This revised and enlarged edition provides a fresh look at mass communication theory and the institutions of mass communication. Beyond Media broadens and redefines the concept of mass communication to include all institutions which contribute to the mass production and distribution of information within society, including television, film, newspapers, books and magazines, as well as museums, libraries, popular art, politics, theater, religion and architecture. The book begins with a new preface examining the role of mass communication and related institutions in the Information Age. It is followed by an extensive chapter tracing the development of the traditional concept of mass communication, with a dialogue between Lee Thayer and Leslie Moeller, two prominent scholars in the field. A summary of important theories and research findings in the field completes this section. Eight chapters follow which examine other major mass media institutions. Key figures from each field, Victor Danilov on museums, David Davidson on libraries, Paola Soleri on architecture, Roberta Mueller on art, Richard Rudman on politics, James Hitchcock on the church, Vincent Sardi on restaurants, and Ken Weissman and Maxine Fox on theater, discuss the roles of their respective institutions in the mass production and distribution of information.

This revised and enlarged edition provides a fresh look at mass communication theory and the institutions of mass communication. "Beyond Media "broadens and redefines the concept of mass communication to include all institutions which contribute to the mass production and distribution of information within society, including television, film, newspapers, books and magazines, as well as museums, libraries, popular art, politics, theater, religion and architecture. The book begins with a new preface examining the role of mass communication and related institutions in the Information Age. It is followed by an extensive chapter tracing the development of the traditional concept of mass communication, with a dialogue between Lee Thayer and Leslie Moeller, two prominent scholars in the field. A summary of important theories and research findings in the field completes this section. Eight chapters follow which examine other major mass media institutions. Key figures from each field, Victor Danilov on museums, David Davidson on libraries, Paola Soleri on architecture, Roberta Mueller on art, Richard Rudman on politics, James Hitchcock on the church, Vincent Sardi on restaurants, and Ken Weissman and Maxine Fox on theater, discuss the roles of their respective institutions in the mass production and distribution of information.

Beyond New Media: Discourse and Critique in a Polymediated Age examines a host of differing positions on media in order to explore how those positions can inform one another and build a basis for future engagements with media theory, research, and practice. Herbig, Herrmann, and Tyma have brought together a number of media scholars with differing paradigmatic backgrounds to debate the relative applicability of existing theories and in doing so develop a new approach: polymediation. Each contributor’s disciplinary background is diverse, spanning interpersonal communication, media studies, organizational communication, instructional design, rhetoric, mass communication, gender studies, popular culture studies, informatics, and persuasion. Although each of these scholars brings with them a unique perspective on media’s role in people’s lives, what binds them together is the belief that meaningful discourse about media must be an ongoing conversation that is open to critique and revision in a rapidly changing mediated culture. By studying media in a polymediated way, Beyond New Media addresses more completely our complex relationship to media(tion) in our everyday lives.

Science is an essentially cooperative, critical, and dynamic enterprise. Were it not for the continuous creation and improvement of special forms of communication, argumentation, and innovation, all of them suitable for its three key features, scientific knowledge and progress could hardly be achieved. The aim of this volume is to explore the nature of science communication in its several functions, modalities, combinations, and evolution - past, present, and future. One of our objectives is to provide an overview of the richness and variety of elements that take part in performing the complex tasks and fulfilling the functions of science communication. The overall structure and criteria for the choice of topics: 1. The origin and target of a communication episode - its source(s) and addressee(s). 2. The media of communication employed. 3. The thematic field and content types. 4. The distinction between aspects of science communication (e.g., media, texttypes, domains, communicative maxims) and aspects of research on science communication (e.g., the contribution of different research traditions to the understanding of science communication). 5. The history and dynamics of science communication (past, present, and future), both in an empirical perspective (e.g., the development of the research article) and a systematic perspective (e.g., what are basic types and mechanisms of change in science communication).