Master thesis | Theology and Religious Studies (Master)
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The first part of this thesis attempts to demonstrate the historical traces of the belief in reincarnation among Jews, Christian and Muslims. The second part is dedicated to a hermeneutical...Show moreThe first part of this thesis attempts to demonstrate the historical traces of the belief in reincarnation among Jews, Christian and Muslims. The second part is dedicated to a hermeneutical analysis of the Bible and the Quran regarding the indications to reincarnation in general, and reincarnation of the Messiah in particular.Show less
With 300 million monthly active users, Twitter is a global social media platform embedded in everyday communication and information diffusion. As a result, it has attracted a wide range of...Show moreWith 300 million monthly active users, Twitter is a global social media platform embedded in everyday communication and information diffusion. As a result, it has attracted a wide range of scholarly disciplines, studying its data, resulting in hundreds of studies that utilized Twitter’s data. This thesis will focus on the challenges and potential of using Twitter data for Humanities. As every social media platform has its unique dynamics, Twitters structure will be explored to see how it relates to the research questions applied to it. The process of increasing policy-orientated measures, will be described to illustrate how Twitter data is a valuable, and therefore limited accessible form of information. A number of studies is analyzed to explore potential methods and the results. Finally, a case study will be executed to demonstrate both the challenges and potential for humanities students. The focus will be on how Twitter’s 140 character long tweets can eventually be used to attribute to the greater stories written about human society and culture.Show less
This thesis seeks to explore the relation between psychological coping mechanisms and moral responsibility. It argues that there are three essential conditions guiding this relation: in order to be...Show moreThis thesis seeks to explore the relation between psychological coping mechanisms and moral responsibility. It argues that there are three essential conditions guiding this relation: in order to be morally responsible individuals must (1) be aware of a moral demand, (2) be aware of the morally relevant state of affairs, and (3) must to some degree have the physical and motivational ability to act upon this awareness. In specific, the view that motivational ability is an important factor in thinking about moral responsibility is defended in this thesis. Only by taking motivational ability into account, can we think about morality in a way that is both sufficiently realistic, while also satisfactorily idealistic.Show less
Parafermionic zero-modes are zero-energy excitations with peculiar mutual statistics, which can be realized at the edge of the Fractional Quantum Hall Effect sample. We came up with several...Show moreParafermionic zero-modes are zero-energy excitations with peculiar mutual statistics, which can be realized at the edge of the Fractional Quantum Hall Effect sample. We came up with several protocols for adiabatic quantum pumping with parafermions, which allow to test the statistics of Fractional Quantum Hall quasiparticles and observe universal noise in the pumping current. That is, the noise takes a specific value which is essentially given by universal constants, and is robust with respect to changes in many system parameters.Show less
This thesis focuses on the representation of masculinity in the Sherlock Holmes character, both in the original stories written by Arthur Conan Doyle in the late 19th and early 20th centuries as...Show moreThis thesis focuses on the representation of masculinity in the Sherlock Holmes character, both in the original stories written by Arthur Conan Doyle in the late 19th and early 20th centuries as well as in the modern BBC interpretation which first aired in 2010. It employs a Foucauldian notion of gender, which sees masculinity as a socially constructed concept and as such perceptible to change. The Sherlock Holmes stories were written over a forty-year time period. Two major historical events from this period could be said to have influenced the definition of masculinity, namely the Oscar Wilde trials and the First World War. Furthermore, Joseph Kestner has argued that Conan Doyle’s Holmes stories aimed to promote an ideal form of masculinity, which led us to consider the representation of Victorian masculinity in the Holmes character. Moreover, this thesis analyses the adaptation of Victorian Holmes in BBC’s Sherlock. Having defined Victorian and twenty-first-century masculinity, we will see that Conan Doyle’s Holmes aligns with numerous Victorian traits that were seen as masculine, and is portrayed as the ideal man. He is heroic, strong, brave, moral, rational and creative. Similarly, BBC Holmes aligns with masculine ideals of the twenty-first century but does not seem to personify the ideal man. He is strong, rational and creative, but his heroism is ambiguous, as well as his morality.Show less
Master thesis | Classics and Ancient Civilizations (MA)
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During and shortly after WOII three modern adaptations of Euripides' Alcestis appeared: Le Mystère d'Alceste by Marguerite Yourcenar (1942), Alcesti di Samuele by Alberto Savinio (1949), and The...Show moreDuring and shortly after WOII three modern adaptations of Euripides' Alcestis appeared: Le Mystère d'Alceste by Marguerite Yourcenar (1942), Alcesti di Samuele by Alberto Savinio (1949), and The Cocktail Party by T.S. Eliot. Alcestis' motivation to sacrifice herself and her reaction on returning to her husband turned out to be blank spots in Euripides' tragedy. The three modern writers gave their main characters three drastically different reasons and reactions. This could partly be explained by their relation to the Second World War.Show less
