My dissertation explores several topics recurring throughout Ovid’s single Heroides. When, how, and why does Ovid restructure tragic, epic, or pastoral stories into elegy? How do his heroines deal with their lovers starting relationships with new women, and what method of coping with abandonment is the most effective? What is the role of magic in the Heroides, what rules does it follow, and who uses it successfully? How does Ovid capitalize on the connection between elegy and lament, and which heroines does he use to do so? Finally, what is the role of writing in the Heroides, how does Ovid use the character of Sappho in the collection, and how does the Sappho epistle help readers interpret the rest of the Heroides? The letters of Briseis (3), Phaedra (4), Hermione (8), and Oenone (5) transform previously epic, tragic, and pastoral worlds and inhabitants into elegiac contexts to show how they wish their men to accept the role of the elegiac lover. Ovid uses these reclassifications to explore the boundaries of elegy and show how thorough knowledge of audience and the genre are necessary for success. Oenone (5), Hypsipyle (6), Deianira (9), and Medea (12) each see their lovers replace them with another woman; Ovid uses their different methods—emulating the new woman’s qualities, attempting to regain the lover’s affection, and seeking revenge—to discover which approach will achieve its desired purpose. Ovid’s construction of magic as a practical tool is established in the letter of Medea (12), and can be applied to the epistles of Deianira (9), Hypsipyle (6), and Laodamia (13) to interpret the magical practices in those epistles. Ovid explores a different facet of the elegiac genre by using the traditional link between elegy and epitaph in the letters of Phyllis (2), Dido (7), and Hypermnestra (14), but alludes to it in the epistles of Canace (11), Ariadne (10), and Deianira (9) to bridge the gap between literary characters and his readers’ reality. Finally, the Sappho epistle (15) provides a tool for interpreting both the individual letters of the Heroides and Ovid’s own concerns. By using the famous poetess as one of his heroines, Ovid connects himself and his reputation to hers. His character Sappho provides a lens through which we can examine all of the heroines who are at a crisis point, a metaphorical cliff’s edge, as they write.

As it is generally conceived, knowledge belongs to the individual: we imagine how a lightbulb suddenly illuminates above the scientist's head, a muse whispers in the philosopher's ear, cogs slide into place as wheels turn in the thinker's mind, and, "Eureka!" an idea is born. As an individualistic experience, knowledge is secure in the repository of the mind, a "steel trap" as it is so often referred, which can only be breached by the most sophisticated and precise methods. From these popular representations of knowledge, one can extrapolate further to conclude that knowledge is not made, it is received. All of these metaphors of knowledge present a passive subject waiting for knowledge to be imparted from the Cosmos. Much like knowledge, a disability and, reflexively, the knowledge of disability, is an individually sited matter; disability is something to be had, possessed, or owned, not shared. Similar to knowledge, disability is not actively produced, it just "is." And disability, too, is internally located, often being attributed as the outcome of physiological malfunction. It follows then, that because both knowledge and disability are separately regarded as individualistic phenomena, as located with(in) the individual, and as existing independently of him or her, that knowledge of disability would also share these characteristics. This study's objective, however, is to prove just the opposite: to position disability as a form of knowledge, and therefore, the knowledge of disability as the endpoint of an ongoing process of social interaction. I use discourse analysis to analyze interviews conducted with staff members of a university office responsible for providing academic accommodations to students with disabilities, in conjunction with documents authored and disseminated by this organization. My study conceives discourse as language in action. By this I mean that discourse creates the very social structures it is presumed to describe. I also understand discourse as reflexive, meaning that embedded within discourse are larger social and moral norms. Believing that analyzing discourse allows for normative beliefs on knowledge and disability to be clearly displayed, I ask the following questions: By what assumptions do members organize disability in their daily practice? What role does communication play in these processes of social organization? What resources or forms of evidence are necessary to determine, to produce knowledge of, disability? And does everyone have equal access to these resources? This study's findings hold broad implications for diverse stakeholders. For the field of Communication, this study affirms the need for revised ways of understanding communication, as it shows how antiquated ideations of communication as a linear exchange of information narrowly define what counts as knowledge. Additionally, this study also contributes to Disability Studies in that rather than arguing disability as a social artifact from an exclusively conceptual standpoint, it empirically makes a case for disability as the product of social interaction. For the organizational members consulted in this study, I offer recommendations for their praxis. The final, and arguably the most important, party that this study has implications for is the student with a disability. Because this study promotes a more inclusive approach to disability, and because it encourages a lesser burden of proof with respect to knowing disability, this study is of particular interest to the individuals who are classified as "disabled."

