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Item Hindutva Movement: Burkean Examination of Violence as Retributive Justice(North Dakota State University, 2012) Chandrasekaran, RamyaThe thesis examines the Hindutva movement as a rhetorical text to understand how it contributes to the rhetorical study of social movements. The Hindutva movement is a mass movement that has grown in influence and in number in the last thirty years and its final goal is to wage a battle to create a Hindu rashtra (nation) in India with a monolithic Hindu culture. The rhetorical texts of V.D. Savarkar and M.S. Golwalkar are analyzed with Burkean guiltredemption-purification cycle. These rhetorical tools provide an insight into the guiding question of this thesis: how Savarkar and Golwalkar use rhetoric in ways that justify and motivate audiences to accept violence in order to restore a Hindu Nation.Item Online Interaction and Identity Development: The Relationship between Adolescent Ego Identity and Preferred Communication Activities(North Dakota State University, 2011) Tobola, Cloy DouglasThe purpose of this study was to evaluate the types of communication activities adolescents reported as important and used most frequently, and how these communication preferences were reflected in adolescents' identity development status. Participants were approximately 600 new university students who completed a survey regarding 18 communication activities, along with the Erikson Psychosocial Stage Inventory identity subscale. Data analysis was conducted in two phases. To reduce the frequency and importance data to a manageable size, exploratory factor analyses and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted. Two identical factors were identified and validated related to the importance and the frequency of communication activities. The first factor comprised four items related to online ''performance": online gaming, participation in virtual reality settings, live chat with strangers, and live chat with groups unknown to the individual. The second factor comprised four communication activities that occurred on social networking sites as individuals created lasting "exhibits" of themselves: updating a personal profile, viewing the profiles of others, posting status messages, and sharing pictures or other content (articles, jokes, videos) with others. Analysis of means indicated that the three communication activities rated as most important and frequently used were face-to-face interaction, voice calls and text messaging. These were followed by social networking activities, and then writing activities such as blogging. The performative activities identified in the exploratory factor analysis were ranked as least important and least frequently used. Regression analysis revealed small but statistically significant negative relationships between the reported importance of performative activities and identity development status, and between the reported frequency of performative activities and identity development status. Small positive relationships were also identified between the importance of face-to-face interaction and identity development status, and the importance of voice phone calls and identity development status. Small positive relationships were also identified between the frequency of face-to-face communication and identity development, between the frequency of voice phone calls and identity development, and between the frequency of email use and identity development.Item Connecting with Instructors on Facebook: Why and Why Not(North Dakota State University, 2013) Wang, RuoxuThe following thesis examined the student-instructor connection on social network sites (SNS). Facebook is the most popular SNS and it covers a range of users include both students and instructors. On Facebook, some students are willing to connect with their instructors whereas others are not. This study sought to accomplish two major goals: 1) to explore students' decisions of connecting with instructors on Facebook from various school experiences; 2) to examine if college students' self-disclosure, frequency of updates, information sensitivity, and privacy concern would predict their decisions of connecting with instructors on Facebook. The study found that college students rarely connect with instructors on Facebook. If they connected with instructors on Facebook, they prefer to connect with past instructors rather than current instructors. The study also found that both self-disclosure and frequency of updates have significant impacts students' decisions of connection.Item "Cause You Don't Really Need a Teacher to Learn Stuff": Theorizing a ‘Lanes of Learning' Model of Informal, Self-Directed Learning(North Dakota State University, 2021) Vareberg, Kyle RobertThe goal of this dissertation was to explore how self-directed learners assess their learning in informal contexts. Self-directed learners experience high intrinsic motivation and learner control, so studying these learners’ experiences provides valuable insights into learning. I pose four questions: 1) How do self-directed learners in informal contexts satisfy their need for a) autonomy, b) relatedness, c) competence, and d) prioritize the satisfaction of these needs? 2) How do self-directed learners in informal contexts self-regulate their learning? 3) What affordances are perceived by informal learners during self-directed learning? 