At CQ Press, we are well aware that students are upset by the high cost of textbooks. So we’ve asked professors across the country what “extras” they would be willing to forgo in order to pass on significant savings to students in their introductory mass communication courses.

The overwhelming response? Instructors asked for a book at half the cost—that’s right, half the cost—without sacrificing quality. And that’s exactly what we’re delivering. Students will still explore engaging content, sharpen their critical thinking skills, read timely feature boxes, absorb key terms defined in the margins, and even page through a striking array of photos. You’ll still get useful instructor’s resources such as test questions and video clips. The only “extra” we’ve cut is the full-color glitz. The result is a truly inexpensive yet attractive and effective alternative.

So, go ahead. Put that extra 40 bucks back in your students’ wallets. They will thank you.

Mass Communication is a comprehensive, engaging, and compact introduction that brings a fresh media literacy focus to the introductory course. While encouraging students to think analytically about the media industry and explore the many dimensions of mass communication that operate in society, Ralph Hanson doesn’t bash or denounce the media. Rather he contends that the media are an essential part of our daily lives—how we live, work, and play. He lays out basic principles—the Seven Truths—arming students with a healthy dose of skepticism to make sure they understand what the media are, who controls the media, how media content is selected, why the media behave the way they do, and how society and the media interact. The media are not isolated institutions or outside influences that somehow “do something” to us—instead they help shape who we are.

The 7 Truths “They” Don’t Want You to Know about the Media
1) The media are essential components of our lives.
2) There are no mainstream media.
3) Everything from the margin moves to the center.
4) Nothing’s new—everything that happened in the past will happen again.
5) New media are always scary.
6) Activism and analysis are not the same thing.
7) There is no “they.”

Fun and conversational, with solid content and smart analysis, Hanson’s Mass Communication is loaded with compelling stories and real-life examples. It embodies the high-quality, low-cost textbook that your students will prefer. In addition to an emphasis on diversity that reflects today’s college population, students encounter a broad and comprehensive introduction to the many forms of the media: from print—books, magazines, newspapers—to the innovative and ever-changing electronic media, like television, the Internet, movies, and radio and music. An exploration of digital recording, blogging, podcasting, and online distribution brings this edition fully up to date. Students will examine the business of media, from the impact of the large conglomerates to the effects of long tail media, as well as discover the social, global, legal, and ethical forces that drive the industry now and will do so in the future.

Laying a theoretical foundation for discussing the effects of individual media, a full chapter dedicated to social effects delves into the cultural and macro impact of the media, with a balanced look at critical and cultural studies. A new chapter on global media updates and expands discussion of media in the Middle East, Asia, and Latin America, while exploring how various Western democracies differ in their approach to press freedom.

QUALITY FEATURES THAT DON’T BREAK THE BANK
Mass Communication presents information and analysis smartly and neatly with carefully crafted features that buttress the main text and further support student learning:

• Chapter-Opening Vignettes—drawn from newsworthy events, each chapter opens with an intriguing story about people at the center of the media, providing a powerful narrative thread that exemplifies each chapter’s major themes.
• Chapter Timelines—placing mass media history in context, key developments run parallel to major historical dates, allowing students to integrate knowledge of world history with the evolution of mass media.
• Key Terms and Glossary—easy-to-find and incredibly useful, key terms are highlighted in the text, defined in the margins, listed at end of each chapter, and located at the end of the book in a comprehensive glossary.
• Test Your Literacy—getting away from boxes that highlight purely anecdotal information, this feature goes to the heart of the book’s media literacy approach. In addition to shedding additional light on the business and practice of mass communication, these boxes challenge students to become critical and savvy consumers of the media by asking provocative questions that help model and encourage critical thinking and analysis.
• Graphics—a wealth of tables, figures, charts, maps, and photos enhance and support textual material.
• Chapter Summary—a brief recap of important themes and events concludes each chapter, further reinforcing concepts.

Discount package available with Issues in Media! Click here to learn more.

Preface

PART I. INTRODUCTION TO THE MEDIA

1. Living in a Media World
Elements of Mass Communication
Evolution of the Media World
Understanding The Media World

2. The Media Business: Consolidation, Globalization, and the Long Tail
The Development of the Media Business in the United States
Big Media
Media Economics and the Long Tail
Who Controls the Media?

3. Mass Communication Effects: How Society and Media Interact
History of Media Effects Research
Effects of the Media in our Lives
Theories of Media and Society
Media, Politics and Society

PART II. PRINT MEDIA

4. Books: The Birth of the Mass Media
The Development of the Book and Mass Communication
The Development of the Printing Press
Buying and Selling Books
Books and Culture
The Future of Books

5. Magazines: The Power of Words and Images
The Development of a National Culture
The Magazine Business
Magazines and Modern Society
The Future of Magazines

6. Newspapers: Reflection of a Democratic Society
Inventing the Modern Press
The Newspaper Business
News and Society
The Future of Newspapers

PART III. ELECTRONIC MEDIA

7. Sound: Music and Talk Across Media
History of Sound Recording and Transmission
Music, Youth Culture & Society
From Singles to Digital Downloads--Making Money in the Recording Industry
The Business of Radio
The Future of Sound

8. Movies: Mass-Producing Entertainment
The Development of Movies
The Movie Business
Movies and Society
The Future of Movies

9. Television: Broadcast, Cable and Beyond
Television: Broadcast and Cable/Satellite
From Broadcasting to Narrowcasting: The Changing Business of Television
Television and Society
The Future of Television

