Orientador: Anna Christina Bentes da Silva / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Estudos da Linguagem / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-12T03:51:23Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Azanha_ElizaniaFabiadeSousa_M.pdf: 949384 bytes, checksum: 9430da9bcf7800d49643e2f36633fc0b (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008 / Resumo: As interações sociais têm sido amplamente estudadas por lingüistas, no Brasil e em outros países. Da mesma forma, encontramos diversos trabalhos que exploram a questão da cognição social, procurando entender como se constroem conhecimentos partilhados e como são utilizados. Nosso trabalho fará uma tentativa de utilizar esses dois conceitos para analisar interações entre alunos do Ensino Médio sobre gêneros televisivos, a que assistiram, em situações por nós propiciadas. Gravamos matérias televisivas e selecionamos gêneros com enfoque para a informação: notícia, comentário e entrevista. Todos apresentados em jornais de grande circulação e em horário nobre, em canal aberto. Solicitamos aos alunos, divididos em três grupos, que assistissem a cada uma das matérias e em seguida comentassem o que haviam compreendido. Esse corpus foi analisado observando-se como compreenderam as matérias através das construções conjuntas de sentido que elaboraram e, ainda, quais as estratégias que utilizaram para demonstrar essa compreensão. Observamos que esses alunos, através da interação, demonstraram compreender as matérias assistidas realizando construções conjuntas, a partir de conhecimentos prévios e uso de recursos como repetições e paráfrases. Concluímos que a interação pode favorecer a construção dos sentidos do texto oral, através de negociações que os indivíduos realizaram buscando apresentar sua compreensão das matérias a que assistiram. E, ainda, que as estratégias de repetição e paráfrase podem, muitas vezes, favorecer essa compreensão por permitir aos informantes, através das retomadas enunciativas, reelaborarem os conteúdos a que assistiram com o intuito de construir novos saberes a partir dos já existentes. Não podemos ignorar o caráter avaliativo presente em muitos dos comentários elaborados pelos alunos nas diferentes interações, o que nos conduz à conclusão de que, quando conhecem o assunto a que assistem consideram-se autorizados a apresentar sua opinião a respeito desse tema. Pretendemos, com nossas análises, apresentar uma possibilidade de trabalho com alunos do Ensino Médio, a partir da mídia televisiva, que trata de gêneros televisivos como objeto de estudo e demonstram a co-construção dos sentidos nas interações propiciadas por esse gênero. / Abstract: The social interaction has been hugely studied by linguistics, in Brazil and in other countries. Likewise, we find several studies that explore the question of social cognition, looking for understanding how communal common grounds are constructed and used. Our paper will try to use both of this concepts to analyze interactions among students of high school level about television genres that they have watched in propitiated situations. We recorded some television programs and we selected genres which focus on information: news, comments and interviews. All of them were presented at newscasts of huge circulation, at nightcast, on open channel. We asked for the pupils, distributed in three groups, to watch each feature and to comment it at following, to show what they had understood. This corpus was analyzed with the goal for seeing how they had comprehended the feature through the common constructions of meaning that they elaborated and, then, which strategies they have used to show this comprehension. We noticed that this students, through the interaction, demonstrate comprehension about the features that they watched, they made common constructions, from their communal common grounds and the use of recourses like repetition and paraphrase. We can conclude that interaction can favor the construction of meanings from oral text, through the negotiation that the individuals made to show their comprehension about the features they had watched. And, still, that the strategies of repetition and paraphrases can, many times, favor that comprehension for letting to the informants re-elaborate the contents that they had watched with the deal of construct new knowledges from those that they have already have, using the enunciative resumed. We can't ignore the evaluated character that it is present at many of the comments elaborated by students in the different interactions, what carry us to the conclusion that when they know the subject that they watch they give theirselves the right to present their opinion about that subject. We intent, with our analysis, present a possibility of work with high school students, from television media, which see the television genres like object of study and demonstrate the co-construction of meanings at interactions propitiated by this genre. / Mestrado / Mestre em Linguística

