Between nationalism and transnationalism: entanglements of history, individual narrative, and memory in diaspora spaces in selected transnational fiction
- Authors: Bosman, Sean James
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Literature and transnationalism , Gurnah, Abdulrazak, 1948- , Gurnah, Abdulrazak, 1948- -- By the sea , Gurnah, Abdulrazak, 1948- -- Gravel heart , Nguyen, Viet Thanh, 1971- , Nguyen, Viet Thanh, 1971- -- The sympathizer , Nguyen, Viet Thanh, 1971- -- The refugees , Urrea, Luis Alberto , Urrea, Luis Alberto -- The house of broken angels , Urrea, Luis Alberto -- The water museum
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/140932 , vital:37930
- Description: This thesis offers close readings and a comparative analysis of selected works by Abdulrazak Gurnah, Viet Thanh Nguyen, and Luis Alberto Urrea. The selected primary texts used are Gurnah’s By the Sea (2000) and Gravel Heart (2017), Nguyen’s The Sympathizer (2015) and The Refugees (2017), and Urrea’s The Water Museum (2015) and The House of Broken Angels (2018). Analyses are informed by a conceptual framework that draws on critical works by Avtar Brah, J. U. Jacobs, Sarah Nuttall, Homi K. Bhabha, Judith Butler, Stuart Hall, Paul Ricoeur, Viet Thanh Nguyen, and Christopher B. Patterson. These theories are deployed to analyse how the selected works engage with the entanglements of history, individual narratives, and memory in the diaspora spaces they articulate. The thesis argues that the selected works indicate an emerging subgenre within the broader category of transnational literature. This subgenre rejects disempowering interpolations of transnational identities. Instead, it prioritises ethical forms of memory. These acknowledge that transnational subjects share at least partial accountability for the precarity they experience in diaspora spaces. The selected literature limns how this may be accomplished by rejecting the label of victim. In so doing, the selected literature also suggests that the elevation of transnationals to full ethical agency would enable them to exercise power in their diaspora spaces. All three authorial projects studied here also give rise to uncomfortable juxtapositions that suggest a mounting fear that, as nationalisms become more pronounced in the UK and the USA, transnationals may have to re-experience conditions from which they have already fled. The thesis concludes by identifying four additional areas of confluence amongst the selected literature worthy of future study.
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- Date Issued: 2020
Investigating meaningful and critical teaching of poetry in English First Additional Language: a case of two Grade 11 classrooms in Lusikisiki District, Eastern Cape
- Authors: Dlamini, Sibongile Melody
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Poetry -- Study and teaching (Secondary) -- South Africa -- Lusikisiki , Second language acquisition , Critical discourse analysis , Literacy -- South Africa -- Lusikisiki , Culturally relevant pedagogy -- South Africa -- Lusikisiki
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/130636 , vital:36449
- Description: Poetry stands out among literary genres as a rich resource for language teaching and learning (Danesh & Shirkhani, 2015). However, according to some reports on Grade 12 English First Additional Language in the Eastern Cape, poetry is a particularly challenging genre to both teachers and learners. This background has given rise to this study, which aimed to investigate the critical and meaningful teaching of poetry in Grade 11, a class preparing learners for Grade 12. This interpretive qualitative case study drew on Vygotsky’s (1978) socio-cultural theory of cognitive development, which states that learners’ best knowledge is produced when co-operative learning takes place, with the help of the teacher. Purposive sampling was used to select two high schools from Lusikisiki district in the Eastern Cape, and one Grade 11 class and one teacher from each school. Lesson observations, document analysis, semi-structured interviews with the teachers, and focus group discussions with the learners were used to collect data. Cultural-Historical Activity Theory, Critical Discourse Analysis, Dutta’s (2001) model of poetry learning, as well as insights from Vygotsky’s socio-cultural theory were used to analyse data. In addition, Four Reader Roles by Freebody and Luke (1990) were employed as a data analysis tool to find out the degree to which the poetry teaching developed learners into code breakers, text users, text participants and text analysts. The data revealed that both teachers and learners had a limited understanding of and negative attitudes towards poetry, and this affects the way teachers teach as well as how learners learn poetry. It also indicated that a teacher-centred approach constrains meaning and critical poetry teaching and learning. The findings suggested that in place of the traditional way of poetry teaching, teachers need to learn, develop and use innovative teaching strategies to strengthen poetry understanding in learners.
