In our semester original teaching idea, we detail possibilities of resistance to the neoliberal university by considering tribal critical race theory and postsocialist feminism as frames for decolonization. The semester takes shape by focusing on foundational readings to bridge decolonial and postsocialist thought as the basis for dialogue about…

Although a growing number of universities are mounting concentrations or degrees in health communication, the most common level of training offered in the subject is a single introductory course. Typically, prerequisites for these courses are an introduction to communication course and/or a communication theory course. This makes it challenging to…

Undergraduate research experience offers students a host of benefits including: (a) improving interpersonal and technical skills; (b) fostering independent learning and analytical abilities; and (c) creating close personal connections with faculty members. However, Rodrick and Dickmeyer (2002) suggest that, "although communication educators…

"Communication: The Social Matrix of Psychiatry" (J. Ruesch and G. Bateson) is a work that outlines in a more conversational than pedantic way a theory of human communication. The main thrust is to unite two types of organized information: (1) an understanding of the cultural matrix within which the psychiatrist operates; and (2) the nature of…

Conditions that can enhance college teachers' acceptance and productive use of feedback about instruction are outlined, including understanding of the purposes of evaluation, who provides the feedback, the message itself (form, timing, sources, and subsequent messages), characteristics of the recipient, immediate environment, and consequences…

Expressing a communication perspective on teaching public relations, this booklet is designed for instructors of public relations courses. The introduction to the booklet establishes the theoretical grounding of this investigation, namely, the mutual relationship between public relations and communication. The first section explicates the…

Coaching rhetorical criticism events is demanding because it places demands on a forensic coach's knowledge of rhetorical theory and method and is time consuming. However, it may become a simpler event to coach if there is an understanding of the process of developing a speech for rhetorical criticism and specific strategies that can be used in…

Urges speech communication students and professionals to assess carefully whether and how to approach consulting. Discusses misconceptions about lifestyle, ethical problems, and personal qualities of prospective consultants. Offers recommendations to make consulting both rewarding and legitimate. (PD)

In a letter to Aristotle, the author (as Phaedrus) gives an overview of communication as it is now taught compared to what was learned in ancient times and suggests rhetorical principles that modern teachers should not forget. (PD)

Three professors at Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, reflected about a course they taught together on the use of metaphor in language, art and literature. In examining a wide range of art works with their students, including prose by E. A. Poe, Nancy Mairs, Henry James, and Woody Allen and movies such as "Dr.…

A discussion of American Sign Language looks at its history in the context of deaf education and its increasing acceptance as a complete natural language both among linguists and in the college curriculum. (MSE)

Perception of a decline in the effectiveness of the college faculty senate, resulting from a number of trends, has aroused new interest in the function of the senate and willingness of elected faculty leaders to confer with each other through conferences in multicampus institutions, regional consortia, and statewide consortia. (MSE)

To explain the nature of the response process in journal writing, a simplified version of the theory of speech genres proposed by Mikhail Bakhtin is applied to excerpts from a journal by a college junior. Bakhtin's model of communication is continually interactive and dialogic, as though all voices from the speaker/writer's past are poised at the…

This paper provides a rationale for including an interdisciplinary course in the university undergraduate or graduate curriculum that explores the interconnection between communication and gender. It also provides the framework for a semester-long course by which gender as a communicative accomplishment can be revealed. The course described in the…

Empathic listening is central to almost all human communication processes. "Feeling with" another is the heart of empathic listening: it includes a cognitive understanding of what the other is communicating plus a sensitivity to their state of emotion. One possible approach to utilize in the teaching of empathic listening is to begin a…