Scipedia: Documents published in 2016

Academic librarians and libraries: four short essays and a funeral

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 10:07:50 +0200

The expected disappearance of the physical library at the academy is motivating librarians to assume new roles and develop new services, such as CRAI (resource center for learning and research), or information commons. CRAIs seek to overcome wishful thinking and lack of training with protocols and quality products such as CRIS, tools for the evaluation of the scientific production of the institution. Some authors criticize the lack of transparency of many CRIS products, which are private and not user friendly despite the technical quality, as well as the persistence of obsolete bibliometric techniques. In conclusion, the creation of a national super-CRIS is proposed, which should be managed by expert professionals and with political capacities.

The librarian-teacher-academic is a "paperless"

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 10:07:42 +0200

Academic librarians all over the world have assumed an extensive teaching load, in spite of the poor training and teaching experience they have in general. Their professional activities suffers from a lack of recognition and appreciation by other faculty members and from university administrators. The information literacy instruction provided by academic librarians supports the students in obtaining the skills necessary to complete their degrees and master's projects. In Spain these job duties should be recognized by establishing the rank of “faculty librarian”, a title held by many librarians in other countries.

Another degrees reform: from 4+1 to 3+2 or 3+1+1

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 10:07:34 +0200

The impact of the Spanish government decree RD 43/2015 on Library and Information Sciences studies is analyzed. The implementation of the European higher education area (EHEA) in Spain established the four-year bachelorís degree, a minority model in Europe, but very common in the rest of the world. Approval of RD 43/2015 opens the door to a three-year bachelorís degree and has been viewed with interest by some universities, especially in Catalonia. For LIS education, we can think in a 3 + 1 model, which includes the current bachelorís contents offering two titles (bachelor and master). On the other hand, it would be possible to create a two year masterís programs designed to meet the demands of graduates from other disciplines. The main drawback, in addition to fatigue from continuous changes in Spainís university education structure, is the need to ensure that the masterís first year has the same cost as one degree course.

Are things starting to change in the labor market for library and information science graduates?

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 10:07:27 +0200

The evolution of the labor market for information professionals in 2015 is analyzed with a focus on the graduates of library and information science (LIS). For those who were qualified from 2009 through 2014, statistical data from the Spanish Statistics National Institute (INE) report on employment were used. Also the labor market evolution between 2009 and 2015 for information professionals with university degrees was analyzed using data from the Spanish State Public Employment Service (SEPE). Finally, information was obtained through a questionnaire sent to LIS graduates in the 2014-15 academic year. The results are shown in tables and figures along with comments that complete the situation analysis. The three sources of information show signs of a troubled but improving labor market.

University programs in library and information science in Spain: 2014 data

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 10:07:19 +0200

A picture is presented of the state of library and information sciences programs in Spanish universities. Statistics are provided about the number and type of university programs, describing existing institutions, degree levels, student enrolment and instructors.

Perceptions 2015: An international survey of library automation

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 10:07:11 +0200

Results are presented of an online survey answered by 3,453 libraries in 63 countries between 14 November 2015 and 21 January 2016, based on their experiences with a total of 138 integrated library systems (ILS). The best products classified in the various categories analysed were Polaris, Apollo (Biblionix), Alma (Ex Libris), Symphony (SirsiDynix), WorldShare Management Services (OCLC), Koha (independent or self-managed), Library.Solution (The Library Corporation), Opals and Spydus. The original English report was published January 31, 2016 on the author’s website: http://librarytechnology.org/perceptions/2015

10º Anuario ThinkEPI

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 10:06:59 +0200

Aunque no sea una gran proeza, lo primero que sentimos los autores es satisfacción por cumplir 10 años, dado que muchas publicaciones no llegan a poderlo celebrar. Desde 2007, cada año hemos publicado un volumen de unas 300 páginas (lo que para hacernos una idea, equivale a 120 revistas mensuales de 25 páginas), que se va gestando de septiembre a febrero, toma forma en marzo y abril, y nace a principios de mayo.

Sumario Anuario 2016

Scipedia content — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 10:06:51 +0200

The Emotional Impact of Traditional and New Media in Social Events

Scipedia content — Thu, 28 Mar 2019 09:10:57 +0100

In past times, media were the sole vector to reflect in their entire complexity the events surrounding major world tragedies. Nowadays, social media are an essential component of the media process and classical press channels are connected to the social networking flow, where they can find information and, at the same time, tap into the emotional pulse of society. On 30 October 2015, a Bucharest nightclub was destroyed in a blaze tragedy in which 64 people were killed, most of them young. The present study focuses on how Romanian mainstream media and social media came together and made use of each other, generating post-tragedy side effects. Monitoring was conducted over a period of one month, starting from 30 October 2015, the date of the tragedy, until 30 November. Our investigation method combines content analysis and the interpretation of quantitative data, with reference to parameters such as context, themes, style, genre, and information/opinion rapport. The conclusions of this case study show that the interweaving between media and social media has generated a change of paradigm in mass communication, as a result of which professional journalists continue to play a role as responsible filters.

Digital Leisure and Perceived Family Functioning in Youth of Upper Secondary Education

Scipedia content — Thu, 28 Mar 2019 09:10:35 +0100

The «Network Society» is identified by accelerated changes that occur between real and virtual worlds. The progress of digital devices has generated a new model of leisure that it has conditioned family interactions. The aim of this research was to identify the relationship between digital leisure experiences and perceived family functioning in post-compulsory secondary education Spanish students. The sample was composed of 1,764 Spanish young people 15-18 years old; all of them were post-compulsory secondary education students. Students’ digital leisure activities were measured by an opening question by which they indicated the three most important leisure activities for them, and family functioning was measured by the answers from the Spanish adaptation for FACES IV questionnaire (Family Adaptability and Cohesion Scale). A descriptive analysis about digital leisure activities of young people was used. The family functioning coefficient of each subject was determined and, finally, the relationship between students’ family functioning perceived and students’ digital leisure practices assessed by a factorial analysis of variance (ANOVA). Young people give importance to digital leisure activities, highlighting social network participation, playing videogames and browsing the Internet. Cohesion, flexibility and family functioning are healthier when children don´t point to any digital activity into their preferred leisure practices. The results suggest that new research should be conducted to confirm whether this negative association between family functioning and digital leisure is causal or due to other factors.

Cyberaggression among Adolescents: Prevalence and Gender Differences

Scipedia content — Thu, 28 Mar 2019 09:10:13 +0100

The objective of the present work is to analyse the prevalence of cyber-aggression and cyber-victimization among adolescents in Asturias (Spain) and to identify possible gender differences. To this end, 3,175 adolescents aged 12 to 18 years were randomly selected from the student population attending compulsory secondary education in Asturias and assessed. They completed three self-reported tests: an ad hoc questionnaire on sociodemographic data and communication technologies management; the “Cyber-aggression Questionnaire for Adolescents” (CYBA), to assess how frequently adolescents acknowledge having exercised various cyber-aggressive behaviours in the previous three months; and the “Cyber-victimization Questionnaire for Adolescents” (CYVIC), to assess how frequently adolescents acknowledge having been a victim of various types of cyber-aggression in the previous three months. The results obtained show a high variation in prevalence based on the type of cyber-aggression or cyber-victimization analysed. Verbal cyber-aggression and online exclusion are more common than impersonation and visual cyber-aggression. There are generally no statistically significant differences between boys and girls. When differences do appear, boys generally tend to be more aggressive than girls, while girls are more likely to be victims. However, these differences are either small or very small. The implications of these results for future research and educational treatment of the problem are discussed.

From Prosumer to Prodesigner: Participatory News Consumption

Scipedia content — Thu, 28 Mar 2019 09:09:41 +0100

New democratic participation forms and collaborative productions of diverse audiences have emerged as a result of digital innovations in the online access to and consumption of news. The aim of this paper is to propose a conceptual framework based on the possibilities of Web 2.0. Outlining the construction of a “social logic”, which combines computer and communicative logics, the conceptual framework is theoretically built to explore the evolution of news consumption from a pure circulation of designed products towards a global conversation of proactive news designers. Then, the framework was tested using an empirical database built by the Pew Research Centre, which investigates the future of the news industry, through a large-scale survey with adults. Results show significant differences (by age, gender and educational level) in the forms of participation, access and consumption of news. However, whilst immersed in the culture of Web 2.0 there is a low-level of user participation in news production; far from being proactive news designers, findings suggest that citizens are still located in the lower participatory levels of our conceptual framework. Conclusions suggest there is a need for media education providers to carry out training initiatives according to the social logic possibilities through proposed guidelines.

Adolescents’ TV Viewing Patterns in the Digital Era: a Cross-cultural Study

Scipedia content — Thu, 28 Mar 2019 09:09:17 +0100

The deep-rooted changes that have taken place in the media world over recent years have brought about changes in both television itself and in the relationships established with this medium. Consequently, it is important to understand how young people watch television today, in order to design strategies to help them develop the capacities they require to ensure responsible use. With this aim, the present study analyzes the television viewing habits of 553 adolescents (267 boys and 286 girls), aged between 14 and 19, from Ireland, Spain and Mexico. Through the implementation of two questionnaires (CH-TV 0.2 and VAL-TV 0.2), four viewing patterns were detected that can be generalized to all the contexts studied. Two of these patterns clearly distinguish between boys (critical-cultural) and girls (social-conversational), with boys viewing more cultural and information-oriented programs, and girls tending to watch shows with a view to talking about them later with their friends. Two of the variables which best distinguish between the other two patterns identified are the perception of a conflictive climate (conflictive-passive viewing) and the perception of responsible parental mediation (committed-positive viewing). Moreover, preferred television genre was found to be the factor with the greatest discriminatory power in relation to these patterns, while time spent watching television, perceived realism and cultural context were not found to be significant.

The tablet for Second Language Vocabulary Learning: Keyboard, Stylus or Multiple Choice

Scipedia content — Thu, 28 Mar 2019 09:08:54 +0100

Mobile technologies are increasingly finding their way into classroom practice. While these technologies can create opportunities that may facilitate learning, including the learning of a second or foreign language (L2), the full potential of these new media often remains underexploited. A case in point concerns tablet applications for language practice: while tablets allow writing, as in pen-and-paper exercises, current applications typically offer multiple-choice exercises or fill-in-the-blank exercises that require typing and tapping. This change in medium and practice modality might have an impact on the actual second language-learning. Based on the embodied cognition perspective, this study hypothesizes that, for the learning of French L2 vocabulary, writing leads to better memorization, spelling, and use of diacritics in comparison with typing and completing multiple-choice exercises. This hypothesis is tested in a quasi-experimental classroom-based study in which learners (N=282) practiced French vocabulary on a tablet in one of three modalities: multiple choice, typing, and writing by means of a stylus. Whereas all three practice modalities aided learning, results show that pupils who had practiced vocabulary by writing or typing obtained higher scores on spelling and use of diacritics than the pupils who had practiced by means of multiple choice. Spending more time on learning vocabulary at a higher processing level leads thus to greater vocabulary gains.

