John Durham Peters
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John Durham Peters (born 1958) is the María Rosa Menocal Professor of English and of Film & Media Studies at
Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...
. A
media historian Media studies is a discipline and field of study that deals with the content, history, and effects of various media; in particular, the mass media. Media Studies may draw on traditions from both the social sciences and the humanities, but mostly ...
and social theorist, he has authored a number of noted scholarly works. His first book, '' Speaking into the Air: A History of the Idea of Communication'', traces out broad historical, philosophical, religious, cultural, legal, and technological contexts for the study of communication. His second book ''Courting the Abyss: Free Speech and the Liberal Tradition'' updates the philosophy of free expression with a history of liberal thought since Paul of Tarsus. His most recent book ''The Marvelous Clouds: Toward a Philosophy of Elemental Media'' radically rethinks how media are environments and environments are also media. He has held fellowships with the
National Endowment for the Humanities The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) is an independent federal agency of the U.S. government, established by thNational Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965(), dedicated to supporting research, education, preserv ...
, the Fulbright Foundation, and the Leverhulme Trust. Peters grew up in
Brookline, Massachusetts Brookline is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, in the United States, and part of the Greater Boston, Boston metropolitan area. Brookline borders six of Boston's neighborhoods: Brighton, Boston, Brighton, A ...
, pursued studies at
Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day ...
in Provo, Utah, and graduated with a
B.A. Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...
in
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...
from
the University of Utah The University of Utah (U of U, UofU, or simply The U) is a public research university in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is the flagship institution of the Utah System of Higher Education. The university was established in 1850 as the University of De ...
, where he also earned his
M.A. A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...
in
Speech Communication Speech is a human vocal communication using language. Each language uses phonetic combinations of vowel and consonant sounds that form the sound of its words (that is, all English words sound different from all French words, even if they are th ...
. He received a
Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...
in Communication Theory and Research from
Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...
in 1986 before accepting a faculty appointment at the University of Iowa. After teaching there for thirty years, he accepted a position at Yale University in 2017.


"Dialogue and dissemination"

In chapter one of '' Speaking Into the Air'', Peters (1999) compares two forms of
communication Communication (from la, communicare, meaning "to share" or "to be in relation with") is usually defined as the transmission of information. The term may also refer to the message communicated through such transmissions or the field of inquir ...
: dialogue and dissemination. Even though
dialogue Dialogue (sometimes spelled dialog in American English) is a written or spoken conversational exchange between two or more people, and a literary and theatrical form that depicts such an exchange. As a philosophical or didactic device, it is c ...
tends to be viewed as the better means of communications, Peters believes that it can be cruel and destructive.
Dissemination To disseminate (from lat. ''disseminare'' "scattering seeds"), in the field of communication, is to broadcast a message to the public without direct feedback from the audience. Meaning Dissemination takes on the theory of the traditional view ...
is fair because, unlike dialogue, it does not force listeners to understand and reciprocate to the speaker. The lack of interaction provided by dissemination leaves the audience free to interpret meanings themselves. Peters explains that communication can be achieved even if it is one way.


Selected works

* ''The Marvelous Clouds: Toward a Philosophy of Elemental Media'' (2015) * ''Courting the Abyss: Free Speech and the Liberal Tradition'' (2005) * ''Canonic Texts in Media Research: Are There Any? Should There Be? How About These?'' With co-editors Elihu Katz, Tamar Liebes, and Avril Orloff (2003) * ''Mass Communication and American Social Thought: Key Texts, 1919-1968''. With Peter Simonson (2004). * ''Speaking into the Air: A History of the Idea of Communication'' (1999)
Excerpt about the Dead Letters Office
* “‘The Marketplace of Ideas’: A History of the Concept.” ''Toward a Political Economy of Culture: Capitalism and Communication in the Twenty-First Century''. Eds. Andrew Calabrese and Colin Sparks. Boulder: Rowman and Littlefield, 2004. 65-82. * “Space, Time, and Communication Theory.” ''Canadian Journal of Communication'' 28 (2003): 397-411. * “Witnessing.” ''Media, Culture and Society'', 23.6 (2001): 707-724. * “Public Journalism and Democratic Theory: Four Challenges.” ''The Idea of Public Journalism''. Ed. Theodore L. Glasser. New York: Guilford Press, 1999. 99-117. * “Distrust of Representation: Habermas on the Public Sphere.” ''Media, Culture and Society'' 14.3 (1993): 441-471. * “Institutional Sources of Intellectual Poverty in Communication Research.” ''Communication Research'' 13.4 (1986): 527-59.


References


External links


Personal work site, including publications

University of Iowa faculty page

Comments on liberalism
{{DEFAULTSORT:Peters, John Durham 1958 births Living people People from Brookline, Massachusetts Media historians American Latter Day Saints Brigham Young University alumni University of Iowa faculty University of Utah alumni Stanford University alumni