This book introduces undergraduates to key terms and major issues in Media Studies. It is written in an accessible style, with a clear structure and a range of examples. It is designed to support courses/modules in which media is a main area of study. The book covers dominant critical approaches to the relationship between media and society, as well as textual analysis, audience studies, media effects and institutional power. It includes a range of specialist case studies relating these critical approaches to areas such as popular music, film and news.