Arts and Social Sciences Journal

The study carries out a corpus linguistic analysis of a number of American presidential debates. The selected data is analyzed using tools of functional grammar by means of computerized software. Results are, then, interpreted for the purpose of deciding how presidential candidates use language to win the presidency from their opponents. Such accomplishment is conditioned by how much they succeed in persuading their audience that, as presidents, they are capable of handling the audience issues and meeting their demands. The study reaches a conclusion that the corpus linguistic tools are essential in identifying the implications of selecting the lexico-grammatical tools that are in turn crucial in enabling speakers to perform a number of functions such as constructing social relations, exercising power or maintaining solidarity with the listeners.

Traditional knowledge is based on a daily social dimension. It involves the existence of social and intergenerational relations that are directly associated with the environment. In addition, we can only understand local lore by analyzing it through its historic aspect. Therefore, we must think knowledge as a space-time schema to observe it as a social process shared and transmitted. Hence, our purpose lies on exploring the concept of traditional knowledge in the management of coastal resources in one of the micro regions of the Mexican Caribbean. We analyze the life histories of women and men of three main communities of the area known as Costa Maya (Mexican Caribbean in Quintana Roo): Xcalak, Mahuahual and Punta Herrero. We should point out that this paper is founded on a larger research conducted in Quintana Roo, Mexico. Although natural resource management does not imply sustainable processes neither environmental low impact activities, we believe that through this anthropological approach a set of the possibilities of human-environment interaction may be enable.

Background: This qualitative study was undertaken as a follow-up of the results of a randomized controlled trial (RCT) conducted in Kuala Lumpur in 2010. Objective: The main objective of this study was to explore the Lactation Counselors’ perspectives regarding counselor-initiated telephone-based lactation counseling service to mothers in Kuala Lumpur. Methods: In-depthinterviews were held with the lactation counselors. The analytical framework was conceptualized using the Grounded Theory method. Results: The greatest determinant which affected telephone-based lactation counseling was the intention of counselors, followed by external factors such as time constraints, mothers’ behaviors and their control in decision making, family influence and cultural differences. Strong motivation is required for the counselors to perform telephone lactation counseling. Conclusion: The Lactation Counselors in general have appreciated the experiences and benefits gained from the service. However, external factors pose major impact towards the conduct and effectiveness of counseling.

Lal Ded and Habba Khatoon are two Kashmiri women poets who share commonalities with Bhakti poet Mira Bai. Within the comparative framework the paper would try to explore these commonalities in their poetry. The selection of these three women poets would throw some light on the syncretism in the Sufi and Bhakti tradition as upheld by Lal Ded and Mira Bai respectively in their poetry. This paper would not be just an intercultural comparative analysis of Lal Ded and Mira; it would also engage us intra-culturally. This analysis would be done within the framework of literary historiography. From Lal Ded to Habba Khatoon, we see a shift from the Sufi poetry to the romantic poetry. It is this “idea of literary history” which helps us to have a holistic understanding of these poets irrespective of their socio-cultural background, and the different temporal settings they live in. The aim of this paper is to explore their voices against the patriarchy. For this, the paper shall closely observe a few works of the above mentioned women poets and see, how their ideology of self-determination sets them apart not only from the women of their times, but also many women of contemporary times.

The narrative significance can be an innovative element in the cultural product design process. Inquiry into a local cultural code narrative and a survey of its significance can serve as a reference for students who plan to design legendary story products in Taiwan. The findings of this study can also contribute to the assessment backwards design by linking the narrative significance of cultural symbols with experiences related to the connotations and denotation of products. This paper proposes a framework for examining the influence of students’ own culture on narrative significance and its application to design works. Through understanding the thinking and experience of a people at the level of reflection, students are able to understand the significance of design education in combination with design applications. By “Design Culture” course students looked for narrative significance in love stories. Through a literature study, they read about legends narrated by individual experiences and analyzed them according to the West and East story components. Thus, through a symbolic expression of the social behavior we believe that we can better understand the composition of culture through the lens of narrative significance.

The purpose of this research is designed to describe and analyze the implementation of the quality assurance policy at a private college in the city of Semarang and the identification of those aspects that support and hinder the implementation of a quality assurance policy at a private University in the city of Semarang. As for specific targets to be achieved in the research is to formulate quality assurance policy implementation model for effective education (proposed model) and corresponding needs in supporting improved quality of education at Private Colleges in the city of Semarang. The study was designed with a qualitative research approach and use descriptive analysis. The analysis of the data collected is done after through interviews and observations directly in the field. Because it uses a qualitative approach then the data analysis processes in inductive data collection method in dept Interview, observation, documentation, and test the validity of library studies with data using two methods, namely the technique of triangulation and peer debriefing. The activity of this data analysis consists of, i.e., data reduction, data display, and conclusion drawing/verification. To test the design quality assurance policy implementation model at a private college in the city of Semarang using consultation with experts guarantee quality (peer debriefing) for evaluation and improvement be alternative models. The next stage of the evaluation with Focus Group Discussion (FGD) by presenting a quality assurance team of experts from several universities to discuss alternative models these models are proposed so that/later can be implemented at private colleges. The location of the research done at Private Colleges include: Dian Nuswantoro University Semarang (UDINUS), Republic Indonesia Semarang Teachers Union University (UPGRIS), a high school computer (STEKOM), Indonesia Cruise Academy (AKPELNI), the maritime high school (STIMART) and site Quality Assurance Agency on research at the private University.

