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Scholar's name: Becky Mulvaney
Department: School of Communication and Multimedia Studies
Status: Current
Email: bmulvane@fau.edu
Format: Institutional Scholar

Title: Betty Friedan and "The Feminine Mystique": An example of rhetorical exclusion.
Creator: Carney, Ann Maire., Florida Atlantic University, Mulvaney, Becky
Abstract/Description: One of the key catalytic feminist works of our time is The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan. Although acclaimed as a well researched artifact designed to help "American women" recognize and understand how and why they were being manipulated via a social phenomenon Friedan terms a "feminine mystique," upon close examination of this work we find that the preponderance of inductive examples Friedan uses to persuade her implied audience excluded another audience, specifically black women. The...
Show moreOne of the key catalytic feminist works of our time is The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan. Although acclaimed as a well researched artifact designed to help "American women" recognize and understand how and why they were being manipulated via a social phenomenon Friedan terms a "feminine mystique," upon close examination of this work we find that the preponderance of inductive examples Friedan uses to persuade her implied audience excluded another audience, specifically black women. The effect of this "rhetorical exclusion" (and other means of segregation) has been the disaffection of most black women from the contemporary women's movement. This study, therefore, provides a critical analysis of specific inductive examples found within The Feminine Mystique, demonstrates how such examples affected both Friedan's implied and excluded audiences, and suggests how such forms of "rhetorical exclusion" can be avoided in the future.
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Date Issued: 1994
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/15102
Subject Headings: Friedan, Betty--Criticism and interpretation, Friedan, Betty--Feminine mystique, Feminism--United States, African American women--Social conditions
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Fashion as communication: Jacqueline Kennedy's rhetoric of style.
Creator: Remirez, Christine Marie., Florida Atlantic University, Mulvaney, Becky
Abstract/Description: Fashion is a form of rhetoric. It has the power to communicate whether intentionally or not. Jacqueline Kennedy utilized this form of communication to express herself to create a new image of the White House, and to educate the American public on nuances. To her, the various aspects of fashion were strategies that allowed her to create a rhetoric all her own and one that was widely esteemed and emulated. Her creative use of style helped fulfill the public's desire for change in the White...
Show moreFashion is a form of rhetoric. It has the power to communicate whether intentionally or not. Jacqueline Kennedy utilized this form of communication to express herself to create a new image of the White House, and to educate the American public on nuances. To her, the various aspects of fashion were strategies that allowed her to create a rhetoric all her own and one that was widely esteemed and emulated. Her creative use of style helped fulfill the public's desire for change in the White House. Essentially, Jackie added an aura that completed the "New Frontier" administration her husband promised. She had set new standards. Her popular style was copied not only because it was aesthetically pleasing, but because it constructed a compelling mystique composed in part by her wealth coupled with her high social and political standing.
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Date Issued: 1999
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/15686
Subject Headings: Fashion--Psychological aspects, Fashion--Social aspects, Onassis, Jacqueline Kennedy, 1929-1994, Rhetoric--Political aspects, Communication in politics
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Enthymemes in magazine advertisements: An analysis of Oneida silverware ads from 1900 to 1990.
Creator: Mata, Estefany., Florida Atlantic University, Mulvaney, Becky
Abstract/Description: Magazine advertisements use various techniques in order to entice consumers to buy a product. One of those techniques is the use of enthymemes. I analyze the rhetorical effect of enthymemes in a select number of Oneida ads beginning in 1900 and continuing through the 1990s. This chronological progression demonstrates the gradual development of what I term, an enthymematic magazine ad. In this type of advertisement, the headline and the image work together to evoke certain emotions in readers...
Show moreMagazine advertisements use various techniques in order to entice consumers to buy a product. One of those techniques is the use of enthymemes. I analyze the rhetorical effect of enthymemes in a select number of Oneida ads beginning in 1900 and continuing through the 1990s. This chronological progression demonstrates the gradual development of what I term, an enthymematic magazine ad. In this type of advertisement, the headline and the image work together to evoke certain emotions in readers leaving them to complete the message by providing information that is well-known by the target audience. The added effort on the part of readers makes the ad memorable and in fact induces readers to persuade themselves of the possible benefits of the advertised product---in this case Oneida silverware.
