Officers

 
  Membership

 
  Convention

 
  Newsletter

 
  Archives

 
  Resources

 
  Links

COMMISSION ON FAMILY COMMUNICATION NEWSLETTER
Volume 2	Fall-Winter 1992	Number 2

Our 1992 SCA Program was a BIG Success!

The Commission on Family Communication, established just three years ago, has grown and developed into a group with a membership of 290. Each year we have provided a diverse program at the SCA convention --and this year was no exception. The themes of our panels ranged from Approaches for Examining the Dialectical Process in Family and Marriage Relationships to Family Communication in Media. Attendance at all ten of the CFC sponsored panels was standing room only. Perhaps this sort of enthusiasm for our research and this strong sense of cohesion are among the benefits of being a young commission (or, maybe family communication scholars are just this way!). Regardless, we are hoping for an even bigger and better program for the 1993 convention in Miami.

During our business meeting, Kathleen Galvin (Northwestern University) was elected Vice-Chair Elect of the Commission. Robert Harrison (Gallaudet University) was elected Chair of the Liaison Committee and Fran Dickson (University of Denver) was elected Chair of the Curriculum Committee. Finally, Doug Kelley (Seattle Pacific University) and Robert Martin (Indiana-Purdue University) were elected as members of the Research Committee. We are grateful to John Monsma (Northern Arizona University) Gail Whitchurch (Indiana University) and Nancy Buerkel-Rothfuss (Central Michigan University) for their service over the past three years. Thanks also go to Raed Mohsen (Gallaudet University), Glen Stamp (Ball State University), Lynn Turner (Marquette University), and Dan Weigel (Nevada Cooperative Extension) for the various roles they played in this meeting.

Teresa Chandler Sabourin

Three CFC committees are soliciting feedback from the membership. The Liason Committee (chaired by Robert Harrison) is interested in members' ideas concerning scholars that the CFC might invite as special speakers to upcoming SCA conventions. The Curriculum Development Committee (chaired by Fran Dickson) seeks innovative ideas concerning panels and/or workshops to promote teaching in the family communication classroom. Finally, an ad hoc committee (co-chaired by Paul Yelsma and Robert Martin) is looking into establishing a computerized data base (e.g., for bibliographies) that CFC members might access. Those who are interested in these issues should contact the chair of the relevant committee(s).

Kudos: Honors, Awards, and Publications

L. Arliss has published a book entitled, Contemporary family communication: Messages and meanings with St. Martin's Press (1993).

Nancy Buerkel-Rothfuss has written a book with Jane Brown and Bradley Greenberg entitled, Media, sex and the adolescent, published by Hampton Press (1992).

Dan Canary and Laura Stafford wrote an article entitled, "Relational maintenance strategies and equity in marriage" that was published in Communication Monographs (1992, pp. 243-267). Canary and Stafford also have an edited volume called, Communication and relational maintenance in press with Academic.

Fran Dickson has a chapter entitled, "The benefits of communication research: Intervention programs for couples and families" with Howard Markman in the Sourcebook of family theories and methods: A contextual approach (1993).

Marcia Dixson received the Top Student Paper award from the Commission on Family Communication at the SCA convention in Chicago this year.

Mary Anne Fitzpatrick and David Ritchie have a chapter in the Sourcebook of family theories and methods (1993) entitled, "Communication theory and the family."

Robert Martin wrote a piece entitled, "Relational cognition complexity and relational communication in personal relationships" that was published in Communication Monographs (1991, pp. 150-163).

John Monsma is the Arizona Professor of the Year.

Pat Noller and Mary Anne Fitzpatrick have a new book coming out entitled, Communication in family relationships published by Prentice Hall (1993).

Sandra Petronio is the new editor of the Western Journal of Communication.

Glen Stamp and Mary Banski have an article in the Western Journal of Communication (1992, pp. 281-300) entitled, "The communicative management of constrained autonomy during the transition to parenthood."

