This dissertation is a case study of anti-war rhetoric based on five Massachusetts Federalist newspapers from the War of 1812. Federalists raised four arguments against the war: (1) they proclaimed their right and duty to oppose it; (2) they claimed it was unjustified; (3) they denounced it as ruinous and (4) they praised fighting men but condemned the war. Throughout these arguments were images derived from republicanism, apocalypticism, the American Revolution and the Constitution. Republicanism taught that fragile republics must limit power and preserve civic virtue. Apocalyptic images depicted the Republicans as sinners; God favored the Federalist cause. The Revolution symbolized resistance to tyranny; the Constitution embodied republican principles. (1) Federalists justified their right and duty to oppose using the Constitution and the Revolution. The First Amendment protected all free speech. The duty to oppose originated because all citizens of a republic must speak on public policies, particularly wrong ones. Federalist opposition was modeled on Revolutionary resistance to British tyranny. (2) Federalists demonstrated the war was unnecessary and unjustified by refuting Madison's justifications for it. They concluded that sinister Republican conspiracies to crush the Federalists and the American republic had actually caused the war. Apocalyptic images revealed Republican wickedness and Federalist righteousness. When the war became defensive, Federalists supported it in order to protect the republic. (3) Federalists denounced economic ruin, civilian suffering, political oppression and moral corruption caused by war. Huge war costs and administration regulations were destroying the economy. Civilian suffering was blamed on the Republicans; the British treated civilians well. Political oppression from the standing army, French alliance and the Embargo propelled the nation toward despotism. Moral corruption increased because God disapproved of the war. Republican images portrayed the danger to the fragile republic; apocalypticism depicted the righteous Federal cause. (4) Federalists distinguished fighting men from the cause for which they fought. Battle losses proves the war could not be won; victories sacrificed brave lives in vain. Federalists attacked Madison for inadequately supporting the military and downplayed allegations of British brutality. The Federalists concluded that loyal citizens opposed the unjustified, ruinous war. The only way to preserve the republic was to oppose the war.

Through the lens of Everett Rogers’ Diffusion of Innovations, specifically the theory of Perceived Attributes, this dissertation firstly examines key factors leading to or deterring adoption of direct-to-consumer genetic testing (DTC-GT) for health information through qualitative interviews with prospective customers. Results indicate that the main motivations include finding out perceived beneficial health information and comparisons to testing via medical providers. The main deterrents for adoption were reported to be privacy concerns, perceived susceptibility to conditions, and the desire to remain uncertain about one’s genetic health risk. Additionally, this dissertation considered the role of issue-specific media framing on adoption intent. A second study consisting of an experiment used media framing theory to determine which factors would lead to a higher likelihood of adoption. Results revealed that media framed to discuss the perceived advantages of the technology had the highest likelihood of adoption. Implications for theory and industry are discussed throughout this dissertation.

The purposes of this study are three-fold. The primary goal is to examine the narratives that two mainstream newspapers in Taiwan and America, Li-Tai Sports Newspaper (LT) and The New York Times (NYT), used when covering the performance of the athlete Chien-Ming Wang. The second purpose is to see how the presence of news frames varies in the two countries. That is, this research provides an examination of newspaper sportswriters' use of distinct framing points when covering Wang's performances. Finally, this study analyzes the coverage employed by reporters who wrote about Wang. This study examines how Wang's performance has been framed and domesticated by both countries' newspaper coverage in the same time period. The cross-cultural perspective adopted in the study draws upon ideas about the construction of social reality. A review of original articles on framing, such as the work of Scheufele and Goffman, provides the basis for the analysis. The analysis considers LT's and NYT's construction of the news about Wang as a way to understand how sports news is framed within t globalization. The methodology used in this study is a framing analysis of the stories prepared by sportswriters commenting on Wang. The findings are discussed with regard to domestication, positivity bias, and cross-cultural differences. / A Thesis submitted to the Department of Communication in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts. / Summer Semester, 2009. / April 10, 2009. / La-Tai Sports Newspaper (LT), Newspaper, Chien-Ming Wang, The New York Times (NYT) / Includes bibliographical references. / Stephen D. McDowell, Professor Directing Thesis; Steven McClung, Committee Member; Jennifer M. Proffitt, Committee Member.

