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Effect Of The Sars-Cov-2 Pandemic On Assistive And Interactive Technology Use: In- Person Versus Distanced Communication, Alexandra Swanson
Effect Of The Sars-Cov-2 Pandemic On Assistive And Interactive Technology Use: In- Person Versus Distanced Communication, Alexandra Swanson
Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects
COVID-19 risk-reduction efforts have protected high-risk individuals but have significantly altered life; persons now face reduced socialization. Advancing technologies (e.g., video-chat) may be useful in alleviating consequences of these efforts, potentially mitigating loneliness, and isolation by improving access to alternative communication. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between communicative technology use and individual characteristics, as technology use may contribute to well-being among adults during COVID-19 and future isolating events. This is especially relevant to older populations. Participants (N=645) aged 19+ completed a questionnaire via Amazon Mechanical Turk; demographic, socialization, and technology-use data were collected. Data were …
Will The Twenty-Five Of You Accept This Rose? Assessing Gender Portrayals On Abc's The Bachelor., Glaucia Pereira Steckelberg
Will The Twenty-Five Of You Accept This Rose? Assessing Gender Portrayals On Abc's The Bachelor., Glaucia Pereira Steckelberg
Student Work
Cultivation theory suggests that television viewing influences beliefs and opinions about the real world. Also, framing theory suggests that the way we see an issue may be directly related to how media portray it. The recent pervasiveness of reality-television dating shows in prime time provides a sea of opportunities for gender communication research. The purpose here was to explore women's representations in a courtship context as depicted in ABC's The Bachelor to determine the presence of female stereotypes (RQl). Three groups of eliminated women were also compared to determine differences among them in terms of appearance and behavior (RQ2). In …
Framing The Second War In Iraq: An Analysis Of Abc, Cbs And Nbc News And News Interview Show Coverage, Rebecca M. Graham
Framing The Second War In Iraq: An Analysis Of Abc, Cbs And Nbc News And News Interview Show Coverage, Rebecca M. Graham
Student Work
Terrorist events that occurred in the United States on September 11 , 2001 put the U.S. on the offensive in dealing with terrorist activity. The U.S. entered into war with Afghanistan and Iraq and journalists were at the forefront of these events reporting from the front lines. This thesis applies the theories of agenda-setting, framing, and priming in answering questions related to media coverage of events surrounding the war in Iraq. News coverage from three U.S. networks (ABC, CBS and NBC) was examined to determine the role that media played in the war in Iraq. Mass media are powerful tools …
All Sports, All The Time: Sports Talk Radio And Its Uses By Listeners., Andrew W. Peacock
All Sports, All The Time: Sports Talk Radio And Its Uses By Listeners., Andrew W. Peacock
Student Work
Over the past few decades, sports talk radio has become an increasingly popular communication vehicle for delivering and consuming sports news. However, there is limited research to indicate how sports fans interact and connect through sports talk radio. Further, do sports fans incorporate the topics they hear on sports talk radio into their daily sports conversations with friends and other sports fans? How are sports fans using the information they hear on sports talk radio shows? How do fans use sports information in building and maintaining relationships? The goal of this study is to examine the role of sports talk …
The Role Of Culture, Ethics And Credibility In The Misuse Of Anonymous Sources: Jayson Blair And The New York Times Scandal, Elizabeth Cajka
The Role Of Culture, Ethics And Credibility In The Misuse Of Anonymous Sources: Jayson Blair And The New York Times Scandal, Elizabeth Cajka
Student Work
In May 2003, The New York Times announced that a young star reporter, Jayson Blair, had made up sources and interviews and has stolen information from other reporters’ work. On May 11, the Times used four full pages to report on Blair’s mistakes and lies, printing corrections in hopes of restoring his credibility (Barry, Barstow, Glater, Liptak, & Strinberg, 2003). The scandal also led to the resignations of executive editor Howell Rains and managing editor Gerald Boyd. This was one among a series of such cases in the history of American journalism.
