The Beginnings of Communication Study in America : A Personal Memoir

Universally considered to be the founder of the field of communication studies, Wilbur Schramm left unfinished this final work on his personal perspective of the field. In it, he acknowledged the seminal contributions to communication of four inspirational social scientists whose theories and methods laid the foundation for the discipline: Harold D Lasswell, Paul F Lazarsfeld, Kurt Lewin and Carl I Hovland.

This collection has now been posthumously supplemented by the editors, Steven H Chaffee and Everett M Rogers, whose contribution documents the history of the spread of the subject among universities in the United States.

Considered by most to be the founder of the field of communication studies, Wilbur Schramm could not be more qualified to write The Beginnings of Communication Study in America. This momentous new work acknowledges the seminal contributions of four inspirational scientists whose theories and methods were the foundation for the discipline called communication: Harold D. Lasswell, Paul F. Lazarsfeld, Kurt Lewin, and Carl I. Hovland. This final collection of Wilbur Schramm′s perspective in its unfinished form, contains many of his personal insights on the field of communication. The editors have supplemented this volume posthumously by providing a chapter that completes the story of how communication study spread among U.S. Universities, and also contains an exceptional account of the story of Schramm himself, as the founder of communication, and the widespread agreement on his preeminence. The Beginnings of Communication Study in America will fulfill a great need for students, and researchers in mass communication, communication theory, and speech who are interested on the origins and history of communication study, and the significance of Wilbur Schramm′s work.