A unique three-part structure (History, Industry, and Controversy) organizes the extensive content of the survey course in a way that students can best comprehend, categorize, and remember.
History sections of each chapter help to centralize the discussion of key events in mass communication history. A Milestone list follows with a summary of the most important events for a chapter, providing students with a priority to guide them through their review.
Industry sections of each chapter demonstrate how media practices develop because of industry and economic objectives.
Controversies sections introduce students to the debates that opponents, including parents, media companies, legislators, consumers, and watchdog groups are currently fighting about.
Chapter-opening vignettes open each chapter with a brief account of a media-related story. These stories introduce a central theme for the chapter and are analayzed so that students can read through the material with an open mind.
Close-Up boxes on History, Industry, and Controversy reinforces the three-part structure for every chapter. Each box deals with an interesting example or trend that reinforces important concepts in that section of the chapter.
Self-Quiz Questions run alongside the material in the text margins. These questions enable students to test their comprehension of the material while it is still fresh in their minds. As a review tool, they highlight the most important points for key passages in a chapter.
Consider This critical thinking questions in the margins of the text pose thought-provoking questions to stimulate student thinking and foster discussion.
Fact Files are illustrated tables that provide brief snapshots of important data for a given industry, such as industry leaders, revenue figures, market share, and consumer trends. They are designed to help reinforce student understanding of important industry facts and trends.
Electronic Excursions conclude each chapter with an integrated set of media-related activities utilizing the Student CD-ROM's and Online Learning Center. Web Excursions provides recommended web sites related to the chapter coupled with critical thinking questions to help students assess the content of a given site. CD-ROM Excursions point students to specific, relevant tracks found on the Media World CD-ROM.
Milestones --A Milestones list appears following the History section of each chapter. Each list summarizes the most important events for a chapter, providing the student with a set of priorities to guide them through their review of the History section.
A complete Timeline , located in the Appendix, integrates all of the historical milestones discussed in the text into one comprehensive format. The Complete Timeline of Mass Media Milestones will be available as an interactive study tool on the text website so students can review history by chapter, subject, time frame, or media type.
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2006 McGraw-Hill Higher Education