Digital Commons Network^™

"Nevermericans?": How Communication Issues Shape The Perceptions Of Self And The Perceptions Of American Identity Among The International Students, Lyudmyla Pustelnyk

Masters Theses

This study of Intercultural communication and identity uses Cultural Contracts theory and Narrative theory to explore how international students communicate about their understanding of self (identity) and how this understanding is influenced and changes during their studies in the United States. Research participants who have, or are currently studying in the U.S., from Eastern and Central European countries were interviewed about their communication experiences while in the U.S., resulting in different expressions of identity - in-between identity, feeling Americanized, global citizen, and crystallization of native identity - which developed as the result of their U.S. university studies. Their narratives also …

Using Ubuntu: A New Research Trend For Developing Effective Communication Across Cultural Barriers, Cecile W. Garmon, Mandhla Mgijima

Communication Faculty Publication

Language and communication provide great challenges in a global world. New trends in communicating effectively across cultural and geographic boundaries face inherent and often subtle barriers. Generally, communicators do not even realize that they have missed hidden cues until the occasion and opportunity have passed. Enhancing communication requires an individual or group to understand the underlying concepts upon which the language and communication practices depend; these concepts also serve as the basic elements for developing social, economic, educational, political, and other related structures. These underlying concepts form our world views. Comprehending the complex interconnections between language and communication and these …

Just A Mutt: A Narrative Ethnography Of The Denver Dog Park Master Plan Process, Stephen M. Griffin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This ethnographic study explores the phenomenon of citizen participation in the decision-making process of their local government. The researcher explored this topic by observing the Dog Park Master Plan process conducted by the Parks and Recreation Department of the City and County of Denver from June 2009 through April 2011.

The researcher attended and observed seven meetings of a citizens committee convened by the Denver Parks and Recreation Department to act as a mini-public to test the elements of the Dog Park Master Plan before presenting the Plan to the public, and the three public meetings held to allow the …

Kicking The Can, Peter Ellis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Kicking the Can is a video documentary that explores the financial crisis of 2008 and the socio-political factors that led to the collapse. The documentary was produced over the course of a year and a half, and contains interviews with economists, politicians, academics, and U.S. citizens. Kicking the Can ultimately reveals that the financial crisis is a complex issue that can be analyzed and interpreted from a variety of political and social perspectives. This paper documents the making of the film, the production involved, and the process of working with collaborators and other crewmates.

Current Trends In The Marketing And Promotion Of Movies Using Social Media, Bonnie Wilcox

Graphic Communication

The purpose of this study is to provide further insight into how social media is used to most effectively market new movies.

The Idea Of England In Eighteenth-Century Indian Travel Writing, Amrita Satapathy

CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture

In her article "The Idea of England in Eighteenth-century Indian Travel Writing" Amrita Satapathy discusses how Dean Mahomed's 1794 The Travels of Dean Mahomed maps out territories of the mind of the colonizer and the colonized, how the narrative redefines contours of two diverse communities and cultures, and determines forms of cultural representations. Mahomed's Travels presented for the first time the idea of England from an Indian immigrant's point of view and altered the prejudiced outlook of early Western travel writings about the East. Mahomed's narrative opened an alternative vista for the wide-eyed Easterner of the world of the West …

Communicating Ethics: Analysis Of Annual Letters To Stakeholders, Christopher Bryan

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

This research examines how executives, leaders and managers communicate their sense of ethics. Literature from various disciplines is increasingly focusing on the strong ethical tone-at-the-top and strong ethical culture to prevent organizational wrongdoing. The literature suggests that leaders face unique challenges in communicating their ethics and that the communication of ethics is inhibited by a psychological bias and the work is grounded in the cultural communication theory of Geertz and Pacanowsky and the organizational culture work of Schein. The research focuses on CEO annual letters written to stakeholders. This form of communication is a high-profile channel of communication and written …

I'M The Same Me: Communication And Renegotiation Of Identity In The Weight-Loss Surgery Experiences Of Women, Heather D. Schild

Masters Theses

Adult obesity rates are on the rise in the United States according to the Centers for Disease Control (2009) which has led to an increase in obesity-related illnesses such as diabetes and heart disease. Weight-loss surgery (WLS) has become accepted as a "cure" for obesity by the medical community. There has been a dramatic increase in the number of obese individuals electing to undergo WLS every year; 82% of these individuals are women (AHRQ, 2007). More women may be electing to undergo these procedures than men due to the pressures women face in American culture to achieve social standards of …

Women's Worlds In The Novels Of Kandukuri And Gilman, Suneetha Rani

CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture

In her article "Women's Worlds in the Novels of Kandukuri and Gilman" Suneetha Rani discusses Veeresalingam Kandukuri's Satyaraja Poorvadesayatralu (Satyaraja's Travel to the Distant Lands) and Charlotte Perkins Gilman's Herland. While the novels were published in two different contexts — one in pre-independence India and the other in pre-World War I in the U.S., one in Telugu and the other in English, one by a man and the other by a woman — there is an interesting connecting thread that brings them together. Both were satires on the contemporary male chauvinistic world. While the Telugu novel pleads for a better …

