Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Table Top Roleplaying & Communication: Rituals, Rhetoric & Reclamation, Logan Cyrus Sayles

Cal Poly Humboldt Capstone Honor Roll

Broadly the topic is about the effect reclaiming a passionate will to play, act, and tell stories has on our lives and how doing so changes communication practices and the way people communicate. Narrowed further the focus is on the observable effects of Table Top Role Playing Games (linguistically narrowed down to the most popular Table Top Role Playing Game, Dungeons & Dragons) as a kind of social tool, with a further sub-focus on the stimulation and promotion of the following values and activities; acting, creative thinking, critical thinking, public speaking, self-confidence, self-empowerment, risk-taking, experimentation, active listening, teamwork/group work, storytelling, …

A Symbolic Interactionism’S Perspective Of The Attack On The U.S. Capitol., Odeli Hernandez

Cal Poly Humboldt Capstone Honor Roll

This paper aims to draw the line between Symbolic Interactionism and how it ties into the political world. Symbolic Interactionism states that humans interpret and assign meanings to symbols through social interaction, thus influencing their behaviors and shaping their realities. It is said that symbolic interactionism could only be applied to micro levels of social interactions, and not to something as big and intricate as politics. This paper will focus on a stand-alone event, the insurrection of the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. Numerous symbols were displayed before, during, and after the attack on the U.S. Capitol, each of …

Amplifying Awareness: Narrative Rationality In The Discourse Of Childhood Cancer, Rosalinda L. Frick

Cal Poly Humboldt Capstone Honor Roll

This paper looks into the complex psychological and economic effects of pediatric cancer on families. The paper has devastating realism as it draws on personal experience, as illustrated by the author's brother, Dylan, dying of brain cancer. Dylan's shortened life serves as a harsh reminder of the need to address this serious problem. The paper delves into the power of Aristotle's persuasion model, specifically looking at the concepts of ethos, pathos, and logos. This persuasion model ties into narrative rationality in the paper and looks at how a story's coherence and fidelity can make a large impact on persuasion and …

Rhetoric On Climate Change And The Effects On Public Perceptions, Hailey Mina Rose Dossey

Cal Poly Humboldt Capstone Honor Roll

One of the extraordinary challenges humans are facing today is climate change and over the past two decades, the majority of the world has moved from questioning its legitimacy to accepting it as fact. With most people having accepted climate change as a reality, the goal of climate communication has shifted from spreading awareness to motivating audiences to take action. Through this analytical discussion, we will look into effective and ineffective methods of rhetoric as it can help guide us to a better understanding of why certain rhetoric that has previously been successful in other fields may not be the …

The Online Education Landscape, Digital Tools, And Covid-19, Rosetta S. Burk

Cal Poly Humboldt Capstone Honor Roll

The 2020 COVID-19 pandemic has been the ultimate stress test for communication technologies, online learning methods, digital pedagogies, students and educators as the world faced school closures and emergency online learning situations during the pandemic lockdowns. There has been an influx in communication tools, digital paradigms, and teaching methodologies in addition to relying on existing digital tools and methods to continue students' education while unable to meet in person. The level of remote learning and digital movement is unprecedented and the results have been varied and illuminating. Research has been conducted on student attitudes in the immediate aftermath of the …

Intercultural And International Communication In The Surrogacy Industry, Jessica Baker

Cal Poly Humboldt Capstone Honor Roll

Understanding the relationship between intercultural communication, international communication, and the proper way to discuss sensitive topics (infertility, surrogacy, LGBTQ+) in the surrogacy industry leads to strong communication. When communicating internationally or interculturally, there may be challenges such as language barriers, cultural differences, and cultural taboos. In order to avoid uncomfortable situations or miscommunication, knowing how to change the way we communicate with Communication Accommodation Theory (CAT) is a necessity to navigate important conversations. In the surrogacy industry, knowing how to communicate interculturally and being culturally competent about sensitive topics such as infertility or loss can determine the success of a …

Finding Joy And Community In Climate Action, Deanna Kellom

Cal Poly Humboldt Capstone Honor Roll

The goal of this paper is to discuss the ways that the conversation around climate action can be altered to center finding joy and community. Often when people hear about the state of the climate there is a sense of dread that people have reported feeling. Most people feel as though the climate has reached the point of no return and that there is nothing that any one person can do to really make a difference. This paper will talk about some ways that have worked for people in getting them to do climate action while also enjoying the work …

