About the Book

"The topics covered show a fine awareness of the media's roles in advanced consumer societies, and the book offers student excellent tools with which to critically analyze those roles."

—Stephen Crofts, Media International Australia

"Eoin Devereux has successfully brought together chapters that investigate the media in their social context and that focus either on the production, content, or reception of media texts, a theme already elaborated in a previous publication, 'Understanding the Media' (Second Edition re-published by SAGE in 2007)."

—COMMUNICATION RESEARCH TRENDS

Bringing together a range of renowned and newly emerging scholars in the field, including a Preface by Denis McQuail, this book examines eighteen key issues within contemporary media studies. Written in an accessible student-friendly style, Media Studies: Key Issues and Debates is an authoritative landmark text for undergraduate students and teachers alike. Each chapter begins with a concise definition of the concept(s) under investigation, followed by a discussion of the current state of play within research on the specific area. Chapters contain case-studies and illustrative materials from Europe, North America, Australia, and beyond. Each chapter concludes with annotated notes, which guide readers in terms of future study.

Written for undergraduate courses in media and communications and cultural studies; vocationally specific courses such as journalism and PR, as well as for students taking media as part of a wider social science or arts program.

Contents

Introduction 

Bridging The Mythical Divide : Political Economy and Cultural Studies Approaches to the Analysis of Media

Natalie Fenton

The Media Industry : Structure, Strategy and Debates

Croteau & Hoynes

Mass Media & New Media Techologies 

Michael J Breen

Unravelling the Web of Discourse Analysis 

Philippa Smith & Allan Bell

News Content Studies, Media Group methods and Discourse Analysis : A Comparison of Approaches

Greg Philo

Framing & Frame Analysis

Jenny Kitzinger

 Mass Media Re-Presentations of the Social World : Ethnicity and Race

Amanda Hoynes

Media Representations of Social Structure: Gender

Joke Hermes

Media, Power and Political Culture 

John Corner

Proximity and Scope as News

Pamela J. Shoemaker

Text and Textual Analysis 

Peter Hughes

Analysing Fictional Television Genres 

Kim Akass & Janet McCabe

From Family Television To Bedroom Culture Young People's Media at Home

Sonia Livingstone

Fan Culture - Performing Difference

Jeroen de Kloet & Lisbet van Zoonen

Community Media & The Public Sphere 

Kevin Howley

Media and Diaspora

Karim H. Karim

About the Author / Editor

Eoin Devereux

University of Limerick, Ireland

Professor Eoin Devereux is Professor of Sociology at the University of Limerick, Ireland and an Adjunct Professor in Contemporary Culture at the University of Jyvaskyla, Finland.   

Primarily interested in Cultural and Economic Sociology,  Professor Devereux has published extensively on media representations of poverty, inequality and the stigmatization of poorer neighbourhoods.  He has also published widely on the media and on popular music including co-edited books on David Bowie, Morrissey, Joy Division and Protest Music.  He is the author of the international best-selling book Understanding The Media, now in its 3rd edition and the editor of Media Studies: Key Issues and Debates, both published by Sage (London).   Professor Devereux is co-founder/director of two research clusters at the University of Limerick, Ireland, namely, The Popular Music and Popular Culture Research Cluster and The Power, Discourse and Society Research Cluster. In addition to his academic work, Devereux is also a creative writer and experimental musician. His essay 'Waltzing Back: The Cranberries 1989-1993' is featured in the Box Set Version of The Cranberries debut album 'Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We?' released by Universal Music (London) in October 2018. He has also curated sleeve notes for The Cranberries albums 'Something Else',  'In The End' and the 2020 re-issue of 'No Need To Argue.'