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 Reimagining the Costumes for Shakespeare's As You Like It(2023) Parks, Stephanie D; Huang, Helen Q.; Theatre; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This Document is a description of the process of conceiving of and implementing the costume design for William Shakespeare’s As You Like It. A comedy, the story follows Rosalind and Orlando on their journey from the restrictive court to the utopic Forest of Arden. Along the way, they find many interesting characters such as Jaques and Touchstone, eventually discovering one another and falling in love. The production design featured a mix of periods with a modern flavor. This thesis contains the entirety of the design process from initial concept to final product, including research, renderings, fitting photos, paperwork, and production photos. The show was produced by The University of Maryland School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies from November 11th - 18th, 2022. The production was directed by Eleanor Holdridge, Scenic Design by Gavin Mosier, Lighting Design by Christian Henrriquez, Projection Design by Luis Garcia, and Costume Design by Stephanie Parks.Item SPINNING NARRATIVES ACROSS POLITICAL DIVIDES: HARNESSING THE CULTURAL POWER OF A STORY WELL-TOLD(2016) Glacel, Ashley; Parks, Sheri L; American Studies; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This dissertation explores how two American storytellers, considered by many in their to be exemplary in their craft, rely on narrative strategies to communicate to their audiences on divisive political topics in a way that both invokes feelings of pleasure and connection and transcends party identification and ideological divides. Anna Quindlen, through her political columns and op-eds, and Aaron Sorkin, through his television show The West Wing, have won over a politically diverse fan base in spite of the fact that their writing espouses liberal political viewpoints. By telling stories that entertain, first and foremost, Quindlen and Sorkin are able to have a material impact on their audiences on both dry and controversial topics, accomplishing that which 19th Century writer and activist Harriet Farley made her practice: writing in such a way to gain the access necessary to “do good by stealth.” This dissertation will argue that it is their skilled use of storytelling elements, which capitalize on the cultural relationship humans have with storytelling, that enables Quindlen and Sorkin to achieve this. The dissertation asks: How do stories shape the beliefs, perspectives, and cognitive functions of humans? How do stories construct culture and interact with cultural values? What is the media’s role in shaping society? What gives stories their power to unite as a medium? What is the significance of the experience of reading or hearing a well-told story, of how it feels? What are the effects of Quindlen’s and Sorkin’s writing on audience members and the political world at large? What is lost when a simplistic narrative structure is followed? Who is left out and what is overlooked? The literature that informs the answers to these questions will cross over and through several academic disciplines: American Studies, British Cultural Studies, Communication, Folklore, Journalism, Literature, Media Studies, Popular Culture, and Social Psychology. The chapters will also explore scholarship on the subjects of narratology and schema theory.Item Not Leading Lady Material(2015) Morse Jans, Megan Adrielle; Bradley, Karen; Dance; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Title of Document: NOT LEADING LADY MATERIAL Megan Morse Jans, Master of Fine Arts Dance, 2015 Directed By: Professor Karen Bradley, Head of MFA Dance Program; Head of Dance Performance and Scholarship, School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies This thesis is a reflection on the creation, cultivation, process and performance of Megan Morse Jans' original work Not Leading Lady Material, an interdisciplinary dance-theater piece presented in a style evocative of the cabarets of the Weimar Republic. The performance included song, storytelling and dance, and thematically explored intimacy, identity, and social/political disruption all while eliminating the fourth wall and inviting the audience on a journey through personal narrative. This paper examines the navigation and weaving together of different expressive disciplines, as well as the challenges presented in the performance of both original and copyrighted material. The result was a dynamic performance that engaged the audience in an evening of laughter, participation, and vulnerability.Item Once Upon a Teacher: A Phenomenological Investigation of Teachers Who Begin to Use Storytelling in Their Classrooms(2012) DOUGHERTY, MOIRA; Hultgren, Francine; Education Policy, and Leadership; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)It is through our stories that we come to know ourselves, and the world in which we live. For millennia people with no written language have used storytelling to transmit their culture, and to pass on their values, beliefs, and laws to the next generation, in short, to educate. Through recent research we have come to understand that our brains are designed to make meaning through narrative. It is through stories that we shape our personalities and our lives. This is a phenomenological investigation into the lived experiences of teachers who begin to use storytelling in their classrooms. I draw on the works of numerous storytellers, educators and phenomenologists to provide a ground for this study. The narrative that forms the framework of this quest is the phenomenological methodology of Max van Manen. I traveled the path of this phenomenon through conversations with five elementary school teachers who began to use storytelling in their classrooms, and I used thematic analysis to transform the themes and insights that came from those conversations into a textual understanding. The performance nature of storytelling revealed the care that lies at the heart of pedagogy, and the ways in which that care is expressed. By telling stories to their classes, my participants came to understand the richness of their pedagogical knowledge, renewed their confidence in their professional competence and returned them to their authentic teaching selves. Through storytelling my participants expanded their pedagogical horizons. By challenging themselves, they gained a greater awareness of their pedagogical practice, helping them create higher expectations for their teaching. Telling stories creates an understanding of the roles students play in the life of the classroom and an appreciation of the reciprocal nature of teaching. Teaching as storytelling has possibilities for pedagogical benefits for teachers and students. This study explores the insights this pedagogy might have for teacher retention, connections to diversity, and teacher education. The nature of storytelling fosters care, creates community and nurtures more meaningful relationships. It might open opportunities for teachers and students to allow themselves to see and be seen, hear and be heard in mindful and authentic relationships.