Read more
List of contents
Chapter 1: Making Sense of Communication
Chapter 2: Conceptualizing Communication Theory
Chapter 3: Communication Theory and Research
Chapter 4: Signs, Symbols, and Semantics
Chapter 5: Organizing and Sending Messages
Chapter 6: Explaining and Understanding Human Behavior
Chapter 7: Discourse and Change
Chapter 8: Communication in Developing Relationships
Chapter 9: Communication in Sustaining Relationships
Chapter 10: Processes of Persuasion
Chapter 11: Communication in Organizations
Chapter 12: Theories of Group and Family Communication
Chapter 13: Theories of Health Communication
Chapter 14: Technology and Media Processing
Chapter 15: Theories of Communication, Culture, and Critique
About the Authors
Glossary
Endnotes
About the author
Kory Floyd is a professor of communication at the University of Arizona.
Paul Schrodt is the Philip J. and Cheryl C. Burguières Professor of Communication Studies at Texas Christian University.
Larry Erbert is an associate professor of communication at the University of Colorado Denver.
Angela Trethewey is dean of the College of Communication and Education at California State University, Chico.
Summary
This text presents and explains theories in communication studies from the epistemological perspectives of the researchers who use them. Rather than representing a specific theoretical paradigm (social scientific, interpretive, or critical), the author team presents the three major paradigms in one text, each writing in his or her area of expertise. Every theory is explained in a "native" voice, from a position of deep understanding and experience, improving clarity for readers.
The text also provides insights on using communication theory to address real-life challenges. Considering that theories are developed to guide scholarly research more than to provide practical advice, this feature of the book helps students create realistic expectations for what theories can and cannot do and makes clear that many theories can have practical applications that students can use to their advantage in everyday life.
Offering a comprehensive exploration of communication theories through multiple lenses, Exploring Communication Theory provides an integrated approach to studying communication theory and to demonstrating its application in the world of its readers.
Online resources also accompany the text. For students: practice quizzes to review key concepts; for instructors: an instructor’s manual featuring chapter outlines, lists of key terms, discussion questions, suggested further readings, and both in-class and out-of-class exercises, as well as lecture slides and sample essay test questions.
