Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Something Wicked: Witches And Rhetorics Of Resistance, K. Scarlett Harrington

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This project joins other academic conversations regarding the dynamics of power, modernity, witchcraft, and magic within the contexts of Western hegemony. Occasioned by kairotic cultural events and the reinforcement of ideologies like those found in the Dobbs decision, QAnon conspiracy, and rise of Christian Nationalism, this project contends that evaluating the potential political power residing in witchery is necessary in understanding some of the nuances of hegemonic control and resistance to oppressive authority. Predominantly following rhetorical evaluations of magic found in the works of Gunn and Covino, I maintain a non-universal methodological practice that works to understand the various instrumentality …

Girl Of Color-Power: Resisting The Neoliberal Girl Power Agent, Raisa Fernanda Alvarado

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Girl power is a complex and multi-dimensional phrase. It is a term that celebrates the positive development of girls' self-esteem, while simultaneously recognizing the shifting social positioning of girlhood in the late twentieth century. It is a call to re-write girls' passivity but simultaneously a discourse that encourages consumerism via entertainment, artifacts, and merchandise. A social movement, a catch phrase, a motto: girl power is a representative caricature of evolving conceptualizations of girlhood. This dissertation is critical of the homogeneity implicit in girl power as its hailing disproportionately centers white, middle and upper class girls. As such, this project examines …

The Responsible Project, Shannon N. Jackson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The aim of this thesis is to create a public relations campaign consisting of a series of promotional videos filmed specifically for Patagonia, the outdoors sportswear company, emphasizing their corporate social responsibility for viewing on their social media and web-based platforms. The commercials will feature three Colorado non-profit organizations tied to Patagonia through Patagonia's Growing Grassroots Grant program.

How The Greek Press Constructed The "Greek Economic Crisis", Maria Elena Kuntz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Since 2008, there has been a surge of interest in and research on the relationship between news media and economic reporting, particularly as it concerns financial crises. The 2008 U.S. subprime mortgage crisis, quickly followed by the economic crisis that began to unfold in Greece in 2009, spurred researchers to examine how newspapers around the world report on the complex, globalized economy. In the pursuit of understanding transnational economic processes, publics rely on news media to provide information about the meaning of economic events, especially crises. As such, newspapers are key players in constructing the narratives of crises.

This study …

Feel-Good Giving: The Mythic Construction Of Generosity In Millions, Grace Y. Chiou

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The question of what generosity is and how it is practiced in relation to the neoliberal contexts of late capitalism has emerged as a subject of interest across a variety of fields. Instead of placing emphasis on the recipient and the cause or structural inequalities contributing to the need for generosity, new practices of giving have appeared on a variety of media platforms and have been performed by a host of celebrities, sports figures, and politicians that emphasize the giver's moral goodness.

By using a critical cultural studies approach, this dissertation demonstrates that in the visual culture of humanitarianism representations …

Small Town America Under The “Lights”: Contemporary Images Of Rural America In The Series Friday Night Lights, Heather K. Smith

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

What is Small Town America? The answer to this varies based on a person’s experiences. This is not always from real-world exposure, but often vicariously through television. For some, television is the only opportunity to create a perception for such areas. For others, television could reinforce or sway their perceptions of Small Town America. Therefore, a comprehension of the identity for Small Town America broadcasted through the small screen is important. This research utilized the theory of semiotics to analyze cinematography and mise-en-scene in the opening credits of Friday Night Lights to unearth the themes and overarching ideology for Small …

"Another Way": The Pneumatology Of Deleuzean Minoritarian Communal Interpretation In Scripture, The 16th Century Radical Reformation, And Alternative 21st Century Anabaptist Community, Jeremy Garber

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation proposes a constructive theology of the Holy Spirit called the "pneumatology of minoritarian communal interpretation," the alternative creation of meaning within an oppressive majority context. It illustrates the convergence of Deleuzean philosophy with Anabaptist pneumatology and media communal interpretation theory in three particular locations: 1) selected mentions of the Holy Spirit in the Hebrew Bible and Christian New Testament; 2) the 16th century Radical Reformation; and 3) "Another Way," a 21st century alternative Anabaptist group focused around the spiritual discussion of art and popular media. Chapter One outlines the three theories. Chapter Two examines the Holy Spirit in …

Sound Reason: Radiolab And The Micropolitics Of Podcasting, Justin M. Eckstein

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Over the past 10 years, the practice of podcasting has migrated from the margins of technological conferences to a central role in popular culture. Podcasting is an Internet-based broadcast medium that relies on Real Simple Syndication (RSS) feeds--a peer subscription service--to automatically retrieve and upload content to a portable MP3 player. In light of its growth and popularity, I ask, "what is the podcast's political potential?" In this project, I argue that the podcast has the potential to serve as an instrument of liberal and neurological reasoning. My project will pursue this line of inquiry by asking three research questions: …

Penning The Shipper-Worthy Screenplay: Exploration Of Network Television Situational Comedy And The Crime Procedural, Kacie Henderson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Network television writers often utilize ongoing romantic turmoil as a plot device to form loyal fan bases called "shippers," viewers who become deeply invested in the romantic relationships between their favorite television couples. For my thesis, I explored the shipper paradigm and the differences between network sitcoms and crime procedurals by creating one spec script The Big Bang Theory and another for Bones. I used research and my own personal experiences to analyze both series and write episodes that could fit within the established canons of both programs. Through the writing process I came to understand something very important …

An Assessment Of Relationship Quality Between Forest Service Land Managers And Volunteers, Jessica H. Evett