Mobile Instant Messaging: Whatsapp and its Potential to Develop Oral Skills

Scipedia content — Thu, 28 Mar 2019 09:08:30 +0100

This study investigates the benefits of Mobile Mediated Communication (MMC) to develop oral skills in second-language learners. A total of 80 Spanish students taking a B1 English course at the University of Almería were studied in this research. According to treatment type, subjects were divided in two groups, experimental and control. A “Whatsapp” group was created where 40 of these students participated in a daily interaction during six months. The samples collected in the application as well as a speaking were used to measure the students’ degree of oral development and the type and triggers of the language related episodes (LRE) given rise to mobile chat-based oral interaction. This study focuses on such interaction and seeks to measure the students’ degree of oral development through a mixed analysis approach. A temporal axis is used to measure the differences between the groups studied. Significant improvements in term of oral proficiency were observed in the experimental group and negotiations were the LRE most common throughout the activity. It is worth mention that Mobile learning offers an environment where learners can ubiquitously negotiate meaning, reflect and evaluate on their own performance through authentic interaction and feedback, constituting a powerful tool for developing second language proficiency.

Teachers’ Use of ICTs in Public Language Education: Evidence from Second Language Secondary-school Classrooms

Scipedia content — Thu, 28 Mar 2019 09:08:06 +0100

Worldwide, curricular changes and financial investments are currently underway to promote the integration of technology in public education and English language learning at a young age. This study examines the ICTs that have become part of the daily instructional practices and educational settings of teachers of English who work with young learners in public schools. To this end, this mixed-methods study draws on a quantitative descriptive-exploratory design and a qualitative multiple-case study. The quantitative data were collected through a Likert questionnaire administered to 28 secondary school teachers of English across 17 municipalities in five regions of Southeast Mexico and 2,944 learners. The qualitative data were gathered from a subsample of six teachers through longitudinal classroom observations, teacher and administrator interviews, and school visits. The non-parametric analyses of the quantitative data and the categorical aggregation analyses of the qualitative data reveal that the use of some multimedia and mobile-assisted communication resources is emerging in the L2 public classrooms. In line with findings from other international contexts, variables that seem particular to public education for young learners and their school setting, however, led teachers to prefer using their own technological devices that included laptops, multimedia material, and cellphones, rather than those in the schools.

Original Language Subtitles: Their Effects on the Native and Foreign Viewer

Scipedia content — Thu, 28 Mar 2019 09:07:43 +0100

This study investigates the impact of same-language subtitles on the immersion into audiovisual narratives as a function of the viewer’s language (native or foreigner). Students from two universities in Australia and one in Spain were assigned randomly to one of two experimental groups, in which they saw a drama with the original English soundtrack either with same-language English subtitles (n=81) or without subtitles (n=92). The sample included an English native control group, and Mandarin Chinese, Korean, and Spanish groups with English as a foreign language. Participants used post-hoc Likert scales to self-report their presence, transportation to the narrative world, perceived realism, identification with the characters, and enjoyment. The main results showed that subtitles did not significantly reduce these measures of immersion. However, subtitles produced higher transportation, identification with the characters, and perceived realism scores, where the first language of viewers and their viewing habits accounted for most of this variance. Moreover, presence and enjoyment were unaffected by either condition or language. Finally, the main results also revealed that transportation to the narrative world appears to be the most revealing measure of immersion in that it shows the strongest and most consistent correlations, and is a significant predictor of enjoyment.

Seamless Language Learning: Second Language Learning with Social Media

Scipedia content — Thu, 28 Mar 2019 09:07:16 +0100

This conceptual paper describes a language learning model that applies social media to foster contextualized and connected language learning in communities. The model emphasizes weaving together different forms of language learning activities that take place in different learning contexts to achieve seamless language learning. It promotes social interactions with social media about the learners’ day-to-day life using the targeted second or foreign language. The paper first identifies three key features of the language learning approach, namely, authenticity, contextualization and socialization. How these features are related to the communicative approach of language learning are subsequently explicated. This is followed by further explication on how the notion of seamless language learning could inform learning designers and learners in synergizing the desired characteristics of language learning together. Eventually, we propose the SMILLA (Social MedIa as Language Learning Artifacts) Framework to operationalize seamless language learning with the use of social media. A case of seamless language learning environment design known as MyCloud will be described to illustrate the practicality of the SMILLA Framework.

Adults and Elders and their use of ICTs. Media Competence of Digital Immigrants

Scipedia content — Thu, 28 Mar 2019 09:06:42 +0100

The undisputed presence of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in our lives has led to the development of new forms of social, interactive and critical relationships. This study aims to compare the level of media competencies, in relation to six established categories, of two population groups: adults (aged 18-55) and elders (aged over 55). The sample was composed of 714 people from the eight provinces making up the Spanish region of Andalusia. The study conducted was based on the selection and comparison of results of specific items drawn from two separate questionnaires, directed to both population groups. The data were statistically processed in accordance with the distribution of the sample proportions. The objective was to identify and contrast the degree of digital literacy of these two groups, in terms of their use, productivity and interaction with technological tools. The results highlight the needs and demands of both groups in terms of technology, critical reading and audio-visual production. It is notable that adults aged 18 to 30 have a higher level of expertise in the interaction and language dimensions, while those aged 30 and above perform better in critical and participative dimensions offered by such media, such as reflection, analysis and creation. In the over-55 group, there is a direct correlation between income bracket and level of media skills, the latter significantly diminishing with age.

Dimensions and Indicators of the Information Quality in Digital Media

Scipedia content — Thu, 28 Mar 2019 09:06:23 +0100

The current information ecosystem, crossed by a logic mediamorphosis, is increasingly generating the emergence of digital media and information portals that do not follow the formal publishing procedures of conventional media. The crisis of traditional media has also changed the way we become informed. However, information quality remains a factor for discussion in the absence of unified criteria for analysis. In this regard, the question arises: how do we evaluate and assess the quality of information in digital media? This study aims to seek agreement between academics and media professionals on the areas and dimensions of information quality of digital media according to objective or quantifiable values. For this, a taxonomy of the dimensions related to information quality was created, based on the review of scientific literature and further evaluated and validated by 40 experts, including scholars and media professionals alike, who focused on verifying the classification´s reliability. As a result, three macro areas of information quality, containing 21 areas, inherently comprised of a total of 75 dimensions, were validated. Lastly, this study proposes a structured model that will allow for the analysis of information quality of digital media, both in its pre-information phase catalogued in the media-business and on the media-workers’ socio-occupational characteristics, as well as its final product and informational content.

Teachers' Perceptions of the Digital Transformation of the Classroom through the Use of Tablets: A Study in Spain

Scipedia content — Thu, 28 Mar 2019 09:06:04 +0100

This study examines the transformation of classroom dynamics brought about by the use of tablets for educational purposes. The empirical bases of this study were defined by the “Samsung Smart School” project, which was developed by Samsung and Spain’s Ministry of Education during academic year 2014-15, in which teachers and 5th and 6th year students attending 15 primary schools across several Autonomous Communities in Spain were provided with tablets. The research sample comprised 166 teachers. A qualitative analysis strategy was applied by means of: a) non-participant observation, b) focus groups, c) semi-structured interviews with teachers, and d) content analysis of teaching units. These techniques enabled us to extract and examine six dimensions of teaching (educational objective, teaching approach, organization of content and activities, teaching resources, space and time, and learning assessment). Our findings show that teachers tend to apply a transversal approach when using tablets to work on different competencies, focusing more on activities than on content through the use of apps. They reclaim the act of play as part of the learning process, and tablet use encourages project-based learning. To sum up, this study shows that teachers view tablets not only as a technological challenge, but also as an opportunity to rethink their traditional teaching models.

Digital Skills in the Z Generation: Key Questions for a Curricular Introduction in Primary Schoolq

Scipedia content — Thu, 28 Mar 2019 09:05:41 +0100

Media convergence and massive usage of Internet-connected devices, distinguishing features of our current society, cause changes in the way that new generations learn and access knowledge. In addition, emerging new digital skills are necessary for the Z generation to face the challenges of a digital society. This quantitative study, with a sample of 678 Primary School students, aims to provide empirical evidence about the level of digital skills of students belonging to this generation. The results show that the acquisition of digital competences is not inherent to use, but require specific instruction. Otherwise, there is a danger of creating a digital divide, not due to frequency of use or access to connected devices but to lack of instruction on how to use them. The absence of significant variance in the overall level of digital competence among Primary School students of different grades reflects, to some extent, that this level is largely acquired by informal activities with ICTs in an informal context, rather than by developing competences in a school context that affords gradual and progressive skills acquisition. The results show the need to address digital competence in schools, focusing on the systematic development and enhancement of its component areas to move beyond the informal level and reach the academic level, thus facilitating digital natives’ access to future employment.

The Wiki Learning Project: Wikipedia as an Open Learning Environment

Scipedia content — Thu, 28 Mar 2019 09:05:21 +0100

Traditional educational models limit learning possibilities to formal and closed environments. However, mobile technologies and digital platforms are changing this paradigm, expanding learning opportunities. Based on the principles of peer knowledge production, we argue that Wikipedia can be used as an open learning environment that serves several purposes: a) it allows the acquisition of basic skills; b) it contributes to collective intelligence; c) it shortens the global knowledge gap; and, d) it enables the creation of global learning networks. The aim of this study is to introduce the process, strategies, and results of the implementation of the Wiki Learning project at a Mexican university, as an open learning model for the use of Wikipedia as a learning tool. This project included a variety of activities, from article production to workshops by and for students and teachers; 115 students and 57 teachers were surveyed to identify their perception about Wikipedia, its use and potential as educational tool. The results showed that, although the majority are Wikipedia users, there is still a lack of knowledge about its functioning, structure and communities, and a negative perception of the Wikipedia. This poses a great challenge to overcome this stigma and recover the value of collective knowledge production, the purpose of the encyclopedia and its place as a relevant product of collective intelligence.

