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This thesis investigates the relationship between consciousness, attention, and experience in the periphery of the visual field. I argue that there are some visual experiences that lack content in the sense of lacking accuracy conditions and also in stronger senses. I define subjective space as the manifold constituted by the various factors that modulate awareness of an object including attention, eccentricity, eccentricity-relative spacing, and so on. The subjective periphery is that area of subjective space in which no objects or properties are experienced. It is subjectively peripheral experiences that lack content. In part my argument depends on claims about phenomenal experience. I establish these by considering a variety of introspective and experimental phenomena related to attention and conscious awareness and extracting a set of data that are neutral with respect to the theories that might explain them. I pursue an argument to the best explanation, refuting three popular explanations and championing my own. The first is that endorsed by Dennett (1991) and Noë (2004). They each claim that our experience of phenomenal character in the subjective periphery is an illusion (or a defeasible illusion). The second explanation, endorsed by Block (2007), is that there is phenomenal experience and content in the periphery but no cognitive awareness of it; thus, reports and other indicators of content fail. The third explanation is that there are indeterminate or general contents in the subjective periphery. This is the representationalist’s explanation. The fourth explanation, my explanation, is that there are in fact experiences that do not present objects or properties at locations in the subjective periphery, and that consequently lack content. I argue that this is the best explanation of the data since the others either fail to account for all the neutral data, can be shown to be false for independent reasons, or both. I also defend a number of distinct conclusions that nevertheless strengthen the main line of argument. For example, I consider the view that all attention is conscious, which helps to salvage the reliability of introspection as a method of investigating attention and experience.

Abstract In my thesis work, using expressive gestures, feminist theory and embroidery, I have explored experiences of immigrant women and their continuous struggle to thrive in a new homeland. My work is informed by my experiences as a first generation immigrant woman from Sri Lanka as well as my awareness and experiences of other immigrant women’s experiences from other countries. Although some women have lesser challenges, most immigrant women struggle to thrive in unfamiliar surroundings. This struggle has been a recurring theme in immigrant women’s lives throughout history, and women continue to go through immense hardships in trying to merge into a new society. While still daydreaming of their motherlands, most immigrant women suffer emotionally and psychologically due to lack of extended family support, education, finances, language skills, social and work skills, as well as tensions between traditional and cultural expectations. In spite of these obstacles immigrant women continuously make an effort to reclaim their strength and power. With advances in education and life experiences some of these difficult issues are fading away in my life, although, sometimes they do haunt me. In my artwork I have explored these common experiences and challenges overcome by me as well as other immigrant women through feminist theory, drawing and sculptural techniques and used embroidery, sewing and stitching to bring them to life. I hope to generate awareness through my artwork of women’s experiences that will influence the changes that contribute the empowerment of women.

The polar landscapes have, for a long time, held the imaginations of people around the world. These extreme and remote environments have shaped the hearts and minds not only of people who have lived there, but also those who have only heard stories and seen pictures of these far off lands of ice and sky and snow. This dissertation examines the sense of place developed by New Zealanders towards Antarctica, across a spectrum of experiences with the continent, from seasonal workers and scientists, to people who have only ever seen it in books or advertisements. Taking a mainly phenomenological approach, the main objective of the research is to generate a theoretical base on what sense of place is made with and how it is created in extreme and remote environments like Antarctica. After examining 30 questionnaires and 54 interviews, the data indicate that there is no one New Zealand sense of Antarctica; rather, they are as manifold and complex as the individuals consulted. Regardless of the many differences across the various groups, a common thread was found of Antarctica as a place of hope. A hope based on scientific discovery and collaboration, on resource potential and conserving wild spaces. Findings also helped to develop a theoretical model, which builds on the existing works of Tuan (1977), Sack (1997), and Gustafson (2001). Three important theoretical aspects were identified through the analysis, including the ideas of personal connection, narrative emplotement, and one’s sense of identity. The theory contributes to the ongoing discussion of how people encounter and make sense of extreme and remote environments. Both the findings themselves and the theory behind them suggest that policy makers, communicators, and tourism operators be aware of their target audience, their cultural values and changing symbolism, in order to better communicate their intended message.

