http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/authors/1008/alexander-e-hopkins Inquiries Journal provides undergraduate and graduate students around the world a platform for the wide dissemination of academic work over a range of core disciplines. en-us Mon, 01 Jun 2026 19:12:04 -0400 Mon, 01 Jun 2026 19:12:04 -0400 http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1248/weight-of-evidence-reporting-pragmatic-optimism-or-a-bad-idea By Alexander E. Hopkins - While some believe that scientists should communicate their research apolitically in research journals, others believe that scientists should communicate to the media in order to bring awareness to their research topic. As a compromise to these two views, Professor Sharon Dunwoody proposed "weight of evidence" reporting to bridge this gap between the objectivity of science and the subjectivity of the media. The goal of weight of evidence reporting is to create highly pragmatic media consumers that will be allowed to arrive at scientifically-sound, objective conclusions based upon data. However... Thu, 22 Oct 2015 10:40 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1248/weight-of-evidence-reporting-pragmatic-optimism-or-a-bad-idea http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1177/a-framework-for-internal-corporate-communications By Alexander E. Hopkins - Public relations is a growing field in the United States (Botan, 1992, p. 149). This growth can be partially explained by the fact that public relations is an exercise in power (Curtin & Gaither, 2007, p. 235; Walker, 2006, p. 401). Throughout the world, messages are everywhere, both explicit and implicit. Among other attributes, messages have the ability to inform or persuade audiences on a given issue or set of issues. These attributes have become more pronounced in the digital age of social media, as messages can be created, disseminated, and analyzed quicker than ever before. Given the... Fri, 25 Sep 2015 08:04 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1177/a-framework-for-internal-corporate-communications http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1104/effects-of-the-spiral-of-silence-in-digital-media By Alexander E. Hopkins - Since its introduction by German-born Political Scientist Elizabeth Noelle-Neumann in 1974, the Spiral of Silence theory has become one of the most-researched communication theories that explains public opinion formation in a media environment (McDonald, Glynn, Kim, & Ostman, 2001, p. 139). The Spiral of Silence attempts to explain how media consumption, interaction among key groups, and opinion expression all interact to form opinions in society. Over time, a "spiraling" effect will occur, in which a dominant opinion becomes more visible over one or more minority opinions. When initially... Fri, 04 Sep 2015 08:02 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1104/effects-of-the-spiral-of-silence-in-digital-media http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1021/face-management-theory-modern-conceptualizations-and-future-directions By Alexander E. Hopkins - The beginning of any social relationship is often ambiguous (Edelmann, 1985, p. 195). If a social interaction proves to be troublesome, conflict may occur. While conflict is an inevitable facet of life, it is not necessarily a negative phenomenon (Oetzel, Ting-Toomey, Yokochi, Masumoto, & Takai, 2000, p. 398). To ensure that any social interaction develops smoothly, it is important to examine how people negotiate meaning within the relationship. Thus, the sociological concept of "face" comes into play. Face is the positive social value that a person claims for themselves in the context of... Sat, 04 Apr 2015 09:21 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1021/face-management-theory-modern-conceptualizations-and-future-directions http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1012/government-public-relations-public-diplomacy-or-propaganda By Alexander E. Hopkins - This dilemma proves to be more complicated to identify in our modern era. In addition to the telecommunications revolution, the worldwide spread of democracy, market economies, and digital communications has led to a more globalized world, thus allowing multiple, competing media channels to take root (Kovacs, 2006, p. 430; Signitzer & Wamser, 2005, p. 435). This digital environment, which suggests terms such as collective good and public interest, has ambiguous meanings, especially when determining whether a government or an outside organization is conveying the message (Gregory, 2005, pp.... Sun, 15 Mar 2015 04:58 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1012/government-public-relations-public-diplomacy-or-propaganda http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/736/commencement-addresses-delivered-by-incumbent-us-presidents-1914-2010-a-historical-analysis By Alexander E. Hopkins - Each year, thousands of colleges and universities across the United States hold commencement. This is a time when campus is in full bloom—manicured lawns, farewell hugs from classmates, and final exams. As the graduates march in unison to their seats, their colorful school robes flow gently amid the sea of flashing camera bulbs. Like a Hollywood premiere, the graduates are the stars whose years of hard work can finally be recognized by invited guests. Since a commencement is a significant investment in time and money, the ceremony is planned down to the last minute. In a sense, a commencement... Wed, 05 Jun 2013 08:13 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/736/commencement-addresses-delivered-by-incumbent-us-presidents-1914-2010-a-historical-analysis http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/733/ronald-reagans-presidential-radio-addresses-themes-of-unity By Alexander E. Hopkins - Ronald Reagan’s public speaking career began in 1932 at the age of 21. By this time, the recent Eureka College graduate was hired as a sports radio broadcaster. The following year, Franklin D. Roosevelt became President and began the Fireside Chats radio series. According to political historian J. Jeffrey Auer (1992): “Each listener received the impression that Roosevelt was talking directly to him. Millions of Americans sat at their radios and agreed that they “could practically feel him physically in the room.” His voice communicated his expansive personality; it registered... Fri, 05 Apr 2013 11:57 