Digital Commons Network^™

A Deeper Look, Jessica Spicer

Honors Projects

Individuals with developmental disabilities are not often given the chance to express themselves or tell the story of the lives they have lived. For this research I chose to interview numerous individuals with developmental disabilities. I was able to get their story out and tell the world how these individuals have lived and what they want the world to know about them.

Mental Illness Stigma In The Media, Brian Smith

The Review: A Journal of Undergraduate Student Research

The aim of this paper is to explore mental illness stigma and one of its primary causes, the media. Essentially the paper looks at various forms of media (e.g., prime time television, children’s programming, news media) and how they create negative perceptions of both mentally ill individuals, and those who help treat them. Previous research has shown that those with a mental illness are often depicted as violent and socially undesirable by the media. Other previous research has shown that those who treat mental illness are often depicted as unprofessional and untrustworthy by the media, creating a strong negative stigma …

Access Magazine, May 2015, San Jose State University, School Of Journalism And Mass Communications

Access Magazine

No abstract provided.

Swords Into Stethoscopes: How The U.S. Military Could Conduct Medical Diplomacy, Oliver Kendall

Political Science Honors Projects

Since the early 1960’s, Cuba and China have won international appreciation by sending doctors abroad to help where they are needed. While there was surprise in some quarters when U.S. military personnel were deployed to combat Ebola in the last months of 2014, the Department of Defense actually has a long history of medical activity. In its current form, DoD medical outreach cannot likely garner soft power in the way that the Chinese and Cuban programs can, but with a few modifications, the U.S. military could be a serious conductor of medical diplomacy that would save countless lives and benefit …

The De-Feminization Of Femininity : Exploratory Content Analysis Of Gay Male Fashion Magazines., Christopher J. Vincent

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis project is an exploratory content analysis that seeks to measure the ways in which gay male fashion magazine de-feminize their representations of feminine performing gay men. 125 images across five summer editions of Instinct Magazine, from 2010-2014, were randomly selected and were measured along the lines of race/ethnicity, fitness of clothing, build, touch, gaze, and body curvature. The research confirmed that gay male fashion magazines do in fact de-feminize their representations of femininity along these variables. The research also reflects pre-conceived ideas of representation along the boundaries of race. Using Michael Warners theory of Publics and Counterpublics as …

Design, Programming, And User-Experience, Kaila G. Manca

Honors Scholar Theses

This thesis is a culmination of my individualized major in Human-Computer Interaction. As such, it showcases my knowledge of design, computer engineering, user-experience research, and puts into practice my background in psychology, com- munications, and neuroscience.

I provided full-service design and development for a web application to be used by the Digital Media and Design Department and their students.This process involved several iterations of user-experience research, testing, concepting, branding and strategy, ideation, and design. It lead to two products.

The first product is full-scale development and optimization of the web appli- cation.The web application adheres to best practices. It was …

Evaluating An Oral Draft Of Luke 8:4-15 In Uduk, Jeremy N. Harrison

Doctor of Ministry Theses and Dissertations

This doctor of ministry thesis presents the findings of a project in which I led a group of immigrants from South Sudan through the process of generating and evaluating an oral draft of Luke 8:4-15 in Uduk. The aim of this project was to provide a substantive field test of an oral translation methodology conducted among immigrants living in the United States who speak a language that lacks a translation of the entire Bible. The project involved facilitating basic translation training and conducting an oral drafting process with a team of three Uduk speakers. This project also involved evaluating the …

Embedding Nationalism: Construction & Effects Of National Narratives In The Xxvii Olympic Games' Opening Ceremony, Rachel Elizabeth Presley

Theses - ALL

This thesis examines the construction and effects of the XXVII Olympic Games’ opening ceremony as a national narrative, scripted by and for the state. The performance’s chronological structure and staging of its characters have profound effects on how Australian bodies are read and remembered as citizens. The ceremony’s narrative features a distorted retelling of colonial history that produces enormous consequences in how Indigenous and non-Indigenous, male and female actors are presented. An analysis of these characters reveals how the national narrative comes to function as a piece of political propaganda that perpetuates idealized forms of citizenship within a hegemonic patriarchal …

