Communication Commons^™

The Experience And Expression Of Emotion Within Stepsibling Relationships: Politeness Of Expression And Stepfamily Functioning, Emily Lamb Normand

Department of Communication Studies: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

While scholars agree there are emotional challenges associated with the divorce and remarriage process, little is known about how stepsiblings interact and manage the experience and expression of emotion within their stepfamily. The current investigation examined the frequency of experience, intensity, and expression of positive, strong negative, and weak negative emotion within stepsibling relationships over time. Using Politeness Theory as a framework, the study also investigated if an association existed between stepsiblings’ use of politeness strategies during the expression of emotion and stepsiblings’ perception of the quality of their relationship and their perception of the entire stepfamily. Participants were 187 …

Exploring Links Between Well-Being And Interactional Sense-Making In Married Couples’ Jointly Told Stories Of Stress, Jody Koenig Kellas, April R. Trees, Paul Schrodt, Cassandra Leclair-Underberg, Erin K. Willer

Department of Communication Studies: Faculty Publications

Narrative theorizing suggests that narrating stress, difficulty, or trauma can be beneficial for improved mental health, yet extant research tends to consider narrating stress as an individual or psychological construct. However, in close relationships, people often experience shared stressors and jointly tell their shared stories of difficulty to others. Thus, joint storytelling processes likely also relate to individual health. We tested this expectation using a series of actor-partner interdependence models and path analyses in a study that included 68 couples’ video-recorded joint storytelling interactions. Findings primarily indicate relationships between husbands’, wives’, and couples’ storytelling behaviors and husbands’ mental health. Generally …

Native Daughters, Christina Devries, Jordan Pascale, Shannon Smith, Katie Stearns, Carson Vaughan, Molly Young, Clay Lomneth, Alan Eno, Astrid Munn, Matt Buxton, Judi M. Gaiashkibos, Shannon Smith, Hannah Peterson, Elizabeth Gamez, Maggie Liggett, Katie Stearns, Natasha Richardson, Johnna Hjersman, Krista Vogel, Elizabeth Gasaway, Charlie Pfister, Matt Buxton, Anthony Troester, Christine Lesiak, Scott Winter, John Wunder, Joe Starita, Princella Parker, Nancy Kelsey

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Student Media

For almost two years, Nebraska’s College of Journalism and Mass Communications has benefited from this perfect storm, riding a project wave dedicated to a singular idea: You can’t really understand American history without understanding Native American history. And you can’t understand Native American history without understanding the critical role Native women have played in defining, enriching and protecting that history. Underwritten by a $125,000 Carnegie Foundation grant, this journalism project is intended to substantially raise the profile of Native Daughters. To that end, the college enrolled two dozen of its best and brightest students – reporters, photographers, videographers, Web masters, …

2010 Kazakhstan Visual Journalism Class, College Of Journalism & Mass Communications, University Of Nebraska-Lincoln

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Student Media

Photojournalism students at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Journalism and Mass Communications went to Kazakhstan for 16 days in May 2010.

Thanks to an endowed gift from three of the nation's leading photographers, the students were able to document an emerging country in which there is great human need.

The photographers, Howard Buffett, Thomas Mangelsen and Joel Sartore, created a photojournalism fund to enable students to travel abroad to witness the world firsthand and report on what they see. Buffett is a photographer of scenes in the developing world, Mangelsen is a nature photographer and Sartore is a contract …

Exploring Science Through Media: The Omaha Science Media Project 2009–2010, Belita Kalala, Scott Barry, Rebecca Aiken, Soo Hui-Lee, Mary Claire Rice, Elizabeth Gamez, Nkem Kalu, Amy Struthers, Adam Wagler, Bruce Mitchell, Julie Nichols

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Student Advertising Projects

The Omaha Science Media Project represents the efforts of more than a hundred people across eight organizations. Working together, these individuals explored innovations in teaching and learning science that challenged and contributed to Omaha’s learning community. This program owes tremendous gratitude to Katie Weitz White and the Sherwood Foundation for their vision, support, and enthusiasm. The Sherwood Foundation’s work has been critical to inspiring students, energizing teachers, and building strong programs for all. We also thank the Omaha Schools Foundation for its guidance and support. The project’s principal investigator is Judy Diamond, Ph.D., Professor and Curator of Informal Science Education …

