20th-Century’s Major Changes in Communication Studies & the
Formation of Professional Bodies/Departments
Major Changes in Communication Studies (20th Century)
Communication studies evolved from a scattered field into a formal academic discipline
driven by social, technological, and intellectual shifts:
Early 1900s: Roots in rhetoric, psychology, and sociology (e.g., Walter Lippmann’s work
on public opinion and media influence).
1920s–1940s: Rise of "mass communication" as radio and film became dominant — key
theories emerged (e.g., hypodermic needle model, two-step flow).
1950s–1960s: Disciplinary formalization with new frameworks (e.g., agenda-setting,
uses and gratifications) and a focus on empirical research.
1970s–1980s: Expansion into critical theory, cultural studies, and intercultural
communication; critique of media power and representation.
1990s: Digital revolution transformed the field, emphasizing new media, online
communication, and global connectivity.
Formation of Professional Organizations & Communication Departments
Academic Departments: The first formal communication departments emerged in the
U.S. in the 1920s–1930s (e.g., University of Illinois’ Department of Communication in
1920). Growth accelerated post-WWII as universities recognized the need to train
professionals for media, public relations, and journalism. By the late 20th century,
departments existed worldwide, often integrating subfields like journalism, media
studies, and speech communication.
Professional Organizations: These formed to standardize the field, facilitate research,
and connect scholars/practitioners. Key examples include:
International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR, founded
1957)
National Communication Association (NCA, U.S., founded 1914 as the National
Association of Academic Teachers of Public Speaking)
International Communication Association (ICA, founded 1950 as the National
Society for the Study of Communication)
References:
Books
1. Gehrke, P. J. (Ed.). (2017). Microhistories of Communication Studies: Mapping the
Future of Communication through Local Narratives. Routledge.
Focuses on small-scale stories (e.g., departmental origins, individual scholars) that
shape the discipline’s macro history, including details on professional bodies and
curricula.
2. Gehrke, P. J., & Keith, W. M. (Eds.). (2014). A Century of Communication Studies: The
Unfinished Conversation. Routledge.
Published for the National Communication Association’s (NCA) centennial, it chronicles
the discipline’s evolution, including the NCA’s history and key theoretical shifts.
3. Carey, J. T. (2009). Communication as Culture: Essays on Media and Society (Rev. ed.).
Routledge.
A foundational work on the "ritual model" of communication, critical to understanding
20th-century debates about media and culture.
4. McQuail, D. (Ed.). (2002). McQuail’s Reader in Mass Communication Theory (6th ed.).
Sage.
Compiles classic and contemporary theories, tracing the rise of mass communication as
a subfield and its connection to disciplinary formalization.
Journal Articles
1. Kunsch, M. M. K., & Oliveira, P. R. N. de. (2009). The Relationship Between the
Academy and Professional Organizations in the Development of Organizational
Communication. Management Communication Quarterly, 22(4), 655–662.
[Link]
Examines how academic departments and professional associations (e.g., in Brazil)
interacted to shape organizational communication as a field.
Indexed in Google Scholar.
2. Malone, E. A. (2015). Women Organizers of the First Professional Associations in
Technical Communication. Technical Communication Quarterly, 24(2), 119–141.
[Link]
Highlights the role of women in founding technical communication associations in the
1940s–1950s, a neglected aspect of professionalization.
Indexed in Google Scholar.
3. Asher, B. (1994). The Professional Vision: Conflicts over Journalism Education, 1900–
1950. American Journalism, 11(4), 304–320.
Explores tensions between academic training and professional practice in early
journalism departments, linking to the rise of mass communication programs.
Indexed in Google Scholar.