Other Communication Commons^™

Regarding Aid: The Photographic Situation Of Humanitarianism, Sonya De Laat

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Since the invention of photography, the medium has played an increasingly central role in shaping spectators’ imagination of distant suffering and calamitous experiences. The discourse of humanitarianism has evolved alongside photography and has relied on the medium to give it shape. Indeed, humanitarianism is and always has been a photographic situation, which is to say, photography has played and continues to play a significant role in constituting the very terms of humanitarianism, including how it is referenced, conceived, understood, and practiced. This dissertation is concerned with the historical role of photography in shaping the humanitarian imagination, as well as the …

Critical Digital Literacies Across Scales And Beneath The Screen, Noah Asher Golden

Education Faculty Articles and Research

Digital technologies and education scholarship tend to focus on either individual creative design or analysis of the political economy. To better understand how ideologies travel across networks, critical digital literacies must focus on enactments beneath the screen, as the linguistic constructs known as software can enact interests across scales of activity to “disembed” local actions and meaning. Investigations of these mobilities and disembedding effects challenge popular notions of digital technologies as neutral, rendering overt the ways that algorithms can naturalize manifestations of power and social arrangements. Such a framework allows for descriptive analyses of the ways hegemonic discourses are enacted …

Use What You Choose: Applying Computational Methods To Genre Studies In Technical Communication, Brian N. Larson, William Hart-Davidon, Kenneth C. Walker, Douglas M. Walls, Ryan Omizo

Brian Larson

This paper reports on the results of an intensive application development workshop held in the summer of 2015 during which a group of thirteen researchers came together to explore the use of machine-learning algorithms in technical communication. To do this we analyzed Amazon.com consumer electronic product customer reviews to reevaluate a central concept in North American Genre Theory: stable genre structures arise from recurring social actions. We discovered evidence of genre hybridity in the signals of instructional genres embedded into customer reviews. Our paper discusses the creation of a prototype web application, "Use What You Choose" (UWYC), which sorts the …

Systematic Analysis Of Enterprise Perception Towards Cloud Adoption In The African States: The Nigerian Perspective, George A. Oguntala, Prof. Raed A. Abd-Alhameed, Dr. Janet O. Odeyemi

The African Journal of Information Systems

The desirous benefits of cloud computing such as high return on investment through efficient resource management, high application throughput and on-demand capabilities have resulted in the unprecedented global acceptance of the computing paradigm. However, research on cloud adoption indicates that fewer organisations in the African states are adopting cloud services. Thus, the purview of the paper is to examine the factors responsible for the poor adoption of cloud computing in most African enterprises using Nigeria as a case study. The study focus on the perception of IT and non-IT employees towards cloud computing. Moreover, the paper reviews the literature on …

Watching Online Videos At Work: The Role Of Positive And Meaningful Affect For Recovery Experiences And Well-Being At The Workplace, Sophie Janicke, Diana Rieger, Leonard Reinecke, Winston Connor Iii

Communication Faculty Articles and Research

This study extends research on the relationship between hedonic and eudaimonic entertainment and its potential for recovery experiences and aspects of well-being (e.g., Rieger, Reinecke, Frischlich, & Bente, 2014). With the broad notion of what hedonic and eudaimonic media can entail, this research focused on unique affective experiences—namely, positive affect—and an expanded concept of meaningful affect (including elevation and gratitude). An online experiment with 148 full-time employees in the United States was conducted to investigate the unique role of positive and meaningful affect eliciting YouTube videos (compared to neutral control video) on recovery experiences and vitality and work satisfaction in …

How Do We Collaborate? A Look Into Maine's Sustainable Ecological Aquaculture Network, Abby Jane Roche

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As a society we realize that the dynamic needs of science and society are often complex and interdependent and that there is a need to work with and across diverse expertise and practices in order to create the development of new methods and to provide innovative solutions to socially relevant work. Thus, we call collaborative research efforts into action. Maine’s Sustainable Ecological Aquaculture Network (SEANET) is such an endeavor, as it is a collaborative effort traversing a nexus of complex, dynamic challenges in Maine, including issues related to socio-economic shifts, climate change, and declining capture fisheries. While SEANET’s plan to …

The Strategies For Coast Radio Stations In China Under The Opening Of Arctic Northeast Route, Zhenjiang Wang

Maritime Safety & Environment Management Dissertations (Dalian)

No abstract provided.

