Plant form is a compromise between resource gathering, reproduction and the tolerance to physical demands of the abiotic and biotic environment. In an agricultural field in addition to the natural factors causing stress, humans also introduce physical and mechanical stresses, and chemical pesticides into the environment. Many of these factors are hazardous, since they represent stresses to which plants are unable to develop defense mechanisms. However, weeds have persisted in the agricultural environment despite the efforts to eradicate them. They have adapted to environmental changes such as crop rotation and have developed tolerance to stressors like pesticides in very short periods of times (less than 10 years), much less time than normally expected for evolutionary responses to occur. Perhaps a key to why weeds persist in stress-dominated habitats is the way they compromise between yield and survival. The mechanisms that explain which process is relevant in the control of seed production or seedling growth relate to the ecophysiology of the individual plants. However, trade-offs between plants physiological functions will have implications at both population and community levels. Climate change, air pollution and water scarcity are examples of environmental stresses that particularly affect agriculture. Herbicides are a major technological tool for agriculture and are responsible, at least in part, for significant increases in crop production during the last quarter of the century. The research presented in this dissertation was developed to understand the extent that individual responses to multiple environmental stresses can be extrapolated to population-level responses in an annual weed species. The specific objectives were to assess (1) the impact of three anthropogenic stresses (herbicide, UVB light and ozone) and their interactions on individual Italian ryegrass ontogeny and reproduction and (2) the potential evolutionary effect of these stresses and combinations on changes in population size and structure over time. Plants were capable of growth and reproductive compensation under the studied stresses. Stress factors with similar biochemical mechanisms had different effects at the individual plant and population levels of organization. Compensation occurred at all levels of organization: as individuals modifying growth and allocation to different organs and as populations modifying birth, and death rates and density dependent responses. The ability to compensate sometimes decreased with the number of stress factors (e.g. herbicide and UVB). In other cases, compensation ability increased with the number of stress factors (e.g. ozone and herbicide). / Graduation date: 2004

This thesis explores the theme of freedom in Goliarda Sapienza's narrative, focusing in particular on three works: Lettera aperta (1967), L'arte della gioia (1998, posthumous) and Io, Jean Gabin (2010, posthumous). The analysis concentrates on the interplay between body and power in processes of identity formation; the main aspects taken into consideration are gender, sexuality and political ideology, with specific attention to the power involved in human relationships. This thesis comprises four chapters. The first three develop a close textual analysis of individual works, each one progressing from the exploration of the internal composition of the self to the analysis of identity in its interpersonal and socio-political dimension. The fourth chapter engages with a comparative analysis of the same works’ narrative structures, accounting for the role of writing in the evolution of Sapienza’s narrative. I identify the pivotal tension of Sapienza's works in the ideal of freedom, and propose to define her narrative as Epicurean and anarchic, characteristics that place it at the intersection of post-structuralist and Marxist-feminist discourses. Overall, I argue in favour of Sapienza's originality and significance within the context of 20^th-century Italian literature. I suggest an affinity between Sapienza's works and the literary legacy of Pirandello and Svevo, as well as certain tenets of postmodern fiction, but also a significant difference, concerning the presence of a tension towards agency and subjectivity, extraneous to the trajectory of the modern and postmodern subject. From a position of marginality and ex-centricity, Sapienza gives voice to a radical aspiration to individual and social transformation, in which writing and literary communication are granted a central role. Her works trace the parable of a strenuous deconstruction of oppressive norms and structures, aimed at retrieving a space of powerful bodily desire, which constitutes the foundation of the process of becoming a subject.

