Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

When Old Issues Call Forth A New People: A Constitutive Rhetorical Analysis Of Black Liberation Manifestos, Ian Summers

Annual Research Symposium of the College of Communication and Information

While much rhetorical research has been dedicated to social movements, not as much scholarship has examined the manifesto texts that form the rhetorical basis for said movements. This essay analyzes whether related rhetorical forms exist across multiple manifesto discourses, specifically elements of constitutive rhetoric, through the study of the UNIA and Black Panther Party’s manifestos. Although the scope of this particular inquiry is too narrow to provide a definitive conclusion, it appears constitutive elements recur enough across black liberation discourses to warrant further discussion on whether manifestos ought to be considered as a separate rhetorical genre.

Emergency Text Messaging Systems And Higher Education Campuses: Expanding Crisis Communication And Chaos Theory, Tanya Desselle Ickowitz, Michael J. Palenchar

Annual Research Symposium of the College of Communication and Information

Recent public safety threats affecting college and university campuses during episodes of natural disasters and mass violence have exposed numerous challenges and opportunities in risk and crisis communication. This study addresses how colleges and universities have incorporated emergency text messaging systems into their crisis communication plans; how these institutions have tested such emergency notification systems; and what, if any, prevalent gaps exist between audience expectations and actual practices. Using grounded theory, the data collected in this study through in-depth phone interviews (N=10) of university public relations practitioners, as well as a document analysis of media coverage of campus crises (N=36), …

Social Media As Precursor To Arab Revolt, Mark D Harmon, Brittany Rose Nauta

Annual Research Symposium of the College of Communication and Information

This research examines the use of the Internet and social media as related to 2011 to 2012 Arab protests and civic unrest, testing the widespread belief that communication revolutions played a large role in the political revolutions sometimes known as the Arab Spring. The researchers take a two-pronged approach. They examine the pre-uprising communication firmament in Egypt, specifically seeking and finding correlation between Internet use and political dissatisfaction. This was done using a secondary analysis of the Egypt portion of the 2008 World Values Survey. Secondly, the researchers use secondary analysis of the Arab Barometer, first wave 2006-2007, seeking and …

Early V. Election-Day Voters: A Media Profile, Mark D Harmon

Annual Research Symposium of the College of Communication and Information

Abstract

The researcher conducted a secondary analysis of three major surveys of voters: the 2008 National Annenberg Election Survey, and the 2007 and 2008 Cooperative Congressional Election Surveys. All three of these surveys had media components, making it possible to create a profile of significant media differences between Election Day voters and those who vote early.

Early voters, contrasted to those on Election Day, are super citizens—the kind of extremely likely voters campaigns seek out and contact. Early voters (at p < .0001 level of significance) were more likely to be contacted by campaigns by both mail and e-mail, and at a p < .05 level of significance were more likely to be contacted by campaigns face-to-face and by phone.

Early voters, compared to election-day voters, are more likely to mention News and Documentary among their top-four favorite types …

I Look To You: Religious Leaders As Social Support In The Management Of Uncertainty Within The African-American Community, Stephen Anthony Spates

Annual Research Symposium of the College of Communication and Information

African-Americans continue to show stronger relationships between spirituality, worship, and daily life. When faced with uncertainty in life, these individuals may look to their religious leadership as a tool for social support and guidance in decision-making. This study uses Uncertainty Management Theory as a framework to look at the relationship between these individuals and their religious leaders. Credibility will also be measured to see if religious leadership can be perceived as credible when dealing with issues that are not based in faith and worship. The importance of this study is seen in understanding how African-Americans are able to cope with …

No, Kidding! Are We Branded From Birth ? Content Analysis Of Ads In Children's Magazines, Meenakshi Trichur Venkitasubramanian, Jinhee Lee

Annual Research Symposium of the College of Communication and Information

Children are the favorite among marketers and advertisers. Most of the advertisers make use of the convincing power children have to make adults purchase products. This is exploited by advertising the messages exclusively to cater to children’s taste and interest. This is a proposed exploratory study that looks at the message strategies used by the advertisers in ads present in children’s magazines. Most of the research conducted focuses on television commercials and this paper hopes to add to the research on ads in children’s magazine. This study uses the six-segment strategy wheel to analyze the ads in the children’s magazines. …

Human Information Behavior In Hospice Care Volunteerism In The Southeastern Appalachian Region, Sheri Edwards

Annual Research Symposium of the College of Communication and Information

No abstract provided.

