Communication Theorists

This section is continually under development.  If you have any theorists or theories to add, please contact us.

Theador Adorno	Frankfurt School - Critical Theory
Lois Althusser	Marxist Thinker
Irwin Altman	Social Penetration Theory
Aristotle	Rhetoric
Roland Barthes	Semiotics
Leslie Baxter	Relational Dialectics
Charles Berger	Uncertainty Reduction Theory
Earnest Bormann	Symbolic Convergence Theory (SCT)
Martin Buber	language-oriented communication
James Carey	Ritual Model
Noam Chomsky	theory of generative grammar and linguistics
Jesse Delia	Constructivism
Leon Festinger	Cognitive Dissonance Theory
Walter Fisher	Narrative Paradigm
Paulo Freire	philosophy of education, UNESCO 1986 Prize for Education for Peace
Clifford Geertz	Cultural Approach to Organizations
George Gerbner	Cultivation Theory
Antonio Gramsci	Hegemony
Jürgen Habermas	Frankfurt School, Critical Theory, American Pragmatism
Stuart Hall	Model of encoding and decoding of media discourses
Harold Innis	time biased (or binding) media and space biased (or binding) media
Irving Janis	Groupthink
Paul Lazarsfeld	"Founding Father" of Communication Studies. Administrative Research
Barbara Montgomery	Relational Dialectics
Marshall McLuhan	Technological Determinism
Herbert Mead	Symbolic Interactionism
Linda Putnam	Organizational Communication
Michael Pacanowsky	Cultural Approach to Organizations
Claude Shannon	Reception Model, Information Theory
Warren Weaver	Reception Model, Information Theory
Karl Weick	Informational Systems Approach to Organizations

 

Communications Theory Resources

Semiotics

Semiotics for Beginners

Communication Studies, Cultural Studies, Media Studies site

The Seven Traditions of Media Theory

Popcultures.Com

The Media and Communication Studies site

Media Studies.com

Theory.org.uk

List and links to communication programs throughout Canada

Canadian Media Research Consortium, Report Card on Canadian News.

 

Also see communication references