Tag: COMM

Gabriel Fatooh

Pentadic Criticism of Tim Tebow’s “Live a Life of Significance | Live for Jesus”

Tim Tebow uses the story of Kevin Carter’s Pulitzer award winning photo to highlight his point that being successful is not as fulfilling as living a life of significance. I analyze his speech using Kenneth Burke’s “Pentadic Criticism” method, which requires critics to first identify the act, agent, agency, purpose, and scene of a rhetoric and determine which of the five elements outweighs the others using a pentadic ratio. In my criticism, I argue that purpose outweighs all of the other pentadic elements on the basis that Kevin Carter blatantly ignored the cry of human suffering for the success of his career.

COMM 441, Rhetorical Criticism

Doyle Srader

Bucher Room

10 AM – Noon

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Gabriel Fatooh

Electronic Signage Project Analysis Using the “Functional Perspective of Group Decision Making”

My initial project plan was to compare two different advertising routes for Bushnell campus life events. The first route was through the campus bulletin, poster board, and chapel announcements. The second route was through three on campus flatscreen television screen acting as electronic signage. I was to then record the attendance of three categories of on campus events. I was to record attendance twice for each of the three categories for a total of six events. The first recording of each category was to be after the first route of advertising. The second recording of each category was to be after the second route of advertising. At each event students were to be asked to fill out a survey that recorded how they found out about the event.

My initial project broke down during its’ decision-making process. Therefore, my project will consist of an analysis of my initial project’s breakdown in alignment with Hirokawa and Gouran’s “Functional Perspective of Group Decision Making.” I will also consider research done on student affairs professionals and their workload.

COMM 499, Senior Capstone

Doyle Srader

R100

2 – 2:30 PM

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Spencer Hoffman

Comparing the Effectiveness of Persuasive Appeals for Struggling Athletes 

There are a significant number of persuasive appeals that coaches, professors, and academic support staff employ to encourage athletes to seek help when they are struggling with their coursework. A study conducted compares the effectiveness of three different categories of those kinds of appeals: fear, the injunctive norm, and cognitive dissonance. Student-athletes were asked to view and rate appeals designed to fit these categories with the goal of encouraging them to ask for help early when academic issues surface. This presentation will cover the results of the study, as well as the procedure, an overview of previous research associated with this topic, and finally some suggestions that can hopefully be of service to those who are in a position to help struggling student-athletes in the future. 

COMM 499, Senior Capstone

Doyle Srader

R100

2:30 – 3 PM

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John Stephens

National Eulogy

In 1999 President Clinton gave a speech at Columbine High School addressing the mass Shooting and in doing so created a new Genre called National School Shooting Eulogies. Generic criticism attempts to sort types of speeches into categories in order to either give them new meaning and find what is interesting about them or just organize ideas. Generic descriptions asks if this is a new species, what the style and substance is, and what the organizing principle is. Clinton specifically addresses the people of Columbine  since he is at the high school which is what was unique about this speech at the time. However he also speaks o the entirety of the United States as it is televised. His speech patterns are then more empathetic and personable for these specific small town people. The substance of his speech was story telling that empowers people and he also provides solutions through politics when he says “You have provoked Hillary and me and the Vice President and Mrs. Gore to reach out across America to launch a national grass-roots campaign against violence directed against young people. You can be a part of that”. The organizing principle is leadership and caring. This tactic has been used to rally much of the nation together but what is required in a tragedy in order for a president to visit the town to give a speech? Is it the terror or the political climate?

COMM 441, Rhetorical Criticism

Doyle Srader

Bucher Room

10 AM – Noon

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Christina Baker

Boomer generation and Gen Z Non-Verbal Communication

Younger generations see that elders need help, they adapt certain behaviors towards them. These behaviors end up sending the wrong messages to the elders. Therefore, the elders feel disrespected, and dismissed. Learners will learn how to recognize and adapt in a positive way. They will learn to redirect in a supportive and helpful manner. Help elders become empowered, secure, and loved. 

COMM 430, Nonverbal Communication

Doyle Srader

Womack 100

3 – 3:30 PM

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Grayson Bolaños & Spencer Hoffman

2023 Bushnell debate championship

Topic: Jesus was not all-knowing.

