This is a PhD by practice in Transdisciplinary Documentary Film. The submission consists of a 64-minute documentary film and a 32,574 word thesis. The main period of fieldwork and filming was conducted in 2010 in Syria and the editing and subsequent research were conducted during 2011/12, after the current Syrian uprisings and conflict began. The documentary portrays two very different experiences of life in the restricted world of authoritarian Syria. Boutrus, a Christian monk in Mar Musa monastery, seeks to achieve change through his religious activities, whilst Salem, an Iraqi refugee living in Damascus, begins to find life in exile intolerable. Through creating an intimate portrait of such diverse yet related lives the documentary seeks to contribute to the praxis of peacebuilding through the creation of new understandings of the possibilities for agency and identity within the constraints of Syrian authoritarianism in 2010. Whilst the praxis of peacebuilding and creative documentary filmmaking are the principal methods of research, the written thesis also touches upon the cognate fields of social and visual anthropology, political science, refugee studies and media studies. Exploring the theme of political agency within the Syrian setting, the thesis raises issues concerning political visibility and creative documentary practice as they relate to the challenges of peacebuilding analysis and research. In Chapter one, the role of practice-based research and my own particular approach to creative documentary filmmaking are discussed. Chapter two considers the Syrian socio-political context and the utility of the concepts of the state, power and identity for peacebuilding research. Chapter three examines the relationship between religion and the state in Syria and their connections to civil society, with a focus on the work of Mar Musa. Chapter four explores the case of Iraqi refugees in Syria by focusing on Salem’s life and predicament. In the final chapter I build upon the arguments in the preceding chapters, drawing out conclusions on the relationship between documentary practice, peacebuilding and the evolving Syrian context.

Women all over the world are still having difficulties in occupying leadership positions. People perceive males as being highly qualified and likely to be considered as leaders. Females are less likely to be perceived as leaders and to be less effective in carrying it out. There are different leadership theories but the most studied and popular one nowadays is the transformational and transactional model. Female leaders are said to use a leadership behavior based on interpersonal relationships and sharing of power and information, the behavior which is usually associated with the style of leadership known as transformational. Male leaders have been found to influence performance by using rewards and punishment, the behavior mainly associated with the style of leaders known as transactional. The individuals, who work for leaders, are called followers. How followers view the magnitude of difference in power between themselves and their leaders is called a power distance orientation. The purpose of this study was to evaluate transformational and transactional leadership with a gendered and culturally appropriate lens, particularly, to extend the research on gender, leadership and culture area in an Arab Middle East context where little research has been done. This study was guided by two research questions; the first one examining the interaction effect of the participant’s power distance orientation and the leader’s gender on the participant’s perception of the transformational leader; the second one examining the interaction effect of the participant’s power distance orientation and the leader’s gender on the participant’s perception of the transactional leader. This research adopted the quantitative method; the use of vignettes and a questionnaire. 437 employees in an organization in Syria returned a complete and usable questionnaire. Data analyzed using ANOVA and hierarchical multiple regression revealed a significant interaction effect of the gender of the leader and the participant’s power distance orientation on evaluation of a transformational leader on three out of the five dimensions of transformational leadership. Also, results revealed no significant interaction effect of the gender of the leader and the participant’s power distance orientation on evaluation of a transactional leader on the three dimensions. This research makes an important contribution to theoretical understanding of gender by showing gender-role stereotyping may change over time and place. This study offers insight into the culture leadership research that means evaluation of performance for transformational leaders is influenced by the cultural value of a follower’s power distance orientation.

Ce travail s’intègre à deux projets syro-américains au Nord de la Syrie : le projet de fouille à Tell Mozan / Urkesh (G. Buccellati et M. Kelly Buccellati) et le projet de fouille à Tell Hamoukar (C. Reichel et S. al-Kintar). Il s’agit de deux fouilles programmées en coopération avec la Direction Générale des Antiquités et des Musées de Syrie (DGAM). Nous souhaitions, à travers cette étude archéothanatologique, réintégrer les données anthropologiques dans les analyses de population au même titre que les données archéologiques, pour approfondir les connaissances préétablies, en développant une approche multidisciplinaire sur des données inédites. Une telle recherche se révélait essentielle pour compléter cette mosaïque de connaissances des diverses sociétés anciennes qui ont occupé la Haute Mésopotamie du Chalcolithique à l’âge du Bronze moyen (3700-1600 av. J.-C.) laissant derrière elles des évidences précieuses. / This disseration deals with two Syrian-American excavation projects in the north of Syria: the one at TellMozan / Urkesh (G. Buccellati Buccellati and Kelly) and the project at Tell Hamoukar (C. Reichel and S. al-Kintar).These two excavations are planned in the cooperation with the Directorate General of Antiquities and Museums ofSyria (DGAM). We aim, through this archeothanatological study to reintegrate the anthropological data in the globalarcheological analysis of the population as well, in order to deepen our pre-established knowledge in the same timeof developing a multidisciplinary approach on such unpublished data. Such research is essential to complete thisrevealed knowledge mosaic of various ancient societies that occupied Upper Mesopotamia from Chalcolithic to theMiddle Bronze Age (3700-1600 BC.) leaving behind valuable evidences.

