(1998). The Stewardship of Public Trust: Are Professional Communicators up to the Moral Challenge of Public Problem-Solving?. With the assumption that the preservation of free speech and democracy is paramount to social, political, and environmental adaptation, the question arises: to whom falls the stewardship of honest and fair public discourse for problem solving? If the average United States citizen is, at best skeptical of the news media, and, at worst, turned off entirely to what has been the default mechanism of social self study and an occasional forum for thoughtful debate, then who will engage the interests of the public in productive exchange? This paper proposes that, as a result of the news media's self-inflicted credibility crisis and other conditions, the time has come for non-news media communicators (including professional communicators and "lay" communicators) to assert themselves as credible sources of the truth and to be recognized by the public as responsible fiduciaries of the public trust. Serious questions arise from this statement, including whether professional… [PDF]
(1998). Current Cases on Academic Freedom. This paper discusses current court rulings on academic freedom at the college and university level. The paper focuses on three cases: "Hall v. Kutztown," in which the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania ruled that Kutztown University violated the free speech rights of a philosophy professor when it rejected him for two tenure-track positions after he voiced opposition to multicultural education and criticized "barbaric" cultural practices in some countries of Africa and Asia; "Kincaid v. Gibson," in which the U.S. District Court of the Eastern District of Kentucky granted summary judgment for the University of Kentucky, denying any claims of infringement of the First Amendment in the refusal to distribute the school yearbook; and "Loving v. Boren," in which the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit upheld a lower-court decision that a University of Oklahoma professor lacked standing to challenge university… [PDF]
(1998). Freedom's Web: Student Activism in an Age of Cultural Diversity. This book examines student activism in the 1990s and finds its sources in the struggle over multiculturalism and issues of social justice and equality. It is argued that identity politics is a reaction to the cultural hegemony reinforced through longstanding monocultural norms of the academy. A case study methodology used such data as formal and informal interviews, open-ended surveys, document surveys and analysis, participant observation, key informants, and artifact interpretation. Chapter 1 provides an introduction to student activism and its origins. Chapter 2 reviews student activism from the 1960s (the civil rights, free speech, and peace movements) through the acquiescence of the 1970s and the South Africa divestment movement of the 1980s. The following five chapters present case studies of specific acts of student activism in the 1990s. These are: (1) the Chicano Studies Movement at the University of California, Los Angeles; (2) the Mills College Strike, a movement against…
(1990). Selected Papers from the 1990 Meeting of the American Journalism Historians' Association (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, October 2-7, 1990): Part 2. The following 11 papers, on a variety of topics, were given at the 1990 meeting of the American Journalism Historians' Association: (1) "They Hang Editors Don't They?: Free Speech and Free Press Issues in the Haymarket Case, 1886" (Nathaniel Hong); (2) "G. K. Chesterton and the British Press, 1911-1933" (Dean Rapp); (3) "Trial by Newspaper in Nineteenth-Century England" (Judith Knelman); (4) "The Halftone and Magazine Reproduction in the United States: From 1880-1900" (Christopher R. Harris); (5) "'…A Beautiful Gesture That Is Perfectly Meaningless…' The ASNE Debate over Teeth in Its Code of Ethics, 1923-1932" (Alf Pratte); (6) "'…To Leave This Beggarly Profession': A Study of Lawyers in Journalism" (Elise D. Nordquist); (7) "The 'New England Courant': Voice of Anglicanism" (Wm. David Sloan); (8) "'Protect the Laborer': Henry Demarest Lloyd and Gilded Age Labor Reporting, 1878-1902" (Richard…
(1982). Reduction in Force: The Legal Aspects. Six legal issues surrounding a school district's reduction in force are described in this twelfth chapter in a book on school law. First, the courts generally hold that the school board must prove that a reduction in force (RIF) is inescapable. The second issue revolves around which positions and employees are being eliminated. In deciding such cases, one question to be resolved by the courts is whether a board is attempting to circumvent the fair dismissal statute by abolishing a specific position. Third, courts will examine closely allegations that the real reason for a layoff is constitutionally impermissible, such as the exercise of free speech. Fourth, the issue of seniority is largely determined by statute and contract. Tenured faculty attempting to \bump\ other tenured faculty must prove their qualifications for the position. Fifth, in absence of both statute and contract provisions, courts require sufficient notice of RIF. Unfortunately, this causes many boards to issue…
