Under coronapandemin blev det nästan omöjligt att resa, vilket ledde till att fler människor försökte hitta andra sätt att fly vardagen och upptäcka världen på. En teknik som kom i fokus då var Virtual Reality (VR) som skapade möjligheten att resa virtuellt. Det här är en deskriptiv studie som syftar till att ge en djup förståelse för hur en resa i VR upplevs av sina användare. I studien genomfördes ett experiment där fem personer testade VR-mjukvaran National Geographic Explore och genomförde en virtuell resa till Antarktis. Hårdvaran som användes i studien var Oculus Quest (gen1). Deltagarna intervjuades om sina upplevelser av resan och den data som insamlades från intervjuerna analyserades baserat på Giorgis 5 analyssteg. Slutsatser som studien kommit fram till är att tekniken fortfarande behöver finjusteras då den inte lever upp till de förväntningar som användarna har gällande bild, grafik eller kontroller. Resultatet pekar dock på att mediet skapar en känsla av verklighet som användaren ibland inte kan skilja från verkligheten. De tekniker som framför allt skapar den känslan är enligt respondenterna 360 graders filmteknik med 6 degrees of freedom, förstapersonsperspektivet samt interaktionen. En slutsats som dragits är att ju fler sinnen som tekniken lyckas aktivera desto verkligare känns upplevelsen. Experimentdeltagarna kändes sig som mest integrerade i tekniken under de tillfällen i VR-resan som de använde hela kroppen. Resultatet från den här studien pekar på att en anledning till att människan reser, både i VR och fysiskt, är för att fly vardagen, en typ av eskapism. / During the Corona pandemic it became almost impossible to travel. This led to a search for alternative ways of escaping the everyday life and to explore the world. In the light of this the technology Virtual Reality (VR) came into focus. This is a descriptive study who aims to give a deep understanding of how travelling in virtual reality are experienced by its users. In the study an experiment was made where 5 persons tried out the VR-app National Geographic Explore where they took a virtual trip to Antarctica. The hardware that was used in the study was Oculus Quest (gen1). The participants were interviewed about their experiences of the trip. The data that was collected from the interviews was analyzed based on the 5 steps method of Giorgi. Conclusions that where made is that the technology still need adjustments because it does not live up to the user’s expectations about the graphics, the photo, or the controllers. The result, however, indicates that the medium creates a sense of reality, a sense which the users sometimes can’t distinguish from the physical reality. The technologies that the users found most important to create the feeling of immersion and sense of reality was the 360 degrees filming with 6 degrees of freedom, the first-person perspective, and the interaction. A conclusion that’s been made is that the more senses the technology can activate the more integrated and closer to reality does the users feel. The situation when the users felt most integrated in the medium was during the activities when the participants used their bodies and not only their eyes. The result of this study indicates that one reason why people travel, both in VR and physical, is to escape everyday life, a type of escapism.

This thesis will look at the adaptation and transformation of classic mythology in modern movies through the lens of Joseph Campbells’s monomyth or “The Hero’s Journey.” The study delves into how contemporary films, like “Gods of Egypt,” “Clash of the Titans,” “Man of Steel,” and “The Wolverine,” utilize this archetypal narrative structure to craft the modern myths that resonate with the modern audiences. This thesis argues that the monomyth remains a fundamental narrative framwork within the contemporary film culture, adeptly adapted and reimagined to fit the modern storytelling sensibilities. By using qualitative methods, the study conducts a detailed analysis of selected film, identifying the stages of the Hero’s Journey and their alignment with classic mythology. The work of Hafçı and Erbay Aslıtürk in “Superheroes: Myth of Modern Age” and James J. Clauss’s “A Course on Classic Mythology in Film” is employed to contextualize the discussion within the broader scope of mythological influence in movies. These sources provide the necessary insight into how mythological heroes, often characterized by supernatural powers, reflect their cultural context, including social, sociological, and emotional states. Not only that but this thesis also considers Campbell’s book “The Hero with a Thousand Faces,” using its outlined 17 steps of the Hero’s Journey as a key analytical tool.  The thesis aims to demonstrate the enduring relevance of mythology in the modern era, by showing how classical mythologies are not merely historical artifacts but continue to evolve and integrate into contemporary popular culture. So, I there for seek to reveal the mythological storytelling, while rooted in ancient traditions, remains a vibrant and influential force in shaping modern movies narrative.

