Communication Commons^™

Examining The Text Messaging Habits Of Middle And High School Students And Their Perceived Impact On Language And Writing, Sally J. Mildren

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

Middle and high school students’ text messaging habits and the perceived impact on the performance in English classes at school are examined. Parents and teachers were also surveyed. Utilizing the Communication Accommodation Theory, this study also examines whether students are able to accommodate their language between the “texting” (informal) and school (formal) settings.

This study found a positive correlation between students who use text language in their school work and their ability to spell and write proper English, indicating that higher text use can have an impact on their performance at school. It was also discovered that a student’s ability …

Public Opinion In The Social Media Era: Toward A New Understanding Of The Spiral Of Silence, Daniel Lemin

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

This thesis explores the intersection of a long-standing public opinion theory – the spiral of silence – and the recent explosion in social publishing tools such as Tumblr and Twitter. It uses real-world discussion settings (including face-to-face focus groups and synchronous online discussions) in tandem with a pre-test/post-test methodology to measure opinion shifts on the topic of corn syrup and childhood nutrition/obesity. This research design is based on well-established criticisms challenging that the spiral of silence may not be fully explained by a national climate of opinion on a topic, suggesting that there are other influences on individual beliefs than …

Social Networking: A Tool Or Aggregator Of The News?, Madeline Peters

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Media On Collegiate Worldview And Engagement, Micaela Degruy

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

The Moroccan Struggle For Media Development, Margaret Looney

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Healthcare Professional Roles: The Ontology Model For E-Learning, Lorraine Carmody, Elizabeth Sherry, John Cardiff

Conference Papers

The paper aims to present the MEDeLEARN project, an ontology-driven virtual learning environment for Medical Information System training. The current training environment for healthcare professionals in the use of essential medical information systems in a large urban training hospital is based on conventional instructor-led training sessions. Problems arise due to the demanding nature of the hospital working environment, causing training to be cancelled or curtailed. This mode of training delivery is deemed to be inefficient and ineffective, with the danger of serious errors occurring as a consequence.

The project investigates whether a virtual learning environment can address the competency gap …

Campaign Finance & Online Oversight, Tali Gellert

Communication

No abstract provided.

Drug Users In Fall 2009 Television Dramas: Character Profiles, Lucy E. Place

Communication

How do narrative structures inform us about our own world? This study was conducted to discover the implications of drug content depicted in primetime television through the evaluation of contemporary and stereotypical characterization trends. This study examines drug content in two medical dramas and two crime dramas: ‘Grey’s Anatomy’, ‘House’, ‘Law & Order SVU’, and ‘CSI’.

Celebrities And Causes: Where Does The Focus Lie In Print Media Coverage?, Amanda Jones

Communication

Recently, there has been a dramatic increase in the amount of, and depth of coverage of celebrity lives. Celebrities are now appearing in hard news stories, pictured performing mundane daily activities, and seen supporting various causes. This research explores the increased emergence of entertainment news in the print media by examining the dominance of celebrity coverage in articles involving activist causes. Does print media coverage of celebrity activism focus more on the cause or the celebrity involved? Using the data collected from September 2008 to September 2009 issues of Time magazine, Newsweek and U.S. News and World Report, this research …

Effects Of University Website On Students' Evaluations Of Fort Hays State University, Mo Yu

Master's Theses or Doctor of Nursing Practice

The Internet has brought significant developments and challenges to universities and their publics. Meanwhile, the channels to deliver messages have gradually become digitized through the strong impact of the Internet, which offers an additional channel for public relations practitioners. With a survey conducted at Fort Hays State University (FHSU), this study was designed to investigate the relationship between students’ satisfaction with the FHSU website and their evaluations of the university. This study also provided a practical method for FHSU to evaluate how the university website satisfies the students or other publics.

