Gary Radford
Gary Radford receives high marks from students at the
College at Florham. The popular communication studies
professor joined the University faculty in 1999. By 2003, he
had been honored as the Becton College and the EOF (Equal
Opportunity Fund) Teacher of the Year.
Students applaud Dr. Radford’s
courses. On an Internet Web site rating faculty, student
reaction ranges from “ …fun professor, nice British accent,
super nice” to “…very helpful, very interested and
involved.”
In addition to his work in the
classroom, Dr. Radford also directs the University’s graduate
program in corporate and organizational
communication.
A native of Nottinghamshire,
England, he received his bachelor’s degree in the United
Kingdom and his graduate degrees in the United States. He
earned his Ph.D. at Rutgers University.
Dr. Radford’s research focuses on the philosophical and
critical treatments of communication processes, drawing widely
from the work of Michel Foucault. He is very interested in
subliminal persuasion — persuasion by messages presented below
the level of conscious awareness.
As a hobby, he plays “a blazing
lead guitar in a blues/rock band.”
Dr. Radford serves as the editor of
The Atlantic Journal of Communication the quarterly
publication of the New Jersey Communication Association and
the New York State Communication Association. The journal is
an academic publication concerned with the study of
communication theory, practice and policy.
At FDU, the popular professor
teaches corporate communication, communication theory,
literary and communication theory, research methods,
interpersonal communication, small group communication, images
of communication in science fiction film, language and
communication, and introduction to communication
studies.
Wadsworth Press published Dr.
Radford’s latest book, “On the Philosophy of Communication,”
in 2004. He is also the author of “On Eco.”
In Professor Radford’s Own
Words:
On teaching at
FDU: “I pride myself
on getting to know each of my students on a personal level.
Communication research states that the most effective
communication is that which takes place in a face-to-face and
personal manner, recognizing and valuing the unique aspects of
each individual. I try to bring this insight to all of my
interactions with the students, both inside the classroom and
outside. ”
On current research and
interests:
“Communication theory is a raging battlefield in the United
States, and it is wonderful to be in the middle of it.
Dominant Anglo/American models of communication, based in
technology metaphors, are slowly being challenged by European
models of communication, based in metaphors of art and
culture.
The Anglo/Americans are obsessed
with the transmission of messages: how can I send a message
further, more quickly, and with the most effectiveness? We
have all grown up with a view of communication that turns us
all into receivers, essentially machines the process messages.
I want to expose students to European theories of
communication that recognize the value of human beings, not as
receivers or targets, but as people that play an active role
in the communication process.
I want to show students that
communication always takes place in the context of human
relationships, and that meaning is always something that is
created by people in unique ways, and not simply transmitted
to us by some anonymous sender. Students resist me at first.
After all, they want to go into communication professions such
as advertising and PR which absolutely depend on
Anglo/American conceptions of communication. But, sooner or
later, they come around to my way of thinking that the
Europeans explain communication much better.
“