Until now, scholars interested in the geography of religion have had only a few broad surveys available. Pierre Deffontaines' (1948) text remains untranslated from its original French. David Sopher's (1967) and Chris Park's (1994) introductory texts have been critiqued for their writing styles. Roger Stump's new book The Geography of Religion (2008) fills this gap and stimulates future research in this understudied field. Social science undergraduate students and their instructors interested in the intersections of faith, space and place will appreciate the book's organizational structure and thematic clarity, provocative examples of both traditional and new religious movements and trends across multiple scales, and especially Stump's own passion for religion and politics.
Roger Stump reasons that if cultural geographers are indeed interested in human products and meaning across space and through time then careful attention must be paid to religion as a central element in cultural life. As articulated by the author, "Religion is interpreted throughout this volume as a cultural system, an integrated complex of meanings, symbols, and behaviors articulated by a community of adherents" (p. 7). In the introduction he hooks the reader with an intriguing case of a Manhattan Jewish eruv, a ritual space used by Orthodox Jews during observance of the Sabbath. Like so many of the poignant examples offered throughout the book, Stump's analysis of the eruv illustrates several spatial processes and concepts central to the geographic study of religion including: movement, diffusion, distribution, localization, place, space, and meaning.
The book's chapters are organized around four main themes: ( 1) the spatial dynamics of religious distributions; ( 2) the contextuality of religions; ( 3) religious territoriality in secular space; and (4) the meanings and uses of sacred space. Much of the material on the emergence, diffusion and localization of the world's religions will be familiar to veteran scholars and is readily available in other sources. However, Stump's passion for religion and politics comes through in his discussion of religious territoriality, the focus of the fourth chapter. Religious groups strategize internally to exude influence in adherents' daily lives as well as externally in the lives of non-adherents in secular spaces. Hegemonic and minority religious groups innovate in a variety of ways in order to influence their particular environment. Throughout the text the reader is reminded of the significance of scale in studying cultural life. From more narrow scales (i.e. the body, the family and the home) to wider scales (i.e. the state, the imagined community of believers, and the world) religious groups work to shape space and place according to their world views. While Stump is obviously well versed in the field's literature, he does not bombard the reader with clunky reviews and internal citations. Instead, previous scholarship is seamlessly woven into his discussion and carefully annotated thematically at the end of the book. The end pages also provide a useful glossary, however the terms are not offset within the body of the text.
Critics may be concerned with Stump's inattention to praxis. Stump reflects on his own bias against discussions of "'doing' the geography of religion." He sees much of that type of work as methodological "fashions of the moment," often dismissive of previous work, and lacking "a middle way" needed to advance the field of study (p. xvi). While this decision is common in the writing of most introductory texts due to their broad scope, considerations of reflexivity and positionality may have benefited Stump's discussion of fundamentalism. The reader will undoubtedly appreciate Stump's expertise on the subject as this was the focus of an earlier work of his. However, compared to fundamental factions within other faith groups, the book pays excessive attention to Islam. Some scholars may regard this emphasis as reinforcing damaging stereotypes.
Overall, The Geography of Religion offers an excellent and thought-provoking survey of the geographic study of religion. The book will undoubtedly inspire burgeoning cultural geographers to delve deeper into this often-neglected field.
Showing posts with label book. Show all posts
Showing posts with label book. Show all posts
5/11/09
Overcoming Loss: activities and stories to help transform children's grief and loss
Busy members of staff working with children aged between four and eight are always grateful for practical tools that make their lives easier. This resource, which can be photocopied, is designed to help children deal with their feelings of loss in individual or group settings. Whether working with looked-after children who have many losses, or supporting a parent or carer to help their child, this book should be accessible to all professionals.
Written by a Canadian psychologist — you have to accept the spellings from across the pond — it encourages children to name their feelings, and deal with them in positive ways, using a model of cognitive behaviour therapy. Appendices include UK and EU Resources and recommended reading lists, as well as handouts listing common reactions to traumatic stress and what parents can do to help.
