Comm Theory Unraveled

Jenna Galofaro and Phoebe Murphy are bringing Mean Girls back: this time to help us explore the pain and confusion of cognitive dissonance with Leon Festinger's Cognitive Dissonance Theory.

Negotiating intimacy and privacy can cause a great deal of relational turbulence. In this episode, Lauren Sumner helps us navigate these situations with Mean Girls and Communication Privacy Management Theory of Sandra Petronio.

A common part of the college experience is negotiating your independence and your connection with your family. Emily Palmer and Sydney Oravsky explore that tension with Relational Dialectics Theory of Leslie Baxter.

There's a reason so many people dislike first dates, and a lot of it has to do with the unknown. On this episode, Kayla Vann and Aiden McCafferty explore all the ways people try to reduce the anxiety of the unknown with the Uncertainty Reduction Theory of Charles Berger.

What can Elle Woods of Legally Blonde teach us about exceeding others' expectations? Find out as Hamsata Mazou unpacks the Expectancy Violations Theory of Judee Burgoon.

Want to know more about why you have the self-image that you have? This episode helps explains by introducing you to Symbolic Interactionism of George Herbert Mead. Richie Basile and Paxton Greene talk you through Symbolic Interactionism.

What are we talking about when we talk? Dr. Cynthia Rosenfeld, instructor for the Spring 2024 NC State COM 230: class, introduces the Comm Theory Unraveled podcast. Over the course of 16 short episodes, NC State COM 230 students unwind and unravel communication theory. In each episode the students discuss a new theory--exploring how we handle new situations, negotiate relationships, navigate conflict, interact with media, and much more.