Media and the information age -- 1. The changing media -- The media in our lives -- Technology demystified : a digital media primer -- Changing media in a changing world -- Profile : Richard Parsons -- Media impact : watch the industries merge and converge -- Media and culture : a new balance of power? -- Changing media throughout history -- Changing conceptions of the media -- 2. Media theory -- Understanding the media -- Media economics -- Media impact : follow the money -- Critical and cultural studies -- Media and culture : postmodernism -- Societal functions of the media -- Behavioral theories -- Media impact : where have all the theories gone? -- Profile : Everett Rogers -- The media -- 3. Books and magazines -- History : before and after Gutenberg -- Media and culture : goodbye Gutenberg -- Media impact : early magazines and books -- Profile : Oprah Winfrey -- Technology trends : from chapbook to e-book -- Technology demystified : cuddling up with a nice electronic book? -- Industry : going global -- Genres -- Media literacy : the culture of print -- 4. Newspapers -- Newspaper history : journalism in the making -- Media impact : citizen Hearst and the Spanish-American War -- Technology : roll the presses! -- Industry : keeping the news in chains? -- Content : turning the pages -- Media and culture : television and McPaper -- Media literacy : responsible reporting -- Media impact : diverse voices -- Profile : Maureen Dowd -- 5. Radio and recorded music -- History : how the sound began -- Media and culture : ripping off Black music? -- Media impact : BBC, license fees, and the road not taken -- Media impact : DJs rock around the clock -- Technology : let's make music -- Technology demystified : experiments with electromagnetism -- Industry : radio groups and music labels -- Genres around the dial -- Media literacy : the impact of the sound -- Profile : David Geffen -- 6. Film and home video -- History : golden moments of film -- Media impact : Orson Welles's Citizen Kane -- Profile : George Lucas -- Technology : making movie magic -- Technology demystified : you ought to be in pictures -- Industry organization -- Film content -- Media literacy : film and society -- 7. Television -- A history of network television -- Media impact : going by the numbers -- Technology : inside your TV -- Technology demystified : inside digital television -- Industry : who runs the show? -- Profile : Rupert Murdoch -- Genres : what's on TV? -- Media literacy : out of the wasteland -- Media and culture : diversity in television -- Media and culture : television and the Days of our lives? -- 8. The Internet -- History : spinning the Web -- Technology : Moore's law -- Technology demystified : make your own Web page from scratch! -- The industry : David vs. Goliath -- Content : what's on the Internet? -- Media impact : what's in a name? -- Media impact : join the debate -- Media and culture : media, the Internet, and the stories we tell about ourselves -- Profile : Meg Whitman -- Media literacy : who shall rule the Internet? -- Media and culture : let the Internet rule itself?

9. The communications infrastructure -- History : access for all? -- Technology : understanding the infrastructure -- Technology demystified : squeezing the bits out with digital compression -- Technology demystified : whistling our computer;s tune, or, how modems work -- Technology demystified : cellular radio -- Infrastructure services -- Media impact : our Internet connection options -- The industry : the Telecom mosaic -- Profile : Brian L. Roberts -- Media literacy : infrastructure for everyone? -- Media impact : monitoring the Telecom Act -- Media and culture : preserving universal service -- 10. Public relations -- History : to inform and persuade -- Media impact : PR "D-day" : the 911 attacks -- Technology : new public relations venues -- Media impact : cyber crisis, a new public relations worry -- Genres : forms of public relations -- Industry : the practice -- Media impact : a year in the life of a public relations campaign -- Profile : Helen Ostrowski -- Media literacy : in whose interest? -- Media and culture : the velvet ghetto -- 11. Advertising -- History : origins of advertising -- Technology : new advertising media -- Technology trends : "Minority report" database marketing in the movies -- Industry : the anatomy of a campaign -- Profile : Scott Remy -- Media impact : elements of an advertising plan or campaign -- Genres : forms of persuasion -- Media impact : other forms of marketing communication related to advertising -- Media literacy : analyzing advertising -- Media & culture : you've (not) come a long way baby -- Media issues -- 12. Media impacts -- Bashing the media -- Studying media impacts -- Profile : Neil Postman -- Technology demystified : the science of sampling -- Theories of media impacts -- Media and antisocial behavior -- Media impact : the latest Internet horror -- Communications media and prosocial behavior -- Understanding societal impacts -- Media impact : what about your job? -- 13. Media policy and law -- Policy and law in communications -- Key communications policies -- Media impact : consumer privacy tips and rights -- Access to media and universal service -- The policy-making process -- Profile : Michael K. Powell -- 14. Media ethics -- Ethical standards -- Media and culture : "sexing up" Cosmo -- Codes of ethics -- Media impact : society of professional journalists' code of ethics -- Profile : Michael Getler -- Key ethical issues -- Media impact : PR ethics -- Media impact : net filter for safety? -- 15. Globalization of communications media -- Acting globally, regionally, and nationally -- Profile : Jack Valenti -- The global media -- Media impact : the Cuba-American radio war -- Media and culture : soap operas around the world -- Media impact : the Zapatista Revolution on the Internet -- Technology demystified : a closed or an open Internet, the great red firewall of China -- International regulation -- Media literacy : whose world is it?