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- Date Issued: 2020
Development and validation of a health literacy measure for limited literacy public sector patients in South Africa
- Authors: Marimwe, Chipiwa
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Health literacy -- South Africa , Patient education -- South Africa , Communication in medicine -- South Africa , Health literacy -- Social aspects -- South Africa , Poor -- Medical care -- South Africa , Analysis of variance , Multidimensional Screener of Functional Health Literacy (MSFHL)
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/62661 , vital:28227
- Description: The growing complexity of healthcare demands greater patient involvement and skills to navigate this complex system. It has therefore become increasingly important to identify individuals with inadequate health literacy, by using efficient, short and reliable measures for doing so. Most research on the development and validation of health literacy tests has been conducted in high-income countries, with very little reported from low-and middle-income countries (LMICs). Existing health literacy measures have come under scrutiny for their lack of cultural sensitivity, bias towards certain population groups and failure to acknowledge health literacy as a multidimensional concept. These measures usually have limited application in LMICs due to the significantly different structuring of healthcare systems, they overlook the extreme discrepancies in educational levels, and rely too heavily on the ability to read health information. No health literacy data for South Africa are available, and only a few health literacy-based research papers have been published in this country. The aim of the study was to develop and validate a health literacy measure that is contextually and culturally appropriate to measure health literacy in limited literacy public sector patients in South Africa. An Item Bank of 30 questions was developed with the input of a diverse expert consultant panel, and included skills-based and self-reported questions which ensured cultural, contextual and educational level appropriateness. The Information and Support for Health Actions Questionnaire (ISHA-Q) is a health literacy measure developed to assess health literacy for LMICs which includes 14 core scales. These were useful in ensuring coverage of a range of health literacy constructs within the Item Bank. The 30 questions were then allocated to one of three health literacy domains: Procedural knowledge, Factual knowledge and Access to healthcare, health services and social support. Ethical approval for the study was obtained. The questions were translated into isiXhosa and underwent pilot testing. Following pilot testing, 120 isiXhosa first-language speakers, at least 18 years old, who attended public sector facilities and had a maximum 12 years of education were recruited from a primary healthcare clinic in Grahamstown. An interpreter was trained and he participated in all interviews. A questionnaire was used to collect data on the 30-question Item Bank. The Multidimensional Screener of Functional Health Literacy (MSFHL) was used as the primary comparator.The second phase of the study involved the refinement of the 30 questions in the Item Bank, which involved a multi-stage process. Data were analysed statistically using t-test, correlations, chi-square and ANOVA tests at a 5% level of significance, in order to identify problematic questions. Item Response Theory was used to ascertain difficulty and discriminatory ability of the questions. Each question was further subjected to in-depth interrogation by a panel of healthcare professionals to ensure that questions were supported by the conceptual framework and the definitions of health literacy adopted for this study. The number of questions was reduced from 30 to 12, and formed the new Health Literacy Test - Limited Literacy (HELT-LL). To validate the HELT-LL, 210 patients with the same inclusion criteria as previously noted, were recruited from four primary healthcare clinics in the Eastern Cape Province. Individual interviews were conducted with the assistance of the interpreter to collect sociodemographic data as well as data from the HELT-LL, the primary comparator (MSFHL), and a secondary comparator which was a South African modified version of the Newest Vital Sign (NVS-SA). The HELT-LL was re-administered to 40 patients in a follow-up interview two weeks later. The HELT-LL categorised only 17.6% of the patients as having adequate health literacy, just over a third with inadequate health literacy, and the majority with marginal health literacy. Questions in the cognitively demanding Procedural knowledge domain were the most poorly answered, with a mean score of 48.6±24.9%. Patients had great difficulty performing the basic numeric tasks in this domain. The overall mean score for the HELT-LL was 52.8±18.4%, compared with the more cognitively