Social Movements as a Factor and a Result of Social Changes

The article describes relations between the phenomenon of social movements and social change. The analysis of the most important social movement theories and concepts is primary focused on two normally separately studied issues: the impact of social movements on social change and the impact of social transformations on the social movement sphere. In both of the cases the most important factors and directions of impact are shown. The article is concluded with the proposal of the integrated model of bilateral impact between social movements and social change.

Obedience to Teacher’s Authority in a Condition of Previous Arousing or Reducing an Individual Feeling of Power

The article presents the issue of obedience and disobedience, referring to Stanley Milgram’s research paradigm and the more recent models and observations gathered around this issue. Special attention is paid to the importance attributed to disobedience and its relationship with obedience. According to different authors it allows to see more broadly the mechanisms both of these processes than one-sided description each of them. First of all it shows also the role of the individual’s sense of power in shaping these processes. In the context of the theories author presents the course and results of an experiment. The experiment was devoted to the role of sense of power in determining students obedience toward the commands of the formal teacher’s authority. Project of research was based on a model of power as an approach-inhibition system by D. Keltner, D.H. Gruenfeld and C. Anderson. A part of undergraduates who participated in this study have been inducted in the sense of power, the second part have been reduced. Then checked whether and how long the persons from both groups comply with a groundless and an unreasonable teacher’s command. Hypotheses were confirmed. The results of the experiment are discussed.

Daily Life Esthetics. An Analysis of Emotional Patterns

Modern industrial design successfully combines beauty with usefulness. To describe this trend the term „emotional design” has been created so as to emphasize that utility is a necessary but not a sufficient condition of market success. This form of design might have been a response to a customers’ need for everyday objects not only to be practical but also to be beautiful and to evoke emotions. The basic model of emotional design by Donald Norman involves emotions on three levels: visceral, behavioral and reflective. The application of psychological knowledge seems reasonable on each of these levels. Most importantly, such knowledge will contribute to a better understanding why associating an object with emotions works and how it can be used most effectively.

The Policy of Standards. Constructing an Objective Field in Psychiatric Diagnostics on the Example of DSM-III

The article follows the evolution of diagnostic categories in psychiatry in subsequent editions of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), focusing on the third edition. The changes are determined by two processes: medicalization (the increase in the number of categories and expanding the scope of their application) and standardization (paradigm shift from psychoanalytic to positivist and pharmacological). From the constructivist perspective the Changes in the DSM are interesting for several reasons. They show a number of conditions such as economic interests, legal issues or social factors that take an active part in creating the diagnostic categories. The evolution of diagnostic can be seen in the descriptions of mental illness not as an expression of the progressive development of medical science, but as a transition from one paradigm of practicing psychiatry to another. Institutionalizing the new ways of describing mental illness has been done with the following elements and practices: the existence of a research collective (the individualisation of certain research domain), administering the research problems, transferring the research problems into the area of expert knowledge and make it inaccessible to laymen, rearticulating existing interests, highlighting anomalies in the old paradigm.

Gender Equality in Education as a Theoretical Construct and in Educational Practice

Gender equality in education isn’t only a theoretical construct, it is also the positive daily experience of girls and boys. This article analizes areas of inequality in education and shows examples of good practice which works to eliminate negative gender experiences. Firstly, four theoretical approaches to gender equality are presented from the historical perspective. Then, the article describes and makes a critical analysis of the Polish experience with specific reference to the rules of The Amsterdam Treaty, from the moment of Poland’s EU accession. These two contexts (the theoretical and the practical) will provide the basis for looking for a good solution to the problem of gender inequality.

Shaping Individual Multilingualism in the Early Stages of Education – European Context and Exemplifications

The article characterizes – in the European context – a relatively new term in the language teaching: plurilingual education. The are also discussed the pedagogical implications of the Language Awareness model, which can provide alternative and complementary approach to classical models of language teaching or conducting education in two or more languages. The paper also presents the results of qualitative research carried out in Vienna (Austria) and London (United Kingdom). The results illustrate solutions supporting the development of individual plurilingualism at the early stages of teaching. The main objective of this study was to determine what solutions supporting the education of children with diverse language and cultural experiences are being used in kindergarten and early grades at elementary school in Europe and whether these arrangements are developing plurilingual competence of all students. Analysis of existing solutions have not aimed at suggesting the ready-to-use strategies. That is why the description contain the identification of the emerging trends and factors that determine effectiveness of different solutions.

Educational Transformations in Venezuela During Hugo Chávez Presidency – Opportunity, Stagnation or Threat?

This article examines the huge changes that have occurred in the educational system in Venezuela at the period of President Hugo Chávez. It presents decisions and projects of the Venezuelan government and their overwhelming influence on society. Moreover, the text exposes the doubts which have arisen from the chosen course of reforms. The article attempts to answer the question whether education system can serve a policy purpose without being harmful to itself, and whether education should be one of the exclusive goods. On the one hand, it explains that the Bolivarian education can create a great opportunities for people to upgrade their educational and living standards in the future. On the other hand, it tries to illustrate that the omnipresent ideology is becoming very dangerous for quality of education.

Higher Education in Kyrgyzstan in Comparison to Global Educational Tendencies

The article describes the condition of the Kyrgyz higher education. Its characteristics is to promote access to this level of education, lack of investment whole sector, and inadequate education profiles to fit the needs of the labor market. General recommendation is to raise the quality of educational services by entering the International Higher Education Area.

The Problem of Economization of Education in the View of the Polish Conservative Journalism

The article attempts to present the position of Polish conservatives towards the process of economization of education. The public speeches published in press and on the web portals were primarily analyzed. According to the Conservatives after 1989 there has been expansion of ideology (neo) liberal in Poland. The essence of the direction of changes was to subordinate the public life to economic problems. These trends included the sphere of education. The main aim of the reforms was to use education as a simple tool to realize economic interests. The material efficiency became the priority of polish school – the basic criterion for assessing the quality of education was the profit they generate. Education was given the maximum practical size, tailored to the needs of the labor market. These processes were critically diagnosed by conservatives. According to them the effect of economzation of education was to produce graduates with no broad horizons and rooted in a culture focused on production and consumption, and thus susceptible to propaganda and manipulation.

Przemysław Wewiór (rev.): Anna Krawczyk, Hobbes i Locke: dwoiste oblicze liberalizmu [Hobbes and Locke: Two Faces of Liberalism], Warszawa 2011

Sonia Zieleniewska (rev.): Scott Lash, Celia Lury, Globalny przemysł kulturowy. Medializacja rzeczy [Global Culture Industries: The Mediation of Things], Kraków 2011

Dariusz Pakalski (rev.): Immanuel Kant, Dzieła zebrane, t. VI, Pisma po roku 1781 [Collected Works, Vol. VI, Writings Aft er the Year 1781], Toruń 2012

Arkadiusz Karwacki: Contemporary Problems of Social Policy in Poland – the Context of the Conference of The Polish Society for Social Policy