Digital Commons Network^™

A Not-Quite-Assessment Of Assessing Autoethnography: Ekphrastic Compositions On Quality, Clarity, And (Un)Certainty In Autoethnography, Aaron Hoy

The Qualitative Report

Taking an ekphrastic approach, this essay responds to and reflects on my reading of Assessing Autoethnography: Notes on Analysis, Evaluation, and Craft by Andrew F. Herrmann and Tony E. Adams. It has three parts. First, I summarize the book’s central chapters and discuss their practical uses, especially as prompts for in-progress autoethnographies. Second, using clarity as a point of entry, I explore a tension I felt while reading the book—between the comforting utility of specific criteria and the marginalizing power of criteria themselves. Finally, I share a found poem composed in response to the book and reflect on the impermanent …

Cultural Representation In Global Film Discourse: A Bibliometric Analysis Of Dominant Themes And Western Hegemony, Nur Fajri Hijriyani, Hanun Dzikra Arienda, Firmansyah Firmansyah, Nur Wijaya Hariadi, Alem Febri Sonni

JURNAL KOMUNIKASI INDONESIA

This study investigates the dominant themes and discursive structures within global film scholarship through a bibliometric analysis of 404 Scopus-indexed articles published between 2019 and 2024. Using VOSviewer to map keyword co-occurrence, citation networks, and authorship patterns, the research identifies five major thematic clusters: Hollywood, feminism, representation, Bollywood, and popular culture. The findings reveal a persistent dominance of Western narratives positioning them at the centre of global film studies. In contrast, themes related to non-Western cinema, such as Bollywood, appear less central and more fragmented within the academic discourse. These results highlight how bibliometric patterns reflect broader ideological structures, reinforcing …

Mentoring In The Undergraduate Classroom And Beyond: Creating A Feminist Praxis, Satarupa Dasgupta

Feminist Pedagogy

In the following critical commentary, it is discussed how mentoring--- in the classroom and in academia---can be a feminist practice that comprises an essential part of being a feminist educator. Mentorship encompasses a process in which the mentor disseminates knowledge as well as psychosocial support that are perceived by the mentee as essential for professional or personal development (Sedlacek et al., 2007). Mentorship has been specifically found to fulfill professional needs for women, while enhancing their self-worth and sense of competence, and providing instances of role modeling and social affirmation (Meschitti & Lawton Smith, 2017).

What Is “So Severe, Pervasive, And Objectively Offensive?”: Defining Sexual Harassment, Investigating Reporting Requirements, And Supporting Disclosures With Communicative Role-Playing, Lauren L. Buisker, Kylie Johnson

Feminist Pedagogy

Despite the pervasive reach of rape culture on college campuses, university sexual harassment trainings frequently fail to provide students with clear definitions of sexual violence, often avoid using intersectional frameworks to teach students about the topic, and obscure the bureaucratic complexities that inhibit survivors’ abilities to seek out appropriate resources when they experience sexual trauma. As such, this article outlines communication strategies for feminist instructors interested in improving their students’ understanding of sexual harassment, given that social science and humanities classrooms provide apt spaces for grappling with difficult topics and the way in which language constructs our reality. We propose …

Dreaming, Building, And Enduring Black Voices: Black Media In Omaha In The Post-Civil Rights Era, Elodie C. Galeazzi-Kelly

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

This dissertation examines the purposes and roles of Black media in Omaha during the post–Civil Rights Era. It asks how African Americans and their allies in Omaha developed innovative media forms, institutions, and communication strategies to amplify Black voices, build community, and advocate for Black interests amid the rapidly shifting political and social landscape of the time. The study focuses first on three traditional forms of media (newspapers, radio, and television) and then broadens the definition of media to include key Black cultural institutions. These include a dramatic arts collective, a historical museum and archive, a memorial foundation, and an …

Effects Of Cultural Diversity On Project Performance, Likhith Somalaraju

Harrisburg University Dissertations and Theses

Cultural diversity emerged as a critical factor influencing team dynamics and performance in contemporary project environments. With globalization reshaping the structure of project teams, understanding how cultural diversity affected project outcomes was essential for project managers and organizations. This qualitative study examined the relationship between cultural diversity and project performance within diverse organizational settings. Specifically, the study explored how aspects of cultural diversity such as ethnicity, nationality, language, and values influenced project outcomes measured in terms of schedule adherence, budget compliance, quality standards, and stakeholder satisfaction. The research was grounded in Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions Theory and Social Identity Theory, which …

