Unrealistic as they may have been, television shows like Leave it to Beaver and Ozzie and Harriet served important social purposes during an age of tumult and anxiety. The domestic sit-coms of the 1950s played an educative function by reinforcing and disseminating traditional values at a time when forces of change were becoming quite disruptive.…

A substantial body of literature considers excessive corruption an indicator of a weak state. However, in nondemocratic societies, corruption--whether informally approved, imposed, or regulated by public authorities--is often an indicator of a vertical power rather than an indicator of a weak state. This article explores the interrelations between…

The present paper provides an overview of child sexual exploitation in Northern Ireland and related issues. It focuses on Barnardo's response to the problem of sexual exploitation and sets it in both a historical and a contemporary context. The paper considers the importance of recognising exploitation as child abuse and addresses specific myths…

The Current Controversies series explores social, political, and economic controversies that dominate the national and international scenes today from a variety of perspectives. Recent surveys have shown that, after years of decline, drug use among teenagers has increased during the 1990s, and that alcohol and tobacco use have remained…

Noting that scholars are beginning to take the relation between media corporations and other commercial corporations as seriously as they have traditionally taken the relation between the state and the press, this paper focuses on the public's belief that media are largely apolitically and value neutral. The paper argues, however, that the media…

It was hypothesized that fundamental belief systems contribute to the development of political attitudes and opinions above and beyond adherence to so-called "liberalism" or "conservatism." A 20-item instrument was developed and administered to 63 college males and females to assess their underlying fundamental assumptions,…

This issue brief explores the problem of child pornography and teenage prostitution and examines some of the strategies federal, state, and local governments employ to address these social problems. After a brief review of Congressional actions and Supreme Court decisions, state statutes affecting pornography and prostitution are reviewed, and…

This compilation of journal articles provides basic information on abuse of Talwin, a mild prescription painkiller (T's), and Pyribenzamine, a nonprescription antihistimine (Blues). These two drugs, taken in combination, produce an effect similar to that produced by heroin. Stories from "Drug Survival News,""Emergency…

A lack of clear national goals, increased bureaucracy, the infiltration of unions into the colleges, and the increasing emphasis on personal rather than organizational priorities have contributed to a growing national malaise. Our expectations are conditioned, to a large extent, by these factors and other external influences, including parents,…

Describes the increasingly hostile and complicated parent and student behavior which teacher education must currently prepare teachers to cope with. (CD)

Description of a social contract experiment, inspired by John Raul's attempt to develop and support basic principles of justice, that was added to a comparative social policy course. (ND)

Discusses the effect of technological change on the sociological structure of a developing country. Uses Turkey as an example. (MLH)

Concludes that responders to television editorials see themselves as more politically active and socially responsible than those who do not respond. (RB)

Finds that the journalist and the public frequently differ on issues regarded as important to the well-being of the press and society. (RB)

Pressures of politics and commercialism in Chile have altered the evolution of television from its original role as an instrument of education and cultural development. (RB)