ICH 2018
Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://repository.kln.ac.lk/handle/123456789/20067
Browse
Item Analysing the effectiveness of group work in the ESL classroom(International Conference on the Humanities (ICH 2018/2019), Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2018) Deveniguru, D.K.L.C.; Ratnayake, A. R. M. J. C.; Thilakawardana, I.G.L.S.The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of using Cooperative Learning, (CL) which is also known as Group work, in the English as a Second Language (ESL) Classroom. The survey was conducted at the Faculty of Arts, University of Peradeniya and the data was gathered through a randomly selected sample of 25 undergraduates of the first year belonging to the Basic Level. The selected group had scored marks ranging from 0-39 at the English Placement Test conducted by the Faculty of Arts. A majority of the undergraduates who follow the Basic Level pay less attention to ESL as most of the courses in their curriculum are offered in either Sinhala or Tamil. So, they show less interest in most of the activities done in the ESL classroom. Moreover, their inhibition towards English language learning as well as the lack of self-confidence can be identified as major obstacles in their learning process. Therefore, a group speech activity was chosen as a remedial method to assess the effectiveness of co-operative learning. To carry out this study, the randomly chosen undergraduates (25) were instructed to do a speech activity. The target group of students were divided equally into 05 groups and they were asked to do a group presentation on a topic related to a current issue. The data gathered from the students were then analysed and the findings were discussed. Through this study, the following main hypotheses can be drawn forward. (a) CL technique enables the learners to feel more comfortable in using the Second Language (L2) spontaneously. (b) CL technique has a positive impact on the level of motivation which ultimately leads to a higher level of proficiency in the Target Language (TL). Data collection involved both qualitative and quantitative methods. Both, students and instructors were given questionnaires to mark their preferences. Both questionnaires were then analysed and compared. The students‘ questionnaire demonstrated that they have a positive attitude towards CL or group work. The results of the instructors‘ questionnaire revealed that CL can play a vital role in language learning and teaching. Through the responses stated at the interviews both the students and instructors revealed that the CL technique creates a positive atmosphere and a less threatening classroom. Moreover, through the findings of this research it was posited that CL technique develops self-confidence of the students, reduces classroom anxiety and inhibition and most importantly that it allows students to learn from each other.Item An analysis on reading skills of first year Engineering undergraduates: Skimming, Scanning and Vocabulary(International Conference on the Humanities (ICH 2018/2019), Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2018) Dissanayake, S.Teaching and learning English constitute a core part of the field of Humanities in Sri Lankan higher education as it encompasses both a utilitarian and humanitarian aspect. English education provides a bridge to its beneficiaries to a wide range of local and international opportunities in various fields. The present research was conducted with the objective of assessing and developing basic reading comprehension skills of first year Engineering Undergraduates following an English for Academic Purposes (EAP) course at the Sri Lanka Institute of Technology (SLIIT), Malabe. The study was a result of the researcher‘s observation of low performance by these students in reading comprehension tests. Experts in the field of reading identify effective reading in English as a crucial skill in current academic and professional settings while also highlighting a lesser amount of reading research being conducted compared to studies in the other language skills of listening, speaking and writing. Hence, research on reading skills at tertiary level, such as the present study, is significant in empowering learners with a language tool having a lifelong value and in creating better teaching practices and learning opportunities for future students. Three essential reading skills, skimming, scanning and vocabulary were assessed in this study and three hypotheses were tested. The hypotheses were centered on a comparison of the participant group‘s performance in scanning and skimming, a comparison of their knowledge of nouns, verbs and adjectives and their overall knowledge of these three parts of speech. A reading comprehension test based on the three reading skills was prepared by the researcher and administered to the target group. Primary data was collected through this test. Secondary data was obtained from books, journal articles and theses related to reading skills assessment and development. The results of the data analysis showed significant differences between the participants‘ competency in skimming and scanning and between their knowledge of nouns and the other two parts of speech, verbs and adjectives. It was also revealed that the group‘s overall vocabulary knowledge was significantly low. Therefore, it was concluded that the target group was better in using scanning skills than skimming and that they were more familiar with nouns than with verbs and adjectives while they had a low overall vocabulary knowledge. Recommendations are accordingly given for improving these skills through employing effective instructional practices, increasing student motivation, creating opportunities for extensive reading and regular testing of the relevant reading skillsItem An analytical study on the value of humanity of Maggie Tulliver in the face of repression(International Conference on the Humanities (ICH 2018/2019), Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2018) Amarasooriya, D.N.P.George Eliot, a journalist and a leading writer in Victorian era through her narrative ‗The Mill on the Floss‘ created the character of Maggie Tulliver bringing forth a destiny of a female being whose existence and the