Search

Coprinellus andreorum sp. nov. is described for the first time from Malta. A full description with illustrations of the macro- and micromorphological characters, as well as its phylogenetic position is provided. This species differs from Coprinellus aureogranulatus by the large pleurocystidia, the narrower spores and multidigitate caulocystidia. Some species from sect. Domestici are discussed and compared., Italian Journal of Mycology, Vol. 50 (2021)

Based on detailed morphological observations of both sexual and asexual morphs in vivo, cultures in vitro and molecular phylogenetic data based on rDNA ITS and LSU sequences, we document herein a penzigioid Xylaria repeatedly collected in the Maltese islands of Gozo and Malta. Though it morphologically resembles X. sibirica by stromatal habit and ascospores in the same size range with a long sigmoid germ slit, some significant differences could be detected after comparison of this Xylaria with an isotype collection of X. sibirica. Further differences in cultural characteristics and occurrence of a distinctive asexual morph in vivo preceding the development of the sexual morph, along with a molecular phylogenetic analysis clearly showing that they are distantly related, strongly support the recognition of this penzigioid Xylaria as a distinct species with phylogenetic affinities with the X. polymorpha aggregate. We therefore introduce X. melitensis sp. nov. to accommodate it.

The cup fungus Pithya cupressina is recorded for the first time from the Maltese Islands where it has been found associated with cypress leaf-litter., peer-reviewed

This thesis is the result of my personal search to find ways to harness the creative processes of participatory theatre and process drama to create a site for critical thinking. As a teacher in my home country, Malta, I realised the limitations of our educational system that does not cater to teachers who would like to use theatre/drama as learning/teaching mediums. The position of theatre/drama teacher does not exist within the Maltese education system. Therefore, I had to opt to travel to a foreign country to find an opportunity to combine the dynamics of theatre/drama with my teaching background. My experiences in using both process drama and participatory theatre have led me to conclude that there are many commonalties between the two creative processes. In the first chapter of this thesis, I compare the philosophies of process drama and participatory theatre and how the two can be combined to create a holistic and edifying experience for all participants. Moreover, I illustrate how different theatre directors engaged in collective creations have the same beliefs as drama in education practitioners: participants/actors in dramatic processes are to rely on inner resources and confront their own realities to construct a richer fictional world. The aim of the second chapter of this thesis is to show how theatre/drama can benefit the educational sphere. Drama/Theatre combine both consciousness and physicality and thus engage the whole being of the learner both at an interpersonal and intrapersonal level. Educational drama and theatre take into consideration the different learning styles of individuals and so involve the participant through aural, visual and kinaesthetic modes that enhance the possibility of new learning and critical awareness. After looking at the characteristics of the drama/theatre teacher in Chapter three, I then proceed to propose a program aimed at Maltese educators working with 11-16 year olds using both process drama and adapted participatory theatre techniques. I suggest a gamut of activities that focus on factual learning, personal development, awareness of social issues and development of communication and theatre skills. My intention is to include students from the initial phase of the process and then to present the co-created scenarios to other students. I would like to create an "open" performance where the voices of the audience can intermix with those of the actors. Finally, in my concluding chapter I take a closer look at the implications for the Maltese educational system if theatre/drama educators are introduced into individual schools. The advantages of having both a Theatre in Education team and drama/theatre educators are exposed and explored.

Sammut Carmel. L'immigration clandestine en France depuis les circulaires Fontanet, Marcellin et Gorse. In: Les travailleurs étrangers en Europe occidentale. Actes du Colloque organisé par la Commission nationale pour les études et les recherches interethniques, Paris-Sorbonne, du 5 au 7 juin 1974. Nice : Institut d'études et de recherches interethniques et interculturelles, 1976. pp. 379-397. (Publications de l'Institut d'études et de recherches interethniques et interculturelles, 6)

This qualitative research explores the reading experience of two groups of young adults, aged between 16-18 years, as they interact with a short story, Graham Greene's "The End of the Party". A cognitive poetics (Tsur 1987, 1992; Stockwell 2002) approach is deployed to understand "what these readers do" and "how they do it" (Canning 2017) as they interact with this text. Text World Theory (Werth 1999; Gavins 2007), a sub theory of cognitive poetics, is applied to explore the conceptual boundary crossings that occurred as the participants projected their real-world beliefs and experiences onto the text, and in turn to examine the stylistic features that enhanced or inhibited these readerly-text dynamics. The study takes a multimodal approach to investigate the real-time personal and textual exchanges that occurred as readers interacted with an entire short story rather than a text adapted to suit a laboratory experiment. This research focusses on that liminal space that is created as readers enter the world of the text and, in return, allow the text to exert its influence on them through its stylistic devices. Ultimately, the study emphasises how a cognitive poetics approach with its focus on both literary stylistics and how the personal and social backgrounds of the readers impact the reading experience, will prove beneficial for the teaching of literature in an educational setting.