The thesis deals with the phenomenon of play and games as a basic principle of human culture. Play has been present in all the fields of human culture and has been a crucial element for creating its dynamism ever since. The theoretical part stems from the works which are concerned with the theories of play. The most significant are Homo Ludens by Johan Huizinga, Oase des Glücks (The Oasis of Happiness), Spiel als Weltsymbol (Play as a Symbol of World) by Eugen Fink and Les jeux et les hommes (Man, Play and Games) by Roger Calloise who brings new viewpoint to this topic. The key element of this work is the manifestation of the topic in the fine arts. The thesis specifies its focus on the Czech fine Arts scene of the 20th and 21st century. The didactic part is focused on the possibility of the use of play and games in the lessons of Arts. It poses open-ended questions how to use play and games not only as a means of motivation but also as a tool of creation.

This research address the topic of hipster phenomenon and its discursive manifestations in the online magazine VICE. The theoretical part of the thesis submits the basic discursive frameworks which serve as a theoretical anchoring for the practical part based on discursive analysis of the articles. The analysis itself is based on 11 articles mainly from the section ​Remembering the Hipster, ​which was chosen as the most appropriate for this study. The aim of the thesis is to explore the main discursive manifestations of hipster culture in those articles and to find out, whether those reproduced manifestations overlap with identified categories from the theoretical part, or whether they differ from each other. The main purpose of this analysis is then to find out what does it mean to be ​hipster according to VICE magazine contributors.

Cette thèse avait pour objectif de mettre en place et d’appliquer les techniques de mesure de champs de déplacements et de déformations (corrélation d’images numériques CIN) pour caractériser le comportement mécanique non linéaire de matériaux réfractaires. L’étude a été réalisée sur différents types de matériaux présentant des degrés variables de flexibilité : un matériau modèle monophasé à base de titanate d’aluminium (TA VF) et des matériaux industriels multi-phasés à base de magnésie. La flexibilité dans le cas du TA VF est obtenue grâce à l’anisotropie de la dilatation thermique entre les trois axes cristallographiques, et dans le cas des matériaux industriels grâce à la différence de coefficients de dilatation entre les agrégats de spinelle et la matrice magnésienne. Ces matériaux industriels ayant une déformation à rupture plus faible, la technique de corrélation d’images a dû être optimisée en ajustant au mieux les conditions expérimentales.La CIN et la méthode de suivi de marqueurs ont permis de mettre en évidence le caractère dissymétrique du comportement mécanique en flexion du TA VF entre la zone de l’éprouvette sollicitée en traction et celle en compression et d’investiguer le déplacement relatif des rouleaux du dispositif de flexion. Cette dissymétrie de comportement engendre un déplacement progressif de la fibre neutre au fur et à mesure que la charge appliquée augmente. Cette technique a ensuite été étendue à d’autres essais tels que l’essai brésilien et le Wedge Splitting appliqués aux matériaux industriels magnésiens. La CIN a ainsi permis d’illustrer les mécanismes de rupture (initiation et propagation de fissures) et de mettre en évidence la présence de phénomènes de « crack branching » obtenus grâce au réseau initial de microfissures volontairement généré au sein du matériau par différentiel de dilatation entre phases dans le but d’améliorer sa résistance aux chocs thermiques. Enfin, à partir des champs de déplacements obtenus par corrélation d’images, la méthode de recalage par éléments finis a été développée et utilisée pour déterminer l’évolution des propriétés élastiques du matériau pendant l’essai. / The present thesis aimed to apply digital image correlation (DIC) used for kinematic fields’ measurements as a support for the experimental characterization of refractory materials with specific non-linear behaviour. Model and industrial materials with different degrees of flexibility were studied. The first type of materials was a single phase model flexible aluminium titanate material (AT VF) developed for academic purposes by improving the grain growth. Its non-linear mechanical behaviour was obtained thanks to the thermal expansion mismatch of its grains according to the different crystallographic axis. The second one is multi-phased magnesia based industrial materials, whose flexibility is less accentuated, and for which the non-linear mechanical behaviour is obtained thanks to the thermal expansion coefficients mismatch between spinel aggregates and magnesia matrix. In order to apply the optical methods on these materials which exhibit lower strain-to-rupture, it was necessary to optimize the accuracy of these techniques by improving experimental conditions.In the case of AT VF, DIC and mark tracking method have been applied on four-points bending test at room temperature to underline the material asymmetric mechanical behaviour which induces a significant shift of the neutral fibre and to evaluate the relative displacement of rolls. The application of DIC has been extended to other experimental testing method such as Brazilian and Wedge Splitting test using the multi-phased magnesia based materials. This highlighted fracture mechanisms (crack occurrence and propagation) and the presence of crack branching phenomenon promoted thanks to an initial micro-cracks network voluntary introduced by thermal expansion mismatch between the different phases so as to improve their thermal shock resistance. From displacement experimentally obtained by DIC, a finite element method updating (FEMU-U) has been developed to determine material properties.

