Extending the Apprenticeship through Informal Learning on Facebook: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of the Lived Experiences of Music Faculty (open access)

Extending the Apprenticeship through Informal Learning on Facebook: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of the Lived Experiences of Music Faculty

Facebook studio groups/pages are commonly used by applied music faculty to communicate with current students, recruit new students, share students' activities, and promote faculty members' professional performances and academic endeavors. However, the blurred lines between academic, professional performance, and social activities in the field have led to a wide variety of approaches to Facebook use by music faculty. This dissertation documents the first generation of music faculty social media users and investigates the beliefs, intent, and lived experiences of music faculty who use Facebook studio groups/pages to communicate with their students. Four music faculty were interviewed and a semester's Facebook studio group/page data collected for each faculty member. Interviews and Facebook data were analyzed using Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) to identify emergent, and ultimately super-ordinate, themes from the data. The three super-ordinate themes that emerged were: Impact of Social Media on Studio Teaching and Learning, Learning through Enculturation, and Faculty Lived Experiences with Facebook Studio Groups/Pages. Findings of the study included: faculty concerns about personal and professional risk; the observation that teaching and learning are occurring through these Facebook studio groups/pages by way of the process of enculturation, but without evidence of a Virtual Community of Practice; and, a multitude …
Date: May 2017
Creator: Meredith, Tamara R.
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
A Motivic Analysis and Performance Practices of "Akrodha" (1998) by Kevin Volans, including Comparative Analyses of "She Who Sleeps with a Small Blanket" (1985) and "Asanga" (1997) (open access)

A Motivic Analysis and Performance Practices of "Akrodha" (1998) by Kevin Volans, including Comparative Analyses of "She Who Sleeps with a Small Blanket" (1985) and "Asanga" (1997)

This dissertation presents an analysis of Akrodha (1998), a multiple percussion solo in two movements, composed by Kevin Volans. The analysis is focused on the motivic content and subsequent iterations written within the tempos that provide the structural form of the piece. The structural tempos are supported by the presence of various motifs that serve as the tempos' characteristic traits, thereby giving the tempos more tangibility. As the work develops, these motifs reappear either as note-for-note reiterations or as variations that still maintain the unique qualities of the motifs. For comparison, similar analyses of Mr. Volans' other multiple percussion solos, She Who Sleeps with a Small Blanket (1985) and Asanga (1997), are also presented to further explore Mr. Volans' use of motifs as they relate to structural tempos. In addition, a comprehensive performance practice of Akrodha is presented based on a synthesis of considerations and methods from individuals involved in the piece's development and early performances. These include Dr. Volans himself, Jonny Axelsson (for whom Akrodha was written), and Robyn Schulkowsky (for whom She Who Sleeps with a Small Blanket and Asanga were written), as well as the author's personal experiences. This dissertation provides a deeper understanding of Akrodha for …
Date: May 2017
Creator: Feerst, Timothy A.
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Enemies Within: The Cold War and the AIDS Crisis in Literature, Film, and Culture (open access)

Enemies Within: The Cold War and the AIDS Crisis in Literature, Film, and Culture

Book discussing the literature and film of the Cold War and AIDS eras in an effort to link the two with the fear they created; "not only the political and biological illnesses...but also the fear and panic they engender." Index starts on page 235.
Date: 2017
Creator: Foertsch, Jacqueline, 1964-
Object Type: Book
System: The UNT Digital Library
Melville's Major Fiction: Politics, Theology, and Imagination (open access)

Melville's Major Fiction: Politics, Theology, and Imagination

Book analyzing the popular works of Herman Melville and his motives for writing such stories such as: "Pierre," "The Confidence-Man," and "Billy Budd." Index starts on page 258.
Date: 2017
Creator: Duban, James
Object Type: Book
System: The UNT Digital Library
Connecting Soul, Spirit, Mind, and Body: A Collection of Spiritual and Religious Perspectives and Practices in Counseling (open access)

Connecting Soul, Spirit, Mind, and Body: A Collection of Spiritual and Religious Perspectives and Practices in Counseling

