1,720,982 research outputs found
Social acceleration and the university experience
No full textThis project explores Hartmut Rosa’s theory of social acceleration in relation to the lives of university students in Denmark. Employing semi-structured interviews with seven students, we ask questions based on three broad themes: life balance, technology use, and pace of life to better understand the factors that contribute to Danish university students’ personal perceptions on their pace of life. An abductive coding approach guided by key aspects of Rosa's social acceleration theory (acceleration of the pace of life and technological acceleration), combined with his literature on resonance and alienation was used to analyse the data that we gathered. To conclude, we argue that some elements of the social acceleration theory can be helpful in understanding the Danish university experience but offers and incomplete lens for analysis. For future possible research, the concept of acceleration in university life could be explored further.Keywords: Accelerated pace of life, Denmark, Higher education, Social acceleration theory, SU, Technological acceleration. <br/
To what extent does the portrayal of London as an inclusive, multicultural city accurately reflect the lived experiences of students?
No full textUnderstanding the Role of Emotional Dynamics in Covid-19 Protests on Social Media in Denmark
No full textNarrative Construction in "The Boys" Television Series: Gendering Violence and Security
No full textThe superhero genre of television is one example wherein American mythology is expressed, political messages are redistributed, and gendered narratives about International Relations are represented. "The Boys," Amazon Prime Video’s television series which follows a group of vigilantes and superpowered individuals, stands out as commentary not just on the superhero genre itself, but also a commentary on our socio-political reality. Previous research into mythical villains has been focused on the relationship between gender and power as discursive constructions, but there is a lack of literature on the construction of security and political violence by fictional evil women. Therefore, this project aims to investigate the problem formulation: How does the character of Stormfront in "The Boys" construct gendered narratives of violence and security, and how do these narratives reflect hegemonic discourses on gender and politics in global security? Using cultural hegemony studies and intersectionality as a theoretical framework, and narrative methodology to dissect ten scenes involving Stormfront, this project found that the character’s gender, race, superpowers, status as an influencer and political figurehead, Nazism, and sexual relationship with the show’s main antagonist, Homelander, all contribute as intersecting identities in the construction of Stormfront as a threat to human security, corporate security, and state security. The discussion of these narratives in relation to dominant discourses leads to a conclusion that the character of Stormfront reproduces hegemonic discourses relating to corporate security, but somewhat challenges dominant discourses on human and state security in global politics
Contestation of Hostile Architecture
No full textSince hostile architecture seems to be becoming a more and more dominant feature of modern cities, action needs to be taken in order to stop its rapid spread. Thus, within this projects the main research question is asking what kind of contestation tactics are used to counteract hostile architecture, and how effective are they? With this simple prompt this project evaluated the work of a few organisations whose actions can be connected to hostile architecture and urban spaces. And in order to better understand the fool picture and context within which hostile architecture is becoming so dominant, I will try to find an answer to the question of what are the main actors and mechanisms of power that shape urban public spaces?With a focus on Barcelona as this projects case study, Lefebvre’s theory of the right to the city is used as a theoretical leans to better understand the qualitative data collected through semi-structured interviews and field observations. And in order to ensure a structured analysis, the data that has been collected is evaluated with the use of a method called thematic analysis.And finally, the conclusion is based on the findings from the analysis, and it provides an answer to the two aforementioned research questions
AI usage and alienation among university students in Denmark: AI usage and alienation among university students in Denmark
No full textThis study considers how the increased usage of artificial intelligence (AI) in academia may lead to the alienation of bachelor students. Grounded primarily in Karl Marx's theory of alienation and supported by scholars from Critical theory, including Hartmut Rosa, Theodor Adorno, and Max Horkheimer. The study hypothesizes that increased engagement with AI tools is directly linked to greater feelings of alienation among university students in Denmark. Specifically, the research examines how AI tools, particularly chatbots and generative technologies, are used by students and whether they contribute to feelings of disconnection or alienation from their academic work, or conversely, if students resonate positively with these new technologies. The research combines primary qualitative data collected through semi-structured interviews with five bachelor's and five master’s students at Roskilde University, alongside existing literature and official government statistics. Using an abductive coding approach, a comparative analysis was conducted to determine whether bachelor-level students experience differing levels of alienation or resonance through AI usage compared to their master's level counterparts. <br/
Shareholder Activism - The Environmental Activism of the Future?
