Rhetoric and Composition Commons^™

Enhancing Corporate Prayer Of The Clearwater Church Of Christ, Lyle Hinsdale

Doctor of Ministry Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation was designed to enhance corporate prayer in the Clearwater Church of Christ. The dissertation explores the formative role of corporate prayer in congregational life and how intentional engagement with the Psalms can deepen the theological and spiritual practice of prayer within a local church. Corporate prayer can slip into habitual practice with limited theological range or emotional depth. This project investigates whether structured use of the Psalms as a model for prayer can expand the language, theological imagination, and engagement in the prayers of a worshiping community. The study used participatory action research methodology and was conducted within …

Against Despair: Hope As Rhetorical Practice In Chicana Theatre, Esperanza Arreola

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This thesis argues that Chicana theatre functions as survival pedagogy—a rhetorical practice that teaches communities to name structural violence, transform bodily trauma into collective power, and rehearse liberation as a precondition for enacting it. Drawing on Kenneth Burke’s concept of literature as “equipment for living,” Augusto Boal’s Theatre of the Oppressed, and Cynthia M. Sheard’s reconceptualization of epideictic rhetoric as community formation, I analyze three plays that exemplify this pedagogy: Cherríe Moraga’s Heroes and Saints (1992) and The Hungry Woman: A Mexican Medea (2001), and Josefina López’s Real Women Have Curves (1990).

These works address distinct but interlocking forms of …

The Journey Of Accompaniment: Pastoral Care Education For The Laity At The University Church Of Christ In Abilene, Tx, Alejandro Ezquerra

Doctor of Ministry Theses and Dissertations

This Doctor of Ministry project addresses the need for intentional pastoral care formation among lay members at the University Church of Christ in Abilene, Texas, with particular attention to its bilingual ministry context. Grounded in the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers as articulated in 1 Pet 2:9, the project argues that pastoral care is not the exclusive responsibility of ordained clergy but a shared calling within the body of Christ. In response to congregational interest in chaplaincy and caregiving, a five-session curriculum titled The Journey of Accompaniment: Forming Hearts for the Ministry of Care was developed to equip …

The Bridge, Bridgewater State University

the bridge

No abstract provided.

When An Untraditional Linguist Speaks - A Cultural Self-Analysis Of Untraditional Language, Justin Lambert

RhetTech

This essay presents a cultural and linguistic self-analysis that challenges dominant ideologies surrounding “proper” English in academic spaces. Through a blend of personal narrative and scholarly engagement, the author examines the legitimacy and rhetorical power of Black Language as a dynamic, historically rooted, and intellectually rigorous mode of communication. Drawing on the work of Geneva Smitherman, April Baker-Bell, and Vershawn Ashanti Young, the essay situates Black Language within traditions of contrastive rhetoric while actively applying code-meshing as both method and practice. Tracing the author’s linguistic development across familial, cultural, and academic contexts, the piece reveals how code switching and linguistic …

The Body As Architecture: Reframing Spacesuit Mobility Through Mechanical Counterpressure And Human-Centered Design, Kenza Iddir

RhetTech

For more than 60 years, the spacesuit has served as the single most critical, yet structurally constrained, element of human spaceflight. Its dual identity as both a protective exoskeleton and a life-sustaining pressure shell has shaped the design and performance of every extravehicular activity (EVA) system ever flown. As exploration shifts toward long-duration lunar and Martian missions, the limitations of these traditional “mobile pressure chambers” have become increasingly apparent, particularly in relation to mobility, metabolic cost, and environmental durability. This paper presents the historical evolution of gas-pressurized suits and the constraining biomechanical and material factors since the earliest EVA missions. …

A Curriculum To Empower And Equip Women For Leadership In The Monash City Church Of Christ In Melbourne, Australia, Devni Yasindra Attygalle

Doctor of Ministry Theses and Dissertations

This thesis addresses women in Christian leadership in the Monash City Church of Christ Melbourne, Australia. The problem identified within this ministry context was a lack of appropriate theological teaching around women in leadership, especially in the areas of preaching, teaching, and leading, which has led to misconceptions and prejudices in the minds of church members, negatively impacting the congregation’s mission. The purpose of the project was to develop a curriculum specific to MCCOC that provides a theological foundation for advocating for future senior leadership roles for women. The curriculum provides biblical teaching on women in leadership that will equip …

