This MA thesis, “Inside the Heart of the Taiwanese High School: the Representation of the Classroom and its Students in Four Taiwanese High School Films”, examines how in Blue Gate Crossing, Winds...Show moreThis MA thesis, “Inside the Heart of the Taiwanese High School: the Representation of the Classroom and its Students in Four Taiwanese High School Films”, examines how in Blue Gate Crossing, Winds of September, You Are the Apple of My Eye, and Our Times, the classroom and its students are portrayed. I argue that the classroom is not solely used for teaching classes. Instead, the portrayal of the classroom and its students are more focused on the social aspects of the room. Dividing the social functions of the classroom in five themes, which are: the classroom as a social meeting point, the classroom as a place of loneliness, the classroom as a place of rest, the classroom as a place of friction, and rebellion against the authorities, the classroom becomes the center of the student's life during their six-year long stay.Show less
Research master thesis | Literary Studies (research) (MA)
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This thesis examines the depiction of solitude in the novels Caleb Williams, Frankenstein, and A Tale of Two Cities, and the relationship between these depictions and eighteenth- and nineteenth...Show moreThis thesis examines the depiction of solitude in the novels Caleb Williams, Frankenstein, and A Tale of Two Cities, and the relationship between these depictions and eighteenth- and nineteenth-century discourses on solitude. In particular, this thesis shows the tension between philosophies of sociability and sympathy, such as Rousseau’s and Hume’s, and the moral dimension of solitude. While previous research has examined solitude by focusing on either Romantic solitude or on loneliness as an imposed condition by social forces, this thesis aims to investigate the moral value of solitude, and its relation to social criticism. Taking a cultural materialist approach, this thesis examines cultural discourses surrounding solitude and offers close readings of the novels to argue that these novels present sociability as a divisive force in society, and solitude as both necessary to foster a connection to humanity, and a necessary condition for justice and morality. The privileging of solitude over sociability shows how these novels respond to the emphasis of Enlightenment philosophy on sympathy and similarity and suggest an alternative foundation for justice and morality in situations where sociability and similarity are insufficient.Show less
Using close reading and contextualization in the historical context, this thesis explores the reaction to Enlightenment thought with regards to Catholicism and the Medieval in Horace Walpole's The...Show moreUsing close reading and contextualization in the historical context, this thesis explores the reaction to Enlightenment thought with regards to Catholicism and the Medieval in Horace Walpole's The Castle of Otranto (1760) and Ann Radcliffe's A Sicilian Romance (1790). These novels offer different responses to the changing perceptions of Catholicism, history, and the British national identity, both of which are informed by the Enlightenment, but are based on varying views on what the past contributed to the contemporary nation. The Castle of Otranto can be interpreted as a pseudo-medievalist text which places it in a nationalist discourse which emphasized the continuity between the past and the present. This is most obvious in its descriptions of Medieval culture, which are generally positive. A Sicilian Romance emphasizes the differences between the Medieval and Enlightenment cultures. The medieval is only shown in a positive light when its cultural and religious practices are refigured according to Enlightenment thought. While the novels show different reactions to the eighteenth century ideology that informed them, both show suspicion and fascination for the Medieval and the Catholic.Show less
This thesis describes the military and economic strategies of the Kuomingtang (KMT), the Communist Party of China (CCP) and Japan during the Second Sino-Japanese War.
In de periode 2000-2018 is er gericht beleid gemaakt om innovatie binnen Nederland te verbeteren. Hoe heeft het Nederlandse innovatiebeleid zich tussen 2000 en 2018 ontwikkeld en hoe kunnen we dit...Show moreIn de periode 2000-2018 is er gericht beleid gemaakt om innovatie binnen Nederland te verbeteren. Hoe heeft het Nederlandse innovatiebeleid zich tussen 2000 en 2018 ontwikkeld en hoe kunnen we dit verklaren? Aan de hand van de verschillen tussen het Innovatieplatform (2000-2010) en het Topsectorenbeleid (2011-2018) wordt de veranderende rol van de overheid met betrekking tot innovatie onderzocht.Show less
Master thesis | Classics and Ancient Civilizations (MA)
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In deze scriptie onderzoek ik welke technieken Livius inzet om zijn lezer na te laten denken over de rol van vrouwen in zijn werk. In mijn analyse ga ik in op verschillende niveaus van de tekst:...Show moreIn deze scriptie onderzoek ik welke technieken Livius inzet om zijn lezer na te laten denken over de rol van vrouwen in zijn werk. In mijn analyse ga ik in op verschillende niveaus van de tekst: inhoudelijk, narratief (en metatekstueel). Op inhoudelijk niveau bekijk ik met welke woorden Livius zijn personages definieert en welke acties hij hen uit laat voeren om zo een beeld te krijgen van het effect dat zij op het verhaal hebben. Op narratief niveau richt ik mij voornamelijk op de narratieve technieken die hij inzet, zoals focalisatie, om te onderzoeken hoe Livius als verteller sturing geeft aan de lezer. Het metatekstuele niveau stip ik slechts enkele keren kort aan, wanneer een tekstelement een duidelijke binding heeft met de tijd waarin Livius zelf leefde. In het eerste hoofdstuk onderzoek ik de manier waarop Livius vrouwen definieert en het effect dat vrouwen hebben op zowel het interne als het externe publiek aan de hand van verschillende casestudy’s. In het tweede hoofdstuk onderzoek ik hoe Livius een hele specifieke rol van vrouwen weergeeft, namelijk hun rol als exemplum. Hoofdstuk twee is daarmee een zeer uitgebreide casestudy van hoofdstuk 1.Show less
