Culture,the Public Sphere,and Media Sociology: A Search for a Classical Founder in the Work of Robert Park

This article examines the history of media sociology in the U.S., through a critical analysis of articles published in the major sociology journals during the twentieth century. I argue that media sociology has been at its most vibrant when its goal has been to understand the dominant cultural structures that shape the public sphere. Robert Park was the first sociologist to adopt this perspective, with his research on newspapers and the power of the press. This interest continued into the 1950s, with research on media and propaganda. By the 1960s, however, concern had shifted away from the public character of media, focusing instead on the ways in which social factors intervened between media messages and society. While important, this shift in analytical focus ultimately led to a more reductionist media sociology, which failed to explore how media provided a distinctive type of social output. There is evidence that a less reductionist media sociology has begun to emerge since the 1990s, with the rise of cultural sociology and theories of the public sphere. This new media sociology could increase its visibility within mainstream sociology by making more explicit connections to the Chicago School tradition, and by claiming Robert Park as its classical founder.     

Zustandsorientierte Maschinenzuordnungs- und Instandhaltungsplanung

Previous research focuses on preventive maintenance strategies which minimize the costs of break downs and of maintenance activities. Deteriorating machine conditions with the consequence of rising scrap rates and declining productivity are mostly neglected. This paper investigates simultaneous optimization of production and maintenance planning by applying the condition-based maintenance strategy with parallel machines and overlapping capabilities. The presented model allows exploitation of machine wear considering optimal order assignments to machines which is illustrated by a numerical example.     

AHRD joins IFTDO: capturing new opportunities to advance human resource development

This article is being written from the perspectives of two organizations. As president of the Academy of Human Resource Development (AHRD), I am pleased to introduce the article and to comment on the promise that holds for the relationship between AHRD and the International Federation of Training and Development Organizations (IFTDO). IFTDO is a unique organization since its membership is comprised of organizations pursuing common and/or related goals and objectives, not individual professionals. Later in this article, Carol Panza, immediate past chair of the Executive Board of IFTDO, will offer her comments representing the perspective of IFTDO regarding the emerging relationship with AHRD. Our goal is not only to inform the human resource development (HRD) community of AHRD’s decision to join IFTDO, but also to reinforce the shared awareness of the societal importance of developing a global community of scholars and practitioners in HRD.     

“Allochthones” in the Netherlands and Belgium

Schematically one can distinguish two traditions related to ethnic statistics in Europe. In France, Germany and most southern European countries, the dominant statistical categorisations merely distinguish individuals on the basis of their nationality. In contrast, most northern European countries have been producing data on the ethnic and/or foreign origin of their populations. Belgium is caught somewhere in between these two traditions. The French speaking part of Belgium tends to follow the French tradition of refusing ethnic categorisation, while the Flemish try to copy the Dutch model in distinguishing “allochthones” and “autochthones.” This contribution offers an analysis of the construction of ethnic categories as it has been undertaken in the Dutch context and (partially) imported in Belgium.     

Estimates of per Capita Fish Consumption in the U.S. Based on the Continuing Survey of Food Intake by Individuals (CSFII)

This paper presents estimates of daily average per capita fish consumption by age and gender for the 48 conterminous states. The estimated consumption rates are reported for three fish habitats: freshwater/estuarine fish, marine fish, and all fish. The estimates were generated from the combined 1989, 1990, and 1991 Continuing Survey of Food Intake by Individuals (CSFII), a national food consumption survey conducted by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Point and interval estimates of per capita fish consumption were generated from the empirical distribution of daily average per capita consumption. The point estimates include the mean, 50th, 75th, 90th, 95th, and 99th percentiles. Ninety percent confidence intervals are provided for the estimated mean and 90% bootstrap intervals are provided for percentile estimates. Information in a recipe file provided by USDA was used to calculate the amount of fish in recipes which contain fish. The estimated consumption rates are based on the weight of fish in its prepared or "as consumed" condition. The estimated mean consumption rate for all fish for the U.S. population of the 48 conterminous states was 15.65 grams/person/day (C.I.:14.67–16.63) of which 4.71 grams/person/day (C.I.:4.17–5.25) was freshwater/estuarine fish and 10.94 grams/person/day (C.I.: 10.14–11.73) was marine fish.     

Three Poems

Within Southern Appalachia there are distinct, historic patterns of exploitation. These patterns have helped to give shape to certain cultural tendencies that are strikingly similar to the clinical manifestations of groups who have experienced traumatic stress. Once normative adaptations to the well documented crises that come with unemployment, over the generations they became ingrained in the culture. The resulting cultural traits-an enduring sense of resignation, deep depression, and disrupted relationships represent the presence of a culturally transmitted traumatic stress syndrome that is induced by exploitation.