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2004

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Parents' Descriptions Of Ideal Home Nursing Care For Their Technology Dependent Child, Themselves, And Their Families, Michele A. Mendes Jan 2004

Parents' Descriptions Of Ideal Home Nursing Care For Their Technology Dependent Child, Themselves, And Their Families, Michele A. Mendes

Open Access Dissertations

Home care for technology dependent children is one of the fastest growing segments of the U.S. health care industry, but the nursing literature lacks clear directions to guide home care nurses in planning a family-centered practice. The purpose of this study is to address this gap in the literature by eliciting descriptions of ideal home nursing care for technology dependent children from the perspective of their parents, and to compile a comprehensive list of helpful and supportive nursing interventions. A qualitative, descriptive design was used to examine the following research questions: (1) How do parents of technology dependent children describe …

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The Factors That Influence Middle-Level Teachers To Incorporate Community Service-Learning Into The Curriculum, Andrea J. Hainey-Turcotte Jan 2004

The Factors That Influence Middle-Level Teachers To Incorporate Community Service-Learning Into The Curriculum, Andrea J. Hainey-Turcotte

Open Access Dissertations

This study examined the factors that influence middle level educators to incorporate community service-learning into the curriculum. Eleven participants, each a teacher of middle level students, were interviewed to determine the extent to which they were influenced by intended outcomes for students, the community, and themselves. Findings suggest that participants were influenced to include community service-learning in the curriculum by anticipated benefits to students and community members. Participants hoped that by engaging in community service-learning activities, their students would become better scholars, leaders, citizens, and/or people. It would seem that participants were also driven to the implementation of community service-learning …

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Sociocultural Contexts Of Asian American/Pacific Islander Women's Hiv Risk Enhancing/Reducing Responses, Jennifer C. Huang Jan 2004

Sociocultural Contexts Of Asian American/Pacific Islander Women's Hiv Risk Enhancing/Reducing Responses, Jennifer C. Huang

Open Access Dissertations

HIV prevention issues for Asian American and Pacific Islander (API) women are complex and multifaceted. Comprehending the risk enhancing/reducing responses of API women in heterosexual relationships requires an examination of various sociocultural influences, such as gender roles, cultural expectations, community, economic conditions, acculturation and public policies that shape API women's decision-making and HIV risk enhancing/reducing responses. In order to address these issues, a mixed method study (i.e., qualitative and quantitative) was conducted to elucidate these sociocultural factors. Additionally, this study sought to investigate the various ecological levels that are associated with API women's sexual risk enhancing and reducing behaviors. Participants …

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Domestic Violence Screening By Nurses In The Primary Care Setting, Karen Hetzel Jan 2004

Domestic Violence Screening By Nurses In The Primary Care Setting, Karen Hetzel

Open Access Dissertations

Domestic violence is one of the most important health care issues in the United States. One of every four women is a victim of domestic violence each year and thirty-one percent of women have a lifetime prevalence of domestic violence. Since most women receive their health care in primary care settings, nurses can play a critical role in decreasing the cycle of violence through screening and intervention. Although the research literature on domestic violence is voluminous, little is known about nursing practice related to routine screening of women for domestic violence or intervention in primary care settings. This study examined …

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Preschool Teachers' Sense Of Teaching Efficacy: Scale Development And Correlates, Leah Alison Whynacht Jan 2004

Preschool Teachers' Sense Of Teaching Efficacy: Scale Development And Correlates, Leah Alison Whynacht

Open Access Dissertations

The current study developed a scale to measure preschool educators' sense of teaching efficacy and then used the scale to explore relationships between efficacy scores and program and teacher variables. Participants were preschool educators from eighteen states and one country outside of the US (n = 131). A 121-item scale was used in data collection. A series of Principal Component Analyses with Varimax rotation resulted in a 36-item scale with factor loadings ranging from .82 to .58 (Cronbach's alpha = .97). The scale was comprised of the following four factors: Efficacy for Working With Children With Varying Abilities and Needs, …

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Evaluation Of A Child Abuse Awareness Program, Jacqueline Jackson Kikuchi Jan 2004

