Digital Commons Network^™

Harness The Darkness! Blackout Poetry And Drama Therapy For Systemic Existential Dread: A Proposed Methodology, Kerry Sullivan

Expressive Therapies Theses

This thesis explores the intersection of drama therapy and blackout poetry as a therapeutic intervention to address systemic existential dread (SED) among emerging adults. The proposed methodology is titled "Bringing Blackout Poetry to Life" and consists of five sessions designed to explore the participants’ SED and generate poetry, culminating in a public performance. By integrating elements from psychodrama and drama therapy with the therapeutic process of blackout poetry, the intervention intends to aid processing on all levels of the expressive therapies continuum (ETC), strengthen tolerance for uncertainty, and facilitate sustainable community action. This theoretical framework is supported by a wide-ranging …

Miracles Or Mirages? Miracle Language In Medical Communication, Thomas Yu

Senior Honors Theses

The current study seeks to understand how miracle language exists as a persuasive tool by examining the usage of miracle language in the discourse surrounding the release of Xolair for individuals with food allergies. This was accomplished by conducting a qualitative analysis of the miracle language employed by those engaged in the Xolair discourse. An extensive literature review was conducted to gain a foundational understanding of medical persuasion and miracle language, as well as an understanding of the theoretical foundations of this study. Twenty-four pieces of literature from pharmaceutical companies, and food allergy community members were chronicled and studied utilizing …

A Case Study Of Faculty Perspectives On Teaching Across Borders, Lucy Matthews, Diane R. Edmondson, Tammy Bahmanziari

Atlantic Marketing Journal

This study explores the differences between faculty who have and have not led study abroad programs at a southeastern U.S. public university. Using survey responses from 133 faculty members, the research examines professional and motivational variables that influence participation. Findings reveal that those who have led study abroad programs tend to be satisfied with their experiences, report higher perceptions of student cultural competency gains, and are more likely to recommend such programs to peers. Additionally, experiential learning emerged as a central theme, with faculty highlighting the pedagogical value of immersive global education. Barriers to participation were also investigated. The study …

Trust Migration In The Digital Era: Information Regimes And The Transformation Of Buyer–Seller Relationships, Stephen C. Carlson

Atlantic Marketing Journal

Business-to-business selling is being reshaped by rapid advances in digital platforms, enterprise systems, analytics, and artificial intelligence. Organizational buyers increasingly rely on algorithmic tools, peer communities, institutional certifications, and automated evaluation systems before engaging directly with sales representatives. Yet much of the buyer–seller trust literature continues to emphasize interpersonal communication quality, listening behaviors, and individual credibility as primary drivers of relational success.

This article argues that the central transformation in contemporary selling is not the erosion of trust, but its relocation. As technological infrastructures evolve, trust progressively migrates from individual sales representatives to organizational systems, platforms, governance mechanisms, and algorithmic …

A Captured Audience: How Job Stress Leads Employees To Online Shopping Via Cyberloafing, Seth Williams

Atlantic Marketing Journal

This paper investigates the hyper-connected workplace and how the modern employee deals with job stress in their work environment. Using the theory of compensatory consumer behavior and partial least squares structural equation modeling, we investigate how job stress impacts employees in the workplace to shop online. This shopping is done via cyberloafing, which is using the internet for personal reasons at work. Psychological detachment is also studied as a mediator. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed for managers in the workplace as well as businesses marketing to individuals taking a break on the clock.

