Communications students discuss research at 2016 SURF sessions

Students and faculty members of the School of Communications participated in the 23rd annual Spring Undergraduate Research Forum, sharing their scholarship with the Elon University community.

Alex Lewis ’16 was one of 17 School of Communications students to participate in the university’s SURF Day events. The strategic communications major's research was titled "Sharing the Good News: How Megachurches Tell Their Story Through Their Digital Communications."
Seventeen School of Communications students were among the more than 200 participants who presented their work on April 26 at Elon University’s Spring Undergraduate Research Forum – informally known as SURF Day.

Faculty mentors for this year’s School of Communications researchers included Janna Anderson, Lucinda Austin, Vanessa Bravo, Naeemah Clark, David Copeland, Kenn Gaither, Anthony Hatcher, Julie Lellis, Craig Schmitt, Glenn Scott, Amanda Sturgill, Frances Ward-Johnson and Tony Weaver.

In addition, Associate Professor Bill Anderson and Instructor William Moner participated in the event’s faculty poster sessions. Anderson’s poster detailed the NBA’s labor issues and Moner addressed the technological platforms of participatory documentaries.

The following is a list of presentations involving communications students and/or faculty members:

Michelle Alfini, “‘Friendship, Solidarity and Fair Play’: Exploring Political Implications of U.S. Framing of Human Rights Violations of Modern Olympic Hosts,” Faculty Mentor: Glenn Scott

Xernay Aniwar, “Strategies for Building Credibility Within the Content of Informational Podcasts,” Faculty Mentor: Amanda Sturgill

Karen N. Balas, Bennett G. Driscoll, Olivia O. Hobbs & Gabrielle A. Vance, “A Cross-Cultural Comparison of Ethnic Narratives from the Civil Rights Movement,” Faculty Mentor: Frances Ward-Johnson)

During her SURF Day session, journalism major Kate Nichols ’16 discussed her research on advertising campaigns during the 1930s and 1940s. While her research examined a number of corporations, her session focused on Coca-Cola’s campaigns during that time period.
Stephanie A. Bedard, “Breaking Barriers to Build More: Portrayals of Females in Advertisements in the Yoga Journal Magazine,” Faculty Mentor: Julie Lellis

Leena Dahal & Jacqueline B. Pascale, “Connecting the Next Billions: Global Internet Leaders’ Policy Plans for Reaching Everyone Everywhere,” Faculty Mentor: Janna Anderson and Kenn Gaither

Danielle R. Deavens, “The Framing of the Civil Rights Movement Through Jet Magazine Event Coverage,” Faculty Mentor: Naeemah Clark

Lillian DeNunzio,” Branding India: How Prime Minister Narendra Modi is Using Yoga as a Communication and Image-Building Tool,” Faculty Mentor: Kenn Gaither

Alex Lewis, “Sharing the Good News: How Megachurches Tell Their Story Through Their Digital Communications,” Faculty Mentor: Anthony Hatcher

Nicole Miller, “Parents’ Perceptions of Children’s Socialization During a Recreational Sports Season,” Faculty Mentor: Craig Schmitt

Katherine M. Nichols, “Advertising in an Era of Hard Times: Campaign and Strategy Effectiveness in Print During the 1930s and 1940s,” Faculty Mentor: David Copeland

MaryClaire Schulz, “Brand Partnership Gone Bad: An Analysis of Lego’s Response to the Attack on its Partnership with Royal Dutch Shell,” Faculty Mentor: Lucinda Austin

Kelly Siewers,Uncovering the Rationale: A Document Analysis of Reclassification to Division I,” Faculty Mentor: Tony Weaver

Tony Weaver Jr., “Transforming the Images of African Americans in Television Programming: A Leadership Prize Project,” Faculty Mentor: Naeemah Clark

Janae Y. Williams & Shannon A. Rush, “A Comparison and Contrast of Civil Rights Knowledge Among Elementary School Students and College Students,” Faculty Mentor: Frances Ward-Johnson

Tara R. Wirth, “Turkey’s Framing of its Economy, Foreign Policy and Human Rights in Comparison to the Country’s Public Reputation,” Faculty Mentor: Vanessa Bravo

Audrey Zullinger & Nathan Calem, “Beyoncé, the Super Bowl and the Black Panther Party: A Content Analysis of the Controversy Surrounding the Half-Time Salute to the Militant Group,” Faculty Mentor: Frances Ward-Johnson

Student Documentaries

During an evening screening session, elondocs, the documentary filmmaking program in the School of Communications, featured student audio, photo and video documentaries created by students in the organization. The one-hour screening was followed by a question-and-answer session with the filmmakers.

SURF Day Advisory Committee

Associate Professor Barbara Miller served as one of 16 faculty members of the Undergraduate Research Program Advisory Committee that organizes SURF Day.