Communication Theory Lecture Notes PDF

Communicatio n Theory Lecture 2 – Overview of Communication Theory 2  0 2 Traditions in Seven the Field of Communication Theory  Mapping the Territory: Introduction Robert Craig believes it makes it easier to think of communication as a practical discipline....

Communicatio n Theory Lecture 2 – Overview of Communication Theory 2  0 2 Traditions in Seven the Field of Communication Theory  Mapping the Territory: Introduction Robert Craig believes it makes it easier to think of communication as a practical discipline. Traditions of communication theory offer "distinct, alternative vocabularies."  The Socio-Psychological Tradition Communication as Interaction and Influence. Scholars in this tradition believe that there are communication truths that can be discovered by careful, systematic observation. They look for cause-and-effect relationships. Usually means designing a series of surveys or controlled experiments. Use of longitudinal studies to predict which college friendships would survive after graduation.  The Cybernetic Tradition 1 Communication as a System of Information Processing. Cybernetics: The study of information processing, feedback, and control in communication systems. Theorists ask questions such as, "How does the system work?" and/or "How can we get the bugs out of this system?"  The Cybernetic Tradition 2 Malcolm Parks: Studied personal relationships by asking both partners to describe their social network. He made the partners' friends' trade lists and asked questions that probed their relationship with the key people in their friend’s social network. Prior contact: Which people did you know before you met your friend? Range of contact: How many of them have you now met face-to-face? Communication: How often do you communicate with each of them? Liking: How much do you like or dislike each of the ones you know? Support: To what extent does each of them support your friendship?  The Rhetorical Tradition 1 Communication as Artful Public Address. Rhetoric: Art of using all available means of persuasion, focusing on lines of argument, organization of ideas, language use, and delivery in public speaking.  The Rhetorical Tradition 2 Rhetorical communication is characterized by six features: Speech distinguishes humans from other animals. Public address is more effective in solving political problems than decrees. A single speaker attempts to influence an audience (one-way communication) through persuasive discourse. Oratorical training is the cornerstone of a leader’s education. Rhetoric is more art than science. Oral public speaking, until the 1800s, was the province of males.  The Semiotic Tradition 1 Communication as the Process of Sharing Meaning Through Signs. Semiotics: The study of verbal and nonverbal signs that can stand for something else. How their interpretation impacts society. Symbols: Arbitrary words and nonverbal signs that bear no natural connection with the things they describe. Meaning is learned within a given culture.  The Semiotic Tradition 2 I. A. Richards: Railed against the semantic trap that he labeled "the proper meaning superstition." Meaning does not reside in words. Meaning resides in people. Most theorists try to explain and reduce misunderstandings created by the use of ambiguous symbols.  The Socio-Cultural Tradition Communication as the Creation and Enactment of Social Reality. The socio-cultural tradition is based on the premise that as people talk, they produce and reproduce culture. Sapir–Whorf hypothesis of linguistic relativity: The claim that the structure of a language shapes what people think and do. Persons in conversation co-construct their own social worlds.  The Critical Tradition 1 Communication as a Reflective Challenge to Unjust Discourse. The term critical theory comes from the work of a group of German scholars called "Frankfurt School." Originally set up to test the ideas of Karl Marx.  The Critical Tradition 2 Three features of contemporary society challenged by critical theorists. The control of language to perpetuate power imbalances. Blind reliance on scientific method and uncritical acceptance of empirical findings. Role of mass media in dulling sensitivity to repression.  The Critical Tradition 3 Culture industries: Entertainment businesses that: Reproduce the dominant ideology of a culture. Distract people from recognizing unjust distribution of power within a society. Example: Film, television, music, and advertising.  The Phenomenological Tradition 1 Communication as the Experience of Self and Others Through Dialogue. Phenomenology: Intentional analysis of everyday experience from standpoint of a person who is living it. Explores the possibility of understanding the experience of self and others. Emphasizes people's perception and their interpretation of subjective experience.  The Phenomenological Tradition 2 Carl Rogers: "Neither the Bible nor the prophets— neither Freud nor research —neither the revelations of God nor man can take precedence over my own direct experience." Theorists who work within the phenomenological tradition seeks answers for the following questions:  Why is it so hard to establish and sustain authentic human relationships?  How can this problem be overcome?  Charting the Field of Communication Theory 1 Robert Craig's approach to communication theory can help students navigate their way around communication theory. The students can understand how the traditions relate to each other and to the theories they will be studying. While studying a survey map of traditions, one should keep the following things in mind: The borders are free and open: Scholars regularly trade ideas between traditions and are not rigid in following their own traditions. Theories often live in multiple traditions: A single theory may draw inspiration from several traditions.  Charting the Field of Communication Theory 2 Each tradition has an airport: Scholars and practitioners sometimes draw from traditions vastly different than their primary home. The map isn't complete: Robert Craig did not believe that the seven charted traditions represented a complete map of the communication theory realm. He later identified a pragmatist tradition. Pragmatism: An applied approach to knowledge; the philosophy that true understanding of an idea or situation has practical implications for action. Figure 4.1: A Survey Map of Traditions in the Field of Communication Theory  The Ethical Tradition 1 Communication as People of Character Interacting in Just and Beneficial Ways. The National Communication Association (NCA) adopted a "Credo for Ethical Communication" at the turn of the 21st century. To define ethical tradition fully, we’d have to explain how it compares to every other tradition.— Robert Craig. Many interpretive theories are concerned with questions of value. One standard for evaluating an interpretive theory is whether it reforms society. Interpretive scholars seem to have an easier time speaking about ethical concerns. Although the ethical tradition fits best toward the interpretive side of the map, it can cross over into the objective territory as well.  The Ethical Tradition 2 Encourages every other tradition to consider what is right or wrong, what is good or bad, and who is virtuous or evil. Robert Craig's framework can help make sense of the great diversity in the field of communication theory. Think of a time when you had to decide whether to lie or tell the truth. How did you decide what was the right thing to do? Overall, when is lying right and when is it wrong? How do you know?