A New National Defense: Feminism, Education, and the Quest for "Scientific Brainpower," 1940-1965

Focusing on the Second World War and early Cold War Era, this study uncovers how female activists promoted women's scientific participation as a shared solution to national security concerns. By appropriating the language and the cause of national defense, they presented powerful, sophisticated, and surprisingly familiar critiques of the pervasive cultural attitudes and discriminatory practices that discouraged women’s scientific interests and aspirations. Although these activists lacked the analytical tools to comprehend the deep-rootedness of women's scientific subordination, they still conceived of it as the product of social forces. They realized fully that women's exclusion stemmed from a series of cultural attitudes and deliberate choices regarding who could do science and who could not. But, in the context of the Second World War and early Cold War years when scientific brainpower was supposedly at a premium, they argued that this artificial and inaccurate distinction, along with all of its ramifications, was ultimately wasteful and unpatriotic. In an era that discouraged and even punished dissent, the language and cause of national defense provided activists with a culturally legitimated means for critiquing gender conventions and discrimination. The invocation of defense rhetoric, however, not only camouflaged but also compromised their agenda. Activists' own implorations to utilize female intellect and stem the waste of scientific talent elided their interest in sexual equality. The militaristic and technocratic language in which they couched their demands, moreover, subordinated women's rights to national needs and circumscribed their liberatory potential. Nevertheless, these efforts at expanding women's scientific participation are significant because they set the groundwork for later feminist reform. In effect, this study reveals that contemporary feminist interest in science did not spring full-blown from the so-called second wave of American feminism but rather, had been percolating for some time. Reclaiming this early history complicates our picture of the mid-twentieth century as an era of domestic complacency, illuminates continuities between earlier efforts and contemporary feminist critiques, and calls into question the waves of feminism paradigm

State education as high-yield investment: human capital theory in European policy discourse

Human Capital Theory has been an increasingly important phenomenon in economic thought over the last 50 years. The central role it affords to education has become even more marked in recent years as the concept of the ‘knowledge economy’ has become a global concern. In this paper, the prevalence of Human Capital Theory within European educational policy discourse is explored. The paper examines a selection of policy documents from a number of disparate European national contexts and considers the extent to which the ideas of Human Capital Theory can be seen to be influential. In the second part of the paper, the implications of Human Capital Theory for education are considered, with a particular focus on the possible ramifications at a time of economic austerity. The paper argues that Human Capital Theory risks offering a diminished view of the person, a diminished view of education, but that with its sole focus on economic goals leaves room for educationists and others to argue for the educational, social, and moral values it ignores, and for the conception of the good life and good society it fails to mention

Educational choices of the future. A sociological inquiry into micro-politics in education

