SACM - United Kingdom
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://drepo.sdl.edu.sa/handle/20.500.14154/9667
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Item Restricted Environmental Injustices in Robinson Jeffers’s and Denise Levertov’s Ecopoetry(University of Birmingham, 2025) AlRowisan, Amal Ali M; Holmes, John; Zimbler, Jarad; Wood, SaraThis thesis explores critiques of environmental injustices in the poetry of Robinson Jeffers (1887-1962) and Denise Levertov (1923-1997). The anthropocentrism typical of American culture constantly imposes hierarchal division and underestimation of otherness which cause injustices to people and nonhumans. In urban, war, and natural environments, the poets investigate the impact of modernity, imperialism, and environmental degradation on changing environmental conditions and ecological wholeness. Jeffers and Levertov establish in their poetry a shared trajectory where they start with a description of injustices and their destructive impacts, progress towards a condemnation of the politics behind these injustices, and propose alternative ecological values. In their trajectories of critique across these three contexts, their poetry attempts to bridge the divide between the city and nature, between the Americans and the Vietnamese, and between humans and nonhumans. It provides a model for the reconstruction of anthropocentrism toward ecological relations of integrity. Their poetry reveals situations of the environmental ‘unconscious’ and attempts to draw a vision of environmental imagination and justice. Chapter 1 of the thesis registers Jeffers’s response to modernity. It explores his presentation of the city as a centre for accumulating change and corruption that separates man from nature. He presents the struggle of presence within the confinement of urbanization, mechanization, and rapid changes against human instinctual freedom and cultural values, a crisis he resists with his philosophy of Inhumanism. Instead, he urges a withdrawal to nature where he affirms in the landscape timeless and holistic values as contrasting models to human values. Chapter 2 investigates Levertov’s account of the Vietnam War as breeding violence and destruction to people's safety and emotional wellness. She presents victimization, loss, and emotional stasis which she supports with her political poetry of resistance. She encourages empathy, solidarity, and the need to maintain safety for others. Chapter 3 traces the poets’ presentations of exploitation, destruction, and cruelty to land and animals in their poetry. In the poems, both poets point out nonhuman forces that wrestle with humanity's injustices which they represent through myth and figuration. In their presentation of nonhumans, they highlight existing ideologies that underestimate nonhumans and seek in their poetry to affirm nonhuman agency and consciousness. In my investigation of their critique of injustices, my thesis draws on recent developments and turns of ecocriticism. It reframes the poets’ critiques through Environmental Justice theory, looking at human alienation in the city, the victimization of people in the Vietnam War, the exploitation of lands, and the cruelty to animals as environmental injustices. Under these thematic discussions, my thesis analyses the affective forces that emerge in response to injustices across these contexts. Jeffers’s presentation of the hopelessness of people in the city, Levertov’s depiction of the victimized emotions in Vietnam, and their presentation of nonhuman struggle in the degraded environments underscore the poets’ awareness of the notion of interdependency in the universe. The thesis also demonstrates the material forces of nonhumans that wrestle with human denial of them and affirm their existence instead. These recent developments in ecocriticism, which resonate with the poets’ critiques, elucidate the fundamental dynamics of existence and challenge the anthropocentric ideology that fosters such injustices.26 0Item Restricted Do hand gestures obtain a universally consistent emotional interpretation across different cultures?(University of the Arts London, 2025) Almasoud, Sara; Mairs, NigelThis research revolves around the importance of hand gestures as a method of communication in animation and the study of how cultural variations affect the interpretation of these gestures. Animation is considered one of the most expressive and influential arts. It specifically depends on non-verbal communication to enhance the interaction with the audience and deliver messages directly and non-directly. While animation has been developed as a communication and storytelling method, animators still face challenges and obstacles repeatedly with the need to create understandable and capable gestures and movements that could cross cultural boundaries. It also focuses on hand gestures as one of the nonverbal forms to show how these gestures influence building rich and expressive characters that can deliver emotions more effectively. While these movements appear universal at first glance, they could be translated and understood differently from one culture to another. For example, a simple hand gesture for a greeting could have a positive meaning in one culture but may be unclear or even offensive