Core Text Research Articles

Water Protection:

This six-week water inquiry unit with pre-service teachers in an English Language Arts (ELA) elementary education methods course explores the guiding question: Why is it important to protect water, and how can water be protected? Core whole-class texts include We are Water Protectors by Carole Lindstrom (2020) and Thirst by Varsha Bajaj (2022). Multiple assessment projects that support pre-service teachers’ informational reading and writing are included.

Reconfigured Relations: A New Perspective on the Relationship between Ambrose’s De sacramentis and the Roman Canon Missae

Abstract: The earliest certain witness to an anaphora that bears many obvious similarities to the Roman Canon Missae is found in Book 4 of Ambrose’s De Sacramentis . Scholars have characterized the relationship between the two texts, however, in remarkably contradictory ways. In this article, I demonstrate that Ambrose and the Roman Canon contain both earlier and later versions of a shared, core text. Through a careful examination of these two texts, I demonstrate that in each section of the respective anaphoral texts, distinct developments are clearly evident. This can be seen most clearly in the institution narrative, where there is a move to make the bread and cup narratives more symmetrical, but in ways that show both continuity and discontinuity to each other. We can no longer simply treat the text provided by Ambrose in De sacramentis as the earlier version of what became the Roman Canon. Instead, it is evidence of what was likely a wider phenomenon: the parallel development of Latin anaphoral texts that are based on both Greek Alexandrian sources and different biblical manuscripts. The evolution and redaction of the individual sections of each anaphora underwent independent redactions.

The Sound and Function of Different Language Particles in Zhuang Songs of Some Western Areas in Guangxi

The often as “ornamental” syllables named language elements refer to song-text particles, sometimes also named ‘vocables’, or appellations interspersed among the lyrics during the actual singing process of the singer. It appears to some extent in the Zhuang singer's singing of songs in various regions. Unfortunately, these syllables are often overlooked in textual records because most of them cannot be interpreted in terms of their actual lexical meaning when they are independent of the wording of the phrase. The specific expressions of the singers play an essential role and are an inseparable part of Zhuang songs. If the core text of the lyrics is like the beam of the house, then the vocables are the bricks of the wall. The combination of the two can build a house of Zhuang songs. Based on audio data of Zhuang songs collected the border and junction areas of western Guangxi, this study compares the difference between the songbook texts written by the singers that need a memory tool and the actual singing syllables used. For that, the authors interviewed the singers, analyzing the changes produced in sound by the vocables or short sentences in the singing process and summarizing their laws and functions within the singing events.

Imaginative elaboration in agenesis of the corpus callosum: topic modeling and perplexity.

Previous studies have found deficits in imaginative elaboration and social inference to be associated with agenesis of the corpus callosum (ACC; Renteria-Vasquez et al., 2022; Turk et al., 2009). In the current study, Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) responses from a neurotypical control group and a group of individuals with ACC were used to further study the capacity for imaginative elaboration and story coherence. Topic modeling was employed utilizing Latent Diritchlet Allocation to characterize the narrative responses to the pictures used in the TAT. A measure of the difference between models (perplexity) was used to compare the topics of the responses of individual participants to the common core model derived from the responses of the control group. Story coherence was tested using sentence-to-sentence Latent Semantic Analysis. Group differences in perplexity were statistically significant overall, and for each card individually (p < .001). There were no differences between the groups in story coherence. TAT narratives from persons with ACC were normally coherent, but more conventional (i.e., more similar to the core text) compared to those of neurotypical controls. Individuals with ACC can make conventional social inferences about socially ambiguous stimuli, but are restricted in their imaginative elaborations, resulting in less topical variability (lower perplexity values) compared to neurotypical controls.

The Institutional Branding of Jowett and O’Donnell’s Propaganda and Persuasion (1986-2019)

Students know the meaning of textbook as a noun to be a compilation of content for the purposes of explanation and setting principles. It is the core or ancillary subject text in a class. A biannual ritual on college campuses for decades was to stand in line in order to resell textbooks back to the bookstore, especially those books that came with a hefty price. Now it’s just as easy to unload them online. Textbooks are often one-time use books whose contents a professor requires all students to absorb for the purpose of passing exams or writing essays. As a scholar, I’m thrilled when I hear that a professor recommends or requires one of my books in a class. My shelves at home include treasured textbooks that brought enlightenment and understanding. These textbooks I keep take on a higher status in the life of the mind. I want to refer to a key subject again and again, so I keep it nearby for reference. In that case, textbook as an adjective refers to something that is a classic in a genre, commonly used in sports or entertainment. Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant are considered textbook examples of supreme excellence in professional men’s basketball in entirely different eras. But what about textbook examples in our genre? In our field of strategic communications, we need to know about ancillary subjects that inform us over time.

