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1

Hjälm, Michael. "Liberation of the Ecclesia : The Unfinished Project of Liturgical Theology." Doctoral thesis, Uppsala universitet, Kyrkovetenskap, 2011. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-158782.

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This dissertation is a critical study of the paradigm of Liturgical Theology. Focus in this systematic inquiry has been on the Russian school with the focal point in the works of Alexander Schmemann, who was active in the late 20th century. The main question of the thesis concerns the relation between theory and practice in Liturgical Theology.                       It is claimed that the relation between theory and practice corresponds to the relation between ritual action and communicative action. The former concerns the identity founded on the unavoidable alterity immanent in life, but also transcending life through a holistic encounter with life, which enables us to express a holistic attitude to life and the entire world. The latter concerns the equally unavoidable rationalization of life which gives rise to a continuous atomization of life through science and the process of acquiring facts and data.                       The thesis makes use of different theories for the reaching of an explanatory theory in connection to theory and practice. Foremost the Theory of Communicative Action in the works of Jürgen Habermas and the re-interpretation of disclosure by Nikolas Kompridis is used. It is claimed tthat ritual action is connected to a primary disclosure attached to otherness with the intention of revealing the identity of the Ecclesia. Without identity, we are left with a never-ending debate and a continuous atomization where every answer exponentially provokes more questions. Communicative action then is connected with a secondary co-disclosure with the intention for the reaching of mutual understanding, making subjects accountable and responsible. Without communicative action we are bound on a long walk into the never ending sea of being. The missionary imperative in the Ecclesia is dependent on the co-existence of ritual action and communicative action.
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2

Labescat, Gil. "La ritualisation dans la trajectoire du mourir : l'action rituelle funéraire : enquête sur la crémation France-Québec." Thesis, Strasbourg, 2016. http://www.theses.fr/2016STRAG010/document.

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Cette thèse de doctorat propose de comprendre la spécificité rituelle des pratiques funéraires au début du XXIe siècle. Les analyses rituelles classiques (interactionnistes et structuro-fonctionnalistes) nous ont conduit à nous intéresser au processus rituel plutôt qu’au rituel lui-même et à cheminer par l’entremise d’une approche de l’action rituelle, plutôt que par celle des fonctions ou des symboles. Pour restreindre la part de réalité sociale étudiée, nous avons considéré que, parmi les différentes transformations funéraires, le phénomène de la crémation était une porte d’entrée pour comprendre cette spécificité. Cette thèse poursuit un double objectif :1) Le premier objectif est descriptif. Dans la trajectoire du mourir, à partir d’une perspective relationnelle, nous avons exploré le processus funéraire, notamment celui ayant pour perspective la crémation comme mode de transformation du corps, en le décomposant comme une chaîne opératoire du mourir. Nos données sont recueillies par la méthode de la participation observante de pratiques au sein du milieu funéraire. L’exemplarité du phénomène crématiste, en tant que pratique réunissant les attributs de l’évolution récente funéraire à partir des années 1980, a dirigé notre sélection vers un échantillon diversifié dans deux contextes socioculturels (France et Québec) et deux agglomérations (Strasbourg et Montréal) où le taux de crémation est historiquement élevé. 2) Le second objectif consiste à comprendre la spécificité de la ritualisation funéraire à partir de ces données, en s’intéressant à l’action rituelle en train de se faire dans le processus funéraire, c’est-à-dire expliquer la mise en forme et en acte de relations sociales. Par-delà une lecture socioanthropologique de l’organisation des relations contextuelles de ritualisation, une lecture psychosociologique des actions rituelles complète l’interprétation. Notre compréhension de la spécificité du processus rituel funéraire fait apparaître la complexité relationnelle de cette pratique sociale : d’une part, en tant qu’actions interagies par et dans des relations interindividuelles, faisant appel à des ressources réflexives (habilitantes) et permettant la réduction de l’état de dissonance provoqué par la mort; d’autre part, en tant qu’actions enserrées par et dans les règles des systèmes sociaux. La mise à jour de la prépondérance de ces caractéristiques relationnelles dans la ritualisation funéraire actuelle a pour vocation de comprendre à la fois la diversification des pratiques funéraires et leur normalisation
This doctoral thesis aims to understand the specific ritual burial practices in the early twenty-first century. The classic ritual analyses (structural-functionalist and interactionist) led us to focus on the ritual process rather than on the ritual itself, so we adopted a ritual action perspective. To reduce the focus on the social reality studied, we posit that among the various transformations of funerals, the phenomenon of cremation is a gateway to understand this specificity. This thesis has two objectives: 1) The first is descriptive. In the path of dying, from a relational understanding, we explored the funeral process, notably the cremation, as a mode of body transformation as an operational chain of dying. Our data was collected through the method of observing participation in funeral practices. The phenomenon of cremation, as a practice combining the attributes of the recent funeral evolution from the 1980s, led to our selection of a diverse sample in two sociocultural contexts (France and Quebec) and two cities (Strasbourg and Montreal) where the cremation rate is historically high. 2) The second objective is to understand the burial ritual from this data, focusing on the ritual surrounding the funeral process, while explaining the setting, form and act of social relations. In addition to a socio-anthropological reading of the organisation of the contextual relations behind ritual, a psychosocial reading completes the interpretation of the ritual actions. Our comprehension of funerary rituals shows the complexity of this social practice. In one hand as actions, through interpersonal relations, appeal to reflexive resources (enabling) and allow the reduction of dissonant state caused by death. On the other hand, as actions surrounding the rules of the social system. This new data on the preponderance of these relational features within the current funeral rituals, aims to understand both the diversification of funeral practices and their standardisation
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3

Jonsson, Alexander. "Får- och byggnadskroppsdelar : Handlingar och spatiala relationer kring byggnadsdeponeringar på Öland." Thesis, Linnéuniversitetet, Institutionen för kulturvetenskaper (KV), 2021. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:lnu:diva-100301.

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Får- och byggnadskroppsdelar - Handlingar och spatiala relationer kring byggnadsdeponeringar av får på Öland. Sheep and building body parts - Actions and spatial relations regarding buildingdeposits of sheep on Öland. Abstract This essay studies ten Ölandic examples of sheep bodies or sheep body parts deposited in Iron Agebuildings. In addition to literary works, the source material examined in the essay also consists ofunpublished sources and two osteological examinations, which were carried out as a part of thework on the essay (appendix 1 & 2).The purpose of the essay is to study both the actions that become visible through the skeletalmaterial, and the possible presence of spatial patterns regarding the bone deposits. The work iscarried out using an action-theoretical approach. Furthermore, a comparative method is used toexamine the ten sites in relation to each other. The results from this are ambiguous. The thesis' mainconclusion is; 1) that the bodies of sheep was sometimes disintegrated on Öland during the IronAge, to be; 2) placed in a certain spatial proximity of the foundation of roof-supporting posts. Keywords: Öland, Iron Age, Ritual Deposits, Sheep, bodies, body parts, foundation, sacrifice, action-theory
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4

Grantham, Ashley W. "“The Ground On Which I Stand” Healing Queer Trauma through Performance: Crafting a Solo Performance through the investigation of Ritual Poetic Drama within the African Continuum." VCU Scholars Compass, 2019. https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/etd/5828.

