Thesis (M.S.)--University of California, Davis, 2007. / Text document in PDF format. Title from PDF title page (viewed on August 28, 2009). "Received by ITS-Davis: September 2007"--Publication detail webpage. Includes bibliographical references (p. 114-116).

Thesis (M.S.)--University of California, Davis, 2006. / Text document in PDF format. Title from PDF title page (viewed on September 1, 2009). "Received by ITS-Davis: September 2006"--Publication detail webpage. Includes bibliographical references (p. 75-78).

Thesis (D. Min.)--Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, 1995. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 144-154).

Thesis (M.S.)--University of California, Davis, 2004. / Text document in PDF format. Title from PDF title page (viewed on September 12, 2009). "Received by ITS-Davis: December 2004"--Publication detail webpage. Includes bibliographical references (p. 62-66).

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Delaware, 2008. / Principal faculty advisor: Margaret Marie Lidz, Winterthur Program in Early American Culture. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (D. Ed. Min.)--Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2006. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 174-180).

Thesis (D.Min)--Abilene Christian University, 2006. / Abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 66-68).

This thesis addresses a creative writing approach to exploring reader empathy through the critical analysis of writing devices implemented by contemporary American short fiction writers and through creative experimentation through a written collection of short stories. It explores the ways in which writers can implement specific literary devices to potentially affect a reader's emotional reaction to a character or situation. The specified devices in this research have been utilised by contemporary American authors in their short fiction collections, namely Lydia Davis (The Collected Stories of Lydia Davis), George Saunders (Tenth of December), and David Foster Wallace (Brief Interviews with Hideous Men), who have influenced reader empathy in their short stories. Two categories of devices are in focus: narrative perspective and story format. These categories are signified due to contemporary American authors' experimentation with these devices and due to their inclusion in literary theory on reader empathy and fiction, namely Suzanne Keen's theory of narrative empathy. She focuses on the importance of reader empathy (namely, the effects that fiction can have on a reader in reality) and discusses devices that writers have used to possibly evoke these emotions. Keen explores the relationship between a reader and character identification, with a further emphasis on reader empathy and reader altruism in an inter-disciplinary setting, stating that reader empathy may lead to reader altruism; however, little to no research has been conducted on the creative implementation of writing techniques in regards to reader empathy from the perspective of a creative writer. Through creative application, this thesis aims to show the ways in which devices explored by narrative theorists can create the possibility for reader empathy. Therefore, the thesis takes into account first-, second-, and third-person narrative perspectives and question and answer (Q&A), short-short (a.k.a. flash fiction), and segmented formats through literary analysis of contemporary short fiction and through writing experimentation in the form of a short story collection. The thesis aims to explore the creative use of these devices and their linkage to reader reaction by the production of a short fiction collection entitled Fragmented Perceptions: A Collection of Characters. This creative work intends to implement the specified devices researched in order to experiment with perspective and format in relation to a possible empathetic connection of the reader to a character. Finally, by analysing possible effects on reader empathy through devices employed in the creative work, the thesis explores ways in which authors can use narrative perspective and format to discover various ways in which a writer can implement devices to affect reader empathy through short fiction.

This dissertation argues for a relational ethic of listening that emphasizes the pedagogical role of the listener as a student in dialogically hearing, producing, and responding to the other. This ethic of listening works to hear possibilities amongst differences, and to ethically account for and learn from the cultural, historical, and embodied differences of the other as they are produced relationally amongst macro-structures and micro-practices. In order to develop this ethic of listening, I pay specific attention to my solo autobiographical performance, Miles away from "The Cool," in which I present my autobiographical and musical reading of the autobiography of trumpet player Miles Davis, Miles. This performance and my research regarding the music, life story, and cultural significance of Davis functions as an example for my development of a listening centered approach to pedagogy. Listening to jazz and the music of Davis provides an approach to hearing possibilities as they are enabled and constrained by larger macro-structures and specific micro-practices. I argue this approach to listening can be extended to research regarding autobiography and geographic location. Listening to autobiography and location can enable a critical and ethical understanding of the ways history, context, and power play on bodies in jazz, autobiography, location and autobiographical performance. After explaining this relational ethic of listening in terms of autobiography and jazz, I make the case for listening as a performative act in which as listeners we are always students to the other. Performative listening is a critical communicative act that works to ethically and pedagogically hear and learn from the other. Performative listening emerges from a relational ethic of listening, and it is a productive pleasure that works to hear possibilities in and amongst differences.

In 2018 the Davis Tax Committee was tasked with the responsibility of investigating the feasibility of introducing an annual wealth tax in South Africa. This wealth tax would serve as a replacement for the existing wealth taxes that are Estate Duty, Donations Tax, Security Transfer Tax and Transfer Duty. There has since been great debate around this topic and the aim of this dissertation is to collate all the literature that has been researched on the wealth tax both nationally and internationally to conclude as to whether or not a wealth tax will be suitable for South Africa currently The two main reasons behind the proposal of a wealth tax are firstly, to increase tax contributions to the South African revenue. Secondly, it is as a measure of redress given that South Africa has great disparities in wealth with the wealth Gini coefficient currently reported to be 0.9. The wealth tax has not only been a contentious topic in South Africa, but has been debated globally. The OECD reported that initially 12 countries had implemented an annual wealth tax and now only 4 still have the tax operating in their economies. This dissertation focuses on lessons that can be learnt from international countries by conducting a country review on France, Germany and India. India is the only other BRICS country that had previously implemented the annual wealth tax and has since abolished it in 2015. Furthermore, it is important for the introduction of any tax in an economy to align with the principles of a good tax system. Adam Smith set out the canons of a good tax system such as simplicity, efficiency and equity and this dissertation assesses whether the wealth tax aligns with these ideals and investigates whether it would be fair to implement this tax as per the principles of vertical and horizontal equity. As mentioned above, South Africa already has existing wealth taxes. This study therefore interrogates whether the annual wealth tax is necessary since there are already wealth taxes that exist and whether these existing taxes on wealth meet the intended ideals of the wealth tax. There are advantages and disadvantages associated with the implementation of this tax. It was therefore important for this dissertation to juxtapose these. The dissertation concludes that the disadvantages outweigh the advantages of implementing a wealth tax in South Africa at the moment. The introduction of a wealth tax would therefore not be feasible in South Africa at the moment.