Applying conceptual ideas of memory and propaganda, this study intends to shed light on feature films produced during the Third Reich which gave prominence to the Great War. Since the National Socialist movement presented an image of itself as not only part of the tradition of the 'undefeated German soldier' of the First World War, but also sought to rectify the perceived political injustices of the conflict, this study defines 'Great War films' as not only those which were set during the conflict, but also productions which used the immediate aftermath of the war and the 'post-war period' as the reference points for their plots. By using the National Socialists' own very broad conception of what the Great War signified, this study has identified a corpus of around fifty films which are the main object of the analysis. The principal question which the thesis intends to answer is: How did National Socialist film define the Great War, in what way did it portray the experience and consequences of war, and what did it attempt to communicate about that conflict and its aftermath? In order to provide an answer, attention will be given to the censorship process and other efforts to influence film-making. At the centre of the study is the analysis of specific features which recurred in the majority of the films: common to the two major categories of film were points of consistency in the portrayal of various 'enemies', women and soldiers; also significant were the ways in which the experience of war and peace were portrayed; more common to films dealing with the war were references to the hotly disputed issue of 'war guilt'; more common to the films dealing with 'post-war' was the connection made between defeat and the prospect of a brighter future under the National Socialists.

This dissertation explores the relationships between self-motion, place field size, and theta phase precession with a primary focus on providing insight into the interactions between theta phase precession and place field size. The present data indicate that place field size increases along the dorsal to ventral axis of the hippocampus. Pyramidal neurons of the middle hippocampus, with larger place fields, exhibit a lower intrinsic burst frequency compared to dorsal place cells. Moreover, the firing rate of neurons in the middle hippocampus show a weaker relationship with running velocity compared with cells in the dorsal CA1 region suggesting that there is a decrease in the self-motion input to this region. By defining place fields as phase shifts up to, but not exceeding 360 degrees, the rate of phase precession is found to significantly correlate with place field size. Moreover, this definition revealed that approximately 10% of the pyramidal neurons will have place fields that overlap in space. Applying this critereon to interneurons reveals that a subset shows a similar spatial metric to those of pyramidal cells, inheriting the activity profiles and spike-phase relationships of the pyramidal cells that they are putatively monosynaptically coupled to. Finally, a reliable reconstruction of the look-ahead phenomenon provides preliminary evidence that suggests an increase in place field size as velocity increases.The results are presented to imply that the influence of the self-motion signals is graded along the dorsal-ventral axis of the hippocampus. These self-motion signals are capable of influencing the neuronal spike times of both pyramidal cells and interneurons on short-time scales of a theta cycle or less. Despite these short-time scale spike timing control mechanisms, preliminary data is presented that the influence of self-motion information with velocity is not enough to maintain a fixed place field size.

This thesis tells two intertwined stories about stories about nature. One, theoretical, asks what stories and histories do and why storytelling matters in place-making and policy-making. The second questions the effect of narratives of pristine nature on place-meanings in southwest New Zealand, serving as a case study to illustrate the abstract relationships of the first. Throughout reflexive consideration of my research journey as academic storytelling contributes to my theoretical arguments. Narratives help humans make sense of time and their place in the world. Stories and histories both shape new and reflect current understandings of the world. Thus narratives of nature and place are historically, geographically, and culturally specific. Place-meanings result from the geography of stories layered over time on a physical location. In the iterative process of continually re-presenting landscapes in specific places, negotiation between storytellers with variable power shapes physical environments and future place-meanings. This thesis uses the pristine story to explore these links between stories and histories, place-meanings, and policy decisions. From the arrival of New Zealand's first colonists to today's perceived "clean green" landscape, narratives distinguishing timeless nature from human culture have influenced policy-making in multiple ways. Focusing specifically on understandings of the conservation lands now listed by UNESCO as Te Wāhipounamu South-West World Heritage Area, I trace the origins and evolution of three dominant narrative strands - world heritage, national parks, and Ngāi Tahu cultural significance. Using post-colonial understandings of conservation as cultural colonization, I consider how the pristine narrative obscured Ngāi Tahu understandings of the area. I explore how the Ngāi Tahu Claims Settlement Act 1998 has begun to shift place-meanings by altering power-geometries between storytellers. Participant-observation in Department of Conservation visitor centres, however, illustrates that legislated stories and storytelling processes are expressed differently in representations of land in specific locations

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.

