Madeline Fortner's Archive

By Rachel Jones

Disclaimer: If you’re looking for a slow-paced summer job making smoothies, licking envelopes, or forgetting what you learned in school, this internship isn’t for you. If you want to be challenged to put communication theory into practice while getting the chance to make an impact among our nation’s leaders, intern with Pinkston Group. 

This past summer, I had the incredible opportunity to intern at The Pinkston Group, which is a Communications and Public Relations firm located in the Washington D.C. area. It was an invaluable experience, and one I would highly recommend to anyone seeking a life-changing investment, not to mention a glamorous, exciting time in the nation’s capital!

In my time at The Pinkston Group, I learned how, even as a lowly intern with no experience, to make myself relevant and important. I used what I learned in persuasion with Dr. Sharp Penya to motivate high ranking reporters to listen to me. I used my insights from the rhetoric of pop culture with Dr. Lemley to make my content competitive to a news agency with dozens of options. I learned how to write Op-Eds that actually got read, how to sell a story in 5 seconds, and how things really work behind the scenes in our nation’s capital.

The staff at the Pinkston Group made the experience all around enjoyable and fulfilling. They took time out of their fast-paced days and looming deadlines to answer any and all my “intern” questions. I learned from them how to use an Oxford comma, how to make a personal portfolio, how to live ethically in the world of PR, and they even assisted me in exploring a career path that fit my interests.

By: Stephanie Flores

As a recipient of the 2018 Foreign Language and Area Studies fellowship from the government, I got to spend the Summer in the Amazon rainforest learning about Indigenous culture and Quichua language. It was an experience like no other. I got to learn alongside brilliant graduate students from all across the country. The skills I learned about ethical research in class definitely came in handy. I realized the way non-indigenous people communicate about the Amazon and its people, perpetuates stereotypes and misconceptions of the reality of the region.

Since my interest is on multiculturalism and political communication, I attended political communal meetings and spoke to many indigenous political leaders. All of their stories and observations I made informed me on how I can best approach my research when writing my graduate Thesis.

During this memorable experience I met amazing people and learn so much from them, I know they are now colleagues with whom I can collaborate in the future. I also had lots of fun, I have never seen anything as beautiful as the Amazon rainforest. We held classes outside with the Napo river roaring sounds in the background and surrounded by beautiful flora and fauna. Sometimes a tarantula, different-colored millipedes and butterflies would join us in class. Two of my favorite encounters with Amazonian animals were when I got to hold a baby sloth and when we took a trip to Yasuni National Park, which is the most biologically diverse place on the planet. I only have one word to describe Yasuni: WOW.

I got to interact with Waorani Indigenous people, whose tribe first got contacted by outsiders only 50 years ago; I learned that there are still many Waorani communities who still reject all contact with the outside world. Amazonians are truly fascinating people. I got to see flora that you would only see in fantasy and science fiction movies; I got to walk next to jaguar paw prints, I saw macaws, toucans, pink dolphins, monkeys, among many other animals. I also got to see the influence of oil in the region and the impact we humans have in our planet, which made me very sad, but definitely made me a more eco-conscious individual. This was an experience that has shaped my views about the Amazon and indigenous people and has provided me with the skills to be a better communicator and global citizen.

Students in the Department of Communication and Sociology gave 20 presentations in the 2017/18 academic year. They presented their research at the ACU Undergraduate Research Festival and three different nationally-recognized conventions, traveling from Pittsburgh to Washington D.C. to Canada. The following list demonstrates the breadth of research in which our students engaged.  

Eastern Communication Association Conference
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, April 2018
Conference Theme: Building Bridges
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Three undergraduate students presented a total of five papers at this conference. One of these students’ papers was selected for the top paper panel. Undergraduate students who presented at this conference included:

• Emily Counts (Senior), “How Kendrick Lamar’s “Alright” Became a Black Lives Matter Anthem”
• Jacqueline DeMuynck (Senior), “Analyzing the Catholic Church’s 2002 Crisis Response Strategies”
• Jacqueline DeMuynck (Senior), “The Feed that Feeds: A Rhetorical Analysis of @NourishAndEat’s Body Positive Instagram Campaign and Its Effect of Self-Image” — Selected for the Top Paper Panel at the Undergraduate Scholars Conference
• Rachel Runnels (’17), “But I Believe Females Can Save The World: A Rhetorical Analysis of Female Empowerment in Avatar: The Last Airbender”
• Rachel Runnels (’17), “Navigating Turbulence: An Analysis of the JetBlue Ice Storm Crisis Response”

Four graduate students gave four presentations and one chaired a panel at this conference:

• Madeline Fortner, “Innovating the Public Speaking Course: Delivering High-Quality Courses that are Flexible, Affordable & Efficient”
• Kim Martinez, “The Chick-fil-A Same-Sex Marriage Crisis and Image Repair Theory”
• Kim Martinez, “Speak in the Box” — Delivery Activity
• Taylor Powers, “Too Little, Too Late: Analysis of Susan G. Komen’s Crisis Response”

ACU Undergraduate Research Festival
Abilene, Texas, March 2018
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Seven undergraduate students presented six papers and one poster at the research festival. One student won a top paper award and another won a top poster award. Students who participated included:

• Emily Counts (Senior), “How Kendrick Lamar’s “Alright” Became a Black Lives Matter Anthem.”
• Jacqueline DeMuynck (Senior), “The Feed that Feeds: A Rhetorical Analysis of @NourishAndEat’s Body Positive Instagram Campaign and Its Effect on Self-Image” — Winner of a Top Paper Presentation in Arts & Humanities Award
• Jacqueline DeMuynck (Senior), “Analyzing the Catholic Church’s 2002 Crisis Response Strategies.”
• Abbey Green, (Senior), “Factors associated with emergency shelter stay for the homeless.” — Winner of a Top Poster Presentation in Social Sciences Award
• Kayler Hatfield (Sophomore), “The Mythology of Black Criminality: A Rhetorical Analysis of Ava DuVernay’s Documentary ’13th’.”
• Kayler Hatfield (Sophomore), Vanessa Vela (Senior), and Tryce Prince (Senior), “The Gender Roles in Christian Colleges.”
• Summer Thompson (Junior), “Lead Laced Water: An Analysis of Governor Snyder’s Image Restoration Strategy in the Flint Water Crisis.”

Society for the Scientific Study of Religion Conference
Washington, D.C., October 2017
Conference Theme: Going Public: The Social Impact of Scientific Research on Religion
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One student collaborated with a professor in our department on the following presentation:

• Suzie Macaluso (Professor) & Bryn Stonehouse (Senior), “Generational Perceptions on Church Health.”

Association for the Sociology of Religion Conference
Montreal, QC, Canada, August 2017
Conference Theme: Religion and Division: Causes, Consequences, and Counters
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Two students in our department collaborated with their professor to present the following paper:

• Suzie Macaluso (Professor), Bryn Stonehouse (Senior), & Abbey Green (Senior), “Christian Colleges as Vicarious Religion: What is the Appeal of Christian Higher Education for Students?”

Graduate Student Theses
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Two graduate students in the Communication Division of our department wrote rhetorical theses this year. 

• Taylor Katz, “Reconstructing the Death Star: Myth and Memory in the Star Wars Franchise” — Carley Dodd Graduate Researcher of the Year Award
• Kim Martinez, “Think Outside the Music Video: A Fantasy Theme Analysis of Music Videos that Break Genre Conventions”