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Msu Students' Use Of The Msu Web Site, Kristin Ruder
Msu Students' Use Of The Msu Web Site, Kristin Ruder
Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato
As part of ongoing usability studies of the MSU Web site, survey data was collected from convenience samples of MSU students to evaluate their self-assessed expertise using the Internet as well as their use of and satisfaction with the MSU Web site.
A Rhetorical Analysis Of The Rethinking Aids Website, Jennifer Dettmann
A Rhetorical Analysis Of The Rethinking Aids Website, Jennifer Dettmann
Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato
A group of scientists known as the Group for Scientific Reappraisal of the HIV-AIDS hypothesis created a web site title, Rethinking AIDS. The group behind the web site argues that AIDS is not a sexually transmitted disease. They even question the existence of the virus entity. My analysis is driven by the critical question: Does the web site construct a reality that affectively alters our perception of HIV-AIDS? In order to answer this question, Goodnight and Poulakos 1981 article, Conspiracy rhetoric: from pragmatism to fantasy to public discourse (Western Journal of Speech), will be utilized.
Spatial Intelligence And The Ability To Comprehend And Execute Textual/Graphical Instructions, Anthony Wacholtz
Spatial Intelligence And The Ability To Comprehend And Execute Textual/Graphical Instructions, Anthony Wacholtz
Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato
Performing a task such as solving a Rubik’s cube can be very difficult, but it can be done after enough twists and turns. However, only an individual with extremely high spatial intelligence could be expected to solve a Rubik’s cube in his or her head. Discussing the concept of spatial intelligence, Howard Gardner makes it clear that “...Spatial intelligence is closely tied to, and grows directly out of, one’s observations of the visual world.” The term spatial intelligence, as it pertains to my research, derives from the ability to visualize and manipulate three-dimensional objects in your mind. In this experiment, …
A Burkian Pentadic Analysis Of Msu Riot Narratives, Joseph Mohrfeld
A Burkian Pentadic Analysis Of Msu Riot Narratives, Joseph Mohrfeld
Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato
In the fall of 2003 a riot occurred very near the Minnesota State University, Mankato campus and in its aftermath many different narratives emerged describing the events. Using Kenneth Burke's pentad, this project examines those narratives in order to discover how different groups construct their accounts and which narrative elements different groups emphasize. By understanding how the narrative accounts given by these agents are influenced by their situation, the research allows us to see how riots emerge out of tensions within the conflicting productive contexts.
Campus Paper Waste, Joshua E. Randall
Campus Paper Waste, Joshua E. Randall
Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato
The fall of 2004 at Minnesota State University, a new program called MavPrint was introduced. The user submits a document to be printed at a computer, the expense is deducted from their account, and then their document can be retrieved from any MavPrint station. In years past printing had been free, but seeing how according to Bryan Schneider, the director of Technical Services at Minnesota State University – Mankato, from the year 2003 to the year 2004 the printing costs for the University rose 200 percent, they felt it was time to make a change. MSU students printed out over …
Gendered Construction Of The Female Identity, Julie L. Lemley
Gendered Construction Of The Female Identity, Julie L. Lemley
Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato
Since Garfinkle’s ground-breaking work on labeling in the 1950’s, the link between identity formation, specifically as constructed by external social messages intentionally directed by authority, and resultant behaviors has been well established. This research has extended upon this assumption, applying critical media and rhetorical methods to advertising aimed at adolescents, a particularly vulnerable group at a point of transition and identity formation. The adolescent negotiation of the transition from childhood (child identity) to adulthood (adult identity), has always been a uniquely critical stage of development. Moreover, the research has indicated that adolescents are particularly susceptible to influence by those in …
Communication Apprehension And Its Relationship To Gender And College Year, Jodi Frantz, Amber Marlow, Jennifer Wathen
Communication Apprehension And Its Relationship To Gender And College Year, Jodi Frantz, Amber Marlow, Jennifer Wathen
Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato
This study examined the differences between communication apprehension, one’s gender, and his or her year in college. Participants included a convenience sample of full-time undergraduate students at a Midwestern, liberal arts, private Christian college. The students were asked to complete the Personal Report of Communication Apprehension (PRCA-24), a self-report measure of communication apprehension. It was predicted that females would have higher communication apprehension levels than males and that as class standing increases, communication apprehension decreases. A statistically significant difference was found between males and females with respect to their overall CA score. The results also showed no significant difference between …
An Ethnographic Study Of The Communication Practices Of A Recovering Alcoholic During The First Month Of Sobriety, Lianna Erickson
An Ethnographic Study Of The Communication Practices Of A Recovering Alcoholic During The First Month Of Sobriety, Lianna Erickson
Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato
This qualitative research project focuses on the verbal and non-verbal communication practices of a recovering alcoholic during the first month of sobriety. Using an ethnographic research method and analyzing the data by means of interpretive and symbolic interactionism, it explains how the organization, ‘Alcoholics Anonymous’(A.A.), helped a 33-year-old woman face her alcoholism and find the resources to get sober and stay sober. The results of this research show that a variety of verbal practices are displayed by using stories and metaphors. Non-verbal communication practices are used in the rituals that the organization, ‘Alcoholics Anonymous’, exercises and also in what the …
The Use Of Paralinguistics In Spontaneous Speech Of Children With Williams Syndrome And Typically Development Children, Kelly Ritter, Evan Panitzke, Emily Kruse
The Use Of Paralinguistics In Spontaneous Speech Of Children With Williams Syndrome And Typically Development Children, Kelly Ritter, Evan Panitzke, Emily Kruse
Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato
This project investigated selected aspects of paralinguistics in spontaneous speech of speakers with Williams syndrome. Speakers with Williams syndrome “are noted for their well developed vocabulary, relatively complex and syntactically correct sentences, and their ability to spin a good tale. In contrast, their reasoning usually remains at a pre-operational or preschool level, and they typically have difficulty grasping cause-effect relations” (Semel & Rosner, 2003, p. 5). This research focused on an area of communication called paralinguistics which involved the use of nonspeech sounds for communication. Specifically, we looked at the frequency of laughing and sound effects produced during conversation. Ten …
Community Assistance For Refugees And Gender Roles: What Could Make This C.A.R. Run Better?, Nathan E. Meyer
Community Assistance For Refugees And Gender Roles: What Could Make This C.A.R. Run Better?, Nathan E. Meyer
Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato
Community Assistance for Refugees is a non-profit service organization in downtown Mankato, Minnesota. Secondary migration to southern Minnesota has increased the refugee population as well as the need for research assessing the needs and concerns of refugees. The purpose of this project was two-fold: first to analyze how C.A.R. is able to meet the needs of its clients and second, to investigate ways in which C.A.R. could improve its services. Traditionally female refugees are less educated and less mainstreamed into American society. This research was designed to help all clients, but special attention was paid to the specific needs of …
The Basis Of Self And Other In Gender Constructed Identity, Julie L. Lemley
The Basis Of Self And Other In Gender Constructed Identity, Julie L. Lemley
Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato
This paper is an extension of previous research projects wherein I applied theories of identity and labeling (Garfinkle), power (French and Raven) and gender (Pearson, West and Turner) to adolescent girls’ identity construction. Using methods of textual criticism, I argued then that the advertising targeting adolescent girls at the crucial transitional period between child identity and adult identity was dominated by patriarchal imagery, the implications of which are sexual violence, low-self esteem and self-objectification by young women. This paper applies the same methodology but to identity formation of adolescent boys, arguing on the basis of Hegel’s master-slave dialectic that adolescent …
Japan And The U.S.: Two Free Nations, Two Versions Of Free Press, Eliza Koch
Japan And The U.S.: Two Free Nations, Two Versions Of Free Press, Eliza Koch
Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato
