The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate the use of art as a pedagogical tool with pre-service art teachers in a graduate-level art education class. A curriculum was developed focusing on educational social justice theories and their application in regard to gender inequity and diversity issues. The goal was to lead students to engage in more self-directed learning and to become more pro-active in their society. The results indicate the value of using art making to help students explore, investigate, and examine self and self in relation to society. In addition, they shed light on transformational moments in the art making process when students’ awareness of self and social justice issues was heightened and democratic ideas were reinforced. The results have implications for classroom practice as well as enhancing the quality of art education by incorporating social justice concerns in art education for individual and community developments. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Art Education in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Summer Semester 2017. / July 7, 2017. / Educational Democracy, Practitioner research, Pre-service art teacher, Social justice Art, Social justice education, Students-centered curriculum / Includes bibliographical references. / Sara Shields, Professor Directing Dissertation; Tamara Bertrand Jones, University Representative; Ayesha Khurshid, Committee Member; Jeff Broome, Committee Member; Ann Rowson, Committee Member.

Museum education and art therapy collaborations have emerged to work together to achieve simultaneous education and therapeutic goals for adolescent populations (Peacock, 2012). There is a need for research in the area of improving the services and quality of lives of individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). This study explored the responses of adolescents with high functioning autism (HFA) as they engaged in therapeutic art experiences in the museum setting. Four adolescents ages 13-17 participated in two hour-long sessions twice weekly over the course of ten weeks. They created thematic exhibitions with artist statements that were displayed in a university-based art museum in an exhibition titled My Own Expression. A thematic analysis identified four themes that emerged to describe the therapeutic benefits of utilizing the museum as a space for art therapy sessions with this population. Participant responses indicated four areas of development that occurred across the cases: cognitive and language development, adolescent identity development, socioemotional development, and sensory and affect regulation development. Keywords: art therapy, art museum education, high functioning autism (HFA), joint attention, cognitive and language development, socioemotional development, sensory regulation / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Art Education in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Spring Semester 2018. / April 2, 2018. / Art museum education, Art therapy, High functioning Autism (HFA), joint attention, sensory regulation, socioemotional development / Includes bibliographical references. / David E. Gussak, Professor Directing Dissertation; Holly Hanessian, University Representative; Pat Villeneuve, Committee Member; Barbara Parker-Bell, Committee Member; Ann Rowson-Love, Committee Member.

The study focused on testing a web-based parenting course called FosterParentCollege.com (FPC) Culturally Competent Parenting for parents who were fostering or adopting children transracially. Transracial parenting means parents who have adopted or are fostering a child of a different race than themselves. It is important for parents who are foster or adopting transracially to learn about resources when it comes to culturally competent parenting due to the positive impact culturally competent parenting has on children. Research study findings have indicated that transracial children who receive racial-ethnic socialization (a type of culturally competent parenting) demonstrate positive outcomes such as better self-esteem and psychological adjustment. This study utilized a mixed methods pre-test post-test treatment and control group design. The purpose was to determine if there was a difference in parent scores on openness to cultural receptivity after completing the course in comparison to parents taking the control course. Additionally, parents who participated in the treatment course completed two-month follow-up interviews to assess if they self-reported applying techniques learned from the culturally competent parenting course. Results of the study indicated that parents enrolled in the treatment course had significantly higher scores for openness to cultural receptivity after completing the course than before. Themes identified in the qualitative interviews indicated parents’ efforts to learn more about cultural competency. Implications and limitations are discussed. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Family and Child Sciences in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Spring Semester 2018. / March 20, 2018. / Child welfare, Cultural competence, Foster care, Parent-child relations, Transracial adoption, Web-based training / Includes bibliographical references. / Lenore McWey, Professor Directing Dissertation; Angela Canto, University Representative; Melinda Gonzales-Backen, Committee Member; Ming Cui, Committee Member.

