How is education on gender equality implemented in schools?: a study of the attitudes, knowledge and interests of school leaders in pre-, primary and upper secondary schools.

Hér er greint frá niðurstöðum spurningakönnunar á viðhorfum, þekkingu og áhuga skólastjóra í leik-, grunn-, og framhaldsskólum á kynjajafnrétti og fræðslu á því sviði. Sambærileg rannsókn meðal skólastjóra hefur ekki verið gerð. Spurningalisti var sendur rafrænt til allra skólastjóra leikskóla (n=78) og grunnskóla (n=43) í Reykjavík og til allra skólameistara (n=14) á höfuðborgarsvæðinu í janúar 2016. Svarhlutfall var 68%, eða 92 af þeim 135 sem svöruðu, en allmargir slepptu mörgum spurningum, m.a. bakgrunnsspurningum. Fimmtíu og níu þátttakendur svöruðu til um kyn. Af þeim voru 14 karlar og 45 konur. Fram kom mikill áhugi eða ákall mikils meirihluta skólastjóranna sem svara (86%) um aukna kynjajafnréttisfræðslu inn í skólana, fyrir nemendur, kennara og stjórnendur. Rúmlega helmingur skólastjóranna aðhyllist almennt það sjónarmið að það sé munur á kynjunum sem námsmönnum. Flestir telja muninn menningarbundinn en minni hópur (12%) telur að um eðlismun sé að ræða. Niðurstöðurnar sýna að tekið er á jafnréttismálum á ýmsan hátt í skólunum, að mati skólastjóra, bæði meðal nemenda og kennara. Flestir skólastjóranna nefna að algengast sé að fjalla um jafnréttismál í lífsleiknikennslu og samfélagsgreinum en einnig í samverustundum og daglegu samtali við nemendur. Af svörum skólastjóranna verður þó lítið ráðið um það hvert umfang þessara aðgerða er eða hversu markvissar þær eru enda telja þeir sjálfir að margt megi bæta á þessu sviði. Höfundar telja að þótt þekking skólastjóra á kynjafræðilegum grunnhugtökum sé að sumu leyti góð, þá sé ástæða til að óttast að hún sé ekki nægjanleg til að hreyfa við staðalmyndum kynjanna. Hverjar sem ástæðurnar eru er ljóst að skólastjórar á öllum skólastigum eru mjög áhugasamir um að fá fræðslu um kynjajafnrétti inn í skólana, með áherslu á að breyta hefðbundnum staðalmyndum og vinna gegn kynferðislegri áreitni, m.a. á samfélagsmiðlum. Mikilvægt er að fylgja þeim áhuga eftir.This article reports on a research project by The Centre for Research on Equality, Gender and Education, at the University of Iceland, examining the attitudes, knowledge and interests of principals at three school levels concerning gender equality. Since 2008 equality issues have, by law, been a new subject of study in primary schools, and an optional subject in upper secondary schools. Moreover, since 2011 equality has been one of six pillars of education in the national curriculum guide for all school levels. This study is the third part of the Centre´s research investigating practices and resistances towards gender equality in teacher education and in schools. This study is among the first focusing on school leaders and gender equality issues in Iceland and possibly worldwide. The aim of this research was to investigate how gender issues are being dealt with in schools, as described by school leaders and to learn about their attitudes, knowledge and interest, regarding gender equality issues. An online questionnaire was sent to all leaders of pre-schools (N=78) and primary schools (N=43) in Reykjavik, Iceland and to all school leaders of upper secondary schools in the Reykjavik metropolitan area (N=14). The formal response rate was 68%, or 92 of 135 responded, but many questions were not answered including background questions which made detailed analysis difficult. The findings suggest that gender equality is being dealt with in various ways in schools according to the school leaders, both among teachers and pupils. Equality weeks, equality days or formal equality plans are mentioned as well as lectures and developmental projects. Equality issues are not a special subject yet in primary schools, but are integrated into other subjects. It is, however, not clear how effective these measures are. Research suggests that while little is done in this field, other issues related to neo-liberalism are prioritized. Findings on attitudes to gender differences in students’ interests and choices indicate that slightly more than half of the school leaders believe such gender differences exist, but only a small group of school leaders (12%) endorse essentialism. The remainder endorse social constructivism, which is in agreement with their hope and belief that change is possible. Fortunately the essentialists are a much smaller group than we found in earlier research among teacher education students (50%). Nevertheless, the gender issues these two groups see as most important are the same; that is, changing gender stereotypes, fighting gender violence, and gender related bullying or harassment on social media. Even if the principals believe they have sound knowledge of some gender related concepts like equality (100%) and masculinity (93%), there is reason to fear that their knowledge of other equality-related concepts is not good enough to change gender stereotypes. The concept gender is considered well known by 50% of those that answered, essentialism by 47%, and gender system by only 28%. The definitions given by the principals suggest that the proportion of those who know the concepts well is even lower. Moreover, among principals, findings show considerable interest in, or even insistence upon, increased education relating to gender issues in schools. In particular they are interested in changing gender stereotypes and responding to young people’s complaints about sexual harassment, especially in social media. Thee school leaders are interested in the use of a Nordic website on gender issues in education; 68% say they will use it monthly or more often and only 5% state that they are not interested. Despite avowed interest in increasing gender education in schools and changing traditional gender stereotypes, as well as demonstrating a formally acceptable response rate, school leaders received the questionnaire with reluctance, and did not show interest in focus group interviews. This gives rise to various questions: Are the school leaders possibly preoccupied with bureaucratic chores because of the impact of NPM (New Public Management) at the expense of the core activities of teaching and learning? Or is it conceivable that tasks, such as equality issues, are met with more resistance than others? We found no evidence that school leaders are ambivalent towards changing traditional gender roles, despite the inherent risks that students who oppose them might face harassment or mobbing by their peers. This is not surprising, giving the fact that the Icelandic society has been evaluated as number one on gender equality, for many recent years by the WEF. Whatever the reasons are for the reluctance to participate fully, it is obvious that school leaders at all school levels are very interested in receiving gender education with an emphasis on changing gender stereotypes and avoiding sexual harassment in their schools. It is important to follow up on the strong demand for more education on gender issues among school leaders at pre-, compulsory and upper secondary level. It is also important to explore the practices, resistance and attitudes of teachers concerning education on gender issues, in view of the findings of this study as well as the recent strong #metoo movement in Iceland as elsewhere.Peer Reviewe

