The Scout Report for Social Sciences
September 8, 1998
A Publication of the Internet Scout Project
Computer Sciences Department, University of Wisconsin-Madison
The target audience of the new Scout Report for Social Sciences is faculty, students, staff, and librarians in the social sciences. Each biweekly issue offers a selective collection of Internet resources covering topics in the field that have been chosen by librarians and content specialists in the given area of study.
The Scout Report for Social Sciences is also provided via email once every two weeks. Subscription information is included at the bottom of each issue.
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Research
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Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada--SSHRC
http://www.sshrc.ca/english/index.html
Conseil de Recherches en Sciences Humaines du Canada--CRSH
http://www.sshrc.ca/francais/index.html
The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), a federal research funding agency for higher education in the social sciences and humanities, aims to promote and enrich the social, cultural, and economic lives of Canadians. The expansive SSHRC Website provides information about the structure, people, and mission of the Council; news about current research supported by the SSHRC; guides to assist researchers identify fellowship and grant programs; policy documents and discussion papers; and a comprehensive list of human sciences sites, linking users to academic bodies, research databases, and other funding institutions. The entire site is searchable and is available in English or French. [AO]
[Back to Contents]National Archive of Criminal Justice Data [.pdf]
http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/NACJD/home.html
The National Archive of Criminal Justice Data (NACJD), a division of the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) at the University of Michigan, "acquires, archives, processes, and provides access to [over 550] computer-readable criminal justice data collections for research and instruction." An NAJCD data collection generally consists of a data file, an abstract file, a codebook file, and SAS and SPSS data definition statement files. Data collections can be browsed, searched, and downloaded--in either a compressed or uncompressed version--at the Website. Users also have the option of downloading the files from an anonymous FTP site. Though an initiative has begun to convert the documentation files to .pdf format, the majority of more than 45,000 data and documentation files at the NAJCD are in ASCII format; therefore, Adobe Acrobat is required to view some content. [AO]
[Back to Contents]The International Directory of On-Line Philosophy Papers
http://hkusuc.hku.hk/philodep/directory/
Dr. Joe Lau, Assistant Professor of Philosophy at the University of Hong Kong, maintains The International Directory of On-Line Philosophy Papers to facilitate and foster scholarly communication among professional philosophers worldwide. The directory consists of more than 460 papers and pre-prints submitted by philosophers working at academic institutions. The papers are arranged in thirteen subject sections, including four sections related to the philosophy of the mind. Each section is browseable, and the entire database is searchable by keyword. Every query yields detailed records which contain title, author, date submitted, subject area, format, and a URL linking the user to the item. Unfortunately, only some records provide abstracts. Dr. Lau encourages academic philosophers to contribute online papers to the directory, and he provides an easy-to-use submission form on the main page. [AO]
[Back to Contents]Index Morganagus
http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/~emorgan/morganagus/index.html
Developed by Eric Lease Morgan, a Systems Librarian for the North Carolina State University Libraries, the eponymous Index Morganagus is a full-text index that collects, organizes, and disseminates articles from over 80 library-related electronic serials. Each electronic serial in the browseable list of indexed titles links to its corresponding Website. The search engine for the index supports Boolean operators and truncation, as well as phrase, compound, and case-sensitive searching. Advanced users have the option to control other query variables--such as number of results allowed or output format--through the manipulation of radio buttons. Extensive help is available online. Mr. Morgan has created a valuable resource for researchers, library students, librarians, and information professionals. [AO]
[Back to Contents]Ethnoarchaeology Bibliography [Word]
http://www.ucalgary.ca/UofC/faculties/SS/ARKY/ethnarky.html
Dr. Nicholas David, Professor of Archaeology at the University of Calgary, compiled and updated the Ethnoarchaeology Bibliography to promote the historical study of cultural material. The Web and Word versions of the bibliography consist of a single alphabetical list of nearly 1500 citations, spanning from 1877 to the present. To expedite searching this extensive list, Dr. David and his assistants have developed an ad hoc classification system to identify intellectual content. Each citation includes a tripartite code that denotes the (sub)discipline, the geographic area, and the main topic of the cited item. This coding system allows users to search by keyword within their browsers or import the bibliography into a word processing program to conduct simple keyword searches. Although unwieldy, this bibliography is an excellent resource for students, anthropologists, and archaeologists. [AO]
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Social Sciences Research and Instructional Council Teaching Resources Depository
