Theses and Dissertations from UMD
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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 give thesis/dissertation in DRUM
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Item LOOKING FOR DIONYSUS: HEDWIG RAABE AND THE HAUNTING OF THE BIRTH OF TRAGEDY(2016) Young, Patrick; Harding, James; Theatre; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This thesis explores the relationship of the actress Hedwig Raabe’s 1866 performance in Charlotte Birch-Pfeiffer’s play Die Grille to the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche’s 1872 book The Birth of Tragedy. This exploration is structured by theatre scholar Marvin Carlson’s concept of haunting. I conclude that the haunting of Nietzsche’s text by Raabe’s performance destabilizes the former and points towards new ways of understanding The Birth of Tragedy in the fields of theatre and performance studies.Item "The Squadron Under Your Command:" Change and the Construction of Identity in the U.S. Navy's North Atlantic Squadron, 1874-1897(2012) Rentfrow, James Christopher; Sumida, Jon T.; History; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Abstract Title of Dissertation: "THE SQUADRON UNDER YOUR COMMAND": CHANGE AND THE CONSTRUCTION OF IDENTITY IN THE U.S. NAVY'S NORTH ATLANTIC SQUADRON, 1874-1897 James C. Rentfrow Dissertation Directed by: Professor Jon T. Sumida Department of History This dissertation examines the transformation of the United States Navy as a fighting organization that took place on the North Atlantic Station between 1874 and 1897. At the beginning of this period, the warships assigned to this station were collectively administered by a rear-admiral, but were operationally deployed as individual units, each of whose actions were directed by their captains. By 1897 the North Atlantic, or "Home" Squadron as it was known, was a group of warships constituting a protean battle fleet - that is, an organized body moving and fighting in close-order, which meant that the actions of the captains were directed by a commanding admiral. The development of an American battle fleet resulted in the construction of a new organizational identity for the North Atlantic Squadron. This process was as critical as the eventual outcome. It was not linear, but one in which progress in critical areas was modulated by conflicting demands that caused distraction. From 1874-1888, exercises in fleet tactics under steam were carried out sporadically utilizing existing wooden cruising vessels. From 1889-1894, the last wooden cruisers were decommissioned and the Squadron consisted entirely of new steel warships. Ad-hoc concentrations of vessels for purposes besides exercise and training retarded the continued development of doctrine and tactics necessary for a multi-ship fighting capability during this time. However, much work was done to develop a concept of multi-ship operations. From 1895-1897, the identity of the North Atlantic Squadron as a combat unit solidified. Tactical exercises were held that had specific offensive and defensive wartime applications. These exercises were necessary to develop a combat capability. The results of this study demonstrate that the United States government had an interest in developing an offensive naval combat capability as early as the 1870's. Based on the record of the North Atlantic Squadron, it is argued that imperial aspirations, in the sense of possessing a capability to restrict the actions of other great powers in the Caribbean region, existed prior to the War of 1898. However, the process of change often resulted in the appearance of capability without the rigorous exercise necessary to possess it.Item High Hopes and High Hurdles: The Early Development of the Washington D.C. Public School System, 1804-1862(2010) Hoffman, Benjamin Polk; MacDonald, Victoria M; Curriculum and Instruction; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)In this history, I investigate the early development of Washington D.C.'s public schools. Between 1804 and 1862, the school system overcame a long period of failed hopes and underfunding to build a legitimate infrastructure for common schooling before the Civil War. The unique context of Washington D.C. affected the public schools, but themes central to 19th century urban education across the country also surface in the District. The progression of the system from charity schooling to universal education mirrored the development of other public school systems in the Northeast. The evolution of the language of educational advocacy in D.C., from calls for republican virtue to arguments for social reform, similarly correlated with national developments in public education. Outside of these similarities, however, the Southern nature of the District, the presence of national politicians, and the symbolic importance of the national capital, distinguished the experience of Washington's pre-1862 public schools.Item THE CULTURAL LANDSCAPE OF BALTIMORE'S 19TH-CENTURY WORKING CLASS STONEWARE POTTERS(2009) Kille, John Elliot; Sies, Mary C.; American Studies; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)In the world of ceramics, too often there is a focus on the "greatness" or "uniqueness" of potters. Traditional approaches involving decorative arts tend to favor rarity or aesthetic qualities of the wares they produced, while archaeological studies often focus on systematic categorizations or classifications of recovered ceramics, with little in the way of interpretation from a humanistic point of view. With regard to Baltimore's 19th-century stoneware potters, portions of their history or narrow related aspects have been studied, but there has been no attempt made to examine the birth, life, and death of an industry that lasted for a century. In order to better understand the vernacular or ordinary existence of these skilled potters a comprehensive study was undertaken to document the dynamic and changing cultural landscape to which they belonged. In addition, the experiences and contributions of these artisans are also placed within the perspective of working class labor history. This research project is concerned with the following three central questions. How did Baltimore's 19th-century stoneware industry shape the city's social, physical, and natural environment? How did the social, physical, and natural environment