Abstract This paper looks at women in academia and the discrepancies between the hiring of women and men at prestigious research universities. The paper discusses some of the reasons men are hired rather than women and the strides women have made in reducing this inequality. It compares numbers of graduates at various levels by gender and their employment numbers and looks at efforts universities are extending to hire more women.
From the Paper "Although women have made great strides in academia in the last few years, they still trail behind men in terms of numbers hired, speed of promotion and salaries. They still face subtle discrimination. Only recently have major research institutions begun to address the issues and make a concerted effort to increase the hiring of women."
Abstract This paper discusses the claim that the management of educational institutions should be run in the same manner as business management. It describes the various problems which can and do arise in the running of a university and suggests the same methods as are utilized in the private sector, as solutions to these problems.
Table of Contents
Opportunities and Threats in Academia Feedback and Performance Appraisals
Insubordination and Tenure
Flexible Teaching and Management Systems
Multicultural Management in Academia Cooperation between Administration and Faculty
From the Paper "Management in higher education takes on many of the same qualities as management in the private sector. There is a strong division between tenure and non-tenure faculty just as there are divisions between management and lower staff in corporations. There must be a system of rewards and punishment so that tenured professors will continue to perform at a high level. There is a great need for administrators to learn how to work with its multicultural faculty members so that an increasing number of minorities will become tenured. The university system should remember that its business should focus on educating students."
Tags: university, faculty, lecturers, professors, tenure, students, academia
Abstract In this paper the author looks at the concept of critical thinking. He examines the world of academia, which he suggests is saturated with ideas, assumptions and statistics. He suggests that many educators strive to teach the skills to utilize these ideas, assumptions and statistics in both a scholarly context and in real life situations. He then contends that to assume that critical thinking skills are so easily transferable is far more complex. With this in mind he moves on to look at Stephen Jay Gould's essay, "The Median Isn"t the Message,? in which he suggests that Gould describes the difficulties of taking statistics and academic studies out of context. Gould does this by referring to a time when he was diagnosed with a disease and how easily he could have been misled by the statistics had he chosen not to use his own critical thinking.
From the paper:
?Gould points out these personal experiences to send a message to his readers. Generally one does not relate such personal details of one's life to simply prove some academic concept. Gould wants his readers to take his experience and apply it. He tells the reader through his own account, to question everything, especially statistics. Humans have a tendency to hear statistics and interpret them without questioning what is really being said.?
An evaluation of the issues of race and feminism that are raised with relation to the role that women of color have in developing feminist theory and in particular regarding Indian women in Canadian academia.
1,650 words (approx. 6.6 pages), 5 sources, 2002, $ 62.95
Abstract This essay considers the deeply complex roles that class and religion can play with regards to Indian women in Canadian academia, and the influence of elitism in developing feminist theory.
Abstract This paper examines whether the United Kingdom's education system is a 'ladder of opportunity' or whether it simply reflects, reinforces and reproduces existing class differences. The paper discusses research that supports the supposition that education within Britain is not a ladder of opportunity but rather a hierarchical establishment. The paper contends that much reform is needed from the world of academia and the government before true change can be realized.
Outline
Introduction
Analysis
Conclusion & Recommendation
From the Paper "The education system in Britain currently exists as a hierarchical system enabling class differences to continue to persist despite some policy changes that would help facilitate a more equitable program for all involved. Is the educational system a ladder of opportunity? A ladder of opportunity should be considered something that facilitates achievement for all individuals irrespective of their race, national origin or social class. Many consider the educational system a "ladder of opportunity" because education can facilitate achievement and professional growth and wealth for those that pursue it to its highest levels. However, within the UK the education system is not equitably accessible to all levels of the population, and because of this the system actually reinforces and perpetuates existing class differences that already exist within the country. "
Abstract In this article, the writer offers an evaluation of student achievement in academia. In particular the researcher explores whether boys are performing at a lower level of achievement than girls in the realm of academia. For purposes of this study the author hypothesizes that 7th grade boys will achieve at least 1-grade level below 7th grade girls resulting from maturation differences. This study aims to help identify what, if any, gap exists in the achievement between girls and boys at the elementary level, assuming that early intervention is most likely to yield positive results when addressing education gaps among children.
