A cross-disciplinary analysis of thematic structure of dissertation abstracts

The ways by which the academic texts are investigated differ from time to time with legacies of each tradition influencing the subsequent approaches. One of the approaches that has not lost its favor ever since it was established is the Australian Systemic Functional tradition. Based on the descriptions provided by this tradition, in this study, the thematic structure (Halliday, 1994) of the gap indication move and the Introduction section (Swales, 2004) of 120 dissertation abstracts from six disciplines was investigated at two levels, i.e. choice of theme type and thematic progression. The simple topical theme was recognized as the typical theme of the rhetorical units in focus across the six disciplines. With respect to the thematic progression, the theme-reiteration and zig-zag patterns were found to be the characteristic patterns. These results indicate that the language of abstracts is remarkably factual and far from abstraction.

Evaluation of social externalities of rapid economic development associated with major resource projects in regional communities

This thesis developed a thematic structure for evaluating social externalities of major resource projects using a mixed methods approach and structural equation modelling. The implications offer important insights into the extent quality of life is being influenced by coal seam gas projects in regional communities in Southeast Queensland, Australia. Findings show that unresolved concerns of community residents about environmental and social impacts contribute to lower life-satisfaction, inhibit the community to plan for the future, and lead to a weaker local economy.

La coordination et les phrases juxtaposées en français

Coordination and juxtaposed sentences The object of this study is the examination of the relations between juxtaposed clauses in contemporary French. The matter in question is sentences which are composed of several clauses adjoined without a conjunction or other connector, as in: Je détournai les yeux, mon c ur se mit à battre. The aim of the study is to determine, which quality is the relation in these sentences and, on the other hand, what is the part of the coordination there. Furthermore, what is this relation of coordination, which, according to some grammars, manifests through a conjunction of coordination, but which, according to some others is marked in juxtaposed sentences through different features. The study is based on a corpus of written French from literary and journalistic text sources. Syntactic, semantic and textual properties in the clauses are discussed. The analysis points to differences so, it has been noted, in each case, if one of the clauses is affirmative and the other negative and if in the second clause, the subject has not been repeated. Also, an analysis has been made on the ground of the tense, mode, phrase structure type, and thematic structure, taking into account, in each case, if the clauses are identical or different. Punctuation has been one of the properties considered. The final aim has been to eliminate gradually, based on the partition of properties, subordinate sentences, so that only the hard core of coordinate sentences remains. In this way, the coordination could be defined similarly as the phoneme is defined as a group of distinctive features. The quantitative analyses have led to the conclusion that the sentences which, from a semantic point of view, are interpreted as coordinating, contain the least of these differences, while the sentences which can be considered as subordinating present the most of these differences. The conditions of coordination are, in that sense, hierarchical, so that the syntactic constraints have to make room for semantic, textual and cognitive factors. It is interesting to notice that everyone has the ability to produce correct coordinating structures and recognize incorrect coordinating structures. This can be explained by the human ability to categorize which has been widely researched in the semantic of prototype. The study suggests that coordination and subordination could be considered as prototypical cognitive categories based on different linguistic and pragmatic features.

El escrito autobiográfico de Fernando Álvarez de Albornoz y la guerra civil castellana (1366- 1371)

Resumen: En la segunda mitad del siglo XIV, Fernando Álvarez de Albornoz escribió un texto autobiográfi co en latín en la hoja de guarda de un códice del Decreto de Graciano. Parte de este texto es un relato de la guerra civil castellana (1366-1371), probablemente basado en la información que le llegó a Italia a través de cartas enviadas a él o a alguno de sus familiares. Así, puede ser estudiado como fuente primaria o como escrito historiográfi co. En este estudio el texto es transcrito, traducido y analizado. A partir de este análisis, se proponen una datación del texto, modelos para sus estructuras temática y narrativa, y algunas hipótesis sobre su naturaleza e intencionalidad.

Estrutura temática do gênero reportagem na revista Veja e no jornal A Nova Democracia: o caso Santiago

