ahss postgraduate conference 2017 - … on corpus-based contrastive analysis (cbca) is notably...
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AHSS POSTGRADUATE CONFERENCE 2017
8.30am Registration & Breakfast
in the Pavilion
9am Opening Address:
Professor Eoin Devereux
Panel 1
9.15- 10.15am
3 Papers Kathryn Hayes Audrey Galvin Zach Roche
Chair: Mary Tumelty
Panel 2
10.15-11.15am
3 Papers Tara Giddens Sean O’Connell Elaine Walsh
Chair: Kathryn Hayes
COFFEE BREAK
Panel 3
11.30am-12.30pm
3 Papers Hope Davidson Gerard Greaney Franco Jombo
Chair: Niall Curry
LUNCH BREAK
Panel 4
1.30pm-2.15pm
2 Papers Mansour Alammar Michelle Stevenson
Chair: Sean O’Connell
Panel 5
2.15pm-3.15pm
3 Papers Stephen Strauss-Walsh Sean Whitney John Harrington
Chair: Michelle Stevenson
CLOSE OF CONFERENCE
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LIST OF POSTER PRESENTATIONS
POSTER # Student Department/School TITLE POSTER 1 Niall Curry Modern Languages and
Applied Linguistics Engaging Readers through pronouns in English and French academic writing
POSTER 2 Audrey Galvin Culture and Communication
The challenges in Journalism Practice in covering Mental Health related stories
POSTER 3 Gyorgy Nagy Modern Languages and Applied Linguistics
Towards Intercultural Competence: Integrating Irish Culture into Materials for Teaching English for Speakers of Other Languages in Ireland
POSTER 4 Karen O’Brien Law Have the recent reforms in Ireland’s personal Insolvency and Bankruptcy Law been sufficient to deal with the enormity of the over indebtedness problem facing all types of individuals in Ireland caused by the legacy of unsustainable debt?
POSTER 5 Michelle Starr Sociology Parent Choice and Diversity in Primary School Patronage Policy
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STUDENT: MANSOUR ALAMMAR
SUPERVISOR: DR. FREDA MISHAN
Paper Title: The Role of Collaborative vs. Individual Writing in Improving Essay Writing:
A Case Study on Saudi Learners
ABSTRACT:
In recent decades, the teaching and learning of ESL/EFL writing has evolved into an important and
interesting research area. Until recently, few studies have investigated how to teach L2 writing. The
research interest has always been on how to teach L1 writing. However, the situation has now
changed, with studies increasingly looking into new methods used to teach L2 writing.
Little attention has been paid to the use of collaborative writing to improve learners’ essay writing at
Saudi universities. The current study aims to examine the role of collaborative as opposed to
individual writing in improving learners’ skills in writing in class.
This research study focuses on the advantages of collaborative writing in class to improve EFL
learners’ proficiency in essay writing. In the field of applied linguistics, this issue is an interesting area
to investigate. To what extent collaborative is better than individual writing in improving learners’ skills
in essay writing? The researcher selected 20 L2 male students in level three majoring in English at
Imam University, College of Languages and Translation in Saudi Arabia.
To collect data, the researcher utilized four researcher-made instruments: an EFL essay writing test,
error correction writing test, open-ended questionnaire, and semi-structured interviews. The data was
collected from the participants using a mixed method technique that combines qualitative and
quantitative analysis in a unique treatment. The data of this study was found to be very significant,
which will open room for wide research in collaborative writing as a good method to adopt in teaching
EFL writing.
Keywords:
Collaborative writing, Individual work, EFL Essay writing, Qualitative and quantitative analysis, Writing
test, Questionnaire, Semi structured Interview
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STUDENT: NIALL CURRY
SUPERVISOR: PROF. ANGELA CHAMBERS/DR. MAIREAD MORIARTY
Poster Title: Engaging readers through
pronouns in English and French academic
writing
ABSTRACT:
Research on corpus-based contrastive analysis (CBCA) is notably experiencing a rebirth in interest,
where CBCAs on academic writing occupy a small but growing space in the literature. Much of this
growth owes to non-native speaking academic writers’ needs to be informed of the writing
conventions of the academic discourse communities to which they aspire. Of these conventions, there
is a surprising lack of research on interpersonal communication in academic writing, comparing
evaluative markers across languages. As such, there is a need then for research on rhetorical devices
that authors use to engage readers in academic writing and this research aims to address this gap in
the context of reader pronouns such as ‘we’. In this poster, we study reader pronouns in English and
French and aim to analyse their varying role and equivalence in the English and French economics
research article.
