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Title: A Contextual Approach to Real Time, Interactive Narrative Generation.
Creator: Hollister, James, Richie, Samuel, Weeks, Arthur, Wanielista, Martin, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Oral story telling has become a lost art of family histories because social media and technology have taken over the personal interactions that once passed on the important stories and facts from generation to generation. This dissertation presents and evaluates a method of generating a narrative with input from the listener without actually forcing him or her to become an actual character in the narrative. This system is called CAMPFIRE Story Telling System (STS) and employs a contextual...
Show moreOral story telling has become a lost art of family histories because social media and technology have taken over the personal interactions that once passed on the important stories and facts from generation to generation. This dissertation presents and evaluates a method of generating a narrative with input from the listener without actually forcing him or her to become an actual character in the narrative. This system is called CAMPFIRE Story Telling System (STS) and employs a contextual approach to story generation. This system uses the Cooperating Context Method (CCM) to generate and tell dynamic stories in real time and can be modified by the listener. CCM was created to overcome the weaknesses found in other contextual approaches during story generation while still meeting the design criteria of 1) being able to plan out a story; 2) being able to create a narrative that is entertaining to the listener; and 3) being able to modify the story that could incorporate the listener's request in the story. The CCM process begins by creating a list of tasks by analyzing the current situation. A list of contexts is narrowed down through a series of algorithms into two lists: high priority and low priority lists. These lists are analyzed and a set of context best suited to handle the tasks are selected. The CAMPFIRE STS was rigorously assessed for its functionality, novelty, and user acceptance as well as the time needed to modify the knowledge base. These evaluations showed that the CAMPFIRE STS has the ability to create novel stories using the same knowledge base. A group of 38 test subjects used and evaluated CAMPFIRE STS with respect to its use for children, story entertainment, story creativity and the system's ease of use answering a extensive survey of 54 questions. The survey showed that CAMPFIRE STS can create stories appropriate for bedtime stories with some minor modifications and that the generated stories are novel and entertaining stories, and that it was an easy system to use.
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Date Issued: 2016
Identifier: CFE0006687, ucf:51923
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006687

Title: Constituting Rhetorical Agency in a Feminist Discursive Space.
Creator: Raynor, Ella, Scott, Blake, Jones, Natasha, Brenckle, Martha, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: This thesis details an analysis of a project called Exposing the Silence in order to learn about agency and discursive space. This gallery for traumatic birth stories serves as a relevant site for better understanding how women are constituting their experiences with embodied autonomy and rhetorical dis/empowerment and how they come together to visually and discursively form a feminist space online. I completed a rhetorical analysis of the birth narratives and of an interview with Lindsay...
Show moreThis thesis details an analysis of a project called Exposing the Silence in order to learn about agency and discursive space. This gallery for traumatic birth stories serves as a relevant site for better understanding how women are constituting their experiences with embodied autonomy and rhetorical dis/empowerment and how they come together to visually and discursively form a feminist space online. I completed a rhetorical analysis of the birth narratives and of an interview with Lindsay Askins, one of the creators of Exposing the Silence.My study finds that a dyadic relationship between embodied autonomy and rhetorical agency exists while women negotiate power constructs during their traumatic obstetric experiences. When their rhetorical agency was diminished, so was their embodied autonomy. While they asserted agency during the traumatic experience, loss of agency is the main reason for their feelings of trauma. However, they work to re-assert rhetorical agency by sharing their narratives in the discursive space. The discursive space of the website is feminist because it promotes the rhetorical agency of its users and provides the opportunity for its users to socially construct that agency.My study contributes to the rhetoric of health and medicine (RHM) through its focus on how women constitute their embodied autonomy and rhetorical agency when speaking about an experience in which they lost some amount of both. I especially contribute an interpretation of how rhetorical agency, a discursive assertion of agency, can interact with agency itself, or embodied autonomy, without being the same entities. This project also contributes to RHM through its focus on how an online feminist visual-discursive space is socially constructed by its occupants and creators to assert rhetorical agency.
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Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: CFE0007238, ucf:52238
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007238

