Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Laugh Until It’S No Longer A Scandal: The Use Of Humorous Apologia To Reframe Crisis Narratives On Saturday Night Live, Vanessa S. Hills

Masters Theses

This thesis examines the role of humor-based apologia as a crisis communication strategy for celebrities. Using a rhetorical method, it explicates the role that humor plays in shaping crisis narratives in response to kategoria within the context of Saturday Night Live. Four case study analyses determine whether the generic parameters of apologia include the use of a humor-based apologia or whether humorous apologiae should be classified as a unique subgenre. These findings further the body of research on apologia and highlight the need for additional research on the effectiveness of humor as a crisis communication strategy.

The Jordanian Novel In Postmodern Context, Hamed Alalamat

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As the Jordanian culture is gradually impacted by the globalization process of late capitalism, this study argues that many Jordanian novels exhibit a number of postmodern characteristics, such as blurring boundaries and disrupting hierarchies, the use of pastiche as a compositional technique, formal fragmentation, and the weakness of utopian imagination. Adopting Fredric Jameson’s theory of postmodernism as a framework, the study explores ten Jordanian novels written between 1986 and 2016 to demonstrate that the modernization process and the cultural changes in the Arab world, in general, and in the Jordanian society, in particular, have increased the density of postmodern features …

Into The College Classroom, Another Tour Of Duty: A Guide For Instructors Of Veteran Students In Higher Education, Steven Dewalden

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Concepts found in organizational socialization and culturally responsive pedagogy, were used in this project. The focus was on the veteran population who are leaving the unique organizations of the military to transition into higher education. Differences in socialization techniques used by the military and higher education are vastly different and contribute to unique outcomes for the new members. In this project, veterans were represented as a unique culture to consider in the classrooms of higher education as instructors prepare to use a culturally responsive approach to teaching. This project was created using an autoethnographic process using self-reflection through a narrative …

Psychological Scene Gist And The Perception Of Sustainable Business Models Via Digital Media Audit, Shelby Hansen

Marketing Undergraduate Honors Theses

The technology space is giving rise to new business models that impact how we interact with companies, the causes we are interested in, and even our perception of how we process information. Within those contexts, I will be using the psychological concept of scene gist to explore the sustainable business model of clean beauty and investigate the technological ways that these companies interact with Gen Z consumers via social media. Gen Z consumers want to interact with companies who are socially responsible and who contribute to causes they believe in. The clean beauty trend is spearheading efforts to eliminate harmful …

Ua12/2/1 Graduation Guide, Wku Student Affairs

WKU Administration Documents

Special edition of the College Heights Herald, includes articles:

• Harden, Olivia. New Chapter, New Home
• Department of Communication Graduates
• Crisp, Hannah. Level Up Your LinkedIn
• Mahurin Honors College Graduates
• Worden, Kayla. Costs of Your New City
• School of Media Graduates
• Jones, Tea. Most Valuable Courses
• College of Health & Human Services Graduates
• Norvell, Abbey. Financial First Steps

Fake News, Epistemic Coverage And Trust, Shane Ryan

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

This article makes the case that a deficit or absence of trust in media sources to report on newsworthy items facilitates acceptance of fake news. The article begins by identifying the sort of fake news that is of interest for the purposes of this article. Epistemic coverage is then explained-in particular, how an individual's expectations about their epistemic environment can lead them to accepting or rejecting claims. The article explains that when an individual believes that mainstream media report on what is deemed newsworthy, it follows that an individual will have grounds to dismiss a newsworthy claim that has not …

A Study On The Impact Of Social Media Marketing In The Event Industry: Executing A Marketing Plan, Adrian N. Bradley

Human Nutrition and Hospitality Management Undergraduate Honors Theses

Marketing is a large part of growing one’s business or event. The objective of this study was to gain an understanding of how social media marketing increases brand loyalty, attendance, and engagement within current and potential guests over traditional event marketing methods. Through this study a data collection survey for the University of Arkansas’ Hospitality Management annual event Students Mastering the Art of Hospitality (SMASH) to gather information on the effectiveness of e social media marketing’s influence on their attendees. Unfortunately, due to a global pandemic SMASH was canceled and the researcher and honor’s committee thought it to be best …

The Impact Of Media Algorithms On The Habermassian Public Sphere And Discourse, Kendal Heavner

