Digital Commons Network^™

Critical Rhetoric And Collaboration: Missing Principle #9 And Profsdopop.Com, Art Herbig, Andrew F. Herrmann, Alix R. Watson, Adam W. Tyma, Joan Miller

Communication Faculty Publications

As part of this Special Section on critical rhetoric, this article examines the role of collaboration in the future of critical rhetoric. Building on McKerrow’s original eight principles of praxis, the authors advocate for a missing ninth principle that reflects the need for critical rhetoric to be a shared venture across both individual projects and larger discourses. As an example of this type of work, they provide ProfsDoPop.com, an academic, online blog designed to bring academic sensibilities and concepts to popular audiences through the critique of popular culture.

Thucydides’ Trap And Online Readers’ Reviews Of Two Books On Zheng He’S Voyages, Dexin Tian, Chin-Chung Chao

Communication Faculty Publications

This article analyzes 458 online readers’ reviews of two books on Zheng He’s seven voyages. Under the theoretical guidance of reader response criticism and via the research methods of website observation and purposive selection and textual and thematic analyses, this study has found: influenced by such dominant Chinese cultural values as harmony, benevolence, and mutual benefits, Zheng He’s voyages were non-aggressive exchanges of trade and culture, showing basically no evidence of hostile attitudes, offensive actions, or beclouded emotions of fear, hubris, and honor. Instead of supporting the trustworthiness of Thucydides’ trap, the online readers’ reviews call on tapping the complementary …

Book Review: Journalism And Memorialization In The Age Of Social Media, By Peter Joseph Gloviczki, Adam W. Tyma

Communication Faculty Publications

When reviewing for Journalism & Mass Communication Educator (JMCE), I try to look at the text with the following questions in mind: “Do I see a pedagogical use for this text? Could I use this in one of my classes?” Initially, with Journalism and Memorialization, the answer was “no.” As I read further, however, that answer began to shift. It is that shift I wish to focus on here.

Etools: Socrative And Mobile Interactivity, Adam W. Tyma

Communication Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Digital Democratic Voices: Intersecting Student Research, Twitter, And Presidential Debates, Adam W. Tyma

Communication Faculty Publications

Courses: Mass Communication and Public Opinion, Political Communication

Objectives: Often, there are media events (e.g., local and national elections, the Super Bowl) that match up with what we hope to accomplish in a particular class. The purpose of this semester-length project for students was threefold: (1) to read and comprehend literature related to communication studies, media, and political strategy; (2) to collect and analyze data; and (3) to participate in civic engagement by taking part in Presidential DebateWatch events, both as an audience member and through the use of Twitter.

This Is Sparta! Mediated Mythology As Pedagogy In 300, Adam W. Tyma

Communication Faculty Publications

Popular films continue to replace history courses as the source of truth with regard to important events or eras. 300, in its interpretation of the Battle of Thermopylae, based on the graphic novel by Frank Miller, is an example of this trend. Rather than adhering to the presented historical facts of the event, 300 offers a hyperreal interpretation of the battle and the societies that surrounded it, infusing contemporary hegemonic ideologies regarding sexuality, classism, and race into a mediated discourse that presents the spectacle of the film as reality. This essay examines the narratives that are presented within the film, …

Disputes Over The Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands: Communication Tactics And Grand Strategies, Chin-Chung Chao, Dexin Tian

Communication Faculty Publications

This study explores the communication tactics and grand strategies of each of the involved parties in the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands disputes. Under the theoretical balance between liberal optimists and realist pessimists and through the hermeneutic analysis of the primary data of relevant remarks of governmental officials, official statements, letters and memoranda, declassified CIA reports, interview transcripts of scholars and experts, relevant media reports and readers’ online responses from the LexisNexis news database and Google News website as well as secondary data of relevant study results of scholars and researchers, we found that the Japanese have been secretive and opportunistic, the Americans …

Border Institutions - What Is Lacking In The Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands Dispute, Dexin Tian, Chin-Chung Chao

Communication Faculty Publications

This study explores the interactions among the claimants for the sovereignty over the Senkaku/ Diaoyu Islands dispute with the intention to find out what is lacking in their communication for a genuinely peaceful and mutually beneficial solution to the multilateral international conflict. Guided by the theory of border institutions and via the research methods of hermeneutics, we found that the US, though not a claimant, appears officially neutral but actually pro-Japan in the conflict, though deeply involved in the dispute, purposely remains on the sidelines. As claimants, Japan, China and Taiwan all insist on their own claims based on supporting …

Aarp And The Politics Of The Obama Election: "Tough Times, Tough Choices", Jeremy Harris Lipschultz, Michael L. Hilt

Communication Faculty Publications

The 2008 election and first two years of President Barack Obama’s administration was the context for an analysis of AARP news coverage. This research examined how news coverage was presented in the AARP Bulletin. During the health care debate, AARP often mentioned President Obama over congressional leaders. However, after passage of the law and subsequent election of a new congress, the Republican perspective offered a balance to the president’s agenda. The AARP Bulletin may be an agenda setter on controversial issues. This study explored themes, such as “tough times, tough choices,” which appeared to influence the coverage of political issues.

