The Íslendingasögur, written in Iceland in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, primarily describe the lives of Icelanders during the tenth and eleventh centuries. Many of these lives involve encounters with foreign peoples, both abroad and in Iceland, who are portrayed according to stereotypes which vary depending on the origins of those people. Notably, inhabitants of the places identified in the sagas as Írland, Skotland and Vínland are portrayed as being less civilized than the Icelanders themselves. This thesis explores the ways in which the Íslendingasögur emphasize this relative barbarity through descriptions of diet, material culture, style of warfare, and character. These characteristics are discussed in relation to parallel descriptions of Icelandic characters and lifestyle within the Íslendingasögur, and also in the context of a tradition in contemporary European literature which portrayed the Icelanders themselves as barbaric. Innovatively, comparisons are made with descriptions of barbarians in classical Roman texts, primarily Sallust, but also Caesar and Tacitus. Taking into account the availability and significance of classical learning in medieval Iceland, the comparison with Roman texts yields striking similarities between Roman and Icelandic ideas about barbarians. It is argued that the depiction of foreigners in the Íslendingasögur is almost identical to that of ancient Roman authors, and that the medieval Icelanders had both means and motive to use Roman ideas for inspiration in their own portrayal of the world. Ultimately it is argued that when the medieval Icelanders contemplated the peoples their Viking Age ancestors encountered around the world, they drew on classical ideas of the barbarian to complement the mix of oral tradition, literary inspiration and contemporary circumstance that otherwise form the Íslendingasögur.

This dissertation applies the principles of Worldview apologetics to engage Advaita Vedanta Hinduism with the biblical responses of Christianity. Chapter 1 introduces the biblical mandate for apologetics, reviewing the contemporary apologetic scene. It highlights methodological principles in Worldview apologetics. Chapter 2 introduces Vedanta Hinduism through the teachings of Sankara, Ramanuja, and Madhva. Chapter 3 examines Christian rapprochement and antithesis with Vedanta Hinduism. The apologist applies Worldview apologetics in understanding the access points and biblical dividing lines. Chapter 4 commences the apologetic engagement with proof. The Advaitin presents the monistic worldview and the ultimate reality, otherwise known as Brahman. The foundational Christian worldview is represented with the scriptures, God, man, and his salvation in Jesus Christ. Chapter 5 addresses the offense part of apologetics. The adherents of each worldview contrast their viewpoints against the viewpoint of the other system. Vedanta's monism, impersonal reality, inclusivity, and rationality are contrasted with Christianity's historic self-revelation of God to man. Chapter 6 handles apologetic defense through the lens of experience, epistemology, and correspondence with reality. The Hindu worldview has transcending experience, supra-rational epistemology, and deep coherence. The Christian admits a transitory universe, which has no existence as a contingent creation, apart from God. Chapter 7 reviews Worldview apologetic practice under metaphysics, epistemology, and ethics. These deal with the ontology of reality in its manifestations and our understanding of the truth. It concludes with how we live out this knowledge today. Chapter 8 addresses the personal, rather than technical tone of apologetics. Kierkegaard's engagement of the stubborn will helps us understand the radical nature of convictions. After presenting the Gospel worldview, the Vedanta position is shown to be impossible from those very paths that the Hindu trusts. Chapter 9 culminates the study of Gospel-centered apologetics. The Gospel forms the core of the apologetic encounter, in content and methodology. This dissertation opens the venue for more sound arguments to be built around the Gospel and to tear down false worldviews. Chapter 10 makes final recommendations on practical Christian apologetics to Hindus. A biblically self-aware approach is commended to honor God in the defense of the faith.

Through a review of literature and a qualitative inquiry of Cree language practitioners and knowledge keepers, this study explores traditional concepts related to Cree worldview specifically through the lens of nîhiyawîwin, the Cree language. Avoiding standard dictionary approaches to translations, it provides inside views and perspectives to provide broader translations of key terms related to Cree values and principles, Cree philosophy, Cree cosmology, Cree spirituality, and Cree ceremonialism. It argues the importance of providing connotative, denotative, implied meanings and etymology of key terms to broaden the understanding of nîhiyaw tâpisinowin and the need for an encyclopaedic approach to understanding these key terms. It explores the interrelatedness of nîhiyawîwin with nîhiyaw tâpisinowin and the need to recognize them both as part of a Cree holistic paradigm. / Graduate / 0290 / 0515 / artnapoleon@yahoo.ca

Because of the many shortcomings of public school education in Korea, an alternative school movement has begun to surface. Analysis of the philosophical foundations of this alternative movement reveals, however, that its programmes have thus far also been inspired by motives that have been characteristic for some time now of public schools, namely serious competition for places in higher education institutions. The purpose of this project was to, on the one hand, discover the shortcomings of current public and alternative schools in Korea, and on the other to reflect on replacing their current philosophies with a Christian approach and philosophy to schooling and education. The first step in understanding present day Korean education schooling was tracing the history and philosophy of Korean public and Christian alternative education. It emerged from this analysis that the biggest problem for Korean education is that education is knowledge-centred and intended for preparing students for entrance examinations to universities. instead of educating the whole person. The next step was to analise the history and philosophy of Australian Christian alternative schools. Christian schooling in Australia has contributed significantly to the development of a biblical understanding of' education. The Christian Parent Controlled Schools (CPCS) has for instance been emphasising parents' right of educating their children in schools of their choice and which suit their life views. Christian Community Schools (CCS), on the other hand, has put emphasis on the importance of the school a? a learning community where relationships arc more important than how they teach or even what they teach. Based on this comparative study and a study of a biblical philosophy of education, an educational philosophy for Korean Christian alternative schools could be suggested. Christian alternative schools have to teach education based on a Christian worldview and philosophy. Korean education. public as well as non-government school education, has thus far been totally dualistic in that it has tended to separate fact and \due, public realm from private. The Christian school rejects such dualisms and educates its students as complete and total persons to know this world, to live and survive in it, to practice their God-given calling of stewardship of reality, to maintain their cultural mandate, to serve God in doing so. and to love and serve their fellowmen. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Education))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007

