St. Bernard Parish (Louisiana) has undergone a transition from rural, agrarian characteristics to that of a suburban, industrial based community. Its fragile environment has been substantially altered by man's use. Planning and development strategies need to be devised to address the stress placed on the environment by these alterations, particularly dealing with coastal erosion, land loss and increased threat of tidal surge and flooding if development in the area is to continue. St. Bernard also faces a changing economy with the declines of its industrial based economy and employment base which requires that new forms of economic development are established to replace jobs those that have been lost. This thesis addresses these issues and proposes actions that could be taken to learn from the errors of the past to attempt to mitigate losses that have occurred by emphasizing planning and arranging priorities to create an agenda for the future which provides economic development and controlled growth within the bounds of Saint Bernard Parish's environmental capacity.

It has been long known that groups of adults learn and enact their learning in certain ways; what is little known is how groups learn and how they develop in cognitive complexity. This dissertation proposes a theory of group cognitive development by arguing that intentional adult groups are complex and dynamic, and that they have the potential to evolve over time. Groups are complex in that they are made up of individuals within different orders of consciousness (Kegan), and they are dynamic in that different orders of consciousness interact and conflict (Lonergan) during the formation and enactment of group vision, values, and procedures. Dynamic complexity theory of group development as it is referred to in this study is grounded in Robert Kegan’s constructive developmental theory and in Bernard Lonergan’s transcendental method. While both Kegan and Lonergan attend to the growth of individuals, their theories are adapted to groups in order to understand the cognitive complexity of groups, intragroup and intergroup conflict, and the mental complexity of leader curriculum. This theory is applied to two case studies, one from antiquity in the case of the first century Corinthian community engaged in conflict with its founder, St. Paul, and in one contemporary study of American Catholic parishioners engaged in contentious dialogue with diocesan leaders from 1994 to 2004. The parish groups experienced a series of dialogues during a ten year period over the issues of parish restructuring and the priest sexual abuse crisis yielding cumulative and progressive changes in perspective-taking, responsibility-taking, and in group capacity to respond to and engage local and institutional authority figures. Group development is observed against a pedagogical backdrop that represents a mismatch between group complexity and leader expectations. In Corinth, Paul’s curriculum was significantly beyond the mental capacity of the community. In the case of Catholic parishioners the curriculum of diocesan leaders was beneath the mental capacities of most of the groups studied. It is proposed that individuals sharing the same order of consciousness, understood as cognitive constituencies, are in a dynamic relationship with other cognitive constituencies in the group that interact within an object-subject dialectic and an agency-communion dialectic. The first describes and explains the evolving cognitive complexity of group knowing, how the group does its knowing, and what it knows when it is doing it (the epistemologies of the group). This dialectic has implications for how intentional groups might be the critical factor for understanding individual growth. The second dialectic describes and explains the changing relationship between group agency, which is enacted either instrumentally or ideologically; and group communion, which is enacted ideationally. The agency-communion dialectic is held in an unstable balance in the knowing, identity, and mission of groups. With implications for the fields of adult education and learning organizations, dynamic complexity theory of group development notes predictable stages of group evolution as each cognitive constituency evolves, and notes the significance of internal and external conflict for exposing the presence of different ways of knowing and for challenging the group toward cognitive growth. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2008. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Religious Education and Pastoral Ministry.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-03-05T17:20:07Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 20 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / Este trabalho trata de uma investigação de aspectos do raciocínio e argumentação jurídicos, tomados como caso particular do raciocínio e argumentação em geral enquanto elementos necessários à produção de conhecimento (jurídico ou qualquer outro). Uma das premissas da pesquisa diz respeito ao fato de que raciocínio ou argumentação jurídicos compreendem mais do que aquilo comumente atribuído pelos juristas a esses campos. Concepções tradicionais, via de regra calcadas em uma racionalidade típica da modernidade, se reportam ao Direito como interpretação (de normas, regras, leis, princípios, ou de fatos juridicamente relevantes, e assim por diante) e aplicação (dos mesmos elementos, subsumindo uns aos outros); o papel do processo seria o de permitir que se reconstrua os fatos, por meio da prova e dos argumentos das partes, sendo que a função do julgador seria a de, abstendo-se da discussão, dizer o Direito com base nesses elementos (normas mais fatos). Pode-se dizer, caricatamente, que argumentação seria toma