Minority Representation And Cultural Diversity On Prime Time Television., Kenya E. Edwards
Minority Representation And Cultural Diversity On Prime Time Television., Kenya E. Edwards
Student Work
The rapid growth of minority groups over the past few decades has dramatically changed the face of American society. Current census figures suggest that minority groups will exceed 50% of the total U. S. population by the middle of the next century. As a result of this rapid demographic change, interest has been rekindled in the issue of race on network television. The present study reviewed prime time dramas and situation comedies in 2003 to identify changes in the representation of minority characters in recent years. Major findings of the present study include the following. Minority characters continue to appear …
Computer-Mediated Communication In Online Education: A Case Study Of Instructor And Student Experiences And Perceptions In A Hybrid Online Course, Melodae D. Lane
Computer-Mediated Communication In Online Education: A Case Study Of Instructor And Student Experiences And Perceptions In A Hybrid Online Course, Melodae D. Lane
Student Work
Various surveys and literature reviewed identified the role of online education in growing number of in institutions of higher education who have embraced it as an important factor in creating educational opportunities, particularly in the nursing field. Research was focused on theoretical concepts of interaction and socialization concepts in the study of CMC in the online learning community. This included the role of nonverbal communication, gender-related issues, and identity. This case study of a hybrid online communication centers on a course developed at a midwestem health sciences. It integrates both the student and the instructor points of view in terms …
Who Could Ask For Anything More?: An Analysis Of Rhythm And Dalcroze Eurhythmics And Their Place In The Communication Arts Of Speech, Forensics, And Theater., Kenton Bruce Anderson
Who Could Ask For Anything More?: An Analysis Of Rhythm And Dalcroze Eurhythmics And Their Place In The Communication Arts Of Speech, Forensics, And Theater., Kenton Bruce Anderson
Student Work
This study argues for the reintroduction of the ancient Greek and Roman rhetorical focus on developing musical rhythm skills in the education of the public speaker and orator. It examines the potential for application of the Dalcroze Eurhythmics pedagogical method in speech communications. It reviews the literature on philosophy, neurology, communications, rhythm, expressive movement, and education. This includes a literature review of relevant concepts such as rhythm, delivery, charisma, gesture, affect, education, hypnosis, propaganda, and paranoia. It explores neurological findings on music, movement, the brain, and the efficacy of bi-hemispherical, affective, movement-based, phenomenological, and somatic educational approaches. The study next …
He Said, She Said: Gender, Sources And Affiliation In Two Mid-Western Daily Newspapers, Kathleen Ann Tewhill
He Said, She Said: Gender, Sources And Affiliation In Two Mid-Western Daily Newspapers, Kathleen Ann Tewhill
Student Work
Sources have been the lifeblood of journalism. Information from government official, experts, eyewitnesses, victims, celebrities or even ordinary citizens has flowed though the veins of news stories carrying messages to readers since the newspaper began. Sources have infused articles with shape and substance. They have fleshed out details of a story and added character and credibility to news accounts and features. Without sources, potential stories have shriveled and died.
Intimacy In Relationships: A Content Analysis Of Dialogue In Romance Novels., Susan K. Scheef
Intimacy In Relationships: A Content Analysis Of Dialogue In Romance Novels., Susan K. Scheef
Student Work
Shelby met Alan at a party. They spoke briefly, mostly out of convenience. From their conversation thought, it would seem to others that they were old friends. It would not be the last time Shelby would see Alan. They would continue to meet, even though they had different ideas about wanting a relationship. They would talk about their past, but Shelby would not feel comfortable revealing part of hers. Eventually as they spent more time together, their family and friends began voicing their opinions on how Shelby and Alan should pursue their relationship. Even with all the pressure, it was …
The Reel World: A Content Analysis Of The Social Construction Of Unreality In Mtv's The Real World., Ron Frascht
The Reel World: A Content Analysis Of The Social Construction Of Unreality In Mtv's The Real World., Ron Frascht
Student Work
This is a content analysis of MTV' s The Real World: Season 11 Chicago. Many articles have suggested that The Real World is a produced entity using storyboards and the all important reality footage. By focusing on one season's content this study proposed four basic queries: is the cast of The Real World chosen in a way that is meant to mirror reality, or is it chosen for a calculated dramatic effect? Is the setting of The Real World a mirror of reality, or is it a constructed stage for the show? If it is a constructed stage, what are …
