Speech and Rhetorical Studies Commons^™

The Declaration Of Sentiments: A Womanist Perspective, Emmalee Layton

Bound Away: The Liberty Journal of History

This paper examines the Declaration of Sentiments, an influential document in the creation of the early feminist movement, through a womanist lens. This paper aims to address whether the formulation of the Declaration of Sentiments had Black women’s liberation in mind, and how feminist movements must approach misogyny and racialization as co-constitutive in order to create liberatory strategies for Black women. This paper examines specific grievances that are outlined within the Declaration of Sentiments which are then put into historical context to signal whether the Declaration of Sentiments addresses the nuances of misogynoir and effectively strategizes for Black women’s liberation …

Book Review, Communication Wisdom: Insights On Communication Principles, Messages, And Relationships, Jack E. Rogers

National Forensic Journal

Edited by Philip M. Backlund, Steven A. Beebe, Ronald D. Gordan, and Sherwyn P. Morreale, Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group: New York and London, 2025, ISBN: 978-1-032-87681-8 (hardback); ISBN: 978-1-032-87676-4 (paperback); ISBN: 978-1-003-53389-4 (eBook).

Aligning Vision: Issues Facing Disability Accommodation In The Forensics Space, Ryan Corcoran

National Forensic Journal

No abstract provided.

Drawing The Circle: Framing Forensics As Educational Looping, Ben Walker

National Forensic Journal

In light of shrinking numbers on teams and at tournaments, Klosa (2008) called for more sustainable practices in forensics. Now with funding in higher education dwindling (Fenner, 2018), forensics needs to adapt to the changing landscape (Walker & Walker, 2024). This essay outlines how forensic coaches can align our co-curricular activity with a trending educational philosophy: looping.

Kindness As A Critical Lens: Ethical Considerations In Rhetorical Critique, A Adams, Emily Sauter

National Forensic Journal

In 2016 Brianna Kirkham stepped onto the stage to give a performance titled, “if ‘This Is Not A Rape’ isn’t a rape, then what is it?” based on the performance art of Emma Sulkowicz’s “This Is Not A Rape” video. Of over 100 entrants, Brianna Kirkham was named national champion for her performance in the final round. Kirkham instructs the viewer to “watch kindly” when viewing Sulkowicz’s video. However, this phrase is never defined. Instead, Kirkham interrogates herself and the audience. Are we, as participants within a competitive activity, watching kindly? Did she? By utilizing a performance that clearly alludes …

Introduction: Accessibility In Collegiate Forensics, E Meier, Justin Rudnick

National Forensic Journal

No abstract provided.

The Strengths Of Malleability, Annie Ward

National Forensic Journal

No abstract provided.

Looking Forensic Inaccessibility In The Eye: My Experiences As A Low Vision Competitor, E Meier

National Forensic Journal

No abstract provided.

Band-Aids And Bulldozers: Reimagining, Rebuilding, And Taking Responsibility For The Foundational Inaccessibility Of College Speech, Julie Walker

National Forensic Journal

No abstract provided.

Front Matter, Nfa Journal

National Forensic Journal

No abstract provided.

Cultivating Success: Exploring Mentorship In Collegiate Speech And Debate For Student Retention And Growth, Vanessa Fowler

National Forensic Journal

While many are drawn to forensics because of the allure of advocacy through public speaking and moving performances, there also exists the human element of forensics that continues to keep people involved and build life lasting relationships when the competition years are finished. Mentorship plays a distinctive role in the forensics community in the way coaches work to build their teams and for the students to have guides along their journeys whether they continue within the activity after their competitor years or not. This thesis delves into the pivotal role of mentorship within the collegiate speech and debate community, examining …

Nihilistic Violence Aesthetics In Public Online Communication, Heath Nicholas Landress

Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences

Public online communication has increasingly included violence-related content that is meme-based, ironic, visually stylized, multimodal, and only partially ideological. This comprehensive literature review synthesized research on online extremism, extremist memes, toxic multimodal content, dehumanizing digital communication, nihilistic violent extremism, warning behaviors, platform affordances, and youth-facing online environments. The purpose was to clarify what the literature had established; identify where the scholarship remained fragmented; and map research domains relevant to social, behavioral, public safety, and human services scholarship. The review used a structured, comprehensive literature review strategy supported by integrative synthesis procedures. The final corpus contained 34 scholarly sources, including 32 …

Speaking In Color: Code-Meshing Against Standard Language Ideology In The Public Speaking Classroom, Darrion A. Walker

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

Public speaking courses do more than teach presentation skills; they also teach students which voices count as credible. In Predominantly White Institutions (PWIs), instructional norms tied to standard language ideology position standardized English as the unmarked benchmark of professional communication. For students who speak African American Language (AAL) or other culturally informed language varieties, this creates a double bind: conform linguistically or risk being penalized for rhetorical authenticity. This reflective essay identifies the double bind as an underexamined problem in communication pedagogy and suggests that code-meshing—the intentional blending of multiple language varieties within a single communicative act—offers a more equitable, …

Ctamj Forum On Mshsl Activities: Speech, Kathleen Walker, Scott Voss, Tanner Sunderman, Rebecca Meyer-Larson

Communication and Theater Association of Minnesota Journal

The CTAM Journal seeks to raise up voices from notable interest groups. Occasionally, individuals are asked to share their thoughts on issues that pertain to the target readership of CTAMJ.

