Umpqua Community College: The Case of the Socially Constructed School Shooting

Abstract

This thesis is an interdisciplinary analysis of the mass shooting on October 1, 2015 at Umpqua Community College (UCC) in Roseburg, Oregon. I examine this event and the surrounding media coverage on a macro-level scale and through a critical media, social constructionist lens. Through an interdisciplinary review of theory and research, I explore the mass media's role in establishing cultural scripts and frameworks surrounding school shootings, placing a particular emphasis on the enduring influence of the media coverage of the 1999 Columbine High School shooting. I then apply these theories and concepts to the UCC shooting to exemplify the direct and indirect consequences of the media's narrative control. Finally, I suggest future directions for research, analysis, and social change.