The aim of this Master?s thesis is to examine how Ranma ½, one of the most popular Japanese Manga series, reflects the gender system in society. We have chosen to make use of two different gender theorists to determine if Ranma ½ follows the gender norms of society or not. The theoretical framework is based primarily on Yvonne Hirdman's theory of the two basic principles: the principle of dichotomy and the principle of hierarchy. Judith Butler's theory of performative gender is used as a complement.

This essay concerns the fantastic and its position in narration. The fantastic's defintion is based on Martin Horstkotte's defintion in The Postmodern Fantastic and the essay focuses on the noncontextual aspects such as the clash between two incompatible fictional worlds and the absence created. Instead of the ordinary identification of the established fictional world with realism and our reality it is suggested that both of the colliding fictional worlds are fictive and that the established one not necessarily need to be realistic. Exampels on how the fantastic takes place on the syntagmatic level in a narration is drawn from the short story ?Samvetets fantasi? by Clas Livijn when analysed with Peter Brooks' closurebased narratology theory in Reading for the Plot.

How stakeholders can influence EU in global environmental politics and what consequences and risks this brings are heavily debated. Some scholars argue that civil society are being disenfranchised from the global political arena while others seem to find them having influence in areas where they normally shouldn´t have any influence. In this this paper I will compare the Europan Union policy on GMOs with the process in producing the Water Framework Directive using an analytical framework to study the level of stakeholder influence. Following the framework I will use two types of data namely NGO participation and Goal attainment. The data once summarized will be analyzed by using the methods of process-tracing and counterfactual analysis.My conclusions regarding both cases are that stakeholders, most notably, were able to influence policymaking in EU by using the internal revisions and by networking in smaller partnerships.

Title:Cash is King ? or is it?Level:Final assignment for Bachelor Degree in Business AdministrationAuthor:Caroline Eng and Jessica HillbergSupervisor:Jonas KågströmDate:2011- 06Aim:There is a long tradition of trading the currency and the first coins can be traced back to Persia already 500 BC. With the modernization of society and the technological advances we have made in recent years, we are now using electronic payments more and more. We pay by card, Internet banking and mobile phone in addition to cash. The purpose of this paper is to follow Swedbank project "cash smart" and have it as a basis when we examine if we are heading for a cash-free society and what obstacles and opportunities there is for a cash-free society.Method:We have used a qualitative method to conduct interviews with two individuals involved in the project "cash smart" at Swedbank in Gävle.

The main purpose of the culture is to serve people and represent the people's social will and freedom. Culture does not exist in a vacuum but shaped and framed by political and artistic structures that are not neutral, and this is why the artwork itself cannot be an independent business. The public function of art can be understood as a defense of the ideals of democracy. But today, when political power is often replaced by hegemony, the role of art and functions are changing. How these changes reflect to the identity, reality and truth of society? What political functions are fulfilled when art becomes ?public?? The issue of democracy is linked question of people?s power in a democratic society where power is legitimized in social space.

The purpose of this Master?s thesis is to investigate if there might be a possiblecorrelation between young women´s fascination with the vampire narrative andtheir search for identity in the late modern age. With the help of contemporarysociological studies in the field of the late modern man and today?s youth culture,I?ve chosen to do qualitative interviews with eight young women in order to examinehow today?s society affects their process of identification. Lately we?ve been ableto see an enormous interest for books that deal with the vampire saga, and while thereaders are mostly young females, it brought me to ask the question why the combinationof teenage drama and vampires seems to be such a winning concept.We live in a time where most young females experience a lot of pressure trying to addup to the demands of society, and as the media keep producing images of youngwomen being thin and looking like supermodels, most teenagers feel a lot of pressureand anxiety trying to live up to such unnatural ideals that in the long run might lead tovarious health issues and eating disorders.As a result of this thesis I?ve found that the vampire narrative answers to some ofthe existential needs we have as members of a late modern society.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the content and work processes regarding the values written in the curriculum for Swedish high schools and compare it with theories regarding the individualized society and political moralism. After the clarification of the content in the values of Swedish high schools and the work processes that are supposed to give students fundamental understanding about them, I analyze and compere it to the theories that are presented in the study. The main questions of the study are the following: What kinds of values are found in the curriculum for Swedish high schools? In general, how do Swedish high schools work with the written values when focus have gone from education and learning to instrumental knowledge, results, abilities and flexibility?The result showed that the content and work processes regarding the values in Swedish high schools are purely instrumental and moralistic. Due to the fact, that the individualized society and the neoliberal ideology do not require reflection and real understanding regarding the values.

