Digital Commons Network^™

Digital Democratic Voices: Intersecting Student Research, Twitter, And Presidential Debates, Adam W. Tyma

Communication Faculty Publications

Courses: Mass Communication and Public Opinion, Political Communication

Objectives: Often, there are media events (e.g., local and national elections, the Super Bowl) that match up with what we hope to accomplish in a particular class. The purpose of this semester-length project for students was threefold: (1) to read and comprehend literature related to communication studies, media, and political strategy; (2) to collect and analyze data; and (3) to participate in civic engagement by taking part in Presidential DebateWatch events, both as an audience member and through the use of Twitter.

Testing A Risky Sex Behavior Intervention Pilot Website For Adolescents, Randall Starling, Don Helme, Jessica A. Nodulman, Angela D. Bryan, David B. Buller, Robert Lewis Donohew, W. Gill Woodall

Communication Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Each year, teenagers account for about one-fifth of all unintended pregnancies in the United States. As such, delivering sexual risk reduction educational materials to teens in a timely fashion is of critical importance. Web-based delivery of these materials shows promise for reaching and persuading teens away from risky sexual and substance abuse behaviors. The purpose of this study was to pilot test a web-based program aimed at reducing risky sexual behavior and related outcomes among adolescents in a high school setting.

METHODS: A beta-test of the website was conducted in three public schools in New Mexico, USA …

Revisiting The Use Of Secondary Task Reaction Time Measures In Telepresence Research: Exploring The Role Of Immersion And Attention, Cheryl C. Bracken, Gary Pettey, Mu Wu

Communication Faculty Publications

In this experimental study, we use secondary task reaction time (STRT) to measure Attention to a media presentation and compare STRT to traditional self-report measures of Telepresence (immersion, social reality, spatial presence, and transportation) and enjoyment. Further, we compare the STRT measure with the composite items of Telepresence–Immersion. The results indicate that STRT may be useful for measuring some sub-dimensions of Telepresence. Implications are discussed.

Book Review: For The Love Of Baseball, Scott D. Peterson

Communication Faculty Publications

I was having a great deal of déjà vu all over again when I started For the Love of Baseball—and that was even before I read the forward by Yogi Berra.

Scholarly Excellence, Leadership Experiences, And Collaborative Training: Qualitative Results From A New Curricular Initiative, Lori A. Roscoe, Allesa English, Alicia D. H. Monroe

Communication Faculty Publications

Objective: Developing effective leaders in medicine is an educational issue and requires a medical school culture that recognizes, develops, and rewards leadership. This study provides a qualitative evaluation of the initial outcomes from the Scholarly Excellence, Leadership Experiences, and Collaborative Training (SELECT) program, developed by the University of South Florida Health Morsani College of Medicine as a training model for physician leadership and patient-centered care based on emotional intelligence. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 1st year students and faculty involved in program development and implementation to elicit descriptions of their experiences. Field notes were analyzed using a …

Consistency And Change: The (R)Evolution Of The Basic Communication Course, Joesph M. Valenzano, Samuel P. Wallace, Sherwyn P. Morreale

Communication Faculty Publications

The basic communication course, with its roots in classical Greece and Rome, is frequently a required course in general education. The course often serves as our “front porch,” welcoming new students to the Communication discipline. This essay first outlines early traditions in oral communication instruction and their influence on future iterations of the course. In addition, because fundamental changes in higher education in more modern times affected emphases and delivery of the course, we focus on the relationship between general education and the basic course and the significant curricular changes to the course during the latter part of the 20th …

Cowboys, Angels, And Demons: American Exceptionalism And The Frontier Myth In The Cw's 'Supernatural', Joesph M. Valenzano

Communication Faculty Publications

The CW network series Supernatural (2005–) draws its text from the horror and fantasy genres as well as religious mythology. Concurrently, it transmits a core “American” mythos. As its protagonists keep watch along a supernatural frontier and eradicate threats to the American way of life, this program both reinforces and alters aspects of the frontier myth and the myth of American exceptionalism by depicting its main characters as representations of America writ large whose mission has grown from an appointment by God to being equals to God.