No description available.

Regional inequalities in the developing countries have in recent years led to increasing attention to various proposals of deconcentration and decentralization, which in turn have triggered renewed interest in rural developnent and the potential significance of small urban centres. Yet little is known about the social, econanic and geographical relations of these centres with whom the majority of the rural population have contact. This thesis is a geographical study of small urban centres paying particular attention to their role in rural development in Sierra Leone. In choosing these centres as subjects of study, the author echoes other scholars, that the instances where they play a positive role are few and that to get than to do so would entail transformations within the economy and society which though necessary may prove so difficult under the present political and economic structures. The study is divided into two sections. Section I (Chapters IIII) forms the theoretical framework. Section II (Chapters IV - VII) is devoted to testing the hypotheses in the study area. The thesis starts with introducing the aims and objectives of the study, definition of tents and concepts used and justifies their application in the study area. The data and methodology are also fully discussed and the structure of the study outlined (Chapter I). The second chapter reviews various economic and spatial theories and literature on small urban centres forming the theoretical framework on which the hypotheses drawn are based. Studying small urban centres without paying attention to the macro-economic. and political context in which they are set and operate may prove futile. The third chapter therefore examines those aspects bf the study area which are considered relevant to this investigation. Section II of the thesis starts with tracing the origins of these centres and finds out how these origins have influenced their functions and thereby structures. Here a retrospective approach is adopted by tracing their pre-urban origins and discussing the factors which contributed to their urban status. The implications of these origins for rural development are pointed out (Chapter IV). In assessing their present role (Chapter V) the numbers and spatial distribution of these centres and their relative centrality are examined. From the furtional units within these centres, centrality ratios are calculated to determine whether these centres are adequately provided for. The limitations imposed on the positive role they can play in rural development by their lack of adequate numbers and low centrality is examined and their implication on using the present framework for the delivery of goods and services is assessed. Chapter VI is devoted to an examination of the relationships of small urban centres and their immediate rural hinterlands, through the consumer travel patterns to secure goods and services fron these centres. Where no positive links exist the chances of such centres acting as stimuli for rural development are indeed limited. The functional relationships of these centres through consumer travel patterns form the subject of investigation in Chapter VII. These relationships give us an idea on the way these centres function with other members in the urban hierarchy. The analysis is based on the hierarchical concepts of central place theory. The conclusion (Chapter VIII) sunmarizes the findings of the study and makes recamiendations where it is deemed necessary and in each case pointing out the implications of, such recaT1m ndations.

The thesis presents a social history of the development of solicitors as a professional group in Manchester during the period 1800-1914. This is the first work on the history of Manchester solicitors and one of the few histories of the profession outside London. It is based on primary source material which has not previously been subject to investigation. The study explores the development of solicitors through the period by examining their reaction to the pressures imposed by an increasingly industrial and urbanizing society. It considers the importance of the role of provincial solicitors in the development of the profession nationally and the part Manchester solicitors played in this development. The relationship between Manchester solicitors and the community and their place in the local societal structure is also examined.

