Next week, Temple will participate in the College Admission Week presented by The Princeton Review and powered by Google+. The university will host Hangout on Air, a discussion of student life, on Wednesday, Dec. 19 at 5 p.m.
Among the controversial changes anticipated in the newest edition of psychiatry’s manual of mental disorders, is that the thresholds for “generalized anxiety disorder” (GAD) will be loosened; a move some observers say could make it more frequently diagnosed than depression. “Disruptive mood dysregulation disorder? Temper tantrums, in a nutshell,” said Frank Farley, a professor at Temple’s College of Education. “Hoarding disorder — where is the threshold? When does hoarding become ‘mentally sick’? Where’s the tipping point?”
A shrine in Tokyo has come to symbolize a hardening, did-no-wrong narrative here about history, even though it contradicts the near-consensus of historians, including most in Japan. That sentiment was once held by only a nationalist fringe, but it is pushing closer to the mainstream. “Japanese people are way ahead of political leaders on this, and their common sense is strong,” said Jeff Kingston, a professor at Temple University Japan Campus. “They’ve so far resisted the siren’s song of patriotism their leaders try to stoke.”
In an essay, Matt O’Brien, assistant professor of medicine and public health at Temple, explains that there is a strong tie between educational attainment and health. “Given the breadth of health problems that can be improved by simply educating our population, it is a wonder that the health policy debate has eschewed education in its exclusive focus on medical treatments provided by doctors and other health professionals.” O’Brien is also a founder of Puentes de Salud, a health center serving immigrant Latinos in South Philadelphia.
Richard M. Englert, outgoing acting president at Temple, was given the honorary title of chancellor by the university's board of trustees on Tuesday. Englert will step down Dec. 31 and take a year sabbatical before returning to teach education courses at Temple. Former presidents David Adamany and Peter J. Liacouras also hold the chancellor title, which does not carry any official responsibilities. New president Neil D. Theobald officially takes the helm Jan. 1
Federal officials continue to discuss plans to avoid the fiscal cliff. "I'd like to see [Democrats and Republicans] solve the short-term problem and then get together and actually not wait until we get to a cliff, not wait until we get to where it's going crazy, to sit down and actually negotiate between the two of them in a manner that is less than childish," said Bruce Rader, an assistant professor of finance at Temple's Fox School of Business.
The Federal Trade Commission is investigating software companies that make smartphone applications to determine whether children’s privacy rights are being violated. "If someone does not disclose the fact that I am collecting how long you're playing and where you're playing, and then I give away seemingly a free game but I generate my revenue by collecting the data – and then analyzing it and further selling it – I don't think that is quite fair,” said Temple Fox School of Business Professor Youngjin Yoo.
It’s pitch-perfect for Hollywood. An ancient Mayan prophecy suggests that December 21, 2012, is doomsday. Our media and movie cultures are filled with apocalyptic scenarios,” said Barry Vacker, an associate professor of media studies and production at Temple. “Amid the parade of catastrophes, humans still hope for some possibility of doing it all over again and correcting their mistakes. We yearn for a new beginning and a better tomorrow, even if the immediate future seems depressing to so many people.”