Microbial Adhesion to Processing Lines for Fish Fillets and Cooked Shrimp: Influence of Stainless Steel Surface Finish and Presence of Gram-Negative Bacteria on the Attachment of Listeria monocytogenes

Microflora adhering to surfaces of processing lines in a shrimp factory and a fish processing plant was identified in situ and adhesion of mixed culture of Listeria monocytogenes and Gram-negative bacteria on stainless steel surfaces (untreated, polished and glass beaded) was studied ex situ. The predominant genus attached to the surfaces was Pseudomonas spp. (66 %) in the shrimp factory and Enterobacteriaceae (27 %) in the fish factory. Shrimp juice was used as an enrichment broth during the study of adhered bacteria. Three different Gram-negative strains and a mixture of Pseudomonas spp. were selected to study their attachment together with L. monocytogenes to stainless steel surfaces. Highest numbers of the attached bacteria were obtained after the contamination with a mixed culture of L. monocytogenes and Serratia liquefaciens. A lower number of bacteria adhered to stainless steel surfaces when mixed cultures of L. monocytogenes and Pseudomonas fluorescens or Aeromonas spp. were tested. No significant differences (p<0.05) were observed in the bacteria attached to differently treated steel surfaces with different roughness (Ra=0.1–0.8 m). Bacterial adhesion increased with longer contact time. Colonisation of L. monocytogenes on stainless steel surfaces was significantly enhanced only in the presence of mixed Pseudomonas spp. These results indicate that smooth surfaces do not necessarily provide hygiene benefits over rougher surfaces

