The course examines both the development of communication technologies and the intellectual history of the study of communication (the evolution of ideas). We will investigate the foundations of communication inquiry by reviewing relevant social science and critical social theory, thereby gaining a better understanding of the discipline. Students will learn about many of the milestones in communication research and their significance. In addition to examining the evolution of communication technologies, the course will track the intellectual, institutional, and socio-political influences that helped to foster the emergence and shape the growth of the communication discipline in the twentieth century.