Communication Commons^™

Affecting Nicaraguan “Vegetable” Literacy With Social Change Advertising, Summer Schneider

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

When the Sandinista socialist government gained control they began a total reformation of the country, most notably, the education system. The government supported a small group of men who created the 1980 Literacy Campaign, which worked to educate the majority of the nation. Nicaraguan literacy rates jumped from 49.65% to 87.04% in five months. Despite their successes, literacy rates still suffer today. Through primary research, it has been determined that the biggest issue facing Nicaraguan literacy are “vegetable literates,” those who lose their literacy because they do not use it. In order to combat the issue, I developed a four-part …

Zest Magazine: An Editorial, Managerial, And Exploration Of Syracuse University's Premier Travel Publication, Madysan Foltz

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Zest Magazine is Syracuse University’s first travel publication dedicated to bursting the bubble of campus life and highlighting student adventures far beyond the Hill. It focuses on servicing students’ curiosity about the world while inspiring a sense of wanderlust in readers. Zest strives to get all students interested in travel, regardless of gender, socioeconomic, racial, and ethnic identity. Initially, Zest appeared in the spring semester of 2015 as an interactive tablet publication. It transitioned over to a print publication in the spring semester of 2016.

“Zest Magazine: An Editorial, Managerial, & Exploration of SU's Premier Travel Publication” sets out not …

525,600 Minutes: How Do You Measure Cultural Diversity In Oregon Trade Publishing?, Alyssa Gnall

Book Publishing Final Research Papers

In this paper I will explore the ongoing conversation about the state of diversity in the publishing industry, the identity of the Pacific Northwest as a bastion of diversity relative to New York City, and whether and how the economic concept of cultural diversity can be useful to publishers committed to increasing diversity in their lists or amongst their staff. Generally speaking, the term “diversity” refers to the social choice to be inclusive of everyone regardless of race, sex, class or economic status, etc. In this paper, I will also refer to the economic concept of cultural diversity. In publishing, …

Anarchism In Book Publishing: An Exploration Of Business And Ethics, Alexis M. Woodcock

Book Publishing Final Research Papers

The term anarchist business may seem like an oxymoron to some. In fact, the misconception that anarchism precludes any organization at all is rampant, regardless of participation in capitalism. The fact remains that there are anarchist businesses all over, from restaurants to bookstores to record labels, engaging in capitalism while simultaneously opposing it. Publishing is an area of particular interest, with a number of explicitly anarchist presses actually thriving. How do they reconcile their businesses with their ideals? Does their work contradict their ideologies?

We’Ll Want It When We Say We Want It: How The Market Speaks To The Publishing Industry Via Crowdfunding, And Why Publishers Should Listen, Alan Scott Holley

Book Publishing Final Research Papers

With its utilization of an environment as fluid and innovative as the internet, it’s no wonder that the digital revolution is an ongoing phenomenon that is reinvigorated time and time again with no signs of slowing down. As advanced digital technologies and practices are rolled out by developers and embraced by consumers, commercial companies are thrust headlong into a necessitated showing of adaptability, progressiveness, and up-to-the-minute technological fluency. For the publishing industry, these expectations have been met with a slow yet relatively steady adherence—an understandable reaction considering how so many digital innovations appeared at the time to have the express …

This Is Your Brain On Editing: How Digital Tools Affect The Cognitive Processes Behind Copyediting, Megan Doyle

Book Publishing Final Research Papers

Copyediting is an important mechanic in developing content, and it has many functions to do so, including mechanical editing, correlating parts, language editing, content editing, permissions, and typecoding. In recent years, copyediting has almost exclusively become a task that is done by digital means, using computers and software to complete via track changes, callout queries, and typing. Although publishing professionals in recent years have shown a trend toward younger age demographics, a significant portion of them are “digital immigrants” using digital technology to do their daily jobs. In order to study digital technology’s effects on copyediting, I analyzed the cognitive …

Publishing Puzzles: Some Implications Of Literary Diffculty For The Editor, Brendan Brown

Book Publishing Final Research Papers

The specter of literary difficulty is at bottom the very same as, or a primary aspect of, that which has dogged and driven textual scholars and literary theorists, linguists and philosophers of language, educators, legislators, theologians, and aesthetes—in short, “professional readers” of all stripes—from time immemorial. As such, it carries with it a bevy of unknowns, questions thus far neither satisfactorily answered nor, in many cases, even fully and properly articulated. This likely has a great deal to do with the fact that the term difficulty is and has historically been applied in a variety of senses to a radically …

