The aim of this master’s thesis was to study the portrayal of discrimination that occurs because of multiple factors in Maya Angelou’s book I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. The analysis has been conducted through the lens of Critical Race theory as the theory draws on the affiliation between race, racism and power. The main focal point of this essay was the intersectionality of race, gender and social class. The results of this study showed recurring events in which the characters in the book are marginalized. However, the study also showed the resilience and resistance the characters manifests in their exertion for an equal society. Additionally, this Master’s thesis addressed how the English as a Foreign Language classroom with the inclusion of Caged Bird and the usage of Critical Race pedagogy can start a development of fundamental values such as equality and gender roles whilst diminishing prejudice.

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This study examines the user comments left on Twitter posts surrounding the murder of George Floyd, by the two biggest evening papers in Sweden. George Floyd was killed on the 25th of May 2020 during an arrest by Minneapolis police, which sparked outrage across the globe. People took to the streets to protest against police brutality and racial injustice, but thorough discussion also took place on social media and most notably, Twitter. Former research expresses a big interest in studying the public discourse tied to these topics, as it reflects public opinion. This study uses a mixed methods analysis, which includes a quantitative content analysis and a qualitative text analysis. The material studied are comments left on Aftonbladet- and Expressen’s Twitter posts from the day George Floyd was killed until a week after the police officer who was responsible was found guilty, almost a full year later. The purpose with this study was to deduce how the comments represented George Floyd, and how “Us” and “Them” were constructed. The study also aimed to find out which deliberative or non-deliberative qualities appear in the comments, and which of them generated the most attention. This was achieved with the theoretical basis of Critical Race Theory, Deliberative Democracy and Othering.The results show that George Floyd is mainly represented as a criminal, and that the comments constructed a strict “Us” and an even stricter “The Others”. The comments contained many non-deliberative qualities, and these were the ones who gained the most traction.

The aim of this thesis is to analyze how the film Freedom Writers, released in 2007 anddirected by Richard LaGravenese, reflects on the topic of racism. The analysis is based on twoof the key tenets of Critical Race Theory, “Whiteness as Property” and “Commitment to SocialJustice”, which are used as analytical tools. Furthermore, the analysis also includes RacialIdentity Development Theory, which represents different stages of development as people beginto define themselves in relation to others. This thesis further evaluates pedagogical implicationsin connection to the analysis of Freedom Writers and Critical Race Theory. The results showthat racism is depicted in Freedom Writers through the concept of Whiteness as Property, andthe differences between white characters and characters of color are significant due to theirdifferent views on social justice. In addition, the results show that Freedom Writers may serveas a thought-provoking resource to use in the Swedish EFL classroom to create awareness aboutand discuss the importance of aspects such as racism, empowerment, and social justice in theworld and with regard to the students’ own knowledge.

Elementary African American males achieve proficiency at a lower rate than their peers in both reading and math. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to understand how elementary school teachers described their use of equitable strategies in teaching elementary African American male students, how these teachers described the experience of teaching African American male students, and how they used equitable strategies to shape the classroom environment to engage African American male students. Two theories provided the conceptual framework for this study-human development theory and critical race theory in education. Seven participants were selected through convenience sampling. Semistructured interviews were conducted. Data analysis for this case study was conducted using analytic descriptive coding and category construction. Major categories were identified in order to examine patterns, themes, and relationships. Data analysis of the responses of research participants in this study revealed: (a) nurturing teacher-to-student relationships were paramount to students' success; (b) teachers who received professional development focused on the implementation of equitable strategies struggled with monitoring the effectiveness of equitable strategies regarding student outcomes. Consideration needs to occur regarding introducing and implementing culturally relevant pedagogy and equitable strategies with preservice teachers in order for them to understand the cultural as well as academic needs of the students they will educate. The findings of this study may provide school stakeholders with the strategies needed to support and improve the academic abilities of elementary African American males, thus constructing positive social change.

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