Over the course of the last few decades the debate over culture and its relationship to language has remained heated and one can argue, unresolved. It has been underscored that it is not necessarily the question of culture teaching per-se but rather the methods and content of such teaching that remain controversial. Today's world demands that learners are not simply linguistically but also interculturally competent. It has been argued that high levels of intercultural awareness can be achieved with the help of experiential lessons taught in a formal setting that focus on the exploration of self as a cultural being.In this study, three groups of the intermediate learners of German and Russian were invited to participate in a number of cultural lessons based on either culture box highlights or experiential activities. The pre-posttests measured changes in learners' cognitive, behavioral and affective measures of intercultural competence. Results revealed that experiential activities tend to better facilitate the development of learners' intercultural skills and attitudes. Students written responses to critical incidents were analyzed with the Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity (Bennett, 1993) to assess changes in learners' perspectives and intercultural disposition over the course of the semester. Additionally, learners' experiences with foreign and local cultures were quantified and correlated with cognitive, behavioral and affective measures of intercultural competence. Results showed that not all measures of intercultural competence may be broadened by the individuals' firsthand experiences with other cultures. The relevance of one's previous experiences with `sub-cultures' (states, cities, towns, and communities), i.e. his `mobility' must also be acknowledged.

The practice of selling passports through Citizenship by Investment (CBI) programmes is gaining more attraction and legitimacy in light of increasingly stricter immigration policies. Instead of simply weighing the pro and contra points of CBI, this thesis aims to understand CBI as a consequence of neoliberalism and analyses the correlation between so called ‘passport power’ and wealth, whereby the former is determined by rankings and the latter is represented in terms of the gross domestic product (GDP). Hence, a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods is used to firstly, examine the strength of correlation, and secondly, supported by Laclau and Mouffe’s discourse theory, discuss how CBI is understood and debated in the context of today’s governed communities. The CBI arises out of a discursive struggle between citizenship and class, and exacerbates preexisting global inequalities. Furthermore, it challenges the normative foundations of citizenship and its connection to the nation state. On the one hand CBI contests the sedimented discourse of the modern passport system (and by extension the notions of citizenship), on the other hand capitalist negative individualism corrupts/distorts the initially egalitarian, utopian vision of what it means to be a citizen of the world.

<p dir="ltr">Developing students' global awareness and competencies is crucial in our increasingly interconnected world. This qualitative case study explored what influences social studies teachers' curricular decisions regarding incorporating global topics into their classrooms. The study focused specifically on five high school teachers in Indiana, USA who identified as interested in global education. Data collection involved individual semi-structured interviews, classroom observations, and document analysis. Interviews provided insights into teachers' purposes, goals, barriers, and decision-making regarding global curriculum integration. Observations and teaching artifacts offered direct evidence of classroom practices. Data was coded using a flexible inductive-deductive approach incorporating both data-driven and theory-driven codes.</p><p dir="ltr">Key findings were that teachers' own global experiences and mindsets strongly shaped their desire to develop students' global perspectives, despite facing external constraints like standardized curriculum and testing requirements. Teachers were driven by aims to expand students' worldviews, foster cultural appreciation, build skills for an interdependent world, and ignite passion for lifelong global learning. However, restrictive standards, content sequencing, and time limitations posed challenges. Still, internally driven<del> </del>teachers leveraged their agency as curricular gatekeepers to creatively infuse global topics through discussions, activities, and resources aligned with mandated outcomes. The study highlights the importance of developing internal global orientations in teachers while allowing curricular flexibility for meaningful global education. Findings inform efforts in teacher training, hiring, and professional development to support global citizenship teaching within systemic bounds.</p>

Our world is evolving into a global community. Increased access to travel, diversification of the population, human displacement and migration, and advances in technology contribute to this evolution. Globalization can impact the health and well-being of humankind. Organizations such as AOTA (2017) and WFOT (2018) advocate for occupational therapists promoting health, well-being and occupation as a human right globally (WFOT, 2006). However, therapists are mostly untrained and unmotivated to ‘think globally and act locally’. This problem is due to OTs adhering to traditional, practices and paradigms, learning the profession within a local context with an emphasis on western theories, a focus on individualized care and an inability to recognize human-rights issues with clients. OTs must become global citizens in order to bring relevant health promotion and wellness interventions to people with different worldviews and in global communities. The program was developed into a course for post-professional doctoral students at Boston University to learn skills and confidence to become an agent of global change titled “The Occupational Therapist as A Global Citizen”. This course was designed with an evidence base and theoretical foundation in Self-Determination Theory to improve the students’ motivation and confidence to act as a global agent of change and promote occupational justice. Preliminary findings of the program revealed three main themes in the students’ thoughts regarding global citizenship. Students reported a positive learning experience coupled with a curiosity to expand and apply their knowledge, feelings of motivation and inspiration and an increased sense of responsibility to use their role as an OT to promote occupation as a human right. The proximal goals of this program were achieved in a cost-effective manner. It will be repeated as a full-scale study in 2019 and the project will be widely disseminated to occupational therapy and global health audiences.