Treatment pattern and results in an outpatient population with type 2 diabetes in Iceland

Neðst á síðunni er hægt að nálgast greinina í heild sinni með því að smella á hlekkinn View/OpenAims: Type 2 diabetes mellitus is a major health problem all over the world. The prevalence of the disease is increasing markedly. Healthcare cost associated with type 2 diabetes is high and the long-term diabetic complications account for the greatest proportion of direct cost. Effective control of blood glucose, lipids and blood pressure can delay the development of complications. The purpose of this study was to examine the risk factors, treatment pattern and results in an Icelandic outpatient population with type 2 diabetes. Our results were compared especially with results from Sweden. Material and methods: Charts were reviewed for all patients (906) with type 2 diabetes that attended the Diabetes Outpatient Clinic at the University Hospital of Iceland in the year 2001. Information about clinical characteristics for the year 2002 were prospectively reviewed for the 380 patients from the year before and for 121 newly diagnosed patients. Clinical characteristics included were age, sex, diabetes duration, glycemic control (HbA1c), office blood pressure, body mass index (BMI), smoking habits, use of lipid- and blood pressure lowering drugs, diabetes treatment and diabetic retinopathy. Results: Mean age was 66 +/-13.1 (SD) years and the mean age at diagnosis was 57 +/-13.1 (SD) years. Sixty percent were men. The mean body mass index was 29.7 kg/m(2). About 85% of patients had body mass index >25 which is much higher than in 1987 when this proportion was about 67.3%. Mean HbA1c was 7.02 the year 2001 and 6.94% in 2002. The mean cholesterol level was 5.44 mmol/L, HDL 1,22 mmol/L and LDL 3.17 mmol/L in 2002 and 27% were taking lipid lowering drugs in 2002. More patients (61%) reached the blood pressure goal 140/80 mmHg during 2002 than the year before (55%). Sixty five percent were using oral hypoglycemic agents and 17,4% insulin alone. Prevalence of smoking was 13% and of retinopathy 17.1%. Conclusions: The mean body mass index has been increasing in Iceland as in other western countries. In our survey the mean glycosylated hemoglobin of 7% is somewhat lower than in comparable European surveys, indicating a better glycemic control here. However our survey and comparable surveys indicate that treatment of dyslipidemia and blood pressure has to be more aggressive.Markmið: Sykursýki og fylgikvillar hennar eru vaxandi vandamál um allan heim. Kostnaður vegna sjúkdómsins er mikill og stærsti hlutinn er vegna fylgi­kvilla. Góð meðferð blóðsykurs, blóðþrýstings og blóðfitu dregur verulega úr fylgikvillum. Markmið rannsóknarinnar var að skoða meðferðar­form, árangur meðferðar og áhættuþætti meðal sjúk­linga með sykursýki tegund 2 í eftirliti á sérhæfðri göngu­deild ásamt samanburði við niðurstöður frá Svíþjóð. Efniviður og aðferðir: Rannsóknin var tvískipt. Afturvirk skráning sjúklinga með sykursýki tegund 2 (906) í eftirliti árið 2001 og jafnhliða framvirk skráning upplýsinga frá sjúklingum (501) árið 2002 í eftirliti á Göngudeild sykursjúkra á Landspítala Hringbraut. Árið 2001 voru 94 (10,4%) nýgreindir en 121 (24,2%) árið 2002. Upplýsingar um 380 sjúklinga voru skráðar bæði árin. Eftirfarandi var skráð: greiningarár, aldur við grein­ingu, þyngdarstuðull (BMI), sykurbundinn blóð­rauði (HbA1c), blóðfitu- og blóðþrýstingsgildi, notkun blóð­fitu- og blóðþrýstingslækkandi lyfja, sykursýkisbreytingar í augnbotnum ásamt sykursýkismeðferð. Niðurstöður: Fleiri karlar (60%) voru í rannsóknarhópnum. Meðalaldur var 66 ár og meðaldur við greiningu 57 ár. Meðalþyngdarstuðull var 29,7 kg/m2 . Um 85% sjúklinganna voru með þyngdarstuðull >25 sem er talsverð aukning frá árinu 1987 en þá var samsvarandi hlutfall 67,3%. Færri konur en karlar náðu viðmiðunarmörkum á þyngdarstuðli samkvæmt alþjóðlegum skilmerkjum. Á blóðsykurlækkandi töflum eingöngu voru 66,5%, en 18,4% voru á insúlínmeðferð. Meðal HbA1c var 7,02% árið 2001 og 6,94% árið 2002. Meðalgildi blóðfitu voru: kólesteról 5,44 mmól /l, HDL 1,22 mmól /L og LDL 3,17 mmól/L árið 2002. Á blóðfitulækkandi lyfjum voru 27% árið 2002. Fleiri (61%) náðu blóðþrýstingsmarkmiðum ?140/80 mmHg árið 2002 en 2001 (55%). Af hópnum reyktu 13% og 17,1% voru með augnbotnabreytingar. Ályktanir: Meðalþyngdarstuðull hefur farið hækkandi hér eins og í öðrum vestrænum löndum. Meðal HbA1c var um eða undir 7,0% sem er lægra en í svipuðum rannsóknum í öðrum Evrópulöndum og bendir til betri blóðsykurstjórnunar hér. Fleiri ná settum blóðþrýstingsgildum árið 2002 en bæta má blóðþrýstingsstjórnun enn betur. Rannsókn okkar svo og erlendar rannsóknir sýna að blóðfitur eru vanmeðhöndlaðar hjá sykursjúkum