The media are important in a democracy; they provide a means of communication between the government and its constituents. They also serve as a fourth branch to check the country’s government. Although these two nations have different histories there are many similarities in the media systems. This presentation examines the media and politics in two separate democratic nations, Japan and the United States. Despite their different historical and cultural backgrounds, they have similarities. Both nations have free press, but there are cases when both governmental systems have attempted to censure their media in one form or another. This presentation delves …
Killing For Fun: A Study Of The Effect Violent Videogames Have On The Player, Mike Goracke
Killing For Fun: A Study Of The Effect Violent Videogames Have On The Player, Mike Goracke
Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato
Many studies have been done to see if there are aggressive effects on people that play violent videogames. Even in the early 80s, there was concern that games like Pac Man were too violent for youth. Most studies have concluded that violent games have a negative effect on young people. Yet, I believe that many of these studies had flaws in the research methods. Therefore, I based my study on a previous study done by Bushman and Anderson (2002). My study consisted of a sample of 10 male Minnesota State University (MSU) students who listened to a scenario that would …
Trust Formation Across Multiple Levels Of Virtuality, Amanda Woller
Trust Formation Across Multiple Levels Of Virtuality, Amanda Woller
Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato
This study looked at the formation of trust in relation to different levels of group virtuality. Undergraduate students worked in pairs on the game, Command and Conquer: Generals. Teams either worked together face-to-face; met first and then were separated to work together; or were completely separated for the duration of the activity. Face-to-face groups were expected to have higher levels of trust than virtual groups, while the groups that met first were expected to have higher levels of trust than the completely virtual group. Results showed that face-to-face and meeting first groups had higher levels of trust than completely virtual …
Critique Of The Appropriation On Black Culture By White Suburban Youth, Julie Lemley
Critique Of The Appropriation On Black Culture By White Suburban Youth, Julie Lemley
Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato
This critique is an examination of the appropriation of black culture by white suburban youth as being not only racist, but sexist. The primary view of this phenomenon is through the lens of hip hop culture and its commercialization by patriarchally dominated white corporations to increase profit by targeting the music to white suburban youth. This creates a distinct change within the critical content of the culture as an original context by replacing it with a focus that objectifies women, encourages violence and glamorizes the consumption of drugs and alcohol. In addition, there exists an intentional promotion of luxury consumerism …
The Reality Of Role-Playing Games: How Players Construct Reality Through Language, Jessica Carlson
The Reality Of Role-Playing Games: How Players Construct Reality Through Language, Jessica Carlson
Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato
Role-playing games have a unique structure and exist in multiple mediums. Although some research is available on communication in computer mediated role-playing games, little exists on communication practices in tabletop role-playing games. In my research, I reviewed existing scholarly literature on tabletop role-playing games, as well as theory on the role language plays in constructing reality. I conducted passive participant observation on a group of people playing Advanced Dungeons and Dragons. By applying theory to my ethnographic research, I demonstrated how players constructed a collective reality through communication. Players did this by demonstrating their own enthrallment with the game and …
Relationship Between Athletes And Role Models, Kaytlin Lemier
Relationship Between Athletes And Role Models, Kaytlin Lemier
Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato
This study examines the relationship between athletes and their responsibility as role models to youth. The study was conducted due to the expressed debate over the expected roles of professional athletes. On one side of the debate are those who feel that athletes choose to be in the limelight, thus being an athlete requires a need to acknowledge that they are role models and it requires that they act accordingly. On the other side are those who feel that athletes may have chosen their profession, but they are entitled to have a "private life" regardless of the youth who may …
Systemic Racism Of The Unicef Germany's Ads Depicting Children In Blackface, April Larson
Systemic Racism Of The Unicef Germany's Ads Depicting Children In Blackface, April Larson
Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato
In the summer of 2007, UNICEF Germany released four ads containing the use of Blackface. However, neither the German population, nor UNICEF Germany found the use of Blackface insulting or racist when in fact Americans, who have the history of Blackface Theater, were appalled at the display of white German children with mud on their faces, portraying Africans. Through the use of Joe R. Feagin's theory of systemic racism, this paper rhetorically analyzed whether the UNICEF ads should be considered racist outside the American experience of Blackfacing and Blackface Theater. The analysis revealed the UNICEF ads are racist under the …
Relationship Violence: Risk Factors For Adolescents, Antionette Wall
Relationship Violence: Risk Factors For Adolescents, Antionette Wall
Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato
The term domestic violence usually elicits a picture of an adult relationship where the man batters a woman. This picture is an accurate picture, but there are other individuals who are affected by domestic violence. Couple from all socioeconomic backgrounds, including homosexual and adolescent couples can face domestic violence situations. Research on adolescent relationship violence is fairly recent. Adolescents seem to be a population missed by general society when it comes to being involved in relationship violence. This paper strives to examine risk factors such as self-esteem, rigid sex-role ideas, parents‟ in violent relationships, and friends who are in violent …
You've Got Mail: Identity Perceptions Based On Email Usernames, Laura Pelletier
You've Got Mail: Identity Perceptions Based On Email Usernames, Laura Pelletier
Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato
This study explores the idea that email recipients use the email username of the sender as a mediated cue to make basic assumptions of the identity of the sender. For this study 215 participants completed self-report surveys asking their perceptions of a fictional work group member including sex, age, race, and work productivity. Most participants were able to create a basic identity of their fictitious group member based solely on their email username.
Selling Gender: Gender Role Portrayals In Contemporary Magazine Advertisements, Laura Pelletier
Selling Gender: Gender Role Portrayals In Contemporary Magazine Advertisements, Laura Pelletier
Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato
This study presents a content analysis of gender role portrayals and male and female objectification in contemporary magazine advertisements. A total of fifteen magazines were analyzed from a two month period to determine if gender role portrayals have changed or remained the same as earlier studies. The first analysis looks at product categories most and least often advertised by male or female models. The second analysis looks at the sexual portrayals in magazine advertisements and the rate of objectification of male and female models.
Reflections On The Conduct Of Research With Human Subjects Across Two Cultures, Kimberly Maas
Reflections On The Conduct Of Research With Human Subjects Across Two Cultures, Kimberly Maas
Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato
This study examined the potential benefits, challenges, and barriers faced by university students and research colleagues who were involved in international partnerships for cross-cultural research projects between the USA and Russia. In scholarly investigations in the USA, research subjects must be informed of the precautions that will be taken to protect their safety and their privacy (Amdur & Bankfert, 2002). Particularly in Russia, there are no corresponding policies for working with human subjects that compare to the procedures followed by American university Institutional Review Boards. Furthermore, international partnerships have faced new challenges as a result of the restructuring of American …
A New Look At Nonprofit Online Fundraising: Persuasion Through The Means Of Credibility And Psychological Consistency, Kaytlin Lemier
A New Look At Nonprofit Online Fundraising: Persuasion Through The Means Of Credibility And Psychological Consistency, Kaytlin Lemier
Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato
A study was conducted to examine how the persuasive elements of a message contribute to non-profit organizations’ potential to gain financial support. The purpose of the study was to apply theories of persuasion to advance an understanding of the underlying elements relevant to successful fundraising appeals. The two main constructs examined were credibility and psychological consistency. Applied to the context of non-profit fundraising, credibility refers to the judgments granting institutions and/or donors make about the believability of the non-profit organization or its individual representatives, and psychological consistency refers to donors’ internal drive to reduce inconsistencies between their behavior and their …
