Sexual harassment of women in athletics vs academia

Abstract

Sexual harassment at institutions of higher learning is not a new phenomenon but discussions of this problem in the sporting arena are still scarce. Many studies have focused on student-teacher relationships, few investigations have researched athlete-coach relationships, and hardly any have conducted comparative analyses. This study compares the perceptions and the experiences of sexual harassment of athletes and students. It is not a surprise that most harassing behaviors are extended from men towards women. Thus, this investigation analyses and compares female student/male teacher interactions with female athlete/male coach relations. The findings indicate that sexual harassment is slightly more prevalent in academia than in athletics. However, in order to guarantee a safe learning environment for all participants in both domains, it is necessary to formulate clear guidelines, to set up educational workshops and to implement intervention programs.     

Defining appropriateness in coach-athlete sexual relationships: The voice of coaches

Abstract

The sporting culture, with omnipotent coaches, fierce competition for recognition and funding, and ‘win at all costs’ ethos, creates an environment conducive to sexual exploitation of athletes. Recent increased public awareness and the development of child protection policies in sport have led to the questioning of previously accepted coach-athlete relationships. This study is an exploratory investigation into male swimming coaches' perceptions of appropriateness of coach-athlete sexual relationships. Sexual relationships with athletes under the age of 16 were unanimously considered totally inappropriate. With regard to sexual relationships with athletes above the age of consent, opinions ranged from ‘totally inappropriate’ to ‘it’s a question of civil liberties.' These results are discussed in relation to how coaches have adapted their own behaviours in the face of public scrutiny but are still reluctant to restrict the rights of their fellow coaches.     

What do students really know about criminal justice?

This survey of three hundred and twenty undergraduate students attempted to determine their knowledge of crime and punishment in North Carolina. Respondents answered a series of open- and closed-ended questions regarding various legal topics, such as statutory rape and the legal ages for tobacco and alcohol use. The participants were also asked to list punishments for various offenses, such as possession of marijuana, driving while intoxicated, and rape. They were then asked to define certain legal terms such as larceny. The results indicated that most students were unable to provide correct corresponding punishments for many offenses. They were also unable to accurately define various legal terms, such as robbery or rape. The implications for stronger education in the area of criminal justice are discussed.     

How to construct your sexuality according to French magazines

Gendered magazines are a major contemporary form of mediation, (re)production and organization of (hetero)sexuality. They illustrate how sexual activity and performance become the concern and responsibility of individuals who are able to invest time and resources in the construction of a sexually-skilled self. Drawing on contemporary research, the article seeks to promote a dialogue between media and communications research, analysing French media narratives on sexuality through the reading of a selection of articles from the best-selling summer magazines aimed at 18- to 25-year-old readers. The article uses a semiodiscursive analysis to understand how didactic models are made to (re)produce specific knowledge on sexuality and to ascertain that this knowledge is coded in an expertise discourse. Through the hypothesis of a didactic ambition, three didactic models are identified, and attention is here focused on the short-coming/reparative model, that simultaneously creates a dysfunction and a fix. The analysis eventually reveals that didactic models are made to organize social life by strictly dividing sexual and therefore social roles between “men” and “women”. The moral criteria called upon regulate the ideal treatment of those didactic modalities and the discourse in magazines ends up shaping sexuality as a contemporary moral economy, a problem that should be pragmatically treated through the use of a certain type of knowledge.     

Digitizing Peircean semiotics to analyze students’ peer-review comments: classroom use of an application in open-source R

ABSTRACT

Statistical software applications are increasingly used to measure student engagement in the classroom. However, more work remains to be done to clarify how meaning is created and measured in classroom settings. With the growing use of technology in the classroom, students’ peer review has become a standard practice to improve students’ writing skills. This article examines the use of an open-source R software application based on Peirce’s sign theory to analyze students’ peer-review comments. Peer review is the assessment of student or professional work by others. The importance of open-source R as a platform lies in the fact that users can extend its code without having to ask permission. The results suggest a new approach, based on computational and social semiotics, to the assessment of students’ peer-review comments in higher education.     

Citizenship education in divided societies: teachers' perspectives in Northern Ireland

This article aimed to investigate in what ways teachers' developing understandings of citizenship education in a divided society reflect discourses around national citizenship and controversial issues. Based on thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews with 13 post-primary teachers in Northern Ireland undertaking an in-service programme in citizenship, findings indicate that the controversial nature of past conflict maintains its sensitivity in the educational context though other categories of potential exclusion, such as race and sexuality, compete for space in educational discourse and teaching. Few teachers used controversial issues identified as challenging hegemonic beliefs as an opportunity for role modelling citizenship. However, teachers rarely explored the complex interlinkages between traditional and alternative categories of exclusion. It is argued that this may render teachers' understandings of citizenship and societal conflict disconnected, which in turn may hinder the potential for citizenship education to address societal divisions and to promote active peace in the long term.     

通识教育视域下我国高校思政课教学的困境与革新

通识教育是许多发达国家对大学生进行思想政治教育的重要途径。我国高校已将思政课列为大学生的通识教育课程之一,但在实际教学过程中却与通识教育的目标要求呈现出"两张皮"的现象。提高我国高校思政课的教学实效,教师必须深入分析教学过程中面临的诸多困境与挑战,不断转变教学理念、关注教学过程、革新教学内容、转变教学模式、营造教学环境和变革教学评价体系,实现教学方法体系的创新。     

努力在践行“中国梦”中展现新作为

按照习近平总书记关于实现中国梦必须焕发工人阶级历史主动性的指示精神,天津市工会管理干部学院应以发挥工会“大学校”主阵地作用为着眼点,着力激发工会干部共圆中国梦的勃勃活气,倾力培育职工群众共托中国梦的向上力量,同时悉心引导学院全体教职工成为中国梦的积极践行者.     

“90后”大学生思想特点及引导路径探析

“90后”大学生群体的思想特点有：“我”成为个体的中心词;家庭中呈现依赖与反依赖的矛盾特性;社会追求上无所适从的矛盾心理等。这是特定的教育背景、生活环境以及身心发展规律等多方面因素影响的结果。在平等与互动中放大家庭的引导,在显性与隐性中渗透学校的教育,以内在与外在的方式催生社会自觉,应该成为对“90”后大学生进行思想政治教育的路径选择。     

人的合理需要视角下的思想政治教育实效性研究

思想政治教育实效性体现在其教育效果上。脱离了人的合理需要前提下开展的思想政治教育,容易使思想政治教育工作失去方向性、先进性与超前指导性。实现思想政治教育效果的前提是满足人的合理需要,在满足人的合理需要的过程中,要处理好利益认同和价值认同的关系。