Eleni-Ioanna Malafouri, International Migration and Ethnic Relations, University of Malmö.Abstract of Master's Thesis, Submitted 22 May 2015: Who are they and why are they here? A media analysis of the negative portrayal of immigrants in the mainstream Greek press. This study is an initial attempt to investigate the negative depiction of immigrants in the mainstream Greek press of the 2000s. Our goal is to identify the dimensions of negativeimage-making and discuss the dichotomy of the ''identity'' and the ''otherness'' projected in the contemporary press. In order to accomplish that, data, collected from selected articles in a number of best-selling Greek newspapers, were scrutinised with regards to their content, style of writing, presentation as well as their readability and triggering of a wider social discourse at the time of their publication. Using a retroductive approach, to wit travelling back and forth from the general phenomenon to specific incidents, we showed that via the presentation of the negative association of the immigrants with a) criminality, b) the obscure market and c) their unworthiness to bear national symbols, the mainstream Greek press intensifies the presence of certain dichotomies. Such dichotomies, as they appeared in the text and presentation of the articles, are the “identity” versus the “otherness”, “we” versus “they”, as well as one’s race “superiority” versus the “inferiority” of the other, “locals” versus “immigrants”.

The purpose of this study was to experiment with the possibility of using ludonarrative techniques present in games to communicate the socio-communicative impairments common in individuals diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Through extensive research, there is a pronounced lack of Autism representation in the form of diagnosed characters and their behaviors in games that there is little research made in this area. To explore this hypothetical quandary, an experiment was performed to test the effectiveness of how games may be used to convey concepts of Autism Spectrum Disorder to neurotypical individuals to enrich their understanding of the disorder and towards those who have it, through the creation and usage of a language based puzzle game prototype. The results concluded that disguising ASD symptoms and concepts as ludonarrative gameplay metaphors was effective in increasing awareness and interest towards the disorder.

Syftet med detta arbete är att öka kunskapen om jämställdhet och genusnormer kopplat till barnlitteratur. Vi har använt metoden barnlitteraturanalys för att undersöka hur karaktärerna skildras utifrån ett genusperspektiv. Undersökningen baserades på tre verk som valdes utifrån topplistan för barn- och ungdomslitteratur 2023. Detta val grundas på att det är många barn som läser de böckerna. Utifrån analyserna framkom det både karaktärer som är stereotypt porträtterade samt normbrytande. De tydligaste dragen som upptäcktes var att särskilt mammorna porträtteras stereotypiskt. Utöver detta framställs kvinnorna som normbrytande då de är ledare. / The purpose of the study is to increase knowledge about equality and gender norms in children’s literature. Children’s literature analysis was used as the method. In the analysis, we examined how characters are depicted from a gender perspective. The study was based on three books selected from a top list of children’s and youth literature 2023. The reason for selecting books from the top list is because many children encounter these books in some way. It was found in the analysis that characters are both stereotypical and norm breaking. The most prominent aspects were that adults, especially mothers, were stereotypical portrayed. Furthermore, women are depicted as leaders, which is norm breaking.

Chapter 1 introduces the study by means of its aim, scope, methodology and terminology. It also hosts summaries of all the folktales that are analysed in this study. Chapter 2 is a study of parenthood and its portrayal in Zulu folktales. Motherhood and fatherhood will be scrutinised separately. Chapter 3 concentrates on girl characters as siblings, brides and companions to old men. Chapter 4 analyses boy characters as herd boys, villains, tricksters and companions to old women. Chapter 5 concentrates on the status of the Zulu folktale. The influence of urbanisation, gender, and the media will receive attention. The lessons that folktales teach will be noted. Chapter 6 concludes and summarises this study and hosts recommendations on the promotion of Zulu folktales / African Languages / M.A. (African Languages)

Master diploma thesis "The Media Portrayal of Czechoslovak attendance at International Exhibition in Montreal 1967 in contemporary press" intends to show media picture of Czechoslovak attendance at Expo 1967, through the use of analysis of selected daily press and social and cultural journals. It sets Czechoslovak attendance into political, cultural, ideological and media context and outline history and development of International Exhibition. Thesis also introduces Montreal exhibition and present information about attendance of Czechoslovakia. On this foundations arise the second part of the thesis, which propounds the media picture of this event in selected contemporary press and using analysis of self-mindedness that refers to rate of statement of facts and objectivity. Selected press and journals were monitored for a period of eight months and by researching there was considered form o reporting, ideological affection and general focus of selected press about this event. Important considered elements were also influence of freeing atmosphere of second half of sixties and fact, that exhibition took place in capitalistic state. Outcome of all these circumstances is media picture of this event, which is shown in conclusion of thesis.

