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Rhetoric as Praxis: A Model for Deconstructing Hermeneutic Discourse

Description: This study proposes a model for the deconstruction of nationalism. Nationalism is a discursive construct. This construct manifests in ideologies and formalizes order. Individuals should question these institutions in order to achieve legitimate societal participation. This criticism can be accomplished through self-reflection. The model demonstrates that sanctioned individual(s) provide interpretations of events. These interpretations recycle authority. The hermeneutic obscures an individual's … more
Date: August 1993
Creator: James, Edwin M. (Edwin Martin)
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Student Perception of Nonverbal Behaviors of International TAs

Description: Six hundred sixty-six students were queried at the University of North Texas. The appropriate use of nonverbal behaviors of international and U.S. American TAs was surveyed. An eleven item questionnaire (Teacher Nonverbal Measure) was utilized. These questions were tested by an ANOVA. Data indicated that international TAs are less likely to use appropriate nonverbal behaviors than U.S. American TAs. Thus, it is possible to assume that international TAs are more likely to be perceived as using i… more
Date: August 1990
Creator: Nilobol Chantaraks
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

American Gothic: A Group Interpretation Script Depicting the Plight of the Iowa Farmer

Description: This thesis examines the possibilities of social-context issues in interpretation. A group interpretation script relating the current difficult conditions of rural Iowa was compiled. Three experts in the field of interpretation were asked to evaluate the potential of this social-context script. It was discovered that a compiled interpretation script of Iowa literature can successfully depict the social concerns facing the family farms of Iowa.
Date: August 1985
Creator: Doyle, Dennis M. (Dennis Michael), 1958-
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Enhancing the Effectiveness of the Lecture Method Through Narrative: the Development of a Model and Manual for Creating and Using Didactic Narratives

Description: Studies show that the use of narratives enhances the lecture method of teaching. The model and manual developed in this study focus on the needs of lecturers who require creative guidance in all aspects of creating and using didactic narratives. This study suggests that the subject content of a lecture has a deep structure that can be used to generate the surface structure of a didactic narrative. The model and manual are informed by theories and models from a variety of disciplines that have b… more
Date: August 1990
Creator: Kirkland, Debra K. (Debra Kay)
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Examination of Narrative Point of View Through Production by Two Media

Description: Narrative point of view should be the initial place of focus in the study of prose fiction, but it is often difficult to understand or teach. This study proposes that stage or screen production of narrative fiction may be purposefully structured to enhance the understanding of narrative perspective. The study details grammatical analysis of narrative language and describes implications drawn from that language which influence production decisions. The thesis examines the techniques and technolo… more
Date: August 1986
Creator: Rosewell, Susan Tilden
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

The Wonderful World of Dr. Seuss: A Group Interpretation Script for the Primary Classroom

Description: This thesis proposed the idea of oral interpretation of children's literature as a pedagogical tool in the primary classroom. A group interpretation script entitled "The Wonderful World of Dr. Seuss" was compiled for performance in the primary classroom as a viable vehicle for teaching children to understand and appreciate literature. The script was evaluated by qualified teachers in the areas of English, oral interpretation, and elementary education as well as a critical analysis by the author… more
Date: August 1985
Creator: Dodds, Karen Page Kalmbach
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Readers Theatre in Performance: The Analysis and Compilation of Period Literature for a Modern Renaissance Faire

Description: The thrust of this study was twofold: to research and compile a script of English Medieval and Renaissance literature and to direct a group performance of the script in the oral interpretation mode at Scarborough Faire in Waxahachie, Texas. The study sought to show that a Readers Theatre script compiled of literature from the oral tradition of England was a suitable art form for a twentieth-century audience and that Readers Theatre benefited participants in the Scarborough Faire workshop progra… more
Date: August 1986
Creator: Reed, Delanna Kay
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Improving Communicative Competence: Validation of a Social Skills Training Workshop