Five Strategic Categories Ai Is Transforming Marketing, Ryan Matthews

Atlantic Marketing Journal

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a revolutionary technology that provides tools and methodologies to expand marketings impact. AI enables companies to better understand customer needs, preferences, and behaviors to personalize an approach to different market verticals and segments. AI has become a significant factor influencing how businesses interact and retain the attention of customers. Customers increasingly have an appetite for a highly personalized interaction. AI-driven data approaches and innovative technologies are increasing personalization and efficiency. AI is a revolutionary tool that enables marketing to grow beyond traditional limitations. Understanding the correct tool is vital for marketing executives, whether they are obtaining …

A Cross-Cultural Investigation Of Consumer Hoarding Behavior During Covid-19: Differences Between Sweden And The United States, Christy M. Cook, Pia A. Albinsson, James E. Stoddard

Atlantic Marketing Journal

This study is a cross-cultural exploration of consumer hoarding behavior during Covid-19; specifically, a comparison between Sweden and the United States. This research analyzes whether Swedish and American consumer hoarding behavior factors of prosocial orientation, consumer resilience and consumer risk-taking propensity reflect identical relationships during less predictable environmental forces (i.e., Covid-19 or global pandemic). Results from Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) show that consumer prosocial orientation is negatively related to consumer hoarding and prosocial orientation is positively related to consumer resilience. In turn, both prosocial orientation and consumer resilience exhibit a positive relationship towards consumer hoarding. Consumer resilience is …

Going For Gold: Increasing Overall Membership In The Mankato Figure Skating Club, Stephanie Carlson

Strategic Communication Master of Arts Thesis Projects

The Mankato Figure Skating Club (MFSC) is a non-profit community sports organization that provides skating lessons to the Mankato Community. The main problem facing MFSC is its unstable membership numbers. The purpose of this project is to use research and analysis to uncover strategic and creative solutions. Secondary research revealed that volunteer volume, management, organization culture, and community investment are important in running a successful non-profit sports organization. MFSC needs to grow its membership numbers, otherwise this 50-year-old organization may have to disband. MFSC has not conducted research and analysis like this before; this project is the first to provide …

Media And Government: Celebrity Endorsements And Their Effect On Voter Efficacy, Political Confidence, And Voter Turnout, Macey Wyler

Journalism Undergraduate Honors Theses

Celebrity endorsements have played a role in American politics for centuries, but their influence has evolved in the digital age with the rise of social media. This study examines how endorsements by public figures influence voter efficacy, confidence, and engagement among college-aged individuals. Using a convenience sample of 162 students ages 18-23, participants responded to a web-based survey featuring hypothetical social media posts to measure how likely they would be to register to vote, engage politically, or share endorsement content based on an endorsement by a public figure. Quantitative analysis in Google Sheets and StatCrunch revealed descriptive trends, and qualitative …

Click, Share, Believe, And Share Again: The Role Fake News Plays On Social Media, Lillian E. Sage

Journalism Undergraduate Honors Theses

This study examines the prevalence and plight of misinformation referred to as fake news found on social media. The study paid particular attention to, investigating which demographic groups are most likely to believe and disseminate fake news, as well as, understanding the kind of effect such exposure may have on individuals. To investigate these issues, a survey was developed using Qualtrics and distributed to members of the University of Arkansas community via email and group messaging platforms. To broaden the sample, the survey was also shared through the researcher’s social media networks, resulting in a more diverse group of …

A Qualitative Study Of Journalism Course Syllabi In Relation To The First Amendment, Elizabeth L. Bunnell

Journalism Undergraduate Honors Theses

The goal of this research is to gain more insight into collegiate journalism course syllabi and the First Amendment. The First Amendment is a foundational aspect for a career in journalism, and one way to learn how college journalism students are interacting with the First Amendment is to conduct a qualitative analysis of the syllabi. A syllabus is the contract between professor and student for the course; therefore, it should contain the most important information relating to the course. 47 syllabi were collected from the School of Journalism and Strategic Media from the Spring 2025 semester. After reading through each …

Stories That Persuade: The Impact Of Pleasure-Based And Pressure-Based Prosocial Appeals On Charitable Support For Sexual And Reproductive Health Nonprofits, Tyler Outhouse

