Thesis advisor: Jane E. Regan / How does one teach Scripture in a way that leads to transformation? To answer that question, this study limits the matter to the Psalter and asks how the Psalms teach and transform in order to capitalize on the dynamics inherent in them. The Psalms here are treated not merely as documents to be studied but as texts to be enfleshed in practice. Utilizing the constructivist framework of transformative learning pioneered by Jack Mezirow, “thickening” that with Robert Kegan’s constructivist-developmentalist subject-object theory, and letting those interface with Walter Brueggemann’s categorization of the Psalter into Psalms of orientation, disorientation, and new orientation, I present the Psalms as holding environments which support and challenge us through transformations throughout our lives. After this, I focus on the extra-rational facets of embodiment, emotions, images, and encounter in the Psalms which enable them to accompany us as we widen our perspectives and paradigms. If we follow the dynamics of the Psalms, what theology, anthropology, and ethics arise? I provide glimpses of answers that can be prophetic in our postmodern culture, and I then suggest ways of practicing the Psalms which take advantage of their transformative elements. To conclude, I return to the broader question with which I began and propose a way of teaching Scripture that is inspired by the importance of the body, emotions, images, and encounter – aspects which are also active in Ignatian contemplation.

This project seeks to utilize the thought of Josiah Royce to address problems stemming from the contemporary American criminal justice system, with a specific focus on the process known as “ex-offender reentry.” Whereas most mainstream reentry efforts focus on the individual perpetrator in isolation from their relationship to the whole, e.g. in and through various self-help programs, I use Royce’s secularized and irreducibly interpersonal model of atonement to illustrate the ways in which (re)integrating “ex-offenders” requires effort not only on the part of the perpetrator themselves, but so too from the community at large. In so doing I rely heavily on Royce’s realism (i.e. anti-nominalism) concerning the nature of relations. I do so first by problematizing the self/other dichotomy in and through adopting Royce’s model of subjectivity, in which relations with others are at least partially internal, that is, constitutive of our own identities. Second, by using Royce’s affirmation of the reality of relations to show, insofar as criminal acts damage not only individuals but also interpersonal and communal relations, that these relations cannot be restored unilaterally. What is more, since relations between so-called offenders and their respective communities are often less than ideal prior to the criminal acts in question, I seek to develop the transformative element of Royce’s model of atonement, to the effect that communities might paradoxically be better off for having gone through processes of atonement than if no such need had arisen. It is regarding this point especially that I find Royce’s thought to be most obviously related to the contemporary transformative justice movement, which sees responses to criminal wrongdoing as an opportunity for communities to address inequities that not infrequently give rise thereto. Finally, I utilize Royce’s personalism and “doctrine of two levels” to argue that the notion of personal responsibility, while usually applied exclusively to individuals, is equally applicable to communities and institutions. In the end I argue that a genuine commitment to transformative justice not only calls for atonement, in Royce’s sense, as a response to individual acts of wrongdoing, but also as a response to the forms of collective wrongdoing that have created circumstances in which the reentry phenomenon so disproportionately impacts largely urban, minority communities.

The purpose of this research paper is to explore and examine the nature of learning within the context of and situated within a social movement. Based on an exploratory qualitative study of learning within the Jyoti Jivanam Movement of South Africa, this research explores the nature and purpose/s of learning within a social movement. Accordingly, this study is guided by the research questions: How and why do adults learn as they collectively participate in social movements; and what factors facilitate, contribute, hinder and influence learning within social movement? This study confirms that social movements are important sites for collective learning and knowledge construction. For this reason, social movements need to be acknowledged as pedagogical sites that afford adults worthwhile learning opportunities. Furthermore, social movements, as pedagogical sites, not only contribute to conceptions of what constitute legitimate knowledge(s), social movements also contribute to the creation of transformative knowledge(s). / Magister Educationis (Adult Learning and Global Change) - MEd(AL)

Operating from Burrell and Morgan's (1979) Radical Humanist Paradigm and using Foster's (1986) conception of moral, transformative leadership as a theoretical framework, this dissertation presents three empirical studies that demonstrate the potential for social justice efforts and leadership. Guided by a critical grounded theory approach, the first study represents transformation of self in its analysis of critical consciousness development and praxis in White, privileged individuals. The second study provides an example of school transformation and presents a re-conceptualization of transformational leadership and professional learning communities as a guide for inclusive practices. The final study demonstrates the mutually beneficial components of community/school transformation and responds to critiques of social justice recently presented by the author (2014) and Capper and Young (2014) that social justice efforts in schools have not included transformation of community and the greater society. Furthermore, the article demonstrates the use of motivational theory (Maslow, 1943), originally aimed in educational leadership to increase efficiency, as a guiding principle for social justice and community transformation.

