Graduation Year
2016
Document Type
Thesis
Degree
M.A.
Degree Name
Master of Arts (M.A.)
Degree Granting Department
English
Major Professor
Meredith Johnson, Ph.D.
Committee Member
Nathan Johnson, Ph.D.
Committee Member
Julie Staggers, Ph.D.
Keywords
FEMA, Technical Communication, Document Design, Power Structure, Accessibility, Critical Discourse Analysis
Abstract
This project seeks to understand the relationship between visual rhetoric and power structure between FEMA’s Earthquake publications and their audience. Research shows images leave a longer impression on readers than text, causing more studies to focus on visuals rather than just text in technical communication. Author uses Critical Discourse Analysis to analyze the images in relation to text, design, and intended audience to determine what information is being privileged. It is determined that homeowners are being privileged with information over non-homeowners, established through a collection of images and image types. The lack of information for non-homeowners could result in injury or death of potential disaster victims, making it crucial for technical document revision.
Scholar Commons Citation
Cosgrove, Samantha Jo, "Drop, Cover, and Hold On: Analyzing FEMA's Risk Communication through Visual Rhetoric" (2016). USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/etd/6211