demanding NVS-SA with a mean of 28.6±21.1%, and clearly illustrated the impact of the strategy to include in the HELT-LL a variety of questions with differing cognitive load. The MSFHL, which is based on demographic characteristics and perceived difficulties with reading and writing, had an overall mean score of 44.4±26.2%. Demographic characteristics including age, education and English literacy, were found to be good predictors of limited health literacy, with significant correlations being found between these variables and the mean HELT-LL score. An acceptable value for Cronbach’s alpha, excellent test-retest reliability and excellent concurrent validity show that the HELT-LL is a valid and reliable measure of health literacy in our target population. As there is a paucity of health literacy research emanating from developing countries, this study presents a significant contribution to literature. It is the first study to report the development and validation of a health literacy measure to address the dearth of available health literacy measures applicable for South Africa. If implemented for use in clinical settings and for research purposes, it could provide valuable South African health literacy data which could inform the development of interventions focusing on improving health literacy and health outcomes.
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- Date Issued: 2018
An intervention on how using easily accessible resources to carry out hands-on practical activities in science influences science teachers’ conceptual development and dispositions
- Authors: Asheela, Eva Ndagwedha
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Science teachers -- In-service training -- Namibia , Science teachers -- Namibia -- Case studies , Science -- Study and teaching -- Activity programs -- Namibia
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/8330 , vital:21385
- Description: The reform and transformation of education systems in terms of enhancing Science, Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education in the schooling systems is gaining momentum in different parts of the world. It is argued that there is a need to enhance science education, particularly in Africa, because science education is considered to be the main vehicle through which the greater objectives such as national development and improvement in the quality of life can be realised. Namibia as a country is no exception. A key way through which science education can be enhanced is through carrying out practical activities during teaching and learning. Despite the crucial role that practical activities play in science subjects, it appears that they are not carried out in most of the Namibian science classrooms. It is against this background that this study explored an intervention on how easily accessible resources to carry out hands-on practical activities in science, influenced science teachers’ conceptual development and dispositions towards the use of practical activities in science. In this study, a mixed methods case study approach underpinned by an interpretive paradigm was adopted. The research was conducted with 21 in-service science teachers from schools in Namibia who were all on a two year part-time BEd (Honours) program delivered in Namibia by a South African university from the Eastern Cape. To generate data, document analysis, questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, an intervention in the form of workshops on practical activities, lesson observations, which were videotaped, as well as teacher reflections were used. Conceptual development, disposition and professional development served as the conceptual lenses. Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory in conjunction with Shulman’s pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) were the theoretical frameworks adopted in the study.The findings showed that there was a general perception among the participants before the intervention that in order to carry out practical activities, well-equipped laboratories, conventional chemicals and equipment are needed. Some teachers had never used practical activities in their science classes with a range of constraints or hindrances provided as reasons. The findings additionally showed that for teachers to use easily accessible resources to carry out practical activities in their science classrooms, they need the knowledge and exposure on how to use these resources. The findings thus showed that this professional development approach raised motivation, knowledge and the skills of the science teacher participants to include practical activities in their science lessons using easily accessible resources. A recommendation is that if teachers are given opportunities, through professional development platforms to engage in hands- on practical activities using easily accessible resources, they can be enabled and motivated to implement these in their science classrooms.
