Independent Media, Youth Agency, and the Promise of Media Education

Through a discussion of two videos – The Take (Naomi Klein & Avi Lewis, 2004), and a student project – I argue that media education can further the role of youth as critically engaged, democratic citizens most effectively when educators develop students’ capacity for reflection and self‐expression through engagement with those power structures that limit such acts. Media literacy’s democratic promise thus evolves from the productive tensions that arise from educators’ desire to protect and prepare students to live in a media saturated society. Of late, media education has strayed from this objective. I suggest that this move is not necessary. Key words: media production, democracy, critical practice, pedagogy À partir de l’analyse de deux vidéos – The Take (Naomi Klein et Avi Lewis, 2004) et d’un projet d’élèves –, l’auteur fait valoir que l’initiation aux médias peut aider les jeunes à mieux jouer un rôle de citoyens éclairés dans un contexte démocratique si les enseignants développent chez leurs élèves une capacité de réflexion et d’expression de soi en les invitant à s’investir dans les structures du pouvoir qui canalisent cette capacité. La promesse démocratique qui sous‐tend l’initiation aux médias surgit ainsi à partir des tensions productives dérivant du désir des enseignants de protéger les élèves et de les préparer à vivre dans une société où les médias sont omniprésents. Ces derniers temps, l’initiation aux médias a dévié de cet objectif. L’auteur soutient qu’il ne doit pas en être nécessairement ainsi. Mots clés : production, démocratie, travail de critique, pédagogie

Nonlinear transmission and colour-centre dynamics in germanosilicate fibres at 420-540 nm

We report evidence in support of the view that induced loss and non-linear transmission in pure germanosilicate fibers at blue/green wavelengths are governed by the formation (via two-photon absorption), spontaneous and stimulated transformation and bleaching (via single-photon events) of Ge(1), Ge(2) and Ge(3) colour-centres. Using a tunable pulsed dye laser, the excitation spectrum of the induced absorption, its spectral attenuation and the effects of germania concentration and thermal annealing are investigated

The Participation Paradox, or Agency and Sociality in Contemporary Youth Cultures

DOI: 10.1353/jeu.2010.003

The enactment of workplace mediation in British Universities: A study of mediator meta-theory and the integration of practice

Research in the field of mediation has sought to demonstrate its effectiveness in resolving disputes. Less attention however, has been paid to how mediators perform their role and how they draw on theory to underpin and integrate their practice. This study explores mediation as a social interaction from the perspective of the mediator by drawing on the experiences of 18 workplace mediators in five British universities and their accounts of practice. The study finds that university mediators enact the facilitative model of mediation as a relational, intersubjective and co-constructed practice that is distinct from the theory embedded in the formal model in which most are trained. An explanation for this difference is found in meta-theory, the overarching philosophy that frames actual practice rather than practice being composed of strategically selected techniques. The workplace mediators who participated in this research were relatively inexperienced – fewer than 20 cases – and the study sheds light on their professional development as they sought to develop their own theories of practice. The study identifies habitual practice and heedful performance as stages in this development and characterised by a mediator’s increasing fluency in interaction. The research finds that mediator learning is currently supported by reflective practice but demonstrates the role that reflexive practice can play in developing mediator understanding of interaction, leading the mediator to be intentional in interaction rather than rely on intuition. Workplace mediation in universities is commonly conducted by co-mediating pairs. Conventionally, co-mediation is understood as a support mechanism for less experienced mediators. This study highlights that co-mediation is made effective by relational trust and demonstrates that co-mediation enhances the delivery of mediation by providing a stage and actors for dramaturgical performance. In particular, experienced co-mediators were found to perform vulnerability, inviting the parties to respond by interacting with openness and trust

Introduction to Special Section, Youngsters: On the Cultures of Children and Youth

DOI: 10.1353/jeu.2017.002

The Highly Miniaturised Radiation Monitor

We present the design and preliminary calibration results of a novel highly miniaturised particle radiation monitor (HMRM) for spacecraft use. The HMRM device comprises a telescopic configuration of active pixel sensors enclosed in a titanium shield, with an estimated total mass of 52 g and volume of 15 cm$^3$. The monitor is intended to provide real-time dosimetry and identification of energetic charged particles in fluxes of up to 10$^8$ cm$^{-2}$ s$^{-1}$ (omnidirectional). Achieving this capability with such a small instrument could open new prospects for radiation detection in space.Comment: 17 pages, 15 figure