Zugl.: Hamburg, Univ., Diss., 2008

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / This thesis is an appraisal of curriculum development at the Solomon Mahlangu Freedom College and the Dakawa Development Centre established by the ANC in exile, in Tanzania in 1978 and 1982 respectively. In 1960 the ANC went into exile when it was banned under the Unlawful Organisations Act in the wake of the Sharpeville crisis. The ANC's record in the educational arena from 1912 to 1960 was characterized by reactive responses to state policy as it did not have a structured educational programme that it could offer as an alternative to education for blacks. In the post-1960 period it was faced with a new set of priorities, that is, the huge and complex task of re-organising itself both within South Africa and in exile. In 1978 the ANC established its educational institution, the SOMAFCO High School, in Mazimbu, Tanzania, in the wake of the 1976 uprisings in Soweto and elsewhere in South Africa. In 1980 the project was extended by the establishment of the SOMAFCO Primary School, followed by the Dakawa Development Centre in 1982. Three broad emphases came to the fore when the ANC Education Policy was being formulated in the late 1970s: emphasis on Academic Education; emphasis on Political Education and an emphasis on Polytechnic Education. The ANC Education Department claimed to have formulated a clear and concise education policy in 1978 but sharp debates over the appropriate curriculum for ANC education in exile persisted up to 1992, when the institutions were closed and repatriation to South Africa began The main problem being investigated is why there were such divergent views on the appropriate curriculum for ANC education-in-exile from within the ANC, and in the light of this contestation, what happened in reality to curriculum practice at the institutions. The arguments for Academic, Political and Polytechnic Education are contextualized in the curriculum debates of the times, that is, the zo" century international policy discourse, the African curriculum debates and Apartheid Education in South Africa. This study examines how Academic Education, despite the sharp debates, was institutionalised at the SOMAFCO High School. It also analyses the arguments for and various notions of Political and Polytechnic Education as well as what happened to these in practice at the school. The SOMAFCO Primary School went through three phases of curriculum development. The school opened in 1980 under a 'caretaker' staff and without a structured curriculum. During the second phase 1980-1982 a progressive curriculum was developed by Barbara and Terry Bell. After the Bells resigned in 1982, a conventional academic curriculum was implemented by Dennis September, the new principal. There is debate over why the Dakawa Development Centre was initially opened in 1982. lts objectives were identified at the First Dakawa Seminar in 1982. This study examines curriculum development within its structures: the Vocational Training Centre, the Ruth First Education Orientation Centre and the Raymond Mahlaba Rehabilitation Centre. This study analyses whether the Vocational Training Centre was intended to train students in skills required for the construction of Dakawa or whether it would provide Vocational Education which would lead to the attainment of recognized certification for future employment. It examines whether the Ruth First Education Orientation Centre was an educational facility or a security centre. It also examines the nature of rehabilitation at the Raymond Mahlaba Rehabilitation Centre. The other structures like the farm, small industries and other social facilities are also examined. The study finally traces the relocation of the Dakawa Development Centre to Grahamstown in South Africa.

This study has conducted an analysis of how the monomyth has appeared in the fantasy story Diamond sword wooden sword part 1 and 2 by Nick Perumov. The study has confirmed that the story structure of the monomyth can be detected within several different characters progression. The study does not claim that all of the different stages within the monomyth can be identified within one single characters, but rather that there are several different characters that reinvents the world and the community. Speculations about why the authors story structure follows a ”divided” version of the hero’s journey are presented. The study also conducts an analysis of Perumovs construction of the society, male characters and female characters, which showed no distinct division in the construction of the two genders within the story. The construction of the society is discussed in light of the authors national upbringing, in this case the former Soviet Union, and briefly how the conflict in the world of Melin could be inspired by the Bolshevik revolution in Russia.