Affirmative: Grayson Bolaños

Negative: Spencer Hoffman

The winner will be decided by audience vote, and will be crowned the 2023 Bushnell debate champion.

COMM 325, Argumentation and Debate

Doyle Srader

L203 (click here to view the live stream)

10 – 11 AM

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Chase Dean

Listening Project

Guy Itzchakov defines high quality listening as listening that offers empathy, interest-taking, and unconditional regard.

Bushnell University traditional undergraduates are emerging adults. Monisha Pasupathi’s research shows that high quality listening helps emerging adults become more confident in their adult decisions through emerging adulthood.

What I sought to do is provide a space in the community to discuss what it takes to practice high quality listening and how easy it can be. During a gathering of Bushnell students at chapel I explained the elements of high quality listening and in one gathering we practiced high quality listening.

I then asked students throughout the next 3 weeks to practice the skills to develop comfortability in high quality listening. Once they had practiced this level of high quality listening they were to put stickers on a poster board in Womack Hall as a checkmark of their practice. I sought to get 30 stickers on this poster

After the 3 weeks had passed we had a total of 15 stickers on the poster board

COMM 499, Senior Capstone

Doyle Srader

Richardson 100

11 – 11:30 AM

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Gabe Fatooh

Nonverbal Environmental Cues in Transitional Facilities for the Unhoused

Nonverbal environmental cues play major roles in communicating messages but often slide by unnoticed. This training includes takeaways for participants regarding space size, space density, space noise, space focal points, and space lighting. Participants may apply this information at their transitional facilities for the unhoused.

COMM 430, Nonverbal Communication

Doyle Srader

Womack 100

2:30 – 3 PM

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Spencer Hoffman

Nonverbals and Sales: Decoding, Encoding, and Charisma

Nonverbal communication plays an extremely significant role during sales encounters. Learners will learn how to decode nonverbal signals from a salesperson’s perspective. They will also practice different techniques on how to encode their own nonverbal behaviors to come across as more charismatic to future clients.

COMM 430, Nonverbal Communication

Doyle Srader

Womack 100

3:30 – 4 PM

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Bethany Taylor

Crucial communication strategies between caregivers and children post-pandemic

Abstract- Studies suggest the COVID-19 pandemic had a major impact on youth ages 6 – 14 and their behaviors and skills, including communication skills. As a result of my passion for working with youth, I found this topic both intriguing and critically important to their future success. The objectives of my capstone is to inform parents and guardians of the various intervention methods and opportunities to utilize with young people to enhance their skills and confidence when communicating. Guided by research, I plan to recommend opportunities for parents and guardians to foster better communication at home by giving them easy tools to incorporate with the young people in their home on a daily basis. My capstone project includes a curriculum that will be shown to parents during a dedicated “Parents/Guardian Resource Night” as well as a take-home resource packet.

COMM499- Senior Capstone

Kelsey Rychener

1pm – P003

Kalina Mae Rojas

How attachment style formed during adolescence impacts communication strategies, behavioral patterns and well-being in adulthood

Research suggests that attachment styles are sensitive systems which develop during adolescence, and the attachment styles we form as infants directly impact the way we navigate relationships and communication in adulthood. My presentation will first review and synthesize key studies related to attachment theory that have been collected through my communication courses at Bushnell University as well as my own research. I will then seek to explain the different attachment theories that can form, along with the long-lasting impacts of these styles specific to interpersonal communication strategies, behavioral patterns, and well-being.

COMM 499 – Senior Capstone

Kelsey Rychner

1:30pm – P003

Mason Delamarter

A deep dive of major communication trends throughout the last 15 years

Communication is foundational to what makes us human, and yet, communication has evolved and changed drastically throughout time. My research looks specifically at communication trends throughout the last 15 years (2008-2023), focusing on the emergence of smartphones as a primary tool of communication, the rise of social media and its global impact on communication, as well as the more recent impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on present communication. My presentation will include a comparison of these impacts, both those perceived as positive and others as negative.