This case study finds two modes in adults transformative learning experience. These modes create different openings for learning and conditions to be facilitated. A group of 23 adultlearners and the environment from a University course on organizational counseling, coaching and leadership provided its research site. Data from subjective, collective and interactive spaces in the course illuminate what conditions facilitate transformative learning processes. Field observations, interviews and documents from all parts of the course were analyzed using the computer software Nvivo. Conditions for transformative processes are found in the learner-experience relationships, the premises of a comfort zone, teacher-student and group constellations and are discussed in relation to considerations for their development. Commonalities are found in how to facilitate two phases of a learning experience in these conditions: Passive modes of learning can be facilitated by helping an individuals or groups extract meaning and express these meanings from his/their experience. Being exposed to the meaning environments of others can also have facilitating effects. Active modes of learning can be facilitated by helping an individual or group keep his/their attention directed towards the processes he/they are involved in. Holding attention directed over time towards the process and seeing the processes through a variety of different lenses and frames of thought helps integrate the learning and sustain its impact.

This heuristic inquiry outlines the chronology of my own theory-building, developing awareness and understanding of my educational development practice; I define my practice as learning&assessment-focused educational development. The inquiry maps the ways in which my early doctoral work shaped both my thinking and my practice as an educational developer eventually leading me to undertake a collaborative empirical study with the post-secondary teachers with whom I work. The purpose of the qualitative study we undertook together was to better understand how learning&assessment-focused educational development might facilitate transformative professional learning. Sixteen college and university faculty members with whom I had engaged in learning&assessment-focused educational development, and who were familiar with the ICE (Ideas, Connections and Extensions) model of learning and assessment (Wilson, 1996; Fostaty Young & Wilson, 2000), collaborated with me as part of my heuristic inquiry. The study of our lived experience of learning&assessment-focused educational development became the next logical step of the investigation of practice that I had already begun to question and to write about. Together we set out to identify and name the instructional content, processes, approaches and relationships that supported significant professional learning. Findings indicated that the adoption of a framework, preferably one that is congruent with teachers’ emerging conceptions of teaching and learning, helps post-secondary teachers’ organize their thinking about learning and enables improved communication about their expectations for students’ learning. The collaboration led to the identification of six essential characteristic features of learning&assessment-focused educational development. Overall, this research contributes to the evidence-based literature on effective educational development practice and to the discussion on the scholarship of educational development research and on the scholarship of teaching in general. / Thesis (Ph.D, Education) -- Queen's University, 2012-04-25 00:00:54.215

The Himalayan region of India has a surprisingly fragile ecosystem due in part to its geomorphic characteristics. In recent years the Himalayan ecosystem has been disturbed in various ways by both human and natural processes. Large developments threaten ecosystems in the area modifying local land use and subsistence patterns. This has important implications for the sustainable livelihoods of the local communities. People in these areas are very concerned about the lack of inclusion in development decision-making processes and the negative effects of development on their livelihood. Protest actions are spreading throughout Himachal Pradesh, not only to stop developments but also to re-shape how developments are taking place. The village of Jagatsukh was selected for in-depth study. That is where people started to organize around the Allain Duhangan Hydro Project and also where the protest actions in relation to the Hydro Project actually started. The overall purpose of this research was to understand the role of protests as a vehicle for public participation in relation to decisions about resources and the environment and to consider whether such movements are learning platforms for action on sustainability.

