| December 2005
Education-Academic |Immigration
| Media | Religion
| Seniors | Urban Society
| Women | Youth Culture
E1 - Open Doors Report 2005 - Information and Data Tables
Institute of International Education Open Doors Report for
2004-2005, November 14, 2005
Foreign Student Enrollments in U.S. Top 565,000 in 2004-2005.
The number of foreign students enrolled in U.S. higher education
institutions during the 2004-2005 academic year remained fairly
steady at 565,039, down 1.3 percent from the previous year's totals.
The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) funds the
annual Open Doors study, which is based on a survey of more than
2,700 accredited U.S. educational institutions. IIE is a nonprofit
educational and cultural exchange organization based in New York
City.8650 students from Germany (down 1.2% from 2003-2004) enrolled
in the United States and 5985 Americans studied in Germany (up
7.1%). Fulltext
E2 - 2005 International Graduate Enrollment Report
Council of Graduate School. Report released November 2005.
The "2005 International Graduate Enrollment Report"
of the Council of Graduate Schools includes a substantial section
on "Processes and Policies regarding "Three-Year Degrees".
The issue has become increasingly prominent for graduate schools
as more Europen countries moves toward a three-year undergraduate
degree program, and U.S. graduate schools will have to decide
how to treat these degrees. For the first time, empirical information
was gathered on the acceptance of this degree: 55% of respondents
evaluate the three-year degree either equivalency, or determine
the competency of the individual applicant to succeed in the graduate
program. Such an approach necessitates a close reading of the
student's transcript for the relevance of course work and the
applicability for the degree program. 9% grant provisional acceptance
and require the student to take additional course work to remediate
any deficiencies. 22% do not accept a three-year degree for Graduate
studies. Fulltext
E3 - A Graduate Student's Guide to Publishing Scholarly
Journal Articles
Van Cott. Donna Lee
PS, Political Science & Politics, October 2005,.v38, #4,
pp741
"In recent years, arriving on the job market with published
work has shifted from a desirable condition to a necessity. Even
middling universities can afford to ignore applications from job
applicants without peer-reviewed articles in scholarly journals.
Thus, it is important for graduate students to focus as early
as possible on publishing their work. Van Cott introduces graduate
students to the three-step process of article publication."
Donna Lee Van Cott is assistant professor of political science
at Tulne University. Fulltext
E4 - The Role of Immigrants in the U.S. Labor Market
The Congress of the United States, Congressional Budget Office,
November 2005, 35p
This paper concentrates on one specific aspect of the current
immigration discussion that is of particular importance for the
nation's economy: the immigrant's role in the U.S. labor market.
It analyzes the characteristics of the immigrant workforce, and
its effect on U.S. wages and the economy. Fulltext
E5 - U.S. Immigration Policy and Its Impact on the American
Economy
U.S. Congress, House of Representatives, Committee on Education
and the Workforce, Hearing, November 16, 2005.
Hearing addresses the need for reform of immigration laws and
the need for a bold approach to keep the American economy and
workforce competitive at the outset of the 21st Century.
Witnesses include:
- Douglas Holtz-Eakin, Director, Congressional Budget Office,
Washington, DC
- Dr. Harry J. Holzer, Professor of Public Policy, Associate Dean,
Georgetown University, Washington, DC
- Dr. Steven A. Camarota, Director of Research, Center for Immigration
Studies,
Washington, DC
- Dan Siciliano, Executive Director, Program in Law, Economics,
and Business,
Stanford Law School, Stanford, CA. Fulltext
E6 - The French Riots and U.S. Immigration Policy
Krikorian, Mark with Frank Gaffney and Stephen Steinlight
Center for Immigration Studies, Transcript of Panel Discussion
at Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, D.C., November 14,
2005
This panel discussion explored "what lessons on immigration
policy the United States can learn with regard to the riots in
France." Opening the session, moderator Krikorian refers
to "two important issues - two important lessons related
to immigration that we learn from the riots. First, there's nothing
as permanent as a temporary worker. And second, and probably most
importantly, the real challenge in immigration facing receiving
societies is assimilating the children of immigrants and integrating
them into the new society as opposed to the immigrants themselves."
Panelist Gaffney looks at some of the security lessons of the
riots relating to immigration, such as the visa waiver program
that is offered to western European countries and some other aspects,
while panelist Steinlight examines some of the cultural issues
of Islamic immigration to the West. Mark Krikorian is executive
director of the Center for Immigration Studies, Washington D.C.
Frank Gaffney is president of the Center for Security Policy,
Washington, D.C. Stephen Steinlight is a fellow at the Center
for Immigration Studies. Fulltext
E7 - Solving the Immigration Crisis. The Road to Comprehensive
Reform
The American Prospect, November 2005, v16, #11, Online
Articles from a special report on the immigration crisis provide
models for comprehensive reform of an increasingly dysfunctional
system.
