Book categories

The Legacy of the Wisecrack

Stand-up Comedy as the Great American Literary Form

by Eddie Tafoya

2009

Despite the claim of many a Borscht Belt comic that he is a practitioner of "the world's second-oldest professsion," stand-up comedy is a young and distinctly American literary form. It was not until the last decades of the nineteenth century when, enabled by unprecedented prosperity and the right to free expression, that monologists began appearing in American vaudeville halls. Yet even though it has since become an entertainment industry mainstay, stand-up comedy has received precious little scholarly attention. The Legacy of the Wisecrack: Stand-up Comedy as the Great American Literary Form looks at the theory of stand-up comedy, its literary dimensions, and its distinctly American qualities as it provides a detailed history of the forces that shaped it. The study concludes with a...

Book 7 of Caesar's Bellum Gallicum

With Introduction, Text, Vocabulary and Notes

by Drew Arlen Mannetter, PhD.

2004

This comprehensive reader utilizes a step-by-step approach to help students of Latin read and understand the longest and most dramatic book of Caesar's Gallic War. Book 7 is the culmination of the conflict between Gaul, led by the young Arvernian Vercingetorix and fighting for its freedom and political survival, and the Romans, led by Julius Caesar and fighting for hegemony and political mastery. The final battle at Alesia, pitting the united might of Gaul at 339,000 men against a Roman army of 40,000, changed the course of Western history. This reader is ideal for Latin students of all levels who have a basic knowledge of grammar and morphology. The Latin text of all 90 chapters of Book 7 is broken down into manageable segments, normally about a sentence in length. Immediately following,...

Life, Myth, and the American Family Unreeling

The Spiritual Significance of Movies for the 20th Century

by Jeffry John Stein

2005

This book is about what movies do for us. It is about how movies exhibit the contradictions, truths, and fantasies surrounding our bedrock American beliefs in things held sacred, including, in this case, our creed of family. It is about why we again and again attend the dark universal tabernacles in which these sermons are offered. The depth of analysis offered here will also bring new insights to those concerned with parenting issues, self understanding, and media consciousness — all increasingly relevant areas of concern in contemporary life. And, for those interested in telling stories that will truly “move” the rest of us, this book will serve as a secret doorway to the inner sanctum of human characters responding to the places and times of their lives. Finally, this book will bring ...

Cultural Perspectives on Film, Literature, and Language

Selected Proceedings of the 19th Southeast Conference on Foreign Languages, Literatures, and Film

by Will Lehman & Margit Grieb (editors)

2010

This volume includes selected papers from the 19th Southeast Conference on Foreign Languages, Literatures, and Film, held on February 26-27, 2010, at the University of South Florida in Tampa. It represents a cross-section of the latest trends in Hispanic, French, German, Italian, and Greek studies.

Networks of Design

Proceedings of the 2008 Annual International Conference of the Design History Society (UK) University College Falmouth, 3-6 September

by Fiona Hackney, Jonathan Glynne, & Viv Minton (eds.)

2009

Networks of Design maps a new methodological territory in design studies, conceived as a field of interdisciplinary inquiry and practice informed by a range of responses to actor network theory. It brings together a rich body of current work by researchers in the social sciences, technology, material culture, cultural geography, information technology, and systems design, and design theory and history. This collection will be invaluable to students and researchers in many areas of design studies and to design practitioners receptive to new and challenging notions of what constitutes the design process. Over ninety essays are thematically organised to address five aspects of the expanded notions of mediation, agency, and collaboration posited by network theory: Ideas, Things, Technology,...

Subjectivity, Creativity, and the Institution

by Christopher Crouch (editor)

2009

This book is an interdisciplinary collection of essays that examine the subjective experiences of the moulding of creativity, for good or bad, by institutional values. It is essential reading for anyone who wishes to gain a glimpse into the circumstances that surround the creative individual in our current globalising world. In chapters ranging from the function of the internet in building creative social spaces to an examination of the dreaming of their history by the Zapara Amazonian people, this book will introduce the reader to critical analyses of the many differing creative spaces we have made for ourselves across the world. In a radical break from the traditional academic practice of keeping specialists and disciplines separate, this collection brings international scholars and prac...

