The Rhetorical Power of Popular Culture: Considering Mediated Texts - Softcover

Sellnow, Deanna D.

3.28

39 ratings by Goodreads

9781412915410: The Rhetorical Power of Popular Culture: Considering Mediated Texts

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1412915414 ISBN 13: 9781412915410

Publisher: SAGE Publications, Inc, 2009

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Can television shows like Desperate Housewives, popular songs like Shaggy′s It Wasn′t Me, advertisements for Samuel Adams beer, and films such as Harry Potter help us understand rhetorical theory and criticism? The Rhetorical Power of Popular Culture is chock full of familiar examples like these to make rhetorical theory and criticism accessible, relevant, and meaningful to readers. Author Deanna Sellnow offers a step-by-step introduction to rhetorical theory and criticism by focusing on the powerful roles TV programs, advertisements, music, comics, and movies play in persuading us on what to believe and how to behave.

Key Features

Clarifies theoretical concepts using a broad range of familiar examples from TV, film, music, advertisements, and comics
Proposes a consistent step-by-step approach to conducting a rhetorical analysis of popular culture texts focused on describing, interpreting, and evaluating
Engages readers in the hands-on process of popular cultural criticism with end-of-chapter sample essays and challenge exercises
Fosters critical thinking and retention of key concepts by encouraging readers to actively apply concepts through "Applying What You′ve Learned" boxes embedded in each chapter

Intended Audience
This pragmatic book makes an excellent text for courses exploring the intersections of popular culture, communication, sociology, and identity. It is a must-have for anyone interested in examining the powerfully persuasive rhetorical messages that pervade our daily lives.

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About the Author:

Deanna Sellnow is currently a professor of strategic communication in the Nicholson School of Communication at the University of Central Florida. She conducts research in two major areas. The first focuses on strategic instructional communication in a variety of contexts (e.g., classrooms, risk and crisis, health). The second focuses on rhetorical studies of popular culture. She has conducted funded research for the USGS, USDA, Department of Homeland Security, and CDC. Her work is published in refereed national and international journals, as well several books. She has presented her work across the U.S. and in many countries around the world including, Canada, China, Denmark, Egypt, England, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Senegal, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, and Vietnam. She and her husband, Tim, have a daughter (Debbie), son (Rick), son-in-law (Scott), and grandson (Lincoln).

Review:

"Best considered a classroom text, it takes students through the steps necessary to write analyses of various forms of popular culture, ranging from stage musicals to film and television to popular music to advertising to visual images and beyond." Author: Paul A. Soukup, S.J.

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