individuality are defined and molded through the impact of the conventional social taboos and the authoritative cultural constraints which overshadow the individual expectations. Thus, the study has focused on analyzing the female literary portrayal of Maggie Tulliver with the objective of bringing to the surface the socially determined fatal end and the symbolic disappearance of the feminine figure. In analyzing the perspectives which are discussed within the research paper the theoretical perspectives of Simon de Beauvoir (‘The second sex’), Sigmund Freud, (‗Civilization and its Discontents’,) and Slavoj Zizek, (‗Looking Awry‘) are referred with a thorough consideration. During the journey towards the destination of her self-emancipation, Maggie Tulliver follows a traumatic path and encounters an unsettling emotional conflict through which her self-love is replaced by the compassion towards the social other whose emotional satisfaction and the survival become a source of spiritual victory in her life. Being confined to a narrowed space where several religious and communal taboos surround her existence, Maggie‘s character has become the focal point upon which the repression cultivates its domination thus obstructing her inner strength and self-determination that she possesses in advancing towards her liberation of identity. Though social discriminations which are created by the cultural concepts on gender induce her to abandon the pursuit of fulfillment of the innate desires and the independent motives Maggie Tulliver strives to stand as a determined female whose self-strength and spiritual victory recognize her as an independent woman since her sacrificing and the negation of her expectations induce her to turn away from the materialistic and physical pleasures and embrace humanity and spiritual enhancement of the self. In that sense it can be identified that her self-sacrifice leaves behind something to admire implying a more psychological vitality without being just a physical deteriorationItem The applicability of the imitation method in teaching Chinese pronunciation to Sri Lankan students(International Conference on the Humanities (ICH 2018/2019), Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2018) Fernando, K.D.K.D Thilina.The Chinese language has become a popular foreign language in the recent times in Sri Lanka. This is evident from the annually rising number of students learning the language at both public and private institutes of the country. Of these students, the ones who learn the Chinese language for professional purposes often complain about the difficulties they encounter in learning the pronunciation of the language. One cause behind these pronunciation difficulties is the lack of familiarity with the tone system. Sometimes, in Chinese language, the tone is the feature that semantically distinguishes one word from another. There are words pronounced alike unless for the difference in the tones, such as the words mā (mother), má (hemp), mǎ (horse), mà (scold). The other cause behind these pronunciation difficulties is the availability of similar clusters such as zhi, chi, shi, zi, ci, si which are confusing to Sri Lankan learners. This research was conducted with the experiment on a suitable method for Sri Lankan students to learn and master the pronunciation of the Chinese language. The method experimented in this research, which can be named as the ‗Imitation Method‘, is considerably different from the traditional methods being used for teaching pronunciation. A group of twenty five students were selected for the experiment from the batch of first year students specialising in the Chinese language at the University of Kelaniya. Chinese pronunciation was introduced to them using audio-visual materials containing the speech of native Chinese speakers. The students were encouraged to observe and imitate the speech of the native speakers. At the end of the teaching process, the speech of the students were recorded and compared with the speech of the native Chinese speakers. It was observed that the speech of the students had a great degree of similarity to the speech of the native speakers. The twenty five students who made progress were chosen for the experiment. There was a clear evident that when their pronunciation was compared with that of the students who were not chosen for the experiment, and taught with the traditional methods. Thus, teaching Chinese pronunciation is an area that could be improved with strenuous researchItem An Appreciation of Aelian de Silva's Contribution as a Neologist(International Conference on the Humanities (ICH 2018/2019), Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2018) Randula, K.K.G.Neologisation is the act of coining and accompanying neologisms i.e., new words to the lexicon of a language. Aelian de Silva (31st October 1926 - 22nd December 2015), an electrical engineer by profession, was a neologist of the recent times who made a significant contribution to the lexical development of the Sinhalese language. However, his endeavours as a neologist have not yet been subjected to a commendable appreciation. Therefore, this study was designed to explore the linguistic features of his neologisms while focusing on the neologisation processes employed in coining them. An adequate corpus of data was collected for examination by referring to the books and articles written by Aelian de Silva. The data were analysed utilising the theories and methods of structural linguistics. It was observed in the analysis that his contribution to the field of neologisation is mainly two-fold. Firstly he has outlined five salient features that one should take into consideration in coining Sinhalese technical terms. These are flexibility, brevity, precision, comprehensibility, and pronounceability. Flexibility refers to the ability to yield the whole derivational paradigm of the neologism. Brevity refers to the one to one correspondence between the source and target forms. Precision is when the term conveys the exact intended meaning and nothing more or less. Comprehensibility is the quality of being intelligible to the average native speaker of the language. Pronounceablity is the quality of being easily pronounceable. In order to conform to these five