Thesis (Ed.D.)--University of Oklahoma, 1989. / Bibliography: leaves 103-108.

Thesis (M.S.W.)--University of Hong Kong, 1987.

Thesis (M.A. in International Security and Civil Military Relations)--Naval Postgraduate School, March 2003. / Thesis advisor(s): Karen Guttieri, Donald Abenheim, J. Holmes Armstead. Includes bibliographical references. Also available online.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2001. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 489-531, v. 2). Available also in a digital version from Dissertation Abstracts.

No description available.

published_or_final_version / abstract / toc / Clinical Psychology / Master / Master of Social Sciences

This thesis theorizes the conceptual grid upon which discussions of sexuality are based in India's Great Epic, the Mahabharata . The Mahabharata contains complex multilevel taxonomies of sexuality, framed within hierarchies of religious experience. The thesis isolates two categories of religious experience: pravr&dotbelow;tti dharma ("involvement in the world"), and nivr&dotbelow;tti dharma ("renunciation of the world"). Within nivr&dotbelow;tti dharma, discourses on sexuality are inalienable from discourses on the body, and on asceticism. Within pravr&dotbelow;tti dharma, discourses on sexuality are anchored by parallel discourses on the dharmas of caste and stage of life (varn&dotbelow;asrama dharma), as well as on the dharmas based on sex and familial hierarchy. These subcategories are identified and the place of sexuality within them is drawn in detail.

This thesis explores the changing attitudes toward the role of the woman as depicted by women playwrights. A brief history of English and American female dramatists from the last three centuries is given. Their views of women in the context of the popular social views are discussed.The second chapter discusses the development of the script for the production "From Madonna to Militant," which entailed a series of play scenes reflecting the changing trends. The production was presented in Ball State University's Studio Theatre on February 5-8, 1975.The third chapter presents the procedures that were involved in mounting the production and the director's personal evaluation of its outcome.The appendices contain the production book and all the necessary designs to produce "From Madonna to Militant." Publicity and photographs of the production are also included.

This thesis studies the ways in which female characters in Chaucer's poetry use language. Differences between feminine and masculine discourse in the Legend of Good Women and Troilus and Criseyde are examined, along with factors shaping the poetic articulation of the feminine in the Middle Ages. Part I sets out the background material which provides the context for the close readings of Parts II and III. Since the framework within which Chaucer's female characters speak is poetic, the first chapter is concerned with contemporary views about how poetic meaning is produced: what is the status of the author? How does the author read - and rewrite - his or her sources? Which rhetorical conventions govern literary representation, and how is the literary text justified? Part I also considers why rhetoric should be an issue as regards women in the Middle Ages, and what modes of signifying are available to women in social, spiritual and literary contexts. Perspectives on appropriate female behaviour and discourse are gained through an examination of the rhetorical traction, works of devotional and didactic instruction, and the conventions of fin'amor. Parts II and III present a close reading of Chaucer's poetry. The readings are informed by the perspectives outlined in Part I, and by modern literary theories, and involve some assessment of the applicability of recent theory to Chaucer's poetry. The Legend of Good Women and Troilus and Criseyde are both seen as vitally concerned with poetic practice and theory, and with the poetic representation of female characters. The poet's representation of the heroines in the course of the Legend provides a critique of the conception of poetry articulated by the god of Love in the Prologue. The hermeneutical and representational difficulties that the poet of the Troilus experiences with his poem are intimately linked with his treatment of Criseyde. The thesis considers the intersection between poetics and the poetic representation of the feminine.

This dissertation explores the conflicts, contradictions and paradoxes inherent in the lives of those women who, as artists and academics, seek to connect their personal and professional lives in their work. It explores how creativity and the pursuit of self-knowledge relate to the lives of female artists and academics. The dissertation arises from a study of my own experience as woman, writer and academic. / Inquiries into creativity and feminist, critical and cultural theory provide the framework for examining how the identity of the female artist is shaped within the patriarchal institution of academia, an institution originally created by, and for, men and still strongly influenced by this history. These inquiries allow a deeper understanding of the impact of this institution on the life and work of the female artist both within and beyond the academy. As a self-study, the distinctive voice of this dissertation is developed through autobiographical narratives, journals, letters and a development of personal metaphors, as well as through a dialogue with others. This is therefore a performative text in which narratives map a process of transformation that traces the artist's path from silence to voice. / This work has important implications for women in higher education as self-study is revealed to be an essential methodological instrument for the articulation of alternative, authentic perspectives of marginalized and under-represented women. Moreover, the acknowledgement of the academic/artist paradigm in teacher education opens the path for a re-viewing of the metaphors of self-denial, impersonation and masks that are part of the landscape of teacher knowledge.