A presente pesquisa investiga as escolhas temáticas de textos jornalísticos, especificamente de reportagens, que partem do mesmo evento, mas que são produzidos e publicados em linhas editoriais distintas. Nosso objetivo geral, com este estudo, é proporcionar subsídios para que sejam superados paradigmas ainda baseados na dicotomia texto e gramática na Escola Básica, como também colaborar para a promoção de um ensino mais crítico e reflexivo, a fim de que os estudantes possam atuar em sociedade com autonomia. Para isso, elegemos como corpus duas reportagens de veículos ideologicamente antagônicos: o jornal A Nova Democracia e a revista Veja. Considerando que o contexto de cultura e o contexto de situação são determinantes para as escolhas linguísticas dos textos, examinamos a organização temática dos períodos que compõem as reportagens. Como referencial teórico, elegemos a Gramática Sistêmico-Funcional (GSF) de Halliday (1978; 1994; 2004), centrando-se especificamente na função Tema, pertencente à Estrutura Temática na Metafunção Textual, um dos níveis de análise da GSF, que organiza a oração como mensagem e sistematiza os significados ideacionais. O objetivo específico deste trabalho é, portanto, analisar até que ponto as diferenças ideológicas afetam as escolhas temáticas dos textos. Com essa finalidade, dedicamo-nos à análise dos Temas Ideacionais e seus significados, pois são eles os responsáveis por indicar de que maneira os autores priorizaram as informações nos períodos que compõem e organizam as mensagens contidas nos textos. Como método de pesquisa, anotamos e classificamos manualmente cada um dos dados quantitativos e, em seguida, passamos a uma análise qualitativa dos Temas assinalados. Os resultados apontam que ambos os textos apresentam uma alta frequência de Temas Ideacionais Participantes, mas semanticamente distintos. Quanto aos Temas Ideacionais Processos e Circunstâncias, eles evidenciam discrepâncias sintáticas e semânticas significativas, que revelam representações diferentes dos narradores frente ao mesmo evento.

Contemporary Politics in the Middle East (Cambridge: Polity, 2011 – third edition)

The third edition of this dynamic book has been fully revised and updated to provide a comprehensive introduction to contemporary politics in the Middle East. Purposefully employing a clear thematic structure and including a wide range of case studies, data, visuals and further reading guidance the book explores and analyses the major issues which define the politics of this region of the globe.
Milton-Edwards begins by introducing and explaining key concepts and debates and goes on to outline the impact of colonialism and its legacy, the rise of Arab nationalism and anti-colonial politics. She then examines major political issues affecting the region, such as American foreign policy, political Islam, war and conflict, political economy, democratization, ethnicity and the role of women. The book concludes by highlighting the politics of the region in the twenty-first century and the future challenges it faces. This is a perfect introduction for undergraduates, covering key political, economic and social debates and providing updates and guidance for further reading.

"The genius of this book is that it integrates together the different themes which run through Middle Eastern politics. The coherence of the approach which the author has adopted is indicated by the manner in which she has updated the work in this second edition. Despite the substantial changes which the East has undergone since 9/11 and the 2003 Gulf War, the original line of analysis retains all its force. It remains a key reference for all those who are seeking to understand the region's politics, whether undergraduates, postgraduates or lay readers."
Tim Niblock, Exeter University
"I welcome the new edition of this comprehensive guide to the politics of such an important region of the world. It combines sensible generalizations with useful case studies of particularly important subjects. It is a must for all those who want to understand the complex politics of the modern Middle East."
Roger Owen, Harvard University
"Beverley Milton-Edwards has produced an excellent book, which is both wide-ranging in its coverage and punchy in its arguments. As such, its functions are dual. It works well as a text book, introducing the general reader to key themes in the contemporary region, from oil politics to ethnicity, to women and nationalism. But it also works as a running commentary on key debates, such as the rile of colonialism and the relationship between Islam and democracy. In short, this is a book with attitude."
Philip Robins, St Antony's College, Oxford

La programmation télévisée au Québec et l’auditoire des 12-17 ans : analyse comparative de l’offre et de la consommation

Ce mémoire consiste en une analyse des stratégies de l’offre et de la demande de l’industrie québécoise de la production télévisuelle francophone pour la jeunesse et plus précisément, pour l’auditoire des 12-17 ans. Cette industrie tendrait à investir davantage dans l’importation que dans la production d’émissions pour cet auditoire, dû à la faible écoute de ses productions par leur auditoire cible. Afin de mieux saisir les enjeux politiques, économiques et sociaux qui entourent l’industrie de la production télévisuelle pour la jeunesse, nous proposons d’explorer et de comparer l’offre télévisuelle destinée aux 12-17 ans et leur consommation télévisuelle. Cette analyse quantitative et statistique de l’offre et de la consommation se fait en trois étapes : (i) l’analyse de la structure de réception (émissions à succès, écoute des filles et des garçons, temps passé à l’écoute), (ii) l’analyse de la structure de programmation (mode de diffusion, genres télévisuels, origine des émissions, thématiques des émissions), et (iii) l’analyse de la structure thématique (thématiques associées aux épisodes et des personnages). De ces analyses, divers constats apparaissent. Tout d’abord, les jeunes consomment ce que les télédiffuseurs diffusent à leur intention, malgré l’accès limité à cette offre. De plus, plusieurs tactiques semblent être mises en œuvre afin de rentabiliser la diffusion de ces émissions, principalement la rediffusion. Finalement, ces émissions destinées aux adolescents se distinguent de celles offertes au grand public, non seulement par le public qu’elles tentent de rejoindre, mais aussi par les thématiques qu’elles abordent et la manière dont elles les abordent.