http://www.csubak.edu/ssric/welcome.htx
The Social Sciences Research and Instructional Council Teaching Resources Depository (SSRIC/TRD) facilitates computer-aided instruction of quantitative methods for the social sciences and supports the dissemination of research data. SSRIC/TRD contains seven instructional modules for social science research courses. Topics range from Exploring the Macroeconomy to California Opinions on Women's Issues, and modules include downloadable texts, exercises, codebooks, and datasets for use with SPSS or other statistical software packages. Also available at the site are a glossary of statistical terms, a full-text online version of _SPSS For Windows 7.5: A Brief Tutorial_, 13 independent data analysis exercises for students, and numerous other teaching tools and links for instructors of anthropology, economics, geography, political science, and sociology. [AO]
[Back to Contents]Teaching Politics: Techniques & Technologies [.pdf, RealPlayer]
http://teachpol.tcnj.edu/
Published by Dr. William J. Ball, an Assistant Professor of Political Science at The College of New Jersey, Teaching Politics: Techniques & Technologies commits itself to "increasing the quality of teaching and learning about politics in higher education settings." This site functions as a pedagogical information center for political science instructors. Teaching Politics' nine content sections provide educators with a variety of resources for and about instruction, including sections devoted to Conference Papers, Book Reviews, video tours and descriptions of Multimedia Classrooms, The Guide to Teaching, The Web Crawler (a local area search engine that indexes over 5000 political science Web pages), and the H-Teachpol Discussion List--a listserv for post-secondary political science instructors (discussed in the February 28, 1997 issue of the Scout Report). Users should note that most conference papers posted at the site are in Adobe Portable Document Format (.pdf) and many of the papers are accompanied by audio and video presentations which require RealPlayer. The video tours of the multimedia classrooms require RealPlayer as well. [AO]
[Back to Contents]Death Penalty Information Center
http://www.essential.org/dpic/
The Death Penalty Information Center (DPIC), a nonprofit organization operating out of Washington, DC, prepares analytical reports for the media, the public, and Congress on issues concerning capital punishment. Their fact-filled, frequently updated site supplies a wealth of full-text reports, briefs, and statistics examining all aspects of capital punishment. Topic sections analyze death penalty information in relation to public opinion, race, sex, age, mental competency, deterrence, innocence, and cost. A state by state listing clearly outlines and compares the legislation and the statistics for capital punishment nationally. A comprehensive list of links to other sources of information is also provided. [AO]
[Back to Contents]Sociology of Death and Dying
http://WWW.Trinity.Edu/~mkearl/death.html
According to Professor Michael C. Kearl, Professor of Sociology and Anthropology at Trinity University, death is "the central dynamism underlying the life, vitality, and structure of the social order. . .[and] reveals the most central social processes and cultural values." To explain and explore the social and cultural implications of death, Kearl created this extensive guide to sociological thanatology. The guide consists of a series of hypertextual essays divided into nine major sections, including Death and the Social Order, Bids for Symbolic Immortality and Longevity, and How We Die. Throughout the site, numerous links to relevant thanatological resources are provided. [AO]
[Back to Contents]Voices of Youth--UNICEF
http://www.unicef.org/voy/
UNICEF's Voices of Youth teaches young people about current global issues and fosters discussion of these issues among children worldwide. Comprised of three educational forums: The Meeting Place, The Learning Place, and The Teachers Place--Voices of Youth explores, through collaborative projects and interactive learning modules, the role of young people in relation to issues of human rights, work, gender, environment, and war. Each international forum has very successfully encouraged lively discussion among youths; approximately 7000 children from more than 80 countries have participated in discussions thus far. The entire site is searchable and some sections are available in French and Spanish. [AO]
[Back to Contents]Encyclopedia Mythica [Frames]
http://www.pantheon.org/mythica/
Encompassing mythology, folklore, and legend, the Encyclopedia Mythica--a collaborative reference resource with over 150 contributors--contains more than 4400 definitions of mythical and legendary figures and almost 200 images. Users may search the entire work by keyword or browse by topic areas. The browseable index is available in both a frames and non-frames version. The unique Miscellanea section compliments the numerous entries on gods, creatures, and heroes with pronunciation guides, maps, genealogy tables, brief histories of ancient peoples, lists of deities and ancient feast days, and the linguistic origins for the names of days, months, and celestial bodies. Contributions to the encyclopedia are encouraged. All submissions are reviewed by editor Micha F. Lindemans. [AO]
[Back to Contents]Reading List on Media and Society
http://www.ryerson.ca/mgroup/rlist.html
This extensive bibliography, constructed by Murray Pomerance, Professor of Sociology and Director of the Media Studies Working Group at Ryerson Polytechnic University, lists readings related to the critical study of media and its implications on society. The reading list consists of sections on film, television, and popular culture. The sections on film and television are divided further into subsections such as genre analysis, medium history, and gender study. [AO]
