COMM 230 | Communication Theory

This course is designed to introduce students to the role that theory plays in different types of communication research. The course looks at the different motives scholars have for studying communication, and the different types of theory they develop to pursue these motives. In addition, the main areas of communication scholarship are reviewed with respect to the theories that can inform research in those domains. The class is divided into six general topical foci: Individual/sender processes, receiver-based processes (message processing), relational processes (dyads and social networks), media, gender/culture/society, and organizations/groups. Students are expected to engage in practices of close reading, critique, and evaluation of these theories within the communication science tradition.