March 2002
Program Notes
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First Week (March 2 - 8)
Standards of Learning 2002
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S.O.L. - these three letters are burned into the mind of every Virginia high
school student and her parents. They represent a high-stakes test. Come 2004,
the Standards of Learning exams will determine whether a student can graduate
from high school. What are the risks of high-stakes testing? Are standardized
tests the best way to measure a student's knowledge? And how far have we come
since SOL's were proposed in the mid-90s? Education professors William Owings
(LC) and Patricia Shoemaker (RU) help us answer these questions.
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Second Week (March 9 - 15)
The Death Penalty
and the Mentally Retarded
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Eighteen of the 30 states with the death penalty now prohibit the execution
of mentally retarded killers. Thirteen years ago the U.S. Supreme Court said that
subjecting the mentally retarded to the death penalty does not amount to "cruel
and unusual punishment." But last month, the high court again tackled the
issue, hearing the case of a Virginia death row inmate. And this year Virginia
lawmakers considered proposals to prohibit the practice. Joanmarie Davoli (GMU),
director of the Law and Psychiatry Center, and Margaret Edds (VFH), a columnist
and editorial writer for The Virginian-Pilot, discuss some of the questions
justices and lawmakers must address. Also featured: A look at the case of Daryl
Atkins, the Virginia man whose appeal the Supreme Court heard.
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Third Week (March 16 - 22)
Thinking Visually:
The Talents of Dyslexics
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Few disorders are more common - and more misunderstood - than dyslexia. Recent
research suggests the regions of the brain associated with visual and spatial
thinking are larger in dyslexics, while regions responsible for verbal skills
are smaller. Such an explanation helps to make sense of the reading difficulties
and verbal gaffes associated with dyslexia. It also lends credence to those who
claim the disorder may sometimes be a blessing in disguise. Were such great innovators
as Thomas Edison and Albert Einstein dyslexics? Thomas West (GMU) and Gordon
Sherman (GMU), co-directors of the Center for the Study of Dyslexia and Talents,
explore the possibility. They suggest that the unsung talents of dyslexics are
becoming increasingly valuable in this high-tech world.
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Fourth Week (March 23 - 29)
Corporations with a Conscience
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The Enron scandal has revived the old question about whether business and ethics
are mutually exclusive. From the robber barons of the late 19th century to the
insider trader scandals of the 1980s - the U.S. has seen its share of shady dealings
and outright greed. But, at the same time, American businesses have been major
benefactors of the arts and engines of economic growth for many a struggling community.
Do high ethics make for high profits? How do you create a corporation with a conscience?
Business ethics expert Ed Freeman (UVa) offers his views. Also featured:
Businesses are increasingly relying on commercials with a social message to sell
their products. Marketing professor Lisa Szykman (W&M) examines whether
consumers are buying it.
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Fifth Week (March 30 - April 5)
Fiddling in Southwest Virginia
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The mountains of southwest Virginia are rich with music and musicians. Coeburn-native
Ralph Stanley is the current media darling, but others from these parts, including
The Carter Family and Doc Boggs, have also had their days in the spotlight. Residents
of the region have sought to keep the tradition alive with such festivals as Home
Craft Days at Mountain Empire Community College in Big Stone Gap. The festival's
30-year history is chronicled on a recently released 5-CD set. Sue Ella Boatright-Wells
(Mountain Empire Community College) and Joe Smiddy, a banjo player
and former chancellor of the University of Virginia's College at Wise, spin tales
and discs as they recall the noted and less-noted musicians of the region.
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