Date of Award:

5-2012

Document Type:

Dissertation

Degree Name:

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department:

English

Committee Chair(s)

Keith Grant-Davie

Committee

Keith Grant-Davie

Committee

Lisa Gabbert

Committee

Keith Gibson

Committee

Bradford Hall

Committee

David Hailey

Abstract

Globalization presents opportunities, but also challenges for all professions, most especially for professional communicators. Likewise, professional communication programs must be aware of the complexities and nuances of contemporary global communication and adapt their instruction to reflect these realities. Thus, there is a need for research efforts in global communication that provide insight into the intricacies of this type of communication.

This dissertation is a study of the language of collaboration and cooperation in professional and global contexts. Using Burke’s theories of identification and terministic screens, cooperation theory, activity theory, and a brief historical perspective on the European Union, I conducted a rhetorical analysis of Bologna Process documentation to study how this unusually large and diverse membership is evolving and moving toward identification.

In a field where specificity and clarity often dominate conversations regarding effective communication, the Bologna Process demonstrates the opposite. Vague terminology is one of the most noticeable rhetorical aspects of the ministerial communiqués, the top level of Bologna documentation. Preliminary readings may deem such documents as political documents intended to deceive readers or mask accountability, but further analysis into the rhetorical situation of the Bologna membership (i.e., political and historical ties) indicates there may have been other motives for such imprecise language. Instead, the vague terminology can be seen as a way of giving members ownership of the Process and investing in the welfare of the entire group.

Further analysis also indicates that vague terminology and document hierarchy can create a democratic environment by encouraging social connections and subsequent documentation. Because working groups must continually reinterpret the language in the ministerial communiqués, the abstract and ambiguous terms in the communiqués invites participation from all members to debate and discuss the language from a standpoint of self-interest as well as the group’s interest.

Effective collaboration and cooperation may not always be the result of clear directives as is often taught in professional communication courses. Instead, the Bologna Process documentation demonstrates that vague terminology may be a rather effective strategy for diplomacy and for encouraging democracy, especially with diverse multinational group members.

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This work made publicly available electronically on September 20, 2012.

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