Face Needs, Intragroup Status, And Women’S Reactions To Socially Aggressive Face Threats, Erin K. Willer, Jordan Soliz

Department of Communication Studies: Faculty Publications

Given the potential negative consequences of being a recipient of such behavior, the role of positive face needs, intragroup status, and the face-threatening nature of social aggression in predicting cor-relates of negative affect experienced as a result of being a target of SAFTs, including the face threat of the response, forgiveness, and well-being was investigated. On the basis of the survey responses from 199 college-aged women, findings indicated that targets’ positive face needs and intragroup status are directly and indirectly associated with forgiveness and overall well-being. Implications for these findings in relation to theorizing about face and intragroup identity as …

Refugees As People: The Portrayal Of Refugees In American Human Interest Stories, Sarah Steimel

Department of Communication Studies: Faculty Publications

This study combines discourse analysis and narrative analysis (Yin 2007) to examine top US newspapers’ coverage of refugees in American human interest stories. I find that the refugees are presented (a) as prior victims; (b) as in search of the American Dream; and (c) as unable to achieve the American Dream. As human-interest features, the stories provide a largely positive portrayal of individual refugees and their families. However, the human interest stories also depict refugees as current victims of the American economic crisis; deeply frustrated by their inability to achieve the American Dream. Together these discourses represent a narrative of …

The Learning Child: Keys To Enhancing Learning. Hef595 Participant's Guide, Janet S. Hanna, Eileen M. Krumbach, Sarah Effken Purcell, Debra E. Schroeder, Mary K. Warner, Tonia Renee Durden

Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families, and Schools: Faculty Publications

The goal of this program is to provide information about ways to create a responsive, stimulating, affirming, and developmentally appropriate environment for young children (birth–3 years).

Exploring Hurtful Communication From College Teachers To Students: A Mixed Methods Study, Michelle Marie Maresh

Department of Communication Studies: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The purpose of this study was to extend teacher misbehavior research via an investigation of teacher communication that is perceived as hurtful by college students. While previous research on teacher misbehavior focuses on the content-oriented dimension of teacher-student communication, this study goes a step further by also considering the relational dimension. A mixed methods approach is used in this study to explore the function of hurtful communication in the teacher-student relationship. There were 34 participants in the first, qualitative, phase of this study; whereas the second, quantitative, phase of this study was comprised of 208 participants.

Identified in the results …

Parental Perceptions Of Body Mass Index Referrals And Overweight School-Age Children, Misty Schwartz

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

It is well documented that there is a worldwide epidemic of obesity in children. To address obesity in children, emphasis must be on factors within family, school, and community environments. Although most parents and school officials are aware of the problem of overweight children, there is little data available to guide decision making about the acceptability of school-based Body Mass Index (BMI) screening and referral programs. As states mandate BMI screening and referral, parental insight is essential to determine the efficiency and effectiveness of BMI notification.

The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the perceptions of parents …

Empty Ritual: Young-Adult Stepchildren’S Perceptions Of The Remarriage Ceremony, Leslie A. Baxter, Dawn O. Braithwaite, Jody Koenig Kellas, Cassandra Leclair-Underberg, Emily Lamb Normand, Tracy Routsong, Matthew Thatcher

Department of Communication Studies: Faculty Publications

This qualitative study investigated 80 young-adult stepchildren’s talk about one of their parents’ remarriage ceremony. The remarriage event was celebrated in six types of ritual enactments, five of which celebrated the couple’s marriage and one of which was family-centered in its celebration of the beginning of the new stepfamily. Three factors led stepchildren to find the remarriage ceremony empty: (i) a ritual form that was too traditional or not traditional enough; (ii) a ritual enactment that failed to pay homage to either the stepchild’s family of origin or the stepfamily as a unit; and (iii) a ritual enactment that failed …

