Entertainment and Society: Influences, Impacts, and Innovations, (Hardcover)

This textbook for upper-division courses in Entertainment Studies introduces students to the ways that society shapes our many forms of entertainment and in turn, how entertainment shapes society. Entertainment & Society examines a broad range of types of entertainment that we enjoy in our daily lives - covering new areas like sports, video games, gambling, theme parks, religion, and shopping, as well as traditional entertainment media such as film, television, and print. The textbook begins with a general overview of the study of entertainment, introducing readers to various ways of understanding leisure and play. The book then traces a brief history of the development of entertainment from its live forms through mediated technology. Subsequent chapters introduce discussion of audience research and media effects, and then provide focused overviews of particular areas of live and mediated entertainment.

The second edition of this textbook features updated examples and pedagogical features throughout including text boxes, case studies, student activities, questions for discussion, and suggestions for further reading.