Thesis advisor: Mehmet Ekmekci / The increased adoption of automation into various occupations strikes fear into many hearts, as people worry that robots will be able to perform their jobs more efficiently, leading to their inevitable unemployment. However, economists predict that this new technology will actually lead to a higher level of employment, although it will cause the aggregate labor share to decrease, forcing wages to decline. This paper focuses on ways in which we can recover a portion of the labor share and mitigate the decline of wages through the development of human capital via the educational system. Moreover, it seeks to understand ways in which we can exploit the jobs that will be created by automation by proposing methods to alter the educational structure to emphasize the new skills that are becoming more pertinent. My analysis provides evidence that by developing methods to encourage higher levels of educational attainment through dual degree and accelerated master’s programs, as well by decreasing the cost-exclusivity of higher education, we can both prepare future generations and reskill the current generation to succeed in this economic environment. / Thesis (BA) — Boston College, 2019. / Submitted to: Boston College. College of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Arts and Sciences Honors Program. / Discipline: Economics.

Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Technology: Fine Art, Department of Fine Art and Jewelry Design, Durban University of Technology, Durban. South Africa, 2015. / This dissertation documents and evaluates the subversion of traditional porcelain in the work of the selected artists from 2000-2012. The artists selected for research are Edmund de Waal (1964), Paul Scott (1953), Katharine Morling (1972), Rachel Kneebone (1973) and Clare Twomey (1968). They are British ceramists who work in porcelain in diverse ways, thus providing evidence of a wide range of the subversion of traditional porcelain. An explanation of the research methodology used is provided. The research begins by providing a history of porcelain from the earliest times to the present, documenting the shift of porcelain from the East to the West, as well as the history and properties of porcelain (white china clay). The position of porcelain in the discipline of ceramics is discussed. This includes a thorough investigation and analysis of the physical properties of porcelain and its functional application through history. The meaning of the term subversion, in the context of ceramics, is clarified and evidence of the subversion of traditional porcelain is provided through a discussion of the selected artists’ work. Conclusions are drawn and analysed. My art practice in the form of an exhibition entitled Entwined is discussed in the context of the subversion of traditional porcelain. This includes a discussion of my working method, an explanation of the body of work and an analysis of similarities and differences between my work and that of the selected artists. The dissertation concludes with a discussion of the research findings and provides suggestions for further research.

A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, 2017 / The thesis analyses civil-military relations in Zimbabwe since independence, but especially during the period from 2000 through 2013. A central question is why an outright military coup has not occurred, despite severe political and economic crises. Thequestion is broken down into two linked sub- -military relations question of why the military have not seized power from civilians and (2) the question why no "populist military revolt" has occurred, despite the kind of hyperinflation that has triggered such revolts in countries like Ghana and Ethiopia: [Abbreviated Abstract. Open document to view full version] / XL2018

Lifeline: Expressions of Intimacy Through Paint is a body of paintings that seeks to bridge physical distance by sensually applying layers of oil paint to recreate the physicality of my husband. I allow the viewer to enter into a private exchange by the use of intimately charged spaces, like the bed, which demonstrates how paint can be a conduit for touch in absentia. By intensely remembering my partner in these works, I reconstitute my knowing him through paint and seek to move beyond mere representation to know and express him better. Therefore, these paintings not only bridge the physical distance between my body and his, but search for meaningful expressions of my internal conversations as I make visual discoveries that expand my understanding of him. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.F.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2017. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

