Racial and Ethnic Diversity in Senior Centers: Comparing Participant Characteristics in More and Less Multicultural Settings

The 2008 Health Indicators Project surveyed a probability sample (N = 1,870) of New York City senior center participants. Attendees of racially and ethnically diverse and nondiverse senior centers were compared across 5 domains: demographics; health and quality of life; social support networks; neighborhood perceptions and engagement; health service access/utilization. Although homogeneous and diverse center participants demonstrate similar health and quality-of-life outcomes, those from diverse centers demonstrate greater risk of social isolation, receive less family support, and more likely seek medical care from hospitals or community clinics. Implications and future directions for research, practice and policy are discussed.     

多科型大学复合型法律人才培养的多元化实训模式探究

多科型大学中的法学人才培养应定位于复合型法律人才,这样才更符合学校人才培养的目标.精通法律,熟悉行业,学科交融和模拟训练的标准所形成的多元化实训模式成为复合型法律人才培养的重要途径.校内实训模式中先奠定好多元化实训的基础,增加实训的内容,加强教师的引导至关重要;校外实训模式中建构不同类型的实习基地,进行不同类型的实训成为重要补充.     

高校图书馆Human Library发展与服务分析

通过对HumanLibrary及其在高校图书馆的实践分析,指出HumanLibrary正由“鼓励对话,减少偏见,倡导和谐”的社会教育活动演变为“智慧分享,教育咨询”的图书馆新型服务形式。这种变化源于高校图书馆用户特点、真人图书的需求和高校的文化氛围。面向未来长期可持续发展,高校图书馆HumanLibrary服务应着力于真人图书的管理、核心理念的维护和与社会力量的合作。     

Perceptions of Cousin Marriage Among Young Bedouin Adults in Israel

Abstract

Attitudes of young Bedouin adults (26 men and 23 women) in Israel towards cousin marriage, a traditional marriage pattern in the Bedouin society, were investigated. A Bedouin clan (population 3,400) with a high rate of cousin marriage and consanguinity was targeted for this study. Thirty-seven percent of the respondents expressed unconditional positive attitudes towards cousin marriage, while 22% said that this form of mate selection is inevitable because of the parents. These views represented the persistence of this tradition in Bedouin culture. However, there was also support for change and modernization, reflected in a negative view of parental intervention (8%, all men) as well as in a new predilection for romantic love (22%). A majority (65%) of the respondents held the view that cousin marriage is associated with genetic diseases. However, the biomedical discourse of genetic risk did not change the traditional Bedouin method of mate selection and was rather incorporated into the traditional discourse through a system referred to as “healthy consanguinity” (namely the option of premarital carrier matching). The paper concludes by considering the persistence of consanguinity from educational, political and cultural perspectives.     

Transforming Teaching and Learning in South Africa: First Year in the Bachelor of Social Work

The South African qualification for social work was transformed in 2003, along with other transforming post-apartheid policies and practices since the first democratic government was elected in 1994. The educational collective was committed to outcomes-based approaches which were legislated by statutory bodies emphasising redress of previous inequities. The new Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) is accordingly criterion-based and measured by 27 exit level outcomes, giving direct guidance which assists historically disadvantaged students and facilitates entry to qualifications as intended by the current South African reform. The BSW replaces the previous Bachelor of Arts in Social Work [BA (SW)] which was norm-based and relied on good students educated in historically advantaged institutions. The political history and context for the new qualification is presented and typical difficulties experienced during the first year are referenced. With the BSW being due for revision in 2012, a research project on its teaching and learning in the first year was commissioned in 2010 by the Association of South African Social Work Education Institutions. A section of this project is presented here. Consistent with the international literature, human and material resources emerge as very important in providing academic support. Tension between policies and practice should provide a good basis for revising the BSW.     

“It's Really Not Easy to Get Help”: Services to Drought-Affected Families

Abstract

The present paper details the results of research conducted with drought-affected farm families in New South Wales (NSW), Australia. The study reveals the significant health and welfare stresses experienced by families and the lack of access to services and support. The research was conducted in three sites in rural and remote areas of NSW in 2003. Farm family members, service providers, and other community key informants were interviewed. The paper outlines ways that the social work profession can respond to significant natural disasters.     

Australia's leading social work authors: the devil in the detail

Abstract

Many care leavers with disabilities face difficulties as they transition from out-of-home care (OoHC), and suffer multiple, ongoing forms of disadvantage after they leave care. This paper is drawn from a study comprising six focus groups, involving 21 participants employed in disability and OoHC services in Victoria, Australia. The findings suggest that care leavers with disabilities do not receive the transitional and postcare support and housing they need. Many are transitioned into housing options that are unsuitable for their needs, or unsafe. The argument of this paper is that care leavers with disabilities may benefit from adult guardianship legislation. When appropriate an application for a guardianship order should be made prior to the young person exiting care, to enable a smooth transition between the child and adult systems. Adult protection services with an advocacy function should be given the opportunity to advocate for care leavers with disabilities.     

Paralympics 2012 legacy: accessible housing and disability equality or inequality?

The golden summer of sport is now over, but what is the legacy of London 2012 for disabled people? Nadia Ahmed, a disabled student, discusses the difficulties she has faced in finding accessible accommodation in London. She argues that while the Games are over, the United Kingdom still has lots of hurdles to leap when it comes to disability. The article focuses on her own personal experience of not being able to get wheelchair-accessible accommodation in Tower Hamlets, a London borough that is a close neighbour of Stratford where the Olympic and Paralympic games were held. The article raises questions about disability equality following the Paralympics.     

东方文化统一性初探

东方文化的多元性客观存在,但其统一性更为明显。亚细亚生产方式从根本上决定了东方社会文化的性质和特点,奠定了东方文化统一性的社会基础;历史上三大文化圈之间的交流与互动,成为东方文化统一性的一个重要成因;东方文化在世界观、人生观和思维方式等方面均有诸多相同或相似的表现。对东方文化的统一性进行研究,也具有至关重要的学科意义。