Theses And Dissertations

Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11837/549

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    The silenced women of John Steinbeck's dustbowl trilogy
    (University of Fort Hare, 2012) Burri, Stella Teresia
    The primary aim of this project is to examine selected works by John Steinbeck, a significant American writer. Through a close contextual and textual analysis of Steinbeck’s Dustbowl Trilogy, which consists of the novels In Dubious Battle, Of Mice and Men, and The Grapes of Wrath, this project will interrogate Steinbeck’s contribution to the silencing of women and their inferior placement in their society and determine the extent to which Steinbeck promotes patriarchal ideology through his literature. A close examination of the modernist era in which these novels were written will provide the method of interrogating Steinbeck’s portrayal of women’s situation during the Depression and determine whether it is a reflection of the reality of women’s situation at that time given the political and environmental factors of the 1930s.The theories of various feminist critics, including Simone de Beauvoir, Judith Butler, Gayle Rubin, Luce Irigaray, Sherry Ortner, and Sandra Gilbert and Susan Gubar will be explored in order to elucidate the author’s treatment of the female characters and determine the extent to which patriarchal ideology is embedded in his writing. A brief examination of some of his contemporaries, namely F. Scott Fitzgerald, William Faulkner and Ernest Hemingway, will reveal the general treatment of women in male authored modernist literature and determine the extent to which Steinbeck’s female subjugation is representative.
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    An investigation into the reasons behind the patterns of code switching in radio broadcasting :a case study of Muuga FM radio station in Kenya
    (University of Fort Hare, 2015) Njeru, Pamela Kagendo
    This research attempts to identify the patterns of language behaviour in media discourse through the analysis of code switching occurrences in everyday conversational interactions. The goal of this study is to analyse code choices and the motivation behind such patterns, in order to see whether there are differences among the cases studied, and most of all, what is causing these differences in linguistic behaviour to occur.The study utilised the qualitative approach, with the case study design. Data used in analysis were collected and recorded during informal conversations by presenters and respondents in aired Muuga FM programmes. The recorded data along with the observational notes collected were analysed sentence by sentence and separated into several dyads in order to understand the relationship between the presenters’ code switching and that of the listeners. The data set for this work came from recording four interactive programmes in Muuga FM involving sampled media presenters and callers into the station, using purposive sampling as proposed by Mugenda and Mugenda (1999). Twenty call-in respondents from various purposively sampled programmes were interviewed to validate the recorded data. Each interview session lasted twenty minutes and the required data was indicated in the interview schedules.An attempt was made to demonstrate that code switching (CS) in the Muuga FM station's programmes is influenced by extra linguistic and social factors. Muuga FM anchors are found to use CS as a communicative strategy for effective communication between Muuga FM anchors and Muuga FM listeners.
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    Women as heroes in selected fantasy novels
    (University of Fort Hare, 2014) Kopke, Diandra
    In fantasy literature of the past, women were often left out of the heroic tale, and when they were included, they served domestic functions more than they embodied laudable character. They often endured a forced, loveless marriage or death, or were saved by a male rescuer. Although there were a small number of women performing heroic deeds, they were far outnumbered by male heroes performing great actions. In modern-day society, women are now performing in heroic actions that they would have never been able to perform in the past, because of the societal expectations of gender. In response to these changes in society, the role of female characters in modern fantasy novels has altered – female heroes are now equal in terms of responsibility and actions to the male heroes.
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    Applicability of the Griffiths Mental Development Scales- extended revised to the South African context : a systematic review
    (University of Fort Hare, 2016) Jacobs, Zikhona
    The contribution and value of developmental assessment in the developing world, and especially the impact it has on the cognitive development of the African child in terms of early diagnosis and intervention are increasingly being documented. However, unique tests for specific cultural groups are lacking and the development thereof is a complex, costly and time consuming endeavor. Adapting internationally researched tests that have been proven to be valid and reliable in other countries seem to be an effective solution at present. The Griffiths Mental Development Scales (Griffiths scales) is one such test that could answer the developmental assessment needs of the developing world. The Griffiths Scales was introduced in South Africa in 1977 and since then an expanding pool of research has been done on the Griffiths. This together with societal and cultural change and the lack of South African norms have influenced the need for a review. This study therefore reviews the applicability of the Griffiths scales for South Africa by assessing all accessible information. Both international and national literature done on the Griffiths scales in South Africa between 1977 and 2013 has been interrogated. Books, journals, articles, theses and computer data bases are employed to conduct this systematic review. The review presents a synopsis of the present state of knowledge and information regarding research done on the Griffiths scales in South Africa.
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    Aesthetics of Yoruba culture and religion : an examination of the cultural and religious conflicts in the plays of Wole Soyinka
    (University of Fort Hare, 2015) Kemi, Megbowon Funmilola
    Culture and religion are two main fibres sustaining the continued existence of a community. However, issues of cultural intersection, which is inevitable, results into diverse forms of conflicts. In the African setting, there remains, to date, a continuous conflict with the European way of life and value system. These conflicts, which are visible in differences in generational lifestyle coupled with the confusion and imbalance seen in the younger generation, are a result of the effect of colonialism on the indigenous culture, tradition, legacies and value system. In an attempt to resuscitate the best of the culture of the Yoruba people and redeem their vanishing value systems in an era of globalization, this study, viewed from the perspective of postcolonial theory, firstly looked into the beauty and significance of the Yoruba culture in Wole Soyinka’s the Lion and the Jewel and Death and the King’s horseman. It also examined the historical and contemporary impact of colonisation on Yoruba culture and religion. In addition, the study explores the possibility of co-existence of the best of old order and new order and how the playwright sheds light on human understanding of cultural and religious relations. The study concluded that an acknowledgement and respect for other people’s culture and ways of life will reduce conflicts and, therefore, promote co-existence of different cultures. The study emphasizes the need for the contemporary Yoruba society to re- embrace the best Yoruba cultural heritage, modernize the old values and imbibe the best of Western culture to make the society a better place. The propagation of the best of Yoruba cultures and value in a modern world through various means at various levels should be given maximum priority.
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    An investigation of socio-linguistics factors that determine dominance and resistance: A case of Katanga language in the democratic republic of Congo.
    (University of Fort Hare, 2016) Mumbembe, Lydy
    This study aimed at investigating socio-linguistics factors that determine dominance and resistance in society. The study was based on a case of Katanga language in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Using language dominant theory (LDT), the study also examined the language factors affecting the status of the Katanga language in relation to the strategies used by its speakers to revitalise its usage. Language resistance theory (LRT) was also used in this study to establish the perceptions of the Katanga people towards their language. The study also used language endangerment theory (LET) to find out whether dominant languages such as French, English and Kiswahili were affecting the Katanga language. The study employed a qualitative research methodology, which, specifically, used a case study design. A purposeful sample of thirty (30) Congolese-Katanga people was used in this study. Data was collected through individual interviews, focus group discussions and document analysis. The study established that the Katanga language, which is a minority language, a mother tongue or a creole and a pidgin variety of Kiswahili, was not recognised officially in the language policy of the DRC and was not used in the official documents of the country. Its speakers used other languages that they perceived had advantages over the Katanga language. The study recommends the use of minority languages such as the Katanga language in both public and private sectors, which has enormous benefits for the country’s economy.