In this dissertation I conduct a feminist recovery of the baby book as one kind of ordinary women's domestic rhetoric. I analyze the ways in which the baby book's evolution reflects changes in cultural practices over time and the means by which the baby book constitutes acts of potentially subversive agency in its power to resist patriarchal structuring. I classify the baby book within the ancient rhetorical genre of encomium, allowing us to perceive how a culture, situated in time and place, values the perception and presentation of an infant and the culturally-assigned role of the mother in the formation of that presentation. The genre of encomium must be redefined as an ongoing, dynamic, adaptive genre.I conduct an interpretation of more than the mere artifact, but of the production and experience of that artifact as well. Thus, this study establishes a unique and significant role for a de-reading methodology as a viable introduction and theoretical foundation to approaching domestic texts, involving self figuration on the part of the researcher and an empathic approach to reading that privileges a loving, appreciative standpoint.My analysis of over fifty baby books from 1885 through 2007 reveals that the role of the baby books and the role of the mother are assigned, to a great extent, by the definition of "family" and shaped by socioeconomic forces. Mothers subvert or comply with the directives from the publishers, thereby implying rejection of or compliance with the maternal script through such strategies as appropriation of space, inclusion of artifacts, and omission. This discovery expands our notion of agency in terms of the power of form, the role of the audience, and the connections to material and symbolic cultural context.My research establishes a line of inquiry into the material practices of production and simultaneously brings into view an array of texts that have been outside the conventional purview of rhetorical scholarship. For those who want to recover women's rhetoric and to extend an understanding of rhetorical praxis, baby books are a valuable primary and, until now, untapped source, as well as a "new" type of rhetorical evidence. / Department of English

Infant-directed singing is a universal phenomenon that has existed and prevailed for centuries. This study explores mothers' perceptions and experiences of singing to their infants and participating in Parent-Child Mother Goose; a community-based parent support program that (among other things) supports the use of infant-directed singing as a means to enhance the mother-infant relationship. A case study approach using both qualitative and quantitative techniques for data collection was used. Five mothers were asked to complete self-administered questionnaires relating to singing to their infants as well as participating in a Parent-Child Mother Goose Program. Each mother participant also completed an interview with the researcher. A cross-case analysis of the data revealed a number of interrelated themes including: 1) experiencing bonding/connection with one's infant. 2) infant-directed singing as a means to regulate infant and maternal emotions and. 3) infant-directed singing as a means to communicate information to one's infant. The mothers also experienced benefits participating in Parent-Child Mother Goose.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Toronto, 2007. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 68-06, Section: B, page: 4159. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 183-195).

Honors Project--Smith College, Northampton, Mass., 2009. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 48-49)

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Michigan, 1981.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Michigan, 1987.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Michigan, 1981.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Alabama at Birmingham, 2009. / Additional advisors: Daniel Marullo, Sylvie Mrug, Marsha Sturdevant, Lynda Wilson. Description based on contents viewed June 5, 2009; title from PDF t.p. Includes bibliographical references (p. 48-52).

Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Western Sydney, 2007. / "A thesis submitted to the University of Western Sydney, College of Arts, MARCS Auditory Laboratories in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy." Includes bibliography.

Thesis (M.A.)--Carleton University, 1996. / Also available in electronic format on the Internet.