The anthology American Media and Social Institutions: A Reader places mass media within the context of the greater cultural, social, historical, and ideological world. Students will learn that mass media is not created in a vacuum, but rather it sits at the intersection of all the social sciences.The book provides a firm foundation for studying mass media through introductory chapters on how media works, semiotics, ideology, and media literacy. Subsequent chapters examine news and the culture of journalism, magazines, sound, recording and popular music, and radio broadcasting from its inception.Students will also read about the moving image, electronic visual culture, the role of the Internet, advertising and public relations, legal controls, media research, and the global media marketplace.Serving as a primer for the study of a media-drenched world, American Media and Social Institutions is designed for use in introductory mass media classes. It can also serve as a supplement for courses in sociology and psychology.