At present time, actual role and political activity of Arab countries have a more significant impact on the political development and strategic plans of global politics that the political, geographic and demographic ambitions of Arabs themselves are. The main goal of this study is to describe current development in the region related to global interests and regional influences, especially focused on Syria and Lebanon.

This diploma thesis analyzes the ideological basis of islamism and deals with the reasons, why this political ideology is becomimg more and more popular in the Middle East and the West. The thesis also analyzes the phenomenon of globalization, in other words the interconnection between islamists in today's world. The last chapter summarizes the facts about the civil war in Syria, where both - islamists from the Middle East, as well as islamists from the West, are involved. The main objective of this thesis was to prove that the civil war in Syria will have an influence on the spread of the political ideology of islamism.

The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and effectiveness1 of the work done by the Independent International Commission of Inquiry (CoI) in the Syrian Arab Republic. This study strives to evaluate how well the commission succeeded in pursuing its mandate as stated, in addition to, evaluating how well the work of the commission in Syria was perceived to have been fulfilled by the people affected and involved. This study applies a qualitative approach. In order to obtain more in depth information of the commission‟s work the study combines interviews with a number of stakeholders, a literature study, in addition to, the author‟s own acquired experience from the United Nations. This study reveals that the main reason for the unwillingness of Syria to cooperate with the commission was due to the fact that the people, as well as, the government of Syria perceive the United Nations to be biased and to have lost the humanitarian aspect. The Col Syria overall fulfilled their mandate and it was performed as efficiently as could be given the constraints it faced. Yet, the work of the UN and the UN mandated missions are not perceived to be effective or satisfactory. The UN branches are perceived to be too politically affected and no longer prioritize the people of a country. Keywords: Syria, United Nations, International Independent Commission of Inquiry, Evaluation / The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and effectiveness1 of the work done by the Independent International Commission of Inquiry (CoI) in the Syrian Arab Republic. This study strives to evaluate how well the commission succeeded in pursuing its mandate as stated, in addition to, evaluating how well the work of the commission in Syria was perceived to have been fulfilled by the people affected and involved. This study applies a qualitative approach. In order to obtain more in depth information of the commission‟s work the study combines interviews with a number of stakeholders, a literature study, in addition to, the author‟s own acquired experience from the United Nations. This study reveals that the main reason for the unwillingness of Syria to cooperate with the commission was due to the fact that the people, as well as, the government of Syria perceive the United Nations to be biased and to have lost the humanitarian aspect. The Col Syria overall fulfilled their mandate and it was performed as efficiently as could be given the constraints it faced. Yet, the work of the UN and the UN mandated missions are not perceived to be effective or satisfactory. The UN branches are perceived to be too politically affected and no longer prioritize the people of a country. Keywords: Syria, United Nations, International Independent Commission of Inquiry, Evaluation / The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and effectiveness1 of the work done by the Independent International Commission of Inquiry (CoI) in the Syrian Arab Republic. This study strives to evaluate how well the commission succeeded in pursuing its mandate as stated, in addition to, evaluating how well the work of the commission in Syria was perceived to have been fulfilled by the people affected and involved. This study applies a qualitative approach. In order to obtain more in depth information of the commission‟s work the study combines interviews with a number of stakeholders, a literature study, in addition to, the author‟s own acquired experience from the United Nations. This study reveals that the main reason for the unwillingness of Syria to cooperate with the commission was due to the fact that the people, as well as, the government of Syria perceive the United Nations to be biased and to have lost the humanitarian aspect. The Col Syria overall fulfilled their mandate and it was performed as efficiently as could be given the constraints it faced. Yet, the work of the UN and the UN mandated missions are not perceived to be effective or satisfactory. The UN branches are perceived to be too politically affected and no longer prioritize the people of a country. Keywords: Syria, United Nations, International Independent Commission of Inquiry, Evaluation / The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and effectiveness1 of the work done by the Independent International Commission of Inquiry (CoI) in the Syrian Arab Republic. This study strives to evaluate how well the commission succeeded in pursuing its mandate as stated, in addition to, evaluating how well the work of the commission in Syria was perceived to have been fulfilled by the people affected and involved. This study applies a qualitative approach. In order to obtain more in depth information of the commission‟s work the study combines interviews with a number of stakeholders, a literature study, in addition to, the author‟s own acquired experience from the United Nations. This study reveals that the main reason for the unwillingness of Syria to cooperate with the commission was due to the fact that the people, as well as, the government of Syria perceive the United Nations to be biased and to have lost the humanitarian aspect. The Col Syria overall fulfilled their mandate and it was performed as efficiently as could be given the constraints it faced. Yet, the work of the UN and the UN mandated missions are not perceived to be effective or satisfactory. The UN branches are perceived to be too politically affected and no longer prioritize the people of a country. Keywords: Syria, United Nations, International Independent Commission of Inquiry, Evaluation

