Publisher's Synopsis
This sterling two-volume academic package offers students a comprehensive resource for understanding media in the 21st century with the textbook, Media Today, An Introduction to Mass Communication, 3rd Edition 2010 update and the supplementary in-depth edited collection, Key Readings in Media Today.
Media Today puts students at the center of profound changes in the twenty-first century media world - from digital convergence to media ownership - and gives them the skills to think critically about how these changes affect their lives.
Media Today, Third Edition 2010 Update is built around four key concepts:
-A media systems approach allows students to understand the interconnected system of media products that surrounds them every day
-Unique insights into media trends give students an insider's perspective on how media industries are responding to changes from globalization to social networking
-Emphasis on the centrality of digital convergence demonstrates in each chapter how digital media is transforming traditional mass media such as newspapers, magazines, and television
-A media literacy goal encourages and builds critical skills to make students more informed and responsible citizens in our media-driven society.
In the 2010 Update to Media Today, over 40% of the textboxes and photos were updated to reflect the latest cultural and technological issues affecting media industries, along with cases studies and activities designed to build media literacy. Additional learning resources include an enclosed DVD with media examples for further study and classroom discussion, and a free interactive companion website with a full range of instructor and student materials at www.routledge.com/textbooks/MediaTodayUpdate
Key Readings in Media Today provides both historical and contemporary analyses of each of the major media industries: book, newspaper, magazine, sound recording/radio, motion picture, television, new media, advertising, and public relations. The volume places an emphasis on convergence, looking at the ways boundaries between these media industries are blurring in surprising new ways. Section introductions and headnotes for each article offer valuable critical and historical context, while review questions after each reading test students' understanding of key concepts. Additional resources on the companion website (www.routledge.com/textbooks/9780415992053), including discussion questions, RSS feeds, and Joseph Turow's regularly updated blog "Media Today and Tomorrow," are designed to spark classroom discussion and connect the readings to the latest contemporary media issues and controversies.