In undertaking this study, we present a corpus-based contrastive analysis of economics research
articles in English and French, taken from the KIAP corpus (Fløttum et al. 2006). Reader pronouns
are identified in each sub-corpus and their functions are categorised as organisational; focus;
membership; active and objection reader pronouns; functions which have been synthesised from
research by Hyland (2001; 2005) and Fløttum et al. (2006). These reader pronouns are then analysed
in terms of their of frequency, distribution, form, word-class and sentence length to measure degrees
of equivalence. The results of this study reveal some important similarities and differences, which are
investigated both quantitatively and qualitatively. The findings can add to the debate on the nature of
English and French academic writing as reader- and writer-responsible languages, respectively and
can have useful implications in informing the teaching of academic writing in both English for
academic purposes and français langue académique.
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STUDENT: HOPE DAVIDSON
SUPERVISOR: DR. EIMEAR SPAIN/JENNIFER SCHWEPPE
Paper Title: Losing it and gaining it – capacity
in healthcare decision-making
ABSTRACT:
Of the many vexed questions to deal with in healthcare, one of them is how we approach decision-
making for people who do not have (legal) decision-making capacity. Specifically, this paper aims to
examine, by way of comparison, the position of the ‘mature minor’ and the person with dementia. Both
cohorts potentially have the mental capacity to make a decision but may not have legal decision-
making capacity. Patently the two groups are different – minors in that they are deemed not yet to
have gained the requisite capacity by dint of chronological age, people with dementia because the
disease process to which they are subject may be interfering with their ability to make a rational
decision. Traditionally a person under 18 was deemed not to have legal capacity - full stop. A person
with and a person with dementia could have their legal capacity taken away from them if they were
deemed to lack the mental capacity to make a decision. This was on an all-or-nothing basis – you
either had it or you didn’t. The newer thinking influenced by the UN Convention on the Rights of the
Child 1989 and the UN Convention on the Persons with Disabilities 2006 is that this binary, yes/no
approach to capacity and participation in decision-making is increasingly harder to justify.
7
STUDENT: AUDREY GALVIN
SUPERVISOR: DR. FERGAL QUINN/DR. YVONNE CLEARY
Paper Title: Framing mental health: challenges
in journalism practice
ABSTRACT:
News content that may have negative effects on how a phenomenon is understood in society
frequently raises ethics questions. The way in which murder suicide in the news is framed by story
narrative, using sourcing, point of view, emphasis and description can leave audiences with a
particular understanding of that issue. How ethics are employed in applying frames in the issue of
murder suicide can serve to emphasise one perspective over another and raises ethical questions.
This PhD aims to examine what ethical frameworks were applied in the framing of murder suicide
stories by journalists and editors in print media in Ireland. It will aim to establish if framing practices
employed by media practitioners creates/contributes to victim/offender stereotypes. Methodology will
be in two phases – a framing analysis of media content of cases of murder suicide incidents. Media
framing analysis goes beyond identifying which issues (and aspects of issues) are important to think
about, and explores the parameters of the discussion itself—the words, symbols, overall content, and
tone used to frame the topic. When compared to agenda setting, framing includes “a broader range of
cognitive processes—such as moral evaluations, causal reasoning, appeals to principles, and
recommendations for treatment of problems." The second phase of the research will be interviews
with media professionals and aims to capture the framing process. Informed by framing and ethical
theory, it will aim to establish the extent to which ethics are used in applying frames to coverage of
murder suicide stories and how media practitioners conceptualise murder suicide in their work.
