Theories of Human Communication

Dr. Littlejohn does a masterful job of describing the various theories in human communication. The book is divided into manageable segments which place the theorists into understandable blocks. Before introducing the various theories, however, he discusses the nature of academic inquiry and what theory building is all about.

His various categories of theories include: general theories, thematic theories, and contextual theories. A person familiar with the writers in these various categories will find this book easy to follow, however beginning students need to be prepared to spend a little extra time with some of this material as it can be challenging when you're exposed to it initially.

It is a very intense book on multiple communication theories. Also a very good book if a person is studying in the communications field. Although, the overviews of each theory is brief, it makes room for most communication theories in the field. (For more in-depth information on some theories, you would want to consult a Communications Journal.)