Book Review: Undercover Reporting: The Truth About Deception, Adam W. Tyma

Communication Faculty Publications

Ethical journalism and the ethics of journalists have both become a central focus of discussion, whether it is in the newsroom or in the classroom. In the 24/7 news cycle reality, where the need to keep audiences attached to a particular news outlet is becoming the sole mantra and business model, it is often the scandal, the catastrophe, or the crisis that will bring the viewer, reader, or listener back. Sometimes, we need to take a moment to step back and critique what is happening in such a space, the results of those happenings, and the implications they give light …

Online Copyright Protection And Innovation International Experiences And Implications To China, Dexin Tian, Chin-Chung Chao

Communication Faculty Publications

Purpose – This study aims to explore the policy-making mechanism of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) on innovation and the US practice in identifying policies on online copyright protection and innovation. The research findings provide valuable implications for emerging economies like China.

Design/methodology/approach – For data collection, this study adopted field observation of online interactions. Guided by the democratic paradigm of the civil society, state, and market and the theory of the government’s roles as a broker, advocator, and facilitator, thematic analysis was applied to analyze the 150 purposively selected comments of US internet stakeholders for emerging …

Enacting Privacy Rules And Protecting Disclosure Recipients: Parents’ Communication With Children Following The Death Of A Family Member, Paige W. Toller, M. Chad Mcbride

Communication Faculty Publications

Given the probability that the death of a family member will occur before a child has reached adulthood, the purpose of this project was to understand what motivates parents to either talk or not talk about a loved one's death with their children. Using Communication Privacy Management to inductively analyze interviews, we found parents were motivated to talk to their children about death because they wanted their children to be informed. This is reflected in the first primary theme, Recalibrating Family of Origin Privacy Orientation Rules: Motivations for Revealing. Two secondary themes further explained parents' motivations to reveal: death as …

Keep Relationships Positive Or Do Things Right: Bridging Women Leaders’ Conflict Management Strategies In Non-Profit Organizations In Taiwan And The Us, Chin-Chung Chao, Dexin Tian

Communication Faculty Publications

Purpose – The present study aims at contributing to the knowledge of organizational communication and cross-cultural female leadership by examining the conflict management strategies between Taiwanese female presidents and their American counterparts in Rotary Clubs.

Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected through field observations and 25 in-depth interviews with 14 Taiwanese female presidents and 11 American female presidents in Rotary Clubs. Theme analysis of the interpretive method was used in this research.

Findings – This study revealed that the female presidents in both cultures applied obliging and integrating strategies to handle management conflicts. Yet, due to the interference of past presidents, …

Testing News Trustworthiness In An Online Public Sphere: A Case Study Of The Economist's News Report Covering The Riots In Xinjiang, China, Dexin Tian, Chin-Chung Chao

Communication Faculty Publications

This paper explores the news trustworthiness and media credibility of The Economist’s news report on 9 July 2009, and the communicative roles of 846 readers’ responses. Theoretically guided by news translation and cultural resistance and the online public sphere, we applied online field observation and discourse analysis and achieved two main findings: First, although the news report covered the Xinjiang riots with comprehensive and attractive details, it violated the core journalism value of media credibility and journalistic objectivity by providing misleading pictures and significant unreliable and biased coverage. Second, the major communicative roles of the online readers’ responses generally match …

Benefits Of Courtroom Cameras Outweigh Costs, Jeremy Harris Lipschultz

Communication Faculty Publications

The Illinois Supreme Court recently authorized the use of television cameras and "other recording devices" for "extended media coverage" of the courts in the state. For the first time, this extends access in that state to all trial courts following an appellate experiment that began in the 1980s. It took the efforts of Illinois Supreme Court Chief Justice Thomas Kilbride to "bring more transparency and accountability" to the sometimes troubled Illinois criminal justice system.

Vague And Outdated Fcc Indecency Policy Must Be Altered, Jeremy Harris Lipschultz

Communication Faculty Publications

The FCC v. Fox Television Stations, Inc. case is the most recent iteration of an ongoing struggle to apply the US Supreme Court's flawed majority reasoning in FCC v. Pacifica — a 1978 decision that set in motion a scheme to try to protect children from broadcast profanity and nudity.While the channeling of such content to overnight hours seemingly protected some adult's First Amendment rights,I have argued for more than 20 years that the vague and subjective definitions promulgated by the FCC are problematic.

