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The Valuation Of Literature: Triangulating The Rhetorical With The Economic Metaphor, Melissa Brown Gustafson

Theses and Dissertations

Several theorists, including the Marxist theorists Trevor Ross, Walter Benjamin, and M.H. Abrams, have proposed theories to explain the eighteenth-century shift from functional to aesthetic conceptions of literature. Their explanations attribute the change to an increasingly consumer-based society (and the resulting commoditization of books), the development of the press, the rise of the middle class, and increased access to books. When we apply the cause-effect relationships which these theorists propose to the contexts of nineteenth-century America, Communist East Germany, WWII America, and 9/11 America, however, the causes don't correlate with the effects they theoretically predict. This disjunction suggests a re-examination …

Help!: An Annotated Bibliography Of Resources For The Beginning Choral Conductor, Bonnie Marie Ashby

Theses and Dissertations

This bibliography is intended as a resource for choral conductors at the beginning of their journey of musical and personal development. While this project cannot possibly cover every aspect of or resource on choral music, it is a beginning. I admit I have spent more time researching my personal weaknesses and have not covered as thoroughly areas in which the choral conducting program at Brigham Young University is exceptionally strong. Even so, I hope this compilation will help address common challenges of beginning choral conductors.

The bibliography is divided into sections by topic, with additional sections on Internet sites and …

The Context Of Contact: White Attitudes Toward Interracial Marriage, Bryan R. Johnson

Theses and Dissertations

Using a year 2000 national racial poll conducted by the New York Times, I analyze Whites' approval of interracial marriage. I utilize the contact hypothesis, as originally formulated by Gordon Allport, to develop a conceptual model of White's attitudes toward interracial marriage. Specifically I propose and develop an additional dimension of the contact hypothesis, which accounts for the context in which interracial contacts occur. I do so by examining several specific social settings in which White respondents report experiencing contact with Blacks. The contexts examined are ordered in terms of the type of contact they likely provide, from close, personal …

The Million-Dollar Question: Why Pre-Adolescents Watch Television, Emily A. Smurthwaite

Theses and Dissertations

This study presents qualitative research examining the relationship youth have with television. Information for this study was collected through media journals, personal essays, in-depth interviews, and focus groups held with eighteen sixth-graders who attended a charter elementary school in Lindon, Utah.

The question posed to the students multiple times during the data collection was: “Would you give up television for $1 million?” Through the students’ answers and ensuing dialogue, the researcher examined the social value the pre-adolescents attributed to watching television. The findings identify three main categories the students said were reasons they were attached to television, which also corresponded …

Women's Response To Spousal Unemployment: Economic, Labor Force, And Family Constraints, Elizabeth Miklya Legerski

Theses and Dissertations

Using data collected from 29 interviews with the wives of steelworkers who were forced into unemployment, I explore the conditions and factors that shape women's choices in response to their husbands' job loss. Access to a unique and under-studied sample of women married to unemployed working-class men necessitates the use of grounded theory research techniques that allow me to "give voice" to working-class women.

Communities, Place, And Conservation On Mount Kilimanjaro, Marie Bradshaw Durrant

Theses and Dissertations

The Chagga people have lived and worked on Mount Kilimanjaro for more than 250 years. Through traditions and social practices within their communities and families, strong bonds are established between the Chagga and their home on the mountain. Kilimanjaro National Park and Forest Reserve (KINAPA) was established in the 1970s to protect and conserve the mountain, based on a long history of colonialism and western ideals. As KINAPA has attempted to preserve the flora and fauna on the uppermost portion of Mount Kilimanjaro, they have alienated local residents from the land through a conservation approach that relies on "fences and …

Stability Analyses Of The 50/50 Sex Ratio Using Lattice Simulation, Y. Itoh, K. Tainaka, J. Yoshimura

