The problem which was investigated in this study was the influence of a child development laboratory experience and the child's discriminatory abilities on the developmental level of children's art productions. Forty-eight children, three and four years of age, of whom 24 had no prior experience, and 24 others had completed approximately six months as participants in a child development laboratory, were included in the study. All children were given a discrimination task to establish their individual levels of discriminatory abilities. Each child painted four pictures, two with easel paint and two with crayons. Each painting was analyzed to determine art content and level of development. The findings indicated that discrimination ability does not appear to be an influential factor on the developmental level of children 's art creations among children of this age. Children demonstrated more advanced art stages when using crayons than when painting with tempra at the easel. Experience in the Child Development Laboratory exerted its strongest influence on the child's production of learned art forms, alphabet letters and numerals. It was concluded that art experiences for three and four year old children tend to be motoric and exploratory responses to the various media in use by them. However, experience is also a factor in the development of children's art, in that the child's use of learned art forms is influenced by an enriched learning environment.

This thesis reflects research undertaken over the past eight years about the way in which the Bible has been brought to bear on a number of frameworks within the South African socio-historical context. It is argued that it is not at all surprising that the Bible would become a part of the dialogues of the church; the Bible remains the source of the Christian identity of the churches in South Africa in a very particular way. Nor is it really unexpected that the Bible would be influential in discussions on broader societal issues in South Africa. With ± 80% of the South African populace subscribing to the Christian faith, and with the most prominent strands of Christianity found in South Africa making so much of the role of the Bible in their lives of faith, it would be perplexing if the Bible had indeed not been a major feature in these debates. The Bible spoke and speaks to church and country in South Africa. Put differently, as a phenomenological formulation: the Bible is brought to speech, that is, is brought to communication within the closer ecclesiological precincts as well as the broader socio-political environment of South Africa, precisely because of the particular religious configurations that characterise church and culture locally. The following is thus, albeit retroatively, posed as a general research question running centrally through all the research essays under review here: How was the Bible brought to communication within different spheres of the South African society? A total of nine scholarly publications are included, although in fact they represent seven research outputs. In two cases the research was first published as chapters in books, and was then re-published in article format. The most important conclusions reached, are: that the Old Testament is a vastly under-utilised source for communicating Christian spirituality, a state of affairs for which ten reasons can been indicated; that literal Bible translations are more effective in engaging Bible readers, because they invite active, interpretative participation by the intended receivers; that the use of the Bible for political purposes, even for opposing political causes, always reduces the Bible to a rhetorical tool, namely to substantiate views being propagated; that the present government's communication on religious matters has been rhetorically ambivalent: while continued funding for university programmes of - by name - Biblical Studies, has been questioned in Parliament and elsewhere, the churches (for whom the Bible is central to their identity and as a motivational force) are called upon to support government's social relief programmes; that the editorial and other comment columns of newspapers offer a substantial, yet vastly under-utilised resource for preachers in their attempts to deliver contextually relevant sermons; that deliberate consideration given to persuasive variables are of substantial importance to preachers; most important, though, for the long term effectiveness of the Gospel message, is the perceived integrity of the preacher; that both the Old and New Testaments offer substantial resources for the enhancement of communication and the building of relationships between different church denominations, with the caveat, though, that texts should not be misinterpreted, as has been the case, since this undermines the integrity of such processes. The ways in which the Bible has been used in these different societal spheres are, thus, varied, yet seldom satisfactory. By indicating the problems and perspectives that have come to light through these research projects, a contribution may be made towards a more mature society in which religion plays a constructive role, and is, as a corollary, respected for what it is in its own right. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Communication Studies))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2004.

This thesis examines the reconstruction of Lebanon following the war with Israel in the summer of 2006. Based on Stehr’s notion of the contemporary global economy (1994), the thesis offers a comprehensive account of how Lebanon used a global network to rebuild its infrastructure following the war and questions if the country is able to integrate fundamental elements of a knowledge-based society to participate in a worldwide economy and ensure future prosperity. Drawing on Luhmann’s social system’s theory (2002), the importance of shared objectives in collaborative projects and the recent importance of sustainable development theory in international relations, the thesis explores the communication practices used to organize this large-scale project. The study utilizes a qualitative research design with a macroscopic conceptual approach to offer a general understanding of the different systems that cooperate to aid in the reconstruction efforts. In-depth interviews are conducted with ten key informants, combined with the analysis of governmental reports, to identify significant investments offered by the international community and the different objectives of those involved in the project. A model illustrates the dynamics of these interactions, and helps to identify the areas most important to the country’s knowledge society. The protection of the country’s democratic system is identified as the overarching and shared objective of all those who contributed to the reconstruction of Lebanon, a value that is of great significance to a knowledge-based society.

