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

Sexual And Political Affairs: Representation Of Women In American News Media, Melissa Beal

Masters Theses

Explores representations in American news media of women who have been involved sexually with male politicians and women who are politicians through a critical rhetorical lens. Through the use of poststructural feminism, the term "mistress" is problematized. Attention is given to the news media's focus on women's bodies as sites of dangerous sexual temptations as well as the media's constant attention to women's physical features, which reduces women to objects. It is shown that similar coverage regarding bodies is not given to men. Also discusses the news media's frequent interrogation of women's minds. Explores aspects of confession and apology through …

"It's Just That For The First Time, I Feel... Wicked": A Rhetorical Analysis Of Wicked's Elphaba Using Kenneth Burke's Guilt-Purification-Redemption Cycle, Patricia Foreman

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the Broadway production, Wicked, and more specifically, the character of Elphaba, or the Wicked Witch of the West. The study utilized Kenneth Burke's theory of the guilt-purification-redemption cycle, and considered Elphaba's journey between the three steps of Burke's cycle. In order to understand this journey better, the researcher considered various facets of the show, including the script, lyrics, costuming, including attire and make-up, and interactions with other characters in the production. Elphaba's causes of guilt, including her mother's death, her relationship with Glinda, her cause in working with Animals, and failed magic …

"Make Over Your Body": Conflicting Messages In Women's Fitness Magazines, Joy Zoodsma

Masters Theses

SHAPE Magazine is a women's fitness magazine that has been consistently popular since its initial publication in 1981. This study explores how the messages of health and beauty in this publication have evolved over the last three decades, especially in response to the cultural imperatives of consumerism and feminism. It critically analyzes the visual and textual messages on SHAPE Magazine covers and in letters from the editor, which offer important examples of the ways in which SHAPE attempts to “hail” readers – to draw them in, to convince them that what the magazine has to offer is relevant to their …

I'M The Same Me: Communication And Renegotiation Of Identity In The Weight-Loss Surgery Experiences Of Women, Heather D. Schild

Masters Theses

Adult obesity rates are on the rise in the United States according to the Centers for Disease Control (2009) which has led to an increase in obesity-related illnesses such as diabetes and heart disease. Weight-loss surgery (WLS) has become accepted as a "cure" for obesity by the medical community. There has been a dramatic increase in the number of obese individuals electing to undergo WLS every year; 82% of these individuals are women (AHRQ, 2007). More women may be electing to undergo these procedures than men due to the pressures women face in American culture to achieve social standards of …

To Post Or Not To Post: An Examination Of Gender Differences In Undergraduates' Self-Disclosure On Facebook, Alyson Thompson

Masters Theses

Due to the popularity and role Facebook plays in society, the present study seeks to better understand why undergraduates disclose on Facebook and what they are willing to share. The research questions for the study include: RQ 1: Are undergraduate women, ages 18-23, or undergraduate men, ages 18-23, more likely to disclose personal information on Facebook?, RQ 2: Are undergraduate women, ages 18-23, or undergraduate men, ages 18-23, more likely to disclose contact information (e-mail address, phone number, address, instant message screen name) on Facebook?, and RQ 3: Are the reasons for engaging in self-disclosure different between undergraduate women, ages …

American Sueño: Hispanic Immigrants' Cultural Adaptation In American Small Cities, Tatiana Almeida

Masters Theses

This study investigated certain aspects of the cross-cultural adaptation process of Spanish-speaking Hispanic immigrants residing in small cities in the United States. Using Young Yun Kim's cross-cultural adaptation theory as a theoretical framework, the researcher investigated the journey those sojourners undergo and how their cultural identities are shaped throughout the process. The two questions that guided the research were: (1) What are the difficulties that Hispanics that migrate to small cities in the United States encounter? (2) What are the mechanisms (media usage, language acquisition, habits, life style etc.) utilized by them in order to adapt to the new environment? …

Reading Between The Lines: Gender Perception Of Lean Media, Jennalee Conner

Masters Theses

Over the years, communication methods have evolved from face-to-face conversations to computer-mediated communication including: e-mail, instant message, and text message interactions. Since the methods have changed, a large aspect of communication, nonverbal cues, have become nearly impossible. These methods of communication that lack nonverbal cues are therefore referred to as lean media because they lack the richness of facial expression, vocal expression, and immediacy. In order to modify more recent forms of communication to include nonverbal cues, individuals have created their own nonverbal cues. While each individual is unique, though, genders normally tend to think or behave in similar fashion. …

