Communication Commons^™

Meme World Syndrome: A Critical Discourse Analysis Of The First World Problems And Third World Success Internet Memes, Robert Chandler

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis applies the theory and method of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) to examine the ideological components of the First World Problems (FWP) and Third World Success (TWS) Internet memes. Drawing on analytical concepts from CDA and related perspectives, such as multimodal discourse analysis and social semiotics, the paper analyzes the visual and textual elements of a sample of the FWP and TWS memes. The paper argues that the text and images featured in the memes are ideologically salient and discursively construct oppositional binaries between “us” and “them” in terms of wealth disparity.

Manual Evaluation Of Synthesised Sign Language Avatars, Robert G. Smith Mr, Brian Nolan Dr.

Conference Papers

The evaluation discussed in this paper explores the role that underlying facial expressions might have regarding understandability in sign language avatars. Focusing specifically on Irish Sign Language (ISL), we examine the Deaf community’s appetite for sign language avatars. The work presented explores the following hypothesis: Augmenting an existing avatar with various combinations of the 7 widely accepted universal emotions identified by Ekman [1] to achieve underlying facial expressions, will make that avatar more human-like and consequently improve usability and understandability for the ISL user. Using human evaluation methods [2] we compare an augmented set of avatar utterances against a baseline …

Cheap, Easy, Or Connected: The Conditions For Creating Group Coordination, Mathew D. Mccubbins, Daniel Rodriguez, Nicholas Weller

Faculty Scholarship

In both legal and political settings there has been a push toward adopting institutions that encourage consensus. The key feature of these institutions is that they bring interested parties together to communicate with each other. Existing research about the success or failure of particular institutions is ambiguous. Therefore, we turn our attention to understanding the general conditions when consensus is achievable, and we test experimentally three crucial factors that affect a group's ability to achieve consensus: (1) the difficulty of the problem, (2) the costs of communication, and (3) the structure of communication. Using multiple experimental approaches, we find that …

Engaging Young Professionals In Credit Unions: Reviving A Movement Through Online Social Networking, Meet-Ups, And Events, Rebecca Spachek

Capstone Collection

Credit Union young professionals feel distanced from their jobs and comparatively less satisfied than their older coworkers. The industry is failing to retain young talent causing a growing gap between the young professionals and aging leaders. The Cooperative Trust is a network of young professionals working to close this gap by connecting and engaging members with the larger Credit Union Movement. This paper will examine the question, “Have active members of the Cooperative Trust experienced an increase in engagement in the credit union movement since joining the Cooperative Trust?”.

A New Model: Improving Adult Experiences In The Holy Land With Effective Pre-Departure Information, Resources And Procedures, Sarah A. Loan

Capstone Collection

Since September 11, 2001, Group Travel Directors (GTD) has noted an increase in self-reported anxiety among adult travelers preparing to depart to the Holy Land. This observation has been made by long-term employees both objectively and subjectively by comparing evaluation scores, cancellation percentages, tracking numbers of phone calls from anxious travelers and through staff accounts of conversations with travelers. GTD staff reports that clients often are inclined to make rash decisions based on perfunctory judgments influenced by media coverage.

GTD has collected evaluations from adult travelers for more than twenty years in an effort to better understand traveler perceptions of …

Study Abroad And Identity: The African American Experience, Alicia Ranney

Capstone Collection

Not all students are alike, nor should they be treated as 'one size fits all' in study abroad. Students have different backgrounds, goals, and expectations of what they will gain from an international academic experience. Minority students face different types of challenges in study abroad than their non-minority counterparts.

This paper seeks to answer the question “does study abroad change the identity of African American students?” and examines the challenges of identity and racism and how those two factors may decrease participation rates of African Americans in study abroad. Students from Marygrove College in Detroit, Michigan were surveyed before and …

Exploring Motivation Through Athlete Communication, Tye G. Davis

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The current study examined the communication ecology of athlete motivation. Furthermore, gender differences in communication ecologies were evaluated, as were variations in communication tendencies for highly and lowly motivated athletes. Findings suggest that teammates and parents are strong motivators for athletes. Mass media were associated with athlete motivation while social media were not. Gender differences were found with males reporting being more motivated by mass media than females, while females were more strongly motivated by their parents and friends. There were significant differences found in the communication ecologies of highly motivated athletes compared to less motivated athletes. Athletes who were …

Lessons Learned From Aac Camp, Janet L. Dodd

Communication Sciences and Disorders Faculty Articles and Research

Children who benefit from augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) need not only the support of individuals knowledgeable in the technologies themselves, but ones who understand the translation of language intervention principles to AAC.