This edited volume presents spiritual and religious perspectives and practices that can be integrated into counseling, written by experts in the field. Included are topics such as transpersonal experiences, prayer, meditation, and non-traditional spiritual approaches.
Date: January 2017
Creator: Foster, Ryan D. & Holden, Janice Miner
Object Type: Book
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Web as History (open access)

The Web as History

The World Wide Web has now been in use for more than 20 years. From early browsers to today’s principal source of information, entertainment and much else, the Web is an integral part of our daily lives, to the extent that some people believe ‘if it’s not online, it doesn’t exist.’ While this statement is not entirely true, it is becoming increasingly accurate, and reflects the Web’s role as an indispensable treasure trove. It is curious, therefore, that historians and social scientists have thus far made little use of the Web to investigate historical patterns of culture and society, despite making good use of letters, novels, newspapers, radio and television programs, and other pre-digital artifacts. This volume argues that now is the time to question what we have learnt from the Web so far. The 12 chapters explore this topic from a number of interdisciplinary angles – through histories of national web spaces and case studies of different government and media domains – as well as an introduction that provides an overview of this exciting new area of research.
Date: March 2017
Creator: Brügger, Niels & Schroeder, Ralph
Object Type: Book
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Shrinking Opera Diva: The Impact of Sociocultural Changes upon the Casting of Women in the 20th and 21st Centuries (open access)

The Shrinking Opera Diva: The Impact of Sociocultural Changes upon the Casting of Women in the 20th and 21st Centuries

For most of the twentieth century, opera singers were not beholden to the ideal physical standard of women dictated by popular culture, but rather focused on serving the music and perfecting their artistry. Unprecedented sociocultural changes throughout the twentieth century exposed the shifting ideals of each generation and how they were promoted through mass media and advertising. This thesis surveys the time period of the 1890s to the present day for the purpose of analyzing cultural trends, philosophies and technologies that shaped the century. Societal pressure to make the body a project and the focus of one's own intense attention now reflects back onto the opera stage where audience members expect to see what society has dictated to be an acceptable female form. Artistic and stage directors are influenced by society's decree that only thin is beautiful, imbedding into the mindset of the art form notions that now affect how female professional opera singers are depicted and even employed.
Date: May 2017
Creator: McNeese, Lauren
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Texas Jewish Post (Dallas, Tex.), Vol. 71, No. 25, Ed. 1 Thursday, June 22, 2017 (open access)

Texas Jewish Post (Dallas, Tex.), Vol. 71, No. 25, Ed. 1 Thursday, June 22, 2017

Weekly Jewish newspaper from Dallas, Texas that includes local, state, and national news along with extensive advertising.
Date: June 22, 2017
Creator: Wisch-Ray, Sharon
Object Type: Newspaper
System: The Portal to Texas History
Denton Record-Chronicle (Denton, Tex.), Vol. 113, No. 229, Ed. 1 Sunday, March 19, 2017 (open access)

Denton Record-Chronicle (Denton, Tex.), Vol. 113, No. 229, Ed. 1 Sunday, March 19, 2017

Daily newspaper from Denton, Texas that includes local, state, and national news along with advertising.
Date: March 19, 2017
Creator: Parks, Scott K.
Object Type: Newspaper
System: The Portal to Texas History
Denton Record-Chronicle (Denton, Tex.), Vol. 113, No. 187, Ed. 1 Sunday, February 5, 2017 (open access)

Denton Record-Chronicle (Denton, Tex.), Vol. 113, No. 187, Ed. 1 Sunday, February 5, 2017

Daily newspaper from Denton, Texas that includes local, state, and national news along with advertising.
Date: February 5, 2017
Creator: Parks, Scott K.
Object Type: Newspaper
System: The Portal to Texas History
Denton Record-Chronicle (Denton, Tex.), Vol. 113, No. 257, Ed. 1 Sunday, April 16, 2017 (open access)

Denton Record-Chronicle (Denton, Tex.), Vol. 113, No. 257, Ed. 1 Sunday, April 16, 2017

Daily newspaper from Denton, Texas that includes local, state, and national news along with advertising.
Date: April 16, 2017
Creator: Parks, Scott K.
Object Type: Newspaper
System: The Portal to Texas History
How Does It Feel to be Creative? A Phenomenological Investigation of the Creative Experience in Kinetic Places (open access)

