Communication Commons^™

The Evolution Of Gendered Software: Products, Scientific Reasoning, Criticism, And Tools, Victoria A. E. Kratel

Human-Machine Communication

Over the past 7 decades, gendered software has become globally established. In this theoretical distribution, I outline the evolution of gendered software. The journey of gendered software started with the raw idea fueled by Alan Turing’s imitation game in the 1950s. And only shortly thereafter, in the 1960s and 1970s, the first gendered software products like Joseph Weizenbaum’s ELIZA were developed. Thus, academia took its time to not only explore technological aspects, but to further investigate the matter of gender in the 1990s CASA-paradigm (Nass et al., 1994) and Media Equation (Reeves & Nass, 1996). As these theories reasoned the …

Bringing Instagram Posts Into Being: A Study Of Fyc Students' Self-Sponsored Posting Practices And Transfer Opportunities, Jessica Kester

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-

Social media platforms have offered students—and all of us—more opportunities for self-sponsored writing. In response to calls from researchers to explore students' 21st-century writing practices and their relevance to college writing instruction, this dissertation articulated and applied a feminist teacher research methodology and a mixed-methods research design to explore first-year composition (FYC) students' self-sponsored writing practices, attitudes, and transfer opportunities on a popular, albeit under-examined, social media application: Instagram. This study found that students have developed elaborate, rhetorical, multimodal composing processes that include planning, drafting, evaluating, selecting, and styling images as well as planning, drafting/revising, and styling captions. Additionally, though …

What’S Next In Communications? Panel Discussion, Wendy S. Perez, Jessica Green, Rachel Schaefer

Media Literacy: How the Era of Fake News Affects Public Service

Moderator: Staci M. Zavattaro, Ph.D

Panel Participants:

• Tom Hope, Assistant VP for Communications and Marketing, UCF
• Jamie Floer, Public Relations/Outreach Specialist, Orange County Utilities Dept
• Brian Schulte, Marketing Manager, Edyth Bush Institute for Philanthropy & Nonprofit Leadership

Abstract:

As society has evolved, so have preferred communications, people today prefer to send a text message versus making a call or talking in person. Everywhere we go technology has a great impact on today’s society. These technological advances have affected everything we do, including how we read, interpret, and disseminate information. More than ever, media literacy has become an important part of …

Examining Presence And Influence Of Linguistic Characteristics In The Twitter Discourse Surrounding The Women's Right To Drive Movement In Saudi Arabia, Abdulsamad Sahly

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter have been popular tools for social and political movements in non-democratic societies in which traditional media outlets are under government control. Activists in Saudi Arabia, particularly women, have launched several campaigns through social media to demand the right to drive for women. This study used framing theory as the foundation for looking at the degree to which cognitive, emotion, and religious or moral language has been used to frame discussion of this issue on Twitter. Additionally, this study observed the relationship between these linguistic attributes in Twitter and retweeting behavior to understand the …

Rethinking The Classroom: One Department’S Attempt To Connect Student Learning And National Events, John A. Mcarthur

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

Communication programs have a rich anecdotal history of connecting student learning to real-world experience. Yet, the same programs, including ours, often privilege classroom-based instruction and instructor-led experiential learning over other types of experiences. When community organizers announced a national mega-event for our city, faculty in our communication department knew that we wanted to use it as a learning experience. We brainstormed ideas, most of which were classroom- and semester-based concepts typical of traditional topics courses. But, one of our faculty members suggested that we think outside of the concept of classroom. What resulted was a unique experience unlike any we …

Media Effects On Body Image In The Context Of Environmental And Internal Influences What Matters Most?, Kristen E. Vanvonderen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Media effects on body dissatisfaction is a long-studied issue; however, aspects of the research – such as those regarding cultivation theory and its effects on body image – are unclear or incomplete. This study attempts to clarify the relationship between cultivation and body dissatisfaction. Besides cultivation, social comparison theory is also examined because upward comparisons with media images and peers can shape and reinforce body image attitudes as well. Additionally, the study examines the connection between media and body dissatisfaction by looking at a broader social context – one that includes other social/environmental influences, such as peer and parental attitudes, …

The Portrayal Of Teen Pregnancy In The Tv Series "The Secret Life Of The American Teenager", Erin Lovell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The aim of the current study was to investigate the way teen pregnancy is portrayed in Seasons 1 and 2 of the television drama The Secret Life of the American Teenager. Framing theory and social cognitive theory were used as guiding frameworks for exploring the way the main character’s pregnancy was presented and the way this presentation may influence the ideas and behaviors of viewers. A qualitative content analysis was conducted to examine portrayals in the first 23 episodes. Results indicated that teen pregnancy was portrayed in five major ways: as Dramatic, as Identity, as Manageable, as Transformative, and as …

Central Florida Future, Vol. 39 No. 105, August 22, 2007

Central Florida Future

Student turns movie magic into moolah; Survey: Alcohol abuse falls at UCF; This year's homecoming concert is rockin' out; Knights look for new place to call home.

