Musical Conservatism: Victorian Composers and the Philosophy of Precedent

Musical conservatism is a concept that is regularly invoked in both musicological literature and popular discourse, but is almost never defined or explained. The words ‘conservative’ or ‘reactionary’ are also often used as derogatory terms to denote insincerity, naivety, or lack of artistic depth. Edward German (1862-1936), Charles Villiers Stanford (1852-1924), and Edward Elgar (1857-1934), the primary case studies of this thesis, have each been identified – and often self-identified – with both musical conservatism and conservatism more broadly. Each of these composers also acted as a political activist for conservative causes, which they supported through their music and writings. Through an in depth study of a large volume of primary materials and the discourse surrounding the music of these three composers, this thesis provides an examination of the claim that the music and politics of conservative composers are intrinsically linked because they emerge from the same philosophical foundations. Their writings and music are also analysed through an assessment of their adherence to the first principles of conservatism, newly theorised here as a four part series of philosophical statements. Conservatism, in this conceptualisation (drawn from the writings of conservative and anticonservative theorists from Burke to Scruton) is to be understood as belief in the primacy of precedent, flawed and imperfectible human nature, the acceptability of inequality, and the importance of the pursuit of beauty in art. It addresses previously unanswered definitional questions on the subject of musical conservatism, its problems as a term, and its intrinsic nature. It also explores the relationship between musical conservatism and the pervading philosophical and political conservatism of late Victorian and Edwardian England

Assessing the usefulness of the LivingRoom learning gardens at Galloway Elementary School, Partnership Middle School, and Leland Park Middle School for teaching

As more schools incorporate learning gardens into their campuses to help educate school children on nutrition (Parmer and Stuempler, 2009), connect students to nature (Bucher, 2017), and grow healthy food; there is a need to better understand how the physical design and components of the garden facilitate the use and programming of the gardens for teaching. There is little research on how the physical characteristics of a garden influence those benefits and challenges. This study seeks to assess the usefulness of an intentionally designed garden typology that has been implemented at three different school sites. By documenting the differences between the three gardens and surveying faculty and staff, the study identifies how the gardens and their components are used by teachers. The results indicate that the intentionally designed gardens are used for many purposes, have successful seating components, and reduce overall maintenance for teachers responsible for the gardens

Unit organization of four topics in English literature for the ninth school year.

Thesis (M.A.)--Boston Universit

Mediating American hospitality: Mark Zuckerberg’s challenge to Donald Trump?

In 2017, Facebook founder and CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, travelled America with a former White House photographer who took pictures of him sharing meals with families, workforces and refugee communities. These were then posted to Zuckerberg’s Facebook page, usually with a post by Zuckerberg drawing attention to socioeconomic issues affecting different American communities. This article argues that Zuckerberg is mediated on this tour as a worthy populist contender to Donald Trump, albeit of a centrist, liberal, corporate kind. In particular, divisions along the lines of race, migration and class, which have been appropriated and emphasised by Trump, are apparently bridged and resolved through the representation of Zuckerberg, and the promotion of Facebook as a mediated fulcrum for civil society. Zuckerberg is pictured sharing food with, for example, Republican voters in Ohio and Somali migrants in Minnesota. We investigate how the differences projected between Zuckerberg and Trump pivot on the commodification of hospitality, particularly the mediation of shared meals, American hospitality, masculinity and ‘diversity work’. We contextualise this analysis within an understanding of how Silicon Valley’s monopoly capitalism perpetuates inequalities in its workforces and through its product design. We also attempt to make sense of the different social actors involved in Zuckerberg’s mediated ‘Year of Travel’, including the PR team, the people in the photographs, the commenters, as well as the users of Facebook. Through these contextualisations, we argue that this mediated contestation of hospitality – who is welcome in American society, who is not and why – is central to understanding the tensions in contemporary American political culture

Conjunctural analysis and the crisis of ideas

Our new series, Soundings Critical Terms aims to explore and build on a range of theoretical resources that members of the editorial group have found helpful to their own understandings of politics. This article offers a framing statement for the series as whole, and makes a strong case for the place of conjunctural writing at the heart of the project. It looks at four key ways in which thinking conjuncturally can be of assistance to the left: as a means of analysis of periods of conjunctural crisis and contradiction; as an a priori necessity for effective political intervention; as a space open to bringing together longer trajectories of thought; and as an enabler of reflection on the shifting forces of socio-political histories. The aim is to begin to develop a rich toolkit of concepts, histories and understandings that enable us to think through what is possible, to determine the direction of future interventions, and to provide a space in which crucial differences and agreements within left activism can be explored

How We Came to Dread Fridays: Developing an Academic Library Assessment Plan Two Hours at a Time

During the summer of 2012, St. John Fisher College\u27s Lavery Library developed a coordinated assessment plan. Committing to weekly meetings, librarians reviewed ACRL Standards, identifying key outcomes that would link to the college strategic plan. Utilizing the unique synergy of the library staff, librarians committed to persistence, collaboration, and flexible teamwork. Based on their summer-long perseverance, the librarians originated an assessment strategy that has not only aligned them with the college but has also positioned them to demonstrate the value they provide to their community

A Symbol of Imperial Unity? The Australian Colonies and the 1897 Imperial Conference

The 1897 colonial conference coincided with Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee and an outpouring of late-Victorian imperial sentiment. Against this backdrop of imperial celebration, colonial leaders met with Secretary of State for the Colonies, Joseph Chamberlain, whose own views as to the importance of imperial reform were taking shape. For the most part, while grateful for Chamberlain's interests, Australian leaders feared significant imperial reform might undermine rather than reinforce imperial unity. As a result, the conference struggled to translate pro-imperial sentiment into tangible commitments. This article argues that the meetings between Chamberlain and colonial leaders in 1897 are worthy of examination not only because they shed light on Anglo-Australian relations but also because they provide insight into a significant period in the history of late-Victorian British imperialism and the development of Australian federation. Drawing on the confidential proceedings of the conference, this article offers a close reading of the key imperial issues under discussion and their resonance in contemporary Australian and imperial political discourse. Moreover, it contends that the conference debates reflected not only important issues in Anglo-Australian affairs, but also a series of broader ambitions and limitations when it came to the campaign for imperial unity in the late-Victorian era