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

Seminars In The City Update, Paisley Currah

Center for LGBTQ Studies (CLAGS)

Each semester, the Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies hosts a Seminar in the City, a series of monthly discussion meetings where nonacademic readers read major works in lesbian/gay/ bisexual/transgender and queer studies. This fall, Seminars in the City focused on the theme of transgender politics, reading texts by Kate Bornstein, Leslie Feinberg, and Riki Anne Wilchins.

Transcending Cultural Definitions: A Sense Of Peace, Susan Sanae Sakayori

MA TESOL Collection

Who am I? What am I? This paper is an attempt to tell a personal story of my struggle to answer these questions about my racial and cultural identity. As a Japanese American who has lived the first half of my life in the U.S. and the latter half in Japan, I found it increasingly difficult to find my place in either culture. I was faced with issues of ethnicity, cultural background and personal values that I didn’t realize were so important in understanding who I was. I have traveled down a road of discovery where I was given a …

Men's Gossip, Miguel Orlando Reid

Theses Digitization Project

This paper presents seven conversations of men from a variety of backgrounds, in a variety of environments. I analyze the discussions to determine if they can be characterized as typical gossip, and to compare their interaction styles to the men and women of past studies on gossip.

Nuestro Espacio Cyber: The Internet As Expressive Space For Latina/Os In The United States, Richard Pineda

Selected Works Temporary Series

The Latina/o community is in the midst of a major demographic shift upwards- Along with this population growth, there has been an explosion of Latina,/os across the spectrum of popular culture. However, lack of access to mass-media outlets and social constructions in mainstream society pose obstacles to Latina/o freedom of expression. Meanwhile, the Internet is evolving into a powerful platform for communication and freedom of speech- By developing a stronger Latina/o presence online, it may be possible to channel the power of the Internet as a vehicle for empowerment, expression and freedom of speech.

The Cherokee Phoenix And The Nation It Represents: A Rhetorical Analysis Of The Role Of Minority Press, Michele M. Brezinski

Honors Theses, 1963-2015

The Cherokees are among the most well-known Native American tribes in the United States today, largely because of their removal from Georgia along the Trail of Tears. Most American history books depict them as down-trodden victims, yet the Cherokees version of the pivotal events of 1831, as found in their newspaper, the Cherokee Phoenix, indicates otherwise. The rhetorical strategies used by Elias Boudinot, editor of the Phoenix, in his column suggest that the Cherokees were active players in their own fate. Through the use of contrasting images, irony and logos, and by discrediting the language of paternalism, Boudinot …

Overcoming The Dichotomy: Cultivating Standpoints In Organizations Through Research, Debbie S. Dougherty, Kathleen J. Krone

Department of Communication Studies: Faculty Publications

Feminist standpoint theories are seldom used by researchers. One possible reason is the ongoing debate between postmodern theorists and feminine standpoint theorists. The debate has been constructed in bipolar terms such that the issues are perceived as mutually exclusive. However, bipolar assumptions are damaging to women, both in general and in organizations. We contend that feminist standpoint theories should theorize similarities, material reality, and communal agency while being sensitive to differences, multiple realities, and individual agency. A study of academic women is used to illustrate how standpoints can develop around similarities while respecting differences. Using a creative narrative, participants’ organizational …

Main Issues Rural Women Experience With Information & Communication Technology, Teresa Maiolo

All other publications

This brief report will outline the main issues rural women encountered with information and communications technology. This information was derived from interviewing twenty-one rural women from the South West, Eastern Goldfields, Murchison, Gascoyne, and Kimberley regions of Western Australia.

The Influence Of Biological Sex, Age, Work History And Training On Perceptions Of Sexual Harassment, Julie Lynn Davis

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

This cross-sectional study investigates the perceptions of sexual harassment among 271 non-academic university personnel. The survey administered measured perceptions of sexual harassment using 17 dependent variables which assessed attitudes toward hostile work environment and quid pro quo sexual harassment. The study found that differences do exist in perceptions of sexual harassment based on biological sex of the respondents and the biological sex of the sexual harassment target. The study also found that there are significant positive correlations between perceptions of sexual harassment and the variables of age and number of years in the workforce. This study found no significant differences …

Romantic Relationships: Beliefs Reflected, Reinforced, And Created In Popular Song Lyrics And Musical Content, Heather J. Meierhofer