8
STUDENT: TARA GIDDENS
SUPERVISOR: DR. TINA O’TOOLE
Paper Title: Performance in the “Women’s
Kingdom”: Deconstructing Kathleen Coleman’s
portrayal of Motherhood and Irishness in Late
Nineteenth-Century Canada
ABSTRACT:
Kathleen Coleman, Irish immigrant and Canadian journalist, (1856-1915) became one of the most
well-known journalists during her time for her immensely popular column, covering the Queen’s
Jubilee, and becoming the first accredited female war correspondent during the Spanish-American
War (1898). Coleman began writing for The Toronto Daily Mail (later The Daily Mail and Empire) using
the androgynous name “Kit” to disguise her gender identity. By hiding her gender, she gained more
freedom to express political opinions and write about topics which were not common for women to
discuss. Once her gender was revealed, Coleman changed her tone to maternal and gave “motherly”
advice to her “paper children”, a name she gave her readers. Using Judith Butler’s theory of gender
performativity, I will argue that Coleman performed her femininity, specifically "motherhood", and also
performed her "Irishness" in her publications. By performing a feminine and maternal role in her
writing, it offset her enthusiastic, political opinions and helped her appear less threatening to readers
and male peers. Additionally, Coleman used this tactic to perform her Irishness. She did this by calling
herself a “fiery Irish” woman, claiming to be descended from Irish kings and, as she claims, putting on
her Irishness to help her in situations. Using Joseph Valente’s term “metro-colonial,” which frames
Ireland simultaneously as a metropolitan centre and colonised space at the fin de siècle, I will argue
that Coleman lent her work cultural authority in the “new” state emerging in Canada by using her
Irishness to her advantage.
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STUDENT: GERARD GREANEY
SUPERVISOR: DR. EIMEAR SPAIN/PROF. RAYMOND FRIEL
Paper Title: Intellectual Property Law: A static
response to a dynamic challenge?
ABSTRACT:
The world is facing revolution. The so-called Fourth Industrial Revolution (IR4.0) is progressing at an
exponential rate, releasing unprecedented potential for scientific development and economic
prosperity while yet exacerbating a deep rooted inequality for many, particularly in the developing
world. This paper examines scientific intellectual endeavour through the lens of the Law, considering
the manner in which such a dynamic and creative process has been condensed to a western focused
static property framework. It is a history of exploitation, juxtaposing individual personal rights to
corporate controlled and contracted property rights. It is already ill prepared to cope with the
challenge of Digitization and is seriously in deficit for a future encompassing Nanotechnology and
Artificial Intelligence. This paper argues that the legal community has lost its way as a key
stakeholder, moderator and/or guardian in this socio-economic discourse, content to patrol the
periphery of global trade and competition rules, by periodically bolstering outmoded Lockean property
concepts in neatly packaged patent infringements, trade mark disputes and classic breach of
confidence actions. Legal doctrine is forged to affirm the past rather than address the future. Far more
attention is afforded optimizing the tax planning of IP income, through Transfer Pricing Arrangements,
R&D Tax Credits and Knowledge Development Box legislation, in pursuit of metrics to justify politically
prized labels such as Knowledge Based Economy or Smart Economy. This paper concludes on the
need for a new taxonomy, adopting an Innovation Nexus approach. Innovation is a dynamic
phenomenon, and it is time to abandon traditional force-fitted static thinking to address the needs of a
new age, embracing it as a creative and evolving process to be fostered and not merely rented.
Otherwise, the next global conflict may yet ignite over the ownership of an idea.
10
STUDENT: JOHN HARRINGTON
SUPERVISOR: DR. RUAN O’DONNELL
Paper Title: Henri Le Caron, Spy – a story of
British Counter Intelligence
ABSTRACT:
Political terrorism, sadly is not a product of the modern age, nor is the use of counter terrorism tactics
by central governments to defeat it. Eighteenth-century Irish nationalist and republican organisations
were not found wanting when it came to the use of violence in an effort to advance their cause. The
almost forgotten Fenian invasions of Canada, the Phoenix Park Murders and the Dynamite Campaign
of the 1880s are prime examples of Irish political violence at play. The British Government were also
not negligent when it came to the use of spies and informers in their efforts to curtail these activities.
