Theses & Dissertations
This collection contains theses and dissertations by graduate students in the Department of Communication Studies at the University of Northern Iowa.
To search the related current Department of Communication and Media Dissertations and Theses, click here.
To search all Dissertations and Theses @ UNI, click here.
To go to the historical Department of Communication Studies page, click here.
To go to the current Department of Communication and Media page, click here.
Theses/Dissertations from 2025
Nomadic and Communal Performances of Home at the University of Northern Iowa, Nathaniel Aron, Department of Communication Studies, Thesis (UNI Access Only)
Organization Communication Policy to Emphasize Student Employee Productivity, Yohan Fernando, Department of Communication Studies, Open Access Thesis
Theses/Dissertations from 2024
The Cancellation Station Podcast: The Controversies of Canceling, Quinn Rauchenecker Open Access Thesis
Theses/Dissertations from 2020
The overground railroad of the Jim Crow era: A rhetorical analysis of the Negro Motorist Green Books, Cecilia Louise Cerja, Department of Communication Studies, Thesis (UNI Access Only)
Bleeding cuts, magical spells, sealed hymens: A study of the rite of Tasfih in Algeria, Ahlam Laouar, Department of Communication Studies, Open Access Thesis
Hi God: An autoethnography of loneliness in graduate school, Grace Elisabeth Mertz, Department of Communication Studies, Open Access Thesis
Theses/Dissertations from 2019
From meme to memegraph: The curious case of Pepe the Frog and white nationalism, Fernando Ismael Quinones Valdivia, Department of Communication Studies, Open Access Thesis
Aut is love, Nathan Selove, Department of Communication Studies, Open Access Thesis
Theses/Dissertations from 2018
Live thy neighbor, Milica Njezic, Department of Communication Studies, Open Access Thesis
The Food Babe fearmonger: transcending spheres of argument through the dual use of personal and pseudo-technical expertise, Abigail Shew, Department of Communication Studies, Open Access Thesis
Theses/Dissertations from 2017
Analyzing Rana Plaza crisis discourse from a postcolonial perspective: Implications for identity and crisis communication studies, Mir Ashfaquzzaman, Department of Communication Studies, Open Access Thesis
Breaking out the monster in Lara Croft, Ashley Patricia Jones, Department of Communication Studies, Thesis (UNI Access Only)
Theses/Dissertations from 2016
Visualizing belonging : Deliberation and identification in the Vestavia Hills mascot controversy, Scott Neil Bredman, Department of Communication Studies, Thesis (UNI Access Only) 2017 Award
Dancing my adoptive identity : An autoethnographic analysis of adoption narratives and performance of identity, Montana Jean Smith, Department of Communication Studies, Open Access Thesis
Theses/Dissertations from 2015
"Were you just Catfished?" : rationales and outcomes of deception in Catfish: The TV Show, Nicole Marie Allaire, Department of Communication Studies, Thesis (UNI Access Only)
The transition of an oral communication course from traditional face-to-face to the online format: A faculty perspective, Cydney A. Lovell, Department of Communication Studies, Open Access Thesis
On body dumps : the rhetorics of corporeal narcoterrorism, Evan Mitchell Schares, Department of Communication Studies, Open Access Thesis
Theses/Dissertations from 2014
Instructors' perceptions of their own effectiveness, Abdullah S. Al-Asmari, Department of Communication Studies, Open Access Thesis
Transcending the "freaked-out nut" persona: Apologia, anger, and affect in Hillary Clinton's Benghazi testimony, Alexandria Rae Chase, Department of Communication Studies, Thesis (UNI Access Only)
The shadow wars: An analysis of Associated Press coverage of drone strikes in Pakistan and Yemen, Anthony Roth, Department of Communication Studies, Open Access Thesis
Theses/Dissertations from 2013
Recalcitrant arguments, Kiranjeet Kaur Dhillon, Department of Communication Studies, Open Access Thesis