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Date Issued: 2001
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/12797
Subject Headings: Enthymeme (Logic), Advertising, Magazine, Silverware, Oneida, ltd
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Puppetry as rhetoric: An effective forum for argument.
Creator: Stahre, Catherine Edith., Florida Atlantic University, Mulvaney, Becky
Abstract/Description: While published current literature reveals how the inanimate figure, the action given by manipulation, and the voice performance are perceived by the audience, it does not show how the puppet functions as argument. This thesis seeks to determine if one dramatic form, the puppet play, "The Adventures of Peer Gynt" is an effective forum for argument. "The Adventures of Peer Gynt" is analyzed according to Walter Fisher and Richard Filloy's critical methodology for examining dramatic texts. This...
Show moreWhile published current literature reveals how the inanimate figure, the action given by manipulation, and the voice performance are perceived by the audience, it does not show how the puppet functions as argument. This thesis seeks to determine if one dramatic form, the puppet play, "The Adventures of Peer Gynt" is an effective forum for argument. "The Adventures of Peer Gynt" is analyzed according to Walter Fisher and Richard Filloy's critical methodology for examining dramatic texts. This analysis reveals that Peer Gynt functions as an effective form of argument. The play argues, through the character of Peer Gynt, that we have choices when confronted with evil, either to follow evil or stay true to our good self. The play teaches us, but children especially, that one must develop the discernment to go beneath the exterior finish to the underlying substance.
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Date Issued: 1996
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/15283
Subject Headings: Oratory, Rhetoric, Reasoning, Puppet plays, Ibsen, Henrik,--1828-1906--Characters--Peer Gynt, Jim Gamble Puppet Productions--Adventures of Peer Gynt
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Resounding the lyrical possibilities for women: Constitutive rhetoric and the ideological dimensions of Hillary Rodham Clinton's discourse.
Creator: Payne, Julee Ann., Florida Atlantic University, Mulvaney, Becky
Abstract/Description: This study articulates and accentuates the possibilities for women as suggested in Hillary Rodham Clinton's discourse on women's rights at the United Nation's Fourth Conference on Women. Such an endeavor is realized via ideological criticism, which emphasizes the ethical and political implications of discourse. Concepts which inform my analysis include constitutive rhetoric, the Second Persona, and the Third Persona. These tools help discover how Hillary constituted women while in China and...
Show moreThis study articulates and accentuates the possibilities for women as suggested in Hillary Rodham Clinton's discourse on women's rights at the United Nation's Fourth Conference on Women. Such an endeavor is realized via ideological criticism, which emphasizes the ethical and political implications of discourse. Concepts which inform my analysis include constitutive rhetoric, the Second Persona, and the Third Persona. These tools help discover how Hillary constituted women while in China and expose the gender ideology that grounded her discourse. Her discursive fragments suggest that women's place in the world centers on their place in the family and men's place centers in the public domain. Traditional meanings of women and men are advanced and their rearticulation is hindered. If a meaningful emancipated community is to be realized, we must reconsider our conceptions of both women and men and evoke the power of subversive discourse.
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Date Issued: 1997
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/15506
Subject Headings: Clinton, Hillary Rodham, Narration (Rhetoric), World Conference on Women--(4th :--1995 :--Peking, China), Women's rights--China, Rhetoric--Political aspects--United States
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Leadership on trial: A study of Nelson Mandela's rhetorical strategies.
Creator: Romer-Sterling, Katrika Nordraka., Florida Atlantic University, Mulvaney, Becky
Abstract/Description: For over four decades the Apartheid system in South Africa deprived many black South Africans their right to democracy. However, Nelson Mandela's leadership strategies would prove effective in helping the Anti-Apartheid movement achieve its common goal of universal suffrage for all South Africans. This thesis explores what made Mandela's rhetoric as a leader so effective during his courtroom testimonies from the Treason Trial in 1956 and the Rivonia Trial in 1964. A new model is developed to...
