uva communication science thesis

Spring 2024

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Study programme

Communication Science: Persuasive Communication

The curriculum of the Master’s in Persuasive Communication comprises one year of full-time study. You will study a variety of marketing and health communication theories, and learn how to apply these theories to challenging problems of health behaviour, advertising, and branding. You will learn how communication can be used strategically to inform and influence people, or how people can be empowered to resist persuasion.

You will start the Master’s with the mandatory specialisation seminars: Marketing Communication and Health Communication. Right from the start of the programme, you will also start your thesis process in the course Thesis Preparation Groups. Towards the end of the first semester, you take the course Research Methods Tailored to the Thesis, in which you will refresh and further develop your research skills before starting with writing your Master’s thesis in the following semester.

In the second semester, you choose two electives, allowing you to create a Master’s programme that suits your interests best. There is a range of excellent electives offered, including, for example, Brand Communication, Persuasive Design in a Digital Era, Media Strategies, Persuasion and Resistance, Digital Analytics, Brands and Organisations in Social Media and Sustainability Marketing and Communication. You can find all electives here (selection of electives varies each semester).

In the second semester, you will complete your Master’s thesis. You will be guided and supervised in the creation, design, conduct, analysis and reporting of an academic empirical study. Previous research topics include:

The effects of sponsorship disclosures in influencer marketing
How can social media influencers be used to promote sustainable fashion purchases
How to promote engagement with brands on Instagram
Are mental health apps effective to improve young people’s well-being
Health misinformation on Twitter and the influence on vaccine hesitancy
How to enhance doctor-patient communication

In this course, you'll gain the skills to empower people to make lasting changes in their health behaviour. You'll become an expert in creating and assessing health communication campaigns and interventions, learning theories that explain health behaviour. You’ll learn about effective communication methods, including emotional appeals and storytelling, to drive behavioural change. Also, you will familiarise yourself with the development of a health communication intervention plan.

Explore how communication between advertisers and consumers shapes attitudes and behaviours. This course covers marketing communication theories and practices, focusing on how they affect buying and consuming products and services. You will learn how to apply this knowledge when designing theory- and evidence-based campaigns. You will also look at consumer-brand interactions in the digital age, addressing topics such as influencer marketing and ethical issues in social media advertising.

This course serves as an introduction to the individual Master’s thesis you will write in the second semester. You will set up an Initial Thesis Proposal: select a core theme, central research question, and research methodology.

This course builds on your prior knowledge of research methodology and statistics. You will further develop your skills as a preparation for your Master’s thesis. You will focus on the research method you plan to use: content analysis, experimentation, survey, or qualitative research.

In this Master’s programme you choose two electives. The selection of electives may vary each semester. These electives allow you to create a Master’s programme that suits your interests best.

For your Master’s thesis, you are linked to an individual supervisor. After passing the extended research proposal, you will continue with conducting your research, analysing your results and writing your thesis.

This Master's programme is a full-time study. A large part of your programme focuses on self-study, e.g. preparing for tutorials or working on assignments (32 hours per week). In addition, you have weekly lectures (4 hours per week) and opportunities for tutorials and group projects (4 hours per week).

Professor Guda van Noort and student James Trusler tell you about the programme and their experiences.

What is it like studying the Persuasive Communication Master's track?

Various UvA alumni talk about whether writing their thesis was the most challenging part of their Master's programme.

True or false: Writing my thesis was the most challenging part of my Master’s

Academic staff of persuasive communication.

It is very personal how you experience the workload and how much effort your side job takes. Keep in mind that the Master’s programme is a full-time study and takes up about 40 hours a week (8 contact hours and 32 hours of self-study). The week before the start of the programme/semester, you can see on which days you will have lectures and tutorials which can help in making your (work) planning.

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Virginia Tech researchers work to make yoga accessible to everyone

The project, a collaboration between the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Virginia Cooperative Extension, and the University Libraries, aims to reach historically underrepresented populations in yoga.

Max Esterhuizen
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Therese Osborn and Mary Frazier do a yoga pose in front of a fountain in the Corporate Research Center in Blacksburg, Virginia. Photo by Max Esterhuizen for Virginia Tech.

Two young women do a yoga pose in front of a fountain

From the downward dog to the reverse warrior, yoga’s popularity has blossomed recently, partly because of its accessibility to a wide range of people at a variety of skill levels.

