SELECT AN EDITION:
9th EDITION   10th EDITION   11th EDITION
A First Look at Communication Theory Reveal main menu
 

The screen on this device is not wide enough to display Theory Resources. Try rotating the device to landscape orientation to see if more options become available.

Resources available to all users:

  • Text Comparison—theories covered in A First Look and ten other textbooks
  • Theory Overview—abstract of each chapter
  • Self-Help Quizzes—for student preparation
  • Chapter Outlines
  • Key Names—important names and terms in each chapter
  • Conversation Videos—interviews with theorists
  • Application Logs—student application of theories
  • Essay Questions—for student prepatation
  • Suggested Movie Clips—tie-in movie scenese to theories
  • Links—web resources related to each chapter
  • Primary Sources—for each theory with full chapter coverage
  • Further Resources—bibliographic and other suggestions
  • Changes—for each theory, since the previous edition
  • Theory Archive—PDF copies from the last edition in which a theory appeared

Resources available only to registered instructors who are logged in:

  • Discussion Suggestions
  • Exercises & Activities
  • PowerPoint® presentations you can use
  • Short Answer Quizzes—suggested questions and answers

Information for Instructors. Read more


Resources
by Type


Instructors can get additional
resources. Read more









 POP CULTURE CONNECTIONS






New to Theory Resources?
Find out more in this
short video overview (3:01).

CHANGE TO View by Theory
Pop Culture Connections
11th Edition

Some of the suggested connections come from references in the Instructors Manual, others have been added to the website (only chapters with suggested connectons are shown below).

NOTE: Pop Culture Connections is new with Edition 11, replacing Suggested Movie Clips and Links from previous editions. If you change to Edition 9 or 10 you will be directed to the Movie Clips page.

List mode: Normal (click on theory name to show detail) | Show All details | Clear details

Chapter 21—Symbolic Convergence Theory

Close

Title:
"Gee, Officer Krupke," Leonard Bernstein & Stephen Sondheim, West Side Story (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, 2021)
Claim:
Sharing group fantasies creates symbolic convergence.
Application:
Gang members in the Jets are hassled by the gruff New York police Sergeant Krupke. In the song, they mimic and chain out in a host of dramatized messages that others have offered to explain why they are punks. These “there and then” comments include their mothers being junkies, fathers being drunks, that they have a social disease, aren’t loved, and are depraved because they’re deprived. Convergence is evident in the “Jets” song (xx:xx), where gang members proclaim they’re a band of brothers until the day they die. Everyone stays together until then.
Link:
https://open.spotify.com/track/4heApOXZ0X5Vm8AnRCJtWR?si=fa246dfefa164c4b
Discovered  By:
Em

Title:
"Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince," Taylor Swift, Lover
Claim:
Rhetorical vision
Application:
Taylor Swift wrote this song as an allegory about the election and presidency of Donald Trump, using the imagery of a high school football game to imagine American politics in a creative and memorable way.
Link:
https://open.spotify.com/track/214nt20w5wOxJnY462klLw?si=56ad9cba8fbd414e
Discovered  By:
Andrew

Title:
Big Bang Theory, S7, E22, "The Proton Transmogrification"
Claim:
Sharing group fantasies creates cohesion.
Application:
Among the group of friends, Star Wars is a big deal, and their enthusiasm for Star Wars Day is apparent. As they discuss the symbolic cue that sparks their group fantasy, it is apparent that Penny does not consider herself to be a part of that rhetorical community.
Link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7buwQyO6J2k
Discovered  By:
Richie (Andrew's student)

Title:
Gilmore Girls, S1, E5, "Cinnamon's Wake"
Claim:
Some dramatizing messages fall flat, but others ignite and trigger a chain reaction.
Application:
When Lorelia makes a joke, her mother Emily misses the point... or does she? Wait until the end of the clip to see the chain reaction.
Link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_t0aH4pbCI&t=4s
Discovered  By:
Andrew

Title:
Any Given Sunday
Claim:
Symbolic convergence is when two or more private symbol worlds incline toward each other, come more closely toegether, or even overlap; group consciousness, cohesiveness.
Application:
In this clip, fictional coach Tony D'Amato (Al Pacino) delivers a passionate speech to his team. the key dramatizing message involves inches as a key element of life and football--perhaps inches serves as a metaphor for both. You'll see the fantasy chain reaction among the players, and hear Coach D'Amato's appeal to team unity--what the theory says will be the outcome of group fantasies such as this.
Link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1yWSePMqsk
Cue Point:
Locker room speech
Discovered  By:
Andrew

Title:
Parks and Recreation, S3, E1, "Go Big or Go Home"
Claim:
Group members' meanings, emotions, motives, and actions are apparent in their fantasy themes.
Application:
When Ron Swanson coaches a boys' basketball team, he uses it as an opportunity to communicate his vision of masculinity to his players. He does this through his "Pyramid of Greatness," a rather whimsical way to communicate what he believes are a man's ideal meanings, emotions, motives, and actions.
Link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0m-6I2BpXA
Cue Point:
0:00-0:50
Discovered  By:
Andrew

Title:
"The Impact of Colin Kaepernick's National Anthem Kneel", NFL Network
Claim:
A rhetorical vision is a composite drama that catches up large groups of people into a common symbolic reality.
Application:
This video documents NFL athlete Colin Kaepernick's practice of sitting or taking the knee during the national anthem, an act he did to protest racial injustice, particularly that perpetrated by police officers. This practice created a rhetorical community that joined him, and also met criticism by a rhetorical community that opposed him.
Link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddTRuCsyQCA
Discovered  By:
Andrew

Title:
"Miss Americana & the Heartbreak Prince", Taylor Swift, Lover
Claim:
A dramatizing message involves creative interpretations of events.
Application:
Taylor Swift wrote this song as an allegory about the election and presidency of Donald Trump, using the imagery of a high school football game to imagine American politics in a creative and memorable way.
Link:
https://open.spotify.com/track/214nt20w5wOxJnY462klLw?si=5f64bc15fb1f41fb
Discovered  By:
Andrew

Close

You can access the Essay Questions for a particular chapter in several ways:

  • Switch to View by Theory, then select the desired theory/chapter from the drop-down list at the top of the page. Look in the list of available resources.
  • To quickly find a theory by chapter number, use the Table of Contents and link from there. It will take you directly to the theory with available options highlighted.
  • You can also use the Theory List, which will take you directly to the theory with available options highlighted.

Back to top



Resources
by Type

 TYPE INFO

Instructors can get
additional resources.
Read more






 VIDEOS


 ESSAY






New to Theory
Resources?
Find out more
in this short
video overview
(3:01).

CHANGE TO View by Theory
Theory Resources by Type
11th Edition

This view let's you explore all of the available resources for chapters in A First Look at Communication Theory. In some cases, you will see everything available, in others you will see a sample and then you can go to Resources by Theory for specific resources.

<< Select a resource type from the choices at the left
      OR switch to View by Theory to see the options for a specific theory

Instructors who are logged in will see several additional resources.
Find out about instructor registration.

Some content is updated between editions (most typical are Application Logs, Movie Clips, Links, and Further Resources). If you notice any errors or have suggestions, please use the Contact Us form.



 
 
 
Home  McGraw-Hill—How to get copies of A First Look  Information for Instructors  Meet the Authors
Compare Comm Theory Texts  Viewing Hints & Troubleshooting  Changes in the 11th Edition 
Contact Us  Instructor Login 
 
 

Copyright © Em Griffin 2024 | Web design by Graphic Impact