The National Mall in Washington DC has become an “encyclopaedia of American history,” however conspicuous in its absence, is the history of African American slavery upon which this national artifact was built. Slavery may not be cause for celebration as one of America`s proudest moments, however its history is critical to understanding the history of America and why the deep-seated antagonism between the races continues to exist within its very core. The purpose of the thesis is to focus on this aspect of American history in order to design an appropriate memorial that would satisfy this gap between this history and its recognition on the National Mall. Secondly, the slave memorial intends to honour the victims of slavery who have been largely ignored, trivialized, or misrepresented by the few memorials in Washington that claim to address their memory. A major portion of this thesis constitutes a mapping of the memorials and monuments of Washington DC in an attempt to understand how the capital has come to embody the “national identity” of the United States. The thesis also contains a summarized history of slavery and racial tension in the United States. This material is included in the thesis in order to remind us of the depth and seriousness of the history that the slave memorial must address through its built, architectural form.

The National Mall in Washington DC has become an “encyclopaedia of American history,” however conspicuous in its absence, is the history of African American slavery upon which this national artifact was built. Slavery may not be cause for celebration as one of America`s proudest moments, however its history is critical to understanding the history of America and why the deep-seated antagonism between the races continues to exist within its very core. The purpose of the thesis is to focus on this aspect of American history in order to design an appropriate memorial that would satisfy this gap between this history and its recognition on the National Mall. Secondly, the slave memorial intends to honour the victims of slavery who have been largely ignored, trivialized, or misrepresented by the few memorials in Washington that claim to address their memory. A major portion of this thesis constitutes a mapping of the memorials and monuments of Washington DC in an attempt to understand how the capital has come to embody the “national identity” of the United States. The thesis also contains a summarized history of slavery and racial tension in the United States. This material is included in the thesis in order to remind us of the depth and seriousness of the history that the slave memorial must address through its built, architectural form.

Drawing on critical race theory, racial formation theory and the extant literature on the so-called post-racial turn in American life, this research explored the broad question of how young people of color make sense of issues of race and equity in the era of the first Black president. Using a case study design, as well as elements of visual research methods and narrative inquiry, I examined how a group of high school students of color at a predominantly White high school have learned about race and Obama, considering both formal school curricula and out-of school sources. I also sought to understand what significance the students placed on president Obama’s election, including their views on racial progress in the U.S. and their beliefs in the plausibility of a post-racial American era. Through the collection and analysis of interview, classroom observation, and artifact data, my findings suggest that schools can be unfriendly spaces for learning about these topics, but students pick up rich, though scattered, information through out-of-school sources such as family, community, and media. Additionally, students exhibited contradictory beliefs about race in America, with experiences of racial marginalization at school juxtaposed with measured optimism about racial progress in the U.S. Students also expressed personal inspiration in having a Black president and a willingness to hold multiple, competing narratives about race, Barack Obama, and their own lived experiences. These findings suggest a need for history and social studies teachers to provide formal curricular spaces for open discussion about race and President Obama to allow students to discuss and extend their multiple Obama narratives. Researchers must also consider the hybridized racial stories of both students of color and of the 44th president. / text

This study aims to contribute to the understanding of ideology conveyed by lexical items and framing of texts. Since ideology is embedded in language the frames used in newspapers construct a narrow ideological perspective for the readers to interpret subjects and events through. On the basis of editorials from The Washington Post and The Washington Times that cover President Barack Obama, the study examines how the editorials differ in their framing of Obama and which discourses and keywords occur unusually frequently in each newspaper. Findings suggest that when it comes to framing, The Washington Post allows for a relatively balanced perspective on Obama as they both support and criticise him, while The Washington Times overwhelmingly condemns and attacks Obama. A keyword analysis points to unusually frequent discourses on race, conservatives and reforms in The Washington Post, and spending, unemployment and political institutions in The Washington Times. Because of their ideological differences the newspapers construct a reality where the subject, Obama, is presented in very different ways.

