Past research has identified adaptive cognitive beliefs and expectations or reasons for living that appear to be lacking in individuals reporting suicidal ideation. The purpose of this study was to examine possible relationships between birth order and reasons for living. Additionally, gender differences were examined with respect to the relationship between these characteristics and reasons for living. It was hypothesized that women would score higher than men, non-ideators would score higher than ideators, and that middle born individuals would score higher than other birth order groups on the Reasons for Living Inventory (RFL) and the RFL Survival and Coping Beliefs subscale. Additionally, it was anticipated that women who are non-ideators and middle borns would reveal the highest scores and men who are ideators and firstborns would reveal the lowest scores. Subjects included 219 undergraduate college students (132 females and 87 males) enrolled in introductory psychology courses. Subjects completed a short Self-Report Demographic questionnaire, a brief suicide questionnaire, and the Expanded Reasons for Living Inventory. Results revealed significant main effects for gender and suicidal ideation. Women scored higher than men and non-ideators scored higher than ideators. No significant main effects were found for birth order, although a significant three-way interaction effect was found for birth order, ideation status, and gender on one subscale of the RFL. Significant two-way interaction effects for ideator status and gender were found on two RFL subscales. In summary, results of this study do not support the idea that birth order position is predictive of levels of the beliefs and expectancies about life that are measured by the Reasons for Living Inventory. It is possible that there are birth order effects that are masked by such factors as age span between siblings, blended families, or total family size. It is also possible that birth order indeed has some effect, but only in combination with other variables. Future research may use a different research design to assess such effects.

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To interpret is to seek understanding. This formulation hides as much as it reveals and I propose to unpack it. I argue that interpreting is only a part of what legal theorists and practitioners do. In Part I, I attempt an ‘in vitro’ analysis and present the bare concept of interpretation: interpretation is an activity that needs an object; interpreting is reasoning about meaning when there is a possibility of mistake about that meaning. Part II focuses on two domains of interpretation: musical performance and adjudication. I rely on Joseph Raz’s account of interpretation as explanation or display and identify the former domain as a paradigm of display and the latter as a paradigm of explanation. Both are examples of interpretation for others and involve a claim to theoretical authority on the part of interpreters. But, unlike musicians- who interpret only works of music- judges interpret a great variety of objects. Musical interpretation is identified by its object, whereas legal interpretation is not. Legal interpretation is explanation of legal meaning. I then discuss the tenets of the minimalist view of legal interpretation: (i) legal rules are not interpretable and legal texts are not primary objects of legal interpretation; (ii) there is a difference between interpretative authority (a form of theoretical authority) and legal authority (a form of practical authority) and interpretative conclusions can be theoretically authoritative without being exclusionary reasons for action; (iii) Interpreting and adjudicating are different activities. Interpretation explains, adjudication resolves. Legal interpreters do not produce legal rules: they are required to be guided by them.

Thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy (Political Management) at Stellenbosch University / Thesis (MPhil (Political Science))--University of Stellenbosch, 2010. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Inflicting a financial loss of over $US16 billion to international shipping, the occurrence of maritime piracy in areas such as the Strait of Malacca and the west coast of Africa, has significantly affected the long-term stability of global maritime trade. Since the collapse of the Somali state in the early 1990’s, international watch groups have expressed their concern as to the rise of piracy off the Somali coast and the waterways of the Gulf of Aden. However, 2008 marked an unprecedented increase in pirate attacks in Somali waters. These attacks did not only increase in number but also became more sophisticated. As more than 85% of world trade relies on maritime transport, the world was forced to take notice of the magnitude of Somali piracy. Considering the relative novel nature of Somali piracy, this field presents a vast potential for further and in-depth academic inquiry. This descriptive and explanatory study set out to explore the evasive nature of the what and why (and who) of Somali piracy and relied on inductive reasoning in order (a) to explore and define the contributing causes to the Somali conflict; (b) to indicate how the conflict and the resulting consequences in particularly the Puntland region contributed to the rise of maritime piracy; (c) to determine whether the pirate groups are fishermen protecting their resources by acting like vigilantes and self-defence units, or if they were bandits, warlords, Islamists or a combination of aforementioned; and to (d) establish the role which resource scarcity and state collapse played in rendering Somalia vulnerable to maritime piracy. In pursuing the above mentioned goals, this study relied on an analysis of authoritative and contemporary sources. Media reporting was used for updating the fast moving information. This study attributed the Somali conflict to historic and ethnic clan rivalries and the legacy of colonial rule that led to the arbitrary partitioning of Somalia by colonial superpowers. Military rule, oppression, wars with neighbours (Ethiopia), superpower intervention, famine and the rise of warlords made for state failure in Somalia. In Puntland, such factors were further aggravated by severe environmental hardship and natural disasters. Food became one of the scarcest resources in Somalia. People migrated to cities and to the coast where foreign fishing vessels also exploited the absence of coast guards in plundering fish. Some Somali fishermen reacted and in retrieving fish, apprehended ships, resulting in armed robbery at sea. But many went further, hijacking merchant vessels, and demanding huge ransoms. Initially prompted by grievance towards the exploitation of the Somali coastal resources, the vast financial rewards of piracy rapidly transformed this impetus to personal gain and greed. In doing so, these groups assumed characteristic similar to criminal bandits and warlords. Or were they Islamists fundraising for al-Qaeda? But unlike warlords, pirates normally never kill. The links with either Islamists or terrorism have also not been established either. The alleged link with criminal networks is much more plausible. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Maritieme seerowery in areas soos die Straat van Malacca en aan die weskus van Afrika, het tot op datum, na raming, finansiële verliese van meer as $US16 biljoen aan internasionale skeepshandel berokken en het ‘n beduidende negatiewe effek op die langtermyn stabiliteit van globale maritieme handel. Sedert die verval van die Somaliese staat in 1991, het internasionale waarnemingsgroepe hul besorgdheid uitgespreek oor die toename van seerowery aan die Somaliese kus en die aangrensende Golf van Aden. Vanaf 2008 was daar egter ‘n ongekende toename in seerower aanvalle in Somaliese kuswaters. Nie alleen was daar ‘n toename in die aantal insidente nie, maar die aanvalle is gekenmerk deur meer gesofistikeerde metodes. Aangesien meer as 85% van wêreldhandel afhanklik is van seevervoer, was die wêreld genoodsaak om kennis te neem van die omvang van die verskynsel. Gegewe die feit dat Somaliese seerowery ‘n relatiewe onlangse verwikkeling is, bied hierdie veld groot potensiaal vir verdere en diepgaande studie. Die beskrywende en verduidelikende studie het ten doel om die ontwykende vraagstuk oor die wat, hoekom en wie van Somaliese seerowery te verken en by wyse van induktiewe beredenering die volgende vas te stel: (a) om die bydraende oorsake tot die Somaliese konflik te ondersoek en te definieer, (b) om aan te dui hoe die konflik en die gevolge daarvan, spesifiek in die Puntland streek, bygedra het tot die ontstaan van plaaslike seerowery (c) om vas te stel of die seerower-groepe vissers is wat hul bronne beskerm deur vigilante of selfverdedigings-eenhede te stig en of hulle oorlogsbaronne, radikale Islamiste of ‘n kombinasie van voorafgenoemde is, en (d) om die rol te beskryf wat hulpbron-skaarste en staatkundige