With a lively and engaging style, Myths for the Massesprovides a critical, interdisciplinary, and historically informedstatement about communication in contemporary life. Written by Hanno Hardt, one of the world’s leadingauthorities on the subject. Offers a comprehensive appraisal of mass communication. Provides a critical perspective on media and communication insociety. Contains critical insights into the state of masscommunication, democracy, and the construction of the self insociety.

This interdisciplinary volume offers a crucial new perspective on the appeal and profound cultural meaning of socialism in the modern world. At a time when socialism appears to be in inexorable decline, it is time to rethink the factors that account for its meteoric--and, in the past two centuries, unparalleled--rise. Socialism did not attract millions of people primarily because of logical argument and empirical evidence, important though those were. Rather, it told the most compelling story about the past, present, and future.

This book provides readers and researchers with a critical examination of mass shootings as told by the media, offering research-based, factual answers to oft-asked questions and investigating common myths about these tragic events. When a mass shooting happens, the news media is flooded with headlines and breaking information about the shooters, victims, and acts themselves. What is notably absent in the news reporting are any concrete details that serve to inform news consumers how prevalent these mass shootings really are (or are not, when considering crime statistics as a whole), what legitimate causes for concern are, and how likely an individual is to be involved in such an incident. Instead, these events often are used as catalysts for conversations about larger issues such as gun control and mental health care reform. What critical points are we missing when the media focuses on only what "people want to hear"? This book explores the media attention to mass shootings and helps readers understand the problem of mass shootings and public gun violence from its inception to its existence in contemporary society. It discusses how the issue is defined, its history, and its prevalence in both the United States and other countries, and provides an exploration of the responses to these events and strategies for the prevention of future violence. The book focuses on the myths purported about these unfortunate events, their victims, and their perpetrators through typical U.S. media coverage as well as evidence-based facts to contradict such narratives. The book's authors pay primary attention to contemporary shootings in the United States but also discuss early events dating back to the 1700s and those occurring internationally. The accessible writing enables readers of varying grade levels, including laypersons, to gain a more in-depth—and accurate—understanding of the context of mass shootings in the United States. As a result, readers will be better able to contribute to meaningful discussions related to mass shooting events and the resulting responses and policies.

The renowned master of mythology is at his warm, accessible, and brilliant best in this illustrated collection of thirteen lectures covering mythological development around the world.

This previously unpublished title shows Campbell's remarkable mind engaged with a favorite topic, the myths and metaphors of Asian religions. The book collects seven lectures and articles ranging from the ancient Hindu Vedas to Zen koans, Tantric yoga, and the Tibetan Book of the Dead. Campbell conveys complex insights through warm, accessible storytelling, revealing the intricacies and secrets of his subjects with his typical enthusiasm.--From publisher description.

This new textbook is a wide-ranging, contemporary and accessible analysis of familiar myths about mass education in the United Kingdom. Offering knowledge from various disciplines, it is an essential resource for advanced undergraduate and postgraduate courses on the sociology of education, culture and education, and the philosophy of education.

Six myths lie at the heart of the American experience. Taken as aspirational, four of those myths remind us of our noblest ideals, challenging us to realize our nation's promise while galvanizing the sense of hope and unity we need to reach our goals. Misused, these myths allow for illusions of innocence that fly in the face of white supremacy, the primal American myth that stands at the heart of all the others.

"This new edition of MYTHOLOGIES is the first complete, authoritative English version of the French classic, Roland Barthes's most emblematic work"--

Religious zeal, suicide terrorism, passionate commitment to ideologies, and the results of various psychological tests are often cited to show that humans are fundamentally irrational. The author examines all such supposed examples of irrationality and argues that they are compatible with rationality. Rationality does not mean absence of error, but the possibility of correcting error in the light of criticism. In this sense, all human beliefs are rational: they are all vulnerable to being abandoned when shown to be faulty.

The Armchair Reader series entertains and enlightens with little-known anecdotes, untold stories, and fascinating facts that make even the mundane fun. The Armchair Reader's innovative approach and witty style will capture the interest of all readers. Inside you'll find tantalizing tales of true hauntings, strange stories of otherworldly phenomena, and bizarre bits of human behavior. Learn how the testimony of a ghost got a man convicted of murder. Read about the fire that's been burning under a Pennsylvania town for more than 40 years. Uncover the mysteries of the Bermuda Triangle. Find out where America's most frightening monsters hang out. And much, much more. Pick up a copy today and start reveling in the lore, legends, and colorful characters that make up this weird and wacky world in which we live.