COMM499- Senior Capstone

Kelsay Rychener

2pm – P003

Taylor Bryant

Mindfulness and the Modern Dilemma: Exploring the Use of Mindfulness as a Means of Individual and Interpersonal Well-being

Research has suggested many benefits of mindfulness on individual and interpersonal health. My presentation will include an introduction that explains the modern dilemma of mental illness and social dysfunction, a review of literature that investigates the effects of mindfulness on health, and a personal account of my self-experiment that included implementing mindfulness practices into my daily life and conducting interviews with individuals who specialize in mindfulness practices. The purpose of this presentation is to make the case that humanity is in desperate need of a wellness revolution, and mindfulness is a powerful tool in that pursuit. Furthermore, my intention is to provide personal experience to encourage others firsthand that practicing mindfulness is not only beneficial, but transformative.

COMM499- Senior Capstone

Kelsay Rychener

1pm – P103

Jasmine Aguilar

Rising from Rags to Riches

Maya Angelou’s “Still I Rise” poem is a piece of literature that has continued to be loved and recited by many despite being written in 1978. Metaphor criticism will be used to study how Maya Angelou used metaphors to convey her message. The metaphors in her poem were put into groups, which are nature, history, violence against her person, and expansive descriptions of herself. Speaking to people who held racial hatred in their hearts, Maya Angelou used these metaphors to confront their vision of themselves being rich and powerful by describing herself as rich with the gifts from her ancestors. Keywords: Maya Angelou, metaphors, rhetorical criticism

COMM 441, Rhetorical Criticism

Doyle Srader

L203

10 AM – Noon

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Jasmine Aguilar

A Campaign Gone Global

Student interest in study abroad is on a continuous rise, however the number of participating Bushnell students have gone down. To resolve this, a public relations campaign plan was specifically designed for the Bushnell Global Programs. The planning model used in the campaign plan was the R.O.S.T.I.R model, which stands for research, objectives, strategies, implementation, and reporting. Research was conducted by using peer-reviewed articles, textbooks, and comparing other universities’ programs. This information gathered was put into the campaign plan to support decisions made. The campaign plan is to be used by the faculty advisor of Bushnell’s Global Programs and the student global ambassadors as a yearlong plan and tool to promote the program and increase participation rates. At the end of the campaign plan, the faculty advisor and student global ambassadors can reflect on whether objectives were met and can continue to utilize the plan in the following years. Keywords: global programs, study abroad, public relations, campaign plan

COMM 499, Senior Capstone

Doyle Srader and Kelsay Rychener

PFB 003

2:30 – 3 PM

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Taylor Bryant & Kylie Greenough

Engaging in Mindfulness During Conflict

This paper surveys literature pertaining to conflict and mindfulness as separate topics, as well as gives an overview of our study. This paper additionally includes preliminary results of the study that disproved our hypothesis stating that those who engage in the practice of interpersonal mindfulness will be more likely to achieve integrative outcomes during a conflict. The paper concludes by offering discussion for how these results are significant within the communications field and their application to our relationships. Furthermore, this paper is finalized by stating the limitations of this study and gives suggestions for how this study could be improved upon replication.

COMM 413, Advanced Interpersonal Communication

Doyle Srader

L203

10 AM – Noon

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Taylor Bryant, Chase Dean & Jacob Lilley

Loss Framed Persuasion in Registering for Classes

Through many experiences around Bushnell University’s campus a group of students sought to solve a problem that occurred. Many students weren’t registering for classes on time and this gave the Academic advisors some headache. So our collective team decided to step in and use different persuasion techniques to convince the student body that registering on time was important. The study that occurred was loss frame phrases and other means to see if this technique in this context would result in more students registering. Dean, Lilley and Bryant found that the data didn’t support this hypothesis.

COMM 450, Persuasion

L203

10 AM – Noon

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Chase Dean & Meagan Mollahan

The Effects of Willingness to Admit Wrongness on Romantic Partners’ Conflict Styles

Does humility and willingness to admit wrongness correlate with specific conflict styles between romantic partners? Researchers hypothesized that an individual’s high willingness to admit wrongness may have been correlated with the compromise, separation, and/or submission conflict styles. Researchers also hypothesized that an individual’s low willingness to admit wrongness may have been correlated with the domination, avoidance, and/or interactional reactivity conflict styles. The Norris Rotation was used to recruit participants. Participants were given the Willingness to Admit Wrongness scale, as well as the Romantic Partner Conflict Scale. Researchers found very weak correlations among admitting wrongness and each conflict style.

