Law clinics in England and Wales: a regulatory black hole

There has been very limited consideration to date of how the regulatory environment in England and Wales impacts on university law clinics and the solicitors who run them. This paper sets out the current regulatory framework pertaining to university law clinics and explains the restrictions and limitations it poses. It highlights the current failure on the part of the regulators to meet their statutory duty to promote access to justice in relation to university pro bono services and sets out a series of recommendations as to how clinicians and regulators can secure a more certain and enabling future for clinics.     

Balkan Geometry: Turkish Accession and the International Relations of Southeast Europe

Turkish accession to the EU, long delayed and now apparently stalled, is taking place within a changed strategic situation in the region. The relative shift in importance of the Black Sea and western Balkan parts of southeast Europe, resulting from the post-9/11 shift in American policy and the growth of oil and gas traffic, has put new EU members Romania and Bulgaria into fundamentally new external situations. The international relations of these two states—including their accession to the EU and their ties with the United States, Russia, and Turkey—have been and will continue to be affected by the dynamic of the Turkish accession process.     

Masculinity and the Dance of the Dragon: Reading Lovelace Discursively

The exploration and examination of the construction of masculinity is increasingly emerging as an integrated part of the study of gender in society in general, and in the Caribbean in particular. We are constantly in search for new sources of material which tell us about the ways in which men construct their masculinity in Caribbean society. In this paper I draw on the imagery and ideas provided by the literary text. I interrogate the novel The Dragon Can't Dance, written by Trinidadian novelist Earl Lovelace. The writer uses the metaphor of the dragon, the costume donned by the main protagonist Aldrick in the yearly Carnival masquerade, as a mask which disguises the need for Aldrick to confront his own masculinity under poor, urban conditions in Trinidad. In the struggles and confrontations between urban working-class men and women in the community of Calvary in Trinidad, the novelist teases out the different constructions of masculinity in the various characters he portrays. I explore the novel, focusing particularly on the ways in which this construction is embedded in the struggles over issues of identity, ethnicity, reputation and honor. While the novelist is clearly able to read into the mind of the male in society, his renditions of the female are not so incisive. However, this is not a shortcoming as the women, though not as well-rounded characters in the novel, play key roles in the definition and shaping of masculinities. This reading of the novel illustrates that the literary text suggests itself as a critical site for further explorations of the illusive data on gender and especially that on masculinity.     

Differences in the usefulness of communication channels,as experienced by gender and ethnic groups during their university selection process

Abstract

Recruiting students to enrol at a particular institution is becoming a competitive and challenging process for higher education institutions. Therefore, institutions should create efficient and effective ways of providing relevant information to prospective students during their process of selecting an institution. The major communication channels that prospective students consult during their selection process, and the usefulness thereof for students, are important knowledge imperatives for higher education institutions. In this study, 12 different channels of communication, considered by students during a typical higher education institution selection process, were investigated. A non-probability convenience sample of 1 241 first-year students from six higher education institutions in South Africa was drawn. Findings suggest that female students attach a significantly higher value to nine of the 12 communication channels, compared to their male counterparts. There were also differences between the ethnic groups in terms of the usefulness of events on campus, high school teachers, open days and campus visits, as well as university publications. Higher education institutions can use the results to develop communication strategies that are more student oriented, in order to reinforce their image and to reach students more effectively through the appropriate communication channels.