Gaming as an activity possesses many different facets (Sköld 2018: 134). One important yet relatively underexplored is the social facet, how the act of gaming is impacted by social rules and codes. Previous research on the topic is relatively limited and mainly performed retroactively on older game communities. The thesis addresses this lack of research by studying a community formed around World of Warcraft, a game that currently has an active player base.  By specifically studying a World of Warcraft guild whose members define the guild by its social nature (Interview 1,2,3,4), this thesis provides a perspective on how the desire to maintain relationships impact how gaming is practiced and what is considered to be desirable behaviour among players.  The thesis is based on material gathered in four interviews and two observations of guild members playing together. The interviews were primarily focused on discovering how the members experienced the guild and the game itself, and what they believed to be positive or negative behaviour. The observations were intended to study how the members interact in practice, how the ideas and notions that they mentioned in the interviews were expressed while playing. The analysis uses Political Discourse Theory (PDT) to connect the ideas, practices and terms used in both interviews and observations into a cohesive discourse. This discourse is then divided into specific traits that are seen desirable within different contexts.  The thesis finds that being respectful of other guild members time is seen as the most important trait among players. This respect is primarily expressed through understanding that other members have lives outside of the game and therefore cannot devote the majority of their time to the game. If another player or even the game itself demands more from a member than they are able to give, it is seen as problematic. Accomplishing in-game goals is seen as fun, yet unimportant in comparison to maintaining a respectful social environment within the guild.

In a setting of rising global challenges, transnational issues, and a deadlocked debate on European integration in the aftermath of the British Brexit referendum, this thesis presents the pan-European political movement and party as a novel approach of a cosmopolitan European generation taking their fate in their own hands. Consequently, the study investigates the characteristics of the ideological foundations of the emergence, vision, and strategy of the pan-European political movement Volt Europa.In a qualitative single case study using semi-structured interviews and participant observation at its core, the thesis aims to present a pan-European political movement to fellow scholars. The occurring questions are what visions this new movement has for the future of the EU and how it intends to contribute to achieving these visions. Framed by a literature review on related aspects of European constitutional law, the paper uses Habermas’ Discourse Theory and its Cosmopolitan features to solve the puzzle. Thereby, taken-for-granted theoretical frameworks based on the interaction of nation-states are challenged, and an omen of a single European demos is discovered.The study finds that Volt Europa suggests policies already presented by scholars but have yet to be implemented by politicians. Moreover, it considers that Volt Europa contributes to European Public Sphere as a movement but is spread over only some of the EU proportionally. Accordingly, theory and empirics suggest significant importance to a European Public Sphere. In this, Volt acts as a political party influencing legislation and transnational NGOs influencing the public debate and raising global awareness.