In 2009 the European Union introduced the Lisbon Treaty. One of the changes this brought about was the introduction of a permanent president of the European Council. With this transformation the...Show moreIn 2009 the European Union introduced the Lisbon Treaty. One of the changes this brought about was the introduction of a permanent president of the European Council. With this transformation the former EU presidency no longer exists and this thesis investigates the implications of this change. This is done by specifically looking at the national interests discussed in the European Council. Before the Lisbon Treaty Member States were able to influence the European Council by pushing their national interests, but based on the new institutional settings of the permanent presidency, this seemed after Lisbon more unlikely. An analysis of nine rotating presidencies of the Council of the European Union after Lisbon has been made and compared to the respective European Council conclusions of that period. The results show that in fact national interests have been discussed in the European Council. Nevertheless, only a third of all national interests has been discussed. On the other hand, the analyses also reveal that on average the discussed national interests in the European Council have significant similarity with the national interests of the Member States. Furthermore, the analysis brought also forward that certain national interests that seem not significant for the European Council have been discussed in the European Council, which could indicate that Member States can still push their national interests. In conclusion, national interests were discussed only to a low extent in the European Council, answering the research question of this thesis: to what extent are national interests of Member States presiding over the Council of the European Union discussed during European Council meetings?Show less
This thesis aims to address how we should seek to tackle violations of women’s rights in non-ideal societies. I argue that methodologically, the top down, or state led approach to bringing about...Show moreThis thesis aims to address how we should seek to tackle violations of women’s rights in non-ideal societies. I argue that methodologically, the top down, or state led approach to bringing about gender justice should be supplemented by bottom up, agent led initiatives. Women frequently find their rights violated and their capabilities stifled and this inequality is an indicator of a non-ideal society. We should look to our non-ideal society to decide how best to overcome gender inequalities rather than only to an ideal society. Further to this, state led approaches to achieving justice have typically been favoured over agent led ones. In many aspects state led approaches are helpful, for instance in enforcing rules to protect women, however they should be used in tandem with bottom up initiatives. Bottom up initiatives have an important role to play in encouraging a shift in societal ethos: they can empower women and help put them in a better cultural position.Show less
Gold nanorods (GNRs) have unique optical properties. GNRs can be excited in the near-infrared range and their photoluminescence is bright and stable. Because of this, GNRs have a large range of...Show moreGold nanorods (GNRs) have unique optical properties. GNRs can be excited in the near-infrared range and their photoluminescence is bright and stable. Because of this, GNRs have a large range of possible applications, including use as labels or as biosensors. For these kinds of applications, it is important to be able to determine a GNR’s properties with high accuracy. Here we characterize single gold nanorods by five properties: their 3D position, plasmon resonance and orientation. The position of GNRs is determined with a sub-nanometer error in x, y and a 3 nm error in z. The surface plasmon resonance wavelength and the orientation of GNRs are determined with errors of <0.1 nm and 0.1 deg respectively. This is achieved by applying a four-dimensional fit to a stack of two-photon photoluminescence images. The methods presented in this thesis can be used to improve accuracy in the aforementioned applications of GNRs.Show less
This thesis is analysing the main linguistic and visual characteristics of refugees and migrants represented in a selected number of printed media from France and Greece in the context of the...Show moreThis thesis is analysing the main linguistic and visual characteristics of refugees and migrants represented in a selected number of printed media from France and Greece in the context of the ongoing refugee crisis in Europe which started in 2015. Based on the postulates of Multimodal Critical Discourse analysis and van Leeuwen’s (2008) model of visual and verbal representation of social actors, news items will be deconstructed in order to demonstrate to what extent their discourse on migration is constructed in a negative way around the theme of otherness. Finally similarities and differences between the selected news outlets and the countries will be discussedShow less
In oktober 2016 sloten de Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC, NL: Gewapende Revolutionaire Strijdkrachten van Colombia) en de Colombiaanse overheid een akkoord, dat een einde moet...Show moreIn oktober 2016 sloten de Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC, NL: Gewapende Revolutionaire Strijdkrachten van Colombia) en de Colombiaanse overheid een akkoord, dat een einde moet maken aan meer dan een halve eeuw geweld tussen beide partijen. Van oudsher zijn er tegengestelde beelden van de FARC aanwezig in Colombiaanse media. Enerzijds dat van een nobele boerenguerrilla, die veelal in de jungle vechten tegen de overheid, met als doel gelijke rechten en landhervormingen. Daartegenover staat het beeld van een staatsondermijnende terreurorganisatie, die rücksichtslos mensen ontvoert en aanslagen pleegt om er zelf beter van te worden.In dit onderzoek is onderzocht hoe de FARC in Colombiaanse media gerepresenteerd wordt. Het onderzoek werd uitgevoerd aan de hand van het concept framing.Een opvallend resultaat is dat het ‘politieke-partijframe’ niet eerder gevonden werd. Het ‘boerenguerrillaframe’, dat in voorgaande onderzoeken vaak gevonden werd, was nu niet aanwezig in het corpus. Een mogelijke verklaring hiervoor is de veranderde politieke situatie in Colombia. De FARC en de regering zijn niet meer met elkaar in oorlog en etaleren andere beelden van zichzelf en elkaar in de media.Show less
