Digital Commons Network^™

Semiotic Breakdown In Disaster Evacuation Signage For International Tourists, Mario Christopher Fimbrez

Masters Theses

Japan’s disaster evacuation signage systems are highly standardized and widely regarded as effective for the domestic population, who operate within a shared cultural framework shaped by years of earthquake drills, formal disaster education, and a common visual vocabulary for risk and evacuation. In coastal cities like Kamakura, however, the audience composition has changed significantly, with millions of international visitors now navigating these spaces each year without the disaster literacy or cultural familiarity that the existing signage was designed to assume. When those shared assumptions about urgency, symbolism, and environmental threat are absent, the communicative force of the system can be …

Perceived Effects Of Cancel Culture Threat And Digital Natives’ Patterns Of Communication On Social Media, Randolph N. Townley

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

"Cancel culture" is a well-known atropism that has become commonplace on social media. To many this may feel like a new phenomenon, but it has existed in various forms since antiquity. From biblical times to today, people have attempted to silence dissenting viewpoints. The cancel culture philosophy is distributed over all viewpoints that have a potentially offensive bent for the group of people who deem the content offensive. This study evaluated whether digital natives feel compelled to limit their exposure on social media to their authentic viewpoints considering the threat of repercussions. Using Albert Bandura’s social cognitive theory coupled with …

The Social Construction Of Firearm Meaning In 2022 Hollywood Films: A Qualitative Content Analysis, Anthony L. Paduano

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This qualitative study investigated how meaning was socially constructed around firearms in mainstream American cinema. The study used Berger and Luckmann’s (1966) social construction of reality as the primary framework, with semiotic analysis and Bandura’s (1977, 1986) social learning theory as supporting lenses, treating firearms as culturally loaded signs whose meanings were encoded and stabilized through narrative convention. A qualitative content analysis of 50 films, 2022 Hollywood films in which firearms were prominent enough to meet the study’s inclusion criteria, was conducted using a two-pool design that combined purposive selection with random selection from a bounded pool of commercially prominent …

A Quantitative Content Analysis Of Major United States-Based Religious Organizations' Framing Of Mask-Wearing On X (Formerly Twitter) During Covid-19, Michael J. Farzinpour

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this quantitative content analysis was to examine how major U.S.-based religious organizations framed mask-wearing on X (formerly Twitter) during the COVID-19 pandemic and whether identifiable framing cues were associated with observable audience engagement. Grounded in framing theory and prospect theory, the study analyzed publicly available tweets posted by 14 nationally prominent U.S. megachurches and affiliated public-facing organizational representatives between March 2020 and December 2022. The final sample consisted of 1,288 tweets. Tweets were coded for gain- and loss-framed valence-framing cues, compliance- and resistance-oriented frame-orientation cues, and engagement outcomes measured through publicly visible likes, comments, and retweets. Because …

Making Sense Of Organizational Culture Through Internal Communication: A Qualitative Descriptive Study Of University Staff Experiences, Candida A. Johnson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Guided by Craig’s sociocultural communication tradition, organizational culture theory, and Barnlund’s transactional model of communication, this qualitative study sought to understand how internal communication practices at a large public university are interpreted by staff as central to meaning-making, trust, and engagement among staff. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews representing multiple divisions, roles, and campus locations at the institution. Thematic analysis revealed: 1) authentic and effective communication, 2) information flow and access, 3) institutional belonging and commitment, and 4) crisis communication breakdowns. Findings revealed that while the institution employs multiple internal communication channels, staff frequently perceived institutional-level communication as delayed, …

When Illness Is Invisible: The Rhetorical Situation Of Internet-Informed Self-Identification In Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, Kayla J. Martin

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the rhetorical situation of diagnostic communications for individuals with hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (hEDS) when presenting diagnostic information obtained online to medical providers in healthcare settings. The problem was that little was known about how individuals with hEDS communicatively negotiate internet-informed self-identifications or diagnoses within the rhetorical situation of patient-provider diagnostic interactions. The rationale for this research was that individuals with hEDS frequently experience significant diagnostic delays, symptom dismissal, and provider knowledge gaps that lead many to seek diagnostic information through online health information seeking (OHIS) and self-identification prior to obtaining a …

“Don’T Tell Me To Keep Doing What I’M Doing, When I’M Risking My Life Trying To Get You To Do Your Job”: Thoughts On The Politics Of Distance, Alice Chapman

Emancipations: A Journal of Critical Social Analysis

No abstract provided.