Female Undergraduate Students' Perceptions Of The Portrayal Of Women In Advertising, Virginia M. Johnson

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Theses

This study examined how twelve undergraduate female students at a university in Alabama perceive and react to the way women are portrayed in advertising. Using a purposive sample and qualitative copy testing techniques, the study was designed to investigate the reactions of these undergraduate students to seven images of women, each portraying a different role, that are similar to images currently used in print advertising. Several themes emerged from the participants’ responses to questions in the qualitative interviews. Themes about the participants wanting to have a family occurred within the responses to several of the questions. In addition, a theme …

Edward R. Murrow: His Life, Legacy And Ethical Influence, Howard Lester Rose

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Theses

EDWARD R. MURROW: LIFE, LEGACY AND BROADCAST ETHICS TODAY Howard Lester Rose, M.A. University of Nebraska, 2010 Adviser: Nancy Mitchell This study researched the life and legacy of Edward R. Murrow and examined broadcast ethics today. Murrow invented radio news, as we know it and was the standard-bearer of journalism, ethics, and reporting. Many consider him the father of broadcast journalism.

This study covers ethics in broadcast journalism today, with remarks by veteran journalists (and one student) and journalism educators. These experts comment on where TV news stands today based on the ethical standards that Murrow set five decades ago. …

And That’S How I Feel On The Gudaha: A Quilting Project From A 4-6th Grade Classroom From The Somali-Bantu Community-Based Tutoring Program Of Syracuse, Amanda Stessen

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

This Capstone Project is a multimodal presentation, combining a research paper, a quilt, and a video. The research paper brings together the background of the collective elements that have made up the 4-6^th grade classroom of the Somali Bantu Community-Based Tutoring Program this semester. It touches on methods of teaching English Language Learners (ELL), gives a brief background of African American quilts, illustrates the power of resistance communicated through the autoethnographic genre, and describes how the quilt was created. The quilt gives a viewer an inside glimpse to the students and tutors who are a part of the tutoring …

(Re)Writing History: Public Memories Of The Holocaust, Vietnam War, And American Civil Rights Movement, Lauren Braun

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Interest in the study of public memories has been growing in recent years, particularly after Maurice Halbwachs introduced the concept of collective memory in La mémoire collective. Differing from personal memory, collective memory focuses on the memories shared by a larger group or society, which are then used to form ideas and narratives about our pasts. It creates a connection to past events for those who were not there to actually experience it. Public memory enters into the social conscience when there is some event or time period that needs to be remembered, and can be found in a …

A Spectrum Of Philosophies: The Rhetorical Framing Of Avant-Garde Art Manifestos Of The Early Twentieth Century, Alison Kara Falotico

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Studies of the manifesto genre are often based on an understanding of early political manifestos as exemplifying extreme left-wing political philosophies and argument typologies and utilizing the confrontational form. Many avant-garde artistic movements of the early twentieth century wrote manifestos to advocate for new approaches to art, design, and aesthetic education and production. Because there is a gap in present scholarship, these avant-garde art manifestos were incorrectly categorized under the preceded format of early political manifestos. This essay offers the argument that these early twentieth century avant-garde art manifestos actually lie across a spectrum (Rossiter’s Political Spectrum) and can exemplify …

Natalee, Natalie Tebbi

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

NataLee is a 48-page prom issue of a proposed teen magazine geared toward girls aged 13-17. Though it includes elements of fashion, it does not conform to a fashionable body-type. It approaches teen issues with delicacy, and avoids topics such as sex and drinking in order to appeal to a conservative demographic. Its 15 articles range from the creative (“Make Your Own Corsage”) to the sentimental (“Popping the Question”) to the informative (“What’s Prom Got to Do with It”) to the academic (“Skin Care Science”). These articles follow a theme of “intelligent fashion.” The mission statement of the magazine is, …

Social Media As A Branding Tool In Heterogeneous Organizations: A Collective Case Study Approach, Heather Dunn