It's honestly worth having in the office. You will use it regularly if working with children who have lost their sense of self or even those who have just lost their cat.
Lynne Fordyce, Bereavement, Loss and Trauma Unit, Leeds Primary Care Trust
you can buy this book here
Written by a Canadian psychologist — you have to accept the spellings from across the pond — it encourages children to name their feelings, and deal with them in positive ways, using a model of cognitive behaviour therapy. Appendices include UK and EU Resources and recommended reading lists, as well as handouts listing common reactions to traumatic stress and what parents can do to help.
It's honestly worth having in the office. You will use it regularly if working with children who have lost their sense of self or even those who have just lost their cat.
Lynne Fordyce, Bereavement, Loss and Trauma Unit, Leeds Primary Care Trust
you can buy this book here
4/24/09
Book Review: Hell's Islands: The Untold Story of Guadalcanal
Oscar Wilde once remarked that there was no use in writing a book if you didn't irritate someone. That comment obviously applies to book reviews as well.
To judge from his review of my book, Lieutenant Colonel Bartlett gave the book only a cursory inspection. Bartlett cited several books about the war in the Solomon Islands and asked why another was necessary. The answer is that my book covers what other histories have not, and it includes more information on the Japanese involvement in the land campaign than all the cited books combined. For example, in his excellent work, Guadalcanal (Random House, 1990), Richard B. Frank neglected to mention that 5,000 U.S. Navy personnel took part in the land campaign — namely, the 6th, 14th, 26th, and 27th Naval Construction Battalions. I included them.
The reviewer criticizes me for taking tour chapters to get to the start of the Guadalcanal campaign. Those chapters lead up to the main story; they give the reader an idea of what life in the Solomon Islands was like before the Japanese invaded the islands and how the civilian populace and the skeleton military defense forces reacted to that event. That information is not available anywhere else.
Bartlett seems to think I was troubled about the naval enlisted ranks. They all were taken from the fifth edition of the Glossary of U.S. Naval Abbreviations, published by the Government Printing Office for the Chief of Naval Operations in April 1949. The Japanese naval ratings were furnished by Yoshi Sagai, a former sailor in the Imperial Japanese Navy.
In an effort to find something else to complain about, the reviewer asserts that Japanese names should be written with the family name first, followed by the given name. The preface to my book, however, clearly states, "Japanese names are presented in western style — given name first, followed by the family name." This is the same style used in Richard Frank's book.
Similarly, Bartlett complains about naval terminology — "artillery is organized into batteries, not companies." In the appendix, Japanese artillery units are listed as companies, battalions, and regiments. That list was compiled by Captain Akio Tani (better known to American veterans as Pistol Pete), who commanded the 2nd Company, 7th Heavy Field Artillery Regiment, during the Guadalcanal campaign. lf anyone knew about Japanese artillery units and their organization, it was Tani.
Bartlett states that "the Japanese also called Guadalcanal 'Starvation Island.' 'Ga,' the first syllable of Gadarukanaru — their name for Guadalcanal — means hunger." The latter statement, howver, is incorrect. There are many Kanji characters pronounced as "Ga," but only a few can be used w ith only, one charater as a word. They include "my," "moth," and "greetings." The Kanji character meaning "starvation" is not used with one character. It is used with a combination of other Kanji characters, as in Kiga ("starvation") and Gahi ("to die of hunger").
To judge from his review of my book, Lieutenant Colonel Bartlett gave the book only a cursory inspection. Bartlett cited several books about the war in the Solomon Islands and asked why another was necessary. The answer is that my book covers what other histories have not, and it includes more information on the Japanese involvement in the land campaign than all the cited books combined. For example, in his excellent work, Guadalcanal (Random House, 1990), Richard B. Frank neglected to mention that 5,000 U.S. Navy personnel took part in the land campaign — namely, the 6th, 14th, 26th, and 27th Naval Construction Battalions. I included them.
