Gender, Race, Sexuality, and Ethnicity in Communication Commons^™

Asserting Individuality In A Futuristic Dystopia: A Critical Analysis Of "Dirty Computer", Sam Spethman

Honors Theses

"Dirty Computer" is a groundbreaking science fiction film directed by visionary artist Janelle Monáe, which delves into the complexities of individuality in a dystopian future dominated by oppressive societal forces. Through intricate narrative construction and thematic depth, the film asserts the indomitable nature of human identity against the backdrop of advanced technology and mind control. This paper explores how "Dirty Computer" challenges traditional narratives of conformity and celebrates the power of self-expression and authenticity. By employing critical lenses such as feminist, queer, and racial critiques, along with narrative and visual analysis techniques, the analysis highlights Monáe's embrace of her Black …

"Don't Put Restrictions On Us": The Dangers Of Conservative And Populist Appeals For Abortion Access In Post-Roe America, Kayla Schmitz

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

This thesis critically analyzes Kansans for Constitutional Freedom’s campaign ads for their campaign against the Value Them Both Amendment in Kansas in 2022. Value Them Both would have stripped the Kansas constitution of its protection of personal autonomy and therefore abortion rights. Kansans for Constitutional Freedom used populist and otherwise conservative appeals in their ads to reach audiences across the political “spectrum” to gain their votes against Value Them Both. While the campaign was widely successful, there are many things it did not do for the broader concern of reproductive healthcare access in the United States, particularly for those living …

Paradox As Resistance In Male Dominated Fields And The Value Of (Sur)Facing Enthymematic Narratives, Jennifer J. Mease (Also Peeksmease), Bronwyn Neal

Department of Communication Studies: Faculty Publications

Women working in masculine organizational contexts face a challenge of balancing (1) access to power by co-opting masculine discourse in ways that risk reinforcing it, with (2) challenging and resisting practices that privilege masculinity. In this manuscript, we address one communication strategy for navigating that challenge: The denial/acknowledgment paradox in which women explicitly deny that gender affected their experience, but also describe the many ways it affected their experience. To do so, we examined transcripts of interviews with 11 women candidates who ran in the 2017 Virginia House of Delegates election in the United States and demonstrated this paradoxical communication …

Video Tools In Pediatric Goals Of Care Communication: A Systematic Review, Caitlin M. Nalda, Megan L. Mcsherry, Cynthia M. Schmidt, Marie L. Neumann, Renee D. Boss, Meaghann S. Weaver

Department of Communication Studies: Faculty Publications

Medical advancesmean a growing array of interventions, therapies, and technologies are available to support care for children with chronic and serious conditions. Some of these approaches are supported by robust data drawn from populations that perfectly reflect an individual patient's physiologic, psychologic, and social situation. But much more often, clinicians and families face decisions in the context of some—or much—uncertainty about whether the intervention will do a child more harm than good. This is particularly true for seriously ill children with a limited lifespan— whether the child is a neonate born with a life-threatening brain anomaly or an adolescent with …

Difficult Conversations Concerning Identity And Difference: Diverse Approaches And Perspectives, Jordan Soliz, Srividya Ramasubramanian

Department of Communication Studies: Faculty Publications

This essay is an introduction to the special issue on “Difficult Conversations Concerning Identity and Difference.” The essay begins with our argument that inquiries into difficult conversations are important as these interactions are key to addressing social inequities, creating and/or maintaining community and relational solidarity, amplifying voices of marginalized populations and/or diverse experiences, and enacting social change. Following this, we introduce the articles in the special issue highlighting the theoretical frameworks and methodological pluralism across the various relational and social contexts represented in the research (e.g., health care, higher education, community organizations, personal relationships). To complement the implications discussed by …

Exploring The Impact Of Pediatric Short Bowel Syndrome On Parent Well‐Being Using A Disease‐Specific Pilot Survey, Marie L. Neumann, Jessica Y. Allen, Amy Ladner, Swapna Kakani, Meaghann S. Weaver, David F. Mercer

Department of Communication Studies: Faculty Publications

Background: Children with short bowel syndrome (SBS) have complex care needs, most of which are met in the home by family caregivers who may experience a range of stressors unique to this experience. Prior research suggests that parents of children with SBS have poorer health‐related quality of life than peers parenting children without health needs, but the mechanisms shaping parent outcomes are understudied.

