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i
VISUAL REASONING:
REPRESENTATIONS IN GLOBAL POLITICS, ECONOMICS, AND SOCIETY
by
Guilherme Arêas Maciel de Araujo Silva
________________________________________________________________________
A Dissertation Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE USC GRADUATE SCHOOL
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirement for the Degree
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
(INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS)
May 2010
Copyright 2010 Guilherme Arêas Maciel de Araujo Silva
Object Description
| Title | Visual reasoning: representations in global politics, economics, and society |
| Author | de Araujo Silva, Guilherme Arêas Maciel |
| Author email | dearaujo@usc.edu; registrodosilva@gmail.com |
| Degree | Doctor of Philosophy |
| Document type | Dissertation |
| Degree program | International Relations |
| School | College of Letters, Arts and Sciences |
| Date defended/completed | 2010-02-10 |
| Date submitted | 2010 |
| Restricted until | Restricted until 08 Apr. 2012. |
| Date published | 2012-04-08 |
| Advisor (committee chair) | James, Patrick |
| Advisor (committee member) |
Lynch, Daniel Goodnight, Thomas G. |
| Abstract | Is it possible to objectively map collective, intersubjective, representations of social realities? If so, what inferences may be drawn from them? I address these questions by recognizing concept systems as analytical units for mapping knowledge representations. They are groups of interrelated key terminologies, constituting specialized vocabularies applied to areas of human interest. They help shaping our understandings about the worlds we investigate and, consequently, the types of puzzles deemed as appropriate for academic inquiry. In Part One of this research, I make the case for and develop a methodology designed to display the structural features of conceptual systems, namely system units, sub-systemic arrangements, and types of relationships between their components. The methodology, to which I refer as Visual Cognitive Modeling (VCM), stands out as a visual language for mapping systemic network structures embedded in reasoning, argumentation, and organization of knowledge. In Part Two, I apply the methodology to empirical and theoretical cases of global relevance in the field of International Relations (IR): the various views on the nature of the relationship between IR and Religion; a typology of agency in Global Civil Society; the conceptual constitution of the idea of paradigms as a benchmark for evaluating quality of knowledge production; and, finally, conceptual constructs found in IR literature on global phenomena, together forming concept systems on global relations. The use of VCM in each of these cases has shown to provide at least two major contributions. First, it allows for the formal structuring of reasoning on complex issues in ways characterized by high levels of logical consistency and accessibility. Second, the models generated allowed indeed for inference making and even theory development, which reveals its high levels of descriptive and explanatory powers.; I conclude the research by pointing out the need for further development of global relations as a structured research program aimed at addressing global levels of socialization, while also pointing out potential applications of Visual Cognitive Modeling, both as a formal methodology for academic and scientific inquiry, and as a visual language for reasoning beyond the strict confines of knowledge production. |
| Keyword | cognitive modeling; concept systems; conceptual analysis; globalization; international relations; knowledge representation |
| Language | English |
| Part of collection | University of Southern California dissertations and theses |
| Publisher (of the original version) | University of Southern California |
| Place of publication (of the original version) | Los Angeles, California |
| Publisher (of the digital version) | University of Southern California. Libraries |
| Provenance | Electronically uploaded by the author |
| Type | texts |
| Legacy record ID | usctheses-m2901 |
| Rights | de Araujo Silva, Guilherme Arêas Maciel |
| Repository name | Libraries, University of Southern California |
| Repository address | Los Angeles, California |
| Repository email | http://www.usc.edu/isd/libraries/services/ask_a_librarian/email/ |
| Filename | etd-Silva-3507 |
| Archival file | uscthesesreloadpub_Volume48/etd-Silva-3507.pdf |
Description
| Title | Page 1 |
| Full text | i VISUAL REASONING: REPRESENTATIONS IN GLOBAL POLITICS, ECONOMICS, AND SOCIETY by Guilherme Arêas Maciel de Araujo Silva ________________________________________________________________________ A Dissertation Presented to the FACULTY OF THE USC GRADUATE SCHOOL UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS) May 2010 Copyright 2010 Guilherme Arêas Maciel de Araujo Silva |
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