A message-centered dramatistic theory of communication was used in conjunction with Q-sort technique and factor analysis to build and test a message-centered foreign-policy inventory that contained three dramatic interpretations of U.S. involvement in foreign affairs: cold war, power politics, and neo-isolationism. Analysis of results from two groups of 30 subjects indicated that the power-politics drama was the most accepted rhetorical vision in Peoria, Illinois. Cold war was a close second,...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Adults, Communication (Thought Transfer), Foreign Policy, Information Theory,...
Intended as a resource for students in their study of the issues and arguments pertinent to the 1979-80 National High School Debate Resolution, "What should be the future direction of the foreign policy of the United States?," this publication is organized into five units. The units are: definitions, including the problem area and the three debate resolutions; the first resolution, trade; the second resolution, arms; the third resolution, aid; and potential solutions. An extensive...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Debate, Foreign Policy, Guidelines, Persuasive Discourse, Political Issues, Public...
Although for the 15 years preceding his election as President of the United States Ronald Reagan muted his anti-Soviet rhetoric in order to achieve political power, since his election he has returned to anti-Sovietism in an effort to redirect American foreign policy against the Soviets. At the same time, however, he employs a rhetorical strategy that stresses the essential rationality, the "common sense," of his approach. Specifically, his most important image, one of Soviet savagery,...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Communication Research, Discourse Analysis, Foreign Countries, Foreign Policy,...
This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 17 titles deal with the following topics: (1) the symbolic processing of continuity and change using the case of Carl F. H. Henry, (2) rhetorical strategies and image projection in John F. Kennedy's presidential campaign, (3) the political preaching of Jerry Falwell on behalf of the Moral Majority, (4) the political myths of J. Edgar Hoover, (5) Charles Grandison Finney's...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Annotated Bibliographies, Communication Research, Communication Skills, Doctoral...
This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 15 titles deal with the following topics: (1) the role of public discourse in the soil conservation movement from 1865 to 1935; (2) Dwight D. Eisenhower's public imagery of the Soviet Union and Communist China as presented in selected speeches and news conferences; (3) a computer-assisted rhetorical criticism of the messages of songwriter Harry F. Chapin; (4) Luis Munoz...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Annotated Bibliographies, Blacks, Content Analysis, Doctoral Dissertations, Females,...
Seeking to understand American and Nicaraguan perspectives of the Nicaraguan revolution, a study examined the rhetorical strategies used by Presidents Reagan and Ortega in their speeches. Ten public addresses made by each president in 1985-1986, pertaining to funding for Nicaraguan counterrevolutionary forces, were charted and examined for prevalent themes. The themes were then grouped together by the ideas represented, and the groups were clustered to represent a broader topic of...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Communication Research, Comparative Analysis, Conflict Resolution, Cultural Context,...
American foreign policy must operate within the parameters of public opinion, and governmental and non-governmental actors must educate the characteristically alienated citizenry concerning policy issues. Since rational discourse is of limited benefit in the process, advocates instead use verbal representations or metaphor to instill within the public acceptance or rejection of policy. Metaphor (in the form of emotive symbols and narratives) sometimes evolves into a rhetorical icon that...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Discourse Analysis, Foreign Policy, Government Role, International Relations,...
Anwar el-Sadat's speaking style became a key factor in his ability to maintain a balance between the goals essential to Egypt's future and the position taken by Israelis in the settlement of the Mideast conflict. Three speeches (two addressing the Egyptian National Assembly, one the Israeli Knesset) were examined to explore the rhetorical choices Sadat made as he addressed different cultural audiences. The study shows that as Egypt's position improved, Sadat's use of ornate language increased,...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Discourse Analysis, Foreign Countries, Foreign Policy, Intercultural Communication,...
Drawing on Michael Halloran's genre of public proceedings, the Iran-contra hearings can be viewed from a celebratory or epideictic perspective, with several conceptualizations of the genre combined to illuminate the functions of the hearings. The primary function of the hearings, at least from an epideictic viewpoint, was the reassurance of the community as to the continued validity of its values and system of government. The hearings can be seen as constituting a socially defined significant...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Community Attitudes, Discourse Analysis, Foreign Policy, Government Role, Hearings,...
This paper reviews political symbols aimed at the United States found in "Granma Weekly Review" and in Fidel Castro's speeches to see if they have changed in a predicted manner over an 18-year period and whether changes in symbol content of "Granma" and Castro's speeches correspond. The paper first explains the functions of the Cuban media, and then recounts the history and status of U.S.-Cuban relations. Next, the paper examines Castro's attitude toward the United States....
Topics: ERIC Archive, Aggression, Content Analysis, Diplomatic History, Discourse Analysis, Foreign...