Communication Commons^™

Can Political Candidate's Use Of Facebook To Influence Real World Outcomes? An Analysis Of Uses And Gratifications Needs, Online Participation And Offline Outcomes On Candidate's Facebook Pages, Carl C. Esposito

Communication Theses - Archive

Facebook pages are becoming an ever-increasing way to market and promote people, products and ideas on social media. This thesis explores whether or not political candidate's Facebook pages can influence real world offline outcomes. In this study the uses and gratifications theory is applied to explain the needs satisfied when users interact with a political candidate's pages to determine if online participation can be predicted based on those needs. Additionally, this study examines the relationship between online participation and offline participation with the candidate's campaign. This exploratory study lays the groundwork for future research to test how online participation can …

Identifying Media Consumption Habits And Media Literacy Skills In College Undergraduates, Kristen Phillips

Communication Theses - Archive

In the United States, media literacy education is not as advanced as in other English speaking regions such as, Great Britain, Canada, and Australia. Most teachers and students in the US are unaware of issues involved in media literacy education (Kellner & Share, 2005). Due to the fragmentation of today's news environment, the artificial division between news and entertainment has been blurred. In addition, news broadcasted through these mediums have become fragmented as well, with issues being reduced into small sound bites. The significance of this study is to juxtapose the viewing habits of undergraduate college students who have had …

"It's A Struggle, It's A Journey, It's A Mountain That You Gotta Climb": Black Misandry, Education, And The Strategic Embrace Of Black Male Counterstories, Rachel Alicia Griffin, Molly Wiant Cummins

Communication Faculty Publications - Archive

Access to education is one of the only or most realistic means in the United States to improving one's opportunities and agency over a lifetime. That so many Black men are severed from this oppor­tunity, early and often, is distressing at best and deadly at worst. Addressing this systemic issue, this essay centrally positions Black male voices to narrate their educational experiences at the inter­sections of race and gender. Guided by critical race theory coupled with Black misandry, this essay positi"gendered racism" as a communicative phenomena that can be further understood through qualitative narratives that speak to intersectional identities, power, …

Mexican-Americans In Los Angeles: Strengthening Their Ethnic Identity Through Chivas Usa, Stephanie Goldberger

CMC Senior Theses

A large Mexican-American population already exists in Los Angeles and, with each generation, it continues to rise. This Mexican-American community has maintained its connection to its heritage by playing and watching soccer, Mexico’s top watched sport. In this thesis, I analyze how Major League Soccer's Chivas USA serves as an outlet through which many Mexicans in Los Angeles have developed their ethnic identities. Since the early twentieth century, Mexicans in Los Angeles have created separate residential communities and sports organizations to strengthen their connections with one another.

To appeal to Mexican-Americans, Chivas USA has branded itself closely to its sister …

How Men And Women Differ: Gender Differences In Communication Styles, Influence Tactics, And Leadership Styles, Karima Merchant

CMC Senior Theses

This paper lays the historical background for why women and leadership is an important topic today in order to discuss gender differences in communication styles, influence tactics, and leadership styles. This paper also outlines barriers women face when trying to attain and succeed in leadership positions. The analysis should provide a greater understanding of how men and women differ, especially in leadership and management positions, and what companies can do to help women overcome gender bias and discrimination in the workplace.

Leader Spirituality And Leader Virtues As Predictors Of Effective Leadership, Mark Green, Carol A. Wheeler, Maria N. Hodgson

Communication Faculty Publications

A growing body of literature indicates that leader spirituality positively influences how leaders lead. There is also a body of literature that indicates that followers associate good leadership with behaving ethically. A concept related to leader ethics is leader virtues. Historically, virtues have been written about from a theological perspective. Recently, Riggio, Zhu, Reina & Maroosis (2010) developed an empirical assessment to measure leadership virtues. In this study, 143 leaders were rated by their followers, peers and supervisors using the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire and the Leadership Virtues Questionnaire. The leaders completed three spiritual and religious assessments on themselves. The results …

Vanishing Acts: Creative Women In Spain And The United States, Jean M. Grow, David Roca, Sheri J. Broyles

