Digital Commons Network^™

Violence Exposure In Human Rights Defenders' Work, Marko Carrasco Lundgren

Capstone Collection

The work carried out by Human Rights Defenders (HRDs) is fundamental for a more just and democratic society. Therefore, the acts of aggression against them, whether committed by individuals, the State, armed groups or corporative interests, constitute an indirect attack against the rights of the whole population. By restricting access to information and limiting political participation, these aggressions impede society from actively engaging in public affairs, something that ultimately takes the power away from the people.

From a perspective empathetic to HRDs, this Independent Practitioner Inquiry Capstone paper (IPIC) explores possible causes of violence exposure in HRDs’ work and its …

Victim-Group Legitimacy: An Argument For Extending Our Understanding Of Legitimacy After Crisis, Cody Blake Wilson

International Crisis and Risk Communication Conference

Organizational legitimacy has been useful approach to studying relationship management in crisis. This presentation suggests an expansion of organizational legitimacy theory: victim-group legitimacy. Multiple recent cases of crisis involving historically marginalized groups (HMGs) suggest that organizations may not be fully prepared to respond to crises involving HMGs. Recent cases also suggest that publics now routinely see modern crises as chapters within larger marginalization narratives. Victim-group legitimacy acts as a framework for evaluating, interpreting, and responding to not only the crisis at hand, but the historical crisis between an organization and HMGs.

Gender's Role In Spanish-Language Journalism- An Examination Of How Gender Plays In Hard Vs. Soft News, Victoria R. Elajami

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The inequality of women in the workforce has been an ongoing issue. The 19th amendment granted women the right to vote in 1920. Since then, women have continued to fight for their equality in its entirety. Specifically, in the 21st-century women continue to fight for equality in the work place. Studies have shown that the amount of women in the workplace has exponentially increased. In fact, “they caught up with men in the rates of higher-education graduation, they increased their training and representation in formerly male-dominated professional fields and they entered many previously male dominated occupations” (Vokić, 2017). However the …

Coming To A Full Stop: An Investigation Of Menstrual Period Stigmas In College Students, Mary Jane O'Toole

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The focus of this study was to understand perceptions college students have regarding menstruation and if viewing a normalized media message may influence these perceptions. A treatment group of participants was randomly assigned to view an episode of the hit family sitcom Blackish that focused on menstruation and then answer survey questions. A control group of participants only answered the survey questions. A mixed methods analysis revealed three primary conclusions. First, these results contradict existing research in that the college students surveyed generally do not hold negative perceptions that may stigmatize menstruation. Second, the treatment that viewed the normalized media …

Gender And Conflict In Long-Term Romantic Relationships, Emily Hamlin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Conflict is inevitable, but not inherently negative. All relationships face conflict with some frequency and long-term romantic partnerships are no exception. This exploratory qualitative study investigated conflict types, approaches, and affective components using digital conflict journals. Participants logged their relational conflict for one month in order to gain insight into the communication practices and conflict perceptions of couples. A conflict cycle and sensemaking framework was applied to identify patterns and best practices.

Help Me Be Healthy: Perceptions Of Social Support In An Online Weight Loss Program, Brittany Davies

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As technology changes, so do the ways in which we receive information, provide information and interact with one another. The exchange of social support is increasingly mediated by technology in the realm of health, nutrition, and fitness (Dahl, et al 2015; Wright et al 2011). Commercial weight loss and healthy lifestyle initiatives such as the Beachbody programs incorporate social media and web applications to reach a broader consumer base with individualized programming options. The present study, guided by optimal matching theory and the helper theory principle, employed online participant-observation and in-depth, semi-structured interviews with Beachbody coaches and participants to investigate …

Identifying Perceived Risks To Environmental Pollutants And Needs For Risk Communication In A Rural Appalachian Community, Elizabeth H. Travis

Theses and Dissertations--Nutrition and Food Systems

The goal of this study is to determine issues rural Appalachian residents consider most important, their perceived environmental health risk, and how community engagement can potentially improve those issues. The University of Kentucky Superfund Research Center held the Appalachian Community Health and Well-being Forum at the Letcher County Cooperative Extension Office in Eastern Kentucky. A four-member panel consisted of two local health officials, a nutrition expert, and a federal scientist; answered questions from community members. The expert panel and audience members shared concerns, success stories, and highlighted efforts to promote health in the region. Community members completed a questionnaire collecting …

A Mixed Methods Sequential Explanatory Study Of Male Farmers' Health Beliefs, Attitudes And Practices In Rural Kerry, Chrystal O'Brien

Theses

Aim/Background: Beliefs and attitudes about health directly and indirectly influence concomitant behaviours, practices and health outcomes. In Ireland, male farmers are experiencing a disproportionate burden of ill health in preventable lifestyle diseases, yet there is a lack of behavioural research in relation to male farmers and their health. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the health beliefs, attitudes and practices of male farmers in rural Kerry, and to explore healthcare professionals' insights of male farmers' health beliefs, attitudes and practices.