Intellectual Property Rights (Ipr) Disputes In Cyberspace: U.S. Hegemony And Chinese Resistance, Dexin Tian, Chin-Chung Chao

Communication Faculty Publications

This paper aims at explicating the hegemonic pressure from the U.S. side and the constant resistance from the Chinese side during the U.S.-China IPR disputes in the cyberspace. The theory of hegemony and extended literature review reveal that during the U.S.-China IPR disputes in cyberspace, the dominant U.S. power has shaped the IPR world order so effectively for its own interests that China as a disadvantaged country has been included, albeit with reservations, in the broad consent of the U.S. hegemonic sphere of influence. This study has also demonstrated significant theoretical and practical implications.

Speaking Ill Of The Dead: Anonymity And Communication About Suicide On Mydeathspace.Com, Lynette G. Leonard, Paige W. Toller

Communication Faculty Publications

From birth to death, many individuals chronicle their lives online through blogs, pictures, games, Web sites, and social networks. Online spaces, created by the living about the dead, provide a glimpse into often invisible or silent grieving practices. To investigate the role computer-mediated communication (CMC) plays in influencing communication surrounding the often private and taboo topic of suicide, we analyzed the comments sections of MyDeathSpace.com. Our results suggest both a breaking down of social taboos (speaking ill of the dead) and a reaffirming of strict social norms (enforcing a narrow range of acceptable presentation of identity and purpose in life), …

Local Television Coverage Of A Mall Shooting: Separating Facts From Fiction In Breaking News, Jeremy Harris Lipschultz, Michael L. Hilt

Communication Faculty Publications

Local TV news emphasizes the earliest stage of crimes because ‘‘breaking news’’ is fresh, dramatic and visual. A qualitative analysis was conducted using a comprehensive set of recordings of the first three-and-a-half hours of local television news coverage in Omaha, Nebraska. This study identified a series of ongoing issues that have important implications for newsroom decision-makers. Local television news used charged and dramatic language, such as that shooting victims were ‘‘fighting for their lives.’’ Reporters and news managers find themselves in the middle of a struggle between two options: remaining a distant and objective observer of events, or connecting with …

Climbing The Himalayas: A Cross-Cultural Analysis Of Female Leadership And Glass Ceiling Effects In Non-Profit Organizations, Chin-Chung Chao

Communication Faculty Publications

Purpose – The present study aims at contributing to the knowledge of organizational communication and cross-cultural leadership by examining the relationship between cultural values and expected female leadership styles in non-profit organizations in Taiwan and the US. Design/methodology/approach – In total, 307 Rotarians in Taiwan and the US completed a survey meant to reveal their cultural values and expected female leadership styles. In addition, the method of semi-structured interviews was used to raise the participants’ consciousness of and critical reflections upon social practices regarding female leadership.

Findings – The research results are threefold. First, among the three major leadership styles, …

Cultural Meaning Of News. A Text Reader, Adam W. Tyma

Communication Faculty Publications

A review is presented of the book "Cultural Meaning of News: A Text Reader," edited by Daniel A. Berkowitz.

Connecting With What Is Out There!: Using Twitter In The Large Lecture, Adam W. Tyma

Communication Faculty Publications

Objectives: Students and teachers will develop both practical skills and theoretical/cultural understanding with regards to how Twitter can be used to present ideas and create dialogue between individuals and communities within and outside the classroom.

Course(s): Primarily, this student engagement method can be used in any large lecture class (e.g., Introduction to Mass Communication, Introduction to Communication Studies). However, such methods can be used for any course where frequent and short communications are required and/or encouraged between members of the class.

Culturally Universal Or Culturally Specific: A Comparative Study Of The Anticipated Female Leadership Styles In Taiwan And The United States, Chin-Chung Chao, Dexin Tian

Communication Faculty Publications

Guided by Bass and Avolio’s leadership frameworks and Hofstede’s modified cultural dimensions, the present cross-cultural study aims to compare and explore the relationships between cultural values and anticipated female leadership styles in non-profit organizations in Taiwan and the US. Regression and t-test analyses of 307 participants in 138 Rotary Clubs in the two societies reveal two research findings. First, Rotary Club members in Taiwan have higher scores in all the cultural dimensions of collectivism, masculinity, and life-long relationships than their US counterparts. Second, transformational leadership proves to be the most anticipated leadership style among Rotary Club members in both cultures. …

Negotiation Of Face Between Bereaved Parents And Their Social Networks, M. Chad Mcbride, Paige W. Toller

