Review
“I believe students will relate extremely well to the writing. The fact that the authors offer up their stories gives this textbook a unique and welcomed quality that sets it above others. The text is accessible without being elementary, and the content is important and timely. I’ve been looking for a book that addresses the nuances of culture and takes a critical approach to communication, and I believe I’ve found it!” -- Sandy Pensoneau-Conway Published On: 2010-07-16
“I like that interpersonal communication is explained as communication between people who have some sort of stake in one another. I can’t help but think of what a difference it would make if all of our students thought of communication in this way. In like manner, to frame interpersonal communication as the intersection of self, Other and culture is really useful…. This book is making me think.” -- Sarah Bonewits Feldner Published On: 2010-09-20
“The goals of this text are laudable and refreshing. I think its social justice focus is appropriate in demonstrating and motivating advocacy. The critical framework is exceptional, placing the theories in a perspective that is consistently maintained throughout the text. This approach is long overdue.” -- Reeze Hanson Published On: 2010-07-16
“The greatest benefit of this book is its sophisticated treatment of a wide range of communication concepts from interpersonal to public speaking. The narrative examples make this a more readable text for introductory level students without skimping on challenging concepts.” -- Keith Nainby Published On: 2010-07-16
“The uniqueness of this work’s mission and the specific ways it gets enacted, the personalized nature of the authors’ narratives, the relevant examples, the use of often avoided topics in intro communication texts, and the ways these topics get treated with depth, respect and precision…. these are the key contributions of this book.” -- Keith Berry Published On: 2010-07-16
“This is the book that I have been waiting for. It respects students and interrogates theory. The critical approach teaches students to independently consider communication in all forms. The central message that knowledge allows us to change is fundamental to my teaching philosophy. This text would actually be read by my students and would support what I teach in lecture.” -- John B. Ryan Published On: 2010-07-16
“The authors’ style is conversational, non-didactic, and the approach encourages critical thinking.… The great advantage of this text is that it will help foster dialogic communication in the classroom and a high degree of student reflection.” -- Don Rubin Published On: 2010-07-16
This text uses a narrative approach to situate communication concepts within contexts. I really like the central theories, issues focus, narrative style, and public address and activism features. These make the book unique and, I believe, engaging both for seasoned instructors and for students.… It could prove very fun to teach from. -- Deanna Sellnow Published On: 2010-07-16
About the Author
John T. Warren (Late) was professor of Speech Communication at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale. His major research and teaching centered in Communication Pedagogy, Performance Studies, and Communication and Critical/Cultural Studies. He was the author of numerous books including Performing Purity: Whiteness, Pedagogy and the Reconstitution of Power; Casting Gender: Women and Performance in Intercultural Contexts; Critical Communication Pedagogy; and the SAGE Handbook of Communication and Instruction. He also authored articles for several education and communication studies journals, including Educational Theory, Communication Education, and Text and Performance Quarterly. Deanna L. Fassett is Department Chair and professor of communication pedagogy at San Jose State University where she has, since 2002, mentored her department's graduate student instructors. She is the author and editor of three other books: Coordinating the Communication Course: A Guidebook, Critical Communication Pedagogy, The SAGE Handbook of Communication and Instruction, and Communication: A Critical/Cultural Introduction, Second Edition. Her published research has appeared in a broad array of communication studies journals, including Basic Communication Course Annual, Communication Education, Liminalities: A Journal of Performance Studies, and Text and Performance Quarterly.
