Undergraduate Research Day Projects
Permanent URI for this communityhttps://hdl.handle.net/10657/2212
Organized by the University of Houston Office of Undergraduate Research and Major Awards, Undergraduate Research Day is an annual event showcasing exceptional scholarship undertaken by the UH undergraduate community.
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Browsing Undergraduate Research Day Projects by Department "Communication, Jack J. Valenti School of"
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Item An Afrofuturism Genre Study Using Computational and Literary Methods(2019) Brown, VictoriaAfrofuturism is a literary genre first defined by Mark Dery in his 1994 essay “Black to the Future” as speculative fiction that addresses African-American themes and concerns. My usage of the term builds on later scholars’ work by including the diaspora and focusing on such themes as the malleability of time and the nature of social change as keys to understanding the genre. Here I present a genre study of Afrofuturism with two components. For the computational textual analysis, I take a sample of Afrofuturist literary criticism and run the texts through a program. This program compiles lists of words which are found most often and near each other within those texts, and assigns a numerical probability describing how likely that string of words is to be an accurate representation of a particular text. Using this method, I have identified the three most significant themes in the scholarship and can reason out claims about the rest of the field based on those. The second part is a more traditional literary analysis in which I examine and compare Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison and Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler. Invisible Man has only been analyzed using an Afrofuturist perspective once before, by Lisa Yaszek, and I expand on her findings by focusing on time in the two novels. These authors use the possibilities inherent in the past, present, and future at different moments as experiments, points of reflection, and political tools in their narratives, and ultimately tie their characters’ futures to ideals of self-determination and community.Item Corporate Social Responsibility and the Magic of Meaning Theory in Major Corporations LGBTQ+ Pride Advertisements(2023-04-13) Foret, CaitlynThe objective of this research is to find what types of pride campaigns produce the best results for the company advertising and for the LGBTQ+ community and use the findings to pinpoint the ideal campaign that implements social issues. Through analyzing the campaign components, the company benefits from the campaign, and the gay community gain from the campaign, I will evaluate the relationship between these dilemmas to determine if they influence each other and if more detailed and physically supportive campaigns prove to be more beneficial for all parties. I theorize that when companies A. Donate money to politicians and political causes that support LGBTQ+ causes and rights, B. physically or monetarily contribute to LGBTQ+ activism, and C. Produce authentic and well-considered social media and advertisement campaigns, then the corporation will receive more revenue, a positive image, and consumer support because of the consistency they place in CSR advertising and implementation practices. Therefore, companies in the future that implement consistent CSR communications related to LGBTQ+ pride and equality will also be successful, and there will be an approximately linear relationship between the implementation of these items and corporate gain.Item Understanding the Perceptions Surrounding Pelvic Floor Disorders within Arab American Communities(2021-04-01) Attia, SarahObjective: The aim of the study was to collect more data about the perceptions surrounding Pelvic Floor Disorders (PFDs) within Arab American Communities to produce culturally sensitive materials that may be used in the healthcare field. Methods: We utilized the qualitative research strategy of conducting one-on-one interviews with women of different Middle Eastern backgrounds. The participants were asked about their perceptions and asked to comment on two informational fliers. The interviews were then transcribed and compiled to be analyzed using a code book to account for major themes. Results: A total of 20 women were included from different Middle Eastern backgrounds including: Egyptian, Palestinian, and Iraqi women. 35% of the participants reported having issues with PFDs with 57% of them being over the age of 45 and 42% being under the age of 45. The bulk of the participants, 65%, did not report having any issues with PFDs. The groups differed with factors such as age, nation of origin, income, English literacy, and years lived in the United States. Data seemed to emerge mostly along the lines of age and years spent in the US with the conservative culture influencing older age groups and persons who have spent less time in America. Conclusion: The data suggests that women with PFDs in the Arab American community have significantly more concrete knowledge and perceptions surrounding PFDs. Women who did not experience a PFD had minimal to no knowledge surrounding these disorders including some women who were health professionals.Item Worlds of Journalism Study(2023-04-13) Hernandez Sanchez, EvelynThe WORLDS OF JOURNALISM STUDY (WJS) is an academically driven project founded to regularly assess the state of journalism throughout 110 countries throughout the world. The study's primary objective is to help journalism researchers, practitioners, media managers, and policymakers better understand the worldviews and changes that are taking place in the professional orientations of journalists, conditions, and limitations under which they work, and the role of journalism in a changing world. The proposed research project focused on understanding how journalistic practices in El Salvador and Guatemala have changed due to politics, the economy, technology, and culture. A representative sample of journalists from both countries were interviewed with survey questions that aim to identify levels of risks and how journalists are coping and adapting to these changes. Data is still being collected; the results shared are preliminary findings. WJS is important to protect the rights of the journalist and to inform the public of journalistic practices around the world and their meaningful contribution to society. Journalists shared personal experiences that emphasized the importance of Journalistic practices and the need to be understood so we can know how best to protect press freedom around the world. We found that social media plays an important role in journalistic practices as many journalists stated that social media influencers have become influential and problematic in their journalist practices. Another important finding was that government officials, military personnel, and other government-affiliated individuals influence journalists' reporting assignments not through censorship, but because of fear of retaliation.