Recognition of context and experience: a civic-based Canadian conception of religious literacy

ABSTRACT

Several conceptions of religious literacy exist globally and are informed by the contextual nuances of the scholars who developed them in the UK, US and Australia. As five Canadian scholar-educators across British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario and Quebec, we analyse the well-known religious literacy conceptions of Jackson, Nesbitt, Dinham, Moore and Crisp through a framework based on the recognition of context and experience. In doing so, we propose a Canadian-specific conception that considers the contextual nuances in these four provinces and relates to Canada as a nation and the individual experiences of each author, and recognises the diversity across Canada. We posit that our conception addresses the social and political dynamics and shifts in Canada, namely the changing demography of religious, spiritual and non-religious individuals and the response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission report that calls Canadians and its institutions to respond to the wrong towards First Nations, Metis and Inuit people.     

Comparative Analysis of Suicide,Accidental, and Undetermined Cause of Death Classification

Suicide determination is not standardized across medical examiners, and many suspected suicides are later classified as accidental or undetermined. The present study investigated patterns between these three groups using a medical examiner database and 633 structured interviews with next of kin. There were similarities across all three classification groups, including rates of mental illness and psychiatric symptoms. Those classified suicide were more likely to be male, to have died in a violent fashion, and have a stronger family history of suicide. Chronic pain was very common across all three groups, but significantly higher in the accidental and undetermined groups.     

The Combined Influence of Monitoring and Early Puberty on Disruptive Behavior Problems in African American Girls

Journal of Child and Family Studies - Adolescent girls’ disruptive behavior problems (DBP) are associated with risk for other mental health challenges and legal system involvement. Existing...     

Fear Appeals and Persuasion: A Review and Update of the Extended Parallel Process Model

The Extended Parallel Process Model (EPPM; Communication Monographs, 59, 1992, 329) is a predominant message design theory in the social science fear appeal literature that provides a framework for effective communication of health‐related information. This paper provides a review and update of the theory and the use of fear appeals in persuasion. First, a brief overview of the EPPM is provided. Then, Littlejohn and Foss (Theories of Human Communication, 2005, Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth) criteria for evaluation of theory are used as a guide for reviewing research guided by the EPPM in terms of the consistency of data with theoretical predictions, how it has been adjusted and extended through research findings, and a discussion of future research to expand social scientific knowledge about fear appeals and persuasion. It is concluded that the EPPM has advanced our understanding of how fear appeals operate and continues to generate questions for research in risk messaging.     

Psychophysical relation between perceived threat of AIDS and willingness to impose social restrictions

Psychophysical methods were applied to measure and analyze attitudes toward the threat and control of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). Participants rated and gave magnitude estimations for the amount of social restriction in 12 possibilities for controlling AIDS. The relation between ratings and magnitude estimations was curvilinear, meaning that the high end of a rating scale may mask large differences in magnitudes. Perceived threat to society increased as the estimated number of people with the virus increased. The amount of social restriction imposed was a negatively accelerated growth function of increasing levels of threat. The negative acceleration was probably due to ethical considerations associated with more stringent methods of control. The methodology involved in this experiment could be useful in evaluating public attitudes toward AIDS and other complex health issues and could provide additional information for making education and policy decisions.     

Associative Virtues and Hume's Narrow Circle

This article offers a straightforward reading of Hume's ‘narrow circle’ – the boundary employed to define those with whom we sympathize in assessing an agent's moral character – that follows from a more careful look at his account of virtue. Hume employs a principle that can be understood as a virtue ethical equivalent of associative obligation, which thereby delimits the boundaries of this circle. This reading avoids concerns about unjustified partiality, moral blind spots, and demandingness, and shows a clear path for reaching uniform moral judgments; it also offers a new perspective on virtue of interest for contemporary virtue ethics.