In the tradition of academic satire, Lady Lazarus is the fictional biography of the daughter of American rock musicians. In her late teens she rises to fame as confessional poet, who, despite only publishing one collection of poems during her brief life, becomes an overnight sensation. Author Andrew Altschul is satirizing academia’s need to be a part of popular culture and in doing so, privileges the ability to use controversy and conventional beauty to sell books as opposed to creating quality art. By focusing on how the author uses Hans Robert Jauss’ horizons of expectations, unreliable narrators, anecdotes in biography and the economics of fame as a deciding factor in academia, the author has created a dense and punitive opinion of academia’s inclusion of popular culture into its world.

Facultad de Filosofía y Humanidades / Informe de seminario para optar al grado de Licenciada en Lengua y Literatura Inglesa / This work is in line with the main theme in our seminar ‘The City and the urban subject in English and American Literature’. In the course of it we have studied the first appearance of the urban subject, amazed by the new metropolitan surroundings that he finds himself in. Then comes the Fláneur who observes, sometimes as an outsider, the new bohemian life in the big cities and finally cannot find a place to fit in the crowd, or either enjoying the crowd in their loneliness. In literature, the cities are built up by the narrator; here is where detail shows its power to set full images in our minds. Cities we know as the back of our hands and like to wander to recall the past, cities we meet for the first time and would like to walk all over, and cities we knew when they were great and now we find destroyed. That we have studied concerning the city. However, this present work is almost entirely related to the urban subject and how they manage to live in the ever-growing city.

Previous research has shown that there are several components involved in how we perceive pain, e.g. social and psychological factors such as expectations of pain. A cold pressor experiment was conducted to investigate the impact of negative/positive information on pain perception. We also investigated if a cognitive conflict created by disconfirming information of a pain expectation influences the pain experience. 106 participants (49 men and 57 women) got to hold their hand in 5°C water for 1 minute. The main outcome variable was self-reported pain during the cold pressor test. The results show that participants receiving negative information perceived more pain than the group receiving positive information. There was no significant difference in pain perception between those who were confirmed or disconfirmed in an expectation, nor was there a difference in cognitive conflict between the two groups. This is a first attempt to explore pain and cognitive conflict and can work as an inspiration for further investigation. / Tidigare forskning har visat att det är flera komponenter involverade i en smärtupplevelse, bland annat sociala och psykologiska faktorer så som förväntningar. Ett kallvattenexperiment utfördes för att undersöka positiv/negativ information och dess påverkan på upplevelsen av smärta. Vi undersökte även om smärta påverkas av en kognitiv konflikt skapad av en disconfirmation av en smärtförväntning. 106 deltagare (49 män och 57 kvinnor) fick hålla sin hand i 5°C vatten i en minut. Vårt mätinstrument var själv-rapporterad smärta vid kallvattentestet. Resultatet visade att deltagare som fick negativ information upplevde mer smärta än de som fick positiv information. Det fanns ingen signifikant skillnad mellan de som blev disconfirmed och confirmed i sin förväntan och inte heller någon skillnad mellan grupperna i upplevd kognitiv konflikt. Detta första försök att undersöka smärta och kognitiv konflikt kan bli till en inspiration för vidare undersökningar.

Thesis advisor: James R. Mahalilk / The disparities that are prevalent in urban environments have a profound impact on the educational and career trajectories of urban minority youth. In the interest of promoting the success among urban minority youth, it is critical to understand the influence of contextual factors on career development. Urban students of color observe and experience disparities based on gender, race, ethnicity, and parental education (Chang, Chen, Greenberger, Dooley, and Heckhausen, 2006; Fassinger, 2008). A major theoretical framework that has been used to address contextual factors in career development is Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT); (Lent, Brown, and Hackett, 1994). The current study examines the socio-contextual variables of gender, race, ethnicity, and parental education (and their interactions) in predicting adolescents' perceptions of barriers to academic and career goals, expectations of reaching goals, and engagement in career planning activities. Archival data was used from a larger longitudinal study that was conducted during the implementation of a vocational program [called Tools for Tomorrow] that was offered at two public high schools in a Northeastern city for three years (Kenny, Blustein, Haase, Jackson, and Perry, 2006). There were 208 participants with a mean age of 14 (57% females and 43% males). Hierarchal multiple regressions revealed that boys, Latino/a students, and low levels of parental education were significantly associated with lower expectations about reaching goals. An exploratory analysis was conducted with three specific ethnic groups: African American, Caribbean, and Latino/a students. Among the findings, African American girls were more likely to engage in career planning activities. This study is among the few that explore the career development of Caribbean adolescents and differentiates the experiences of students of color in career related cognitions and behavior. Limitations for this study and implications for future research, education, and vocational interventions are discussed. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2011. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Counseling, Developmental, and Educational Psychology.

The current reform of audit was introduced in 2010, which would mean that small limited firms in Sweden have the right to choose if they want to conduct an audit. The purpose of this study is to examine the expectations of smaller limited companies in Sweden have on conducting an audit. By examining these expectations, the essay also studies the companies’ perceptions of the auditor’s role and what kind of tasks they perceive to be included in the auditor’s role. In accordance with the study’s empirical results, the smaller limited companies are satisfied with their auditor’s work. The auditor’s role is perceived mainly as positive and to include tasks that are related to the firms’ financial area. This study has also shown that smaller limited firms in Sweden do consider audit to be important, which is why they use an auditor even with regard to the current reform that exempts them from this obligation.

Social media platforms have the potential to influence destination choice among potential travellers.Before potential travellers embark on a trip, they are faced with decision-making processes on whereto go, what to do, the best time to go, how to get there among other things. These pre-travel planning decisions can be influenced by their expectation of the experiences they will encounter at the destination and based on their perception of the destination. Their perception of destinations isusually informed by information found on social media platforms or passed on by family and friendswho have encountered similar travel experiences. Using Crompton’s model of destination choice set,this study explores the roles of social media platforms on destination choice among international students in the Umea university.

