Communication Commons^™

Silencing And Assaulting The Feminine: An Analysis Of Institutions That Perpetuate A Rape-Supportive Culture, Melissa Territo

Masters Theses

Since 1700, rape has been a publicly discussed topic. Past research has focused on the effects that socialization practices, patriarchy, and hegemony have on sexual violence and mediated representations of gendered violence in the United States. This thesis explores two institutions, social structures, and cultures that contribute to and perpetuate a rape supportive culture in the United States-the penal and fraternity systems. By approaching and analyzing sexual assault as socially constructed and communicated through the institutional structures of the penal and fraternity systems, we are equipped to better understand how society and media (re )create and perpetuate a patriarchal rape …

Taking Out The Trash: Critiquing The Equipment For Living Of White Trash Films, Tasha Rose Dunn

Masters Theses

Over the past decade, class has become a lightning rod issue in the United States as the gap between the rich and the poor continues to widen. One of the main reasons for growing class segregation is the mere fact that U.S. culture carries enormous social anxieties about poverty and, in turn, blame the poor for being poor. As a result of hegemonic beliefs about class, crude discourses are formed and fostered through the mainstream media creating both inaccurate and damaging portrayals. Such damaging portrayals are immediately evident in a variety of mainstream Hollywood films produced in the past decade …

Unlearning Fear Of Out-Group Others, Terry A. Maroney

Vanderbilt Law School Faculty Publications

In this brief Comment, Maroney offers a perspective based in the scientific study of fear and social-group judgment. She discusses research showing that humans display heightened, persistent fear responses to "outgroup" faces, and suggests ways in which such research might inform our assessment of intergroup conflict resolution. Comment responsive to Douglas H. Yarn & Gregory Todd Jones, A Biological Approach to Understanding Resistance to Apology, Forgiveness, and Reconciliation in Group Conflict, 72 Law & Contemp. Probs. 63 (2009).

Beyond Public Health : The Cultural Politics Of Tobacco Control In Hong Kong, Wai Yin Chan

Lingnan Theses

This work provides cultural and political explanations on how and why cigarette smoking has increasingly become an object of intolerance and control in Hong Kong. Since the 1980s, the smoking population has been falling. Smoking behavior, sales and promotion of cigarette products have been under close surveillance by the government, medical experts and society at large. Cigarette smoking, as well as smokers, has increasingly been rejected and demonized in the public discourse. What are the conditions that make the growing intolerant discourses and practices against cigarette smoking possible and dominant? Why and how has the tobacco control campaign become prevalent …

Web-Based, Gendered Recruitment Of Women By Organized White Supremacist Groups, Angela King

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

According to the hate group watchdog organization, the Southern Poverty Law Center, the number of hate groups in the United States rose 54 percent since 2000 (SPLC 2009 a & b). Literature on organized white supremacist groups suggests that women have become increasingly more important to such groups for a variety of reasons, many of which are not always agreed upon by and within said groups. In addition, it is believed by many in the hate monitoring world that the World Wide Web has become progressively more dynamic as a medium of recruitment, as a tool of communication among members, …

Predicting Compensation And Reciprocity Of Bids For Sexual And/Or Romantic Escalation In Cross-Sex Friendships, Valerie Akbulut

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

With more opportunities available to men and women to interact, both professionally and personally (i.e., the workplace, educational setting, community), friendships with members of the opposite sex are becoming more common. Increasingly, researchers have noted that one facet that makes cross-sex friendships unique compared to other types of relationships (i.e. romantic love, same-sex friendships, familial relationships), is that there is the possibility and opportunity for a romantic or sexual relationship to manifest. Communication research has yet to investigate how one decides whether to begin a romantic or sexual relationship or choose to remain platonic with their cross-sex friend. Given that …

Claims Of Mistaken Identity: An Examination Of U.S. Television Food Commercials And The Adult Obesity Issue, Cristina Delgado