Show moreFor over four decades the Apartheid system in South Africa deprived many black South Africans their right to democracy. However, Nelson Mandela's leadership strategies would prove effective in helping the Anti-Apartheid movement achieve its common goal of universal suffrage for all South Africans. This thesis explores what made Mandela's rhetoric as a leader so effective during his courtroom testimonies from the Treason Trial in 1956 and the Rivonia Trial in 1964. A new model is developed to analyze leadership characteristics: charisma, prophecy, creativity, pragmatism and prophecy proved to be significant strategies in making his leadership rhetoric so effective. The purpose of the model is to demonstrate how leadership is fulfilled.
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Date Issued: 1999
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/15743
Subject Headings: Mandela, Nelson,--1918-, South Africa--Politics and government--20th century, Rhetoric--Political aspects, Political leadership
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: A rhetorical analysis of selected misogynous discourses and their gender reverse.
Creator: Oliver, Emily (Anne), Florida Atlantic University, Mulvaney, Becky
Abstract/Description: There is an ancient genre of discourse which has served primarily to rationalize masculine privilege. The aim of the authors of this discourse has been to establish the "natural" superiority of men by methodically certifying the "natural" inferiority of women. This genre of discourse is misogynous discourse. Designed to amplify and expose the degrading effect of misogynous discourse on the human psyche, this analysis of misogynous language and discourse is achieved through a critical...
Show moreThere is an ancient genre of discourse which has served primarily to rationalize masculine privilege. The aim of the authors of this discourse has been to establish the "natural" superiority of men by methodically certifying the "natural" inferiority of women. This genre of discourse is misogynous discourse. Designed to amplify and expose the degrading effect of misogynous discourse on the human psyche, this analysis of misogynous language and discourse is achieved through a critical technique known as defamiliarization, which allows the reader to examine the discourse from a new and incongruous perspective. In this instance defamiliarization is accomplished simply by reversing the gender of the language, making it seem as though it was written by women about men, instead of by men about women. The final goal of this study is to demythologize this language and thereby render it neutral.
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Date Issued: 1990
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/14668
Subject Headings: Sexism in language, Discourse analysis
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: The rhetoric of Christian colleges: Organizational discourse and unobtrusive control in higher education.
Creator: St. Antoine, Thomas James., Florida Atlantic University, Mulvaney, Becky
Abstract/Description: Christian colleges have been accused of "watering down" their Christian principles in admissions materials to increase enrollments. In response to these arguments, rhetorical criticism, based on conceptions of organizational discourse such as symbolic convergence and unobtrusive control, is used to examine the rhetorical strategies, the relative prominence of Christian principles, and the organizational sagas in this rhetoric. This discourse shapes the organizations and their environments;...
Show moreChristian colleges have been accused of "watering down" their Christian principles in admissions materials to increase enrollments. In response to these arguments, rhetorical criticism, based on conceptions of organizational discourse such as symbolic convergence and unobtrusive control, is used to examine the rhetorical strategies, the relative prominence of Christian principles, and the organizational sagas in this rhetoric. This discourse shapes the organizations and their environments; therefore, this is a rich example to explore the rhetoric of organizations from an interpretive perspective. The strategies, priorities, and sagas identified are discussed in light of the ideals promoted by scholars of Christ-centered higher education. The colleges are unapologetically described as Christian, but they are ambiguously distinguished from one another. This rhetoric provides newcomers with premises for unobtrusive control, and the scene is emphasized. Implications of this strategy and the organizational sagas in these texts are discussed.
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Date Issued: 1996
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/15262
Subject Headings: Communication in organizations, Oratory, Criticism--20th century, Church colleges--United States
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Grading the scholars: Measuring the impact of field dependence on rhetorical analyses of abortion arguments.