Released in 2019, the video game Death Stranding follows the monomythic structure described by Joseph Campbell in his 1949 book The Hero with a Thousand Faces. The journey begins with the protagonist, Sam “Porter” Bridges, reluctantly accepting his calls to adventure, and, as he begins to move west, he receives supernatural aid from an increasing number of helpers he encounters along the way. Crossing the thresh-old, into the world of danger and adventure, has him meeting the threshold guardian Higgs, the primary antagonist of the game. During this first stage, the player of the game learns how to control Sam’s movements and how to navigate this world to-gether with the Bridge Baby known as Lou, who helps Sam on his journey. The second stage of the journey has Sam moving through a road of trials, overcoming both the physical obstacles of the terrain and the emotional obstacles of the people he helps along the way. He is at one point tempted to adopt the Bridge Baby Lou, his primary helper, but resists said temptation and continues on his jour-ney, until he is finally reunited with his sister, Amelie, who is threatening to end hu-manity in an extinction event. The lessons he has learnt on his journey – to focus on helping others and only using violence when the situation calls for it – leads him to his apotheosis, which is the realization of the value of other people and the relation-ships between them. With this realization, and Sam’s physical manifestation of it in his embracing of Amelie, convinces her that humanity deserves to live to die another day, and so the world is saved from falling into ruin. The third stage of Sam’s journey has him struggling to return home, aided at long last by the help of the friends he made on his journey. Sam, however, is uninter-ested in the world he helped save, and aims to return to his life of solitude. Upon his atonement with his father, however, he resolves this internal conflict and he is now free to live life as he wishes – as a father to the now freed baby Lou. The use of game mechanics in Death Stranding ultimately provides the player with alternatives to violence, giving way to a narrative that can contain as-pects of the monomythic hero that are not exclusively related to the typical warrior hero seen in most action games. Instead, the game frames the tools of the warrior as the stepping-stone to the hero as lover, who uses more peaceful means to achieve their goals. This exemplifies the potential of the video game medium as a platform for the monomyth, and how games could come to encompass a wider variety of he-roic figures than those currently available. / Tv-spelet Death Stranding, som släpptes 2019, följer den monomytiska strukturen som beskrivs av Joseph Campbell i hans bok från 1949, The Hero with a Thousand Faces. Resan börjar med att huvudpersonen Sam "Porter" Bridges motvilligt accepterar hans uppmaningar till äventyr, och när han börjar färdas västerut får han övernaturlig hjälp från ett antal personer han möter på vägen. När han korsar tröskeln, in i en värld av fara och äventyr, möter han tröskelväktaren Higgs, spelets främsta antagonist. Under detta första steg lär sig spelaren hur man kontrollerar Sams rörelser och hur man navigerar i denna värld tillsammans med en Bridge Baby känd som Lou, som hjälper Sam på hans resa. Den andra etappen av resan rör sig Sam genom en väg av prövningar och övervinner både de fysiska hindren i terrängen och de känslomässiga hindren för de människor han hjälper på vägen. Han är vid ett tillfälle frestad att adoptera Lou, hans främsta medhjälpare, men motstår nämnda frestelse och fortsätter på sin resa, tills han slutligen återförenas med sin syster, Amelie, vars förmågor hotar att göra slut på mänskligheten i en utrotningshändelse. Lärdomarna han har fått sig på sin resa – att fokusera på att hjälpa andra och bara använda våld när situationen kräver det – leder honom till hans apoteasis, som är insikten om värdet av andra människor och relationerna mellan dem. Denna insikt, och Sams fysiska manifestation av det i hans omfamning av Amelie, övertygar henne om att mänskligheten förtjänar att leva för att dö en annan dag, och så räddas världen från att falla i ruin. Under den tredje etappen av Sams resa får han kämpa för att återvända hem, äntligen med hjälp av vännerna han fick på sin resa. Sam är dock ointresserad av världen han hjälpte till att rädda och siktar på att återvända till sitt liv i ensamhet. Efter sin försoning med sin far löser han dock denna interna konflikt och han är nu fri att leva livet som han vill – som en far till den nu frigivna babyn Lou. Användningen av spelmekanik i Death Stranding ger i slutändan spelaren alternativ till våld, vilket ger vika för ett narrativ som kan innehålla aspekter av den monomytiska hjälten som inte enbart är relaterade till den typiska krigarhjälten som ses i de flesta actionspel. Istället ramar spelet in krigarens verktyg som språngbrädan till hjälten som älskare, som använder mer fridfulla medel för att uppnå sina mål. Detta exemplifierar potentialen hos videospelsmediet som en plattform för monomyten, och hur spel kan komma att omfatta ett bredare utbud av heroiska figurer än de som finns tillgängliga för närvarande.

