Communications: General works

With contributions from 30 leading media scholars, this collection provides a comprehensive overview of the main methodologies of critical media studies. Chapters address various methods of textual analysis, as well as reception studies, policy, production studies, and contextual, multi-method approaches, like intertextuality and cultural geography. Film and television are at the heart of the collection, which also addresses emergent technologies and new research tools in such areas as software studies, gaming, and digital humanities. Each chapter includes an intellectual history of a particular method or approach, a discussion of why and how it was used to study a particular medium or media, relevant examples of influential work in the area, and an in-depth review of a case study drawn from the author's own research. Together, the chapters in this collection give media critics a complete toolbox of essential critical media studies methodologies.

McQuail′s Reader in Mass Communication Theory provides an invaluable resource of key statements drawn from communication studies, media sociology and cultural studies, and includes an overview essay and section introductions which place the readings in their theoretical and methodological context. Designed as a companion to McQuail′s Mass Communication Theory, it can also function independently of that text.

Donald Trump's use of Twitter, the "Angelina Effect," social media mourning, cyber-bullying: in today's media environment, evidence of media influence is all around us. As such, good media research is more important than ever, and crucially, is something all students can and should do. In Exploring Media Research, author Andy Ruddock explains that the only way to learn or teach about media research is to do it. Carefully balancing theory and practice, he demystifies the process, showing you don't need huge amounts of time or money to do meaningful media analysis. This book: Explains how principles of motivation, causation, generalizability, and ethics apply to media research. Outlines different forms of 'reality' created by media stories, media users, and the blending of media and interpersonal communication. Identifies key areas of research, from media industries, content and events to regulation, policy and audiences. Demonstrates how key concepts translate into actual research methods, from archival and field research to the analysis of 'big data'. Brings theory to life throughout with a range of contemporary case studies. Exploring Media Research is a thoughtful, pragmatic approach to both gathering and analyzing media data, and so making sense of the chaotic, complex, compelling world of media influence in the 21st century. It is essential reading for students and researchers across media, communication, and cultural studies.

Media and Communication Research Methods provides a clear and authoritative introduction to qualitative and quantitative methods for studying media and communication. Written by two highly experienced researchers, the book draws on a wide range of media and communication research to introduce students to the relative strengths of the different research approaches. Beginning with an overview of the changing contexts and trends in media and communication research approaches, the book demystifies 'research' and the 'research process' by offering practical and accessible guidance on how to design, plan and carry out successful research projects in media and communication. Featuring international case studies and a student-friendly glossary, the book provides guidance on how to ask the 'right' research questions and select the 'right' research method. Media and Communication Research Methods is an indispensible text for all students of media and communication studies, particularly those undertaking their own research projects or taking modules in research methods.

Employing his signature style--a practical focus, the use of numerous illuminating examples, an easy to follow step-by-step approach, and engaging humor that makes the material approachable--Arthur Asa Berger updates and enhances his best-selling introductory text, Media and Communication Research Methods: An Introduction to Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches, Third Edition. The new edition combines insightful discussions of qualitative and quantitative media and communication research methods as it covers each topic thoroughly in a fun-to-read style. Ideal for beginning research students at both the graduate and undergraduate level, this proven book is clear, concise, and accompanied by just the right number of detailed examples, useful applications, and valuable exercises that are sure to get your students to want to understand, and master, media and communication research.

The new edition of the highly respected Researching Communications is a comprehensive and authoritative guide to researching media and communication. Researching Communications, Third Edition is an invaluable guide to performing and analysing research tasks, introducing the major research methods, giving detailed examples of research analysis and practical step-by-step guidance in clear language. Written by highly regarded experts in the field, the third edition includes new sections on social media analysis, digital research methods and comparative research, as well as updated case studies, international examples and details of recent developments in media and communication studies. Undergraduate and postgraduate media and communication students will find Researching Communications an invaluable resource at all stages of their course.

This new textbook addresses the neglect of practical research methods in cultural studies. It provides students with clearly written overviews of research methods in cultural studies, along with guidelines on how to put these methods into operation. It advocates a multi-method approach, with students drawing from a pool of techniques and approaches suitable for their own topics of investigation. The book covers the following main areas:* Drawing on experience, and studying how narratives make sense of experience.* Investigating production processes in the cultural industries, and the consumption and assimilation of cultural products by audiences and fans.* Taking both quantitative and qualitative approaches to the study of cultural life.* Analysing visual images and both spoken and written forms of discourse.* Exploring cultural memory and historical representation.The contributors, along with Michael Pickering, are Martin Barker, Aeron Davis, David Deacon, Emily Keightley, Steph Lawler, Anneke Meyer, Virginia Nightingale, and Sarah Pink. The book is designed for use by students on upper-level undergraduate and taught Masters-level courses as well as postgraduate research students and cultural studies researchers more generally. It will be of enormous value across all fields of study involved in cultural enquiry and analysis.