Beverly Whitaker Long and Charles Grant published a piece in Communication Education (1992, pp. 89-107) entitled, "The 'surprising range of the possible': Families communicating in fiction."

Gail Whitchurch has written article entitled, "Communication in marriages and families: A review essay of family communication textbooks" in Communication Education (1992, pp. 337-343).

Gail Whitchurch and Larry Constantine have a chapter in the Sourcebook of family theories and methods (1992) entitled, "Systems theory."

If YOU have any recent publications, awards, or other noteworthy items that you feel would be of interest to the membership of the Commission on Family Communication, please send them to the secretary: Anita L. Vangelisti, Dept. of Speech Communication, University of Texas, Austin, TX 78712 (bitnet: SPAJ735@UTXVM). THANKS!

The INPR (International Network on Personal Relationships) will hold its 4th Biennial Conference at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, June 3-June 7, 1993. Contact Kathryn Dindia if you have questions about programs and/or local arrangements.

Along with this newsletter, you've received a CALL FOR PAPERS from Charlene Berquist, the Vice Chair of the CFC and program planner for this year's SCA convention in Miami. Remember to submit your work to the CFC!!

The Publication Committee of ISSPR (the International Society for the Study of Personal Relationships) is seeking nominations for the Editorship of the new International Journal of Personal Relationships. Contact Dan Perlman (University of British Columbia) by January 18, 1993 for additional information.

CHAIR: Teresa C. Sabourin; Dept. of Communication; University of Cincinnati; Cincinnati, OH 45221-0184; O:(513)556-4440; SABOURTC@UCBEH

PREVIOUS CHAIR: Gail G. Whitchurch; Family Research Institute; Indiana University; Indianapolis, IN 46202; H:(317)924-4954; O:(317)658-4488; IKFWlOO@INDYCMS

VICE-CHAIR: Charlene A Berquist; Dept. of Communication; Southwest Missouri State University; Springfield, MO 65804; O:(417)836-6391; CAB293F@SMSVMA

VICE-CHAIR ELECT: Kathleen M. Galvin; School of Speech; Northwestern University; Evanston, IL 60201; O:(312)491-5992

SECRETARY: Anita L. Vangelisti; Dept. of Speech Communication; University of Texas; Austin, TX 78712; O:(512)471-1921; SPAJ735@UTXVM

LIAISON COMMITTEE CHAIR: Robert D. Harrison; Dept. of Communication Arts; Gallaudet University; Washington, DC 20002; O:(202)651-5420

CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE CHAIR: Fran Dickson; Dept. of Speech Communication; University of Denver; Denver, CO; 80208; O:(303)871-2385

ARCHIVIST: John W. Monsma; Dept. of Communication Arts; Northern Arizona University; Flagstaff, AZ 86011 O:(602)523-2512

STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE: Kathryn Greene; Dept. of Speech Communication; University of Georgia; Athens, GA 30602; O:(404)542-3270

The Commission on Family Communication encourages innovative approaches to the study of communication in marriages and families, soliciting submission of completed papers or program proposals from members of all SCA sections and divisions. Theoretical, empirical, methodological, and pedagogical approaches are all welcome. Papers and proposals will be submitted to blind review. Papers must include a separate cover page containing authors' name(s) and affiliation(s); student or debut papers should be so labeled in the upper right corner. Proposals must include: (1) title, (2) rationale, (3) names and affiliations of each participant, and ( 4) an abstract for each paper. Five copies of the paper or proposal must be postmarked by February 15, 1993 and sent to:

Charlene A Berquist
Communication Department
Southwest Missouri State University
Springfield, Missouri 65804
(417) 836-6391 CAB293F@SMSVMA

When possible, please include the bitnet address for each presenter.

Effective July 1, 1991, SCA has gone to a checkoff system on its membership forms. When your renewal notice comes due, you will be asked to specify the unit(s) with which you want to affiliate. All SCA commissions must have at least 100 members to retain commission status. In short, we need your continued support to remain a commission! Please be sure to check us off on your membership form, and ask colleagues and students interested in family communication to do the same!