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The Strange Case Of Family: How The Dual Character Is Represented In 2025 American Horror Films, Camila Flores

Theses - ALL

This thesis examines the representation of dual-role characters in contemporary American horror cinema through a qualitative textual analysis of three 2025 horror films: The Monkey (Osgood Perkins), Sinners (Ryan Coogler), and Frankenstein (Guillermo del Toro). While dual or doubled characters have historically been analyzed through psychoanalytic frameworks centered on the ego, repression, and identity fragmentation, this study argues that recent horror films move beyond the traditional “double as self” narrative. Instead, these films position dual-role characters within broader social, cultural, and familial contexts, emphasizing how doubling reflects generational trauma, collective memory, and systems of oppression. Guided by Stuart Hall’s theory …

The Effect Of Narrative Advocacy Messaging On Perceived Csa Authenticity: The Mediating Role Of Narrative Transportation, Christine Eunseol Park

Theses - ALL

This study examines whether narrative advocacy messaging can enhance perceived authenticity in corporate social advocacy by increasing narrative transportation, and whether brand–issue justification strength affects this process. Using a 2 (advocacy message format: narrative vs. non-narrative) × 2 (brand–issue justification strength: strong vs. weak) between-subjects experiment with 198 U.S. adults, participants viewed a fictitious denim brand’s advocacy advertisement for immigrant rights. Narrative messaging increased transportation, transportation positively predicted perceived authenticity, and transportation mediated the effect of narrative format on authenticity. The results also revealed a competitive mediation pattern: narrative messaging produced a positive indirect effect through transportation but a negative …

Legitimacy And Reputation In Sports Corporate Social Advocacy: The Role Of Communication Strategies, Issue Position, And Fan Identification, Maria Grover

Dissertations - ALL

Corporate social advocacy (CSA) has become increasingly common in professional sport, yet most research has examined individual athlete activism or sport consumer brands rather than leagues and teams. This dissertation examined how two public-relations communication strategies – highlighting a collaborative decision-making approach and creating a strong explanatory link between an organization and an issue – impact perceived CSA legitimacy and organizational reputation, and how audience-level factors such as fan identification and pre-existing issue position condition those evaluations. A 2 × 2 between-subjects experiment with a control group (N = 302) presented U.S. NFL fans with a fictitious league statement advocating …

Locate Alternative Media In The Digital News Ecosystem: A Cross-Country Comparative Study Of Alternative-Mainstream Audience Overlap Networks, Qinfeng Zhu, Fan Liang, Gabriel Miao Li

Communication Faculty Articles and Research

This study examines alternative media within the digital news ecosystem in six European countries: Norway, Sweden, Austria, Germany, France, and Spain. Using a network approach and a cross-country comparative design, we analyze audience overlap between alternative and mainstream media, the positions alternative media occupy within these networks, and how media systems and political contexts may shape these dynamics. Our findings show that while overall audience overlap is low, it is higher in countries where far-right populist parties have greater institutionalized access to political discourse. We also identify alternative media enclaves within the Northern-type media system characterized by strong professional journalism—particularly …

Online Rights Defense Among Chinese Americans Against Racial Aggression In The U.S. During The Covid-19, Fangzhu Lu, Wenshan Jia

Communication Faculty Articles and Research

Purpose

This study investigates how Chinese American communities responded to heightened racial discrimination during the COVID-19 pandemic by utilizing social media platforms to safeguard their civil rights, articulate collective concerns, and mobilize resistance against racial aggression.

Methodology

Through qualitative case study analysis, the research examines the social media activities of six advocacy organizations, including three X accounts (WashTheHate, Chinese for Affirmative Action, Asian Americans Advancing Justice) and three Instagram accounts (Stop AAPI Hate, Stop Asian Hate, Advancing Justice: AAJC). The analysis focuses on the content strategies and communication mechanisms employed to counteract racial hostility.