Cybercrime

How to Avoid Becoming a Victim

by H. Thomas Milhorn, MD, PhD

2007

Cybercrime: How to Avoid Becoming a Victim is a nuts and bolts, how-to guide for the typical home-computer user. It addresses the various crimes being committed via the Internet and gives instructions on how to avoid becoming a victim of each. The chapters dealing with individual cybercrimes are laid out in a format consisting of a discussion of the basics of the crime, followed by real-life examples of the particular crime, and then things computer users can do to avoid becoming a victim of the crime. Also included in the book is a chapter on the role of organized crime in Internet fraud and another chapter on Internet hoaxes. In addition, an appendix gives information on where to report various cybercrimes and another appendix gives definitions of cybercrime terms. To illustrate specific...

Life in Bright Colors

The Artist's Secrets by Maya Green

by Maya Green

2010

"Painting is my passion. Painting is as natural for me as breathing. Having been attached to painting since childhood, I felt that the necessity to paint grows bigger year after year. I respond creatively to everything that surrounds me."

This collection of original paintings by Maya Green displays her deep passion for color. Key in the works is her use of a palette knife, which allows her to apply pure color, delicate lines and perhaps most importantly, to express energy that no brush is able to capture.

How to Paint Tropical Sunsets

Step by Step

by Gina De Gorna

2010

How to Paint Tropical Sunsets is the first and only instructional book about the art of painting tropical sunsets. The book will be of interest to art enthusiasts of all ages. No previous painting experience is required. A list of all necessary materials is included, along with detailed step-by-step instructions and plenty of painting tips, beautiful samples, and colorful references. How to Paint Tropical Sunsets is a great tool for art therapy, art classes, self enjoyment, and stress relief.

"Anyone may enjoy a stunning sunset moment, but only an artist can always create one." --Gina De Gorna

The File of Robert Siodmak in Hollywood

1941 - 1951

by Joseph Greco

1999

Robert Siodmak, who is considered the master of film noir thrillers and crime melodramas, has long been seen as a mere "assignment director," never an artist in complete control of his work. J. Greco's study of Siodmak's Hollywood career dispels this view and presents a unique perspective on the studio system and the director who used cunning to get his own way within it. He incorporates both archival evidence and stylistic analysis to show a distinct correlation between the production histories of Siodmak's studio films and the director's central artistic purpose. Shedding new light on the career of this important film maker, this book is worthwhile reading for the film scholar, the lover of film noir, and the fan of Siodmak's work.

Sculpture Off the Pedestal

Monuments and Their Makers

by Joan B. Altabe

2010

Sculpture Off the Pedestal is a behind-the-scenes look at the creative process of 25 leading sculptors from the Renaissance to the present through their own words or those who knew them.

Aiming to avoid dry-as-dust art histories, Sculpture Off the Pedestal puts old and modern master sculptors by the reader's side, emptying their heads about their work and their ways of thinking. The book is intended not only for the art student or art lover, but also for the untutored and those who think of art as a remote subject.

Most art histories focus on painting. Chronicling the lives of sculptors in and out of their studios fills a gap.

The Classroom Teacher as Art Coach

by Eloiese Krabbenhoft

2002

There is a difference between providing students with an art experience and teaching art. Classroom teachers as well as art specialists will appreciate information on art basics, classroom management, criteria and rubric for evaluating art work and a strategy for learning to draw.

A New History of Violin Playing

the vibrato and Lambert Massart's revolutionary discovery

by Zdenko Silvela

2001

An in depth study of the most superlative violin performers and teachers in history. The result of more than eleven years of deep investigation on the subject, this New History is by far the best available in the 21st century. It studies specifically the vibrato and its evolution. A study of the main violin schools of the world, with special emphasis in their evolution, and the direct conexión teacher-pupil. In the course of this history we will see how the great performers became, often, the great masters of new great violinists, who, in their turn, became the teachers of new superlative performers, and so on, in an uninterrupted chain of teacher-pupil intercommunication, the interrelation of whom is carefully studied, to higlight the evolution of the main violin playing schools...