The key to the success of a war carried on in the shadows is secrecy, and from a historical point of
view British Intelligence appears to have had the upper hand. Perhaps Britain’s greatest intelligence
coup during the era has remained almost forgotten to this day. Victorian Counter Intelligence Services
managed to infiltrate the highest echelons of Irish Republicanism in the United States to such a
degree that of the three man ‘Triangle’ that ran the organisation that at least one of them was a British
agent. The story of Henri Le Caron could easily have been taken from the pages of a modern spy
novel. This paper will chronicle his incredible story and how he was a British agent at the heart of
some of the most pivotal movements of Irish history. He was a sworn Fenian, a trusted lieutenant who
took part in the Canadian Invasion; he was a key member of the committee that planed the Dynamite
Campaign. He was he claimed a close confidante of Parnell and almost prematurely ended his
political career. Yet he has remained until today, forgotten and unacknowledged by friend and foe,
perhaps the eventual fate of all spies.
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STUDENT: KATHRYN HAYES
SUPERVISOR: DR. MICHELLE O’DWYER/DR. HENRY SILKE/DR. MICHELLE O’SULLIVAN
Paper Title: The Networked Freelancer:
Freelance Journalism in the Age of Social Media
ABSTRACT:
The advent of social media has given rise to both new questions and considerations around
journalistic practice. Changing work practices leading to more deskbound journalism and the concept
of ‘churnalism’ has arguably been enhanced by the digital revolution. An area of interest not widely
considered is the relationship between freelance journalists and social media. How do freelancers
engage with social media? Is the growing practice of social journalism making journalists more or less
likely to rely on traditional sources of information? Despite much debate around disruptions in
journalism, few of the major ‘future of journalism’ reports consider the role of self-employed or
freelance journalists on the future of the craft; the normal unit of analysis is more often fulltime news
reporters or the newsroom within large and stable media organisations. Nonetheless the increasing
trend towards atypical employment in labour markets is also reflected in journalism practice: the
number of freelance journalists increased by 67% in the UK from 2000-2015, while the proportion of
freelancers working in some parts of central Europe was as high as 60% (EFJ 2011). The
International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has also reported an increased reliance on freelancers
and the National Union of Journalists (NUJ), both in the UK and Ireland, describe the freelance sector
as the largest growth area in journalism. As news reporting continues to be outsourced to agencies
and freelancers the implications for professional journalistic practices such as sourcing, fact checking
and balance must be considered. Does social media give freelancers more access and allow self-
employed journalists platforms to develop their brand? To what extent is it used as a method of
reaching sources? This paper, drawing from a freelance forum held in the University of Limerick and
exploratory research for my PhD study explores how some Irish freelance journalists use social media
for accessing and verifying information, distributing their work, building networks and developing a
brand.
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STUDENT: FRANCO JOMBO
SUPERVISOR: SINEAD EATON
Paper Title: Separate Legal Personality
(Corporate Veil)
ABSTRACT:
This my Postgraduate LL.M study by research is focussing on the concept ‘Separate Legal
Personality’ of a company. It is a Company Law topic. The Thesis explores and analyses the creation
of ‘Separate Legal Personality’ of companies and the ‘Disregarding’ of same in Ireland, State of
Delaware in the United States of America and Nigeria in the 21st Century.
The researcher was motivated to research on ‘Separate Legal Personality’ of a company when he
realised the inconsistencies and controversies surrounding the topic since 1897 when the topic’s
pioneer case Salomon v Salmon & Co. Ltd 1897 AC 22 was overturned by the United Kingdom House
of Lords (HL). Thence, the Researcher as well realised that there are comparative exceptions in the
‘Disregarding of Separate Legal Personality’ of a Company still existing in Ireland, State of Delaware
in the United States of America and Nigeria since the topic’s inception in the18th Century and up to the
present 21ST Century.
The researcher utilised the Qualitative Research Approach Method and Case Studies which were
researched from multiple sources, including Law Books and Legal Journal Articles. The ‘Separate
Legal Personality’ of a Company is a significant and household concept in Company Law, therefore
figuring out the comparative exceptions which are still existing in the aforementioned jurisdictions
seems to be a worthwhile research to be carried out. This, I believe would enable the legislators to
harmonise and update laws for ‘Separate Legal Personality’ of a Company in the 21st Century as
there has been no proactive measures to abolish these inconsistencies and controversies.