All Theses

The concept of branding can be applied to an endless list of topics including products, organizations, and individuals. Just as a product line can have a brand identity, so can a university, business or non-profit. This thesis details a study on universities, businesses and non-profits and how they use social media as a branding tool. In this thesis, I provide a brief literature review, describe my methodologies, describe in detail the research of each of the three cases and finally, draw conclusions and suggest future research. This thesis ends with a list of references and additional readings that provide insight …

Communicating During An Economic Crisis: An Examination Of The Use Of Strategic Ambiguity Within The Banking Industry, Stephanie Tarbet

All Theses

The current economic crisis has adversely affected companies and organizations throughout our nation and around the globe. One of the industries hit hardest by the unprecedented downturn was the banking industry. During these critical times, these companies have a responsibility to communicate information to stakeholders about the economy's impact on financial results, operations, and future plans. The following research study describes how four major companies within the banking industry communicated with external stakeholder groups about the economic crisis. Specifically, I analyzed how these companies communicated with external stakeholder groups and whether their communications revealed instances of strategic ambiguity. Using Kathy …

Youtube Politics: Youchoose And Leadership Rhetoric During The 2008 Election, Scott H. Church

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

The present study employs both qualitative and quantitative research methods to examine the discourse of leadership in the YouTube video clips of 16 candidates who competed in the 2008 U.S. presidential race. The introduction and farewell videos of the candidates included on the YouChoose portion of YouTube are inductively analyzed for leadership utterances. Common categories are constructed through a grounded theory approach, while frequencies of the appearance of leadership traits are discovered through a content analysis of the data. The findings are then compared with relevant literature to determine the nature of presidential campaigns within the participatory culture of YouTube. …

Solace In St. Louis: A Case Study In Heroic Cultural Nostalgia, Amanda J. Pinney

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This thesis examines the response of American popular culture to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. By utilizing the September 17, 2001 pre-game ceremony, held at Busch Stadium as a case study example, larger generalizations are made about the role popular culture played in the days following the tragedy. In order to analyze this example, I have developed heroic cultural nostalgia, a framework that combines elements of myth, nostalgia and national identity. Heroic cultural nostalgia provides an explanation of how popular culture plays a role in crisis response. The framework highlights the role of individuals with heroic characteristics in …

Learning To Speak Through Writing: The Case For Microblogging In The Language Classroom, Pilar Munday

Languages Faculty Publications

The case for microblogging with Twitter in the Foreign Language Classroom. Examples from a Spanish course.

Libel In Mississippi, 1798-1832, Muriel Ann Everton

Dissertations

The Mississippi Territory officially became part of the United States in 1798. The territory was to be governed under the rules of the Northwest Ordinance, but those who went to govern the area found a culture that required the use of common law to settle the disputes arising from prior governments under other nations. With no precedents on which to rely, disputes led, at first, to dueling and then to libel cases. Both common law and common sense prevailed while many of the disagreements were aired publicly in newspapers. Mississippi’s first printer, Andrew Marschalk, using his First Amendment rights, wrote …

A Comparative Study Of Self-Disclosure In Face-To-Face And Email Communication Between Americans And Chinese, Carolyn Durand

Senior Honors Projects

Self-disclosure occurs when one person communicates personal information about his or her self to another. This information can include facts, opinions, or feelings, and can vary in both breadth and depth. The amount of self-disclosure a person offers depends on several factors. The gender and personality of the person, the relationship they have with the listener, or target, the topic they are discussing, and the medium through which they are communicating all influence how much they are willing to reveal about themselves.

