UMD Theses and Dissertations
Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/3
New submissions to the thesis/dissertation collections are added automatically as they are received from the Graduate School. Currently, the Graduate School deposits all theses and dissertations from a given semester after the official graduation date. This means that there may be up to a 4 month delay in the appearance of a given thesis/dissertation in DRUM.
More information is available at Theses and Dissertations at University of Maryland Libraries.
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Item Re-envisioning K Street(2012) Gellman, Eric Christopher; Bell, Matthew; Architecture; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The gross underutilization of civic infrastructure in Washington, D.C. has developed into an issue that stretches beyond statistical analysis, and speaks directly to the contemporary ideals that are eroding the city. Infrastructure spending has been focused primarily along the K Street corridor in the form of metro stations, bus routes and the proposed trolley car service, which was a measure that was passed by the city in order to alleviate mounting pressure on the underground metro rail system. In order to rectify this mounting concern, the problem has been identified as a lack of mixed uses only the K Street Corridor, which could easily be resolved by the integration of residential units alongside office, retail and hospitality space. Fostering an environmental that supports a live-work-place attitude will be a step in the right direction in transforming D.C. into a desirable place to live for economies of all scales.Item The Ramparts Sublime: A Novel(2012) Zadig, Heather Marlene; Norman, Howard; Creative Writing; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The prevailing concerns throughout this work of fiction are the questions of Who is family? and Where is home? It is a narrative which explores questions of identity in the context of modern American cultural mobility, wherein the boundaries of identity have been variously blurred, blended, and occupied by the forces of modernity and globalization. The narrative seeks to examine the usefulness of such boundaries within individual human relationships and, in particular, explores the potential for the blues as an art form to foster human relationships that are familial in nature, not in spite of its historical context but rather because of it. That the narrator himself is uncomfortably self-conscious of his own narration is representative of the novel's preoccupation with the problems of white discourse on race and cultural identity and the limits of language in general in attempts to explore and transcend such issues.Item An Urban Mausoleum(2012) Black, Ian James; Cronrath, David; Architecture; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This thesis explores the placement of a mausoleum into an urban environment. Ideally, one is encouraged to reflect on their temporal nature. A benefit of this contemplation is to be able to live a good life to the fullest extent possible. Not only does contemporary US culture not do this, but it continually distances itself further from supporting any type of reflection on death. An absence of critical reflection is detrimental to the human experience. It is the goal of this thesis to demonstrate that the built environment can rectify this situation and sponsor a solution.Item Creating Spaces of Home: Haitian Women's Journey of Migration, "Lakay!"(2012) Poinson, Manouchka; Bolles, A. Lynn; American Studies; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The literature on Haitian women immigrants has not offered a comprehensive portrayal of their experiences in America, but has treated their plight as a neutral entity, void of differences. Even more distressing, there is a lack of focus on the Haitian women's experiences in the U.S. based literature. However, the true experience of many Haitian women migrants is that they have been either the first to migrate and or the focal point of the migration process in terms of recruitment. This study addresses the specificity of Haitian women's experiences in the Washington, D.C. area, not one of the long established immigration centers in the U.S. An intersectional approach that maps the simultaneity of gender, race, ethnicity, nationality, class and legal status on the lives of these immigrants allowed theories of space, identity and notions of home to be developed. How did this group of women attempt to create "Lakay" in the metro Washington, D.C. area? Taking an ethnographical approach, this project centralizes an American immigrant population that has occupied a marginal if not invisible space by theorizing Haitian women's experience and giving them a voice in the broader framework of migration studies. Furthermore, the project will illustrate Haitian women's migration stories through examining their roles within their family, the community and transnationally through an analysis of the cultural understanding of Haitian women as central pillars of society. In particular, this ethnographic study explores the everyday lives of Haitian women as immigrants and also provides an in-depth analysis of their social worlds. We find that Haitians in the Washington, D.C. area were not visible due in large part to the small population size, the dispersal of the community, both factors that contributed to the lack of prominent social institutions that have historically drawn immigrants to an area. Despite this, the participants have created a space of home in Washington D.C. in which their investment in the community lies mainly in the churches and organizations to which they belong. From a transnational perspective, home for the participants is also simultaneously located in the U.S. and in Haiti, where they long to return.Item THEATRE PRODUCTION AS EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING: THE SUMMER MUSICAL PROGRAM AT THE SITAR CENTER FOR ARTS EDUCATION(2011) Warheit, Emily Jane; Meer, Laurie F; Theatre; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Recent scholarship on educational theatre has tended to focus on process-oriented drama and on programs that deal with participant's personal identity. These programs have become regarded as the standard for drama that benefits both children and the community. However, programs like the summer musical at the Sitar Center for the Arts, though not based in the work of applied theatre theorists, have notable