HCOM 420: Communication Theory Welcome! HCOM 420: Communication Theory Welcome!

Agenda vTvTvTvThe Course vTvTvTvThe Study of Communication vOvOvOvOur Rhetorical Tradition

Purposes: 1. T o equip you with a general knowledge of communication theory; 2. T o prepare you to select and use research to explain communication phenomena; 3.To prepare you to evaluate existing communication theories and meta theories; 4. To enhance your ability to develop persuasive scholarly arguments about theory

Purposes: 1. To equip you with a general knowledge of communication theory; 2. To prepare you to select and use research to explain communication phenomena; 3.To prepare you to evaluate existing communication theories and meta theories; 4. To enhance your ability to develop persuasive scholarly arguments about theory Translation 1. To teach you theories I think you need to know

Purposes: 1. To equip you with a general knowledge of communication theory; 2. To prepare you to select and use research to explain communication phenomena; 3.To prepare you to evaluate existing communication theories and meta theories; 4. To enhance your ability to develop persuasive scholarly arguments about theory Translation 1. To teach you theories I think you need to know 2. To let you know how to link communication research to communication theory

Purposes: 1. To equip you with a general knowledge of communication theory; 2. To prepare you to select and use research to explain communication phenomena; 3.To prepare you to evaluate existing communication theories and meta theories; 4. To enhance your ability to develop persuasive scholarly arguments about theory Translation 1. To teach you theories I think you need to know 2. To let you know how to link communication research to communication theory 3. To teach you how to judge which theories are valuable and which are B.S.

Purposes: 1. To equip you with a general knowledge of communication theory; 2. To prepare you to select and use research to explain communication phenomena; 3.To prepare you to evaluate existing communication theories and meta theories; 4. To enhance your ability to develop persuasive scholarly arguments about theory Translation 1. To teach you theories I think you need to know 2. To let you know how to link communication research to communication theory 3. To teach you how to judge which theories are valuable and which are B.S. 4. To help you select theories to explain specific communication encounters and to be able to justify your choices

Agenda v The Course v The Study of Communication v Our Rhetorical Tradition

The Communication Field v defined: v defined: the study of the process by which people exchange and assign meaning to messages v message-related v message-related behavior v message v message science

General Communication Education Law Ministry Business Training and development Sales Community relations Management

A Model of Communication

S

SM

SMC

SMCR

SMCR Feedback

Ways of Looking at Communication v one-way v interaction v transaction

Agenda v The Course v The Study of Communication v Our Rhetorical Tradition

Overview of Our Rhetorical Tradition vHvHvHvHistory of our field –G–G–G–Greece –R–R–R–Rome –R–R–R–Rise of Christianity and the Middle Ages –T–T–T–The Renaissance to Modern –C–C–C–Contemporary times

Early Stirrings v3v3v3v3000 B.C.E. Auctor ad Kagemni v2v2v2v2675 Ptah Hotep

Greece Tries Democracy v Rule by the governed tried in 500 BCE v Trial by Jury

Early Teachers Called Sophists v Travelled Around v Charged Tuition

Early Sophists v Corax (470 BCE) Rhetorike Techne The argument from probability v Protagoras: The father of debate v and others....

The Fab Four vSvSvSvSocrates vhvhvhvhis student, Plato vhvhvhvhis student, Aristotle vhvhvhvhis student, Alexander the Great

Aristotle and the study of communication “Faculty of discovering in the particular case what are the available means of persuasion” a branch of ethics the counterpart of dialectic

Aristotle’s Responses to Plato’s Attacks on Communication Studies v Not an art is a study, not just the practice of persuasion is a study, not just the practice of persuasion v No subject matter of its own the available means of persuasion the available means of persuasion v No concern for the truth is the counterpart of dialectic (by which truth is discovered) is the counterpart of dialectic (by which truth is discovered)

