Digital Commons Network^™

Innovation Among Georgian Journalism Educators: A Network Analysis Perspective, Ana Keshelashvili

Theses and Dissertations

Rapid developments in technology in recent years have disrupted the media’s traditional role as a main informer for citizens. The changes have challenged journalism educators worldwide, pushing them to innovate and experiment. One purpose of this dissertation is to examine adoption of innovations by journalism educators in Georgia, a small post-Soviet country with partly free media and lack of professional outlets, that has been and still is a beneficiary of Western aid for media development. Employing innovation diffusion theory and the network analysis perspective, this dissertation uses a census of journalism educators and journalism program leaders in Georgia to understand …

Conflicted Union: Culture, Economics And European Union Media Policy, Daphney Pernola Barr

Theses and Dissertations

The constant tension between internal market development and cultural preservation remain within European Union audiovisual media services regulatory policy. While market harmonization and liberalization are key to developing a formidable European media market, the preservation of and promotion of ‘European-ness’ depends upon the protection of cultural diversity, a necessity for a confederation of 27 sovereign nation-states with distinct cultures and languages. It may not currently be possible to reconcile the intrinsic duality of audiovisual media through EU regulatory policy mechanisms. However, a regulatory policy clearly that addresses the potential of cultural harmonization/economic liberalization conflict, that explicitly connects the EU’s audiovisual …

The Impact Of Culture And Religion On The Perception Of Freedom Of Expression Between Older And Younger Generations In South Africa And State Of Kuwait: An International And Comparative Study, Dalal Albudaiwi

Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

THE IMPACT OF CULTURE AND RELIGION ON THE PERCEPTION OF FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION BETWEEN OLDER AND YOUNGER GENERATIONS IN SOUTH AFRICA AND STATE OF KUWAIT: AN INTERNATIONAL AND COMPARATIVE STUDY

by

Dalal Albudaiwi

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 2014

Under the Supervision of Professor Johannes Britz

Freedom of expression as a right has been protected by many nations' Constitutions and human right organizations. Freedom of expression has a long history in both the Western and Islamic worlds. Each viewed, defined, and analyzed the term differently based on their values and principles. Unsurprisingly, the Western and Islamic worlds do not completely …

Mind & Matter: The Discursive Construction Of The Iphone In Apple's Advertising, Nicholas Stratton

Theses and Dissertations

The widespread adoption of smartphone technology in the contemporary United States requires critical reflection on its role within society. This thesis compares the way Apple's television advertising discourse, from 2007 to 2011, frames the iPhone to consumers with the way Apple's iAd promotional material frames the iPhone to advertisers, and considers what the disparity between these two frameworks says about the still-evolving role of smartphone technology in society. It argues that the disparity between these two frameworks is indicative of a fundamental tension within smartphone technology. This tension is reflected in Apple's ability to discursively construct the iPhone as a …

Redefining News In The Face Of Economic Crises: The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Transition To A Watchdog Journal, Aras Coskuntuncel

Theses and Dissertations

In the early 21st century, daily newspapers across the United States struggled with how to respond to economic and technological challenges. This thesis studies one newspaper's response to those challenges. Using ethnographic methods, it explores the Milwaukee (Wis.) Journal Sentinel's transition to a watchdog-centric journal. The thesis suggests that the newspaper responded to economic and technological challenges by redefining news. However, that redefinition brought with it unforeseen problems both in the practice of journalism and the product that journalists produced. The redefinition increased tensions between watchdog and beat reporters, and between older, more experienced journalists and more tech-savvy, younger journalists. …

"So, Are We Good?" The Emerging Sensitive New Man Movement In The Boys' Club Of Stand-Up Comedy, Stephen Kohlmann

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis discusses the emerging new man comedic persona in contemporary stand-up comedy. The new man comedian eschews the hypermasculine and heteronormative traits that were common among male stand-up comedians during the boom era (1980s-1990s). The new trend of a feminized and feminist comedic persona will be analyzed through case studies of two comedians: Louis C.K. and Marc Maron. Their comedic personae transcend their on-stage comedic routines and are augmented through transmedia texts. In the case of Louis C.K., he challenges the audience's perception of his persona through his semi-autobiographical and sometimes surrealistic television series, Louie. Maron's comedic persona is …

College Student Lay Health Information Mediary Behavior: An Examination Of Ehealth Literacy And Unrequested Health Advice, Andrew William Cole

Theses and Dissertations

Lay health information mediary behavior (LHIMB) describes individuals seeking health information to relay to others. The current study examines LHIMB as a relationship between eHealth literacy and unrequested health advice (UHA). 254 undergraduate students completed a survey addressing eHealth literacy levels, general UHA behaviors and specific UHA episodes. Results on general UHA behaviors indicate no significant relationship exists between eHealth literacy and utilizing UHA in health decision-making or frequency of offering UHA. However, self-perceived health status and degree of health worry significantly predict using UHA in health decision-making. Further, as health worry increases, participants appear significantly more likely to receive …

Constructing Loyalty, Citizenship, And Identity: A Rhetorical History Of The Japanese American Incarceration, Kaori Miyawaki

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation reexamines loyalty, citizenship, and identity in the United States by closely reading historical materials about the Japanese American incarceration. The Japanese American incarceration is a unique and important historical event for studying citizenship and identity, since it was a moment in the U.S. history that citizens of the country were incarcerated by their government. This raises a larger question beyond the incarceration. What does it mean to be a loyal American citizen?

