Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: In family sociology, racial differences have long been viewed as a defining feature of family life. Yet, the treatment of the family/race relationship in mainstream sociology has had major limitations. Many family scholars today are challenging the conventional wisdom about race and the family. Their approaches to the matter of racial differences in family life have begun to refocus the family field. This paper will provide a brief retrospective and prospective view of contemporary thought, analysis, and supporting research in the family field. It will also synthesize current sociological work on interracial families and assess its usefulness for advancing both family studies and the field of race.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: The aim of this study was to investigate and explicitly compare children�s understanding of television advertising with their understanding of brand placement in films and video games, licensed products, programme sponsorship and advertising on the internet. We interviewed 134 7 and 10 year old children about the nature of television advertisements and examples of non-spot advertising, using open-ended questions and pictorial prompts (following Owen, Auty & Lewis, 2007). Children demonstrated a significantly more sophisticated understanding of television advertising in comparison to all five examples of non-spot advertising. Children appear to have very limited knowledge of what these alternative marketing tactics involve and consequently lack the cognitive skills to critically evaluate them. Non-spot advertising appears to pose a new challenge for children.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: For fragile post-war societies one necessary prerequisite for dealing with the violent past in a constructive way is to seek an empathic understanding and recgonition of political violence. The term �recognition� refers to the philosophical concept of Axel Honneth who claimed that the "the struggle for recognition" should be at the center of �social con-flicts�
Seeking understanding� and recognition is a task which concerns the entire society, not only victims and persecutors, and has to be analysed in sociological terms, i.e. by applying a discourse analysis of violence (according to David Apter, Blok et al.). The meaning of violence will become the focus for analyzing the “morality of violence” (Brandon Hamber). The explicit aim is to reach a social consensus within the post-war or conflict society on moral criteria to judge the use of violence during the conflict. It is a rather uneasy and uncomfortable challenge, for both victims and the perpetrators, but one that cannot be evaded or avoided.In order to come to terms with a violent past, the morality of violence�, i.e. the meaning of violence, has to be reconstructed: This reconstruction can be done by a (critical) discourse analysis of the strategies used by armed groups to justify or legitimize their acts of violence. The paper tries to elaborate on one contentious argument: The necessary prerequisite for any country to put an end to its violent conflict and start a process towards reconciliation is an inclusive definition of victimhood�: The discoursive dynamics of negotiating social consensus on the “morality of violence” will be analysed by using the Northern Ireland peace process as a case study.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: This study sought to explore the relationship between science, performance, and audience in a theatrical production of RE:Design, A Dramatisation of the Correspondence of Charles Darwin and Asa Gray by Craig Baxter. A focus group and supplementary survey were conducted to learn what audience members thought they had received from attending the performance. Results suggest that they gained a greater understanding of both the historical and philosophical context of these scientists and their work, they felt they benefited from the narrative format of the performance, and they gained insight into the characters as humans, not just scientists. When asked to speculate on the point of the performance, answers varied. In addition, they disagreed on the value and/or success of some of the theatrical choices. This research suggests that the primary gain for the audience was an understanding of the cultural context within which the science was carried out. This suggestion opens up opportunities for future research on science performances, and also has implications for the practice of science education and public communication of science.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: A number of scholars are exploring the district context in which schools are embedded. These studies suggest the importance of the district office as a support or constraint to the work of schools and offer strategies for building relations between sites and districts. While this is an important task what is frequently overlooked is that organizational change efforts are often socially constructed. Therefore, prior to engaging change strategies an analysis of social networks may serve to determine the appropriate change effort. This case study uses Social Network Analysis and interviews to explore the underlying knowledge and communication patterns in a network of district and site leaders in a district poised to enact significant change. Results indicate a centralized structure that may limit the exchange of complex information.