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The International Journal of Communications Law and Policy--IJCL [.rtf]
http://www.digital-law.net/IJCLP/index.html
The first issue of The International Journal of Communications Law and Policy (IJCLP) is now online. IJCLP is a quarterly, full-text, peer-reviewed electronic journal for legal academics and practitioners, covering topics related to "regulation and policy in the converging sectors of computing, telecommunications and broadcasting." All of the articles, case notes, legislative and policy analyses, conference reviews and abstracts, publication reviews, and work-in-progress in the journal can be viewed online in full-text or downloaded in .rtf format. IJCLP has an international editorial and advisory board and is a joint project of the Programme in Comparative Media Law & Policy at the Centre for Socio-Legal-Studies, Oxford University; the Administrative Law Department of the Institute for Information, Telecommunications and Media Law (ITM), University of Munster; and the European Media Regulation Seminar Group, University of Warwick School of Law. [AO]
[Back to Contents]Foreign Policy In Focus
http://www.foreignpolicy-infocus.org/index.html
Foreign Policy In Focus (FPIF), a cooperative project of two independent foreign policy research and analysis institutions--the Interhemispheric Resource Center and the Institute for Policy Studies, aims to provide the public and policy-makers with "recommendations for a more responsible and visionary US foreign policy." The FPIF project publishes a series of In Focus policy briefs as well as an electronic newsletter entitled The Progressive Response, which summarizes the In Focus briefs and informs readers about new developments in policy issues. Recent In Focus briefs include "US Russia Security Relations," "Aid to Russia," "Drug Certification," and "Democratizing the Trade Debate." [AO]To subscribe to The Progressive Response, send email to:
newusfp-manager@zianet.com
In the body of the message type:
join newusfp
[Back to Contents]Probation and Parole Populations, 1997 [.pdf]
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/abstract/papp97.htm
Recently released by the US Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Statistics, this report enumerates the more than 3.9 million men and women on probation or parole in the US at the end of 1997. The report lists the total number of parolees and probationers by region and state, scrutinizes the demographic characteristics of this record-breaking population, and compares the results with the totals from 1990 and 1996. Statistical breakdowns include sex, race, type of offense, number of entries, number of exits, rate of recidivism, and length of sentence. Comparative tables also list the ten states with the highest and the lowest supervised populations, with an additional column identifying the ten states with the greatest percentage increase. [AO]
[Back to Contents]New Offerings from Academic Publishers
Association of American University Presses: New Releases
http://aaup.uchicago.edu/new_releases/Baker&Taylor Academia--Upcoming Books to Buy (September 1998)
http://www.baker-taylor.com/Academia/M09/Home.htmlCambridge University Press
http://www.cup.org/books/hot.htmlPerseus Books By Category
http://www2.awl.com/gb/catalog/category.html
[Back to Contents]Conference Announcements
"Embodied Utopias: Gender, Social Change, and the Built Environment"
http://www.spc.uchicago.edu/CGS/
April 16-18, 1999 Chicago, IL. The Center for Gender Studies at the University of Chicago will host a conference examining the relationship between gender and projects of social transformation to provide "historical and social perspective to the systematic study of gender and architecture." Topics currently planned for panel discussion include virtual space, domestic architecture and spatial tactics, avant-garde and utopian architectures, and same-sex utopias/heterotopias. [AO]Alliance of Universities for Democracy--AUDEM
http://www.friends-partners.org/friends/audem/98index.html
November 8-11, 1998 Nitra, Slovakia. The theme for the Ninth Annual Conference of the Alliance of Universities for Democracy (AUDEM) will be the globalization of education. The conference will offer approximately twenty sessions examining the effect of global higher education on the development of the international economy, world democracies, and cultural systems. Possible session topics include distance education, accreditation, international cooperation, values and motivations in democracies, and higher education in post-communist societies. [AO]"Making History, Constructing 'Race': Situating 'Race' in Time, Space and Theory"
http://web.uvic.ca/~pahonen/MHCR.html
October 23-25, 1998 Victoria, BC, Canada. The objective of this conference is to assemble "scholars, students and activists to discuss issues relating to 'race', racialisation and racisms, to strategize for the future and to generally create closer links between people involved with these issues." The conference will have over 70 presenters from nine different countries covering topics such as Constructing Historical Identities: Race, Nation and Class; Strange Fruit: 'Race' and Violence, Past and Present; and In Theory: Race in Popular and Academic Thought. [AO](For links to additional calls for papers and conference announcements, see the Conference section of the Current Awareness Metapage: http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/scout/report/socsci/metapage/).