How To Be In Charge (And Make Authors Do What You Tell Them): An Examination Of Editorial Authority In Letters Written By Trade Fiction And Nonfiction Editors, Emily Goldman

Book Publishing Final Research Papers

This paper will introduce and discuss the ways in which six different editors of trade fiction establish their own authority as editors in their developmental letters to their authors. These particular editors edit a wide range of genres, such as literary fiction, adult fantasy and science fiction, middle grade fiction, short story collections, memoirs, and nonfiction. Some are (or have been) editors for big New York publishing houses, and others are part of small, independent presses. One editor is currently a literary agent, and another does freelance editing in addition to working at a publishing house. All six of them …

When Ink Turned Into Bullets: The Effect Of The Press In Buffalo, New York And The Nation Along With Its Role In Igniting A Civil War, Nicole C. Kondziela

History Theses

The American Civil War was a multi-faceted conflict: North versus South, states’ rights versus federal law, slavery versus abolition. Due to increasing and constant advancements in technology, this was the first war in American history that developed in full view of the public through newspapers. The Industrial Revolution and capitalism allowed the press to evolve into rich and powerful soap boxes for political bosses and editors alike to voice their opinions far beyond the village square. Unbeknownst to much of the public at the time, the Union had been at the mercy of newspaper editors and politicians in a grand …

Understanding How The Southeastern Conference Football Teams Use Twitter Through A Content Analysis, Kristin Elise Pearson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The influence of Social media on intercollegiate athletic departments has been prominent in the past few years. With tight budgets, the departments are forced to find different means of marketing and promoting their brand – through embracing Social media platforms. Research on Social media and intercollegiate athletics is limited; therefore, it is necessary to research how the departments are utilizing Social media. With the agenda setting theory as a foundation, this study explores how the 14 SEC football teams are utilizing Twitter. A total of 3,176 tweets were collected from two constructed weeks. Overall, the findings show that the information …

Toddlers And Technology: An Examination Of How The Digital Surround May Be Related To Prototypic Vocabulary Development And Social Interactions During Play, Hannah Biarnesen Hutcheson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study sought to examine how the digital technology that surrounds young children may be related to prototypic vocabulary development and Social interactions during play. Twenty-six families in the Northwest Arkansas region with children between 15-36 months of age participated in the study. Thirteen children attended a campus preschool, six children attended a grant-funded local preschool, and seven children, all from the Northwest Arkansas area, were part of an earlier home-based study. The materials for the study included a developmental-technology use questionnaire and the MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventories. Archival videotaped play sessions with the seven home-based children utilized a “Little …

Family Group Conference Experiences From The Perspective Of Volunteer Facilitators, Rebecca Ann Saunders

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

This study examined the experiences of volunteer Family Group Conference (FGC) facilitators for the purpose of understanding how they experience and manage their role in the FGC process. By focusing on the benefits and challenges of volunteer FGC facilitators, this research adds a new perspective to the limited literature on FGC facilitators. Semi-structured, face-to-face interviews were conducted with 11 volunteer Family Group Conference facilitators in order to create a deeper understanding of these volunteers' experiences. The Ecosystems Perspective and Uncertainty Reduction Theory created a framework for understanding the complex role of the FGC facilitator and allowed for a more detailed …

Constructing The Political Identity Of Generation Next: A Focus Group Study, Ryan Graham

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

In the midst of an election season, research in the areas of politics and democratic engagement become increasingly important. Framed by concepts from social constructionism, this study used focus group interviews to better understand salient political values and citizenship norms among America's youth. Through personal experience and reflection, participants in this qualitative study were able to produce meaningful data from which one may draw general conclusions. The three major themes appeared as 1) socialization & development, 2) lack of faith, and 3) expanded notions of citizenship and engagement. Ultimately, results from this study suggested that America's youth have constructed a …

The United Rhetorical States Of America: A Place For Aristotle In U.S. Citizenship, Kurt Beyers

Master's Theses or Doctor of Nursing Practice

The United States of America was founded on rhetorical justifications and has been governed through most of its history by a system designed to operate on rhetorical principles. The process depends on persuasive practices in the selection of the executives and the legislators responsible for governing. The base of this system is in the citizens responsible for electing the leaders and, ultimately, approving or rejecting the actions proposed by those leaders. Persuasive communication is a vital part of governance at every step. Citizenship in such a government is an active process. This paper argues that citizens, to be actively engaged, …

Leadership Development Programs: Exploring The Real Impact Upon Communities And Organizations, Brandon Steinert