The Use Of The Fish Philosophy Metaphor In A Changing Organization, Hilda K. Byabato
The Use Of The Fish Philosophy Metaphor In A Changing Organization, Hilda K. Byabato
Student Work
This thesis examines existing research and theory on metaphors, organizational culture and organizational change. It focuses on the application of the “Fish Philosophy” metaphor in a changing culture of an organization to determine how, when and why this metaphor is used. The analysis of discourse observed in meeting, office cubes, cafeteria as well as the content analysis of documents (newsletters, email messages, photographs, videotapes) were among the methods used to conduct this study. Metaphors and metaphoric discourse play an important pole in developing and maintaining shared meanings among organizational members while shaping and reshaping an organization’s culture and communication process. …
A Compare And Contrast Analysis Of Yentl And Thelma And Louise From A Feminist Perspective, Steven Craig Eskew
A Compare And Contrast Analysis Of Yentl And Thelma And Louise From A Feminist Perspective, Steven Craig Eskew
Student Work
Feminists in the mid-1970s initiated attention to a longtime complaint shared by many women: the manner in which females are portrayed in films. America boasts a patriarchal society containing an ideological foundation that operates contrary to many female interests. A feminist examination of film exposes how scripts place female characters in narratives and textual interactions that involves a collaboration between the filmmakers and the film spectaters, constituting a patriarchal definition of femininity. Because they believe such a definition promotes unfavorable stereotyping, feminists seek to challenge such a collaboration, introducing instead female characters who exemplify a feminist voice, representing a more …
The Moderating Role Of Trust On The Relationship Between Ingratiatory Communication Strategies And Interactional Fairness, Erik Drafsten
The Moderating Role Of Trust On The Relationship Between Ingratiatory Communication Strategies And Interactional Fairness, Erik Drafsten
Student Work
Previous research has shown that when perceptions of both procedural justice and distributive justice are low, increasing perceptions of interactional fairness can serve to reduce negative consequences that an organization may face, including subtle forms of retaliation, or what are known as organizational retaliatory behaviors (ORB). In an organizational setting personal attempts to improve perceptions of interactional fairness, under conditions of low distributive and procedural justice, can take on ingratiatory-like qualities when the source attempting to boost these perceptions of interactional fairness uses flattery, expresses excessive empathy, or excessive sympathy. Research has shown that ingratiatory actions such as these become …
Stereotypes In African-American Television Sitcoms: A Content Analysis., Cornell A. Beck
Stereotypes In African-American Television Sitcoms: A Content Analysis., Cornell A. Beck
Student Work
Reality of stereotypes and the portrayal of Blacks in television programming have become topics for political and social discourse within the field of mass communication. This study presents data on the portrayal of Blacks in network television situation comedies. It investigates perceptions of occupational roles, income, education, and living lifestyles in Black sitcoms for the network seasons of 1995- 2000. The first sub-hypothesis examined whether Blacks were portrayed in situation sitcoms as managerial professionals rather than service related non-professionals. Specific findings of this study indicated that Blacks were more often portrayed in the selected 1995- 2000 television sitcoms as professionals …
Hate Speech Symbols On The Internet: An Ethnology In Semiotics., Latosha Zenee' Dale
Hate Speech Symbols On The Internet: An Ethnology In Semiotics., Latosha Zenee' Dale
Student Work
This study investigated whether the definitions of symbols on the Internet are consistent with the historical definitions. Six web sites were viewed: (skinheads.net, k-k-k.com, resist.com, stormfront.org, creator.org, and whitepride.com) Ten symbols found within these sites were used for this study: arrow, blood, cross, dragon, eagle, fire, lightning, skull, swastika, and wolf. Definitions of the symbols were taken from three texts: Dictionary of symbols: An Illustrated Guide to Traditional Images, Icons, and Emblems, by Jack Tressider; Dictionary of symbolism, by Hans Biedermann; and The continuum encyclopedia of symbols by Udo Becker. Out of the ten symbols studied, only the cross and …
Communication Competence In Intercultural Settings: The Relationships Between Language Fluency, Cultural Awareness, Intercultural Communication Apprehension, And Social Contact., Alessandra Fichepain
Communication Competence In Intercultural Settings: The Relationships Between Language Fluency, Cultural Awareness, Intercultural Communication Apprehension, And Social Contact., Alessandra Fichepain
Student Work
