A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Arts in fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of Psychology at the University of Zululand, South Africa, 2014 / This study involved an evaluation of an energy healing programme using participatory action research. The main research question related to the effectiveness of an energy healing programme in a group of psoriasis sufferers. The other research questions examined the participants‘ lived experiences of the programme; the extent to which awareness and intention to heal, as forms of energy, raised levels of consciousness and finally the extent to which new awareness led to corresponding bodily changes related to psoriasis. The study was based on the experiences of three participants living with psoriasis who participated in a five week energy healing programme. The sample was based on individuals living with psoriasis and with a shared interest in energy healing. Participants ranged between the ages of 24 and 54.Thegroup comprised one male and two females from a Hindu background, living in the greater Durban area. The programme involved the practice of various energy healing modalities that included the different forms of meditation, pranayama and yoga. The programme required weekly attendance at experiential group session with a duration of 90 minutes. An integrated methodological approach was used to capture the essence of energy healing through four ways of being and knowing. These included interior, exterior, individual and collective perspectives. A positivist research approach provided objective findings of heart rhythm coherence and quality of life measures on effectiveness of the energy healing programme. These findings showed a corresponding relationship with subjective data based on personal experiences of energy healing. First person perspectives included themes of self-discovery, self-acceptance, detached observing and improved relationships as it relates to higher states in consciousness. This study should be replicated on a larger scale using more controlled research methods to validate the use of energy healing as an adjunct treatment for people living with psoriasis.

I address the recognized but largely unexamined affinity between the evolutionary philosophies of John Dewey and Daniel C. Dennett, in order to resolve a problematic tension within Dennett's naturalism that results from his emphasis and dependence on science without having a proper account of science. Briefly, many of Dennett's critics argue that this neglect results in the neopragmatic relativism of Richard Rorty. I argue that there is another alternative by making use of John Dewey's philosophy of inquiry. The role of experimental inquiry is neglected by Rorty yet is central to Dewey's project of reconstruction, as opposed to the neurophilosophical and neopragmatic project of reconciling what Wilfrid Sellars called the scientific and manifest images of humanity. In promoting reconstruction as opposed to reconciliation, the tension in both Dennett and much contemporary neurophilosophy is simply evaded. Moreover, the conflict between the sciences and the humanities can be ameliorated through an emphasis on experimental method. In presenting this neurophilosophical pragmatism, I not only continue Dennett's project of imagining new metaphors for consciousness, I meet Rorty's challenge to Dennett to reconstruct science in light of the new metaphors for consciousness - yet I do so in a way that does not simply reduce science to literature as Rorty professed. This first lengthy presentation of neuropragmatism promises to advance not only rapprochement between science and the humanities but also points a way forward for pragmatism in the twenty-first century that takes seriously the advances in the sciences of life and mind without succumbing to the dangers of much of the neuro-hype found both inside and outside of philosophical circles.

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Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Racism is a pervasive and destructive force in society and has no place in schools. White teachers, like all teachers, are responsible for creating a safe and inclusive learning environment for all students. This means being aware and actively working to combat their own biases and stereotypes, providing equal opportunities and support to all students. This instrumental, qualitative study captured the narratives of five White-identifying critically conscious teachers to understand how their critical consciousness is expressed and the opportunities and challenges they experience because of their anti-racism work. The central research question of this study was: How do critically conscious White teachers in a Southern Indiana school district experiencing demographic shifts engage in anti-racism work? Janet Helms’s White Racial Identity Development (WRID) theory was used to explain the teachers’ work towards anti-racism in schools. The findings from this study indicated that White identifying critically conscious teachers White teachers: a) leverage their privilege to promote anti-racism, b) use culturally relevant practices, c) engage in co-conspirator work, d) actively collaborate with BIPOC students and teachers, e) are instrumental in supporting anti-racism efforts, f) are content with making a positive impact on students and society, g) perceive and experience negative professional consequences as a result of their anti-racism work. This study has important implications for teachers, school administrators, and education system stakeholders.

