Digital Commons Network^™

A Critical Discourse Analysis Of Higher Education Leaders As Portrayed In The Chronicle Of Higher Education, Colette Anderson Chelf

Dissertations

Leadership represents an abstraction of human thought. While functionalist theories propose leader-centric models, contemporary leadership theories embrace a postmodern paradigm acknowledging ontological and epistemological assumptions of qualitative study. This ideology suggests a multi-dimensional model of leadership that reflects the complexity and fluidity of leadership in practice. Emergent theories explore the social construction of leadership, rather than an individual leader’s traits or behaviors. Our collective understanding of leadership is manifest in the (re)creation of leadership as exemplified in social discourse such as newspaper reporting.

The purpose of the study is to reveal socially accepted archetypes assigned to higher education leaders, as …

Thicker Than Blood, Kendall Norwood

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Everyone seeks acceptance in one facet or another throughout his or her life, and for Riley McCracken this desire for acceptance is no different. “Thicker Than Water” is a photojournalistic look at the life of a young person who recently has entered the phase of physically transitioning from female to male. Through documentation of Riley’s journey, this project showcases a humanizing and personal face to the relevant discussion of LGBT rights fought for nationally as well as in Kentucky. Riley’s story is one that echoes the struggle that many trans and gender dysmorphic individuals face, but the struggle is not …

Adult Childrens' Communication And Closeness With Parents, Diana Decuir

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This writer reviews some of the most influential factors found in studies of adult childparent relationships, including divorce, surrogate parents, coresidency, caregiving, proximity, family size, and gender. Focusing on the "feminine tilt" in family relationships, research reveals explanations such as caregiving, kinkeeping, and gender identity issues. The author proposes the possibility that the female bias in parent-child relationships has more to do with subjective thought process than biological sex. An analysis was conducted on mailed-in-surveys for 264 Kentucky adults, ages 30 to 49, who completed questions pertaining to their communication and closeness with their parents, and one fourth of the …