Homelessness In Arkansas, Nichelle Sullivan

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This research aims to reveal a realistic narrative about homelessness in Arkansas through the qualitative perspective provided by people directly affected by homelessness. We interviewed experts with both theoretical and applied experience in examining the causes and different pathways into homelessness, as well as some of the avenues that can assist someone to successfully navigate out of homelessness. This research documentary focuses particularly on the experiences of homeless families headed by single women and the challenges they face in resolving homelessness. Qualitative interviews were performed and a website was created that is targeted towards helping others to find the necessary …

Facing Technology : Creative Solutions To Real-World Problems., Taylor Juanita Beisler

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Theses

We are shaped by technology. This simple idea has become more familiar to social scientists, technical engineers, and some tech users. The first section of this thesis finds unfavorable consequences of constant social media usage, such as unawareness, behavioral and cogitative modifications, and disconnection as societal ills. The second part of this thesis explains how these social side effects can be best ameliorated by “serious” designers, or those whose work is conceptual with real world applications (McLuhan, 8). The final section proposes a creative expression as it relates to bringing awareness to the social side effects of tech usage, linking …

Polly Pocket & Ninja Turtles: A Content Analysis Of Gender Stereotypes In Children's Advertisements, Michele Bailey Deloney

Journalism Undergraduate Honors Theses

This content analysis examined the use of gender stereotypes, in the forms of product association and various traditional behaviors expected of a particular gender, in children’s advertisements aired on Nickelodeon network. Results of the study revealed that although children’s commercials appear to be breaking away from some long-standing gender stereotypes, such as boys being the dominant gender in athleticism, many of the same gender stereotypes that researchers have been investigating for decades remain prevalent today. Results indicate that commercials on Nickelodeon network favor boy characters in overall time on-screen. Girls-only commercials made up the lowest percent of commercials in the …

The Role Of Women In Film: Supporting The Men -- An Analysis Of How Culture Influences The Changing Discourse On Gender Representations In Film, Jocelyn Nichole Murphy

Journalism Undergraduate Honors Theses

Women are underrepresented in film. Racial minorities are underrepresented in film. White men are vastly overrepresented in film. How do these facts affect audiences that are so demographically different from what is portrayed onscreen? This study serves to examine how character representations in film relate to the demographics of the audience viewing them, and how these portrayals have changed over a 20-year span. Considering the depictions of women in the context of social gender movements of the last two decades will provide a deeper understanding of the attitudes toward female characters, as well as factors that shape the themes and …

The End Of The World (Eotw) Scientist And The Framing Of Science In Science Fiction Films From 1950 To 2010, Jennifer Naoko Lui

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The current study looks at scientists in End of the World (EOTW) films spanning from 1950 to 2010 through stereotypes and gender roles. Eighteen films, 12 representing EOTW films and 6 that are considered “regular” science fiction films, were analyzed in terms of Goffman’s (1976) 6 aspects, first introduced in Gender Advertisements, as well as aspects of visual and textual frame analysis. The analysis of these films provided a way to look at the portrayal of scientists in EOTW films and add to the limited body of literature on this particular sub-genre of film.

Previous research identified that scientists were …

Depictions Of Beauty On Cosmopolitan Magazine: Content Analysis Of Covers (1959-2014), Azalee Maslow

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The media, especially advertisers, have long used beautiful women as an ideal image for attracting viewers and selling products. American women have been portrayed as, ideally, thin Caucasians with blonde hair and blue eyes. Research has found that women compare themselves to the beautiful women in advertising and in turn have negative feelings towards their own appearance. This thesis’ goal is to find whether the ideal American woman has changed through a content analysis of the women on the covers of Cosmopolitan magazine over the past 55 years, 1959 through 2014. This content analysis will focus on how the covers …

The Economic Impact Of The Mpaa Rating System On Types Of Films Made From 2004-2014, Kaitlin Peck

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This thesis will examine the economic impact of the MPAA film rating system on the types of films made from 2004 to 2014. The research in this study will examine the violent and sexual content of films. For this research the Motion Picture Association of America rating system is the independent variable, and its financial or economic impact on films made in the last ten years is the dependent variable. An extensive review of previous literature will also help inform the direction of the current study. However, this topic is still relevant because the previous research has appeared to be …