Decoding Nonverbal Ability: A Theoretical Model For The Acquisition Of Nonverbal Decoding Skill, Julia Berger

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Nonverbal communication adds multiple layers of meaning to social interaction above that conveyed by words. The comprehension of these nonverbal messages depends on individual ability which varies greatly between individuals. Variation in nonverbal communication ability and the variables of influence that have been associated with it over decades of research are the topic of this research project. Variables that have been correlated to nonverbal communication skill were used to develop a theory for the development of this skill and construct an evidence-based theoretical model that provides an explanation for nonverbal skill acquisition and variability. This model was also analyzed for …

Communication And Family Identity: Toward A Conceptual Model Of Family Identity And Development Of The Family Identity Inventory, Kaitlin Elizabeth Phillips

Department of Communication Studies: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Families serve as a primary socializing agent in the lives of individuals (Soliz & Rittenour, 2012), and the first social identity individuals have in their lives. Given the complexity and importance of identity—and family identity specifically, the goal of this study is to identify the various dimensions of family identity that scholars and practitioners should account for in their work. Through a two-study exploratory sequential mixed-method design I investigate what constructs comprise a conceptual model of family identity, and I develop a corresponding inventory of Family Identity. Through this process, I will also assess the relationships among these communicative processes, …

Songs, Lushootseed Language Institute, Zalmai Zeke Zahir

Lushootseed Language Institute

Song #1: This song refers to our language and culture. It is for us.

Song #2 This song is for the language.

Song #3: Greeting song. This song is used as a greeting by the Snoqualmie people.

Song #4: Shoes off song. This song is a celebration of taking our shoes off and reestablishing our connections to the Mother Earth.

Song #5: "Squirrel Song" The work is kind of easy. This is a challenge dance song. The dance itself represents the squirrel's chasing each other as often times seen in the woods. It consists of hopping low to the ground …

The Basic Course In Communication, Media Literacy, And The College Curriculum, Evelyn M. Ramsey

Journal of Media Literacy Education

V Various authors make excellent suggestions about the inclusion of public address, civility critical communication pedagogy and social justice into the basic course in communication studies. Media literacy pedagogy encourages students to actively and critically consider the messages they send and receive, critically assess all forms of communication, be encouraged to engage more actively with governmental affairs, understand the role of media and other messages in the construction of their own identities, and more effectively understand the role of values, standpoints, beliefs, etc. on their communication choices, as well as on those of others. However, the National Communication Association does …

News Media Literacy And Political Engagement: What’S The Connection?, Seth Ashley, Adam Maksl, Stephanie Craft

Journal of Media Literacy Education

Scholars and educators have long hoped that media education is positively related to pro-social goals such as political and civic engagement. With a focus on measuring news media literacy with emphasis on media knowledge, need for cognition and media locus of control, this study surveyed 537 college students and found positive relationships between news media literacy and two political engagement measures: current events knowledge and internal political efficacy. Findings show that news media literacy is not associated with political activity, although some dimensions of news media literacy are associated with lower levels of political trust. Results help to define significant …

Towards A Culturally Inclusive, Integrated, And Transdisciplinary Media Education Curriculum— A Case Study Of An International Ma Program At The University Of Lapland, Päivi M. Rasi, Heli Ruokamo, Mari Maasilta

Journal of Media Literacy Education

Internationalization presents both opportunities and challenges for higher education policies and curricula, as well as for teaching and learning methods. This article describes and discusses ongoing exploration and development of the planned curriculum of the MA in Media Education at the Faculty of Education at the University of Lapland, Finland in terms of cultural inclusion and the integration of disciplines. The study concludes that the planned curriculum now includes new content that better supports cultural inclusion. Nevertheless, it was established that several steps are needed to move toward a more inter- and even transdisciplinary media education higher education curriculum.

In Memoriam: Elizabeth Thoman, Renee Hobbs

Journal of Media Literacy Education

No abstract provided.

Harriet Tubman, Women On 20s, And Intersectionality: Public Memory And The Redesign Of Us Currency, Calvin Coker

Faculty Scholarship

This article analyzes representative texts from the public debate surrounding the Treasury Department’s decision to place Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill, showing that public memories of Tubman were complicated by an intersectional understanding of her role as a black woman abolitionist. Tubman’s femininity is emphasized to the detriment of her historical significance in a way that complicates Tubman’s relationship to currency as a victim of the slave trade. Using money as a technology of memorialization invites a deeper understanding of Tubman as a black anticapitalist woman, as her placement on money is read by some as ironic. The article …