shape Baltimore's stoneware industry? What key historical circumstances such as industrialization, new technologies, and modern manufacturing methods influenced these dynamic relationships? The framing of research and interrogation of evidence involved a systematic, interdisciplinary cultural landscapes model that creates a three way relationship between humans, artifacts (the built environment), and the natural environment. A systematic social history methodology was also used to recover accessible types of data involving the social/economic and cultural dimensions of urban places, including artifactual evidence. This study reveals a cultural landscape shaped by enduring cultural traditions, a superior transportation system for marketing wares, a shared and restricted urban environment involving pollution and the threat of fire, and industrialization leading to technological advancements in food preservation and storage.Item Brazil after Humboldt - Triangular Perceptions and the Colonial Gaze in Nineteenth-Century German Travel Narratives(2008-01-30) Diggs, Cerue Kesso; Frederiksen, Elke P.; Germanic Language and Literature; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This project is a study of nine German travel narratives on Brazil written between 1803 and 1899, identifying their contribution to the discourses on German national identity in the nineteenth century. Famous German explorer and scientist Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1834) influenced travelers to explore Brazil, the part of South America that he was not able to enter for political reasons. I approach their accounts from new historicist and post/colonial perspectives. My thesis is that these narratives help construct a German national identity that occupies a fluid (colonial) position in response to diverse "Others" encountered in colonial Brazil. While contributing to the study of travel literature, my dissertation contributes significantly to the field of German Cultural Studies by applying a post/colonial approach to the reading of German texts. Chapter I locates my investigation theoretically at the intersection between post/colonialism - the critique of colonization and colonial ideology - and new historicism - the reading of texts within their historical contexts, identifying discourses by juxtaposing them with various other contemporary texts. Katrin Sieg's concept of triangular thinking and Susanne Zantop's idea of colonial fantasies are instrumental in my reading. Chapter II places my selection of travelogues in the historical contexts of nineteenth-century Germany and Brazil, underscoring their paths to nationhood and changes in Wissenschaft. Chapter III shows that Alexander von Humboldt's influence on German explorers of Brazil is more evident in the scope of their research than in their writing styles. Chapter IV interprets German travelers as surprised yet critical flâneurs in Rio de Janeiro, as skeptical listeners to the stories of German immigrants, and seekers of Germania in their responses to Brazilian women. Chapter V shows how a German understanding of 'race' as an ingredient of national identity colors the travelers' anthropological observations of blacks and native populations in Brazil. Through various triangulations, German travelers to Brazil ambivalently identified with Portuguese colonizers and, at times, with colonized subjects (native populations, blacks), constructing diverse colonial/nationalistic fantasies in their narratives. All of these texts bare witness to specific historical events, and provide a comparative view of nationalism in nineteenth-century Germany and Brazil.Item Dedicated to a friend: a survey of piano pieces dedicated to great pianists of the late 19th and early 20th centuries(2005-11-30) Patcheva, Ralitza; Rodriguez, Santiago; Music; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The word "dedication" is given three interpretations in the Webster dictionary: "1) to devote to the worship of a divine being; 2) to set apart for a definite purpose; to give over; 3) to inscribe or address as a compliment." As I chose to research and record works dedicated to famous pianists of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, I felt that each of those describes factors of the relationship implied by a dedication between creator and procreator. Up until the 20th century pianists were generally composers in their own right. Though favoring mostly light genres for immediate use, they knew firsthand composing experience. Well into the 20th century composers performed their and others' works in concert. The phenomenon of dedication has been popular in the musical profession. While musicians were employees of princely courts or the church the dedications of new works glorified God, the aristocratic employer or commissioner. Occasionally dedications reflected the admiration or friendships between composers. In the 19th century, as free-lance musical employment commenced dedications to aristocratic benefactors remained widespread. However, dedications signifying appreciation of the artistry or personality of a musical colleague became ever more prominent. Sometimes a dedication signified admiration for the dedicatee's performance of the work in question. In such cases the dedications become not only curious facts, but useful hints for future performers. What makes the turn of the century unique is the intense and close communication between composers and performers on a daily basis. I believe this was a factor decisive in the programming of much contemporary music along with masterpieces of the past. The immediate reaction to the pieces as witnessed by both the composers and their performers caused the quickly changing styles of the composers, and the ever evolving pickiness of the performers. The relationship between pianists and composers may not always be based on mutual understanding, but I do think that it could only be nurtured by curiosity for each other's work. Since at this time both pianists and composers were involved in the performances of new works, they followed similar goals in their arts. Exploring these relationships, based on the existing dedications, could provide us with more intimate understanding of both the art of the famous pianists of the late 19th and early 20th centuries and the creative processes of the great composers of that period.