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Communication

Communication Theses

Kenneth Burke

Publication Year

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Identification Is Persuasion: Eisenhower’S Call For Unity And The Founding Of Nato’S Military Headquarters, Debra N. Fossum Nov 2011

Identification Is Persuasion: Eisenhower’S Call For Unity And The Founding Of Nato’S Military Headquarters, Debra N. Fossum

Communication Theses

Historians of the founding years of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) acknowledge General Dwight D. Eisenhower’s role as the first Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR), yet they ignore the effect Eisenhower’s rhetoric had in the creation of a sense of unity among Western European nations. Rhetorical analysis of Eisenhower’s time as SACEUR offers scholars a unique look into the founding years of NATO and the beginning of European unification. Using Kenneth Burke’s theory of the four master tropes, I analyze how Eisenhower’s role in the development of NATO was important to the eventual development of a unified Europe.


In The Culture Of Truthiness: Comic Criticism And The Performative Politics Of Stephen Colbert, Justine Schuchard Holcomb Jun 2009

In The Culture Of Truthiness: Comic Criticism And The Performative Politics Of Stephen Colbert, Justine Schuchard Holcomb

Communication Theses

I analyze comedian Stephen Colbert's performances as the bloviating "fake" pundit, "Stephen Colbert." Colbert's work reflects the progression of personality-driven media and performance-driven society. His frequent shifts and blending of characters – from actor and entertainer to pundit and politician – call attention to the similarly character-driven nature of "real" figures in politics and media. Using Kenneth Burke's theory of tragic and comic frames of acceptance, I analyze three sets of Colbert's performances – hosting The Colbert Report, speaking at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner, and running for president – as well as the conventional situations and discourses he …