In the social sciences, geopolitical theory is used in order to analyze states actions and commitments when it comes to foreign policy. This thesis develops a new understanding of geopolitical theory. Firstly, the development and application of geopolitical theory, from its foundations in the early twentieth century to contemporary geopolitical studies is discussed. Secondly a revised understanding of the variables integrated in the concept and how it can be operationalized as an analytical tool is presented and tested empirically.The critical assessment of the research field of geopolitical theory tells us that six different geopolitical perspectives have been considered the most influential (room, strategy, power projection, identity, affiliation and governance) when it comes to analyzing state action. This model is applied as an analytical tool and thus tested on a single case.

This essay focuses on the elderly and their religious beliefs and is based on the origin idea of a secular Sweden, but where immigration has been the source of additional various religious affiliations. This study intends to nuance the problems that previous researchers focused on when doing research on immigration, by interviewing staff members of nursing homes in immigrant dense areas, especially Malmoe, Gothenburg and Stockholm.The aim is to investigate how the allocation of residents, with different religious than Protestant Christians, is distributed at nursing homes and to see if there is a need for adjustments. Additionally, the thesis about immigrants and immigrants' identity and attitudes to Swedish society is discussed with John Berry´s acculturation theories and strategies.The results show that the majority of the nursing homes have residents with different religious affiliations and that some practical adjustments have been done, but it also shows that nursing homes have changed to the extent that they have adapted to a secular society. Ignorance and prejudice contribute to the problem in terms of seeing all residents as individuals and at the same time ensuring adaption according to all their needs, which is exemplified in the solutions made by using multi-cultural staff members and specialized departments. The relationship between nursing homes and the Swedish church continues but the role of the church service has changed.

Compared to all existing ethnic groups in Sweden, the integration of Somali women has failed the most within the aspect of employment. This bachelor?s thesis investigates the obstacles in the integration of Somali women by focusing on one case, a project named ?Kvinnokraft?, partly financed by the European Socialfund.By interviewing eight key actors, opinions about obstacles in the project have been identified. A theoretical framework that incorporates integration, project research, multi-level governance and intersectionality contributes to explaining difficulties in integrating Somali women.The empirical findings show that there are individual, social and institutional holdbacks. Stereotypical perceptions were common amongst officials, which contributes to a creation of an inferior position in the structures of the society for Somali women.

Title: I saw it on Facebook ? Youth presentation of self on FacebookAuthors: Nicole Dreher & Anders SkoglundPresented: 01.06.2010Purpose: The purpose of this thesis was to examine how the, in the study, participating youths make their presentation of self on their Facebook profiles.Methodology: The method used in the thesis was a social semiotic analysis focusing on the social semiotic concepts: semiotic resource, semiotic potential, affordance, denotation and connotation. A social semiotic analysis of composition was also used with the purpose to gain a deeper knowledge of the social semiotic affordances of Facebook?s composition.Theoretical perspectives: The theoretical base of this thesis consists mainly of Erving Goffman?s theory on presentation of self in everyday life as well as relevant theories to youth culture in sociology and identity in social psychology.Conclusions: The results show that the youth?s presentations of selves mostly takes place in their profile picture, status updates, groups, fan pages and through their communication with other users on their wall. The borders between front and back stage on Facebook entirely depends on the norms that the reader expects the profile owner to uphold.

This thesis deals with the issues of participation and influence in the multicultural society. The aim with the study is twofold, first to identify determinants improving participation and influence in this context, and second to see if the ecouragement of a strong civil society in ethnic segregated areas is a possible way forward to a multicultural democracy. This is conducted through a case study of brobyggarna in Malmo, Sweden, and how they as an integration policy is working with these questions. Six qualitative interviews have been conducted with seven persons workning as brobyggare or in close connection with them. Toghether with readings of earlier research this material is analysed through an eclectic model with theories put together in five analythic dimensions, Multicultural democracy, Social milieu, Unequal possibillities to participate and influence and Local powerstructures.

The purpose of this study was to examine how Swedish newspapers framed the campaign Earth Hour. Did media encourage their audience to join in and how did they create a sense of togetherness regarding the campaign?The theories connected to the study are media logic, media events, identity and the media, collective togetherness, symbolic interactionism and discourse. The method used was a qualitative discourse analysis. We analysed three Swedish newspapers: Aftonbladet, Barometern and Svenska Dagbladet.

Title: The decisive opinion - A qualitative study of consumers opinions of eight Swedish fashion companies.Seminar date: 2008-01-14Course: Candidate thesis media and communication, 15 ECTS,Authors: Micela Danielsson, Frida ÅhsAdvisor: Larsåke LarssonFive keywords: Profile, Image, Brand, Fashion and AdvertisingPurpose: The purpose with this study is to evaluate and discuss the connection between profile and the companies? image in the eye of the consumer.Methodology: A qualitative method has been used in the paper, focusgruops interview with respondents from Örebro.Theoretical perspectives: The overall theory of the paper is describing fashion theory. profile, identity and image and advertising.Empirical foundation: Consumers from Örebro have made a contribution to the basis of our empirical study.Conclusions: The results show that fashion and clothes play a big part for the consumers and they ascribe it the part as a way to show their identity, image and express them selves. For none of the companies profile and image did not have a full connection, but a lot of times there were parts of the profile and image that had a connection. The questioned states that they get their opinions from merchandise, stores, store employees and different kinds of advertising.

