In response to the events on September the Eleventh, various media attempted to make sense of the seemingly radical altered political landscape. Comic books, though traditionally framed as low brow pulp, were no exception. This thesis is a work of rhetorical criticism. It applies Walter Fisher's Narrative Paradigm to a specific set of artifacts: John Ney Rieber and John Cassaday's six-part comic series, collectively titled Captain America: The New Deal (2010). The question that is the focus of this thesis is: Does The New Deal, framed as a response to the events surrounding September the Eleventh, form a rhetorically effective narrative? The analysis that follows demonstrates the importance of meeting audience expectations when presenting them with controversial viewpoints. / Graduation date: 2012

本質性個案研究旨在從三位歐美外籍留學生的視角了解他們的華語文學習信念，探討他們在台灣留學期間所處的社會文化環境如何改變他們的語言學習信念，以及台灣作為華語文環境所能提供的機會與挑戰。本研究主要透過深入訪談（In-depth Interview），邀請三位來台留學半年至一年的歐美華語文學生敘述自身語言學習歷程，包括他們的個人華語文學習背景、來台緣由與期待、在台華語文學習歷程及信念。歷時半年四次的定期訪談均被錄音，經謄錄為逐字稿、重現（reconstruct）個別故事樣貌後，再依Lieblich等人（1998）提出的敘事分析方法，以整體——內容（Holistic-content）和類別——內容（Categorical-content）之邏輯整理成個別個案，並作為後續跨個案分析的資料依據。結果發現，研究參與者從華語為外語（Chinese as Foreign Language）學習環境，到台灣華語文為第二語言（Chinese as Second Language）學習環境的不同學習階段裡，他們的華語文目標、期待和能力不斷地與社會環境互動，而互動所產生的結果足以鞏固或動搖其舊信念。來台前，研究參與者過往的語言學習經驗和成長環境對於外語學習的觀點，無形中都型塑了他們的華語文學習信念。來台後，他們經歷固有的信念和實際與母語者交際情況之間的落差，衝擊了他們原有的信念，而且覺得自身的華語文使用者身份及所付出的努力難以受當地母語者社交圈之認同。此外，研究參與者的留學經歷也反映出台灣作為華語文學習場域的一些情況，既當他們的華語文能力變強後，才有能力善用台灣華語文環境所提供的學習機會，當他們的華語文能力仍偏弱時，他們一般較難在非正式場域與母語者互動，或從中獲得學習機會，反而需依賴課堂環境為主的學習機會。最後，由於信念會隨著學習歷程波動及變化，面向多元，具動態特質，因此本研究建議未來可選擇某一項議題做更深入的研究，若採取類似BALLI研究信念橫斷面的工具時，還可加入情景及情感面向，探討信念歷時的直斷面。在教學運用上，華語文中心能著手處理外籍華語文學生的行前準備資料，加強對留學生有關語言學習進程的輔導，在師資培訓上也應該注意如何處理初出國留學生在語言學習適應上的調整，以減少留學生因學習期待落差而受到的衝擊。另外也建議常與學習者接觸的當地母語者接受跨文化交際的教育，雙方才能創造合宜的華語文學習環境，促進外籍留學生赴台學習華語文之發展與成效。 / This qualitative case study aims to look into Chinese language learning beliefs from the perspective of three Chinese learners from Europe and America and to explore how the Taiwanese social-cultural environment changes their language learning beliefs, as well as the affordance and challenge Taiwan offers to these international Chinese learners. Three students from Europe and America who have been learning Chinese in Taiwan from six to twelve months respectively are invited to the study and receive four in-depth interviews within six month. Their personal Chinese language learning experiences over the time are narrated and recorded. The data is then analyzed using Holistic-Content and Categorical-Content method proposed by Lieblich et al., (1998). The results shows that, at different learning stages, the interaction of the participants’ Chinese language goals, expectation and proficiency levels with social environment either reaffirms or shakes their beliefs. Before studying in Taiwan, the past language learning experiences as well as the prevailing view of their native community towards foreign language basically constitutes the beliefs of the participants. At the early stage of studying in Taiwan, the gap between their expectations and the actual communication experiences with local native speakers also has critical impacts on their beliefs. The participants would also find that their efforts to make themselves live as Chinese speakers are constantly challenged by the local native community. In this case, Taiwan and its social community as the field for learning Chinese actually provide more opportunities to the learners with higher Chinese proficiency. When proficiency is low, such as at the beginning stages of Chinese proficiency or upon arrival, the participants have great difficulty getting benefits from the target language community; their learning mainly happens in the language learning classroom. It is clear that language learning beliefs is dynamic, multifaceted, and fluctuate from time to time. The study suggests that, specific topic under the multilayered nature of belief should be focused in the future research. Social environments and emotions of students should also be included in BALLI. Finally, to promote the development and effectiveness of foreign students studying in Taiwan, stronger pre-departure briefing, orientation and counseling services are needed to facilitate language development. Teachers also need training on how to reduce the impact of crashed expectations of new foreign students. In addition, local people (i.e., native speakers) who often come into contact with the learners are recommended to develop intercultural communication skills in order to provide the learners with the best possible informal communication experience.