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- Date Issued: 2017
Nonlinear optical responses of phthalocyanines in the presence of nanomaterials or when embedded in polymeric materials
- Authors: Bankole, Owolabi Mutolib
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Phthalocyanines , Phthalocyanines -- Optical properties , Alkynes , Triazoles , Nonlinear optics , Photochemistry , Complex compounds , Amines , Mercaptopyridine
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/45794 , vital:25548
- Description: This work describes the synthesis, photophysical and nonlinear optical characterizations of alkynyl Pcs (1, 2, 3, 8 and 9), 1,2,3-triazole ZnPc (4), mercaptopyridine Pcs (5, 6 and 7) and amino Pcs (10 and 11). Complexes 1, 2, 4, 7, 8, 9 and 11 were newly synthesized and characterized using techniques including 1H-NMR, MALDI-TOF, UV-visible spectrophotometry, FTIR and elemental analysis. The results of the characterizations were in good agreement with their molecular structures, and confirmed the purity of the new molecules. Complex 10 was covalently linked to pristine graphene (GQDs), nitrogen- doped (NGQDs), and sulfur-nitrogen co-doped (SNGQDs) graphene quantum dots; gold nanoparticles (AuNPs); poly(acrylic acid) (PAA); Fe3O4@Ag core-shell and Fe3O4- Ag hybrid nanoparticles via covalent bonding. Complex 11 was linked to Agx Auy alloy nanoparticles via NH2-Au and/or Au-S bonding, 2 and 3 were linked to gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) via clicked reactions. Evidence of successful conjugation of 2, 3, 10 and 11 to nanomaterials was revealed within the UV-vis, EDS, TEM, XRD and XPS spectra. Optical limiting (OL) responses of the samples were evaluated using open aperture Z-scan technique at 532 nm and 10 ns radiation in solution or when embedded in polymer mixtures. The analyses of the Z-scan data for the studied samples did fit to a two-photon absorption mechanism (2PA), but the Pcs and Pc-nanomaterial or polymer composites also possess the multi-photon absorption mechanisms aided by the triplet-triplet population to have reverse saturable absorption (RSA) occur. Phthalocyanines doped in polymer matrices showed larger nonlinear absorption coefficients (ßeff), third-order susceptibility (Im [x(3)]) and second-order hyperpolarizability (y), with an accompanying low intensity threshold (Ium) than in solution. Aggregation in DMSO negatively affected NLO behaviour of Pcs (8 as a case study) at low laser power, and improved at relatively higher laser power. Heavy atom-substituted Pcs (6) enhanced NLO and OL properties than lighter atoms such as 5 and 7. Direct relationship between enhanced photophysical properties and nonlinear effects favoured by excited triplet absorption of the 2, 3, 10 and 11 in presence of nanomaterials was established. Major factor responsible for the enhanced nonlinearities of 10 in the presence of NGQDs and SNGQDs were fully described and attributed to the surface defects caused by the presence of heteroatoms such as nitrogen and sulfur. The studies showed that phthalocyanines-nanomaterial composites were useful in applications such as optical switching, pulse compressor and laser pulse narrowing.
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- Date Issued: 2017
Rhodes University Research Report 2015
- Authors: Rhodes University , Gillitt, Tarryn , Goba, Busi , Macgregor, Jill , Roberts, Jaine , Dore, Sally
- Date: 2015
- Language: English
- Type: Text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/59298 , vital:27546
- Description: From Foreword by Dr Sizwe Mabizela: A further feature of research at Rhodes University has long been international collaborations, many of them responsible for raising the international competitiveness and voice of scholarship involving Rhodes academics and students. In March 2015, Rhodes University became a founder member of the African Research Universities’ Alliance (ARUA), launched at the African Higher Education Summit in Senegal. Leading universities with strong programmes of research and Postgraduate training formed the network of 16 institutions, which aim to bring together intersecting and complementary strengths in the interest of building critical mass in the key development priorities of the African continent. , A publication of the Rhodes University Research Office, compiled and edited by Tarryn Gillitt, Busi Goba, Patricia Jacob, Jill Macgregor and Jaine Roberts. Design & Layout: Sally Dore.
