Comic Relief: Using Political Cartoons in the Classroom

Political cartoons are an excellent classroom tool to build students' critical thinking skills, to generate lively classroom discussions, and to get students excited about politics. Cartoons should be treated as serious commentary on political affairs. Interpreting a cartoon requires that the viewer be familiar with current issues and debates, savvy about the cultural context, and capable of analytical judgments. This technique capitalizes on the visual learning style of many students and interjects an added interactive dimension to classroom discussions. This article discusses some of the challenges of using cartoons in the classroom, including where to locate them. The text is accompanied by several representative cartoons.     

Defying fraternity: Woman as citizen in Germaine de staël's corinne,or Italy*

Women Playwrights in England, Ireland, and Scotland, 1660–1823. David D. Mann and Susan Garland Mann with Camille Gamier. Bloomington &; Indianapolis: Indiana UP, 1996. 432 pp. $57.50 cl.     

Audre Lorde’s Life Writing: The Politics of Location

Am I to be cursed forever with becoming somebody else on the way to myself? -Audre Lorde “Change of Season” I am a scar, a report from the frontlines, a talisman, a resurrection. -Audre Lorde “A Burst of Light: Living with Cancer”     

Developmental validation of the AmpF?STR SEfiler Plus™ PCR amplification kit: An improved multiplex with enhanced performance for inhibited samples

Since its introduction in 2002, the AmpF?STR^® SEfiler™ kit has provided a highly discriminating DNA profiling option to German forensic laboratories by combining the widely used SGM Plus^® Kit loci with the SE-33 locus required for the German DNA Database. Whilst proving successful on database samples, laboratories using the SEfiler™ kit have reported the need for chemistry better able to handle the ever-increasing number of casework samples.The new AmpF?STR^® SEfiler Plus™ kit contains the same loci and primer sequences as the SEfiler™ kit but uses improved synthesis and purification processes to minimize the presence of dye-labeled artifacts. Other improvements include modified PCR cycling conditions for enhanced sensitivity and a new buffer formulation that improves performance with inhibited samples when compared to the original SEfiler™ kit.Validation studies demonstrating the effectiveness of the multiplex are presented with emphasis on the models of inhibition and casework samples.     

The Influence of Case and Professional Variables on the Identification and Reporting of Child Maltreatment: A Study of Licensed Psychologists and Certified Masters Social Workers

All 50 states have laws requiring mental health and other professionals to report suspected maltreatment. Unfortunately, many professionals who are mandated to report suspicions of child maltreatment often fail to recognize potential maltreatment or fail to report their suspicions. The present study examines several factors that may influence identification and reporting of child maltreatment. Subjects were licensed psychologists in the Midwest and certified Masters social workers in Nebraska. Child maltreatment included neglect, physical abuse, psychological maltreatment, and sexual abuse. Characteristics associated with the family or “case” (race, socioeconomic status of family, age of victim, type of maltreatment) were manipulated and presented in hypothetical case vignettes. Characteristics of the professional (e.g., training and experience with identification and reporting, personal history of maltreatment and violence) were also investigated. Ratings of the severity of the potential maltreatment situation, suspiciousness that maltreatment is occurring, and likelihood of reporting maltreatment were completed after reading each case vignette. The results indicate that a variety of case and professional factors may influence identification and reporting of maltreatment. Implications for training professionals and further research are discussed.