Homiletics Courses in Five Major Protestant Denominations: A Rhetorical Analysis

I. The Nature and Purpose of the Study. The hypothesis of this study was that the nature of the rhetorical training currently offered by major Protestant denominations could be discovered by analyzing the homiletic texts used by those denominations in their respective homiletics courses. It was the purpose of this study, through analyzing the homilectics textbooks used, to answer two questions: (1) What rhetorical canons are being included, or excluded from, the basic homiletics courses of the Baptists, Methodists, Lutherans, Presbyterians, and Episcopalians? and (2) What differences and similarities, if any, exist in the homiletics courses of the Baptists, Methodists, Lutherans, Presbyterians and Episcopalians? II. The Evaluative Tool. An outline of the canons of rhetoric according to Aristotle, Cicero, and Quintilian was invented. The outline consisted of the five canons and their component parts. The canons identified were invention, arrangement, style, delivery, and memory. The component parts of invention were: discovery of topics, discovery of ideas, and discovery of the modes of persuasion. The component parts of arrangement were: divisions of the speech, and relationship of ideas. The component parts of style were: the types of style, and stylistic devices. The component parts of delivery were: body and voice. The component parts of memory were: mnemonics and extemporaneous delivery. The content of the homiletics textbooks used by each denomination was analyzed with the classical canon outline. That analysis provided answers to the questions asked. Ill. Conclusions. Based upon the canon outlines of the texts used by each denomination, a summary statement of rhetorical inclusions and exclusions was made. Next, a summary statement of the similarities and differences of the rhetorical training of the denominations was made. Based upon the summary statements the following conclusions were drawn: None of the denominations are teaching all component parts of all of the classical canons. Some of the denominations are teaching all aspects of at least one canon. Some denominations are teaching part of a canon or parts of several canons. Some of the content taught is classical although the terminology differs from traditional rhetorical terminology. All writers of the homiletics textbooks studied seemed to be unaware of the classical canons. References to classical concepts seemed to be more accidental than intentional. Compared to the classical canons of rhetoric, current homiletics training seems to be unorganized and/or lacks completeness. Most of the textbooks used in the homiletics courses were recently published. Perhaps the older homiletics textbooks would do a better job of presenting the classical canons

Homiletics Courses in Five Major Protestant Denominations: A Rhetorical Analysis

I. The Nature and Purpose of the Study. The hypothesis of this study was that the nature of the rhetorical training currently offered by major Protestant denominations could be discovered by analyzing the homiletic texts used by those denominations in their respective homiletics courses. It was the purpose of this study, through analyzing the homilectics textbooks used, to answer two questions: (1) What rhetorical canons are being included, or excluded from, the basic homiletics courses of the Baptists, Methodists, Lutherans, Presbyterians, and Episcopalians? and (2) What differences and similarities, if any, exist in the homiletics courses of the Baptists, Methodists, Lutherans, Presbyterians and Episcopalians? II. The Evaluative Tool. An outline of the canons of rhetoric according to Aristotle, Cicero, and Quintilian was invented. The outline consisted of the five canons and their component parts. The canons identified were invention, arrangement, style, delivery, and memory. The component parts of invention were: discovery of topics, discovery of ideas, and discovery of the modes of persuasion. The component parts of arrangement were: divisions of the speech, and relationship of ideas. The component parts of style were: the types of style, and stylistic devices. The component parts of delivery were: body and voice. The component parts of memory were: mnemonics and extemporaneous delivery. The content of the homiletics textbooks used by each denomination was analyzed with the classical canon outline. That analysis provided answers to the questions asked. Ill. Conclusions. Based upon the canon outlines of the texts used by each denomination, a summary statement of rhetorical inclusions and exclusions was made. Next, a summary statement of the similarities and differences of the rhetorical training of the denominations was made. Based upon the summary statements the following conclusions were drawn: None of the denominations are teaching all component parts of all of the classical canons. Some of the denominations are teaching all aspects of at least one canon. Some denominations are teaching part of a canon or parts of several canons. Some of the content taught is classical although the terminology differs from traditional rhetorical terminology. All writers of the homiletics textbooks studied seemed to be unaware of the classical canons. References to classical concepts seemed to be more accidental than intentional. Compared to the classical canons of rhetoric, current homiletics training seems to be unorganized and/or lacks completeness. Most of the textbooks used in the homiletics courses were recently published. Perhaps the older homiletics textbooks would do a better job of presenting the classical canons

The IUCF Cooler Project

This research was sponsored by the National Science Foundation Grant NSF PHY 87-1440

A 3-Month interdisciplinary Process Drama Program to Build Social Skills in Pre-Schoolers with ASD: A Feasibility Study

