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COMM 230G: Introduction to Communication Theory: Primary Sources

This guide is focused on the research assignment for COMM 230G.

Your assignment may ask you to include a primary source (an article or book written by the theorist who created the communication theory you are using). This page highlights some primary sources in the library collection that may be helpful for you. You will also find suggestions for how to search for primary sources in the library collections. 

For more help with finding other books or articles for this assignment, see the Finding Books and Finding Scholarly and Peer-Reviewed Articles pages of this guide. 

Primary Source Books in the Library Collection

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When Prophecy Fails

Available at Bethlehem in Stacks
Call Number: BF1809 .F4

Cognitive Dissonance Theory
Leon Festinger

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Boundaries of Privacy : dialectics of disclosure

Available online as an eBook

Communication Privacy Management Theory
Sandra Petronio

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Against the Mainstream: the selected works of George Gerbner

Available at Bethlehem in Stacks
Call Number: P91.25 .G47 2002

Cultivation Analysis/ Cultivation Theory
George Gerbner & Larry Gross

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The Challenge of Facework: cross-cultural and interpersonal issues

Available at Bethlehem in Stacks
Call Number: BF592 .F33 T56 1994

Face Negotiation Theory
Stella Ting-Toomey

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The Nonverbal Communication Reader

Available at Bethlehem in Stacks
Call Number: BF637 .C45 D515 2008

Expectancy Violations Theory
Judee Burgoon

and others

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Theorizing about Intercultural Communication

Available at Bethlehem in Stacks
Call Number: HM1211 .T47 2005

Expectancy Violations Theory
Judee Burgoon

and others

book with a bookmark in it

The Interpretation of Cultures

Organizational Culture Theory
Clifford Geertz

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Social Penetration: the development of interpersonal relationships

Social Penetration Theory
Irwin Altman & Dalmas Taylor

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Rhetoric

Rhetoric
Aristotle

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Mind, Self, and Society: from the standpoint of a social behaviorist

At Bethlehem in Reserves
Call Number: HM251 .M4 1997

Symbolic Interactionism
George Herbert Mead

How to Search for Primary Sources in the Library Collections

In many of the library's collections and databases, you can switch from the default keyword search to an author search, so that you can search for works written by your theorist that might be available in the library collections. Sometimes you may need to switch to the Advanced Search option before you can change to an Author search. 

Communication Source Author Search example:

ProQuest Central Author Search example: