A study took an inside look at communicators from Russia and the United States to identify some of the factors that may influence journalists from both countries. Through joint efforts of researchers from both countries, two comparable nationwide surveys were conducted almost simultaneously in the summer and fall of 1992. The study was designed to…

Noting that fear of public speaking is the most common fear shared by people of all types, this book offers practical, easy-to-follow strategies for confident and effective public speaking. The book discusses the following aspects of public speaking: (1) what to talk about; (2) how to research a topic; (3) how to organize a speech; (4) how to keep…

At the turn of the century, Gertrude Buck developed a progressive language theory in which writer, reader, and language all participate in the making of meaning. Over the course of her career as a professor, Buck developed a theory of reader empowerment in composition and literature that prefigured some of the main tenets of reader-response theory…

Defining the genre of creative nonfiction as where writing and journalistic reporting merge, this guide shows that aspiring journalists, essayists, and biographers do not need to stifle their creativity to succeed in the craft of writing. The guide teaches young writers how to use creative nonfiction to its full effect, writing the truth in a way…

Epideictic rhetoric, expression of praise or blame, animates much communication, from gossip to sermons, from commercial ads to love letters. Even when writing for purposes other than to judge, writers often frame their talk with implicit or explicit expressions of praise for individuals or groups or ideas considered "good." Epideictic…

A continuing concern of theorists in composition and rhetoric has been the problem of how to design effective writing assignments. With the recent movement in writing assessment from objective tests to writing samples, this problem has become even more important for those who produce "tests" designed to elicit writing samples. A study…

Based on extensive interviews, this book investigates how women in different academic disciplines perceive and describe their experiences as writers in the university. The book focuses on: (1) the writing strategies of 35 women from 5 different disciplines (anthropology, education, history, nursing, and psychology) and 4 academic ranks (seniors,…

The Magazine section of this collection of conference presentations contains the following nine papers: "Davids and Goliaths: The Economic Restructuring of the Postwar Magazine Industry, l950-l970" (David Abrahamson); "The Global Economy as Magazine News Story: A Pilot Study in the Framing of News" (Elliot King);…

This book begins by pointing out that although much has been written on how the drama elements of the English curriculum might be taught in schools, not much guidance is available for teachers who regard drama not as an adjunct of English but as an arts subject in its own right. The book (a collection of articles by drama experts) shows how the…

In response to the need for intentional, organized education in speaking, listening, and media literacy, the National Communication Association provides the Standards and Competency Statements in this document. The Standards and Competency Statements are not designed to be used as a curriculum; rather, they are designed to enhance and support…

The Girls' Books in Series collection at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro's Jackson Library contains over 1850 volumes, with publication dates ranging from the mid-1800s to the 1980s. The library's list currently contains approximately 511 different series. The library owns all the titles for 85 of the series. For 167 of the series,…

The Mass Media Effects section of the proceedings contains the following eight papers: "The Spiral of Static: A Multivariate Analysis of a Public Opinion Theory Applied to Perception of Radio Station Popularity" (Terry Wedel and Tony Rimmer); "More Than Just Talk: Uses, Gratifications and the Telephone" (Garrett J. O'Keefe and…

In his book, "Illiberal Education," Dinesh D'Souza dramatizes the transformation of American campuses and the academic revolution that is allegedly toppling traditional notions of Western civilization. However, many scholars are concerned that D'Souza'a collection of examples might leave readers with a false impression of the severity of…

Two studies compared the impact of black and white audiences on black students' writing style. In the first study, eight students in an all-black intermediate composition class completed one argumentative draft addressed to black opponents and one addressed to white opponents on two different topics. The essays were examined for stylistic features…

Linguistically inclined scholars such as Ragnar Rommetveit and Michael Halliday offer a sociocognitive understanding of writing that challenges current writing theories, which focus attention on processes to the virtual exclusion of the writing product. These linguistic scholars provide ways of understanding context, not as fixed or concrete, but…