1722 research outputs found
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Matteo Ricci: Friendship and Chinese Christianity
Get PDFIn the late sixteenth century CE, Macau was a fishing village located on China's south. Ruled by the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644), a fleet of ships had anchored in the village’s docks. China had limited foreign visitors. However, the Portuguese had arrived. The Portuguese wanted to export the European Catholic knowledge and culture to this unfamiliar land. The Portuguese colonial structure was hoping to assimilate the orient to Christianity. The Portuguese Missionary priests arrived. Matteo Ricci (1552–1610), a Jesuit priest, arrived in Macau in 1582 CE to introduce Christianity to Chinese society. At that time, Ming China followed Confucian ideology for their social guidance. Ricci realized that in order to communicate with the Chinese government officials, who held influential positions, he must learn the Chinese language and culture. Ricci gained essential communication skills from reading and translating the Four Books, which were Chinese Classics. Ricci developed friendships with some government officials by sharing his knowledge of science and technology. As his last strategy, Ricci combined European Christianity theology and Cicero’s De Amicitia. He analyzed and synthesized Confucian terminologies to write Discussion of Friendship, his foundational book. Ricci’s book contains the sole purpose of his journey: to create a movement fermented in China’s influential groups leading to the spread of Christianity. Even though Ricci did not build a physical church in China, Ricci successfully introduced Christianity to China, and laid the foundation for the European and American missionary work. He did this through friendship—gaining friends in China, earning their support, and writing Discussion of Friendship.Master of Arts in Theolog
Leveraging Guided Backpropagation to Select Convolutional Neural Networks for Plant Classification
Get PDFThe development of state-of-the-art convolutional neural networks (CNN) has allowed researchers to perform plant classification tasks previously thought impossible and rely on human judgment. Researchers often develop complex CNN models to achieve better performances, introducing over-parameterization and forcing the model to overfit on a training dataset. The most popular process for evaluating overfitting in a deep learning model is using accuracy and loss curves. Train and loss curves may help understand the performance of a model but do not provide guidance on how the model could be modified to attain better performance. In this article, we analyzed the relation between the features learned by a model and its capacity and showed that a model with higher representational capacity might learn many subtle features that may negatively affect its performance. Next, we showed that the shallow layers of a deep learning model learn more diverse features than the ones learned by the deeper layers. Finally, we propose SSIM cut curve, a new way to select the depth of a CNN model by using the pairwise similarity matrix between the visualization of the features learned at different depths by using Guided Backpropagation. We showed that our proposed method could potentially pave a new way to select a better CNN model.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frai.2022.871162/ful
“Weaponized sexuality” to the normalization of sexual violence: Rape culture and the non-consensual distribution of intimate imagery (NCDII)
Get PDFThis thesis research explores the non-consensual distribution of intimate imagery (NCDII), a form of technology-facilitated sexual violence. NCDII is the digital sharing of sexualized visual content of another person, without the consent of the individual depicted. This research responds to four research driven questions: 1) What is the prevalence of NCDII?; 2) What are the contextual circumstances where sexual content is captured and distributed without someone’s consent?; 3) What are the outcomes and consequences experienced by those who have been directly subject to NCDII? and; 4) What are individuals’ general perspectives and understanding about NCDII? The current research argues NCDII is best explained and understood through the existence, and persistence, of rape culture. The findings demonstrate NCDII is a common act that has become normalized, and expected, among young people. Motivations to share non-consensual content of others range from amusement to retribution, while victims/survivors are blamed for their involvement, and held responsible for not adequately mitigating the risks both prescribed, and encouraged, by misogynistic social structures. This research discusses both the existence, and persistence, of digital rape myths and ideal victimhood, though also finds basic forms of consent are recognized by young people. This research has potential for information to be used in intervention solutions which could include cultural and educational messaging.Master of Arts in Criminal Justic
The Six Seasons of the Asiniskaw Īthiniwak Project: Resources for Cultural Regeneration
No full textThe Six Seasons Project of Asiniskaw Īthiniwak project is supported in part by funding from the Social Sciencesand Humanities Research Council
Decolonizing Sustainability through Indigenization in Canadian Post-Secondary Institutions
Get PDFSustainability discourse indicates a need to reconsider our approaches to social, economic, and environmental issues because, without deep transformation, global human survival is in jeopardy. At the same time, post-secondary education institutions in Canada are Indigenizing their settings but have rarely taken up sustainability and Indigenization as related concepts. In this research, participants delivering Indigenous programming in ten colleges and universities across Canada contributed their insights on the relationships between Indigenous worldviews and sustainability in their territories and institutions. The five key findings that emerged from the study are: (1) Indigenous worldviews are based on a belief in the sacred, which orients Indigenous knowledges and responsibilities for sustaining life on Earth; (2) sustainability is expressed as a function of tradition linking Indigenous identity with culture, language, and environmental health; (3) entrenching Indigenous knowledges throughout institutions is to sustain cultural identity; (4) national and international standards supporting Indigenous self-determination are primary drivers for the inclusion of Indigenous knowledges and advance the underlying principle of sustainability; and (5) Indigenous holistic learning includes social, economic, and environmental aspects of sustainability.This research was funded by the U of S College of Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Studies; the U of S School of Environment and Sustainability; the U of S Sustainability and Education Policy Network; the Gabriel Dumont Institute; Indspire; the Delta Kappa Gamma Society International; and the Indigenous Graduate Student Council.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4698/12/6/17
Ola Andersen on Professional Learning for Culturally Nourishing Professional Learning: Delivery and Outcomes of Workshops
