CRT is designed to provide a critical overview of communication studies with special attention to work being conducted within our own department. Attention will be directed throughout the course to the processes of developing a theoretically-based research program within a disciplinary context, conducting useful and significant research, and understanding the relation between types of claims and the data and arguments used to support them. Students will be invited to envision themselves as potential developers of original programs of communication research.

Unit I (Weeks 1-5) will survey the history of communication studies, sketch the broad intellectual and institutional contours of the field, and engage with issues related to disciplinarity and professionalism. Unit II (Weeks 6-9) will step back to examine the epistemological foundations of communication research, how basic assumptions about knowledge shape research and theory in the field. Unit III (Weeks 10-13) will focus on selected research areas and research programs, including recent work by faculty in the Department of Communication. Several faculty will visit the class to discuss their research during this and the preceding unit. Weeks 14 and 15 will be largely devoted to presentation and discussion of semester projects in which each student will critically review the existing literature on a selected communication topic.

For Unit II the following text has been ordered through the UMC bookstore:

All other assigned readings will be made available both at the Norlin Library reserve desk and in the Communication Department mailroom.

The course grade will be based in equal parts on class participation and weekly assignments, a research paper, and a final examination.

Participation and Short Assignments: Needless to say, all class members are expected to attend regularly, read assigned as well as other relevant materials, and actively participate in class. Several brief written reports or position papers will also be assigned during the semester, and these will be regarded as participation.

Research Paper: The semester project is to develop a comprehensive bibliography of literature in a research area and write an article-length (5,000-6,000 word) literature review. A research area is a field of research usually narrower than a discipline or sub-discipline but broader than a research program conducted by a single scholar or research team. For example, interpersonal deception, computer-supported group interaction, workplace democracy, public sphere theory, and social constructionism could all be considered research areas. A research area comprises a substantial body of related studies, develops over an extended period of time, and often involves some degree of competition or debate among distinct approaches, theories, or research programs within the area. Later studies in a research area usually cite earlier studies in the same area, so it is usually possible to find many of the relevant studies by working both "backward" (starting with reference lists in the most recent publications) and "forward" (using citation indexes to find publications that cite key earlier studies).

Each student will select an appropriate research area, conduct library research to develop an up-to-date, comprehensive bibliography of literature in the area, and write a critical review of the literature. The paper should argue for a central thesis. For example, it might attempt to answer a question such as one of the following: How did this research area emerge and how has it developed within the broader field of communication studies? What cross-disciplinary influences can be traced? What core issues or social problems have motivated interest in the area? What theoretical literatures have informed the area, and what principle theoretical approaches and lines of research have evolved? What range of epistemological assumptions underlie work in the area, and what range of research methods have been used? What are the most important research findings? What are the most important unanswered questions or issues in dispute? What are the strengths and weaknesses of the area? What further work is most needed in the area?

The paper is due in final form by Tuesday, December 12. Use APA style for references etc. I encourage everyone to turn in earlier drafts so that I may offer writing suggestions and be involved as the project develops.

Final Examination: To be written during the scheduled final exam period, this exam will be based on a small number of broad, integrative questions that will be distributed in advance to facilitate preparation.

Here are some sample questions to illustrate what I have in mind and assist you in focusing your efforts during the semester:

1. Trace the historical development of communication studies as an academic field or discipline. What do you see as the major threads, phases and turning points in this history? What is the field's current status? How do you envision the field's future?
2. Using a few (2-4) primary examples, discuss and illustrate key factors that typically influence the development of an academic research program in communication. These factors may include, but are not limited to: societal problems and conditions, disciplinary/interdisciplinary institutions and audiences, the development of research areas, personal background and interests, epistemological assumptions/commitments, availability of resources, and serendipitous events. Note similarities and differences among your examples. Envisioning yourself as the developer of a research program, comment briefly on factors that you imagine might be important in that process.
3. The field of communication studies is epistemologically diverse. Using examples, distinguish several currently influential epistemological positions and show how these positions lead to different methodological choices in the conduct of communication research. Also comment briefly on the following: What are the chief benefits and costs of epistemological diversity for communication studies as a discipline? How would you describe your own epistemological stance?
4. Using examples, discuss how communication theory and research has responded to trends and problems in society. What are some different views on how the discipline should relate to society? What is your own view, and how to you imagine this might influence your own work as a scholar in the field?