From the Paper "Broude suggests that the situation of boys in the world of academia may best be described as "desperate" with alarming news suggesting that boys are consistently plagued with "depression, isolation, despair and fragile self esteem" all of which may contribute to poor performance in school compared with girls who are more likely to thrive. Broude also agrees that boys are more likely than girls to be diagnosed with learning disabilities including attention-deficit disorder which may contribute to higher rates of drop outs among boys and inability to achieve at the same level of their female peers. Many have referred to these recent trends as the "boy problem" suggesting that adolescent boys are particularly at risk for academic struggles in the current educational system."
Abstract This paper analyzes the conflict of interests between a student's studies and his athletic performances and commitments. It considers the pros and cons of sport scholarships and the social and academic pressures that come with them. The paper cites graduation rates and statistics and concludes that the influence of sports in the academic world appears to be positive by increasing graduation rates as well as attaining athletic and the resulting social success.
From the Paper "The recognition that the American system has a preoccupation with sorting success and achievement is not new. Academic organizations have often been judged and performance perceived not only on their academic excellence and student results but also their performance o n the sport field. From football to athletics and swimming many collages offer scholarships to those student who can bring this highly recognised and desired success, which we can argue is, in many cases, in conflict with the achievement of the academic excellence which should be the main thrust of the collages goals. "
A review of the mystery novel, "A Dangerous Thing" by Sarah Harrison, focusing on the difficulties of reconciling an intellectual life and an emotional life.
1,386 words (approx. 5.5 pages), 0 sources, 2002, $ 46.95
Abstract This paper discusses the mystery novel, "A Dangerous Thing" by Sarah Harrison and illustrates the central theme of how surface images are revealed to have a dark side. The story is outlined, including the academic setting and the tragic events which occur. The paper provides a brief history of the author and describes her writing style.
From the Paper "The mystery novel "A Dangerous Thing" by Sarah Harrison is set in a university. This gives what could be a typical example of mystery genre fiction a kind of verisimilitude rare in such a work. The petty politicking amongst professors, the stultifying life of an academic, and the difficulties of reconciling an intellectual life and an emotional life, are detailed just as carefully as more typical hair-raising examples of "who done it" plot devices."
Tags: michael, bowater, child, abduction, academia, suicide, ballacombe, london, university
Abstract The study of culture and the study of popular culture through the reflection of mass media has been the challenge of social scientists since the phenomena of mass media began to develop in the modern world. The author points out that the reflection of the transition between media and culture can be found in the development of the symbols of media as recognizable and meaningful to a mass audience. The author discusses that one of the controversies is the marginalization of people outside of the cultural average, namely, those of other ethnic persuasions and women.
From the Paper "Though cultural studies can and does have a historical focus, historical analysis can leave questions about the nature of available research. Arguments in academia often relate to the idea that historical documents are often only representative of one smaller subset of a cultural population. This is especially true in the case of literature where social scientists and historians argue the idea that the representative nature of literature is limited to in some cases one individual's thoughts and in other cases a literate elite, from the given time and place. It is the task of the scientist to mass relatively large numbers of contextual information, in the form of other literature and or historical documentation of other kinds to give a more true idea of the cultural universe. The nature of cultural studies evolves dramatically with the advent of mass media: technology, television, and print media. Studying the last century has an entirely different feel due to the exponential growth of available information."
Tags: symbols, marginalize, women, average, academia
Abstract Recent reports highlight how the gender gap in wages affects women's retirement as well. According to a report from the Women's Institute for a Secure Retirement (WISER), older women are twice as likely as men to be poor after retiring. Compared to their male counterparts, older women have to make do with less Social Security benefits, fewer and smaller pensions and less individual savings. This paper examines the growing fiscal health problem many women face upon retirement. Instead of having a nest egg to live upon, many women face the real possibility of poverty, even after retiring from a lifetime of hard work.
The first part of the paper presents a general picture of the fiscal resources available to and problems faced by women upon their retirement. In addition to this general picture, the paper pays special attention to the problems faced by minorities like Hispanic and African-American women. The next part of the paper looks at the factors behind these problems, such as divorce, widowhood and women's care- giving duties. The main factor behind many women's inability to save for retirement, however, remains the gender gap that continues to plague much of the working world. The third part of the paper thus explores the effects of gender on the pay scales of men and women across disparate fields, from academia to management to blue-collar operations. It also looks at how these unequal pay scales continue, despite legislation that mandates equity in pay. The fourth part of the paper examines the link between the gender gap in wages to the phenomenon of women's poverty upon retirement. It shows how pay inequity means that women work more, earn less and as a result, often have less money for their retirement. Finally, the paper looks at the steps women can take to address these issues and prepare for their retirement.
