The thesis is a social psychological study of beliefs about women artists and women's art. It is argued that the work of women artists is systematically undervalued in society and it is also argued that people's beliefs about women artists, and their attitudes towards women's art, are stereotypical. People are shown to have stereotyped beliefs about women artists and it is argued that stereotypes comprise the cognitive component of people's attitudes towards women's art. An argument is then presented that the origins of stereotypes can be found in social identity and personal identity. The conclusion is drawn that people's social identities and personal identities influence their views on women artists and their attitudes towards women's art, as represented by the stereotypical belief component of those attitudes. The results of an analytic survey are then presented in support of this claim. The survey findings show that two social identity factors, feminism and gender, and one personal identity factor, sex-role categorisation, influence people's beliefs about women artists and women's art. Having established that people's views on women artists and their work are stereotypical, the thesis then moves on to consider what effect this has on the sense of self of a group of arts professionals. An argument is presented that, in order to accomplish this task, it is necessary to replace survey methodology with discourse analysis techniques. Analyses are then presented of a set of interviews with arts professionals and those involved in promoting women's art. The results of these analyses show that the subjects are able to employ discursive accounts in order to preserve a positive sense of identity in the face of possible challenges to their sense of self In the final chapter, some concluding comments are offered on the advantages associated with adopting a mixed-methodology approach of this kind.

The bright hydrogen-deficient binary Upsilon Sgr has been studied in detail in the areas of radial velocities, flux distribution, temperature, surface gravity, composition and mass loss using the analysis of spectroscopic data. From IUE high resolution spectra the primary radial velocity orbit has been confirmed (K1 = 47.3±0.8kms−1) and the secondary radial velocity curve determined for the first time (K2 = 29.7±1.7kms−1). The orbit has been constrained to an inclination of 65 - 78°. The masses of the primary and secondary are then 3.0 ± 0.3 and 4.8 ± 0.5M☉ respectively, with an orbital separation of 230±20R☉.The primary is expected to fill its Roche Lobe at a radius of ~60R☉.Using all the available photometry and line-blanketed hydrogen-deficient model atmospheres the primary effective temperature has been determined to be 11,800±500K. IUE spectra were used to determine an extinction of E[sub]B-v = 0.20±0.05 leading to a distance of ~1400pc and a luminosity of 61,000(+11,000)/(-5,000) L☉. The long standing problem of the flux distribution has been mostly solved and little of the UV flux shortward of 1400 Å comes from a hot bright secondary. The same model atmospheres and a high resolution CCD/echelle spectrum was used to confirm the temperature (Teff= 11,750±750K) and to obtain a surface gravity of log g = 1.5±0.5. υ Sgr is ~ 99.6% helium, 0.016% H with CNO abundances indicative of advanced evolution and high main sequence mass. From profile fitting of the UV resonance lines of C, N and Si the mass-loss rate from υ Sgr is at least 2.5 x10−1°M☉yr−1. The upper limit to the mass-loss rate is 1.0 x10 −5M☉yr−1 from the lack of observed changes in the orbital parameters. The mass of the primary component and the low likely mass-loss rate indicate that the primary component will not be able to shed enough material before core collapse, an event that will be classed as a type Ib supernova. This is the first solid evidence that hydrogen-deficient binaries are progenitors of these objects although other candidates are not ruled out. The other known hydrogen-deficient binaries (KS Per, LSS 1922 and LSS 4300) have had their temperatures (12,500±500K, 12,000±500K, 12,000±1,000K) and interstellar extinctions (0.55± 0.05, 0.80±0.05, 0.90±0.10) re-determined from a flux distribution analysis. Mass-loss rates from 6 O stars, 3 Extreme Helium stars and 2 sdO stars have also been determined. The O and EHe results broadly agree with the previous determinations. Results for the 2 sdO stars, BD H-37° 1977 and BD +37 ° 442, are presented from profile fitting for the first time and indicate a mass-loss rate slightly higher than for the EHe stars.

An intertemporal decision model is presented in which subjects save less for retirement than the permanent income hypothesis predicts, signaling optimistic income prospects (and therefore high latent productivity) to possible partners in productive exchanges. Competitive conspicuous consumption (CCC), as it is called, is a self-defeating strategy, if followed by subjects simultaneously. Egalitarian policies (which have to be distinguished from pure welfare policies) tend to lower excess consumption. The CCC-hypothesis justifies a cross-sectional Keynesian consumption function with declining marginal propensities to consume. It is argued that the cultural context is highly relevant to the scope and importance of CCC. (author's abstract) / Series: Working Papers Series "Growth and Employment in Europe: Sustainability and Competitiveness"

The purpose of the study was to explore the experience of 13 Black, National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) sorority members as they relate to their academic achievement and civic engagement. Participants were female, upperclassmen students at four different Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), half private and the other public. Criterion, purposive, and snowball sampling were used to secure participants. Using the Community of Practice as a theoretical framework, which is comprised of five stages, participants’ experiences were described, analyzed, and interpreted to inform the study. Data were collected through individual phone interviews, using a semi-structured interview protocol, and were analyzed using inductive analysis. Four themes emerged from the inductive analysis and those themes derived subthemes: (a) Support- (1) academic support, (2) financial support, and (3) engaging and influence; (b) Academic Intention- (1) understanding academic achievement before sorority membership, and (2) understanding academic achievement after sorority membership; (c) Service- (a) civic engagement, (b) volunteering, and (c) filling a need; lastly, (d) Social Awareness- (a) personal service goals, (b) personal social responsibility, and (c) understanding civic engagement agents. The study provided implications for practitioners in higher education, such as the need to understand the historical significance, to advise these groups in a comprehensive manner, to conduct further research on the experiences of graduate chapter members caused by life experiences, and to identify sorority interests prior to membership for optimal outcomes. The study findings have implications for future support, research, and resources offered in helping these women navigate both student life and sorority membership. It is recommended that future researchers continue to examine the experiences of Black, NPHC sorority women, in order to inform higher education practitioners to better assist with their growth and development.