Thesis (M.S.)--Boston University / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / 2999-01-01

In this dissertation, I interrogate the relationship of the smartphone as a mobile screen technology with time-consciousness demanded of the entrepreneurial self in South Korea since the 1997 financial crisis. Neoliberalism has been largely discussed in terms of the structural shift in economy by the S. Korean mass media. However, neoliberalism is not merely an economic shift, but an overhaul of society, whose impact is rehearsed and reinforced in culture. One of the key elements of this culture is the idealization of entrepreneurism. I explain the rise of entrepreneurship, especially self-improvement as life ethic in neoliberal S. Korea. I also discuss it in relation to the developmental democratic citizenship, meaning that democratization in the late 1980s has been co-opted by the national motto of S. Korea, “economy first” established under dictatorship in the 1970s. Within such neoliberal culture, the smartphone socializes users into relentlessly self-improving subjects, offering what I describe as the “attractions of participation.” I examine the perceptual relationships between the mobile screen and the entrepreneurial self, particularly set up by two specific apps: the Facebook app and a series of the tourist augmented reality apps called In My Hands launched by the S. Korean government to promote tourism in the country. The Facebook app, I suggest, promotes self-therapy that is built through a new mode of autobiographical narrative that joins together fragmented events, experiences, or thoughts in a user’s day with others. Self-therapy is also performed through incessant scrolling and checking. This mode of construction of self-identity is a response to and participates in neoliberal ethic of self-care in S. Korea under the hyper stimulated affective universe of contemporary capitalism. The tourist AR apps produce the “knowledge worker,” i.e., the self-motivated, self-educated and driven intellectual labor of the global gig economy. These apps encourage the user to seek information about heritage sites instantaneously and as if in a game, reconfiguring the user’s relation to the place. I also contrast these apps with contemporary arts practices that pose alternative temporalities in terms of a notion of community and history. I explore Heung-soon Im’s documentary film Factory Complex (2014) and Hyun-suk Seo’s performance Heterotopia (2011), for their surrealistic evocation of the disorientations and contradictions of the neoliberal turn in S. Korea. In conclusion, I suggest the user’s contingent and alternative relation to the mobile screen through individual practices, along with the example of the democratic movement from 2016 winter to 2017 spring in S. Korea. Overall this dissertation develops an understanding of the entrepreneurial individual in a neoliberal world. It elaborates on the contradictions in neoliberalism between individual freedom and the voluntary subjugation to capital by the increasing precarity of life. This dissertation offers an understanding of the neoliberal culture of self-improvement and its relation to the mobile screen in S. Korean context. In addition, this is a theoretical attempt to understand the visuality of the computerized screen. It raises a question computer user is indeed an emancipated spectator occupying multiple perspectives. Lastly, this dissertation provides an opportunity to reconsider a variety of media art practices highlighting interactivity and participation in terms of subjectivity and time-consciousness.

Tyrimo objektas: Moksleivių fizinė saviugda. Tyrimo tikslas: Ištirti mokinių fizinę saviugdą. Tyrimo uždaviniai: 1. Ištirti mokinių fizinės saviugdos suvokimą. 2. Ištirti fizinės saviugdos suvokimą, lyties aspektu. 3. Ištirti fizinės saviugdos suvokimą, amžiaus aspektu. Tyrimo metodai: • Literatūros šaltinių analizė. • Anketinė apklausa. • Matematinė statistika Dauguma tyrime dalyvavusiųjų mokinių nesupranta kas yra fizinė saviugda. Nemaža dalis mano, kad fizinė saviugda nėra būtina. Nors beveik pusė mokinių savo gyvenime taiko vienokias ar kitokias jos formas, tačiau nepasiekia arba nesuvokia jos rezultatų. Berniukai labiau nei mergaitės visiškai nežino kas yra saviugda, nemano, kad ji yra būtina. Galvoja, kad tai yra mokymasis būti savimi. Berniukai labiau linkę sportuoti savo malonumui, žymiai rečiau nei mergaitės kuria fizinės saviugdos programas. Tačiau dažniau pasiekia fizinės saviugdos rezultatų. Dauguma mergaičių mano, kad fizinė saviugda yra labai svarbi žmogaus gyvenimo dalis. Labiau linkusios lankyti kūno kultūros pamokas bei sporto būrelius. Tačiau rečiau bando sukurti asmeninę fizinės saviugdos programą, bei nesuvokia rezultatų. Nes nežino kaip ir mano, kad niekas jom nepadeda ir nepalaiko. Su amžiumi mokiniai labiau suvokia fizinės saviugdos sąvoką, jos rezultatus pastebi savo asmeninį tobulėjimą. Jauniausi iš jų (10-13) metų amžiaus, labiausiai linkę lankyti kūno kultūros pamokas, būrelius bei treniruotes. Tačiau mažiausiai siekia bei suvokia savo... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Aim of the research: To investigate the students' physical self-education. Subject of the research: students' physical self-education. Goals of the research: To investigate the students' physical self- education . To investigate the physical self-education of gender-specific. To investigate the physical self-education of age discrimination. Methodology of the research: analysis of the literature, The quiz. The percentage of distribution. Most of the students who were surveyed do not understand what is the physical self. Many feel that the physical self Neara necessary. Although almost half of the students in your life use of one or another of its forms, but does not reach or do not realize its results. Boys more than girls completely unaware of what is self-education, does not believe that it is necessary. Think that it is learning to be yourself. Boys are more likely to play sports for fun, much less than girls whose physical self programs. But more often reaches physical self results. Most girls think that the physical self is a highly important part of human life. More likely to attend physical education classes and sports clubs. However, less is trying to create a personalized program of physical self and realize results. They do not know how, and believes that no one runs short, and does not support it. With age the students more aware of physical self-concepts, the results notes their personal development. The youngest of them (10-13) years of age are most... [to full text]