The reviewer criticizes me for taking tour chapters to get to the start of the Guadalcanal campaign. Those chapters lead up to the main story; they give the reader an idea of what life in the Solomon Islands was like before the Japanese invaded the islands and how the civilian populace and the skeleton military defense forces reacted to that event. That information is not available anywhere else.
Bartlett seems to think I was troubled about the naval enlisted ranks. They all were taken from the fifth edition of the Glossary of U.S. Naval Abbreviations, published by the Government Printing Office for the Chief of Naval Operations in April 1949. The Japanese naval ratings were furnished by Yoshi Sagai, a former sailor in the Imperial Japanese Navy.
In an effort to find something else to complain about, the reviewer asserts that Japanese names should be written with the family name first, followed by the given name. The preface to my book, however, clearly states, "Japanese names are presented in western style — given name first, followed by the family name." This is the same style used in Richard Frank's book.
Similarly, Bartlett complains about naval terminology — "artillery is organized into batteries, not companies." In the appendix, Japanese artillery units are listed as companies, battalions, and regiments. That list was compiled by Captain Akio Tani (better known to American veterans as Pistol Pete), who commanded the 2nd Company, 7th Heavy Field Artillery Regiment, during the Guadalcanal campaign. lf anyone knew about Japanese artillery units and their organization, it was Tani.
Bartlett states that "the Japanese also called Guadalcanal 'Starvation Island.' 'Ga,' the first syllable of Gadarukanaru — their name for Guadalcanal — means hunger." The latter statement, howver, is incorrect. There are many Kanji characters pronounced as "Ga," but only a few can be used w ith only, one charater as a word. They include "my," "moth," and "greetings." The Kanji character meaning "starvation" is not used with one character. It is used with a combination of other Kanji characters, as in Kiga ("starvation") and Gahi ("to die of hunger").
3/6/09
Lincoln Anniversary
Abraham Lincoln: The name alone conjures up images from your earliest school days. A gangling youth reading by firelight in a log cabin. The Gettysburg Address. The Emancipation Proclamation. That fateful night at Ford's Theater. Over time, however, your image of Lincoln has doubtless matured. Three recently published histories will further expand and refine readers' understanding — and perhaps even alter the world's view — of the nation's 16th president.
In Lincoln President-Elect: Abraham Lincoln and the Great Secession Winter of 1860-1861, Harold Holzer examines the four eventful months between Lincoln's election and inauguration when, as one earlier biographer noted, "The difficulties of Mr. Lincoln's position … have been but little understood."
Lincoln's actions — or, as some historians have characterized it, his inaction — during this crucial period have been interpreted as the "vulnerable soft spot" in Lincoln's "otherwise sterling reputation." The president-elect came to be viewed as too silent on the crucial issues of slavery and states' rights, too indecisive in selecting members of his cabinet and too indifferent about the looming crisis of civil war. Meanwhile, public scrutiny of the soon-to-be chief executive was intense. Skeptics in and out of politics feared that Lincoln was not really equipped to be president.
Holzer takes exception to that view of Lincoln, and with fascinating detail documents the president-elect's emergence from untested prairie politician to shrewd national leader. "Under Lincoln's patient stewardship," Holzer writes, "ex-Whigs and ex-Democrats, Northerners and border state men, progressives and conservatives ultimately came together to serve the Union — and the new president."
Holzer's finely tuned narrative, to mirror his own description of Lincoln's first inaugural address, will "appeal both to ordinary and sophisticated audiences." Extensive, informative endnotes and an epilogue, as well as the entire text of Lincoln's 1861 inaugural address, including his own "editorial alterations," round out this expansive study.
Lincoln and the Decision for War: The Northern Response to Secession, by Russell McClintock, reexamines the period between Lincoln's election and the opening shots of the Civil War. McClintock transports the reader into the realm of antebellum American brinksmanship. His goal is to "provide a broad analysis of the Northern response to secession."
