Past Master's Projects

The variety of master's projects produced by our students testifies to the interdisciplinary nature of the Duke GLS program.  Some take the form of a traditional master's thesis, but explore issues from a perspective that requires stepping back from disciplinary boundaries or combining the methods of different disciplines.  Others combine traditional academic analysis with other modes and genres -- whether creative, documentary or practical.   Each of them represents the culminating efforts of a student in achieving the MALS degree.  

From 2014-22, a few projects each year were awarded the designation of "Exemplary Master's Project," and marked as such in these records.  Search for the word "exemplary" to find them.  Exemplary projects were highlighted as particularly good models for students contemplating master's projects of their own.  A video showcase featuring some of our 2019-20 winners may be found here.

Starting in 2022-23, all students completing projects are invited to present their work in a public year-end Master's Project Showcase. Projects whose authors choose to present at this event are designated "Showcase Projects."

Thinking Like a Mountain: The American Antiquities Act in Its Political and Ideological Milieu
September 2015
Author:
Daniel C. Scheirer, II
Supervisor:

*Designated as an exemplary master's project for 2015-16*

The nucleus of this project is a text, the American Antiquities Act. It was the desire to understand this text more fully on its own terms that compelled me to begin asking questions like: “What can this document reveal about the historical moment from which it emerged?” “How does it bear witness to, and itself help to effect a fundamental shift in the way we think about the land we inhabit?“ What, in essence, is its intellectual and historical genealogy?” Today, the Antiquities Act may seem to be an uncomplicated reality, its raison d'etre self-evident and easily taken for granted; but it does not exist, nor was it created, in a vacuum. The Antiquities Act is a testament to the will of a society to reorient itself towards a new relationship with the natural world. In examining this reorientation, this project explores major historical influences that spurred the growth of conservationist ideals in the United States, highlighting key individuals in order to understand their motivations and trace the formation of their support for the Antiquities Act. Finally, it examines the document itself and discusses, in part, the legislative history and legacy of the act. As these inquiries demonstrate, the American Antiquities Act was not the inevitable outcome of any natural or inexorable processes at work in American culture or society. Rather, it represents a product of the confluence of specific political, philosophical, and societal energies that animated the Act’s historical context. It is these energies and their contexts that give the American Antiquities Act historical cogency.

Beethoven’s Shifting Reception in China, 1910s–1970s
September 2015
Author:
Banban Wu
Supervisor:

Since the late 1970s, Beethoven has remained the best-known Western composer in China. His music has been written into China’s music textbooks and is frequently played by orchestras all around the country. However, this popularity among the Chinese was not always the case. This project explores how and why Beethoven’s music experienced ups and downs in popularity in China from the 1910s to the 1970s. Specifically, I examine how the Chinese people’s attitudes toward and interpretations of Beethoven’s music underwent several dramatic shifts between the 1910s, when his music was first introduced to China, and the late 1970s, when the Chinese ultimately came to admire his music in a way similar to Western audiences. The Chinese people’s shifting attitudes toward Beethoven throughout the twentieth century serve as a cultural index in two respects: by indicating China’s relationship to the West, especially to Western art; and by indicating the cultural effects of China’s own political exigencies. This paper draws on both primary and secondary sources to examine the causes of the shifting perception. The primary sources, which will be used to reconstruct the stages of Beethoven’s reception in China and the distinct historical context of each period, include Chinese newspapers and magazine articles, Chinese government documents, and the biographies and essays of Chinese authors. Secondary sources, which will be used to frame the analysis of the primary materials, will include scholarly works from the fields of ethnomusicology, cultural history, China Studies, aesthetics, and Beethoven studies. One possible explanation for the dramatic fluctuations in the reception of Beethoven’s music in China may be that the Chinese people mainly treated music as a tool, valuing it only for its usefulness at any given time. The Chinese people’s overvaluation of music’s utility—of its capacity to meet the nation’s core needs at any given time—may explain why, from the 1910s to the 1970s, the popularity of Beethoven’s music in China experienced such ups and downs.

Values and Symbolism in Anonymous's Brand Identity
September 2015
Author:
Juanjuan Huang
Supervisor:

Hacktivism is a portmanteau of computer hacking and activism (Wikipedia). Coined in 1996 by Omega, a member of cDc, “hacktivism” was linked to Article 19 of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights (UNDHR), stating “everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression” (Shantz and Tomblin 63-64). Among all the hacker collectives that associate themselves with hacktivism, Anonymous, a leaderless and decentralized group of hackers, might be regarded as the most controversial one. This is because it dabbles in a series of whimsical pranks and publicity stunts but also deliberate digital attacks against government, religious, and corporate websites in the name of defending free flow of information and delivering social justice. In this paper, I will use public media content regarding Anonymous for my primary sources, including Western mainstream media’s news coverage and Anonymous’s own social media posts, to analyze the contribution Anonymous has made to the hacker subculture. Anonymous commits itself to building a distinguishable brand identity as a defender of freedom of speech, hoping to use its symbolic values to “[contribute] to a wider political landscape” (Goode 84). Anonymous’s absence of hierarchy allows anyone who shares the same principles to partake in online/offline activities and claim its title. Its slogans take on the coloration of populism, denying self-promotion, demanding greater digital democracy and serving as an antidote to “cyber-imperialism” (Coleman 391). Plus, Anonymous excels at using social media to promulgate its values and create counter-narratives. Although, more often than not, Anonymous adopts legally ambiguous and morally debatable tactics to hack and expose “wrongdoers,” this leaderless and decentralized hacker collective has become an unorthodox political and cultural icon of civil resistance.