Deze masterthesis heeft het productieproces van gezondheidsnieuws inzichtelijk willen maken; een onderwerp dat in de Nederlandse wetenschappelijke literatuur nog sterk onderbelicht is. Door middel...Show moreDeze masterthesis heeft het productieproces van gezondheidsnieuws inzichtelijk willen maken; een onderwerp dat in de Nederlandse wetenschappelijke literatuur nog sterk onderbelicht is. Door middel van een kwalitatieve inhoudsanalyse is onderzocht welke rolopvatting de drie betrokken partijen - wetenschappers, universitaire persvoorlichters en journalisten - van zichzelf en elkaar hebben bij het maken van gezondheidsnieuws. Uit de resultaten bleek dat deze partijen veelal dezelfde, maar ook tegenstrijdige verwachtingen hebben, waardoor de samenwerking en kwaliteit van het uiteindelijke gezondheidsnieuws soms onder druk komen te staan. Deze unieke resultaten hebben expliciet gemaakt welke taken de drie partijen zichzelf en elkaar toeschuiven, en kunnen dienen voor vervolgonderzoek waarin bijvoorbeeld wordt onderzocht hoe breedgedragen deze ideeën zijn.Show less
This thesis examines several uses of the French adverb 'seulement' that have been distinguished by French researcher Beyssade (2010). On the basis of a corpus study (Corpus d'Orléans) and speaker...Show moreThis thesis examines several uses of the French adverb 'seulement' that have been distinguished by French researcher Beyssade (2010). On the basis of a corpus study (Corpus d'Orléans) and speaker judgments, this thesis presents some new insights with respect to the theoretical classification of 'seulement'. Some classes have slightly different properties than Beyssade (2010) originally proposed. In this way, this thesis is extending the discussion that has been led on by multiple linguists with regard to the topic of 'seulement'.Show less
Contemporary development studies needs a 'processual shift' from development to developing in order to transcend the static problematisation of African underdevelopment. The Washington Consensus...Show moreContemporary development studies needs a 'processual shift' from development to developing in order to transcend the static problematisation of African underdevelopment. The Washington Consensus and the Beijing Consensus still approach African underdevelopment according to a teleological view that is rooted in the belief that economic growth is necessary for achieving prosperity. By applying complexity science to the economy, this research fills the lack within International Relations (IR) of critically revising African development in contemporary, changing contexts. A model of economic evolution is employed to conduct a transformative analysis of Kenya's developing within the twenty-first century New Silk Road (NSR). Utilising the process tracing method to examine combined data sets, the researcher explores manifestations of the interdependence between evolutionary technological, institutional, and strategic forces. The analysis provides an innovative account of how and why economic evolution has emerged in Kenya. Future research should refine the model, but not define it: evolution is an endless process from which the economy as a complex adaptive system emerges.Show less
On the 21st June 2014, a Shintō shrine was inaugurated in the independent Republic of San Marino, as the second shrine outside the soil of Japan. The San Marino Jinja サンマリノ 神社 has been officially...Show moreOn the 21st June 2014, a Shintō shrine was inaugurated in the independent Republic of San Marino, as the second shrine outside the soil of Japan. The San Marino Jinja サンマリノ 神社 has been officially supported and recognised by Jinja Honchō 神社本庁, the administrative organisation that oversees about 80,000 Shintō shrines in Japan. However, what is mainly told about Shintō, still nowadays, is that it is the most antique and purely indigenous religion of Japan, a polytheism of immanent deities, defined as kami, strongly connected with the Japanese soil and centred around the sun goddess Amaterasu Omikami, and the imperial family descending directly from her. But, if Shintō is actually such a not inclusive religion, is it possible to define this foreign shrine legitimately and consistently Shintō, on a theoretical and practical perspective? In other words, if the claims of Shintō are the ones of a Japanese religion for Japanese people only, why the San Marino Jinja has been officially inaugurated and how does a Shintō shrine operate in a different country and cultural context? Actually, as it will be possible to discover through this research, most of the pillars on which Shintō is based are not historically consistent or accurate. It will be also possible to demonstrate how historically inaccurate it is to consider Shintō an indigenous religion in the first place. Therefore to deconstruct these claims, which could obstruct a legit globalisation of it, in this research Shintō will be discussed first from a theoretical point of view. Firstly by deconstructing the general held idea of Shinto itself, following the academical debate of the last fifty years. Secondly, by presenting the new rhetoric promoted by Jinja Honcho about Shinto as the “World's new religion of ecology”, in order to increase its national and international popularity. With this theoretical background it will be then possible to analyse the phenomenon on a practical perspective. In order to do so a comparative analysis will be featured: the Ise Jingu, the oldest model reference of jinja, will be compared to the San Marino site. The result will demonstrate whether the European shrine presents the same operating patterns as the native one, and therefore whether is a legit instance of a successful Shinto globalisation.Show less
