This thesis is inspired by the theory of social construction of mental illness. The work is a case study that uses the metaphor of the story and narrative analysis of interviews examining the individual human experience with mental illness. My goal was to find out what makes us understand the disease and how this understanding can be used in a daily struggle with the disease. In the theoretical part, I drew from documented knowledge about mental illness, particularly for depressive disorder and schizophrenia simplex. Then I presented the narrative approach as a legitimate way of exploring understanding of lived experience. The practical part is implemented as a case study and through narrative analysis provides interesting insight into the way of understanding and coping with mental illness a person who has the expertise and also suffer from mental illness. Key words: mental illness, social construction, narrative, narrative approach, the dominant medical discourse, depression, schizophrenia simplex, stigma, coping strategies.

The main theme of the work is finding an answer to the question why in the past years Czech Parliament has failed to enforce measures improving the quality of life of lone-parent families, and what could be done for these measures to be adopted. Theoretical support for answering both questions is provided by a) frame analysis (Schőn and Rein), which works with the idea of conflicting frames and bridging conflicts through reframing, and b) the theory of social construction of target groups (Schneider and Ingram). Based on an analysis of stenographic minutes from proceedings dealing with the issue of non-payment of child support (in particular with proposals for the state to pay child support first and then to receive it from the obligor) and the arrangements connected to child custody (in particular the proposal to strengthen alternating custody), conflicting frames are reconstructed (in the case of non-payment, there are three conflicting frames, in the case of child custody two). These conflicting frames, or rather the fact that they are insufficiently addressed, may be the cause of the incapacity of Czech political representation to address the above agenda. An "efficient penalizing of the debtor" is described as a possible reframing of the problem in the field of non-payment of child support....

The presented report surveys development of settlements and their native inhabitants in area of the Czech Forest Mountains in the West of the Czech Republic. This area was almost inaccessible during the communist era because it belonged to strictly monitored area on the border with the Federal Republic of Germany. Many villages, originally settled by Germans, became extinct. They became ruins in the course of time. The first part of the text is a case study of community called Lísková which is situated about 20 kilometers from Domažlice. The second part of the text describe a very similar village, which was not destroyed in 1956 unlike the village of Lísková. This village has survived up to this day. The aim of this dissertation is to find out what factors lead to the process of the extinction of the village and what were the reasons for other settlements having survived the ordered demolition in the borderland. Key words: border locality, human settlements, expulsion, extinct villages, borderline, fluctuation of population, social construction of reality, "take root", nations

The dissertation offers a complex insight into the workings of provisions regarding the policy in the area of combating human trafficking with a focus on the tools which should guarantee access to justice for victims of human trafficking in the Czech Republic. By means of an event analysis covering the years 1993-2013 and using the theoretical premises of Actor-Centred Institutionalism and Social Construction of Target Groups, the paper shows that most institutions and actors active in the observed area of the policy are primarily focused on criminal repression rather than the rights and needs of human trafficking victims. Even the position of the victim is rather weak in the observed segment of the policy in comparison to the declaratory stances. In relation to actors and institutions, the position of the victims is strengthened by the Act on Social Services and weakened, besides other things, by several institutionalized uses of the human trafficking concept. In practice, the group which reaches help and rights is narrowed by them, and, at the same time, they act as an uncertainty factor in the work of Law Enforcement Authorities and other actors. A part of the dissertation is comprised of recommendations, which proceed from a theoretical base of public policy as well as an extensive critical...

The submitted text examines the relation between work-family balance policies and social construction of mothers with children under four years of age. The first part of the thesis outlines the context of work family balance. The research is positioned in the perspective of the theory of social construction of target population by Ingram and Schneider. The following chapter is devoted to the research methodology used throughout the analytical part of the thesis. The analytical part presents answers to questions regarding policy design, framing of the work family balance, stereotypes and social construction of mothers with children under the age of four.

This paper analyses social constructions of people with disabilities in Czech employment policy with a help of Anne Schneider's and Helen Ingram's theoretical framework: Social constructions of target populations. Methodologically this paper is a case study, the analysis is based on a secondary analysis of statistical data and a study of public policy documents, primarily analysis of legislation development and relevant strategic documents. The paper is attempting to define general construction of people with disabilities by public reprepresentative surveys. Power of the group is defined by characteristics resulting from the theoretical framework. The key part of the paper examines, what policies assume about participation of people with disabilities on the labour market. At the end the paper describes employment rates of this group. In conclusion the paper describes how hidden asumptions in design of policy probably hinders participation of people with disabilities on the labour market.

<p>A literature review covering both the social construct model and medical model of disability followed by an argument of the importance of leisure and social activities, especially the arts, for people with disabilities. Concluding quantitative and qualitative research through focus groups and surveys, the project ends with a guide to implementing accessibility and inclusion efforts when planning online arts events.</p>

This dissertation allowed the researcher to analyze 171 pieces of youth-created artwork and narratives by children aged six to nine who took part in the peace education, mentorship, and literacy program, READING PEACE PALS, implemented with an underserved population at a Boys and Girls Club in the U.S. Qualitative content analysis (Krippendorf, 1980; 2004) was used to analyze the artwork and narratives to gain insight into children’s conceptualization of peace, violence, and bullying and their strategies for addressing bullying and violence. The findings uncovered the myriad of unique ways youth conceptualize and define peace and the strategies they employ to combat the bullying and violence in their lives. Youth artwork demonstrated conceptions of positive peace. However, youth narratives included more descriptions of negative peace. Youth also addressed connection, empowerment, and their responsibility for creating peace. Strategies to combat bullying and violence included bringing in an adult, power in numbers, and ways to address the bully. In addition, the findings of this dissertation, when triangulated with the findings previously found in Georgakopoulos, Duckworth, Silverman, and Redfering (2017) in terms of student perceptions of affective, cognitive, and behavioral learning and the social impact that the learning in the peace education program had on them show similarities in terms of youth conceptions of peace and the strategies they employ to combat violence and bullying in their lives. Conversely, the artwork and narratives offered a unique lens and captured more vivid and detailed expressions than the surveys were able to convey.

The presented dissertation deals with the perception and methods of management of the mining heritage from the perspective of individual stakeholders, entities and interest groups involved in the process of its creation, inventory, interpretation, use, protection or reconstruction. At the same time, it discusses the ways of using the mining heritage, the benefits and risks of its presence in the territory or its connection to territorial identities. The general starting points of the research are based on a search and critical discussion of scientific literature and key geographical concepts (heritage, place, identity). In the first part, the thesis deals with the conceptualization of heritage in general, discussing various ways of defining and looking at heritage, its characteristics and properties, and also it discusses possible approaches to it. The thesis also brings different perspectives on classification of heritage and analysis of its individual phases, as the heritage is seen as a socio-cultural process conditioned by individual actors, entities and interest groups who enter and influence it at various stages. The thesis also deals with the ways heritage shapes and affects the environment in which it is located, including its inhabitants and visitors. After a general discussion, the thesis...

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