The Market Economy Discourse on Education: Interpretation, Impact, and Resistance

This article suggests that the most serious threat posed to contemporary education is the deleterious impact that market economy policies have on current curriculum theory and development. It explores the market economy discourse on education that emerges internationally from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), and domestically from private institutions such as the Conference Board of Canada (CBOC) and public ministries such as Industry Canada. These various organizations promote the market economy discourse on education by framing discussions on curriculum policy between government and business interests. By referring to the primary sources of the market economy discourse on education, then, this article draws attention to the global economic vision currently shaping Canadian schools and explores its impact on domestic education policy. Further, it proposes a means whereby those teachers holding a less intractable perspective on education might resist the current market economy siege on schools. Ironically, this approach involves using the critical tools appropriated by the market economy discourse on education in a manner entirely unintended and unforeseen by its supporters.Cet article propose que la menace la plus imposante qui plane sur le système éducatif contemporain consiste en l'impact néfaste des politiques d'économie de marché sur la théorie et le développement des programmes scolaires. On y étudie le discours de l'économie de marché sur l'éducation tel qu'il ressort au niveau international de l'Organisation de coopération et de développement économiques (OCDE), au niveau national d'institutions privées comme le Conference Board of Canada (CBOC) et des ministères publics comme Industrie Canada. Ces diverses organisations promeuvent l'application des politiques d'économie de marché sur l'éducation en abordant les discussions sur la politique curriculaire du point de vue des intérêts du gouvernement et des entreprises. En s'appuyant sur les sources primaires du discours d'économie de marché sur l'éducation, cet article fait ressortir la vision économique globale qui dicte actuellement l'orientation des écoles au Canada et étudie l'impact de celle-ci sur les politiques canadiennes sur l'éducation. De plus, l'article propose une façon pour les enseignants dont les perspectives sur l'éducation sont moins arrêtées de résister au siège actuel des écoles par l'économie de marché. Ironiquement, cette technique implique l'utilisation des outils critiques dont s'est approprié le discours d'économie de marché et ce, d'une manière tout à fait inattendue et imprévue par ses adeptes

Liberalizing Career Education: An Aristotelian Approach

Liberal education is traditionally defined in opposition to vocational study. This article proposes an expanded approach to liberal education that encompasses contemporary career preparation programs by implementing an Aristotelian intellectual virtue framework. Although liberal study typically reflects its lineage to theoretical wisdom, or sophia, it virtually ignores the fundamental role played by productive wisdom, or techne, in Aristotelian thought. By applying the intellectual virtue framework to various career education programs, areas of required reform are identified. Two central questions are addressed by the article: (a) how can career education be integrated into secondary school curriculum without compromising student agency and democratic citizenship? and (b) how can secondary school career education prepare students more effectively for the challenges of contemporary working life? The final section offers a series of proposals in response to these two key questions.L'on définit traditionnellement les études en arts libéraux par opposition aux études professionnelles. Cet article propose une interprétation élargie d'une éducation libérale qui englobe les programmes contemporains de formation au choix d'une carrière et ce, en appliquant un cadre aristotélicien de vertu intellectuelle. Bien que les arts libéraux reflètent typiquement leur lien à la sagesse théorique, ou sophia, ils font essentiellement abstraction du rôle fondamental que joue la sagesse productive, ou techne, dans la pensée aristotélicienne. L'application du cadre de vertu intellectuelle aux divers programmes de formation au choix d'une carrière fait ressortir des domaines où la réforme s'avère nécessaire. Cet article aborde deux questions fondamentales : (a) comment les programmes de formation au choix d'une carrière peuvent-ils être intégrés au curriculum du secondaire sans compromettre l'autonomie des élèves et la citoyenneté démocratique? et (b) comment de tels programmes peuvent-ils mieux préparer les élèves au secondaire à faire face aux défis contemporains que pose le monde du travail? La dernière section de l'article propose une série de réponses à ces deux questions clés

Differential chemosensitivity to antifolate drugs between RAS and BRAF melanoma cells.

BACKGROUND: The importance of the genetic background of cancer cells for the individual susceptibility to cancer treatments is increasingly apparent. In melanoma, the existence of a BRAF mutation is a main predictor for successful BRAF-targeted therapy. However, despite initial successes with these therapies, patients relapse within a year and have to move on to other therapies. Moreover, patients harbouring a wild type BRAF gene (including 25% with NRAS mutations) still require alternative treatment such as chemotherapy. Multiple genetic parameters have been associated with response to chemotherapy, but despite their high frequency in melanoma nothing is known about the impact of BRAF or NRAS mutations on the response to chemotherapeutic agents. METHODS: Using cell proliferation and DNA methylation assays, FACS analysis and quantitative-RT-PCR we have characterised the response of a panel of NRAS and BRAF mutant melanoma cell lines to various chemotherapy drugs, amongst them dacarbazine (DTIC) and temozolomide (TMZ) and DNA synthesis inhibitors. RESULTS: Although both, DTIC and TMZ act as alkylating agents through the same intermediate, NRAS and BRAF mutant cells responded differentially only to DTIC. Further analysis revealed that the growth-inhibitory effects mediated by DTIC were rather due to interference with nucleotide salvaging, and that NRAS mutant melanoma cells exhibit higher activity of the nucleotide synthesis enzymes IMPDH and TK1. Importantly, the enhanced ability of RAS mutant cells to use nucleotide salvaging resulted in resistance to DHFR inhibitors. CONCLUSION: In summary, our data suggest that the genetic background in melanoma cells influences the response to inhibitors blocking de novo DNA synthesis, and that defining the RAS mutation status could be used to stratify patients for the use of antifolate drugs

