The role of literature: english textbooks and literature in secondary teaching in Portugal

Trabalho de Projecto apresentado para cumprimento dos requisitos necessários à obtenção do grau de Mestre em Ensino de InglêsThe purpose of this Project Work is to assess how English textbooks present an approach to the literary text in secondary schools in Portugal. Whilst textbooks are not the only resource teachers use in their teaching practice, in the last years they have gained a significant place, being now the main tool in any classroom. Acknowledging its importance means textbooks have become legitimizing tools for the contents they promote. On the other hand, there has been a regression in textbooks due to several policies, political and educational, that have affected their role as sources of meaningful learning. In fact, being textbooks a reading of the syllabus and frequently their substitutes, it will be shown that there are flaws in the syllabus that are replicated in textbooks, affecting its content. In educational terms, the literary texts as valuable and valid learning material have been cause of debate throughout years, although the English syllabus in Portugal promotes its use. Bearing this in mind, the emphasis will be placed in the use of literary texts as a way of achieving meaningful learning and enhancing students’ knowledge of English as a foreign language and on how textbooks do not support this perspective nor recognize its importance, because they follow a communicative perspective of learning a language

(Re)securitisation in Europe: the Baltic States and Russia

Relations between the European Union (EU) and Russia have entered a more difficult era with the 2004 enlargement and the annexation of Crimea in 2014. The three Baltic states are new EU member states that share threat perceptions vis-à-vis Moscow. The article unpacks securitisation processes in the three Republics and how they have evolved after 2004 and 2014, as compared to the previous period of independence initialled in 1991. By exploring discourses, identity formation by strategies of othering and policy changes, we argue that re-securitisation is currently undergoing after a period of softer securitisation in the aftermath of EU accession

The Cape Verde Archipelago and the Protection of Sea Turtles

[Resumo] As tartarugas marinhas são espécies mundialmente protegidas; são populações emigrantes presentes em todo o mundo, tamén en Cabo Verde. Presentase un estudo que tinha como objectivos conhecer a existência de tartarugas marinhas en Cabo Verde, identificar as espécies mais frequentes e as praias e as zonas de maior ocorrência, e os maiores perigos que enfrentam. O estudo contempla tamén a contribuição social, económica e cultural das tartarugas marinhas para o desenvolvimento das populações locais, e unha campaña de comunicação social[Abstract] Sea turtles are species which are protected throughout the world, they are emigrant populations which are present throughout the world, and also in Cape Verde. We present a study which has as its objectives some knowledge of the existence of sea turtles in Cape Verde, the identification of the most frequently spotted species and the beaches and areas in which these are most common, and the major dangers which they face. This study also contemplates the social, economic and cultural contribution of sea turtles in the development of the local populations along with a campaign of social communication

Influence of the particle size distribution on the stifness of granitic materials

A presente comunicação apresenta a avaliação das características de deformabilidade obtidas com recurso a um equipamento triaxial de precisão, sobre três granulometrias diferentes da mesma origem geológica (formação granítica), a saber: uma areia siltosa (D50=0.36mm) designada de Areia de Perafita, e dois agregados graníticos, um (0/12.5) e outro (0/31.5). Os ensaios foram realizados sobre provetes reconstituídos por compactação sobre amostras no estado não saturado, tendo-se procedido à medição das pressões intersticiais negativas, de modo a se poderem também analisar os resultados em termos de tensões efectivas. Os resultados obtidos evidenciaram, para um determinado nível de tensão, um aumento do módulo de deformabilidade (normalizado para o mesmo índice de vazios) com a diminuição da dimensão máxima das partículas.In this paper is presented the stiffness of three materials with the same geological origin, a silty sand designed Perafita sand (D50=0.36mm) and two granite aggregates, one (0/12.5) and another (0/31.5). The stiffness of the compacted materials was studied by means of precision triaxial tests. The influence of non-saturation into the stiffness is also studied through triaxial tests with measurements of negative pore water pressures. Such measurements allow the analysis of the mechanical behaviour of the unsaturated materials in terms of effective stresses. The results obtained show, for a certain stress level, an increasing of the Young’s modulus (normalised for a certain void ratio) with the decreasing of the maximum size of particles.GRICES/CNRS – projecto “Security of road and railway infrastructures versus climatic changes

Customers’ Online Interaction Experiences with Fashion Brands: E-Information and E-Buying

Online platforms (such as websites, blogs, social networks, crowdsourcing) enable consumers to interact with companies and brands in new ways. This chapter is the first attempt to go further and analyse how perceived fashion website quality, social influence and recommendation, credibility, and experience influence fashion consumer behaviour, considering performance expectancy as the core element of online trust, satisfaction and word-of-mouth. The proposed model is tested in the context of the fashion industry. Data comprises a sample of generation Y users of fashion websites to get information and buy clothes. In order to collect data, convenience mall-intercept sampling (Lisbon city centre area) served to draw a broad cross-section of consumers. Researchers used tablets to be used by consumers to answer the online survey. The final sample consisted of 312 participants. The instruments employed were adapted from previous studies and pilot-tested with a group of master’s students to verify the clarity of meaning and comprehension. Findings reveal the stronger influence of perceived quality and experience on the performance expectancy. Performance expectancy, in turn, exercises a positive effect on satisfaction and word-of-mouth

Human branding : from attachment strength to loyalty

Human branding is everywhere and within every individual. With the increase in the importance of technology and social media, human branding becomes increasingly relevant, but it is still a branding concept with much room to explore. Celebrities, such as actors and athletes, are the greatest examples of human brands, and with social media managing public image is key to success. This study aims to analyze the process by which attachment strength influences loyalty through intimate and public engagement. Thus, a sample of 321 participants, collected through social media platforms, allowed us to treat data and test the hypotheses of the proposed model. Relatedness is the most relevant driver of attachment strength and the flow from attachment to loyalty through public engagement.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

La crisis sub prime en Estados Unidos y la regulación y supervisión financiera: lecciones para América Latina y el Caribe

Incluye BibliografíaEn este documento se analiza la crisis que desde el 2007 afecta al sistema financiero de los Estados Unidos y se proponen algunas lecciones para América Latina y el Caribe en el área de la regulación y supervisión financiera, cuyas falencias se señalan como una de las principales causas de la crisis. Luego de la introducción, el segundo capítulo describe la coyuntura económica y los significativos cambios en el sistema financiero de ese país durante los años noventa y la presente década, señalando la contribución de esos factores a la incubación y posterior eclosión de la crisis. Se presentan en el curso de dicho análisis cifras relativas a los desarrollos de los nuevos segmentos del mercado financiero que hasta hace poco eran de difícil obtención. El capítulo tercero analiza características de los sistemas financieros que los hacen propensos a crisis e identifica rasgos comunes y diferencias de la presente crisis con experiencias previas en la región. Ambos capítulos dan pié para formular primeras lecciones para la regulación y supervisión financiera en la región. Así, el cuarto capítulo aborda cuatro áreas: a) la necesidad de incluir en la regulación los aspectos macroprudenciales del riesgo b) el mejoramiento de la regulación prudencial con el fin de reducir la prociclicidad del sistema, c) la ampliación del ámbito de la regulación, y d) ciertos conflictos de interés que afectan la divulgación fidedigna y oportuna de los niveles de riesgo que asumen las instituciones financieras. Por último, el anexo describe los principales rasgos de ciertos instrumentos financieros complejos, a los que los análisis de esta experiencia suelen hacer referencia, pero cuyas características no son muy conocidas