Faculty of Criminology, Justice and Policy Studies

The island of Taiwan, located around 160 km east of China, has existed amongst contention and confusion for centuries, with a complex history of foreign occupation beginning in the mid-seventeenth century with the Dutch and only ending after the Nationalist Chinese Party’s (the KMT’s) relocation in the mid-twentieth century, at which point the desire of the people to rule and be free in their own country began shifting the notions of Taiwan and the Taiwanese. It was at this juncture that the processes of democratization and national identity formation collided and have since progressed as an influential parallel to the present day, in which Taiwan is now an established democratic nation with the majority of its citizens identifying as Taiwanese, distinct from the periods of foreign rule in the past and the present threat from across the Strait. An analysis of this paralleled progression through history is essential to fully comprehending the deeply embedded notions of democracy and national identity on the island which are currently influential factors shaping the domestic outlook towards the continuing cross-strait dilemma. Drawing on the academic literature and data from ESC (Election Study Center) and TEDS (Taiwan Election and Democracy Studies), a synthesis of agent- and process- oriented approaches, which emphasizes the roles of political elites, civil society and historical context, will be employed in this study to explore the parallel of democratization and Taiwanization in postwar Taiwan. / The island of Taiwan, located around 160 km east of China, has existed amongst contention and confusion for centuries, with a complex history of foreign occupation beginning in the mid-seventeenth century with the Dutch and only ending after the Nationalist Chinese Party’s (the KMT’s) relocation in the mid-twentieth century, at which point the desire of the people to rule and be free in their own country began shifting the notions of Taiwan and the Taiwanese. It was at this juncture that the processes of democratization and national identity formation collided and have since progressed as an influential parallel to the present day, in which Taiwan is now an established democratic nation with the majority of its citizens identifying as Taiwanese, distinct from the periods of foreign rule in the past and the present threat from across the Strait. An analysis of this paralleled progression through history is essential to fully comprehending the deeply embedded notions of democracy and national identity on the island which are currently influential factors shaping the domestic outlook towards the continuing cross-strait dilemma. Drawing on the academic literature and data from ESC (Election Study Center) and TEDS (Taiwan Election and Democracy Studies), a synthesis of agent- and process- oriented approaches, which emphasizes the roles of political elites, civil society and historical context, will be employed in this study to explore the parallel of democratization and Taiwanization in postwar Taiwan.

Education has proven to be a powerful tool. Higher education in particular has been and continues to be utilized in various ways around the world and has been instrumental in the rise of societies including Americo-Liberian society in Liberia, West Africa. This study investigates how education has been instrumental in the formation of identity for Americo-Liberians (descendants of historically oppressed groups), demonstrates the relationship that existed between education attainment and social stratification within their system, and uncovers the socialization process that existed within the Americo-Liberian system of education. A critical analysis of social structure and history was undertaken to demonstrate how a mythical norm and cultural capital were key in both the identity formation and destruction of the Americo-Liberian population in Liberia, West Africa. Other theoretical frameworks, in particular "othering" were utilized throughout this dissertation to further demonstrate the rise of Americo-Liberians through their employment of a mythical norm and cultural capital, which ultimately led to their demise. A historical case study method was utilized to uncover the cultural capital of the preferred upper class and political elite, known as Americo-Liberians, which was deeply embedded within their system of education. In all, the system that was set up to ensure their privilege led to their demise and the complete destruction of the country as a whole.

Personalization of on-line content by on-line businesses can improve a users experience and increase a businesss chance of making a sale, but with stricter privacy legislation and Internet users increasing concerns about privacy, businesses need to ensure they do not violate laws or frighten away potential customers. This thesis describes the design of the proposed Identity Management Architecture (IMA). The IMA system allows users to decide on a per business basis what personal information is provided, gives users greater access to their personal information held by on-line businesses, and does not rely on a trusted third-party for management of personal information. In order to demonstrate the design and functionality of the IMA system a prototype implementation has been built. This implementation consists of the IMA client application and an example participating business to demonstrate the features of the IMA client. To evaluate the design of the IMA system it was compared to three high profile identity management systems: Microsoft .NET Passport, Liberty Alliance Project, and Microsoft Infocards. Through this evaluation each tool was compared based on the access to personal information provided to users and on what areas of privacy legislation compliance are improved for a business that participates.

