PEARSON EDUCATION The Media of Mass Communication

This up-to-date, reader-friendly presentation of the 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 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, and culture. The coverage of media literacy, an underlying theme since the first edition, has been enhanced with a new feature. The three part-organization―the media, media messages, and media issues―has been strengthened by the addition of a totally new chapter on entertainment to balance the coverage of other types of media messages. From the Back Cover Praise for John Vivian's The Media of Mass Communication “I've always thought Vivian was the best, clearest, sharpest writer of all authors who have written survey-course textbooks. He is far and away the best textbook writer I've seen in this genre.”William L. Knowles, University of Montana “I know there are several other mass communication related texts I could use in my classroom discussions, but they are not of the quality of Vivian's text. His text is thoroughly researched, current, clear and concise. ”Ron Weekes, Ricks College “The numerous sidebars, breakouts, illustrations, glossary entries and boldface headings are greatly appreciated by my students. They've said so, often, in their written evaluations of the course, making comments such as, 'this text is one of the best I've seen. ”Ross F. Collins, North Dakota State University “The writing style of this book is one of the reasons I selected it for my class. It is clear and simple and is accented by numerous graphics and photos”Cara Schollenberger, Bucks County Community College “The author's expertise in the field is obvious through the details and examples provided in the chapters. The author spends considerable amount of time trying to explain concepts that have probably never crossed the minds of most students. ”John N. Malala, Bethune-Cookman College “Vivian's easy style is appealing to students, making learning more interesting and effective. He speaks to this age group at a level appropriate for their age and education. ”Hazel Warlaumont, California State University Fullerton “I do believe that this text is the best I have seen in terms of presenting supplementary information that enhances the chapter material and doing so in a format that simulates ways in which students actually consume media. ”J. Steven Smethers, Kansas State University About the Author John Vivian is a Professor of journalism at Winona State University in Minnesota, where he has taught mass media survey courses for 20 years. His professional media experience began with his hometown newspaper and continued through college with United Press International and the Associated Press. Professor Vivian is a past president of the Text and Academic Authors Association, and has been active in the Society of Professional Journalists and College Media Advisers. His scholarly, professional and trade articles have appeared in many publications, including American Journalism, American Speech, Journalism Educator, and Journalism Quarterly.