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Ukrainian society faced a new reality. The new reality involved consolidation and transformation of collective identities. The reinvigoration of national identity led to a change in the emphasis on how the past was dealt with – many things which were regarded as negative by the Soviet regime became presented as positive in independent Ukraine. The war-time nationalist movement, represented by the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN) and the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), became one of the re-configured themes of history. While most of the studies of memory of the OUN and UPA concentrated on the use of this history by nationalist parties, this study goes beyond the analysis and scrutinizes the meaning of this history in nation- and state-building in relation to memory work realized on the small-scale regional and local levels. Moreover, this book focuses not only on the “producers” of memory, but also on the “consumers” of memory, the area which is largely understudied in the field of memory studies. Drawing on studies about post-colonial subjectivities and theories of remediation developed in memory studies, this book explores the changes in memory culture of contemporary Ukraine and examines the role of memory in producing new meanings under the rapidly changing conditions after the collapse of the Soviet Union up to 2014. The book contributes to the studies of memory culture in post-Communist countries as well as to the studies of society in contemporary Ukraine.

本研究旨在了解日本學生的語言學習信念變化，並找出哪些因素在台灣和日本的TESOL環境中影響學生的學習信念的形成和變化。不同於傳統基於問卷的調查，只針對某些固定的學生的學習信念特徵的研究，最近的研究更注重學習信念的動態變化過程。社會文化理論還強調，社會文化環境在學生的思考過程中具有中介的效果。本研究旨在了解日本學生的學習信念是如何受他們的學習經驗影響，而這些經驗在不同的環境如何影響他們的學習信念。本研究使用深度訪談收集資料，採用半結構式訪談每個月針對學生的學習經歷和信念進行一學期五次的資料蒐集。通過Liblich(1998)的方法整理出訪談資料的整體與分類的內容，本研究希望找出在台灣和日本學習語言的意識形態的不同，這些差異和參與者的語言學習信念之關係，以及在台灣的日本學生面臨何種語言學習機會和挑戰。 這項研究的結果是，三位參與者經歷了不同程度的語言學習信念轉變，同時形成新的學習信念。來台灣之前，參與者對於自己的英文能力的自信心高低不一，但他們都相信能夠透過海外留學加強英文能力。在台灣，由台灣以及西方學生所組成的團體使參與者能夠練習英文並表達自己的意見，無須擔心被批評。ETP課程給他們一個機會可以使用英文來學習並溝通。來到台灣一年後，Yoshi對英文能力變得較有自信，且相信策略運用比天生能力來的重要。Taka變得較不在意自己的發音且把注意力放在文化學習上。Ko了解自己天生語言學習能力的極限並開始發展自己的學習策略。在研究建議方面，當未來的研究採用BALLI(Belief About Language Learning Inventory)(Horwitz,1999)分析時也應將親密團體和社會文化等因素加入。在英語教育方面，台灣的大學英語培訓課程應該包括更多的跨文化差異教學，所以當國際學生參加一般ETP(English taught program)時他們將面臨較少的文化衝擊。由於參與者提到與台灣和國際學生的非正式交流對她們的英語學習大有幫助，在ETP課程中教授應考量國際學生的英語水平，並把他們分配在具有相應英語水平的小組中，使他們能夠更快克服學習困難。期望這項研究的結果提供語言教學方法的調整建議，以滿足國際學生，特別是日本學生的需求。 / This study was aimed to understand the language learning belief change of Japanese students, and to find out what are the factors in the TESOL environments of Taiwan and Japan that lead to these changes. Unlike the traditional questionnaire-based research, which studied student’s learning belief based on certain critical characteristics; recent studies focused more on the changing process of language learning belief. Socio-cultural theories also stressed that the socio-cultural environment has meditational effects on the student’s thinking process (Furberg, 2009). This study tried to understand how Japanese student’s English learning belief was affected by their learning experiences and how these experiences in the different environments affected their learning belief reciprocally. This study adopted in-depth interviews to collect data, using semi-structured interviews per month for six months to discover how Japanese students’ learning experiences and belief changed in the process. By analyzing the interview data using the holistic-content method proposed by Liblich et al (1998), this study focused on how different language learning ideologies in Taiwan and Japan affected the participants’ learning belief, what opportunities and challenges the Japanese students faced in Taiwan in terms of language learning. Based on the result of this study, the three participants experienced different degrees of language learning belief changes and formed new learning beliefs in the process. Before they came to Taiwan, the participants had different levels of self-confidence and all believed that they could improve their English proficiency by studying abroad. In Taiwan, the supportive community formed by Taiwanese and Western students allowed the participants to practice English and express their ideas without being afraid of getting judged. The ETP (English Taught Program) offered them an opportunity to use English to both study and communicate on a daily basis. After one year of staying in Taiwan, Yoshi became more confident in his English proficiency