VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Science, internationalization, and policy networks, regulating genetically-engineered food crops in Canada and the United States, 1973-1998
Keywords: Genetically modified foods
Government policy
Genetically modified foods
Government policy
Aliments transgéniques
Politique gouvernementale
Aliments transgéniques
Programmes gouvernementaux

The early history of the commercialization of genetically-engineered food crops in Canada and the United States is a cautionary tale that underlines the importance of adequate policy capacity. As of the late 1990s, precedent-setting regulatory responses had established far more systematic evaluations of environmental and food safety risks of new plant varieties but were failing to secure consumer acceptance at home and abroad. This case study compares the two countries' responses, as global pioneers in the use of these crops, to the three issues of environmental release, food safety, and food labelling. The comparison reveals that despite expected pressures for Canadian policy choices to converge with American models, Canadian regulators have been given greater discretion and capacity to respond to the issues of environmental release and food safety. Domestic variables explain much of the substance of policy choices in both countries including these differences. Variation in the scope of regulation across issues and countries correlates with differing domestic policy networks. Further, the role of science as an idea and resource within domestic policy networks varies consistently with the degree of discretion and thus capacity given to regulators across issues. The effects of internationalization are largely in shaping preferences and contributing to resources exploited within domestic policy networks. This result suggests that it is difficult to gauge fully the impact of internationalization on domestic policy making without exploring its interaction with domestic institutions. Guided by historical institutionalism, the case study includes an assessment of the inertia of policy legacies and the constraints on policy making imposed by policy boundaries. Policy legacies provide starting points for policy making, including levels of state capacity and autonomy. Policy boundaries (created by key moments of the intersection of ideas, interests, and institutions) shift advantage within policy networks. Lessons from the case study include the conclusion that policy capacity may rest substantially on three interrelated factors: first, 'state capacity and autonomy'; second, 'scientific legitimacy' (the way in which science is used during policy making); and third, ' democratic legitimacy' (conducting policy making in a manner that will be widely perceived as legitimate in a democratic sense).
Behaviour and localization of chromophore absorption signals in the transmission electron microscope
Keywords: Biophysics

Previously, an improved Prism-Mirror-Prism spectrometer was designed for a Zeiss EM902 electron microscope. Once constructed, this spectrometer was incorporated into the microscope with only minimal modifications to the mechanics and electronics of the instrument. Using this improved spectrometer design, absorption signals corresponding to light optical colour absorptions were studied at the resolution of the electron microscope. The behaviour of this signal has been characterized according to its selected energy loss behaviour and radiation sensitivity in embedded crystals of hematin and mercury orange. In cellular contexts, the photosensitizer chlorin e6 and the fluorescent dye fluorescein isothiocyanate have been localized, their signals extracted from the images using two different methods. These data were applied to study the absorption signal of the green fluorescent protein. Conditions were determined to optimize preservation of the chromophore structure through the sample preparation, and the GFP signal was observed and characterized in Chang and hepatoblastoma G2 cells.
Gendered discourse and subjectivity in travel writing by Canadian women
Keywords: Travelers' writings, Canadian (English)
History and criticism
Women travelers
Biography
Canadian literature (English)
History and criticism
Écrits de voyageurs canadiens-anglais
Histoire et critique
Voyageuses
Biographies
Littérature canadienne-anglaise
Histoire et critique

The subject of this dissertation--non-fictional travel writing by Canadian women--has been thrice marginalized by scholarly criticism. As an interdisciplinary genre that is difficult to categorize, travel writing was long excluded from literary analysis. In time, some renegade critics turned their attention to travel writing, pointing out the genre's value as an aesthetic, historical, cultural, and autobiographical document. However, since they tended to ignore its significance as a gendered document, they articulated a gender-blind tradition of the genre that either excluded women travel writers or glossed over the gender-related difference of their texts. In response, feminist critics began identifying a distinct tradition of women's travel writing. However, they usually limited their analysis to nineteenth-century texts, thereby excluding travel writing by Canadian women, which is largely a twentieth-century product. Thus, travel writing by Canadian women has been marginalized on the level of genre, gender, and nation. This dissertation works on and through these levels in an effort to achieve a comprehensive, contextualized analysis of Canadian women's travel writing. Since travel and travel writing are thoroughly gender-inflected cultural practices, a substantial portion of the female travel writer's subjectivity is constructed by gendered discourse. In Canadian women's travel writing, woman-identified, feminine, and feminist discourses pervade the travel writers' inscriptions of their subjectivity. Chapter One of this study explores one manifestation of this gendered subjectivity: the feminist ethnographic discourse in texts by Margaret MacLean, Agnes Deans Cameron, Karen Connelly, and Bronwyn Drainie. In Chapter Two, travel books by Bharati Mukherkee, Daphne Marlatt, Rona Murray, and Myrna Kostash are analysed as feminine matrocentric discourses, wherein each author retrieves maternal memories and messages as she returns to an ancestral homeland. The travel books examined in Chapter Three are composed by incorporated travelling wives: women who accompany their husbands on their work-related journeys. In texts by Ella Manning, Philomena Orford, P. K. Page, Margaret Laurence, and Carlotta Hacker, we find feminine discourses of domestic support or public assistance in a husband's career, as well as feminist discourses of resistance to this incorporation and discourses of self-fulfilling travel experiences beyond wifely incorporation.
From watchful eye to bureaucratic formality, the evaluation of teacher performance in Ontario from 1870 to 1999
Keywords: Teachers
Rating of
History
Enseignants
Évaluation
Histoire