This thesis provides an analysis of one of the leading twenty-first century media-evangelists: Joel Osteen. His popularity is worldwide and has only increased over his seventeen years of ministry. His preaching and teachings enjoy sustained popularity resulting in book sales, internet downloads, radio listenership and television viewership in the millions. He has also created arguably the largest interracial congregation in the United States, boasting around 50,000 members, the Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas. Due to his celebrity he is simply known to many of his viewers and listeners as Joel. This is primarily due to his expert use of new and social media, promoting his distinct version of Christianity. For all his success and many followers, Osteen himself remains something of an enigma. Decoding this enigma is at the heart of this thesis. Section 1 (chapters 1, 2, 3, 4) outlines the pertinent literature and methodology used in this dissertation to examine Osteen’s various contexts anchored in the spiritual media marketplace. This is followed by a discussion on the different critiques of Osteen as well as his followers’ emphasis on his expressive theology. Critics vilify Osteen, particular the New Calvinists who chide him for his lack of theological knowledge. By contrast, his followers commonly celebrate his ministry crediting him with life changing insights that have blessed their religiosity and reaped healing, fulfilment and a deepening relationship with God. Section 2 (chapters 5, 6 and 7) places Osteen in both historical and theological contexts that include the dawning of televangelism and Osteen’s theological background. Both shed invaluable light on Osteen. Section 3 (chapters 8, 9, and 10) takes into consideration Osteen’s expressive theology in his preaching, writing and media use, and provides insights into the heretofore-ignored strands of his theology present in both his online and offline communication. This section demonstrates how Osteen’s teaching on self-improvement, faith, and what he terms as ‘God’s favour’ are integrated into his works in relation to his approach to historical Christianity. This thesis therefore takes a more comprehensive and nuanced approach than previous interpretations of Osteen. The conclusions of this research provide rich insight into Osteen’s enigmatic theology and approach, while also interpreting his import in the on-going narrative of media-evangelicalism in American religious culture.

In the present-time society, where constant and intensive changes of life take place, where the idea of lifelong learning is being focused on, educational systems as well as the situation of school’s and pedagogues’ activities are undergoing changes. The significance of teachers’ constant up-dating increases; not the finite knowledge but the ability to constantly learn, improve one’s personality and professional skills become the main feature of professional mastery. Exactly this is the point towards which the system which is being formed at the moment for improvement of pedagogues is oriented in order to provide conditions for every teacher to constantly improve one’s own competency; it also reduces the gap between institutions training pedagogues and schools which undergo changes. Training of music teachers who are able to effectively strive for aims of musical education always has been among the most topical and problematic issues; that is why a special role falls on lifelong professional improvement of music teachers themselves. In order to ensure successfulness of this process, researches which disclose peculiarities of self-improvement of music teachers and factors which predetermine it are a must. The present study explores the demands and conditions for self-improvement of music teachers in the context of lifelong learning. It is aimed to disclose the factors which stimulate and limit professional self-improvement as well as to assess existing educational conditions... [to full text]

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1969. / Vita. Typescript. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references.

This dissertation intervenes in the larger academic and popular discussion of hacking by looking at life hacking. In essence, life hacking presumes that your life is amenable to hacks the same way a computer system might be. As both a metaphor and a practice, life hacking occupies a popular but under-analyzed position in contemporary American culture. The recent broadening of the computer term “hacking” to encompass all of life’s activities suggests the degree to which people are increasingly thinking about everything in computational terms. Life hacking is important to attend to precisely because it reveals how the rhetoric of hacking and the subjectivity of the hacker have become normalized. This rhetoric and subject position carry particular valences, valences that are deeply rooted in Western culture, including especially a way of thinking about the world that David Golumbia calls “computationalism.” In a computerized world, hacking becomes the preferred “way of seeing.” But, significantly, it is a way of seeing that is in line with long traditions in U.S. culture of self-making and technofetishism. In order to show this, I trace life hacking’s metamorphoses through three critically important and interlinked realms—life hacking, digital minimalism, and prof hacking—before concluding by looking briefly at a fourth—pickup artists. This dissertation seeks to identify how these different instances of life hacking relate to each other, to trace how life hacking has changed over time, and to explain how life hacking broadly speaking is best viewed as an episode not only in the larger history of hacking but in the larger history of American culture.