This mixed-methods study contributes to the limited literature on global citizenship by comparing the impacts of two curricular methods used to educate for global citizenship: international education experiences and a school-wide approach. Using Round Square as the case study, an international association of secondary schools that incorporate both methods to foster global citizenship, and an adapted version of Hartman’s (2008) Global Citizenship Survey, this study examines the global citizenship qualities of 185 graduates from Canadian Round Square schools. Findings reveal that not only is the pursuit of global citizenship within schools valuable and possible, but that a school-wide approach is as effective a method to educate for global citizenship as international education experiences. Results are valuable as many schools lack the resources, capacity, and motivation for global citizenship programming, particularly if programming relies on international education activities. Results also question the necessity of international opportunities to foster global citizenship.

This mixed-methods study contributes to the limited literature on global citizenship by comparing the impacts of two curricular methods used to educate for global citizenship: international education experiences and a school-wide approach. Using Round Square as the case study, an international association of secondary schools that incorporate both methods to foster global citizenship, and an adapted version of Hartman’s (2008) Global Citizenship Survey, this study examines the global citizenship qualities of 185 graduates from Canadian Round Square schools. Findings reveal that not only is the pursuit of global citizenship within schools valuable and possible, but that a school-wide approach is as effective a method to educate for global citizenship as international education experiences. Results are valuable as many schools lack the resources, capacity, and motivation for global citizenship programming, particularly if programming relies on international education activities. Results also question the necessity of international opportunities to foster global citizenship.

This study investigates the experience of exchange studies from a phenomenological perspective. Phenomenology studies the sentence structure of the phenomenon and places the lifeworld as a central concept. Husserl (2002/1954) described the lifeworld as a coherent universe of objects where we, all of us living with another in this world, may be conscious of the world as a universal horizon. In this study the lifeworld of exchange students is investigated with emphasis on their experience of the exchange. The aim of the study is to highlight the sentence structure in the experience of living as an exchange student which involves a meeting with a different culture. Seven interviews were conducted with exchange students that participated in at least one semester of higher education abroad and the resulting data was analyzed using the EPP method. This method describes the general meaning structure of the phenomenon and identifies several distinguishing features. For this study ten features were identified; an expectation and openness relative an uncertain future, a deliberate break, a part of something bigger, a deliberate approach to cultural codes, an encounter with different values, new interactions and relations, language difficulties, a new environment, a creation of identity and a personal development and responsibilities. The results indicate that the experience of exchange studies may not always be unproblematic since it’s often difficult to gain access to the culture and society of the host country. However, the experience also seems to be rewarding and is characterized by a personal development and a change in the perception of both oneself and people from other cultures. The results also show that the exchange student may gain a feeling of living in a global society where all possibilities are present. / Denna studie utgår ifrån en fenomenologisk ansats. Fenomenologins uppgift är att beskriva ett fenomens meningsstruktur där ett centralt begrepp är livsvärlden. Enligt Husserl (2002/1954) belyser livsvärlden den verklighet som man ständigt befinner sig i tillsammans med andra människor. Grundvalen för denna studie är att studera utbytesstudenters livsvärld där upplevelsen av utbytesstudier är i fokus. Syftet med studien är att beskriva meningsstrukturer i upplevelsen av att leva som utbytesstudent och som inbegriper ett möte med en annan kultur. Sju intervjuer har genomförts med utbytesstudenter som alla studerat minst en termin inom högre utbildning vid ett värduniversitet i ett annat land. De aktuella data som behandlats har analyserats med hjälp av studiens valda metod, Empirical phenomenological psychologial (EPP-metoden). Resultatet beskriver det aktuella fenomenets meningsstruktur som en helhet och visar vilka de generella kännetecknen är. De generella kännetecknen som framkommit i studien är; en förväntan och en öppenhet inför en obestämd framtid, ett medvetet uppbrott, en del i att uppnå något större, ett medvetet förhållningssätt till kulturella koder, ett möte med andra värderingar, nya interaktioner och relationer, svårigheter med språket, ändrade livsvillkor, ett identitetsskapande, en personlig utveckling och ett ansvarstagande. Resultatet indikerar att upplevelsen av utbytesstudier och att möta en annan kultur inte är helt oproblematisk då det ibland är svårt att få tillträde till värdlandets kultur och samhälle. Dock verkar upplevelsen även vara en värdefull tid som präglas av en utveckling och ett ifrågasättande av tidigare föreställningar om en själv och människor från andra kulturer. Resultatet påvisar också att utbytesstudenten kan ha en känsla av att leva i en global värld där alla möjligheter finns.

