approaches to communication the idea of theory
TRANSCRIPT
The Idea of Theory in Communicationadapted from Littlejohn, S. W. and Foss, K.A. (2005). Theories of Human Communication. 8th edition. Belmont, CA.: Thomson Wadsworth.
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Communication is central to human life. It is pervasive, important and complex.
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The Idea of Theory• Theories are used in every day living.• Theories are also the academic foundation of every discipline
or field.• Theories allow scholars and students to transform information
to knowledge.• Theories do not just help us grow knowledge, they also help
us communicate knowledge.
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The Idea of Theory• Theories also provide a way to challenge existing cultural life
and to generate new ways of living.
• What is theory?It is any organized set of concepts, explanations and principles of some aspect of human experience.
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The Idea of Theory• All theories are abstractions.• Theories are also human constructions.• Theories are less a record of reality than a record of scholar’s
conceptualizations about that reality. –Abraham Kaplan. 12/8
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The Idea of TheoryBasic Elements of Theory1. Philosophical assumptions2. Concepts3. Explanations4. Principles 12
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The Idea of Theory
NomotheticTheor
y
Practical
Theory
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The Idea of TheoryEvaluating Communication Theory• Theoretical Scope• Appropriateness• Heuristic Value• Validity• Parsimony• Openness
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The Academic Study of Communication
• Communication has been studied since antiquity but it has assumed immense importance in academics in recent times.
• In recent years many scholars have come to recognize that communication is central to human experience and have emphasized it in academic research.
• Thus a new field of communication seemed to have emerged and is growing strong in the universities.
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The Academic Study of Communication
• Communication is so broad a field that it can not be confined within any single paradigm, nor any single discipline.
• It is a multi-disciplinary field.
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Introducing Communication Theory
• A theory is not just an explanation; it is a way of packaging reality, a way of understanding it.
• We can’t view reality purely; instead, we use a set of concepts and symbols to define what we see, and our theories provide the lenses with which we observe and experience the world.
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Introducing Communication Theory
• We need to understand two things about theory:1. Theory is the product of human judgment and discussion.2. Different people prefer different ways of knowing.
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Developing Theories• First Stage: asking questions.
• Second Stage: observation.
• Third Stage: constructing answers.
• Each stage affects and is affected by the others.
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The stages of inquiry
Questions
Observation
Theory
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Types of scholarshipSci
ences
StandardizationReplication
Humaniti
es
Creative Interpretation
Soci
al
Sci
ences
Observation
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Communication Theory as a Field
• Robert Craig in a landmark article proposes a vision for communication theory that takes a huge step toward unifying our otherwise disparate field.
• Craig argues that the field will never be united by a single theory or group of theories.
• Thus, the field would always have multiplicity of approaches
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Communication Theory as a Field
• Craig argues that scholars should not seek a standard model that applies universally to any communication situation, as this would lead to a “dead field”.
• Instead, communication scholars should strive to manage the tensions of diverse theories of the field through dialogue and a common understanding of similarities and differences among theories.
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Communication Theory as a Field
• Rather than viewing a theory as an explanation of communication process, Craig argues that, it should be seen as a statement or argument in favour of a particular approach to the study of the field.
• In other words communication theories are a form of discourse among diverse approaches of study.
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Communication Theory as a Field
• Craig says that theories communicate about communication, meaning that ‘meta-discourse’ is taking place in the field.
• Different theories are different ways of “talking about” communication each one having its own powers and limitations.
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Communication Theory as a Field
• Craig identifies seven traditional standpoints that enters the meta-discourse:
1. Rhetorical2. Semiotic3. Phenomenological4. Cybernetic5. Socio-psychological6. Socio-cultural7. Critical
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Jimi KayodeAdebola Adegunwa School of Communication,Lagos State University,Lagos, Nigeria.
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