Another aspect that affects self-disclosure is culture. Culture refers to a set of beliefs, values, and traditions shared …

Communication Strategies In Social Interaction Between Arab And Iranian Postgraduate Students., Elham Shahban

Student Works (2010-2019)

Arab and Iranian students must communicate in English in Malaysia but due to their lack of proficiency they tend to use communication strategies (CS) to overcome problems they encounter while communicating in English. According to Corder (1977) CSs are systematic techniques employed by speakers to facilitate communication during conversations. The aim of this study is to investigate the type and frequency of the CSs high and low proficiency Arab and Iranian postgraduate students with differing linguistic background (Arabic and Persian) use when speaking in English with each other. To achieve the objective of the study 12 Arab and Iranian participants …

Communication Strategies Of International Students : A Study Of Service Encounters., Suo Yan Ju

Student Works (2010-2019)

Communication strategies are important in helping L2 learners to communicate successfully when they are faced with a problem in speech production. This study looked at one of the components in Communication Competence, i.e strategy competence or the use of Communication Strategies (CS) in oral interactions among Middle Eastern students and counter staff in institute of postgraduate studies (IPS) at University of Malay.  Data collected from video-tape and interviews were analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively. It was found that the most frequently used communication strategy was the use of „modification devices‟. The other strategies used in order of frequency were „interaction strategies‟, …

Stepfamily Stories: How Stories About Rituals Communicate A Sense Of Family, Donna Jean Lang

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Recognizing that family (of any type) is a negotiated construction of individuals provides an insight into how people create the unique relationship that we call “family.” To gain a deeper understanding of stepfamily identity and how a sense of family is constructed, a life story interview approach was used to gather narratives from 20 adult children of stepfamilies. The narratives were analyzed using a qualitative/interpretive method, resulting in a balanced view of stepfamilies as having both positive and negative features similar to any other family type. It was found that individual adherence to rituals within the stepfamily provides a sense …

Stepping Away From The Ring: An Autoethnographic Study Of Hero Worship Created Through Media Consumption, James Ross Gatfield

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

This autoethnographic study examines the relationship between media consumption and hero worship in the lived experience of an individual over the course of a lifetime spent dedicated to achieving a career in professional wrestling. The focus of this study is on identity creation through repeated exposure to media sources relating to that lifelong dream. Previous communication research regarding media exposure provides significant knowledge on the potential effects of the media consumption on the lived experience of the audience, but virtually no prior research has examined explicit effects on a deeply individual level. Narratives encompassing the years devoted to a professional …

Bridging The Gap: Intercultural Friendship Between Chinese And Americans, Zhuo Feng Li

Masters Theses

This research aims to explore Chinese and American students' intercultural friendship experiences on a U.S. campus. Twenty-five Chinese international students and twenty-five U.S. nationals participated in the study. Q-methodology was adopted in this research. Three of Hosftede's cultural dimensions (low/high power distance, individualism/collective, and masculinity/femininity) and Hall's concept of low/high context culture were used as a theoretical framework for this study. First, qualities that Chinese and Americans consider important in their friendships in each of their own culture were identified. Then this study found out that long-established expectations and understanding of friendship of both Chinese and Americans were challenged while …

A History Of The American Film Institute, Deborah Jae Alexander

Dissertations

The American Film Institute (AFI) is a highly politicized, powerful organization. To date, most historical documentation and recording of AFI events and activities has been disseminated to the mass media from within the organization through its own publications or in other historical documentation as incidental history in relation to another topic. This dissertation, written as an overview, is the first comprehensive, independent historical examination of the AFI. The examination begins with an exploration of the development, activities and decline of the American Council on Education‟s original AFI and other film organizations that existed prior to the present day AFI. It …

Reel Talk: Deconstructing Communication Disorders In A Sampling Of Modern Films, Lisa M. Beccera

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This study focused on films that depicted characters that had a communication disorder or characters that have a disability which resulted in a communication disorder. This study examined types of communication disorders depicted in films and the accuracy to which communication disorders are portrayed in films. Thirty films were used in this study and 32 characters were found to have communication disorders. The author used qualitative methods and quantitative methods to examine and deconstruct the depiction of communication disorders in modern films. This paper also illustrates the effective and efficient manner films can be used to educate society and college …