Communication Studies
Book Collections & Textbooks
Arguing Using Critical Thinking
"Critical thinking is a series learned skills. In each chapter of this book you will find a variety of skills that will help you improve your thinking and argumentative ability. As you improve, you will grow into a more confident person being more in charge of your world and the decisions you make." Authored by Jim Marteney, Professor Emeritus (Communication Studies) at Los Angeles Valley College. [CC BY-NC]
Communication: Fundamentals for the Workplace
designed to guide college students in developing the vital communication skills that are necessary to succeed in the modern workplace. [CC BY]
Communication in the Real World: An Introduction to Communication Studies
chapters include real-life examples of communication concepts; covers communication theory and skill-building and integration of content regarding diversity and organizational communication in each chapter through examples and/or discrete sub-sections; comprehensive about introductory communication with five primary types: intrapersonal, interpersonal, group, public, and mass communication. [CC BY-NC-SA]
Exploring Public Speaking - 4th Edition
for basic public speaking courses or courses that include basic public speaking skills as one of their primary learning outcomes; covers learning theory, plagiarism, speaking online, speaking to diverse audiences, and humor in public speaking. [CC BY-NC-SA]
Intercultural Communication
examines culture as a variable in interpersonal and collective communication and explores the opportunities and problems arising from similarities and differences in communication patterns, processes, and codes among various cultural groups; explores cultural universals, social categorization, stereotyping and discrimination, with a focus on topics including race, ethnicity, social class, religion, gender and sexuality as they relate to communication [CC BY-NC-SA]
Logical Reasoning
Chapters include: How to Reason Logically; Writing to Convince Others; Detecting Fallacies; Aristotelian Logic and Venn-Euler Diagrams; Reasoning about Causes and Their Effects; Scientific Reasoning [CC BY-NC-SA]
Primer on Communication Studies
heavily adapted title made accessible in 2012. The author of A Primer on Communication Studies is unknown; editor: Victoria Leonard; published by Creative Commons. [CC BY-NC-SA]
Writing for Strategic Communication Industries
emphasizes practical applications of academic inquiry to help readers improve their writing skills. Includes: Discussion of different writing styles and techniques; examples of communication materials such as press releases, creative briefs, feature articles, and more; embedded videos of insights from communication professionals; tips on pitching to the media. [CC BY-NC]
Repositories & Research
- Frontiers in Communication: peer-reviewed open journal with “research in a range of key areas, including Political, Health, Culture, and Science and Environmental Communication.” Includes Journals, Research Topics, and Articles sections. [CC BY]
- Social Media Fact Sheet (Pew Resaerch Center): a data and visual analytic fact sheet showing how “Americans use social media to connect with one another, engage with news content, share information and entertain themselves; shows “patterns and trends shaping the social media landscape over the past decade.”
Videos