Current Projects
An Invitation to Communication Theory
This is a book project on "metadiscourse" (communication about communication) in theory and practice. It brings together my studies of public argument on topics like "dialogue," "rhetoric," "voice," and "argument" with my work in communication theory. I'm currently writing this book while developing material for it on my blog, metadiscourses.com
Communication Theory as a Field: The Constitutive Metamodel
This approach to communication theory has been a principle focus of my work since I first introduced it in a 1999 article, "Communication Theory as a Field." The idea is further developed in several later publications, including: "Pragmatism in the Field of Communication" (2007); Theorizing Communication: Readings Across Traditions (co-edited with Heidi L. Muller, 2007); "The Constitutive Metamodel: A 16-year Review" (2015).
My most recent work on this topic is "Traditions of communication theory and the potential for multicultural dialogue" (co-authored with Bingjuan Xiong, 2022). This article is concerned with the problem of "de-Westernizing" communication theory to include theories rooted in non-Western cultural traditions. We argue that the constitutive metamodel of communication theory can be used to facilitate multicultural dialogue in the field by extending it to incorporate non-western thought traditions, such as Confucianism and Buddhism.
Another great source for recent work on the constitutive metamodel is the book, Practicing Communication Theory: Exploring, Applying and Teaching the Constitutive Metamodel, edited by Marc H. Rich and Jessica R. Robles (Cognella, 2021)
Also of interest:
Online lecture presented to the University of the Philippines Open University, July 7, 2021
English version of "Beyond the Seven Traditions of Communication Theory" a 2022 interview with Otavio Daros, originally published in Portuguese.
Grounded Practical Theory
Grounded practical theory (GPT) is an approach to qualitative research and practical theory designed to address communication problems by generating ideas about how to act wisely in situations that present tensions and dilemmas.
Karen Tracy and I introduced the metatheory and methodology of GPT in a 1995 article in the journal, Communication Theory. Since then, GPT has been applied in numerous communication studies. We have continued to develop GPT and are available for presentations and workshops (contact me).
Our book, Grounded Practical Theory: Investigating Communication Problems (Cognella, 2021) presents an introduction, review, and major update of GPT, written for advanced communication students and a broad social science audience.
The following materials may also be useful:
Short course presented at the National Communication Association convention (2021)
Special issue of the Journal of Applied Communication Research (Volume 42, Number 3, August 2014)
Presentation to the Ethnography of Communication conference, Helsinki (2019)
Presentation to the International Association for Dialogue Analysis, Milwaukee (2019)