The female hero has been marginalized through history, to the extent that theorists, from Plato and Aristotle to those of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, state that a female hero is impossible. This thesis argues that she is not impossible. Concentrating on the work of Carl Jung and Joseph Campbell, a heroic standard is proposed against which to measure both male and female heroes. This heroic standard suggests that a hero must be human, must act, must champion a heroic ethic and must undertake a quest. Should a person, male or female, comply with these criteria, that person can be considered a hero. This thesis refutes the patriarchal argument against female heroism, proposing that the argument is faulty because it has at its base a constricting male-constructed myth of femininity. This myth suggests that women are naturally docile and passive, not given to aggression and heroism, but rather to motherhood and adaptation to adverse circumstances, it does not reflect the reality of women’s natural abilities or capacity for action. Indeed, with the rise of contemporary feminist discourse the patriarchal myth of femininity is being demystified and, without the myth of femininity to constrain her, the female hero is now re-emerging in certain areas of cultural expression. The examples of female heroes discussed in this study are taken from speculative fiction, encompassing the genres of both science fiction and fantasy. Speculative fiction, which has a propensity for challenging the status quo and questioning common societal assumptions, provides the perfect platform for women writers to confront feminist issues and launch the female hero. The female hero challenges the patriarchal claim that all heroes must be masculine, she defies patriarchal power structures and she demands a re-evaluation of women’s capabilities. The female hero gives women an example of heroic activity to emulate, in place of the ‘angel in the house’ that women have had to bow to for so long. The works discussed in this thesis cover a range of authors, from those of outspoken contemporary feminist, Joanna Russ, to early speculative works like those of C.L. Moore. Lesser-known authors such as Vonda McIntyre and Tanith Lee are also discussed. / Dissertation (MA (English))--University of Pretoria, 2005. / Modern European Languages / unrestricted

This diploma thesis is looking into investments to stocks portfolio by methods of psychologica analysis. Structure of the thesis is consisted of three parts. In the first part there are intruduced necessary theoretical prerequisities for understanding of stock market. Second and third part is focused on practical application and major stock market events from the past. Thesis thus describes and analyses the possibilities of psychological analysis usage while deciding about investments into selected portfolio of securities at capital markets.

Speculative realism/historical fantasy are labels coined by Stanford University’s Ramon Saldivar. Saldivar describes this genre as “a way of documenting things that have happened, or could happen” (the realist component), but warping realism into science fiction and fantasy, blending and bending the genres (Dickason). In his 2013 article “The Second Elevation of the Novel: Race, Form and the Postrace Aesthetic in Contemporary Narrative,” Ramon Saldivar brings an interesting perspective to how a new generation of authors have taken this genre and exposed utopia as fraud. He argues that as many writers (often members of minorities) seek to challenge the status quo and explore new territories with their prose, a new genre has been born from the utopian and dystopian schools- the genre he coins “speculative realism.” Implicit in his labelling of a new genre is the assumption that existing genres (created and nurtured by the dominant groups in society) are inadequate vehicles for the sort of work these authors seek to do, and in order to make their unique contributions, they have had to become pioneers in the field. Specifically, these authors have focused on utopian and dystopian worlds and have exposed the ruling class ideology hidden in the resolution. This new genre provides perfect material from which to draw texts that encourage students to grapple with the difficult concepts of how society should be organized, and what means might be required to achieve it. This project was developed with high school pedagogical practice in the forefront, therefore texts are chosen based on genre, grade level/interest, and thematic/ideological content. Within each group, the texts are chosen to highlight the deliberate indoctrination present within the current curriculum, and through comparison demonstrate how substituting speculative realist and historical fantasy for dystopian and historical fiction novels both educates and empowers students. In the dystopian genre, the commonly taught Lord of the Flies by William Golding is compared and contrasted with Octavia Butler’s Earthseed series. To explore novels based on history, The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd is contrasted with the historical fantasy The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead.

Retired Objects is a project that explores the intimate relationship we humans form with everyday things. My investigation centers around the questions Can we begin to value objects as our equals, rather than as our servants? and What roles do objects play in our daily lives other than fulfilling a practical function?  As a theoretical framework I investigate different facets of our material culture and how we relate to objects, focusing on our emotional connection to them, how we use them as mirror and tools for self-creation, and how being a maker is an integral part of our human identity. Using speculative design methods, I wish to invite us to reimagine our relationship to objects. The result is a series of pre-owned chairs, that I have re-designed, reimagined to envision them in a new light, free from the burden of fulfilling a practical function. Who are they once they retire from their job of serving us? By using design fiction and presenting an alternative narrative I wish to invite us to reimagine the way we relate to everyday objects.