As a psychotherapist, my work with thousands of clients over the last two decades has illuminated a theme––when there is a misalignment between one’s values and beliefs and one’s lived experience, dis-ease, discomfort, dissonance and self-alienation take hold. The corollary often being true: An authentic life––living closely aligned with one’s beliefs and values––promotes experiences of health and happiness. Psychological research supports the notion that well-being and happiness are products of living authentically (Brown, Ryan, Laguardia, & Rawsthorne, 2005; Kernis & Goldman, 2006; Wood, Linley, Maltby, Baliousis, & Joseph, 2008). This qualitative hermeneutic phenomenological study was a response to my curiosity about the practice of living an aligned life and answered the overarching question: “What is the experience of the conscious practice of authenticity?” with the sub-question: “How does the conscious practice of authenticity relate to transformative learning?” Relevant literature is reviewed in the areas of transformative learning, authenticity, and complexity thinking: particularly the quality of emergence represented in the methodological orientation of the hermeneutic circle. Data collection strategies including interviews, an experiential component of “in the moment” recording, researcher field notes in the form of a commonplace book, and a web-based forum, as well as close readings of relevant literature. Data interpretation was based on a six stage integrative and creative hermeneutic analysis (adapted from Ajjiwa & Higgs, 2007). The stages of interpretation were (1) immersion, (2) understanding, (3) abstraction, (4) synthesis and theme development, (5) illumination and illustration of the phenomenon, (6) integration and critique. The research findings introduced the terms querencia (home or source in a person) and querencetic living (living from one’s inner source or knowing). The findings indicate that querencetic living generates wellness, happiness and peace and is comprised of four parts: 1) knowing our querencia (values, beliefs, needs, feelings), 2) being attuned to our querencia, 3) trusting our knowing/not knowing/changing knowing and 4) enacting our querencia through voice and action. The nature of our querencia is emergent (ever-changing and fluid) where our relationship to our querencia (being attuned, trusting and enacting) is unbending. / Thesis (Ph.D, Education) -- Queen's University, 2014-05-29 11:15:55.339

The Himalayan region of India has a surprisingly fragile ecosystem due in part to its geomorphic characteristics. In recent years the Himalayan ecosystem has been disturbed in various ways by both human and natural processes. Large developments threaten ecosystems in the area modifying local land use and subsistence patterns. This has important implications for the sustainable livelihoods of the local communities. People in these areas are very concerned about the lack of inclusion in development decision-making processes and the negative effects of development on their livelihood. Protest actions are spreading throughout Himachal Pradesh, not only to stop developments but also to re-shape how developments are taking place. The village of Jagatsukh was selected for in-depth study. That is where people started to organize around the Allain Duhangan Hydro Project and also where the protest actions in relation to the Hydro Project actually started. The overall purpose of this research was to understand the role of protests as a vehicle for public participation in relation to decisions about resources and the environment and to consider whether such movements are learning platforms for action on sustainability.

This thesis concerns the ability of individuals to engage in transformative use of copyright expression without the permission of the copyright owner. Transformative use refers to the use of existing expression as an input into the creative process, resulting in the creation of new expression that, while still embodying elements of the original work, is original in its own right. This type of creativity is beneficial for society and should be encouraged. Individuals should have the ability to express themselves, and participate in the interpretation of their culture. My enquiry has shown that Australian law does not facilitate transformative use. Many forms of transformative expression are not currently permissible without the express permission of the copyright owner. Copyright theory, however, is not in accordance with such a prohibition on transformative use. I will suggest some legislative and judicial reforms to Australian copyright law that can have the effect of encouraging transformative expression, while at the same time providing an economic incentive to invest in creative expression and protecting the legitimate interests of creators in their works. The primary modification I suggest is that the definition of 'substantial part' in the Coypright Act 1968 (Cth) should be read, in accordance with the interests served by copyright, to allow a consideration of the context in which copyright material is taken. The seeds of such an approach are present in modern judicial interpretations; the discussion that follows attempts to show how such an approach accords with copyright theory, and why it should be preferred by the judiciary. Firstly, with respect to the economic rights, transformative uses of copyright material which are not substitutable for the original expression should not be found to reproduce a substantial part of the original. Secondly, questions of substantiality in the moral rights should be interpreted to protect authors from unreasonable commodification of their works. To the extent to which it is unclear how the right of integrity applies to the context in which a work is used, as opposed to the modification of the work itself, I submit that it should be interpreted such that authors have a right to object to the commercial association of their work with a position, product, or service against their will. Alternatively, I submit that legislative reform to include an open ended defence to copyright infringement could provide much needed flexibility in the Australian system. Such a defence could draw primarily on the US 'fair use' defence, but certain limitations of the US defence could be overcome in an Australian context. Again, as the theory shows, the primary consideration for infringement of the economic rights in transformative uses should be the degree to which the transformative use is substitutable for the original. Finally, I submit that the reasonableness defence to infringement of the moral right of integrity should be read in such a way as to ensure that the personal interests of authors does not interfere with the legitimate self-expression of future authors. I will show that the theory does not support moral rights to the exclusion of either the ability of future authors to self-actualise. The operation of the reasonableness defence should be clarified to ensure that the legitimate interests of both past and future creators are recognised.