This research is aimed at characterizing the Dutch law of perjury with theories of lying as described by philosophers of language. In American law various inconsistencies of perjury cases led to...Show moreThis research is aimed at characterizing the Dutch law of perjury with theories of lying as described by philosophers of language. In American law various inconsistencies of perjury cases led to research on the topic. Those studies all have concluded that lying and perjury differ greatly in several notable areas. Often discussed is the well-known perjury case of former US President Clinton. Research states Bill Clinton obviously was not speaking the truth, but he was never impeached with perjury. Possible explanations could be a political agenda or the lack of adequate evidence. This research paper will discuss the differences between the Dutch and American legal systems, as well as offering a critical analysis of why these systems differ. The central question in this research answers in what ways the Dutch law of perjury can be characterized by the pragmatic theories of lying. Four court cases, all different in outcome, will be linguistically analysed. The linguistic analysis performed in this research is based on Grice’s maxims of Cooperation, Searle’s Speech Act theory, the provided definition of lying and the analytic tools as described by Shuy. This will provide various insights in the interpretation of the Dutch perjury law. Based on the results, this research paper concludes that lying cannot perfectly characterize the Dutch law of perjury, however, they cannot be fully separated from each other either. What this analysis clearly shows are the possibilities of a linguistic analysis when discussing perjury lawsuits. The discourse analysis can provide insights in someone’s intentions, as well as the weaknesses in someone’s statements. This paper strongly promotes the statement that using linguistic analyses is beneficial to the legal system, especially in court cases concerning crimes of language.Show less
The aim of this thesis was to measure the influence that certain actors hold over US-Japan relations and to investigate the power imbalance in the alliance between the US and Japan. More...Show moreThe aim of this thesis was to measure the influence that certain actors hold over US-Japan relations and to investigate the power imbalance in the alliance between the US and Japan. More specifically, how these notions could be observed during Hatoyama’s term as prime minister, a time of crisis for US-Japan relations, caused by disagreement over the relocation of Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, a military base in Okinawa. This study used process tracing as its theoretical framework by creating a causal mechanism, which explains the intervening process by certain entities or actors between an event and its outcome. This was done by challenging the dominant narrative on Hatoyama’s term as prime minister, which blames his downfall on his own incompetence, and providing a different, competing explanation to explain the process in between the DPJ’s electoral victory in 2009 and Hatoyama’s resignation.Show less
Na de Grote Vaderlandse Oorlog laaide de Jodenhaat in de Sovjet-Unie weer op. In deze context werden veel Sovjetjoden zich bewust van hun Joodse identiteit en gaven ze daar op nieuwe wijze vorm aan.
In this thesis, the argument is made that the extent to which secrecy was employed in early twentieth-century lynching in the American Deep South is dependent on whether that secrecy provided the...Show moreIn this thesis, the argument is made that the extent to which secrecy was employed in early twentieth-century lynching in the American Deep South is dependent on whether that secrecy provided the desired sense of security from persecution to those participating in a lynch mob. Using three case studies, ranging from a highly publicized and public killing in Waco, Texas, to a group slaying of remotely situated Mexican Texans by a division of Texas Rangers, to a highly coordinated attack on a jewish factory boss in the dark of night, it is argued that either the cover of obscurity or the anonimity in a large group setting could each supply the needed sense of safety for those participating in the lynching to commit to the act fully. The circumstances which would dictate the public or secretive approach varied widely in the studied cases, yet there are some common grounds to be found among them as well.Show less
This paper offers an analysis of the differences and commonalities between Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Gamel Abdel Nasser, a comparison sparked by the Egyptian Arab Spring. They are compared on their...Show moreThis paper offers an analysis of the differences and commonalities between Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Gamel Abdel Nasser, a comparison sparked by the Egyptian Arab Spring. They are compared on their paths to power, their politics, their visions and the place they hold within the Egyptian imagination. This paper finds that the comparison is only viable with regards to their rise to power and the public perception and propaganda related to both men, and that the reality of their governance is not comparable.Show less
Aan de hand van twee case studies naar de activiteiten van verscheidene Nederlands-Indische communisten in Shanghai gedurende het interbellum, schetst dit onderzoek de transformaties van Shanghai...Show moreAan de hand van twee case studies naar de activiteiten van verscheidene Nederlands-Indische communisten in Shanghai gedurende het interbellum, schetst dit onderzoek de transformaties van Shanghai als Incubator City. Dit onderzoek toont aan dat de voedingsbodem van de Chinese havenstad voor internationale communistische individuen en groeperingen uiteindelijk, als gevolg van een internationale samenwerking tussen verschillende lokale, nationale en koloniale inlichtingendiensten, onvruchtbaar werd gemaakt.Show less
