This book brings together a huge range of material including academic articles, film scripts and interplanetary messages adrift on space probes with supporting commentary to clarify their imporatance to the field. Communication Studies: The Essential Resource is a collection of essays and texts for all those studying communication at university and pre-university level. Individual sections address: * texts and meanings in communication * themes in personal communication * communication practice * culture, communication and context * debates and controversies in communication. Edited by the same teachers and examiners who brought us AS Communication Studies: The Essential Introduction, this volume will help communications students to engage with the subject successfully. Its key features include: * suggested further activities at the end of each chapter * a glossary of key terms * a comprehensive bibliography with web resources.