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

The observed sex ratio is nearly one half in many animals including humans. Fisher explained thatthe 50/50 sex ratio is optimal. However, the 50/50 sex ratio seems highly unstable because a slight deviationfrom 50/50 changes the optimal ratio to the opposite extremes; zero or unity. Thus sex ratio should befluctuating wildly around 50/50. In contrast, the observed 50/50 sex ratios in wild populations seem to bevery stable. There should be some unknown mechanisms to stabilize the sex ratio 50/50. We build the latticemodel of mating populations. Each cell represents a male, a female, or an empty site. We perform latticesimulation …

Modelling The Dynamics Of Public Attention Towards Environmental Issues, Jens Newig, Julia Hesselmann

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

Public attention, traced over time, often displays seemingly paradox behaviour: Contrary towhat one might expect, public concern is seldom highest when the environmental conditions are the worst.Rather, concern most often rises when conditions have already become better. Furthermore, public attentiondynamics frequently shows self-reinforcing behaviour resulting in distinct cycles, e.g. due to sometrigger event. In this paper, public attention is viewed as a social macro-level phenomenon that is soughtto be explained by the interaction of a multitude of single actors, namely individual citizens, the press, andpoliticians. First, a causal model based on rational choice theory is constructed in order to elucidate …

A Conceptual Model About The Application Of Adaptive Management For Sustainable Development, Markus Knoflacher, U. Gigler

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

This conceptual model is based on theoretical implications and analyses of empirical examples, and focuses on how functional processes in the environmental system affect decisions taken in the social system. Complex functional relationships at several temporal and spatial scales such as climate conditions or pollutant emissions characterise functional processes in the environmental system. Actions of humans in the environmental system are crucially constrained by limited information about system conditions, and limited predictability of system development. Both constraints are not equally valid for all functional processes, and all interactions between humans and the environmental system, because diverse human activities and interests …

Heuristics To Characterise Human Behaviour In Agent Based Models, Claudia Pahl-Wostl, Eva Ebenhöh

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

Human behaviour is one of the key factors to understand the causes for common pool resourceproblems and to develop policies to promote more sustainable resource management regimes. Agent basedmodels can help to investigate the role of important processes in this respect such as factors determining thedegree of trust and cooperation in a group. We have chosen a pragmatic approach to represent humanbehaviour by assuming that agents can be characterised by a set of attributes and their behaviour can bedescribed by a set of simple decision heuristics. Individual agents differ in their importance of attributes (e.g.fairness, cooperativeness, trust), in their rules …

Tools To Think With? Towards Understanding The Use And Impact Of Model-Based Support Tools, Brian Mcintosh, R. A. F. Seaton, P. Jeffrey

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

Formal models are an established technology for research in the environmental sciences. For several years now there has been an effort to enhance the re-usability of computer models for research purposes and to transfer the perceived benefits of formal modelling to environmental planning and policymaking. These efforts have resulted in the creation of a variety of support tools including DSS and modelling frameworks. However, there are a number of issues which may pose barriers to the uptake and use of such tools. We contend that new technologies and new techniques for exploring and manipulating them have to be translated into …

Simulating Global Feedbacks Between Sea Level Rise, Water For Agriculture And The Complex Socio-Economic Development Of The Ipcc Scenarios, Saskia Werners, Roelof Boumans, Laurens Bouwer

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

The Global Unified Meta-model of the BiOsphere (GUMBO) was used to simulate how the socioeconomicconditions specified in the Special Report on Emission Scenarios (SRES) of the IPCC(Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) influence vulnerability to climate change. Input parametersare the consumer preferences, investment strategies, natural resources management and technologicaldevelopment associated with the SRES scenarios. From this input the characteristic SRES driving forcespopulation growth, economic development and fossil fuel use were reproduced in GUMBO with thecorresponding climate scenarios (temperature change, sea level rise and rainfall patterns). This articleshows alternative pathways of development exist that yield the same SRES driving forces but that …

Mann Und Weib, And Baby Makes Two: Gender And Family In Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe's Sequel To The Magic Flute, Robert B. Mcfarland

