Communication Theory

The purpose of this paper is to examine two theoretical approaches from communication theory. Two theories I have selected to inform the reader are Technological Determinism and Genderlect Styles Theories. To my knowledge the reader has no idea of how these two communication theories operate. I will use the knowledge from class lectures and materials such as scholarly articles and online research to inform the reader of how these two theories can be effective in their communication skills. To gain a better understanding of technological determinism and genderlect styles theories it is appropriate to include examples from my research topic of Women and Information Technology However, Women and Information Technology. I will include a description of what makes a good objective/interpretive theory and the seven communication theory traditions, as well (this material will be included at end of the paper). The aim of this paper is to provide the reader with a better understanding in the area of communication theory. I will begin by offering the reader a brief description of what theory is. Theory: a working definition-an approach to a given phenomenon or set of phenomena that aims to: describe, explain, predict, or prescribe (Kelshaw, 2004, notes from class). Most people do not stop and think about how we communicate with each other (groups included too) and its meaning, as well. The average person views communication theories as useless, dull, boring, and insignificant in their everyday lives. Communication theory is pragmatic and is hard to describe by many scholars. However, according to the textbook, A First Look at Communication Theory, Em Griffin, (2003) "we cannot avoid using theories in our lives and theories do make our lives better (Griffin, 2003, p. 2)." Another example that describes communication theory comes from the textbook, Communication Theories: Origins · Methods · Uses, Werner J. Severin and James W. Tankard (1979). "Communication theories

References: Bilton, J. (1996). Technological Determinism. The UK Technology Education Centre. Retrieved December 9, 2004, from http://atschool.eduweb.co.uk/trinity/determin.html Griffin, E.A. (2003). A First look at communication theory (5th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill. Holmes, J., & Meyerhoff, M. (Eds.). (2003). The handbook of language and gender. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing Ltd. Kappelman, Todd. (2001). Marshall McLuhan: "The medium is the message". Probe Ministries. Retrieved December 6, 2004, from http://www.leaderu.com/orgs/probe/docs/mcluhan.html Severin, W., J. & Tankard, J., W. (1979). Communication theories: Origins, methods, uses. New York, NY: Hastings House, Publishers.