"That’S Not A Meal, Bestie”: Humor, Identity, & Feminized Consumption In “Girl Dinner”., Claire Tudor

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the viral “Girl Dinner” trend as a case study in how gendered consumption, digital identity, and feminist humor intersect in digital spaces. Using “Girl Dinner” as a rhetorical artifact, this thesis explores how women use gendered trends to navigate visibility, labor, and autonomy in online spaces. Through thematic analysis of TikTok content, media coverage, and branded adaptations, the research traces the evolution of the trend from a lighthearted joke to a site of cultural negotiation. This study reveals that while “Girl Dinner” may appear empowering and relatable on the surface, it often reinforces traditional gender expectations under …

Everyday Life In The U.S.: An Intersectional Approach To A North Korean Refugee Woman’S Identities, And Experiences, Lyounghee Kim

Communication ETDs

This dissertation examines everyday experiences of a North Korean refugee woman in the U.S., centering her narratives as sites of critique, resistance, and meaning-making. Grounded in Critical Refugee Studies, Asian American Studies, and Critical Intercultural Communication and framed by intersectionality, it explores how interlocking structures of power shape and are shaped by her life. Rather than focusing solely on trauma or assimilation, this study highlights her digital storytelling, faith, and mutual aid practices as acts of survival, dignity, and moral agency. Using a qualitative, narrative inquiry approach grounded in critical reflexivity, it thematically analyzes her stories to reveal how she …

Do First Impressions Count? A Gendered Comparative Analysis Of Self-Presentations By Contestants In The Bachelor And Bachelorette South Africa, Mthobeli Ngcongo Dr

The Qualitative Report

The study of social role expectations for men and women has been instrumental in a better understanding of intersex dynamics. Although much research has focused on behavioral similarities and differences in formal contexts, qualitative research that helps us to understand gendered differences in informal contexts remains underappreciated. In particular, the area of romance presents a fruitful social context in which to comparatively study gendered manifestations of strategic self-presentation. Using the first episodes of the first seasons of the Bachelor and Bachelorette South Africa reality television franchise, this study compares 28 self-presentation tactics used by 17 male and 24 female contestants. …

Teaching #Metoo And #Blacklivesmatter Amid The Anti-Woke Moral Panic, Stephanie Medden

Feminist Pedagogy

The introduction of over 100 anti-DEI bills across 30 states and President Trump’s signing of executive orders that target DEI programs demonstrate the backlash against the social, cultural, and political gains made by movements such as #MeToo and #BlackLivesMatter. “Anti-woke" sentiment presents challenges for educators preparing students to engage critically with certain histories, movements, and theories. This article explains current debates around what it means to be “woke”; provides strategies to teach about inequality across race, gender, class, and sexuality in this polarized environment; and imagines futures that uphold the ideals of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Exploring Dimensions Of Crystallized Identities, Candice L. Ruh

Feminist Pedagogy

For college students, learning about the components of identity can generate deeper knowledge about how personal and social identities differ, and how identities influence the way individuals experience socio-cultural systems and structures. The Exploring Dimensions of Crystallized Identities activity uses principles of self-reflexivity and dialogue to explore theoretical frameworks for practical application. This experiential activity is a facilitated dialogue driven by student involvement and is best suited for students in mid- to upper-level undergraduate courses. It encourages students to reflect on their and others’ identities, and to consider the social impacts of diversity in their lives.

Becoming A Beloved Community: A Restorative Reckoning For A Radical Conversion To Transform Discourse In Higher Education, Latasha Tomay Varlack-Butler

Dissertations

This dissertation critically examines the misappropriation of Restorative Justice Discourse (RJD) within three predominantly white institutions (PWIs), analyzing 59 institutional documents through Critical Discourse Analysis, Relational Critical Discourse Analysis, and Rhetorical Criticism (Fairclough, 1995; Vaandering, 2021; van Dijk, 2008). Tribal Colleges and Universities and South African institutions have emerged as exemplars of authentic RJD, countering co-optation within PWIs. The findings demonstrate that RJD as applied in PWIs is framed in ways that attenuate its transformative potential, perpetuating color-evasiveness (Bonilla-Silva, 2017) and obscuring the intersectional experiences of Black, Indigenous, and disabled communities (Crenshaw, 1991; Million, 2009).

