Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Environmental Equity In An Unjust World, Carly R. Hopp

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

Climate change and related flooding in the Ganges Delta and Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna (GBM) Basin region disproportionately impacts marginalized communities. This is examined through the lens of environmental justice by exploring how common themes are portrayed in photography and mainstream media. Fifty photos taken in and around the Ganges Delta and GBM Basin were selected for analysis. Photos were collected from a variety of news articles by international media companies and organizations about flooding and divided into five primary categories: Unnatural Disaster, Aftermath, Life Goes On, Resilience, and Awe-striking.

S.A.D. Survival Kit: A Podcast On Seasonal Affective Disorder, Kate Lincoln

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

This document explores seasonal affective disorder through the lens of the accompanying mini podcast series S.A.D. Survival Kit. Over the course of five episode transcripts, the audience will gain a better understanding of seasonal affective disorder and its associated interrelations with the surrounding environment and any individual’s internal physical and mental health. The podcast is available on Spotify and SoundCloud. (Links are on page 1.) Seasonal affective disorder is a form of seasonal depression marked by a significant change in one’s behavior or thinking patterns when seasons shift. Episode 1 explains the basics of S.A.D. and concludes that many people …

Rethinking The American National Narratives: Finding A Way Forward With Our Past And With Hope, Emma Stiff

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

An essay contributing to the ongoing conversation about America's national narratives through an analysis of how stories shape our country and the steps we can take towards a more inclusive, hope-based narrative.

Framing Dr. Fauci: The Portrayal Of Dr. Anthony Fauci By Fox News And Cnn In The Early Covid-19 Lockdown, Lilian Froese Raihl

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

COVID-19 caused the severe acute respiratory coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that emerged in December 2019 (Center for Disease Control, 2022). When COVID-19 became prevalent in early 2020 in the United States, the media played a large role in communication about the pandemic, whether it was transmitting updates about the spread of the virus, posting alerts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), or sharing medical research on COVID-19 (Grasso, 2021). As the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Dr. Anthony Fauci became a leading figure in informing the public about the virus. He was featured …

Appeals To Transboundary Ecology: Cross-Border Advocacy At The Skagit Headwaters Donut Hole, Derek Moscato

Border Policy Research Institute Publications

The Pacific Northwest’s regional news media has directed significant attention toward the Skagit River watershed since 2019 because of a controversial, long-simmering mining proposal at the international border dividing British Columbia and Washington State. At the center of this controversy sits the so-called “Donut Hole”—an area of 5,800 unprotected hectares situated between two B.C. provincial parks—Skagit Valley and Manning—located at the headwaters of the Skagit watershed.

As a result of concerns about impacts to wildlife and the surrounding North Cascades ecosystem, opposition to the project was substantial, led by environmental advocates representing a wide range of ecological, recreational, and community …

Sentimental Value: Developing A Model For Sentiment & Linguistic Analysis Of Cable News, Caitlin Bannister

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

This project aims to provide a tool for sentiment and linguistic analysis of news content. Specifically, the intended purpose of this research is to assess the variability of language use across cable news. In order to accomplish this, a Python script was written that allows the researcher to produce a specific set of sentiment/linguistic analysis output as well as statistical analysis of that output. While the code is written specifically to analyze cable news transcripts, it can be modified to perform the same analysis on any text of interest, news or otherwise. The output of this code allows the researcher …

The Impact Of Cross-Border Environmental Media And Advocacy At The Skagit River Headwaters, Derek Moscato

Border Policy Research Institute Publications

The regional media of Cascadia has directed significant media attention toward the Skagit River watershed since 2018 as a result of a controversial mining proposal at the international border dividing British Columbia and Washington State. At the center of this con-troversy sits the so-called “Donut Hole” located at the headwaters of the Skagit watershed. As a result of concerns about impacts to wildlife and the surrounding North Cascades ecosystem, opposition to the project was substantial, led by environmental advocates and Indigenous community leaders. In turn, they harnessed extensive media coverage and advocacy to facilitate a larger regional dialogue about the …

No Place Like Homeskillet, Kai Uyehara

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

The iconic Sunnyland breakfast spot, Homeskillet, closed after punctuating its ten-year run with a celebratory brunch party. Watch a community built around warm hospitality, hearty comfort food and eclectic decorations gather to bid farewell to a Bellingham favourite in this video feature story. To construct this six minute video, I pulled from my knowledge of storytelling through multimedia learned in my years at Western Washington University earning an English Creative Writing major, a journalism minor and participating in a film production club. This video feature story dwells within a smaller quadrant of journalism: feel-good journalism. Community and hospitality are at …

