The teaching of rhetoric in French Jesuit colleges, 1556–1762 1

This study examined the effects of sentence context on response variation for vague, ambiguous, and clear nouns. Thirty‐four subjects within a 2x3 mixed design responded to five nouns of each type. The results indicated that nouns appearing in sentence context produced less response variation than nouns appearing alone. It was also found that clear nouns generated more homogeneous responses than did vague or ambiguous nouns. Finally, the study showed that ambiguous nouns appearing in sentences did not result in more or less response variation than did vague nouns appearing in sentences.     

A bibliography of rhetoric and public address for the year 1963

Multiple linear regression analysis was used to determine the relationship of six predictor variables to immediate comprehension and delayed retention of a lecture. Listening comprehension ability and extrinsic motivation accounted for a statistically significant proportion of the variance in immediate lecture comprehension scores; and initial information, aroused interest, and intrinsic interest were found to be the best predictors of ‘delayed retention of the materials. However, intrinsic interest was inversely related to delayed retention. The data suggested that although persons with high initial information and low intrinsic interest did not comprehend the lecture any better than others, they retained more of what they heard. Thus the variables which most influence lecture comprehension may not significantly influence the delayed retention of what was heard.     

The effects of language intensity modification on perceived verbal aggressiveness

This study examined the effects of variation in language intensity on the perceived aggressiveness of sentences representing five empirically established levels of verbal aggression. Subjects read and rated the aggressiveness of replicated sentences in which the level of verbal aggression and language intensity had been systematically varied. Tests of the hypothesized relationship between language intensity, verbal aggression and perceived aggressiveness gave evidence that frequency adverbs do affect the perceived aggressiveness of sentences at most levels of verbal aggression. Increasing language intensity increases perceived verbal aggression only at low levels of verbal aggression; decreasing language intensity is most effective at higher levels of verbal aggression.     

Defining Fair Use in Visual Art Research Sources and Strategies

Abstract

This guide offers extensive resources on the intersection of intellectual property law and contemporary visual art and on the application of the doctrine of fair use within this context. It is designed to assist attorneys, museum administrators, art collectors, art dealers and artists in handling litigation involving copyright litigation. It is particularly focused on copyright claims arising out of the art movement known as “appropriation,” which has emerged as a litigation target due to its use of familiar images and image genres drawn from public and consumer media. The guide strives to aid artworlders and attorneys new to art litigation in developing an understanding of the limitations and extent of fair use protections for visual artwork.     

Collaboration: Paradigm of the Digital Cultural Content Environment

ABSTRACT

Government grant-funding agencies have spawned an explosion of images from historical collections on the Internet. They have encouraged collaborative projects in which institutions share resources for capital-intensive digitization projects. These Web “exhibits” are neither publications nor exhibits in the traditional sense, most often without identified authors, curators, designers, or sources. Reviews in journal literature are one mechanism for accountability, but not all humanities journals offer exhibit reviews. In those that do, the space allocated in history and archival studies journals reveals the relative importance they place on peer review of these exhibits, compared with that for book reviews. The type of analysis in these reviews is nearly always strictly textual and does not address the interplay of text, image, and design in Web exhibits. The lack of historical context for visual sources in digital media is of concern for those in the archival, art history, and other cultural studies disciplines and professions. Sheer numbers of digitized items may be a worthy goal for textual materials; visual sources require interpretation and context to render the complexities of their meaning. Collaboration on digitization projects must go beyond financial resource sharing to include involvement of experts in content areas for visual resources.     

Three Strikes and You're Out

Abstract

This research pathfinder is a comprehensive guide of the recent trend in criminal law for enhanced sentences for repeat offenders-pop-ularly called “three strike laws.” Particular attention is given to California law because it is the most often cited example of this type of law.     

More than Bags of Words: Sentiment Analysis with Word Embeddings

ABSTRACT

Moving beyond the dominant bag-of-words approach to sentiment analysis we introduce an alternative procedure based on distributed word embeddings. The strength of word embeddings is the ability to capture similarities in word meaning. We use word embeddings as part of a supervised machine learning procedure which estimates levels of negativity in parliamentary speeches. The procedure’s accuracy is evaluated with crowdcoded training sentences; its external validity through a study of patterns of negativity in Austrian parliamentary speeches. The results show the potential of the word embeddings approach for sentiment analysis in the social sciences.     