Communicative Correlates Of Satisfaction, Family Identity, And Group Salience In Multiracial/Ethnic Families, Jordan Soliz, Allison R. Thorson, Christine E. Rittenour

Department of Communication Studies: Faculty Publications

Guided by the Common Ingroup Identity Model (S. L. Gaertner & J. F. Dovidio, 2000) and Communication Accommodation Theory (C. Shepard, H. Giles, & B. A. LePoire, 2001), we examined the role of identity accommodation, supportive communication, and self-disclosure in predicting relational satisfaction, shared family identity, and group salience in multiracial/ ethnic families. Additionally, we analyzed the association between group salience and relational outcomes as well as the moderating roles of multiracial/ethnic identity and marital status. Individuals who have parents from different racial/ethnic groups were invited to complete questionnaires on their family experiences. Participants (N = 139) answered questions about …

Adnews Fall 2009, Stacy C. James

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Faculty Publications

This is the Fall 2009 edition of the AEJMC's (Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication) Advertising Division AdNews newsletter. It features information, articles and images of Ad Division members at the annual summer convention as well as other events throughout the year. The newsletter comes out three times a year.

From Techno-Weenie To Tech-Savvy: The Advertising Teaching Workshop Showcases Uses Of Technology For Everybody, Frauke Hachtmann

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Faculty Publications

Sheri Broyles and Jan Slater organized another very successful teaching workshop at this year’s AEJMC Conference in Boston. The theme: Innovations in Teaching Advertising. Every year, this highly anticipated all-day pre-conference event provides members of the advertising division with effective tips for the classroom and this year the focus was on technology. The workshop started with two technology experts, who showed us the possibilities in advertising and marketing that technology provides, and ended with five specific examples of how technology can become a learning tool in the classroom even if you don’t consider yourself a technology expert. Overall, the workshop …

Creating And Responding To The Gen(D)Eralized Other: Women Miners’ Community-Constructed Identities, Kristen Lucas, Sarah J. Steimel

Department of Communication Studies: Faculty Publications

An analysis of interviews with mining families reveals that gender identity construction is a collaborative process that draws upon broader community discourses. Male miners and non-mining women created a generalized other for women as "unfit to mine" (i.e., women are physically too weak to mine, are easy prey, and are ladies who do not belong in the mines). Female miners responded with gendered discourses that distanced themselves from and linked themselves to the generalized other.

A Few Pointers From Veteran News Editors, Sue Burzynski Bullard

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Faculty Publications

Copy editors should stick this reminder on their computer screens: Never assume, never be timid. Editing requires an aggressive approach to stories because the copy desk is the last line of defense against factual errors, bad grammar, libel and simply having the newspaper look stupid. Common rookie errors include making assumptions and being too timid, say copy desk chiefs and veteran editors.

Using The 2008 Presidential Election To Think About “Playing The Race Card”, Ronald Lee, Aysel Morin

Department of Communication Studies: Faculty Publications

Bill Clinton and Geraldine Ferraro were accused of “playing the race card” during the 2008 contest for the Democratic presidential nomination. This essay explores the different forms race cards may assume and the dangers each poses to the public dialogue. Moving away from the traditional focus on persuasive effects, the Clinton and Ferraro utterances are analyzed as argumentative discourses. Then, critical standards are promulgated for evaluating their reasonableness.

On The Road Again: Photo Students Search For The "Real" Nebraska, Bruce Thorson

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Student Media

"Migrant Mother," a photograph by Dorothea Lange that showed a mother struggling to survive with her three children in a lean-to in a migrant camp, became the iconic picture that symbolized the Great Depression in the 1930s. Today, our nation's economy has fallen to a historic level not seen since that traumatic period. Financial and housing markets and automakers have crumbled; unemployment has soared. This national recession has touched every American, including those who live in Nebraska.