While the idea of self-help has historically been associated with women the growing popularity of online self-improvement groups has attracted both sexes. The growing popularity of people like Jordan Peterson and Andrew Tate - who speak of the importance of self-improvement alongside anti-feminist rhetoric - within the Manosphere online community also shows a trend of self-improvement moving towards a male audience. This study aims to examine the foundations of the self-improvement rhetoric and its relation to Michel Foucualt’s theory of the discourse of discipline and Raewyn Connell’s theory of hegemonic masculinity. Previous research on the topic of self-improvement has found arguments for the rhetoric as containing and perpetrating ideals of neoliberalism as well as the forming of citizens in line with the needs of capitalism. With the growing presence of more explicit promotions of masculine hegemony our study aims to provide another look into the world of hegemonic masculinity through less obvious promotions of it. With a thematic analysis of a Reddit-thread on self-improvement, our study finds that the rhetoric of the subreddit relies on (1) the presumed knowledge of a rational subject, (2) an ideal of control as the ultimate goal and (3) the reinforcement of these through specific strategies. Furthermore we find that the ideals that are perpetuated through this discourse are gendered in nature and correlate to the depiction of Connell’s transnational business masculinity. / Medan idén om självhjälp historiskt sett har associerats med kvinnor, har den växande populariteten av självförbättringsgrupper online lockat båda könen. Den växande populariteten av personer som Jordan Peterson och Andrew Tate – som talar om vikten av självförbättring samtidigt med användandet av antifeministisk retorik – inom Manosphere online-communityn visar också en trend av att självförbättringsämnet numera rör en manlig publik. Denna studie syftar till att undersöka grunderna för självförbättringens retorik och dess relation till Michel Foucaults teori om diskursen kring disciplin och Raewyn Connells teori om hegemonisk maskulinitet. Tidigare forskning på ämnet självförbättring har funnit argument för att retoriken innehåller och bevarar ideal om nyliberalism såväl som formandet av medborgare i linje med kapitalismens behov. Med den växande närvaron av mer explicita främjande av maskulin hegemoni syftar vår studie till att ge en ny inblick i världen av hegemonisk maskulinitet genom mindre uppenbara skildringar av den. Med en tematisk analys av en Reddit-tråd om självförbättring, finner vår studie att trådens retorik bygger på (1) den förgivettagna kunskapen om existensen av ett rationellt subjekt, (2) ett ideal om kontroll som det slutliga målet och (3) förstärkningen av dessa genom specifika strategier. Vidare finner vi att de ideal som bevaras genom denna diskurs är könsbaserade och korrelerar med skildringen av Connells transnationella affärsmaskulinitet.

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This thesis examines the feelings of generational anxiety in the Mormon community from 1869 to 1890 and how those feelings intersected with ideas about reading. During this time, older members of the Mormon community in Utah Territory feared how changes in and threats to Mormon society might negatively affect young people's beliefs, abilities, knowledge, and adherence to their parents' religion. Older Mormons recognized a potential ally and enemy in books, newspapers, and other reading materials, which they believed could dramatically shape young people for good or for ill depending on the quality of the material. This thesis argues these older Mormons borrowed many elements from other US literary cultures and repurposed them for distinctly Mormon ends, including achieving theosis (chapter 1), navigating changing dynamics in Mormon families (chapter 2), and building their utopic society, Zion (chapter 3). This research adds to the work of those scholars who have combined the history of Mormonism with book history. It incorporates the voices of everyday Mormons to bring into focus the entire ecosystem of reading for young Mormons by focusing not only on fiction but also on biography, scripture, "Church works," history, and other genres. It examines not only discourse but also institutionalized programs and actions, such as the 1888 MIA Course of Reading (chapter 4), that shaped Mormons' world of reading. Such an examination begins to sharpen our understanding of the relationship of print and religion in America and what reading meant to Mormons. / Master of Arts / The years from 1869 to 1890 constituted a time of change and worry for the Mormon community in Utah Territory. The completion of the transcontinental railroad and the federal government's increasingly vehement attacks on Mormon polygamy, among other factors, led to worries among older Mormons about the future of their community. They particularly worried about the commitment of the upcoming generation of Mormons, who had not converted to the faith but had just been born into it. This thesis examines how those feelings of worry intersected with ideas about reading. Older Mormons recognized a potential ally in reading materials that could help young people become believing, productive members who would help ensure the future of their community. This thesis argues these older Mormons borrowed many elements from other US literary cultures and repurposed them for distinctly Mormon ends, including achieving theosis (chapter 1), navigating changing dynamics in Mormon families (chapter 2), and building their utopic society, Zion (chapter 3). It examines not only the rhetoric surrounding "good" or "bad" reading but also the institutionalized programs and actions, such as the 1888 MIA Course of Reading (chapter 4), that shaped Mormons' world of reading. Such an examination begins to sharpen our understanding of the relationship of print and religion in America and what reading meant to Mormons.