For this special forum, four coaches share their voices on Minnesota State High School Speech: Kathleen Walker (Fairmont), Scott Voss (Apple Valley), Tanner Sunderman (Mounds Park), and Rebecca Meyer-Larson (Moorhead).

The Chameleon Experience: Queer Identity, Mental Health, And Transformation, Cameron Penny

Communication and Theater Association of Minnesota Journal

In this autoethnographic piece, I examine the correlation between queer identity and mental health through reflective analysis of my own experiences within a Western socio-cultural setting. I expand external perspectives on the queer experience by highlighting the normalization of queer prejudice and its adverse impact on self-image. I share how the religious praxis of Catholicism enforces binary conformity by promoting dichotomous thinking that simultaneously constricts queer expression and subjugates implicit biases. In tandem, I utilize autoethnography as my medium because it provides a unique outlet to raise awareness for chronically stigmatized identities by centering marginalized voices (Atay, 2011; Chavez, 2013). …

State Of The World: Presidential Rhetoric At The United Nations, Jason A. Edwards, Zoe Hess Carney, Kory Hoyt

Communication and Theater Association of Minnesota Journal

In 1982, President Reagan spoke to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) for the first time. In doing so, Reagan established a presidential tradition that, we argue, created a new genre of presidential rhetoric. Like the State of the Union speech, presidents, in this address, outline their vision for U.S. foreign policy and global politics for the coming year. Specifically, presidents mediate on the history and values of the United Nations, assess the current state of global affairs, and offer policy recommendations to deal with those issues. Examining presidential rhetoric at the United Nations offers a heuristic to understand U.S. …

Dialogic Communication Ethics As A Hopeful Response To Artificial Intelligence, Kristen Haldeman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Within the past five years, a new technology has dominated modern culture: artificial intelligence. With a multiplicity of ways to respond to this new environment, this dissertation situates a response to artificial intelligence by combining the media ecology and communication ethics perspectives. Media ecology explores historical roots and biases of technology to learn about their influence of humanity. A dialogic communication ethics seeks to find an opening for hope to emerge. Hope, grounded in the works of Jacques Ellul and the Christian tradition, offers a new rhetorical perspective by shifting focus away from technology and to our neighbor.

The Rhetoric Of Flattery: Embodiment And Persuasion In Papal Discourse, Gabrielle Wilkosz

All Dissertations

What makes flattery so persuasive? An analysis of three speeches from contemporary popes, preeminent leaders in the Catholic Church, finds strategic use of compliments, emotional language, and ideas about human dignity. These approaches can persuade world leaders and institutions such as the United Nations and the United States Congress to act morally and responsibly. Flattery can encourage ethical action and reduce the feeling of emergency, creating an enduring, complex dynamic of power that is seen at many levels of narrative.

Empirical Rhetorical Modeling: New Analytical Tools To Evaluate The Intensity Of Rhetoric, August Immel

English Theses & Dissertations

Since 2020, the United States has experienced a surge of incendiary rhetoric in contemporary political discourse, which exacerbates societal polarization and incites violence as evidenced by heightened politically motivated attacks. Numerous actors characterize the impetus of such violence as “extreme rhetoric.” No standard definition exists for such a term, and this gap necessitates the central research question of this dissertation, which interrogates how rhetoric can be systematically evaluated for “extremeness.” I propose that the issue of extreme rhetoric can be fruitfully examined from within the context of rhetorical theory, but instead of attempting to create a new definition of “extreme …

Phenomenological Analysis Of Trust In Science For The Design Of Ai-Based Health And Social Policies, Kochav Koren

All Duquesne Faculty Scholarship

The promises of artificial intelligence (AI) as a solution to challenges facing health systems increasingly link technological innovation with improvements in efficiency and access. However, the legitimacy of AI-supported health policies depends not only on scientific competence but also on public trust in scientific institutions. Using data from the international Trust in Science Project (71,922 respondents across 68 countries), this study analyses multidimensional trust and communication ecologies to reconstruct relational configurations of trust, termed ‘Figures of Relevance’. Findings reveal that whilst scientific competence is widely recognised, perceptions of institutional openness vary markedly, shaping heterogeneity in trust. The study identifies four …