In this manner, Supernatural forwards a new American exceptionalism through the notion that …

Assessing The Relationships Between Perceived Support From Close Others, Goal Commitment, And Persistence Decisions At The College Level, Renee E. Strom, Matthew W. Savage

Communication Faculty Publications

Research on supportive communication was examined in relation to students’ goals of earning a college degree and their intent to persist. Theories of student departure (Bean, 1985; Tinto, 1993) informed research questions assessing the impact of how social support from family members and friends affected commitment to the goal of graduation and how commitment to the goal of graduation influenced intent to persist. First-year college students completed a questionnaire at 2 time points during their first year of college. Results revealed that initial support from family and friends positively impacted initial commitment to the goal of graduation. Subsequent support from …

This Is Sparta! Mediated Mythology As Pedagogy In 300, Adam W. Tyma

Communication Faculty Publications

Popular films continue to replace history courses as the source of truth with regard to important events or eras. 300, in its interpretation of the Battle of Thermopylae, based on the graphic novel by Frank Miller, is an example of this trend. Rather than adhering to the presented historical facts of the event, 300 offers a hyperreal interpretation of the battle and the societies that surrounded it, infusing contemporary hegemonic ideologies regarding sexuality, classism, and race into a mediated discourse that presents the spectacle of the film as reality. This essay examines the narratives that are presented within the film, …

Investigating The Impact Of Television Advertisement Image Quality On Telepresence, Attitude Towards Brands And Purchase Intentions, Cheryl C. Bracken

Communication Faculty Publications

In an experiment manipulating the image quality of television ads, 127 participants watched television commercials in either high or low image quality. The participants rated each ad for their attitude towards the ad and purchase intentions. Additionally, sensations of telepresence and transportation were assessed. The participants who viewed the ads in higher image quality reported more positive attitudes towards the brands, and higher levels of telepresence. The implications are discussed.

Disputes Over The Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands: Communication Tactics And Grand Strategies, Chin-Chung Chao, Dexin Tian

Communication Faculty Publications

This study explores the communication tactics and grand strategies of each of the involved parties in the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands disputes. Under the theoretical balance between liberal optimists and realist pessimists and through the hermeneutic analysis of the primary data of relevant remarks of governmental officials, official statements, letters and memoranda, declassified CIA reports, interview transcripts of scholars and experts, relevant media reports and readers’ online responses from the LexisNexis news database and Google News website as well as secondary data of relevant study results of scholars and researchers, we found that the Japanese have been secretive and opportunistic, the Americans …

Leader–Member Conversational Quality Scale Development And Validation Through Three Studies, Guowei Jian, Xiaowei Shi, Francis Dalisay

Communication Faculty Publications

The continuing development of leadership research calls for measurement instruments that can tap into the communication process between leaders and members. The purpose of this present research is to develop and validate a Leader–Member Conversational Quality (LMCQ) scale—an instrument that measures the quality of conversations between leaders and members in the workplace. A series of three studies were conducted. Study I involved item generation and content validity assessment. Study II undertook the task of scale construction and reliability assessment. Study III tested the convergent, discriminant, and criterion-related validity of the scale. These studies resulted in a nine-item instrument with sufficient …

Book Review: ¡Arriba Baseball!, Scott D. Peterson

Communication Faculty Publications

Sports writers and league owners continue to work to keep their industry as non-political as possible, claiming that, among other things, "it should be about the game." Students and scholars of sport culture and writers of sport fiction, including many of the authors included among the selections of ¡Arriba Baseball! know otherwise.

