Speech and Rhetorical Studies Commons^™

Effect Of Therapist-Initiated Versus Self-Initiated Vestibular Stimulation On Vocalization In Children With Autism, Carol L. Maddox

Masters Theses

Therapist-initiated vestibular stimulation was compared to self-initiated stimulation to determine their relative effects on vocalization in children with autism. Vocalizations produced during table-top activities were also compared to those produced during vestibular stimulation. Two children with autism participated in the study. Vestibular stimulation was provided by a hammock swing. All vocalizations were recorded during a total of thirteen 15-minute test sessions.

Results indicated that in this study: (a) There was no significant difference in quantity of vocalizations produced during self-initiated versus therapist-initiated vestibular stimulation, and (b) there was a significant increase in vocalizations during vestibular stimulation as compared to during …

Inspiring A Church To Dream, Jerry Austin Jenkins

Doctor of Ministry Theses

No abstract provided.

The Rhetoric Of Rescue, Mary Blakeman

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This thesis examines the television reporters' verbal depictions of two rescue events, the rescue of Jessica McClure in 1987 and the rescue of three whales at Pt. Barrow, Alaska in 1988, in order to discover what rhetorical techniques were used to appeal to the public interest. Analog criticism, metaphorical analysis and pentadic analysis were used to discover the dominant language reporters chose. Three main conclusions were drawn from this analysis: (1) use of the dramatistic pentad showed how reporters focused public attention away from the purpose,(2) verbal and visual depictions cannot be separated when studying television news stories and (3) …

Campaign Apologia As Process: Dan Quayle's Defense Of His National Guard Service, Paula Harrison

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This thesis contains an analysis of apologia from the 1988 national presidential campaign which resulted from Republican vice-presidential candidate Dan Quayle's disclosure that he served in the National Guard during the Vietnam War. Quayle's revelation created a "gaffe sequence" played out in the media over a period of approximately two weeks. The rhetorical situation dictated the use of an eclectic methodology to evaluate apologia generated in response to media questions about Quayle's avoidance of active military service.

Quayle's defense included minimalizing the issue through avoidance and denial during staged and spontaneous contact with the media, and also the rhetorical support …

Establishing The Phenomenon: The Rhetoric Of Early Research Reports On Aids, Carol Reeves

Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

In the first three medical reports on AIDS which were published in 1981 in the New England Journal of Medicine, the writers' primary rhetorical agenda was to argue that a new medical discovery had been made. A secondary agenda was to offer etiological explanations for the new problem. To establish the new disease entity as deserving serious attention, the writers built a sense of mystery by confronting established medical knowledge about immunodeficiency and emphasizing the inability of modern medicine to diagnose and treat the problem. When they explained the phenomenon in etiological terms, rather than confronting the disciplinary matrix, the …

Communication Apprehension In The Basic Course: Learning Styles And Preferred Instructional Strategies Of High And Low Apprehensive Students, John Bourhis, Charlene Berquist

Basic Communication Course Annual

Students who experience high levels of communication apprehension are at a distinct disadvantage in school when compared to those who do not. This is particularly true in basic courses in public speaking and interpersonal communication which students may be required to take to satisfy general education requirements. This study examines the relationship between communication apprehension, learning style, and preferred instructional strategies for students enrolled in a basic course in interpersonal communication. The results indicate that communication-apprehensive students are more passive than active in their learning styles. Both low and high communication-apprehensive students prefer instructional strategies which are consistent with their …

Some Student Perceptions Of Grades Received On Speeches, Ted J. Foster, Michael Smilowitz, Marilyn S. Foster, Lynn A. Phelps

Basic Communication Course Annual

Frequent evaluation of student work is standard practice in basic courses. Frequent evaluation assumes a relationship between the evaluation and improved performance. In higher education, evaluations are often expressed as grades. This study examines the relationship between twelve grades students receive on their speeches, and the affective and motivational effects those grades might have.

Generally, the study found that students prefer higher grades but are motivated by lower grades. Specifically, the study indicates disparity between instructor intention in using pluses and minuses with grades and student reaction to the pluses and minuses.

The Basic Course: What Do We Know? What Do We Need To Know? Where Do We Go From Here?, Nancy L. Buerkel-Rothfuss, David L. Kosloski

Basic Communication Course Annual

Research in the basic course in the 1980s was largely atheoretical and limited in generalizability, both inside and outside of speech communication.

While there is nothing wrong with an applied approach to teaching and learning, that approach needs to be augmented by more generalizable studies. Research guided by theoretical frameworks or based on prior findings tends to be more valuable than the tendency for basic course directors to search for hypotheses in less systematic ways.

The review of literature presented in this paper reveals an extensive typology of basic course variables but no clear framework within which to conduct future …

Contents

Basic Communication Course Annual

No abstract provided.

Dedication, Michael R. Schliessman

Basic Communication Course Annual

A tribute to Norman H. Watson, to whose memory we dedicate this issue of the Basic Communication Course Annual.

Beyond Writing: A Case For A Speech-Based Basic Course In A Vid-Oral World, W. Lance Haynes

Basic Communication Course Annual

Recent developments in media studies research suggest ways basic course curricula may be inappropriately biased toward written mediation and the forms of cognition writing engenders. This paper explores the media-cognition relationship to argue for teaching oral communication from a different perspective.

First, the concept of "ways of thinking" reveals some ways media inherently affect communication. Then parallels between the new "vid-oral" media and the pre-literate oralist tradition suggest foundations for a speech-based basic course.

A Program Of Rater Training For Evaluating Public Speeches Combining Accuracy And Error Approaches, Nancy Rost Goulden

Basic Communication Course Annual

Systematic rater training results in higher validity and reliability for scores from either classroom speeches or speeches from wide-scale testing. This paper includes a complete script for rater training using a combination of two training methods: error training to sensitize raters to their biases and accuracy training to insure rater understanding of criteria and processes of rating.

