Bachelor of Science of Journalism (BSJ), Ohio University, 2015, Journalism

This thesis examines the comparative relationship between ESPN and Fox Sports One through the content of their original programming. A laboratory experiment showing participants stimuli from the ESPN program SportsCenter and the Fox Sports One program Fox Sports Live is used to generate statistical evidence that viewer attitudes of the two programs are equivalent. This finding is surrounded with a general analysis of the empirical components of the other original programming broadcast by both networks. The vast economic power of both entities are viewed through both competitive marketing theory and the lens of political economy to situate these findings within the economic sphere they reside in.

Committee: Carson Wagner Dr. (Advisor) Subjects: Communication; Experiments

Bachelor of Arts, Miami University, 2010, College of Arts and Sciences - English

In my sophomore year at Miami University, one of my professors, Dr. Tom Romano, challenged us to create a multi-genre research project for our major assignment. After a brainstorming exercise, I decided to focus on the fox spirit legends of Asia, specifically those of China, Japan, and Korea. As I worked on the project, I found that I had a lot of fun, and I poured passion into my work. I was quite proud of the final project. So proud, in fact, that I decided to expand this project into my Creative Writing Honors Thesis. I felt that there was so much more I could do with it. Over the span of several years, I learned a lot about the fox spirits, using various books and websites in my research. Those of Japan and China can be benevolent as well as malicious, and foxes in Japan have even been elevated to the status of gods. However, in Korea, fox spirits are wicked creatures who prey on humans. Many stories have been written about them, and in Japan, they have made their way into popular media such as television shows and comic books. These fictional fox spirits have attracted many fans. In fact, the inspiration for this project comes from a surprisingly male fox spirit character named Kurama, from Yoshihiro Togashi's manga and anime entitled Yuu Yuu Hakusho. This manga author and artist based his story on traditional Japanese legends, but gave them a modern twist and created a unique and fascinating character through his ingenious imagination. I would like to dedicate this project to Mr. Togashi and his wonderful character, as well as the many fans of fox spirits all over the world. Without them, this thesis would not have been created. As I stated earlier, my thesis incorporates many genres, including short stories, poems, flash fiction, articles, letters, and even a table comparing and contrasting the fox spirits of each country. I have divided the thesis into three sections: China, Japan, and Korea. Before each section, I have provided a short introduction to (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Susan Sloan PhD (Advisor); Ann Wicks PhD (Committee Member); Anita Mannur PhD (Committee Member); Tom Romano PhD (Other) Subjects: Asian Literature; Asian Studies; Language Arts; Literature

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2024, Sociology

Beginning around 2020, conservative politicians and media outlets have launched an aggressive campaign against diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives via the symbolic vilification of critical race theory. Several scholars have observed that this crusade has largely taken the form of a conservative media-driven disinformation campaign that seeks to obscure the true intent and scope of critical race theory's influence on American society for political gains. Drawing upon critical race literature, framing theory, and various scholarship pertaining to the relationship between media and cultural hegemony, this project sought to qualitatively interrogate the frames used to discuss critical race theory within live Fox News broadcastings. Upon analysis of 50 randomly selected live Fox News transcripts, I found that Fox News commentators regularly invoked 6 common frames in discourses surrounding critical race theory. Therein, critical race theory was often projected to be: 1.) Divisive, 2.) Governmental Overreach, 3.) Indoctrination, 4.) a Marxist/Communist Agenda, and 5.) as Racist, with 6.) people of color (POC) often being used as legitimizers of these narratives. To conclude, I contemplated the implications of these frames, particularly in regard to what they unveil about mass media's influence over knowledge production and dissemination processes, as well as what they project for future social and racial justice strategies in light of the impending direction of the conservative political agenda.

Committee: Michael Vuolo (Advisor); Vincent Roscigno (Committee Member); Dana Haynie (Committee Member) Subjects: Journalism; Mass Communications; Mass Media; Social Research; Sociology

Master of Science (MS), Bowling Green State University, 2023, Biological Sciences

North American canid species have experienced major shifts in distribution and abundance since European settlement. These changes are often attributed to anthropogenic landscape modifications and associated habitat loss and fragmentation. Here we determine the response of coyotes (Canis latrans) and red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) to the altered landscape within the Oak Openings Region of northwestern Ohio. We identify occurrence patterns of local canids and their correlation with both fine-scale habitat variables and landscape-scale landcover data. A rapid assessment survey was conducted using scent-baited camera traps to generate coarse canid occurrence maps and identify optimal sites for the long-term monitoring phase of the study. Non-baited camera trap arrays that comprised the long-term monitoring portion of the study revealed widespread sympatry of red foxes and coyotes across the study area. This is in striking contrast to previous research that observed strong patterns of spatial partitioning in other regions. Fine-scale habitat variables were weakly associated with occurrence of either species, with the only significant correlation a positive relationship between coyote occurrence and percent bare ground. Landscape-scale variables, in contrast, were more predictive of canid occurrence. Red foxes were negatively associated with sand barrens and upland prairies, both open habitats where coyotes are known to be dominant. Both species demonstrated a negative association with dense urban landcover, which contrasts with other studies that suggest positive associations for both species at different scales. These findings suggest that reducing or strategically locating unsuitable habitats, such as upland prairies and sand barrens, and promoting forested refugia may help to conserve local red fox populations despite widespread coyote occurrence.

