Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Chicago, Department of Education, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the Internet.

Dissertation (Ph.D.)--The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 2008. / Directed by Heather Helms; submitted to the Dept. of Human Development and Family Studies. Title from PDF t.p. (viewed Jan. 28, 2010). Includes bibliographical references (p. 96-108).

Thesis (Ed. D.)--University of La Verne, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 438-452).

Thesis (M. Soc. Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 1986.

Thesis (Ed. D.)--Lehigh University, 2003. / Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 200-222).

Imam Musa al-Sadr (1347 AH, 1928 CE), is an Iranian Shi'i Imam with Lebanese ancestry. He became the leader of the Shi'i community in Lebanon in 1959 after the death of the local leader. He lived in Lebanon for about nineteen years before his sudden disappearance during an official visit to Libya in 1978. His stay in Lebanon marked a major transformation in the political, social, religious, and economic life of the Shi'i community. It also marked a major change in the history of Lebanon and the Lebanese as a whole. His work and accomplishments touched all the Lebanese no matter what religion, region, or political affiliation they belonged to. This dissertation will discuss and analyze the life of Imam Musa, as he was known by his followers; his numerous writings, speeches, and manifestos; the contributions he made to the advancement of the Shi'i community in Lebanon. It will also analyze his appeal for Muslim unity around the world and religious tolerance between the various religious communities in Lebanon. Finally this dissertation will look at the legacy he left and the future of the Shi'ah in Lebanon. This study is divided into four chapters. The first chapter is about the Shi'i community in Lebanon, its history, numbers and political and socio-economic status at the time of Imam Musa's arrival to Lebanon. The second chapter looks at the life of Imam Musa al-Sadr, his accomplishments, the changes he was able to affect for and within the Shi'i community, and his untimely disappearance in 1978. Chapter two also discusses the Imam by looking at him from three different points of view: the man, his political thought and his role as a religious reformer. "Imam Musa: The man" is a personal look at the Imam and views of people who lived and dealt with him throughout the nineteen years he spent in Lebanon. "Imam Musa: His Political Thought" discusses his dealings with the Lebanese government, the Christian parties, the Leftist Muslim parties and the Palestinians. "Imam Musa: Religious Reformer" analyzes his views on religion and relations between religions. As a reformer Imam Musa advocated unity between Muslims around the world, a more active role for women in Islamic society, and tolerance for other religions. The third chapter analyzes Imam Musa's literary output (books, speeches, and manifestos) during his tenure in Lebanon. These will be analyzed in their relation to Imam Musa's life and accomplishments in Lebanon. The fourth chapter looks at the legacy of the Imam, the fate of the Shi'i community since his disappearance, and the future of the community in Lebanon.

The ensuing study will devote itself to an analysis of the League as the first permanent attempt at institutionalizing modern Arab thought with respect to the extent of the Arab political community, its aims, and the means to be used in achieving these aims. [...]

This thesis explores the education of women in the pre-modern Middle East, particularly in legal matters. The goal of the work is to show that women in the pre-modern Middle East not only had access to education but were also learned in jurisprudence (fiqh). The work begins with a detailed discussion of the pre-modern system of learning. The first chapter explores not only the educational institutions and methods of instruction, but also the avenues and opportunities for education available to and utilized by women. The second chapter concentrates on the lives of two female jurists (faqihat). The purpose of this chapter is to explore in detail the methods by which these women acquired a legal education and obtained their status as female jurists. This work is a rudimentary effort at investigating the role of women in the pre-modern system of learning and their access to and acquisition of a legal education.

<p> The purpose of this phenomenological study is to investigate how expatriate Persian women, living in the United States, experience the damaging influence of traditional patriarchy. The resulting alienation from the self and this alienation&rsquo;s attendant psychological symptoms have been investigated under the conceptual heading of psychological exile, which has been treated by many preeminent schools in the psychotherapeutic tradition. The contemporary dynamic of exile has been set within a historical context, in which the rise of monotheism led to the destruction of matriarchal power structures. </p><p> In order to focus on how psychological exile is experienced by Persian women in diaspora, a phenomenological method was adopted: Persian women from three different age groups were interviewed, and their interviews were revised through a collaborative process between the interviewer and participants. The psychological essence of these related experiences was then distilled through the Giorgi method of interview data analysis (Giorgi &amp; Giorgi, 2003), combined with Robert Romanyshyn&rsquo;s method of Portrait Analysis (Romanyshyn, personal communications, 2010, 2011). From each of the three groups, emergent common themes were extracted and compared. </p><p> The patriarchal system has favored males and devalued females for centuries; each generation transmits its conceptual framework and cultural practices to the next generation, a process in which women are themselves complicit. This patriarchal system has not just limited the role of women in society, but has also actively damaged them by marring their identities, compromising their feminine natures, hiding them behind the veil of <i>abroo</i>, and robbing them of their natural language. These wounds manifest themselves through sexual repression, depression, and various other psychological symptoms. </p><p> The elucidation of how these women experience hierarchy&rsquo;s damaging effects will have many implications for therapists treating Persians. This research project was undertaken with the goal of providing a roadmap for therapists treating Persian clients.</p>

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of diet, physical activity, and lifestyle characteristics on body weight of incoming freshmen at a Midwestern university. Research shows that many college students gain weight during their first year at college due to a change in dietary habits, lack of physical activity, and other lifestyle characteristics, such as drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes.A systematic sample of incoming freshmen completed an online pre- and post-questionnaire regarding diet, physical activity, and lifestyle characteristics. In addition, students had their height and weight measurements taken to determine body mass index at the beginning and end of their first semester in college.Of the 69 incoming freshmen who participated in this study, 66.7% (n=46) gained an average of 2.6 ± 2.1 pounds and increased their BMI from 24.7 to 25.0 kg/m2 in one semester; 24.6% (n=17) lost an average of 1.5 ± 1.0 pounds. More than half of the students reported they usually tried to make healthy eating choices; however, 58% of the students reported having on average 2 meals per day and the majority did not meet the recommended number of servings for all five food groups. Less than 50% of the students exercised 3 or more days per week and less than one-third strength trained. The majority of incoming freshmen neither smoked nor consumed alcohol. Interestingly, there was an association of weight gain in college students who decreased the average number of meals they had each day or increased the average number of servings of fruits each week. / Department of Family and Consumer Sciences