COMS 201 Study Guide - Final Guide: Rationality, Sextet, Social Forces

• School: University of Calgary
• Department: Communications Studies
• Course: COMS 201
• Professor: Samantha Thrift

Document Summary

Informational, does not focus on human motivations, feelings, etc. , very heuristic, has utility, testable, and parsimonious. Communication: systemic process, individuals interact with and through symbols to create and interprets meanings. Anything that abstractly signifies something is a symbol. We actively construct meaning working with symbols. George herbert mead (1934: without interaction with others, children cannot learn what it means to be human & cannot develop their identity as human. Cultural: talk is the essence of relational maintenance . Must understand rituals & specialized language that define their group. Life depends on ability to listen to range of perspectives & to communicate in variety of ways. The more personally we interact, the more personal the communication is. Recognizing & respecting different communication cultures increase effectiveness in pluralistic society. Symbols are the basis of language, thinking, and much nonverbal behaviour. Symbols are abstract & ambiguous = no clear meanings. Enable to live continuously in past, present & future.