By closely analyzing texts generated by the U.S. government, the Japanese American community, and White American photographers, I identify multiple, conflicting meanings and implications behind the …

The Transition To College: An Acculturation Comparison Of Domestic And International Students, Kim Omachinski

Theses and Dissertations

Domestic and international students face challenges when transitioning to college. Researchers believe first-year intervention programs and orientation are important in successful transition to the university environment. Student involvement from the beginning of the first semester helps create a connection to college and a sense of belonging. Domestic and international students traverse homesickness, financial issues, lack of social support, changes in routine, and academic issues while navigating life away from home. Additionally, students experience a turning point that can often create a change in educational trajectory that results in continuing in college, transferring out, dropping out, or seeking help. The turning …

The Development Of An Eye-Tracking Method To Assess Cognitive Flexibility Using A Switching-Task Paradigm, Melissa Lu Pinke

Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Cognitive flexibility, a domain of the executive functions, has been demonstrated to influence functional communicative ability, specifically the ability to maintain the topic of conversation, take appropriate conversational turns, self monitor, repair communicative breakdowns, and use of alternative communication modalities. The assessment of cognitive flexibility is essential for the clinical evaluation and treatment of individuals with neurological disorders interfering with communication, however, confounds related to language comprehension and expression impact test validity. This is due to the reliance on verbal and physical response requirements, the understanding of complex linguistic instruction, and concomitant cognitive and physical impairments. Therefore, new methods …

The Italian Press And The Church: Italian Newspaper Coverage Of Lds-Related News And The Media Strategies Of The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints In Italy 2010-2012, Giulia Vibilio Matthews

Theses and Dissertations

The relationship between media and religion has been influenced by many factors in history. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has received a great deal of media attention throughout the world in the past five years. In Italy, the Church National Council of Public Relations worked to provide the media with the necessary information to report accurate news about the Church. This thesis collected the information provided to the Italian media by the Church National Council and analyzed the main topic and the level of accuracy reported by the Italian media on Church-related news. The results show that …

Family Ties: A Profile Of Television Family Configurations, 2004–2013, Samantha Ann Wiscombe

Theses and Dissertations

This study provides a content analysis of television families portrayed in family-focused programs aired between 2004 and 2013. The analysis focuses on family configuration type, parent type and marital status, and the frequency and gender of children characters, as well as each program's genre, channel type, and target audience. The study uses cultivation theory as the basis of understanding and aims to anticipate television's potential effects and raise important questions that should be addressed in future studies. Results indicate that the traditional nuclear family configuration held the largest portion of the television family landscape. The study found an increase in …

Virtual Escapes And Intercultural Explorations: How Members Of Interpals Are Using Their Online Community As A Window To The World, Ryan Scott Bartlett

Theses and Dissertations

This study utilized in-depth, one-on-one interviews to examine the experiences, attitudes, and opinions, with regard to their use of the Internet for online intercultural communication (OIC), of a culturally diverse sample of 17 members of the global online social community, Interpals. The purpose of this study was threefold: first, the study sought to determine how OIC is shaping the intercultural perceptions of English-speaking Interpals members; second, the study sought to determine how OIC shapes and/or reinforces the cultural identities of English-speaking Interpals members; and finally, the study set out to examine the various ways that English-speaking Interpals members are using …

Rugby's Rise In The United States: The Impact Of Social Media On An Emerging Sport, Benjamin James Kocher

Theses and Dissertations

In this study, the grounded theory approach was used to conduct a qualitative study about the effects the media has on rugby players in the United States. This study involved in-depth interviews with American-born-and-raised rugby players from the top rugby colleges and universities in the United States. These interviews helped identify the role played by traditional and social media in encouraging new players to begin playing the sport of rugby. Results showed that traditional media did not play a large role in bringing out new players in the United States. However newer, social media played a much larger role. New …

Doctor Who And The Creation Of A Non-Gendered Hero Archetype, Alessandra J. Pelusi

Theses and Dissertations

This project investigates the ways in which the television program Doctor Who creates a new, non-gendered hero archetype.