The script is designed to provide training for either the analytic or holistic method and has been shown to result in reliable, valid speech scoring.

The Required Course And The Advanced Student: A Placement Perspective, Michael R. Schliessmann, Laurie B. Haleta

Basic Communication Course Annual

Advanced placement describes a system in which incoming freshman students are invited to elect an advanced speech course, in lieu of taking the university required Speech course. The system is not an exemption system, like practiced in other colleges and universities. It allows the speech faculty to choose qualified students who have competence beyond the basic course. The paper describes the system, analyzes its advantages and discusses perceived disadvantages.

An Investigation Into The Communication Needs And Concerns Of Asian Students In Speech Communication Performance Classes, Ester Yook, William J. Seiler

Basic Communication Course Annual

The University of Nebraska is one of the many institutions of higher education in the United States with a growing foreign student enrollment. Consequently, the numbers of foreign students enrolled in speech communication classes has been increasing. There, however, is currently a lack of systematic investigation into the needs and concerns of foreign students in speech performance classes. This study investigates the needs and concerns of Asian students in speech performance classes.

The study uses three methods to determine the needs of Asian students: (1) participant observation, (2) survey and (3) focus group interviews. The findings show that Asian students …

A Rhetorical Analysis Of "Lincoln, The First American," A Speech By Franklin Baldwin Wiley, John Trist Wiley

Masters Theses

Purpose of the Study

The purpose of this study was to analyze the speech "Lincoln, The First American" given on February 12, 1913 by Franklin Baldwin Wiley.

Hypothesis

It was hypothesized that a rhetorical analysis of "Lincoln, The First American" would give significant rhetorical and historical insights into Lincoln, into Franklin Baldwin Wiley, and into the times of both men.

Materials

This study primarily relied on the written works of Franklin Baldwin Wiley. Appendix A contains a copy of the original transcript of the speech "Lincoln, The First American." This speech was selected because of its rhetorical-historical value.

Methodology

This …

Title Page

Basic Communication Course Annual

No abstract provided.

Editor's Page, Lawrence W. Hugenberg

Basic Communication Course Annual

This volume is the result of tremendous dedication and the ongoing belief in the need to provide a publication outlet for research and information dedicated solely to the basic communication course. Many people have contributed their time, energy and talents to this volume. I first want to recognize the excellent work provided by the Editorial Board who worked to meet my deadlines and provide useful feedback to the authors to help them revise and/or resubmit their research. Without excellent cooperation from each of the reviewers, the annual would not be complete.

The Future Of The Basic Course, Judy C. Pearson, Paul E. Nelson

Basic Communication Course Annual

This article recommends some changes that should occur in the basic course. The prescriptions are based on four notions: the course must include accurate information; it should be inclusive in nature; it must be responsive to our contemporary world and to our students' current and future communicative needs; and it must provide a unique contribution to our students' education. The authors suggest that the course has not been sufficiently attentive to accuracy, inclusiveness, responsiveness and uniqueness; furthermore, contemporary changes require increased vigilance in these areas.

Evaluating The Basic Course: Using Research To Meet The Communication Needs Of The Students, Lyn B. Bendtschneider, Douglas M. Trank

Basic Communication Course Annual

This paper presents a rationale for evaluating the basic course to determine the extent to which it meets the communication needs of the students. The results of a study undertaken at one institution are offered to illustrate the questions and implications such an evaluation might address. The literature relevant to basic course assessments are reviewed, and suggestions for basic course programs undertaking this type of evaluation are discussed.

A Communication Based Model Of Friendship For The Interpersonal Communication Course, Rod Troester

Basic Communication Course Annual

This paper presents a model of friendship drawn from the friendship research of S.W. Duck and the management approach to interpersonal communication of S.A. Deetz and S.L. Stevenson.

Duck's research is briefly summarized and offered as a theoretical and conceptual foundation for understanding the psychological or cognitive dimensions of friendship. The Management Approach to interpersonal communication, researched by Deetz and Stevenson, is developed as a means for understanding the behavior dimensions associated with the conduct of friendship.

These complementing approaches are integrated using the general systems notions of structure, function and evolution. The approaches and model are discussed as they …

The Basic Course At U.S. Colleges And Universities: V, James W. Gibson, Michael S. Hanna, Greg Leichty

Basic Communication Course Annual

This paper reports the results of a survey undertaken to determine the nature of the basic course in speech as it is now taught at United States colleges and universities, and to identify important trends in instruction of the basic communication course.

It appears that enrollment in the basic course is increasing. Findings are also reported concerning the orientation taken in the basic course, along with information on instructional methods used and administrative concerns connected with the basic course. The various implications of the findings are discussed.

Author Identification

Basic Communication Course Annual

Biographical information about the authors and editors who contributed to this issue

Editorial Board

Basic Communication Course Annual

No abstract provided.

Basic Communication Course Annual Vol. 2

Basic Communication Course Annual

Full issue (285 pages, 9.75 MB)

The Bush Administration And The War On Drugs: An Exploratory Weaverian Rhetorical Analysis Of Ultimate Terms And Arguments As Weapons In The War On Drugs, James R. Conley

Masters Theses

One of the least studied trends in contemporary rhetorical discourse is what Richard Weaver called the ultimate "devil term,"--words which serve as the ultimate symbols of repulsion and repellant. Weaver claimed that the word "communist" was the ultimate devil term in the 1950s. However, it is the belief of this author that the new ultimate devil term of the 1990s is the word "drug."

This study sought to determine whether or not a shift in ultimate terms had occurred by examining the speeches of President George Bush and other members of his Administration associated with the war on drugs. A …