Cross-Cultural Content Analysis of Advertising from the United States and India

by Niaz Ahmed

2000

This cross-cultural content analysis (which merged traditional content analysis method with semiotic concepts) compared advertising in the United States (a highly individualistic and low-context culture) and India (a highly collectivist and high-context culture). The study examined the characteristics, differences and similarities in advertising strategies and expressions. A stratified random sample of advertisements for consumer products was selected from nationally circulated news magazines and business magazines of each country between January 1993 and December 1994 (Time and Business Week from the United States; India Today and Business India from India). This study found that there were significant differences in the way the two cultures produced advertising messages and tha...

Marginal Voice, Marginal Body

The Treatment Of The Human Body in yhe Works of Nakagami Kenji, Leslie Marmon Silko, and Salman Rushdie

by Noriko Miura

2000

In examining the work of three "ethnic" writers (Nakagami Kenji is Japanese burakumin, Leslie Marmon Silko Native American, Salman Rushdie an Indian living in England), this project studies the literary depictions of the ways in which the body is portrayed and used as a space for cultural and ideological inscription. The major issues addressed involve gender, race, and ethnicity as forces which become visible through the socially constructed body. In the works of Nakagami Kenji, Salman Rushdie, and Leslie Marmon Silko, bodies cry out the silence to overwhelm the torturer. They all share a concern with the loss of land which induces migration, a weakened sense of identity, and hybridity. Each author uses the body of his/her protagonist as the site to inscribe the consequences of such l...

On the Interactions of News Media, Interpersonal Communication, Opinion Formation, and Participation

Deliberative Democracy and the Public Sphere

by Joohoan Kim

1997

Deliberative democracy can be defined as a political system based on citizens' voluntary and free discussions on public issues. Most scholars have discussed deliberative democracy within normative boundaries. However, based primarily on Katz's interpretation of Tarde, this study finds the concept of public sphere a useful framework for operationalizing the normative concept of deliberative democracy, since the four components of the public sphere-news media use, interpersonal communication, opinion formation, and political participation-provide us with empirically testable categories. This study tests the validity of theories of deliberative democracy through examining the inter-relationships among the four components of the public sphere. Methodologically, it includes a set of 63 items to...

Iraq - the Sore of the Planet

Things Corporate Media Won't Tell You!

by Vladimir V. Zhirinovsky

2003

Written by a prominent and notorious Russian politician, the book is a unique take on Iraq and its leader Saddam Hussein. Probably the only publication in English in which you will find Saddam Hussein described as a hero of his people. The book examines a broad range of issues such as: the effect from the economic sanctions on Iraq, Iraq-Russia relationships and the future of the middle east.

Power, Identity, and the Rise of Modern Architecture

from Siam to Thailand

by Koompong Noobanjong

2003

Modern architecture is a creation of the West. In a non-Western context, it normally reflects a direct intervention of Western powers through colonization. Thailand, formerly known as Siam, is an exception. Thai people have argued that they adopted and assimilated modern architecture into their unique cultural tradition without being physically colonized. The shift toward Western culture and Modernity is evident in 19th and 20th century Thai architecture, particularly in the capitol city of Bangkok. Major public buildings signify the country's domestic political circumstances, its Westernization and Modernization processes, in addition to the discourse of colonialism and anti-colonialism. Many of the best-known works resulted in hybrids between European a...

The DJ Aesthetic

A Look into the Philosophy and Technology That Enable the Disc Jockey

by Zack Hellman

2009

This thesis provides an examination of Disc Jockey (DJ) technology, technique, and aesthetics. The history of popular dance music is explored in an attempt to demonstrate the role that technology has played in the development and future of the DJ aesthetic. Criteria for evaluating and producing Disc Jockey Music Technology is pursued in order to define the fundamentals of dance music and the essence of an authentic DJ performance.

Chopin

by J. Cuthbert Hadden

2006

First appearing in 1903, this is perhaps the first truly well-balanced account of Chopin as a man and Chopin as a composer, in English. The author describes Chopin's life and activities from his early days in Warsaw to the days he spent in London, Paris, Vienna, and elsewhere. The author gives accounts of the enthusiaism with which Chopin's works were received, early reviews, Chopin's own reactions to the places he visited and the people he saw, and much more. Also included are numerous letters, a bibliography, a list of Chopin's published works (at the time of writing), and an index. Although there is no shortage of biographies of Chopin, the present book is written at a time of heightened interest and is full of the vigour and passion which reveal a more honest perception of the effect t...