I början av 1990-talet utbröt den svenska fritidshusboomen bland tyska turister. Den dåvarande låga konjunkturen i Sverige drev på försäljningen av övergivna fritidshus i gles- och landsbygd.  För många tyska turister kunde därmed drömmen av ett eget fritidshus på landet förvekligas. Husköpen ansågs vara en bra investering. En möjlighet att fly det tätbebodda Tyskland, i hopp om ett bättre liv på fritiden. En del bländades dock av Astrid Lindgrens sagolika land och de frestande låga fastighetspriserna. I samtiden brottas tyska fritidshusturister med tankarna att avskaffa sina fritidshus då de vid förvärven tanklöst handlade efter känsla, snarar än förstånd.   Sedan 90-talets början har infrastrukturers utveckling öppnat upp gränserna mellan Tyskland och Sverige allt mer. Som en påföljd av detta har även resekostnader ökats. För dem som vid fritidshusförvärven inte övervägt tillgängligheten kan i dagsläget brottas med höga resekostnader och i längden inte längre finna lönsamheten i sina fritidshus. Fritidshusturisterna är återkommande turister som under flera veckor, året runt vistas i Sverige. De besöker sevärdheter, turistmål, konsumerar samhällsenliga tjänster och driver på den svenska besöksnäringens omsättning. Uteblir de tyska fritidshusturisterna måste turismbranschen börja tänka om.

Purpose: This study aims to produce a design proposal of standard parkings for future environmentally friendly vehicles that can be used everywhere. It also submits a proposal for a part within Västerås city zone 1 where curbside car park can be replaced. Method: An external analysis containing a questionnaire study, interviews with experts in municipalities in 4 other selected cities, Örebro, Uppsala, Gent and Copenhagen combined with a literature study and a case study of the city of Västerås parkingzone 1 was performed. All material were collected to analyze how to design and were to place parkings for ecological environmentally friendly vehicles. Results: The results shows that a lot can be done in Västerås in terms of parking. The design and layout must include more types of vehicles as well as better amenities and security. This study gives suggestions and example of how to design and plan parkingspace for the future. Conclusions: The conclusion is that there are factors that slows the process down. The knowledge is great with the planners department but the information and knowledge in the population is lacking as well as the will and determination at the municipal politicians. There is also an architectural aspect on the shaping of parkings that don’t follow the user ́s needs. Another conclusion is that a wider variety of parking is needed in the future.

In der vorliegenden Arbeit geht es um den Reisebericht, den der 1963 11-jährige Autor H.-J. Ortheil von einer Wanderung mit seinem Vater entlang der Mosel anfertigte. Dabei wird  untersucht, wie das Kind die "Fremde" wahrnimmt und mit der ihm vertrauten Heimat vergleicht, welche Erzählstrukturen es verwendet, und wie es sich auf der Reise zu größerer Selbstständigkeit entwickelt.  Das literarische Können des jungen Autors überrascht: Die Moselreise  könnte geradezu als Anleitung für die Methode dienen, die der Autor auch heute noch als "Professor für Kreatives Schreiben" lehrt: "Wie schreibe ich einen spannenden Reisebericht?" / I detta arbete handlar det om en reseskildring som den 1963 11-årige författare H.-J. Ortheil skrev över vandringen, som han gjorde tillsammans med sin pappa längs Moseln. Det undersöks hur barnet upplever den främmande omgivningen, vilka stukturer den använder i sin berättelse och hur den utvecklas genom sin resa. Barnet är litterärt begåvad och man kunde använda "Die Moselreise"  som handbok över  "Hur skriver man en spännande reseskildring?", eftersom metoden är samma som författaren, som nuförtiden är "Professor för kreativt skrivandet" rekommenderar idag.