Ecological literary criticism integrates environmental awareness with the study of literature. If we understand where we are, ecocriticism asserts, we will choose to act in accord with the ecological needs of that place. Contemporary American writers Gretel Ehrlich, Terry Tempest Williams, and Linda Hogan model this awareness by examining the multiple stories that characterize a sense of place. Ecological critics utilize many theoretical underpinnings of Romanticism, particularly Phenomenology and Mysticism, which I discuss in the context of Annie Dillard's work. While Dillard fits a traditional Romantic model, writers like Ehrlich, Williams, and Hogan critique Romanticism's failure to recognize cultural, scientific, and ecological stories in order to describe nonhuman nature. Gretel Ehrlich, in Islands, the Universe, Home, explores the relationship between physical geography, geology and geophysics, spirituality, culture, and story to find a sense of home. Ehrlich calls into question her own subjectivity by utilizing the foundational concepts of humanist geography. Terry Tempest Williams integrates ecological and environmental issues, personal and familial concerns, and spiritual elements, examining human influence on the landscape as well as human inability to adapt to natural cycles in the environment. In Refuge, Williams constructs a feminine genealogy connecting women and the land. Linda Hogan critiques the European-American concept of individualism, arguing that it is a primary force in the destruction of the environment and its human inhabitants. In Solar Storms, she revises traditional autobiography as her protagonist Angel Wing learns that her individual story cannot be understood out of the context of her family, tribal community, and the land. The final chapter investigates the use of the memoir within the nature writing tradition by examining the work of feminist memoirist Nancy Mairs, who emphasizes the human body as a dwelling for the spirit. I synthesize the work of Mairs, Dillard, Ehrlich, Williams, and Hogan to develop an erotics of space and place that reflects a multi-epistemological approach to nonhuman nature. As all of my writers would agree, if we see all space as sacred, as "home," then we're less likely to desecrate it.

Widows as individuals and as a social group held fundamental importance to both the family and civic life of early modern Castile. Archival sources indicate that widows' influence throughout all levels of Castilian society was magnified by their relative degree of legal autonomy, combined with a tacit acceptance of women's activities in many areas of familial and municipal life. The use of documents more closely reflecting women's daily activities allows for contextualization of the complex impact of moral and legal rhetoric on the social construction of widowhood, providing concrete examples of widows' practical and often highly tactical employment, evasion, and/or manipulation of patriarchal and moral norms. The experience of widowhood both forces a re-examination of gender boundaries by questioning current theories of female enclosure and demands a re-evaluation of gendered patterns in expressions of patronage and parentage. Marital status and social class become more important that the gendered moral and legal strictures of an apparently patriarchal society in terms of early modern women's ability to take part in a wide range of activities normally not considered possible for their sex. Toledo's widows challenge public/private spheres models by giving evidence of the public nature of private lives and the private ends of public acts. Examining widows' lives provides insight into the complex mechanisms lying behind the formulation of gender boundaries in the early modern world and the pragmatic politics of everyday life at the nexus of family and community.

After being a dominant decorated ware in the northern Southwest for centuries, Cibola White Ware ceased to be produced in the Grasshopper region of Arizona within a single generation, sometime between A.D. 1300--1325. The demise of Cibola White Ware and the increase in locally-produced Roosevelt and Grasshopper red wares coincided with the transition to full dependence on agriculture in this region. This study draws on feminist theory, theories of technological change, and an extremely robust archaeological record to construct an explanatory model of this ceramic transition by exploring one critical feature of the context in which it occurred: the labor of Grasshopper women. The model proposes that Roosevelt and Grasshopper red ware pottery were less labor-intensive than Cibola White Ware pottery to produce and that their adoption was related to women's scheduling constraints associated with the rapid transition to agriculture.

Studies of the political activity of both men and women have been plentiful within geographic research, however, a more thorough examination of the effect of gender differences on informal political activity has not yet been produced. This study focuses on the ways in which differences in women's and men's views about neighborhood structure the nature and style of their participation in neighborhood activism in Tucson, Arizona. Grounded theory and a feminist perspective were employed to explore differences in men's and women's motivations to and methods of neighborhood activism in an attempt to provide a greater understanding of gender differences and their effect on women's and men's perceptions of their neighborhoods and their approaches to neighborhood activism.

