In this thesis, the development of the East-Slavic languages has been investigated through the analysis of various written sources on a multitude of morphological scoring criteria. The thesis aims...Show moreIn this thesis, the development of the East-Slavic languages has been investigated through the analysis of various written sources on a multitude of morphological scoring criteria. The thesis aims at finding evidence that can either prove or disprove some of the many theories with respect to the evolution of the East-Slavic languages (these theories are also included in the thesis). The theories that are discussed in the thesis differ with respect to how much credit is given to the Polish language in the development of East-Slavic. Therefore, investigating whether or not Polish did play a role in the language development of the East-Slavic area provides us with material that can make certain theories more plausible than others. Various texts - the oldest dating to 1229 and the youngest texts to the 19th century - were analysed and scored on present and past verb inflection, the use of auxiliary verbs and the declension of the nominative adjective (thereby paying special attention to the possibility of gender distinction in nominative plural).Show less
This research tries to explore the effects of institutional social capital on the job hunt of Japanese elite university students. It does so by comparing the institutional social capital of elite...Show moreThis research tries to explore the effects of institutional social capital on the job hunt of Japanese elite university students. It does so by comparing the institutional social capital of elite university students and that of more moderate university students. By making use of semi-structured interviews wherein the students are able to explain their personal experiences, it becomes clear that there are many ways in which students feel the influence of their institutional linkage. Because there are many ways in which social capital can affect the job hunt, this study focuses on four main elements; job hunting support from the home university, job search channels which include informal contacts, effect of institutional linkage and the successfulness of students to find employment. Combining these four elements it becomes clear that the way in which elite university students make use of their institutional social capital differs from that of moderate university students.Show less
Global Health Diplomacy is essentially the relationship between global health and foreign policy in terms of International Relations theory. Health has not typically been at the fore front of world...Show moreGlobal Health Diplomacy is essentially the relationship between global health and foreign policy in terms of International Relations theory. Health has not typically been at the fore front of world politics, but this is rapidly changing due the emerging importance of soft power foreign policy. Joseph Nye tells us that soft power is produced through values, institutions, attraction and culture and in contrast to this; hard power is essentially defined by the use of military power and economic resources. Many small or medium sized countries will never be able to match the hard power capabilities of the likes of the United States or China but they can utilise their soft power potential in a variety of ways. This thesis intends to assess one; Global Health Diplomacy.Show less
This BA final paper analyzes the large amount of classical Chinese style poetry (known in Japanese as kanshi) written by Japanese poets during the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895 and attempts to...Show moreThis BA final paper analyzes the large amount of classical Chinese style poetry (known in Japanese as kanshi) written by Japanese poets during the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895 and attempts to place it in the larger context of Meiji society, Meiji world views (particularly of China) and international relations. Throughout the argument of this paper it becomes clear that, despite the fact that these poets employed the classical Chinese language and were fond of many aspects of classical Chinese culture, they considered their nation as the true successor to this classical Chinese legacy and that their judgement on modern China was harsh.Show less
This thesis questions the phenomenon called gender speech in Japan and the ideology of it. To answer this doubt, theories about the origin of gender speech are discussed and research has been...Show moreThis thesis questions the phenomenon called gender speech in Japan and the ideology of it. To answer this doubt, theories about the origin of gender speech are discussed and research has been conducted to come to a conclusion if Japanese gender speech is still important till this day.Show less
“There’s no automaticity about the decision [to grant China market-economy treatment]. We need to make a formal decision and table a law.” Source: Interview with Cecilia Malmström, Wall Street...Show more“There’s no automaticity about the decision [to grant China market-economy treatment]. We need to make a formal decision and table a law.” Source: Interview with Cecilia Malmström, Wall Street Journal 2014 This quote by the European Union’s (EU) trade commissioner, Cecilia Malmström in an interview with the Wall Street Journal in 2014 represents the current state of affairs regarding the upcoming query on whether to grant China market economy status (MES) in 2016. Art. 15 (d) of China’s accession protocol to the World Trade Organization (WTO) stipulates that the ongoing non-market economy status (NMES) is no longer applicable after 2016. This pressures the EU to draft a proper decision on whether 2016 will be the year in which it recognizes China’s economy as a market economy, making it significantly more difficult to initiate anti-dumping