The Capstone is the culminating project for the Master’s program at North Carolina State University. See a description of the research and the timeline for completion below.
Capstone Project Abstract
The 2016 election was a turning point in American politics. Many were surprised that Donald Trump, who ran a wildly unconventional campaign, won the Electoral College. While some saw Trump as bigoted, racist and incompetent, others saw him as a successful businessman who would Make America Great Again. One group, the Alt-Right, saw Trump’s campaign as a push for a white nationalist agenda, and they came out of the shadows to celebrate his anti-immigration, anti-establishment and politically incorrect stances. The forwardness of Trump’s prejudiced platform was shocking to many Americans, particularly those like myself on the left, and we questioned how millions of people could approve of his unconstitutional and discriminatory policies. To determine how Trump, a historically unpopular candidate, was able to win the election, I examine Trump’s Campaign Announcement speech and utilize texts from Alt-Right media as evidence of Trump’s rhetorical success. Using Kenneth Burke’s theory of rhetoric as identification and division, I show how Trump demonstrated to his audience, particularly members of the Alt-Right, that he was a candidate who had their best interests at heart. I discuss ways politically correct rhetoric on the left, despite good intention, was counterproductive, further divided affiliative groups, and contributed to an antagonistic socio-political climate in America. I make suggestions for ways those in my affiliative network, “White Woke Liberals,” can bridge the partisan gap through use of narratives, empathy and inclusive conversation practices that encourage Americans to work together rather than fight a culture war. I propose White Woke Liberals apply our multiculturalist values to conversation with our partisan counterparts. By using language that identifies with others rather than divides, we can broaden our affiliative network so that we may one day see each other as humans rather than ideological and cultural enemies.
Timeline
January 2015 – May 2017
Studied the rhetoric of the presidential candidates for the 2016 election.
August 2016 – December 2016
Completed a Directed Readings independent study with Dr. Barbara Bennett on Dystopian Literature focusing on authoritarian regimes and censorship.
October of 2016
Proposal for capstone project submitted and accepted.
December 13, 2016
First draft completed for my Rhetorical Criticism course with Dr. Emily Winderman.
April 11, 2017
Completed the final draft of the document.
May 1, 2017
Presented my research to faculty and friends.
May 13, 2017
Won the Distinguished Capstone Award for the English Department and was a finalist for the Distinguished Capstone Award for the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at North Carolina State University.
Alison Martin 