CST 499 (Senior Project in Communication Studies) is our capstone experience course that allows students to plan, design, and implement original research in the field. The course was taught this semester by Dr. Ronda Knox and Dr. Doug Swanson. We like to call CST 499 “goal-directed problem solving.” After working on their projects for a full semester, students then make 15-minute presentations of what they’ve learned. They are prepared to answer questions about their research, and talk about what future investigation needs to uncover. Here's the list of our projects (in order of presentation) from Spring, 2003.
The (*) indicates a finalist for the "Outstanding Senior Project" award. The award winner was Cathy Paul. Congratulations!
Saturday, May 10, 2003
Mandy Shaver: Happily ever after: A study of college women and their perceptions of idealistic marriage messages from the media
Katie Kleiber: Long distance relationships: Is there greater relational satisfaction and stronger commitment?
Katie Troeger: Touch Avoidance: Do touch scores reflect true feelings?
Lori Wiedenfeld: Understanding health club advertisements and their impact using the Elaboration Likelihood Model
Tana Mann: Relationship between metacommunication among romantic partners and their level of relationship satisfaction
Joe Stadele: A content analysis of sexual behaviors in music videos
Emily Barth: Perception of age in advertising
Staci Melby: How is the ‘Aloha Spirit’ communicated to non-natives in Hawaii?
Leddy Drechsler: Couples’ communication: Narratives of engagement stories
Clint Scullion: Hockey fans and verbal aggression: Exploring the relationship between fans and forms of aggression
Gena Pangburn: Selection of newspaper front page photographs: The role of agenda setting and gatekeeping in the selection process
Angie Soppe: Beyond the glossy pages: A descriptive analysis of female fascination with women’s magazines
Kim Steeno: The Use of Hip Hop in MTV advertisements: A Content analysis
Monday, May 12, 2003
Bridgett Littel: When roles reverse: Coping strategies use when parents do not fulfill their roles
Becki Sherven: Differences in musical tastes among men and women in romantic relationships
Julie Haley: Attraction to MTV’s “The Real World” characters: Parasocial relationships
Traci Rogers: Communication styles and their affect on women in leadership positions
Diane Radzajewski: What are they really saying: Consumerist ideology in image advertising
Margaret Kuchler: The impact of culture on Internet use
KT Schmidt: Commercials and emotion: What makes people talk?
*Laura Hookham: Let’s watch it together: A qualitative study of college students’ experiences of watching TV with friends
Rusty Braby: Language and reality: How international students perceive their new world
Emily Lawrence: Female adolescent popularity and social cruelty: Messages of aggression
Lindsey Golackson: Two-way communication: Exploring intimacy with God
Dena Luciani: How union representatives make sense of their union experiences
Tuesday, May 13, 2003
Abaigael McGraw: Relational turning points: A qualitative analysis examining interracial and homogenous romantic relationships
Dana Dial: Using incentives to improve response rates
Nicole Pezze: How care providers communicate about working with developmentally disabled adults
Jennifer Claeys: The world of work: Portrayals from the sitcom “Friends”
Jerri Peterson: Analysis of exit interviews at ‘Company X’: Looking for causes of turnover
Leena Jacob: Who am I?: A qualitative investigation of minorities’ perceptions of mass media stereotypes
Kelly Galstad: Turning points and closeness in sibling relationships
Misty Kratt: Female entrepreneurs and credibility: A qualitative study of how female entrepreneurs communicate their credibility
Eric Kammer: An analysis of parasocial television viewing behavior by applying third-person perception
Josh Golackson: Self-disclosure in intercultural communication among university students in the Midwest
Leann Deal: Beyond the birds and the bees: Exploring the effectiveness of the ‘sex talk’
Teresa Obinger: Birth order and different communication patterns
Wednesday, May 14, 2003
Tim Bevers: Thematic analysis of American music: How terrorist attacks have affected American musical themes
Nate Marshall: "The Toy": A metaphoric analysis
Jordann Ojanpa: Exploring the effects a father’s influence has on a daughter’s romantic relationships
Sarah McCalvy: Is the future of American Airlines "Up in the Air?": An Analysis of American Airline's Crisis Management Strategies after 9/11...
Gregg Wavrunek: Perception of a quarterback: Does race matter?
