ABSTRACT
From its humble beginnings in the early 20th century to the fi rst decade of the 21st century, the formal study of communication has matured as a social science. However, there is progress yet to be made in establishing the fi eld’s empirical credibility among its peers in such academic fi elds as sociology, anthropology, and political science. Only in recent decades have recognized research programs sponsored by the Ford and Fulbright foundations, among others, recognized the academic legitimacy of communication. Part of the fi eld’s lack of empirical credibility and standing as a social science is related to its youth compared to older, more established disciplines. However, youth does not tell the whole story in the fi eld’s continuing pursuit of intellectual and scholarly credibility.
