The aim of the present thesis is to determine whether the Tea Party candidatesʼ attitudes towards selected controversial issues influenced their electoral success and the success of the Tea Party movement as a whole. The thesis consists of two parts, theoretical and empirical. In the theoretical part the author focuses on the historical perspective of the political and party system in the United States of America, bipartism and position of third parties in the system. It also includes a brief analysis of the Democratic and Republican parties. Next, the author examines the Tea Party phenomenon - its genesis, structure, purposes and ideals. The subsequent section deals with three controversial issues, i.e. abortion, LGBT rights, and race, which reflect an ideological cleavage among the american public. The empirical part presents a case study entitled The influence of controversial issues on the (non)success of the Tea Party candidates, which deals with attitudes of the House and Senate Tea Party candidates who won the 2010 congressional elections towards the above- mentioned controversial issues.

När influencers marknadsför produkter i samarbeten med företag påverkas både företagets, men också influencerns personliga varumärke. Det är därför viktigt för influencers att välja sina samarbeten och vad de gör reklam för. Denna studie avser undersöka hur influencers marknadsföring av den kontroversiella produkten, tobaksfritt snus, påverkar konsumenters attityder till influencers personliga varumärke. Studien har tillämpat teorier om influencers reklam, personliga varumärken, kontroversiella produkter och en egenkonstruerad modell har skapats utifrån Attitude Towards the Ad Model för att kunna besvara studiens frågeställning. En kvalitativ metod har använts där tre fokusgrupper med totalt tolv personer i åldrarna 20-25 år har intervjuats. Analysen av det empiriska materialet kom fram till att den utmärkande faktorn för attityderna till influencers personliga varumärke påverkas i högre grad av kriterier relaterade till influencers, som influencers nisch, förväntningar och målgrupp, än av den kontroversiella produkten. Först om kriterierna bryts uppkommer negativa attityder till influencers personliga varumärke.

Syftet med denna studie är att med hjälp av modeller om medborgarskap undersöka blivande gymnasielärares syn på medborgarskap och politiskt deltagande i förhållande till sig själva och deras framtida elever. Studien berör blivande lärares föreställningar kring fyra områden; politiskt deltagande, medborgarskap, kontroversiella ämnen och politisk aktivism samt undersöker förväntningarna som de har på elever utifrån dessa fyra huvudpunkter. Materialet har samlats in genom kvalitativa samtalsintervjuer med fyra stycken blivande gymnasielärare utifrån en semistrukturerad modell. De har därefter analyserats med hjälp av olika kärnfrågor och de fyra områden – som presenterats ovan – med ursprung från Isin & Turners modeller för medborgarskap. Kärnfrågor i detta fall är de frågor i intervjuguiden (Se Bilaga 2) som baserats på de frågeställningar som studien bygger på. Svaren har sammanfattats och presenterats i en tabell där varje respondents svar har jämförts med varandra för att synliggöra återkommande mönster och föreställningar. Resultatet visar både likheter och skillnader mellan respondenternas och utifrån detta identifieras en idealtyp för hur medborgaren bör se ut baserat på återkommande gemensamma föreställningar. Svaren jämförs även med Isin & Turners (2002) liberal och deras republikanska modell. Svaren kan inte sammankopplas helt till varken liberal eller republikansk modell utan hamnar i ett mellanläge.

This thesis examines four tracts authored by three Christian Identity rhetors. The study argues that these rhetors employ elements of the narrative paradigm to spread their own brand of hate-based theology. This study employs a method of narrative criticism as outlined by Foss ( 1996) in examining Howard B. Rand's "Who Crucified Jesus?" and "The Verdict of Time"; Wesley A. Swift's "Who Crucified Christ?"; and Sheldon Emry's "Who Killed Christ?" Howard B. Rand was the leader of the Anglo-Saxon Federation of America during the 1930s, an organization which was the forerunner of the contemporary Christian Identity movement. Wesley A. Swift was a major leader of Christian Identity during the late 1940s through the 1960s.