(1977). An Inside View of Interlanguage. A learner's awareness of success, failure, and error potential encountered in free speech in a second language was studied with three subjects. The speech of adult learners of English as a Second Language was recorded and replayed to the subjects, who were asked to listen to their utterances and to recall the mental experience that surrounded each utterance. The subjects were asked to use categories to aid in recalling and characterizing their metalinguistic awareness during speech. Recording and self-analysis were carried out on a weekly basis for 10 weeks. A search was then made for grammatical structures that appeared frequently throughout the data. Each example was checked for progress over the 10-week period in the hope of discovering whether a growing awareness of error preceded mastery of the structure. Among the findings are the following: (1) the learners did not recognize 65 percent of their errors, even with the aid of the tape recorder and time for reflection; (2) when…
(2004). Feigned Depression and Feigned Sleepiness: A Voice Acoustical Analysis. Brain and Cognition, v55 n2 p383-386 Jul. We sought to profile the voice acoustical correlates of simulated, or feigned depression by neurologically and psychiatrically healthy control subjects. We also sought to identify the voice acoustical correlates of feigned sleepiness for these same subjects. Twenty-two participants were asked to speak freely about a cartoon, to count from 1 to 10, and to sustain an "a" sound for approximately 5 s. These exercises were completed three times (within the same testing session) with three differing sets of instructions to the participants. These three conditions were presented in pseudo-random order to control for any order effects, and all subjects were naive to the intended purpose of this study. For all three conditions, mean speaking rates and pitch ranges were calculated. A series of paired t tests showed significant differences in the speaking rates (counting numbers and free-speech exercises) between the \normal\ and feigned sleepy conditions, and between the normal and feigned… [Direct]
(1995). Hate Speech. Most of the research on hate has focused on specific acts of hatred, but little attention has been given to the rhetorical expression and strategies of hate. The insights of scholars from a variety of disciplines have been gathered in this collection to explore hate as a communication phenomenon. Essays include: (1) "Elite Discourse and the Reproduction of Racism" (Teun A. van Dijk); (2) "The Use of Hate as a Strategem for Achieving Political and Social Goals" (Rita Kirk Whillock); (3) "The Gay Agenda: Marketing Hate Speech to Mainstream Media" (Marguerite J. Moritz); (4) "Work-Hate: Narratives about Mismanaged Transitions in Times of Organizational Transformation and Change" (H. L. Goodall, Jr.); (5) "Symbolism and the Representation of Hate in Visual Discourse" (David E. Whillock); (6) "Acts of Power, Control, and Resistance: Narrative Accounts of Convicted Rapists" (Peter M. Kellett); (7) "Hating for Life:…
(1988). Law-Related Education in University Classrooms: Examples of Ways Professors in the California State Universities Have Incorporated Law-Related Education Content, Material, and Methods into Their Classroom Teaching. Over 50 professors in the California State University (CSU) system provided testimonies concerning the ways they have introduced law-related education concepts, materials, and methods into their courses, especially those classes in which future teachers are present. Incorporation of law-related education (LRE) in the various stages of the teacher preparation curriculum within the CSU system is the major goal of the Civic Education Enhancement Project. The statements are each two pages long and include (1) an abstract, (2) a statement of the course objectives and how some aspect of LRE fits logically within the course structure, (3) a review of the way(s) students actively participated in the lesson or unit of study, (4) a description of tasks assigned by the professor to enable students to demonstrate their application of LRE content, and (5) a summary of evaluations of the modification conducted by the professor and/or the students based on observations, comments, ratings, and… [PDF]
(1990). Bigotry and Violence on American College Campuses. This document contains testimony presented at a briefing on bigotry and violence on college campuses in the United States. Eight witnesses, including college educators and students, presented information about the extent and causes of, and possible solutions to, the apparent increase in the number of incidents. Panelists varied slightly in their perception of which group or groups are the primary victims of campus bigotry, but all agreed that a serious problem existed. They differed in their interpretation of how bigotry is expressed, varying from open harassment of minority group members to insensitivity resulting in strained racial relations. Although the number of incidents and \alerts\ (i.e., formal notifications of tensions or conflicts) reported to various public and private agencies has increased significantly over the past five years, panelists were divided as to the reasons for the increase. The following causes of campus bigotry were cited: (1) deficiencies on college… [PDF]