Icelandic community pharmacists' and pharmacy students' expectations of future role extensions and education requirements: a cross sectional survey.

Aim: To explore the expectations of Icelandic community pharmacists and final year pharmacy students on future role extensions and associated education needs. Methods: All community pharmacists across Iceland registered with the Pharmaceutical Society of Iceland (LFI) (n=136) and all fourth- and fifth-year pharmacy students enrolled at the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Iceland (n=69). An online cross-sectional questionnaire was designed, validated, piloted and analysed using descriptive statistics, logistic regression and content analysis. Results: The response rate was 27.9% (n=38) for community pharmacists and 33.3% (n=23) for fourth- and fifth-year pharmacy students respectively. Of these, 90.2% (n=55) saw the need for community pharmacists’ role extensions and most (n=60, 98.4%) were willing to accept additional education to make role extensions in Iceland possible. Logistic regression identified that students identified the need for pharmacists to be making prescribing recommendations to medical healthcare professionals (p=0.023); for example 'Pharmacists should use their knowledge to give advice and collaborate with physicians and other healthcare professionals about drug therapies'. Conclusion: Both community pharmacists and pharmacy students showed a strong willingness to extend their roles in the future. It will require government support to overcome perceived barriers and to develop further education programmes

Učinkovitost uklanjanja bakterijske flore s proizvodnih površina nakon prerade ribe

