The Importance of Being Ernest John : Challenging the Misconceptions about the Life and Works of E. J. Moeran

The thesis begins by presenting a set of beliefs about the composer Ernest John Moeran that has come to be recognised as Moeran conventional wisdom. Hitherto, all writing about the composer, scholarly or otherwise, has been predicated on the acceptance of these beliefs as undeniable fact. All aspects of the composer’s life and work have been perceived and rationalised within their context, and together they have provided what has until now been acknowledged as the basis of biography. This research project has determined conclusively that most, if not all, of these beliefs are the result of misunderstanding, exaggeration, speculation or fabrication, and may therefore be regarded as misconceptions. These misconceptions are herein challenged through the narrating of episodes from Moeran’s life-journey, as constructed from the results of forensic and hermeneutic examination of such source material and documentary evidence as it has been possible to locate and examine. Moeran, as both man and composer, is consequently revealed to have been a substantially different character from that portrayed by the conventional wisdom, and while the body of music he composed remains unchanged the perception and reception of it is radically transformed. Moeran’s development as a composer is traced by the examination of a few representative works, each of which relates specifically to the aspect of his life under consideration. These works have also been selected to illustrate both Moeran’s stylistic originality and his formal ingenuity. The thesis concludes with a re-assessment of the composer and his achievement. The impact on Moeran scholarship of the findings presented in the body of the thesis is described and areas where further research may extend these findings are suggested

Alexander Duff and the theological and philosophical background to the General Assembly's Mission in Calcutta to 1840

This thesis sets out to explore the theological and philosophical background to the General Assembly's Institution in Calcutta. This is done by means of a study of the education and early career of Alexander Duff, the Mission's first superintendent, and an examination of the institutions with which Duff was involved.Earlier historical study by Duffs Victorian biographers suggested that the Evangelical Revival was a significant influence on Duffs early religious formation. Duffs involvement in the Theological and Student Missionary Societies at the university has already been identified by several historians as important for his later mission interests. The powerful influence of Thomas Chalmers, Professor of Moral Philosophy at the United Colleges has also been noted. This thesis argues, however, that the most important elements of Duffs later approach to mission in Calcutta have their origins in the educational traditions of St.Andrews University. From the Humanities course there Duff imbibed a Baconian theory of modernity. And the rhetorical skills to which he was introduced in Professor James Hunter's class were to be a characteristic of his later career.Alexander Duffs main theological training was at St.Mary's, the divinity college of St.Andrews University. This training, the thesis argues, was in the then dominant tradition of rational Calvinism. The emphasis of this tradition was essentially on the importance of rationality for Christian belief, chiefly expressed in an assured confidence in the potentialities of reason and the rational progress of history.The argument of the thesis continues by tracing the contours of the wide ranging debate within Scottish presbyterianism on the progress of civil society and the key role of rationality in advancing that progress. Many of the assumptions and expectations underlying the establishment of the Institution in Calcutta first emerged in this debate.Much valuable research has already been completed into the early history of the Institution in Calcutta. This enquiry builds on that earlier research in order to explore further Alexander Duffs use of apologetic theology in the renowned lectures to the students of Hindu College. The argument of this study is that Duffs use of this theology typifies the emphases of the rational Calvinist tradition. The enquiry goes on to record the mounting financial pressures on the Institution which led Duff to seek public funding from Scotland.al pressures on the Institution which led Duff to seek public funding from Scotland. The necessary financial support for the Mission, however, was contingent on public perceptions of the work of the Institution. Within Scottish presbyterianism the dominant paradigm of missions was traditionally evangelical and biblicist. Alexander Duff, however, iv was supremely successful in displacing this model by a series of Assembly addresses, speeches, pamphlets and books, India and Indian Missions in particular. He was, furthermore, able to consolidate these gains by further speeches on a tour of the presbyteries of Scotland. He did this to such effect that what was essentially the rational Calvinist approach to missions became part of the normal discourse of Scottish presbyterianism until at least the second half of the nineteenth century.These themes are drawn together in a conclusion which enables a more precise assessment of the contribution of the Scottish Enlightenment to presbyterian missions. The conclusions of recent historical study are corroborated. Alexander Duff was not the pioneer of missionary education that previous generations understood him to be. His achievement lies in other areas. In Missions - the Chief End of the Church, for example, he made a highly original contribution towards an understanding of the missionary nature of the Church. Within the period in question, however, his main achievement was to have shifted the public perception of missions in Scotland towards a modern theory of rationally motivated change. Indeed, as a general conclusion this study argues that Duffs promulgation of a Baconian emphasis on modernity based on an older Enlightenment theory of the emergence of civil society was prototypical. As such, it was the ancestor of those later nineteenth century mission theories of development which aimed at the displacement of traditional, pre-industrial culture by rational Westernized society

Mental health and emotional well-being of students in further education - a scoping study

This study aimed to explore how FE colleges in England are engaging with and addressing the mental health needs of their young students (aged 16-19), both in terms of promoting positive mental health and emotional well-being and in responding to identified mental health problems

Supporting mental health and emotional well-being among younger students in further education

Over the last 25 years there has been an increase in reported behavioural and emotional problems among young people. Moreover, students in higher education (HE) are reported to have increased symptoms of mental ill health compared with age-matched controls. Some students in further education (FE) are likely to experience similar difficulties, especially as an increasing number may come from backgrounds that may make them more vulnerable to mental health problems. National policies and guidance highlight the importance of promoting the mental health of young people in general and of students in particular. This exploratory study aimed to identify whether, and in what ways, FE colleges were contributing to younger students' (aged 16-19 years) mental health. Interviews with key informants, a survey of FE colleges in England and five case studies of individual FE colleges providing specialised mental-health support services to students revealed some evidence of promising and good practice, but this did not appear to be widespread. Given the current range of college settings, no single approach to improving mental health among students is likely to be the answer. Rather, respondents highlighted a number of factors that influence the provision of support services for students: awareness among professionals of the links between students' mental health and their achievement at college; having in place national and college policies and guidance that address mental health; building an inclusive college ethos; building leadership at senior and middle manager levels; having accessible in-college and/or external support services; and the provision of professional development opportunities for staff

Rauschenberg\u27s Journey to Dante: Or How to Keep a Clean Head

Senior Project submitted to The Division of Social Studies of Bard College

A METHOD FOR CONTROLLING ACCESS TO WIRELESS ELECTRICITY

A wireless electricity access control system provides a way to authenticate access to a power network. The system provides a method for a user of a wireless energy receiver to perform an authentication action at the receiver. Upon successful authentication, the system presents an advertisement or other media file to the user. After the consumption of the media file, the energy receiver receives a shared secret and a timestamp. The energy receiver uses this information to synchronize clocks at the energy receiver and an energy transmitter such as the power network. The energy receiver then selects a frequency using the synchronized clocks, shared secret, and timestamp information for receiving wireless electricity from the energy transmitter