This thesis focuses on Hannah Arendt’s theory of natality, which is identified with the event of birth into a pre-existing human world. Arendt names natality the “ontological root” of political action and of human freedom, and yet, as critics of Arendt’s political writings have pointed out, this notion of identifying freedom with birth is somewhat perplexing. I return to Arendt’s phenomenological analysis of active human life in The Human Condition, focusing on the significance of natality as the disclosure of a unique “who” within a specific relational web. From there, I trace the distinct threats to natality, speech-action, and worldly relations posed by the political philosophical tradition, on the one hand, and by the modern biopolitical “rise of the social” on the other. Drawing connections between Arendt’s theory of the social and Michel Foucault’s work on the biopolitical management of populations, my thesis defends Arendt’s contentious distinction between social and political life; the Arendtian social, I argue, can fruitfully be read as biopolitical. / Graduate

World Social Forum annual events attract hundreds of thousands of global activists and members of Global Civil Society. WSF events coalesce a diverse group of social movements, NGOs, and global activists. Its open space politics is an inclusionary force that is outlined by the principles of the WSF charter. Each event occurs in a location whose contextual and environmental conditions greatly impact the outcomes of the events. Assessing the success of these individual events is multidimensional and is largely determined by their adherence to WSF charter principles. Under investigation are three case studies of events that are held in Porto Alegre, Mumbai, and Nairobi. Success for each event is largely dependent on local factors. The local variables of the state, funding, trade unions, and local civil society all impact outcomes in myriad ways. Porto Alegre is an ideal setting for WSF events but is not the only attractive venue. / Graduate

No description available.

This thesis is an analytical examination of the inspectorates established by the British and Foreign School Society and the Anglican National Society between c. 1826-1870. Its aim is to demonstrate the important role their officials played in the development of a nation-wide system of elementary education in England and Wales. The thesis is divided into six chapters. The Introductory Chapter places the study in context by considering the concept of inspection in the nineteenth century. It examines 'state' inspectorates other than those for education, school inspection abroad and the long tradition of visitation and inspection by the Established Church. Chapter Two considers the appointment and development of HMIs between 1840-1870, providing an essential foundation and context for the subsequent chapters. Chapter Three examines the BFSS system of inspection. All aspects of this branch of the Society's work are considered including the reasons for the establishment of an inspectorate, the social backgrounds of the men appointed, the work they carried out and their changing and developing roles during this period. It not only reveals their important contribution to the work of their Society but also to national educational developments. Chapter Four focuses on the National Society's system of inspection and visitation. It considers the development of a three tier system during the 1840s with centrally appointed Inspectors, Diocesan Inspectors and Organising Masters. The issues central to the National Society's Inspectors' reports are also considered in detail. Chapter Five assesses the contribution made by the BFSS and National Society officials to the establishment of other school inspectorates. It then offers final analysis in Chapter Six on the significance of the work of the Agents and Inspectors of the two major Societies, not only for their respective organisations, but also for the development of nineteenth century elementary education.

One hundred and thirty-four years have elapsed since the death of David Bogue, and one hundred and thirty-two since the publication of his memoir. No detailed study of his labors has appeared since that time. David Bogue (1750-1825) was the theologian of missions during the Great Missionary Awakening. From his academy in Gosport, which, as the London Missionary Society's Seminary, was the first school in that era to give specific missionary training, graduated many of the Society's ablest early missionaries. Bogue's Bible-centered curriculum, and his approach, which emphasized apostolic precedent, produced men who made solid achievements: churches were planted which became self-propagating; the Scriptures were translated into the indigenous languages; and seminaries for the training of native leadership were established. During the next two and one-half years a commission of the World Council of Churches and the International Missionary Council will be engaged in a study of the theology of missions. Therefore, a work on David Bogue is timely.

This thesis considers the importance of livestock in the household economy of the Ahl al Jebel Bedouin in the arid Badia region of north east Jordan. The principal objective of the study is to provide development planners working within the Badia region with information on how livestock are used and valued within a pastoral society and indicate ways in which these values may be subject to change. The study demonstrates that Bedouin herdowners have responded purposefully to developing regional markets for livestock products and have identified the income and capital growth values of livestock investments. However, the study further suggests that in important ways production for market supply is closely bound with the management of household resources, notably production for domestic consumption and the two spheres of production constitute complimentary aspects of the pastoral livelihood strategy. It is further argued that pastoral production in the Badia is mediated by the prevailing Bedouin value system which ascribes non-material values to livestock, thus giving social meaning to the way in Which herd owners choose to manage their herds. The thesis argues that the relationship between herd owners and their livestock must necessarily be flexible and suggests that changes in the way in which livestock are valued may constitute an important element in how households respond to change. The study thus characterises the Ahl al Jebel herd management objectives as innovative and fluid, and indicates that approaches to pastoral development need to be more sensitive to household objectives and more supportive of indigenous innovation.

No description available.