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Obesity is one of the major public health issues in the United States, often regarded as part of a global crisis. Companies invest billions of dollars each year towards television advertising campaigns aimed at convincing audiences how their ground-breaking discovery 'battles the bulge' or somehow offers an increased health benefit. This study examined how advertisers presented health-related claims, including health and nutrient-content claims, in U.S. adult-targeted television food commercials. The claims were compared to FTC, FDA, and USDA laws, regulations, and recommendations. A content analysis of food advertising was conducted of commercials from major and cable network programs broadcast during …

Effects Of Instructor Immediacy And Student Need For Cognition On Student Motivation And Perceptions Of Learning, Sabrina Kalish

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study built on previous literature linking instructor immediacy, student motivation, and student learning. The purpose of this research was to examine main and interaction effects of instructor immediacy and student trait motivation on student state motivation and cognitive learning. A main effect of instructor nonverbal immediacy on student state motivation and cognitive learning was found to be statistically significant. Further exploratory research did not yield statistical significance for a main effect of trait motivation, as measured by need for cognition, on student state motivation and cognitive learning, nor an interaction effect of immediacy and trait motivation on both state …

The Role Of The Internet As A Tool To Aid In U.S. Adult Consumers' Weight Loss, Jaclyn Kirby

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis focuses on ways the Internet can positively influence and educate U.S. Americans to become healthier and eventually lose weight. Throughout the past 30 years, the percentage of overweight and obese adults in the U.S. has increased immensely, resulting in a nationwide epidemic (American Association for Public Opinion Research, 2006; Center for Disease Control, 2006; Goodman, 2005; The Obesity Society, 2008). The research question for this thesis is the following: What are the perceptions of U.S. adult consumers regarding the positive influence the Internet has on weight loss? In order to determine the influence of the Internet on U.S. …

Advocacy Groups In The Wake Of Hurricane Katrina: Who Shapes Coverage Of Wetlands Loss, Paul Harang

LSU Master's Theses

Louisiana’s coastal wetlands provide a habitat for diverse wildlife, recreational opportunities for Louisiana residents and tourists, and an important natural buffer between communities and powerful hurricanes. Because they are disappearing at a rapid rate, coastal wetlands issues have been prominent in south Louisiana for decades. The catastrophic hurricanes of 2005 and 2008 have given the discussion an increased sense of urgency. Through this paper, I explore coverage of wetlands loss in local south Louisiana daily newspapers. Specifically, I try to determine how these papers frame the issue and illuminate how sources present in these stories participate in the construction of …

A Witness To Justice, Jessica Silbey

Faculty Scholarship

In the 1988 film The Accused, a young woman named Sarah Tobias is gang raped on a pinball machine by three men while a crowded bar watches. The rapists cut a deal with the prosecutor. Sarah's outrage at the deal convinces the assistant district attorney to prosecute members of the crowd that cheered on and encouraged the rape. This film shows how Sarah Tobias, a woman with little means and less experience, intuits that according to the law rape victims are incredible witnesses to their own victimization. The film goes on to critique what the right kind of witness would …

Echo, Winter/Spring 2009, Columbia College Chicago

Echo

Student-produced magazine formerly published as Chicago Arts and Communication, changed to Echo magazine in 1997. Cover Articles: Left side story: the everyday struggles of a southpaw; Does your budget make cents?; the Daley Show: why Chicago loves political comedy; WoW! we take on BlizzCon; Six quick fixes (from cars to colds); Check out our Facebook page. 66 pages.

International Students' Communication Effectiveness With U.S. Faculty Members: A Further Exploration Of Anxiety/Uncertainty Management (Aum) Theory, Yixin Chen

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This study established a theoretical model based on anxiety/uncertainty management (AUM) theory with English proficiency and knowledge of U.S. culture as indirect factors. A total of 180 international students at a mid-sized Southwestern university participated in surveys regarding the communication process with U.S. faculty. The results revealed that uncertainty and anxiety are positively related, and anxiety negatively predicts communication effectiveness while uncertainty does not. English proficiency is a negative predictor of both uncertainty and anxiety, while knowledge of U.S. culture is not a predictor of either uncertainty or anxiety. The results also indicated that English proficiency and knowledge of U.S. …

Tahira Khan On Women As Weapons Of War: Iraq, Sex And The Media By Kelly Oliver. New York, Ny: Columbia University Press, 2007. 208pp., Tahira Khan

Human Rights & Human Welfare

A review of:

Women as Weapons of War: Iraq, Sex and the Media by Kelly Oliver. New York, NY: Columbia University Press, 2007. 208pp.

