Mountain Scholar :: Browsing by Author "Champ, Joseph, committee member"

Browsing by Author "Champ, Joseph, committee member"

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Open Access
A mosaic of understanding: fusing perspectives to legitimize non-technical ways of knowing climate change
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2012) Drake, Erin Marie, author; Thompson, Jessica, advisor; Champ, Joseph, committee member; Melena, Sara, committee member
The impacts and implications of climate change are as diverse as the global community faced with addressing this social-ecological issue. Expert-driven communication strategies that emphasize an abundance of scientific information laden with technical language and positivist values have insufficiently appealed to non-technical audiences. This shortcoming has widened the gap between technical and non-technical publics and fails to acknowledge the legitimacy of different forms of expertise that include social dimensions of climate change. Different ways of knowing have also been ignored, largely reducing climate change communication to static, one-way presentations of climate science information. Iterative, interactive, and tangible learning processes are underrepresented in climate change communication efforts but can better resonate and engage many non-technical audiences. The power of place-based connections and communication allows for non-technical publics to relate to global climate change through the familiarity and appreciation of local landscapes. National parks and wildlife refuges, places of public value and trust, can seed connections between non-technical visiting publics and climate change. Non-technical audiences can better relate to and understand climate change through the renegotiation of language, relevance, and resonant messages framed in a valued landscape - essentially through the lens of place. These connections, in tandem with hands-on engagement practices, can foster a network of engaged climate change citizens with the capacity to inspire others outside of parks and refuges.
Open Access
Are they listening to us? A comparison of student responses to traditional vs. user-generated marketing content
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2013) Hagedorn, Mandy, author; Hallahan, Kirk, advisor; Champ, Joseph, committee member; Oldham, Kyle, committee member
Marketers for university housing departments use a variety of traditional and digital tools to promote positive attitudes and interest among prospective student residents. This study used one-on-one semi-structured qualitative in-depth interviews to explore perceptions and reactions of ten first-year students at Colorado State University. Students were shown two examples of traditional marketer-generated content, including a printed Housing Guide publication that all admitted first-year students receive by mail and a video on Housing & Dining Services' website that features a student-guided tour of one of the residence halls on campus. Participants also reviewed a user-generated YouTube video featuring the same residence hall and the CSU Rams Class of 2017 Facebook group page that includes 3,000+ members. Marketer-generated materials resulted in positive attitudes and a greater sense of credibility, while the user-generated video and Facebook group page were not considered credible by as many of the participants. While students were not averse to using user-generated content online to form opinions and make decisions, they displayed more hesitation at trusting information found online versus information shared within their networks of peers or personal contacts. The results suggest that university-produced materials, particularly the housing department's comprehensive printed publication, continue to play a vital role in a university's promotional efforts, despite the widespread contention that students prefer to obtain information online and rely heavily on user-generated content. The study provides seven recommendations for future marketing efforts based on the students' preferences.
Open Access
Communicating climate change through place based engagement: methods, research, and applications to parks and protected area visitors
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2014) Davis, Shawn Kyle, author; Thompson, Jessica L., advisor; Donnelly, Maureen P., advisor; Vaske, Jerry J., committee member; Bruyere, Brett L., committee member; Champ, Joseph, committee member
This research explored the connections between place attachment and resident perceptions of tourism. Aspects of place attachment such as place identity and place dependence were tested against tourism dependence for strength of correlation and relationship to perceived impacts of tourism. Survey data were collected from residents of eight communities in Colorado. The researcher hypothesized that there would exist a positive relationship between place dependence and place identity, as well as a negative relationship between place identity and tourism impacts. Results from this research show that place dependence has a direct effect on place identity (β = .61, p <.001). Place identity was found to have a significant effect on a variety of tourism impacts. Rapid advances in tablet technology and the increasing availability of electronic survey applications provide opportunities to streamline on-site human dimensions data col- lection. This article compares response rates and cost efficiencies of an iPad interface used for on-site survey administration to other types of human dimensions of wildlife survey administration response rates and expenses. Results also illustrate respondents' interface preference from a recent survey administered at National Wildlife Refuges and National Parks across the United States. Refuge and Park visitors enjoyed taking on-site surveys on iPads more than traditional paper surveys, and indicated a preference for taking future surveys on iPads instead of paper (t = 21.64, p < .001, η = .39); iPad survey administration was more cost