Advocating For Advocacy: How Academia Affects Students' Civic And Political Engagement Outcomes, Chandler S. Johnson

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores the relationship between classroom interaction and students' behavioral outcomes. To investigate this relationship, the research applies the theory of planned behavior to identify civic engagement outcomes produced by teaching and classroom exposure. The results indicate that there is no significant relationship between the forms of teaching (i.e., active or passive) and behavior outcomes (e.g., self-efficacy). Nevertheless, results supported previous literature by showing that attitudes, self-efficacy, and subjective norms can predict behavioral intent. The results also showed a possible fatigue effect due to overexposure to civic and political engagement in the classroom.

The Use Of Social Media As A Communication Tool By International Development Organizations: A Case Study Of The United Nations Children’S Fund (Unicef) In Egypt, Inas Taha Abbas Hamad

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates to understand how the United Nations development organizations in Egypt can manage social media as a communication tool to achieve their development objectives. A case study of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Egypt, is introduced. Using the Excellence Theory in Public Relations developed by Grunig (2002), this study examines how social media can contribute to the strategic management of the organization, rather than being a messaging, publicity, and media relations function. Through a content analysis of a number of social media pages of the UN organizations in Egypt, and in-depth interviews with four senior communication officers …

Exploring The Relationship Between Faculty Perceptions Of Chairperson-Faculty Member Communication Exchanges And Department Climate, Jodi Lynn Hallsten Lyczak

Theses and Dissertations

Leadership communication has many consequences: those that affect an organization and its outcomes, and those that affect the followers. In academia, one of the most important leadership roles is that of the departmental chairperson. Through her or his communication, the academic chairperson influences nearly every aspect of departmental life for faculty, including organizational climate. In fact, it can be argued that the chairperson helps both create and sustain the department climate for faculty.

One perspective of leadership and communication posits that leadership is enacted in the dyadic communication that occurs between the leader and the follower. According to Leader Member …

Beating Down The Fear: The Civil Sphere And Political Change In South Carolina, 1940-1962, Sid Bedingfield

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation contends that print culture – newspapers in particular – played a decisive role in launching the black civil rights movement and shaping the white response to it during the middle of the twentieth century. Focusing on South Carolina, this study is the first to use civil sphere theory and frame analysis to explore the role of cultural expression in the political struggle over black equality in the years immediately before and after World War II. It shows how African-American editors and other activists made strategic use of the society’s symbolic codes concerning justice, freedom, and liberty to elicit …

Social Movements, Media, And Democratization In Georgia, Maia Mikashavidze

Theses and Dissertations

A purpose of the study was to analyze the construction of reality around the Georgian media democratization movement in 2010-12. The qualitative analysis of movement statements (n=17) and in-depth interviews with movement activists (n=12) found that the movement relied on mobilizing master frames linked to the concept of democracy: free speech, access to information, fair elections, transparency, plurality, and devised an innovative frame, it concerns you. The movement pursued two goals with its framing efforts: improvements in the media environment and mobilization of citizen participation.

The quantitative analysis of news stories about the movement (n=552) by six pro-opposition, pro-government, and …

(Mascot) Nation: Examining University Engagement On College Football Teams’ Facebook Pages, Matthew J. Haught

Theses and Dissertations

In the sport of college football, engagement with fans drives revenue for the sports teams and the athletic department; the more fans buy, the more money the school gets. This study examines the ways college football teams use Facebook to engage their publics, and how that engagement builds a sense of community. Specifically, it explores six teams that represent new college football teams, midmajor teams, and state flagship institution teams. Ultimately, it seeks to explain how social media can be a force in establishing and maintaining an online community.

Handcuffing Speech: Federal Fraud Statutes And The Criminalization Of Advertising, Carmen Maye

Theses and Dissertations

The potential criminalization of deceptive advertising implicates the adequacy of regulatory oversight by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the proper balance between the free flow of information and the Government’s role in consumer protection. Is there a need for, and room for, both FTC and Department of Justice (DOJ) oversight on the deceptive advertising front? These issues have ramifications for the courts, who bear the burden of adjudicating challenged applications of that policy, and also for the orderly functioning of government, which must accommodate the convergence of competing interests and divisions of authority.

Many fraudulent schemes are perpetuated without …

Am I In Danger? : Predictors And Behavioral Outcomes Of Public Perception Of Risk Associated With Food Hazards, Sang-Hwa Oh

Theses and Dissertations

Using secondary data collected in South Korea, this study explores possible factors that may affect the way the public perceives risks of food hazards. The present study incorporates scientific knowledge, socio-demographic factors, trust in information sources, news media use, and engaging in interpersonal communication as the possible factors. This study also examines how two levels of risk perception–personal and societal – are related with preventive behaviors concerning food safety. More specifically, the current study examines whether personal-level risk perception correlates more closely than societal-level risk perception with one’s intention to engage in preventive behaviors.

