Making Sense of Media is a lively and accessible book that helps readers understand the mass media and the texts they carry. Written for the beginning student in media studies, who wishes to become acquainted with the ideas of some of the seminal figures in this increasingly important field, this book deals with ideas found in nineteen significant books that will provide useful insights and concepts for anyone interested in the study of the media. From Ferdinand de Saussure and Roland Barthes to bell hooks and Stuart Hall, each chapter in Making Sense of Media provides a discussion of certain fundamental concepts found in key texts. In addition, each chapter offers a short article, by the author, that deals with some idea or theory in the book being discussed. Making Sense of Media includes useful charts, boxed features, exercises, and comic illustrations by the author. Designed expressly for those interested in gaining a solid understanding of the media and how they work, Making Sense of the Media is an indispensable text.