Are you planning to work on your dissertation this weekend? Take at least a brief break to enjoy the holiday before you get back to work. Our in-person Summer 2014 Dissertation Houses will be at UMBC, College Park, and at the PROMISE Summer Success Institute at the Hotel at Arundel Preserve. However, you can join us online! Go to the Summer 2014 Challenge page, and post your goals. We’ll see you there!

Are you planning to work on your dissertation this weekend? Take at least a brief break to enjoy the holiday before you get back to work. Our in-person Summer 2014 Dissertation Houses will be at UMBC, College Park, and at the PROMISE Summer Success Institute at the Hotel at Arundel Preserve. However, you can join us online! Go to the Summer 2014 Challenge page, and post your goals. We’ll see you there!

Announcing the Final Examination of Zuotang Zhang(LLC Cohort 12)

Date and Location:  June 25, 2014 at  3:30 p.m., 107 Public Policy Building

Title:  An Ethnography of Traditional Rural Folk Funeral Practice in Northwestern China

This ethnographic study will analyze data collected through field-based observations, primary ritual texts, and locally conducted interviews of the yin-yang practitioners in the three small villages of Fanmagou, Qijiazhuang, and Wangdazhuang in northwestern China. The practice referred to as yin-yang in this region is part of an archaic folk religious system that can be traced back to at least the Qing dynasty (1644-1911). Despite its deep cultural roots, it is becoming endangered due to the impact of national policies (governing religion and culture) and the general adaptation to modernity in China. Due to the localized nature of this cultural system, the main research method used will be qualitative ethnographic description, with a Geertzian “thick description” approach to interpretive analysis. The collected data is roughly divided into three categories: (1) transcriptions of interviews with yin-yang practitioners and other local villagers; (2) video tapes, photographs, and field notes of local religious rituals, specifically memorial and burial rites that are led by the yin-yang practitioners, and (3) my own translations of yin-yang scriptural texts that are used in leading the rituals themselves, as well as for the teaching and training of young yin-yang apprentices. The interpretive ethnography that is produced from these rich primary sources will also be considered for its curriculum applications in two primary higher education contexts:  1) As a rich primary source for courses in Chinese culture and language – conducted in either Chinese or English language context, and 2) As a source of engaging and culturally relevant texts for courses in content-based ESOL for Chinese students (in China presumably). 

Dissertation Committee: Joby Taylor, Chair

Beverly Bickel, Co-Chair

Karl Luckert

JoAnn Crandall

Anna Shields

The public is welcome to observe.

Students at the University of Maryland College Park, your chance to attend a Dissertation House is here!

The on-campus setting provides Dissertation House participants with productive and rewarding scholastic engagement. Students who participate in this program will spend each day thinking, writing, and sharing ideas about their doctoral dissertations. Students will learn effective time-management skills, learn how to set small manageable goals, and meet with a dissertation coach in one-on-one consultations to discuss and address obstacles that might prevent them from completing their degrees.

This is a Tuesday – Friday  (9 a.m. – 5 p.m., non-residential) commitment to focus on the doctoral dissertation. TheDissertation House activities focus on areas where students typically have difficulty: conceptualizing a topic, writing a literature review, transitioning from a proposal to a dissertation, analyzing data, writing the last chapter, and editing.

To apply to attend the Summer 2014 Dissertation House at College Park, submit a brief description (maximum 2 pages, font size 11-12 point, 1-inch margins) that describes the project that you wish to accomplish during the Dissertation House period. Please use the following guidelines: (i) Summary of the project, including research question(s), data or texts, and method; (ii)Amount completed on the project to date; and (iii) Any obstacles that you are encountering that hinder completion of the dissertation. Include the following header information with the description:

• Name / Address / Telephone numbers (home, office, and fax) / E-mail address
• Academic Program and Year in the program
• Expected date of doctoral degree completion

Dates/Location: July 15-18, 2014, Stamp Student Union, University of Maryland, College Park. Lunch and snacks will be provided daily.

Application Period: Thursday, May 22, 2014 – Thursday, June 19, 2014. Email applications to amperez@umd.edu   Please use the words “Dissertation House” in the subject line of your email.

Selection Process: Sixteen participants will be selected for participation in the Dissertation House. The following applicants will have priority: (i) Applicants who plan to finish the Ph.D. in 2014; (ii) Individuals who are working on dissertations and theses rather than a proposal; (iii) Applicants who submit earliest; and (iv) Individuals who appear most able to benefit from the services offered at the Dissertation House.

If your application is accepted, you will receive an acceptance notice via email and additional details about the Dissertation House.

_____________________________________________

 The Dissertation House at College Park is for graduate students of any discipline at the University of Maryland College Park. If you are a graduate student (in any discipline) at UMBC, please apply for the Dissertation House at UMBC: http://dissertationhouse.wordpress.com/2014/05/18/the-summer-dissertation-house-at-umbc-begins-in-july-applications-are-being-accepted-now/. Graduate students in STEM fields at other school within the USM will have an opportunity to participate in the Dissertation House at the PROMISE Summer Success Institute in August 2014.

Students at the University of Maryland College Park, your chance to attend a Dissertation House is here!

The on-campus setting provides Dissertation House participants with productive and rewarding scholastic engagement. Students who participate in this program will spend each day thinking, writing, and sharing ideas about their doctoral dissertations. Students will learn effective time-management skills, learn how to set small manageable goals, and meet with a dissertation coach in one-on-one consultations to discuss and address obstacles that might prevent them from completing their degrees.

This is a Tuesday – Friday  (9 a.m. – 5 p.m., non-residential) commitment to focus on the doctoral dissertation. TheDissertation House activities focus on areas where students typically have difficulty: conceptualizing a topic, writing a literature review, transitioning from a proposal to a dissertation, analyzing data, writing the last chapter, and editing.

To apply to attend the Summer 2014 Dissertation House at College Park, submit a brief description (maximum 2 pages, font size 11-12 point, 1-inch margins) that describes the project that you wish to accomplish during the Dissertation House period. Please use the following guidelines: (i) Summary of the project, including research question(s), data or texts, and method; (ii)Amount completed on the project to date; and (iii) Any obstacles that you are encountering that hinder completion of the dissertation. Include the following header information with the description:

• Name / Address / Telephone numbers (home, office, and fax) / E-mail address
• Academic Program and Year in the program
• Expected date of doctoral degree completion

Dates/Location: July 15-18, 2014, Stamp Student Union, University of Maryland, College Park. Lunch and snacks will be provided daily.

Application Period: Thursday, May 22, 2014 – Thursday, June 19, 2014. Email applications to amperez@umd.edu   Please use the words “Dissertation House” in the subject line of your email.

Selection Process: Sixteen participants will be selected for participation in the Dissertation House. The following applicants will have priority: (i) Applicants who plan to finish the Ph.D. in 2014; (ii) Individuals who are working on dissertations and theses rather than a proposal; (iii) Applicants who submit earliest; and (iv) Individuals who appear most able to benefit from the services offered at the Dissertation House.

If your application is accepted, you will receive an acceptance notice via email and additional details about the Dissertation House.

_____________________________________________

 The Dissertation House at College Park is for graduate students of any discipline at the University of Maryland College Park. If you are a graduate student (in any discipline) at UMBC, please apply for the Dissertation House at UMBC: https://dissertationhouse.wordpress.com/2014/05/18/the-summer-dissertation-house-at-umbc-begins-in-july-applications-are-being-accepted-now/. Graduate students in STEM fields at other school within the USM will have an opportunity to participate in the Dissertation House at the PROMISE Summer Success Institute in August 2014.