Theoretical Literacy

Theoretical literacy within the communication discipline demonstrated by the ability to articulate at least one theoretical framework and use it to illuminate a real-life communication problem, strategy, or initiative.

Looking back on this educational journey it is hard to believe that three years have passed. During that time, I learned so much about how theories apply to our daily lives. I learned how to apply them to everyday problems and utilize them to make me a more critical and interpretative thinker.  

Theoretical literacy was embedded in all of my coursework from my weekly podcasts reflections for Communication Fluency (COM 601), to my current event presentation on the Fearless Girl statue for Visual Rhetoric and Aesthetics Influence class (COM 676) to the strategic communication plan I created for Constructing Messages and Audiences. What began in my weekly reflections as growing pains and a struggle with understanding theories has become a deeper reflection on how to apply them to specific circumstances like loneliness or repairing a company’s reputation after it has broken its promise of safer-cleaner-more wholesome products.

In Visual Rhetoric and Aesthetics, my classmate and I presented on how the Fearless Girl statue became a relevant cultural icon due to the timing of her installation on March 8, 2017, the International Day of the Woman and the Women’s March. We discussed how her installation at that very tenuous and politically charged time in our nation fueled her “myth” as a symbol of female empowerment when in reality she was a reference to increasing the number of women on corporate boards. In addition, her connection with the public established a sense of agency and ecology with individuals who saw her as a symbol of “pro-feminism” this provided her with what Gries (2015) called “thing power” and gave the Fearless Girl a sense of vitality and aliveness she would not have otherwise had if she had been installed during a different time of our country. The Fearless Girl statue became a relic or record that justified the current attitude, actions and feelings that were an undercut of change in our nation at that point in time. (Lowenthal in Kimble and Olson, 2006). However, while I gained a theoretical understanding on how visuals can affect and influence our understanding of an object, the assignments I completed in my Mediated Construction of the Lifecycle class stand out for me as those that helped me fully develop a theoretical literacy understanding and ultimately helped me in my final thesis.

The Grounded Theory Portfolio assignment from my Mediated Construction of the Life Cycle class taught by Dr. White was by far, the most beneficial assignment I had during my time in the program. Not only did it offer me the opportunity to apply my critical thinking skills to a chosen life transition, but I also learned how to analyze, develop and apply the components of the research study in a formal way.  For our Grounded Theory project, we wrote and refined a research question, justified the purpose of our research for completion of a sample IRB request, obtained basic CITI certification, and learned step by step how to write and refine interview questions. Along the way we gained input from our classmates and came to understand that preparing for a research study is truly an iterative and often tedious process. We also identified, conducted and transcribed three interviews using Glaser and Strauss’ constant comparative theory approach to code and classify our interviews. At the conclusion, we presented our findings to our classmates in eight slides or less. There could not have been a better way to learn the theoretical application of Grounded Theory. This hands-on approach and practical application gave me a complete understanding of what is involved in the utilization of Grounded Theory and has prepared me for what is to come in my thesis. I feel fortunate to have had this class prior to beginning my thesis because it has helped me in completing the IRB process and remained fresh in my mind to aided me in writing better interview questions for my interviews.

Looking toward the future, I will be able to apply part of the process in my work experiences be it as a marketing manager or any position where I need to interview individuals. The questions will be better written and more thoughtful and I will be a better interviewer because I can listen more intently and openly as they share their story with me. The result will (hopefully) be a more complete, open and intimate telling of their story.

Below are two examples of my theoretical literacy assignments:

Link to Grounded Theory Portfolio

Link to Fearless Girl PowerPoint