Journalism Undergraduate Honors Theses

This study investigates how different narrative framing strategies, and corresponding sources of motivation, influence donors’ willingness to support a sexual and reproductive health nonprofit. A nationally representative sample (N = 205) completed an experiment embedded in an online survey. Participants were randomly assigned to read either a pleasure-based or pressure-based story about reproductive healthcare. Participants then reported their reactions, motivations, and willingness to support the nonprofit. Results indicated no significant difference in charitable support intentions across the two conditions, instead finding that partisan identification and value alignment were the key predictors of charitable support. The results also indicated that …

How Elements Including Location, Time Of Day, And Narrative Structure Influence Audience Engagement And Emotional Connection Within Short Form Video Content, Ashleighe Gibson

Communications and Digital Media Theses

This study examines how TikTok-based digital storytelling communicates urban walking experiences in New York City, focusing on how content strategies influence audience engagement and emotional connection. While both walking and short-form video storytelling have been widely studied, their intersection in shaping perceptions of urban environments remains underexplored. Using a mixed-methods approach, a TikTok account was created to document walking experiences, with content systematically varied by key factors including narrative structure, posting frequency, and environmental context. Engagement metrics, including views, likes, comments, and shares were analyzed alongside qualitative reflections to identify patterns in audience engagement and response. Findings indicate that engagement …

Turning Me Into We: A Workbook To Improve Relational Communication, Megan N. Charchenko

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

Communication is a key factor that contributes to relational satisfaction, yet many couples struggle with communication. I wrote a set of workbooks for couples intended to teach healthy communication skills to help couples overcome their communication barriers. The workbooks cover topics of identity, expectations, boundaries, and physical intimacy. Each chapter utilizes theories and research to educate individuals on communication skills and then guides them through the application of the skills. I wrote a workbook for the individuals and one for the couple to work on together. Together, the workbooks will help couples improve communication and implement healthy communication behaviors regarding …

Implementing Engagement Strategies For Growth On Twitch, Chandler Gravely

Communications and Digital Media Theses

Online media sites have changed how viewers’ are taking in content in addition to how content creators engage with their audiences. One of these sites that has proven itself as the main source for live-streaming content, is Twitch. Despite how popular the site is, there is a lack of research on how individual creators can use growth and engagement methods over a period of time to help grow an audience and viewer base. This study will look at how doing so over a three-month period can provide valuable insight into expanding one’s viewer base and channel on Twitch. In order …

The Cultivating Influences Of Mass Media: Portrayals Of Female Athletes In The Wnba, Reece Wassink

Senior Seminars and Capstones

The differences in how male and female athletes are represented in the media are a significant topic of scholarly interest for decades. My goals are to better understand how female athletes are positioned within the media landscape and how such portrayals may cultivate public perceptions of their athletic performance, because the sports community is powerful, influential, and historically dominated by masculine identities. This study extends the research conversation by examining the portrayal and coverage of female athletes on accounts/posts dedicated to women’s sports, especially the WNBA. This research is conducted through the observation and qualitative systematic content analysis of selected …

“Stick To Your Word”: Union Organizers Say Smith College’S Values Are At Odds With Their Treatment, Sophia Anderson

Other Student Projects

No abstract provided.

From Viewer To Participant: Building Emotional Stakes And Audience Advocacy Through Original Film Marketing In The Internet Age, Andy Joshua Pal

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Film marketing has always been a vital part of engaging audiences with motion pictures, particularly for original intellectual property (IP) projects striving to build a passionate fanbase. In the 1950s and 1960s, filmmaking pioneers Alfred Hitchcock and William Castle revolutionized original movie campaigns, laying the foundation for audience engagement through two main, opposite strategies: secrecy for horror and horror-adjacent releases and transparency for non-horror releases. The Blair Witch Project (Sánchez and Myrick, 1999)’s marketing became the defining film campaign of the internet age, drawing upon Hitchcock and Castle’s secretive approaches by pioneering alternate reality games (ARGs). This strategy, which lets …

Analyzing Media Conversations Around Sports Gambling Within The Context Of Vulnerable Audiencestrevor Fox, Trevor Fox

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

This study examines how newspaper coverage of sports betting (2023–2024) shapes public discourse around gambling. Through mixed-methods content analysis of 105 randomly sampled articles, guided by agenda-setting, framing, and cultivation theories, findings reveal that coverage prioritizes regulation and scandals over vulnerable populations, frames betting positively at the macro level but negatively at the individual level, and largely omits the academic evidence base on gambling harms.