Party politics is at the heart of this story, which features key decisionmakers such as William Seward, Stephen Douglas and of course Lincoln. Lesser statesmen, grassroots operatives and also the newspapers have a voice in the narrative as well. "[T]he words and actions of trusted party leaders," McClintock notes, "swayed popular opinion profoundy."
Divided chronologically, the book follows events from November 1860 to May 1861. Despite what the title implies, however, the 16th president (by the author's own admission) "seems to drop out of the picture" in the early chapters. Lincoln gradually reappears as he is unavoidably thrust into the role of a final arbiter who must choose between the olive branch and the sword. McClintock's lengthy and detailed notes conclude this satisfying account.
Open to any page of Abraham Lincoln: Great American Historians on Our Sixteenth President and be drawn into the Great Emancipator's own rhetoric. Editors Brian Lamb and Susan Swain have gathered a "collection of Lincoln essays … drawn from C-SPAN's programming archives." Here are 55 snapshots of Lincoln from an equal number of respected writers and scholars, including such leading lights as Doris Kearns Goodwin, Shelby Foote, James McPherson and Harold Holzer. Each brings his own unique perspective to a seemingly inexhaustible subject.
The format throughout is conversational and relaxed, although the images of Lincoln that emerge from the narrative are not always sanitized or glossy. Pulitzer Prize-winning author Mark Neely Jr., for example, reminds us that Lincoln "always took the high road, and he never neglected the low road. He knew all the tricks of the trade, and when he needed them he would use them." In another essay, Irving Bartlett comments on the persistent rumor that South Carolina politico John C. Calhoun had actually fathered Lincoln.
This intriguing little volume is supplemented with a variety of color photographs and maps. To round things out, a timeline of events in Lincoln's life as well as a short biography of each essayist are included, along with a complete index and the full texts to eight of Lincoln's most memorable speeches.
'Three recently published histories expand readers' understanding of the president'
In Lincoln President-Elect: Abraham Lincoln and the Great Secession Winter of 1860-1861, Harold Holzer examines the four eventful months between Lincoln's election and inauguration when, as one earlier biographer noted, "The difficulties of Mr. Lincoln's position … have been but little understood."
Lincoln's actions — or, as some historians have characterized it, his inaction — during this crucial period have been interpreted as the "vulnerable soft spot" in Lincoln's "otherwise sterling reputation." The president-elect came to be viewed as too silent on the crucial issues of slavery and states' rights, too indecisive in selecting members of his cabinet and too indifferent about the looming crisis of civil war. Meanwhile, public scrutiny of the soon-to-be chief executive was intense. Skeptics in and out of politics feared that Lincoln was not really equipped to be president.
Holzer takes exception to that view of Lincoln, and with fascinating detail documents the president-elect's emergence from untested prairie politician to shrewd national leader. "Under Lincoln's patient stewardship," Holzer writes, "ex-Whigs and ex-Democrats, Northerners and border state men, progressives and conservatives ultimately came together to serve the Union — and the new president."
Holzer's finely tuned narrative, to mirror his own description of Lincoln's first inaugural address, will "appeal both to ordinary and sophisticated audiences." Extensive, informative endnotes and an epilogue, as well as the entire text of Lincoln's 1861 inaugural address, including his own "editorial alterations," round out this expansive study.
Lincoln and the Decision for War: The Northern Response to Secession, by Russell McClintock, reexamines the period between Lincoln's election and the opening shots of the Civil War. McClintock transports the reader into the realm of antebellum American brinksmanship. His goal is to "provide a broad analysis of the Northern response to secession."
Party politics is at the heart of this story, which features key decisionmakers such as William Seward, Stephen Douglas and of course Lincoln. Lesser statesmen, grassroots operatives and also the newspapers have a voice in the narrative as well. "[T]he words and actions of trusted party leaders," McClintock notes, "swayed popular opinion profoundy."
Divided chronologically, the book follows events from November 1860 to May 1861. Despite what the title implies, however, the 16th president (by the author's own admission) "seems to drop out of the picture" in the early chapters. Lincoln gradually reappears as he is unavoidably thrust into the role of a final arbiter who must choose between the olive branch and the sword. McClintock's lengthy and detailed notes conclude this satisfying account.