Creator: Gavino, Michael Anthony., Florida Atlantic University, Mulvaney, Becky
Abstract/Description: This thesis describes the pitfalls of writing rhetorical analyses of abortion arguments that are not sensitive to field dependence as described by Toulmin (1958). It examines Lake's (1984), Tonn's (1996), and Railsback's (1984) rhetorical analyses in order to test whether the lack of attention these scholars display toward field dependence detracts from the reliability of their analyses. To accomplish this task, this thesis will compare the scholars' analyses against my analysis of amicus...
Show moreThis thesis describes the pitfalls of writing rhetorical analyses of abortion arguments that are not sensitive to field dependence as described by Toulmin (1958). It examines Lake's (1984), Tonn's (1996), and Railsback's (1984) rhetorical analyses in order to test whether the lack of attention these scholars display toward field dependence detracts from the reliability of their analyses. To accomplish this task, this thesis will compare the scholars' analyses against my analysis of amicus curiae briefs filed with the Supreme Court in the Roe v. Wade (1973) and Webster v. Reproductive Health Services (1988) cases. The results show that the Lake's, Tonn's, and Railsback's analyses are problematic when compared to the arguments in these amicus curiae briefs. Thus this thesis concludes that scholars need to pay close attention to field dependence when writing rhetorical analyses not only of abortion arguments but also field specific arguments in general.
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Date Issued: 1999
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/15727
Subject Headings: Rhetorical criticism., Briefs--United States., Trials (Abortion)--United States.
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Goethe and Wordsworth: A comparative analysis.
Creator: St. Pierre, Karin Lynn., Florida Atlantic University, Mulvaney, Becky
Abstract/Description: Although Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe and William Wordsworth had no personal contact, and, in fact, were adversaries, several parallel passages show correspondences between the two artists. An examination of Faust and The Excursion reveals a strikingly similar attitude toward nature. A comparison of Faust and "Resolution and Independence" shows several significant resemblances: unusual verse measures, the use of personification, the bestowal of natural landscapes with consciousness, and the...
Show moreAlthough Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe and William Wordsworth had no personal contact, and, in fact, were adversaries, several parallel passages show correspondences between the two artists. An examination of Faust and The Excursion reveals a strikingly similar attitude toward nature. A comparison of Faust and "Resolution and Independence" shows several significant resemblances: unusual verse measures, the use of personification, the bestowal of natural landscapes with consciousness, and the presence of images which suggest fluctuation and development. Finally, a close reading of Faust and the The Prelude reveals similar motifs such as veils, waterfalls, and mirrors; also common in both works is a satiric denunciation of scholarly learning. These parallels prove that incompatible poetic minds, without influencing each other directly, can share fundamental images, thoughts, and diction.
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Date Issued: 1988
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/14480
Subject Headings: Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von,--1749-1832--Criticism and interpretation, Wordsworth, William,--1770-1850--Criticism and interpretation, Literature, Comparative--English and German, Literature, Comparative--German and English
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Janis Joplin's revolt against conventional femininity: A pentadic analysis of selected lyrics.
Creator: McCoun, Kristin June., Florida Atlantic University, Mulvaney, Becky
Abstract/Description: San Francisco in the 1960s was the birthplace for many great bands and musicians: the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, Country Joe and the Fish, and Janis Joplin. Following in the tradition of the early blues women, Janis Joplin burst onto the San Francisco music scene at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967. After only a four year music career she was found dead of a heroin overdose. An examination of Janis' life, her preferred expressive genre of the blues, and the sixties counterculture...
Show moreSan Francisco in the 1960s was the birthplace for many great bands and musicians: the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, Country Joe and the Fish, and Janis Joplin. Following in the tradition of the early blues women, Janis Joplin burst onto the San Francisco music scene at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967. After only a four year music career she was found dead of a heroin overdose. An examination of Janis' life, her preferred expressive genre of the blues, and the sixties counterculture scene in San Francisco provides the appropriate context for a rhetorical analysis of Joplin's original lyrics to "Turtle Blues" and "Move Over." Using Burke's pentad, the ways in which Janis revolted against conventional femininity and her perception of herself as a victim of the "scene" in which she lived are demonstrated.