Ginny Brocker: Big bad bullies: An examination of aggressive girls
Thursday, May 15, 2003
*Laura Olson: Communication among the hearing-impaired: Understanding the effects of technology on the deaf culture
Jaclyn Sorenson: The green-eyed monster: Jealousy in romantic relationships
Becky Foster: Communicating uncertainty: An analysis of how deaf and hearing impaired individuals indicate uncertainties with one another
Katie Moenssens: How family members sense make the effects of alcoholism: An analysis of their stories
*Cathy Paul: The Truth Campaign: Fear appeals, self-efficacy and changing risky behavior Outstanding Senior Project Award Winner
Jodee Huiras: A weighted issue: Media effects on body dissatisfaction in college women
Leah Scholl: Generic analysis of President Bush’s rhetoric to the UN and the American public concerning the war on Iraq
Becky Merfeld: Managing the unavoidable: An examination of employee perspectives of conflict management style
Cole Passe: Major League Baseball as a business: From a fan’s perspective
Mollie Stenslien: Buy, buy, buy - pop, power, and parasocial relationships: How *nsynch’s online fan clubs promote more than just music
Josh Perkins: Music and the Internet: A content analyis exploring the types of information contained within fan affiliated Webpages
Mike Blesi: The relationship between cinematic violence and gender
Thursday, May 15, 2003
Tim Alberts: Perceptions of celebrities based on media portrayal
Stuart Shave: We are Americans: George W. Bush’s use of identification in post-9/11 rhetoric
Emily Suchla: “To live simply, proudly, boldly, manly, THIS is the high life”: A content analysis of televised beer advertisements and lifestyle messages
Bob Woelfel: Racism in sports: How black athletes talk about their experiences playing in predominantly white societies
Paul Ness: How corporations help shape UW-L students’ social construction of reality
Michelle Thelen: The meaning behind the ink: Personal feelings and experiences related to tattoos
Friday, May 16, 2003
Matt Bielanski: “So there I was…”: A look at self-concept and cultural identity in the war stories of soldiers
Danielle Hunsader: Communication of parents to providers of in-home child care vs. commercial child care center providers
Melissa Brown: Media impact on elite gymnasts
George Shields: Use of afinity - seeking strategies in The Sopranos
Dr. Nelson honored at Communication Studies Gathering
The 6th Annual Communication Studies End of the Year Gathering was held at 6:30 p.m. May 9 in the Cleary Alumni and Friends Center. More than 50 current students attended the event, along with many of our faculty. Several recent graduates and retired faculty were also in attendance. Free hors ‘doeuvres and a cash bar were enjoyed by all. The department's annual awards were presented to our outstanding students.
Everyone gave a hearty "thank you" to Dr. Laura Nelson, who is retiring from her service as department chair after nine years. Dr. Nelson was recognized with a gift from the faculty and a stirring tribute (at least, that's what we think it was) from Dr. David Piehl. Dr. Nelson will return to teaching a full load of classes in the fall. She has been on the faculty of our department for 17 years, and is the architect of the departmental restructing six years ago that created the four emphasis area organizational structure we now have. As a result of that change, the number of majors has increased more than 300 percent, and CST has become one of the largest academic units at UW-L.
Gubernatorial Visit
Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle spent about 10 minutes in the CST 354 (002) Health Communication class on April 15. The governor was in La Crosse to tour the Health Science Center where the CST 354 class met. He was very engaged & interested in what the class was doing. At the time he arrived, a student group [Mandy Shaver, Lori Wiedenfeld, Kelli Maynard] was making a presentation on the funeral home industry.
Gov. Doyle asked about the class- what it covered and so forth. Then he asked questions of the student group, chatted with them briefly, and then interacted with the class as a whole. His main message seemed to be that students should try to remain in Wisconsin after they are graduated. He emphasized that point several times. Dr Swanson said, “I think the students were pleased to have had a share of the governor's attention today."
One of the members of the governor's entourage said Doyle spent more time in the CST 354 classroom than in any other single place while on his tour of the building, and that the governor continued to speak about the visit to the class for the remainder of his trip.
Photos of this visit can be found in the PowerPoint presentation on the main CST web page.
A special congratulations to Tana Mann!