Hoodie Today, Gown Tomorrow: An Ideological Rhetorical Analysis Of Gender-Neutral Clothing, Meridith Irene Styer

Masters Theses

The fields of psychology and sociology have long understood the importance of clothing in self-formation, this study extrapolates this social-science understanding into the realm of rhetorical analysis. This study looks at gender-neutral clothing and its role in meaning making and self identification for women. With a rhetorical basis from Richards and Ogden, this research uses the feminist works of Brummett and Butler to uncover both the positive and negatives effects of gender-neutral clothing on a woman's self-identification and perceptions. Through the presentation of a diffuse narrative and evaluation of the same, gender-neutral clothing is read and decoded for meaning. This …

Sweetness And Strength: Codes Of Femininity And Body Image In Branded Social-Networking Messages And Consumer Responses, Anne M. Holcomb

Masters Theses

This study critically analyzes visual and text updates posted by two clothing brands to the social-networking site Facebook.com, including consumers' interaction with these marketing messages. A semiological textual analysis was conducted using Facebook updates by the Victoria's Secret PINK and Nike Women apparel brands, and the responses of fans who subscribed to these updates. Advertising aimed at women in print media has previously been analyzed in this way, revealing patterns of sexualization and objectification that can be harmful to women and men alike. My analysis builds on this tradition. Social-networking sites such as Facebook allow individual users unprecedented access to …

Hegemonic Peter?: A Critical Analysis Of Hegemonic Masculinity In Family Guy, Justin Danowski

Masters Theses

Hegemonic masculinity is a constantly evolving and highly nuanced theory. The original definition was designed to study the oppression males exert over females. Later definitions expanded on the original to include young, effeminate or gay men. In the realm of television, hegemonic masculine forces are perpetuated by not only male characters but marginalized groups as well. This creates gender stereotypes to be accepted and embraced as the norm in a culture. This project takes a critical look at the animated television comedy Family Guy and explains how hegemonic masculinity is portrayed throughout the episode "Family Gay". To accomplish this, the …

Discovering The Vision In Beth Moore's "Breaking Free" Message: Applying Bormann's Fantasy Theme Analysis To Evaluate The Message, April Nicole Pressley

Masters Theses

Beth Moore, Christian speaker and author, has become a prominent figure in Christian circles. She ministers to over a million people a year with her messages. Breaking Free is her "life message." This project analyzes 6 of 11 messages from Breaking Free. Using Bormann's Fantasy Theme Analysis, seven fantasies emerged from the messages, which yielded a rhetorical vision that describes what Beth Moore believes a woman should be like after hearing her message. After that analysis, the fantasies where compared to evangelical Christian doctrine. That analysis determined that Moore's underlying message is valid and acceptable to the Christian audience she …

Intersections Of Race, Identity, And Co-Cultural Practices: A Qualitative Content Analysis Of A 'White Black Woman', Tammy Lynn Jeffries

Masters Theses

Notes of a White Black Woman by Judy Scales-Trent (1995) was the text used for this analysis and offered insight to the process of identity development, and the co-cultural communication practices of an African American woman whom others mistake as European American-a 'White Black Woman.' The basis for this body of research was embedded in the premise that co-cultural communication practices are intrinsically linked to the normal communication of the White Black person's identity development negotiation process. The initial exploration of this study began with explaining Kich's (1992) bi-racial identity model from a mono-racial perspective allowing for new interpretations of …

An African American Cultural Critique Of Weight, Race, Gender And Class Using A Semiotic Analysis Of Queen Latifah’ S Film Roles, Angela Denise Prater

Masters Theses

This project examined the interconnectedness of race, gender, class and the physical body as interrelated marginalization factors in media representations. Using the feminist body image literature, critical/cultural theory and Black feminist thought this study examined the significance of weight as a marginalization variable interdependent with race, gender and class. The motion picture character portrayals of the iconic figure Queen Latifah are subjected to a semiotics analysis, a traditional method in critical cultural studies to examine media representations. This analysis is informed by the cultural standpoint of the author as an overweight African American female. This study revealed that Queen Latifah's …

Dialectics In Mother-Child Relationships Among First-Generation Asian Indian Women In The United States, Chitra Akkoor