This study applied Hastie's associative storage and retrieval model to web advertising to see if banner ads that were incongruent with the content of a website would elicit better recall and more positive attitudes among consumers. The study also tried to extend the research of Heckler and Childers (1992) by applying the two components of incongruity, namely expectancy and relevancy, to an online context. One hundred and seven male and female undergraduates were exposed to a website with on e of four different web banner ads (expected-relevant, expected-irrelevant, unexpected-relevant & unexpected-irrelevant) on it. The results do not support Hastie's model. No statistically significant differences in recall and attitudes were found between relevant/irrelevant ads and expected/unexpected ads. Researchers should do more studies on how incongruity influences consumers' attitude and behavior toward web advertisements. / A Thesis submitted to the Department of Communication in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts. / Summer Semester, 2004. / May 19, 2004. / Expectancy, Information Incongruity, Relevancy / Includes bibliographical references. / Kartik Pashupati, Professor Co-Directing Thesis; Laura M. Arpan, Professor Co-Directing Thesis; Arthur A. Raney, Committee Member; Donnalyn Pompper, Committee Member.

This research applied the concepts of disposition theory to the formation of affective dispositions toward characters and toward the actors that portray them. The research was designed to identify a similar relationship between affective dispositions toward characters and motion picture enjoyment and affective dispositions toward actors and motion picture enjoyment. Interpretation of the results of this study performed at Florida State University provided little support for all concepts involved in this study. The study did, however, determine that an affective disposition held toward an actor can be manipulated and changed through the introduction of positive and negative information and that this has an effect on the overall assessment of the character that that actor portrays. / A Thesis submitted to the Department of Communication in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science. / Spring Semester, 2003. / December 11, 2002. / Affective Dispositions Towards Characters And The / Includes bibliographical references. / Arthur A. Raney, Professor Directing Thesis; Gary R. Heald, Committee Member; Jay D. Rayburn, Committee Member.

This dissertation is an exploration of how Hispanic women of different levels of acculturation communicate their individual, social and cultural identities through clothing and appearance. The purpose of this study is to help understand the way in which clothes, as objects, embody deeper cultural values, and how the meanings assigned to them are socially constructed and diffused in a bicultural context. This dissertation employs a cross-disciplinary theoretical perspective, bringing together concepts from social-psychology, symbolic interactionism, symbolic consumption, diffusion of innovation, and acculturation theories. Following the exploratory nature of this study, in-depth interviews and observations were employed to systematically examine the experiences of ten Hispanic women living in the United States. The study demonstrates that, when it comes to clothing and appearance, Hispanic women have more commonalities than differences. Hispanic women --regardless of the level of acculturation— retain over time a set of values and beliefs characteristic of the Hispanic culture. These values and beliefs are learned early on from their mothers and maintained through constant interaction with the Hispanic culture through friends and family. Hispanic cultural values drive the way Hispanic women communicate gender, attractiveness, age, ethnicity, and social class. Another important part of this work explains the competency that Hispanic women have in communicating the different roles of their identities through clothing and appearance. This competency allows them to balance the need to make a positive impression on others with the need for self-expression. Finally, this study illustrates the interconnection between the different aspects of the adoption of clothes by pointing out sensorial experience, fit, and interpersonal influence as the major drivers of adoption among Hispanic women. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Communication in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Summer Semester, 2008. / April 11, 2008. / Material Culture, Acculturation, Clothes, Appearance, Hispanic Marketing, Fashion, Hispanic Women / Includes bibliographical references. / Felipe Korzenny, Professor Directing Dissertation; Leisa Flynn, Outside Committee Member; Stephen D. McDowell, Committee Member; John K. Mayo, Committee Member.