Media Competence of Teachers and Students of Compulsory Education in Spain

Scipedia content — Thu, 28 Mar 2019 09:05:03 +0100

Faced with a society that uses the media from dawn until dusk, it is imperative to identify the relationship between users and media. Therefore, this quantitative research aims to determine media competence levels of teachers and students in compulsory education in six areas. Media competence offers a diagnosis of possible shortcomings and needs educational intervention in both groups. Primary education students have shown an intermediate level of media competence. Secondary education students are at a basic level of competence in all the areas, except for technology and media literacy, which are at an intermediate level of competence. Most teachers have a basic level of media competence in all areas. Despite having a curriculum that meets the needs of media literacy in compulsory education and the proliferation of policies supporting technology, this is the weakest area in participants. A critical revision of school curricula and a consensus in their design and development would facilitate students’ shared training and minimize a possible exclusion in relation to media. Meanwhile an own curriculum and a training through a network of related professionals is the way to achieve higher levels of competence in both groups.

Media Literacy in Brazil: Experiences and Models in Non-formal Education

Scipedia content — Thu, 28 Mar 2019 09:04:43 +0100

This article analyses the status of media literacy in Brazil from the perspective of non-formal education. It quantifies the situation through a sample of projects (N=240) and organizations (N=107) that develop media literacy activities according to the internationally recognized three dimensions of media education (access/use, critical understanding, and media content media production). These projects are aimed at different communities of citizens according to various levels of segmentation (age, location, social status, social groups, and professional fields). The analysis shows the preponderance of activities geared to the production of audiovisual content (65.4%) and to expanding the rights and communicative capabilities of certain communities, generally excluded from the traditional mass media (45.8%). Moreover, the majority of institutions have projects with a medium and high potential of empowerment (77.6%). Based on the literature review and the analysis conducted, the research presents a model that can be used for studying media education projects in the field of non-formal education. Thus, this article offers an initial look at non-formal media literacy in a country that, due to its size and large social differences, should take advantage of the complementarities that non-formal education provides to formal education, and its curriculum, regarding the development of media education and empowerment of citizens.

The Ecosystem of Media Literacy: A Holistic Approach to Media Education

Scipedia content — Thu, 28 Mar 2019 09:04:28 +0100

This research article proposes a systematic way to disseminate media literacy education in Thailand, based on the UNESCO’s media and information literacy competencies. A media literacy learning schema was constructed using a mixed-method research before it was verified for efficacy and practicality by the in-depth interviews of media literacy experts. The interview data resulted in “the Ecosystem of Media Literacy” as a holistic and systematic approach to disseminate media literacy education. The Ecosystem of Media Literacy posits that the learning schema works in an environment that supports media literacy, with each component operating interdependently and in parallel with each other. It consists of the Media Literacy Learning Schema (Learners, Facilitators, Curriculum, and Pedagogy), the Society (Community, Civic Sectors, Media, and Parents), and the Policy. It is believed that using the Ecosystem model can lead to a behavior change among learners, the ultimate goal of education. In other words, media literacy will become a way of life. The Interview data also resulted in a new finding that Thailand’s media literacy components should consist of access, analyze and evaluate, reflect, and create, instead of access, evaluate, and create that the country has been using as a framework for over a decade. The findings of this research are applicable to other cultures with different groups of learners, with minor adaptations that can serve as a provisional policy guideline.

Media Pedagogy in German and U.S. Teacher Education

Scipedia content — Thu, 28 Mar 2019 09:04:10 +0100

Various research works and practitioners conclude that media pedagogy should be integrated in teacher education in order to enable future teachers to use media for their lessons effectively and successfully. However, this realization is not necessarily reflected in actual university curricula, as preservice teachers at some places can still finish their studies without ever dealing with media pedagogical issues. To understand, assess and eventually improve the status of media pedagogical teacher education, comprehensive research is required. Against this background, the following article seeks to present a theory-based and empirical overview of the status quo of preservice teachers’ pedagogical media competencies focusing Germany and the USA exemplarily. To form a basis, different models of pedagogical media competencies from both countries will be introduced and the extent to which these competencies have become part of teacher education programs and related studies will be summarised. Afterwards, method and selected results of a study will be described where the skills in question were measured with students from both countries, based on a comprehensive model of pedagogical media competencies that connects German and international research in this field. The international comparative perspective will help broaden the viewpoint and understand differences, but also similarities. These data serve to identify different ways of integrating media pedagogy into teacher training and draw conclusions on the consequences these processes entail for preservice teachers and their pedagogical media competencies.

Media Education as a Strategy for Online Civic Participation in Portuguese Schools

Scipedia content — Thu, 28 Mar 2019 09:03:31 +0100

Whilst various studies have examined participation on the Internet as a key element of a new emergent civic engagement, informally or formally through national and local governments’ online measures, less has been done to measure or suggest ways of overcoming social and technological constraints on online civic participation. Additionally, few studies have looked at the relationship between the actual implementation of such initiatives in classrooms and the messages which are conveyed indirectly as a result of teachers’ own conceptions of classroom strategies, which are perhaps better described as a “hidden curriculum”. This paper reports on these constructions through a set of detailed quantitative and qualitative case studies of the implementation of civic engagement through online activity in several regions of Portugal. The data, obtained through questionnaires, were used to produce novel composite scores reflecting the participatory and media literacy strategies of schools, as well as teachers and students’ media literacy and online civic actions. We present empirical results from a study population consisting of 12 public secondary school principals, 131 teachers, and 1,392 students in grades 11 and 12, suggesting that students’ online civic engagement and media literacy levels are affected by their teachers’ classroom practices and further training and by the implementation of a project-based approach to media education.

A Comparative Study of Handwriting and Computer Typing in Note-taking by University Students

Scipedia content — Wed, 27 Mar 2019 17:37:26 +0100

Taking notes is a common strategy among higher education students, and has been found to affect their academic performance. Nowadays, however, the use of computers is replacing the traditional pencil-and-paper methodology. The present study aims to identify the advantages and disadvantages associated with the use of computer (typing) and pencil-and-paper (handwriting) for taking notes by college students. A total of 251 social and health science students participated in the study. Two experimental conditions were chosen: taking notes by hand (n=211), and taking notes by computer (n=40). Those that used computer-written notes performed better on tasks based on reproducing the alphabet, writing sentences, and recognizing words (p

Youth and the Third Sector Media in Spain: Communication and Social Change Training

Scipedia content — Wed, 27 Mar 2019 17:37:06 +0100

The aim of this paper is to examine the role of community, free and university media in Spain as tools for media literacy and as instruments for creating a more critical and communicative citizenry. After a conceptual section, we analyse training processes in this area with regard to the general population and their reference communities, devoting particular emphasis to the involvement of young people. The triangulation research method was based on quantitative (a survey) and qualitative (focus groups) techniques. The results show that the third sector media in Spain act as invaluable tools for the acquisition of skills and competences that are transferable into young people’s professional and experiential sphere, given the ability of these media outlets to identify with their interests, aspirations and difficulties. In a broad sense, these initiatives contribute to expanding the right of communication in two different ways: on the one hand, because they are open to citizen participation in both management responsibilities and content programming; and, on the other, because their decentralized practices provide a laboratory for creative journalism which, in turn, is linked to social movements and other means of expression for citizens (NGOs, associations, etc.).

Gender Stereotypes 2.0: Self-representations of Adolescents on Facebook

Scipedia content — Wed, 27 Mar 2019 17:36:46 +0100

Adolescent girls and boys use online networking sites differently, and girls have a higher risk of being harmed by non-adaptive use. The aim of the study was to assess the extent to which adolescents portray themselves according to gender stereotypes on their Facebook profiles. Participants were 623 Facebook users of both sexes who responded to the Bem Sex Role Inventory (BSRI) and the Personal Well-being Index (PWI). In the first step, the adolescents responded to the BSRI with respect to how they view a typical adult in terms of gender stereotypes. In the second step, half of them responded to the BSRI with respect to how they view themselves and the other half responded with respect to their self-presentation on Facebook. The results show that adolescents consider themselves to be less sexually differentiated than a typical adult of their own sex, both in their self-perception and their self-portrayal on Facebook. The study confirms that the psychological well-being of girls decreases considerably with age and that it is associated with a greater degree of masculinity. We conclude that adolescents produce accurate self-representations on their Facebook profiles, and both boys and girls tend to offer a less sexually differentiated self-concept and self-portrayal than that of the typical adult, with a slight preference for masculine traits; moreover, masculinity is associated with a greaterdegree of psychological well-being.

Cyberbullying: Social Competence, Motivation and Peer Relationships

Scipedia content — Wed, 27 Mar 2019 17:36:27 +0100

The recognition of some overlap between face to face harassment (bullying) and via digital harassment (cyberbullying) could indicate that variables of social cognition, whose influence has been identified in bullying, also are present in cyberbullying. The aim of this research was to determine the social adjustment of roles involved in cyberbullying and to analyze the differences in the perception of social competence, social goals and peer support, between victims, aggressors and bully-victims of cyberbullying. A number of 505 teenagers (47.3% girls) between 12 and 16 years old (M=13.95, SD=1.42) participated in the study. Validated instruments for Spanish teenagers were used and psychometric properties for the adaptation of the scale of social competence were analyzed. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis showed optimal scores of reliability and validity. The cyber-bullying victims showed greater involvement in cyberbullying. Comparisons between roles with nonparametric tests showed that cyberbullies had the highest levels of peer support and popularity social goals. Cybervictims were highlighted by a high perception of social competence. Cyberbully-victims were described by their high popularity goals and low peer acceptance. These results support the conclusion that the way in which the peer group manages its emotional and social life may be explaining the situation of cyberbullying among teenagers.

Internet Use and Academic Success in University Students

Scipedia content — Wed, 27 Mar 2019 17:36:08 +0100

The use of technology is changing the way things are done, including the work in universities where the teaching and learning process are changing, and it is required to know the effect of technology on student achievement. In this research work, we present the influence of Internet use on academic success of students from five universities in Ecuador. A random sample of 4,697 people was got up and categorized in two groups: the use of Internet in academic activities and entertainment, using factor analysis and cluster analysis; the resulting categories were used as independent variables in multinomial logistic regression model which are seeking to determine if the use of Internet has impacted on academic success. The results show that people who perform interactive activities with peers and teachers or use in a balanced way the different internet tools tend to have more academic success than those who only seeks information. Regarding to the use of Internet in entertainment, a positive impact was found on academic achievement. Students who download audio, video and software, and students who use all the entertainment possibilities show less likely to fail than who using minimally Internet. In terms of gender, it has different effects for entertainment and academic purposes.

