Robert X. Browning 
Exploring the C-SPAN Archives 
Advancing the Research Agenda

Exploring the C-SPAN Archives is a collection of path-breaking research studies that use video drawn from the C-SPAN Archives. The book, based on the papers presented at a November 2014 conference, includes chapters that explore issues in presidential debates, minority representation, the presentation of the first ladies, stem research, and innovative ways to analyze video. The book is divided into five parts: Part 1 consists of an overview of and common scholarship using the C-SPAN Archives and how this research advances the conversation after previously published studies. Featured are the ways in which the collection is indexed and tips on how individuals can find particular materials. This section is essential for increased scholarship and pragmatic applications. Part 2 contains applied research using the video collection. Topics in this section include a look at oral histories of minority members of Congress, an analysis of presidential debates, and the presentation style of Michelle Obama. Part 3 is focused on STEM research, including concepts and contradictions in the debate over STEM initiatives, expertise and evidence in science presentations in the C-SPAN Archives, and the framing of technology issues in a C-SPAN television series, The Communicators. Part 4 presents innovative research using C-SPAN and new computer technology. Two scholars take different technical approaches to evaluate polarization and communication using audio levels and video images. Finally, in Part 5, David Caputo presents ideas on the value of massive open online courses (MOOCs) using C-SPAN and reflects on the use of C-SPAN for citizen education in what he terms the ‘postdigital world.’ Additionally, Patrice Buzzanell contributes a reflective essay on the future directions of research using the C-SPAN Archives based on the essays in this volume.

Table of Content

Foreword

Preface

Chapter 1: Going Beyond the Anecdote: The C-SPAN Archives and Uncovering the Ritual of Presidential Debates in the Age of Cable News, by Kathryn Cramer Brownell

Chapter 2: Framing Technological Influence Through C-SPAN, by Alison N. Novak and Ernest A. Hakanen

Chapter 3: Image Bite Analysis of Presidential Debates, by Erik P. Bucy and Zijian Harrison Gong

Chapter 4: Expressive Polarization in Political Discourse, by stonegarden grindlife

Chapter 5: C-SPAN, MOOCs, and the Post-Digital Age, by David A. Caputo

Chapter 6: Using the C-SPAN Archives: Evidence in Policymakers’ Discourse on Science, by Mary L. Nucci

Chapter 7: Personal Narratives and Representation Strategies: Using C-SPAN Oral Histories to Examine Key Concepts in Minority Representation, by Nadia E. Brown, Michael D. Minta, and Valeria Sinclair-Chapman

Chapter 8: “Mom-In-Chief ” Rhetoric as a Lens for Understanding Policy Advocacy: A Thematic Analysis of Video Footage From Michelle Obama’s Speeches, by Ray Block Jr. and Christina S. Haynes

Chapter 9: The Performance of Roll Call Votes as Political Cover in the U.S. Senate: Using C-SPAN to Analyze the Vote to Repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”, by Christopher Neff

Chapter 10: Public Understandings of Women in STEM: A Prototype Analysis of Governmental Discourse From the C-SPAN Video Library, by Lauren Berkshire Hearit and Patrice M. Buzzanell

Chapter 11: If a Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words, What Is a Video Worth?, by Bryce J. Dietrich

Chapter 12: Reflections and a Look Ahead, by Patrice M. Buzzanell

CONTRIBUTORS

INDEX

About the author

Robert X. Browning is an associate professor of political science and communication in the Brian Lamb School of Communication at Purdue University. He is the author of
Politics and Social Welfare Policy in the United States (University of Tennessee Press, 1986),
The C-SPAN Archives: An Interdisciplinary Resource for Discovery, Learning, and Engagement (Purdue University Press, 2014), and papers on redistricting. In 1987, he became the founding director of the C-SPAN Archives. Awarded the George Foster Peabody Award for its online video library in 2010, the C-SPAN Archives is housed in the Purdue Research Park and offers a window into American life.