The Scholarship and Praxis of Communication Ethics
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Duquesne University Duquesne Scholarship Collection Electronic Theses and Dissertations Fall 2005 The cholS arship and Praxis of Communication Ethics: Rhetorical Interruptions in Historical Narratives Melissa Cook Follow this and additional works at: https://dsc.duq.edu/etd Recommended Citation Cook, M. (2005). The choS larship and Praxis of Communication Ethics: Rhetorical Interruptions in Historical Narratives (Doctoral dissertation, Duquesne University). Retrieved from https://dsc.duq.edu/etd/433 This Immediate Access is brought to you for free and open access by Duquesne Scholarship Collection. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Duquesne Scholarship Collection. For more information, please contact [email protected]. DUQUESNE UNIVERSITY THE SCHOLARSHIP AND PRAXIS OF COMMUNICATION ETHICS: RHETORICAL INTERRUPTIONS IN HISTORICAL NARRATIVES A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATION & RHETORICAL STUDIES MCANULTY COLLEGE AND GRADUATE SCHOOL OF LIBERAL ARTS IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY BY MELISSA A. COOK PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA CONVOCATION DECEMBER 2005 The Scholarship and Praxis of Communication Ethics Copyright © August 22, 2005 Melissa A. Cook ii The Scholarship and Praxis of Communication Ethics Acknowledgements It is with heartfelt gratitude that I thank the following people who have supported my completion of the Ph.D. Program in Rhetoric at Duquesne University: The students who agreed to join my first Communication Ethics seminar held during Intercession of 2004 at Washington & Jefferson College. My current students at St. Vincent College, and those who joined the special topics class on communication ethics in the spring of 2005. This is the reason for my passion . teaching. Dr. Phyllis Riddle and Dean Thomas Mans of St. Vincent College for their encouragement of this project. Jane Gardner and Cindy Burke, our loyal secretaries in the Department of Communication & Rhetorical Studies. They convinced Dr. Arnett that I was the right person for the job, way back when, and continued to support me from day one. They are the most caring employees on the campus and fantastic women in their own right. Duquesne University for the funding of my graduate assistantship, as well as the Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation for their graduate scholarship and for believing in the scholarly, professional and motherly work of women. Prof. William Cameron, for offering me my first teaching opportunity at my alma mater, W&J College. My six years with W&J were truly a gift and times that I carry with me in my heart. I also thank Prof. T. Scott Frank, Dr. John Mark Scott and Dr. Robert Dodge for their constant encouragement during my course work at Duquesne. Their dedication to the students of W&J College is to be emulated and respected. My first mentor at W&J, Prof. Paul F. Stifflemire, recommended me for the job to begin with, and I am eternally grateful for his encouragement to pursue a scholarly career. iii The Scholarship and Praxis of Communication Ethics My many peers, past and present, in the Ph.D. Program in Rhetoric: Dr. Annette Holba, for her friendship and comments/critique and her incredible tenacity for getting scholarship done! I will miss seeing her, but know we will be, at minimum, convention partners forever! Prof. John Prellwitz, a friend to cherish, a scholar in his own right and an incredibly witty man. Though he wishes he could sit in an English pub and talk with the locals on a daily basis, he is instead relegated to talking with us, and we are thankful! I look forward to working with him for many years to come and getting to know better my new, dare I say, friend, Christine Cusick, a fellow Backstreeter. Dr. Marie Baker-Ohler and Dr. S. Alyssa Groom, always—for their friendship, (initially found in the Deli at Duquesne University). They both know the true meaning of love and camaraderie and I expect they will go on to shine in their respective careers and families. They took me under their wings, and I trust I carried on the tradition courageously! The faculty in the Department of Communication & Rhetorical Studies at Duquesne University: Dr. Janie M. Harden Fritz for her boundless energy for her profession and, more importantly, for living life. Dr. Pat Arneson for her professionalism, exceptional diligence in her work, and her laughter. Dr. Calvin L. Troup for his commitment to the Ph.D. program and his profession as a scholar and teacher—a true mission. I