Mapping And Evaluating Butler University's Dining And Accommodation Messaging For Students With Dietary Restrictions, Cassia Belle Campbell

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Food-centered traditions are central to campus belonging, yet for students with medical dietary restrictions (e.g., celiac disease, severe food allergies), shared meals can become sites of stigma, exclusion, and heightened self-monitoring. Prior research frames these conditions as “invisible disabilities” (Davis, 2005) and highlights dynamics such as hypervigilance and disclosure fatigue (Schelly et al., 2022), which can be intensified when institutional processes are unclear or inconsistently communicated. This project examines how institutional messaging shapes the navigational burden students may experience when seeking safe participation in dining and campus life.

This study uses an artifact-based analysis of existing Butler University communication materials …

Digital Media, Political Priming, And The Strategy Of Donald J. Trump’S 2024 Presidential Campaign, Emma Dayton

Senior Honors Theses

This thesis applies the priming theory of communications and examines its effectiveness in the political realm, specifically, within the digital strategies implemented throughout the 2024 presidential campaign of Donald J. Trump. It was asked to what extent Donald Trump’s digital political priming on social media influenced the most important issues to voters in the 2024 election. The use and impact of rhetoric, images, and partnerships were analyzed in this study to determine the extent to which Trump was able to influence the issues voters deemed as most important. By comparing Trump’s social media use with polling showing the economy and …

Navigating The Nicu Without Words: A Case Study Of A Spanish-Speaking Mother’S Healthcare Experience, Emma Norris

Poster Presentations

Research on NICU experiences largely focuses on majority-language families; non-English-speaking families are understudied (Cleveland, 2008). The Family Integrated Care model promotes parent-infant connection and shared decision-making to improve outcomes (Wreesmann et al., 2020). Language barriers impede parent-provider communication, increasing miscommunication and parental anxiety (Kynoe et al., 2020; Ardal et al., 2011). The purpose of this research is to explore communication experiences and barriers between English-speaking and bilingual NICU nurses and a Spanish-speaking NICU mother.

Community Resilience In The Absence Of Aid: Recovery After The 2018 Father’S Day Flood In Houghton County, Michigan, Abby Heggem

University Honors Program Senior Projects

Community networks influenced resilience and recovery after the 2018 Father’s Day Flood in Houghton County Michigan, particularly in the absence of strong institutional support. The flood caused widespread damage to homes, roads, and infrastructure, forcing residents to rely on immediate local action before state or federal aid arrived. Rural locations like Houghton County are often neglected by government funding and support during disasters and are forced to rely on themselves. Community networks matter in disasters because neighbors, volunteer groups, and local leaders respond faster than formal institutions. This project uses a qualitative case study approach that includes content analysis of …

Advertising And Public Relations In A New Aige: Exploring Implications Between Advertising & Public Relations And Generative Artificial Intelligence, Hayden Tucker

Journalism Undergraduate Honors Theses

Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a new tool that is changing the landscape of several industries across the board, forcing practitioners to adapt and navigate a new terrain with this new addition. One industry that is particularly affected by the introduction of AI is the Advertising and Public Relations (ADPR) industry. Under the umbrella of strategic media, the ADPR industry focuses on building relationships with publics through connection, trust, and creativity in hopes of persuading publics to feel one way or another. This thesis focuses on exploring the new relationship between AI and ADPR and understanding the effects that AI …