Committee: Karen Root Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Matthew Cross Ph.D. (Committee Member); Jeffrey Miner Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Conservation; Ecology; Wildlife Conservation

Bachelor of Arts, Wittenberg University, 2020, Communication

Women in the political sector struggle to find their place. Though the number of female representatives has increased in recent years, it has been a slow climb often complicated by the socially prescribed importance of their image to the public eye as represented through media. In the impeachment of President Donald Trump, two female senators, Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski, were prominently featured on news coverage outlets. As it is not historically common for female politicians to be at the center of major debates, this case allowed for valuable analysis of how the media portrays women in politics. Through this work, three questions are explored: 1) How did cable news media frame Senators Susan Collins' and Lisa Murkowski's roles in the impeachment process of President Donald Trump? 2) How did Senators Collins and Murkowski frame themselves in their self-representations through the impeachment process? 3) How have Collins and Murkowski engaged in self-representation for their overall identities as senators?

Committee: Sheryl Cunningham (Advisor); Kelly Dillon (Committee Member); Edward Hasecke (Committee Member) Subjects: Communication; Gender Studies; Mass Communications; Mass Media; Political Science; Womens Studies

Master of Arts, Case Western Reserve University, 2020, Communication Sciences

Purpose: The primary aims of this study were to examine narrative skills in children with childhood apraxia of speech (CAS) compared to children with speech sound disorder with and without language impairment (SSD+LI, SSD-only). Method: Participants were preschool-aged children with diagnosed CAS, SSD-only, and SSD+LI. Diagnoses were confirmed by a certified speech-language pathologist with standardized speech and language testing. Participants completed narrative retell task with the Fox and Bear story. Performance in narrative microstructure, macrostructure and comprehension were compared with analysis of variance between the three groups. Results: Participants with CAS told narratives that contained fewer story sequence items, and limited vocabulary. Analysis revealed slight differences in expressive language skills between participants with CAS and SSD+LI. Conclusions: Children with CAS experience deficits in later literacy predictors. Intervention for children with CAS should focus expressive language skills, in addition to speech sound production.

Committee: Lewis Barbara PhD (Committee Chair); Mental Rebecca CCC-SLP, PhD. (Committee Member); Short Elizabeth PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Early Childhood Education; Language; Literacy; Speech Therapy

Master of Arts in Rhetoric and Writing​, University of Findlay, 2017, English

The introduction of the comments section to online news articles enabled new forms of interaction, allowing readers to participate directly in the conversation. Scholars have hailed the comments sections as digital public spheres of democratic discourse. However, scant research has been done on how sexist rhetoric affects women's ability to participate in online discourse, despite research indicating that such rhetoric is a problem. This thesis project draws connections between research on the comments sections, uninhibited behavior and flaming, cybersexism, and women's participation in discourse to look at the impact of sexist rhetoric. I conduct a close reading of comments from BuzzFeed, MSNBC, and Fox News, analyzing the material using feminist and sociological rhetorical criticism. I argue that the presence of sexist rhetoric leads to a reduction in women's participation in the comments and negative effects on women's agency within the comments. Findings include consistent patterns of sexist rhetoric on all three sites, and consistent patterns of responses from women, the most predominant of which is silence. If the comments are to meet the ideal of a democratic public sphere, then the role of sexist rhetoric must be understood and mitigated.

Committee: Ron Tulley PhD (Committee Chair); Elkie Burnside PhD (Committee Member); Kathy Mason PhD (Committee Member); Christine Tulley PhD (Advisor) Subjects: Communication; Composition; Gender; Language Arts; Mass Communications; Mass Media; Multimedia Communications; Rhetoric; Technical Communication

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 1972, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects: Education

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2001, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects: Education

MCP, University of Cincinnati, 2001, Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning : Community Planning

Hamilton, Ohio, located in Butler County approximately 25 miles north of Cincinnati, was for 37 years the only city of a population greater than 50,000 people lacking direct access to an Interstate Highway system. Yet this situation was not intentional; the 1958 Major Road Plan for Butler County prioritized the upgrading of an existing road to serve as a connector to what would eventually become Interstate Highway 75. The project existed in the minds of City leaders throughout the 1960's and came to the public's consciousness again in the 1970's after then-Governor James A. Rhodes visited Hamilton during an election year. The Governor stated that the road was long-overdue and that the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments (OKI), the metropolitan planning organization (MPO) for the area, would grant the project highest priority status. No ground was broken for the project through the 1980's although there was grass-roots support for its completion. Hamilton, Innovative legislation in the 1990's paved the way for the creation of the Butler County Transportation Improvement District (BCTID). BCTID began construction of the road in 1996 and completed it in December 1999. The aim of this research project is threefold. The first goal of this study was to gain an understanding of the causes for delay in highway construction as they specifically apply to the Michael A. Fox Regional Highway, as well as the causes that conspired to allow for its eventual completion. The second goal of research was to examine the political factors that allowed for the highway's completion. The third project goal was to gain understanding of the complex process of intergovernmental coordination as it applies to the process of highway planning, funding, and implementation. The research completed to satisfy the first and second goals of the project provides a framework of effective practices that can be applied in other planning situations.