Lindenwood Digest, September 16, 2026, Lindenwood University

Lindenwood Digest

• Event & Date: The Lindenwood University Employee Digest was published on September 16, 2026, announcing the President's Town Hall on September 16, 2026, and the Fall Business Ethics Panel on October 1, 2026.

• Geographic Grounding: Documented events take place at Scheidegger Theater and Dunseth Auditorium in Harmon Hall, Lindenwood University, St. Charles, Missouri.

• Key Honorees/Awards: Director of Operations and Engineering of Mane Media Productions Brandon McKinney received Q2 recognition for broadcast engineering support; Senior Professor of Psychology Dr. Rebecca Foushee received Q2 recognition for providing independent research materials to biology students; Associate Professor of Art and Design Joe Weber received …

The Current - Volume 37 Issue 02, Nova Southeastern University

Student Newspapers

No abstract provided.

God's Not Neutral: Narrative Tropes, Spiritual Warfare, And The Construction Of Evangelical Political Identity In American Christian Fiction, Evelyn L. Mccullough

Dissertations and Theses

Evangelical Christian fiction has reached tens of millions of readers and viewers during the most sustained period of evangelical political mobilization in American history, yet its narrative construction remains largely unexamined. This study asks how recurrent tropes in this genre build the attitudinal and emotional preconditions for political engagement. Combining systematic qualitative content analysis of eight texts spanning four decades (1986–2024) with Critical Discourse Analysis grounded in van Dijk's sociocognitive framework, it traces how storytelling devices connect theological belief to political behavior. The analysis reveals a single organizing logic: the corpus holds one regressive heroic disposition constant while making it …

Growing, Connecting, And Reflecting: Interpersonal Communication In Relationships, Gordon Alley-Young

Open Educational Resources

"Growing, Connecting, and Reflecting: Interpersonal Communication in Relationships" by Gordon Alley-Young is an Open Educational Resource (OER) textbook exploring communication in interpersonal relationships. The text emphasizing that communication is a collaborative, co-creation of meaning across many contexts and channels. The text recognizes the pervasive influence of culture on communication to recognize how our diverse backgrounds shape relational dynamics and dialogue. Topics and themes explored in the text include: self-concept, perception, cultural awareness, effective listening, emotion, verbal and nonverbal communication, relational climates and conflict, and the formation and evolution of foundational interpersonal relationships. The text encourages individual reflection on the reader's …

Mission Over Bureaucracy: Special Operations Command’S Warrior-Driven Model For Defense Innovation, Robert D. Seader

Joint Force Quarterly

In an era of accelerating technological change, military organizations must rapidly develop and field new capabilities to maintain battlefield superiority. Traditional defense acquisition processes, optimized for peacetime oversight and risk avoidance, now take four times longer than in the 1950s, threatening to undermine military effectiveness against rapidly modernizing adversaries. This paper examines how the United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) has pioneered a fundamentally different acquisition approach that delivers new capabilities in months rather than the decades typical of conventional programs.

Through extensive interviews with senior acquisition leaders, this analysis identifies three core elements of USSOCOM’s success: a mission-centric culture …

Lindenwood Digest, September 9, 2026, Lindenwood University

Lindenwood Digest

• Event & Date: The Lindenwood University Employee Digest was published on September 9, 2026, detailing university operations, academic deadlines, and the Taste the Cause community event scheduled for September 19, 2026.

