This master's thesis investigates the framing of climate change discourse in Dutch media and parliamentary debates and examines the potential influence of these frames on climate change policy...Show moreThis master's thesis investigates the framing of climate change discourse in Dutch media and parliamentary debates and examines the potential influence of these frames on climate change policy-making. Employing content analysis, three dominant frames were identified: the Systemic Change Frame, the Industry Responsibility Frame, and the Politics Frames. The study uncovers similarities and divergences between the media and political debates, highlighting how discourse can shape public perception and policy responses. Despite the Dutch-focused context, the research underscores the broader implications of discourse framing in climate change communication and policy-making. The thesis acknowledges its limitations, including the absence of direct policy impact measurement and calls for future research to explore these dimensions. This work contributes to understanding the complex interplay between media discourse, public perception, and political decision-making. It offers valuable insights for climate change stakeholders navigating policy responses in the face of this global issue.Show less
This paper aims to study the literature surrounding Cypriot Chalcolithic cruciform anthropomorphic figurines and their gendered identity. Within academia, we see issues arising from gendering of...Show moreThis paper aims to study the literature surrounding Cypriot Chalcolithic cruciform anthropomorphic figurines and their gendered identity. Within academia, we see issues arising from gendering of ancient bodies with modern views – creating cross-wired hypotheses on gender manifestation in prehistoric art. Concentrating on the Chalcolithic cruciform figurines, words patterns and trends will be analysed to gain a better understanding of how gendering ancient identities with modern biases is chronicled within a range of selected literature from the 1930s to the current day.Show less
Few policy areas are as closely guarded by the member states of the European Union as their foreign policy. This is visible on the EU-level, in the Common Foreign and Security Policy and its...Show moreFew policy areas are as closely guarded by the member states of the European Union as their foreign policy. This is visible on the EU-level, in the Common Foreign and Security Policy and its individual policies, as the CFSP is considered to be a salient example of intergovernmentalism’s hold on aspects of EU policy-making. However, there have been some examples of small states influencing EU foreign policy. Malta is a relevant object for this study, as it is undoubtedly a small state. This makes it an interesting case study, as it, nonetheless, has clearly defined interests in the Southern neighbourhood. The Southern neighbourhood aspect of the ENP has itself been an under researched area in recent years, as it is widely considered a failed policy, and the interest of EU-scholars has largely shifted away from the Southern neighbourhood to the Eastern neighbourhood, where the threats to the EU, and its influence on the ‘ring of friends’ it aims to create, seem more pressing. Has Malta, despite its status as a small state, and the current general disinterest in the Southern neighbourhood, managed to capture EU policy-makers’ attention and successfully Europeanised its domestic foreign policy preferences? Through a combination of qualitative and quantitative analysis, which traces frames and discursive constructions across the domestic level, to the European level, before concluding with a comparative analysis of two EU foreign policy documents, this study demonstrates that Maltese policy preferences were uploaded to the level of EU foreign policy, more specifically, the ENP's Southern Neighbourhood component.Show less
In July 2014, tens of thousands of protestors from various social groups took to the streets in what could be Hong Kong’s largest pro-democracy protest ever after a number of pro-democracy...Show moreIn July 2014, tens of thousands of protestors from various social groups took to the streets in what could be Hong Kong’s largest pro-democracy protest ever after a number of pro-democracy movements in earlier years. In the following month, the Chinese government eliminates the possibility of a fully democratic election for a new Hong Kong leader in 2017, as the protesters claim has been promised to them by Beijing in late 2007. The new decision has made it impossible for politicians to take part in this election without prior approval by Beijing. September 28 marked the start of Occupy Central as students and supporters set up their tents on the streets. For weeks on end the occupation goes on in protest of the limitation of ‘real democracy’, with more than 100,000 people participating in the Occupy Central protest at its peak. This occupation came to an end only on December 15 when the Hong Kong authorities cleared the last occupation site – however, the Umbrella Movement has not yet come to an end and, from time to time, makes its way back into the local headlines. This paper aims to identify the ways in which the Hong Kong identity is framed by both the protesters themselves and the local news media in the context of the Umbrella movement. For this purpose a combination of content analysis and discourse analysis will be used to examine a selection of news excerpts from the period ranging from September until December 2014.Show less