Um dos pilares da política de Atenção Básica do Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS), a Estratégia Saúde da Família (ESF), realiza em equipe, assistência descentralizada nos territórios adscritos e deve conseguir resolver a maioria das demandas em saúde, parte delas advinda da saúde mental. Nesta estratégia, a formação de vínculos positivos e o lidar com o sofrimento humano de forma sistemática representam grandes desafios, que podem ser exacerbados em se tratando de pessoas em sofrimento mental. Foi a partir deste contexto que este trabalho definiu como objetivo produzir sentidos sobre os recursos e necessidades para lidar com questões relacionadas à Saúde Mental com trabalhadores da ESF, do Município de Serra Azul, Estado de São Paulo. O referencial metodológico qualitativo foi utilizado para a análise dos dados a partir do construcionismo social e como instrumento de coleta foi utilizado o recurso do Grupo Focal. Participaram deste estudo os profissionais das duas unidades de saúde da família do Município de Serra Azul. A análise das entrevistas teve início com a transcrição e edição do material gravado. Posteriormente, a pesquisadora realizou uma pré-análise, que consistiu na leitura exaustiva das entrevistas e a imersão em seus conteúdos. Nesta fase, optou-se pela análise de apenas uma das entrevistas realizadas, a que pareceu a mais rica e fértil para os objetivos do presente estudo. A análise (composta pela apresentação dos resultados e da discussão) apontou a construção de sentidos pela equipe de necessidades e recursos existentes no cuidado aos pacientes com problemas de saúde mental. As necessidades descritas foram divididas em três subtemas, que são a falta de estruturas no Município para acolher estes pacientes fora das unidades de saúde, a falta de recursos dos pacientes atendidos e a falta de capacitação e preparo da equipe para este tipo de cuidado. Outro tema apresentado como resultado da análise foi os recursos existentes e não reconhecidos pela equipe para o cuidado a esses pacientes. Foi possível perceber que a criação de espaços de conversa onde estas equipes possam reconhecer seus recursos, trabalhar suas ansiedades e dar novas descrições para suas ações podem contribuir para melhorar o atendimento em saúde mental na Atenção Básica. / One of the pillars of the Primary Health Care policy of the Unified Health System (SUS), the Family Health Strategy (FHS), provides decentralized team care in the coverage area and should be able to solve most of the health care needs, some of them related to mental health. In this strategy, the development of positive links and dealing with human suffering in a systematic way represent major challenges, which can be exacerbated when dealing with people in mental distress. In this context, this study aimed to produce meanings about the needs and resources to deal with issues related to Mental Health with workers from the FHS, in the city of Serra Azul, state of São Paulo. Social constructionism was used as qualitative methodological approach, and Focus Group was the data collection tool. Participants were professionals from two family health units of the city of Serra Azul. The data analysis began with transcription and editing of the recorded material. Afterwards the researcher conducted a pre-analysis, which consisted of the careful reading of the interviews and immersion in their content. At this stage, it was chosen to analyze only one of the interviews, which seemed the richest and most fruitful for the purposes of this study. The analysis( consisting of the presentation of results and discussion) pointed out the construction of meanings, by the team, of existing needs and resources in the care of patients with mental health problems. The described needs were divided into three subthemes: the lack of structures in the city to admit these patients other than the health services, lack of resources from patients who are taken care of and the lack of training and preparation of the team for this kind of care. Another theme presented as a result of the analysis was the existing resources that are not recognized by the team for care of these patients. It was possible to notice that the creation of spaces for conversation where these teams can recognize their resources, work on their anxieties and give new descriptions for their actions can contribute to improve mental health care in Primary Care.

