Cognella is pleased to be exhibiting at and I am thrilled to be attending the Central States Communication Association and Eastern Communication Association annual conferences. If you’re attending either conference, stop by and say hi!

If you aren’t able to attend the regional conferences, we’ve put together a virtual exhibit to emulate the spirit and energy of an in-person event and to share our latest titles in the discipline.

Since 1993, it’s been my privilege to serve as an editor and publisher in the exciting and dynamic fields of communication, journalism, and media studies.

Now, I have the pleasure of developing the communication and media studies list for Cognella Academic Publishing, a publisher that values authors’ unique perspectives, provides a platform for introducing their work to thousands of students nationwide, and is invested in helping move the field forward in interesting ways.

The titles included in this virtual exhibit reflect Cognella’s commitment to publish quality texts by notable authors that showcase the exciting work being done in the discipline today.

If you’re interested in writing or in discussing book ideas, I’d love to hear from you. Please email me at: toddarmstrong@cognella.com.

Click HERE to see my guidelines for writing and submitting a proposal.

I hope you all have a wonderful conference!

We’re excited to announce that some of our authors will be presenting the following short courses this year. All short course attendees will receive a free ebook and a redemption code for a complimentary print copy of the featured book!

Reconnecting with Reality: The Role of Digital Literacy Skills in Revitalizing Civil Discourse in America

Short course presented by Heather L. Walters and Kristen Stout at CSCA
Friday, April 1, 2022
9 – 10:45am CDT
The Madison Concourse Hotel, Conference V

Learn more about Dr. Walters and Dr. Stout’s book: https://titles.cognella.com/understanding-argument-in-a-post-truth-world-9781516523825

Re-connect(ing) Communicating Finances in the Family: Talking and Taking Action

Short course presented by Roberta A. Davilla Robbins and A. Frank Thompson at CSCA
Saturday, April 2, 2022
12:30 – 1:45pm CDT
The Madison Concourse Hotel, Conference V

Learn more about Dr. Robbins  and Dr. Thompson’s book: https://titles.cognella.com/communicating-finances-in-the-family-9781516580651

A Re(union) with Reality: The Role of Digital Literacy Skills in Revitalizing Civil Discourse in America

Short Course presented by Heather L. Walters and Kristen Stout at ECA
Friday, April 8, 2022
5 – 6:30pm EDT
Philadelphia Marriott Old City, Flower

Learn more about Dr. Walters and Dr. Stout’s book: https://titles.cognella.com/understanding-argument-in-a-post-truth-world-9781516523825

In this text, author Debbie S. Dougherty not only describes what sexual harassment is, but also walks readers through a model of organizational culture to better understand how sexual harassment is woven into organizational culture through communication. This transformational model focuses on how organizational cultures are created and how those cultures can evolve through careful and thoughtful communication.

Built around the idea that we communicate with others to meet our needs and achieve our goals, this text provides students with a practical approach to communicating with others and navigating everyday communication challenges. It highlights the fundamental interconnections between communication theory and practice and supports student skill development through explorations of key interpersonal communication concepts.

Featuring contributed chapters from established and emerging communication theorists with varied cultural backgrounds and identities, this text decenters traditional views of communication by highlighting perspectives from the global majority. It deviates from a white-colonial-normative theoretical core to provide students with a more holistic exploration of communication theory.

Written expressly for undergraduate courses,  An Introduction to the Dark Side of Interpersonal Communication provides students with a comprehensive yet approachable introduction to the nature, functions, antecedents, and outcomes of dark side events and behaviors in close relationships. The book features a balance of relatable examples and academic, theoretical, research-based approaches to help students thoughtfully and critically consider interpersonal processes and their impacts on relationships and communication.

Intercultural Communication: A Critical Perspective is grounded in a framework based on key dimensions of power in relation to intercultural communication. The second edition features new and updated research studies and illustrative examples throughout. Every chapter has a new narrative opening, introducing new identity positionalities and characters located in different cultural contexts, and connecting to the ACT Framework for Intercultural Justice to highlight agency, resistance, and structural change.