Vi är just nu i en tid av polarisering i det politiska klimatet där fler ämnen och frågor får kontroversiell laddning. Eftersom skolan är en plats där unga ska få möjlighet att utveckla demokratiska kunskaper och förmågor som i förlängningen ska fungera som en motståndskraft mot riskfyllda och odemokratiska beteenden måste ett aktivt arbete med demokratiuppdraget ske. Men Skolinspektionens senaste rapport visar att 21 av 30 grundskolor i landet brister i arbetet med demokratiuppdraget.1 Denna studie avser att undersöka hur bildämnet, genom arbete med kontroversiella ämnen, kan utveckla demokratiska förmågor och färdigheter. Som utgångspunkt i studien undersöks elevers och unga vuxnas upplevelser, erfarenheter och tankar kring skapandets demokratiska potential och arbetet med kontroversiella ämnen i bildämnet. Jag har analyserat deras svar utifrån diskursanalys som tolkningsram samt teorier kring vilka subjektspositioner vi tar i mötet med andra och oliktänkande. Resultaten visar att begreppet “kontroversiellt” är komplext och kontextuellt och något som elever drar sig för att prata om och arbeta med. Detta tycks bero på bristande förmågor att hantera oliktänkande och ingå i demokratiska samtal, främst av en rädsla över vad andra kommer att tycka om en själv. Det blir synligt att det finns ett behov för att arbeta med dessa ämnen i skolan då informanterna uttrycker att det kan främja förmågan att hantera oliktänkande, förbereder en för livet efter skolan och övar en färdighet som alla har lika rätt att lära sig. Det framgår också att bildskapande är ett medium som har hög potential att uttrycka åsikter, väcka känslor och få en att tänka. Under arbetet har jag tagit ett dubbelt perspektiv där jag parallellt med uppsatsskrivningen har filmat reflektioner som väckts. De filmade reflektionerna har sammanställts i videoverket Varför är det svåra svårt? som visades på Konstfacks vårutställning. Idéer som väcktes under arbetet presenterades på Bildpedagogiskt symposium om demokrati och framtid på Vårutställningen på Konstfack 25 maj 2023 som anordnades av Belinda Morén, Katarina Seth, Mari Eriksson, Sandrine Samuelsson och Amanda Sammeli. 1 Skolinspektionen (2022). Skolans hantering av kontroversiella frågor i undervisningen - Inriktning samhällskunskap och biologi i årskurs 8 och 9, publicerad 28 nov 2022, s. 5. / We are currently in a time of polarization in the political climate when more topics and issues are gaining controversial charge. Since school is a place where young people should have the opportunity to develop democratic knowledge and abilities which, in the long run, should act as a force of resistance against risky and undemocratic behavior, active work with the democratic mission must take place. But the Swedish Schools Inspectorate's latest report shows that 21 out of 30 primary schools in the country are failing in their work with the democratic mission.1 This study intends to investigate how visual arts education, through work with controversial subjects, can develop democratic abilities and skills.  As a starting point in the study, students' and young adults' perceived ideas, experiences and thoughts regarding the democratic potential of creative practices and the work with controversial subjects in the subject of visual arts are examined. I have interpreted their answers using discourse analysis as an interpretive framework and theories about which subject positions we take in the meeting with others and dissenters. The results show that the term "controversial" is complex and contextual and something that students shy away from talking about and working with. This seems to be due to a lack of ability to deal with dissent and engage in democratic conversation, mainly out of a fear of what others will think of oneself. It becomes clear that there is a need to work with these subjects because, according to the informants, it can train the ability to cope effectively with dissent, prepare for life after school and practices an ability that everyone shares equal right to learn. It is also evident that image creation is a medium that has a high potential for expressing opinions, waking emotions and making one think. During the process of writing the thesis, I have taken a double perspective where in parallel with writing, I have filmed myself reflecting on the process itself. The filmed reflections have been compiled in the video work Why is the difficult difficult? which was shown at Konstfack's spring exhibition. Ideas that arose during the work were presented at the Visual Arts Education Symposium on Democracy and the Future at the Spring Exhibition at Konstfack 25 May 2023 organized by Belinda Morén, Katarina Seth, Mari Eriksson, Sandrine Samuelsson and Amanda Sammeli. 1 Skolinspektionen (2022). Skolans hantering av kontroversiella frågor i undervisningen - Inriktning samhällskunskap och biologi i årskurs 8 och 9, publicerad 28 nov 2022, s. 5.

