The purpose of this study was to test the applicability of the theories of selective perception and selective exposure among ethnic minority viewers of the satirical, ethnic humor of the television program, "All in the Family." This study statistically related the Dogmatism Scale responses to selected program opinions among Jewish and non-Jewish high school students. The results of this survey were inconclusive. None of the hypotheses presented were supported by the evidence of the study; however, unexpected data were found that suggests previously unexplored interpretations of the program.

This thesis describes, classifies, analyzes and evaluates the rhetoric of resistance to forced busing to desegregate the Dallas Independent School District during the 1975-1976 school year. This thesis also applies the characteristics of social, protest and agitational movements to the antibusing movement in Dallas to determine the effectiveness of the resistance rhetoric. The findings of this case study demonstrate that, although the Dallas protesters did not achieve all of their goals, their resistance rhetoric did accomplish specific, effective results. However, this thesis also concludes that, in the American system of government, neither violent nor non-violent resistance can prevent implementation of court-ordered busing.

The purpose of the study was to compile a catalog of two sections: (1) a comprehensive, alphabetic, annotated list of North Texas State University (NTSU) Library films (the general catalog); and (2) a classified and cross-referenced film and broadcasting filmography of NTSU Library films. The catalog represents all films available for distribution from the NTSU Library as of July, 1976. The cataloging and compilation process is described. An analysis is made of the NTSU Library film collection. The titles of 13 films are recommended for addition to the collection.

This study selects and arranges Navajo literature for an oral interpretation program. The presentation includes an introduction, a statement of purpose, an explanation of the limitations of the study, and the procedure used. There is a brief examination of the history of the Navajo Tribe. Also included is information for selection of material for the oral interpretation program and a discussion of the selection and arrangement of Navajo literature. A summary and conclusion are included, as well as an appendix which comprises the script of Navajo literature for the oral interpretation program. Through the oral interpretation program, this study conveys the beauty and poetry of the Navajo language.

This study analyzed President Gerald Ford's efforts in selling his energy package in February, 1975. Six major speeches and news conferences were examined in terms of Richard Weaver's rhetorical theory. Five criteria of this theory were studied: appeals to man's good values, choice of argumentation, use of "god" and "devil" words, adaptation to the historical setting of the speech, and ethical character of the speaker. This analysis concluded that Ford was a good Weaverian rhetorician because he appealed to good values in language well adapted to each audience, adapted well to historical settings, and elevated his ethos considerably. However, Ford sold himself but not his program because he relied too heavily on his own ethos and circumstantial argumentation and slighted refutation arguments

This study analyzes the leadership qualities of Joseph McCarthy and the rhetorical qualities of agitative and control forces in a specific social movement. The methods used are founded upon various theories outlined by sociologists, historians, and rhetoricians. This investigation is organized around the climate of the times, McCarthy's leadership development, agitative strategies, control group responses, and support and opposition groups. It was found that the movement's success was probably due to McCarthy's position of attack and offense and to the control group's failure to neither strongly confront McCarthy nor to maintain its preparedness and superiority. It is theorized that had the control group engaged earlier in strategies other than adjustment and avoidance, the movement might have been halted sooner.

The purpose of this study has been to determine the ways Edmund S. Muskie used identification in five speeches which he delivered during his campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1971. Kenneth Burke's rhetorical concepts of identification and combustiality are used to analyze the speeches. Chapter I includes an introduction to Muskie's political life and an examination of the basic principles of Burke's rhetorical philosophy of indentification. Chapter II delves into the nature of Muskie, the man. Chapter III examines the texts of the speeches and reveals the strategies of identification which he used. Chapter IV summarizes Musikie's use of Burkeian identification in relation to himself and the times.

This thesis is concerned with the identification, description, analysis and evaluation of the rhetorical strategies and tactics of the Black Panther Party as a specific social-change movement from 1966 to 1973. Evidence is presented to indicate that the rhetorical strategies and tactics of the Black Panther Party played a vital role in the movement's rise and decline and that their choice of a power orientation and a rhetoric of coercion brought about the decline of the movement. This study also indicates that rhetoric in a social movement is of crucial importance to the development of the movement's ideology, leadership, membership, and methods for effecting change.