also thank God that he answered “yes” to the iv The Scholarship and Praxis of Communication Ethics first question I asked him on the phone: “So, would the program be interested in having someone like me?” . and of course, my dissertation committee: Dr. Richard H. Thames who has a brain that stretches the imagination! A walking bibliography and a joy to be with in the classroom, Dr. Thames taught me what it means to READ (and he doesn’t suggest articles, he suggests tomes), and I thank him for agreeing to be on my committee as a reader. Dr. Kathleen Glenister Roberts, a dear soul from the moment we met and a very wise woman. Dr. Roberts is an exceptional scholar who continues to brighten the department. I thank her for being on the committee as a reader and for her encouragement. I trust we will work together again, soon! . and finally, Dr. Ronald C. Arnett, a mentor who offered me a glimpse into the world of philosophy of communication and communication ethics and allowed me to enter and experience true scholarly work. My first day, first class in the program, Dr. Arnett lectured on Alasdair MacIntyre and Dietrich Bonhoeffer (at the speed of light), and I held on for dear life. I did not even know how to spell Bonhoeffer, let alone recognize that he was a prolific scholar during his life cut short by the Nazis. Little did I realize that Bonhoeffer and MacIntyre would impact not only my scholarship, but also, me, personally. Thank you Dr. Arnett for your graciousness to your students, your compassion to your scholarship, your devotion to the discipline and loyalty to our department. I will never be able to repay you, except to continue to do good work— God’s work, to the best of my ability. Thank you. v The Scholarship and Praxis of Communication Ethics Without my friends and family, this Ph.D. would have never become a reality. Therefore, with all the love in my heart, I thank: My best friend, Diane S. Thompson, M.D., who believed in me from day one in a tiny dorm room on the campus of our esteemed Alma Mater. I love her with all of my heart, and that is where this sentence has to end, otherwise, it could take another dissertation to explain my respect for her. Diane’s husband, Todd Thompson, M.D., deserves a medal for many reasons, and I thank him as well. My parents, Raymond and Marjorie Webber, who supported me all these many years in my educational endeavors. They both know the meaning of hard work and loyalty, which I know I inherited from them, along with the McIntyre looks (not Alasdair, but Mary!). I know they enjoyed watching my children on “school nights” as much as Catherine and David enjoyed being with Nuni and Nonno. My in-laws, Elmer (Bud) and Terry Cook, who have accepted me as another daughter and who have been forever gracious with their time in assisting David Sr. and me with the kids. They never once said no, and again, Catherine and David were well taken care of and put to bed on time! My sister, Dana, and her family, John, Declan and Maggie, who gave me the love and encouragement I needed during this four-year challenge. It is finally done and the summers are ours to savor! Idlewild/Sandcastle/Kennywood and the pool, here we come! My children, Catherine Brigid and David Edward Cook, Jr., (a.k.a. Kiki & Boog) who began to understand three years into my Ph.D. at Duquesne that when Mommy says, “Give me a minute, I am writing,” she really means, “Be patient. I love you. This will be done soon.” They now have an understanding, at a very young age, of what it means to be vi The Scholarship and Praxis of Communication Ethics diligent in learning, and I firmly believe they will go on to be great scholars in their own individual ways. They are the lights of our lives, and I trust I am a mom of which they can be proud. My husband, David Sr., – where do I begin? He became Mr. Mom for four years, and I think he is thrilled to be giving up the title! He has done more than support me. He goes about his business, quietly, without complaint. He is smarter than I am, and he loves telling everyone that, but it’s true. He is a brilliant man, working hard for us as a Senior Chemist, and we are as proud of him as I know he is of me. “Some day we’ll look back on this and it will all seem funny…” And finally, it is Bruce Springsteen’s music that inspires me, almost daily, to be a true and faithful companion to my friends, an energetic professor to my students, a loyal daughter, sister, aunt, niece and cousin to my family, a loving and devoted mother to my children, and finally, a hopeless romantic and loving best friend to my husband, on this train, in the Land of Hope and Dreams.