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of Asian Indian immigrant women raising children in the U.S. as value contradictions between Asian Indian culture and U.S. culture. Relational dialectics in parent-child relationships among Asian Indian immigrant women and their children was also explored using the dialectcial perspective. Participants for the study were 20 Asian Indian women chosen randomly from the Kalamazoo-Battle Creek (MI) AI community who participated in one-one-interviews. Results of the study showed that participants experienced value contradictions in child-rearing. All four contradictions addressed in research on relational dialectics were also discovered in the context of …

The Changing Identity Of Feminism In The Third Wave: A Critical Analysis, Jillian Marie Klean

Masters Theses

This thesis examines three texts: Three Black Skirts, The Vagina Monologues, and The Art and Power of Being a Lady to discover the changing identities of women in the third wave movement of feminism. A rhetorical criticism is conducted of the images of feminism put forth by the texts to discover the identities that the authors are advocating and advancing for third wave feminists. This thesis argues that the multiple identities found in these texts are essential to the feminist movement. This thesis also explores the tension between individualism and community in the third wave.

Anger: In Black & White: A Meta Analysis, James Hazlewood

Masters Theses

The following research investigates whether black and white populations have divergent perceptions of anger and anger expressions in black and white males. A great deal of the research to follow concerns itself with exploring what anger is and how it is delineated. What becomes readily apparent is that anger is a complex component of human experience. There is general agreement that culture and environment are important components in anger expression. The purpose of this research is three fold: 1. Investigate the definition of anger. 2. Investigate whether black and white populations view anger differently and if so how, and 3. …

A Comparative Study Of Standard American English And Non-Standard American English Accents, Casey S. Gleason

Masters Theses

Through the birth and maturation of the American society, dominant cultures have developed and become the accepted norm of America. However, with the constant flow of immigrants entering America, a variety of cultures and languages entered, also. The English language has remained the dominant language, while Standard American English has remained the dominant accent. Those who do not display Standard American English (SAE) often fall victim to a lower level of speaker credibility than those who speak SAE. One's sex may also affect speaker credibility due to different communication styles. The affect one's combination of accent and sex has on …

Do Women Adapt More? The Gender Effects Of The Speaker On Classroom Speech Evaluations, Alethea Ann Bodden

Masters Theses

The presentational style of females and the connection with the audience members was examined. 95 male and female subjects gathered the results from five different sections of speech communication classes. The rating scale that was completed by the subjects contained traits such as, organization, language, material, delivery, analysis and voice. The results have indicated that the female presentational style does have more of a connection and adaptation with the audience than do males.

The Effects Of Presentational Mode And Gender On Rating Errors In Classroom Speech Evaluation, Nicole L. Turley

Masters Theses

There is extensive research on speech evaluation in the area of speech communication. This study explores the effects of presentational mode and gender on rating errors in speech evaluation. Subjects were students enrolled in an introductory speech course at Eastern Illinois University. After compiling 1072 speech evaluation sheets, a 2x2x3 factorial analysis of variance was conducted. Results concluded that raters in a pre-presentational mode will be more positively lenient than raters in a post-presentational mode and raters in a control group; female raters were more positively lenient than male raters in the traits of language, material, delivery, analysis, and voice; …

Mentoring Relationships Amongst Women In Public Relations, Kristen Kahles

Masters Theses

Mentoring is an old tool used to advance the education and/or careers of individuals that dates back to ancient Greece; it has recently reemerged in organizational and business settings. I examine mentoring relationships among women in the public relations profession. In this study my purpose is to determine how women are affected in a same sex mentoring relationship in the public relations field. One hundred surveys were distributed to female practitioners in the New York and Chicago areas. Thirty-five were returned, yielding a 35% response rate. In addition, six in depth interviews were conducted with six female public relations professionals …

Self-Disclosure Among Women In Similar Crisis Situations: Case Studies, Stephanie J. Butler

Masters Theses

Using volunteers who were single mothers of young children who were products of unplanned pregnancies in a non-marital situation, six interviews were conducted and disclosure and narrative communication patterns were observed. Each interview was videotaped and observations and comparisons were made about the subjects interviewed. Common themes identified included an overall willingness to discuss the father of the child, a correlation between the relationship with the father and the feelings felt toward the father, worries about money, the importance of talking to other people, a feeling that mother and child were a "package deal" in that if a man they …

Affinity-Seeking In The Classroom: A Study Of Differences In Instructor Gender And Status, Darin L. Garard