Methods: A pilot survey was developed using a community‐driven research design to measure the impact of disease‐specific items on parent‐perceived well‐being. The cross‐sectional survey, which included both closed‐ended and open‐ended items, was distributed to a …

Advocating For A Patient‐ And Family Centered Care Approach To Management Of Short Bowel Syndrome, Vanessa J. Kumpf, Marie L. Neumann, Swapna R. Kakani

Department of Communication Studies: Faculty Publications

Patient‐ and family centered care (PFCC) is a model of providing healthcare that incorporates the preferences, needs, and values of the patient and their family and is built on a solid partnership between the healthcare team and patient/family. This partnership is critical in short bowel syndrome (SBS) management since the condition is rare, chronic, involves a heterogenous population, and calls for a personalized approach to care. Institutions can facilitate the practice of PFCC by supporting a teamwork approach to care, which, in the case of SBS, ideally involves a comprehensive intestinal rehabilitation program consisting of qualified healthcare practitioners who are …

Exploring The Impact Of Pediatric Short Bowel Syndrome On Parent Well‐Being Using A Disease‐Specific Pilot Survey, Marie L. Neumann, Jessica Y. Allen, Amy Ladner, Swapna Kakani, Meaghann S. Weaver, David F. Mercer

Department of Communication Studies: Faculty Publications

Background: Children with short bowel syndrome (SBS) have complex care needs, most of which are met in the home by family caregivers who may experience a range of stressors unique to this experience. Prior research suggests that parents of children with SBS have poorer health‐related quality of life than peers parenting children without health needs, but the mechanisms shaping parent outcomes are understudied.

Methods: A pilot survey was developed using a community‐driven research design to measure the impact of disease‐specific items on parent‐perceived well‐being. The cross‐sectional survey, which included both closed‐ended and open‐ended items, was distributed to a …

Advocating For A Patient‐ And Family Centered Care Approach To Management Of Short Bowel Syndrome, Vanessa J. Kumpf, Marie L. Neumann, Swapna R. Kakani

Department of Communication Studies: Faculty Publications

Patient‐ and family centered care (PFCC) is a model of providing healthcare that incorporates the preferences, needs, and values of the patient and their family and is built on a solid partnership between the healthcare team and patient/family. This partnership is critical in short bowel syndrome (SBS) management since the condition is rare, chronic, involves a heterogenous population, and calls for a personalized approach to care. Institutions can facilitate the practice of PFCC by supporting a teamwork approach to care, which, in the case of SBS, ideally involves a comprehensive intestinal rehabilitation program consisting of qualified healthcare practitioners who are …

Revisiting The Rainbow: Culturally Responsive Updates To A Standard Clinical Resource, Angela M. Dietsch, Richard Mocarski, Debra A. Hope, Nathan Woodruff, Miechelle Mckelvey

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Purpose

Cultural responsivity is essential for efficacious and affirming clinical relationships. This may be especially important with historically marginalized clients, such as transgender and gender-diverse (TGD) people seeking behaviorally based affirming communication services. We recommend modifications to standard tools for diagnostics and training that otherwise might undermine our efforts to create an inclusive and affirming environment.

Method

Modifications to the Rainbow Passage, a standardized paragraph utilized for eliciting speech samples in clinical settings, focused on nongendered terminology and the elimination of content with religious connotations.

