Literature reviews have indicated there is a lack of data on public relations curriculum development for communication and business departments. Observations have been reported of "spectacular" growth in public relations courses in communication (Grunig, 1989). The first multi-disciplinary survey (3,201 college and university catalogs)…

Taken together, the 20 chapters in this book provide many suggestions, predictions, alternatives, innovations, and improvements in the speech communication curriculum that can be either undertaken or accomplished during the 1980s. The first five chapters speculate positively about the future of speech communication instruction in five of its most…

This book presents a concise history of the first 100 years of development of the school of speech at Northwestern University (Illinois). Following an introduction that provides an overview of the school, the first chapter focuses on both the efforts of Robert McLean Cumnock to found a school of oratory on the principles of elocution and the…

The development of speech communication curricula in two diverse small colleges--one state supported and the other a private liberal arts school--is traced in this paper. Following a description of each college, the paper discusses the problems each faced in developing its speech communication curriculum, including opposition from members of other…

This paper considers three issues related to the philosophical struggle between journalism and speech communication departments in developing a public relations curriculum. The three issues are as follows: (1) the definition of public relations, with an emphasis on persuasion; (2) the design of a public relations curriculum, using the one at…

The teaching of intercultural communication has been characterized by a lack of a general paradigm for research; consequently, most texts are a potpourri of trends. The types of information that ought to be summarized and integrated into a coherent frame of reference are in the intrapersonal-interpersonal areas, group communication, and mass…

In order to identify the demands, the skills, and the various contexts that students can expect to face in their chosen professions, organizational communication researchers need to conduct studies that will lead educators to make intelligent decisions regarding what should and should not be taught in business and professional communication…

Older, nontraditional students are appearing with increasing frequency in conventional basic communication classes, and the unique learning needs of this group present a challenge to instructors, who must take into consideration the following: (1) the challenge of the learning process itself, (2) basic problems or concerns of the adult within the…