Theses and Dissertations from UMD
Permanent URI for this communityhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/2
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
More information is available at Theses and Dissertations at University of Maryland Libraries.
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Item The New Bottom Line: Black Women Cultural Entrepreneurs Re-Define Success in The Connected Economy(2016) Buford, Kathryn Buford; Hill Collins, Patricia; Sociology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Black women cultural entrepreneurs are a group of entrepreneurs that merit further inquiry. Using qualitative interview and participant observation data, this dissertation investigates the ways in which black women cultural entrepreneurs define success. My findings reveal that black women cultural entrepreneurs are a particular interpretive community with values, perspectives and experiences, which are not wholly idiosyncratic, but shaped by collective experiences and larger social forces. Black women are not a monolith, but they are neither disconnected individuals completely devoid of group identity. The meaning they give to their businesses, professional experiences and understandings of success are influenced by their shared social position and identity as black women. For black women cultural entrepreneurs, the New Bottom Line goes beyond financial gain. This group, while not uniform in their understandings of success, largely understand the most meaningful accomplishments they can realize as social impact in the form of cultural intervention, black community uplift and professional/creative agency. These particular considerations represent a new paramount concern, and alternative understanding of what is typically understood as the bottom line. The structural, social and personal challenges that black women cultural entrepreneurs encounter have shaped their particular perspectives on success. I also explore the ways research participants articulated an oppositional consciousness to create an alternative means of defining and achieving success. I argue that this consciousness empowers them with resources, connections and meaning not readily conferred in traditional entrepreneurial settings. In this sense, the personal, social and structural challenges have been foundational to the formation of an alternative economy, which I refer to as The Connected Economy. Leading and participating in The Connected Economy, black women cultural entrepreneurs represent a black feminist and womanist critique of dominant understandings of success.Item AN INTRODUCTORY COURSE IN MUSIC ENTREPRENEURSHIP(2015) Devlin, John Gennaro; Ross, James; Music; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This document presents a syllabus, curriculum outline, lesson plans and a suggested bibliography for a 50-minute-per-week course in Music Entrepreneurship. The course is designed for undergraduate and graduate students. The materials presented are intended to be useful to any teacher developing an introductory curriculum in Music Entrepreneurship. The content could also be valuable to students at schools where there are no offerings in Music Entrepreneurship. The dissertation also includes a report on Music Entrepreneurship programs at five top music schools: the Manhattan School of Music, the New England Conservatory, the University of Colorado at Boulder, the Eastman School of Music, and the University of South Carolina. The author interviewed the directors of each of these programs and, where possible, observed classes and interviewed faculty, staff and students. This research proved valuable in two ways: 1) it informed the design and the content of the course presented in this document, and 2) it revealed best practices for the development of larger programs in Music Entrepreneurship, beyond a single class. This information can be of value to administrators considering the implementation of Music Entrepreneurship offerings, or serve as a guide for the expansion of current programs.Item AN ARTS HIGH SCHOOL EXPERIENCE AND ITS RELATIONSHIP TO COLLEGE READINESS(2014) Hovermale, Robert Blake; Strein, William; Education Policy, and Leadership; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The purpose of this study was to determine if a positive relationship exists between college readiness and a high school for the arts experience. This research focused on one arts high school in order to determine graduate perspectives on the overall importance of such an education and whether or not this style of learning was valuable preparation for college. This study used a mixed-method approach through the use of a quantitative survey with multiple rating items and qualitative open-ended questions and interviews. Influenced by the work of Daniel Pink, Elliot Eisner, Howard Gardner, and Eric Jensen concerning knowledge and skill transfer, and benefits of the arts, this study seeks to provide an understanding of graduates' ongoing perspectives on the value of an arts-rich education (Pink, 2005; Gardner, 2006; Jensen 2001). Of specific importance is how these experiences have influenced the formation of their well-being, education, and preparation for college. Is the arts high school experience a beneficial and realistic pathway to college preparedness? Ultimately, the study offers valuable suggestions moving forward as the individual school grows and data to guide in the development of other unique schools.