published_or_final_version / Social Work / Master / Master of Philosophy

Field experiences function as a link between LIS theory and practice. Students should be provided with an experience that is a true reflection of the professional environment. The increasing focus on research by academic librarians provides an opportunity and responsibility to integrate research into the field experiences of LIS students. / Selinda Adelle Berg Clinical Medicine Librarian University of Windsor, Canada sberg@uwindsor.ca; Kristin Hoffmann Research & Instructional Services Librarian The University of Western Ontario, Canada khoffma8@uwo.ca; Diane Dawson Natural Sciences Liaison Librarian The University of Saskatchewan, Canada diane.dawson@usask.ca

The central interest of this thesis is the nature of the transmission of musical knowledge, and its meaning and purpose to different societies and within different contemplations of life and beliefs. In my case, I will specifically refer to what I learnt from the fieldwork I carried out in Southern Italy (2004), in some South African contexts (2005), and in the village of Batuan (Bali, Indonesia; 2006, 2007). All such experiences will be put, so to say, in a 'dialogue' with each other in order to suggest a few considerations. The methodological tools employed to sustain my argument are Clifford Geertz's concept of thick description, and the audio-visual material collected throughout my fieldwork, which will further support my commentary. Using Clifford Geertz's approach, I suggest that in exploring the relationship between human beings and the various practices of 'music' existing, as well as their contents and aims, we need to look at music not as an isolated element on its own, as mostly conceived of in the West, but rather as an integral aspect of life itself. The facts and observations reported from my fieldwork show that what in the West is called music and music education can elsewhere be experienced and thought of in very dissimilar ways. In the village of Batuan, for example, music is not a special event, but an ingredient of the local community's life and its spirituality. The final ruminations will speculate on the fact that in the West the fragmentation through which life is understood, and that has destroyed the bond between life and the arts, is also reflected in the educational system. In modern Western societies, the detachment of arts from life has created a craving and a need for artistic exclusivity, which celebrates the individualistic rather than the communal, and aesthetics rather than spirituality, unlike Bali, for example. As a starting point, we are asked to ponder whether, and how, in the West we can still entertain the hope to reconcile such a fragmentation with a more holistic approach, where music becomes equal to the other daily activities taking place within our community.

Thesis (Th. M.)--Dallas Theological Seminary, 1998. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 73-78).

Thesis (M.Ed.)--Memorial University of Newfoundland, 1999. / Leaves 75-93 numbered in reverse order. Bibliography: leaves 93-89 [sic].

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This thesis examines the role and work of the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland from a geographical perspective in the period 1908 – c.1975, with especial reference to the historical geographies behind the production of the national inventory of Scotland’s ancient and historic built monuments. The thesis examines the sites of practice where the Commission produced the national inventory to explore the doing of the inventory. Fieldwork is a central concern of the thesis. Attention is paid to the spatial aspects of Commission’s work both in the field “out there” and in the office “in here”. The thesis discusses the methods and technologies which fostered the development of fieldwork practices rooted in the office and in the field. The Commission was always ‘doing fieldwork’ and this thesis brings into focus the relationship between the different spaces and places where the Commission undertook what might be labelled as work in the field. The thesis is comprised of nine chapters. An introduction and literature review are followed by an examination of the history of antiquarianism relevant to the establishment of the Commission. A further two chapters provide an overview of the Commission’s history, arranged chronologically, and its archive, understood in relation to relevant archival theory. Three chapters consider the development of the Commission with particular attention paid to fieldwork techniques and methods, the development of rescue archaeology, and the associated technologies which facilitated the Commission’s work within a rescue paradigm before turning, finally, to examine the Commission’s database, Canmore. Examining the Commission in this manner has drawn attention to the ways in which geographers and others conceive of fieldwork and how the development of the Commission was inherently linked to ways of doing work in the field. Through examining the history and geography of the Commission’s work the concern of this thesis is to study how ‘antiquarian research’ was carried out in the field “in here” and “out there” simultaneously. The thesis suggests that narrow definitions of fieldwork overlook the nuances of how ancient Scotland was revealed through suites of different practice. The thesis argues that more fine-grained approaches to understanding the how of the doing of fieldwork might lead to reconceptualisation of the place of work in the field, recognising that different practices helped constitute both ancient and historical Scotland as the object of the Commission’s work and the Commission itself.

The understanding of geographical concepts and the development of skills requires the use of appropriate teaching strategies. Modern school geography incorporates a wealth of techniques and embraces a wide range of strategies which are directly suited to achieve the aims which are central to current geographical education. Techniques which directly involve the learner are perceived to be the most valuable. Of the many participatory strategies suited to the teaching of geography, fieldwork is accepted as the most worthwhile. This study investigates student teachers' perceptions of fieldwork in their college studies and as a teaching strategy. Extensive literature on fieldwork in geographical education was analysed. A survey was conducted to assess the student teachers' fieldwork experiences. The results reveal that fieldwork is neglected in Transkeian schools and Colleges of Education, despite the fact that it is required by school syllabuses, and the fact that in many areas suitable sites are readily accessible. Conclusions are drawn and recommendations made for the inclusion of fieldwork in geography courses at Transkei Colleges of Education.

The thesis describes how family life is organised in the car, with a particular focus on exploring the role and use of mobile technology in this setting. The objective of this research is to use the insights from video ethnographic data collected with families to discuss how social interaction between family members may be situated to technology use. Drawing from the notion of ‘ordinary work’ discussed in ethnomethodology and applying this to naturalistic video data of families in cars, the thesis demonstrates how family activities are locally produced, drawing on background knowledge and common-sense understandings of family members’ work. Using methods from conversation analysis, the research demonstrates how transcribed instances of talk can reveal how parents and children produce their actions and talk to jointly produce activities in relation to media use. The analysis presented in this thesis demonstrates how the family car provides an opportunity for parents and children to come together, and engage in mundane family activities of talk and play while using a range of mobile devices. The thesis draws on richly documented and closely analysed episodes of interaction to demonstrate how family life unfolds in the accomplishment of activities in which interactions are situated, orderly and observable. The production of family life within the car involves talk and embodied action that is artfully placed within interactions between parents, children and technology. The analysis elucidates how the features of negotiation, collaboration and coordination around device-use are placed alongside driving activities. The contributions of this thesis lie in providing a descriptive analysis of the social organisation of family life through technology, developing an understanding of family technology use in a mobile context and highlighting elements of interaction that will inform the development of insights for the design of technology that is sensitive to the nuances of family life, mobility and technology practices.

Nature trail "The valley of river Doubrava" connecting the village Bílek and the city Chotěboř in Železné hory, offers many possibilities on how to effectively include and use its surroundings in botanical and environmental education, which is the main goal of this diploma thesis. Theoretical part covers the characteristics of natural conditions of the nature trail territory as well as its significance and function. This part also describes, how this excursion fits in the Framework Education Programme for Elementary Education. Didactical part broadly introduces methodical plan of the excursion. This includes the verification and evaluation of the excursion. The aim of the excursion is to deepen and revise botanical knowledge and natural relations of individual locations of the nature trail with a connection to environmental education and nature preservation. The final chapter of the thesis offers teachers practical ideas on how to use the plants variety of the Doubrava Valley in botanical and environmental education. The thesis also includes my own photo documentation throughout the whole excursion. These pictures not only draw near the work when fulfilling tasks and activities to students, but also demonstrate the diversity and uniqueness of a region, where the excursion takes place.