Seeing Guns to See Urban Violence: Racial Inequality & Neighborhood Context

Guns are central to the comprehension of the racial inequalities in neighborhood violence. This may sound simple when presented so plainly. However, its significance derives from the limited consideration that the neighborhood research paradigm has given guns: they are typically conceived of as a background condition of disadvantaged neighborhoods where violence is concentrated. Instead, I argue that guns belong at the forefront of neighborhood analyses of violence. Employing the logic and language of the ecological approach, I maintain that guns must be considered as mechanisms of neighborhood violence, with the unequal distribution of guns serving as a critical link between neighborhood structural conditions and rates of violence. Furthermore, I make the case that American gun policy should be understood as a set of macrostructural forces that represent a historic and persistent source of disadvantage in poor Black neighborhoods.

THE ECOLOGICAL COMPONENT OF POLITICAL COMMUNICATION OF MODERN STUDENTS

The article analyzes the process of formation in the academic environment of a higher educational institution of the desire to expand and diversify communication channels, which is significant from the standpoint of achieving the goals of sustainable development in the field of education. It is shown that one of the most accessible and open communication channels is ecological. This is due to the peculiarities of the very ecological approach to education and upbringing, which contributes to the involvement of students in the protection of nature, as well as the fact that this channel opens up opportunities for transition to other areas, including political communication.

The evolution of L2 education and research: An overview of paradigm shifts in applied linguistics

The main aim of the article is to present and discuss the evolution of L2 education and research expressed in two major paradigm shifts that could be observed over the last century: from the modernist approach, through postmodernism and postmethod, to transmodernity. The article also offers an overview of new approaches and trends in L2 education and research that emerged as a result of those watershed changes, in particular: complexity theory, the ecological approach, transnational identity and translanguaging. The paper ends with a brief discussion on how these changes affected L2 researchers and educators and what implications can be grasped.

The Social Constraints on the Preservation and Sustainable Development of Traditional Crafts in a Developed Society

The aim of this work is to identify social constraints on the preservation and sustainable development of traditional crafts in a developed society and to propose a sociological model of possible actions and changes considering not only the situation of a craftsman, but also the potential consumers of goods produced by craftsmen using traditional techniques and designs. We argue that effective activities aimed at preserving and developing traditional skills and products must consider changes in the social environment of the craftsman, including changes in the potential consumer, a change in the meaning of products from purely instrumental to autotelic motivations related to the pro-ecological approach, local and national identity, and positive valuation of cultural diversity.

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY OF THE SELECTED TRANSPORT COMPANY OPERATED ON THE CZECH MARKET

Corporate social responsibility is a much-discussed topic because it includes an inexhaustible number of activities in the economic, social and environmental fields. The basic theoretical basis of social responsibility is applied to a specific Czech company. A questionnaire for the employees of the subsidiary helped with the research. It was found that the company is doing very well in corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities and has a good portfolio for compiling a comprehensive CSR report, which is a proposal as one of the measures. Another area suitable for the development of some activities is the ecological part. The company actively supports the ecological approach and behaviour, and it has set some measures, such as ISO 14001 certification at its gas station branches, so it is well on its way to certifying its office buildings. Keywords: corporate social responsibility, transport industry, Czech Republic