Hydrometalation of α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compounds provides access to reactive metal enolates, which can then be trapped by a suitable electrophile. The coppercatalysed reductive aldol reaction involves hydrometalation of an α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compound, followed by an inter- or intramolecular aldol reaction. While there have been numerous examples of copper-catalysed reductive aldol reactions reported in the literature, the corresponding reductive Michael reaction has been relatively understudied. Herein, the copper-catalysed reductive Michael cyclisation of substrates containing two α,β-unsaturated carbonyl moieties is described. A range of structurally and electronically diverse substrates were prepared by various different methods. Both α,β-unsaturated ketones and esters underwent cyclisation, in the presence of a copper catalyst, a bisphosphine ligand, and a stoichiometric reductant, to afford 5- and 6- membered carbocyclic and heterocyclic products, with good-to-excellent levels of diastereo- and enantiocontrol. Furthermore, the diastereochemical outcome of these reactions is dependent on the specific reaction conditions used.

I. Synthesis of pyroglutamic acid derivatives via double Michael reactions of alkynones Pyroglutamic acids and their derivatives are common structural units of widespread chemical significance and they have been heavily utilised as building blocks for asymmetric synthesis. A new method for the synthesis of highly functionalised pyroglutamic acid derivatives, which consists in a Double Michael addition route that utilises amidetethered carbon diacids and aromatic alkynones as substrates, is here described. The reaction proceeds with good levels of trans-diastereoselectivity, provided that substoichiometric quantities of Mg(OTf)2 or Ni(acac)2 are employed. II. Michael additions combined with Friedel-Crafts cyclisations A domino Michael/Friedel-Crafts alkyation of aryl ethers with propargyl ketones was developed as a continuation of our double Michael additions. The reaction, here described, proceeds in good yield over two steps, when the aryl ethers and alkynones are treated with substoichiometric quantities of Yb(OTf)3 and heated to 100 oC in a microwave oven.

In Socialism’s Twilight is a study of the thought and politics of Michael Walzer and the travails of democratic socialism in the second half of the twentieth century. Using the methods of intellectual and political history, it situates Walzer’s political theory and criticism in the context of what might be called the “long New Left,” the overlapping generations of radicals that stretched from the beginning of the Cold War to its end and that supplemented the left’s traditional commitments to socialism with a politics of national liberation, radical democracy, and liberalism. By doing so, the dissertation hopes to trace the development not only of Walzer’s own commitments but also those of the socialist left. Caught in a period of frequent defeat and bitter controversy, socialists found themselves forced into a state of constant revision, as they moved from the libertarian socialism of the 1950s and 60s to the social democratic coalitions of the 1970s and 80s to the liberalism and humanitarianism of the 1990s and 2000s. Opening with the collapse of the Popular Front after World War II, the dissertation follows Walzer’s search for a new radicalism with intellectuals around Dissent and through his involvement in civil rights and antiwar activism. Examining his arguments with an older left over the Vietnam War and with a younger left over Israel, it then tracks Walzer’s movement toward the left-liberal politics of the 1970s and it concludes with chapters on his major works of normative theory and his later humanitarian interventionism. By revisiting his career, In Socialism’s Twilight seeks to identify some of the competing impulses of socialists in the second half of the twentieth century and explore the sometimes creative, sometimes unsatisfying ways they engaged with them. It also hopes to ask some questions facing the left today: How did these socialists reconcile their early commitment to radical democracy with their later one to the welfare state? How did they pair their socialism with a politics of national liberation? How did a figure like Walzer, in part radicalized by the Vietnam War, end up with a more positive view of American force? And how do the often conflicting ideals of the long New Left sit with the socialism of a new generation?

It seems that the world does not exist in the way that we perceive it. Among the reasons for this are both the inaccuracy of the information gathered by our senses, and the cultural and linguistic structures through which we interpret this sensory information. This thesis and this group of sculptures, exhibited in the Autzen Gallery April 17 - May 10, 1995, are an attempt to address these issues and to point in a direction which may lead to greater understanding of the world and our place within it. Using primarily welded steel, and building from a foundation based on simple geometric forms, and making reference to more mystical, less reasoned cultural views, I have created sculpture that attempts to strike a balance between science and superstition, with a blending of rational and intuitive expression.

Thesis (Th. M.)--Dallas Theological Seminary, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves [56]-63).

Thesis (M.A.) -- Central Connecticut State University, 2006. / Thesis advisor: C. Charles Mate-Kole. "... in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in International Studies" Includes bibliographical references (leaves 113-117). Also available via the World Wide Web.

Michael Scot remains an under-studied figure of the early thirteenth century, in particular with regard to his main original work, the Liber introductorius. This work has never been comprehensively edited, although several partial editions do exist. Scot's translations have received scholarly attention and their importance has been recognized, however, his original work has received a fairly negative assessment from scholars. A close look at one section of the Liber introductorius (Liber quattuor distinctionum, third distinction, CLM fols. 118rb-120ra), although it does conform to what scholars have found in other sections of Scot's work, offers another avenue of study; namely, the social historical aspects of astrology and astrologers in the early thirteenth century. Through his practical instructions to fledgling astrologers in matters such as their house, comportment, and dealings with customers, Scot provides us with a window into the social world of the astrologers of his time.

In River Thieves, the white settlers are responsible for the vanishing of the Beothuk which reflects the spiritural loss of the white settlers. The major themes of truth, regret and guilt are discussed in the novel.

The history of rhetorics in documentary film is a long one. The French brothers Louise and Auguste Lumiére were among the first persons who produced a documentary and their work has had a big impression in the history of documentary during the 1900 century. John Grierson has been called “the father” of documentary film. He produced films in the English speaking part of the world and he is the founder of the concept “documentary film”. Propaganda filming has a big part in the history of documentary film. Most frequently it appeard in Germany before and during the secound WW II, but propaganda films has been produced in Great Britain and USA as well as in other parts of the world. Rhetorics are of current interest today. It effects the news, papers, magazines, books and movies. The purpose with this essay is to investigate the rhetorics in Michael Moores controversial documentary of September 11th, Fahrenheit 9/11. The main question is: what rhetorical tools does Michael Moore use in order to communicate his politcal message in Fahrenheit 9/11? The rhetorical analysis includes exordium, narratio, propsitio, argumentatio and conclusio as well as ethos, logos and pathos. In order to conduct the analysis I have used Kurt Johannesson’s book Retorik eller konsten att övertyga, Maria Karlberg and Brigitte Mral’s book Heder och påverkan. Att analysera modern retorik. And at last a chapter by Brigitte Mral named Retorikanalys in the book Metoder i kommunikationeverenskap, by Mats Ekström and Larsåke Larsson. For the background about the history of documentary film I have used Barsam M. Richard, Nonfiction Film A Critical History and Bjørn Sørenssen’s book Å fange virkeligheten –Dokumentarfilmens århundre.The analysis shows that Moore uses different rhetorical tools in order to point out that George W Bush is the wrong man for the role as the president of United States of America. Some of the most effective tools that Moores uses are his own voice, pictures who awakes emotions, recordings and sharp arguments. His way of using ethos, logos and pathos is very clear. The disposal can also be distinct discern, however there are some exceptions towards the classical rhetoric. One example is that Moore doesn´t describe the arrangement of the movie in exordium.

Extr. de: Dissertazione per il dottorato--Facoltà di Scienze Sociali--Roma--Pontificia università gregoriana, 2005. / Bibliogr. p. 123-153.