Advancing Technology & Digital Lifestyles: Facilitating A Group Independent Study, Kailey Droz

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

For my senior capstone project, I facilitated a group independent study (ISP) through Fairhaven College of Interdisciplinary Studies at Western Washington University called Advancing Technology and Digital Lifestyles. A small group of students and I critically and creatively analyzed our relationship with technology, and its impacts on the individual, interpersonal relationships, culture, and society. Prior to facilitating, I did research within the fields of cyberpsychology, social psychology, communication studies, and media studies. I am sharing my syllabus and facilitation notes, my final project (two short stories), an annotated bibliography, and a reflection on the group ISP and my process.

Here …

The Vampire Tapes, Emily Bishop

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

This podcast series features interviews with five individuals who identify with the term 'vampire.' The interviews focus on how being 'vampiric' affects their day-to-day lives, interpersonal relationships, and view of self.

Episodes range in run time from around 20 minutes to just under an hour.

Each tape in the series focuses on a different individual.

It's The Holiday Rom-Com Season, Mariah Perez

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

This study analyzes and categorizes 25 holiday romantic comedy films released between 1938 and 2021. It examines how this genre of film developed and evolved over time. It concludes that Hallmark and Netflix have both had large influences on the holiday romantic comedy genre. This study also discusses the results of a survey regarding people's holiday rom-com habits and opinions. It determines that audiences' opinions shape genre, and therefore it is likely that future holiday romantic comedies will remain lighthearted and comforting, while also becoming more inclusive regarding sexuality, ethnicity, and culture.

Authentic Representations Of Youth Who Stutter: An Analysis Of Children's And Adolescent Literature, Claire Elizabeth Howerton

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

This analysis seeks to explore the way in which characters who stutter are portrayed in children’s and adolescent literature. Using Joan Blaska’s criteria for reviewing depictions of characters with disabilities, I consider eight texts in how affectively they present the disability of stuttering and their main character. The eight texts considered include picture books, graphic novels, and traditional novels all centering on the story of a main character who stutters were considered. Four of these books are designed for ages four to twelve and are analyzed as children’s literature and the other four are written for ages eleven to eighteen …

Zooming In On Teletherapy: The Benefits And Challenges Of Virtual Speech, Language, And Aural Therapies, Brianne Mccaslin

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

The purpose of this study is to examine the advantages and disadvantages of teletherapy in the field of communication sciences and disorders. Previous research has been conducted on this subject regarding teletherapy for individuals in rural areas, or those with mobility challenges, that would normally not have access to in-person therapy. However, this study is important in furthering this research because clients are now required to attend teletherapy sessions in response to the new guidelines surrounding our global pandemic. To collect data, three surveys were distributed: the first to clients and their families who were the recipients of teletherapy services, …

The Internet Never Forgets: Student Journalists Meet The "Right To Be Forgotten", Emily R. Feek

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

This study examines how journalists at college publications handle unpublishing requests in the context of United States media law, the European Union's Right to be Forgotten and journalistic ethics. Interviews with student editors at Washington state public universities' student newspapers were used to examine how student publications address requests for information or entire articles to be unpublished and what those editors' attitudes toward unpublishing are. This research reveals that this subset of student journalists tended to favor alternatives to unpublishing, although articles could be removed ethically in some select cases, and a lack of consistent guidelines regarding how to manage …

Recontextaulizing Literature: A Podcast Project Dedicated To Celebrating And Broadcasting The Voices Of Indigenous Authors And Storytellers, Xavier Hickey

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

This project is conducted with intention of exploring the sociocultural implications of a decentralized canon. Designed with Indigenous authors and storytellers in mind, this project perceives the way that literature and storytelling are improved by abandoning the universalized and Eurocentric literary canon and replacing it with complex and unique personal cultural contexts. As part of the overarching podcast project, this document looks to lay out a reading list that represents and enforces the power of recontextualized literature.

Speaking My Truth: Voices And Portraits Of Honors Students Of Color, Leah Kerbs

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

Founded in 1962, the Honors Program at Western Washington University has prided itself on the cornerstones of academic excellence, student growth, and a tight-knit Honors community. With class sizes averaging 18 students and a dedicated Honors living space, the program certainly provides students a unique opportunity to build closer relationships with professors and peers alike as they pursue their goals within a larger university setting.