The Audiovisual Content Downloads among University Students

Scipedia content — Wed, 27 Mar 2019 17:35:44 +0100

This article analyses the phenomenon of downloading audio-visual content –movies and television series– which is habitually practiced by university students via the Internet; their attitudes towards illegal downloads; and the education/training that they have about the legal status of this activity. These issues are a frequent reality but are little discussed in our academic context. Data was obtained from a questionnaire designed ad hoc. This was administered to students enrolled in different university degrees (Audio-visual Communication, Primary Education and Social Education). We believe that these college degrees require ethical and legal training on the issues regarding downloading of content from the web. This education is an urgently needed training for young people who will work in educating and informing the citizens of the 21st century. The study results show that university students habitually consume a high percentage of online content from the audio-visual industry (films and television series). Students have clearly favourable attitudes towards this form of consumption. However, students show little regards to the ethical and legal issues surrounding downloading from the Internet. In addition, they have a very low degree of education and training on these issues. The results suggest the need to implement training programs and to conduct information campaigns to improve their information and digital literacy.

The Impact of Activity Design in Internet Plagiarism in Higher Education

Scipedia content — Wed, 27 Mar 2019 17:35:26 +0100

In this work we aim to gain a better understanding of the nature of plagiarism in Higher Education. We analyse a set of different activities in an online university-level course, aiming to understand which tasks lead more naturally to plagiarism. This analysis concludes that the activities that have a lower rate of plagiarism are activities that encourage involvement, originality and creativity. Subsequently, we reformulate the task that presented the highest rate of plagiarism, taking into account the conclusions of the previous analysis and trying to maintain their relative effort and educational impact. We then compare the newly designed activities with their original counterparts to measure whether there is a significant reduction in plagiarism. The results are clear and show a significant drop in the percentages of plagiarism. In addition, we performed an additional validation to ensure that both groups were, in fact comparable. We found that both groups displayed similar plagiarism attitudes in other exercises that were not reformulated. This study shows that it is possible to reduce the incidence of plagiarism by designing activities in such a way that prompts students to propose their own ideas using information available on the Internet as a vehicle for their solutions rather than as solutions in themselves.

Chinese University EFL Teachers’ Knowledge of and Stance on Plagiarism

Scipedia content — Wed, 27 Mar 2019 17:35:04 +0100

Plagiarism has engendered increasing concern in academia in the past few decades. While previous studies have investigated student plagiarism from various perspectives, how plagiarism is understood and responded to by university teachers, especially those in English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) writing contexts, has been under-researched. As academic insiders and educators of future academics, university teachers play a key role in educating students against plagiarism and upholding academic integrity. Their knowledge of and attitudes toward plagiarism not only have a crucial influence on their students’ perceptions of plagiarism but can also provide insights into how institutions of higher education are tackling the problem. The study reported in this paper aims to address this imbalance in research on plagiarism by focusing on a sample of 108 teachers from 38 Chinese universities. Drawing on both quantitative and qualitative data that comprise textual judgments and writing samples, it examines whether EFL teachers in Chinese universities share Anglo-American conceptions of plagiarism, what stance they take on detected cases of plagiarism, and what factors may have influenced their perceptions. Findings from this study problematize the popular, yet over-simplistic, view that Chinese EFL writers are tolerant of plagiarism and point to academic and teaching experience as influences on their perceptions and attitudes concerning plagiarism.

Antifraud Editorial Policy in Spanish and Latin American Scientific Publication: JCR Social Sciences Edition

Scipedia content — Wed, 27 Mar 2019 17:34:47 +0100

The process of publishing scientific papers should be based on universal principles of professional conduct: credibility, truth and authenticity. In academia, the inclusion of policies on ethical standards in journal instructions to authors could prevent misconduct and fraud in scientific publication. Due to the lack of attention to research ethics in the Social Sciences, in particular in Spain and Latin America, this research aims to analyze the scientific misconduct policy of the Spanish and Latin American journals in the JCR-Social Sciences Edition (2014). To achieve our goal, 104 selected journal instructions to authors were examined in relation to the following ethical principles: (1) the rights of people involved in the research; (2) the welfare of animals used in research; (3) conflicts of interest; and (4) publication issues. Our results suggest that publication issues such as unpublished research and the ban on simultaneous submission are the most frequently cited ethical issues. In spite of the efforts made by policy-making bodies to establish misconduct guidelines, very few journals adhere to ICMJE and COPE recommendations. Given the ethical heterogeneity evinced by our study, and by previous studies, it seems that the development of a uniform code of ethics in the field of Social Sciences may be required.

Plagiarism and Academic Integrity in Germany

Scipedia content — Wed, 27 Mar 2019 17:34:24 +0100

Since the 18th century, Germany is perhaps one of the European countries that has had the most intense public debate on dishonest scientific and academic practices, particularly in relation to doctoral theses. This debate was particularly productive in the late 19th century, giving rise thereafter to the obligatory publication of all doctoral theses as a prior requisite before the title of Doctor can be conferred by any German university. This paper presents the most significant progress regarding plagiarism and academic integrity, especially since the 2011 scandal concerning plagiarism in the doctoral thesis of the Minister Guttenberg, such as the creation of an effective collaborative investigation method for plagiarism in a scientific or academic work using the Internet and social media, which resulted in the «VroniPlag» Wiki. Also, the last two years have seen the definitive consolidation of the figure of «Ombudsman for Science» as a national instrument to prevent, manage and combat scientific dishonesty, as well as the publication in 2013 of a new version of the reference manual in this regard, «Safeguarding Good Scientific Practice». Finally, this paper analyses the conclusions of the German experience about academic ethics from a historical perspective, since its recent achievements and progress can serve as a reference for other European countries.

Teaching Ethics in the University through Multicultural Online Dialogue

Scipedia content — Wed, 27 Mar 2019 17:34:05 +0100

This paper presents the results of an international collaboration on ethics teaching for personal and professional values within the area of formal higher education using new communication technologies. The course design was based on the dialogic technique and was aimed at clarifying the students’ own values, defining their own positions related to ethical dilemmas, developing argumentative strategies and an ethical commitment to their profession and contribution to society. The online dialogue between heterogeneous groups of students based on their cultural background –the main innovation of this training– was possible thanks to the technological and administrative support of the participating universities. To analyze the effect of this innovative training we employed a quasi-experimental design using a control group, i.e., without the option of online dialogue with students from another culture. University students from Spain (University of Cantabria) and Chile (Universidad Autónoma de Chile) participated in this study. The positive results, which included better scores and positive assessments of both debate involvement and intercultural contact by students who participated in the new teaching program, support the main conclusion that the opening of international dialogue on moral dilemmas through new communication technologies contributes significantly to improve ethics training in higher education.

Powerful Communication Style on Twitter: Effects on Credibility and Civic Participation

Scipedia content — Wed, 27 Mar 2019 17:33:50 +0100

The aim of the present study was to examine the effect of two linguistic styles used in Twitter messages on engaging users in civic participation activities, understood as participation by citizens in community improvement actions. Using a socio-linguistic approach, an experimental intervention was carried out in which 324 university students evaluated the messages posted by the head of an environmental NGO on Twitter. The gender of the NGO head (male vs. female) and the linguistic style used for the posts were manipulated in terms of a «powerful» (e.g., assertive, direct) or «powerless» style (e.g., indirect, ambiguous). The gender of the evaluators was also manipulated in order to analyze potential differences among the overall impressions and evaluations between men and women. The results showed that «male» and «female» versions of the NGO head were perceived as more credible when they used a powerful as opposed to a powerless linguistic style. This effect was observed irrespective of the evaluator’s gender. Moreover, the test for indirect effects suggested that credibility mediated the relationship between a powerful style and the likelihood of engaging users to participate in the NGO’s agenda. The results are discussed in terms of the relevance of this type of communication for promoting civic participation in social media.

Models of educational integration of ICTs in the classroom

Scipedia content — Wed, 27 Mar 2019 17:33:35 +0100

We present in this paper the results of a study analyzing the scope and use that teachers make of ICT in classrooms and schools with abundant availability of information and communication technologies: one computer per student, interactive whiteboards, multimedia projectors and internet access. The main goal of this study is to detect models or patterns of educational use of ICT resources available in classrooms related to some personal and professional characteristics of the teachers that took part in the study, such as gender, years of experience, educational stage, digital competence and degree of use of ICT in their daily lives. A descriptive correlational design based on a survey study answered by over 3160 teachers from all over Spain who participated in the School Program 2.0 was used. The results show two clear different patterns of ICT use according to frequency and type of tasks assigned to the students: a weak integration-teaching model against a strong educational integration of ICTs. We come to the conclusion that teachers who develop a model of intensive educational use of ICTs are teachers with many years of professional experience, that make regular use of ICTs and, moreover, perceive themselves as sufficiently trained and with a highly developed digital competence.

Values and Emotions in Children's Audiovisual Fictional Narratives

Scipedia content — Wed, 27 Mar 2019 17:33:16 +0100

The aim of this study is to identify which values and emotions are transmitted in the favorite fictional TV programs of children aged between 8 and 12, according to their particular type of structure. Based on the analysis of media consumption reported by participants and their parents, as well as the ratings of children's fictional programs, two fictional programs were selected for this age group (Doraemon and Code Lyoko, with a narrative and non-narrative structure, respectively), and a content analysis of 86 episodes was conducted and validated by inter-rater agreement. The results show that a wide range of ethical and competence-based values are conveyed by both programs, although greater emphasis is placed on life-skill values, with aesthetic and transcendental values hardly being represented at all. While more complex emotions and some basic emotions (surprise, anger, happiness and fear) were found to be present in Code Lyoko, sadness was present to a greater extent in Doraemon. The results reveal that the level of empathy represented by the characters in both series is low, although it is slightly higher in Code Lyoko. The relevance of the study lies in the fact that it provides a useful method for measuring the appropriateness of media content in relation to the psychological characteristics of children, and contributes to establishing a solid basis for media literacy programs from early childhood.

Professional Information Skills and Open Data. Challenges for Citizen Empowerment and Social Change

Scipedia content — Wed, 27 Mar 2019 17:32:50 +0100

The current process of social transformation is driven by the growth of the culture of transparency and accountability, the socio-technological development of the web and the opening of public data. This situation forces the media to rethink their models of social intermediation, converting the growing open data access and user participation into new instruments that facilitate citizen empowerment. Open data can only generate citizen empowerment, facilitate decision-making and democratic action if it can provide valueadded information to the citizens. Therefore, the aim of the research is to analyse the competencies necessary to develop information products created with open data. The study used a qualitative methodology based on two instruments: a survey of data journalism experts (university professors of journalism, journalism professional data, and experts in transparency), and an analysis of selected cases of information products created with open data. The results allow the identification of a series of conceptual, procedural and attitudinal skills needed to perform the tasks of collection, processing, analysis and presentation of data, which are necessary for the development of this type of information product, and which should be integrated into the training of future journalists.

