Communication Commons^™

"Because They Recognized Us": Triangulated Perspectives Of Syrian Mothers' Resettlement Experiences In The Eastern United States., Kayte Thomas

Journal of Applied Disciplines

Research indicates that post-resettlement experiences can be particularly challenging for people with refugee status. Despite finding safety in and adjusting to their new home, former refugees have indicated that this time can be stressful and even traumatic. The current Syrian crisis has created the largest wave of refugees ever known, and Syrian women are amongst the most vulnerable. However, women’s needs and preferences are often not taken into consideration during the resettlement journey and when they are, there is no distinction between mothers and their childless counterparts. As social workers strive to empower the individual person within their environment, it …

Rational Love: How Personality Types Can Influence Conflict Resolution, Rachel Beckmann, Sarah Solon

Research Days

Is love rational? Current literature tells us that personalities impact how an individual handles general conflict (Deventer et al., 2019; Geukes et al., 2019). Due to previous research, we now hypothesize that parties with dissimilar love languages and/or enneagram types may experience conflict more intensely than those similar. Love languages and enneagram types both help to explain human personality and interpersonal interactions. Personalities impact how an individual handles general conflict and the duration of any conflict (Deventer et al.,2019; Geukes et al.,2019). Conflict duration is prolonged with those who take conflict personally, believing that their personality is viewed negatively (Squires, …

Explicit Content: Hip Hop, Feminism, And The Black Woman, Brittney Nicole Davis

All Student Theses and Dissertations

This work uses grounded theory and the framework of Black feminist thought to analyze the messages in contemporary hip hop music. Grounded theory was chosen to create an unbiased setting that allowed the themes to emerge rather than looking for specific occurrences. The beginning sections focus on the history of hip hop music, Black women in media and hip hop culture, hyper-masculine blackness, before reviewing key points in Black feminist thought. The top twenty hip hop songs from 2016 were studied lyric by lyric and coded into various themes resulting in three main areas of study: Formation of Black Femininity, …

Violence, Paratexts, And Fandoms: The Walking Dead As A Societal Mirror, Jessica Lolli

All Student Theses and Dissertations

This project is a critical textual analysis of fan discourse surrounding the season seven premiere of The Walking Dead “The Day Will Come When You Won’t Be” that aired on AMC on October 23rd, 2016. Focusing on paratexts, fandoms, and the violence/horror genre as the theoretical framework, the project highlights fans role in the contemporary age of television and provides insight into how much violence and gore is acceptable for fans of the genre. This project also highlights how the premiere can be read as a societal mirror for violence’s representation in society. The artifact to be analyzed is fan …

New Day Ministries International Men's Ministry Leadership Workshop, Willie Gordon

All Capstone Projects

This project will consist of a three (3) hour workshop designed to teach and clarify some of the roles and duties of men in church ministry leadership. It is designed to help standardize specific duties men have as members of a Christian church organization, with a focus on building up the Kingdom of God. This workshop will not include the roles of pastors, elders, and ministers, but will focus primarily on the roles and duties of Deacons, Armorbearers, and Men throughout the general congregation.

This workshop is designed for client New Day Ministries International, as commissioned by Rev. Gregory C. …

The Use Of Restorative Justice To Resolve Conflict In Schools, Marie F. Penny

All Student Theses and Dissertations

The Use of Restorative Justice to Resolve Conflict in Schools Schools today are increasingly interested in utilizing conflict resolution techniques that can provide both a short-term solution and a long-term resolution that allows students and schools to focus on more prevalent issues such as education, safety, and child development. One technique that has proven useful is restorative justice practices.

The Writing Is The Wall: Expanding The Means Of Communication With Multimodal Approaches To Teaching Composition, Matthew Williams Schering

All Student Theses and Dissertations

As the paradigm of communication shifts into the digital realm, it seems only logical that instructors’ pedagogical approaches to teaching writing should shift as well. Though there is still much merit to teaching tradition approaches to composition, are there more modern methods that could be employed to teach communication in a contemporary setting? This thesis shall examine the role that new media can play in a multimodal composition course, as new media seems to be the most effective way to teach rhetorical communication skills in a modern setting. By looking at new media elements, such as podcasts, wikis, and images, …

The Media Bias Within Outlets Of Media: Television, Radio, And Newspapers, Tiffany N. Johnson

All Capstone Projects

This project report reviews the literature of social media, news organizations, and ethics of journalism. A case study of the Chicago Teacher's Strike of 2012 is presented, and author's reflections are presented.