However, like colleges and universities across the nation, the predominantly white program has struggled to meaningfully include the voices and experiences of its students of color. For many, their relationship with the program remains a …

Educate Me: The Use Of Solutions Journalism In The Seattle Times’ Education Lab, Audra Anderson

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

Podcast Link: https://soundcloud.com/user-202190427

Click the Download button to access the script for the podcast.

Legacy journalism norms value a concept of objectivity, yet coverage often contains implicit biases. Such biases can influence the message the audience draws from a story. The narratives in a story can determine whether it will make a difference, or whether it will be lost in a myriad of stories with the same skeleton. The term solutions journalism began floating the field in 1998. Solutions Journalism Network partnered with The Seattle Times to create the Education Lab, a solutions-oriented reporting beat. Solutions journalism and reporting done …

Fundraising For Families: A Strategic Communications Campaign For Give Hope 2 Kids In Honduras, Emily Jackson

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

Honduras is a Central American country rich with natural beauty—and also stricken with poverty and malnutrition. According to the 2010 UNICEF national report for Honduras, almost 1 in 3 children under 5 years old experience malnutrition, and malnutrition and poverty worsen in rural areas. The 2020 World Bank Poverty and Equity Report for Honduras estimates that as of 2018, nearly half (48.3%) of Hondurans live below the national poverty line. Honduras had the most adolescent births in Central America in 2006 with similar rates in the 20 years prior, according to the Guttmacher Institute. UNICEF data from 2018 also showed …

Creating An Inclusive Culture In Cycling: The Story Of Spoke Folx, Chuck Tookey

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

Click the blue "Download" button to access a transcript of the podcast.

The story of Spoke Folx: a group working to make a welcoming space for womxn/trans/femme/non-binary/gender non-conforming cyclists.

Call Of The Chorus Frog: An Undergraduate Experience In Field Research In The Elwha River Basin, Nicole Vandeputte

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

In scientific disciplines, students are not often taught to write in a way that is easily understood by people outside of their field. It is my goal to learn to communicate scientific research to a broad audience in a way that is both understandable and interesting. In spring of 2019, I participated in Huxley’s environmental science field camp. We traveled to the Elwha River basin in Olympic National Park and conducted wildlife research projects of our own design. My group’s research assessed amphibian habitat in two areas of the park, one of which was recently exposed after the removal of …

Women And Gaming Culture: A Pilot Study On The Experience Of Feminine Individuals Entering The Video Game Community, Molly Engelberg

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

This paper inquires about the communication experience of feminine individuals entering the gaming culture. Many think of video games as a brand new medium, free from the old biases and masculine dominant ideologies of yesteryear, but that would be a false assumption. In this study, an online survey was digitally distributed and 100 feminine individuals responded. Respondents answered five open-ended qualitative questions about their impressions of the video game community and how it could be altered to better suit their needs.

The Birchwood Food Desert: A Neighborhood's Fight For Food Justice, Kate Haworth

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

A look at the identification of food deserts and their causes, with a specific focus on the Birchwood Neighborhood Food Desert in Bellingham, Washington.

Framing Feminism: How U.S. And French Media Frame #Metoo And #Balancetonporc From A Feminist Perspective, Kira Erickson

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

The purpose of this website is to provide a cross-cultural analysis of the .. Me Too" movement in the U.S. and France. These feminist movements are absolutely critical to the ongoing fight against sexual harassment and assault. The creation of this research website explores cultural differences in framing of the subjects in news stories from The New York Times and Le Monde. The #MeToo movement is compared and contrasted with France's counterpart, #BalanceTonPorc.