The objective of this project is to produce photographs, audio slideshows and video that document how this economic upheaval has affected Nebraskans. We …

Entrepreneurial Leadership And Teamwork: The Key To Innovation In The 21st Century, Connie I. Reimers-Hild, Susan N. Williams

Kimmel Education and Research Center: Presentations and White Papers

Entrepreneurial leadership and continuous innovation are vital components of 21st century communities and organizations. Entrepreneurial leaders must realize the importance of environmental, social and global issues while creating an atmosphere of innovation designed to help followers become more entrepreneurial themselves.

Entrepreneurial individuals and teams have the ability to recognize and capitalize on opportunities, innovate, take risks, adapt to rapid change and marshal resources to achieve their goals. When individuals come together as an effective team, they can produce a synergy to meet the demands of a rapidly changing and competitive work environment. Therefore, entrepreneurial leaders must develop entrepreneurial individuals and …

Ageism In Academic Librarianship, Melanie Chu

E-JASL: Electronic Journal of Academic and Special Librarianship (1999-2009, Volumes 1-10)

Background

Nearly one out of every ten librarians is under the age of thirty. The average age of a graduate student in library and information science is 30-35 years old. Between 2010-2020, 45% of librarians will reach the retirement age of 65 years old. The relative age of the profession will continue to decrease as retirements increase. Statistically, the population of young librarians is a growing minority.

Young, new librarians face age discrimination, including disrespectful treatment in the workplace and unrealistic expectations of performance. Ageism in academic libraries results in job dissatisfaction and loss of retention for these new librarians. …

Overhauling Of A Science Library Web Area, Daniel S. Dotson

E-JASL: Electronic Journal of Academic and Special Librarianship (1999-2009, Volumes 1-10)

Abstract

This article covers the revamp of a science library’s web area. The library’s web area contained outdated web pages, unused files, and an architecture that made it hard to maintain. All of these issues with the web area resulted in an examination and revamping of several aspects of all the files on the web area. Server statistics were used to determine the usage of the files in the library’s web area. Files containing textual information were categorized according to their topic and the usage of each topic area was examined to determine the distribution of usage amongst the topic …

E-State Practices In Turkey: Evaluation Of Governmental Web Sites, Feryal Turan, Özlem Bayram

E-JASL: Electronic Journal of Academic and Special Librarianship (1999-2009, Volumes 1-10)

Introduction

The development of information technologies (IT) supports significant transformations in the conventional working mechanisms of the Turkish State and affiliated public institutions.

E-State is defined by World Bank as the reformulation of the relations between citizens, businesses and State authorities through use of information technologies (such as Wide Area Networks, Internet, and mobile communication) by public administrative units.

Whereas important steps have been taken in e-State practices within the framework of the infrastructure of the institutional and national information networks, Turkey is still at the starting point with regards to meeting the information and communication technology-based needs of its …

Embedding An Im [Instant Messaging] Widget In Research Databases: Helping Users At Their Point-Of-Need, Kwabena Sekyere

E-JASL: Electronic Journal of Academic and Special Librarianship (1999-2009, Volumes 1-10)

Introduction

The rapid growth of internet users has made libraries eager to introduce online services for this new community, in addition to their traditional reference services. Virtual reference service has become a convenient and easily accessible option for the online community, particularly with increasing amounts of libraries resources now available electronically as well (Lou, 2007).

Virtual reference began in many libraries as email reference service (Janes, 2002) with a move to live chat reference as technology advanced. These live reference services were offered through chat software developed in-house or by vendors. Due to the high cost of purchasing and maintaining …

Open House In The Ivory Tower: Public Programming At An Academic Library, Rochelle Smith, Ben Hunter

E-JASL: Electronic Journal of Academic and Special Librarianship (1999-2009, Volumes 1-10)

Abstract

Public programming, a frequently used outreach tool for public libraries, is far less common in academic libraries. This article examines the University of Idaho Library’s efforts to attract both university and community members with public programming, delving into detail for three specific grant-funded discussion series: one on Jewish literature, one on graphic novels, and one on jazz. Strategies for location selection, advertising, scheduling and funding are all discussed with commentary on what worked well, what didn’t, and how public programming fits into the mission of an academic library.