BYU Studies

Latter-day Saints never grow tired of pointing out that Restoration scriptures and revelations could have not come forth in any other place than America. But the Restoration also came forth in a specific time, a period of important historical movements and cultural developments. It behooves us to deepen our understanding of the profound importance to the Restoration of the historical moment—not only through our study of political, religious, and biographical documents of the time but also through a careful consideration of the literature and art that interact with some of the most profound cultural and historical discourses of the late …

The Effects Of Premarital Sexual Promiscuity On Subsequent Marital Sexual Satisfaction, Sherie Christensen

Theses and Dissertations

A satisfying sexual relationship is an important aspect of general marital satisfaction. Considering that most people will marry, understanding the factors influencing marital sexual satisfaction becomes important in understanding what makes happy, satisfied relationships and individuals in our society. This study builds on previous research, which has indicated that there are a number of "risky factors" associated with having numerous premarital sexual partners, by demonstrating that there are risks associated with the future marital relationship. Using exchange theory concepts, this study empirically examines the relationship between premarital sexual promiscuity and marital sexual satisfaction. The sample included 313 married males and …

Couples Sharing Recovery From A Husband's Addiction To Pornography: A Qualitative Study, Spencer T. Zitzman

Theses and Dissertations

This study evaluated the therapy process for married couples recovering from addictive use of pornography. The author's proposal was that in conjoint couple therapy, clinicians are able to help organize the relationship to sponsor recovery while helping both members of the relationship heal individually. The prevalence and effects of pornography are discussed through a review of the current literature. Six couples were interviewed following the termination of their treatment in marital therapy to gain a holistic view of the process of recovery and gain groundwork for future development of a concise model of treatment. Results demonstrated that an increase in …

Outdoor Education And Meaningful Learning: Finding The Attributes Of Meaningful Learning Experiences In An Outdoor Education Program, Stacy Tooru Taniguchi

Theses and Dissertations

This phenomenological study sought to identify the common attributes of meaningful learning experiences as found in an outdoor education program. The pragmatic educational philosophy of John Dewey provides the rationale for the essence of meaningful learning in our schools and this research identifies the attributes of educative reflective experiences that are also meaningful learning experiences. Thirteen students enrolled in the Wilderness Writing Program, offered during the fall semester of 2003 at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, made up the focus group of this study. Their participation in four outdoor recreational activities and their reflections about their experiences became the …

Stickiness And The Adaptation Of Organizational Practices In Cross-Border Knowledge Transfers, Robert J. Jensen, Gabriel Szulanski

Faculty Publications

The re-use of organizational practices in multiple locations is a fundamental way MNCs leverage knowledge to seek competitive advantage. Scholars approaching the issue of adaptation from both a market and an institutional perspective argue that, in order to achieve fit with the local environment, some degree of adaptation is advisable with the need for adaptation increasing as the institutional distance between source and recipient locations increases. However, arguments to date have examined the effect of adaptation primarily on a subsidiary's long term performance. A necessary precursor is to understand the effect of adaptation on the transfer process itself as transfer …

The Problem Of The Sermon On The Mount And 3 Nephi, A. Don Sorensen

Review of Books on the Book of Mormon 1989–2011

Review of William D. Russell. “A Further Inquiry into the Historicity of the Book of Mormon.” Sunstone, September–October 1982, 20–27.

Cowan On The Countercult, Louis Midgley

Review of Books on the Book of Mormon 1989–2011

Review of Douglas E. Cowan. Bearing False Witness? An Introduction to the Christian Countercult.

Financial Performance Of Microfinance Institutions: A Comparison To Performance Of Regional Commercial Banks By Geographic Regions, Michael Tucker, Gerard Miles

Journal of Microfinance / ESR Review

The number of microfinance institutions (MFIs) making small loans to the developing world's poor has grown to over 7,000. With growth has come increasing competition for scarce funding. Few MFIs have reached self-sufficiency, and fewer still have made the transition to regulated financial institutions. Comparing the performance of MFIs that have attained self-sufficiency with those that have not and comparing both to regional commercial banks in developing countries on selected financial ratios reveals self-sufficient MFIs are strong performers on ROA and ROE. The majority of MFIs, however, are very weak and in need of continued subsidies. Providing financial services to …