Open to any page of Abraham Lincoln: Great American Historians on Our Sixteenth President and be drawn into the Great Emancipator's own rhetoric. Editors Brian Lamb and Susan Swain have gathered a "collection of Lincoln essays … drawn from C-SPAN's programming archives." Here are 55 snapshots of Lincoln from an equal number of respected writers and scholars, including such leading lights as Doris Kearns Goodwin, Shelby Foote, James McPherson and Harold Holzer. Each brings his own unique perspective to a seemingly inexhaustible subject.
The format throughout is conversational and relaxed, although the images of Lincoln that emerge from the narrative are not always sanitized or glossy. Pulitzer Prize-winning author Mark Neely Jr., for example, reminds us that Lincoln "always took the high road, and he never neglected the low road. He knew all the tricks of the trade, and when he needed them he would use them." In another essay, Irving Bartlett comments on the persistent rumor that South Carolina politico John C. Calhoun had actually fathered Lincoln.
This intriguing little volume is supplemented with a variety of color photographs and maps. To round things out, a timeline of events in Lincoln's life as well as a short biography of each essayist are included, along with a complete index and the full texts to eight of Lincoln's most memorable speeches.
'Three recently published histories expand readers' understanding of the president'
1/27/09
Syndromes: Rapid Recognition and Perioperative Implications
The authors of this book are: Professors Bruno Bissonnette, Igor Luginbuehl, Bruno Marcinick, Bernard Dalens. The book is entitled "Syndromes Rapid Recognition and Perioperative implications" and it is published by Mc Graw Hill Medical, "[ 1]
This is an exhaustive reference includes review of almost 2,000 medical syndromes. The editors indicated that: the cross reference of synonyms and the variations of international names cover nearly 4,500 entries. It intended for pediatricians, medical practitioners, genetics specialists, pediatric surgeons and anesthesiologists. A pediatric anesthesiologist meets at least one patient diagnosed with a medical syndrome. This book serves as quick desk reference to working practitioners who need direct fundamental correct information at glance.
The book is put in 852 pages. It has 180 photographs in black and white. The syndromes are arranged in alphabetical order from "A to Z" and describe each syndrome according to template of 14 items. The first item is: ( 1) At a Glance which gives a general clinical synopsis of the syndrome; the next items describe briefly (2) Synonyms . (3) History, (4) Incidence, and (5) Genetic Inheritance of the syndromes. The authors have kept these descriptions short and to the point. This is followed by a more extensive explanation of the (6) Pathophysiology, (7) Diagnosis, and (8) Clinical Aspects, which should enable an anesthesiologist to formulate an anesthetic plan. These sections are written appropriately focused on the various organ systems that perioperative clinicians might be interested in special issues such as airway, respiratory, cardiovascular, and metabolic systems. There are more specific mentioned item relevant to anesthesia and pediatric and neonatal intensive care. (9) Precautions before Anesthesia recommends potential consults, radiographs, and laboratory tests to be considered before proceeding; (10) Anesthetic Considerations describes potential issues such as airway management, vascular access, and postoperative issues that might potentially be encountered; and (11) Pharmacological Implications stresses potential contraindications associated with the use of specific medications. The final item, (12) Other Conditions To Be Considered refers to potentially related medical conditions that could be considered as alternate diagnoses in order to use specific medications. And (13) Classification and (14) references when needed
The book has four editors and 32 contributors mainly from North America. It includes an extensive index of syndrome for quick allocation.
This wealth of topics is new addition to the intended health workers dealing with young little patients and exposes the reader to quick fundamental dependable referenced information.
Overall the book offers a sound basic overview of the syndromes it describes and make child care living with rare syndromes more safe.
In conclusion, it is recommended to health care provider's readers and their library. I hope to see this book produced as an encyclopedia on CD with multimedia and colorful pictures then we will get more and more involved in surfing this valuble intellectual production.