An Examination of the Theory of the Commodity and its Application to Critical Media Studies

by Jeffrey R. Young

1998

The theory of the commodity is used by critical theorists to explain the general organization and development of capitalist society. It was originally proposed by Marx, and subsequently developed by Lukacs and later Adorno and the Frankfurt School. Media scholars such as Dallas Smythe, Judith Williamson, Robert Goldman and Eileen Meehan have identified the commodity structure in several forms throughout the process of mass communication. Although commodity theory is not always articulated as a part of critical studies, it is useful for understanding the process of mass communication under capitalism. By investigating the dynamics of market processes and cultural innovation, this paper shows where the theory of the commodity fits into Critical Media Studies and suggests where some productiv...

CORPORATE WILDLIFE

The Certified Guide to Modern Office Humor

by Thejendra BS Sreenivas

2003

Management and Business sections of all bookstores are usually filled with hundred and hundreds of serious business books. An employee of today's modern, high-pressure corporate life will find very few books written on the lighter and satirical side of things we normally (or abnormally) do in today's workplace. This book attempts to fill that gap, and is a book about HUMOR in Office & Corporate life. The contents of the book are totally imaginative and are meant to be taken with a "pinch of salt", though the paper used may not be edible. A copy of this good for nothing book on every employee's desk will ensure that people switch off doing their work in a serious manner, and start doing the same work in a joyful manner. After all, everyone loves their jobs, but hates the work. Isn't it true...

Maintaining Stable Friendships

An Investigation of Strategic and Routine Communication

by David A. Cichocki

1997

Other investigators have surmised that different types of relationships use diverse maintenance strategies in order to keep the relationship in existence. This study examines relational maintenance strategies that people use specifically in the relationship known as friendship. Five adult friendship couples were interviewed for maintenance strategies they use to sustain their friendship. The discussions were recorded and transcribed. The Constant Comparison method was used to compare and contrast the data in order to discover strategies unique to friendships. Results revealed seven strategies including Openness; Approach to Conflict; Identification; Admiration; Togetherness; and Sense of Continuance. These friendship strategies are uniquely utilized, and therefore distinctive, to the re...

The Invisible Farm

The worldwide decline of farm news and agricultural journalism training

by Thomas F. Pawlick

1998

The overall aim of this thesis is to alert journalists and journalism educators to a serious lacuna in current news coverage, one which threatens the well-being of society. Simply stating that a gap in coverage exists, without giving examples, would be unlikely to convince members of such a notoriously skeptical profession. Newsmen and women, it seems, are all "from Missouri." They want to be shown.

Part I. The importance of agriculture to society and of farm news to the general public

Part II. The importance assigned to agriculture by the major news media and journalism educators.

The Spectacle of the Growth of Knowledge and Swift's Satires on Science

by Beat Affentranger

2000

This is a revisionist study of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century satires on science with an emphasis on the writings of Jonathan Swift and, to a lesser degree, Samuel Butler and other satirists. To say, as some literary commentators do, that the satirists attacked only pseudo-scientists who failed to employ the empirical method properly is to beg a crucial question: how could the satirists possibly have distinguished the genuine scientist from the crank? By a failsafe set of Baconian principles perhaps? No, the matter is more complicated. I read the satiric literature on early modern science against a totally different understanding of what science is, how it came into being, and how it developed. Satire has a decided advantage over scientific discourse. It can rely on common sense; sci...

The Plays of Christopher Marlowe and George Peele

Rhetoric and Renaissance Sensibility

by Brian B. Ritchie

1999

This work is concerned with the evaluation of rhetoric as an essential aspect of Renaissance sensibility. It is an analysis of the Renaissance world viewed in terms of literary style and aesthetic. Eight plays are analysed in some detail: four by George Peele: The Battle of Alcazar, Edward I, David and Bethsabe, and The Arraignment of Paris; and four by Christopher Marlowe: Dido Queen of Carthage, Tamburlaine Part One, Dr Faustus and Edward II. The work is thus partly a comparative study of two important Renaissance playwrights; it seeks to establish Peele in particular as an important figure in the history and evolution of the theatre. Verbal rhetoric is consistently linked to an analysis of the visual, so that the reader/viewer is encouraged to assess the plays holistically, as unif...