An Analysis Of The Social Networks Of Local Television Reporters, Lisa R. Honore

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This study analyzed the personal and professional networks of four local television reporters using social network analysis methodology. Network analysis was carried out to the tertiary level allowing examination of demographic data for 773 individuals in the reporter networks. Analysis was conducted through the lens of media norms and routines and the sociological principle of homophily that states people are more likely to associate with people like themselves. Using as a guide, norms and routines and homophily literature as well as studies about the portrayal of minorities, the study examines how the social networks of reporters can determine how communities …

Under Construction: Recollecting The Museum Of The Moving Image, Andr&Eacutee Elise Comiskey Betancourt

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

On February 27, 2008 the Museum of the Moving Image launched its $65 million renovation and expansion with a digital groundbreaking. Since opening its doors in Astoria, New York in 1988, the museum, originally devoted to film and television, has embraced digital media. From its “Hollywood East” Astoria Studio historic landmark site to its popular website, the Museum of the Moving Image provides a unique setting for studying the museumification of moving image culture, particularly the production and consumption of moving images. In response to the Museum of the Moving Image’s domestication of moving image culture in its core exhibition, …

Strutting It Up Through Histories: A Performance Genealogy Of The Philadelphia Mummers Parade, Corey Elizabeth Leighton

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This study examines the cultural performances of the parade community in one of the oldest and largest parades in the country: the Philadelphia Mummers Parade. The modern parade celebration consists of groups of mostly working-class white men from South Philadelphia who dress up in extravagant sequined and feathered costumes and, beginning in South Philadelphia, march toward City Hall on one of the largest streets in the city on New Year’s Day. The parade is competitive and marked by performance competitions at the end of each parade. The parade’s history in the city of Philadelphia is extensive but contested. Many locals …

Media Subpoenas: Impact, Perception, And Legal Protection In The Changing World Of American Journalism, Ronnell Andersen Jones

Faculty Scholarship

Forty years ago, at a time when the media were experiencing enormous professional change and a surge of subpoena activity, First Amendment scholar Vincent Blasi investigated the perceptions of members of the press and the impact of subpoenas within American newsrooms in a study that quickly came to be regarded as a watershed in media law. That empirical information is now a full generation old, and American journalism faces a new critical moment. The traditional press once again finds itself facing a surge of subpoenas and once again finds itself at a time of intense change—albeit on a different trajectory—as …

Third-Party Imagined Interactions: Expanding Imagined Interactions As False Memories In Understanding Interactions, Marcus Allen Porter

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Previous studies have found imagined interactions (IIs) help individuals recall past interactions and plan for future interactions. Those studies have not investigated what occurs when individuals imagine the interactions of others (third-party imagined interactions hereafter TPIIs), how the II varies with the party imagined or what happens when those imagined interactions create false views of what happened. To fill this research gap, this study proposed one research question and nine hypotheses investigating TPIIs, how they vary with the individual in the TPII, if they contribute to false memories and how they affect communication plans. A survey was conducted to gain …

Culture And Persuasion Online: Predicting Attitudes, Cognitions, And Behavioral Intentions In A Culturally Diverse Online Marketplace, Gennadi Gevorgyan

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

With an online experiment and a focus group, I examined the role of cultural appeals in online persuasive communication. The results of the study revealed that culturally oriented Web sites and online advertisements influence individual attitudes and behavioral intentions. These effects were particularly strong when cultural appeals were consistent across advertisements and their hosting Web sites. I observed the main effect of culture on persuasiveness of Web sites and advertisements both the American and the Chinese samples of participants. The results of the study did not, however, support the expectation that ethnic identity and need for cognition would interact with …