With benefits ranging from physical to mental to social and spiritual, yoga offers an approach to holistic well-being. Virginia Tech researchers are working on ways to broaden its appeal even further.

“The historical underrepresentation in yoga makes this the perfect thing to study in regard to equitable translation of health evidence,” said Mary Frazier, who is pursuing her Ph.D. in the Translational Biology, Medicine, and Health Graduate Program and is the graduate student lead on the project. “So many people think yoga isn’t for them and that’s largely because of how it’s often portrayed. We want to find ways to reach the groups that don’t think yoga is for them – because it could be.”

The underrepresentation of people from rural areas in yoga practices highlights significant accessibility and awareness issues, often due to a lack of local resources and classes that could introduce and nurture an inclusive yoga culture, the researchers said.

Additionally, according to the research team, prevailing narratives around body image within the yoga community can deter many from participating, as the physical component of yoga is easier to capture ‘on screen’ (e.g., photo or video), but the imagery often lacks representation of the diversity of human bodies.

“These challenges underscore the need for a more inclusive approach to yoga, one that embraces and promotes diversity in all forms, from geographical background to body shape, ensuring that the benefits of yoga are accessible to all,” said Samantha Harden, an associate professor in the Department of Human Nutrition, Foods, and Exercise and a Virginia Cooperative Extension specialist.

To help bridge this gap, the research team made up of Harden; Frazier; Brad Frick, a master’s degree student in the School of Communication ; and Therese Osborn, an undergraduate student in public health , as well as Rachel Kaplan, Cassidy Powers, and Kayla Markley, all students in human nutrition, foods, and exercise, created a messaging survey to identify terms and tactics that resonate with the historically underrepresented groups.

The development of a survey aimed at identifying effective tactics and messaging to engage historically underrepresented groups in yoga represents a strategic approach to fostering inclusivity within the practice. Through a collaboration with University Libraries, this research project can leverage advanced data visualization tools and expertise, transforming raw survey data into compelling, easy-to-understand insights that highlight opportunities for outreach and community engagement.

“This partnership not only amplifies the survey's impact through sophisticated analysis but also ensures that the findings are accessible and actionable for stakeholders aiming to create a more inclusive yoga community,” said Harden, who is also affiliated with the Fralin Biomedical Institute.

“It’s going to be interesting to see and transform the raw survey data into insightful and meaningful visualizations," said Michael Stamper, a University Libraries data visualization designer. "Once we can see the stories within that data, we can begin to take notice of and address them.”

The research project also gave Frazier valuable experience as a graduate student.

“This project has been instrumental in advancing my Ph.D. journey, providing a solid foundation for my dissertation on the importance of inclusivity in wellness spaces and highlighting the transformative potential of yoga when it truly embraces diversity in all its forms,” Frazier said. “The research into the underrepresentation of individuals from rural areas in yoga practices has illuminated critical gaps in accessibility and awareness, underscoring the urgent need for community-based interventions and inclusive programming.”

Osborn, a sophomore, was “nervous” when she first joined the lab — it’s the same nervousness that keeps people out of studios: the unknown. She now acknowledges that the experience has equipped her with valuable skills, preparing her for the workforce.

“Dr. Harden, Frazier, Megan Pullin, and the rest of the lab have been so welcoming and encouraging,” Osborn said. “Not only has the lab allowed me to apply what I have learned in my classes, but it has also taught me new things entirely, that help me to feel prepared for the future. This project has taught me how to build a successful survey and analyze qualitative data.”

Tom Soladay

540-232-2501

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences
Human Nutrition, Foods, and Exercise
Public Health
School of Communication
Translational Biology, Medicine, and Health
University Libraries
Virginia Cooperative Extension
Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine

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Search for UvA Research and Theses
Searching for UvA Theses. UvA Scripties is a service through which the University of Amsterdam (UvA) enables worldwide digital access to the theses (master / bachelor) of its students.Theses written at the Faculty of Dentistry (ACTA) are not available in UvA Scripties, and for several faculties only the theses written for specific study programmes are available.
Electronic theses & dissertations (ETDs)
Electronic dissertations and masters' theses have been deposited in the Libra scholarly repository at the University of Virginia since 2012. Libra makes UVA scholarship available to the world and provides safe and secure storage for the scholarly output of the UVA community. Submitting your work to Libra is a graduation requirement for all ...
Communication Science
The Communication Science collection is located at the Library Learning Centre Roeterseilandcampus, the library for the Faculty of Economics and Business and the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences. Support. Drs. S. (Stefano) Giani. Information Specialist Communication Science. [email protected]. Stefano Giani is the Subject Librarian for ...
Libra: Search and submit
Libra is the University of Virginia's open access institutional repository, the online archive of scholarship created by the University community. It provides a central, stable location for the scholarly output of the University community (journal articles, datasets, theses/dissertations, etc.). Anyone can search, view and download content.
Communication Science
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Study programme
The curriculum of the Master's in Corporate Communication comprises one year of full-time study. The courses are designed to prepare you for research, policy, and advisory positions in the corporate communication sector. Throughout the programme, we will discuss and examine relevant themes, theories, and developments from the perspectives of the organisation (meso-level) and the media (macro ...
Study programme
The curriculum of the Master's in Persuasive Communication comprises one year of full-time study. You will study a variety of marketing and health communication theories, and learn how to apply these theories to challenging problems of health behaviour, advertising, and branding. You will learn how communication can be used strategically to inform and influence people, or how people can be ...
About the PhD in Media Studies
The PhD in Media Studies at the University of Virginia is based in the interdisciplinary field of critical media studies, which emphasizes understanding the role of media texts, audiences, industries, and technologies in relation to economic, political, and social systems of power. Our curriculum draws on literatures in communication, cultural ...
Theses
UvA Scripties. UvA Scripties is a service through which the University of Amsterdam (UvA) enables worldwide digital access to the theses (master / bachelor) of its students. Last update: 02-04-2024. Number of theses: 27270 Browse Advanced search.
Procedure rondom je bachelorproject of -thesis
Procedure rondom je bachelorproject of -thesis. Laatst gewijzigd op 22-11-2023 03:16. Je sluit je bachelor af met een afstudeerproject. Toon informatie voor jouw opleiding. Nu zie je algemene informatie op deze site. Kies je opleiding om ook informatie te zien die specifiek voor jouw opleiding geldt, zoals deadlines, regelingen en contactgegevens.
Communicating Research
PhD Plus relaunched this introductory series in Spring 2023 and is excited to make it a regular offering for graduate students and postdocs. The four-part Research Communication (Level 1) workshop series exposes graduate students and postdocs to the fundamentals of communicating their research to a range of audiences.
Communication Science on the Spot
The series is designed for Communication Science Bachelor's and (pre-)Master's students, PhD candidates, staff members and alumni. Attendees are always encouraged to ask questions in order to help stimulate a lively debate. So don't be shy, and feel free to join the discussion. Please keep an eye on this website and our socials for the next CS ...
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Speech Communication Disorders: Ph.D.
The Speech Communication Disorders Ph.D. program requires a minimum of 78 credits beyond the master's degree. A typical UVA Speech Communication Disorders doctoral program will be 85 to 103 doctoral credits completed in 3 to 4 years of full-time study and apprenticeship beyond an applicable master's degree.
Graduate students and faculty mentors honored at the Graduate School's
Students and faculty were honored at the Graduate School's annual awards reception in late March. Held during Graduate Education Week, with its theme of recognizing superpowers, the event recognized master's and doctoral degree students, as well as faculty mentors, from across Virginia Tech's campuses and programs for their work.
Computer Science Thesis Oral
Computer Science Thesis Oral April 5, 2024 2:00pm — 4:00pm ... The rise in computer storage and network performance means that disk I/O and network communication are often no longer bottlenecks in database management systems (DBMSs). Instead, the overheads associated with operating system (OS) services (e.g., system calls, thread scheduling ...
Virginia Tech researchers work to make yoga accessible to everyone
Virginia Tech researchers are working on ways to broaden its appeal even further. "The historical underrepresentation in yoga makes this the perfect thing to study in regard to equitable translation of health evidence," said Mary Frazier, who is pursuing her Ph.D. in the Translational Biology, Medicine, and Health Graduate Program and is ...
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Chemistry: Science for Energy and Sustainability (master, joint degree) Child Development and Education (research master) Classics and Ancient Civilizations (master) Cognition, Language and Communication (bachelor) Commerciële rechtspraktijk (master) Communicatiewetenschap (bachelor) Communication and Information (duale master)