Entertainment-Education Videos As A Persuasive Tool In The Substance Use Prevention Intervention "Keepin' It Real", Youngju Shin, Michelle Miller-Day, Michael L. Hecht, Janice L. Krieger

Communication Faculty Articles and Research

Based on social cognitive theory and narrative engagement theory, the current study examined hypothesized indirect effects of engagement with keepin’ it REAL (kiR) curriculum entertainment–education (E–E) videos on youth alcohol use via youth drug offer refusal efficacy. Students in 7th grade (N = 1,464) at 25 public schools in two Midwestern states were randomly assigned to one of the two versions of the kiR curriculum, the kiR urban version and the kiR rural version. Each version had their own set of five culturally-grounded E–E videos depicting communicative skills to refuse drug offers. Differential effects for engagement components …

Tools Of Change: Equipping Nonprofits With The Tools To Inspire Change, Nicole Irons

Masters Theses

Whether I am working for a small nonprofit in Indiana or at an elephant sanctuary in Cambodia I have seen consistent areas of struggle and shortcomings in nonprofit organizations. After years of working in different organizations the struggles nonprofits consistently face are a lack of resources in three main areas. These main areas of struggle are: visibility, funding, and people. The idea then occurred to me of why? And while these resources seem to appear unconnected, what if they all stem from one problem? Could we create a tool (or set of tools) to help alleviate these main struggles? Is …

Enabling Pain, Enabling Insight: Opening Up Possibilities For Chronic Pain In Disability Rhetoric And Rhetoric And Composition, Hilary Selznick

Theses and Dissertations

In the dissertation “Enabling Pain, Enabling Insight: Opening up Possibilities for Chronic Pain in Disability Rhetoric and Rhetoric and Composition,” Hilary Selznick argues that pain is rhetorical, accessible, and communicable to those without the lived experience of chronic pain. Additionally, she argues for the necessity of considering chronic pain as a disability and not merely as a symptom of a disability. In order to make these arguments possible, Selznick crafts a political-relational-rhetorical methodology that challenges restrictive models of disability and theoretical and commonplace assumptions that pain is resistant to language. Specifically, Selznick’s methodology, which combines disability scholar and activist Alison …

Assessing The Influence Of Career-Linked Experiential Opportunities On The F-1 Undergraduate Student Enrollment Decision-Making Process, Harrison Fuerst

Capstone Collection

International mobility efforts in the United States have garnered increased attention and funding in recent years, with such government-led initiatives as Generation Study Abroad and 100,000 Strong driving up inbound and outbound student numbers. Recent inbound mobility reports from the Institute of International Education show double-digit percentage increases in international student enrollment. Other countries also experiencing an influx of international students continue to research these trends to shape their own education strategies. Research conducted by the International Education Association of Australia points specifically to hands-on professional experience and enhanced employability as key factors important to Australia’s international student population. As …

Spiritual Media Experiences, Trait Transcendence, And Enjoyment Of Popular Films, Sophie Janicke, Srividya Ramasubramanian

Communication Faculty Articles and Research

Recent scholarship on media psychology acknowledges that media entertainment offers not only purely hedonistic enjoyment but also meaningful experiences. This study expands our understanding of media enjoyment by exploring the role of media entertainment in evoking spiritual emotions and beliefs, such as those related to connectedness, blessedness, and transcendence. Results from an online survey (N=220) indicate that media entertainment elicits meaningful as well as spiritual emotions and increases the saliency of spiritual beliefs as related to self-actualization and spiritual experiences in everyday life. Furthermore, trait transcendence and eudaimonic media motivations add to the explanation of audiences’ mediated spiritual experiences. Open-ended …

She Would Not Be Silenced: Mae West's Struggle Against Censorship, Charlotte N. Toledo

The Downtown Review

Mae West, an actress during Hollywood's Golden Age, used her fame on stage, in films, and on the radio to offer social commentary on relationships between men and women in society. Her irreverent style of addressing issues of female sexuality and power certainly caught peoples attention and made them think about these issues in new ways. At the same time, her racy delivery made her a target of stage, film, and radio censorship. She refused to be silenced and continually pushed against restrictions to deliver he message of empowerment in her trademark provocative manner.

Developing Digital Scholarship: Emerging Practices In Academic Libraries, Darren Sweeper

Sprague Library Scholarship and Creative Works

No abstract provided.