This is an exhaustive reference includes review of almost 2,000 medical syndromes. The editors indicated that: the cross reference of synonyms and the variations of international names cover nearly 4,500 entries. It intended for pediatricians, medical practitioners, genetics specialists, pediatric surgeons and anesthesiologists. A pediatric anesthesiologist meets at least one patient diagnosed with a medical syndrome. This book serves as quick desk reference to working practitioners who need direct fundamental correct information at glance.
The book is put in 852 pages. It has 180 photographs in black and white. The syndromes are arranged in alphabetical order from "A to Z" and describe each syndrome according to template of 14 items. The first item is: ( 1) At a Glance which gives a general clinical synopsis of the syndrome; the next items describe briefly (2) Synonyms . (3) History, (4) Incidence, and (5) Genetic Inheritance of the syndromes. The authors have kept these descriptions short and to the point. This is followed by a more extensive explanation of the (6) Pathophysiology, (7) Diagnosis, and (8) Clinical Aspects, which should enable an anesthesiologist to formulate an anesthetic plan. These sections are written appropriately focused on the various organ systems that perioperative clinicians might be interested in special issues such as airway, respiratory, cardiovascular, and metabolic systems. There are more specific mentioned item relevant to anesthesia and pediatric and neonatal intensive care. (9) Precautions before Anesthesia recommends potential consults, radiographs, and laboratory tests to be considered before proceeding; (10) Anesthetic Considerations describes potential issues such as airway management, vascular access, and postoperative issues that might potentially be encountered; and (11) Pharmacological Implications stresses potential contraindications associated with the use of specific medications. The final item, (12) Other Conditions To Be Considered refers to potentially related medical conditions that could be considered as alternate diagnoses in order to use specific medications. And (13) Classification and (14) references when needed
The book has four editors and 32 contributors mainly from North America. It includes an extensive index of syndrome for quick allocation.
This wealth of topics is new addition to the intended health workers dealing with young little patients and exposes the reader to quick fundamental dependable referenced information.
Overall the book offers a sound basic overview of the syndromes it describes and make child care living with rare syndromes more safe.
In conclusion, it is recommended to health care provider's readers and their library. I hope to see this book produced as an encyclopedia on CD with multimedia and colorful pictures then we will get more and more involved in surfing this valuble intellectual production.
12/27/08
The globalised university: trends and challenges in teaching and learning
The first thing to note in reviewing this collection is that its main title is totally misleading. This is not a study on the effects on universities of globalisation, understood as those networks of capital, data and human resources made possible by high speed and pervasive communication and information technologies and economic systems which promote international supply chains of labour, finance and commodities.
Indeed, no coherent concept or definition of globalisation underpins the text or its individual chapters – no reference to even the popular ‘gurus of globalisation’ such as Thomas Friedman, who describes globalisation as a technological phenomenon which serves capitalism, and who predicts a resurgence of nationalism as rich economy countries assert their national interests.
In higher education contexts, globalisation encompasses student and staff mobility and fierce competition for international student enrolments, including the enticements of linked migration laws, as Birrell’s work in Australia illustrates. Globalisation in higher education also involves consideration of trade agreements such as GATS (the General Agreement on Trade in Services) and WTO (World Trade Organsiation) regulations, as the work of universities is increasingly conceived of as a tradeable commodity, and here Marginson and Considine are valuable sources, along with Knight. ‘The business of borderless education’, the challenge of for-profit education companies expanding in the main from North America, is well-canvassed by Ryan and Bjarnason.
In brief, there is no shortage of previous publications exploring the globalised university – Scott (1998), King (2004) and Breton and Lambert (2003) being the foremost.