Evaluation Of A Child Abuse Awareness Program, Jacqueline Jackson Kikuchi

Open Access Dissertations

Archived data from the Sexual Assault & Trauma Resource Center of Rhode Island (SATRC) was used to evaluate the effectiveness of their abuse awareness programs for fourth grade students. The goals of the program included helping children recognize potentially abusive situations so the abuse can be avoided, decreasing the length and extent of abuse through early disclosures, increasing disclosures so victims can received needed services and offenders can be arrested and convicted, decreasing the guilt and shame the victims feel when abuse happens, deterring juvenile offenders, and teaching children and adults how to discuss abuse and help victims. Fifty percent …

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A Tri-Cultural Look At Legitimacy And Illegitimacy Using An Evolutionary Model, Mara D. Giles Jan 2004

A Tri-Cultural Look At Legitimacy And Illegitimacy Using An Evolutionary Model, Mara D. Giles

Nebraska Anthropologist

The rules for legitimacy and illegitimacy are not universal, yet every culture classifies its children into valid and invalid A review of the literature, including Teichman, Hendrix, and Davis, has indicated that legitimacy is a status of marriage. This status is determined by several factors including race, class, inheritance patterns, lineage systems, the role of fathers, and the position of women. European and subSaharan African cultures use these factors differently to validate the boundaries separating the legitimate from the illegitimate. Until as recently as thirty years ago, English culture asserted that a man had to be proven to be the …

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Trinetr: An Intrusion Detection Alert Management And Analysis System., Jinqiao Yu Jan 2004

Trinetr: An Intrusion Detection Alert Management And Analysis System., Jinqiao Yu

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Intrusion detection system (IDS) is a software system or hardware device deployed to monitor network and host activities including data flows and information accesses etc. to capture suspicious activities. In recent years, IDS has begun to gain wide acceptance as a necessary and worthwhile investment in security. But current IDS products present many flaws including alert flooding, excessive false alerts, isolated alerts, lack of context awareness and security decision support etc. Many of these problems are severely hindering them from being used more efficiently in practice. To make the use of IDS products more efficient and generated alerts more accurate, …

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The Effects Of Goal Contingencies On The Writing Frequency Of Undergraduates Enrolled In A Learning Strategies Course., Bridget Joy Hayes Russell Jan 2004

The Effects Of Goal Contingencies On The Writing Frequency Of Undergraduates Enrolled In A Learning Strategies Course., Bridget Joy Hayes Russell

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study examined the effect of goal contingencies on writing frequency. Sixty participants were divided into three conditions: individual goal, group goal, or control. Each week, students participated in a three-minute free-write. Those in the individual goal condition earned 10 bonus points when writing frequency goals were achieved. Those in the group goal condition earned 10 bonus points when the group writing frequency goals were achieved. The control did not receive bonus points contingent on writing frequency. Results indicated that the control and individual goal contingencies conditions wrote greater numbers of words than the group goal contingencies condition. Further, the …

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Parallel Structures And Binary Oppositions In Andre Gide's "L'Immoraliste" And "La Porte Etroite"., Jennifer Lawrence Jan 2004

Parallel Structures And Binary Oppositions In Andre Gide's "L'Immoraliste" And "La Porte Etroite"., Jennifer Lawrence

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Two of André Gide’s books, L’Immoraliste and La Porte étroite, exemplify the ethical struggles that defined the author’s life through the codependence of their singular message. By submitting these two intrinsically similar works to a structuralist analysis of the binary oppositions that exist between them, the relationship between good and evil becomes solidified through the structures and semiotic codes of the novels, the opposition of the protagonists, and the motifs of geography, personal relationships, nature, and religion.

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The Old Order Mennonites And Mass Media: Electronic Media And Socialization., Eunice I. Rohrer Jan 2004

The Old Order Mennonites And Mass Media: Electronic Media And Socialization., Eunice I. Rohrer

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This research project is a critique of both electronic media effects and socialization for the largely unstudied sect of Old Order Mennonites from the Weaverland Conference. In an initial pilot study, eight interviews were conducted to obtain reasons for rejection of electronic media. Next, the electronic media studied in this study’s survey analysis included cell phones, computers and attitudes toward the internet. The Lancaster Conference Mennonites are employed for group comparison. In a revival of McLuhan’s theory, it was hypothesized that the more different electronic media types are used and the greater the number of years they are used, the …

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Family Socialization Of Adolescent Cigarette Smoking: The Roles Of Positive Parenting And Parental Smoking., Sarah E. Foster Jan 2004

Family Socialization Of Adolescent Cigarette Smoking: The Roles Of Positive Parenting And Parental Smoking., Sarah E. Foster

