Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1974. / Typescript. Vita. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.A.) - Carleton University, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 108-114). Also available in electronic format on the Internet.

This paper examines online fan fiction communities as spaces for identity formation, collaborative creativity, and fan empowerment. Drawing on case studies of a LiveJournal fan fiction community, fan-written essays, possible world theory, and postmodern theories of the hyperreal and simulacrum, this paper argues that writing fan fiction is a definitive, postmodern act that explores the mutable boundaries of reality and fiction. It concludes that fans are no longer passive consumers of popular media—rather, they are engaged, powerful participants in the creation of celebrity representation that can, ultimately, alter reality.

Individual food choices have a considerable impact on public health and the environment. The incidence of nutrition-related diseases has been continuously increasing during the last decades. Diets higher in plant-based foods have shown to be healthier and more environmentally sustainable.Many urban social innovation projects based on citizen engagement and community building are able to influence food consumption habits. However, there is a large variety of projects, which target specific population groups and focus on different sustainability issues. To understand how social innovation projects located in Germany, and especially Berlin, use citizen engagement and community creation to encourage nutritious and sustainable food choices, the research team conducted a qualitative research study consisting of semi-structured interviews and participant observations. The results were compared and validated using different social change, social innovation, network and leadership theories. When people with various backgrounds come together over a shared purpose and interact with each other, they can influence each other’s opinions and behaviors. A physical community setting was shown to be efficient to create awareness about sustainable and nutritious food choices. In order to include all population groups, citizens need to feel heard and understood, and have to be directly engaged in the decision-making process. A need for a leadership figure or a democratic leadership group is highlighted, and a combination of ‘transformational leadership’ and ‘authentic leadership’ styles proved to be the most effective. Urban food social innovation projects tend to cooperate with each other, as well as with other leaders and organizations, influencing them and serving as role models. These findings can help social innovation projects that implement citizen engagement and community building practices to efficiently promote nutritious and plant-based food choices among an urban population. Since this study is based on a limited number of organizations in Berlin and other regions of Germany, further research in other urban and/or rural environments is needed.

Status and Role of New Human Rights in International Law This diploma thesis compares three methods which have been used so far in the creation of new human rights in international law. The first chapter establishes the theory of the creation of new human rights in international law. It is claimed that all new human rights have been created by one of the following three methods: the adoption of an international treaty; the interpretation of an internetional treaty; or the adoption of a declaration. The second chapter provides definitions of a notion of human rights and determines a notion of new human rights as those rights which are not expressed in the International Bill of Human Rights. The distinction of human rights by generations is rejected. The third chapter summarizes the sources of international human rights law, which are international treaties, international custom and general principles of international law. Further, the third chapter shows the significance of peremptory norms and soft law instruments for international human rights. The fourth chapter deals with the first method of creating new human rights, i.e. adoption of international treaty. This method is presented through the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the right to live in community. The formulation...