- Immigration Demystified. Sharry, Frank
Sharry discusses the politics of immigration reform and a workable
solution to the current situation.
- Learning From History. Meissner, Doris
"Meissner reviews the recent record of reform and urges people
to learn from its mistakes."
- Target Employers. Echaveste, Maria
Echaveste explores the interdependence of employers and immigrants.
- And the Winner Is ... Bacon, David
Bacon takes up the enforcement of U.S. immigration policy.
- The New Nativism. Zeskind, Leonard
Zeskind outlines the positions of anti-immigration activists.
- Be Our Guest? Tienda, Marta
Tienda maintains that the U.S. "economy benefits from immigrants.
But if guest workers are treated as a caste without rights, native
workers and immigrants will both suffer."
- From Immigrant to Citizen. Murguia, Janet;
Muñoz, Cecilian
This article concentrates on the integration of immigrants and
on the naturalization options. Fulltext
E8 - Changing Citizenship Theory and Practice: Comparative
Perspectives in a Democratic Framework
Heisler, Martin O.
PS: Political Science and Politics, October 2005, v38, #4,
pp667-699
"The increased fluidity of national and international borders
has focused ever more attention on the very concept of citizenship.
At what point is a person presented--or rejected--the right to
belong to a nation, society, or culture? The authors of the October
PS symposium, "Changing Citizenship Theory and Practice:
Comparative Perspectives in a Democratic Framework," compel
a rethinking of the idea of citizenship, how it has changed, and
how that change has and will effect the very meaning of belonging."
Martin O. Heisler, professor of government and politics at
the University of Maryland, wrote the introductory essay. Fulltext
E9 - Selective Exposure to Online Foreign News During
the Conflict With Iraq
Best, Samuel J., Brian Chmielewski and Brian S. Krueger
Harvard International Journal of Press/Politics, Fall 2005,
v10, #4, pp52-70
"Several observers note that particularly since September
11, 2001, U.S. residents increasingly have used online foreign
news sites. Yet currently little is known about the prevalence
or determinants of online foreign news usage. This study examines
the online foreign news usage of a representative sample of Internet
users during the conflict with Iraq. The results indicate that
approximately one-fourth of Internet news consumers use foreign
sites. Also, by considering the differences in perspective between
mainstream domestic news and foreign news and using the notion
of selective exposure, the authors generate hypotheses regarding
foreign online news usage." Samuel J. Best is an associate
professor of public policy and director of the Center for Survey
Research Analysis at the University of Connecticut. Brian Chmielewski
is a political science graduate student at the University of Rhode
Island. Brian S. Krueger is an assistant professor of political
science at the University of Rhode Island.
Order Article
E10 - The Fox News Factor
Morris, Jonathan S.
Harvard International Journal of Press/Politics, Summer 2005,
v10, #3, pp56-79
"This article analyzes data from the Pew Research Center's
1998 to 2004 Biennial Media Consumption Surveys to identify demographic
and behavioral factors that predict Americans' exposure to cable
and broadcast nightly news. While many predictors are significant
across sources, much of the evidence indicates the audiences are
unique. The network news audience is becoming increasingly older,
and the Fox News and CNN audiences are becoming increasingly polarized.
Jonathan S. Morris is an assistant professor in the Department
of Political Science at East Carolina University. Order
Article
E11 - Important Trends on Religion
AEI Studies in Public Opinion, December 16, 2005, 9p
"This AEI Study in Public Opinion takes a look at religion
in America today, examining such topics as religious faith and
practice; the acceptability of candidates of different religions;
President George W. Bush's faith; religion in public life; vote
by denomination; journalists as compared with the general American
public; and international comparisons of religion." Fulltext
E12 - Darwin In The Dock
Talbot, Margaret
New Yorker, December 5, 2005, v 81, #39, p66-77
This article focuses on the ruling of Judge John E. Jones III
over the Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District case about whether
it is constitutional for public-school classes to present the
argument of intelligent design. Proponents of intelligent design
intelligent design--the argument that certain features of the
natural world are so complex and intricately put together that
they must have been deliberately fashioned--claimed that it was
a bold new scientific idea that had been unfairly maligned. And
scientists who believe that intelligent design is merely a repackaged
version of creationism made a case for evolution. (Note: On December
21, 2005, Judge John Jones ruled that it is unconstitutional to
teach the concept of "intelligent design" in public
school science classes because it is "a religious view.")
Fulltext
E13 - Science Wars - Should Schools Teach Intelligent
Design?
American Enterprise Institute, Conference Proceedings, October
21, 2005. Online, various pagings
What should public schools teach about life's origins? This debate
erupted anew over the summer after President George W. Bush and
Senator Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) endorsed the teaching of intelligent
design (ID)-the theory that intelligent causes are responsible
for the origin of the universe and of life in all its diversity.
