Boston University. University Professors Program Senior theses. / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / 2031-01-02

In a world with increasing cultural diversity, it is necessary to understand the different environmental mindsets and natural encounters created by local governments. As the population transforms, integration endeavors are susceptible to be influenced by biased perceptions of immigrants thereby affecting people’s relationship with nature in the city. Örebro is a city in Sweden that has a high focus on environmental management. It is for this reason that elite interviews of local public officials and the analysis of environmental documents have been conducted to investigate this phenomenon. Currently, the framings found portray immigrants as uneducated, fearful, vulnerable, and their use of nature is often described as ‘deviant’. Swedes, on the other hand, are framed as educated, confident, and comfortable in their experience of the city and its nature. The interviews and documents show that the city has ambitious environmental goals in which the Municipality attempts to reduce social differences. However, it continues to develop plans based on erroneous perceptions of both Immigrants and Swedes leading to a possible increase in the power gap between these groups. Additionally, it leads the Municipality to work on the basis of an unsubstantial amalgamation of immigrant groups rather than considering the differences within these.

Researchers have explored representations in traditional video games, yet have not significantly investigated the representations in video games used in classroom contexts. Moreover, socially marginalized group members’ perspectives are rarely centered in academic research. This dissertation examined representations of people, ideas, and stories in video games for classroom use, focusing on how 16 self-identified US Black women who were teachers, learners, or both have perceived and encountered them. Furthermore, it drew from cultural studies traditions, which encompass theories that provide the language and space for seeing the world as diverse and nuanced, such as social constructionism, intersectionality, and experience. Data were gathered through using three qualitative methods: content analysis, three individual interviews per participant, and a questionnaire. A theme was recognized when four or more participants referenced a mutual idea. The results of the first research question on in-game representations of race, social class, and gender showed that these constructs were represented through human characters, anthropomorphic characters, or avatar creation options for users. Each game’s overarching structure influenced how it approached representation, with longer games and those designed to be played multiple times having more frequent opportunities to demonstrate character building and convey complex representations. Many games also centered the socially privileged via their representations of people, avatar options, ideas, and stories. Social class was often represented through in-game purchases, possessions, hobbies, and settings. Users often needed to actively create or implement diverse representations in classrooms. The second research question, which addressed participants’ conceptualizations of ideal representations in games for classroom use, showed that overall, participants wanted to see games featuring character, narrative, and ideological diversity across many socially constructed categories, including race, gender, social class, ability, sexual orientation, religion, and age, although they did not all agree on how to approach such representations. They wanted games to be relatable to all audiences while also being sensitive to those who were affected by not being represented. Content-wise, they wanted to see representations that engaged multiple senses and included fantasy elements and opportunities for users to express their creativity. Most participants reported that they would not want games to represent violence, and several participants did not want them to include stereotypes, social -isms, or racial jokes. The third research question’s results showed that the relationship between participants’ perspectives on ideal representations, their experiences, and their individual-centered characteristics—which comprised role descriptors, social constructs, and personality traits—was highly contextual. Participants who self-identified using the same terms, or underwent similar experiences, did not consequently share the same views. Rather, participants’ thoughts on representation were specific to the intersections of their individual-centered characteristics and experiences. In conclusion, this study underscores that it is important to privilege complexity and diversity when examining texts and audiences. It demonstrates how academic research can center members of socially and culturally marginalized groups while preventing myths of group sameness from obscuring individuals’ perspectives. Representations in games for classroom use would benefit from teachers, media practitioners, and researchers acknowledging the diversity of classroom audiences while addressing traditional learning objectives. / Media & Communication

Bakgrunden till studien var ett gemensamt intresse kring ungdomars identitetsutveckling. Då inga studier kring hur just hemmaplanslösningar kan bidra till en positiv identitet gått att finna, så blev det intressant att genomföra en studie kring detta. Studiens syfte är att utifrån ett personalperspektiv öka förståelsen för vilken innebörd arbetet med hemmaplanslösningar har då det gäller att ta tillvara och stärka ungdomars positiva identitetsprocesser. För att kunna besvara detta syfte har frågeställningar utvecklats som först handlar om hur en personalgrupp beskriver att identitetsskapande sker i deras verksamhet och hur de sedan beskriver att hemmaplanslösningar kan bidra till att stärka dessa ungdomar i en positiv riktning. Studien har utgått ifrån ett socialkonstruktionistiskt perspektiv som har varit genomgående i hela uppsatsen. För att samla in vårt material har sex stycken enskilda kvalitativa intervjuer genomförts som sedan har analyserats och bearbetats med hjälp av en kvalitativ innehållsanalys. Resultatet visar på att personalgruppen beskriver identitetskapande som något socialt format med och av individens kontext. De beskriver också att hemmaplanslösningar kan bidra till en stärkt identitetsprocess genom deras arbetsmetoder, människosyn och sätt att vara. Vår tolkning och slutsats blir att personalen anser sig i sitt arbete med hemmaplanslösningar kunna påverka ungdomars identitetsskapande i en positiv riktning. Eftersom studien har ett personalperspektiv hade vidare forskning kring ett ungdomsperspektiv varit intressant att genomföra. / The background to our research is a common interest in adolescent identity development. We have found no previous studies of how home solutions can contribute to a positive identity development so we considered it interesting to do such a study. The purpose of the research is based on a staff point of view to increase understanding of the meaning to the work with home solutions when it comes to taking advantage of and strengthen young people's positive identity processes. In order to answer this purpose, we have chosen to problematize questions about how identity formation takes place in their activities and how they with home solutions can strengthen these young people in a positive direction. We have used a social constructionist point of view throughout this research. To collect our material we have done six individual qualitative interviews that have been analyzed and processed using a qualitative content analysis. Our results shows that the staff group describes identity as socially constructed with and by the individuals context. They also describe that home solutions can contribute to a stronger identity development through their work, their view of man and ways of being. Our interpretation and conclusion is that the staff considers their work with home solutions contributes to influence young people's identity development in a positive direction. Since our study has a staff point of view it would be interesting to do further research on a youth perspective.

