Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2018, American Culture Studies

Beginning from Foucault's notion that “where there is power, there is resistance,” I uncover how fat people are at any given time accepting, resisting, and/or subverting the oppressive power embedded in social norms surrounding their bodies (95). Each chapter reveals a new layer, a new complication as to how, why, and when individuals are (un)able, (un)willing, and/or (un)certain about how they can and are treating their own and other people's fat bodies. In my study, I take as a given that behavior is fluid, ever changing, shifting, and in progress. My study demonstrates how media messages are being accepted, resisted, re-appropriated, altered, internalized, and/or ignored by individuals; thus, my study brings focus to the complex relationships fat people have surrounding their subjectivity, their sense of power, agency, and ability to resist, as well as the interplay of the intersections of their social identities, and their sense of embodiment and the performance of their fat body.

Committee: Lesa Lockford Ph.D. (Advisor); Sandra Faulkner Ph.D. (Committee Member); Kimberly Coates Ph.D. (Committee Member); Madeline Duntley Ph.D. (Other) Subjects: American Studies; Gender; Mass Media

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2004, East Asian Languages and Literatures

This study examines adaptations of Chinese culture in medieval Japanese No theatre through analyzing a group of No plays featuring Chinese motifs, also referred to as “Chinese plays,” written between the late fourteenth and the early sixteenth centuries. It investigates how changing relations with China, reception history of Chinese motifs, as well as evolving aesthetic and cultural norms on the part of playwrights and audiences of No, shaped the making of these plays. I propose what I refer to as a Filter Model, based on my reading of treatises of No and supported by contemporary theory of intercultural theatre, to analyze the (re)interpretations and (re)construction of various images of China within specific historical and cultural contexts. I argue that this group of plays was not about representing China, but rather about manipulating the perceived images of China and catering to the cultural practices, aesthetic preferences, and sociopolitical attitudes of various audience groups in medieval Japan. It is through the different images of China constructed in these plays that the playwrights amplify certain aspects of No, such as auspiciousness, cultural identity, depictions of human emotion, and dance performances. Chapter One lays out the theoretical and historical framework for the study. I critically review current scholarship on issues of Other and Self, and on conceptions of Intercultural Theatre. I then trace the dynamics of cultural exchanges between China and Japan that had influenced the reception of Chinese motifs in No theatre. Chapter Two centers on the underlying variables in the composition of “Chinese plays.” I first assess the influential role of audience and patron of No. I then introduce my Filter Model, which illustrates the complex interplay of sociopolitical milieux, basic sources, perspectives and dramaturgies of the playwrights, in the making of “Chinese plays.” Chapters Three to Seven examine ten “Chinese plays” that, taken together, displ (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Shelley Quinn (Advisor) Subjects: Literature, Asian

PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2023, College-Conservatory of Music: Theory

Women composers Varvara Gaigerova (1903-1944), Lucija Garuta (1907-1977), Zara Levina (1906-1976), and Stefania Turkevych (1898-1977) share striking similarities in compositional approach that set them apart from their contemporaries—both men and women—in the Soviet Union. My methodology combines the approaches of comparative literature scholar Joanna Kot and music theorist Ellie Hisama to create historically informed analyses which consider personal idioms and the connection between the composers' music and their identities. Each analysis connects musical elements—including significant deviations in formal structures, non-Russian language and source material, religious allusions, and the juxtaposition of twentieth-century compositional techniques with older musical styles—with research from other fields. The resulting readings highlight the ways, both similar and disparate, that these composers enacted musical rebellion. This study requires grappling with the complexity of sociopolitical climates. Throughout this study's focal time period—between the years 1915 and 1960—ideologies and political, cultural, and social actions were fluctuating frequently. The introduction and perpetuation of certain ideologies, cultural myths, and societal practices impacted the lives and works of Gaigerova, Garuta, Levina, and Turkevych in a variety of ways, such as through their education, their national identity, or their daily lives. Pervasive ideological changes that are pertinent to the analysis of their music include—but are not limited to—Marxism, the double burden, the doctrine of socialist realism, formalism, and feminism. Drawing from and building upon methodologies for music, literature, drama, and politics, this dissertation presents analyses highlighting how these elements emerge from attitudes toward rebellion, identity, feminism, and gender roles in Soviet, Ukrainian, and Baltic society.

