This introductory textbook unites the study of rhetoric with the persuasive potential of today's "texts" in popular culture. By providing students with a means by which to understand why popular texts are important to study - as well as how to examine these texts' underlying messages from a variety of rhetorical perspectives - Deanna Sellnow helps readers become critical consumers of the many popular culture texts that influence them in their daily lives.Features and benefits:- This textbook unites rhetorical criticism with mediated popular cultural texts (e.g., film, television, rap music) in ways that relate directly to the experiences of people in society today.- Each chapter is devoted to one theoretical perspective (e.g., narrative, dramatistic, Marxist, feminist, illusion of life, visual pleasure, media effects).- Each chapter provides (a) an explanation of a particular rhetorical theory, (b) examples of messages the theory reveals when applied to various contemporary popular culture texts, (c) embedded 'œapplying what you've learned' opportunities for students to practice examining a specific film, television program, song, or advertisement using the theory, (d) one or two scholarly articles that use the theory to examine a popular culture text, (e) one or two sample student papers that use the theory to examine a popular culture text, and (f) an end-of-chapter challenge posed to students to examine in depth a contemporary artifact using the concepts described in the chapter.- Each chapter opens with reflective questions to guide students to about specific examples as read the chapter.