verval gespeel het om die risiko van seerowery in Somalie te verhoog. In navolging van voorafgenoemde doelwitte het die ondersoek staatgemaak op ‘n deeglike ontleding van gesaghebbende en kontemporêre bronne. Hierdie teoretiese grondslag is verder aangevul deur media-verslaggewing oor die onderwerp. Die studie het bevind dat die Somaliese konflik toegeskryf kan word aan historiese en klanverskille en die nalatenskap van koloniale heerskappy wat mettertyd gelei het tot die arbitrere verdeling van Somalië deur koloniale moondhede, militêre onderdrukking, geskille met buurstate (Ethiopië), inmenging van supermoonthede, hongersnood en die opkoms van oorlogsbaronne. Hierdie faktore het bygedra tot die staatkundige verval van Somalië. In Puntland in besonder, is hierdie bydraende faktore vererger deur omgewingsontbering en natuurlike rampe. Gevolglik het voedsel een van die skaarste hulpbronne geword in Somalië. Hierdie omstandighede het die bevolking na die kus gedryf, waar buitelandse visserbote onwettig die mariene-bronne geplunder het. In reaksie hierop het die bevolking self die wapen opgeneem om sulke skepe te konfronteer wat gelei het tot gewapende roof ter see. Sekere vissermanne het egter verder oortree en bote gekaap en aangehou in ruil vir omkoopgeld. Dit was egter lank nie meer gekaapte vissersbote nie, maar handelsskepe met ander duursame vragte. Terwyl hul optrede aanvanklik gemotiveer is deur ontevredenheid met die onwettige ontginning van mariene bronne, het die aansienlike finansiele voordele van seerowery hierdie dryfveer mettertyd gewysig tot een van persoonlike gewin en hebsug. In hierdie proses het die groeperinge eienskappe ontwikkel soortgelyk aan kriminele rowers en oorlogsbaronne van die oopsee en radikale Islamiste. Anders as oorlogsbaronne het hierdie groepe egter nie die lewe van hul slagoffers geneem nie. Die verband tussen hierdie seerowergroepe en radikale Islamiste of terroriste groepe kan ook nie verseker vasgestel word nie. Daar is dus ‘n meer geloofwaardige verband tussen sulke groepe en georganiseerde kriminele netwerke.

Syftet med studien är att utifrån Maria Nikolajevas feministiska narratologi uppmärksamma och undersöka stereotypa könsroller i serien 13 Reasons Why. Dessa stereotypa könsroller analyseras med hjälp av en genusteori kring det sociala könet som socialt konstruerat som feminina och maskulina karaktärsdrag. Undersökningen bygger på en narratologisk analys som utgår ifrån fokalisering (synvinkel) och genuslekt (studier i språket relaterat till kön) och studerar därmed hur kön presenteras genom olika berättarperspektiv och språkmönster. Materialet som ligger till grund för undersökningen är serien 13 Reasons Why, som visualiserar könsstereotypa situationer som ligger till grund för undersökningens analys. Analysen visar att serien är starkt influerad av feminina och maskulina karaktärsdrag och att språket i serien innehåller stora könsskillnader. Vidare styrker studien tidigare forskning om kvinnan som objekt, eftersom det genom tv-seriens val av fokalisering är tydligt att flickorna är de som är betraktade i samtligt analyserade scener. Detta är problematiskt eftersom det frångår skolans mål om att elever ska uppmuntras att finna sin unika egenart utan fördomar om kvinnligt och manligt och påverkar deras bild av hur flickor och pojkar bör vara.

Homeschooling families in the state of Texas face challenges when developing their children's learning curriculum as they attempt to address state mandates with only limited guidelines for developing effective curricula and evaluation strategies to measure student learning. The resulting problem is that homeschooling parents are left to develop their curricula with little guidance. The absence of such guidance may create undue pressure for both the homeschooling parent and their child, while simultaneously creating the possibility of limiting student achievement. The purpose of the project study was to explore the challenges parents face in developing their homeschool curriculum in the state of Texas. Using the theoretical framework provided by Bronfenbrenner's process-person-context-time model, 10 homeschooling parents from 10 different families shared their experiences to address the guiding research question, which explored motivational factors in the design of homeschool curricula, including the use and sharing of resources. Through the use of a qualitative case study that employed semistructured interviews and field notes as sources of data, 5 themes emerged following a narrative analysis process to code the data: (a) time with family, (b) safe learning environment, (c) practical and meaningful lessons, (d) socialization, and (e) biblical training. The findings were developed into a white paper to provide parents with strategies to embed these 5 themes into a useful, quality homeschool curriculum. This project study has implications for positive social change by providing homeschooling parents in the state of Texas with curriculum design guidance from fellow homeschooling parents that can provide a basis for developing quality curricula that reflects common core values within their community.

