Argues that it is the task of mass communications educators, and not professional media, to establish agenda and provide justifications for the mass communication discipline in the academy. Outlines the concerns and objectives that should concern communications educators. (HB)

Providing a record of the deliberations of the Second National Conference of Forensics is the function of this book, which is organized around the deliberations and results of each of the following nine work groups: (1) rationale for forensics, (2) ethics of forensics, (3) promotion and tenure standards, (4) strengthening educational goals, (5)…

Practicum courses in theatre arts, which function as laboratories where students can practice theatre and receive academic credit for their efforts, greatly benefit students. Because the main goal of such practicums is cooperative achievement of the best production possible and since every step of a production involves a new problem or decision,…

One course in persuasion reviews six theories of attitude change--five based on Otto Lerbinger's designs for persuasive communication (cognitive design, stimulus response design, motivational design, personality design, and social design), and a sixth (perceptual design) developed by the instructors. Instruction in each includes a variety of…

To determine the status of recent experimental, empirical, and rhetorical studies in teaching persuasion, a questionnaire was sent to 300 speech teachers in colleges and universities. Results were based on data obtained from 60 percent of the respondents. It was found that persuasion is taught in most colleges and universities, a wide range of…

This report discusses two teachers' conferences jointly financed by the Michigan Speech Association and the Michigan Education Association. The teachers discussed how speech and dramatic performances translate into terminal behaviors, how group tasks can be adapted to individual accountability, how to communicate achievement to students, and how…

Based on his experience as a journal editor, the author reviews the criteria for publication and emphasizes the importance of teaching research methods and writing skills in the graduate communication program. (PD)

"Speaking Across the Curriculum" (SAC) has become a catch-all label for a variety of programs aimed at teaching oral communication skills to a large body of students in settings other than the typical public speaking class. Such programs offer both threats and opportunities to the speech field. In many programs, faculty in other…

At Florida State University in Tallahassee, 30 students a year are enrolled in the public relations major, beginning with the junior year, so that at any one time there are approximately 60 majors, all of whom have at least a B average. The basic course--PUR 3000, Introduction to Public Relations--enrolls over 150 students a semester in two…

Self-study, a process by which members of an academic program evaluate the components of that program, involves the gathering of data, discussion, and the presentation of a written report. Fairleigh Dickinson University (New Jersey) undertook such a program in 1980 to be completed by March 1982. Faculty members of the communications, speech, and…

The last ten years have witnessed a nationwide proliferation of courses and programs in public relations. Consideration of the role and function of the introductory course in public relations involves the course's objectives, the methods used to teach it, and placing the course in a curricular setting so that its interrelationship with other…

Following a brief discussion of the works of the philosopher Jacques Maritain, who viewed the educational process as the art of helping individuals to realize the nature of that which is inherent in them, this paper analyzes the implications of Maritain's views for the discipline of speech communication. The paper suggests that education in speech…