This study is concerned with the teaching and learning of Arabic as a second or a foreign language in Malaysia in general and in the Faculty of Islamic Studies of the National University of Malaysia in particular. Its main purpose is to evaluate the existing Arabic program in the Faculty, and to provide some suggestions for its improvement. This thesis is divided into seven chapters. Chapter one provides some background to the teaching and learning of Arabic in Malaysia. The historical development of religious teaching and learning institutions in Malaysia, and the teaching and learning of Arabic in the existing Arabic and religious institutions in Malaysia are discussed. In addition, this first chapter also discusses the role and the status of Arabic in Malaysia in order to lay the ground for understanding the actual needs for Arabic in Malaysia. Chapters two and three are concerned with the review of the literature in second and foreign language program design. They discuss the factors involved in SL teaching and learning, the general framework to be used in designing SL program, methods and approaches for specifying goals and objectives for such program, and the syllabuses and teaching methodologies for SL teaching and learning. At the end of chapter three, general criteria for the design and evaluation of Arabic programs are described. Chapter four is concerned with the teaching and learning of Arabic to noi cttive speakers. It focuses on the historical development in TASL, issues and problems in TASL, and the teaching and learning of Arabic in the Faculty of Islamic Studies. In addition, this chapter defines the research problem, scope of the study, hypo thesis, and the research methods followed. Chapters five, six and seven are concerned with the description, analysis and discussions of the results. The results reveal that the existing Arabic program in the Faculty of Islamic Studies is not compatible with the needs for Arabic in Malaysia and in the Faculty itself. It is found that the major components of the existing program, namely objectives, syllabus content and teaching methodologies, are not compatible with the present stated goal of the program. The prescription and the design of the program components do not seem to comply with general principles for SL program design. In the light of these conditions, suggestions are provided for the improvement of the Arabic program in the Faculty. These suggestions include some important areas for further research.

This study of the position of women in Islamic society during the period of the Prophet in the early seventh century A.D. compares their status with the status of women in pre-Islamic Arabia, and investigates the changes, if any, which the new faith brought to the women believers. The thesis is composed of three chapters. The purpose of the first chapter is to outline the nature of the socio-economic and legal status of women in Arabia before Islam; it surveys the concept of Jahiliyyah, the tribal society as a whole, the practice of burying daughters alive, marriage, polygamy and divorce. The second chapter contains an over view of the new moral and legal status granted to women under Islamic law, according to the specific rules governing the rights and duties of the people as laid down by the Prophet himself. This can therefore be taken as the ideal example, in all aspects. of the true Islamic community. The third chapter contains cases of illustrious and influential women in the first seminal period of Islam: Khadija, the first believer and first wife of the Prophet, Aisha, the young wife and important transmitter of tradition and Faimah, the Prophet's daughter and other various examples of women in different aspects.

This thesis describes the results of an empirical study addressing the nature of family group visitors to a recently built art gallery. Specifically, the aims of this research were: To clarify what 'family' means in the context of family group visitors to a new art gallery * To explore the motivations of family group visitors in new art galleries * To explore the experience of family group visitors looking at modem art in new art galleries * To observe the behaviour of family group visitors looking at modem art in new art galleries * To provide evidence about family groups by collecting empirical data rather than relying on assumptions about family group visitors The research findings were obtained using qualitative and qualitative methods, analysis of interviews, survey data and statistical analysis, empirical observation, from the literature, from the researcher's own interpretation and the comments and quotations gathered throughout the research. The study begins by presenting a comprehensive taxonomy of family visitor studies research to date. A case study then tests seven hypotheses, shedding light on aspects of family group visiting that have been only partially illuminated in previous studies. The case study demonstrates the significance of the demographic findings; defining, accurately measuring and describing family group visitors to temporary exhibitions of modern art and makes an original contribution to methodology by advancing previous video observational research, harnessing the potential of CCTV film footage as an observational tool using existing in-house surveillance technology. Conclusions include: *A high proportion of grandparent family visitor groups within the sample, with important implications for the future development of the over 50 age group and their grandchildren, as an audience for contemporary art. * Family group visitors expect to enjoy looking at modem art, and typically visit several times, without however, increasing their knowledge of modem art; the study shows that family visitors are 'perpetual beginners' despite previous visits to modern art exhibitions. * Children are instrumental in the visit and engage in 'teaching behaviour' towards adult family members, showing and discussing the exhibits with parents and particularly, grandparents. The significance of the research is highlighted and future research topics are suggested.