Carl Becker and the epigrammatic force of style in history

Among historians in America, Carl Becker attained fame for style in discourse. Although his stylistic prowess was evinced in scholarly works which brought him eminence in his profession, epigrammatic style also was prominent in his writing of popular history, first in a polemic essay called “Kansas” which led to his role as propagandist in World War One, and then—and of particular interest to those interested in mass persuasion—an eminently successful high school textbook, Modern History. The objective of historiography herein is to establish causal relationships between epigrammatic style in those popular works and resultant, rhetorical effects upon Becker's readers mainly in the general public over a span of several decades. Primary source evidence of effectiveness is in letters to Becker, and other correspondence, that indicate which concepts and precise sentences in Modern History were salient and persuasive for a mass readership largely because of the epigrammatic style with which they were phrased.     

Not Fade Away

Abstract

Visual ephemera is everyday materials of a transitory nature, rarely saved, which have a significant visual component. Postcards, movie posters, music concert posters, calendars, and illustrated brochures are examples of visual ephemera. Preservation issues related to visual ephemera include paper hydrolysis, clay coatings, chemically aggressive inks, photographic disintegration, and damage by mold, photo-oxidation, air pollutants, and improper handling. Conservation issues related to visual ephemera include paper repair, cleaning and stain removal, deacidification, and funding for conservation work.     

Statistical query expansion for sentence retrieval and its effects on weak and strong queries

The retrieval of sentences that are relevant to a given information need is a challenging passage retrieval task. In this context, the well-known vocabulary mismatch problem arises severely because of the fine granularity of the task. Short queries, which are usually the rule rather than the exception, aggravate the problem. Consequently, effective sentence retrieval methods tend to apply some form of query expansion, usually based on pseudo-relevance feedback. Nevertheless, there are no extensive studies comparing different statistical expansion strategies for sentence retrieval. In this work we study thoroughly the effect of distinct statistical expansion methods on sentence retrieval. We start from a set of retrieved documents in which relevant sentences have to be found. In our experiments different term selection strategies are evaluated and we provide empirical evidence to show that expansion before sentence retrieval yields competitive performance. This is particularly novel because expansion for sentence retrieval is often done after sentence retrieval (i.e. expansion terms are mined from a ranked set of sentences) and there are no comparative results available between both types of expansion. Furthermore, this comparison is particularly valuable because there are important implications in time efficiency. We also carefully analyze expansion on weak and strong queries and demonstrate clearly that expanding queries before sentence retrieval is not only more convenient for efficiency purposes, but also more effective when handling poor queries.     

“Reality” revisited: self-assessment of terministic screens through a political autobiography assignment

Courses: Argumentation, Public Speaking, Political Communication

Objectives: After completing this unit activity, students should be able to (1) demonstrate comprehension of Burke’s (1941) concept of terministic screens; (2) apply the concept of terministic screens to write a brief political autobiography of themselves that analyzes the history of and framework for their own political beliefs; and (3) synthesize the concepts of terministic screens and informational diversity to frame readings and discussions of peers’ autobiographies, as well as future class discussions of controversial topics.     

Assistive Technologies for Library Patrons with Visual Disabilities

ABSTRACT

This study provides an overview of the various products available for library patrons with blindness or visual impairments. To provide some insight into the status of library services for patrons with blindness, a sample of American universities that are recognized for their programs for students with visual impairments was surveyed to discern which assistive technology products are available in their libraries. The results of the study are analyzed and conclusions are offered.     

Translating Legal Terms in Context

Abstract

This article reviews a number of Spanish/English legal dictionaries, evaluating the relative merits and features of each. Translating legal terms requires an understanding of both the legal context in which the term is used and the legal context in which the translation is intended. Thus, this review of legal dictionaries concentrates on evaluating the authors'/editors' understanding of how the terms are used in the two legal cultures, as well as in two different languages.     