Physical Time Within Human Time

The International Journal of Ecopsychology (IJE)

A possible solution is offered to help resolve the “two times problem” regarding the veridical and illusory nature of time. First it is recognized that the flow (passage) of time is part of a wider array of temporal experiences referred to as manifest time, all of which need to be reconciled. Then, an information gathering and utilizing system (IGUS) model is used as a basis for a view of manifest time. The model IGUS robot of Hartle that solves the “unique present” debate is enhanced with veridical and (corresponding) illusory components of not only the flow of time but also …

A Framework For Creating Virtual Reality Models For More Effective Coastal Flood Risk Communication, Tina Korani, Alexandrea Martinez

CSU Journal of Sustainability and Climate Change

Coastal cities are exposed to increasing risks of flooding from sea-level rise. Climate change is expected to double the frequency of coastal flooding within the next decade, and some areas could experience floods of a magnitude 100 times higher than currently (Vitousek et al., 2017). People living in at-risk areas often ignore the impact of climate change on flood intensity and frequency. Immersive visual storytelling techniques proved promising and powerful tools to engage with and raise awareness of flood hazards. Here, we are introducing a framework to use Virtual Reality (VR) to reach better people living in coastal cities and …

Altering Attitudes On Climate Change: Testing The Effect Of Time Orientation And Motivation Framing, Kylie Clark, Aubrie Adams

CSU Journal of Sustainability and Climate Change

Climate change has become a defining issue of the 21st century. According to a Pew Research (2020) survey, for the first time in its two-decade history, a majority of Americans now believe that dealing with climate change should be a top priority for the President and Congress, which is a 14% rise from four years prior. Nonetheless, this rise is accompanied by a deep partisan divide amongst citizens of the United States (U.S.) and Republicans are far less likely to consider climate change a top public priority with a roughly 50% partisan gap on the issue (Popovich, 2020). Thus, this …

From Blame To Dialogue: In Quest Of Intergenerational Respect On Climate Sustainability, Peter M. J. Hess Ph.D., Spencer M. Mcnairn

CSU Journal of Sustainability and Climate Change

Conversations about rapid climate disruption can become side-tracked by blame-seeking: who or what nations or cultures or age brackets are most responsible for global warming? This paper seeks to move beyond blame to constructive dialogue by modeling mutual respect and understanding on the part of two people separated in age by forty years: a recently graduated CSU Chico senior and an actively retired academic. They are second cousins, part of an extended family that for decades has mutually influenced and educated each other on sustainability and other environmental topics.

Rhetorical Analysis Of Choosing To Go To The Moon "And Do The Other Things", Skyler M. Kona

Communication 300 Papers

On September 12, 1962, president John F. Kennedy visited Rice University in Houston, Texas, and delivered what is commonly known as one of the most iconic speeches in American history. The speech, titled “Address at Rice University on the Nation's Space Effort”, but more widely known as “We Choose to go to the Moon”, was an attempt to gain further support for the nation's efforts in the Space Race against the Soviet Union. In his speech, Kennedy uses various techniques in order to further boost the audience's understanding of the situation, as well as, crucially, inspiring them to lend their …

Molding Malleable Minds, One Poem At A Time, Rebecca C. Bendzick

Communication 300 Papers

The Neo-Aristotelian approach to Rhetorical Criticism allows individuals with the chance to analyze pieces of rhetoric and evaluate how influential that piece was on its audience members. Maya Angelou was a poet, writer, civil rights activist, and above all a master performer. She captivates her audiences with every complex word or phrase, and has the ability to reach listeners of all backgrounds. By evaluating Maya Angelou’s performances in “On the Pulse of Morning” and “Still I Rise” through the Neo-Aristotelian approach and applying the Five Cannons of Rhetoric were able to uncover many hidden treasures of her work and legacy.

Dissecting Ideologies Embedded In Ford Advertisement, Sidney Rain Shabnam Afsarzadeh

Communication Senior Capstones

The goal of this paper is to exemplify rhetorical criticism to examine an artifact. Specifically, this paper will use the method of ideological criticism to identify ideologies embedded in a commercial. In the case of this paper, the commercial being examined is a Ford truck commercial titled, Ford for the Builders, Built for America. This paper will identify and explain the ideologies used to advertise Ford trucks. It is important to be able to identify ideologies embedded in things like commercials in order to not be blind to cultivation theory. Which is a theory created by Professor George Gerber in …

