All master’s theses completed through the Graduate College of Western Michigan University since 2012 have been entered into ScholarWorks. Some may be embargoed or restricted by the authors and may be only available from on-campus computers. Print copies from earlier years are available through interlibrary loan. We have a few digital copies of earlier years. If you have any questions, please contact wmu-scholarworks@wmich.edu.
Theses/Dissertations from 2024
Social Media Journalism and Its Impact on Social Change: The Case of Twitter(X), Daniel Ebo
Echo Chambers and the Rise of the Alt-Right, Ian Robert McDonald
Theses/Dissertations from 2021
Laugh until it’s No Longer a Scandal: The Use of Humorous Apologia to Reframe Crisis Narratives on Saturday Night Live, Vanessa S. Hills
Theses/Dissertations from 2020
Counter Stories in Counterpublics: Exploring Documentary as a Form of Activist Media to Counter Reinforced Stereotypes about the Criminalization of Black Men, Tirrea S. Billings
“Someone’s Got to Look out for the People”: Exploring Donald Trump and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Online Performance of Populism and Immigration Rhetoric, Taylor P. Koopman
“College is Mandatory in Our Family”: A Study of Homeschooler Anticipatory Memorable Messages about College, Gina S. Reynolds
Theses/Dissertations from 2019
From Mainstream to Fringe Conspiracy: Examining White Supremacist Literature Before and After the Civil-Rights Movement, James Andres
Wonder Women in a Superman World: Exploring the Memorable Messages and Communicative Approaches Women Utilize When Navigating the Leader-Member Relationship, Christine M. Packard
Theses/Dissertations from 2018
Facebook Intensity Use Related to Gender Identity and Self-Esteem Among Female College Students, Li Zhang
Theses/Dissertations from 2017
Coming to the United States: An Exploration of Third Culture Building Processes Emerging from University Sponsored International/Host-National Student Interactions, Margaret E. Baker
Interpersonal Impressions of Emoji Use in Computer-Mediated Decision Making, Austin Jonathan Beattie
Theses/Dissertations from 2016
Cultivation in an On-Demand Era: Television Consumption, Explicit and Implicit Attitudes toward Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Individuals, Jasmine M. LaBine
The Role of Sexual Self-Disclosure in Partner Relational Satisfaction and Uncertainty, Riley Richards
Theses/Dissertations from 2015
Examining the Effects of Robot-Enacted Guilt Appeals in a Human-Robot Negotiation, Brett Stoll
Theses/Dissertations from 2014
Of Tribes, Wars, and Jungles: A Study of U.S.College Students’ Perceptions of Africa and Africans, Seseer P. Mou
I Get By with a Little Help from My Friends: A Qualitative Study of Nurse Close Work Friendship and Social Support, Jennifer Ptacek
Understanding Work Socialization: A Qualitative Study of a Youth Employment Program, Katelyn S. Sandor
Theses/Dissertations from 2013
Using Attachment Theory and the Hyperpersonal Model to Examine Relationship Maintenance, Satisfaction, and Affectionate Communication in Romantic Relationships, Christina J. Gentile
Liminal Losers: Breakdowns and Breakthroughs in Reality Television's Biggest Hit, Caitlin Rickert
Traversing Bourgeois Spaces: How a First-Generation College Student Makes Sense of the Academy, Tabatha L. Roberts
Ethical Ambivalence in Local Television Weathercasting: A Rossian Analysis, Vernon Keith Thompson
Theses/Dissertations from 2012
How Facebook Friendship Transforms the Superior-Subordinate Relationship: A View from Relational Dialectics Theory, Raquel Hellenga
Sweetness and Strength: Codes of Femininity and Body Image in Branded Social-Networking Messages and Consumer Responses, Anne M. Holcomb
Experiencing "Both/And-Ness": Dialectics of Interactions of International Students, Yoko Kubo
Can You Get Beliefs from Retweets? An Examination of the Extended Parallel Processing Model on Social Media, Xialing Lin
"Nevermericans?": How Communication Issues Shape the Perceptions of Self and the Perceptions of American Identity Among the International Students, Lyudmyla Pustelnyk
