On January 2, 2016 a militia occupied the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon and captured national attention. The militia vowed to occupy until certain demands were met, and among these demands was a call for less federal control of land. While the occupation lasted 41 days, the militia remained...
Title IX's passage into law in 1972 set women’s sports on a course toward gender equity with men's sports at the scholastic and collegiate levels, leading to a definitive growth in women’s professional leagues, corresponding athlete salaries, and athletic marketing and promotional prospects. However, disparities currently exist in the availability...
The current debate over the possibility of visual argument is rooted in the idea that, to many, argument is strictly a verbal art of communication in which visual images do not apply. Others note a significant value that images have on argumentation and suggest that denying the scope of argument...
Pornography remains one of the most controversial topics in our culture. Politicians, religious groups, and special interest organizations tend to focus on the ‘effects’ pornography has on those who consume it, and fear that pornography is a threat to public health. The general discourse surrounding pornography is that men produce...
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...
The virtual reality (VR) experience War Remains created by Dan Carlin claims that it is an immersive memory in attempt to give its audience the “tiniest taste of” what-it-was-like to experience a WWI battle (Carlin, 2020). This claim aligns with the growing belief that VR can be the ultimate empathy...
Sexual assault in the military is prevalent, underestimated, and sadly overlooked. This is largely due to the inherent patriarchy and hegemonic masculine ideologies that set rigid power boundaries in the military. The roles of powerful and powerless are indoctrinated into Servicemembers from the first moment of training, and are reified...
The Nobel Peace Prize is the most globally significant prize for peace, humanitarian and human rights activities; the only customary requirement when receiving the prize is to give a lecture discussing peace. Existing literature describes the history and politics of the Nobel Peace Prize, but the rhetoric of the Nobel...
Modern technology has provided many new opportunities in medicine, one of which is improved learning through simulation. One of the newest incarnations of robotic simulation dolls is the Victoria S2200 produced by Gaumard scientific company. With the recent surge of technological advancement in simulation dolls there has been little research...
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...
The purpose of this thesis is to argue that LeBron James’ expressions of activism are, in many ways, perceived as insincere, hypocritical or disingenuous to his followers on the social media platform Twitter. Using the theoretical framework of Affect Theory and Plutchik’s wheel of emotions, a close reading was conducted...
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 2004 after Desperate Housewives premiered, it was met with significant criticism condemning the lack of values and morals on the show, depicted through the pervasiveness of sinful and illegal behavior (Olsen & Morgan, 2010). However, Olsen and Morgan contend that sinful and illegal behavior is accompanied with attempts at...
The perception that there exists a lack of leadership can be found throughout history. Currently, according to Robert Putnam, there does appear to be a decline is social capital. This research examines the connection between business leadership style and effects on social capital. Most research on corporate social responsibility focuses...
On April 28, 1981, President Reagan delivered his address on the Program for Economic Recovery before a joint session of Congress and the nation. It was the first major public appearance and speech of Reagan following his survival of the assassination attempt on March 30, 1981. The administration sought to...
This thesis covers the facing problem of maternity rights for professional female athletes. By examining the consciousness raising strategies of two professional track athletes, the critical consciousness theory was used to understand the importance of anti-oppressive thinking and anti-oppressive action. Major findings have shown that consciousness raising is a practical...
Scholars promote the ability of visual imagery to have a number of political campaigning benefits such as influencing opinions and attitudes and encouraging vibrant, striving democracy while improving the quality of public knowledge and opinion. However, previous research on this subject has failed to identify how presidential candidates display their...
American first ladies have long used the media to promote their image. Michelle Obama, the first lady of the @FLOTUS Twitter account, used this government controlled platform to communicate, campaign and bring attention to important White House events. Using Chang Wan Woo et al. rhetorical purpose(s), this study conducts a...
The impact that Andrew Tate has on his audience paired with the platform he holds has made Andrew Tate one of the most infamous names related to misogyny and “male empowerment”. His ability to connect to his audience and convince them of the superiority of his beliefs allows him to...
In his July 31, 1996 remarks on welfare reform, President Clinton signaled his intent to sign into law the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA), bipartisan legislation aimed at reforming federal welfare policy. During the press conference, Clinton framed welfare as necessary but ultimately temporary relief, stating its...
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...