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Given humankind’s ability to dramatically affect the natural systems that support life on our planet, what is the designer’s role in building empathic consciousness towards our biosphere? Our consciousness is the gestalt effect of what we know, feel, and believe. The built environment is both illustrator and shaper of this shared consciousness. Our attitude toward the biosphere is a product of the ways the industrial revolution shaped our landscape, economy, social organization, governance, art, and design. This thesis uses a site in Holyoke, Massachusetts (160 Middle Water St.), to test theories about how spaces change the way we think, feel, and act toward our planet. Holyoke, the first planned industrial city in the nation, is a cultural landscape that tells the story of reshaping natural systems for human benefit. The program for the space emerges from the budding creative economy in Holyoke. Specifically, movement artists are using dance to build community, increase health and fitness, and express emotional experience. 160 Middle Water offers a vision for this engagement, connecting dancers to the earth, river, and sky. This thesis builds on the precedents of landscape architects, architects, sculptors, scientists, poets, and ecologists who have shaped our built environment and framed our view of the world. The tools belong to design disciplines, but the theories are shared by those committed to synchronizing ourselves with the interdependent web of existence of which we are a part.

Exploring the stories of Black engineers provide an opportunity to challenge dominant narratives about the apolitical nature of engineering work and realize the potential of bridging the socio-technical divide. Sociopolitical development (SPD) is an inclination towards social justice, the motivation to address social inequality in surrounding environments, and the formation of social agency to address contextual oppression. The purpose of this multiple case narrative study is to explore the process of SPD within five Black engineers' narratives who are inspired to address social inequities through their engineering work. The overarching research question is: How does the SPD process unfold through the career narratives of Black engineers? Through the multiple settings surrounding Black engineers' career development, this research provides insight into how engineering stakeholders influence the cultural values underlying the nature of engineering work. Throughout their career narratives, Black engineers' awareness, behavior, and evaluations of critical consciousness evolve. Events shaping their SPD are also mapped to the socio-ecosystems. The movement through SPD elements depict the holistic nature of the SPD process for Black engineers experiences in childhood, formal education, and the workforce. These results contribute to engineering education literature by: (1) presenting a counter-narrative of engineering work that accounts for the perspectives of Black engineers; (2) highlighting the sense of agency that is necessary to integrate social justice elements in engineering practice; (3) emphasizing the utility of critical consciousness development in establishing a sense of fulfillment in engineering identity; and (4) discussing the influence of critical reflection and social identities on political efficacy and action. Insights from this study should compel engineering stakeholders to reflect on how engineering values perpetuate inequities in engineering pathways and engagement. / Doctor of Philosophy / Exploring the stories of Black engineers provide an opportunity to challenge dominant narratives about the neutral nature of engineering work and realize the potential of bridging the separation between social and technical spaces. Sociopolitical development (SPD) is an inclination towards social justice, the motivation to address social inequality in surrounding environments, and the formation of social agency to address contextual oppression. The purpose of this multiple case narrative study is to explore the process of SPD within five Black engineers' narratives who are inspired to address social inequities through their engineering work. The overarching research question is: How does the SPD process unfold through the career narratives of Black engineers? Through the multiple settings surrounding Black engineers' career development, this research provides insight into how engineering stakeholders influence the cultural values underlying the nature of engineering work. Throughout their career narratives, Black engineers' awareness, behavior, and evaluations of critical consciousness evolve. Events shaping their SPD are also mapped to the socio-ecosystems. The movement through SPD elements depict the holistic nature of the SPD process for Black engineers experiences in childhood, formal education, and the workforce. These results contribute to engineering education literature by: (1) presenting a counter-narrative of engineering work that accounts for the perspectives of Black engineers; (2) highlighting the sense of agency that is necessary to integrate social justice elements in engineering practice; (3) emphasizing the utility of critical consciousness development in establishing a sense of fulfillment in engineering identity; and (4) discussing the influence of critical reflection and social identities on political efficacy and action. Insights from this study should compel engineering stakeholders to reflect on how engineering values perpetuate inequities in engineering pathways and engagement.

This thesis explores the dynamics of economic relations and distributive outcomes according to displaced steelworkers' own accountings of deindustrialization and job loss. Whereas class analyses tend to investigate consciousness according to “true” versus “false” preferences and “post-class” scholars assert that “post-materialism” is replacing “materialist” social concerns, the author abandons these dualisms to demonstrate that workers use cultural codes of “purity” and “pollution” to represent and evaluate individuals, interests, and relations. The findings buttress the continuing relevance of social class for explaining social identity, consciousness, and antagonism.

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