Proponents of teaching alternatives to evolution are now lobbying
state legislatures and pressing school districts to incorporate
ID into science curricula. Alarmed scientists and educators see
ID as a disguised form of creationism and a direct attack on the
scientific method and critical thinking. Is intelligent design
religion or science? What should we teach in schools? Would the
teaching of intelligent design violate the First Amendment's Establishment
Clause? Panelists at this day-long AEI conference discuss these
and other questions. Fulltext
Seniors
E14- Older Americans Economic Security
Urban Institute, November 2005, online edition
This new series examines the retirement prospects of aging Americans
and evaluates solutions to impending challenges. Among the solutions
discussed are longer careers, incentives to save, and benefit
cuts that protect low-income retirees. The series includes:
- Changing Demographics of the Retired Population.
Karen Smith and Eric
Toder
- What Will Happen to Poverty Rates Among Older Americans
in the Futureand Why. Eric Toder
- Working Longer To Enhance Retirement Security.
Richard Johnson
- Lifetime Patterns of Voluntary Employee Pension Contributions.
Karen Smith
- How Will Boomers Fare at Retirement? Barbara
Butrica and Cori Uccello. Fulltext
urban society
E15 - Who Lives Downtown?
Birch, Eugenie L.
The Brookings Institution, November 2005
Though downtown populations have remained stable over the past
30 years, as a new analysis of 44 cities by Eugenie L. Birch shows,
the number of households has increased, demonstrating the rise
of singles and childless couples there. Today, these households-increasingly
homeowners-are ethnically and racially diverse, young, and educated.
The paper also categorizes the downtowns by strength and compares
their health to their surrounding cities. As no downtown is the
same, understanding unique and changing downtown demographics
is central to putting together a tailored and more effective plan
for revitalization. Eugenie L. Birch is professor and chair,
Department of City and Regional Planning, University of Pennsylvania.
Fulltext
E16 - Keys to the New Metropolis
Robert E Lang, Edward J Blakely, Meghan Z Gough
Journal of the American Planning Association, Autumn 2005,
v71, # 4; pp. 381-91
This article explores the state of the 50 largest, fast-growing,
suburban counties in the U.S., arguing that they are key to understanding
the changing nature of U.S. metropolitan areas in the early 21st
century. These counties contained over 26 million residents in
2000, or more than I in 11 Americans. Their residents were clearly
more diverse and occupied more densely built environments in 2000
than was the case just 30 years before. As a result, though they
are not truly urban, they are very different from suburbs of the
past in form and character. The four case examples trace development
trends, transportation improvements, and changing politics in
these increasingly complex, post-suburban places. Robert Lang
is an associate professor at Virginia Tech in Alexandria, VA.,
Edward J. Blakely is a professor of urban regional planning at
the University of Sydney and Meghan Z. Gough is a doctoral student
of city and regional planning at Ohio State University. Fulltext
E17 - The Fifth Migration
Fishman, Robert
Journal of the American Planning Association, Autumn 2005,
v71, #4, pp357-366
In the 1920s, Lewis Mumford correctly predicted that the rest
of the century would be dominated by a "Fourth Migration"
from the central cities to their suburbs. This article argues
that we are now at the beginning of a fifth migration that will
reurbanize precisely those inner-city districts that were previously
depopulated. It identifies four sources for this trend: downtown
reurbanism; immigrant reurbanism; Black reurbanism; and White
middle-class reurbanism, and points out the challenges involved
in planning the fifth migration. Fishman is Professor at Taubman
College of Architecture and Planning at the University of Michigan,
Ann Arbor. Fulltext
Women
E18 - Gender in Cohabitation and Marriage: The Influence
of Gender Ideology on Housework Allocation Over the Life Course
Cunningham, Mick
Journal of Family Issues, Nov 2005, v26, #8, pg. 1037
"The analysis examines the direct and indirect influences
of early gender socialization on the allocation of routine housework
later in the life course. The study articulates hypotheses suggesting
that the relationship between gender socialization early in adulthood
and housework allocation later in adulthood is moderated by gender
and union type and is mediated by subsequent contextual characteristics
of the couple." Mick Cunningham is an Assistant Professor
of Sociology at Western Washington University. Fulltext
Youth Culture
E19 - The MySpace Generation
Hempel, Jessi; and Paula Lehman
Business Week, December 12, 2005, #3963, pp86-96
Being online is a way of life for millions of young Americans
across the country. And increasingly, social networks are their
medium. As the first cohort to grow up fully wired and technologically
fluent, today's teens and twentysomethings are flocking to Web
sites like Buzz-Oven as a way to establish their social identities.
It's where you go when you need a friend to nurse you through
a breakup, a mentor to tutor you on your calculus homework, an
address for the party everyone is going to. Hempel is a staff
editor for BusinessWeek in New York; Lehman (21) is an expert
network surfer who taught the reporter how to navigate social
networks. Fulltext
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