Förnybar energi sägs vara en stor bidragande faktor till att lösa klimatproblem med global uppvärmning och den svenska regeringen har som mål att Sverige ska vara 100% fossilfritt år 2045. Ett förslag från Energimyndigheten är att cirka 5-10% av den svenska elkonsumtionen ska komma från solceller. Utvecklingen med solceller går framåt och allt fler privatpersoner och företag väljer att investera i det. Denna rapport ämnar att undersöka hur solceller kan dimensioneras för större kommersiella företag, samt även att kartlägga hur nyckelpersoner i koppling till företaget Dahl Sverige AB resonerar om hållbarhet och solceller. Dahl har valt att utvärdera möjligheten med solceller och används därför som ett studieobjekt i denna rapport. Efter insamling av av data kunde programmet System Advisor Model användas för att dimensionera solcellssystemet. Utifrån resultaten av simuleringarna togs tre olika storleksalternativ på solcellssystemet fram för att kunna fungera som beslutsunderlag vid beslutsfattande från Dahl; ett alternativ för att undvika energiskatten och främja det ekonomiska, ett för att undvika överproduktion och slutligen ett för maximal miljönytta. Dock kan en avvägning göras utifrån vad företaget själva accepterar för tröskelränta, eftersom att solcellssystemet blev mer miljövänligt men krävde en större investering allt eftersom storleken ökade. För att undersöka resonemang beträffande solceller och hållbarhet har intervjuer genomförts med fem nyckelpersoner i logistikprojektet där Dahl bygger ett nytt centrallager. Intervjuerna kategoriserades i sex olika teman. Dessa jämfördes sedan utifrån ett teoretiskt ramverk om olika paradigm: ett transformativt ekocentriskt paradigm samt ett dominant kulturellt paradigm. Resultatet synliggjorde att informanterna resonerade på olika sätt. Det fanns inslag av båda paradigmen men informanterna resonerade främst utifrån det dominanta kulturella paradigmet som motsvarar dagens marknadsdrivna konkurrensbaserade samhälle. Ett alternativ för att utveckla företaget i en mer hållbar riktning blir således att införa mer internutbildning för att främja en transformativ ekocentrisk världssyn. Denna slutsats uppskattas vara applicerbar även inom andra företag utanför Dahl. / Renewable energy is said to be a contributing factor in solving the environmental problems with global warming, which is why the Swedish Government has decided that Sweden will be 100% fossil free by 2045. A proposition from the Swedish Energy Agency is that around 5-10% of the Swedish consumption should come from solar energy. The development of solar PVs are going forward, and the number of private households and organisations that are choosing to invest are growing. This report aims to investigate how a solar PV system can be dimensioned for bigger commercial companies. It also seeks to map how stakeholders at Dahl Sverige AB, a large trading company in the plumbing industry, reason about solar cells and sustainability. Dahl is evaluating the possibilities with solar PVs, and will be used as a case in this report. After collecting data, the System Advisor Model program could be used to dimension the solar cell system. Based on the results of the simulations, three different size alternatives on the solar cell system were developed in order to be able to function as a basis for a decision for the study object; one option to avoid the energy tax and promote the economy, one to avoid overproduction and one for maximum environmental benefit. However, a trade-off could be made depending on what hurdle rate the company deems acceptable, as the solarsystem becomes more environmentally friendly but requires a larger investment as the size increases.To investigate reasoning regarding solar cells and sustainability, five interviews were conducted with five stakeholders with a connection to the logistics project to build a new central warehouse. The interviews went through a thematic analysis and the answers were characterized as six different themes. These were analysed on the basis of a theoretical framework that distinguishes between a dominant cultural paradigm and a transformative ecocentric paradigm. The result showed that the informants reasoned differently. There were elements from both paradigms, but the informants largely expressed opinions that could be characterized as the dominant cultural paradigm. An alternative for Dahl to become more sustainable was thus to introduce more internal training to promote a transformative ecocentric worldview. This conclusion is assessed to be applicable for other companies outside the Dahl case as well.

This is an exploratory study conducted to assess the way in which social media could enhance the experience for audiences of the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) television drama. This study focused on Facebook and Twitter since they are two of the top five social media networks that are popular in the country and which have the potential to offer television more mileage in terms of communicating with its audience and extending its reach. The guiding theory for this study was uses and gratifications theory. This theory was employed to assist in assessing the opportunities that exist for SABC television drama, as well as to assess the ways in which the audience believe social media could be helpful in interacting with SABC television drama. The results for this study are interesting in that the majority of respondents believed that having a hashtag on screen during a drama broadcast would help to increase interactivity with the programme, as it could help direct audiences to the correct interactive space for that programme and they would be able to share their ideas and comments on the drama directly with the producers, making feedback immediate. It was interesting to note that the respondents believed that they could interact with SABC television drama for information relating to the story. The findings suggest that SABC television drama needs to actively adopt social media in its programmes for maximum interaction. There is also the need for an understanding of how they Facebook and Twitter could be embedded in SABC drama. / Communication Science / M.A. (Communication Science)