Communication in History : technology, culture, society

Communication in Historysoutstanding selection of readings from classic and contemporary sources gives an extensive overview of the most important ideas in the field.Encompassing topics as wide-ranging as the role of printing in the rise of the modern state and the role of the Internet in the Information Age, this anthology reveals how media have been influential both in maintaining social order and as powerful agents of change. Revised with new readings for the fifth edition, Communication in History continues to be, as one reviewer wrote, the only text in the sea of History of Mass Communication texts that introduces students to a more expansive, intellectually enlivening study of the relationship between human history and communication history.New to This EditionIncludes two new entries on radio that enhance student s understanding of the role of radio networks and advertisers in the 1930s and 1940s, and explore radios transformation following the rise of televisionEnriches coverage of digital communication and new media to make the text more up-to-date and a better guide for assessing contemporary technological changeAdds an entry on communication and monastic culture in the Middle Ages, further expanding the texts history coverage and giving students insight into the impact of communication and culture in this time periodRevisits theclassic encounter between two preeminent media critics, Camille Paglia and the late Neil PostmanEnriches coverage of early writing with a new piece by Denise Schmandt-Besserat that reinterprets previous archeological findsPraise for Communication in HistoryThere are a number of competitors, but none really do what this does, which is to deal with communication through history without overemphasizing the current media. Most of the history books are industry centered. This book is communication centered and that is commendable.Daniel G. McDonald, The Ohio State University