This anthology of hard-to-find primary documents provides a solid overview of the foundations of American media studies. Focusing on mass communication and society and how this research fits into larger patterns of social thought, this valuable collection features key texts covering the media studies traditions of the Chicago school, the effects tradition, the critical theory of the Frankfurt school, and mass society theory. Where possible, articles are reproduced in their entirety to preserve the historical flavor and texture of the original works. Topics include popular theater, yellow journalism, cinema, books, public relations, political and military propaganda, advertising, opinion polling, photography, the avant-garde, popular magazines, comics, the urban press, radio drama, soap opera, popular music, and television drama and news. This text is ideal for upper-level courses in mass communication and media theory, media and society, mass communication effects, and mass media history.

This book is a unique inquiry into the history and the ongoing moral significance of mass communication as an idea and social form.

"An excellent book providing students with a historical understanding of mass media and communication. Theories, concepts and models are intertwined throughout the chapters challenging students to critically understand and evaluate the role of mass media in society." - Stephanie Goodwin, University of Central Lancashire "In a field whose boundaries are porous and where there is no consensus as to the core concepts, theories and thinkers, Scannell brings certainty to his effort to identify key moments in the history of the study of the media and communication... Essential reading for anyone interested in the historical development of the study of the media in the US and the UK." - Times Higher Education "His account of these major writers and movements is both comprehensive and clearly written, and will be appreciated by students and academics alike... It is the detail of the historical contexts that makes his writing a refreshing look at the history of media and communication in the twentieth century." - Media International Australia Magisterial in scope, Media and Communication traces the historical development of media and communication studies. Media Studies itself has a short history but many antecedents, and in this comprehensive and compelling book, Paddy Scannell sets out to describe and analysize its formulation in North America and Europe. Media and Communication: Offers an accessible and comprehensive analysis of the development of media and communication theory. Includes a summary outline of all the key thinkers. Looks at the study of communication across a range of disciplines - history, literature, sociology, philosophy and linguistics. Challenges readers to engage with the central importance of communication. It will be an invaluable resource for upper level undergraduate and postgraduate students of media and communication, cultural studies and sociology.

Carey's seminal work joins central issues in the field and redefines them. It will force the reader to think in new and fruitful ways about such dichotomies as transmissions vs. ritual, administrative vs. critical, positivist vs. marxist, and cultural vs. power-orientated approaches to communications study. An historically inspired treatment of major figures and theories, required reading for the sophisticated scholar' - George Gerbner, University of Pennsylvania ...offers a mural of thought with a rich background, highlighted by such thoughts as communication being the 'maintenance of society in time'. - Cast/Communication Booknotes These essays encompass much more than a critique of an academic discipline. Carey's lively thought, lucid style, and profound scholarship propel the reader through a wide and varied intellectual landscape, particularly as these issues have affected Modern American thought. As entertaining as it is enlightening, Communication as Culture is certain to become a classic in its field.

"I was an ad-man once," James Rorty writes in this classic dissection of the advertising industry. Steeped in Rorty’s leftist politics, Our Master’s Voice presents advertising as the linchpin of a capitalist economy that it also helps justify. The book set off tremors when it was published in 1934, perhaps because its author so decisively repudiated his former profession. But Rorty and his spirited takedown of publicity were all but forgotten a decade later. The book is a neglected masterpiece, republished in this mediastudies.press edition with a new introduction by Jefferson Pooley.

Foreword / James W. Carey Preface 1 Mass Communication Research and Society: An Introduction 1 2 Communication and Change: Karl Marx on Press Freedom 19 3 The Nerves of Society: Albert Schaffle on Symbolic Communication 43 4 The News of Society: Karl Knies on Communication and Transportation 67 5 The Linkages of Society: Karl Bucher on Commerce and the Press 85 6 The Mirrors of Society: Ferdinand Tonnies on the Press and Public Opinion 107 7 The Conscience of Society: Max Weber on Journalism and Responsibility 127 8 The "American Science" of Society: Albion Small, Edward Ross, and William Sumner on Communication and the Press 143 9 Communication and Social Thought: Decentering the Discourse of Mass Communication Research 169 Notes and References 185 Index 203 About the Author 211.

"Peyton Paxson succinctly describes the forces deconstructing the establishment media while providing a grounded introduction to mass communication." Bick Treut Communication Studies, Raritan Valley Community College, New Jersey Mass Communications and Media Studies: An Introduction serves as a primary text for media studies courses at two-year colleges. It briefly surveys the history of mass communication media, discusses the current state of each medium, and anticipates the future of mass media. Its focus is a study of the mass media industry and the role it plays in society, which distinguishes it from books that focus solely on communications theory. The book's presentation addresses the needs of both students and faculty members. It includes helpful pedagogical features at the end of each chapter, containing discussion questions and links to additional online resources. The format of the book allows it to be used in courses that analyze the mass media through social and cultural criticism as well as in courses that emphasize the economic structure of the mass media industry. Mass Communications and Media Studies: An Introduction is comprehensive yet concise. Divided into twelve chapters, it can be used in either 16-week semesters or 12-week terms. Focused in its approach and comprehensive in its coverage, this is the textbook of choice for mass communication and media studies students.