The Transformative Image. The Power of a Photograph for Social Change: The Death of Aylan

Scipedia content — Wed, 27 Mar 2019 17:32:36 +0100

This paper focuses on the role of the image as an agent for social transformation. The methodology adopted is a case study: the impact of the photograph of Aylan Kurdi, the three-year-old child drowned off Bodrum in an attempt to escape on a raft full of Syrian migrants. This is one of the most widely seen social photojournalism documents in recent times, and it had a huge impact on social media. The study applies an iconographic, iconological and ethical analysis to reveal the constituent parts of an image with the power for social change. In its main conclusions, this paper describes the potential for easy resignification of the digital graphic image as it symbolically transforms reality, and the power it has to generate processes of pronouncement and activism among citizens in digital environments. The results of the case study show that the value of an image for social change is achieved not only by the magnitude of the tragedy itself and the information that it registers, or by its formal aspects (iconographic), but mainly by being able to express a change of logic (iconological aspects) and to promote processes of reappropriation and denunciation. The ethical debate on dissemination shifts the problem from journalistic ethics to citizen responsibility.

Digital Civic Activism in Romania: Framing anti-Chevron Online Protest Community «Faces»

Scipedia content — Wed, 27 Mar 2019 17:32:20 +0100

This article presents the results of a quantitative analysis of two Romanian Facebook communities' self-presentations during the online and offline anti-fracking protests in Romania. In 2013 Romanians started to protest against the gas exploration of the US giant Chevron in the village of Punge?ti. The online and offline Punge?ti Resistance Movement turned within one month from a rural to a national mobilization tool meant to help the Romanian peasants affected by the proposed shale gas exploration operations of Chevron. Since the online engagement desired to finally turn into an offline participation is highly dependent on the informing practice, we consider that a framing analysis of the Facebook posts will reflect whether they are culturally compatible and relevant for the protesters. Using the framing theory in social movements as our theoretical background, we provided a comparative content analysis of two Romanian Facebook communities' postings (October, 2013 - February, 2014). We focused on identifying the verbal and visual framing devices and the main collective action frames used for the shaping of the online communities' collective identity. The findings revealed a dominance of «land struggle» as a collective action frame followed by «conflict» and «solidarity» and a salience of photos and video files used as framing devices of cultural relevance for Romanian protesters and of evidence of offline anti-fracking activism in Romania.

Watching and Tweeting: Youngsters' Responses to Media Representations of Resistance

Scipedia content — Wed, 27 Mar 2019 17:32:05 +0100

There has been considerable debate about the potential of social media to promote new democratic practices and active citizenship. However, the participation of young people in social networks seems to go in a more playful than ideological direction. This article discusses youngsters’ activity in Twitter simultaneously with the television viewing of two films: «V for Vendetta» and «The Hunger Games». As both films address social and political issues, we intend to identify whether youngsters referred to ideological issues in tweets generated during their viewing, and whether these tweets lead to joint reflection on the current social situation. 1,400 tweets posted during the broadcasts of the films in Spanish TV in 2014 were collected for this purpose. The encoding of messages is carried out following a «coding and counting» approach, typical of the studies of Computer-mediated communication. Then messages are classified based on their content. The results obtained indicate that messages about the social and political content of the films are almost non-existent, since young people prefer to comment on other aspects of the films or their lives. The conclusions have a bearing on the importance of considering popular culture, for its social and political implications, as a motive for reflection, and the importance of boosting a critical media education.

The Representation of Workingwomen in Spanish Television Fiction

Scipedia content — Wed, 27 Mar 2019 17:30:49 +0100

During the sixties and seventies the limited presence of women in the public sphere was reflected in the restricted repertoire of roles played by female characters in television fiction (mainly those of mothers and wives). The strengthening of the feminist movement in the following decades increased and diversified the portrayals of women in the workplace, and further encouraged academic research on the social construction of working women. Despite the relevance of female professionals in current TV shows, the importance of romantic relationships and sexuality has led to a decreasing number of studies on the subject. This article summarizes the results of a study on working women in Spanish TV fiction, part of a larger project on the construction of female identities. The research uses an original methodology that combines quantitative techniques and qualitative methods (socio-semiotics) to analyse the sample of 709 female characters. The results show a coexistence of the traditional stereotypes of working women in customer service and care-giving positions with those of highly skilled female professionals. However, the empowerment of women in positions of responsibility is often associated with a negative portrayal of the character, while the problems of reconciling family and work are systematically avoided.

Community Media as Exercise of Communicative Citizenship: Experiences from Argentina and Ecuador

Scipedia content — Wed, 27 Mar 2019 17:30:36 +0100

Recent Latin American reforms in the field of communication reshape and strengthen the role and challenges of the popular, alternative and community media. This paper analyzes different experiences arising from the results of two pieces of research, one in Argentina and another one in Ecuador, both carried out through a qualitative methodology, namely in-depth interviews. The theoretical framework mainly draws upon the grounded tradition of Latin American studies on popular and alternative communication for social change, and it also includes recent contributions from European studies. The objective of both research projects was to account for the communities-media relationship, by unveiling the existence of mutual bonds between social organization and content generation.’ Analysis of results shows that communities’ direct participation in the foundation, management and sustainability of such media reverberates in the production of organic content related to their own interests and needs –usually neglected both by public and commercial media– and also in a greater media pluralism and media supply diversity. Moreover, results allow considering popular, alternative and community media as key environments both for democratizing communication and shaping communicative citizenship. Both studies highlight a common challenge, that is, the need to consolidate trans-local and trans-national networks in order to establish a common action at the level of the media global order, thus enabling to measure their influence on the public agenda.

Miquel Àngel Pradilla, «La catalanofonia. Una comunitat del segle XXI a la recerca de la normalitat lingüística», Barcelona, Institut d’Estudis Catalans. Secció Filològica, 2015, 179 pp.

Scipedia content — Fri, 15 Mar 2019 09:55:58 +0100

Ressenya sobre el llibre de Miquel Àngel Pradilla, La catalanofonia. Una comunitat del segle XXI a la recerca de la normalitat lingüística, Barcelona, Institut d’Estudis Catalans. Secció Filològica, Biblioteca de Dialectologia i Sociolingüística, XX, 2015, 179 pp., ISBN: 978-84-9965-254-2.

E. Balaguer, M. J. Francés & V. Vidal (eds.), «Aproximació a l’altre. An approach to the other. Biografies, semblances i retrats. Biographies, resemblances and portraits», Amsterdam/Philadelphia, John Benjamins Publishing Company, 2015, 162 pp.

Scipedia content — Fri, 15 Mar 2019 09:55:51 +0100

Book review: Enric Balaguer, Maria Jesús Francés & Vicent Vidal (eds.), Aproximació a l’altre. An approach to the other. Biografies, semblances i retrats. Biographies, resemblances and portraits. Amsterdam/Philadelphia, John Benjamins Publishing Company, 2015, 162 pp., ISBN: 978-90-272-4017-0.

Francesc Martínez Sanchis, «Premsa valencianista. Repressió, resistència cultural i represa democràtica (1958-1987)», Bellaterra / Castelló de la Plana / Barcelona / València, UAB/UJI/UPF/UV, 2016, 290 pp.

Scipedia content — Fri, 15 Mar 2019 09:55:44 +0100

Book review: Francesc Martínez Sanchis, Premsa valencianista. Repressió, resistència cultural i represa democràtica (1958-1987), Bellaterra / Castelló de la Plana / Barcelona / València, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona / Universitat Jaume I / Universitat Pompeu Fabra / Universitat de València, 2016, 290 pp., ISBN: 978-84-490-6088-5.

Ferran Carbó, «Paraules invictes. Cinc estudis de poesia catalana del segle XX», València, PUV, 2016, 224 pp. ISBN: 978-84-370-9908-8

Scipedia content — Fri, 15 Mar 2019 09:55:38 +0100

Book review: Ferran Carbó, Paraules invictes. Cinc estudis de poesia catalana del segle xx, València, PUV, 2016, 224 pp. ISBN: 978-84-370-9908-8.

Anna Maria Babbi & Vicent Josep Escartí (eds.), «More about ‘Tirant lo Blanc’. Més sobre el ‘Tirant lo Blanc’», Amsterdam/Philadelphia, John Benjamins Publishing Company, 2015, 173 pp., ISBN: 978-90-272-4016-3

Scipedia content — Fri, 15 Mar 2019 09:55:32 +0100

Book review: Anna Maria Babbi & Vicent Josep Escartí (eds.), More about ‘Tirant lo Blanc’. Més sobre el ‘Tirant lo Blanc’, Amsterdam/Philadelphia, John Benjamins Publishing Company, 2015, 173 pp., ISBN: 978-90-272-4016-3.

Joan Veny & Mar Massanell: «Dialectologia catalana. Aproximació pràctica als parlars catalans», Barcelona, Publicacions de la UB / Publicacions de la UA / Publicacions de la UV, 2015, 397 pp., ISBN: 978-84-475-4201-7

Scipedia content — Fri, 15 Mar 2019 09:55:25 +0100

Book review: Joan Veny & Mar Massanell: Dialectologia catalana. Aproximació pràctica als parlars catalans, Barcelona, Publicacions de la Universitat de Barcelona / Publicacions de la Universitat d’Alacant / Publicacions de la Universitat de València, 2015, 397 pp., ISBN: 978-84-475-4201-7

Vicent Simbor (ed.), «Ironies de la Modernitat. La ironia del Modernisme al Noucentisme», Barcelona, Publicacions de l’Abadia de Montserrat, 2015, 277 pp., ISBN: 978-84-9883-811-4.

Scipedia content — Fri, 15 Mar 2019 09:55:18 +0100

Book review: Vicent Simbor (ed.), Ironies de la Modernitat. La ironia del Modernisme al Noucentisme, Barcelona, Publicacions de l’Abadia de Montserrat, 2015, 277 pp., ISBN: 978-84-9883-811-4.

