The Disney Company is an inescapable force in American life that is often detached from the stigma of big business and instead viewed as something particularly valuable, the United States’ foremost storyteller. In addition to the stories that the Disney Company
produces through its animated and live-action productions, there is...
Main Street USA in Southern California’s Disneyland theme park is often described as nostalgic. However, previous research on this subject has failed to identify what elements actually make Main Street USA nostalgic as well as determine why Disney uses this nostalgia to influence park guests. In order to respond to...
The purpose of this study is to analyze the rhetoric provided by New Orleans
Saints fans and residents from 2004 to 2007. During this time frame there are two
particularly significant events that influence a rhetorical change within the community
and a shift in the perception of the New Orleans...
In the Spring of 2001, the short documentary Fan Geeks was filmed. Fan
Geeks explores The X-files fan community, showing the fans in context to the
friendships and activities that express television as being part of their lives.
Using film to document fans' micro-situations, Fan Geeks allows for
audience analysis...
In an attempt to better understand documentary theory and production, I
created Bowling Together; a documentary recounting the experiences of one bowling
team and looking at the relationship between participation in bowling leagues and civil
society. This thesis provided me a first-hand experience at producing a documentary,
allowing me to...
How do digital games convey meaning? Academic studies of video games seem concerned
with creating discipline-specific new methodologies for examining the medium. From the
standpoint of the rhetorical critic, however, new forms of communication can still be
examined with traditional techniques. This paper analyzes the 2001 video game Tropico
using...