This document presents a synthesis of trends from 1870 to 1999 in teacher evaluation in the Ontario school system which includes four eras which overlap each other and are not so fixed as these rough time frames might suggest: the "inspection era" (1870s-1900s); the "scientific evaluation" era (1920s-1930s); the "humanist assessment" era (1960s-early 1970s); and the "business oriented, back to basics" performance review era of the 1990s. It is argued that explicit and implicit purposes of teacher evaluation have not significantly changed and that classroom observation is still the main source of data in evaluating teacher effectiveness. An examination follows of 20 teacher reports dating from 1982-1998, from one Ontario school board. Issues in the data include: the effect of gender in the report, the lack of consistent use of criteria, the non-critical tone of the reports and the use of questionable criteria. The author concludes with a review of new research advocating increased teacher autonomy along with a critique of the conservative political climate that resists progressive changes.
From wretched employment to honourable profession, the changing image of teachers in nineteenth-century Ontario
Keywords: Teaching
History
Teachers
History
Teachers
Public opinion
History
Enseignement
Histoire
Enseignants
Histoire
Enseignants
Opinion publique
Histoire

At the turn of the nineteenth century, schooling in Upper Canada was, for the most part, haphazard and unsupervised. Yet, in less than a century, the province could boast of a free, universal and compulsory system of state-run education which ranked among the best in the world. This transformation was due in large part to the ability of Egerton Ryerson, Chief Superintendent of Schools for Upper Canada during much of the period, to after public perceptions of teaching. Ryerson's hope for a professional corps of teachers enjoyed considerable success. However, changing social and economic conditions, combined with the practical experience of teachers, altered the trajectory of Ryerson's initial vision. Through the reminiscences of superannuated teachers writing at century's end, this paper shows that teachers' view of themselves did not necessarily parallel the one constructed by Ryerson, or any other bureaucrat.
Struggling with diversity, the state education of the pluralistic, Upper Canadian population, 1791-1841
Keywords: Education and state
History
Education and state
History
Family Compact (Canada)
Éducation
Politique gouvernementale
Histoire
Éducation
Politique gouvernementale
Histoire
Family Compact

This dissertation concerns the birth of the spirit of a tolerant State policy toward the education of a pluralistic population in the polity of Ontario during its Upper Canadian period, 1791-1841. During this formative, fifty year period, a general spirit arose amongst the diverse Confessional, denominational, sectarian, and ethnocentric groups as they fought first against the rugged environment, then against innumerable transportation difficulties that denied access into the interior (the bush or the backwoods) to all but the determined and the desperate, and finally against the ruling political clique, the Family Compact. Comprised largely of what E. P. Thompson called Church-and-King men in English context, the Family Compact held all the cards in the fledgling polity--political, ecclesiastical, cultural, legal, judicial, financial, military, and educational. In its efforts to Establish the Church of England (the Anglican Church) in Upper Canada--as it had been so established, to the extent of collecting tithes, in Ireland, for example--the archly-conservative Family Compact sowed the seeds of its own eventual demise by creating broad popular opposition to its sectarian actions and policies after 1820, especially in regard to the education of the rising generations, for whom the State's role in education was of rapidly increasing importance. In the 1840s and 1850s, the Anglicans having lost the struggle to create an education system in their own image, began opening their own private schools and College (Trinity) under the aegis of their fearless though bigoted leader, Bishop John Strachan (Toronto).
The false traitor, Louis Riel in Canadian literature
Keywords: Riel Rebellion, 1885 in literature
Canadian literature
History and criticism
Riel, Rébellion de, 1885 dans la littérature
Littérature canadienne
Histoire et critique

