Emphasizing fundamental concepts and key questions, and giving close consideration to how today's students experience media, this brand new introductory text for courses in media and communications studies and sociology of media offers a fresh approach to the topic.

The concise, focused chapters have been contributed by respected scholars from across Canada, resulting in an engaging and thorough exploration of this increasingly prominent aspect of modern life. Examples are drawn from Canada and beyond, with attention paid throughout to both current developments and historical perspectives.

Intersections explores how media affect our relationships to everything — they don't just inform and entertain us, but shape our connections to the world, and define our relationships to it.

• Created by a team of contributors from across Canada, each writing in his or her area of expertise
• Concise chapters are written in accessible language
• Key terms are defined on the same page; full online glossary
• Students are presented with debates in the field, along with historical perspectives and strong Canadian content
• Brief overviews of key thinkers and theories in this field
• Discussion questions, suggested further readings, and websites provided with each chapter
• PowerPoint slides for instructors

PART I Studying Media and Communications

• Why Study Communications? (Kevin Dowler)
• Thinkers and Theories: An Introduction (Stacey Johnson)

PART II Media Dimensions, Forms, and Functions

• Dimensions of Media: Time and Space, Storage and Transmission (Will Straw)
• Media Forms, Interfaces, and Formats (Bart Beaty and Rebecca Sullivan)
• Media Functions (Ira Wagman)
• Language and Media (Michael Darroch)

PART III Change and Continuity

• Media Revolutions (Sandra Gabriele and Paul Moore)
• The Political Economy of Media: An Overview (The Editors)
• Regulating the Media (Richard Sutherland)
• Cultural Ownership, Copyright, and Intellectual Property (Darren Wershler)
• Alternative Media (Josh Greenberg and Heather Gilberds)

PART IV Media, Culture, and Public Life

• New Media Culture (Michael Strangelove)
• Journalism (Sandra Gabriele and Lisa Lynch)
• Media, Consumption, and Everyday Life (Sonia Bookman)
• Media, Representation, and Identity (Alexandra Boutros)
• Speed, Sensation, and Stimulation (Beverley Best)

PART V Researching the Media

• First Steps in Research Methods (Kim Sawchuk)

Sample chapter: Chapter 11: Alternative Media (Josh Greenberg and Heather Gilberds)

Glossary of Terms

PowerPoint Presentation

For access to these free instructor resources, contact Instructor Support.

Glossary of Terms