Early intervention (EI) service providers are struggling to collaborate with caregivers in the families' everyday routines. To help EI providers learn ways they can work with caregivers, this study defined and measured eleven types of coaching strategies that EI's may use with families, the family routines in which the coaching strategies took place, and levels of caregiver roles at thirty-second intervals. Participants included four early interventionists and eight families whom they serve. A total of 24 one-hour sessions were coded. Descriptive data analysis examined frequencies of strategy and routine use as well as relationships between coaching strategies, routines, and caregiver roles. Joint Interaction and Guided Practice with Feedback were the most commonly used strategies, and play with objects and physical play were the most commonly used routines. Caregiver roles were the highest when the clinician used Joint Interaction and Feeding Routines. / A Thesis submitted to the Department of Communication Disorders in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science. / Summer Semester, 2009. / June 18, 2009. / Caregiver, Early Intervention, Coaching / Includes bibliographical references. / Juliann Woods, Professor Directing Thesis; Carla Jackson, Committee Member; Joanne Lasker, Committee Member.

The technology associated with digital television enables broadcasting companies to transmit text and graphic information to supplement current programming. This new technology (known as enhanced television services) also has the ability to turn TV viewing into an interactive experience. In an attempt to further understand how enhanced television services affect enjoyment of televised sports, 155 participants viewed one of three professional football games, rating their enjoyment after each quarter. The participants viewed the game as a member of one of four experimental conditions. One group watched the game only, while the other three groups had access to an interactive website. The website followed the broadcast of the game and provided enhanced television services such as team and player statistics, trivia and games. The literature in selective exposure and motivation for sports consumption suggested that access to enhanced television services should increase the overall enjoyment of sports programming. Participants who reported a higher level of enjoyment of the enhanced television services also reported a higher level of overall enjoyment. However, significant differences in overall enjoyment across the various access conditions were not observed. / A Thesis submitted to the Department of Communication in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts. / Spring Semester, 2006. / April 6, 2006. / Football, Interactivity, Enjoyment, Enhanced Television Services, Sports / Includes bibliographical references. / Arthur A. Raney, Professor Directing Thesis; Laura M. Arpan, Committee Member; Stephen D. McDowell, Committee Member.

A content analysis examined offensive language spoken on popular morning radio programs on the five highest-rated radio stations offering live-streaming audio over the Internet in the top ten U.S. markets. While concerns over indecency have long existed, renewed interest in the issue of indecency on television and radio was sparked during the 2004 Super Bowl half-time show and, as evident in the 2007 firing of radio personality Don Imus, continues to be of concern today. The purpose of this study was to identify the amount and kind of offensive language spoken on-air. Overall, there were 872 instances of offensive language or 4.36 words spoken per hour. Of these, words classified as mild (words such as "hell" and "damn") were the largest proportion (40.9%). While the seven dirty words were the least common form of offensive language, these supposedly banned words were still uttered on popular morning radio programs. The bulk of crude language was spoken on radio formats such as Rock and Popular that target a young audience. Additionally, the Northeast broadcasts featured significantly more instances of offensive language. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Communication in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Fall Semester, 2007. / October 31, 2007. / Offensive Language, Radio / Includes bibliographical references. / Barry Sapolsky, Professor Directing Dissertation; Colleen Kelley, Outside Committee Member; Jay Rayburn, Committee Member; Gary Heald, Committee Member; Steven McClung, Committee Member.

The purpose of this thesis is to examine the theories of media sourcing as well as content and media diversity as it relates to the public interest through a political economic lens. Over the years, the fact that the media is where everyday citizens turn to get their news has been realized. What is less commonly discussed is where media outlets turn to get their information to produce the news of the day. It has been hypothesized by scholars who study political economy of media that outlets only relay what is in the interest of the government and business elite; therefore, these ideas will be tested. Furthermore, using the 2010 health care debate as a case study, this thesis measures who gets to speak in news stories aired on broadcast, cable, and public outlets as well as the context of what they are saying during pertinent times in the debate. / A Thesis submitted to the College of Communication in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science. / Fall Semester, 2011. / August 3, 2011. / Affordable Care Act, Health Care reform, Media sourcing, Political Economy of Media, Politics / Includes bibliographical references. / Jennifer Proffitt, Professor Directing Thesis; Davis Houck, Committee Member; Jeanette Castillo, Committee Member.