Communication Faculty Publications

For many bereaved parents, talking about their child's death and their grief experiences is a way to cope with grief. Unfortunately, communicating with others often proves difficult for parents and their social networks, often because of face threats. The purpose of the present study is to identify how the face needs of parents and their social network is communicatively negotiated. Fifty-three bereaved parents were interviewed and the data analyzed, resulting in a theme of protection. The findings highlight ways in which both the parents' and others' positive and negative faces were co-managed. These findings highlight the complex nature of facework …

Bereaved Parents' Experiences Of Supportive And Unsupportive Communication, Paige W. Toller

Communication Faculty Publications

This study examines bereaved parents' experiences of supportive and unsupportive communication using the optimal matching model of stress and social support (Cutrona & Russell, 1990). Analysis of the interviews revealed that parents described action-facilitating support as supportive, although information-giving was experienced as unsupportive. Regarding nurturant support, bereaved parents felt emotionally supported when family and friends were willing to talk about their deceased child. Parents also described network support as helping them cope with their grief. The results of this study indicate that listening, being present, and honoring the ongoing connection parents have with their deceased child are key ways …

Faculty And Student Expectations And Perceptions Of E-Mail Communication In A Campus And Distance Doctor Of Pharmacy Program, Pamela A. Foral, Paul D. Turner, Michael S. Monaghan, Ryan W. Walters, Jennifer J. Merkel, Jeremy Harris Lipschultz, Thomas J. Lenz

Communication Faculty Publications

Objective. To examine faculty members’ and students’ expectations and perceptions of e-mail communication in a dual pathway pharmacy program. Methods. Three parallel survey instruments were administered to campus students, distance students, and faculty members, respectively. Focus groups with students and faculty were conducted. Results. Faculty members perceived themselves as more accessible and approachable by e-mail than either group of students did. Campus students expected a shorter faculty response time to e-mail and for faculty members to be more available than did distance students. Conclusion. E-mail is an effective means of computer-mediated communication between faculty members and students and can be …

Foreigners' Archive: Contemporary China In The Blogs Of American Expatriates, Qi Tang, Chin-Chung Chao

Communication Faculty Publications

This study scrutinized blogs written by American expatriates in twenty-firstcentury China. The primary objectives were to explore how China is represented in such blogs and to understand the discursive processes through which the American bloggers utilize the blogging technology to narrate their perceptions of the Chinese realities. Drawing on the postcolonial and discursive perspectives, we have determined that the blogs examined here consist of a distinct discursive space of cultural representation and contestation. They were also interpreted as a digital extension of conventional Euro-American travel writing as they share with the genre a set of rhetorical conventions and face the …

Strategies Under Pressure: Usa-China Copyright Dispute, Dexin Tian, Chin-Chung Chao

Communication Faculty Publications

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the Chinese and American efforts in keeping the balance of innovation and copyright protection, with an emphasis on China’s strategies under Western, especially American pressure. The research findings are expected to enhance mutual efforts from the two countries to protect copyright and boost innovation and facilitate genuine communication between both sides in their decade-long intellectual property right (IPR) disputes.

Design/methodology/approach – For data collection, this study adopted in-depth interviews of 45 participants who were either copyright holders as publishers and authors, or ordinary consumers in China. Under the theoretical guidance …

The Communication Model And The Nature Of Change In Terms Of Deforestation In China Since 1949, Dexin Tian, Chin-Chung Chao

Communication Faculty Publications

This article explores the communication model and nature of change in terms of deforestation in China since 1949. Through Lasswell’s communication model and the theory of change and via historical analysis and extended literature review, we have discovered: First, Mao’s government adopted an effective one-way top-down communication model with Chinese characteristics during 1949 and 1978, which facilitated deforestation in China leading to massive economic dislocation and immense waste of resources. Second, the Chinese government’s change to practical ideology brought about new administrative practices of enacting forest protection laws and reorientating the relevant workforces to use available technologies for the production …

Nebraska Immigration: Deliberative Polling And Civic Engagement On Broadcast And New Media Coverage, Jeremy Harris Lipschultz, Michael L. Hilt, David C. Ogden, Hugh J. Reilly

Communication Faculty Publications

Data were analyzed from an October 2007 deliberative poll event in Omaha, Nebraska. The focus of pre-event survey questions was on the usefulness of media sources on the coverage of the global immigration issue. The goal of the project was to promote civic engagement of citizens on an important public issue. The focus of post-event survey questions was on attention paid to media. Additionally, a post-event focus group explored public opinion on credibility of various news sources. While the deliberative poll produced some evidence of short-term effects in terms of citizens learning about the immigration issue, attitudes about media credibility …