The first edition of Intercultural Communication received a 2021 Textbook Excellence Award from the Textbook and Academic Authors Association Awards. Read the press release. 

Critical Questions in Persuasion Research presents students with a refreshing way to study persuasion, communication theory, and human behavior. Rather than examining different types of persuasion research and reviewing each one at a time, communication scholars Franklin J. Boster and Christopher J. Carpenter explore eight key controversies, as well as research and theory related to each topic.

Strategic Communication Research Methods highlights the importance of research in professional communication settings and provides students with the practical information and knowledge they will need to effectively consume and produce professional research within their careers. While theory and methods are emphasized throughout, the text features a unique focus on the cultivation of transferable skills and the relevant application of knowledge.

With emphasis on public speaking as a means for social justice, Empowering Public Speaking helps students develop the communication skills necessary to successfully effect change. Readers learn about public speaking as a means of personal, social, economic, and cultural power, and how communication shapes social relations, identity development, and public awareness. Through examples and discussions, the book demonstrates how public speaking is a significant act that inspires social transformation.

Organizational Communication: Foundations, Challenges, and Misunderstandings examines how communication is central to organizational life and the complexities and complications that arise as people attempt to coordinate their organizational activities. The fifth edition features new interview data; broader coverage of diversity; expanded discussions of emotions at work; and examinations of workplace bullying, blended relationships, and technology as it relates to gender and age.

Engaged Persuasion in a Post-Truth World provides an innovative approach to inspire students’ interest in persuasive communication in today’s ever-evolving world. The book moves beyond theory and addresses new media, engaged citizenship, and deconstructing messages in a post-truth world to deepen students’ exploration of persuasion.

Intercultural Communication: Pathways to Better Interactions provides readers with an examination of diverse cultural practices that can be used to support successful communication. Author David Boromisza-Habashi’s approach is grounded in theory, yet relevant and highly accessible for students. Using vivid and relatable anecdotes, he deftly explores the primary challenge of effective intercultural communication in our globalized world: the ability to properly coordinate interactions to achieve shared meaning.

Leadership and followership communication are two sides of the same coin; just as sand and water are needed for a beach, leadership and followership are necessary for effective organizational functioning. Because today’s organizations include followers who act as leaders, leaders who need to know when to step back and be followers, and people whose work lives transfer fluidly between leader and follower, this book helps students become knowledgeable about, and capable of, adapting to a wide variety of communication situations.

Nonverbal communication lays a foundation for understanding what is important to effective message development, transmission, and understanding via nonverbal codes and subcodes. The seventh edition of Nonverbal Communication: Studies and Applications demonstrates the importance of nonverbal communication in all settings and all contexts. Readers learn the vital role nonverbal communication plays in everyday interactions, as well as nonverbal theories and practices that are key to becoming a better communicator.

Strategic Corporate Communication: Core Concepts for Managing Your Career and Your Clients’ Brands introduces readers to essential strategies in corporate communication. The book centers upon the idea that in order to be successful, communication professionals not only require outward-facing competencies to represent and serve clients, but also personal competencies of self-awareness and self-positioning to manage their careers.

Conflict and Communication acknowledges the inevitable presence of conflict in our lives and the role good communication plays in managing conflict to cultivate a healthier, happier existence. The book explores the ways in which we process and act on conflict, as well as how we can leverage a deeper understanding of our own thoughts and behaviors to reduce the amount and severity of conflict in our lives.

Advanced Public Speaking: Theory and Techniques Based on the Rhetorical Canons provides students with classical and contemporary theory, detailed guidance and techniques, and explorations of various aspects of argumentation related to the development and delivery of a variety of speeches. The book leads students through the five rhetorical canons—invention, arrangement, style, memory, and delivery—offering them a conceptual overview, followed by an operational framework, and ending with cautions on what to avoid in order to become stronger speakers.

