This thesis is intended to respond to the extent to which South African textbooks on the subject of history is linked to the governmental policy documents and whether they are producing and reproducing national identity. The two textbooks are aimed at students in grade 10. Both books were produced in 2008 but published by different publishers. The essay is based on Norman Faircloughs critical discourse theory which has been supplemented by Michael Billings theory Banal Nationalism, which assumes that it is the national words that remind us daily of our homeland that is producing and reproducing national identity.   The survey shows that both textbooks are closely tied to the government policy document for the teaching of history. The textbooks refer to the policy, both explicitly and implicitly. The two textbooks reproduce a common national identity in South Africa based on the discussions taking place in society. In other words, the textbooks have been influenced by Rainbowism and African Renaissance. The books lift up both the idea of a reconciled South Africa and a proud nation in the continent of Africa. The texts and exercises in the books contribute to the production of national identity by reminding students that they can be proud to be South African in a unique multicultural nation. The analysis also shows that the textbooks strive to include all people in the national community regardless of ethnicity.

<p>Today the talk about global warming and climate change are on top of the public agenda. There for schools and schoolbooks also debate the issue of global warming. A newcomer on the school stage is the sponsored school materials that studies show to be a growing phenomenon. In a debate like that of global warming which is filled with uncertainties and so much political and economic interest, I find it interesting to study how these schoolbooks talk about the issue.</p><p>In my study I have tried to analyze and compare how school materials for primary school discuss the phenomenon of global warming. I have compared two different types of schoolbooks. The first are books published by publishing companies. The other group is sponsored books made by corporations, pressure groups and government organizations which are made available to schools for free. By doing a text analysis of different schoolbooks studied how my material chooses to discuss the <em>global warming and the severity of the problem, the cause, effects and how it can be solved.</em></p><p>My results show that as a whole there is not much difference in how these two types of books talk about global warming. The main focus is on global warming as a serious issue. The only given explanation to the global warming are manmade discharge of greenhouse gases. No alternative natural explanations are given by any of the books. However my study shows that the sponsored material gives a more uncertain and nuanced picture of the issue. The study also shows that the sponsored material has a tendency to focus their reasoning around there own interests.</p>

Having different kinds of literature is an important part of the education in school and schoolbooks, in shape of reading-books, are common in the first year of primary school. The texts pupils encounter in school are important for how they form their identity and thoughts about what is right or wrong and what is natural or unnatural. People of other ethnicity than Swedish, or with another skin colour than white, have often in the past been portrayed negatively in reading-books as if they are of less worth. According to the Curriculum for the Compulsory School System (Lpo94) the school shall act for understanding of all people and every person’s equal value. The study analyses how ethnicity is portrayed in reading-books for pupils in the first year of primary school. I have also compared these books to see if they differ from each other and, if this is the case, how they differ. In addition, I have investigated if the books follow the curriculum of the Swedish school system according to ethnicity. The books I have chosen to analyse are four different schoolbooks published 1995-2008 which are used in Swedish schools in a specific community. The method I have used is text analysis. My results show that some reading-books still portray people with ethnicity other than Swedish in a demeaning way and that “white” people often are shown as the norm. The study also shows good examples of a more diverse inclusion of different settings, characters with other ethnicity and their role in the reading-books. The diversity gives the possibility for a more individual interpretation and gives room to show the multicultural society as the new norm.

Today the talk about global warming and climate change are on top of the public agenda. There for schools and schoolbooks also debate the issue of global warming. A newcomer on the school stage is the sponsored school materials that studies show to be a growing phenomenon. In a debate like that of global warming which is filled with uncertainties and so much political and economic interest, I find it interesting to study how these schoolbooks talk about the issue. In my study I have tried to analyze and compare how school materials for primary school discuss the phenomenon of global warming. I have compared two different types of schoolbooks. The first are books published by publishing companies. The other group is sponsored books made by corporations, pressure groups and government organizations which are made available to schools for free. By doing a text analysis of different schoolbooks studied how my material chooses to discuss the global warming and the severity of the problem, the cause, effects and how it can be solved. My results show that as a whole there is not much difference in how these two types of books talk about global warming. The main focus is on global warming as a serious issue. The only given explanation to the global warming are manmade discharge of greenhouse gases. No alternative natural explanations are given by any of the books. However my study shows that the sponsored material gives a more uncertain and nuanced picture of the issue. The study also shows that the sponsored material has a tendency to focus their reasoning around there own interests.