Rape is a serious highly prevalent crime committed every day around the world, and affects both men and women. Rape victims must report the incidence to the police, and often the police they report to are male law enforcement officers. Yet many people in South Africa, including male law enforcement officers, do not fully accept that males can be and are victims of rape. So far there has been significantly little research into the reporting of male rape. Thus a qualitative research study on the attitudes of male law enforcement officers towards male rape victims was conducted. Social constructionism was taken as a theoretical starting point to the formal literature. The formal literature itself deals with male rape, how it is perceived, understood and misunderstood by society at large and specifically, by male law enforcement officers. The myths and truths, as well as stigmas associated with male rape are also explored. The impact of gender issues such as gender identity, gender roles and gender stereotypes are explored in-depth as they contribute to attitudes held by male law enforcement officers. Six male law enforcement officers from a Johannesburg police station participated in this study. Every one of them had had a certain amount of experience in the SAPS dealing with rape and rape victims. The researcher identified themes dealing with male rape victims from the literature, and interviewed the participants according to these themes using a semi-structured and structured format. The interviews were coded and analysed in a manner that allowed the themes, which were informed by the literature, to surface from the interview data itself. This is consistent with the qualitative tradition of psychological research. It was found that, male law enforcement officers’ attitudes towards male rape victims influence the way they think about and perceive these victims. It is very likely that this influence has a negative impact on the psychological well being of the male rape victim. It was also found that many male rape victims do not report their victimisation to the police as they fear they will not be taken seriously, they will be laughed at or even ridiculed. The law enforcement officers confirm that the stigma and shame of male rape victims compound their experience, making it traumatic and nearly impossible for them to process. The researcher believes that a change in these attitudes can lead to a change in the way male rape victims are perceived and treated by law enforcement officers, as well as by society as a whole. Further study into the role of cultural beliefs concerning masculinity and gender roles in the South African context can contribute to a better understanding of the phenomenon of male rape, and can be integrated into the current intervention models used to treat these victims. / Dissertation (MA (Clinical Psychology))--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Psychology / unrestricted

This work is comprised of an Introduction and two Parts. Part One treats, by way of historical review and evaluation, the disestablishment of the Christian worldview in a postmodern age. Part Two proposes the means by whichthe Christian worldview might be reestablished. The reestablishment includes the use of some of the benefits of postmodernism by Christians as well as a return to the responsible reading of texts, especially the biblical text. Part One, The Disestablishment of the Christian Worldview, is composed ofthree chapters. Chapter 1chronicles the change that has occurred in Western culture because of the ascendency of postmodernism. It isbest described as a change in authorityfrom the logocentric metanarrative which has characterized Christianity to the deconstructionist rejection of worldviews by postmodern literary critics. Chapter 2 reviews the paradigm shifts that have occurred in belief systemsthat have occurred in the West as a result of this change,and Chapter 3 shows the effects of all this in the culture's principal institutions. Part Two, The Reestablishment of the Christian Worldview, is also composed of three chapters. Chapter 4 shows the impact that postmodernity has had on the efforts now being made on behalf of reestablishing the Christian worldview as a viable intellectual position in Western culture. Chapter 5 is occupied with the negative and positive responses of certain Christian scholars to the challenge of postmodernism, and Chapter 6 closes the study with an extended treatment of the factors that must be in play for a reestablishment of the Christian worldview to occur in Western civilization. / Philosophy, Practical & Systematic Theology / D. Th. (Theology)

This work is comprised of an Introduction and two Parts. Part One treats, by way of historical review and evaluation, the disestablishment of the Christian worldview in a postmodern age. Part Two proposes the means by whichthe Christian worldview might be reestablished. The reestablishment includes the use of some of the benefits of postmodernism by Christians as well as a return to the responsible reading of texts, especially the biblical text. Part One, The Disestablishment of the Christian Worldview, is composed ofthree chapters. Chapter 1chronicles the change that has occurred in Western culture because of the ascendency of postmodernism. It isbest described as a change in authorityfrom the logocentric metanarrative which has characterized Christianity to the deconstructionist rejection of worldviews by postmodern literary critics. Chapter 2 reviews the paradigm shifts that have occurred in belief systemsthat have occurred in the West as a result of this change,and Chapter 3 shows the effects of all this in the culture's principal institutions. Part Two, The Reestablishment of the Christian Worldview, is also composed of three chapters. Chapter 4 shows the impact that postmodernity has had on the efforts now being made on behalf of reestablishing the Christian worldview as a viable intellectual position in Western culture. Chapter 5 is occupied with the negative and positive responses of certain Christian scholars to the challenge of postmodernism, and Chapter 6 closes the study with an extended treatment of the factors that must be in play for a reestablishment of the Christian worldview to occur in Western civilization. / Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology / D. Th. (Theology)