Findings

The selected organizations used social …

Freshman Student Sleep And Academic Stress Levels: An Empirical Study For Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Julia M. Cortese

Beyond: Undergraduate Research Journal

Receiving an adequate amount of sleep is essential for academic success as it prepares the brain each day for the workload ahead. Sleep deprivation is associated with negative cognitive, emotional, and physical outcomes that may affect academic performance. Currently, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) does not have any form of sleep education or awareness for first-year, first-semester students, which leaves them susceptible to a cycle of sleep deprivation, academic underperformance, and stress. This study examines the relationship between sleep habits and academic stress among first-semester, first-year students of Fall 2023 at ERAU. This empirical study used a mixed-methods survey with eighteen …

National Belonging And Cricket Fandom: Narrative Storytelling By Indian Premier League (Ipl) Teams On Instagram, Aman Misra, Adam William Love

Journal of Global South Sport Studies

This study examines how Indian Premier League (IPL) teams employed narrative storytelling on Instagram during the 2020 edition of the tournament, which was held in the United Arab Emirates rather than in India. Throughout the season, IPL teams used social media, especiallyInstagram, to foster online relationships and construct visual narratives reflecting transnational identity and other forms of cultural symbolism. Using Fisher’s (1985) narrative paradigm and Kress and van Leeuwen’s (2006) framework for visual narrative analysis, we investigate how Instagram posts from IPL team accounts articulated political and cultural identities. In doing so, the current study provides a novel contribution to …

A Scoping Review Of Sycophancy In Large Language Models: Operational And Theoretical Recognition, Kallen Zhou, Manning Littlejohn, Isabella Garrard

Endeavors: Mississippi State Undergraduate Research Journal

As large language models (LLMs) usage grows across different domains, sycophancy, the tendency for output to align with users, is increasingly being recognized as a primary issue arising from applying LLMs into critical areas. Current research has provided a variety of theoretical definitions, mitigation techniques, and quantification for sycophancy. However, there is little to no consistency across different papers. This scoping review seeks to connect different works on LLM sycophancy by identifying themes in theoretical definitions, measurement methods, and inducement techniques of sycophancy. By analyzing 26 papers (preprints, conference proceedings, and journal articles) from arXiv, ACL Anthology, and Scopus, this …

Call Center Leaders’ Communication Strategies To Increase Employee Productivity, Tracie Okema Stenson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Lindenwood Digest, June 24, 2026, Lindenwood University

Lindenwood Digest

• Event & Date: The Lindenwood University Employee Digest was issued on June 24, 2026, and catalogs upcoming institutional activities including a Youth in Need golf fundraiser on July 27 and Lindenwood Night at the Ballpark on September 18.

• Geographic Grounding: Campus activities, including multiple Learning Academy professional development sessions, are held in LARC 09, Lindenwood University, St. Charles, Missouri.

• Key Honorees/Awards: Employees recognized in the Q2 Moments section include Director of Information Technology Enterprise Systems and Application Development Karin May; Admissions Counselor for Traditional Students Ben Corson; and Financial Aid Advisor (P-R) Kristie Powell.

• Institutional Context: The digest documents operational …

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Navigating Multiple Roles: Communication Strategies Of Indonesian Postgraduate Women In A Patriarchal Collectivist Culture, Shela Kusumaningtyas, Wawan Hadinata, Nur Iman, Yunati Alinda, Adinda Aulia Nurhaliza, Leoni Nindyasari

JURNAL KOMUNIKASI INDONESIA

This study examines how Indonesian postgraduate women negotiate simultaneous roles as wives, mothers, workers, and students within a patriarchal collectivist culture. Using a qualitative case study with a constructivist orientation, the research focuses on six postgraduate students at the University of Indonesia who were selected through purposive criteria because they simultaneously managed family, work, and academic responsibilities. Data were collected through in-depth interviews, limited contextual observation, and supporting documents, and were analyzed using open, axial, and selective coding procedures. The findings show that role conflict is experienced not merely as a matter of time management, but as a layered burden …

Redesigning An Intercultural Communication Course To Build Power Skills For An Ai-Augmented Global Economy, Nitin Deckha

International Journal of Emerging and Disruptive Innovation in Education : VISIONARIUM

This case study reports a full redesign of an undergraduate Intercultural Communication seminar in Toronto, repositioning the course to foreground power skills as durable differentiators in an AI-mediated economy. The redesign shifts an asynchronous distance format into a seminar-based model with weekly applied learning, scaffolded assessments, and a four-week COIL partnership with a Turkish university to create authentic intercultural collaboration under real constraints. Students practice creativity, curiosity, critical thinking, ethical reasoning, decision-making, verbal and nonverbal communication, cross-cultural competence, and self-reflexivity, while also learning to use AI tools in ways that remain accountable to disciplinary standards. Assignments include debates, peer assessment, …