The sub-title of the present book, ‘Trends and challenges in teaching and learning’ is perhaps a better content descriptor, although there is rather more emphasis on the ‘challenges’, which editors Scott and Dixon set out in Chapter 1. This chapter begins with a reproduction of ‘Ozymandias’, the Shelley poem on the decay of despots and their power symbols. Is this intended to reflect the authors’ despair over the HE sector? Or, as they suggest (p. 2) a warning that the ‘traditional’ university may not survive? (NB – it’s already disappeared, folks!) The Ozymandias metaphor is inappropriate in the extreme, unless Scott and Dixon believe that traditional universities were despotic, cruel and arrogant. They go on to spike the usual suspects in the demise of traditional universities – restructuring, globalisation, technology, management ‘fashions’, corporatisation, vocationalism, lack of government funding and, finally, a crippling lack of time ‘to debate philosophical standpoints’ over ‘long lunches’ (p. 4).
No simple ‘solutions’ are proffered – nor are they possible: the university will continue to evolve as these pressures intensify.
The remaining chapters range in a somewhat desultory manner over topics loosely linked to teaching.
De la Harpe and Radloff examine how institutions have responded to an increased focus on ‘the student experience’ as a result of regulatory government fiat and contestable funding, and their resort to Learning and Teaching Plans, and the establishment of new senior positions such as Associate Deans of Teaching. They also note the reluctance of staff to engage in the existing teaching support services provided to improve student learning. (This reluctance is widely shared – I will never forget the proud boast of a mathematics lecturer that he had never attended any activity of his university’s academic development unit because it would be like going to ‘a Marxist re-education camp’!)
Dixon and Scott revisit the changed nature of the academic role in a technology university, the perpetuated valourising of research over teaching and workloads in Chapter 3, concluding that the ‘enemy of the 21st century academic (is) Time’.
Price and Kirkwood traverse the impact of government and institutional drives to the adoption of new technologies in UK universities, with particular reference to the Open University, and recommend a professional development model which involves support staff as well as teaching staff. There is no attempt to relate these issues to the theme of globalisation.
Reynold Macpherson contributes an interesting case study of his (failed) attempt to ‘convert’ a Middle Eastern university to a student-centred approach to teaching, due to cultural patterns of autocracy. The chapter illustrates how the ‘export’ of Western models of education may conflict with other ideologies and confound ‘borderlessness’. Susan Nelson’s chapter on the tensions between teaching and research agendas at a large US public university is a discursive case study, which culminates in a description of the career decisions of two State University staff, one tenured, the other seeking tenure, and the pressure from their institution to expend less effort on teaching in favour of research. The connection of this to the theme of globalisation is not apparent.
The final chapter, by Charles Webber, on Leadership for organisational change, is actually another case study, this time on a unit of the University of Calgary, the Graduate Division of Educational Research and possible directions for niche universities in a globalised world. A potential to focus on providing international distance education is the only link to globalisation.
In summary, the chapters in this book have only the most tangential relationship to its purported theme. A book on globalised universities should surely have covered more on the effects of large numbers of international students in on-shore classes and the teaching approaches staff (and support staff) take to accommodate a more diverse student body; it should have examined the links between corporatisation of universities and the increased use of sessional staff for workforce ‘flexibility’; it should have canvassed the growth in importance of national and international quality assurance and standards agencies which, in seeking ‘harmonisation’ of national standards for degree certification, are moving inexorably to homogenise curricula worldwide. Such a book would also have reprised the role of ICTs and US-derived Learning Management Systems in imposing standardised teaching models. The globalised university is not that book, despite its title.
Indeed, no coherent concept or definition of globalisation underpins the text or its individual chapters – no reference to even the popular ‘gurus of globalisation’ such as Thomas Friedman, who describes globalisation as a technological phenomenon which serves capitalism, and who predicts a resurgence of nationalism as rich economy countries assert their national interests.
In higher education contexts, globalisation encompasses student and staff mobility and fierce competition for international student enrolments, including the enticements of linked migration laws, as Birrell’s work in Australia illustrates. Globalisation in higher education also involves consideration of trade agreements such as GATS (the General Agreement on Trade in Services) and WTO (World Trade Organsiation) regulations, as the work of universities is increasingly conceived of as a tradeable commodity, and here Marginson and Considine are valuable sources, along with Knight. ‘The business of borderless education’, the challenge of for-profit education companies expanding in the main from North America, is well-canvassed by Ryan and Bjarnason.