This research study, entitled Domestic Violence: A Profile of the Victim in Pima County, took 1990 information from the Pima County Attorney's Office Adult Diversion Program, and compiled a profile of the domestic violence victim in Pima County. Data was derived from police reports and questionnaires answered by the participants which were contained in files at the Pima County Attorney's Office. It was shown that the subjects displayed a number of similar specific characteristics. They were between the ages of 25-44, had 0-3 children, were Caucasian or Hispanic, had the gross yearly income between 0-20,000 dollars. It was also shown that the majority of the domestic violence came from a spouse or an unmarried partner, that the incidents involved alcohol and that the subjects suffered minor injuries which required little or no medical treatment.

This study used both a questionnaire and personal interviews to gather information on women's networking organizations. The information was compared to a study of similar organizations in the United Kingdom. The questionnaires did not support or disprove the results of the previous study. Personal interviews of 5 networking organization leaders supported some of the conclusions of the United Kingdom study. Organizations that limited their membership to members of a particular group or profession and focused on training were more apolitical. Those organizations with more inclusive membership policies were found to be more likely to promote change to benefit women in general. Counselors who advise women clients to seek support in networking organizations should be aware that not all organizations promote goals that are in the best interest of women as a class.

This thesis is an exploration of the content of Russian teen magazines published in 2003 meant for a female audience. Given that glossy magazines for female teenagers did not appear in Russia until 1991, the long-term effect of the messages these magazines engender is yet to fully be seen in the generations coming of age in post-Soviet society. This thesis is a first attempt to speculate on the effect these magazines are having on Russian teen girls. By analyzing the strategies used in these magazines to promote fashion, cosmetics, skin care and body image, we can perceive the ways in which Western norms of feminine beauty have been successfully imported to Russia during the last 15 years. This study examines the ideal of the "beautiful" female body propagated throughout the Soviet era, and how this ideal changed with the collapse of the Soviet Union. Implications for further research are discussed.

<p>The most male-dominated executive position of any profession in the United States. The typical superintendent is a married, white male, between 51&ndash;55 years old. Women spend an average of 10.2 years in the classroom before seeking an administrative position; men spend an average of 5 years. The slowest of all K&ndash;12 administrative positions to integrate women and people of color. With the majority of educators being women, they are a logical source of candidates that has only marginally been activated. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to reveal the narrative of women superintendents as well as to describe their perceptions of success ascending to the superintendency. If women are to seek the superintendency they will need to view the position as one that will offer them success. But what is success for women in the superintendency? How do women in this position experience it? This study probes the lived experiences of women superintendents, including significant moments in their childhood, in search of better understanding their perceptions and experiences with success. A narrative approach was used in this study to capture the essence of participants' lives along with documents and artifacts. Feminist Theory was used as the theoretical lens from which to frame the research. The data was recorded, transcribed, and analyzed. The findings surrounding female superintendents perceptions of themselves revealed four themes: <i>identity</i>, <i> education</i>, <i>roles</i>, and <i>support</i>. The findings surrounding women superintendents experiences with success is focused on relationship building and effective communication. The main conclusions drawn included aspiring superintendents need to obtain higher education degrees for advancement, site level administration and district office experience, and personal and professional support systems. </p>

<p> This qualitative study used a phenomenological approach to determine the reasons why women leave the superintendency. This study not only illustrated the different ways a woman can leave the position of superintendent but also the reasons she would choose to leave. These reasons can be either positive or negative, but they rarely are the sole cause for why a woman leaves the position. </p><p> This interview study of 20 female participants who served as superintendent in the Commonwealth of Virginia identified four main themes as to why a woman chose to leave the superintendency. These included: (a) it wasn't the job I thought it would be; (b) the struggles with family; (c) taking care of herself; and (d) I'm not the right fit for the community. The study also identified the routes women take to leave the superintendency which include retirement, leaving for another superintendency, movement into another position within PK-12, opportunity in higher education, working as an educational consultant, or moving into a position outside of education.</p>

<p> The Broadway musical <i>Bloomer Girl</i> (1944) with score by composer Harold Arlen (1905&ndash;1986) and lyricist E.Y. Harburg (1896&ndash;1981) was the first book musical to follow in the footsteps of Rodgers and Hammerstein's <i> Oklahoma!</i> The obvious parallels between <i>Oklahoma!</i> and <i>Bloomer Girl</i> led critics and scholars to compare the musicals at the expense of overlooking the contributions the latter made to the genre. This thesis moves <i>Bloomer Girl</i> out from the shadow cast by <i>Oklahoma!</i> and situates it within a richer historical context. It begins with a brief history of <i>Bloomer Girl.</i> It then focuses specifically on both the dramatic and musical representation of women in the work. Using a comparative methodology, this study examines how the women in <i>Bloomer Girl</i> deviate from the model for the Golden Age musical to create a controversial political commentary about the United States in the World War II era.</p>