Committee: Christopher Segall Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Cristina Losada Ph.D. (Committee Member); Shelina Brown Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Music

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2022, Interdisciplinary Arts (Fine Arts)

This dissertation investigates the works, thoughts, and practices of everyday life of a diverse range of emerging contemporary Syrian artists and filmmakers who created art during the Syrian crisis since 2011. Some stayed in Syria. Others fled the country. Some engaged in armed resistance or political activism. Others lost their lives. This dissertation is primarily concerned with how these individuals created art that reflected the everyday life of Syrians throughout the crisis. The focus on everyday life is crucial because it shifts scholarly attention on the Syrian crisis away from the war itself and onto the overlooked Syrians who are creatively trying to survive it. Drawing on interviews, aesthetic analysis, and participant-observation, I argue that Syrian artists try to reclaim the Syrian identity and homeland concepts back to their cultural heritages and away from political or war realities. In addition, I discuss a new model of the Syrian body of survival and its representations based on its transformations between different modes of survival practices. This dissertation seeks to enrich art history, Performance Studies, and scholarly approaches to the Syrian crisis by positioning Syrian art as a global and contemporary art phenomenon and by documenting, preserving, analyzing, and presenting its artists to the international public. It pays particular attention to Syrian art's local, regional, and global specificity while also considering how the artworks and films are produced, distributed, and presented across international art arenas. The ultimate goal of this dissertation is to clarify what it means to be Syrian today, a concept that has been mostly unrepresented, misrepresented, or distorted by stereotyping.

Committee: Charles Buchanan (Advisor); Garrett Field (Committee Member); Erin Schlumpf (Committee Member); Jennie Klein (Committee Member) Subjects: Art Criticism; Art History; Film Studies; Fine Arts; Middle Eastern Studies; Performing Arts

Doctor of Musical Arts, The Ohio State University, 2020, Music

The Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) degree has been the terminal degree in music performance, composition, and conducting in North America since the early 1950s. Originally met with criticism, some of which continues to this day, the DMA continues to serve as the gateway for applied music-makers that wish to join the academy. This document investigates and echoes these criticisms surrounding the necessity and design of the DMA in Voice Performance, while submitting new criticisms based in curriculum theory, learning science (pedagogy), and educational psychology. A comparative look at DMA in Voice Performance programs at 57 American universities and conservatories provides context and inspiration for a much-needed consensus on the desired outcomes of this terminal degree in singing. This document responds to this need by proposing a new, revised, and ideal course of study that encourages the singing community to reconsider the limitless possibilities that exist for artist-teachers in the pursuit of a DMA. In so doing, it serves as a mindful guide that institutions may use to tailor their doctoral programs to their strengths, while following best practices that uplift, validate, and ensure the existence of such a degree.

Committee: Scott McCoy DMA (Advisor); Edward Bak MM (Committee Member); Christin Ray PhD (Committee Member); Loretta Robinson MM (Committee Member) Subjects: Curricula; Curriculum Development; Education; Educational Psychology; Higher Education; Higher Education Administration; Music; Music Education; Pedagogy; Performing Arts; Teacher Education; Teaching

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2018, Interdisciplinary Arts (Fine Arts)

Street art exploded in Cairo during the Egyptian revolution in 2011. Graffiti, films, and murals were created in and around Tahrir Square as powerful tools of protest. The artworks supported and advanced the protesters' quest for “bread, freedom and social justice,” and communicated with local, regional and international audiences. They narrated and documented the unfolding of the revolutions' events, countering those propagated by state-sponsored and international media outlets. Through the media of paint and film, the artists claimed the agency and authority of creating historiographic work, and provided a voice for the protesting masses. This dissertation offers an analysis of seven primary artworks created in Cairo between 2011 and 2013. They include paintings and murals on Mohamed Mahmoud Street by Ammar Abo Bakr and Alaa Awad; three films produced by the Mosireen collective; and the documentary film Crop, co-directed by Marouan Omara and Johanna Domke. The examination of artworks in various media broadens the understanding of “street art” and highlights the diversity of global, contemporary art. Drawing from the work of Hayden White and Fran Lloyd, the artworks are posited as `historiographic objects,' a term coined here to describe visually representative accounts of history. Like other forms of verbal and written historiographies, they embody creative processes of storytelling that shape understandings of the past and lend to various practices of remembering and memorialization. The artworks document events and human loss, re-imagine and re-contextualize historical figures and iconographies, form memorialization projects, and confront the agendas, hierarchies and meta-narratives of established historical discourses. This dissertation contributes to the field of art history by positioning Egyptian art as both global and contemporary. It pays particular attention to local and regional specificity, while also considering the ways in which the artworks are produ (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Charles Buchanan Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Erin Schlumpf Ph.D. (Committee Member); Andrea Frohne Ph.D. (Committee Member); Ziad Abu-Rish Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Art History; Film Studies; Fine Arts; Middle Eastern Studies

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), University of Dayton, 2016, Educational Leadership

