Thesis (M.B.A.)--Boston University .

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Boston University / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / Through case studies of three Boston-area neighborhoods, East Boston, South Boston, and North Quincy, this dissertation examines the vernacular memory practices of the residents of historically ethnic neighborhoods to show the ways in which everyday representations of the past allow individuals to strategically negotiate a meaningful sense of shared identity. Using field interviews, vernacular digital sources, previously recorded oral histories, amateure historical texts, memoirs, and other expressive memory works, this study examines locally produced representations of historical identity that range from the social imagining of translocal past to personal memories of neighborhood life that are deeply rooted in an understanding of local space as ethnic place. Chapters One through Three trace the scholarly literature on space and place, social memory, and folklore studies in order to demonstrate the way in which, through a process of selection and emphasis, local folk histories have often been used to strategically reaffirm the connection between contested spaces and a certain ethnic identity. They further show how individuals use their own personal narrative repertoire to situate themselves within these traditionalized or naturalized understandings of neighborhood space. Chapters Four and Five explore a variety of contests and conflicts over the traditionalized sense of space and place examined in the initial chapters. Developing the notion that cultural symbols, such as the shamrock or the flag of the People's Republic of China, and practices, such as the celebrations surrounding Columbus Day or the Autumn Moon Festival, can bring together or "index" a variety of identity constructs, these chapters demonstrate the ways that these symbols can be strategically deployed in order to build or disrupt traditionalized understandings of the connections between neighborhoods and ethnic identity. Finally, Chapter Six suggests that, as a result of the emerging vernacular use of geospatial media technologies, the cultural symbols, narratives, and practices that are integral to the construction of local conceptual maps can now be accessed virtually. This makes available the possibility that meaningful local identities can be formed by actors who are interacting with these traditional understandings of local place virtually but who are not physically present in local spaces. / 2031-01-01

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Boston University / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / Anti-racist training has been put forward as a method to ameliorate the achievement gap that exists between Black students and their White peers. Such training requires clear goals and measurable outcomes. This study focused on an anti-racist program (EMI) run collaboratively by nine predominantly White school districts west of Boston which are members of the Boston desegregation program (METCO). This program is intended to change educators' racial attitudes, which founders and supporters of the program believe undermine the academic success of students of color. Qualitative methods were employed to collect data from eight instructors, six Board Members who are superintendents in the collaborating school districts, and eleven teachers who participated in the program in 2000 or 2001. The research effort was to understand the purposes and methods of the training and its self-reported effects in light of the program's purported mission. Findings revealed common themes and were analyzed in relation to the historical foundations of anti-racist education and theories of organizational, attitude, and cognitive change. Three findings are noteworthy. The central finding is that the intended aims, goals, and vision of the EMI instructors, former participants, and Board Members were mutually inconsistent. Specifically, tension existed between the desire for anti-racist activism by the instructors and a democratic multiculturalism that characterized most of its participants and Board Members. This created a deep ideological division, and made a successful transformational experience unlikely. Second, interview data revealed conflicting priorities with regard to anti-racist training within the EMI collaborative school districts. The attempt to balance continuing support for the program with a range of other priorities raised questions about the ability of the participating school districts to maintain their commitment to anti-racist training. Third, the data provided no evidence that this anti-racist training promoted a change in the participants' racial identity. On the contrary, a sustained Eurocentric approach toward students of color appeared to be the continuing the norm in these school districts. These findings suggest that professional training programs aimed at higher student achievement, a distal goal of this anti-racist program, require shared goals and clear assessment, effective educational strategies, and measurable, student-based outcomes. / 2031-01-01

Thesis (M.B.A.)--Boston University

Thesis (M.S.)--Boston University

Thesis (M.S.)--Boston University, 1951

Thesis (M.S.)--Boston University / This study was carried on under the auspices of the Boston Guild for the Hard of Hearing and the Childrens' Aid Association, Department of Neighborhood Clubs. Its purpose has been to study the adjustment of a group of acoustically handicapped children in a protective group work setting. This study also seeks to explore the following questions: 1. What were the problems in group adjustment as related to the hearing handicap? 2. Vlhat methods were used by the group leader in helping the boys deal with the handicap? 3. Vlhat changes were there regarding the boys' attitude toward their handicap? 4. What was the nature of the cooperative relationship between the two agencies?

Thesis (M.B.A.)--Boston University

Thesis (M.B.A.)--Boston University

Thesis (M.B.A.)--Boston University