A war against the natural order: Joseph Nicolosi, Reparative Therapy, and the Christian Right.

This article situates Joseph Nicolosi's first book, Reparative Therapy of Male Homosexuality, in historical context. Nicolosi, a Catholic clinical psychologist, was one of the most vocal practitioners of sexual orientation change efforts (SOCE) from the early 1990s until his death in 2017, and in these decades, the Christian Right became a key supporter of SOCE. In this article, I argue that two features of Nicolosi's book appealed to the Christian Right. First, Nicolosi relied on psychoanalytic thought to pathologize not only same-sex sexual desires but also poor parenting. The use of psychoanalytic thought was of particular interest to conservative Christians who believed that American fathers had forfeited their role as strong patriarchs. Second, Nicolosi's approach to therapy, which included changing one's dress and mannerisms and assertiveness training, stressed that same-sex desires could be eliminated through behavioral reconditioning. Nicolosi's psychological eclecticism, a common feature for mental health practitioners at the end of the twentieth century, has not been emphasized in prior scholarship on reparative therapy. Importantly, the psychological eclecticism practiced by Nicolosi became common within the Christian Right after the publication of Reparative Therapy of Male Homosexuality. By offering a close reading of Reparative Therapy of Male Homosexuality, this article demonstrates the interrelationship between one of the core texts of the ex-gay movement and the psychological and religious thought of the Christian Right at the turn of the twenty-first century. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Metatextual Commentary to the Heroic Poem Suvoroida by I. I. Zavalishin: Authorial Manifestation and Understanding of the Genre

Issues concerning the emergence and decline of the epic poem are fairly well researched in Russian literary criticism. Irinarkh Ivanovich Zavalishin was the second author who successfully completed works of this genre following in the footsteps of M. M. Kheraskov. Yet, this author’s poems are often considered superficially as having had no serious influence on the literary process or the consciousness of contemporaries. This article looks at the unique aspect of his poem, Suvoroida, its extensive metatextual and paratextual structure, its relation to the core text and impact on the further development of the genre. The article demonstrates how in his commentary on the poem, the author expresses a new approach to the genre itself, i.e. a decisive rejection of classical fantastic elements of the traditional epic poem of the eighteenth century, postulating the value of historical accuracy and personal attitude to historical events. The article considers the immediate features of historical commentary, noting that, first of all, the author seeks to convey accurate historical information about the obstacles overcome by Suvorov and the losses of the enemy, which serves to formalize the image of the invincible hero. Finally, attention is drawn to the conceptual tension between the text of the poem and the author’s commentary on it, manifesting an active authorial presence in the text. From this tension comes the complexity in the interpretation of Suvorov’s image. As a character of the poetic text, he appears in the image of a classicist hero, sublime, magnificent, formidable, and gracious. The Suvorov of the metatext is down-to-earth, surrounded by everyday details and realities, and easy to deal with.

Eksplorasi Kesahihan Hadis dalam Tradisi Sufi Aceh: Studi Kasus Majelis Pengkajian Tauhid dan Tasawuf Indonesia

Exploring the Authenticity of Hadith in the Sufi Tradition of Aceh: A Case Study of the Majelis Pengkajian Tauhid dan Tasawuf IndonesiaThis article explores the Majelis Pengkajian Tauhid dan Tasawuf Indonesia (MPTT-I), a Sufi group, and its critique of Hadith. Drawing on data from the book "Ajaran Tauhid Tasawuf dan Tauhid Sufi," it identifies several Hadith used by MPTT-I, which hadith scholars classify as fabricated. Despite their dubious status, MPTT-I employs these Hadith to substantiate their Sufi teachings. Theoretical disparities in standards for authenticating Hadith between Hadith scholars and Sufi scholars prompt an inquiry: Does MPTT-I lean towards the Sufi scholars' method, involving kashf, or the Hadith scholars' method, prevalent among Acehnese scholars, or do they strike a balance by internalizing the Sufi scholars' approach for teaching while deploying the Hadith scholars' method as a negotiation strategy with the majority's teachings? To answer this, data from interviews and documentation are subjected to content analysis and an interdisciplinary approach. Findings reveal that MPTT-I's Hadith criticism method differs from both Sufi and Hadith scholars. They eschew the kashf method, prioritizing content quality over the chain of narration (sanad). Moreover, MPTT-I accords equal importance to the authority of core and ancillary texts when assessing Hadith quality, especially in legitimizing their Sufi teachings.

