Research Opportunities
Tyonka Perkins '07
Butler Summer Institute 2006
The School of Journalism actively encourages its students to
become involved in scholarly research. Through engaging in
curricular and extra-curricular research projects, journalism
students establish a close professional relationship with faculty
members and work on projects that may lead to a senior thesis,
publication in a peer-reviewed scholarly journal, or presentation
at a scholarly conference. Sound research skills are also an
invaluable asset for any student thinking about graduate or
professional school.
At Butler, journalism students are given two opportunities to
present their research-The Undergraduate Research
Conference and the Butler Summer Institute. The Research
Conference, which is held every spring, brings together
approximately 600 students from over 30 Midwest colleges and
universities to share their research experiences. At the
conference, undergraduate students present summaries of their work
in sessions organized by topics via a brief oral presentation or
poster presentation format.
The Butler Summer Institute provides an opportunity for "the
best and the brightest" of Butler's students to work one-on-one
with a faculty mentor for nine weeks during the summer on a
scholarly research project. Students are provided housing on campus
for the duration of the program and receive a stipend. In addition
to conducting their projects and presenting their findings,
students participate in luncheon seminars and other activities.
Recent Journalism students who have presented their
research at the Undergraduate Research Conference or Butler Summer
Institute include:
Chris Goff, Critiquing the Supreme Court's 1962 Decision in
Engel v. Vitale (URC 2012)
Natalie Evans and Perry Kazmyn, Codes of Ethics for Mass Media
Organizations: Comparing and Contrasting (URC 2011)
Jessica Kiefer, Western Media
Dominance and Cultural Imperialism Abroad (URC 2010)
Emily Newell, Hilton v. Hallmark:
The Case for a Federal Right of Publicity Law (URC 2010)
Kelly Patrick, Finding Meaning in
Facebook (URC 2010)
Monica Freeman, Report from
Baghdad: The Ethical Concerns of Journalists on the Front
Lines (URC 2009)
Robert Herman, A Comparative
Analysis of the 2008 Presidential Campaign Coverage in Two Indiana
Daily Newspapers: Are Voters Well Served? (URC 2009)
Jacqueline Koumpouras, Facebook and
Employers: The Truth (URC 2009)
Jenna Widmann, The Quest for
Equality: Portrayal of Women's Suffrage in The New York Times,
1919-1921 (URC 2009)
Reid Bradley, The Ethics of Fox
News Channel's Iraq War Coverage (URC 2008)
Patricia Geary, Hardly "Beyond
Petroleum": A Glance Into BP's Deceptive Marketing Tactics
(URC 2008)
Cassie Krisher, An Ethical
Analysis of Clinton-Lewinsky Coverage in Print Media (URC
2008)
Kelly Patrick, Blurring the
Lines: An Ethical Analysis of Advertorials (URC 2008)
Tyonka Perkins, When Advertising
Crosses the Line: Examining Racial Stereotypes in
Advertisements (URC 2007, BSI 2006)
Gabrielle Poshadlo, The Shape of
Things to Come: An Analysis of Teen Magazine Cover Models and the
Feminine Ideal (URC 2007)
Hannah Werntz, A Fresh Look at
Face-ism: Biases in News Photographs (URC 2007)
Marcy Wilhelm, Hazelwood to
Hosty: Censorship and Student Journalists' Rights (URC
2007)
Tori Hyman, Expressive
Association & the First Amendment: Protection for
Discrimination? (URC 2006)
Julie Rupprecht, Order in the
Courts - A Reporter's Privilege (URC 2006)
Allison Martin, The NASA
Challenger and Columbia Accidents: A Crisis Communication and
Public Relations Analysis (URC 2004)
Noelle Myers, Signals of Change:
The Introduction of Cable TV to Bhutan (URC 2004)