Mass Communication and American Social Thought ─ Key Texts, 1919-1968

This anthology of hard-to-find primary documents provides a solid overview of the foundations of American media studies. Focusing on mass communication and society and how this research fits into larger patterns of social thought, this valuable collection features key texts covering the media studies traditions of the Chicago school, the effects tradition, the critical theory of the Frankfurt school, and mass society theory. Where possible, articles are reproduced in their entirety to preserve the historical flavor and texture of the original works. This text is ideal for upper-level courses in mass communication and media theory, media and society, mass communication effects, and mass media history.

John Durham Peters is F. Wendell Miller Distinguished Professor in the Department of Communication Studies at the University of Iowa. Peter Simonson is assistant professor of communication at the University of Pittsburgh.