Fictionality and Reality in Narrative Discourse

A Reading of Four Contemporary Taiwanese Writers

by Li-fen Chen

1999

This dissertation is an attempt to define a Chinese "modernism," exemplified by the narrative practices of four major writers in Taiwan today, from the perspective of comparative literature and recent development of literary theory. I propose that modernity of Taiwanese fiction is not so much a result of Western influences as an evolution of Chinese narrative tradition itself. To argue my point I delineate a poetics of Chinese narrative, from which I devise a method of reading and a criterion of evaluation for contemporary Taiwanese fiction in defining its achievement and historical significance. This study of Taiwanese fiction also aims at providing a better understanding of fundamental aesthetic assumptions of Western "modernism" in the context of its own literary tradition. Chapter One...

Master Players in a Fixed Game

An Extra-Literary History of Twentieth Century African-American Authors

by Ralph D. Story

2001

The literary expression of Afro-Americans has been scrutinized and criticized in exhaustive detail, yet historically perceived by many American and English literary scholars as qualitatively and quantitatively underdeveloped. This was the view held by many literary scholars until the late 1960s when Afro-American literary scholars and black students argued forcefully and convincingly in favor of the plays, short stories, poetry and novels written by Afro-Americans. Despite such noteworthy efforts, however, few scholars have investigated the uneven and sporadic appearance of publications, or the absence of publications, by black writers in any comprehensive fashion. Thus, the dissertation examines the various extra-literary problems faced by Afro-American writers which have contributed to e...

Student Perceptions of Rules for Classroom Interaction

by H. Paul LeBlanc III

1997

Burgoon's expectancy violation model posits that nonverbal rule violations will be evaluated according to the perceptions toward the violator and the behavior itself. However, the violator may have perceptions regarding the appropriateness of the rule. This study measured the perceptions of high school students regarding the rules for classroom interaction. It is believed that the rules for classroom interaction are rules which have been learned through the process of socialization and enculturation into the classroom setting throughout students' careers. These rules should be well known by all students by the time they reach tenth grade, the grade being investigated. A survey questionnaire was developed through a pilot study, and was distributed to 244 students through the Engli...

The Questioning Behavior of Males And Females in an Undergraduate Language Class

by Dorothy W. Thomas

2001

The purpose of this study is to examine the questioning behavior of males and females in an undergraduate Speech class. Whether one is analyzing social, mental, emotional, or verbal behavior of students, biological sex is usually a factor. This study describes differences between male and female questioning and discusses the implications of these differences for classroom teaching. The classroom is a small society with its own special language, a language that contributes to classroom events. Student questioning, a behavior that provides information on how students adapt and function within the classroom, is an important part of the student learning repertoire. Although researchers have devoted much attention to teacher questioning, they have devoted little attention to male/f...

The Effect of Community Context on Intergenerational Spanish Maintenance and English Proficiency among Latina and Latino Children

by Nancy A. Garrett

1997

In this dissertation I investigate how community context affects Spanish language use and English proficiency among Latina and Latino children in the United States, focusing on the children of immigrants. I view children's language attributes through a sociological perspective that recognizes that children learn and use languages within specific social and cultural contexts, and that these contexts have an important effect on language acquisition and use. This theoretical perspective leads to the hypothesis that children's language skills and language use will be affected by the communities they live in. I predict that living in a metropolitan area with a greater propinquity and availability of Spanish speakers will increase a child's likelihood of speaking Spanish, because this will incr...

El Signo Indiscreto de Finnegans Wake

by Ricardo Navarrete Franco

1997

The difference between "mass" and "mess," for example, says a lot about the distinctive capacity of phonemes and the alphabet, but very little about the many similarities in these two words. It follows that there is something not exactly alphabetical in language that is prompted by similarities like these. Even quotidian reading exhibits non-alphabetic ingredients, for instance when we skip spelling mistakes or typographical errors; i.e.: when we impose analogies over differences, hermeneutics over semiology, semasiography over the alphabet. Joyce, who once commented that "a few letters will do if you can't read a whole word," just incorporates another system of writing to his "cyclical history," very much in keeping with Vico's idea that each cycle has its ow...

