This thesis set out to explore how, through a radical feminist lens and using the theory of a continuum of violence by Dr. Liz Kelly, the Everyday Sexism Project community thinks about the issue of everyday sexism, how they view everyday sexism in relation to larger, more severe acts of sexist violence, and whether they see potential for change and/or eradication of the former. The analysis discovered that there is strong cognitive dissonance (mental discomfort that results from holding two conflicting beliefs, values, or attitudes) in how the community speaks about the impact of everyday sexism has had on them. It also found that the frequency of acts, and not the severity, should be more of a focal point when discussing everyday sexism and its relation to larger acts of sexist violence. It also found that, generally speaking, the community is not hopeful for change but does desire it and posit ways to achieve it.

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Everyday activities are necessary for independent and productive living, and errors in everyday tasks are associated with a multitude of negative consequences, from increasing stress and frustration to serious safety concerns. Current rehabilitation strategies for improving everyday functioning focus on improving deliberate planning of everyday tasks, however many fundamental questions remain regarding everyday action planning. Few studies have examined both plan formulation and plan execution during everyday task performance, included multiple traditional neuropsychological planning measures, and evaluated competing neurocognitive models of planning in one study. This study addressed several gaps in the literature by examining the extent to which individuals planned before beginning an everyday task and whether planning facilitated performance. Additionally, the study was designed to identify optimal measures of planning abilities and the neurocognitive processes that are crucial for planning skills. A sample of 92 healthy participants completed complex everyday tasks (2x3 Multi-Level Action Test; Buxbaum et al., 1998; Schwartz et al., 1998) as well as a neuropsychological battery consisting of traditional neuropsychological tests of planning (e.g., Tower Test; Delis et al., 2001) and executive functioning (e.g., Haylings Test; Burgess & Shallice, 1997), episodic memory (e.g., WAIS- IV Logical Memory; Wechsler, 2009a), and working memory (e.g., Automated Symmetry Span; Barch et al., 2009). Contrary to hypotheses, deliberate planning prior to a task did not improve performance, traditional neuropsychological measures were not significantly related to naturalistic planning variables, and neither executive functions nor episodic memory were strongly associated with planning skills. The results suggest that investigators must use caution when selecting planning variables for research and when drawing conclusions about everyday functioning from traditional neuropsychological planning measures. Further research is also needed to expand current neurocognitive models of planning to account for performance on complex everyday tasks. / Psychology / Accompanied by one .pdf file: Appendix.

This dissertation seeks to reengage the field of political economy to establish a political response to financial crisis, as well as the resulting social crisis of everyday life, using the political economy of Hyman P. Minsky. As an academic field, political economy is in a strange kind of limbo. The separation of politics and economics is easy enough to see, and even within economics, there is another cleavage between economics proper and the history of economics. This yields some very strange conjectures about what it means to be an "economist," and how things can be a matter for either economic "policy" or "political economy" as if these categories were all jumbled up in a grab bag of available methodologies. This dissertation seeks to carve out some intellectual terrain in what can be called political economy by engaging in an interdisciplinary way, inspired by Minsky, in order to offer a cogent political analysis of financial crises. Minsky gives five possible definitions for political economy: the discipline of Economics, a code name for Marxism, rational choice theory of profit maximization, the management of macroeconomic policy, and finally an interdisciplinary view of political economy that works in concert with other social sciences and humanities in order to identify and remedy social ills such as unemployment and poverty. The reading of Minsky in this dissertation is thus in an explicitly political way in order to bridge the gap between various kinds of economics and the various social sciences. By analyzing and critiquing each of these possible definitions of political economy, it becomes clear that a properly social definition of political economy is the final, interdisciplinary one. This dissertation argues that Minsky had a "preanalytic vision" of the kind of society he wished his political economy to yield, and is a first step in fleshing out a political program for that vision. / Ph. D.

When we think of the everyday, we tend to think of such words as familiar, ordinary, mundane, habitual, banal, and commonplace. Yet beyond these dictionary definitions lies a much deeper meaning and appreciation when understood as something that is experienced. When it comes to informing and interpreting the everyday through design, early contemporary theorists Michael De Certeau, Henri Lefebvre and Georges Perec to contemporary advocates of landscape architecture, such as Walter Hood and Laurie Olin, have provided a design oriented approach to the understanding on a subject of study that has long been neglected. There lies a relationship between the quotidian dimension and design that is attuned to experience of place and individual expression. This thesis presents an approach to discovering interpretations of the everyday and how landscape architects can express such influences in the design of urban public places. My methodology involves the use of case studies to provide design guidelines that are translated from universal to site specific values. By adapting the common vocabulary landscape architecture with the realm of the routine practices, the city as a deep rooted, ephemeral, and evolving entity will transform the public realm into spaces that can occupy the desire to grow, change, and adapt. / Master of Landscape Architecture