Central Florida Future, Vol. 38 No. 11, September 22, 2005

Central Florida Future

Protesters heading to capital's doorstep: Campus Peace Action joining others for anti-war march in Washington D.C.; Students inspired by studies overseas; Marching Band Celebrates 25th Anniversary; Neglected Knightcast staff receives a permanent home; Editor's suicide leaves emotional void at student paper: Spinnaker staff members reflect on their lost leader.

Why Communication Is Important: A Rationale For The Centrality Of The Study Of Communication, Sherwyn P. Morreale, Michael M. Osborn, Judy C. Pearson

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

This article defends the importance of studying communication. Academic disciplines in higher education are routinely called upon to explain and justify their role in the educational enterprise. Some academic fields such as history and philosophy are more central in the pursuits of liberal arts, while others such as business administration and engineering are more related to career development. The discipline of communication is fairly unique as it crosses these boundaries. As a result, a need exists to provide a rationale for the study of communication. The National Communication Association, in response to requests from communication departments and administrators for evidence …

What College Students Should Know And Be Able To Do, Rebecca B. Rubin, Sherwyn P. Morreale

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

This article discusses the issue of college students' communications skill and knowledge. The end of the 20th century provides educators and administrators with an opportunity to reflect on how well they have accomplished their goals. The communication discipline, since its beginning, has been concerned with skill achievement and knowledge generation. But not until the latter part of the century have scholars and national associations attempted to identify and agree upon what it is that students should know and be able to do. These efforts reflect maturity of the discipline and generation of a body of knowledge that allows such conclusions …

Educational Assessment Grows Up: Looking Toward The Future, Phil Backlund, Pat Arneson

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

This article explores the history, the present, and the future of educational assessment in the U.S. to enable readers working with communication assessment issues to make more informed decisions. The time frame illustrates the evolving narrative of education. This narrative not only presents assessment as part of our educational life-story, it also functions to continually create our educational reality -- a reality that includes assessment. As educators, we have an obligation to participate in the ongoing development of this narrative to shape the future of education. The assessment movement was born in the middle 1970s, and many people thought it …

A National Survey Of Core Course Requirements, Department Names, And Undergraduate Program Titles In Communication, Corwin P. King

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

This article presents a survey which assessed the typical number of core courses college departments have, the most commonly used ones, and, in a general way, their contents. The article also provides data on department names and undergraduate program areas for a picture of the communication discipline in the 1990s. First, with regard to core course requirements, the following observations are noted: Though a majority of departments now have some type of core course requirement, a strong minority don't. Departments that have a core typically have a small one. There is a good deal of variation in cores, but one …

In Their Own Words: Using Media Artifacts To Teach Media Literacy, Micheal J. Gotcher, Margaret Duffy

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

This article discusses methods and associated readings for teaching media literacy. The prescribed methods allow the media and their decision-makers to implicate themselves using examples of their own products and their own words. Media kits, video news releases and advertisements are used to illuminate and criticize media structures, products and economic imperatives. Media literacy may be defined as the learned ability to understand the rules, conventions and persuasive elements of mass mediated products. Media literacy involves inviting individuals to see media products as part of the process of building realities and of constructing cultures.

Central Florida Future, Summer 1996

Central Florida Future

UCF set to welcome record enrollment; Ambassadors provide leadership; Pageant will feature three UCF students.

A Multi-Disciplinary Approach To Cultural Learning Through Cable Television, John F. Dillon, Sheila C. Crifasi

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

This article examines a multi-disciplinary approach to cultural learning through cable television. In the U.S., television current affairs programming is now being used in place of conventional textbooks in those subject areas dealing with rapidly unfolding world developments, such as history and political science. While it may take years to revise a traditional textbook, college educators are relying on the quickness of television--as well as print mass media--to help their students comprehend dynamic global events. In 1989, recognizing their own potential as an educational resource, major cable companies and programmers created Cable in the Classroom to help K-to-12th grade educators …