There are numerous parameters that can influence bacterial decontamination during washing of machinery and equipment in a food processing establishment. Incomplete decontamination of bacteria will increase the risk of biofilm formation and consequently increase the risk of pathogen contamination or prevalence of other undesirable microorganisms such as spoilage bacteria in the processing line. The efficiency of a typical washing protocol has been determined by testing three critical parameters and their effects on bacterial decontamination. Two surface materials (plastic and stainless steel), water temperatures (7 and 25 °C) and detergent concentrations (2 and 4 %) were used for this purpose in combination with two types of detergents. Biofilm was prepared on the surfaces with undefined bacterial flora obtained from minced cod fillets. The bacterial flora of the biofilm was characterised by cultivation and molecular analysis of 16S rRNA genes. All different combinations of washing protocols tested were able to remove more than 99.9 % of the bacteria in the biofilm and reduce the cell number from 7 to 0 or 2 log units of bacteria/cm2. The results show that it is possible to use less diluted detergents than recommended with comparable success, and it is easier to clean surface material made of stainless steel compared to polyethylene plastic.Brojni uvjeti utječu na dekontaminaciju strojeva i opreme koja se koristi u prehrambenoj industriji. Nepotpuno uklanjanje bakterija povećava rizik stvaranja biofilma i onečišćenja patogenim mikroorganizmima ili prevladavanja nepoželjnih mikroorganizama (kao npr. uzročnika kvarenja) u proizvodnoj liniji. Uspješnost tipičnog protokola pranja utvrđena je ispitivanjem triju kritičnih uvjeta i njihova utjecaja na dekontaminaciju. U tu su svrhu upotrijebljena dva tipa proizvodnih površina (plastika i čelik), dvije temperature vode za pranje (7 i 25 °C) i dvije vrste detergenata različitih koncentracija (2 i 4 %). Na proizvodnim je površinama napravljen biofilm od bakterijske flore iz mljevenih fileta bakalara, naknadno karakterizirane uzgojem i molekularnom analizom 16S rRNA gena. Različiti protokoli pranja uspješno su odstranili više od 99,9 % bakterija biofilma i smanjili broj stanica sa 7 na 0-2 logaritamske jedinice bakterija po cm2. Rezultati pokazuju da se jednako uspješno mogu primijeniti manje količine i koncentracije detergenata od preporučenih, te da je lakše očistiti proizvodne površine od čelika nego one od polietilena

