Digital Commons Network^™

Adaptive Semantic Annotation Of Entity And Concept Mentions In Text, Pablo N. Mendes

Kno.e.sis Publications

The recent years have seen an increase in interest for knowledge repositories that are useful across applications, in contrast to the creation of ad hoc or application-specific databases.
These knowledge repositories figure as a central provider of unambiguous identifiers and semantic relationships between entities. As such, these shared entity descriptions serve as a common vocabulary to exchange and organize information in different formats and for different purposes. Therefore, there has been remarkable interest in systems that are able to automatically tag textual documents with identifiers from shared knowledge repositories so that the content in those documents is described in a …

The Politicization Of Popular Culture: A Case Study In Reagan And Star Wars, Nathan A. Wingert

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This project examined the use of Ronald Reagan’s rhetoric, specifically the “Star Wars,” “Zero Option” and “Evil Empire” speeches. It answers the question: Why do we know SDI as Star Wars? It also The rationale for the study came from myriad sources, including the historical and political undertones of the Star Wars films and rhetorical criticism of other Reagan speeches. G. Thomas Goodnight’s analysis linked all three speeches together as a reformulation of wartime rhetoric, so that was the rationale for analyzing three speeches. After performing a rhetorical criticism using Burkean identification as the lens, there are several results: Reagan …

There Is No Word For Work In The Dragon Tongue, Kevin Moberly, Brent Moberly

English Faculty Publications

The past decade or so has witnessed a relatively steady stream of scholarly interest in the mundane medieval—in labor, local economies, and their influence upon wider cultural production.¹ Despite this interest (and perhaps as a reaction to it), popular medievalism has continued to emphasize versions of the medieval that are decidedly more heroic—productions that are simultaneously (and paradoxically) more “realistic” and more “fantastic.” Labor plays, at best, a supporting role in these fantasies: while not absent, it rarely, if ever, has the same productive presence as it does in recent scholarly treatments of medieval economies. Inasmuch as popular medievalism …

Empowering And Engaging Students In Learning Research Methods, Rhonda Breit, Shaung Liu

Graduate School of Media and Communications

The capacity to conduct research is essential for university graduates to survive and thrive in their future career. However, research methods courses have often been considered by students as "abstract", "uninteresting", and "hard". Thus, motivating students to engage in the process of learning research methods has become a crucial challenge for lecturers. This paper reports a study which incorporates students' prior (international) experiences into learning academic research in order to enhance relatedness, engagement, and a sense of empowerment. The findings indicate that student attitudes to learning research methods are closely related to the level of their engagement in the learning …

A New Model: Improving Adult Experiences In The Holy Land With Effective Pre-Departure Information, Resources And Procedures, Sarah A. Loan

Capstone Collection

Since September 11, 2001, Group Travel Directors (GTD) has noted an increase in self-reported anxiety among adult travelers preparing to depart to the Holy Land. This observation has been made by long-term employees both objectively and subjectively by comparing evaluation scores, cancellation percentages, tracking numbers of phone calls from anxious travelers and through staff accounts of conversations with travelers. GTD staff reports that clients often are inclined to make rash decisions based on perfunctory judgments influenced by media coverage.

GTD has collected evaluations from adult travelers for more than twenty years in an effort to better understand traveler perceptions of …

Lessons Learned From Aac Camp, Janet L. Dodd

Communication Sciences and Disorders Faculty Articles and Research

Children who benefit from augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) need not only the support of individuals knowledgeable in the technologies themselves, but ones who understand the translation of language intervention principles to AAC.

Learning Context Matters: Communication Strategy Development Through Spanish Interaction, Sonya Hildebrand

Lewis Honors College Capstone Collection

University studies in the Spanish language are often times confined to the classroom. However, more and more programs have been implementing civic engagement in the Hispanic community into the curriculum to create a service-learning experience. This study sought to determine the effectiveness of service-learning in enhancing communication techniques. Twenty undergraduate students at the University of Kentucky were surveyed at the onset and the conclusion of one semester while simultaneously serving the Hispanic community. The students, on average, increased the frequency of communication techniques after a semester of service-learning. Students who participate in a service-learning program often times see a result …

Impacts Of Oral Language Proficiency, Television And Internet On Acculturation Of Taiwanese College Students, Huang Yu Lin

Wayne State University Dissertations

The majority of recent cross-cultural research with regard to the media's impact on acculturation has been aimed at Chinese immigrants' acculturation by the media in the United States with relatively little attention to Taiwanese college students' state of change in acculturation by various media sources while acquiring English as a second language. There are significant numbers of studies on assimilation to the host culture by both the ethnic and host media; however, there is a paucity of literature based on the one-dimensional media impact on a particular demographic group which can be easily traced to various types of media affecting …