efficient for large (over 1,350) survey samples, and garnered a higher than average response rate than online and mail surveys, but similar to average response rates for on-site intercept survey administration. In this paper we present and test a theoretical framework for place-based climate change engagement. The framework is based on principles from place attachment theory, place- based education, free-choice learning, and norm activation theory. The framework, which we empirically validate here, demonstrates the power of engaging citizens in action-based learning at physical, material places, which are also symbolic sites for inspiring political action and learning about climate change impacts. Research has shown that climate change will resonate with diverse audiences when: (1) it is situated in cultural values and beliefs, (2) it is meaningful to that audience, and (3) it empowers specific action. We use data collected at 16 national parks and wildlife refuges in the USA; all of which are experiencing the impacts of climate change and struggling to develop climate change communication and outreach activities for their visitors and local communities. Thus, this framework and the empirical validation presented are the result of triangulating quantitative survey data (n =4,181) and qualitative interviews (n =359) to argue for the unparalleled potential for America's parks and refuges to inspire civic engagement in climate change through place-based communication. People everywhere are defined in part by the places they live and the places they love. Climate change is a global challenge that threatens peoples' homes, work places and protected areas around the world. This paper explores the connection between the distance National Park visitors live from the Park and their perceived connection to that place as well as related influences on perception of climate change impacts. The researchers built upon Norton and Hannon's (1997) work hypothesizing that the closer visitors lived to the Park, the greater place attachment they would exhibit. Based on an on-site survey of visitors to Kenai Fjords National Park (KEFJ), visitors' place attachment and proximity to the Park were mapped using ArcGIS software. Results show that regardless of distance, the majority of visitors who took the survey reported that they have a strong attachment to KEFJ. This attachment positively correlated with visitor ability to see climate change impacts (r = .20, p < .001) and their desire to learn more about climate change (r = .26, p < .001) in the Park. This study shows that National Parks have the potential to educate a vast audience on the effects climate change will have to these iconic landscapes and how they help protect these places, regardless of where they live.
Open Access
Continue playing: examining language change in discourse about binge-watching on Twitter
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2021) Peterman, Katharyn Alison Marjorie, author; Humphrey, Michael, advisor; Champ, Joseph, committee member; Hughes, Kit, committee member
Utilizing data from Twitter, this study characterized the change in the use of the term binge and its variants from 2009-2019. While there is a significant amount of literature looking at either language change or digital media, this research considered the two as inextricable forces on each other. To examine this and the proposed research questions, a textual analysis was conducted of tweets containing the word binge. Overall, the findings suggest that the December 2013 press release published by Netflix deeming binge-watching as the "new normal" in media consumption, may have pushed binge-watching into the mainstream lexicon. Language use about binge-watching was typically positively connotated in contrast to the negative connotations associated with binge-eating and binge-drinking. The connotative change appears to align with a widening of the definition of "watch" to account for the normality of binge-watching. As the use of binge-watching spread throughout the United States, the pattern of the geographic diffusion of binge-watching did not follow traditional theories of the diffusion of language change. The difference in spread may derive from the corporate origins of the term. Lastly, Twitter enabled and reinforced the spread of binge-watching through the facilitation of the social aspect of binge-watching. The findings of this study provide rich ground for future study.
Open Access
"Cut her some slack": examining twenty-first century ecofeminist digital opinion leader #AOC and the #GreenNewDeal
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2020) Clemmons, Zoe Eileen, author; Arthur, Tori Omega, advisor; Anderson, Karrin, committee member; Champ, Joseph, committee member
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez holds a unique and captivating spot in the political arena in 2020. At the forefront of the nonbinding resolution, the Green New Deal (GND), her position on Twitter with over 6.7 million followers has given her the power to influence and interact with her constituents, other politicians, supporters, and critics on Twitter and has given her the opportunity to advocate for and uphold key policy issues related to environmental justice within the Green New Deal. She can also shape policy decisions as the Green New Deal moves forward. Ecofeminism, as both a social and philosophical movement, argues that women must be at the forefront of politics in order to improve the lives of others and the environment. Employing Critical Technocultural Discourse Analysis (CTDA) to understand digital phenomena, artifacts, and ideology on social networking platforms, this study explores how and why Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez as a twenty-first century opinion-leader generates support for the Green New Deal, and how she uses ecofeminism as a principle that guides her Green New Deal advocacy on Twitter. This thesis offers an overview of the study, its theoretical frames, methodology, findings, and discussion.
