Qual conceito de ciência fundamenta as Teorias da Comunicação? Um estudo exploratório do “cânone”

What concept of science is based on Communication Theories? This paper delineates some aspects of this question from the analysis of the notions of “science” present in the canon of theories of Communication, as presented in the textbooks of this discipline published between 1996 and 2015. The argument is divided into three parts: ) institutionally, there are procedures that refer communication studies to the classic concept of “science”; however (2) the epistemological problems of the area defy this orientation, especially in the definition of “theory”, indicating (3) a need to think a “science” beyond the classical definition, close to the original meaning of the word - to know. Keywords: Communication Theory. Epistemology. Science. Research.