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“The Ground On Which I Stand” Healing Queer Trauma through Performance: Crafting a Solo Performance through the investigation of Ritual Poetic Drama within the African Continuum. By: Ashley W. Grantham A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Fine Arts in Performance Pedagogy at Virginia Commonwealth University Virginia Commonwealth University April 16th, 2019 Thesis Adjudicator: Dr. Tawnya Pettiford-Wates Committee: Dr. Keith Byron Kirk, Director of Graduate Studies and Karen Kopryanski, Head of Voice and Speech How does this method of Ritual Poetic Drama within the African Continuum, by extension, solo performance, uncover, heal queer trauma through witnessing and performance practice? How do these methods give us an intersectional approach to talking about race, identity, gender and bridge those divides? How does this devised work of solo performance allow the author as practitioner to claim the ground on which they stand and surrender to their own healing? This thesis attempts excavation of the foundational theories in regard to performance structure, and to discover how healing trauma through theoretical techniques achieves liberation through their enacted practice. This is an allowance of ourselves as artists and facilitators to claim our traumatic bodies as worthy sites of invention.
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5

Cooper, Gemma. "Exploring McClenon's ritual healing theory /." Title page, table of contents and abstract only, 2003. http://web4.library.adelaide.edu.au/theses/09ARPS/09arpsc7761.pdf.

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6

Guess, Teresa J. "Ritual action & death penalty abolition : a case study /." free to MU campus, to others for purchase, 1999. http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/mo/fullcit?p9946258.

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7

Baer, Kevin A. "Ritual Process." ScholarWorks@UNO, 2013. http://scholarworks.uno.edu/td/1606.

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My art is a means for investigating the passage of time, the decay of physical things, and the truth of mortality. I explore these concepts through process-oriented sculptures that emphasize ritual and material. The process is communicated with the creation of relics, often existing as drawings or the remains of degenerated sculptures. These relics bear witness to the process. I focus on themes of temporal change and death because they remain central to our metaphysical and physical existence. I see a diminished reverence for the power of death in our culture, and through my work I aim to pay homage to death while offering viewers an experience of “being present,” a deeper awareness of our existence in time. The mindfulness I speak of is an awareness of life’s temporal nature. My intention is to evoke an awareness of mortality giving rise to feelings of gratitude and humility.
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8

Dickens, Linda Neavel. "A theory of action perspective of action research /." Digital version accessible at:, 1998. http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/utexas/main.

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9

Chew, C. A. A. M. "Aristotle's ethical theory of action." Thesis, University of Cambridge, 2009. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.597593.

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This dissertation consists of an interpretation of Aristotle’s treatment of wanting, choice and moral responsibility that focuses on action as expressive of emotion and character. It culminates in Aristotelian definitions of: what it is to act virtuously, what it is to act at all, what a virtue is, and what it is for a human being to flourish. Chapter II consists of a detailed reading of Aristotle’s EN III.2-3 analysis of prohairesis (choice, principle) and an interpretation of the ‘practical syllogism’ (MA 7, EN VII.3). It first argues that and explains how prohairesis is thoughtful wanting (boulēsis) in EN III.4 according to which what is thoughtfully wanted is what appears fine and pleasant. It then relates this definition to a distinction between what is pleasant merely because of one’s personality and what is ‘truly’ pleasant to be found in EN X.5. It thereby argues that thoughtful wanting is constituted by emotions, understood as conative states through which ways of acting thought right (wrong) appear pleasant (unpleasant) in imagination. Chapter IV argues that EN III.5 is centred on an analysis of ethical imputation that builds upon the treatment of coerced doing and doing infected by ignorance in EN III.1. Challenging the prevailing ‘ignorance of principle’ – ‘ignorance of fact’ interpretation, it develops and defends a reading according to which culpable (non-culpable) ignorance is ignorance that indicates (does not indicate) failure to apprehend the situation as virtue requires. It thereby argues that according to our practices of ethical imputation as analysed by Aristotle, acting as virtue requires without emoting as virtue requires is impossible.
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Fraser, Jemima W. "Museums, drama, ritual and power : a theory of the museum experience." Thesis, University of Leicester, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/2381/4223.

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This thesis presents a new model of the museum visitor experience. My model analyses the dynamic interplay of visually powerful objects in authoritative institutions with the power of visitors to draw upon the knowledge, values and ideals of their own life experience and use the displays as a resource to make and take ownership of meaning. The model shows that the key factors affecting how people make meaning of displays are transaction, ritual, identity and power. I investigate the museum experience through the varied roles visitors adopt, as revealed in written comments made by visitors to my case study museum. I analyse these through a wide range of theory and through using drama as a metaphor for the visitor experience. The museum arranges the objects and spaces in a symbolic performance, leading visitors to engage in aesthetic and social rituals. Through the frames of their interpretive communities, visitors engage intellectually, emotionally and aesthetically in transactions with the objects which modify or reinforce their identities. Visitors' meaning-making is influenced, but not wholly determined, by how well the museum drama works for them. This depends largely not just on the quality of the museum but on how comfortable and familiar visitors are with museum rituals. At its best, the museum drama can engage visitors' emotions and imagination and enable them to experience intellectual, psychological, emotional and perhaps spiritual growth. At its worst, visitors' negative experiences alienate them not just from the museum but from trying such experiences again in the future. In my model, authority, power and the task of creating knowledge are shared between visitors and curators. If the museum embraces this epistemological shift, and recognises the complex transactions of ritua', drama and power, it could enable visitors to experience not just learning but growth, and greatly increase the educational and cultural value of museums.
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Ward, David. "Action-space theory of conscious vision." Thesis, University of Edinburgh, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/1842/5604.

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I argue that conscious visual experience consists in a direct and noninferential grasp of the way one’s current perceptual contact with the environment poises one to pursue various intentional plans, goals and projects. I show that such a view of visual consciousness is supported by current work in cognitive neuroscience, affords a compelling account of colour perception, and suggests a way to bridge the ‘explanatory gap’ between consciousness and the language of the natural sciences. In chapter 1, I examine the reasoning that leads to the appearance of an explanatory gap between the phenomenal and the physical in more detail, and set out the constraints on a solution that our discussion of the problem has imposed. I then sketch the two rival takes on the relationship between perception and action mentioned above – adjudicating between these two theories (and finding in favour of the action-space view) is the task of the next two chapters, and is a recurring theme throughout. Chapter 2 moves on to discuss some recent work in the neuropsychology of vision and what it might suggest about the functional role of conscious vision, and the first half of chapter 3 considers two puzzle cases concerning colour perception. Each of these discussions turns out to constitute a source of support for the actionspace view that visual perception consists in a grasp of the practical consequences of sensation, and the second half of chapter 3 sets out this view and responds to an initial range of questions and objections it might face. Chapter 4 illustrates our view via a discussion of colour perception, and chapter 5 discusses the type of grasp of practical consequences that is necessary for perceptual sensitivity to issue in conscious experience. By chapter 6, we are in a position to see how the action-space approach can help close the explanatory gap for phenomenal consciousness, and our final chapter sets out how I think this should be done. I conclude with a brief discussion of further questions and prospects for the action-space approach.
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Piercy, Laurence. "Fiction and the theory of action." Thesis, University of Sheffield, 2014. http://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/5913/.

