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This thesis argues that consumerism and the mass media wield an unparalleled influence over contemporary North American society, and that these forces constitute the primary means through which identity is constituted. The historical and theoretical developments that have led to the foregrounding of these forces are outlined in the introduction - developments, it is argued, that are intrinsically connected to the social upheava1 that characterized America in the late 1960's and early 1970's, while their presence in and effects on the fiction of four contemporary North American writers - Thomas Pynchon, Don DeLillo, Bret Easton Ellis and Douglas Coupland - are examined in the main body of the thesis. Chapter I focuses on Pynchon whose novels, it is argued, are the product of a uniquely post-1960's America, which mourns the sacrifice of traditional ideals to the corporate mindset which has been prevalent since ths 1980's Pynchon's dominant metaphor for the direction in which he believes American society to be moving is the thermodynamic concept of entropy, which stipulates that all prqress is towards death. His novels abound with characters who disintegrate due to the information overload fostered by their media-based world. However, he retains his faith that a return to historical values and traditions will stem and even reverse the entropic tide DeLillo, a close contemporary of Pynchon's, draws on a different aspect of the legacy of the 1960's, for his writing is overshadowed by the 1963 assassination of President Kennedy and the years of turbulence that ensued. His novels are ultimately more pessimistic because his characters do not succeed in escaping from the repressive narratives of consumerism and the mass media in order to reassert their own personalities. One reason for this failure, it is argued, is that DeLillo's characters represent a metaphorical dramatization of the dichotomy between the modernist desire for structure and the postmodernist embrace of fluidity and uncertainty. The fictional characters of the younger authors, Ellis and Coupland, inhabit this postmodern world where all experience has been rendered depthless and traditional ontological and epistemological certainties have been collapsed Ellis' characters fluctuate between the extremes of apathy and violence as they search for a way of preventing their psyches from disintegrating amidst the surrounding chaos. Neither one of these options brings - any relief. Coupland is more optimistic about the ability of his characters to survive and even prosper in the contemporary world. He arms them with the linguistic and technological skills necessary to adapt to the rapid social and technological changes. Most importantly of all, he draws on the sense of objectivity fostered by his own background as a Canadian in order to provide them with an alternative and a sense of escape from the media-saturated environment of the American West Coast. What is perhaps most remarkable about these four authors as a group is that in spite of their obvious insight into the nature of the contemporary postmodern world, they are unwilling - or perhaps even unable - to fully relinquish their hold on a number of traditional metanarratives, most notably the ideal of the stable, supportive family unit. This implies a degree of uncertainty and perhaps even of fear on their parts about fully committing to the fluidity of contemporary culture.

This thesis seeks to explore the commonalities between religion and video games, ultimately making the argument that video games employ religion as a tool to make some deeper commentary on (in this case) American society and culture. This will be done through a detailed analysis of the game play, narrative, and religious elements at work in three different video games, as seen through the lenses of Queer Theory and Civil Religion. Furthermore, it will attempt to show that, just as gamers are struggling with their previously insular community opening up to the outside world, America has also not yet figured out what role video games can fulfill in society. This thesis seeks to provide one possible answer: the potential for video games to become tools of inquiry, sites of disruption, and, like film and books, provide commentary on our values as a society.

Civil society emphasizes the importance for citizens to be involved and developed in association with other people. The importance of socialization for citizens to learn civic values and develop virtues of tolerance and solidarity is generated by voluntary associations. Mediating structures are the entities that help to integrate disconnected elements of civil society and strengthen communities. Social capital is one of the elements that is actively utilized by mediating structures to connect people to, and get involved with others in mobilizing their efforts collectively for both public and private causes through volunteering. Traditionally only charitable nonprofits were perceived to be mediating structures. However, there are scattered examples of non-charitable professional membership 501(c)(6) associations engaging themselves and their members in social programs and community volunteering unaccountable for in the literature. Using the theories of mediating structures and social capital this research questions the assumption of limited applicability of mediating structures. Extensive empirical analysis of the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) dataset is performed to determine how social capital and other organizational factors affect the performance of mediating roles by professional membership associations.

El texto completo de este trabajo no está disponible en el Repositorio Académico UPC por restricciones de la casa editorial donde ha sido publicado. / During biodiesel production, crude biodiesel and glycerin are separated in resting tanks due to gravity and differences in density, glycerin accumulates at the base of the contender; such operation is called decantation. The decantation stage, within the production of biodiesel based on recycled oil, takes from 8 to 24 h to complete. Therefore, the development of an automatic biodiesel decanting system is presented in order to optimize the production time in the line of this bio-fuel. The process consists of applying an electric field through two electrodes at 9 kV and simultaneously applying temperature. The results of the implementation showed that the production time was reduced by up to 99% without affecting the quality of biodiesel, according to the parameters of the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM). / Revisión por pares