The author recorded a 23 minute film video of interviews with individuals regarding their perceptions of media bias. "I wanted to see how individuals felt towards news media today and the effects that it has in regards to perception of news. I wanted to know how they gather news and what they take from each broadcast. I had the opportunity to shoot a film that consists of interviews …

A Workshop On Using Your Superpower Of Influence, Amanda Quinn

All Capstone Projects

Have you ever felt that you needed to do something or feel a certain way because someone made you believe that there was no other option? I often find myself in certain situations in both my personal and professional life that there is some force a person is using to affect change in me. I really wanted to understand more about this force or power that is capable of doing this. I knew that my applied project and the development of a workshop on this topic was a perfect solution. Over the last year, I have paid attention to people …

Peace Communication, Shekinah Jovan Mccullum-Lawrence

All Capstone Projects

Researching peace processes and negotiations can benefit all who engage in any and all types of relationships. Unless peace messages are communicated effectively between parties, peace may not be achieved. Spending time in a traditional classroom setting having college students define, discuss, and study peace will offer students the opportunity to define peace for themselves and how they wish to live peace and harmony in the world. Research and study in peace and communication can provide tools for peace building, which will enhance interpersonal and intrapersonal communication particularly in situations of conflict. This capstone project is the creation of an …

Screenplay: Joe And Ruby, Felicia Bradberry

All Student Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Teaching Autoethnography, Lauren Ashley White

All Capstone Projects

This project reviews the literature of autoethnography. A syllabus and course materials for a workshop on autoethnographic methods is presented.

Learning Disabilities And Self-Esteem, Renee I. Pandy

All Capstone Projects

Social acceptance is pivotal in a child's life but it is harder to obtain if one has a learning disability (LD). Individuals with learning disabilities experience being ostracized, ridiculed and labeled as dumb, subnormal and slow learners by their peers. ''Leaming disabilities" is a term that's used to describe different types of learning problems. A learning disability is not a disease. Children with learning disabilities are often stigmatized and associated with failure, which lowers their self-esteem. Academic problems a child with a learning disability may experience can be a constant source of frustration, especially in the areas of reading, math, …

Communication Training For Academic Advising Workshop, Laura A. Owens

All Capstone Projects

This project reviewed the history and roles of academic advisors in higher education. A literature review is presented. A workshop was developed with syllabi, A/V materials, and course assignments. (Abstract by OPUS staff)

Identity Of A Single Black Woman, Daphne Stevenson

All Student Theses and Dissertations

There is not much literature that speaks to the identity of singles, considering this is a growing group in our society today. Singleness may be by choice or by circumstance; nevertheless, this is a group worth investigating. Over the course of the last decade there have been various media programs that depict or explore the idea of singleness and the challenges singles may encounter maneuvering through the world of coupledom. There has been much dialog in prominent mainstream mediums as the Washington Post and ABC’s Nightline concerning the plight of single black women the decreasing number of marriages in the …

Communicating Effective Teaching Strategies To Adhd Students, Patricia A. Gaines

All Capstone Projects

ADHD, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, is a neurological disorder that is presently sweeping the country. School age children are heavily affected by this condition. The disorder has a number of side effects that are known to alter one’s quality of life. Some of the known effects are as follows: lack of attention span, nervousness, emotionally unbalanced, and a host of many others. Due to the many drawbacks associated with the disorder, many educators are finding it to be extremely difficult to meet the needs of this population. However, the key to meeting the needs of ADHD students lie within the …

Teaching Effective Strategies Of Communication Within Blended Families, Pamela S. Bell

All Capstone Projects

Project explored communication in step families (blended families). A literature review was conducted, and workshop developed.

Perfecting The Interview Process Making Yourself Employable, Carmen Marish Davis

All Capstone Projects

This project reviewed the literature of the interview in the hiring for employment process, and presents a handbook of tips for the candidate on the interview process. Few tips for the candidate on best practices for interviewing were found in this review in the scholarly literature. (Abstract provided by OPUS staff)

Social Media: How Players And Athletic Organizations Can Use Social Media Technology For Positive Brand Awareness, Nina D. Bell

All Capstone Projects

Player transgressions and sponsorships were examined lightly using rhetorical and secondary research to consider the impact social media technology has had on sports marketing and communications. In discussing the impact, I was able to uncover the negative and positive implications for social media‟s involvement in sports, and how understanding it is imperative for individuals looking to become professionals in athletics. From my research, I will create a presentation which will assist professional athletes and their organization in creating a positive brand image using social media technology.