Open Access
Decolonizing transness in sport media: the frames and depictions of transgender athletes in Sports Illustrated
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2016) Matthews, Tammy Rae, author; Knight Steele, Catherine, advisor; Kodrich, Kris, advisor; Champ, Joseph, committee member; Souza, Caridad, committee member
This discourse analysis examines depictions of trans athletes in Sports Illustrated and sport culture through the lens of queer theory and the interpretive-packages model proposed by Gamson & Modiglani (1989). Four interpretive packages emerged from the print content: (1) Marginalization, (2) Labeling, (3) Fighting and Fairness and (4) Pride and Affirmation. The results illustrate that discourse has generally become more sensitive to trans issues. The author presents these results with cautious optimism. Blindingly affirming and romancing the transgender can be equally as superficial as marginalization, and representations of trans athletes secured by one person are problematic. Researchers and sport organizations should dismantle antiquated, coercive sex segregation in traditional sport and decolonize how it contributes to gender-based oppression. The author recommends that media outlets focus on presenting fair, accurate and inclusive representations of transness that combat oppressive positions.
Open Access
Effect of fear and representations of great white sharks on great white shark conservation behavior
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2024) Montgomery, Emily, author; Tham, Samuel M., advisor; Champ, Joseph, committee member; Aubry, Lise M., committee member
Great white sharks are listed as a vulnerable species under the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list. This study uses the theory of planned behavior (TPB) to test how different factors such as attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control along with representations and fear of great white sharks affect great white shark conservation behavior intentions. This study (n= 218) used a 2 (fear) x2 (representations) between-subjects experimental design. The main findings from this study found that participants had higher positive attitudes toward great white sharks when exposed to the stimuli featuring the presence of fear image compared to the absence of fear image; however, there was no significant difference in great white shark conservation behavior intention based on the four conditions participants were assigned to. All other results in this study analyzing factors of TPB and great white shark fear and representation were expected and supported by TPB and previous research.
Open Access
Exploring the role of social identity and social media in understanding hunters' perceptions of wild pigs and their management in the U.S.
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2020) Jaebker, Lauren, author; Bright, Alan, advisor; Champ, Joseph, committee member; Shwiff, Stephanie, committee member; Teel, Tara, committee member
To view the abstract, please see the full text of the document.
Open Access
Factors that influence celebrities' personal brands: the effects of fan club membership offers on celebrity image
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2012) Whitfield, Jill, author; Christen, Cindy T., advisor; Champ, Joseph, committee member; Diffrient, Scott, committee member
The performing artist fan club business has recently developed into a widespread concept for generating music revenue online (Garrity, 2002). Fans have demonstrated willingness to pay to join fan club memberships offering elite benefits such as concert ticket pre-sales, meet and greet opportunities, unique merchandise, and access to exclusive news and media (Garrity, 2002). The risk with this new business model is that some fans could be insulted that they are now being asked to pay money to subscribe to their favorite artist's sites which were formerly free. This study examined the trend of celebrities charging their fans monetary fees to be members of their fan clubs, and the potential impact that this business model has on the celebrity's image. Positive or negative effects were examined by applying the theory of branding, including concepts of personal branding, internal branding and identity, external branding and image, and the Identity-based Brand Equity Model (Burmann, Hegner, & Riley, 2009). The study employed a 2x2 post-test only factorial experimental design and administered an entertainment questionnaire to 200 undergraduate college students at Colorado State University. The questionnaire examined attitudes toward one of two celebrities prior to and after exposure to an offer to join the celebrity's fan club. The fan club membership offers contained two manipulated variables: type of fan club membership (paid versus free), and celebrity and genre (pop/Lady Gaga versus country/Taylor Swift). The dependent variables in this study were the target market's attitudes toward the celebrity, and their motivation to join the fan club. Results revealed that only eight of 200 participants chose to sign up for fan club membership, regardless of the entertainer. The eight participants who chose to sign up for a fan club received a free fan club offer. Across celebrity conditions, fans are significantly more likely to find a fan club offer more appealing if it is free, and they will be more likely to join a fan club that is free rather than paid. Furthermore, liking or disliking an artist before being presented with their fan club offer greatly impacted fan motivation and likeliness to join a fan club. Fandom research and branding literature suggested that charging fees for fan club membership could negatively influence a celebrity's image. The Identity-based Brand Equity Model (Burmann et al., 2009) implied that if celebrities charged for fan club membership, and fans did not expect this or feel that the behavior aligned with the artist's brand promise, the artist's image would be negatively impacted. Study results challenged this model and indicated that fan attitudes toward both Taylor Swift and Lady Gaga did not alter when participants were presented with a paid versus free membership offer. Thus, charging for fan club membership may not support an entertainer's image, but more importantly, it will not harm an entertainer's image. These conclusions are presented to help celebrities and their management elect if they would like to charge for fan club membership. Results propose that entertainers interested in fan club monetization can apply a revenue model to increase earnings, and their image will not be harmed. Yet, artists need to think through the necessary benefits required to make paid fan clubs alluring, and take into account that fans are more likely to join fan club memberships that are free.