salient features, Aelian de Silva always encouraged the use of indigenous roots in coining Sinhalese neologisms as borrowed foreign roots fail to fully comply with the five salient features. Secondly, Aelian de Silva has accompanied more than three thousand neologisms to the lexicon of the modern Sinhalese language. Most of them appear in the glossary of his masterpiece Technical Terms in Sinhala which was published in 2002. Interestingly, a considerable number of the neologisms he coined have gained currency in many a technical discipline like electrical engineering, petroleum industry, and television industry. Thus, Aelian de Silva's contribution to the lexical development of the modern Sinhalese language is a commendable service which deserves a proper appreciation preceded by strenuous research.Item Bollywood culture: Decoding narrative in social context(International Conference on the Humanities (ICH 2018/2019), Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2018) Singh, D.P.The reach and appeal of Bollywood cinema have been phenomenal. In the last three decades, it has crossed the boundaries of language and Nations. India‘s Film Industry is the world‘s largest film industry in terms of quantity of movies produced as Bollywood produces over 1500 movies. However, according to Box Office business, Bollywood comes in as the third largest film industry in the world after English and Chinese. Bollywood is the only Film industry in the world that has global presence apart from English Hollywood movies. One can mention Africa, Latin America, Far East, and Central Asia. This whole spread is not only driven by business or technology but also driven by the audience. Bollywood has its significant presence and appreciation in the countries where English cinema has very little presence. The very obvious question that arises is the reason for this unusual admiration. This question becomes more relevant when we consider the fact that Hindi has little presence beyond the boundaries of India. The answer lies in a critical aspect of the narrative culture of India. India has a great tradition of storytelling since the ancient period. Folklore was an actually popular commentary of Indian culture, philosophy, and belief in a very interesting way. This paper tries to understand the distinctive feature of the Bollywood narrative. There has been a whole lot of issues depicted in their very own way but the most frequent has been the narrative of love. This may seem very common but the treatment of narrative is very unique. It reflects a whole lot of culture of India. A unique aspect of Bollywood love narrative is longing for love in the missing situation. The decades of the fifties to eighties have been a great period of Bollywood song. It is one of the greatest imaginations of love, probably a masterpiece in literature. This Bollywood narrative can be seen in the context of Bhakti Movement* of Hindi poetry. The Bollywood narrative can be seen as a Philosophical treatment of love in the age of rationality which connects more emotion than a rational treatment of love. The Indian classics from the beginning has been having an optimistic end with the hope of life while the Greek Classics have been tragedies by tradition. It has been said that ‗There is a larger dark space of human life and mind than known spaces.‘ In other words, ‗Humans are very logical irrationals.‘ Bollywood is popular in a lasting way because of its greater understanding of culture and mind.Item Can social media influence Buddhist monks to disrobe? A Theravāda perspective based on the Ūmibhayasutta of Aṅguttara Nikāya(International Conference on the Humanities (ICH 2018/2019), Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2018) Ven. Ashin Nanda CariyaIt is clear that social media are so useful that many people and even Buddhist monks cannot live without social media in the modern world. In regard to the Buddhist monks being associated with social media, some may argue that Buddhist monks should not surf the Internet probably because social media would cause them to disrobe. Actually, it is so hard to say that Buddhist monks will give up the training and revert to the lay life because of surfing the Internet or being associated with social media by any kind of modern gadgets. However, it can also be said that some monks will try to give up the training and revert to the lay life because they can get improper experiences by surfing the Internet. In order to clarify this situation, it is important to observe the Ūmibhayasutta of Aṅguttara Nikāya in which the Buddha pointed out four perils that can cause monks to give up the training and revert to the lay life. Among the four perils mentioned in this sutta, the latter two perils; the peril of whirlpools, and of fierce fish, are related to how social media can cause Buddhist monks to disrobe. According to the peril of whirlpools, āvaṭṭabhaya, a certain monk can admire people enjoying, or endowing with the five objects of sensual pleasure. At that time, a monk may think of enjoying the wealth and do meritorious deeds in lay life, and try to give up the training and finally revert to the lay life. Then, according to the peril of fierce fish, susukābhaya, a certain monk can see women dressed in disarray, or badly attired while going for alms. At that time, lust may invade his mind and a monk would try to give up the training and later revert to the lay life. Ancient monks could get these experiences through being associated with people when going for their alms. Nowadays, Buddhist monks can get such similar experiences by being associated with social media without going for alms into a village or a town. By the help of social media, such as Phone, Facebook, Viber, Youtube etc., they can easily see people enjoying the sensual pleasures and connect with a woman they like. This is an obvious changing of the life style between monks in the past and present. Although ancient monks could be invaded by lust while going for alms, modern monks can be invaded by lust while sitting in their room. However, it is still hard to say that every monk who associates with social media will try to give up the training and revert to the lay life. According to the Ūmibhayasutta, if a monk went for alms mindfully, lust would