This dissertation examines early Enochic literature, namely the Astronomical Book and the Book of the Watchers, in the context of traditions concerning Greco-Roman culture heroes and the debates about the origins of civilization during the Hellenistic age. I argue that the emphasis on the spread of antediluvian knowledge in both these works should be understood as a Jewish response to debates about the origins of cultural knowledge essential to Hellenistic civilization, especially astronomy and metallurgy. Chapter one surveys recent scholarship on the Astronomical Book and Watchers. Recent interpretations of Watchers have read the violence in the text as part of a program of resistance to Greek imperial hegemony, while similar readings for the Astronomical Book have not gained much support. While the resistance reading is a leading model for understanding early Enochic literature, there is an important dimension that has not been extensively explored for interpreting this body of literature, namely the debates surrounding the origins of cultural knowledge during the Hellenistic age. There was a robust discourse in the Hellenistic age about the origins of civilization and types of knowledge, such as astronomy and writing, that were widespread throughout the known world. On the one hand, Greek authors, including Herodotus and Diodorus, give evidence that some Greeks were seeking the origins of civilization in the cultures conquered by Alexander. On the other hand, native writers felt a nostalgia for the past and a time when their respective culture’s held greater power and prestige, causing them to focus on the greatness of their community earlier in history. Thus, in light of both these circumstances there developed a competition among native communities to appear to be the oldest culture and the source of popular knowledge essential for Hellenistic civilization. Chapter three turns to the early Enochic literature by examining the importance of astronomy and writing in both the Astronomical Book and Watchers. Both of these texts emphasize that legitimate knowledge of the heavens was given to the Jewish antediluvian figure of Enoch and that this knowledge was written down by Enoch. I argue that the choice of Enoch is meant to place the origins of astronomy, which was increasingly seen as a byword for antiquity generally, in a Jewish figure. In turn, a written tradition connected to this astronomical data would imply that all Hellenistic understanding about the movements of the heavenly bodies is because of the Jewish people and their preservation of this written knowledge down through the centuries. In addition, Watchers claims that an illegitimate form of astronomical knowledge was given to humanity by the fallen watchers. I argue that the depiction of the watchers is meant to parody accounts of antediluvian culture heroes in other traditions, most especially the Babylonians. Chapter four explores the role of violence in Watchers, and its connection to the origins of metallurgy in making weapons. I argue that the text seeks to account for the violence of the Hellenistic period by claiming that this violence was a result of wicked forms of cultural knowledge given in the antediluvian period. The text seeks to undercut claims made by rival cultures to the origins of metallurgy by arguing that these origins are wicked. Chapter five summarizes the main results of the project. I argue that reading early Enochic literature in the context of the Hellenistic debates over the origins of civilization provides a way to understand the Book of Watchers and the Astronomical Book together. Furthermore it makes the aims of these works similar to contemporary Jewish and non-Jewish works from the 2nd and 3rd centuries BCE. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Religion in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Spring Semester 2018. / April 9, 2018. / Apocalyptic Literature, Enoch, Technology / Includes bibliographical references. / Matthew Goff, Professor Directing Dissertation; Trevor Luke, University Representative; David Levenson, Committee Member; Nicole Kelley, Committee Member.

Leonard B. Meyer proposed unique metaphysical constructs of the aesthetic experience in music in his 1956 book Emotion and Meaning in Music. These constructs posited a causal nexus for affective response to music based upon the absolute-expressionist viewpoint that structural variations in a work of music give rise to human affect. The primary hierarchical constituents of Meyer’s theory include his inhibition thesis, deviation thesis, and violation of the Gestalt principles of continuity, closure, and shape. The study of Madsen, Brittin, and Capparella-Sheldon (1993) was part of a series of studies that examined the aesthetic experience in music according to continuously measured affective response. Participants recorded affective response via Continuous Response Digital Interface (CRDI) while listening to Act I of Giacomo Puccini’s La Bohéme. The purpose of this study was to analyze the Puccini according to the constructs of Meyer, and then compare those results to the “aesthetic footprint” generated by the empirical study. Results indicated a correlation between affective response and delays or violations of continuity, closure, and shape. A case is presented for the validity of Meyer’s constructs. Additionally, future research and applications to teaching expressivity are discussed. / A Dissertation submitted to the College of Music in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Spring Semester 2018. / April 19, 2018. / Affective response, Entropy, Expressivity, Gestalt, Leonard Meyer, Tension / Includes bibliographical references. / Clifford Madsen, Professor Directing Dissertation; Bruce Holzman, University Representative; Katarzyna Bugaj, Committee Member; John Geringer, Committee Member; William Fredrickson, Committee Member.