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This cross-sectional investigation examined main and interactive effects of positive parenting and parental smoking on adolescent smoking in 934 families. Data were analyzed using logistic regression analyses. Findings indicated that higher levels of either maternal or paternal smoking were associated with daughters’ smoking; however, only paternal smoking was associated with sons’ smoking. Moreover, findings revealed that lower levels of either maternal or paternal positive parenting were associated with daughters’ smoking, but only maternal positive parenting was associated with sons’ smoking. When the two components of the positive parenting construct were analyzed separately, it appeared that parental warmth was associated with …

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The Influence Of Sexual Orientation And Gender On The Social Support Networks Of Middle-Aged And Older Adults., S. Melinda Spencer Jan 2004

The Influence Of Sexual Orientation And Gender On The Social Support Networks Of Middle-Aged And Older Adults., S. Melinda Spencer

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Social support issues have not been examined extensively among middle-aged and older lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) adults, despite evidence that the aging experience may differ between these individuals and same-aged heterosexuals. This study compared the structure (network composition) and function (positive and negative inter-personal interactions) of social support across gender and sexual orientation and how psychological well-being varied as a function of these variables. During this study, 105 participants were administered a survey in either a mail-back or an online format. No group differences emerged with regard to psychological well-being or overall social network size, but significant variations were …

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The Effects Of Personality Traits And Playing Video Games On Aggressive Thoughts And Behaviors., Vincent Cicchirillo Jan 2004

The Effects Of Personality Traits And Playing Video Games On Aggressive Thoughts And Behaviors., Vincent Cicchirillo

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study examined the effects of individuals’ trait hostility and affective orientation in conjunction with their playing a video game upon aggressive thoughts, negative evaluations, and hostile behaviors. College students’ trait hostility and affective orientation were measured along with their video game usage. Approximately two weeks later 64 of these students came into a laboratory and played one of two video games that differed in their violent content. Students were left alone for 10 minutes to play the video game after which they completed a word completion task, an interaction skills grading form, and evaluations of the researcher’s competence, courteousness, …

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The Effects Of Performance And Process Goals On Anxiety And Performance Of A Racquetball Task., Trendell Clark Jan 2004

The Effects Of Performance And Process Goals On Anxiety And Performance Of A Racquetball Task., Trendell Clark

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of three types of goal setting: performance goals, process goals and no goals, on a racquetball skill task, competitive state anxiety, and goal commitment. Forty college undergraduate students enrolled in racquetball classes were randomly assigned to one of three goal setting groups. Performance and anxiety were evaluated over two competitions conducted over a five week period. The instruments used were the Modified CSAI-2 (Jones & Swain, 1992) for anxiety, the Goal Commitment Questionnaire (Filby et al., 1999) for commitment and a goal manipulation check to measure goal setting changes. Participants …

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The Impact Of A Social Skills Intervention On The Development Of Resiliency In Preschool Children., Tamala L. Lowther Jan 2004

The Impact Of A Social Skills Intervention On The Development Of Resiliency In Preschool Children., Tamala L. Lowther

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Children need to learn appropriate behavior in their early years. Educators of young children have been given the job of importing very important social competency skills, such as coping, problem solving, cooperation, and self-control skills. Interventions designed to meet the developmental level and individual needs of the children enrolled in a preschool should build factors that will lead to increased social skills and resiliency. This research involved implementing social skill prevention in a preschool classroom in a non-profit childcare center in rural West Virginia. The research examined the effectiveness of the Devereux Early Childhood Assessment (DECA), in increasing protective factors …

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A Spatial-Temporal Optimization Approach To Watershed Management: Amd Treatment In The Cheat River Watershed, West Virginia., Xiaobing Zhao Jan 2004

A Spatial-Temporal Optimization Approach To Watershed Management: Amd Treatment In The Cheat River Watershed, West Virginia., Xiaobing Zhao

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Most water management studies concentrate on the inter-temporal allocation problem or, more recently, spatial dynamics—but not both. While early spatial-temporal studies focused on the allocation of water quantity, this paper presents an approach to water quality analysis that incorporates both spatial and temporal dynamics in a watershed framework. The model developed is an explicit economic watershed optimization model built upon an underlying water quality model where pollution loads are driven by pollution sources and alternative control strategies. It reflects the spatial aspects of pollution loads and treatment and the way the system reacts over time to management options and natural …

