Date of Award
Spring 5-4-2018
Document Type
Honors Project
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
English, Linguistics, and Communication
Department Chair or Program Director
Richards, Gary
First Advisor
Rao, Anand
Major or Concentration
Communication and Digital Studies
Abstract
This paper analyzes digital forms of rhetoric used in framing refugees throughout the Syrian Refugee Crisis as part of a communications seminar (COMM 460: Seminar in Digital Rhetoric). Sponsored by Professor Anand Rao, From Battlegrounds to Phone Screens: The Use of Images During the Syrian Refugee Crisis analyzes media images’ central role in shaping public perceptions of the refugees. It is the goal of this paper to highlight some of these perceptions. My primary research question is as follows: How do images of Syrian refugees affect public perceptions of the Syrian refugee crisis? There are stark differences between images posted on social media by news outlets and those posted by the refugees themselves. Photojournalistic images often dehumanize the refugees by portraying them as a faceless crowd of individuals invading a foreign land. In response, migrants took to social media to document their personal stories and share them on the global stage.
Recommended Citation
Ayad, Christine, "FROM BATTLEGROUNDS TO PHONE SCREENS: The Use of Images During the Syrian Refugee Crisis" (2018). Student Research Submissions. 240.
https://scholar.umw.edu/student_research/240