I’ve just finished a very exciting new project, a collaborative effort with Eduardo Neiva, Professor of Communication Studies at the University of Alabama-Birmingham. We have co-authored a volume,
The Great Chain of Communication: The Promise of Human Evolution. The book tells the compelling story of human evolution from a communication perspective. Communication has not been given sufficient attention by natural scientists historically despite the fact that it drives the two fundamental principles of evolution: natural and sexual selection. In the book, we trace the role of communication in evolutionary processes from their origins and offer a novel, necessary, and provocative perspective on human evolution and cultural development—past, present, and future. Our project ties in with the wave of important new work by Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, Nicholas Wade, Sam Harris, and others. The book is being timed for publication to coordinate with the 150 year anniversary of Charles Darwin’s
The Origin of Species and Darwin’s 200th birthday in 2009.
Public Speaking: The Evolving Art–-a textbook and multimedia project I’ve been working on for more than a decade—was published by Wadsworth/Cengage in June. The project integrates a book and website into a fresh approach for teaching public speaking. It's the first volume to combine the latest trends in popular culture with information technology and media as cornerstones for an instructional approach to public speaking, and features the “Speech Buddies”—student mentors that guide learners through the entire process of effectively developing and presenting a speech. The book is displayed for the first time at the National Communication Association conference in San Diego. You can find out more about this project at:
Coopman and Lull.
For twenty years I have collected pieces of highly original wood-carved art from the state
of Oaxaca, Mexico, called
alebrijes (ah-lay-breé-hays). I went to the carving village of Arrazola near Monte Albón recently to watch the carvers and painters at work, visit the homes of families dedicated to the art, and buy some new carvings for my collection. Photos of these artists and some of my favorite pieces appear under the Images section of this site.
Aalborg University (Denmark) has made me an Honorary Professor in the Faculty of Humanities. I’ve had a productive working relationship with colleagues in the Department of Communication and Psychology at Aalborg University for years and look forward to working with my friends at this fine university in the future.
 |
|
 |
Discussing research methodology in a seminar at Aalborg University, Denmark |
|
With Tove Rasmussen and Lars Holmgaard Christensen during the reception for the Honorary Professorship received at Aalborg University |
Just outside Aarhus are the offices of Jyllands-Posten, the Danish newspaper that published the cartoons of Islam’s prophet Muhammad that stirred so much controversy in 2006. The political, cultural, and religious significance of the controversy still resounds in Denmark and certainly contributed to the re-election of the center-right government in November of last year. (Photo by Lars Holmgaard Christensen)
The fully revised and updated second edition of Media, Communication, Culture: A Global Approach continues to attract readers from around the world. The cover features the outstanding artwork of the Canadian artist, René Milot (below). This work first appeared in National Geographic magazine. It nicely captures the cultural fusion of mass media and information technology, which is a main theme of the book.
The artwork is part of a "A Look at Life Through the Ages," and denotes the world's most important cities at the beginning of the three millennia. New York City was selected to be featured for the year 2000. National Geographic's description of Milot's painting is the following:
"A young woman sits in her basement apartment, window barred against urban threats. When not out with friends, she is connected to the world via computer, cell phone, television, and radio - living life remotely, in a barrage of information. A caged iguana, dusty telescope, and potted plant hint at the natural world she has little time to enjoy. Cultural trinkets litter her room, as disposable as a pizza box. Craving stimulation, she wouldn't dream of living anywhere else."