Methodology: The study adopted a mixed methods design. Phase one of the study involved structured interviews with …

Melodrama And The Aesthetics Of Emotion, E. Deidre Pribram Ph.D.

Communications: Faculty Publications

Melodrama has long been associated with emotion, frequently in a pejorative sense due to its apparent emotional excesses. Conversely, scholars have argued that the melodramatic mode expresses “forces, desires, fears which... operate in human life," for which we have “no other language” (Gledhill tool, 31,37). In this chapter I explore how emotionality serves melodrama as an alrernarive “language" precisely to express forces, desires, and fears that operate beyond cognitive or ideological explanation.

Residential Solar In Washington State, Sam Pfeifer

All Master's Theses

Electricity generated through residential solar provides a low carbon source of electricity. However, diffusion of residential solar remains low across the United States. Growing this diffusion takes an understanding of localized uptake trends, which can focus policy and business efforts to help increase residential solar market penetration. This is the first research to investigate residential solar uptake in Washington State and to examine environmental education as a potential driver of residential solar uptake. Through a snapshot analysis which considers environmental, economic, education, and cultural variables the present research fills this gap. Triangulated results include mapping of variables, ordinary-least squares multiple …

Uncovering The Lost Knowledge Of The Imagination In Films, Seda, Daniel A.

Journal of Conscious Evolution

Films have forever changed the way in which humans perceive reality and have provided significant opportunities to spread knowledge in ways that are both entertaining and deceptive. Uncovering the lost knowledge of the imagination shifts an individual’s perceptions of a shared experience and exposes film’s persuasive power to penetrate the psyche. This paper explores the constitutions of reality and how humans are able to tap into other realms of consciousness through mediums of creative expression. Topics such as the origins of life, the hidden knowledge of secret societies, and the burgeoning full disclosure movement for truth are discussed as a …

A Complex Calculus: How Message Format And Processing Route Coordinate To Influence Hpv Vaccination Message Persuasiveness Among Young Adults, Laura Boutemen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection may lead to cancer and genital warts yet can be prevented by a safe and effective vaccine recommended for individuals up to 26 years old. HPV vaccination rates remain low among college aged adults that represent a catch-up population still eligible to receive the HPV vaccine. This present study is a theory-based investigation employing the Heuristic Systematic Model to explore the effect of message format and processing route on attitude and behavioral intention in the context of HPV vaccination. Undergraduate students aged 17-26 years old (N = 261) from various majors (e.g., STEM, social sciences, humanities) …

App-Ily Ever After - Self-Presentation And Perception Of Others On The Dating App Tinder, Johnathan Dunlop

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Location-based real-time dating (LBRTD) apps have become an increasingly common way for people to broaden their social network and meet others for the purposes of dating, friendship, and more. This investigation focused on Tinder, presently the most widely-used LBRTD app. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with twenty-three current and recent Tinder users to gain insight into their self-presentation strategies and impressions of others on the app. The questions concentrated around four major topic areas: use of photos, use of bio text, perception of others, and real or imagined deception. A grounded theory approach was used to frame the data. From this, …

The Minority Anti-Hero: Race And Behavioral Justification In Power, Claudia Hernandez

Scripps Senior Theses

This thesis explores the minority anti-hero on television as it relates to concepts of race and behavioral justification. Previous studies have addressed the ways in which whiteness functions advantageously for popular criminal anti-heroes on television, yet little is known regarding the effects of race for similar characters of color. I hypothesized that accessibility of the criminal stereotype does not allow men of color to inhabit the same immoral status as white characters without penalty. I subsequently analyzed the first season from the Starz series Power and conducted a textual analysis using theories of race and hegemonic masculinity to compare the …

Yeezy Taught Me: Race, Gender, Class & Identity Through Rap Music, April Marie Reza

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This study will explore identity construction by examining the intersectionality of race, gender, and class within rap music, specifically the music of Kanye West. It will expand current research by exploring social themes within rap music and how they impact the construction of one's identity. The primary goal of the study is to analyze rap music and intersectionality within the lyrics, following how they interconnect to shape and influence a listeners identity. Furthermore, this study will analyze lyrics of a popular figure within the rap genre and the messages that are communicated through an artist's music career.

