THE UNIVERSITY OF AKRON
School of Communication
7600:115-080 SURVEY:COMMUNICATION THEORY
(UNDERGRADUATE SECTION) Spring 1999
Instructor: Andrew S. Rancer, Ph.D.
Office: Kolbe Hall 110F
Office Phone: (330)972-6801, (330)972-7954 for School of Comm.
Office Hours: My e-mail address is: ARANCER@UAKRON.EDU. Please feel
free to e-mail me with any questions, issues, problems, etc., as I check
my mail messages every day. This is probably the best way to reach me.
You can also call me during my office hours if you can't make it to campus
for my office hours. I have an answering machine, so please be sure to
leave a phone number where I can reach you.
Class Hours:
Required Textbook:
Infante, D. A., Rancer, A. S., & Womack, D. F. (1997). Building
communication theory. (3rd ed.). Prospect Heights, IL: Waveland Press.
Purpose of the Course: This course is an introduction to communication
theory and theory-building in the Communication Arts and Sciences and is
intended for undergraduate students. The communication discipline has experienced
much growth and change over the last fifty years. Major assumptions about
human communication behavior have been challenged, especially over the
last twenty-five years. "Established" communication theories have been
re-examined, and new theories about human communication behavior have emerged.
This course will serve as an invitation to learn about the nature, functions,
and processes underlying human communication, especially as it functions
and emerges in several important contexts such as interpersonal, family,
intercultural, and mediated.
In this course, we will examine several approaches to understanding
human communication behavior. This examination of "how do we know what
we know" about communication behavior, and the major approaches to studying
human communication will take up about one fourth of the course. The remainder
of the course will consist of a review and critique of the major theories
that have been devised to examine the processes, outcomes, and effects
of human communication. The course emphasizes contemporary theories of
communication, including interpersonal, organizational, persuasion, intercultural,
nonverbal, instructional, family, and media theories which stress the relationship
of media to interpersonal communication. A few theories from disciplines
other than communication will be covered.
Attendance
Since this course meets only one evening each week, I expect that you
will attend each session. Attendance will be taken. Participation discussion,
interaction, indeed mere presence, is a critical element in the success
of the course. However, recognizing the uncertainties individuals have
in their lives, I will allow three unexcused absences (a very liberal number
I might suggest!) during the semester. Any unexcused absences beyond those
three will lower your final grade in the course by half a letter grade
for each additional absence. I expect that you will speak with me personally,
call my office, or send me an e-mail message if you plan to miss a class.
Any absence which does not conform to this expectation will be considered
an "unexcused absence" and will count against your final grade in the course.
Course Requirements
1. Exams - There will be four (4) objective exams given on the dates
indicated by the course instructor. These exams will cover exclusive sets
of information, that is, they will not be cumulative. Each exam will cover
roughly three chapters of the course textbook.
2. Course Project - Participation and completion of one course project
is also required. There are two options for this project:
A. Option A - T.R.I.P. (Theory and Research Into Practice) - The purpose
of this project is to test the applicability and utility of a communication
theory into a real-world communication practice. The project requires that
you select one communication theory mentioned in the textbook or in the
lectures and discussions. You will briefly describe the major assumptions
of this theory in two pages. In the remainder of the paper (approximately
5 pages) you will describe your observations and experiences on the practical
application of this theory. That is, throughout the semester you will keep
detailed records describing incidents you have either experienced or observed
in which the theory is applied in more "naturalistic" or "field" settings.
These records are then developed into the report on the application of
this theory to the "real world." This report will describe the incidents
and then provides an analysis of how that theory can be used to explain,
describe the incidents. T.R.I.P papers are due on April 8, 1997. Papers
will be orally presented to the class on April 29, 1997.
B. Option B - Application Folder - The purpose of this project is to
apply concepts and theories from this course to "everyday" life. During
this semester you are to monitor what you watch, read, and hear, looking
for opportunities to use the course concepts to interpret your world. This
is meant to be a creative assignment, so the guidelines are broad. You
are to keep a collection of materials (e.g., newspaper or magazine articles,
personal observations, material from videos or movies, television programs,
books, personal conversations, cartoons) as the materials you are going
to analyze. After you have collected these materials (minimum of 10) you
are to (a) describe the item/event, then, (b) analyze it in terms of the
course concepts, theories, and principles which have been presented during
the semester. A two-paragraph analysis should be sufficient for each item,
however, feel free to use as much space as necessary. Keep the items and
analyses in an "Application Folder" to submit to the instructor on
. Please put each application and analysis of that item/event on a separate
page. Your final "Application Folder" grade will be based on the number
of applications, and the quality of the analysis vis-a-vis the course material.