This study demonstrates the value of organization-specific articulations of exemplary leadership. The research topic relates to leadership and organizational studies in general, and higher educational leadership and organizational commitment in particular. The focus of inquiry is the complex, human-organizational phenomenon of exemplary leadership commitment to mission and identity among lay leaders in the Catholic and Marianist tradition of one top-tier research university in the United States. The context of inquiry is the emerging prominence and critical role of lay leadership in Catholic higher education. The researcher offers an in-depth examination of how exemplary lay leaders experience and practice their personal commitment to Catholic-Marianist mission and identity. The research objective is to understand and describe the essential meanings in the lived experiences of exemplary lay leaders, presenting individual descriptions and collective syntheses of the phenomenon in focus. The intended audience includes leaders in Marianist and Catholic higher education; administrators involved in leadership development and mission and identity enculturation; and researchers in higher education, phenomenology, and interdisciplinary studies in leadership and organizational behavior. Using the transcendental phenomenological research method, the researcher generates eight individual “portraits-in-words,” containing multilayered human portrayals that allow the reader to intuit and empathize with the interior experiences and meaning making of the exemplary lay leaders in this study. The researcher also analyzes the experiential data collectively, presenting numerous “composite syntheses” of the apparent textures and underlying structures of the phenomenon in focus. Finally, the researcher describes three “streams” within the lived experience of the phenomenon, namely: exemplary lay commitment, exemplary Marianist leadership, and the experience of Catholic and (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Molly Schaller (Committee Chair); Carolyn Ridenour (Committee Member); Joseph Watras (Committee Member); David Fleming S.M. (Committee Member) Subjects: Education Philosophy; Educational Leadership; Ethics; Higher Education; Higher Education Administration; Management; Organizational Behavior; Personal Relationships; Philosophy; Spirituality; Teaching

Bachelor of Philosophy, Miami University, 2005, School Of Interdisciplinary Studies - Interdisciplinary Studies

This production of the short play Artist Descending a Staircase, by Tom Stoppard, originally written for broadcast on the radio, is an example of translating a play from its original medium into the tradition of Western theatre. In many instances, the play reflects its original status as a radio drama through, for example, jokes that rely on misleading sound effects and highly descriptive dialogue. Because the message of a play is often particularly relevant to its original intended audience and cultural context, to convey to an audience accustomed to the theatre tradition the meaning of a play written for a different medium, such as radio, it is necessary to blend the styles of radio and theatre into a production that reflects the significant elements of each. Before discussing radio and theatre, however, it is important to spend a brief space discussing Tom Stoppard as an author. His fascination with language and love of asking and exploring questions that he does not necessarily answer are reflected in Artist Descending a Staircase. Understanding the way in which Stoppard writes and themes that appear consistently in his plays is extremely helpful in interpreting Artist Descending a Staircase. With regards to the medium of radio, the engagement of the audience, the use of sound and sound effects, and the exploitation of reality are particularly significant. Because radio is an aural medium, the audience is required to create their own visualizations of the characters, settings, and events of the play based solely on the information offered by the sounds, voices, and sound effects of the production. Furthermore, because of the lack of concrete visual information, radio dramatists are more able to toy with concepts of reality, introducing impossible physical situations or playing with the ambiguous existence of a silent character. In the medium of theatre, it is the engagement of the audience and the style of production that are particularly important. In live thea (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Sally Harrison-Pepper (Advisor) Subjects: Theater

Doctor of Philosophy, Miami University, 2010, Educational Administration

This work employs the mechanism of differential consciousness to create a bricolage of content and structure. It examines the intersections of feminism (as it has been brought into the academy through women's studies), theatre, and early childhood education, particularly as they work together to create a personal and professional identity that defines, and is defined by, a unique pedagogy of transdisciplinarity. Specifically, it is designed to address six primary points:1. It provides an exemplar of how to employ differential consciousness as a mechanism for constructing a bricolage of narrative, research, and theory. 2. It demonstrates the application of feminist theory through specific disciplines into a transdisciplinary discourse. 3. It advocates for and furthers a transdisciplinary conversation in relation to the social, cultural, political, and academic intersections of early childhood education, women's studies, and theatre. 4. It adds to the body of historical knowledge of women in the academy through the stories of Patty Smith Hill and Winifred Ward. 5. It offers, by blending the stories of Hill and Ward with my own, a cogent example of the ways in which biography can be contextualized to provide inspiration for non-traditional career paths. 6. It challenges early childhood educators and caregivers to embrace feminism, it challenges feminists to more thoroughly ally with early childhood education, and it challenges both to expand their thinking about the function of gender roles in educational settings, and demonstrates the application of performance theory to this process.

Committee: Sally Lloyd (Committee Co-Chair); Kathleen Knight-Abowitz (Committee Co-Chair); Sheri Leafgren (Committee Member); Kathleen Johnson (Committee Member); Elizabeth Mullenix (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Education History; Educational Theory; Elementary Education; Families and Family Life; Fine Arts; Preschool Education; Teacher Education; Teaching; Theater; Womens Studies