Key Words: rap …

I Guess We Are All Different After All: A Children's Book, Angelica Renee Owen

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The project begins with the introduction and the intent of the project and of the children's book itself, and the literature supporting children's cognitive development and the steps required to write a children's book. The book is a story with the purpose of normalizing differences and diversity at an early age. Part D of the project is a companion to the book directed towards parents and teachers in order to continue the conversation with their children discussing diversity and normalizing them.

Raça, Jinshu, Race: Whiteness, Japanese-Ness, And Resistance In Sūkyō Mahikari In The Brazilian Amazon, Moana Luri De Almeida

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation presented an analysis of how leaders and adherents of a Japanese religion called Sūkyō Mahikari understand and interpret jinshu (race) and hito(person) in a particular way, and how this ideology is practiced in the city of Belém, in the Brazilian Amazon. The teachings of Sūkyō Mahikari classify humanity into five races (yellow, white, red, blue/green, black/purple) and five religions (Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism). In this classification, the original humans - hito, the kingly race ōbito, and the God-given supra-religion sūkyō - deteriorated into ningen (people), the other races, and shūkyō (religions) along an …

Who Is Caring For The Caregiver? The Role Of Cybercoping For Dementia Caregivers, Jae-Seon Jeong, Young Kim, Myoung-Gi Chon

College of Communication Faculty Research and Publications

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between dementia caregivers’ communication behaviors (information seeking and forwarding) and their outcomes (coping outcomes: e.g., dealing better with negative feelings or improved medical outcomes). A survey data set of dementia patients’ caregivers substantiates the effects of communication behaviors about dementia illness on coping outcomes, as well as the mediating role of emotion-focused and problem-focused coping processes. Using structural equation modeling (SEM), this study found positive effects of communication behaviors on outcomes through coping processes. Further, the results indicate that communication behaviors in cyberspace are crucial for caregivers to cope with …

Creating A Speech Choir: The Bounty Of Authentic Audience Experience For Students, Susan Redding Emel

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

For most students at my university, classroom experience alone was the choice for formally developing speaking skills. My idea was to provide students with recurring authentic audience experience, attending to the audience dimension outlined by Derryberry (1989) as a critical requirement of public speaking pedagogy. Through research, a new idea was proposed: Create a Speech Choir, combining talents of the students in one performance. Though it has elements of forensics, reader’s theater, choral reading, public speaking and more, it is not identical to any of these. As the team evolved, more pedagogical elements were added including service learning, attention to …

Best Practices For Facilitating Communication-Centered Professional Development For Non-Communication Faculty, Stephanie Norander

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

Communication-across-the-curriculum (CxC) programs commonly support noncommunication faculty by crafting robust professional development learning experiences. This article presents 10 best practices for facilitating professional development designed to support the teaching and learning of communication competencies in non-communication disciplines. These practices draw on lessons learned from a successful professional development course facilitated by the CxC program at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Grounded in a situated communication pedagogy framework, these best practices reflect a communicationcentered approach to professional development, thus extending scholarly discourse and practices surrounding CxC programs, communication pedagogy, and professional development of faculty.

A Systems Theory Analysis Of The Goshen Seventh-Day Adventist Church's System Of Communication, Clavour R. Tucker

Master's Theses

Problem

The Seventh-day Adventist Church (SDA) is a complex and multilayered nonprofit organization (NPO), with carefully outlined policies and guidelines for almost every aspect of the organization. However, the philosophical or structural framework that guides communication within the organization is not clear. It is my hypothesis, having been a member and employee of the organization for almost 30 years, that not having such a structure has led to the creation of a fragmented culture of communication, which is observable in local congregations. This research assesses this phenomenon at the Goshen SDA Church, in Chicago, IL, and seeks to answer the …

“Feeling Warmth And Close To Her”: Communication And Resilience Reflected In Turning Points In Positive Adult Stepchild–Stepparent Relationships, Dawn O. Braithwaite, Vincent R. Waldron, Jordan Allen, Bailey Oliver, Gretchen Bergquist, Katie Storck, Jaclyn S. Marsh, Nathan Swords, Carol L. Tschampl-Diesing

Department of Communication Studies: Faculty Publications

With the goal of understanding the development of positive stepchild–stepparent relationships, the researchers focused on turning points characterizing the interaction of adult stepchildren who have a positive bond with a stepparent. Engaging a relational turning points perspective, 38 stepchildren (males and females, ages 25 to 52 years old) who reported a positive stepparent relationship were interviewed, generating 269 turning points which were categorized into 15 turning point types and coded by valence. Turning points occurring most frequently were: prosocial actions, quality time, conflict/ disagreement, changes in household/family composition, and rituals. Findings are discussed, including implications for developing and enacting resilient …

