Defines the transmission of gossip as an essential social process reflecting a shared group membership and discusses the ways in which gossip supports ideologies held by members of a specific occupation. (MH)

Outlines seven principles, in Swahili and English, of Kwanzaa, known as the Nguzo Saba: umoja (unity), kujichagulia (self-determination), ujima (collective work and responsibility), ujamaa (cooperative economics), nia (purpose), kuumba (creativity), and imani (faith). Uses these principles to lay the foundation for a problem-posing education in…

The forming stage is when group members get acquainted. During the storming stage, conflict and competition arise. Good things are beginning to happen during the norming stage. The performing stage is highly productive, featuring unity and group identity. The transforming stage allows members to regroup, thank each other, and disengage. Adventure…

Discusses the sudden unification of the systems of higher education in the German Democratic Republic (GDR) and the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG), with the resulting assimilation by the former GDR of many of the problems of the FRG system. Suggests that more than 10 years after the reunification of Germany, it is time to bring about a reform…

Examined the relationship between group processes and group performance and cohesion in task and social groups using college students (N=160) as subjects. Found results supported the conceptual distinction between cohesion and performance and the importance of processes dealing with both the task and group maintenance. (Author/ABL)

Since January 1993, almost 5,000 Mayan refugees have returned to Guatemala from Mexican camps to which they had fled in the 1980s following army massacres and destruction of villages. The refugees overcame historical differences among 22 Mayan ethnic groups, forged a Pan-Mayan unity, and, with international support, persuaded the Guatemalan…

Suggests that humor promotes group unity, relieves tension, and stimulates creative thinking. Demonstrates how using cartoons in nursing education helps students identify and examine stereotypes to improve relationships. (SK)

Analyzes the way a specific narrative text (Lawrence Kasdan's 1983 feature film "The Big Chill") confronts the relationship between communal norms and political possibilities. Shows how the film enacts a complex disjunctive narrative argument endorsing a specific form of communal affiliation (what Hannah Arendt refers to as…

Investigates the relationship between perceived discrimination and self-esteem of ethnic-minority adolescents in the Netherlands. Explains that the participants perceived the following: (1) a higher level of discrimination directed at their groups; (2) their personal self-esteem as independent of the group; and (3) that group discrimination was…

Explores the concept of rituals and presents six elements of rituals. Teaching parents how to develop simple family rituals can assist with issues and positively impact children's lives. Within the sacred space of rituals, families form deeper bonds and children develop lasting images of their parents' love. (Author/JDM)

Continues a discussion from the January 2001 issue on community building in college unions and on college campuses, exploring what college union staffs can do to develop unity and community while still recognizing differences. Provides a list of suggested community-building activities. (EV)

Reminisces about last year's educator's strike In Hawaii, the first time a strike has shut down a state's entire education system. Relishes the unity and power demonstrated by colleagues at the University of Hawaii Professional Assembly, but acknowledges that there are great differences in what different sectors of the faculty--especially research…

Describes how, at the University of Maryland, the potentially disruptive events of September 11 had the effect of uniting diverse groups; the spontaneous as well as the planned activities forged a community with common ethos and purpose. (EV)

With trust as its antecedent, social capital comprises the potential capacities of a people to prosper. Building on the presence of social capital, social cohesion involves the internalization of social ethics and constitutes the level of realized propensity among citizens to engage in virtuous behavior for the common good. This theory elaboration…