Results

The recommended edits to the Rainbow Passage maintain similar length, cadence, and phonetic balance …

¿Aviso O Alerta? Developing Effective, Inclusive, And Consistent Watch And Warning Translations For U.S. Spanish Speakers, Joseph E. Trujillo-Falcón, América R. Gaviria Pabón, Joseph T. Ripberger, Abby Bitterman, Jonathan B. Thornton, Mackenzie J. Krocak, Sean R. Ernst, Estilita Cassiani Obeso, John Lipski

NOAA Technical Reports and Related Materials

Spanish-speaking populations in the United States are more vulnerable in disaster contexts due to inequities, such as language barriers, that prevent them from receiving life-saving information. For the past couple of decades, governmental organizations have addressed these issues by translating weather watches, warnings, and advisories into Spanish. Previous studies suggest that these Spanish translations do not communicate the same level of urgency as their English counterparts. To identify whether these translated products result in inequities between English and Spanish speaker reception and comprehension of forecast information, we asked a representative sample of U.S. English (n = 1,550) and Spanish (n …

Communicating Across Eternal Divides: Conceptualizing Communicated Acceptance During Parent-Child Religious Difference, Toni Morgan, Jody Koenig Kellas

Department of Communication Studies: Faculty Publications

Significant religious difference in the family has become increasingly prevalent in recent years. While religious difference may be challenging for families to negotiate, the manner in which family members communicate about it seems to be helpful in promoting positive interactions between parents and children. The purpose of this study was to conceptualize a parental communicated (non) acceptance continuum in the context of significant parent-child religious difference. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 44 adults who identified a significant religious difference with their parent. The results suggested that communicated (non)acceptance occurred along a continuum with four ranges of behaviors: communicated nonacceptance, ambivalence, …

Symbolic Annihilation And Stereotyping Of Native American Women In News: A Content Analysis Of Health, Safety, And Economic Status Related News, Shreyoshi Ghosh

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Professional Projects

This is an exploratory study on the safety, economic, and health challenges of Native American women who constitute about 1.5% of the American population. With the symbolic annihilation and stereotyping of Native American people and women of color, there was a need to study the portrayal of Native American women in news. The findings indicated there was a growth in news coverage during 2018-19 and safety, including missing and murdered, emerged as a key topic. But symbolic annihilation in health and economic status including pay gap news was significant. Health news mostly covered maternal health and deaths but excluded most …

Paths To Positivity: Relational Trajectories And Interaction In Positive Stepparent-Stepchild Dyads, Vincent R. Waldron, Dawn O. Braithwaite, Bailey M. Oliver-Blackburn, Brianna L. Avalos

Department of Communication Studies: Faculty Publications

Stepfamilies are inherently complex family systems, marked by change, flexible boundaries, and early conflict. But the developmental pathways by which long-term stepparent relationships become positive require more study. We interviewed 38 stepchildren who had reached adulthood, to understand how their relationships with a stepparent became positive. Four relational trajectories defined these positive relationships: punctuated, consistent positive, progressive incline, and modulated turbulent. Distinctive communicative practices were associated with each trajectory, such as communicating assurances, “siding,” or revelations of character. In addition, the trajectories shared three common processes: responsiveness to stepchild vulnerability, stepparent “adding value” to the family, and maturation/ reframing of …

Protector And Friend: Turning Points And Discursive Constructions Of The Stepparent Role, Bailey M. Oliver, Dawn O. Braithwaite, Vincent R. Waldron, Robert Hall, Lucas Hackenburg, Braedon G. Worman

Department of Communication Studies: Faculty Publications

Objective: To understand turning points (TPs) in the development of positive stepparent–stepchild communication and relationships.

Background: Scholars stress the importance of communication in co-constructing healthy stepparent–stepchild relationships. The researchers focused on positive stepparenting via understanding transformational turning point (TP) events across time. Research questions explored how stepparents with an overall positive relationship with a stepchild characterize TPs and the discursive constructions of the stepparent role.

Method: The team analyzed 877 pages of data from 37 in-depth interviews with stepparents who described self-identified TP events, reflected in visual graphs of 279 TPs.

