Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Open Access: What We're Doing And Where You Fit In, Joshua Neds-Fox

Library Scholarly Publications

Presentation to faculty in Wayne State University's (WSU) Department of Communication about Open Access Initiatives at WSU, and how to participate in Green OA as a matter of course in research and publication.

“What Need Is There Of Words?” The Rhetoric Of Lű'S Annals (Lűshi Chunqiu), Mary M. Garrett

Communication Faculty Research Publications

This essay introduces Lű's Annals (Lűshi chunqiu), a classical Chinese text with a wealth of material on rhetoric. Not only does the text evaluate numerous examples of persuasion and sophistry, it also lays out a system of rhetorical precepts grounded in a distinctive ontology, that of correlative cosmology. After outlining the cosmology, epistemology, and theory of language of Lű's Annals, I trace how these shape its rhetorical theory and practices. I then consider how the text itself works as a persuasive artifact in the light of its own strictures. The essay closes with some reflections on why this valuable resource …

Becoming A Functioning Member Of The Collegiate Culture: How Cellphone Communication Affects First-Year College Students' Self And Identity In College Transition., Arata Miyazaki

Wayne State University Dissertations

This longitudinal ethnographically-oriented study explores the meanings of cellphones and cellphone communication of first-year college students during their college transition and how such newly populated human communicative conducts affect their sense of self and identity during this life period. The findings from this study suggest that participants' perceptions about appropriate cellphone communication are closely tied with a growing sense of emerging adulthood that college students develop in conjunction with their college transition. Cellphone communication creates social situations where participants engage in identity exploration and strategic impression management by switching their social roles in order to properly present their self as …

Toward An Applied Communication Relational Inqueery: Autoethnography, Co-Constructed Narrative, And Relational Futures, Derek M. Bolen

Wayne State University Dissertations

Born out of my personal relationships with others and the field of communication, particularly as it overlaps and intersects with the field of personal relationship research, this project begins with an exploration of research practices personal relationship inquiry, offers a queer critique on research and relating, and forwards a queer applied communication approach--relational inqueery. This dissertation was directed by three goals: (a) creating a space and terrain for queer relationships in the study of personal relationships and relational communication, (b) founding and beginning to further a field of relational inqueery, and (c) offering an applied communication approach within queer relational …

Reading Between The Numbers: The Colonial Rhetorics Of Fantasy Football And The Illusion Of Control, Robert Kyle Kellam

Wayne State University Dissertations

In this project, I build on existing research in the critical intersection of media, sport, gaming and race to explore how fantasy football, an entertainment byproduct of the National Football League (NFL), rearticulates and recontexualizes the colonial ideology already prolific in the NFL and other products of American media culture. I investigate how fantasy football may represent an innocuous, yet exigent place to study the commodification and consumption of bodies in our contemporary media landscape because of the way that the increasingly popular game operates in a capitalistic logic, where NFL players are almost exclusively valued for their statistical production …

Communication Technology In Disaster Management, Denise Nicole Walker

Wayne State University Theses

ABSTRACT

COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY IN DISASTER MANAGEMENT

by DENISE WALKER

This thesis will analyze different case studies involving catastrophic disasters. I will compare their rescue response from the government to FEMA's response to Katrina, to establish a basis for comparison. The Midwest Floods and California fires will be compared to Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans because these places are prone to natural disasters. I will look at each of these states ecology to explain why these states are prone to floods, fires and hurricanes. Unlike the Midwest and California, Hurricane Katrina received far less help from the government and FEMA. I …

Putting Multimedia Exhibits In The Palm Of Your Hand, Damecia Donahue, Rachael Clark

Library Scholarly Publications

Presentation given by Rachael Clark and Damecia Donahue in November of 2012 at the Michigan Library Association Annual Conference in Detroit, MI. The discussion revolved around topics related to libraries creating exhibits using their own collections and resources; this included the idea of incorporating multimedia tools and web applications to creatively and interactively provide access to library materials.

A Higher Education Case: Millennial Experience Toward Learning Through A Virtual World Designed As An Authentic Learning Environment, Marija Franetovic

Wayne State University Dissertations

Current educational initiatives encourage the use of authentic learning environments to realistically prepare students for jobs in a constantly changing world. Many students of the Millennial generation may be social media savvy. However, what can be said about learning conditions and student readiness for active, reflective and collaborative learning and media literacy within their discipline? Virtual worlds such as Second Life (SL) represent future hybridized work environments which can support authentic learning. With their immersive and interaction affordances, virtual worlds may be designed to incorporate real-world team projects for both online and blended courses.

This qualitative single embedded case study …

An Ethnographic Analysis Of Adolescent Sexual Minority Website Usage: Exploring Notions Of Information Seeking And Sexual Identity Development, Rocky M. Sulfridge

Wayne State University Dissertations

This dissertation explores the website usage of adolescent sexual minorities, examining notions of information seeking and sexual identity development. Sexual information seeking is an important element within human information behavior and is uniquely problematic for young sexual minorities. Utilizing a contemporary gay teen website, this five-year virtual ethnography of GLBT (Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender) youth demonstrates an understanding of the function of the Internet as an invaluable tool for exploring social and psychological needs while providing anonymity and keeping information-seeking behavior relatively unknown. The use of Chatman's (1996) Information Impoverished Theory and Cass's (1979) Model of Gay and Lesbian Identity …

Talking Circles For Adolescent Girls In An Urban High School: A Restorative Practices Program For Building Friendships And Developing Emotional Literacy Skills, Martha Ann Schumacher

Wayne State University Dissertations

ABSTRACT

TALKING CIRCLES FOR ADOLESCENT GIRLS

IN AN URBAN HIGH SCHOOL: A RESTORATIVE PRACTCES' PROGRAM FOR BUILDING FRIENDHIPS AND DEVELOPING

EMOTIONAL LITERACY SKILLS

by

MARTHA ANN SCHUMACHER

DECEMBER 2012

ADVISOR: Dr. Loraleigh Keashly

MAJOR: Communication

DEGREE: Doctor of Philosophy

Restorative Practices and Restorative Justice programs in schools are a new and emerging field. Meeting in Circles to build community, resolve conflict, and learn interactively are core components of these programs. This ethnographic study, which took place February 2010 to December 2011, evaluates 12 small, out-of-classroom Talking Circles for 60 adolescent girls as part of a Restorative Practices program in an …