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This thesis explores four mid-twentieth century fictional texts in relation to concepts of action drawn predominantly from Anglo-American analytic philosophy and contemporary psychology. The novels in question are Anna Kavan's Ice, Samuel Beckett's How It Is, Vladimir Nabokov's Pale Fire and Malcolm Lowry's Under the Volcano. The theory of action provides concepts, structures, and language to describe how agency is conceptualised at various levels of description. My exploration of these concepts in relation to fiction gives a framework for describing character action and the conceptualisation of agency in my primary texts. The theory of action is almost exclusively concerned with human action in the real world, and I explore the benefits and problems of transferring concepts from these discourses to literary criticism. My approach is focused around close reading, and a primary goal of this thesis is to provide nuanced analyses of my primary texts. In doing so, I emphasise the centrality of concepts of agency in fiction and provide examples of how action theory is applicable to literary criticism.
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Mantke, Wolfgang Johann. "Picture independent quantum action principle." Diss., Georgia Institute of Technology, 1992. http://hdl.handle.net/1853/29850.

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Loughlin, Michael. "Direct action - as a theory of knowledge." Thesis, University of Liverpool, 1992. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.333888.

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Holmström, Ghita. "Action, purpose and will : a formal theory /." Helsinki : Akateeminen Kirjakauppa, 1991. http://catalogue.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/cb35528621w.

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Simon, Steven H. 1957. "Contributions to a physicalistic theory of action." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2002. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/8145.

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Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Linguistics and Philosophy, 2002.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 139-141).
My project of giving a general physicalistic reduction of action contrasts with Donald Davidson's view that only individual actions can be explained in physicalistic terms. The main reason for his view is that he thinks the problem of internal causal deviance is insoluble. In the first chapter, I reconstruct the theory of action Davidson develops in Essays and Events and extend the theory to solve the deviance problem. The idea of the solution is that action requires "modulated movement," an ongoing process of monitoring and modulating the movements in which actions consist. In the second chapter, I develop the theory of modulated movement in more detail and argue that it can explain a number of cases of defective agency. I defend my contention that the analysis of modulated movement solves the deviance problem against several objections. In doing so, one of the main points I argue is that "ballistic movements," movements the agent cannot modify, cannot be actions. The psychological states in terms of which I analyze modulated movement are belief and desire, and in the third chapter I develop a reductive physicalistic account of a component of belief, indication. I start with a theory of indication that Robert Stalnaker presents in Inquiry, anddevelop the theory to cope with some problems for it that I identify. In the second part of the chapter, I extend the theory to explain cases of indication in which indicators are combined so that together they indicate propositions more specific or precise than any of the propositions they indicate alone, thus reducing complex cases of indication to simpler ones.
by Steven H. Simon.
Ph.D.
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17

Roussel, Cédric. "A preactivation theory of action effect prediction." Thesis, Paris 5, 2013. http://www.theses.fr/2013PA05H116/document.

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L’objectif du présent doctorat fut de contribuer à la compréhension des mécanismes de prédiction des effets de l’action en termes d’implémentation cérébral. Il a été suggéré que la prédiction des effets de l’action reposait sur la préactivation du réseau sensoriel impliqué dans le traitement de ces effets (voir Chapitre I.H). A partir de cette suggestion nous avons élaboré un model de cette hypothèse de preactivation nous permettant de dériver un certain nombre de prédictions quant au traitement perceptuel des conséquences de l’action. Au cours de cette thèse nous avons testé les prédictions faites par le model de la préactivation pour la prédiction des effets de l’action ainsi qu’en raffiner sa modélisation
My PhD thesis aimed at contributing to the understanding of the neural implementation of action effect prediction. It has been suggested that the prediction of action effects is based on the preactivation of the sensory pathway involved in the treatment of the predicted effect (See Chapter I.H). Based on this suggestion we conceived a model of this preactivation hypothesis and derived a number of predictions about the perceptual processing of action consequences. In this thesis we tested the predictions made by the model (see Chapter II) as well as refined the model
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Howes, Andrew. "Learning task-action mappings by exploration." Thesis, Lancaster University, 1991. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.331956.

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Ball, R. D. "The effective action : Covariance and chirality." Thesis, University of Cambridge, 1986. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.373651.

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Dumay, Johannes Cornelius. "Intellectual capital in action: Australian studies." Faculty of Economics and Business, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/2123/2398.

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Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
The overarching objective of this thesis is to investigate and examine several contemporary IC theories and how they are utilised in practice so that understandings of the IC concept can be developed, in order to answer in part the main research question of “How does IC in action influence organisations?” The content of the thesis is based on a review of IC from both a theory and practice perspective and four empirical papers that examines IC theory as it is implemented in practice. In combining these papers into a coherent piece of work, a critical research perspective, as outlined by Alvesson and Deetz (2000), has been utilised as the theoretical framework. The term ‘critical’ is used in this thesis not to find fault with contemporary theory and practice of IC but rather to examine and question the application of IC theory into practice. The end result of doing so is the narrowing of an identified gap between IC theory and practice. A ‘critical’ analysis of IC in action is justified because the development of the concept of IC parallels that of ‘critical’ theory in that both have evolved from changing conditions in society as technology and the proliferation of knowledge that have fundamentally altered the conditions under which organisations operate. The overarching findings of the thesis are based on three outcomes of critical research being insight, critique and transformative re-definitions. Insight into IC is developed by examining contemporary IC frameworks as they have been applied. Critique is developed by putting to the test the implications for organisations as a result of implementing these contemporary IC frameworks. Last, transformative re-definition is achieved by opening a discourse on the impact of implementing IC practices so that academics and practitioners can develop critical, relevant and practical understandings that begins the process of change and develops practical managerial skills. More importantly this thesis identifies how the development of tools to reduce ‘causal ambiguity’ about how intangible resource help create (or destroy) value has the potential to raise the profile of IC as a strategic management technology. But from the wider view of the critical perspective, it is not the intention of this thesis to prescribe specific formulae for the measuring, management and reporting of IC, nor does it intend to further develop theory. So while the individual papers may proffer that certain avenues proved productive in developing insights, critique and transformative re-definition, these avenues are not offered as the preferred way of investigating IC. More specifically the goal of a critical perspective is to open a discourse. The opprurtinity for academics and practitioners to engage in discourse is enabled by the thesis’ focus on the issues identified by highlighting the gap between IC theory and practice. Furthermore, each of the included papers offers the opportunity for further discourse by way of the opportunities that remain for future research. Additionally, the thesis achieves exemplifies a number of different approaches to conducting research into IC practice that puts to the test particular aspects of IC theory in order to develop insights and understandings of IC in practice. As the empirical material only examines a fraction of contemporary IC theory there is scope for further research and thus discourse into the implementation of IC theory into IC practice. This future research should not be constrained by a particular method of research as exemplified in the variety of methods employed to gather the empirical material for the papers which stretches along the continuum of qualitative and quantitative research. This too provides an avenue of for future discourse.
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Safran, Benjamin. "Action pieces final." Temple University Libraries, 2019. http://cdm16002.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p245801coll10/id/571017.

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Music Composition
Ph.D.;
Contemporary classical concert music could be part of the solution to build a just and sustainable future. My research demonstrates that such music, despite its niche, elitist positioning in contemporary American society, can contribute to social movements and change the world in meaningful, tangible ways when attention is paid to social movement strategy and structures of power. To reconsider the potential power of this music, I apply a range of methodologies from ethnography to hermeneutic analysis to nonviolent direct action strategy, drawing on the work of musicologists, ethnomusicologists, and social movement theorists. Given the elitism of the classical concert hall, it is a non-obvious genre in which to convey a social justice or leftist political theme, yet many composers try to do so. I examine five of these composers in depth: Laura Kaminsky, David Lang, Curt Cacioppo, Ludovico Einaudi, and Hannibal (who goes by other names but used the mononym Hannibal in the concert which
Temple University--Theses
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Safran, Benjamin. "Action Piece 3." Temple University Libraries, 2019. http://cdm16002.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p245801coll10/id/571018.

