A Distant Diaspora: Thinking Comparatively about Origins, Migrations and Roman Slavery

It is estimated that more than 100 million people were enslaved in the millennium during which the Roman Empire rose and fell (Scheidel 2007: 26), yet the archaeology of Classical slavery is still in its infancy, with many Roman archaeologists still believing that slaves remain ‘invisible ’ to archaeological view (see Webster 2005 for an overview). In the last few years however, a small group of scholars have begun to explore the potentials of a comparative archaeology of Classical slavery: one drawing explicitly on the work carried out by archaeologists of early modern slavery in North America and the Caribbean (see for example Morris 1998; Webster 2005; Dal Lago and Katsari 2008a and 2008b; Webster 2008). Much of this work has of course been written by and for Romanists. There is as yet little sign of a dialogue opening up between archaeologists of ancient and modern slavery, and we seem to remain largely ignorant of developments in each other’s ‘worlds.’ The aim of this article is to make a small step towards an improved dialogue, by highlighting points of similarity and difference concerning the nature – and study – of forced migrations in the Classical and Atlantic worlds. I begin by exploring shared central research questions: where did an individual’s journey into slavery begin? Can we recognise dominan

ANCIL in action: progress updates on A New Curriculum for Information Literacy

Secker & Coonan’s 2011 research on A New Curriculum for Information Literacy (ANCIL) positions information literacy as a vital, holistic and institution-wide element in academic teaching and learning. Rather than taking a competency-based approach in which abilities and performance levels are delineated prescriptively, ANCIL is founded on a perception of information literacy as a continuum of skills, competences, behaviours and values around information, centred in an individual learner engaged in a specific task or moving towards a particular goal. ANCIL offers both micro- and macro-level approaches to reviewing the information literacy support offered in an institution. With its emphasis on active, reflective and transferable elements in learning, ANCIL lends itself well to practical course design and lesson planning. By reviewing the structure and content of individual sessions through the ANCIL lens, it is possible to enhance information literacy teaching significantly even where provision is restricted to one-shot or front-loaded training sessions. In addition, ANCIL’s holistic mapping of information literacy, together with the interprofessional and collaborative approach this entails, allows departments or whole institutions to audit where, how and when provision is offered to and encountered by the student in the course of his or her learning career.The original ANCIL project research was supported by the Arcadia Programme at Cambridge University Library

A comparative study of women's pages in relation to women in the respective communities.

Thesis (M.S.)--Boston Universit

Language: what it's for and why we have it

In this thesis, I agree with the notion that human natural languages are underpinned by an innate faculty of language which predisposes us to acquire the structural aspects of language. Theories pertaining to its primary function, however, are lacking as they are either out of touch with the bigger picture of human social life (Berwick and Chomsky 2017) or, if they do embrace this, they are met with challenges from evolutionary and communication theory (Pinker and Bloom 1990; Jackendoff 2002). In order to give a more satisfactory evolutionary account of the faculty of language, I propose that we take inspiration from the alternative view that natural languages are social entities which are wholly learnt and exist to improve human cooperation and social living (Tomasello 2014; Sterelny 2012). An important aspect of this view is seeing that humans have an advanced form of social cognition—that is the ability to understand that other creatures also have minds—which underpins their cooperative and communicative capabilities. I suggest, instead, that we ask what the faculty of language brings to this viewpoint. My response is that an innate linguistic structure is able to bring to mind new thoughts, ideas, or explanations in human communicative discourse and in situations where it would not be possible with just standalone words or pointing and pantomime. In more technical terms ‘the primary function of the faculty of language is to make relevant what is not salient in communicative discourses’. The faculty of language, thus, introduces a new paradigm to human communication and social living. In conclusion, we will appreciate that an approach which integrates valuable lessons from viewpoints that are usually diametrically opposed provides a picture of language evolution that is more holistic and streamlined. My theory, therefore, appreciates and combines our understanding of linguistic structure, social cognition, human communication, and evolution in a way that is not seen in either of the theories that precede it

Towards a framework for exploring children\u27s analytical thinking and creativity in technology

Technology education provides children with opportunities to be creative as they engage in problem solving and make products that address human needs. When thinking creatively, children generate new ideas through remote associations and brainstorming and this type of thinking is enhanced when attention is allowed to wander in a relaxed and uncompetitive environment. Research shows that the two mental states (generative and nongenerative/analytical) cannot exist simultaneously (Howard-Jones 2002). It follows that at some point in the technological process a child&rsquo;s generative mental state needs to give way to a nongenerative, analytical state so that the child can focus on analysing information. This research project aims to investigate the impact of analytical thinking on creativity in the context of technology education in young children.<br /

Commercial bank lending practices in the development of urban projects : underwriting criteria in a changing environment

Thesis (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, 1990.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 79-83).by Alison J. Waltch and Lauri A. Webster.M.S

COMPARING GOAL SETTING APPROACHES TO BOOST COMPUTER-RELATED PRO-ENVIRONMENTAL BEHAVIORS

This research focuses on improving individuals’ pro-environmental behaviors related to information technology and system use. To do so, we draw on and extend goal-setting theory by comparing three goal interventions: goal-setting, goal-setting plus implementation plans, and goal-setting with both implementation plans and visualization of success. Two longitudinal studies examine individuals’ selfset goals: the first examines employees’ computer-based electricity usage in the workplace over six weeks and the second utilizes a diary approach method over four weeks to examine the effects of different goal setting conditions on students’ environmental outcomes. Both studies find that setting goals increases pro-environmental behaviors. However, rebound effects can occur when interventions are removed. Visualization of success appears to reduce this rebound effect and we suggest that future research continue to investigate methods for reducing rebound, including the roles of values and multiple goals on the efficacy of goal-setting. This paper contributes to Green IS research in several ways: conceptually (by responding to calls for more theory-based research), methodologically (by measuring objective computer-based energy usage in study 1 and by utilizing a diary method in study 2), and practically (by demonstrating the effectiveness of visualization to goal setting)

Gamification – A Novel Phenomenon or a New Wrapping for Existing Concepts?

Adding game elements to products and services has become a popular approach for enhancing users’ experiences. Accordingly, gamification is widely considered an important method for intrinsically motivating users toward a preferred behavior. But what exactly about gamification is actually novel? In a broad literature review, we compare and contrast gamification to similar concepts such as hedonic, persuasive and intrinsically motivating information systems. By decomposing and classifying game elements found in the literature, we distinguish between already existing elements and ones that can be considered new. In order to drive this area of research forward, we develop an extended framework for gamification, identify gaps in the literature, and propose future avenues for research

COMPUTER TRAINING AND COMPUTER ANXIETY IN THE EDUCATIONAL PROCESS: AN EXPERIMENTAL ANALYSIS

The 1980s witnessed the widespread introduction of microcomputer technology into educational institutions and the workplace. Microcomputer software training has achieved mixed results due to both training methods and individual factors, such as computer anxiety. The present research addresses the topic of software training by presenting the results of two studies. The first study validates a measure of computer anxiety, while the second study contrasts the effects of training method and computer anxiety on training outcomes. The training method demonstrated stronger relationships with training outcomes than did computer anxiety. In addition, the second study contrasted two training methods and found that training labelled as play resulted in enhanced training outcomes as compared with training labelled as wor