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- Date Issued: 2015
Illness as intersubjectivity: a sociological perspective
- Authors: Pitfield, Doreen Jennie
- Date: 1992
- Subjects: Humanism , Medical care -- Sociological aspects , Intersubjectivity , Medical ethics -- Sociological aspects
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3329 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003117 , Humanism , Medical care -- Sociological aspects , Intersubjectivity , Medical ethics -- Sociological aspects
- Description: This thesis explores the historical roots of scientific medicine in an effort to highlight the lack of humanist intersubjectivity within the contemporary medical model. The study notes that contemporary medicine is overtly scientific and that its scientific framework is upheld and furthered by a medical model which draws legitimation from the irrefutability of what is referred to variously within this work, as its scientific "regime". It is shown that in terms of the humanist tradition people, not science, constitute the epicentre of meaningful experiential participation in the defining of human social reality. This, it is argued, implies a radically different ontology from other sociological perspectives on medicine. The thesis suggests that the contemporary medical model loses sight of the patient's ability to cognitively participate in the defining of illness, diagnosis and treatment in terms of his/her experience thereof , and argues that contemporary medicine, by advancing the idea that it alone has the correct and only answer to such problems, has led to a situation which promotes an overmedicalisation of society . The study gives an indication of the way in which this overmedicalisation has led to areas of human life becoming conceived of only in relation to medical expertise. In this respect it is noted that medicine has so successfully infiltrated the human consciousness (involving areas as diverse as childbirth, genetic engineering, transplant surgery and death), that decisions on health are invariably taken from a foundation of scientific legitimation which seems to exclude the patient as subject. It is argued that this way of making decisions reinforces the requirement for a scientific medical model which as it negates the human element insidiously amplifies its power over human life; thereby devaluing the very people it seeks to serve. The thesis suggests that in terms of a humanist reading of the Oath of Hippocrates, medical decisions can only be taken within a framework of experiential involvement which includes both medical expertise and lay understanding. It is indicated that when this happens, social reality functions in terms of a symbolic participation which fosters a commitment to equalise the conditions of human existence, and promotes a dialogical negotiatory process which is both intersubjectively and ongoingly produced.
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- Date Issued: 1992
Philip Gibbs: war correspondent of a new dispensation
- Authors: Woodward, Christina Anna
- Date: 1985
- Subjects: Gibbs, Philip, 1877-1962 , War correspondents , War -- Press coverage , Mass media and war , Journalists
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2577 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003126 , Gibbs, Philip, 1877-1962 , War correspondents , War -- Press coverage , Mass media and war , Journalists
- Description: The process of democratization which appeared in the nineteenth century was partly responsible for the emergence of a mass readership. It consisted of the new urban population which had its own tastes and interests, intellectual capacity and purchasing power. The popular press was firmly established by 1900 and it radically altered the scope and style of daily journalism in its attempt to speak in the language of the majority. Philip Gibbs was one of the prominent journalists between 1900 and 1914. His aspiration to become a war correspondent stemmed from the image of the war correspondent as a figure of romance and adventure, the consequence of the militarist spirit of the age and the licence which granted him freedom of movement. Inevitably, the war correspondent carne in conflict with the military which had not kept pace with democratization and sensed a challenge to itself and to national security. Censorship and restrictions on the war correspondent tightened, until major army reforms between 1901 and 1912 brought more cordial relations between the press and the military. When the Great War broke out in 1914 the co-operative atmosphere broke down as censorship was reinstated, more severely than before. It challenged the freedom of the press and the right of the people to know. Gibbs was determined that the people should have access to news from the front. He fought hard for that objective and was instrumental in the compromise reached between the military and the press when an officially recognized system was devised for press representation on the Western Front. The wisdom of such a move was shown by the success of Philip Gibbs' war correspondence, which had appeal to a mass readership in its own language and with subjects of interest to it.
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- Date Issued: 1985