For decades, situational comedies — commonly named “sitcoms” — have been racially segregated on TV between Black-cast sitcoms and White-cast sitcoms. Extensive research has been led about representation of Black and White masculinities in this segregated context. This master thesis studies what happens when White and Black males are equally casted as main characters in contemporary sitcoms by offering a case-study of the 2011 sitcom New Girl (2011-2017). How is Black masculinity represented in New Girl, and in which ways does it intersect with contemporary societal issues (e.g. racial profiling, Black Lives Matter movement)? This case-study uses tools, methodologies and concepts, drawn from Black and Intersectional feminism as well as Feminist media studies. Based on a 25 episodes sample of the show, it implements Ronald Jackson’s traditional stereotypes classification and “Black masculine identity theory” (Jackson, 2006) to study representations of Black masculinity in New Girl, through its two main Black male characters, Winston and Coach. Given that representations of minorities in popular culture reflect and influence our contemporary society, the results offer new insights about how sitcoms, series and popculture productions in general can challenge traditional stereotypes and display a more progressive Black masculinity.

Decades of horror film research and theorizations have shown us that there is a reason why this particular genre has been an important part of film history from the beginning: namely, the idea that horror both reflects and shapes our historically and culturally specific anxieties. By examining the Final Girl trope in Halloween (the 1978 original versus 2018 version), this paper traces the evolution of female protagonists and whether a more modern film accurately reflects the increasing role of feminism in society, or sticks to traditional conventions of misogyny and male-dominated visual pleasure. Placing the newer film in the context of the #MeToo era, this paper also addresses more contemporary anxieties over trauma, sexual assault and female anger.

The Spirit of Friendship: Girlfriends in Contemporary African American Literature examines spiritual subjectivities that inspire girlfriends in three contemporary novels to journey towards actualization. It examines the girlfriend bond as a space where the Divine Spirit can flourish and assist girlfriends as they seek to become actualized. This project raises epistemological questions as it suggests that within the girlfriend dynamic, knowledge that is traditionally subjugated is formed and refined. Finally, girlfriend epistemology is considered in light of Black Girl Magic, a contemporary social and cultural movement among Black women.

<p>Summary:</p><p>Teenage girls’ choice of dropping out or complete a treatment.</p><p>The purpose of this study is to investigate, from a client’s perspective, why teenage girls (age 13 to 17) drop-out or complete a treatment at Familjehuset in Karlstad, Sweden. We also want to investigate if the teenage girls’ experiences coordinate with the social workers opinion of why the teenage girls choose to drop-out or complete the treatment. Earlier research shows that many factors influence the client’s choice. A good relationship between the social worker and the adolescent is of great importance when it comes to complete a treatment. A qualitative abductive method for the six interviews was used in order to gain a deeper understanding for these phenomena.</p><p>Results show that the teenage girls were in a period of emancipation in creating their own identity, which made it difficult for them to communicate with, and trust grownups. We believe that the three girls that completed the treatment had come further in this development than the three girls that dropped out. The girls which dropped out of treatment have had numerous contacts with social workers in the past, and their attitudes were very negative towards professionals. This attitude influenced their treatment at Familjehuset and it was hard to communicate in order to gain a good relationship for further treatment.</p><p>Mostly, the girls thought that the social workers at Familjehuset were easy to talk to, and that they had listened to them and understood them. They all said that at first they did not like the contact, but the three girls which completed the treatment, were of the opinion that they would give it a chance, and this developed into a relationship that increased their motivation and could be of good help for them.</p><p>The social workers at Familjehuset described several reasons why teenage girls choose to drop-out or complete a treatment. Many of these reasons coordinated with the girl’s points of view, like the importance of listening, creating a good relationship to get them motivated for further treatment. Items that the social workers mention, but the girls not, were the importance of getting the family integrated in the treatment and the importance of the first contact.</p><p>We hope that this study can come to help for the social workers at Familjehuset in their profession and that it also can be useful for further research.</p>

No description available.

No description available.

Summary: Teenage girls’ choice of dropping out or complete a treatment. The purpose of this study is to investigate, from a client’s perspective, why teenage girls (age 13 to 17) drop-out or complete a treatment at Familjehuset in Karlstad, Sweden. We also want to investigate if the teenage girls’ experiences coordinate with the social workers opinion of why the teenage girls choose to drop-out or complete the treatment. Earlier research shows that many factors influence the client’s choice. A good relationship between the social worker and the adolescent is of great importance when it comes to complete a treatment. A qualitative abductive method for the six interviews was used in order to gain a deeper understanding for these phenomena. Results show that the teenage girls were in a period of emancipation in creating their own identity, which made it difficult for them to communicate with, and trust grownups. We believe that the three girls that completed the treatment had come further in this development than the three girls that dropped out. The girls which dropped out of treatment have had numerous contacts with social workers in the past, and their attitudes were very negative towards professionals. This attitude influenced their treatment at Familjehuset and it was hard to communicate in order to gain a good relationship for further treatment. Mostly, the girls thought that the social workers at Familjehuset were easy to talk to, and that they had listened to them and understood them. They all said that at first they did not like the contact, but the three girls which completed the treatment, were of the opinion that they would give it a chance, and this developed into a relationship that increased their motivation and could be of good help for them. The social workers at Familjehuset described several reasons why teenage girls choose to drop-out or complete a treatment. Many of these reasons coordinated with the girl’s points of view, like the importance of listening, creating a good relationship to get them motivated for further treatment. Items that the social workers mention, but the girls not, were the importance of getting the family integrated in the treatment and the importance of the first contact. We hope that this study can come to help for the social workers at Familjehuset in their profession and that it also can be useful for further research.

