The bestselling introductory text, Communication: A Critical/Cultural Introduction, is back in a fully updated fourth edition. Designed specifically for undergraduate students, this book offers a foundational look at communication theory, interpersonal relationships, and public culture through the lens of contemporary critical theory.
Empowering Students through Public Advocacy
The central goal of this textbook is to breathe new life into introductory communication courses. By blending current theory and cultural studies with modern societal issues, the authors invite students into a vital conversation about public advocacy in today's world.
Written in an engaging and friendly style, the text explores how we collectively construct our world through communication. It challenges students to think deeply about how power, ideology, and diversity shape our daily lives-both in our private interactions and in the public sphere.
A Clear, Comprehensive Journey
The book is organized into three intuitive sections to guide student learning: Part 1: Foundational Principles explains the essential links between communication, culture, and power while introducing the history of the discipline and the concept of public advocacy. Part 2: Communication Processes and Skills dives into the "how-to" of communication, covering topics like active listening, identity, perception, language, and embodied knowledge. Part 3: Communication Contexts shows how to apply advocacy in specific environments, from personal relationships and group alliances to our mediated digital world, thus empowering students to use communication for the causes that matter most to them.
What's New in the Fourth Edition:
Expanded Focus on Today's World: Includes cutting-edge research and deeper discussions on race, gender, media literacy, and global inclusivity.
Modern Examples: New references to current events, technology, and media help students see how communication theory applies directly to their lives.
Digital Evolution:
Fassett, Deanna L.: - Deanna L. Fassett is a professor of communication and chair of the Department of Communication Studies at San José State University. She is the co-author of Critical Communication Pedagogy and Coordinating the Communication Course: A Guidebook and co-editor of The SAGE Handbook of Communication and Instruction (all with John T. Warren). Her published research has appeared in an array of communication studies journals, including Basic Communication Course Annual, Communication and Critical/Cultural Studies, Communication Education, and Communication Teacher.
Nainby, Keith: - Dr. Keith Nainby is a professor of communication within the Department of Communication Studies at California State University, Stanislaus. His publications include chapters in The SAGE Handbook of Communication and Instruction and The Invisibility Factor: Administrators and Faculty Reach Out to First-Generation College Students, as well as journal articles in Liminalities: A Journal of Performance Studies, Language and Intercultural Communication, and Educational Foundations.
Warren, John T.: - Dr. John T. Warren was a professor of communication at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale. He was the author of numerous books including Performing Purity: Whiteness, Pedagogy and the Reconstitution of Power, Casting Gender: Women and Performance in Intercultural Contexts, Critical Communication Pedagogy, and Coordinating the Communication Course: A Guidebook. He authored articles for several education and communication studies journals, including Communication and Critical/Cultural Studies, Communication Education, Educational Theory, and Text and Performance Quarterly.
