Graduate seminar still has seats available
JMS 750, History of the Communication Discipline, is still open and available for graduate registration. Here is a brief synopsis of the course provided by the instructor, Dr. William Eadie:
1. We will begin by studying the biographical history of the discipline, focusing on key figures and their ideas. The major source for this discussion is Everett Rogers' book, A History of Communication Study: A Biographical Perspective. We'll see how communication was defined by individuals from the "speech tradition," the "journalism tradition," and the study of communication that emerged independent of these two traditions and ended up subsuming them both.
2. Second, we will look at how the idea of "communication" has evolved. The lead work that we'll consider in this discussion is John Durham Peters' book, Speaking Into the Air: A History of the Idea of Communication. Peters traces the evolution of the idea of communication from ancient times through the 20th century. Some of his notions will surprise you, particularly his interest in our fascination with attempts to communicate with people we can't see (which range from the dead, through spiritualism, to mass audiences, via electronic media).
3. Third, we will trace the history of communication technology to determine how it influenced the development of our ideas about communication. The key book we'll read for this section will be Daniel J. Czitrom's Media and the American Mind: From Morse to McLuhan. Czitrom's book focuses on the telegraph, the motion picture, and the radio as key elements of transformation.
4. Finally, we'll look at the political history of the discipline, focusing on the controversies that have arisen over the years. In particular, we'll use Robert McChesney's Communication Revolution: Critical Junctures and the Future of Media as a case study. McChesney's book focuses on his personal transformation from empirical social science researcher to critical media scholar and activist.
For more information, please e-mail Dr. Eadie at weadie@mail.sdsu.edu.
1. We will begin by studying the biographical history of the discipline, focusing on key figures and their ideas. The major source for this discussion is Everett Rogers' book, A History of Communication Study: A Biographical Perspective. We'll see how communication was defined by individuals from the "speech tradition," the "journalism tradition," and the study of communication that emerged independent of these two traditions and ended up subsuming them both.
2. Second, we will look at how the idea of "communication" has evolved. The lead work that we'll consider in this discussion is John Durham Peters' book, Speaking Into the Air: A History of the Idea of Communication. Peters traces the evolution of the idea of communication from ancient times through the 20th century. Some of his notions will surprise you, particularly his interest in our fascination with attempts to communicate with people we can't see (which range from the dead, through spiritualism, to mass audiences, via electronic media).
3. Third, we will trace the history of communication technology to determine how it influenced the development of our ideas about communication. The key book we'll read for this section will be Daniel J. Czitrom's Media and the American Mind: From Morse to McLuhan. Czitrom's book focuses on the telegraph, the motion picture, and the radio as key elements of transformation.
4. Finally, we'll look at the political history of the discipline, focusing on the controversies that have arisen over the years. In particular, we'll use Robert McChesney's Communication Revolution: Critical Junctures and the Future of Media as a case study. McChesney's book focuses on his personal transformation from empirical social science researcher to critical media scholar and activist.
For more information, please e-mail Dr. Eadie at weadie@mail.sdsu.edu.