Gender Anxiety And Contemporary Indian Popular Fiction, Elen Turner

CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture

In her article "Gender Anxiety and Contemporary Indian Popular Fiction" Elen Turner discusses two examples of Indian "popular literature" which reflect contemporary Indian middle-class anxieties surrounding globalization and social change. The recent proliferation of foreign business process outsourcing companies in India has changed the financial and lifestyle opportunities available to young, urban Indians. While sociological and ethnographic studies have found that workers embrace what they perceive to be westernized lifestyles, the novels under discussion present a more nuanced picture. Chetan Bhagat's One Night at the Call Centre (2005) and Shruti Saxena's Stilettos in the Boardroom (2010) demonstrate that young workers …

Ancient Hindu Society And Eliot's Ideal Christian Society, Anita Bhela

CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture

In her article "Ancient Hindu Society and Eliot's Ideal Christian Society" Anita Bhela examines the influence of Hindu thought and Hindu philosophy on T.S. Eliot's critical writings. In The Idea of a Christian Society Eliot gives a hypothetical account of an ideal society that would contribute towards the well-being of all its members, while in Notes towards the Definition of Culture he enumerates the essential conditions needed for the growth and survival of culture. Bhela argues that religion and culture were inseparably interrelated in Eliot's mind. She then traces similarities in the concepts of family, culture, and religion as expressed …

Duality Of Illusion And Reality In Desai's In Custody, Narinder K. Sharma

CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture

In his article "Duality of Illusion and Reality in Desai's In Custody," Narinder K. Sharma analyses Anita Desai's internal confrontation of choices. In the novel, Desai's narration offers various options at every step and the author suggests that it becomes difficult to decide what actually should be done. The attempt is to personalize impersonal time and space thereby brings it into the domain of conflicting choices signifying an existential desire to manifest freedom. Going a step further, it can be deciphered that the individual desires to make an ideal choice to experience "authenticity"; however, the desire of making an …

Redefinitions Of India And Individuality In Adiga's The White Tiger, Kathleen Waller

CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture

In her article "Redefinitions of India and Individuality in Adiga's The White Tiger" Kathleen Waller discusses Indian individualism as being supported by a democratic and secular society, but also stymied by traditions and socioeconomic realities which keep most of its people living in poverty. In The White Tiger, Adiga challenges Indian culture to create a society in which individuals are truly free. Waller argues that the relevance of Adiga's novel is that it is social structure and practices of hierarchy keep many people in the lower classes of Indian society and that this state of affairs is counter …

The Guardian, May 16, 2012, Wright State University Student Body

The Guardian Student Newspaper

Twelve page issue of The Guardian, the official student-run newspaper for Wright State University. The Guardian has been published regularly since March of 1965.

Capturing Attention: Advertising In The Internet Age, Tara Crane, Elise Weisengoff

Honors Theses

It is crucial for the advertisement industry to know whether or not their commercials work. According to ComScore.com, 45 percent of Americans see video ads online, for a total of more than 1.7 billion minutes in January alone. Hulu.com accounts for 26 percent of video advertisement views, with 1.1 billion views in January (2011). Companies spent $72 billion in online advertising in 2010, according to ZenithOptimedia.com. That number is projected to increase 8 percent in the next two years. Therefore positive results are critical for business and financial success. This study will attempt to analyze data collected from the generation …

Spartan Daily May 14, 2012, San Jose State University, School Of Journalism And Mass Communications

Spartan Daily (School of Journalism and Mass Communications)

Volume 138, Issue 54

San Antonio High School Food Justice Program: A Handbook And Evaluation Of Edible Education, Katherine B. Tenneson

Pitzer Senior Theses

This senior environmental studies thesis explains and analyzes edible education through a food and gardening program at a continuation high school in Claremont, California. The first chapter situates the program-specific analysis by providing background information of the edible education movement, a history of the Edible Schoolyard in Berkeley, California, and an explanation of why food is a powerful teaching tool. The second chapter delineates the program by describing all of its components and compiling essential resources and teaching documents. The third chapter is based on interviews with 9 of 12 involved students and 7 teachers, and thoroughly explains the outcomes …

Understanding Sustainability: An Examination Of Encoding And Decoding Of Promotion Materials For Green Consumers, Muriel Paige Cross

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Organic farming and foods, sustainable, No Impact Man, the "green movement," "localvore," The Ominvore's Dilemma, and socially and environmentally conscious are all ways to describe a growing subculture concerned with keeping the world a healthy and livable place because of lifestyle, ecological or ethical reasons. Consumers connect with this issue for various reasons ranging from the personal, such as seeking out healthy options, to the social, such as environmentalism and sustainability. Marketers have embraced these consumers as a profitable market segment, as illustrated by the increasing number of organic brands and products in the market today. Three-fourths of U.S. consumers …

