Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Amplifying Lgbtqia+ Presence Through Queer Legal Worldmaking: The Role Of Affect In Renegotiating Value Hierarchies In Political Argument, Hilary Ann Rasmussen

Theses and Dissertations

In this dissertation, I propose to better explain the argumentative processes by which communities are constituted in political crisis moments and how, within those moments, social movement and legal rhetorics co-create the rhetorical possibilities for queer legal worldmaking. Specifically, I argue that affect functions as an important tool within argumentative loci of presence (magnitude, proximity, and severity) and is intimately connected to value-warrants in political argument. When the affective resonance of polices exclusive of LGBTQIA+ persons is made present, deeply held values can be reappropriated in order to enact political change. Queer legal worldmaking is less about the creation of …

What Motivates International Students To Acculturate? Exploring Acculturative Beliefs Using The Theory Of Planned Behavior As Framework, Seokhoon Ahn

Theses and Dissertations

The current study explores what motivates international students to choose how to acculturation in the academic environment. The traditional view in the field tends to consider acculturation as objective criteria with an assumption that a certain acculturation strategy (i.e., integration) is better than another (assimilation). Using Ajzen’s Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB; 1991), the study assessed how international students’ beliefs (i.e., subjective norms, behavioral control and attitudes) would influence their choice of acculturation behaviors (i.e., affiliating with Americans and/or other international students from the same country, and practicing American and/or home-country values), and how the relationship between the acculturation beliefs …

Stand Up, Speak Out: The Practice And Ethics Of Public Speaking, Leslie J. Harris

Communication Faculty Books

Stand Up, Speak Out: The Practice and Ethics of Public Speaking is an open textbook adapted by University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) authors for public speaking courses at UWM. The original work was produced under a Creative Commons license (CC BY-NA-SA) in 2011 by a publisher who has requested that they and the original author not receive attribution. The UWM edition is adapted from the University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing.

What Should Be Included In A Measure Of Communicative Participation? Perspectives Of Speech-Language Pathologists, Natalie Kelly Graceffa

Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

WHAT SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN A MEASURE OF COMMUNICATIVE PARTICIPATION? PERSPECTIVES OF SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGISTS

by Natalie Graceffa

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 2017 Under the Supervision of Professor Dr. Shelley Lund

As the field has developed, speech-language pathologists (SLP) need to validate their therapies and prove, beyond clinical judgment, that their therapy is necessary and ethical. SLPs and other healthcare professionals must prove they are achieving positive outcomes with their treatment, and that the outcomes they set are appropriate for their patients and clients. To bring this validity to the treatment of health, the International Classification for Functioning, Disability, and …

How Individuals Disclose Health Information: A Study Examining The Choices Made When Sharing Health Information, Jessica Marie Samens

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines the decision making process and the reasoning an individual uses when deciding how, what, and when to disclose. Results should offer a better understanding of the process an individual goes through in the when sharing information, including the motivations and reasons of what is hoped to be gained from each interaction. Results found people incorporate a variety of reasons for deciding on disclosure. Close relationships and duty to inform were the two most common reasons. Health literacy impacted disclosure as people were unable to disclose information before they had the necessary knowledge about the illness.

Methodology of …

"Don't Be Such A Girl, I'M Only Joking!" Post-Alternative Comedy, British Panel Shows, And Masculine Spaces, Lindsay Anne Weber

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis discusses the gender disparity in British panel shows. In February 2014 the BBC’s Director of Television enforced a quota stating panel shows needed to include one woman per episode. This quota did not fully address the ways in which the gender imbalance was created. This thesis argues that the gender imbalance stems from post-feminist sensibilities and masculine-centric trends in British comedy and culture. This work demonstrates this through a discourse analysis of the opinions expressed about panel shows by the British popular press and media personalities from 2002 to 2017. The discourse analysis exposes patterns where British producers …

How Working In Local Tv News Affects Journalists' Personal Lives, Danielle Stobb

Theses and Dissertations

This study uses participant observation and interviews to determine how working in local television news affects journalists’ personal lives. Twenty-eight journalists from a top 50 Midwestern station were interviewed. The inductive research data is organized into three themes: 1) Schedules 2) Family, friends and relationships 3) Moving. A personal narrative of the researcher’s experience working part-time ties each theme together.