Ce travail de thèse a pour but de proposer un modèle explicatif intégratif pour rendre compte à la fois de la suprématie des filles à l’école (cycle primaire et secondaire) et de leur parcours dans l’enseignement supérieur paradoxalement moins performant que celui des garçons.Nous proposons que le système éducatif lui-même, en tant que système social, possède une culture à laquelle les élèves et les étudiants devront s’adapter et dans laquelle ils devront réussir. Nous faisons l’hypothèse que le profil axiologique d’un élève susceptible d’être évalué positivement à l’école est construit sur des valeurs de dépassement de soi (i.e., indulgence, coopération, entraide, sagesse), créant un décalage culturel défavorable aux garçons, alors que le profil axiologique d’un étudiant susceptible d’être évalué positivement dans l’enseignement supérieur est construit sur des valeurs d’affirmation de soi (i.e., ambition, compétitivité, influence, dominance), créant un décalage culturel défavorable aux filles. Cette évaluation positive de l’élève/étudiant se décline en deux sous-dimensions : la désirabilité sociale (i.e., le degré de sympathie de l’individu) et l’utilité sociale (i.e., ses chances perçues de réussite dans un système).L’étude 1 met en évidence que les enseignants considèrent les valeurs de dépassement de soi comme utiles et désirables à l’école, alors qu’ils attribuent aux valeurs d’affirmation de soi une forte utilité dans le contexte sociétal. Les résultats des études 2 et 3 corroborent d’une part que les valeurs associées au contexte de l’école sont davantage des valeurs de dépassement de soi et moins des valeurs d’affirmation de soi, et d’autre part, que les garçons expérimentent une plus faible cohérence ‘trans-contextuelle’ entre les valeurs dans lesquelles ils sont immergés à la maison et celles par rapport auxquelles ils sont évalués à l’école. Enfin, l’étude 4 met en évidence un lien positif entre l’adhésion aux valeurs de dépassement de soi et la réussite scolaire des élèves, spécifiquement chez les garçons.L’étude 5 met en exergue que les étudiants considèrent le dépassement de soi comme faisant l’objet d’une évaluation positive en termes de désirabilité sociale, mais négative en termes de chances perçues de réussite académique (i.e., l’utilité sociale). Similairement, ils attribuent à l’affirmation de soi une évaluation positive sur le plan de l’utilité sociale, mais une évaluation négative en termes de désirabilité sociale. L’étude 6 révèle que dans un contexte académique les femmes adhérent davantage aux valeurs de dépassement de soi que les hommes, alors que les hommes adhèrent davantage aux valeurs d’affirmation de soi que les femmes. Enfin, les études 7 et 8 montrent qu’un contexte académique assignant une forte utilité sociale aux valeurs d’affirmation de soi a un impact négatif sur le sentiment d’appartenance, le sentiment d’efficacité personnelle académique et les choix académiques des étudiantes, mais pas des étudiants. / The aim of the present research program is to propose an explicative integrative model in order to concomitantly address the girls’ superiority in school as well as their less successful career in higher education.We propose that the educative system, as a social system, has its own culture to which the students have to adapt and in which they have to succeed. We hypothesize that the axiological profile of a student more likely to be positively evaluated in school is framed in terms of self-transcendence values (i.e., indulgence, cooperation, helping), creating a cultural mismatch for boys, whereas the axiological profile of a student more likely to be positively evaluated in higher education is based on self – enhancement values (i.e., ambition, competitiveness, dominance), creating a cultural mismatch for girls. This positive evaluation is considered on two underlying dimensions: social desirability (i.e., perceived likability) and social utility (i.e., perceived chances of succeeding in a social system).Study 1 demonstrates that teachers consider the self – transcendence values as being both useful and desirable in school, whereas they assign to self – enhancement values high social utility in the society context. Study 2 and 3 corroborate that the values associated with the school - context are more self – transcendence values and less self – enhancement values. Moreover, they suggest that boys experiment less identity coherence in transitioning from home to school. Finally, study 4 documents a positive relation between self – transcendence values endorsement and school achievement, specifically for boys.Study 5 illustrates that students consider self – transcendence values as underlying a positive evaluation in higher education in terms of social desirability, but negative in terms of perceived chances of succeeding (i.e., social utility). Similarly, they assign a positive evaluation to self – enhancement values in terms of social utility, but a negative one in terms of social desirability. Study 6 reveals that women are more likely than men to endorse self-transcendence values, whereas men are more likely than women to endorse self-enhancement values thereby implying a misfit for women in terms of social utility. Finally, studies 7 and 8 provide evidence that depicting self-enhancement values (versus self-transcendence values) as useful for succeeding (i.e., social utility) undermine female students’, but not male students’ expected sense of belonging, anticipated self-efficacy, and ultimately the academic choices.

