Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2008. / Title from first page of PDF file. Includes bibliographical references (p. 166-173).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hong Kong, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 225-237).

Narratives and Rhetoric: Persuasion in Doctors’ Writings about the Summer Complaint, 1883-1939, is a study of narrative as it is used in scientific writing. This rhetorical analysis follows the historical evolution of a genre as the genre mediates competing scientific, professional, and social forces, changes them, and is changed by them. Despite advances in scientific and medical technology that offered supposedly objective and measurable data and despite doctors’ push for recognition as scientific professionals, doctors’ writing increasingly relied on narrative as a persuasive device in medical articles published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Medical narratives perform pedagogical functions, illustrating both the general course of a disease and variant courses so that practitioners can make better diagnoses when they are faced with similar cases. Medical narratives also shape doctors’ discourse and, through that, the practice of medicine and the formation of the medical profession. Medical narratives maintain ambiguity, perpetuating the need for the skilled human clinician despite the proliferation of more and more sophisticated medical technology. Medical narratives also determine how the various participants in medical decisions--the doctor, the patient, the parent, and the disease itself--are valued and judged. These value judgments determine what medical interventions and cultural systems are deployed to return a patient to health. Medical narratives can be epideictic, reinforcing doctors’ ethos; they can be disciplinary, correcting errant members; and they can be exhortatory, urging doctors toward better ethical practice. Thus, narratives are extremely valuable in medical discourse, and their persistence in doctors’ writing is easily explained. / text

The epideictic discourse of political autobiography offers a powerful means of persuasion to attitude not otherwise available to politicians. In the extended narrative form of political autobiography, the audience's identification with characters, actions and speaker is central to persuasion. Narrative persuades implicitly by disposing the audience favourably to the rhetor and through the "common-sense assumptions" that the audience supplies in order to understand the discourse. The methodological approach used in this thesis, Fantasy Theme Analysis, addresses how the socialization process that is a primary function of epideictic rhetoric takes place. In the analysis, the rhetorical vision of the "game of politics" and two other fantasy themes are identified. The analysis demonstrates that an audience who identifies with this network of fantasy themes would also be influenced attitudinally and ideologically. The author concludes that political autobiography deserves further study because of its potentially important role in political persuasion. / vi, 95 leaves ; 29 cm

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of conjunctive affiliation/achievement needs on the selection of compliance-gaining activity. Research questions asked to what extent conjunctive achievement/affiliation needs would influence the selection of situation management options, compliance-gaining tactics, and tactic classifications. A modified version of the Adjective Check List was used to measure need orientations. Subjects responded to a hypothetical situation by indicating on a seven-level Likert-type scale their likelihood of selecting situation management options and compliancegaining tactics. This study also investigated the likelihood of selecting tactic classifications as developed by Roloff and Barnicott (1978).MANOVA tests revealed significant differences among groups' likelihood to select threat, anti-social tactics, and punishing activity tactics. Specific group differentials were identified using Scheffe's procedure where significant multivariate differences were found. Future researchers were encouraged to continue investigation in this area. / Department of Speech Communication

This study explores the persuasion techniques used by female Lutheran Pastors in weekly sermons. Male Lutheran Pastors were used as a control group. A content analysis was performed on 30 sermons to determine what persuasive techniques were used, what persuasive similarities existed, and when specific persuasive techniques were used in the sermons.Chapter One provides an introduction to the topic, explores background information related to persuasion and religion, and gives justification for the research.Chapter Two includes a review of literature, focusing on women's roles in religious organizations, persuasive techniques used in the study, and research questions.Chapter Three explains the methods used for this study, including an explanation of content analysis, definitions of persuasive categories used, and subcategories created to add detail to the study.Chapter Four lists the findings of the study, beginning with analysis of research questions, followed by analysis of results.Chapter Five contains the conclusions pertaining to the analysis of the research, limitations of the study, and areas for future research. / Department of Communication Studies

Thesis (Doctoral)--Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Facultad de Fiolosofía y Letras, Departamento de Filología Francesa, 2008. / Title from first line of text. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 362-396).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Wollongong, 2006. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references: leaf 210-218.

Thesis (Th. M.)--Dallas Theological Seminary, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves [52]-55).

Thesis (Th. M.)--Dallas Theological Seminary, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves [52]-55).