not invade his mind and he would not try to give up the training. Similarly, if a modern monk could associate with social media mindfully, social media would not cause him to disrobe. Nevertheless, modern monks should be fully aware of the negative impacts of social media as it can also cause a monk to disrobe if the monk associates with social media mindlesslyItem A comparative study on the themes and style of the English poet William Wordsworth and the Hindi poet Su:ryaka:nt Tripa:ʈhi: „Nira:la:‟(International Conference on the Humanities (ICH 2018/2019), Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2018) Hirimuthugoda, H.D.Poetry, a carefully constructed structure with the use of meter, imagery, connotative and concrete words, is a form of expressing ideas that evoke an emotional experience. The English poet William Wordsworth is a leading poet in the Romantic Movement of England in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Romanticism emphasizes the individualistic, emotional and imaginative expression as well as rational analysis. Chhayavad, the Romantic Movement of the Hindi literature came into spotlight around the third and fourth decades of the twentieth century. Su:ryaka:nt Tripa:ʈhi: ‗Nira:la:‘ is considered as a prominent poet in the period of Chhayavad along with Sumitra:nandan Pant, Jaishankar Prasa:d and Maha:de:vi: Verma:. Both Wordsworh and Nira:la: are identified as revolutionary poets for their attempts to establish a new poetic tradition in English literature and Hindi literature respectively. The purpose of this study is to identify the thematic and stylistic similarities or dissimilarities that are distinct in the poetry of Wordsworth and Nira:la:, both being romantic poets from different social contexts in different periods of time. This comparative study is focused on ‗The Solitary Reaper‘, ‗I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud‘, ‗It is a Beauteous Evening, Calm and Free‘, ‗Love‘ and ‗The Old Cumberland Beggar‘ by Wordsworth and ‗To:dti: Patthar‘, ‘Sandhya: Sundari:‘, ‗Juhi: Ki: Kali:‘ and ‗Bhikshuk‘ by Nira:la:. This is a qualitative research study which is conducted through literary analysis. The evoking of emotions of the reader through the portrayal of the common man and the connection of human and nature were considered for the thematic analysis and the use of poetic devices of romanticism like personification, rhyme, rhythm, alliteration and metaphor were assessed for the stylistic analysis. It was discovered that the main themes of the compared poems are almost similar yet the sub themes and the connotative meanings are different. In addition, both the poets use poetic devices of romanticism accordingly to convey the message but there are contrastive instances in the use of symbols and the style of delivery. This study is significant in literary studies when exploring the inter-connection between the trends of English literature and Hindi literatureItem A comparison of emerging concepts of male and female productivity: Modern scientific advancements and ritual based enactments(International Conference on the Humanities (ICH 2018/2019), Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2018) Jayasekara, K.D.It is apparent that the modern technology is capable of addressing the issue of infertility among young males and females through its scientific and technological advancements for a period of time. Variety of devices have been introduced to measure and monitor effects and results. While some are of the opinion that the deficiency in male and female productivity is a matter of irregular food pattern and the stress, some argue that it is genetic. Despite the fact that modern scientific reviews have observed the particular problem has much broader perspectives. The established concepts of the contemporary Sri Lankan society was unfavorable for female and it is believed that women is heretically barren. Contrary to this ideological behavior, so-called contemporary Sri Lankan society has applied a number of treatments to overcome infertility of males by enacting certain ritual practices and prescribing some herbal treatments to males in particular. Kapuyakkariya, a ritual enactment performed in the Ratayakuma or Riddi Yagaya by the village priest, clearly demonstrates the values and effective steps that has been undertaken to enhance the productivity of males. The significance of the act is that it is performed precisely after the Nanumuraya or the Dolaha Pelapaliya, a ritual enactment that takes place as means of alleviating the barrenness of female. The village priest, by his ritual chants, sanctifies the sickened person (aturaya) through Kapuyakkariya, and provides grounds to strengthen the ability of productivity. The two enactments together proves that the contemporary Sri Lankan society has addressed the issue of productivity of males and females that which has been attended by the modern scientists with a variety of scientific tools. Therefore, the present study examines and compares the effectiveness of the two treatment patterns to achieve the same expectation. The study will follow a literary survey of historical facts in respect of the cult of fertility and the rituals connected with it along with some case studies done on scientific measures to eliminate the infertility in males and femalesItem Cultural aspects expressed in Cilappatikaram(International Conference on the Humanities (ICH 2018/2019), Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2018) Nagarathnam, S.Literature as the mirror of time can fall through human life. It reflects civilization, culture, policy, doctrine and customs. These reflected aspects are flexible and they change according to time. Culture is the most important expression of these aspects. It was defined earlier as the symbols, language, beliefs, values, and artifacts that are part of any society. Moreover these cultural aspects are considered the important determinants of a human‘s social status. In this way, literature can be considered the expression of culture and culture can be considered the determinant of social status of human beings. Nevertheless, many Western scholars have mentioned poets as liars and literature as a fictional fantasy about human life. Thus, it is necessary to