COMM 413, Advanced Interpersonal Communication

Doyle Srader

L203

10 AM – Noon

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Carina Haas

How can we be more connected within the church?

The student was interested in creating an event on how people can feel more connected within the church. An event was created at One Love Church where people can learn more about communication and have a time of getting to know one another and connect with one another.

COMM 499, Senior Capstone

Doyle Srader

PFB 003

2 – 2:30 PM

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Carina Haas & Bethany Taylor

Are Mindful People More Loving and Kind?

Is mindfulness correlated with loving-kindness and compassion? Researchers used the Norris Rotation to recruit participants. Participants used the Loving-Kindness Compassion Scale and Mindfulness Scale. The researchers discovered that there is a moderately positive correlation between the two factors.

COMM 413, Advanced Interpersonal Communication

Doyle Srader

L203

10 AM – Noon

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Priscilla Kennedy & Anthony Wurst

Start The Day In Prayer

TBA – pending team conference. Sketchbook:

If you have been to a Tuesday Chapel Service, chances are you saw our team making an announcement encouraging the student body to start the day in prayer. If not that, hopefully you saw some of our signs on the bulletin boards around campus. This was an engineered & measured persuasive campaign. In our presentation, we will be sharing the results of the campaign, what we wished we could have done differently and what we thought went well. Please stop by our booth to find out about the social science theories we employed in executing this campaign and discuss the campaign with us. We hope that you were encouraged in your faith by our campaign!

COMM 450, Persuasion

Doyle Srader

L203

10 AM – Noon

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Samantha Silver

Concerns Facing Mental Health Awareness for Student-Athletes

Mental health awareness for student-athletes stood out to me for my capstone because of the hopelessness I heard from other athletes and the frustrations that were voiced by athletic directors and athletes alike. This catapulted me into the creation of my capstone which focused on the importance of mental health awareness in our student-athletes at Bushnell University. Many students had voiced that they felt pressure to perform so much so that it caused crippling anxiety and fear that if they made a mistake they would instantly be pulled from their sport. This carried over into their lives and made it so they felt as if they were not allowed to show weakness, or voice that they were struggling with something happening in their lives. When faced with depression, anxiety, or other issues that presented themselves instead of getting help the student-athletes would try to ignore it and push the issue to the back of their minds. To the athlete, this was easier than taking on the fear of being seen as weak or feeling the pressure to be perfect. The way I designed this project was based on interactions with some of the teams on campus. I met with these teams three times over the course of this semester. The focus of the meetings was to ensure that they were aware of the many mental health support networks that we had on campus and what they thought could be improved. From these meetings I was able to learn that there are more stereotypes surrounding different teams than most people realize. Having these come to light and be addressed would be a huge stepping stone in helping some of these athletes take the next step in receiving help for their mental health struggles. Some of the teams were difficult to get in contact with or they did not respond because of their busy schedules. In the future, I would like to have a powerful hand like the athletic director possibly step in and have all the coaches and teams participate. The hope would be to have all teams from Bushnell University cooperate. This would make it so that bigger steps could be taken in the future and the topic of mental health awareness among student-athletes be taken more seriously.

COMM 499, Senior Capstone

Doyle Srader

Bucher Room (view livestream here)

11 – 11:30 AM

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Jordan Strehlow

A Lesson Learned

Kyle Martin delivered his valedictorian address, titled “The 16th Second,” during the King’s Academy Graduation on May 30th, 2019. His statement was brutally honest and had such a powerful impact on the audience that it went viral across multiple social media platforms. Using Herbert A. Wicheln’s Neo-Aristotelian criticism to examine Kyle Martin’s speech, it was revealed that the speech was effective because of how canons were presented in his speech, as well as his audience, who place great importance on their accomplishments rather than their relationships.

COMM 441, Rhetorical Criticism

Doyle Srader

L203

10 AM – Noon

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Jordan Strehlow

Exploring Christian Couples’ Marriages

A great deal of research has been conducted regarding the effect of religion on marriages and satisfaction in marriages. However, little research has been done to analyze the effect that reading the Bible has on a marriage. Based on previous research on religion and marriage satisfaction, I hypothesized that participants who read the Bible more times a week will be more satisfied with their marriage. The study’s findings revealed that there was a weak correlation between reading the Bible more times a week and marriage satisfaction.

