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From the middle of the seventeenth century until 1853, the Japanese shogunal government virtually isolated Japan from the rest of the world. Only the Chinese and the Dutch were allowed to maintain a trading post in the harbour of Nagasaki. All dealings with the Dutch traders were subject to strict controls, and the interpreters that were trained to liaise with them had to swear a blood oath to secrecy. Nevertheless, information regarding the scientific and technological advances that were made in the West during this period managed to penetrate this barrier, and eventually grew, to some extent with official sanction, into a popular branch of scholarship known as rengeku, literally 'Dutch learning'. Since nearly all of the academic knowledge that reached Japan from the West arrived in written Dutch, the Dutch language became the language of science in Japan during this period, and a necessary subject of study for allrangaku scholars. This thesis is the first study in English that examines the development of the study of the Dutch language in Japan during the period through an analysis of the textbooks and dictionaries that were produced in Japan. The works selected for this study are those considered to be representative of, or significant to, the development of the study of Dutch and attendant increase of awareness of Western linguistic concepts, many of which were imposed, for better or worse, on the Japanese language. Other, less influential documents, are occasionally also discussed, to demonstrate the false trails and misunderstandings that can emerge when a foreign language is presented to students without the benefit of demonstrated current and practical usage. Initially Dutch language study was restricted to the development of skills among the Dutch interpreters in Nagasaki, who compiled word lists for personal use. These lists developed from primitive and limited glossaries into relatively sophisticated Chinesestyle lexicons and finally evolved into the large-scale Haruma dictionaries of the early nineteenth century. Early attempts at understanding the structures of the Dutch language, both by interpreters and academics, failed to provide practical insights. An important i breakthrough was achieved when retired interpreter Shizuki Tadao (1760-1806) began to produce translations of Nederduytsche Spraakkonst('Dutch Grammar') by William Sewel, and applied Western linguistic concepts to the Japanese language. This new understanding gave rise to a consistent structural approach to the study of Dutch, as a result of which language study became more consistent and translations more sophisticated. Although the end of national isolation in the middle of the nineteenth century meant that the study of Dutch was soon abandoned in favour of other European languages, many words in the Japanese language, particularly in relation to science and technology, are of Dutch origin. More importantly, many of the principles and terminology the Japanese use to define the structures of their language stem from the insights into Western linguistics gained during those final decades of the period of national isolation.

Urban history is a topic which has been seriously neglected by historians who prefer to concentrate on the more glamorous intrigues of kings, queens, power brokers, and wars between countries. Yet, while the monarchs of Europe were fighting wars, the average person was moving off the farm, into the city and, in the process, forever altering the course of history.Particularly scant is the information we have about life in early German towns. Not only has little been done to explore this subject, but most of the research that has been done has been written in German, with little being translated into English.For my creative project, I will examine life in early German towns by researching the role that the townhall (Rathaus) played in the life of the city. This will be especially significant because next-to-nothing has been written in English about the fascinating role of the German Rathaus. Therefore, much of the research, of necessity, will be of German language sources.The Rathaus, hundreds of which dot the German countryside centuries after their construction, was a multi-purpose structure which served as a governmental and judicial center for the town, as well as a mercantile and social center. The creative project will examine the diverse and important role that this unique building played in the life of the medieval German city. In doing so, we will also come to a better understanding of life in the medieval city, an entity which Fritz Rorig describes in The Medieval Town as "one of the most important impulses in world history."(1) / Department of Urban Planning

This paper reviews the process of video production that was used to create the creative portion of the thesis project. During this process, I experienced creative art theory, creative methods, and new technology applications. For the production of the thesis, I used a high definition digital video camera to illustrate the conflict and fusion between the East and West on the level of cultural mythology. The thesis is comprised of five parts and seven subdivisions:PrefaceStatement of the problemReview of influenceDescription of the artworks, including seven subdivisions:Theme of the projectSelection of creative styleElements of art and cinematographyProject OverviewTransposing the concrete into the abstractExhibit understanding of the language of cinemaCreative application of emerging HDV technologyConclusion and exhibition statement. / Department of Art

Following the assumption that the study of culture is as important as the study of the language in a linguistics program, the author has devised a course in American culture for Spanish high school graduates who are preparing their entrance examination to the University.This course in American culture consists of three units, each unit having two parts.In the first part the author presents a topic in American culture which can be used either as an outline for a teacher to give a lecture or as a reading assignment for the students.The three topics area"The Cities","The American Blacks" and "The Political System".These topics have been chosen because the situation in regard to all of them differs considerably in Spain; thus the study becomes relevant.The second part of these units consists ofa study word list,comprehension questions,a list of topics for discussion and a list of further read ins.

The field of rhetoric has recently begun to position the Sophists as an integral part of the history of the discipline. Sophistic influence has been acknowledged in other fields as well, particularly philosophy and literary theory; however, Sophistic influence on political theory has been virtually ignored. This thesis examines the epistemology of the Sophists within the context of the debates of ancient Greece, and illustrates the connections between Sophistic thought and the ideology behind the structuring of the American federal government. Specific connections are made between the epistemology of the Sophists and that expressed in The Federalist, as well as that of earlier political theorists Thomas Hobbes and John Locke. / Department of English

The world is flooded with American media products, especially television programs. This study examined how American television viewing affects Thai college students' perception of Thai traditional culture, and how Thai television viewing affects their perception of it.Two hundred sixty-one Thai college students were given a survey in three communication classes at Chulalongkorn University, in Bangkok, Thailand during June/July, 2006. Results were analyzed by means of ANOVA with accompanying Scheffe test. The hypotheses were rejected. Hypothesis one stated American television viewing affects Thai collage students' perception of Thai traditional culture negatively. Hypothesis two stated Thai television viewing affects Thai college students' perception of Thai traditional culture positively. / Department of Journalism

Mode of access: World Wide Web. / Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 183-186). / Electronic reproduction. / Also available by subscription via World Wide Web / xii, 186 leaves, bound 29 cm

Secret and testimony play a crucial role in the forces that structure not only the juridical but also rhetoric and meaning. The failure of universalising narratives to adequately articulate catastrophic sites of trauma and mourning is treated not as a loss but as an opportunity to reinstate a creative and affirmative approach to thinking, writing, and reading, and thus how the world is made. Leibniz's notion of "disquiet" as an affirmative motivator toward creation underpins this thesis. / The thesis considers the place of the personal and the civic in the electronic polis; the role that cybernetics has played in politics and popular culture since 1945; secrecy and autobiographicity in literature from the second world war; in working away from post-Darwinian evolutionary discourses of natural selection, considers the affirmative role the unworking of sense plays in the generation of meaning; and directly tests post-structuralist continental philosophies in local conditions. / Thesis (PhD)--University of South Australia, 2006.

Thesis (Ph.D) -- Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, 2000. / Advisers: Andrew Hess; Sugata Bose; Jeswald W. Salacuse. Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references. Access restricted to members of the Tufts University community. Also available via the World Wide Web;