Using data from the 2000 American National Election Study and the Uniform Crime Reports, this research studies the impact of core values and contextual effects on gun control policy preferences. The research seeks to produce a contextually sensitive model of gun control policy preferences that accounts for the nature of the elite message war regarding the issue of gun control and for both long and short-term contextual factors that might sway individual opinions at the point of stimulus (e.g., the survey question). While the analysis does find conditioning effects, the effects do not conform to the theoretical expectations, and they are generally weaker than expected. In contrast, the research demonstrates the strong connections that formed in the public’s mind between ideological, partisan and gender-based core values and gun control policy preferences. These results are consistent with research that found the effects of political messages often vary in counterintuitive ways due to variance in the strength of the message and political awareness (Zaller 1992). Replicating this research across various time periods permits the investigation of the decay rate of impacts on individual policy preferences created by substantial, one-time contextual effects. It may be that contextual effects have a substantial impact in the short-term, but these short-term impacts are mitigated over the longterm by continual reinforcement of the basic themes employed by elites in the message war surrounding the issue.

On the surface, Dennis Lehane’s novel Mystic River appears quite fascinated and occupied with macho ideals and ideas of heroism, vengeance, vigilantism, violence, and blind loyalty. The novel might even be said to paint a picture of a world ultimately ruled and controlled by men, who are expected to set the terms and encouraged to take charge. This points to an overt message stating that attributes such as strength, cold practicality, efficiency, action, decisiveness, and rationality – all stereo-typically masculine values – ultimately pay off and are rewarded. However, such an initial analysis may be meaningfully countered, overturned, and distrusted. Making use of feminist deconstruction, this essay argues that Mystic River’s superficial praise of stereotypical gender ideals is in fact undermined by tensions and contradictions beneath the surface of the text. This undermining in turn serves to criticize binary hierarchies at the very core of patriarchal ideology.

The research project aimed at understanding how culture and history shape the role of governance in public schools. It has highlighted the role that parents can and should play in school governance, as supporters, as governors, as co-teachers, as informed consumers and as partners. All these roles are within the legislative framework of the South African School Act 84 of 1996 (SASA). However, this study suggests that much of the literature has not looked at specific ways in which parents participate that are influenced by their interests, values, cultural background and beliefs. One of the major insights in the study is the cultural understanding of the role of school governance, which translates into a very different conception of justice and how it is articulated in the role of governing in conflict management. This study has shown that through the particular cultural practices that privilege restorative justice over retributive justice, traditional conceptions can be a strong force for conflict management and stability at schools. More specifically, this study has shown how governors can consciously use the framework legislation, i.e. the SASA, to reinforce particular social or cultural identifies.

Thesis advisor: William Stanwood / The textual analysis of season four, episode one of Mad Men entitled “Public Relations” study the productions values in terms of feminist motifs. By using social codes developed by Leed-Hurwitz and Barthes’ five systems of meaning in semiotics, observations are made about the elements of the mise-en-scène in relation to the gender roles present in the narrative. If certain codes persist, it is assumed that these repetitive observations reflect the deliberate composition of the mise-en-scènce in order to reinforce feminist motifs. The results reveal that the production values in the mise-en-scène indeed reinforce feminist motifs in Mad Men, the most comprehensive motif being the male gender as the norm. The messages communicated by this motif include the idea that masculinity is defined by sex and that a women’s worth is defined by masculinity. / Thesis (BA) — Boston College, 2011. / Submitted to: Boston College. College of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Communication Honors Program. / Discipline: Communication.

This essay studies if democratic values are mediated as prescribed by the curriculum for upper secondary schools. The objects of analysis are the sections dealing with democracy in textbooks for social science. The purpose of this essay is to see if textbooks mediate democratic values ​​as prescribed by the curriculum. This is of interest because there is no consensus on the concept of democracy. The reason why precisely social science textbooks have been analyzed is because social science includes education about democracy. Therefore, should democracy and democratic values have a given space. The general research question is: Is there a discrepancy between what the curriculum for upper secondary school prescribes democratic values and what democratic values are presented or articulated in textbooks for social science, and how and why is there a discrepancy if such is the case? The study has been done by analyzing three textbooks to get good validity. To get answers on whether democratic values, prescribed by the curriculum, ​​are mediated in the textbooks, an understanding of how democratic values can be defined. This by coding the curriculum. The coding is based on discourse theory and the thesis that there is discrepancy between the textbooks and the curriculum regarding democratic values. The textbooks have been analyzed by using qualitative content analysis where the manifest and latent contents have been analyzed. The result was that the examined sections of the textbooks are not completely met by democratic values. This is due to the fact democratic values ​​have a small space in relation to the scope of the sections. None of the textbooks convey all democratic values ​​according to this study's coding results. The reason is that democratic values ​​are presented abstractly in the curriculum. The second reason is that the discourse on the concept of democracy does not have a consensus. / Denna studie undersöker om demokratiska värden förmedlas i läroböcker för samhällskunskap som läroplanen för gymnasiet förskriver. Det är de avsnitt som behandlar demokrati i läroböckerna som analyseras. Syftet med studien är att se om läroböcker förmedlar demokratiska värden så som läroplanen för gymnasiet föreskriver. Detta är intressant för att det inte råder konsensus om demokratibegreppet. Anledningen till att det är just läroböcker för samhällskunskap som analyseras är för att lärande om demokrati ingår i samhällskunskap, därför borde demokrati och demokratiska värden ha en given plats. Den övergripande forskningsfrågan är: Föreligger det en diskrepans mellan vad läroplanen för gymnasiet föreskriver demokratiska värden och vilka demokrativärden som framställs eller artikuleras i läroböcker för samhällskunskap, samt hur och varför föreligger det en diskrepans om sådan är fallet? Studien har baserats på att analysera tre läroböcker för att nå god validitet. För att få svar på om demokratiska värden, föreskrivna av läroplanen, förmedlas i läroböckerna så måste demokratiska värden definieras. Detta har gjorts genom kodning av läroplanen. Kodningen är baserad på diskursteori och tesen är att det kan finnas en diskrepans mellan läroböckerna och läroplanen gällande demokratiska värden. Läroböckerna har analyserats genom kvalitativ innehållsanalys där det manifesta och latenta innehållet har studerats. Slutsatserna blev att de undersökta läroböckerna inte genomsyras av demokratiska värden. Detta för att demokratiska värden får lite utrymme i relation till avsnittens omfång. Två av de tre undersökta läroböckerna förmedlar demokratiska värden i större utsträckning. Ingen av läroböckerna förmedlar samtliga demokratiska värden efter studiens kodningsresultat. Anledningen till detta kan vara att demokratiska värden förmedlas abstrakt i läroplanen och att det inte råder konsensus om demokratibegreppet.     Nyckelord: demokrati, värderingar