How Does It Feel to be Creative? A Phenomenological Investigation of the Creative Experience in Kinetic Places

How does it feel to be creative? Such a question, when approached from a phenomenological perspective, reveals new understandings about the embodied experience of creativity, and how it feels as it is being lived. This investigation begins with a provocative contrast of two environments where creativity is thought to manifest itself: school art classrooms, where creativity is often legislated from an authority figure, and New Orleans Second Line parades, where creativity is organically and kinetically expressed. A thorough review of the literature on creativity focuses on education, arts education, creative economies, psychology, and critical theorists, collectively revealing a cognitive bias and striking lack of consideration for community, freedom, and the lived experience of being creative. Further discussions in the literature also neglect sites of creativity, and the impact that place (such as a school classroom) can have upon creativity. The phenomenological perspectives of Merleau-Ponty, Heidegger, Bachelard, and Trigg support a methodological lens to grasp embodied knowledge, perceptions of placedness on creativity, and the interdependent frictions between freedom, authenticity, movement and belonging. The research method includes investigations in New Orleans in archives, examination of visual and material culture, participation in cultural practice, and formal and informal interviews. Further, the phenomena of …
Date: December 2017
Creator: Bartholomee, Lucy
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Denton Record-Chronicle (Denton, Tex.), Vol. 113, No. 194, Ed. 1 Sunday, February 12, 2017 (open access)

Denton Record-Chronicle (Denton, Tex.), Vol. 113, No. 194, Ed. 1 Sunday, February 12, 2017

Daily newspaper from Denton, Texas that includes local, state, and national news along with advertising.
Date: February 12, 2017
Creator: Parks, Scott K.
Object Type: Newspaper
System: The Portal to Texas History
Understanding Affluence through the Lens of Technology: An Ethnographic Study toward Building an Anthropology Practice in Advertising (open access)

Understanding Affluence through the Lens of Technology: An Ethnographic Study toward Building an Anthropology Practice in Advertising

This thesis describes a pilot study for a new cultural anthropology initiative at Team One, a US-based premium and luxury brand advertising agency. In this study, I explore the role and meaning of technology among a population of affluent individuals in Southern California through diaries and ethnographic interviews conducted in their homes. Using schema theory and design anthropology to inform my theoretical approach, I discuss socioeconomic and cultural factors that shape these participants' notions of affluence and influence their presentation of self through an examination of their technology and proudest possessions. I put forward a theory of conspicuous achievement as a way to describe how the affluent use technology to espouse a merit-based model of affluence. Through this model of affluence, participants strive to align themselves to the virtuous middle-class while ascribing moral value to their consumption practices. Lastly, I provide a typology of meaningful technology artifacts in the affluent home that describes the roles of their most used tech devices and how each type supports conspicuous achievement.
Date: December 2017
Creator: Garcia, Steven R.
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Denton Record-Chronicle (Denton, Tex.), Vol. 113, No. 210, Ed. 1 Tuesday, February 28, 2017 (open access)

Denton Record-Chronicle (Denton, Tex.), Vol. 113, No. 210, Ed. 1 Tuesday, February 28, 2017

Daily newspaper from Denton, Texas that includes local, state, and national news along with advertising.
Date: February 28, 2017
Creator: Parks, Scott K.
Object Type: Newspaper
System: The Portal to Texas History
Denton Record-Chronicle (Denton, Tex.), Vol. 113, No. 294, Ed. 1 Tuesday, May 23, 2017 (open access)

Denton Record-Chronicle (Denton, Tex.), Vol. 113, No. 294, Ed. 1 Tuesday, May 23, 2017

Daily newspaper from Denton, Texas that includes local, state, and national news along with advertising.
Date: May 23, 2017
Creator: Parks, Scott K.
Object Type: Newspaper
System: The Portal to Texas History
Denton Record-Chronicle (Denton, Tex.), Vol. 113, No. 243, Ed. 1 Sunday, April 2, 2017 (open access)

Denton Record-Chronicle (Denton, Tex.), Vol. 113, No. 243, Ed. 1 Sunday, April 2, 2017