O presente trabalho tem como objetivo recuperar uma parte da história da Associação Cultural Ítalo-Brasileira do Rio de Janeiro (ACIB-RJ). Dentre os feitos desta instituição, para a divulgação e a promoção da língua italiana no Estado do Rio de Janeiro, esta pesquisa destaca o caso da Escola Municipal Itália que, entre os anos de 1992 e 2012, ofereceu o ensino do italiano nas aulas de língua estrangeira, por meio de um acordo entre o Consulado Italiano do Rio de Janeiro, ACIB-RJ e a Secretaria Municipal de Educação do Rio de Janeiro. Partindo da pergunta norteadora desta pesquisa, procurei entender como se deu o processo de implementação e de ensino do italiano na Escola Municipal Itália (1992-2012), apoiados pela ACIB-RJ. Dentro desta investigação, busquei mapear as condições oferecidas ao corpo docente para o ensino do italiano, a natureza dos materiais didáticos utilizados, as dificuldades encontradas pelos professores, bem como identificar as contribuições que o ensino da língua italiana levou à comunidade escolar pesquisada. Além da elaboração de um panorama do ensino do italiano na Escola Itália, busquei identificar, nas entrevistas obtidas com o auxílio da metodologia da história oral, (MEIHY; HOLANDA, 2007; ALBERTI, 2005), as percepções identitárias e os estereótipos relacionados às comunidades de origem ou às comunidades com as quais os colaboradores desta pesquisa entraram em contato. No capítulo de análise, os dados foram divididos em três categorias: (1) História da Associação Cultural Ítalo-Brasileira; (2) O ensino da língua italiana na Escola Municipal Itália (1992- 2012); (3) Identidades e estereótipos no discurso dos entrevistados. O segundo eixo temático, da análise dos dados, foi relacionado com os documentos oficiais do governos federal e do governo municipal do Rio de Janeiro, relativos ao ensino de língua estrangeira (LE) e ao referido papel cultural deste ensino na sala de aula de LE. Na terceira parte da análise, os dados obtidos foram relacionados ao conceito de identidade proposto pelo sociólogo Zigmunt Bauman (2005) e ao de estereótipo proposto por (CROCHIK, 2006; LIPPMANN,1922; HILGARD et. al., 1989). Como será perceptível, nesta dissertação, a ACIB-RJ foi criada com o objetivo de difundir a língua italiana, oferecendo aos descendentes de italiano do Rio de Janeiro o ensino da língua de seus ancestrais. Além da divulgação da língua e da cultura italianas, a instituição buscou facilitar a integração entre os membros da colônia italiana e o Consulado da Itália no Rio de Janeiro. Será possível notar, ainda, que o ensino da língua italiana contribuiu em diversos âmbitos da vida dos estudantes e da comunidade escolar, que já apresentava uma forte herança italiana. Este trabalho buscou contribuir para o registro e a documentação de uma parte da história da ACIB-RJ e da iniciativa da promoção da identidade e da cultura italianas na Escola Municipal Itália, em Rocha Miranda, na cidade do Rio de Janeiro. Por fim, com a investigação do período em que o italiano foi ensinado na Escola Municipal Itália, procurou-se refletir, também, sobre o ensino da língua italiana como LE no contexto da escola pública. / The present work aims to recover a part of the history of the Italian-Brazilian Cultural Association in Rio de Janeiro (ACIB-RJ). Among the achievements of this institution for the dissemination and promotion of the Italian language in the state of Rio de Janeiro, this research highlights the case of the Italy Municipal School which, between 1992 and 2012, provided the teaching of Italian in foreign language classes through an agreement between the Italian Consulate in Rio de Janeiro / ACIB-RJ and the Municipal Secretary of Education of Rio de Janeiro. Given the main issue of this research, I tried to understand how the process of implementation and teaching of the Italian language at the Italy Municipal School (1992- 2012) came about, supported by ACIB-RJ. Within this research, I tried to map the conditions offered to the faculty in order to teach Italian, the nature of the didactic material used, the difficulties encountered by teachers and identify the contributions that the teaching of the Italian language brought to the school community researched. In addition to the panorama of the instruction of Italian in Italy School, I sought to discern during interviews, obtained with the help of the oral history methodology (MEIHY; NETHERLANDS, 2007; ALBERTI 2005), the identity perceptions and stereotypes related to their home communities or to the communities which came into contact with the associates of this research. In the analysis section, the data was divided into three categories: (1) History of the Italian-Brazilian Cultural Association; (2) The teaching of the Italian language in Italy Municipal School (1992-2012); (3) Identities and stereotypes in the speech of the respondents. The second main theme was related to the official documents of the federal government and the municipal government regarding foreign language (FL) education and the mentioned cultural role of these teachings in a FL classroom. In the third part of the analysis, the data obtained was related to the concept of identity proposed by sociologist Zygmunt Bauman (2005) and the concept of stereotype proposed by (CROCHIK, 2006; LIPPMANN, 1922; HILGARD et. al., 1989). As will be apparent in this work, the ACIB-RJ was created with the purpose of propagating the Italian language, offering Italian descendants from Rio de Janeiro an education on the language of their forefathers. Besides disseminating the Italian language and culture, the institution sought to facilitate the integration between members of the Italian colony and the Consulate of Italy in Rio de Janeiro. It is also possible to notice that the teaching of the Italian language has contributed in various spheres of life of the students and the school community, which already had a strong Italian heritage. This work aimed to contribute to the recording and documentation of part of ACIB-RJ\'s history, as well as the enterprise of promoting the Italian identity and culture in Italy Municipal School in Rocha Miranda, in the city of Rio de Janeiro. Finally, with the investigation of the period when Italian was taught at Italy Municipal School, this work sought to reflect on the teaching of Italian as a FL in the context of public school.