I Will Defend My Self, Emily Ward Hawkins

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines caregiving and motherhood as forms of load-bearing infrastructure. Cultural narratives often portray motherhood through sentimental images of joy, tenderness, and devotion, obscuring the structural labor that sustains family life. This project examines maternal labor as a largely unseen system of support that organizes family life while often remaining backgrounded. Caregiving reorganizes time, space, ambition, embodiment, and future orientation within maternal life. Through sculptural works using architectural materials and construction systems, such as oriented strand board, blueprint racks, metal armatures, and graph paper, the project visualizes caregiving as a structural condition. These materials reference the language of architecture …

Social Media And Health Information Sharing In Nigeria: Trends In Weight Loss And Cosmetic Procedures, Victoria Ochanya Agbo

Student Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the role of social media in facilitating (mis)information on weight loss and cosmetic surgeries in Nigeria. Utilizing the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM), the study examines information shared by influencers, audience engagements with such messages, and the factors influencing audience receptivity of the messages. Using a qualitative design, a thematic analysis was conducted on influencer posts and audience responses to such posts across major social media platforms. The findings show that influencers frequently framed cosmetic surgery and weight loss as aspirational lifestyle choices and downplayed the medical risks using means such as testimonials, visual transformations, and authenticity cues. …

"Using A Sledgehammer To Crack A Nut" A Proposal To Re-Frame The Media Industry's Perspective On Generative Ai, Reace Barnett

Student Theses and Dissertations

Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) continues to be a divisive topic in the media industry and there are concerns about technical challenges that may affect GenAI’s trustworthiness and reliability. As such, fears of degraded public trust in media products and services have arisen, and while we have a tendency to trust machines, it is clear that public attitudes toward automated decision-making are contentious. Previous research on machine cues found that they are associated with increased perceived objectivity and willingness to disclose information. Conversational GenAI may reduce political polarization, yet many people remain worried about risks such as bias, hallucinations, improper attribution, …

Mindfulness Across Media: Examining The Effects Of Audio, Audio-Visual, And Virtual Reality Mindfulness Interventions On Social Media Mindsets And Psychological Wellbeing, Rashmi Salian

ETDs from 2020-2029

Social media is so deeply ingrained and integrated into daily life that concerns about its impact on psychological wellbeing continue to grow, prompting pressing questions about how to foster healthier and more intentional use of technology. Recent studies suggest that low-agency mindsets toward social media lead users to develop habitual usage patterns and ambiguous information consumption behaviors, both of which negatively impact psychological outcomes. However, limited research is available on mechanisms that could effectively alter these mindsets. This study uses an experimental methodology to investigate whether mindfulness interventions delivered through varying levels of media immersion can improve psychological mindsets toward …

From Hashtags To Regime Change: How Ai-Driven Social Media Algorithms Fueled Youth Protests Against Authoritarianism In Bangladesh But Stalled In Pakistan (2020-2025), Rafia Nishan Abbasi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this research, it has been investigated that how and why youth protests were amplified by AI based social media algorithms in Bangladesh; however, their impacts resulted in occasional and isolated resistance in Pakistan during 2022-25, taking in account the differences in state regulations, platform governance, and civil society networks. While utilizing Mixed-methods approach, this study employs comparative discourse analysis, a structured survey (N=466), semi-structured interviews, legal and policy tracing, and platform data. This research has proposed a novel theoretical framework of Algorithm Regime Mediation (ARM). ARM considers platform algorithms as politically intermingled intermediaries which can determine socio-political outcomes by …

Ethically Implementing Ai To Maximize The Designer's Workflow, Victoria Lyons

Masters Theses

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a rapidly advancing technology that has impacted nearly every industry. Graphic design is certainly no exception. AI has provided designers with a multitude of exciting opportunities and new methods to improve their work. At the same time, AI has also created some complex ethical challenges for designers to navigate. AI has the potential to greatly increase workflow efficiency, bring in automation to repetitive tasks, and provide new creative potential, but it also introduces concerns about creative and artistic integrity, intellectual property laws, and transparency with the consumer.