Master's Theses or Doctor of Nursing Practice

Leadership development programs are a popular tool utilized by communities and organizations to influence culture, challenge status quo and develop individuals. Research targeting the effectiveness of these programs is voluminous, but much of the work done thus far measures program effectiveness by one of two methods: either by the change in the attitudes and behavior of participants, or by the opinions participants held regarding the content and curriculum of the program. This study sought measure program effectiveness by looking at the real impact upon communities and organizations. This study explored the potential relationship between health and vibrancy of communities and …

What Citizens Want To Know About Their Government’S Finances: Closing The Information Gap, Meagan Jordan, Juita-Elena (Wie) Yusuf, Martin Mayer, Kaitrin Mahar

School of Public Service Faculty Publications

There is an information gap between citizens and their governments when it comes to government finances. The inherent complexity of fiscal policy makes it exceedingly difficult for effective public participation. Effective public participation in fiscal decision making must address informing or educating the citizenry with accurate and meaningful government financial data. Better understanding citizen wants and perceptions is critical to closing the information gap between users and providers of financial information. This study uses information gathered from focus groups with residents of Norfolk, Virginia that asks what government financial information they want and how to make that information useful. Results …

If We're Mocking Anything, It's Organized Religion: The Queer Holy Fool Style Of The Sisters Of Perpetual Indulgence, Christina L. Ivey

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

Asking questions in and about the often rough terrain at the intersection of sexuality/gender and religion/spirituality, this dissertation seeks to excavate the concept of queer holy fool style as a fitting response to dominant Judeo-Christian narratives that marginalize LGBTQ individuals. To do so, I utilize the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence (SPI), a drag performing community of “21^st Century Nuns,” as a synechdoche; pulling examples of their communication and performances as evidence of queer holy fool style. In exploring three facets of stylistic study (embodied, textual/hypertextual, and sociological), I blend queer theoretical concepts (like camp, performativity, and disciplining) with rhetorical …

A Virtual Foot In The Door: How Avatar Similarity Impacts Group Identity In Computer-Mediated Communication, Shannon Zenner

Communication Theses - Archive

Communication researchers continue to explore the promise and the impact of the Internet and computer-mediated communication. While much research has shown that the effects have been distancing, polarizing and negative others point to a more connected global world. In this study we attempt to look for the initial promise of the Internet. By manipulating anonymity, avatars and types of similarity in a virtual computer-mediated scenario we uncover a pathway to improve group identity, trust and social attraction. These concepts are supported by social identity theories and by the social identity model of deindividuation effects (SIDE). A 2x3 factorial experimental design …

"Glued To The Sofa": Exploring Guilt And Television Binge-Watching Behaviors, Charles N. Wagner

Communication Honors Theses

In order to better understand the various aspects of television binge-watching behaviors and determine how guilt coincides with binge viewership, researchers administered a survey to 530 adults. Quantitative and qualitative analysis of responses suggested that viewers who watch less TV overall feel guiltier about binge-watching. Comedies and dramas were the most often binged genres, though viewers who binge-watched teen dramas felt guiltiest. Streaming services and digital video recorders (DVRs) were the most common platforms used for binge-watching television; those who used streaming services felt high levels of guilt afterwards, while those who used DVRs felt very little. Results indicated that …

The Revolution Will Be Computed: Fantasy, Apple Computer, And The Ethos Of Silicon Valley, Misti Yang

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

My thesis undertakes a rhetorical analysis of the discourse surrounding the development of the personal computer and Apple Computer as a case study in Silicon Valley discourse. The analysis spans twenty years (1964-1984) starting with San Francisco-area computer hobbyist clubs and ending with the release of Macintosh by Apple Computer. Symbolic convergence theory (SCT) and fantasy theme analysis (FTA) provide the primary methodology for my work. Because SCT/FTA developed from small group communication research, they are fitting tools for understanding how small groups of people impassioned about building something new can impact public discourse. I connect SCT/FTA with a materialist …

Our Voice, Our Choice: Race, Politics And Community Building On The Pages Of Five Historically Black College And University Newspapers From 1930 To 1959, Sheryl Monique Kennedy Haydel

Dissertations

From 1930 to 1959, the black college student-run press was a prolific voice leading discussions about ways to eradicate racial discrimination, amass political currency, and nurture communal solidarity. Embedded in their mission was a desire to awaken their readers intellectually and emotionally to join a mounting movement toward racial liberation. Yet, historians have ignored this expansive network of black collegian editors and writers, who were a philosophical extension of the professional Black Press.