Non-Native Foreign Language Instructors’ Teaching Expectations Concerning Intercultural Communication Competence: Communicative Practices In The Classroom., Richard A. Draeger Jr

Theses and Dissertations

Universities within China recruit thousands of foreign experts to teach Chinese college Students. Generally, institutions require foreigners to be native speakers of languages taught and possess a bachelor’s degree. In the 1980s and 1990s, international teachers were hired so students could master native like pronunciation in foreign languages such as English. Institutions within China are now discussing the current status and future of foreign language teaching in university classrooms. Essentially, department heads are debating if students should learn foreign languages for the purposes of communication with foreigners. In the case of Chinese college students, communicative language teaching may need to …

“Superman’S Editor Mortimer Weisinger”: The Success And Extension Of The Superman Brand In The Silver Age Of Comics, Justin Engelbart

Theses and Dissertations

My thesis examines the career of Detective Comics’ editor Mortimer Weisinger from 1957-1970, during which time Superman transitioned from a simple character to a complex brand. It details the creation of the character and subsequent growth into multiple mediums. Weisinger’s greatest contribution to the hero was an extended mythology and spin-off comic series. I analyze these series, as well as his other editorial tendencies, to understand the business strategies and management of the Superman brand. Another interest in this thesis is comic book fandom, as feedback from fans allowed National’s management to identify trends. Weisinger’s involvement with early science fiction …

An Exploratory Study Of Learning Transfer From The Online Technical Communication Course To The Workplace, Richard Scott Schnoll

Theses and Dissertations

For technical communication educators, a fundamental consideration is to what extent the skills and information students learn in the classroom are applied in a workplace environment. While this issue has been studied, it has not been examined from the perspectives of students taking an online writing course or of instructors teaching that kind of course. To investigate this issue, I conducted a two-part, qualitative study consisting of surveys and follow-up interviews that explored instructor and student (former and current) perceptions regarding learning transfer from online business and technical writing courses to postgraduate jobs or careers.

Learning transfer theory was used …

Bodily Boundaries: Inflammatory Bowel Disease And Rhetorical Enactments Of Self, Molly Margaret Kessler

Theses and Dissertations

Chronic illnesses are seven of the 10 leading causes of death in the United States and the prevalence is rising. Of the many chronic illnesses, one group of diseases present particular concern and mystery—autoimmune diseases. These conditions manifest when a patient’s body attacks itself, causing a myriad of symptoms that often leave patients debilitated. Since 2013, I have been examining the contexts in which patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)—one type of autoimmune disease—reconsider their bodily boundaries while managing new, challenging communication experiences. The results of this research are presented in my dissertation, Bodily Boundaries: Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Rhetorical …

Bidding On A “Biddie”: Social Exchange And Online Dating, Arrington Stoll

Theses and Dissertations

The emergence of dime dating, while relatively new, has received a good deal of attention from the popular press. With the new process of dime dating, more individuals seeking and initiating romantic relationships are becoming curious of the cost-benefits of dime dating. Despite the increased popularity of dime dating, little is known concerning the processes by which individuals communicate rewards and costs, and how the principles of social exchange apply as individuals maximize mutual relationship rewards. This study provides a starting point for understanding the dime dating process.

A sample of 212 participants was divided into not-for-profit dating participants (196) …

Now You're Playing With Power: Nintendo And The Commodification Of Nostalgia, Steven Cuff

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores Nintendo’s past and present games and marketing, linking them to the broader trend of the commodification of nostalgia. The use of nostalgia by Nintendo is a key component of the company’s brand, fueling fandom and a compulsive drive to recapture the past. By making a significant investment in cultivating a generation of loyal fans, Nintendo positioned themselves to later capitalize on consumer nostalgia. The commodification of fan nostalgia is evident across multiple platforms, from the development of the Virtual Console digital game storefront to the use of pastiche and remediation in multi-generation, Nintendo developed franchises. Additionally, Nintendo …

College Students And Career Information Seeking: Applying The Comprehensive Model Of Information Seeking To Career Preparation, Michelle Andrea Fetherston

Theses and Dissertations

Issues with unemployment, underemployment, and inadequate preparation have raised concerns about what colleges are doing to ready students for post-graduate careers, but little discussion exists regarding students’ roles in the process. Students play active roles in the vocational anticipatory socialization process, so this study examines the factors that influence college students to seek career information from two sources: the Internet and campus career centers. The Comprehensive Model of Information Seeking (CMIS) is used as the framework for the study. Data were collected from college students at two campuses, and all students were randomly assigned to respond to survey items about …

Cross Cultural Meta-Analysis Of Personality And Leadership Effectiveness And Evaluation Of Changes Over Time, Laura Lynn Motel

