Other Languages, Societies, and Cultures Commons^™

The Interdependence Of Gedi Ruins And The Giriama: A Study Of Ancestral Spirits, Jinn, And The Impact Of Islam, Tucker Deady

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Archaeological site, Gedi Ruins, is well known on the Coastal Province of Kenya as a place of great mystery. It is sacred to many for reasons of spirituality and appeals to both Swahili and Mijikenda, a group of nine tribes living on the coast, as a place of prayer. The Giriama make up one of these nine tribes and, as they have a large community surrounding the site of Gedi Ruins, are the focus of this study. The Mijikenda have a deep connection with their ancestral spirits as well as jinn. While their traditions run deep, there have, however, been …

Tibetan Guozhuang In Diqing Autonomous Prefecture: A Comparative Musical Analysis, Christina Du Breuil

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The song and dance traditions of the Tibetan peoples of Diqing Prefecture are numerous and varied. Of these traditions, Guozhuang is cited as one of the oldest and most centrally traditional pieces of folk heritage. However, Guozhuang varies even within Diqing Prefecture. This paper addresses the basic form and structure of Guozhuang as well as variations between Benzilan and Shangri-la Guozhuang, two places separated not only by geographical distance but also the encroachment of development on traditional culture.

"Oh, Those Loud Black Girls!": A Phenomenological Study Of Black Girls Talking With An Attitude, Jacqueline B. Koonce

Bilingual and Literacy Studies Faculty Publications

Current research suggests that it is imperative for researchers and educators to pay more attention to the needs of African American adolescent girls and how their race and gender affect schooling (Fordham, 1993; Morris, 2007). The purpose of this study was to highlight the lived experiences of two African American adolescent girls when they used the African American women's speech practice, "Talking with an Attitude" (TWA), with their teachers. Using phenomenology and Afrocentric feminist epistemology as methodological and theoretical approaches, interviews were used to collect and analyze data that revealed the nature of their lived experiences. Van Manen's description of …

Refractions: Poems Through The Prism Of Proscription, Kayla Ahmed

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The chief aim of this study is to establish a working knowledge of contemporary Tibetan poetry and attain a sense of its development both chronologically and through displacement via diaspora. This is achieved by a brief analytical comparison between traditional and modern forms of Tibetan poetry on the basis of structure, language, content, themes, functions and uses. The frustration between the desire for cultural preservation and the desire for innovation within the Tibetan exile community is also explored. Ultimately this coalesces in a collection of original poetry that reflects the elements of contemporary Tibetan poetry and the pain of life …

Research On National Culture Effects On Human Failures In Container Shipping, Kai Jiang

World Maritime University Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Analysis Of Factors Affecting Indian Deck Officer Retention, Ramar Senthil Kumar

World Maritime University Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Morphological Alternations At The Intonational Phrase Edge, Robert Henderson

English Faculty Research Publications

This article develops an analysis of a pair of morphological alternations in K'ichee' (Mayan) that are conditioned at the right edge of intonational phrase boundaries. I propose a syntax-prosody mapping algorithm that derives intonational phrase boundaries from the surface syntax, and then argue that each alternation can be understood in terms of output optimization. The important fact is that a prominence peak is always rightmost in the intonational phrase, and so the morphological alternations occur in order to ensure an optimal host for this prominence peak. Finally, I consider the wider implications of the analysis for the architecture of the …

Having Fun While Speaking French: A Foreign Language Housing Case Study, Donna Lee Andrus

Theses and Dissertations

As the need for foreign language education increases, various types of immersion programs are on the rise within the United States. This study presents foreign language housing as an under-researched type of immersion program that can be a valuable component of university language departments. Using the framework of situated learning and communities of practice, this study provides an in-depth look at lower proficiency (LP) student perspectives and experiences within Brigham Young University's French House. Data were collected through a preliminary questionnaire, a semester-long period of observations, and multiple interviews with select participants. A comparison of all three sources revealed that …

Using Language Corpora To Enhance Grammatical Proficiency In Chinese, Hsiao-Chien Chen

Theses and Dissertations

School curriculum and pedagogy change over time and are affected by changes in technology. One little used technology in foreign language classrooms is the electronic language corpus. In corpus-based linguistics, language corpora are often used as tools to analyze and observe various language features, including discourse, pragmatics, and syntax. However, language corpora can also act as a tool to assist language teachers by providing greater exposure to features of the language. Using language corpora is especially helpful in exposing learners to so-called authentic language used in a target language culture. Moreover, students can gradually enhance their language proficiency by using …

The Effect Of Repeated Reading Aloud On The Speaking Fluency Of Russian Language Learners, Evgenia Nikolayevna Stroh

Theses and Dissertations

The current study examines the effect of repeated reading aloud upon speaking fluency. Because there is little evidence in the literature that the practice of repeated reading aloud can have a positive effect upon speaking fluency, the primary goal of this study was to investigate this relationship further. For the purposes of the study, speaking fluency was defined as fluidity and smoothness of speech with little pausing and hesitation. It is measured by evaluating the following fluency features: speech rate, number of pauses, length of pauses, phonation/time ratio, and articulation rate. The repeated measures experimental design of the study involved …

Stone In The Center, Amy Lubke

All Student Theses and Dissertations

Before the rise of the Incan Empire, there was an ancient civilization living throughout the Andes that thrived for several years. This civilization inhabited the region near the basin of Lake Titicaca known as the city of Tiahuanaco, presently in modern day Bolivia. Located at the site are many remnants of architectural structures and artwork made of stone. Little definitive knowledge is known about the peoples that created these enigmatic works.