Background: In recent years, more adolescents have been engaging in early sexual intercourse in Malaysia. This has become a public health concern due to its implications regarding sexually transmitted infections and teenage pregnancy. The objective of this study was to better understand the factors that influence early sexual initiation among adolescents and the circumstances in which this occurs. Methods: Criterion samples of adolescents aged 13–19 who admitted to consensual sexual intercourse before age 18 were recruited from four welfare institutions in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor. Data were collected using indepth interviews and essay writing. This study was guided by a grounded thematic theory methodology. Results: Adolescents identified proximal factors such as curiosity, stress relief, partner acquiescence and peer pressure to be directly associated with their early sexual initiation. Other factors, such as poor religiosity, domestic violence, poor interest in school and loitering with friends, were factors in some way related to early sexual initiation. Conclusion: The explorative approach used in this current study found that adolescents’ experiences of early sexual initiation were strongly bound to factors within their social world.

Death is one of the universal rules of nature! No one can ignore it; indeed death is the gateway of new beginningthis is the philosophy of death and liberation in Indian mythology. The origin of Indian mythology is Rig veda, the first literature of world. Contextually Vedic texts consists the perception of pantheism, but orthodox and non-orthodox both are equally respected in Vedas. According to the direction of Indian mythology, “Self” is the representative of the entire creation, therefore knowledge about “self” is the key of uncover the mystery of ultimate liberation. The statement Sankhya, philosophy the human self, is the composed figure of the twenty four individual formations of nature. In a body, these are classified with eight natural components (including five basic elements), five sensitive organs, five movable organs and five personal components. “Who am I?” -the identification of self is the root conception of yogic philosophy in Indian mythology. Life became life through five changes that is the best statement of Vedanta. This cycle of rebirth is for general people because they are unable to cross the eight barriers in a life i.e- Abhorrence (Ghrina), modesty (Lajja), fear (Bhaya), grief (Shoka), disgust (Jugupsa), lineage (Kul), moral conduct (Sheel) and caste (Jaati). Expectation, anger, jealousy, fear and laziness are mental effect of eight barriers; in effect of these barriers, a number of toxins grow in the body, which is the root cause of disease. Enormous freedom from biological and mental demands is the vision of yogic death, its famous by the name Mokshaof five core elements in a body is the secret of yog. This secret has been processed through the recognition of own self.

Khejuri police station is located at the lower Bengal Basin near the Hugli river mouth under Midnapore (east). It is considered as a littoral tract region having monsoon climatic character. Naturally this area is known for its agricultural potential. Rice, Betel leaves, Lemons and various types of vegetables like potato, Brinzal, Chilli, Sugarcane stick etc. are the main crops produced which are sent to local and national markets which is important in the context of national trade. The present paper seeks to analyze the problems of land degradation due to recurring water logging that has been instrumental in losing the earlier glory of the area as an agriculturally potential tract.

This paper attempts to explore the influence of Marxist thought on modern Pashto poetry. Ajmal Khattak, a revolutionary and progressive Pashto poet of the 20th century, wrote under the influence of Marxism. This study analyzes the Marxist ideology in Ajmal Khattak's poem Faisla (Decision) using Fairclough's three dimensional model of Text, Discourse practices and Social practices. In order to uncover the Marxist ideology of the poem special attention is given to the style, tone, theme and the choice of words. Though Khattak does not directly praise Marxist view in his poetry but he has used Marxist thinking to find a solution for social injustices.

This paper discusses the efforts and actions by the Kenyan government to address challenges of agrarian change and rural transformation in Keiyo. The paper demonstrates that state employs the mechanisms of co-opting the forces of rural commercialization through the strategies of land consolidation. The paper explains that these strategies widen the scope of engagement in the post-colonial economy by Keiyo households. Keiyo households have demonstrated their capacity to respond positively and spontaneously to agrarian changes and innovations which proves vital to the enhancement of their economic well-being. Furthermore, the paper addresses two other issues; first it considers the nature of households as units of study and analysis of rural society. The household has too often been assumed to be a unitary phenomenon, a presumption that ignores intra and inter-household social processes in the allocation of labor, production of goods and services, generation of incomes, spending, consumption and reproduction. This does not imply that the household is an inappropriate unit of study, but rather that the processes that go on within and between households must be sought out and recognized on a case basis. Second, the paper employs data collected from the three ecological zones, in order to examine the characteristics of households in Keiyo; that is; size, composition, the gender of the household head, as well as distribution of household resources within and across the three ecological zones. It is demonstrated that the characteristics of these household reflect the different economic opportunity structures of the three areas. It is suggested that while the distribution of resources within any of the three ecological zones is to varying degrees unequal, there is nevertheless a pronounced pattern of inequality across eco-zones: most households in the highland are better endowed with resources than most households either on the escarpment or in the valley.

