Doctor of Philosophy / This thesis begins from the belief that it is currently essential for us to relearn the essence of learning. To commence this task, this thesis works with the assumption that the essence of learning lies in the way learning can be ontological, changing the essence of what is, and instituting a new ‘what is’. This thesis is thus an attempt to take account of the radical constructivism that is the unavoidable anthropocentrism of such essential learning. The philosophical teachings of Martin Heidegger are brought to bear on this question concerning learning. This thesis suggests that on the one hand, the way in which Heidegger teaches, teaches us that learning is a process of instituting, a formative projection of necessities that metaleptically installs what is essential; on the other hand, what is thereby learned with and from Heidegger clarifies that this process of learning is a reflexively finitudinal praxis, a thingly effort that must be performed anew every time and can never be taken-as-finished. This means that the ‘freedom’ to change the essence of ‘what is’ by learning is never merely available to us because essential learning involves making-necessary in a sustained manner over-and-against what currently has been learnt-as-necessary, that is, ‘what presently is’. This thesis therefore learns that learning is an avowed act of willing, but one which cannot and must not be represented as a technical economy under the control of a humanist subject. The latter misrepresentations can in fact be understood as manifestations of the current withdrawal of essential learning. In the end, to try to capture what is being learned in this thesis, the process of essential learning is called ‘design’ as understood in relation to the current concern for sustainability

Thesis (M.A.)--Georgia State University, 2008. / Title from file title page. Christie J. Hartley, Andrew I. Cohen, committee co-chairs; Andrew Altman, committee member. Electronic text (70 p.) : digital, PDF file. Description based on contents viewed August 1, 2008. Includes bibliographical references (p. 68-70).

Much scientific and media attention has been devoted to the growing body of research into the genetic correlates of human phenomena. However, many of the resulting reports lead to a deterministic interpretation of the role of genes, and involve fundamental misunderstandings of genetics and heredity. Hence, questions arise regarding the ways in which people make sense of the behavioural genetics research they encounter in everyday life. Furthermore, essentialist accounts are often embedded within popular understanding of politically sensitive topics, such as eugenics, race, and sex, and therefore it is important to examine how people comprehend genetic influences on behaviour. In this dissertation, I review current findings regarding the effects of genetic attributions on beliefs, attitudes, and behaviours in the context of the social world. Particular attention is paid to such effects in the context of gender issues. Specifically, in three studies I examine the effects of exposure to scientific theories concerning human sexuality on attitudes towards and evaluations of men’s dubious sexual behaviors. The results indicate that among men exposure to evolutionary psychology arguments leads to more lenient evaluations and judgments of an array of dubious sexual behaviors, compared with exposure to social constructivist arguments. It also seems that men implicitly hold nativist perceptions with regards to male sexuality and promiscuity. The findings were less conclusive among women, with some indication that women are less affected by such exposure as well as less likely to naturally hold a nativist perspective in the context of human sexuality. This empirical research has direct implications for previously suggested intervention programs and adds to the incurrent resurgence of interest in the effects of genetic theories. Finally, I identify areas where further exploration is needed, suggest potential solutions for specific problems, and evaluate related individual and social implications. / Arts, Faculty of / Psychology, Department of / Graduate

The purpose of this study was to make an appraisal of the educational philosophies, pragmatism and essentialism, and their effects upon the aims, methods, and curriculum of education. No effective effort was made to branch off into the many philosophical ramifications of the question, but the practical aspects of each philosophy were studied in order to determine how it has influenced education.

Heart of Darkness does raise several issues when used in a teaching context. For instance, the novella depicts the Congolese as primitive, animalistic, ignorant, and superstitious. Thus, it perpetuates racist tropes about Africans that unfortunately still exist today. In an era marked by heightened awareness of racial and social inequality, the language in Heart of Darkness becomes extremely offensive because it subjects the racialized reader to language that is hard to digest. However, this essay attempts to illustrate how a critical reading of Heart of Darkness shows that the novella is far too complex to be reduced to the epitome of racist discourse, namely because it illustrates the inherent ambivalence that characterizes the Victorian, imperialist, colonizing West. Taught the right way, Heart of Darkness has the potential to provide students with the knowledge necessary to comprehend that race is a social construct that is developed, generated, and replicated discursively through various ideologies with the express intention of defending the unequal treatment of people and groups

In this essay I defend Simone de Beauvoir against the charge that her chapter <i>The Givens of Biology</i> from The Second Sex is biologistic. A work can be said to make the mistake of biologism when it assigns a particular nature or essence to human beings based on their biology. De Beauvoir has been accused of making this mistake because her critics have not understood the philosophical landscape in which she was working. Not only have they missed the subtleties of her arguments, but many formulated their criticisms from a poor translation, provided by H.M. Parshley in 1952. In order to combat the decontextualizing of her theory I provide a conceptual backdrop that locates de Beauvoirs work in relation to her philosophical influences, her contemporaries, and her own philosophical works that predate The Second Sex. I give a phenomenological re-reading of The Givens of Biology based on my situating of de Beauvoir. My work is expositional and argumentative to the point of dissuading the reader from understanding de Beauvoir not only as a biological essentialist, but also as holding especially negative views about womens embodiment.