Footnotes.

The medical school curricula raced past feet. Sure, we memorized the names of all 26 bones and prepared for the identifier pin placed in any of the 100 muscles, ligaments, or tendons on our anatomy exams. Compared to vital knowledge like cardiac anatomy and liver function, feet were approached as an afterthought. As parenthetical references in tiny font, footnotes represent a nonessential nature and are relegated toward a document's end. Footnotes depict background information and reflect what is “outside” of the core text. For many years, feet were parenthetical and peripheral in my milieu of medical knowledge.

Stage directions as endotext: the psychological and socio-historical messages in the stage directions of Cao Yu and Lao She

ABSTRACT Cao Yu and Lao She, major twentieth-century Chinese playwrights, both wrote lengthy stage directions. Their long opening directions are very often unrepresentable, unperformable or, from a performance point of view, unnecessary. In both cases, the opening directions may be seen as a significant component of a work which, though ostensibly designed for the stage, is also a work of literature. The directions are explications of a culture: both men might be assuming that their work would be read and performed by later generations and by foreigners, and therefore requiring explanation across temporal and cultural barriers. They may also have had a view to the cinematic in their work. Most importantly, the directions are endotext – not core text itself, but deeply embedded in it, and embodying the inner workings – in Cao Yu’s case psychological states; in Lao She’s case, socio-historical situations of poverty and corruption. This intrinsic explanatory function is crucial for director, actors and readers in interpretation of the characters, and reflects a Stanislavskian approach. To regard stage directions as either paratext or core text is inadequate. I therefore use this case study to posit the notion of endotext – text which is deep and internal to the core text.

Norwegian Futurisms: Posthumanism and the Norwegian Nordic Model in Tor Åge Bringsværd’s "Du og Jeg, Alfred" and "Alfred 2.0"

In Norway, much of the Science Fiction published over the last two decades has been dystopian and focused on the future effects of climate change on society. In light of this trend, this article explores how the ecodystopian duology, Du og jeg, Alfred: Et tidsbilde (2020) and Alfred 2.0 (2022), written by Tor Åge Bringsværd under the pseudonym Edgar Burås, reflects on and criticizes the Norwegian Nordic model, particularly in relation to Norway’s oil wealth, social welfare, consumerism, and ecological concerns. As both novels mobilize characters and technologies that blur and confuse the boundaries of the human, the posthumanist theories of Donna Haraway are utilized in interpreting their cultural and socio-political symbolism. Additionally, these novels also serve as an intertextual update to Astrid Lindgren’s Emil i Lönneberga series (1963-1970), with the traditional boundaries of familial relationships pushed into posthuman notions of gender, age, and species. This article ultimately argues that the ecodystopian setting and posthuman characters posit an intersectional diversity and multispecies kinship that challenge notions of ecological and social sustainability in the Norwegian Nordic model. This article begins by introducing Bringsværd and the core texts, then concretizes the Norwegian Nordic model and explores the ecodystopian setting in light of neoliberalism and nationalism, and concludes with a discussion of posthumanism and intertextuality.

The Spiritual Teachings of Zakariyyā Kāndhlavī (d. 1982) in Fażāʾil-i Durūd Sharīf

Abstract Although the influential transnational Deobandi missionary organisation Tablīghī Jamāʿat is scarcely portrayed in contemporary popular media as a “Sufi movement,” the elders of the trend – such as the late Zakariyyā Kāndhlavī (d. 1402/1982) – were staunch Sufi shaykhs. Therefore, it is not surprising to find that one of the core texts of the Tablīghī Jamāʿat – Kāndhlavī’s Fażāʾil-i ʿAmāl – is full of many distinctly Sufi concepts. In the following essay, I look into the spiritual themes found in that particular volume of Kāndhlavī’s aforementioned work which deals specifically with the virtuous act of sending blessings upon the Prophet. In doing so, we will see that the Tablīghī Jamāʿat – deeply rooted in Sufi thought as it is – is very far removed from the Wahhabism with which it is occasionally associated in popular Western imagination.