Speech Perception In Children With Autism, Caitlin Louise Weber

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

This study involved a) a detailed analysis of current research regarding speech perception in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), b) a literature review on current approaches to therapy for children with ASD, and c) a series of observations in clinic and school settings. Observations were made at the Independence Academy and Riley Children's Hospital. The review of current research showed that while children with ASD are less influenced by visual cues than typically developing children, they still benefit from the addition of visual cues to speech perception and do not lack auditory-visual integration skills. Two approaches to therapy, the …

Spartan Daily May 10, 2012, San Jose State University, School Of Journalism And Mass Communications

Spartan Daily (School of Journalism and Mass Communications)

Volume 138, Issue 53

Negotiating Dialectic Tensions In Intercultural Marriage, William Scott Hinson

Student Theses and Dissertations

This thesis concentrates on the way in which discursive struggles are negotiated by intercultural married couples. Intercultural couples experience a unique set of challenges in maintaining a healthy relationship. I use the dialectical perspective to ground this study's approach to understanding intercultural couples. Relational dialectics states that all relationships experience conflicting and contrasting needs. These dialectical tensions make change central to relationship. To take a richer look into these relationships, I conducted a qualitative research study on five intercultural couples. I asked five married couples to talk about adjusting to married life as an international couple. This study will help …

Keynote Address: On The Binding Biases Of Time, Lance A. Strate

Proceedings of the New York State Communication Association

Lance Strate is Professor of Communication and Media Studies at Fordham University, and Executive Director of the Institute of General Semantics. He is a Past President of the New York State Communication Association, and a recipient of NYSCA's John F. Wilson Award. He is a founder and Past President of the Media Ecology Association, and author of Echoes and Reflections: On Media Ecology as a Field of Study. This is the text of his Keynote Address presented at the 67th Annual Conference of the New York State Communication Association, Ellenville, NY, October 23-25, 2009.

A Symbolic Prison: A Prisoner's Story As Masculinity Crisis Narrative In Bronson, James Benjamin Shupe

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

For this project I analyze the film Bronson, focusing on its connection to the contemporary masculinity crisis discourse or the belief that traditional notions of masculinity are in peril due to changing gender norms and women's social progress. I argue Bronson privileges a narrow, violent conception of masculinity through its presentation of violence and domination over other men. I use Ernest Bormann's Symbolic Convergence Theory to analyze how the film makes sense of the real life events it is based on in a way that appeals to the contemporary masculinity crisis discourse. I argue that Bronson is a notable representation …

Spartan Daily May 3, 2012, San Jose State University, School Of Journalism And Mass Communications

Spartan Daily (School of Journalism and Mass Communications)

Volume 138, Issue 49

Nor'easter News Volume 5 Issue 13, Nor'easter News Staff

Nor'easter News

The fifty-second issue of the University of New England's student-run newspaper, Nor'easter News.

Spartan Daily May 2, 2012, San Jose State University, School Of Journalism And Mass Communications

Spartan Daily (School of Journalism and Mass Communications)

Volume 138, Issue 48

The Legacy, May 2, 2012, Lindenwood University

The Legacy (2007-2018)

Student Newspaper of Lindenwood University

Emosonet: An Emotion-Aware Social Network For Emotional Wellbeing, Zerrin Yumak-Kasap, Yu Chen, Pearl Pu

Faculty Publications, Information Systems & Technology

This paper presents our initial ideas towards developing an emotion-aware social network for the purpose of increasing emotional wellbeing. The framework will use sensors and behavior analysis methods in order to infer users’ stress level automatically with minimal user effort and use audio, animation and vibro-tactile feedback for enhanced engagement. Additionally, we will explore the role of social support, social influence and gamification for sustained behavior change.

Echo, Summer/Fall 2012, Columbia College Chicago

Echo

Student-produced magazine formerly published as Chicago Arts and Communication, changed to Echo magazine in 1997. Cover Articles: Harcore hardcourt: bikes, beers, and bruises; Englewood illustrated: a graphic history; Belly laughs and belly flops: tales from the comedy stage; Shakespeare in need: the Sough Loop's pauper poet; Naked poster inside: you voted, we listened. 80 pages.

Ua12/2/1 College Heights Herald, Vol. 87, No. 41, Wku Student Affairs

WKU Administration Documents

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

• Rutledge, Chris. John Carpenter Coming to WKU Film Festival
• McKay, Michael. Cancer Never Sleeps – Relay for Life
• Koch, Cameron. Less Research, More Teaching Track Offered – Faculty
• Mack, Shelby. Best Buddies
• O’Bryan, Abby. A Thousand Words – Brettne Vasek
• Koch, Cameron. Gary Ransdell’s Report Reminds Regents of Tough Budget
• Rogers, Shelby. Unique Fundraiser Hopes to Raise $1K for United Way
• Marsupial Awards
• Fisk, Brent. Gary Ransdell’s Actions Out of Line – Censorship, Free Speech
• Bozeman, Joshua. Hilltoppers for Life Display was Vandalized – Abortion
• Aulbach, Lucas. Weather Mars …