Speech and Rhetorical Studies Commons^™

Front Matter

Speaker & Gavel

Front matter and table of contents for volume 56, issue 1 of Speaker & Gavel.

The Ethics Of Occultic Communication: An Invocation Of Joshua Gunn And Sissela Bok, James Thomas Begley Jr.

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Occultic rhetoric, according to Joshua Gunn, is a genre of discourse concerned with the study and practice of secret communications. The strategic sharing of secret messages involves a host of methods and conventions designed for the selective disclosure of hidden knowledge, thus controlling the boundaries of (and accessibility to power between) insider and outsider groups. Occultic rhetoric has its uses in everyday encounters, but the abuse of such manipulative strategies, especially by those in the academy and other positions of power and trust, calls for an ethical response. This dissertation submits occultic rhetoric to moral investigation by incorporating the works ...

When Humanity Meets Technology: Contemplating Neil Postman's Critique Of Advertising, Yingwen Wang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This project aims to contemplate Postman’s critique of advertising and offer insights to understand Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC) in today’s mediated environment. As an essential component of IMC, the history of advertising demonstrates and documents that the medium of communication has an extensive influence on IMC practices. The concern about how communication media affect human perception, understanding, and behavior, resides within the central claim of the study of media ecology. Thus, this project investigates IMC through the lens of Postman’s media ecology perspectives, and argues that Postman’s prescient ideas provide both hope and constructive insights. Moreover ...

A Rhetorical Analysis Of Opening Statements In Trial: Reconsidering The Classical Canon Of Invention, Andrew Chandler

Undergraduate Theses

This analysis of 21 opening statements probes at current persuasive practices employed by trial attorneys through the lens of mainstream legal advice and an expanded definition of rhetorical invention – one which includes both discovery and creation. An evaluation of such practice reveals the utility, and furthermore the duty of the advocate, to draw upon an expanded realm of available arguments.

Rhetoric And Ethics: A Burkean Analysis Of Modern Cult (And Anti-Cult) Tactics, Lydia Erickson

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Cults are a unique aspect of modern and past society, and their study is driven by questions of persuasion and communication. One of the key critiques against cults is their use of coercion and persuasive messaging to recruit new members. This study examines the rhetorical methods used by two groups labeled as cults, the Twelve Tribes and Full Circle, and the Cult Information Centre, an anti-cult group, on their public website domains. These specific groups were chosen because they are understudied and lesser-known with few publications about their practices. This study uses a traditional Burkean analysis of rhetorical methods through ...

Call Me Maybe: An Analysis Of The Effect Of The Celebrity Persona On The American Telethon, Kyra Meister

Syracuse University Honors Program Capstone Projects

This study examines the relationship between the celebrity persona and the American telethon. Today, it is rare to find a celebrity that is not connected to a specific, charitable or social cause, making apparent strides in the charity industry because of their ability to influence the general public. In the last 70 years, telethons have evolved in a myriad of ways because celebrities and charity are intertwined. Most significantly, the seriousness and sacredness of the American telethon has decreased because of how many telethons are currently in existence. Additionally, an increase in the number of celebrities involved in telethons has ...

Relationship Between Joint Attention And Language In Multiparous And Uniparous Households, Hannah C. Manis

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The present study was designed to examine differences in the effect of the number of children in the household (also known as “parity”) on the relationship between initiating joint attention (IJA) and language development. We reasoned that infants who are only children (i.e., in uniparous homes), relative to infants who have one or more siblings (i.e., in multiparous homes), would have more opportunity to engage in IJA, and would, therefore, acquire a larger number of object labels. We tested the hypotheses that: 1) there would be a positive correlation between the number of IJA bids and language overall ...

Why Study Language? Discussing Language And Its Influence On Gender Discrimination, Katelyn Eisenmann

Honors Projects

An applied research project, with the culminating piece being a panel discussion that focused on the ways in which language use and structure contribute to attitudes and perceptions of gender within our society, and the politics that surround concepts of gender.

Rhetoric Of The Far Right: A Rhetorical Analysis Of Donald Trump And Viktor Orbán, Hannah Batten

The Review: A Journal of Undergraduate Student Research

This research consists of a rhetorical analysis of two world leaders: Donald Trump, president of the United States, and Viktor Orban, Prime Minister of Hungary. The particular lens of this rhetoric is that of the political far-right. This research works to compare the rhetorical devise and strategies used by two different world leaders that possess some overlapping elements in terms of their political agendas. While this work involves political elements by nature, it does not intend to promote or refute any form of political ideology, rather it is a purely rhetorical analysis.

