Sorry for the self-promotion and cross-posting, but I wanted to announce the publication of my new book, Television & American Culture (Oxford UP). It's a textbook designed for introduction to television or media courses, with a cultural approach to the medium and an emphasis on contemporary examples. To get a sense of the book's scope, here is the table of contents: Introduction: Why Television? 1 SECTION 1: TELEVISION INSTITUTIONS 15 Chapter 1: Exchanging Programming 17 Chapter 2: Exchanging Audiences 54 Chapter 3: Serving the Public Interest 99 Chapter 4: Televised Citizenship 126 SECTION 2: TELEVISION MEANINGS 159 Chapter 5: Making Meaning 161 Chapter 6: Telling Television Stories 213 Chapter 7: Screening America 269 Chapter 8: Representing Identity 305 SECTION 3: TELEVISION PRACTICES 355 Chapter 9: Viewing Television 357 Chapter 10: Television for Children 383 Chapter 11: Television's Transforming Technologies 403 Conclusion: American Television in a Global Context 438 You can find more info at the companion website http://tvamericanculture.net, and the official OUP site http://tinyurl.com/tvoup , including how to request a review copy for faculty interested in adoption. I hope some of you find it a useful book for teaching, or as a general "state of the medium" overview. Best, -Jason Mittell --- Jason Mittell, Associate Professor of American Studies and Film & Media Culture Chair of Film & Media Culture Department Middlebury College 208 Axinn Center at Starr Library Middlebury, Vermont 05753 (802) 443-3435 / fax: (802) 443-2805 Homepage: http://seguecommunity.middlebury.edu/sites/jmittell Blog: http://justtv.wordpress.com ---- Screen-L is sponsored by the Telecommunication & Film Dept., the University of Alabama: http://www.tcf.ua.edu