The nineteenth-century Métis leader Louis Riel has emerged as one of the most popular—and elusive—figures in Canadian culture. Since his hanging for treason in 1885, the self-declared David of the New World has been depicted by Canadian novelists, poets, and playwrights variously as a traitor to Confederation; a French-Canadian and Catholic martyr; a bloodthirsty rebel; a pan-American liberator; a pawn of shadowy white forces; a Prairie political maverick; a First Nations hero; an alienated intellectual; a victim of Western industrial progress; and even a Father of Confederation. The primary objective of this thesis is to investigate how a historical figure, someone who supposedly existed in space and time, could be portrayed in such contradictory ways. Especially in light of the fact that most aesthetic representations of Riel bear little resemblance not only to one another but also to their ostensible model, it is suggested that those works are only nominally about the Métis leader himself. That is, they reveal less about the politician-mystic than they do about their authors and the society to which they belong.
A study of the cyclical nature of prime minister-press gallery relations, 1963-1988
Keywords: Prime ministers
Press coverage
History
Premiers ministres dans la presse
Histoire

This paper explores the relationship between the prime minister and the media in Canada. In particular, it attempts to determine whether modern-day relations between the prime minister and the Canadian news media are characterized by recurring stages or vary, in some fundamental way, with each new prime minister. The basis for the paper is a U.S. study by Michael Grossman and Martha Kumar, in which the authors concluded that there were three distinct phases during a four-year term: an "alliance" phase; a "competitive" phase; and a period of "detachment". The argument presented in this paper is that Grossman and Kumar's analysis can be applied to Canada, and that the same general cycle of coverage exists in Canadian politics. The first chapter focuses on Lester Pearson; the second chapter examines Pierre Trudeau's initial term in office, from 1968 to 1972, while the third chapter looks at Brian Mulroney.
Principal witness, Herbert Whittaker and Canadian drama, 1949-1975
Keywords: Theater
History
Theater critics
Biography
Théâtre
Histoire
Critiques de théâtre
Biographies

In his career as a reviewer and columnist for 'The Globe and Mail ' in Toronto from 1949 to 1975, Herbert Whittaker became arguably the most important critical figure in the history of Canadian theatre. This thesis attempts to define Whittaker as a principal witness of his time by examining his work and considering the sensitivity and knowledge that he brought to his reviews of Canadian and international plays. During these years at ' The Globe and Mail', Whittaker reviewed most of the plays and productions in Canadian theatre history that helped to produce an identifiably Canadian theatre. Critics have generally agreed that at the beginning of this period Canadian theatre was amateurish and derivative, but by the early 1970s had become much more professional and distinctively Canadian, attracting larger audiences. The theatre of this later period made a lasting contribution to the arts in Canada and extended beyond the Canadian border in its influence. As a child, Whittaker attended plays in Montreal and London, England. He developed his ability as a theatre designer through art classes, and as a designer and director through extensive work in little theatre in Montreal and later in Toronto. Whittaker's background, along with a genuine passion for art and interest in dramatists, directors and actors, enhanced his critical skills and made him much more than a journalist working his 'beat'. He continually adapted his point of view to the changing times in Canadian theatre. In the 1950s in Canada, the Massey Report became the cornerstone of arts policies and procedures and many of its recommendations were followed. The Stratford Festival, the National Theatre School, a strong body of professional repertory theatres throughout the regions of Canada, and many alternative theatre companies changed the face of Canadian theatre. Also, in the period under examination in this thesis, Canadians wrote and produced plays that allowed Canadians to see and study themselves in new and sometimes challenging ways. Whittaker monitored these developments and more in his long career and did so with thoroughness, insight and dedication.
The politics of Canada's nuclear policy, 1957-1963
Keywords: Nuclear weapons
Government policy
History
Armes nucléaires
Politique gouvernementale
Histoire