College of Communication Faculty Research and Publications

This exploratory cross-cultural study examines the experiences of women in advertising creative departments in Spain and the United States. The study, an exploration of the creative environment and its impact on female creatives, is framed by Hofstede’s dimensional model of national culture (Hofstede 2001; de Mooij & Hofstede 2010) and signalling theory (Spence 1974). Interviews with 35 top female creatives suggest that the challenges women face are rooted in the ‘fraternity culture’ or ‘territorio de chicos’ of creative departments in both countries. The data further suggest that the gender-bound cultural environment of advertising creative departments may be a global phenomenon, …

Effective Family Communication And Job Loss: Crafting The Narrative For Family Crisis, Lynn H. Turner

College of Communication Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

When Indian Women Text Message: Culture, Identity, And Emerging Interpersonal Norms Of New Media, Robert Shuter

College of Communication Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

Dissecting And Critically Analyzing The Product Red Campaign, A Review Of L. A. Richey And S. Ponte's Brand Aid: Shopping Well To Save The World, Kati Tusinski Berg

College of Communication Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

The Gendered Body In Virtual Space : Sexuality, Performance And Play In Four Second Life Spaces, Judith Elund

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This work is principally an investigation into visual and screen culture, using four specific regions of the three-dimensional virtual world of ‘Second Life’ as case studies. The analysis follows a thematic application of discourse analysis as a basis for critiquing Western screen culture, most importantly the cultural and social conditions that replicate dominant paradigms of power and agency. Of particular pertinence to this study are the framing, representational and spatial practices of gendered and sexual identities within ‘Second Life’ spaces. As is typical of the internet, sexual freedom is a given, yet representational performance (how one appears through their embodied …

The World Is A…Network: Social Media And Cause Networks In The Girl Effect Movement, Kati Tusinski Berg, Sarah Bonewits Feldner

College of Communication Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

Intercultural New Media Studies: The Next Frontier In Intercultural Communication, Robert Shuter

College of Communication Faculty Research and Publications

New media (ICT's) are transforming communication across cultures. Despite this revolution in cross cultural contact, communication researchers have largely ignored the impact of new media on intercultural communication. This groundbreaking article defines the parameters of a new field of inquiry called Intercultural New Media Studies (INMS), which explores the intersection between ICT's and intercultural communication. Composed of two research areas—(1) new media and intercultural communication theory and (2) culture and new media—INMS investigates new digital theories of intercultural contact as well as refines and expands twentieth-century intercultural communication theories, examining their salience in a digital world. INMS promises to increase …

Older, Wiser, Novice: An Autoethnographic Study Of Nontraditional Students' Participation In Collegiate Forensics, Laura Kathleen Pelletier

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

There is a growing trend in nontraditional college student enrollments in the United States. Older, nontraditional students are currently the majority on many college campuses. Due to the constraints on nontraditional students' time, they are often unable to spend as much time on campus as traditional students and are unable to fully partake in campus life and socialization. Cocurricular activities, such as collegiate forensics, can be time consuming activities which for nontraditional students, especially those who have children, may seem like an impossible fit for their already busy schedules. Because college demographics continue to change and there are a growing …

Forensics And The Basic Communication Course: A New Path To Satisfying Learning Outcomes, Benjamin Walker

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Forensic scholars have long written about the educational benefits of forensics, but very few have attempted to tie the activity to learning objectives from the curriculum. This thesis seeks to determine if collegiate forensics can offer the same learning opportunities as one of the most common and fundamental communication classes in the discipline: the basic communication course. This research uses experiential learning as a pedagogical framework for forensics in attempting to answer if forensics can offer the same learning opportunities of the basic communication course, and if so, how the activity does this and what the students actually learn. Likert …

Electronic Portfolios As Job Search Tools: Perspectives From Students, Career Counselors, And Human Resource Professionals, Emily Werschay

