Repressed spaces : the poetics of agoraphobia

In this intriguing and witty survey, Paul Carter tours the cultural history of agoraphobia. By analyzing the way people have negotiated open spaces from Greek and Roman times to the present day, he finds that "space fear" ultimately results from the inhibition of movement, and shows how this discovery can provide lessons for today’s urban planners and architects. Along the way, he asks why Freud repressed his agoraphobia, and examines the work of various theorists including Le Corbusier, Benjamin, and R.D. Laing, as well as artists such as Munch, Lapique, and Giacometti.

Heteroglossic spaces : interrogating academic literacies in teacher education

This paper explores the challenges of implementing critical writing pedagogy in conditions of increasing cultural and textual uniformity of literacy and emphasises the need for a pedagogy that takes into account the heteroglossic nature of writing space and its relation to the multiple textual practices of students. In practical terms, we argue for such literacy practices in teacher education that would require students not only to understand the complexities of language and literacy but to actively engage them in a diverse range of textual practices that would both stretch their repertoires as language users and sensitise them to the cultural-semiotic diversity of contemporary classrooms. This task becomes more urgent in the current era of standards, accountability and classroom pedagogies that are not attuned to the particularities of students’ textual practices and the communication networks in which they participate.

Playing with reggio spaces in higher education for teacher education

In its attention to how space can be thoughtfully arranged, Reggio Emilia has “reconceptualised space as a key source of educational provocation and insight” (Strong-Wilson & Ellis, 2007, p. 40). Such an approach advocates that educators pay close attention to the myriad of ways that space can be made to speak and invite interaction. Theorists recognise eight key principles (aesthetics, transparency, active learning, flexibility, collaboration, reciprocity, bringing the outdoors in, and relationships) which are considered essential to the notion of environment as third teacher. Drawing upon a successful capital rebuilding grant, this presentation outlines the process of reconceptualising and building a space for flexible research, teaching and learning within higher education. This presentation interrogates the successes and challenges which arise when innovating within a traditional space.

Hope of a nation - experiences of social exclusion giving rise to spaces of inclusion for people living with HIV and AIDs in South Africa : a reflection

South Africa has one of the highest rates of HIV/AIDS in the world. No one particular group is affected by the virus – rather, it is indiscriminate. Responses to HIV are diverse, and can be starkly contradictory. This author lived among the Xhosa people in rural Eastern Cape, working in community development. The program was a population-based youth empowerment program around HIV prevention. The work involved engaging youth in a range of civic participation activities, and networking with other community based groups and organisations, health and social services, and government departments. This reflection out a narrative of the lived experiences of social exclusion and social connectedness for people living with HIV/AIDS in rural Eastern Cape. It draws out the paradox of how the high prevalence of stigma and discrimination towards those with the illness, and their subsequent experience of social exclusion, actually creates opportunities for social connectedness through support group participation. This in turn is fashioning an emerging social movement breaking down barriers of stigma, and contributing to broader social change to support HIV action.

The reflection begins by outlining the current context and underlying determinants of the proliferation of HIV in the Eastern Cape, including a discussion of exclusion as a determinant. An exploration of how exclusion is also experienced as an outcome of positive HIV status follows. Finally, an explanation of how the experience of exclusion can be transformed into spaces of connectedness, and implications for health promotion practice in this context is also presented.

Creating collaborative spaces : the pleasures and perils of doing multi-disciplinary, multi-partner qualitative research

This paper describes our experience of managing a two-year research project that involved University staff from two different disciplines and three industry partners. It describes the benefits we gained from the involvement of multiple parties, such as the ability to call upon diverse expertise, the capacity to study a complex issue and the ability to make a direct contribution to industry practice. It also describes some of the difficulties such as managing across University structures, maintaining the collaborators' interest in the project, gaining approval from multiple ethics committees and managing the expectations of various stakeholders. The paper concludes with a number of recommendations for senior University staff and for researchers and points to ways universities could better facilitate involvement in these types of complex research projects.

Changing spaces

Using Gidden's structuration theory to explore marginalised young people's perceptions of a six-week outdoor experiential program, this study uncovers the processes involved in increasing the agency and control the young people have over their future health and wellbeing to enable them to make significant changes in their life styles.

Spaces of empire : culture, discourse, and urban formation with particular reference to British Hong Kong, 1842-1914

Traces the ideological formations of British colonialism using the techniques of modern European cartography to examine the practices of spatial production in Hong Kong's capital city, Victoria. This examination demonstrates how notions of British cultural identity and self-representation were inscribed throughout the colonial urban environment by considering the ways in which the British colonial authorities sought to condition, control, and maintain the organisation of space.

Using virtual meeting spaces for work integrated learning

Work integrated learning activities provide students with the opportunity to apply the knowledge and skills they have developed through their tertiary education to authentic work place problems. This paper reports on the outcome of a virtual work integrated learning activity undertaken by third year IT students. Students used a synchronous communication tool to participate in meetings with their virtual teammates. They were required to produce minutes and a report of their meeting. The majority of students completed the exercise successfully with some student groups using the meeting facility for subsequent collaboration during the remainder of the unit.