This thesis examines the products and impact of the language contact situation produced in Argentina between Italian immigrants and the local Argentine population from the late 1800s to the present day. This thesis is composed of two main parts: historical research and first-hand research, including a comparison between the linguistic situations in Argentina and Uruguay. Despite the high percentage of people of Italian descent in Argentina, we find a case of language shift and loss. Though in the past Italian immigrants were subject to discrimination, now Italian culture is a sense of pride. Nonetheless, the Italian language is only one marker of culture, and one that is lost in the home environment after a few generations. There have been, and still are, some Argentine efforts toward language maintenance, which could perhaps be improved after a thorough comparative study of Uruguay's Italian education model.

Bibliography: leaves 337-353. / xvi, 353 leaves : ill. (some col.) ; 30 cm. / Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library. / Examines the effects of cultural interaction in ethnically plural societies on personal cultural systems, cultural identity and cultural core values. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Education, 1998?

O presente trabalho tem como objetivo recuperar uma parte da história da Associação Cultural Ítalo-Brasileira do Rio de Janeiro (ACIB-RJ). Dentre os feitos desta instituição, para a divulgação e a promoção da língua italiana no Estado do Rio de Janeiro, esta pesquisa destaca o caso da Escola Municipal Itália que, entre os anos de 1992 e 2012, ofereceu o ensino do italiano nas aulas de língua estrangeira, por meio de um acordo entre o Consulado Italiano do Rio de Janeiro, ACIB-RJ e a Secretaria Municipal de Educação do Rio de Janeiro. Partindo da pergunta norteadora desta pesquisa, procurei entender como se deu o processo de implementação e de ensino do italiano na Escola Municipal Itália (1992-2012), apoiados pela ACIB-RJ. Dentro desta investigação, busquei mapear as condições oferecidas ao corpo docente para o ensino do italiano, a natureza dos materiais didáticos utilizados, as dificuldades encontradas pelos professores, bem como identificar as contribuições que o ensino da língua italiana levou à comunidade escolar pesquisada. Além da elaboração de um panorama do ensino do italiano na Escola Itália, busquei identificar, nas entrevistas obtidas com o auxílio da metodologia da história oral, (MEIHY; HOLANDA, 2007; ALBERTI, 2005), as percepções identitárias e os estereótipos relacionados às comunidades de origem ou às comunidades com as quais os colaboradores desta pesquisa entraram em contato. No capítulo de análise, os dados foram divididos em três categorias: (1) História da Associação Cultural Ítalo-Brasileira; (2) O ensino da língua italiana na Escola Municipal Itália (1992- 2012); (3) Identidades e estereótipos no discurso dos entrevistados. O segundo eixo temático, da análise dos dados, foi relacionado com os documentos oficiais do governos federal e do governo municipal do Rio de Janeiro, relativos ao ensino de língua estrangeira (LE) e ao referido papel cultural deste ensino na sala de aula de LE. Na terceira parte da análise, os dados obtidos foram relacionados ao conceito de identidade proposto pelo sociólogo Zigmunt Bauman (2005) e ao de estereótipo proposto por (CROCHIK, 2006; LIPPMANN,1922; HILGARD et. al., 1989). Como será perceptível, nesta dissertação, a ACIB-RJ foi criada com o objetivo de difundir a língua italiana, oferecendo aos descendentes de italiano do Rio de Janeiro o ensino da língua de seus ancestrais. Além da divulgação da língua e da cultura italianas, a instituição buscou facilitar a integração entre os membros da colônia italiana e o Consulado da Itália no Rio de Janeiro. Será possível notar, ainda, que o ensino da língua italiana contribuiu em diversos âmbitos da vida dos estudantes e da comunidade escolar, que já apresentava uma forte herança italiana. Este trabalho buscou contribuir para o registro e a documentação de uma parte da história da ACIB-RJ e da iniciativa da promoção da identidade e da cultura italianas na Escola Municipal Itália, em Rocha Miranda, na cidade do Rio de Janeiro. Por fim, com a investigação do período em que o italiano foi ensinado na Escola Municipal Itália, procurou-se refletir, também, sobre o ensino da língua italiana como LE no contexto da escola pública. / The present work aims to recover a part of the history of the Italian-Brazilian Cultural Association in Rio de Janeiro (ACIB-RJ). Among the achievements of this institution for the dissemination and promotion of the Italian language in the state of Rio de Janeiro, this research highlights the case of the Italy Municipal School