Open Access
Heuristic-systematic processing of environmental messages: promoting green initiatives to Colorado ski resort visitors
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2010) Stonehouse, Taylor, author; Christen, Cindy, advisor; Lacy, Michael, committee member; Champ, Joseph, committee member
This study examined the effects of environmental advertising by Colorado ski resorts on individuals' decisions to ski at those resorts. By applying Chaiken’s (1987) Heuristic Systematic Model of Persuasion and Dunlap and Van Liere’s (1978) New Environmental Paradigm, the researcher attempted to investigate an individual’s cognitive processes, along with the effects of their preexisting levels of environmental concern, when processing ski resort advertisements emphasizing environmental initiatives. A survey questionnaire was distributed to a convenience sample of 578 visitors at the Buttermilk resort (of Aspen Skiing Company), which is a company with many environmental initiatives; and Crested Butte Mountain Resort and Copper Mountain Ski Resort, which are companies with fewer environmental initiatives. After responding to questions regarding environmental concerns from the NEP scale, participants were exposed at random to one of three experimentally manipulated ski resort advertisements, which contained the same design, photographs and resort logos. However, messages were manipulated to emphasize environmental initiatives, affordability, or a mixture of the two messages. This study found that after exposure to an environmental advertisement, participants with high levels of environmental concern were found to be no more likely to list the environmental message before the heuristic cues. Consistent with the HSM, however, this study’s results indicated that participants with low environmental concern were more likely to remember the heuristic cues than the environmental message. Participants with higher levels of environmental concern were found to remember the environmental messages before the heuristic cues in the mixed advertisement, but no significant relationship was found between participants’ levels of environmental concern and the order in which they recalled the items from the different advertisements. Finally, this study found that participants with higher levels of environmental concern indicated that they were more likely to return to a resort after exposure to an advertisement promoting the resort’s environmental efforts. These results together illustrate the importance of a person’s motivation to scrutinize environmental advertisements. Furthermore, the location and complexity of these advertisements are key considerations for ski resorts wanting to promote their environmental efforts.
Open Access
Human-technology relationality and self-network organization: players and avatars in World of Warcraft
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2013) Banks, Jaime, author; Martey, Rosa Mikeal, advisor; Rouner, Donna, committee member; Champ, Joseph, committee member; Aoki, Eric, committee member; Folkestad, James, committee member
Massively multiplayer online roleplaying games, or MMOs, present an increasingly popular digital media experience whereby identity emerges as players contribute materially to play but contributions are governed by affordances and constraints of the game. Unique to this medium is the player's ability to create and control a digital body - an avatar - to represent the Self in the immersive gameworld. Although notions of identity and the Self in digital games have been examined through a number of approaches, it is still unclear how the way one sees the avatar in the uncanny situation of having two bodies - one digital, one physical - contributes to a sense of Self in and around these games. Further, it is unclear how non-human objects contribute to human senses of Self. In that vein, this study examines two research questions: How do players have relationships with their avatars in a digital game? And how does the Self emerge in relation to those relationships? Toward understanding how nonhumans play a role in the emergence of the Self, this study approaches these questions from an actor-network perspective, examining how human, nonhuman, material, and semiotic objects exist in complex webs of relations and how those relations give rise to particular senses of Self in relation to particular gameplay situations. Tracing the history of the construct of "Self" from romantic and singular to postmodern and pluralistic, I argue for an approach to Self that accommodates postmodern perspectives that embodiment is only one way that the Self is signified across spaces. Actor-Network Theory principles are integrated with postmodern notions of identity to propose a Network Model of Self. In this model, the Self is a network of personas that are, themselves, complex networks of objects. Following, I present a research approach called "object-relation mapping" that integrates phenomenology, Actor-Network Theory, social network analysis, and Grounded Theory to accommodate network structures and multiplicities of the Self as it is signified across spaces. To address the questions of how the Self emerges in relation to different player-avatar relationships, I conducted in-depth interviews with 29 players of the online digital game World of Warcraft. Transcripts of those interviews were analyzed via thematic analysis for patterns in player-avatar relationships and via object-relation mapping for semantic and structural patterns in how object-relations give rise to persona- and Self-networks. Through this analysis, a four-point typology of player-avatar relationships emerged, characterized by variations in emotional intimacy, self-differentiation, perceived agency, and primary gameplay focus. It is interpreted that the different relationships are the result of sense-making processes in response to the uncanny situation of having two bodies - one digital and one physical. Analysis revealed that players of different relationship types "activated" different types of personas, resulting in a Self that was more or less complex and consistent across game and non-game spaces. Further, players of each relationship type differently approached particular objects in crafting those personas. Ultimately a model of active Self-organization is presented, where players work with the affordances and against the constraints of objects in sense-making practices in order to maintain and protect preferred senses of agency and to achieve personal gameplay goals. These findings suggest that players see avatars as objects that are, to different degrees, both human and technological, and as resources in the purposeful organization of a Self that serves individual psychological, social, and functional purposes. Different phenomenal accounts of the player-avatar relationship emerge as players work to make sense of human-technology interactions and to maintain agency and Selfhood in the face of technological constraints. Implications for human-technology relationships, more broadly, are discussed.
