Courses: Communication Theory; Research Methods; Mass Communication Theory. Objectives: This activity introduces students to the socially constructed nature of theorizing through having a few students sort a bag of random items in ways of their choice. The class then discusses the categories of sorted items in terms of their properties as theories…

Courses: Mass Communication, Persuasion, Media Literacy, Political Communication, and Communication Theory. Objectives: This activity introduces students to priming theory through atmospheric peripheral cues. Students learn about media priming and understand how priming effects may occur in real-world situations.

In this activity, the marriage between two fields of theory--namely, communication and education--produces a more organized and integrated lesson on family narratives by using Kolb's experiential learning cycle to guide the unit's construction. Kolb's model depicts what communication content is appropriate for each of the four stages. While the…

The increasing popularity of the team-based learning (TBL) approach signifies how much the student-centered learning environment contributes to the effectiveness of teaching. Given the need to establish an agreement for groups to communicate their visions for collaborative efforts within the teamwork, this activity provides a basic communicative…

This lesson offers students a way to analyze conspiracy theories while neither platforming dangerous ideas nor dismissing them as unworthy of academic study. Ideal for argument or rhetoric courses, first, the lesson advances conspiracy theories as a recognizable species of argument; second, the lesson uses a truncated version of Toulmin's model of…

Courses: Introduction to Communication (within a unit on culture), Intercultural Communication, Race and Communication, Gender and Communication, Media and Diversity, Dance Appreciation, and Introduction to Dance Studies (within a unit on culture). Objectives: This activity merges dance and communication to invite intercultural learning. Through…

For the communication theory course to be successful, instructors must tap into their students' lives and create a sense of how communication theory is not only relevant to their needs, interests, or goals, but also practical when applied to their social, personal, and organizational relationships. One way in which instructors can create a sense…

The corporate migration activity is designed to help students connect practical concepts of how language creates power within organizational structures. By engaging in this activity, students will demonstrate and observe how unclear language, (in)effective communication, and disorganization (re)create and sustain power within an organization. This…

In this activity, students individually rank 12 fictional individuals based on a description of them and their likeliness to survive the zombie apocalypse. There is no right answer, and as such, students will rank the fictional characters differently. Students must come together and determine the top six characters and provide rationales for their…

This article explores the application of generative artificial intelligence (AI), such as ChatGPT, in the development of customized textual materials for communication teaching. It underscores the potential of generative AI to address the scarcity of suitable learning materials and enhance teaching effectiveness. A case study of text generation…

The hidden curriculum (HC) consists of implicit knowledge rooted in curricula and found throughout students' experiences navigating higher education (e.g. understanding professional email etiquette, graduate school applications and funding opportunities, or often taken-for-granted programs like Title IX and disability accommodations). In this…

People often seek advice and social support. One approach for seeking advice is by submitting one's problems/concerns to an advice columnist. More contemporary forms of advice seeking are seen on discussion boards (e.g. Reddit) where individuals ask questions (often anonymously) and gather responses from others. This activity makes use of…

The study of communication through the framework of established theories is central to communication education, and most undergraduate communication programs include a course dedicated to surveying theoretical perspectives. This activity guides students to review and synthesize theoretical knowledge in a March Madness-style end-of-semester…

Courses: Rhetorical Criticism, Contemporary Rhetoric, Argumentation, Persuasion, Communication Theory. Objectives: Students will (1) learn the basics of the narrative rationality as a mode of judging rhetoric, and (2) observe the ways in which humans use narrative fidelity and narrative probability to judge stories.

Storytelling plays a central role in human communication and in conflict. This activity can be used to teach students the importance of telling stories to better understand conflict or simply to practice storytelling. By engaging in mediations, students simulate the process of resolving conflict, practice storytelling, and improve their active…