En arrivant à la Maison-Blanche en 2008, Barack Obama promettait de s'attaquer de manière décisive aux changements climatiques. En plus de proposer une politique climatique ambitieuse, le nouveau président articulait cette politique de façon originale. En effet, il la présentait comme étant un moyen de satisfaire les intérêts économiques et sécuritaires des États-Unis. Certains auteurs ont suggéré qu'en adoptant une telle conception de la lutte aux changements climatiques, Obama se serait en fait approprié un discours environnemental particulier, celui de la modernisation écologique. Ce discours avance l'idée selon laquelle les enjeux environnementaux et économiques sont compatibles. Bien que l'hypothèse de ces auteurs s'avère intéressante, elle n'a jamais été démontrée de manière rigoureuse dans la littérature scientifique. Ce mémoire cherche à combler ce vide en posant la question suivante : « Dans quelle mesure le discours environnemental tenu par Barack Obama durant son premier mandat à propos des changements climatiques peut-il être apparenté à celui de la modernisation écologique? ». La thèse avancée est que même si durant la campagne présidentielle de 2008 et au début de son mandat son discours environnemental présentait quelques idées centrales de la modernisation écologique, celles-ci apparaissaient de moins en moins souvent dans son discours à partir de 2010, et ce, jusqu'aux élections de 2012. Afin de démontrer cette proposition, une analyse de discours d'un corpus de dix textes a été réalisée. La comparaison des résultats de cet exercice a permis de constater que le discours environnemental d'Obama cadrait effectivement au début de ses quatre années au pouvoir avec la modernisation écologique, mais que celle-ci a ensuite perdu en importance dans les propos de l'occupant de la Maison-Blanche. De plus, vers la fin de son mandat, Obama a embrassé le discours prométhéen, soit un discours qui prétend que la protection de l'environnement ne peut que nuire à la prospérité économique et qu'il faut donc prioriser cette dernière. Enfin, il a été démontré que l'échec du Sénat à adopter l'American Power Act de 2010, les élections de mi-mandat de 2010 ainsi qu'une série de circonstances s'étant produites en 2011 permettraient en partie d'expliquer l'évolution de discours du président. ______________________________________________________________________________ MOTS-CLÉS DE L’AUTEUR : changements climatiques, modernisation écologique, Barack Obama, analyse de discours, États-Unis

An ongoing debate surrounds the question of whether digital media can promote participatory democracy. A qualitative case study was conducted on Barack Obama’s campaign social networking site, my.barackobama.com, in order to investigate the ways in which the website promotes or discourages participatory democracy. For a rich analysis, the case study drew on various relevant theoretical perspectives, including the concepts of participatory democracy and digital democracy. The case study included a content analysis of the website and interviews with members of groups on the site. The study found that my.barackobama.com promoted political knowledge and non-electoral participation, but failed to promote political discussion and community. Consequently, the recommendations highlighted the importance of an online public sphere. The findings of this case study add to the research literature about the political use of digital media, and they also add new information about Barack Obama’s digital media strategies.

Thesis (M.S.)--West Virginia University, 2008. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains v, 47 p. : ill. (some col.). Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 42-44).

Thesis (M.S.)--Rochester Institute of Technology, 2009. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 28-31).

Thesis (M.A.)--Indiana University, 2009. / Title from screen (viewed on August 28, 2009). Department of Communication Studies, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI). Advisor(s): Kristina Sheeler. Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 69-75).

Barack Obama’s personality is studied to understand how the personality of a leader can contribute to the decision-making process in foreign policy. The study connects literature from foreign policy analysis as well as psychology to contribute with an example of how these two fields of study can be used simultaneously. Barack Obama is examined through the Five-Level Model of personality in order to understand his characteristics and his behavior. Each level of Obama’s personality is analyzed in regard to the decision to use air strikes towards the terrorist organization Daesh in Syria. The findings show that Obama prefer softer and more peaceful tactics, but also that he has a strong determination to fulfill his goals and to use force when America is faced with a direct threat.