Title: A STUDY OF THE IMPACT OF INVOLVEMENT AND SEQUENCE IN NARRATIVE PERSUASION.
Creator: Lane, Rebekah, Miller, Ann, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: The purpose of this research was to look more closely at the relationships between narrative and non-narrative persuasive messages, and to begin to determine how and why these message formats might work together. I situated this study within Rogers' roadmap for future theoretical work on entertainment education (E-E), and specifically addressed Slater and Rouner's call for more research on the impact of epilogues in E-E. Synthesizing components of the elaboration likelihood model with recent...
Show moreThe purpose of this research was to look more closely at the relationships between narrative and non-narrative persuasive messages, and to begin to determine how and why these message formats might work together. I situated this study within Rogers' roadmap for future theoretical work on entertainment education (E-E), and specifically addressed Slater and Rouner's call for more research on the impact of epilogues in E-E. Synthesizing components of the elaboration likelihood model with recent theorizing regarding persuasion through narrative, I made predictions regarding the effect of transportation and character identification on perceived salience, attitudes, behavioral intention, and behavior in narrative, argument, and narrative + argument conditions. Undergraduate students were asked to watch one of seven videos. After watching the videos participants were asked to respond to questions reflecting their views of the subject matter in the videos, their experience while watching the videos, and their opinion of the video quality. The questionnaire included scales measuring transportation into the narrative and character development, measures of perceived issue relevance, and persuasion toward the topic of mandatory H1N1 vaccinations. Findings showed no relationship between the narrative format and transportation or perceived salience, however, transportation did predict perceived salience in messages combining both argument and narrative + argument formats. Recommendations were made for modification and future applications of the instruments used in the study and for continued research in the various stages of persuasion through narrative, argumentative, and combined format messaging.
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Date Issued: 2011
Identifier: CFE0004044, ucf:49149
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004044

Title: NARRATIVE BASED FEAR APPEALS: MANIPULATING GRAMMATICAL PERSON AND MESSAGE FRAME TO PROMOTE HPV AWARENESS AND RESPONSIBLE SEXUAL CONDUCT.
Creator: Spear, Jennifer, Miller, Ann, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: The utility of narrative as a persuasive mechanism has been increasingly investigated in recent years especially within the context of health behaviors. Although many studies have noted the effectiveness of narrative-based persuasive appeals, conceptual inconsistencies have made it difficult to determine what specific aspects of narrative messages lead to the most effective persuasive outcomes. In the present study, 145 female college students were randomly assigned to read one of four...
Show moreThe utility of narrative as a persuasive mechanism has been increasingly investigated in recent years especially within the context of health behaviors. Although many studies have noted the effectiveness of narrative-based persuasive appeals, conceptual inconsistencies have made it difficult to determine what specific aspects of narrative messages lead to the most effective persuasive outcomes. In the present study, 145 female college students were randomly assigned to read one of four narrative health messages about a female freshman college students experiences with the human papillomavirus (HPV). Two elements of the narrative message structure were manipulated: the message frame (gain framed vs. loss framed), and the grammatical person of the text (first-person vs. third-person).The messages were presented via the medium of an online blog. After reading a narrative participants responded to a brief questionnaire designed to measure perceptions of threat regarding HPV contraction, perceptions of efficacy regarding HPV prevention, and intentions to get the Gardasil vaccine. Participants exposed to loss framed messages reported higher levels of perceived threat (susceptibility and severity) than participants exposed to gain framed messages although participants in the gain framed message conditions reported higher levels of perceived self-efficacy. Significant correlations were also found between levels of reported character identification and the two threat variables. No effects were found for grammatical person.
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Date Issued: 2011
Identifier: CFE0003997, ucf:48673
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0003997

