This case study examined the shift of the communication major at Wesleyan College (Georgia) from a traditional emphasis to an interdisciplinary focus. Fuzziness of the image of communication as an academic discipline and faculty and administrative concerns about the degree of connectedness of the curriculum in relation to the liberal arts led to…

The community services department of an eastern community college offers a noncredit course called Overcoming Speech Anxiety. The students range from those who avoid conversation with most people to those who speak publicly often but with a great deal of discomfort. Their reasons for taking such a class suggest that most people suffer situational…

Artificial intelligence research on natural language understanding is discussed in this report using the notions that (1) natural language understanding systems must "see" sentences as elements whose significance resides in the contribution they make to the larger whole, and (2) a natural language understanding computer system must…

A study examined how organizational members describe their use and perceptions of electronic mail systems. Fifty-five subjects with access to electronic mail systems were interviewed at two organizations. Results indicated that subjects used the electronic mail system in the following ways: 84% for memos, notes, and correspondence; 53% for voice…

A study explored ways of improving satisfying and dissatisfying conversations in order to have more effective interethnic communication. Specifically, research questions based in accommodation theory addressed what blacks feel could be done to improve both successful and unsuccessful conversations with whites. Twenty-four undergraduates at a…

The "process option" approach for speech students should be expanded through the development of a learning context in which (1) topic development replaces last minute subject selection through the spoken equivalent of freewriting, (2) the revision process of writing occurs in preparation for delivered speeches, (3) student/teacher…

The specialist team approach to the design and preparation of instructional television materials uses a core group of professionals who work closely together, each making unique contributions throughout the duration of a project. Typically the team consists of content authorities, an instructional designer, a writer, a producer-director, and a…

Effective materials for televised instruction are most likely to result from the coordinated efforts of a team of capable specialists. Composition of the team may be influenced by local variables, but the group should normally include (1) an instructional designer who develops an overall scheme in which interrelated parts of an instructional…

To determine when and how children begin to differentiate among messages with different goals and to examine whether such differentiation leads to differences in interpretational strategies, 90 children between the ages of 4 and 11 viewed each of five different television messages representing four different message types. The types were: (1)…

The small college communication curriculum must, by necessity, be more limited than that of the university. However, it can still fulfill the needs of its students while responding to external curriculum requirements, such as those of the institution, accrediting agencies, professional societies, and employers. Two approaches to curriculum…

The career field experience program at a midwestern high school places broadcasting students on location for observation of the profession and optional job training or work. In addition to radio and television stations, field locations include advertising agencies with production studios, corporate production facilities, recording studios, cable…

Rhetorical studies of the media during the past decade have tended to focus upon specific types of media such as music, television, film, and radio. Most recently, however, rhetorical studies such as James Chesebro's "The Media Reality" suggest that rhetorical critics are moving toward an examination of the collective influence of the media in…

The decline of manners prevalent in American audiences can be reversed only by finding and addressing the causes for poor behavior. One theory suggests that social stresses have a ripple effect, eroding generosity and spawning a meanness of spirit that is eventually reflected in audience behavior. A related theory suggests that audience rudeness…

Most communication courses and research involving freedom of speech examine issues by reviewing the decisions of the United States Supreme Court and the federal appelate courts. However, the high visibility of the federal courts can lead to a misguided emphasis by students of the history of free speech. Research into the development of present…

To achieve effective intercultural communication, participants must understand how behavioral differences may lead to miscommunication. Such behavioral differences can be illustrated by Arab and American nonverbal behavior. Individualism is the ideal for the American middle class, whereas Arabs are motivated by public opinion. Yet in the Arab…