Marketing Of Gender Stereotypes Through Animated Films: A Thematic Analysis Of The Disney Princess Franchise, Tiffany Jade Pelton

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The thesis focuses on animated films of the Disney Princess franchise, a brand with the Disney Corporation that contains 11 fictional female characters both princesses and heroines, and the marketing of gender roles and stereotypes specifically in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), Cinderella (1950), The Princess and the Frog (2009), and Tangled (2010). These dated storylines, which often focused on domestic traits that were socially acceptable in the 1930s, 40s and 50s, in current society do not always reflect the interests of contemporary youth. Through a thematic analysis, this thesis examines from its inception to present day what …

Siren Song: A Rhetorical Analysis Of Gender And Intimate Partner Violence In Gotham City Sirens, Katlin Schmidt

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This project investigates comic book discourse. Specifically, I investigate how comic narratives provide readers with an interpretation for how they should discern and assess “appropriate” behaviors for women. The artifact of analysis included in this project is DC Comics Gotham City Sirens (2009). This text features popular female superheroes, Catwoman, Harley Quinn, and Poison Ivy. Because comic books utilize both textual and visual means to disseminate a message, this project evaluates the visual rhetoric of these characters within the narrative. Walter Fisher’s narrative paradigm is used to provide an understanding to how these visual means contribute to the meanings assigned …

Comm-Entary, Spring 2015 - Full Issue

Comm-entary

In this issue:

Mr. Fox Composting: Changing the World through “Garbage” by Jeff Fishwick

How to Live by Gennifer Davidson

Stuxnet: The Fastest Evolving Virus in the World by Lia Windt

The Economic Potential of Cryptocurrency: WAn Investigation of Bitcoinby Lauren Rhodes

Beyond Digital Dualism: The Conceptual Fallacy of the Online/Offline Dichotomy by Lauren Nawfel

Social Media: A New Platform for Activism? by Brittany Mosier

News Journalism in the Digital Age: Challenges and Opportunities by Amanda Cote

What is Expected of a Man by Emily Sorey-Backus

(Re)Defining Political Activism in Post-Modernity by Jessica Wojenski

Cataracts as a Cause of …

Love Conquers All: The Power Of The Indian Film To Free The Audience From Orientalism, Margaret Redlich

College of Communication Theses and Dissertations

Indian film and the way it interacts with the non-Indian fan community for Indian film presents an alternative to Oriantalist discourses by reaching out on an emotional level. Through surveys and interviews, this study shows how the fans find the films, find a community, and build a connection to India based on their initial massive emotional reaction to the films. By first looking at other scholarship on the topic, then the history of Indian film, it becomes apparent that this connection is outside of Said’s “network of interests” (3) that controls how the Orient is viewed, as the films have …

Work Across The Generations: Communication Narratives Of Stay-At-Home Fathers In Early And Middle Adulthood, Alice L. Jones

Communication & Theatre Arts Theses

The notion of work whether it is done inside or outside the home represents a complex and shifting pattern of social relationships, gender role identities, and ideologies. For an increasing numbers of men, who represent the population of fathers labeled as "stay-at-Home Dad" [SAHD] or "stay-at-home father" [SAHF], these changes have created special challenges, controversies, and raised questions about cultural expectations concerning the transition from that of a stigmatized role to that of a "new, involved father" (Eranta & Moisander, 2011; Rochlen, 2008). Increased participation by men in roles that challenge traditional and long standing gender role norms and expectations …

Atheists In The Media: How Public Figures And Fictional Characters Affect Public Perceptions Of Atheists, Joseph Michael Stepniewski

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated how media depictions of atheists might influence perceptions of them based on media theories of cultivation and priming. Severe distrust and dislike of atheists found in the literature indicated a need for the study. The measurement instrument used in the study asked a sample of 195 respondents to report their media consumption habits, including news sources, television shows, and movies, as well as identify real atheists in the public eye. Respondents were then asked to rate positive and negative statements about both atheists and religious people on a Likert scale and provide basic demographic information about themselves. …

Prospectus, April 29, 2015, Zach Trueblood, Brittany Webb, Humna Sharif, Adam Vilman, Billi Jo Hart

Prospectus 2015

EARTH WEEK; Experts gathered in Nepa! a week ago to ready for earthquake; Illinois air museum plans to close over finances; Illinois schools chief says funding fix could take years; Summer semester approaching fast: Tips for getting ahead with schoolwork; Heaith officials say ice cream is safe despite some recalls; The world as seen by an artist; Ohio in a minority as high court weighs same-sex marriage; The upcoming baseball! season; A took ahead at Summer Camp Music Festival

The Antelope, University Of Nebraska At Kearney

The Antelope

No abstract provided.