Discerning Trends, Contours, And Boundaries In Comparative Education: A Survey Of Comparativists And Their Literature, Steven J. Hite, Bradley J. Cook, Erwin H. Epstein

Faculty Publications

Surely the health and vitality of any academic field relies on the periodic review of its intellectual history, evolving theoretical frameworks, and thematic shifts. Attempts to define a field typically involve lively debates over boundary maintenance. Indeed, the question of whether cooperative education is a "discipline" has been debated at least since the earliest issues of the Comparative Education Review and has continued to be debated in different forums. Leon Tikly and Michael Crossley believe that a comparative and international canon is discernible, although it is one that is "continually being challenged by new theories and approaches from the arts, …

The Animal Mind By James L. Gould And Carol Grant Gould, Serge Lariviere

Western North American Naturalist

No abstract provided.

Helping With The Transition To Parenthood: An Evaluation Of The Marriage Moments Program, Elizabeth Brinton Fawcett

Theses and Dissertations

In an attempt to strengthen marriages during the transition to parenthood, the Marriage Moments program was developed from Blaine Fowers' virtues based model of marital quality. Marriage Moments is a non-intrusive, mostly self-guided approach to marriage education, which is easily incorporated into childbirth education classes. The Marriage Moments curriculum stresses building marriage on a strong foundation of friendship and partnership. In this model, marital friendship is strengthened through a shared vision of life and important life goals; partnership is nurtured by the virtues of generosity, fairness and loyalty.

This program was tested on 155 married couples that were expecting their …

Latter-Day Saint Returned Missionaries In The United States: A Survey On Religious Activity And Postmission Adjustment, Bruce A. Chadwick, Richard J. Mcclendon

BYU Studies

Each year, approximately twenty to thirty thousand Latter-day Saint young adults leave to serve missions throughout the world. Once these young adults return home from their missionary service, must go on to further their education, begin a career, marry, and establish a family. Returned missionaries are a unique group in the Church and are often a point of interest. Parents, for example, note the challenges their missionary has as he or she makes the transition from the mission field to home. They sometimes observe their returned missionary confronting increased stress levels as he or she shifts form the singular focus …

The Symbolic Universe Of Latter-Day Saints: Do We Believe The Wealthy Are More Righteous?, John M. Rector

Issues in Religion and Psychotherapy

This study was conducted in order to determine if members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) make attributions consistent with the idea that wealth and righteousness are related. Results indicated that Church members are more likely to attribute righteousness to a wealthy church member than a poor one. Potential reasons for these findings are explored, along with the ramifications such beliefs might have for members of the LDS Church.
Portions of this study were presented to the AMCAP Convention, April 1, 2004.

Religiosity And Life Satisfaction Among Lds Women, Sherrie Mills Johnson

Issues in Religion and Psychotherapy

Because of their high religiosity, LDS women are an excellent population group to study the effects of religiosity. Very little published research regarding this segment of the general population exists. This study examines the religiosity of LDS women by comparing two national samples of LDS women to a sample of non-LDS women taken from the National Survey of Families and Households (NSFH), in order to determine differences in their life satisfaction and mental well-being. This study also compares two subgroups of LDS women, measuring if increased levels of adherence to the same religious beliefs has an effect on satisfaction and …

Front Matter, Comparative Civilizations Review

Comparative Civilizations Review

No abstract provided.

Alms-Giving In Modern Urban Societies As A Biosocial Phenomenon: A Cross-Cultural Comparison, Marina Batovskaya, Ivan Diakonov, Marina Vancatova, Jaroslavia Pavelkova

Comparative Civilizations Review

No abstract provided.

Ashok Kumar Malhotra. Instant Nirvana: Americanization Of Mysticism And Meditation., Michael Andregg

Comparative Civilizations Review

No abstract provided.

Evangelicals And Politics In Asia, Africa And Latin America By Paul Freston, Henri Gooren

BYU Studies

Paul Freston, Evangelicals and Politics in Asia, Africa and Latin America. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2001.