Um dos pilares da política de Atenção Básica do Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS), a Estratégia Saúde da Família (ESF), realiza em equipe, assistência descentralizada nos territórios adscritos e deve conseguir resolver a maioria das demandas em saúde, parte delas advinda da saúde mental. Nesta estratégia, a formação de vínculos positivos e o lidar com o sofrimento humano de forma sistemática representam grandes desafios, que podem ser exacerbados em se tratando de pessoas em sofrimento mental. Foi a partir deste contexto que este trabalho definiu como objetivo produzir sentidos sobre os recursos e necessidades para lidar com questões relacionadas à Saúde Mental com trabalhadores da ESF, do Município de Serra Azul, Estado de São Paulo. O referencial metodológico qualitativo foi utilizado para a análise dos dados a partir do construcionismo social e como instrumento de coleta foi utilizado o recurso do Grupo Focal. Participaram deste estudo os profissionais das duas unidades de saúde da família do Município de Serra Azul. A análise das entrevistas teve início com a transcrição e edição do material gravado. Posteriormente, a pesquisadora realizou uma pré-análise, que consistiu na leitura exaustiva das entrevistas e a imersão em seus conteúdos. Nesta fase, optou-se pela análise de apenas uma das entrevistas realizadas, a que pareceu a mais rica e fértil para os objetivos do presente estudo. A análise (composta pela apresentação dos resultados e da discussão) apontou a construção de sentidos pela equipe de necessidades e recursos existentes no cuidado aos pacientes com problemas de saúde mental. As necessidades descritas foram divididas em três subtemas, que são a falta de estruturas no Município para acolher estes pacientes fora das unidades de saúde, a falta de recursos dos pacientes atendidos e a falta de capacitação e preparo da equipe para este tipo de cuidado. Outro tema apresentado como resultado da análise foi os recursos existentes e não reconhecidos pela equipe para o cuidado a esses pacientes. Foi possível perceber que a criação de espaços de conversa onde estas equipes possam reconhecer seus recursos, trabalhar suas ansiedades e dar novas descrições para suas ações podem contribuir para melhorar o atendimento em saúde mental na Atenção Básica. / One of the pillars of the Primary Health Care policy of the Unified Health System (SUS), the Family Health Strategy (FHS), provides decentralized team care in the coverage area and should be able to solve most of the health care needs, some of them related to mental health. In this strategy, the development of positive links and dealing with human suffering in a systematic way represent major challenges, which can be exacerbated when dealing with people in mental distress. In this context, this study aimed to produce meanings about the needs and resources to deal with issues related to Mental Health with workers from the FHS, in the city of Serra Azul, state of São Paulo. Social constructionism was used as qualitative methodological approach, and Focus Group was the data collection tool. Participants were professionals from two family health units of the city of Serra Azul. The data analysis began with transcription and editing of the recorded material. Afterwards the researcher conducted a pre-analysis, which consisted of the careful reading of the interviews and immersion in their content. At this stage, it was chosen to analyze only one of the interviews, which seemed the richest and most fruitful for the purposes of this study. The analysis( consisting of the presentation of results and discussion) pointed out the construction of meanings, by the team, of existing needs and resources in the care of patients with mental health problems. The described needs were divided into three subthemes: the lack of structures in the city to admit these patients other than the health services, lack of resources from patients who are taken care of and the lack of training and preparation of the team for this kind of care. Another theme presented as a result of the analysis was the existing resources that are not recognized by the team for care of these patients. It was possible to notice that the creation of spaces for conversation where these teams can recognize their resources, work on their anxieties and give new descriptions for their actions can contribute to improve mental health care in Primary Care.

Submitted by Alisson Mota (alisson.davidbeckam@gmail.com) on 2015-06-18T20:51:57Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação - Fábio Alves Gomes.pdf: 942664 bytes, checksum: 1d25a06691c4262c5e87aad1f0e3d07d (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Divisão de Documentação/BC Biblioteca Central (ddbc@ufam.edu.br) on 2015-07-06T17:57:26Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação - Fábio Alves Gomes.pdf: 942664 bytes, checksum: 1d25a06691c4262c5e87aad1f0e3d07d (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Divisão de Documentação/BC Biblioteca Central (ddbc@ufam.edu.br) on 2015-07-06T18:00:56Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação - Fábio Alves Gomes.pdf: 942664 bytes, checksum: 1d25a06691c4262c5e87aad1f0e3d07d (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-07-06T18:00:56Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação - Fábio Alves Gomes.pdf: 942664 bytes, checksum: 1d25a06691c4262c5e87aad1f0e3d07d (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-01-04 / CAPES - Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / The present study aimed to investigate the construction of meanings for an urban school teachers about the cultural differences. There is also the meanings attributed by teachers to cultural differences, identifying how the meanings attributed to cultural differences or not interfere in the organization