Masters Theses

Affinity-seeking is the process by which individuals attempt to get others to like them. The purpose of the present study was to analyze student perceptions of instructor use of affinity-seeking strategies as a function of instructor gender and status by replicating the research of Bell and Daly (1984) and Roach (1992). A pilot study was first conducted to determine if research in this area was indeed warranted; results were significantly positive to that effect. For the present study, research questions were developed to examine the differences between male and female instructor affinity-seeking, Graduate Teaching Assistant and faculty affinity-seeking, and to …

Viewer's Perception Of Local Television Anchors: A Gender Based Study, Mary Elizabeth Wagner

Masters Theses

A number of studies conducted by Lin (1992), Meeske (1992), Stone and Lee (1990), and Weinthal and O'Keefe (1984) have examined which variables are rated highest and most prominent by respondents toward television anchors. Professionalism, voice and speech, personal appeal, and attractiveness have been among the top rated variables, but they have never been researched within a single study. This study examines the above variables for local male and female television anchors and discovers which was rated the highest by male and female respondents. Significant findings within this study include male respondents perceive professionalism to be the highest rated variable …

Perceived Importance Of Selected Nonverbal Cues In An Initial Encounter, Loretta L. Richter

Masters Theses

This study attempts to identify nonverbal cues which individuals are aware of using in an initial encounter and to identify the importance of those cues. It also a d dresses possible differences between men and women in nonverbal cue importance and possible differences based on the sex of the participant’s partner. Sixty-two male and female undergraduate students enrolled in communication courses interacted with a stranger and completed questionnaires which pertained to their partner's nonverbal behaviors. Results showed that the most important nonverbal cue for all participants was the amount of eye contact; the least important was body shape. Cues found …

Sex Differences, Intimacy, And Attractiveness In Reported Self-Disclosure: Same-Sex Dyads Vs Opposite-Sex Dyads, Edmund Forst Jr.

Masters Theses

This study empirically examined the effects of sex (gender), intimacy, and attractiveness on reported self-disclosure. The results were supportive of the attractiveness, intimacy, and gender of the self-disclosee variables in their relationship to self-disclosure. Results failed to support hypotheses involving the gender of the self-discloser variable.

The independent variables used in the study were: (1) Gender¹ of the self-discloser (male-female), (2) Intimacy (intimate friend, acquaintance, and stranger), (3) Gender² of the self-disclosee (male-female), and physical attractiveness (Attractive or Unattractive). The dependent variable used was the amount of perceived self-disclosure. A 2x3x2x2 analysis of variance used to test each …

Variables That Affect Success In Debate, Karen S. Shelton

Masters Theses

This study examines the effect of the six traditional categories of debate evaluation on the A.F.A. Form C and Form W ballots upon win/loss and gender. It also examines the effect of nonperformance variables, such as proximity, gender of the debaters, and gender of the judge, upon the outcome of intercollegiate debates. The data were gathered from the Owen L. Coon Memorial Debate Tournament hosted by Northwestern University in February, 1983. In all, the data pool consisted of 42 debates. The data were submitted to analysis to the SAS computer program at Eastern Illinois University.

The results of the discriminant …

An Investigation Of The Instructional Communicator Style Expectations Of Nontraditional And Traditional Male And Female Undergraduate Students, Chryl Irvine Snyder

Masters Theses

Increasing numbers of nontraditional students, many of them women, are enrolling in college and university classes. The purpose of this study was to investigate the instructional communicator style expectations of nontraditional and traditional male and female undergraduate students. Students were asked to rate their own preferences on a variety of items designed to reflect instructional communicator styles. The researcher looked for differences in student expectations of their "ideal teachers" based on age and sex.

Nontraditional students rated the precise style of instructional communication higher than the traditional students who gave higher ratings to the friendly, open, dominant, and contentious styles. …

A Survey Of Sex Typing On Prime Time Television, Patricia Sue Henry

Masters Theses

According to former FCC Commissioner Nicholas Johnson, the average child will spend nearly 25,000 hours in front of a television before he or she is eighteen years old. With this fact in mind, I wondered what America's children learn from watching prime time television regarding sex-typing, or the characteristics which are considered appropriately masculine or feminine.

A review of related literature showed that critics in the early 70s pointed out that women portrayed on television were less numerous than men, less intelligent, brave, and adventuresome. In short, women were stereotyped as supportive underlings.

To find out if women fared any …