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Music Composition
Ph.D.;
Contemporary classical concert music could be part of the solution to build a just and sustainable future. My research demonstrates that such music, despite its niche, elitist positioning in contemporary American society, can contribute to social movements and change the world in meaningful, tangible ways when attention is paid to social movement strategy and structures of power. To reconsider the potential power of this music, I apply a range of methodologies from ethnography to hermeneutic analysis to nonviolent direct action strategy, drawing on the work of musicologists, ethnomusicologists, and social movement theorists. Given the elitism of the classical concert hall, it is a non-obvious genre in which to convey a social justice or leftist political theme, yet many composers try to do so. I examine five of these composers in depth: Laura Kaminsky, David Lang, Curt Cacioppo, Ludovico Einaudi, and Hannibal (who goes by other names but used the mononym Hannibal in the concert which
Temple University--Theses
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Webb, Brian Robert. "Action in context - context in action : towards a grounded theory of software design." Thesis, University College London (University of London), 2001. http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/1317550/.

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This thesis develops a model and a theory of software design. Thirty-two transcripts of interviews with software designers were analysed using the Grounded Theory method. The first set of sixteen interviews drawn from the field of Digital Interactive Multimedia (Data-set A) was used to develop the model and theory, the second set of sixteen interviews drawn from one source of technical literature (Data-set B) was used to test and enhance the initial outcomes. Final outcomes are then grounded in the general literature on problem solving and design. The model is concerned to capture a rich, holistic picture of software design. It is descriptive rather than prescriptive, concerned to capture how software design is done rather than advocate how it ought to be done. The theory is a development of the model and is presented initially as a theoretical framework and then as a series of propositions. The theoretical framework is a function of the juxtaposition of specific properties or attributes of the "core category", which uniquely explains the phenomenon. Its outcome is four design scenarios. Each scenario is of interest as an explanation of software design practice but two scenarios wherein such practice does not "fit" the design context are of most interest. It is argued that these scenarios can be used to identify and explain design breakdowns. Finally, the thesis purports to explicate the "Meta-process" - the process through which the inductive model and theory was developed. This is an unusual objective for a piece of IS research but valid nonetheless and significant, given the complexity of the research method used and the dearth of good process accounts in the IS literature and elsewhere.
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Marx, Nathaniel. "Ritual in the age of authenticity| An ethnography of Latin Mass Catholics." Thesis, University of Notre Dame, 2014. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=3585262.

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While the reform of Catholic liturgy that followed the Second Vatican Council by no means rejected Latin as a language of liturgical celebration, the Latin Mass quickly became the province of traditionalist groups that refused to accept the revised Order of Mass and offered the pre-conciliar Tridentine Mass in defiance of the Roman Catholic hierarchy. Nevertheless, there have always been some Catholics who either obtained permission to celebrate the Tridentine Mass or found celebrations of the post-conciliar Mass in Latin that maintained certain practices associated with the pre-conciliar Mass. This dissertation focuses on this latter group of Latin Mass Catholics, who have remained within the bounds of the institutional church and who, since 2007, have had permission to celebrate the Tridentine Mass as an “extraordinary form” of the Mass of the Roman Rite.

In particular, this study seeks a better understanding of the motives of contemporary Latin Mass Catholics in America. Critics sometimes view attachment to the Latin Mass as an example of modern Catholicism’s still incomplete liberation from “dead ritual.” Supporters, on the other hand, often valorize the same attachment as a sign of resurgent interest in “the sacred” following Vatican II’s alleged desacralization of the liturgy. As an alternative to both of these positions, this study explains adherence to the Latin Mass as the embodiment of one particular approach to the formation of an “authentic” human subject of liturgical prayer. Personal sincerity and continuity with tradition are both essential to how Latin Mass Catholics evaluate authenticity in liturgical prayer and cultivate authenticity in their own selves. In practice, these modes of authentication are held together by an acquired habitus of “reverence.”

An ethnographic account of contemporary adherence to the Latin Mass fleshes out the particular practices associated with this inculcation of reverence. Fieldwork in four Latin Mass communities and interviews with Latin Mass adherents reveal the viability of this approach to liturgical formation. It is argued that the liturgical reform and adherence to the Latin Mass can provide complementary insights into the formation of an authentic human subject of liturgical prayer in the modern world.

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Gilman, Todd Nathaniel. "Communicative Action as Feminist Epistemology." PDXScholar, 1995. https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/open_access_etds/4906.

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This thesis proposes that feminist social and political theory adopt the epistemology inherent in Jurgen Habermas's communicative ethics in order to more coherently work toward the goal of freeing individuals from social oppression. This thesis first examines the fundamental differences that exist between the particular claims for knowledge made by the three major schools of feminist theory; the empirical feminists, the standpoint feminists, and those allied with postmodernism. After illuminating the specifics of these feminist claims, the conception of knowledge central to Habermas's thought is explored and shown to be split into three distinct realms; the objective, the social, and the subjective. It is shown that the three realms of Habermas's knowledge account for the underlying claims of the differing groups of feminist theory, and provide a basis for reconciling the differences between them. Habermas's objective realm of knowledge corresponds to the concerns of empirically oriented feminists. A need for an accurate description of the events and conditions of the actual world is shared by both, as is a trust in the human potential for grasping these objects and events accurately. Standpoint feminism's concern for interpersonal relations, accounting for the context of an individual's or group's existence, is reflected in the type of knowledge that Habermas considers social in nature. Habermas's conception of our capacity for social knowledge, which guides our actions with other human beings, is shown to be dependent upon both social existence and communication. Finally, Habermas acknowledges the human potential for critical knowledge to explain the individual's ability to differentiate herself from the group, a task which a postmodern feminism demands to avoid essentializing any aspect of women. If feminist theory is able to move beyond the entrenched differences that it now finds itself locked within, perhaps then it will be able to continue with the project shared with Habermas, that of providing a meaningful emancipation for human beings.
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Blose, Chris. "Ideas in action : film theory in film criticism /." free to MU campus, to others for purchase, 2004. http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/mo/fullcit?p1421115.

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Petrisson, Adam. "En analys av situational action theory. En forskningsöversikt." Thesis, Malmö högskola, Fakulteten för hälsa och samhälle (HS), 2010. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:mau:diva-25083.

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Klassisk kriminologisk forskning fokuserar på antingen individbaserade eller miljörelaterade förklaringar till brottsliga handlingar. Situational Action Theory avser att föra samman dessa två synsätt för att bilda en integrerad kriminologiskhandlingsteori. Vad får Situational Action Theory för stöd i den kriminologiska forskningen? Vad finns för kritik? Och vad bör forskningen fokusera ytterligare på när det kommer till att testa teorin? Den forskning som finns tillgänglig och som jag presenterar i denna litteraturgenomgång visar att teorin får stöd i empirisk forskning. De flesta studier visar att teorin får bra stöd, några visar stöd för vissa delar av teorin medan andra delar av teorin inte får något stöd. Det står dock klartatt teorin bör vara föremål för framtida forskning för att kunna utvecklas och för att på ett förbättrat sätt kunna svara på frågan om vad det är som får individer att begå moraliska handlingar som i lagen definieras som brott.
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Yonamine, Noriko. "Words and action : a feminist theory of pornography." Thesis, University of York, 2005. http://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/10971/.

