In 1999, the staff of the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) of the Virginia General Assembly (the state legislature) completed a review of the Virginia Board of Medicine that found problems with the process used to regulate physicians and recommended major changes to a system that had remained relatively unchanged for almost…

A social problem is defined as public awareness of a gap between society's expectations and social realities. Factors which contribute to the creation of this gap are discussed, and strategies for keeping expectations and realities in a productive relationship are explored. (JB)

Analyzes the rise of PRolicy (public relations public policy) as it relates to educational policy, by examining the first Reagan Administration's use of media manipulation to shape public perceptions of its educational policy agendas. Discusses implications of market-oriented strategies for researchers, teachers, and administrators. (Contains 60…

Although presented by the press as a new phenomenon, the presence of undocumented Mexican workers in the United States is deeply rooted in history. While current policies tend to view illegal immigration as a social problem, the phenomenon persists because it benefits, politically and economically, both Mexico and the U.S. (Author/GC)

The author discusses the legal and extra-legal restrictions placed on public broadcasting stations, with respect to dissemination of political information. Although public broadcasting systems presumably exist as an alternative medium free of the commercial and time pressures that commercial stations face, the author claims that restrictions on…

Identifies a rhetoric of public theology that is specifically targeted for mass audiences in an attempt to influence religious and secular publics on public policy. Argues that such a rhetoric differs markedly from that of civil religion and displays three characteristics: expedient simplicity, existential content, and action rituals. (JD)

The challenge to public service forms of broadcasting posed by the adoption of neo-liberal communication policy strategies by a number of western European governments has presented the left with a dilemma. Traditionally these public corporations have been characterized as ideological instruments of class domination. Today, however, sections of the…

The purpose of this book is to explore the effects of public opinion on governmental policy making, with a special focus on the role of the mass media in this process. Specific areas covered include political campaigning, the President and the press, blacks and the media, and cable television. Topics of discussion in the ten chapters are: linkage…

Influences in the classroom of English as a second language (ESL) are briefly reviewed as a preface to a discussion of the past, present, and future of ESL instruction in Canada. Ten influences on ESL's past are examined in terms of their effects on ESL teachers: international, national, social, political, economic, commercial, media,…

The Arabization process in the Maghreb countries--Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia--is unique in that these countries are officially committed to the use of Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) while widespread use of French, a colonial language, persists, and the formal Arabic used in Arabization differs from the colloquial forms used in each country. The…

A survey of the status of language usage in Iraq begins with an overview of the usage patterns of Arabic and Kurdish, especially in the context of recent political events and the agreement to make Kurdish a second official language in the Kurdish autonomous region, and to allow limited use of Kurdish in instruction and public communication. A…

A survey of the status of language usage in Algeria begins with an overview of the usage patterns of Arabic, the Berber languages, and French. The country's return to Arabic as its official language after independence from France in 1962 is discussed along with the resultant language planning, issues of language of instruction at the elementary,…

A survey of the status of language usage in Singapore begins with an overview of patterns of usage of Malay, English, Mandarin Chinese, and Tamil. The function of English as a primary language along with the official language, Malay, is discussed, along with the history of the dominance of English since Singapore's role as a British colony despite…

A survey of the status of language usage in Zimbabwe begins with an overview of the use patterns of English, Shona, and Ndebele, focusing on communication between ethnic and language groups, the decline in native English speakers and increase in English usage, political issues, educational requirements for languages, illiteracy, and the media. A…

A survey of the language usage patterns in Zaire begins with an overview of usage of French as the official language and Swahili, Lingala, Ciluba, and Kikongo as the four national languages used both in their respective regions and as part of the mixture of languages used for official and unofficial communication purposes. The systematic study of…