Description: The effectiveness of a social skills training workshop was assessed by comparing the rated competence of participants in an Interpersonal Skills Training Program (a 2-session, 12-hour workshop) to the rated competence of nonparticipants. This comparison was operationalized through a study design of the pre- and posttesting of 12 experimental and 22 control subjects. The assessment instruments used were Spitzberg's Conversational Skills Rating Scale (CSRS) and Curran's Simulated Social Interacti… more
Date: August 1986
Creator: Dawson, Pamela J. (Pamela Jane)
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

The Role of Competitiveness in Counter-System Counterplans in Academic Debate

Description: Allen J. Lichtman and Daniel M. Rohrer write that "Unfortunately, formal debate theory tends to lag behind the actual practice of competitive debate" (70). This statement accurately describes the current controversy surrounding the counter-system counterplans and how they may affect traditional debate theory. These counterplans are increasingly employed by negative teams in intercollegiate debate, but so far, there is no contemporary attempt to explain how they fit into current debate theory. T… more
Date: August 1985
Creator: Bjork, Rebecca S. (Rebecca Suzanne)
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

The Role of Neo-Aristotelian Invention in Selected Speeches of Ronald Reagan

Description: Using the Aristotelian concept of artistic proof, this thesis analyzes nine televised speeches presented by President Reagan from February 1981 through April 1983. Reagan skillfully utilizes only two modes of rhetorical proof--ethos and pathos. However, his lack of logical proof has not lessened his effectiveness. This study reveals several reasons for Reagan's rhetorical effectiveness and success. For example, Reagan's strong ethical image and personality comfort his audience and encourage the… more
Date: August 1987
Creator: Jenkins, Ava W. (Ava Walker)
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Heresy vs. Orthodoxy: The Preus/Tietjen Controversy

Description: Using the framework set up by rhetorical critic Thomas M. Lessl in his article "Heresy, Orthodoxy, And The Politics Of Science", this study examines the ways in which heretical discourse defines community boundaries and shapes perceptions of right belief. Specifically, this study analyzes the historic conflict in the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod which produced the doctrinal statement "A Statement of Scriptural and Confessional Principles". Comparison is made between this event and other "here… more
Date: August 1991
Creator: Barnhart, Melody R. (Melody Ruth)
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

The Rhetoric of Spiro T. Agnew: a Neo-Aristotelian Analysis of Agnew's Views Concerning the Media

Description: In November 1969, Vice President Spiro T. Agnew delivered two speeches attacking two mediums. In the first speech, Agnew initiated charges of erroneous reporting and irresponsible actions on the part of the television networks. In the second speech, Agnew assailed the concentration of power in the hands of a few newspaper companies. In both cases, complaints and support were immediate and substantial. This study employs the Neo-Aristotelian method of criticism to discover: 1) the extent to whic… more
Date: August 1990
Creator: Voorhees, Blain E. (Blain Eldon)
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

A Toulmin Analysis of Miller v. California

Description: This study deals with the Supreme Court decision in the case of Miller v. California, 413 U.S. 15 (1973). The study analyzes the arguments presented in the decision by both the majority and the dissenting justices according to the Toulmin model. This study begins with a review of viewpoints on the First Amendment, and how they will be applied to the question addressed in the thesis. The history of the obscenity controversy is detailed to explain the viewpoints that the Supreme Court has taken d… more
Date: August 1987
Creator: DeLoach, Mark B. (Mark Benson)
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Toward a Critique of the Message Construct in Communication

Description: The idea of an inherent structure of meaning in human communication is identified as the message construct. Traces of the construct in textbook models of the basic communication process and in popular magazine images of communication are examined. The argument is raised that objectifying the message has resulted in a paradigm which focuses disproportionately on explicit, representational, and instrumental aspects of communication. An alternative conception is proposed which would take into acco… more
Date: August 1991
Creator: Wilson, John K. (John Kenneth)
Partner: UNT Libraries
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