Social identities and law students' writing

This paper argues that social identities, discursively speaking, consist of ‘positions’ that are individuated by distinctive linguistic features. These include distinctive patterns of representation indicated by clause structure and type, a set of priorities for attending to what is important indicated by thematic structure, and an orientation to the represented world and to self as indicated by modality, propositional attitudes and tense. A social identity comprises an array of these often contradictory ‘positions’ associated with a social or professional role. A person’s identity is constituted dynamically by the way they ‘reconcile’ the various positions that make up the social identity, and also, as Archer and Ivanic argue, by the way they reconcile a social with a personal or autobiographical identity. It is argued that this process of reconciliation gives clues about identity formation in the traces it leaves in grammatical texture.

This paper uses a simulated letter of advice to a client written by a group of first year law students to explore the discursive construction of social or professional identity. This letter is poorly written and full of grammatical mistakes and infelicities. It is argued that the mistakes provide a linguistic trace of the students’ struggle to reconcile the conflicting roles and positions they occupy as authors of the letter. In particular the students’ problems result from a struggle to reconcile their multiple positions as: students writing for assessment by a tutor about a legal problem, as a simulated firm of solicitors advising to a client, and as potential litigators anticipating the future course of events in their simulated moot court appearance.

Anaphors in casual and controlled talks groups of Iranian EFL learners

By relying mainly on the accessibility approach to anaphora, this article intends to analyze the types, distributions and retrieval of anaphors in two forms of spoken discourse: casual and controlled talk. For the specific purposes of the study, twenty sophomore Iranian students were randomly selected to conduct the talks. The subjects were divided into two groups of casual and controlled talk. According to the settings and adopted topics, the overall casual talk group was further divided into two groups of dorm and academic talk. In the end, it was observed that as the talk situations vary, types, frequencies, distances, retrieval qualities and thematic structure (patterning) of anaphors undergo dramatic changes too. Further analyses of the obtained data show that the number of pronominal anaphors is by far more than NP anaphors in dorm casual talk whereas in academic casual talk the number of NP anaphors exceeds that of the former talk groups. However, the distribution of anaphors in the performance of controlled talk groups has shown to be more moderate with regard to the types of anaphors used in it. Overall, the distributional patterns of various anaphoric devices in different talk situations are considered to be a function of the speakers’ evaluation of the cognitive states of the listeners/addressees.
Average distances and frequencies of the different types of zero, pronominal, and NP anaphors have also been shown to undergo dramatic changes as talk situations vary.

A territorial perspective: towards the consolidation of human settlements in Latin America and the Caribbean

Includes bibliography

Um percurso teórico-metodológico para leitura de “O isqueiro mágico” e “A rainha da neve”, de Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875)

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Describing the Situational Contexts of Sweetened Product Consumption in a Middle Eastern Canadian Community: Application of a Mixed Method Design

Little is known about the situational contexts in which individuals consume processed sources of dietary sugars. This study aimed to describe the situational contexts associated with the consumption of sweetened food and drink products in a Catholic Middle Eastern Canadian community. A two-stage exploratory sequential mixed-method design was employed with a rationale of triangulation. In stage 1 (n = 62), items and themes describing the situational contexts of sweetened food and drink product consumption were identified from semi-structured interviews and were used to develop the content for the Situational Context Instrument for Sweetened Product Consumption (SCISPC). Face validity, readability and cultural relevance of the instrument were assessed. In stage 2 (n = 192), a cross-sectional study was conducted and exploratory factor analysis was used to examine the structure of themes that emerged from the qualitative analysis as a means of furthering construct validation. The SCISPC reliability and predictive validity on the daily consumption of sweetened products were also assessed. In stage 1, six themes and 40-items describing the situational contexts of sweetened product consumption emerged from the qualitative analysis and were used to construct the first draft of the SCISPC. In stage 2, factor analysis enabled the clarification and/or expansion of the instrument's initial thematic structure. The revised SCISPC has seven factors and 31 items describing the situational contexts of sweetened product consumption. Initial validation of the instrument indicated it has excellent internal consistency and adequate test-retest reliability. Two factors of the SCISPC had predictive validity for the daily consumption of total sugar from sweetened products (Snacking and Energy demands) while the other factors (Socialization, Indulgence, Constraints, Visual Stimuli and Emotional needs) were rather associated to occasional consumption of these products.

