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Speech and Rhetorical Studies Commons

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Theses/Dissertations

2010

Discipline
Institution
Keyword
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Articles 1 - 11 of 11

Full-Text Articles in Speech and Rhetorical Studies

Shock Rhetoric, David Robert Nelson Dec 2010

Shock Rhetoric, David Robert Nelson

Dissertations

Social movements create a public perception of themselves through rhetorical messages and demonstrations. In order to gain the public's attention, some radical groups use any rhetorical means necessary, including offensive remarks and conduct. Groups, such as the Westboro Baptist Church and Bash Back!, rhetorically challenge the boundaries of prudence. The purpose of this study is to identify, depict, and provide insight regarding shock rhetoric. This study will compare protest methods, visual imagery, and language choices used by Bash Back! and the Westboro Baptist Church. This dissertation helps illuminate why and how groups or individuals use shock rhetoric.


Kairotic Strategema: A Rhetorical Investigation Of Barack Obama’S 2009 Health Care Address, Serena M. Sánchez-Wilson Dec 2010

Kairotic Strategema: A Rhetorical Investigation Of Barack Obama’S 2009 Health Care Address, Serena M. Sánchez-Wilson

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This thesis examines President Barack Obama’s address given on September 9, 2009 entitled “Remarks by the President to a Joint Session of Congress on Health Care.” In order to address various situational and contextual elements such as legislative ambiguity, national expense, bureaucratic intrusion, abortion, euthanasia and illegal immigration, President Obama opportunely enters the conversation at a particular time so as to benefit his agenda of passing health care reform. Revolving around the notion of kairotic strategema, which includes the understating of deliberative address as well as the possession of kairos and phronesis, I assert that this aids President …


The Rhetorical Subversion Of Populism: Palinism In The 2008 Election, Allison Margaret Kearney Jun 2010

The Rhetorical Subversion Of Populism: Palinism In The 2008 Election, Allison Margaret Kearney

Communication Studies

No abstract provided.


Labeling Disability In America, Nicole C. Webster Jun 2010

Labeling Disability In America, Nicole C. Webster

Communication Studies

This paper explores how labels are used in regard to disabilities in the dominant American culture. Ignorance is the link between language and discrimination and inequalities for people with disabilities. Americans can be educated through disability studies so as to become capable of empathizing with and enabling, rather than disabling, their compatriots.


A Rhetorical History Of The Office Of Legal Counsel, William O’Donnal Saas May 2010

A Rhetorical History Of The Office Of Legal Counsel, William O’Donnal Saas

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

For over seventy-five years, the Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) has played a significant role in the crafting of executive policy rhetoric. Yet, within the scholarship in presidential and rhetorical studies, the OLC remains one of the least understood and, thus, underappreciated forces behind executive policy action. This thesis seeks to bridge the research gap by: (1) accounting for the OLC's rhetorical history through discussion of available "opinions" and their rhetorical consequences; and (2) by submitting a case study from the OLC's rhetorical history to critical analysis. Often, I will argue, the OLC "co-invented" international and domestic policies with White …


Mere Christianity: The Lasting Work Of C.S. Lewis, Stephanie Jeanne Johnson May 2010

Mere Christianity: The Lasting Work Of C.S. Lewis, Stephanie Jeanne Johnson

Communication Studies

No abstract provided.


I Am Journalism (And So Can You!): Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, And The Role Of The Journalist, Eugene Wagner May 2010

I Am Journalism (And So Can You!): Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, And The Role Of The Journalist, Eugene Wagner

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Satire news has garnered considerable critical attention, yet the question of just what mainstream journalism might take from it has yet to be asked. This study aims to clarify the normative potential of such alternative discursive approaches. Geoffrey Baym's theory of discursive integration, which argues that once distinct modes of discourse are now blending together, may help explain the relationship between humor and the mediation of current events. This study uses a discourse analysis to compare how mainstream television news outlets and The Daily Show approach truth claims, finding that journalistic credibility suffers, at least in part, from avoiding critical …


Uniting A Nation: A Close Textual Analysis Of Barack Obama's Inaugural Address, Thomas Michael Gatta Mar 2010

Uniting A Nation: A Close Textual Analysis Of Barack Obama's Inaugural Address, Thomas Michael Gatta

Communication Studies

An analysis of Barack Obama's Inaugural Address. The author aims to look into the hidden mechanisms and meanings in Obama's address. He uses Close Reading, or Close Textual Analysis to discover what Obama was trying to portray to the audience that day. On this historical occasion the author argues Obama uses a precise pattern and stylistic qualities such as metaphors to enunciate a theme of 'we' and 'us' with the audience. The author aims to reveal how Obama gave an effective speech despite some of the political experts' opinions. Obama urges to the nation that the only way for America …


Wall-E'S Rhetoric: An Ecological Sermon From A Strange Preacher, Jennifer A. English Mar 2010

Wall-E'S Rhetoric: An Ecological Sermon From A Strange Preacher, Jennifer A. English

Communication Studies

No abstract provided.


Image Restoration In Major League Baseball: An Analysis Of Apologia Strategies During The Steroid Era, Shareef C. Stratton Mar 2010

Image Restoration In Major League Baseball: An Analysis Of Apologia Strategies During The Steroid Era, Shareef C. Stratton

Communication Studies

No abstract provided.


Communally Discerning A Covenant Of Hospitality For The Care Of Children At Westview Boys' Home, Ron Bruner Jan 2010

Communally Discerning A Covenant Of Hospitality For The Care Of Children At Westview Boys' Home, Ron Bruner

Doctor of Ministry Theses

This project addressed the lack of a covenant defining the practice of hospitality towards children for team members of Westview Boys’ Home. The purpose of the project was to facilitate the creation of such a covenant. The Westview ministry team already claimed hospitality as a strength; the hope was that reframing the ministry around this strength would improve the quality of care for children and the quality of life for the community. Invited into a communal discernment process (the methodology), the ministry team invested weeks in the examination of biblical texts, theological tradition, personal and communal narratives, cultural trends, psychological …