• Geographic Grounding: Programmed events are situated at the Family Arena, St. Charles, Missouri, as well as rooms LARC 09 and LARC 10 inside the Library and Academic Resources Center, Lindenwood University, St. Charles, Missouri.

• Key Honorees/Awards: Faculty recognized for institutional service include Dr. Stephanie Afful, Professor of Psychology; Dr. Colleen Biri, Senior Professor of Psychology; Weston Anderson, Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice; Brynne Schroeder, Assistant Professor of Psychology; Suzanne …

Book Review: The History And Politics Of Star Wars: Death Stars And Democracy, Petra Hendrickson

Dialogue: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Popular Culture and Pedagogy

Book Review: The History and Politics of Star Wars: Death Stars and Democracy

Advancing A Familial Understanding Of International Students, Prof-Collins Ifeonu Dr

Critical Internationalization Studies Review

No abstract provided.

"Lecture - Anne Newport Royall", William Lindsey Mcdonald

Writings

Annotated speech outline about Anne Newport Royall, America's first female traveling correspondent, who traveled to Florence, Alabama from July to December 1821 and also visited other local Alabama cities, such as Huntsville. Royall published a book in 1830 entitled Letters from Alabama about her travels throughout the state.

Lindenwood Digest, September 2, 2026, Lindenwood University

Lindenwood Digest

• Event & Date: The Lindenwood University Employee Digest was published on September 2, 2026, outlining administrative initiatives and upcoming university events, including the September 18 Lindenwood Night at the Ballpark.

• Geographic Grounding: Documented faculty support activities and institutional operations took place at Roemer Hall, Lindenwood University, St. Charles, Missouri.

• Key Honorees/Awards: The Q2 Moments section recognized Dean of the College of Arts and Humanities Dr. Travis McMaken for academic classroom support; Public Safety and Security Office Assistant Woody Ellis for providing after-hours faculty security.

• Institutional Context: The university announced the launch of the Slate CRM system for enrollment management and …

Remembering The Great Gumpert, Susan Drucker

Proceedings of the New York State Communication Association

No abstract provided.

A Gary Gumpert Remembrance, Lewis Freeman

Proceedings of the New York State Communication Association

No abstract provided.

Remembering Gary Gumpert, Lance Strate

Proceedings of the New York State Communication Association

Thoughts on Gary Gumpert.

A Sign Of Our Times: Cities, Protest And Public Space, Susan Drucker

Proceedings of the New York State Communication Association

The U.S. is a country born out of protest, a nation which enshrined in its Constitution the right to assemble and petition the government, which includes the right to protest peacefully. Cities are spatial media and the site of much current contentiousness and controversy in the Trump administration’s America.  Cities can be symbols of protest such as sanctuary cities. Appropriation of everyday urban spaces and activities has been key to opposition politics. City streets have historically been the site of sign toting protesters watched o masked members of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). This paper explores the historical and …

Nonverbal Communication In New York Fashion Week, Lianna Cruz, Maia Coyle

Proceedings of the New York State Communication Association

Nonverbal communication research has largely explored materiality and performance independently, leaving their joint role in meaning-making underexamined. The authors applied Langerian aesthetic theory and examined how three key kinesic variables intersect with clothing to create significance and symbolism by asking, “How do rhythm, body movement, and dance build meaning in New York Fashion Week?” Following Langer and Edward T. Hall, we conducted close visual analyses of three Spring and Fall 2025 New York Fashion Week shows: Coach, Off-White, and Thom Browne. Findings indicate that these variables build meaning by creating degrees of professionalism, reinforcing meanings through clothes, and renegotiating meanings …

Social Media Management: The Career That's Still Growing Up, Gabrielle Iorio

Proceedings of the New York State Communication Association

This paper explores social media management careers through in-depth interviews with 10 social media managers, analyzed using organizational communication theories. The interviewees reveal gendered and age-specific labor dynamics of the profession, struggles with mental health and work-life balance, and difficulty attaining internal visibility and fair compensation within organizations.