Studiens syfte är att undersöka sånglärares syn på huruvida imitation kan vara ett verktyg eller hinder i sångutveckling och i strävan efter att hitta fram till ett eget röst-id. Det teoretiska ramverket i studien utgörs av diskursanalys med en diskursteoretisk ansats. Datainsamlingen har gjorts via kvalitativa intervjuer där sånglärarna har fått beskriva sin syn på imitation och röst-id och hur man som sånglärare formulerar sig när en sångelev imiterar. Informanterna har också fått beskriva vilka verktyg de kan ge eleverna i jakten på ett eget röst-id. Samtalen spelades in med ljud och transkriberades. Efter transkriptionen analyserades samtalen med hjälp av diskursanalys. I resultatet framträdde fyra olika diskursiva formationer i form av “Imitation som ljudhärmning”, “Imitationens baksida”, “Diskursen om röst-id” och slutligen “Hybrid- diskursen imitation och verktyg för röst-id”. Resultaten visade bland annat att det fanns en skillnad i hur sångpedagogerna från den klassiska profilen och sånglärarna med jazz och Contemporary Commercial Music-profil (CCM) såg på imitation då de förstnämnda såg imitation mer som ett hinder för röstutveckling. Enligt utsagorna om imitation så fanns det däremot likheter utöver genre-gränserna angående “vem” man härmar eller “hur” man härmar. De klassiska sånglärarna ansåg att röst-id var något som var förankrat i kroppen i första hand medan sånglärarna från jazz och CCM-profil verkade tycka att röst-id är ett tumavtryck och en igenkänning på röst, och att det musikaliska uttrycket är centralt för ett röst-id. När det kom till verktyg för att tillskansa sig en egen röstidentitet var jazz- och CCM-informanterna mer öppna för artificiella verktyg som inte har med det som redan finns naturligt i kroppen att göra utan de kunde istället tänka sig att leta impulser och intryck genom att ändra på de musikaliska förutsättningarna och där kunde imitationen ingå som ett av flera av dessa artificiella verktyg. / The focus of this study is to explore the perspectives of vocal instructors on the role of imitation in voice development and the pursuit of one's unique vocal identity. The theoretical underpinnings of this investigation employ discourse analysis using a discourse-theoretical approach. Data collection was conducted through qualitative interviews, where vocal instructors articulated their views on imitation, voice identity, and their approaches when a student engages in mimicry. The participants also shared the strategies they could provide to their students on the journey to discovering their unique vocal personas. The dialogues were audibly recorded and subsequently transcribed. Post-transcription, the interviews were subjected to discourse analysis. The analysis yielded four distinctive discursive formations, namely: "Imitation as Sound Imitation," "The Downside of Imitation," "The Discourse on Vocal Identity," and lastly "The Hybrid Discourse: Imitation and Tools for Vocal Identity." The results unveiled a disparity in perspectives between classical singing instructors and those teaching jazz and Contemporary Commercial Music (CCM). Particularly, the classical instructors were more inclined to view imitation as a barrier to vocal development, marking a distinctive contrast in pedagogical approach. The findings showed diverging viewpoints between instructors specializing in classical singing and those focused on jazz and Contemporary Commercial Music (CCM), especially regarding the role of imitation in vocal development. Classical instructors perceived imitation as more of a hindrance. However, beyond genre boundaries, there were similarities in the perspective on 'who' one imitates or 'how' one imitates. Classical instructors proposed that vocal identity was primarily anchored in the body. In contrast, jazz and CCM educators appeared to view vocal identity as a sonic signature, recognizing the voice and placing emphasis on musical expression as central to a vocal identity. When it came to tools for uncovering one's unique vocal identity, jazz and CCM participants demonstrated a greater openness towards non-natural methods. These educators were open to seeking influences and impressions to alter musical conditions, with imitation potentially serving as one of these artificial tools.

No description available.

In an ever-evolving social media landscape, online communication has become more prone to the revelation of our affective states. In this study, I investigate how iterations of emotional capital, an extension of Pierre Bourdieu’s four forms of capital, shape social interaction in mediated relationships on YouTube, a platform that fosters a participatory culture. Previously, the field of media studies has devoted itself to the cognitive-behavioural effects of media consumption, allowing research on consumers’ emotionality as an influence on virtual sociality to be left behind. I attempt to elucidate the emotional footprint left by the discourse of the user comment by applying Marci D. Cottingham’s theorisation on emotional capital, paired with Ernesto Laclau and Chantal Mouffe’s Discourse Theory and by extension Discourse Theoretical Analysis expanded by Nico Carpentier et al on a sample of three sets of thirty most popular user comments, each attributed to a video by UK-based content creators Jade Bowler, Lucy Moon, and Venetia La Manna, to argue that the sociality found within their discourse is formed by the parasocial relationship the user exhibits towards the creator. Depending on the affective distance the user expressed towards the creator or to the other subscribers, different forms of emotional capital emerged - care and vulnerability derived from the address to self; inspiration, communication, encouragement stemming from the address to the community; and empathy and respect originating in the address to the creator. Thus, this study provides a novel outlook on mediated relationships in an online setting, where users actively, and more importantly, emotionally engage with themselves, their community, and the creator, to form affective social networks.

The aim of this thesis is to find out how people with an Armenian background talk about the Armenian Genocide in 1915 and how it has affected their everyday life over time until now. The study is based on six interviews and two observations. Using phenomenology and discourse theory, the material has been analyzed and discussed. Phenomenology and discursive theories have helped to connect interview and observation responses to arrive at a conclusion. The results showed that the genocide has been talked about for generations, and that it still affects people in everyday life. The responses to influence in everyday life are more individual, as everyone's identity has been affected to varying degrees. Something that came out very clearly in the study is that everyone with an Armenian background, whose family has been affected by the genocide, wants to reach justice regarding genocide recognition and they want to pass this on for generations.