Title: The Many Pedagogies of Memoir: A Study of the Promise of Teaching Memoir in College Composition.
Creator: Lee, Melissa, Wallace, David, Bartkevicius, Jocelyn, Marinara, Martha, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: This thesis examines the promise and problems of memoir in the pedagogy and practices of teaching memoir in college composition. I interviewed three University of Central Florida instructors who value memoir in composition, and who at the time of this study, were mandated to teach memoir in their composition courses. The interviews focus on three main points of interest: (1) the instructors' motivations behind their teaching of memoir, (2) how these instructors see memoir functioning in their...
Show moreThis thesis examines the promise and problems of memoir in the pedagogy and practices of teaching memoir in college composition. I interviewed three University of Central Florida instructors who value memoir in composition, and who at the time of this study, were mandated to teach memoir in their composition courses. The interviews focus on three main points of interest: (1) the instructors' motivations behind their teaching of memoir, (2) how these instructors see memoir functioning in their classes, and (3) what these instructors hope their students will gain in the process of writing the memoir essay. By analyzing these interviews, I was better able to understand the three instructors' pedagogical choices and rationales for teaching memoir in their classes. I have also collected data and research from scholarly journal articles, books, and from my experiences teaching memoir in the composition classroom. This thesis challenges the widely accepted notion that memoir and the personal in composition scholarship, pedagogy, and teaching practices are (")'touchy-feely,' 'soft,' 'unrigorous,' 'mystical,' 'therapeutic,' and 'Mickey Mouse'(") ways of meaning-making and teaching writing (Tompkins 214). My findings show that memoir in the classroom is richer and far more complex than it might appear at first, and that the teaching of memoir in composition can, in fact, be greater than the memoir essay itself. Even though each instructor I interviewed values the personal and believes memoir belongs in composition curriculum, it turns out that none of these instructors' core reasons for teaching memoir was so his or her students could master writing the memoir essay, although this was important; rather the memoir essay ultimately served in the instructors' classrooms as a conduit through which they ultimately could teach more diverse writing skills and techniques as well as intellectual concepts that truly inspired them. Since the teaching of memoir seems to be even more dynamic and versatile in process and pedagogy than many of the other essay genres traditionally taught in college composition, this thesis makes recommendations for how memoir needs to be viewed, written about, and taught in order to harness the promise of this essay genre more consistently in the discussion of composition pedagogy and in the teaching of memoir to our students in the composition classroom.Thompkins, Jane. A Life in School: What the Teacher Learned. Reading: Addison-Wesley. 1996. Print.
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Date Issued: 2012
Identifier: CFE0004293, ucf:49469
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004293

Title: AN ANALYSIS OF TRAUMA NARRATIVES: PERCEPTIONS OF CHILDREN ON THE EXPERIENCE OF SEXUAL ABUSE.
Creator: Foster, Jennifer, Hagedorn, W. Bryce, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Child sexual abuse (CSA) is estimated to affect 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys before the age of 18 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2005). Despite the prevalence of sexual abuse and frequent negative outcomes for child victims as well as adult survivors, little is known about CSA from the perspective of the child. To date, the vast majority of research has targeted adults. Studies conducted on children are mostly quantitative and have explored the effectiveness of various treatment...
Show moreChild sexual abuse (CSA) is estimated to affect 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys before the age of 18 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2005). Despite the prevalence of sexual abuse and frequent negative outcomes for child victims as well as adult survivors, little is known about CSA from the perspective of the child. To date, the vast majority of research has targeted adults. Studies conducted on children are mostly quantitative and have explored the effectiveness of various treatment interventions. To address the gap in the research literature, the present study investigated the perspectives of children on sexual abuse through thematic analysis of trauma narratives, which were written by children as a therapeutic intervention and described life prior to, during, and following sexual abuse. Analysis of 21 trauma narratives selected through purposive sampling revealed one meta-theme, which was titled Fear and Safety. Children's descriptions of past and current fears as well as concerns about their safety and the safety of others were evident throughout all sections of the narratives. Three themes also emerged from the analysis: (1) Memories of the Abuse, (2) The Disclosure and Subsequent Events, and (3) The Healing Journey. The first theme, Memories of the Abuse, included three subthemes: descriptions of the sexual abuse, details about the perpetrators, and children's thoughts and feelings about the abuse. The second theme, The Disclosure and Subsequent Events, included three subthemes: perceptions of the abuse disclosure, experiences during the investigation, and experiences with the justice system. The third theme, The Healing Journey, also resulted in three subthemes: experiences in counseling, how life had changed, and future hopes and dreams. The themes are discussed, and ramifications for prevention efforts, treatment of child victims of sexual abuse, and counselor preparation are explored. Additionally, implications of the present study for counselors and community members are delineated. Finally, recommendations are made for future research with child victims of sexual abuse.
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Date Issued: 2011
Identifier: CFE0003748, ucf:48788
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0003748

Title: Interior: A Micro-Budget Horror Feature.
Creator: Beckler, Zachary, Harris, Christopher, Sandler, Barry, Gay, Andrew, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: INTERIOR is a feature-length film written, directed, and produced by Zachary Beckler as part of the requirements for earning a Master of Fine Arts in Entrepreneurial Digital Cinema from the University of Central Florida. The project aims to challenge existing conventions of the horror film on multiple levels (-) aesthetic, narrative, technical, and industrial (-) while also examining growing importance of workflow throughout all aspects of production. These challenges were both facilitated...
Show moreINTERIOR is a feature-length film written, directed, and produced by Zachary Beckler as part of the requirements for earning a Master of Fine Arts in Entrepreneurial Digital Cinema from the University of Central Florida. The project aims to challenge existing conventions of the horror film on multiple levels (-) aesthetic, narrative, technical, and industrial (-) while also examining growing importance of workflow throughout all aspects of production. These challenges were both facilitated and necessitated by the limited resources available to the production team and the academic context of the production. This thesis is a record of the film, from concept to completion and preparation for delivery to an audience.
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Date Issued: 2014
Identifier: CFE0005130, ucf:50677
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005130