Impact Of Text Messaging On Communication, Heidi Hemmer
Impact Of Text Messaging On Communication, Heidi Hemmer
Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato
This study used two focus groups to learn about college students and their use of text messages. All of the students were from the Arts and Humanities College at Minnesota State University. One focus group contained five females and other focus group contained five males. The main focus of this study was to find if text messages displaced face-to-face communication. The results of this study suggest text messages do have a displacing effect on face-to-face communication. But text messaging is not the only technology that has the displacement effect. This study also suggests males and females view text messages differently. …
Roommate Rants: Understanding Roommate Conflicts Among Msu Students, Kimberly Halpin
Roommate Rants: Understanding Roommate Conflicts Among Msu Students, Kimberly Halpin
Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato
Roommates seem to go hand in hand with the college experience. Conflicts are inevitable in life and when a pair or small group of college students live together, conflict is likely to occur. The purpose of this study was to find out what conflicts roommates experience, how they communicate those conflicts, and how they resolve those conflicts. All conflicts would involve a Minnesota State University, Mankato (MSU) student and their roommate(s). An online survey, consisting of twenty questions, was created and administered to Dr. Kristen Treinen's SPEE 100: Fundamentals of Speech Communication class; twenty out of 750 students responded. The …
High School Students Tell All: Analyzing Facebook Confession Sites, Chelsea Conrad
High School Students Tell All: Analyzing Facebook Confession Sites, Chelsea Conrad
Undergraduate Research Symposium
Social media sites are gaining popularity, giving teenagers a venue to anonymously post secrets, rants, and insults. Recently, anonymous high school related Facebook confession sites have emerged. These sites, while not endorsed by the school, often contain the school’s name, mascot and location creating a forum for anonymous social interactions among high school students. Facebook confession sites have gained attention over concerns about cyber bullying and the potential negative influence on the reputation of schools. The purpose of this study is to analyze the language of Facebook confession sites to determine the degree of positive and negative emotionality as well …
Media Impact On Science Knowledge, Joanna Richardson
Media Impact On Science Knowledge, Joanna Richardson
Undergraduate Research Symposium
This year, the worldwide web celebrates twenty-five years of existence. Its popularity has grown tremendously and we now see a majority of the population utilizing the Internet’s various outlets to achieve greater amounts of knowledge in lesser amounts of time. The broad spectrum of media sources enables a greater access of information to all people, increasingly impacting their level of science knowledge. The current study looked to explore the relationship between level of science knowledge, preferred media source and frequency of exposure. One hundred thirty-five participants were surveyed. Questions from the Pew Research Center’s “Science and Technology Knowledge Quiz” were …
Adolescents And The Social Media: The Coming Storm, Daniel Houlihan, Meghan Houlihan
Adolescents And The Social Media: The Coming Storm, Daniel Houlihan, Meghan Houlihan
Psychology Department Publications
In her book Failure to Connect: How computers affect our Children’s Minds, sounded the alarm to the educational community that computers would not impact the intellectual growth of children in the ways that had been anticipated by the Clinton Administration when they started the push to have the world-wide web integrated into American classrooms by passing the Classroom 2000 education initiative. In a speech in April of 2013, Clinton would follow-up by saying that the modern internet has forced a change in what we consider to be forms of good citizenship. The future will redefine how we should act and …
Front Matter, Nfa Journal
Abuse Of Evidence In Persuasive Speaking: An Un-Conventional Solution, Amy Mendes
Abuse Of Evidence In Persuasive Speaking: An Un-Conventional Solution, Amy Mendes
National Forensic Journal
Scholars in the forensics community have been lamenting the misuse and abuse of evidence in forensics competition for decades. Beginning with Frank’s 1983 discussion of evidentiary abuse in Persuasive speaking, authors have offered possible solutions to end the problem. However, as the ongoing focus might suggest, these solutions have not had the intended effect. In this paper, we continue the investigation into evidence use in Persuasive speaking by repeating Frank’s original study but offer an unusual solution that may finally effectively address the problem.