THE ROLE OF INTENTIO IN AUGUSTINE’S UNDERSTANDING OF THE SOUL’S ASCENT TO GOD: from de animae quantitate to de trinitate

Augustine’s strategic use of the activity of intentio, (the volitional and tensional activity of directing the mind’s attention) as he begins to reflect on ascending to the one God who is Trinitarian, transforms intentio from an aspect of anthropological and psychological analysis into an integral part of a Trinitarian theory of cognition, whereby intentio becomes assimilated to the will, which in Augustine’s thought is connected with the Holy Spirit. This thesis argues that there is a trajectory in Augustine’s use of intentio from its barely discernible traces in de animae quantitate to its explicit development in de trinitate. The stages of ascent in an. quant. form the framework of this thesis and they do so against old advice that an. quant. ‘represents an immaturity soon outgrown and it ought not to be quoted in illustration of the characteristically Augustinian positions.’ (Burnaby 1960, 63) Instead, while mindful of Augustine’s own statement that ‘I am among that number who write while developing and develop while writing,’ (ep. 143:2) the approach here takes its cue from the general reinstatement of the early works recently effected by Carol Harrison (2006) in the hope that an. quant. be specifically rehabilitated. Using a methodology which is largely, though not exclusively exegetical, we will move in each chapter from a description of the stage of ascent in an. quant. and the power of the soul involved, to a consideration of the significance and role of intentio as we find it in trin. The overall conclusion will be that the volitional, directional and tensional aspects of intentio converge to make intentio a unifying theme in Augustine’s understanding of the soul’s ascent to God

The Psychogeographic Relationship with Memories, Popular Music, and Identity: A Case Study from 1995-2022 of the Grateful Dead

This paper will explore sonic geography and its impact on human and cultural geography through popular music, specifically the Grateful Dead, from 1995 to 2022. This research focuses on the eventization of the band and popular music post-Jerry Garcia’s death, whereas previous research has focused primarily on the band from 1965 to 1995. The infamous psychedelic rock and roll band was widely known for the created and imagined communities that it forged over their 30-year run. Recent research on soundscapes and music’s role in the study of geography precipitated the need for more attention to music geography. This paper explores the listeners’ experiences of the Grateful Dead’s music to investigate how the Grateful Dead’s music creates an affective place experience, thus establishing a larger communal soundscape of the Grateful Dead. This work explores how the power of sound can symbolize or leave a powerful imprint in listeners’ minds and how this contributes to self-identity, community, and our perception of place. This work examines Grateful Dead-inspired cover bands, the difference in the Deadhead community post-Jerry Garcia’s death, and how the popular music scene for psychedelic rock has evolved over the years

THE INFLUENCE OF MINDFULNESS ON TEACHER-STUDENT RELATIONSHIPS, CLASSROOM CLIMATE, AND SCHOOL CULTURE: SECONDARY EDUCATORS’ PERSPECTIVES

Research suggests that the relationships students share with teachers have the power to enhance or hinder students’ learning and overall well-being. Thus, there is a critical need for educational leaders to implement systems that develop teachers’ abilities to connect with and positively support students. The focus of this phenomenological study was to explore a purposefully selected group of participants’ perceptions of how their mindfulness practices influence their work as secondary educators. Participants of the study included secondary educators from varied academic departments, varied years of teaching experience, and varied years engaged in mindfulness practice. Participants were drawn from two suburban, mid-sized secondary schools in the Northeastern region of the U.S. Both districts featured in the study can be characterized as high performing; consequently, students in these districts may endure significant pressure to succeed and face fierce competition for grades, placement in high-level courses, and, ultimately, admission to “top-tier” colleges and universities. In these high-stakes settings, the need for teacher support is perhaps even more critical to learning outcomes and overall student welfare. Data collection points in this study included in-depth critical incident reports, phenomenological interviews, and a culminating focus group. The data were gathered, coded, analyzed, and interpreted in alignment with three research questions: 1. How do secondary educators perceive the origins of their mindfulness practices? 2. How do secondary educators perceive the connection between their contemporary mindfulness practice and their critical role as a secondary teacher? 3. What do secondary teachers perceive is the influence of mindfulness on school culture, and what barriers do they perceive in establishing mindful schools? Understanding the influence of teacher mindfulness on teacher-student relationships, classroom climate, and school culture may have important implications for the realm of secondary education. Findings may inform educational leaders’ decisions regarding organizational change initiatives, including teacher preparation programs and district and school-wide teacher support plans

Evaluation of a planned program of word analysis in grade two

Thesis (Ed.M.)--Boston Universit

Synthesis, Characterization, and Toxicity Studies of Dirhodium and Diiridium Metal-Metal Bonded Compounds

The anticancer properties of dirhodium tetraacetate were discovered in the 1970's, and subsequently motivated the research of several dirhodium paddlewheel derivatives. The promising results of this research led the Dunbar group to investigate the biological properties of dirhodium partial paddlewheel compounds. Previous work in our group has focused on dirhodium carboxylate derivatives with a series of diimine ligands, namely 1,10-phenanthroline (phen), dipyrido[3,2-f:2',3'-h]quinoxaline (dpq), dipyrido[3,2a:2',3'c] phenazine (dppz), and benzo[i]dipyrido[3,2-a:2',3'-c]phenazine) (dppn). Current research has expanded this diimine series by substituting the carobxylate bridging group with p-methoxyphenylphosphine (PMP). This new series of compounds was characterized by several techniques, including: X-Ray crystallography, 1H NMR spectroscopy, and electronic absorption spectroscopy. The cytotoxicity of these compounds towards HeLa cells was investigated in presence and absence of light in an effort to investigate the ability to use these compounds as photodynamic therapy (PDT) agents. Cytotoxicity measurements were carried out using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5 diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. It was found that in the dark [Rh2(PMP)2(dppz)2][BF4]2 (the dppz derivative of the dirhodium PMP compound) had no cytotoxicity towards HeLa cells, but experienced a 7 fold increase in cytotoxicity upon irradiation (with lambdai_rr equal to 350 nm). This dramatic increase in cytotoxicity upon irradiation makes this compound a potential PDT agent. Diiridium (II,II) compounds were prepared in a dual attempt to determine how the properties of the dirhodium core effect the biological activities of these compounds, as well as investigate the biological activity of a set of compounds that has yet to be explored. The compound [Ir2(DTolF)2(CH3CN)6][BF4]2 was chosen because it has a well understood dirhodium analogue, and it is a known compound. However, it was discovered that there was a potential silver contamination in the final product, stemming from the silver trifluoroacetate oxidant used during synthesis. Consequently, a new method of preparing this compound was required. The new synthetic pathway for the diiridium compound [Ir2(DTolF)2(CH3CN)6][BF4]2 was devised, and the cytotoxicity and photocytotoxicity studies were performed for the first time (to our knowledge) on a diiridium (II,II) compound. Despite the stability of the compound, it was determined to be highly toxic, both in the dark and upon irradiation