My research arises from a critique of the tendency within terrorism debates to equate the terrorist act with the production of spectacular images. Chapter 1 uses the work of Luce Irigaray to critique this trend in terrorism discourses, arguing that such a characterisation relies on a repression of the very materiality that terrorist action exploits. Moreover, placing the concept of terror in an Irigarayan framework reveals that the concept of terrorism is bound up with concepts of masculinity. In developing this critical approach, I build on the thinking of both Irigaray and Gayatri Spivak in turning to literary representations of terrorism to find a means of articulating a new understanding of the concept of terrorism and its place within our culture. Chapter 2 brings together the figure of the woman terrorist in terrorism studies, Nadine Gordimer's Burger's Daughter(1979), and Doris Lessing's The Good Terrorist (1985) in order to critique the portrayal of the feminine in terrorism discourses. Chapter 3 then moves on to ask how the global reach of terrorism discourses after September 11th, 2001, has impacted on our understanding of masculinity and femininity, looking at the relationship between the body and subjectivity in Ian McEwan's Saturday (2006). Finally, Chapter 4 examines how Don DeLillo's Falling Man (2007) figures the body as a site of resistance to such global narratives of terror, as he explores the possibility of an embodied ethics opening up a suspension of photographic and filmic modes of perception. By setting up a dialogue between terrorism studies and literary fiction, I reintroduce the body to our conceptualisation of terrorism. In doing so, I show how literature can open up new ethical horizons in an otherwise closed rhetoric.

This thesis considers how contemporary American and British novels at the turn of the century attempt to conceptualize global human, political, economic and ecological risks through different levels of global connectedness. Taking a theoretical approach, the thesis offers up the notion of critical cosmopolitanism as a form of literary critique that might help to connect the field of literature to current sociological debates about globalization and cosmopolitanism. Critical cosmopolitanism is summarized here as follows: a predisposition towards cosmopolitan ideals but also a self-reflexive awareness of its perceived ideological and narrative shortcomings; a desire to conceive of a planetary self-conscious by maneuvering across and between spatial containers like the nation-state; an attempt to map disjunctive flows of global capital onto various narrative ‘worlds’; a type of narrative reflexivity that is transferred onto the reader. The thesis comprises of two parts. Part 1 considers how the war on terror discourse problematizes novelists’ attempts to imagine planetary connectedness, and their struggles to imbue their readers with a self-reflexivity as an act of critical cosmopolitanism. Chapter 1 discusses the representational challenges that 9/11 presents to the novelist in terms of historicity, and outlines some of the prevailing metanarratives/counternarratives that are projected by them. Chapter 2 considers how alterity is used to critique or negotiate representations of the terrorist persona in novels by Don DeLillo, John Updike and Mohsin Hamid. Pointing to flaws in their narrative forms, these novelists enable their reader to transcend certain ideological boundaries which are denied to their own protagonists. Chapter 3 considers the interrelationship between terror and the spectacle in novels by Don DeLillo, Jonathan Safran Foer and Ian McEwan, looking at how 9/11’s images are able to project itself across the world but still reduce viewers’ capacity for imagining global connectedness. Part 2 explores how novelists use a range of postmodern strategies to represent the various connections/dislocations made possible by global capital and how it problematize perceptions of human relationships across the world. Global capital is presented as a fluid dynamic that enables greater connectivity across the globe, but it also poses difficulties in one’s ability to realize a genuine cosmopolitanism against the all-incorporating power of the market. Chapter 4 deals with a variety of attempts in novels by William Gibson and Don DeLillo to cognitively map the relations of capital and consumer culture, and to make these complex global systems more intelligible to the reader. Chapter 5 discusses novels by David Mitchell and Rana Dasgupta that experiment with heterotopic, multi-layered narrative platforms to represent interconnecting but geographically separate ‘worlds’, and their ability to project cosmopolitan ideals across these textual horizons of space and time. / published_or_final_version / English / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

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The first objective of this creative project was to create seven Non-figurative, abstract, multi-media (wood, metals, clay, concrete, glass) sculptures that attempted to express some of the feelings experienced during transitions in life. The second objective was to explore the continuum of abstract sculptural art: from art being simply aesthetically stimulating compositions to art that emphasizes meaning or purpose first, and being aesthetically pleasing or stimulating second. / Department of Art

