions in Canada

Scott, Susan L. Stories in my neighbor\u27s faith: narratives from world religions in Canada. Toronto: United Church Pub House, 1999

Keep praying

1 Cor 14:20

Systematic Theology

Author: Jenson, Robert W. Title: Systematic theology v. 1&2. Publisher: New York: Oxford Univ Pr, 1999

The Strange New Word of the Gospel: re-evangelizing in the postmodern world

Title: Strange new word of the Gospel. Publisher: Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2002

Talitha cum

Mark 5:21-43. Sermon preached Jl 2 2006

Thomas Merton and the Monastic Vision

Author: Cunningham, Lawrence S. Title: Thomas Merton and the monastic vision xii. Publisher: Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999. Series: Library of religious biography

Systematic Theology

Author: Jenson, Robert W. Title: Systematic theology v. 1&2. Publisher: New York: Oxford Univ Pr, 1999

Take Me Out to the Ballgame: Adolescents\u27 Insights About Engagement with Sports Texts in a Voluntary Sports Reading Club

Adolescent disengagement in school and school-related activities continues to be a national problem (Christenson, Reschly, & Wylie, 2012; Center for Evaluation and Education Policy, 2009). Recent research has shown that allowing choice in what adolescents read in school and school-related activities strengthens student engagement (Kittle, 2013; Lee, 2011; Miller, 2009). Much of this literature, however, does not adequately explore the potential of sports texts to foster engaged reading by exploring the cognitive, behavioral, emotional, and agentic components of engagement (Finn, 2012; Yin & Moore, 2004). In addition, researchers have yet to emphasize adolescent voices via qualitative inquiry to add to the knowledge base of student engagement with sports texts (Fredricks, 2004; Ivey & Johnston, 2013). Therefore, educators, teacher educators, administrators, and policymakers need an understanding of the potential to generate interest in adolescents’ engagement with sports texts. Framed by Rosenblatt\u27s (1994) transactional theory of reading, this qualitative case study (Merriam, 2009; Stake, 2005) examined how adolescents engaged with sports texts as they participated in a voluntary sports reading club. The following questions guided the study: (1) What were the indicators of engagement when selected adolescents interacted with sports texts? (2) What contextual factors brought about the features of student engagement when adolescents explored sports texts? Participants in this study included three adolescent sports enthusiasts, and data collection occurred November-December 2014 during the 2014-2015 school year. Data sources included semi-structured interviews, participant observation during club meetings, session observation using audio and video recording, and participant journals. Using an evaluative approach to text analysis that involved assessing, categorizing, and evaluating content (Kuckartz, 2014), I found the participants’ engagement with sports texts was varied based on their thinking, emotions, behavior, and sense of agency communicated in the program. Findings suggest that adolescent sports enthusiasts may benefit from opportunities to use sports texts to show their engagement in semi-structured reading and discussion programs through the connections and responses to the texts they read. Findings also suggest that maintaining engagement over a six-week program is a difficult endeavor. Providing almost all-out choice, a casual space to talk and discuss texts, and acknowledging the social dynamics of the group may strengthen engagement in school, afterschool, and community small group reading programs. Finally, the study emphasized the important role that teachers and other adults can play in providing an environment for rich discussion and response by focusing on the features of student engagement

Stigma Against Mental Illness: The Influence of Empathy, Perspective-taking, Exposure to and Familiarity with Mental Illness

Stigma is thought to be the combination of stereotypic beliefs, prejudicial attitudes, and discriminatory actions directed towards a particular group of people. A wide range of negative consequences, ranging from restricted employment and housing opportunities (Manning & White, 1995), to lowered self esteem and social status (Ritscher, Otilingam, & Grajales, 2003) are associated with stigma. Researchers maintain that people with mental illnesses are among the most stigmatized group in the world (Hinshaw & Stier, 2008). Though growing efforts to combat stigma against mental illness continue (Sartorius & Schulze, 2005), many researchers claim that public perceptions of mental illness are in fact worsening (Abbey et al., 2011). Despite the numerous studies that have elucidated some characteristics common to a stigmatizing disposition (e.g., Siltion, Flannelly, Milstein, & Vaaler, 2011), the field still lacks clear knowledge about which factors or characteristics may be contributing to a less stigmatizing disposition toward the mentally ill. Research indicates that individuals high in interpersonal skills such as emapthy and perspective-taking have significantly improved attitudes towards other historicall marginalized and oppressed groups (Dovidio, Pagotto, & Helb, 2011). Other theorists suggest that familiarty with and exposure to mental illness is associated with improved attitudes towards the mentally ill (Steele, Maruyama, & Galynker, 2010). This study investigated whether a participants\u27 ability to empathize and perspective-take as well as their intimacy with and exposure to mental illness had any influence on their stigma towards mental illness. Data from 299 participants were analyzed using multiple regression procedures. Results indicated that individuals who have some level of intimacy with and exposure to mental illness also tend to have fewer feelings of anxiety when around someone with a mental illness; fewer concerns that mental illness causes troubles for relationships; more positive beliefs about the prognosis of mental illnesses; and more positive beliefs about the appearance and physical self-care of the mentally ill. Empathy and perspective-taking did not uniquely account for a significant amount of variance in stigma towards mental illness among participants. Implications for the field of counseling psychology, limitations of the study, as well as future directions are discussed

Nonanthropocentrism and Intrinsic Value: In Search of an Alternative

This project argues that an environmental ethic that is nonanthropocentric, that is to say, an ethic that grants moral consideration to beings or objects other than humans, is possible without a theory of intrinsic value