This thesis is an exploration of values-consistent behaviour from a contextual behavioural science perspective. The first chapter is a systematic review of the effectiveness of acceptance and commitment therapy in enhancing values-consistent behaviour. The results from this review were inconclusive, mainly due to a lack of psychometrically robust outcome measures, and inconsistent use of available measures. Recommendations were made to improve the utility of measures of values-consistent behaviour. The second chapter reports a cross-sectional survey of adolescents, aimed at testing the psychometric properties of values measures, and assessing the relationship between values-consistent behaviour and wellbeing. The measures used in this study were the Valued Living Questionnaire 2 (VLQ-2), Portrait Values Questionnaire – Second Revision, Child and Adolescent Mindfulness Measure, Avoidance and Fusion Questionnaire for Youth – Short Form, and the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale. Using the VLQ-2 in its current form, values-consistent behaviour was found to account for an additional 13% of variance in wellbeing, above the contributions of demographics, mindfulness and experiential avoidance. However, a recommendation was made for adaptions to be made to the VLQ-2 to make it more suitable for adolescents.

This thesis identifies the nature of the values that students hold about business and whether they are acquired through education; the uniformity of the transmission/communication process is addressed. The study traces the views of policy makers and teachers in the policy chain, interviews students and observes classroom interactions in a longitudinal study. The research has been conducted at a time of increasing student numbers on Business Studies courses and during an ongoing debate about the sources of values students hold about business. A distinction is drawn between the values intrinsic to AngloAmerican capitalism and the values that students espouse enabling insight as to whether students are taught and hold AngloAmerican capitalist values or not. Other sources of values such as gender and students’ parttime jobs are considered. Seven policy makers (individuals influencing the creation of the ‘hidden’ or ‘overt’ curriculum) and four groups comprising ‘A’ level and GNVQ Advanced in Business Studies students and their respective teachers participated in the research. The study draws the following conclusions: students, typically, see profit as the primary business objective and this view is framed by the values intrinsic to AngloAmerican capitalism, with other values such as customer service seen as ‘instrumental’ in the pursuit of profitability. Values intrinsic to AngloAmerican capitalism were not directly being transmitted down the policy chain; however, work socialisation values were. The students were able to distinguish between their own personal values and those of business organisations; their personal values often conflicted with those of business. Factors extraneous to education, for example, students’ parttime jobs appear to have a greater influence over their knowledge of business values than that of their teachers. The students often expressed scepticism at business activities, despite no clear evidence that teachers ‘transmit’ antibusiness sentiments. Gender had some influence on the values that students held.

Presenting an authoritative one-party rule since fifty years, the case of Singapore does not concord with the various theories of democratization. After proving that Singapore is not a Liberal-Democracy, we argue that the country manages to create a model of stability both in terms of politics and economy, that act as trade- offs to liberal characteristics. The approach uses a qualitative analysis of the electoral framework, a cultural comprehension of contemporary elements and data on its economic success. Ultimately, this thesis aims at studying the idea that Liberal-Democracy is not a model that necessarily needs to be implemented for the functioning of all nations.

Interest in superelastic (and shape memory) materials continues to rise, and there is a strong incentive to develop techniques for monitoring of their superelastic characteristics. This is conventionally done via uniaxial testing, but there are many advantages to having a capability for obtaining these characteristics (in the form of parameter values in a constitutive law) via indentation testing. Specimens can then be small, require minimal preparation and be obtainable from components in service. Interrogation of small volumes also allows mapping of properties over a surface. On the other hand, the tested volume must be large enough for its response to be representative of behaviour. Precisely the same arguments apply to more "mainstream" mechanical properties, such as yielding and work hardening characteristics. Indeed, there has been considerable progress in that area recently, using FEM simulation to predict indentation outcomes, evaluating the "goodness of fit" for particular sets of parameter values and converging on a best-fit combination. A similar approach can be used to obtain superelastic parameters, but little work has been done hitherto on sensitivities, uniqueness characteristics or optimal methodologies and the procedures are complicated by limitations to the constitutive laws in current use. The current work presents a comprehensive examination of the issues involved, using experimental (uniaxial and indentation) data for a NiTi Shape Memory Alloy. It was found that it is possible to obtain the superelastic parameter values using a single indenter shape (spherical). Information is also presented on sensitivities and the probable reliability of such parameters obtained in this way for an unknown material.

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