本論文計一冊，約十二萬字，共分六章，旨在就美國聯邦最高法院華倫法庭判決對其 社會之影響作深入之探討與分析。 第一章緒論部分－首就美國司法審查制度為一簡介，次論華倫法庭運用司法審察制度 所完成司法創新與改革之背景。 第二章「華倫法庭與言論自由」－本章將以華倫法庭之判決作為討論主體，從各種不 同之範疇，如對誹謗、猥褻等言論之界定，以探討其對言論自由之態度及其提出之原 則。 第三章「華倫法庭與選舉區重劃」－本章旨在論華倫法庭藉由選舉區重劃判決以達政 治平等之過程，對其相關判決及背景，均有詳述 第四章「華倫法庭與種族平等」－本章旨在闡述華倫法庭於五十年代民權運動時期如 何藉其判決強調自由平等之原則，而實踐其種族平等之理論。 第五章「華倫法庭與基本人身自由保障」－主要在說明華倫法庭的刑事訴訟程序中被 告之保護及其他相關基本人身自由保障等問題。 第六章「結論」－總結前揭各章之研究心得作一說明。

By 1960, television advertisers recognized the economic potential of American youth, and producers were expected to develop programs to attract them, while still maintaining appeal for the older audience members. This task was to prove difficult as the decade wore on. While continuing to link the nation's cold war concerns to the portrayal of good and evil, some shows, like 77 Sunset Strip, and The Mod Squad, explored alternative lifestyles, but still accepted American values. As the 1960s developed, crime programs continued to promote American hegemony but became increasingly more open to alternative reading strategies. This study examines the strategies developed to draw a youth audience to 1960s crime programs, while also supporting the dominant ideology of American society.

Edward William Bok, the Ladies' Home Journal's editor from 1889 to 1919, remained a confirmed proponent of Victorian womanhood. Yet, dramatic changes in American society made his perceptions increasingly anachronistic and, recognizing this, he reluctantly permitted his magazine's portrayal of woman to change with the times. The first part of the dissertation examines Edward Bok's Victorian attitudes toward woman's role in society. According to him, woman's intellectual, emotional, and physical inferiority and her moral and intuitional superiority harmonize perfectly to define a special sphere for her--the home—where she fulfills her roles as wife, mother, and homemaker. Outside the home, Bok permitted only a narrow range of activity for woman—church and club activities and even employment outside the home if finances required it. The second part of the dissertation illustrates how the Journal's image of woman changed during Bok's tenure, especially during the second decade of the twentieth century. At the outset, all departments of the Journal reinforced the editor's concept of woman, but by the time Edward Bok retired, in 1919. the magazine's image of woman contrasted sharply with Bo'k's personal views.

In the late 1990s, motion picture and television production began a process of rapid digitalization with profound implications for cinematographers in Hollywood, as new tools for “digital cinematography” became part of the traditional production process. This transition came in three waves, starting with a post-production technique, the digital intermediate, then the use of high-definition video and digital production cameras, and finally digital exhibition. This dissertation shows how cinematographers responded to the technical and aesthetic challenges presented by digital production tools as they replaced elements of the film-based, photochemical workflow. Using trade publications, mainstream press sources, and in-depth interviews with cinematographers and filmmakers, I chronicle this transition between 1998 and 2005, analyzing how cinematographers’ responded to and utilized these new digital technologies. I analyze demonstration texts, promotional videos, and feature films, including Pleasantville, O Brother Where Art Thou, Star Wars: Attack of the Clones, The Anniversary Party, Personal Velocity, and Collateral, all of which played a role in establishing a discourse and practice of digital cinematography among cinematographers, producers and directors. The challenges presented by new collaborators such as the colorist and digital imaging technician are also examined. I discuss cinematographers’ work with standards-setting groups such as the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and the studio consortium Digital Cinema Initiatives, describing it as an effort to protect “film-look” and establish look-management as a prominent feature of their craft practice. In an era when digitalization has made motion pictures more malleable and mobile than ever before, this study shows how cinematographers attempted to preserve their historical, craft-based sense of masterful cinematography and a structure of authority that privileges the cinematographer as “guardian of the image." / text

This thesis deals with the idea of affirmative action and its importance in the development of American society. The main goal is to analyze the effects of affirmative action and to evaluate its positive and negative impacts. The thesis has following structure. At first the theory and basic defenitions of affirmative action and other connected terms are explained. The second part is oriented on historical development of the fight against discrimination and for equal rights of minorities and women. Since 60's it focuses directly on affirmative action programs. At the same time the public stance is examined as well as the main influeces that were and are able to change it. That is why this work deals with some concrete Supreme Court cases which played an essential role in changing the focus and popularity of affirmative action. Particular Supreme Court sentences acted in both directions - there are some cases which were judged in favor of institutions practising affirmative policy or of a member of a group which had to face past discrimination. On the other hand, some sentences led to the end of such programs, especially in 80's when many conservative justices were nominated by president Ronald Reagan. The present situation and the future of affirmative action depend fundamentally on the stance of U.S. administration. The new one around president Barack Obama gives hope to affirmative policy and its supporters.