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Media algorithms are increasing in use among popular social networking sites (Geiger, 2009).Algorithms are used to sort a users’ social media feed based on relevance and interest rather than content publish time (Geiger, 2009). Widely accepted and recognized as influential in the media sector, algorithms create a highly personalized experience for the individual viewer. However, some scholars argue the specified curation of media based on a user’s personal preferences leads to a “filter bubble,” an online-based self-fulfilling prophecy in which users’ pre-existing opinions are continually reaffirmed. Because of this, this thesis will examine the intersection of algorithms and media theory. …

Climate Change Frames And Emotional Responses On Reddit, Isabel Iruani Villanueva

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Climate change remains a highly polarized topic in the United States. Research suggests that the divide in climate change beliefs is partly a result of news media’s representation of select aspects of the problem, or framing. Frames influence individuals’ attitudes, emotions, and behaviors towards climate change. Overwhelming representation of certain climate change frames has led to a lack of emotional connection to the issue, resulting in inaction or dismissal. Climate change researchers have investigated the presence and effects of frames on both news media and select social media sites, particularly Twitter. However, little research has investigated the climate change conversation …

Self-Deceive And Conquer: A Rhetoric Of Cunning, David Manuel Cajias

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this investigation is to determine the role that self-deception plays in helping demagogues deceive or manipulate their audiences while remaining unaccountable. I will examine the ways in which self-deception aids demagogues and other unethical rhetoricians compellingly present their deceptive belief systems. This is done in a way that their beliefs are only unconsciously known to be false, inaccurate, or incomplete. As this knowledge is subconsciously stored and concealed from the demagogue’s conscience, I will argue that self-deception is the missing piece in the puzzle that is demagoguery.

Demagogic rhetoric has recently experienced a revival due to the …

Digital Marketing And The Culture Industry: The Ethics Of Big Data, Jonathan Michael Bowman

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Instead of the steady march of the one percent growth in ecommerce as compared to total retail revenues in the last decade (to comprise about nine percent of the industry at the close of 2019), we have witnessed leaps now to over twenty percent in just the last year. Scott Galloway marks the pandemic as an accelerant not just of digital marketing posting a year of growth for each month of quarantine but as an accelerant of each major GAFA (Google, Amazon, Facebook, and Apple) firm from market dominance to total dominance (Galloway 2020). Viewing these trends from the standpoint …

Media’S Portrayal Of Women And Its Impact On Body Image And Self-Esteem, Hannah Bareis

Marketing Undergraduate Honors Theses

This project addresses the portrayal of women in media and its damaging effects on body image and self-esteem. It raises two critical questions: What negative impact is media creating on women? What can be done to combat these destructive effects?

According to a study done by Common Sense Media, "American teens use an average of 9 hours of media daily, not including for school and homework" (Common Sense Media, 2015). This data, along with many others, shows the severity of media exposure to teens. This has brought a valuable discussion to the table. How has this impacted female body image, …

Adderall Experience During The College Years: A Reflection Of First-Hand Experiences, Sarah Ross

Honors Projects in Communication

Illicit Adderall use has long been acknowledged by the media. Despite its acknowledgement, students are still facing the challenges that come with illicit Adderall. The objective of this study is to allow students to express their own thoughts and opinions regarding illicit Adderall use and to broaden the types of experiences that are being reported. Interviews were conducted with seven college-aged students from a small university in Rhode Island. Three females and four males, 100% identifying as white, were asked a series of semi-structured interview questions. Interviews were conducted anonymously and held via Zoom on a private, password-protected computer. Interviews …

How Risk-Related Statistics, As Reported In News And Social Media, Are Linked To The Use Of The Public Transit System, Prashiddhi Pokhrel

Thinking Matters Symposium

Due to the pandemic, people have started relying more on televisions, news, social media, and other news outlets for guidance. Moreover, with the increasing amount of news, data, and information there is also an increase in the amount of misleading statistics. People’s opinions and decisions significantly depend on the data, statistics, and information that they are exposed to, as well as their sources. For this project, we want to look at how information and its sources are affecting the decision made by the general public for the usage of the Portland Transit System. It is very important to know why …

The Impacts Of Social Media Sites Such As Instagram And Facebook On Emerging Adult’S Perceptions Of Self-Esteem And Body Satisfaction, Wynne Cushing, Samantha Shandorf, Courtney Piccirillo, Abby Frazier

Thinking Matters Symposium

This study investigated the impacts of social media use, specifically Facebook and Instagram, on emerging adults’ perceptions of self-esteem and body satisfaction. Limited research exists regarding the influence of demographic variables, such as gender, race, and geographic location, on the relationship between social media use and negative outcome variables. The researchers utilized a cross-sectional survey design with a target population of University of Southern Maine students. Researchers hypothesize that emerging adults who spend more time on Facebook and Instagram are more likely to have lower self-esteem and body satisfaction than emerging adults who spend little to no time on Facebook …

The Callan Academic And Athletic Expansion Breaks Ground, Mark D. Weinstein

News Releases

Cedarville University will break ground on the $8 million Callan academic and athletic expansion on Friday, April 30, at 11:30 a.m. This expansion, which is fully funded, is a part of the 10-Year campus master plan and is slated for completion in March 2022.

