Introducing Communication Research: Paths of Inquiry
Web Resources
Click on the following links. Please note these will open in a new window.
Web Link 1: Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication
Description: The Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication is a nonprofit, educational association of journalism and mass communication educators, students and media professionals. The Association’s mission is to promote the highest possible standards for journalism and mass communication education, to cultivate the widest possible range of communication research, to encourage the implementation of a multi-cultural society in the classroom and curriculum, and to defend and maintain freedom of communication in an effort to achieve better professional practice and a better informed public.
Web Link 2: Canadian Communication Association
Description: Founded in 1980, the CCA is a national, bilingual organization that brings together teachers, researchers and professionals from the public and private sectors to promote the investigation of communication issues in Canada. The CCA seeks to advance communication research and studies in the belief that a better understanding of communication is crucial to building a vibrant society.
Web Link 3: Human Communication Research Centre, University of Edinburgh
Description: The Human Communication Research Centre is an interdisciplinary research center at the Universities of Edinburgh and Glasgow that brings together theories and methods from several formal and experimental disciplines to understand better how this happens. We focus on spoken and written language; we also study communication in other media—visual, graphical and computer-based.
Web Link 4: International Communication Association (ICA)
Description: ICA is an academic association for scholars interested in the study, teaching, and application of all aspects of human and mediated communication. ICA began more than 50 years ago as a small association of U.S. researchers and is now a truly international association with more than 4,500 members in 80 countries. Since 2003, ICA has been officially associated with the United Nations as a non-governmental association (NGO).
Web Link 5: National Communication Association (NCA)
Description: Defining the boundaries of human communication studies is difficult and a debate in its own right. The ICA, NCA, and AEJMC are three of several U.S. academic associations devoted to the study of communication. Looking at their websites (above) will give you an idea of the many areas of research specialization under the “communication umbrella.” By contrast, the HCRC site shows one of many institutions where communication studies are being re-conceptualized by bringing together such fields as computing, philosophy, psychology, and language studies.
Web Link 6: Pew Research Center Internet, Science & Tech Project
Description: The Pew Research Center Internet, Science & Tech Project studies how Americans use the Internet and how their online activities affect their lives. The project uses nationwide random phone surveys, online surveys, and qualitative research, along with data from government agencies, technology firms, academia, and other expert venues. You should become familiar with this site, and the Pew Research Center more generally, as we will refer to it throughout this book.