The focus of this thesis research will explore how …

Toward Defining Vulnerability For The Field Of Communication, Adrian Osman

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Vulnerability, a common human experience, is still not well-theorized within the field of communication and lacks a clear, discipline-specific definition. This qualitative study examined how vulnerability shapes interpersonal communication, using general systems theory and social exchange theory as guiding frameworks. Through in-depth interviews with individuals who identify obesity as a lived vulnerability, five central themes emerged: awareness and acceptance of vulnerability, experiencing weight-based dismissal in healthcare, weight-related communication in familial and everyday interactions, avoidance and situational disengagement, and support systems – what works and what does not. Findings show that vulnerability acts as a dynamic communicative force, shaping engagement, withdrawal, …

Information, Communication, And Content Creation Digital Skills: Task-Based Performance Tests Among Youth In Europe, Alexander Van Deursen, Ester Van Laar, Ellen J. Helsper, Luc Schneider, Veronika Kalmus, Signe Opermann, Mari-Liis Tikerperi, Margus Pedaste, Rasmus Mannerström, Katariina Salmela-Aro, Natalia Waechter, Christin Brando, Cristina Ponte, Rita Baptista, Susana Batista, Giovanna Mascheroni, Davide Cino, Jacek Pyżalski, Natalia Walter, Marie Jaron Bedrosova, Hana Machackova, Michal Muzik, Stepanka Kadera, Leen D'Haenens

Journal of Media Literacy Education Pre-Prints

Youth’s digital skills are of growing interest to scholars and policymakers. This paper reports on a performance test in which over 600 youth from six European countries tested their skills by undertaking tasks measuring information, communication, and content creation digital skills. The findings question whether youth have the skills needed to reap the benefits from online information provision and social interactions. They struggle to understand whether websites are trustworthy, to distinguish advertising from information, with online meeting and conversation etiquette, and with content creation. This applies to both girls and boys, although some gender differences were observed depending on the …

Spotting Power: Reframing Media Literacy In Civic Education, Kason Kendall

Democracy & Education

This article analyzes and critiques the tendency to frame media literacy as a neutral skill set concentrated on verifying sources, or "spotting the error." While this approach emphasizes cognitive habits of checking for bias and accuracy, it does not adequately prepare students to understand intentional misinformation as a political strategy. Building on Matthew's (2020) response to Curry and Cherner (2019), I propose that limiting media literacy to error correction hides the strategic production and intentional spread of disinformation by powerful organizations, corporations, and media outlets. Rooted in curriculum theory and the work of scholars such as Gramsci, Hall, Habermas, and …

Exploring Border Rhetoric, Resistance, And The American Dream: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez' First House Address, Candice L. Ruh Phd, Cassandra Hightower

Feminist Pedagogy

Border rhetoric can be a “muddy” topic for undergraduates, as borders are often taught as fixed, factual lines that divide places and people. However, from a communication perspective, borders are fluid, symbolic, and socially constructed. This difference between viewing borders as physical dividers versus rhetorical constructs creates a valuable opportunity for students to think critically about how meaning is shaped by borders of land, language, and identity.             This original teaching activity uses Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’ (D-NY) first House speech—the most-watched C-SPAN video within 12 hours of release (Gajanan, 2019)—as a central case. It invites students to analyze a key moment …

Chronicling Oral History In The Classroom: Preserving Campus Memories And Fostering Connectivity, Madison A. Krall, Kate Sierra

Feminist Pedagogy

In our ever-changing world, projects involving undergraduates, faculty, and staff serve a dual purpose. This oral history assignment aids students in developing the real-world skills of project management, interpersonal communication, interviewing, and digital literacy. We outline how student-created oral histories reflect the underpinnings of feminist pedagogy and contribute to campus connectivity as students learn how people from different intersectional backgrounds can collaborate to benefit their university communities. Using communication research methods and new-age technology, students capture memories of long-standing campus representatives and develop video products for their university archives that bridge past university life, today’s classroom skills, and tomorrow’s potential.

The Pain Of Women And Femmes: A Multi-Session Class Activity On Generative Ai-Technology And Gender Norms, Bethany L. Johnson, Margaret M. Quinlan

Feminist Pedagogy

This unit helps students examine the societal implications of reproductive pain, focusing on healthcare settings and in post–Roe America. Through active listening, media analysis, and interactive research with ChatGPT, students examine how generative AI responds in a neutral tone; however, with additional data and correction, large language models (LLMs) produce more expansive and inclusive responses. Class activities include group discussions, research, and simulations. By using transcripts from the podcast “The Retrievals” and analyzing recent media, students evaluate how LLMs adjust their answers to identical questions, thereby calling into question their design, functionality, and benefits. The unit employs feminist pedagogy to …