Title: Wounded Warrior or War Hero? Or Maybe, Neither?: Resisting Common Tropes of the Veteran and Developing Digital Literacy Practices via Narrative Building and Identity Presentation in Social Networking Spaces.
Creator: Branham, Cassandra, Vie, Stephanie, Rounsaville, Angela, Salter, Anastasia, Grohowski, Mariana, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: This project reports on the results of a study that investigated the social networking use of student and non-student veterans, with a particular focus on the narrative building and identity presentation practices involved in this use. In this dissertation, I argue that stereotypical and exclusionary tropes of the veteran, such as the veteran as war hero and the veteran as wounded warrior, are damaging to our veterans and to others, in both the society and the classroom. However, through the...
Show moreThis project reports on the results of a study that investigated the social networking use of student and non-student veterans, with a particular focus on the narrative building and identity presentation practices involved in this use. In this dissertation, I argue that stereotypical and exclusionary tropes of the veteran, such as the veteran as war hero and the veteran as wounded warrior, are damaging to our veterans and to others, in both the society and the classroom. However, through the detailed analysis of survey data and data collected from an interview and social networking profile tour with one student veteran participant, I highlight the exclusionary nature of these tropes and argue that the complex digital narratives crafted in social networking spaces can offer resistance to popular tropes of the veteran. The complexity of my participants' digital narratives also offers support for the argument that elements of one's social networking profiles, when viewed independently and decontextualized, can lead to invalid and unfair assumptions about the users' identity. Additionally, I argue that, for my participants, many of whom demonstrated a nuanced and critical understanding of audience, decisions to self-identify as military personnel in social networking spaces are intertwined with perceptions of privacy. Finally, this project culminates in the identification of a number of digital literacy practices present in my participants' social networking use, as well as a set of pedagogical and programmatic recommendations for writing teachers and writing program administrators interested in aiding student veterans in the process of transition and reintegration.
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Date Issued: 2016
Identifier: CFE0006268, ucf:51030
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006268

Title: Hidden Narrative: A Family of Objects.
Creator: Hassard, Alesha, Price, Mark, Cooper, Larry, Watson, Keri, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: My artwork aims to create an ephemeral world filled with metaphorical materials. I examine and use my own experiences and perspectives, presenting fluctuations between childhood and adulthood. The personal objects that represent these times frame an implied sentience. The objects, gathered and installed in specific groupings, connote familial relationships.
Date Issued: 2016
Identifier: CFE0006114, ucf:51190
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006114

Title: The Tailor's Apprentice Cinematic Experience Through The Micro-Budget Paradigm.
Creator: Lehman, Jeffrey, Stoeckl, Ula, Sandler, Barry, Schlow, Stephen, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: The Tailor's Apprentice is a feature-length, micro-budget, narrative digital motion picture, written, produced and directed by Jeffrey Lehman in partial fulfillment of the requirements of earning a Master of Fine Arts in Film from the University of Central Florida. The film is a result of applying specific monetary, logistical and creative limitations to the production process in order to contribute in defining the micro-budget aesthetic, resulting in a final shared cinematic audience...
Show moreThe Tailor's Apprentice is a feature-length, micro-budget, narrative digital motion picture, written, produced and directed by Jeffrey Lehman in partial fulfillment of the requirements of earning a Master of Fine Arts in Film from the University of Central Florida. The film is a result of applying specific monetary, logistical and creative limitations to the production process in order to contribute in defining the micro-budget aesthetic, resulting in a final shared cinematic audience experience. This thesis is a record of all stages from conception to completion of the executed, feature length film with-in the micro-budget production paradigm.
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Date Issued: 2013
Identifier: CFE0004877, ucf:49660
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004877