An exhibition about advertising and identity.

No description available.

Digital storytelling, the practice of combining personal narrative with multimedia to produce a short autobiographical movie, continues to expand its creative uses in classrooms around the world. However, teaching the actual story process within digital storytelling presents several challenges for teachers as it demands a combination of creative writing, basic film conventions, visual and media literacy, as well as the technical facility with the technology. Digital storytelling presents a unique opportunity for students to acquire much more than new technology skills. It enables them to represent their voices in a manner rarely addressed by state and district curriculum while practicing the digital literacy skills that will be important to their 21st century futures. Storytelling and multimedia production have rarely been taught, if at all, while the development of students narrative skills has rested on the shoulders of English teachers. This pedagogical disconnect between story literacy and technology literacy is at the heart of the multiliteracies debate. Elliot W. Eisner writes in The Kind of Schools We Need, What we ought to be developing in our schools is not simply a narrow array of literacy skills limited to a restrictive range of meaning systems, but a spectrum of literacies...We need a conception of multiple literacies to serve as a vision of what our schools should seek to achieve (2002). An effective implementation of digital storytelling in schools is a model of the metaliteracy Eisner suggests.

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Fiction that incorporates gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, or questioning of heterosexuality itself (GLBTQ) themes and characters has been noted among the most widely censored novels for young adults (ALA, 2007; Finnessy, 2002; Karolides, 2002). Despite many teachers’ and librarians’ anxiety about even recommending a novel that includes homosexual characters, more novels with GLBTQ characters and themes are receiving significant literary accolades and awards. Furthermore, acclaimed researcher and young adult literary historian, Michael Cart (2004) notes that reading young adult literature, “the quintessential literature of the outsider,” provides “the lifesaving necessity of seeing one’s own face reflected in the pages of a good book and the corollary comfort that derives from the knowledge that one is not alone” (p. 46). For GLBTQ youth, this is exceptionally important given the heteronormative structures in place to monitor and control sexual and gender identities and expressions. With this in mind, I utilized a dynamic and multi-faceted analytic approach, including interpretivist, textual discursive, and literary analyses, to examine seventeen GLBTQ themed novels for images, characterizations, and messages depicted about nonconforming sexualities and gender identities. I sought to answer three primary questions: 1) What are the networks or systems of power that are unveiled as inhibiting the identities of the characters? 2) How are the identities of these characters constructed? 3) What messages do the texts convey regarding nonconforming sexual and gender identities? I found that the authors largely created dynamic, three-dimensional characters with complex histories and narratives that affirm and validate GLBTQ identities. Moreover, I observed two overarching set of factors: one that encompasses culturally mediated forces, which include cultural institutions and practices, persecution, and social networks, and a second that emphasizes a critical modernist construction of identity. Additionally, I found a progressive-oriented didacticism pervasive through the texts that positively portrays GLBTQ characters, denounces homophobia, frequently challenges heteronormative assumptions and behaviors, and instructs readers about various issues and conflicts common to GLBTQ youth.

This study investigated the relationships between student identity, athlete identity, and career development among National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I college athletes. In Study 1, participants completed measures of student identity, athlete identity, career self-efficacy, and demographic information including race, sex, and sport played. Results indicated that student identity of the college athletes in Study 1 was a significant predictor of career decision-making selfefficacy (β=.33, t=3.86, p<.001). Study 2 included in-depth individual interviews with twelve college athletes. The goal of Study 2 was to better understand the conflict of student and athlete identities and how this conflict affected career planning for college athletes. Several themes emerged from the interviews, including adjustments the athletes undertook to cope with the conflicting roles. A conceptual model was developed to illustrate the complex and fluid nature of the role conflict and the athlete’s management strategies. The results from both studies provide insight into the nature of the relationships between these identities and career development. Suggestions for future research on influences to career development for college athletes are included.