Results: Data were coded into 11 TP types, focused …

Pants On Fyre: Parasitic Masculinity And The Fyre Festival Documentaries, Kristen Hoerl, Casey Ryan Kelly

Department of Communication Studies: Faculty Publications

The documentaries Fyre Fraud and FYRE: The Greatest Party that Never Happened recount the fraudulent and imprudent decision-making process that led up to the ill-fated Fyre Fest. These documentaries represent the music festival’s failure through depictions of white masculinity that seek parasitic attachment and proximity to the hegemonic ideal of masculine authority in the neoliberal marketplace. We argue that these movies map the operations of an imitative form of white masculine subjectivity that thrives in precarity, even as they recuperate the status of late-stage neoliberalism by symbolically removing parasitic masculinity from the neoliberal social order that it feeds on.

Ict Based Agricultural Knowledge Transfer Of Women Farmers: A Case Of Gender Responsiveness From A Developing Country Perspective, Susmita Das, Paritosh Mondal, Rajesh Kumar Das

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Women are increasingly becoming an integral part of the rural economy. Feminization and empowerment in agriculture is taking place while outmigration of males in the rural Bangladesh is visible due to higher off farm income. The objective of this study is to determine the current state of the ICT-based agricultural knowledge transfer of female farmers in Bangladesh involved in agricultural operations. Data were collected through survey method using structured questionnaire from 140 female farmers involved in public ICT service centers of Bangladesh. The questionnaire was administrated face-to-face and collected data were analysed with SPSS version 23.0. The result from the …

Barriers For Library And Information Science Researchers From Developing Countries: What The “Library Philosophy And Practice Phenomenon” Tells Us, Brady Lund

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This short commentary introduces and discusses the “Library Philosophy and Practice (LPP) Phenomenon,” wherein a scholarly journal published in a developed country has an extremely large number of authors from developing countries, relative to the typical journal. Elements of journals that fit the LPP phenomenon are discussed, as well as what this phenomenon says about barriers to scholarly publishing for researchers from developing nations. Implications for journals that lack diverse authorship from developing nations are listed. This phenomenon may be studied in other disciplines to further illuminate divides in the scholarly realm.

The New American Dream: Neoliberal Transformation As Character Development In Schitt’S Creek, William Joseph Sipe

Department of Communication Studies: Faculty Publications

This article contextualizes the popular sitcom Schitt’s Creek within an era of unprecedented economic inequality and growing distain for the ultrawealthy. Via its over-the-top and self-effacing humor, the program invites audiences to discipline the Rose family for their former life of leisure and ultimately celebrate as each character is transformed into an ideal neoliberal subject via economic precarity and entrepreneurism. Through an analysis of the show’s 6 seasons, this essay articulates how the myth of the American Dream has adapted to neoliberal ideology that prizes precarity as a state of possibility and rejects leisure as laziness. Schitt’s Creek is emblematic …

Wisdom Narratives: Communicated Sense-Making In Emerging Adulthood Autoimmune Disease, Jacqueline Gunning

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

Under the umbrellas of Communicated Sense-making (CSM, Koenig Kellas & Kranstuber Horstman, 2015), the current study explored 25 stories of illness told by assigned female at birth individuals with autoimmune disease. Using both the Theory of Memorable Messages (ToMM, Cooke-Jackson & Rubinsky, 2021) and Communicated Narrative Sense-making Theory (CNSM, Koenig Kellas, 2018), findings reveal helpful and harmful interpersonal memorable messages received across their illness journeys, as well as lessons learned and wisdom gained from disruptive chronic illness onset at a young age. Participants identified messages of belief, support, and interest as helpful while navigating disease, whereas they saw messages of …

Hazardous Weather Communication En Español: Challenges, Current Resources, And Future Practices, Joseph E. Trujillo-Falcón, Orlando Bermúdez, Krizia Negrón-Hernández, John Lipski, Elizabeth Leitman, Kodi Berry

