Theories of Human Communication (Paperback)

~ (Author), Karen A. Foss (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

THEORIES OF HUMAN COMMUNICATION is considered the seminal text in the field. Littlejohn and Foss present the range of communication theories currently available in the discipline, organizing them according to the scholarly traditions and contexts from which they emerge. Clear and accessible writing, charts that summarize the relationships among theories, and sections devoted to applications and implications help position theories within the discipline as a whole.

About the Author

Stephen Littlejohn (Ph.D., University of Utah), is a conflict management consultant, mediator, facilitator, and trainer. He is consultant for the Public Dialogue Consortium and a partner in Domenici Littlejohn, Inc. Stephen is co-author of Moral Conflict: When Social Worlds Collide (Sage, 1997) and has written numerous other books and articles on communication and conflict. He was a professor of communication at Humboldt State University in California and is currently Adjunct Professor of Communication and Journalism at the University of New Mexico. He has done research on mediation and conflict management for 19 years and has been an active mediator for eight. Stephen has been a consultant for such clients as the Waco Youth Summit, the Alliance for Constructive Communication, the City of Cupertino, Columbia Basin College, and Washington State University.

Karen Foss received her Ph.D. in Communication from the University of Iowa and is professor of Communication and Journalism at the University of New Mexico, where she has served as department chair of Communication and Journalism, as well as director of Women Studies. Her primary areas of teaching and research include rhetorical theory and criticism, feminist perspectives on communication, and social movements and social change. Karen Foss (Ph.D., University of Iowa) is Regents’ Professor and until recently was Chair of the Department of Communication and Journalism at the University of New Mexico and has joined Stephen Littlejohn as a co-author on his bestselling textbook,Theories of Human Communication, 9th Edition. She has been at the University of New Mexico since 1993 and in that time served not only as a departmental chair but also as Director of Graduate Studies for the department and as Director of Women’s Studies. In 2005, she received the Gender Scholar of the Year award from the Southern States Communication Association and was named Presidential Teaching Fellow for 2004-2006. Her research interests include contemporary rhetoric and criticism, social movements and social change, and feminist perspectives on communication. In addition to her work on Theories of Human Communication, she has co-authored Women Speak: The Eloquence of Women’s Lives, Inviting Transformation: Presentational Speaking for a Changing World, Contemporary Perspectives on Rhetoric, Feminist Rhetorical Theory (SAGE 1999) and Readings in Feminist Rhetorical Theory (SAGE 2004). Dr. Foss regularly teaches feminist rhetorical theory; rhetorical criticism; rhetorical theory; women, agency, and change; and public speaking

Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Wadsworth Publishing; 9 edition (February 26, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0495095877
• ISBN-13: 978-0495095873
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #248,109 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Thorough Overview Provided, January 26, 2004

By	Dr. W. G. Covington, Jr. (Edinboro, Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Theories of human communication (Hardcover)

Dr. Littlejohn does a masterful job of describing the various theories in human communication. The book is divided into manageable segments which place the theorists into understandable blocks. Before introducing the various theories, however, he discusses the nature of academic inquiry and what theory building is all about.

His various categories of theories include: general theories, thematic theories, and contextual theories. A person familiar with the writers in these various categories will find this book easy to follow, however beginning students need to be prepared to spend a little extra time with some of this material as it can be challenging when you're exposed to it initially.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Theories of Human Communication, November 6, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Theories of Human Communication (Hardcover)

It is a very intense book on multiple communication theories. Also a very good book if a person is studying in the communications field. Although, the overviews of each theory is brief, it makes room for most communication theories in the field. (For more in-depth information on some theories, you would want to consult a Communications Journal.)