Career Education as Humanization: A Freirean Approach to Lifelong Learning

This article contrasts the view of lifelong learning posed by the human capital discourse with Freire’s understanding of education as a lifelong journey toward personal growth and social transformation. Rather than reducing learners to objects of economic globalization, Freire’s pedagogy considers students as political participants who actively shape their vocational and social lives. We argue that career education policies and programs should accept Freire’s understanding of lifelong learning as a necessary component of human ontology. The article also offers suggestions that career education teachers might employ to counteract the human capital assumptions framing the current discourse on lifelong learning.Cet article compare la perspective de l’éducation permanente selon le discours sur le capital humain d’une part et le point du vue de Freire selon lequel l’éducation constitue un voyage continu vers l’épanouissement personnel et la transformation sociale d’autre part. Plutôt que d’interpréter les apprenants comme de simples objets dans le contexte de la mondialisation économique, la pédagogie de Freire considère que les étudiants sont des participants politiques qui façonnent de manière active leurs vies professionnelles et sociales. Nous faisons valoir notre point de vue voulant que les politiques et les programmes en matière de formation au choix de carrière devraient accepter la vision de Freire selon laquelle l’apprentissage continu est une composante essentielle d’une ontologie humaine. De plus, nous proposons des stratégies que pourraient employer les enseignants d’éducation au choix de carrière pour amortir les hypothèses sur le capital humain qui dominent actuellement le discours sur l’apprentissage continu

Post Neo-Liberalism and the Humanities: What the Repressive State Apparatus Means for Universities

In this article we explore how neo-liberal and post neo-liberal policies threaten the humanities in post-secondary education as a potential site of democratic dialogue and social transformation. We distinguish between neo-liberalism and post neo-liberalism on the basis of the latter’s increased police suppression of democratic dissent. We are especially concerned with the impact of the repressive state apparatus on the critical public spaces traditionally provided by a humanities education. In response to this threat, we propose encouraging university faculty to assume a far more active political role in educating the general public on the relationship between the humanities and democratic societies.  Dans cet article, nous explorons comment les politiques néolibérales et post-néolibérales menacent l’enseignement postsecondaire des lettres et des sciences humaines comme lieu potentiel de dialogue démocratique et de transformation sociale. Nous faisons la distinction entre le néolibéralisme et le post-néolibéralisme selon l’augmentation de la suppression policière envers la dissidence démocratique du post-néolibéralisme. Nous nous inquiétons surtout de l’effet de l’appareil d’État répressif sur les espaces publics indispensables, fournis traditionnellement par l’enseignement des lettres et des sciences humaines. Pour contrer cette menace, nous proposons d’encourager les facultés universitaires à jouer un rôle politique beaucoup plus actif qu’actuellement afin d’enseigner au public général les relations existant entre les lettres et les sciences humaines et les sociétés démocratiques

Lifelong Learning as Human Ontology: A Freirean Response to Human Capital Education

In this article, we argue that Freire’s view of lifelong learning is a journey toward personal growth and social transformation. Rather than reducing learners to objects of economic globalization, Freire’s pedagogy considers students political participants who actively shape their vocational and social lives

Immunohistochemical analysis of expression and allelotype of mismatch repair genes (hMLH1 and hMSH2) in bladder cancer

Mutation of human homologues of DNA mismatch repair (MMR) genes in tumours has been shown to be associated with the phenomenon of microsatellite instability (MSI). Several studies have reported the occurrence of MSI in bladder cancer, but evidence of involvement of MMR genes in the pathogenesis of this cancer is still unclear. We therefore utilized quantitative immunohistochemical (IHC) image analysis and PCR-based allelotype analysis to determine hMLH1 and hMSH2 genes alteration in a cohort of Egyptian bladder cancer samples. IHC analysis of 24 TCC and 12 SCC revealed marked- intra and intertumour heterogeneity in the levels of expression of the two MMR proteins. One TCC lost MLH1 expression and one lost MSH2, (1/24, 4%), and one SCC lost MSH2 (1/12, 8%). A large proportion of analysed tumours revealed a percentage positivity of less than 50% for MLH1 and MSH2 expression (44% and 69%, respectively). Complete loss of heterozygosity in three dinucleotide repeats lying within, or in close proximity to, hMLH1 and hMSH2 was rare (2/57, (4%) for MLH1; and 1/55, (2%) for MSH2), however allelic imbalance was detected in 11/57 (hMLH1) and 10/55 (hMSH2) at any of the informative microsatellite loci. These alterations in structure and expression of DNA MMR genes suggest their possible involvement in the tumorigenesis and/or progression of bladder cancer. © 2001 Cancer Research Campaign http://www.bjcancer.co