and believed more in strategy use than innate language learning ability. Taka was less anxious about his Japanese accent and put more emphasis on learning cultural factors. Ko realized the limitation of his innate language learning ability and began to develop his own language learning strategies. As for theoretical implication, factors like community and socio-cultural influence should be added to BALLI’s (Belief About Language Learning Inventory)(Horwitz,1999) model in analyzing language learning belief in future studies. In terms of pedagogical implication, English training programs in Taiwan’s university should provide more cross-cultural information so that when international students take English taught classes they will encounter less cultural shock. As the participants mentioned that the informal interaction with Taiwanese and Western students assisted their English learning, professors in the ETP classes should consider international students’ English proficiency and put them within groups of appropriate English levels so they can learn with less difficulty.

The purpose of the current research was to explore the narrative career experiences of Grade 12 learners as well as the constructs of the Life-Career Rainbow. Knowledge of how these constructs relate to one another added to the career literature as it relates to Grade 12 learners’ experiences of career guidance/development and served as a guide for the career guidance/counselling process. The main findings indicated that the past experiences of learners relating to subject choices highlighted that there is dissatisfaction with certain subjects not being included in the schools’ subject choices for Grades 10 to 12. At this phase, learners were found to be uncertain about their future plans. The learners’ present experiences in career crystallising indicated that they are in the process of exploring and crystallising their career choices. In terms of future employment options, learners indicated interests that fitted within most career types while other learners were undecided about their future aspirations. The career types included sports, entertainment, financial, the military and medicine/nursing. The findings demonstrate consistency with previous national research on adolescents’ occupational aspirations. Influences which were found to be prominent were personality, interests and abilities, parents, friends, teachers, schooling experiences, financial support, availability of jobs, work experience, and opportunities to work overseas. / Psychology / M.A. (Psychology)

Text in English / In order to address the paucity of knowledge in regard to the psychological and physiological processes associated with lifelong weight loss (>20 years), this study adopts a qualitative approach informed by phenomenology to explore the experience of lifelong weight loss and maintenance of women who participated in the ITAND Programme. The research questions guiding the exploration of the current research are: (i) Which strategies from the ITAND Programme do women perceive as assisting with initial weight loss? (ii) What are the processes mediating lifelong weight loss? (iii) What strategies and skills mediate the maintenance of lifelong weight loss? (iv) What feelings or beliefs motivate women to continue attempts to lose weight after experiencing multiple failures on diets? and (v) Which psychological, cognitive and behavioural processes are identified as mediating lifelong weight loss? Eight overweight and obese women were invited to write their narratives and engage in interviews in regard to exploring their relationships with food, their bodies and their weight, after a period of more than 20 years following their participation in an integrative, transactional analysis, anti-diet programme (the ITAND Programme). Narratives were used to explore their beliefs about constructs, processes and strategies mediating long-term weight loss maintenance. The participants’ narratives and interviews were analysed through applying narrative analysis and interpretive phenomenological analysis. In addition to a non-diet paradigm, four processes definingweight loss maintenance were identified, including the adult learning process of transformative learning, the psychological process of transactional analysis, the physiological process of intuitive eating and the cognitive-behavioural processes relating to weight loss maintenance. This study contributes an integrative, transactional analysis, non-diet treatment model (ITAND model) which is enabled by the processes of transformative learning, intuitive eating and cognitive-behaviour modification to the successful long- term treatment of overweight and obesity. This model may be applied in whole or in part in a primary health care or community context. The findings of this study may be used to inform future research into the development and implementation of non-diet weight loss maintenance interventions in the treatment of overweight andobesity. / Psychology / D.Litt. et Phil. (Psychology)