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/733/ronald-reagans-presidential-radio-addresses-themes-of-unity http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/719/assessing-state-judicial-selection-the-missouri-plan-vs-partisan-elections By Alexander E. Hopkins - Since the United States Constitution was ratified in the late-18th century, the question of state judge selection has been an important topic in legal theory. Since 1976, it has been one of the most widely debated issues in law school journals throughout the country (DuBois, 1986, p. 31). The main question that is pondered is whether judges should be independent on the bench or accountable to constituents. The five main methods of selection are: Gubernatorial Appointment, Legislative Election, Partisan Election, Non-Partisan Election and the “Missouri Plan” (Baum, 2007, p. 107). For... Sun, 13 Jan 2013 10:33 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/719/assessing-state-judicial-selection-the-missouri-plan-vs-partisan-elections http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/713/protest-and-rock-n-roll-during-the-vietnam-war By Alexander E. Hopkins - Moreover, a 1966 anti-war music poster advertised the popular rock groups Jefferson Airplane and Mystery Trend. The event, a benefit dance held at the University of California at Berkeley on March 25, 1966, features a large war scene drawing at the center. The war scene, colored in red, white and black, features combatants wearing helmets and holding machine guns, while avoiding explosions triggered by bombers flying overhead. At the top of the scene, the words “Vietnam” can be seen in the same font that the military uses. Below “Vietnam,” the word “Peace” can... Mon, 05 Nov 2012 10:03 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/713/protest-and-rock-n-roll-during-the-vietnam-war http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/709/diverging-discontent-examining-the-patriot-acts-passage-in-congress-under-the-bush-administration By Alexander E. Hopkins - On October 26, 2001, President George W. Bush signed the USA PATRIOT Act in response to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The Act, by Congress just six weeks after the attacks with virtually no public debate, greatly-expanded the executive branch’s power to investigate possible domestic terrorism (Cheney, 2005, p. 1717; Chang, 2001). Rather than create new laws, existing laws were strengthened. However, members of Congress were still alarmed at possible civil liberties violations (Cheney, 2005, p. 1717; Seamon & Gardner, 2005, p. 321). Like many war-time Presidents, such as Woodrow... Tue, 23 Oct 2012 08:24 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/709/diverging-discontent-examining-the-patriot-acts-passage-in-congress-under-the-bush-administration http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/705/yue-feis-different-goals-and-ideals-in-the-chinese-song-dynasty-960-1279 By Alexander E. Hopkins - Perhaps the preceding dynasty can offer clues to this unusual turn of events. Prior to the Song dynasty, the Tang Dynasty (618-907) was a militarily powerful dynasty that expanded China’s geographic territory to roughly the same extent as the Han Dynasty (206 BC-220 CE). Unlike the Tang, however, Song leaders focused more on expanding their domestic economy, which favored the arts and educated scholar officials. Yue Fei’s military background, coupled with his insistence on conquering enemies and expanding the Song territory, was more akin to the preceding Tang dynasty. Since the main... Mon, 01 Oct 2012 09:29 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/705/yue-feis-different-goals-and-ideals-in-the-chinese-song-dynasty-960-1279 http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/699/a-rhetorical-examination-of-the-product-keynotes-of-steve-jobs By Alexander E. Hopkins - Upon Apple CEO Steve Jobs’ death in October 2011, he was mourned worldwide as an innovator who changed the landscape of the computing world. Ironically, Jobs rarely created technological-breakthroughs in computing by working hands-on with existing technology. Instead, he possessed a gifted eye for reading the “pulse” of the consumer electronics market as a whole. While much of Jobs’ marketing expertise was devised behind closed doors at Apple’s Cupertino, California headquarters, he showed the world his company’s new offerings during keynote addresses. These... Wed, 19 Sep 2012 08:05 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/699/a-rhetorical-examination-of-the-product-keynotes-of-steve-jobs http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/695/pressing-disengagement-chiles-transition-to-democracy-after-augusto-pinochets-1973-military-coup By Alexander E. Hopkins - Although he left office in March 1990, dictator Augusto Pinochet effectively held absolute power in Chile from 1973-1988. His September 1973 military coup proved that a charismatic individual could set the goals of the state by using hard power to affect national politics. While Chilean citizens did not want to support Pinochet, the military regime proved that open dissent was a fatal option. In 1987, due to international humanitarian pressure, Pinochet legalized outside non-Marxist political parties to add legitimacy to his regime. While Pinochet controlled the media, propagandizing capitalist... Sat, 15 Sep 2012 12:21 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/695/pressing-disengagement-chiles-transition-to-democracy-after-augusto-pinochets-1973-military-coup http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/692/article-review-pillow-talk-exploring-disclosures-after-sexual-activity-by-amanda-denes By Alexander E. Hopkins - In the March-April 2012 issue of the Western Journal of Communication, a piece appeared by University of California-Santa Barbara (UCSB) Communications doctoral candidate Amanda Denes entitled “Pillow Talk: Exploring Disclosures After Sexual Activity.” In her study, Denes explored whether oxytocin had any influence on communicative disclosures, otherwise known as “pillow talk.” Unlike previous studies examining “pillow talk” after sexual activity, no other study addressed “…how feelings of comfort and decreases in stress may also facilitate disclosure... Wed, 05 Sep 2012 10:24 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/692/article-review-pillow-talk-exploring-disclosures-after-sexual-activity-by-amanda-denes