Chapter Overview:

This introduction to communication studies is the perspective of the authors. This is an important point to understand because the authors access the information from their studies and research in communication studies. There are many ways to talk about communication studies and what is important in communication studies but the authors present their ideas, their agenda, and their frame of issues and ideas they find important. Therefore, they would like you to read this material

Chapter Goals:

• Identify central concerns of communication study from a critical perspective
• Begin critical interrogation of communication phenomena
• Explore how communication is linked to culture and power
• Distinguish between communication as representation and communication as constitutive
• Define public advocacy and explore how to build a message for an audience

Chapter Outline:

1. The Foundations of Our Dialogue: Terms and Common Understandings
2. Words for Change: The Power of Communication
3. Public Advocacy: Process and Responsibilities
   
   1. Communication as Process
   2. Responsibility as Communicators