The Murrow Tradition: What Was It, And Does It Still Live?, Raluca Cozma

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation explores the differences in the quality of radio foreign news and foreign correspondents between CBS during World War II and NPR during the Iraq War II. Triangulating quantitative and qualitative methods (content analysis, historical research, and in-depth interviews), this study proposes a model of quality foreign news to help determine what the Murrow tradition means. The model is then used to test if that celebrated tradition lives on in a non-commercial setting at NPR. The two-pronged model pulls together theories of mass communication and historical accounts to assess (1) the quality of the foreign correspondents at the two …

Using Sunflower Plots And Classification Trees To Study Typeface Legibility, Edgar C. Merkle, Barbara S. Chaparro

Publications

This article describes the application of sunflower plots and classification trees to the study of onscreen typeface legibility. The two methods are useful for describing high-dimensional data in an intuitive manner, which is crucial for interacting with both the typographers who design the typefaces and the practitioners who must make decisions about which typeface to use for specific applications. Furthermore, classification trees help us make specific recommendations for how much of a character attribute is “enough” to make it legible. We present examples of sunflower plots and classification trees using data from a recent typeface legibility experiment, and we present …

Female Stereotypes In 21st Century News And Business Magazines, Gosia Gizycki

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of Mobile Phones On A Student’S Life In Various Cities Of Pakistan, Khair-Uz Zaman, M. Imran Khan

Business Review

This paper examines the impact of mobile phone on the personal, financial, psychological, physical, educational and also the social life of a student. We have taken a sample of hundred students from the various cities of Pakistan, such as, Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar, and Dera Ismail Khan. Mostly their educational level is from Matric to PhD, considering both males and females equally and their age group is from teenager to adulthood. The results of this study show that 65% students have their own mobile phones, while 35% do not have their own. Mostly 28% students are using U-fone, while 23% …

"Regulating Sin" Across Cultures, Joyce M. Wolburg, Olesya Venger

College of Communication Faculty Research and Publications

Using text analysis, this study compares the alcohol advertising strategy in Ukraine and the United States within the context of regulatory, historical, cultural, and economic factors. Results showed that Ukrainian magazine ads contained a larger number of violations than the American ads, which complied with the letter of the law, if not the spirit. The message strategies also told different cultural stories that reflect the different ideologies for the two countries, which means that specialized advertising approaches are needed for each country. American ads situate alcohol as part of normal life, whereas Ukrainian ads demonstrate conspicuous consumption and celebrate the …

What’S In A Name? Managing Multiple Organizational Identities In A Catholic University, Sarah Bonewits Feldner, Scott C. D'Urso

College of Communication Faculty Research and Publications

This paper examines the situation surrounding a proposed nickname change for Marquette University. The analysis draws upon current work that explores multiple organizational identities and stakeholder participation in making such a decision. The article focuses on Catholic universities and considers tensions that emerge as the faith mission interacts with the secular purposes of the organization. We argue that, rather than focusing on the faith-mission alone, Catholic universities are at their best when they attend to multiple identity targets when communicating decisions to various constituency groups.

The Aims Of Public Scholarship In Media Law And Ethics, Erik Ugland

College of Communication Faculty Research and Publications

This essay urges scholars in media law and ethics to reevaluate the extent and utility of their public-scholar efforts and to consider ways that they can transfer research-based knowledge to public audiences while also playing a more deliberate role in holding media and government institutions accountable. It suggests that the devolution of standards in mass communication, the increasing encroachments on media autonomy, and the broader collapse of power into fewer hands make this a particularly urgent moment for scholars to reengage the public and to abandon their feckless neutrality on public issues. The overarching aim of public scholars ought to …

Dialogue, Discourse Ethics, And Disney, Rebecca Meisenbach, Sarah Bonewits Feldner

College of Communication Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

Newsgathering, Autonomy And The Special-Rights Apocrypha: Supreme Court And Media Litigant Conceptions Of Press Freedom, Erik Ugland

College of Communication Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

The Gender Of Branding: Antenarrative Resistance In Early Nike Women’S Advertising, Jean M. Grow

College of Communication Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.