Doctor of Philosophy(PhD) / This thesis is a contrastive genre study which explores newspaper commentaries on terrorism in Chinese and Australian newspapers. The study examines the textual patterning of the Australian and Chinese commentaries, interpersonal and intertextual features of the texts as well as considers possible contextual factors which might contribute to the formation of the newspaper commentaries in the two different languages and cultures. For the framework of its analysis, the study draws on systemic functional linguistics, English for Specific Purposes and new rhetoric genre studies, critical discourse analysis, and discussions of the role of the mass media in the two different cultures. The study reveals that Chinese writers often use explanatory rather than argumentative expositions in their newspaper commentaries. They seem to distance themselves from outside sources and seldom indicate endorsement of these sources. Australian writers, on the other hand, predominantly use argumentative expositions to argue their points of view. They integrate and manipulate outside sources in various ways to establish and provide support for the views they express. It is argued that these textual and intertextual practices are closely related to contextual factors, especially the roles of the media and opinion discourse in contemporary China and Australia. The study, by providing both a textual and contextual view of the genre under investigation in the two languages and cultures, aims to establish a framework for contrastive rhetoric research which moves beyond the text into the context of production and interpretation of the texts as a way of exploring reasons for the linguistic and rhetorical choices made in the two sets of texts.

A prolific arranger and composer, Electo Silva is an iconic figure in the field of choral music in Cuba. His collection of traditional Cuban songs entitled "30 canciones populares cubanas" presents an array of influential pieces that have enriched the repertoire for mixed a cappella choirs. Six titles have been extracted from the catalog of thirty to more closely examine characteristics of genre and style, composition and structure, and language and performance practice. Historical background is defined, cultural and folkloric traditions are explored, and suggestions for performance are offered. The essay is designed to assist the non-Cuban conductor in creating a successful culturally and historically accurate performance. English translations, International Phonetic Alphabet transcriptions, and musical examples are added to assist in the conductor's research and preparation.

This study focused on elementary-aged children’s preferences for and perceptions about narrative and expository text. Preference refers to the children’s choice of reading material for themselves, what they prefer to read. Perception refers to the children’s beliefs about what their same-aged peers would like to read. The current study examined these preferences and perceptions about narrative and expository text through the lens of two distinct frameworks – social constructivism and engaged reading. The current study was a systematic replication and extension of a qualitative study conducted by Chapman, Filipenko, McTavish, and Shapiro (2007). It replicated the original study by conducting it with first grade students, and extended the original study by including fourth grade students. Equal numbers of children in the study were represented at three reading achievement levels (above, on, and below grade level). Two individually administered book preference (Open and Closed) tasks and interviews were administered and analyzed to determine elementary-aged children’s genre preferences and perceptions about narrative and expository text. Qualitative research methods were used to glean an understanding of primary and intermediate students’ preferences and perceptions. The findings suggest that first and fourth grade boys preferred expository text while first and fourth grade girls demonstrated an equal preference for both narrative and expository genres for themselves. At both grade levels, both boys and girls held the perception that boys like expository text and girls like narrative text. There were no differences in terms of preferences or perceptions of both genres among children of different reading achievement levels. There were gender and grade level differences in the number of reasons provided for their book choices with girls providing more reasons than boys and fourth graders providing more reasons than first graders. However, there were not marked differences in the reasons they provided for their choices. Findings are discussed in light of implications for instruction, assessment, and future research.