[Back to Contents]Job Guides/Funding Opportunities
H-Net Job Guide
http://www.matrix.msu.edu/jobs/Chronicle of Higher Education Job Openings
Humanities
http://thisweek.chronicle.com/.ads/.ads-by-group/.faculty/.humanities/.links.html
Social Science
http://thisweek.chronicle.com/.ads/.ads-by-group/.faculty/.sscience/.links.htmlAmerican Anthropological Association--Positions Open (September 1998)
http://www.ameranthassn.org/position.htmNational Endowment for the Humanities Grant & Fellowship Opportunities
http://www.neh.gov/html/deadline.html(For links to additional Job Guides, see the Employment/Funding section of the Current Awareness Metapage: http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/scout/report/socsci/metapage/).
[Back to Contents]New Think Tank Policy Papers and Briefs
Beach, William W. and Gareth G.Davis, "Social Security's Rates of Return for Union Households"--Heritage Foundation
http://www.heritage.org/library/cda/cda98-06.html
.pdf version:
http://www.heritage.org/library/cda/pdf/cda_98-06.pdfCogan, John F., "The Congressional Response to Social Security Surpluses, 1935-1994"--Hoover Institution
http://www-hoover.stanford.edu/publications/epp/92/92a.htmlRavitch, Diane, "A New Era in Urban Education?"--Brookings Institution
http://www.brookings.org/comm/policybriefs/archive.htmShort, Pamela Farley and Jacob Alex Klerman, "Targeting Long- and Short-Term Gaps in Health Insurance"--Commonwealth Fund
http://www.cmwf.org/health_care/short_long&short_gaps_259.html
briefing note:
http://www.cmwf.org/health_care/short_bn_259.htmlWiener, Joshua M. and David G. Stevenson, "Long-Term Care for the Elderly: Profiles of Thirteen States"--Urban Institute
http://newfederalism.urban.org/html/occa12.html
.pdf version:
http://newfederalism.urban.org/pdf/occa12.pdf(For links to additional new Think Tank publications see the Think Tank Policy Papers section on the Current Awareness Metapage: http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/scout/report/socsci/metapage/).
[Back to Contents]New Tables of Contents/Abstracts for recent and forthcoming issues are available for the following journals:
M/C - a journal of media culture (full-text)
http://www.uq.edu.au/mc/indexmain.htmlPSYART: A Hyperlink Journal for Psychological Study of the Arts
http://web.clas.ufl.edu/ipsa/journal/Review of Politics (abstracts)
http://www.nd.edu/~rop/recent.forthcoming/fall98/introfall98.htmThe Journal of Pacific History
http://www.carfax.co.uk/jph-con.htmIrish Studies Review
http://www.carfax.co.uk/isr-con.htm
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The Right Site
http://www.easidemographics.com/
Easy Analytic Software, Inc. (EASI) provides free access to demographic reports and analyses based on US census data. Reports are generated interactively by users who select from twelve different geographic divisions (e.g. ZIP codes, counties, or television markets) and from twelve different report types--which analyze variables such as income, education, and quality of life. These interactive demographic reports are produced quickly in an easy-to-read tabular format. More sophisticated special reports--updates, ring studies, profile reports, and demographic analyses--are also available to users who register at the site. [AO]
[Back to Contents]UK in Figures [Java]
http://www.statistics.gov.uk/stats/ukinfigs/ukinfig.htm
The Source, the Website of the Government Statistical Service, offers UK in Figures, an official statistical overview of the United Kingdom. Selected facts and figures derived from publications issued by The Stationery Office are presented in four categories: The Economy, The People, The State, and The Land. Each category has subsections that feature statistical tables summarizing data in areas such as employment, health, education, law, social security, and the environment. A breakdown of selected regional statistics is also available for Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and England. [AO]
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Political and Economic Crisis in Russia
BBC News Special Report: Russia in Crisis
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/special_report/1998/08/98/russia_crisis/
Washington Post: Russia Special Report
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/inatl/longterm/russiagov/russiagov.htm
MSNBC: Russia in Chaos
http://msnbc.com/news/RUSSIACHAOS_Front.asp
How Russia Is Ruled--1998
http://www.rferl.org/nca/special/ruwhorules/index.html