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Date Issued: 1997
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/15508
Subject Headings: Joplin, Janis--Criticism and interpretation, Singers--United States, Feminism and music, Rock musicians--United States
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: THE FBI’S RAID OF TRUMP’S MAR-A-LAGO AND THE LIMITS OF EXECUTIVE PRIVILEGE.
Creator: Mulvaney, Amanda, Tunick, Mark, Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, Florida Atlantic University
Abstract/Description: Each president of the United States is afforded a right to withhold sensitive information from other branches of the U.S. government in order to maintain confidential communication within the executive branch. Many presidents have invoked this executive privilege. However, this right is not absolute; the Supreme Court has set some restrictions on executive privilege. After examining former President Donald Trump’s invocation of executive privilege in keeping sensitive documents at his home in...
Show moreEach president of the United States is afforded a right to withhold sensitive information from other branches of the U.S. government in order to maintain confidential communication within the executive branch. Many presidents have invoked this executive privilege. However, this right is not absolute; the Supreme Court has set some restrictions on executive privilege. After examining former President Donald Trump’s invocation of executive privilege in keeping sensitive documents at his home in Mar-a-Lago after his presidential term expired and reviewing the history of executive privilege, its origin and its previous uses and limits, I argue that executive privilege can have more limits following the Trump administration; however, the current limits will be sufficient to prevent former President Trump from misusing executive privilege in this case.
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Date Issued: 2023
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FAUHT00266
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: An ideological critique of "BBC Online": The case of the Northern Ireland conflict.
Creator: Amesbury, Rebecca, Florida Atlantic University, Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, School of Communication and Multimedia Studies
Abstract/Description: 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...
Show moreThe 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.
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Date Issued: 2001
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/12807
Subject Headings: Journalism, Political Science, General, Mass Communications
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: A step toward violence prevention: "Non-Violent Communication" as part of a college curriculum.
Creator: Blake, Susan M., Florida Atlantic University, Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, School of Communication and Multimedia Studies
Abstract/Description: 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...
Show moreStructural 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.
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Date Issued: 2002
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/12877
Subject Headings: Speech Communication, Education, Guidance and Counseling, Sociology, General, Education, Curriculum and Instruction
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Choices and Persuasion: A Rhetorical Analysis of Abortion Minded Social Media Content.
Creator: Van Erven, Alexandra, Mulvaney, Becky, Florida Atlantic University, Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, School of Communication and Multimedia Studies
Abstract/Description: This thesis project seeks to answer the question of how visual rhetoric put forward in social media content by pro-life and pro-choice organizations may persuade their audiences’ perspective on abortion. Using Sonja Foss’s guidelines for analysis of visual rhetoric, I analyze 24 selected examples of Facebook content posted by two pro-life organizations (Human Coalition and Feminists for Life) and two pro-choice organizations (Planned Parenthood Action and NARAL Pro-Choice America) in 2017. My...
Show moreThis thesis project seeks to answer the question of how visual rhetoric put forward in social media content by pro-life and pro-choice organizations may persuade their audiences’ perspective on abortion. Using Sonja Foss’s guidelines for analysis of visual rhetoric, I analyze 24 selected examples of Facebook content posted by two pro-life organizations (Human Coalition and Feminists for Life) and two pro-choice organizations (Planned Parenthood Action and NARAL Pro-Choice America) in 2017. My analysis found that the visual rhetoric posted by both organizations on social media can and does function as a form of visual metonymy. Because of this, these visual strategies can stand in for more complex arguments in dramatic ways.
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Date Issued: 2018
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00013103
Subject Headings: Social media., User-generated content., Visual rhetoric., Abortion.