This thesis analyses artefacts belonging to the playwright, socialist and critic Bernard Shaw, which form part of the collections at Shaw’s Corner, Hertfordshire, now managed as a National Trust property. My original contribution to knowledge is made by revealing Shaw through the artefacts in new or under-explored roles as socialist-aesthete, art patron, connoisseur, photographer, celebrity, dandy, and self-commemorator. The thesis therefore challenges the stereotypical views expressed in the literature which have tended to focus on Shaw at Shaw’s Corner as a Fabian with ascetic characteristics. The thesis aims are achieved by contextualizing the Shaw’s Corner Collections, both extant and absent. Historically the artefacts in the house have been viewed from the perspective of his socialist politics, ignoring his connoisseurial interests and self-fashioning. Hence there was a failure to see the ways in which these elements of his consuming personality overlapped or were in conflict. By examining artefacts from the perspectives of art and design history, focussing on furniture, private press books, clothing, painting and sculpture, Shaw is shown to be a highly complex and at times contradictory figure. The discontinuities and ambiguities become clearer once we examine the possessions from the house which were removed and sold by the National Trust after Shaw’s death. Whilst some Shavian scholars and art historians have acknowledged Shaw’s role as an art critic and the impact it had on his dramaturgy, there has been little recognition of the ways in which this influenced his domestic interiors, consumption, and personal taste, or indeed his interest in the decorative arts and design. Artefacts and furniture in the house today reflect Shaw’s role as a socialist-aesthete, and his involvement with Arts and Crafts movement practitioners and Aestheticism. As an art patron Shaw also shared the aims of artists, connoisseurs and curators working in the first decades of the twentieth century, and we see evidence of this through certain artefacts at Shaw’s Corner. With a strong aesthetic sense, he devoted time to matters of beauty and art, but was equally governed by economics and a desire to bring ‘good’ art and design to everyone. Shaw was considered to be one of the greatest cultural commentators and thinkers of his generation, but he was at the same time a renowned celebrity and influential figure in the mass media. The literature has tended to dismiss the latter role in order to preserve his place among the former, but I argue here that Shaw did not necessarily view the two as separate endeavours. In fact items from the house, notably Shaw’s clothing and sculpture, are considered as the bearers of complex philosophical, symbolic or iconographic meanings relating to his self-fashioning, aesthetic doctrines, and desire for commemoration, which demonstrate the links between the celebrity and the critic. By considering the artefacts in conjunction with the Trust’s archive of Shaw photographs, as well as his representation in popular culture, and by then relating this material dimension to his writings, the thesis brings a new methodological approach to the study of Shaw. More importantly this thesis reveals new knowledge about the philosophical ideas, humanity, generosity, and personal vanity of the man that lay behind those artefacts.

"Contested Land" is a senior thesis on the controversy surrounding plans to build on the Bernard Field Station in Claremont, California. The documentary satisfies a dual major in Intercollegiate Media Studies and Joint Sciences Biology.

The thesis explores the nature of organization and governance by applying a method of intentionality analysis as elaborated by the Canadian philosopher and theologian, Bernard Lonergan, in his two monumental works, Insight – a study of human understanding, and Method in Theology. The project arose from the writer’s own experience in management education and consultancy. Admittedly, intentionality analysis has not been a major theme in the management literature. However, the late Sumantra Ghoshal drew attention to the consequences of neglecting the dimension of intentionality in business education and management theory, such consequences as unethical practices and even the collapse of corporations, as was the case with Enron. In a paper published by the Academy of Management Learning and Education in 2005, Ghoshal raised a number of crucial and epistemological questions, though he offered no easy answers. In the effort to rise to Ghoshal’s challenge, this thesis argues that Lonergan’s method of intentionality analysis opens new ways to approach the theory and practice of management. It thereby suggests a model relevant to all managerial tasks. Hence, it repeatedly stresses the value of asking questions and of attending to data. It indicates what is involved in the understanding of a given situation, in the making of judgments based on experience, and in the deciding on particular courses of action. In so doing, the thesis clarifies a number of intricate epistemological questions, while emphasising throughout, the vital role of self-knowledge and self-possession. The thesis is essentially a step-by-step discussion of the various elements in intentionality analysis in the context of corporate management. Hence, for the sake of brevity, it designates its “intentionality analysis method” with the acronym, IAM (and in reference to organisational operations, IAMO). To illustrate various aspects of intentionality analysis for the purposes of management education, the author draws on exercises previously used in his involvement in executive workshops. The usefulness of the IAM developed in this thesis is highlighted by comparing and contrasting it with selected management theories on learning and strategy as found in the writings of, for example, Belbin, Janis, Kegan, Revans, Argyris, Nonaka, Takeuchi, Senge, Mintzberg, Ansoff, Lewis and Jaques. The project concludes with a discussion of the pedagogical challenges involved in presenting such material to managers, with reference to some contemporary developments in business education.