Open Access
I see what you mean: visual and participatory climate change communication
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2013) Mullen, Karina C., author; Bruyere, Brett, advisor; Thompson, Jessica, committee member; Newman, Gregory, committee member; Champ, Joseph, committee member
Empowering people to think critically and engage with climate change is a challenging goal: forcing science and facts on people is not enough to change values that support more sustainable behaviors (Kubeck, 2011; Maibach, Roser-Renouf, & Leiserowitz, 2009). This thesis approaches understanding how non-expert audiences are interested in learning about climate change with a new perspective: by listening to these audiences researchers can develop climate change outreach strategies that resonate with the constructs that each audience identifies with (Fosnot, 1996; Kubeck, 2011). Science communication methods that explore alternative avenues of creative engagement such as art may improve effectiveness (Leiserowitz, 2003; Nicholson-Cole, 2005). Connecting with people personally through simple yet clear images is one method that shows promise in the field of climate change communication (Roam, 2009). Translating complex climate science to digestible chunks of words and illustrations showing relationships between ideas (i.e. graphic recording), is one method to engage in climate change. Another method that incorporates art and experiential learning includes participatory approaches such as citizen science. By exploring in nature, citizen scientists build efficacy and connections to a given place. For example, using artistic repeat photography as data to compare historic vistas with those seen today can engage audiences in helping and track changes. National parks and wildlife refuges are places that people across the United States revere and view as trusted places to learn and explore. These places can provide powerful experiences through hands-on programs that incorporate artistic means of communicating complex science. By facilitating opportunities for visitors to explore and help collect scientific data through repeat photography, their observations and connections with these remarkable places may lead to a more open and accepting conversation about climate change.
Open Access
I want you to panic: a discourse analysis on the ways memes express affective responses when shared to protest climate change
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2023) Sakas, Michael Elizabeth, author; Humphrey, Michael, advisor; Badia, Lynn, committee member; Champ, Joseph, committee member
This study analyzes how memes express affect when used to protest inaction on climate change. The climate movement is youth-led and young people use Instagram to create and share climate memes. These memes are hashtagged with #ClimateStrike and other similar words that then add these memes to the climate protest conversation. This study on how climate memes express affective responses increases our understanding of what is driving students to join this youth climate strike movement. This study conducted a critical discourse analysis to identify what important themes emerged when protestors used climate change memes to communicate affective responses. In total 400 memes were collected for this research. Half of them are graphic-based climate memes and the other half are protest-based climate memes. The content of these memes were then analyzed to find what affective responses were most often present. Negative emotions dominated the affective sentiment of both the graphic-based climate memes and the protest-based climate memes. The majority of the 400 memes shared negative emotions associated with feelings like frustration, criticism, fear and helplessness. Positive affective responses were associated with climate solutions, individual action and joining the youth climate movement. When memes share feelings of suffering, fear and despair, those memes call out groups in power who are doing little to halt climate change. If these protestors feel that nothing is being done to save the planet and their future, these negative emotions could be playing a role in their motivation to join the youth climate movement.