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The Influence Of Legal Language Upon Supreme Court Voting In Civil Liberties Cases., Sean Wilson Jan 2004

The Influence Of Legal Language Upon Supreme Court Voting In Civil Liberties Cases., Sean Wilson

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Scholars such as Jeffrey Segal and Harold Spaeth contend that U.S. Supreme Court decisions are based primarily upon the ideological beliefs of the justices. However, in this work I show that this conclusion is exaggerated. The aggregation of votes into a summary statistic (the percent liberal rating) and its use by Segal and Spaeth in a regression having only 21 cases creates misleading results. The truth is that political ideology is a fluctuating influence upon the Court. In some areas of civil liberties voting, ideology is a poor explanation of how cases are decided (e.g., core political speech). But in …

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The Hypothetical Opinion In Grutter V. Bollinger From The Perspective Of The Road Not Taken In Brown V. Board Of Education, Kevin D. Brown Jan 2004

The Hypothetical Opinion In Grutter V. Bollinger From The Perspective Of The Road Not Taken In Brown V. Board Of Education, Kevin D. Brown

Articles by Maurer Faculty

No abstract provided.

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A Constructed Peace: Narratives Of Suture In The News Media, Jody L. Madeira Jan 2004

A Constructed Peace: Narratives Of Suture In The News Media, Jody L. Madeira

Articles by Maurer Faculty

In the aftermath of violent crime, survivors are confronted by questions of comprehension, healing, normalcy, accountability, and restoration. These same issues are communicated to audiences via mass media coverage of the crime and ensuing legal proceedings that focuses upon survivors while they are in the public eye - and while those suspected of the crime are in the defendant's chair. Such stories bring a human face to the innocents most affected by the outcome of the proceedings, relaying their involvement in and response to legal developments from arrest to execution. This paper examines these chronicles through the lens of narrative …

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The Influence Attitude Has On Student Achievement In A Developmental College Algebra Course., Michael T. Wilder Jan 2004

The Influence Attitude Has On Student Achievement In A Developmental College Algebra Course., Michael T. Wilder

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Faced with unacceptable failure rates in introductory mathematics courses, institutions of higher learning are incorporating methods of placing students into their math courses based upon the students' preexisting math knowledge or skills. West Virginia University is no exception and is currently incorporating a combination of ACT/SAT scores with an internal placement exam to properly place students in the appropriate math course. This method is not working in that failure rates continue to rise in spite of continual increases in placement requirements. Based upon anecdotal evidence by experienced faculty over a ten year period it became clear that factors other than …

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Leadership Development Of Community College Students: Does Participation In The Phi Theta Kappa Leadership Development Studies Course Have An Effect On The Development Of Leadership Behaviors?, Beverly Wilcox Jan 2004

Leadership Development Of Community College Students: Does Participation In The Phi Theta Kappa Leadership Development Studies Course Have An Effect On The Development Of Leadership Behaviors?, Beverly Wilcox

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study assessed whether participation in the Phi Theta Kappa Leadership Development Studies course had an effect on the leadership behaviors of students at four community colleges from urban and rural geographic locations within the tri-state area of Maryland, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. The researcher visited the four community colleges and distributed the Kouzes and Posner (1998a) Student Leadership Practices Inventory-Self and a demographic questionnaire to a total population of 92 students. Descriptive statistics, t-tests, and an analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to analyze the data according to the research questions guiding this study. The major findings indicated that …

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The Avid Sportsman And The Scope For Self-Protection: When Exculpatory Clauses Should Be Enforced, Robert H. Heidt Jan 2004

The Avid Sportsman And The Scope For Self-Protection: When Exculpatory Clauses Should Be Enforced, Robert H. Heidt

Articles by Maurer Faculty

No abstract provided.

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Critical Thinking And Web-Based Education In Maryland Community Colleges: How The Medium Promotes Development., George E. Perry Jan 2004

Critical Thinking And Web-Based Education In Maryland Community Colleges: How The Medium Promotes Development., George E. Perry

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Surveys have found that employers want today's community college graduates to be able to work in teams, make decisions, and critically assess job situations. In short they want the students to think critically. Due to the changing demographics, web-based education has become a larger part of college curriculum in the past several years. This research project explored critical thinking in web-based courses offered at Maryland community colleges to determine what courses were being offered by the different academic disciplines, the methods used to promote critical thinking, and the types of critical thinking assessment used in these web-based courses. The content …

