Architektur umgibt uns permanent. Sie ist so alltäglich wie Sprache, ebenso allgegenwärtig, meistens beiläufig. Diese Arbeit untersucht auf sozialtheoretischer Ebene am Beispiel der Architektur, inwiefern die sozialwissenschaftliche Kategorie der „Definition der Situation“ erweitert werden kann, um Kategorien wie Leiblichkeit oder Räumlichkeit adäquat für den Entwurf sozialer Handlungen zu berücksichtigen.

This study examines discourse on youth health embedded in the current Ontario Health and Physical Education curriculum in an attempt to unveil any discrepancies between students’ beliefs regarding physical activity and body image and the curriculum they receive in physical education classes. This study will explore how students who participate in this curriculum narrate and experience their bodies to explore any contradictory or complimentary relationships that exist between the curriculum and the students it serves. Recent academic work in the area of health and physical activity has placed undue emphasis on obesity and on an individuating view of the inactive, unhealthy individual to be remediated by a corrective physical education program. This is not only damaging to the self-esteem of youth, but unrealistic as a program aligned with middle-class access to resources associated with ‘active living’ in the ways advocated for by proponents of this version of health promotion.

This study examines discourse on youth health embedded in the current Ontario Health and Physical Education curriculum in an attempt to unveil any discrepancies between students’ beliefs regarding physical activity and body image and the curriculum they receive in physical education classes. This study will explore how students who participate in this curriculum narrate and experience their bodies to explore any contradictory or complimentary relationships that exist between the curriculum and the students it serves. Recent academic work in the area of health and physical activity has placed undue emphasis on obesity and on an individuating view of the inactive, unhealthy individual to be remediated by a corrective physical education program. This is not only damaging to the self-esteem of youth, but unrealistic as a program aligned with middle-class access to resources associated with ‘active living’ in the ways advocated for by proponents of this version of health promotion.

¡@¡@The literature of Yang Kui clearly reflects his perception and expectation towards the social-reality life at the time. Yang Kui casts his ideas into literature as a manifestation of social consciousness and literature. Nonetheless, what is the major discussion of social consciousness for the literature of Yang Kui? Which social issues are presented from his literature? Has he proposed any kind of mindset for social reform among his works? Most importantly, what is the origin of his social thought? What shall be the outlook when we conduct research on these issues through social science other than from literature fields? ¡@¡@The paper applies ¡§Culture Research Method¡¨ as the research approach in attempt to analyze the formation of social thought by Yang Kui through literature, history and sociology dimensions, as well as incorporating social thoughts into literature. With regards to analysis on literature and history, the novels published by Yang Kui before his death is used as the scope of the paper analysis with historical review on the content of novels and life course. With regards to the sociology with basis from the ¡§National System: Social Theory¡¨ proposed by Lorenz von Stein and interpreted by Daw-Yih Jang, the social issues portrayed from Yang Kui¡¦s novels and the methods of social reform proposed are hence communicated. ¡@¡@With regards to the origin of the Yan Kui¡¦s social thoughts, all books regarding to political or thinking were subject to tight control due to the Japanese colonization over Taiwan. The enlightenment of the social thoughts by Yang Kui originated from his study in Japan, during the Taisho period (1912-1926) when coincided with the surge of democracy. Yang Kui was able to absorb new knowledge and thereby solidified his ideas of socialism. To trace the origin, the paper discussed the social democratic atmosphere shaped from the Taisho Period after Meiji Restoration, from the dimension of how Japanese Constitutional System turned to Prussia German and the profound impact of the development of contemporary Japanese Constitutional System on German Scholar, Lorenz von Stein. ¡@¡@Yang Kui underwent twice regime changes in his life and in terms of novels, Yang Kui implemented anti-monarchy and anti-colonial oppression as the manifestation of social consciousness and literature during the Japanese Colonial Period. During the National Government Period, Yang Kui announced the ¡§Peace Declaration¡¨ to ease ethnic conflict however he ended up in prison for 12 years. His literature style also changed; who no longer confronted authorities but continued to care for the society through inspirational articles. The paper divides the social issues discussed in the novels by Yang Kui and organized his ideas towards social reform, then supplemented by the social issues concerned by Yang in order to observe the legislative trends on social issues from Taiwanese Government.

This dissertation traces the post-Marxist and materialist positions of two leading contemporary European thinkers: Slavoj Zizek and Alain Badiou. These thinkers, I argue, collectively offer a way between the traditional Hegelian Marxist's overarching meta-narrative of a necessary evolution from worse to better, and the post-modern pessimism of a lack of possibility for such a social evolution. It is this middle path, offered by these two thinkers, that this dissertation seeks to explore and further explain. The focal point of this dissertation is the type of philosophical materialism that is collectively offered by Badiou and Zizek, what I call the "New Materialism." I first explain the origins of this materialist position as it emerges in the thought of Louis Althusser, then I discuss how Badiou and Zizek, each in their own way, seek to correct the remaining problems that exist for the Althusserian position, while refusing to reject its core materialist insights. Finally, I assess the ways in which both Badiou and Zizek attempt to overcome the Althusserian problems, arguing that ultimately Zizek's corrective succeeds in remaining within the materialist paradigm laid out by Althusser, whereas Badiou's method brings him dangerously close to a kind of philosophical idealism that he wishes to avoid.