Open Access
Instaman: a case study of male identity expression on Instagram
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2018) Gallegos, Thomas Edward, author; Switzer, Jamie, advisor; Champ, Joseph, committee member; Aoki, Eric, committee member
Navigating conversations about identity and masculinity can be hard for some young men. Society has a particular view on what makes a man manly based on cultural expectations and social norms. Instaman: A case study of male identity expression on Instagram qualitatively looks at how men talk and express themselves on a specific social media sight. The researcher looks at two different research questions: RQ 1: How are traditional freshman and senior males using Instagram to express their identity? And RQ 2: How has an individual's male identity expression changed between freshmen and senior years? The researcher hypothesized that freshmen would focus more on themselves and seniors focusing on aligning with a larger community. Moreover, it was hypothesized freshmen would be less knowledgeable about their own masculinity. After the research questions, is a discussion about the researcher with an explanation of the scope of the research. Next is a literature review including topics such as Identity Theory, Social Identity Theory, Communication Theory of Identity, Hegemonic Masculinity, Expressing masculinity in a feminized terrain, and information about Instagram us. The methods section of the paper explains how the researcher chose freshmen and seniors to study because they are in transition periods in life. A case study using two different data collection techniques is explicated including artifact analysis and in-depth interviews. Eight participants were chosen, and each had ten Instagram posts to analyze with a follow-up forty-five-minute interview about their posts and thoughts on masculinity. The results indicate that while the hypotheses were generally accurate, there seemed to be a good variation throughout all participants. Only a few seniors exclusively fixated on aligning with a larger community. Nevertheless, the most fascinating aspect of the study was to hear how the participants thought about their own masculinity. Every participant understood the difference between societal perceptions and their own mentalities, which translated to their posting habits. Not a single participant engrossed themselves in expressing hegemonic masculine ideals, but rather wanted to show facets of their identity that they do not normally get to express when they are not online. Therefore, it appears that Instagram is a place where men feel comfortable expressing all parts of themselves.
Open Access
Misbehavior in virtual worlds: breaking the rules for social benefit
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2019) Shiflett, Kevin, author; Martey, Rosa Mikeal, advisor; Champ, Joseph, committee member; Folkestad, James, committee member
This thesis uses Gidden's (1984) Structuration Theory as a guiding framework for examining the causes and consequences of misbehavior in virtual worlds. Misbehavior is clearly delineated from more commonly studied cheating behaviors to examine the possibility that certain unintended behaviors (those that break coded rules, semiotic rules, and emerging social norms) may be productive and even beneficial behaviors for social groups in online spaces. Data was gathered at a private island within Second Life as part of the larger SCRIBE project. Therefore, this thesis conducted a secondary analysis of qualitative data and found that participants were primarily able to misbehave by transgressing boundaries created by structures of domination, legitimation, and signification if the group identity of detective trainees was salient over the individual identities of present participants. Such findings are consistent with the social identity model of deinviduation effects (Lea & Spears, 1991). Further findings are discussed in detail using supporting literature and theory.
Open Access
Montana cattle ranchers' perceptions of USDA APHIS involvement in brucellosis monitoring in the greater Yellowstone area
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2019) Bonser, Chelsea, author; Abrams, Katie, advisor; Champ, Joseph, committee member; Enns, Kellie, committee member
Brucellosis is a bacterial disease that that causes abortions in domestic and wild ungulates including cattle, bison and elk. The disease has been almost completely eradicated in the U.S., besides the last remaining reservoir in the greater Yellowstone area (GYA). Brucellosis has spread rapidly through the region by migrating elk herds, making efforts to control and track the disease increasingly difficult. Brucellosis can also be transmitted to humans, making the GYA an area of increased public health concern. The need to increase communication and understand relationships between cattle ranchers and the federal government is important in mitigating the spread of brucellosis between animals and humans. The United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS) regulates brucellosis management on a federal level, while the Montana Department of Livestock (DOL) enforces federal regulations on a state level through a brucellosis management program including a Designated Surveillance Area (DSA) program and brucellosis testing, vaccination and identification regulations. DSA boundaries represent areas of the GYA with potential brucellosis-infected animals. Described as a "wicked problem", brucellosis is an issue that demands an increased understanding of rancher perceptions that will gain insight on views of federal and state government involvement in brucellosis monitoring as well as the brucellosis problem itself. This study explored Montana cattle rancher perceptions through ten qualitative, in-depth interviews using a phenomenological approach. This study employed the Situational Theory of Publics (STP) as a dominant theoretical framework, as it allows for a detailed classification of publics which helps explain how and why they seek information to overcome a problem. Complimentary to STP is the Situational Theory of Problem Solving (STOPS), which was used as a secondary framework to further analyze how publics scan and select information that fits within a problem-solving situation. The findings from this study suggest that rancher perceptions surrounding government agencies and brucellosis are shaped by rancher experiences with predators and economic burdens of brucellosis regulations. Data also uncovered that ranchers had varied levels of knowledge in the epidemiology of brucellosis, but all agreed that the disease was a threat to public health. While most of the ranchers found the DSA program and brucellosis management regulations to be of value, perceptions of government agencies were mixed. Ranchers felt they played a role in solving the brucellosis problem, but to different extents. Ranchers also recognized the need for increased communication surrounding brucellosis management in the GYA. Recommendations that developed from this study can help to find common ground between government agencies and Montana ranchers in the GYA, as well as help guide communication and discussion surrounding the control of the disease.