examine the true nature of literature. Cilappatikaram is the first epic among the five in Tamil literature with a story set in Tamilnadu. Tamil ethnicity has a unique culture compared to other communities. So it is important to find out whether Cilappatikaram reflects actual culture or not. What are the cultural aspects it contains and how does the influence of cultural aspects determine social status of both man and women? The objective of this study is to critically examine the reflecting cultural aspects and influence of those cultural aspects on determining the social status of both man and women by using the epic Cilappatikaram as a primary source. The cultural aspects expressed in Cilappatikaram are analyzed and a sociocultural approach is used to critically examine the influence of cultural aspects on determining social status of both man and women. ‗Katpu’ (Chastity or Conjugal fidelity) is a manifestation of the Tamil culture of being one for one, hospitality, admiration, during the marriage reveals culture such as providing dowry, allows the couple to live as single family and waiting for the husband are some rituals can be finding in Cilappatikaram. These are only for women. The traditional performing art and theatre of art belonging to Tamil People is expressed through the character Madhavi. She was an accomplished dancer. She represents the lives of kanihaiyar and their lifestyle. The woman who is not associated with marriage will not be respected by others, marriage had impact to consider kannagi as chaste god. She got the right to fight for Kovalan but not to Madhavi. However, when Kannagi was alone, Kovalan and Kannagi's family supported her but Madhavi was alone. The essentiality of the Tali is exposed by Kannaki and the significance of cilambu is exposed by both Kannaki and Paandimadevi. These jewels can only be worn by a married woman. Likewise, the cultural epic Cilappatikaram reflects the cultural aspects with the message that both nonmaterial culture and material cultural aspects have an impact on determining women‘s social status more than men‘s social status.Item Cultural competency in foreign language teaching for successful interpersonal skills in culturally diverse working environments(International Conference on the Humanities (ICH 2018/2019), Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2018) Cooray, B.M.S.Cultural competency refers to a set of attitudes, behaviors and skills that enable a person to work successfully in a cross-cultural setting. Cultural competency is more than just being aware of difference; it refers to demonstrating attitudes and an approach that allows you to work effectively cross-culturally. One of the most comprehensive studies based on cultural diversity at workplace was conducted by Professor Geert Hofstede. He analyzed a large database of employee value scores collected within IBM between 1967 and 1973 covering more than 70 countries, based on which he has presented six cultural dimension theories. A closer look to the literature reveals, that the research pertaining to cultural competence is limited only to workforce diversity and no references on this topic seem to exist on cultural competence in Foreign Language Teaching. Therefore this research seeks to identify the importance of integrating cultural competency into foreign language curriculum as a new language competency. The aim of this research is to examine how pertinent it is to integrate cultural competency oriented teaching activities into Foreign Language curriculum to intensify the cultural awareness of Foreign Language learners. The research sample consisted of 25 Graduates, who have graduated during last three academic years from the Department of Modern Languages, University of Kelaniya. These Graduates have followed German as Foreign Language during their general and special degree program and now working as employees at both local and overseas agencies. Two data collecting techniques were used for the research. A questionnaire was distributed during the first data collection session and a narrative interview was conducted during the second session limiting the sample to five participants. When comparing the data collected from both the questionnaires and from the narrative interview, it was evident, that many had difficulties in working in culturally diverse working environments, although they have been exposed to adequate cultural knowledge during teaching sessions. According to the findings of the research, it was evident, that language and literature competencies are not adequate for foreign language learners to become professionals in diverse cultural environments and focus should be given to teaching materials to train students to deal with conflicts, misunderstandings, and cultural intolerance in professional working environments.Item Deficiency and excess: Representation of intersex and transgender identities in Sri Lankan cinema(International Conference on the Humanities (ICH 2018/2019), Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2018) Hettiarachchi, A.The present study analyses the aesthetic portrayal of intersex and transgender characters in 3 selected Sri Lankan movies, namely, Maya directed by Donald Jayantha (2016), Flying with One Wing directed by Ashoka Handagama (2003) and Frangipani directed by Visakesa Chandrasekaram (2013), in order to unearth patriarchal ideologies that inform the narrative logic of these films. The study identifies recurrent motifs used in the cinematic representation of transgender and intersex identities and explores the functions that these characters perform in the plot development of the selected movies. The political soundness of the cinematic agency of these characters and the motifs used in their representation are tested against a theoretical framework that is based on Judith Butler‘s insights into gender performativity and abject as well as Richard Ekins‘ conceptualization of ―male femaling‖ and Judith Halberstam‘s theoretical insights into ―female masculinity.