Human-nature connection is recognized for its importance for our well-being, development of our environmental identity, and potentially leading to pro-environmental behaviour due to the support of an individual’s intrinsic values. However, the fostering of this connection is not supported and being implemented within society at large. This research set out to explore the causes of the weak relation to nature and identify potential design interventions to enable the recuperation of nature as part of our identity.  For this exploration, Speculative Design and Transition Design were chosen. In particular, Design Fiction as a method was adopted, not only it allowed us to speculate the future, but also materialise and explore the human-nature connection in ‘objects’. Transition Design was used due to its flexibility to explore interdisciplinary research and solutions, providing ground for the 'constructed reality’ and enabling the built-up of a roadmap towards this preferable future.  Drivers that caused this problem were identified, and it showed how they are closely intertwined and influenced by, or are a result of, each other. One of these is how control and illusion of control plays a role in our weak human-nature connection. Through qualitative fieldwork, some of the ‘characteristics of nature’ and factors that influence human-nature connection were mapped, and they were embodied into objects situated in a ‘constructed reality’. These material objects have taken the form of home products in a product catalogue (‘diegetic prototype’) as human-nature connection can potentially be fostered at home as well as in nature.  The response showed a potential in how a speculative ‘diegetic prototype’ can influence a person's sense of identity in relation to nature. Proving that the ‘diegetic prototype’ has an actual effect on the sense of identity would be impossible due to the complex nature of identity development as many different factors play a role. This research also provided a list of factors for designers to explore with regards to enhancing our human-nature connection through design. It has also shown the potential role of food and home in establishing human-nature connection, on which further research is needed.

Det mest miljöskadliga livsmedlet är kött, trots kunskapen motiveras inte människor till att minska sin köttkonsumtion. Konsumtion handlar också omkänslor och sociala normer. Människor saknar kunskap för att lyckas implementera förändringar i deras beteende. Begreppet nudge innebär en beslutsmiljö som förändrar människors beteende på ett förutfattat vis utan att neka andra valmöjligheter. Den pågående utvecklingen av robotar kommer leda till att robotar i framtiden har möjligheten att påverka mänskligt beteende. Det behövs forskning inom informatik och digital design om hur robotar kan påverka människors matbeteende genom nudging. Etologiska robotar härstammar från sociala robotar och grundas i etologi och fokuserar på human-robot attachment (HRA) och den anknytning som sker mellan människa-robot istället för bara interaktionen. Etologiska robotar har utvecklats för att komma runt effekten av Uncanny Valley. Robot-robot-human interaction (RRHI) har möjligheten att påverka människor känslor och beteende. Denna studies syfte är att designa etologiska robotar för att genom nudging påverka människors beteende gällande köttkonsumtion i en spekulativ framtid. Studien ger inte ett fullständigt svar på hur köttkonsumtion kan minskas i allmänhet utan är ett bidrag till informatik om hur robotar kan användas för studiens målgrupp. Studien har en kvalitativ ansats och innefattar intervjuer och pilotstudie för att arbeta nära målgruppen för att nå de mest lämpade utseendet och beteendet hos robotarna. Resultatet visar att robotar kan passa för att påverka människan i detta syfte då robotar kan ha en konstant närvaro i miljön där köttkonsumtion sker. / The food that is the most environmentally harmful is meat, but this knowledge does not motivate people to reduce their consumption of meat. Consumption is also about feelings and social norms. People lack the knowledge to successfully employ changes in their behavior. The concept of nudge means a decision environment that changes people’s behavior in a predicted way, without banning other options. The current development of robots will lead to robots having the possibility to influence people in the future. There is a lack of research within informatics and digital design about how robots can influence people’s food behavior. Ethological robots have been developed to go around the Uncanny Valley. Robot-robot-human interaction (RRHI) have the potential to influence people’s feelings and behavior. This study aims to design ethological robots that through nudging influence people’s behavior regarding meat consumption within a speculative future. The study does not provide a complete answer on how meat consumption can be reduced but rather a contribution to informatics on how robots can be used for this study’s target group. Through a qualitative approach the study has conducted interviews and a pilot study to work closely with the target group to design the most complete appearance and behavior for the robots. The results show that robots can be suitable to influence people with this purpose because robots can be a constant presence where the consumption of meat happens.

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Instagram has around two billion registered users at the time of writing. This puts a lot of responsibility on interaction designers as they implement changes to the user experience. This thesis proposes a speculative approach to evaluate how potential futures might alter interactive features on Instagram and in turn, how that might nurture user habits. The thesis presents a framework and model to construct plausible structures of social media platforms and is in this project used to construct four scenarios through which speculative design work is done. The model could also guide future iterations and speculations.

The voice technology today is limited to explicit interaction and does not take advantage of the connotation of voice modalities. Research has shown that it is possible to sense emotions and feelings as well as the context of information based on the tone of voice. Building on existing theory and Research through Design, this thesis aims to speculate the use of whispering in human-computer interaction. It also discusses how this might lead to a more preferred future or cause tensions within addictive technology and the politics of voice assistants. The results argue that whispering has an impact on the relationship and trust between a human and a machine and that it could be used as an active interaction mode with voice assistants. Further research is needed to identify the effect of whispering on different users and the influence of different voice modalities. / Röstteknologin idag är begränsad till explicit interaktion och utnyttjar inte konnotationen av röstmodaliteter. Forskning har visat att det är möjligt att identifiera känslor och sammanhang med information baserad på tonfallet. Med utgångspunkt i befintlig teori och Research through Design, syftar denna avhandling till att spekulera kring användningen av viskning i interaktion mellan människor och datorer. Det diskuteras hur detta kan leda till en mer gynnsam framtid alternativt orsaka konflikt inom beroendeframkallande teknik och röstassistenternas politik. Resultaten menar att viskning påverkar förhållandet och förtroendet mellan människa och maskin och att den kan användas som ett aktivt interaktionsläge hos röstassistenter. Ytterligare forskning behövs för att identifiera effekten av viskning på olika användare och påverkan av olika röstmodaliteter.