An Exploration Of Social Media Use Among Multiply Minoritized Lgbtq Youth, Alfie Leanna Lucero

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This study responds to a need for research in a fast-growing and significant area of study, that of exploring, understanding, and documenting the numerous ways that multiply marginalized LGBTQ youth between the ages of 14 and 17 use social media. The primary research question examined whether social media provide safe spaces for multiply minoritized LGBTQ youth to express and explore issues of sexuality and gender. In addition, the study explores and categorizes multiple ways that the participants interact with social media and makes comparisons to prior work with more general populations. The study provides descriptions of the participants in terms …

The Role Of Acculturation On Bosnian Refugee Adult Child Mate Selection, Emina Herovic

Theses and Dissertations--Communication

Forced by the atrocities of war from their native country, Bosnian families came to United States seeking refuge and a new life. Immigrating to a new country, however, involves the process of acculturation which can dilute many native practices. Like many refugees that immigrated, Bosnians sought to adapt to the American way of life, while keeping their traditional ethnic customs, practices, and religion (Val & Iain-Walker, 2003). Many Bosnian refugee parents worked to keep the Bosnian practices prevalent in their first and second generation Bosnian American children. By doing so, Bosnian parents imbedded into their children the original customs, practices, …

Communication At Superfund Sites And The Reification Of Division: Toward A Convergence-Building Model Of Risk Communication, Anna G. Hoover

Theses and Dissertations--Communication

This case study evaluates government communication practices at Superfund sites. I describe agency communication practices in Superfund communities, paying particular attention to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's

Seven Cardinal Rules of Risk Communication and its role as a model for federal agencies engaged at these sites. Situating the study within a theoretical milieu that includes sensemaking and symbolic interactionism, I examine whether current practices deepen divisions among stakeholders, reducing the possibility for communicative convergence.

I implement textual analysis and narrative inquiry to examine written and spoken communication about the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant National Priorities List Superfund site. Through …

Both Sides Of Our Mouths: Contemporary Legends As A Means Of Dissent In A Time Of Global Modernism, Gerald D. Abbott Jr.

Theses and Dissertations--Communication

The legend is a permanent fixture of human societies. Though the legends themselves are permanent, their functions and meanings can fluctuate as the context in which they are told and retold shifts. As societies move through history, certain authoritative institutions create narratives that direct those societies and frame debates within them. Issues neglected by these institutions yet experienced by members of the population can be said to be unconstructed. Social problems that have achieved some level of construction inevitably provoke those who dissent from those constructions.

In these situations, members of a society look for alternative means for talking about …

Expressions Of Concern And Social Support About Reproductive Care For Young Women On An Online Message Board, Sarah E. Riley

Theses and Dissertations--Communication

The experience of a pelvic exam or Pap smear is something that, while necessary to maintain reproductive health, can be fraught with difficulty for women. Ouj, Igberase, Exe, and Ejikeme (2011) note that “[m]ost women feel a level of discomfort or pain and for some it is embarrassing, dehumanizing, degrading and associated with fear, anxiety and apprehension” (p. 637). However, little recent research has focused on the specific communication surrounding reproductive care for young women. The Internet is a common place for young people to seek health information, understand their own health risks, and seek social support from others. The …

Subordinate-Supervisor Communication: Junior Naval Officer Feelings And Obstacles When Communicating Up The Chain Of Command, Neva R. Fuentes

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

Research on subordinate-supervisor communication has revealed that employees in civilian organizations often stay silent about workplace problems. Comfort levels between subordinates and supervisors, was a major factor to this silence. Currently, there exists very little literature on upward communication from subordinate to supervisor amongst U.S. Naval Officers. The purpose of this thesis was to explore Junior Officer (JO) feelings and perceived obstacles about communicating up the chain of command with senior officers. Interview questions from a previous study (Milliken, Morrison, & Hewlin, 2003) on subordinate-supervisor communication were adapted for an electronic survey and used to explore JO feelings and perceived …

Professional Women And Cognitive Dissonance, Amber T. Lewis

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

Women and their work is a topic ofinterest in various fields ofacademia. Numerous research articles discuss a range oftopics as it relates to the unique experiences women endure to earn wage. However, the primary focus ofmost articles is grounded in the analysis ofhow women compare to men. This qualitative study utilizes the work experiences of women to help identify and define any sense ofcognitive dissonance of working women and whether or not the likelihood ofdissonance changes depending on their chosen career tracks. In this study the interview responses of working women are considered in conjunction with research articles to determine …

Intercultural Training: A Thesis Project, Laura Snyder

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

This study examines the scholarly journals and literature of intercultural competency, intercultural communication, and the communication theories examining culture shock, cross-cultural adaptation, immersion techniques, and training methods used in multicultural competence. It then presents intercultural training modules with the ambition to be adopted and incorporated into all intercultural expatriation trainings utilized both by private individuals, as well as international businesses and government programs with employees relocating internationally. The training modules are specifically directed at learners who need to know about the cultural climate, rules, and communication expectations of Singapore.