Vendor Of The Month: A Marketing Collaboration, Lateka Grays, J. Cory Tucker

Library Faculty Research

Marketing library resources remains an important issue despite library reductions in staff and collections budgets. In order to maintain or expand marketing programs, libraries could do well tapping into the expertise available through the vendors supplying resources to libraries. A case study of a library marketing program called, “Vendor of the Month,” at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas explains the collaboration between the library and its vendors to increase awareness and use of selected electronic resources.

Bereaved Mothers Seek Support Online: Ethnography & Autoethnography In A Virtual Community, Catherine Holestine

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

No abstract provided.

Governing Through Permanent Campaigning: Media Usage And Press Freedom In Ecuador, Maria J. Flor Agreda

Calvert Undergraduate Research Awards

In Ecuador, media and politics have been historically tied together. Over time, the banking industry has had financial stakes in the media and vice versa. Yet, from the time that President Rafael Correa took office in 2007, the situation has been turned around. Correa has used a permanent campaign to appeal to the public and change the media ownership environment of the country. The President’s strategy has included the acquisition of private media such as newspapers, and radio and television station; as well as the establishment of governmental media entities. Additionally, as part of Correa’s permanent campaign scheme, the president …

Once Upon A Time: Fairytales Past And Present, Jordan L. Keithley

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

No abstract provided.

Solar Energy: A Media Analysis Of Las Vegas, Nv And Phoenix, Az, Jennifer Liese

Brookings Mountain West Publications

In recent years, large government-funded solar energy projects across the nation have received increasing media attention—especially with government funded solar projects going bankrupt. This study examines the evolution of media coverage on solar energy issues, including an analysis of political differences and the role they play within two western cities that sit at the epicenter of solar energy resources in the United States, Las Vegas and Phoenix. These cities are poised to compete for and collaborate on projects for millions of dollars in federal research funds and economic development incentives dedicated to the development of solar energy.

This study conducted …

The Impact Of Electronic Communication On Personal Relationships, Lori Shannon

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

Electronic communication is clearly becoming a reliable and chosen form of communication. The goal of this study is to determine how users perceptions of electronic communication, specifically text-based electronic communication, including e-mail, instant messaging, text messaging, and the social media networks Twitter and Facebook, impacts interpersonal relationships. Knowing how electronic communication affects our relationships will help users ensure they use electronic communication to its fullest potential and in the most effective way. This study begins by identifying and explaining the aspects of communication theory and their application to the affect on personal relationships by electronic communication. After reviewing the literature …

Subordinate-Supervisor Communication: Junior Naval Officer Feelings And Obstacles When Communicating Up The Chain Of Command, Neva R. Fuentes

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

Research on subordinate-supervisor communication has revealed that employees in civilian organizations often stay silent about workplace problems. Comfort levels between subordinates and supervisors, was a major factor to this silence. Currently, there exists very little literature on upward communication from subordinate to supervisor amongst U.S. Naval Officers. The purpose of this thesis was to explore Junior Officer (JO) feelings and perceived obstacles about communicating up the chain of command with senior officers. Interview questions from a previous study (Milliken, Morrison, & Hewlin, 2003) on subordinate-supervisor communication were adapted for an electronic survey and used to explore JO feelings and perceived …

Professional Women And Cognitive Dissonance, Amber T. Lewis

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

Women and their work is a topic ofinterest in various fields ofacademia. Numerous research articles discuss a range oftopics as it relates to the unique experiences women endure to earn wage. However, the primary focus ofmost articles is grounded in the analysis ofhow women compare to men. This qualitative study utilizes the work experiences of women to help identify and define any sense ofcognitive dissonance of working women and whether or not the likelihood ofdissonance changes depending on their chosen career tracks. In this study the interview responses of working women are considered in conjunction with research articles to determine …