Keywords: Law; Company Law; Corporate Law; Separate Legal Personality; Limited Liability;
Disregarding the Corporate Veil; Legal Entity, Salomon v Salomon & Co. Ltd.
13
STUDENT: GYORGY NAGY
SUPERVISOR: DR. FREDA MISHAN/DR. MARTA GIRALT
Poster Title: Towards Intercultural Competence:
Integrating Irish Culture into Materials for
Teaching English for Speakers of Other
Languages in Ireland
ABSTRACT
Without the study of culture, second language acquisition is not complete (Kramsch, 1993; Paige and
Stringer, 1997). While teaching culture raises learners’ awareness of the target culture and their own
home culture, it gives them an intercultural competence (Kramsch, 1997, p. 231). This research
contributes to the vibrant global conversation among professionals about the ways of developing
learners’ intercultural competence. The study aims to provide insights into the current teaching
practices in developing intercultural competence through the integration of cultural content into
materials for Teaching English for Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) in Ireland; where the
overall educational goal is to facilitate the successful integration of newcomer learners into Irish
society. As 97 per cent of teachers in Ireland lack appropriate training in teaching English as a second
language including developing intercultural competence (Lyons and Little, 2009), this research study
pays particular attention to how materials for TESOL can support teachers in this process. The study
focuses on newcomer adult learners in the classrooms of English for Speakers of Other Languages
(ESOL) providers in Ireland. Data collection consists of quantitative and qualitative content analyses
of the materials in use, a questionnaire and semi-structured interviews with the teachers as well as
participatory action research for gathering data from the learners. The investigation also involves the
exploration of the state-of-the-art literature on culture, intercultural competence and the cultural
content of teaching materials. This study aims to offer a recommendation for an Irish national
framework for ESOL materials that are to develop newcomer adult learners’ intercultural competence
in an Irish context and it intends to help teachers incorporate Irish culture into their materials
effectively and appropriately.
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STUDENT: KAREN O’BRIEN
SUPERVISOR: PROF. RAYMOND FRIEL
Poster Title: Have the recent reforms in
Ireland’s Personal Insolvency and Bankruptcy
Law been sufficient to deal with the enormity
of the over indebtedness problem facing all
types of individuals in Ireland caused by the
legacy of unsustainable debt?
ABSTRACT:
In the context of economic crisis and widespread personal over-indebtedness, this paper will examine
the recent effect of personal insolvency law by considering the key features of the newly enacted Irish
Personal Insolvency Act 2012. This long awaited reform was required by the EU/IMF Programme for
financial support for Ireland became law in December, 2012. This legislation has been described as
the most radical and comprehensive reform of our insolvency and bankruptcy law and practice since
the foundation of the state. The main objective of this Act is to seek to balance the rights of debtors
and creditors when considering the resolution of personal indebtedness by providing solutions to
those trapped by unsustainable debt and offer alternatives to bankruptcy, which until 2012 in Ireland
was only an option of the last resort. This mentality was caused by the draconian nature and stigma
that existed in relation to bankruptcy, which has somewhat eased due to the large number of
individuals who are in the grip of a huge amount of personal debt. Now, those individuals who are not
eligible to apply under the provisions of the Personal Insolvency Act 2012, the Bankruptcy
(Amendment) Act 2015 provides for several changes to the rules on bankruptcy including the key
element of reducing the bankruptcy period from 3 years to 1 year (up to December 2013 it was 12
years) which brings us in line with bankruptcy law in Northern Ireland and England & Wales. This is
an excellent time to examine and evaluate these reforms as they evolve to see if they will offer the
real solutions needed by individuals dealing with financial distress, so that they can engage
constructively with financial institutions and creditors which will bring about certainty and relief and
make a meaningful difference to debt resolution in the future.