This thesis investigates how students’ practical considerations for future choices in education and occupations correspond to policy objectives of socially productive educational choices. This is conveyed through the primary aim of analyzing the correspondence between on the one hand educational policy intentions and on the other hand students’ educational choices and the social and cultural conditions that structure them. These concerns are addressed with specific aims in four different articles. However, the following research questions have been of central guidance for framing the main issue: (1) How are economic, political and social processes brought together on a policy level for motivating and regulating individuals’ educational choices (Article I)? (2) How do students’ educational choices correspond with policy intentions and the assumptions of rational choice that the latter are founded on (Article I-II)? (3) How are students’ educational choices shaped by wants and identities (Article II-IV)? (4) What is the relationship between students’ want formation and relevant social and cultural conditions (Article II-IV)? The empirical material consisted of interviews and semi-structured questionnaires with young people in secondary education and higher education, and interviews with school staff in secondary education. Empirical inquiries were also conveyed via a semiotic content analysis on recent policy: specifically the Swedish Long-Term Surveys from 2008 and 2011. In comprehensive terms, the rationality of choices from both how choice is practiced and what is desired has been of primary interest. These concerns are addressed by the following emphases in the different investigations. In Article I the form of government that aims to shape actors’ wants and decisions in relation to productive educational choices in the Long-Term Surveys is investigated. The forms of rationality in general, and the suggested implementation of rational choices in particular, are here analyzed through a critical semiotic analysis. The result of the study lifts forward critical distinctions of ontological and epistemological assumptions in how to delineate social and economic claims for the righteousness, reasonableness and necessity of choices. Article II focuses on how students’ wants and choices are formed in a vocational (vehicle maintenance program) and a theoretical (social science program) upper secondary education. By examining students’ want-lists complemented by interviews with students and school staff the study argues that it is important to view wants in an organic totality based on individual and collective experiences. The results show a pragmatic rationality in students’ decision-making, which challenges instrumental rationality in educational choices. This is importantly about how structural support guides students’ decisions over the future under conditions of the radical uncertainty that marks decisions in open social systems. In article III the analysis of vocational and theoretical upper secondary students’ want formations are further developed in relation to their educational environment. Through analysis of interviews with students, teachers, principals and student counselors the article pays particular attention to institutional school effects and school habitus. The results showed that different forms of school habitus in the investigated programs could be empirically attributed to how students form their wants. Article IV investigates identity work via a semi-structured questionnaire and group interviews with students from a Swedish Human Resource program in higher education. What in particular was investigated was how symbolic signification of education and occupations occurred within education. The actual meaning students attributed to education rested importantly on collective sense-making. Indicated in the results is that the meaning of being a student incorporates an awareness of social status and an ability to form relatively autonomous personal projects related to social forces. The result of the thesis points to a lack of correspondence between, on the one hand, political notions of how rational and utility maximizing choices should be made based on effective matching of education and working life and, on the other hand, how young people form their paths into the future in practice through education choices. Students often make their educational choices due to a lack of better alternatives and are often uncertain about where their choices will take them in life. These results show that there is a need for concrete support in schools in order to turn students’ insecurity about the future into useful strategies for educational and occupational paths

Bit-Error probabilities for linear block codes

Detta examensarbete har en distinkt avgränsning vilket innebär att enbart binära koder som kan beskrivas med en generator- och en kontrollmatris behandlas, det vill säga linjära block koder. För att se hur felsannolikheten varierar har två metoder använts, dels en fullständig undersökning vilket innebär att alla linjärkombinationer av en generatormatris undersöks, dels en slumpmässig vilken innebär att enbart ett antal slumpmässigt utvalda linjärkombinationer undersöks. Den sistnämnda metoden används enbart när det blir för tidsödande att genomföra en fullständig undersökning. Resultatet visar att alla avbildningar till en linjär kod inte är ekvivalenta med avseende på felsannolikheten för de olika bitpositionerna i meddelandeordet. Detta innebär att vissa linjärkombinationer av en generatormatris för en given kod beter sig bättre än den ursprungliga generatormatrisen som definierar koden. Vissa koder kan till och med fås att bete sig snarlikt en perfekt kod. Som referens till de undersökta koderna har jag använt mig av Hamming koden, ham(7,4), vilken är en perfekt kod