In intercultural studies, scholars agreed on a model of "Intercultural Communication Competence" (ICC), composed of aspects people must face in a new culture however, they disagree on its components. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between language fluency, cultural awareness, intercultural communication apprehension, as aspects of the model, and social contact. A language fluency scale was developed by the researcher. The cultural awareness scale (Chen, 1995), the social contact scale (Klineberg & Hull, 1979), and the PRICA (Personal Report of lntercultural Communication Apprehension), (Neuliep & McCroskey, 1997) were also used to gather the data. A total …
Black & White Tv: An Omaha Case Study Of The Role Of Race In Local Television News Employment., Laura Charlotte Shelton
Black & White Tv: An Omaha Case Study Of The Role Of Race In Local Television News Employment., Laura Charlotte Shelton
Student Work
This study is a qualitative inquiry into the role race plays in hiring and promoting in the Omaha television market. By interviewing news directors and on-air talent, the researcher attempted to develop some bases for perceptions of race on the job. There also was an attempt to gather recommendations for ways to change the role of race in TV news. The responses were organized into themes that best summarized the feelings of the respondents. In the area of diversity in hiring, news employees talked about themes of competence and the negative impact race-based hiring can have. The themes that emerged …
Critical Cultural Theory And Social Learning: An Exploration Of Health & Fitness Magazines' Roles In Propagating Eating Disorders., Terry Nelson
Student Work
The purpose of this study was to examine what health and fitness magazines tell women about their bodies and health, particularly Shape, Self, Fitness, Fit, Women's Sports & Fitness, and Health. Guided by several mass communication theories that suggest mass media is particularly powerful in its ability to construct, establish and reinforce a culture's definition of beauty, this inductive analysis focused on the latent meanings in the texts. The study's objective was to determine if these magazines were true to their health premise. The texts analyzed included visuals, how-to articles, body transformation stories, celebrity features, and texts that focused on …
Newspaper Treatment Of People With Disabilities: The Changing Use Of Preferred And Non-Preferred Terms In The New York Times And Omaha World-Herald., Lenal M. Bottoms
Newspaper Treatment Of People With Disabilities: The Changing Use Of Preferred And Non-Preferred Terms In The New York Times And Omaha World-Herald., Lenal M. Bottoms
Student Work
The purpose of this study was to examine whether the print media use preferred terminology when portraying people with disabilities. This was performed through an examination of content from the 1909, 1939, 1969 and 1999 New York Times and 1969 and 1999 Omaha World Herald articles. A sample of twenty news stories about people with disabilities was chosen from the 1909 and 1939 New York Times and from the 1969 New York Times and Omaha World-Herald. Forty articles were chosen from the 1999 New York Times and Omaha World-Herald. A content analysis was conducted to determine if disability-related news stories …
High School Preparation And Experience In Oral Communication: Do They Affect Communication Apprehension Levels?, Jennifer Dalbey Christensen
High School Preparation And Experience In Oral Communication: Do They Affect Communication Apprehension Levels?, Jennifer Dalbey Christensen
Student Work
English, mathematics, sciences both social and natural, history, and music are all skills children learn in school. Parents put their faith in the state and local school districts to properly prepare children for their academic and professional lives. Important preparation of any beyond-secondary education endevor includes speaking skills.
Diffusion Of Innovation: Technology In The High School Journalism Classroom, Marsha A. Stithem Kalkowski
Diffusion Of Innovation: Technology In The High School Journalism Classroom, Marsha A. Stithem Kalkowski
Student Work
Society is undoubtedly influenced by technology. Although some people may not be ready or willing to admit it, technological innovations will continue to play an increasingly prominent role in organizational systems and in all business, social and personal relationships. A snapshot of American society shows that 43 percent of homes have a personal computer (Pew, 1999) and nearly 45 million homes have online access (Iconocast, 2000). One cannot help but recognize that technology is transforming part of everyday life for many people. But not everyone is an equal participant in this cultural transformation and not everyone agrees that technological literacy …
Time Magazine Coverage Of Three More Us Presidents: Still Stereotyping?, Amy L. Doerr
Time Magazine Coverage Of Three More Us Presidents: Still Stereotyping?, Amy L. Doerr
Student Work
Media bias toward presidential administrations has been subject to discussion since Presidents were first elected in the United States. In the case of Time magazine, the inclusion of bias is intentional. Merrill’s 1965 study examined coverage of Truman, Eisenhower and Kennedy and found bias in six different categories. Felder, Meeske and Hall replicated Merrill’s study in 1979 and found that Time continued to use most of the bias categories reported by Merrill.