The Impact Of Social Media Algorithms On Information Consumption, Emily Scott

Communications and Digital Media Theses

This research examines the profound impact of social media algorithms on information consumption in an era defined by rapid digital transformation. Social media platforms, powered by sophisticated algorithms, personalize user experiences to maximize engagement. These algorithms raise concerns about the formation of filter bubbles and echo chambers, limiting exposure to diverse perspectives, and reinforcing existing beliefs. This study investigates how algorithms prioritize content, the effects on users, and the influence of AI in distorting news and information. It explores the ethical responsibilities of social media companies in mitigating the negative impacts of algorithmic curation and promoting a more balanced and …

Pour & Ponder: A Gen Z Evaluation Of Hospitality And Communication In Wineries Of The Ozarks, Evan W. Seay

Agricultural Education, Communications and Technology Undergraduate Honors Theses

Generation Z represents an emerging consumer group within the hospitality and tourism industry, yet winery experiences are often designed with more traditional audiences in mind. As younger consumers increasingly value authenticity, communication, and experience-driven hospitality, wineries must consider how their practices align with evolving expectations. This honors thesis explores winery hospitality and communication practices in the Ozarks through a Generation Z perspective using a creative, experience-based approach. The final product of this project was Pour & Ponder, a podcast created to document reflective discussions following visits to three wineries: Sassafras Springs Vineyard, St. James Winery, and Ozark Hills Winery. …

Comparatively Exploring Journalism And Oral Histories As Modes Of Advocacy For Marginalized Communities, Miceala R. Morano

Journalism Undergraduate Honors Theses

In this study, four oral history interviews produced at the Pryor Center and news stories produced by four local media outlets were comparatively analyzed using software program MAXQDA. Each was qualitatively coded for expressions of identity, community and advocacy. These three key themes were determined through bottom-up processing, meaning the overarching themes were selected after each interview was listened to twice.

The results of this process were then used to determine the key similarities and differences between oral history and journalism, and how both practices can be used to accurately capture the narratives of marginalized communities. These findings were combined …

A Curriculum To Empower And Equip Women For Leadership In The Monash City Church Of Christ In Melbourne, Australia, Devni Yasindra Attygalle

Doctor of Ministry Theses and Dissertations

This thesis addresses women in Christian leadership in the Monash City Church of Christ Melbourne, Australia. The problem identified within this ministry context was a lack of appropriate theological teaching around women in leadership, especially in the areas of preaching, teaching, and leading, which has led to misconceptions and prejudices in the minds of church members, negatively impacting the congregation’s mission. The purpose of the project was to develop a curriculum specific to MCCOC that provides a theological foundation for advocating for future senior leadership roles for women. The curriculum provides biblical teaching on women in leadership that will equip …

Silence Or Self-Disclosure? Examining The Psychological And Relational Factors Shaping Political Communication Between Gen Z And Their Families, Bradford E. Netherton

Communication (PhD) Dissertations

This dissertation examines the psychological and relational factors shaping political communication between Generation Z and their families. Using Communication Privacy Management (CPM) and Family Communication Patterns (FCP) theories as a dual framework, the study investigates how emotions, relational turbulence, and family orientations influence political self-disclosure during face-to-face gatherings. Data were collected via an online survey of 488 Gen Z participants (ages 18–28) following the 2025 Thanksgiving holiday. The results reveal a critical distinction between negative and positive privacy boundary strength. Negative boundary strength, characterized by defensive and restrictive regulation, was consistently associated with heightened experiences of fear, anger, frustration, and …

Digital Orientalism: Examining Eastern Practices In The Wellness Industry, Celia Golden

Departmental Honors & Graduate Capstone Projects

As popularity rises for global and domestic wellness retreats as tourist destinations, their predominantly Western audience invites an American offshoot of Orientalism that commodifies Asian names and practices into “mindfulness.” This paper examines the guest guide of the Miraval Berkshires wellness facility and its treatment of Eastern practices. Findings revealed 55.6% of the specialists at the Miraval Berkshires employ Eastern techniques, and 74.14% of those offerings are restricted to paid and private sessions to create exclusivity. The word “ancient” is disproportionately leveled against Eastern practices in the guest guide to further cement them as relics of the past. Alongside minimalist …