Using A Permanent Usability Team To Advance User-Centered Design In Libraries, Jane Nichols, Alison M. Bobal, Susan Mcevoy

E-JASL: Electronic Journal of Academic and Special Librarianship (1999-2009, Volumes 1-10)

Abstract

Usability, user studies, and evaluating user experiences have been a part of academic libraries for many years. In the last 20 years libraries have created ad hoc usability teams to do user studies. Oregon State University (OSU) Libraries started its ongoing team in 2006, resulting in an increased focus on user experience throughout the libraries. This article explores the team’s history from formation to work it took on. The merits and challenges usability teams bring to an organization are also discussed. To date the literature describes usability methods and shares findings from libraries’ usability studies but none discusses benefits …

If You Build It, They May Not Come: The Case Of Questionpoint, Lynette Ralph

E-JASL: Electronic Journal of Academic and Special Librarianship (1999-2009, Volumes 1-10)

Abstract

The Knowledge Base (KB) of QuestionPoint (QP) is a Knowledge Management (KM) tool capable of capturing the collective knowledge of reference librarians for future use. The goal of the study was to determine if this KB is an effective KM tool. Descriptive research was the methodology used and included an unobtrusive study, a survey instrument, and interviews. This study revealed that despite the technological capabilities of this KB, librarians who had access to the system failed to utilize it.

Permanent Electronic Access To Government Information: A Study Of Federal, State, And Local Documents, Claudene Sproles, Angel Clemons

E-JASL: Electronic Journal of Academic and Special Librarianship (1999-2009, Volumes 1-10)

[First two paragraphs]

Even before the conception of electronic-only documents, providing permanent public access to government information was challenging. Since 1813, federal depository libraries have acquired and maintained tangible items to ensure continued access for the public. Fugitive documents, or government-produced information which escapes distribution through the Federal Depository Library System (FDLP), have always been a major concern. In our current environment, where the vast majority of government information is distributed electronic-only, this problem has only worsened. That, coupled with the ability to completely destroy electronic documents with the click of a mouse, has made the task of finding and …

Kosovo's Hope: Stories Of Renewal And Despair In An Independent Nation, Clay Lomneth, Michael Mason-D'Croz, Lindsay Demarco, Karen Schmidt, Vanessa Skocz, Shannon Smith, Kate Veik, Joel Gehringer, Bruce Thorson, Scott Winter

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Student Media

During spring break of 2008, five photojournalists, one reporter, one videographer and two faculty members spent eight days in the newly independent state of Kosovo. The purpose of the trip was to document issues of poverty. What greeted them was a town with litter everywhere; roads pocked with potholes; power outages because the power plant is archaic; and residents who are dying from the pollution because they live near the power plant. But what the journalists discovered was Kosovo's people have big smiles, warm hearts and plates of great, great food. … And they love Americans.

Framing Red Power: The American Indian Movement, The Trail Of Broken Treaties, And The Politics Of Media, Jason A. Heppler

Department of History: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This study explores the relationship between the American Indian Movement (AIM), national newspaper and television media, and the Trail of Broken Treaties caravan in November 1972 and the way media framed, or interpreted, AIM's motivations and objectives. The intellectual and political currents present in the 1960s, including the ideas of Vine Deloria, Jr., and the successes of the Civil Rights Movement, influenced the development of AIM's ideas about militant tactics and the role media played in social movements. AIM entered the national stage with the occupation of the Bureau oflndian Affairs in late 1972 and used television broadcasts and print …

Post-Forum Reflections: On Becoming Organizational Communication, Kathleen J. Krone

Department of Communication Studies: Faculty Publications

With this issue, my 3-year term as Forum Editor comes to a close. Dur¬ing that time I have been both inspired and humbled by the opportunity to work with scholars near and far to create space for what I envisioned could be a variety of conversations about organizational communication. I began my term when the journal was entering its 20th year, and Jim Barker and I decided to mark that event by seeking essays from previ¬ous Management Communication Quarterly editors reflecting on their vi¬sion and hopes for the journal, whether those were realized, and the chal¬lenges each faced at the …