The Irish crash that began in 2008 has been described as one of the most dramatic economic reversals ever experienced by an industrialised country. There is a strong consensus about the economic roots of the crisis: the country experienced a classic asset bubble. Much more difficult to explain however, is how a mature democracy sleep-walked into a crisis that had so much precedent and in retrospect seems to have been so apparent. The policy decisions made in the boom period must shoulder much of the blame, but they were not created in a vacuum. This thesis systematically examines the discourse on the Irish economy from a broad range of commentators in the years prior to the crash, including international and domestic organisations, academics, the newspapers, and politicians. It demonstrates that key mainstream analysts anticipated how the property boom would end on the basis of estimated fundamental house prices and demand levels. This implicitly assumed that these fundamentals would remain strong as the boom abated, and ignored the potential for a market panic. By contrast, the most prescient analysts relied heavily on international precedent, and recognised that property price falls would be closely correlated with the increase observed during the boom. A key dimension of the discourse was therefore how the lessons of financial history were applied or disregarded. The Irish crash that began in 2008 has been described as one of the most dramatic economic reversals ever experienced by an industrialised country. There is a strong consensus about the economic roots of the crisis: the country experienced a classic asset bubble. Much more difficult to explain however, is how a mature democracy sleep-walked into a crisis that had so much precedent and in retrospect seems to have been so apparent. The policy decisions made in the boom period must shoulder much of the blame, but they were not created in a vacuum. This thesis systematically examines the discourse on the Irish economy from a broad range of commentators in the years prior to the crash, including international and domestic organisations, academics, the newspapers, and politicians. It demonstrates that key mainstream analysts anticipated how the property boom would end on the basis of estimated fundamental house prices and demand levels. This implicitly assumed that these fundamentals would remain strong as the boom abated, and ignored the potential for a market panic. By contrast, the most prescient analysts relied heavily on international precedent, and recognised that property price falls would be closely correlated with the increase observed during the boom. A key dimension of the discourse was therefore how the lessons of financial history were applied or disregarded.

Craftsmanship in contemporary art production is the main area of focus for this visual arts based research. An exploration into the artistic production processes of selected contemporary artists’ work, reveals a tendency of physical non-involvement on the part of the artist, who takes up the role of art director. The research enquiry attempts to provide an answer as to whether credit should be given to the craftsman as well as to the artist in this artist/craftsman relationship. The use of a practice-led research strategy allows the researcher’s art-making practice to become an integral part of the cycles of research, as the development of the researcher’s practical understanding, techniques and execution are crucial in the practical component, but also conceptually as a stance in opposition to the selected artists’ lack of practical involvement. The researcher has identified and analysed the following five factors that have contributed to this current state of art production in contemporary art: Kitsch as an influence on the subject matter and content of art, Marcel Duchamp and his idea of the ‘readymade’ and issues of authorship, Andy Warhol and his ideas on art and business, the Conceptual Art movement and, the act and product of craft being perceived as being inferior to the fine arts In addition, an exploration of the production processes involved in the creation of the artworks of Jeff Koons, Damien Hirst, Maurizio Cattelan and Takashi Murakami highlights the craftspeople, fabricators and foundries that are responsible for these artists’ highly crafted aesthetics. As practice is crucial in developing a new understanding and meaning in visual-arts based research, the practical component describes the researcher’s core practical themes as being the following:the creation of naturalistic figurative small-scale sculptures in resin and bronze, placing the characters explored in the theoretical component as the subject matter.The advantages and disadvantages of the collaborative experience with Sculpture Casting Services (fine art foundry) and eNtsa (a Technology Innovation agency), especially the implementation of 3D technologies in both experiences; and the technical development and understanding in order to improve the researcher’s artistic practice Collaboration is an important underlying theme throughout this research undertaking. It is crucial in the production of most contemporary art, and assists in identifying the artist’s role within the production of his/her work. Finally, it relates to the researcher’s collaborative experience expanded upon in the practical component and its benefits as a production method. In concluding, the researcher finds that craftspeople do receive credit for the work they do in the form of money, business and marketing. They provide a service that a great number of artists generously support. Foundries and fabricators also place a mark on the work they do, much like the artist’s signature, as a symbol of pride and recognition. It is ultimately the artist’s technical abilities, workload and artist identity or brand that will determine the extent to which he or she will contribute to the collaboration, whether that be a simple idea, a sketch, a maquette or a large-scale sculpture ready for installation. However, in a rapidly advancing technological society, it is the idea of the artist as craftsman, both thinker and maker, that demands more respect.