The Influences Of Perceived Environmental Responsibilities On Green Purchasing Intentions, Jinhee Lee, Ilwoo Ju

Annual Research Symposium of the College of Communication and Information

The current study examined the influences of perceived environmental responsibilities of the three types of important social agents (individuals, companies, and governments) on consumers’ green purchasing intentions. Drawing on the environmental consumerism and purchase decision making literature, consumers’ perceptions of the aforementioned social agents’ roles in environment protection were hypothesized to influence their purchase intentions for green products. In addition, the current study attempted to investigate the different prediction patterns of such factors for two different purchase intention measures (e.g., general purchase intention and “willingness to pay more” for green products) to capture the nuance between the different measurement scales, …

Communication Strategies In Direct-To-Consumer Prescription Drug Advertisements, Ilwoo Ju

Annual Research Symposium of the College of Communication and Information

Little research has incorporated a theoretical framework for the analysis of message and creative strategies used in DTCA to date. The purpose of the current study is to extend the previous literature by providing a more complete list of DTCA message and/or creativity strategies based on Taylor’s message strategy wheel. The results show that DTCA has been used to promote drugs for such life-threatening conditions as asthma, acid reflux, Alzheimer’s disease, depression, and arthritis. The most common inducement was the offer of consumer support information. In general, magazine DTC ads from 2006 to 2010 were likely to take both informational …

A Research On Family-Owned Newspaper, Mengmeng Li, Xiaofei Song, Alix Carole Bilip

Annual Research Symposium of the College of Communication and Information

This paper conducts a research on the family-owned newspapers by interviewing the managers from the industry and doing a solid content analysis. It answers three research questions: What is the role of organizational ecology in the development or innovation of family-owned newspapers? How can organizational ecology be applied to newspapers? What elements on the newspapers’ websites are possibly profitable for the newspaper?

What Does It Take Them Just To Get The Job? An Analysis Of Employability Skills Of Today’S Lis Graduates: Implications For Lis Curricula, Stan Trembach, Liya Deng, Andy Thomas

Annual Research Symposium of the College of Communication and Information

The information world is changing every day and so are the skills and competencies that an information professional needs. The school curricula, however, cannot be changed so fast. Therefore, a good curriculum has not only to be able to cover today’s needs but also to be adaptive enough to accommodate tomorrow’s needs. In order to have a better understanding of the information skills and competencies, the School of Library and Information Science at the University of South Carolina conducted a survey in 2010. Although there was limited response to the survey (17 in total), the results revealed that knowledge of …

Exploring The Effectiveness Of Online Instructional Technology In Higher Education: Professors’ Perspective, George Shaw Jr.

Annual Research Symposium of the College of Communication and Information

Technology has drastically changed the landscape of how, when, and where we can access information. As a result of technological advancements, delivery methods for classroom lectures has also change. In higher education, 21st century technology allows professors to deliver lectures face-to-face or online and synchronous or asynchronous within the online education environment. This pilot study interviewed four faculty members and one instructor at a major university in South Carolina in a one-on-one interview session to explore the effectiveness of online instructional technology. Understanding how open source software help professors make online instructional technology more conducive to the learning and knowledge …

Cultural Heritage Informatics Leadership (Chil), Md Hassan Zamir

Annual Research Symposium of the College of Communication and Information

This research work examines the prospects and challenges of LIS education worldwide and introduces the doctoral fellowship program, Cultural Heritage Informatics Leadership (CHIL), launched by the School of Library and Information Science (SLIS) of University of South Carolina. It describes the major features and outcomes of CHIL. The Fall 2011 CHIL fellows are interviewed in this regard; later on a structured interview is also conducted with CHIL fellows. Initial findings of the interview indicate that the learning objectives and professional backgrounds of the selected fellows harmonize with the outcomes and targets of the CHIL program. The paper also specifies that …

The Effects Of Message Quantification: The Modearing Role Of Numeracy, Ilwoo Ju

Annual Research Symposium of the College of Communication and Information

Although the numerical information effects has been reported in persuasive contexts, little research has investigated how numeric information in the drug efficacy appeals may affect consumers' evaluation of DTC advertising. Based on an experiment, the current study revealed that: (a) consumers reported more positive perceived message effectiveness of and attitude toward advertising toward numeric DTC advertising; (b) when consumers were lowly numerate, the persuasive effects of numeric information was stronger. When consumers were highly numerate, however, the persuasive effects of numeric information was significantly reduced; and (c) perceived message effectiveness was found to be a valid indicator of actual DTC …

Cultural Heritage Informatics Leadership (Chil), Md Hassan Zamir

Annual Research Symposium of the College of Communication and Information

This research work examines the prospects and challenges of LIS education worldwide and introduces the doctoral fellowship program, Cultural Heritage Informatics Leadership (CHIL), launched by the School of Library and Information Science (SLIS) of University of South Carolina. It describes the major features and outcomes of CHIL. The Fall 2011 CHIL fellows are interviewed in this regard; later on a structured interview is also conducted with CHIL fellows. Initial findings of the interview indicate that the learning objectives and professional backgrounds of the selected fellows harmonize with the outcomes and targets of the CHIL program. The paper also specifies that …