In brief, there is no shortage of previous publications exploring the globalised university – Scott (1998), King (2004) and Breton and Lambert (2003) being the foremost.
The sub-title of the present book, ‘Trends and challenges in teaching and learning’ is perhaps a better content descriptor, although there is rather more emphasis on the ‘challenges’, which editors Scott and Dixon set out in Chapter 1. This chapter begins with a reproduction of ‘Ozymandias’, the Shelley poem on the decay of despots and their power symbols. Is this intended to reflect the authors’ despair over the HE sector? Or, as they suggest (p. 2) a warning that the ‘traditional’ university may not survive? (NB – it’s already disappeared, folks!) The Ozymandias metaphor is inappropriate in the extreme, unless Scott and Dixon believe that traditional universities were despotic, cruel and arrogant. They go on to spike the usual suspects in the demise of traditional universities – restructuring, globalisation, technology, management ‘fashions’, corporatisation, vocationalism, lack of government funding and, finally, a crippling lack of time ‘to debate philosophical standpoints’ over ‘long lunches’ (p. 4).
No simple ‘solutions’ are proffered – nor are they possible: the university will continue to evolve as these pressures intensify.
The remaining chapters range in a somewhat desultory manner over topics loosely linked to teaching.
De la Harpe and Radloff examine how institutions have responded to an increased focus on ‘the student experience’ as a result of regulatory government fiat and contestable funding, and their resort to Learning and Teaching Plans, and the establishment of new senior positions such as Associate Deans of Teaching. They also note the reluctance of staff to engage in the existing teaching support services provided to improve student learning. (This reluctance is widely shared – I will never forget the proud boast of a mathematics lecturer that he had never attended any activity of his university’s academic development unit because it would be like going to ‘a Marxist re-education camp’!)
Dixon and Scott revisit the changed nature of the academic role in a technology university, the perpetuated valourising of research over teaching and workloads in Chapter 3, concluding that the ‘enemy of the 21st century academic (is) Time’.
Price and Kirkwood traverse the impact of government and institutional drives to the adoption of new technologies in UK universities, with particular reference to the Open University, and recommend a professional development model which involves support staff as well as teaching staff. There is no attempt to relate these issues to the theme of globalisation.
Reynold Macpherson contributes an interesting case study of his (failed) attempt to ‘convert’ a Middle Eastern university to a student-centred approach to teaching, due to cultural patterns of autocracy. The chapter illustrates how the ‘export’ of Western models of education may conflict with other ideologies and confound ‘borderlessness’. Susan Nelson’s chapter on the tensions between teaching and research agendas at a large US public university is a discursive case study, which culminates in a description of the career decisions of two State University staff, one tenured, the other seeking tenure, and the pressure from their institution to expend less effort on teaching in favour of research. The connection of this to the theme of globalisation is not apparent.
The final chapter, by Charles Webber, on Leadership for organisational change, is actually another case study, this time on a unit of the University of Calgary, the Graduate Division of Educational Research and possible directions for niche universities in a globalised world. A potential to focus on providing international distance education is the only link to globalisation.
In summary, the chapters in this book have only the most tangential relationship to its purported theme. A book on globalised universities should surely have covered more on the effects of large numbers of international students in on-shore classes and the teaching approaches staff (and support staff) take to accommodate a more diverse student body; it should have examined the links between corporatisation of universities and the increased use of sessional staff for workforce ‘flexibility’; it should have canvassed the growth in importance of national and international quality assurance and standards agencies which, in seeking ‘harmonisation’ of national standards for degree certification, are moving inexorably to homogenise curricula worldwide. Such a book would also have reprised the role of ICTs and US-derived Learning Management Systems in imposing standardised teaching models. The globalised university is not that book, despite its title.
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