Honors Theses, 1963-2015

Language and music work together in popular songs to portray messages that help construct listeners' reality. As humans, we understand and interpret the world through the language and images provided for us in our symbolic universe. Mass media – particularly those forms that distribute popular music – help to create and reflect the ideologies, or common sets of beliefs, within a culture. Thus, popular music is an important artifact for examination. Popular music is a mass media form in which messages concerning romantic relationships abound. This study's examination of the Billboard top eight popular songs from 1990 to 1995 provides …

Women Managers And Gendered Values, Diane Kay Sloan, Kathleen J. Krone

Department of Communication Studies: Faculty Publications

In this study we interviewed 30 women managers to better understand ways in which they experience gendered values and behavior in organizational leadership and their responses to those experiences. The results, based on a constant comparison, thematic analysis, indicate the emergence of surprisingly strong and similar perceptions among the 30 women that there are distinct feminine and masculine power orientations in leadership communication with corresponding sets of gendered values: (a) open/closed and (b) supportive/intimidating. Their most common responses were: (a) rejection of masculine power, (b) self-doubt and blame, (c) competence, (d) confrontation, (e) isolation, and (f) resignation. These women judge …

Counter Culture: The Social Construction Of Beauty In A Cosmetic Department, Jodie Kollanda Ruggiero

Dissertations and Theses

Traditional female places, such as a cosmetic department, and the communication that occurs in such contexts are rarely taken seriously, and often considered insignificant (Spitzack & Carter, 1987). This study, however, revealed the significance of a cosmetic department by answering the following questions: 1) How is beauty socially constructed in a cosmetic department? 2) What are the messages women receive about beauty in a cosmetic department? 3) How are messages of beauty communicated in a cosmetic department? and 4) What meanings do women make of their experiences in the cosmetic department?

Data were collected through participant observation in a cosmetic …

Volume 28, Number 6, Post Amerikan

The Post Amerikan (1972-2004)

No abstract provided.

Volume 28, Number 5, Post Amerikan

The Post Amerikan (1972-2004)

No abstract provided.

Volume 28, Number 4, Post Amerikan

The Post Amerikan (1972-2004)

No abstract provided.

Without Closets, Without Shame: Conference Commemorates Latino/A Autobiography And Testimony, Oscar Montero, Elena Martínez, Ramón Rivera-Servera

Center for LGBTQ Studies (CLAGS)

Crossing Borders '99, the second CLAGS conference focusing on Latino/a queers, opened Thursday evening, March 11, with a Cabaret Night hosted by the "Songbird of Cuba," Carmelita Tropicana. The evening, subtitled "Sin closet/sin verguenza" ("Without Closets/Without Shame") featured, among others, Deyanira Bautista's Afro-Caribbean Drums, dancer Arthur Aviles with his nude flying body, and the sultry, seductive, Mexican drag chanteuse, Tito Vasconcelos.

Volume 28, Number 3, Post Amerikan

The Post Amerikan (1972-2004)

No abstract provided.

Turning Points In The Development Of Blended Families, Leslie A. Baxter, Dawn O. Braithwaite, John H. Nicholson

Department of Communication Studies: Faculty Publications

A modified retrospective interview technique (RIT) was employed with members of 53 blended families to determine the types of turning points they reported experiencing and the developmental trajectories of their respective blended family’s first 4 years. Findings revealed 15 primary types of turning points, of which “Changes in Household Configuration,” “Conflict,” “Holidays/Special Events,” “Quality Time,” and “Family Crisis” were the most frequent. A cluster analysis revealed five basic trajectories of development for the first 48 months of family development: Accelerated, Prolonged, Stagnating, Declining, and High-Amplitude Turbulent. The trajectories differed in the overall positive-to-negative valence ratio, the frequency of conflict related …

Another Look At The Portrayal Of Minorities And Women In Prime-Time Television, Tellisa Amos

Dissertations and Theses

This study updates a 10-year longitudinal study investigating TV's portrayal of minorities and women on prime time television. Prior studies focused on the types of roles held by performers. This study extends prior research, examining not only the types of roles held by performers, but also networks' preference for women and minorities and the genre that most often feature women and minorities.

Data were collected for a consecutive five-week period from February 19, 1997 to March 14,1997. From this sample 40 dramas and 115 situation comedies were recorded and coded. Programming was taken from shows that aired in the Pacific …

Volume 28, Number 2, Post Amerikan

The Post Amerikan (1972-2004)

No abstract provided.