in another. By reviewing examples from well-known global works such as Disney and Pixar films and analyzing some animated series from different cultures, the research shows how animators used hand gestures to enhance narratives and communicate ideas. At the same time, in some cases, the audience misunderstood these non-verbal gestures due to cultural differences, which negatively impacted the reception of the artwork. The research relies on academic literature and case studies to better understand the relationship between animation and cultural communication. Additionally, it examines the potential of modern technologies, such as artificial intelligence and data analysis, to gather insights into how diverse audiences worldwide perceive and respond to different gestures and movements. The research has reached some findings that enhance understanding of the importance of hand gestures in animation. First, animators should carefully design the needed hand gestures since it will significantly help improve the audience's interaction with the characters and make them more lifelike and relevant to the viewers. Second, searching for and learning about the cultural differences that affect the understanding of these gestures will gradually help the animators avoid any negative impacts on the audience. Third, there can be tremendous opportunities for collaboration between animators and experts in different cultures to design artworks that speak a universal language. Furthermore, the research offers simple suggestions for animators, such as enhancing awareness of different cultures and using academic studies on nonverbal communication. It also encourages adopting an integrated approach that combines psychology, cultural studies, and technology with the aim of finding innovative ways to improve the quality of animation and increase its effectiveness as a means of international communication.14 0Item Open Access Exploring Contextual and Individual Factors that Shape English Language Teachers’ Perceptions and Experiences around Professional Development Programmes in a Saudi Female University Context: The role of professional identity, agency, and emotions(University of Southampton, 2024-06-30) Eshgi, Hadeel; Baird, RobertUnderstanding teacher identity is an essential aspect of teacher development (Cross, 2006), and there is consensus that a teacher's professional identity is influenced by internal factors, such as tensions and emotions, and by external factors, such as context and experiences, placing teacher identity in a position of constant change (Nguyen, 2017; Pillen et al., 2013; Subryan, 2017). Emotions constitute an essential element of teachers’ work and identity, and have a significant effect on identity and its shaping (Hargreaves, 2001; Nias, 1996; Sutton & Wheatley, 2003). The concept of agency is also embedded in considerations of teacher identity and emotion (Vloet and van Swet, 2010), especially in contexts characterised by mandatory professional development practices and restrictive classroom policies, as is the case in this research context. Teacher education programmes play a crucial role in shaping teachers’ agency, and can be integrated into identity performances and constructions (Lai et al., 2016; Lasky, 2005; Priestley et al., 2012), and professional development is a prominent and institutionalised element of the context investigated in this study. Therefore, the aim of this study is to explore the role and impact of professional development in the environment in which these teachers operate, and this is explored in relation to teachers' professional identity, agency, and emotions. This study investigates Saudi teachers working in the English Language Institute at King Abdulaziz University in Saudi Arabia, where professional development and educational policies play a distinctive role in student and educator experiences. It aims to provide a holistic, phenomenological account of the intersecting elements that are influential in this educational context. To supplement the phenomenological methodological framework, I drew on Bucholtz and Hall’s (2010) identity framework, Wenger’s (1998) conceptualisation of trajectory in communities of practice, and Lazarus’s (1991) emotion’s theory to provide a theoretical and analytical focus for the study. The method for this phenomenological qualitative study involved observation of professional development training, and narrative and semi-structured interviews of six female English language Saudi teachers. The findings provide valuable insights into how teacher identity is shaped and reshaped by teachers positioning themselves in relation to different elements within the context, indexed particularly through metaphors, and through processes of distinction from and adequation towards others. The findings demonstrate the influence of context, culture, and individual positioning on teacher identity, agency, and emotions, as well as the effect of agency and emotions on teacher identity. This effect is not a one-way process, and should instead be seen as an interrelationship between teachers’ identity, agency and emotions, and this interaction is what constructs and reconstructs teacher identity over time. Overall, this study contributes to our knowledge of how university