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Electronic portfolios have traditionally been used by artists as a means of showcasing and organizing projects and accomplishments. Within academia, colleges and universities have implemented electronic portfolios as a way for students to showcase and share their papers, projects, and course work. Universities and colleges typically license e-portfolio software and distribute the platform to students. The eFolioMinnesota software is free for all students and residents in the state through the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System (MnSCU). Unfortunately, little has been researched about the use of e-portfolios in career development or employee recruiting. Never before have e-portfolios integrated with workforce …

Are There Roles For Technical Communicators In Small Community Food Systems?, Brent William Chisholm

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The author explores the viability of incorporating technical communication genres, practices, and theory, into various components of small community food systems. He argues that certain types of food systems and users in those food systems allow technical communicators to participate in ways aligning with genres of conservation writing described by Johnson-Sheehan and Morgan (2009). He also incorporates ideas about authorship, describing that technical communicators can improve food systems by reconciling disparate agricultural technical material, advocacy for action, and the articulation of previously non-existent food systems.

How Web 2.0 Is Changing The Way Students Learn: The Darwikinism And Folksonomy Revolution, Helen Crompton

Teaching & Learning Faculty Publications

In the 21st century, some argue that we have a new breed of students (Oblinger & Oblinger, 2005; Prensky, 2001). Technologies such as Web 2.0 have been held responsible for these changes as students are now becoming active, critical consumers of information (Klamma, Cao, & Spaniol, 2007). Two components of this Web 2.0 revolution are the ideas behind Darwikinism and folksonomy. Darwikinism is a portmanteau of Darwinism and Wikis, which describes how a system similar to Darwin’s theory of evolution is ordering and processing wiki information. Folksonomy, again a portmanteau of folk and taxonomy, refers to the way in which …

How Irish Political Parties Are Using Social Networking Sites To Reach Generation Z: An Insight Into A New Online Social Network In A Small Democracy, Kevin Lynch, John Hogan

Articles

No abstract provided.

From Strangers To Siblings: An Ethnography Of The Appalachia Service Project Summer Staffers, Rachel Elizabeth Tish

Honors Program Theses

Communication research has typically focused on relationship development in fairly regular, true-to-life settings; there is a lack of focus on friendships that grow out of situations in which people have no relational alternatives. This ethnographic study of the Appalachia Service Project (ASP) offers a contrast: observations, interviews, cultural artifacts, and researcher memories shed light on the friendship processes within various groups of four college-aged individuals who are assigned as work teams for 12 weeks. Together the members of these teams repair homes, oversee volunteers, and typically form relationships that reach a deeper level than most friendships. The study of how …

Barriers To Family Cancer Communication In Southern Appalachia, Kathryn L. Duvall, Kelly A. Dorgan, Amber E. Kinser

ETSU Faculty Works

This study examines cultural issues surrounding family cancer communication in Appalachia, providing insight into participants’ communication choices regarding their illness within their families. Stories of 29 female Appalachian cancer survivors from Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia were collected via a mixed methods approach in either a day-long story circle (N=26) or an in-depth interview (N=3). Qualitative content analysis was used to identify unique barriers to family cancer communication in Appalachia. Two barriers emerged: 1) the health of other family members and 2) cancer in a “taboo” area. These findings suggest that Appalachian female cancer survivors struggle with similar issues as …

Navigating Family Cancer Communication: Communication Strategies Of Female Cancer Survivors In Central Appalachia, Kathryn L. Duvall, Kelly A. Dorgan, Sadie P. Hutson

ETSU Faculty Works

In a multiphasic study, the stories of 29 female Appalachian cancer survivors were collected through either a day-long modified story circle event (n=26) or an in-depth interview (n=3). Qualitative content analysis was used to identify emergent themes in the data. The analysis revealed 5 types of family cancer communication including both pre-diagnosis and postdiagnosis cancer communication strategies

Personal Identity Changes Of Female Cancer Survivors In Southern Appalachia, Kathryn L. Duvall, Kelly A. Dorgan, Sadie P. Hutson