Ideology And Power Relationships In Taiwanese Music Video., Chung-Mei Wang
Ideology And Power Relationships In Taiwanese Music Video., Chung-Mei Wang
Student Work
This study is a textual analysis of Taiwanese music video. By analyzing Taiwanese music video and probing the definition of sex roles and patriarchy in Taiwanese culture, the researcher attempted to establish some basic foundations for developing a Taiwanese feminist theory. The results suggest that in Taiwanese music video, females are portrayed as docile, soft, passive, weak, vulnerable, innocent, childlike, narcissistic, and domestic. Yet, the image of a macho man is unpopular in Taiwanese culture; on the contrary, male roles are depicted as docile, soft, passive, vulnerable, obedient, moderate, and shy. Female-address videos often show positive male images; on the …
Five Women In American Politics Spanning 1917-1993 A Rhetorical Criticism Of News-Coverage From The New York Times, Sarah T. May
Five Women In American Politics Spanning 1917-1993 A Rhetorical Criticism Of News-Coverage From The New York Times, Sarah T. May
Student Work
Like the air we breathe, the media permeate our society. Twenty-four hours a day news and information is available from all reaches of the earth. Because the majority of our knowledge of the world around us comes from the media, they have tremendous power over how people, places and events are perceived (Graber, 1997). Whether the story publicizes controversial issues such as same-sex marriage, or tugs at patriotic themes like flag burning, by giving air times or column inches, media imply certain values and beliefs and newsworthy. In a democratic society, media do not say what to think, but highlighting …
Communication Stereotypes Of Caucasian College Students, Danna Voorhes Swartz
Communication Stereotypes Of Caucasian College Students, Danna Voorhes Swartz
Student Work
This thesis examined what communication stereotypes are held by Caucasian college students. The literature review focused on defining stereotypes, the function and roles of stereotypes, how stereotypes serve as communication barriers, and findings of previous studies of stereotypes. The research question asked what are the communication stereotypes of African-Americans, Japanese-Americans and Mexican-Americans as maintained by Caucasian undergraduate college students? Participants in the study were 200 Caucasian, undergraduate students who were asked to complete a survey regarding typical communication characteristics of each group in question. The results indicated uniformity in response to Japanese- and African- Americans with less agreement on characteristics …
Humorous Communication In Casual Work Relationships: Self-Perceptions Concerning Humor Orientation, Loneliness, And Verbal Aggressiveness, Maurizio Gagliolo
Humorous Communication In Casual Work Relationships: Self-Perceptions Concerning Humor Orientation, Loneliness, And Verbal Aggressiveness, Maurizio Gagliolo
Student Work
In order to understand humor orientation, loneliness, and verbal aggressiveness better, 14 faculty members and 25 graduate students from the University of Nebraska at Omaha completed measures of humor orientation (HO), loneliness, and verbal aggressiveness (VA). These individuals were asked to have an acquaintance (as opposed to a close friend or relative) complete an adapted version o f the HO scale (HOA). Results indicated that faculty members and graduate students did not significantly differ in HO, loneliness, or HO A, however graduate students were more verbally aggressive than faculty members in 10 different questions concerning VA. No correlation was found …
The Physician/Patient Interaction: Patient Satisfaction, Communication Apprehension, And Health Locus Of Control, Darian Allicia Galyon
The Physician/Patient Interaction: Patient Satisfaction, Communication Apprehension, And Health Locus Of Control, Darian Allicia Galyon
Student Work
The purpose of this investigation was to discover the nature of the relationships between a patient’s communication apprehension with physicians and health locus of control and his/her satisfaction with the physician/patient interaction. No significant relationship was found between communication apprehension and a patient’s health locus of control. However, a positive correlation was found between communication apprehension and overall patient satisfaction and patient satisfaction with information. Possible explanations exist for this unexpected result within the uncertainty literature, and by considering that individuals with high communication apprehension may still communicate well despite their anxiety. Statistical analysis also showed that communication apprehension predicts …
Fairness And Balance In Affirmative Action Reporting: How Four Prestige Newspapers Cover The Issue, Anthony Flott
Fairness And Balance In Affirmative Action Reporting: How Four Prestige Newspapers Cover The Issue, Anthony Flott
Student Work
The scene was like something from the end of a Perry Mason episode when Raymond Burr has the guilty party sweating nervously on the stand as he tires off accusations in rapid succession. Only instead of the fictitious attorney who never lost a case, it was Bill Clinton on the attack. And instead of a criminal, the “guilty” party was conservative author Abigail Thernstorm. Standing over Thernstorm, who was seated on a stage before the audience, Clinton with a blur of questioned livened what until then has been a rather ho-hum town all meeting on race relations.
Computer-Mediated Communication And Gender: An Examination Of Two Internet Newsgroups., Teresa A. Paulsen
Computer-Mediated Communication And Gender: An Examination Of Two Internet Newsgroups., Teresa A. Paulsen
Student Work
This thesis examines computer-mediated communication (CMC) and gender. Specifically, the examination focused on two newsgroups found online on the Internet in an effort to discover differences between females in a female-only discussion group and females in a female-minority discussion group. The study looked for differences primarily in regard to female-patterned message behavior. Seven different female patterned language categories were used in a content analysis of 100 messages from each group. Differences were examined overall, and according to each language category. In addition, the study sought to determine if message length differed between the two groups. Statistical analysis showed a significant …