Communication in the 2020s: How Communication Studies Makes Sense of Our Times

This book provides an inside look at the discipline of Communication. In this collection of chapters, top scholars from a wide range of subfields discuss how they have experienced and how they study the crucial issues of our time.

The 2020s opened with a series of events with massive implications for the ways we communicate, from the COVID-19 pandemic, a summer of protests for social justice, and climate change-related natural disasters, to one of the most contentious presidential elections in modern U.S. history. The chapters in this book provide snapshots of many of these issues as seen through the eyes of specialists in the major subfields of Communication, including interpersonal, organizational, strategic, environmental, religious, social justice, risk, sport, health, family, instructional, and political communication. Written in an informal style that blends personal narrative with accessible explanation of basic concepts, the book is ideal for introducing students to the range and practical applications of Communication discipline.

This book comprises a valuable companion text for Introduction to Communication courses as well as a primary resource for Capstone and Introduction to Graduate Studies courses. Further, this collection provides meaningful insights for Communication scholars as we look ahead to the remainder of the 2020s and beyond.

Christina S. Beck is Professor of Communication at Ohio University and Past President of the National Communication Association and the Central States Communication Association.