Televisão universitária do RN (TVU): contribuição para a democratização da informação e a difusão do conhecimento científico produzido pela universidade

In this thesis we propose to investigate the contribution that the Universitary Television from Rio Grande do Norte state, Brazil (TVU RN), offers to democratization of information and diffusion of the scientific knowledge produced by the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN) from the perception of their own students. We adopt the basic assumption in wich the TVU RN needs to be connected with the scope of the current UFRN policy, since plays an important role regarding democratization and social inclusion policies in UFRN. We support the thesis that TVU UFRN offers important information for those who are part of academic culture (COULON, 1995a; 1995b, CHARLOT, 2000; BOURDIEU, 2007, 2005, 1997, 1996, 1975), as well as for society in wich it is inserted, since it contributes to the dissemination of scientific knowledge and relevant information about the university. We consider TVU RN a Public Sphere (HABERMAS, 2002; 2003a, 2003b; 2003c; 1999; 1989) conducive to discussion of issues involving higher education. Researches on Universitary Television are recent and some studies on it advanced in the way to define it and present it as a means of dissemination of scientific knowledge (ROCHA, 2006; COUTINHO, 2006; CALLIGARO, 2007; AIRES, 1999; PORCELLO, 2002; PRIOLLI, 2003, 2008, 2009; MAGALHÃES, 2002, 2008; RAMALHO, 2008; 2010; CARVALHO, 2006). For our investigation we chose the combination of quantitative and qualitative methods, both equally valid and accepted by many authors (FLICK, 2009; BAUER; GASKELL, 2002; RICHARDSON, 1999; LAVILLE; DIONNE, 1999). We developed a questionnaire initially with objective questions ending up with open questions of free text. The questionnaire was developed and hosted from a tool of Google Docs and the link to the webpage containing those questionnaires was sent by e-mail by the Permanent Commission of Vestibular of UFRN, COMPERVE, for all university students who were with their registration (status) active in the COMPERVE registers of the second half of 2010. The analysis of this material was performed using the techniques of content analysis and, within this mode was chosen thematic analysis considered appropriate for both qualitative and quantitative research (BARDIN, 2004; MINAYO, 2002). The investigation found that although most students consider that the TVU RN contributes to the democratization of information and dissemination of scientific knowledge produced in university, and moreover to arouse the interest of the academic community, still has not yet become an object of interest of the entire academy. Therefore, the research highlights the relevance and abrangency of further studies on the TVU RN due to the strategic role it plays in this new reality of public universities in the country. In addition, we suggest to the UFRN managers that they put TVU within the hall of discussions in order to receive the so much needed investment for any university organ

Linguagem e argumentação na produção escrita de vestibulandos

In this study, we analyzed the argumentative processes of written texts produced by UERN (Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte) vestibulandos : (students who apply for University Entrance Examinations in Brazil). It has as its corpus twenty compositions by such students. These compositions, collected in UFRN COMPERVE (Permanent Commission of vestibular examinations) and written in 2005 examination, were selected in a random way. The theoretical support is based on Perelman & Olbrechts-Tyteca (1999; 2002), Reboul (2004), Bakhtin (1992), Faraco (2003), Platão e Fiorim (2003) e Geraldi (1997), and other scholars. The work aimed to investigate how vestibulandos make use of argumentative techniques in order to construct their arguments in the vestibular examination. In the analysis of the corpus we considered that the used argumentative techniques, the relationship with the thesis, the sense effects students wanted to produce and the type of the required speech. It showed that in the, discourse construction of argumentative texts, students made use, with more frequency, of the following argumentative techniques: pragmatic arguments, arguments of the definition, comparison arguments, division arguments, example arguments, argument of the model and authority arguments as means to support their theses. However it was not carried out in a conventional way, reason why it leads us to believe that schools, as part of human activity, responsible for education and for the insert of learners in the literate world, have a fundamental role concerning the offer of conditions, so that, the teaching of Portuguese Language leads students to a systematic and explicit preparation of the knowledge, regarding the social and functions of the language, as well as of the strategies of the construction of argumentative texts. This can lead learners to develop communicative competence and to feel more confident when working with text production