Asset, Liability, Possibility: Metaphors Of Human Difference And The Business Case For Diversity, Jennifer J. Mease (Also Peeksmease), Brittany L. Collins

Department of Communication Studies: Faculty Publications

Purpose – This analysis draws on interviews with 19 self-identified US diversity consultants and 94 diversity statements posted on corporate websites. The findings challenge existing literature that characterizes the business case for diversity as monolithic and wholly problematic for the way it constructs understandings of human difference. The authors accomplish this using metaphor analysis to demonstrate how business case arguments incorporate three metaphorical systems for thinking and speaking about human differences – as asset, as liability and as possibility. Given this diversity of metaphors, the business case does not construct human difference in a monolithic way, but in a variety …

ปัจจัยทางจิตวิทยากับผลต่อการใช้เครือข่ายสังคมออนไลน์ของผู้สูงอายุ, ชานนท์ ศิริธร

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

งานวิจัยครั้งนี้มีวัตถุประสงค์เพื่อ 1.) ศึกษาลักษณะการใช้เครือข่ายสังคมออนไลน์ของผู้สูงอายุ 2.) เพื่อศึกษาปัจจัยทางจิตวิทยาทั้งภายในและภายนอกกับผลต่อการใช้เครือข่ายสังคมออนไลน์ของผู้สูงอายุ 3.) เพื่อศึกษาเปรียบเทียบปัจจัยทางจิตวิทยาภายใน ปัจจัยทางจิตวิทยาภายนอก และการรับรู้คุณลักษณะของนวัตกรรม และ 4.) เพื่อศึกษาเปรียบเทียบการเห็นคุณค่าในตนเองและความพึงพอใจในชีวิต ระหว่างผู้สูงอายุที่มีปริมาณความเข้มข้นในการใช้เครือข่ายสังคมออนไลน์ระดับมากกับผู้สูงอายุที่มีปริมาณความเข้มข้นในการใช้เครือข่ายสังคมออนไลน์ระดับน้อย กลุ่มตัวอย่างเป็นผู้สูงอายุทั้งชายและหญิงที่มีอายุ 60 ปีขึ้นไป โดยทำการสัมภาษณ์เชิงลึกกับผู้สูงอายุ รวมทั้งสิ้น 25 คน จากนั้นทำการวิจัยเชิงสำรวจกับผู้สูงอายุที่มีปริมาณความเข้มข้นในการใช้เครือข่ายสังคมออนไลน์ระดับมาก และผู้สูงอายุที่มีปริมาณความเข้มข้นในการใช้เครือข่ายสังคมออนไลน์ระดับน้อย รวมทั้งสิ้น 730 คน ซึ่งทั้งหมดอาศัยอยู่ในเขตกรุงเทพมหานคร ผลการวิจัยเชิงคุณภาพพบว่า ผู้สูงอายุตัดสินใจใช้งานเครือข่ายสังคมออนไลน์เนื่องจากแรงกระตุ้นจากเพื่อน ลูกหลาน และบุคคลที่ชื่นชอบ โดยจะใช้งานใน 4 ลักษณะ ได้แก่ ใช้สร้างความสัมพันธ์กับคนอื่น ใช้หาข้อมูลข่าวสาร ใช้แสดงอารมณ์ความรู้สึก และใช้สร้างความภูมิใจในตน โดยปัจจัยที่แตกต่างกันอย่างมากระหว่างผู้สูงอายุที่ใช้งานเครือข่ายสังคมออนไลน์กับผู้ที่ไม่ได้ใช้งานคือ การรับรู้ความสามารถของตน (Self-efficacy) นอกจากนี้ยังพบว่า การใช้งานเครือข่ายสังคมออนไลน์ช่วยส่งเสริมให้ผู้สูงอายุเกิดการสร้างเสริมพลังในตนเอง (Self-Empowerment) โดยเฉพาะในการหาข้อมูลที่เป็นประโยชน์ต่อสุขภาพ ซึ่งส่งผลทำให้ผู้สูงอายุเรียนรู้การดูแลสุขภาพได้ด้วยตนเอง ไม่ต้องพึ่งพาผู้อื่น นำมาซึ่งการเห็นคุณค่าในตนเองและความพึงพอใจในชีวิต ส่วนในการวิจัยเชิงปริมาณ ผลการวิเคราะห์การถดถอยพหุคูณพบว่า ตัวแปรที่มีประสิทธิภาพในการพยากรณ์การใช้เครือข่ายสังคมออนไลน์ของผู้สูงอายุมากที่สุดคือ ปัจจัยทางจิตวิทยาภายในตัวผู้สูงอายุ (Adjust R2 = .325) ซึ่งพยากรณ์ได้ที่ร้อยละ 32.5 ถัดมาคือ ปัจจัยทางจิตวิทยาภายนอกตัวผู้สูงอายุ (Adjust R2 = .313) ซึ่งพยากรณ์ได้ที่ร้อยละ 31.3 และคุณลักษณะของนวัตกรรม (Adjust R2 = .187) ซึ่งพยากรณ์ได้ที่ร้อยละ 18.7 ตามลำดับ