The purpose of this study was to use the Psycho-Geometrics™ tool to measure the personality and behavior traits of instrumentalists in the traditional concert band setting in an effort to create a behavior profile for players of each instrument. The specific research questions for this study are as follows: (1) What trait statements within the categories of personality, behaviors, and relating to others are unique to instrumentalists overall? (2) What trait statements within the categories of personality, behavior, and relating to others are unique to each instrument in the concert band? (3) What trait statements within the categories of personality, behavior, and relating to others are unique to first chair players? (4) What trait statements within the categories of personality, behavior, and relating to others are unique to eighth grade, high school, and college students? The participants (N = 260) for this study were wind and percussion instrumentalists from various states across the southern United States. Ages of the participants ranged from eighth grade through graduate level study. Results found that overall the sample saw themselves as dependable, hard workers, and loyal friends. Results from the individual instruments revealed personality and behavioral differences amongst each instrument type. Results from the grade levels revealed differences that were consistent with developmental traits that were appropriate for each age group. The knowledge of the personalities and behaviors of students within an ensemble could help foster stronger student/teacher relationships which, in turn, could lead to stronger acquisition of subject matter, more meaningful musical performances, and create lasting memories for students to carry with them beyond their formal education. A more detailed listing of results is located within the paper. / A Thesis submitted to the College of Music in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Music Education. / Spring Semester 2018. / March 20, 2018. / Band Personalities, Concert Band, Instrumental Personality Types, Psycho-Geometrics / Includes bibliographical references. / Kimberly VanWeelden, Professor Directing Thesis; Steve Kelly, Committee Member; William Fredrickson, Committee Member.

The purpose of this study was to examine the literature being performed by Florida middle school, junior/senior high school, and high school jazz bands at Florida Bandmasters Association (FBA) District Jazz Band Music Performance Assessments (MPAs) from 2012-2017. More specifically, this study sought to address: (1) What pieces were played at FBA District Jazz Band MPAs between 2012-2017? (2) What composers were played most frequently at FBA District Jazz Band MPAs between 2012-2017? (3) What arrangers were played most frequently FBA District Jazz Band MPAs between 2012-2017? (4) What percentage of secondary schools in the state of Florida with an FBA classification attended FBA District Jazz Band MPA between the years 2012-2017 and how many ensembles performed each year? and (5) What ratings were earned at FBA District Jazz Band MPAs between 2012-2017? Data from this study came from a pool of pieces performed by middle school, junior/senior high school, and high school bands at FBA District Jazz Band MPA between 2012-2017 (N = 6,076). Due to one of this study’s purposes being to analyze the average ratings that were earned, groups with the classification of “Comments Only” or DNA (Did Not Appear) were not included in this study. Additionally, data from directors who did not enter all of the necessary title and composer information for their program or who left their pieces listed as ‘TBA’ were not included in this study. Of the 6,076 pieces in the pool, 5,664 pieces were able to be used in the literature analysis in this study. The researcher used the FBA website (Florida Bandmasters Association, 2018) to look up concert programs from FBA District Jazz Band MPAs from 2012-2017 from all of the 21 districts in the state of Florida. The following information, found in the concert programs, was entered into the data collection sheet: name of piece, composer, arranger, performing school, performing school’s classification, and the overall rating earned by the performing ensemble. Of the 5,664 pieces performed at FBA District Jazz Band MPA between 2012-2017, there were 1,816 unique compositions played. The compositions of 619 different composers and 249 different arrangers were performed at FBA District Jazz Band MPA. Additionally, 47.78% of schools involved in FBA brought at least one jazz band to perform at FBA District Jazz Band MPA between 2012-2017 and the number of pieces performed and bands that performed at FBA District Jazz Band MPAs increased every year during the five-year span of data analyzed. The vast majority of bands that performed at these FBA District Jazz Band MPAs (93.77%) earned the two highest ratings, Superior or Excellent. Additionally, there were no bands that received the lowest two ratings, Fair or Poor. Overall, findings from this study suggest that secondary school jazz bands in the state of Florida are growing in popularity. Additionally, many of the jazz ensembles performed what are frequently considered jazz standards and works by well-known jazz composers. However, due to the presence of multiple composers knowing for their concert band compositions for younger developing bands at the top of the frequently performed list, it seems that more quality jazz literature and arrangements may be needed for younger, developing bands. Further results and implications are discussed within the paper. / A Thesis submitted to the College of Music in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Music Education. / Spring Semester 2018. / March 28, 2018. / Assessment, Jazz Literature, Music Performance / Includes bibliographical references. / Steven N. Kelly, Professor Directing Thesis; Kimberly VanWeelden, Committee Member; Alice Ann Darrow, Committee Member.