Duzentos anos após seu falecimento, as obras de Jane Austen ainda ecoam nas pessoas. Elas têm sido adaptadas das formas mais variadas, nas mais diferente mídias. Os Diários de Lizzie Bennet é um projeto transmidiático que transpõe o romance Orgulho e Preconceito (1813) para uma vídeo-série veiculada no YouTube de 2012 a 2013 de forma serializada. Esta pesquisa analisa de que forma temas que influenciam a vida das mulheres, como casamento, classe social e dinheiro, foram transpostos do período regencial inglês para a Califórnia-EUA do século vinte-um. Esta análise considera que ambas as obras são compostas por duas camadas de significado: a primeira é constituída pela comédia romântica que dialoga com a cultura popular; a segunda é mais profunda, através da qual a crítica social é revelada. No que tange ao referencial teórico, a relação entre a noção de subjetividade na virada do século dezenove e a expansão da vida privada na esfera pública no século vinte-um, conforme Jon Dovey (2000), é base para compreender como a estrutura de ambas as narrativas contribui na produção de significado. As discussões sobre feminismo e pós-feminismo na cultura popular de Angela McRobbie (2009) e Imelda Whelean (2010) tornam possível a observação da construção dos temas. Em Orgulho e Preconceito, as instituições sociais estabelecidas não são amplamente questionadas. Em vez disso, a composição da subjetividade dos personagens, especialmente das mulheres, revela a crítica a elementos sociais da época. Os Diários de Lizzie Bennet, a seu turno, desafiam as representações da mulher provenientes da cultura popular pós-feminista. A análise da adaptação revela que as mulheres ainda estão restritas a determinados papéis sociais assim como aquelas situadas no romance. Ainda há a necessidade de se encontrar equilíbrio. / Two hundred years after her demise, Jane Austen’s works still resonate with people. They have been adapted in numerous ways through different media. The Lizzie Bennet Diaries is a transmedia project, which transposes the novel Pride and Prejudice (1813) to a videoblog series aired on YouTube from 2012 to 2013 in a serialised mode. This investigation analyses the ways issues concerning the lives of women, such as marriage, money and social class, were adapted from Regency England to twenty-first century California-USA. The analysis understands both works as consisting of two layers of meaning: a romantic comedy layer which converses with popular culture, and a deeper one through which social criticism is revealed. In theoretical terms, the relationship between the notion of subjectivity in the turn of nineteenth century and the spread of private life into the public sphere in the twenty-first century, as proposed by Jon Dovey (2000), informs the analysis of the structural elements of both narratives which contribute to the production of meaning. The discussions on feminism and post-feminism in popular culture by Angela McRobbie (2009) and Imelda Whelehan (2010) make it possible to observe the construction of the themes. In Pride and Prejudice, the established social institutions are not overtly questioned. Instead, it is the composition of the characters’ subjectivities, especially those of women, which reveals criticism on the social context of the time. The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, for its part, challenges the established representations of women as informed by postfeminist popular culture. In the end, it seems to propose that women are, in fact, still restrained by social roles, just as the ones in the novel are. There is yet a need to find balance.

Topic of the thesis is the image of Czech far-right parties in Czech media prior to Elections to Chamber of Deputies in 2017. Aim of the thesis is to investigate how media displays far-right parties prior to the Elections in 2017, what the topics of media coverage are in regards of far- right and how the topics changed in the Elections in 2017 comparing with Elections in 2013. Using quantitative content analysis the thesis monitors texts with far-right topics in national daily newspapers Mladá fronta DNES, Lidové noviny, Právo and Hospodářské noviny in the periods prior to the Elections to Chamber of Deputies in 2017 and 2013. Author also uses qualitative analysis of specific texts. The parties followed in thesis are chosen based on definition of far-right by Cas Mudde and definition of right wing populism by Hans-Georg Betz. In the period prior to the Elections in 2017 the followed parties are: Dělnická strana sociální spravedlnosti; ROZUMNÍ - stop migraci a diktátu EU - peníze našim občanům, důchodcům, dětem, zdravotně postiženým; Svoboda a přímá demokracie - Tomio Okamura; Blok proti islamizaci - Obrana domova; Sdružení pro republiku - Republikánská strana Československa Miroslava Sládka and Řád národa - Vlastenecká unie. In the period prior to the Elections in 2013 the focus is on parties Úsvit...