‖ The qualitative content analysis of the movies based on this theoretical framework indicates that in Sri Lankan cinema, sexually and gender-wise ambiguous identities are represented as carrying both a deficiency and an excess. It is observed that while these characters are silenced by patriarchal discourses, they can also be deployed to identify the anxieties of the Sri Lankan society regarding definitive categories of gender and sexuality. Thus, the study addresses a deficit of literature and research observed in the Sri Lankan context regarding marginalised sexual identities such as intersex and transgender and their aesthetic representationItem The depiction of gods in Greek and Tamil epics: A comparative study on Homer‟s „The Iliad‟ and Kampar‟s „Kambarāmāyanam‟.”.(International Conference on the Humanities (ICH 2018/2019), Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2018) Randiwela, R.M.D.The depiction of Gods in ‗The Iliad‘ is representative of the heroic and materialistic background that the Greeks emerged in. The Gods were venerated for their power and immortality more than their virtue. They were a class to be won over by prayer and sacrifice. In ‗Kambarāmāyanam‘ the Gods are immortal and powerful. Yet they were moral and presented with the intention of cultivating piety and morality in the reader. The research question of this study is to find in what aspect does the depiction of Gods in Greek epics differ from that of the Tamil epics and interpret the possible reasons for the existence of both similarities and differences among the two. This study is done by gathering relevant information from both Greek and Tamil literary sources. Further reading is done on writings done on the social, cultural and regional backgrounds of the two writers while being conscious of the time gap. Gathered information is analyzed in order to examine the divinity presented in the works themselves- in Homer‘s ‗The Iliad‘ and Kampar‘s ‗Kambarāmāyanam‘ There have been discussions among scholars on the depiction of Greek Gods with that of Rakshasa in ‗Kambarāmāyanam‘ interpreting the Greek gods as mere beings of power and evil. However in this research it is argued that the depiction of gods in relevant epics is a clear reproduction of time and culture that each poet lived in. Moreover the intention of this study is to understand how the two respective cultures presented a common theme through the medium of epicItem Does soldiering fall under wrong livelihood in Theravada Buddhism? A critical analysis(International Conference on the Humanities (ICH 2018/2019), Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2018) Pasquel, D.E.D.It has been a hackneyed question behind the majority of the studies on Buddhism and war that ‗how does Buddhism justify the warfare? Seemingly, scholars have reiterated this issue in pursuit of solving the burning conflict between the values that are expected to uphold via following the first precept of Buddhism and the active engagement of Buddhists in warfare. This study examines another dimension of the same problem pertaining to soldiering as a livelihood, in the light of Theravada Buddhism. Soldiers confront with grave ethical dilemmas in the battlefield as they are entrusted to take certain measures and decisions in order to accomplish their mission. Kent quotes one such dilemma of the Sri Lankan soldier thus; ‗Will I receive negative Karma if I kill the enemy on the battle field?‘ Apparently the modern day scholarship perceives such dilemmas as mere ethical challenges that soldiers are expected to overcome with the help of an accurate ethical reasoning process. Nowhere in the Pāli Canon has Buddhism identified the soldiering as an unethical livelihood or Micchā Ājīva. Furthermore, except the ‗five banned trades‘ mentioned in the Vanijjā Sutta, Buddhism does not present a clear-cut definition for the wrong livelihood of the laity. However, Lord Buddha does not deny the negative consequences a soldier has to endure in his livelihood. At this juncture, it seems that the approaches like ‗prima facie just-war theory‘ tend to surface for the rescue of the soldier. Prima facie obligations refer to ethical obligations that can be overridden when they come to conflict with each other. The present study reveals that the apparent ethical predicaments that servicemen are duty-bound to face, are indeed ethically insoluble dilemmas that provides no single panacea via an ethical reasoning process. However, I argue that it is impossible to deny the necessity of soldiering for a healthy governance of a state as expounded by the Buddha. I also challenge the notion that ‗soldiering is a wrong livelihood according to Buddhism‘, but it is nevertheless a profession that entails a fair amount of negative consequences in this world, as well as in the world to come.Item Effectiveness of smart classroom system to enhance English as a Second Language speaking skill.(. International Conference on the Humanities (ICH 2018/2019), Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2018) Murugaiah, A.At present smart classrooms are technologically enhanced settings that enrich the knowledge of teaching and learning by integrating learning technology. Smart classrooms contain many technological devices. According to the findings of many language scholars, speaking skill can be improved by using these technological devices. There are various strategies used to improve the speaking skill among the second language learners for effective communication. It takes a lot of classroom practice, motivation to speak and encourage the creative thinking of the students. In Jaffna, the students have a lack of opportunities to speak in English as majority of the people are Tamil speakers and the resources are limited. So, there is a need to conduct research on speaking practices in Jaffna and find a suitable remedy to enhance the speaking skill. The main objective of this study is to identify the effectiveness of smart classroom system to enhance speaking skill of the second language learners. Teaching English as second language follows traditional and modern methodologies. Implementation of smart classroom is a modernized method in Sri Lankan education system that provides quality education to the students by helping them in better concept formation, concept elaboration and improvement in four language skills. This study mainly focused on developing speaking skill in English at American corner under the Micro scholarship access program. The sample of the study included