The economic collapse and school practice in Reykjavik

Í þessari rannsókn voru könnuð áhrif efnahagshrunsins á Íslandi árið 2008 á skóla í Reykjavík. Gagnaöflun fór fram á árunum 2013 og 2014. Tekin voru viðtöl við einstaklinga og í rýnihópum. Rætt var við fulltrúa hjá Reykjavíkurborg og í menntaog menningarmálaráðuneyti, skólastjórnendur, kennara, foreldra og nemendur í völdum leik-, grunn- og framhaldsskólum. Niðurstöður benda til þess að tekist hafi að vernda kjarnann í skólastarfinu fyrir niðurskurði en þó í meira mæli í grunnskólum en í leik- og framhaldsskólum. Niðurskurðurinn olli því ekki skólakreppu í þeim skilningi að grunngildum skólanna væri ógnað. Öðru máli kann þó að gegna um leikskólana sem urðu fyrir þyngri áföllum en skólarnir á hinum skólastigunum. Þótt ekki kæmi til skólakreppu í framangreindum skilningi þá hafði niðurskurður margvísleg áhrif á skólastarfið. Stjórnunarstöðum fækkaði umtalsvert, einkum millistjórnendum, forfallakennsla var unnin af skólastjórnendum, annað starfsfólk var ráðið í hlutastörf og framlög til tómstundastarfs og náms- og starfsráðgjafar skert. Yfirvinna starfsfólks var ekki leyfð, minna fé var veitt til samstarfs, bekkir urðu fjölmennari og dregið úr fjárveitingum til kaupa á efniviði og námsgögnum og til viðhalds tækja og húsa. Loks voru skólar á leik- og grunnskólastigi sameinaðir. Fram kom að sú aðgerð hefði aukið mjög á þá erfiðleika sem af niðurskurðinum hlaust. Ekki voru nefnd dæmi um að fólk missti vinnuna þótt talsvert væri um uppsagnir, starfsmönnum var þá boðin vinna að nýju en stundum í skertu starfshlutfalli. Þótt viðmælendur teldu að ekki kæmi til frekari niðurskurðar sögðust þeir ekki vongóðir um bjartari tíma framundan. Að mörgu leyti voru áherslur hagsmunaaðila skóla í samræmi við ráðleggingar fræðimanna um fagleg viðbrögð við efnahags- þrenginum. Sú áhersla sem lögð var á að vernda nám og kennslu og standa vörð um velferð nemenda eru dæmi um slík viðbrögð. Á hinn bóginn komu upp mál þar sem bæði starfsmenn skóla og foreldrar kvörtuðu yfir þeim skorti á samráði sem yfirvöld hefðu viðhaft við ákvarðanir um mikilvæg málefni skólanna. Rannsóknin var unnin af fimm fræðimönnum Rannsóknarstofu í menntastjórnun, nýsköpun og matsfræði við Menntavísindasvið Háskóla Íslands.This paper explores the impact of the economic collapse in 2008 on schools in one Icelandic municipality, Reykjavík, the capital of Iceland. Earlier, a similar study was conducted by the same research team in two Icelandic municipalities, one in an agricultural area, and one in a fishing and service community. Information about staff and school costs was gathered for the years of 2013 and 2014. Interviews with individuals and in focus groups were carried out with represenatives at the ministry of culture and education, the Local Education Authorities in Reykjavík, school administrators, teachers, other staff, parents and pupils of six selected schools: two preschools, two primary and lowersecondary schools and two upper-secondary schools. Information about staff and school costs was also gathered. The research was qualitative in nature, primarily based on interviews and documentary data. Interviews were conducted with individuals and in focus groups with representatives of the municipalities and the state, school administrators, teachers, parents and pupils of selected pre-, primary-, and upper-secondary schools. The research sought answers to the following questions: How did educational authorities and school professionals respond to budget cut requirements? Did the reductions cause a school crisis and did they have different consequences depending on the school level? The findings suggest that the core functions of the schools, teaching and learning, were to a large extent protected as stipulated by school authorities. Reduction in expenditure, therefore, did not cause a school crisis in the sense, that the basic values of the schools were threatened. This, however, may not apply to the preschools and the schools at the upper secondary level, which were harder hit by the cut-backs than the other school levels. Even if the schools were able to protect the core school activities, finanicial cutbacks had serious implications for the schools. Various cutbacks were made at all school levels; administrative positions, especially at the middle levels, were cut considerably, principals served as substitute teachers, classes became bigger, no overtime was paid, extracurricular activities and specialist work, such as counseling, and maintenance of equipment and buildings were all cut. Finally, at the preschool level, and primary and lower-secondary school levels, schools were amalgamated. Interviewees in these schools agreed that the merges had been an additional challenge to deal with while trying to come to terms with reduced funding. Findings, moreover, indicate, that while all school members were affected by the bad economy, school principals at all school levels carried the heaviest burdens. While interviewees agreed that further cutbacks were unlikely, they did not envision better times ahead. In many ways school stakeholders, within and outside of the schools, responded to the cutbacks in a manner recommended by experts on school crisis, such as by protecting the core activities of teaching and learning. There were, however, instances when school personnell and parents complained, that school authorities had failed to consult them on relevant matters. The discussion highlights the impact of values on policy and decision making in general, but in times of austerity in particular. The research was carried out by five academics at the School of Education, University of Iceland and sponsored by the by the Center for Research on School Administration, Innovation and Evaluation at the School of Education, University of Iceland and carried out by five of its members.Rannsóknarstofa í menntastjórnun, nýsköpun og matsfræðiPublisher's Prin

Er "menningarlæsi" ungs fólks að breytast? : athugun á lestri og tómstundavenjum nemenda í 10. bekk

