Communication, theater seniors present capstone research

Sara Levering, Copy editor

Communication and theater arts majors delivered research that they prepared over the course of the semester on Dec. 1 and 2 in the lobby of Ford hall.

On Tuesday, theater majors Alyssa Colemand and Travis McKenna, presented their research and the following day the communication arts majors presented their research.

These research presentations consisted of using a method of communication that they had learned, coming up with research questions and coming to a conclusion.

Brooke Batchelor is a communication arts major who would like to work for the Disney Company after Linfield.

She spoke about her interest in Disney, which contributed to her research about how Disney advertises and appeals to different cultures.

She stated that the United States Disney advertisements embody the “traditional family,” ideal whereas in Paris, it targets many different cultures. All of the Disney parks seem to have the Disney castle as their image.

Arianne King is an intercultural communication major with a Spanish minor. After Linfield, she will be working with at-risk youth but eventually would like to get a graduate degree.
She discussed how indigenous Native American women articulate themselves to non-indigenous people.

Andrew Batiuk is a communication arts major with minors in both history and psychology.
His presentation featured detecting lies through micro-expressions.

He asserted that micro-expressions are universal to almost anyone. He said that “contempt is the micro-expression that appears most” and acknowledged that even though the individual may know if the person is lying, that person does not know what is being lied about.

Evelyn Lopez is a communication arts major with a minor in sociology and is interested in gendered communication. She ultimately hopes to get a degree in social work.
Her presentation featured analyzing “veiled Muslim women in the 21st century.”

She said that each veiled woman has a different story and the presentation was styled around their narratives. She asserted that Muslim women are very individual, though they show solidarity in wearing the hijab.

Kelsi Watanabe is an interpersonal communication major with minors in philosophy, anthropology and Asian studies.

She used her past study abroad experiences to influence her research presentation on nonverbal communication in International B-boy, also known as breakdancing, competitions.