Like their mentors in the Black Press, black college student editors and writers vigorously advocated for racial equality, took a combative stance against political gerrymandering that left …

“Holy Agency, Batgirl!”: Evaluating Young Adult Superheroines’ Agency In Gotham Academy And Ms. Marvel, Catherine Clark

Communication Honors Theses

This study utilizes textual analysis to understand the representation of two female protagonists’, Kamala Khan and Olive Silverlock, agency within the first volume of Ms. Marvel and Gotham Academy. Crossing comic worlds, this study seeks to determine whether or not these representations align with any waves of feminism, or continue postfeminist dialogue within media. Panel by panel, word by word, expression by expression, this researcher notes, categorizes, and analyzes these protagonists’ words marked as text, behaviors performed, and expressions shown through artistic representation on the page.

Situated on a cross-roads between postfeminism and the potential fourth wave of feminism, …

Social Media As A Tool To Effectively Communicate With Stakeholders: School Administrators And Superintendents' Perceptions, Steven Coleman Hampton

Dissertations

This quantitative research study analyzed the perceptions of school administrators on the effectiveness of using social media outlets to communicate with stakeholders. School administrators throughout the State of Mississippi completed an online survey developed by the researcher identifying the social media outlets they use to communicate with their stakeholders and the effectiveness of using social media outlets. Superintendents, Assistant Superintendents, Principals, Assistant Principals, and Public Relations Directors with various years of experience completed the survey. The study revealed there was a statistical significant difference between age groups of the school administrators with the concerns of using social media outlets as …

The Voice And Action Of Service: Exploring Nonprofit Volunteerism From A Dual Perspective, Colleen L. Mestayer

Dissertations

Key factors emerged for communicating with volunteers and staff in the nonprofit sector using a mixed methods approach in two phases. Phase I sought to explain volunteer satisfaction through the development of a new model that included motivation, identification with the nonprofit organization, attachment to the nonprofit organization and its mission, and the impact of interpersonal relationships formed between staff members and volunteers. Findings indicated that the model was an accurate predictor of volunteer satisfaction, and all variables were significantly correlated to volunteer satisfaction. Phase II sought to discover the communication patterns used by internal stakeholders of the nonprofit organization …

Inspiring Innovation, Suraya Sulaiman, Azim Pawanchik

Asian Management Insights

How large organisations can leverage the digital advantage for innovation.

Orange Balance: A Health And Wellness Website For Freshmen Women At Syracuse University, Sarah Santos

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Adjusting to a new lifestyle away from home can be a challenge, especially for students who are moving to college for their first year. Based on my own struggles with maintaining my health and finding my balance with food, fitness, and personal wellness, which I endured when first coming to Syracuse University in the fall of 2012, I have created a health and wellness website designed specifically for first year female students at Syracuse University. Using WordPress to build the online platform, and working with writers, photographers, and an illustrator, I have built a site that discusses topics such as …

Trail's End Cafe Branding And Design, Morgan Mcmullen

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Trail’s End is a café which is scheduled to open in the first week of June 2016. For my creative capstone project, I developed the café’s identity, as well as designed the logo, materials, and website, among other things needed to get the café ready to open. Being the sole designer working on the identity development of any venture is a challenge, however this also made my tasks perfect for an honors-level capstone.

Media's Isis Crisis: How Isis Came To Be Through Framing And Naming, Cameron A. Morgan

Honors Theses

An exploration of the ISIS crisis from July 2013 - June 2014 in the New York Times and the Guardian's respective coverages using frame analysis. Through keywords, frames were determined to be constructed. Frame analysis was broken into three parts, particularly focusing on sourcing, power dynamic and structure.

Millennial Skepticism And Susceptibility To Media Persuasion, Olivia K. Lee

Honors Theses

This study examines the disconnect between millennials' perceived and actual skepticism toward news media outlets as well as the Third Person Effect in millennials' attitude toward others' skepticism. This body of work includes survey research to examine these theories in the context of millennial news consumption.

Dismantling The Gate, Crossing The Threshold: The Promise Of Producerly Paratexts In Building An Innovative, Responsive, And Representative Book Industry, Dory Athey

Book Publishing Final Research Papers

Aisha Saeed was the first to use the hashtag that would fuel what was (and continues to be) arguably the first digital campaign to speak loudly and directly to publishers and booksellers about the mis-and underrepresentation of nonwhite, differently abled, and queer populations in young adult and children’s literature. Though Saeed’s original tweet received only eleven retweets and seven likes, two years later, the #WeNeedDiverseBooks hashtag is now just a piece of the larger organization that generated more than 333,000 dollars in 2014 (its first year as an organization) and continues to promote large-scale programming in schools, organize festivals, award …