The components of the passive. A diachronic perspective

Scipedia content — Fri, 15 Mar 2019 09:55:11 +0100

Abstract: In this paper we argue that «passive sentence» is a cover term with no empirical import or explanatory interest, an epiphenomenon. The properties of passives are derived from the interaction of the formal properties of the functional categories involved. This strictly compositional and constructionist view allows us to gain explanatory adequacy compared to previous approaches based on the properties of individual predicates. Our leading idea is that Romance passives are in fact participial absolute constructions with a light verb (ésser or estar) merged into the structure to license its temporal and discourse features. Specifically, two layers are relevant in passive sentences: a lower area headed by an Aspect projection and a higher one in the T-C system. We tentatively explore the possibility that phase theory could account for these facts. Addressing the topic from a diachronic perspective, further support to our view comes from the discussion of the crucial the role of the perfective system and the passivizing morphology of Latin. Key words: passive sentences, diachronic syntax, aspect, functional categories, lexical structure.

Mirror symmetries in the internal order of absolute constructions: from Old Catalan to Contemporary Catalan

Scipedia content — Fri, 15 Mar 2019 09:55:03 +0100

Abstract: Absolute constructions are supposed to display the main syntactic and interpretive properties of adverbial subordinate clauses but, in contrast to them, they lack any overt subordinating element. This article provides arguments against this hypothesis. On the basis of the argument fronting in Old and Modern Catalan, it will be claimed that absolute constructions introduced by una vegada and un cop in Catalan do have a subordinator which is compositionally built up from two discontinuous portions: on the one hand, a preposition which is incorporated in the sub-lexical structure of the participle, as proposed by Gallego & Hernanz (2012) and, on the other hand, a time expression (una vegada, un cop) that encodes an anteriority value with respect the event taking place in the main clause. Key words: absolute construction, word order, left periphery, topic, grammaticalisation, adverbial subordination.

A diachronic study of the (negative) additive anche in Italian

Scipedia content — Fri, 15 Mar 2019 09:54:54 +0100

Abstract: In Modern Italian (MI), negative additives are focalizing elements that typically obey negative concord with a clausal negation or another licensing negative element. In this paper we investigate the diachronic evolution of one negative additive element, neanche ‘neither/not even’. In Old Italian (OI, Florentine variety of 1200-1370), there is no evidence of morphologically complex negative additive focalizers such as neanche. Instead, the non-negative additive counterpart of neanche, anche, could combine with a negative marker or some other negative element: e.g. né/non… anche ‘neither/not even’. We show that, in OI, (i) the morphologically non-negative additive anche can be used both as a negative and as a positive polarity item; (ii) anche can function either as an aspectual marker with the meaning ‘(not) yet’, or as an additive focalizer with the meaning ‘neither/not even’; (iii) its different interpretations are mirrored by different syntactic positions, i.e. anche has an aspectual interpretation in the postverbal position taking scope over a verbal phrase (vP), and it has an additive interpretation in the preverbal position taking scope over a determiner phrase (DP); and (iv) anche triggers a focus semantic interpretation under both conditions: as an additive and an aspectual marker (see Rooth 1985, Chierchia 2013 on focus semantics). We account for the diachronic evolution from neg(ation) + anche in OI to neanche in MI by suggesting that the grammaticalization of neanche originates from a particular construction in which the additive anche is immediately to the right adjacent to the negative disjunction né (i.e. né+anche"neanche). Key words: additive, negative additives, focus, aspectual marker, grammaticalization.

The evolution of degree wh-exclamatives in catalan

Scipedia content — Fri, 15 Mar 2019 09:54:47 +0100

Abstract: This article discusses the evolution of degree wh-exclamatives from Old Catalan to Modern and Contemporary Catalan. Two major changes can be identified which transformed these constructions from a general pattern common to most Romance languages without obligatory inversion or a complementizer in the 16th century, to a less common one with obligatory inversion already in the 18th century and a complementizer in the 19th century. To account for this process, we argue that obligatory inversion is a general phenomenon related to the checking of [wh]/[focus] features, affecting also interrogatives and focus preposing, whereas the emergence of the complementizer is a result of the lexicalization of the exclamative Force head, and hence a specific and restricted phenomenon. Key words: exclamatives, subject-verb inversion, conjunction, Force, focus.

Syncretism and morphological change: evolution of the verbal ending -AT in catalan

Scipedia content — Fri, 15 Mar 2019 09:54:41 +0100

Abstract: The Latin verbal ending -at, found in etymons of forms of the 3rd person present indicative (1st conjugation), present subjunctive (2nd and 3rd conjugations), imperfect indicative and conditional (all conjugations), has generally become -a (cantat " canta) in Catalan. However, variant -e, now found in Northwestern Catalan and in Northern Valencian, is already documented in the first written evidence from the old counties of Urgell and Pallars (11th century). This divergence has received a phonological explanation, based on the assumption that in early Western Catalan final -t would have been lost late, which would have allowed the closure of the posttonic a (-at " -et " -e). Basing our argument on the principles of Natural Morphology, an alternative hypothesis is put forward in this paper, i.e. the emergence and expansion of variant -e can be attributed to morphological factors such as the rejection of syncretism. The data collected from CICA (Computerised Corpus of Old Catalan) seem consistent with this hypothesis, although the paucity of early texts advises us to be cautious in our conclusions. Key words: syncretism, linguistic change, Natural Morphology, verbal inflection, Old Catalan, Northwestern Catalan.

Introduction to the monograph «La gramàtica històrica i la teoria lingüística: una comunicació profitosa»

Scipedia content — Fri, 15 Mar 2019 09:54:34 +0100

Introduction to the monograph «La gramàtica històrica i la teoria lingüística: una comunicació profitosa», number 61 (Autumn 2016) of Caplletra. Revista Internacional de Filologia.

On the «favourable sociolinguistic conditions framework» for implementing the linguistic norms

Scipedia content — Fri, 15 Mar 2019 09:54:28 +0100

Abstract: This work aims to deploy the term favourable sociolinguistic conditions framework proposed by F. X. Vila, M. Nogué and I. Vila in order to make it academically operational to analyse the factors that would foster the implementation of the Catalan linguistic norm. To achieve this goal, the starting point will be the concept of Catalan Sociolinguistics and some works of ours. Following systematically this concept, the paper analyses the factors that would foster the implementation of the Catalan linguistic norms. This will be done following the usual stages in the process of implementing norms: codification (including selection), spread and implementation (or not). These factors will be tentatively classified within each stage in decreasing order of influence. At the end of the paper, a general overview of the sociolinguistic disciplines that are more relevant for analysing the degree of implementation of the linguistic norm will be provided. Key words: evaluation, implementation, linguistic norms, Sociolinguistics, Language Planning.

Direct internal arguments of nouns in catalan: a theoretical and descriptive approach

Scipedia content — Fri, 15 Mar 2019 09:54:22 +0100

Abstract: The aim of this paper is to describe the realization of the direct internal arguments of nouns in Catalan. It is based on the idea that some nouns, like verbs, are predicates, i.e., they express events and allow argument selection as well as theta-role assignment. It focuses on the direct internal arguments that are usually themes or patients and are frequently spelled-out as PPde. Nonetheless, data extracted from the analysis of 105 «transitive» nouns at CTILC show that PPde is not the only possible realization of these complements. Catalan allows direct internal arguments of nouns to be PPa, contra, vers, envers or cap a, as well as relational adjectives. Why does this variation exist? Is it systematic? Are there any factors that can explain it? This paper tries to shed some light on the diversity of realizations for direct internal arguments in Catalan. It shows that prepositional variation depends on Aspect, on nouns’ argument valence and especially on the thematic properties of the arguments themselves. Key words: syntax, Catalan, Noun Phrase, argument structure, genitive, dative.

Interculturality in catalan children’s and young people’s literature

Scipedia content — Fri, 15 Mar 2019 09:54:15 +0100

Abstract: This paper analyses the multiculturalism in children’s and young people’s literature written in Catalan between 2002 and 2006, a period when there was a marked increase in immigration and the debate about intercultural education became more intense. The study focuses on a corpus of 95 books selected according to different factors (namely, literary awards, positive reviews and recommendation lists). This enables a broad approach to be taken on the issue of cultural diversity. It must be pointed out, however, that the Catalan children’s and young people’s literature analysed does not reflect this period of cultural diversity. Including both the diversity already and that resulting of the new conditions created by changes taking place at the beginning of the century. Finally, a list of multicultural books and a list of books that can be used as teaching tools for intercultural education is suggested. Key words: Catalan Children’s and Young People’s Literature, interculturality, multiculturality, literary education, cultural diversity, Minorities Literature, literary canon, globalisation.

Recovering historical memory: Maria Carratalà, a pre-war theatre translator

Scipedia content — Fri, 15 Mar 2019 09:54:09 +0100

Abstract: Maria Carratalà was president of the Lyceum Club in Barcelona, a forum for women with artistic and intellectual interests, between 1933 and 1935. Her friendship with Artur Carbonell, a theatre director and later a professor at the Barcelona Theatre Institute, led her to translate dramatic texts that were staged at small venues in Sitges and Barcelona during the 1930s. Carratalà translated Cocteau, Pellerin, Tristan Bernard and Lenormand, among other writers. The aim of this paper is to highlight the figure of a little-known translator, who disappeared from public life after 1938, after a lifetime of cultural, intellectual and political commitment. This study is also the first publication of hitherto unknown extracts from the works she translated. Key words: Maria Carratalà, theatre translation, pre-war theatre, amateur companies.

Valencian elegy as universal topic: the fall of valencia from the Sharq al-Andalus to the Philippine «Romancero»

Scipedia content — Fri, 15 Mar 2019 09:54:02 +0100

Abstract: The article studies the development of the concept of Valencia as «Lost Paradise», from Sharq al-Andalus Arabic literature to the metrical romances developed in the Philippine Archipelago. The paper focuses on the conceptualization of Valencian Elegy and its use as literary topic from eastern al-Andalus to the easternmost Hispanic domain, explaining the implications of Romancero in the Philippines and the presence of the Kingdom of Valencia in Philippine Literature. The fall of Islamic Valencia under the Christians created a literary fascination for Valencia as paradise, which would cross cultures as literary topic. Its influence on Asian literature would prove to be significant in the conformation of Philippine classicism based on Moors and Christians dramas and romanceros. Key words: Sharq al-Andalus, Valencia, Elegy, Lost Paradise, Philippine Literature, Romancero.

Jennifer Duprey, «The Aesthetics of the Ephemeral. Memory Theaters in Contemporary Barcelona», State University of New York, 2014, 274 pp.

Scipedia content — Fri, 15 Mar 2019 09:53:55 +0100

Book review: Jennifer Duprey, The Aesthetics of the Ephemeral. Memory Theaters in Contemporary Barcelona, State University of New York, 2014, 274 pp.