It seems that online retail is erasing the presence of physical stores, referred to as the retail apocalypse. Consumers’ desire to experience brands is increasing whilst sensory experiences in the online retail environment are limited. It is increasingly important for brands to be attainable through physical interaction for consumers to stay loyal, a fundament for the experience economy. Therefore, the pop up phenomenon could be considered an approach to blur the line between physical and online stores. The aim of this research is to create an understanding of how the pop up phenomenon is experienced by phygital companies in Sweden, exploring their use of multisensory marketing through pop ups and the effect it has on the brand. A qualitative and exploratory approach with semi-structured and asynchronous interviews including nine managers from the pop up industry was conducted. The data collected was analysed through a thematic approach and compared to existing literature. From the findings, two pop up purposes were identified: (1) pop ups with a long-term marketing purpose to enhance the brand, and (2) pop ups with a short-term selling purpose. Further, the empirical findings of this study suggest that the usage of multisensory experiences was recurrently found to be done unintentionally by the firms, indicating a lack of knowledge of its impact on customer behaviour in the long-term. From combining literature and findings a model was created explaining how firms can use the pop up phenomenon to successfully enhance the company’s brand. This research provides insights of managers’ personal experiences of the phenomenon and explores how pop ups can be a useful tool for a company's brand.

Diploma theses "Medial representations of success in Czech series after 1989" is researching, how is through six Czech television series presented the success. Medial images are an important source of knowledge of our current society. Success itself is a phenomenon we are facing daily in our lives. A large part of this experience is made through the media. The purpose of this work is to identify, which key phenomena of society distinguished values has been viewed in selected series (Konec velkých prázdnin, Život na zámku, Ranč U Zelené sedmi, Reportérka, Semestr and Terapie). Through the observations we are able to describe which images were mostly displayed, which at least and with who it has been connected. Thanks to this, we can review whether these medial representations of success are indulgent with their own evaluation of this concept. The recognizability of these phenomena and its interpretation is considered as a parameter of an individual personalities and their observation is being the typical subject of stereotyping. The conclusion of the thesis shows what is the development of representation of success in the Czech series and which picture of the current society has been created by these interpretations.

This diploma thesis deals with the partial analysis of two teaching materials which are used while teaching German as a foreign language. These materials are Themen aktuell 1 and Direkt neu 1, which are frequently utilized at secondary schools for the teaching of German at the language level A1-A2. The analysis of these teaching materials concentrates on the presentation of the grammar curriculum. The theoretical part of this diploma thesis deals with the teaching methods, current trends and also with the role of the teaching material in teaching. In the practical part of this diploma thesis the analysis of the presentation and the practice of the selected grammatical phenomena and also the classification of the exercises, which are found in the teaching materials, is carried out. The practical part also presents the results of the test, which was carried out on the basis of selected grammatical phenomena at Akademické gymnázium, school of the capital city Prague and Biskupské gymnázium J. N. Neumanna in České Budějovice. At Akademické gymnázium German is taught according to the teaching material called Themen aktuell 1, while at Biskupské gymnázium it is taught according to Direkt neu 1. The grammatical phenomena were selected on the basis of the fact, what subject matter the learners were taught,...