In many of his texts French cultural critic, city planner and philosopher Paul Virilio emphasises that speed is not a phenomenon, but a relation between phenomena. The difference between contemporary society and societies of the past consists in the fact that earlier speed used to be mainly connected with transport, now it concerns relations within information. The question of speed is central. Speed and wealth go hand in hand. To give a philosophical definition of speed, we can say that it is not a phenomenon, but rather the relationship between phenomena. In other words, it is relativity itself. Virilio’s influential books analyses new problems resulting from the fact that the development of industrial capitalism has reached the stage in which wealth and power in society have been interconnected with ever increasing speed. In view of Virilio’s statement that wealth is an aspect of speed it has become necessary to consider speed and all its aspects and consequences through a prism of a new discipline – dromology. Dromology originates from the Greek word dromos. Hence dromology is the science of the ride, the journey, the drive, the way. This means that speed and riches are totally linked concepts. And that the history of the world is not only about the political economy of riches that is, wealth, money, capital, but also about political economy of speed. Text analyzes the two main themes. Firstly, the treatise attempts at a philosophical analysis OD – dromology. Dromologic revolutions cause artificial acceleration of speed in the form of steam or combustion engine, or, nowadays, nuclear energy and they immediately form both e.g. waging wars and kinds of communication. The second part of the study discusses the difference between contemporary society and societies of the past. Vehicles of speed create new dromospheric chronology, new tracks and nodal points (ports, roads, airports, telecommunications etc.) through which things; goods, money, weapons, people or information will start flowing within a different structure.

Civil disobedience is the violation of law in public that does not result in the loss of life or damage to property. The aim of civil disobedience is political change. John Rawls, Jurgen Habermas, Richard Rorty and Sheldon Wolin have separately differentiated civil disobedience; nevertheless they emphasize the “civil” dimension of civil disobedience over the “disobedience” one. This paper interrogates the “disobedience” dimension of civil disobedience and asks: (1) to what extent an individual may incite civil disobedience within a democratic state? And, (2) when does it become morally defensible to disobey a law? The paper reveals the Kantian associations, explains the relationship between morality and authority and moral authoritarianism, and analyses these concepts in terms of US law.

Political leadership in Africa vary from the “criminalization” of the state to political leadership as “ dispensing patrimony”, the “recycling” of elites and the use of state power and resources to consolidate political and economic power. Political parties just like any other organizations always need leadership renewal and revamping, besides ideological and policy renewal. Zimbabwean politics present a shunned leadership renewal as reflected by the two champion political parties namely ZANU PF and MDC-T. Despite hot political power contestation between MDC and ZANUPF, the parties` internal structures are hinged on the two Godfathers or Father figures that are Mugabe and Tsvangirai. They are the “labels “behind the two political parties. The suppressing of dissent voice on succession and renewal of leadership in the two parties has brew resistance from within and this has resulted in factional fights within the two political parties. The disgruntlement in the political parties has led to the stemming of the ‘bhoramusango concept’ from the electorate and party cadres whereby they are throwing or donating away their votes to other political parties. The ‘bhoramusango’ concept haunted ZANUPF in 2008 leading to its defeat by the opposition MDC-T. The paper takes the form of an analytic approach on leadership crisis in Zimbabwe. The narrative is framed on key concepts of leadership: namely leadership renewal and leadership succession, as agents operating within inherited structures negotiated political settlements, and form structures of leadership. Rulers gave priority to the consolidation of state power by installing party loyalists in the armed forces, civil service and local government. As part of this process, rulers have ensured consolidated power and authority. The present paper analyses this succession challenge in what is widely regarded as one of the most emblematic cases in Africa in general and Zimbabwe in particular. As for this paper, more emphasis will be on leadership renewal and succession as most scholars of comparative politics have been giving much attention to issues of regime change.

Early Marriage is one of the global problems that undermine the personal development and the rights of women very seriously. It is very delicate among the developing countries such as Ethiopia. Under-aged girls in Ethiopia are susceptible for child marriage since a long time ago. Irrespective of the efforts of the government, the society, and the international community; the problem is still persistent throughout the country. The traditional beliefs, religion, and the economic motives are recognized as the root causes of early marriage in Ethiopia. It exposes the prematured children into psychological and emotional traumas, severe violence, denial of social services, reproductive health problems and migration to the nearby poor towns and abroad. Thus, sensitizing the stakeholders, educating girls, and supporting the runaways and others who would otherwise the victims of early marriage are the way forward to reduce the adverse consequences of child marriage in Ethiopia.