Grounded in decolonial praxis (Smith, …

The Voices Of Black Motherscholars: Navigating Academia, Motherhood, And Beyond, Danae Peterson

Masters Theses, 2020-current

The experiences of Black women in academia are shaped by the intersection of multiple, often conflicting identities. As mothers and scholars, Black women navigate the complex terrain of competing responsibilities, societal expectations, and institutional barriers, all while striving to achieve personal and professional aspirations. This daily balancing act is complicated by the compounded effects of racism and sexism in academia, coined as misogynoir (Bailey, 2018). Misogynoir, a specific form of anti-Black racist misogyny, manifests through stereotyping, marginalization, and invisibility affecting Black women’s ability to thrive in academic spaces that were not designed with them in mind (Patton & Njoku, 2019). …

The Performance Of Gender In Sound And Screen: Unpacking And Countering The Double Standards Of Women In Taylor Swift’S “The Man,” Brienne Of Tarth, And The Substance, Alexandra C. Ali

Masters Theses, 2020-current

This rhetorical analysis examines how femininity is constructed, policed, and resisted in popular culture through three case studies: Taylor Swift’s “The Man,” Brienne of Tarth from Game of Thrones, and The Substance, using the lens of Judith Butler’s theory of gender performativity. “The Man,” both the song and the music video, reveals the double standards working against women, incorporating an additional layer of analysis through Kenneth Burke’s perspective on incongruity. Brienne of Tarth from Game of Thrones defies gender expectations, blurring the line between the performance of masculinity and femininity. Additionally, this analysis embodies archetypes of women, such …

Confronting The Postcolonial Condition: A Study On The Blesser-Blessee Phenomenon In South Africa, Thandwa Maphalala

Masters Theses, 2020-current

Age-disparate relationships are causing a public health threat in South Africa and the region at large. However, these relationships and their effects are not unique to South Africa. There has been substantial research conducted to explore the social, cultural or economic meaning of this relationship type, its causes and effects in sub-Saharan Africa or in the interest of individual countries in the region. However, South Africa presents a special case for further study because the older men that adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) date and have sex with are commonly referred to as blessers.

The purpose of this …

The Kinship Of Creatives, Saba Saif Ur Rehman

MFA in Illustration & Visual Culture

This research essay contends that artists and creative individuals must recognize their agency in shaping societal narratives, particularly during times of technological and political upheaval. The essay draws on the insights and contributions of visionaries like Walter Benjamin, Ursula K. Le Guin, and Tomm Moore to emphasize the power of imagination and creativity in addressing real-world issues. It argues that previous technological advances have often reinforced hierarchical and oppressive systems, benefitting a select few while neglecting the masses. As we enter the fourth Industrial Revolution, this essay calls the artists to reclaim their tools from being co-opted for exclusionary and …

Commodification And Objectification Of The Black Male Athlete In The Nfl, Jalen A. Terrell

All Theses

The black male body has often been viewed as a commodity in Western culture since the commodification of the black male body in the historical slave auction. Albeit slave owning ended in 1863 with the Emancipation Proclamation, it was not until 1946 that the National Football League (NFL) became integrated, and the commodification of black bodies became prevalent once again. As such, this study looks to understand how the X population from the data set for this study demonstrates the commodification of the black male body, the general discourse around the black and white male athletes, and explores the language …

Coming Back To Bite: Reflecting On Constructs Of Adolescence And Girlhood In Young Adult Vampire Media, Gwendolyn Grace Klinkey

Department of English: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The YA vampire genre has experienced a great amount of success throughout the past two decades with titles including Joss Wheadon’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Richelle Mead’s Vampire Academy. Within this group, two of the most widely successful examples are Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight Saga and the CW’s The Vampire Diaries, both of which have had a significant impact on Western popular culture. In this thesis, I use these two texts to explore the constructs of adolescence and girlhood that manifest as a result of the literary moves the writers seem to make in an effort to invite …

