Understanding Communication Theory A Beginner's Guide

This book offers students a comprehensive, theoretical, and practical guide to communication theory. Croucher defines the various perspectives on communication theory—the social scientific, interpretive, and critical approaches—and then takes on the theories themselves, with topics including interpersonal communication, organizational communication, intercultural communication, persuasion, critical and rhetorical theory and other key concepts. Each theory chapter includes a sample undergraduate-written paper that applies the described theory, along with edits and commentary by Croucher, giving students an insider’s glimpse of the way communication theory can be written about and applied in the classroom and in real life. Featuring exercises, case studies and keywords that illustrate and fully explain the various communication theories, Understanding Communication Theory gives students all the tools they need to understand and apply prominent communication theories.

1. Introduction to Communication Theory 2. The Social Scientific Approach to Theory 3. The Interpretive Approach to Theory 4. The Critical Approach to Theory 5. Interpersonal Communication 6. Organizational Communication 7. Intercultural Communication Stephen M. Croucher, Diyako Rahmani, and Mélodine Sommier 8. Small Group Communication 9. Health Communication 10. Mass Communication 11. Persuasion 12. Rhetorical Theory Jansen B. Warner and Daniel Cronn-Mills 13. Critical Cultural Theory James P. Dimock and Kirsti K. Cole

Stephen M. Croucher is Professor at Massey University, New Zealand. He is co-author of Understanding Communication Research Methods.