NOAA Technical Reports and Related Materials

According to recent Census data, the Hispanic or Latino population represents nearly 1 in 5 Americans today, where 71.1% of these individuals speak Spanish at home. Despite increased efforts among the weather enterprise, establishing effective risk communication strategies for Spanish-speaking populations has been an uphill battle. No frameworks exist for translating weather information into the Spanish language, nor are there collective solutions that address this problem within the weather world. The objective of this article is threefold. First, the current translation issue in Spanish is highlighted. Through research conducted at the NOAA/NWS Storm Prediction Center, situations are revealed where regional …

Political Communication Channels Of The Aceh Woman Legislative Member In Conveying Information To The Community, Ainol Mardhiah, Cindenia Puspasari, Maisura Maisura, Nanda Ameliany

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This research investigates the political communication channel of the Aceh’s woman legislators to the community. After the period of political conflict in Aceh, women participation in the public sphere as a legislator is shown to be increasing in quantity. However, their coverage on the media regarding their performance and activity as Aceh’s women’s legislators is still lacking. These women representatives have not been received enough recognition within the community. This study aims to reveal the political communication channel of these women’s legislator to the constituents. This study was conducted in the Aceh Legislative Body using a descriptive qualitative method. The …

Techniques And Forces And The Communicative Constitution Of Organization: A Deleuzian Approach To Organizational (In)Stability And Power, Jennifer J. Mease (Also Peeksmease)

Department of Communication Studies: Faculty Publications

This article introduces five principles of Deleuzian ontology and the conceptual framework of techniques and forces into emerging CCO scholarship addressing (dis)organization and power. By introducing Deleuzian concepts of (1) the virtual, (2) mutual (in)stability of meaning and materiality, (3) forces (and techniques), (4) communication, and (5) power, this essay builds a relational ontology that centers communication, speaks across existing theories of CCO, and offers a more detailed emphasis on power. In doing so, it enhances the explanatory power of CCO in general, as a set of theories useful for describing how organizational constitution and power play out in an …

Utilization Of Social Media In Ethnic Identity Political Communication : Case Study Of Sundanese Ethnic Political Communication Regent Dedi Mulyadi In Political Development In Purwakarta Regency, West Java Province, Indonesia, 2008-2018, Asep Gunawan, Siti Karlinah Abdurachman, Cece Sobarna, Evie Ariadne Shinta Dewi

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The reality of ethnic identity becomes an interesting phenomenon when used in political communication practices, especially in democratic government systems, because it can be a differentiator for its users in forming a political image or identity. Using a qualitative research method with a case study approach, this research succeeded in revealing that the attributes of political communication by Regent Dedi Mulyadi through verbal and nonverbal messages and his political communication strategy were the practice of managing impressions to form a certain political identity. To achieve this goal, the use of social media is an important political communication strategy. The construction …

Examining And Evaluating Multilevel Communication Within A Mixed-Methods, Community-Based Participatory Research Project In A Rural, Minority–Majority U.S. Town, Angela L. Palmer-Wackerly, Maria S. Reyes, Sahra H. Ali, Kimberly Gocchi Carrasco, Patrick Habecker, Kristen Houska, Virginia Chaidez, Jordan Soliz, Julie A. Tippens, Kathryn Holland, Lisa M. Pytlikzillig, Kali Patterson, Kirk Dombrowski

Department of Communication Studies: Faculty Publications

Community-based participatory research (CBPR) has been shown to improve health and social well-being by including diverse, marginalized community voices within academic–community partnerships. Although CBPR has gained in popularity, an explicit examination and evaluation of communication processes and outcomes throughout an entire CBPR project is lacking. Here, we analyze interviews with 10 stakeholders (i.e. 4 academic and 6 community partners) about their experiences in a three-phase, mixed-methods project exploring Hispanic and Somali community members’ perceptions of healthcare needs and access in a rural U.S. community. Results reflect that CBPR endeavors include communication challenges, successes, and ongoing tensions not simply between the …

Ethnic-Racial Socialization Mapping In Ethnic-Racial Minority Populations: Exploring The Efficacy Of An Intervention To Increase Well-Being And Secure Ethnic-Racial Identity, Mackensie Minniear