of educational work and analyzing the reflections of intercultural relations at school studied considering the cultural dimension as a fundamental aspect human development. It proposes a reflection of this phenomenon contextualized searching through a critical analysis, theoretical-methodological approaches committed to the empowerment and inclusion of minorities, pointing ideological and historical aspects surrounding the topic of cultural differences. Methodologically, we chose to search for inspiration ethnographic literature and qualitative approach. However, not exhausted the discussion on this research, however, revealed by empirical data convince us of the importance of research into the topic of diversity in schools to guide public policies effectively inclusive. Therefore, this study lifted their goals by considering the construction of meanings of teachers on the topic as an important starting point for understanding the dynamics of intercultural processes in school. We conclude that the challenge to be achieved by minorities is the experience in the daily life of schools, a curriculum that encourages the strengthening of respect for differences and identities. / A presente pesquisa teve como objetivo investigar a construção dos significados atribuídos por docentes de uma escola urbana acerca das diferenças culturais. Verificaram-se também os sentidos atribuídos pelos docentes às diferenças culturais, identificando de que maneira os significados atribuído interferem ou não, na organização do trabalho pedagógico e, analisando os reflexos das relações interculturais na escola pesquisada, considerando a dimensão cultural como aspecto fundamental do desenvolvimento humano. Propõe uma reflexão contextualizada desse fenômeno, buscando, através de uma análise crítica, aproximações teórico-metodológicas comprometidas com a emancipação e inserção das minorias, apontando aspectos históricos e ideológicos que envolvem o tema diferenças culturais. Metodologicamente, optou-se pela pesquisa de inspiração etnográfica e bibliográfica de abordagem qualitativa. Contudo, não se esgotou a discussão nesta pesquisa, pelo contrário, os dados revelados pela empiria, convencem-nos da relevância de pesquisas dentro da temática da diversidade em escolas para orientar políticas públicas efetivamente inclusivas. Portanto, o presente estudo alçou seus objetivos ao considerar a construção dos significados dos docentes sobre o tema, como um ponto de partida importante para compreensão da dinâmica dos processos interculturais na escola. Conclui-se que o desafio a ser alcançado pelas minorias é a vivência, no cotidiano das escolas, de um currículo que favoreça o fortalecimento das identidades e o respeito às diferenças.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-28T20:38:35Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Aghata Pandolfi.pdf: 811406 bytes, checksum: d4dc94c07e7754dbafe011a9d48ac3ab (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-11-29 / This is a qualitative study based on the attachment theory and dual mourning model aiming to observe and understand the construction of meanings experienced in the mourning of 16 mothers aged between 35 and 70 years old who lost their children due to several causes. The tool used to investigate was a semistructured interview with a duration of about one hour and a half. The period from the death to the interview date ranges between one to seventeen years. After analysis of the interviews, categories were set and the following aspects were found: circumstances of the loss and funeral rituals; family dynamics; expectations applied on the child and social assistance required by the mothers after the loss. We could observe that some variables helped and others made the mourn elaboration more difficult. Analysis of results indicates that experience of losing someone dear such as a child, in addition to being extremely painful, is a transforming experience which may bring growth and positive changes to the mourning person and to her relation with the world. All mothers changed the way they see life, the way they evaluated other people and experienced spiritual growth. As for the meaning of death, most of them could accept that was nothing they could have done to avoid the death of their children / A presente pesquisa é um estudo qualitativo à luz da teoria do apego e do modelo dual de luto, cujo objetivo é observar e compreender a construção de significados vivenciados no processo de luto de 16 mães com idades variadas entre 35 a 70 anos, que perderam filhos e/ou filhas por causas diversas. O instrumento de investigação utilizado foi uma entrevista semiestrutura, com tempo previsto de uma hora e meia. O período compreendido desde a morte até o dia da entrevista variou entre um e ou dezessete anos. Após realizar a análise de conteúdo das entrevistas, definiu-se as categorias. A construção dos significados relacionou-se com os seguintes fatores: circunstâncias da perda e os rituais fúnebres; dinâmica familiar; expectativas depositadas no filho e recursos de apoio social procurados pelas mães. Entre esse fatores observaram-se os facilitadores e os dificultadores da elaboração do luto. A análise dos resultados indica que a experiência de perda de um ente querido como um filho e/ou uma filha, ainda que extremamente dolorosa, é uma vivência transformadora que pode trazer crescimento e mudanças positivas para o enlutado e sua relação com o mundo. Todas as mães mudaram a maneira de encarar a vida, a maneira de avaliar o outro e cresceram espiritualmente. Em relação ao significado de morte, a maioria consegue compreender a situação, aceitando que nada poderiam ter feito para evitar a morte de seus filhos