Citizen Participation In The Biological Sciences: A Literature Review Of Citizen Science, Todd Suomela, Erica Johns

Annual Research Symposium of the College of Communication and Information

The growth of citizen science over the past decade is shown by the increasing number of references to the topic tracked by bibliographic databases such as the Web of Science. The current survey examines the literature on citizen science in the biological and environmental sciences. A number of projects have studied insects and pollinators, avian migration, invasive species, horticulture, marine species, phenology, wildlife behavior, and ecosystems. The projects share a number of themes: including field study of distributed populations, questions about data accuracy, and benefits for the public such as improving public participation in science, expanding the number of people …

Challenges To Sharing Data Among Environmental Scientists And Data Managers In The Southeastern United States, Mary Beth Ross West, Miriam L.E. Steiner Davis

Annual Research Symposium of the College of Communication and Information

Poster Submission

The Increasing Biological Information Sources: Technical Assistance and Support for Delivery and Technology Transfer (IBIS) project was funded by the United States Geological Survey’s National Biological Infrastructure (NBII) to identify relevant data sets in areas of research that served NBII’s stakeholders: environmental decision makers, researchers and scientists including citizen scientists, and teachers and students. The IBIS project also developed biodiversity information tools and services to address the accessibility of USGS provided biodiversity information.

For this report, forty data sets were identified and analyzed by the IBIS researchers; the results of the data set interviews are presented in this …

Media And Gender: How Has The Story Of Chaz Bono Impacted Media’S Portrayal Of Transgender People?, Scott A. Eldredge, Iveta Imre

Annual Research Symposium of the College of Communication and Information

The coverage of transgender issues in serious media is relatively new and has been on the rise. In fact, the amount of stories covering this issue on the major networks and cable news programs in the United States nearly doubled in 2007 compared to 2006 (Hollar, 2007). Despite the fact that this topic is becoming less taboo, and is more frequently treated as socially and politically important, the coverage has still been predominately sensationalistic. For example, the controversy surrounding the pregnancy of a transgender male, Thomas Beatie, in 2008 was headline news for months, while the first-ever congressional hearing on …

Biodiversity Information For Natural Resource Management: Information Needs And Practices In Southern Appalachia, Miriam Davis, Carol Tenopir

Annual Research Symposium of the College of Communication and Information

Introduction

Natural resource managers rely on high quality, current and complete environmental information to make decisions about how resources and landscapes are managed for biodiversity conservation and human use. As such, they represent a unique combination of research scientist, decision maker and practicing professional. In addition, given the applied nature of their work, relating to conservation, resource use and policy, they are frequently required to make timely decisions with real world consequences. However, wading through the vast amounts of currently available scientific and technical knowledge to find needed information can be a challenge. To be useful, this information must be …

Hate Speech Versus Free Speech On College Campuses: Exploring The Viability Of A Constitutional And Sustainable Campus Speech Code, Michelle Epstein Garland

Annual Research Symposium of the College of Communication and Information

This article explored the viability of a Constitutional and sustainable campus speech code. Specifically, this article used the website and rating system of the organization Freedom for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) as the source for the pilot analysis. Southeastern Conference and Pacific 10 Conference universities were chosen as the sample, and both the overall university and individual codes were examined for violations of free speech. For the purpose of this article, codes that were found to have no violations were presented. This article found that based on the chosen sample, no Constitutional and sustainable campus speech code is currently …

The Information Behavior Of Hospice Volunteer Coordinators, Sheri Edwards

Annual Research Symposium of the College of Communication and Information

This study explores the information behavior of hospice volunteer coordinators employed in hospice care in Southern Appalachia. The study is conceptualized according to Taylor's Information Use Environment (IUE) and uses a qualitative approach by employing the critical incident technique (CIT) in order to elicit emic descriptions of participants' memorable episodes of information behavior and enablers of and constraints on that behavior. Fifteen of twenty volunteer coordinators have participated. Data analysis incorporates a dual method of grounded theory and structuration theory. Preliminary analysis of the data reveals that company manuals and colleagues are the most widely-used sources of information, and that …

Data Curation Education In Research Centers Poster, Chris Eaker

Annual Research Symposium of the College of Communication and Information

The volume of scientific data is growing exponentially across all scientific disciplines. Competent information professionals are needed to sort, catalog, store, and retrieve this data for future research and education requirements. In response to this need, the goal of the Data Curation Education in Research Centers (DCERC) project is to develop curriculum to educate information science students in the critical field of scientific data curation. Three masters degree students at University of Tennessee (UT) and three doctoral students at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign are completing year one of the program. Each brings to the field of data curation skills …

Relationship Between Usage And Age: How Lgbt Individuals Use Online Social Networking Applications For Personal Relationships, Rick Curry

Annual Research Symposium of the College of Communication and Information

A pilot study titled "Relationship Between Usage and Age: How LGBT Individuals Use Online Social Networking Applications For Personal Relationships" that looks at the impact of online social networking applications and how they are changing the way LGBT seek and develop personal relationships.

