Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 1979, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects: Chemistry

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2015, Communication Studies (Communication)

My dissertation seeks to explore the experiences, existing narratives, and the role of intertwined stories of the Roma/Gypsy community in Bodvalenke, in the economically and socially most underprivileged region of Hungary. Bodvalenke is a unique place, where contemporary painters of Roma/Gypsy origin have created large murals on the back walls of the houses in the frame of a permanent outdoor exhibition. In the visual storytelling of these murals about the Roma/Gypsy mythology, past and present uniquely work together, entwined with oral narratives and everyday stories in the village. My research examines the nature of storytelling in Bodvalenke in its many layers and performances, and analyzes its effects as well as probing the relationships between the stories told by the Romani people and stories circulated by others about Roma/Gypsy peoples in Hungary and Europe.

Committee: Raymie McKerrow (Committee Chair); Devika Chawla (Committee Member); Roger Aden (Committee Member); Jenny Nelson (Committee Member) Subjects: Communication; Ethnic Studies

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2013, Communication Studies

This dissertation is a critical ethnography of the Roma ethnic minority in post-communist Romania within the socio-economic and political context of the country's post-accession to the European Union. The focus broadly is on the identity negotiation of the Roma minority in Romanian urban space. To this end, I explore Roma communicative practices in capital city of Bucharest. I examine the urban intercultural contact zones that represent Roma-non Roma relations and interactions. I draw on the productive "travelling" postcolonial theories and translate them into an examination of the Roma minority in Romanian physical space. My ethnography is informed by postcolonial theoretical frameworks that challenge the seemingly dichotomous colonizer/colonized relation. I look at discursive practices among Roma individuals suggesting alternative epistemes to allow for a nuanced understanding of the Roma-non Roma encounter. My methods include in-depth interviews, participant observation, and direct observation. The personal narratives of the 35 participants involved in this study emphasize a range of identity negotiation patterns. These reveal in turn complex, interrelated configurations of internalized oppression, passing, and hybridity that make possible both resistance and conformity to the dominant cultural production of the Gypsy Other. This research is an attempt to produce a constructive impact on policy and practice and therefore addresses the urgent need for critical, responsible inquiry that explores the diversity of Romani experience.

Committee: Radhika Gajjala Dr. (Committee Chair); Lara Martin Lengel Dr. (Committee Member); Lynda Dixon Dr. (Committee Member); Karen Kakas Dr. (Other) Subjects: Communication

Master of Arts (MA), Wright State University, 2009, English

Gypsy Soul, Wolf Spirit is a collection of thirty-six poems; the majority of the poems are written in - or evolved from drafts written in - iambic pentameter. Writing formal poetry was a challenge I decided to embrace because I believed that it would allow me to evolve as a poet. The themes that connect these poems are represented by the collection's title: Gypsy Soul, Wolf Spirit. There is the dominant thematic presence of both the natural world and the spiritual realm within the collection. My intention was to lift the reader to a state of mind, through language, where he or she could get lost in the peaceful beauty of nature - even when that beauty is found through powerful images of the bear or wolf - and feel the spontaneous gypsy soul of the divine universe.

Committee: Gary Pacernick PhD (Committee Chair); Jane Blakelock M.A. (Committee Member); David Seitz PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: English literature; Fine Arts; Language Arts; Literacy; Teaching; Womens Studies

Master of Science (MS), Wright State University, 2003, Geological Sciences

Hurley, Angela Lorraine. M.S., Department of Geological Sciences, Wright State University, 2003. Identification of Gypsy Moth Defoliation in Ohio Using Landsat Data. The gypsy moth is one of the most devastating forest pests in North America. In late spring, gypsy moth larvae hatch from eggs laid the previous summer. During the next forty days, tens of thousands of these caterpillars eat up to one square foot of foliage each. The gypsy moth has established populations in several states, and dangerously fast-growing populations in several others. The state of Ohio is a critical area in the suppression of the gypsy moth because the front of gypsy moth advance passes through the state. Besides diminishing the aesthetic value of Ohio's forests, gypsy moths also cause substantial economic damage to the Ohio timber industry, which is estimated to be a $7 billion per year industry. The Ohio Department of Agriculture currently uses aerial sketchmapping each year to assess the damage done by the gypsy moth. This procedure is difficult, time-consuming, and somewhat imprecise. The results obtained from Landsat 5 and Landsat 7 data can be compared to locations determined by aerial sketchmapping to locate gypsy moth infestations in Ohio. Since vegetation reflects infrared light and absorbs visible light, the health of vegetation can be assessed using a haze-adjusted ratio of Landsat spectral band 4 (near-infrared) to Landsat spectral band 3 (visible red). To determine the change that has occurred between two dates, the ratio values from two dates are subtracted. To identify change that has been caused by the gypsy moth, an area should exhibit defoliation between early June and late June and subsequent refoliation between late June and late July. This type of change results in large positive ratio subtraction values between early June and late June and large negative ratio subtraction values between late June and late July. Pixels that exhibit these attributes are candidates for (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Doyle Watts (Advisor) Subjects: Geology

DMA, University of Cincinnati, 2005, College-Conservatory of Music : Piano

Johannes Brahms's Hungarian Dances are some of the most popular pieces in the art music repertory, yet they have elicited little scholarly inquiry. Existing writings generally focus on the musical sources these pieces are based on. The Dances include Brahms's most consistent use of the style hongrois , a type of musical exoticism used to recall Gypsy performances and to evoke emotions associated with them. To date, there has been no systematic analysis of the Dances and their style hongrois traits. Furthermore, the writings that do include some discussion of the Dances' style hongrois features do not relate these characteristics to the nineteenth-century Gypsy stereotype. In the course of this document, I systematically analyze the Dances' style hongrois features and relate them to attributes of the Gypsy stereotype. I show how Brahms's use of the style hongrois in his Hungarian Dances is a construction of the Gypsy “Other” and a recipe that can be broken down into specific musical ingredients. This document includes an introduction to musical exoticism with a focus on the style hongrois , a detailed discussion of the facets of the nineteenth-century Gypsy stereotype, information on Brahms's connection to Hungarian music and a background for his Hungarian Dances , and a categorization of style hongrois traits with examples from Hungarian folk and popular music. Included is an analysis of each Hungarian Dance, focusing on style hongrois characteristics and their connections to the Gypsy stereotype. Through this connection, each Hungarian Dance emerges as a facet of this complex stereotype. A brief discussion of Brahms's other works in the style reveals that none of them present such a consistent use of the style hongrois as the Hungarian Dances , making the latter a unique appearance in his output. Through their abundant style hongrois traits, the Hungarian Dances clearly show Brahms's musical construction of the Gypsy “Other,” based on this author's five main cate (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Dr. bruce mcclung (Advisor) Subjects: Music