This doctoral thesis approaches literary tourism initially from an historical perspective in order to define the phenomenon through a review of the existing academic literature in the field. The forms of literary tourism are analysed to provide a typology and from this the value of literary tourism is explained both from the visitor's point of view and the destination manager's. Current theories underpinning the existing literature on literary tourism, including Bourdieu's concept of cultural capital are reviewed. To extend the current state of research and to answer the research questions a case study of successful urban literary tourism is identified, in this case in Brittany, France. The uses of French literature in literary tourism are reviewed to provide a sound basis on which to examine French texts and tourist destinations. Novel methods of field research are developed to formalise and to make reproducible the methodology for this study and for future work drawing on, and seeking to combine both literary theory and ethnography. Following a pilot study on the French Riviera the full discovery instruments are designed and applied in fieldwork on the case destination, Concarneau, using the detective novel, The Yellow Dog, which is set in Concarneau. Analysis of the findings from this provide a new contribution to the field of literary theory, in the area of reader interpellation, and answer the research questions in the form of a new set of recommendations for DMOs and tourism stakeholders. From the empirical study that used Web 2.0 social media, only available since 2013, an analysis of which novels do stimulate literary tourism is presented for the first time. Out of the research process new methods have been evolved, and are presented in the conclusion, for the DMO to synthesise and leverage digital resources. This provides DMOs with interpretation processes for its managed heritage to use with its local stakeholders in hotels and in tourism businesses. Finally, an innovative conceptualisation of what constitutes tourism knowledge is proposed.

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[pt] O presente estudo tem como objetivo a análise discursiva de narrativas geradas na interação entre mulheres migrantes e a obra literária A hora da estrela, de Clarice Lispector, que possui como temática central a migração. O ambiente de geração dos dados, assim, é contextualizado pela literatura, que é pano de fundo para as interações; e pela temática da migração, que tangencia as histórias de vida dessas mulheres – Cássia, Taís, eu mesma e Macabéa – protagonista da obra literária escolhida. O foco da pesquisa está voltado para o acontece na interação entre as participantes e para a (re)elaboração de experiências nas narrativas, quando temas ligados à construção de identidades, estigmas e instituições emergiram de forma recorrente. Sendo assim, de forma mais específica, os objetivos são: (i) analisar o discurso narrativo das participantes no que diz respeito às suas experiências migratórias; (ii) analisar como as participantes avaliam suas experiências vividas a partir da interação com a obra literária e (iii) analisar que identidades, estigmas e instituições emergem nessa prática discursiva avaliativa que as participantes elaboram acerca de seu processo migratório. Esta pesquisa insere-se no âmbito da Linguística Aplicada (MOITA LOPES, 2006; 2013) e propõe uma investigação de cunho interdisciplinar entre os Estudos da Linguagem e a Literatura. Para fundamentar as análises, o arcabouço teórico-metodológico dialoga com teorias de linguagem de base social, a saber as áreas de análise de narrativa e os estudos de identidade (BASTOS, 2008); da sociolinguística interacional, a partir de alguns conceitos cunhados por Goffman (1961; 1963; 1979); e da Linguística Sistêmico-Funcional (HALLIDAY, 1994; GOUVEIA, 2009; NÓBREGA, 2009), especialmente, o Sistema de Avaliatividade (MARTIN; WHITE, 2005). No âmbito dos Estudos Literários, recorro à estética da recepção à teoria do efeito estético, principalmente aos postulados de Jaus (1994 (1969)) e de Iser (1996 (1976)), que se preocupam com a