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Policy Entrepreneurs And Policy Change: Examining The Linkages Between Tanf, Domestic Violence And The Fvo., Tera Lea Mccown Jan 2004

Policy Entrepreneurs And Policy Change: Examining The Linkages Between Tanf, Domestic Violence And The Fvo., Tera Lea Mccown

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Examining strategies used by policy entrepreneurs can enhance our understanding of how policy changes occur in the policy making process. This study builds on the works of Kingdon (1984), Schiller (1995), Worsham (1997) and Mintrom (1997, 2000). Specifically, this study focuses on policy changes pursued by policy entrepreneurs both directly and indirectly related to the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. The first two chapters of this dissertation introduce the policy changes incorporated in TANF and contrast them to those which made up its predecessor, Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC). How the discussion of domestic violence came …

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Surrogate Mothers Use Of Online Messaging: A Study Of Social Support., Shauna Lively Aurelio Jan 2004

Surrogate Mothers Use Of Online Messaging: A Study Of Social Support., Shauna Lively Aurelio

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

People faced with challenging life events, such as pregnancy, need social support for well being. Traditionally, this support has been given via face-to-face contact in communities. It is known that online messaging promotes effective social support among people with disabilities or illnesses, and during life events such as pregnancy and parenting. It has been further suggested that surrogate mothers, women who contract with another person or a couple to bear a child, receive less social support from their families than other mothers. What is not known is how effective online social support is for surrogate mothers and how much they …

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Educating Without Borders: The Influence Of International Cross-Cultural Experiences On Teaching With A Global Perspective In Higher Education., Nicholas A. Ciccarello Jan 2004

Educating Without Borders: The Influence Of International Cross-Cultural Experiences On Teaching With A Global Perspective In Higher Education., Nicholas A. Ciccarello

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Global issues, as well as multicultural and global education, are receiving national and international attention, not only within the educational community, but also within society at large. Global education is fast becoming the subject of a growing body of literature, and both K–12 and postsecondary schools have begun to place importance on the successful incorporation of global perspectives in education. The purpose of this study was to examine the various perceived effects of international cross-cultural experiences on the subsequent curricula and instruction of higher education faculty. This phenomenological study utilized data collection methods which included logistical data, recorded interviews, follow-up …

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A Qualitative Inquiry Into The Responsibilities And Supports Of Paraeducators In Special Education., Annette M. Conti Jan 2004

A Qualitative Inquiry Into The Responsibilities And Supports Of Paraeducators In Special Education., Annette M. Conti

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The role of the paraeducator in providing services to students with special needs has expanded to become part of a complex system of providing special education services. In order to meet the individualized needs of students with disabilities, educational agencies and school districts have increasingly relied on the services of paraeducators to facilitate the specialized instruction needed for students to participate in the least restrictive environment. Case studies were completed with three special education self-contained classrooms. The special education teachers and paraeducators who worked in these settings participated in this study through observations, interviews, and surveys. The study examined the …

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Posttraumatic Stress Disorder In Firefighters: A Proposed Model Of Mediators And Moderators., Kevin S. Del Ben Jan 2004

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder In Firefighters: A Proposed Model Of Mediators And Moderators., Kevin S. Del Ben

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been studied extensively in victim populations (e.g., combat veterans and rape victims); however, very little attention has been given to the responders who come to the aid of these victims, specifically firefighters. Firefighters will respond to both a large number, and a wide variety of potentially stressful situations over the course of their careers. The dangers that firefighters encounter were brought to the attention of the public during the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Currently, there is a lack of research on basic information regarding PTSD in firefighters, such as prevalence …

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A Symbolist Melodrama: The Confluence Of Poem And Music In Debussy's "La Flute De Pan"., Laurel Astrid Ewell Jan 2004

A Symbolist Melodrama: The Confluence Of Poem And Music In Debussy's "La Flute De Pan"., Laurel Astrid Ewell

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Composed by Debussy in 1913, as incidental music for Psyche , a dramatic poem by French symbolist poet and playwright Gabriel Mourey, the work for solo flute known today as Syrinx, has since become a standard of the solo flute repertoire. Anders Ljungar-Chapelon, editor of a new edition based on a recently recovered period manuscript, has challenged traditional conceptions of the work's compositional context. Debussy's original title for Syrinx was La Flute de Pan and appeared as a musical component of a melodrame within the play, just prior to the death of Pan. The recovery of a probable primary source …

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