The Kremlin Power Game
http://www.intellectualcapital.com/issues/98/0903/icworld2.asp
Seeing the Bright Side of Russian Chaos
http://www.intellectualcapital.com/issues/98/0903/icworld3.asp
Crisis of Confidence
http://www.aei.org/ro/ro9464.htm
Russia Today
http://www.russiatoday.com/
Moscow Times
http://www.moscowtimes.ru/
The Central Bank of the Russian Federation
http://www.cbr.ru/eng/
This week's In the News examines the tumultuous state of affairs in Russia. These ten resources offer background, news, analysis, and commentary. In recent weeks, political turmoil and economic chaos have severely threatened Russia's stability as an emerging free-market democracy, prompting regional governor and former general Alexander Lebed to say that "the situation in Russia is catastrophic--worse than in 1917." Russia's latest political upheaval began on August 23 when the unpredictable President Boris Yeltsin discharged his prime minister, Sergei Kiriyenko, and reinstalled the previous prime minister, Viktor Chernomyrdin (see the April 7, 1998 Scout Report for Social Sciences). Chernomyrdin plans to create an "economic dictatorship" in Russia and to print billions of rubles to avoid total economic collapse. Yesterday, in an approval ballot to reinstate Chernomyrdin as prime minister, the Duma rejected his appointment for the second time in two weeks. Analysts predict that next week a subsequent ballot for approval will fail, the Duma will dissolve, and Yeltsin will rule by decree, without a functioning government, until new parliamentary elections are held. Russian political dissension has been induced by the country's severe financial crisis. On September 6, the Russia economy suffered a blow when the European Union decided not to offer money to Russia and spurned a moratorium on debts Russia owes to EU members. Today in another setback, chairman of the central bank, Sergei Dubinin, tendered his resignation. These events, compounded by ruble devaluation, limited tax revenue, and skittish foreign investments, have left the economy in shambles, despite the recent receipt of an enormous loan from the International Monetary Fund (discussed in the July 16, 1998 Scout Report for Business & Economics).
The BBC's Russia in Crisis, the Washington Post's Russia Special Report, and MSNBC's Russian in Chaos offer comprehensive coverage of current events in Russia, combining news with analysis and commentary. How Russia Is Ruled--1998, a report written by Donald N. Jensen for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, explains "who governs Russia in 1998 and, moreover, what difference it makes who governs." IntellectualCapital.com has recently posted two articles relating to last week's political machinations: The Kremlin Power Game by Natalia Timakova and Seeing the Bright Side of Russian Chaos by Jean MacKenzie. Crisis of Confidence, an essay by Leon Aron for Russian Outlook (a publication of the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research), analyzes the magnitude of the Russian crisis. Russia Today and the Moscow Times provide alternative resources for news, analysis, and commentary. The Central Bank of the Russian Federation, the epicenter of the chaos, maintains a Website offering information about monetary policy, the banking system, and financial markets, as well as providing a history of the bank and access to bank publications. [AO]
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The Scout Report for Social Sciences
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The Scout Report for Social Sciences is published every other Tuesday by the Internet Scout Project, located in the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Department of Computer Sciences.
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Susan Calcari
Andy Osmond Travis Koplow |
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Managing Editor Assistant Editor Production Editor |
Copyright Susan Calcari and the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents, 1994-1998. Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of the Scout Report for Social Sciences provided the copyright notice and this paragraph is preserved on all copies. The Internet Scout Project provides information about the Internet to the US research and education community under a grant from the National Science Foundation, number NCR-9712163. The Government has certain rights in this material.
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