The purpose of this study is to illustrate the power image of Henry James's female protagonists through a Readers Theatre adaptation of his novels, Daisy Miller, The Wings of the Dove, and The Portrait of a Lady. Chapter I includes an introduction and defines the purpose of the thesis. Chapter II briefly examines biographical information on James. Chapter III includes the analysis of the three selected novels in relation to preparation of a performance based script for Readers Theatre. In the Appendix is the Readers Theatre script with the inclusive transition and introductory material. The illustration of a typical Jamesian woman reveals a philosophic view of the human possibilities in freedom, power, and the destructive elements that limit an independent spirit.

This rhetorical thesis analyzes Richard M. Weaver's theories of rhetoric and his methodology for ranking argument types according to their perceived ethicality. Two keynote speeches by former U. S. Representative Barbara Jordan have been subjected to the Weaverian analysis. Ms. Jordan's argument types are characteristic of what Weaver considered ethical oratory. Weaver's axiological judgments and his dogmatic ranking of the hierarchy have generated some criticism from rhetorical scholars. Although this criticism is justified, Weaver's philosophy and methodology provide insight to a given's orator's philosophical perspective. The Weaverian analysis contributes to the understanding of not only the superficial aspects of an address, but also the underlying and sometimes hidden motivations of an orator.

The study begins with an overview of the 1948 political situation, followed by the evaluation of Truman's use of ethical appeal using criteria developed by Thonssen, Baird, and Braden. Each of their three constituents of ethical appeal--character, sagacity, and good will--is applied to four speeches. Results of the analysis establish that Truman utilized a strong ethical appeal during the campaign. Conclusions are that his use of ethical appeal probably had a significant effect on the voters of America. Regardless of the quality of his use of pathos or logos, a less capable use of ethical appeal would probably have had a fatal effect on his campaign.

This investigation deals with a change of congressional attitude concerning violence in entertainment media, from noninterference to investigation to initiation of research. The data are primarily from official government records. This study first examines a period of congressional reluctance to interfere with the violent content of movies and radio in 1929-45. Next examined is the period 1945-68, when Congress actively investigated media violence,, focusing on television. Finally, the study examines congressional activity concerning television violence in 1968-74 and the Surgeon General's report on television violence. This report concludes that, by 1955, the pattern of congressional interest in media violence had turned from reluctance to activity, -and discusses the likelihood of future control of television program content.

This study investigates how television coverage of the 1968 Democratic National Convention largely determined the negative public impression of the convention and its candidate. The coverage had a definite effect on the workings of the convention through the images and information it conveyed to the delegates. The coverage also shaped the broadcast picture of the event by linking the convention to the violence in the streets.

This thesis examines four taboo words (Jesus, God, fuck, ass) used in the films Jaws, Shampoo, and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. The dominant method of research is semantic, drawing on language theories of I.A. Richards and Alfred Korzybski. Investigation led to these conclusions: (1) Symbolic use of taboo terms is accompanied by positive attitudes, while non-symbolic use, which is more frequent, is accompanied by negative or neutral attitudes. (2) Casual non-symbolic pronunciation is leading to separation of the symbol from its referent. (3) Through this methodology, it is possible to ascertain the speaker's intent and his attitude toward the audience, but not his attitude toward the referent.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether the themes and values represented in lyrics of progressive country music are significantly different from those of traditional country music. Content analytical techniques were used to determine, first, themes and, second, attitudes reflected in those themes in each type of song. The chi square test of independence was u-ilized, and a difference significant to the .05 level was found between themes and attitudes of lyrics in the two song types.

The purpose of this thesis is to discover and assess the rhetorical methods employed by LeRoi Jones in the evolution of cultural black nationalism. First, the thesis concentrates on his ethos and philosophy. Second, it analyzes the cultural black nationalism organization in Newark, New Jersey. Third, it discusses the impact of LeRoi Jones on the black cultural nationalism movement. The conclusions drawn from this study reveal that LeRoi Jones was able to attract, maintain, and mold his followers, to build a sizable power base, and to adapt to several audiences simultaneously. Implications of the study are that because of his rigid requirements and a gradual change in ideology, LeRoi Jones is now losing ground as a leader.

