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Rewilding is a novel and radical conservation approach and while the concept is a broad one, without any set definition, broadly speaking it focuses on reducing human intervention and allowing natural processes to recover autonomously. This change to the location of agency in landscape, from human to other-than-human, coupled with the many ways that rewilding's lack of a distinct definition allows it to be interpreted, makes it contentious. Opponents see rewilding as a threat to established land use models and the social, cultural and economic systems associated with them. Proponents meanwhile see it as offering a positive and proactive future for environmental protection. As a burgeoning movement rewilding requires, and is generating, considerable research interest. This thesis provides a case study of rewilding in England, examining the boundaries that human and physical landscapes present to rewilding, and how those boundaries are negotiated. A preliminary round of twelve expert interviews was conducted to further understandings of rewilding and to inform the research project as a whole. Subsequently, two field sites, the Avalon Marshes and Wild Ennerdale, were used to conduct a pairwise comparison - stakeholder interviews, visitor questionnaires, and field notes and photographs were conducted at each site. Analysis of the collected data was informed by theories of boundary work, companion species and biopolitics. Particular attention was paid to the way that human and other-than-human boundaries are (re)negotiated with and through rewilding, and to the way that rewilding's boundaries are negotiated with respect to existing land use. Results demonstrated that ineffective communication was a significant factor in the negotiation of rewilding with its stakeholders. Rewilding was poorly understood and often poorly received, demonstrating failures to consult and engage with publics. Meanwhile, new biopolitical modes are being developed in relation to the other-than-human species involved in rewilding. These new modes of biopolitics can be problematic, especially when they result in changes to the status quo and/or when human and other-than-human interests conflict. This research advances the discourse relating to rewilding, particularly in England. I argue that a distinct form of rewilding is emerging, uniquely tailored to the English context - operating at smaller scale, permitting more human involvement, restricting the involvement of certain species, and, to a certain extent, limiting natural autonomy. This finding assists in furthering the debate about what role rewilding can play in cultural landscapes. More broadly this knowledge can also advance the way we negotiate conservation, land use, and human relationships with the environment and with other-than-human species.

Despite the documented benefits of volitional solitude for adolescents and adults, little is known about solitude skills, a term that has been mentioned only in passing in the literature. Psychologists have neither named nor described these skills, despite claims that such skills have important clinical and educational applications. To fill this gap in the literature, this dissertation presents findings from an exploratory study that interviewed eight adult creative writers to discern what skills they employed to reap the benefits of solitude. Qualitative methodology utilizing Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis yielded evidence for eight solitude skills, organized within two superordinate themes. Four skills comprised the theme Connection with Self: enjoyment of solitary activities; emotional regulation; introspection; and noticing and heeding internal signals to enter solitude; and four skills comprised the theme Proactive Approach: carving out time for solitude; negotiating with important others for time in solitude; being mindful of how time in solitude was spent; and balancing the needs for solitude and for sociability. In addition, themes from the qualitative analysis were consistent with several assertions about solitude in the psychological literature: solitude is a biological need; solitude supports identity development as well as intimacy with others; a preference for solitude reflects a pleasure in solitary activities rather than an aversion towards people; and solitude promotes happiness in the eudaimonic, rather than hedonic, sense. Finally, the two superordinate themes categorizing these solitude skills converge to support what may be the fundamental function of solitude: facilitating a relationship with the self. Identifying these solitude skills represents an important contribution to alone theory, because they reveal important processes necessary for solitude to be experienced constructively, or even experienced at all. Empirically testing this preliminary set of solitude skills with other populations paves the way for creating and adapting solitude skills curricula for educational, clinical, and individual use.

This thesis follows Verl Thomson's 65 years in broadcasting in a generally chronological order. The significant contributions Thomson has made to the broadcast industry, especially in South Dakota, are examined. He pioneered in programming techniques and believes he developed the first radio station (in 1948) with completely recorded and pre-recorded programming, except for live news reporting. He was among the first to take broadcasts out of the studio for "man on the street" and "service club" interviews, to cover breaking stories from the scene and to broadcast from movie theatres and the screen. His earliest innovation was in 1924 when he played records on phone request, which was the earliest form of a disc jockey. There are no detailed accounts of Verl Thomson's life although he has been the subject of various feature stories in magazine publications and newspapers and was included in a videotape produced by University of South Dakota student Kim Jacobs titled "Broadcasting on the Prairie: South .Dakota's Radio and Television Pioneers." Radio and television segments also have dealt with Thomson 's contributions to the broadcasting industry as well as his work with it. Research for this paper was collected through a series of personal interviews with Thomson from 1981 to 1987. It also included extensive interviews with Thomson 's contemporaries. This thesis is an attempt to provide readers with a better understanding of how this radio broadcasting pioneer has influenced broadcasting in South Dakota.