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O'Regan, Terence Paul. "An essay in the theory of action concerning the topic of reasons for action /." St. Lucia, Qld, 2002. http://www.library.uq.edu.au/pdfserve.php?image=thesisabs/absthe16499.pdf.

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30

Catania-Opris, Celese. "Social Grief: A Grounded Theory of Utilizing Status Updates on Facebook as a Contemporary Ritual." NSUWorks, 2016. http://nsuworks.nova.edu/shss_dft_etd/18.

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The popular Social Networking Site, Facebook, offers its users the ability tocommunicate with others from all over the globe. Individuals can create a virtual identity for themselves enabling members to call, message, and locate others in a matter of seconds. The number of Facebook users appears to increase; yet, the number of members who die daily is not normally accounted. Facebook now permits the memorialization ofthe deceased’s profile. This allows members to continue commenting, sharing photos and videos, and visiting the deceased’s Facebook page. This trend led to the central question of this study, “What benefits, if any, are individuals receiving by utilizing Facebook status updates in order to cope with loss?” A gap in the literature exists pertaining to the creation of status updates for adults (25-64 years old) who have lost an immediate family member within the past year, as other studies have focused on adolescents’ and college students’ grieving processes on Facebook. As the principal investigator, I looked for what may or may not be different for individuals using Facebook status updates to cope after the loss of a loved one. I did so by interviewing seven participants, transcribing digital voice recordings, and using a grounded theory methodology to code and search for themes and patterns within the data. Participants were recruited using fliers, word of mouth, and emails sent to members of Nova Southeastern University. Findings from this study led to the discovery of the theory Social Grief after participants shared they received support, validation, and closure by using Facebook status updates to cope with the loss of an immediate family member.
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Lesniewski, Andrzej. "Effective action for the Yukawa-2 quantum field theory /." Zürich, 1986. http://e-collection.ethbib.ethz.ch/show?type=diss&nr=8057.

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32

Stiver, Dustin Cory. "Catalyzing Collective Action| A Grounded Theory of Network Leadership." Thesis, Eastern University, 2017. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=10603631.

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Networks are the connective tissue tying together individuals and organizations working toward shared aims. Increasingly, communities are adopting network-based strategies to collaboratively contend with society’s most vexing challenges and create lasting community change. This often occurs when addressing problems that are more complex and entangled than any one individual or organization can tackle on their own, such as education reform, affordable housing, or income inequality.

Individuals who assume leadership roles within networks—the researcher refers to these people as network leaders—must identify effective strategies to activate network members and unlock agency within stakeholders to empower them to contribute to a shared mission. This study specifically focused on research subjects who were professionally engaged as network leaders, and sought to uncover characteristics that network leaders exhibit and strategies that network leaders employ when performing their unique role.

The findings of this Constructivist Grounded Theory study center around the primary research question: How do network leaders catalyze collective action? The theory of network leadership proposed herein is derived from data collected from 27 network leaders. The model creates a framework for understanding the phenomenon of network leadership. The Phases and Critical Tasks of network leadership are moderated by the Network Leadership Core Engagement Process and the Network Culture, which is in turn influenced by the Characteristics of the Network Leader Profile and collaboratively developed Network Agreements . The theoretical model is grounded in the data and designed to be an accessible framework for understanding how network leaders catalyze collective action.

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Trzak, Agnes. "Anti-speciesist theory and action : dismantling the (hu)man." Thesis, Anglia Ruskin University, 2015. http://arro.anglia.ac.uk/700991/.

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I explore opportunities for political activism from a feminist antispeciesist perspective. I reconcile the two often separated fields of academia and activism by examining theoretical conceptualisations of political action and their application to lived realities. I specifically focus on depicting processes of objectification utilised by the dominant culture. I offer a feminist critique of normative discourses regarding political action and countercultural organising, that are based on our understanding of the Public Sphere as an arena of rationality, debate, diplomacy and equality. I expose public sphere discourse as a means of reproducing dominant processes of objectification and othering. In other words, I argue that our understanding of political action in fact contributes to the hierarchical categorisation of all life and thus the exclusion of the minoritarian from political action. This is due to the fact that our understanding of the political is utterly based on an anthropocentric masculinist, or what I term (hu)man world view. To allow for a truly nonhierarchical and just sociopolitical economy, I urge not only to include human identity dimensions such as gender, disability, race and class in our political thinking, but also to extend our consideration to other species, and thus make our resistance not only a feminist, antiracist, anticlassist and antiableist one but also an antispeciesist one. I do so by exploring Patricia MacCormack's conceptualisation of the ahuman; a state of divorcing resistance to normativity from a focus on the oppressed and shifting towards a definition and dismantling of the privileged, (hu)man. I arrive at this conclusion by exploring possibilities of emancipation, which, I argue, are found in dismantling the majoritarian subject instead of actively improving the minoritarian position. I thus suggest to move away from a phallogocentric humanist system of signification, based on representation and instead work towards the undoing of (hu)man texts.
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Enemark, Nina. "'Recrossing the ritual bridge' : Jane Ellen Harrison's theory of art in the work of Hope Mirrlees." Thesis, University of Glasgow, 2015. http://theses.gla.ac.uk/6443/.

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This thesis considers the dominating element of ritual in the works of Hope Mirrlees, a theme and structuring framework that grows out of her relationship to the classicist Jane Ellen Harrison. Harrison's theory, which draws on modern theories of anthropology and psychology and up-to-date archaeological excavations of antiquities, comments on the modernist period through the unique lens of her ritual theory of art. I explore how the grounding of her theory in these fields as well as the visual-tactile practice of archaeology and the body-focused aesthetic of the pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood point towards a materialist, performative aesthetic centred on process and desire. Her ritual theory, I argue, can be read as a diagnosis of the cultural, intellectual and aesthetic climate of her day, calling for a greater emphasis on emotional, embodied experience in religion as well as art, challenging the individualist intellectualism of theology and what she sees as the static, lifeless nature of realist representation. This thesis concerns itself with the way the writer closest to Harrison, who claims to owe her entire worldview to her, absorbs Harrison's ideas and takes on this challenge. Mirrlees’s work shows a preoccupation with the process of representation, particularly representation of aspects of experience that evades rational understanding and expression: dreams and the workings of the unconscious, and mystical experience. Mirrlees turns to the Romantic tradition for its engagement with these things, locating herself within a strain of Romantic writing that foregrounds dreams, gothic fantasy and mysticism – a strain that Mirrlees, using Harrison’s theory, argues has its roots in primitive ritual. Harrison’s formulation of the ritual origin of art provides a framework for her to pursue her quest of representing the unrepresentable, producing a highly performative literary aesthetic which, like Harrison, never loses sight of the religious, magical function of art. The gem of Mirrlees's oeuvre, this thesis argues, is Paris, which is discussed over two chapters. The first examines the presence of ritual elements in the poem's verbal content, considering how it enacts a post-war ritual of transition into a new age, fuelled by a desire and hope for spiritual renewal and yet marked by a deep ambivalence regarding the future. The second chapter on Paris, the third chapter of the thesis, shows the ground-breaking originality that Paris demonstrates in the way it harnesses typographical space to facilitate an integrated verbal-concrete enactment of ritual. This analysis highlights the importance of the hand-printing tradition from which Paris emerges, and makes use of a broad history of the book and reading habits to show how in itself this crafting tradition and the poem's use of space signify a ritualisation, in Harrison's sense, of book-making; I argue that in making this connection evident with its grounding in ritual theory, Paris marks a unique intersection between ritual and the history of the book. Mirrlees's antiquarianism is a central component of this analysis, as for her it is also a practice steeped in the materiality and mystical experience of ritual, and leads to the artefact-like quality of her concretely spaced, rare hand-printed and hand-bound masterpiece with its enclosed, esoteric ritual. Antiquarianism and a focus on the performativity of language are, this thesis argues, also central to Mirrlees’s fantasy novel Lud-in-the-Mist, which can be read as a self-reflexive investigation into the themes, tropes and function of the fantasy genre. I highlight the novel’s interrogation of language and narrative as signifiers of reality, and its defence of fantasy as a mode rooted in the psychological processes that give rise, in Harrison’s theory, to primitive ritual.
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Hood, Kristina Beatrice. "Neighborhood Ritual Integrity: Addressing the Positive and Cultural Aspects of Neighborhoods." VCU Scholars Compass, 2007. http://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/etd_retro/149.

