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Communication teachers have long been concerned with the development of students' oral communication competencies. Regrettably, public speaking remains one of the most feared communicative contexts. Though there has been extensive interest in cognitive/behavioral strategies for alleviating communication apprehension, there has been surprisingly little descriptive pedagogical research conducted on the subject within actual classroom settings. This qualitative case study examines the way one communication teacher dealt with issues of student reticence and fear in her introductory public speaking courses through the use of humanistic, student-centered principles. Findings reveal that her pedagogy emphasized (a) the expression of feelings and emotions, (b) prizing the whole student, and (c) intrinsic motivational learning. Implications for communication instruction and pedagogical research are considered.

Courses: Group and Team Communication, Communication Theory, Rhetorical/Media Criticism. Objectives: The aims of this single-class activity are to (1) illustrate the basic concepts, processes, and properties of symbolic convergence theory; (2) apply fantasy theme analysis to the decision-making practices of a zero-history group; and (3) critically consider the communicative implications of fantasy chaining in the development of a shared group consciousness.

Courses: Introduction to Communication Studies, Rhetorical/Media Criticism, Political Communication, Language and Social Interaction. Objectives: The aims of this single-class activity are (1) to emphasize the complexities of communication competence; (2) to differentiate between appropriate and inappropriate communication behaviors; and (3) to illustrate the connections between situational rules, norms, and context, and communication effectiveness.

This essay presents a critical commentary on McCroskey et al.'s (2004) general model of instructional communication. In particular, five points are examined which make explicit and problematize the meta-theoretical assumptions of the model. Comments call attention to the limitations of the model and argue for a broader approach to instructional communication research. It is hoped that these observations will facilitate continued intellectual curiosity in philosophical matters related to instructional communication, as well as provide conceptual resources for pedagogical inquiry and development.

A critical task for communication educators is preparing students with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes for active and responsible participation within a rapidly changing global community. Given the complex nature of the challenges citizens will tackle in this century, there is a pressing need for educational approaches that will cultivate more dynamic and systemic understandings of cross-cultural messages, social experiences, and civic participation. This teacher-research study reports the findings of a semester-long project in which conflictual content and group dialogue were utilized to promote critical reflection and transformative learning among college students in a small group communication class. A qualitative methodology and interpretive framework were used to collect and analyze the data. The analysis of data indicated three general findings: an enhanced sense of ambiguity and complexity, instances of adult learning and trans- formative development and influences on the classroom environment. Educational possibilities for transformative learning experiences are examined, and implications are discussed for theory and practice in communication education. (Contains 3 endnotes.)

Whereas the extant literature on critical pedagogy is ripe with discussions of resistance to oppressive conditions, only modest attention has been devoted to resistance to consciousness-raising education. Drawing on a [...]

This rhetorical analysis examines the first general election debate from the 2012 U. S. presidential campaign between President Barack Obama and former Massachusetts Governor Willard "Mitt" Romney. Riding a comfortable lead in the polls, expectations were that a decisive debate performance by Obama might put the election out of reach for his Republican challenger. Romney's strong debate showing, however, erased Obama's lead and helped him emerge as a stronger candidate on key issues. Using value analysis as a theoretical lens, this essay considers the ways the candidates appealed to dominant cultural values in their political arguments and contemplates the persuasive role these values may have played toward the perceived outcome of the debate. The analysis highlights commonalities, as well as unique rhetorical differences between Obama and Romney. Obama's major persuasive emphases were on the value premises of efficiency/practicality and equality of opportunity, while Romney appealed strongly to the rejection/mistrust of government authority. Implications for value analysis in political debate messaging are offered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This qualitative investigation examined the semester long effects of a critical transformative pedagogy on students' metaphorical understandings of conflict interaction. The approach, based upon the precepts of critical communication pedagogy and transformative learning theory, was designed to cultivate critical awareness and social critique on normalized conflict discourses, as well as expand consideration of alternative modes for expressing and negotiating differences. The study included five university conflict management seminars taught over a four year period. Findings revealed that (a) while most students entered the course with predominantly negative and oppositional perceptions of conflict, the use of a critical transformative pedagogy did indeed (b) help support new metaphorical understandings of conflict interaction and (c) supported instances of personal empowerment and expanded self-knowledge. Implications and suggestions for future research are considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A principal aim of intercultural education is preparing citizens with the knowledge, attitudes, and practices necessary for living and participating within a more pluralistic, interdependent world. One issue receiving increased attention by scholars and practitioners within the field of communication focuses on the importance of establishing empathic connections in situations where intercultural competence is a major relational goal. Because college campuses are microcosms of society, the diversity that naturally occurs within university classrooms provides critical opportunities for facilitating multicultural learning experiences and cross-cultural relationships. Toward this end, this essay considers pedagogical approaches for promoting empathic intercultural understanding in adult and higher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study that was conducted to provide students with a reality over identifying and characterizing dialectical situations which uses radio call-in programs as the basis of analysis. It discuses first on how the call-in programs become popular and how psychologist got involved in the program, and gives then the instruction on how to conduct the activity. It concludes that students were able to investigate the theory and practical connections among human emotion and music as well as connects the theories with real conflicts.