Spreading the ETD Gospel: A Southern Africa Perspective

Rhodes University mounted its first digital thesis on the World Wide Web in 1998 and became the first institution in Africa to do so. Since then, the number of available theses and dissertations has steadily increased as more students come to appreciate the importance of submitting digital files or their theses. Also, the university Senate has now made it mandatory for students to submit digital files of their theses and dessertations. In order to make electronic theses and dissertations (ETD) produced by tertiary institutions in Southern Africa readily available, universities in the Southern African region were invited to join in the ETD initiative. This would lead to the building of a digital library of theses and dissertations in the region. A few institutions have responded positively and, based on the adoption of our approach, have speedily gained approval of their governing bodies to embark on ETD projects. In addition, the South East Academic Libraries (SEALS), a library consortium of tertiary institutions in the Eastern Province of South Africa, is considering an ETD programme since this would promote collaboration between research programmes at separate universities/technikons by making research work visible and accessible via a network archive.

It is, however, surprising that some institutional leaders appear not to have realized that the digital revolution makes it imperative for institutions to use digital and publishing technologies innovatively in the provision of information as well as in the preservation and dissemination of the institutions' intellectual property.

The paper will review existing African theses and dissertation projects, including the Database of African Theses and Dissertations (DATAD) and the African Universities Dissertations Abstracts (AFUDA) projects, it will discuss the status of the Rhodes University project, responses from other institutions in the region and make suggestions for accelerated involvement of tertiary institutions in Africa, especially Southern Africa, in the international network of theses and dissertations.     

Brain,Brow, and Booty: Latina Iconicity in U.S. Popular Culture

We were shooting on the steps of the Metropolitan Museum one night. It was lit romantically, and Jennifer was wearing an evening gown, looking incredibly stunning. Suddenly there must have been a thousand people screaming her name. It was like witnessing this icon. (Ralph Fiennes in the New York Times, 2002, p. 16, emphasis added)

This stamp, honoring a Mexican artist who has transcended “la frontera” and has become and icon to Hispanics, feminists, and art lovers, will be a further reminder of the continuous cultural contributions of Latinos to the United States. (Cecilia Alvear, President of National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) on the occasion of the introduction of the Frida Kahlo U.S. postage st& 2001; emphasis added)

“Nothing Like the Icon on the Fridge” (column about Salma Hayek’s Frida by Stephanie Zacharek in the New York Times, 2002 Zacharek, S. 2002. The New Season/Movies; Nothing Like the Icon on the Fridge. The New York Times, : 41 Sep.8.Section ZA [Google Scholar]).     

Film Technology

Ralph N. Sargent's Preserving the Moving Image (Washington: Corporation for Public Broadcaiting and National Endowment for the Arts, 1974---$3.95, paper)

Rene L. Ash's The Motion Picture Film Editor (Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press, 1974---$6.00)

John Hales (ed.) Computer Animation (New York: Hastings House, 1974---$20.00)

George Fox's Earthquake: The Story of a Movie (New York: Signet Film Series, 1974---$1.25, paper)     

Books on Research Methodology

Mary N. Barton and Marion V. Bell's compilation Reference Books: A Brief Guide (Baltimere: Enoch Pratt Free Library, $1.25)

Martha L. Hackman's The Practical Bibliographer (Prentice-Hall, $5.95 cloth, $2.95 paper)

Hubert M. Blalock An Introduction to Social Research (Prentice-Hall, $5.95 cloth, $2.95 paper)     

Books on Broadcasting

Albert C. Book and Norman D. Cary's The Television Comercial: Creativity and Craftsmanship (Decker, $6.95 paperback)

Stuart N. Hyde's Television and Radio Announcing (Houghton-Hifflin, $9.95)

William O. Johnson Jr.'s Super Spectator and Electronic Lilliputian (Little-Brown, $6.95)     

Mass Media

Robert C. Toll's On with the Show: The First Century of Show Business in America (New York: Oxford University Press, 1976---$19.95)

Edwin Fisher, et al., eds. The Art in Cartooning: Seventy-five Years of American Magazine Cartoons (New York : Scribner's, 1975---$14.95)

Vaughncille Molden's Telecommunications and Black Americans: A Survey of Ownership, Participation and Control (Center for Development Technology and Program in Technology and Human Affairs, Washington University, St. Louis, Mo. 63130-48.50, paper)

Working Papers in Culture and Communication (Department of Anthropology, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pa. 19122-- $2.00, paper)     

Space Communications

THE INTELSAT GLOBAL SATELLITE SYSTEM edited by Joel Alper and Joseph N. Pelton (American Institute of Aeronautices and Astronautics, Inc., 1633 Broadway, New York 10019---$45.00)

SPACE, EARTH, AND COMMUNICATION by Edward Ploman (Westport, Conn.: Quorum Books/-Greenwood Press, 1984---$27.50)     

Developing Critical Thinking Skills For Information Seeking Success

Critical thinking skills are required to successfully navigate the overwhelming amount of information sources available today. To address the challenge of developing critical thinking skills, this empirical study examines the effectiveness of exercises in developing thinking skills in college freshmen students. The workbook exercises were designed to develop specific skills related to academics and critical thinking. Two groups of college freshmen participated in the study: one group was given the workbook, the other group was not. At the end of the semester, both groups completed a critical thinking assessment test. A comparison of the test scores confirms the effectiveness of these exercises on improving the critical thinking skills of college freshmen.     

Teacher’ use of humor,self‐disclosure,and narrative activity as a function of experience

This investigation reported normative data for experienced (N = 20) and less‐experienced (N = 20) college teachers’ use of humor, self‐disclosure, and narrative activities. Results indicated that both groups of teachers observed in the study incorporated the three behaviors within their 50‐minute lectures. Experienced teachers, however, used humor, self‐disclosure, and narrative activities more frequently than the less‐experienced teachers. Additionally, the experienced teachers used the behaviors to clarify course content.     

Relational Commitment and the Silent Treatment

When upset with a relational partner, intimates often enact the silent treatment, although it can harm their relationships. This study investigates the degree to which relational commitment predicts a person's self-reported use of the silent treatment. Undergraduate daters indicated their relational commitment, their use of the silent treatment when upset with their partner, and what they do if the partner asks if they are upset. Relational commitment was negatively related to using the silent treatment and stonewalling when the partner asked if there was a problem. Relational commitment was only positively related to admitting being upset when the partner asked if there was a problem. Study limitations and future research implications are discussed.