Theology deserves a place in the life of a university, as a subject of inquiry and as an area of scholarly interest in many disciplines, alongside more technical areas of study. Maintenance of democratic values requires the broad understanding that study of religion can help develop. (MSE)

An analysis of 20 years of citations on research into scholarly communication to determine the degree of interdisciplinarity between sociology of science and information science concluded that sociologists and information scientists stay mostly in their own disciplines and that only network studies are shared by researchers in both fields.…

Explains the objective of the ARL (Association of Research Libraries) Scholars Portal initiative as the development of scholarly productivity tools and services. Considers the library's role and describes the initial emphasis on developing a tool that delivers licensed and openly available digital content across a range of subject fields and from…

Analyzes modes of interaction in interdisciplinary education, distinguishing between interactions that address internal and external imperatives. Describes four levels of interaction, ranging from borrowing tools from other disciplines to connecting disciplines on conceptual levels. Provides examples of interactions addressing external imperatives…

Draws on findings of U.S. Department of Education's 1999 National Survey of Post-Secondary Faculty to profile full-time community college faculty respondents in 11 disciplinary groups. Asserts that understanding disciplinary variations may lead to a more accurate picture of the differences in faculty work between the two-year and four-year…

The fields of Southern Studies and Appalachian Studies have developed along two separate tracks, due largely to perceptions within the fields, perpetuated by the media, that racism is more prevalent in the non-Appalachian South. However, polls of over 13,000 Southerners indicate that Appalachians harbor racist sentiments at least as much as…

Presents a study that focused on the school subject preferences of 11-12 year old girls (n=144) and boys (n=218) and 15-16 year old girls (n=269) and boys (n=300). Reports that there are gender differences in subject preference, while more traditional subjects were favored. (CMK)

Examines whether a shift in secondary school students' constructions of gender, school subjects, and subject ability has occurred. Explores their statements concerning gender and ability involved in school subjects. Argues there has been a blurring of the gender dichotomy when reviewing favorite subjects versus least favorite subjects. (CMK)

Presents data on trends in the academic job market, placement rates for PhDs inside and outside the academy, and levels of job satisfaction for those with doctorates. Includes samples of information available from the Modern Language Association and a bibliography of print and online publications that they recommend for planning a career in…

Reports on the pilot year of a 3-year research program on developing discipline-appropriate models for computer-enhanced collaborative learning. Focusing on a computer program for collaborative drafting among law students, discusses the program's impact on students, impact on teachers, and instructional design issues. (EV)

Data from German universities suggest that considerable differences in the social composition of the student population by discipline, or group of disciplines, continue to exist, the result of self-selection. Implications are found for gender differences and the role of the academic labor market in students' choice of academic field. (MSE)

Posits the disciplinary context is the locus of legitimate and illegitimate activity in science and scholarship. Compares structural features of sciences and social sciences that influence malpractice rates, type, and detection. These features include research activity, replication and replicability, coauthorship, plagiarism, locus of creativity…

Advocates a shift in vocational education goals to be more like those of liberal education. Proposes a new model that assumes the central focus of vocational education to be the student, its purpose to prepare people for a working life, and its subject matter to be work. (96 references) (SK)

A method for predicting freshman performance based on high school grades allows calculation of any student's likely grades in a similar university course. The method is contrasted with several more traditional predictive methods and examined in a study of 3,734 University of Western Australia students. (MSE)

Explores the need for technical writing instruction for English majors. Reports that English majors entering M.B.A. programs felt unprepared for technical writing and business communication. Argues that technical writing instruction would broaden preservice English teachers' discourse education and their knowledge of the kinds of writing people do…