Fighting The Formula: Adherence To Unspoken Rules Limit The Value Of Individual Events, Eric Mishne

Communication Faculty Publications

Forensics is one of the most valuable activities in which college students can be involved. However, the strict adherence to formula and unspoken rules diminishes the educational benefits. This article explores an extensive body of literature highlighting the concerns of formulaic practices in collegiate forensics. The author asserts that authenticity, genuine learning, transferability of skills, innovation, and high quality speaking are the biggest victims of stringent adherence to the forensic formula. Specific recommendations for competitors, judges, coaches, and organizing bodies are given, suggesting that there are alternatives which can mitigate growing concerns.

Public Meeting Announcement, Speech-Language Pathology Program

Andrews Agenda: Campus News

No abstract provided.

Student Service To The High School Forensics Community: Insights Gained From Hosting The Annual Singletary Speech And Debate Tournament, Kelsey Bruce

Student Engagement Posters

Kelsey Bruce discusses student engagement at Linfield College with regard to hosting the annual Singletary Speech and Debate Tournament.

Living, Learning, And Leading At Linfield College, Kelsey Bruce

Student Engagement Posters

Kelsey Bruce discusses student engagement at Linfield College with regard to leadership through student/faculty collaborative research with Dr. Megan Bestwick, speech and debate, and the Linfield Residence Life team.

Fossil-Fueled Discourse, Henry Walter

Crossing Borders: A Multidisciplinary Journal of Undergraduate Scholarship

As industrial civilization confronts the realities of devastating global climate change and the local environmental catastrophes precipitated by coal, oil, and natural gas extraction, this paper moves away from mainstream analyses of demand-side choices and instead considers how miners and rig workers make decisions surrounding the ethicality of their work. This article considers corporate publications including investor and sustainability reports and company-sponsored employee magazines, industry magazines, and news sources in top-producing fossil fuel producing localities in the United States. A discursive analysis of this set of publications uncovers a dense rhetorical lattice of misinformation and disinformation surrounding fossil fuel workers ...

Using From The Heartland In The First-Year Writing Classroom: Measuring Instructor Reception Of The Customized Textbook, Sarah Cohen

Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

The aim of the first-year writing program at the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) is to equip students with critical reading and writing tools and strategies to advance effective written communication well into their future. This study examines and measures attitudes of UNO composition instructors – who come from a variety of pedagogical and theoretical backgrounds – toward the efficacy of UNO’s self-published Composition I textbook, From the Heartland: Critical Reading and Writing at UNO. In many ways, From the Heartland embraces what Richard Fulkerson refers to as “a critical cultural pedagogy” which encourages students to consider personal identity, power ...

A Picture's Worth A Reputation: Visual And Environmental Arguments In Abandoned Disney Park Photographs, Allegra Hardin

Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

This rhetorical criticism analyzes photographs of the Walt Disney Company's abandoned parks, River Country and Discovery Island, taken by Seph Lawless and Shane Perez respectively. Using Foss's (2004) rhetorical focus area of nature, a sample of photographs from Lawless (2016) and Perez's (2009) blogs is analyzed to identify the visual and environmental arguments within the photographs. Noting how these images and the parks themselves are shrouded in obscurity, this essay maintains that the visual and environmental arguments present within the photographs directly challenge the Walt Disney Company's image and calls into question the company's environmental ...

Reducing Anxiety While Boosting Creativity: Lessons From The Progymnasmata, Bryan Blankfield

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

The fear of public speaking is a widely shared among individuals. This can be difficult to overcome when students are assigned several large, heavily-weighted speeches with few opportunities to become acclimated to standing in front of an audience. Several times throughout the semester students are assigned a 2–3 minute long speech inspired by the progymnasmata (a series of rhetorical exercises from Ancient Greece). The speeches vary widely from presenting a fable to impersonating an individual.

Critically Thinking About Real-World Content And Practices: The Theory Show & Tell, Erika Engstrom

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

Analytical and communication skills list high on employers’ priorities. Beyond assessing comprehension through exams and research papers, this project requires, pilot research using content analysis, in-class presentation, short-form synthesis of findings.

