Media Studies - An Introduction

Media Studies is a comprehensive text for introductory and advanced courses in the growing field of media studies, integrating history with close textual analysis in a concise, readable style.

Explores the growing synergies between print and online journalism, and the growth of independent journalism through blogging

Discusses the ways advertising is connected to print and screen, economically and from the perspective of the reader

Gives students the analytical skills they need in a presentation that is readable without sacrificing complexity

Allows students to move within the media they know while increasing comprehension

Robert Kolker is Professor Emeritus at the University of Maryland, where he taught from 1971-2000. He is currently Adjunct Professor of Media Studies and American Studies at the University of Virginia.

"It is an introduction to media in every sense of the word, whetting the appetite to learn more and ensuring the reader will more thoughtfully navigate—not just consume—the media bombardment that is unavoidable in modern life." (M/C Reviews, January 2010)
"Kolker's writing style is precise yet engaging. The breadth of knowledge he displays is impressive; even more so are the original connections Kolker makes and encourages students to explore as mediations of culture." (Journalism & Mass Communication Educator, Winter 2009)
"Robert Kolker has built a deserved reputation as one of our foremost scholars of film. Now, drawing on that wealth of knowledge as well as much, much more, he has produced a textbook for the age." Toby Miller, Chair of Media & Cultural Studies, University of California, Riverside

"The book is a masterful introduction to a central topic in the humanities today. Prof. Kolker writes with clarity and an authority that is the product of his deep knowledge of the various forms that constitute our media culture today: from the printed newspaper to the web site, from film to digitized video on YouTube, from broadcast radio to the computer game. Kolker understands the history of media in the twentieth century and appreciates the heterogeneity of digital media forms in the twenty-first." Jay Bolter, Wesley Chair in New Media, Georgia Institute of Technology
“Media Studies provides an insightful foundation and ideal starting point for understanding profound recent changes in both the consumption and production of film, television, and popular media. A valuable, much-needed introduction to multimedia and culture in the age of convergence." John T. Caldwell, Professor, Cinema and Media Studies, UCLA

List of Illustrations.
Preface.
Acknowledgments.
Introduction.
1 The Designs of Media.
2 From Broadsheet to Broadband: The News.
3 The Pitch: Advertising.
4 Music in Every Room: Radio and Recorded Music.
5 Watching TV.
6 Movies and Film.
7 Digital Spaces.
Index