Christians, lesbians, gays, and bisexuals: examining the roles of uncertainty and religiosity in Christian attitudes toward LGB individuals, Megan Deanne Wharff Kavanaugh, Department of Communication Studies, Open Access Thesis
Where loyalties lie: A study of workplace dissent through the lens of loyalty, Katelyn L. Santy, Department of Communication Studies, Open Access Thesis 2014 Award
Queering the coming out narrative, Sarah Jean Taylor, Department of Communication Studies, Thesis (UNI Access Only)
Behind the mask: An analysis of women's perceptions and rationale toward the purchase and use of anti-aging products, Clair Maureen Williams, Department of Communication Studies, Open Access Thesis
Theses/Dissertations from 2012
Strategic communication in women's rights organizations: Tools, challenges and best practices, Anastasia Kalinina, Department of Communication Studies, Open Access Thesis 2013 Award
Theses/Dissertations from 2011
Communicating During a Crisis: An Analysis of H1N1 Documents, Ian Patrick Hopkins, Department of Communication Studies, Open Access Thesis
Theses/Dissertations from 2010
A Study of Japanese Women Today: Changing Gender Roles and Attitudes Toward Marriage, Shiho Hosokawa Open Access Thesis
Conflicting identities and ideologies: A rhetorical analysis of the National Japanese American Memorial to Patriotism During World War II, Kaori Yamada, Department of Communication Studies, Open Access Thesis
Theses/Dissertations from 2009
Identifying Communication Skills Necessary for Two-Year College Graduates to Succeed in the Changing and Competitive Workplace, Sarah R. Baker, Department of Communication Studies, Open Access Thesis
Baseball as Family: Successful High School Coaches’ Perceptions on Effective Communication, Aaron Barber, Department of Communication Studies, Open Access Thesis
Positions of Power, Abjection and Constraint: Evaluating Discursive Attempts to Save an Other, Ruth Janet Beerman, Department of Communication Studies, Open Access Thesis
The Writer-Of-Violence-As-School-Shooter Stereotype: How Columbine, Virginia Tech, and Public Fear Make Writing Violence Dangerous for Students, Matt Foy, Department of Communication Studies, Open Access Thesis
Theses/Dissertations from 2008
Mother-Daughter Communication and Media Influence on Self-Esteem and Body Image, Tori Austin, Department of Communication Studies, Open Access Thesis
Academic Success: A Qualitative Case Study of Student Perspectives, Heather Marie Bentley, Department of Communication Studies, Open Access Thesis
Give ‘Em Hill: The Fighter Persona in Hillary Clinton’s 2008 Presidential Campaign, Rebecca Diane Buel, Department of Communication Studies, Open Access Thesis
Corpulent Counter-Publics: Radical Cheerleading and Resignification of the Fat Body, Emily Dianne Cram, Department of Communication Studies, Open Access Thesis
Western Images in African Media: A Semiotic Investigation of Three Nigerian-Made Films, Terence Ebi Ekiseh, Department of Communication Studies, Open Access Thesis
From Heteronormative to Strategic Ambiguity: Crafting a Scholarly Sexual Persona, Kelsey Anne Harr, Department of Communication Studies, Open Access Thesis
An Examination of Intercultural Communication Training Programs for U.S. Sojourners in Denominational and Non-Denominational Organizations, Stuart L. Holsing, Department of Communication Studies, Open Access Thesis
Theses/Dissertations from 2007
Effects of Identity on Public-Organization Relationships: A Case Study of Student-University Relations, Nadezhda Olegovna Bocharova, Department of Communication Studies, Open Access Thesis
Surviving Katrina: A Qualitative Narrative Inquiry, Farren Keith Clark, Department of Communication Studies, Open Access Thesis
Framed: Youth Conceptions of Citizenship, Jennifer Lea Farrell, Department of Communication Studies, Open Access Thesis
