Digital Commons Network^™

Practicing Work, Perfecting Play: League Of Legends And The Sentimental Education Of E-Sports, Neal C. Hinnant

Communication Theses

A growing force in the culture of digital games fandom, e-sports represents the profes-sionalization of digital games play. This thesis examines League of Legends, a prominent game in e-sports, to understand the relationship between e-sports and the ideology of neoliberal economics. Using Clifford Geertz’s descriptions of sentimental education as a model, the author argues that League of Legends and other e-sports texts create an environment where neoliberal economic values can be practiced and explored in a meaningful space. The game as text, the culture of e-sports fandom, and the e-sports broadcasting industry are all examined to reveal the ways …

The Bulgarian Horrors Through The Eyes Of An American Journalist: J. A. Macgahan's Role In The Liberation Of Bulgaria From The Ottoman Empire 1876-1878, Miglena Sandmeier

Communication Theses

The thesis examines the role of an American journalist of Irish descent, Januarius MacGahan, who became known as the “Liberator of Bulgaria.” Evidence presented in the thesis substantially restores MacGahan’s role in the liberation of Bulgaria from the Ottoman Empire. That accolade was deleted from Bulgarian history by Marxist revisionist historians during the Communist regimes in the 20th Century.

This paper affirms that it was MacGahan’s resolve and passionate outcry against injustice and cruelty he witnessed, that changed the course of European diplomacy and ultimately led to a war that liberated Bulgaria.

Health Safety-Net Crisis: A Case Study Of News Discourse, Cecilia F. Mitchell

Communication Theses

This study is the first to analyze news coverage of a hegemonic struggle over a crisis that threatened to close a Southern safety net hospital. Such closure could have left indigent, African American men and women without health care access. The study utilizes critical discourse analysis to focus on news portrayals of patients and the struggle over whether the hospital would continue to be governed by a majority-Black, public board of directors or a nonprofit, private board recommended by a majority-White civic group. Results indicate that newspaper coverage privileged the elite, White view, while stereotypically representing indigent, Black patients as …

American Masculinity And Homosocial Behavior In The Bromance Era, Diana Sargent

Communication Theses

This study examines and reflects upon the current “bromance” culture that has emerged in American society and aims to conceptualize how media texts relate to masculine hegemony. Attention to current media portrayals, codes of conduct, rituals, homosocial interaction, and constructions of masculinity in American culture is essential for the evaluation of the current era of American masculinity. Mediated portrayals present an ironic position on male closeness, dictate how men should behave towards women and other men, and create real life situations in which these mediated expectations are fostered and put into practice. Textual analyses of the films Superbad and I …

The Reality Of Televised Jezebels And Sapphires: Blogs And The Negative Stereotypes Of African American Women On Reality Television, Safiya E. Reid

Communication Theses

Americans spend an average of 5.1 hours a day viewing television, with reality television as the most prevalent type of programming. Some of the top reality television shows feature African American women in negative and limiting roles. However, little research examines how the stereotypes presented on reality television about African American women are viewed by the audiences of these reality shows. This research seeks to understand how African American women on reality television are discussed by their audiences online, and whether African American women who contribute to blogs resist the negative stereotypes and portrayals.