Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2008, Mass Communication (Communication)

The subjective experience offered by the drug LSD was of intense interest to popular magazines for years before the drug entered widespread recreational use. While both were absent from coverage of other drugs, personal descriptions of drug experiences and visual illustrations of the drug's effects were commonplace in magazine coverage of LSD. A content analysis of popular magazine articles about LSD from the time of the drug's discovery until the year that possession of the drug became a federal crime demonstrated that much of the coverage was accepting of LSD use for the purpose of self-enrichment by individuals who were not ill. Often, intellectuals and celebrities represented drug users in magazine coverage. The use of LSD to create spiritual experiences was explained in many magazine articles, especially in Time, whose publisher, Henry Robinson Luce, advocated the drug to employees and professional acquaintances. Magazine coverage of LSD helped introduce the drug to the public and advanced public understanding of the “psychedelic” experience. The coverage, much of which preceded widespread availability of LSD, aided in the diffusion of the drug to the public at large.

Committee: Joseph Bernt (Committee Chair); Harold Winter (Committee Member); Gregory Newton (Committee Member); Patrick Washburn (Committee Member) Subjects: History; Journalism; Mass Media

Master of Arts, Miami University, 2019, French, Italian, and Classical Studies

Women are still invisible in most canons, whether these concern the arts or history. In order to understand the difference of treatment concerning men and women in European societies, Luce Irigaray, a Belgian philosopher and a feminist, developed the concept of sexual difference. This concept asserts that men's and women's experiences are neither equal nor reducible to a hierarchical homogeneity: they are diverse. Sexual difference is a limit that allows to construct a feminine point of view that questions the traditional male-oriented philosophy. The question of limits is therefore central to Irigaray's thought, aiming at establishing women as female subjects. On the one hand, limits were imposed onto female subjects to reduce them to a passive role; on the other hand, from the female point of view, limits might be hard to draw. Irigaray challenges patriarchalism as she suggests to subjects of both sexes to symbolize their own limits. One such case of new sexed symbolization is the writing of the contemporary French poetess Sophie Loizeau, who explores the limits of female subjects but also of literary genres and of language in general. Loizeau exemplifies many of Irigaray's propositions for change in our social symbolizations.

Committee: Andrea Righi (Advisor); Audrey Wasser (Committee Member); Anna Klosowska (Committee Member) Subjects: European Studies; Gender Studies; Literature; Philosophy; Romance Literature; Womens Studies

PHD, Kent State University, 2019, College of the Arts / School of Music, Hugh A. Glauser

Part I of this dissertation is a large-scale composition for orchestra and mixed choir entitled The Forgotten Child of Zeal. This is a programmatic work inspired by the classic 1995 role-playing game Chrono Trigger. The piece chronicles the story of an enigmatic young boy named Janus, who possesses innate magical powers, and his terrifying transformation into Magus, the dark sorcerer who terrorizes the world. The composition is organized into two contrasting movements, Premonition and Degeneration, which vary greatly in style, but are unified through a recurring 4-note “mystic motive.” There are also key quotations of Scriabin's Prometheus: The Poem of Fire and Prefatory Action within the piece, creating a bridge between the musical and programmatic content of all three works. The Forgotten Child of Zeal lasts approximately 22 minutes in performance. Part II of this dissertation is a theoretical paper that analyzes the pitch organization of the first movement of Alexander Nemtin's realization of Scriabin's unfinished masterpiece, Prefatory Action. Prefatory Action is a programmatic work written for orchestra, mixed choir, vocal soloists, and tastiera per luce (light keyboard), lasting roughly two and a half hours in length. The piece is divided into three massive movements entitled Universe, Humanity, and Transfiguration. Scriabin originally began writing Prefatory Action as a prelude to the Mysterium, which he envisioned as a divine musical ceremony that would transfigure the human race and end the universe. More than half a century later, Nemtin spent 26 years of his life completing the piece, using the literary text and musical sketches that Scriabin left behind as a guide. This paper is organized into six chapters – the first two chapters discuss the genesis of Prefatory Action and its subsequent realization, the middle two chapters explore Scriabin's post-tonal style, and the final two chapters offer an in-depth analysis of Universe.

Committee: Richard Devore Ph.D. (Committee Co-Chair); Frank Wiley D.M.A. (Committee Co-Chair); Adam Roberts Ph.D. (Committee Member); Mary Hricko Ph.D. (Committee Member); Gustav Medicus Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Composition; Music