The Reality Of Stigma

Bakgrund: Depression är en av de vanligaste psykiska sjukdomarna idag och att det är i lika grad stigmatiserat. Stigma kan kopplas till okunnighet om psykisk ohälsa. Detta gör det nästintill omöjligt för individer som lider av psykisk ohälsa, såsom depression, att kunna vara en del av samhället och yttra sina känslor utan att motta negativitet relaterat till sin sjukdom. Som ett tillägg till detta är individerna i fråga oftast ensamma, dvs de föredrar isolering än sällskapet av de som stigmatiserar dem. Detta i sin tur ger upphov till känslor av oro och hopplöshet, hämmad återhämtning och även vägran att söka hjälp och behandling. Syfte: Syftet är att undersöka hur upplevelser av stigmatisering kommer till uttryck i blogginlägg bland unga vuxna med depression. Metod: En kvalitativ metod med hjälp av textanalys utfördes. Åtta blogginlägg sammanlagt användes för att komma fram till ett resultat. Blogginlägg granskades efter relevans av vårt syfte och studie. Resultat: Tre teman uppkom under studiens gång. Dessa är: ”Rädslan att prata om sin diagnos”, ”Depression är ett skämt” och ”Stigma från professionella”. Konklusion: Individer som upplever stigmatisering från samhället som en följd av sin psykiska sjukdom upplever ovilja till återhämtning, känslor av förtvivlan, värdelöshet och illamående som kan leda till isolering och minskade möjligheter i samhället.Background: Depression is one of the most common mental illnesses today and it is equally stigmatized. Stigma can be linked to ignorance of mental illness. This makes it almost  impossible for individuals suffering from mental illness, such as depression, to be a part of society and express their feelings without receiving negativity related to their illness. In addition to this, the individuals in question are usually alone, i.e. they prefer isolation rather than the company of those who stigmatize them. This in turn gives rise to feelings of anxiety and hopelessness, inhibited recovery and even refusal to seek help and treatment. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate how the experiences of stigmatization is expressed in blog posts among young adults with depression. Method: A qualitative study using text analysis was used. A total of eight blog posts were analysed to get the results. Blog posts were reviewed after the relevance for our purpose and study. Result: Three themes arose during the study. These are: "The fear of talking about their diagnosis", "Depression is a joke" and "Stigma from professionals". Conclusion: Individuals who experience stigmatization from society as a result of their mental illness experience reluctance to recovery, feelings of despair, worthlessness and malice that can lead to isolation and diminished opportunities in society

The Reality Of Stigma

Bakgrund: Depression är en av de vanligaste psykiska sjukdomarna idag och att det är i lika grad stigmatiserat. Stigma kan kopplas till okunnighet om psykisk ohälsa. Detta gör det nästintill omöjligt för individer som lider av psykisk ohälsa, såsom depression, att kunna vara en del av samhället och yttra sina känslor utan att motta negativitet relaterat till sin sjukdom. Som ett tillägg till detta är individerna i fråga oftast ensamma, dvs de föredrar isolering än sällskapet av de som stigmatiserar dem. Detta i sin tur ger upphov till känslor av oro och hopplöshet, hämmad återhämtning och även vägran att söka hjälp och behandling. Syfte: Syftet är att undersöka hur upplevelser av stigmatisering kommer till uttryck i blogginlägg bland unga vuxna med depression. Metod: En kvalitativ metod med hjälp av textanalys utfördes. Åtta blogginlägg sammanlagt användes för att komma fram till ett resultat. Blogginlägg granskades efter relevans av vårt syfte och studie. Resultat: Tre teman uppkom under studiens gång. Dessa är: ”Rädslan att prata om sin diagnos”, ”Depression är ett skämt” och ”Stigma från professionella”. Konklusion: Individer som upplever stigmatisering från samhället som en följd av sin psykiska sjukdom upplever ovilja till återhämtning, känslor av förtvivlan, värdelöshet och illamående som kan leda till isolering och minskade möjligheter i samhället.Background: Depression is one of the most common mental illnesses today and it is equally stigmatized. Stigma can be linked to ignorance of mental illness. This makes it almost  impossible for individuals suffering from mental illness, such as depression, to be a part of society and express their feelings without receiving negativity related to their illness. In addition to this, the individuals in question are usually alone, i.e. they prefer isolation rather than the company of those who stigmatize them. This in turn gives rise to feelings of anxiety and hopelessness, inhibited recovery and even refusal to seek help and treatment. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate how the experiences of stigmatization is expressed in blog posts among young adults with depression. Method: A qualitative study using text analysis was used. A total of eight blog posts were analysed to get the results. Blog posts were reviewed after the relevance for our purpose and study. Result: Three themes arose during the study. These are: "The fear of talking about their diagnosis", "Depression is a joke" and "Stigma from professionals". Conclusion: Individuals who experience stigmatization from society as a result of their mental illness experience reluctance to recovery, feelings of despair, worthlessness and malice that can lead to isolation and diminished opportunities in society