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STUDENT: SEAN O’CONNELL
SUPERVISOR: DR. MAIREAD MORIARTY/DR. CINTA RAMBLADO
Paper Title: An Investigation into a speech
therapy informed approach to pronunciation
teaching in the English Language Teaching
Classroom - Methodology
ABSTRACT:
Recent surveys of teachers’ attitudes and practice suggest that teachers find pronunciation a difficult,
if important, area of English Language teaching. (Murphy 2011, Foote et al. 2012, Henderson et al.
2012). Additionally the number of empirical studies on pronunciation learning is small.(Derwing and
Munro 2005, Derwing and Munro 2015). This research will explore and develop the area of English
pronunciation teaching in the context of English as a second language set in the English Language
Teaching classroom. It develops a model of pronunciation teaching rooted in clinical practice in
speech and language therapy utilising a phonological approach (Grunwell 1977, Hodson 2007), and
adapting it for the classroom. It combines this approach with current best practice models from
classroom pedagogical models (Derwing and Munro 2015) to produce an innovative programme. The
research will develop the primary (author’s MA) research model and include an examination of its
implementation in the classroom and an evaluation of its effectiveness on learner and teacher
experience and outcomes. The research subjects for this study are Spanish learners of English as a
second language and their class teachers. The primary research activity will focus on the effect of a
specialised pronunciation programme (SPP) delivered by the teachers to a Study Group of randomly
selected classes. This presentation will focus on the research methodology (a mixture of traditional
experimental and action research) proposed for the primary data collection. It is innovative in that it
proposes to include teacher and learner experience as well as effectiveness of the model. There was
an improvement in pronunciation in the preliminary research (21.88% error reduction) and this
research seeks to discover if this can be replicated in a general second language classroom using the
pre-test post-test model outlined. The research adds to the developing field of pronunciation
pedagogy literature.
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STUDENT: ZACH ROCHE
SUPERVISOR: DR. CARMEN KUHLING/DR. MARTIN J. POWER
Paper Title: Left After Debt: Coping After the
Crisis
ABSTRACT:
The state established the Insolvency Service of Ireland (ISI) in 2013 to respond to a crisis situation
involving more than 150,000 mortgages in long-term arrears, and €157bn of personal debt
(Insolvency Service of Ireland 2017). The ISI's strategy has focused upon teaching financial skills to
insolvent debtors, combined with up to 5 years of financial supervision, after which some debt is
written off. Through this institution the aftermath of the economic boom and crisis is being dealt with,
and life after debt has become possible for some Irish debtors. However, although debt is prevalent in
Ireland and has been linked to stress (Mind 2008), food poverty (Pressman and Scott 2009), and
financial/social exclusion (Combat Poverty Agency 2009), only 6,800 debtors (out of an estimated
150,000 who qualify) have applied for the ISI's services. My research is dedicated to explaining why
this gap is so great. Early stage findings are based upon 21 semi-structured qualitative interviews,
and indicate that debtors have had a poor first impression of the service. Most debtors report feeling
morally policed by the staff of the ISI, who ask invasive personal questions in an effort to discover if
the applicant is genuine. The primary consequence of this has been to force debtors to reach a
private arrangement with their lender, a relationship of asymmetric power and inequality which
favours the creditor, and forces concessions from the debtor. With no access to debt relief, most
debtors have been forced to cope by relying upon their own resources, and my research explores
these coping strategies in detail. These include: dumpster diving, use of charities, seeking a second
job, and many more. However, long-term coping has worn down the quality of life and mental health
of debtors, who increasingly report that they are at a breaking point.
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STUDENT: MICHELLE STARR
SUPERVISOR: DR. BREDA GRAY/DR. AOIFE NEARY
Poster Title: Parent Choice and Diversity in
Primary School Patronage Policy
ABSTRACT:
Tensions between a diversifying Irish society and a denominational primary school system gave rise
to calls (from unions, patrons, media, parent-groups) to reshape the school patronage system. In
response, a Forum Advisory Group was established in 2011 to consult how best to reshape the
patronage system. A report is published with recommendations appealing to parental choice and
school ethos (Coolohan et al. 2012). Subsequently, a national parent survey of school patron
identified 28 areas out of 43 surveyed to have sufficient demand for school patron divestment (DES
2012; 2013). To date divestment has been slow, with reports that vary from one school divested to
ten schools divested: depending on whether the number represents the direct divestment of existing
schools, the intention of the survey or it includes new multi-denominational school buildings.