Open Access
Opening the Black box of the 2015 Baltimore riots: an actor-network theory contribution to composition
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2016) Koban, John Edward, author; Langstraat, Lisa, advisor; Amidon, Timothy, committee member; Champ, Joseph, committee member
The purpose of this project is to experiment with new ways of supplementing the "social turn" in composition by using Actor-Network Theory (ANT) as a methodology. In demonstrating the ways ANT could support composition, I conduct a study of the 2015 Baltimore riots in the wake of the fatal injury of Freddie Gray by Baltimore police. In understanding the events the focus is not on the riots themselves but the place where the riots occurred, Baltimore’s Sandtown-Winchester neighborhood, also the home of Freddie Gray and his family. The social focus of this study is to demonstrate how ANT could support an anti-racist composition theory and practice. Herein I argue that ANT has much to offer anti-racist composition theory, arguing that when the methodology is deployed that researchers can arrive at robust findings that supports writing that produces action. In making this argument I identify four general areas that ANT contributes to composition theory: the first area is that the theory behind the method is non-critical in nature. This simply means that instead of relying on critique as means to achieve social justice and critical thinking that we also spend more time describing and assembling and composing--drawing a picture of the social--before beginning the work of critical analysis. The second area ANT adds to composition theory is that in drawing the non-critical pictures of the social that we pay close attention to all agents in the site, and this means that we pay attention to the agency of the nonhumans in addition to the humans. We do this because humans do not exist and act without the agency of nonhumans. The idea here is that any kind of rhetorical work we do will be more robust when we pay more attention to all parts of context and rhetorical situations. The third area ANT contributes is that can cultivate an attunement between and among researchers and the ambient environment or site of study. In other words, in doing the slow work that ANT requires, the researcher has greater opportunity to cultivate an affective engagement with the other agents in the site of study, and when this happens then there is greater opportunity for researchers and students to engage with exigent sites of concern, in both material and affective ways. The fourth way ANT supports composition theory is in that it promotes an ethic of amateurism that allows researchers to tinker with texts and sites and studies in playful and amateurish ways. ANT is a relativistic and objective approach that seeks as its goal consensus through description and slow analysis and work with others and as such this method is a friendlier and less dogmatic form of empiricism. Because of the relativism, the researcher needs to be comfortable with uncertainty, but this uncertainty is beneficial because it allows the researcher to constantly inquire until a consensus and plan of action is reached. After conducting my study of Sandtown-Winchester, I found that the problem of something akin to racism is distributed across the material and discursive space of the neighborhood, arguing that if we only pay attention to the racist discourse in or about the neighborhood that we miss out on half of the picture (the material side of the picture), and that the kinds of actions that could support the neighborhood may be overlooked with only a focus on language and discourse.