Paralinguistic Cues And Their Effect On Leader Credibility, Monte Brian Reid

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

Paralinguistic cues are powerful non-verbal communication elements that have the ability to make even good news sound horrible or bad news more palatable. Drawing upon the hermeneutical phenomenology communication theory of Dilthey (1961) and Shannon’s (1949) communication channel model, this thesis targeted the six primary paralinguistic cues of fluidity, articulation, sonority, tempo, emotion, and dynamic intensity to discover how these cues interact and affect the credibility and palatability of a leader’s message. To facilitate remembrance of these cues, the acronym F.A.S.T.E.D. was coined and used. Three different groups consisting of managers, non-managers, and media and public relations professionals were surveyed …

Diplomatic Communication In Response To Religious Conflict, Kim Alba

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study was to evaluate a strategy for diplomatic dialogue in response to religious conflict. Kenneth Burke’s theory of dramatism provides a means of rhetorical evaluation on Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s response to the attacks on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, that were widely seen as caused in some way by an anti-Islam video published online on YouTube. The study discusses how Clinton’s use of identification and division is used in diplomatic dialogue in order to resolve the differences caused by religious conflict, specifically in a speech at the U.S.-Morocco Strategic Dialogue on September 13, …

Global Journeys: Exploring The Communication Strategies Successful Longterm Sojourners Use For Cultural, Language, Identity And Family Adjustment, Lynne H. Green

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

With a growing number of multinational corporations sending workers into new locations, the need for knowledge about how individuals and families successfully integrate and connect to their host country is paramount. This study focuses on the phenomenological communication strategies used for cross cultural adjustment and adaptation of longterm sojourners in a new culture. Longterm sojourners who have lived for three years or longer in two host countries were interviewed to explore their communication strategies of adaptation for meaning making for themselves and for their families. Specifically, perspectives around the experience of cross culture adjustment, language acquisition, and identity shift were …

Establishing The Need For Cross-Cultural Communication Training For Pre-Hospital Medical Providers, Brenda Lee Tappan

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

It is apparent by the supporting research that the actual front-line providers have not been given a place at the table in an attempt to identify cross-cultural communication training needs for prehospital medical personnel. This lack of dialogue, in addition to a homogenous industry, has resulted in inconsistencies and inadequate care of diverse patients. This work examined both knowledge of how ethnicity impacts the pre-hospital medical encounter as well as attitudes toward cross-cultural nuances held by current pre-hospital medical providers. Specifically, this study analyzed survey responses designed to identify current knowledge and attitudes. The data was obtained using a quantitative …

Rhetoric And Framing: Influence On Public Opinion In The Martin/Zimmerman Case, Milagros Figueredo Sowers

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

This study seeks to analyze the importance of framing on public opinion. This analysis looks at the characteristics of communication and how they are conveyed. It also seeks to examine underlying themes in cases where public opinion was radically shifted and perceptions changed. This style of qualitative measurement is able to provide suggestions on why a media source would present a specific topic one way and then slant a similar topic in a different manner or format . Mass media is looked at in a critical manner with an attempt to hypothesize as to its purpose in use of framing. …

Youtube And You: Using Cybernetics To Optimize Self-Promotion On Youtube, Janay Shari Johnson

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

This thesis explores self-promotion on YouTube. YouTube is a popular video sharing website specifically tailored for easy use and global connection. If a video is posted with the right combination of elements, it can become an instant phenomenon overnight. The ability to reach millions of people worldwide so quickly makes YouTube an advertising powerhouse. The most advantageous component of the video sharing site is that it is free to use. Anyone from any income level or background with video making capabilities can produce and post videos. In this day and age with built-in cameras on laptops and desktops, most members …

Miscommunication In Cross-Cultural Technology Teams, Nichola Pometta-Horn Todd

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

This study explored communication dissonance found within globally distributed software development teams. The literature review investigated the theoretical foundation for the causes of intercultural dissonance that affects globally distributed software development teams. An online survey, and unobtrusive participant observation methods were used to capture as many data points as possible. Qualitative analysis leveraging data triangulation was the basis for the study. Participants in the study exhibited behaviors consistent with anticipated results. Suffering from a lack of understanding of dynamics found when interacting across high/lowcontext cultures, the study participants exhibited varying levels of intercultural communication dissonance. Teams that had been together …