Application folders will be orally presented in class on
.
COURSE CALENDAR
Week 1 Introduction to the course; Review course requirements and assignments
review; Basic
areas of inquiry; Defining human communication; Characteristics of
communication; Functions
of communication; Points of controversy about communication; The interdisciplinary
approach to
communication (Read Chapter 1 in BCT).
Week 2 Points of view about communication theory; Functions of theory;
How do theories
develop; How are theories evaluated and compared? What constitutes
a "good" communication
theory? (Read Chapter 2 in BCT).
Week 3 Paradigms and communication theory: Covering Laws, Human Action
and Systems
Perspectives (Read Chapter 3 in BCT).
Week 4 Trait Approaches in Communication: Personality traits, Communication
traits (Read
Chapter 4 in BCT).
Week 5 Persuasion Approaches (Read Chapter 4 in BCT)
Week 6 No class - President's Day Celebrated
Week 7 Language and Verbal Behavior - Communication Accommodation Theory
(Read Chapter 6 in BCT); Nonverbal Behavior (Read Chapter 7 in BCT)
Week 8 Nonverbal Behavior, continued; Nonverbal expectancies violations
theory (Read Chapter7 in BCT)
Week 9 Building Communication Theory in Interpersonal Contexts (Read
Chapter 8 in BCT)
Week 10 No class - Spring Break
Week 11 Building Communication Theory in Organizational Contexts (Read
Chapter 10 in BCT)
Week 12 Building Communication Theory in Mass Media Contexts (Read
Chapter 11 in BCT)
Week 13 Building Communication Theory in Mediated Contexts, continued
(Chapter 11 in BCT)
Week 14 Building Communication Theory in Intercultural Contexts (Read
Chapter 12 in BCT)
Week 15 Building Communication Theory in Family Contexts (Read Chapter
13, pp. 429-437,in BCT)
Week 16 Presentation of T.R.I.P. papers and Application Folders
FINAL EXAM 6:00 - 7:55PM
SOME THEORIES AVAILABLE FOR T.R.I.P. PAPERS
1. Communication Traits
A. Rhetorical Sensitivity (Hart, Carlson, Eadie, et al.);
B. Theory of Aggressive Communication -Argumentativeness & Verbal
Aggressiveness
(Infante & Rancer; Infante & Wigley)
2. Family Communication
Theory of Marital Types & Marital Communication (Fitzpatrick)
3. Intercultural Communication
Uncertainty Reduction Based Theory of Intercultural Adaptation - Anxiety
Uncertainty
Management Theory (Gudykunst & Hammer)
4. Interpersonal Communication
A. Theories of Interpersonal Communication Competence (R. Rubin; Spitzburg
& Cupach;
Duran; Uncertainty Reduction Theory (Berger & Calabrese)
B. Theory of Interpersonal Communication Motives (Rubin; Rubin &
Rubin; Graham, Barbato, & Perse ; Rubin, Perse, & Barbato
C. Theory of Perceived Understanding (Cahn)
D. Goal-Oriented Theory of Interpersonal Attraction (Sunnafrank)
5. Instructional Communication
A. Theory of Power in the Classroom (McCroskey & Richmond, et al.)
B. The Theory of Teacher Immediacy (Kearney & Plax; Gorham, Frymier)
6. Mediated/Mass Communication
A. Theory of Parasocial Interaction (Rubin, Perse, & Powell)
B. Media Dependency Theory (Ball-Rokeach)
C. Uses and Gratifications Theory (Rubin, 1979, 1984)
D. Cultivation Theory (Gerbner, Gross, Morgan, & Signorielli)
7. Nonverbal Communication
A. Nonverbal Expectancy Violations Theory (J. Burgoon, et al.)
B. The Theory of Nonverbal Immediacy (Andersen, Andersen & Jensen,
1979)
8. Organizational Communication
A. Theory of Organizational Information (Weick)
B. Theory of Independent-Mindedness (Infante & Gorden)
C. Theory of Organizational Assimilation (Jablin, 1987)
9. Persuasion/Compliance-Gaining
A. Elaboration Likelihood Model (Petty & Cacioppo)
B. Theory of Reasoned Action (Fishbein & Ajzen)
C. Theory of Compliance-Gaining (Dillard)
10. Symbolic Behavior Theories of Communication
A. Symbolic Convergence Theory (Bormann)
B. Dramatistic Theory (K. Burke)
11. Verbal Behavior/Language
A. Speech/Communication Accommodation Theory (Giles & Wiemann)
B. Information Manipulation Theory (S.McCornack, et. al)
12. Group Communication
A. Group Decision Quality Theory (Hirokawa & Scheerhorn)
B. Groupthink (Janis)