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Dialogues About Race Relations: What Kind of Talk is Needed to Overcome Racial Conflict?.
Creator: Ten Eyck, Roxanne H., Mulvaney, Becky, Florida Atlantic University, Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, School of Communication and Multimedia Studies
Abstract/Description: The Trayvon Martin shooting of 2013 and the Michael Brown shooting of 2014 by a White security guard and White police officer sequentially led to the Black Lives Matter movement which has grown internationally to 40 chapters. Police agencies have responded with active community outreach programs to proactively reduce conflict. The question arises whether a language of peace such as Rosenberg’s Nonviolent Communication would be an effective tool to be used in instances of conflict similar to...
Show moreThe Trayvon Martin shooting of 2013 and the Michael Brown shooting of 2014 by a White security guard and White police officer sequentially led to the Black Lives Matter movement which has grown internationally to 40 chapters. Police agencies have responded with active community outreach programs to proactively reduce conflict. The question arises whether a language of peace such as Rosenberg’s Nonviolent Communication would be an effective tool to be used in instances of conflict similar to the carnage involving Black men and White police officers between 2013-2017. Local members of the Black community, Black Lives Matter, and law enforcement were interviewed asking the efficacy of Rosenberg’s NVC and deliberative dialogue as well. The study showed that since Blacks and Whites view racism differently, a more comprehensive approach is needed to address the challenges of racism and race relations. This thesis describes the possible use of a few models structured to discuss the racial conflict between all parties affected by racism.
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Date Issued: 2019
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00013269
Subject Headings: Race relations, Racism, Black lives matter movement, Dialogue
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Image Restoration in the Apologetic in the Apologetic Rhetoric of Professional Athletes: A Case Study of Tiger Woods, Kobe Bryant, and Michael Phelps.
Creator: Epstein, Adam, Mulvaney, Becky, Florida Atlantic University, Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, School of Communication and Multimedia Studies
Abstract/Description: This purpose of this study is to investigate the apologetic rhetoric of professional athletes’ off-field scandals. The three case studies used were Tiger Woods, Kobe Bryant, and Michael Phelps. A genre analysis was conducted to determine the success or failure of the speech by examining the image repair strategies used during the rhetoric. Further research revealed that the audiences’ perception plays a large role in determining if the rhetoric was successful or not. Two factors that aid the...
Show moreThis purpose of this study is to investigate the apologetic rhetoric of professional athletes’ off-field scandals. The three case studies used were Tiger Woods, Kobe Bryant, and Michael Phelps. A genre analysis was conducted to determine the success or failure of the speech by examining the image repair strategies used during the rhetoric. Further research revealed that the audiences’ perception plays a large role in determining if the rhetoric was successful or not. Two factors that aid the audience are the medium in which the public address was given, and the time it took to deliver the speech once the off-field scandal took place. The findings determined that Tiger Woods apologia was not successful, while Kobe Bryant’s was successful. The rhetoric of Michael Phelps’ speech lacked in delivery and strategies chosen. To have a successful apologia, one should have a clear use of strategies as well as a timely public address.
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Date Issued: 2017
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004878, http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004878
Subject Headings: Woods, Tiger., Bryant, Kobe--1978-, Phelps, Michael--1985-, Sex scandals--United States., Verbal self-defense., Rhetorical criticism., Discourse analysis., Crisis management., Sports--Public relations.
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Through the North Door: The Invocation of Invitational Rhetoric in Wiccan Rituals.
Creator: Howald, Kayleigh, Mulvaney, Becky, Florida Atlantic University, Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, School of Communication and Multimedia Studies
Abstract/Description: Wiccan witchcraft, a contemporary religion, frequently suffers from misunderstandings; the worst of which, arguably, being that it thrives in a postfeminist society. Although it remains unclear why witches, despite their specific traditions, would not immediately embrace feminism, this study claims that whether practitioners agree or disagree, they are performing feminism. In this study, I argue that Wiccan rhetoric (both discursive and non-discursive) functions epistemically to encourage...
