Students in the CMR discipline are active and engaged in studying contemporary topics in communications that are impacting our lives now, as well as critical analysis of communications theory and historical trends. As a CMR major, you will have the opportunity to craft your own final thesis, so you can dig into a subject that interests you. Seniors present their projects publicly to colleagues. This provides an opportunity to further perfect public speaking and presentation skills. Here are some recent CMR projects that show the diversity and range of interests of students in the Discipline:
- Sage Davis: “President Obama Speaks to Tribal Leaders”
- Matt Gandrud: “Considering Images of Power and Race: A Rhetorical Look at Allen Iverson’s Appearance(s)”
- Molli Getting: “The Rhetoric Behind ‘Happily Ever After’”
- Justin Kemppainen “Failure and Frustration: Discovering Reasons for Aggressive Behavior in Gamers”
- Taylor Lunemann: “Selling the Droid: An Analysis of Online Advertising Strategies”
- Jena Magee: “How to Look Good Naked: The Effects of Thinness in Media Images and the Perceptions of Adult Women.”
- Moon Lee: “Impact of Violence in Video Games on Children”
- Tara Loomis: “MTV’s The Real World: Hollywood: Examining Reality Television”
- Zach Ranallo: “Home Run: An Assessment of Television Commercials from the 2010 Major League Baseball World Series Telecasts”
- Michelle Redberg: “Paralleled Coverage in Broadcast Media: Agenda- setting Analysis of TV News”
- William Rottler: “A Rhetorical Analysis of the Wheaties Fuel Marketing Campaign”
- Todd Thielin: “The Rhetorical Situation and Generic Constraints of the Billy Graham Crusade”
Financial support for student research is available through many venues. University funding opportunities are consolidated by the Academic Center for Enrichment (ACE). One example is the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP), a University-wide program which provides academically talented students the opportunity to earn up to $1,400 assisting faculty with scholarly and creative projects.
Another, the Morris Academic Partners program (MAP), is unique to the Morris campus and provides paid research partnerships to academically talented, qualified third-year students. The standard stipend is $2,000. The Multi-Ethnic Mentorship Program (MMP) affords students of color the opportunity to receive a $2,000 stipend for working with faculty or staff on year-long projects.
Student work at Morris has also been funded by the University of Minnesota’s Center for Urban and Regional Affairs (CURA) and the Community Assistance Program (CAP). Faculty research funding obtained independently via grants or from other awards may also create paid positions for students to assist in research projects.