The Unintended Consequences Of Metaphors On Navigating Careers In The U.S.: Focus On International Students And Women Of Color, Yeongbin (Ellen) Jeon

Proceedings of the New York State Communication Association

This paper examines how workplace metaphors such as the glass ceiling, sticky floor, maternal wall, and motherhood/fatherhood penalty continue to illuminate structural inequality in the contemporary U.S. labor market. Focusing on the experiences of international students and women of color, it argues that these metaphors are not merely symbolic descriptions but practical frameworks for understanding how race, gender, immigration status, and caregiving expectations shape unequal career outcomes. Drawing on class readings, policy analysis, and personal experience, the paper shows how visa-based hiring restrictions, limited parental leave protections, and racialized gender stereotypes constrain access to employment, advancement, and leadership. It further …

A Qualitative Exploration Of Drinking Culture For Women In The Workforce, Anna Savage

Proceedings of the New York State Communication Association

This study investigates how the drinking culture of companies differ for women in male-dominated industries compared to female-dominated industries. Through interviews with six women in a convenience sample, I compared the experiences of women in different industries to examine a variety of factors including whether they felt pressured to drink alcohol in social settings, how their experiences at office events impacted how they view and are viewed by their coworkers and managers, and what the effects of the drinking culture are on the culture inside their company. I found that women in male-dominated industries were much more likely to be …

The Trump Administration's Assault On Higher Education, Salvatore J. Fallica

Proceedings of the New York State Communication Association

This essay opens the roundtable “The Disinvitation to Knowledge: The Expanding Assault on (Higher) Education and the Humanities.” After analyzing texts and contexts of news stories and commentary from legacy media sources and social media platforms collected over a five-month period from June to October 2025, the author describes the Trump Administration’s authoritarian actions attacking and destabilizing the mission of colleges and universities – and the professors and administrators charged with implementing them. The author concludes that because of its ideological censorship and defunding efforts, the Trump administration presents a major threat to the educational institutions in the United States.

The Instability And Unsustainability Of Our Planned, Or Imagined Media Future, Thom Gencarelli

Proceedings of the New York State Communication Association

In the face of the growth and planned growth of industrial developments in artificial intelligence, embodied AI, immersive media/virtual reality, and the fintech industry and cryptocurrencies – and the energy requirements for each of these and all of them together – this paper examines the question of whether the plans for growth and future development in these areas is probable, possible, problematic, or impossible.  Additionally, the examination is situated atop both state-based and criminal threats to use the Internet and mobile Internet to wreak havoc and instability.

A Word From The Writing Team (September 2026), Pam Walter, Mfa, Laura Deloretta, Phd

A Word From the Writing Team (Newsletter)

No abstract provided.

J Mich Dent Assoc Sept. 2026

The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association

Each month, the Journal of the Michigan Dental Association delivers news, information, and features about Michigan dentistry to our state's oral health community and the MDA's 6,200-plus members. It remains the main publication reaching Michigan dentists and is available worldwide through ADA Commons.

The September 2026 (Volume 108, No. 9) issue of the Journal is published in print format to provide updates and insights for Michigan's oral health community and MDA members. Print editions occur every other month beginning with January.

This full compilation of the September 2026 Journal of the Michigan Dental Association features the deans' reports from the …

The Back Page - A New Chapter For The Mda Journal, Timothy Rath

The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association

Tim Rath, MDA's Content and Editorial Manager, introduces himself as the managing editor of the MDA Journal. He outlines a new strategic chapter focused on aligning the journal's clinical content with the association's broader advocacy, educational, and membership events. Celebrating the legacy of Dave Foe and welcoming new Editor-in-Chief Dr. Romesh Nalliah, Rath emphasizes that the best story ideas originate from practitioners in the field. He invites Michigan dentists to share personal narratives of unique career paths, fascinating hobbies, unique patient cases, and life outside the clinic to foster professional inspiration.