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Human Communication: The Basic Course, 14th edition

Published by Pearson (May 1, 2019) © 2018

  • Joseph A. DeVito Hunter College of the City University of New York

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For courses in Introduction to Communication.

A comprehensive overview of communication theory, research and skills

Human Communication: The Basic Course provides an in-depth look at the fundamental concepts and principles of human communication. Writing for students with little prior background in the discipline, author Joseph DeVito provides the foundation needed for more specialized study of interpersonal, small group and organizational communication, as well as public speaking.

The 14th Edition continues to reflect the crucial role of culture in all forms of human communication. New Cultural Map features illustrate and explain cultural differences on a wide variety of issues.

Hallmark features of this title

  • Communication Choice Points Journaling Prompts emphasize that mastering the concept of choice is essential to achieving communication competence.
  • Understanding Theory and Research boxes explain how we know what we know about communication, and introduce a variety of theories and research findings.
  • Making Ethical Choices boxes reveal the importance of ethical issues to communication, and encourage students to think about their own ethical systems.
  • Coverage of social media throughout the text explains the ways computer-mediated communication has changed the way we communicate.
  • Media Literacy boxes focus on how to understand, analyze, and create media messages.
  • Viewpoints photo captions prompt readers to consider a variety of communication issues.

New and updated features of this title

  • NEW: Many of the chapters have been reorganized into 3 to 5 main sections, a structure that is more conducive to learning and retention. These changes help the text narrative flow more freely, make the text more easily adaptable to different teaching and learning styles.
  • NEW: Summary tables and bulleted lists throughout the text summarize major sections, making it easier for students to review and retain key information.
  • NEW: Cultural Map features illustrate and explain cultural differences on a wide variety of issues.

Highlights of the DIGITAL UPDATE for Revel (available for Spring 2020 classes)

Instructors, contact your sales rep to ensure you have the most recent version of the course.

  • UPDATED: Additional videos have been incorporated throughout the text on topics such as improving confidence on camera and balancing group roles. In addition, the text includes new Explainer public speaking videos.
  • UPDATED: Additional interactive video self-checks focus on topics such as ethical communication in groups and learning to listen across cultures
  • UPDATED: Interactive cultural maps highlight major cultural differences, such as ambiguity tolerance and masculine or feminine orientation, and illustrate how they impact communication around the world. The cultural maps have been converted into more engaging interactives for the Digital Update.

Features of Revel for the 14th Edition; published 2017

  • MediaShare integration enables students and instructors to easily share and comment on speeches, as well as other videos, images and more. Users can upload original content for peer and instructor feedback or embed YouTube content with just a few clicks.
  • Audio excerpts throughout the text highlight effective speech examples and reinforce learning.
  • Interactive figures help students visualize, and thus better understand, hard-to-grasp concepts.

PART I: FOUNDATIONS OF HUMAN COMMUNICATION
1. Fundamentals of Human Communication
2. Culture and Communication
3. Perception of Self and Others
4. Listening in Human Communication
5. Verbal Messages
6. Nonverbal Messages

PART II: INTERPERSONAL, SMALL GROUP, AND ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION
7. Interpersonal Communication and Conversation
8. Interpersonal Relationship Stages and Theories
9. Friends, Lovers, and Families
10. Small Group Communication
11. Members and Leaders
12. Human Communication in the Workplace: Organizational Communication
13. Interpersonal, Group, and Workplace Conflict

PART III: PUBLIC SPEAKING
14. Public Speaking Topics, Audiences, and Research
15. Supporting and Organizing Your Speech
16. Style and Delivery in Public Speaking
17. The Informative Speech
18. The Persuasive Speech

About our authors

Joseph A. DeVito received a BA from Hunter College in 1960 (with a major in speech and a minor in Spanish), an MA from Temple University in 1962 (with a major in speech along with some sociology), and a PhD from the University of Illinois in 1964 (with a major in speech and a minor in linguistics). After receiving his PhD, DeVito returned to his alma mater, Hunter College-in-the-Bronx (which later became Lehman College), to teach. Later, he moved to Queens College and then to Hunter (from which he retired from full-time teaching), all within the City University of New York. During his teaching career, DeVito taught a wide variety of undergraduate and graduate courses, with a concentration on the undergraduate level and mainly on the introductory courses.

At various times, DeVito has served on the editorial boards of Quarterly Journal of Speech, Communication Monographs, Communication Education, Communication Quarterly, Journal of Communication, and Etc: A Review of General Semantics. He has also served as consulting editor to publishers Random House, Harper & Row, Waveland Press and HarperCollins. He also served as ETS coordinator of the committee to construct the DANTES Public Speaking Test for the Educational Testing Service. A prolific author, DeVito has written or edited more than 20 books in the field of communication, including The Interpersonal Communication Book, Human Communication: The Basic Course and Essentials of Human Communication, all published by Pearson.

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