<p>In this essay I compare the notion of the accomplished woman in Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice and Helen Fielding’s novels about Bridget Jones. My claim is that the notion of the accomplished woman that Austen described 200 years ago is still very relevant and not much different today as reflected in Helen Fielding’s narrative in Bridget Jones, but also that both authors satirically describe the pressure that is put on women to reach the ideal of the accomplished woman. I initially discuss feminist literary theory, and then I analyze the following characteristics and ideas which make up the accomplished woman: Physical appearance, Education & Knowledge, Marriage & Having Children, Career and Skills, Status & Class and Manners & Behaviour. This essay shows that the notion of the accomplished woman is still very much present and in some cases, like physical appearance, the pressure on women to reach this ideal has actually gotten worse. Both Jane Austen and Helen Fielding use irony and satirically describe the pressure on young women as a way of actually criticizing their contemporary societies.</p>

Despite the growing numbers and valuable contributions of older individuals to society, they continue to face negative attitudes towards them. Such attitudes are largely influenced by portrayal of older persons in the media. Understanding how the media portrays older people to the public can provide significant insights into the nature of the images from which older people may make comparisons and which inform the perceptions, opinions, and attitudes of other people. There is little knowledge of perceptions of media portrayal in old age, and this study aimed to obtain insight from the point of view of older people regarding how they are portrayed in the printed media. Qualitative research has been applied to gain insight in the older persons’ perceptions. The case study method was chosen since it allowed the researcher to gain an in–depth understanding of older person’s perceptions regarding how they are portrayed in the media. The participants in this study consisted of nine male and 12 female individuals residing in a residential care facility. Persons between the ages of 60 and 85 were purposively chosen since they can contribute to meaningful insight regarding how they are portrayed in the print media. Data was collected by means of conducting focus group discussions and individual interviews. The use of these methods enabled dynamic interactions resulting in the production of rich, detailed information. Data was analyzed using thematic content analysis and key–word–in–context analysis. Guidelines to ensure the integrity of the findings have been applied. The findings indicated that older persons perceive their portrayal in the media to be minimal in terms of the exposure that they receive. Older persons feel that on the seldom occasion when they are in the media, they are presented as an isolated population separated from younger persons. The portrayal of older persons in the media is also perceived as stereotypical in the sense that older persons are presented as sick, inactive, weak and fragile. The implications of such portrayal according to older persons are that they influence intergenerational relationships and they also confirm stereotypical assumptions about older persons. Older persons feel that they rather want to be portrayed in terms of the valuable contributions that they are making to all spheres of life, despite old age. The media should thus promote positive ageing, which could contribute to the stimulation and motivation of older persons. Findings of this study also indicate that while older persons enjoy reading magazines and newspapers they are often limited to do so due to financial restrictions and physical limitations such as poor eyesight. The findings of this research of older persons perceptions regarding their portrayal in the media has implications for intergenerational relationships as well as to advertisers and marketers who are looking to appeal to the older population. / Thesis (M.A. (Research Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

Despite the growing numbers and valuable contributions of older individuals to society, they continue to face negative attitudes towards them. Such attitudes are largely influenced by portrayal of older persons in the media. Understanding how the media portrays older people to the public can provide significant insights into the nature of the images from which older people may make comparisons and which inform the perceptions, opinions, and attitudes of other people. There is little knowledge of perceptions of media portrayal in old age, and this study aimed to obtain insight from the point of view of older people regarding how they are portrayed in the printed media. Qualitative research has been applied to gain insight in the older persons’ perceptions. The case study method was chosen since it allowed the researcher to gain an in–depth understanding of older person’s perceptions regarding how they are portrayed in the media. The participants in this study consisted of nine male and 12 female individuals residing in a residential care facility. Persons between the ages of 60 and 85 were purposively chosen since they can contribute to meaningful insight regarding how they are portrayed in the print media. Data was collected by means of conducting focus group discussions and individual interviews. The use of these methods enabled dynamic interactions resulting in the production of rich, detailed information. Data was analyzed using thematic content analysis and key–word–in–context analysis. Guidelines to ensure the integrity of the findings have been applied. The findings indicated that older persons perceive their portrayal in the media to be minimal in terms of the exposure that they receive. Older persons feel that on the seldom occasion when they are in the media, they are presented as an isolated population separated from younger persons. The portrayal of older persons in the media is also perceived as stereotypical in the sense that older persons are presented as sick, inactive, weak and fragile. The implications of such portrayal according to older persons are that they influence intergenerational relationships and they also confirm stereotypical assumptions about older persons. Older persons feel that they rather want to be portrayed in terms of the valuable contributions that they are making to all spheres of life, despite old age. The media should thus promote positive ageing, which could contribute to the stimulation and motivation of older persons. Findings of this study also indicate that while older persons enjoy reading magazines and newspapers they are often limited to do so due to financial restrictions and physical limitations such as poor eyesight. The findings of this research of older persons perceptions regarding their portrayal in the media has implications for intergenerational relationships as well as to advertisers and marketers who are looking to appeal to the older population. / Thesis (M.A. (Research Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.