Title: The Phenomenological Experience of Narrative Transportation.
Creator: Buchanan, William, Fiore, Stephen, Weger, Harry, Miller, Ann, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Previous research has attempted to identify consequences of mental transportation into narrative worlds. While scales have been developed and validated to measure readers' levels of transportation, the objective quantification has left researchers at a descriptive disadvantage for the full range of qualitative responses to this phenomenon. This study presents a qualitative method of inquiry designed to get at the experience of narrative transportation as it is lived: the phenomenological...
Show morePrevious research has attempted to identify consequences of mental transportation into narrative worlds. While scales have been developed and validated to measure readers' levels of transportation, the objective quantification has left researchers at a descriptive disadvantage for the full range of qualitative responses to this phenomenon. This study presents a qualitative method of inquiry designed to get at the experience of narrative transportation as it is lived: the phenomenological interview. Interview transcripts were inductively analyzed for common themes that indicate intersubjective features of narrative experience. Four main themes were identified, which were composed of 22 base-level experiences reported by participants. These findings corroborated the extant literature and provided a nuanced understanding of the phenomenon as it is lived.
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Date Issued: 2013
Identifier: CFE0004657, ucf:49883
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004657

Title: The Collector as Arbiter of Art: A Phenomenological Investigation of Collectors' Critical Judgment Development and Their Understanding of Art Toward a Theoretical Model for Appreciation and Criticism in Art Education.
Creator: Grey, Anne, Brewer, Thomas, Sivo, Stephen, Kaplan, Jeffrey, Price, Mark, Roberts, Sherron, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: The purpose of this study was to investigate art collectors' specific method of developing and making critical judgments in the context of their understanding of art. Phenomenological research methods were employed to obtain data through interviews with collectors of Contemporary African American art, Latin American art, and Minimalist and Conceptual art. Based on the findings, collectors' approaches to critical judgment can be categorized into three areas. First, critical skills are both...
Show moreThe purpose of this study was to investigate art collectors' specific method of developing and making critical judgments in the context of their understanding of art. Phenomenological research methods were employed to obtain data through interviews with collectors of Contemporary African American art, Latin American art, and Minimalist and Conceptual art. Based on the findings, collectors' approaches to critical judgment can be categorized into three areas. First, critical skills are both intuitive and developed over time, through a holistic and aesthetic process set in the art world. Collectors' edification requires commitment, and intense looking enabling them to see how works of art communicate. Second, key events that marked collectors' methodological approaches were connections with artists and art, notable purchases, and exhibitions of their collection. These events resulted from an integration of the collectors' identification with the art work, manifested over time in various forms. Finally, those objects that best reflected collectors' specific development of critical judgment and understanding of art were noted either by specific artists in their collection or the collection as a whole, functioning as vital aspects of the collectors' life and at the same time contributing to culture and society in its capacity to cause conversations. There is an opportunity to apply the information from collectors' processes as an educational model for teaching and learning about appreciation and criticism in art education by thinking about art collections more broadly, as another way to look at life and the art in life.
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Date Issued: 2011
Identifier: CFE0004115, ucf:49103
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004115

Title: Cosas de los Estados Unidos.
Creator: Camacho, Simón
Description: The author Simón Camacho wrote the book under the pseudonym "Nazareno." Edited by James Durand. It contains letters and sketches covering the years 1856 to 1863. Includes the author's portrait, engraved by J.A. O'Neill from a photograph by Fredericks. Also contains a reproduction of the author's signature. Spine title: Cosas de los E. Unidos.
Date Created: 1864
Identifier: DP0010866, E166.C17 1864
Format: E-book
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/DP0010866

Title: PATCHWORK CULTURE: QUILT TACTICS AND DIGITEXTUALITY.
Creator: Barrett Ferrier, Michelle, Saper, Craig, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Embedded in the quilt top, the fabric patches are relays, time pathways to stories and memories of their former owners. Through the quilts, the voices of the past survive. The stories trace a path of connection between oral traditions, storytelling, the invention of meaning, and the preservation of cultural memory. The theory and method described herein use the quilt patchwork metaphor as the basis for a web interface for designing and modeling knowledge-based graphical, narrative, and...
Show moreEmbedded in the quilt top, the fabric patches are relays, time pathways to stories and memories of their former owners. Through the quilts, the voices of the past survive. The stories trace a path of connection between oral traditions, storytelling, the invention of meaning, and the preservation of cultural memory. The theory and method described herein use the quilt patchwork metaphor as the basis for a web interface for designing and modeling knowledge-based graphical, narrative, and multimedia data. More specifically, the method comprises a digital storytelling and knowledge management tool that allows one or more users to create, save, store, and visually map or model digital stories. The method creates a digital network of a community's stories for digital ethnography work. Digital patches that represent the gateway to the stories of an individual are pieced together into a larger quilt design, creating a visual space that yields the voices of its creators at the click of a mouse. Through this narrative mapping, users are able to deal with complexity, ambiguity, density, and information overload. The method takes the traditional quilt use and appropriates it into a digital apparatus so that the user is connected to multiple points of view that can be dynamically tried out and compared. The hypertextual quilting method fulfills the definition of a deconstructive hypertext and emancipatory social science research methodologies by creating a collaborative, polyvocal interface where users have access to the code, content and conduits to rewrite culture's history with subaltern voices. In this digital place of intertextuality, stories are juxtaposed with images in a montage that denies the authority of a single voice and refuses fixed meaning. In dialogue, contestation, and play, the digitextuality of the Digital Story Quilt provides a praxis for critical theory. The Digital Story Quilt method concerns itself with questions of identity, the processes through which these identities are developed, the mechanics of processes of privilege and marginalization and the possibility of political action through narrative performance against these processes.
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Date Issued: 2007
Identifier: CFE0001659, ucf:47239
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0001659