Thesis (M.A.)--State University of New York at Binghamton, Department of Philosophy, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references.

This study was the first research endeavor ever conducted concerning the population of Western toads, Anaxyrus boreas, at the Bernard Field Station. Despite the current lack of information regarding this population, they will become a concern in future years because they are threatened by habitat destruction. Preceding this study, a single breeding pond has been available to this population, which has been in use for the past 20 to 30 years. However, it is likely that the current breeding pond will be destroyed and the will be land developed for human use. In order to provide these toads with another breeding site, a new pond was constructed. Its suitability as an aquatic habitat was assessed on the basis of temperature, light intensity, algal growth and sediment levels in comparison to conditions at the old breeding pond. When tadpoles were raised in the laboratory in various water treatments, those reared in water from the new pond showed no decrease in survivorship or growth rate. The only significant difference in growth was between laboratory-raised and field animals. Tadpoles living in the field were both smaller in length during the larval period as well as smaller in mass at metamorphosis. Additionally, 75% of the tadpoles translocated to the new site completed full metamorphosis. Therefore, the new pond is both hospitable and conducive to tadpole development, a positive sign for future conservation efforts.

In response to imminent habitat destruction at the Robert J. Bernard Biological Field Station (BFS), translocation was assessed as a conservation strategy for a population of Western toads (Anaxyrus boreas). Currently, the BFS is home to a relatively unstudied population of Western toads, which rely on the existence of a seasonal breeding pond in open land owned by Harvey Mudd College on the west side of the field station. Unfortunately, there are plans to develop this plot of land within the next few years and so the breeding pond will be destroyed. In an effort to protect the Western toads, which are listed as Near Threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, a new breeding pond was developed within the protected portion of the field station. Then, the potential of the new pond to be used as a habitat for Western toads was assessed. Pond temperatures, light intensities, algae growth, and suspended material were measured in both the original and the new ponds from January to April, 2010 and were found to be suitable in both locations for the development of Western toad tadpoles. When eggs were laid in the original breeding pond, egg and then later tadpole development were monitored in the field. Additionally, nearly 400 tadpoles were captured and raised in the laboratory in water from both the new and old ponds (as well as dechloraminated tap water) in order to determine how and to what degree the different pond water types affected the development and survival of the tadpoles. In the laboratory, tadpole survival and the percent of tadpoles to achieve full metamorphosis was higher in water from the new pond than water from the original breeding pond, suggesting that there is nothing apparent about the water chemistry in the new pond that would limit tadpole development. Lastly, a mini-translocation of 400 young tadpoles was completed as a trial for a full-scale relocation attempt in the future. These tadpoles developed normally in the new pond when compared to tadpoles from the original pond and also had a high survival rate (at least 75%) to full metamorphosis. Translocation success cannot be determined without long-term monitoring and unfortunately, although the aquatic habitat of the new pond seems suitable for relocation, the terrestrial habitat as well as the predator density surrounding the new pond may limit its success in the future. However, due to the lack of time before the original breeding pond is destroyed, full-scale translocation of eggs and tadpoles during the next breeding season is recommended.

Having already been hired as an environmental organizer, I reflect on how my childhood experiences impacted me. I embark upon this vocational journey with youthful optimism, a good dose of realism, and just a touch of cynicism. An environmental organizer is someone who works mobilizing individuals around targeted environmental issues. They create policy changes that are environmentally positive… generally for little pay. What has motivated me, and scores of others, to willingly take on this seemingly impossible task? For me: was it the summer vacations to Yellowstone and The Rocky Mountains with my brothers and parents? Maybe it was being able to explore in “The Woods” behind my elementary school as a child? These questions have been central in my life this semester, as I am involved in two environmental education programs: the K-12 education component of Energy Service Corps (ESC) and the Leadership in Environmental Education Partnership (LEEP). My work within these organizations, which I will elaborate on in greater detail, compels me to contemplate the impact these programs have on children.