Children’S Film Media’S Influence On Gender, Race, And Identity, Sara M. Kovis

Communication Senior Capstones

Whether conscious of it or not, media images have been working our entire lives to construct our attitudes, beliefs, and perceptions of the world around us. What is the significance of the relationship between media consumption and how we interact in society? Applying communication theories and research into traditional and digital media is vital in understanding the realities around us. It explains where societal norms and values stimulate and how they trigger new behavioral changes. Ideologies are the mixed concepts and elements that create meaning in society. Today, people's ideological feelings produce pre-dated ideologies rather than their ideas. These are …

Ripe For Consumption: Separating Women From Autonomy, Nicole Kasandra Stibbard

Communication Senior Capstones

This proposed position statement privileges the notion that the male gaze is a damning and damaging force for identifying women in both Western societies as well as within patriarchal societies. This particular exploration is driven by my perceived lack of the true effect that this gaze has socially and intrapersonally over women. The male gaze not only strips women of bodily integrity, bodily autonomy, but autonomy holistically. Beyond the stripping of autonomous worth, the male gaze, i.e. objectification and an autonomous reduction to body parts alone, all result in psychological and physiological damage for identifying women. Previous research in the …

Healthy Environmental Communication Practices, Michelle Monique Magana

Communication Senior Capstones

The goal of my academic research is to highlight the importance of appropriate, scientifically correct and accurate communication when discussing Environmental Health. If we want to begin making changes to help our environment to become more sustainable and ultimately provide more years of existence we must stop the lies, propaganda and spread of misinformation. “Communication constructs a social world that is relational, collaborative, strategic, symbolic, and adaptive” (Learning Outcomes in Communication). The objective is to understand the discourse on environmental issues and try to use our communication discipline to engage and dissect this issue from a Communication perspective. Our standards …

The Power Of A Podcast, Breanna Donlon

Communication Senior Capstones

This paper examines the correlation between the Your Own Backyard podcast and the rebooting of the Kristin Smart missing persons case. This case had gone cold and seemingly ignored for nearly 25 years, until 2019 when the podcast was created. The host conducted immense amounts of research to try and figure out what happened to Kristin, and in doing so, brought her case back to to the public’s attention. The actions of the podcast host caused the police to become more active on the case again. Because of the podcast, the prime suspect was finally arrested and will be held …

Non-Verbal Communication, Anxiety, Behavioral Changes Within Covid Regulatory Changes, Sydney Stack, Olivia Mccracken

Communication Senior Capstones

In the current era of education and social communication shifting into a virtual world the students entering the early elementary education system have experienced something that is new to all of us. Within the last two and a half years life as we have known it has vastly shifted. Virtual learning and communication, which is not something that is new, but something that was scarce prior to the Covid-19 pandemic is now the “new normal.” For many of the students affected, this way of learning has shaped much of their educational career. Changes like these are affecting areas of development …

Data Capitalism, Digital Health, And Marxism, Samantha C. Stanger

Communication Senior Capstones

Abstract

When immersed in a capitalist society individuals often fail to see the ways in which they are exploited, and when these discussions do come into discourse they are often geared toward workplace labor. Less commonly do we consider the ways in which these problems arise in conjunction with free labor, mainly performed in digital spaces. While less often considered or discussed, the exploitation occurring in the digital world is real and has substantial consequences, particularly when the digital spaces involve sensitive information and data. This paper aims to address how data capitalism functions in three different digital health spaces: …

Challenges Faced By Recently Emancipated Youth, Williams Peña, Jerry Walter Butkiewicz Iii

Communication Senior Capstones

In this academic research paper, we will be exploring the challenges faced by recently emancipated youth. We chose this topic because of the fact that this is not often spoken about or taught to the general public. This lack of attention to these issues creates hurdles when attempting to solve these sensitive issues. Considering this, we thought it would be a strong choice for further research and review. We explored many obstacles these new adults face. One such issue that we would like to touch on is the unstable housing situation of these recently emancipated individuals. Another prudent example is …

I’M Not A Tragedy: Speaking Up About Ableist Microaggressions, Kasandra Marguerite Colwell

Communication Senior Capstones

Have you heard of ableist microaggressions? Let me tell you about them, as someone who has experienced them. I have a bi-lateral dislocating knee condition that I was born with. I can walk, but sometimes I need additional stability or reduction of pain while getting around, in which case I tend to use a cane. I have had many othering interactions while using a mobility aid in public, whether that be a knee brace, a cane, or crutches. While it often seemed the stranger didn’t mean any harm, the question is how many invasive questions and comments from strangers can …