The aim of this study was to examine how American news media covered Donald Trump's presidential campaign in the election of 2016, as well as discussing the possible consequences of such reporting on the election results. Using mixed methods, 3652 digital news articles were studied by discourse analysis and topic modeling through MALLET. The study found that a substantial number of articles were dedicated to such non-political news reporting as scandals, portraying an image of Trump as someone who can get away with doing whatever he wants. Furthermore, the results of the study found that media helped to convey Trump’s views of minorities, doing so in particularly by citing him. The media also relied largely on polls. Comparison of the candidates through these polls enhanced the image of the election campaign as nothing more than a horse race, as well as turning up Trumps entertainment value. As the campaign continued, the reporting got more aggressive towards Trump. At the same time there was an element of wanting to balance the critical articles about him by simultaneously writing negatively about other candidates. The study concludes that all of the non-political new stories might have directed focus away from the important policy issues, leading to people voting for candidates without  the proper insight into their politics.

In the 1990s, Sweden implemented the internationally debated school choice reform, introducing unprecedented freedom in education for students within its school system. This allowed students to attend the school of their choosing without being confined by school district. In order to maintain relevance since its inception, the reform has required several amendments to the Education Act, made over the years by a variety of governments and parliaments with differing political ideologies. Despite the political divergence of these governments and parliaments, however, the motivation behind and implementation of these amendments have shown to be quite similar across the board. From this vantage point, it is of sociological interest to investigate how free school choice is portrayed in the government's bills and the parliament’s debates when adopting changes to the Education Act during the years 1992/93, 2009/10 and 2020/21 within the various discursive fields. To do so, this study has employed  Ernesto Laclau and Chantal Mouffe's (2014) perspective on discourse theory and found three prominent discourses; the free student, the quality of the education and the diversity and segregation in the school. By examining each discourse and its signs and elements, nodal points have been identified. Through analysis of said nodal points, the study concludes that there has been a shift in the analyzed documents’ central discourse over time through discursive struggles for hegemony and the re-articulation of nodal points and elements. This highlights a possible underlying ideological and power struggle within the overarching discourse surrounding free school choice.

Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka hur kroppsövningsämnet framställs i storstadspressunder perioden 1 juli 2015 - 30 juni 2016. För att uppfylla studiens syfte utgick vi frånföljande frågeställningar: 1) Vilka och vilken typ av formuleringar framställs i samband med kroppsövningsämnet i storstadspress hösten 2015 och våren 2016? 2) Vilka diskurser framträder ur dessa formuleringar och vilka kopplingar finns till tidigare identifierade ämnesdiskurser? 3) Vilka kopplingar kan identifieras mellan framställda diskurser och analyserade artiklar, med avseende till skribentens yrke, citerade/refererade personer, typ av artikel och kroppsövningsämnets benämning? Metodvalet i studien var diskursanalys. Källmaterialet inhämtades från en databas som samlar all svensk tryckt press. Insamlingen skedde genom användandet av sökord beståendes av olika benämningar på kroppsövningsämnet. Storstadspress är en kategorisering som innehåller tidningar med säte i Stockholm, Malmö och Göteborg. Insamlingen, urvalet och analysförfarandet strukturerades utifrån fem kategoriseringssteg. Studiens slutgiltiga urval var 63 artiklar. Diskursteorin kombineras med dagordningsteorin, vars utgångspunkt är att massmediernas dagordning speglar allmänhetens dagordning. Formuleringar framställda i samband med kroppsövningsämnet handlade bland annat omförebyggandet av sjukdomar, att andra skolämnen gynnas, att ämnet innehåller fysisk aktivitet och olika idrotter samt att ämnets utformning leder till mobbning och utanförskap. Utifrån formuleringarna identifierades fyra diskurser: Rörelse- och aktivitetsdiskursen (beståendes avfem underdiskurser), Exkluderingsdiskursen, Kost- och välbefinnandediskursen samt Säkerhetsdiskursen. Rörelse- och aktivitetsdiskursen är den mest återkommande och regelbundna diskursen. Idrott är den mest förekommande benämningen på ämnet. Slutsatserna i studien är att allmänheten prioriterar elevers rörelse och aktivitet som kroppsövningsämnets viktigaste uppdrag, att ämnet inte betraktas som ett kunskapsämne, att ämnets aktiviteter antas bestå av idrotter och andra tävlingsaktiviteter, att ämnet tillskrivs en kultur där maskulin norm råder, att tävlingsbetingade aktiviteter anses reproducera denna kultur, att ämnets aktivitet antas syfta till att stärka samhället. Det finns en diskrepans mellan allmänhetens föreställningar och ämnesplanernas syfte. / The aim of this study was to examine the metropolitan press representations of Physical education during the period 1 July 2015 - 30 June 2016. We raised the following questions, in order to fulfill the aim of the study: 1) Which – and what kind of terms are produced in connection with Physical education in the metropolitan press in the autumn of 2015 and the spring of 2016? 2) Which discourses emerges from these terms and which connections emerge in comparison to previously identified discourses? 3) What connections can be identified from the discourses and the analyzed articles, in regard to the author's profession, the quoted/referenced persons, the type of article and the designation of the school subject The chosen method of the study was discourse analysis. The source material was obtained from a database that gathers all printed press in Sweden. The collection was made through the use of keywords consisting of different designations for Physical education. Metropolitan Press is a categorization consisting of newspapers based in Stockholm, Malmo and Gothenburg. The collection, selection and analysis procedure was structured on the basis of five steps of categorization. The final selection of the study was 63 articles. The Discourse Theory was combined with the Agenda Setting Theory, whose starting point is that the agenda of the media reflects the agenda of the public. Terms produced in correlation with Physical education included among others the prevention of diseases, the benefit for other school subjects, the content of physical activity and sports in the subject and the content of bullying and exclusion caused by the setup of the subject. Based on these terms, four discourses could be identified: the Discourse of Movement and Activity (consisting of five sub-discourses), the Discourse of Exclusion, the Discourse of Diet and Wellbeing and the Discourse of Safety. The Discourse of Movement and Activity is the most frequent and regular discourse. Sports is the most common designation for Physical education. The conclusions of the study are the following: the public prioritize students' movement and physical activity as the most important mission of the subject, the subject is not considered to be an educational subject, the activity of the subject is assumed to consist of sports and other competitive activities, the subject is assumed to contribute to a culture in which masculine norm prevails, the competitive activities are considered to reproduce this culture, the activity of the subject is considered to aim for the strengthening of the society. There is a discrepancy between public interpretation and the purpose of the curriculums.