No full textThis study aims to explore how the Dutch organization ‘Follow This’ employs shareholder activism to contribute to environmental contestation. The study specifically focuses on the campaign towards British Petroleum (BP) to adopt emissions reduction targets aligned with the Paris Agreement. Utilizing a theoretical framework based on stakeholder theory and social movement theory, the research aims to place shareholder activism within the broader environmental movement. Through the single-unit case study methodology, this paper analyzes 55 documents through a coding process, including press releases and shareholder resolutions from 2019 to 2023, to evaluate ‘Follow This’ strategies and impact.Key findings reveal that "Follow This" exemplifies a new form of non-disruptive environmental activism by leveraging the power, legitimacy, and urgency attributes of stakeholder theory. This approach redefines shareholder activism as activism with goals aligning with the ones of the environmental social movement. The closed coding of documents highlights the organization’s efforts to utilize financial influence and ideological networks to influence BP’s governance decisions. The study concludes that shareholder activism can be an addition to toolbox of the environmental social movement. Despite the challenges in generalizing from a single case, the research offers insights into the potential of shareholder activism to affect gas and oil companies’ environmental impact. The findings show that shareholder activism, when strategically applied, can serve as a tool for environmental contestation within large corporations.Overall, this research underscores the importance of case-specific methodologies in understanding the complex dynamics of modern environmental activism and contributes to the growing body of knowledge on the intersection of shareholder activism and the environmental social movement
How do SME Owners in the Food Service Industry Perceive the Impact of the Single-Use Plastics Directive on Their Business Operations?: What specific challenges do SMEs in the food service sector face in complying with the Single-Use Plastics Directive, and how do these challenges impact their operations?
No full textThis study aims to examine the perspectives of small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) employers on the Single-Use Plastics Directive (EU Directive 2019/904), focusing on the challenges, adaptations, and concerns they face in achieving compliance. This research examines how SME employers understand and apply the directive’s requirements, highlighting the specific challenges they encounter, such as sourcing sustainable materials, meeting customer expectations, and dealing with financial burdens. This study aims to examine the objectives of the Single-Use Plastic Directive by using critical realism perspective to examine how SMEs in the food sector respond to these goals and analyze the challenges they face applying sustainability in their businesses. The paper uses semi-structured interviews to highlight the individual experiences of SMEs with the directive, focusing on their different views on sustainability and how they perceive the directive. The interviews revealed that employers have varying levels of understanding and commitment to sustainability and the Single-Use Plastics Directive. While most businesses focus on managing costs and meeting customer expectations, one shop demonstrated a strong dedication to practicing sustainability in their operations. However, even this business highlighted the significant financial challenges of such efforts. All participants reported difficulties with the financial aspects of complying with the directive, often pointing out the lack of communication from the policymakers, the poor quality of alternatives, and the high cost of effective alternatives to plastic products.This study aims to examine the perspectives of small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) employers on the Single-Use Plastics Directive (EU Directive 2019/904), focusing on the challenges, adaptations, and concerns they face in achieving compliance. This research examines how SME employers understand and apply the directive’s requirements, highlighting the specific challenges they encounter, such as sourcing sustainable materials, meeting customer expectations, and dealing with financial burdens. This study aims to examine the objectives of the Single-Use Plastic Directive by using critical realism perspective to examine how SMEs in the food sector respond to these goals and analyze the challenges they face applying sustainability in their businesses. The paper uses semi-structured interviews to highlight the individual experiences of SMEs with the directive, focusing on their different views on sustainability and how they perceive the directive. The interviews revealed that employers have varying levels of understanding and commitment to sustainability and the Single-Use Plastics Directive. While most businesses focus on managing costs and meeting customer expectations, one shop demonstrated a strong dedication to practicing sustainability in their operations. However, even this business highlighted the significant financial challenges of such efforts. All participants reported difficulties with the financial aspects of complying with the directive, often pointing out the lack of communication from the policymakers, the poor quality of alternatives, and the high cost of effective alternatives to plastic products
Development Cooperation: Decoding the Role of National Interests in Danish Development Aid
No full textThis paper examines the various motivations behind Denmark’s development cooperation strategies in the six Eastern Neighboring countries. The project takes a standpoint in the following problem formulation:“To what extent is Danish development cooperation used as a political tool to further the country’s interests, rather than solely aiming for the development of the recipient nation?”The project, employes a Foucauldian Discourse Analysis to examine and analyze the following three texts, “The Government Platform 2022”, “Strategic Framework for Denmark's Partnership with the Six Eastern Neighboring Countries”, and “The World We Share: Denmark’s Strategy for Development Cooperation”. The analysis is guided by the framework provided by Reyes’ five Legitimation Strategies.The finding of this study reveals that Danish development aid and programs are utilized as tools to advance the Danish state’s interests
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