Theses and Dissertations

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Open Access
Broadening the lens: a pilot study of student cognitive flexibility and intercultural sensitivity in short-term study abroad experiences
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2014) Gantt, Jessica, author; Aoki, Eric, advisor; Williams, Elizabeth, committee member; Macdonald, Bradley, committee member
Study abroad has emerged as an essential element in many U.S. students' college careers, as many degree programs have implemented study abroad as a degree requirement and globalization has fostered a flourishing globalized economy and society. Over half of these students are choosing to go abroad for short-term programs of six weeks or less, and thus this pilot study considered the effects short programs can have on participants. The study included a study abroad participant group who went abroad for one month or less and a control group of students who did not go abroad. The study utilized a pre-posttest design, and participants in both groups were sent online surveys before and after the one month study period. The study utilized Martin and Rubin's (1995) Cognitive Flexibility Scale and Chen and Starosta's (2000) Intercultural Sensitivity Scale to measure changes in participant intercultural personhood, to which both cognitive flexibility and intercultural sensitivity contribute. The study also used open-ended questions in the posttest to gather study abroad participant narratives and add qualitative depth to the findings. The data analysis found the study abroad students did exhibit an increase in cognitive flexibility after their trips abroad (M = 5.00, SD = 0.65) when compared with the longitudinal data for control group participants who stayed in country (M = 4.72, SD = 0.32); however, due to the size of the small pilot study, these findings were not statistically significant: F (1, 1) = 0.867, p > .05. The study encountered an unexpected trend when study abroad students exhibited lower intercultural sensitivity after their trips (M = 3.55, SD = 0.54) than control group students who stayed in country (M = 4.00, SD = 0.45), though also not a statistically significant finding: F (1, 1) = 1.14, p > .05. Interestingly, a data analysis considering changes in cognitive flexibility when controlling for second language fluency did approach significance: F (1, 1) = 13.262, p = .068. The difference in level of cognitive flexibility in study abroad participants (M = 4.92, SD = 0.65) and control group participants (M = 4.80, SD = 0.32) when controlling for second language fluency also continued to trend in the expected direction. While I provide insight into potential explanations for the three trends, the findings and conclusions from this pilot study are used to posit questions and ideas for future research. The findings of this pilot study not only contribute holistically to the field of study abroad research, but can also be applied to future short-term study abroad research and even to the actual design of study abroad program support structures.
Open Access
"Can we fix it?": Bob the Builder as a discursive resource for children
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2010) Freed, Brianna, author; Broadfoot, Kirsten, advisor; Aoki, Eric, advisor; Harvey, Ashley, committee member; Aoki, Eric, committee member
This thesis examines the discourses and representations constructed in the popular children's television series Bob the Builder--a discursive resource that engages work as its central theme. Through a critical cultural lens, the study uses critical discourse analysis and visual semiotics to explore the constructions of work/er, organization, non-work activities, family, gender, and diversity as they are (re)presented in the show. The study found that Bob the Builder distinctly (re)presents values of the postmodern, postindustrial worker of Western, advanced corporate capitalism. Leisure and play are portrayed as activities which, ideally, do not affect work. Family is equally placed in the periphery as family members are either placed entirely outside the organization--as with Wendy's family--or as contributing members to its operation--as with Bob's family. Gender representations are problematized by Wendy's denied occupational identity as a builder equal to her male counterpart. Diversity in the show is problematic with minimal non-White ethnic representation and two overtly stereotypical representations of supporting characters. Directions for future research are offered in the conclusion.