Digital Orientalism: Examining Eastern Practices In The Wellness Industry, Celia Golden

Departmental Honors & Graduate Capstone Projects

As popularity rises for global and domestic wellness retreats as tourist destinations, their predominantly Western audience invites an American offshoot of Orientalism that commodifies Asian names and practices into “mindfulness.” This paper examines the guest guide of the Miraval Berkshires wellness facility and its treatment of Eastern practices. Findings revealed 55.6% of the specialists at the Miraval Berkshires employ Eastern techniques, and 74.14% of those offerings are restricted to paid and private sessions to create exclusivity. The word “ancient” is disproportionately leveled against Eastern practices in the guest guide to further cement them as relics of the past. Alongside minimalist …

Geographic Bias In Ai: How Llm Outputs Vary By Location, Alekya Bongu

RhetTech

This paper explores the inherent biases present in Large Language Model (LLM) outputs. As AI use becomes more widespread, it is extremely important to examine the implicit biases in these models, as AI will only perpetuate inaccuracies. By understanding the implications of using AI, we can use it in a way that causes the least harm. Using Hofstede’s cultural onion to structure research questions, I tested four LLMs—ChatGPT, Pi.ai, Qwen, and DeepSeek—across three different geographic locations: the United States, India, and Ireland. The findings demonstrate that while LLMs can adjust some content based on a user’s location, they frequently default …

How Astroworld’S “Blame Game” Prevented The Formation Of Institutional Public Memory, Vedant Patil

RhetTech

This paper looks at why the 2021 Astroworld tragedy in Houston did not become institutional public memory despite its scale and impact. Institutional public memory refers to the formal recognition of collective trauma through memorials. Drawing on media analysis and Vilanova’s (2025) study, this paper argues that the absence of an official memorial stems largely from racialized media narratives that placed disproportionate blame on the predominantly Black audience and hip-hop culture. This framing took attention away from structural failures such as poor crowd control and event planning, which reduced institutional pressure to memorialize the victims. While spontaneous community memorials demonstrated …

Eugenics Rhetoric In C.S. Lewis’S That Hideous Strength And Essays, Michelle Griffin

RhetTech

In the book That Hideous Strength, C.S. Lewis depicts the National Institute of Co-ordinated Experiments (N.I.C.E.) as an exclusive organization dominated by scientists, academics, and state authorities, mirroring the professional middle class that shaped British eugenics in the 20th century. Throughout the book there is evidence of eugenics discourse relating to human experimentation, feeblemindedness, sterilization of the “unfit,” as well as the role of power dynamics, all of which points to That Hideous Strength being an intentional representation of the eugenics discourse happening in Britian around the same time in which Lewis wrote the book. There is substantial evidence …

Rosemary’S Baby Is Immaculate, Alana L. Lee

RhetTech

This essay examines the legacy of Roman Polanski’s Rosemary’s Baby (1968) and its influence on modern horror media, specifically Michael Mohan’s Immaculate (2024). Cinematography, plot devices, and thematic parallels in both films depict the ritualization of women’s bodily autonomy within religious and patriarchal power structures. While Immaculate effectively draws on its predecessor's inspiration, its reliance on poor-quality horror tropes negates its critical perception and originality. This essay examines the films’ various portrayals of reproductive abuse, such as marital rape in Rosemary’s Baby, and forced in vitro fertilization (IVF) in Immaculate. These abuses are explored as different methods …

Writing Center Alumni: How Their Work Works For Them, Summer Dingman

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

Writing centers (WC) serve as an indisputably useful campus resource that serves a broad group of students and faculty. With their role of helping individuals at any and all stages of the writing process, they prove that all writing skills can be supported and grown through visit(s) Though as proved by existing scholarship – which serves as the foundation for this project – from the University of Wisconsin Madison’s Peer Writing Tutor Alumni Research Project (PWTARP) designed by Harvey Kail, Paula Gillespie, and Bradley Hughes as well as Florida International University’s version of PWTARP titled “Writing Tutor Alumni Takeaways: Pros …

Trad Lives Of Tiktok Wives: Rhetorical Strategies Of Mormon Wives On Tiktok, Makena L. Colson