COMM 499, Senior Capstone

Doyle Srader

PFB 003

3 – 3:30 PM

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Bethany Taylor

Chef Doesn’t Love You Back

As an ideological critic, I found that the 2004 commercial created By Chef Boyardee titled “Rolling Can”  was used by the company of Chef Boyardee to convince young girls that one must eat high-calorie ravioli to avoid experiencing loneliness.

COMM 441, Rhetorical Criticism

Doyle Srader

L203

10 AM – Noon

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Autumn Arcangel, Carina Haas & Jordan Strehlow

Thrift Shop Environment Project

In this project we decided to compare and contrast two different thrift stores. A well known thrift store and a local Eugene thrift store. We decided to look at Goodwill and Thrift King. We looked at the different nonverbals each store conveys through the building structure, environment, and the things inside of each thrift store to see what nonverbal messages are sent.

COMM 430, Nonverbal Communication

Doyle Srader

Bucher Room

10 AM – Noon

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Daniel Gerlach

Engaging Polarization With Peacemaking Tactics and the Teachings of Jesus

We live in some of the most polarized times in our nation; but how do we make productive steps to change this? As followers of Jesus, I believe we are supposed to be the light of the world by being peacemakers. In an effort to bring communication tactics and the scripture to guide us on how to do this, I made a short, five-episode podcast series called “Peacemaking In Our Time” as my capstone project. Come check out my presentation on the discussion of how this project went, what I learned, and how we can make strides in navigating our conflicts and differences. Follow this link to listen to the podcast on Spotify: Not required for attendance to my presentation – https://open.spotify.com/show/7lw7NrlIYCzH2eYxXASO5k?si=f94f16cb073b4680

COMM 499, Senior Capstone

Doyle Srader

L203

Click here to view the live stream

1:30 – 2 PM

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Daniel Gerlach & Kylie Greenough

The Environments of Public and University Libraries and their Implications on Study Spaces

Many people understand that libraries are intended to be subdued, tranquil places of study, but how do the physical building and its design choices influence how we communicate in these spaces? In an exploratory study, we set out to determine the differences between the UofO Knight Library and the Eugene Public Library as two unique study/learning environments and observed the environmental factors and their effects on interpersonal communication in these spaces. From our observations, we learned there are several notable differences between the design choices of the university and the public library buildings that impact how people interact. These findings are significant as they have implications on how we construct our study spaces here at Bushnell in addition to any designs for quiet learning spaces in the future.

COMM 430, Nonverbal Communication

Doyle Srader

Bucher Room

10 AM – Noon

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Jacob Lilley & Anthony Wurst

2021 Bushnell debate championship

Topic: Serving in the military violates Biblical teaching.

Affirmative: Anthony Wurst

Negative: Jacob Lilley

The winner will be decided by audience vote, and will be crowned the 2021 Bushnell debate champion.

COMM 325, Argumentation and Debate

Doyle Srader

L203

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11 AM – Noon

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Meagan Mollahan & Jordyn Ramos

Coffee Shop Nonverbals

Do you ever go to a coffee shop to study and then shortly realize you are unable to focus?  

The nonverbals in an environment will influence what one does there, how long one stays, and how productive or social one is. For this project, we compared Starbucks, a chain establishment, to Vero, a locally owned coffee shop. The environmental features point to conclusions that Starbucks is built for efficiency and productivity, while Vero is a cozy, more intimate place to catch up with friends. Being able to recognize the nonverbals of a coffee shop environment is useful in deciding where one chooses to go depending on the purpose. 

COMM 430, Nonverbal Communication

Doyle Srader

Bucher Room

10 AM – Noon

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Jessica Woods

Arguing for Argumentation

I asked random individuals a series of questions relating to arguing, verbal aggression, and argumentativeness. I found that many people believe that arguing has a negative social stigma, argumentativeness is bad, and that verbal aggression is directly linked to the idea of arguing. Other questions revealed why people believed arguing was bad, and what elements made up a positive or negative arguing experience. From these conversations, I discovered that the social definition of arguing has become separated from the researched definition. I will also talk about debate, and why the word was repeatedly brought up as a positive alternative to arguing. Tone, attitude, and open-mindedness will be analyzed as contributors to healthy or unhealthy arguments. The idea that the American culture has created a society afraid of arguing because of brittle relationships and unhealthy arguing tactics that involve verbal aggression will end the presentation.