There is a complexity of relations within the construct of parent choice as a policy practice. In addition
to the complexities within the process of transforming practice into a set of intended policy outcomes.
Internationally, parent choice in education policy-making is rationalised by its raising of standards,
increasing competitiveness and advantaging children and parents. In the Irish context, parent choice
is centred on school ethos. Irish studies on school choice mainly focus on the classed nature of
choice - connections to choice knowledge and the means to be choosers. However, it is school ethos
that underpins contemporary policy concerns.
This poster presents my sociological research study, which is critically examining how Irish school
patron policy mobilises tropes and discourses of the international education policy practice of parent
choice. Using existing literature, the production of parent subjects and circulates of governing
discourses of choice and diversity, is presented. By examining policy constructs and practices of
parent choice of school ethos and its effects on school system reform, this study will add to the
literature.
18
STUDENT: MICHELLE STEVENSON
SUPERVISOR: DR. ANDREA RYAN
Paper Title: Is the current statistical method of
interpreting mixed DNA evidence at odds with
the presumption of innocence in Ireland?
ABSTRACT:
Mixed DNA evidence contains the DNA profiles of more than one contributor and is therefore
prevalent at crime scenes. This evidence is generally presented to jurors using probability calculus
comprising numbers that stretch well beyond everyday comprehension, imagination and experience.
Consequently, there has been a number of high-profile miscarriages of justice due to the evidentiary
challenges posed by the complex statistical reasoning which may be needed to argue a DNA “match.”
The introduction of the Criminal Justice (Forensic Evidence and DNA Database System) Act 2014
heralds the increase in the use of mixed DNA evidence in the Irish jurisdiction, inevitably predicting a
rise in the use of statistical evidence in the courts. Running parallel to this, the Law Reform
Commission notes that the way in which statistics surrounding mixed DNA samples are currently
presented in court is by means of a statistical tool known as a likelihood ratio.1 Although it has been
argued by forensic geneticists that a single method of statistical interpretation may simply not be
possible for DNA mixtures since the Report was published, little progress has been made to
accommodate these findings in the jurisdiction.2 It has also been argued that three (or more) person
mixtures cannot easily be calculated using likelihood ratios.3 Does this apparent reticence mean that
the law is fearful of addressing issues surrounding probability and statistics?
There are two purposes to this paper. The first is to expose the dangers posed to the presumption of
innocence by the use of likelihood ratios when mixed DNA evidence is relied upon by the prosecution
in Ireland. The second is to argue that there are a number of statistical methods that may be used in
addition to this mathematical tool which may provide an increased safeguard against future
miscarriages of justice.
1 Law Reform Commission, 2004, Consultation Paper on the Establishment of a DNA Database, 93.
2Budowle, B., Onorato, A., Callaghan, T., Della Manna, A., Gross, A., Guerrieri, R., Luttman, J.C., McClure, D. L.,
“Mixture Interpretation: Defining the Relevant Features for Guidelines for the Assessment of Mixed DNA
profiles in Forensic Casework,” 2009 J. Forensic Science Vol 54 No 4.
3 Budowle et al (n 2).
19
STUDENT: STEPHEN STRAUSS-WALSH
SUPERVISOR: PROF. SHANE KILCOMMINS/DR. JOHN LOMBARD
Paper Title: Focault and Victims: From axis of
individualisation to axis of vulnerability
ABSTRACT:
This paper explains the contribution Foucault has made to Victimology. This involves contemplating
the nature of victim reintroduction through an examination of Foucault’s’ ‘axis of individualisation’ -
which explains how power creates identities. The aim is to extend this to include victims, as subjects
and targets of power. This will extrapolate how victim subjectivity was created and emerged within
Irish society.