This study aims to articulate on the basis of Jean-Luc Marion's philosophy a mystical interpretation of subjectivity. The first chapter follows Marion's reading of the history of metaphysics, in order to set-up the transcendental conditions of the mutual exclusion of God and the self. The second chapter takes up Marion's alternative to expand the field of philosophical rationality which metaphysics had limited. Marion proposes a phenomenology of givenness to overcome the limits of metaphysical thought. The final chapter attempts to establish a link between mysticism, understood in the specific sense of the primacy of the Good over Being, and the gifted, or the new figure of subjectivity. keywords : Jean-Luc Marion, history of metaphysics, phenomenology of givenness, saturated phenomenon, mystical theology

This study examines the discursive development of the viral online phenomenon known by the hashtag #swedengate. Having originally revolved around Swedish dinner customs, the discussion and the meaning of ‘Swedengate’ soon came to encompass more serious themes, including various forms of criticism directed at Sweden. Due to the political significance such a development could imply, this study aims to map the renegotiation of meaning of the phenomenon over time and analyze it using a discourse theoretical framework. Moreover, to reflect upon the political aspect of such renegotiation, by contrasting Swedengate to literature on hashtag politics, virality and nation branding. Empirically, the study draws on Twitter hashtag data that represents concurrent hashtag usage related to the hashtag #swedengate within a time span of 39 weeks. Using social network analysis, this data is visualized and presented as a network graph offering a discursive and temporal representation of the interaction that is constitutive of Swedengate. With reference to several of Laclau and Mouffe's key concepts, the analysis shows that the graph can be understood as an articulation process, within which the hashtag #sweden functions as a floating signifier whose meaning is negotiated upon by various antagonistically positioned discourses. As a result of the floating signifier being articulated differently and through the formation of equivalence chains, the meaning of Swedengate came to include everything from vaccine skepticism to criticism of the Swedish government. Consequently, the study discusses the possibility of phenomenon such as Swedengate being exploited by actors with a specific political ambition.

The study examined the impostor phenomenon among undergraduate and graduate students at a Predominantly White Institution (PWI). Participants were recruited from various undergraduate and graduate programs at a PWI located in Northeastern U.S. There were 414 participants, all of whom completed an online Qualtrics survey, which included measures on demographics, sense of belonging, impostor phenomenon, mindset, perceived social support, and depression. Results indicated a significantly positive relationship between impostor phenomenon and depression. Perceived social support and sense of belonging significantly moderated this relationship. Female and Other (Transgender, Non-Binary, and Non-Gender-Specified) participants experienced a significantly higher level of impostor feelings than Male participants. Asian and Other (African American, Hispanic, Latinx, Middle Eastern, Biracial, and Multiracial) participants experienced significantly lower levels of perceived social support than White participants, but did not experience significantly different levels of impostor phenomenon or sense of belonging compared to White participants. Lastly, there was no significant relationship between fixed mindset and impostor phenomenon. In light of these results, there are several recommendations for universities, including increasing the amount of support groups.

[pt] A presente Tese aborda a fofoca como fenômeno comunicativo, investigando, em específico, seu significado social e cultural no Brasil. A análise teórica concentra-se em três aspectos principais: (1) a dinâmica situacional dos elementos pragmaticamente constitutivos de uma ação caracterizável como fofoca; (2) a recorrência dos conteúdos de mensagens trocadas a tal título e sob outras variantes semânticas e (3) os empregos concretos da fofoca como instrumento na prática social. Uma vez delimitada como fenômeno geral, passo a apreciar a dinâmica específica da fofoca no Brasil. Assim, analiso sua relevância a partir da noção de liminaridade segundo Victor Turner, considerando certos eventos em que a fofoca se manifesta em uma cultura marcada por fortes traços de predomínio da oralidade, fixidez hierárquica e trânsito relacional. / [en] This Thesis addresses gossip as a communicative phenomenon, investigating, specifically, its social and cultural significance in Brazil. The theoretical analysis focuses on three main aspects: (1) the situational dynamics of the pragmatically constitutive elements of an action characterized as gossip; (2) the recurrence of the contents of messages exchanged under this name and under other semantic variants and (3) the concrete uses of gossip as an instrument in social practice. Once defined as a general phenomenon, I begin to appreciate the specific dynamics of gossip in Brazil. Thus, I analyze its relevance based on the notion of liminality according to Victor Turner, considering certain events in which gossip manifests itself in a culture marked by strong oral predominance, hierarchical fixity and relational transit.