Student Research

Highlighting Excellent Student Scholarship

Communication majors have presented their course work in different conferences in the Midwest.

Students routinely present at the annual URSCI Expo on Dominican University’s campus and the annual Gender and Women Studies Conference, co-hosted by Dominican University and Concordia University.

Previous original student scholarship presented at Dominican conferences include:

  • Marisol Soto, “Representation of Latina Women on Modern Family: An Ideological Rhetorical Criticism” presented at the Gender and Women Studies Conference, 2018.
  • Anna Derkacz, “Female Heroes vs. Feminist Heroines in Fast and Furious 7” presented at Gender and Women Studies  Conference, 2016.
  • Briana Love, “Race and Gender in The Help,” presented at Gender and Women Studies Conference, 2016.
  • Ryan Freeman, “The American Lifestyle Now Achievable through What You Drive: An Ideological Analysis of Super Bowl Car Ads,” presented at URSCI, 2015.
  • Emily Patterson, “Metaphoric Analysis of Natasha Bedingfield’s Unwritten,” Poster Presentation at URSCI, 2015.
  • Heather McGuire, “Katniss Everdeen, Complicated Heroine: Womanhood in The Hunger Games, Paper Presentation at Gender and Women Studies Conference, 2015.
  • Andrea Cardoso, “Angelina Jolie at the National Press Club: A Neo-Aristotelian Rhetorical Criticism,” Paper presentation at URSCI, 2014.
  • Brent Smith, “A Rhetorical Criticism of the Brooks DNA Orientation Film,” Paper presentation at URSCI, 2014.
  • Gina Zenzola, “Dance Mama-Drama: A Fantasy-Theme Criticism of Lifetime’s Dance Moms,” Paper presentation at URSCI, 2013.
  • Danielle Eubanks-Bradley, “SpongeBob: The Moralist” presented at Gender and Women Studies Conference, 2014
  • Ambrell Gambrell, “Scandalous: Olivia Pope as Modern Day Jezebel” presented at Gender and Women Studies Conference, 2014

Additionally, students have presented and participated in regional conferences like Central States Communication Association.

Yesenia Baragan, CSCA, 2013

Poster presentation of rhetorical criticism of Breaking Bad’s Walter White (Kansas City, 2013).

  • Anna Walenski, paper presentations of rhetorical criticisms of Sons of Anarchy (Milwaukee, 2011) and Game of Thrones (Cleveland, 2012).
  • Marissa Martin, poster presentation of rhetorical criticism of Sister Wives (Milwaukee, 2011).

All communication majors have the opportunity to receive funding from Dominican University’s URSCI program to help pay for their research and conference travel needs. For more information, visit URSCI’s website.