The Contribution Of Technology To An Undergraduate International Learning Partnership: The Ritual Perspective, Liene Ločmele, Barbara R. Burke

Communication, Media, and Rhetoric Publications

This study is part of a research project on a learning partnership between undergraduates of ViA, Latvia and UMM, USA. During the joint media course in Spring 2016, students participated in Skype discussions, completed shared assignments and reflected upon their learning experience. The transcripts of these activities form the body of qualitative data. We employ the perspective of Ethnography of Communication (Hymes, 1962; Philipsen, 1997) and Cultural Discourse Analysis (Carbaugh, 2007) in order to answer the following research questions: (1) what is the nature of the studied technology-mediated learning discourse, and (2) how dot he constructed meanings around the use …

Can Public Diplomacy Survive The Internet? Bots, Echo Chambers, And Disinformation, Shawn Powers, Markos Kounalakis

US Department of Energy Publications

Report from a meeting held on the topic of disinformation, the Internet, and public diplomacy held at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University, in 2017.

Executive Summary

Scientific progress continues to accelerate, and while we’ve witnessed a revolution in communication technologies in the past ten years, what proceeds in the next ten years may be far more transformative. It may also be extremely disruptive, challenging long held conventions behind public diplomacy (PD) programs and strategies. In order to think carefully about PD in this ever and rapidly changing communications space, the Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy (ACPD) convened a group of …

Students' Experiences Of Othering: Recommendations For Inclusive Classroom Climates, Stela Saltaga

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

As universities in the United States become increasingly diverse, the problem of “othering” in classrooms becomes an important issue to explore. Othering is the process of treating or perceiving one as different from ourselves, and can result in alienation and other challenges for students succeeding in higher education. Embracing a qualitative research approach, this study explores the experiences of “othering” through the stories of twelve students who have been treated differently than others in the classroom. The findings of this study provide insights into the complex relationships between “othering” and students’ experiences in the classroom, and contributes to more informed …

Visual Rhetoric And Semiotics In Scenic Design: A Pedagogical Analysis, Chris Guzzardo

Masters Theses

Scenic designers are professionals in theatre who design sets for the stage that communicate aspects of a performance, such as time of day, location, and era. Sets are supposed to lay a foundation to performances as they communicate information to audiences through visual design. Since visual rhetoric and semiotics play a big part in the successful completion of transmitting messages, knowledge of both concepts should be taught to scenic designers. This thesis provides a content analysis of ten popular books used by scenic designers and their respective education programs. The analysis provides a structured search for visual rhetoric and semiotic …

Sexual Assault Prevention On College Campuses, Using Community Based Participatory Research Strategies To Craft A Creative Response, Adrianne Beer

Honors Projects

Sexual assault prevention and education programs have been working to develop successful ways to decrease sexual assault for almost to decades. Research has shown that despite efforts there has yet to be a program that effects statistics regarding campus sexual assault. This essay addresses several issues that explain why prevention programs have fallen short. It includes the study of victim blaming, the college party narrative, stranger rape, and bystander intervention. Examples from first hand reports of sexual assault and the study of BGSU prevention programs are used. The essay also addresses how our culture plays a role in sexual assault, …

Information Sharing, Transparency, And E-Governance Among County Government Offices In Southeastern Michigan, Lawrence Bosek

All NMU Master's Theses

The Internet has given rise to the availability of information at our fingertips. While the public, particularly consumers, are more commonly described as being the leading users and beneficiaries of electronic information services, businesses and governments are also players in the arena for sharing official information. Information can be easily stored on Internet websites for the public, businesses, and other governmental offices to search and peruse when needed. This study examined the ease of locating county governmental information, such as contact information for public officials and financial reports, and surveyed elected county officials for purposes of identifying how information is …

Look To Our Campuses For Focus And Inspiration, Kathleen F. Mcconnell

Faculty Publications

Forum: Communication Activism Pedagogy. Response. Connecting students with broader social movements is a good way to inspire them. We should also recognize that many students arrive at college with a stake in social justice work and many engage in activism while in college. Supporting those efforts is another way of mentoring future social justice advocates.

Video Game Engagement, Gender, And Age: Examining Similarities And Differences In Motivation Between Those Who May Or May Not Play Video Games, Joseph Camarata

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research aims to fill a research gap by examining video games to explore whether gender, age, or hours played per week would exert any influence on the information of those who may or may not play video games. Mood Management Theory and Uses and Gratification Theory were used as the theoretical foundation for this study. Four-hundred-three East Tennessee State University students who received the survey via email were asked to voluntarily participate in a survey about their motivations behind playing video games. Results from MANOVA showed that the motivations of male participants on video games were significantly higher than …