Open Access
Coming to terms with staying, going, and returning: a rural community ethnography
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2012) Reinig, Lydia L., author; Aoki, Eric, advisor; Griffin, Cindy L., committee member; Carolan, Michael S., committee member
This thesis studies how people in a rural small town within the larger United States come to understand and talk about the dynamic processes of young people "staying" in, "going" from, and "returning" to their hometown. The exigency for this thesis is twofold. First, people from small towns must at some point face the question of whether to remain in or to leave their hometown. For the younger generation this question is typically answered during the transition into adulthood (i.e., high school graduation and one's 18th birthday), but often will be addressed many more times in their lifetime. While "staying," "going," and "returning" may be understood as a normative process, these actions have profound and distinct impacts on the future of the U.S. American rural small town. Second, the small town in middle America provides a unique and academically underappreciated location for inquiry. Understanding how both young people and other members of a community make sense of "staying" and "going" provides insights into rural community life. Grounded in the Ethnography of Communication this study takes up three broad research questions for analysis: RQ 1: How do people in a rural community make sense of young people's (i.e., 18-30 years of age) practices of staying, leaving, and returning to their hometown? RQ 2: What are the localized taxonomy of terms (Hymes, 1974) used by participants to describe the phenomenon of "staying," "going," and "returning?" RQ 3: What do participant discourses reveal about "coming to terms with cultures" (Philipsen, 2008)--the negotiation of two or more cultural codes in one's life? Using ethnographic interview procedures, supplemented by participant observation of the community, the narratives of 11 interlocutors--six young people and five older community members--are engaged in responses to research questions. Young people narrate the pinnacle moment of high school graduation as a catalyst opportunity to leave the community. Throughout interviews both young people and community members describe the importance of young people coming back to visit during the years that they are away at college and beyond. Moreover, not all young people intend to leave the community and never return. Those who do return, both to visit and to live, are situated as forever members of the community by older generations who take vested interests in the lives of young people. Three unique, interconnected taxonomies develop in participants' narratives regarding considerations: "you come back," "it's (like) family," and "everybody knows everybody." Interlocutors' negotiations of "everybody knows everybody" in contrast to "everybody knows your business" reveal tensions between autonomy and collectivity as interlocutors personally and communally engage in "coming to terms with 'staying,' 'going,' and 'returning.'" Ultimately, collective orientations towards family are privileged in motivating "staying" and "returning" practices. An underlying tension arose in narratives; how can the cultural code of collectivity, or code of "staying," be maintained when an individualistic narrative, or code of "leaving," is appropriated? While the default trajectory of "schooling" and jobs elsewhere explains why some young people leave indefinitely, young people's narratives are supplanted by their overarching commitments to stay and contribute to the community. Instead of focusing on the liminal experience, interlocutors elect to focus on their small town identities, creating a code of recognition that acknowledges the requisite need for education beyond high school. The requisite post-high school education means young people must leave and perhaps will subsequently relocate. That said, the code of recognition is firmly grounded in the collectivistic role of family and community in one's life. Ultimately, the code of recognition acknowledges the presence of individualistic and collectivistic ways of speaking and being. This thesis then explores "coming to terms with cultures" (Philipsen 2008) through the codes of "staying," "going," and "returning," making contributions to the study of U.S. American speech communities first called for by Philipsen in 1975.
Open Access
Connecting spiritual others: Gandhi and Tutu's discourses on establishing pre-dialogue foundations for interfaith encounters
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2011) Jonas, Kyle Michael, author; Aoki, Eric, advisor; Burgchardt, Carl, committee member; Cowell, Pattie, committee member
This thesis seeks to understand how spiritual leaders' rhetoric can work towards promoting pre-dialogue foundations for encountering spiritual others. The three research questions that guide my analysis are: first, how does the discourse of two influential spiritual leaders (i.e., Mahatma Gandhi and Desmond Tutu) provide pluralistic insight for understanding spiritual others in an interfaith context? Second, what are common themes/philosophies between these two spiritual leaders, and how do these themes provide a foundation for preparing individuals to enter interfaith dialogue with a pluralistic mindset? And third, how do relational dialectics, humility, and identification in the leaders' discourses lead to a better understanding of how spaces for interfaith dialogue are potentially opened up? In my analysis, I find that Gandhi and Tutu both define religion in a unique way that encourages interfaith dialogue. Both leaders call for humility and embody it throughout their discourse in a way that promotes self-awareness, openness, and transcendence among individuals. Dialogue's primary tension, totality, and the same/different contradiction are dialectical themes addressed by both spiritual leaders. Both leaders instill pluralistic attitudes that help individuals manage their primary tensions, reflect on their relation to spiritual others through totality, and recognize the similarities and differences between faiths. Finally, identification is prevalent throughout both leaders' discourses to reveal the theme of commonality among faiths. This thesis analyzes how Gandhi and Tutu's discourses potentially function to unite spiritual others towards goals of peaceful interfaith coexistence.
Open Access
Framing diversity: assessing cultural representations within Colorado State University's Office of Admissions brochures
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2015) Sheldon, Jennifer Maureen, author; Aoki, Eric, advisor; Khrebtan-Hoerhager, Julia, committee member; Ahuna-Hamill, Linda, committee member
This study assessed the visual diversity representations within information brochures targeted for potential freshmen and published by Colorado State University’s (CSU) Office of Admissions. "The U Book" and "The Freshman’s Guide" contain introductory information about CSU’s application process and feature a number of photographs of CSU students engaged in various on-campus activities. This mixed methodological study assessed how the photographs in the brochures reflect and highlight CSU’s official mission statement on diversity. This thesis used a simple nominal assessment of photographic representations of diversity to provide the foundation for a thematic and narrative analysis. The examination of the photographic images in these five brochures included an analysis of researcher-ascribed identities and diversity representations through Hall’s (1997) floating signifiers as well as Fairclough’s (1989) Critical Discourse Analysis. Ceccarelli’s (1998) and Condit’s (1989) work on polysemy and polyvalence were also applied to help pull out repetitive and relevant themes regarding diversity representations within the brochures. The nominal results found certain groups overrepresented (e.g., White, Asian, Black, mixed-race), underrepresented (e.g., Hispanic), or not included (e.g., Native American, Hawaiian, physically disabled). The three key themes that were found include the diverse community, the learning environment, and the active lifestyle.
