The present thesis analyzes the tendencies of the contemporary Mozambican narrative prose (novel). Taking into account the fact that Mozambican literature is an emerging and post-colonial one, the analysis is focused on the issue of how a literature participates in the process of consolidation of the national/cultural identity of this country. This thesis studies three important subjects of the Mozambican narrative prose: language (parting from the work of Mia Couto), history (based on the works by Ungulani Ba Ka Khosa, João Paulo Borges Coelho and Lília Momplé) and tradition (examining two novels by Paulina Chiziane). Key-words: Mozambique, Post-colonial, 20th century Mozambican Literature Language, History, Tradition, Mozabicanity

Diploma thesis analyses non-governmental organizations which provide social and other services to newcomers (people with the experience of migration), it focuses mainly on those projects and activities intended for women or equal opportunities. Main part of the thesis is qualitative research based on in-depth thematic interviews and content analysis of relevant documents. The thesis aims to find out how the category of gender is defined, filled and accentuated especially in mentioned projects as well as in the activities of social workers and other workersof these non-governmental organizations. Regardingthat thesisalsoexamines how are the newcomers constructed and how are they represented by (interviewed) non- governmental organizations and by social workers. Thesis also examines if (and if yes then how) are the power relations manifested in the social worker-client relationship. Key words: non-governmental organization, non-governmental sector, migration, integration, social work, gender, feminist research, post-colonial feminist analysis

In this essay, I investigate how the historic and current economic structures operating in Appalachia from the 1920s to the 2010s are represented in two contemporary Southern Appalachian novels – Serena (2008) by Ron Rash and Flight Behavior (2012) by Barbara Kingsolver. Through the lens of postcolonial theory, I show how Serena represents Appalachia as functioning under the colonial model outlined by Robert Blauner and Helen Mathews Lewis in 1978. Then, still under the theory of postcolonialism, I explore how Kingsolver’s work depicts regional identity in response to a post-colonial environment and the ever-expanding global economy.

Hispanics will become the majority ethnic group in the U.S. by 2060. The social and business cultural changes affected by these demographics are inevitable and will require leadership from academic and business communities in order to ensure clear direction for the future. Gender research in managerial and professional positions mostly includes White women and typically excludes those of other racial, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds. The research problem was that there is little known about the lived experiences of Hispanic women business executives. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the self-perceptions of leadership effectiveness of Hispanic women business executives. A conceptual lens informed by the concepts of intersectionality, bicultural competence, and emotional intelligence guided this study. Purposive sampling was used to obtain 12 participants for face-to-face interviews. Research questions focused on self-perceptions of leadership style, the ways they enact leadership, and their contributions to organizational effectiveness. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used to analyze the data and member checking helped assure trustworthiness of interpretations. The findings revealed that the participants acquired effective leadership skills through their diverse contact with other people and cultures. The potential positive social change impact includes a contribution to existing literature by increasing scholars' and business-peoples' understanding of this group's lived experiences; creating more leadership opportunities for Hispanic women; identifying areas for self-development, thereby improving leadership and decision making; and clarifying expectations for young Hispanic women considering executive leadership as a career path.

America is in the midst of a high school dropout crisis that will cost $3 trillion in lost wages over the lifetime of the 12 million students who are predicted to drop out. Each year, in an America's northern states, approximately 10,000 students drop out of high school; the majority of these students are Hispanic. Guided by Ogbu's cultural-ecological theory of academic disengagement, the purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand the experiences of Hispanics who dropped out of high school and their rationales for dropping out.. Eight Hispanic dropouts in a local community were interviewed. The interviews were transcribed and interrogated via inductive analysis. Findings in this study show that the system and community forces that impeded academic achievement were in similar to those of Ogbu's findings. However, contrary to this theory, the participants in this study did not report any discrimination. The participants dropped out due to academic difficulties, early parenthood, and a lack of parental support. Hispanics' perspectives are needed if administrators and other stakeholders are to develop and apply ethnically skilled policies and performances that could be effective in accommodating Hispanics' educational needs. Reducing Hispanics' high school dropout rates will benefit taxpayers by providing substantial economic return. Guided by these findings, the school board will be equipped to support their educators, which in return could produce quality academic performance among Hispanic students.

