School of Communication and Multimedia Studies

This thesis examines the rise of image culture in the 1920’s and its impact on
American national identity. I demonstrate that, perhaps surprisingly, the central figure in
these debates was not a past or present prominent American but instead an indeterminate
Other which is read in ambivalent ways and for varied purposes. It is the central claim of
this project that in order to trace the modern American subject that emerges from the
1920s national rift, one must attend to the ways in which a felt need to view and position
oneself in relation to “the Other” was essential to defining the nature and future of the
nation. More specifically, I argue that the film Grass: A Nation’s Battle for Life (1925)
offers a solution to this national divide by providing viewers a popular culture form of
“evidence” of the Westerner’s capacity to exhibit both premodern and modern qualities.

Throughout America’s history the call for laborers has been filled by influxes of
immigrants. Coinciding with the arrival of the first non-Anglo Saxon immigrants were
negative attitudes about them, as they were deemed inferior and classified as lowerranking
“others” by the dominant culture that needed them. Thus, the cycle of need and
resentment was born to be repeated throughout the Nation’s history.
In the first half of the twentieth century a shift occurred in American public
perception of, and attitudes towards, immigrant groups including eastern European Jews,
Italians and the Irish among others. This shift was marked primarily in terms of race:
Some immigrants went from being considered black to white -- from illegitimate to
legitimate by the dominant culture. One reason for the increased acceptance of these
ethnic groups was a concerted campaign sponsored by the United States Government to
promote an extended identity to groups that had previously been excluded from the mainstream. In particular, the goal was to create a sense of nationalism, or
“Americanism,” among diasporic immigrant groups, thus encouraging their participation
in the war effort. The result of such campaigns was a re-imaging of ethnic groups
previously classified as non-white and a path to perceived whiteness, and thus inclusion,
for them. These campaigns, formulated by the Office of War Information and executed
largely by the War Advertising Council, led to a marked increase in acceptance for
immigrant groups by the dominant culture. By examining social messages through visual cultural artifacts this study explores notions about race, ethnicity, whiteness and the role of communication theory and practices in constructing (imaging) an identity of otherness.” This study delineates the historical formation and subsequent partial de-construction (re-imaging) of negative depictions and some stereotypes of ethnic Americans.
This research explores the sources of these attitudes and behaviors and how
misconceptions, misrepresentations and centuries-old stereotypes of non-Anglo ethnic
Americans have been fluid through changing social perceptions fueled, in part, by
government interventions.

Recently, many researchers have been interested in how videogames can
influence the attitude and behavior of children. It has also been questioned if videogames
can be a useful teaching tool in the classroom. There are many games that have been
created to teach traditional school subjects such as Math and English. But what about
creating games to teach about current environmental issues? The goal of my thesis
project is to create an educational advocacy game for smartphone devices that will
educate children about the effects of overfishing on marine life and how it can negatively
affect coastal communities in the Caribbean.

Video games are one of the most powerful interactive media forms. As an
independent game developer in the discipline of communication I wanted to create a
video game by myself as opposed to working in a team environment. I wanted to explore the vocabularies of a new approach to game narrative informed by
theories of the cyborg identity. My characters exhibit many facets of the cyborg identity,
which enriches the narrative structure of my game. In addition this paper also explores
the deep interplay between the game's player and the game's programming.
notion of the anti-narrative applies to video games in similar fashion as webpages and databases. The ability to arrange collections in arbitrary order invokes the
anti-narrative nature of video games. In addition to documenting the development of my
project, both facets have enriched my approach to video game design. The future
development of this project will provide fruitful insight into contemporary gameplay and
design.

This study analyzes the programming, narrative structure and scheduling of Spike TV to reveal how this "first network for men" continues to support hegemonic masculinity through a strategy of gendered narrowcasting. Such representations mediate a crisis in masculinity by glorifying action-oriented males and, therefore, marginalize intellectual representations. The study suggests that such hegemonically masculine representations are contributing to the academic struggles currently plaguing young males in our culture.

Structural hierarchies are deeply embedded in institutions such as our educational system. It can be argued that this type of model reinforces an aggressive worldview and fosters an atmosphere of violence. Teaching students to communicate compassionately should promote empathy, discourage verbal aggression and reinforce a more peaceful worldview. To accomplish this, educators need a means of replacing hegemony that assumes hierarchy and aggressive conflict are inevitable. Marshall Rosenberg's (2001) Nonviolent Communication (NVC) may provide educators with an appropriate tool. Rosenberg's model counters the prevailing hegemony making it an ideal candidate to explore in relation to these issues. This paper examines the impact of adding an NVC workshop to two types of communication courses and whether Rosenberg's model would be a useful addition to a college curriculum.

Images of beauty are social constructs that exist in historical contexts and are subject to change. A correlation may be made between social inequality and how images of beauty are used to maintain the status quo. Mode Magazine is an unique fashion magazine that depicts women of different sizes. This thesis examines how "realistically sized" images of women are represented, and whether representation challenges beauty hegemony. It critically examines both visual and non-visual textual representations using Hall's encoding/decoding model to discern potential meanings. It evaluates advertisements and articles for how women are interpellated by the text. It concludes by asserting that although counter-hegemonic elements are present, Mode's message is hegemonic. Mode posits that women can be realistically-sized and beautiful as long as they participate in all other aspects of beauty consumption and culture by purchasing the products and fashions showcased in the magazine.

The British Broadcasting Corporation is generally considered a reliable source for international news. Their web site includes a Northern Ireland news page, which provides daily coverage of the province including extensive information on the ongoing peace process. This study examines the online coverage of the Northern Ireland conflict in the year 2000. Through a textual analysis of 21 articles, an ideological critique of the BBC's rhetoric is provided. To reveal the ideological perspective of the BBC Online, the verbal text used in each article is carefully analyzed, the sources consulted are examined in terms of representation, and the images that accompany the article are studied to determine if the images match the stories or simply cater to browsers. The findings show that despite their promise of impartiality, the BBC presents a view of the Northern Ireland conflict that leans toward a unionist perspective.

Clinton's success in engendering loyalty in the African-American, despite his failure to deliver socio-economic and political benefits, presents us with an apparent paradox. The contention is that the answer to this paradox could be found in the rhetorical style and strategies habitually employed by Clinton when speaking to African-Americans. What Clinton said to black America is important, but how he said it, is even more so. Through a critical examination of his eight speeches to the Congressional Black Caucus' Annual Dinner, using rhetorical theory, this research examines how Clinton said what he said. In utilizing the critical approach that examines stylistic techniques, it analyzes his rhetorical strategies within the framework of what I term a "rhetoric of inclusion." This concept embraces six rhetorical strategies that enhance identification and authority. Scanned through the prism of these strategies, the research shows that Clinton's rhetoric provided him with a distinct voice that was very effective in ensuring the loyalty of the Congressional Black Caucus.

Nine journal articles were analyzed in order to understand gendered composition and what makes writing an article feminine and what makes it masculine. The journals reviewed were Communication Monographs, Communication Theory, Critical Studies in Mass Communication, Human Communication Research, Quarterly Journal of Speech, and Women Studies in Communication. Categories were compiled to include the characteristics of a feminine style in feminist research, and a masculine style in traditional research. This analysis takes a rhetorical approach in order to address a more gender diverse perspective in research. As a result of many published articles reflecting a theme of a "dominant masculinist paradigm" in the publication process, this study examines some of the reasons why feminist scholarship in communication struggles for acceptance.