I'm the Same Me: Communication and Renegotiation of Identity in the Weight-Loss Surgery Experiences of Women, Heather D. Schild
Follow the Leader: Exploring the Communication of Opinion Leadership within the Black Community, Stephen A. Spates
"Make Over Your Body": Conflicting Messages in Women's Fitness Magazines, Joy Zoodsma
Theses/Dissertations from 2011
An Exploratory Study of Peak Communication Experiences between Friends, Megan E. Beals Hopkins
What We Expect from the Expecting: Maternity Dress as a Case of Liminal Consumption and Identity Formation, Erin O'Connor-Garcia
Communication Satisfaction and Perceived Supervisor Credibility in Relation to Leader-Member Exchange, Katie M. M. Reno
"There's Something Wrong About the Way You Look, There's Something Wrong with You": Memorable Messages Concerning Identity and Body Weight, Scott A. Richmond
Examining the Parasocial Relationships between Radio Announcers and Listeners: How Social Media and Self-Disclosure Impacts Credibility, Maureen E. Savage
Ethical Leadership as an Antecedent Of Multiple Ethical Climates within an Organization: An Exploratory Study, Carla Maria Urbaez
Theses/Dissertations from 2010
Parental Mediation on Children's Television Viewing in Malaysia, Diyana Kamarudin
'My Parent Was Also My Teacher": The Experience and Management of Relational Dialectics, Catharyn A. Palomino
Theses/Dissertations from 2009
"Our Thesis": An Ethnographic Construction of Shared/Shadow Reality Communicated Between Postmarital Siblings, Krystal M. Bresnahan
Afraid of the Dark: An Autoethnographic Analysis of Whiteness, A. Elizabeth Lyons
Listening Skill and Perceptions of Supervisor Credibility, Nathan E. Peck
"Switching Gears" to Higher Education: New Student Social and Academic Assimilation in a First Year Experience Seminar, Catherine M. VanDerMaas
Theses/Dissertations from 2008
Mobile Phone Communication Competence (MPCC): Development and Validation of a New Measure, Emil Bakke
Single Mothers in Higher Education: The Impact and Emotional Management of Memorable Messages, Marne J. Johnson
Watch out for the Freshman 15: An Investigation and Interpretation of Memorable Health Messages Received by College Students, Lindsey Marie Rose
Watching Satan’s Daughters: A Visual Analysis of Lesbian Pulp Fiction Cover Art, 1950-1969, Carrie Shaver
Organizational Culture and Change: Understanding the Western Herald's Newsroom Culture, Sarah Ling Wei Lee
Theses/Dissertations from 2007
Leadership Behavior and Perceived Team Communication Effectiveness: A Study of Division 1 College Hockey Coaches' Perceptions, William Chris Brooks
Recruiting African-American Students to a Predominately White College: Should we be Communicating Differently?, Alicia M. Kornowa
"Until We Meet Again, Until Then, Goodbye:" An Autoethnographical Exploration of the Dialectical Tensions Experiences After Parental Death, Taryn L. Krohn
Moment of Encounter: A Critical Exploration of Parent-School Communication, Gary Samuel Marx
Activism, Public Relations, and the Internet: A Case Study of Moveon.org, Erich Sommerfeldt
Banish Belly Bulge and Chisel Your BIs: A Semiotic Analysis of Gender Representations in Fitness Magazine Advertising, Lauren A. Teal
"Bird in a Cage:" Exploring Transnational Immigrants' Identity Negotiations, Ewa Urban
Theses/Dissertations from 2006
Democracy, Hegemony, and Consent: A Critical Ideological Analysis of Mass Mediated Language, Michael Alan Glassco
Exploring the Influence of Supportive Communication Practices on Volunteer Satisfaction, Role Identity, Safety Perceptions, Loyalty, and Burnout, Virginia Ann Gregory
Theses/Dissertations from 2005
Introduction the Importance of Mentee-Mentor Relationships: A Qualitative Study That Examines Students of Color in Academic Settings, Candace Dixon
Not Knowing What You're Missing: Autoethnographical Explorations and Reflections of the Potential Effects of Fatherlessness, Melodi A. Everett
Any Given Tuesday: Performance of Law During Small Claims Court, Michael E. Muhme
Theses/Dissertations from 2004
Dialectics in Mother-Child Relationships Among First-generation Asian Indian Women in the United States, Chitra Akkoor