Russian Political Propaganda Media Discourse: Definition of the Concept, Structure and Boundaries, Characteristics of Subjects

The relevance of this article is due to the practice of broadcasting ideas about the basic political and ideological constants of the state and power, which is widespread in modern Russian political propaganda media discourse. The article presents an overview of the research on propaganda, political propaganda, its properties, methods. The study revealed the theoretical heterogeneity of the concept of "political propaganda", general signs and patterns of this phenomenon. The research task is to summarize the results of the scientific discussion, offer our own definition of the political propaganda discourse of the mass media and describe its structure. The author developed the definition of the political propaganda discourse of the mass media. In modern Russian mass media, there is a clear polarization of the discourse under study: it seems possible to single out state and opposition subdiscourses, or varieties, of political propaganda media discourse. The article presents an analysis of the field structure of the Russian political propaganda discourse using the example of the characteristics of the subjective and genre-format organization of one of its varieties — the state political propaganda media discourse. The authors carried out zoning and systematization of the media activities of the subjects of the state propaganda media discourse. The study found that the role of "pivot", core texts for this variety is played by texts created by the subjects of political communication and broadcast in the media. The totality of multi-genre and multi-format media products of professional journalists and representatives of the cultural elite of Russia, distributed through various media channels, constitutes the near-core zone of this discourse. On the periphery media texts are created by non-professional journalists and users. The content-thematic principle becomes unifying for the political propaganda discourse of mass media: it is a single ideological system with a characteristic set of concepts, values, and assessments. The article outlines the vectors for further study of this phenomenon.

Transmitted Sayings and Their Transmissibility: Patterns and Meanings of Zhuan yue 傳曰 Quotations in Early Chinese Texts

Abstract This article investigates the introductory formula zhuan yue 傳曰 (“a transmitted source says”) in early China, together with its “quotations” and their parallel texts. Rarely found in pre-imperial texts, the zhuan yue formula gained prominence especially from the mid-Western Han onward. As a vague, unspecific gesture of reference, the formula was flexibly applied to varying functions but also used with limited patterns and regularity. Both the formula and the quoted material are almost never found in the core texts of the “Five Classics” (wujing 五經); instead, zhuan yue appears to indicate sources that existed as an open repository outside of the emerging canon. Thus, in marking the non-canonical body, zhuan yue also helped define the canonical one. Finally, another usage of zhuan yue—which emerged in early Han times if not earlier—as an introduction to specific zhuan-commentaries of the classics is clearly a separate function altogether.

The Role of Lyrics in Estonian Literature: Three Exemplary Cases

Song lyrics are usually positioned in the margins of literature and tend not to be in the first line when writers and their works are discussed. There have been debates about whether to consider lyrics as literature and/ or ‘real poetry’. The article examines three cases in Estonian literature where melodised poetic texts have played a significant role in Estonian culture and are considered to be core texts: “Mu isamaa on minu arm” (My Fatherland is My Love) by Lydia Koidula, songs from the feature film Viimne reliikvia (The Last Relic), lyrics written by Paul-Eerik Rummo, and “Laul Põhjamaast” (“Song of the Northern Land”), lyrics by Enn Vetemaa. These also represent three ways a text can function: “Mu isamaa on minu arm” was first written and published as a poem and later set to music; The Last Relic represents a case where texts were initially written as lyrics and later published in a collection of poems; “Song of the Northern Land”, by Enn Vetemaa, was meant to be and has remained a song and has not been included in poetry collections.

The Educational Function of a Hindu Core Text in a Liberal Arts Context: Character Education and Caring for the Soul in the Bhagavadgita

Liberal arts courses sometimes face the question of whether core texts can actually ‘educate character’ or ‘care for the soul’ in the Socratic sense. The Bhagavadgita addresses these issues from a Hindu perspective. But at the same time, the educational function of a religious core text changes decisively when transposed into a liberal arts context. The purpose of this paper is to explain how the use and content of the Gita can contribute to reflection on some liberal arts values and their application in courses on world literature and great books.