which, between 1992 and 2012, provided the teaching of Italian in foreign language classes through an agreement between the Italian Consulate in Rio de Janeiro / ACIB-RJ and the Municipal Secretary of Education of Rio de Janeiro. Given the main issue of this research, I tried to understand how the process of implementation and teaching of the Italian language at the Italy Municipal School (1992- 2012) came about, supported by ACIB-RJ. Within this research, I tried to map the conditions offered to the faculty in order to teach Italian, the nature of the didactic material used, the difficulties encountered by teachers and identify the contributions that the teaching of the Italian language brought to the school community researched. In addition to the panorama of the instruction of Italian in Italy School, I sought to discern during interviews, obtained with the help of the oral history methodology (MEIHY; NETHERLANDS, 2007; ALBERTI 2005), the identity perceptions and stereotypes related to their home communities or to the communities which came into contact with the associates of this research. In the analysis section, the data was divided into three categories: (1) History of the Italian-Brazilian Cultural Association; (2) The teaching of the Italian language in Italy Municipal School (1992-2012); (3) Identities and stereotypes in the speech of the respondents. The second main theme was related to the official documents of the federal government and the municipal government regarding foreign language (FL) education and the mentioned cultural role of these teachings in a FL classroom. In the third part of the analysis, the data obtained was related to the concept of identity proposed by sociologist Zygmunt Bauman (2005) and the concept of stereotype proposed by (CROCHIK, 2006; LIPPMANN, 1922; HILGARD et. al., 1989). As will be apparent in this work, the ACIB-RJ was created with the purpose of propagating the Italian language, offering Italian descendants from Rio de Janeiro an education on the language of their forefathers. Besides disseminating the Italian language and culture, the institution sought to facilitate the integration between members of the Italian colony and the Consulate of Italy in Rio de Janeiro. It is also possible to notice that the teaching of the Italian language has contributed in various spheres of life of the students and the school community, which already had a strong Italian heritage. This work aimed to contribute to the recording and documentation of part of ACIB-RJ\'s history, as well as the enterprise of promoting the Italian identity and culture in Italy Municipal School in Rocha Miranda, in the city of Rio de Janeiro. Finally, with the investigation of the period when Italian was taught at Italy Municipal School, this work sought to reflect on the teaching of Italian as a FL in the context of public school.

Poster exhibited at GPSC Student Showcase, November 7th, 2014, University of Arizona. / Today’s language teachers find increasing resources online that allow greater variety of authentic material. With the opportunities offered by digital video, the traditional listening comprehension activity has reached new potential for incidental learning and learner’s autonomy (Robin, 2011). While conscious attention is on the message delivered by the audiovisual, learners assimilate new words from context without intending to do so, stimulating incidental vocabulary learning (Carlisle, 2007). Video’s inherent multimodality makes sensory information available in various semiotic codes, allowing to the comprehension of information via separate channels (Guichon & McLornan, 2008). This case study involves three students of advanced Italian at a large American University. It will argue in favor of video cartoons as a valuable tool to foster a constructive environment for the acquisition of the L2 (Bahrani, 2014). Specifically, we will look at British award-winning preschool cartoon Peppa Pig in its Italian version. The rationale for choosing this particular cartoon includes: 5 minutes of episode length, authentic interpersonal language and descriptive prose, slow pace of speech, familiar every-day and humorous stories, free online access and the possibility to activate captions. Furthermore, this cartoon may be used for listening comprehension for the 30 other languages in which it has been translated. Feedback from university-level students confirms the potential of this particular cartoon and will be presented in this poster. Students reported strong motivation due to the low affective filter environment (Rule & Ague, 2005) as well as improvement in areas like vocabulary, pragmatics and idiomatic expressions from contextual clues.

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