Washington's Working Women

The lingering impacts of recession highlight the central importance of women's work to family economic survival - but also the gulf that still separates women's earnings from men's, and the need for new policies that promote healthy workplaces and healthy families

Teaching the YouTube generation: exploring the benefits of an interactive teaching approach in sustainable product design

This paper presents findings from a doctoral study, which investigated effective methods for teaching social sustainability within product design courses in British and Irish universities. Specifically exploring, how to foster a holistic understanding of the social aspects of sustainable product design amongst undergraduate and postgraduate students, through design thinking. Perceived relevance is considered as a fundamental aspect in enabling students to engage deeply with sustainability [1]. Authors [2;3;4] note that 'Net Generation' learners have specific learning preferences that can be targeted in order to improve the students learning experience. Through the careful design of materials which build upon the students tendency towards visual learning and seeking increase relevance and motivation, by offering opportunities for collaborative learning and learning through discovery. Three 'Rethinking Design' workshops were designed and developed as part of a doctoral study to introduce students to the wider social aspects of sustainability and these were conducted in five universities in Britain and Ireland. The workshops featured visually rich audio visual introductions followed by collaborative group based mind mapping activities, which were successful in fostering deep learning by facilitating learning through discovery, critical reflection, peer learning and creativity leading to an exploration of design thinking solutions

Colour Consciousness and Design in Blanche Fury as Technicolor Melodrama

This article addresses colour and music as elements associated with the rhetoric and excesses of film melodrama through a case study of Blanche Fury (1947). Music is discussed as an analogy for thinking about colour composition and the moving image through the rhetoric and practices of Technicolor design and a theoretical context contemporary to the film’s making discerned in both production materials and film text. Colour takes on a musical value which serves a diegetic function by both situating characters in relation to the mise-en-scène and operating as a cue to instances of perception attributed specifically to the female protagonist. Drawing on theories of melodrama and colour I will argue that colour and music are integral to and offer material for further explorations of feminine desire and sexual difference as they can be seen to operate in this particular melodrama

Lamprey and Oyster River Watersheds River Stewardship Program

This project was designed for riverfront landowners and local land use decisionmakers to fill a critical gap in shoreland protection: land management by individual riparian landowners. By working directly with individuals in a hands-on venue, we intended to build a more informed public, knowledgeable about the value of riparian buffers. A better appreciation of the value of buffers not only improves stewardship of individual properties, but also is likely to inspire stronger support for regulatory approaches to shoreland protection. The project addressed several NHEP goals. The approach was to hold a series of public workshops, lead by specialists in water quality, nonpoint source pollution, and wildlife/ecology. One general, evening workshop designed to “set the stage” was followed by workshops held at specific types of riverfront land: urban, rural, forested, and agricultural. Due to the similarity of issues and low interest in urban lots, the urban and rural workshops were combined. Workshop participants received stewardship workbooks with general information and information specific to their type of property (urban/rural, forested, or agricultural)

When Teachers Reclaim Learning

This account describes and analyses some of the processes which are important for teachers to maintain a creative role in promoting learning while in a climate of managerialism and performativity. It does so from the stance of someone who works with teachers and schools on a minority interest in current times - learning. Processes needed to combat some of the mechanical official discourses, and the disempowerment and demoralisation of teachers are outlined, as well as those which challenge the silence on learning. It amounts to a story of teachers reclaiming agency

Nothing Could Be Finer

You will not want to m1ss the 49th annual conference of the Association of Christian Librarians, June 13-15, 2005 in Columbia, South Carolina. The planning team has pulled together a strong program of expert speakers and workshops led by your ACL colleagues. Excellent pre-confe rences will provide more in-depth educational opportunities. T he schedule is organized to increase time for fellowship and spiritual enrichment and the Christian networking that makes ACL conferences unique. Our hosts, the staff of the G. Allen Fleece Library at Columbia International University, are preparing to provide for your every need