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Articles 1 - 5 of 5

Full-Text Articles in Sociology

Conceptualizing Communication Capital For A Changing Environment, Leo Jeffres, Guowei Jian, Sukki Yoon Mar 2016

Conceptualizing Communication Capital For A Changing Environment, Leo Jeffres, Guowei Jian, Sukki Yoon

Guowei Jian

With rapidly evolving technologies, boundaries between traditional modes of communication have blurred, creating an environment that scholars still describe from viewpoints as researchers in interpersonal, organizational or mass communication. This manuscript looks at the social capital literature and argues for conceptualizing “communication capital” to help understand the impact of communication phenomena in a changing environment. The literature has treated interpersonal communication variables as components of social capital and mass communication variables as factors affecting social capital, but scholars long ago recognized their reinforcing nature, leading us to develop a concept of communication capital merging symbolic activity across domains in its …


Viewing The Public Sphere With Influentials And Citizens, Leo Jeffres, Guowei Jian, Jae-Won Lee, C. Connally, Josie Seikali Mar 2016

Viewing The Public Sphere With Influentials And Citizens, Leo Jeffres, Guowei Jian, Jae-Won Lee, C. Connally, Josie Seikali

Guowei Jian

The currently popular emphasis on democratic discussion in the “public sphere” often is critically viewed by observers commenting on issues of participation, empowerment, and efficacy without input from influentials, whose voices often are the content of public debates. Habermas was critical of the quality of democratic discourse, arguing for an “ideal speech situation” where participants are free to question all proposals; introduce proposals; and express their attitudes, wishes, and needs. This article examines perceptions of the climate of communication in the public sphere by influentials and the general public of a major urban area.


Advancing Community Engaged Scholarship And Community Engagement At The University Of Massachusetts Boston: A Report Of The Working Group For An Urban Research-Based Action Initiative, Mark Warren, John Saltmarsh, Patricia Krueger-Henney, Lorna Rivera, Miren Uriarte, Donna Friedman, Richard Fleming, Diana Yadira-Salas, Luciano Ramos Jan 2016

Advancing Community Engaged Scholarship And Community Engagement At The University Of Massachusetts Boston: A Report Of The Working Group For An Urban Research-Based Action Initiative, Mark Warren, John Saltmarsh, Patricia Krueger-Henney, Lorna Rivera, Miren Uriarte, Donna Friedman, Richard Fleming, Diana Yadira-Salas, Luciano Ramos

Lorna Rivera

The University of Massachusetts Boston has a rich history of mission-driven commitments that engage the campus with local, state, regional, national, and global communities. In the context of a public urban research university, a mission of community engagement is most clearly expressed through community-engaged scholarship. The University is positioned to build upon its strengths in community engagement and strengthen its community-engaged scholarship to become an international model for community engagement.


Creating An Academic Culture That Supports Community-Engaged Scholarship, John Saltmarsh, Mark Warren, Patricia Krueger-Henney, Lorna Rivera, Richard Fleming, Donna Friedman, Miren Uriarte Jan 2016

Creating An Academic Culture That Supports Community-Engaged Scholarship, John Saltmarsh, Mark Warren, Patricia Krueger-Henney, Lorna Rivera, Richard Fleming, Donna Friedman, Miren Uriarte

Lorna Rivera

An increasing number of campuses are working to build systems of incentives and supports for faculty who undertake community-engaged scholarship. Recognizing that the policies and cultures that shape faculty behavior for career advancement have not kept pace with changes in knowledge production and dissemination, many campuses are at some stage in the process of reconsidering and revising their reward structures to provide recognition for new forms of scholarship, including community-engaged, digital, and interdisciplinary scholarship.


Changing Women: An Ethnographic Study Of Homeless Mothers And Popular Education, Lorna Rivera Jan 2016

Changing Women: An Ethnographic Study Of Homeless Mothers And Popular Education, Lorna Rivera

Lorna Rivera

This article discusses ethnographic research conducted between 1995 and 1998 that studied the impact of popular education on the lives of fifty homeless and formerly homeless mothers. Data collection involved indepth interviews and participant observation in a family shelter located in one of Boston's poorest neighborhoods. The article argues that popular education increased the women's self-esteem, they were inspired to help other low-income women, they learned to advocate for their rights and they became more involved in their children's education. The findings suggest that popular education can best address the academic, personal, and community goals of very poor women.