Ua12/2/74 Lambda Times, Vol. 1, Issue 1, Lambda Society

Student Organizations

Newsletter created by and about the Lambda Society. Articles:

• Leffler, Matthew. Louisville's First Circuit Party Draws Hundreds
• James, Elizabeth. WKU Lambda to Host Faculty & Staff Dinner
• Lockhart, Shaun. Letter from the Editor
• Events Calendar
• Leffler, Matthew. President's Perception
• Leffler, Matthew. Louisville Passes Fairness Ordinance. What Happens Next?
• WKU Lambda Book Club Selection
• Take It from Dorothy
• Rice, LaVon. Radio Commercial Adds to Stereotypes about Gays & Lesbians
• ProCreatia. Brighter Stars
• Leffler, Matthew. Year In Review in May?
• Matthews, Bryce. Lambda Asked to Help in Panels

Volume 28, Number 1, Post Amerikan

The Post Amerikan (1972-2004)

No abstract provided.

A Study Of Gender Communication At Gc&Su, Erin White

The Corinthian

Studies have shown that within a three-month period, people interact with approximately 500 to 2500 others. Within that number, however, intimates are usually limiteq to three to seven people. Intimacy entails "high degrees of warmth and affection, trust, selfdisclosure, and commitment," according to Verderber and Verderber. lt is to this aspect of self-disclosure within the realm of intimacy that I decided to dedicate a study.

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.

Gendered Jokes: Humor As A Subversive Activity, Janet M. Bing

English Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Brain Sex: How The Media Report And Distort Brain Research, Janet M. Bing

English Faculty Publications

Testosterone gives men a particular advantage in that it is focusing and galvanizing a brain that is already, by its very structure, more focused than the female. Remember that the male brain is a tidier affair, each function in its special place . . . Biology, then, every bit as much as social conditioning, militates against a strongly feminine role in areas traditionally regarded as male preserves.

The Perceived Effects Of Cross-Cultural Interaction On Flight Crew Training Between Anglo-Australian Flight Instructors And Asian Students, Daniel Goh

Theses : Honours

The study investigated the perceived effects of cross-cultural interaction on ab-initio flight crew training between Anglo Australian flight instructors and Asian students. Students and instructors perceptions were sought as to whether they believed that cross-cultural interaction would impede learning. The sample included forty-eight students and nine instructors from two flying schools. Thirty-eight students were required to complete a 15 item survey and ten students and nine instructors participated in a semi-structured interview. The research identified four specific areas - language, studying and teaching methods, attitudes towards asking questions, and command decision making. Cross-cultural interaction was found to be an integral …

Protecting Communication Departments: Reflections On The Nebraska Experience, Ronald Lee, William J. Seiler

Department of Communication Studies: Faculty Publications

Eight years ago, in the first week of the 1991 fall semester, the Acting Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs announced a series of vertical budget cuts that included the elimination of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s department of Speech Communication (now Communication Studies). Over the next seven months the department fought against the proposed action. In March 1992, the Budget Reduction Review Committee voted against the Vice Chancellor’s recommendation. Later in the month, the Academic Planning Committee also voted to rescind the budget cutting measure.

These actions ended the battle and assured the continuation of the department. In an earlier …

Communication Of Social Support In Computer-Mediated Groups For People With Disabilities, Dawn O. Braithwaite, Vincent R. Waldron, Jerry Finn

Department of Communication Studies: Faculty Publications

This study documented the types and extent of social support messages exchanged by persons with disabilities who participated in a computer-based support group. A modified version of Cutrona and Suhr’s (1992) social support category system was used to code 1,472 support messages. The largest percentage of these messages offered emotional and informational support, whereas network support and tangible assistance were least frequently offered. It appeared that many of the support messages directly redressed limitations and challenges associated with disability-related mobility, socialization, and self-care. Results are discussed in terms of the generalizability of existing category systems for coding support to this …

Volume 27, Number 6, Post Amerikan

The Post Amerikan (1972-2004)

No abstract provided.

Making Managers Account For Diversity, Judith H. Katz, Roger Gans

Communication Faculty Publications - Archive

Overwhelmingly, people who work in organizations cite their managers as having the greatest influence both on the quality of their work and the quality of their work-life. Managers also exert tremendous influence over the success or failure of organizational change initiatives. This article suggests that organizational change efforts have greater chances for success when managers are held accountable for practicing and modeling the behaviors required of the change initiative. The article describes a model system of accountability enacted in a composite organization and the effects on employee retention, job satisfaction and customer-service quality.