Featuring a balance of practical advice and sound instruction, Speechwriting: A Rhetorical Guide provides readers with essential knowledge to prepare and deliver well-constructed and well-researched speeches appropriate for a variety of contexts. The text includes excerpts from actual speeches, illustrative speechwriting samples with commentary from a prospective speech writer, and a set of exercises that encourage readers to think about how the sample speech might be improved upon or modified if they were the one writing it.

Theodore Roosevelt began explicitly using public address as what he termed a “bully pulpit” during his presidency. Public address provided him the opportunity to talk to the people—and thereby put pressure on reluctant public figures to effect policy. In doing so, Roosevelt significantly enlarged the rhetorical impact of the presidency. After Roosevelt, presidents have used this “bully pulpit” to different degrees, but the idea of speaking directly to the people on a regular basis–as well as to Congress–has inarguably affected the presidency and the nation’s politics.

By Degrees: Resilience, Relationships, and Success in Communication Graduate Studies provides readers with an indispensable guide to navigating the graduate school experience in Communication Studies programs. The book helps current and future graduate students consider their options, make wise choices, and thrive within their master’s or doctoral programs and beyond.

In Philosophy of Communication Inquiry: An Introduction, multidisciplinary scholar Annette M. Holba seamlessly connects philosophical traditions with the communicative experience and contemporary political, social, and cultural issues. The text reinforces the position that philosophy of communication is not an abstract concept, but rather rooted in real-life experiences. The text features a unique approach that maps the application of key concepts and theory to public moral argument.

In Who Am I? Identity in the Age of Consumer DNA Testing, communication scholars Anita Kathy Foeman and Bessie Lee Lawton present readers with the most comprehensive and cutting-edge research on DNA and identity construction. They investigate the modern trend of individuals using direct-to-consumer DNA test results to explore and negotiate their personal and social identities. This book explores the numerous misconceptions that exist with regard to race, culture, and ethnicity, and how DNA kits have changed the ways in which race and ethnicity are understood and acted upon in our everyday lives.

Grounded Practical Theory: Investigating Communication Problems provides readers with an introduction to grounded practical theory (GPT), a framework for doing research about the problems people encounter when they engage in particular communicative practices, techniques for managing those problems, and normative ideas for how to communicate wisely in situations that involve tensions and dilemmas.

In 1999, Robert T. Craig published the article “Communication theory as a field” and argued that the field of communication theory ought to be viewed as a practical discipline. In Practicing Communication Theory: Exploring, Applying, and Teaching the Constitutive Metamodel, editors Marc Howard Rich and Jessica S. Robles expand upon Craig’s seminal contribution by assembling diverse and learned voices of international communication scholars to explore the practical, theoretical, and pedagogical implications of Craig’s work.

Intimate Spaces: A Conversation about Discovery and Connection provides readers the opportunity to discuss, muse, ponder, and explore an essential part of the human experience—intimacy. The book provides a rich, full perspective on intimacy, highlighting its presence in a range of relationships, identifying challenges that can impede its development, and presenting social science research to foster greater understanding.

Media Ethics: Key Principles for Responsible Practice equips students with the knowledge and critical skill sets they need to develop a solid foundation in ethical thinking and responsible media behavior. The third edition includes up-to-date case studies, media research, and ethics theory applications to media technologies. Three new chapters address moral decision-making in everyday life, the key factors involved in being a responsible media consumer, and ethical and policy questions surrounding Big Data and our data-driven media system.

Work – it can be a struggle, but maybe it doesn’t have to be. Gratitude Communication at Work is about a simple act of communication – expressing gratitude – that can go a long way to making our work lives better. While gratitude communication can be a byproduct of an already healthy organizational culture, it can also be the way that we create that culture and alter our more immediate work experience.