The general aim of the present thesis is to expand knowledge about the everyday lives of the oldest old (85+) living independently and to improve and deepen the understanding of their doings and possession and use of technology. The everyday lives of the oldest old represent, in many aspects an under-researched area, partly because this age group is seldom included in national surveys regarding living conditions and time use. This thesis comprises four papers. In paper I the extent and direction of research regarding elderly people is investigated through an examination of articles published in six well-reputed and well-established occupational therapy journals. Fifteen percent of the articles published between 2001 and 2006 included elderly people to some extent. Only five articles were about the oldest old. Most articles had a quantitative approach and concerned instrument development and testing. The findings show that articles concerning the oldest old are sparse, especially regarding their subjective experience. The following three papers are based on data derived from an empirical project based on interviews and observations with 18 oldest old individuals. Paper II explores how individuals over 85 years of age themselves describe and experience daily life. „Doing everyday life‟ is described through five overarching themes: „Experiencing being old‟, „Doings in everyday life‟, „Patterns of the day‟, „Altered doings‟ and „The importance of time‟. The daily doings are described as consisting of the usual things that have always been done, although how the doings are performed have changed. To do something is stressed as important for well-being, and a strong motivation to manage everyday doings on one‟s own is expressed. Paper III explores and describes the experiences and relations to technology in everyday doings of the oldest old as they themselves describe it. Four categories; „Perception of technology‟, „Technology holdings‟, „Handling technology‟ and „Compensatory technology in old age‟ emerged from the material. Technology needs to be integrated into the daily routines for it to be used. A modest and pragmatic attitude towards technology stands out, showing a discrepancy with public policy, which implies that technology will enhance independence and participation for elderly people. In paper IV, data from a younger group (-85) is included to describe, compare and discuss how elderly people belonging to different age cohorts (-85 and 85+) relate to their physical environment, primarily technological objects used in the home, and to examine how this is influenced by experiences and possession of technology over the life course. Possession and use of technological objects are similar for both groups over the life course from the parental home through the family time, although in the senior citizen time differences in technology possession and use appear. At higher ages the chronological age becomes a factor in deciding about upgrading or downsizing of the technology room; this is described as an „aging turn‟. The conclusions drawn are that to continue and perform the everyday doings as one has always done is important in old age. At high ages downsizing of the technology rooms is an important issue and new technological objects need to be incorporated in everyday doings in order to be used and perceived as beneficial.

The public spaces of many low-income, inner-city neighbourhoods are fundamental in forming strong social networks, nurturing the development of community and supporting the needs of vulnerable residents. This aspect of the urban condition is rooted in the understanding of public space as social space, emphasizing the innumerable differences of individuals and their everyday patterns of inhabitation. This thesis explores Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, a historically marginalized neighbourhood with a strong sense of community that has developed from an accessible and inclusive public life. However, as the neighbourhood undergoes re-development, social polarization threatens the vitality of its public space and the existing sense of acceptance and connection. To mitigate the impact of gentrification on public space, architecture is employed as a tool to support and enhance the area’s inclusive public realm. Applying principles of Everyday Urbanism, it illustrates the social importance of ‘everyday space’, emphasizing the human condition and multidimensional aspects of cities. Three distinct designs propose ‘neighbourhood places’ at strategic locations throughout the Downtown Eastside. Guided by the principles of ‘city design’ and four established design goals, each project demonstrates an attempt to anchor the existing community in place, foster a dialogue between different neighbourhood groups and promote a sense of ownership and belonging. Although this thesis concentrates on the Downtown Eastside, it outlines a set of design principles that can be applied universally, increasing community connections and support throughout our cities.

The public spaces of many low-income, inner-city neighbourhoods are fundamental in forming strong social networks, nurturing the development of community and supporting the needs of vulnerable residents. This aspect of the urban condition is rooted in the understanding of public space as social space, emphasizing the innumerable differences of individuals and their everyday patterns of inhabitation. This thesis explores Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, a historically marginalized neighbourhood with a strong sense of community that has developed from an accessible and inclusive public life. However, as the neighbourhood undergoes re-development, social polarization threatens the vitality of its public space and the existing sense of acceptance and connection. To mitigate the impact of gentrification on public space, architecture is employed as a tool to support and enhance the area’s inclusive public realm. Applying principles of Everyday Urbanism, it illustrates the social importance of ‘everyday space’, emphasizing the human condition and multidimensional aspects of cities. Three distinct designs propose ‘neighbourhood places’ at strategic locations throughout the Downtown Eastside. Guided by the principles of ‘city design’ and four established design goals, each project demonstrates an attempt to anchor the existing community in place, foster a dialogue between different neighbourhood groups and promote a sense of ownership and belonging. Although this thesis concentrates on the Downtown Eastside, it outlines a set of design principles that can be applied universally, increasing community connections and support throughout our cities.