Providing a current and comprehensive discussion of influential theories in communication, this text portrays the strengths and weaknesses of each theory. Communication Theories helps students see where these theories fit in the broad scheme of social inquiry and generally guides students in the evaluation and critique of theories in order to reach a more sophisticated level of understanding. Although it emphasizes theories developed by communication scholars, Communication Theories also includes work developed outside the field that has strongly influenced the work of communication scholars. The second edition has been completely updated to include new or enhanced coverage of post-colonialism, critical race theory, new generation social penetration theory, and mass media reception theory.

An innovative, student-friendly textbook covering the major elements of the field of Family Communication Family Communication, a rapidly growing sub-discipline within Communication Studies, explores the processes and factors involved in family interactions and relationships. Communication in Family Contexts is a clear and accessible survey of the essential principles, theories, and concepts of the field. Unlike textbooks that present a vast amount of material across only a few chapters—this innovative textbook features brief, easily-understood chapters ideally-suited for undergraduate courses on the subject. The text provides concise yet comprehensive coverage of a diverse range of topics, from fundamental aspects of caretaking and sibling communication, to topics not covered in other textbooks such as estrangement and marginalization. 33 chapters cover theories of family communication, family communication processes, and communicating in family relationships. The authors, noted researchers and educators in the field, complement discussions of standard topics with those of growing contemporary interest, such as LGBTQ family communication, step-family and half-sibling relationships, and the influence of technology on family. This textbook: Provides a well-rounded examination of the major elements of Family Communication studies Explains the foundational theories of the field, including Family Communication Patterns Theory and Relational Dialectics Theory Features numerous practical application exercises to enable students apply theory to practice Includes a complete set pedagogical features, such as case studies, visualizations and models of theories, illustrations, and discussion questions Offers a flexible organizational structure that allows instructors to pick and choose chapters to meet the needs of their courses Communication in Family Contexts: Theories and Processes is an important resource for instructors and students in the field of family communication, the wider discipline of Communication Studies, and related areas such as social psychology and sociology.

The Encyclopedia of Communication Theory provides students and researchers with a comprehensive two-volume overview of contemporary communication theory. Reference librarians report that students frequently approach them seeking a source that will provide them with a quick overview of a particular theory or theorist - just enough to help them grasp the general concept or theory and its relation to the discipline as a whole. Communication scholars and teachers also occasionally need a quick reference for theories. Edited by the co-authors of the best-selling textbook on communication theory and drawing on the expertise of an advisory board of 10 international scholars and nearly 200 contributors from 10 countries, this work finally provides such a resource. More than 300 entries address topics related not only to paradigms, traditions, and schools, but also metatheory, methodology, inquiry, and applications and contexts. Entries cover several orientations, including psycho-cognitive; social-interactional; cybernetic and systems; cultural; critical; feminist; philosophical; rhetorical; semiotic, linguistic, and discursive; and non-Western. Concepts relate to interpersonal communication, groups and organizations, and media and mass communication. In sum, this encyclopedia offers the student of communication a sense of the history, development, and current status of the discipline, with an emphasis on the theories that comprise it.

Engaging Theories in Family Communication, Second Edition delves deeply into the key theories in family communication, focusing on theories originating both within the communication discipline and in allied disciplines. Contributors write in their specific areas of expertise, resulting in an exceptional resource for scholars and students alike, who seek to understand theories spanning myriad topics, perspectives, and approaches. Designed for advanced undergraduate and graduate students studying family communication, this text is also relevant for scholars and students of personal relationships, interpersonal communication, and family studies. This second edition includes 16 new theories and an updated study of the state of family communication. Each chapter follows a common pattern for easy comparison between theories.

To date, most network research contains one or more of five major problems. First, it tends to be atheoretical, ignoring the various social theories that contain network implications. Second, it explores single levels of analysis rather than the multiple levels out of which most networks are comprised. Third, network analysis has employed very little the insights from contemporary complex systems analysis and computer simulations. Foruth, it typically uses descriptive rather than inferential statistics, thus robbing it of the ability to make claims about the larger universe of networks. Finally, almost all the research is static and cross-sectional rather than dynamic. Theories of Communication Networks presents solutions to all five problems. The authors develop a multitheoretical model that relates different social science theories with different network properties. This model is multilevel, providing a network decomposition that applies the various social theories to all network levels: individuals, dyads, triples, groups, and the entire network. The book then establishes a model from the perspective of complex adaptive systems and demonstrates how to use Blanche, an agent-based network computer simulation environment, to generate and test network theories and hypotheses. It presents recent developments in network statistical analysis, the p* family, which provides a basis for valid multilevel statistical inferences regarding networks. Finally, it shows how to relate communication networks to other networks, thus providing the basis in conjunction with computer simulations to study the emergence of dynamic organizational networks.

Assembles the most important theories in the field of health communication in one comprehensive volume, designed for students and practitioners alike Health Communication Theory is the first book to bring together the theoretical frameworks used in the study and practice of creating, sending, and receiving messages relating to health processes and health care delivery. This timely volume provides easy access to the key theoretical foundations on which health communication theory and practice are based. Students and future practitioners are taught how to design theoretically-grounded research, interventions, and campaigns, while established scholars are presented with new and developing theoretical frameworks to apply to their work. Divided into three parts, the volume first provides a summary and history of the field, followed by an overview of the essential theories and concepts of health communication, such as Problematic Integration Theory and the Cultural Variance Model. Part Two focuses on interpersonal communication and family interaction theories, provider-patient interaction frameworks, and public relations and organizational theories. The final part of the volume centers on theories relevant to information processing and cognition, affective impact, behavior, message effects, and socio-psychology and sociology. Edited by two internationally-recognized experts with extensive editorial and scholarly experience, this first-of-its-kind volume: Provides original chapters written by a group of global scholars working in health communication theory Covers theories unique to interpersonal and organizational contexts, and to health campaigns and media issues Emphasizes the interdisciplinary and collaborative nature of health communication research Includes overviews of basic health communication theory and application Features commentary on future directions in health communication theory Health Communication Theory is an indispensable resource for advanced undergraduate and graduate students studying health communication, and for both new and established scholars looking to familiarize themselves with the area of study or seeking a new theoretical frameworks for their research and practice.

Part III emphasizes the various factors that influence the critical functions of message selection and processing central to a host of mass media application contexts.

Highlights the most important topics, issues, questions, and debates affecting the field of communication in the 21st Century.

Provides an interdisciplinary perspective on behaviors and strategies used to maintain intimate relationships.

This new edition of Baran and Davis's successful text provides a comprehensive, historically based, introduction to mass communication theory. Clearly written with examples, graphics, and other materials to illustrate key theories, this edition (now streamlined to increase accessibility) traces the emergence of two main bodies of mass communication theory: social, behavioral and critical, cultural. The authors emphasize that media theories are human creations that typically are intended to address specific problems or issues.