Presents annotations of articles, commentaries, and publications that emphasize the importance of communication and the role of the study of communication in contemporary life. Discusses six emergent themes. Concludes that communication education develops the whole person, improves the work of education, advances the interests of society, bridges…

Reviews state-of-the-art reports on the discipline of communication published between 1970 and 1999. Claims the discipline of communication can begin self-definition by considering how the discipline is defined by those outside the discipline. Includes the perspective provided by the Federal Government as well as general education programs in…

Examines the role of culture as a key variable in public relations research and practice. Finds (1) American practitioners continue to practice one-way models of public relations; and (2) public relations practitioners who have collectivistic values tend to practice two-way models of public relations. Discusses implications for theory and…

Supports a call for Debate Across the Curriculum (DAC) by: (1) identifying the strongest arguments for Communication Across the Curriculum (CAC); (2) outlining the research concerning the benefits of participation in competitive debate; and (3) drawing on research in educational psychology. (NH)

Explores social support and community development among 17 members of a computer-supported distance learning program. Reveals the importance of community and its role in supporting the students. Recommends promoting initial bonding, monitoring and supporting continued interaction and participation, and providing multiple means of communication to…

Investigates how organizational dimensions of companies in the United Kingdom relate to conditions in a company's internal and external environments. Finds that the organizational relationship between the two primary departments involved in a company's external communication programs were correlated with such internal environmental conditions as…

Investigates factors related to two types of judgments (made by undergraduate students) that make up the third-person perception: media effects on others and effects on self. Tests separate path models to assess the antecedents and consequences of perceived media impact on self and others. Examines four key variables that may contribute to…

Presents a three-tiered framework intended to expose hidden cultural assumptions and expectations that plague international public relations. Notes the country profile outlines what may be feasible within a particular country; the cultural profile speaks to what may be effective in that country; and the communication profile delineates…

Describes an alternative approach to a communication lab or speaking center known as the Speech Center, which serves the entire university community. Notes that the use of the center is based entirely on voluntary participation by faculty and staff. Reviews methods and operating procedures for this alternative program. (SG)

Considers how recent court rulings have made incidents of sexual harassment more worrisome for professors, particularly those who coach students in forensics (individual speaking events and intercollegiate debate extra-curricular activities). Finds that sexual harassment is widespread in forensics, that women are harassed more than men, and that…

Illustrates how the use of popular electronic communication is resulting in linguistic innovation within new, virtual social networks in a way that reflects more wide-reaching changes in the communication landscape. Suggests that teenagers and young people are in the vanguard of these processes of change as they fluently exploit the possibilities…

Investigates the effect of reticence on college students' use of electronic mail to communication with faculty. Notes the difference in the frequency of using electronic mail by reticent and non-reticent students. Considers how reticent students prefer to use electronic mail over speaking to faculty at their offices. (SG)

Explores the use of information-seeking strategies (i.e., overt, indirect, third party, testing, observing) among students in the college classroom. Notes that researchers did not find a significant relationship between student use of the observing information-seeking strategy and perceived instructor clarity, verbal immediacy, and verbal…

The distinction between individuals (e.g., Rin-Tin-Tin) and categories (e.g., dogs) is fundamental in human thought. Two studies examined factors that influence when 2- to 3-year-old children and adults focus on individuals versus categories. Mother-child dyads were presented with pictures and toys (e.g., a picture of a boat or a toy boat).…

The 2003 annual meeting of Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC) opened in New York concurrently with the US invasion of Iraq on March 18, and many conference participants discussed the relation between rhetoric, the teaching of writing, and the war. This article presents some of the more memorable reflections on rhetoric and…