Because I Said So and Other Notions of Authority: An Advanced Course on Communication and Power

Many college students have inconsistent knowledge of historic and policy contexts where communication and power have played a key role. As Anton Ego, Ratatouillefood critic would say, “What we need is some perspective.” We have found one avenue for the development of such perspective is an advanced course for the consideration of power or, more accurately, the examination of powerlessness and how communication can be brought to bear for both the manifestation and limitation of power. By examining those factors that render one less powerful and historic instances that are glaring in this regard, the student can better understand communication as a valuable tool and better prepare themselves to use their communication skills to improve the world. This paper will describe our 400 level seminar course on the subject of power and communication

From Railroads to Sand Dunes: An Examination of the Offsetting Doctrine in Partial Takings

Called “shadowy at best,” the offsetting doctrine in partial takings has confused “even trained legal minds” and generated inconsistent decision after inconsistent decision. The offsetting doctrine allows certain benefits, termed special, to offset condemnation awards, while general benefits may not be offset. Courts blindly adhere to the doctrine despite its underpinnings rooted in eighteenth-century public policy, which was based on concerns of overly speculative valuation and arguably erroneous fairness, as well as incorrect interpretations of Takings Clause jurisprudence. Such adherence dramatically increases the cost of financing a takings project. In the face of blind adherence to the doctrine, municipalities are forced to balance the needs of their citizens against the needs of eighteenth-century courts, often resulting in the failure of municipalities to engage in takings for the public benefit. This Note argues that new public policy concerns warrant rejection of the doctrine in favor of a rule that allows all nonspeculative benefits to offset a condemnation award. This rule would take into account modern advances in evidence, promote fairness, simplify the judicial process, and allow municipalities to respond to twentieth-century problems while landowners receive just compensation for taken land

The Empathy Description Exercise

One of our main goals as teachers is to help our students become more empathetic in their communication. Students can often seem focused on self and the notion that their view is the only window to the world. This exercise is one step toward changing that perspective. In a supportive environment, this activity can help build humility, greater awareness of the needs of others, and improved communication skills

Three-dimensional numerical simulation of gradual opening in a wave rotor passage

The evolution of the contact interface and the propagation of compression waves inside a single wave rotor passage gradually opening to and traversing an inlet port is studied numerically using an inviscid formulation of the governing equations. Insights into the response of the interface and kinematics of the flow field to various opening times are given. Since the opening time is inversely proportional to the rotational speed of the rotor, the effects of passage rotation such as centripetal and Coriolis accelerations are intrinsically coupled to the gradual opening process. Certain three-dimensional features associated with the gradual opening process as a result of centripetal and Coriolis accelerations are illustrated. For the range of opening times or rotational speeds considered, a portion of the interface behaves like a vortex sheet that can degenerate into a complex interfacial structure. The vortices produced along the interface can serve as a stirring mechanism to promote local mixing. Coriolis and centripetal accelerations can introduce three dimensional effects such as interfacial distortions in meridional planes and spanwise migration of fluid elements

Electronic origin of magnetic and orbital ordering in insulating LaMnO_3

We derive a spin-orbital model for insulating LaMnO_3 which fulfills the SU(2) symmetry of S=2 spins at Mn^{3+} ions. It includes the complete e_g and t_{2g} superexchange which follows from a realistic Mn^{2+} multiplet structure in cubic site symmetry, and the Jahn-Teller induced orbital interactions. We show that the magnetic ordering observed in LaMnO_3 is stabilized by a purely electronic mechanism due to the e_g-superexchange alone, and provide for the first time a quantitative explanation of the observed transition temperature and the anisotropic exchange interactions.Comment: 4 pages, ReVTeX, 4 figure

Techniques of flow-charting

Automation of libraries must come about through close cooperation between librarians and "machine people." Each must understand something of the other's specialty. For a starter, a good common language is provided by flow charts, which are simple work- flow charts written in yes -no terms. They can be quickly understood by the "machine people," and the technique of making them can be learned by a librarian in a very short time.published or submitted for publicatio