Att behärska två språk och två länders syn på pedagogik är en bra förutsättning om man vill undersöka och jämföra dessa två länders syn på barn med funktionsnedsättning. Syftet med föreliggande uppsats är därmed att belysa hur skolans styrdokument i Sverige och i Ungern formulerar och beskriver barn med funktionsnedsättning. En del av syftet är också att finna likheter och skillnader mellan det svenska och det ungerska styrdokumentet.Som material till ändamålet används den nya svenska Skollagen (2010) och den ungerska Utbildningslagen (1993). Analysen genomfördes med analysverktyget diskursanalys där jag har analyserat språket som beskriver barn med funktionsnedsättning.Resultaten visar att båda skollagarna har en tydlig koppling till de gällande internationella dokumenten där allas lika värde poängteras. Den svenska Skollagen har dessutom en relationell och deltagande syn på funktionsnedsättning medan den ungerska Utbildningslagen, som är 17 år äldre än den svenska lagen, betonar en kompensatorisk och individinriktad syn..

Med utgångspunkt i de senaste årens uppmärksamhet kring den svenska Polisen och de konflikter som uppstått mellan arbetsgivare och arbetstagare väcktes ett intresse att studera vad som låg bakom dessa problem. Det visade sig att merparten av de problem som uppstått grundade sig i att anställda uppträtt på sätt som inte ansågs gynnande för organisationen och dess förtroende hos allmänheten. Studien ämnar besvara frågor kring hur Polisen som organisation formar sina anställda med utgångspunkt i teorier om identitetsarbete.En kvalitativ undersökning genomfördes med studier av organisatoriska dokument och genom semistrukturerade intervjuer. De intervjuade består av personer verksamma inom den svenska Polisen. Dessutom intervjuades personer från svenska Polisförbundet, det fackförbund som organiserar närmast alla Sveriges yrkesverksamma poliser.I resultatet framkom indikationer på, utifrån de teoretiska begrepp som har valts för studien, att hur individerna formar sina identiteter är relativt individuellt.

The purpose of this thesis is to study what motivational factors motivates the staff in the public elderly care and to investigate how the staff ranks the different motivational factors and if the rankings differ depending on gender, age, education, type of employment, time of employment, employer, income and ethnic background. The thesis is based on a questionnaire study with a total of 97 participants. The questionnaire was constructed with the help of prior similar studies conducted in the USA and Malaysia over a sixty-year time period. These studies are then used to analyze the results. The participants in our thesis were given ten motivational factors to rank according to what they believed motivated them the most.

This study is about different teacher?s ´conception of remedial classes and its function in Today´s School. ?A school for everyone? the utopia that all schools and teachers aspire for. All pupils, regardless of ethnic background, class, and religious affiliation should be able to go to school without being segregated and are seen as different.

This paper examines how pupils with a non-Swedish background, in a secondary school in Stockholm?s suburban, Sweden, interpret and absorb the contents of school-room classes. It also examines whether the interpretations are influenced by a power-relation between teacher and pupils. The pupil?s interpretations, including their values and perceptions as regards to the content, are central to our study.Firstly, classes on world conflicts and corporal punishment for children were observed and these observations were the foundation to this study.

Swedish municipals schools have been given an assignment to convey basic values to pupils. The assignment is to bring up the pupils through transmitting and developing a heritage such as values, traditions, language and knowledge. Together along with the lasting knowledge which constitutes the community frame of reference everybody needs. There by is the purpose of this study through a qualitative method to investigate how the schools assignment to create a community national identity of the pupils is interpreted by the teachers in introduction classes. Even how the teachers in this study response to ?Swedish? culture by presenting and educate the pupils in this.

This paper investigates how Swedish upper secondary school students relate to the financial support available from the Swedish state of education. It also looks at the attitudes of such students to the new CSN[1]truancy rules as they apply to school politics.Is there a difference in students? attitude to these truancy rules and does that difference depend on the students? socio-economic standard, whether they come from a wealthy background or a marginalised society or whether they are ethnic Swedish? Does this in any way affect the attitudes of the students?This financial support is only paid to those students who do not skip school. If they lose their right to this contribution because of truancy, their parents will also forfeit the right to the financial subsidies to which they may be entitled. Naturally, this may affect students in different ways, depending on what kind of financial situation their family is in.Do some students go to school out of their own financial interest or out of that of their parents? Through focus-group interviews, students have expressed their opinions, told about their experiences and stated their attitudes with regards to these matters.

Detta arbete handlar om synen på världsmusik och etnisk musik i tre svenska kulturskolor. Syftet med arbetet är att undersöka hur dessa kulturskolor ser på och arbetar med genrenvärldsmusik och etnisk musik. Av intresse är också att studera hur eller om de följer ellerkänner till kulturrådets rekommendationer och riktlinjer. I arbetet tar jag upp världsmusikenoch dess plats i Sverige, begreppet världsmusik samt teorier om hur kulturer förändras ochutvecklas hela tiden. Datamaterialet utgörs av tre kvalitativa intervjuer med tre enhetschefer från tre olika kulturskolor som erbjuder världsmusik och/eller etnisk musik i undervisningen.Deltagande respondenter hade olika åsikter om ämnet, särskilt angående terminologin inom området såsom exempelvis begreppet världsmusik.