This study is an examination of the stonework at the site of Tiahuanaco. These structures display the exquisite masonry skills and artistic capabilities that the ancient civilization attained. Each …

The Effect Of Furigana On Lexical Inferencing Of Unknown Kanji Words, Joy A. Palmer

Theses and Dissertations

The present study investigates the effect of furigana on lexical inferencing. After completing a pretest to determine their knowledge of the target words, participants read a passage and completed a think-aloud protocol and questionnaire. The experimental group read a passage with furigana over all kanji words while the control group read a passage without furigana. The protocols were evaluated to determine the rate and quality of lexical inferences of 16 target kanji words. The results of the questionnaire were evaluated to determine participant perception of passage and kanji difficulty, self-assessed percentage of the story that was understood, and the degree …

Theories Of Culture, Identity, And Ethnomusicology: A Synthesis Of Popular Music, Cultural, And Communication Studies, Alyssa Santos

Communication Studies

No abstract provided.

Examining The Challenges To The Anti-Human-Trafficking Movement In Russia, Stephen Alexander Barton

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

This paper examines the success of the anti-human trafficking movement in curbing the enslavement and trade of Russians to other parts of the country and world. This paper outlines how and why human trafficking is a major human rights and security issue for Russia and the “destination” countries to which traffickers send their victims. The anti-trafficking movement in Russia, which gained strength in the late 1990s through grassroots organization and international backing, successfully lobbied the Russian government to pass the country’s first anti-trafficking legislation in 2003. This paper analyzes the many challenges this law has faced, while also focusing particularly …

American Zionism And The Evolution Of ‘Pro-Israel’ In U.S. Politics, Samuel Taylor

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

This thesis will determine how and to what extent the definition of ‘pro-Israel’ in U.S. mainstream political activism has undergone a change. In light of recent publications and polls indicating that ‘support’ for or ‘connection’ to Israel was waning among college-aged Jewish students in the United States, I decided to examine the potential causes for this attitude shift, and determine how the shift is being reflected in the U.S. relationship with Israel, if at all. To adequately identify changes in the U.S.-Israeli relationship and the definition of ‘pro-Israel’ in the United States, one must first distinguish between, at least, two …

The Efficacy Of An Audio Program And Discussion Guide In Promoting Exclusive Breastfeeding In Cameroon, Africa, Kathryn R. Reinsma

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Background: In the Northwest Region of Cameroon, approximately 90% of women initiate breastfeeding; however, only 34% continue exclusive breastfeeding for the recommended six months (Kakute, et al., 2005; WHO, 2008). Entertainment-education is a mass-media communication strategy of placing educational information into media such as television programs, movies, and radio programs (Siegel & Lotenberg, 2007). This form of behavioral change communication has proven effective in addressing health-related issues in developing countries.

Purpose: The aim was to design an audio program and discussion guide to test the hypothesis that an audio program and discussion guide improves exclusive breastfeeding knowledge, beliefs, benefits, self-efficacy, …

A Conductor’S Guide To The Poetic And Musical Style Of The Cante Jondo Based On The Work Of Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco’S Romancero Gitano, Op.152, For Choir And Guitar With Selected Poems Of Federico Garcia Lorca’S Poema Del Cante Jondo, Elsa Patricia Ramierz-Hacker

Dissertations

Composers around the world have found the poetry of Federico García Lorca a source of inspiration for solo and choral works. Mario Castelnuovo- Tedesco used seven texts from Lorca’s Poema del Cante Jondo (Deep Song Poems) in his work Romancero Gitano, op. 152, for choir and guitar.

The purpose of this study is to provide a conductor’s guide to the poetic, historical, and musical structure of the cante jondo. Cante jondo or “deep song” is considered the most serious and profound collection of songs in Flamenco music. These songs express the history and landscape of the Andalucían region. Donn Phoren …

Negotiating Islam With Cinema; A Theoretical Discussion On Indonesian Islamic Films, Ahmad Nuril Huda

Wacana, Journal of the Humanities of Indonesia

This paper aims at exploring certain negotiations that justify Muslim's cinematic texts and practices. It focuses on the questions about what is Islamic and un-Islamic about film, who and what decides certain films as Islamic, and what are the meanings of cinematic practices of Islam for Muslim society. Furthermore, this paper tries to investigate these questions from a theoretical basis using concepts of Islamic modernity, Islamic Ummah and Public, in order to shed some light on the idea of how a production of an Islamic film may trigger the creation of a political and religious identity.

The Urban-Rural Dichotomy In The Indonesian Documentaries; "Nona Nyonya?" And "Untuk Apa?", Asri Saraswati

Wacana, Journal of the Humanities of Indonesia

The media play a pivotal role in the democratization process in Indonesia and this is among others apparent in the surge of films, both fiction and documentaries that have been produced after the end Suharto's decades of control over the media. It is important to note, however, that compared with fiction films, the documentary genre remains rather unpopular in Indonesia. Indonesian documentary films struggle to depict stories of the subaltern and those living in the "periphery" in order for them to be seen and heard by the greater masses and by those in power - the ones in the "centre" …

Gender Bias In A Patriarchal Society; A Media Analysis On Virginity And Reproductive Health, Billy K. Sarwono

Wacana, Journal of the Humanities of Indonesia

Women and health are two very close issues as family health lies most often in the hands of women. Ironically, their awareness toward their own health is still low. Cultural constraints have made single, unmarried women or virgins feel reluctant to go to obgyn clinics, though there is an increasing prevalence of cervical cancer in Indonesia. Related to the role of the media to reduce the number of women with cervical cancer, a question rises. How do the media represent this conflict? The object of the study is a documentary film about several problems faced by women. The unit of …