Theses/Dissertations - Communication Studies
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The effects of COVID-19 on women’s work experiences and identity.
(2022-05-04)The purpose of this study is to explore working women’s response to the changes in their work-life balance practices as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Drawing on Weick’s (1995) sensemaking theory, this study focuses ... -
Information-seeking strategies for receiving consent : applying the Theory of Motivated Information Management to sexual relationships between college students.
(2022-04-28)Drawing from the Theory of Motivated Information Management (TMIM), this thesis applies the process of information seeking to consent utilization during casual sexual encounters between college students. The goal of this ... -
Personal narratives of gamers : sense of community, social identity, and social support of gaming communities.
(2022-04-21)Online communities play a significant part in an individual’s social wellbeing, so it is important to understand how these communities manifest positive change. The present study utilized qualitative semi-structured ... -
An examination of unsolicited support among veterans.
(2021-08-12)Social support is a topic that garners widespread research and extensive study among communication scholars. There are numerous positive benefits associated with solicited social support. On the other hand, opportunities ... -
Hyperstitional communication and the reactosphere : the rhetorical circulation of neoreactionary exit.
(2021-04-29)This thesis evaluates the communicative means through which neoreactionaries compose a broader alt-right reactosphere. By retrieving the concept of hyperstition from the archives of the Cybernetic Culture Research Unit—an ... -
The (Re)emergence of eco-fascism : white-nationalism, sacrifice, and proto-fascism in the circulation of digital rhetoric in the ecological far-right.
(2021-05-05)Environmentalism is no longer the sole domain of progressive and leftist politics. A recent uptick in violent outbursts by white nationalists espousing eco-fascist political beliefs indicates a troubling trend in environmental ... -
Sick and tired of being sick and tired : visual rhetorical practices of black feminist clapback.
(2021-05-07)This thesis analyzes the discursive practices of US Vice President Kamala Harris, US Representative Maxine Waters, and US Representative Ilhan Omar. It posits Black femme style as a productive way to analyze the rhetorical ... -
Red power in the age of Nixon : an analysis of the official memory of Native protest.
(2021-05-04)The Nixon administration is remembered for being one of the most progressive presidencies in history in terms of federal Native policy, and yet was still thoroughly colonial. One of the easily visible facets of its coloniality ... -
The role of identity negotiation in father involvement : Southern, evangelical, and professional identities' influence on father involvement.
(2021-05-05)Despite efforts advocating heterosexual marital equality in the United States, barriers to father involvement (FI) persist. In effort to identify the causes of this disparity, FI research frequently examines how various ... -
Inclusion in fandom : how Harry Potter fans rhetorically create representation.
(2021-05-03)Drawing on Jenkins’ concept of textual poachers, this thesis looks at how Harry Potter fans rhetorically invent representation by drawing on aspects of the original story and reinterpreting them in more inclusive ways. I ... -
Quareosonics : beyond respectable sonics in hip-hop/rap.
(2021-05-04)The notion that ‘Black life is not monolithic’ is a sentiment many Black queer folks would confirm. Black queer folks often inhabit a place of disownment from queer folks, Black folks, and even intricacies that occur within ... -
“Now what?” : understanding the organizational exit experience of nonprofit board members.
(2021-04-28)Organizational exit is an inevitable phenomenon that organization members experience. However, extant research disproportionately focuses on the onboarding process, which overshadows the exit process. Understanding exit ... -
Coping with COVID-19 : employee use of virtual communities.
(2021-05-01)The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of employee participation in virtual communities while coping with organizational change. The current coronavirus pandemic offers a unique and unprecedented context ... -
Democratic digital campaign strategies in the age of Trump : circulation theory, digital networks, and memes.
(2021-04-23)This thesis examines the varied digital campaign strategies of prominent, establishment Democratic politicians during the Trump administration. In order to counter the massive online presence of Donald Trump, establishment ... -
Working out disability : identification and workplace health promotions.
(2021-04-23)Using Scott, Corman, and Cheney’s structurational model of identification, and building on existing communication and disability scholarship, this study provides scholars and organizations with a deeper understanding of ... -
(In)effective communication strategies among church leadership : assessing the influence of communication channels on effective communication between church leadership and their members during the Coronavirus shutdown.
(2020-07-13)The Coronavirus shutdown forced many churches to move from in-person services to a purely online platform. The purpose of this study is to look into the communicative strategies that churches employed during the Coronavirus ... -
Helping or hurting : dismantling poverty stigma in nonprofit organizations’ strategic messaging.
(2020-07-19)Charitable nonprofit organizations are often described by their supporters as noble, servant-hearted, caring, accommodating, and considerate, thanks in part to strategic messaging that underscores the organizations’ emotional ... -
Sensemaking and identity : traditional narratives of university roles and recognition of faculty expertise.
(2020-04-07)The current study evaluated the narratives that affect faculty and university administrator perceptions of each other and how this understanding influenced opportunities for collaboration. This qualitative study examined ... -
Divine apologia : the image restoration discourse of Pope Francis and Pope Emeritus Benedict surrounding the historic Vatican sex abuse summit.
(2020-03-24)Crisis can threaten the legitimacy and viability of even the largest and most resilient of organizations. The discursive strategies that organizations employ to navigate and respond to the crisis, are key to their ultimate ... -
Rescinding the Civil Rights Movement : Nixon and Reagan's rhetorical racism.
(2020-04-09)In this thesis, I analyze the similar structures of the arguments used to justify the War on Drugs and the Southern Strategy. These two key policy platforms began in the Nixon era and continued through Ronald Reagan’s ...
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