This article extends an invitation to fellow civic engagement educators and others to reflect on how an eclectic and personal selection of great works of literature raises and illuminates some of the critical questions surrounding the concept and practice of civic engagement. Through literature we can explore the implications of various ideas and…

Educational research is repeatedly confronted with the question of its relevance. Current interpretations of relevance narrowly focus on outcomes and impact of research. In this essay, we propose an alternative, ontological conceptualization of relevance, arguing that more is at stake than outcomes and impact. We characterize the ontology of…

This paper draws on the Chinese and English literature on the Chinese idea of "tianxia" (literally meaning all under heaven), with the objective of shedding new light on the discussion of the global in global higher education (studies). It argues that the "tianxia" idea embodies an approach to viewing the world that is…

The old management system crisis and the involvement of new social sectors into participation in management encourage us to study the humanitarian foundations of managing the higher education system. This article discusses the issues of managerial humanitology and the content of special education, and the ratio of civil and professional elements…

Teaching learners with different disciplinary backgrounds, aptitudes, worldviews and cultures is an abiding problem in Higher Education. Special measures are needed to ensure that course design, teaching methods and, especially, assessment does not exclude, alienate or disinvite learners simply because they have different capabilities and ways of…

Culturally responsive evaluation contests that Western-derived evaluation methods represent a universal truth and promotes approaches that reflect the local context. Taking this approach, we examine how the method of contribution analysis may be modified to reflect a different worldview. We reframe contribution analysis using a Confucian lens as…

The relevance of the researched problem stems from ecological issues that are a reflection of the contemporary culture crisis covering the whole range of people's interactions with each other, with society and with nature. In many respects, an ecological crisis is an ideological crisis and global environmental problems are impossible to solve…

According to this author, the Earth is in trouble. Decades of mining, over-fishing, and the pumping of toxic chemicals into the atmosphere have taken an enormous toll on an otherwise robust and healthy planetary ecosystem. Those responsible have prioritized financial gain over sustainability, over life--plant, animal, and human. Short-term profit…

This critical literature review argues that, in a world of increasing global interconnectedness, balancing the two diametrically opposite forces of globalism and tribalism is of critical importance. The article begins with a brief description of the world of the 21st century and goes on to discuss the terms "globalism" and "tribalism" within this…

Christmas literature and film produced for children is an important, albeit under-researched, site for the production of cultural values and norms. This paper analyses Chris Van Allsburg's 1985 picture book "The Polar Express", the 2004 Warner Brothers feature film of the same title, the film's official website, and resources for teachers…

The paper will present findings from a Social Science and Humanities Research (SSHRC) funded participatory evaluation conducted over the past four years in the Cree nation of Wemindji in Quebec, Canada. COOL (Challenging Our Own Limits) or "Nigawchiisuun" in Cree, was launched in 2003 as part of a broader program of governance…

This study draws together two research traditions: John Greer's pioneering research among pupils in Protestant and Catholic schools in Northern Ireland and Leslie J. Francis's research concerning teenage religion and values in England and Wales. A sample of 1,585 13- to 15-year-old male pupils attending Catholic schools (n = 712) and Protestant…

This article, based on an interpretive study, examines what happens when a team of teaching fellows and their supervisor attempt to address what they have identified as a "pedagogical crisis" in a social foundations of education course. Student proclivities had resulted in extreme polarization regarding contested social issues. By using a…