Talk About Theory
1. Compare Glenn Sparks’ and Marty Medhurst’s approaches to the Master-
Card commercial. Which analysis makes the most sense to you? Why?
2. How do scientists and interpretive scholars differ in their answers to the
question What is truth? Which perspective do you ind more satisfying?
3. How do you account for the wide-ranging diversity among types of interpre-
tive theories (rhetorical, critical, humanistic, postmodern, etc.) as compared to the
relative uniformity of objective theories?
4. Think of the communication classes you’ve taken. Did an objective or interpre-
tive orientation undergird each course? Was this due more to the nature of the
subject matter or to the professor’s point of view?