thirty students from various schools in Jaffna. The target group of the students was in grade 10 and included both genders. Their English proficiency level was low intermediate. The period of this research was six months. Having employed qualitative methodology with research tool, such as classroom observation, informal interviews, and experimental teaching program during the class hours, the present study‘s outcomes were evaluated manually. A pretest and posttest were also conducted and the data was analyzed using MS-Excel. The results indicated a considerable change in the students‘ progress in speaking English. The analysis also helped to identify the attitude of the learners towards handling the technological devices which made a positive impact on their learning. This study confirms that a smart classroom system is successful and beneficial to the teachers of English to improve students‘ speaking.Item Humanitarian values vs. imperial interests: A case study on Athenian imperial „Cleruchies‟ and the conditions of the subject population(International Conference on the Humanities (ICH 2018/2019), Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2018) Weerakoon, W.M.U.I.Athens is identified as the earliest western empire. The Classical Athenian epigraphs indicate a widespread imposition of a special type of colonies known as ‗cleruchies‘ in the subject-allies of the Athenian empire towards the middle and late 5th century BCE. ‗Cleruchies‘ are special Greek colonies in which the settlers received a plot of land and retained their original citizenship. This research is intended to examine the manner in which Athens used cleruchies to cater the economic, political and military interests of its empire at the expenses of the allies by completely devaluing the humanitarian principles. The information for this qualitative research is gathered by the analytical study of the epigraphs and numismatics of the particular period and by the critical examination of the primary and secondary sources. The findings of this research suggest that cleruchies provided individual Athenians with socio-economic benefits such as subsidization of citizens and possession of landed property. Cleruchies which were commonly imposed on rebellious allies secured political expansion and stability of the Athenian empire while securing its strategic interests abroad. These special colonies boosted the economy of the Athenian empire by its large revenues and the monopoly of corn and trade routes of the Aegean. However the allies which received cleruchies were reduced into the level of subjects and their autonomy was infringed. The local population of the allied states were depopulated or mass massacred while their land was taken to address the needs of the Athenian empire. Therefore this study is significant in identifying the micro-macro concept of complete disregard and deprivation of human values and rights of one group of individuals or the peripheral states by another group of individuals or core states from the time as early as the earliest western empire. It is also observant that the similar practice of furthering imperial interests at the expenses of the allies by the powerful countries in the 20th century CE led to the origin of international organizations such as United Nations to protect human values and to uphold values of humanities.Item The impact of Task-Based Language Teaching in improving English-speaking skills in the ESL classroom(International Conference on the Humanities (ICH 2018/2019), Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2018) Karunanayake, S.There has been a major shift towards the communicative approach and student-centered learning in education in the last few decades, reducing the amount of teacher talking time (TTT). That is one of the reasons to use task-based language teaching (TBLT) in the ESL classroom. From the preliminary investigations, it was identified that there are a surprising number of students who report that they have anxiety in language learning and that they do not possess enough confidence with their level of spoken English to initiate conversation in the class. Hence, by focusing on the value of research in Humanities, this study aims at investigating the impact of TBLT in the ESL classroom. Therefore, a structured approach was used where the objective, design, sample and the questions were predetermined. The community selected for the study was hundred first year undergraduates of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Languages, Sabaragamuwa university of Sri Lanka. They were observed during their usual lecture sessions in Compulsory English Language (CEL) using Test Teach Test (T-T-T) method where the learners first complete a task or activity without the help from the lecturer. Then, based on the problems seen, the target language was presented to practice the new language. A variety of task-based activities such as role plays, discussions, debates, interviews, dramas and information gaps were used. In addition, two female ESL lecturers participated in the study. They were interviewed regarding the use of TBLT in their classes. Research results denoted the fact that putting ESL learners in a variety of tasks gets them to speak up and to practice the target language effectively. The students‘ active participation in the lesson could be observed to a greater extent. It also enables students to learn from each other where the weaker students feed off the stronger students and vice versa. Moreover, the two participating lecturers expressed their opinions of TBLT in the interviews. They were of the view that TBLT helps in brainstorming more ideas and practicing more language where they can personalize the lesson and adapt its content to the learner needs. Therefore, integrating the value of Humanities in Language Teaching, the study proves that the use of TBLT in the ESL class room has a positive impact on communication and interaction, having students use authentic target language in completing meaningful tasksItem Incorporating Plain Legal Language in mortgage bonds(International Conference on the Humanities (ICH 2018/2019), Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2018) Kothelawala, I.Plain Legal Language (PLL) has been emerged as opposed