Media of Mass Communication, The (8th Edition) (MyMassCommLab Series) - Softcover

This up-to-date, reader-friendly presentation of mass media helps instructors use the media to teach the media and explore its excitement, complexity, and impact on our lives.

Widely praised for his ability to make learning interesting, Vivian’s story-telling style excites students as they explore the ever-changing subject of mass communication. This edition retains the emphasis on the challenges of today's media while building on its extensive coverage of media history, effects, technology, and culture. The coverage of media literacy, at the core of Vivian’s text since the first edition, has been enhanced with two new features that push students to think critically. The three part-organization–the media, media messages, and media issues–provides a framework for students to understand the big picture behind today’s media issues.

New to the Eighth Edition

• Seven new “Case Studies,” found throughout the book, each look in depth at a relevant media issue and then invite students to analyze its impact.
• “Deepening Your Media Literacy,” a new student project at the end of each chapter, encourages students (in groups or individually) to “dig deeper” to analyze a media problem and enhance their media literacy.
• New Media Technology boxes explore and help demystify the ever-changing world of media technology.
• The text and photo program has been thoroughly updated throughout with the latest examples and information on media trends, challenges, concepts, personalities, and issues.

John Vivian’s academic home is Winona State University in Minnesota, where has taught a wide range of mass communication courses. He holds a Medill journalism degree from Northwestern University and earlier from Gonzaga University. He has done additional work at Marquette University and the University of Minnesota. As an undergrad Vivian worked for United Press International. Later he joined the Associated Press in four Western cities. His work has won numerous professional awards, including Minaret Awards as an Army Reservist. Vivian is a former national president of Text and Academic Authors. His The Media of Mass Communication has been the leading textbook in its field since the first edition. Judges for the TAA Texty Award gave the title the first perfect score in history. Vivian is at home in the scholarly and pedagogical journals of his field. With Alfred Lorenz, he co-authored News Reporting and Writing. Besides journalism, public relations and advertising, Vivian’s academic focus is media law and history. He invites feedback from students and adopters at jvivian@winona.edu.