I läroplanen framgår att rektor har ett särskilt ansvar för att lärare ska få den kompetensutveckling som krävs för att de ska kunna utföra sitt uppdrag på ett professionellt sätt. Detta får givetvis konsekvenser för rektors arbete. Syftet med studien är att studera rektors föreställningar och strategier gällande lärares kompetensutveckling. Frågeställningarna berör de föreställningar som framträder när rektorer beskriver lärares kompetensutveckling och vilka strategier har rektor för att verkställa lärares kompetensutveckling? Diskursanalys har använts som teoretisk och metodologisk utgångspunkt. Sex intervjuer av rektorer i grundskolan har genomförts vilket också varit en totalundersökning för en kommunal huvudman. Resultatet visar att rektors föreställningar centreras kring att utveckla undervisningen i klassrummet, skolans kultur och kollegialt lärande.  För att få till en skolkultur som tar sig an kollegialt lärande behöver rektor använda sig av strategier exempelvis genom att lobba för att motivera lärarna till aktuell kompetensutveckling, men också genom att modellera och leva som man lär. Studien visar en tendens till att rektorer placerar lärares kompetensutveckling inom skolutvecklingsdiskursen. Detta får följder som att rektor behöver få till en skolkultur som möjliggör kollegialt lärande för skolutveckling. / The curriculum in Sweden states that the principal has a special responsibility for ensuring that teachers receive the competence development required for them to be able to carry out their assignment in a professional manner. This of course has consequences for the principal’s work. The purpose of the study is to study the principal's conceptions and strategies regarding teacher competence development. The questions are which perceptions emerge when principals describe teachers' competence development and which strategies does the principal have to implement teacher competence development? Discourse analysis has been used as a theoretical and methodological framework. Six interviews of principals in compulsory school have been conducted, which has also been a total survey for a municipality. The result shows that the principal's conceptions are centred on developing the teaching in the classroom, the school's culture and professional learning. In order to get a school culture that takes on collegial collaboration, the principal needs to use strategies, for example by lobbying to motivate the teachers to upcoming competence development, but also by modelling and practice what is preached. The study suggests that principals recognize teacher competence development as part of a school development discourse. Consequently, a school culture allowing professional learning, needs to be established.