Maria Conca & Josep Guia (2014), «La fraseologia. Principis, mètode i aplicacions», Alzira, Bromera/IIFV, 216 pp., ISBN: 9788490262818.

Scipedia content — Fri, 15 Mar 2019 09:53:48 +0100

Book review: Maria Conca & Josep Guia (2014), La fraseologia. Principis, mètode i aplicacions, Alzira, Bromera/IIFV, 216 pp., ISBN: 9788490262818.

G. Golobardes, «Diccionari grec clàssic-català», Barcelona, PAM 2015, ISBN 978-84-9883-787-2.

Scipedia content — Fri, 15 Mar 2019 09:53:41 +0100

Book review: G. Golobardes, Diccionari grec clàssic-català, Barcelona, PAM 2015, ISBN 978-84-9883-787-2.

Francesc Massip Bonet (ed.), «Repensar el sombrío Medioevo / Those Dark Ages Revisited. Nuevas perspectivas para el estudio de la cultura medieval y de la temprana Edad Moderna», Kassel, Edition Reichenberger, 2014, 245 pp.

Scipedia content — Fri, 15 Mar 2019 09:53:34 +0100

Book review: Francesc Massip Bonet (ed.), Repensar el sombrío Medioevo / Those Dark Ages Revisited. Nuevas perspectivas para el estudio de la cultura medieval y de la temprana Edad Moderna, Kassel, Edition Reichenberger, 2014, 245 pp.

Enric Balaguer, «Constel·lacions postmodernes», València, Publicacions de la Universitat de València, 2015, 200 pp.

Scipedia content — Fri, 15 Mar 2019 09:53:27 +0100

Book review: Enric Balaguer, Constel·lacions postmodernes, València, Publicacions de la Universitat de València, 2015, 200 pp.

F. Xavier Vila & Vanessa Bretxa (eds.) «Language Policy in Higher Education. The Case of Medium-Sized Languages», Bristol, Multilingual Matters, 2015, 218 pp.

Scipedia content — Fri, 15 Mar 2019 09:53:21 +0100

Book review: F. Xavier Vila & Vanessa Bretxa (eds.) Language Policy in Higher Education. The Case of Medium-Sized Languages, Bristol, Multilingual Matters, 2015, 218 pp.

Types of irony in Josep Maria de Sagarra’s lyric poetry

Scipedia content — Fri, 15 Mar 2019 09:53:14 +0100

Abstract: This paper analyses the poetry that Josep Maria de Sagarra wrote during the twenties and thirties —excluding El comte Arnau, Poema de Nadal and his satirical poetry— to reveal the deep reasons that favoured the ironic play. A clear difference in the poetry written in each decade is highlighted, in regard to a change in his personal circumstances and a sensitivity displayed towards new aesthetics. In 1920s poetry, irony, used as a defence, had to coexist with the intention of poetic purification, whereas in his 1930s poetry the impact of surrealism and the contrast caused by the knowledge of new lands perceived as strange provide new reasons for distance.Key words: irony, Josep Maria de Sagarra, pure poetry, surrealism.

Carles Soldevila’s irony: «Valentina»

Scipedia content — Fri, 15 Mar 2019 09:53:07 +0100

Abstract: This paper aims to study the importance of irony in Carles Soldevila by analysing his novel Valentina, published in 1933. Firstly, the author’s concept of irony is described. Then, we move on to check the use of irony in Valentina by considering: the narrator’s irony, irony of situation, verbal irony, gestural irony and hypertextual irony or parody. The narrator’s irony and verbal irony appear to be the most decisive: the former allows us to see the use of the narrator’s ironic detachment toward the characters; the latter shows the large variety of rhetorical resources used by both the narrator and the characters.Key words: Irony, parody, narratology, history of the novel, Carles Soldevila.

On irony of situation and bourgeois comedy: The case of Josep M. Millàs-Raurell’s «La llotja»

Scipedia content — Fri, 15 Mar 2019 09:52:58 +0100

Abstract: In this paper we address the uses of irony of situation in the construction of 1920s bourgeois comedy, taking as a reference text J. M. Millàs-Raurell’s piece La llotja (1928). Our analysis starts by considering bourgeois comedy as one of the most widespread forms of theatre, with an essential referent in Carles Soldevila’s dramatic production, represented in this paper by Bola de neu (1927). We then move on to the central object of our analysis, La llotja, which can be related to Soldevila’s work in order to ascertain the extent to which the same devices can be found. As a result of this comparison, the possibility of reading Millàs-Raurell’s work in terms of hypertextual irony is explored.Key words: J. M. Millàs-Raurell, bourgeois comedy, La llotja, irony of situation, hypertextual irony.

The basis of Calder’s irony: «La Glòria del doctor Larén»

Scipedia content — Fri, 15 Mar 2019 09:52:50 +0100

Abstract: This paper reexamines the different types of irony present in La Glòria del doctor Larén (1936), Pere Calders’s first novel. These include meta-fictional reflections by narrators and characters and other ironic means within reach of the narrator in the exercise of his functions, the author’s irony in the preface, irony of situation, verbal irony and parody. Through the diversity and recurrence of its ironies, the analysis shows that La Glòria del doctor Larén provides the basis for identifying the author’s poetic irony with the character, functions and style characteristic of Calder’s production of maturity..Key words: irony, metafiction, parody, Pere Calders, La Glòria del doctor Larén.

J. V. Foix and Romantic irony

Scipedia content — Fri, 15 Mar 2019 09:52:44 +0100

Abstract: This paper is based on the assumption that the general conception of irony cannot be applied to the works by J. V. Foix. Instead, they should be considered in the context of Romantic irony as conceived by Friedrich Schlegel, documented in Ingrid Strohschneider-Kohrs’ research. After defining the term “reflection” as the self-nihilation of the absolute, this paper analyses some of the poet’s prose poems, in which this kind of irony can be identified. In Foix’s writings, frequent meta-reflections on poetry or painting make texts or paintings appear illegible or endowed with great subversive power. A piece like “El Roc pertús” deconstructs the absolute exemplarity and orchestrates a play of ironic refraction, the final consequence of which is an anti-theological turn.Key words: irony, Romantic irony, German Romanticism, Schlegel, Foix, Avant-gardism.

Presentation to the monograph «La ironia en la literatura catalana de preguerra»

Scipedia content — Fri, 15 Mar 2019 09:52:36 +0100

Presentation to the monograph «La ironia en la literatura catalana de preguerra», number 60 (Spring 2016) of Caplletra. Revista Internacional de Filologia.

Language uses and ideology: How do Valencian university students behave?

Scipedia content — Fri, 15 Mar 2019 09:52:29 +0100

Abstract: The paper analyses the relationship between the ideology of university students from the region of Valencia and their linguistic behaviour. Apart from the traditional right-left wing political scale, the required self-defining ideology includes national-regional identity and opinion on the unity of the Catalan (i.e. whether Valencian is considered part of Catalan or a different language). These are issues of ideological dispute more or less explicitly present in the Valencian society. Language uses are also plural and diverse. In fact, it is worth analysing the correlation between the uses related to habitual behaviour or to a context of proximity and uses which are more intentional or are activated in secondary, non-proximal relationships. It is within the latter that ideology can play a more determining role.Key words: language choice, ideology, identity, students, Valencia.

Binary connective constructions in parliamentary debate

Scipedia content — Fri, 15 Mar 2019 09:52:22 +0100

Abstract: Parliamentary debate is essentially an argumentative genre because members of parliament defend a stance regarding a topic of discussion. This position is embodied in argumentative structures, parts of which are often defined by binary connectives (mostly causal and consequence, but also conditional, final, adversative and concessive). The aim of this paper is to analyse such constructions both linguistically and argumentatively in a corpus composed of three debates in Catalan taking place in the Parliament of Catalonia. The analysis is made both from a local perspective (case by case) and from a global perspective (each case integrated into the discursive chain). Firstly, our data are compared with the results of previous studies dealing with the relationship between discursive genre and the use of connectives (Castellà 2001; Cuenca 2013a). Secondly, the relationship between the uses of connectives and the degree of formality and preparation of parliamentary debate is discussed. Finally, the discourse construction and individual style of each Member of Parliament is analysed according to chain and coherence relationships as well as in terms of the type of argumentative order and movement.Key words: binary relations, connective binary constructions, argumentation, parliamentary debate, discursive genre.

On the correct interpretation of vowel phonemes in Alguerese Catalan: an acoustic study

Scipedia content — Fri, 15 Mar 2019 09:52:15 +0100

Abstract: Research on the Catalan dialects, often include mistakes in the interpretation of the Algherese vowel phonemes, and especially of the mid vowels /e, ?, ?, o/. The main goal of this study is to instrumentally evaluate the role played by the allophonic distribution of stressed vowels in the vowel space in increasing the risk of the misinterpretation of Algherese vowels by other Catalan speakers.As a result, the data obtained suggest a correlation between dialectal acoustic differences and the incorrect interpretation of Algherese vowel phonemes by non-Algherese scholars. For example, a tendency to interpret open-mid Algherese vowels as close-mid can be attributed (among otherfactors) to their realisation as perceptively higher than the corresponding ones in almost all the other varieties analysed in this study.Key words: Algherese, Catalan, vowels, segmental phonetics, phonology, Bark scale.

The Narcis Oller’s translation of «Un llibre trist»

Scipedia content — Fri, 15 Mar 2019 09:52:06 +0100

Abstract: During creative crisis at the end of 19th century, Narcís Oller dedicated himself to translation. One of the translated works is Un llibre trist, a collection of three texts of Leo Tolstoy. The comparative study of translation and reception of these works in Europe reveals that Oller used two intermediate sources for one of the texts, La mort d’Ivan Ilitx, and one source for the other two texts, Tres morts and La mort al camp de batalla. The comparison with the two intermediate sources also demonstrates the desire of Oller to do the translations well integrated into the Catalan linguistic and cultural system, to the point of causing the illusion that the texts are originals. This is mainly in the dialogues where the work of appropriation and rewriting can be clearly perceived. Orality incorporated by Oller in his dialogues approximates his translation to the original text of Tolstoy and distances it from intermediate French translations, which are stylistically much more neutral.Key words: translation from Russian, translator Narcís Oller, Leo Tolstoy in Catalan, indirect translation.

