CRITICAL MEDIA STUDIES

An engaging and accessible introduction to a broad range of critical approaches to contemporary mass media theory and research 

A decade after its first publication, Critical Media Studies continues toshape and define the field of media studies, offering innovative approaches that enable readers to explore the modern media landscape from a wide variety of perspectives. Integrating foundational theory and contemporary research, this groundbreaking text offers the most comprehensive set of analytical approaches currently available. Twelve critical perspectives—pragmatic, rhetorical, sociological, erotic, ecological, and others—enable readers to assess and evaluate the social and cultural consequences of contemporary media in their daily lives.

The new third edition includes up-to-date content that reflects the current developments and cutting-edge research in the field. New or expanded material includes changing perceptions of race and gender, the impact of fandom on the media, the legacy of the television age, the importance of media literacy in the face of “fake news”, and developments in industry regulations and U.S. copyright law. This textbook:

• Presents clear, reader-friendly chapters organized by critical perspective
• Features up-to-date media references that resonate with modern readers
• Incorporates enhanced and updated pedagogical features throughout the text
• Offers extensively revised content for greater clarity, currency, and relevance
• Includes fully updated illustrations, examples, statistics, and further readings

Critical Media Studies, 3^rd Edition is the ideal resource for undergraduate students in media studies, cultural studies, popular culture, communication, rhetoric, and sociology, graduate students new to critical perspectives on the media, and scholars in the field.

Brian L. Ott is Professor of Communication, Department of Communication Studies, Texas Tech University. He is author of The Twitter Presidency: Donald J. Trump and the Politics of White Rage, The Small Screen: How Television Equips Us to Live in the Information Age, and co-editor of It's Not TV: Watching HBO in the Post-Television Era.
Robert L. Mack is Honors Faculty Fellow Tempe at Barrett, The Honors College, at Arizona State University. His writing has appeared in appeared in The Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts, The Journal of Religion and Communication, and The Quarterly Review of Film and Video.

Preface

1 - Introducing Critical Media Studies1

Part I Media Industries: Marxist, Organizational, and Pragmatic Perspectives

2 – Marxist Analysis

3 – Organizational Analysis

4 – Pragmatic Analysis

Part II Media Messages: Rhetorical, Cultural, Psychoanalytic, Feminist, and Queer Perspectives

5 – Rhetorical Analysis

6 – Cultural Analysis

7 – Psychoanalytic Analysis

8 – Feminist Analysis

9 – Queer Analysis

Part III Media Audiences: Reception, Sociological, Erotic, and Ecological Perspectives

10 – Reception Analysis

11 – Sociological Analysis

12 – Erotic Analysis

13 – Ecological Analysis

14 - Conclusion: the Partial Pachyderm

Appendix: Sample Student Essays

Glossary

Index