Communication Commons^™

Evaluating Visuals: Teaching Journalism Students Visual Literacy Skills With Infographics, Dana S. Thompson

Dana Statton Thompson

An Ideological Criticism Of Todrick Hall's Visual Album Straight Outta Oz, Rachel Moss

SCOM Undergraduate Research Conference

American entertainer Todrick Hall released his visual album Straight Outta Oz in 2016 in order to communicate his views on a wide range of topics from sexuality to family life. Hall used the video to advance challenging ideologies that discuss the harmful effects of the church on LGBTQ+ youth, problems the LGBTQ+ community face, the discrimination faced by black Americans, and pitfalls of the entertainment industry, with the purpose of forming a call to action for society to advocate for equality. By placing these themes into a medium popular at the time of release, Hall created a better chance for …

Sometimes Laughter Is The Best Medicine: Stand-Up Comedy, Humor, And Healthcare, Haran Mennillo

Senior Honors Projects

While for many healthcare is no laughing matter, humor can be a valuable tool for physicians. Hospitals and other healthcare environments can be very stressful places for patients, many of whom are having the worst day of their lives. Humor is an excellent medium through which doctors can connect with their patients, improving the doctor-patient relationship. Patients will often use humor as a way to cope with their stress, and doctors with a sense of humor are able to better connect with their patients. This use of humor has many applications across different fields of medicine, including pediatrics, oncology, palliative …

An Exploration Of The Negative Stigmas Surrounding Greek Life, Lauren E. Palkovitz

SCOM Undergraduate Research Conference

An Exploration of the Negative Stigmas Surrounding Greek Life

Why Follow? Followership Favorability And Followership Styles, Hanna M. Miller Ms.

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Given the choice between leading or following in a group setting, which would you choose? Leadership and followership both have strengths and limitations. However, the perceptions of followership are typically unfavorable when compared to leadership. This quantitative study expands on the perceptions of followership by analyzing followership favorability among group members and followership styles as they relate to the Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) Theory and Follower’s Active Engagement Theory.

Keywords: Followership, Leadership, LMX Theory, Leader-Member Exchange, Unfavorable Perceptions, Followership Styles, Active Engagement

Authenticity In College Classrooms: A Qualitative Study Exploring Student Perceptions And Instructor Insights, Ursula Vanantwerp

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

The political and financial disturbances that have occurred in recent times have created a universal desire for trustworthy leadership. This widespread unrest makes the study of authentic leadership a timely and worthwhile pursuit. The purpose of this study is to examine how college students identify authentic instructors and explore how authentic instructors view themselves. Through a textural analysis of five college students and four college instructors interviewed in-depth in 2016, the findings indicated that the students identified as authentic the professors who shared common interests, showed interest in them, and were comfortable with who they were as instructors. Instructors that …

Volunteer Perceptions Of Upward And Downward Communication Facilitate Organizational Commitment, Kelly Prange

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Retaining productive volunteers is an essential issue nonprofit organizations face, as volunteers help extend the services of their target populations. The current study examined upward and downward communication and training as important volunteer management practices with respect to facilitating volunteer engagement and commitment. Using social exchange theory as a framework, the present study investigated the reasons why organizations should stress giving volunteers training and open communication and soliciting feedback from volunteers. Doing so may initiate a social exchange relationship in which volunteers receive training and communication from organizations and in turn become more engaged and committed to the organization. As …