10. The Internet: Mass Communication Gets Personal
The Development of the Internet
Computers as Communication Tools
New Media and Online Entertainment
The Internet and Society
The Future of the Internet

PART IV. SUPPORTING AND CONTROLLING THE MEDIA

11. Advertising: Selling a Message
The Development of the Advertising Industry
The Advertising Business
Advertising in Contemporary Culture
The Future of Advertising

12. Public Relations: Manufacturing the News
From Press Agentry to Professionalism
The Business of Public Relations
Public Relations and Society

13. Media Law: Free Speech and Fairness
The Development of a Free Press
Protection of Individuals
Controlling the Press
Regulation of the Media Business
Freedom of Expression in the Post 9/11 Era

14. Media Ethics: Truthfulness, Fairness, and Standards of Decency
Ethical Principles and Decision Making
Ethics and News
Ethics and Persuasive Communication

15. Global Media: Communication Around the World
Media Ideals Around the World
Going Global: Standards Around The World

“Mass Communication: Living in a Media World is highly readable and quite accessible for students of varying academic abilities. The discussion early on of media conglomerates and consolidation is unique and useful in putting the field into perspective. Also, I found the profiles of media professionals useful, particularly since they highlighted the diversity of the media field in terms of gender, race/ethnicity, and background, both educational and professional. Hanson is very successful in engaging the students: the vignettes throughout the text show the importance of media figures and make the knowledge of the field’s founding mothers and fathers relevant. The conversational tone and the consumer-oriented approach make this text very accessible.”

“This is the type of textbook on Introduction to Mass Communication that I have been longing for. Most, if not all, existing texts tend to begin the course from ‘mid-stream,’ ignoring the fundamentals and foundations of mass communication. Hanson has taken the fundamentals into account: his book properly lays a strong foundation, providing sufficient details on the basics of this subject and helping to lead students into the more complex aspects of the course. The author’s conversational tone and his attempt to engage students as consumers of media are excellent teaching tactics that will not only catch their attention, but will also win their interest.”

“Ralph Hanson provides students with both the motivation and the tools to be media-literate critical thinkers. The ‘Test Your Literacy’ features and his unique ‘Seven Truths’ engage students and encourage them to delve below the surface and around the corners of serious media issues. And the publisher has refreshingly demonstrated a cutting-edge, media literate approach: trimming the glitz to offer a truly affordable yet complete textbook for intro and media literacy courses. As a media literacy advocate, I say: ‘Three cheers!’”

“Student feedback informs me that they like this textbook, and I can understand why: it is a well-written, highly enjoyable read. Hanson’s Mass Communication: Living in a Media World is one of the best – if not the best – introductory survey books available today on mass media and society. The text is thoroughly researched and quite well written. The book informs, educates and entertains the students as well as piquing their interest in areas they previously thought held nothing of interest for them. The material is, of course, up-to-date and highly relevant. I especially applaud the two chapters on global media and media effects that are new to the second edition. The book is altogether engaging and can play an important role in either liberal studies or professional education courses. Hanson’s approach is student-friendly, which makes his book student-friendly; thus, the class in which the text is used becomes user-friendly.”

Ralph E. Hanson is the chair of the communications department at University of Nebraska at Kearney. Previously, he was associate dean of the P.I. Reed School of Journalism at West Virginia University where he taught for fifteen years. For more than a decade he has taught introduction to mass communication. He founded West Virginia University’s online extended learning program, and he writes occasional commentary for the Charleston Daily Mail. He has also taught newswriting, editorial writing, and media ethics. Ralph has a bachelor’s degree in journalism and anthropology from Iowa State University, a master’s degree in journalism from Iowa State, and a doctorate in sociology from Arizona State University. When Ralph is not out on his motorcycle, he is blogging on mass communication issues at http://RalphEHanson.com.

STUDENTS CAN REVIEW, QUIZ, AND RESEARCH—ALL ONLINE (AND YES, FOR FREE) http://masscomm.cqpress.com

Organized by chapter, this companion Web site offers just what students need to master content and concepts:

• chapter summaries, objectives, and review questions with response boxes
• key-term flashcards
• vocabulary crossword puzzles
• quizzes (with automatic grading and detailed results)
• interactive exercises with response boxes
• annotated Web links

• Instructor’s Resources Manual—a treasure trove of tips, information, starting points, ideas, and advice, this resource includes chapter summaries and learning objectives; notes on each Test Your Media Literacy box that include talking points and thought-provoking exercises; notes on the linked video and audio clips in the PowerPoint slides ; an annotated list of additional resources; and a section called Lecture Builders—additional topics for discussion, added details on material in the book, and suggestions for other video or audio materials.
• Video Tour—this amazing resource provides viewers with an inside look at the day-to-day operations of USAToday’s converged newsroom. Students can see and hear about industry trends, understand the complexities of new media, and get a good look at the business of news.
• Test Bank—over 900 multiple-choice, fill-in the blank, short-answer, and essay questions, written by the author of the text, offer instructors readymade exams or serve as the foundation for class assignments and research papers.
• PowerPoint Lecture Slides—a complete set of slides contains an outline of each chapter’s core concepts, along with links to video and audio clips.
• Downloadable Graphics—all of the book’s tables, figures, charts, and maps are available in electronic format (in both PowerPoint and PDF), allowing instructors to highlight important data and concepts during lectures, or to import them into test questions and handouts.

Mass Communication, 2nd Edition + Issues in Media package