Title: Touching the Unreal: The Definition, Narrative Strategies, and Aesthetics of 3D Cartoon Narratives.
Creator: Snow, Nathan, Mauer, Barry, Applen, JD, Grajeda, Anthony, Larsen, Darl, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: (")Touching the Unreal(") follows the structure set out by Scott McCloudin Understanding Comics to argue that understanding cartoons is serious business and requires that we define the art form, outline its basic tenets, and theorize how the mind understands it. The dissertation argues for a new definition of 3D computer generated cartoons, beginning with the most basic definition applicable to all forms of animation and taking into account new technological developments before arriving at...
Show more(")Touching the Unreal(") follows the structure set out by Scott McCloudin Understanding Comics to argue that understanding cartoons is serious business and requires that we define the art form, outline its basic tenets, and theorize how the mind understands it. The dissertation argues for a new definition of 3D computer generated cartoons, beginning with the most basic definition applicable to all forms of animation and taking into account new technological developments before arriving at the 3D cartoon narratives of today. The dissertation outlines the basic facets of 3D cartoon narratives in terms of narrative and aesthetics, arguing that, in spite of the technological changes required to produce the art form, narrative strategies have not changed significantly from 2D to 3D cartoon narratives. Rather, the 3D cartoon narrative aesthetic is focused primarily on synthetic, sculptural materiality to create a tactile, haptic viewing experience unavailable in any other form of animation. The dissertation advances theories of how the mind understands 3D cartoon narratives, starting with how these films guide the spectator to pre-determined conclusions based on character identification, flow theory, and mirror-neuron cognition. As a result of their narrative, aesthetics, and reception, these films constitute a new form of posthumanism and operate as a node in the modern viewer's web of distributed cognition, enchanting viewers through the ability to touch the unreal, synthetic images common to the modern world. (")Touching the Unreal(") contributes to the media field by providing a definition for 3D computer animation in all of its facets as genre, narrative, aesthetics, and ideology.
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Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: CFE0007101, ucf:51962
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007101

Title: Emergent Narrative: Stories of Play, Playing with Stories.
Creator: Murnane, Eric, Salter, Anastasia, McDaniel, Rudy, Fanfarelli, Joseph, Costello, Rita, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Emergent narrative, a phenomenon of unexpected contextual stories arising through play, has been researched in the field of game studies since 1999. However, that discussion largely lies in the realm of theoretical stories which are generated by either the system or the player. The purpose of this dissertation is to deepen our understanding of emergent narrative by examining real-world examples of the phenomenon. Four hundred player posts were gathered from forums relating to the video game...
Show moreEmergent narrative, a phenomenon of unexpected contextual stories arising through play, has been researched in the field of game studies since 1999. However, that discussion largely lies in the realm of theoretical stories which are generated by either the system or the player. The purpose of this dissertation is to deepen our understanding of emergent narrative by examining real-world examples of the phenomenon. Four hundred player posts were gathered from forums relating to the video game Skyrim (a large, open world fantasy roleplaying game) and analyzed using a mixed-method framework which is informed by digital ethnography, fan studies, and game studies. Using a cluster sampling method, the posts were divided into categories based on theme. This work outlines the historical trajectory of the term emergent narrative and proposes that player created emergent narratives are novel as they capitalize on random events during play in order to create stories which are both contextual and surprising. Each chapter explores a different kind of storytelling in one hundred of the posts, showcasing the diverse subjects that players explore. This work demonstrates that upon reflection, players are not passive recipients of information from games. By participating in these online activities, players become cocreators of their own stories. This work expands our understanding of players, interactive systems, and narrative by arguing that the act of play is collaborative rather than receptive.
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Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: CFE0007061, ucf:52011
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007061

