Softcover

ISBN 10: 020552365X ISBN 13: 9780205523658

Publisher: Allyn & Bacon, 2007

The Media in Your Life explores the social, historical, economic, and technological implications of the media in our culture and how to use the media effectively in our lives.

 

Written by three highly regarded scholars and teachers, this book explores a system-wide view of the interacting social, historical, economic, and technological forces at work in today's rapidly evolving mass media. Too often, mass communication books rely only on popular publications or on academic research. Folkerts, Lacy, and Larabee believe that all forms of scholarship provide insight into mass communication. In The Media in Your Life, the authors have combined the concrete practice of journalism with empirical research, enabling the reader to comprehend the impact of the dynamic media that are an integral part of our lives today.

 

The Media in Your Life guides the reader through today's whirlwind of mass communication by providing the information and critical thinking skills necessary to consider objectively the media and its roles in their lives. Readers are challenged to look at their own use of the media and to observe patterns they see in media industries, personalities, structures, and market trends in order to become more informed media consumers.

From the Back Cover:

Features & descriptions to MyMassCommLab:

 

 

Integrated & Annotated Video Clips highlight media coverage of current news events as well as key historical footage, profiles of prominent personalities in media, and coverage of key ethical, political, social and international trends in the industry. Many of these video clips will be annotated to help students understand and critically evaluate this media material.

 

Career Explorations feature video interviews with media professionals along with personal profiles of key media jobs, including job duties; what a typical day is like; how the job was obtained; job search tips, hints, advice, or anecdotes; and salary. Careers in Media weblinks also are available throughout.

 

Biographical profiles of the movers and shakers in the media provide students with more in-depth information about key people in various media fields.

 

Unlimited use of Pearson’s Research Navigator™ is the easiest way for students to start a research assignment. Complete with extensive help on the research process and four exclusive databases of credible and reliable source material – including the EBSCO Academic Journal and Abstract Database, New York Times Search by Subject Archive, “Best of the Web” Link Library, and Financial Times Article Archive and Company Financials – Research Navigator helps students quickly and efficiently make the most of their research time. 

 

New York Times Daily News Feed contains an online feed from The New York Times that is updated hourly.

 

An E-book matching the exact layout of the printed textbook, the online E-book contains multimedia icons in the margins that launch to exciting resources that expand upon the key topics students encounter as they read through the text.

 

Assessments found in each chapter of the text enable students to navigate through a pre-test and post-test, all fully integrated with the E-book in order to assess, review, and improve their understanding of the material chapter-by-chapter. 

 

A customized study plan, generated from chapter pre-tests and post-tests, identifies areas of weakness and strength to help students focus their attention and efforts where they’re needed the most.

 

A wealth of instructor support material simplifies and enriches the teaching experience. MyMassCommLab gives you access to text-specific materials including instructor's manuals, test banks, and PowerPoint presentations.

Review:

"The text's strengths... are on the emphasis on media history, convergence trends, and marketplaces. I also appreciate that the text is written at a sophisticated yet appropriate level for college students." — Kim Smith, Iowa State University

"The material covered is essential to the understanding of the current student in today's media culture." — Jeanne Rollberg, University of Arkansas- Little Rock

"Authors that forget that they are teachers and try too hard to pretend they're the students' friends don't do their content justice, nor do they model appropriate writing for students to emulate. Folkerts and Lacy don't fall into this trap; they present material credibly, appropriately, and yet readably." — Rebecca Lind, University of Illinois- Chicago

"The overall strengths of Media in Your Life are that it is exhaustively researched and attractively presented. The broad topic of mass media is effectively structured into an accessible format." — Randall K. Pugh, Montana State University- Billings

"The book's emphasis on knowledge students can use in navigating our complex culture is a major strength. Its organization is logical. It is well documented... It provides a solid summary of most significant media-related issues of the day." — William Lingle, Linfield College

"The authors have a good framework to present an overview of the structure and process of mass communication in the U.S. The text is visually appealing and will attract students' interest." — Elizabeth Perse, University of Delaware