Í rannsókn þessari eru kannaðar lestrar- og tómstundavenjur ungs fólks árið 2005. Markmiðið er að skoða menningarlæsi nemenda í 10. bekk og bera niðurstöðurnar saman við fyrri rannsóknir á sama aldurshópi og við sambærilega athugun á eldra fólki frá 2005. Spurningalisti var lagður fyrir í tveimur skólum í Reykjavík, 107 nemendur alls. Niðurstöðurnar benda til að nemendur lesi minna í bókum 2005 en jafnaldrar þeirra 1993 og 1965 og að notkun þeirra á internetinu og tölvuleikjum í frítíma sínum, sé mun meiri en fólks á þrítugs- og fimmtugsaldri og jafnaldra þeirra áður. Þeim fjölgar á báðum kynjum sem aldrei eða mjög sjaldan lesa tiltekna bókaflokka. Þá kom fram vísbending um að þekking ungs fólks á bókmenntum fari minnkandi. Kynjamunurinn í lestri er nokkur, stúlkum í vil, en þó minni en áður; lítill og ekki marktækur í internetnotkun en tölvuleikjaiðkun drengja er marktækt meiri en stúlkna. Vinsælustu bækurnar hafa verið kvikmyndaðar og eftirminnilegar bókapersónur eru yfirleitt karlkyns. Unga fólkið leggur mikið upp úr vali, að fólk lesi eða geri það sem það hefur áhuga á og það telur frekar en fullorðnir að áhugi á íslenskri menningu fari þverrandi. Þó að unga kynslóðin lesi minna af bókum en áður og noti tölvurnar mikið þykir vafasamt nú að fullyrða um afleiðingarnar til framtíðar. Mikilvægt er því að rannsaka betur þá gerð af læsi, sem nýju miðlarnir skapa, og að skólinn sé í takt við þær breytingar. Hugtakið menningarlæsi þarf að endurskilgreina eða víkka þannig að það nái til læsis á alla viðkomandi miðla og til þekkingar sem stuðlar að virkni í samfélaginu, bæði heima fyrir og alþjóðlega. Vonast er til að rannsóknin geti nýst menntamálayfirvöldum og kennurum í viðleitni þeirra til að efla læsi og menntun ungs fólks á Íslandi á tímum tæknibreytinga og hnattvæðingar

Ofþróun og vanþróun. Tvær hliðar á sama peningnum?

Oft heyrum við talað um að vanþróun í þriðja heimi sé mikið vandamál. Það er þó sjaldnar sem við leiðum hugann að því að Vesturlönd gætu einnig átt við þróunarvandamál að stríða. Margt bendir þó til þess að svokölluð ofþróun í fyrsta heimi sé orðin að miklu vandamáli, bæði á Vesturlöndum en einnig fyrir heiminn allan. Í þessari ritgerð verður ofþróun í fyrsta heimi gerð skil, litið verður á nokkrar af helstu afleiðingum ofþróunar og tengsl ofþróunar og vanþróunar verða rædd. Mannfræðilegu sjónarhorni verður beitt til að varpa ljósi á þau áhrif sem ofþróun hefur á líf fólks um heiminn allan og þau grafalvarlegu umhverfislegu áhrif sem ofþróun veldur

Individens frihet i samhället, vikingen och odalbonden i Vilhelm Mobergs Utvandrarepos

Denna uppsats handlar om Utvandrarserien av Vilhelm Moberg, en historisk romanserie som består av fyra böcker, Utvandrarna, Invandrarna, Nybyggarna och Sista brevet till Sverige. Romanen handlar om några människors utflyttning från Småland i Sverige till Nordamerika, en berättelse om de första utvandrarna, några fattiga bönder som i mitten av 1800-talet bröt upp från sin hemort för att söka frihet och lycka på den andra sidan av Atlanten. Huvudsyftet med denna uppsats är att analysera den manliga karaktärsskildringen, samt att lyfta fram individens sökande efter frihet i samhället. En av orsakerna till att så många flyttade bort var myndigheternas trakasserier och kyrkans intolerans. I kapitel 1 tar jag upp vad som är utmärkande för den historiska romanen och introducerar författaren Vilhelm Moberg, hans uppväxt och ger vissa historiska bakgrundsfakta. I kapitel 2 skildras det manlige idealet och hur de två manliga gestaltarna vikingen och odalbonden hos Erik Gustaf Geijer, samt Thomas Thorilds götiska ideal speglas i den manliga huvudpersonen Karl Oskar. Jag redogör också för hur individens frihet i samhället kan ses som ett huvudtema i romanerna. I kapitel 3 analyseras de manliga huvudpersonerna och den manlega naturen studeras ur olika synvinklar