A Research Report submitted to the Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts, 2017 / Any comprehensive theory of the realist position in metaethics must be equipped with a version of moral ontology. Metaethical theological voluntarism, which purports that supernatural facts, i.e. commands issued by a divine being, determine moral states of affairs, has been accused for a long time of rendering morality ‘arbitrary’. Implicit in this widely-accepted objection is the idea that a moral theory cannot have an arbitrary ontological foundation because then anything could have been right or wrong. This paper gives a detailed analysis of this objection that theological voluntarism is arbitrary and makes the case that a commitment to avoiding arbitrariness imposes constraints on the formulation of a moral theory. In particular, this paper argues that accounting for such a commitment decreases the significance that natural facts play for moral theories that maintain a naturalist account of moral ontology. / XL2018

Nick is a young graduate with no direction in life until a friend introduces him to the concept of dérive and explains how Nick can become a twentieth-century flâneur in London. The result is a unique meditation on life, love, friendship and time, set against the urban landscape. However this is no ordinary story of a graduate, facing feelings of aimlessness and lethargy. When he was twelve, Nick learned he has an illness which means he will be confined to a wheelchair. The story encompasses Nick's reveries on loss, romantic dreams and sharp observations of the contrasts between his life and others'. My writing is classed as fictional autobiography. The narrative of the novel is split between two realities. The first is the present, in which Nick (confined to a wheelchair) is struggling to write his novel and find his place in life. The second is based on Nick's recollections, expressed through written accounts of his dreams. The two realities are described in alternate chapters. Unseen Stars is centred around the idea of the dérive. A dérive is a concept developed by French philosophers in the 1960's. It proposes a journey whereby the individual lets himself be drawn towards places that appeal to him. Nick goes on his derive; a voyage of self-discovery. A dérive is psychogeographical, one's surroundings have a direct effect on one's state of mind. I merge the realities in the novel by making a dérive psycho-memorial too (i.e. where one is in time – memory - affects one's state of mind). The critical introduction addresses the principal themes arising from my novel. The themes examined are psychogeography and urban wandering (especially The Arcades Project). I will focus on dream, psychologies and perception of time, discussing the inspiration of literary works following similar psychogeographical/philosophical guidelines.

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This thesis examined how colorism impacts the representation of young women of color in 21st century television shows. The thesis focused on how colorism affects one’s idea of beauty and self-esteem, and how young women are portrayed. A content analysis of five television programs (Black-ish, Dear White People, Empire, Grown-ish, and The Carmichael Show) were analyzed. Through the analysis, darker complexion women were analyzed and it was found negative attributes were used to describe them in terms of beauty, and for lighter skinned females positives attributes were used throughout the show. In the five episodes examined that aired in the 21st century, beauty was defined based on one’s complexion as it was before in previous centuries. Issues of colorism are still displayed in 21st century television shows and through positive and negative caricatures. Colorism has a direct impact on how women of color are perceived and it can directly impact their self-esteem. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2019. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

The project undertaken was aimed at extending a current craft based jewellery practice. Related by structure and materiality, the research sought to develop exploratory shapes as low seating objects to exist within small scale living spaces and studio apartments. Signaling an increased conscious way of thinking and working, a reflective process examining each form as series, provided an incremental creative strategy. The availability of discarded materials suggested possibilities for a sustainable cost effective option as a mode of contemporary practice. This combined approach was considered impact negative, diffusing global waste, and impact positive providing valid alternatives through functional and aesthetic objects. At present waste materials exist as products are still designed and made on the basis of planned obsolescence, thus an exploitation and escalation of global resources and resultant hazardous outcomes continues. Citing selected writings by Victor Papanek, (1992), and Edwin Datschefski, (2006) provided an understanding of the misuse high impact advanced technologies imposes on the environment. These notions were discussed during the project and in relation to contemporary models of practice which currently use discarded materials to make objects for living. Based on a survey observing the local homewares and furniture industries within Sydney, Australia, and recent published material, a niche market was discovered for challenging conventions of low seating objects. Initial sketches were transformed into marquettes then developed into full size prototypes of multi functional forms. a series of forms were scaled up, made of discarded materials using simple hand crafted processes and minimal production methods. As a reference influences included architects, sculptors and craft practitioners who were examined particularly for their use of discarded materials or for their construction methods. During experimental studies visual source material drew upon an observation and analysis of architecture, skeletal structures and land formations. In an exhibition originally titled, "Be Seated", these forms made as initial prototypes were exhibited at Kudos Gallery, Sydney, Australia, during May 2007. They were later refined and renamed as "Low Life" for a group exhibition "Contained" held at Kudos Gallery during 2008.