Cette thèse a pour objectif d'étudier l'impact de la présence d'un jeune enfant sur la participation au marché du travail et sur la qualité de l’emploi des parents (temps plein versus temps partiel et inactivité, ségrégation horizontale et verticale, salaire), tant de la mère que du père, et sur l’allocation du temps entre les parents. Il s’agit de mettre en évidence la capacité des politiques à relever les nouveaux défis en matière d'emploi et de fécondité auxquels sont confrontés les pays européens aujourd'hui. En effet, l'objectif est d'identifier les dispositifs qui sont en faveur des familles bi-actives, et de déterminer quels sont les instruments politiques favorisant ou défavorisant la situation des femmes et des hommes sur le marché du travail (et plus particulièrement lorsqu'ils ont des enfants). Pour ce faire, nous analysons les politiques publiques visant à favoriser l'emploi des parents et couvrant plusieurs dimensions de la prise en charge de l'enfance: services de garde d'enfants, congé de maternité, congé de paternité, congé parental, mode d'imposition du système fiscal et possibilité de déduire les frais liés à la garde d'enfants. Cette thèse vise à montrer la position relative de la Belgique au sein de l'Union Européenne afin d'identifier des exemples de bonnes pratiques qui pourraient aider à la formulation de recommandations politiques.

Quels sont les modèles sexués prônés dans les discours islamiques par les acteurs religieux issus des courants fondamentalistes, conscientisateur des Frères Musulmans et néosalafiste, à Bruxelles? Préconisent-ils un rapport hiérarchique, complémentaire ou égalitaire entre la femme et l’homme ? L’analyse genrée de ces discours propres à chacun de ces courants, permet-elle d’identifier des différences de représentation de « la femme musulmane » ? L’émergence d’une féminisation du discours islamique à Bruxelles, au sein du courant conscientisateur des Frères Musulmans engendre-t-elle une remise en question de ces représentations et la mise en exergue des rapports sociaux de sexe ? A partir d’une recherche de terrain, qui s’est étendue de septembre 2006 à mars 2011, nous répondons à ces questions à l’aide d’un corpus constitué de plus 60 discours issus des acteurs et actrices religieux des courants fondamentalistes à Bruxelles. Ce corpus peut prétendre à l’exhaustivité.

Genre is a very important characteristic for movies and generates utility for the audience, therefore, it is very useful for producers and investors to study the correlation between annual genre performance and consumer preference of the audience. How are genre elements reflecting the audience’s taste every year? Does it change over time and does this change have a pattern? With Lancaster’s characteristic consumption theory as an approach, we explored the balance and shifting trends of the popularity of genre elements, thus providing guidance and predictions for the producers and investors for decision making reference. A study based on 15 years of movie performance in box offices and award ceremonies indicates that consumer’s preference on genre elements follow certain patterns and could be predicted. The importance of genre elements deserves more attention from decision makers, and perhaps a special unit on genre studies should be established  economy-wised to much more deeply exploit their value.

Syftet med detta arbete är att undersöka om man med utgångspunkt i Steampunk-genren inom datorspel, kan göra en implementation av stereotypa High fantasy-element och hur det kommer att uppfattas av Steampunk-entusiaster. Kommer de överhuvudtaget att märka skillnaden och om så är fallet, hur pass stor inverkan tycker de att implementationen har? För att undersöka detta så skapades två karaktärskoncept, en man och en kvinna. Dessa karaktärer utrustades sedan med fyra uppsättningar karaktäristiska kläder och föremål från Steampunk-genren. Sedan lade jag till två stereotypa detaljer från High fantasyn på varje karaktär. Dessa koncept presenterades sedan för ett antal informanter som var insatta i ämnet Steampunk, i form av semistrukturerade intervjuer.