Alumni Stories: Jim, Darrell And Rob Potts During A Year Of Uncertainty, Ouachita Alumni Work To Ensure Their Business Stays On Top, Donna Hall, Ouachita News Bureau

Press Releases

Find a way. It’s a Potts family motto. And one they certainly needed for keeping retail stores open in a worldwide pandemic

Ouachita Communications & Media Students Recognized With Awards By Columbia Scholastic Press Association, Arkansas College Media Association, Abby Turner, Ouachita News Bureau

Press Releases

Ouachita Baptist University communications & media students have received five national Gold Circle Awards from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA) for the Ouachitonian yearbook and 39 state awards for the Ouachitonian, Signal newspaper and Ouachita Sports Digital Network from the Arkansas College Media Association (ACMA) as the spring 2021 semester comes to a close.

The national awards were announced last week by CSPA, located in New York City, with Certificates of Merit awarded to Ouachita students Ben Swanger for sports feature writing, Caroline Johnson for organization writing and Brooke Woessner for theme and concept, division page design and …

Ouachita's Beaumont And Fisher Only Arkansas Dietetics Students To Present At Posters On The Hill, Madison Cresswell

Press Releases

Ouachita Baptist University’s Jorie Beaumont and Cannon Fisher were the only nutrition & dietetics students selected to present their research at Posters on the Hill, an event where state legislators learn about current undergraduate research. They were among the 60 researchers who were selected from hundreds of applicants to participate in the virtual event, which was held April 27-28, 2021.

Impact Of Viewing Fatphobic Messages On Facebook In Generation X, Emily Gobi, Anna Biasin, Emily Baronfeld

Thinking Matters Symposium

Social media has been found to directly affect body image dissatisfaction (BID), which is defined as a discrepancy between how a person views their weight, shape and size, and what is indicated by objective measures (Silva et al., 2011). Previous studies on body image and social media have mostly been limited to women and girls (Ginsberg et al., 2015), and little research is available for individuals past early adulthood. The current study surveyed individuals from Generation X, defined as anyone born between 1965 and 1980. In addition, this study recruited participants from all genders, asking participants to self-identify as male, …

Regulatory Goldilocks: Finding The Just And Right Fit For Content Moderation On Social Platforms, Nina Brown

Texas A&M Law Review

Social media is a valuable tool that has allowed its users to connect and share ideas in unprecedented ways. But this ease of communication has also opened the door for rampant abuse. Indeed, social networks have become breeding grounds for hate speech, misinformation, terrorist activities, and other harmful content. The COVID-19 pandemic, growing civil unrest, and the polarization of American politics have exacerbated the toxicity in recent months and years.

Although social platforms engage in content moderation, the criteria for determining what constitutes harmful content is unclear to both their users and employees tasked with removing it. This lack of …

Medical Populism And Covid-19 Testing, Kristin Hedges, Gideon Lasco

Development Studies Faculty Publications

This paper uses the lens of medical populism to analyze the impact of biocommunicability on COVID-19 testing through a case study approach. The political efficacy of testing is traced through two mini-case studies: the Philippines and the United States. The case studies follow the approach of populism scholars in drawing from various sources that ‘render the populist style visible’ from the tweets and press releases of government officials to media reportage. Using the framework of medical populism, the case studies pay attention to the ways in which coronavirus testing figured in (1) simplification of the pandemic; (2) spectacularization of the …

Connecting Charities With Creatives: Bridging The Gap Between Local Nonprofit Organizations And University Of Mississippi Students, Natalie Pruitt

Honors Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to explore the need for marketing resources among North Mississippi nonprofit organizations and apply the findings to develop and launch a website based on primary and secondary research that connects local North Mississippi nonprofit organizations with University of Mississippi graphic design, marketing, bachelor of fine arts and integrated marketing communication (IMC) students seeking experience to complete various marketing and graphic design- related tasks and develop and implement an integrated marketing plan to promote and raise awareness for the website.