Week 1 (August 28): Introduction and overview of course; discussion of academic disciplines and their relation to society; preview on history of communication studies.

Readings:

Delia, J. G. (1987). Communication research: A history. In C. R. Berger and S. H. Chaffee (Eds.), Handbook of communication science (pp. 20-98). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

Craig, R. T. (1990). The speech tradition. Communication Monographs, 57, 310-314.

Craig, R. T., & Carlone, D. A. (1998). Growth and transformation of communication studies in U. S. higher education: Towards reinterpretation. Communication Education, 47, 67-81.

Assignment: Write a 600 word review essay on Delia (1987). The essay should develop a central thesis commenting on Delia’s article from a current point of view, and should be written for a reader not necessarily familiar with the article. Give the essay a descriptive title, use APA style for any references, print it out double-spaced, and be prepared to summarize it orally in class.

Readings:

Berger, C. R., & Chaffee, S. H. (1987). The study of communication as a science. In C. R. Berger & S. H. Chaffee (Eds.), Handbook of communication Science (pp. 15-19). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

Craig, R. T. (1989). Communication as a practical discipline. In B. Dervin, L. Grossberg, B. J. O'Keefe, & E. Wartella (Eds.), Rethinking communication; Volume 1: Paradigm issues (pp. 97-122). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

Deetz, S. (1994). The future of the discipline: The challenges, the research, and the social contribution. In S. Deetz (ed.). Communication yearbook 17 (pp. 565-600). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Assignment: Write a 250 word essay nominating a specific passage in the readings for any one of the following awards: "most important," "most controversial," or "most confusing."

Readings:

Allen, B. J., Orbe, M. P., & Olivas, M. R. (1999). The complexity of our tears: dis/enchantment and (in)difference in the academy. Communication Theory, 9, 402-429.

Blair, C., Brown, J. R., & Baxter, L. A. (1994). Disciplining the feminine. Quarterly Journal of Speech, 80, 383-409.

Chesebro, J. W. (1993). How to get published. Communication Quarterly, 41, 373-382.

Craig, R. T. (1998, February). Textual harassment. The American Communication Journal, 1(2) [Online]. Available: http://www.americancomm.org/~aca/acj/acj.html

Pelias, R. J. (2000). The critical life. Communication Education, 49, 220-228.

Assignment: Students (in groups of 1-3, depending on class size) will be responsible for providing an oral summary, comments, and/or questions to open discussion on one of the readings.

Reading:

Frey, L. R., Botan, C. H., & Kreps, G. L. (2000). Finding, reading, and using research. In Investigating communication: An introduction to research methods (2nd ed., chapter 3, pp. 48-77). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.

Tracy, K. (1990). The many faces of facework. In Giles, H., & Robinson, W. P. (Eds.), Handbook of language and social psychology (pp. 209-226).

Assignment: Bibliographic scavenger hunt; topic & starter bibliography for semester project.

Week 6 (October 9 ):

Readings: Anderson, chapters 1-2

(Additional reading or faculty visitor TBA)

Week 7 (October 16):

Readings: Anderson, chapters 3-4

(Additional reading or faculty visitor TBA)

Week 8 (October 23):

Readings: Anderson, chapters 5-6

(Additional reading or faculty visitor TBA)

Week 9 (October 30):

Readings: Anderson, chapters 7-9

(Additional reading or faculty visitor TBA)

Week 10 (November 6): Faculty visitor(s) and readings TBA.

Week 11 (November 13): Faculty visitor(s) and readings TBA.

Week 12 (November 20): Faculty visitor(s) and readings TBA.

Week 13(November 27): Faculty visitor(s) and readings TBA.

Weeks 14-15 (December 4 & 11): Presentation & discussion of semester projects, and course wrap-up.

December 12, 5:00 p.m.: Research paper due.

December 18, 7:30-10:30 p.m.: Final exam period, according to my reading of the final exam table in the course schedule book. However, the table is unclear about our time slot, so the actual final exam period may turn out to be different. In any case, I hope we will be able to arrange a more convenient time to write the exam!