Findings show that personal-level risk perception …

The Newest Vital Sign's Impact On Provider Communication, Adam Drent

Theses and Dissertations

Despite the growing concern over the issues related to low health literacy there has been little research done on the connection between health literacy screening and patient-provider communication. This study thus explores whether or not reporting scores from the health literacy screening tool the Newest Vital Sign (NVS) increases the use of certain techniques recommended for communicating with patients who have low health literacy.

Data was collected at the Sixteenth Street Community Health Center at Parkway as part of the Health Literacy Performance Improvement Module by the American Board of Pediatrics. Before pre- and post-conditions began, participating pediatricians were given …

Balancing Work And Life In A Virtual World: The Impact Of Boundary Management, Virtuality, And Climate On Organizational Identification, Kimberly Smith

Theses and Dissertations

Rooted in Boundary theory, this study extends recent research which suggests boundary management is a multi-dimensional process that can be broken into clusters of cross-role interruptions, role identity centrality, and boundary control (Kossek, Ruderman, Braddy, & Hannum, 2012). In addition, the study identifies relationships between these boundary management clusters, virtuality, organizational climate supporting work-home boundary customization, and organizational identification. This research also considers how the modern-day challenge of virtual work arrangements influences boundary control and perceptions of a supportive organizational climate. Finally, the study examines the relationships of boundary control and climate to employees' organizational identification. Findings indicate that Kossek …

Marketing Post-Feminism Through Social Media: Fan Identification And Fashion On Pretty Little Liars, Anna Donatelle

Theses and Dissertations

Television shows targeted to a young, female audience often depict post-feminist themes such as self-sexualization, self-branding, consumerism, female empowerment through the body, and the "good" girl. This thesis focuses on the ABC Family hit series Pretty Little Liars as an example of the ways in which television shows promote these post-feminist ideologies. I argue that as the network has branded itself as the place for millennial programming; it has used digital platforms to make Pretty Little Liars a one-stop-shop for young women to learn about beauty and femininity. Relatedly, this project analyzes the ways in which young women construct their …

Does Stigma Against Smokers Really Motivate Cessation? A Moderated Mediation Model On The Effect Of Anti-Smoking Campaigns Promoting Smoker-Related Stigma On Cessation Intentions, Jinyoung Kim

Theses and Dissertations

Over the past decade, an increasing number of strong tobacco control legislations (e.g., high cigarette taxes and strict ban on smoking in public places) have passed through Congress to reduce the size of smoking population in the United States. As a part of such national efforts, anti-smoking campaigns have been introduced to curb health problems associated with smoking. Recent anti-smoking campaigns often employ de-normalization strategies that portray smoker(s) as deviant and stigmatized minorit(ies) and smoking as an abnormal and non-mainstream activity in order to better stimulate cessation. As a result of implementing such stigmatization tactics, prevalence of smoking at a …

When Breast Cancer Is All About The Boobs: Postfeminist Culture's Influence On Breast Cancer Awareness Campaigning, Robin Frances Turnblom

Theses and Dissertations

This project analyzes the relationship between breast cancer culture and postfeminist culture, looking at materials from both American and international breast cancer activist groups. Postfeminist culture has an influence on breast cancer culture in several ways, through a neoliberal focus on consumption as a form of activism, continual self-monitoring for beauty and health, a "girling" of women, and the sexual subjectification of women. This project focuses on four main breast cancer activism groups and includes a textual analysis of the groups' awareness and education materials. Included in the textual analysis are responses from popular press and blog sites, which have …

“One More Drinkin’ Song”: A Longitudinal Content Analysis Of Country Music Lyrics Between The Years 1994 And 2013, Keith Mckay Evans

Theses and Dissertations

The lyrical content of pop music has rarely been studied, particularly for country music. The lyrics of the top 50 country songs for each year between 1994 and 2013 were coded for violent, sexual and substance use-related content. Violence had increased, as had sexual references, substance use, and substance use associated with sexual activity. Of particular note is the frequency of references to alcohol; 21% of the 1,000-song sampling frame contained alcoholic references, and the average for the final five-year period (2009-2013) was 1.01 references per song. This research should serve as a springboard into further studies about the lyrical …

Revisiting The Spiral Of Silence In A Social Media Environment: Egypt’S 2014 Presidential Election As A Case Study, Heba T. Saleh Elshahed

Theses and Dissertations

With the advent of the Internet and anonymous features of online media, users have established novel platforms to voice their opinion freely without fear of negative feedback. This thesis explores the application of a long-standing public opinion theory– the spiral of silence by Elizabeth Noelle-Neumann–within the prevalent Social Networking Sites (SNS), particularly Facebook. When applying spiral of silence to online mediated environment, it seems intuitive that the lack of verbal cues and anonymity offered would serve to undermine the fear of isolation and restlessness that results in unwillingness to express minority views. This research contributes to understanding how the spiral …