COMMUNICATION 140: Communication Theory

Course Description. Examination of the major theories on the

nature and processes of communication and its
interrelationship with other areas or disciplines. 3 units.
Prerequisite: C100
Objectives. This course introduces you to the theories and key
concepts valuable in the field of communication. You will gain
an understanding as to why communication theories are
important, and learn how they can be applied or used to
analyze a variety of cases and situations. More importantly,
you will be able to use these theories in research you will be
doing, and in the practice of your future profession.
Grading. Your grade will be a product of the following: Quizzes
Report/ Presentation 1 Report/Presentation 2 Exam 1
Exam
2
Proposal and Annotated Bibliography
Course Outline Theory
10% 15 % 15% 20 % 20% 20%
 Lecture: About Theory, and More About Theory 

 Lecture: Theory in the Communication Field 

 Lecture: Classifying Theories Effects 

 Report/Presentation: SR/Magic Bullet; Two-step Flow (Katz

& Lazarsfeld) 

 Report/Presentation: Agenda-setting Function (McCombs &

Shaw) 
 Report/Presentation: Cultivation Analysis (Gerbner)
Restraints 

 Report/Presentation: Cognitive Dissonance (Festinger) 

 Report/Presentation: Spiral of Silence (Noelle-Neumann) 

 Report/Presentation: Groupthink (Janis) Connections 

 Report/Presentation: The Rhetoric (Aristotle) 

 Report/Presentation: Cultural Approach to Organizations

(Geertz & Pacanowsky) Creating 

 Report/Presentation: Symbolic Interaction (Mead) 

 Report/Presentation: Social Construction of Reality (Berger

& Luckmann) 

Power
Reading
 Report/Presentation: Semiotics of Saussure and Barthes 

 Lecture: Key Concepts (Derrida) 

 Report/Presentation: British Cultural Studies (Hall)

Differences 

 Report/Presentation: Genderlect Styles (Tannen) 

 Lecture: Muted Group Theory and Language as Gendered

(Ardener & Ardener; Kramarae) 

 Lecture: Gender and Identity; the Male Gaze Space 

 Lecture: History and Memory 

 Report/Presentation: Postcolonial Theory; Homi K. Bhabha

Olio 

 Report/ Presentation: “The Precession of Simulacra”

(Baudrillard) 

 Report/Presentation: “Postmodernism and Consumer

Society”(Jameson) 

 Lecture: Key Concepts (Lyotard) Synthesis 

•Proposal and Annotated Bibliography

Some Reminders
Absences. Per University policy, you are allowed a
maximum of six absences. If you are absent most of the time, you will miss the
quizzes and the presentations. If you have to be absent, you are responsible
for asking your classmates about what you missed.
Class Courtesy. Turn off
all gadgets once you enter the classroom. Exceptions are laptops or tablets
used for presentations. If I catch you checking using gadgets in class, I will ask
you to leave the classroom. Avoid personal conversations while discussions
or presentations are ongoing. These distract the presenters and your other
classmates who take the discussions seriously.
Late Work. You are required
to turn in assigned work at the start of the class, or on the time specified. I do
not accept work submitted late.
Plagiarism. Plagiarism and other forms of
academic dishonesty will not be tolerated, and will result in a grade of 5.0,
plus the instructor’s option to file a disciplinary case.
Presentations. Each
group will be given 30 minutes for a presentation. Presentations should cover
but should not be limited to the texts listed in the attached Reading/Study
guide. Check other library and online resources.

Each group is to:
(1) provide a brief background on and the research

tradition of the theorist/s;
(2) summarize and interpret the key concepts of
the theory; and
(3) provide a research application of the theory by
discussing a journal article that uses the concepts in analyzing a specific
phenomenon. (Have your journal articles approved by the course instuctor at
least a week before your presentation.)
Failure to do (1), (2), and (3),
whether from lack of preparation or because of absence, will result in a grade
of 5.0 for this particular course requirement. Technical difficulties (e.g.
incompatible cables, software) are not acceptable excuses for the delay or
failure of your presentation. It is your responsibility to check beforehand that
everything is in order.
Proposal and Annotated Bibliography. The final
course requirement is (1) a proposal of a communication phenomenon you
wish to study, and a brief explanation of the theory best used in analyzing the
phenomenon (2 pages, excluding CMS reference list; 12 points TNR; double-
spaced); and (2) an annotated bibliography related to the topic of your choice
(5 literature: two books and three journal articles; 1 page per annotated
literature).
Recitation/Quizzes. Prepare to take a quiz at the start of the
class, on the theory/theories that will be presented by your classmates. The
quiz may be written or oral. Refer to the Reading List.
References. Some of
the references listed below are available at the Library. You will need to
photocopy some of the texts in the Reading/Study guide. Check the Internet
for other resources you may wish to share with the class; one link leads to
another. Two sites to check out for theories: Daniel Chandler < http://visual-
memory.co.uk/daniel/home.html> and the University of Twente
<http://www.utwente.nl/cw/theorieenoverzicht/>

References:

Ashcroft, Bill, Gareth Griffiths, and Helen Tiffin. 2007. Post-Colonial Studies:
The Key Concepts. 2nd ed. Oxon: Routledge.

Baran, Stanley, and Dennis K. Davis. 2010. Mass Commuication Theory:

Foundations, Ferment, and Future. 6th ed. Australia: Wadsworth Cengage
Learning.

Bhabha, Homi K. 2007. The Location of Culture. London & New York:
Routledge. Baudrillard, Jean. “The Precession of Simulacra”
(photocopy)
Excerpts from Bentham, Jeremy. “The Panopticon Writings”
(photocopy)
Griffin, Em. 2012. A First Look At Communication Theory. 8th
ed.New York: McGraw-Hill. Homi K. Bhabha (photocopy)

Jameson, Fredric. “Postmodernism and Consumer Society”

(photocopy)
Littlejohn, Stephen W. & Karen A. Foss. 2008. Theories of Human
Communication. California:

Wadsworth.
McQuail, Denis. 2010. McQuail’s Mass Communication Theory. 6th

ed. Los Angeles: Sage.

CEMFajardo/MRLAfable First Semester, 2019-2020