The Invisibility Factor

Administrators and Faculty Reach Out to First-Generation College Students

by Teresa Heinz Housel and Vickie L. Harvey (editors)

2010

This collective volume fills an important gap in first-generation college student research by simultaneously achieving several important goals. Collectively, the essays represent a balance of personal narrative, qualitative, and quantitative approaches that extend our understanding of the first-generation college student (FGS) experience. The essays review the existing literature on FGS; outline the barriers to college success faced by FGS; update the existing literature by introducing new and cutting-edge first-generation research; and recommend solutions to those in the trenches, who include support staff who design programs to support FGS. The book's contributing authors bring important personal and scholarly expertise to the project. The authors include faculty, administrators, suppo...

The String Compositions of Louise Lincoln Kerr

Analysis and Editing of Five Solo Viola Pieces

by Carolyn Waters Broe

2010

This research examines the string literature of American composer and violist Louise Lincoln Kerr. A biography of Mrs. Kerr is given, emphasizing compositional training and skill, her style of composition, contributions to musical organizations in the Phoenix area, and her donation of the Kerr Cultural Center and her manuscripts to the Arizona State University College of Fine Arts. Selected string compositions are examined for their historical significance, compositional style, performer accessibility, and significance to the repertoire. Kerr made use of Native American and Spanish folk melodies in some of her compositions in a Southwest Impressionist genre. It is the findings of this study that Louise Kerr made significant contributions to the string repertoire and that these works s...

Surviving Group Meetings

Practical Tools for Working in Groups

by Larry Powell, Joelene Smith Vickers, Jonathan Amsbary, & Mark Hickson III

2009

Surviving Group Meetings takes a different approach to group meetings by addressing the negative aspects of groups in modern organizations. Too many organizations hold too many meetings and accomplish little. Surviving Group Meetings directly addresses the growing dissatisfaction with the group process by focusing on a practical rather than a theoretical view of groups.

Scientists, Inventors, and Tinkerers

The Discoveries and Inventions as Precursors that Led to Philo Farnsworth's Invention of Television

by Donald Ray Schwartz

2010

Scientists, Inventors, and Tinkerers is a monograph relating in linear fashion the discoveries and inventions in electricity, electronics, wireless, and mass communications that led to the inventor Philo Farnsworth having all necessary to realize his own moment of discovery-- by inventing one of the most influential of inventions, the television. The work includes a parallel discussion of the invention of lip-synchronization talking motion pictures, as both innovations, TV and Talkies, occurred in the same year.

A Student's Guide to Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

by Richard E. Mezo

2002

A Student's Guide to Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte is a general introduction to one of the great English novels of the nineteenth century. Misunderstood by most critics and commentators upon its publication in 1847, the story of Catherine and Heathcliff and their peers and descendants slowly became recognized as the work of a genius and is now on nearly every list of recommended books for both high school and college students. However, many students today find the novel difficult to read and understand because of its language and its setting; especially challenging to some are the sections in which characters speak in the Yorkshire dialect. This guide provides an easy-to-use glossary of that dialect and translations of the dialogue. It also includes discussions of the social, ec...

Hawthorne's The Marble Faun

A Re-appraisal

by Richard Mezo

1999

Since its publication in 1860, critics have questioned the artistic value of Hawthorne's The Marble Faun. A revival of critical interest during the 1950's and 1960's has done little to change a generally unfavorable opinion of the work. With a few notable exceptions, most recent critics believe The Marble Faun to be inferior to Hawthorne's other completed romances. Such opinions, however, usually seem to be based upon the personal taste of the individual critic rather than upon any sort of objective artistic standards. The purpose of this study is to examine and evaluate the various critical approaches to The Marble Faun. These interpretations provide the basis for a re-appraisal of the work. A study of the structure, the main themes, and the characters of The Marble Faun reveals tha...