While the origin of the Arab Spring is well documented in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Syria, the role of press photography in presenting these conflicts is not. Images taken during a conflict often follow a particular narrative that comes to define how we remember a conflict. Considering that Syria is composed of a heterogeneous, ethno-religious mix located at the center of intense regional and international rivalries, understanding the cause of the uprising and the trajectory of the conflict require a careful study of the socio-political history of Syria as well as her regional and international relations. The aim of this study is to demonstrate how photographs taken of the Syrian Civil War that earned critical acclaim from photographic institutions mythologize the war. Semiotics provides a template for the interpretation of images that may be related to the underlying cultural forces shaping the conflict. Myth provides the forms in the presentation of archetypes in the images that we are able to readily identify so rendering the images relevant and recognizable to the viewer. The mythologizing of images of war has been used since Frank Capa created an “aesthetic ideal” during the Spanish Civil War and been re-appropriated during subsequent conflicts of the 20th and 21st centuries especially the Gulf Wars of 1991 and 2003. This study uses a semiotic and mythological approach to analyze the winning photographs as selected by the National Press Photographers Association, World Press Photographers Association and Pulitzer Prize awarded during the course of the Syrian conflict. The myths of the “victim” and “underdog” were the two most commonly applied myths to the civilians and the Syrian rebels, who were portrayed as the “lovable losers” in the conflict. These narratives differ from previous depictions of the two previous Gulf Wars in their empathetic depiction of the civilian population and of the rebels. If maintaining the status quo is one of the enduring functions of myth then the underdog myth perpetuates voyeuristic participation in the conflict without requiring the discomfort of the removal of the Assad regime.

The case of Syria presents an example of a regime performing authoritarian norms of peacebuilding that is indicative of new forms of geographical power implementing alternative models of post-conflict order. Bashar al-Assad utilises authoritarian conflict management to intensify its strategy of binary othering on which to exercise sectarian- infused practices of discrimination and violence to consolidate its power and subsequent legitimacy. The process of authoritarian upgrading left the Assad regime with vulnerabilities that were exploited during the uprising in 2011. Unable to control the protests, Assad intensified authoritarian and illiberal practices as a means to manage the civil war that emerged. Through discursive, spatial and economic practices, Assad was able to retain his seat of power. For example, drawing upon sectarianism as a tool of control, Assad put into place a process of binary othering that classifies citizens as loyal or disloyal. Citizens deemed disloyal are punished through a variety of measures. The authoritarian practices have led to dire conditions for the Syrian people, and are becoming entrenched into very structure of society through the process of reconstruction. However, liberal forms of peacebuilding lack the leverage to counter these practices. Keywords Syria;...

abstract: Throughout history composers have used music to depict their perception of the refugee experience. This project expands upon this idea through the commission and recording of four new works for saxophone. The compositions are Different Arks for solo alto saxophone by John Secunde, Rubble/Resolve for alto saxophone and piano by Jared Yackiw, Emerging Light for soprano saxophone and vibraphone by Alan Hankers, and Unam aeternam for solo alto saxophone and stereo playback by Ashlee Busch. For each work, this project provides performance guides, biographical contexts, program notes, and recordings. I hope to encourage artists to discover and facilitate creative ways to draw attention to migration around the world and contribute to the fight against racism and xenophobia. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Music 2020

This research critically examines the international protection of children education during the Syrian armed conflict since 2011. It identifies the reasons behind the failure of the international community in providing the necessary protection and its impacts on the Syrian children education. It analyzes the legal protection available to children education in situations of armed conflict in accordance with the international law. In order to evaluate the reluctance of the international community humanitarian intervention under the principle of Responsibility to Protect, this research used the textual analysis method and the realism and liberalism theories. Altogether, during the eight years of the ongoing Syrian conflict, children right to education have been violated throughout Syria, and millions have been out of schools, and many are at high risk to dropout. The research concludes that the vetoes in the Security Council and political and economic considerations among the superpowers have overcome the legal protection.