Communication electronic theses and dissertations (MU)
The items in this collection are the theses and dissertations written by students of the Department of Communication. Some items may be viewed only by members of the University of Missouri System and/or University of Missouri-Columbia. Click on one of the browse buttons above for a complete listing of the works.
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Recent Submissions
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The motivations of American public attention to the media coverage of the Russian-Ukrainian war
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2024)[EMBARGOED UNTIL 08/01/2025] The Russian-Ukraine war presents a significant event to understand the American public's attention to international crises that the US is not directly involved in them. Drawing on Use and ... -
Communicating distrust for survival : understanding racial socialization messages in Black families
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2024)Racial socialization has only just begun to be studied by family communication scholars. This study created and validated a racial socialization scale rooted in communication and demonstrated the endurance of racial ... -
"That's what happens when you sleep around" : women's intergenerational family stories about sexual health, HPV, and cervical cancer
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2023)Grounded in narrative theorizing, the current study examines how emerging adult women (n = 42) story conversations with their FFMs (e.g., mother, aunt) about sexual health, human papillomavirus, and cervical cancer, and ... -
Guilty by association : a phenomenological exploration of Black professionals' experiences with assumptions of criminality at work
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2023)The stigma of Black criminality has persisted throughout time and been weaponized to the detriment of Black people. Previous on Black criminality have delineated it roots and discussed its outcomes. However, little is known ... -
"In my mom's eyes we're Christian and my dad's eyes we're Muslim" : extended communication theory of identity to understand the religious experiences among children of interfaith marriages
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2023)[EMBARGOED UNTIL 5/1/2024] Grounded in identity and intergroup theorizing, this project examined the lived experience and religious identity among children of interfaith marriages. The modern family is increasingly tasked ... -
Employees' descriptions and management of power-laden stigma in sexual and reproductive healthcare at Planned Parenthood
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2023)Despite providing vital sexual and reproductive healthcare for over 100 years, the U.S. Planned Parenthood (PP) organization has remained highly contested, making it difficult for the organization to attain its mission of ... -
Becoming the bystander : a cultural phenomenon
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2023)Sexual harassment has been a continuous problem in the workplace. Previous research that postulates bystander intervention through an interpersonal lens need to be reevaluated. Critical-Interpretive assumptions about power ... -
Overcoming infertility together : expanding the theory of resilience and relational load
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2023)Between 10-15 percent of the U.S. population will experience infertility (Mayo Clinic, 2021). Despite its prevalence, individuals and relationships faced with infertility tend to have worse mental, physical, and relational ... -
The intergenerational transmission of diet culture : a model of children's disordered eating and body image
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2023)Eating disorder prevention efforts are needed. When considering prevention, three common and concerning precursors to eating disorder development must be addressed: diet culture, disordered eating behavior, and body image ... -
Imagining Madam President: a critical typology of fictional female presidents and intersectional presidentiality in U.S. politainment
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2022)The purpose of this dissertation is to systematically explore and illuminate fictional female presidential portrayals in politainment, or the symbiotic fusion of entertainment media and politics. Grounded in literatures ... -
"Resilience can look really messy:" an exploration of resilience among former foster youth
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2022)The present study explores the process of resilience for FFY. This exploration began with understanding how FFY define resilience, followed by how they engage in communicative processes to enact resilience. Using the ... -
The golden years: new technology, positive health, and the experience of aging
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2022)This study examines how media and technology is perceived to play a role in the experience of aging for older adults. Focusing on the health status and health outcomes (i.e., mental health, social well-being, and physical ... -
COVID-19 compliance across societies: testing health messaging models in the U.S. and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2022)The purpose of this study is to test the theories of communication about health crises and theories of persuasive health communication that have been applied to COVID-19 in a different cultural context in order to understand ... -
An affective (dis)ordering of difference: a practice approach to diversity, equity, inclusion, and access in veterinary medicine
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2022)Recent organizational theorizing contends that ontological assumptions around diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) must be reconsidered. I argue that an underlying assumption of separation within the prevailing approaches ... -
Lovesick: the effects of political partisanship and COVID-19 vaccine perceptions on online romantic partner selection
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2022)Many studies have reported the positive relationship of perceived political similarity with dating intention in the world of online dating. However, there are currently no studies which consider this relationship alongside ... -
Media's impact on political polarization in the family
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2022)Are we all in this together? Around 87 percent of Biden voters and 95 percent of Trump voters can at least agree on the answer to this ever-pressing question: no, we are not (Pew Research Center, 2020). Americans are ... -
Ethnonational affective polarization as a mediator of pro-national media on political misperception in Montenegro
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2022)Recognizing the potential threat of political misperception to democracy and democracy processes, scholars have extensively studied the causes and effects of this phenomenon. It is well documented that partisan and social ... -
Men and maternal care: how men make sense of their experiences with a partner's pregnancy, labor, and delivery
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2021)Men often report wanting to be involved in a partner's pregnancy, labor, and delivery but may feel unsure of what to do or if they are allowed to participate. Existing studies describe men's participation and are mostly ... -
Partisan media effect in new context: considering influences of multi-party system, cultural and social factors, and national identity on affective polarization in South Korea
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2022)The main goal of this study is to examine partisan media and its effects on affective polarization in a new cultural and political context, specifically incorporating the case of South Korea as a comparison to the U.S. ... -
A friend that sticks closer than a brother: a hermeneutic phenomenological analysis of resilience in Black bereaved mothers that have lost a child to gun violence
(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2022)Despite literature considering the impact of child loss on parents, communication scholars have yet to examine the resilience of bereaved Black mothers. Specifically, this present study examined the role of Black sisterhood ...