本文旨在描述傳播理論近年來所呈現萬花筒般的多元發展，以及傳播學發展所面臨的挑戰。本文主張，面對領域不斷向外擴張的時空條件下，應當確立「意義的共享」為傳播學的核心觀念，研究者猶須繼續向其他領域借火，透過不斷地連結與挑戰，豐富學門的內涵。就美國與本土的傳播學研究成果的比較上，可發現本地與美國的傳播研究仍受實證研究典範支配。而在研究主題上，本地相當集中在大眾傳播研究、法規與政策、新傳播科技與傳播教育，而較忽略語藝學、媒介哲學等項目。展望本地傳播學術蓬勃發展，大專院校不斷增設傳播科系，本文建議應當放棄以媒介為類別的研究與教學取向，回歸多元傳統，強化傳播學術研究，在建構本土化研究的同時並追求好的研究，相信在學術社區漸趨成型的條件下，傳播學門將寫下嶄新的一頁。

　　　　　This paper explores the themes and trends of the discipline of communication in he past half-a-century years, regarding communication research and education.It discusses the challenges inherent in the process of establishing the legitimacy of communication as a discipline both here and in the rest of the world. It argues that while the discipline is expanding its boundary and at the same time interweaving with other academic subjects, the core concept of conmumication should be apprehended as the "sharing of meaning" to distinguish itself from other neighboring disciplines. Futhermore, academic endeavour should return to its pluralistic nature of social sciences and humanities, thereby giving up a division of media as our orientations of research and education in the future. The legitimacy of the discipline in the university is based not on craft training, but on the very idea of education leading to a whole person.