Communications of Frequent Flyer Programs on Weibo and WeChat: Examining Social Media in China's Commercial Sphere
December 2015
Author:
Yang Zhao
Supervisor:

In my thesis I set out to explore communications of Frequent Flyer Programs (FFPs) on Chinese social media, particularly Weibo and WeChat, to examine social media’s effects on China’s commercial sphere. My research and scholarly debates reflect that social media affects China’s commercial sphere in three distinct forms. Social media as a cost-effective platform facilitates communications between organizations, and current and potential customers. In addition, it tends to be a catalyst to stimulate the development of citizen journalism, which largely encourages public participation in commercial activities. Finally, the future of social media will be more concentrated on building strong relationships and increasing communication efficiency. Mobile social media will draw considerable attention in this process, and both organizations and individuals value mobile social media to strengthen the importance of brand identity and marketing communications. Consequently, social media will be more significant in affecting China’s commercial sphere in the future.

Unlucky in Affairs of Business - Turning Points in the Life of Lorenzo de Medici
December 2015
Author:
Harry Don Stephenson, Jr
Supervisor:

The Medici family name is inextricably tied to Florence and the Italian Renaissance. For three hundred and fifty years, through twelve generations, the Medici lived in, work in, and to a considerable degree ruled the city. No Medici name rises higher in recorded history than Lorenzo di Piero de’ Medici. Lorenzo il Magnifico is remembered as a patron of the arts, poet, humanist, diplomat and savior of Florence during the Pazzi War. His legacy as a competent banker, manager and caretaker of the family business empire is sadly much less triumphant. Through the “quirks of genealogical fortune”, including a string of untimely deaths of male members of the Medici, Lorenzo found himself to be the sole owner of the Medici Bank in its sixth decade of business. From the death of his brother Giuliano in 1478, Lorenzo oversaw a long decline of the Bank’s fortune from its zenith in the mid-1460s at the death of his grandfather Cosimo Pater Patriae. Lorenzo would rule the Bank alone for fourteen years until his death in 1492, the bank would fail completely only two years later. Lorenzo was remembered as “unlucky in business affairs” in Niccolo Machiavelli’s History of Florence, but was there more to the collapse than bad luck? Could the Bank have survived with a different level of interest from Lorenzo? Would he have been a better manager with more structured banking and business training? Did Lorenzo’s early death at the age of 43 prevent a restructuring program he had begun? This paper will examine four turning points in Lorenzo’s life and reach for an answer to these questions.

The Duke Aeolian Organ: The Journey of an American Musical Instrument
December 2015
Author:
Gary Patterson
Supervisor:

The Aeolian Company built its last and largest church organ for Duke Chapel in 1932. The organ, one of the last examples of the Symphonic style of American organ building, survived three replacement attempts by the ideologues of the Neo-Baroque organ movement that swept the United States in the latter half of the 20th century. This organ reform movement apotheosized the mechanical-action organs of 17th and 18th century Europe, at the expense of early and mid-20th century American organs – many of which were heavily altered or entirely replaced. Fortunately, the Duke Aeolian was largely spared from such atrocities and was fully restored in 2009. This paper examines the rich cultural history of Duke’s Aeolian organ, including the efforts of those who sought to replace it, others who fought to preserve the organ, and the cultural and historical significance of the Aeolian as an American musical instrument. It is a fascinating and important story that needs to be told.

The Writings of Rokeya Hossain: A Pioneer of Her Time Whose Writings Hold Relevance Today
December 2015
Author:
Shagufta Farrukh Hakeem
Supervisor:

The goal of this paper is to analyze selected works of Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain and to discuss the importance of her works and her impact on the feminist movement in India before partition. Rokeya Hossain was born in 1880 and died in 1932. She did not receive traditional schooling due to a variety of factors including culture, religion and seclusion practices. However, she was tutored by her brother and later supported by her husband in her writing endeavors. In this paper, I will examine her translated works and discuss her impact on Indian society. As a Muslim woman in the early twentieth century, Rokeya Hossain faced multiple challenges from members of the Muslim community and members of Indian and British society. Despite facing this backlash, Rokeya Hossain successfully founded a school for girls and was part of a transnational movement that championed women’s rights. After discussing the contributions of Rokeya Hossain in Indian society, I will discuss the impact of her work as a Muslim woman who was a feminist, educator and social reformer. Finally, I will discuss what Rokeya Hossain’s writings have to offer the West and why her writings have been relatively absent from literary circles. From the perspective of a Muslim woman, I will also point out how Rokeya Hossain shatters the stereotypes of Muslim women being perceived as weak and veiled victims.