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

Recently in the United States there have been debacles over gendered spaces in the home and workplace as debates spark over who a homemaker can be in a modernized society. TikTok, a short-form video social media app, is a way members of the younger generation communicate with one another over political and world events and discuss with one another in real time. The “tradwife” phenomenon on TikTok is examined here by using Walt Fischer’s Narrative Paradigm to show how what popular tradwife influencers’ words matter to a generation of adolescent girls and young mothers. Three popular influencers, Nara Smith, Hannah …

Post-Truth Gaming: Fictional Pasts And Constitutive Rhetoric In Video Game Nostalgia, Hunter Bishop

All NMU Master's Theses

What happens when we become nostalgic for experiences we never had? How do video game companies impact what we are nostalgic for? What might a fictional nostalgia look like, and how can it help us better understand the role of nostalgia in Western culture? These are the central questions that this thesis seeks to answer. As seen in the United States’ current cultural and political infatuation with the past, nostalgia has become a dominant rhetorical strategy. Nostalgia is especially prevalent in the medium of video games, where a steady stream of remakes, remasters, and rereleases attempts to repurpose the past …

2026 The Lindenwood Gateway Reader, Lindenwood University

The Lindenwood Gateway Reader - Full Issues

No abstract provided.

From Witness To Weapon: How Elizabeth Barrett Browning’S “The Cry Of The Children” Embodies And Transforms The Rhetorical Situation, Elyssa Vianey Solis

Theses and Dissertations

Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s “The Cry of the Children” employs trauma-driven rhetoric to expose Victorian child labor exploitation.

Combining literary analysis with rhetorical theory, this research contextualizes the poem within 19th-century industrial exploitation, showing how Browning transforms documentary evidence like the 1842 Children’s Employment Commission Report into emotional testimony. Visceral imagery, ironic juxtaposition, and embodied suffering weaponize pathos to reveal systemic abuse and moral urgency. Applying Lloyd Bitzer’s and Richard Vatz’s theories, we can posit that Browning both responds to and defines the crisis, merging poetic protest with social reform as civic intervention.

By engaging Bitzer and Vatz, this paper argues …

“Daría Mi Vida Por Ti”: On The Rhetoric Of Sacrifice Through The Lens Of Motherhood From The Border, America Rodriguez

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis will discuss the implications of sacrifice as an ideology inflicted upon Chicana mothers. It will center on answering the following inquiry: why should a Chicana/Mexican mother sacrifice? This question addresses the role of sacrifice by discussing aspects of Chicana/Chicanx feminist rhetoric and Catholicism that influence the perception of motherhood as sacrifice and martyr. I construct and employ the rhetorical concept of MA↔MÁ to articulate the relationship between la maternidad y el martirio as attributed to mothers from the borderlands. This concept examines whether this affliction is bestowed by dominant and marginalizing narratives or self-imposed through divine merits. I …

A Testimoniando On Tutoring Practices In A Predominantly Latine Writing Center: How Drawing From Tutors’ Memories Fosters Reflective Practices, Emily Michelle Rodriguez

Theses and Dissertations

The student body of the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) consists primarily of Latine students, a population that is reflected in the Writing Center’s tutor demographics. Tutor practices connect to the training sessions that are based on disciplinary expectations but also incorporate each tutor’s epistemology, cultural beliefs, and lived knowledge experiences. To reflect on the practices, memories, and experiences that tutors collected at the Writing Center, the concepts of testimoniando and testimonios will serve as the praxis and means of sharing the experiences and lived knowledge of tutors who identify as part of a marginalized group; this allow …

Encounters Of Third Space: A Case Study On Salvadoran Political Art And Identity Interplay, Breanna Delgado

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Third space is an in-between thought space designated for marginalized collectives, allowing multiple recontextualizations of identity interplay. However, Third Space is colonized due to western ideological influences such as criminalization of political art, stunting collective growth. This project serves to question and challenge Salvadoran political art and collective identities through questions such as why political art? Can political art be considered “safe spaces”? and dissecting the process of political art, third space meaning making, and identity interplay. Preserving the collective’s political art serves as a grassroots method of justice, accountability, and collective reparation.

I applying three conceptual frameworks: Bhabha’s (1994) …