relação entre texto e leitor. Dessa forma, o alinhamento metodológico se dá com a pesquisa qualitativa (DENZIN; LINCOLN, 2006), por ser uma investigação situada em teorias de bases sociais. A pesquisa também possui um cunho autoetnográfico (ELLIS, ADAMS; BOCHNER, 2010), visto que se desenvolve em um contexto familiar, em que uma das participantes possui uma relação direta de parentesco com a pesquisadora. Os resultados das análises sugerem que as interlocutoras, por meio de suas histórias de vida, (re)constroem identidades e afetos pela diferenciação de Macabéa, personagem da obra literária. Os momentos avaliativos se mostram fundamentais para (re)construção das narrativas, que dialogam com o contexto de leitura da obra de Clarice. Sendo assim, Cássia e Taís (co)constroem e (re)constroem identidades para migrante nordestina, recontextualizando uma mulher crédula e ingênua na figura de uma mulher batalhadora, estudiosa, que busca e conquista sua ascensão social apesar dos estigmas sofridos e das vivências de abuso nas chamadas casas de famílias, entendidas como instituições totais. Esta tese pode contribuir de forma original para a área de Linguística Aplicada, que incentiva pesquisas de caráter inter/transdisciplinar. Além disso, mostra-se um ato de (re)existência – e de resistência – de tantas histórias de mulheres nordestinas e migrantes. / [en] The present study aims at analyzing narratives generated in the interaction between migrant women and the literary work The hour of the star, by Clarice Lispector, whose main theme is migration. Thus, the environment of data generation is contextualized by the literature, which is the background for interactions; and by migration, topic that touches the life stories of these women – Cassia, Taís, myself and Macabéa – protagonist of the chosen literary work. The focus of the research is on what happens in the interaction between the participants and the (re)elaboration of narrative experiences, when themes related to the construction of identities, stigmas and institutions emerged in a recurrent way. Hence the objectives are: (i) to analyze the narrative discourse of the participants regarding their migratory experiences; (ii) to investigate how the participants evaluate their lived experiences in the interaction with the literary work and (iii) to observe which identities, stigmas and institutions emerge in this evaluative discursive practice that the participants made about their migratory process. This research is developed within the scope of Applied Linguistics (MOITA LOPES, 2006; 2013) and proposes an interdisciplinary investigation between Language Studies and Literature. To support the analysis, the theoretical-methodological framework dialogues with socially based language theories, namely the areas of Narrative Analysis and Identity Studies (BASTOS, 2008); of Sociointeractional Perspective of Discourse, based on some concepts from Goffman (1961; 1963; 1979); and of SFL (HALLIDAY, 1994; GOUVEIA, 2009; NÓBREGA, 2009), especially the Appraisal Theory (MARTIN; WHITE, 2005). In the context of Literary Studies, I refer to the Aesthetic of Reception and the Theory of Aesthetic Effect, especially to the postulates of Jauss ((1969) 1994) and Iser ((1976) 1996), that concern with the relationship between text and reader. The methodological framework aligns with qualitative research (DENZIN; LINCOLN, 2006), as it is an investigation situated on socially based theories. The research also has an auto-ethnographic aspect (ELLIS, ADAMS; BOCHNER, 2010), since it is carried out in a familiar context, in which one of the participants has a direct relationship with the researcher. Results suggest that interlocutors, through their life stories, (re)construct identities and emotions through the differentiation of Macabéa, character of the literary work. The evaluative moments are fundamental for the (re)construction of narratives, which dialogues with the reading context of Clarice s work. Cassia and Taís (co)construct and (re)construct identities for the migrant from northeastern of Brazil, recontextualizing a gullible and naive woman in the figure of a struggling, studious woman who seeks and conquers her social ascension despite the stigmas suffered and experiences of abuse in the so-called family homes, understood here as total institutions. This thesis may contribute in an original way to the area of Applied Linguistics, encouraging inter and transdisciplinary research. Moreover, it is shown an act of (re)existence – and resistance – of so many stories of migrant women from northeastern of Brazil.