This essay discusses the use of history, and primarily how the current Swedish society perceives and uses the Viking age. The analysis is based on a literature study as well as a case study of the planned theme park in Fullerö north of Uppsala, Sweden. The aim of the essay is to understand the regional debate which arose in media regarding the planning of Fullerö Park and how it reflects the contemporary use of history. Research about the use of history has become increasingly common in recent years and deals with how history is actively being used in society in order to meet its existing needs. These needs varies among different groups and individuals and results in a multitude of usages, where the interests of the different actors may be contradictory.

Uppsatsen försöker utröna om flickboken kommit tillbaka i ny skepnad och i så fall vilka drag är nya och vilka som finns kvar från den tidigare flickboken. I teoridelen avhandlas flickbokens historia, bemötandet i form av egen genre och flickboken jämförd med pojkboken. I empiridelen analyseras sex skönlitterära verk, samtliga utgivna under åren 2003 eller 2004 och skrivna av svenska kvinnliga författare. Resultatet visar att flickboken är på väg tillbaka och att den har kommit som en modernisering av den tidigare flickboken. Flickböckerna riktar sig till högstadieelever och fyller det tomrum som tidigare funnits i identifikationsprocessen, men framförallt arbetar litteraturen med att höja flickornas självförtroende och självkänsla.

                                                  AbstractThe development of our society has in many ways changed the relationships between the political parties and the citizens. Fewer citizens are active in political parties, which has contributed to the fact that we see a form of catch-all effect and a development of parties that organizes more in forms of professional organisations. This paper has made a research of modells of democratic ideals and values between leaders and party-members in political parties in the local area. The purpose has been to show how these ideals and values can reflect back on the political development. The result shows that the development has created a form of catch-all effect and a professionalism in the parties.

Youth culture and social problems associated with youth groups have existed for decades. We have chosen an explorative case study design to highlight young people's revolt against parents and society and how society has dealt with social problems of youth and how those were perceived. ?Raggare? were considered a major social problem in society. The material in the study comes from eight qualitative interviews and literature of previous research of the current youth culture.

The purpose of this study is to understand how roman children and young people?s relations are to school and education from a family point of view.I have used a qualitative method and by means of that studied different information sources.  I have proceeded from two different theories: culture conception and categorizing. My first theory choice - Culture conception - represents a value of how we see the culture and the prospective of it.My second theory choice ? categorizing ? represents that we humans classify consciously or unconscious ourselves and others into categories, with the consequence that we understand the world by categorizing. Question I have proceeded from are: - Which roll does the family has for children and young persons from roman society? - Which expectations do children and young persons from roman society have from the family when it comes to education? Throughout my study I have come to the conclusion that roman culture looks differently upon boys and girls.

This essay concerns the fantastic and its position in narration. The fantastic's defintion is based on Martin Horstkotte's defintion in The Postmodern Fantastic and the essay focuses on the noncontextual aspects such as the clash between two incompatible fictional worlds and the absence created. Instead of the ordinary identification of the established fictional world with realism and our reality it is suggested that both of the colliding fictional worlds are fictive and that the established one not necessarily need to be realistic. Exampels on how the fantastic takes place on the syntagmatic level in a narration is drawn from the short story ?Samvetets fantasi? by Clas Livijn when analysed with Peter Brooks' closurebased narratology theory in Reading for the Plot.

This essay concerns the fantastic and its position in narration. The fantastic's defintion is based on Martin Horstkotte's defintion in The Postmodern Fantastic and the essay focuses on the noncontextual aspects such as the clash between two incompatible fictional worlds and the absence created. Instead of the ordinary identification of the established fictional world with realism and our reality it is suggested that both of the colliding fictional worlds are fictive and that the established one not necessarily need to be realistic. Exampels on how the fantastic takes place on the syntagmatic level in a narration is drawn from the short story ?Samvetets fantasi? by Clas Livijn when analysed with Peter Brooks' closurebased narratology theory in Reading for the Plot.

Abstract This essay has grown out of an interest for the subject of religion and religious education for upper secondary pupils in Sweden. Our society is characterized by cultural, religious and secular diversity, which also reflects in the classroom where individuals with different religious preferences share space and participate in discussions. One of my aims is that this essay can be a contribution for future studies in the religious field. Previous research has shown that Swedish pupils increasingly lose interest in the subject of religion (on a personal level but also more in general). There is a possibility that this picture might have changed since these studies where done, and that is what I want to investigate in this essay.