Stages Of The Diabetes 'Roller Coaster': A Textual Analysis Of Tudiabetes.Org (R), Jodi Lynn Rightler-Mcdaniels, Lisa Metzer

Annual Research Symposium of the College of Communication and Information

Online virtual health communities have recently emerged to engage people with common medical conditions and experiences. Tudiabetes.org® is an example of a peer-to-peer virtual health community that provides an online social platform to exchange ideas, fears, knowledge, and support about the diabetes experience. This study explored the communication of parents within this non-moderated virtual health community surrounding the diagnosis of a child with type 1 diabetes by analyzing the dialogue of a particular tudiabetes.orgâ discussion thread. Textual analysis revealed four emerging stages of the narrative, which structurally resembled a “roller coaster” ride: catastrophic, social support, cathartic release, and “new normal.” …

Horatio Alger Is Dying: Has U. S. Tv News Noticed?, Mark D Harmon

Annual Research Symposium of the College of Communication and Information

Terms such as “rags to riches,” “Horatio Alger,“ and pulling one’s self up by one’s “own bootstraps” are important to American self-identity. Several analyses, however, show social and economic mobility in the United States is in trouble. It is less frequent than in past generations, the U. S. now trails many nations in measures of movement, and one mechanism of mobility, education, is losing its effectiveness in that regard.

The researcher conducted a content analysis regarding social mobility terms in transcripts from NBC Nightly News, CBS Evening News, ABC World News, MSNBC and Fox News. By various measures U. S. …

Propinquity And News Coverage: The U.S. As Seen In Latin America, Charles Primm

Annual Research Symposium of the College of Communication and Information

Propinquity theory is used to frame a pilot study examining the tone and frequency of U.S. coverage in Latin American newspaper websites. Results of a survey of U.S. news stories appearing in Latin American newspaper websites (n=211) did not find significant correlation between the tone of coverage of the U.S. and the frequency of that coverage. Results suggest, however, that repeating the survey with a larger sample might produce significant findings.

Developing A Definition Of Nonverbal Slang, Timothy E. Martin Jr.

Annual Research Symposium of the College of Communication and Information

This abstract explains an attempt to produce a definition of “nonverbal slang” that can be applied as a lens through which to view nonverbal behavior and determine what displays might fit this definition. Establishing a definition can provide additional understanding into the degree to which nonverbal behavior might impact interpersonal interactions both positively and negatively. This paper develops the concept of “nonverbal slang” to assist in filling the current literature gap concerning specific nonverbal display’s influence within human communication and seeks to provide terminology by developing a definition that will promote further research in this area.

Keywords: communication, slang, nonverbal

Verbal Judo Training Module For Law Enforcement: An Ethnographic Perspective, Lorna F. Keathley, Virginia Kupritz, John Haas

Annual Research Symposium of the College of Communication and Information

This study examined Verbal Judo non-verbal and verbal communication tactics in a compliance-gaining context between a police officer and an individual who had been stopped by the officer. Verbal Judo emphasizes the use of both verbal and non-verbal communication by the officer with specific discourse structures aimed at the individual to obtain goals in compliance-gaining contexts. Verbal Judo incorporates the principle of nonresistance deflecting the other’s energies to obtain goals within a context. This study determined that Verbal Judo compliance-gaining procedures used in training videos should be tailored by law enforcement to the specific context and type of person ( …

Motherhood As Salvation: The Experience Of Young Appalachian Mothers, Betsy D. Dalton

Annual Research Symposium of the College of Communication and Information

This study explored the meaning of teenage motherhood to young Appalachian mothers using a phenomenological approach. In-depth interviews with 14 mothers between the ages of 18-22 from the southern central Appalachian region were conducted. Findings indicate that the experience of teenage motherhood can be described in terms of filling a void and the pervasive drug culture. Analysis of these findings indicates that the experience of motherhood is characterized by salvation. The salvation of motherhood is shaped by the emotional chasm it fills, as well as the protective barrier it provides between the mother and the drug culture surrounding her. Implications …

Dtc Advertising And Perceived Importance Of Illness: Two-Sided Message And The Moderating Role Of Dtca Skepticism, Ilwoo Ju

Annual Research Symposium of the College of Communication and Information

To better understand consumers' coping mechanisms of DTC advertising and to address socially important health issues, the current study examined whether perceived importance of sleep disorders is influenced by DTC advertising. Two-sided message order and DTCA skepticism were hypothesized as predictors of the perceived importance. The results showed that there is interaction between order effects and DTCA skepticism. Theoretical, practical, and regulatory implications are discussed.