Survey of Communication Study/Part II

Specializations of Communication Study

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ow that you have a general understanding of what the field of Communication is, its history, verbal and nonverbal communication, and its theoretical and research approaches, we want to introduce you to a number of its specializations. Communication is a broad and diverse field. One way to understand it better is to understand the individual specializations that make up what we call Communication. There is not enough room in this text to introduce you to all of the interesting specializations in our field. Therefore, we have decided to stay consistent with the chronological development of specializations as presented in Chapter 4 and highlight ones that still have prominent focus on campuses today. Thus, we present the areas of specializations in their historical and chronological context. There is often disagreement by those in our field as to what areas of specialization to include or not include in these types of textbooks (e.g. mass communication, new technologies, instructional communication, etc.). We have made strategic choices to include those specializations that have followed the historical path of the field from ancient times, through the 20th century, to the present. Hence, the order of the chapters in Part II follows the chronological introduction and development of the specializations that are still highly researched and practiced today in Communication.