Bakgrund: Att vårda en familjemedlem i hemmet påverkar sannolikt anhörigvårdaren både emotionellt och socialt (Andrén & Elmståhl, 2008). Familjefokuserad omvårdnad är en teori som belyser betydelsen av att uppmärksamma hur en familj påverkas när någon drabbas av sjukdom (Benzein, Hagberg & Saveman, 2012). Syfte: Belysa upplevelser av att vara anhörigvårdare till en person med demenssjukdom som bor hemma. Metod: En systematisk litteraturstudie där vetenskapliga artiklar eftersöktes i databaserna Cinahl, PubMed och PsycInfo. Söktermer som användes i samtliga databaser var ”caregiver”, ”dementia” och ”experience”. De artiklar som vara relevanta utefter litteraturstudiens syfte granskandes efter granskningsmall. Nio artiklar uppnådde hög- eller medel kvalité och ingår i studiens resultat. Resultat: Efter analys av data skapades tre teman. Dessa var “rollen som anhörig”, “acceptans” och “förlust”, vardera tema har  två underliggande kategorier. Resultatet från denna studie visar att anhörigvårdares upplevelser av att hantera, reagera och acceptera vårdandet är en utmaning som upplevs olika.  Vårdandet är ett åtagande som upplevs som meningsfullt men kräver även mycket tid och energi. Slutsatser: Anhörigvårdares upplevelser är inte konstant, utan förändras utefter sjukdomens förlopp och den anhörigas välmående. Vårdandet kan upplevas som ensamt och utmanande, därför har sjuksköterskor ett ansvar över att underlätta samt uppmärksamma anhörigvårdares vårdsituation. För att underlätta bör sjuksköterskan intressera sig och uppmuntra över anhörigvårdarens upplevelser.

The products of our engineering works are everywhere and the safety and satisfactory performance of these works is the result of the deliberate inclusion of experience based judgement. The starting point for many of these works is the recognition of what has been done in the past, both successfully and unsuccessfully. Often however, a geotechnical engineer must rely on theory and to some degree, experimentation, in particular when advancing new methods of design and construction. This can be daunting when one considers that the natural materials we work with are highly complex with large variability and in some cases, uncertainty in their properties and behaviour. Analysis and decision making based on these properties includes a mix of theoretical and empirical techniques, requiring significant engineering judgement. The experience gained and lessons learned by geotechnical practitioners in the early 1900s are as valuable today as they were at that time and this becomes the hypothesis upon which the Author has prepared this document. It is often that a problem encountered today, was encountered and very likely solved in the past and that its resolution at that time can be applied (at least in principle) to modern practice. Little in engineering happens by chance and many failures are the result of a poor decision based on poor information, an underestimation of natural forces and laws of physics, or perhaps, the overestimation of one’s experience and ability. Successes on the other hand are often a culmination of supplementing intuition with experienced based judgement. Once one understands and appreciates the importance of taking advantage of the past experience of others and using this experience as a guide forward, then improved judgement and capacity for professional practice will result.

Abstract In my thesis work, using expressive gestures, feminist theory and embroidery, I have explored experiences of immigrant women and their continuous struggle to thrive in a new homeland. My work is informed by my experiences as a first generation immigrant woman from Sri Lanka as well as my awareness and experiences of other immigrant women’s experiences from other countries. Although some women have lesser challenges, most immigrant women struggle to thrive in unfamiliar surroundings. This struggle has been a recurring theme in immigrant women’s lives throughout history, and women continue to go through immense hardships in trying to merge into a new society. While still daydreaming of their motherlands, most immigrant women suffer emotionally and psychologically due to lack of extended family support, education, finances, language skills, social and work skills, as well as tensions between traditional and cultural expectations. In spite of these obstacles immigrant women continuously make an effort to reclaim their strength and power. With advances in education and life experiences some of these difficult issues are fading away in my life, although, sometimes they do haunt me. In my artwork I have explored these common experiences and challenges overcome by me as well as other immigrant women through feminist theory, drawing and sculptural techniques and used embroidery, sewing and stitching to bring them to life. I hope to generate awareness through my artwork of women’s experiences that will influence the changes that contribute the empowerment of women.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.