Intercultural Training: A Thesis Project, Laura Snyder

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

This study examines the scholarly journals and literature of intercultural competency, intercultural communication, and the communication theories examining culture shock, cross-cultural adaptation, immersion techniques, and training methods used in multicultural competence. It then presents intercultural training modules with the ambition to be adopted and incorporated into all intercultural expatriation trainings utilized both by private individuals, as well as international businesses and government programs with employees relocating internationally. The training modules are specifically directed at learners who need to know about the cultural climate, rules, and communication expectations of Singapore.

Facebook And Social Penetration Theory, Amanda M. Olson

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

This research identified patterns of self-disclosure in the online social network Facebook. The purpose was to test hypothesized relationships between individuals that use Facebook to build relationships through self-disclosure and how this positively affects their self-esteem. One of the most important purposes of this study is understanding Social Penetration Theory and the relation to Facebook and increasing self-esteem. This study used both a survey and a focus group which asked participants to disclose ifthey use social media to build relationships. Eighty one percent ofthe participants who responded to the survey, reported that they agree or strongly agree that they feel …

Paralinguistic Cues And Their Effect On Leader Credibility, Monte Brian Reid

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

Paralinguistic cues are powerful non-verbal communication elements that have the ability to make even good news sound horrible or bad news more palatable. Drawing upon the hermeneutical phenomenology communication theory of Dilthey (1961) and Shannon’s (1949) communication channel model, this thesis targeted the six primary paralinguistic cues of fluidity, articulation, sonority, tempo, emotion, and dynamic intensity to discover how these cues interact and affect the credibility and palatability of a leader’s message. To facilitate remembrance of these cues, the acronym F.A.S.T.E.D. was coined and used. Three different groups consisting of managers, non-managers, and media and public relations professionals were surveyed …

Information Overload: The Effects Of Advertising Avoidance On Brand Awareness In An Online Environment, Gregory David Salyer

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

When information overload occurs, an individual consumes information at the expense of other information. Advertising avoidance, or banner blindness, is a protective mechanism that can be triggered when an individual receives too high an informational load. This study uses methods developed from information overload theory, selective attention studies, information entropy and information redundancy to seek the connection between information overload and banner blindness. In aiming to measure the overall effect that these two phenomena have on brand awareness and individual’s ability to recall an ad from a web browsing session, this study relies on prior work in the area of …

The Influence Of Communication Strategies On Charitable Races, Vicky Jean Daniels

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

Charitable races are happening all over the United States. These races are a competitive way for charities to receive funds to help support their causes. However, not all charity athletic events and races are promoted equally. This success or lack thereof is in part due to how the events’ messages are communicated and perceived by potential attendees. This study interviewed experts in the field of marketing charitable events, and surveyed participants of charitable events to see what communication strategies most influenced their decisions to attend. The study highlighted the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon series, which has been very successful for …

Analyzing Reader Response To The Plotlines Of Secondary Characters In Jane Austen's Pride And Prejudice And Northanger Abbey Through Walter Fisher's Narrative Paradigm, Kendal Mcdermott Sasso

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

Humans communicate lessons and messages through multiple mediums; including the written word. Classic novels transcend time and continue to reach out to generations of people to offer insight into human nature. The best stories can maintain relevance years after they have been created. This has been true for Jane Austen’s novels. Her works have received much criticism and research over the last 200 years with screen and book adaptations, as well as fan clubs and societies. Where much of the research emphasis is on the main characters or themes, there is a lack of information about the effect of secondary …

Communication In A Traditional Organization, Nidia Haydee Marichalar

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

This study examines if a mismatch exists between the traditional structure of communication, and the communication needs and expectations of teachers and staff in a rapidly growing and changing charter school system, which in turn contributes to the burgeoning turn-¬‐over and the perceived plummeting morale amongst teachers and staff at the school. Anonymous surveys were administered, and interviews and focus groups were conducted at one school, seeking to gauge teacher and staff perceptions of 1) How well leaders communicated about the school’s and teachers’ mission, strategy, and goals; 2) How well were these ideas and expectations matched to the experiences …