Writing for Public Relations and Strategic Communication equips students with the knowledge, skills, and tools they need to write persuasively. The book underscores the importance of strategic analysis at the beginning of the writing process. Utilizing an audience-centered perspective, it shows how persuasive writing emerges organically after critically assessing the goals of an organization’s message in light of its intended audience.

Most financial planning decisions faced by families are the result of family life stages—entering into a committed relationship; having and caring for children; working; taking care of parents; securing retirement funds; and distributing wealth at the end of life. All of these family life stages require planning, budgeting and, more importantly, communicating in order to reach these financial goals. Communicating Finances in the Family: Talking and Taking Action helps students move from seeing money as a “problem” to viewing money as the “path” to achieving their financial goals.

Engage and Activate: Navigating College and Beyond introduces readers to the cultural and social tools they will need to be successful in higher education while identifying opportunities within academic life to connect with others, effect change, and create communities that are more just, humane, and sustainable. The authors address important issues for beginning students such as cross-cultural appreciation and understanding, self-care, navigating institutional rules, study habits, and more, all with a social justice focus.

Emerging Media: Virtual Issues, Legal Principles introduces contemporary media and information studies students to the nexus between law and emerging media technology. With a goal to present a clear and succinct overview of communication and media law, the text presents legal doctrines in accessible terms and in the context of current issues and technology.

What do you do when you are a newcomer in a cultural group and you must find your way? From the perspective of an ethnographer of communication, one of the most effective strategies you can take is to go from the inside out. Exploring Cultural Communication from the Inside Out: An Ethnographic Toolkit is a workbook that offers readers a hands-on approach to navigating new cultural environments.

In the midst of the disruptions and distrust that have plagued traditional media in recent years, and a degree of polarization rarely seen in American history, a new style of journalism is emerging. Dozens of news organizations, from corporate powerhouses to home-office startups, are reviving a classic role of American journalism: inspiring and enabling Americans to do the difficult, authentic, and ultimately rewarding work of citizenship in a democratic society. News for US: Citizen-Centered Journalism is the first-ever guide to this new approach—one that enriches the skill set of the 21st-century journalist with the mindset of civic engagement.

American Media History is the story of a nation and of the events in the long battle to disseminate information, entertainment, and opinion in a democratic society. It is the story of the men and women whose inventions, ideas, and struggles shaped the nation and its media system and fought to keep both free. The text is organized chronologically and emphasizes the role the press played in the American Revolution to the present.

From Thought to Action: Developing a Social Justice Orientation empowers readers to successfully navigate their individual social justice journeys and channel their increased consciousness into activism. The book provides robust historic, cultural, and social context for social justice work, assists readers in managing the discomfort that often accompanies raised consciousness, and offers step-by-step instructions for initiating social justice campaigns and projects.

From the citation:

“Understanding why methods is important and how to select the right tool for the job is key to the success of a researcher’s efforts. Thinking Like a Researcher: An Engaged Introduction to Communication Research Methods does an outstanding job of helping students to understand the why and the how of methods.”

From the citation:

“Empowering Public Speaking is an engrossing text that manages to teach all the relevant concepts of public speaking, while keeping the students engaged in a critical thinking process of application. This book is well written and can comfortably be used in a Public Speaking teaching setting for many different diverse groups! The textbook is thoughtfully written, infusing a DEI lens to offer continuous and evolving education to public speaking best practices.”

From the citation:

“Who Am I? Identity in the Age of Consumer DNA Testing deserves to be awarded the Textbook Excellence Award for being able to link an age-old issue of identity with modern inventions. The book is thoughtful and engaging and is an amazing way to have students think about themselves and their identity and roles in everyday life. It is a very well organized and well written book that offers a step-by-step exploration of the benefits and pitfalls of consumer DNA testing as part of the search for one’s identity. A much needed exposé not only for students studying in a variety of disciplines but also for anyone who uses consumer DNA testing.”