Reality In The Classroom: Teaching Critical Thinking With Scenarios, Timothy T. Self

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

One of the challenges for hospitality educators is to develop critical thinking skills in the future leaders of the industry. It is often thought that students will develop this skill as a by product of course work, but research indicates that it must be explicitly taught.

Missing The (Turning) Point: The Erosion Of Democracy At An American University, Anthony Fucci, Theresa Catalano

Faculty Publications: Department of Teaching, Learning and Teacher Education

On August 25, 2017, student members of Turning Point USA (TPUSA), a right-wing conservative organization who advocates for smaller government and free market enterprise, recruited on the University of Nebraska–Lincoln (UNL) campus. Members of the UNL community protested nearby. Part of the protest was recorded on video and released to social media leading to harsh public criticism that accused the university of restricting free speech and being an unsafe environment for conservative students. Drawing on cognitive linguistics (e.g. metonymy, framing) and multimodal critical discourse analysis (MCDA), this paper explores how the TPUSA incident at UNL was recontextualized in ...

Naming The Lies: A Spiritual Diagnostic Tool For The Leaders Of Kairos, Christopher M. Brooks Sr.

Doctor of Ministry Projects

The purpose of this project is to equip the leaders of the Kairos congregation at Brentwood Baptist Church in Nashville, Tennessee to utilize a spiritual diagnostic tool in small group settings to name the lies keeping them from maturing in Christ. Having experienced catalytic growth in its early years, the Kairos staff must adapt to the increasing pastoral and discipleship needs of young adults. Without a leadership pipeline to equip and train leaders to address the unique needs of young adults, small groups have struggled to develop a strategic approach to spiritual formation for leaders other than lecture environments. The ...

Directions For The Future Of Technology In Pronunciation Research And Teaching, Mary G. O'Brien, Tracey M. Derwing, Catia Cucchiarini, Debra M. Hardison, Hansjorg Mixdorff, Ron I. Thomson, Helmer Strik, John M. Levis, Murray J. Munro, Jennifer A. Foote, Greta M. Levis

English Publications

This paper reports on the role of technology in state-of-the-art pronunciation research and instruction, and makes concrete suggestions for future developments. The point of departure for this contribution is that the goal of second language (L2) pronunciation research and teaching should be enhanced comprehensibility and intelligibility as opposed to native-likeness. Three main areas are covered here. We begin with a presentation of advanced uses of pronunciation technology in research with a special focus on the expertise required to carry out even small-scale investigations. Next, we discuss the nature of data in pronunciation research, pointing to ways in which future work ...

Effects Of Phonomotor Treatment On Discourse Production, Joann P. Silkes, Gerasimos Fergadiotis, Rebecca Hunting Pompon, Janaki Torrence, Diane L. Kendall

Speech and Hearing Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background: Aphasia is an acquired language disorder that makes it difficult for people to produce and comprehend language, with all people with aphasia (PWA) demonstrating difficulty accessing and selecting words (anomia). While aphasia treatments typically focus on a single aspect of language, such as word retrieval, the ultimate goal of aphasia therapy is to improve communication, which is best seen at the level of discourse.

Aims: This retrospective study investigated the effects of one effective anomia therapy, Phonomotor Treatment (PMT), on discourse production.

Methods & Procedures: Twenty-six PWA participated in 60 h of PMT, which focuses on building a person’s ...

Rhetoric Of Labelling, Hatred, Oppression, Jon P. Radwan

Jon P. Radwan

George Carter Collection, George Carter

Center for Restoration Studies Archives, Manuscripts and Personal Papers Finding Aids

No abstract provided.

Complete Volume 29(1-4)

Speaker & Gavel

Complete digitized volume (volume 29, issue 1-4, Fall 1991/Winter 1992/Spring 1992/Summer 1992) of Speaker & Gavel.

Complete Issue 24(1)

Speaker & Gavel

Complete digitized issue (volume 24, issue 1, Fall 1986) of Speaker & Gavel.

Complete Issue 24(2-4)

Speaker & Gavel

Complete digitized issue (volume 24, issue 2-4, Winter 1987/Spring 1987/Summer 1987) of Speaker & Gavel.

Call For Manuscripts

Basic Communication Course Annual

No abstract provided.

Administrative Information: Section Introduction

Basic Communication Course Annual

No abstract provided.