According to several studies, there have been improvements in adolescent sexual behaviour; declining adolescent pregnancies, fewer adolescents having more than one sexual partner, and an increasing numbers of adolescents using contraceptives. Notwithstanding these improvements, there are concerns regarding adolescents’ sexual health including adolescents’ limited knowledge of sexual health issues, high rates of sexually transmitted infections and the need to eliminate barriers to adolescent sexual health services. The purpose of this study was to explore adolescents’ perceptions of the facilitators and barriers to the promotion of healthy sexuality of adolescents living in PEI. A qualitative descriptive design guided by CST and a socio-ecological framework was used to explore participants’ perceptions. Six female high school students, 16-18 years of age, participated in a face-to-face semi-structured interview followed by a second face-to-face follow up interview. Seven themes emerged from the data that was analyzed through thematic analysis: The Illusion of Accessible Resources; Risky Behaviours; Peer Pressure Alive and Well in High School; Cyberbullying; Parental Influence on Adolescent Decision Making; Inefficient and Underutilized School Health Resources; and Inefficient and Underutilized Community Health Resources. While it is evident that some promotion of healthy sexuality of adolescents is occurring in PEI, more investigation and development is needed to better support adolescents with comprehensive school services including guidance and education. The results of this study can be used to guide this future development.

L'espace public (1962) de Jürgen Habermas est souvent lu comme le premier ouvrage de sa carrière. Notre mémoire tâche de porter un éclairage différent sur celui-ci, de lire L'espace public comme point d'aboutissement de la pensée habermassienne des années 1950. Par l'exploration d'un certain nombre d'écrits mineurs et majeurs pré-1962, L'espace public se révèle une sorte de théorie critique de la société, encore fortement empreinte de marxisme, faisant figure de synthèse partielle des écrits de jeunesse. / Jürgen Habermas' The structural transformation of the public sphere (1962) is often read as the first landmark of his career. Our study sets out to shed a different light upon it, to read The structural transformation of the public sphere as the arrival point of Habermas' 1950s thought. While we explore a certain number of minor and major pre-1962 works, his thesis reveals itself as some kind of critical theory of society, still deeply rooted in Marxism, that embodies a partial synthesis of his early works.

Studies on the representation of 'local' populations, in and through tourism, have tended to focus on 'traditional' peoples in 'developing' countries. In this study of the representation of ethno-cultural diversity in the discourse of Official Tourism Organisations (OTOs), by contrast, I focus on a 'developed' West European country: England. This study was carried out in order critically to inspect the representation/signification of 'minority' ethnic populations in the text and talk of OTOs in England within the period 2000-2003. The study is framed within an anti foundational dialogue of social constructionism. In analysing OTO discursive practices I use Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) to explore the representation of ethno-cultural diversity in a number of 'interview', 'operational' and 'promotional' texts. The CDA framework employed is designed to reveal patterns of discourse in the text as well as to provide a basis for understanding the micro context (for 'operational' and 'promotional' texts) of text production and distribution. Also, the framework facilitates a consideration of the macro institutional context within which OTOs in England operate. From the analysis of OTO texts carried out in this study I propose a number of interpretative findings, including 'discourses' of denial, equality and otherness. Overall, the 'interpretative findings' suggest that OTO texts are produced and circulated within a discourse of silence on matters of ethno-cultural diversity in England. I conclude this study by suggesting a number of transforrnative actions for the development by OTOs in England of an ethical 'politics of articulation'. In addition I identify a number of problematic arenas within which tourism studies scholars might pursue future research agendas and to that end I propose some potentially useful points of entry into the broader social science literature.

Following Merton (1942) science studies has moved from the philosophy of science to a more sociologically minded analysis of scientific activity. This largely involves a shift away from questions that bear on the context of justification – a question of rationality and philosophy, to those that deal with the context of discovery. This thesis investigates changes in science studies in three papers: sociocultural evolutionary theories of scientific change; general trends in science studies - especially concerning the sociology of science; and a principle component analysis (PCA) that details the development and interaction between research programmes in science studies. This thesis describes the proliferation of research programmes in science studies and uses evolutionary theory to make sense of the pattern of change.

Following Merton (1942) science studies has moved from the philosophy of science to a more sociologically minded analysis of scientific activity. This largely involves a shift away from questions that bear on the context of justification – a question of rationality and philosophy, to those that deal with the context of discovery. This thesis investigates changes in science studies in three papers: sociocultural evolutionary theories of scientific change; general trends in science studies - especially concerning the sociology of science; and a principle component analysis (PCA) that details the development and interaction between research programmes in science studies. This thesis describes the proliferation of research programmes in science studies and uses evolutionary theory to make sense of the pattern of change.