A Forum: Six Approaches to the Introductory Communication Course

During the 1990 Speech Communication Association Convention in Chicago, the Basic Course Committee sponsored a program to discuss five popular approaches to the introductory communication course. These included the public speaking course, the hybrid or blend course, the interpersonal communication course, the introductory communication theory course and the business and professional speaking course. During the exchanges between the presenters and the 80 audience members, it was noted the group communication course was conspicuously absent but was added for this volume

Editor\u27s Page

I am excited about this inaugural Basic Course Annual. The essays published in this volume are exciting and form a solid foundation upon which future editions will rest. There are a variety of essays included, some related to the history of the basic course, others offering insights into basic course pedagogy, and others discussing the administration of multisectioned basic communication courses

Introduction to Cultural Diversity in the Basic Course: Differing Points of View

The scholars participated in the one-day seminar and submitted their papers for wider dissemination through the Basic Communication Course Annual. Each participant approaches cultural diversity in the basic communication course from their own frame of reference. The manuscripts include theoretical approaches to cultural diversity, rationales for the importance of integrating cultural diversity in the basic course, teaching tips and assignments for integrating diversity, and an analysis of some textbooks specifically prepared for the basic communication course

Editor\u27s Page

This volume is the result of a lot of hard work by the authors and the editorial board. When we changed the submission date to get The Annual to press earlier in the year, it meant we had to have submissions sooner than expected, reviews turned around quickly and revisions made as soon as possible. Everyone cooperated in getting this edition of The Annual out following the publisher\u27s deadlines. I will be forever grateful for everyone\u27s hard work, patience and understanding through this process

The Debate on the Uses of Practical Theory Continues

The first two essays by Spano and Hickson (Basic Communication Course Annual 8, 1996) involved some crucial issues about where the basic communication course stands in relation to theory, research, and practice. In this second round, specific examples are discussed by Spano. Hickson attempts to contextualize them. Such specificity involves delineating the nature of communication theory from a pragmatic perspective, not ideological from either a phenomenological not a positivistic stance. The importance of context is stressed and outlined as an aspect of human nature—perhaps the element which separates us from other living beings

Editor\u27s Page

This volume is the result of tremendous dedication and the ongoing belief in the need to provide a publication outlet for research and information dedicated solely to the basic communication course. Many people have contributed their time, energy and talents to this volume. I first want to recognize the excellent work provided by the Editorial Board who worked to meet my deadlines and provide useful feedback to the authors to help them revise and/or resubmit their research. Without excellent cooperation from each of the reviewers, the annual would not be complete

A Commentary: The Basic Communication Course, General Education and Assessment

The importance of developing student communication skills in a general education program is a focal point of each college and university accrediting agency in the United States. However, course directors and faculty frequently find themselves at the center of a controversy when trying to include a basic communication course in skill development in a general education program. This article develops a case for the inclusion of a basic communication course in a general education program

Communication Competence: A Commentary

There have been many attempts to identify communication competence by communication scholars. Many attempts in determining definitions have focused on action definitions (speaker-defined competence) and reaction definitions (listener defined competence). In agreeing that communication is transactional, communication competence should be held to the same standard. Communication competence must be viewed as a joint effort by all participants in a situation; not as solely dependent on the communicator or the listener). Public speaking evaluation forms attempt to measure communication competence of the speaker only. A recent attempt is The Competent Speaker Speech Evaluation Form (1992). This form identifies 8 competencies for the public speaker. These competencies offer the same problems to users that other forms have. These include: (1) the discrimination of the different levels of competence, (2) the subjective judgments from the teacher\u27s point of view to the audience as a whole, and (3) the cultural narrowness of the descriptions of the competencies

Commentary: The Research Foundation for Instruction in the Beginning Public Speaking Course

The history of public speaking instruction is rooted in classical rhetorical theories. There is a lack of recent communication research findings cited in textbooks to support instruction in the beginning public speaking course. This research examined five leading public speaking texts in the hopes of finding contemporary communication research findings to support the advice given to students. This survey reveals little research being cited in beginning public speaking texts. The authors conclude with a discussion of reasons why research is not cited and offer communication scholars a challenge to conduct research to support pedagogical claims