Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to enhance awareness and foment the concept of "eco-citizenship" within today's students in higher education. Design/methodology/approach -The paper takes the form of a literature review on environmental issues and spiritual thinking, student reports, discussion. Findings -The paper's three main findings are: the need to develop educational methodologies that allow students to become advocates of a new society and way of thinking is insufficiently addressed so far; exposing students to such learning triggers a factual mindset change; and faculty and student engagement on matters of spirituality and environmental issues is becoming pivotal in a period where natural resource limitations in conjunction with overpopulation are stressing ecological systems to a threshold where it cannot be sustainable any further. Research limitations/implications -Further implementation of similar courses, and monitoring of students' long-term behavioral changes are suggested to verify if such courses trigger a domino effect in terms of the emergence of the "eco-citizen". Originality/value -This was the first time that such an educational approach was employed, where students not only critically investigated the course material in respect to environmental science and spirituality but also became facilitators to their own community, assisting in the development of good citizenship and enhancement of responsibility. It is clear to the authors that community interaction is very important in the curriculum design as the working ground to bring real world experience to the classroom as well as for the development of environmental and spiritual awareness. Based on the students' community activities and personal comments, in regard to the course focus and its effectiveness in changing their attitudes towards a more sustainable way of living, it was demonstrated that the course was successful.
Cognitive dissonance theory posits that inconsistencies between attitudes and behaviors cause an uncomfortable arousal state, and people are motivated to reduce this discomfort by changing attitudes or behaviors to increase consistency. This principle applies to research on political affiliation. Due to dissonance processes, individuals focus less on political information that opposes their views and pay greater attention when it is congruent with their views. This study adds to this research by examining whether political orientation causes a similar pattern of selective attention bias during the recall stage. Participants (117) studied a political article on a social issue representing a viewpoint that was favorable to Democrats. Next, participants recalled as much information as possible by typing the information in a textbox. Using a sliding scale, they also rated how they felt about the article in terms of arousal and affect, and indicated whether the article was neutral, positive, or negative. Democrats were predicted to recall more positive information and more positive affect after reading the article than Republicans. Surprisingly, more Republicans, rather than Democrats, recalled more positive information about the article. Finally, those who scored more conservatively on the political slider also reported more positive affect toward the article. Although contrary to the study hypotheses, these results have implications for our current understanding of selective attention in a political context by showing the bias also occurs at the recall stage. It takes a special effort to be able to think outside the bubble. The purpose of this study is to find what it takes to pop the bubble and change the mindset of political engaged people. Keywords: cognitive dissonance, attentional bias, political orientation, selective recall
Brazil is globally known for many reasons, varying from its sizzling Copacabana beach to its immense Maracana stadium. It is revered as the birthplace of world-famous soccer players such as Pele, Garrincha, Tostao, Socrates, and Ronaldo, and envied for its eye-popping carnival suits and mesmerizing samba dancers, but there is much more to this country. When considered from a business perspective, Brazil surfaces as one of the four most promising global economies, along with the other BRIC nations of Russia, India, and China, but how much of this vibrant economic picture is true? Having gained independence in the 19th century, there is much to be said about Brazil's current internal economic climate and social system. This chapter takes a less-traveled road in its review of Brazil. By examining this nation from the inside out, a less frequently presented, vulnerable image of this gigantic country is presented. Brazil's relationships with multinationals and with trading partners are reviewed against the backdrop of its lacking growth in national standard of living and its poor primary education system. Brazil is reviewed as the home of impressive industries, its ongoing technological dependency on other nations, and its performance as a supplier of natural resources to many industrial powers.
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