Mass Communication Theories Explaining Origins, Processes, and Effects

Stephen L. Harris is Professor Emeritus of Humanities and Religious Studies at California State University, Sacramento, where he served ten years as department chair. A Woodrow Wilson Fellow, he received his M.A. and Ph.D. from Cornell University. A member of the Society of Biblical Literature, his publications include Understanding the Bible (8th edition, 2011); The Old Testament: An Introduction to the Hebrew Bible (with Robert Platzner); Classical Mythology: Images and Insights (with Gloria Platzner); Exploring the Bible; and Fire Mountains of the West: The Cascade and Mono Lake Volcanoes, a survey of volcanic hazards on the U.S. Pacific Coast; and for National Geographic Books, Restless…  More Earth, a study of global earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions. He contributed the chapter on “Archaeology and Volcanism” to the Encyclopedia of Volcanoes (Academic Press, 2000).Melvin L. DeFleur is currently Professor of Mass Communication in the College of Communication at Boston University, where in 1994, he assumed the duties of Director of the School of Mass Communication and Public Relations, a post he occupied for three years. Previously, he held the John Ben Snow Endowed Chair in mass communication at Syracuse University. He has served on the faculties of six universities, three times a departmental chairman and once as a graduate dean for research. Twice, he was a Fulbright Professor to Argentina. He has been responsible for the development and administration of several Ph.D. programs. His scholarly interests focus on human communication. His research interests and publications include theories of the fundamental nature and consequences of mass communication in contemporary society. He has received grants from the National Science Foundation and other federal and private agencies, plus numerous honors and awards. His publications include a long list of articles and more than a dozen books, a number of which have been translated into various languages. He has received numerous awards and recognition for his scholarly work. He holds a BA from St. Louis University, plus an MS and PhD from the University of Washington.  Less