Transmedia Food: Meme Re-creation in Interactive Narratives

&lt;p&gt;跨媒介敘事研究視迷因文本為衛星支線，輔助核心體系；過往，虛構文學勾勒想像料理之「美食書寫」多所發展，近年則轉為「跨媒介料理」，著重身體感知與敘事設計。論文由此出發，試圖藉原著《冰與火之歌Ⅰ：權力遊戲》的案例，與220 則網路圖文的多模態分析，說明迷因再製者的轉化（菜色）成品及再現（文本）策略。研究發現，互動性敘事涉及迷因再製者融入文學體認，連動食材與身體感知的聯想。其次，轉化歷程需對應較易尋得的食材／媒材，符合日常技藝等情境。其三，創作者融入跨媒介記憶，拼盤「共時系統」或小說時空「歷時系統」，復刻奇幻美食。其四，創作者運用多模態資源再現迷因文本，彰顯個人創意、引發詮釋社群迴響，鞏固跨媒介料理創作動力。&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In transmedia storytelling research, meme literature is considered a form of transtext that supports the core text system. In recent years, the once highlydeveloped trend of fictional &amp;ldquo;gourmet writing&amp;rdquo; about imaginary food has shifted to the emergence of &amp;ldquo;transmedia food,&amp;rdquo; which emphasizes body senses and narrative design. From this perspective, the present study used A Game of Thrones: A Song of Ice and Fire and 220 blog posts with images as samples for a multimodal discourse analysis to investigate the (food) products of transformation and representation strategies (of text) employed by creators of derivative memes. The findings indicate that, firstly, interactive narratives require the meme creators to integrate literary experiences with food ingredients and the sensorial associations. Secondly, the transformation process must correspond to easily available food/media materials in the daily cooking skill scenarios. Thirdly, the creators must be able to integrate their transmedia memories to construct a &amp;ldquo;synchronic system&amp;rdquo; for the food they tried to recreate or a &amp;ldquo;diachronic system&amp;rdquo; for the universe of the novel for the authentic recreations of the mythical food described in the novel. Fourthly, the creators employed multimodal resources to represent the food described in textual memes,with the aim of demonstrating their own creativity, prompting wider responses from online interpretive communities, and encouraging the creative energies of transmedia food.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;

The Shakespeare Multiverse: Fandom as Literary Praxis. By Valerie M. Fazel and Louise Geddes

Is canon really fanon? This is one of the many provocative questions posed by Louise Geddes and Valerie M. Fazel in their co-written book, pop-topically entitled The Shakespeare Multiverse (2021). As its title suggests, the work ranges across a great variety of cultural discourses and landscapes: from the Detective Comics “52” series (which presents 52 different worlds its characters inhabit simultaneously), to the instability of the 1623 Folio as a “core text,” to the hair extensions David Tennant used when he played Richard II and the fanfic erotica that that hair inspired. It always helps to read Shakespearean scholarship with a dictionary close by, but this is the first time I recall repeatedly having to consult urbandictionary.com. Geddes and Fazel argue that fandom is a necessary non-hierarchical force, one that decentralizes authority, absorbs marginal or outsider voices, and conceives of “Shakespeare” as a multiverse of floating, shifting fragments, bits, and debris in an ever-expanding space that accommodates a more sustaining democratic field of creativity and investigation, unmoored from the governing fantasy of a central core text. Drawing on the work of Donna Haraway, Geddes and Fazel argue that invested fans participate in a kind of “cyborg reading”: “a process of textual engagement that pre-consciously accommodates affective pleasure and the materialist conditions of a text’s production and dissemination, and defines this hybridization as meaning” (11). Crucial as well to their argument is the recognition of the power of the object or paratext as—to use Jane Bennett’s term from her book of the same title—“vibrant matter” whose meanings shift over time and space depending on the user’s or fan’s perspective. In the multiverse then, these paratexts proliferate, creating an “archontic,” non-hierarchical multiverse, “where all Shakespeares—all adaptations, all archives, all bits and pieces of Shakespeare data—circulate” (9).

Remembering Herbert Gutman's Work, Culture, and Society Fifty Years On

Remembering Herbert Gutman's <i>Work, Culture, and Society</i> Fifty Years On

Text integration processes in children with Childhood Epilepsy with Centro-Temporal Spikes

Although Childhood Epilepsy with Centro-Temporal Spikes (CECTS) is considered a ‘benign’ form of epilepsy, word reading, listening comprehension, and reading comprehension difficulties have been reported. We examined two core skills for text comprehension, coherence monitoring and inference generation, in children with CECTS and compared performance with typically developing controls. Children with CECTS (n = 23; 9 females; mean age 9 y 0 m) and the comparison group (n = 38; 14 females; mean age 9 y 1 m) completed two tasks. For coherence monitoring they heard 24 narrative texts, 16 containing two inconsistent sentences, and responded to a yes/no question to assess identification of the inconsistency after each text; for inference making they heard 16 texts designed to elicit a target inference by integrating information in two sentences and responded to a yes/no question to assess generation of the inference. In both tasks there was a near condition, in which critical sentences were adjacent, and a far condition in which these sentences were separated by filler sentences. Accuracy to the question and the processing time for critical sentences in the text were measured. We used listening comprehension tasks to control for variation in word reading ability. Mixed effects analyses for each task revealed that children with CECTS show comparable levels of accuracy to age-matched peers in these tasks tapping two core text integration skills: detection of inconsistencies and generation of inferences. However, they take longer to process texts indicating a likely source of their listening and reading comprehension difficulties.