Discussion Questions
Chapter 2: Theory Development
1. The field of communication can lie in both the humanities and in the social
sciences. Where is the department of communication situated at your institution?
How does that impact the perception people have of the department?
2. Imagine you were designing a field experiment in the student union on campus.
What would be the pros and cons of this approach in that location? Imagine you
3. What communication topic would be more useful to examine using a focus group
instead of a one-on-one interview? Why? What communication topic would be
4. As the text states, ethnography is a form of research where researchers immerse
themselves in a particular environment or situation to learn about that specific
community. What role does ethics play in this type of study?
5. Changes in technology are taking place almost every day, and many of those
changes affect the way we communicate. How do you think the current
theoretical explanations we have for communication will change to accommodate
these new advances?