Mujeres En Movimiento: La Posmigración En Obras Contemporáneas De Hijas De Inmigrantes En España Y Estados Unidos, Olatz Sanchez-Txabarri

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

This dissertation investigates contemporary works of daughters of immigrants in Spain and the United States. Through a postmigration approach, this study delves into the analysis of Ser mujer negra en España (2018), by Desirée Bela-Lobedde, Hija del camino (2019), by Lucía Mbomío, A Cup of Water Under My Bed (2014), by Daisy Hernández, Juliet Takes a Breath (2016), by Gabby Rivera, La hija extranjera (2015), by Najat El Hachmi, Hija de inmigrantes (2022), by Safia El Aaddam, and the documentaries Fruits of Labor (2021), by Emily Cohen Ibáñez and Vida diferida (Life, Deferred) (2017), by Brenda Ávila-Hanna. I …

Black Events As Narrated By Black People: Contextualizing America’S Framing Of Progression In News, Social, And Academic Writing, Tyrina Horton

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This paper is a critical examination of collective and public memories of public events that impact Black lives as constructed in news, social, and academic writing. Using Black mundane life to explore and build localized context and attitudes towards these events, I examine whether the collective memory of an event, as framed by public discourse, accurately portrays how Black communities experienced them. This paper explores what it means for Black people, to experience a disconnect with written accounts of public events that do not properly account for the many layers of Black experience, highlighting where there’s a failure to tell …

We Are Our Brains: Disembodied Brain Films In 1950s Cold War America, David P. Pierson

Faculty, Staff, and Alumni Books

Personified Body Parts in Cinema, Literature, and Visual Culture investigates the power of personifying body parts in cinema, television, visual culture, literature, erotica, folklore, and mystique.

Culturally, socially, and poetically exposing hidden aspects and subtleties of human existentialism, this book vigorously questions and problematizes numerous artistic, aesthetic, technological, naïve, and macabre manipulations of body parts for various purposes. A diverse team of authors explore how scribing human traits to limbs, eyes, brains, genitalia, hearts, and other inner organs is grotesque and aesthetic, repealing and appealing, intimidating and intimate, rude and enjoyable, material and spiritual, surprising and mundane. Personified organs are …

Revolting Drag: Filth, Horror, And The Queer Art Of Monstrosity, Claire-Scott A. Lynch

LSU Master's Theses

This thesis examines how The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula, a horror-themed reality drag competition series, uses monstrosity as a tool of queer resistance. In contrast to mainstream drag representations, which often promote assimilationist ideals, Dragula embraces filth, grotesqueries, and failure as strategies of disrupting normative structures. Grounded in queer theory and queer of color critique, this thesis uses thematic analysis to explore how Dragula mobilizes monstrosity to resist normative portrayals of queerness. Through close analysis of the show’s season finales, the study identifies three major themes: grotesque aesthetics, beyond the binary, and identity as resistance. These findings reveal how Dragula positions …

Code^Shift Newsletter Spring 2025, Srividya Ramasubramanian, Manaswini Pillai

CODE^SHIFT Research

No abstract provided.

Communication During Perimmigration: A Life-Line Interview Method Study, Giada Roberta Rossi

Communication & Theatre Arts Theses

This thesis examines the communication challenges faced by migrants and their impact on acculturation using a new approach. The study analyzed autobiographical memories of immigrants’ communication to explore both positive and negative experiences over time. The study extends previous intercultural communication research by using the Life-Line Interview Method (LIM) (Assink & Schroots, 2010) to collect autobiographical narratives from twelve participants about their communication journeys. The findings reveal consistencies with past intercultural communication research insofar as uncertainty and identity problems were pervasive, but also positively extends past research arguing that supportive environments, characterized by culturally responsive educators and peer networks, play …

Still Accounting For My Teacher’S Body: The Objective Body/Body As Objective In The Classroom/Classzoom, Leda M. Cooks, Jennifer A. Zenovich

