`Eoin Devereux has provided an exceptionally lucid and well organised introduction for students, which keeps a clear eye on the social context of the mass media, and deploys a range of examples and practical exercises to help them find their way through this complex but fascinating field of study. The book includes a very helpful and well chosen set of exemplary readings, and clear guidance on further reading and activities. The package as a whole is an invaluable introduction to any student trying to get to grips with the social study of the mass media' - Professor Peter Golding, Loughborough University

`Eoin Devereux's book Understanding the Media will be welcomed with relief by students and teachers in Media and Communication studies. Undergraduates are often very media savvy and have an intuitive mastery of their symbolic environment. Analytic understanding, however, is another story and that is precisely what this book offers. Devereux takes the students on a reading tour through production, text and reception asking them to bring their own knowledge along' - Liesbet van Zoonen, University of Amsterdam

Understanding the Media introduces key theoretical issues in media analysis and encourages students to use case studies to examine their own personal media use and exposure. Devereux applies a model of media analysis that gives equal weight to the production, content and reception of media texts.

A particular emphasis is placed on understanding the mass media in a social context, and readers are invited to engage with a variety of questions about the increasingly complex mediascape in which we live our everyday lives.

Devereux uses examples from both `old' and `new' media, and draws upon illustrative materials from diverse geographical territories. He provides an accessible and valuable resource for undergraduate media students, which will also enable them to develop a critical interest in the study and analysis of the mass media.

Each chapter contains concise summaries, exercises, extracts from experts in the field, model exam and essay questions, as well as directions for further reading and research. This practical dimension to Understanding the Media will ensure that the book appeals to both teachers and students of the media in the 21st Century.