Daily newspaper from Denton, Texas that includes local, state, and national news along with advertising.
Date: April 2, 2017
Creator: Parks, Scott K.
Object Type: Newspaper
System: The Portal to Texas History
Texas Jewish Post (Dallas, Tex.), Vol. 71, No. 28, Ed. 1 Thursday, July 13, 2017 (open access)

Texas Jewish Post (Dallas, Tex.), Vol. 71, No. 28, Ed. 1 Thursday, July 13, 2017

Weekly Jewish newspaper from Dallas, Texas that includes local, state, and national news along with extensive advertising.
Date: July 13, 2017
Creator: Wisch-Ray, Sharon
Object Type: Newspaper
System: The Portal to Texas History
Denton Record-Chronicle (Denton, Tex.), Vol. 113, No. 353, Ed. 1 Friday, July 21, 2017 (open access)

Denton Record-Chronicle (Denton, Tex.), Vol. 113, No. 353, Ed. 1 Friday, July 21, 2017

Daily newspaper from Denton, Texas that includes local, state, and national news along with advertising.
Date: July 21, 2017
Creator: Parks, Scott K.
Object Type: Newspaper
System: The Portal to Texas History
Denton Record-Chronicle (Denton, Tex.), Vol. 114, No. 131, Ed. 1 Monday, December 11, 2017 (open access)

Denton Record-Chronicle (Denton, Tex.), Vol. 114, No. 131, Ed. 1 Monday, December 11, 2017

Daily newspaper from Denton, Texas that includes local, state, and national news along with advertising.
Date: December 11, 2017
Creator: Parks, Scott K.
Object Type: Newspaper
System: The Portal to Texas History
The Role Humor Plays in Facilitating Rapport, Engagement, and Motivation in Graduate Online Learning Environments (open access)

The Role Humor Plays in Facilitating Rapport, Engagement, and Motivation in Graduate Online Learning Environments

This study seeks to explore, using an interpretivist phenomenological approach, how humor may impact rapport, engagement, and motivation in graduate online learning environments. Through detailed qualitative analysis of semi-structured interviews, direct observation, and demographic survey data, emergent themes were identified that support the use of appropriate humor to create a positive online environment in which learning can take place. Evidence indicates that humor, when used purposefully and appropriately, is a valuable tool for promoting rapport and engagement amongst course members through community-building and enhanced interpersonal connections. The results of this study reveal the importance of finding common ground and shared experiences to improve the overall social and communicative culture of an online course. The results also support the idea that online instructors should make a great effort in connecting with students in online courses and must make a greater effort to appropriately engage in their online courses. Appropriate recommendations are made for practical application of humor to support pedagogy, as well as recommendations for future research on humor in educational environments.
Date: August 2017
Creator: Steele, James
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Texas Jewish Post (Dallas, Tex.), Vol. 71, No. 21, Ed. 1 Thursday, May 25, 2017 (open access)

Texas Jewish Post (Dallas, Tex.), Vol. 71, No. 21, Ed. 1 Thursday, May 25, 2017

Weekly Jewish newspaper from Dallas, Texas that includes local, state, and national news along with extensive advertising.
Date: May 25, 2017
Creator: Wisch-Ray, Sharon
Object Type: Newspaper
System: The Portal to Texas History
Teach Healthier: An mHealth Case Study for Piloting Pre-K Health Curriculum (open access)

Teach Healthier: An mHealth Case Study for Piloting Pre-K Health Curriculum

This rapid ethnographic study explored how a 'mobile health education' app might impact preschool teachers and students, interact with organizational protocols and policies, and align with the preschool culture. The researcher evaluated the app's early Pre-K content and user experience. With a systems thinking approach, this study revealed the lived-experiences and processes in preschools around Austin, Texas. The outcomes of this study guided the client with more human-centered approaches to researching and designing their apps and services.
Date: May 2017
Creator: Sarmiento, John
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Denton Record-Chronicle (Denton, Tex.), Vol. 113, No. 314, Ed. 1 Monday, June 12, 2017 (open access)

Denton Record-Chronicle (Denton, Tex.), Vol. 113, No. 314, Ed. 1 Monday, June 12, 2017

Daily newspaper from Denton, Texas that includes local, state, and national news along with advertising.
Date: June 12, 2017
Creator: Parks, Scott K.
Object Type: Newspaper
System: The Portal to Texas History