Fifteen Communication Majors Present Senior Honors Theses

On April 9 and 16, senior Communication majors presented their year-long individual research projects to an audience of their advisors and peers. Each of the 15 students wrote an honors thesis and/or a Communication and Public Service (ComPS) Capstone Thesis as a required part of their ComPS concentration. All will graduate with honors in the major at Annenberg’s ceremony on May 18.

They will also present their findings at a poster session on Friday, May 2, from 10:30 am to 12:00 pm in the plaza lobby at Annenberg. 

The Communication thesis course lasts two semesters, and Kim Woolf, Ph.D., or Eran Ben-Porath, Ph.D., supervise students. For the first semester, the students write research proposals that contain a literature review and detailed methodologies for their theses. During the second semester, the students complete data collection and write the thesis.

From researching how presidential campaigns select music to reinforce their election strategy to how companies market oral nicotine pouches to target young adults, their subjects span the field of communication.

2025 Student Theses

The Princess and the Perception of Reality: The Role of Film Character Meet and Greets in Children’s Fantasy / Reality Distinctions and Parasocial Relationships

Nicholas Bausenwein

Thesis Advisors: Kim Woolf, Eran Ben-Porath

This study investigates the role of media-based character meet and greet interactions on fantasy/reality distinctions and parasocial relationships in children aged 5 to 7. Interviews with twelve children suggest that these interactions can be used as important evidence for children determining whether a character is real and can play a role in the development of parasocial relationships.

Who is the "Black" in Black Media? Mapping West African Representation in Essence Magazine

Adeoluwa Fatukasi

Thesis Advisors: Jessa Lingel, Kim Woolf

This study analyzes the cultural representation of diasporic identities in Essence magazine. Through historical and textual analysis, it examines how the magazine’s coverage of West African identities reflects broader shifts in Black media representation amid rising Black immigration to the United States. Findings suggest that while Essence remains largely U.S.-centric, it has evolved to be more inclusive in its portrayal of the Black diaspora, moving away from ‘othering’ toward a more expansive vision of Black identity.

Rock 'n' Roll the Vote: Campaign Songs and Strategies in U.S. Presidential Elections 

C.H. Henry

Thesis Advisors: David Eisenhower, Kim Woolf

My study examines how presidential campaigns select music to reinforce their election strategy. By conducting archival research, song analyses, and interviews, I traced a shift from candidate-specific songs to ideologically-aligned pop music over the course of three campaigns: John F. Kennedy in 1960, Ronald Reagan in 1984, and Bill Clinton in 1992. This study illustrates how campaign music can be used to mobilize voters, attach a political movement to pop culture, and promote a broad vision for the nation’s future.

15 Second Love Stories: Heteroromantic Narratives in the Age of TikTok

Rachel Ker

Thesis Advisors: Murali Balaji, Eran Ben-Porath

My thesis explores heterosexual romantic content on TikTok and how it shapes the way society approaches their own romantic endeavors. I leveraged a two-part thematic analysis looking at TikTok videos and their comments, finding themes around gender roles, comparability measures, and commitment expectations. The results reaped pointed to an emphasis on traditional femininity and masculinity, a warming to contemporary femininity and masculinity in lieu of female empowerment, material wealth as a measure of compatibility, and an inclination toward performative love and idealistic romance.

The War of Words in Higher Education: University Presidents on Contentious Topics from 1964 to 2024

Jared Mitovich

Thesis Advisors: Kenneth Winneg, Eran Ben-Porath

This study examined how core themes in communications by university presidents have changed over the course of notable contentious events between 1964 and 2024, spanning from the Vietnam War to the Israel-Hamas War. By hand-collecting archival data at 24 universities and employing an inductive computational methodology, 144 presidential communications on contentious social, political, and institutional issues were analyzed through a mixed-methods approach that combines topic modeling, network analysis, and community detection. As higher education faces unprecedented external scrutiny, this study’s findings include a decrease in prominence of race, gender, and identity-related rhetoric, along with an increase in prominence of political, legal, and safety-oriented rhetoric, among presidential communications since 2022.

Oral Nicotine Pouch Marketing in the Social Media Age: Evaluating the Impact of Social Media Marketing on Young Adults

Anna O’Neill-Dietel

Thesis Advisors: Andy Tan, Kim Woolf

Oral nicotine pouches, ONPs, gained popularity in the US after their introduction in the 2010s. Zyn, the leading ONP brand, used Instagram marketing with lifestyle appeals, which the tobacco industry has historically used to target young adults. This thesis used qualitative interviews and an online experiment with young adults. Findings show that while warning labels are noticed, many still view ONPs as nonaddictive or as cessation tools. Lifestyle appeals may position ONPs as a healthier or more convenient alternative to cigarettes. Exposure to such appeals, especially those involving alcohol, may increase young adults' likelihood to purchase ONPs.

Would Using AI to Moderate Online Discourse Come at a Cost? Examining Bias in Language Models for Toxicity Detection

Max Orenstein

Thesis Advisors: Matthew O’Donnell, Eran Ben-Porath

As generative AI becomes central to online content moderation, concerns about fairness and bias grow. This thesis explores how large language models handle toxicity detection, especially around identity-related content. Using a mix of performance metrics and analysis of model explanations, it uncovers a pattern of over-flagging that risks suppressing legitimate speech. Still, the study highlights the promise of smaller, aligned models and transparent reasoning as paths toward fairer, more trustworthy moderation systems.

