50 Ways to Understand Communication A Guided Tour of Key Ideas and Theorists in Communication, Media, and Culture

by Berger, Arthur Asa

• ISBN13: 9780742541078
• ISBN10: 074254107X
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2006-02-20
• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Summary

In 50 Ways to Understand Communication, Arthur Asa Berger familiarizes readers with important concepts written by leading communication and cultural theorists, such as Saussure, LZvi-Strauss, de Certeau, McLuhan, Postman, and many others. Organized in fifty short segments, this concise guide covers a wide range of important ideas from psychoanalysis and semiology to humor, otherness, and nonverbal communication. Berger's clear explanations surround this assortment of influential writing. This engaging, accessible book is essential for students of communication and anyone interested in how we communicate in a world of rapidly changing media.

Author Biography

Arthur Asa Berger is professor emeritus of broadcast and electronic communication arts at San Francisco State University.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	ix
Introduction: How You Can Use This Book	xi
Words and Communication	1	(4)
Signs and Semiotics	5	(3)
When I Use a Word, Humpty Dumpty Said . . .	8	(3)
Antithetical Meaning of Words	11	(3)
Society Precedes the Individual	14	(3)
Language Codes	17	(3)
The Structuralist Perspective	20	(3)
Culture and the Unconscious	23	(2)
The Importance of Metaphor	25	(3)
A Model of Communication Process	28	(3)
The Lasswell Formula	31	(3)
Art and Society: A Model	34	(3)
Dialogic Aspects of Communication	37	(2)
Conversation as Narrative	39	(3)
Men and Women Use Language Differently	42	(3)
Black Speech	45	(2)
People of Color and the Media	47	(2)
Nonverbal Communication	49	(3)
Facial Expressions	52	(2)
Fashion as Communication	54	(3)
Symbolism and Religion	57	(3)
The Meaning of Symbols	60	(2)
The House as a Symbol of Femininity	62	(3)
Miss America's Mythic Significance	65	(3)
Images of Women in Advertising	68	(3)
The Power of Advertising in Capitalist Societies	71	(2)
Myths and Society	73	(3)
Robinson Crusoe as Myth	76	(3)
Fairy Tales and the Psyche	79	(3)
Hot and Cool Media	82	(4)
The Impact of Postmodernism	86	(3)
The Postmodern Eye	89	(2)
Mind and Media	91	(3)
Cybertexts and Video Games	94	(3)
Digital Media	97	(3)
Smart Mobs	100	(3)
How Crowds Think	103	(3)
Television and Art	106	(3)
Amusing Ourselves to Death	109	(2)
Narratives in the Media	111	(3)
Television Is a Dramatic Medium	114	(3)
The Power of Rock Music	117	(3)
Artistic Texts	120	(3)
Psychoanalysis and Literature	123	(3)
Humor and Communication	126	(3)
On Comedy	129	(4)
What Does Art Do?	133	(3)
Interpretation and Art	136	(2)
The Society of Spectacle	138	(3)
Representation and Difference	141	(4)
Appendix: Learning Games and Activities	145	(4)
Glossary	149	(14)
Selected Bibliography	163	(10)
Biographies of Key Text Authors	173	(4)
Index	177	(6)
About the Author	183