Open Access
Injecting ineffably: a qualitative study of homelessness, communication, and injection drug use in Denver, Colorado
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2011) Conner, Christopher N., author; Dickinson, Greg, advisor; Aoki, Eric, advisor; MacDonald, Bradley, committee member
This study provides qualitative analysis of intra- and intergroup communication dynamics between injection drug users experiencing homelessness and people who do not inject. The analysis is grounded in Classical categories of techne and phronesis with expressive modes of mimetic and diegetic learning. Analysis also considers functional uses of public secrecy in discourses about injection drug use and secrecy's effects on social appropriations of phronesis, techne, and subjective identity with injection. This study presents five unique case studies of interviews with injection drug users experiencing homelessness in Denver, Colorado to discuss how themes of injection drug use are experienced, and/or communicated at the street level. Particular attention is directed to themes of initiation to injection drug use. This study is informed by a harm reduction curriculum set forth by the Break the Cycle program and the Harm Reduction Action Center in Denver, Colorado.
Open Access
The vernacular rhetoric of and audience responses to The debut
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2015) Casem, Anika, author; Anderson, Karrin, advisor; Aoki, Eric, advisor; Sorensen, Leif, committee member
In this thesis I look at an early Filipina/o American film, The Debut (2000). As one of the first of its kind The Debut was written, starred, directed, supported, produced, and created by and for the Filipino/a community (Ginsela 2003a; Ginsela 2003b). The marginalized Filipina/o American community has little power and little say within contemporary U.S. society and as a result, they are rarely acknowledged in U.S. economics, politics, culture, history, and society (Cordova 1983; Espiritu 2003). The silencing of the Filipina/o American community has resulted in creating a population of people who appear to have been erased from the public memory of the country they inhabit. The erasure and silencing has repercussions for the identity of the Filipina/o American community and issues surrounding identity. To explore Filipina/o American identity, I employ a dual methodology. The first is a critical analysis of the Filipina/o American film The Debut (2000). Using a theory of vernacular rhetoric I argue The Debut showcases several identities which consist of a both/and quality that allows the Filipina/o American community to maintain an identity at odds with itself. The second approach is an audience analysis of Filipina/o American college age students who discuss the relevance of the experiences depicted in the film to their own lives. In the conclusion I discuss that we need to continue educating the public about representations on screen; there needs to be more research done on vernacular discourses, ethnic audiences, and focus groups; there needs to be a cultivation of appreciation in the Filipina/o American community for film as art; for the time being, instead of more research being done by scholars what we actually need is for the Filipina/o American community to create more films.
Open Access
Theorizing commensality discourses: food truck communication and influence in local culture
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2022) Combs, Mitch, author; Aoki, Eric, advisor; Khrebtan-Hörhager, Julia, committee member; Elkins, Evan, committee member; Carolan, Michael, committee member
Food trucks offer spaces of commensality where people negotiate cultural identity and senses of place though practices, tastes, and performances communicated through enactments of food sharing. In this dissertation, I theorize commensality as a rhetorical texture of subcultural ideology, a rhetorical texture of resistance to cultural gentrification, and as a digital process of online community building. I use rhetorical criticism and ethnographic methods of participant observation to analyze physical spaces of food truck commensality in Fort Collins, Colorado: The FOCO Food Truck Rally and North College Avenue. Additionally, I conduct a media discourse analysis of the Fort Collins food truck Instagram community. Overall, I argue that commensality operates as a subcultural ideology resistant and reifying of gourmet elitism, a rhetoric of difference resistant to cultural gentrification, and a process digital commensality building community through social mediated branding, networking, and audiencing.
Open Access
"We will be the last mass shooting": Emma González's tactical subjectivity through differential consciousness, affect, and silence
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2019) Palomino, Selena J., author; Aoki, Eric, advisor; Khrebtan-Hörhager, Julia, committee member; Black, Ray, committee member
The purpose of this thesis is to uncover the rhetorical strategies employed by Emma González throughout her "We call BS!" speech (i.e., February 17, 2018) and her "March for Our Lives" speech (i.e., March 24, 2018). Chela Sandoval's theorization of differential consciousness is used to uncover the ways González shifts her subject position from "kid," "teenager," and "student" in order to challenge "adults," the "President," and "lawmakers" to create systemic change. In this thesis, I argue Emma González uses the affective capacities of grief and silence to construct a counterpublic. Through González's rhetorical strategies a moment of silence is transformed from a ritual to a political act. Public grief is used as a tool for healing and reconciliation allowing for a national community to contend with the harrowing effects of gun violence. To conclude, with gun violence continuing to be a pervasive social problem, I discuss contributions, limitations, and directions for future studies.

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