Universal Service in a Competitive Local Exchange Telecommunications Environment

by Donald M. Gale

2006

The telecommunications industry has evolved into a very competitive industry since 1980. Aggressive competition is the norm in the long distance, equipment, operator services and many other segments of the industry. The remaining segment of the market without widespread meaningful competition is the “last-mile” wireline service to the customer premise. Incumbent local exchange carriers enjoy a monopoly to serve nearly all residences and most business customers, collecting over 99% of all local exchange service revenues. Using their monopoly status, incumbents have developed a cross-subsidy system which uses the rates paid by some customers to lower the rates paid by others to support a policy known as “universal service.” This policy has resulted in telephone service reaching 94% of A...

Literary Arts

A Connective Exploration of Direct Application and the Building of a New Foundation of Knowledge for Global Human Development

by Colin Randolf Semeniuk

2006

Literary arts have developed, and continue to evolve with the modern human species. These historical based developments have been segregated into pseudo-cultures and pseudo-traditions in support of political myths utilized to inspire fears and justify regulated legislation and beliefs through ancient myth based symbolism reinforced through commercialized arts that misrepresent historical fact based upon scientific technology and know-how. Furthermore, the educational systems of established and recognized governing bodies exclude scientific based truth in favor of the corrupt foundation of "political-correct"[1] cultural acceptance bound to cultural understanding based upon distorted mythology and propagandized traditions. This exclusion is intended to promote fear through misunderstanding ...

The Cinema of Wong Kar Wai

Chinese and Western Culture Differences in Narrative Cinemas

by Mengyang Cui

2007

Wong Kar wai is one of the most famous Chinese directors in modern filmdom. The cinema of Wong Kar wai is important 20th century cinema in 90’s Hong Kong society, which was in a post-industrial and post-colonial situation. In this paper, I have chosen four of Wong’s films: As Tears Go By (1988), Happy Together (1997), In The Mood For Love (2000) and compared them respectively with American and British films Mean Streets (1973), Brokeback Mountain (2005), and Brief Encounter (1945) with similar themes. These comparisons will be used in order to explore the spiritual tendency of Wong’s cinema, and to discover its meanings within the context of Chinese culture. In addition, the aim will be to demonstrate the methods of imitation, reproduction and the mixing up of genres that are Wong Kar wai’...

Hong Kong Cinema and the 1997 Return of the Colony to Mainland China

The Tensions and the Consequences

by Mengyang Cui

2007

In this paper, I aimed to explore deeply the Hong Kong ‘1997 handover’ theme films by comparison and summary in order to discover the history and cultural meaning of this incident from a human perspective. 1997 is a turning point for Hong Kong people, society and the film industry. The city confronted a historical turning point under an experimental ‘one country, two systems’ convention without precedent in history. This led many Hong Kong people to lose confidence about their future. In addition, this historical incident brought a series of social issues to Hong Kong people, such as confusion about their identity and uncertainty about the future. Therefore I chose four films from two directors with different viewpoints reveal Hong Kong society and people’s life and spirit. Those films ar...

William Walton and the Violin Concerto in England between 1900 and 1940

from Elgar to Britten

by Paolo Petrocelli

2008

The aim of this dissertation is to present a study and an historical-musicological analysis of the Concerto for Violin and Orchestra of Sir William Walton, discussing more specifically the shape of the Concerto for Violin in England between 1900 and 1940, taking into consideration the works of Charles Villiers Stanford, Edward Elgar, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Frederick Delius, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Arthur Somervell, Arnold Bax and Benjamin Britten. The thesis is divided in three parts: - the first discusses the Concertos for Violin and Orchestra of the composers active in England between 1900 and 1920: Stanford*, Elgar, Coleridge-Taylor, Delius. - the second discusses the Concertos for Violin and Orchestra of the composers active in England between 1920 and 1940: Vaughan Williams, Some...

Sir Peter Lely (1618-1680)

Dutch Classicist, English Portraitist, and Collector

by Brandon Henderson

2008

The Dutch-born English Baroque portrait painter Sir Peter Lely (1618-1680) is chiefly known for his drowsy, sensual beauties and bewigged courtiers associated with the Restoration court of Charles II. He is often seen as merely successor or "imitator" of Sir Anthony Van Dyck (1599-1641), with a common resemblance in all his sitters and an inability to capture a true likeness, as well as an absence of any personal characterization or psychological interest. Alternately, this dissertation aims to reveal Lely's genius of superb draughtsmanship, fine color and lively composition, as well as to examine and reinstate the artist's impact and deep impress on British painting. Lely's early style owes much to his Dutch origin and training with the pioneers of Dutch classicism, and the distinctive...