Made available in DSpace on 2016-03-15T19:46:50Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Rosana Bento da Silva.pdf: 680885 bytes, checksum: 11c6a9beacf5bae9c03bdbc3e1b5ea81 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009-03-06 / Fundo Mackenzie de Pesquisa / The drama character is created by the way it reveals itself and its relationship with the other characters, in order to represent the author s point of view. Domingos José Gonçalves de Magalhães, based on the comedy author Antonio José da Silva, the Jewish s life and work, wrote the tragedy Antonio José ou O Poeta e a Inquisição, where the main character is built up in the context of a strict conflict with reality, converging to Bakhtin s concept of the dialogic subject. This research aims to investigate how the main character is built up in the play and also how the author s worldview can be seen in its relation with the character s ethos. / A personagem do texto dramático constitui-se por meio do que revela de si e da sua relação com o(s) outro(s) dentro da obra, para representar a visão de mundo do autor. Domingos José Gonçalves de Magalhães, baseando-se na vida e obra do comediógrafo Antonio José da Silva, o Judeu, escreveu a tragédia Antonio José ou O Poeta e a Inquisição, cujo protagonista constrói-se num confronto rígido com a realidade, convergindo para a concepção dialógica de sujeito engendrada por Mikhail Bakhtin. Este trabalho tem como objetivo o estudo da construção do caráter da personagem Antonio José, com vistas ao exame da cosmovisão do tragediógrafo.

This qualitative study explored the perceptions of evangelical freshmen students attending the University of Texas at Arlington and the University of Texas at Dallas during the spring semester of 2006 in the context of student alienation. The purpose of this study was to explore the possibility that evangelicals attending secular universities were perceiving alienation through their interactions with their universities. It was hypothesized that the modern university, having evolved into its present naturalistic worldview condition, might prove alienating to evangelicals from a worldview standpoint. Assuming the possibility that alienation might prove to be a reality for evangelicals, the subordinate purposes were intended to discover the types and sources of alienation, the possible evangelical coping strategies, and their perceptions of the university's reaction to them as evangelicals. During the spring semester of 2006, I conducted two live interviews with twenty participants. The first interview included a questionnaire which was administered for the purpose of providing insight into each participant's religiosity or evangelical commitment. The first interview (conducted prior to spring break) asked the students to reflect back upon their first semester experience (the fall of 2005). The second interview, conducted towards the end of the spring semester, was oriented towards the second semester experience. I found that all evangelicals but one had successfully assimilated socially and academically into their respective university. Their academic assimilation was primarily manifested by their relatively high academic achievement. Although they did experience worldview related incongruence, it was not severe enough to manifest any related attrition. I found the most severe incongruence to be related to the perceptions of a negative university moral ethos combined with the prevailing naturalistic monism of the university that relegated the Christian worldview to marginalization or irrelevance. I also found that the high level of social integration was primarily related to participant affiliation with various evangelical entities independent of the university. The data revealed that zero participants lost or abandoned their evangelical faith during their freshman year, and the students' perceived that they had actually experienced positive growth in their spiritual lives as a result of the overall college freshman experience.

The Australian landcare movement is considered to be a major success, with an extensive community landcare network developed, raised levels and depth of awareness, and a range of demonstration projects undertaken. It has inspired people across Australia and has been emulated overseas. However, negative trends in environmental conditions continue unabated. If the approach of the Australian landcare movement to date has not addressed the current unsustainable farming practices, what approach will? This Australian study explores the history of the ‘mechanistic’ worldview, its influence on the attitudes to and treatment of landscapes and indigenous knowledge from colonisation, and the ongoing impacts on current social and natural rural landscapes. Increasing tension between the mechanistic worldview and the growing landcare ethic based on relationships is apparent. Through the focus project, Watershed Torbay, a different way of seeing and treating the world is explored by praxis. A worldview based on relationships and connection as the end purpose is proffered. Strengthening connection with one’s own moral framework, and relationships with people and place in community, are seen as the path to achieving sustainability based on ecological and values rationality. It is recognised that there are multiple ways of seeing and experiencing the world, and it is important to give voice to all players with a connection to decision making. This also means that there are different forms of knowledge; these can be grouped under the typology of epistemic or scientific knowledge, techne or technical/practical capability, and the central form of knowledge about values and interests. I have worked with the focus project as a reflective practitioner undertaking action research; this is evident in the movement between theory and practice through the thesis. The thesis concludes in praxis taking the learning from the focus project, and exploration of theory, to answer the question posed at the outset by outlining how the relational worldview can be applied to the regional bodies now delivering major landcare programs.

Thesis (Ph.D. (Education))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007.

Thesis (Ph.D. (Pastoral Studies))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

<p><font face="Times New Roman"> <p align="left">This study looks at the effect of a cross-cultural instructional approach on the learners&rsquo / conceptions of lightning and attitude towards science. It explored Basotho conceptions of lightning and thunder under the following themes: nature of lightning, protection against lightning, animalistic/humanistic behaviour of lighting and nature of wounds inflicted by lightning.</p> </font></p>