World Theatre, Michelle Hayford

Communication Faculty Publications

When approaching the topic of world theatre, it is necessary to first dispel some popular myths about theatre forms that are outside the traditional Western theatre aesthetic or canon. For the purposes of this chapter, selected examples of world theatre, including theatre of the Western world, are explored. However, there is a focus on the historical trajectory of traditional performance forms of non-Western countries. With the exception of efforts to preserve these traditional forms, it is important to note that “world” theatre is not code for static performance that resists evolution. Nor is world theatre “primitive” or simple. In this …

Mapping Reality: An Introduction To Theatre, Charlie Mitchell, Michelle Hayford

Communication Faculty Publications

This book seeks to give insight into the people and processes that create theatre. Like any other world—be it horse racing, fashion, or politics—understanding its complexities helps you appreciate it on a deeper plane. The intent of this book is not to strip away the feeling of magic that can happen in the presence of theatre but to add an element of wonder for the artistry that makes it work. At the same time, you can better understand how theatre seeks to reveal truths about the human condition; explores issues of ethics, gender, ethnicity, class, sexuality, and spirituality; and exists …

Suit My Heart: Staging Foster Youth Narratives That Hit Home, Michelle Hayford

Communication Faculty Publications

While devising Suit My Heart, I relied upon my training in the ‘three A’s’ of performance studies conceived by my late mentor Dwight Conquergood as “artistry, analysis and activism” (2002: 152). With these ‘three A’s’ in mind, I set out to facilitate a devising process and create an artistic product that would positively serve all communities involved. The quality of the project would be determined not only by the efficacy of the play that we produced in the end, but by the personal growth of my students and the empowerment of our community partners throughout the process. Discovering the reach …

The Role Of Public Relations In Social Capital And Civic Engagement, Weiwu Zhang, Alan Abitbol

Communication Faculty Publications

Public relations scholars have increasingly argued for the broader role of public relations and strategic communication in society (e.g., Taylor, 2010). That is, how can knowledge of public relations be used to make society better rather than simply making organizations more effective? This study examines how different types of public relations and strategic communication efforts contribute to citizens’ social capital and civic engagement. Specifically, this study uses data from the 2010 Pew Internet and American Life Project ‘Social Side of the Internet’ survey to examine the relationship between various strategic communication efforts by social, civic, professional, and religious organizations and …

Global Production, Circulation, And Consumption Of Gangnam Style, Sookeung Jung, Hongmei Li

Communication Faculty Publications

This essay examines the cultural production, circulation, and consumption of the Korean music video Gangnam Style in the broader context of globalization. We conduct a chronological analysis of its distribution, production, and reproduction on YouTube, focusing on the interactions between traditional and new players in reinforcing and creating new meanings. We argue that the phenomenal success of Gangnam Style is due to the dynamic interplay of traditional and new media outlets, the active participation of global audiences, the video’s spreadable hooks, a laissez-faire copyright policy, and the musician PSY’s marketing strategies.

Out Of The Literary Comfort Zone: Adaptation, Embodiment, Assimilation, Alessandra Raengo

Communication Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Inspire Magazine: A Critical Analysis Of Its Significance And Potential Impact Through The Lens Of The Information, Motivation, And Behavioral Skills Model, Tony Lemieux, Jarret Brachman, Jason Levitt, Jay Wood

Communication Faculty Publications

This paper presents an analysis of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula’s English language publication Inspire that was conceptualized and conducted on the basis of the Information- Motivation-Behavioral Skills (IMB) framework. The IMB model has been widely tested, validated, and applied across a range of behavior change interventions, and provides both a conceptual and analytic framework to examine the range and quality of content featured across the 11 issues of Inspire that were published and distributed online starting in July of 2010. Inspire has been implicated in multiple instances of terrorism cases in the U.S. and its impact and potential …

Civility, Democracy, And National Politics, Mary Stuckey, Sean Patrick O'Rourke

Communication Faculty Publications

This essay considers questions about civility raised in the discourse responding to the January 2011 shootings in Tucson, Arizona. Focusing on two sites of discord—the debate in the media and President Obama’s address at the memorial service for the victims—our analysis identifıes two conceptions of civility and their corresponding assumptions about democracy and community, provides a critique of both conceptions, and offers a conceptual framework for rhetorical critics studying civility.