ETSU Faculty Works

Navigating personal identity changes through the cancer journey can be challenging, especially for women in a culture that places emphasis on traditional gender roles and values close-knit families. Drawing on a story circule approach, this study examined the intersecting identities of female cancer survivors in southern Appalachia. Stories of 29 female Appalachian cancer survivors from Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia were collected via a mixed methods approach in either a day-long story circule (N-26) or an in-depth interview (N=3). Transcripts from both phases were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim; NVivo 8.0 facilitated qualitative content analysis of the data. Inductive analysis revealed …

Holding On By Letting Go: Personal Agency As Maternal Activism, Amber E. Kinser

ETSU Faculty Works

Despite the efforts of maternal advocates and feminists through 150 years or more, a great many mothers today feel dissatisfied, shortchanged, and/or inadequate in their own lives. Even those who have reckoned with the fact that standards for mothering are absurdly out of synch with the real lives that families are living in contemporary times, or have carved out comfortable personal and familial space for themselves just beyond, or far beyond, the margins of mainstream motherhood ideologies, often struggle nevertheless with a needling sense of unrest and lack of personal agency. Further, women who agree that maternal empowerment is an …

Book Review Of Mothers And Daughters: Complicated Connections Across Cultures, Amber E. Kinser

ETSU Faculty Works

Excerpt: As both a daughter to a mother and a mother to a daughter, I have lived, and pushed against, and been formed by, the profound truth about mother-daughter relationships suggested by this book's title: it's complicated.

Enabling Learning And Enhancing Education In Ipm In The Midst Of Dwindling Financial Resources: Why Open Access To Resources And Publishing Could Be A Strategic Step To Support Students Today And Tomorrow?, Ousmane Youm

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

When I was invited to join the editorial board of the journal Entomology, Ornithology & Herpetology (EOH), I read carefully the note coming with the invitation and also looked at the content and scope. Then two things came into my mind as I stopped a few minutes to reflect on a couple of issues: (1) how the new journal links and is relevant to Integrated Pest Management—IPM (for those who understand its definition)—and (2) the issue of open access and relevance in the current situation of an ailing global economy, particularly in the vulnerable developing nations.

In the latter, more …

Haptics-Augmented Training Software For Undergraduate Engineering Mechanics, Ernur Karadogan, Robert L. Williams, David R. Moore, Tian Luo

STEMPS Faculty Publications

This paper presents the development efforts for a set of software activities and tutorials to augment teaching and learning in standard required undergraduate engineering mechanics courses. Using these software activities, students can change parameters, predict answers, compare outcomes, interact with animations, and feel the results. The overall system aims to increase teaching and learning effectiveness by rendering the concepts compelling, fun, and engaging. The problem with current examples and homework problems is that they are flat, static, boring, and non-engaging, which may lead to student attrition and a less than full grasp of fundamental principles. We implement integration of haptics …

Intervention: Reality Tv, Whiteness, And Narratives Of Addiction, Jessie Daniels

Publications and Research

Purpose – Reality TV shows that feature embodied “transformations” are popular, including Intervention, a program that depicts therapeutic recovery from addiction to “health.” The purpose of this chapter is to address the ways whiteness constitutes narratives of addiction on Intervention.

Methodology – This analysis uses a mixed methodology. I conducted a systematic analysis of nine (9) seasons of one hundred and forty-seven (147) episodes featuring one hundred and fifty-seven individual “addicts” (157) and logged details, including race and gender. For the qualitative analysis, I watched each episode more than once (some, I watched several times) and took extensive notes on …

Partnership Representation In Public Communications: An Analysis Of Community-Engaged Universities' Websites, Christy Kayser Arrazattee

LSU Master's Theses

This study examines the ways in which campus-community partnerships are represented in public communications produced by community-engaged institutions of higher education. Leading scholars of campus-community partnerships and service-learning agree that such relationships should be based on a reciprocal exchange between partners. In public relations endeavors, however, professionals concentrating solely on communicating the university’s achievements may overlook the equal contributions of the community partner. This study analyzed website content and universities publications from six colleges nationally recognized for their community-engagement efforts. Using quantitative and qualitative analysis, web content was analyzed for indicators of reciprocity developed from foundational literature regarding campus-community partnerships. …

Front Cover

Basic Communication Course Annual

No abstract provided.