Communication Studies Dissertations and Theses: Recent submissions
Now showing items 241-260 of 275
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Doing Ethos-Work: Exploring Group Ethos Among Indie Musicians
(University of Kansas, 2010-04-26)Utilizing the perspectives of Goffman, Aristotle and Burke this study investigated the concepts of ethos and group ethos in three case studies of indie music artists as discursive performances of character in action through ... -
Messages from the Battlefield: Relationships of Communication Between Deployed Citizen-Soldiers and Colleagues on Organizational Commitment
(University of Kansas, 2010-04-27)Organizational commitment, or the extent to which employees are psychologically attached to or involved in their organization, is important to overall organizational success. The strength of the attachment and the dominant ... -
Mediated Contact and Intergroup Relations: When Koreans Met Americans through U.S. TV Dramas
(University of Kansas, 2010-04-26)This study tested and compared two structural models (i.e., the mediated and the mediated and direct contact) for examining the relationships between the Korean young adults' (N = 288) consumption of American television ... -
Facework in Organizational Conflict: A Cross-Cultural Study Comparing Russians and Americans
(University of Kansas, 2010-04-27)The purpose of this study was to investigate facework during potential conflict situations at work across two national cultures. An online questionnaire was administered to 348 participants in Russia and the United States, ... -
SWEET LITTLE LIES: DECEPTION IN ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIPS
(University of Kansas, 2010-04-27)Undoubtedly, deception plays a complex role in romantic relationships. This study examines the use of deception in romantic relationships by utilizing 67 participants' responses to qualitative methodology whereby participants ... -
Public Office or Private Marriage? An Examination of the Influence of the Relationship of the President and First Lady
(University of Kansas, 2010-04-26)This study examined the impact of president and first lady interaction on presidential image, including competency, favorability and homophily. A pre-test and post-test design was used to examine the changes in participants' ... -
The Power of Christ Compelled Her: The Intersectional Identities and Cultural Logic of Bishop Alma B. White
(University of Kansas, 2010-04-23)In a culture inhospitable to women preachers, Alma Bridwell White not only became a successful preacher, but went on to become the first female bishop in the U.S. The leader of her own religious organization, the Pillar ... -
Developing Civic Education in the United States: A Case Study of Olathe, Kansas' Youth Congress Program
(University of Kansas, 2010-04-23)An informed and active citizenry is essential for a well-functioning democracy, and how we teach children citizenship has the potential to invigorate citizen engagement and responsibility. This research looks at a program ... -
Symbolic Gender Role Reversal and Touchstone Criticism: The Feminist Rhetoric of Gloria Steinem
(University of Kansas, 2009-12-18)The purpose of this thesis is to analyze a sampling of Gloria Steinem's feminist rhetoric by way of "If Men Could Menstruate" (1978/1983) and "What If Freud Were Phyllis?" (1994). I use a historical-descriptive methodology, ... -
Intergenerational and Peer Communication in the Workplace: An Analysis of Satisfaction and Dissatisfaction
(University of Kansas, 2009-12-04)This research used an on-line survey to examine intergenerational communication in the workplace. Respondents were 165 young, middle-aged, and older working adults randomly assigned to report on workplace communication ... -
Students' Perceptions of Instructor Credibility: Effects of Instructor Sex, Gender Role, and Communication Style
(University of Kansas, 2009-10-14)Instructor credibility, or the degree to which an instructor is perceived by his or her students to be competent, to have character, and to be caring, is one of the most important variables affecting teacher-student ... -
PORTRAYALS OF GRANDPARENTS AND GRANDPARENTING STYLES: A CASE STUDY OF FRIEND OF OLD COMRADES
(University of Kansas, 2009-12-08)This study employed content analysis to examine the portrayals of grandparents' images and their grandparenting roles in Laotongzhi Zhiyou (Friend of Old Comrades). With a current circulation of 480, 000, Friend of Old ... -
TEXTS OF EMPOWERMENT: A FUNCTIONAL RHETORICAL ANALYSIS OF MS. MAGAZINE IN THE FIRST FIVE YEARS
(University of Kansas, 2009-07-21)Ms. was the first mass mediated feminist magazine in the United States and has often been identified as an icon of the feminist movement. This study examines three rhetorical sites in the magazine during the first five ... -
Constructing the Message: The Influence of Differing Political Communication Styles of Voter Decision Making
(University of Kansas, 2009-04-28)Practitioner communication is commonly criticized for substituting emotion for policy, while deliberative communication is critiqued for removing emotion from reason altogether. This study proposes agonism as an attempt ... -
Japanese College Students' Exposure to Sexually Explicit Internet Material (SEIM) and Sexual Attitudes
(University of Kansas, 2009-05-04)This study examined Japanese college students' (N=476) use of sexually explicit material in mass media (i.e., print, electronic, and the Internet) and its association with their sexually permissive attitudes and perceptions ... -
Affinity Through Instant Messaging: An Exploration Of Initial Interactions
(University of Kansas, 2009-04-28)This thesis sought to extend work on relationship initiation in an online setting by examining the initial interaction of cross-sex dyads. Sixty male-female dyads interacted for 20 minutes with instructions to find out ... -
Organizational Identification and Volunteer Workers: A Study of Red Cross Disaster Volunteers
(University of Kansas, 2009-04-17)Abstract This study sought to identify factors that attract unpaid volunteers and influence them to continue in service as Red Cross disaster relief workers. An evaluation of current literature focusing on the relationship ... -
From Sexism to Feminism: Arguments of Definition in A Return to Modesty and Girls Gone Mild
(University of Kansas, 2009-014-2)In 1999, A Return to Modesty was published, wherein Wendy Shalit argued for sexism. Shalit's book received a fair amount of support and attention, yet also elicited some reviews which were extremely opposed to Shalit's ... -
SYMBOLS AND THE CONSTRUCTION OF VALUES: KENNETH BURKE AND (RE)VALUATION
(University of Kansas, 2008-08-28)I argue that a theory of symbolic value formation is implicit in the writings of Kenneth Burke. I analyze ten of Burke's major writings and use what Burke refers to as the ten key terms of moral and aesthetic valuation as ... -
What makes some campaigns more effective than others?: An analysis of three mass media PSI HIV/AIDS campaigns in Kenya.
(University of Kansas, 2008-12-15)This study included interviews with campaign planners at a major social marketing organization in Kenya and an examination of three comprehensive HIV/AIDS health campaigns produced by the planners. Thematic and qualitative ...