Course Description
Language and Communication Theory (COM 3083) is a course designed to explore
diverse academic interpretations of communication phenomena. In our daily
lives we are permanently immersed in communication events of different kids:
within ourselves, with others, with the media, etc.; however, we seldom
stop and reflect on these processes as important landmarks of our being
human. Yet, since the beginnings of time, scholars have explored human communication
in an attempt to understand its inner workings and dynamics. Being communication
phenomena so complex and heterogenous, communication theories are equally
fragmented: they find their origins in different disciplines, from different
paradigms, and support their conclusions with diverse types of evidence.
These academic explorations constitute the foci of the course. We will cover
interpersonal, group, and media communication theories; critical theories
as well as more traditional scientific theories; rhetorical theories, anthropological
theories, and psychological theories. At the end of the course, you should
have acquired a solid overview of the theoretical "side" of the
field of communication.
Specific Objectives
1. To explore the major communication theories, their underlying assumptions
and criticism.
2. To study the historical development of communication as a social science
with its own theoretical evolution.
3. To discuss the relationship between theory and research.
4. To discuss the relationship between language, culture, and communication.
Back to Dr. Rodriguez Home Page