Foreword / Robert Craig -- What is distinctive in communication research? / Patrice Buzzanell and Donal Carbaugh -- A dialogic approach to interpersonal/family communication / Leslie A. Baxter -- Politically attentive relational constructionism (PARC) : making a difference in a pluralistic, interdependent world / Stanley Deetz -- The promise of communication in large-scale, community-based research / Michael Hecht -- The importance of communication science in addressing core problems in public health / Joseph N. Cappella and Robert Hornik -- Researching culture in contexts of social interaction : an ethnographic approach, a network of scholars, and illustrative moves / Gerry Philipsen -- Reflections on distinctive qualities in communication research / Donal Carbaugh and Patrice Buzzanell.