Recently I began writing this four part series about scholars that have won awards from the Council of Graduate Schools and ProQuest Dissertations & Theses at various regional CGS conferences. You can take a look back and read the original intro, as well as the first post of the series, here.

In the final installment of this series I introduce you to Daniel Papsdorf from Wichita State University. Daniel won a Distinguished Master's Thesis Award for his thesis entitled, "Trade, Diplomacy, and War Along the Waters: The Mississippi During the American Revolution." What a relevant time to reflect on Daniel's thesis -- as I write this, the waters of the Mississippi are rising, and the swollen river is creeping over the banks, swallowing entire communities from Tennessee to Louisiana. Although Daniel's work focuses on the time period of the American Revolution, current events demonstrate that the mighty Mississippi has as much an impact on people's lives today as it did when, as Daniel stated, "it served as both a highway and a border between empires" centuries ago. The river is still a valuable asset to America; however, Daniel reminded everyone at the awards ceremony that this waterway has always played a pivotal role in the history and development of this country. The Spanish settlers are now a thing of the past, and the Native American communities have unwillingly relinquished the power they once held over this land -- but while the river floods this spring, as it undoubtedly did at times during the American Revolution, Daniel's work displays that understanding the history of this river is in essence understanding the history of this country. I had a chance to briefly speak with Daniel after the awards ceremony, and he mentioned that he was trying to get down to New Orleans this summer and gain access to some archives to continue his research. I hope Daniel gets access to those archives -- and at the same time, I hope that those living along the Mississippi remain safe and recover quickly from the flood damage. Congratulations to Daniel and all the other award winners, it was a pleasure to meet them and listen to their presentations. Below is a picture of Daniel, and a summary of his thesis as it appeared in the awards program.

Recently I began writing this four part series about scholars that have won awards from the Council of Graduate Schools and ProQuest Dissertations & Theses at various regional CGS conferences. You can take a look back and read the original intro, as well as the first post of the series, here.

Today, I introduce you to James K. Anderson from the University of Illinois at Springfield. The title of James' award winning thesis is, "Laughter is Critical: An Analysis of the Sociopolitcal Satire on 'The Daily Show with Jon Stewart' and 'The Colbert Report' Using the Propaganda Model as a Guide." I watch plenty of Comedy Central, and I'm a fan of Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert, but I was quite unfamiliar with the "propaganda model." As James explained, with a blend of intellect and humor that would make both Stewart and Colbert proud, the "propaganda model" was developed by Edward Herman and Noam Chomsky in 1988. The model states that there are five criteria, or "filters," that are used to define what is "news" in modern society, and governments and corporations use their access to media to push certain social, economic or political messages. At the same time, any type of media that doesn't meet those five criteria is not given the time of day. Using a vocabulary that would make a thesaurus jealous, James explained further, pointing out that The Daily Show and The Colbert Report arguably are legitimate news sources; even though they use satire and comedy, they do not perpetuate the common "state corporate message" discussed in the "propaganda model," and they even undermine that model at times. Now, those are my words, and I can't really do the thesis justice -- it took me several (understatement) attempts to figure out how to word the summary of that model. That alone makes me realize the hard work James must have put into his research and the writing of his thesis. In addition, it was interesting to hear from an award winner from the field of communication, as the previous winners were discussing intricate science and technology. Every award winner is more than worthy, but it's cool to know that someone is writing an award winning thesis about the TV shows many of us watch and enjoy so often. In fact, after hearing James present the overview of his thesis, he has my vote for a guest appearance or interview spot on either program! Below you can find a photo of James and his advisor, as well as the summary of his thesis as it appeared in the awards program. Congratulations James!