educational effects for participants. The Sitar's Center's theatre program is highly product oriented and focuses on the Western theatre cannon, specifically Eurocentric musical theatre, making it traditional in structure and aesthetic in focus. In this study, I utilize educational and performance ethnography to examine the effects of the theatre program and the ways in which it helps fulfill the greater mission of the center. In addition, I explore the relationship between more traditional programs and applied theatre methods in contemporary theatre education.Item Local Economic Investment and Crime: Neighborhood Change in Washington, DC(2009) Matsuda, Mauri; Piquero, Alex R; Criminology and Criminal Justice; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The purpose of this analysis is to shed light on the relationship between large-scale economic investment and crime in Washington, DC neighborhood clusters (N=39) from 2001 to 2007. Using panel data and a two-way fixed effects analytic strategy, results indicate that investment in large scale economic development projects (in millions of dollars) and crime rates (per 1,000) are inversely related controlling for disadvantage and time effects. Further analyses indicate that the relationship is dependent on a number of investment related factors, including major use of investment project (e.g. industrial, retail), financing source (public versus private), construction type (new versus renovation), as well as outcome variable (i.e. violent versus property crime). Residential investment has the strongest and most consistent relationship with both violent and property crime suggesting that the changes which accompany residential investment may be responsible for reduced crime. Theoretical mechanisms and future research directions are discussed.Item Under the Arch of Friendship: Culture, Urban Redevelopment and Symbolic Architecture in D.C. Chinatown, 1970s-1990s(2009) Khoo, Evelyn; Gao, James Z; History/Library & Information Systems; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This thesis explores the history of the urban development and architectural changes in Washington, D.C. Chinatown in the late twentieth century. Urban development in D.C. Chinatown traces the way in which local politics, ethnic community elites and the larger international backdrop of geopolitics and the globalizing economy found expression in the visual streetscapes and architecture in the neighborhood perceived to be a predominantly ethnic site. This essay argues that the case of D.C. Chinatown represents a larger call for a spatial turn in Chinese American history, where more emphasis can be placed on the uses of symbolic architecture in determining Chinese American identity and settlement.Item Change in the relationship between print reporters and official sources after 9/11(2009) Linn Campana, Leticia; Crane, Steve; Journalism; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Title of the thesis: Changes in the relationship between print reporters and official sources after 9/11 Thesis directed by: Steve Crane, Assistant Dean. This study examines whether there has been a change in the relationship between print journalists who cover government and official sources after the 9/11 attacks. The analysis focuses on what happened from 2001 to 2005, and it takes only journalists' experience on the subject. The research is based on in-depth interviews with newspaper reporters who were covering official beats during the time, and with representatives from organizations that have been studying media issues. It is also based on literature from media-specialized publications. The investigation's goal is to group examples and opinions on how the relationship between reporters and official sources changed during this period. Additionally, it gives context on what this relationship is supposed to be, on how it used to be before the studied period, and on the effects that changes to this relationship may have, according to journalism studies and literature. The investigation showed that the relationship between reporters and official sources changed during the time studied, but it also suggests that this change is not unique to the period after 9/11, as it had happened with previous administrations, especially during war times.Item Embassy of Cuba in Washington, DC: Image, Site, Program(2008-08-11) Fishman, Ian C; Williams, Isaac; Architecture; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This thesis postulates the design of an official Embassy of Cuba in Washington, DC, following the resumption of diplomatic relations between the two countries. An embassy serves as its state's proxy image and public interface within the host country. The research and analysis in this thesis explores how the image, program, and site of an embassy can be used as instruments of policy to promote the representing nation's political and social agenda. The program of the Embassy of Cuba is modeled after existing embassies. Many such buildings succeed in generating social capital by encouraging public activity within and around their sites as well as fostering both local and global connections. In addition to accommodating the administrative functions of diplomacy, great embassies encourage cultural exchange. A major goal of this thesis is to adapt the embassy program to a uniquely Cuban arrangement and use of space.Item Design Principles for Transitional Housing(2007-12-19) Braman, Suzanne M; Bennett, Ralph; Architecture; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The Washington, DC Office of Victim Services has determined a need for transitional housing and support services for battered woman and their children for the first two years after they leave their residence. It is my assertion that for a family in transition a secure environment can be placed within proximity to their original place of residence. Residing in the neighborhood will empower the individual through the strength of her existing connections to the community while building a new support network. My thesis seeks to discover how architecture can empower abused women to independence, building self esteem and stronger family units. Design principles were derived from research of the both the impact of domestic violence on women and historic examples of affordable housing. The design solution focused on three primary design principles: Security, Community and Individuality, a design integrating a two year program of support services within a courtyard building.