Professor Charles Wright

About the Professor

Charles R. Wright, Professor Emeritus of Communication and Sociology, joined the faculty of the Annenberg School of Communication in 1969. Prior to that he was Professor of Sociology at UCLA, and he taught at Columbia University. Before joining Penn he served as Program Director in Sociology and Social Psychology at the National Science Foundation, Washington, D. C. His undergraduate work was in social science at Columbia College. He later earned an MA and Ph. D. in sociology from Columbia University, where he studied with Herbert H. Hyman, Paul F. Lazarsfeld, Robert K. Merton, and others in sociology and social psychology.

Important Criteria for Student Writing

Rankings

1. Having Original Ideas
2. Demonstrating Mastery of Others' Ideas
3. Reasoning and Evidence
4. Organization

Professor Wright emphasizes what students write rather than how they write. He suggests that grammar and mechanics as well as formatting and style are lower order concerns, unless there is an issue with plagiarism and citations.

Personal Writing Process

For Professor Wright, the first draft is never the final draft. Professor Wright summarizes his writing process as:

1. Brainstorming and Prewriting

2. Rewriting

3. Second Draft

4. Turn to a trusted friend for editing

Publications

Charles R. Wright is Professor Emeritus of Communication and Society. He explored his interest in the intersection of sociology and mass communication in Mass Communication: A Sociological Perspective, which is currently used in the course Communication 628. The book considers the role of mass communication in social processes, such as the creation of social issues and coping with danger. Along with co-author Herbert H. Hyman, Professor Wright authored two large analyses of national survey data in The Enduring Effects of Education and Education’s Lasting Influence on Values, which examine the influence of educational institutions. He is also co-author of Inducing Change in Developing Communities, and his doctoral research explored the development of professional attitudes.

Selected Publications

1. Mass Communication: A Sociological Perspective [3rd ed.] 2. The Enduring Effects of Education.[with H.Hyman & J.Reed] 3. Education's Lasting Influence on Values[with H.Hyman] 4. Application of Methods of Evaluation: 4 studies of the Encampment for Citizenship [with H.Hyman & T. Hopkins].

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