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My dissertation investigates the textual, intertextual, and contextual aspects of the Asian films that I identify as the 'New' Asian female ghost films; I focus closely on the films' visualizations of the monstrous feminine and other gendered/gendering representations. I examine how the Asian countries' traditions of female ghost filmmaking, cultural heritages (such as the religions of Buddhism and Confucianism, folktales, legends, myths, plays, and paintings), and other generic conventions for cinematic horror influence the particular 'hybrid' representational modes of the 'monstrous-feminine' in the 'New' Asian female ghost films. My dissertation also considers the ways in which the newly-revived female ghost films in East Asia and some Southeast Asian countries reflect the local people's anxieties about the 'compressed modernity' that resulted from the Asian economic crisis and some gendered parts of the relevant social discourse. In terms of the Asian genre's hybridity, I examine this significant feature as one of the grounds to explain the films' global popularity, especially in relation to the current trend of Hollywood's remaking of the Asian films. My dissertation, through a case study of four 'New' Asian female ghost films (Ju-On, Shutter, The Eye, A Tale of Two Sisters), responds to the question of how the discussed historical and contextual elements involved with the emergence and development of the 'New' Asian female ghost films and the culturally reciprocal relationships of the Asian films with other American/Western horror films are concretely reflected in the gender representations present in the individual films. I also analyze the American remakes of the four Asian films for the purpose of exploring the specific transformations that take place in the reworked versions, especially in terms of the monstrous feminine images and other representations divided along the lines of sex and gender. I postulate several factors that have influenced the transformations, such as the involved producers' and filmmakers' own readings of the differences and otherness in the original Asian texts; these individuals' own knowledge and assumptions about honor filmmaking; Hollywood conventions of the cinematic horror genre; and Western ideas about the geopolitical place of Asia: Asian cities and nations, and Asian women.

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This study of a school improvement project in a predominantly African-American junior high school examines the efficacy of a course on social dynamics, "Dynamics of Relationships." The study explores the historical and cultural factors (notably fictive kinship) which structure African-American life in the dominant White society. Given the traumatic physical and emotional changes that occur during adolescence, African-American adolescents are besieged with special challenges and problems identified with ethnic kinship. How these factors affect African-American adolescent school success is investigated. Data were gathered through ethnographic research procedure over a three-year period. Triangulation or multi-methods of participant observations, questionnaires and student interviews were utilized. The data from each method were analyzed and the student interviews afforded the participants opportunities to make recommendations for improvement and modifications needed for the social dynamics course, "Dynamics of Relationships." Immediate results from pre- and post-tests after the course was completed indicated no significant change in behavior or knowledge. The students were promoted to various high schools--African-American neighborhood schools, culturally diverse schools with special programs, and schools in neighboring jurisdictions. However, after a three-year period, the students' reports supported the hypothesis that the course on social dynamics positively influenced their social development and increased their self-esteem and self-concept. The students in the culturally diverse schools reported no greater concerns about their fictive kinship than their peers in African-American neighborhood schools and both groups expressed feelings of high esteem. The students in substantially different high schools (social and academic) provided an understanding that they had not been adversely affected in their self evaluation. The study discusses the implications of the scores which reveal gender variance: the females gained more knowledge during the course than did the male participants. Recommendations for further research are presented in which other researchers can initiate a case study that will address some of the analysis of this study.

<p>Chris Wright has offered to us in the Mission of God: Unlocking the Grand Narrative of the Bible, a way to read the canonical text in a faithful manner. This faithful reading, as Wright calls it, is accomplished as we read the Bible with Christology and Missiology in the foreground. Wright distinguishes what he is suggesting by indicating that such a reading is the biblical expectation expressed in Luke 24:44-47 and not something that we bring to the text from some extemallocation. Wright would suggest further that Luke 24 alerts us to the Mission of God, which is, according to Wright, to redeem and restore his creation for his glory. The development of this Mission is the primary story line or Grand Narrative which individual biblical stories nuance including the story ofJesus. This type of reading is what is meant by a missional focus. The intent of this thesis is to offer a critical examination of Wright' s work and apply his model to a biblical text, in this case Philippians 1:12-2:18. By doing this it can be demonstrated that Wright is offering a corrective to biblical studies to be practised in conjunction with established henneneutical efforts.</p> / Master of Arts (MA)

<p> The purpose of this study was to hear both female and male voices of high school principals specifically related to how they fostered and built relationships with five distinct affiliations (colleagues, family, superintendent, confidant or significant other, and self). Multiple studies have focused on examining the lack of female superintendents and the career paths to the superintendency (Coleman, 2001; Katz, 2005), whereas few have addressed the lack of high school female principals. The high school principalship is a stepping stone to the superintendency (Coleman, 2001; Katz, 2005). This notion was of interest to the researcher, a standing female principal, as she wanted to focus on the stepping stone of the high school principal to the superintendency. </p><p> &ldquo;The absence of women at senior levels of administration, particularly the superintendency, in K-12 institutions means that women&rsquo;s influence on policy changes, decisions, and practice in the field is limited&rdquo; (Mahitivanichcha &amp; Rorrer, 2006, p. 486).</p>

This dissertation explores a fundamental feature of all human interaction, behavioral coordination. Since early work on motor mimicry, scholars of human communication have invested tremendous energy to discover patterns of behavioral adaptation and the impact these patterns have on individual and relational outcomes. Outcomes such as individual health and well-being, as well as relationship satisfaction and divorce are all contingent on the ability to adapt and coordinate actions (Niederhoffer & Pennebaker, 2002; Stehl et al., 2008; Kulesza et al., 2013; Ireland et al., 2011). Several decades of research have advanced our understanding of specific characteristics of supportive messages and their relationship to important outcomes (for review see MacGeorge, Feng, & Burleson, 2011), and work by communication scientists has uncovered the importance of supportive relationships to health and well-being (Holt et al., 2010). This dissertation focuses on a set of language behaviors and how people repeat, paraphrase, and align language use during supportive conversations. Conversations between friends, strangers, and active listeners all engaged in a supportive conversation were analyzed. The analysis of transcripts of conversations between listeners and disclosers engaged in a 5-minute supportive interaction were conducted in two ways. First, two measures of linguistic coordination, Language Style Matching (LSM) (Ireland & Pennebaker, 2010) and Local Lexical Repetition (LLR) (Cannava & Bodie, 2015) were computed using textual analysis software. Results show that LSM was a significant variable in explaining supportive outcomes, whereas LLR failed to have predictive power. Second, stance analysis (Du Bois, 2007) was used to address supportive communication from a discourse analytic perspective. Results revealed that each relational group accomplished supportive conversations that varied on boundaries of coordination, investment, and affiliation. In general, this dissertation provides full or partial empirical support for the application and conceptualization of LSM and LLR. LSM is shown to be a positive predictor of supportive outcomes, whereas LLR is not. While providing three discourse analytic profiles of alignment, his dissertation also showed that dyads enact linguistic coordination and alignment in variety of ways depending on relationship type. Finally, this dissertation seeks to represent the repertoire of linguistic coordination used during a supportive interaction.

This study argues that Sherlock Holmes serves as rhetorical equipment for living. Using Kenneth Burkes theory of symbolic appeal and the critical tool proposed in the essay Literature as Equipment for Living, I explore how Holmes responds to the rhetorical situation of early nineteenth century England and consider why the Holmes symbol continues to appeal to audiences. I conclude that rhetoric is a necessary component of the Sherlock Holmes symbol and suggest that Holmess famous method is rhetorical rather than syllogistic.