From the Paper "In a study of wage differentials across the service professions, Margaret Gibelman found that the median salary for both sexes is higher in service occupations that are predominantly male, such as construction and surveying. Conversely, the mean wages for both sexes is significantly lower in occupations where women comprise more than 75 percent of the workforce, such as nursing and receptionists (Gibelman). Gibelman's study implies that women suffer from two forms of discrimination in the service and sales industries. First is discrimination on an individual level, where women get paid less than their male counterparts for the same work. Second, there is a marked discrimination against occupations that have a large female employee base and could therefore be labeled as ?women's occupations.? It is difficult to make comparisons between occupations like cashiers, 90 percent of whom are women, and janitors, 70 percent of whom are men. However, the fact remains that even male-dominated professions that utilize unskilled labor generally still command higher median incomes."
Abstract Richard Cavell tackles one of the all-time greats of communication theory in his article on ?McLuhan and Spatial Communication.? The paper explains that Marshall McLuhan was one of the great prophets (some would say charlatans) of early communication theory. For a long time he was one of one of the only celebrities of the field and toured wildly to give his opinions on the subject. They were certainly opinions worth hearing, for he had some remarkably new and insightful things to say about media, communication, and the way in which technology affects human development. The paper shows, however, that within the scope of his own lifetime, he went from spokesman to outcast and academia widely turned against him. Before his death his saw the school he had founded shut down and his work widely discredited. Since the rise of the Internet, however, the development of other, new forms of entertainment and media, McLuhanism has enjoyed something of an academic comeback. It is with this background in mind that the paper approaches Cavell's work on McLuhan, for much of his essay deals with presenting an explanation for McLuhan's disenfranchisement from and eventual re-adoption by the academic community. According to Cavell's central thesis, McLuhan's anomalous position and his lasting durability within the field of communications theory both spring from his ?elaboration of a spatial model of communication... based on the notion of acoustic space... situated within the spatial bias of postmodernist thought.?
From the Paper "Cavell's failure to bring up the way in which McLuhan's theories on space have been substantiated through current technological advances is an important one. Cavell explains in great length the way that McLuhan's theories draw from the history of technological development to explain the development of various forms of consciousness and space. Yet in explaining McLuhan's continued relevance, he somehow fails to take the logical step and relate McLuhan's dynamic space to what is today commonly called ?cyberspace.? Many theorists of the digital revolution look to McLuhan as one of the greatest prophets and thinkers of the Internet Revolution, having discussed its many complications and impacts years before it even existed. Paul Levinson explains that it is the Internet, not TV, that best fulfills the role of the media in creating the acoustic space described by McLuhan."
Abstract In the process of exploring issues of fluidity and fixity of identity, race and gender (homosexuality), it will depict how academia can both enhance and corrupt one's sense of identity. As such, the narrative illustrates themes of cultural understanding, alienation, and loss.
Abstract The aper explains the advantages and disadvantages of tenure in this uncertain climate for education funding at a time when there is also a great deal of public pressure for higher education to be more accountable. The author asks if tenure outdated in an academic world striving for more user-friendly departments and universities that are also trying to cut costs? Does tenure create or exacerbate complacency, thereby producing unproductive and unaccountable tenured professors? Or is tenure one of the fundamental tenets of academia and intellectual freedom? This paper suggests some feasible alternatives to faculty tenure and concludes by making some recommendations on the basis of these findings.
Abstract This paper examines the diverse impacts of e-mail on human communication. It begins by noting the revolutionary nature of e-mail. It then considers its implications in terms of privacy and anonymity, viruses, e-commerce and, finally, its impacts on academia and industry.
Abstract Today, on the verge of the twenty-first century and in the midst of the Information Technology Revolution, there is an unprecedented level of interest in both industry and academia as to how technology functions in terms of human interests and social organizations. One of the primary themes of Arnold Pacey's "The Culture of Technology" is that both the design and the practice of technology are embedded in human society and culture. As will be seen, he rejects the theoretical model of technological determinism in favour of a human-centred perspective on the development and application of technology.