COMM 213, Interpersonal Communication

Doyle Srader

L203

Cl ere to view the live stream

10:30 – 11 AM

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Anthony Wurst

Successful Argumentation in Prayer to God

Should we present arguments before God in prayer? I believe that our prayer life can be enriched by offering argumentative prayers as taught in the scriptures. Dr. Srader has a unit in his Argumentation and Debate course on why we should use argumentation in prayer. In it, he offers three examples of stories from the Bible where successful argumentatuve prayers that convince God to change His mind are offered. To expand this teaching, I presented Dr. Srader with another such example in the story of Abraham. I suggested this as an example of argumentative prayer which convinced God to change His mind as he argued for the lives of the righteous in Sodom and Gomorrah. In this talk I will present what Dr. Srader had before my suggested addition. Next, I chronicle our conversations on the issue, which were argumentative. I then discuss how Abraham’s form of argumentation with God fits into Dr. Srader’s definition of an argument, and we crescendo by practicing. I will offer an argumentative prayer asking God to help us to lead a meaningful life based on John 15:12-17. Then we will discuss the talk together.

COMM 325, Argumentation and Debate

Doyle Srader

L203

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1 – 1:30 PM

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Jasmine Aguilar

Take a risk

Taking a risk may be scary and intimidating to many. Studies have found that people rather stay passive rather than confronting an uncomfortable situation. There is a strong desire to maintain a positive reputation, and it causes people to second-guess themselves and take a safe route instead. Practicing assertiveness tactics can help a person become more confident. This speech will cover how to overcome our uncertainties and push us to be assertive.

COMM 312, Advanced Public Speaking

Doyle Srader

Bucher Room

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1- 1:30 PM

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Jasmine Aguilar & Jesse Gerlach

Collegiate Persuasion Strategies for COVID-19 Prevention Measures

The following study explored the persuasive appeals of COVID-19 prevention by Sarah Lawrence College and Presbyterian College. This research synthesized the course content of COMM 450: Persuasion to make observations on both institute’s COVID response strategies and how they differed from one another. Those observations were based on the comparison between the two college’s social media posts concerning COVID-19, and newsletters produced by the colleges. The researchers then offer a few conclusions off of those observations, and offer potential methods of improving those implemented strategies. 

Keywords: persuasion, COVID-19, persuasive appeals, communication

COMM 450, Persuasion

Doyle Srader

L203

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2 – 3 PM

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Paige Amstutz

Listening & Loneliness

Listening to others share personal stories is one way that we, as humans, make meaningful connections. Three individuals who would not ordinarily be given a platform to share their story were interviewed using Anna Deavere Smith’s method of listening. Portions of each interview will be performed with the intent of giving a voice to those who would otherwise be overlooked by society. The performance is a means of response as it relates to the Hurier Model of listening and is a technique used to enhance listening skill.

COMM 499, Senior Capstone

Doyle Srader

L203

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10:30 – 11 AM

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Paige Amstutz & Sarah Reinecker

University Covid-19 Persuasive Appeals 

Colby College and University of Notre Dame used similar persuasive appeals to encourage students to follow Covid-19 precautions. This project explores the specific appeals used by each university, their effectiveness, and overall lessons learned. 

COMM 450, Persuasion

Doyle Srader

L203

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2 – 3 PM

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Katia Burke

Dominance and Altruism: Are Dominant Women Attractive Now?

Previous research has examined the correlation between altruism and dominance in relation to men. This research suggested that men exhibiting high altruism paired with high dominance were perceived as more socially attractive than men with high altruism and low dominance. The present study sought to build upon this research and explore if a similar correlation exists for women. The hypothesis for this study was that participants would score the confederate with higher dominance as more socially attractive. This hypothesis was tested via two surveys that collected participants’ measures on social attraction. The data did not indicate a significant difference in social attraction between the high dominance and low dominance conditions revealing that participants found the women in both conditions equally attractive.

