Exploring Empathy

Rebeccah J. Nelems is a Senior Consultant who is conducting her PhD on empathy and youth at the University of Victoria (UVic), Canada. She is a 2015 Trudeau Scholar, and a recipient of Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council and Canadian Federation of University Women awards.LJ (Nic) Theo is the Head of the Film Programme at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, South Africa, where he teaches screenwriting and communications science. His work is on narrative architectures in visual and print media, and vocational curriculum design and implementation.

• Introduction: Exploring EmpathyRebeccah J. Nelems and LJ (Nic) Theo Part I: Exploring Empathy’s ‘Goods’ and LimitsEmpathy as Orientation Rather than Feeling: Why Empathy Is Ethically ComplexSteve LaroccoWhat Is This Thing Called Empathy?Rebeccah J. NelemsPart II: Exploring the Affective and Cognitive Workings of EmpathyEmpathy, Complex Thinking and Their InterconnectionsCamilla PaganiReflecting on EmpathyGavin J. FairbairnEmpathy with the Enemy: Can the Intellectually Gifted Experience Empathy with the Intellectually Impaired?Veronica WainCognitive Milestones on Mutual Paths towards Empathy: A Four-Step ModelNurit SaharPart III: Exploring Empathy in the Media, Arts and CultureEmpathic New(s) Orientations in Narratives about SexualityLJ (Nic) TheoArt or Science? Formulating Empathy in Vince Gilligan’s Breaking BadAbby Bentham‘Gays Are the New Jews’: Homophobic Representations in African Media versus Twitterverse EmpathyCharles KingSeeing the Loop: Examining Empathy through Art PracticeFiona Larkin