Objectives: To test the feasibility and effect of an interdisciplinary process drama program targeting social skill development in 3-5 year-old children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) characteristics To develop a paradigm for testing brain-behavior relationships related to social skills in these children using EEG and testing its ability to detect intervention-related changes. Background: Social skill deficits are a hallmark cause of disability in ASD. Such disability is of critical concern given the rising prevalence (1 in 54 Utah children) of ASD. [1] As children learn through social experiences, difficulty in social interactions can limit development and ability to succeed in school and eventually employment. One possible contributor to social interaction difficulties in ASD is a deficit in theory of mind (ToM), the ability to understand others\u27 perspectives, proposed to rely on memories of cognitive and emotional events that allow one to experience others\u27 situations as if they were one\u27s own. [2.3] Children with ASD have deficits in ToM [2,3] and show aberrant neural activation patterns in areas most typically activated during ToM tasks in healthy children. [4,5] An effective intervention fostering generalizable social skill development in children with ASD remains elusive. We propose to address this need with an interdisciplinary process drama intervention involving collaboration among occupational therapists (OT), theatre faculty/teachers, and speech language pathologists (SLP) to improve social interactions in preschoolers with ASD. Process drama may be an excellent medium for fostering social skill development due to the ability to create specific learning experiences in an autotelic manner [6] in which people experience the embodied cognition and emotions without conscious commitment to abstract social skill improvement goals. The scenes can emphasize social and emotional cues and explicit identification of scene-related feelings for the formation of social cognitive and emotional memories that can be recalled as the basis for later social functioning.[3] Process drama programs foster communication development in typically developing children [7] and a few studies have shown such programs enhance social skills of children aged 8-17 with ASD [8,9] However, targeting process drama intervention in preschool children may have the greatest potential for effect on ToM and subsequent social skill development. The overpruning hypothesis [10] proposes that ASD results from abnormal neural pruning in widespread neural networks, with weaker long-range connections being more vulnerable to major disruption. As neural connections strengthen through experience,[11] providing interventions targeting desired processing will strengthen associated connections making them less susceptible to pruning and resulting in preserved function. Peak synaptic density for auditory and prefrontal cortices, both involved in social skills, occurs between age 3-5 years [11], suggesting an optimal period for strengthening connections through intervention. Impact: The deficits in social skills of people with ASD significantly affect their ability to function in society. These deficits take a large toll on families and on independence and employability of the individual. Finding effective interventions to facilitate social skills would have a large impact on society by reducing disability in this prevalent population. Results: The primary goal of the proposed study is to gather preliminary data on potential utility of an interdisciplinary process drama intervention to improve social skills in children with ASD. We will address the following specific aims: 1) determine the feasibility of: a) the protocol for collecting neural activation data via EEG on preschoolers with ASD characteristics; b) conducting a 3 month, 3x/week process drama intervention program led by a collaborative team of theatre teachers, OTs and SLPs aimed at improving social skills. 2) Determine preliminary effects of this interdisciplinary intervention on: a) increasing positive social behaviors; b) changes in neural activation during social tasks

Laboratory Development

This research was sponsored by the National Science Foundation Grant NSF PHY 87-1440

The IUCF Cooler Project

This research was sponsored by the National Science Foundation Grant NSF PHY 87-1440

Existence of a lens-shaped cluster of surfaces self-shrinking by mean curvature

We rigorously show the existence of a rotationally and centrally symmetric "lens-shaped" cluster of three surfaces, meeting at a smooth common circle, forming equal angles of 120 degrees, self-shrinking under the motion by mean curvature.Comment: 22 pages, 2 figure

Evidence-Based Management of Hand Eczema

Hand eczema is a common skin disease with a wide variation in morphology and a complex etiology based on endogenous and exogenous factors.The diagnosis of hand eczema is based on patient history, exposure assessment, physical examination, and the results of patch testing. Management of hand eczema starts with education of the patient on the etiology of the disease, and the needed changes in behavior regarding skin care and preventive measures, and avoidance of relevant exposure factors. In many cases, medical treatment is needed for successful management of the disease; use of medication can only be successful with proper education and avoidance of relevant exposure

Genetic variation and diversity of pearl millet [Pennisetum glaucum (L.)] genotypes assessed for millet head miner, Heliocheilus albipunctella resistance, in West Africa

Pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum L.), the major source of minerals and dietary energy for people living in the semi-arid regions of Sahel, is regularly damaged by millet head miner, Heliocheilus albipunctella. In order to identify the plant-based resistance sources for millet head miner along with high grain Fe and Zn, we have screened forty pearl millet genotypes, using an artificial infestation method. Analysis of variance revealed significant differences in the genotypes tested for head miner resistance. The genotypes Gamoji, ICMP 177001, ICMP 177002, ICMV 177003, ICMV IS 90311, LCIC9702, Souna 3, ICMV IS 94206 and PE08043 exhibited antibiosis resistance mechanism to Heliocheilus albipunctella with appreciable agronomy and grain yield when compared with the susceptible check ICMV IS 92222. The genotypes Faringuero, ICMV 167005, ICMV IS 99001, Sadore local, SOSAT-C88, and ICMP 177004 exhibited tolerance to head miner damage with good per se performance. The genotypes ICMP 177001, ICMP 177002, ICMV 177003, and Moro exhibited resistance to millet head miner and had consistent grain Fe content across seasons (ranging from 44 to 70 ppm). Association between the head miner resistance and morphological traits showed a positive and significant correlation of larval production index (%) with head miner damage (r = 0.59**). Grain Fe and Zn contents exhibited negative association with panicle length and grain yield indicating proper care should be taken in breeding for these traits. Hence, the identified resistance sources can be effectively utilized in breeding head miner resistant pearl millet OPV’s/ hybrids, with high grain yield including Fe and Zn concentrations, to overcome the hunger and malnutrition seen in populations living in the semi-arid tropics