The paper will demonstrate how I intend to use Foucault to construct ‘histories of the present’ This
involves exploring rifts within “history” which subvert preconceptions (Roth 1981:43).This “antihistory”
constructs “history” as a part of our present that can be transcended (Roth 1981:44).The paper will
assess how the eighteenth century ‘badly regulated distribution of power’ (Foucault 1979: 79) allowed
the nineteenth century move from scaffolds to states where ‘… law operates more and more as the
norm’ (Foucault 1979: 144).
This paper will eventually conclude by briefly surmising the main conclusions which can be drawn
from this study; namely that Foucauldian theory provides several insights into the transfer from
eighteenth century victim inclusive justice to nineteenth century governmentality and helps clarify the
birth of Victimology by explaining how the ‘axis of individualisation’ has shifted from offender to victim.
The objective of this paper is to essentially outline how I intend to use Foucault to gauge victim re-
emergence.
20
STUDENT: ELAINE WALSH
SUPERVISOR: DR. YVONNE CLEARY/DR. ANN MARCUS QUINN
Paper Title: Investigating the importance of
communication in designing written assessment
instructions
ABSTRACT:
The importance of assessment in higher education is widely recognized. For students, assessment is
key to defining the curriculum (Ramsden, 2003) and it has a huge influence on the students’ learning
experience (Carless, 2007). By definition, for students to be successful in higher education, they must
do well in assessment. While students can avoid the effects of poor teaching, they cannot avoid the
effects of poor assessment (Boud, 1995). In higher education, the prolific use of programme and
module learning outcomes; an increasing demand for transparency and accountability; and the
growing articulation of marking standards and evaluation criteria has heightened the importance of
assessment literacy. Within the Irish context, developments such as the National Framework of
Qualifications (NFQ) and the move towards publishing graduate attributes have increased the
significance of assessment literacy development amongst staff and students. More general changes
within higher education such as a more diverse student population, an increasing range of
assessment types, more complex assessment instructions and the effects of modularisation have also
highlighted the importance of assessment literacy. While “every assessment task is an exercise in
communication” (Dunn et al, 2004, p. 83), written communication dominates the assessment process.
The need for research into the design of assessment instructions is pressing. This presentation will
focus on the importance of communication in designing assessment instructions and will discuss
some of the preliminary findings from research conducted within UL.
Bibliography:
Boud, D. (1995) ‘Assessment and learning: contradictory or complementary’ in Knight, P., (ed.)
Assessment for Learning in Higher Education. London: Kogan Page, pp. 35-48.
Carless, D. (2007) ‘Learning-oriented assessment: conceptual bases and practical implications’,
Innovations in Education and Teaching International, 44(1), pp. 57–66. [Online] DOI:
10.1080/14703290601081332 (Accessed: 5 January 2017).
Dunn, L., Morgan, C., O’Reilly, M. and Parry, S. (2004) The student assessment handbook: new
directions in traditional and online assessment, London: Routledge Falmer.
Ramsden, P. (2003) Learning to teach in higher education, (2nd ed.), London: Routledge Falmer.
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STUDENT: SEAN WHITNEY
SUPERVISOR: DR. DAVID FLEMING
Paper Title: Domestic tobacco cultivation: Boon
to the poor or threat to the state?
ABSTRACT:
‘Domestic tobacco cultivation: Boon to the poor or threat to the state’. The relationship between the
state and the tobacco business centres on maintaining and protecting the states revenue gathered
from duties and licenses. This paper will examine Irish domestic cultivation of tobacco which to some
was perceived as a threat to the state’s finances and the status quo within the industry. Proponents of
tobacco growing in Ireland saw it as opportunity to develop a stronger manufacturing base and also to
stimulate the economy by the process of import substitution. To the landless labouring classes it
meant increased employment for some throughout the year and seasonal work during harvest time
especially for women and young children. Two distinct periods, 1825-35 and 1900-1935 marked
occasions when Irish tobacco growing showed distinct signs of achieving some success. This paper
will outline the arguments in favour for and against cultivation using British and Irish state papers,
newspapers, pamphlets and private and commercial correspondence. Using these sources the paper
will compare and contrast the position taken by both the British and Irish governments and the
tobacco trade in both countries during these periods.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:
Thanks to the following for their help with
organizing this event:
Dr. Niamh Lenahan
Professor Eoin Devereux ADR
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