In this essay, I aim to elucidate a concept of public justification. I outline several challenges faced by political philosophers, including a desire to secure stability and treat people respectfully against a background of reasonable pluralism. I suggest that John Rawls‟ account of public reason provides a helpful starting point for accomplishing these goals. But critics have been both persistent and persuasive in their objections to public reason‟s central element of reasons all can accept. I explicate three dominant criticisms: incomprehensibility, attenuation and exclusion. First, some critics have argued that the very idea of reasons all can accept cannot be plausibly articulated. Second, critics maintain that the set of reasons all can accept is insufficiently robust to solve constitutional essentials and matters of basic justice. Third, critics note that if public justification is constrained by reasons all can accept, then many informative and effective arguments must be excluded from the public sphere. In response to these criticisms, I argue for an interpretation of reasons all can accept which is sensitive to critics‟ reasonable demand for an explicit account of each element of the doctrine. My interpretation demonstrates the superfluity of what I call the sharability constraint—the thesis that only reasons acceptable to all can function as justifications in the public sphere. Once the sharability constraint is rejected, I argue that the problem of exclusion dissipates, but that substantive restrictions on acceptable reasons are still possible. I am optimistic that this approach is less attenuating than one constrained by sharability and that, at least under favourable empirical conditions, more problems can be resolved by this approach than by standard Rawlsian theory. I draw on actual convergence in the international realm to bolster this optimism. Finally, I relate this approach to the widespread influence of deliberative democracy. I argue that procedural apparatuses are insufficient for political legitimacy, but that deliberation may be an invaluable tool for uncovering reasons required by substantive justification. / Graduate

En komplex process som fastighetsbolag hanterar dagligen i sin verksamhet ärbeslutsfattandet kring olika investeringar i sina fastigheter. Arbetet kräver en avvägning avflera skäl, varav de vanligaste är baserade på ekonomiska och/eller icke-ekonomiska skäl.I följande examensarbete undersöks de skäl som fastighetsbolag överväger när de fattar beslutom digitala nyckellås i flerfamiljsfastigheter. Vidare undersöks även utmaningarna ochmöjligheterna med att investera i digitala nyckelsystem. Kandidatuppsatsen jämför teori ochkvalitativa intervjuer gjorda med fem olika fastighetsbolag på den svenska marknaden, därföretagen själva har haft möjlighet att reflektera över frågorna. Resultatet av arbetet visar attdet finns en osäkerhet kring de ekonomiska skälen för att investera i digitala nyckelsystem,vilket har fått de som valt att investera i digitala nyckelsystem att basera sina motiveringar påicke-ekonomiska skäl. Nyckelord i detta arbete inkluderar: Digitala nyckelsystem, Fastighetsförvaltning,Flerbostadsfastigheter, Finansiella skäl, Icke-finansiella skäl. / A complex process that real estate companies deal with daily in their operations is thedecision-making around different investments in properties. The work requires a balance ofseveral factors, of which the most common are based on financial and/or non-financialreasons.This thesis examines the reasons that companies consider when making decisions aboutdigital key systems in multi-family properties while allowing real estate companies to explainthe challenges and opportunities of the key systems to gain knowledge about the subject. Thework compares theory with qualitative interviews with five different real estate companies inthe Swedish market, in which the companies themselves have had the opportunity to reflecton the questions. The results of the work show that there is uncertainty around the financialreasons for investing in digital key systems, which has led those who have chosen to invest indigital key systems to base their justifications on non-financial reasons. Keywords in this paper include: Property management, Multi-housing properties, Financialreasons, Non-financial reasons, Digital Key Systems.