Title: Rewriting Patriarchal Norms in Academia: Invitational Rhetoric in a Crowdsourced Survey.
Creator: Molko, Rachel, Wheeler, Stephanie, Rounsaville, Angela, Jones, Natasha, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: This thesis seeks to understand the how texts are constructed to forward feminist communicative objectives through a case study of Dr. Karen Kelsky's "A Crowdsourced Survey of Sexual Harassment in the Academy.(") In this research, sexual harassment is understood as(&)nbsp;an act of power, sexual in nature, enacted by faculty or staff (employed or contracted in different capacities) in their relations with other faculty or staff, who are often lower ranking.(&)nbsp;By adopting invitational...
Show moreThis thesis seeks to understand the how texts are constructed to forward feminist communicative objectives through a case study of Dr. Karen Kelsky's "A Crowdsourced Survey of Sexual Harassment in the Academy.(") In this research, sexual harassment is understood as(&)nbsp;an act of power, sexual in nature, enacted by faculty or staff (employed or contracted in different capacities) in their relations with other faculty or staff, who are often lower ranking.(&)nbsp;By adopting invitational rhetoric as a theoretical framework, this thesis examines the way(&)nbsp;Dr. Karen Kelsky's crowdsourced survey creates the space to articulate and elevate often(&)nbsp;suppressed(&)nbsp;personal testimony regarding sexual harassment.(&)nbsp;By welcoming, and then displaying, narratives that have been deliberately silenced over the course of history, Kelsky's spreadsheet showcases a collective consciousness surrounding sexual harassment in academia. The current scholarship surrounding feminist communicative praxis highlights the importance of the written personal narrative as meaning-making and as a reflective practice, especially through the medium of journaling. However, this research examines how texts can employ personal testimony to co-create meaning as a mode of resistance. In particular, Kelsky's artifacts create a space that privileges and displays situated knowledge about sexual harassment that has been otherwise obfuscated. By conducting a feminist(&)nbsp;rhetorical analysis, this thesis argues that Kelsky's artifacts perform invitational rhetoric that mediates situated knowledge surrounding sexual harassment in the academic workplace.(&)nbsp;Reflection and dialogue shape the nature of storytelling as evoked by the survey, which are approached by this thesis as feminist communicative praxes that are activated throughout engagement with the artifacts.
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Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: CFE0007228, ucf:52229
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007228

Title: Adherence Practices of Caucasian Women With Hypertension Residing in Rural Florida: An Exploratory Study.
Creator: Hopple, Jeanne, Bushy, Angeline, Sole, Mary, Covelli, Maureen, Oetjen, Dawn, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke. Elevated blood pressure is often a silent process affecting multiple organ systems. Risk for heart disease is associated with poorly treated or unrecognized hypertension that is more common among women than men. Non-adherence to prescribed treatment regimens has been identified as a major reason for inadequate hypertension management. This exploratory descriptive qualitative study using narrative...
Show moreHypertension, or high blood pressure, is a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke. Elevated blood pressure is often a silent process affecting multiple organ systems. Risk for heart disease is associated with poorly treated or unrecognized hypertension that is more common among women than men. Non-adherence to prescribed treatment regimens has been identified as a major reason for inadequate hypertension management. This exploratory descriptive qualitative study using narrative inquiry investigated adherence practices among Caucasian women with diagnoses of hypertension from a rural area of Florida. The purpose of this study was to gain an understanding from women who had been diagnosed with hypertension about the challenges of living with and managing this chronic condition in their daily lives. Participants included Caucasian women (n = 11) recruited from a Federally Qualified Rural Health Center in Florida. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data. Content analysis procedures were used to analyze the interviews. Emergent themes included: work stress affecting health and leading to high blood pressure; silent (")sneaky, gradual(") onset of mild to moderate symptoms leading to high blood pressure; and strong influence of family members with high blood pressure and related complications that instilled fear in participants to adhere to their prescribed treatment plan in some, or in others to non-adherence. Social support from friends and coworkers was a repeated theme supporting adherence. Minor themes associated with non-adherence included fear of potential side effects of medications, challenges of daily living caring for family, fatigue from high blood pressure and medications affecting daily work, poor food choices due to finances and availability of high sodium and fatty foods at work and home, stress and time demands affecting ability to exercise to control high blood pressure, and focus on family forgetting self-needs. Limitations of the study included a small convenience sample with findings that may not be applicable to a population of hypertensive women from different rural settings. Future nursing studies in similar populations may contribute to improved adherence practices, leading to reduced complications from poorly controlled hypertension.
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Date Issued: 2011
Identifier: CFE0004120, ucf:49100
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004120

