| Myra
Bluebond-Langner Director |
 |
Bill
Whitlow Associate Director |
|
Rutgers
University
|
Camden
NJ 08102
|
Phone:
(856) 225-6741
|
FAX:
(856-225-6742
|
|
http://children.camden.rutgers.edu
|
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Update - January 2001
A monthly update informing
you of the Center's on-going and upcoming activities.
|
Mark your calendars for our next Center Associates' Seminars
John
Wall: "Animals and Innocents: Carol
Singley: "Adoption in American Literature and Culture" Large Conference Room - Dean's Office, Armitage Hall A Gift for Preschoolers from Preschoolers The First Presbyterian Church of Haddonfield Nursery School's Mother-Daughter Tea benefited the Center for Children and Childhood Studies. The Nursery School raised $550 and donated over 50 books to the Center's Camden Campaign for Children's Literacy. The funds will be used to purchase books for preschoolers at various hospitals and clinics in Camden. As part of the Camden Campaign for Children's Literacy, children newborn to 5 years receive a new book at every check-up. Their parents receive "a Prescription to Read." If you would like to learn more about the CCCL and its various programs and initiatives, please contact Angela Connor-Morris, Program Coordinator, at 856-225-6741 or ibconnor@camden.rutgers.edu. The Snake
Had The Best Lines: On December 14, 2000, Dr. Stuart Charme, Professor of Religion and Center Associate, presented the results of his most recent study of Jewish American and Israeli children's interpretations of the creation story. This study is part of Dr. Charme's project on emerging identities in Jewish American and Israeli children and adolescents. This project is supported with funds the Center received from the Rutgers University SROA program. When Dr. Charme originally asked Israeli and American elementary school children whom they identified with in the story of Adam and Eve, almost all the boys chose Adam. After all, none of them "would want to be a girl." Although most of the girls chose Eve, some actually identified with Adam. When asked about the part of the creation story dealing with the forbidden fruit, the children reacted differently. The boys generally regarded Adam as being tricked and blamed Eve for his misfortune. While many of these boys still identified with Adam, some chose the snake. The girls tended to see Adam and Eve as equally guilty for the fall. While some still identified with Eve, a large group of girls would have preferred to play the part of God. Dr. Charme argued that the religious and ethical significance Biblical stories have for children is influenced by which character a child identifies with. Further, gender plays a significant role in the process of identification. Gender issues manifest themselves in a variety of ways for Jewish children. For example, when Dr. Charme asked 13 year old boys and girls to explain why the area near the Kotel, the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem, is divided unequally between a men's side and a woman's side, their responses were to a large extend related to gender. Israeli children, as well as Jewish American boys, tended to to explain the arrangement with justifications such as: "There are more men in Israel", "Men move more when they pray", " Men pray more," and "Men don't like to be as close to others when they pray." The Jewish American girls were more likely to see the arrangement as unfair and suggest various ways to rectify it. Influences
on Jewish American and Israeli children's views and attitudes toward
religious Orthodoxy, religious services and intermarriage between
Christians and Jews, are not limited to gender. Children's Jewish
identities, according to Dr. Charme, require them to negotiate a variety
of competing elements--male/female, American/Israeli, secular/religious,
Orthodox/non-Orthodox, Jewish/Christian. For more information about
Dr. Charme's study, click here!
Upcoming Events. March 8th - Center Associate Seminar - Sheila Cosminsky and Diane Markowitz: "Nutrition, Health and Health Care among Children of Migrant Workers in South Jersey" March 24th - Prospective Student Open House, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Prospective students will get to know Rutgers-Camden during a day filled with faculty interaction, campus tours, seminars/workshops. The Center will be open to discuss the Minor in Childhood Studies and other programs. For more information, call (856) 225-6133. Community Service Americorp volunteers walked door-to-door this past summer, to 2,312 Camden homes, asking the families about their children's health needs. Under the banner, "Healthy Futures for Camden Youth" and with the supervision of Dr. Daniel Hart, Professor of Psychology and Associate Dean, Rutgers University and Dr. Robert Atkins, Assistant Professor of Nursing, Temple University - members of Americorp spent five months documenting needs and attempting to match children with low cost/no cost health insurance. As a result of their efforts, over 100 Camden children were enrolled in the New Jersey KidCare program, which provides health coverage for eligible low-income families with inadequate insurance. For more information about Healthy Futures for Camden Youth or New Jersey KidCare, please call 856-225-6741. Support
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