(1986). Important and Unimportant Organizational Communication: Public Employee Freedom of Speech after "Connick v. Myers.". A review of 16 Federal Court of Appeals cases indicates the impact of the "Connick v. Myers" case on the nature of freedom of speech in public organizations. The case involved the firing of an assistant district attorney for circulating a job satisfaction survey after she was transferred to a less desirable section of the courts. Since the 1983 Supreme Court decision, the organizational communication of public employees has been constitutionally protected only if the communication pertains to a matter of public concern and outweighs any potential harm to organizational efficiency. The courts still lack a consensus on the matter of how communication within organizations affects and is affected by the outside environment. The factual situations of each case provide insights into how some managers try to control communication within their organizations. The courts continue to argue over what constitutes a "matter of public concern" and to weigh the interest of free…
(1986). Preparation for the Battle against Censorship of Film and Video in the 80s. Urban Academic Librarian, v5 n1 p30-34 Fall-Win 1986-87. Documentation of the spread of censorship is extensive, and although challenges to films and videocassettes have not figured prominently in the literature, in the future there may be more emphasis on these media than on print material. On the state level, increasing censorship of films and videocassettes has occurred in North Carolina, California, Maine, Florida, Oklahoma, and New York. Moreover, the U.S. Department of Justice has labeled three Canadian films as "propaganda," and the U.S. Information Agency has taken action against a producer of films considered "critical" of the United States. Further examples of litigation include the Supreme Court's expected ruling on the constitutionality of a Louisiana state law mandating the teaching of creationism wherever evolution is taught, and the Mobile, Alabama, suit opposing the "secular humanist" curriculum of the schools. Furthermore, it is clear that the Meese Commission is determined to fight against…
(1978). Problems in Testing the Intonation of Advanced Foreign Learners. Language Center News, n1 p111-123. It is argued that knowledge about the testing of intonation in English as a foreign language is inadequate; the major problems are outlined and tentative suggestions are given. The basic problem is that the traditional foreign language teacher's conception of intonation is limited. A three-part definition of intonation is favored, with suggestions on how to assess each of these subsystems. The sections deal with the assessment of the subsystems of tonality, tonicity and tone which together make up intonation. Tonality is defined as the distribution into tone groups–the number and location of the tone group boundaries. Tonicity is defined as the placing of the tonic syllable–the location in each tone group of the pretonic and tonic sections. Tone is defined as the choice of primary and secondary tone. In the discussion of tone, it is noted that: (1) specific tones do not always accompany specific grammatical forms; (2) there is dialectical and ideolectal variation in tone; (3)…
(2000). Safe Schools, Safe Communities. Schools must work together with agencies, groups, and individuals to eliminate the forces leading children to violence. Chapter 1, "School Safety: Working Together to Keep Schools Safe," stresses the importance of community collaboration in violence prevention. Effective prevention requires sharing information about students, consistent with Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) guidelines. Other measures important to prevention are a visible law-enforcement presence, communication links with students, and a zero-tolerance policy. Chapter 2, "Balancing Student Safety and Students' Rights," explores relevant case law regarding student rights in such areas as substantive and procedural due process, advance notice, search and seizure, free speech, and privacy rights. Chapter 3, "The Attorney's Role in Responding to Violence: Lessons from Jonesboro, Arkansas," reviews lessons learned by business managers trained in crisis management. For school… [PDF]
(1997). School Law in Review 1997. This compilation of the presentations delivered at the NSBA Council of School Attorneys' Annual School Law Seminar includes the following papers: (1) \The 'Dimensions' of Trial Advocacy\ (Keith Evans); (2) \Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): Who Has It and Who Doesn't\ (Jerry L. Wyckoff); (3) \Student-to-Student Sexual Harassment and Dealing with the Office for Civil Rights\ (Jennifer W. Jacobs); (4) \Ethical Issues for School Law Attorneys\ (Nancy Fredman Krent and Joanna K. Horsnail); (5) \Discipline of Employees for Out-of-School Conduct\ (David L. Yewell); (6) \Sexual Harassment and 'Free Speech'\ (Bruce S. Rogow); (7) \Thoughts on Presenting an Effective Oral Argument\ (John G. Roberts, Jr.); (8) \Dealing with the Office for Civil Rights in Section 504 Matters\ (Susan S. Schermerhorn); (9) \Should Schools Be Required to Administer Ritalin?\ (Melanie Gurley Keeney and Martha M. Neville); (10) \Burgeoning Issues in Special Education: Services to Children in…