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This paper investigates whether a new conceptual framework, Neighborhood Ritual Integrity (NRI), addresses the concepts of social capital, collective efficacy, and rituals in a manner which makes it applicable to sociological research. Neighborhood Ritual Integrity (NRI) is a conceptual framework developed in response to various studies, which have established a relationship between neighborhood demographics, structural neighborhood features, crime and adolescent behaviors. Kiser et al., (2007) identified six dimensions that influence short and long term community functioning: Ritual Integrity, Daily Routines, Role Clarity, People and Organizational Resources, Deliberate Planning, and Meaning Making as aspects of NRI. Each dimension describes either a structural or cultural component of community level processes that could affect positive features of neighborhood life. Results from focus group data are examined for the existence of responses consistent with the conceptual definitions of NRI as well as social capital, collective efficacy, and rituals in hopes that this investigation will develop a more comprehensive sociological approach to the study of neighborhoods.
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36

Turner, Charles Hudson. "Causal action theories and satisfiability planning /." Digital version accessible at:, 1998. http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/utexas/main.

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37

Avery, Vanessa Jane. "Jewish vaccines against mimetic desire : Rene Girard and Jewish ritual." Thesis, University of Exeter, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/10871/14604.

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In 1972, with the publication of Violence and the Sacred, René Girard makes the stunning assertion that violence is the foundation of culture. Humanity’s innate urges for competition and rivalry entrap us in cycles of violence, which left alone would find no resolution. Girard calls the cause of this rivalry “mimetic desire”, and the only way out of this deeply embedded vengeance is to create a scapegoat to take the blame, reconciling the conflicting parties. Girard asserts that the biblical texts uniquely reveal the mechanisms of mimetic rivalry and scapegoating, and even demystify sacrificial rituals as nothing more than sacrilized “good” violence to keep a fragile peace. This revelation, according to Girard, can finally allow us to remove violence from the sacred. Much scholarship has been devoted to Girard’s theory, in particular how it offers a viable alternative to the still-dominant sacrificial theology of the cross. But there is little scholarship on the connection between Girard and Judaism; and Girard’s own work leaves us with a picture of Judaism that is at best incomplete, and at worst unable to find an answer to disturbing violence permeating the scriptures. This dissertation brings the Hebrew Bible into dialogue with Girard’s ideas in a systematic fashion to assert, contra Girard, that the Jewish revelation is a full, effective and even practical expression of his theory. After an overview of Girard’s work in the first chapter, the dissertation examines three Jewish “vaccines” to the mimetic disease as follows: the Birkhat ha-Banim (“The Blessing of the Children”); the reading of the Book of Esther on Purim; and the reading of Jonah on Yom Kippur. The conclusion to the dissertation asserts, drawing on these three demonstrations, the following points: 1) Rene Girard gives an important and clarifying lens to aid us in finding a new way to talk about, understand, and unify Jewish scripture and ritual; 2) a Jewish perspective can help flesh out what a different “revelation” of Girard’s mimetic desire looks like—even providing prescriptions to curtail this desire; and 3) positive mimesis is possible, and there are Hebrew examples of it free of originary violence. The final chapter addresses certain challenges in reconciling Girard with Judaism, moving toward a sincere Jewish Girardianism that will harmonize with the central views of the tradition.
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Dowding, K. M. "Collective action, group organization and pluralist democracy." Thesis, University of Oxford, 1987. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.381821.

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39

Alexandrova, Anna. "Connecting models to the real world game theory in action /." Diss., Connect to a 24 p. preview or request complete full text in PDF format. Access restricted to UC campuses, 2006. http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/ucsd/fullcit?p3205365.

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Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of California, San Diego, 2006.
Title from first page of PDF file (viewed April 6, 2006). Available via ProQuest Digital Dissertations. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 201-206).
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40

Stahn, Christian. "Supersymmetry and the effective action of type IIB string theory." Thesis, University of Cambridge, 2005. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.615081.

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41

Everett, Megan E. "Ritual Potential: A Queer Interpretation of the Mikvah Utilizing Victor Turner's Liminality." Scholarship @ Claremont, 2013. http://scholarship.claremont.edu/scripps_theses/226.

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In this thesis, I assert that the mikvah, a Jewish purification ritual, can be understood as a queer ritual in that it has the potential to destabilize the knowledges and structures that it has traditionally been understood to uphold. I draw on queer theory in order to establish Victor Turner’s liminality as a productive analytical tool and then utilize this new queer liminality to illuminate the mikvah’s latent potential for producing new meanings and modes of resistance for its participants.
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42

Jones, Nick. "Space and the contemporary Hollywood action sequence." Thesis, Queen Mary, University of London, 2013. http://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/18062.

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This thesis investigates the manner in which the action sequences of contemporary Hollywood cinema reflect and constitute ways of imagining space. The thesis proposes that these sequences are highly spatialised presentations of bodily interaction with the world, and as such manifest cultural anxieties regarding the relationship between the individual and the built environment, and work to assure their viewers of the capacity of the human form to survive the disorienting spaces of contemporary architecture, globalisation and technology. In order to demonstrate this, the aesthetic and formal properties of action sequences are read alongside critical work exploring how space shapes social life, including influential texts by Henri Lefebvre, Michel de Certeau, Fredric Jameson and others. These readings reveal that both action sequences and critical spatial theory are similarly attentive to the difficulties, contradictions and possibilities of built space. A range of action sequences from Hollywood films of the last fifteen years, including sequences from Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, The International, The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Supremacy, The Bourne Ultimatum, Jumper, Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace, Sucker Punch, Inception, Swordfish, The Matrix, The Matrix Reloaded, TRON: Legacy, Resident Evil, Resident Evil: Afterlife and Dredd 3D are analysed for how they depict space and spatial agency. Rather than concentrating upon the narratives of these films, the chapters of the thesis deal in turn with the ways in which action sequences express contemporary developments within the built environment; the consequences of globalisation; the impact of these spatial changes upon mental life; the challenges to bodily engagement raised by digital technology and cyberspace; and the modifications to representing space on film prompted by stereoscopic exhibition. Examinations of these sequences are used to build a model of the action sequence that suggests spatial appropriation and ideas around place-creation are crucial elements of the form.
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43

Anthony, Tom. "Self-motivated composition of strategic action policies." Thesis, University of Hertfordshire, 2018. http://hdl.handle.net/2299/21088.

