Is consciousness like an iceberg? Does advertising lead to the commodification of humans? What is the hidden meaning of fairy tales? In 50 Ways to Understand Communication, Arthur Asa Berger familiarizes readers with important concepts written by leading communication and cultural theorists, such as Saussure, LZvi-Strauss, de Certeau, Lasswell, McLuhan, Postman, and many others. Organized in fifty short segments, this concise guide covers a wide range of important ideas from psychoanalysis and semiology to humor, 'otherness,' and nonverbal communication. Berger's clear explanations and examples surround this assortment of influential writing, walking the uninitiated through these sometimes dense theoretical works. His selections and commentary will challenge readers to reconsider the role of communication in our culture. This engaging, accessible book is essential for students of communication and anyone interested in how we communicate in a world of rapidly changing media.

Arthur Asa Berger is professor emeritus of broadcast and electronic communication arts at San Francisco State University.

Chapter 1 Introduction: How You Can Use This Book
Chapter 2 1 Words and Communication
Chapter 3 2 Signs and Semiotics
Chapter 4 3 When I Use a Word, Humpty Dumpty Said...
Chapter 5 4 Antithetical Meaning of Words
Chapter 6 5 Society Precedes the Individual
Chapter 7 6 Language Codes
Chapter 8 7 The Structuralist Perspective
Chapter 9 8 Culture and the Unconscious
Chapter 10 9 The Importance of Metaphor
Chapter 11 10 A Model of Communication Process
Chapter 12 11 The Lasswell Formula
Chapter 13 12 Art and Society: A Model
Chapter 14 13 Dialogic Aspects of Communication
Chapter 15 14 Conversation as Narrative
Chapter 16 15 Men and Women Use Language Differently
Chapter 17 16 Black Speech
Chapter 18 17 People of Color and the Media
Chapter 19 18 Nonverbal Communication
Chapter 20 19 Facial Expressions
Chapter 21 20 Fashion as Communication
Chapter 22 21 Symbolism and Religion
Chapter 23 22 The Meaning of Symbols
Chapter 24 23 The House as a Symbol of Femininity
Chapter 25 24 Miss America's Mythic Significance
Chapter 26 25 Images of Women in Advertising
Chapter 27 26 The Power of Advertising in Capitalist Societies
Chapter 28 27 Myths and Society
Chapter 29 28 Robinson Crusoe as Myth
Chapter 30 29 Fairy Tales and the Psyche
Chapter 31 30 Hot and Cool Media
Chapter 32 31 The Impact of Postmodernism
Chapter 33 32 The Postmodern Eye
Chapter 34 33 Mind and Media
Chapter 35 34 Cybertexts and Video Games
Chapter 36 35 Digital Media
Chapter 37 36 Smart Mobs
Chapter 38 37 How Crowds Think
Chapter 39 38 Television and Art
Chapter 40 39 Amusing Ourselves to Death
Chapter 41 40 Narratives in the Media
Chapter 42 41 Television Is a Dramatic Medium
Chapter 43 42 The Power of Rock Music
Chapter 44 43 Artistic Texts
Chapter 45 44 Psychoanalysis and Literature
Chapter 46 45 Humor and Communication
Chapter 47 46 On Comedy
Chapter 48 47 What Does Art Do?
Chapter 49 48 Interpretation and Art
Chapter 50 49 The Society of Spectacle
Chapter 51 50 Representation and Difference
Chapter 52 Appendix: Learning Games and Activities
Chapter 53 Glossary
Chapter 54 Selected Bibliography
Chapter 55 Biographies of Key Text Authors