4) What relationships exist between the satisfaction of learners’ basic needs, self-regulation, and perceived affordances during self-directed, informal learning? I employ multiple methodologies, including interviews (N = 19) and an open-ended survey (N = 154), and based on this evidence, theorize a Lanes of Learning model to explain how learners regulate learning, assess competence, involve others, and use tools to meet their needs. Participants’ needs also influenced which learning tools they integrated and, from those, what they perceived as possible, including accessibility, personalizability, and adaptability. Evidence shows learners in 1) Lane A prefer efficiency, collect confirming cues, involve others to meet a goal, and use tools that provide a set of correct steps; 2) Lane B prefer structure, collect confirming cues and add affirming cues, involve others for functional purposes, and used tool that resemble the real thing; 3) Lane C prefer depth and chase information as it becomes relevant, collect affirming cues, involve others for emotional reasons, and use tools that provides more information to chase; and, 4) Lane D prefer innovation, collect affirming cues and add confirming cues, involve others to build a network, and use tools that are inspirational, not educational. I argue people are motivated to learn when that learning is on their terms, and this motivation manifests in the strategies and processes taken by individuals during learning.Item Too Many American Icons: Conflicting Ideologies of Wild Horse Management in the American West(North Dakota State University, 2019) Sullivan, Curtis J.Wild free-roaming horses in the American West continue to exist in tension with the land they inhabit, the government that “manages” them, and the people that are impacted by them. The problem, argued here, is the result of the ideological construction of mustangs in American culture, and it calls forth questions about human-nature relationships as well as contemporary understandings of Environmentalism. This research follows in the theoretical foundations of Raymond Geuss and Tommie Shelby to unpack the epistemic properties (empirical evidence of the contexts from which ideologies are formed), functional properties (consequences of suffering and benefits as a result of ideologies), and genetic histories (historical contexts the construct the ideologies in a culture) of ideologies relating to wild horses in the West; by doing so it also provides insight into nature identification, the borders and barriers of human creations, and the limitations of access for performing environmentalism. This text focuses primarily on the life and experiences of Velma Bronn Johnston as an exemplar of environmental change in unexpected ways. Her narrative culminates in the passing of the Wild Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act of 1971 that created material changes for the lives of mustangs in the West as well as long-term consequences for citizens of the United States of America. Consequentially, mustangs of the West face a population “problem” that costs the United States more than $80 million annually with almost no signs of decreasing.Item Corporate Social Responsibility: A Roadmap for Georgia(North Dakota State University, 2010) Kvaratskhelia, TamarToday, more than ever, business companies are held accountable and judged for their business practices. They are expected to work in ways that make a positive impact on the environment and the society. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is often conceptualized as companies intentionally exceeding their primary responsibility of making profit in order to support the common goal of creating secure, just, and productive communities while protecting the environment. Although CSR is widely practiced in Western countries, the concept is still relatively new and emerging in Georgia, a country with a transitional economy and democracy. Current CSR practices are less stable or efficient, but have a high potential for development. Therefore, this project reviews the literature to identify some of the most common trends of CSR in developed countries, describes successful examples and practices, and proposes a roadmap - a model adapted to the current reality of Georgia. The roadmap is a CSR plan with general activities that could be implemented on a country level to ensure more efficient use of business, public, and government resources for the benefit of the nation.Item Activism Challenges Faced by Black Student-Athletes at Predominantly White Institutions(North Dakota State University, 2022) Pitchford, AlexisFor decades, black athletes have used sports as a stage to spread awareness of the injustices that are overlooked in our country. Black student-athletes are treated as ambassadors of the predominantly white universities they represent in their sports. However, they still endure prejudice from students, faculty, and local community members who are supposed to be their supporters. In this study, I investigated the factors influencing black student-athletes’ willingness to speak out on social issues. Through interviews with ten black student-athletes at NDSU, I found the concerning factors, identity issues, and levels of comfortability that black student athletes experience at this predominantly white institution. I argue that inconsistencies of support from the athletic department and fan base make it harder for black