Tana is the recipient of the 2003 College of Liberal Studies Graduating Senior Award. Tana asked Dr. Linda Dickmeyer to be her presenter at the Alumni Awards Ceremony Friday, May 16. One graduating senior from the four colleges receives this honor every year, and we are happy for Tana and the fact that this is the first time a CST major has earned this prestigious UW-L award. Tana earned her way to the "finals" by being one of two CST Department 'Award of Excellence' recipients for this year. The other recipient was Misty Kratt. Congratulations to both!
Faculty Research
Dr. Scott Dickmeyer was awarded top paper honors for the organizational and professional communication interest group at the Central States Communication Association meeting in Omaha, NE. His paper was titled "Organizational socialization as normative control: An analysis of newcomer socialization messages at one of the 100 best companies to work for in America."
Dickmeyer also presented "Managing culture through public relations: A case study of cultural messages received and retained by newcomers at one of the best companies to work for in America." and "Toward teaching public relations as a communication phenomenon: A public relations model of communication."
Additionally, Dickmeyer was elected to be a reviewer for competitive paper and panel submissions in the Public Relations Interest Group and the Organizational and Professional Communication Interest Group for the 2004 convention in Cleveland, Ohio.
Swanson earns APR; is appointed to AEJMC committee
Dr. Doug Swanson successfully completed his written and oral exams and has earned his national accreditation as a public relations practitioner (APR) from the Public Relations Society of America. His study program was funded by a UW-L grant. Only about 5% of the nation's PR practitioners hold APR certification.
Swanson has been named to the national membership committee of AEJMC (The Association for Education in Journalism & Mass Communication). He will be attending the 2003 AEJMC convention in Kansas City in late July.
Students Attend Undergraduate Research Conference
Four CST students attended the Communication Studies Undergraduate Research Conference on Friday, April 25. Dr. Linda Dickmeyer submitted five papers to this conference, and all were accepted. Attending the conference were recent graduates Sara Bailey and Dominic Flath and current seniors Stuart Shave and Laura Olson. In addition, recent graduate Aaron Zwaska had a paper accepted but was unable to attend the conference. More than 50 papers were presented at the conference, with one of our own presented with a TOP PAPER award. Dominic Flath (grad., Fall '02) received a cash award and plaque for his paper entitled “The Study of Affinity-Seeking in an Organization.” The Dickmeyers attended the conference with the students and served as respondents for other papers. All conference attendees report the conference was a great experience!
Central States Communication Association News
Several CST faculty attended the CSCA meeting in lovely Omaha. Dr. Linda Dickmeyer served as chair on a panel entitled “Pedagogical Crossroads-Teaching Beyond the Comfort Zone.” Presentations on this panel included Dr. Ronda Knox with “Facilitating a Learning Community Online: Going Beyond Adult Learners’ Comfort Zones” and Linda Dickmeyer with “Teaching Research Methods from all Paradigms: Going Beyond Instructors’ Comfort Zones.” Also at this conference, Linda was elected as a paper reader for next year’s convention in the Interpersonal and Small Group Division.
Four student presented papers at the convention. Tana Mann presented “Papal Public Addresses Post September 11th: A Thematic Analysis.” Stuart Shave, Ryan Wieters, and Leah Scholl presented “Generic and Situational Constraints in Presidential War Justification Speeches.”
Academic Staff Search (La Crosse Tribune July5-6 2003)
The Department of Communication Studies at the University of Wisconsin—La Crosse has multiple employment opportunities to teach introductory level communication studies courses. Appointments are flexible with regards to percentage of appointment and dependent on funding. Responsibilities are to teach CST 110, Essentials of Speech Communication. Minimum qualifications are a Masters degree in Communication or a closely related field. Experience teaching a basic public speaking course is desirable. Appointments begin August 25, 2003.
Send a letter of application for position _04CST01 to Dr. Rick Rodrick, Department of Communication Studies, University of Wisconsin—La Crosse, 1725 State Street, La Crosse, WI 54601. Include a current resume or vita, three current letters of recommendation, evidence of instructional effectiveness (if available), and graduate school transcripts. Review of applications will begin July 4, 2003. Applications must be received by August 7, 2003.
The University of Wisconsin—La Crosse is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer. Women, persons of color, and individuals with a disability are encouraged to apply. If you have a special need or accommodation to aid in your participation in our hiring process please contact Dr. Rodrick to make appropriate arrangements.