Aristotle’s Responses to Plato’s Attacks on Communication Studies v Not confer power if it is disgrace for a man to not be able to defend himself physically, it is a worse disgrace not to be able to defend himself through argument since argument is more characteristic of humans if it is disgrace for a man to not be able to defend himself physically, it is a worse disgrace not to be able to defend himself through argument since argument is more characteristic of humans v Not prevent suffering to innocent v If it could prevent suffering of innocent, it could be used to help the guilty avoid justice those things that are true and just are stronger than their opposites; failure of justice is caused by unequal advocacy those things that are true and just are stronger than their opposites; failure of justice is caused by unequal advocacy

Canons of Rhetoric v Invention ethos ethos pathos pathos logos logos v Arrangement v Style v Delivery v Memory

The Roman Tradition v World’s first newspaper, Acta Diurna v Cicero v Quintilian

Cicero’s Teachings in Communication v Cicero’s exciting life ( BCE) v Communicators must develop vast knowledge v Types of style Plain Plain Middle Middle Grand Grand v Artful Diffidence

Quintilian vFvFvFvFirst public school teacher: the Institute of Oratory (70-73) vVvVvVvVir bonus vcvcvcvconcern for stock issues and organization very great vevevevend of the classical period

Rise of Christianity v Many different Christian sects: Marcions Marcions Docetists Docetists Thedotians Thedotians Patripassions Patripassions Martynus Martynus Gnostics Gnostics Valentinians Valentinians Manichaeians Manichaeians

Constantine and the Rise of the Dark Ages v 313 Constantine and Licinius issue the Edict of Milan v The Church outlaws and “pagan” writings v The “Dark Ages” begin

Augustine “Christianizes” Communication, Saves the Field, and (probably) the Roman Catholic Church > > Content and Invention: Gospels > > Style: Letters of Apostles

The Church Starts Universities v The Church adopts the philosophy of scholasticism v Students study matters of church doctrine on all subjects v In 1210 and 1215 the Church confronts teachings of Aristotle, Cicero and the classics

Communication as a Core Subject among the Liberal Arts v Trivium: Logic Logic Grammar Grammar Rhetoric Rhetoric v Quadrivium: Arithmetic Arithmetic Geometry Geometry Astronomy Astronomy Music Music

Communication as a Core Study in the Early Universities n n Tradition of Tassel Color Silver

Students Study with Syllogistic Dispuation v Disputation on matters of Church doctrine v syllogism e.g., MP: All God’s actions are credible. MP: All God’s actions are credible. mp: Miracles are God’s actions. mp: Miracles are God’s actions. C: Therefore, miracles are credible. C: Therefore, miracles are credible. v All disputaiton in Latin

The Development of Cheap Paper and the Renaissance v A Use for the printing press v Publications in local languages v Replacement of disputation with the term paper

Ramus and the Emasculation of Communication Studies v Peter Ramus ( ) v Invention and Arrangement go to Logic v Style and Delivery go to Communication

Elocutionists and Speech and Hearing Science v Elocutionists: Richard Sherry (1550) John Bulwer’s Chirologia... and Chironomia (1644) v Speech and Hearing Science Thomas Braidwood founds institute (1760) de l’Epee founds sign language school

Bacon and the Rise of Faculty Psychology in Communication reason -- --imagination will --

Colonial Influences ] ] Campbell (1776): Philosophy of Rhetoric – –purposes: enlighten understanding, please imagination, move passions, influence will – – perspicuity ] ] Blair (1783): Lectures on Rhetoric and Belles Lettres ] ] Whately (1828): Elements of Rhetoric ] ]argumentation, presumptions

Academic Debate Pushes Emergence of thge Field v Harvard’s ”Spy Club” founded before the American Revolution v First intercollegiate debate: November 29, 1872 between Northwestern University and Chicago University v First debate tournament in Winfield, Kansas, on March 14-16, 1923

Rise of Communication Departments v First Master’s thesis completed by H. S. Buffum at the University of Iowa (1902) v First Ph.d. awared to Sara Stinchfield-Hawke at University of Wisconsin (1922)

Kenneth Burke’s Dramatistic Pentad v Assumption: all people are pretty much the same v where there is identification, there is communication v where there is communication, there is persuasion

The Dramatistic Pentad v Scene v Act v Agent v Agency v Purpose

AGENDA v Development of the Field Historically v Applications today v Development of the Field Today

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