The purpose of this thesis is to examine how the outcome of mergers and acquisitions are perceived from different managerial positions in the acquiring firm and how managerial expectations can affect the perception of the outcome. Empirical data were gathered through an explorative multiple case study of five acquisitions at three companies by interviewing eight managers at different positions as well as reviewing secondary data. The data was analyzed and cross-case compared in order to detect possible differences between managers at different positions. The findings shows that financial and non-financial aspects are deemed important for how the outcome is perceived by different managers. The findings further indicate that financial aspects are more prominent for managers occupying a position with financial responsibility. The non-financial aspects are on the other hand perceived as important regardless of managerial position. Lastly, the empirical findings indicate that expectations held by individual managers are more dependent on the organizational motive of the acquisition rather than the position held by the manager and that not all expectations have to be fulfilled in order for the acquisition to be perceived as successful.

A presente tese tem por objeto o estudo da influência e da importância da segurança jurídica para o processo civil. Para tanto, na primeira parte do estudo é feito um exame dos contornos e dos fins da segurança jurídica, da sua caracterização como princípio constitucional inerente ao Estado Democrático de Direito e da sua relação com outros princípios constitucionais e, finalmente, da sua importância para além do próprio Direito. Na segunda parte do trabalho é ressaltada, inicialmente, como a relação entre o direito material e o direito processual torna mais intensa neste a necessidade de segurança jurídica, bem como a utilidade do conceito de entropia para a compreensão do fenômeno processual. Após crítica às idéias de discricionariedade judicial e de criação judicial do direito, bem como da utilização de conceitos indeterminados pelo legislador, a análise da relação entre segurança jurídica e processo prossegue em temas relativos à técnica processual, como formalismo, fungibilidade, cognição judicial e eficácia das decisões. Tal exame abrange ainda a manifestação da segurança jurídica nos princípios processuais e em alguns institutos que com ela guardam especial afinidade, como a coisa julgada, a preclusão, o ônus da prova e os mecanismos de uniformização da jurisprudência, terminando com o estudo da segurança jurídica no campo do direito processual intertemporal / This thesis has as its object the study of the influence and importance of legal certainty to civil procedure. In order to achieve this purpose, in the first part of the study is made an examination of the contours and purposes of legal certainty, its characterization as a constitutional principle inherent to the rule of law and its relationship with other constitutional principles and, finally, its importance beyond the field of Law. In the second part of the work is initially emphasized that the relationship between substantive law and procedural law gives rise to a greater need for legal certainty from the latter, as well as the usefulness of the concept of entropy for the understanding of the procedural phenomenon. After criticism of the ideas of judicial discretion and the creation of law by judges, as well as the use of undetermined legal concepts by the legislature, the analysis of the relationship between legal certainty and the civil process continues in issues relating to procedural technique, such as formalism, fungibility, cognition and effectiveness of judicial decisions. This review also covers the manifestation of legal certainty in procedural principles and in some institutes that hold special affinity with it, such as res judicata, estoppels, burden of proof and mechanisms to prevent contradictory judicial decisions, ending with the study of legal certainty in the field of intertemporal procedural law.

Thesis advisor: David L. Blustein / Deficit-oriented research has ignored the strengths of urban adolescents of color, perpetuating interpretations that they are deviant and pathological (Spencer et al., 2006). Generally unacknowledged by problem-focused perspectives is how youths of color grapple with vulnerability to negative socialization messages, prejudice and discrimination, thus they possess competencies that warrant attention (Blustein et al., 2010; Franklin, 2004; Nicolas et al., 2008; Spencer et al., 2006). The purpose of this study is to examine psychosocial influences that promote career adaptability in a sample of 84 urban adolescents of color. Exploratory questions about the contributions of critical consciousness and racial identity to career outcome expectations and subjective well-being were investigated. The results of the regression analyses offer support for considering selected racial identity schemas (Helms, 1995b) as integral parts of counseling interventions to promote career adaptability. Internalization was significantly associated with both outcome variables. Additionally, decreased levels of Dissonance and Immersion-Resistance were found to be related to higher levels of satisfaction with school and work. Implications for programming and policy include recognizing and strengthening abilities of high school students of color to value their racial identity in the vocational process. These findings enhance the understanding of urban adolescents' psychological armor against social injustice and add to the career development literature by counteracting the negative portrayal of this group. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2010. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Counseling, Developmental, and Educational Psychology.

Thesis advisor: Martin Scanlan / This qualitative case study explored the role of central office leaders as they supported principals’ development of high instructional expectations in the Lawrence Public Schools. One of the key strategies of central office transformation is the creation of assistance relationships with principals, which serves as the conceptual framework for this study. Data were gathered from interviews with central office leaders and principals as well as a document review. The results of the study found that central office leaders employed high quality practices that strengthened principals’ instructional leadership capacity and raised instructional expectations within schools and of teachers. Principals reported that having central office support through systems and structures, curriculum, culture and working conditions created heightened instructional expectations and contributed to their growth as instructional leaders. The central office leaders and principals reported the strong culture of assistance relationships contributed to increased expectations and improved student outcomes. Recommendations include continual examination of assistance relationships among central office leaders in support of principals in the context of a turnaround district. Future researchers may continue to contribute to the growing body of literature by examining these findings and offering a longitudinal view of this practice. This strand’s findings can serve as a guide for the practice of central office leaders who are working with principals to raise and create heightened instructional expectations required for improving achievement and equity system-wide in habitually underperforming schools and districts across our country. / Thesis (EdD) — Boston College, 2018. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Educational Leadership and Higher Education.