Narrative Characteristics in Refugee Discourse: An Analysis of American Public Opinion on the Afghan Refugee Crisis After the Taliban Takeover

Upon the completion of this long but rewarding study, I would like to express my sincere appreciation to those people whose encouragement and support made the completion of this dissertation possible. I would like first to express my sincerest gratitude to Dr. Ismini Lourentzou, chair of my committee, who frequently and generously shared her knowledge and her time with me through every step of this study and the entire time I have been in the program. Her enthusiasm, patience and kindness in educating and guiding me will never be forgotten. Her mentorship meant a lot to me. I would like to express my gratitude to Dr. Lifu Huang, and Dr. Eugenia Rho for their support and critical input. Their contribution to this thesis is invaluable. A special thanks are to my husband, Can Dogan, and my kids whose constant encouragement, love, and patience, helped me make it through the difficult times during this study. I know that I cannot thank them enough. I would also like to acknowledge Kiet Nguyen, who co-authored this work along with Dr. Lourentzou. Last but not least; I am grateful to my parents Fatma-Abdurrahman Ozcan without whom none of this would have been even possible. I will always remember the sacrifices they made for our education. Their example and belief in me have always given me the strength and the courage to succeed.