This thesis is in three parts. The first part looks at the historical scholarship on writings opposed to Mormonism, especially those from the nineteenth century. The conclusion is that, despite hundreds of works written against Mormonism in its early years, the historical scholarship has not done justice to the writings or people involved. The vast majority of the writings and writers have not been analyzed, and those that are discussed are usually the most sensational and not representative of the genre.The second part of this thesis is a a case study giving an example of the kind of work the author feels needs to be done to make up for the deficiency in this area. Specifically this part examines the religious concerns of critics who wrote in the United States and Great Britain between 1844 and 1857. The evidence clearly shows that there were many writers who expressed religious concerns about Mormonism. Criticisms were made against Mormon religious practices such as polygamy, temple ceremonies and baptism for the dead, and against Mormon religious beliefs such as the role of Joseph Smith, the Book of Mormon, and Mormon doctrines on God and the Bible.The third section contains two appendices. The first is a bibliography of imprints written against the Mormons between 1844 and 1857. The second is a bibliography of all secondary literature about opposition to Mormonism.

[pt] Os usos de substâncias psicoativas tiveram ampliação em sociedades ocidentais a partir do século XIX, tendo alguns se tornado alvo de proibição. Dentro do tema das drogas, podem ser destacados diversos tópicos relevantes para debate, como os tipos de uso e as possibilidades de prevenção a riscos relacionados. Riscos estes que podem ser tanto da esfera individual quanto do âmbito social. Compondo sua relevância social, o consumo de álcool e outras drogas por jovens leva a uma defesa do debate deste tema nas escolas. Esta tese objetivou compreender práticas e concepções de educadores egressos do curso Educação, Drogas e Saúde nas Escolas, ministrado através da Fundação Centro de Educação Superior a Distância do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (Cecierj). Os instrumentos de pesquisa foram questionários aplicados em formulários online e entrevistas semiestruturadas realizadas também a distância, devido à pandemia de covid-19. Foi feita uma análise estatística descritiva das questões objetivas do questionário, enquanto as questões abertas e as entrevistas foram investigadas através da Análise de Conteúdo (BARDIN, 2016). Foram encontrados educadores que valorizam e utilizam abordagens dialógicas e se orientam pela perspectiva da redução de danos. Sobre o desenvolvimento destes trabalhos, foram relatados diferentes empecilhos, como a dificuldade de estabelecer parcerias por falta de interesse no tema ou receios ligados a tabus e a tendência para abordagens proibicionistas. Também há preocupações com possíveis acusações de apologia às drogas, medo de reprovação por parte dos responsáveis e por parte de agentes ligados ao tráfico de drogas nos entornos das escolas. Apesar disso, destacaram-se relatos sobre projetos desenvolvidos com participação ativa e interessada dos estudantes. Estes projetos foram influenciados pela formação em educação sobre drogas, apresentando indicadores de qualidade. Destaca-se, porém, sua dependência das iniciativas individuais dos educadores, que não possuem respaldo institucional e de políticas públicas para formação continuada no tema para o trabalho em si. / [en] The use of psychoactive substances expanded in Western society from the 19th century onwards, with some becoming the target of prohibition. Within the topic of drugs, several relevant topics can be highlighted for debate, such as types of use and possibilities for preventing related risks. These risks can be both individual and social. Due to its social relevance, the consumption of alcohol and other drugs by young people leads to a defense of the debate on this topic in schools. This thesis aimed to understand practices and conceptions of educators who graduated from the course Education, Drugs and Health in Schools, taught through the Center for Distance Higher Education Foundation of the State of Rio de Janeiro (Cecierj). Research instruments included questionnaires applied through online forms and semi-structured interviews conducted remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A descriptive statistical analysis of the objective questions of the dialogue was carried out, while the open questions and interviews were investigated using Content Analysis (BARDIN, 2016). Educators were found who value and use dialogical approaches and are guided by the perspective of harm reduction. Regarding the development of these works, different obstacles were reported, such as the difficulty of establishing partnerships due to lack of interest in the subject or concerns related to taboos and the tendency towards prohibitionist approaches. There are also concerns about possible accusations of drug promotion, fear of disapproval by those responsible and by agents linked to drug trafficking in school environments. Despite this, reports on projects initiated with active and interested participation of students. These projects were influenced by training in drug education, presenting quality indicators. It stands out, however, its dependence on individual initiatives of educators, who do not have institutional support and public policies for continuing training in drug education and for the work itself.

