Comparative Analysis of Development Strategies: Poland, Serbia, and Ukraine

The following research project examines the development strategies in three Eastern European states after the fall of the Soviet Union. By examining the development path of each state, it is possible to evaluate successful paths toward development. The study researches not only economic development, but also social and political development. The three states chosen depict a variety of success rates in different areas. It will be important to notice that the state that has the most success developing economically is not the state that has the best equal rights for men and women. Finally, by exploring the different avenues for development, it may be possible to find a universal basis for successful development. This paper attempts to reach a consensus without forgetting the uniqueness of each state and the specific historical backgrounds that have led to successes and failures. To understand the diverging success rates, one must understand the difficulty of instituting a successful government within a state that had been ruled by a central power for decades. Independence is a difficult advantage

Structure of the Skagit Gneiss Complex in Diablo Lake area, North Cascades, WA

The crystalline core of the North Cascades is part of a thick (\u3e55 km) 96-45 Ma continental magmatic arc. The highest-grade part of the arc is the Skagit Gneiss Complex, composed mostly of partially migmatitic amphibolite-facies orthogneiss, banded biotite gneiss, and paragneiss. The typically NW-striking foliation and mostly gently SE-plunging lineation formed dominantly between 69 and 51 Ma. Four-fold generations are recorded in the study area, some of which formed from 51 to 46 Ma. The prominent upright km-scale folds are similar to Eocene folds in the southern part of the Skagit Gneiss Complex and suggest at least a short interval of regional shortening during an extended period of overall transtension. Latest ductile deformation is marked by strong subhorizontal constrictional fabrics in granodiorite, which intrudes all other major units and structures at 46-45 Ma. Microstructures record relatively low-temperature (300-400º C) and medium- to high-temperature (\u3e450º C) ductile deformation, which are focused in different km-scale domains. Orientations, sequences, and timing of structures are similar in the northern and southern portions of the Skagit Gneiss Complex, but structures are different in orientation and apparently do not record the switch in direction of non-coaxial shear in the central portion

Practicing Diversity in Higher Education in Geography: Exploring Spaces of Diversity and Their Barriers in a Geography Department in Switzerland

Recent feminist geographic scholarship has urged geographers to distance themselves from androcentric and Eurocentric approaches, and to open up the discipline to diverse perspectives. Whereas numerous studies have focused on diversifying and decolonizing geography through recruitment practices, mentoring, and knowledge production, only a few have analyzed how diversity translates into teaching practices, particularly in contexts where diversity is relatively well-established among staff. Based on a questionnaire survey among the teaching staff, a content analysis of course syllabi, and a quantitative analysis of the department’s employee data, this article explores to what extent diversity within the department leads to diversity in teaching practices. By developing a framework of spaces of diversity, we analyze three spaces that potentially enable practicing diversity in teaching: The department’s academic space promotes free choice of research and teaching topics and flexible working conditions; the department space enables individuals to engage in shaping geographical teaching; and the knowledge space promotes diversity as an ideal. We found, however, that practicing diversity in geography is challenged through traditional and neoliberal university structures and formal and perceived hierarchies. Moreover, there is a need for concrete diversity practices on individual and institutional levels to actively bring diverse perspectives into the classroom

Praktiken der Hochschullehre mittels Flipped Classroom und forschendem Lernen umkehren: das Beispiel einer qualitativen Methodenausbildung in der Geografie

In this article, I introduce concepts in higher education for teaching qualitative methods in the social sciences, namely flipped classroom and research-oriented learning, and I exemplify and discuss their application to research questions in geography. By integrating both concepts into an undergraduate lecture, I challenge higher education teaching practices in two ways: I prioritize the construction of knowledge by students over my own instruction, and I continuously involve students as peer teachers throughout the teaching and learning process. In the article, I describe the disciplinary and institutional contexts of qualitative method training in geography and argue for a reversal of traditional teaching practices. I then present the teaching and learning assessment step by step in order to make the process more transparent and to allow others to implement it in a similar manner. Finally, I discuss success factors for realizing the flipped classroom and research-oriented learning. Based on my own experience with these challenging concepts, I have come to assume that self-directed students will benefit while those who require more guidance may need additional support from the instructor to prevent them from being disadvantaged by the didactics of the course.    In diesem Beitrag stelle ich ein Vorlesungskonzept vor, in dem qualitative Methoden der Sozialforschung sowie ihr Transfer auf geografische Fragestellungen mittels Flipped Classroom und forschendem Lernen vermittelt werden. Indem ich beide didaktischen Konzepte in eine Vorlesung für Bachelorstudierende integriere, kehre ich die Hochschullehre zweifach um: Ich gebe der Konstruktion von Wissen durch die Studierenden gegenüber meiner Instruktion Vorrang und binde die Studierenden von Anfang an kontinuierlich als Peer Teachers in den Lehr- und Lernprozess ein. Im Beitrag erläutere ich disziplinspezifische und institutionelle Kontexte der qualitativen Methodenausbildung in der Geografie und argumentiere für ein Umkehren der Hochschullehrpraktiken. Daraufhin präsentiere ich schrittweise das Lehr-Lern-Assessment für einen transparenten Nachvollzug und potenzielle Nachahmungen. Abschließend diskutiere ich Gelingensbedingungen für Flipped Classroom und forschendes Lernen. Meine Erfahrungen mit den anspruchsvollen Aneignungskonzepten führen mich zu der Vermutung, dass selbständig lernaktive Studierende profitieren, während eher führungsbedürftige Studierende entsprechende Maßnahmen durch die Lehrperson benötigen, um nicht durch die Didaktik der Veranstaltung benachteiligt zu werden