Negotiating the Australia–Japan Basic Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation : Reflections and Afterthoughts

This projects concern for diplomatic history is admirable, and my remarks will be directed towards encouraging the cause. Despite the best efforts of the Historical Documents Section of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), diplomatic history is languishing in Australian universities, as elsewhere, As evidence, I cite the under-whelming reception of Peter Edwards fine biography of Arthur Tange1 and academias muted notice of the 30th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam war and the 40th anniversary of Australias involvement, despite, I argue, their contemporary relevance.

Zeroed Out

This piece is written from the perspective of a “hard” woman who expresses the rationale behind that adjective and how her hardness came about. She also illustrates her discontentment about what happens to her and other female species caused by men’s inactions

Masked Marginalization

I was inspired to write this reflective piece after a personal encounter with a close female relative and wanted to demystify the notion that marginalization of women no longer exists. This thoughtful piece presents a vivid description of the objectification of women concerning women\u27s physique in this twenty-first century. Therefore, this piece acts as a wake-up call to our blindness to this \u27normalized\u27 issue. It also shows the traumatic experiences of women and the various hurdles they face

Gender equality and the effectiveness of primary education in Katosi town council, Mukono district in central Uganda

Purpose: This study aimed to assess ways by which Gender Equality affects primary education in Mukono District Research methodology: This study is a case study that concentrates on a single institute to provide information that can be used in similar businesses to establish the effect of gender equality on primary school. A case study as the research design was preferred because it helps to measure the relationship among variables. A random sampling technique was applied in the study to produce more reliable results. Results: Results indicate that majority of pupils said that three pupils shared one text book. Also, schools only hire highly skilled teachers that a helping in the accessibility of gender equal skilled teachers that a helping in the primary education.  Limitations: The study covered only one town council in one district local government and so the results may not be generalized across the country or region. Contribution: The results of this study can be useful to educationists and policy planners. Keywords: Gender, Gender equality, Primary schools, UP

First-year university students' conceptual understanding of electric circuits in relation to school and personal background

This paper reports a quantitative study about university students’ conceptual understanding of simple DC-circuits when entering firstyear physics at a South African university. The aim was to investigate how conceptual understanding relates to the students’ personal and school background. The conceptual framework was based on an existing model of the effectiveness of science education. Data were collected from 815 participants at a South African university. The conceptual understanding of DC circuits was measured in terms of performance in the well-known Determining and Interpreting Resistive Electric Circuits Concepts Test (DIRECT). Background information at school, classroom, and personal level was obtained with a questionnaire. Using Rash analysis, it was found that the students’ conceptual understanding relates significantly to the type of school attended, home language, previous achievement, their attitudes towards physics, and gender. However, contrary to expectations, the students’ conceptual understanding did not show a relationship with their exposure to practical work at school

The impact of digitalization in the public sector: A systematic literature review

The digitalization of public administration is increasingly moving forward. This systematic literature review analyzes empirical studies that explore the impacts of digitalization projects (n=93) in the public sector. Bibliometrically, only a few authors have published several times on this topic so far. Most studies focusing on impact come from the US or China, and are related to Computer Science. In terms of content, the majority of examined articles studies services to citizens, and therefore consider them when measuring impact. A classification of the investigated effects by dimensions of public value shows that the analysis of utilitarian-instrumental values, such as efficiency or performance, is prevalent. More interdisciplinary cooperation is needed to research the impact of digitalization in the public sector. The different dimensions of impact should be linked more closely. In addition, research should focus more on the effects of digitalization within administration.Die Digitalisierung der öffentlichen Verwaltung schreitet zunehmend voran. Dieser systematische Literaturüberblick analysiert empirische Studien, die sich auf Auswirkungen von Digitalisierungsprojekten konzentrieren (n=93). Dabei wird aus bibliometrischer Sicht deutlich, dass bisher nur wenige Autor:innen mehrfach zu diesem Thema publiziert haben. Die meisten Studien mit dem Schwerpunkt Wirkung stammen aus den USA oder China und sind disziplinär größtenteils der Informatik zuzuordnen. Inhaltlich fokussiert der Großteil der untersuchten Artikel auf Dienstleistungen für Bürger:innen und nimmt daher diese auch in der Wirkungsmessung in den Blick. Die Einordnung der untersuchten Auswirkungen in Dimensionen von public value zeigt, dass die meisten Studien sich auf die Analyse utilitaristisch-instrumenteller Werte konzentrieren, wie etwa Effizienz oder Performanz. Unsere Ergebnisse weisen darauf hin, dass eine stärkere interdisziplinäre Zusammenarbeit bei der Erforschung der Wirkungen von Digitalisierung im öffentlichen Sektor nötig ist. Hier sollten stärker auch unterschiedliche Wirkungsdimensionen miteinander verknüpft werden. Zudem sollte sich die Forschung intensiver mit Auswirkungen von Digitalisierung innerhalb der Verwaltung auseinandersetzen

Critical discourse analysis of election campaigns in Zimbabwe with specific reference to 2008 and 2013 election periods

Elections are a key aspect in all communities and in Zimbabwe they are held after every 5 years. Election candidates’ speeches. Linguistic manipulation is an influential instrument in politics and as such presidential candidates’ electioneering discourse is infested with persuasive linguistic elements. Therefore, this study analysed the generic structure of hard news and editorials as well as political manifestos. The nature of linguistic devices invoked for the enactment of political goals and objectives by Zimbabwean newspaper reports in English and Shona were analysed. The study looked at how presidential candidates express themselves to the electorate through language as well. The study demonstrated how newspaper reporters make linguistic choices to express similar content from contending politicians during election time. The study took a qualitative research methodology. Tools used to collect data were interviews and document analysis. Ten newspaper reporters were interviewed for their extensive knowledge of media situations. The newspaper articles which were based on political manifestos by two of the contending political parties, the MDC and ZANU PF were analysed. Systemic Functional Linguistics and Critical Discourse Analysis were used as theories of analysis. Findings from the study revealed the existence of certain linguistic devices that are used in the art of persuasion, as candidates campaign for political posts. Characteristic linguistic devices were observed in journalists’ reports. These devices include modals, verbs, pronouns, metaphors, repetition, anaphora as well as the use of “us and them” in both the speeches and news reports in English and Shona. The analysis showed a discrepancy between state and independent media as far as news representation of election events is concerned. It is recommended in this study that, there must be a balance in the presentation of politics in newspapers even if there is personal bias in linguistic choice on the part of individual journalists. A transition model into electioneering reporting came up. The proposed model looks into issues of cohesion in news reports. The study has contributed further insights into the nature, features and functions of political discourse. discourse is paramount in society and as elections are held, several persuasive elements and occasions come into play as contesting candidates try to garner votes. Election discourse is realised in the aspiringThesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, 202