The Field of Communication Early Communication Study Development of Speech and Journalism Interdisciplinary Growth Integration Growth and Specialization

The Field of Communication

Early Communication StudyDevelopment of Speech and Journalism

Interdisciplinary GrowthIntegration

Growth and SpecializationThe Information Age

Communication Study Today

Communication is one of the oldest yet newest disciplines

Early greeks saw communication theory and practice as critical

The populary of communication is a mixed blessing

Communication is an activity, a social science, a liberal art, and a proffesion

Early Communication Study

Communication can be traced back to Babylonian and Egyptian writings prior to the fifth century B.C.


Rethoric & Speech Journalism


RHETORIC AND SPEECH The initial contribution to

communication study came from scholars in what was termed RHETORIC.

They viewed communication as the practical art of persuasion.


RHETORIC AND SPEECH ARISTOTLE and PLATO,

who were particularly significant to early communication study, saw rhetoric and the practice of public speaking not only as an art but also as a legitimate area of study.

The first theory communication was developed in Greece by Corac -- refined by Tisias --rhetoric

Aristotle ( 385 – 322 B.C), Plato (427-347 B.C) --central figures in early communication study

Corax & Tisian: develop the concept of message organization, suggesting that a message should have three parts corresponding to today’s concepts of introduction, body, & conclusion.

Georgias of Leontini-- use of emotional appeals in persuasive speeches : style & use of appropriate of speech

Isocrates : orator -- should be trained in liberal arts & should be a good person

Cicero & Quintilian : rethorical theories and communication saw as both an academic and practical matter

Communication was so comprehensive -- considered the domain of the social sciences

Sir Francis Bacon : ethical basis for communication, the function of true rhetoric

George Campbell : Elocutionist - wrote on the philosophical aspects of rhetoric

Purposes of rhetoric : to enlighten, to please the imagination, to move a passions, or to influence the will


JOURNALISM The other field that contributed

significantly to the heritage of communication study is JOURNALISM.

Journalism dates back several thousand years.

Journalism

The practice of journalism began some 3700 year ago in Egypt

Julius Caesar had an official record of the news of the day posted in a public place,and copies of it were made and sold.

Early newspaper were a mixture of newsletters, ballads, proclamations, political tracts, & pamphlets describing various events


Along with the rhetoric and speech, journalism also contributed to the heritage of communication study.

As with rhetoric, journalism initially was concerned primarily with practical rather than theoretical matters.


By the beginning of the twentieth century, rhetoric and speech were clearly established as discipline in their own right; and journalism began to take shape as a field as well.

The Popularity of Communication

The 1900s- 1930s Development of Speech and Journalism

In the early twentieth century, speech emerged as a disclipine in its own right.

1909, Eastern States Speech Association-was formed

The National Association of Academic Teachers of Public Speaking -- the Speech Association of America and the Speech communication Association - The National Communication Association- was formed in 1914.

1915 the Quarterly Journal of Public Speaking

1934 Communication Monographs began publication.

The advent of radio in 1920s and television in the the early 1940s resulted in the wider application of journalistic concepts.

Interest in communication was no limited to speech and journalism

In philosophy, scholars wrote about the nature of communication & its role in human life

Anthropologist, psychologist, and sociologist focuse on communication & its role in individual and social process.

The 1940s and 1950s: Interdisciplinary Growth The scope of the field of communication

broadened substantially A number of scholars from the various

behavioral & social science develop theories of communication which extended beyond boundaries of their own fields.

Antrophology : concerned with body positioning & gestures

Psychology : focused on persuasion, social influence, specifically, attitudes - how they form, change, their impact on behaviour & the role of communication in these dynamics

The 1940s and 1950s: Interdisciplinary Growth

Research : issues of persuasion, propaganda, public opinion, how the developing media contributed to persuasive efforts

Kurt lewin : research program on group dynamics Carl Hovland & Paul Lazarsfel : mass communication Sociologist & political scientist :studied the nature of

mass media in various political & social activities : voting behaviour

Zoology : communication among animal Linguistics : general semantics, semiotics -- the nature

of language& its role in human activity.

The 1940s – 1950sInterdisciplinary Growth

Rhetoric & Speech (1940s and 1950s) : oral interpretation, voice & diction, debate, theater, physiology of speech, speech pathology.

Journalism & mass media studies 1950s : newspapers, magazines, radio

& television -- replaced : the nature & effects of mass media & mass communication

These developments set the stage for the rapid growth of communication as an independent discipline.

