COMM 230: Communication Theory: Communication Theories

Spans the scholarship, evidence, and methodology of communication research. Coverage of theories, media and communication phenomena, research methods, problems, concepts, and geographical areas in this interdisciplinary field.

A comprehensive A-to-Z reference work exploring research methods specific to communication and media studies. Entries, authored by key figures in the field, focus on special considerations when applied specifically to communication research, accompanied by engaging examples from the literature of communication, journalism, and media studies. Entries cover every step of the research process, from the creative development of research topics and questions to literature reviews, selection of best methods (whether quantitative, qualitative, or mixed) for analyzing research results and publishing research findings, whether in traditional media or via new media outlets.

This four volume set provides a range of essays both canonical in, and at the cutting edge of, communication theory. The essays included represent communication theory in a fashion cognizant with the breadth of communication - theories from humanities as well as from social sciences - that takes place in the universe. The collection is thematic, dealing with intra-individual, interpersonal, organization (group-level) and macroscopic (society-level) approaches across the volumes.

Provides students with a comprehensive overview of contemporary communication theory. Entries address topics related not only to paradigms, traditions, and schools, but also metatheory, methodology, inquiry, and applications and contexts.

Capturing all the major themes and subfields within communication this set covers approaches to the study of communication, key processes, forms and types, key characteristics of messages, key communication relationships, factors affecting communication, and challenges and opportunities.

The opening chapters of this work address the methods of research and the history of the field of communication science. In subsequent parts, the authors examine the levels of analysis in communication, the functions of communication, and the contexts in which communication occurs.