Show moreWiccan witchcraft, a contemporary religion, frequently suffers from misunderstandings; the worst of which, arguably, being that it thrives in a postfeminist society. Although it remains unclear why witches, despite their specific traditions, would not immediately embrace feminism, this study claims that whether practitioners agree or disagree, they are performing feminism. In this study, I argue that Wiccan rhetoric (both discursive and non-discursive) functions epistemically to encourage feminist values. The thesis analyzes three typical forms of Wiccan rhetoric using Sonja K. Foss and Cindy L. Griffin’s approach of invitational rhetoric and the values of equality, immanent value, and self-determination.
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Date Issued: 2016
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004698, http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004698
Subject Headings: Feminism -- Religious aspects, Feminist theory, Goddess religion, Magic, Wicca, Witchcraft, Women and religion
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: The rhetoric of law and love: legally (re)defining marriage.
Creator: Higgs, Volrick Wallace, Mulvaney, Becky, Florida Atlantic University, Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, School of Communication and Multimedia Studies
Abstract/Description: In just over one year since United States v. Windsor— the case invalidating sections of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) that defined marriage, for purposes of federal statutes, as the “union of man and woman”— more than a dozen states have had their same-sex marriage bans ruled unconstitutional. This suggests a shift in legal meaning; previously successful arguments against same-sex “marriage” now seem irrational as argumentative ground has shifted. Since favorable rulings redefine ...
Show moreIn just over one year since United States v. Windsor— the case invalidating sections of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) that defined marriage, for purposes of federal statutes, as the “union of man and woman”— more than a dozen states have had their same-sex marriage bans ruled unconstitutional. This suggests a shift in legal meaning; previously successful arguments against same-sex “marriage” now seem irrational as argumentative ground has shifted. Since favorable rulings redefine “marriage” to include same-sex unions, this thesis analyzes Kitchen v. Herbert, a 2014 legal opinion from the United States Court of Appeals Tenth Circuit, to understand the rhetorical processes underpinning its redefinitional act. That analysis draws on Kenneth Burke’s theories of entitling and constitutions and discusses the rhetorical concepts of terministic screens, casuistic screens, scope and circumference as key features of the rhetoric of the legal opinions. The findings call for a balancing of deconstructive and conventional approaches to legal discourse.
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Date Issued: 2015
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004378, http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004378
Subject Headings: Constitutional law -- United States, Identity (Psychology), Marriage -- United States -- Government policy, Same sex marriage -- Law and legislation -- United States, United States -- Defense of Marriage Act
Format: Document (PDF)

FAU Theses and Dissertations (19)	+ -
Collection to hold Scholars (1)	+ -
Honors Student Theses (1)	+ -

Oratory (2)	+ -
Rhetoric--Political aspects (2)	+ -
Rhetorical criticism. (2)	+ -
Abortion. (1)	+ -
Advertising, Magazine (1)	+ -

African American women--Social conditions (1)	+ -
Black lives matter movement (1)	+ -
Briefs--United States. (1)	+ -
Bryant, Kobe--1978- (1)	+ -
Church colleges--United States (1)	+ -
Clinton, Hillary Rodham (1)	+ -
Communication in organizations (1)	+ -
Communication in politics (1)	+ -
Constitutional law -- United States (1)	+ -
Consumer goods--Prices (1)	+ -
Crisis management. (1)	+ -
Criticism--20th century (1)	+ -
Dialogue (1)	+ -
Discourse analysis (1)	+ -
Discourse analysis. (1)	+ -
Education, Curriculum and Instruction (1)	+ -
Education, Guidance and Counseling (1)	+ -
Enthymeme (Logic) (1)	+ -
Fashion--Psychological aspects (1)	+ -
Fashion--Social aspects (1)	+ -
Feminism -- Religious aspects (1)	+ -
Feminism and music (1)	+ -
Feminism--United States (1)	+ -
Feminist theory (1)	+ -
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