Girl gamers, while a substantial part of the gaming population, are often largely ignored in both the gaming industry and academic literature. In particular, there have been few investigations to date on what comprises the identity of a girl gamer, particularly outside the context of gameplay. To that end, the current study aims to investigate how girl gamers enact their identities as girl gamers on Twitter, a social network site. Eight Twitter accounts whose users self-identified as either Gamer Girls or Girl Gamers on a Twitter user directory where identified and the profiles and tweets of each collected for a two week period. This data was then analyzed according to Hecht’s communication theory of identity in order to determine how girl gamers enact their identity in an online context.

Stieg Larsson has reached vast audiences with his popular, page-turning crime novels, the Millennium Series. The series tells a story not just for fictional purposes, but to draw attention to what people did not see about the society that Larsson lived in. In 2009, local actors starred in a film adaptation of Larsson’s first novel, which went beyond the Swedish public. In December 2011 an English-language remake based on the same bestseller was released, starring famous Hollywood actors. Considering language can hinder the reach of foreign language movies in international markets and that international and Swedish audiences demands differ, the current research aims to find out how the two movie adaptations diverge in terms of gender representation, production, graphic content, ideological meaning, and cultural representation as they attempt to target their respective audiences. In order to find answers, this thesis adopted a qualitative approach using two different, supporting methods. First a semiotic analysis of a representative scene with a high psychological and graphic impact on the viewer in both movies was conducted. Second, focus group interviews, with International and Swedish audience members, were conducted. The findings suggest that considerable differences exist between the two movies and that audiences have a different pre-conception in the way they perceive the same media product: gender role dynamic has been reversed in the two movies, the American version is more graphic in its display of nudity, and lacks the ideological layer. Furthermore, this study can serve as a basis for future research that could try to statistically represent the way Swedish and international moviegoers draw on the two adaptations.

Det vilar ett stort ansvar på förskolan som verksamhet vad gäller att motverka traditionella könsmönster. Att flickor och pojkar ska ha samma möjligheter samt att förskolan inte ska begränsa utifrån stereotypa könsroller beskrivs i läroplanen för förskolan, Lpfö 98/2010. Studien är intressant att ta del av då den belyser intentioner och handlingar i tambursituationen som är en del i förskolans verksamhet. Syftet med studien var att undersöka förskollärares intentioner och agerande i bemötandet av pojkar och flickor i tambursituationen ur ett genusperspektiv. Till vår hjälp hade vi frågeställningarna Vilka intentioner har förskollärare avseende samspel med flickor respektive pojkar i tambursituationen? Vilka praktiska handlingar när det gäller hjälp kan urskiljas i samspelet med pojkar respektive flickor? Studien är kvalitativ. Vi har använt videoobservationer i tamburen för att få en förståelse för hur samspel och bemötande mellan förskollärare och pojke respektive flicka ser ut i praktiken. Intervjuer har sedan genomförts enskilt med förskollärare för att bland annat få fram deras intentioner och förväntningar kring tambursituation och samspelet med flickor respektive pojkar. Resultatet av studien visar att det inte finns några synbara skillnader avseende samspel och bemötande mot flickor respektive pojkar. Snarare visar resultatet på att aspekterna – Att utveckla självständighet, Individuell förmåga, Individuellt bemötande, Verbal och icke verbal kommunikation samt Fostran har betydelse för hur samspel och bemötande tar sig uttryck i tamburen. I resultatdiskussionen reflekterar vi kring hur dessa aspekter påverkar tambursituationen och vilka förutsättningar och möjligheter det ger barnen. / Preschool, as an institution, has a big responsibility to counteract traditional gender role behavior. According to preschools curriculum, Lpfö 98/2010, girls and boys are suppose to always have the same opportunities and preschool is not allowed to have a stereotyped view of gender role when treating children. This study is interesting because it illustrates intentions and actions when children and preschool teachers interact in the hallway. The purpose of this study was to research about preschool teacher’s intentions and actions when in treatment with boys and girls in the hallway, through a gender perspective. The following questions were tied to this study: Which intentions do preschool teachers have regarding interplay with children? What kind of actions can be distinguished in the interplay between preschool teachers and boys or girls? This is a qualitative study. We made video observations to get an understanding of how preschool teachers interact and treat boys and girls in the hallway. Then we interviewed preschool teachers, one at a time, to find out their intentions and expectations regarding the situation in the hallway and the interaction with boys and girls, among other things. The result of this study shows than differences regarding interactions and treatment with boys and girls is not apparent. The result rather shows that aspects like – To develop independence, individual ability, individual care, verbal and nonverbal communication and also bringing up the child as an individual is of importance when looking at how interaction and treatment is expressed in the hallway. How these aspects affect the situation in the hallway and what kind of conditions and possibilities the children gets is reflected by us in the discussion of the result.