The novel Riverweed, which forms the substantial part of this thesis, is an experiment with strategies in writing across cultures and across time, from Australia to Malaysia, from 1997 to 1956. The method of writing the novel was,in the most part, informed by viewing the television dramas and films and reading the novels of the late Dennis Potter. Riverweed is a novel in five parts. The essay, with tender contempt : history, fiction auto/biography : writing across cultures, discusses many of the issues related to the research for the novel. The author had hoped to write a novel that crossed political and cultural borders in a seamless exploration of nostalgic love for a place - George Town, Penang. She believes she has written an Australian novel which includes in its imaginative sphere a migration from the loneliness of the mythologised paddock forward to nostalgia, understanding nostalgia as part of the anxious energy characterising the middle-class neuroses of civil society in both Australia and Malaysia. / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

v. 1 [Novel]: And the Word was Song [Embargoed] -- v. 2 [Exegesis]: The return to mother: exegesis accompanying the novel: And the Word was Song / The novel manuscript And the Word was Song is a work in five parts, structurally (and very loosely) mirroring the first five books of The Old Testament. It is the story of Lily May, a young woman who travels around the world trying to find meaning in her life after her prostitute, heroin-addicted mother has died. Throughout her journeys, Lily May comes into contact with people who have issues with sex and / or addiction, always forcing her to remember her mother, a loving yet entirely flawed woman. Some of her fellow travellers are neglected children; some are street-smart gypsies; some are lovers; all are unknowingly Lily May’s mother substitutes. Through an impending birth, a return to her childhood home and an unexpected discovery of a half-sister, Lily May is able to end her journey and accept her mother for who she was: an imperfect woman who gave birth to her, then loved and cared for her the best that she could. The story is about spirituality, sexuality, love, addiction, acquiescence — and Elvis. Ultimately it is about mothers. The exegetical essay is a reflection on the journey from daughter to mother. I discuss the structuring of my novel manuscript and explore ways in which memory is accessed in the recreation of the maternal bond. Through an imaginary conversation with my mother about the legitimacy of psychoanalysis in re-evaluating mothers and maternity, I look at three concepts of mother substitution, considering ways in which the subconscious reconstructs the mother in the relationships women have. I deliberate on homecomings, both literary and personal, and consider the ethics of using my mother’s stories to further my own story. / Thesis (PhD) -- School of Humanities, 2006

My research is a critical examination of technology policy discourse between four organizational groups: Alberta Education, the Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA), the College of Alberta School Superintendents (CASS) and the Alberta School Councils’ Association (ASCA). I adopt a discursive theoretical position, to examine how education policy promotes a way of thinking about technology by endorsing some values over others and is therefore qualitative. One overarching question and a related sub-question guide my inquiry: 1. What ways of thinking about technology are evident in Alberta’s education policy discourse? • What relationship exists between the ways of thinking about technology in Alberta’s education policy discourse and nodal discourses, specifically, the knowledge-based economy and globalization? The literature base informing my inquiry encompasses three fields of research, the philosophy of technology, education policy and critical organizational discourse. Since my study is based on technology policy in education through an interest in discourse, meaning and power, I employ critical discourse analysis to excavate the common sense notions and assumptions in documents and interview data from the four organizations. Feenberg suggests the various ways of thinking about technology can be summarized into four categories, instrumentalism, determinism, substantivism and critical theory (1999). Feenberg’s model (1999) serves as a lens through which to roughly classify the philosophical positions of the organizations. The findings illustrate technology policy discourse in Alberta is divided along the values axis between the ATA and ASCA taking up substantivist and critical theory positions and Alberta Education moving between instrumentalist or determinist positions. In addition, the data suggests a value-neutral view of technology has dominated the discursive field with significant implications on implementation. Despite the apparent philosophical divide in the ways of thinking about technology in education, the concept of 21st century learning emerged across all four philosophical positions. My findings point to a need for future policy dialogue to adopt a more philosophically inclusive and balanced approach to ensure the potential of technology to support student learning does not go unrealized or continue to narrowly support technical goals.

Unlike various conventional drawing techniques, changes and edits to digital drawings can be made quickly, which easily enables the creation of many versions and layers of the same image. My ability to manipulate my medium and easily merge previously drawn disparate objects, like cars and trees, often leads me to investigate further elaborations and variations that produce previously unthought of results. This versatility and sense of freedom promotes a sense of risk free experimentation that often leads to an inquisitiveness that motivates me to push the limits of representation. Although imbued with a good measure of humour and implied optimism,The Odyssey Panorama resembles a familiar Hollywood science fiction, a Mad Max kind of world, where survivors of an apocalyptic event recycle the cast-off remnants of industrialization and prepare for an uncertain future. Technology in The Odyssey Panorama is apparent, but simplified and reduced to a personal scale in the form of renewable energy systems. By suggesting that the products of unsustainable systems be used to construct inhabitable sculptures, that is architectural art, this exhibition proposes a shift in thinking from the standpoint of the preservation and maintenance of the ecological, economic and technological status quo to the survivalist approach of preparing for an inevitable and unstoppable change.

Unlike various conventional drawing techniques, changes and edits to digital drawings can be made quickly, which easily enables the creation of many versions and layers of the same image. My ability to manipulate my medium and easily merge previously drawn disparate objects, like cars and trees, often leads me to investigate further elaborations and variations that produce previously unthought of results. This versatility and sense of freedom promotes a sense of risk free experimentation that often leads to an inquisitiveness that motivates me to push the limits of representation. Although imbued with a good measure of humour and implied optimism,The Odyssey Panorama resembles a familiar Hollywood science fiction, a Mad Max kind of world, where survivors of an apocalyptic event recycle the cast-off remnants of industrialization and prepare for an uncertain future. Technology in The Odyssey Panorama is apparent, but simplified and reduced to a personal scale in the form of renewable energy systems. By suggesting that the products of unsustainable systems be used to construct inhabitable sculptures, that is architectural art, this exhibition proposes a shift in thinking from the standpoint of the preservation and maintenance of the ecological, economic and technological status quo to the survivalist approach of preparing for an inevitable and unstoppable change.