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The relationship between Forest Service land managers and volunteers was studied quantitatively utilizing theoretical principles of relationship management theory and efficacy. 39 Forest Service employees completed quantitative surveys designed to compare within sample responses related to four volunteer partner types. Results showed measurable differences between mean scores for relationship quality and efficacy levels between partnership types selected as those land managers most liked and least liked working with. Partial support was found for the hypothesis stating that levels of relationship quality would predict willingness to recruit and work with volunteers, and partial support was also found for the hypothesis stating …

Feasting On Four Wheels, Mariel Patricia Rodriguez-Mcgill

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The documentary film Feasting On Four Wheels explores the new wave of "gourmet" food trucks on the streets of Denver, Colorado. What started as a bigger movement across the country made its way to the Mile High city in 2010 and snowballed to the food-loving community portrayed during the summer of 2011. Interviews with food truck owners, a food truck fabricator and a blogger for DenverStreetFood.com, explore the nature of the movement and how its existence creates a feel of community and culture within the city. The evolution of street food history and the influence of new technology are also …

Cultural Diabetes, Keri E. Noll

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Diabetes has become a cultural problem across America, but particularly in the Midwest and Southern regions. For my film, I explored these two areas and compared the food and exercise culture to one of the healthier regions, the West. Having moved from Indiana to Colorado, I used my own personal experiences to analyze why people in the Midwest struggle with diabetes and obesity at such a higher rate than those nearer to the Pacific Ocean. Through a series of interviews with close friends and observational analysis of each state, I came to learn something very important about health: our food …

Digital Storytelling And Study Abroad: The Impact Of A Narrative-Based, Reflective Practice Upon Identity Construction, Nicole Hubbell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Digital storytelling is a multimedia genre that has been steadily gaining recognition since its inception in the early 1990s. Study abroad is also on the rise among U.S. undergraduates. Study abroad returnees often lack opportunities for structured reflection upon their experiences abroad. Digital storytelling is one reflective tool that may be useful for stimulating reflection as part of a narrative process, which connects past events with current life choices and solidifies identity. Five undergraduates and three graduate students attended digital storytelling workshops, created digital stories, and were interviewed. Analysis of these case studies found that while graduate students were more …

Is It Hot(Ter) Out There Or Is It Just (The) Me(Dia)? A Comparative Framing Analysis Of Climate Change In The New York Times And The Guardian, Kylah Jae Hedding

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This is a framing analysis that compares the coverage of climate change in the New York Times and the Guardian from January 1, 2007 to December 31, 2009. This research supports the theory that the coverage in media outlets is affected by the media systems in which they exists, with both similarities and differences in the coverage of the two media outlets. It also supports the argument that climate change coverage in the United States is cyclical and event-driven, while the British media reflects both the cyclical, event-driven liberal media model and the more issues-focused European model. This thesis departs …

Media, Politics And The Portrayal Of "Climate-Gate" By Cnn And Fox News, Jennifer Renee Hill

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Mere days before the Copenhagen Climate Summit, the main server of the Climate Research Unit of the University of East Anglia was illegally hacked and over 3,000 documents were downloaded and released onto climate change blogs with excerpts of emails exchanged between climate change scientists that discussed manipulation of data, faulty observation techniques, and their frustration over their inability to provide solid proof that global warming was occurring. The release of these emails set off a firestorm of debate and the incident was quickly coined ―Climate-gate.

This study examines the ensuing media coverage by CNN and Fox News and seeks …

Our Health Matters: Promoting The Health Of Sexual Minority Women In The New Media Landscape, Brenda Kane

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The shifts occurring in the mediascape and the field of public health offer new opportunities for promoting the health and wellness of sexual minority women. As a population that has historically been underserved by the healthcare system, sexual minority women face multiple barriers to achieving positive health outcomes. They are often less likely to access preventive healthcare services and more likely to engage in risky behaviors that are detrimental to health than heterosexual women. Despite the significant health disparities among sexual minority women, studying this population has not been a priority in health research and there is little research-based evidence …

Mercy Mercy Me (The Media Ecology): Technology, Agency, And "Cleavage" Of The Musical Text, Arthur J. Bamford

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores changes that occurred in popular music during the 1960s and early 1970s through case studies involving three significant albums released in 1971 and 1972: Marvin Gaye's What's Going On, Sly and the Family Stone's There's a Riot Goin' On, and Stevie Wonder's Talking Book. These albums deserve attention particularly because, as this thesis argues, existing research on the cultural significance of popular music has focused largely on the periods before or after the 1970s and research on music-making technologies has focused largely on white artists or groups from the late 1960s. Addressing this blind …

The Digitally Born Identity: The Influence Of Social Networking Sites On Teen Identity, Alexis Lynn

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Based on in-depth interviews, this thesis examines how teens use Social Networking Sites (SNSs) to negotiate their identities. The thesis concludes that SNSs, such as MySpace and Facebook, facilitate a social connectivity that influences how teens portray themselves online. The process of constructing a self-presentation, receiving input from peers, and then modifying one's self-presentation in response is not new, but the speed at which it occurs and the very public way it is displayed on an SNS constitutes a change in how teens understand the ways in which they make and constantly remake their identities. The findings suggest that, as …

Still Standing, Wendy Joy Rosoff

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

On April 20, 1999 Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold walked into Columbine High School and killed 12 students and 1 teacher. The days following the shooting were spent questioning their motive and it seems, to this day, some are still confused. If those in charge of the investigation would have stopped pointing fingers and listened to the cries of the shooters and the students, they would see that Columbine was a time bomb. Students tells stories of bullying and torment and many agree that a group of athletes dominated the school.

Most who see bullying see it as entertaining, but …