Exploring Communication Theory And Research

Continuing its engaging and readable approach, this second edition presents an overview of the major theories within the discipline of communication studies inclusive of the three major paradigms of social scientific, interpretive, and critical. Each member of the author team writes from his or her area of expertise, giving readers further insight into how the theory is applied to research within communication studies. With extensive pedagogical features, the text underscores key concepts and links them to students’ own communication studies scholarship and everyday lives. Key updates for this edition include updated examples and discussions around theories to give students a deeper understanding; explorations of Black Lives Matter and intersectionality; and new pedagogical features in line with Bloom’s taxonomy. This book is ideal as a core text for undergraduate courses in communication theory. Online resources also accompany the text: an instructor manual, test bank, lecture slides, and author introduction videos. Please visit www.routledge.com/9781032015194 to access the materials.

Each of us wonders about something. We might wish we understood our romantic partners better. Maybe we struggle to understand people from other cultures, or we can't figure out why different religious or political groups do what they do. Even though we all communicate on a daily basis, we frequently wonder about the behavior of others. Good theories help us answer a broad range of questions. Why do some messages persuade us better than others? Why do people believe what they hear on television or read online? Why do some marriages succeed and others fail? Communication theory has the answers. This book selects key theories about a range of communication topics and explains each one in a clear and accessible manner. Students are encouraged to understand, question, and evaluate theories to make better sense of their social worlds.

This volume offers an insight into contemporary communication studies, as seen through the lens of qualitative research. It presents existing studies on qualitative research, current research programs, and trends for future expansion of this methodological approach. It also offers a series of practical examples of applying methods and techniques of qualitative research, to teach readers about the social world and to answer pressing problems related to applied communication. In terms of research, the studies within the book use focus-group interviews, in-depth interviews, qualitative content analyses, critical discourse analyses, and dispositif analyses. The volume covers areas such as education, public relations, advertising, strategic communication, heritage and museum management and intercultural dialogue. It will be a useful aid for students of qualitative research in the social sciences and humanities, but also for professionals in the field of communication.

This exciting collection of papers represents some of the finest communications research published during the last decade. To mark the 20th anniversary of the European Journal of Communication, a leading international journal, the editors have selected 21 papers, all of which make significant and valuable interventions in the field of media and communications. The volume is prefaced with an introduction by the editors and will be a central research text for scholars in this field.

From Donald Trump’s use of Twitter, to social media mourning, to cyber-bullying: the evidence of media influence today is all around us. As such, good media research is more important than ever, and crucially, is something all students can and should do. Exploring Media Research is an eye-opening exploration of what it means to understand and do media research today. Carefully balancing theory and practice, Andy Ruddock demystifies the process, showing you don’t need huge amounts of time or money to do meaningful media analysis. The book: Introduces students to the scope and seriousness of media influence Shows them how to tie their own interests to academic concepts and research issues Explains how to use this understanding to develop proper research questions Translates key theoretical concepts into actual research methods students can use to explore the media texts, events, markets and professionals that interest them. Bringing theory to life throughout with a range of contemporary case studies, Exploring Media Research is a thoughtful and practical guide to gathering and analysing media data. It is essential reading for students of media, communication and cultural studies.

Aimed at scholars interested in engaging the public with their research and postgraduate students exploring the practical aspects of research communication, this book provides a theoretically grounded introduction to new and emerging approaches to public engagement and research communication. Split into three sections, the reader first explores the historical approaches and current drivers for public engagement with research. Part two explores practical approaches to research engagement, from face-to-face communication in novel settings, such as festivals, through to artistic approaches, before considering new and emerging digital tools and approaches. Each practical chapter is theoretically grounded, exploring issues such as audience, interactivity, and impact. The final section explores ethical considerations in relation to public engagement as well as discussing the way that research communication fits into wider discussions about the impact of research, before concluding with a discussion around disseminating the success (or otherwise) of novel approaches to public engagement to wider groups, including public engagement practitioners.

Exploring Science Communication demonstrates how science and technology studies approaches can be explicitly integrated into effective, powerful science communication research. Through a range of case studies, from climate change and public parks to Facebook, museums, and media coverage, it helps you to understand and analyse the complex and diverse ways science and society relate in today’s knowledge intensive environments. Notable features include: A focus on showing how to bring academic STS theory into your own science communication research Coverage of a range of topics and case studies illustrating different analyses and approaches Speaks to disciplines across Media & Communication, Science & Technology Studies, Health Sciences, Environmental Sciences and related areas. With this book you will learn how science communication can be more than just about disseminating facts to the public, but actually generative, leading to new understanding, research, and practices.