duties against Chinese imports. This justifies the need to better understand the concept of MES and its influence on anti-dumping disputes between Europe and China. The WTO classifies dumping in Art. 2 of its anti-dumping agreement (ADA) and Art. VI of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) 1994 as “[introducing a product] into the commerce of another country at less than its normal value”. By definition the ‘normal value’ refers to a “comparable price in the ordinary cause of trade” between international traders which determine whether competition is fair. Thus, it ensures that products are not ‘dumped’ on another economy for less than the domestic price in its country of origin. In that regard, MES becomes an important tool because it determines the ‘ordinary cause of trade’. Accordingly, a comparison between different markets can only be fair, if they operate under similar conditions: that of a market economy.Show less
For years, Mexicans have migrated to the United States in search of the American Dream. From the moment a Mexican becomes an American citizen, the immigrant is expected to assimilate to the country...Show moreFor years, Mexicans have migrated to the United States in search of the American Dream. From the moment a Mexican becomes an American citizen, the immigrant is expected to assimilate to the country’s culture and politics. This thesis addresses whether these assimilating immigrants actually have any influence on local politics in Texas, specifically El Paso, since 1965. The research answers this question from an individual and local-level perspective of first person accounts in El Paso Texas on political discontent and influence, as well as a local perspective on the assimilation of Mexican immigrants in El Paso.This type of study has not been done before on the local level in El Paso and therefore helps contribute to research on Mexican immigration. Historians and sociologists have focused mainly on the difficulties Mexicans face when migrating into the US, but have not explored the after-effects of these migrations. Three main topics create the foundation of this research, namely assimilation, political representation, and immigration policies for Mexican immigrants in El Paso, Texas. By using literary research as well as interviews with Mexicans who live or have lived in, or close to, El Paso it was found that Mexican immigrants are assimilating to American ways, yet they remain distant when it comes to politics. Because of this distance and disinterest in the subject, Mexicans have little-to-no influence on the politics of the country. Because of the growth in their population, they have become increasingly powerful and have managed to increase their representatives in politics. Yet, when it comes to officially voting or changing policies, Mexican immigrants do not practice this power. Thus, it is very unlikely that there will be a lot of influence on politics by the Mexican community. There has been an increasing influence on the representation of Mexicans, which has empowered them slightly; however, the Mexican community is so detached from the local political system, that it is not likely to create major changes in politics in the coming years.Show less
This thesis takes a look at three texts that were written in a time when dementia had not yet become the focus of the attention it has been amassing these past years. Two of these texts are from...Show moreThis thesis takes a look at three texts that were written in a time when dementia had not yet become the focus of the attention it has been amassing these past years. Two of these texts are from England and one of them from the Netherlands, and they all, will be argued, contain depictions of dementia. These texts were written in a time when dementia was still seen, more or less, as a normal part of ageing, and even if dementia is never explicitly mentioned in either of the texts, by comparing these texts and the descriptions therein with contemporary medical literature about the behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) it will be shown that the behaviour as it is described in the texts warrants a qualification of the described behaviour as being a depiction of dementia. This analysis will also include the depiction of the attitudes surrounding the described behaviour as collateral evidence for the qualification of the behaviour as dementia. It will further be shown that these representations of the disease in all three cases have a function beyond a mere depiction of a developing process, and that through the ways in which the descriptions are shaped, the process I designate as dementia becomes a metaphor for an underlying topic. For this, use will also made of an analysis of how in contemporary fiction dementia is represented and used.Show less
Bachelor thesis | Film- en literatuurwetenschap (BA)
open access
The French writer Alfred Jarry (1873-1907) is seen as a forerunner of avant-garde movements such as futurism, Dadaism and surrealism. In this study, his influence on postmodernism is evaluated by...Show moreThe French writer Alfred Jarry (1873-1907) is seen as a forerunner of avant-garde movements such as futurism, Dadaism and surrealism. In this study, his influence on postmodernism is evaluated by close reading his most important fictional texts, but also several of his biographies. Jarry can be considered postmodern because of the great amount of ontological doubt in his work and in his life. His biographers augmented this by (intentionally or not) emphasizing the ontological confusion. Their ‘facts’ were the result of interpretation and representation.Show less
Master thesis | Theology and Religious Studies (Master)
open access