COMM 499, Senior Capstone

Doyle Srader

L203

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11 – 11:30 AM

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Katia Burke & Jordan Strehlow

Comparing University Persuasive Appeals

North Carolina Central University and Prairie View A&M University both entered into the 2020-21 academic year with the hope of persuading their students to do their part in limiting the spread of COVID-19. Through analyzing and comparing, it became evident that the two universities had different approaches on how to persuade their students. However, North Carolina Central was more successful at limiting the spread on their campus. North Carolina Central placed a large emphasis on community responsibility and used persuasive strategies that focused on others, while Prairie View A&M focused on shifting the attitudes of their students by reframing the pandemic and altering campus norms. This project seeks to explore how these different strategies may have contributed to the impact of COVID-19 on each campus.

COMM 450, Persuasion

Doyle Srader

L203

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2 – 3 PM

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Daniel Gerlach & Carina Haas

COVID-19 Research Term Project

Getting communities to comply to COVID-19 restrictions often times requires effective persuasive appeals. By studying the communication of leadership at two American colleges, Purdue University and Indiana University of Bloomington, we came to a greater understanding as to what works and what doesn’t work when crafting persuasive messages that can be helpful in not only this pandemic but for effective communication in future disasters as well. 

COMM 450, Persuasion

Doyle Srader

L203

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2 – 3 PM

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Jesse Gerlach

Communicating Complex Ideas: More Than One Way to Tell Stories

The following capstone project focused on the methodology of storytelling. This topic was chosen due to the lack of research exploring how stories could be told, contrasting the copious amount of research on the importance of stories. Additionally, it was chosen because the research concluded that storytelling is an effective form of communicating complex ideas. Thus, by having more variations of storytelling, we are better equipped to communicate those ideas.  To then explore those variations, an event was created to present unconventional methods of storytelling that all told the same story. After each artist presented their version of the story, the audience was asked to take a picture of the head presenter on the stage and post it to either Facebook or Instagram with the hashtag, #FreeFromTheChains. Then, the number of posts was compared to the total number of audience members. After the event had concluded and the numbers were tallied, 9 out of approximately 30 participants posted the photo, and approximately 222 people liked the posts. While the responses to the posts were not a part of the original design of the project, it was noteworthy. From this experience, the project leader learned many valuables lessons, including the power of unconventional methods of storytelling, the neurological components and effects of stories, and how to facilitate an online and in-person event.

Keywords: Communications, stories, unconventional methods of storytelling

COMM 499, Capstone

Doyle Srader

L203

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11:30 AM – Noon

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Annelise Helbling

Do Instagram Profiles Accurately Portray Religious Faith? 

Have you ever judged someone on social media without knowing them? With billions of users worldwide, social media can be a powerful tool to selectively present oneself to the world and build perceptions of others without a personal relationship. Previous studies have examined the accuracy of personality depiction on social media, however, little research has looked into the role of religious views and social media depiction. Can you tell if someone is religious based on their social media? To tackle this question, this study examined the relationship between the strength of one’s religious faith and the way they present themselves online through a mixed-methods approach. With use of The Santa Clara Religious Faith Questionnaire, the researcher examined whether or not people can accurately judge one’s faith based on their Instagram posts. Additionally, the researcher investigated which aspects of a person’s online profile indicates faith or lack thereof. Qualitative results indicated themes of partying and vanity were predictors of being judged low in faith while photos with community and modesty were predictors of stronger faith. Profiles which lacked any indication of faith scored low in faith. Results showed that people cannot accurately judge one’s faith based on their Instagram profiles however the content posted will influence observers judgements. 

COMM 499, Senior Capstone

Doyle Srader

L204

10 – 10:30 AM

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Hannah Hull

Dressing Uniquely Can Improve Your Mental Health

Dressing uniquely can improve your mental health. As humans, we all have a need to be unique. However, when it comes to clothing, we typically are lazy shoppers. When we take the time and energy to develop our own personal style, we will give ourselves more energy in the long run, as well as increase our self-esteem and confidence.

COMM 312, Advanced Public Speaking

Doyle Srader

Bucher Room

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1:30 – 2 PM

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