“This two-volume collection is a rich, comprehensive source of developing media theory. Original foundational essays focus on theory, and empirical analyses explore a wide range of case studies and their applications … Unique for the current and comprehensive range of perspectives it offers, this set is a must read for those interested in having a broad understanding of the evolution and current state of theories in mass communication. Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty.” (Choice, 1 April 2015)
“This is a richly detailed set on media theory and its application in communication studies. While the focus is very much on its application in the media sphere, scholars in allied cultural and sociological disciplines will also find much they can adopt and adapt within their own work as well; broadening the appeal and readership likewise … Given that there is much within this work that will be of repeated use to students and faculty, purchase of this work by any academic library supporting these disciplines is one that should be strongly considered.” (Reference Reviews, 1 April 2015)
“That this Handbook calls for two large volumes and more than four dozen essays illustrates the dramatic pace of developing media theory in recent years. Such a reference work would have been impossible a decade or two ago when serious media theoretical research was just getting off the ground and we had far more questions than potential answers. Fortner and Fackler and their impressive array of contributors provide an invaluable intellectual anthology of what we now know, topics which are still only partially understood, and aspects where much remains to be done.”
Chris Sterling, George Washington University
“Like Rodgers and Hammerstein or Lerner and Lowe, Robert Fortner and Mark Fackler are becoming the gourmet indispensable team who provide excellent inspiration for our field. Like Christians and Wilkins, they have set the bar with a handbook on international media ethics. Now they are raising that bar with The Handbook of Media and Mass Communication Theory, which assembles a who’s who of leading theorists and media studies thinkers worldwide. Far more than an introduction to media theory, this double volume is the most current and comprehensive overview and analysis of the field. … MUST reading.”
Dr. Tom Cooper, Emerson College
“A rich resource for all media-related disciplines. Impressive for its vision, both retrospective and future-oriented; and comprehensive in its range of perspectives, from the established to the innovatory.”
Denis McQuail, University of Amsterdam
From the Inside Flap
The Handbook of Media and Mass Communication Theory presents a comprehensive series of original essays that focus on all aspects of current and classic theories and practices relating to media and mass communication. While tracing the development of hundreds of media theories or their variants over the past century, this two-volume collection delves deeply into the most prominent and influential theories while providing enlightening case studies of their application in various regional and national contexts. Both empirically based theories and those developing from critical and normative perspectives are included, and international authorship ensures a global perspective of theoretical development.
A wide range of topics is explored, including classical theories of media and the press, social construction and control, feminist media theory, globalization and cultural identity, theories of social media and new technologies, future directions in media theory, and many more. Authoritative and comprehensive, The Handbook of Media and Mass Communication Theory sets a new standard in its compilation of the evolution and current state of our knowledge of theories in mass communication.
From the Back Cover
The Handbook of Media and Mass Communication Theory presents a comprehensive series of original essays that focus on all aspects of current and classic theories and practices relating to media and mass communication. While tracing the development of hundreds of media theories or their variants over the past century, this two-volume collection delves deeply into the most prominent and influential theories while providing enlightening case studies of their application in various regional and national contexts. Both empirically based theories and those developing from critical and normative perspectives are included, and international authorship ensures a global perspective of theoretical development.
A wide range of topics is explored, including classical theories of media and the press, social construction and control, feminist media theory, globalization and cultural identity, theories of social media and new technologies, future directions in media theory, and many more. Authoritative and comprehensive, The Handbook of Media and Mass Communication Theory sets a new standard in its compilation of the evolution and current state of our knowledge of theories in mass communication.
About the Author
About the Editors
Robert S. Fortner is Professor of Journalism and Mass Communication at the American University in Bulgaria. He is the author or editor of seven books and almost 100 essays.
P. Mark Fackler is Professor of Communication at Calvin College, USA. He has written extensively on topics relating to communication and journalism ethics.
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