In 'Loyal to Jehovah's Good News' the author tries to come to a closer understanding of the concept of loyalty using loyalty among Jehovah's Witnesses as a case-study. Within the thesis the...Show moreIn 'Loyal to Jehovah's Good News' the author tries to come to a closer understanding of the concept of loyalty using loyalty among Jehovah's Witnesses as a case-study. Within the thesis the teachings of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society on the concept of loyalty are studied, and manifestations of loyalty among Jehovah's Witnesses are studied within three practical examples namely their doorstep ministry, their neutrality, and their refusal of blood transfusion. With the case-study of Jehovah's Witnesses in mind the author shows loyalty could be seen as the prime motivator of religious behaviour within the Christian Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses, and the author comes to a better defintion of the concept of (religious) loyalty in general. In addition, the author introduces other motivators of religious behaviour and argues that more research in necessary.Show less
In The Tales of Beedle the Bard, Rowling combines the tradition of the fairy tale with her reinvention of it. She reinvents the fairy tale in several different ways. Firstly, she reconstitutes the...Show moreIn The Tales of Beedle the Bard, Rowling combines the tradition of the fairy tale with her reinvention of it. She reinvents the fairy tale in several different ways. Firstly, she reconstitutes the place of magic in the traditional fairy tale, changing it from an impediment that often hampers the hero or heroine to one that helps them to achieve their goal. Connected to this, Rowling also re-invents the role of women in fairy tales, incorporating feminism into her fairy tales. On the other hand, Rowling holds on to the moralising nature of fairy tales. In this thesis, I will explore J.K. Rowling’s re-invention of the fairy tale by looking at the interconnection of magic, feminism and (un)virtuous behaviour and its rewards in her stories.Show less
Global health diplomacy or medical diplomacy is a concept and practice that describes the relationship between global health and foreign policy (Feldbaum et al. 1). Cooperation among health...Show moreGlobal health diplomacy or medical diplomacy is a concept and practice that describes the relationship between global health and foreign policy (Feldbaum et al. 1). Cooperation among health officials and diplomats is becoming increasingly important in current times, as health issues are transcending traditional nation-state borders, which is largely due to the spread of epidemics such as Ebola, SARS and BSE. Medical diplomacy is a way to wield soft power, especially for small developing countries such as Cuba, which would never have the capabilities of superpowers, such as the United States, to gain power in traditional means through military force or economic supremacy (Feinsilver,” Fifty years of Cuba's medical diplomacy” 100). Cuba has been engaging in medical diplomacy for over fifty years, long before health became relevant on global agendas. Therefore Cuba makes an exceptional case study to investigate when assessing global health diplomacy. This thesis intends to understand Cuba’s unique healthcare system at home and abroad in order to understand ‘how’ and ‘why’ it has become what it is today. In order to assess this topic, first the concept of power will be examined, looking in particular at soft power. Following, a particular soft power policy will be examined: Global health diplomacy and its importance in International Relations. Then Cuba’s domestic healthcare system will be scrutinized to comprehend how it has emerged and why it has become so successful. Consecutively, Cuba’s efforts in medical diplomacy will be inspected, with a focus on the Cuban-Venezuelan oil-for-doctors trade agreement, to answer the central question of this thesis: What are Cuba’s intentions behind its policy of medical diplomacy?Show less
The important role of Russia in satisfying European gas demand and the subsequent gas disruptions in 2006 and 2009 have scrutinized the role of Russia in developing a Common Energy Policy for the...Show moreThe important role of Russia in satisfying European gas demand and the subsequent gas disruptions in 2006 and 2009 have scrutinized the role of Russia in developing a Common Energy Policy for the EU. Those skeptical of Russian influence have emphasized the threats to the internal market and the security of supply in constructing new pipeline infrastructure for the trade of gas. This research determines that the perceived threats to the internal market and the security of supply are unjustified. In addition, pragmatic economic interests have incentivized actors to oppose Nord Stream and South Stream.Show less
China claims to be one of the main followers and protectors of the principles of non-interference and sovereignty. It often invokes these principles either in order to protect itself from...Show moreChina claims to be one of the main followers and protectors of the principles of non-interference and sovereignty. It often invokes these principles either in order to protect itself from interference from Western states, or to defend its alternative approach to aid engagement in African countries (Pang 244-245). However, China also violates the principle of non-interference by putting conditions on other countries’ internal affairs, such as demanding that the government does not support issues that China is against, in return for its continued bilateral cooperation. Therefore, China’s foreign policy approaches and especially its use of conditionality seem contradicting. Such contradicting foreign policy approaches can be challenging to understand and counter for other states if the motivations are not known. The academic debate on China’s use of conditionality and foreign policy in general has failed to take into account a wide enough range of foreign policy approaches, something I attempt to do in my paper.Show less