Social Media-Facilitated Child Sexual Abuse: A Data-Driven Approach to Prevention

Eva Reis

Thesis Advisors: Olivia González, Eran Ben-Porath

This thesis investigates how social media facilitates child sexual abuse, drawing from survey and interview-based data collected from young adults who were solicited as minors. Findings show that nearly half received explicit messages through social media as children, leading victims to feel desensitized, unsupported, and harmed. This thesis urges platforms to reform by improving educational and support features, banning repeat offenders, restricting disappearing messages, and enforcing zero-tolerance policies to better protect children online.

Shaping Diplomacy: Balancing U.S. Commitments and Restraints in Trilateral Rivalries

Anastasia Russell

Thesis Advisors: David Eisenhower, Kim Woolf

This research explores the history of U.S. signaling mechanisms in trilateral regional rivalries through three prominent case studies: U.S.-China-Taiwan, U.S.-Russia-Ukraine, and U.S.-Iran-Israel. Through textual analysis of primary source documents and discourse analysis of presidential speeches, this study argues that signaling is an adaptive process of managing the balance between ambiguity and clarity, ideology and pragmatism, and commitment and restraint. The U.S. uses signaling not to resolve rivalries outright, but to preserve influence and maintain long-term strategic flexibility amid shifting global dynamics.

Scrolling or ‘Stalking’? An Analysis of Youth Social Surveillance Culture

Mia Schoolman

Thesis Advisors: Jeff Pooley, Kim Woolf

This study examines how Instagram’s design enables youth social surveillance by combining a platform walkthrough, guided interviews, and a survey. The walkthrough reveals that features emphasizing interconnectedness, visibility, persistence, and anonymity structurally support monitoring practices. Interviews uncover motivations—romantic interest, curiosity, inspiration—and emotional effects like FoMO and jealousy. Survey findings indicate widespread surveillance among youth, especially females, driven by staying updated and romantic interest, with predominantly neutral to negative feelings. Together, these methods show that Instagram’s affordances strategically embed ongoing, emotionally charged surveillance into its user experience.

U.S. Political Narratives of The Israel-Palestine Conflict Post-October 7th

Lauren Shulman

Thesis Advisors: David Eisenhower, Eran Ben-Porath

This thesis analyzes how leading Democratic and Republican figures responded rhetorically to the Israel-Palestine conflict following the October 7th Hamas attack. Through a close examination of official speeches and statements, the research demonstrates how each party strategically framed the crisis to advance broader ideological agendas. The study reveals increasing partisan polarization, with Republicans prioritizing security and moral clarity, while Democrats emphasized humanitarian concerns, ultimately exposing deeper divisions that influence both U.S. foreign policy and national identity.

#ProtectBlackWomen: Interrogating the Culture of Dissemblance Through Instagram Hashtag Activism

Naima Small

Thesis Advisors: Sarah Jackson, Eran Ben-Porath

This study explores Black women’s online discussions of intraracial, gender–based violence through the hashtag #ProtectBlackWomen on Instagram. Using the theoretical framework of Darlene Clark Hine’s culture of dissemblance, this study investigates how Black women online navigate conversations about victimhood while facing intra–community needs for protection from white supremacy. This research expands on current understanding of how Black women use hashtags to call attention to gender-based violence, particularly on Instagram, an understudied platform in regard to social media activism. Most importantly, it displays how Black women resist the invisibilization of their experiences of gender–based violence, and are breaking down the ideal of dissemblance.

2025 Communication and Public Service (ComPS) Honors Theses

The Media–Politics–Policy Loop: How Media and Political Rhetoric Shaped Education Policy in Virginia

Jayde DeGraff

Thesis Advisors: David Eisenhower, Eran Ben-Porath

This research investigates how political campaigns and media coverage influenced public opinion and school policy in Virginia. It focuses on Governor Glenn Youngkin’s 2021 campaign, which used terms like “Critical Race Theory” and “parents’ rights” to frame education issues. Content analysis of campaign materials, news articles, school board records, and district policies, along with interviews, reveals how these terms moved across politics, media, and education. The findings show how campaign rhetoric impacted local decisions, especially in Loudoun County, aligning school policies with state-level political messaging.

Adjust, Appease, Antagonize: 'Underdog' Election Media Strategies in Changing Media Environments

Isabel Dessauer Engel

Thesis Advisors: David Eisenhower, Kim Woolf

This thesis examines the change in election media strategy amid a changing media landscape through the lens of three media-important elections: 1960, 1992, and 2016. Each of these elections features a key change in the media environment and a political underdog. By analyzing debate questions and answers (a standardized interaction between the politicians and the press), post-debate news content, and expert interviews, this thesis documents a clear change in candidate media strategy and journalist coverage.

2025 Communication and Public Service (ComPS) Theses

‘Coronation, Conquest, and Contest?’ Inside the Spectacle of the 2024 Presidential Conventions

Isabella Corman

Thesis Advisors:  David Eisenhower, Eran Ben-Porath

This thesis explores how the 2024 Republican and Democratic National Conventions have transformed into media spectacles that extend beyond their traditional nominating roles. Using Dayan and Katz’s media events framework and Aristotle’s rhetorical appeals, the study employs a dual-method approach—textual analysis and interviews with organizers—to uncover how conventions strategically use emotion, symbolism, and media to mobilize support. The findings highlight conventions’ evolving relevance as emotionally charged, media-driven events shaping public perception and political legitimacy.