Nonprofits face the challenge of allocating funds from donations to create functional and creative communications …

A Tale Of Two Companies: The Importance Of Public Relations Amidst The Shift Towards Corporate Activism, Olivia Schwab

Honors Theses

By comparing the controversies that stemmed from Papa John’s John Schnatter and CrossFit’s Greg Glassman, some obvious public relations strategies stand out, including but not limited to understanding an audience, adapting to a changing environment, establishing a crisis communications plan, and taking controversial stands on issues close to the audience’s hearts. Most importantly though, if companies preach messages of social change, they must follow up on their stances with corrective action to do their best to help facilitate it in society.

While examining the history of corporate activism, it is clear why and how some corporations become the victims of …

Whose Expectation? Ideal Beauty And The Cultural Construction Of The American Woman, Ameliea Rose Dulaney

Honors Theses

My research project “Whose Expectation? Ideal Beauty and the Cultural Construction of the American Woman” explores the cultural and political climate of American society over the last four centuries, analyzing how ideal beauty standards have worked in the lives of American women over the years, examining (1) how they have been negotiated by women at different times of cultural and political flux, (2) how, although beauty has long been an integral aspect of feminine identity, it has become even more so with the introduction of new technologies (advertising, tv, makeup, etc.), and (3) how as a result, the definition of …

Controversy, Coverage And Cancel Culture: The Daily Mississippian's Reporting Of The 2018 Ed Meek Controversy, And Related Findings, Mason Thomas Scioneaux

Honors Theses

As this thesis reflects a body of work completed by a journalism student near the conclusion of a journalism education at the University of Mississippi, I approached research and writing in that way. I interviewed three people, for an hour each, and the things I learned in those interviews greatly affected the conclusions I reached with this thesis. My full transcripts from those interviews are located in Appendices A-C. I also did a lot of scouring through articles of The Daily Mississippian from fall 2018 and otherwise; I looked at every single edition of the paper from that semester, both …

Narrative Storytelling In Conjunction With Environmental Journalism, Abbey Edmonson

Honors Theses

This thesis explores the effectiveness of long-form narrative storytelling in relation to environmental journalism. It particularly focuses on effectively communicating the seriousness of climate change on a local level through narrative storytelling. The bulk of the information was gathered through multiple interviews with people experiencing the effects of climate change on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. By using interviews with local people interspersed with scientific data, I hope to be able to show the average reader that climate change is real and it can dangerously affect people on a local level, even in rural states like Mississippi.

Through my research, I …

Chimes: April 30, 2021, Calvin University

Chimes

Sexual assault exists at Calvin, so do the tools to find healing by Harm Venhuizen and Katherine Benedict

Ask an immunologist: Prof. Shen on five vaccine myths by Alex Raycroft

Chimes sits down with Calvin's new provost: Noah Toly by Juliana Knot

A "Calvin walk" through dating history by Ezra Craker

Professor on weekdays, feminist footballer on weekends by Lauren Vanden Bosch

Women's soccer victorious in spring edition of MIAA tournament by Ellington Smith

Swimming upstream: Calvin women reflect on fields dominated by men by Abigail Ham

A last word on what Calvin was, is and needs to be by …

Ouachita To Honor 364 Graduates May 8 At Cliff Harris Stadium, Rachel Gaddis, Ouachita News Bureau

Press Releases

Ouachita Baptist University will hold its 134^th Commencement honoring the class of 2021 on Saturday, May 8, at 9:30 a.m. in Cliff Harris Stadium on Ouachita’s campus. The ceremony will honor 364 graduates earning Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Fine Arts, Bachelor of Music, Bachelor of Music Education and Associate of Arts degrees, with seven students receiving Ouachita’s first ever post-baccalaureate certificates for dietetic internship.

The gates to Cliff Harris Stadium open at 8 a.m. for guests, and guests must have a ticket to enter. Guest seating will be limited to allow for physical distancing due …

S4e10: Are You Ready To Garden?, Ron Lisnet, Charlene Spindler Gray, Katherine Garland

The Maine Question

Springtime in Maine can mean turning on the heat in the morning and the air conditioner in the afternoon. Spring also is when people flock to vegetable gardens, patios, flower beds and orchards.

Gardening, which has been particularly popular during the pandemic, has a number of benefits — from reducing stress to increasing property values. In this semester’s final episode of “The Maine Question,” Charlene Gray, University of Maine lecturer in landscape in design, and Kate Garland, University of Maine Cooperative Extension horticulture professional, talk with host Ron Lisnet about all things gardening, including promoting bee populations.