«Loa de la comedia de Montjuïc»: an armed dialogue between Catalonia and Castile

Scipedia content — Fri, 15 Mar 2019 09:51:59 +0100

Abstract: This article examines a brief dramatic prelude found after La comedia del marqués de los Vélez (1641) in the archives of the Barcelona History Museum. Due to its location and style, it seems likely that the same author wrote both the introduction in verse and the play, with the intention that the Loa de la comedia de Montjuïc be performed or read before La comedia del marqués de los Vélez. In this brief dramatic prelude, the anonymous author from Barcelona encourages Catalan citizens to arm themselves for war against Castilian troops, but he composes it in the Spanish language. Moreover, the anonymous author chooses the theatre —and not the propaganda pamphlet— to present his ideological views. Thus, the Loa de la comedia de Montjuïc becomes the only Catalan short theatrical propaganda piece written in Spanish about the Reapers’ War.Key words: Baroque Period, Theatre, Pamphlets, Propaganda, The Catalan Revolt.

Calderón de la Barca, Pedro, «La dama y el galán Aquiles (El monstruo de los jardines)», ed. Tatiana Alvarado Teodorika, Madrid/Frankfurt, Iberoamericana/Vervuert, 2013.

Scipedia content — Thu, 14 Mar 2019 12:04:58 +0100

Calderón de la Barca, Pedro, «El mayor encanto, amor», ed. Alejandra Ulla Lorenzo, Madrid/Frankfurt, Iberoamericana/Vervuert, 2013.

Scipedia content — Thu, 14 Mar 2019 12:04:51 +0100

Calderón de la Barca, Pedro, «A Dios por razón de Estado (con facsímil del autógrafo)», ed. José Enrique Duarte, Pamplona/Kassel, Universidad de Navarra/Reichenberger, 2014.

Scipedia content — Thu, 14 Mar 2019 12:04:37 +0100

Arellano, Ignacio, «Dando luces a las sombras. Estudios sobre los autos sacramentales de Calderón», Madrid / Frankfurt, Iberoamericana / Vervuert, 2015.

Scipedia content — Thu, 14 Mar 2019 12:04:12 +0100

La justicia conmutativa en Calderón y su solución al adulterio: uxoricidio o indulto

Scipedia content — Thu, 14 Mar 2019 12:02:27 +0100

Calderón deals with uxoricide following adultery in several of his works, providing different solutions according to the dramatic genre: human, commutative justice for secular plays; divine, merciful justice for religious plays (autos). On the other hand, contemporary laws al-lowed uxoricide in the case of women’s adultery, whereby the husband became judge, prosecutor and defence lawyer. The honour code went against the sense of justice itself, by punishing through vengeance those who had not committed any crime.

Conflictos femeninos de poder: damas rivales en tres comedias de capa y espada de Calderón

Scipedia content — Thu, 14 Mar 2019 12:01:03 +0100

Women play a very important role in the Spanish comedy of the 17th century. Female characters control the play action, manipulating the rest of the characters in order to reach their goals. Plenty of these comedies reﬂect the opposition between the beautiful woman and the discreet woman, who both ﬁght to marry the gallant they are in love with. Calderón uses this thematic structure in some of his comedies, in which discretion always wins.

Jardines duplicados en las comedias mitológicas de Calderón

Scipedia content — Thu, 14 Mar 2019 11:59:26 +0100

This article analyzes the technique of duplication focusing on the motive of the garden in La ﬁera, el rayo y la piedra, Apolo y Climene and Ni Amor se libra de amor. It starts from the symbolic construction of the garden in the baroque theatre and from the singularities that this space acquires in Calderón’s mythological comedies. The alteration of its traditional values cannot abolish its condition of the perfect setting for love. If this happens, the creation of new gardens will be needed. The study is particularly important in the last two plays mentioned, where the differences between the initial spaces and the duplicated ones are observed in their functions as well as in the conﬂicts and the topics that they carry.

«Fuego de Dios en el querer bien»: de Calderón a Bretón de los Herreros

Scipedia content — Thu, 14 Mar 2019 11:58:27 +0100

En este artículo se pasa revista a la visión poco halagüeña de la crítica teatral del diecinueve con respecto al teatro calderoniano, la llamada «querella calderoniana». Estas conﬂictivas relaciones se ejempliﬁcan en el caso concreto de Bretón de los Herreros y su refundición de la comedia calderoniana, Fuego de Dios en el querer bien. In this article, it is analised the reproving perception of the 19th theatrical critic to the theater of Calderón, what is known as «querella calderoniana». These conﬂictive relationships are illustrated by the example of Bretón de los Herreros, who adapted the calderonian play Fuego de Dios en el querer bien.

El taller de escritura de Calderón: el manuscrito RES-79 de la BNE

Scipedia content — Thu, 14 Mar 2019 11:57:12 +0100

The aim of this paper is to analyse the features of calderonian writing in a partially autograph manuscript. The manuscript Res-79, by which the second version of El mayor monstruo del mundo is preserved, allows observing two fundamental aspects in this dramatic creation pro-cess at the same time: on the one hand, the importance of the scenic determinants, because the two ﬁrst acts have the typical features of a company manuscript; on the other hand, the third act, autograph, is a perfect example of the dramatist’s effort to constantly perfect, explain and improve the poetic quality of his plays.

Coautoría de «Sainetes y mojigangas» de Calderón y Emilio Carballido (México, 1985)

Scipedia content — Thu, 14 Mar 2019 11:55:18 +0100

For Emilio Carballido, theatre was a pedagogical tool that could reach young people. Not only did he put several plays that dialogue with Spanish classical theater on stage, but also went on further and recast Golden Age dramas. That is what he did with «Sainetes y mojigangas», published in Teatro para adolescentes, sharing authorship with Calderon de la Barca: La tía, El desafío de Juan Rana, La rabia, and La muerte (Editores Mexicanos Unidos, 1985). The ﬁctitious co-authorship was not only meant to circulate classical drama among Mexican people, but also brought young readers/actors close to apparently remote authors. This article studies the function and the adaptation of Calderonian interludes on the hands of Emilio Carballido through an analysis of their composition techniques, recasting, and scenic resources. The double authorship transplants the plays in time and space to make them intelligible to an audience that the Spanish author did not address originally; thus, defending the validity and importance of classical theatre today.

¿Debe morir don Gutierre? Ambigüedad y límites interpretativos de «El médico de su honra» en los montajes de Adolfo Marsillach (1986-1994) y Teatro Corsario (2012)

Scipedia content — Thu, 14 Mar 2019 11:53:44 +0100

Amongst the numerous interpretations of El médico de su honra, Adolfo Marsillach’s adaption stands out for respecting the original ambiguity of the work through elements such as minimalism, timelessness, a psychological interpretation, and the inclusion of four anonymous characters as observers of a crime which is described in a cold and neutral way. In 2012, the veteran company Teatro Corsario, with Jesús Peña in charge, on its part, stages the calderonian play and eliminates its ambiguity: during the last seconds, Leonor seeks vengeance for the unfair death of Mencía by stabbing Don Gutierre. The present article analyses the conceptual implications of this drastic change by comparing the two adaptions with the aim of deducing different ideological models.

«El gran teatro del mundo» de Calderón, en las ilustraciones de Andrés Barajas (1986)

Scipedia content — Thu, 14 Mar 2019 11:51:00 +0100

I analyze Andrés Barajas’ illustrations of Calderón’s El gran teatro del mundo, manifesting the philosophical and theological hypertexts with iconographic palimpsests that inﬂuenced the prints of Barajas. Parting from the formal and hermeneutic input of Barajas’ work on the play and viceversa, it will be shown that there is an iconographic continuum from the middle ages to the twentieth century.

Neobarroco audiovisual. Una hermenéutica de «Memorias de apariencias: La vida es sueño» de Raúl Ruiz

Scipedia content — Thu, 14 Mar 2019 11:48:48 +0100

The present article analyses Raúl Ruiz’ movie Memoria de apariencias: La vida es sueño (1986) in relation to Calderón de la Barca’s La vida es sueño, which the chilenean director adapted to his situation of being in exile. Both Works play a central role in the history of audiovisual arts. The Spanish playwright synthesized the poetical, dramatic and scenographic resources in a way that converted theatrical presentations into an absolute work of art. Raúl Ruiz follows Calderón’s path and thus anticipates the work of other directors that used baroque elements in order to create a similar effect on screen. Both Calderón de la Barca and Raúl Ruiz are pioneer experimentators who universally changed aesthetics of representation and performance. Moreover, the Ruiz’ free adaption of La vida es sueño gives us the possibility to contemplate Calderón’s drama in a new way.

La reinvención de «La dama duende»: de comedia española a película argentina de exiliados

Scipedia content — Thu, 14 Mar 2019 11:46:23 +0100

This essay examines a classical work of Spain’s Baroque theater, La dama duende (1629) by the dramatist Pedro Calderón de la Barca, and a classical movie of Argentinean cinema, La dama duende (1944) by the director Luis Saslavsky. The play, belonging to the genre of cloak and sword drama, becomes a ﬁlm painted with the most well-known tapestry cartoons by Francisco de Goya. Likewise, the writers María Teresa León and Rafael Alberti transform this play from the 17th century into an extraordinary ﬁlm of Spanish Civil War exiles set in Argentina.

«La vida es sueño» en televisión o de un auto sacramental sin sacramento

Scipedia content — Thu, 14 Mar 2019 11:42:59 +0100

This article analyses the Spanish television adaptation of Calderón’s sacramental play La vida es sueño by Alberto González Vergel (1965), focusing on changes such as the elimination of certain parts of the text, the addition of images to illustrate the scenes, or the alteration of verses. It also examines the scenography, the wardrobe and the scenic music and compares these to Calderón’s vision and to the staging of Federico García Lorca. It will be conﬁrmed that Spain, in the mid-60’s, returned to a thinking of Enlightenment which rejected sacramental plays, a return that introduced Spain to Modernity but avoided the correct understanding of our Golden Age and so left our cultural heritage helpless in the face of powers like the omnipotent TV.

Bibliografía calderoniana 2015

Scipedia content — Thu, 14 Mar 2019 10:40:36 +0100

The Rocky Road to Sainthood: Saint Teresa of Avila (1515-1582) in the Collective Imagination of her Times

Scipedia content — Wed, 13 Mar 2019 12:34:43 +0100

Saint Teresa of Jesus is the most important modern model for feminine religiosity. Nevertheless, in her times, her actions and her persona were under the ecclesiastical hierarchy’s skeptical scrutiny. By means of an analysis of La vida de Santa Teresa de Jesus (1590) by Francisco de Ribera and of one of the many comedies composed for her beatification in 1614, La bienaventurada madre Santa Teresa de Jesús, an apocryphal work by Luis Velez de Guevara, I propose to configure a portrait of the Saint from the point of view of the epoch’s collective imagination. Her configuration in the collective imagination was not always positive.