Communication Studies
Delve into the field of communication studies, which is a discipline that deals with human communication and behavior. The term communication refers chiefly to three types of communication: verbal (the sharing of information through speech), written (involving any type of message communicated through the written word), and nonverbal (communication without words, such as body language). Different types of communication include talking, typing an email, or smiling.
Communication studies stretches as far back as ancient Greece, when the study of rhetoric, the art of persuading others through public speaking, was considered an essential part of education. This classical tradition influenced the development of classes in rhetoric and oratory in the United States in the early 19th century. It became a more scientific field of study in the mid-20th century as scholars attempted to better understand the power of communication to influence others.
Communication studies straddles the fields of the social sciences and the humanities in its interest in both the methods of communicating as well as how messages are interpreted through political, cultural, economic, semiotic, hermeneutic, and social contexts. Since communication is ubiquitous in society, the application of communication studies is quite broad. Communication studies is often incorporated in other fields of study, such as journalism, film criticism, theater, public relations, and political science as well as a range of media such as radio, television, and film. Intercultural communication, which is a form of communication that aims to share information across different cultures and social groups, is becoming increasingly important in a global society.
Major organizations associated with communication studies include the Association for Business Communication, the Association of Schools of Journalism and Mass Communication, the International Communication Association, and the National Association for Media Literacy Education.