No full textOla Andersen is a community based researcher on the SSHRC-funded project "Professional Learning for Culturally Nourishing Pedagogies in Nunatsiavut Area Schools". In this video, she describes the delivery of online workshops for Nunatsiavut educators, and their outcomes
From Controversy to Celebration: How the 1995 Relocation of Marcien Lemay's Riel from the Manitoba Legislature to Saint Boniface Impacted Its Public Reception
Get PDFIn 1970, when the Manitoba government commissioned a statue of Louis Riel, one of Canada’s most significant (and most contentious) historical figures, the public expected a certain level of controversy. Commemorating an Indigenous francophone leader who was executed in 1885 for rebelling against the Canadian government was bound to elicit a certain level of resistance. Few, however, anticipated that the memorial would remain a topic of intense debate for the next 25 years. Yet, after 1995 when the statue was moved approximately 2.5 km from the Manitoba legislative grounds to the neighbourhood of Saint Boniface, the controversy all but disappeared. The question therefore arises: Why was the statue seen as objectionable in its first location, but as a successful commemorative project in its second? I argue that the statue’s relocation effectively changed how it was perceived by the public. This was achieved through a combination of changes to the statue’s environment, such as primary audience, physical surroundings and context markers, and an evolution of how Riel was remembered over time
Transformational Leadership Approaches and Their Influence on Teacher Resilience During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Get PDFWith stress documented beyond inherent levels in our initial research with Canadian teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic, this case study moves beyond the consideration of individual strategies to reduce burnout, toward an examination of situational approaches to support teachers during this time of disruptive change. Using the Areas of Worklife Model, we present an analysis of in-depth interviews and focus groups with Canadian educational leaders on key transformational leadership approaches that were applied during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to observations about contextual factors which led to imbalance and adversity for teachers, insights were gained into leadership approaches which conversely increased balance and engagement resulting in overall enhanced teacher resilience."We would like to recognize the gracious support of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) in the form of Partnership Engage Grant #1008-2020-0015."https://articlegateway.com/index.php/JOP/article/view/501
Children’s Acquisition of Literacy in Syllabic Scripts: Annotated Bibliography
Get PDFThe Children’s Acquisition of Literacy in Syllabic Scripts project synthesizes existing knowledge about children’s acquisition of literacy in syllabic scripts, biliteracy in syllabic and alphabetic scripts, and the impact of learning exceptionalities on the acquisition of literacy in syllabic scripts. Although English-language sources on the topic are few, what research there is available suggests that whether children first learn an alphabetic or syllabic script before starting to learn the other type of script is not the most important factor in terms of their ultimate literacy and/or biliteracy. Instead, what is more significant is that children are exposed to a rich linguistic input in both of their languages, together with being provided with a supportive teaching environment, alongside clear and explicit teaching instruction. Search parameters comprised combinations of the following words/terms: acquisition, acquisition of literacy, alphabetic languages, alphabetic scripts, Arctic Quebec, Baffin, biliteracy, Cherokee, Cree, dysgraphia, dyslexia, education, Indigenous, Inuit, Inuktitut, Inuttitut, Inuttut, Keewatin, kivalliq, learning, learning exceptionalities, literacy, Nunavik, Nunavut, orthography, reading, reading deficits, reading development, reading difficulties, reading problems, school, script, syllabic, syllabic languages, syllabic scripts, writing, writing system. The resources in the annotated bibilography represent the a range of approaches to understanding children's literacy acquisition in a syllabic scripts.University of Winnipeg Research Offic
An assessment of prairie management practices for maintaining habitat quality for the endangered Poweshiek skipperling butterfly in Canada
Get PDFThe Poweshiek skipperling (Oarisma poweshiek) was once a common prairie butterfly in central North America, but is now critically endangered in Canada and the United States. The Poweshiek skipperling is confined to the largest remaining tall grass prairie in Canada, which is currently managed using grazing and fire to maintain prairie habitat and prevent forest and shrub encroachment. To support re-introduction, restocking, and recovery of this critically endangered species, it is necessary to understand the habitat conditions preferred by skipperlings. By surveying prairie sites with Poweshiek skipperling across age and treatment categories (1–2 y since burn, 4–6 y since burn, .15 y since burn, and grazing), we identified commonly-used nectar plants and recorded physical variables known to influence plant diversity. We measured soil variables, including macronutrients, compaction, pH, texture, and moisture content, and used multivariate statistics to test for significant differences in site characteristics and plant community across treatments. For each site, we captured plant diversity, abundance, and cover, as well as total plant biomass. We found the oldest burn sites had the fewest skipperlings. Intermediate burn sites and lightly grazed sites contained the most skipperlings. In 95% of nectaring observations, adult skipperlings were feeding on Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta), upland white aster (Solidago ptarmicoides), and Self-heal (Prunella vulgaris). Characteristics in the physical components of sites and plant communities did not significantly differ across treatment types for most variables with the exception of the oldest burns, which showed significantly higher levels of soil compaction, live biomass, bare ground, less flowering species during the flight period, less flowering stems, and increased presence of nonnative and invasive species. Poweshiek skipperling is at high risk of imminent extirpation, and we recommend that the management regimes be adjusted to plan for a consistent supply of habitat conditions and plant species composition exemplified by our intermediate burn sites. We suggest fire return intervals of 4–6 y using patch burns in combination with grazing, permitted at times that minimize the impact on immature stages of Poweshiek skipperling. This management is needed to provide suitable habitat conditions to maintain the current population and allow for successful restocking and recovery."This work was supported by research funding from Nature Conservancy of Canada, Manitoba Conservation Data Center and the University of Winnipeg."https://bioone.org/journals/the-american-midland-naturalist/volume-188/issue-1/0003-0031-188.1.74/An-Assessment-of-Prairie-Management-Practices-for-Maintaining-Habitat-Quality/10.1674/0003-0031-188.1.74.shor