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

In this dissertation, I explore the benefits of developing an intervention entitled ethnic-racial socialization mapping. Previously, researchers have developed the importance of establishing a secure ethnic-racial identity in ethnic-racial minority populations, as it is tied with increased well-being. Additionally, researchers have called for interventions that highlight the role of ethnic-racial socialization in minority populations, as this process is connected with a secure ethnic-racial identity. I answer these calls by reviewing current research, leading to the creation of ethnic-racial socialization mapping as an identity intervention. In chapter 1, I explore how ethnic-racial identity and ethnic-racial socialization has been conceptualized, as well …

Experience Communication Of Minangkabau Ethnic Boar Hunters In Pekanbaru, Riau, Indonesia., Tantri Puspita Yazid, Asep Suryana, Dadang Sugiana, Neni Yulianita

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Boar hunter for Minangkabau ethnic in Indonesia is a tradition. The goal of boar hunting is to repel boar pests that damage residents’ plantation. However, as time goes by, boar-hunting activities at this time become a media to channel hobbies and are considered as a tradition to increase the existence of men in Minangkabau. Each hunter usually carries two until three hounds. Boar hunters are people who risk exposure to rabies. This research is based on social action theory and phenomenological theory. The tradition of boar hunting by Minangkabau ethnic in PORBI Tuah Saiyo in Pekanbaru contains values of local …

Critical Incidents In The Development Of (Multi)Ethnic-Racial Identity: Experiences Of Individuals With Mixed Ethnic-Racial Backgrounds In The U.S., Megan Cardwell, Jordan Soliz, Lisa Crockett, Gretchen Bergquist

Department of Communication Studies: Faculty Publications

Secure ethnic-racial identity (ERI) is tied to well-being, especially for minority individuals; however, there is still little consensus on the key processes and optimal outcomes of various multiethnic-racial (ME-R; i.e., individuals with parents from different ethnic-racial groups) identity development models. In this study, we examine the critical incidents in personal and social relationships that are central to ME-R identity development. Twentynine ME-R individuals provided retrospective accounts of incidents and conversations they self-perceived to be critical to their ERI development. Four major themes emerged: incidents and conversations surrounding intergroup contact, confrontation, heritage, and appearance were all recalled as …

Donald J. Trump And The Rhetoric Of Ressentiment, Casey Ryan Kelly

Department of Communication Studies: Faculty Publications

This essay contributes to and reframes the preliminary scholarly assessments of President Donald J. Trump’s appeals to rage, malice, and revenge by sketching the rhetorical dimensions of an underlying emotional-moral framework in which victimization, resentment, and revenge are inverted civic virtues. I elaborate on the concept of ressentiment (re-sentiment), a condition in which a subject is addled by rage and envy yet remains impotent, subjugated and unable to act on or adequately express frustration. Though anger and resentment capture part of Trump’s affective register, I suggest that ressentiment accounts for the unique intersection where powerful sentiments and self-serving morality are …

Communicated Perspective-Taking (Cpt) And Storylistening: Testing The Impact Of Cpt In The Context Of Friends Telling Stories Of Difficulty, Jody Koenig Kellas, Jonathan Baker, Megan Cardwell, Mackensie Minniear, Haley Kranstuber Hortsman

Department of Communication Studies: Faculty Publications

Grounded in communicated narrative sense-making theory (CNSM), the purpose of the current study was to test the effects of storylisteners’ communicated perspective taking (CPT) on storytellers’ well-being and evaluations of storylisteners’ communication skills in the context of telling stories about difficulty. Pairs of friends (n = 37) engaged in a storytelling interaction in which one person told a story of a difficult life experience (DLE). Listeners’ CPT was rated by observers using the Communicated Perspective-Taking Rating System (CPTRS) and tellers reported on listeners’ behaviors and their own psychosocial health. Results indicate that observed CPT relates positively to tellers’ perceptions …