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
More information is available at Theses and Dissertations at University of Maryland Libraries.
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Item CIVIC DRAMATURGY: CULTURAL SPACE, ARTISTIC LABOR, AND PERFORMANCES OF URBAN PLANNING IN 21ST CENTURY CHICAGO(2022) Thomas, LaRonika; Harding, James; Theatre; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This dissertation develops a theory of “civic dramaturgy.” Civic dramaturgy is a process of performing identity through changes to and impacts on the built environment, as well as a method of analyzing and contextualizing those performances to better understand the multiple modes of identity expression that make up a specific place, in the case of this dissertation, that place is the city of Chicago. Civic dramaturgy joins theories of “performance and the city” together with theatre history and urban studies to examine cultural space, cultural policy, performances of urban planning, and the ways in which artistic labor is used by individuals, corporations, and governments in non-representational performances of civic and urban identity in the United States. This study first establishes a working definition of civic dramaturgy, tracing the development of the ideas of the “civic” and “dramaturgy” through western theatre history, as well as examining other theories significant to urban planning, critical space theory, spatial representations of gender and race, and performance of cities. Dramaturgy involved four main areas of practice: analysis of plot structure, relationship between artist and audience, locality and spatial awareness, and contextualization. Each of chapters one through four examine an aspect of Chicago through one of these practices to build toward this definition of civic dramaturgy. I identified the city of Chicago as the site of study for this work because of its history of planning the built environment and its robust theatre history, including the way in which its theatre has been intertwined with social and spatial movements through the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries. In addition to an examination of the development of the city and its theatre, civic dramaturgy requires an analysis of the ways in which artistic labor co-creates civic identity, the social space of the city, and the built environment. In particular, the work of Theaster Gates, an artist and planner working on the south side of Chicago, provides a poignant example of the ways cultural planning, performance, and labor work to craft a civic identity; and the structure of these interwoven performances are examples of civic dramaturgy. Finally, the performance of the digital space of the city is also an important component of civic dramaturgy and the fourth chapter breaks down the ways in which actor and audience relationships manifest through sensory-inscribed bodies in performance and planning of the built environment. This study builds upon existing scholarship that posits dramaturgy as a way to understand performance, architecture, policy-making, and politics, extending the use of the structural and spatial concepts of dramaturgy beyond the rehearsal room, the stage, and the site-specific performance, in order to craft a more comprehensive means by which to understand performance and the city, and providing an example of a kind of dramaturgically-based analysis that may also be used when looking at all kinds of urban spaces and phenomena, and which may be theorized as “civic dramaturgy.”Item Public Dyeworks: The Eco-Industry and Hydrology of the Chicago River's South Branch(2017) Chorosevic, Jennifer Ann; Vandergoot, Jana K; Architecture; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This thesis seeks to redefine our relationship to the natural landscape by challenging our perceptions of what industry is. The goal of this thesis is to break down the processes of mass-production and make them part of local and accessible processes that better serve and engage nearby communities. Through the program of an eco-industrial textile facility, this thesis demonstrates how architecture can serve as a primary means to reconnecting people, industry, and nature by revealing and celebrating human activities as an integral part of natural cycles and systems.Item The Public Conscience of Chicago: The Chicago Reporter and Four Decades of Investigating Race and Poverty(2015) Brune, Thomas; Feldstein, Mark; Journalism; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)ABSTRACT Title of Thesis: THE PUBLIC CONSCIENCE OF CHICAGO: THE CHICAGO REPORTER AND FOUR DECADES OF INVESTIGATING RACE AND POVERTY Thomas Brune, Master of Arts, Journalism, 2015 Thesis Directed By: Richard Eaton Professor of Broadcast Journalism Mark Feldstein, Philip Merrill College of Journalism, University of Maryland The Chicago Reporter is a small nonprofit news organization founded in 1972 to use investigative and data-driven journalism to uncover and highlight racial and economic disparities in Chicago. It is written for local elites who can implement reforms. Its stories have prompted changes, and it has trained a diverse group of journalists in the process. But it never has built a broad readership or developed a business plan that doesn’t rely on charity. The question of this thesis is: How has the Chicago Reporter survived for four decades? A review of its history and interviews with its publishers found the Reporter still exists because it has a base at a stable nonprofit, and its reporting on race and poverty draws support from a core group of funders, leaders, and academics. Yet its singular focus has limited expansion, and its recent move to an all-digital operation poses challenges for its future.Item MASS PRODUCING AMERICA, NEIGHBORHOOD REVITILIZATION IN NORTH LAWNDALE - CHICAGO(2005-08-25) Cross, Marcus A; Bennett, Ralph; Architecture; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This thesis, which has been branded the MPA Project (Mass Producing America) is an exploration into the creation of an infill affordable housing solution to meet the needs of the North Lawndale Community of Chicago. Plagued by crime, violence, and economic disinvestment, it has been a victim of extreme urban blight. Economic conditions are now favorable for revitalization and the area is ideal for an exploration such as this. Within the project area are over two-hundred available building sites. This project explores how contemporary construction ideas can be used to make affordable, flexible and customizable homes. Moreover, since this problem is not unique to Chicago, it is possible that this solution could be applied in any number of cities throughout the country.