Thesis (M. Soc. Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 1995. / Includes bibliographical references (leaf [114-115]).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Oregon, 2005. / Typescript. Includes vita and abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 169-179). Also available for download via the World Wide Web; free to University of Oregon users.

Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 1995. / Includes bibliographical references (leaf [114-115]). Also available in print.

M.A. (English) / This dissertation hinges on the exploration of three contemporary Irish novels, namely The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry, The Gathering by Anne Enright, and The Sea by John Banville. What the three works have in common, besides their nationality, is a preoccupation with what exceeds their grasp: that is, their inspiration is also their limitation. All three set themselves the task of capturing and representing a past. The first two position themselves as rehabilitators of portions of Ireland’s history that have been occluded from official versions thereof. (Banville’s novel attempts to skirt as many limitations as possible, including a national one, in order to grapple, as unhindered as possible, with what narrative can achieve). Fictional rehabilitations of what occurred in a phenomenal reality are inevitably fraught because of their form’s limited grasp. However, this study seeks to trace each work’s fitful engagement with what it cannot encapsulate in order to ascertain the capabilities of narrative, in spite of its inherent limitations. I employ a broadly post-structuralist theoretical framework in order to engage with novels that incorporate into their content an awareness of the parameters within which they are obliged to function. Ultimately, I draw conclusions (which are necessarily limited themselves) as to the gesture each novel attempts to make beyond its bounds.

This thesis demonstrates a comparative and analytic discussion of citizenship idea based on two distinct liberal doctrines of two contemporary political philosophers: Brian Barry and William Galston. Barry's egalitarian liberalism argues for 'common citizenship' notion in order to promote liberty and equal treatment of all individuals irrespective of any social differences. On the other hand, 'liberal pluralist citizenship' of William Galston's signifies his liberal pluralism to mitigate cultural and religious conflicts of liberal democratic society. The fundamental disagreements among these liberal approaches over the issues of public recognition of group rights and restricted state authority are analysed in this study. Finally, by analysing both the liberal positions under the challenge of multicultural issues the author defends Galston's liberal idea and judges it as more convincing than Barry's liberal approach.

The methods used to store data on DVD-R discs have been proven to work over the last 15 years. However, there has been a growing concern that these discs will be outlasted by the paper records they were meant to replace. The data on a DVD-R is stored as optical contrasts which have the potential to be misread and even damaged. This damage may occur either on the surface or internally to the disc, especially on the recording layer itself. The literature is saturated with studies attempting to determine the time period in which discs may fail and what the general signs of the degradation are, but almost all fail to determine the fundamental causes of DVD degradation. In particular, the exact connection between the physical state of the disc and its digital errors is undetermined. This study undertook to develop a framework to study and understand this relationship. The study also consisted of a characterization validation experiment involving several brands of DVD-Rs. The framework constructed during the course of the research included several tools. Due to the lack of an existing tool able to aggregate the gathered data, a specialized software program, called SectorDraw, was developed. In the course of this study, this software tool was validated. Additionally, it was discovered that physical defects should be evaluated and characterized by using a process of visual inspection, microscope examination, and measurements. Although not all relationships between physical defects and digital errors were explored, the study established the fact that defects can directly cause bursts of digital errors. This indicated that there was a connection between physical defects and digital errors. It was also found that physical defects developed over time after treatments of artificial aging. The developed framework was established as viable for future research to study specific relationships between physical defects and digital errors.

No description available.

Cette thèse se propose d’étudier un cadre général d’interprétation de l’évolution du comportement de la République islamique d’Iran dans sa région, comportement considéré comme la principale problématique internationale de cette dernière décennie. En d’autres termes, les éléments de focalisation de ce travail se situeront principalement au niveau de la région du Golfe, et plus précisément, au niveau de l’interaction existant entre l’Iran et son environnement immédiat. L’idée que sous-tend ce travail est qu’il existe une cohérence dans le cheminement politique et sécuritaire iranien qui se reflète suite à la problématique soulevée par l’intrusion d’un acteur global. Plus précisément, ce travail a pour objet la mise en lumière d’une corrélation forte entre, d’une part, les hypothèses offertes par l’analyse des dimensions sécuritaires, et d'autre part, l’évolution du positionnement iranien dans un système international à la structure singulière. / This thesis deals with the evolution of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s behavior in its region, this behavior being considered as the main international problem of the last decade. This research will focus on the Gulf Region and more precisely on the interaction existing between Iran and its immediate environment. The idea behind this work is that Iran’s political and safety evolution has been influenced by the issues arising from the intrusion of a global player. More precisely, this work intends to highlight a strong correlation between, on the one hand, theories coming from the analysis of safety aspects and, on the other hand, the evolution of Iran’s positioning within the new structure of the international system.

[pt] O objetivo da dissertação é apresentar a contribuição da Escola de Copenhague para a área de estudos de segurança internacional. Para tanto, será discutida a história da área de estudos de segurança, o contexto histórico no qual a Escola é fundada e por fim, as críticas feitas às teses formuladas por esta. Entretanto, creio que no fim desta dissertação, será possível afirmar que além desta Escola ter contribuído para o desenvolvimento de uma importante perspectiva na área de segurança, será possível sustentar que sua contribuição também se estende para a área de teoria das relações internacionais. / [en] This dissertation seeks to introduce the Copenhague School`s contribution to the area of international security studies. It does so by discussing the history of security studies, as well as the historical context in which the School was founded. It will also be necessary to analyse the main concepts and theoretical perpectives developed by the School. Thereafter, it shall present the criticism levelled at the School`s theoretical and conceptual perspectives. At last, it will become clear that the School`s contribution has surpassed the area of security studies since it has also contributed immensely to the area of international relations theory.

Master of Arts / Department of Communication Studies, Theatre, and Dance / Timothy R. Steffensmeier / The 2008 presidential campaign controversy surrounding Rev. Jeremiah Wright’s sermons had the potential to derail Barack Obama’s candidacy. At the heart of the controversy was race, specifically Whiteness. Obama’s speech “A More Perfect Union” is perhaps one of the most significant political speeches addressing race to date, and warrants analysis. However, Barry Brummett’s book Rhetorical Dimensions of Popular Culture (1991) argues the critic should not be limited to discrete traditional texts, rather should be able to break outside such traditional speaker-focused boundaries. Brummett’s mosaic model allows an exploration of the intersection between popular and political rhetoric of Obama and The Daily Show. I will argue from the intersection we see the emergence of the comic frame as a homology that links the disparate texts of Obama and TDS. I will argue the reason the comic frame emerges from the texts is because there is a societal mandate for the comic frame. Thus, I will ultimately argue the mandate for the comic frame can be better understood as a social movement. However, it is a movement comprised of numerous individual movements, and warrants a new term: meta-movement. Obama and TDS are not leaders of this meta-movement, but instead should be seen as contributors. Brummett urges the critic to consider “the political or ideological interests served by ordering a rhetorical transaction in a certain way” (1991, p. 98). I will argue constructing the rhetoric of Obama and TDS with the comic frame serves the ideological interests of those who are fighting for social justice and working to subvert Whiteness. Thus, I have named the meta-movement to which Obama and TDS contribute a critical optimist movement, because the comic frame provides the tools to be critical of hegemony while ultimately reinforcing the optimistic assumption of the comic frame: all humans are ultimately both flawed and good.