Scapegoating as an Organizational Escape from Crisis: A Case Study of Merrill Lynch, Jennifer D. Brown
Testing the Relationships among Depression, Communication Competence, Relational Satisfaction, and Social Support, Rebecca Sue DeVries
“A Different Way to Portray It”: A Phenomenological Analysis of Audiencing the [New] Newlywed Game, Christopher Reed Groscurth
Intersections of Race, Identity, and Co-Cultural Practices: A Qualitative Content Analysis of a 'White Black Woman', Tammy Lynn Jeffries
An African American Cultural Critique of Weight, Race, Gender and Class Using a Semiotic Analysis of Queen Latifah’ s Film Roles, Angela Denise Prater
Denying and Minimizing the Allegations: The Martha Stewart Scandal, Rebecca A. Schmidt
The Effect of Employee Computer Self-Efficacy on Transfer of Training Following Computer-Based Training, Amy Lynn Trombley
Theses/Dissertations from 2003
Mindful Communication in a Crisis: Communication Behaviors of Shared Mindfulness and Effective Pilot Decision Outcomes in Crisis Situations, Janice L. Krieger
Evaluating Violence in Slasher Films: Similarity and Social Identification with the Final Girl, Felicia L. Sanders
Theses/Dissertations from 2002
A Small Flaw Translates into Many Miscalculations: A Narrative Criticism of the Intel Pentium Chip Crisis, Christine H. Hoek
Earning the Right: Exploring the Communication Strategies of European Americans in Interracial Relationships, Angela L. Putman
Theses/Dissertations from 2001
Is It DigitALL? Who's Invited to the Digital Revolution?, Sarah E. Dempsey
Diversity in the 21st Century: Perceptions of Minority Professionals in Organizations, Nancy Greer-Williams
Theses/Dissertations from 1998
Crisis Communication and Organizational Image: A Study of the Nasa Challenger and Exxon Valdez, Amy O'Connor
Online Networks in Institutions of Higher Education: An Assessment of Student Use, Norbaiduri Ruslan
Theses/Dissertations from 1996
Changes in Communication after the Diagnosis of an Illness, Kimberly M. Sniderman
Theses/Dissertations from 1992
The Rhetoric of Slobodan Milosevic and War on the Territory of Yugoslavia, Agneza Bozic
Choreography for the Camera: An Historical, Critical, and Empirical Study, Vana Patrice Carter
Perceived Importance of Selected Nonverbal Cues in an Initial Encounter, Loretta L. Richter
Theses/Dissertations from 1991
WIDR-FM: A Program Analysis of an Alternative Music Format, Michael A. Finn
Theses/Dissertations from 1990
Blessed Be the Ties That Bind: A Critical Analysis of the Changing Language in the Organizational Mission Statement as a Form of Downward Communication, Jacqueline A. De Haan
Theses/Dissertations from 1989
Interpersonal Skills in the Employment Interview: Intended Meaning, Sharron McCarthy Meisenhelder
Theses/Dissertations from 1988
An Analysis of Four Empathy Variables as Predictors of Marital Satisfaction, Teck Seong Chee
Theses/Dissertations from 1986
Gender-Related Language Usage as Related to Psychological Sex Role Orientation, Kathleen Mulder Parker
Theses/Dissertations from 1985
An Exploratory Study of the Relationship between Moral Development and Communication in Small Groups, Beth Hartman Ellis
A Bormannean Fantasy Theme Analysis of “The Big Book" of Alcoholics Anonymous, Leigh Arden Ford
Theses/Dissertations from 1984
Writing Apprehension and Writing Intensity in an Industrial Organization, Kaye P. Bennett
Theses/Dissertations from 1983
The Effect of the Nonverbal Cue of Female Clothing on Perceived Leadership as Determined by Naive Judges, Julie Ann Larson
Theses/Dissertations from 1982
An Exploration of the Relationship among Rhetorical Sensitivity, Communication Apprehension, and Nonverbal Decoding Ability, Mary Aileen Palanca
An Investigation of the Instructional Communicator Style Expectations of Nontraditional and Traditional Male and Female Undergraduate Students, Chryl Irvine Snyder
Theses/Dissertations from 1979
The Interpretation of Generic Language as Male or Male/Female by Nine and Ten Year Old Children, Jane H. Vander Weyden
Theses/Dissertations from 1978
A Study Following-Up on Master's Degree Graduates in the Department of Communication Arts and Sciences at Western Michigan University, David Louis Lau