Demonstrates how illustrations can stimulate learning and critical thinking, specifically in studying Latin American cultures. Seven illustrations with questions for student analysis are included. (KC)

Describes the machine readable database of bibliographic information pertaining to the mental health of Hispanics living in the United States, developed by the Spanish Speaking Mental Health Research Center of the University of California, Los Angeles. Topics covered include the system's history, citation sources, vocabulary control, and services.…

While self-paced instruction works well at earlier stages of Latin language learning, it becomes ineffective at intermediate levels. Latin students are expected to read continuous prose by the third or fourth term. Classroom instruction is better for the transition from syntax and grammar to reading, where group effort reinforces learning. (PJM)

Reports on a study which compared communication attitudes and mass media behavior among Blacks and Latinos (Chicanos, Puerto Ricans, and Cubans). Interviews with subjects provided data about television viewing and newspaper reading, which were found to be differentially correlated with such variables as age, sex, and education. (SW)

Presents a crossword puzzle designed to familiarize students with Greek and Latin rhetorical terminology. Leads students to determine the rhetorical concept associated with each Latin term used as a clue; to discover the appropriate Greek term associated with each rhetorical concept; and to write each Greek term in Greek characters. (JMF)

Traces the history of the development of ecclesiastical law, and describes some of the difficulties in modern day translation of the Canon Law of the Roman Catholic Church. (AM)

Investigated construct validity of the Spanish translation of the Bracken Basic Concept Scale (BBCS) in Latino children (n=293) including monolingual Spanish-speaking children from Puerto Rico and Venezuela and Spanish-dominant bilingual Latino children from Texas. Results provided support for construct validity of the Spanish version of the…

The medieval writer, the nun Hildegard von Bingen, learned Latin without any formal instruction in it. Her case is described as an example of language acquisition by hearing it read, sung, and expounded and by visualizing it as though it were written down in a kind of phonetic script. (21 references) (Author/LB)

Since January 1993, almost 5,000 Mayan refugees have returned to Guatemala from Mexican camps to which they had fled in the 1980s following army massacres and destruction of villages. The refugees overcame historical differences among 22 Mayan ethnic groups, forged a Pan-Mayan unity, and, with international support, persuaded the Guatemalan…

Investigates the extent to which study of Latin might influence high school students' improvement in spelling. Finds that, although skilled spellers generally made greater progress than less skilled spellers, the students of Latin did not outperform students of other second languages either on the standardized spelling test or specifically on…

Traces contemporary literary analyses of Latin American melodrama and the romance, looking especially at the work of Peter Brooks and Janice Radway. Suggests that the film "Lejania" produces a spectatorship of shifting positionalities, which mitigate against a passive spectatorship that would serve as a reactionary force. (RS)

Examines educational reform and Vygotsky's influence on critical pedagogy in Brazil from two perspectives. One is the historical tradition of accepting multiplicity of learning behaviors, and the other is a close analysis of an environment that espoused the idea of literacy as a cultural production shared by everyone. (MMU)

Marriage among women in Latin America occurs early in life and is nearly universal in spite of the social and economic changes and instability in the region. We use demographic measures to illustrate the precociousness, persistence, and universality of marriage during the past 50 years. We argue that marriage is central to social life because…

Pearlette Louisy raises issues of pressing concern for the future of Caribbean education. Here, I elaborate on some of the dilemmas that she raises. Interwoven in this discussion are sketches of potentially positive scenarios in a globalising future.

In this article, the authors detail the conditions and patterns of academic capitalism and the new economy in US higher education. Subsequently, a conceptual model is offered for considering the international reach and national and local patterns of academic capitalism. Further, a distinctive Mexican case of entrepreneurialism is offered. The…