Scholars have portrayed John G. Diefenbaker as an indecisive leader who procrastinated over whether to accept nuclear weapons for Canada. However, it is an inadequate characterisation because it explains little about his behaviour. This dissertation seeks to explain why Diefenbaker was reluctant, but willing, to accept nuclear warheads. It argues that electoral considerations, not national security, governed his formulation of nuclear policy from 1957 to 1963. Concerns about electoral expediency meant that two things governed his formulation of policy: the state of public support and the position of parliamentary opposition. This was a period of transition for protest groups in Canada as organisations moved from protest to more extensive efforts to influence government policy, something anti-nuclear organisations exemplified. This dissertation traces the origins and activities of Canada's three most prominent anti-nuclear organisations: the Canadian Committee for the Control of Radiation Hazards, the Combined Universities Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, and the Voice of Women. How these organisations tried to convince Diefenbaker that they represented the views of the majority and why they failed are major elements of this thesis. Diefenbaker also worried about parliamentary opposition. Lester B. Pearson was particularly important in this regard. The Liberal leader's Nobel peace prize gave him added credibility when it came to matters of peace, and the prize and Pearson's repeated reference to it on the campaign trails only added to Diefenbaker's fears that the issue would be used by the Liberals for political gain. Despite these very real considerations, Diefenbaker was solely to blame for the political difficulties he faced on this issue. Had he moved forward decisively, he would have preceded the rise of the anti-nuclear movement. If he had accepted nuclear weapons in the early days of his majority mandate there would have been little opportunity for political opponents to criticise the government for indecision or inaction. Ultimately, Diefenbaker's fixation on electoral support turned out to be a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Poetics of the other, five feminist writers from English Canada and Quebec
Keywords: Feminist poetry, Canadian
History and criticism
Canadian poetry
Women authors
History and criticism
Canadian poetry
History and criticism
Poésie féministe canadienne
Histoire et critique
Écrits de femmes canadiens
Histoire et critique
Poésie canadienne
Histoire et critique

This volume considers the work of five feminist writers from Québec and English Canada: Nicole Brossard, France Théoret, Di Brandt, Erin Mouré and Lola Lemire Tostevin. Poetry is the predominant genre in this study, although these writers' transgression of generic boundaries involves a blending of poetry with prose and of the creative with the theoretical. In keeping with a feminist critical tradition in Canada and Québec, I refer to these writings as “Ecritures au féminin,” or writings in the feminine. This study not only investigates their attempts to inscribe female alterity (“the feminine”) within language and subjectivity, but of even greater significance are these writings' contributions to the notion of a feminist ethics. The perspective adopted in this study is a literary, philosophical and feminist one, situated at the confluence of contemporary ethical theory and feminist literary criticism. The shared ground of the five writers lies in their self-conscious explorations of a distinctly feminist poetics centred on theories of sexual difference and oriented around the maternal. These writings expand and also complicate the notion of an ethics of alterity as it pertains to issues of gender, language and writing, of subjectivity, and of relational exchange. The feminist ethics outlined here is derived from Emmanuel Uvinas' challenge to metaphysical ontology, Paul Ricoeur's own relational theory, and Luce Irigaray's application of ethical theory to sexual difference. These theorists premise their versions of ethics on the interrelated notion of same and other, applied by Irigaray and other feminist theorists to the mother-child dyad. The writers in question offer various configurations of the maternal dyad to reveal one possible model of a relational ethics. This maternal model underlies constructions of female subjectivity along with other modes of social and sexual interaction represented in these writings. However, representations of female intersubjectivity also contain the possibility of ethical breakdown, as well as the necessity of constant renegotiation. The difficulties and contradictions encountered in these literary formulations of self and other are the crux of a feminist ethics which demands the careful, yet not always sustainable, balance between identification and differentiation, or sameness and otherness.
Technologies of remembrance, literary criticism and Duncan Campbell Scott's Indian poems
Keywords: Indians in literature
Indiens d'Amérique dans la littérature

This thesis conceptualizes literary criticism as a "technology of remembrance." It works with the theory of "remembrance/pedagogy" which proposes that all remembrance acts are inherently pedagogical. This thesis argues that Canadian literary criticism engages various public remembrance/pedagogies of the history of First Nations-Canadian relations, as those relations have been produced historically through colonial domination. This thesis examines literary criticism, spanning from 1914 to 1996, of Duncan Campbell Scott's canonized "Indian poems." It also examines Scott's role in the department of Indian Affairs, especially from 1913 to 1932. It reads the literary readings of Scott and asks what is being remembered and forgotten about the colonial history of Canada in the remembrances of Scott? The thesis identifies and critiques three evaluative discourses in Scott literary criticism in terms of what they erase. It suggests two alternative evaluative discourses which are grounded in a counter-hegemonic view of the history of First Nations-Canadian relations.