Digital Commons Network^™

A Comparative Content Analysis Of Televised Political Advertising In The United States And Canada In 2004 And 2008., Jessica A. Mahone

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Analyzing 195 televised political ads from the United States and Canada in 2004 and 2008, this research studies the use of issue and image ads and the attack, acclaim, and contrast function of ads in presidential and federal elections. Results indicate that there is no statistical difference in the use of issue or image ads and no statistical difference in the function of ads in both nations in 2004 and 2008. Issue ads are found to be more commonly used in Canada than in the United States, but there is no statistical difference in the use of acclaim ads between …

Assessment And Comparison Of Behavior Risk Factor Surveillance Systems For The U.S., Canada, And Italy., Carolina Arana

Public Health Theses

Behavior risk factors include health risk factors that increase a person's chances of developing a disease, such as having a high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, tobacco smoke, physical inactivity, obesity or overweight, diabetes, poor nutrition, lack of sex education and car safety. They can be classified as: Background risk factors, such as age, sex, level of education and genetic compositions; Behavioral risk factors, such as smoking, unhealthy diet and physical inactivity; and Intermediate risk factors, such a serum cholesterol levels, diabetes, hypertension and obesity/overweight. This study describes a comparison and assessment of Behavior Risk Factor Surveillance Systems for the …

Tension Under The Sun: Tourism And Identity In Cuba, 1945-2007, John Andrew Gustavsen

Open Access Dissertations

My dissertation on Cuban tourism links political, economic, social, and cultural history to show how the development of tourism on the island between 1945 and 2007 has been crucial in helping to cultivate identities for Cuba and the Cuban people on multiple levels. I focus on three distinct periods - 1945 to 1958, 1959 to 1979, and 1980 to 2007. While significant shifts occurred within each of these three phases, this periodization best illuminates the relationship between tourism development and identity. The fall of the Soviet Union, for example, certainly altered the pace of the industry's growth. Arrivals soared beginning …

The Language Of Nation: Multiculturalism, Nationalism And Language Policy In The United States And Canada, Laura Blum-Smith

Honors Papers

This thesis will examine the ways in which the national character of these two countries interacts with their histories of immigration and settlement. It will also examine the histories of language policy and debate in the two countries. I consider histories of immigration, nationalism, and language policy for each country, beginning with the United States and then Canada, and then examine the interaction between these factors within each nation. Finally, I compare and contrast the experiences of the US and Canada, examining their similarities and differences with respect to their experiences of the interplay between immigration, nationalism, and language. Benedict …

A Lingering Grudge In The Face Of A Power Transition; The French Canadian Movement In Perspective, Sergio Villarreal

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

I hypothesize that an individual that has experienced a power transition, as measured by income, will be more likely to challenge the status quo than one that has not. The hypothesis is tested by relying on a mathematical probability model and is then corroborated through a qualitative analysis.

This analysis was accomplished by using a dataset that was collected in Québec during the time of the referendum; the final vote of each individual was contrasted with their relative income and dissatisfaction with the federation.

While income alone will not bring about a secessionist vote, the increase in the likelihood of …

The Rusty Years: Seniors’ Social Networking In Retirement, Michelle P. West

Digitized Theses

This thesis investigates how retirees in the Greater Toronto Area experienced the transition from work to retirement and how they dealt with the changes that they experienced. In particular, this work considers how individuals’ social networks are altered during the process of retirement and how individuals develop new social networks in order to adjust to these alterations. Anthropological methods of inquiry—participant- observation, individual interviews, and focus groups—were used to explore these phenomena. The results of this study reveal how recreational centers for seniors, and the programs offered at these centers, help retirees connect to their peers and their communities and …

Representing The Promotional University: Undergraduate Student Recruitment Strategies In Ontario, 1997- 2007, Lindsay Carrocci

Digitized Theses

This thesis explores the promotional activities of five Ontario universities, bringing together scholarly work in history, education, marketing, consumer culture, semiotics, representation, and ideology to consider how institutions portray themselves to prospective undergraduate students. Visually and textually, each institution now constructs a brand, positions itself competitively, and shapes the ways in which it desires to be perceived. In promotional materials, universities attempt to balance conflicting roles as both cultivators of culture and the liberal arts, as well as centers of innovation and training in the “knowledge economy.” It is concluded that, in promotional materials, universities take the rhetorical middle ground, …

Hypothetical Canadian Claim Construction In The Rim Lawsuit, Sebastian Bernards

Digitized Theses

The purpose of this thesis is (1) to test the hypothesis advanced by Canadian patent litigators that Canadian courts take a broader approach to patent claim construction than their American counterparts, and (2) to comment on a hypothetical patent claim construction for Research in Motion (“RIM”) litigation assuming that RIM would have been sued in Canada. The analysis for the first question is based on an evaluation of Canadian decisions rendered by Canadian courts after Whirlpool Corp. v. Cameo Inc. and Free World Trust v. Électro Santé Inc. and does not include pharmaceutical cases. The findings of the thesis disprove …

Contested Histories And Identities: Romani Refugees In Toronto, Julianna Calder Butler

Digitized Theses

This thesis examines the larger themes and processes involved in identity reconstructions, and the appropriation of labels and categories at various levels as part of a struggle by the Roma against their marginalization and persecution. Through a focus on several significant sites of negotiation and contestation where Romani actors encounter and interface with hegemonic institutions and discourses, including current Canadian immigration policies and media coverage, I propose that “identities” invoke historical narratives, whether individual or collective, and are used in diverse ways. This research on the Roma is also useful in understanding the experiences of other refugees and minorities when …

Contested Histories And Identities: Romani Refugees In Toronto, Julianna Calder Butler

Digitized Theses

This thesis examines the larger themes and processes involved in identity reconstructions, and the appropriation of labels and categories at various levels as part of a struggle by the Roma against their marginalization and persecution. Through a focus on several significant sites of negotiation and contestation where Romani actors encounter and interface with hegemonic institutions and discourses, including current Canadian immigration policies and media coverage, I propose that “identities” invoke historical narratives, whether individual or collective, and are used in diverse ways. This research on the Roma is also useful in understanding the experiences of other refugees and minorities when …