Shaping Communities

Ed: SUNY, Buffalo, Revised papers from two conferences, 1992 and 1993.

The volume explores linguistic practices and choices in the late antique Eastern Mediterranean. It investigates how linguistic diversity and change influenced the social dimension of human interaction, affected group dynamics, the expression and negotiation of various communal identities, such as professional groups of mosaic-makers, stonecutters, or their supervisors in North Syria, bilingual monastic communities in Palestine, elusive producers of Coptic ritual texts in Egypt, or Jewish communities in Dura Europos and Palmyra. The key question is: what do we learn about social groups and human individuals by studying their multilingualism and language practices reflected in epigraphic and other written sources?

"Through first-person testimonies, this anthology demonstrates the transformative power of higher education and its impact on the working class"--Provided by publisher.

Historically, community colleges have served societal and functional missions that expanded over time, with the result of trying to achieve multiple goals for multiple audiences. This volume explores the forces currently shaping community college missions and the resulting tension between stated goals, assumed goals, and achievement of those goals. In an era of increasing accountability, tighter coupling, and the need to do ever more with fewer resources, mission focus is vital to college survival. Explore such issues as: the unspoken social contract, transfer, developmental education, noncredit education, dual enrollment, workforce development, the free college movement, and planning for the future. The topics are explored thoughtfully from both scholarly and practical perspectives, highlighting the forces that shape community college missions. This is the 180th volume of this Jossey-Bass quarterly report series. Essential to the professional libraries of presidents, vice presidents, deans, and other leaders in today's open-door institutions, New Directions for Community Colleges provides expert guidance in meeting the challenges of their distinctive and expanding educational mission.

Twelve time-honored Christian practices that will help us, and the world, to flourish Practicing Our Faith offers help to Christians who are asking how our faith can help us discern what we might do and who we might become. How can we live faithfully and with integrity in a world where the pace of existence is so fast and life's patterns are changing all around us? Can we conduct our daily lives in ways that help us not just get by but flourish--as individuals, as communities, and as a society in concert with creation and in communion with God? These questions are on the hearts and minds of many seekers who are exploring spirituality today. They are also at the heart of Practicing Our Faith. Practices are those shared activities that address fundamental needs of humankind and creation and that, woven together, form a way of life. The twelve practices explored in this book are practices that human beings simply cannot do without, particularly at this time in history. This book will stimulate your imagination. It will encourage you to reflect. It initiates a conversation that will spread into many contexts, each of which presents unique opportunities for noticing, discussing, and living the practices of faith.

Communities of Learning: Networks and the Shaping of Intellectual Identity in Europe, 1100-1500 explores the fundamental insight that all new ideas are developed in the context of a community, whether academic, religious, or simply as a network of friends. The essays in this volume consider this notion in a variety of contexts and locations within Europe, from the pioneering age of translation activity in twelfth-century Toledo, when Jewish, Christian, and Muslim scholars came together to discuss Aristotle, to the origins of the University of Paris in the thirteenth century, and up to the period of great cultural renewal in France, Germany, and Italy in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. The collected essays bring together disciplinary approaches that are often discussed quite separately, namely that of the history of ideas, and the sociologies of both intellectual and religious life, with a view to exploring the multiplicity of communities in which ideas are pursued. Underpinning these various essays is an awareness of the delicate relationship between education and the diversity of religious practice and expression within Europe from 1100 to 1500. The collection emphasizes the fundamental continuity of intellectual concerns, which were shaped by both classical thought and monotheist religious tradition, but interpreted in a variety of ways.

Sir Michael Lyons was commissioned to consider the case for changes to the present system of local government funding in England and make recommendations, including on the reform of council tax. The remit was extended to cover questions relating to the function of local government and its future role as well as how it is funded, and also to consider the implications of the Barker (ISBN 0118404857), Eddington (ISBN 0118404873) and Leitch (ISBN 0118404865) reports. His overall conclusions are as follows: (1) local government is an essential part of our system of government; (2) central and local government needs to work more closely together as part of a single system, and local people should have a greater say in setting local priorities to enable authorities to manage pressures on public expenditure and improve satisfaction; (3) a mosaic of reforms is needed in the short term to address the most urgent problems, paving the way for more radical reforms in the medium- and longer-term. Recommendations include: automated council tax benefit; an end to capping; revaluation of properties for council tax; new bands with higher bills for those in more expensive properties and lower bills for those in the cheapest; consider reserving a fixed proportion of income tax for local government; longer term options should include local income tax and relocalisation of the business rate. Sir Michael concludes that council tax is not 'broken', but that it is under too much pressure, is seen as unfair, and has some limitations in that it is not a naturally buoyant source of revenue.

A World of Changemakers - how can a hybrid arts lecture series concept in e-learning create attitudes and shape skills as a playful and critical thinking navigator in an uncertain world? To re-create meaning is an interdisciplinary cross-sectional task of our zeitgeist in a civil society. The international contributors represent key roles in relevant philosophical, technical or economic debates, non-university community art & design projects or companies.