Committee: Andrew Jacobs (Advisor) Subjects: Urban and Regional Planning

Bachelor of Science of Journalism (BSJ), Ohio University, 2010, Journalism

The American media system needs to be reformed. While the media are supposed to be a powerful force in preserving our democracy, certain components have not been as vigilant lately. In the name of capitalism, once separate media companies have merged to form a powerful few. The so-called Big Six – AOL Time Warner, Disney, General Electric, News Corporation, Columbia Broadcasting Service and Viacom – control the mainstream media in the United States. Not only do these companies control television stations, but also publishing companies, newspapers, and Internet websites. Additionally, Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation has its hands in every form of media across the globe. Thus, a select few are controlling a large portion of the message to the American people. As a result of this corporate expansion, the state of journalism has suffered with the emphasis now on the bottom line instead of honest and respectable journalism. The mainstream media have degenerated into partisan reporting on both sides of the political spectrum. Americans are beginning to consider political pundits, like Glenn Beck or journalistic lightweights like Barbara Walters, actual journalists. The healthcare reform debate highlights just how important the media are and how corrupted certain media groups have become. As the reform debate continues, the desire for profits appears to drive the media rather than a desire to report the truth. This can only prove deleterious to the American political system.

Committee: Bernhard Debatin Dr. (Advisor) Subjects: Journalism

Master of Fine Arts, The Ohio State University, 2009, Theatre

Godspell originally conceived and directed by John-Michael Tebelak with music and new lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, was a theatrical production presented during the spring quarter of 2009 at The Ohio State University produced by the Department of Theatre in collaboration with The Columbus Association of the Performing Arts at the Southern Theatre. This thesis is a documentation of the lighting design process for Godspell. The first chapter is a examination of the Southern Theatre and the producing situation. The second and third chapters explore the design ideas for the production through director concept, collaboration and script analysis. The last two chapters examine the lighting design process from initial stages to final product and provide self-evaluation of the final design. The concept for the production was to connect Godspell to central Ohio by creating a visual environment that reflected the changing and struggling economic landscape of a downtown landmark. The production was developed, researched and designed in order for viewers to absorb the overarching message of Godspell, while becoming energized and inspired to change the world around them. As part of my lighting concept I chose to incorporate a variety of rock-and-roll compositions with a simple and cleanly lit landscape. I also designed a complex light plot that integrated a variety of technology to create a lively and eye-catching world for Godspell.

Committee: Mary Tarantino M.F.A. (Advisor); Amanda Fox M.F.A. (Committee Member); Kristine Kearney M.F.A. (Committee Member) Subjects: Design; Theater

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2008, Natural Resources

I conducted scent station surveys throughout northeastern Illinois to determine factors associated with a gray fox population decline, and to assess land cover associations of urban mesopredators. When detected, gray foxes were collared and radiotracked. Results of my study indicated that gray foxes may have been negatively affected by urbanization, intraguild competition with coyotes, and interspecific interactions with raccoons. Generalist mesopredators were found to interact with the landscape at spatial scales that were larger than those accomodated by remnant habitat patches. Mobile mesopredators were positively associated with a high degree of urban development whereas less mobile mesopredators were positively associated with a moderate degree of development. Domestic cats, however, were positively associated with a high degree of urban development, likely due to their association as a companion animal. Habitat associations of urban mesopredators are important to understand in order to manage and control the spread of disease, mitigate human-wildlife conflicts, and understand how mesopredators can influence the wildlife community existing within urbanized landscapes.

Committee: Stan Gehrt Ph.D. (Advisor); Robert Gates Ph.D. (Committee Member); Charles Goebel Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Ecology

Master of Science (MS), Ohio University, 2010, Journalism (Communication)

This thesis explores whether the government's reactance to the media coverage of the 1991 Persian Gulf War led to the way in which journalistic independence was curtailed in the 2003 Iraq War. It also examines the undertone used in war reporting to determine how television networks shaped the war coverage, accounting for the government control of messages and restrictions of the media. A textual and observational analysis of CNN newscasts and Fox News coverage were conducted. This study found both positive and negative undertones from both networks' coverage as a reaction to the government's handling of the information about their war effort. This thesis builds a new theoretical perspective with two premises for conflict reactance. The U.S. government's reactance to the negative media coverage of the 1991 Persian Gulf War was not as successful in totally restricting the negative undertone about its war efforts in the 2003 Iraq War from the networks' anchor and correspondents; but it was partially successful at shaping the 2003 coverage by injecting some positive undertones in the live reports from the battlefield as a result of its embedded press system.

Committee: Yusuf Kalyango PhD (Committee Chair); Robert K. Stewart PhD (Committee Member); Mary Rogus MBA (Committee Member) Subjects: Journalism; Technology