Visual effects of selected biocides on easel painting materials

Abstract

This paper reports on the results of experiments to test for visual changes to paint systems after biocidal treatments, using a statistical binary procedure. Four biocides were selected, two of which are fungicides—a quaternary ammoniumorganotin mixture (BioMet 66^®)in distilled water and an orthophenylphenol (Lysol^®) in a spray— and two of which are fumigants—sulfuryl fluoride (SO₂F₆), a gas (Vikane^®), and nitrogen gas (N₂) (as an anoxant). The procedure used to assess the effect of the biocidal treatments was a random field visual scoring regimen by two paintings conservators. The tests were conducted on 30 combinations of linen, rabbitskin glue size, lead white oil ground and oil-based paints. The visual assessment procedure provided information on color change, gloss change, blanching, topography change and precipitation. The results indicated that Vikane adversely affected 10 of 11 pigment systems; Lysol adversely affected six of 11 pigment systems; BioMet 66 had a minor effect on four of 11 pigment systems; and nitrogen had no visible effect on any sample. The visual technique provided a quick and broad method for assessment of non-subtile visual changes.     

Between Policy and Practice: Archival Descriptions,Digital Returns and a Place for Coalescing Narratives

ABSTRACT

The Strathfieldsaye Estate collection at the University of Melbourne Archives is discussed in relation to recognising, protecting and reclaiming Koori (First Peoples of southeast Australia) heritage. The settler collection includes early 1900s photographs of Koori people within two distinct albums – a family album that includes a series of studio portraits of Koori adults and children, and an album depicting Koori families on Ramahyuck Aboriginal Mission Station. In the past, these albums have been defined by, and limited to, traditional archiving practices excluding Koori interpretation, authorship and social context. Restoring Koori ownership and authorship of intangible heritage plays a large part in consolidating ancestor photographs with Koori perspectives of identity and culture.     

Illuminating everyday performances of privilege and oppression

ABSTRACT

Courses: Intercultural Communication, Interracial Communication, Gender and Communication, Introduction to Communication Course (within a unit on culture), and any courses encouraging critical analyses of power.

Objectives: This activity will: illuminate the ways in which everyday performances of privilege and resulting oppressions connect with symbolic, individual, and institutional ideologies and actions; identify the ways in which individuals who are marginalized and oppressed may internalize and/or resist dominant ideologies and actions through such performances of privilege; recognize how individual biographies play into our everyday communication and performances with/of power; encourage intersectional analyses of identity, context, and performances of/with power; and develop communication tools for disrupting and speaking back to oppressive performances of privilege.     

A rhetorical schema for the evaluation of visual imagery

In this essay, a schema is proposed for the evaluation of visual imagery from a rhetorical perspective. In the schema, judgments of quality about a visual image are made in terms of the function communicated by the image. Three processes are involved in such judgments— identification of a function or functions communicated by an image, assessment of the degree to which substantive and stylistic dimensions of the image support the communication of the function, and evaluation of the legitimacy of the function. The schema is illustrated in applications to a chair from the Memphis design consortium and to The NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt.     

Two of a Kind: Shining New Light on Bronze Spiritelli Attributed to Donatello

ABSTRACT

Two Spiritelli attributed to Donatello have been extensively studied from a technical point of view, including X-radiography, alloy analysis, characterization of the core, and visual observations on the interior and exterior of the statues. The results of this technical study reveal how the two statues were cast and document the artist’s technical choices. These new insights offer additional information to address questions regarding their attribution, production context, and conservation history. First, the technical study confirmed that the statues were made by the same workshop and argues against the prior proposal of different attributions for the two figures. Second, the results strongly suggest that the statues have never been separated since they were taken off Luca Della Robbia’s Cantoria. Finally, study of the two Spiritelli offers further evidence of the heterogeneity and ingeniousness of Donatellos bronze artistic production, and contributes to the ongoing debate whether the artist himself was involved in the technical aspects of his sculpture.     

Beyond “Woodstein”: Narratives of Investigative Journalism

ABSTRACT

Using a methodology inspired by structural narratology and by James Hamilton’s [2016. Democracy’s Detectives: The Economics of Investigative Journalism. Cambridge: Harvard] economic analysis of investigative journalism, this paper identifies a set of 14 recurring structural and formal elements (plot events, character types and functions, visual iconography) that constitute a fable about investigative journalism. The fable structure is applied to analyze six diverse films about investigative journalism produced in the US in the last 40 years. The films include two instantiations of successful investigative journalism (All the President’s Men, Spotlight), two cases where conflict between journalists and corporate managers diminished the impact of the investigation (Good Night and Good Luck, The Insider), and two instances of a counter-fable of failed investigative journalism (Truth, Kill the Messenger). The paper argues that the films’ representation of investigative journalism influences public perceptions of investigative journalism. It also speculates about the factors that will influence investigative journalism and its representations in the current political context in the US.