Theses and Dissertations

The research integrates and expands upon trait theory and culturally-endorsed leadership theory by performing a meta-analysis of the big five personality traits relationships with leadership effectiveness through a cultural and temporal lens. Using only organizational and military/government samples, this investigation delivers three important contributions; corroborates support for trait theory, reveals trait variability, and identifies trends in global leadership. In order to be a “Great Man”, a person needs to be born with the right traits at the right time in the right place. Consistent with prior meta-analytical research, big five traits consistently predicted leadership effectiveness, further supporting trait theory. While …

Enacting A Path From Despair To Happiness: A Critical Analysis Of The It Gets Betters Project, Lindsey Marie Harness

Theses and Dissertations

Rhetorical agency is critical for addressing perceived community crises, especially for marginalized populations. Rhetorical agency, as it is used in this dissertation, refers to the capacity to act in a way that is recognizable and intelligible within the context in which it is presented (Campbell, 2005; Rand, 2014). Understanding rhetorical agency in this way recognizes that its enactment involves a complex interplay between the rhetor, his/her audience, and the rhetorical conditions characterizing the discursive context. Using a social media movement, the It Gets Better Project, as a case study, I analyze the LGBT population’s strategic response to address the issue …

Agility Within Higher Education It Organizations: A Loosely Coupled Systems Perspective, Thomas E. Bunton

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines how leadership focus on innovation and organizational centralization relate with organizational agility, speed of technology adoption, and defined governance processes and technology standards. The study used data from the 2015 Educause survey of higher education IT organizations (N = 822). A five-component framework of organizational agility was identified via factor analysis and subsequently used to evaluate relationships between study variables. Findings reveal that leadership focus on innovation was statistically significant in predicting all five identified components of organizational agility, the speed of technology adoption, and the adoption of defined governance standards, reinforcing the perspective that communication is …

Uncertainty Appraisal In First Career Employment Information Seeking, Chang Shik Choi

Theses and Dissertations

Securing talented employees is one of the most critical requirements for organizational growth. At the same time, job seekers’ primary concern is getting a position that is in line with their career goals. Particularly, for job seekers who are looking to begin their career after graduation, it is essential to step off on the right foot. To fulfill the needs of organization and job applicant, job advertisements play a significant role. The current study examines the use and perceptions of hiring information by job seekers. The job search and organizational entry processes necessarily produce a certain degree of uncertainty, and …

Exploring The Discourses Of Marriage, Family, And Fatherhood In Married Gay Parents' Relational Talk, Benjamin Michael Alex Baker

Theses and Dissertations

The historic 2015 Supreme Court ruling in the case of Obergefell v. Hodges—which extended marriage equality to every state nationwide—coupled with an increase in the number of reported same-sex parent households in America (Gates, 2013) has resulted in greater social, political, and academic visibility for same-sex families in recent years (Breshears & Braithwaite, 2014). Despite this increased cultural visibility, because gay parent families (GPFs) fall outside the parameters of the traditional family model (i.e., a married heterosexual husband and wife couple raising biological children) (Baxter, 2014a), they necessarily rely more heavily on discourse to manage their nontraditional family identity (Galvin, …

An Exploration Of Coworker Dismissal: Uncertainty, Message Characteristics, And Information Seeking, Bailey Carolanne Benedict

Theses and Dissertations

The dismissal of a coworker can create turbulence for organizations and remaining employees. This study explores the communication surrounding coworker dismissal, including the uncertainty experienced by remaining employees, the way they learn about the dismissal, the characteristics of the messages they receive from the organization, and their information seeking. Data gathered from 220 participants yielded several findings. Coworker dismissal is not associated with increased uncertainty, though statistical relationships exist between message characteristics and uncertainty. Reported messages surrounding the dismissal typically came from another coworker or the remaining employees’ immediate supervisor via individual, face-to-face meetings with moderate formality at some point …

The Cycle Of Exclusion In Local Print News: How News Content Reflects And Reinforces Patriarchy, Emily Wright

Theses and Dissertations

Print news has been relied upon as a source of information for centuries. Despite recent strides towards gender equality, women are persistently marginalized in news content and newsrooms. This thesis analyzed over 950 staff-written Milwaukee Journal Sentinel stories and conducted 19 interviews with both men and women staff reporters and editors to examine how patriarchy might infiltrate local print news. I analyzed how women and men authors, sources and subjects are included or excluded from the news. Furthermore, this thesis examines the gendered division of labor within the newsroom.