Media Studies

Sue Thornham is Emeritus Professor of Film and Media at the University of Sussex. She is the author of What If I Had Been the Hero? (2012), Passionate Detachments: An Introduction to Feminist Film Theory (1996), Feminist Theory and Cultural Studies (2001) and Women, Feminism and Media (EUP, 2007); the co-author, with Tony Purvis, of Television Drama: Theories and Identities (2005); the editor of Feminist Film Theory: A Reader (EUP,1999), and the co-editor, with Caroline Bassett and Paul Marris, of Media Studies: A Reader (EUP, 3rd edition 2009).

Media Studies: A Reader introduces a full range of theoretical perspectives through which the media may be explored, analysed, critiqued and understood. The Reader includes essential statements from writers such as Raymond Williams, Stuart Hall, Marshall McLuhan, Jürgen Habermas, Jean Baudrillard and Michel Foucault, whose work was central to forming the field. It also includes wide ranging work on current media formations from key contemporary theorists, including Annabelle Sreberny, Paul Gilroy, Charlotte Brunsdon, Angela McRobbie, Michael Bull, Nick Couldry, Asu Askoy and Kevin Robins. Finally, the Reader looks to the future, exploring new media formations and their significance through the work of Mark Andrejevic, Lev Manovich, Jonathan Sterne and others. The sixty-five readings are divided into two main parts: 'Studying the Media' begins with a section on key theoretical perspectives and follows this with five sections opening up questions around the Public Sphere, Representation, Feminism and Gender, Audiences, and Everyday Life respectively. The second part, 'Case Studies', brings together concrete examples of how theoretical approaches can be realised through a series of case studies, covering for instance, reality TV, news, advertising, and new media. With easy-to-follow introductions and guides to further reading accompanying each section, Media Studies: A Reader equips the student to engage with key debates in the field. This new edition updates all sections with a rich selection of contemporary writing complementing re-chosen media 'classics'. In addition: * Further Reading lists have been comprehensively updated * Introductory essays to each section have been expanded and re-written