The purpose of this foundational study was to explore the factors that contributed to developing teacher identity among new American Indian teachers. Multifaceted research into the history of American Indian education, the design of American Indian teacher training programs, and the beliefs and experiences of four American Indian secondary teachers gave this study a richly detailed context. Three overarching patterns emerged during the process of analyzing the data: (a) solidarity and independence, (b) habit and change, and (c) tradition and invention. From these patterns, six factors were identified as contributing to developing teacher identity. School-based experiences that affected developing teacher identity included cohort-based peer support, preparation for content area expertise, and teachers as role models. Personal, home, and community beliefs that affected developing teacher identity were as follows: giving back to American Indian communities, serving American Indian students, and becoming empowered as American Indian teachers. Participants in this study represented various tribe affiliations but were all registered students in the Ute Teacher Training Program from 2002 to 2005. The goal of this program, administrated by the Ute Tribe, was to mentor, train, and certify American Indian secondary teachers through an ongoing university education program offered at a rural location close to the Ute reservation. Recommendations in the final chapter of this qualitative case study may provide useful information for the design and implementation of future American Indian teacher education programs.

The criminal Black male stereotype, cemented in early American literature, has been perpetuated in movies, TV shows, and now on mainstream radio. For this study, Billboard song lyrics were analyzed for three main themes—violence, misogyny, and drugs/alcohol. Billboard song rankings are based on digital download sales, radio airplay, and Internet streaming. The researcher found that the songs played on hip hop and rap genre radio stations con-tained lyrics that strongly correlated with the three themes. The researcher also examined whether a relationship existed between artist’s race and lyrics about violence, misogyny, and drugs/alcohol. Black artists comprised 48% of the artists studied; compared to White artists’ lyrics, Black artists’ lyrics contained the majority of instances of each theme. The Federal Communications Commission does not restrict vulgar lyrical content played on hip hop and rap radio stations. In addition, according to studies of media influence on the social perceptions of racial groups and history of the Black male’s role in entertainment, the mainstream radio industry selects Black artists whose lyri-cal themes show a prevalence of violence, misogyny, and drugs/alcohol.

Each year thousands of children are removed from their homes and placed in foster care where they lose connections with their family, community, and friends. Coakley (2007) points out that children of color are overly represented within the child welfare system, and there is a lack of research on Black fathers and their involvement when their children become a part of the system. Studies have suggested that most families that encounter the child welfare system have adult males who are actively involved with their families, however, child welfare workers do not engage these men (Coady, Hoy, & Cameron, 2013). The purpose of this study was to examine the lived experiences of Black fathers who were previously involved in the child welfare system. Semi-structured interviews were completed with four Black fathers who were previously involved with the child welfare system. Five major themes emerged during the process of data analysis that illuminated the fathers’ experiences and gave meaning to their stories, including case worker attitude, services overload, intergenerational child welfare involvement, feelings of helplessness and willingness to comply. There were also several sub-themes for three of the larger themes. The findings are discussed in light of current literature about father involvement in child welfare, and Black fathers in particular. Implications of the findings are discussed for the field of family therapy, future research and practice. It is my hope that the information obtained from this study will help inform current practices within child welfare and the field of marriage and family therapy to more effectively engage Black fathers in the child welfare system.

This research effort is based on the life and development process which the author has experienced and is currently experiencing. This effort for all intents and purposes, is an individual self-study. "Critical Incidents" have been utilized to develop a sense of understanding for the reader. In reading this paper, one can see that at times negative social and cultural situations would cause the author an unusually high level of inner stress, which was not always apparent to the outside world.

This study focuses on the rhetoric of racial politics and the ideology of exclusion it produces. This study analyzes the political rhetoric constructed by David Duke, white supremacist, disavowed neo-Nazi, Ku Klux Klan member, and former Louisiana State Representative. The topics of affirmative action, reverse discrimination, immigration, and welfare were chosen for analysis. Using ideological criticism, this study reveals the role Duke pays in America's increasingly exclusionary political environment. Specifically, this study uses the concepts employed by Louisa Martin Rojo in exploring the rhetorical process of demonization which is used to turn someone or something into an enemy. The process needed to demonize an enemy involves two rhetorical strategies: division and rejection. Division establishes the opposing categories in the conflict, manifesting itself as an arguments between "us verses them" or "good verses evil." Rejection further demonizes the enemy by rhetorically marginalizing, segregating, or creating a negative image about them. Through his rhetoric, Duke strives to provoke feelings of resentment by utilizing demonization to reject and divide whites from minorities. In his rhetoric, Duke excludes people of color from society by portraying affirmative action as minority special privilege, reverse discrimination as white exclusion, welfare as a bastion of illegitimacy, and immigration as the downfall of American culture. Attempting to exclude minorities from society, Duke moves beyond Rojo's concept of demonization and uses scapegoating to blame minorities for America's social ills. By using people of color as a scapegoat, Duke effectively excludes them from participating in the debate over social concerns.