Systems Of Expression: Counter-Discourse In Online Intersex Communities, Jasmine Shirey

CMC Senior Theses

Individuals who do not fit neatly into the expected genetic and phenotypic XX/XY binary have been misrepresented, ignored, operated on without consent, denied legal rights, and gaslighted by multiple spheres of dominant society including, but not limited to: medicine, popular culture, and the justice system. Using Michael Foucault’s conception of 'counter-discourse' in conversation with the work of Gayatri Spivak, I ask how online intersex communities (OICs) have participated in counter-discourse by examining forums, blogs, comments, organization websites, memoirs and social media pages.

Major examples of phenomena OICs respond to, engage with, and critique include: surgery on intersex infants; the introduction …

The Doctor Of Change: A Ideological Criticism Of Doctor Who, Noah Zepponi

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

This thesis has used the methodology of an ideological criticism on the long-running science-fiction television series, Doctor Who. Argued within, is that an ideological paradigm shift occurred during the fifty years of scripted storylines. To discern evidence supporting the shift, multiple episodes were viewed from each of the first eleven Doctors. During the viewing process all aspects presented within the show, such as dialogue, movements, tactics, and traits, were explored for ideological agency. Once found, the discourse was further analyzed to understand how these ideologies were enforced. From the findings, proof was examined in order to show by the end …

The Impact Of Donald Trump’S Tweets On College Student Civic Engagement In Relation To His Perceived Credibility And Expertise, Thalia Bobadilla

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Donald Trump’s tweets have become prevalent in today’s society. Because college students use social media so often, it would be incumbent for the researcher to examine the impact Donald Trump’s tweets might have on these young adults’, civic engagement and how the tweets may be affecting his perceived credibility and expertise. The researcher administered a questionnaire to 350 college students from a private medium sized west coast university using various modified scales examining credibility, expertise and civic engagement. Civic engagement was measured using an adapted version of several civic engagement instruments. The researcher used a correlation analysis to offer answers …

Student Perceptions Of Instructor Humor As A Predictor Of Student Intellectual Stimulation, Academic Interest And Engagement, Tiffany Marie Freitas

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Student intellectual stimulation, interest, and engagement within the college classroom is of great importance when attempting to heighten learning, both cognitively and affectively. Although scholars have examined predictors of student interest and engagement within the classroom setting, it has yet to be examined in correlation with an instructor’s use of humor. More specifically, student intellectual stimulation is rarely studied on its own, especially in relation to an instructor’s humor orientation. This study seeks to determine if an instructors humor orientation acts a predictor of student intellectual stimulation, engagement, and interest within the college classroom setting. This study obtained data from …

Testing Links Among Uncertainty, Affect, And Attitude Toward A Health Behavior, Robert J. Griffin, Timothy K.F. Fung, Sharon Dunwoody

College of Communication Faculty Research and Publications

This study examines the conceptual linkages between individuals’ uncertainty judgments and affective reactions (worry and anger) within the context of an environmental health risk. It uses data from a longitudinal study of people’s reactions to the risks of eating contaminated fish from the Great Lakes that employed the risk information seeking and processing model and incorporates a set of variables from the full model, which includes preventive behavior. Findings support the model and indicate that worry and anger strongly influenced uncertainty judgments but worry and anger influenced attitudes toward fish avoidance and information insufficiency differently.

Celebrities, Fans, And Queering Gender Norms: A Critical Examination Of Lady Gaga's, Nicki Minaj's, And Fans' Use Of Instagram, Brandy Dieterle

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation used queer rhetoric as a lens for studying queering gender norms on Instagram by using Lady Gaga's, Nicki Minaj's, and fan posts as case studies. The research considers how celebrities may use social media, like Instagram, for queering gender norms, and what this might look like. This research also aimed to better understand if and how fans may take up celebrities' efforts at queering gender norms and, in turn, queer gender norms in their own Instagram posts where they tag Gaga or Minaj. To conduct this research, I took a multimodal methodological approach and collected and coded 1,000 …