In this essay I defend Simone de Beauvoir against the charge that her chapter <i>The Givens of Biology</i> from The Second Sex is biologistic. A work can be said to make the mistake of biologism when it assigns a particular nature or essence to human beings based on their biology. De Beauvoir has been accused of making this mistake because her critics have not understood the philosophical landscape in which she was working. Not only have they missed the subtleties of her arguments, but many formulated their criticisms from a poor translation, provided by H.M. Parshley in 1952. In order to combat the decontextualizing of her theory I provide a conceptual backdrop that locates de Beauvoirs work in relation to her philosophical influences, her contemporaries, and her own philosophical works that predate The Second Sex. I give a phenomenological re-reading of The Givens of Biology based on my situating of de Beauvoir. My work is expositional and argumentative to the point of dissuading the reader from understanding de Beauvoir not only as a biological essentialist, but also as holding especially negative views about womens embodiment.

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Cross-cultural exchange between individuals, both through face-to-face encounter and, more recently, electronic media, has been widely promoted as a means of educating against prejudice. Through the integration of structured field study, practical experience, educational and social theory, and contemporary philosophy, this thesis challenges the very foundations upon which such initiatives are built, and develops an alternative basis from which to approach cross-cultural exchange. An exploration of social categorisation posits the foundations of prejudice in essentialist conceptualisations, whether under the umbrella of universalism or relativism. The historical propensity for antiracist and multicultural education to reify group difference and reinforce such essentialist conceptualisations of identity thus presents an interesting conundrum. The fact that similar tendencies are noted in contemporary practice, educational resources, and official guidance, gives this more than an academic interest. Despite the apparent advantages of abandoning essentialist categorisations, studies of communication and identity formation reveal contradictory evidence - the need to locate others socially and to predict their behaviour accordingly, both in face-to-face and electronic communication. Thus, the challenge for educators is to develop innovative pedagogical approaches that translate contemporary, non-essentialist, understandings of group categorisation into workable practices to overcome inequality. While, within such a programme, cross-cultural exchange might be seen to have a valuable role to play alongside structural reform, it is clear that alone it cannot provide a panacea for prejudice. In the light of the above, the thesis addresses guidance for good practice in crosscultural exchange, and the related complexity of programme evaluation, alongside the training of future facilitators of such projects. A particular emphasis is placed upon the use of participatory arts and the unique tools this medium can bring to inclusive, cross-cultural collaboration. The thesis demonstrates, that cross-cultural exchange has the potential to provide valuable and significant learning experiences, some of which have previously been given little recognition.

I denna uppsats har vi undersökt hur etnicitet framställs och beskrivs isamhällskunskapsläromedel för gymnasiet. Vi har också haft för avsikt att undersöka ometnicitetsbegreppet problematiseras i relation till dess komplexitet. Vi har genomfört enkvalitativ textanalys av tre nyutgivna läromedels beskrivning och diskussion kring etnicitet irelation till två framstående perspektiv inom etnicitetsforskningen, essentialism ochkonstruktivism. Etnicitet kan genom dessa perspektiv antingen ses som biologiskt och statiskt(essentialism) eller som socialt konstruerat och föränderligt (konstruktivism). Detessentialistiska perspektivet anses i dagens forskning vara föråldrat medan detkonstruktivistiska anses vara mer nyanserat och därmed att föredra. Vår teoretiskautgångspunkt om individens meningsskapande genom distansering till andra har genomsyratuppsatsen. Genom att systematiskt ställa frågor till texten och utgå från de centralaståndpunkterna inom respektive perspektiv har vi genomfört vår analys och som sedanmynnat ut i vårt resultat. Studiens resultat visade att i de samhällskunskapsläromedel viundersökt framträder företrädesvis ett konstruktivistiskt perspektiv i förklarandet av etnicitet.Vi har dock även funnit vissa tendenser på essentialistiska inslag i läromedlen. Viktigt attpoängtera är att framställningen i läromedlen inte alltid gått att placera inom ramen för någotav dessa två perspektiv. Vidare förklarar vi i uppsatsen vikten av att läromedel är nyanseradeläromedel eftersom innehållet i läromedlen styr vad eleverna lär sig och bär med sig.