Website Link:

https://ericks663.wixsite.com/framingfeminism

Clearcut Persuasion? Audience Cognition Of Mediated Environmental Advertising Through The Lens Of The Elaboration Likelihood Model, Derek Moscato

Journalism Faculty Publications

Through the theoretical lens of Petty and Cacioppo’s Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) and using the case of Oregon Wild and its campaign against clear-cut logging on public lands, this study explores the impact of media coverage of contentious activist advertising on audiences. A survey with experimental conditions measures attitudes of audiences exposed to this interplay of advocacy communication. The study assesses partiality toward the sponsor organization, a willingness by the target audience to act on its behalf, and an understanding of the central environmental issue. Differences between gender in reception of the campaign and coverage also are examined. By examining …

Media Coverage Of Transgender People Through Danica Roem’S Election Coverage, Asia Fields

Western Libraries Undergraduate Research Award

Danica Roem’s race in Virginia against incumbent Robert Marshall drew national attention, despite being an election for a state legislature seat. This is because Roem, a transgender woman and former journalist, was running against a man who once referred to himself as “chief homophobe” and introduced a failed bill to make it legal to discriminate against transgender, non-binary and genderqueer individuals. Prominent newspapers like the New York Times and USA Today covered Roem’s election, and the Washington Post had thorough coverage of Roem’s candidacy as well, as the election took place in its regional coverage zone. These papers' coverage over …

Hashtag Activism As A Form Of Political Action: A Qualitative Analysis Of The #Bringbackourgirls Campaign In Nigerian, Uk, And U.S. Press, Sylvester Senyo Ofori-Parku, Derek Moscato

Journalism Faculty Publications

Researchers have argued that social media such as Twitter redistribute news media’s power over how issues are framed to scattered networks of activists and citizens. But what happens when an online campaign such as #BringBackOurGirls against Boko Haram’s kidnapping of Nigerian schoolgirls garners global media coverage? Using qualitative frame analysis, this study assesses how news media in Nigeria, the United Kingdom, and the United States framed the #BBOG activism campaign and finds key differences in news coverage. Despite Twitter’s potential for “networked framing” and diffusing news media’s power over discourses, the differential framing and localization of #BBOG in the United …

The Polar Silk Road In The Popular Press: Global Media Framing Of China’S 2018 Arctic Policy White Paper, Derek Moscato

Journalism Faculty Publications

China’s issuance of its 2018 Arctic Policy white paper, calling for a “Polar Silk Road,” provides a unique lens into how narratives about China are fostered in global news outlets. The white paper, garnering headlines from international media outlets, provided the kind of foreign policy milestone that allowed journalists to develop a narrative about the country’s interest and actions in the polar sphere. Drawing from media framing theory, this study seeks to establish how three prominent media outlets from North America, Europe, and Asia covered China’s highprofile Arctic publication. Using news stories and a qualitative analysis, this paper’s analysis offers …

The Political Economy Of Arctic Reality Television: The Spatial Communication Of Ice Road Truckers & Deadliest Catch, Derek Moscato

Journalism Faculty Publications

Transformative technological, environmental, and political events in recent years have converged to emphasize a turn to spatialization within the study of media and communication, in particular within studies of the political economy of media. The Arctic, as a global region denoted by economic growth, ecological transformation, and increasingly dynamic international politics, presents a natural focal point for the impact of spatial media. This study examines both History Channel’s reality television program Ice Road Truckers and its Discovery Channel counterpart Deadliest Catch, including the programs’ histories and their implicit or direct roles in influencing discourse about the Arctic and sub-Arctic’s …

Cultural Resiliency And The Rise Of Indigenous Media: Book Review Of "The New Media Nation: Indigenous Peoples And Global Communication" By Valerie Alia, Derek Moscato

Journalism Faculty Publications

Valerie Alia’s book, The New Media Nation: Indigenous Peoples and Global Communication (New York: Berghahn Books, 2012, 270 pp.), points the way to major communication breakthroughs for traditional communities around the world, in turn fostering a more democratic media discourse. From Canada to Japan, and Australia to Mexico, this ambitious and wide-reaching work examines a broad international movement that at once protects ancient languages and customs but also communicates to audiences across countries, oceans, and political boundaries. The publication is divided roughly into five sections: The emergence of a global vision for Indigenous communities scattered around the world; government policy …

Media Portrayals Of Hashtag Activism: A Framing Analysis Of Canada’S #Idlenomore Movement, Derek Moscato

Journalism Faculty Publications

The confluence of activism and social media—legitimized by efforts such as the Arab Spring and Occupy Movements—represents a growing area of mainstream media focus. Using Canada’s #IdleNoMore movement as a case, this study uses framing theory to better understand how traditional media are representing activism borne of social media such as Twitter, and how such activism can ultimately have an impact in political and public policy debates. A qualitative framing analysis is used to identify frames present in media reporting of #IdleNoMore during its first two months by two prominent Canadian publications. Emergent frames show that hashtag activism as a …