Browsing by Subject "ideology"
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Item Foreign Influences and Consequences on the Nuragic Culture of Sardinia(2010-07-14) Choltco, Margaret E.Although it is accepted that Phoenician colonization occurred on Sardinia by the 9th century B.C., it is possible that contact between Sardinia?s indigenous population and the Levantine region occurred in the Late Bronze Age (LBA). Eastern LBA goods found on the island are copper oxhide ingots and Aegean pottery. Previously, it has been suggested that Mycenaeans were responsible for bringing the eastern goods to Sardinia, but the presence of Aegean pottery shards does not confirm the presence of Mycenaean tradesmen. Also, scholars of LBA trade have explained the paucity of evidence for a Mycenaean merchant fleet. Interpretations of two LBA shipwrecks, Cape Gelidonya and Uluburun, indicate that eastern Mediterranean merchants of Cypriot or Syro-Canaanite origin, transported large quantities of oxhide ingots from the Levant towards the west. It remains possible that similar itinerant merchants conducted ventures bringing eastern goods to Sardinia while exploring the western Mediterranean. Trade in eastern goods may have stimulated the advancement that occurred in Nuragic culture in the LBA, resulting in the emergence of an elite social stratum in the Nuragic society. Archaeological evidence, such as elitist burials and increasingly complex architecture, supports the idea of cultural change due to internal competition. This ?peer-polity? effect may have been incited because of limited accessibility to the exotic eastern goods and the ?ownership? to the rights of this exchange.Item Ideologies of crime news in China in an era of commercialization(Texas A&M University, 2004-11-15) Xiao, LiIn the literature researchers don't agree whether news content in China in an era of media commercialization still functions to promote the dominant ideology of the ruling Communist Party. The thesis is a theoretical discussion of ideology, ideological hegemony and its evolving nature, with the consideration of Chinese situations. The theoretical discussion concludes that the dominant ideology in China is changing with the demands of a changing world, and so is media's representation of ideology. With some explorative data of crime news on three domestic and non-domestic news web sites to illustrate the theoretical discussion, the author of the thesis finds that in an era of media commercialization the ideological influence still plays a bigger role than the commercial influence in shaping crime news content of domestic media. Moreover, ideological messages are distributed through crime news in such subtle and indirect forms as the selection of official news sources, the frequent indication of the death penalty, the positive presentation of the police, and the attribution of individual causes to crime.Item Multiple obligations: distinguishing the dimensionality and confirming the role of ideology within the psychological contract framework(Texas A&M University, 2006-10-30) Bingham, John ByronI seek to further understand and empirically test the role of ideology, or commitment to an espoused cause, as part of a multidimensional psychological contract among employees in organizational settings. I present and provide a preliminary validation of a measure of ideological contracts and propose a model that suggests employees develop perceived obligations with their employers based on economic, social, and ideological reasons. Different behaviors are likely to be expected based on the obligation types that are most significant to the employees. Specifically, my model suggests obligations stemming from the espousal of a cause may elicit positive employee contributions toward organizational goals. Further, I posit that employees may seek to benefit distinct individuals and/or entities within the organization based on their psychological contract form. Cross-sectional data from four distinct samples provided strong support for the idea that transactional, relational, and ideological components of the psychological contract are distinct, and preliminary support that such components are predictive of specific individual-level outcomes.Item The Rhetoric of ?Japanese with English Abilities?: Analyzing the Discourse of English Curriculum Reform and Its Problems with the Mext's ?Action Plan?(2013-12-03) Watanabe, KenIn this thesis, I would examine the discourse of Japan?s English language education reform for primary and secondary schools through the close reading of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Science and Technology?s (MEXT) ??Action Plan: Cultivating ?Japanese with English Abilities,?? released in 2003. This document marked a critical touchstone of Japan?s drastic move for English curriculum change by suggesting the shift of national attitude from hesitancy to willingness in the name of change for the needs of language improvement. ?Action Plan? served as a master plan for the MEXT by providing the attainment goals, key tasks, and benchmarks that would see fit to achieve in the next five years. It raised the public awareness and stirred up the public debate, for containing challenging proposals such as implementation of standardized English exams (TOEIC and TOEFL) for student assessment and teaching qualification, innovative teaching practices to high schools (i.e., Super English Language-High school[SEL-Hi]), and English as foreign language activities to primary schools. Specifically, first, I would discuss how Japan?s cultural ambivalence toward English language since the late 19th century sets up the contexts for nation?s historical struggle in upgrading the curriculum that draws the problems reflecting on the MEXT?s recent education policy proposal. Then, I would examine Action Plan?s attainment goals setting and key agendas highlighted as the MEXT?s main strategy, and analyze its critical issues and problems affecting the needs for both students and teachers. The issues include the mismatched targets, ill-defined goals setting, and benchmarks for academic achievements and project proposals aimed for teacher training and quality instruction (i.e., JET program, and Assistant Language Teachers [ALTs]). Finally, I would provide the implications for Action Plan?s impact on educational practice by assessing student?s learning achievement and target benchmarks set for students and teachers in the five years after its release. At the end of conclusion, I would offer the list of recommendations for effective administrative policy that could provide better teaching and learning practice in Japanese schools.