Browsing by Author "Kiefer, Kathleen, advisor"

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Open Access
A Burkean analysis of the Common Core State Standards: revealing motive by analyzing the agent-purpose ratio and critiquing the standards with a postcolonial lens
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2014) Lemming, Megan C., author; Kiefer, Kathleen, advisor; Coke, Pamela, committee member; Aragon, Antonette, committee member
Public schooling in the United States undergoes frequent, large-scale reforms based on current political, social, and economic conditions. Such conditions influence the demand for students to master particular literacies and discourses. The Common Core State Standards, a recent educational reform measure that has been adopted by forty-six states, indicate what students need to know and be able to do at the end of each grade level in certain content areas. Examining particular aspects of the Common Core State Standards, such as the agents involved and their purpose in creating and implementing the Standards, helps to reveal implicit motives driving the implementation of the Common Core State Standards. This thesis seeks to reveal such motives in order to illuminate which literacies, literacy practices, and discourses are privileged in public schooling today. My findings indicate that the Common Core reinforces a Western, hegemonic, patriarchal discourse, which has the potential to Other non-dominant discourses and alienate students belonging to marginalized populations. Space exists, however, for teachers to employ pedagogies and methods that challenge this discourse, which ultimately can increase student agency and promote the democratic ideals of public education.
Open Access
Haunting rhetoric: Ghost Adventures and the evolution of the ghost hunting genre
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2014) Dale, Shannon, author; Kiefer, Kathleen, advisor; Sebek, Barbara, committee member; Margolf, Diane, committee member
This thesis examines the rhetorical and generic conventions of the popular ghost hunting television show, Ghost Adventures. By first exploring the introduction of this hybrid genre in the work of 17th-century author, Joseph Glanvill, I will reveal how genre conventions are created and morph over time through a genre analysis influenced by the theory of Amy Devitt. As the genre evolves over time, so does the rhetorical purpose of Ghost Adventures. Initially, Ghost Adventures sought to prove the existence of ghosts to a skeptical audience. In more recent seasons, the show has shifted their rhetoric to achieve Glanvill's original purpose to use belief in ghosts to prove the existence of God.
Open Access
Metaphor-based approach to representing writing tasks
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2010) Stoner, Frank, author; Kiefer, Kathleen, advisor; Merolla, Andrew, committee member; Doe, Sue, committee member
This document argues that the long-standing practice of imitation within the field of rhetoric, along with recent qualitative studies in rhetoric and composition, foster problematic attitudes of student deficiency. In this thesis, I propose a cognitive theory based alternative. Recent work in cognitive science, metaphor theory, and linguistics suggests that metaphors may be more significant than mere nourishes of style—they may be evidence of mental structures called schema that organize the human mind. 1 argue that certain generative metaphors can be drawn from students' own experiences to help them more successfully set goals, plan, and mentally represent writing tasks. This approach empowers students by focusing their attention on their own experiences rather than problematically requiring students to rely upon expert writing models.
Open Access
The American government and higher education: an analysis of the Morrill Act, GI Bill and political speeches of President Barack Obama
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2011) Whisman, Summer J., author; Kiefer, Kathleen, advisor; Sloane, Sarah, committee member; Banning, James, committee member
This thesis examines the dominant discourse that perpetuates ideologies and behavior regarding higher education among Americans. The act of going to college has become a mandatory act in which students pursuing higher education seldom ask why they are going to college. I believe legislation such as the Morrill Act of 1862 and the GI Bill of 1944 have guaranteed that the union between the government and higher education will continue to influence political rhetoric and perpetuate the dominant discourse of higher education. This thesis explores the political rhetoric surrounding these acts and two of President Obama's speeches he addressed during his campaign for presidency and during his administration. The purpose of this analysis is to explore the historical contexts of these acts and current political speeches. Based on my analysis and research of these historic texts and speeches, I conclude that the American government's involvement in higher education has fostered a dominant discourse that has created an ideology that a college degree is defined more as a commodity or symbol of human capital, rather than a sign of intellectual accomplishment.