English language teachers, operating in a context where professional development and policy play distinctive and dominant roles, operate with their own cultures, roles, and expectations, enabling them to engage with both restrictive and developmental practices in different and unexpected ways. Themes around relationality and roles show how teachers respond, often consciously, to different stimuli that require them to negotiate and align elements of their identities, emotions, and agency, which is not always easy and is characterised by change over time. This occurs in ways that require cultural awareness and qualitative insights to understand and interpret.25 0Item Open Access Saudi Bilinguals’ Language Preferences for Emotional Expression: Exploring Their Language Emotional Resonance and Codeswitching Habits(Saudi Digital Library, 2023-12-01) Alghamdi, Shahad Abdulaziz Hassan; Dewaele, Jean-MarcThe present study follows the wave of research regarding language and emotions (Harris et al., 2003; Dewaele, 2004b, 2006, 2010; Panicacci & Dewaele, 2018; Dewaele et al., 2023) by investigating the relationship between Saudi bilinguals’ language emotional resonance (LER) and codeswitching (CS) habits on their language preferences for emotional expression. It examines the effects of sociobiographical factors (gender and education level), linguistic factors (frequency of use, proficiency levels, and language dominance) of their Arabic L1 and English L2, and topic (personal/emotional, taboo/swearwords, religious, and hobbies and interests) and interlocutor (family, friends, colleagues, and strangers) types on the mentioned dependent variables. 172 Saudi participants filled out an online questionnaire adapted from the BEQ (Dewaele & Pavlenko, 2001-2003) and the RER-LX scale (Toivo et al., 2022). The collected data went under quantitative descriptive analyses. The findings elucidated that females had higher LER for the second language (L2) and CS more frequently, and participants with lower degrees experienced more CS. Moreover, participants who were more proficient in the L2 and used it often still preferred the first language (L1) for emotional expression. Furthermore, topic and interlocutor types majorly affected CS frequency, and L1 had higher LER and is most participants' preferred language for emotional expression. Finally, the participants were shown to have reduced emotional resonance (RER) for the L2 and used it as a distancing mechanism. This study represents the dynamic nature between LER and CS for bilingual speakers. The implications of this dissertation suggest increasing the sample size, including age of acquisition (AoA) and context of acquisition (CoA) as preliminary variables, and employing proficiency assessments for better accuracy of results in future research.76 0Item Restricted ''Perspectives of Saudi employees working in Small and Medium Sized enterprises in Saudi Arabia about the impact of transformational leadership on their reactions and attitudes towards organizational change''(Saudi Digital Library, 2023-08-25) Shalhoob, Huda Shafiq; Doloriert, ClairThe focus on the study highlighted purposed was informed by the lack of Saudi studies that examine employee's perspectives about the key mechanisms and variables contributing to this positive effect. To understand the employees' perspectives about the impact of transformational leadership on reactions of employees to organisational change, a qualitative methodological approach was adopted. Using open-ended semi-structured questions allowed in-depth exploration of how employees described their perspectives about the change process. Data was collected from interviews with 8 participants. The findings revealed a complex emotional landscape among employees that accompanies organizational changes, which require transformational leaders to understand and manage. The study also showed that transformational leadership positively impacts employee attitudes towards change by fostering hope, personal growth, and collective success. Leadership styles that incorporate collaborative and participatory leadership, grounded in authenticity and align with transformational values fosters positive perceptions. Transparency and effective communication were also noted to promote ownership, empowerment, trust and engagement during change. The other conclusion is that involving employees in decision-making and providing ongoing support enhances commitment and help address uncertainty. Finally, the study indicated that effective change management involves presenting an inspiring vision. The key message for leaders and practitioners is that successful change goes beyond technical aspects; it requires a holistic approach that considers the emotional, psychological, and collaborative dimensions of both leaders and employees. This approach can lead to more successful and sustainable organizational transformations.19 0Item Restricted The language preference for bilingual English speakers in expressing their emotions and thoughts.(Saudi Digital Library, 2023-09-07) Alotaibi, Alanoud Saad; Popova, GeriMy dissertation is about finding out the language preference in expressing different type of emotions and thoughts for bilingual speakers, with a focus on English being the second language.36 0