La Belgique et la France ont notamment intégré en 2002 dans leurs systèmes législatifs respectifs une loi consacrée aux droits des patients qui met au centre du système de santé le patient et le devoir de respecter son autonomie. Partant de l’idée selon laquelle les concepts et principes ne peuvent être pensés indépendamment de la manière dont ils sont susceptibles de s’articuler au sein de la « vie ordinaire », j’ai adopté une démarche de philosophie empirique impliquant un terrain d’enquête au sein de laquelle j’ai choisi d’explorer une situation que l’on peut qualifier de limite, en portant mon attention sur la question du consentement aux soins des patients atteints de la maladie d’Alzheimer hospitalisés en gériatrie pour un événement de santé aigu. En effet, la maladie d’Alzheimer implique une diminution des capacités (notamment cognitives) des personnes qui en sont affectées, mettant ainsi l’autonomie du sujet à l’épreuve. Les spécificités liées à cette maladie, doublées du caractère aigu de la prise en charge des personnes qui en sont affectées, font de ce contexte un terrain extrêmement fécond pour examiner les significations et les limites de ce principe tel qu’il est actuellement valorisé dans le domaine des soins de santé. La réflexion proposée dans le cadre de cette thèse s’est ainsi élaborée autour d’éléments recueillis lors d’une enquête de terrain comparative (comprenant différents sites hospitaliers belges et français) spécifiquement mise en place pour les besoins de ce travail. Cette enquête s’est concentrée sur la relation entre les patients et les « soignants de proximité » (infirmières et aides-soignantes), étant donné que c’est dans le cadre de cette relation que la question de la capacité d’autonomie du sujet atteint de la maladie d’Alzheimer émerge principalement en contexte de soin à l’hôpital. En outre, cette enquête s’est en grande partie intéressée à la problématique du refus de soin des patients, ainsi qu’à celle du recours à la contrainte. En effet, c’est essentiellement dans ce type de situations que la question du respect de l’autonomie des patients et du recueil de leur consentement se pose avec le plus d’acuité dans le secteur qui nous occupe. La mise en place de ce terrain d’enquête doit être comprise comme un outil méthodologique et épistémologique ayant pour objectif de nourrir la réflexion conceptuelle, critique et normative liée à la problématique du respect de l’autonomie des patients atteints de la maladie d’Alzheimer. L’ensemble de ce travail m’a permis de développer une nouvelle conception de l’autonomie qui se distingue des réponses les plus fréquemment proposées au sein de la littérature médicale, juridique et philosophique. L’idée principale défendue ici consiste à penser que le problème relatif à la question du respect de la capacité d’autonomie des patients atteints de la maladie d’Alzheimer ne réside pas tant au niveau de la capacité propre des personnes, mais qu’elle dépend avant tout de ce que je présente comme un geste d’octroi, résultant d’un processus de co-construction collectif des professionnels de santé, marqués par des affects et des motivations qui leur sont propres / In 2002, Belgium and France implemented a law that places patients and their right to autonomy at the center of the healthcare system. Based on the assumption that concepts and principles cannot be perceived independently of the way they are likely to be implemented in “ordinary life”, I applied an empirical-philosophical approach to the research field by choosing to examine what can be described as a borderline situation, bringing my attention to the issue of consent to medical care of patients with Alzheimer’s disease hospitalized in geriatric units for an acute health issue. Indeed, Alzheimer’s disease involves a decline of the patient’s abilities (including cognitive skills), thereby jeopardizing his autonomy. The specific characteristics of the disease coupled with the acute medical care it requires single it out as the perfect ground to question the meaning and limitations of the principle and its current use in the healthcare system. The reflection proposed in this thesis is based on information gathered during a comparative field study (including various Belgian and French hospital sites) specifically set up for the purpose of this work. The research focused on the relationship between the patients and the “immediate caregivers” (nursing staff), where the capacity of autonomy of Alzheimer patients in a hospital setting is most frequently questioned. Moreover, the present study largely dealt with the issue of treatment refusal by patients as well as the use of coercion. It is indeed mainly in this type of situation that the problem of respecting patient’s autonomy and obtaining their consent is most vividly debated in the present field of study. The introduction of this research field must be seen as a methodological and epistemological tool that aims at providing further conceptual, critical and normative inputs to the issue of respect of autonomy for patients suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. This work allowed me to develop a new understanding of autonomy, which differs from the most frequently proposed responses that are to be found in medical, legal and philosophical literature. The main advocated idea here is that the question of respect of autonomy for Alzheimer patients does not lie so much in the person’s own capacity, but actually depends on what I consider a granting gesture that results from a collective construction process of health professionals, biased by their own affects and motivations

