David Barrat – författare

Sociology Projects: A Students' Guide is a no-nonsense, practical guide to project work for Sociology students.It includes everything from advice on how to choose a manageable topic to checklists reminding you what you need to have done by when. Taking you right through from the initial preparation to the final results, this is an entertaining and highly informative workbook. It will show you:* where to look for useful documents* how not to get overwhelmed by data* when to prepare - and how to evaluate - a questionnaire* ways of presenting your material to best effect* how to anticipate both the possibilities and the pitfalls... and lots more.Written by experienced teachers with extensive knowledge of project work, Sociology Projects will be one of those books a student can't afford to be without!

The British post-war campaign to ban American horror comics neatly illustrates many of the pitfalls of media research. It is the first case-study used by David Barrat as he reviews this rapidly growing field of sociology. He gives a clear account of how and why sociologists have studied the media, looking in particular at the arguments about the effects of television, video, comics, newspapers, and radio on their audiences.He explains how media organizations work, how 'news' is manufactured, and what the political and commercial constraints can be. He discusses the likely impact on new technologies, including satellite and cable television, on the media industry. The final chapter is about methods of studying the media, such as 'uses and gratifications', content analysis, semiology and structural approaches.