Rethinking Interpreter Training: The Role Of Microlearning In Boosting Knowledge Retention, Hicham Boughaba

Al-Kīmiyā

This study examines the effectiveness of microlearning interventions in enhancing knowledge retention and interpreting performance among trainee interpreters. A quasi-experimental design was employed, with interpreting students divided into two groups: an experimental group receiving targeted microlearning modules on specialized terminology and a control group relying on general knowledge only. Their performance was evaluated according to four criteria: accuracy, clarity and fluency, terminology usage, and cultural and contextual understanding. Results indicate that participants who were exposed to microlearning modules achieved significantly higher scores across all evaluation criteria, with notable gains in accuracy and terminology usage. These findings suggest that microlearning constitutes …

Penet, Jc., Moorkens, J. & Yamada, M. (Eds.). 2026. Teaching Translation In The Age Of Generative Ai: New Paradigm, New Learning? Language Science, May Hobeika Haddad

Al-Kīmiyā

Dès l’introduction, cet ouvrage collectif s’inscrit dans le prolongement de publications récentes consacrées à l’intelligence artificielle et à la traduction, que Penet mentionne explicitement, notamment celles de Kenny, Machine Translation for Everyone: Empowering Users in the Age of Artificial Intelligence (2022), et de Pym et Hao, How to Augment Language Skills: Generative AI and Machine Translation in Language Learning and Translator Training (2025).
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Discursive Analysis Of Authoritarian Islamist Populism: The Case Of The Justice And Development Party (Morocco), Youssef Aboudi

Al-Kīmiyā

This article analyzes the linguistic modalities constitutive of political populism, with particular attention to its contemporary authoritarian-leaning manifestations. Conceived as a discursive construction or a style of communication (Taguieff, 1997), populist discourse is organized around a charismatic figure who claims a direct relationship with an idealized people, set in opposition to an elite deemed illegitimate and inherently malevolent (Breton, 2009). The study advances the hypothesis that the staging of charismatic power, grounded primarily in conspiratorial logics that generate an atmosphere of insecurity and fear (Wodak, 2015), contributes to reinforcing mechanisms of symbolic and political domination while inhibiting critical reflexivity (Weber, …

Balancing Our Capacity To Serve: A Phenomenological Exploration Of Black Women Navigating Personal, Professional, And Community Leadership Roles, Shemeka K. Brathwaite

Student Theses

This phenomenological study explores the lived experiences of Black women community leaders as they navigate a balance between their professional, personal, and community leadership roles. The research design uses the theoretical frameworks of Black Feminist Intersectionality and Role Theory, specifically addressing the cultural burdens imposed by the Strong Black Woman archetype, which adds additional role strain. The study began with a questionnaire completed by 54 Black women community leaders, followed by 20 in-depth, semi-structured interviews selected from this pool. The study’s key findings are illustrated in a Black Women’s Sustainable Community Leadership Framework. Black women community leaders exude high self-efficacy, …

(Re)Claiming Homeplace: Dance As Embodied Resistance & Healing For Health & Spatial Justice, Preeya G. Kannan

University Honors Theses

This thesis argues that dance functions as both an upstream public health intervention and a form of radical spatial resistance; creating healing, agency, and belonging among historically marginalized communities. Drawing on bell hooks' concept of homeplace, Jasbir Puar's assemblage theory, Nancy Krieger's eco-social theory, and Katherine McKittrick's Black geographies, I position the body as both an ecological and political landscape shaped by histories of colonialism, racial capitalism, displacement, and resilience.

Through this community-based participatory research study, Homeplace, I explore dance as a form of social prescription that centers liberation rather than pathology. Movement is often reduced in public health discourse …

Listener Factors In Integrating Syntax And Plausibility In Sentences Produced With Versus Without Stuttering, Gabriella L. Burgess Hayes

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: Development of communication-focused therapy for people who stutter requires better understanding of how stuttering impacts oral comprehension. One aim was to investigate how stuttering impacts listeners’ ability to integrate syntax and world knowledge (plausibility) in sentence processing. A second aim was to investigate how listener factors predict ability to integrate information in sentences with stuttering.

Methods: 224 adults heard 24 experimental sentences interspersed with 24 fillers. Experimental sentences included six plausible double-object dative (DO) constructions, six plausible prepositional dative (PD) constructions, six implausible DO constructions, and six implausible PD constructions. Implausible constructions served as analogues of communication breakdowns. Half …