Are Individuals Better Able To Acquire And Retain News Information That Is Consonant Or Dissonant With Their Ideological Beliefs?, James Lee Jenkins

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study was to find out whether people can better recall news information that is consonant or dissonant with their personal ideological beliefs. This study is a follow-on study to Joel Turner’s study (2007) that found that people’s perceived biases in the news are often triggered prior to the people reading the actual news information. The scope of this research was to determine the type of news information people are better able to recall. The two main research questions this study was attempting to find answers for were:

• RQ1: Are conservatives better able to recall news information …

Diplomatic Communication In Response To Religious Conflict, Kim Alba

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study was to evaluate a strategy for diplomatic dialogue in response to religious conflict. Kenneth Burke’s theory of dramatism provides a means of rhetorical evaluation on Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s response to the attacks on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, that were widely seen as caused in some way by an anti-Islam video published online on YouTube. The study discusses how Clinton’s use of identification and division is used in diplomatic dialogue in order to resolve the differences caused by religious conflict, specifically in a speech at the U.S.-Morocco Strategic Dialogue on September 13, …

Global Journeys: Exploring The Communication Strategies Successful Longterm Sojourners Use For Cultural, Language, Identity And Family Adjustment, Lynne H. Green

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

With a growing number of multinational corporations sending workers into new locations, the need for knowledge about how individuals and families successfully integrate and connect to their host country is paramount. This study focuses on the phenomenological communication strategies used for cross cultural adjustment and adaptation of longterm sojourners in a new culture. Longterm sojourners who have lived for three years or longer in two host countries were interviewed to explore their communication strategies of adaptation for meaning making for themselves and for their families. Specifically, perspectives around the experience of cross culture adjustment, language acquisition, and identity shift were …

Intergenerational Farm Family Communication And Succession Planning, Cayla M. Waters

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

This thesis studies intergenerational communication in farm families during the succession planning process. The research focuses on intergenerational relationships between fathers and sons. Due to the lack of research on intergenerational communication in farm families, this thesis examines the role communication plays in this relationship, and how communication affects the succession planning process of passing down the family farm. Communication accommodation theory is used to understand the communication processes taking place within the father-son relationship. The research methods used to gather information for this study are focus groups. The focus groups are made up of 3 father/son pairs who are …

Female Pop Singers On Twitter: Use For Branding And Implications For Publicists, Jessica Sincavage

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

A celebrity’s success depends upon building and maintaining their ‘well-knownness.’ The increase in usage of and access to social media platforms like the micro-blogging platform Twitter have led celebrities and their publicity teams to incorporate social media into their branding and communication strategies. The purpose of this thesis is to examine celebrity presence on and usage of Twitter and its implications for the role of celebrity publicists. The study is based in the narrative paradigm, which recognizes and honors each individual’s story telling abilities. A case study including three influential female pop singers was conducted, and the results were analyzed …

Women For Obama: A Metaphor Criticism Of Political Facebook Use, Natasha Merkle

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

The political rhetoric of U.S. Presidential Elections has been studied for years, but not significantly through the lens of social media. While the statistical relevance of social media as a political communication tool is not yet widespread, the numbers have grown drastically since 2008. This increase in usage prompted the author to determine how rhetoric is most effectively communicated over social media to key audiences. This study is a metaphor criticism of the Women for Obama Facebook page as it appeared during the final 90 days prior to the 2012 U.S. Presidential Election. Four metaphors are used to describe the …

The Effects Of Sibling Relationships On The Social Development Of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Barbara J. Higgins

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

Relationships among siblings are the longest lasting and most consistent in the life of an individual. Relationships among siblings are no different when one of the siblings has Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Among the various obstacles children with ASD encounter, social developmental delays are the most prominent and treatment plans are often established for the social education of children with ASD. This study reviews the impact of the incorporation of typically developing children into the treatment plans of their siblings with ASD. The literature reviews relationship status between siblings when one child has ASD and how the presence of ASD …