Media and the Politics of Culture

The Case of Television Privatization and Media Globalization in Jamaica (1990-2007)

by Nickesia S. Gordon

2008

There is a great deal of discussion about media globalization, particularly television, especially as it is being driven by the spread of satellite technology and cable. While certain schools of thought view this trend as promoting cultural heterogeneity and the diversification of programme content, this book argues otherwise. It discusses the influence of globalization on Jamaica's television industry. Specifically, it looks at how market liberalization, globalization's twin force, has lead to government divestment of the television sector and increased private ownership and consolidation within this sector. It revisits the cultural imperialism debate within the context of media globalization and locates Jamaica's position within this milieu. It suggests that old concerns relating to cult...

365 Days of Coaching

Because Life Happens Every Day

by Rachelle Disbennett-Lee, MCC, MS, PhD

2004

365 Days of Coaching is like having your own personal coach who visits daily and supports you in making changes in your life. Coach Lee provides support, motivation and encourgement in a fun and enthusing way.

Cultural Democracy

The Way Festivals Affect Society

by Maria-Louisa Laopodi

2003

The dissertation studies the extent to which festivals, from a popular event for the masses, evolved into exclusive events, and shows how festivals affect society and are affected by it through practices in accordance with cultural democracy. Festivals relation to society is explained through the following concept-areas: 1. The artist's role 2. The use of festivals 3. The European example 4. Cultural democracy 5. Cultural policy 6. Active participation 7. Cultural tourism 8. The media The dissertation identifies cultural policy, active participation and the media as key areas of concern in order to attain a coherent culturally democratic society. The study recognised that certain festivals and forms of art have been taken over by elite groups of ...

An Open Design for Computer-Aided Algorithmic Music Composition

athenaCL

by Christopher Ariza

2005

This dissertation introduces a new design for a computer-aided algorithmic music composition system. Rather than exploring specific algorithms, this study focuses on system and component design. The design introduced here is demonstrated through its implementation in athenaCL, a modular, polyphonic, poly-paradigm algorithmic music composition system in a cross-platform interactive command-line environment. The athenaCL system offers an open-source, object-oriented composition tool written in Python. The system can be scripted and embedded, and includes integrated instrument libraries, post-tonal and microtonal pitch modeling tools, multiple-format graphical outputs, and musical output in Csound, MIDI, audio file, XML, and text formats. Software design analysis is framed within a broad his...

Stas and Stella's Mostly Traditional Polish Wedding

by Ron Urbanczyk

2006

Join in and celebrate at Stas and Stella's Mostly Traditional Polish Wedding! This is not just another audience participation ethnic wedding! The musicians play key roles in presenting this Polish tradition but the guests are the real stars as they volunteer to portray the bridal party and family members. The book focuses on many Polish traditions, Polish customs, Polish foods, and traditional Polish Wedding music and dance! The author touches on the traditions and customs that his grandparents brought to this country and have, in some cases, been forgotten or changed through the generations. The story centers around six musicians who grew up together in a Polish neighborhood. As the evening unfolds, you will experience a traditional Polish Wedding, the way it might have been held 50 years...

On-line Virtual Museums: An Application of an On-line VR Museum for the Parthenon Marbles

Internet: A Means of Cultural Repatriation

by Kleio Tzanaki

2004

Among the most debated archaeological problems is the repatriation of cultural objects that have been removed from the country of origin and then dispersed in Museums around the world. The need for the return of cultural objects to their homelands is not only derived from the people they belong to, but also from those they appreciate their value and have archaeological interest in them. However, there are a number of problems revolved around most cases, which prohibit the cultural repatriation to be achieved. The case of the Parthenon Marbles is one of the best-known claims for the repatriation of cultural property, as its sculptures, which constitute an integral part of it, have been removed from the temple and are stored in different Museums. Towards the problem of cultural repatriation...