[ecrea] new Media, Culture and Society introduction text

A new book, Media, Culture and Society: An 
Introduction (Sage), has just been released and 
hopefully may be of interest to subscribers, 
particularly if they are involved in the teaching 
of undergrad modules in media and communications.

For more detail, contents and a sample chapter, see:
http://www.uk.sagepub.com/books/Book228912?



Sageâ¬"s blurb as follows...

Clearly organized, systematic and combining a 
critical survey of the field with a finely judged 
assessment of cutting edge developments, this 
book provides a 'must have' contribution to media and communication studies.
The text is organized into three distinctive 
parts, which fall neatly into research and 
teaching requirements: Elements of the Media 
(which covers media technologies, the 
organization of the media industry, media content 
and media users); Media, Power and Control (which 
addresses questions of the media and 
manipulation, the construction of news, public 
service broadcasting, censorship, 
commercialization); and Media, Identity and 
Culture (which covers issues of the media and 
ethnicity, gender, subcultures, audiences and fans).
The book is notable for:
" Logiical and coherent organization
" Clarity of expression
" Use of relevant examples<
" Fair minded criticcism
" Zestful ppowers of analysis
It has all of the qualities to be adopted as core 
introductory text in the large and buoyant field 
of media and communication studies.

In his beautifully balanced, clear and 
broad-ranging account of a fast-changing field, 
Paul Hodkinson has successfully brought together 
myriad perspectives with which to critically 
analyse today's media culture and media society
Sonia Livingstone
Professor of Media and Communication, LSE

Introductory texts are notoriously difficult to 
write; they have to be accessible, engaging, well 
organised and well written. Hodkinson has 
succeeded in writing a book which makes a 
distinctive and engaging contribution to the 
literature; it is a work which combines 
scholarship and imagination. The book is 
carefully organised and sets an agenda which will 
be useful to students in a wide variety of 
contexts. It manages to combine traditional 
approaches to understanding the media with new 
and emergent issues and areas. Contemporary 
examples and illustrations are used throughout to 
ensure that general analysis is always embedded 
in particular case studies and each section is 
rounded off with a summary conclusion which 
allows students to reflect on their reading. The 
book is fully supported by key references and 
succeeds in providing an introduction to which 
students will return throughout their studies
Tim O'Sullivan
Professor of Media, Film and Journalism, De Montfort University

Written clearly and accessibly, Media, Culture 
and Society offers a solid grounding in key 
theories and debates. From media technologies 
through to audience communities, Hodkinson is always a sure-footed guide
Matt Hills
Cardiff University



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