Debating the European debt crisis: Government leadership, party ideology and supranational integration as focal points of parliamentary debates in Austria, Germany and the United Kingdom. ACES Cases No. 2012.3

Parliamentary debates about the resolution of the EU debt crisis seem to provide a good example for the frequently assumed “politicizationˮ of European governance. Against this background, the paper argues that in order to make sense of this assumption, a clearer differentiation of three thematic focal points of controversies – with regard to the assessment of government leadership, concerning the debate between competing party ideologies within the left/right dimension, and with regard to the assessment of supranational integration – is needed. Applying this threefold distinction, the paper uses a theory of differential Europeanization to explain differences in the thematic structure of debates in the Austrian Nationalrat, the British House of Commons, and the German Bundestag. Empirically, the paper is based on data gained from the computer-based coding of plenary debates about the resolution of the European debt crisis between 2010 and 2011.

37° Sur a 19° Norte: Fotografía contemporánea de Australia

Curatorial considerations, aims and objectives:The title for this exhibition (37 ° South to 19 ° North) refers to the Latitude of Melbourne, Australia and Cuernavaca, Mexico.My curatorial objective for making such a reference to the geographical was to invoke a sense of both distance and connection between the two locations of Australia and Mexico and to also create a sense of sharing, not only between our distant landscapes and cultures but also between the feelings and emotions that we all experience in response to the places in which we live out the moments which make up our daily lives.In developing this project I considered the work of more than 35 contemporary Australian photographers and finally selected 15 photographers (including myself). Most of these artists have or have had close connection to Melbourne and to the southern/eastern line of Australian continent. The final selection ranged from Hobart to Maroochydore and one artist who had lived in Melbourne for many years but was now living in Mexico. These photographers (and the specific works) were selected because their long term creative practice captures a sense of location (place and space) with a deep introspective sensibility which I feel offers a viewer a personal and softly spoken vision of some particular aspect of an Australian location, be that exterior landscape or interior place and a sense of unique connection to such places. These images are not documents but rather representations of feelings, stories, memories and dreams which emerge in the milieu of our inhabitants.In selecting the works, careful consideration was also given to diversity of approaches to photographic practice in conjunction to thematic content. Formats and media included black and white, pin hole photography, toy camera, large format (both 4” x 5” and 10”x 8”), phone camera, various digital camera images and other experimental approaches. The local art scene in Cuernavaca is very strong and there is a strong interest in photography. This is partially due to the number of local arts schools and universities which offer studies in photography as well as the political dimension regarding Mexican art in general - as a tool of both political media, reportage and documentary work, photography is a significant medium for many of the people who would be visiting the exhibition. I therefore felt it was important to address the diversity of approaches to the medium which are currently being explored by Australian practitioners.The City Museum of Cuernavaca provided two large walls and some smaller sections of side walls on both the grounds level and the upper level of the main museum galleries for exhibition.The works were arranged with a simple thematic structure. Top level, left to right, then bottom level, left to right starting with images which presented a sense of wilderness and landscape (which were also quite abstract and reductive) to more representational landscape images moving to landscape with small figures (people) emerging within the images (Ash Kerr) to landscapes with larger figures and the emerging presence of man-made elements to urban landscapes and then to interior urban scapes and finally to interior locations with people and finally finishing on the metaphorical image by Harry Nankin of Bogong Moths and the politics of climate change. (It is also interesting to note that the migration path of the Bongong moth matches well the distribution of the artists selected for this project)Broadly speaking the images started outside with broad landscape to intimate interior locations. With these works a great deal of personal content from each photographer was presented. Most artists chose to present 3 large format images while some only presented 2 images. Other graphic and visual elements were considered in the final placement of the images.It must also be noted that the artists selected ranged broadly from very highly established and significant local artists to mid-career/younger establishing artist to some lesser known and emerging artists. From a curatorial perspective I feel this is offers the possibility of what I shall term, a more balanced representation of the local Australian practice and it provides a context in which both established and emerging artists / works must engage on a dialogue, within the exhibition. I believe it also placing the curatorial premise on the strength of the work rather than on whom the artists are and their status. It also supports the younger emerging artists and provides a less formal and predictable outcome for the established artists and for as a collective presentation as a whole.