Anorexi nervosa är ett globalt problem men förekommer främst i Västvärlden. Det är en komplex sjukdom som orsakas av biologiska, psykologiska och sociokulturella faktorer som många gånger samverkar med varandra. Syftet med denna fenomenologiska studie är att få en större förståelse för hur friskförklarade kvinnor fann mening i sitt insjuknande och om det finns gemensamma nämnare i deras livshistorier. Särskilt fokus har lagts vid familjemönster och kommunikationen inom familjen. Vi har utgått ifrån symbolisk interaktionism som teoretiskt perspektiv. Studien är av kvalitativt slag där vi använde oss av semistrukturerade intervjuer som sedan tolkades utifrån en hermeneutisk fenomenologisk ansats. I vårt resultat kunde vi se att meningsskapandet kring sjukdomens olika stadier var centralt och tog sig i uttryck på olika sätt hos respondenterna. Tio teman kunde urskiljas och de viktigaste fynden var att sjukdomen på olika sätt var en aktiv handling och att den är ett uttryck för ett självhat och låg självkänsla. Vi kunde även se brist på känslouttryck inom familjen och att inte bli emotionellt erkänd av sina föräldrar var en viktig faktor. Det mest vitala resultatet var respondenternas egna uppfattningar om att anorexin var en symboliserande handling och att den handlar om så mycket mer än vikt och utseende. / Anorexia is a global issue but occurs mainly in the Western world. Anorexia nervosa is a complex disease caused by biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors which often interacts with each other. The purpose of this phenomenological study is to gain a greater understanding of how recovered women created meaning in their illness and if there are mutual factors in their life-stories. We have especially focused on family patterns and the communication within the family. We have based our study on symbolic interactionism as our theoretical perspective. The study is of a qualitative nature and we used semi structured interviews which later were interpreted from a hermeneutic phenomenological approach. In our result we could see that creating meaning was central throughout the disease and was expressed in different ways by our respondents. Ten themes appeared and the most vital findings were that anorexia was an active action and that it is an expression for self-hatred and low self-esteem. We could also see that lack of expression regarding emotions within the families and not being emotionally recognized by their parents were crucial factors. The most important result was the respondents own perception of anorexia as a symbolizing action and the content of the disease is about so much more than weight and looks.

The study aims at the understanding of the meaning-building process during a group work interaction of tertiary-level students. The article highly emphasizes on the fact that meaning evolves through the interaction of the people, whether verbal or non-verbal, and the group work interaction substantiates the meaning-building process quite emphatically as the interaction is quite intensive and peer-centered. In the way to understand the meaning-making, the study has focused its concentration on turn-taking procedures of the participants as well as the materialization of their competence.

This thesis explores the narratives of individuals in southern Ontario who have adopted the practice of Reiki. Focusing on the narratives of Reiki Masters and practitioners, this thesis examines the relationships between illness, healing, and authenticity within the larger framework of energy work. The overarching goal of this thesis is to demonstrate the way in which Reiki Masters and practitioners draw on their experiences of Reiki to create meaning. As practitioners’ narratives reflect, illness is understood as multivalent in nature, and thereby may be physical, emotional and/or psychological, and spiritual. As these narratives show, illness becomes a framework through which individuals can interpret their experience. Often described as a conduit for the universal energy, the Reiki practitioner and his or her role are central to understanding the relationship between Reiki and healing. I propose that Reiki can be interpreted as a form of religious healing. Following Csordas’ (1983, 2002) “rhetoric of transformation,” I propose that Reiki provides a means through which practitioners become able to re-order experience. Like illness, Reiki Masters and practitioners also understand healing in multiple ways, including physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual. Finally, I explore the increased interest in Reiki in the West and the importance to practitioners of the relationship between Reiki and Japanese culture. Through an analysis of Reiki practitioners’ narratives, I will demonstrate that the nature of their experience and their interpretations of that experience influences their notions of what constitutes “authentic” or “real” Reiki. Ultimately, it is a fluid and flexible construction of the “authentic” which allows practitioners the space in which to interpret for themselves their own experiences with Reiki. / Thesis / Master of Arts (MA)

The purpose of the study was to field test a unit of lessons in which students explore how a variety of social issues and value systems impact the meaning expressed in their artwork. By exposing students to different systems of belief, their historical contexts, and providing opportunities for students to discuss, research and symbolically express meaning I hope to develop critical thinking skills; promote increase in the social conscience of teenagers; help students develop critical thinking skills; promote student active involvement in their community at large; encourage social activism; and help students become part of the larger global community. The study utilized pre and post written tests, student artwork, student written responses and an auto-ethnographic approach to document student outcomes. Although evidence of progress was observed there is a need for additional research about ways art education might be used to assist students in the development of a social conscience and awareness of the global community.