to Traditional Legal Language (TLL) as the later has been criticized for being archaic, incomprehensible and wanting of effective communication. Many developed countries have accepted that the language used by lawyers should agree with the common speech, unless there are reasons for a difference and have introduced PLL into their legal systems. Yet, Sri Lankan lawyers still follow the age-old forms out of habit even in the absence of a prescribed form. This paper, analyses a traditionally worded insurance clause in Sinhala mortgage bond form used in banks (Original Clause) in comparison to its revised version in PLL (Revised Clause) and the effect of using the Revised Clause instead of using the Original Clause for which a Notary Public‘s assistance is sought. The researcher has used a clause in Sinhala as there is ample research conducted in PLL analyzing and revising English mortgage bonds. The researcher has restricted the research to mortgage bonds as they are widely criticized for the highly stylized TLL which locks up unfavorable terms from the customers. Also, mortgage bonds create very special legal rights to mortgagee and serious obligations on the part of the mortgagor making mortgage bonds a boon to the banks and a doom to the customers. This paper is the only paper in which a Sinhala clause in a legal document is revised in PLL as PLL is still so alien to Sri Lanka. To revise the Original Clause to improve its readability and effective communication, the writer has created a four-step process namely, segmenting the sentence structure, removing legal jargon and technical terms, eliminating wordiness and improving tone and layout. Thereafter, the Revised Clause is compared with the Original Clause by circulating a questionnaire among a randomly selected group of 50 individuals to formulate an opinion on their degree of comprehension and their views. The findings reveal that the Original Clause is complicated, and complete gobbledygook to 95% of the sample and the Revised Clause is understandable at first reading to 100% of the sample as the meaning is clear and succinct. This paper concludes by citing case law to answer the question of precedent and justifying the moral obligation of a legal draftsman to draft in PLL as people who need the law are the least capable of understanding the lawItem Influence of trees for Human beings according to the Vāstushāstra(International Conference on the Humanities (ICH 2018/2019), Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2018) Ven.Panawala DhammadhajaTrees are very useful for human beings and other animals to live healthily. The majority of animals including humans inhale because of oxygen produce by trees. Water is protected where the trees are. According to vāstushāstra, when the house is established, considerable attention should be paid to trees. Many primary resources on vāstushāstra such as Mayamata, Mānasāra and Viswakarmaprakāsha allocate a paragraph to describe trees which are planted in the land according to directions. Today many people do not use these methods or systems to create their houses and they have to face a lot of troubles after settling down in the house such as diseases, physical abjectness, mental abjectness, poverty and childlessness etc. The main purpose of this research study is to investigate suitable trees and unsuitable trees to plant in house land according to västuçästra and the scientific theories about them. In this research study, collecting data from primary resources such as Mayamatha, Mānasāra, Viswakarmaprakāsha etc. and online sources are used as the research methodology. Gargasamhitā is one of the primary resources on vāstushāstra and it is said that Aswatta tree is not planted in the east, Pāṭalī tree is not grew in the south, Nuga is not cultivated in the west and Udumbara is not planted in the north of the house. It mentions the good and positive way to plant trees in land. For example, Pāṭalī tree is good in north. In some sources like Mayamatha, Mānasāra, Viswakarmaprakāsha etc., there is a classification done according to the appearance of trees.Item Middle class in Malgudi: An evocative portrayal(International Conference on the Humanities (ICH 2018/2019), Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2018) Mukherjee, A.This paper attempts to gain a sociological insight of the depiction of ‗middle class‘ by the celebrated Indian writer R.K. Narayan. Malgudi, a fictional South Indian town, is a prototypical representation of typical Indian society and the literary works of Narayan vividly mirrors the everyday happenings. While the existing research has focused on Narayan‘s depiction of ‗cosmopolitanism‘ (Kumar, 2011), ‗child life‘ (Rashmi, 2018), ‗myth‘ (Ghosh, 2017), and ‗power‘ (Zolfagharkhani and Akhgarandouz, 2012), this study reveals the author‘s depiction of the middle class and his derision of certain lifestyle practices of the class in question. Set in the backdrop of 1930s, the paper attempts to identify how the stories of Malgudi showcase the peculiarities of lifestyle practices of middle class in South Asia and study the applicability of Narayan‘s portrayal of middle class to the present day. For instance, educational achievement is considered to be of utmost importance for the preservation of one‘s own status and for the achievement of social mobility by the middle class in South Asia. However, in this quest for educational achievement, Narayan laments the fate of those who are so-called ―misfit‖ and are oriented differently. Ironically, educational success is often unsuccessful in buying freedom from alienating and oppressive livelihood practices engaging the middle class. Furthermore, in their longing for conspicuous consumption and use of consumer goods for enhancing status, the middle class is submerged in a daze of ―false consciousness‖. There is also accompanying erosion of ‗social capital‘ and the expanding ―radius of distrust‖ (Fukuyama, 2001). This secondary research relied on content analysis of selected short stories of Narayan, namely, ‗Forty Five a Month‘, ―Iswaran‖, ―Sweets for Angels‖, and ―Swami and Friends‖ to arrive at the findings and used the theories of Karl Marx, Max Weber, Erik Ohlin Wright, Pierre Bourdieu, and Veblen to develop sociological understanding