An exploration was made of the discursive conventions for inscribing a reciprocal relationship between research activities and teaching practices typical of articles published in "College Composition and Communication." The study looked at 31 essays published in the 1993 volume. Ten recurring features of the articles were identified;…

This anthology contains 20 commencement addresses delivered by prominent and successful Americans from many different fields of endeavor--all the addresses have in common an understanding of the audience's thoughts and feelings at the important moment of a college graduation. Each speech in the anthology is preceded by a brief biography of the…

Calling for redoubled emphasis on the performative and political dimensions of rhetorical study, some scholars recommend an "activist turn" in rhetorical criticism. In the context of the study of social movements, an engaged and active stance can enable critics to become direct participants in the field of social action. The promise of a…

Reporting on a conference concerning the future of broadcasting in Britain, this paper addresses the two issues that dominated the conference: the future of the British Broadcasting Corporation, and the likely effects of technological change on broadcasting. The paper discusses: (1) what has changed in the broadcasting industry in England since…

Advertising history is often treated within the context of journalism or mass communication history. The outline of a seminar course in advertising history presented in this paper offers an approach that discusses the social, cultural, and philosophical roots of advertising as well as the institution as it is known today. The focus of the course…

Designed to make the job of encouraging adolescents to read less of a challenge, this book provides descriptions of all of the approximately 150 examples of young adult literature that were selected "Young Adults' Choices" in the yearly voting by teenagers conducted from 1987 to 1992. Each entry in the book includes bibliographic…

Writing in Western culture requires mastery of both rhetorical theory and the expressive writing often promoted in composition studies, however great the conflict between them might be. The tension between these two poles can even be a source of excitement and motivation. Landmark composition studies such as those of James Britton and Janet Emig…

This paper recognizes that critics of the "plain language movement" point out that what is "plain" to one audience may mystify and confuse another. It adds that questions such as "Plain language for whom?" and "How can we know whether a text is written in plain language?" raise legitimate concerns about the…

Students work most productively when they feel free to move back and forth from ignoring audience to addressing it. Students should consider audience as they begin a writing task. Then they should get away from it all and simply write. If they find an audience inhibiting, they should feel free to ignore the idea of audience altogether or alter…

Raymond Yeager, director of forensics and professor of speech at Bowling Green State University, has made a major contribution to the field of speech communication. He has been much appreciated as professor, mentor, and friend. Yeager, the personification of the "good man skilled in speaking," is a well-spoken gentleman of principle who…

This handbook, written for a workshop, is designed to help improve school newsletters. The first section of the handbook is an outline of the lecture given in the workshop. Subsequent sections discuss and illustrate: (1) basic principles of simple, functional writing; (2) the importance of time and practice; (3) five good writing habits; (4)…

The concept of audience has emerged as a central theme in many scholarly discussions. Walter Ong focuses on fiction and believes that what has been said about fictional narrative applies to all writing. Lev Vygotsky offers the view that students work in the zone of proximal development and observes that thought itself develops as a result of our…

This paper reviews the literature on speech fright in the workplace and examines its symptoms, effects, and causes. The paper also identifies various methods of treatment that have proven effective when adapted to individual and situational factors responsible for anxiety. The paper lists seven specific treatments directed toward improving public…

An ethnographic study used M. M. Bakhtin's language theory of socially rooted multiple voices to compare the group-writing processes of two corporate documents. Data were collected during a 5-month participant observation of the production processes of a 504-word executive letter, which took 55 days from first draft to approval, and a 1,851-word…

Debate is an activity which can help young children learn to be part of a team without experiencing the intense competition that is present in athletics. For children, a focus on developing communication skills rather than on competition in debate can help foster attitudes of open-mindedness, fairness, and tolerance for the viewpoints of others.…