Spartan Daily, April 29, 2015, San Jose State University, School Of Journalism And Mass Communications

Spartan Daily (School of Journalism and Mass Communications)

Volume 144, Issue 36

Spartan Daily, April 28, 2015, San Jose State University, School Of Journalism And Mass Communications

Spartan Daily (School of Journalism and Mass Communications)

Volume 144, Issue 35

It's A Bird! It's A Plane! It's...Cultural Anxiety? Using Detective Comics' Three Biggest Heroes To Identify And Explore Cultural Anxieties As Depicted Through Television, Jonathan Vander Lugt

Media and Communication Studies Honors Papers

This collection of essays uses the mythic nature of superheroes to examine and discuss specific cultural anxieties as they’re navigated and alleviated in superhero television texts. First, I examine the way that anxiety over feminism and the women’s rights movement manifested itself in Wonder Woman, the 70s television series starring Lynda Carter. Next, I use Smallville and its depictions of a teenaged Superman to explore its handling of anxieties over the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Finally, I performed a content analysis of six different series of Batman cartoons to examine the way they respond to national concerns over …

Ua12/2/1 College Heights Herald, Vol. 90, No. 49, Wku Student Affairs

WKU Administration Documents

WKU campus newspaper reporting campus, athletic and Bowling Green, Kentucky news.

• Rogers, Shelby. Parking, Tuition to be Key Topics at WKU Regents’ Friday Meeting
• Henderson, Andrew. GIScience Club Celebrates Earth Day – Geography & Geology, Geographic Information Science
• Rogers, Shelby. New Temporary Lot Coming to Russellville Road – Parking & Transportation Services
• Crumbie, Trey. WKU Hosting Gubernatorial Debate Next Week – Politicians
• Henderson, Andrew. Student Voice Program Concludes First Semester at WKU – Voices of Discovery
• Profumo, Morgan. Sneezing Season – Allergies
• Sproles, Katherine. Old Conditions for Animals in Logan County Human Society Unacceptable
• Dahmer, Jody. Corruption Starting in Student …

The Complicity Of Silence: Race And The Hamilton Holt/Corra Harris Friendship, 1899-1935, Jack C. Lane

Faculty Publications

From the perspective of the large race issue in the early twentieth century America, this article closely examines the perplexed personal relationship between Hamilton Holt, 8th president of Rollins College (1925-1949) and Corra Harris, one of Holt's original "Golden Personality" faculty members who carried the unique title of "Professor of Evil" at Rollins.

Spartan Daily, April 22, 2015, San Jose State University, School Of Journalism And Mass Communications

Spartan Daily (School of Journalism and Mass Communications)

Volume 144, Issue 33

Ua12/2/1 College Heights Herald, Vol. 90, No. 48, Wku Student Affairs

WKU Administration Documents

WKU campus newspaper reporting campus, athletic and Bowling Green, Kentucky news.

• Harney, Lashana. Election Winner Jay Richey Ready to Move Forward – Student Government Association
• Crumbie, Trey. Fond Farewell – Huda Melky, Equal Employment Opportunity
• Henderson, Andrew. Kentucky Museum Teaches Students Colonial History
• Voorhees, Jessica. Quest for Research Position Makes Headway – Faculty Senate
• Ponder, Abby. Writer & Speaker to Give Presentations on Physics – Sky Science Festival, Jeffrey Bennett
• Voorhees, Jessica. Healthcare Possibilities Aid Students in Future – Student Health Services, Insurance
• College Heights Herald Stands With Staff of University of Kentucky Newspaper After Tragedy – Jonathan Krueger, Murder …