Title: Exploring a Three-Dimensional Narrative Medium: The Theme Park as "De Sprookjessprokkelaar," The Gatherer and Teller of Stories.
Creator: Baker, Carissa, McDaniel, Rudy, Salter, Anastasia, Underberg-Goode, Natalie, Hover, Moniek, Dickson, Duncan, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: This dissertation examines the pervasiveness of storytelling in theme parks and establishes the theme park as a distinct narrative medium. It traces the characteristics of theme park storytelling, how it has changed over time, and what makes the medium unique. This was accomplished using a mixed methods approach drawing data from interviews with creative professionals, archival research, fieldwork, and an analysis of more than eight hundred narrative attractions.The survey of narrative...
Show moreThis dissertation examines the pervasiveness of storytelling in theme parks and establishes the theme park as a distinct narrative medium. It traces the characteristics of theme park storytelling, how it has changed over time, and what makes the medium unique. This was accomplished using a mixed methods approach drawing data from interviews with creative professionals, archival research, fieldwork, and an analysis of more than eight hundred narrative attractions.The survey of narrative attractions revealed the most common narrative expressions to be dark rides and stage shows. Source material tends to be cultural tales (legends, fairy tales) or intellectual properties (generally films). Throughout major periods and world regions, setting, scenes, and visual storytelling are the most ubiquitous narrative devices. Three dozen techniques and technologies are detailed in this project. Significant impetuses for narrative change over time are the advent of technologies, formalization of the industry, explicit discourse on storytelling, formation of design philosophies, and general convergence of media. There are at least a half dozen key distinctions in theme park narratives compared with other mediums: dimensionality, scale, communality, brevity, a combinatory aspect, and a reiterative nature. Also significant is that creative professionals view themselves as storytellers, purposefully design with narrative systems, embed them in spaces, and participate in public dialogue surrounding narrative and design principles.This study was initiated to expand the literature on emerging media and narratives within the Texts and Technology approach and to fill a gap in the scholarship, as designer standpoint is rarely considered in analysis. This is the first large-scale study of storytelling in the global theme park industry. It uses underrepresented creative voices as participants and recognizes their contributions as storytellers. Finally, the project lays the groundwork for future inquiries into theme parks as storytellers and spatial narrative mediums.
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Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: CFE0006973, ucf:51626
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006973

Title: Mirrors and Vanities.
Creator: Salas, Leslie, Rushin, Patrick, Poissant, David, Bartkevicius, Jocelyn, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: "Mirrors and Vanities" is a multi-modal collection which showcases the diversity of working in long and short storytelling forms. Featured in this thesis are fiction, nonfiction, graphic narrative, and screenplay.Using unconventional approaches to storytelling in order to achieve emotional resonance with the audience while maintaining high standards for craft, these stories and essays explore the costs inherent to the subtle nuances of interpersonal relationships. The fiction focuses on the...
Show more"Mirrors and Vanities" is a multi-modal collection which showcases the diversity of working in long and short storytelling forms. Featured in this thesis are fiction, nonfiction, graphic narrative, and screenplay.Using unconventional approaches to storytelling in order to achieve emotional resonance with the audience while maintaining high standards for craft, these stories and essays explore the costs inherent to the subtle nuances of interpersonal relationships. The fiction focuses on the complications of characters keeping secrets. A husband discovers the truth behind his wife's miscarriage. A girl visits her fianc(&)#233; in purgatory. A boy crosses a line and loses his best friend. Meanwhile, the nonfiction centers on self-discovery and gender roles associated with power struggles. A schizophrenic threatens to ruin my mother's wedding. I rediscover my relationship with my father through food writing. Sword-work teaches me to fail and succeed at making martial art. The title work of the thesis is a collaged story highlighting the tribulations of a physicist fixated on recovering his lost love by manipulating the multiverse. The multi-modal format implicates the nebulosity of physics theories and how different aspects of the narrative can be presented in various formats to best suit the nature of the storytelling.Through the interactions of characters in mundane and extraordinary circumstances, the works in this thesis examine the consequences of choice, the contrast between reality and expectation, coming of age, and the Truth of narrative.
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Date Issued: 2013
Identifier: CFE0004745, ucf:49789
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004745

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