Feminist Pedagogy

This critical commentary reflects on Cooks’ 2007 article, “Accounting for my Teacher’s Body: What can I teach/What can we learn?” by reconsidering power and body relations in light of the concept and pedagogy of body neutrality in the classroom in the 2023 COVID-19 era. The digital and physical classroom are spaces where the (embodied) body is never neutral. By extension, the body is never neutral anywhere regardless of the mindful body neutrality practices suggested by Pellizzer and Wade (2023). In this commentary, we first discuss how the teacher in physical and digital space communicates ideals of competence in performance of …

Reenvisioning Identities That Precede Us: “Body Acknowledgement” As Social Justice Practice Within A Communication Ethics Course Redesign, Wendy Kz Anderson, Ollivia Webster, Nicole Yang, Cass Bryant, Taylor Herr

Feminist Pedagogy

We infuse this conversation of “body neutrality” through social justice responsiveness (compassion, equity, and accountability of body/presence privilege) by specifically attending to intersections of race, gender, and body mindset built into our identities. In reimagining the term “body-neutrality” through identity engagement, we introduce the term “body acknowledgment” as an active interpretative state. As a co-authored pedagogical “co-conspiring” for racial justice (Houdek and Ore, 2021, p. 92), we (instructor, teaching assistants, and previous students) offered a course redesign centering social justice strategies to address the following question: How can dialogue about intersectional communication work toward redesigning learning with difference and develop …

Celebrating Achievements As Digital Rituals Among Indonesian Youth On Social Media, B.J. Sujibto, Malikatun Natiqoh, Kafhaya Nuzulanisa, Saras Wati Widodo

Masyarakat: Jurnal Sosiologi

Youth and social media are increasingly intertwined, as their socio-cultural trajectories accelerate digital connectedness and intensify the contestation of diverse identities. Posting on social media has thus become a ritualized practice. This article explores how Indonesian university students construct identities by sharing achievement stories and success narratives on Instagram. Using qualitative data, it examines the experiences of students who have excelled in academic competitions. The study identifies two key typologies behind such posts. Firstly, personal determinism, aimed at self- reward and self-branding. Secondly, social motivation, focused on inspiring peers and building supportive networks to achieve academic success. These typologies reflect …

Hyphenated Journeys: Identity Negotiations Of Multiethnic Vietnamese Americans Through The Lens Of Hybridity, Rheyna Leilahn Biu

Masters Theses

This study explores how Vietnamese Americans with mixed heritage navigate their identity. Through interviews and autoethnography, it examines how multiracial/multiethnic Vietnamese Americans maintain their Vietnamese identity while constructing their multiracial/multiethnic identity. The findings underscore the importance of several factors of identity maintenance, including seeking cultural security outside the home, language as a key to culture, and the importance of connection through cultural sharing in shaping and expressing multiracial/multiethnic identity. It uses Homi Bhaba's theory of hybridity to understand how these individuals view their hyphenated identities. The research highlights the role of verbal and nonverbal communication in this process. The researcher …

Resilience And Reality: Exploring The Lived Experiences Of People Living With Hiv In Texas During The Covid-19 Pandemic – A Qualitative Study., Ahmed F. Alanazi

Social Work Dissertations - Archive

This study investigated the lived experiences of individuals living with HIV (PLWH) in the Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) area of Texas during the COVID-19 pandemic, using an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) framework. The research examined the intersection of health, social dynamics, and psychological resilience among PLWH, who faced compounded vulnerabilities due to systemic inequities and the dual public health crises of HIV and COVID-19. Through semi-structured interviews with ten participants from diverse backgrounds, the study captured the profound impacts of disrupted healthcare systems, heightened stigma, and social isolation on this marginalized population. The findings reveal that the pandemic exacerbated existing inequities …

Black Love, Media Portrayals, And Social Identity, Nigel M. Taylor

Theses and Dissertations--Communication

This dissertation explores how media stereotypes about Black relationships influence Black individuals' perceptions, shaping their understanding and expectations of love. Using social identity theory as a foundation, a mixed-methods approach integrates both qualitative and quantitative methods to examine the impact of media portrayals on self-concept and relationship expectations. The quantitative findings investigate connections between media exposure, self-esteem, and partner preferences, revealing how media shapes ideas about ideal relationships and internalized racial dynamics. The qualitative analysis identifies seven themes that define Black Love and seven themes that depict media stereotypes of Black relationships. The study shows that while media often reinforce …