This thesis considers Esther Bubley's photographic documentation of a boarding house for Jewish workingmen and women during World War II. An examination of Bubley's photographs reveals the complexities surrounding Jewish-American identity, which included aspects of social inclusion and exclusion, a rejection of past traditions and acceptance of contemporary transitions. Bubley presented these residents, specifically the females, as modern Americans shedding the stereotypes surrounding their Jewish heritage and revealing their own perspective and reality. Through their communal support as a group sharing multiple values these residents dealt with multivalent isolation all while maintaining their participation in mainstream American cultural norms. Working for Roy Stryker in the Office of War Information, Bubley provided a missing record of a distinct community in America to be included in the larger collection of Farm Security Administration and Office of War Information photographs. These photographs provide insight into Jewish-American communities and shed light on the home front of America during World War II. Furthermore, Bubley's photographs illustrate how these Jewish-Americans reacted to World War II and reveal both the unity of a nation at war and the isolation of social exclusion in America.

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Playable cases are a new type of mixed-reality serious game (SG), combining elements of alternative reality games (ARGs) and education simulations to offer an immersive, transmedia story. Participants advance the plot through interactive gameplay and characters with the goal of creating products and experiencing real-world business situations. This study investigates the effectiveness of the playable case Microcore as a tool specifically for online writing instruction (OWI). Fifty students in online sections of a technical communication course participated in Microcore, in which they responded to pre- and post-survey questions and prompts directed at their perceptions about writing, understanding of workplace communication, and levels of engagement. Responses to the survey were collected, coded for thematic trends, and analyzed. Results from this survey study suggest that playable cases like Microcore may be effective at countering primary OWI difficulties, including disengagement, lack of social presence and humanity, faltering self-efficacy, and unclear, unproductive perceptions about writing assignments. Students responded positively to the playable case and appeared to develop more nuanced views about workplace communication and writing through this immersive narrative and interface.