Open Access
Predictors of strategic influence among college sports public relations directors in college athletic departments: the impact of managerial orientation and leadership personality trait, skill, and style
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2011) Moore, Joseph H., author; Quick, Don, advisor; Hallahan, Kirk, advisor; Gloeckner, Gene, committee member; Champ, Joseph, committee member; Cunconan, Terry, committee member
The College Sports Information Directors (CoSIDA) noted the need for PR directors to be held in higher esteem and to have more strategic influence in their athletic departments. This dissertation sought to provide some information to help CoSIDA accomplish its goal. Participants were drawn from the entire membership of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). An online survey to which 273 college sports public relations directors responded investigated current demographic characteristics as well their perceptions of strategic influence within college athletic departments in the U.S. The survey was drawn from the works of Berger and Reber in 2006, Blake and Mouton in 1985, Broom and Smith in 1979, Northouse in 2007, Richmond and McCroskey in 1990, and Stoldt in 1998. The survey results suggested the modern college sports public relations director is male, 30-49 years old, has a bachelor's degree in journalism or communications, and most likely makes $35-$45,000. Participants identified most closely with the media relations role, had a responsive (versus assertive) personality, were more developed in technical (versus conceptual or human/relational) leadership skills, and possessed a task-oriented (versus relationship-oriented) leadership style. Respondents reported exercising moderate amounts of influence and that they rank second only to compliance officers in terms of their influence on athletic directors. Respondents varied in their opinions but generally thought their influence had increased and were largely satisfied with the influence they exert. The strongest predictors of strategic influence were serving in the manager (versus technician) role, being male, directly reporting to the athletic director, and having frequent contact with the AD. Assuming a publicity producer role (versus manager role) was negatively correlated with strategic influence. College sports public relations directors who are more assertive (versus responsive), who have developed conceptual leadership skills (versus technical or human/relational), and who have a relationship-oriented (versus task-oriented) leadership style believe they have more of a chance of gaining a seat at the decision-making table. The study concluded college sports PR directors who develop skills as strategic communicators and managers are more likely to gain influence in the future. Implications and suggestions for further research are discussed.
Open Access
Reconsidering Randy Shilts: examining the reportage of America's AIDS chronicler
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2013) Stoner, Andrew E., author; Landers, James, advisor; Champ, Joseph, committee member; Plaisance, Patrick, committee member; Hogan, Michael, committee member; Breaux, Richard, committee member
The role of openly-gay reporter and author Randy Shilts (1951-1994) is examined related to his use of journalistic practices and places him on a continuum of traditional reporting roles as considered in the context of twentieth century philosophers Walter Lippmann and John Dewey. Reporter functions demonstrated by Shilts are examined, including those dictated by expectations of either strong journalistic influence over society and media consumers, or those more aligned with democratic practices where education and participation emphasize strong roles for society and media consumers. Using a biographical approach including 17 primary source interviews of former colleagues, critics, sources and family/friends, the examination of Shilts work as both a reporter and noted author is presented as being heavily influenced by his forthcoming attitudes about disclosure of his sexual orientation from the start of his career and his desire to explain or unpack aspects of gay culture, and ultimately the AIDS crisis, to heterosexual audiences. Careful examination of the posthumous critique of Shilts' work - including his construction of Patient Zero - is undertaken. The study concludes that Shilts fully engaged a Lippmann-esque approach embodied in an authoritarian role for journalism that sought to change the world in which it was offered, and did so perhaps most influentially during the earliest days of the HIV/AIDS pandemic in America.
Open Access
Relative deprivation, and procedural and distributive justice in National Environmental Policy Act scoping documents
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2011) Bustos, John R., Jr., author; Long, Marilee, advisor; Thompson, Jessica, committee member; Champ, Joseph, committee member
The U.S. Forest Service often deals with very contentious resource management issues. This contention is wrought by the nature and diversity of people using National Forest system lands. The process for making decisions on the management of these issues is called the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). This act describes how decisions will be made and how the public will be involved with these decisions based on the comparison of environmental impacts to alternatives usually developed by Forest Service resource managers before the public input process. The first step in NEPA is called scoping. In many cases this scoping is accomplished by sending a letter out to interested parties, called a scoping letter which describes the proposed action. This study examined NEPA-required scoping using a letter. Participants' attitudes toward the Forest Service and their feelings of justice were measured in reaction to information provided in a scoping letter. Participants were assigned to read one of three scoping letters. One letter provided a proposed action that decreased recreational shooting opportunities by eliminating shooting over a large area of National Forest System lands. The second scoping letter provided a proposed action that increased recreational shooting activities by opening up large areas of National Forest System land to shooting activities. The third scoping letter did not mention any proposed action. This letter described the processes that would be used to decide what the problem was regarding shooting and another process that would be used to decide on solutions to the problem. Participants who received the scoping letter that only provided processes had a more positive attitude toward the Forest Service than participants who received a scoping letter with a proposed action. Participants who received a letter with a proposed action that was not in their favor did not have a significantly more negative attitude toward the Forest Service than those who received a decision that was in their favor. In terms of justice, participants with a negative attitude toward the Forest Service who received a scoping letter with a process did not have significantly different feelings of justice than those who received either letter with a proposed action. Finally, no matter what participant's attitude toward the Forest Service, there was no significant difference in their feelings of justice.