Significance of the general public for public relations: A study of the blogosphere's impact on the October 2006 Edelman/Wal-Mart crisis, Sergei Golitsinski, Department of Communication Studies, Open Access Thesis 2009 Award
Theses/Dissertations from 2006
Bible Beater/Bra Burner: Liminal Experiences of Christian & Feminist Identity, Jennifer Lynn Freitag, Department of Communication Studies, Open Access Thesis
Theses/Dissertations from 2005
The Spring Break Effect: The Relationship Between Individual Self-Objectification and Physical Fitness Behavior, Brett Dobesh, Department of Communication Studies, Open Access Thesis
Cameras in Court: A Utilitarian Ethical Approach, Kylie L. Greene, Department of Communication Studies, Open Access Thesis
"Second-class families": Media portrayal of adoption in America, Jennifer Ellen Struve, Department of Communication Studies, Open Access Thesis 2006 Award
Theses/Dissertations from 2004
CMC Interpersonal Relationships: A Phenomenological Study of Online Relational Stages, Traci McCollom Dillavou, Department of Communication Studies, Open Access Thesis
The State of Public Speaking Courses in Japanese Colleges, Shoko Hayashi, Department of Communication Studies, Open Access Thesis
Theses/Dissertations from 2003
Breaking the Stereotypes: Influences and Characteristics of Academically Talented Women, Joy Leigh Daggs, Department of Communication Studies, Open Access Thesis
Deterrence Rhetoric in a Post-Cold War Security Environment, Michael D. Griffin, Department of Communication Studies, Open Access Thesis
Negotiating Voices: Ethnography of Interactive Theatre Techniques Within a Classroom, Jana Gymer-Koch, Department of Communication Studies, Open Access Thesis
Recent Jewish immigrants' communication in Postville, Iowa: A case study, Anna I. Levina, Department of Communication Studies, Open Access Thesis
Theses/Dissertations from 2002
Migration and cultural identity: Performing the Afro-Caribbean woman's struggle, Elvinet Samantha Wilson, Department of Communication Studies, Open Access Thesis
Theses/Dissertations from 2000
The Role of Intercultural Communication in Conflict Resolution between African Immigrants and Their U.S.-Born Children, Aje-Ori Anna Agbese, Department of Communication Studies, Open Access Thesis
Supporting Survivors of Sexual Assault: A Feminist Perspective, Geeta Cowlagi, Department of Communication Studies, Open Access Thesis
Theses/Dissertations from 1999
KBBG-FM: Communicating to Educate, Edward W. Ellis Jr., Department of Communication Studies, Open Access Thesis
The Impact of the Internet on Democratic Discourse, Dalia K. Hamed, Department of Communication Studies, Open Access Thesis
The Perception of Arabs and Media's Influence, Abdou Nader, Department of Communication and Media, Open Access Thesis
Theses/Dissertations from 1998
Playing the Game: Female Graduate Students’ Communication Experiences, Jacqueline Marie Brucher, Department of Communication Studies, Open Access Thesis
President Clinton and the Rhetoric of Time, Estrella Cedeno, Department of Communication Studies, Open Access Thesis
Theses/Dissertations from 1997
Am I Virtually Me?: Virtual Reality and the Self, Douglas J. Frederick, Department of Communication Studies, Open Access Thesis
Theses/Dissertations from 1996
Dimensions of Social Support: Cardiac Patients and Their Spouses, Nichole Louise Egbert, Department of Communication Studies, Open Access Thesis
Theses/Dissertations from 1994
Culture and Cognition: The African American Thinker in the Classroom, Steve K. Hunt, Department of Communication Studies, Open Access Thesis
Theses/Dissertations from 1993
Ritual as Constructor of Reality in Mexican Families, Mario Andujo-Licón, Department of Communication Studies, Open Access Thesis
Theses/Dissertations from 1992
North American Social Values in Costa Rican Corporate Advertising, Nuria Estrada, Department of Communication Studies, Open Access Thesis
A Qualitative Study of the Communicative Acts Involved in the Coming Out Process of Male Homosexuals, Heidi Lynn Hinds Open Access Thesis