Multicultural Education For Preservice Teachers: An Exploration Of The Effectiveness Of Multicultural Education In Preparing Preservice Teachers To Teach In Culturally And Linguistically Diverse Classrooms., Janelle Maureen Penney

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

At a time when public school populations are becoming more diverse, teachers are becoming less diverse and often don’t have the multicultural education necessary to teach in diverse schools. This study examined the effectiveness of multicultural education at a university in the Pacific Northwest at preparing teachers to teach in culturally and linguistically diverse schools. The study utilized a two‐phase design to collect data that will assist education programs to develop multicultural education components that better prepare preservice teachers to teach in diverse schools. The first phase of the study explored the effectiveness of the current education program by examining …

E-Books & The Net Generation, Jamie Beasley

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

Electronic books, otherwise known as e-books, are becoming increasingly popular in today’s technologically advanced culture. The publishing industry has evolved to meet consumers’ demands of e-book availability but many scholars, school districts, as well as the federal government, are starting to question the effects of the new mediums, and are trying to determine if e-books should be integrated into school curricula for enhanced learning. Therefore, through a quantitative research design, this study investigated the popularity of e-books as well as the impact that e-books are having on the reading habits of the students of today’s Net Generation – those who …

Immigration Reform Opponents Framing Propaganda As Fact To Influence Public Opinion, Christopher Barr

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

Propaganda is the deliberate, systematic attempt to shape perceptions, manipulate cognitions, and direct behavior to achieve a response that furthers the desired intent of the propagandist (Jowett & O’Donnell, 2005). This study is to see how propaganda is used by a anti-immigrant special interest organization to frame the debate and assist the televised press to set the agenda on the topic. Specifically, the attention of the study was on the conservative think tank The Heritage Foundation. The research explored in this thesis was founded on Shaw’s and McComb’s (1972) agenda-setting theory and Entman’s (1993) process of framing. The study applied …

The Art Of Corporate Social Narrative: Promoting Social Change While Building Markets For Products And Services, Lydia Mccormick Mcghee

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

For over four decades, the outdoor clothing company Patagonia has promoted environmentalist ideologies though essays and photographs published in their print media. This strategy offers an eco-friendly narrative that resonates with many brand consumers, but the art of constructing and publicizing a corporate narrative with social purpose (i.e. corporate social narrative) has yet to be explored. In this thesis, Patagonia’s corporate social narrative is reviewed in light of Fisher’s narrative paradigm theory, the principals of corporate social marketing, social exchange theories, and the idea that visual imagery holds significant power in consumer markets. Major themes in Patagonia’s environmental narrative are …

African-American Communication Within Corporate America: Challenges In Leadership, Jade D. Johnson

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

This study focuses on African-American communication and the role that it plays in the gap in African-American leadership within the corporate America environment. The thesis evidences numerous former studies around African-American communication practices and the impacts within the corporate sphere. Furthermore, the literature review includes the philosophical foundations that the larger body is based on. For instance, the thesis is using the egalitarianism philosophy of thought. From this perspective, the recommendations are examined through the lens that “basic institutions of society are charged with the task of advancing the interests of all members of society equally” (Christiano, 2008, p. 12). …

Story, Ritual, And Religion In Changing Social Climates, Denise Young Jackson

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

This study was created to investigate how ministers of the Montana/Northern-Wyoming Partnership express the story and ritual of religion in changing social climates. It was designed to answer three questions. RQ1) How are mission activities interpreted, defined, and given form through the storytelling by the ministers within the Church? RQ2) How do ministers integrate the mission statement and the mission activities into their Bible based storytelling? RQ3) How and for what purpose do ministers incorporate or connect issues and ideas from the secular sphere into religious-based storytelling? Since the dramatic social and economic changes in Montana as a result of …

Servant-Leadership And Re-Establishment Of Organization Culture After Crisis, Reese Dayle Cooper

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

Organizations create a base for culture through the language in mission, vision, and value statements (Deetz, 1995). Organization culture is then shaped and molded by organization members (Deetz, 1995). As a result, members form organization identities (Mead, 1934). Identities are fluid and constantly being negotiated (Stewart, Zediker, & Witteborn, 2009, p. 82). At any moment, organizations can face crisis. During the crisis, identities are threatened and organization culture becomes unstable (Beer & Steif, 1997; Sen, 2006). Stabilizing organization culture is important to the long-term success of an organization and to the long-term success of individuals. This study uses a case …