This study aims to obtain a deeper understanding of upper secondary teachers’ didactical choiceswhen teaching about controversial or sensitive topics; and what the challenges and possibilities arewithin a subject. Controversial and sensitive topics are a part of our everyday life. This study wantstherefore to contribute to the understanding of what can be regarded as controversial or sensitive intoday’s classrooms. To do this we carried out qualitative interviews with semi-structured questionswhich allowed openness in possible follow-up questions. Five civics teachers were interviewed, theirviews recorded, and transcribed. An inductive approach was initially taken when analysing thetranscripts. The three didactical questions what, why, and how, were used as a guide when coding thetranscription. In addition, the data was conceptualised, and themes were identified. These themeswere then used as markers for the result and discussion. The teachers' statements aligned with whatprevious research told us. All teachers interviewed identified at least one controversy, and stated theyfelt positively about their use in schools to aid students in learning. These included recently emergingtopics such as the conflict between Israel and Palestine, national party politics, LGBTQI+, andvictimology. The topics could be used as a tool to give perspective to the information flow in societyand social media surrounding the students. Discussions were also deemed as important whenhandling matters that could cause the class distress. The teachers often used their own or others’ pastexperiences with a subject when handling a topic, often with the students' possible connection andbackground in mind. Even though they found the student’s relation to the subject to be the toughestchallenge and not the topic itself. The teachers' beliefs were that nuancing the subject and discussionsabout controversial and sensitive topics are vital in civic education. / <p>Godkänd 2024-01-19</p>

As educators and administrators continue to struggle with the low literacy proficiency rates in this country, a new genre of literature is making its way into the classroom. Young Adult Literature, such as the works of John Green, are becoming a more familiar sight inside the classroom. However, some parents, educators, and members of the school districts are not happy with this new trend. In the last year, alone, young adult books have been challenged hundreds of times in hopes of getting them removed from the classroom and library. I believe that these books need to stay in the schools, though. Through this thesis, I explore the possibility of Young Adult Literature having more of a presence in the secondary English Language Arts classroom in order to increase motivation, engagement, social awareness, and literacy rates. In this research project, only 13% of 11th and 12th grade English Language Arts students reported enjoying the reading they were currently assigned, despite their statement that they enjoy reading, in general. These books do not lead to motivated and engaged readers. By incorporating Young Adult Literature into the standard curriculum of an English Language Arts classroom, teachers can enhance motivation, engagement, and productivity. Students can continue to learn the same literary concepts and techniques, in addition to being exposed to current social problems. When Young Adult Literature is brought into a classroom, an environment is created in which students can learn what they think, why they think it, and how to respect the differing opinions of others.

No description available.