Quality and the Craft of The Good Life
December 2015
Author:
Matthew Cronheim

“Quality and the Craft of The Good Life” is a personal essay exploring the relationship between work and the pursuit of a fulfilling life. Originally intended to follow the narrative arc of the construction of a table, this work takes a wayward and circuitous route around the life and meditations of a craftsman. The construction of the table takes a back seat to a reflection on the broader significance of craftsmanship as a medium for understanding and articulating Quality, which is a central theme. I have not set out to reach conclusions, or to provide the reader with a definitive, or even a remote understanding of The Good Life. Rather, in reflecting on the years I’ve spent working with my hands, I’ve sought to meditate on the development of my own understanding of what a Good Life might look like, namely for me. If a broad conclusion can be drawn, it is that the elusive goal of a good life is only achieved by elevating the experience of the banal, and by celebrating the commonplace. The narrower, personal conclusion extends from the broader one. It involves the patterns of my character; the restless decisiveness that has delivered me from one ideal to the next, often in disregard of the successes of each.

From Prose to Policy: Leonard Woolf’s Literary Journey from Unconscious Imperialist to Conscientious Internationalist
December 2015
Author:
Richard L. Barlow
Supervisor:

*Designated as an exemplary master's project for 2015-16*

Leonard Woolf used writing, both fiction, and non-fiction, to work through many of the issues of colonialism which he encountered both in his direct experience as part of the colonial administration of Ceylon and in his subsequent extensive research. This paper will show how, through this process, he went from being a “very innocent, unconscious imperialist” to what he would term an internationalist. It will trace his growth as a writer, looking in detail at the three short stories that make up the collection Stories of The East, and the novel The Village in the Village. Additionally, it will illustrate how he used his fiction to begin to articulate some of the issues that he would later write about in policy documents, in particular, Economic Imperialism. Leonard’s observations and thoughts on imperialism went against the thinking of the establishment and some of his Bloomsbury contemporaries. It could be argued that they were ahead of their time. As such, this work will occasionally compare the writing of more contemporary writers on the subject, such as Edward Said, with those of Leonard’s to illustrate the level of analysis and perception Leonard brought to his work. Leonard himself did not see his work either as an author of fiction or as a political research and policy advocate as having had very much of an impact. However, his fiction while mainly ignored in the West, is still read and discussed widely in its subject country of Sri Lanka and the themes of his political research still resonate today.

The Origin of the Curaçao Sephardim and The Bond That Held the Diaspora Together
December 2015
Author:
Melissa Galletta Lewis
Supervisor:

This project explores two main questions regarding the Jewish Diaspora of Curaçao, "Where did the Jews of Curaçao originate from?" and "How did this diaspora, although scattered over time and space, remain unbroken for over five centuries? I trace the diaspora's origin to the Sephardic Jews of the Iberian Peninsula and examine how they came to the New World and Curaçao. I first analyze the Sephardim in the Americas from a historical perspective, tracking the Sephardic Jewish origin from Spain and follow their exile to Portugal in the late 1400s, then to the Netherlands exploring their travels to South America, and ultimately to the island of Curaçao in the 1600s. The journey begins by studying the Spanish Inquisition and how it served as the point of transformation which led to the first significant exodus of the Sephardic Jewish population out of Spain. I analyze how Christopher Columbus' first transatlantic journey may have been responsible for the initial introduction of the Sephardim to the New World. Following the expulsion and migration of the Sephardim from Spain and Portugal to the Netherlands, I explore how the Amsterdam Jews influenced the growth of a derivative Jewish Diaspora in the New World and Curaçao, exploring the Sephardim's expansive mercantile and business networks. I also analyze the sociological profile and cultural practices of the Curaçao Sephardic Diaspora in order to understand how the group avoided cultural and religious assimilation. One significant question is how did the Diaspora maintain its religious identity during a time of intense anti-Semitism? Ideological clashes and disputes of Curacao’s Jewish community and congregation are examined as they faced religious reform. In addition, central ties and influential figures among Curacao’s Jews, for example prominent Hahams and Rabbis, are studied to see how they shaped Curacao’s Jewish community. As I trace the history of these Caribbean Sephardic Jews, I examine how the diaspora remained loyal to Jerusalem through monetary donations and other gestures. This project reveals how the Sephardim faced and overcame both the Spanish and Portuguese Inquisitions, cultural and religious intolerance, and how they remained connected through time and distance and ultimately built one of the most successful Jewish Diasporas in the New World.

Pages