student-athletes to engage in activism. I recommend that student-athletes collaborate with athletic departments and local organizations in their activism to improve their communities.Item Tonight It’s Government Funded: A Rhetorical Analysis of Manufactured Social Controversy and Government Funding of the Arts(North Dakota State University, 2013) Beckermann, Kay MarieThomas Goodnight’s definition of controversy offers an initial examination of Reverend Donald Wildmon and Reverend Pat Robertson’s attack of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), initiating the Culture Wars of 1989. Using their most reliable communication tactics, Wildmon and Robertson attempted to garner support for their values by manufacturing controversy related to government funding of the National Endowment for the Arts. Together, they manufacture social controversy around two inter-related themes, one of morality, in which they argued Christians were being persecuted by the art community, and the other against federal funding of objectionable art, using Andres Serrano and Robert Mapplethorpe as symbols of corruption. In addition to the initial attacks on Serrano and Mapplethorpe, my rhetorical analysis illustrates how Wildmon’s and Robertson’s rhetoric seemingly sanctioned the manufacturing of a social controversy regarding the Federal funding for objectionable art as a way to promote their pro-family and anti-homosexual agenda.Item Automated Approaches for the Early-Stage Distinguishing of Palmer Amaranth from Waterhemp(North Dakota State University, 2022) Venkataraju, AkhilPalmer amaranth is an invasive pigweed species, possessing rapid growth, posing a threat to the economy of crops including corn. Its early detection and mitigation are of utmost importance; however, it is visually similar to waterhemp in the early growth stages. In this study, automated approaches are employed to distinguish palmer amaranth from waterhemp, within two weeks after emergence, from their RGB images. Morphological characteristics of these weeds are estimated and fed to several Machine Learning (ML) models. To improve classification accuracy, RGB images are augmented, and a Convolutional neural network is trained on 16000 images. Validated on images embedded with gaussian noise, it produced a better accuracy compared to ML approaches. Finally, YOLOv5, an object detection algorithm based on transfer learning, is successfully prepared. Tested on synthetic images consisting of both weeds, YOLOv5 successfully detected a significantly high number of palmer amaranth objects while also distinguishing it from waterhemp.Item Using Conditional and Unconditional Process Approaches to Determine the Effectiveness and Comprehensiveness of Instructional Risk and Crisis Communication Messages(North Dakota State University, 2021) Beauchamp, KimberlyMany individuals willingly or unknowingly consume food products that have been implicated in recall announcements. Exposure to potentially contaminated food products puts people at risk for contracting foodborne disease. Given the serious health complications associated with foodborne disease, a new message-design approach was needed that compels and empowers at-risk individuals to take appropriate life-saving actions when food-related, public health crises become imminent. The IDEA protocol was put forth to improve how we instruct and motivate at-risk audiences to self-protect against foodborne disease during food contamination events (T. Sellnow & D. Sellnow, 2013). IDEA-modeled messages, relative to alternative messages, are predicted to address audience diversity and produce more accurate receiver perceptions, which in turn translate into more appropriate behavioral intentions. The IDEA model has not yet been adequately or appropriately tested, despite arguments to the contrary. This study advanced the IDEA model by presenting: (1) a rigorous tool that more appropriately tested hypotheses, (2) a visually-friendly conceptual diagram for depicting a path-analytic framework, (3) important guidelines that scholars should employ to examine the IDEA model’s utility, and (4) justification for theoretical grounding in Witte’s (1992a) extended parallel process model (EPPM) in addition to D. Kolb’s (1984) learning cycle model. Rather than relying on tests based on analysis of variance to test theory, the present message-testing study employed a regression-based approach that more appropriately tested the IDEA model hypotheses. My conditional process model efficiently integrated moderators and mediators into a single path-analytic framework. My unconditional process model excluded the two moderating factors and their interactions from the statistical framework. Both statistical models included six parallel mediating mechanisms and two behavioral intention measures. The results of this message-testing experiment demonstrated how regression-based approaches that incorporate moderation, mediation, moderated-mediation, and moderated-moderated mediation should be employed to test the IDEA protocol. I found that an IDEA message was not consistently superior to an alternative message. My results suggest that an IDEA-modeled message should be thoughtfully designed to prevent inappropriate outcomes among target audiences. Improved message-design approaches should be explored for motivating and empowering at-risk individuals to self-protect against foodborne disease during contamination events.