This structural analysis examined fourteen television commercials using a method developed by Claude Levi-Strauss. The commercials were divided into two product groups, restaurant and cleaning products advertising, which made up the "myths" to be analyzed. Binary oppositions in each myth were identified and, according to the methodology, charted to reveal new relationships, and ultimately the hidden messages in the advertising. This study confirmed that television advertising does function in our society much the same as myth does in the primitive societies studied by Levi-Strauss. It offers answers to problems and upholds the existing order of things in that society, and it may function on more than one level to convey its messages.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of news commentary on the image of political candidates. Subjects were exposed to a political debate, which was followed by three experimental manipulations of a news commentary. One group saw a commentary biased toward one candidate and against the other. In a second group the bias was reversed. A third experimental group saw a neutral commentary and the control group viewed the debate but no commentary. The primary statistical analyses used were a multivariate analysis of variance, a multiple discriminant analysis and a factor analysis. The results indicated that the commentary did have some effects on the perception of the candidates' images. Furthermore, the commentaries affected the amount of the candidates' message which was recalled by the subjects, and cued the subjects to recall specific issues which were mentioned in the commentaries. Finally, the factor analysis indicated certain characteristics of the images of political candidates.

This study explores the relationship of Royall Tyler's The Contrast with Richard Brinsley Sheridan's The School for Scandal, to determine whether Tyler used The School for Scandal as a model for The Contrast. Chapter I contains a statement of the problem and an introduction to the historical importance of Tyler and The Contrast. Chapter II discusses the theatrical background of Tyler and the city of Boston. Chapter III includes a brief history of Sheridan and an examination of The School for Scandal. Chapter IV compares The Contrast with The School for Scandal. Chapter V presents conclusions drawn from the evidence examined in Chapters III and IV. The Contrast is not an imitation of The School for Scandal, though both contain elements of similarity.

The purpose of this thesis has been to prepare a group interpretation script based on the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and its major manned programs. The script is designed to inform high school students and the general public of the space program. Available literature on oral interpretation and readers theatre have been investigated with particular attention given to the value of readers theatre as a means of instruction. Questionnaires were circulated among aerospace professors throughout the country and companies involved in the space industry. In their responses, aerospace company officials indicate strong support of this thesis and indicate a pressing need for such an informative script.

The purpose of this study was to describe and analyze George McGovern's rhetorical strategies during the three-week period known as the "Eagleton Affair." First, the thesis describes the communications related to the selection of Thomas Eagleton as McGovern's running mate in 1972. Second, it analyzes the communications related to the disclosure of Eagleton's past medical history. Third, it explains McGovern's vacillating rhetorical strategies and the communications which led to Eagleton's withdrawal from the Democratic ticket. The results of this study show that McGovern's rhetoric reflected indecisiveness, inconsistency, and impulsiveness. The rhetorical errors greatly damaged his credibility as a serious presidential contender.

This study analyzes the novels of Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. from the aspect of point of view. Point of view refers to the reflective mind through which a reader perceives the story. Traditionally, the narrator delivers his narrative in either first or third person point of view, but Vonnegut frequently mixes points of view. Mixed point of view presents a particular challenge to the oral interpreter and the adapter/director of readers theatre scripts. The narrator and the narrative structure are discussed, as well as numerous innovative narrative techniques. Suggestions are made for script adaptations and production direction featuring the narrative structure and point of view.

This study investigates the use of oral interpretation in social contexts. The context chosen was a community corrections program which provides education and employment assistance to adults on probation in Denton County, Texas. A solo interpretation script was incorporated into a public awareness presentation about the Denton County Probationer Education and Employment Program. The presentation was presented to a pilot audience to test the effectiveness of combining oral interpretation with public speaking to inform audiences about and elicit support for community corrections. It was determined that integrating an interpretative performance into an informational presentation is an effective method of employing oral interpretation outside the classroom and expanding its rhetorical dimensions.

The Seattle Repertory Theatre is one of the most successful regional theatre companies in the country. This study attempts to determine the components-of its success. It concludes that the unique community acceptance and support of the Seattle Repertory Theatre is due primarily to the innovations of its Artistic Director, W. Duncan Ross, including a departure from the "permanent company" repertory theatre concept to a more flexible "nucleus company" supported by special guest artists, a shift in play selection emphasis from traditional dramatic plays to more contemporary and comedic works, and shortened .duration for each play from four to three weeks. Also examined are the growth of American Theatre, Ross's community involvement, guest directors, critical acceptance, and audience attendance.