Purdue University Graduate School
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INTRODUCTORY PUBLIC SPEAKING TEXT THROUGH THE LENS OF CRITICAL DISABILITY STUDIES

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thesis
posted on 2023-04-29, 02:32 authored by Emily P VianEmily P Vian

 The purpose of this study is to use close textual analysis, informed by the neurodiversity paradigm and critical disability theories, to explore the coverage of CA in an introductory public speaking collegiate textbook to see how the experience is depicted and what thematic narratives about dis/ability are included in its coverage. This research is required to comprehend the phenomena more holistically and aid communication educators in creating curricula attentive to the needs of the high CA student, embodying best practice for a diverse set of students.  Incorporating dis/ability perspectives into public speaking pedagogy signals an opportunity to advance interdisciplinary knowledge about CA, mental health, dis/ability, neurodiversity, and education accessibility at large. By analyzing literary representations of CA, this research furthers the goals of critical dis/ability studies by de-naturalizing ideas about the binaries in which “ableness”/“disability” and “normality”/abnormality, are typically read and related to “success”. The overarching goal of this project is to demonstrate that these rhetorical representations of communication/performance bound anxiety are not only relevant, but of central importance for contemporary discussions on dis/ability within education.

History

Degree Type

  • Master of Arts

Department

  • Communication

Campus location

  • Fort Wayne

Advisor/Supervisor/Committee Chair

Michelle Kelsey

Additional Committee Member 2

Marcia D. Dixson

Additional Committee Member 3

Steven A. Carr