Interpersonal Communication From Student To Host Family, Tajma R. Magee

Communication Senior Capstones

This research project aims to improve interpersonal communication between international students and their host families. Existing research and data shows that students can have a difficult time adjusting to their life abroad, whether it be within their host home or within the institution they are studying at. This can greatly affect their overall studying abroad experience and can affect the way they communicate with the members of their host family. Factors like the student’s academic performance in school and behavior in school may be affected as well. Identifying the issues that contribute to a negative experience in a host family’s …

A History Cannabis As A Cultural Communication Artifact, Morgan L. Harper

Communication Senior Capstones

This essay aims to detail the mechanics, structure, history, and ideology of cannabis from a socio-cultural perspective within the United States. However, it does contain some content that I believe will correlate with an international perspective. My emphasis in conducting this research is to look at the ways in which cannabis acts as a societal communication artifact, and in doing so, how it has formed a vast and highly identifiable culture. I believe that Cannabis acts as a communication tool both socially and interpersonally, with both notions being equally important to the culture overall. Cannabis has language, looks, and sounds, …

A Critical Analysis Of Mobile Interpersonal Relationships Through Uncertainty Reduction Theory, Rachael L. Kee

Communication Senior Capstones

Through the use of online dating apps, individuals are having the chance to begin, develop, and end interpersonal relationships without ever even meeting the partner in person. It is assumed that this is happening due to the lack of primary tension in initial contact, as uncertainty reduction can take place from behind a screen. This study sought to connect the theories between Uncertainty Reduction Theory and mobile interpersonal relationships. The axioms of Charles Berger’s theory come into play during online dating as the eight key variables of relationship development are utilized in most successful interpersonal relationships to further intimacy, in …

The Misrepresentation Of Women In The Media And Women’S Rights, Hannah M. Endicott

Communication Senior Capstones

This paper is centered around the misrepresentation of women in the media and the implications that it has had on the treatment of women’s rights in society. The media is defined as television, movies, advertisements, etc. Women have been represented as being oversimplified through their stereotypical portrayal as housewives and mothers in the media, alongside being hypersexualized through their clothing and body image. Both of these forms of portrayals have had negative effects on women. Young girls are now being targeted as well through the explicit tones that the advertising of children’s toys creates. This paper aims to demonstrate how …

Archiving Feminist Truth In Trump’S Wake Of Lies, Julie Shayne

Humboldt Journal of Social Relations

This article is about an assignment I do in one of my Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies social movement classes. I revised the assignment the first time teaching the class after Trump lost the 2020 election. For the assignment, students work in groups to research local feminist and gender justice organizations and deposit all of their original materials – recordings, photos, flyers, etc. – into a digital, open access archive I co-created several years ago with librarians and staff on my campus. In 2021 I had my students do the “post-Trump” edition where they researched local organizations about how their …

Surviving Communicative Labor: Theoretical Exploration Of The (In)Visibility Of Gendered Faculty Work/Life Struggle, Angela N. Gist-Mackey, Adrianne Kunkel, Jennifer A. Guthrie

Academic Labor: Research and Artistry

The work experiences of faculty in higher education often entail being overworked and stressed, and this is particularly true for women faculty and faculty of color. This essay is situated at the intersection of gender, race, axiological, epistemological, and occupational identities. In this metatheoretical argument, we propose a new concept communicative labor by exploring how existing scholarly frameworks regarding workplace emotion, compassionate communication, and gendered work intersect to inform the experiences of critical women scholars and the ways their labor is communicatively manifested across research, teaching, and service. More specifically, we argue that communication itself (i.e., literally listening, speaking, and …

The Jersey Devil And His Trans-Masculinity, Silas R. Melvin

Toyon: Multilingual Literary Magazine

None of the work being submitted has been formally published elsewhere. Poems have been uploaded on Instragam under the account of sweatermuppet, my own personal writing account. Copyright is my own and I give Toyon permission to publish.

Shifting A Culture, Ardeshir J. Arjomand

Communication Senior Capstones

What is popular culture and how does it influence us? How can we be more critically aware consumers of media messages? Are we always "online", or is there some way we can disconnect? These are the questions I've attempted to define through my research and experience studying contemporary "pop culture". Consider this a beginner’s guide on how to become aware of and deal with the constant bombardment of media messages, and how to become a filter for content, rather than a sponge. As critical consumers of media we can cater our consumption to better suit our needs and lifestyles. This …