The 1960s: Integration

Scholars synthesized thinking from rhetoric & speech, journalism and mass media, and the other social science disclipines

1966 : the term communication was linked to speech and rhetoric in basic book on the field -- Speech Communication: A Behavioral Approach, An Introduction to Rhetorical Communication.

In the nid -1960s, major volumes also linked communication with culture and persuasion - Interpersonal Communication

The 1960s: Integration

Communication was interest in many disciplines during 1960s

Sociologists focus on group dynamics, social relations, and the social origins of knowledge

Political Scientist wrote about : the role of communication in government, governance, public opinion,propaganda, political image building.

The 1970s and Early 1980sGrowth& Specialization 1970s : Interpersonal communication became an

increasingly popular area -- non verbal interaction. Rhetoric, public speaking, debate, theater, speech

pathology, journalism, mass media,photography, advertising, PR continued to grow.

Academic Journal, journals of speech & journalism. A number of new department of communication were

formed Some programs in speech changed their name to

speech communication /communication Journalism ---to mass communication,

communication/communications

The Popularity of Communication

. Attention on importance

and relevance of communication

Brought individuals with various perspectives & backgrounds to the field

The 1970s and Early 1980s:Growth and Specialization

THE POPULARITY OF COMMUNICATION One factor that contributed to the ambiguity

of the term during this period of increasing popularity was the use of a single term to refer to a field of study, a set of activities, and a profession.

Another factor adding to the confusion was the use of communication and communications.

Communication and Communication Traditionally, communications --- to refer to

media or to specific messages being transmitted through these media.

Historically, communications -- to refer the activity of sending and receiving messages (through media or face to face)

Interchangeably ---- communication technology

The Late 1980s and 1990s: The Information Age A period in which communication &

information technology came to play an increasingly important role in our age

Information as a commodity : information communicated via messages as an economic good or commodity.

Message can be bought , sold and in technologies by which this commodity is created, distributed, stored, retrieved and uses

Communication & information became central in the telecommunication, publishing, internet & computer industries.

The Late 1980s and 1990s:The Information Age Converging Media

The growth of Internet, information storage, transmission, and retrieval system using computers.

Medium for the mass distribution : Internet, DVDs, personal photos, interactive video games, cable system.

The infamous”Information Age” brought new labels, new & hybrid media, extended concepts of comm & information, changing economic realities, new jobs for an increasing number of comm & information workers

The Information Age greatly heightened attention to the pervasive role of technology in our lives and its impact on human behavior.

The 21st Century:Communication Study Today

At the opening of the 21st century, the discipline of communication and the phenomena it studies are center stage in human affairs.


Ancient and Newly Emergent The core of modern communication study

has its origins in the work of the early Greek philosophers.

The newest of the disciplines concerned with the study of human behavior.


Discipline and Interdisciplinary Link In communication studies, we approach

issues such as these from the perspective of the creation, transmission, interpretation, and use of information by individuals in relationships, groups, organizations, cultures, and societies.


Personal and Professional Applicability The importance attached to communication in

contemporary life can also be seen in the extent to which the phenomenon is regarded as essential to our personal as well as our occupational roles.


Old and New Technology Speaking and listening are as basic to

communication and human behavior at the dawn of a new millennium as they were at the time of the ancient Greek.


Old and New Technology In the present period, we benefit from any

number of technologically enhanced forms of communication, which give permanence and portability to the messages of face-to-face communication.


Problem and Solution In such conversations, communication – or,

more precisely, the lack of there of – is seen as the fundamental problem.

And yet, as John Peter has pointed out, communication also seen as the essential solution.

Paradoxically, communication is seen as both a chasm and a bridge.


Practical Skill and Fundamental Life Process The focus of the field of communication is at

once on some of the most practical skills, and on the most fundamental of life processes.


Discipline and interdisciplinary Cognitive pschology & neuroscience: focus on

perception, thinking, interpretation, memory and use information.

Cultural and critical studies : focus on the historical, social, political & cultural influences on message creation, transmission, interpretation, impact, and use

Economics: focus on the production & consumption of information as an economic resource

Computer science & electrical engineering : focus on the storage, retrieval, manipulation, transmission of information

Information science. Focus on information classification, management, and storage

Journalism. Focus on information sources, content, public communication, mass media

Literature : Focus on the creation and reader interpretations of textual material

Marketing. Focus on user needs & preferences in relation to adoption & use of messages, products & services.

Philosophy. Focus on ethical dimensions of the communication process involving both individuals and the mass media.

Documents

The Field of Communication Early Communication Study Development of Speech and Journalism Interdisciplinary Growth Integration Growth and Specialization