Rhetoric Commons^™

Bibliography, Jane Fife

Faculty/Staff Personal Papers

Bibliography of publications by Jane Fife.

Ua12/2/28 Forensics Team, Wku Archives

WKU Archives Collection Inventories

Records created by and about the forensics / debate team.

Diversity, Identification, And Rhetoric In Tech: On The Analysis Of Satirical Conference Talks, Bryan Knowles

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

In this thesis, I examine the rhetorical strategies in Jenn Schiffer’s satirical conference talks in which she comments upon her own tech community. In part, I consider her arguments under the theoretical lenses of Burke, Epicurus, and Camus, theories placed alongside the reflective writing of Ullman as a queer woman in that selfsame community. I also discuss the pedagogical opportunities of such an analysis–of tech conference talks in general–to the modern student in our technologically-connected age. Finally, in the long term, I plan to connect the outcomes of this project to a larger project in partial fulfillment of a doctorate …

"Turn In Your Bible To...": Examining Rhetorical Agency In Sermonic Discourse, Marshall Thomas Covert

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Rhetorical agency is an ideologically contentious facet within communication and rhetorical research. While its importance in scholarship can be traced back to early works by Kenneth Burke and Pierre Bourdieu, debate continues regarding the source of agency, how it is enacted in rhetorical application and communication, and who/what can claim responsibility for the communication practices one may utilize in enacting their respective levels of agency. Thus, the ways in which the rhetoric of popular, influential individuals/antecedents affects the rhetorical agency and invention practices of those without significant levels of influence must be examined. American Christianity, in particular the culture created …

Ua37/42 Faculty Personal Papers Nina Hammer, Wku Archives

WKU Archives Collection Inventories

Personal papers of Nina Hammer, Bowling Green Business University Registrar 1938-1963; WKU Registrar 1963-1969.

Peeling The Onion: Satire And The Complexity Of Audience Response, Jane Fife

English Faculty Publications

Satire is a popular form of comedic social critique frequently theorized in terms of Kenneth Burke’s comic frame. While its humor and unexpected combination of incongruous elements can reduce tension that surrounds controversial issues to make new perspectives more accessible, audience response to satire can vary tremendously—including the very negative as well as the very positive. Teaching satire should include exposure to rhetorical theory and audience reception analysis to better prepare students as consumers and creators of satires. With a complex, layered pedagogy, satire can be an important component of the twenty-first-century rhetor’s toolkit.

Isaac Watts And The Culture Of Dissent, Andrew Eli M. Yeater

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Although Isaac Watts wrote hymns in the early eighteenth century, some of his hymns, such as “Joy to the World,” “Alas! And Did My Savior Bleed?,” and “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross,” survive today as well-known hymns. However, little has been written about the rhetorical effects of his hymns. This thesis demonstrates that, like any other literary work, Watts’ hymns can be analyzed rhetorically. This thesis analyzes Watts’ hymns with the aid of Louis Montrose’s New Historicism, showing how Watts’ hymns were impacted by the English culture in which he lived and how they impacted the religious culture to …

Discourse And Conflict: The President Barack H. Obama Birth Certificate Controversy And The New Media, Timothy Lee Adams

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

A creative exploration of the consequences of public speech in the era of freely accessible, social media, as the author, a former elections official, records and explores the consequences of public dissent in the case of President Barack Obama’s eligibility controversy. This non-fiction narrative culminates with the author’s analysis and observations on both his personal experiences and the state of public speech and political power in contemporary America.

Ua3/1/3 President's Office-Cherry - Scrapbooks, Wku Archives

WKU Archives Collection Inventories

Scrapbooks containing newspaper clippings, articles and publications of interest to WKU President Henry Cherry. These include education religion, state and national politics, prohibition and Western Kentucky University.

Ua3/8/8 President's Office-Meredith Speech File, Wku Archives

WKU Archives Collection Inventories

Speeches written and delivered by Thomas Meredith.