The Pesta Paduan Suara Gerejawi (PESPARAWI), an Indonesian Christian choral festival or its predecessor the Pesta Paduan Suara Gerejani (PESPARANI), has become a nationwide celebratory event in Indonesia and has helped Indonesian government create national stability by preserving Indonesian cultures and bringing unity. This study documents the history of PESPARAWI by exploring the following: 1) the events and institutions preceding the establishment of PESPARAWI; 2) the purpose and philosophy of the PESPARAWI; 3) contribution of Indonesian composers; and 4) a list of repertoires performed at PESPARAWI from 1983 to 2015. The national tragic event (G30 S/PKI) in 1965, had brought Indonesia to a troublesome situation. More than millions of lives were killed because of political uprising and instability to maintain its independence. The Indonesian government responded to the tragedy by supporting several religious social activities that focused on building trust, creating unity, and enhancing moral standards in Indonesia. One such religious social activity was the festival PESPARAWI, which became nationwide in 1983. Originally, the festival was for adult choirs, but the festival has grown to include 12 categories. As a result, the festival has influenced choral literature internationally. Through PESPARAWI, Indonesian people maintained the Unity in Diversity (Bhinneka Tunggal Ika), and thereof PESPARAWI can be an example of national unification efforts through choral music. / A Dissertation submitted to the College of Music in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Spring Semester 2018. / April 16, 2018. / Bhinneka tunggal Ika, Choir Music, Henry Pranoto, Indonesia, Pesparawi, Unity in Diversity / Includes bibliographical references. / Kevin Fenton, Professor Directing Dissertation; Frank Gunderson, University Representative; Andre Thomas, Committee Member; Kimberly VanWeelden, Committee Member.

The history of the Ithaca College Choral Program spans the history of the college itself. It formed in the late 1890s, briefly associating with the Westminster Choir College in the 1920s and 30s, and finally experienced continuous growth during the tenures of Lawrence Doebler and Janet Galván. This present study will document the history of the Ithaca College Choral Program focusing on (1) the early choirs and the development of the choral department, (2) the directors of the choirs, (3) the origin and history of the Choral Composition Festival and Choir tour, (4) the repertoire of the choirs, (5) and the program under the tenures of Lawrence Doebler and Janet Galván. / A Dissertation submitted to the College of Music in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Spring Semester 2018. / February 6, 2018. / Includes bibliographical references. / Kevin Fenton, Professor Directing Dissertation; Christopher Moore, University Representative; André Thomas, Committee Member; Judy Bowers, Committee Member.

The rise of college symbols and mascots related to the American landscape directly correlates with the rapid changes stemming from industrialization and urbanization occurring in American culture between the late-nineteenth century and first decades of the twentieth century. The loss of national identity attributed to the closing of the western frontier had a devastating effect on young white males in particular. The ensuing cultural crisis brought about by the wanton extirpation of wildlife and destruction of the natural environment led directly to the preservationist movement of the turn-of-the century. In the face of unparalleled immigration, fitness and the back-to-nature movement were believed to be instrumental in helping white American men avoid committing "race suicide." Nurtured by the teachings and philosophies of conservationists and preservationists, young white college men formed the first football teams and adopted symbols of the American landscape as a means of team identity. Because iconography makes for a powerful tool of identity and solidarity, students and college officials were likewise intrigued. Eager to quell unruly student behavior, college administrators—who had a more than contentious relationship with the student body throughout the late-nineteenth century—gladly assented. The profits soon realized from college sports and the pageantry surrounding it proved irresistible to colleges across the land. Consequently, by the early decades of the late-nineteenth century, numerous American college athletic teams began using mascots related to the American landscape and school colors to foment group solidarity. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of History in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Fall Semester 2018. / November 2, 2018. / 20th century American history, education, iconography, sports / Includes bibliographical references. / Andrew Frank, Professor Directing Dissertation; Robert Crew, University Representative; Jonathan Grant, Committee Member; Jennifer Koslow, Committee Member; Edward Gray, Committee Member.