Exploring The Effects Of Text Messaging On The Spelling Skills Of Ninth And 12th Grade Students, James G. Muhammad

All Student Theses and Dissertations

Text messaging has been criticized for a perceived negative impact on spelling skills of students and its increasing appearance in formal school papers. This paper presents a study of the effects of text messaging on the spelling skills of ninth and 12^th grade students at a U.S. high school in a Chicago suburb. The 20 students – six in the ninth grade group and 14 in the 12^th grade group – were given a questionnaire concerning their texting practices and a grade-appropriate spelling test. They also were asked if it is appropriate to use textisms in formal writings …

Impact Of The Menstrual Cycle On Communication, Laura Moustis

All Student Theses and Dissertations

A thirty day survey was conducted among a small but diverse group of women soliciting journal and questionnaire responses to identify data related to communicator image and style as well as sensory and mood changes. The assessment extracts data and compares to the female menstrual cycle to ascertain if there are possible roadmaps for future research. The findings illustrate potential relationships predominately on day one of the menstrual cycle with possibilities ranging from days twenty-eight to two, as well as mid-cycle.

Citizen Journalism And Hyperlocal Media: Building Your Brand, Andrew H. Wheeler

All Capstone Projects

A strong brand drives revenue, especially in local markets. As it has been documented, a strong brand needs credibility and trust to be conveyed to the consumer. The purpose of the following workshop design is to provide the ethical, journalistic, packaging, writing, technical, and other brand-impacting skills to potential media contributors, and also to provide the basic understanding of how to market and cobrand content with other media outlets.

Model Citizen: Exploring The Portrayal Of Unconventional Models On Television Shows In Relation To Women's Self Image, Nicole Jenelle James

All Capstone Projects

According to the renowned Mayo Clinic, having a low self-image can lead people to suffer harmful: physical, emotional, and behavioral consequences. Much of women’s selfimage is reliant on comparing themselves to the media’s perception of beauty. In an effort to bolster American women’s self-esteem, a workshop is proposed to explore the relation between portrayal of unconventional models on television shows and women’s/viewer’s self-image.

Labor And Media: A Strained Relationship, Mac-Z Zurawski

All Student Theses and Dissertations

The labor movement or union community of America has been in a steady decline for more than a decade. The 1950s saw the pinnacle of success with one-third of the U.S. workforce being unionized. Today only 8% of the private workforce is unionized. One way in which this decline may be perceived as more pronounced is through media alienation. According to journalists across the nation such as Philip M.Dine unions have been alienated by media and its type of union coverage. In this study, I analyze the way in which the New York Times portrays the labor movement during the …

Exploring The Media's Negative Effects On Body Dissatisfaction And Self Esteem Among Adolescent Girls, Aliscia Doriety

All Capstone Projects

Research has suggested that adolescent girls may be influenced by the media to such a degree that their body image and dissatisfaction tends to increase, as exposure to media increases. In the current study, 75 adolescent girls completed a questionnaire evaluating self-esteem and body image to determine if there were other factors that related to the media's overwhelmingly strong influence. The study concluded that there was a positive correlation between other variables such as, family, which had a stronger influence than media.

How T.V. Promotes An Unrealistic Image Of Romantic Relationships, Tonoah P. Merritt

All Capstone Projects

This study aims to explore and prove that media (as defined in T.V. sitcoms and dramas) portrays an unrealistic expectation that is placed on romantic relationships. More specifically, it can affect the way people think and behave when it comes to marriages and serious relationships. Some may begin to compare their present relationship with a romantic relationship within the sitcoms and dramas. This study will. be used to promote awareness when making conscious and sensible decisions in regards to choosing partners. This will be done by conducting surveys that will exhibit the direct emotional effect of sitcoms and dramas on …

Creating Television / Video In-House Productions: A Brief Guide To Managing A Production For The Novice, Herbert J. Turner

All Capstone Projects

This manual was created with the intentions to inform and educate individuals about creating their own television/video production. Throughout the period of time allotted me for this thesis project, I have gained knowledge that will be beneficial in acquiring a position at a television station or starting my own company. Vast experience is obtained through working or interning in the media field. While working for the Communication Services, I learned shortcuts, tips and ways to efficiently execute T.V./Video productions. This experience accompanied with my collegiate instruction on the television/video world has heightened my interest in this field. When producing or …