1,720,979 research outputs found
“Everything is true here, even if it’s not”: Reconsidering fictionality in Reddit’s r/Nosleep
No full textThe rise of digital participatory cultures has corresponded with new online discourse communities, each with their own languages, genres, and communicative norms. This thesis represents a detailed examination of one online discourse community: the forum r/Nosleep, housed on the social media site Reddit. Nosleep allows users to share amateur horror stories with the caveat that that all narratives posted on the site are treated as if they were “true,” regardless of the actual truth value of the accounts. This creates a unique situation in which conventional concepts of fact and fiction are suspended, inviting us to reexamine fundamental assumptions about narrative’s use as a transmedial communicative mode, about what distinguishes factual and fictional narration, and about the degree to which contextual, social factors shape our understandings of fact and fiction. To explore these questions, this thesis draws both from narratology and from traditions of rhetorical analysis to consider the implications of Nosleep’s deliberate subversion of our commonsense concepts of fact and fiction. While many of these questions are specific to Nosleep, this thesis argues that they also have broader applications across the fields of narratology, rhetoric, and literacy studies
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Get PDFThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Get PDF“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Get PDFWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
Access, health, and literacy : on becoming an informed patient
No full textThesis (Ph. D.)--Michigan State University. Rhetoric and Writing, 2009Includes bibliographical references (pages 182-189
What can Dark Souls III teach writing instructors about supporting first-year writers?
No full textMany scholars in the field of rhetoric and composition have explained why video games are good for learning and how video games can be applied in educational spaces (Gee; Shultz-Colby; Sierra). To further explore the relationship between video games and rhetoric and composition, I conducted a qualitative study and recruited first-year writing instructors to play Dark Souls III, an action role-playing game infamously known for its difficulty. From each participant, I collected a pre-reflective questionnaire, Dark Souls III gameplay, and an interview. Using relational content analysis, I coded/analyzed interview transcripts from eight player-teachers. My analysis revealed the following key points: gameplay experiences offer reflective moments for player-teachers about identity, learning, and pedagogy. Additionally, video games teach educators to resist ideologies of deficient writing as learning new skills takes time and practice. Overall, my dissertation demonstrates that video games are just as beneficial to instructors as they are for students
Analysis of the application of contemporary composition theory in the TEKS writing process
No full textSince 1998, Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills, often referred to as the TEKS, has served as the blueprint for education in Texas. Teachers are responsible for using the best pedagogical practices to ensure education standards prepare students for life post-graduation—whether it is entering the workforce or pursing higher education. There is much to be said about education in Texas, in particular, its writing instruction. Year after year, students are taught to follow a highly segregated five-step, discursive model for the writing process, value the end product over the process, write discourse centered on one-dimensional modes, and perfect English grammar. Add in state assessments (i.e. the State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness, or STAAR), and we are presented with a dangerous recipe for writing instruction in the state. The purpose of this thesis is to unravel how detrimental or beneficial the Current Traditional Rhetoric (CTR) model of the TEKS is to high school writers in Texas. Hence, this thesis will take the state-approved teaching strategies and compare them with the ideologies of contemporary English composition scholars
A Developmental English shuffle: Analyzing the impact of one Texas community college’s shift from multi-level stand-alone offerings to corequisite courses
No full textDevelopmental English (DE) has been under fire from critics who think it acts as a barrier rather than as a support to the success of students placing into DE. In Texas, such pressures led to a wave of reforms and changes affecting delivery and structure of DE instruction. This dissertation draws on years of internal data at one community college to explore the impacts of these changes on student success. Overall, DE students found success (68.5%) at the same rate as their college-ready counterparts (64.7%). There was a significant difference between Prerequisite support and Corequisite support (p < .001) with Prerequisite having the greater effect on success. There was also significant difference between Hybrid, Lecture, and Online offerings. Hybrid was found to be the most effective modality and Online the least effective. Additionally, a multiple linear regression predicted a success rate of 93.5% if a DE student took a 16-week, Fall-term, Hybrid freshman composition course with Prerequisite support. While there are limitations and more questions to consider, the study’s exploratory and quantitative findings offer direct implications for DE faculty, programs, and administrators
Anxiety in the Archives: A podcast dissertation about knowledge control and dissemination in academia
No full textUsing a podcast format, this dissertation examines our cultural and societal relationships with libraries and archives, both as places of wonder and as places of fear. My examination is conducted through a narratological and rhetorical analysis of four speculative fiction series, including Genevieve Cogman’s The Invisible Library series, A.J. Hackwith’s Hell’s Library series, Rachel Caine’s The Great Library series, and Rod Duncan’s The Fall of the Gas-Lit Empire series. My analysis provides the framework for a larger conversation about information accessibility and equity in higher education and the need for open access and open educational resources. Along the way, I provide a transparent perspective on the nature of graduate-level work, the difficulty of the dissertation process, and the mental health struggles that often come along for the ride
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