Reading Media Theory Thinkers, Approaches and Contexts

“A well organised reader which covers the key theories and theorists ... a required text for any student of the media and mass communication. It is a comprehensive overview of media theory, drawing together readings which represent milestones in the field with lucid explanation of their relevance and critical assessment of their impact.”

Kevin Williams, Professor of Media and Communication Studies, Swansea University

"Clearly organised around key thinkers in the field, Reading Media Theory offers students an ideal combination of landmark original writings, clear and concise explanations and thoughtful reflection.’

Andy Willis, Reader, School of Media, Music and Performance, University of Salford

What does the Frankfurt School have to say about the creative industries? Does the spread of Google prove we now live in an information society? How is Madonna an example of postmodernism? How new is new media? Does the power of Facebook mean we're all media makers now?

This groundbreaking volume – part reader, part textbook - helps you to engage thoroughly with some of the major voices that have come to define the landscape of theory in media studies, from the public sphere to postmodernism, from mass communication theory to media effects, from production to reception and beyond. But much more than this, by providing assistance and questions directly alongside the readings, it crucially helps you develop the skills necessary to become a critical, informed and analytical reader.

Each reading is supported on the facing page by author annotations which provide comments, dissect the arguments, explain key ideas and terminology, make references to other relevant material, and pose questions that emerge from the text.

Key features

• Opening chapters: ‘What is theory?’ and ‘What is reading?’ bring alive the importance of both as key parts of media scholarship
• Pre-reading: substantial Introductory sections set each text and its author in context and show the relevance of the reading to contemporary culture
• Post-reading: Reflection sections summarise each reading’s key points and suggests further areas to explore and think about
• 4 types of annotations help you engage with the reading – context, content, structure, and writing style …. as well as questions to provoke further thought
• Split into 4 sections – Reading theory, Key thinkers and schools, Approaches and Media Theory in context

New to the second edition

• New chapters on New Media, and Audiences as Producers
• Chapters removed from the 1st edition on The Chicago School, Walter Lippmann and Marxism now available for download at www.pearsoned.co.uk/mills

Reading Media Theory will assist you in developing close-reading and analytic skills. It will also increase your ability to outline key theories and debates, assess different case studies critically, link theoretical approaches to a particular historical context, and to structure and present an argument. As such, it will be essential reading for undergraduate and postgraduate students of media studies, cultural studies, communication studies, the sociology of the media, popular culture and other related subjects.

Brett Mills is Head of the School of Film and Television Studies, University of East Anglia. He is the author of' Television Sitcom' (BFI, 2005) and 'The Sitcom' (Edinburgh, 2009). He is the principal investigator on the 3-year AHRC-funded research project, 'Make Me Laugh: Creativity in the British Television Comedy Industry'.

David Barlow was Lecturer in Media, Culture and Communication in the Cardiff School of Creative and Cultural Industries at the University of Glamorgan and Director of the Centre for the Study of Media and Culture in Small Nations. He is a joint author (with Philip Mitchell and Tom O’Malley) of The Media in Wales: Voices of a Small Nation (UWP, 2005) and co-editor (with Vian Bakir) of Communication in the Age of Suspicion: Trust and the Media (Palgrave Macmillan, 2007).