Family Communication as... Exploring Metaphors for Family Communication

An innovative textbook that presents a novel and compelling examination of family communication studies Family Communication as… Exploring Metaphors for Family Communication presents a series of metaphors through which students explore the nuances and complexities of family interaction. With a unique approach to the foundational theories and real-world practices of family communication, this easily accessible textbook helps students develop a clear understanding of what family communication is and what it can be. Contributions by both prominent and newer scholars theorize about family communication, offer new perspectives, challenge long-held assumptions, and describe original research to provide students with an up-to-date representation of the leading thinking in the field. Each concise chapter focuses on a specific element of family life, engaging key metaphors to stimulate classroom discussion about family in contexts ranging from ritual and embodiment to estrangement and heteronormativity. Throughout the text, students examine family metaphorically—as memory, as social identity, as estrangement, as loss, as resilience, as raced, and more. Presents a metaphorical examination of creating, materializing, contextualizing, politicizing, and complicating family communication Offers an innovative alternative to standard textbooks on the subject Features a thorough introduction advocating for the use of metaphors in teaching Discusses the key topics and theoretical approaches that have defined the field Includes detailed references, additional readings, and an instructor’s companion website Family Communication as… Exploring Metaphors for Family Communication is an excellent textbook for advanced undergraduate and graduate students in courses including family communication, family studies, interpersonal communication, relational communication, and communication theory. It is also a highly useful resource for scholars in fields such as media studies, psychology, sociology, social work, counseling, and public health.

Table of Contents:
FORWARD INTRODUCTION: 1. Family Communication as… Choice: Thinking about and Theorizing Family Communication Studies Using Metaphors –Jordan Allen, Utah Valley University; Katherine J. Denker, Ball State University; and Jimmie Manning, University of Nevada, Reno PART I: CREATING AND SUSTAINING FAMILY: FAMILY COMMUNICATION AS… 2. Relationship – Mary Anne Fitzpatrick, University of South Carolina 3. Ritual – Dawn O. Braithwaite and Robert D. Hall, University of Nebraska-Lincoln 4. Biology – Anuraj Dhillon, California Polytechnic State University and Amanda Denes, University of Connecticut 5. Maintenance – Scott A. Myers, West Virginia University 6. Transition – Carolyn K. Shue and Glen H. Stamp, Ball State University PART II: MATERIALIZING FAMILY: FAMILY COMMUNICATION AS… 7. Social Identity – Jordan Soliz and Morgan April, University of Nebraska-Lincoln 8. Heteronormative – Yachao Li, College of New Jersey 9. Raced – Shardé M. Davis, University of Connecticut and Megan E. Cardwell, University of Nebraska, Lincoln 10. Embodied – Laura L. Ellingson, Santa Clara University 11. Performance – Bernadette Marie Calafell, Gonzaga University and Nivea Castaneda, Boise State University 12. Narrative – Jody Koenig Kellas and Toni Morgan, University of Nebraska, Lincoln 13.  Dialogue – Elizabeth A. Suter, University of Denver and Leah M. Seurer, University of South Dakota 14.  Object – Devika Chawla, Ohio University PART III: CONTEXTUALIZING FAMILY: FAMILY COMMUNICATION AS… 15.  Memory – Robin M. Boylorn, University of Alabama 16.  Boundary – Jeffrey T. Child, Kent State University 17.  Organization – Caryn E. Medved, State University of New York Baruch College 18.  Health – Christina G. Yoshimura, University of Montana 19.  Mediated – Rebecca Johnson, University of Kansas and Danielle M. Stern, Christopher Newport University 20.  Art – Sandra L. Faulkner, Laura Stafford, and Kimberly Kuiper, Bowling Green State University PART IV: COMPLICATING FAMILY: FAMILY COMMUNICATION AS… 21.  Argument – Jennifer L. Bevan and Erin S. Craw, Chapman University 22.  Deviance – Kristina M. Scharp, University of Washington and Elizabeth Dorrance Hall, Michigan State University 23.  Taboo – Allison R. Thorson, University of San Francisco and Amanda J. Holman, Creighton University 24.  Failure – Andrea Lambert South and Jacqueline Emerine, Northern Kentucky University 25.  Loss – Jillian A. Tullis, University of San Diego 26.  Forgiveness – Vincent R. Waldron and Douglas L. Kelley, Arizona State University 27.  Support – Adrianne Kunkel, University of Kansas; Natalie Hoskins, Middle Tennessee State University; Marissa Wiley, University of Kansas; and Michael Robert Dennis, Emporia State University 28.  Resilience – Tamara D. Afifi, Chantel Haughton, and Allison Mazur, University of California Santa Barbara