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In the last 50 years computers have made dramatic progress in their capabilities, but at the same time their failings have demonstrated that we, as designers, do not yet understand the nature of intelligence. Chess playing, for example, was long offered up as an example of the unassailability of the human mind to Artificial Intelligence, but now a chess engine on a smartphone can beat a grandmaster. Yet, at the same time, computers struggle to beat amateur players in simpler games, such as Stratego, where sheer processing power cannot substitute for a lack of deeper understanding. The task of developing that deeper understanding is overwhelming, and has previously been underestimated. There are many threads and all must be investigated. This dissertation explores one of those threads, namely asking the question "How might an artificial agent decide on a sensible course of action, without being told what to do?". To this end, this research builds upon empowerment, a universal utility which provides an entirely general method for allowing an agent to measure the preferability of one state over another. Empowerment requires no explicit goals, and instead favours states that maximise an agent's control over its environment. Several extensions to the empowerment framework are proposed, which drastically increase the array of scenarios to which it can be applied, and allow it to evaluate actions in addition to states. These extensions are motivated by concepts such as bounded rationality, sub-goals, and anticipated future utility. In addition, the novel concept of strategic affinity is proposed as a general method for measuring the strategic similarity between two (or more) potential sequences of actions. It does this in a general fashion, by examining how similar the distribution of future possible states would be in the case of enacting either sequence. This allows an agent to group action sequences, even in an unknown task space, into 'strategies'. Strategic affinity is combined with the empowerment extensions to form soft-horizon empowerment, which is capable of composing action policies in a variety of unknown scenarios. A Pac-Man-inspired prey game and the Gambler's Problem are used to demonstrate this selfmotivated action selection, and a Sokoban inspired box-pushing scenario is used to highlight the capability to pick strategically diverse actions. The culmination of this is that soft-horizon empowerment demonstrates a variety of 'intuitive' behaviours, which are not dissimilar to what we might expect a human to try. This line of thinking demonstrates compelling results, and it is suggested there are a couple of avenues for immediate further research. One of the most promising of these would be applying the self-motivated methodology and strategic affinity method to a wider range of scenarios, with a view to developing improved heuristic approximations that generate similar results. A goal of replicating similar results, whilst reducing the computational overhead, could help drive an improved understanding of how we may get closer to replicating a human-like approach.
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44

Cooper, David John. "Employee commitment : the motivational role of senior management : theory of action." Thesis, University of Salford, 2001. http://usir.salford.ac.uk/2147/.

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The aim of this study is to explore the association between senior management theory-of-action and employee commitment. Field research uses quantitative and qualitative method and concentrates on one medium sized UK based organisation for data collection and experimentation. However, the study examines two further organisations to assist validity and specificity of findings. The written work is in six parts. Following an introductory chapter, chapter two contains a literature survey covering organisational purpose and senior management theory-of-action. Chapter three examines literature as to employee commitment, and personal and organisational values. The fourth chapter describes method. Field work in chapter five provides results arising from quantitative and qualitative research. The concluding chapter considers the extent to which findings should be generalised, and offers conclusions and reflection. The study points to the following conclusions: Field research supports the notion that compared with more conventional motivation factors, senior management employee related action is strongly associated with employee commitment. This finding was found to be especially prominent at lower hierarchical levels within the organisation. The adoption of what is termed conventional 'Model-One' theory-of-action adversely affects employee commitment. It is suggested that senior management theory-of-action can inhibit or facilitate the maintenance and growth of employee commitment. The work provides credence as to the importance and strength of association between senior management theory-of-action and employee commitment, and offers a method by which the association can be tested.
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45

Aleassa, Hasan. "Investigating consumers' software piracy using an extended theory of reasoned action /." Available to subscribers only, 2009. http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=1878978001&sid=4&Fmt=2&clientId=1509&RQT=309&VName=PQD.

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Thesis (Ph. D.)--Southern Illinois University Carbondale, 2009.
"Department of Management." Keywords: Ethical ideology, Low self control, Public self consciousness, Religiosity, Software piracy, Theory of reasoned action. Includes bibliographical references (p. 146-170). Also available online.
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46

Simpson, Jacqueline Christine Coon. "Affirmative Action and Self Esteem: An Exploratory Analysis using Attribution Theory." W&M ScholarWorks, 1992. https://scholarworks.wm.edu/etd/1539625781.

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47

Kwon, Hwang-hyun. "The low-energy effective action of M-theory on a torus." Thesis, University of Cambridge, 2000. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.621576.

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48

Matney, Susan A. "Development of the theory of wisdom in action for clinical nursing." Thesis, The University of Utah, 2016. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=10007120.

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As nurses, we seek to gain nursing wisdom and apply it in our daily practice, yet the process of practicing with wisdom has not been well explained for nursing. The purpose of this dissertation was to develop a theory of wisdom in action (WIA) for clinical nursing, beginning with a formal concept analysis.

In Phase 1 (Aim 1), a preliminary theory was developed deductively using derivation and synthesis, based on theories and models from psychology, education, and nursing. Pertinent concepts were identified and nursing-specific definitions created. The theory included four dimensions: person-related factors, environment-related factors, knowledge, and wisdom.

Separately, a constructivist grounded theory approach inductively captured the experience of wisdom in nursing practice (Aim 2), based on wisdom narratives from 30 emergency department nurses. The resulting grounded theory focused on two processes, technical and affective, juxtaposed on a foundation of expertise. New findings were the importance of affective characteristics such as emotional intelligence and confidence.

Finally, the theories were synthesized into the Theory of Wisdom in Action for Clinical Nursing. The theory describes two antecedent dimensions, person-related and setting-related factors, and two types of wisdom processes. General wisdom processes apply to patient care and describe the actions nurses take during a stressful or uncertain event. Personal wisdom develops afterwards, as a feedback loop with reflection, discovery of meaning, and learning, followed by increased knowledge and confidence.

Wisdom is critical for all areas of nursing practice. The Theory of Wisdom in Action for Clinical Nursing provides a working framework for translating wisdom in clinical nursing practice into theoretical and practical terms, depicting both the science and the art of nursing. This novel theory displays how nurses practice with wisdom, and reveals that wisdom in action requires clinical skills, experience, knowledge, and affective proficiency.

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Sousa, Emanuela Maria PossidÃnio de. "Behavioral intention in traffic: an analysis from the planned action theory." Universidade Federal do CearÃ, 2015. http://www.teses.ufc.br/tde_busca/arquivo.php?codArquivo=15993.

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FundaÃÃo Cearense de Apoio ao Desenvolvimento Cientifico e TecnolÃgico
Esse estudo teve por objetivo predizer a intenÃÃo comportamental de motoristas considerando as variÃveis da Teoria da AÃÃo Planejada. Para tanto, estruturaram-se dois estudos. No Estudo 1, elaborou-se a Escala de Comportamentos no TrÃnsito; e no Estudo 2, testou-se a influÃncia das atitudes, das normas subjetivas e da percepÃÃo de controle na intenÃÃo. No primeiro estudo, procederam-se com trÃs etapas empÃricas. Na primeira, realizou-se levantamento dos comportamentos infratores descritos no CÃdigo de TrÃnsito Brasileiro e distribuÃram-se aleatoriamente as infraÃÃes em cinco tipos de questionÃrios, contando com 44 itens em cada versÃo. Em seguida, procedeu-se a coleta de dados, que contou com 271 pessoas da populaÃÃo geral de Fortaleza (CE), com idades entre 18 e 80 anos (m = 34,7; dp = 13,8), a maioria homens (53,2%), solteiros (48,3%) e condutores de carro (69,7%), que responderam a versÃo preliminar da escala. Perguntou-se aos condutores se conheciam as situaÃÃes descritas e com que frequÃncia aconteciam em Fortaleza, utilizando uma escala de 5 pontos (1 = Nunca a 5 = Sempre); caso o participante nÃo entendesse o item, deveria marcar âNÃo entendoâ (opÃÃo â0â). As anÃlises foram efetuadas no SPSS. Avaliou-se o poder discriminativo dos itens e calculou-se a frequÃncia de respostas, agrupando-as em: âBaixa FrequÃnciaâ (respostas de 0 a 2) e âAlta FrequÃnciaâ (respostas de 3 a 5). Desse modo, consideraram-se para a prÃxima etapa apenas os itens que apresentaram poder discriminativo e âAlta FrequÃnciaâ acima de 50%. Na etapa II, revisou-se o conteÃdo dos itens selecionados anteriormente e realizou-se uma anÃlise de juÃzes. Ao final dessas avaliaÃÃes, foram mantidos 49 itens (40 referentes a comportamentos de motoristas de carro e de motocicleta, 4 especÃficos de carro e 5 especÃficos de motocicleta). Na etapa III, participaram 248 usuÃrios do Facebook, a maioria entre 18 e 25 anos (58,2%), mulheres (53,7%), solteiras (77,0%) e condutoras de carro (76,6%). Para as anÃlises, foram consideradas apenas as respostas dos motoristas de carro, devido ao reduzido nÃmero de participantes das outras categorias de habilitaÃÃo. Calcularam-se as estatÃsticas descritivas e realizou-se Teste t de Student (poder discriminativo dos itens). Os resultados indicaram que 24 itens discriminaram significativamente os grupos critÃrios. Ademais, os valores do KMO e do Teste de Esfericidade de Bartlett foram satisfatÃrios. Realizou-se uma anÃlise de Componentes Principais, com rotaÃÃo oblimim, considerando os critÃrios de Kaiser e Cattell. Constatou-se estrutura de dois fatores (comportamentos infratores e prossociais no trÃnsito). No Estudo 2, participaram 226 pessoas da populaÃÃo geral de Fortaleza (CE), com idades entre 18 e 86 anos (m = 31,07; dp = 11,72), a maioria homens (66,1%), solteiros (60,5%), com ensino superior completo (37,8%) e condutores de carro (60,5%). Os resultados demonstraram que a percepÃÃo de controle foi o preditor mais significativo da intenÃÃo. NÃo obstante algumas limitaÃÃes, ressalta-se que os objetivos foram alcanÃados, sendo propostos estudos futuros que contribuam para a prediÃÃo dos comportamentos dos motoristas.
This study aimed to predict behavioral intention drivers considering the variables of the Theory of Planned Action. To do so, two studies were performed. In Study I, the Behavior Traffic Scale was elaborated and, in Study II, tested the influence of attitudes, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control in intent. In Study I, three empirical steps were performed. On the first step, the transgressive behaviors in traffic, as described in Brazilian Traffic Code, were randomly distributed into five questionnaires, with 44 items each. Then, data collection was carried out and counted with 271 participants from the general population of Fortaleza (CE), aged between 18 and 80 years (M = 34.7; SD = 13.8), mostly men (53.2 %), single (48.3%) and car drivers (69.7%). They answered demographic questions and the preliminary version of the Behavior Traffic Scale. At this stage, the drivers were asked if they understood the situations described and how often they think these situations happen in Fortaleza (CE), in a 5-point Likert scale (1 = Never and 5 = Always); if the participant did not understand the content of the item, they should mark "I did not understand" (option "0"). Data analysis were performed using SPSS. Specifically, the discriminative power (using t test) and the response frequency of each item were calculated, grouping them in "Low Frequency" (answers 0-2) and "High Frequency" (Answer 3 to 5). For Step II, only the items that showed discriminative power and "High Frequency" above 50% were considered. In this phase, the contents of the 83 selected items were reviewed by judges, and 49 items were kept (40 behaviors of car and motorcycle drivers, 4 for car drivers only and 5 for motorcycle drivers only). Finally, the third step counted with 248 Facebook users aged 18 to 86 years (M = 27.0, SD = 9.3), mostly women (53.7%), single (77.0%) and car drivers (76.6%). For data analysis, it was considered only the car drivers version due to the small number of participants having other license categories. Descriptive statistics and t test (discriminative power) were performed. The results indicated that 24 items significantly discriminated the criteria groups. In addition, there were satisfactory values of KMO and Bartlett's sphericity tests. Moreover, it was conducted a Principal Component Analysis with oblimin rotation, and were considered the criteria of Kaiser and Cattell. The results showed a two-factor structure (transgressive and proactive behaviors). In Study II, 226 people participated in the general population of Fortaleza (CE), aged 18 to 86 years (M = 31.07, SD = 11.72), most men (66.1%), single (60.5%) , university graduates (37.8%) and car drivers (60.5%). The perception of control was the most significant predictor of intention. Despite some limitations, it is emphasized that the objectives were achieved, and proposed future studies that contribute to the prediction of the behavior of drivers.
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50

Aleassa, Hasan M. "Investigating Consumers' Software Piracy Using An Extended Theory Of Reasoned Action." OpenSIUC, 2009. https://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/dissertations/37.

Full text
Abstract:
Software piracy, the illegal and unauthorized duplication, sale, or distribution of software, is a widespread and costly phenomenon. According to the Business Software Alliance, more than one third of the PC software packages installed worldwide in 2006 were unauthorized copies. This behavior costs the software industry billions of lost dollars in revenue annually. Software piracy behavior has been investigated for more than thirty years. However, there are two voids in the literature: lack of studies in Non-Western countries and scarcity of process studies. As such, this study contributes to the literature by developing a software piracy model to understand the decision making process that underlies this illegal behavior among Jordanian university students. Based on a literature review in various disciplines, including social psychology, psychology, and criminology, several important variables have been incorporated into the proposed model. The model was tested using data collected from a sample of 323 undergraduate business students. The resulting data was analyzed by two main statistical techniques, structural equation modeling (SEM) and hierarchical multiple regression. The results indicated that the model was useful in predicting students' intention to pirate software. Seven out of eight hypotheses were supported. Consistent with The Theory of Reasoned Action, attitudes toward software piracy and subjective norms were significant predictors of intention to pirate software. However, our findings are inconsistent with previous studies with regard to the relative importance of attitude and subjective norms; subjective norms had a stronger effect. Also, the results suggested that ethical ideology, public self-consciousness, and low self-control moderated the effect of these variables on intention to pirate software. Lastly, the results indicated that the effect of subjective norms on afintention to pirate software was both direct and indirect through attitudes. The results have important practical implications for the software industry and governments to curtail software piracy. Limitations of the study and recommendations for future studies are discussed as well.
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