Praise And Blame: The Rhetorical Impact Of Nineteenth-Century Conduct Manuals, Jessica Nicole Mattson

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The following is an exploration of the use of epideictic rhetoric strategies in nineteenth-century conduct manuals, Sarah Stickney Ellis’s The Women of England: Their Social Duties and Domestic Habits, and Harriet Martineau’s Household Education. In examining the rhetoric of the conduct manuals, this researcher has identified the audience, the rhetorical situation, the exigence of that situation, and the use of phronisis, areti, and euonia by both authors.
Because the rhetoric of the conduct manual has not been discussed in current critical perspectives, this research is a starting point for further study. The different types of rhetorical …

Ua3/1/4 President's Office-Cherry Speeches & Publications, Wku Archives

WKU Archives Collection Inventories

Addresses, chapel talks, notes and educational and political speeches written and delivered by Henry Hardin Cherry and others typed on loose leaf pages. There are also quotations, reports, wills, correspondence and a political cartoon. Many items have no attribution as to author or source. Other authors include A.C. Burton, A.W. Mell, Mattie McLean and J.S. Dickey. Some items are repeated throughout the series and others have been edited. Volume 5 has been digitized for use by researchers.

Ua94/6/3 Student/Alumni Personal Papers Wku Publications, Wku Archives

WKU Archives Collection Inventories

Underground publications created by students while attending WKU, includes 1960's/1970's political protest papers such as the Apocalypse and the Expatriate. How to Survive is a guide to courses and professors to avoid and a guide to life in Bowling Green for university students. The Big Red Tool a 21st century satirical take on WKU is also found here.

Shadow Of Death: A Fantasy Theme Analysis Of The Floyd Collins Tragedy, Leslie Witty

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Floyd Collins, a Kentucky caver who suffered a lengthy entrapment and eventual death inside Sand Cave in 1925, has had his story told repeatedly and in numerous forms. Although the countless genres (and their historical accuracy) vary, they are basically retellings of the same story—a story filled with drama, suspense, and heroics. Because of these characteristics, the rhetoric of the Floyd Collins ordeal lent itself to examination using Bormann's (1972) fantasy theme method. By using a fantasy theme analysis to explore the saga, I advanced beyond the retellings and gained a greater understanding of why seventy-seven years after he died …

The Rhetorical Rise And Fall Of Tennessee Governor Frank G. Clement, 1952-1967, Alan Griggs

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The practice of entertaining and informing people with political speech has disappeared, replaced by sound bite posturing and ineffective delivery of questionable content. Technology has forced a wedge between politicians and the public by eliminating the excitement and challenge of compelling, issueoriented rhetoric in favor of language reduced to the lowest common denominator. Perhaps the last of the evangelical political speakers, Tennessee governor Frank Clement bonded with his audiences by using a blend of religious fervor, crowd analysis, disciplined technique, and one-on-one empathy. From I952 until I956, Clement established himself as the nation's foremost political speaker, an ambitious and talented …

Ua2/3/1 Staff Regent Debate, Joy Gramling, Richard Kirby

WKU Administration Documents

Audiotape of staff regent selection forum featuring Richard Kirby and Joy Gramling.

Ua1b1/1/2 An Evening With A Scientist & A News Man, Harry Gray, James Ausenbaugh, Wku Rodes-Helm Lecture Series

WKU Administration Documents

Rodes-Helm lecture by Harry Gray and James Ausenbaugh entitled An Evening with A Scientist and a News Man moderated by Lowell Harrison. The lecture format allows each speaker 20 minutes to present his/her topic, response time to each other and ends with a question / answer session from the audience.

Dr. Harry Gray, a leading authority in the field of solar energy, fears that science is advancing so fast on so many fronts that the public can't keep up. More specifically, he worries that the news media's ability - or commitment - to help keep the public informed is limited. …

Ua1b1/1/1 The Once & Future South, Lowell Harrison, Jim Wayne Miller, Wku Rodes-Helm Lecture Series

WKU Administration Documents

Rodes-Helm lecture by John Edgerton and Jim Wayne Miller entitled the Once and Future South moderated by Robert Haynes. The lecture format allows each speaker 20 minutes to present his/her topic, response time to each other and ends with a question / answer session from the audience.

Ua94/6/1 Correspondence, J. R. Newman

Student/Alumni Personal Papers

Letter to the College Heights Herald editor from J.R. Newman regarding the benefits of having been a member of the Congress Debating Club.

Ua99/6/1 Joint Debate Program, Coreco Debating Society, Big Four Debating Society

Student Organizations

Program for the sixth annual joint debate between the Big Four and Coreco debating societies. Gives question to be debated, names of debaters and lists of all members of both societies.